Page 21 - Plastics News March 2018

CompAny news

Reliance Industries Wins FT Arcelor Mittal Boldness in Business

Awards

ecognized for their innovation and bringing Alongside its winner, RIL, the ‘Drivers of Change’ award
Rtransformational change to India, Reliance Industries shortlist was composed of five other businesses including
Limited (RIL), a leading provider of energy, petrochemicals, JAB Holdings, Kobalt Music, MercadoLibre, Planetary
textiles, retail, telecommunications and digital services, Resources and SoftBank Vision Fund.
was presented with the ‘Drivers of Change’ award at the
Financial Times ArcelorMittal Boldness in Business Awards,
in a ceremony that took place in London. The award Wittmann Battenfeld expanding
provides recognition of RIL’s exceptional commitment India plant
to innovation-led, exponential growth within the areas
of hydrocarbon exploration and production, petroleum
refining and marketing, petrochemicals, retail and 4G ising automation in India's plastics industry is
digital services. RIL’s vision has pushed them to achieve Rleading Austria's Wittmann Battenfeld GmbH to
global leadership in many of their businesses, including undertake the second expansion of its Chennai plant
in as many years."The plan is to enlarge the product
portfolio to offer wider automation solutions and robotic
applications" because the Indian plastics industry is
increasingly moving toward automation, said Nanda
Kumar, director of Wittmann Battenfeld India Pvt. Ltd.
"The expanded plant would be operational in the
second half of 2019 and raise product offerings by 50
percent," he said.The proposed
expansion would hike the plant
area to 150,000 square feet. The
facility was expanded by 43,000
their position as the largest polyester yarn and fiber
producer in the world and India’s premiere mobile and square feet in 2017. "The earlier
digital services provider. After receiving the ‘Drivers of expansion was more focused
Change’ award, Mukesh Ambani, Chairman and Managing on special projects, but the
Director of RIL, commented, “My sincere thanks to the [next] expansion is more toward
Financial Times and ArcelorMittal for this honor. This manless operation on the shop
recognition belongs to our 100,000 plus young colleagues floor, besides offering turnkey
of Jio, the most powerful Drivers of Change in India solutions for the plastic industry,"
today. We at Jio, resolved to re-imagine, re-purpose and he said .Currently, the Chennai plant manufactures
transform the digital services landscape in India. Today’s equipment like conveyor systems, mold temperature
recognition makes our resolve stronger to make India a controllers and dryers.The Indian subsidiary is growing
Better India, and our world a Better World.” around 30 percent annually, with sales of about $6.4
million in 2017. It's targeting to more than double that
Lionel Barber, editor of the FT, noted the achievement, to about $15.4 million this year."The latest technology
commenting, “Mukesh Ambani has achieved change on a is driving the Indian plastics industry, and customers are
grand scale, from energy supply to 4G digital services. He now scouting for newer technology that also hike plant
is a worthy winner.” This year marks the 10th anniversary efficiency levels," he said. The company, which ships
of the FT ArcelorMittal Boldness in Business Awards, about 5,000 robots a year from factories in Europe, China
an awards initiative set up by the Financial Times to and the United States, is currently expanding facilities
acknowledge business innovation and individual risk- in Nuremberg, Germany, and Pisek, Czech Republic, to
taking despite a backdrop of global financial uncertainty. add capacity for automation and gripper systems.

21 March 2018 Plastics News