Hindustan Lever (HLL) is targeting a turnover of Rs 1,000 cr-ore from a brand new personal products factory in Silvassa, Gujarat, which is the largest in the country and the Unilever world.
The factory is expected to produce 8,000 tonnes of products annually of which 5,000 tonnes will be creams and lotions and 3,000 tonnes will be shampoos. It was inaugurated by Hindustan Lever chairman Keki Dadiseth on Monday.
Lever sources said the company is targeting a turnover of Rs 1,000 crore from this plant in 1999. This year, the turnover is expected to be close to Rs 800 crore. Lever has invested Rs 40 crore in this facility. Ponds India, which is being merged with Hindustan Lever also has a talcum powder plant in this facility.
Lever has two other personal products facilities in the country in Pondicherry, Tamil Nadu and Yavatmal, Maharashtra. Levers personal products business is one of the fastest growing in its wide portfolio and in 1997 had contributed 11 per cent to the companys overall net sales of Rs 7,820 crore.
The main segments include dental care, hair-care and skin-care. Lever has recently consolidated its skin-care business by buying out the Lakme brand with which it had a 50:50 joint venture.
In dental care, Levers main products are Close-Up and Pepsodent which together have a marketshare of 36 per cent. Colgate is so far the market leader with around 60 per cent share. In the hair-care segment, Lever has a share of over 50 per cent in the market followed by Procter & Gamble with around 15 per cent.
The other player is Colgate-Palmolive (India) Ltd.
Lever executives said the factory will enable them to further their growth in the business which is growing atleast around 20 per cent per annum.
