Tata Chemicals Ltd. (TCL; Mumbai, India; www.tatachemicals.com) has signed a Business Transfer Agreement with M/s.Unnati Inorganics Private Ltd. (‘UIPL’) to acquire their precipitated silica operations for a consideration of Rs. 34.20 crore (around $530,000).
This includes an existing manufacturing site, at Dahej, Dist. Bharuch, Gujarat, which will produce highly dispersible silica (HDS) after capability augmentation. This acquisition is a part of the Rs. 295 crore investment approved by the Board in February 2017.
The specialty chemical products from UIPL represent a downstream value addition to TCL’s soda ash business, where it ranks among the top manufacturers globally. Precipitated silica is a versatile product with applications in many industries, including rubber, coatings and agrochemicals. The technology for manufacturing HDS at Dahej facility has been developed at TCL’s lnnovation Centre in Pune, for which eight patents have already been filed.