India Composites

22 REINFORCEDplastics Ju ly /August 2005

Aquestion generally asked by theinternational composites frater-nity is ‘What is the future for

composites business in India?’ This ques-tion often arises because of the extreme-ly low production volume of compositesin the country. A similar question wasposed ten years ago when the automo-bile industry wanted to come to India.Today, India has become a major playerin automobile field, not only selling carswithin India, but also designing cars andselling them in the international market.

India offers large potential for global collaboration both in trade and technol-ogy in composites applications. It istoday the fourth largest economy in theworld and the second fastest growingmarket in Asia. India has a huge middle-class population with high purchasingcapacity. This market potential has beenproven in the case of automobiles (bothfour and two-wheelers), electronic goodsand other consumer durables. As in thecase of information technology (IT),India can supply trained engineers andskilled workers for all types of produc-tion-related operations from design,through to product development andmanufacture.

The Indian composites industryrecorded 25% growth during 2004. It isexpected that production will doubleevery 4-5 years which means that thevolume could go up to at least 600 000 tonnes per year by 2020. This

requires many more glass fibre produc-ers, resin manufacturing units, enhanceddesign capability, setting up many mech-anised processing facilities and largeincreases in trained manpower. As com-posites become more accepted by theend-user industries, its competitivenesswith steel, aluminium and timber willimprove. The scarcity of timber makescomposites a good wood substitute.

The Indian compositesindustry recorded 25%growth during 2004.

For example:• India currently needs 40 million

more houses to accommodate itspopulation. Assuming six doors for ahouse, utilising 60 kg composites, 2.4 million tonnes of compositescould be used for this single applica-tion. Even a fraction of this numberwould be very attractive for the com-posites industry.

• The requirement for road transportpassenger buses is growing at the rateof 30% annually.

• India manufactures more than 2000railway passenger coaches every year.Many composite items are in use inthese coaches and many more appli-cations are being promoted on a larger scale.

• Wind energy development alonerequires more than 100 000 tonnes ofcomposites for the projected poten-tial of 45 000 MW.

• India needs 200 000 road transporttankers for carrying chemicals andwater.

• Every year 2000 km of pipelines willbe added for transportation of water,chemicals and gases.

All these statistics show the large size ofthe Indian market. It should be notedthat all other advanced developments infield of bridges, marine vessels, auto-mobiles, machine elements and othershave not been considered in this data.

Global interactionThere is a definite need for interaction ofIndia with the global composites com-munity for the benefit of both. Whilst,the industries in the advanced countries

0034-3617/05 ©2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Why India is good for doing compositesbusinessDr N.G. Nair of NGN Composites and Mr Y.J. Jayakumar of the FRP Institute promotethe benefits of doing business with India.

The front-end of this diesel locomotive forhauling passenger trains of Indian Railwayswas made by the vacuum Infusion process.

RP4907_indiaDoing 07/12/2005 08:51 Page 22

23Ju ly /August 2005 REINFORCEDplastics

can promote their raw materials, processknow-how and process machinery,which will benefit the Indian industry byimproving its technology, productionand products, the Indian industry withits technical capability and low produc-tion costs can develop export-orientedproducts for the international markets.This interaction could take place in threedifferent ways.

Joint venturesIndia needs an abundant supply of rawmaterials and speciality chemicals ataffordable cost for upgrading its produc-tion capability and product quality. Theopportunity therefore exists for settingup a few more glass fibre companies, sev-eral resin manufacturing units, mouldmaking and machinery manufacturingunits within the country, either throughjoint ventures or through technologytransfer.

Foreign suppliers can open outletsin India for marketing their products,

particularly speciality chemicals andhigh performance fibres and plastics.These materials must be made available,even in small quantities when needed,since it should be borne in mind thatthis is a ‘seeding’ action. The benefitsand larger orders would materialise onlywhen the manufacturer is able to usethem and convince the end-user of theproduct developed using these newermaterials.

Sales windows should be opened inIndia with stocks readily available. Thisis very important if the applications haveto be developed with newer materials.

India needs an abundantsupply of raw materialsand speciality chemicals

OutsourcingThe production costs for making com-posite products can be 30-40% cheaperin India than in advanced countries inthe area of hand lay-up, and at least 20%cheaper in the mechanised productionprocesses. Industries abroad could makeuse of this cost advantage by outsourcingproducts.

