Wienerberger AG, the 3.3 billion euro major player in the construction sector, to invest ₹30 crore in their Kunigal factory at Tumkur district of Karnataka.

The announcement was made by Christof Domenig, CEO, Wienerberger Building Solutions, Wienerberger AG on the company’s 200th anniversary and the 10th anniversary of operating in India at Wienerberger’s factory in Kunigal.

The investment is to support company’s expansion plans including an upgrade and implementation of new equipment in the factory, converting to natural gas as a fuel and launch of new building solutions that will enable construction practices to be simplified and faster with less resource consumption.

Globally, the 200 years old company boasts of building over 1.8 lakh houses, covering 2.90 lakh roofs, laying 7.45 lakh km pipes, and paving 17,000,000 m2 surfaces in 2018 alone.

The Kunigal factory uses technology like robotics and has energy-efficient manufacturing processes. The factory is also equipped with a full-fledged in-house laboratory and product development facilities. Currently Wienerberger has about 250 employees in India.

Christof Domenig, said: “The investment in our Kunigal factory operations will include converting from solid fuel to a cleaner and sustainable energy source - that is natural gas. When it comes to using electrical energy in the factory, 95 per cent of the factory requirement is met through renewable energy sources of solar and wind.”

The company is also looking at new growth opportunities in the Indian market including the launch of new sustainable and future-ready solutions for construction.

Monnanda Appaiah, MD, Wienerberger India, explained, “In the last 10 years, despite volatility in real estate market, our plant has always run full capacity. That itself is a proof of the value that our solutions bring to our customers. With the ₹30 crore investment we will also be upgrading our machinery and install new equipment with latest technology that will enable us to scale up the production by up to 25 per cent.”