KOCHI: Kerala is a huge market for paint companies such as Asian Paints and Nerolac, contributing to about 10 per cent of their sales, but none of these companies have manufacturing plants in the state. Likewise, products such as automotive seats, mattresses, shoe soles, etc. have a big market in Kerala, yet these are mostly produced in plants in the western and northern parts of the country.
This may change soon with public sector oil refinery BPCL’s Kochi unit’s diversification to petrochemical segment to produce acrylic acid, acrylates, and oxo-alcohol, which find use in the manufacture of paints, water treatment, superabsorbent polymer, detergent adhesives, sealants, solvents, plasticisers, etc., expected to go into production later this year.
