Ajay Virmani, Managing Director, Lords Chloro Alkali Limited has been elected as the new President of Alkali Manufacturers Association of India (AMAI), the august body of Rs. 36,000 crore Alkali and chloro-vinyl industry in the country. Aditya A. Shriram, Dy Managing Director, DCM Shriram Ltd. has taken over as the new Vice President at the 46th Annual General Meeting of AMAI held at New Delhi.
AMAI Office Bearers
Mr Virmani, a chartered accountant by qualification, and a veteran of the industry has had long innings of two decades in the textiles sector before moving to chlor-alkali industry. In the last two years, Mr Virmani has served the industry as Vice President of AMAI and has mentored the post-COVID recovery process of the industry through meaningful dialogue with the Government and organization of insightful industry sessions.
Young and dynamic Aditya Shriram, with a degree in Industrial Engineering from the prestigious Cornell University and an MBA from the London Business School, is heading the Chemicals Business in the diversified ~ INR 12000 cr. DCM Shriram Group. The Chemicals Business has invested more than INR 3500 Cr, including in new growth areas, and has become an important vertical for driving growth within the Group.
Following the AGM was release of a book titled “Caustic Courage: The Memoir of a Chemical Engineer” by P N Ojha, a veteran of the chlor-alkali industry.
AMAI represents producers of caustic soda, chlorine, soda ash, PVC, CPVC and a few other related products which are an important segment of the chemical industry, providing inputs which find wide spread usage in a diverse range of industrial and consumer goods. The industry has espoused the spirit of Make in India and has been meeting most of the country’s needs for a long time against all odds including the onslaught of cheap imports. Major end use areas for caustic soda are in soaps & detergents, pulp & paper, textiles and aluminium processing and for soda ash in glass, silicate production, etc. apart from soaps & detergents. Major uses of chlorine are for the production of PVC apart from usage in water purification.
During the outbreak of COVID, AMAI members served an important role as they closely aligned with the Government for ensuring adequate supply of disinfectants. The industry enhanced the production of sodium hypochlorite, chlorine, bleaching solution/powder, etc. the major chemicals used extensively for disinfection and preventing the spread of COVID.