Tata Chemicals Magadi

Tata Chemicals Magadi Limited (TCML) occupies a significant place in the African economy. It is Africa's largest soda ash manufacturer and one of Kenya's leading exporters. Just as significant, the company is an important part of the socio-economic fabric of the Lake Magadi region in Kenya, where its soda ash facility is based.

Formerly known as Magadi Soda Company, TCML has been a part of Tata Chemicals since 2005. Tata Chemicals Limited (TCL), part of the global Tata group, is one of the world's leading chemical companies, with a widespread portfolio of household products, industrial chemicals and agricultural inputs. TCL's operations are located in the US, the UK, Kenya and India.

Established in 1911, Tata Chemicals Magadi Limited has been producing soda ash at Lake Magadi for a hundred years. The site is situated 120kms south west of Nairobi. Here, the company recovers trona (a naturally occurring mineral that contains sodium carbonate compounds) from one of the purest surface deposits in the base of the Rift Valley at Lake Magadi. TCML converts trona into soda ash, which is transported by rail to the Port of Mombasa for onward shipping to the markets.

Soda ash is an essential constituent in the manufacture of glass and the production of detergents and industrial chemicals. Over 95 per cent of the company product is exported to its principal markets of South East Asia, Indian sub-continent, Africa and the Middle East. Our mineral deposit, Lake Magadi, is also home to the purest salt in the world. Our heritage spans more than 100 years of producing the best natural salt, produced at source. Magadi Salts have a wide range of applications in industrial and animal feeds.

Sustainability is core to TCML's operations. The company is an equal opportunity employer and has over 600 people on its payroll. The role that TCML plays in the local community takes it far beyond the mantle of local employer. Over the decades, TCML has built deep connections with the local community through a number of health, education and employment initiatives.

History

Tata Chemical Magadi (formerly Magadi Soda Company) was established at Lake Magadi, Kenya in 1911 and later became a wholly owned subsidiary of the UK-based Brunner Mond PLC. The original Brunner Mond and Company was formed in 1873 and began manufacturing soda ash in the UK in 1874.

In 1926 Brunner Mond combined with three other chemical companies to form Imperial Chemical Industries (later ICI). In 1991 Brunner Mond Holdings Limited was formed and included the Kenyan soda ash products business from ICI. The soda ash activities of Akzo Nobel in the Netherlands were acquired in February 1998.

In September 1998 Soda Ash Investments PLC completed the acquisition of Brunner Mond PLC. Brunner Mond shares were delisted from the London Stock Exchange in September 1998 and the company was subsequently renamed Brunner Mond Group PLC.

In December 2005 Tata Chemicals acquired a 100 per cent stake in Brunner Mond, thus bringing Brunner Mond and Magadi Soda into the Tata fold. Tata Chemicals is one of the world's largest manufacturers of soda ash. Its portfolio includes other inorganic chemicals, agri businesses (crop nutrition and protection) and household essentials (table salt, food additives, water purifiers, etc).