
Aditya Birla Group acquires Cargill's US specialty chemicals facility
Aditya Birla Group, a leading Indian multinational conglomerate and the largest Indian investor in the United States, announced the expansion of its U.S. Advanced Materials business with the acquisition of Cargill Incorporated's 17-acre specialty chemical manufacturing facility in Dalton, Georgia. The acquisition continues Aditya Birla's expansion in the United States' manufacturing sector, a key aspect of Aditya Birla's growth strategy, which now totals over $15 billion in investment.
Aditya Birla Group has acquired Cargill's 17-acre specialty chemical plant in Dalton, Georgia, expanding its US Advanced Materials business. The move adds 50 employees, with plans to boost capacity from 16,000 to over 40,000 tons. The facility will serve marine, coatings, and flooring industries, while also targeting automotive, renewable energy, and aerospace sectors.
'This acquisition represents Aditya Birla's strategic entry into the U.S. chemicals industry, extending the business model of our other successful manufacturing businesses in the United States, including Novelis and Birla Carbon,' said Mr. Kumar Mangalam Birla, Chairman of Aditya Birla Group. 'Our growth strategy in the United States is anchored in a commitment leverage our deep manufacturing expertise to support the revitalization of the growing American manufacturing sector. We look forward to investing in and expanding this foundational facility and identifying other strategic assets to drive growth.'
With this acquisition, the Advanced Materials business welcomes 50 employees. The business plans to expand the facility's current capacity of 16,000 tons per year to over 40,000 tons over the next two years, affirming the business's commitment to local operations and job creation. The acquisition was executed through Aditya Birla Chemicals (USA) Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Aditya Birla Chemicals (Thailand) Ltd.
"This acquisition by our Advanced Materials business will strengthen cooperation with customers in developing next-generation products,' said Mr. Jayant Dhobley, Business Head of CFI, Aditya Birla Group, 'We remain committed to further investments at this site in the coming months and will introduce advanced technologies from our global operations.'
Aditya Birla Group will continue to manufacture the plant's current output of formulated resins, curing agents, reactive diluents and polyaspartic resins for the marine, industrial coatings, and flooring industries, which include epoxy resins, modifiers, curing agents, and other specialty chemicals sold under the brands CHEMCURE, ChemMod, Altor, Acme Shield, and ChemRes.
Additionally, the Advanced Materials business will introduce products for the automotive, renewable energy and aerospace industries, including its patented chemistries to enable recycling of epoxy composites used in wind, sports goods, pressure vessels and other applications.
"This acquisition reinforces our commitment to expanding our Advanced Materials business in the United States and globally. Establishing a local presence in the U.S. will enable us to serve regional customers more efficiently and collaborate closely to develop tailored solutions. We are excited to leverage this facility to enhance its capabilities and broaden our product offerings for our customers,' said Mr. Rajesh Balakrishnan, CEO of Aditya Birla Group – Advanced Materials business. Note: The headline, insights, and image of this press release may have been refined by the Fibre2Fashion staff; the rest of the content remains unchanged.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (HU)
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
Indian women care-giving activities up to 8 times that of men: report
The female labour force participation rate (LFPR) in India is significantly below the male participation rate and a major reason for this is that women in India bear a disproportionate responsibility for domestic and care-giving activities which is upto 8 times than that of men, according to a report by Goldman Sachs Research. The report 'India Womenomics': A Step Forward in a Long Journey Ahead', assesses the current employment status of women in India and explores opportunities that lie ahead. A series of Goldman Sachs research reports have explored the 'Womenomics' theme, assessing the impact of female labour force participation on long-term economic growth across different geographies over the past 26 years. According to the report, over the next two decades, India is uniquely positioned to reap dividends from favourable demographics. A large share of the population will enter their working age years and India's age-dependency ratio will be one of the lowest among major economies. Nevertheless, the female labour force participation rate (LFPR) in India is significantly below the male participation rate and also below these rates in other major developed and emerging economies. 'To capitalize on this 20-year window of favourable demographics, it is imperative, in our view, for India to create employment opportunities for women and increase their participation in the labour force. We have earlier estimated that increasing the overall labour force participation rate to previous peak levels can add by 1 pp to India's potential growth, all else constant,' it said. Though disproportionate responsibility for domestic and care-giving activities was one of the key reasons for women's low participation in the labour force, other reasons include horizontal inequalities such as early marriage, prevailing social norms that limit the occupational choices for women, crime incidents that deter women from working away from their residence, a lack of robust public transport connectivity and having fewer women role models. The report notes that with lots of ground to cover to bridge the gender gap, there have been a number of initiatives taken by successive Indian governments, focused on promoting education, well-being and access to basic amenities for women. Partly as a result of these initiatives, the status of women in India is gradually improving and there has been an uptick in women's participation in the labour force. A robust network of childcare centers and enabling an elder care ecosystem would free up women's time for paid employment opportunities elsewhere and create greater employment opportunities for the 'care work' services sector. It quotes from a report by the ILO which states that direct public investment amounting to 2% of GDP in the 'care economy' could create over 11 million jobs in India, of which 43% to 74% would be for women. On a brighter side, the report notes that as per the Indian statistical office, the share of self-employed women (who run enterprises on their own, as a partnership, and/or employ others) has risen by 11pp (percentage point) from 2017-18 to 2023-24. Over the same period, the share of self-employed women, who were not remunerated (who help in a household enterprise) also rose by 5pp. Various initiatives focused on financial inclusion, greater digitization, improvement in infrastructure, and the development of enhanced skills have also contributed to rising self-employment among women, the report says.


