US chemicals producer Ashland (Covington, Kentucky / USA; www.ashland) is to begin production of polyester resins and gelcoats in India through a partnership with India’s Natural Petrochemicals Private Ltd (NPPL; www.naturalresins.org).

Under a memorandum of understanding signed with Ashland India last month, NPPL will produce Ashland’s products at its recently constructed plant in Gujarat. Ashland said it will utilise all of NPPL’s production capacity. “With India’s booming economy, the composites industry’s needs are growing rapidly, said Bharat Chhabria, business development manager at Ashland Performance Materials. “Our alliance with NPPL allows us to respond to our customers’ requirements on short notice and with a wider range of products.”