As global demand for tires increases, GRI is continuing to expand its manufacturing capacity. Construction work at the company’s mixing plant in Mirigama, Sri Lanka, is progressing on schedule. Upon completion the site will have a total capacity of 200 tons per day.
Following an investment of US$25m by GRI, the plant will benefit from six mixing lines, two of which are already operational.
“We have introduced a state-of-the-art production system to this plant with high-tech machinery from Germany that will be used for mixing and milling,” explained Ananda Caldera, executive director, GRI.
“Furthermore, we are also using a fully automated powder feeding system for carbon black, so that no dust particles are released into the atmosphere. It is a programmed and automated system that is fully sealed and is the first of its kind in Sri Lanka.”
Installation of the other mixing lines is currently underway with completion scheduled for the middle of 2022.
“As we increase our tire manufacturing capacity, we will also be gearing up the mixing capacity for both solid and pneumatic tires,” added Caldera.
With the company focused on the reduction of its environmental impact and sustainable company operations, the new mixing plant will implement new practices to prevent the release of dust particles from the production process into the atmosphere.
“We have installed the automatic weighing and feeding system so that we do not manually handle any powder material. We have provided sufficient dust retractors so that dust will not be released into the environment,” commented Caldera.
GRI also plans to install solar panels on the factory’s roof so that the site can be powered by clean energy. Additionally, all machinery within the facility utilizes motors and drives with variable speeds to make efficient use of electricity.