Such exports of products havealready taken place in the area of pipejoints, chemical process equipment andgratings which have been made by handlay-up. Compression moulded sheetmoulding compound (SMC) compo-nents, pultruded sections and filamentwound pipes have also been exported.India has also shown that world class filament winding machines of up to five-axes can be developed and made avail-able at 33-50% of international prices.

Technical servicesThe technical capability of Indian engi-neers, designers and workers in compos-ites-related activities has been wellproven. Almost all the manufacturingunits in the Gulf countries and SouthEast Asia employ Indian engineers andskilled workers. Indian researchers andacademics were involved in many of the

developments in composites even inadvanced countries. It is now possible tomake use of this vast resource of humanpower for the benefit of the global indus-try either by outsourcing services toIndia or by employing them directlyabroad.

A startA good communication and operationalsystem is required for promoting thisglobal interaction. The FRP Institute iscurrently working out a scheme to pro-mote these interactions. A beginningwill be made during the nextInternational Conference and Exhibitionon Reinforced Plastics (ICERP 2006)which will be held on 23-25 February2006 in Chennai, India. Further detailsof this event can be found on the websitewww.frpinstitute.org. Those interested insuch collaborations with the Indiancomposites industry can contact theInstitute’s Business Promotion group. ■

Why India is good for doing composites business

The subcontinent of India lies in south Asia,between Pakistan, China and Nepal. In thenorth it is bordered by the world’s highestmountain chain; in the south, the diverselandscape spans plateaus, tropical rain forests,deserts and beaches.

High speed patrol boat for Indian coast guards.

A toilet module for passenger coaches of IndianRailways, made using the RTM process.

Dr N.G. NairNGN Composites, No. 18, 32nd CrossStreet, Besant Nagar, Chennai 600 090,IndiaE-mail: [email protected]: www.ngncomposites.com

Mr Y.J. JayakumarFRP Institute, NP 23/24, Developed Plot,Ekkattuthangal, Chennai 600 097, IndiaE-mail: [email protected]: www.frpinstitute.org

RP4907_indiaDoing 07/12/2005 08:51 Page 23


India has a long tradition of usingpolymers and fibrous materials formaking useful products. More than

4000 years ago, ‘lacquer’, a polymerobtained from trees grown in Kashmir,was used for making hand tools and laterfor making knife handles. India hasabundant supply of natural fibres likejute, coir, and bamboo. Many useful arti-cles are being made from them. Wovenbamboo baskets coated with cow dungor mud were used for carrying goods andeven viscous liquids. Centuries ago,when the system of nailed jointing wasunknown, Indian craftsmen used tomake boats, joining wooden planks bytying them together with coir rope intoboat shape (called Kettu vallam). Theseboats were very popular for maritimetrade between India and Africa, the Gulfcountries, and South East Asia.

The very first use of fibre reinforcedplastics (FRP) in India was in 1953, whena motoring enthusiast made a replica of avintage car in North India usingglass/polyester composites. However,manufacturing FRP on an industrial scalestarted in 1962, when Praga Industries,Coimbatore, started making roofingsheets. Helmet production was started inChennai in 1964 by Concord Arai PvtLtd with Japanese know-how. During thesame year, Chemical Process EquipmentPvt Ltd started making tanks for chemi-cal industries in Mumbai using importedmaterials (see page 31).

Recognising the high strength andlow weight of polymer composites areuseful for rockets, Indian Space ResearchOrganisation started research and devel-opment (R&D) activities in FRP atThiruvananthapuram in 1967. India’spresent President, His Excellency Dr

A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, was the first head ofthe group which was engaged in com-posites R&D work.

Fibreglass Pilkington Ltd, a subsidiaryof UK-based Pilkington Brothers Ltd,started making glass fibre in a plant inMumbai, first from glass marbles/culletsin 1965, and later by the direct meltprocess in 1973. During the same period,Bakelite Hylam Ltd started producingpolyester resins in Hyderabad. Availabil-ity of these essential raw materials triggered the setting up of several small-scale units to make FRP products.

R&D activities, mainly directedtowards aerospace requirements, startedin early ‘70s, at the Indian Institute ofScience and National AerospaceLaboratory, both located at Bangalore.FRP Research Centre (later renamed asComposites Technology Centre), anorganised interdisciplinary centre, wasestablished at the Indian Institute ofTechnology Madras, Chennai, in 1974,for teaching, academic research and

industry oriented R&D work on compos-ites technology.

