By Bizodisha Bureau, Bhubaneswar, October 12, 2015 : The metal major, National Aluminium Company Limited (Nalco) is planning to send a team to the Middle-East Countries to study world-class practices in the field of upstream and downstream industries in its bid to boost the ancillary industries in Odisha through the proposed Angul Aluminium Park.

“While Nalco is taking a lead in many issues pertaining to the industrial development of the State, the company is ready to take a call for the enhancement of quality up-gradation of the ancillary industries,” Nalco chairman cum managing director, T.K. Chand said here while addressing the Utkal Chamber of Commerce and Industry (UCCI).

“Micro-medium-small enterprises are now expected to produce the required quantity and high quality products, so as to enable themselves to seize the opportunities under the new Industrial Policy of Odisha government and as a responsible corporate, Nalco is keen to provide all kinds of support,” Chand added.

The aluminium park at Angul is being developed jointly by Nalco and state-owned Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (Idco).

“While our margins are squeezed and smelting operation is curtailed, the scenario offers us an opportunity to get into value added, end use products, where the volatility is low and usually has a lag effect. All along our operations had been focussed on primary metal and Alumina production, now we will shift towards downstream products. This provides us the opportunity to visit our diversification programmes from sector specific like Aero-space to that of mass consumption like packaging, auto, etc. Nalco is bringing innovations for more uses also scalability in production”, Chand had recently told BizOdisha.com.

About 160 acres of land has been acquired at Angul for the purpose of setting up the proposed aluminium park, sources in MSME (micro, small & medium enterprises) department said. The proposed park is being developed through a special purpose vehicle (SPV) named Angul Aluminium Park Private Ltd (AAPPL), with shareholding of 50.50 per cent and 49.50 per cent between Idco and Nalco, respectively.

The proposed Park will come up over 450 acres of land, of which 160 acres will be taken up for development in the first phase.