P&G plans to set up facility in Himachal

Fast moving consumer goods major Procter and Gamble (P&G) is on an expansion drive in India. The company has zeroed in on Baddi in Himachal Pradesh for setting up a new manufacturing facility.

"It is too early to comment on the expansion project in Himachal Pradesh. At present, it can be only said that we have zeroed in on Himachal Pradesh for its attractive tax structure," said Bharat Patel, chairman, P&G.

Patel who was in Vadodara, avoided commenting on the products to be manufactured at an upcoming facility. He also did not say anything on the investment proposed.

However, Patel confirmed that the new facility will house the production facility for both Procter and Gamble Home Products Limited (PGHP) and Procter and Gamble Hygiene and Health Care Limited (PGHH).

The company's expansion project at its Goa facility is also likely to be completed shortly. The company is investing Rs 20 crore to enhance the production capacity of Whisper brand sanitary napkins in Goa.

"We will soon announce the nationwide launch of Whisper Choice. The product has received a tremendous response in South India where it was launched for test marketing. Moreover, we are happy that Whisper Choice has not eaten into the market share of other variants under the Whisper brand," said Patel.

P&G intends make accessible the quality sanitary napkin from a brand like Whisper to consumers through affordable pricing. At present, Whisper Choice is available in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, and Karnataka.

Commenting on the price war in consumer products Patel said: "The reason behind the price reduction was to change the perception of consumers who were under the impression that the international brands are too expansive. It was not a 'price war' at all as hyped by the media in early days. In fact, we have corrected the value proposition in various product categories."

"Today P&G is the fastest growing FMCG company in India. As well as, India is an important nation on P&G map with India as the third fasted growing market in the world for company," said Patel.