Date:03/01/2007 URL: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2007/01/03/stories/2007010302200200.htm

Back Dunlop's Sahagunj facility may start rolling out tyres this week

Our Bureau

To focus on truck and off-the-road tyres initially

Looking ahead
The company is expecting both the Sahagunj and Ambattur facilities to reach 130 tonne production levels within this fiscal.
Bengal Govt to decide soon on land allocation for setting up a ship-building and repairing SEZ at Jellingham.
Jessop has already struck collaboration agreements with Tekhom of Ukraine for ship building and repairing and Antarakoh of Singapore for construction of jetties.

Kolkata , Jan. 2

The Sahagunj facility of Dunlop India may start rolling out tyres and industrial rubber products beginning this week. Except for a brief period in 2000, the plant has been out of operation since 1998.

"The boilers are already fired and we are expecting commercial production to resume within this week," the company Chairman, Mr P.K. Ruia, told Business Line. The factory was on trial run since October 31.

To begin with the company will focus on production of truck and off-the-road (OTR) tyres and a couple of industrial products like hoses and adhesives. The company is expecting both the Sahagunj and Ambattur facilities to reach 130 tonne production levels within this fiscal.

Meanwhile the West Bengal Government will shortly take a call on Mr Ruia's proposal for allocation of land for setting up a ship-building and repairing SEZ at Jellingham near Haldia port in West Bengal. The project is estimated to cost close to Rs 1,000 crore and will be a forward integration of the group engineering outfit Jessop & Co Ltd.

The company has already identified close to 2,000 acre of unused industrial land - previously allocated to a central public sector unit - for the SEZ.

Jessop has already struck collaboration agreements with Tekhom of Ukraine for ship building and repairing and Antarakoh of Singapore for construction of jetties.