The soda ash industry has evolved in recent years, which is reflected in the global ranking of soda ash producers, as producers from developing markets now feature in the world top six ranking. Solvay is still number one globally, but Tata of India is now the second biggest producer in the world; in the past this position was held by US producer FMC. Another change in the landscape is that producers are becoming more global. Solvay has always had a global spread in its production portfolio. Tata Chemicals is not just one of the largest producers in India but also has capacities in western Europe and Africa. Gujarat Heavy Chemicals of India now owns a majority shareholding in a soda ash business in Romania, as does Polish producer Ciech. This article presents an overview of the forecast global supply and demand of soda ash.
