KSDL of Mysore Sandal Soap fame to expand capacity in 100th yr

As Karnataka Soaps and Detergents Limited celebrates its centenary year, the company has planned to go in for capacity enhancement by modernising plants and machinery and launching new products to cater to market demands.

Known for its brand product 'Mysore Sandal Soap', the company in a bid to enhance production capacity and visualising long-term commitment had submitted a project  report to the government, Minister for Large & Medium Industries and Infrastructure Development R V Deshpande said.

He said the cabinet has approved Rs 27.15 crore for it and there are plans to install a new modern soaps plant with a capacity of 15,000 metric tonnes per annum.

The project includes erecting and commissioning of two new boilers with (dual fired) reliquified natural gas as fuel to fulfil the mandatory requirements of pollution control boards and to modernise production activities with latest available technology option like continuous saponifiction for base soap manufacturing, soap drying plant, officials said.

It also includes installing one toilet soap finishing line with a capacity of two metric tonne per hour and also to modify one of the existing lines by enhancing it from half  metric tonne per hour to 1 metric tonne capacity, they added.

During the centenary celebration the company will introduce two new products 'Mysic Agarbathi' and 'Mysore  Sandal mango hand wash'.

The company was started as Government Sandalwood Oil factory by the Maharaja of Mysore Nalwadi Krishna Raja Wodeyar and Diwan Sir M Visvesvaraya in 1916.

Despande said that to recognise the work of 542 employees "we have decided to give Rs 20,000 as centenary gifts to them,  as part of the centenary celebration."

He also asked the company to be more aggressive in marketing, building upon the brand equity that it enjoys.

Stating that the company is continuously registering steady growth, officials said for 2015-16 it had achieved a gross turnover of Rs 476.76 crore registering a net profit of about Rs 47 crore.

Company Chairperson Veronica Cornelio said "for this year we have kept a turnover target of Rs 500 crore. With capacity expansion and modernisation by next financial year (2017-18) we can raise Rs 100 crore extra that means to Rs 600 crore."

She said: "Market is there, market is not a problem for  us, we have our own established market."
The company manufactures around 38 different products  ranging from soaps, detergents, cosmetics, agarbathis and  sandalwood oil.

KSDL has also made its presence felt in countries like the UAE, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, the UK, France, China, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Australia, Hong Kong and Nepal.

Officials said exports had registered steady growth over the years and in 2015-16 export were to the tune of Rs 1,025 lakh.