With the availability of raw materialswithin the country, glass fibre basedcomposites production started growingat a steady rate. Restrictions on importshave however affected the growth ofcomposites based on other fibres like car-bon and aramid, until recently.

During these three decades, morethan 1200 small scale industries havesprung up in the country. More than98% of them use hand lay-up. Filamentwinding was started in 1975, compres-sion moulding in 1978, and pultrusionin 1985.

Although there was a steady growth,the total volume production has beenvery low. The high cost of raw materials,lack of availability of many essentialmaterials because of import restrictions,and the lack of mechanisation, affectedthe growth in volume production. As aresult of its relatively high cost, FRPcould not compete with steel, aluminum


India’s composites sceneIndia is the fourth largest economy in the world and the second fastest growingeconomy in Asia. As far as FRP is concerned, it is a huge market which is almostuntapped. Dr N.G. Nair presents an overview of the Indian composites market.

The growth of the composites industry in India.

RP4907_indiaCompsScene 07/12/2005 08:52 Page 24


or timber. Hence, growth took place insectors where FRP had performancesuperiority, as in chemical process equip-ment and electrical insulation.

Improvements in volume growthonly started from early 2000 as a result ofthe globalisation of the Indian economy.The industry has reacted to this changeslowly, but a welcome change to morerapid growth has now come.

AerospaceHowever, during the same period, theuse of composites in aerospace anddefence sectors showed a different pic-ture and rapid technological develop-ments have taken place. Extensive use ofcomposites in applications such as rock-ets, satellites, missiles, light combat air-craft, advanced light helicopter andtrainer air craft has shown that India ison par with the advanced countries inthe development and use of compositesin this area.

Present statusIndia has now established a good indus-trial base for the rapid growth of theindustry. A brief outline of the achieve-ments in various sectors is given below. Glass fibre India has three glass fibre manufacturerswith an installed capacity of around 55 000 tonnes per annum. Several glassfibre weaving units also have been estab-lished for weaving and stitching.

There is a carbon fibre productionfacility at the National AerospaceLaboratory, but it is not sufficient tomeet industrial needs.PolyestersManufacture of polyester resins isrestricted to small and medium sizedcompanies at present, but it is likely thatlarger units will emerge. There are about91 polyester resin manufacturing unitswith an installed capacity of about 80 000 tonnes per annum. About 30% ofthe polyesters produced go towards theproduction of buttons and about 10% forthe production of filler paste. The rest ofthe resin is used for composites. Allgrades of polyester resins, excluding

some very special grades, are being madein India.Epoxies Epoxy production started in India asearly as the 1970s, but volume produc-tion started only with the manufactureof epichlorohydrin in India. There are sixmajor units producing epoxies andepoxy adhesives, phenolics and otherthermosets. India produces limitedquantities of liquid phenolics, thermosetpolyurethanes and polyimides.ThermoplasticsWith very large manufacturing units,India is a major global player in the man-ufacture of both commodity and engi-neering thermoplastics. However, thishas not enhanced the use of fibre filledthermoplastics. Speciality plastics likepolytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), poly-imides (thermoplastics), polyether sul-phone (PES) and polyetheretherketone(PEEK) are also being produced in limit-ed quantities.Adhesives, core materials, and speciality chemicalsThis is an area where India has not pro-gressed. Although there are units makingsome of these materials, their qualitydoes not seem to be sufficient to use indurable composite products.

Composites manufactureComposites manufacture, because of itsemployment potential, is reserved forthe small and medium-scale sectors. As a result, India does not have large

manufacturing plants for compositesmanufacture as in some of the advancedcountries. India has about 25 medium-scale production units with annual pro-duction ranging from US$1-10 million.There exist well over 1200 small-scaleunits.

Almost 80% of the industries are stillengaged in the hand moulding. Thelabour cost of hand lay-up production inIndia is only 10-15% of the total produc-tion cost, and this low production costmakes it attractive to use hand lay-upmoulding.

Trained manpower Indian engineers and skilled workers aremanning the composites industry inmany other countries. Within Indiatrained engineers and skilled workers arealso available. Training facilities arebeing provided by Indian Institutes ofTechnology (IITs), FRP Institute and con-sultants like NGN Composites.

