Intellectual Capital
At SRF, innovation drives everything we do. Our Research & Development (R&D) teams, working across multiple business segments, are focussed on developing advanced solutions that address evolving customer demands, promote sustainability, and create exceptional value. Spanning chemicals, performance films and foil, and technical textiles businesses, we leverage cutting-edge technology, strong expertise, and collaborative partnerships to help shape the future of the industries we serve.
UN SDG Linkages
Key Stakeholders Impacted
BRSR Linkage
Principle 2: Businesses should provide goods and services in a manner that is sustainable and safe
Material Issues Addressed
- Innovation, Research & Development
- Total Quality Management
- Employment
Key Highlights
Capabilities Digital & Data-Driven R&D Highly skilled R&D professionals Strong product funnel Cutting-edge solutions Collaborative Ecosystem State-of-the-art facilities
Our R&D efforts are guided by a single vision: to innovate responsibly and deliver solutions that create long-term value for our customers, stakeholders, and the environment. By combining science, technology, and collaboration, we continue to push boundaries and set new benchmarks for excellence.
R&D in Chemicals Business: Chemicals Technology Group
At SRF, the Chemicals Technology Group (CTG) leads innovation across the Fluorochemicals and Specialty Chemicals businesses, driving the development of new products and scalable process technologies. Operating from Bhiwadi and Gurugram, CTG focusses on advancing capabilities in process design, scale-up, and commercialisation across complex chemistries.
CTG's R&D efforts are centred on high-value products, particularly strategic intermediates supporting agrochemical and pharmaceutical applications. The team has worked on numerous molecules, many of which have successfully advanced from laboratory development to pilot-scale validation and ultimately to commercial production. In total, over 125 molecules have been commercialised. With over two decades of expertise in fluorinated chemistries, CTG has consistently translated innovation into market-ready solutions. Strong cross-functional collaboration ensures that evolving customer needs and market opportunities are effectively converted into robust, scalable offerings.
Supported by a team of over 500 professionals, CTG continues to strengthen its innovation pipeline. During the year, more than 50 molecules progressed through development stages, over 35 entered scale-up, and around half were commercialised across multipurpose and dedicated facilities. In FY26, CTG further strengthened its intellectual property portfolio by filing 40 new patents and securing five, bringing the total patent count to 156. Our disciplined focus on scale-up readiness and execution enables efficient conversion of innovation into commercial success.
Key focus areas of CTG includes development of next-generation solutions for Active Ingredients (AI) in pharmaceutical and agrochemical industries and new-generation refrigerants
Our Synthetic Expertise
Our strong synthetic expertise enables the development of complex molecules. Leveraging deep scientific knowledge and process excellence, our teams deliver efficient, scalable, and high-quality solutions across diverse applications.
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Fluorination: Excellence as a Core Competency
We are among the few global players with a comprehensive portfolio of fluorination capabilities. Our expert teams bring deep domain knowledge and extensive experience across diverse fluorination chemistries. Together, we leverage advanced technologies and strong execution to deliver high-quality, scalable solutions to our customers.
R&D in Performance Films & Foil Business
In our Performance Films & Foil Business, we drive innovation-led growth by combining advanced technology platforms with harmonised global quality systems and in-house specialty resin manufacturing. Our deep expertise in polymer characterisation and upstream customisation enables us to engineer high-performance packaging solutions that are efficient, differentiated, safe, and engineered with a strong emphasis on sustainability – delivering value to customers while advancing our commitment to a greener future.
Innovations across a wide range of Applications
Our state-of-the-art R&D centre, located at our facility in Indore, is a cornerstone of this innovation journey. Equipped with a pilot-scale polymerisation plant, advanced printing, lamination, and coating machines, and sophisticated analytical tools such as DSC, GC-MS, and GPC, the centre allows us to simulate customer processes at a pilot scale – dramatically reducing concept-to-market cycle times.
R&D in Technical Textiles Business
We have a dedicated R&D facility at our Technical Textiles Business manufacturing location in Manali, near Chennai. It houses world-class infrastructure and a pilot facility for Polymerisation, Spinning, Twisting and Dipping for new products and process development.
Our exemplary team of scientists and engineers, drawn from prestigious institutions, work alongside experienced in-house talent to drive innovation and strengthen our capabilities. Together, they lead projects focussed on developing new products, enhancing the quality of existing offerings, and improving the efficiency of our processes and operations. They also collaborate closely with customers on joint product development and value enhancement of current solutions
Customer Collaboration
We place strong emphasis on customer collaboration, working closely with partners to co-create solutions that deliver meaningful value. Our R&D and business development teams engage regularly with customers to design products and processes tailored to their specific requirements. This collaborative approach has consistently driven strong outcomes, deepened trust, and nurtured enduring partnerships.
Over the years, we have collaborated with leading agrochemical innovators, pharma companies and key users of our performance films and foil to develop solutions that support advancements in the agriculture sector, pharma sector and the packaging industry, respectively. At the same time, we continue to collaborate closely with customers to bring increasingly complex downstream products to market, while strengthening our technical expertise and expanding our product portfolio. This ongoing engagement enables us to stay ahead of evolving industry needs and deliver differentiated, high-value solutions.
New Product and Process Development
Across our diversified business segments, we have achieved meaningful progress in innovation and new product development. These initiatives underscore our commitment to advancing technology, creating greater value, and meeting the evolving needs of customers and industries.
Chemicals Business:
We launched one new Active Ingredient (AI), three new Agro and one new Pharma product
Performance Films & Foil Business:
We expanded our portfolio with advanced CASLAR™ CPP packaging films and KAPLAR™ capacitor-grade BOPP films, addressing performance-critical applications across food packaging, power, renewable energy, EVs, and industrial electronics.
