Reliance Industries Ltd has said it plans to become the largest polyester producer in the world. The company plans to spend $30 million on research at the Reliance Technology Centre set up here to develop new polyester technology.

"Reliance has signed an alliance with DuPont for joint research. Our ambition is to be the world number one in polyester research and replace DuPont as the number one research company," said Mr Subodh Sapra, President, Reliance's Polyester Unit.

Apart from the spend on research, Reliance is also setting up "the first largest" polyester plant with a 2,30,000 tonnes per annum capacity at Hazira, Mr Sapra said.

The company has already invested more than $15 million on setting up a research centre for polyester at its Patalganga facility near Mumbai.

Reliance plans to focus on developing polyester products for the construction, paper, home textiles and furnishings and packaging industry instead of the traditional apparel business, he said.

Mr Sapra said the company saw "huge opportunities to earn royalties" from licensing its research to other companies once it has exploited technology for its own use. "Worldwide, roughly 40 to 50 per cent polyester usage is in the non-apparel segment. India will have to produce four to five times more polyester to catch up with the world. We see tremendous potential in the business," he said.

The company has an agreement to conduct joint research with DuPont (which is exiting the polyester manufacturing business), in addition to independent research at the RTC.

There are 36 scientists working at the RTC and the number is expected to double next year. The centre already has more than 100 patents to its credit, Mr S.C. Basu, Senior Vice-President, Research Technology, said.

Reliance is also in the process of forming two new alliances for polyester resin processing and processing of fibres. Mr Sapra however declined to give details as the company is bound to confidentiality agreements, he said.