-
French materials major Saint-Gobain is scaling up capex and M&A in India and repositioning the country as a manufacturing + export hub (not just a domestic base). CEO Benoît Bazin says India will serve Southeast Asia and Australia, with long-horizon land/capex plays and a bigger local supplier base.
Recent moves include expanding the Oragadam, Chennai complex (new float glass and mineral wool lines) and folding in more construction-chemicals capacity, part of a worldwide push that also includes the Fosroc acquisition. The company already operates ~82 plants in India and is among its top profit centres; the new push aims to harden resilience and shorten routes in Saint-Gobain’s global chain.
