Coromandel’s drive towards Atmanirbhar Bharat Commissions

Coromandel International Limited, India’s leading agri input solution provider and the largest Phosphatic fertilizer player in the private sector, commissioned its state-of-the-art Sulphuric Acid plant today. With this, the company has further strengthened its backward integration capabilities to drive self-sufficiency in its operations.

Mr Arun Alagappan, Executive Vice-Chairman of Coromandel, inaugurated the company’s third Sulphuric Acid Plant at its fertiliser complex in Visakhapatnam. The plant has been set up with an investment of INR 400 Crores with the production capacity of 1,650 metric tonnes per day. With this, Coromandel’s Sulphuric acid capacity will increase to 11 lakh tonnes per annum from 6 lakh tonnes per annum, supporting its requirement towards downstream processes involving Phosphoric acid and Phosphatic Fertilizer production.

The Plant is designed with Double Conversion and Double Absorption (DCDA) process with a 5 bed Catalyst Converter and an automated DCS system. Further, the Plant is designed to meet one of the lowest emission standards globally. Steam generated from the Sulphuric acid plant will be used for captive power generation. The company had engaged best in class technology licensor MECS (Monsanto Enviro-Chem Systems) and detailed engineering provider TKIS (ThyssenKrupp Industrial Solutions) for executing the project.

In addition to the Sulphuric Acid, the Company has setup a 6 MLD desalination plant to meet its additional water requirements. It has partnered with Veolia Water Technology and Solutions, a global leader in water and wastewater treatment industry.

Coromandel, with the production capacity of 3.5 million tonnes per annum of complex fertilisers, has been focusing on strengthening its backward integration capabilities across key raw materials and intermediates like Phosphoric acid, Sulphuric acid, and Rock phosphate. Last year, the company invested in Baobab Mining Corporation (BMCC), a mining company in Senegal.

Commenting on this new Sulphuric Acid plant, Mr. Arun Alagappan, Executive Vice Chairman stated –

“It’s a proud moment for all of us in Coromandel for successfully commissioning the new Sulphuric Acid Plant at Vishakapatnam in a record time of 18 months. This investment is in line with our Company’s strategy of strengthening backward integration and ensuring supply security of key raw materials, promoting self-reliance in our operations.

Furthering our sustainability initiatives, we have successfully set up a modern desalination plant, which will recycle sea water for usage in our operations.

India is the 3rd largest importer of Sulphuric acid globally, importing nearly 20 Lakh tonnes of acid per annum. With the commissioning of our new sulphuric acid plant, our nation’s import dependence will go down by 25-30%. Our investment in sulphuric acid plant is in line with the vision of “Athmanirbhar Bharat”, of our Honourable Prime Minister promoting self-reliance in manufacturing. Coromandel will continue to improve its raw material self-sufficiency and augment fertiliser availability for the farming community.”

Speaking on the successful commissioning of the project within the scheduled time, Rajesh Kamath, CEO & MD, tkIS India said, “The success of this project is a milestone for both the organizations and congratulations to all on the successful completion of the project. It is a matter of great pride for us as this project is one of the firsts for tkIS India.”

On this occasion, Mr Gopal Madabhushi, Business Leader, Veolia Water Technologies and Solutions shared – “We are very fortunate that Coromandel has provided us the opportunity to setup a 6 MLD Seawater Desalination plant at their Vizag facility.”

About Coromandel

Coromandel International Limited is amongst India’s pioneers and leading Agri solutions provider, offering diverse products and services across the farming value chain. It operates in two major segments: Nutrient and other allied businesses and Crop Protection. These include Fertiliser, Crop Protection, Bio Products, Specialty Nutrients and Organic businesses. The Company is 2nd largest manufacturer and marketer of Phosphatic fertiliser in India. The Company’s Crop Protection products are marketed in India as well as in international geographies, offering wide range of technical and formulation products. The Specialty Nutrients business of the Company focuses on water soluble fertiliser and secondary & micronutrients segments. The Company is leading marketer of Organic fertiliser in India. The Bio Products business of the company focusses on plant extractions for various applications. It also operates a network of around 750+ rural retail outlets across Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Karnataka. Through these Retail outlets, the Company offers farming services including crop advisory, soil testing and farm mechanization to around 3 million farmers. The Company has a strong R&D and Regulatory setup, supporting the businesses in process development and new product introduction. The Company has 18 manufacturing facilities, producing wide range of Nutrient and Crop Protection products, which are marketed through an extensive network of dealers and its own retail centres.

The Company clocked a turnover of Rs.29,799 Crores during FY22-23. Its efforts towards environment have been well recognized by international organizations like UNDP and has also been voted as one of the ten greenest companies in India by TERI. Coromandel is a part of the INR 742 billion (INR 74,220 Crores) of the Murugappa Group.

For more details, visit https://www.coromandel.biz//

About Murugappa Group

Founded in 1900, the INR 742 billion (INR 74,220 Crores) Murugappa Group is one of India’s leading business conglomerates. The Group has ten listed Companies traded in NSE & BSE. Headquartered in Chennai, the major Companies of the Group include Carborundum Universal Ltd., CG Power and Industrial Solutions Ltd., Cholamandalam Financial Holdings Ltd., Cholamandalam Investment and Finance Company Ltd., Cholamandalam MS General Insurance Company Ltd., Coromandel International Ltd., Coromandel Engineering Company Ltd., E.I.D. Parry (India) Ltd., Parry Agro Industries Ltd., Shanthi Gears Ltd., Tube Investments of India Ltd. and Wendt (India) Ltd.

The Group’s businesses hold leadership positions in several product lines including Abrasives, Technical Ceramics, Electro Minerals, Auto Components & Systems, Power Conversion Equipment, Transformers & Reactors for the Power T&D segment, Solutions for Railways in Rolling Stock & Signalling Equipment, Bicycles, Fertilisers, Sugar, Tea, and Spirulina (Nutraceuticals). The Group has forged strong alliances with leading international companies such as Groupe Chimique Tunisien, Foskor, Mitsui Sumitomo, Morgan Advanced Materials, Yanmar & Co. and Compagnie Des Phosphat De Gafsa (CPG). The Group’s businesses serve customers across the length and breadth of India and in over 50 countries.
Renowned brands like BSA, Hercules, Montra, Mach City, Ballmaster, Ajax, Rhodius, Parry’s, Chola, Gromor, Shanthi Gears and Paramfos are from the Murugappa stable. The Group fosters an environment of professionalism and has a workforce of over 73,000 employees.

For more details, visit https://www.murugappa.com/