Jun 8 2007
Alcan Inc. announced that it is acquiring 76% of the shares of Alukbond India Private Ltd. from its owner, Mr. Navin Keswani. The Company will be renamed Alcan Composites India Private Ltd. Mr. Keswani will continue in the Company as a minority shareholder, and a member of the Board of Directors. Mr. Keswani will also serve as an active consultant to Alcan in growing the Company and otherwise advising Alcan on its business interests in India.
"This agreement enables Alcan to better serve its customers in the fast growing architectural facades market in India with ALUCOBOND(R), the world's leading brand of aluminum composite materials. Alcan will now locally manufacture and sell ALUCOBOND(R) which will significantly improve its availability to customers," said Georg Reif, President of Alcan Composites. "The combination of our partner's local market knowledge together with Alcan Composites' technological leadership and global network offers significant opportunities in the building and retail construction market," he added.
Alukbond India Private Ltd., headquartered in Mumbai, has 32 employees and a manufacturing plant located in the state of Maharashtra. The production facility currently manufactures the Alukbond brand of aluminum composite panels. Its revenues in 2006 were under US$ 5 million. Following Alcan's modification of the production line, the globally recognized ALUCOBOND(R) quality will become available to the Indian architectural facades market. Alcan's history as a partner to the Indian construction industry dates back to 1996 when ALUCOBOND(R) was selected as cladding material for DLF Corporate Park in Delhi. This was the first corporate building in India to use aluminum composite material as facade cladding. There are numerous other examples illustrating the popularity of ALUCOBOND(R) in India with many more landmark projects including the National Stock Exchange, Mumbai's Diamond Bourse, the headquarters of major corporations, shopping malls, airports, sports stadiums and others.
Alcan's ALUCOBOND(R) aluminum composite material was developed to supply a light and flexible material for facades. Available in different finishes, it addresses both interior and exterior architectural applications and enables the creation of a distinctive style and an appropriate image for every building. Specified by architects, ALUCOBOND(R) is used all over the world and millions of square meters have been sold since the product was launched in 1969.