Aurangabad Asbestos Cement Products (ACPL) was incorporated as a private limited company on June 9, 1978 by Khinvasaras of Aurangabad for manufacture of 3,000 tonnes per annum of asbestos cement pressure pipes and couplings. In January 1989, the present management that has long experience in the trading of asbestos cement pipes acquired the controlling interest. Immediately thereafter, the company took up a scheme envisaging increase in its installed capacity from 3,000 tonnes per annum to 20,000 tonnes per annum in two stages, which were completed in 1990 and 1991. Sun Earth Ceramics (SECL) is part of the Motwani group manufacturing and distributing ceramic tiles under the Sonora brand. It is also engaged in marketing of bathroom accessory products.

SECL has tied up with Walt Disney for using Disney characters on tiles and with Masco Corporation for distribution of bathroom accessory products like jacuzzis and faucets. SECL has plants in Alibag and Karjat in Maharashtra and has acquired the ceramic tile division of Madhusudan Industries for Rs 410 million. The acquisition has increased SECL’s capacity to 75,000 TPA. SECL has hived off its asbestos pipe division to Roofit Industries, resulting in a cash flow of Rs 150.7 million.

In September 1999, Sun Earth placed 4,36,470 equity shares at a price of Rs 90 per share to CDF, Mauritius. In FY99 SECL embarked on a capacity expansion program of Rs 1 billion, funded from its internal accruals. This was in order to raise the tile capacity to 30,000 square meters. The capacity addition includes an additional floor line at Karjat, a floor line in Madhusudan Industries and a third firing line at Alibag. SECL has acquired Monalc SA at a total investment of $2 million.