OREANDA-NEWS. Relflex™ Elastomers - Synthetic Rubber Business Group of Reliance Industries Limited, inaugurated a state-of-the-art Elastomers Customer Support Center (ECSC) at its Petrochemicals Complex in Vadodara.

This initiative is in line with Reliance's endeavor to become not only a significant synthetic rubber supplier but also to provide intangible technical support to its customers and play a catalytic role in helping them grow their business, increase value additions and reduce import dependence.

Relflex™ ECSC would serve as a springboard for mutual collaborative efforts, value additions and joint product development between Relflex™ Elastomers and its customers. The facility will service tyre as well non tyre industry.

Reliance Elastomer supplies Polybutadiene Rubber (PBR) to the tyre industry and enjoys excellent relationship with Indian tyre manufacturers across all segments.

Currently, Reliance is producing 80 KTA PBR in Vadodara, Gujarat. An additional 40 KTA of PBR is under commissioning at Hazira in Gujarat and would start delivering this additional volume to the user industry by the end of this month. With this new capacity, Reliance will have a unique advantage of being a producer with a capability to produce 3 different catalysts based PBR i.e. Nickel, Cobalt and Neodymium to cater varied needs of downstream industry.

In addition, Reliance is also coming up with a 150 KTA emulsion SBR plant which would be capable of producing both oil extended and non-oil grades. The plant is expected to start by end of May 2014.

Reliance also has a JV with SIBUR, Russia for making world-class Butyl rubber in India. The butyl rubber plant is coming up in Jamnagar and would have a capacity to produce 100 KTA. It is expected to start by 2015 end.