The Hindu Business Line : Birla White to expand speciality products basket

“We see it as a key driver of growth to increase our turnover from Rs 500 crore to Rs 1,000 crore by 2009-10,” says the President, Mr D.R. Dhariwal.

G. Naga Sridhar

Hyderabad, Jan. 12 Birla White, the white cement division of Grasim Industries Ltd, is planning to expand its speciality products basket to double its turnover in the next two years.

“Our present focus is on speciality products. We see it as a key driver of growth to increase our turnover from Rs 500 crore (2006-07) to Rs 1,000 crore by 2009-10,” Mr D.R. Dhariwal, President, Birla White, told Business Line here.

The Aditya Birla Group company is buoyed by the good response to its flagship speciality product, Birla White Wallcare Putty (a protective base for wall paints).

Sales turnover

“This product also has brought Rs 300 crore (on sale of 1.2 lakh tonnes so far in the year). We are hoping to repeat the show with other products such as Kool N Seal (to shield surfaces from high temperature) and Textura (white cement based textured wall finish),” he said.

Indian Railways is currently conducting trials by using the product on the roof of the coaches. “There could be a big deal with them,” he added.

A research and development unit with a budget of over Rs three crore is working on upgradation of speciality products and developing new products. The mix of white cement and speciality products is currently at 55:45 (in a capacity of five lakh tonnes per annum) and by the end of March 2008 (in six lakh tonnes capacity), it would be at 45:55, he added.

Export target

On the exports front, the company is exporting 25,000 tonnes to West Asia and South East Asia. “We have just begun exports to the US and Europe. Our target is to export over one lakh tonnes by next fiscal end,” Mr Dhariwal said.

While declining to elaborate on investment plans, he said efforts were afoot to make ‘significant’ investment in the next two years.