Ashapura Minechem to set up kaolin plant in Kutch

Ashapura International, a subsidiary of Ashapura Minechem Ltd is planning to set up kaolin powder making plant at Bhuj in Gujarat. The new facility will be company's second facility after the one operational in Kerala, and make Ashapura one of the largest producer of kaolin in Asia.

Company sources informed that the project is likely to be stationed close to the mineral reserves in Kutch. However, the quantum of investments and capacity has not been disclosed. The company has been mining, processing and supplying kaolin products, from its reserves in Gujarat.

An emailed query sent to the company management in this regard, remained unanswered.

Ashapura International is one of the largest supplier of foundry grade bentonite and is a key supplier to major foundries in India.

"Our strategy to expand our mineral portfolio is paying rich dividends, as we have added kaolin, attapulgite, barites, feldspar and many other allied minerals to our product portfolio," the company stated on its website.

It may be noted that Ashapura has already acquired new mine reserves of about 2.5 to 3 million tonnes in Kerala to meet high demand for kaolin. Ashapura Minechem already has a kaolin plant located at Trivandrum, Kerala, with an installed capacity of 180,000 tonnes per annum.