Ranbaxy scripts huge expansion

Ranbaxy Laboratories, the country's largest drug maker, is gearing up to unfold a mega expansion plan involving investment running into hundreds of crore.

On the cards is a plans to set up greenfield manufacturing facilities in North India.

Confirming the development, Malvinder Mohan Singh, whole-time director of Ranbaxy Laboratories, told Business Standard that greenfield projects are being planned for both bulk actives and dosage forms.

This is in addition to the ongoing capacity expansion programme at its manufacturing facilities in India, Brazil and the US entailing an investment $100 million (around Rs 450 crore). He, however, refused to comment of the estimated investment outlay for the proposed projects.

"We are in the process of finalising the budget plans for our proposed expansion plan that would be spread over 2005-2006. It would be funded through a mix of internal accruals and debt," Singh said.

According to analysts, the company is looking at capacity building after a period of over three years. The decision is largely volume-growth driven.

Currently, the company has dosage forms facilities at Dewas (Madhya Pradesh), Paonta Sahib (Himachal Pradesh), New Delhi, Jejuri (Maharashtra) and Goa while its API units are located at Mohali (Haryana) and Toansa (Punjab).

Ranbaxy is a global supplier of generics, branded generics and a range of active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) to drug makers across the globe, and has manufacturing facilities in seven countries namely China, Ireland, Malaysia, Nigeria, USA and Vietnam.

According to the company, its overseas facilities are designed to cater to the specifications of the local regulatory bodies while the Indian facilities meet the requirements of all international regulatory agencies.