Salt, soda ash focus areas for Tata Chem
The Asian Age— September 19, 2002

Kolkata: Tata Chemicals is looking at acquisitions in the core areas of its operations in a bid to maintain the growth rate, said Mr Prasad Menon, managing director of the company. "We are looking at opportunities in our core areas of operations. We will seriously consider acquisitions after the completion of our consolidation process," he said.

The Rs 1,600-crore company has already identified salt, soda ash and fertiliser as its focus areas. Other business interests are cement, caustic soda and sodium bicarbonate. The company is yet to find a suitable buyer for its cement plant which only caters to the Gujarat market and does not fit into its chemicals business. "We are interested in a joint venture initiative with a suitable partner. However, no negotiations are currently underway. As of now, we are comfortable with the plant as it is a steady cash generator," Mr Menon said.

Tata Chemicals has relaunched Tata Salt, supported by a new marketing initiative. The brand is a market leader with 38 per cent share, ahead of competitors like Annapurna of HLL, Captain Cook and Dandi. The company is also looking at export opportunities. "We are already exporting soda ash to Bangladesh and South Asian countries," Mr Menon said.

.