Chennai, May 26 (PTI) Cooling products maker Voltas on Friday said it has performed the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of its new air conditioner making unit at Tamil Nadu's Tiruvallur district.

This was part of Voltas' efforts to strengthen its "Make in India" commitment to the country and it would be investing Rs 500 crore in the TN plant, a company release on Friday said.

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The Tata Group company has manufacturing facilities in Pantnagar (Uttarakhand) and Waghodia and Sanand in Gujarat.

The Bhoomi Pujan for the Madharapakkam unit was performed by the leadership team of the company on May 24. Chairman of Voltas Limited, Noel Tata and Managing Director & CEO of Voltas, Pradeep Bakshi, along with others were present.

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"The construction of the new manufacturing facility is spread over 150 acres. The company has planned to invest over Rs 500 crore in this factory, for RAC manufacturing, over the next couple of years. This facility will ensure that all the products manufactured in this facility are competitive on a global scale.

This facility will initially manufacture Room Air Conditioners (RACs) and is an extension to the existing RAC facility in Pantnagar," it said.

The new facility will play a significant role in augmenting the company's capacity in catering to the growing consumer demand across India, and will help expand its presence and footprint especially in south India, Bakshi said.

The proposed unit will be fully operational within this fiscal year. "Furthermore, the facility will benefit the local communities in and around its vicinity, as it is expected to create employment for approximately 1500 plus workers," the release added.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)