a. schulman announces grand opening of plastics masterbatchmanufacturing facility in vadodara, india akron, ohio &ndash april 25, 2013 &ndash a. schulman, inc. nasdaqgs shlm today announced the grand opening of its new plastics masterbatch manufacturing facility in western india. the grand opening will be marked by a ribboncutting ceremony on april 29, 2013.the new facility in vadodara, gujarat, india will manufacture a. schulman&rsquos masterbatch products for india&rsquos growing flexible packaging, appliance and consumer products markets. initially, its annual capacity is projected to be approximately 10,000 metric tons. the new plant is strategically located near a. schulman&rsquos customers&rsquo manufacturing facilities in western india, and near the coast line of the arabian sea, which will facilitate the shipment of raw materials for production. &ldquowe are very pleased to announce the opening of our new masterbatch manufacturing facility in vadodara, india,&rdquo said derek bristow, vice president and general manager for a. schulman&rsquos asiapacific region. &ldquothis plant will be dedicated to providing innovative masterbatch solutions to meet the needs of flexible packaging, white goods and cosmetics manufacturers in india.&rdquo &ldquoby opening this new plant in vadodara, we are strengthening our position to serve our growing customer base in this attractive market,&rdquo said mannar mannan shanmugam, a. schulman general manager for india. &ldquoin line with our strategic direction, we are continuing our geographic expansion in growing markets across asia, and india is a key component of that growth strategy,&rdquo said bernard rzepka, executive vice president and chief operating officer of a. schulman. &ldquothis new plant is another step in our progress toward becoming the numberone global manufacturer in the masterbatch market.&rdquo the vadodara plant is a. schulman&rsquos first manufacturing facility in india and its fifth in the asiapacific region. prior to opening the new facility, a. schulman was serving itsmasterbatch customers in india by exporting products from its indonesian and malaysian facilities. these facilities will now focus exclusively on serving the growing demand formasterbatch products for flexible packaging applications in their respective markets. about a. schulman, inc.a. schulman, inc. is a leading international supplier of highperformance plastic compounds and resins headquartered in akron, ohio. since 1928, the company has been providing innovative solutions to meet its customers&39 demanding requirements. the company&39s customers span a wide range of markets such as packaging, mobility, building & construction, electronics & electrical, agriculture, personal care & hygiene, sports, leisure & home, custom services and others. the company employs approximately3,300 people and has 35 manufacturing facilities globally. a. schulman reported net sales of 2.1 billion for the fiscal year ended august 31, 2012. additional information about a. schulman can be found at www.aschulman.com.