The synthetic rubber business group of Reliance Industries, Relflex Elastomers, inaugurated a hi-tech elastomers customer support center at its petrochemicals complex in Vadodara.

The ECSC would serve as a springboard for mutual collaborative efforts, value additions and joint product development between Relflex Elastomers and its customers, the company said in a statement. The facility would service tyre as well as the non-tyre industry.

Reliance elastomer supplies polybutadiene rubber to the tyre industry. Currently, Reliance is producing 80 kilo tonnes per annum PBR in Vadodara, Gujarat. An additional 40 KTA of PBR is under commission at Hazira in Gujarat, and would start delivering an additional volume by the end of this month.

In addition, Reliance is also coming up with a 150 KTA emulsion styrene butadiene rubber 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, the statement added.

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

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