Welspun Flooring, a fully integrated and independent flooring vertical of the $ 2.3 billion Welpsun Group, is gearing up to commission the first of its four unit integrated tile manufacturing facility by July. The facility would be worth Rs 1150-crore.
The unit, which has been set up on a 600 acre site near Hyderabad, marks the company’s foray into tiles business, will roll out what it calls Click and Lock technology based tiles. As the name suggests, it is easy to use, and the installation process can be completed within hours, without using any chemicals or other sticking materials.
Mukesh Savlani, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Welspun Flooring, said, “While the unit one will start rolling out tiles by July, we expect to fully commission the tiles factory complex, which will have four factories by September this year.”
The company describes the Stone Polymer Composite tiles as first of its kind in India which will bring about a change in the way people look at tiles in the country. These tiles are more durable than vitrified tiles, waterproof, as well as UV and termite resistant, he said.
While the company will start with an initial capacity of about 10 million square meters per annum, it could be ramped up to about 30 million square metres per annum in a phased manner.
Apart from the Click-N-Lock tiles, the company plans to make import substitute tiling products of Carper Tiles that used in commercial places and large establishments as well as Carpet Grass. “All these years, the requirement is met from imports and now we will be able to offer to the domestic market,” he said.
Referring to its medium to long term plan, the CEO said that the company plans to have a mix of 50 per cent domestic and 50 per cent export market.
“In busy urban housing areas, it is tough to find people who can replace tiles or fix tiles without having to go through the mess of removing existing tiles. The Click-n-Lock technology makes it swift and easy and gives a seamless feel to the flooring,” he explained.
Like in the case of commercial and office spaces, increasingly, wall papers are used instead of tiles. So will be the case with tiles which provide such flexibility for end users, he said.
“We are treading an unchartered territory and are in the process of propagating the advantages of these times through a distribution and dealer network. Apart from offline, these tiles will be available online where people can try them out in their room through visualisation,” he said.