Birla Carbon's greenfield plant in China starts ops

The Aditya Birla Group company aims to tap the automotive market of China. The Jining plant will produce traditional ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) grades and specific Birla Carbon grades for customers in China.

Birla Carbon said the capacity of the plant will be expanded to 2.4 lakh tonnes in phase II.

The greenfield project in Jining, the company's largest engagement in China, was inaugurated by Birla Carbon CEO Santrupt Misra in the presence of senior Chinese officials.

"We are delighted to have taken the right step to invest in a meaningful way in this country. The Jining plant is ahead of its time, whether it be the manufacturing processes involved or the environmental standards, it follows," Aditya Birla Group Kumar Chairman Mangalam Birla said.

The automotive market in China is a vibrant one with every global major working to succeed in this market. As a carbon black leader, Birla Carbon is committed to fulfil the needs of its customers in the country, Birla Carbon CEO Misra said.

"China is an important market for Birla Carbon in Far East Asia. Many of our customers are based out of China with operations across the rest of Asia. With the Jining facility, we now have the opportunity to address the needs of our Chinese customers from within China," Sanjeev Sood, President, South-East and Far-East Asia region, Birla Carbon and Country Head, Aditya Birla Group Affairs, Thailand said.

China is one of the largest and fastest-growing markets for carbon black with a forecast to grow at a CAGR of 7 per cent by 2021, the company said.

The new production plant will exclusively cater to the Chinese customer base and will accommodate the growing demands for superior quality, technical solutions and performance, it said.

The ASTM grades will focus on the tyre industry while many of the Birla Carbon grades will support mechanical rubber goods and other customer requirements.