Incorporated in Feb.'85, Southern Magnesium & Chemicals (SMCL) is promoted by N B Prasad, Ram N Prasad, N Rajender Prasad and N Ravi Prasad. The company set up a project at Gowripatnam, Andhra Pradesh, to manufacture megnesium metal, in a joint venture with the Andhra Pradesh Industrial Development Corporation. The company acquired a pilot plant set up the National Metallurgical Laboratory for the manufacture of magnesium by Pidgeon process with a capacity of 200 tpa. The company then carried out necessary alterations, modifications, additions and enhanced the capacity to 600 tpa. Commercial production commenced in 1990. SMCL came out with a public issue in Dec.'93 to diverisify into the production of various down stream products like magnesium granules, magnesium powder, magnesium alloy and magnesium extrusion. In 1994-95, the company had set up a magnesium metal plant in Bahrain, an overseas client. In 1995-96, two new reduction furnaces were commissioned and a third was commissioned on Nov.'96/Dec.'96. The company commissioned Gas based generating sets in Dec, 1997 and also set up a carbon-di-oxide plant. It has further set up a pilot plant for production of magnesium carbonate from calcined dolomite and carbon-di-oxide, both of which are already available at its plant site, to strengthen its activities.