Ahmedabad: Global skin care brand NIVEA Tuesday opened its first manufacturing plant in India at Sanand GIDC area in Gujarat along with an integrated regional development lab.
Beiersdorf AG, parent company of NIVEA, is a leading producer of skin care products and has over 130 years of experience in this market segment.
"It was about ten-and-a-half months ago in June when we actually did the ground-breaking ceremony. If you look back, see in a ten and half months back, we have been able to put up the first phase of this factory extremely fast and the fastest in the history of Beiersdorf," Rakshit Haragave, Managing Director of NIVEA India said after the inauguration ceremony.
Haragve said the Rs 850 crore plant is having the annual capacity of production of around 100 millions unit of the companies products comprising NIVEA Creme and lotions.
"This is our contribution to 'Make in India' initiative of Prime Minister Narendra Modi", he said.
The NIVEA consumers in India and neighbouring countries can continue to get the best products, he added.
Haragave also said that the NIVEA India is also likely to expand the Sanand-based facility in next three to four years.
"This manufacturing site, is our very first in India, where we have our own regional development lab that is set up at the same location to focus on innovations especially for Indian consumer needs and neighbouring markets," said Stefan De Loecker, Executive Board Member, Beiersdorf AG.
"The idea is to get closer to the consumers (of India) and to respond faster to market needs. We can focus on local insights with greater flexibility and develop products that are suitable for Indian skin care needs " added De Loecker.
"Our aim will be to provide products of the highest quality that are aspirational yet accessible for the growing Indian middle class consumer," he said.
NIVEA India (subsidiary of NIVEA) will also encourage their research and development initiatives through this plant, said De Loecker.
The Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation alloted 72,000 sq meters of land at Sanand to set up manufacturing unit as well as R&D centre of NIVEA in India, he added.
NIVEA India, a subsidiary of NIVEA, was founded in 2005.
