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“ACP Industry Will See 15%-20% Growth Every Year”

By: Faizer Ali Dastagair, Viva Composite Panel Pvt. Ltd.

Post-Covid, the industry is surely seeing a boom because whatever projects were stalled in the concept stage during and before Covid are all back on track. And, major cities obviously are seeing a lot of development, especially of large-scale projects. Some cities see it in the commercial sector and a lot in the residential sector. We have been witnessing a new age of vertical development.

WHAT WOULD BE THE PERCENTAGE OF ACP CLADDING IN BUILDINGS?

Even though ACP sheets have been very popular as a façade cladding material. If you look at commercial buildings, the glass and ACP proportions are 70% and 30% of the façade area, respectively. ACP has been criticized for its fire safety properties. “We have been seeing that the awareness of cladding products is increasing. The misconceptions about ACP are getting clear. Indian manufacturers like Viva are taking that step to do the extra mile to build confidence in the product. Basically, by doing everything in-house, we formulate our own paint, and we do the entire process,” says Faizer.

The steps taken for quality assurance by international players are being followed in India today, and we are not dependent on China or other countries for anything. So this obviously is making a difference in the market because people are now finding it confident to use an Indian brand.

Manufacturers like Viva have taken the initiative to make their products fire retardant as per the international fire safety code. Following certification is very important in large projects. Fire is the biggest threat from which the building has to be protected, and this needs to be taken care of very seriously. Viva acquired the standards of NFPA 285, EN 13501-1 & ASTM D1929 which makes their product entirely fire retardant.

Viva was the first to get the NFPA 285 Class B in India, and the first to get the NFPA for A2 as well by December. So the whole thing is that the image about ACP – be it the versatility, the safety, it has to be revamped and I think the brand is playing its role very well in that.

EXPECTATIONS FOR THE YEAR 2025

ACP industry will see 15%-20% growth every year, provided that we all work as an industry to make the product interesting. “People do not want to use anything regular, including façade materials, anymore. They want different feels, textures, and looks, so they don’t want to see silver and champagne colours all the time. That’s exactly what we are catering to. It’s safe to invest if the product is going to contribute to more business. It is our duty to make it interesting, serviceable, and usable,” adds Faizer.