The Hindu Business Line : Vizag to host global meet on ceramics

Ceratec - 2007, a three-day international conference on ceramics, is being organised here from January 8 to 10 by the Indian Ceramic Society, Vizag chapter, the Indian Institute of Ceramics and the All-India Pottery Manufacturers' Association.

At a press conference here, Mr Y. Sivasagara Rao, Chairman and Managing Director of the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant and Chairman of the organising committee, said that roughly 400 delegates from India and abroad would participate in the seminar which would discuss all issued related to the industry. He said there was great potential, largely untapped, for setting up ceramic units in AP. "We have the raw material in our State and the required expertise. We need support from the State Government and I hope the Government will give the necessary support for establishing a ceramic city in the vicinity of Vizag," he said.

He said that at present there were 200 units or so in Andhra Pradesh but there was scope for many more. "There is a need for technological upgradation. Most of our ceramic units are conventional. Ceramics has so many different applications," he remarked.

Mr S. Durga Das, Chairman of the Vizag chapter of the Indian Ceramic Society, said efforts were on for the past two years to establish a ceramic city in the vicinity of Vizag. He expressed the hope that the efforts would bear fruit soon, with the support of the State Government.

COURSE IN CERAMICS

Prof. L. Venugopala Reddy, Vice-chancellor of Andhra University and Chairman of the National Advisory Committee, said the university would introduce B. Tech (ceramics) course from the next academic year. "It will be of great help to the industry. At present, though there are 200 engineering colleges in the State, not one of them is offering such a course," he said.

According to Mr Durga Das, information on the seminar can be obtained on the Web site, wwwceratec2007.com.

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