Mint
an hour ago
- Mint
FIFA World Cup 2026: Donald Trump signs executive order to boost drone security
(Bloomberg) -- President Donald Trump signed executive orders Friday to bolster US drone capabilities, including strengthening counter-drone tools ahead of major sporting events such as the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 2028 Summer Olympics that will be hosted in the country. 'Taking action on airspace security has never been timelier,' Michael Kratsios, the director of White House's Office of Science and Technology Policy, told reporters Friday, citing the upcoming events that are expected to draw millions of fans to the US. 'The administration is cracking down on unlawful drone use, ordering a federal task force to ensure US control over American skies and prioritizing the detection and identification of drones in real time.' The intention of the three orders, according to officials, is to boost US manufacturing and innovation while decreasing reliance on foreign adversaries, such as China, which dominates the commercial drone market. The administration is also seeking to combat malicious acts, particularly following a public outcry last year over increased drone sightings in New Jersey. Ukraine's recent use of drones in its war to repel Russia's invasion, in particular a daring attack on airfields as far away as Siberia, has also drawn attention to the advancements — and threats — the technology poses. One executive order to improve counter-drone capabilities establishes the task force, which would review and propose solutions to threats, according to a White House fact sheet. The order also calls for the creation of a national training center to prepare authorities for the World Cup and Olympics and instructs the Federal Aviation Administration to expedite a rule for restricting drone flights near certain facilities, including critical infrastructure, oil refineries, chemical plants and amusement parks. The proposed regulation is already being reviewed by the White House's Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. 'Drones are a disruptive technology,' said Sebastian Gorka, deputy assistant to the president. 'They have an amazing potential for both good and ill.' A second executive order is intended to promote the US market for new technologies, including drones and air taxis. It directs the FAA to speed up another rule under White House review that would allow companies to fly drones beyond a remote pilot's direct line of sight without having to obtain individual waivers and exemptions. Companies, such as those using drones to deliver packages, have said the rules will make it easier for them to scale up their businesses and expand to more locations. The order also directs federal agencies to give priority to US-manufactured drones, according to a fact sheet. Senior White House officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity before the orders were signed Friday, said the directive was meant to reduce reliance on technology from other countries. While it doesn't ban any specific companies, such as China's Da Jiang Innovations — the world leader in commercial drone sales — it does direct the Commerce Department to begin investigations and regulatory reviews to safeguard the US drone supply chain. That could result in a company being placed on a list that would bar new drones from being able to access US networks, one of the officials said. The National Defense Authorization Act enacted at the end of 2024 mandated reviews of both DJI and Autel Robotics, another Chinese firm, to determine if they pose a national security risk. The Trump administration has expanded restrictions on the transfer of advanced technology to China, including artificial intelligence and jet engine parts — moves that are a key point in trade discussions between the world's two largest economies. According to the Atlantic Council, China controls 90% of the commercial drone market in the US and 80% globally. American companies have struggled to compete, which the Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International has said is partly because Beijing subsidizes its domestic companies, allowing them to offer products at prices significantly lower than US counterparts. The third executive order is meant to promote supersonic technology in the US, in part by repealing regulations officials cast as impeding development. That includes directing the FAA to repeal a ban on supersonic flights over land, according to a White House fact sheet. Michael Robbins, the chief executive officer of AUVSI, hailed the orders, saying they 'showcase that drones are critical to American economic strength, national security, and global leadership.' (Updates with additional details from White House fact sheets, industry reaction starting in fifth paragraph.) More stories like this are available on


United News of India
an hour ago
- United News of India
RBI cuts repo rate by 50 bps to 5.50 pc
Mumbai, June 6 (UNI) The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Friday in its second bi-monthly monetary policy of FY26. cut the repo rate by 50 basis points (bps) to 5.50 pc from 6.00 pc earlier. This is the central bank's third consecutive repo rate cut. RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra-led Monetary Policy led committee decided to cut the Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) by 100 basis points (bps) to 3% from 4% earlier releasing Rs 2.5 lakh crore of lendable resources to the banking system. The MPC also decided to change the policy stance to 'Neutral' from 'Accommodative' in a bid to support economic growth. This RBI's rate cut decision is expected to stimulate borrowing and investment, leading to a higher growth rate. The policy panel retained growth estimate at 6.5 per cent but projected a lower inflation of 3.7 per cent in the current fiscal. Malhotra asserted that the global backdrop remains fragile, and trade projections have been revised downwards, but the Indian economy is progressing well despite the global uncertainties. "India's strength comes from the strong balance sheets of the five major sectors. The Indian economy offers immense opportunities to local and foreign investors. We are already growing at a fast rate. We aspire to grow faster," he said. Inflation has softened significantly, the RBI Governor said, and the near-term and medium-term outlook exudes confidence. Food inflation outlook remains soft, and core inflation is expected to remain benign. The RBI also projected that retail inflation for the current financial year would be 3.7% against its April projection of 4%. Government data shows it fell to 3.16% in April from 3.34% in March, remaining within the RBI's comfort level. The various economic indicators remain strong, with the RBI Governor pointing to a gradual rise in discretionary spending and healthy private consumption. Industrial activity is gaining gradually while the services sector is likely to maintain momentum, he said. Rural demand remains steady while urban demand is improving, he added. The RBI kept the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth projection unchanged at 6.5% in the current financial year. The quarterly projections are: 2.9% (April-June), 3.4% (July-September), 3.9% (October-December), and 4.4% (January-March). The Central bank also reduced the cash reserve ratio (CRR) by 100 bps and said it will release Rs 2.5 lakh crore of bank funds. CRR refers to the percentage of total deposits that banks must hold in liquid form with the RBI. India continues to be an attractive investment destination, assured Mr Malhotra, adding that the forex reserves stand at $691 billion, which is sufficient to fund more than 11 months of goods imports. UNI JS PRS