Nirma

Nirma is a group of companies based in the city of Ahmedabad in Gujarat, India, that manufactures products ranging from detergents, soaps, cement, cosmetics, salt, soda ash, LAB and injectables. Karsanbhai Patel, an entrepreneur and philanthropist, started Nirma in 1969 as a one-man operation.

For the Pakistani actress, see Nirma (actress).

Nirma
TypePrivate
IndustryFast-moving consumer goods
Founded1969
HeadquartersAhmedabad, Gujarat, India
Area served
India
Key people
Karsanbhai Patel (CMD)
ProductsNuvoco cements, Zero M Wall Putty, Nirma detergent, Nirma soaps
Websitewww.nirma.co.in

History

In 1969, Dr. Karsanbhai Patel, a chemist at the Gujarat Government's Department of Mining and Geology manufactured phosphate-free synthetic detergent powder, and started selling it locally. The new yellow powder was priced at ₹3.50 per kg, at a time when HUL's Surf was priced at ₹13. Soon, there was a huge demand for Nirma in Ruppur (Gujarat), Patel's hometown. He started packing the formulation in a 10x10ft room in his house. Patel named the powder as Nirma, after his daughter Nirupama. Patel was able to sell about 15-20 packets a day on his way to the office on bicycle, some 15 km away. By 1985, Nirma washing powder had become one of the most popular, household detergents in many parts of the country.[1][2]

By 1999, Nirma was a major consumer brand, offering a range of detergents, soaps and personal care products.[3] The group also set up a healthcare subsidiary called Nirlife to manufacture intravenous fluids.[4]

In November 2007, Nirma purchased American raw materials company Searles Valley Minerals Inc., making it among the top seven soda ash manufacturers in the world.[5]

Nirma Group started cement manufacturing in 2014 from a single plant in Nimbol.[6] In 2016, Nirma acquired Lafarge India's cement assets for $1.4 billion.[7] In February 2020, Nirma acquired Emami Cement for ₹5,500 crore (US$720 million).[8]

Major products
  • Soda ash
  • Linear alkyl benzene
  • Soaps
  • Detergents
  • Edible & industrial salt
  • Alpha-olefin sulfonate
  • Sulfuric acid
  • Glycerin
  • Infusions
  • Injectables
  • Critical care products
  • Medical disposables
  • Sugar
  • Cement
  • Single super phosphate
  • Castor oil
  • Multilayer tubes
  • Seamless tubes
  • Tube laminate
  • Flexible laminate
  • Paper & plastic cups
  • Tarpaulin
  • Injection molding
  • Bromine
  • Phosphoric acid

See also

References
  1. Mahesh, Chandni (23 April 2017). "The story of the dancing girl-Nirma". Medium. Retrieved 8 January 2020.
  2. "40 years ago...and now: Nirma girl endears, but brand's seen better days". Business Standard. Retrieved 8 January 2020.
  3. "SRIJAN March - 2010". srimca.edu.in. Retrieved 3 September 2016.
  4. Talukdar, Tapash. "Karsanbhai Patel: The man behind the sucess [sic] of Nirma" – via The Economic Times.
  5. "Nirma shares soar 7% on acquisition of US co". The Economic Times. 27 November 2007.
  6. Mascarenhas, Rajesh. "Nuvoco Vistas likely to file DRHP for Rs 5,000 crore IPO this week" – via The Economic Times.
  7. Pandey, Piyush (11 July 2016). "Nirma to buy Lafarge India cement assets for $1.4 billion". The Hindu. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
  8. "Nirma to acquire Emami's cement business for ₹5,500 cr". 6 February 2020 – via www.thehindu.com.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.