Some Observations about India’s Chemical Industry

There seems to be very few large Indian chemical companies.  Searching the internet for Indian chemical companies found only eight with revenues greater than $500 million((Reliance Industries; Asian Paints; Tata Chemicals; Narmada Valley Fertilizers; UPL (formerly United Phosphorus Limited)); Pidilite; India Glycols; and Mangalore Chemicals), and only three with revenues granter than $1 billion (Reliance Industries; Asian Paints; and Tata Chemicals).   However, smaller chemical companies (revenues less than $500 million) seem rather numerous.

Estimates found on the internet suggest recent total India annual chemical product sales revenues are in the $100 to $175 billion range, with a 10 to 12% growth rate.  This chemicals sales total seems very low for India’s population.  Another estimate found is that India’s per capital consumption of chemical products is only 1/10 the world average.  These statistics, if reasonably correct, suggest the potential for great growth in chemical product consumption in India and for companies selling chemical products there.

The Indian chemical companies would also benefit from greater emphasis on increasing efficiency.  For 22 chemical companies for which revenues and numbers of employees could be found, the average revenues to employee ratio is about $280,000 per employee, much below what is found in the United States (see a recent blog I wrote on comparing revenues to employee ratios  between US and Chinese chemical companies, by clicking here).