Technical Textiles Business:
We have successfully commercialised new products across segments during the year, i.e. 6 in the Belting Fabric segment, 2 in Tyre Cord Fabric, and 2 in Nylon Yarn segment.
Other Businesses:
- Successfully installed and stabilised knitting textiles machines and started production of ~30 lakhs sq. metre
- Tensile fabric products (Types 1, 2, and 3) were successfully commercialised and introduced to the market during the year
Information Security: Shielded, Resilient, and Protected
Protecting the security and confidentiality of our information systems is essential to ensure stable, reliable, and uninterrupted operations. To achieve this, we operate under a clearly-defined cyber risk management policy, supported by robust governance, controls, and processes designed to prevent, detect, and respond to cyber threats in a timely and effective manner. This framework is further reinforced by a dedicated management team responsible for overseeing and continuously improving the information security management system. The team is headed by Chief Information Officer (CIO), who is also part of the Corporate Leadership Team.
Our cybersecurity framework is anchored in multiple, complementary layers of protection. Key safeguards include SentinelOne Antivirus with Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR), layered firewalls with segregation of critical zones, and the Netskope Secure Web Gateway to reduce exposure and strengthen threat visibility. Our security framework also follows a modern "Zero Trust" approach through the adoption of Zero Trust Network Access, a Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB), and secure identity management enabled by Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA). These measures are reinforced by secure data centres, encryption-based protection of intellectual property through Information Rights Management (IRM) solutions, and secure VPNs to minimise the risk of unauthorised access and data leakage. Together, these initiatives enhance cyber-readiness across the organisation and support a culture of responsible and secure digital practices. Additionally, we have comprehensive information security business continuity plans to ensure resilience against potential disruptions. These plans enable rapid recovery of critical systems and data while minimising operational impact during incidents. They are regularly tested and aligned with evolving risks, technological changes, and business requirements.
During the year, we further strengthened our technology foundation by establishing a resilient hybrid cloud environment and migrating all core applications to Oracle Cloud Infrastructure and Microsoft Azure. To ensure consistent performance and optimal user experience, we enhanced the network architecture to enable shortest-path connectivity from all manufacturing locations to our cloud data centres. The migration – completed without disruption – resulting in improved system reliability and greater operational efficiency. Cloud security was embedded into the design from the outset, enabling stronger segregation, more granular access controls, and enhanced protections against external attacks and data exfiltration. The new architecture is also highly scalable, supporting our long-term digital roadmap and business growth priorities.
Robust, multi-layered cybersecurity framework driven by strong governance
To reduce the likelihood and potential impact of personal or customer data breaches, we implemented additional controls across endpoints, data, and access. All our laptops and PCs are encrypted, with restricted USB usage to reduce removable-media risk. Our CASB controls prevent access to public cloud storage platforms, while Data Loss Prevention (DLP) tools monitor the movement of sensitive intellectual property and block unauthorised transfers. Access to servers and databases remains restricted to privileged users and is continuously monitored. We leverage Cyble's dark web monitoring services to identify any instances of SRF data appearing on unauthorised forums or leak sites.
We enhanced our defensive capabilities further by expanding secure web gateway coverage, deepening our zero-trust network architecture, and strengthening CASB controls. To mitigate email-led threats, we implemented AI-driven email threat detection to proactively identify and address phishing attempts. We also conducted detailed security assessment of our Manufacturing Operations Technology (OT) environment & introduced targeted improvements to enhance its resilience.
Building awareness remains a core element of our cyber program. Throughout the year, we conducted multiple training interventions to strengthen employee understanding of IT security and safe digital practices. These included periodic e-learning through Trend Micro's Phishing Insight program, covering a wide range of topics such as phishing, identity theft, safe browsing, data protection, social engineering, malware defence, and business email compromise.
For more details on mitigating cybersecurity risks, please refer to Principle 9 of our BRSR Report.
Digitally Enhanced
We are committed to leveraging digitalisation as a key driver of operational excellence and enterprise-wide transformation. To drive enterprise-wide transformation, we continue to make focussed investments in modern, scalable digital platforms that support process digitisation, digital workflows, analytics, automation, mobile applications, and cloud-based solutions. Collectively, these initiatives have boosted productivity, strengthened decision-making, and upgraded our IT landscape through the adoption of advanced technologies. These capabilities position us to respond with agility, improve operational efficiency, and create sustained digital advantage across the organisation.
In FY26, we have digitised multiple manual activities by leveraging Business Process Management (BPM) tools and Low Code/No Code platforms. This shift replaced paper-based workflows with faster, more efficient digital processes, reducing turnaround time and minimising errors. Key initiatives included automating Advance Requisition and Sanction Note approvals, streamlining master data management, and digitising vendor bill processing through the Shared Services Centre (SSC). We also deployed energy-efficiency IoT and shop-floor digitisation projects across several plants, further strengthening operational performance.
In parallel, we are embedding Artificial Intelligence (AI) into our systems to enable more informed data-driven decision-making, improve process efficiency, and enhance user experience across critical workflows. To support responsible and secure adoption, we are in process of instituting AI governance measures in the Company. Key features include restricting access to sensitive AI capabilities, periodically evaluating deployed models for fairness and bias, and training employees on ethical AI usage and AI-related security practices.
Impact of Intellectual Capital on other Capitals
Manufactured Capital
Boosts productivity by optimising equipment utilisation
Financial Capital
Improves profitability and cash flows
Social & Relationship Capital
Builds trust and collaboration by improving transparency, service reliability, and stakeholder-facing knowledge
Natural Capital
Reduces environmental footprint by applying data, R&D, and process intelligence
Human Capital
Strengthens workforce capability by upskilling them through better systems and practices
