Established in 1939, Tata Chemicals Limited (TCL) today is the second largest producer of soda ash in the world with manufacturing facilities in India, UK, Kenya and USA. The company also manufacturers sodium bicarbonate and bulk chemicals like sulphuric acid, phosphoric acid, and Sodium Tripoly Phosphate (STPP). TCL is also India's leading manufacturer of urea and phosphatic fertilisers and is the pioneer and India's market leader in the branded, iodised salt segment.

TCL has undertaken several key steps recently to leverage its expertise in chemistry and agriculture to develop high-tech and more sustainable products. It set up the TCL Innovation Centre in 2004 to develop world-class R&D capability in the emerging areas of nanotechnology and biotechnology. Leveraging its in-house research capabilities in biology and crop genomics, it is developing a significant presence in bio fuels space and is setting up a 30KL per day pilot plant at Nanded, in Maharashtra, which will use sweet sorghum as feedstock.

TCL has also undertaken field research on jatropha, a non-edible tree crop for biodiesel production. Most recently, its subsidiary, Tata Chemicals Asia Pacific Pte Ltd, entered into definitive agreements with JOil (Singapore) Pte Ltd. JOil, a jatropha seedling company based in Singapore, set up by the Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory Ltd (TLL), along with other investors in Singapore.

Soda Ash:This multipurpose chemical is used in a variety of industries, most prominently in the manufacture of glass, where it reduces the melting temperature of the sand used in glass formation and helps in the 'workability', or shaping, of glass articles. Soda ash is also a major ingredient in the making of soaps and detergents. Here it is employed as a builder, or filler, to give a smoother surface in formulations of soaps, detergents and other cleaning compounds.

This resourceful alkali, the least expensive of soluble alkalis, is widely used in the production of other chemicals. Soda ash is used in mineral processing in mining, pulp and paper manufacture, the making of sodium compounds, water treatment, metal refining, textile processing, cleaning preparations, petroleum and metallurgical refining, iron and steel, aluminum, and drugs.

Cement:Cement is a major success story for TCL, and a fine example of how the company's philosophy of 'avoid, reduce and recycle' operates. The cement plant at Mithapur was set up solely to consume the solid waste generated during the manufacture of soda ash. The plant has an installed capacity of 1,500 tonnes per day and it manufactures three varieties of cement: Ordinary Portland Cement (grades 43 and 53) and Pozzolana Portland Cement (under the Shudh Cement brand name).

Caustic Soda:Due to its adoption of energy-efficient, membrane-cell technology and the captive availability of salt and of power, TCL has been able to deliver low-cost caustic soda to the market. As a versatile alkali, caustic soda is used in a variety of industries, the major ones being rayon, cellophane, soap, pulp and paper. Apart from caustic soda, TCL also produces hydrochloric acid and liquid chlorine.

The company also helps small farmers enhance the yield from their land by providing end-to-end solutions through its network of Tata Kisan Sansar's (Tata Farmer's Centres) in the northern Indian states of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana and Uttaranchal. The centres are one-stop resource centres; they stock seeds, pesticides and fertilisers; lease out farm equipment and implements to farmers who cannot afford to buy expensive modern machinery; provide agronomy services like soil testing and mapping and fertiliser testing; and extend credit finance, arrange crop insurance and even provide buyback facilities.

To advance its footprint in India's rural economy, TCL entered in to a 50:50 joint venture in 2007 with Total Produce, Ireland, the third largest fruits and vegetable distribution company in the world and Europe's largest and most accomplished fresh produce provider, to set up a fruits and vegetables distribution business in India.