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Chairman and CEO of Saint-Gobain, Benoit Bazin, on Thursday said the company is committed to investing another EUR 1 billion in India over the next five years, calling the country the firm's " fastest-growing country around the world."
Speaking to ANI, after meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Paris, Bazin said he was honoured to brief the Prime Minister on Saint-Gobain's growth and long-term commitment to India. Bazin told ANI, "I feel very honoured, and I could highlight to the Prime Minister the importance of Saint-Gobain in India, where we have tripled our sales in the last 10 years. We have been there for three decades. It's the fastest-growing country around the world, and we are committed to investing another 1 billion euros just in the next five years." He noted that India occupies an important position in the company's global strategy and said Saint-Gobain remains committed to expanding its footprint in the country. He said, "India is a very important country to Saint-Gobain, and I could highlight all the strengths of our presence and how committed we are in India." Bazin said that the company already operates 82 plants across India and continues to invest in research and development, information technology (IT) and manufacturing. Highlighting India's growing role as an export hub, Bazin said Saint-Gobain's operations in the country are increasingly serving overseas markets. He said, "I am extremely honoured to meet with Prime Minister Modi and to highlight all the investment and the successes of Saint-Gobain in India for the last three decades and more to come because I could tell him that we have committed one billion euros of further investment for the next five years." He added, "We already have 82 plants in India investing in research and development, on IT, on manufacturing and more importantly, not only manufacturing for India but more and more to export in the Gulf countries, in South East Asia, and in Australia." Describing the interaction with Prime Minister Modi as "fantastic, insightful, inspiring", Bazin said discussions also focused on sustainability, circular economy initiatives, innovation and research collaboration. "It was a fantastic, insightful, inspiring meeting with Prime Minister Modi, and I can share with him all my confidence about the fantastic teams that we have running our operations in India. A lot of commitment on all sides, moving also on the circular economy, which is important for India, and moving on the sustainability agenda, we shared views on how we can bring it to the next level in India, also on what we can do for more R&D, more innovation, and new products," Bazin said. Bazin added that the meeting reflected strong momentum in economic ties between India and Europe. He said, "A lot of powerful energy and ideas for the success going forward, and also to tighten and reflect on this great EU-India industrial trade partnership." Saint-Gobain is a French multinational corporation. Founded in 1665 by Jean-Baptiste Colbert originally as a royal mirror manufacturer, it is one of the oldest functioning companies in the world. Headquartered in Courbevoie, France, the company designs, manufactures, and distributes advanced materials and solutions for the construction, mobility, and industrial markets. (ANI)
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