Kerala  Minerals and Metals Ltd (KMML)

The formation of KMML was inspired by the findings of the German scientist Dr. Schomberg, who detected the presence of monazite in coir fibers from Chavara. Originally established in 1932 as a private entity named F.X. Pereira & Sons Travancore Private Limited, the company was taken over by the State Government in 1956, leading to the formation of KMML in 1972. Production of titanium dioxide pigment using chloride technology commenced at the facility as early as 1979. In 2011, KMML also began the production of titanium sponge in collaboration with the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre and the Defence Metallurgical Research Laboratory. India is the seventh country in the world to develop titanium sponge production technology. Titanium sponge is a crucial component in the construction of aircraft—including fighter jets—and nuclear power plants. Beyond its pure rutile-grade titanium dioxide pigment, marketed as 'Kemox', KMML has become an indispensable part of our daily lives through a range of products such as ilmenite, rutile, zircon, sillimanite, and synthetic rutile. Kerala Minerals and Metals Limited introduced technology absorption for monosite cracking to extract rare earth elements and to support the permanent magnet production. Kerala Minerals and Metals Ltd (KMML) is one of the major profit-making PSUs (Net Profit) during the year 2024-25 in Kerala.