The company is a 60:40 joint venture between Extenzo Advanced French Ceiling SAS (the makers of the Extenzo brand of stretch ceilings and cladding systems) and the city-based Technovation.

"In the second phase (March 2004) we will manufacture the false-ceiling sheets. The planned capacity is 50,000 square metres and 50 per cent of that will be exported to the Middle East and South East Asian regions," says French Ceilings managing director D B Radja.

Radja says the stretch ceiling (the product looks like a cloth) has several advantages (removable, washable, innovative colours and images) over gypsum board and other false ceiling materials while the high price is the one inhibiting factor.

Currently Extenzo stretch ceiling sheets costs Rs 200 per square feet. "But when we start manufacturing in Pondicherry the price will come down to Rs 50/sq ft," says Radja.