Groundbreaking held for new GRI Tires mixing facility

Sri Lanka-based manufacturer GRI Tires has laid the foundation for a new mixing plant. The facility, located some 25 miles from Colombo in the Mirigama Export Processing Zone (MEPZ), will initially give GRI the capacity to increase specialty tyre output by 100 tons a day. A further project phase will double capacity.

“Today I see in front of me a dream being realised, in what is to be one of the largest mixing plants in Sri Lanka,” stated Prabhash Subasinghe, managing director of GRI, at a groundbreaking ceremony held on 18 July. Subasinghe added that the mixing plant “will wholeheartedly support” GRI’s speciality tyre manufacturing facility. “I can humbly say, with confidence and courage, we shall triumph.”

The plant will be equipped with the latest automatic material weighing equipment, feeding systems and high capacity Banbury mixers. GRI will ensure that the output from the mixing plant will be of consistently high quality by procuring all machinery from global leaders. “GRI will increase its output via the effective utilisation of leading edge and modernistic manufacturing units, ensuring that quality is at the highest level,” shared Dr Mahesha Ranasoma, the tyre maker’s chief executive officer.

In order to minimise the plant’s impact upon the local environment, GRI says all filler material will be fed to the Banbury mixer using fully enclosed material feeding systems that utilise the latest controls on material weighing and recipe controls. Furthermore, the facility will be operated by “highly experienced mixing experts” who are “well versed in the latest techniques and technologies.” This will ensure high quality mixing and optimum output; the tyre maker adds.