Lubrizol, Polyhose sign Rs 200 crore pact with Tamil Nadu for medical manufacturing site

CHENNAI: US-based Lubrizol, a global leader in specialty chemicals, and Polyhose, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Tamil Nadu Government committing a Rs 200 crore investment to empower the Indian medical sector to achieve new levels of innovation.

Groundbreaking of the new manufacturing site is expected in 2025 with operations going live in 2026. The site will be located in Chennai and the place was yet to be identified.

The MoU, which expands a longstanding partnership between the two organizations, was signed in the presence of Industries MInister Dr. T.R.B. Rajaa and other officials on Thursday.

In a social media post after the MoU, Dr Raaja wrote "This collaboration, with an investment of around Rs.200 crore, will produce high-quality medical tubing used in critical applications such as neurovascular and cardiovascular treatments, including intravenous catheters, hemodialysis tubes, central venous catheters, ureteral stents, brain stimulation and much more”.

As part of the collaboration, Lubrizol and Polyhose aim to create a medical manufacturing site in Tamil Nadu.

The site will increase Lubrizol’s local medical tubing volume five-fold, creating easier access to life-saving medical tubing in India and in markets around the world via export. High-quality medical tubing produced via the partnership will be used in neurovascular and cardiovascular medical applications, such as balloon catheters and minimally invasive procedure catheters.

“This agreement brings precision manufacturing technology into India – a new business opportunity for the country to serve critical care markets in India and across the globe,” Bhavana Bindra, Lubrizol’s Managing Director India, Middle East and Africa, told reporters.

“Lubrizol is proud to enable high-quality solutions and local access with in-region partners, ensuring the region expands into new categories while reducing reliance on imports to service medical device needs.”

The medical tubing will be produced with Lubrizol’s advanced medical-grade thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) along with other thermoplastic polymers, which offer biocompatibility and high performance while ensuring patient comfort. The new manufacturing facility will be ISO 13485 compliant, ensuring safe, high-quality medical tubing.

“We are honoured to collaborate with Polyhose and the Government of Tamil Nadu for this exciting project,” said Rebecca Liebert, President and CEO, Lubrizol. “India serves as a hub for Lubrizol’s innovation and growth, and our ongoing investment highlights our dedication to a local-for-local and local-for-global strategy in India. With this latest investment, we are positioned to deliver world-class medical tubing and play a significant role in the growth of the Indian medical industry."

Ms Rebecca also said Lubrizol is happy with its automotive lubricant additive joint venture Lubrizol India Private Ltd with Indian Oil Corporation Ltd and has no plans to buy out the latter’s remaining stakes.

Lubrizol has committed more than USD 350 million in Indian investments over the last year.

This year, Lubrizol opened a Global Capability Center (GCC) in Pune and announced the purchase of a 120-acre plot land in Aurangabad to construct Lubrizol’s largest manufacturing facility in India and second largest globally to support the region’s growing transportation and industrial markets. Just a year ago, Lubrizol broke ground in the first phase of a 100,000 metric-ton CPVC resin plant in Vilayat, Gujarat, India, the largest single-site capacity for CPVC resin production globally.

This project is in response rising CPVC demand for piping applications and clean drinking water in India, as well as neighboring countries. In addition, Lubrizol is doubling its CPVC compound manufacturing capacity at its Dahej, Gujarat, site to meet growing needs in the piping sector.

The collaboration between Lubrizol and Polyhose will utilize Lubrizol’s strengths in India to cater to both local and global customers. A local-for-local offering allows for a collaborative approach to achieve precise product design, along with reliable supply, quick turnaround and swift technical support for Indian OEMs.

“Our ongoing collaboration with Lubrizol over the past seven years has been a testament to this commitment, and today, we are excited to take this partnership to the next level,” said Shabbir Y J, Managing Director, Polyhose India Pvt. Ltd. “This MOU marks a new chapter in our shared journey, and we are proud that in Tamil Nadu, we have experienced substantial growth in recent years—continues to be the ideal location for fostering innovation and industrial expansion. Together, we are poised to advance industry standards and unlock new opportunities for growth”.