DCW

DCW Limited, earlier known as Dhrangadhra Chemical Works, is a leading manufacturer of basic chemicals like caustic soda, liquid chlorine and chlorine based products.

The company’s inception dates back to 1925 when the foundation stone for India’s first soda ash factory was laid at Dhrangadhra, Gujarat. The plant started operations in 1939 under the company which was then known as Dhrangadhra Chemical Works.

The company commissioned India’s first soda ash plant in 1939. Later on, the company expanded their operations to Sahupuram Tamil Nadu with the establishment of Chlor-Alkali plant.

Since then the company has diversified into the manufacturing of multiple chemicals as DCW Ltd became India’s first company to have established a trichloroethylene plant. It has also commissioned one of Asia’s largest synthetic iron oxide pigment plants.

The company has a diversified product mix category of speciality chemicals and basic chemicals like synthetic rutile (SR), synthetic iron oxide pigments (SIOP), immediate like liquid chlorine and hydrochloric acid and soda ash.

The company’s chemistry product range provides key ingredients to the manufacturers of agricultural products, detergents, food, pharmaceuticals, pigments, fertilisers, alumina and other industrial products.

The market capitalisation of the DCW Ltd stood at over ₹1,800 crore as of January 25, 2024. DCW share price has surged over 193% in the last three years.

DCW Limited business operations

The company has a diversified product portfolio with 12 major products and its distribution network is spread across more than 14 countries.

The company’s plant in Sahupuram, Tamil Nadu, has a multi-purpose facility spread over 2,500 acres of land. This plant caters to over 15 segments like commercial and residential plumbing, fire sprinkler systems, industrial piping systems, construction, paint, paper, laminates, packaging, furniture, plastics and rubber.

Apart from India, DCW’s operations are spread across more than 12 countries, including the United States, Europe, Japan, Malaysia and Netherlands. The company caters to over 100 companies in the export markets.

In 1970, when DCW Ltd started manufacturing Synthetic Rutile, it was one of the first companies to have this production facility in Asia. It’s currently one of the leading manufacturers of Synthetic Rutile globally.

The company is also one of the major producers of PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride), with 10% market share in India. DCW’s PVC plant is situated at Sahupuram, Tamil Nadu, with an installed capacity of 90 thousand MTPA as of March 31, 2023. The plant is currently operating at 107% capacity utilisation. PVC business contributed 35.23% to the total revenue during FY2023.

Financial Highlights

In FY23, revenue from operations surged to ₹2,633.8 crore in FY23, up 6.8% from ₹2,454.7 crore in FY22. In FY23, EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation) grew by 34.1% YoY to ₹443.8 crore, compared to ₹331 crore in FY2022. EBITDA margin in FY23 stood at 16.9 %. The company’s profit after tax (PAT) soared nearly 44% to ₹192 crore in FY23 from ₹107.5 crore in FY22. The company’s earnings per share (EPS) stood at ₹6.5 in FY23 as against ₹4.12 in FY22.