Kollam: The public sector Kerala Minerals and Metals Ltd. (KMML), Chavara, has started supplying titanium sponge to the Indian Navy. The first consignment was flagged off by Mr K.K. Roy Kurien, KMML MD, at the titanium sponge complex here on Monday. The sponge produced at the plant in cooperation with the DMRL and ISRO has been purchased by the Navy for its submarine operations. A pact to supply 195 MT titanium sponge to the Navy was signed by the company and the defence department.
The plant was set up to develop titanium sponge indigenously after the country faced major setback in its defence research works owing to the scarcity and price hike of titanium in 2004. Following this, construction work of the Rs. 150-crore plant at Chavara started in 2006 and it was commissioned in 2011. With a production capacity of 500 MT at the plant, India became the seventh country in the world to indigenously produce titanium sponge.
During the last five years, the plant has produced over 550 MT titanium sponge in 170 batches under various grades. The first product from the plant was handed over to the VSSC in March 2013. The commercial value of the product got a major boost in 2015with the regional centre for military and airworthiness approving its efficiency for using it for defence and aviation purposes.
