Tata Chemicals North America: Building on a Proud Legacy
From its manufacturing base in Green River, Wyoming, Tata Chemicals North America leverages a unique combination of operating advantages. Abundant natural resources, a skilled and dedicated workforce, and a global distribution network give TCNA the competitive edge in the global soda ash market.
Each year TCNA extracts almost 5 million tons of trona and produces over 2.5 million tons of soda ash, making our business the 3rd largest global soda ash producer. We produce the highest-quality soda ash in the world, low in chlorides to meet our customers’ needs. Further, our efficient manufacturing processes provide a significant cost and environmental advantage over synthetic manufacturers.
At TCNA, success starts with our people. Many of our employees have worked in Green River for over 40 years. Sons work alongside their fathers, and even their grandfathers. The business is as important to the employees as the employees are to the business. “Our people work hard and take care of each other,” explains Roger Hoops, Vice President, Manufacturing. “You work here, you feel like you’re part of something bigger.”
That bond has never been stronger. In 2008, Tata Chemicals acquired what had been General Chemical (formerly part of Allied-Signal, now Honeywell). From that time forward, miners and process workers, as well as their colleagues in the corporate office, could see that TCNA was committed for the long term. They viewed this as a welcome change from the short-term approach seen from previous owners. As one miner put it: “It seems TCNA is not here just to make money. They're here to make soda ash to make money and that's the difference.”
TCNA taps into an intricate distribution network to move trona to our customers around the world. At the core are integrated relationships and networks with U.S. railroads. Half of our finished product is transported via railroad to the international seaports of Portland, Oregon, and Port Arthur, Texas. This carefully developed intermodal network enables us to maintain a low-cost position in both U.S. and international markets.
Another key to TCNA’s growth is the close relationships we have cultivated with our customers. As one of three members of the export co-operative American Natural Soda Ash Corporation, TCNA has global reach, selling our products in more than 30 countries. Among our many customers, the company has been a long time supplier to O-I, one of the world's largest packaging producers with locations in 10 countries. Church & Dwight, our neighbor in Green River, is another major customer.
While our focus is on delivering for our customers every day, we keep one eye on the horizon. “Tata has a natural affinity for building sustainable businesses, a model we proudly follow,” comments Scott Ellis, TCNA President and CEO. As part of that commitment, TCNA works hard to balance economic growth with environmental stewardship. We have improved risk management; made investments in new technology to meet emissions regulations; and taken on projects to reduce water consumption and recycle waste. As noted above, all of our company’s product is made from naturally occurring trona deposits so we have a much more favorable environmental profile than do many of our foreign competitors.
Our base in Green River, Wyoming is a special place. Its vast, remote beauty attracts hard-working miners from all over the country. Together, we are fully invested in supporting and advancing our community. Every day, in many ways, our people nurture our legacy where we work and live.
Hidden beneath the ground in this mountainous paradise are major deposits of natural resources, oil and gas, coal seams and minerals. This area is home to the world's largest deposit of trona, or sodium sesqicarbonate. The trona has been here for around 35 million years. Estimates suggest the area holds more than 100 billion tons of extractable trona, enough to meet global demand for a few hundred years. That’s why we’re in it for the long haul.