Abu Dhabi: UAE-based Gulf Petrochem on Wednesday announced its acquisition of the Royal Dutch Shell Specialties Bitumen plant at Savli, near Vadodara in Gujarat, India. The acquisition, through a direct purchase, will complement the construction of a high capacity storage terminal for various petroleum products at Pipavav in Gujarat and meet the ever increasing demand for Bitumen Specialty products in West and North India, the company said in a statement.
Gulf Petrochem will begin to manufacture 30,000 MT per annum of Bitumen Specialty products that includes Bitumen Emulsions, Micro-surfacing Emulsions, Crumb Rubber Modified Bitumen, Polymer Modified Bitumen and various other Cold Mix road construction products.
The company will also upgrade the plant to manufacture Bitumen products that adhere to new specifications laid down by Indian Roads Congress.
Manan Goel, Group Director at Gulf Petrochem, said that the acquisition has helped increase our product portfolio with petroleum products that we can market and deliver through our storage, shipping, manufacturing and terminal businesses.
“It mirrors our growth strategy because we have enhanced our integration solution in India and consolidated our position as the only company in the region that is actively present in both conventional bitumen and specialty products.”
The company said that under Gulf Petrochem ownership, the plant will meet the demand for different packages such 200 Kg MS drums, 200 Kg MS Reconditioned drums, 200 Kg HDPE drums and Bulk in tankers. The company also plans to provide poly bag packing for modified bitumen products and expand manufacturing capabilities to supply a variety of grades and specifications as per IS, ASTM, AASHTO and BS standards.
