The world’s largest modular steel manufacturing factory will open in Indapur in Pune district, Maharashtra by March 2013, according to Chairman of the Modulex Modular Buildings Plc, UK, Suchit Punnose. The factory is being set up at a cost of Rs 100 crore.

Punnose, who made the announcement at a function in London in the presence of Harshavardhan Patil, Maharashtra’s Minister for Co-operation and Parliamentary Affairs, and MLA from Indapur, said that the state Government has already sanctioned 40 acres and may consider sanctioning another 30 acres for the project.

Modular steel technology is particularly appropriate for hotels, schools, hospitals, commercial offices, residential buildings, military accommodation and railway stations, which can be built very quickly with minimum disruption on site. The company estimates that a 100-room hotel can be constructed in 24 weeks, with 90 per cent of the work being completed offsite.

Costs are the same as in a traditional building. Structures can be built to any design required and can go as high as 22 floors. Modulex offers a 60 year structural warranty, with the assurance that the building will last much longer.

Punnose said that the company’s proprietary technology has been used to build many hotels, such as Premier Inns, Travelodges and Days Inns in the UK. The apex team of the company was earlier involved in 440 McDonalds restaurants were rolled out in the UK.

The proposed factory will have four production lines with an annual capacity of 2 million sq ft and will operate on an 8-hour shift, five day week for eleven months. The annual  output would be sufficient to construct twenty 100-room hotels plus a 1,000 residential or office buildings of 1,000 sq ft each, or accommodation for 2,000 hospital beds,

Modulex India India’s first full fit-out steel modular buildings company is a project by Red Ribbon Asset Management Plc, London, UK.