Birla Carbon’s largest facility commences operations in Jining, China

Birla Carbon's largest facility in China, its greenfield 120,000 metric tonnes carbon black project in Jining in the Shandong province of China, was inaugurated on Friday.

Birla Carbon is the largest manufacturer and supplier of high quality Carbon Black additives globally and a flagship business of the $41-billion Aditya Birla.

The Jining plant, which currently has an installed capacity of 120,000 metric tonnes, will expand to 240,000 metric tonnes in phase 2.

Kumar Mangalam Birla, chairman, Aditya Birla Group, said, "While the Aditya Birla Group has always had a presence in China – we have not leveraged the potential that both we as a Group and China as a market place had to offer.  ''The Jining plant is well ahead of its time, whether it be the manufacturing processes involved or the environmental standards, it follows."

he aded that the group had learned over its 150 plus years of manufacturing carbon black around the world has been poured into this facility.

"It is, in a manner of speaking, our magnum opus,'' Birla added.

China is one of the largest and fastest-growing markets for carbon black, forecasted to grow at a CAGR of 7.0 per cent by 2021. 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.

Dr Santrupt Misra, CEO, Birla Carbon Black, said, ''China has been awe inspiring for the world for many years and has emerged as a global showcase of economic dynamism. The automotive market in China is a vibrant one with every global major working to succeed in this market.'' He further added, ''As a carbon black leader, Birla Carbon is committed to driving innovations that fulfil the needs of our customers. A strong presence in many parts of the world puts us in a good position to support our customers anywhere around the globe."

The Birla Carbon Jining plant will produce traditional ASTM- (American Society for Testing and Materials) grades and specific Birla Carbon grades for customers in China. The ASTM grades will focus on the tire industry while many of the Birla Carbon grades will support mechanical rubber goods and other customer requirements.

According to Sanjeev Sood, president, South East and Far East Asia region, Birla Carbon and country head, Aditya Birla Group Affairs, ''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. Jining facility will cater to the increasing requirements of top 4-5 growing tire manufacturers and multinational tire manufacturers in the region.''

Birla Carbon Jining will be an 'energy positive' plant. The plant has its own energy management system. The cogen facility will generate high pressure steam and electricity which will first cater to captive consumption and have surplus electricity exported to state grid. The plants replacement of state grid electricity will contribute in reducing fossil fuel usage and subsequently emissions.

The Jining facility uses state-of-the-art De-SOx and De-NOx boilers. These ultra-modern emission control capabilities are aligned to the Chinese environment norms to be adapted by 2021.

Keeping Sustainability as part of its global priorities, the Jining plant has been designed based on Birla Carbon's Sustainable Operational Excellence (SOE) approach. Technology has been used to ensure direct CO2 emissions per tonne of carbon black produced is much lower than the industry benchmark. The plant will operate at maximum efficiency at all times.

Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) is another important aspect of the Jining facility. From the moment feedstock enters the plant until the finished carbon black product is delivered to the customer, the plant ensures all material is handled in a safe and environmentally responsible manner.

Birla Carbon is one of the world's largest manufacturers and suppliers of high quality carbon black and a flagship business of the US$ 41 billion Aditya Birla Group. The Company's footprint extends across 12 countries with 16 manufacturing facilities. Birla Carbon provides a complete portfolio of products across ASTM grades and specialty blacks to meet the specific end requirements across Tires, Rubber, Plastics, Coatings, Inks and other niche industries.

Birla Carbon has two state-of-the art technology centers at Marietta (USA) and Taloja (India), besides well-equipped laboratories across its manufacturing units providing for continuous R&D. As an ardent practitioner of sustainable development, Birla Carbon's Sustainable Operational Excellence (SOE) strategy focuses on employee safety, environmental stewardship, efficient use of carbon sources and a key focus on conducting operations in a socially and ethically responsible manner.