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Karsanbhai Patel started manufacturing detergents at home in 1969. He offered a detergent powder at less than 1/4th the price of the then available products. His operations grew from strength to strength and Nirma became the world?s largest selling detergent powder by the late ?80s.
The manufacturing and marketing operations were divided in several closely held group companies. In FY97, Nirma group restructured its operations and merged 4 companies, namely Nilinta Chemicals Ltd, Nirma Detergents Limited, Nirma Soaps and Detergents Limited and Shiva Soaps and Detergents Limited, with its flagship Nirma Limited. Kisan Industries, the sole separate detergent manufacturing unit has been merged with Nirma in March '00. Nirma now owns all the detergent manufacturing facilities of the group, besides toilet soap/ other industrial chemicals manufacturing facilities and a modern packaging unit owned by Kisan.
Toilet soaps recorded a strong 40% plus volume and value growth driven by the success of the nIma launch. Besides the Rose variant, Nirma launched several fragrance variants such as Nima Lime and Nima Sandal during the year. Other toilet soap brands Nirma Bath , Nirma Beauty, Nirma Lime and Nirma Premium positioned at various price points also continued to grow. Toilet soap volumes grew from 75,450 tons in FY99 to 106,626 tons in FY00. Toilet soap manufacture capacity at Mandali was increased from 90000 to 110000 tons pa in FY00.
Nirma has launched Nirma Shikakai soap in the hair care segment. Nirma has also forayed into the shampoo market. A full fledged launch of shampoo is expected once the backward integration projects are completed. LAB, Glycerine, oleum, sulphuric acid, AOS and now soda ash capacities have primarily set up as backward integration for toilet soaps and detergents. To achieve scale economies, the company has set up large capacities, and surplus output is sold.
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