Danish biotechnology company Novozymes is building a new enzyme production and supply chain facility in India to accommodate its growing business in the country. An initial investment of around 300 million Danish kroner will be spent on the site in the Patalganga industrial area near Mumbai on India’s west coast. The facility is expected to be ready in 2018, employing 150 people in the first phase, some of whom will relocate from Novozymes’ existing site in Bangalore.

Thomas Videbaek, Novozymes’ executive vice president and chief operating officer for research, innovation & supply, said its business in the region has been growing strongly for years and had outgrown existing facilities. “We see a big opportunity in India and southeast Asia where knowledge-based innovations in the field of industrial enzymes can effectively replace polluting chemical processes and deliver environmental sustainability,” he said.

The new plant will produce enzymes using solid state fermentation, also formulating enzymes imported from Novozymes’ production sites outside India. Inside the country, the company currently makes pectinase enzymes, which are used in the wine and juice industries. At present, the key business areas in India for the Bagsvaerd-headquartered group are the household care, textiles, food & beverage, oil & fats, baking and alcoholic beverage markets.

Present in India since 1983, Novozymes has three sites in Bangalore in the southern state of Karnataka. The company said its formulation site in Bangalore will now move to Mumbai, which will bring it closer to customers for faster deliveries. Other key functions, such as its head office, research & development and service centers will remain in Bangalore.

Going forward, Videbaek said, Novozymes will have two main sites in India, and the company looks forward to developing its presence in Bangalore and Mumbai as it discovers more opportunities for its solutions in Asia.