MUMBAI -- Malaysian calcium carbonate maker Zantat Sdn. Bhd. is doubling capacity at its Ipoh plant with an eye on increasing demand from the Indian companies.
The plant, in Perak, Malaysia, now has the capacity to manufacture 110,000 metric tons of calcium carbonate powder used in masterbatches.
"Almost 50 percent of the plant production is shipped to India, and orders are consistently rising from the India market due to increasing size of plastic industry," said Zantat director Ivan Chan at Plastivision India in Mumbai.
Zantat is investing $3 million to double capacity by the third quarter of 2014. The site also supplies the plastics industries in Australia, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Thailand. Zantat believes its lower costs will allow it to compete with Switzerland's Omya AG -- the world's biggest calcium carbonate supplier, Chan said.