Design and R&D skills Many of the developments in theadvanced composites in USA, UK andGermany were, and are, being carriedout by non-resident Indians. Back inIndia, R& D initiatives in compositeshave been made by several IITs, theIndian Institute of Science (IISc) and universities.

The national committee for scienceand technology constituted in the early1970s, identified composite materials as

India’s composites scene

Mechanised composite production facilities in India.Type of facility No. of units Installed

capacity (tonnes/year)

Filament winding 15 15 000

SMC manufacture 6 20 000

Pultrusion 8 10 000

Compression moulding 20 20 000

Automated grids/grating making machine 1000

VARTM 15 30 000

FRTP* pellet making plants 10 big, 20 small 35 000+

FRTP* injection moulding >150 n/a

*FRTP = fibre reinforced thermoplastic



an important area for development.Since then the Department of Scienceand Technology (DST), Government ofIndia, and the Council of Scientific andIndustrial Research (CSIR) have giventop priority to R&D in composites.

The Technology Information Fore-casting and Assessment Council (TIFAC),a unit of DST, has an ongoing AdvancedComposites Programme under whichtechnical guidance and financial assist-ance in the form of soft loans are beinggiven to industries for development ofnew materials, new processes and newproducts (see pages 28-29).

As a result of these government initiatives, there exists a good group of specialists in the country who canundertake R&D and consultancy workon composites.

Product applicationsThis is an area where India has excelledand shown initiative. The innovativeskills of FRP manufacturers have helped

to produce a large number of products inIndia. The aerospace and defence sectorshave designed and produced someworld-class products within India withtotally ‘home grown’ technology. Indiahas also shown excellent product devel-opment and manufacturing capabilityfor making products such as wind tur-bine blades, chemical process equip-ment, electrical insulation products, rail-way coach components, rail sleepers,roof systems and wood substitutes.

Until recently, because of the highcost of composites compared to steel,aluminum or timber, the compositeindustry, in spite of its innovative skills,could not grow in terms of volume production. However, with greater stabil-ity in prices, composites production hasbeen showing an upward trend from2003.

The total production of compositesin 2004 was about 75 000 tonnes. Thechart above shows the manufacturingmethods being applied.

Future with promiseIndia is the fourth largest economy in the world and is the second fastestgrowing economy in Asia. So far as FRP isconcerned, it is a huge marketplacealmost untapped. Well trained man-power is available, making the product-ion cost one of the lowest in the world.The beneficial effects of liberalism andglobalisation of the Indian economyhave yet to penetrate into the compos-ites industry. Materials and machinerycan be easily imported and export ofproducts and service is much easier now;it is a time for the global compositesindustry to work with its counterparts inIndia for the benefits of both. Some ofpossible routes to collaboration are:• Raw materials can be imported by

foreign manufacturers. They canstart their own outlets and later, asthe demand grows, they can set upproduction facilities in India.

• Products can be manufactured inIndia, either under joint ventures orunder buy-back arrangements withIndian industries.

• Infrastructure like mould making,machinery fabrication etc., can bedone in India for the Asian region.

• Support services like design, proto-type development, software etc, canbe outsourced from India, as manymultinationals are doing in the caseof general engineering.

• Trained engineers and skilled workersfrom India can help industries allover the world.

What is needed now is global collabora-tion. Only when the composites industryon a global level joins together for com-mon good, can it compete with themighty metal industries and augmentthe depleting timber resources. Thefuture is always for composites. ■

India’s composites scene

Manufacturing methods being used by Indian fabricators.

Dr N.G. Nair, NGN Composites, No.18,32nd Cross Street, Besant Nagar,Chennai 600 090, India.E-mail: [email protected]: www.ngncomposites.com



The composites technology sce-nario in India is fraught with twoextremes. While world-class capa-

bilities are demonstrated in the country’saerospace sector, traditional processingtechniques are still being deployed in themajority of industrial applications.Other factors such as non-availability ofspeciality input materials, under-use ofadvanced fabrication techniques, andlack of application-oriented research anddevelopment (R&D) have also restrictedthe growth of Indian composites

industry. It is strongly felt that with theadoption of advanced technologies andsome extent of standardisation, theseproblems could be taken care of.

There is a need to boostthe usage of compositesthrough indigenous designcapability, productdevelopment and testing.

