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Kerala-based M N Ramakrishnan, a school teacher, forayed into the clay mining business in 1963 after tasting success in his previous ventures (selling electric cables and tractors). Through a technical and financial JV with UK-headquartered English China Clays Ltd (ECC), the pioneer and the-then world leader in kaolin processing, Ramakrishnan setup English Indian Clays Limited with a corpus of Rs 100,000. Ramakrishnan and his associates held a 25% stake in the JV, Cornwall-based ECC held 24%, the Maharaja of Travancore 15% and the remainder was held by financial institutions.
English Indian Clays Ltd first mined kaolin deposits at Akkulam near Trivandrum. A factory was set up at Veli to process the clay, which was sold to paper and paint companies with some part of it exported to English China Clays. Though there were no value added products, hydrous clay was supplied to clients after quality assurance testing was conducted at its labs in Trivandrum.