TCL to stabilise its soda ash unit operations in Haldia

25 Aug '12

2 min read

In spite of its performance being under pressure due to rising cost of raw materials, Tata Chemicals Ltd (TCL), the world’s second largest producer of soda ash and a major supplier of soda ash and sodium bicarbonate to the textile industries, is planning to improve operations at its Haldia unit in West Bengal, after turning around its soda ash operations in Kenya’s Magadi unit.

Addressing the shareholders of the company in capacity of Chairman for the last time during company’s 73rd Annual General Meeting (AGM), Mr. Ratan Tata said factors like floods in Kenya, volatility in foreign exchange rates and decline in production at Babrala unit in Uttar Pradesh impacted the company’s operations in the first quarter of 2012-13.

Stirred by rising demand in BRICS countries, the global demand for soda ash has increased by six percent, Mr. Tata informed.

Though there has been a rise in global production of soda ash, there are imbalances as while there is overproduction in China, other countries are facing shortage, he said.

He also informed the meeting that during last fiscal, the company’s consumer branded products grew 28 percent, and also there was a promising shift in consumption of unbranded to branded products.

Making a presentation at the meeting, R. Mukundan, Managing Director of the company, said the company is now looking at value creation and would launch differentiated products.

Light soda ash is used in dyeing cotton and other cellulose fibres such as linen, rayon, tencel or hemp, to increase the pH (alkalinity) of the reaction. Sodium bicarbonate, technical and refined grades, is used in curing wool and silk fibre. It also aids in the dyeing and printing of wool and silk fabrics.

Fibre2fashion News Desk - India

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