Assessing the status of composites indus-try in India, it is seen that there is anardent need to boost the usage of com-posites through indigenous design capa-bility, product development and testing.To promote the usage of composites asan improved performance material inIndia, the Advanced CompositesProgramme is being implemented atnational level by the TechnologyInformation, Forecasting & AssessmentCouncil (TIFAC), an autonomous organi-sation under the Department of Science& Technology, Government of India.The Advanced Composites Programmehas been an experiment to bring about aculture of technology developmenttowards commercialisation, especiallyfor the technology starved small andmedium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Theprogramme has been an attempt to

enhance the utilisation and applicationof composites in various sectors and to improve the laboratory-industry linkages towards development and commercialisation.

Infusion of appropriate knowledge isa major factor to facilitate developmentin an industry. The Advanced Com-posites Programme has helped SMEs inaccessing the knowledge support fromexternal agencies such as national R&Dlabs, academic institutes etc. Such anintervention has been instrumentalbehind formulating an innovative appli-cation, to fabricating the prototype. Theknowledge support from the technologypartners encompasses providing designsupport (product design for improved


Advanced CompositesProgramme: from concept to commercialisation Sangeeta Baksi, G. Srikanth and Soumitra Biswas outline the work of the AdvancedComposites Programme of the Technology Information, Forecasting & AssessmentCouncil (TIFAC).

Composite gratings.

Filament wound composite pressure vessel. Composite artificial limbs.

RP4907_IndiaAdvancedTIFAC 07/12/2005 08:53 Page 28


aesthetics and mechanical design forend-use), advice on raw materials select-ion, procurement of automated plantand machinery, fabrication technique,mould design, testing and certificationof the product etc.

For all the projects supported by theAdvanced Composites Programme, set-ting up of in-house testing laboratorieshas always been emphasised. This hasgenerated enough confidence among theindustry for the development of novelcomposite applications meeting interna-tional standards and quality norms.

Involvement of users in the processof development can be the cornerstoneof success for a project. The AdvancedComposites Programme has alwaysinducted key experts from the usergroups, certification agencies etc. inorder to ensure a user-oriented and user-focused development approach. This hasgreatly helped reduce the product devel-opment cycle and improved the prod-uct’s market reach.

ProjectsThe Advanced Composites Programmehas to its credit 36 projects, which havebeen launched in active collaborationwith the composites industry and knowl-edge support from leading research insti-tutions in the country.

A wide array of composite productssuch as composite gear-case for railwaylocomotives, high energy efficient com-posite axial flow fans, jute-coir compos-ite boards, composite modular toilets

and main doors for railway coaches,composite house-boat for tourism, com-posite artificial limbs, composite pres-sure vessels, composite grids/gratings,composite components for passengerbuses, and composite acoustic enclosureshave been developed successfully. Mostof these products have reached thethreshold of commercialisation.

The programme has made a visibleimpact on Indian Railways by develop-ing nine composite products havingdirect relevance to the rail industry. Aftermeeting stringent technical and safetyrequirements, these products have beeninducted on a large-scale by the railways,thus enhancing the confidence levels inthe industry as well as R&D establish-ments to promote commercialisation ofcomposite technologies.

The programme has madea visible impact on IndianRailways.

A few projects were launched under theprogramme on natural fibre compositesespecially as wood substitutes for lowload bearing applications such as parti-tions, door, panels and other interiors.Commercial exploitation of jute-coircomposites for non-structural use hasprovided an excellent applicationavenue. A recent project initiative hasbeen towards the development of bamboo composite laminates for floor-ing, flat panels and other similar applications. The project, expected togo full stream in 2006, would cater tointernational market for hard woodflooring.

Apart from providing a very effectiveproject management and access toknowledge support, the AdvancedComposites Programme has also devisedan attractive technology developmentfinancing scheme for the Indian indus-tries. The soft financial assistance is pro-vided to the industry partner for pro-curement plant and machinery, raw

material, setting up in-house testingfacilities etc.

With the endeavours by theAdvanced Composites Programme, com-posites technology, originally developedfor aviation and space sectors, is nowreaching the common man in a cost-effective manner and its presence is nowbeing felt across the large geographicalcanvas of the country as well as diverseuser segments.

The Advanced Composites Pro-gramme has proved to be the primemover for technology innovation forIndian composites industry. The pro-gramme has very effectively demonstrat-ed that the triad involving knowledgepartner, user agencies and TIFAC as proj-ect manager can play the catalytic rolefor developing marketable products bythe Indian composites industry. ■

Advanced Composites Programme: from concept to commercialisation

Cabinet made of jute core board. Modular acoustic enclosure.

