The maiden consignment of titanium sponge produced by the titanium sponge plant (TSP) of the public sector Kerala Minerals and Metals Limited (KMML) for strategic purposes was despatched from the company at Chavara, near here, on Monday morning.
The consignment comprising 4.5 metric tonnes meant for the Indian Navy loaded in a truck was flagged off to Kochi by KMML Managing Director K.K. Roy Kurien in the presence of the titanium sponge unit employees.
Hitherto, this product from the KMML was purchased only by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on a buy-back arrangement. The ISRO had funded the Rs.95-crore TSP based on a technology developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation.
With the commissioning of the KMML TSP in 2011, India joined a group of only seven countries to produce the strategic metal. The plant was commissioned with the aim of making India self-sufficient in titanium sponge.
While the defence sector of the country requires about 1,500 MT of titanium sponge annually, this is the first time that indigenously produced titanium sponge for strategic applications was being purchased by a defence wing from the KMML.
The KMML titanium sponge product is certified by the Hyderabad-based Regional Centre for Military Airworthiness, Midhani. The TSP has capacity to produce 500 MT annually..
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