Stallion India Fluorochemicals : Aggressive Capex

Stallion India Fluorochemicals Limited

About the company:

  • Stallion works in the fluorochemicals space, dealing with refrigerant gases, specialty gases, semiconductor gases, next-gen refrigerants (HFOs), and even liquid helium.
  • Their gases find applications in a wide range of industries, including automotive, pharmaceuticals, fire safety, defence, power, solar, and semiconductors.
  • So far, their focus has mainly been on formulation, blending, debulking, and distribution. Now, they’re moving into backward integration, manufacturing R-32, to cut down on imports and boost margins.

Customers:

  1. OEMs: BlueStar, Voltas, Daikin, LG, Amber, etc. (approved vendor).
  2. Aftermarket Service Providers & Distributors: which together form 80% of refrigerant sales.
  3. Industrial Users of Speciality Gases: across auto, pharma, defence, fire safety, power, semiconductor, solar, and fibre optics industries.

Details of expansion plans:

1. Rajasthan (Bhilwara) R-32 Plant

  • Products:
    • R-32 (refrigerant gas): base molecule.
    • Will also support HFO blends (R-410A, 404A, 454B, 513A, etc.) since all need 50-60% R-32.
  • Capacity:
    • Stage 1: 5,000 tons.
    • Stage 2: Another 5,000 tons (total 10,000 tons).
  • Start Date:
    • Land already acquired; construction in progress.
    • Commercial production expected mid-2026.

2. Andhra Pradesh (Mambattu) - HFO & Specialty Gas Facility

  • Products:
    • HFO refrigerants & blends (next-gen, low GWP, e.g., 454B, 513A).
    • Semiconductor gases (helium, argon, other high-purity gases).
    • Hydrocarbon handling facility also included.
  • Capacity:
    • Originally a 5-tank facility, scaled up to a 10-tank facility.
    • Also includes a semiconductor gas facility similar to Khalapur.
  • Start Date:
    • Construction ongoing in 2025.
    • Expected completion by Oct 2025; operations in late 2025/early 2026.
  • Benefits:
    • Close to Southern OEM hub (Voltas, BlueStar, Daikin, etc. nearby).
    • First mover in HFO blending before industry shifts in 2026-27 due to global quotas.

3. Maharashtra (Khalapur) - Semiconductor & Specialty Gases

  • Products:
    • Semiconductor gases, liquid helium, high-purity specialty gases.
    • Designed to handle 300-bar cylinders (latest global standard, vs. 200-bar earlier).
  • Capacity:
    • Full blending + debulking facility for semiconductor gases.
  • Start Date:
    • Civil work completed, machinery ordered.
    • Expected commissioning by late 2025.
  • Benefits:
    • Semiconductor ecosystem in India & globally is expected to grow at a strong double-digit CAGR.
    • Higher entry barrier (takes 2-3 years for customer approval once product is qualified); sticky revenue

Management:

Shazad Sheriar RustomJi started this business as a first-generation entrepreneur when he was 22 years old. He has been running and growing it successfully for the past 32 years.

Market Information:

  1. In developed products, the aftermarket is 80-85% and OEMs are 15%.
  2. In new products like HFO, OEM requirement is almost 80% or 90% and the aftermarket is 10%.
  3. As per management, India has a production capacity of 30,000 tons per year in R-32. 15K tons are used internally, and the rest is exported.

Risks:

  1. Negative cash flows in the last three years
  2. The company has never done molecule manufacturing, needs to be seen if they can execute.
  3. A lot of company money is tied up in inventory and receivables, and with such aggressive plans, it might face a cash crunch.
  4. Management gave a below response when asked about negative cash flow

Investment Thesis:

  1. Increase in PAT margins to 17-18% because of backwards-integrated manufacturing.
  2. The company has an ambitious target of 2500 cr topline by 2030.
  3. Even if the company achieves 2000 cr topline at 15% Net Profit Margin, with a modest PE of 20, it will have 6000 cr MCAP. Roughly 6x from here. A 43% CAGR return in 5 years.

Thanks to @satishwe for sharing this company idea.

Current MCAP: 1154 cr
Disclosure: Invested with a small allocation

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HFO Adoption: Where Does India Stand?
Present Status:

India is still primarily using HFCs (such as R-32, R-134a, and R-410A), but HFO usage is emerging, especially in commercial/industrial projects and some OEM offerings.

The government completed the phase-out of HCFCs by January 1, 2025, and India’s HFC demand is currently low, but expected to accelerate rapidly with cooling demand growth and regulatory phase-downs.

Policy and Timeline:

India ratified the Kigali Amendment and is obliged to phase down HFCs in a staged manner:

Freeze HFC consumption in 2028 at a projected level

Reduction steps: 10% by 2032, 20% by 2037, 30% by 2042, and 85% by 2047.

To meet these targets, wider HFO adoption is expected during the 2025–2035 period, with explicit policies and incentives under development.

Coming to pricing

Pricing:
HFO-based refrigerants are currently priced much higher per kg relative to HFCs like R-410A or R-134a. For example, HFO-1234yf sells at roughly $75-80 per kg, about 10 times more than common HFCs ($6-8/kg), though prices are expected to decline as technologies mature and patents expire.

The price gap narrows over time with increased scale and competition, and long-term cost savings arise from improved energy efficiency and regulatory compliance.

The use of HFC dont have any restriction as of now and pricing for HFOs aren’t very attractive.
Since the company is mostly into after sales market of 80 % and only 20 % market of OEM. Wide adoption of new blends and HFOs has to be tracked closely.

Also the capex plans are bit aggressive and cut to cut. Delays and cost escalation will have negative implications wherein the CFO from operations is already negative. Very surprised my self that the prkmoter had to revert back for a simple cash flow related query. For them its more important as funding day to day activities requires real credit/cash.

They are aligned with global upcycle or if i may revival of the fluorochemicalscycle. The same has been observed from management commentary of Gujarat Fluro/SRF/Navin fluorine .

SF6 Uses and Market:

  • SF6 is primarily used as an insulating gas in electrical power industry applications such as gas-insulated substations, large voltage transformers, and circuit breakers.
  • It also finds usage in medical applications like eye surgery.
  • SF6 is used in plasma etching processes in semiconductor manufacturing for making silicon wafers.
  • SF6 has multi-application uses beyond the electrical sector, including in eye operations and other specialized industrial uses.
  • The SF6 gas market in India serves sectors including power transmission, medical, and semiconductor manufacturing.

Helium Uses and Market:

  • Helium is used extensively in semiconductor manufacturing units, fiber optic cable manufacturing, medical applications (MRI machines), scientific research, and deep-sea diving by the Navy.

  • It is critical for ultra-low temperature environments and serves as a carrier or shielding gas in testing and manufacturing processes.

  • Helium is used in fiber optics production, medical imaging, scientific laboratories, and defense applications for breathing mixtures.

  • The growth of semiconductor, solar, fiber optics, and advanced cooling sectors in India is expected to drive demand for helium significantly.

  • The Indian market for helium is presently nascent but expected to grow robustly alongside India’s developing electronics and semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem.

  • SF6 gas in India is primarily imported (>90%) from China, Taiwan, and the US. Domestic manufacturing at industrial scale is currently not available.

  • Helium gas has limited manufacturing and supply capabilities in India through specialized companies, but the market also relies on imports.

  • Import substitutes for SF6 are emerging globally (e.g., clean air switching tech), but India’s market still depends on SF6 for electrical insulation.

  • For helium, domestic extraction from natural gas fields and processing exists, but cannot meet entire demand.

Above are certain responses by perplexity ai pro.

THANKS

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