MAN BEHIND HUGELY SUCCESSFUL BRAND

NIRMA

PRESENTED BYGAURAV PATEL114061

STORY LINE• INTRODUCTION• EDUCATION• JOURNEY TOWARD

ENTREPRENEURSHIP• COLLEGES• CONTRIBUTION IN ECONOMY• AWARDS • RECOGNITION

INTRODUCTIONKarsanbhai Khodidas Patel (K.K.

Patel, 1945)came from a humble farmer family from Mehsana, Gujarat.

He is the founder of the Rs. 3550 crore  Nirma group with major interests in detergents, soaps and cosmetics.

INTRODUCTION

EDUCATION  He completed Bsc. in Chemistry at

age 21 in 1966.Initially he worked as lab technician

in the New Cotton Mills, Ahmedabad, of the Lalbhai group. 

Then he worked as Lab Assistant in the Geology and Mining Department of the Government of Gujarat in 1969. 

JOURNEY TOWARD ENTREPRENEURSHIPHe wanted to earn more than what he was earning at present.

So in 1969, at the age of 25, he started a small-scale enterprise.

He offered a quality detergent powder using indigenous technology, at a third of the prevailing price.

JOURNEY TOWARD ENTREPRENEURSHIP The one-man company would bicycle

through the neighbourhoods selling handmade detergent packets door to door at a price of Rs. 3 per kg.

The next available cheapest brand in the market at that time was Rs.13 per kg.

He named the detergent powder Nirma after his daughter Nirupama. 

JOURNEY TOWARD ENTREPRENEURSHIP Nirma revolutionized the whole detergent

powder segment and in a short span of time created an entirely new market segment in the domestic detergent sector market. 

 After three years, he felt confident enough to quit his job. 

It gave the bigger established brands a run for their money and soon occupied the top market share.

JOURNEY TOWARD ENTREPRENEURSHIPThe Nirma brand quickly established

itself in Gujarat and Maharashtra.The high quality and low price of the

detergent made for great value. Fuelled by housewife-friendly

advertisement jingles.Nirma was the largest selling

detergent in India.

JOURNEY TOWARD ENTREPRENEURSHIP It was phosphate free and hence

environment friendly. Nirma entered the premium

segment, launching toilet soaps Nirma bath and Nirma beauty soap, and premium detergent Super Nirma detergent.

Nirma beauty soap is one of the leading toilet soaps, behind Lifebuoy and Lux.

JOURNEY TOWARD ENTREPRENEURSHIP  Overall Nirma has a 20% market

share in soap cakes and about 35% in detergents.

Nirma also has successful operations in neighbouring countries.

 It also has a unfamiliar product Sudh salt.

COLLEGES He has interests in education, and founded

a leading pharmacy college Nirma Institute of Pharmacy.

In 1995, he started the Nirma Institute of Technology in Ahmedabad, which grew into a leading engineering college in Gujarat.

An Institute of Management followed, with the entire structure being consolidated under the Nirma University of Science and Technology in 2003.

COLLEGES The Nirma labs education project,

aimed at training and incubating entrepreneurs, was launched in 2004.

COLLEGES

CONTRIBUTION IN ECONOMY At that time domestic detergent market was

limited only to premium segment and was dominated by MNCs.

The process of manufacturing was labor intensive, which offered large scale employment  (employing 15,000 people in 2004).

After establishing its leadership in economy-priced detergents, Nirma foray into the premium brand segment, in cakes and detergents was equally successful.

He has won many accolades on his way to success. 

The Federation of Association of Small Scale Industries of India, New Delhi, awarded him with the 'Udyog Ratna‘.

He has been conferred with Padma Shri Award for the year 2010 The award will be formally conferred by the President of India Mrs Pratibha Patil.

AWARDS

AWARDS The Gujarat Chamber of Commerce

felicitated him as an 'Outstanding Industrialist of the Eighties'.

The Govt. of India twice appointed him Chairman of the Development Council for Oils, Soaps & Detergents.

RECOGNITIONIn 2009, He was ranked #92 by Forbes magazine, for the list of India's Richest bussinessmen.

He is sometimes referred to as K. K. Patel.

REFERENCESwww.nirma.co.inwww.iloveindia.comWikipedia.org

GUIDED BY

Dr. Prasantha kumar R