A Rs 2.5-crore plant for non-electric detonators will be inaugurated in May at Gomia in Bihar. Ensign Bickford has a 30 per cent share in the joint venture which enjoys 30 per cent share of the Indian market and leads in the non-electric detonator segment.

"The new range will have supreme timing accuracy. Indian users probably never used such a product which is also easy to use," Initiating Explosives' director Sandip Batra said.

Coal India Ltd is likely to be the biggest buyer of the product which will also be targeted at the cement, metal, construction and quarrying sectors.

"The speciality of the non-electric initiating systems is their cost effectiveness and environment-friendly features. The Gomia plant has been manufacturing the EXEL DTH range which initiates a column of explosives in ahole," Batra said, adding "It provides for a single point bottom initiation and minimises wastage of energy."

"The EXEL NTD range which was also being produced provides for noiseless and precise delay for surface initiation. The third variety -- the EXEL LP series -- is used in drifting and tunneling operations. The LP series provides for an extended delay period," Batra said.

The Handidet range combines the surface and `down the hole' units in one product. "It will help the consumer in a big way to bring down their inventories and will also save a lot by way of time and expenses," Batra said.

"A feature of the non-electric explosives is that being non-electric they have an in-built safety against accidental detonation on account of static electricity or stray induced currents," he added.

In 1997-98, IES reported a turnover of Rs 38.1 crore and a profit before tax of Rs 5.6 crore. Sales included 66 million detonators and nine million metres of detonating cord. ICI India's explosives business was tothe tune of Rs 97 crore. The Gomia plant of ICI India, which was set up by the erstwhile Indian Explosives Ltd, was the first explosives factory of India.

"For a company with a total share capital of Rs 12 crore, the latest investment shows a commitment to constantly providing the customer with better value for money," Batra said.

PPG buys ICI unit
New York: PPG Industries, United States' largest auto-paints maker, said on Wednesday it will acquire the automotive refinishing and industrial coatings business of Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI), a major London-based chemical firm, for $684 million.

The move solidifies Pittsburgh-based PPG's already strong presence in the refinishing and coatings area, particularly overseas. The transaction, subject to regulatory approval, is expected to be completed about mid-year in Europe and the Americas and late 1999 in Asia.

PPG, which already has a 22-country presence, said it will acquire Imperial facilities in England, Malaysia, Indonesia and the USand add 2,850 ICI (ICI) employees to its 32,000 work force. The deal excludes ICI's India operations.