Calcutta, Oct. 27: Century Plyboards is setting up a factory to manufacture decorative laminates at Joka in the suburbs of Calcutta at a cost of Rs 38 crore.

Laminates are produced from papers and pasted on plyboards. Century is looking to sell the product in the US, Canada, Europe, West Asia and the Far East, besides India.

The plant is being set up in three phases, says company deputy managing director Sanjay Agarwal. “The first phase will be completed by December, and we’ll be producing 1 lakh sheets per month.”

On completion by the end of 2004, the unit will be able to produce up to 3 lakh sheets per month. “We are investing Rs 17-18 crore in the first phase,” he added.

The raw material, mostly paper, will be imported from Europe. “The speciality of these laminates is that you can bend them without breaking,” Agarwal says.