CEAT Kelani commissions state-of-the-art radial plant
View(s):CEAT Kelani this week opened a new hi-tech production facility for radial tyres for passenger cars and Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs).
Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa was among several government ministers present at the event, the company said.
Ministers Basil Rajapaksa and Kumara Welgama at the opening of the new CEAT Kelani radial tyre production facility.
Since 2009, the CEAT Kelani joint venture has invested Rs. 2.5 billion in enhancing capacity, modernising its factory and setting up this new radial plant.
The new radial tyre production facility enables the company to augment its radial tyre building and curing capacity by 70 per cent to 450,000 tyres a year, thereby substituting more than 60 per cent of the country’s imports in this category.
Besides contributing to a substantial saving of foreign exchange, the new plant would also cater to CEAT Kelani’s exports of radial tyres from Sri Lanka. More than a third of current radial tyre production from the company’s production facility is exported, the company statement said.
Other ministers present were Kumara Welgama (Transport), Johnston Fernando (Co-operatives and Internal Trade) and Mervyn Silva (Public Relations and Public Affairs).
N. C. Venugopal, Managing Director/CEO of CEAT Kelani Holdings, speaking at the event, said that the new technology acquisitions for the Radial plant include the latest Bead Apexing Machine, Cap Ply and Cap Strip Machine and improved tyre building machines and curing presses that will enable the company to produce a new grade of high performance radials in all sizes for high end cars.