French chemical producer Arkema is spending $15 million to build a manufacturing plant for polyester powder resins in Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. The facility, which Arkema said is the first of its kind in India, will also include a laboratory to provide application development and technical support for customers in the fast-growing powder coating market. Completion is scheduled for 2018. Capacity details were not disclosed.

The resins will be marketed under the Reafree trade name. The Paris-headquartered company said the investment supports its ambition to expand geographical coverage of its environmentally friendly, low-VOC coating resins portfolio, including powder and waterborne resins, UV photocure and high solid solutions, and high-performance coating additives.

Arkema’s site in Navi Mumbai also produces alkyd resins, acrylic solutions and oil-free polyester resins as well as reactive polyamide resins. Polyester powder coatings have a wide range of uses in the industrial, automotive and architectural sectors.