Leading the way in Asia

Sustainable business practices and strong customer-centric approach has helped the Aditya Birla Group expand and grow in Asia

A global business conglomerate rooted in Indian values, the Aditya Birla Group’s Asian footprint spreads across business hotspots ranging from the Middle East to East and South East Asia. The Group has built a significant presence in diverse sectors — from man-made fibres to commodities and textiles.

While the focus remains on business growth, the spotlight continues to remain on sustainability and commitment to communities. Here, we look at the Group’s efforts to serve the Asian industry through its commercial interests.

Novelis

Novelis is a subsidiary of Hindalco Industries Limited, the flagship company of the Aditya Birla Group, headquartered in Mumbai.

Novelis is the leading producer of flat-rolled aluminium products and the world’s largest recycler of aluminium. Headquartered in Atlanta, the aluminium major also has operations in Asia.

The company’s plants at Changzhou, Shanghai, Zhenjiang and Jiangsu in China and at Ulsan and Yeongju in South Korea allows the company to meet the unique, growing needs of its customers. The aluminium major also has a Global Research and Development Center in Ulsan, Korea, and an innovation centre in Zhenjiang, China. The regional head office located in Seoul controls the company's East Asian operations.

Novelis’ Asian operations include developing premium aluminium sheets for various applications, including beverage cans, automobiles, aerospace, building construction and consumer electronics.

Birla Carbon

Birla Carbon entered the carbon black business with a plant in Renukoot, Uttar Pradesh, in the 1980s. Today, it has established a robust presence globally, especially in Asia, with manufacturing and commercial operations in East and South-East Asia.

The carbon black major has presence in Thailand (Birla Carbon Thailand Public Co. Ltd.), China (Birla Carbon China (Jining) Co. Ltd. and Birla Carbon China (Weifang) Co., Ltd.) and South Korea (Birla Carbon Korea Co. Ltd.). Uniquely, BCT supplies carbon black to all the six continents from a single location, with its produce accounting for over 50 per cent of Japan’s total carbon black imports. The Jining plants produce traditional ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) grades and specific Birla Carbon grades.

Grasim

Grasim started as a textile manufacturer in India in 1947 with a weaving plant in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh. Today, it is a dominant player in Asia's VSF and chemicals space.

Grasim has crafted a robust presence through various entities in cement, textiles, and chemicals. The company has strong presence in Philippines (Indo Phil Textile Mills), Thailand (Thai Rayon, Thai Acrylic Fibre Co. Ltd, Indo Thai Synthetics Company Ltd. and Aditya Birla Chemicals (Thailand)) and Indonesia (PT. Indo Bharat Rayon (IBR), PT. Elegant Textile Industry, PT. Indo Liberty Textiles, PT. Sunrise Bumi Textiles). UltraTech Ltd, Grasim’s cement arm, has bolstered its presence through unlisted subsidiaries in Sri Lanka, Bahrain and Indonesia.

The plants produce a wide range of fibres which find application in apparel, home textiles, dress material, knitwear, etc. Speciality fibres including technical fibres for high-end applications are also part of the product inventory. The knit apparels manufactured at Indo Thai are supplied to reputed labels such as Banana Republic, H&M, JC Penny, M&S, etc.

Thai Acrylic Fibre Co. Ltd is among the world’s top five quality acrylic fibre producers. IBR is the world's second-largest manufacturer of VSF at a single location, while PT. Elegant Textile Industry (Indonesia) is the world's largest producer of rayon spun yarn.

Grasim also operates resin manufacturing plants in Thailand. Aditya Birla Chemicals (Thailand) has five manufacturing sites located in the Rayong province. The company, pioneer in the ASEAN region, manufactures epoxy resins.

Grasim also operates a VSF manufacturing company in Hubei province of China. Birla Jingwei Fibres Company Ltd (BJFCL) was established in 2006 as a joint venture between the Group and the Fujian Jingwei Group. In 2008, Aditya Birla Group acquired 100 per cent ownership of the company. BJFCL primarily caters to China's domestic demand.

Swiss Singapore Overseas Enterprises Pte Ltd

Swiss Singapore is a leading bulk commodity trading solutions provider with an annual turnover of US$ 5.4 billion and trading volumes of over 34.5 million tons per year. With Group companies as promoters, the company was incorporated in 1978 in Singapore.

A preferred trader for beans and pulses, the company ranks among Myanmar's top exporters. It also supplies petro products to global markets and has developed storage facilities in Al-Fujairah in the UAE and India's west coast. The commodity trading entity has developed warehousing tanker-loading facilities at various South and South-East Asia locations.

SSOE’s minerals and metals business has a wide footprint and is spread across China, India, the Middle East, Singapore, Indonesia, Myanmar, Bangladesh and Vietnam.

Sustainable business practices and strong customer-centric approach has been the cornerstone of ABG’s success in Asia. It has helped the Group strike its roots deep and spread them wide.