VIJAYAWADA: A delegation from Asian Paints called on Industries and Commerce Minister Mekapati Goutham Reddy at the latter’s camp office here on Wednesday. It explained to the minister about the preparations for the expansion of second phase works of the Asian Paints factory in the State.
They said their factory in Visakhapatnam could become one of the largest paint factories globally with a capacity of 5 lakh KL after the completion of the expansion. The factory’s current capacity is 3 lakh KL.
The delegation led by Asian Paints group head (corporate affairs) Amit Kumar Singh said commercial production at the Vizag unit started in January, 2019 after investing Rs 1,350 crore in the first phase. “We have already provided employment to 750 people, which is more than the total committed numbers of 700,” it said.
Stating that the factory has Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) platinum certification, they said the company is meeting around 75 per cent of water requirements through rainwater harvesting. “We have installed renewable energy plants of 5.2 MW, which meet approx 75 per cent of our requirements,” they added.
“We are spending Rs 3 crore per annum towards CSR in and around the plant,” the company officials said and added that they have contributed Rs 3 crore to Chief Minister’s Relief Fund for Covid management this year.The delegation said they provide training to 17,000 painters a year in AP through their mobile colour academy.