Company History

Company History

We embarked on our journey in the year 1963 with the commissioning of our first air separation plant at Pune in Maharashtra, India. Over the years we have successfully expanded our presence across India while manufacturing and supplying industrial gases and specialty gas mixtures. At the turn of the millennium, we strengthened our leadership position with strategic collaborations.

In 1999, the INOX Group joined hands with Air Products Inc., USA, to establish a joint venture company INOX Air Products that emerged as one of the largest manufacturers of Medical and Industrial Gases in India. With a dedicated and a highly motivated Team, integrity in the way we do business and a passion for exceeding expectations, we work to develop lasting relationships with our customers and empower communities that exist around us.

1960s

In the 1960s, Sri Devendra Kumar Jain, a History Honours graduate from New Delhi’s prestigious St. Stephen’s College, decided to go beyond the trading business and become an industrialist. He saw great promise in the business of extracting, liquefying and selling gases from natural air, as these industrial gases were widely used in the steel, manufacturing and healthcare sectors – all of which were flourishing in India at that time. He established Industrial Oxygen Company Private Limited in Pune in 1963.

1963

    • Company was incorporated by Mr Devendra Kumar Jain and Late Mr Lalit Kumar Jain.
    • Commissioned its first Air Separation plant for the production of Compressed Oxygen and Dissolved Acetylene at Pune.

1970s

The company embarked upon a journey of expansion by setting up two more Air Separation Units and established its own Plant Manufacturing Division.

1974

  • Installed 2nd Air Separation Plant at Thane, Mumbai.
  • Caption: Air Separation Plant in Thane, Maharashtra.

1976

  • Established Plant Manufacturing Division at Pune.
  • Installed Air Separation Plant and Dissolved Acetylene Plant at Ahmedabad, Gujarat
  • Caption: DA Plant Shed, Ahmedabad, Gujarat.

1980s

Geographic Expansion continued with settings up Units at many locations. The decade saw the company further entering into Helium business with the setting up its first Helium Debulking station at Patalganga. Invested in setting up its  1st Liquid Manufacturing Plant and 1st Onsite installation.

1980

  • Installed Air Separation Plant and Dissolved Acetylene Plant at Mandigobindgarh, Punjab
  • Installed a 63 M3/hr Plant at Thane, Mumbai, which was  built by PMD Pune
  • Caption: Mandigobindgarh Unit, Punjab.

1982

    • Installed LPG Cylinder Manufacturing Plant at Mandigobindgarh, Punjab

1984

  • Installed 1st Tonnage ASU at Patalganga for manufacturing of Liquid Oxygen, Liquid Nitrogen and Liquid Argon.
  • Caption: Air Separation Unit at Patalganga, Maharashtra.

1985

  • Installed Air Separation Plant and Dissolved Acetylene plants at Vishakapatnam.
  • Caption: Vizag Plant – Cylinder Filling Station.

1986

  • Installed Air Separation Plant and Dissolved Acetylene plants at Chennai.
  • Established of Helium Debulking Station at Patalganga.
  • Installed INOX – 200M3/hr Plant at Thane, Mumbai( Built by PMD Pune).
  • Caption: Helium Debulking Station at Patalganga, Maharashtra.

1988

    • Installed our 1st Onsite Air Separation Plants SOG GOX/Gaseous Nitrogen for Mukand Ltd, Kalwa, Thane
    • Installed Air Separation Plant at Kalol, Gujarat.

1990s

During the most progressive decade in the Company’s history, INOX strengthened its position by entering into the Specialty gases business and setting up onsite for the Steel segment.  The Joint Venture with Air Products & Chemicals Inc, helped leverage numerous capabilities and global expertise.  The venture remains till date, one of the longest Indo-American partnerships in the Indian manufacturing sector.

 

1990

  • Established Specialty Gases Division in Patalganga to manufacture high purity and specialty gases in collaboration with Air Products, UK.
  • Caption: Calibration Gas Lab at Speciality Gases Unit, Platalganga, Maharashtra.

1993

    • Established Sulphur Hexafluoride Debulking facility at Patalganga, Maharashtra
    • Established manufacturing facility of Nitrogen Membrane System at Pune, Maharashtra in technical collaboration with Permea Inc., USA
    • Commissioned  Gaseous Oxygen direct pipeline supply at Jejuri, Maharashtra for India Seamless Steel & Alloys Limited

1994

  • Issued IPO in May-June 1994 which was oversubscribed by 28.14 times
  • INOX expands presence in 11 cities with 12 plants
  • Caption: IPO Issuance June 1994.

