Strata Geosystems announced it had started construction on a new manufacturing facility in the state of Gujarat, India, north of Mumbai, that the company said is aimed at meeting the global demand for geotechnical products. The plant is schedule to open in the second quarter of 2018.
Strata said it is designing the 100-Crore ($15-million) manufacturing plant with a capacity of 215 million square feet (20 million m2) of geogrids in its first phase, with production scaled up to 323 million square feet (30 million m2) by 2020. Currently, Strata said it produces about 86 million square feet (8 million m2) of an estimated annual volume in India of 183 million square feet (17 million m2), and that they expect a continuation of acceleration of government funding of the infrastructure sector under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership.
Strata said the 150,000-square-foot (13,900-m2) modern facility will house the next-generation of wide-width machines, adopt an advanced coating technology and automate several material-handling activities. The grounds will include a field-testing facility and an advanced laboratory to mimic site conditions. The facility will also implement a variety of renewable energy initiatives, such as solar power and rainwater harvesting.