Birla adding 150kt carbon black capacity

Mumbai, India – Birla Carbon is expanding carbon black capacity by 150 kilotonnes per annum (ktpa) over the next 18 months, the company announced 17 July.

Expansions include: bottlenecking projects at Birla’s factories in Egypt and Italy by the end of the third quarter; restarting a production line in Thailand by the yearend; and installing of new production lines in India with a start date of fourth quarter 2019.

In its statment, the company added that it is ready to expand its newest plant in China by120ktpa at the “opportune time.”

The new capacities will enable us to serve a range of segments including the tire, rubber goods, and specialty markets, noted John Loudermilk, chief operating officer at Birla.

CEO Dr. Santrupt Misra added: “Birla Carbon is committed to supporting our customers’ growing needs in all geographies. Implementation of these projects are underway after a series of development initiatives were identified to meet market requirements.”