Ekansh Mittal Profile picture
Jul 17 11 tweets 5 min read Twitter logo Read on Twitter
Recently came across a few listed cos. dealing in chlor-alkali products and its derivatives

Was pleasantly surprised to find such companies commanding 20-30% operating margins

Major players are operating at 90% + utilization and have CAPEX plans for 1-2 years...small 🧵

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What is Chlor-Alkali?

The chlor-alkali process is a widely used electrolytic process that yields chlorine and caustic soda (NaOH - Sodium Hydroxide)

Caustic soda is used in making of soap & detergents, drainpipe cleaner etc.

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Caustic soda is produced through the electrolysis of sodium chloride (NaCl) solution

3 main types of processes used to make caustic soda:

a) Mercury Cell Process
b) Diaphragm Cell Process
c) Membrane Cell Process

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Forms of Caustic Soda

Caustic soda/(NaOH) is primarily available in 3 different forms

a) Solid Caustic Soda

(i) Caustic soda pearl/Bead lets or Soda Grains
(ii) Caustic soda flakes

b) Liquid Caustic Soda/Caustic soda lye solution/NaOH in an aqueous solution

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Basic difference between Lye and Caustic Soda:

Lye can refer to either sodium hydroxide (NaOH) or potassium hydroxide (KOH), while caustic soda refers to sodium hydroxide (NaOH)

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What is Electrochemical unit realization?

The electro chemical unit (ECU) realizations represent combined weighted average realization of caustic soda, chlorine and hydrogen (wherein chlorine and hydrogen are co-products of caustic soda)

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Industrial ECU realization trend

ECU realizations: ₹23k/MT in FY21, rebounded to ₹55k/MT in FY-22

By April 2023, dropped to ₹33k/MT due to oversupply, impacting caustic soda players' profits

Attached; some manufacturer's ECU realization in chart form

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Key Raw Materials used to make Caustic Soda & its suppliers in India

o Key raw materials are salt (sodium chloride), water & energy in the form of electricity

o Key suppliers of raw materials in India include Tata Chemicals, Gujarat Alkalies and Chemicals and Nirma Ltd

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Usage & applications of Caustic Soda

a) Chemical Industry
b) Paper and Pulp Industry
c) Textile Industry
d) Aluminum Industry
e) Water Treatment
f) Petroleum Industry

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Key Indian & Global Players List

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Sources referred: Image

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More from @EkanshMittal_KW

Jun 20
Agrochemical is an important industry for India, considering we have the largest population to feed to

2022-23 was bad for the industry with pricing challenges and excess supply from China

A lot of stocks are down 50% from highs

We decided to look at industry details 🧵

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Agrochemicals are chemical substances used in agriculture to enhance crop production, protect crops from pests, diseases, and weeds, and promote agricultural productivity

It refers to pesticides, including fungicides, insecticides, herbicides, and nematicides

(2/n)
Types of Agrochemicals:

Pesticides - includes fungicides, insecticides, herbicides, and nematicides & others

Fertilizers - Nitrogen, Potassium, Phosphorus, etc.

Others - Bio-Pesticides, Plant growth regulators, Soil conditioners, Defoliants and Desiccants, etc.

(3/n)
Read 11 tweets
Jun 12
Hair oil penetration in India is 90% + and there have been huge wealth creators from this space over last 2 decades

We were recently looking at co. which hasn't done well but is making amends under new team

In the process looked @ hair oil industry...some details 🧵

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Hair oil is a product formulated to nourish, moisturize, and promote the health of hair and scalp

Hair oils are formulated with specific ingredients to target different hair concerns & achieve various desired effects -

shine, blackness, frizz control, hair growth, etc.

(2/n) ImageImage
Types of Hair Oil available in the market

Coconut Oil
Almond Oil
Amla Oil
Olive Oil
Castor Oil
Onion Oil
Jojoba Oil
Ayurveda Oil

Key Market Segmentation

By Ingredients, by Price, by Consumer, by Distribution Channels

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Read 9 tweets
May 23
Last year was one of the toughest for Dyes and Pigments industry

Based on our reading, seems like things may have bottomed out and industry may start recovering

Here are some details about the industry🧵

Important terms - Dyestuff, Dye intermediates, Pigments, Lakes

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Difference between Dyes and Pigments

Main difference between dye and pigment is that dye molecules are very small whereas pigments are much larger

Therefore, dyes easily dissolve in water and many solvents while pigments do not dissolve in water

(2/n) Image
Some commonly used dyes and dyestuffs include:

Acid Dyes
Reactive Dyes
Disperse Dyes
Direct Dyes
Vat Dyes
Sulphur Dyes
Basic Dyes

Their applications & usage details are attached

(3/n) ImageImage
Read 6 tweets
May 21
Weekly wrap🧵...1 special situation opportunity, 1 high dividend payout stock and an interesting concall

1) Recently released our new Special situation report

These are based on corporate actions like delisting, dermerger, buy back, etc

Details @ - katalystwealth.com/2023/05/16/may…
2) High dividend payout

A stock was quoting around 50/- a few years back

Since then co. has distributed more than Rs 60 as dividends

Normally, high dividend payout cos. don't do well on capital appreciation wise, but this is up 12x

Details @ katalystwealth.com/2023/05/20/por…

(2/n)
3) An interesting concall



- no long speech
- very straightforward
- loves answering in Hindi
- Talks a lot about cash flows

Disclosure: Invested. The securities quoted are for illustration only and are not recommendatory

(3/n)
Read 4 tweets
May 2
Was going through the details of a forging company which sounded extremely bullish and guided for 20% growth in FY 24 on the back of energy crisis in Europe

Decided to delve further into forging and machining industry

Here are the details 🧵

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What is Forging?

Forging is a metalworking process where a piece of metal is shaped by compressive forces, typically using a hammer, dies or a press

It's used to create complex shapes that cannot be made through other methods

(2/n)
What's machining?

Machining is a precision mfg method that involves refining metal parts to precise dimensions, shapes, typically after the forging process, by using techniques such as scraping, grinding & milling to make it suitable for specific applications

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Read 7 tweets
Apr 24
Recently came across 2 listed companies that are primarily into manufacturing Optical fiber cables (OFCs)

Here are some details about OFCs

Will growing demand for ultra-fast 5G create a big opportunity for OFC makers

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OFCs offer numerous advantages such as increased bandwidth, decreased size, electromagnetic interference immunity, data security

To better understand, we need to know,
- Types of OFCs
- Parts of Fiber Optic System
- How are fiber optic cables deployed at our home

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How are fiber optic cables deployed?

Refer image

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Read 5 tweets

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