Sangeeta Baksi, G Srikanth and SoumitraBiswasAdvanced Composites ProgrammeTechnology Information, Forecasting &Assessment Council (TIFAC)4th Floor, ‘A’ Wing, VishwakarmaBhavanShaheed Jeet Singh Marg New Delhi 110 016IndiaTel: +91-11-2686-3816E-mail: [email protected]

RP4907_IndiaAdvancedTIFAC 07/12/2005 08:53 Page 29

30 REINFORCEDplastics Ju ly /August 2005 0034-3617/05 ©2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Indian company profiles

DEVI POLYMERS Pvt Ltd (DPPL) is one ofthe pioneering polyester moulding com-pounders in India. The company com-menced operations in 1975, manufactur-ing sheet moulding compounds (SMC)and dough moulding compounds(DMC). In 1978 DPPL started makingcompression moulded articles usingSMC/DMC. From this early beginning,the company has grown today as thebiggest producer of SMC/DMC withannual production of 4000 tonnes.

DPPL initially started producing SMCcomponents for electrical switch gearcompanies (low tension sector). It is nowone of the leading original equipmentmanufacturer (OEM) suppliers in theswitch gear sector, supplying almost allswitch gear manufacturing companies inIndia, including Larsen & Toubro (L&T),Siemens India, GE India, Legrand,Havels, and HPL Socomec. Some of thembuy SMC for their in-house production.

Devi Polymers is a family-run busi-ness. Its current turnover is US$12 mil-lion of which exports account for about10%. There is rapid increase in theexport area and this is very likely toreach 30-40% in the next five years.

FacilitiesDPPL has three manufacturing facili-

ties in Chennai, all ISO 9001-2000 certi-fied. To meet global requirements, DPPLcreated its own in-house facilities formanufacturing dies and tools. There arealso around 30 hydraulic presses rangingfrom 50 tonnes to 1000 tonnes capacityfor moulding various SMC/DMC compo-nents. DPPL has excellent testing

facilities for testing physical, mechanicaland electrical properties of SMC/DMCraw materials. It also has a well integrat-ed design facility enabling it to supportcustomers to design the product fromthe conceptual level. It provides servicesin product design as well as tool design.

DPPL has developed under one roofintegrated facilities for design, develop-ment, manufacture and testing of SMC/DMC compounds, including mouldmanufacturing. The hydraulic pressessubsequently ordered have also under-gone design changes based on theexpertise gained by DPPL over the years.

ProductsAlthough a compounder, DPPL hasdeveloped many products and marketedthem both in India and abroad. Initiallyelectrical insulation products were madeand marketed. During late ‘80s a majoreffort was made to develop and intro-duce sectional water tanks, modularequipment enclosures and moulded elec-trical enclosures. All these products arenow being exported to Gulf countries,the USA and UK.

Water storage tanksOne of DPPL’s main products are section-al panel water tanks made of SMC.SMC/GRP panels of 1 m x 1 m, 1 m x 1.5 m (high) and 1 m x 2 m are assem-bled to make tanks with capacities rang-ing from 1000 litres to 1 million litres ormore.

The design enables these tanks to bereinforced externally with steel membersand thus totally avoid any steel getting

in contact with stored water. DPPL’stanks are approved by Water ResearchCouncil (WRC), UK. These tanks are alsobeing made as per IS-14399 andSingapore Standard SS-245.

DPPL’s SMC grade raw materials areapproved by Underwriters Laboratory(UL), USA.

EnclosuresDPPL manufactures 11 standard sizes ofglass fibre reinforced polyester(GRP/SMC) enclosures, from 120 x 122 x90 mm to 600 x 420 x 210 mm, to meetglobal requirements. These SMC enclo-sures are moulded using an in-houseSMC grade (597/20 & 8595/30) whichhas approval by Underwriter’sLaboratory, USA, for outdoor weatheringrequirements and as well as meetingflame-retardant requirements of self-extinguishing (UL-94 V-0 & 5VA). TheseSMC enclosures have very high protec-tion against water and dust, as high as IP 67. The enclosures have a tongue andgroove arrangement with PU gasket sealing. ■

Profiles of five Indian composites organisations andtheir activities.