1995

  • Commissioned 135 TPD Liquid Plant at Butibori, Maharashtra.
  • Caption: 135 TPD Air Separation Unit at Butibori, Maharashtra

1996

    • Commissioned  Merchant (2 X 500 M3/hr) and Onsite Plant (Cracked NH3 – 400 M3/hr) at Nasik for Raymond Steel
    • Commissioning of onsite supply plant at Kirloskar Ferrous Industries Ltd, Hospet
    • Commissioning of Nitrogen Generation plant at Kalyani Seamless Tubes Ltd.
    • Commissioned of onsite supply plant at Hospet for Kirloskar Ferrous Industries Ltd
    • Commissioned 1040 M3/hr Nitrogen Generator for Kalyani Seamless Tubes Ltd, Baramati

1999

  • Air Products & Chemicals Inc. acquires 50 % equity stake in Industrial Oxygen Co Ltd, and became a Joint Venture Partner with the Jain Family to form INOX Air Products Limited
  • Caption: Joint Venture Agreement signing with Air Products.

2000s

The decade witnessed two major inorganic expansions strengthening company’s position in North India and Central India and strengthen its leadership position in Specialty Gases. Commissioned first Large ASU, New Corporate Office, Projects & Engineering Offices

2000

  • Commissioned 4 Nitrogen Generators simultaneously.
  • Acquired of Superior Air Products Limited, giving leadership position in North India.
  • Caption: Superior Air Products Unit, Barotiwala, Himachal Pradesh.

2001

  • Commissioned 2 Liquid Plants each with a capacity of 80 tons per day at Pondicherry and Surajpur, Uttar Pradesh.
  • Acquired Taneja Group of Companies entailing Northern India Gases Pvt Ltd, Eastern Air Products Pvt Ltd and Central India Oxygen Gases Pvt Ltd giving us a strong packaged gas foothold in Central India.
  • Caption: 80 TPD Air Separation Unit at Pondicherry

2002

    • Acquired Hydrogas India Pvt Ltd, strengthening our leadership position in Speciality Gases.
    • Acquired Hotz Industries Pvt Ltd.

2005

  • Commissioned our first 100 TPD+ Air Separation Unit.
  • 300 TPD for Ispat Industries Ltd. Dolvi, Maharashtra
  • 155 TPD for SJK Steel, Hyderabad, erstwhile Andhra Pradesh.
  • Caption: 300 TPD Air Separation Unit Ispat Steel Limited ( Now JSW Ispat Limited), Dolvi, Maharashtra.

2006

  • Commissioned our 1st Large ASU 1260 TPD Air Separation Unit for Ispat Industries Ltd, Dolvi, Maharashtra with piggyback Liquid
  • 855 TPD Air Separation Unit for JSW Bellary, Karnataka in 50:50 JV with Linde India Ltd.
  • Inaugurated new Corporate Headquarters at Ceejay House, Mumbai.
  • Caption: 1260 TPD Air Separation Unit Ispat Steel Limited ( Now JSW Ispat Limited), Dolvi, Maharashtra.

2007

  • Commissioned 1st Air Products LASU – 900 TPD ASU for ESSAR Steel- Hazira, Gujarat with piggyback Liquid.
  • Established a new Projects & Engineering Office in Pune
  • Implemented SAP ERP System.
  • Caption: 900 TPD Air Separation Unit for ESSAR Steel at Hazira.

2008

  • Commissioned our 1st Air Products VSA – 64 TPD ASU for ITC Limited – Bhadrachalam, Telangana
  • Commissioned our 1st SOG with the Public Sector – 1250 TPD ASU for SAIL – Bokaro, Jharkhand with piggyback Liquid.
  • Caption:Bokaro 1250 TPD Air Seperation Unit for Steel Authority of India Limited, Bokaro, Jharkhand.

2010s

The company achieved huge successes by attaining India’s highest Liquid Capacity additions, and became the only Company in India with the largest geographic spread & highest number of distribution fleet. Established leading positions in diverse end markets including tyre, glass, chemicals, metals, manufacturing and electronics.

2010

  • Company’s overall revenues crossed Rs 1000 Crores and Merchant capacity crossed 1000 TPD.
  • Commissioned the 1st plant executed by Pune Engineering Office – 200 TPD Air Separation Unit for Lloyds Steel Industries, Wardha, Maharashtra.
  • Caption: 200 TPD Air Separation Unit onsite for Lloyds Steel(Now Uttam Value Steel).

2011

  • Commissioned 108 TPD Air Separation Unit for SAIL – Salem, Tamil Nadu.
  • Caption: 108 TPD Air Separation Unit from Steel Authority of India Limited, Salem.

