Mumbai, Maharashtra, India | 27th March 2023: Ansell, a global leader in personal protective equipment, marked the first phase of Go Live for Packing & Irradiation Operations at its new Kovai manufacturing facility in India, where they have so far invested $80 Million in this plant with a grand launch event on Friday, March 24, 2023. Ansell’s top leadership was present for the occasion, including Neil Salmon – Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, John Marsden – Sr. Vice President, Operations, Gerald Koh – VP Engineering & Mfg. Tech, Dilip Savaikar – VP Manufacturing Operations, Anton Fernando – Director Manufacturing Ops, and Gobu Devarajan – Director QARA, along with other Ansell leaders and notable area dignitaries. Over 200 attendees were provided with an update the plant project and a presentation on Ansell’s expansion plans in India. A reception was held to facilitate introductions between consultants, contractors, and other stakeholders. Additionally, the event featured cultural programs to enhance the experience for all participants.
CEO Neil Salmon said, “The Go Live for Phase One of our Ansell Kovai facility marks an important milestone in Ansell’s 130-year history. We are making a long-term commitment to India through this major investment, ensuring that the most innovative and highest quality surgical gloves are available, ‘Made in India’, to healthcare professionals across this country and for export to the world. On my first visit to the site for the Go Live ceremony, I have been very impressed by the great team we are building here with Ansell values evident from day one in the passion of our people, also in the thought and innovation that has gone into the building, which I believe will be a world-class facility. My thanks go to the Tamil Nadu State, our many local partners, and most of all to our engineering and site management team for their excellent work on this project.“
Ansell Kovai Background
At the Investment Conclave – July 2021, an event organized by the State Industries Department and Guidance Tamil Nadu Team, the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu Thiru M. K. Stalin and Industry Minister of the State, Thiru Thangam Thennarasu laid the foundation stone for this greenfield manufacturing plant, which is an investment of $80M. Ansell, an innovative global leader in hand protection solutions category, is proud to invest in India under the ‘Made in India’ initiative (Atmanirbhar Bharat) and to facilitate the ongoing demand for world-class innovative glove solutions for healthcare providers worldwide. Ansell India will be the only glove manufacturing company in India to have its own manufacturing set-up with an integrated Gamma sterilization unit. This will ensure the best quality surgical gloves are made available at a reasonable cost to meet India’s growing demand. In addition, there are plans for another $40 Million to be invested in the last phase bringing the total investment to $120 Million.
July 2022 marked a milestone for Ansell as its newest plant became operational, supplying the world’s fast-growing Surgical and Life Sciences market. This new plant in India contributes to Ansell’s production capabilities, especially in emerging markets, and strengthens Ansell’s global multi-sourcing strategies.
While production primarily focuses on manufacturing surgical and life sciences products, this facility is designed with significant future expansion capability to accommodate a wide range of Ansell products, such as our examination glove line, and support our differentiated growth strategy in the coming years.
When completed in 2024, Ansell Kovai will occupy a 70,734 square meter area, encompassing a 43,000 sq. mt. manufacturing plant, compounding facility, dipping hall, post-processing building, warehouse, packaging facility, administrative block, canteen, biomass hot water generators, and an industrial Gamma irradiator.
Completing this plant will set a new benchmark for Ansell’s sustainable manufacturing. When the site is fully operational, this facility will mark a glove-industry milestone by operating with zero liquid discharge, meaning that all wastewater is fully recycled and re-used in production. In addition, all the Kovai buildings are designed according to criteria established by the Indian Green Building Council in 2001 to support India’s aim to become a global leader in sustainably-built environments by 2025. A ‘sustainably built‘ environment is designed for longevity, flexibility, adaptability, re-use and recoverability, and considers future climate risks.
Construction materials for the Kovai plant incorporate low-carbon, low-impact, non-toxic and re-purposed materials. Ansell has made a commitment to shift away from fossil-fuel based energy sources at our plants to renewable energy. As a result, the new plant design minimises water and energy use and maximises renewable energy sources, including sustainably-sourced biomass for thermal energy and solar photovoltaic panels and will emit zero liquid discharge, with up to 80% of wastewater recycled as we move toward our goal of one hundred percent renewable energy use at this site.
Kovai staff will approach 1,800 employees, with most employees hired from the local area plus room for additional future headcount. We are committed to establishing and achieving gender balance targets from the outset throughout all levels of leadership.