COLOMBO, Sri Lanka—Off-highway tire manufacturer Global Rubber Industries is on track with the construction of a new mixing facility in Mirigama, 15 miles from its specialty tires production plant in Badalgama, Sri Lanka.
The new unit will have a mixing capacity of 200 metric tons per day, a significant upgrade compared to the company's current 50-60 tons per day, GRI said in a statement.
"We opted for a new mixing plant to meet the current demand and facilitate further expansion," said GRI Executive Director Ananda Caldera.
GRI broke ground on the project in August 2019 and is investing $20 million in the first phase of construction, the company told European Rubber Journal in a written statement.
The facility will feature "best in class" equipment with automatic weighing capabilities, feeding systems and high capacity Banbury mixers. The initial phase is set to be completed in April.
The auto-feeding of fillers at the plant ensure that no dust is generated by carbon black, while silo systems and dust collection mechanisms reduce wastage, GRI said.
The new facility will be equipped with machinery from Germany's HF and Farrel in the United Kingdom. It is being built to support a planned capacity expansion at the company's Badalgama tire production site.
The company's current manufacturing capacity for both solid and pneumatic specialty tires stands at about 15,000 tons per year. The tire maker said it expects to increase production to about 20,000 tons per year "in about a year's time" and increase capacity further based on demand.
GRI produces agriculture tires, construction tires and material handling solid tires at its $38 million factory in Badalgama, which started operation in January 2018.
The company has invested in a number of efficiency measures, including a new Comerio Ercole precision calender, particularly used for agricultural tires.
The plant features 1.2 MW solar panels, biomass boilers and fully recyclable waste and water management systems.
Among the products manufactured at the plant are Green XLR 65, 70, 80 and 95 radial series along with the Green XLR F77 Flotation tires.
GRI also features the bias-ply range of Green EX RIB 3 implement tires, Green EX FL700 Flotation and RT100 tractor tires.
