India's Shimadri plans to expand carbon black production capacity

On May 14, it was reported that as the European Union is about to impose an import ban on Russian carbon black, the global carbon black market is ushering in new changes. India's Himadri, a specialty chemicals manufacturing giant based in Kolkata, is actively responding to market changes and plans to significantly increase its carbon black production capabilities.

Himadri recently announced that it will invest 2.2 billion Indian rupees (equivalent to approximately 192 million yuan) to expand its factory in West Bengal to increase the production of specialty carbon black. The expansion project is expected to be completed in the next 18 months, and it is planned to add 70,000 tons of annual production capacity, increasing the company's total production capacity to 250,000 tons, of which the special carbon black production capacity will reach 130,000 tons. The move is aimed at meeting Europe's growing demand for carbon black, especially in the context of an upcoming EU ban on Russian carbon black imports.

According to the Carbon Black Industry Network, Anurag Choudhary, CEO of Himadri Company, said that the company predicts that demand for specialty carbon black will increase significantly. He mentioned that the gradual increase in the proportion of high-profit special carbon black in the company's product structure will significantly improve the company's profitability and make the product line more diversified. In addition, Chowdhury also revealed that the company's current exports account for 25% of total turnover and expects this proportion to increase to 35% in the next three years.

Himadri has production bases in several Indian states, including West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Chhattisgarh. As the new expansion project progresses, the company is expected to become the world's largest producer of specialty carbon black production capacity in a single plant. In addition, as carbon black is an ideal conductive additive in lithium-ion batteries, Himadri is shifting its business focus to the research and development and production of specialty carbon black to meet the needs of energy storage and other high-performance applications. The company has launched a series of high-performance special carbon black products tailored for plastics, fiber, coatings, inks and other industries.