India’s Aditya Birla Group, which started unifying its global carbon black business under one common umbrella known as Birla Carbon six years ago, to create an organisational structure that will attempt to cut costs and take advantage of its worldwide leadership position in the business, has completed its exercise.
Birla Carbon is one of the world’s largest manufacturers and suppliers of carbon black and a flagship business of the US$44.3 billion Aditya Birla group. It says that the renaming of all of its entities worldwide to Birla Carbon has been completed and adds that the name change leverages Birla Carbon’s leadership position around the globe.
“This is a big moment in our long history, indeed a milestone,” said Santrupt Misra, CEI, Birla Carbon. “As a single global brand Birla Carbon will be even better recognised for its value offering around sustainability, innovation and global supply security.” Adds Misra, “We recently launched the Birla Carbon Purpose – ‘Share the Strength,’ across the organisation. Bringing all the legal entities under Birla Carbon reinforces our Purpose. One Birla Carbon symbolizes global leadership as part of the Aditya Birla Group.”
“While Birla Carbon is a well-known brand with our partners, this is an exciting change to build on this brand value to ensure all constituents see the strength of One Birla Carbon no matter where we do business,” said John Loudermilk, Chief Operating Officer, Birla Carbon. “As a single unified global brand in carbon black, it enables us to collaborate across all stakeholders and build a brighter future in the industries and communities we serve.”
The company’s footprint extends across 12 countries with 16 manufacturing facilities. Birla Carbon provides a complete portfolio of products across ASTM grades and specialty blacks to meet the specific end requirements across tyres, rubber, plastics, coatings, inks and other niche industries. The world’s leading companies are among its customers.
It has technology centres at Marietta (USA) and Taloja (India), besides well-equipped laboratories across its manufacturing units providing for continuous R&D.
Aditya Birla, the father of the current Chairman Kumar Mangalam, started a carbon black plant in Thailand in the early 1980s. Since then, the group has expanded its presence with plants in other places such as India, Egypt, China and now South America.
Later, in 2010, Atlanta-based Columbian Chemicals was acquired by the group, helping it leapfrog Cabot Corporation of US and become the world’s biggest carbon black producer.
The new arrangement signals the group’s efforts to bring together a cohesive structure for its traditional businesses that are becoming bigger in terms of size and truly global in nature. The move to create a common structure arose after the acquisition of Columbian Chemicals.