Ferro alloys
The AV Birla group company, Essel Mining and Industries, produces ferro-alloys such as ferro- molybdenum and ferro-vanadium at its plant in Vapi in Gujarat. In operation since 1980, this division of Essel Mining sells its products to major steel plants and foundries. The division began making ferro-titanium in 1998-99.

Fertilisers
The A V Birla group entered the fertilisers industry in 1983 with the creation of Indo-Gulf Corporation. Indo-Gulf's urea plant, which became operational in 1988, has an annual capacity of 7.67 lakh tpa. The company has a collaboration with Haldor Topsoe AS of Denmark for manufacture of ammonia, and with Snamprogetti of Italy for urea.

Indo-Gulf's urea brand is 'Shaktiman Plus'.

Fibres
The AV Birla group is the world's largest producer of viscose staple fibre, with a total capacity of over 3 lakh tpa in three countries. The group pioneered VSF production in India in 1954 with the commissioning of a 5,500 tpa plant at Nagda in Madhya Pradesh. In 1968 its second VSF plant went on stream at Mavoor in Kerala. Six years later, the group ventured abroad to build a plant in Thailand whose capacity is now 67,000 tpa. In 1977, its fourth plant was built at Harihar in Karnataka, and in 1982 the group commenced VSF production in Indonesia. The group is building its sixth VSF plant at Kharach on the western coast of India, where the 30,000 tpa first phase has already been commissioned, and work on the second phase is at an advanced stage.

The group has built its VSF business with indigenous resources, technology and equipment. Its Grasim Industries is a world leader in VSF and the repository of the group's technical know-how in VSF.

The group leads in the VSF business in all three countries - Thailand, Indonesia and India - in which it operates. The group's units also make spun dyed VSF and speciality fibres. All its units export fibre. Destinations include the US, South Korea, Australia, Philippines, China, Mexico, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka.

Financial services
The AV Birla group has created a substantial presence in financial services, where its activities are led by Birla Global Finance Ltd. Birla Global's activities include asset-based financing, auto finance, trade finance, collateral finance, investment banking, forex advisory services, and retail investment products.

Birla Global has joint ventures with global players - including the Birla Sun Life Asset Management Company.

Fluorine chemicals
The AV Birla group has a presence in fluorine chemicals through Tanfac Industries, a joint venture with the Tamilnadu Industrial Development Corporation. The venture is one of India's largest suppliers of fluorine chemicals.

Tanfac's unit at Cuddalore in Tamil Nadu, has been in operation since 1985, and makes fluorine based chemicals like aluminium fluoride, hydrofluoric acid, ammonium bifluoride, potassium fluoride and sodium silico fluoride, sulphuric acid, and oleum. These chemicals are used in aluminium smelting, steel re-rolling, glass, ceramics, refrigerant gases, sugar, fertilisers, petroleum refining, heavy water, etc.

Tanfac has technology tie-ups with Buss AG of Switzerland for know-how and equipment for aluminium fluoride, and with CHENCO of Germany for hydrofluoric acid.

Tanfac exports fluorine chemicals to South East Asia and Australia.

HDPE woven sacks
The group company Essel Mining & Industries began commercial production of high density polyethylene woven sacks in 1988. It has two tape plants, 52 looms and one lamination plant at Jagdishpur in Uttar Pradesh, and produces 4,000 tpa of HDPE and polyprolylene woven sacks. It makes over 6 million unlaminated cement sacks and over 28 million laminated urea sacks a year.

High purity nitrogen
The AV Birla group's HGI Industries produces very high purity nitrogen at its unit at Mangalore in Karnataka. At present it supplies this nitrogen solely to the group's petroleum refining joint venture, Mangalore Refinery & Petrochemicals Limited.

Hydrogen peroxide
Thai Peroxide Company, an AV Birla group venture in Thailand, produces hydrogen peroxide in collaboration with FMC Corporation of the US, one of the world's largest producers of this chemical. Hydrogen peroxide, considered environment-friendly as it decomposes into water and oxygen after use, is used in textiles, pulp and paper and leather industries for its oxidising and bleaching properties. It is also used in the food, pharmaceutical and chemical industries and for environmental purposes, especially for waste water treatment.

Insulators / lightning arrestors / isolators
The AV Birla group began manufacture of insulators in 1967 when its unit at Rishra in West Bengal commenced operations. This plant was built in collaboration with Prago Invest of Czechoslovakia, Cream Consult of Switzerland and Doulton insulators, of the UK. In 1981 the group built a second insulators unit at Halol in Gujarat.

With an annual capacity of over 34,000 tonnes, the AV Birla group claims to be the largest insulator maker in India and the third largest globally. The units make high strength large hollow porcelains, air blast circuit breakers, instrument transformers, condenser bushings, lightning arresters and solid core insulators of various types. The Rishra and Halol facilities together cater to the entire spectrum of transmission and distribution insulators for power systems up to 800KV. The group exports 40 per cent of the output of these plants to Europe, America, South East Asia, and Africa.

Iron castings
The AV Birla group's HGI Industries produces castings used in the automotive, railway and general engineering industries. The company's product range includes high tension insulated metal parts for different power lines, automotive components like exhaust manifolds, hubs, differential cases, suspension parts, steering houses, engine mounting pads, other drive and brake assembly components, and pre-stressed concrete rail sleeper components for metre and broad gauge rail lines.