MOSCOW (MRC) -- The Munich-based chemical group Wacker has announced the opening of a new logistics facility at its production site in Amtala near Kolkata (India), according to the company's press release.
The high-bay warehouse has a capacity of 5000 pallet spaces and will be operated by Wacker Metroark Chemicals Pvt. Ltd. (WMC), a joint venture between Wacker and Kolkata based Metroark Ltd. Pvt.. The new logistics center compliments WMC’s existing network of warehouses strategically located in Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai and Kolkata.
At the opening ceremony, attended by WMC Executive Director Levi Cottington and WMC Managing Director Soumitra Mukherjee, Dr. Christian Hartel, President of Wacker’s silicones business division, said the new facility will help maximize flexibilty of logistics, increase delivery speed, and minimize lead times for customers.
"This investment will strengthen our growth opportunities in India. Therefore, the warehouse has more capacity than we will use currently", Dr Hartel said. He emphasized that investing more than EUR 1 million for the facility will have an immediate effect on WMC’s ability to increase the efficiency of its logistics operations. "This will enhance the accuracy and traceability of our deliveries for our customers, and will ultimately help to keep the costs in line."
As MRC wrote before, in early 2014, Wacker started strengthening its presence in India by opening its expanded technical center for silicone products in Amtala near Kolkata. Operated by the joint venture Wacker Metroark Chemicals Pvt. Ltd. (WMC), the enlarged regional competence center now comprises state-of-the-art applications technology and test equipment for silicone products needed in the textiles, personal care and construction industry. The chemical Group is thus responding to the growing demand for silicone products and the emerging needs of regional customers for technical support and expertise. The investment amounts to around half a million Euro.
Wacker Metroark Chemicals Pvt. Ltd. (WMC) is headquartered in Kolkata and responsible for production, marketing and sales activities in the Indian subcontinent relating to Waacker silicone products. The joint venture - in which Wacker has a 51% stake - was set up in 1998 and is active in greater India's most important trade centers with sales offices in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Chennai, as well as in Dhaka in Bangladesh. Key markets are the textile, personal care, construction, coatings, transmission and distribution, automotive, plastics, adhesives, and packaging sectors. The company also markets Wacker sealants, silanes and pyrogenic silica in India.
Wacker Chemie AG is a worldwide operating company in the chemical business, founded 1914. The company is controlled by the Wacker-family holding more than 50 percent of the shares. The corporation is operating more than 25 production sites in Europe, Asia, and the Americas. The product range includes silicone rubbers, polymer products like ethylene vinyl acetate redispersible polymer powder, chemical materials, polysilicon and wafers for semiconductor industry.
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