Karnataka Soaps and Detergents (KSDL) which brings out the popular Mysore Sandal Soap has turned “healthy” by registering a Rs16 crore profit during 2011-12.
Karnataka Soaps and Detergents (KSDL) which brings out the popular Mysore Sandal Soap has turned “healthy” by registering a Rs16 crore profit during 2011-12.
“The company, which was on the verge of closure, could achieve this only because of the united efforts of the workers and officers,” said Shivananda Naik, chairman of KSDL.
“The recently launched 150 gram Super Premium Mysore Sandal Soap priced at Rs720 has been attracting customers. Our stock of 12,000 units is exhausted. There is a big demand for these. We have decided to produce 5,000 soaps every month. The largest consumers are in Tamil Nadu,” said S Shekar, managing director of the company.
The soap will also be released in Hyderabad, New Delhi and Kolkata, he said.
Questions were raised about the high pricing of the product when it was launched but the big response it got has silenced the critics, Naik said.
“We are not getting sufficient sandalwood in the state and it is also being procured from Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Sandalwood oil is produced from the sandalwood that comes from these states. Apart from this, we have requested the government to provide land for sandalwood farming. There are also schemes where farmers get free sandalwood plants,” he added.
KSDL had come to an agreement with Gas Authority of India for laying a gas pipeline to the plant.
“Earlier, coal was used and pollution was an issue. We will replace the system which will save Rs2 crore for the company,” Shekar said.
The company plans to introduce liquid soap, liquid body wash, perfumes and sprays. It has a share of 4% in Indian market. In Tamil Nadu, the market share is 14%, while in Karnataka, it is 12%.
“Tamil Nadu had been the major market for Mysore Sandal soaps. Tamilians like this brand which was introduced to them from the time of maharajas,” Naik said.
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