TVS Industrial & Logistic Parks (TVS ILP), part of TVS Mobility Group, is building a new warehouse to support US-based First Solar’s manufacturing facility in Tamil Nadu. The 5,70,000 sq-ft warehouse space is intended to serve as a staging area for First Solar’s raw materials and inventory. First Solar is a leading solar technology and manufacturing company.
The project will benefit the local community in Chennai and Kanchipuram districts, generating 200 job opportunities locally.
The facility is scheduled to be completed in the first quarter of 2024. It is located adjacent to the First Solar plant to allow seamless upscaling of inventory.
The warehouse will incorporate a range of sustainability initiatives, including energy-efficient practices with insulation, advanced lighting systems and the integration of renewable energy sources, such as solar panels. It will also have water-efficient fixtures, rainwater harvesting systems and innovative water recycling techniques. It also plans to use environment-friendly construction materials and low Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) paint to minimise the project’s carbon footprint.
Manikandan Ramachandran, COO, TVS ILP, said: “This strategic location is intended to reduce the time, inventory and space utilisation costs within the First Solar factory. We understand the importance of proximity for manufacturing companies in need of warehouses near their facilities and our strategic land acquisition adjacent to the First Solar’s facility emphasises our dedication to meeting this need.”
TVS ILP had recently said that it is planning to double its footprint to 20 million square-feet, at an investment of $400 million. The company is expanding its presence in another 35 cities across the country to double its warehousing and logistics park infrastructure to 20 million sq-ft from the current 10 million sq-ft over a period of three to four years. Currently, the company is present in 11 cities spread across five states and going forward, it plans to strategically locate warehouses every 400 km across the country, with the expansion being taken up.
Sujoy Ghosh, vice president & country MD, First Solar, said: “We are pleased that TVS ILP has decided to set up this important piece of warehousing infrastructure close to our facility in Chennai. We anticipate that the warehouse will play an important role in our effort to optimise inventory and capacity utilisation.”