BADALGAMA, Sri Lanka — Specialty tire maker Global Rubber Industries (Pvt.) Ltd. (GRI) is reporting that the second phase of an expansion of its plant in Badalgama, which began in January, is progressing despite the lockdown in Sri Lanka caused by the surging COVID-19 pandemic in India.
The $100 million facility is being constructed adjacent to GRI's current facility. GRI said it hopes to increase capacity to 750,000 tires per year, for a a total capacity of 100 metric tons per day.
GRI said the installed machine capacity has increased to 35 tons a day from 25 tons per day in January, with plans to reach 1,000 tons of tires per month by July.
GRI said all the required machinery for the expansion has been commissioned. The area will be 220,000 square feet.
"The building expansion work is ongoing for the entire land," Ananda Caldera, executive director of GRI, said. "We will be doubling the extent of the production facility."
Mr. Caldera said the tire maker hopes to complete construction by October, and "by December we will have an installed capacity of 50 tons per day," he said.
GRI will expand capacity to reach 100 tons per day in 2022, he said.
The company continues to focus on reducing its carbon footprint as well as its impact on the environment. GRI said solar panels there will generate 2.5 megawatts of solar power.
"We will focus on optimizing energy efficiency, water conservation, and waste management," Mahesha Ranasoma, CEO of GRI, said. "The building is designed in a way that during the day the facility will be illuminated by natural light. Greening of the production facility will be done by planting over 75 trees on the premises."
GRI, founded in 2002, produces material handling solid tires, radial agriculture tires and construction tires. It has operations in nine countries, and a business presence in more than 50 countries.
The facility in Sri Lanka opened in 2018 to produce radial agricultural tires. In 2020, GRI commenced construction of a large mixing facility for tire compounds and in January of this year initiated the expansion.
