Tata Chemicals lines up Rs.1,700 crore investment.

Tata Chemicals Ltd., which makes soda ash, salt and fertilizers, will invest some Rs.1,700 crore in the two years to March 2016, a part of which it will spend on developing consumer-focused offerings.

The firm will add five to 10 products to its consumer portfolio which has been expanded in recent years to include Swach water purifiers, Flavoritz flavoured salt and i-Shakti lentils.

'Apart from the maintenance, the capex includes the investment in Indian chemical business and in capital-light business like salt expansion project and branded consumer products,' chief financial officer and executive director P.K. Ghose said in a telephone interview. He declined to elaborate on the upcoming consumer products.

The world's second largest soda ash maker may also expand a project in the US that's linked to its soda ash business.

LIVEMINT