Japanese biz team keen to invest in Vizag

Visakhapatnam: Japanese trade delegates including Masahiro Fujita, sales director and Satoshi Ishihara, assistant manager, water treatment systems of Toray Industries Inc, Japan along with Masashi Kawaguchi, founder and CEO of Dotcome on Monday met G Sambasiva Rao, president of AP Chambers of Commerce and Industry Federation in the city.

During their interactive meet, after investment in the Chennai region, the delegates now evinced keen interest to explore business opportunities in Andhra Pradesh particularly in Visakhapatnam by associating with the state government and local bodies to set up desalination projects through their Japanese technology.

Toray Industries (India) Private Limited, the Indian subsidiary of Toray Industries Inc, Japan, already established their unit in Sri City and will manufacture products to be used by diaper-makers such as Unicharm, Proctor and Gamble, and Kimberley Clark, besides automotive, electrical and FMCG goods.

Welcoming the delegation, G Samabasiva Rao said the Japanese companies were making Andhra Pradesh as their second home with companies like Kobe Steel Group and Kobelco Cranes already invested and Toshiba Corporation and Hitachi are in the pipeline and assured all possible help from chambers side to facilitate any kind of investments in the state.

He also said desalination (converting sea water into drinking water) is good for solving drinking water requirements of the coastal city like Visakhapatnam and also used for water intake for existing industries and also help to meet the increasing water demand in the upcoming industrial nodes planned along the Vizag-Chennai Industrial Corridor and Chennai-Bangalore Industrial Corridor.