Kerala Minerals and Metals
A Kerala government-owned integrated mineral-sands and titanium-products manufacturer based in Chavara, Kollam, India.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Kerala Minerals and Metals Ltd, commonly known as KMML, is a state-owned Indian minerals and chemicals enterprise headquartered at Chavara in Kollam district, Kerala. Its business is built around the mineral-rich coastal sands of southern Kerala, particularly deposits containing ilmenite, rutile, zircon, sillimanite and other heavy minerals. The company combines beach-sand mining, mineral separation, chemical conversion and downstream titanium manufacturing rather than operating only as a raw-mineral producer. KMML's principal industrial activity is the manufacture of titanium dioxide pigment. The company uses the chloride route and markets its different pigment grades under the KEMOX brand. Titanium dioxide is a high-whiteness pigment used in applications such as coatings, plastics and other industrial products. The company also produces or processes ilmenite, rutile, zircon, sillimanite and synthetic rutile, giving it an integrated position across several stages of the titanium-minerals value chain. The industrial history behind KMML reaches back to the early twentieth century. In 1909, German chemist C. W. Schomberg identified monazite in remnants associated with Kerala's coir trade. Early mineral-separation facilities were established at Manavalakurichi and Chavara, although wartime events and changes in ownership interrupted their operation. Commercial ilmenite exports from Chavara began in 1922, and Kerala's deposits became important sources of feedstock for the international titanium-pigment industry. A private enterprise established in 1932, F. X. Pereira and Sons (Travancore) Private Ltd, became the predecessor of the modern organization. The Kerala government took over the unit in 1956 and placed it under the Industries Department. In 1972, it was reorganized as The Kerala Minerals and Metals Ltd. with objectives including better use of the state's coastal mineral resources, industrial development and employment generation. KMML expanded beyond mineral separation through its integrated titanium dioxide project. Construction of a chloride-technology pigment plant began in 1979, and the facility was commissioned in 1984. The company describes this installation as the first integrated titanium dioxide plant using chloride technology. Its later activities have included titanium sponge production and supply to Indian defence and space-related users. A titanium sponge facility developed with the Department of Space was established at the Kollam premises, with a stated capacity of 500 tonnes per year. The company has also diversified into industrial-gas production. An oxygen plant was commissioned in October 2020 with total capacity reported at 70 tonnes per day, including medical oxygen capacity of approximately 6 to 7 tonnes per day. During the COVID-19 period, KMML supplied liquid oxygen to treatment centres, hospitals and other agencies in Kerala and neighbouring states. The plant was intended both to reduce the company's reliance on purchased oxygen and to support regional medical-supply needs. KMML remains an important public-sector industrial employer in Kerala, with the reference material describing a workforce of more than 1,600 people. Its strategic importance derives from the combination of locally available heavy-mineral resources, domestic titanium-material production and supply relationships with public-sector defence and space institutions. At the same time, its operations are connected to environmentally sensitive coastal mineral-sand areas, making resource management and regulatory compliance significant aspects of its operating context.
History
The history of KMML is closely associated with the heavy-mineral beaches around Chavara and nearby parts of Kerala. These sands contain ilmenite, rutile, zircon, sillimanite, monazite and related minerals. Scientific interest in the deposits increased after C. W. Schomberg identified monazite in material associated with Kerala's coir trade in 1909. Early separation plants were established at Manavalakurichi and later at Chavara, but their operations were disrupted after Schomberg was arrested during the First World War on suspicion of being a German spy. The facilities were subsequently taken over by the London Cosmopolitan Mineral Company in 1914. In 1920, Hopkins and Williams, another London-based company, began operations at Manavalakurichi and Chavara. Chavara's first recorded ilmenite export took place in 1922. Kerala ilmenite became a major feedstock for the global titanium-pigment industry, and exports from the Chavara area expanded substantially before the Second World War. In 1932, F. X. Pereira and Sons (Travancore) Private Ltd was established as a private enterprise and later became the predecessor of KMML. Ownership changed several times before the Kerala government acquired the unit in 1956 and placed it under the Industries Department. The undertaking was converted into a limited company in 1972 under the name The Kerala Minerals and Metals Ltd. Its stated objectives were to make better use of mineral resources along the Kerala coast and to promote industrial growth and employment in the state and surrounding locality. KMML's major technological transition was the move from mineral extraction and separation into titanium-chemicals production. Construction of a titanium dioxide pigment plant using chloride technology started in 1979. The plant was commissioned in 1984 and became the core of the company's integrated manufacturing model. KMML produces rutile-grade titanium dioxide pigment in multiple grades under the KEMOX brand, alongside separated minerals and synthetic rutile. The company's later development included strategic-material production. KMML became a producer and supplier of titanium sponge for Indian defence-related units and the Department of Space. A 500-tonne-per-year titanium sponge plant was established at the Kollam site in collaboration with the Department of Space. This gave KMML a role in domestic supply of a material used in aerospace and other high-performance applications. In October 2020, the company commissioned an oxygen plant with reported capacity of 70 tonnes per day, including medical oxygen output of approximately 6 to 7 tonnes per day. The investment reduced dependence on purchased oxygen and enabled KMML to supply liquid oxygen to hospitals, COVID-19 treatment centres and other agencies. By April 2021, reported deliveries exceeded 1,100 tonnes. KMML is described as one of India's better-performing public-sector undertakings and employs more than 1,600 people according to the reference material. Its activities continue to span mineral-sand mining, mineral separation, synthetic-rutile production, titanium dioxide pigment, titanium sponge and industrial gases. The company's operating model remains distinctive because it connects Kerala's coastal mineral resources with downstream chemical and strategic-material manufacturing.
