Entrepreneur

By SHRUTI BHATTER (06)

Products

KARSANBHAI PATEL. A person born in 1945. Son of a small time-

Farmer Khodidas Patel from Ruppur, Mehsana.

A qualified Science Graduate.

Karsanbhai is now number 38 in the Forbes list of richest Indians.

Birth of NIRMA I was a chemist with the

Gujarat Minerals Development Corporation, and had to work in a dingly,ill-equipped laboratory in Ahmedabad, he reminisces. The work was dull and my salary of Rs.400/- was grossly insufficient to take care of all my expenses. I decided I had to do something on the side to bring some additional money.

Innovation, Creation & Foundation. 1969- Karsanbhai started Experimenting in his 100sq ft

Backyard of home.

Door-to-Door Selling on Bicycle.

Moneyback Guarantee.

Launched for Rs 3 per Kg.

Milestone’s 1980s- Nirma was the toast of marketing gurus. 1985-Nirma detergent cake was launched. In 1990, Nirma Super Detergent, a spray-dried blue detergent

powder, was launched. In 1994, Nirma Limited was listed on the stock exchanges . 1997- Launched Nima Soap. In fiscal 1997, the Nirma group restructured operations and

merged four companies – Nilinta Chemicals, Nirma Detergents, Nirma Soaps and Detergents, and Shiva Soaps and Detergents – with its flagship Nirma Ltd.

2000-Nirma shudh Edible Salt launched.

Organisation Structure

Karsanbhai Patel

(Non-Executive Chairman.)

Rakeshbhai Hirenbhai Kalpeshbhai

Vice Chairman

Managing

Director.

Executive director

Strategy…

Optimise capabilities. State-of-art technologies. Value for money. Backward integration. Umbrella Branding.

Funding Temples Of Learning

The Nirma Education & Research Foundation in 1994,

The Nirma Institute of Technology in “95, the Nirma Institute of Management in ‘96

The Nirma Institute of Diploma Studies in ‘97, for providing higher education in management & technology, without financial support from the government.

On Repaying Society's Debt The Sankat Nivaran Society. Sardar Sarovar Project. Nirma Memorial Trust. The Nirma Foundation. The Ruppur Chanasma Gram Vikas Trust.

Current Scenario. Nirma notched up a higher net sales of Rs

1,916.76 crore during the period ended March 31, 2005-06, up from Rs 1,838.87 crore last year. The profit before tax was Rs 404.97 crore, up from Rs 352.81 crore last year.

For the financial year 2005-06, Karsanbhai Patel and family, the promoters of detergent major Nirma Limited, have the highest tax-free dividend income by pocketing a whopping dividend income of Rs 46 crore.

Awards & Accolades Udyog Ratna by Federation of Association of Small-

Scale Industries of Gujarat, New Delhi. Outstanding Industrialist of Eighties by Gujarat Chamber

of Commerce and Industry, Ahmedabad (in 1990). Excellence in Corporate Governance Award by Rotary

International District 2000. A&M Hall of Fame, _______. Shri Karsanbhai has been awarded an Honorary

Doctorate by Florida Atlantic University, Florida, USA in the year 2001 in recognition of his exceptional accomplishments as a philanthropist and businessman.

Gujarat Businessman Award (1997-1998)

By Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Ahmedabad.

Presented by Honorable L.K.Advani the then Union Home Minister.