Chennai: Cabot Sanmar, a joint venture (JV) between Cabot Corporation, USA, and The Sanmar Group, India, has announced an investment of $25 million to expand its plant at Mettur in Salem district in the state. The investment is for enhancing fumed silica manufacturing capacity, which is used in multiple applications, including pharmaceuticals, food, paints and coatings, personal care, and crop protection. The brownfield expansion is expected to be commissioned in the fourth quarter of CY2027. Vijay Sankar, chairman, The Sanmar Group told reporters here on Wednesday, “We look to expand our capacity significantly.” Krishna Kumar Rangachari, director, Cabot Sanmar, said the products would be used to cater to domestic demand. “Nearly 30% of the demand goes into pharmaceuticals and the remaining 70% would go into all of these chemical applications. And chemical is the application where the growth is. It has been growing at a very fast clip over the past 10 years to 15 years,” he said. The market size of fumed silica is 9,000 tonne to 10,000 tonne with a value Rs 400 crore to Rs 500 crore, he added. Sean Keohane, president and CEO, Cabot Corporation, said fumed silica will have opportunities in the semiconductor space and battery applications.
