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Engelhard Environmental Systems (India) Ltd. Starts Work On India's First Multi-Product Catalytic Converter Plant

12 March 1998

Engelhard Environmental Systems (India) Ltd. Starts Work On India's First Multi-Product Catalytic Converter Plant

    ISELIN, N.J., March 12 -- Engelhard Environmental Systems
(India) Ltd. (EESIL) has started construction on India's first catalytic
converter manufacturing facility in Maramalai Nagar, near Chennai.  The
facility is scheduled to begin production in August 1998.
    EESIL is a 70:30 joint venture between Engelhard Corporation , a
$3.6 billion leader in the environmental catalysts business worldwide, and the
Chennai-based UCAL Fuel Systems Ltd.
    According to K. Krishnamurthy, managing director of EESIL, the facility
will eventually be capable of supplying the entire Indian market, which is
projected to grow to 400,000 automotive catalysts and more than 1 million
motorcycle catalysts by early next century.
    "We have already received Letters of Intent from some key customers in
India," Krishnamurthy said.  "The new plant will be uniquely designed to be
flexible and efficient in order to provide customized products for different
customers in India.  This will allow EESIL to eventually manufacture an entire
range of converters, including those for diesel and 2-wheel vehicles which
will be in demand when the Indian market develops."
    A large portion of the equipment for the plant is being developed and
sourced locally to take advantage of Indian engineering expertise and to keep
the capital costs low.
    "Our joint venture with a world leading catalyst manufacturer like
Engelhard is a major step forward in UCAL's quest to enhance its role in the
Indian automotive industry," said S. Muthukrishnan, chairman of UCAL Fuel
Systems Ltd.  UCAL, which has achieved ISO 9002 and QS 9000 certifications, is
a market leader in India for supplying carburetors and fuel pumps.
    Engelhard Corporation, based in Iselin, N.J., is a world-leading provider
of environmental technologies, specialty chemical products, engineered
materials and related services.

SOURCE  Engelhard Corporation