Key facts
- Hindalco says its Alupuram Works in Ernakulam district was established in 1938, commissioned by Indal.
- According to Hindalco, India’s first aluminium ingot was produced at the Alupuram smelter in 1943.
- The Alupuram extrusions unit was set up in 1955, Hindalco says.
- In June 2000 Hindalco acquired a controlling 74.6% stake in Indian Aluminium Company, according to Wikipedia.
- The Alupuram smelter was de-energised in August 2003 after a state power concession expired, Industrial Info Resources reported in September 2004.
Why aluminium came to Travancore
Smelting aluminium takes enormous amounts of electricity. In the late 1930s Travancore was building hydroelectric capacity and inviting industry to the Periyar valley, and the Indian Aluminium Company, better known as Indal, chose a site just north of Kalamassery. Hindalco, the present owner, dates the Alupuram Works to 1938. Indal was promoted by Aluminium Limited of Canada, the group later known as Alcan.
It was the first of the big Periyar plants. FACT at Udyogamandal followed in the 1940s and Travancore Cochin Chemicals in the 1950s, as told in our Udyogamandal history and Kalamassery’s industrial history.
Timeline
| Date | What happened | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 1938 | Alupuram Works established, commissioned by Indal | Hindalco |
| 1943 | India’s first aluminium ingot produced at the Alupuram smelter | Hindalco |
| 1955 | Alupuram extrusions unit established | Hindalco |
| Jun 2000 | Hindalco acquires a 74.6% controlling stake in Indal | Wikipedia |
| Aug 2003 | Smelter de-energised when the state power concession expires | Industrial Info Resources |
| 1 Jul 2004 | 103 extrusion-plant workers begin an indefinite strike over wages | Industrial Info Resources |
| Today | Two extrusion presses, about 12,000 tonnes a year; truck bodies and profiles | Hindalco |
The first ingot and the extrusion plant
According to Hindalco, “the country’s very first aluminium ingot was produced at this smelter” in 1943, during the Second World War. That makes Alupuram the birthplace of primary aluminium production in India, a claim repeated in our mills and factories guide.
In 1955 an extrusion unit was added. Extrusion pushes heated aluminium through shaped dies to make long profiles: window frames, structural sections and parts for vehicles. That second business is the one that has survived.
How Alupuram got its name
The place name Alupuram is generally understood to come from the factory: “alu” for aluminium and “puram”, a common Malayalam ending for a place or town. We found no document that records when the name was first used or who coined it, so treat this as the accepted local explanation rather than a proven fact. Our place names glossary has other local names with industrial origins.
Power costs and the end of smelting
Cheap power had brought the smelter to Kerala, and expensive power ended it. Industrial Info Resources, in a report dated 15 September 2004, said the company had been “compelled to de-energize the Alupuram Smelter in August 2003, when the power concession extended to the company by the government expired”, and a plan to buy power from PTC India had stalled. It said the smelter’s 326 employees had been furloughed since then. On 1 July 2004 the 103 workers of the extrusion plant began an indefinite strike over wages, which management called illegal, and the report described the whole site as on the verge of closure at that time.
By then the company had changed hands. In June 2000 Hindalco, the Aditya Birla Group’s aluminium company, had acquired a controlling 74.6% stake in Indal, according to Wikipedia. Hindalco now describes the smelter as having “later shut down” without giving a closing date. The same power-cost pressure hit other energy-heavy units along the Periyar, such as Binani Zinc at Edayar.
Alupuram today
The extrusion plant kept going. Hindalco’s page for Alupuram Works describes two extrusion presses with a combined capacity of about 12,000 tonnes a year, heat-treatment and packing facilities, and a die library for architectural, industrial and transport profiles. It calls the site the manufacturing hub for its all-aluminium Maxloader truck bodies and lists quality, environmental and aluminium-stewardship certifications. Hindalco’s pages give different capacity figures in places, so treat the number as approximate.
Why it matters near the NAD signal
Alupuram is a short ride from the NAD signal, and its factory is part of the reason this corner of Kochi became an industrial and working town. For men staying at Ashraf Gents Hostel and working in the plants and parks around Kalamassery, it is the oldest chapter of the same story. Read on in the Kalamassery history archive or the Travancore Rayons history.
Frequently asked questions
When was the Alupuram aluminium plant set up?
Hindalco dates the Alupuram Works to 1938, when it was commissioned by the Indian Aluminium Company (Indal).
Was India’s first aluminium made at Alupuram?
Hindalco says the country’s first aluminium ingot was produced at the Alupuram smelter in 1943.
Is the Alupuram smelter still running?
No. It was de-energised in August 2003 after a state power concession expired, according to a 2004 industry report. The extrusion plant continues under Hindalco.
How did Alupuram get its name?
It is generally understood to combine ‘alu’ for aluminium with ‘puram’, meaning place. We found no document dating the name, so treat this as the accepted local explanation.
Who owns the plant now?
Hindalco Industries, which took a controlling 74.6% stake in Indal in June 2000, according to Wikipedia.
Related guides
Sources
- Hindalco: Alupuram Works
- Industrial Info Resources: India’s first aluminium smelter and extrusion plant on the verge of closure (15 Sep 2004)
- Wikipedia: Hindalco Industries
Facts about Ashraf Gents Hostel come from the hostel’s own profile and photos; rates are indicative and confirmed on the call. Last reviewed . How we write these guides: editorial notes. Map embeds © Google.
Cite this guide: Ashraf Gents Hostel. “Indian Aluminium at Alupuram: Kerala’s Aluminium Story.” Published 8 October 2026. https://ashrafgentspghostel.adserr.com/indian-aluminium-alupuram-history/ Plain-text (Markdown) version · quoting with a link back is welcome.