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Hindalco Industries

Overview

Hindalco Industries Limited is an Indian multinational metals and mining company headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra. It is the metals flagship of the Aditya Birla Group and one of the largest producers of aluminium and copper in India. Through its wholly owned subsidiary Novelis Inc., acquired in 2007, Hindalco is also among the world's largest producers of rolled aluminium products and aluminium recycling.

Key facts

Name Hindalco Industries Limited
Industry Metals and mining (aluminium, copper)
Founded 1958
Headquarters Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Parent group Aditya Birla Group
Key subsidiary Novelis Inc.
Listings BSE, NSE

Background

Hindalco was incorporated in 1958 as the Hindustan Aluminium Corporation. Its first integrated aluminium facility was set up at Renukoot in the Sonbhadra district of Uttar Pradesh, which combined an alumina refinery, an aluminium smelter and a captive power plant. The company subsequently expanded into upstream mining of bauxite and coal, and into downstream production of rolled products, extrusions and foil.

In the copper business, Hindalco operates one of the largest single-location custom copper smelters in the world at Dahej in the Bharuch district of Gujarat, producing copper cathodes and continuous cast copper rods, along with by-products such as sulphuric acid, phosphoric acid and gold and silver in small quantities.

Operations

Aluminium

The aluminium business spans bauxite mining, alumina refining, smelting and value-added downstream products. Major Indian operations include facilities at Renukoot and Renusagar (Uttar Pradesh), Hirakud (Odisha), Belagavi (Karnataka), Muri (Jharkhand), Aditya Aluminium at Lapanga and Utkal Alumina at Rayagada (Odisha), and Mahan Aluminium at Bargawan (Madhya Pradesh).

Copper

The copper complex at Dahej, Gujarat, includes smelting, refining and downstream rod manufacturing, supported by a captive jetty and power plant. Hindalco also has interests in copper mining concessions abroad.

Novelis

In 2007, Hindalco acquired the Atlanta-based aluminium rolling and recycling company Novelis Inc. for approximately US$6 billion, in what was then one of the largest overseas acquisitions by an Indian company. Novelis serves the beverage can, automotive, aerospace and specialty markets, and has plants across North America, Europe, South America and Asia.

Timeline

  • 1958 – Incorporated as Hindustan Aluminium Corporation.
  • 1962 – Commencement of production at the Renukoot complex in Uttar Pradesh.
  • 1989 – Renamed Hindalco Industries Limited.
  • 1998 – Commissioning of the Dahej copper smelter in Gujarat.
  • 2000 – Merger of Indian Aluminium Company (Indal) operations with Hindalco.
  • 2007 – Acquisition of Novelis Inc., gaining a global rolled-products footprint.
  • 2013–2017 – Commissioning of greenfield projects: Mahan Aluminium, Aditya Aluminium and Utkal Alumina expansion.
  • 2020 – Acquisition of Aleris Corporation by Novelis, strengthening aerospace and automotive aluminium capabilities.

Corporate structure and leadership

Hindalco is part of the Aditya Birla Group, controlled by the Birla family. Kumar Mangalam Birla serves as the chairman of the company. Hindalco is publicly listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange and the National Stock Exchange of India, and is a constituent of major Indian equity indices.

Significance

Hindalco is one of the pillars of India's non-ferrous metals industry. It is an integrated producer with control over much of the aluminium value chain, from bauxite and coal mining through to finished sheet, foil and extrusions. Through Novelis, the company has a leading global position in flat-rolled aluminium and beverage-can sheet, and is a significant player in aluminium recycling, which is central to the industry's decarbonisation efforts.

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