Clear vision is health tonic for Cambridge Health

MEET YOUR ENTREPRENEUR/NEERAJ SINGH

While pursuing B Pharm at BITS Meshra in 1993 Neeraj Singh had a clear-cut career option "" setting up a pharmaceutical company.

During campus interviews, an offer from Glaxo India became his obvious choice which he thought will help to know about manufacturing in the pharmaceutical sector.

Later, Singh joined the marketing division of Fulford India. After working there for two years, he quit that job to set up Cambridge Healthcare (CHL) in 1996.

CHL, which was set up with an initial capital of Rs four lakh in 1996, has reported a turnover of Rs 12 crore in fiscal 2002-2003.

Says Singh, the managing director of CHL: "The company has already surpassed last year's turnover in the first nine months of the current financial year. We are planning to end this year with a Rs 19 crore turnover."

In 2000, CHL had bought the manufacturing unit of Organ and India, a Holland-based pharma company for Rs six crore. The manufacturing unit based at Mehsana is the Asia's largest isabgol processing and formulation unit, which is certified by WHO-GMP.

At present, the company specialises in three categories. First, the company manufacturers a wide range of dermatology products and markets it across the country, secondly it manufactures isabgol for Organ and India on a job work basis.

The production capacity of the plant is 50 lakh sachets per month and the company utilises the optimum capacity of the plant.

Third, the company manufacturers antibiotic and antialergic tablets namely TRX-150 and Dicet and markets them throughout the country.

"The company manufacturers tablets using the efferuesent technology, which is used only by Ranbaxy Laboratories in the country. The company plans to double its turnover to Rs 25 crore by exporting its tablets in African and CIS countries in the next financial year," said Singh.

CHL also works with the government to provide mid-day meals to school children.

The company's Mehsana unit also has India's largest food processing plant with a production capacity of 40 tonne. The plant runs in full capacity.

CHL plans to open new food processing units in Jharkhand and Orissa in association with the respective state governments. It will invest Rs three lakh in each plants.

The company has also received orders to set up a food processing unit in Uganda in Africa under a WHO project.

Singh's family consists of his wife Laxmi Sinha and son Anmol Raj. In his free time, Singh likes working out in the gym. During weekends he loves to go out for a long run.

Singh attributes his success to the company's chairman, Ranchorbhai Patel, who has been his mentor.