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01   INTEGRATED      73  STATUTORY      178  FINANCIAL
 Integrated Annual Report 2021-22  REPORT  REPORTS        STATEMENTS
                  Basic Chemistry Products


 Leading with Competitive Advantage   Operational and Strategic   US operations recovered from the   US operations undertook refinancing /
            Developments                      pandemic in the earlier part of FY 2021-22   repricing of its US$375 million long-term
            Delivering resilient performance  and delivered a record Trona and Soda   debt; and Kenya operations made partial
                                              Ash production through improvement   loan pay-off amounting to US$10 million
 High brand equity  ESG commitment for a   FY 2021-22 was marked by strong demand   initiatives undertaken during the downturn.   in March 2022. This will help the respective
 sustainable future  rebound across segments despite a
    Global market leadership in    severe second wave of COVID-19, followed   It remained responsive and successfully met   businesses to become more efficient in
 Soda Ash (#3) and Bicarb (#6)       Safety and sustainability (across   by a third wave.  the strong customer demand.  terms of lower interest costs.
 value chain) at the core
    USA and Kenya operations have             The UK operations ensured sustained   Progressing to a low carbon emission
 global leadership in manufacturing        The UK operations is among the   India operations remained agile, running   production rates through FY 2021-22,   The UK operations successfully
 high-purity Soda Ash and Soda Ash,   top 3 European leaders for carbon   plants at higher utilisation rates and   along with maintaining a good sales run   commissioned its 40,000-tonne Carbon
 respectively, from natural Trona   footprint among Soda Ash and   reaching out to customers, thereby growing   rate, especially in the second half of the   Capture and Utilisation plant (CCU)
 reserves that are cost and energy-  Sodium Bicarbonate manufacturer  sales of Soda Ash, Sodium Bicarbonate,   year. Business operations were impacted   for capturing and purifying carbon
 efficient compared to Soda Ash       Long-standing customer relations   Cement, Salt and Caustic. The supply chain   by high input costs, primarily energy and   dioxide emitted from operations,
 produced from synthetic process   was consolidated through increasing
 with robust CRM   container rakes, which served as flexible   variable costs; this was balanced by a rise in   and reusing it in high-grade Sodium
    High-grade pharma/haemo grade   warehouses, ensuring product availability.   demand and product pricing. There were   Bicarbonate production.
 Sodium Bicarbonate, high-quality        Strong CSR processes  We faced the challenge of input cost   also a number of challenges around the
 salt differentiation of British Salt         introduction of the UK’s Emissions Trading   Kenya operations has a strong focus on
            pressure due to firm energy and coal prices,   Scheme (UKETS), but things are now   utilising solar energy to reduce energy
            increased freight rates and higher solar   stabilised after several interventions.  costs and optimise greening. It has initiated
            salt costs (as the extended monsoon and                            a project to produce 24 KT of Pure Ash
            cyclone in May 2021 impacted raw salt   Kenya operations delivered a   Magadi (PAM) through solar power.
            production). However, increasing global   good performance despite supply
            prices of Soda Ash and Sodium Bicarbonate   chain constraints.
            enabled better realisation in domestic
            markets and more efficient cost absorption.
 Operational efficiency
 and resilience

     Integrated power and steam   Way Forward
 facility, superior effluent treatment
 plant (ETP) and sewage waste
 management (SWM), self-  Wide and effective global                        United States of
 sufficiency in key resources (salt   supply chain network  India          America
 and water) and operational      Multimodal logistics (rail/road/
 flexibility to counter volatility in   ship) and lean supply chain   Enhance manufacturing capacity of key products by expediting   Deepen and widen customer relations by serving growth
 raw material and fuel price  for cost-efficient and faster   ongoing capacity expansion projects and by initiating new capex   opportunities in solar, glass, and lithium carbonate for energy capture,
 movement   projects.                                         storage and delivery. We are also developing deeper customer connect
    Manufacturing presence in   Fulfil sustainability commitment by enhancing efforts on safety,   through our own sales network of international distribution partners
 key markets provides scope for   process safety and risk management and sustainable operations   for Soda Ash in focus markets following the planned exit from the
 localisation of supply chains                                American Natural Soda Ash Corporation (ANSAC) tie-up in January
            as well as following SBTi roadmap for low emission manufacturing.
    Leveraging our global capabilities                        2023. Further, we are maximising efforts towards safe, efficient Trona
 to deliver Soda Ash across the   Strengthen product portfolio by intensifying R&D around   and Soda Ash production to satisfy customer demand.
 world, in a manner that is cost-  the development of new products, new applications, and   Enhance people capabilities by implementing training and career
 effective and high on service  process improvements. Strong focus is on green products and   development programmes to deliver the next generation of leaders.
            on enhancing value-added Sodium Bicarbonate portfolio to
            consolidate our market leadership. Collaborative initiatives with   Augment sustainability commitment by enhancing waste soda
            customers are being undertaken for innovations.   ash recovery to support production and reduce environmental load,
                                                              and by investing in environmental improvement projects for long-term
            Strive for technology excellence by increasing the use of
            Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), data   sustainability.
            analytics and technology to improve manufacturing practices and   Leverage our strong financial profile with high cashflow
            business processes.                               generation to meet business opportunities as demand outpaces
                                                              supply with limited new capacities coming onstream.

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