chlor alkali | epoxy | phosphates | sulphites

Aditya Birla Chemicals (Thailand) Limited forms part of the Aditya Birla Group's chemicals business, which spans over nine units — five in Thailand and four in India. The company is engaged in the production of five major chemical groups, namely, chlor-alkali products, epichlorohydrin, epoxy resins, phosphates and sulphites.

Aditya Birla Chemicals (Thailand) Limited has built a strong business in Thailand and also exports its products to 58 countries across the globe. It serves customers in a large number of industries such as food, food processing, personal consumer products, paints, textiles, pulp and paper, detergents, water treatment, metal treatment and more.

Excellent product quality has enabled the unit to capture a sizeable share of the market in Thailand in chlor-alkali products, with most of the country's leading multinational consumers as its customers. The unit has extended its reach to South East Asia and has been exporting chlorine regularly.

Epichlorohydrin, manufactured by the unit, is largely supplied to its Epoxy division for the manufacture of epoxy resins. The unit has also developed an international market for the sale of allylchloride in India and epichlorohydrin to the U.S., Europe, Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand.

The unit has ISO 9001:2000, ISO14001, OSHAS 18001, BS 8800 and TIS 18001 certifications.


Epoxy division
The Epoxy division is a pioneer in the manufacture of epoxy resins in South East Asia. It started commercial production in 1992 at Rayong, Thailand. The modern ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certified plant uses state-of-the-art technology from Tohto Kasei, the largest epoxy producer in Japan. Sophisticated machinery, Distributed Control Systems (DCS) and a fully equipped quality assurance laboratory enable the unit to produce consistently high quality epoxy resins. The unit was awarded the TPM Excellence (first category) by Japan Institute of Plant Maintenance (JIPM), Japan in 2004.

The Epoxy division has grown from 10,000 tpa to 37,500 tpa over a period of 13 years. In 2004, it installed dedicated production facilities for speciality epoxies, reactive diluents and hardeners with capacity of 5000 tpa. During 2007, the Epoxy division implemented de-bottlenecking of its existing production lines and set up dedicated facilities to produce water borne epoxies, radiation cure epoxies, diluents, hardeners and bis-f and novolac pre-cursers and epoxies. In July 2008, the division commissioned a high performance epoxy adhesive system plant with state-of-the-art facilities to serve the growing needs of wind energy industry. These plans have taken the total capacity of the division to over 65,000 tpa.

The new products will further strengthen it’s position as a provider of a wide range of speciality products. The division has also set up a 9000 sq. ft R&D and Application Centre for accelerating product development, application testing and providing more technical services to customers.

With its vision "to become the preferred source of performance epoxy products and solution provider for global composites and coating industry", the Epoxy division with its modern R&D and Application Centre facilities has moved from being a 'product supplier' to a 'solutions provider', working closely with customers to provide superior value through customised products, speciality formulations and systems.

The division produces a wide range of epoxies, hardeners and modifiers that vary in the chemical structure, molecular weight, viscosity and functionality. Marketed under the brand name EPOTEC, its product range has liquid, solid, solutions, blends and other multifunctional epoxy resins. These products are used across a wide array of applications like automotive, construction and heavy engineering, transport, electrical and electronics, food and beverage packing, coatings, composites, adhesives, aviation and aerospace, wind-energy, etc.

Exporting over 75 per cent of its output, its products reach out to over 40 countries worldwide, with a major share going to the quality conscious markets in the USA and Europe.

Phosphates division
The Phosphate division is currently the world's leading manufacturer of high quality food grade sodium and potassium phosphates. Commissioned in 1984 to produce POLYPHOS (sodium tripolyphosphate), it has, over the years, enhanced capacity to 85,000 tpa through de-bottlenecking by more than 100 per cent and earned a reputation as one of the most efficient and reliable suppliers of high quality speciality phosphates.

The phosphates are mainly being used as meat and seafood preservatives, leavening in bakery products, emulsifiers and stabilisers in dairy products and builders in detergents. Phosphates are also used in the manufacture of animal
feeds, toothpaste, textile dyes, starches and ceramic tiles, as well as in water and metal treatment, and as stabilisers in chemical processes. Speciality phosphates such as MPSeaphos and non-phosphate such as NP-Seapure provide superior yield, texture and colour during the processing of raw and cooked shrimps, fish and squids.

Current exports account for 26 per cent of production to 38 countries including Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, Spain and USA, and other countries in the South East Asian region.

The Phosphates division was the first manufacturer of sodium phosphates in the Asia Pacific to be ISO 9000 certified for its quality management systems, and the first sodium phosphate manufacturer in the world to be accredited with ISO 14001. Constant upgrading of technology has also enabled the company to receive the prestigious Prime Minister's Industry Award for outstanding performance in environmental conservation. Additional achievements include the award for TPM Excellence for (1st category and Consistent Award); TIS 18001; SAP software implementation; Thailand Quality Prize, and GMP, HACCP, Halal and Kosher accreditation.

The division’s enviable record of manufacturing excellence and quality management remains unmatched in the South East Asian region.

Future plans include additional investments and capacity expansions for food grade blends and R&D facility. A backward integration project for manufacturing phosphoric acid in China is at an advanced stage.


Sulphites division
Set up in 1995, the state-of-the-art manufacturing plant is located in the Saraburi province. The Sulphites division manufactures sodium sulphite, sodium metabisulphite, sodium bisulphites solution and catalysed sodium sulphite. With an annual capacity of 75,000 mt, it is among the world's top three high quality producers of these chemicals. The capacity is slated to increase to 80,000 mt in 2008.

The company's products are marketed under the brand names 'BIRLASULF-SS' and "BIRLASULF-SM" and are used primarily in photographic, food, water treatment, pulp and paper, leather, textiles, acrylic fibre, mining, chemical and pharmaceutical industries.

The Sulphites division has also developed value-added liquid sodium bisulphite that is marketed under the brand name "BIRLASOL - 35" in the domestic starch pulp and paper and mining industries.

The Sulphites division is also launching potassium metabisulphites to serve the wine market in Europe and Australia.

It has earned the reputation of being the "Preferred Supplier" for many global customers with its products being exported across 44 countries.

Certified for ISO 9001, 14001, OHSAS 18001, THAI-FDA and HALAL, the company was conferred with the Thailand Prime Minister's award for "Outstanding Industry for year 2000" and has been awarded TPM Excellence (first category) by the Japan Institute of Plant Maintenance (JIPM), Japan in 2002.