DEVI Polymers Pvt Ltd (DPPL)

Marketing DivisionDevi Polymers Pvt LtdNP 23 & 24 Developed PlotEkkattuthangalChennai 600 097IndiaTel: +91-44-2225-0359/2225-1502Fax: +91-44-2225-0349E-mail: [email protected]: www.devipolymers.com

RP4907_india_companies 07/12/2005 08:54 Page 30



THE FRP Institute is a non-profit making,registered society of the Indian com-posites fraternity. It was established in 1999 and has an all-Indian member-ship consisting of scientists, composite

specialists, fabricators, raw material sup-pliers, consultants, designers, defencelaboratories, educational institutions etc.The Institute works in close collabora-tion with industry and institutions toimprove India’s composites technologyand to promote the growth of the Indiancomposites industry.

The FRP Institute has the followingthree main objectives for the compositesindustry: • education and training; • technology and quality; and • growth and exports.

The FRP Institute is trying to serve as afacilitator to promote the rapid growthof the industry. It conducts training pro-grammes, seminars, conferences and hasalso developed Voluntary Codes ofPractice. To promote global interaction,the Institute has organised two

International Conferences and Exhibit-ions on Composites (ICERP 2002 and2004) which have yielded excellentresults. Encouraged by these it is plan-ning to double the exhibition area ofICERP 2006 (23-25 February 2006,Chennai, India).

The FRP Institute has drawn up com-prehensive development plans and if fol-lowed, the Indian composites industrycould be doubling its output every fiveyears. ■

FRP Institute

ICERP 2004.

FRP InstituteNP 23 & 24 Developed PlotEkkattuthangalChennai 600 097IndiaTel: +91-44-2225-0359/2225-1502Fax: +91-44-2225-0349E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.frpinstitute.org

Gas cleaning plant. CPE equipment going to Chile.

Chemical Process Equipment Pvt LtdB.S.D. Marg, GovandiMumbai 400088, IndiaTel: +91-22-2597-8141 or 2559-7814Fax: +91-22-2556-2248 or 2556-3375E-mail: [email protected] [email protected]: www.cpel.com

CHEMICAL PROCESS Equipment Pvt Ltd(CPE) started operations in 1964 in asmall way by the present chairman andmanaging director Mr B.S. Rajpurhit, buthas grown to be a diversified multi-product company with a leadership inthe field of fibre reinforced plastics (FRP)fabrication, with manufacturing facilitiesin Mumbai, Vadodara, and NewMumbai. It now has over 450 employees.It is a family-run business with a currentturnover of around US$8.5-9.5 million.

ActivitiesCPE designs, manufactures and erectsfield storage tanks, agitators, reaction

vessels, pressure vessels, wet gas electro-static precipitators, scrubbing systems,exhaust systems, polymer concrete cells,process piping, gratings, and cable trays.All products are custom-made, confirm-ing to international standards.

The company has facilities for manu-facturing high quality chemical equip-ment both by hand-lay up and filamentwinding. Process equipment is madeusing various thermoset resin systems,with or without a thermoplastic lining.

ExportsEquipment and piping made by CPE arein use worldwide in countries like Chile,

Germany, USA, Finland, Kuwait, Jordon,Bahrain, Malaysia, Taiwan, Indonesia,Singapore, Thailand, Australia, SpainItaly, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt. More than140 wet gas precipitators have beenexported to various countries. CPE is oneof the largest manufacturers of wet gasESPs in the world.

AwardsCPE has received a Top Exporter Awardfrom the Plastics Export PromotionCouncil (PLEXCONCIL), Ministry ofCommerce, Government of India, for 10years. Because of the quality of productsbeing made, CPE has also received theIMC Ramakrishna Bajaj Award 2002, cer-tificate of merit. ■

Chemical Process Equipment Pvt Ltd




THE COMPANY was established in 1990,as a licensee of Indian Space ResearchOrganisation (ISRO) for the manufactureof ISROSIL (High Silica Fabrics). In 1992,it diversified into manufacturingadvanced engineering and compositeproducts of glass fibres, high silica, andcarbon etc. The company is continuouslyengaged in developing and manufactur-ing high-tech composites and otherproducts mainly for aerospace andsefense and other industrial applications.

Valeth HighTech Composites is anISO 9001:2000 certified company withan annual turnover of US$2 million.

