MUMBAI, INDIA (Nov. 7, 2:30 p.m. ET) — Sumitomo Chemical Asia Pte. Ltd. of Singapore may establish a base in India.
“We are looking to set up [a sales] office in the southern part of India, most likely in Bangalore, in the next couple of years,” Hitaka Noriharu, general manager of research and technology for the company, said Nov. 1 at the Automotive Plastics conference in Mumbai.
“Some of the major global automakers have already set up their plants in the southern auto hub of Chennai with large vendor bases,” he said.
Currently, Sumitomo’s clientele is largely confined to Japanese OEMs and parts makers.
“With a sales office in India, we could widen our client base,” he said.
Sumitomo Chemical supplies 6.6 million pounds of PP annually to the Indian market through plants in Singapore and Thailand, said Hitaka, who heads Sumitomo’s polypropylene division.
“The way the auto industry is growing and establishing in various auto hubs in India, demand for PP would surge further in the years to come.”
The company has experienced consistent growth in its business in India in the past few years, he added.
