Key facts
- Travancore-Cochin Chemicals Ltd was incorporated on 8 November 1951, reconstituted from an earlier partnership called Travancore Mettur Chemicals, according to the company.
- TCC began commercial production of caustic soda in January 1954 in a 20-tonne-a-day mercury-cell plant, which the company describes as the first Indian plant to make rayon-grade caustic soda.
- TCC commissioned a 5-tonne-a-day sodium chlorate plant in 2013 in a joint venture with ISRO, according to the company.
- A 75-tonne-a-day bipolar membrane cell caustic soda unit was commissioned at TCC in 2022, taking installed capacity to 250 tonnes a day.
- TCC is a state public-sector undertaking of the Government of Kerala; Wikipedia says it came under the Kerala government in 1960.
Caustic soda for a new rayon industry
In the late 1940s Travancore was building an industrial base on the Periyar. FACT was making fertiliser at Udyogamandal, and a rayon mill was being planned at Perumbavoor – see our Travancore Rayons history. Rayon needs large amounts of pure caustic soda, and caustic soda is made by passing electricity through brine, which also yields chlorine. Hydroelectric power from Travancore’s schemes and a ready customer next door help explain why the plant went to Udyogamandal.
TCC’s own history credits the idea to the Seshasayee Brothers, managing agents of FACT. Around 1950, FACT, the Mettur Chemical and Industrial Corporation and the promoters formed a partnership called Travancore Mettur Chemicals. On 8 November 1951 this was reconstituted as a public limited company, Travancore-Cochin Chemicals Ltd, with the Travancore-Cochin state as majority shareholder. Wikipedia gives 1949 as the founding year of the partnership, a year earlier than the company’s account; we follow the company for the incorporation date.
Timeline
| Date | What happened | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 1949–1950 | Partnership of FACT, Mettur Chemical and the promoters formed (Wikipedia says 1949; the company says 1950) | Wikipedia; TCC |
| 8 November 1951 | Reconstituted as Travancore-Cochin Chemicals Ltd | TCC |
| January 1954 | Commercial caustic soda production starts in a 20-tonne-a-day mercury-cell plant | TCC |
| 1956–1967 | Capacity expanded; caustic flakes, chlorine liquefaction, sodium hydrosulphite and sodium sulphate units added | TCC |
| 1960 | Comes under the Government of Kerala | Wikipedia |
| 1970s–2000s (no exact year given) | Caustic fusion plant added; membrane-cell electrolysis introduced and mercury and diaphragm cells phased out | TCC |
| 2013 | 5-tonne-a-day sodium chlorate plant commissioned in a joint venture with ISRO | TCC |
| 2017–18 | Profit reported to rise from about ₹6 crore to ₹32 crore | Wikipedia, citing BusinessLine |
| 2021 | 60-tonne-a-day hydrochloric acid synthesis unit with steam cogeneration commissioned | TCC |
| 2022 | 75-tonne-a-day bipolar membrane cell caustic soda unit commissioned | TCC |
From mercury cells to membranes
TCC’s first plant, started in January 1954, produced 20 tonnes of caustic soda a day using mercury cells, the standard technology of the time. The company says it was the first plant in India to make rayon-grade caustic soda. Between 1956 and 1967 it expanded capacity and added caustic flakes, chlorine liquefaction and other sodium chemicals.
Mercury-cell plants are a known source of mercury pollution, and across the world the industry moved to membrane cells, which use no mercury and less power. TCC introduced membrane-cell electrolysis and phased out its mercury and diaphragm cells, though its published history does not give the year. The change matters locally because the plant discharges to the same stretch of the Periyar discussed in our Eloor pollution timeline.
New plants in the 2010s and 2020s
The 2010s brought diversification. In 2013 TCC commissioned a 5-tonne-a-day sodium chlorate plant through a joint venture with the Indian Space Research Organisation – sodium chlorate is a starting material for the perchlorate used in solid rocket propellant. Wikipedia, citing BusinessLine, reports that TCC’s profit rose from about ₹6 crore to ₹32 crore between 2017 and 2018, and The Hindu reported in January 2018 that it was aiming for a ₹600-crore turnover.
Two more plants followed: a 60-tonne-a-day hydrochloric acid unit with steam cogeneration in 2021, and a 75-tonne-a-day bipolar membrane caustic soda unit in 2022, bringing installed caustic soda capacity to 250 tonnes a day. Wikipedia notes that TCC also exports caustic soda, including to African countries.
Little of this is visible from the road. What a passer-by sees on the Eloor side is a long compound wall, storage tanks and tanker lorries at the gate. Chemicals such as caustic soda leave by road, which is one reason the roads through Pathalam and Udyogamandal carry heavy vehicles. As of October 2026 TCC remains a working state public-sector undertaking at Udyogamandal, beside FACT and Hindustan Insecticides.
Why it matters near the NAD signal
TCC is one of the reasons Udyogamandal became a township rather than a single factory, as told in our Udyogamandal history. Its long run – more than seventy years of production – also shows that not every company in this belt closed; compare the Alupuram aluminium works.
Engineers and trainees working in the Eloor belt sometimes base themselves in Kalamassery. Ashraf Gents Hostel is a men-only hostel and PG at the NAD Road signal; it does not provide meals, and its indicative rate (about ₹2,000–3,000 a month) is confirmed on the call. See more in the Kalamassery history archive.
Frequently asked questions
When was Travancore-Cochin Chemicals founded?
It was incorporated on 8 November 1951 from an earlier partnership; sources give 1949 or 1950 for that partnership. Commercial production began in January 1954.
What does TCC make?
Caustic soda, chlorine, hydrochloric acid and sodium chlorate, among other chemicals, at Udyogamandal in Eloor.
Who owns TCC?
It is a state public-sector undertaking; the Government of Kerala is the major shareholder.
What is TCC’s link with ISRO?
In 2013 it commissioned a 5-tonne-a-day sodium chlorate plant in a joint venture with ISRO, according to the company.
How big is TCC today?
The company gives its total installed capacity as 250 tonnes of caustic soda a day after a new 75-tonne unit in 2022.
Related guides
Sources
- Travancore-Cochin Chemicals: History
- Wikipedia: Travancore Cochin Chemicals
- Wikipedia: Fertilisers and Chemicals Travancore
- The News Minute: How a pristine Kerala island transformed into world’s top toxic spot (2020)
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. “Travancore Cochin Chemicals: Seventy Years at Udyogamandal.” Published 8 October 2026. https://ashrafgentspghostel.adserr.com/travancore-cochin-chemicals-history/ Plain-text (Markdown) version · quoting with a link back is welcome.