Facilities A most modern factory with a built areaof well over 2000 m2 is situated near

Chennai, South India. The followingfacilities are currently available at thismanufacturing unit:• autoclave moulding;• CNC filament winding;• resin transfer moulding;• resin impregnation plant;• composite machining;• glass fibre twisting, doubling and

weaving; • high silica textile processing;• fabrication of high temperature tex-

tile products;• fabrication of special purpose equip-

ment;• well-equipped facility for product

design;• advanced testing facilities.

ProductsThe company is constantly engaged inthe design and development of newproducts for high-end technology. Someof the products developed and suppliedby the company are listed below:• Isrosil - high silica products of contin-

uous amorphous silica filaments;

• silica phenolic lining in rocket motortubes;

• nozzle assemblies and radomes forrockets;

• carbon composite propeller shaft forsmall ships;

• GRP body assemblies for defence pur-poses;

• flexible glass fibre air hoses fordefence helicopters;

• composites shell assemblies and fit-tings for deep sea probes;

• carbon composite inserts/structuresfor satellite applications;

• composite inserts for solar panels;• FRP sleepers for Indian Railways;• FRP tip vanes for wind turbines;• pressure vessels and membrane hous-

ings for reverse osmosis water treat-ment systems.

Developmental activitiesThe company is currently engaged in thedevelopment of two innovative applica-tions of composites in the country:• all-composite two-seater aircraft;• all-composite high-speed planing

boat with a top speed of 45 knots.

ExportsThe company has all the capability totake up supply of advanced compositeproducts for high-end applicationsincluding aerospace marine and trans-port systems. It can also take up and execute turnkey projects for setting upindustry oriented production units forfilament wound water treatment sys-tems, compressed natural gas (CNG)cylinders, aircraft components and pressure vessels. ■

Valeth HighTech Composites (P) Ltd

Composite radomes.

Bridge girders.

Valeth Hitech Composites (P) Ltd56, Kazhipattur, Padur PostKelambakkamTamilnadu 603 103IndiaTel: +91-4114-274423Fax: +91-4114-275472E-mail: [email protected]: www.valeth.com




UNIGLASS INDUSTRIES Pvt Ltd (UIPL)was established in 1972, initially to carryout lining of lead acid battery storagetanks and chemical process vessels. Workon electrical insulation products startedin the late ‘70s. The company forayedinto products for structural and infra-structural applications in 1995. It istoday the largest supplier of pultruded,compression moulded and filamentwound electrical insulation products inIndia with an annual production capaci-ty of 800 tonnes.

FacilitiesThe main facilities of UIPL include six filament winding machines, 10 pultru-sion machines, a 250 tonnes capacitylaminating hydraulic press, machineshops, tool rooms, testing laboratory etc.

ProductsThe company makes filament woundcylinders, compression moulded

laminates and pultruded rods and pro-files. The following are the applicationareas for which these products are beingused.

Glass-epoxy filament wound cylindersLightning arresters, rupturing chambers,arc pots for switchgears, OLTC tanks andhollow shafts, selector columns, switchpillars, centering tubes for tap-changers,fuse bodies for low and medium voltages,insulating rods and operating rods, insu-lating tubes for transformers, end rings/end blocks and coil formers.

Glass-epoxy and glass-polyesterlaminatesTerminal boards, stepped blocks, coresupport blocks and yoke insulation fortransformers, rectifier boards for motors,barriers for circuit breakers, shutters forswitchgears, seal off bushing for isolatedphase bus ducts, motor and propeller

shaft housing for recreational boats, storage tanks and pressure vessels forchemical applications.

Glass-epoxy and glass-polyesterpultruded rods and profiles Studs for lightning arresters, selector barsfor tap changers, ‘I’ sections and rods forgratings, ‘C’ channels and ‘L’ angles forcable ladders/trays, drive links, switchingbars, tension plates for switch gears, rodsfor composite insulators, duct strips,dovetail strips and spacers, dog bone pro-files, ‘U’ profiles, and hat profiles for oilcooled and dry type transformers. ■

Uniglass India Pvt Ltd

Uniglass Industries Private Ltd, DeviFarm Industrial Estate, 10th mainSampige Layout, Off Nagarbhavi Road,Bangalore 560079, IndiaTel: +91-80-2330-4412Fax: +91-80-2330-2829E-mail: [email protected]: www.uniglassindia.com


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India Composites