- 2021
Liquid oxygen supplied during the pandemic
[1]The company reported supplying more than 1,100 tonnes of liquid oxygen to agencies and hospitals by April 2021.
- 2020
Oxygen plant commissioned
[1]KMML commissioned an oxygen plant at its Kollam facilities, including a medical-oxygen production capability.
- 1984
Titanium dioxide plant commissioned
[1]The chloride-route titanium dioxide pigment plant entered operation and became a central part of KMML's integrated manufacturing base.
- 1979
Chloride-route pigment project begins
[1]Construction began on KMML's integrated titanium dioxide pigment facility using chloride technology.
- 1972
KMML incorporated in its modern form
[1]The undertaking was reorganized as The Kerala Minerals and Metals Ltd. to develop coastal mineral resources and support industrial and employment growth.
- 1956
Kerala government takeover
[1]The state government took over the unit and placed it under the Industries Department.
- 1932
Predecessor private enterprise established
[1]F. X. Pereira and Sons (Travancore) Private Ltd was established as the predecessor of the modern KMML organization.
- 1922
First recorded ilmenite export from Chavara
[1]Ilmenite exports from Chavara began, helping establish Kerala as an important source of titanium-mineral feedstock.
- 1910
Early mineral-separation plant established
[1]Schomberg established a plant at Manavalakurichi for monazite separation and later another facility at Chavara.
- 1909
Monazite identified in Kerala-linked material
[1]C. W. Schomberg identified monazite in remnants associated with coir imported from Kerala, drawing attention to the region's mineral sands.
Products and positioning
A state-owned, vertically integrated Indian producer linking Kerala coastal mineral-sand resources with titanium dioxide pigment, titanium sponge and separated heavy-mineral products. KMML's positioning emphasizes domestic industrial capability, public-sector ownership and supply to strategic Indian users.
Titanium dioxide pigment · 1984
KEMOX titanium dioxide pigment
KMML's principal branded product line consists of rutile-grade titanium dioxide pigments manufactured through the chloride process. The KEMOX name covers different grades intended for industrial pigment applications, where opacity, whiteness and dispersion performance are important.
Titanium mineral intermediate
Synthetic rutile
Synthetic rutile is produced by upgrading ilmenite into a higher-titania material suitable for downstream processing. It forms part of KMML's integrated chain between mineral separation and titanium-based chemical production.
Strategic titanium material
Titanium sponge
KMML produces titanium sponge for Indian strategic-sector customers, including defence-related units and the Department of Space. The reference material identifies a 500-tonne-per-year facility developed in collaboration with the Department of Space.
Mineral sands
Separated heavy minerals
The company's mineral-separation operations produce ilmenite, rutile, zircon and sillimanite from Kerala's heavy-mineral sands. These products serve as mineral feedstocks and industrial raw materials.
Industrial gas · 2020
Industrial and medical oxygen
KMML operates an oxygen plant with reported total capacity of 70 tonnes per day, including a medical-oxygen component. During the COVID-19 period, output was supplied to hospitals and treatment centres in Kerala and neighbouring states.
Brand decisions
2020
Commission an oxygen-production facilityOtherBackground
KMML had previously purchased oxygen from outside suppliers and faced increased public-health demand during the COVID-19 period.
Action taken
The company commissioned a 70-tonne-per-day oxygen plant, including capacity for medical oxygen.
Aftermath
The facility reduced reliance on external oxygen purchases and supplied liquid oxygen to hospitals, treatment centres and other agencies.
1979
Move into chloride-route titanium dioxide productionStrategyBackground
KMML sought to increase the value obtained from Kerala's mineral resources by moving beyond mining and separation into downstream titanium-chemical manufacturing.
Action taken
The company began construction of an integrated titanium dioxide pigment plant based on chloride technology; the facility was commissioned in 1984.
Aftermath
The project established titanium dioxide pigment as KMML's core downstream product and supported the KEMOX branded range.
Recent events
- 2021
KMML supplies liquid oxygen during the COVID-19 period[1]
Other
By April 2021, KMML had reportedly supplied more than 1,100 tonnes of liquid oxygen to agencies serving COVID-19 treatment centres and hospitals in Kerala and neighbouring states.
- 2020
KMML commissions oxygen plant[1]
Other
KMML commissioned an oxygen plant at its Kollam facilities with reported total capacity of 70 tonnes per day, including medical oxygen production of approximately 6 to 7 tonnes per day.
KMML titanium sponge facility supports Indian strategic users[1]
Product launch
A titanium sponge plant developed with the Department of Space at KMML's Kollam premises was fully commissioned with reported capacity of 500 tonnes per year, supporting defence and space-related demand in India.
Sources2 sources
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