Laticrete, a global leader in the manufacturing of innovative systems for the installation of tile and stone, hosted a grand opening celebration on December 15, 2010 for its new global research and development centre located adjacent to its existing Hyderabad, India manufacturing facility.
A large gathering on-hand for the grand opening and tour of the new 13,500 square foot (1,250 m2) Laticrete India R&D Centre included local dignitaries, loyal customers, Laticrete India, as well as officials from Laticrete world headquarters in the U.S.
"There are a number of challenges in this part of the world that we welcome," stated Erno de Bruijn, President, Laticrete International Division. "With our new R&D Center, we can continue to fine-tune our offerings of state-ofthe-art products for the installation of tile and stone, creating them to meet the specific local needs of customers.
Additionally, in accord with our company's heritage, our R&D Center based in India will help us in our continual quest to disseminate educational materials and other helpful information relative to the usage and installation of tile and stone materials."
Guests were given guided tours of the modern, uniquely designed Laticrete India R&D Center.
Obviously, the new facility's construction incorporated a great deal of tile and stone including 7,500 square feet (700 m2) of porcelain tile, 1,500 square feet (140 m2) of granite and another 1,500 square feet (75 m2) of natural Italian marble. The entire building used Laticrete tile and stone installation products to offer durability, aesthetics and low maintenance.
In particular, Latapoxy® 310 Stone Adhesive was used to direct adhere the Italian marble as the cladding for the reception ceiling, measuring roughly 800 square feet (74 m2). Each stone was 3' x 3' (nearly one square meter) in dimension and weighed close to 80 pounds (36 kg). These stones were adhered to metal grids using the Latapoxy 310 Stone Adhesive spot bonding method.
A number of activities are planned to be carried out in the new Laticrete India R&D Center. These include new product development, product performance improvement, local raw material analysis, competitive product evaluation and technical support, plus training for sales people, international partners and customers. The facility will be directed by Dr. P. Arjunan, Vice President of Research & Development.
Additionally, the building will be showcased as a major reference project to potential clients such as project engineers, architects, designers, developers and others that could benefit from the performance of Laticrete tile and stone installation materials and methods.
The company's staff is excited and focused to be working at the new facility. As a matter of fact, Muralidhar Yadama, Managing Director of MYK Laticrete India said proudly, "Our R&D center is the most modern and best equipped center in the construction chemical industry in all of India."
Laticrete International, Inc. is a family-owned business dedicated to innovative, high quality tile and stone installation systems. Based in the USA, the 50-plus year old company is one of the world's leading manufacturers in its field.
Its well-known brands Laticrete®, Latapoxy® and SpectraLOCK® are manufactured and soldworldwide. In the USA or Canada call 1-800243-4788, outside USA +1-203-393-0010, www.laticrete.com
A number of activities are planned to be carried out in the new Laticrete India R&D Center. These include new product development, product performance improvement, local raw material analysis, competitive product evaluation and technical support, plus training for salespeople, international partners and customers. The facility will be directed by Dr. P. Arjunan, Vice President of Research & Development. Additionally, the building will be showcased as a major reference project to potential clients such as project engineers, architects, designers, developers and others that could benefit from the performance of Laticrete tile and stone installation materials and methods.
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