2012

  • Commissioned our 1st Air Products SMR H2 Plant – 240 TPD Gaseous Nitrogen & 250 NM3/Hr H2 SOG for POSCO, Mangaon, Maharashtra.
  • Added 100 TPD LOX/LIN at Pondicherry
  • Commissioned our 1st Float Glass Account – L200 + 70 TPD Gaseous Nitrogen and 250 NM3/hr  for Saint Gobain Glass at Bhiwadi, Rajasthan.
  • Caption: 200 TPD Air Separation Unit for Saint Gobain Bhiwadi, Rajasthan.

2013

  • Commissioned 3 X L200s at Barotiwala – Himachal Pradesh, Karjan – Gujarat & Vile Bhagad and 1 X 150 TPD Liquefier at Hyderabad, thus becoming India’s largest Merchant Player by capacity.
  • Caption: 200 TPD Air Separation Unit at Karjan, Gujarat.

2015

  • Completed India’s largest acquisition in the Industrial Gases Industry with the purchase of  3 x 1700 TPD ASUs from Essar Steel, Hazira along with a Long-term SOG contract, thereby becoming India’s largest Industrial Gases Player.
  • Caption: Contract signing with ESSAR Steel for 5100 TPD. Largest Gas complex in India operated by a Single Gas Player.

2016

    • Overall revenues crossed > Rs 2000 Crores and Merchant capacity crosses 2000 TPD.

2017

  • Commissioned 2 X 120 TPD Air Separation Unit for large steel units, Sunflag Iron & Steel Limited, Bhandara, Maharashtra & SLR Metaliks Linited, Hospet, Karnataka.
  • Commissioned state of the art Speciality Gas facilities in Mumbai & Chennai.
  • Caption: 120 TPD Air Separation Unit at SLR Metaliks, Hospet, Karnataka.

2018

  • Commissioned our 2nd Float Glass Account – L200 + 70 TPD Gaseous Nitrogen and 250 NM3/hr  for Saint Gobain Glass at Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu.
  • Commissioned 40 HPN Nitrogen Generator for UPL, Jhagadia, Gujarat.
  • Caption: 200 TPD Air Separation Unit at Sriperambudur, Tamil Nadu for Saint Goban Glass.

2019

  • Commissioned 4 X L200s at Kanjikode, Simej, Chakan & Barjora, thereby becoming the 1st company in India to exceed 3000 TPD of installed merchant capacity.
  • Inaugurated New Corporate Office at Navi Mumbai.
  • Commissioned 140 TPD Vacuum Swing Adsorption Plant for Sunflag Iron & Steel Limited, Bhandara, Maharashtra.
  • Caption: 200 TPD Air Separation Unit at Chakaan, Maharashtra.

2020s

Growth Story continues with two landmark onsite agreements being signed so far with announcement of India’s largest greenfield expansion in the Industrial Gases sector.

2020

  • Commissioned 700 nm3/hr Gaseous Nitrogen Onsite for ATC, Tirunelveli.
  • Acquired 2 X 1200 TPD ASUs and entered into a 20-year Lease Contract with Jindal Steel & Power Limited, Angul, Odisha.
  • Commissioned Captive Solar Plant at Karjan (993 KW) & Simej (616 KW) in Gujarat.
  • India’s 1st captive solar power plant that will be used to manufacture Liquid Medical Oxygen. Introducing #GreenOxygen !
  • Commissioned 4 HPN Nitrogen Generator for CEAT, Halol, Gujarat.
  • Commissioned L200 at Modinagar, largest gas plant in Uttar Pradesh.
  • Caption: 200 TPD Air Separation Unit at Modinagar, Uttar Pradesh. Largest Oxygen plant in the State.

2021

  • Signed prestigious contract with Arcelor Mittal/Nippon Steel for setting up 5th Air Separation Unit at Hazira Plant in Gujarat.
  • Announced India’s largest Greenfield investment in the Industrial Gases Sector of INR 2000 Cr.
  • Caption: Successful trail of Roll on Roll Off Oxygen Express service with Indian Railways .

2022

  • INOXAP’s largest–ever investment in a Greenfield Oxygen Plant, to build its 2nd Cryogenic Air Separation Unit (ASU) of 2150 TPD at the Steel Authority of India’s (SAIL) Bokaro plant in Jharkhand
  • Commissioned 700 TPD, 5th ASU for AMNS India at Hazira, in a record time of 15 months.
  • Caption: Project team of AMNS 700 TPD with our Director, Siddharth Jain

2023

  • Commissioned L200 at Hosur, Tamil Nadu
  • Awarded contract to set up 6th Air Separation Unit at AMNS India at Hazira
  • Caption: 200 TPD Air Separation Unit at Hosur, Tamil Nadu