Grasim Industries: Viscose Staple Fibre Sector

Grasim is India’s leading fibre manufacturer and the global leader in viscose staple fibre (VSF), a
man-made, biodegradable fibre with characteristics akin to cotton. Grasim’s VSF plants are located
at Nagda in Madhya Pradesh, Kharach in Gujarat and Harihar in Karnataka, with an aggregate
capacity of 454,425 TPA.
Grasim’s unit at Nagda is its largest unit producing a wide range of VSF to suit customer
requirements in terms of length, denier and colour, and also second- and third-generation fibres like
Modal, Excel and Solvent Spun fibres, respectively. The Nagda unit is the largest producer of spun-
dyed speciality fibre in the world.
The Harihar unit houses a facility for the manufacture of both VSF and rayon grade pulp, the basic
raw material for VSF. The company’s rayon grade pulp plant was the first pulp manufacturer in India
to use totally indigenous wood resources with in-house technology for producing rayon pulp with an
innovative oxygen bleaching process to reduce the use of chlorine.
The VSF plant at Kharach, set up in 1996, employs the most modern technology, giving it a
competitive edge in the export market.
Grasim is also the largest producer of Sodium Sulphate, a by-product of VSF manufacture. This
chemical is widely used in the paper and pulp, detergent, glass and textile industries.
Grasim has the following overseas joint venture companies:
• AV Cell and AV Nackawic in Canada
• Domsjö Fabriker AB in Sweden
• Birla Lao Pulp and Plantation Limited in Laos
• Birla Jingwei Fibres Company Limited in China
The spread and scale of operations make Grasim’s VSF operations very cost competitive. Vertical
integration into plantation, manufacturing of rayon grade pulp and horizontal integration into
production of caustic soda, a principal raw material required for VSF production, intermediate inputs
like CS2, sulphuric acid along with captive power and steam generation facilities, further enhance its
competitive edge.
With the capability to offer the entire range of cellulosic fibre under the umbrella brand of ‘Birla
Cellulose’, Grasim has positioned itself as a dependable supplier of cellulosic fibres for “Feel,
Comfort and Fashion” across global markets. Grasim has ventured into the production of high-
performance viscose fibres to help the company penetrate into niche markets and grow further.
Grasim’s viscose fibres have been branded Viscose Plus, High Wet Modulus Fibres (Modal) and the
new generation Solvent Spun Fibres and Birla Excel.
For more information:
• Grasim overview
• www.grasim.com