Home > Cover Story

Reliance’s PSF finds industrial application

If you think manmade fibres is used only in apparel, home furnishing and technical textiles, you are in for a surprise. Reliance has expanded the utility of its polyester stable fibre (PSF) from conventional applications to new horizons. The company has launched a new version of PSF which finds application in the construction industry.

Christened as Recron 3S, the PSF can be used in plain concrete, wall plastering, flooring, foundation laying, beams, etc. Using PSF increases the compressive strength by 5-15 per cent, claims the company. Recron 3S can also reduce thermal cracks and rebound loss by 30-50 per cent.

Available in 6, 12 and 24 cutlength, it is mixed with the cement-sand mixture. Recron 3S is priced at Rs 168 per kg and is available in sachets of 125 gms.

The R&D cell of Reliance is also exploring the possibilities of other applications. “We are trying to use this in rubber products and many other new applications may also come up,” said a spokesperson of the company. PSF is used in the construction industry of the west. In India, the industrial usage is less and there is a vast potential, he added. The marketing plan includes a series of seminars with architects, engineers and followed by print ads. Reliance is catering to spinning mills for manufacturing blended yarns. Recron Fibrefill, another branded PSF is used in home furnishing items such as mattress and pillows by the filling industry.

Meanwhile, to enhance the service provided to its customers and to facilitate quick delivery mechanism for the entire polyester fibre division, the company has opened Fast Delivery Centres (FDC) across India. Hitherto there are 14 such FDCs in the major textile centres, including two in Tamil Nadu - Tirupur and Salem. “Substantial sales of our fibre division will be through the FDCs,” informed the spokesperson.

Besides reducing the lead time for delivery of goods, FDC will bring total transparency in the sales network. A replenishment module is also being planned for incorporation in the FDCs. The module will have a direct link to the manufacturing plant and orders will be triggered automatically once the minimum stock is reduced.