DuPont India, the wholly-owned subsidiary of DuPont, has embarked on strategic expansion of its Indian facilities for tapping the “big opportunities” emerging in the domestic market.
The company has opened a state-of-the-art integrated ballistics centre, the first such facility in the Asia Pacific region, at the DuPont Knowledge Centre on the city's outskirts. The new facility is equipped with ballistics testing range, a 600-tonne helmet press and stab testing equipment.
The new centre, according to DuPont President-South Asia Rajeev Vaidya, will provide a combination of solutions to suit local needs, including lighter vein solutions to the armed forces. “The needs in India are different from other markets. The new facility will help us in understanding the needs and develop specific solutions,” he said.
He replied in the negative when asked whether the company planned to compete with DRDO and ordnance factories by setting up the ballistics centre. “It will, in fact, help us to collaborate better with these agencies,” he said. He, however, refused to divulge the details of investments made for setting up the facility.
“We see big opportunity here and we continue to make significant investments,” was all he said.
DuPont Knowledge Centre technology leader Yati Waghray said given the challenging ballistic requirements of the defence and internal security forces, the new facility would help in jointly developing appropriate solutions and applications for protective vests and helmets that could be tested under local conditions and local ammunition to meet the requirements.
Focus
The primary focus was on working with strategic customers/partners as well as end-users by bringing in solutions at cheaper costs taking advantage of its location.
The facility would also enable introduction of a broader portfolio of its patented ‘Kevlar' materials and solutions that address local needs. In addition to helmets and vests, the demand for Kevlar material was on the rise in other sectors such as aerospace, oil and natural gas, alternative energy and automotive industry.
The new facility would allow DuPont customers and end-users, including law enforcement agencies and armed forces, with application testing facilities of international standards.
