Bangalore-based Ard­ex Endura (India) (AEIPL), a 50:50 joint venture between Ardex Group of Germany and Rajaj Raheja-owned Prism Cement, will now set its foot on eastern India with a manufacturing unit at Sujalaam Skycity, India’s first Greenfield aerotropolis within Asansol-Durgapur Development Authority (ADDA). AEIPL is a market leader in tile-fixing adhesive, flooring, waterproofing, and allied products with last year turnover of Rs 90 crore.

AEIPL on Monday signed a memorandum of understanding with Bengal Aerotropolis Projects (BAPL), which is developing Sujalaam Skycity, to this effect. The AEIPL project at Durgapur will entail an investment of Rs 10 crore in the first phase. Then the company will take up a capacity ramp up drive through which the capacity will be doubled over a period of 3 to 5 years, depending on the growth trend and prospects, Gopinath Krishnan, managing director, Ardex Endura, said here.

At present the company has two plants in Bangalore (Karnataka) and Baroda (Gujrat) and as many as 29 branches across the country. “Sujalaam Skycity project has come in handy for setting up our first manufacturing unit in eastern India as the industrial and logistics hub being created here will enable us to not only address the West Bengal market, but also the entire eastern India markets like Bihar, Orissa and north eastern states,” said Krishnan.

The aerotropolis, 180 km off Kolkata in the industrial belt of Asansol-Durgapur, will comprise a domestic airport, an industrial and IT Park, logistic hub, residential precinct, health and education institutions. Subrata Paul, CEO, BAPL, said.