The new production plant of Kerakoll Group, a B Corp certified Benefit Corporation, has been inaugurated in Jaipur, in the state of Rajasthan, north-western India.
The plant is Kerakoll’s second factory in India, following the factory in Vadodara, in the state of Gujarat, opened in 2014. The aim of the new production facility, built in less than two years, is to provide an even more effective response to the extremely dynamic demand from the Indian market, successfully covering the whole country with efficient logistics in terms of service and delivery times.
India is one of Kerakoll’s largest markets, and in 2023 the Group totalled consolidated revenue of €33m in the country, compared to €31m in 2022, with an annual growth rate of 18% over the last five years and a current market share in India of 7%, which it aspires to increase to 10% over the next five years.
The new facility required a total investment of €30m for the purchase of the land and the construction of the plant. The plant has an annual production capacity of 150,000 tonnes, which can potentially be double at full capacity, and will be used mainly for the production of cement-based adhesives for laying ceramic material and natural stone.
The facility has been built in accordance with the highest standards of sustainable construction and attention to the environment typical of Kerakoll’s industrial footprint. It has a photovoltaic system with an installed capacity of 1,185 kW, able to produce 1,492 MWh of energy a year, the equivalent of the electricity required each year for 1,036 homes, resulting in an annual reduction of 1,268 tonnes in carbon emissions. The forklifts used in the plant are 100% battery powered, and the building has been designed to maximise the use of natural light.
The facility also has a rainwater collection system with a capacity of 670,000 litres a day during peak rainfall periods (equivalent to the amount of water required yearly for 150 families).
Kerakoll Group CEO Marco Zini said: “For Kerakoll, the inauguration of the Jaipur plant is an important step forward in the Group’s international growth process. India is a strategic market, thanks to the rapid pace of urban development, ambitious infrastructure plans and the growing demand for sustainable building materials: Kerakoll has been aware for many years now of the importance of this country, with almost 1.5bn inhabitants, recognising it as a place to make a commitment to a responsible growth model that is sustainable in the long term”.
