Cochin Minerals and Rutile (CMRL), a company established in the late eighties, is in the business of manufacturing synthetic rutile and ferric chloride, a by-product. For this it has putup a plant at Aluva in Kerala. It came out with a public issue in 1991-92 to part-finance this project. The commercial production commenced in Jul 1993 after delayed for more than six months. To part-finance the cost escalation (due to delay in the implementation of the project) it came out with a rights issue in 1993-94. The company also manufactures off-grade titanium dioxide and Ferrous Chloride apart from synthetic rutile and ferric chloride. It exports its products to Japan and middle-east countries. In the year 1998-99, the company has expanded the capacity of Synthetic rutile to 18000 MT. The Government of Kerala has allotted a mining area on lease (for mining Sand Minerals) in Neendakar-Kayamkulam belt (Kerala). This makes the company to have it's own source of ilmenite, the prime rawmaterial for the company. The manufacturing facility of the company has received the ISO 9002 certificate from Bureau Veritas Quality International. The company has put up a new facility at a capacity of 20000 MT for manufacturing of ferrous chloride and expanded the synthetic rutile producing capacity by 7000 MT during the year 2000-01.