The second phase of the expansion project of public sector Kerala Soaps Ltd. will go on stream on January 27.

The second phase has been completed with an investment of Rs 5 crore, of which Rs 3 crore has been spent on machinery and equipment and Rs 2 crore on construction of a new building. The Industries Minister, Mr. Elamaram Kareem, will inaugurate the expanded facility.

The operation of the company, which was formerly known as Kerala Soaps and Oils Ltd., had come to a standstill in 2001 and it was subsequently taken over by Kerala State Industrial Enterprises (KSIE) in 2006. The unit, which underwent a revival exercise, resumed operations in January last year.

The first phase of the revival scheme was completed at an outlay of Rs 6.46 crore as against a planned investment of Rs 7 crore. The annual capacity of the company after the completion of the second phase is 6,000 tonnes.

New brands

The company has already introduced brands such as Kerala Sandal, Thrill-Exotic and Thrill-Chempakam in the bathing soaps segment in the market and over the last one year, it registered a sales turnover of Rs 3 crore in the face of stiff competition, according to company officials.

By February this year, the company is planning to launch more brands such as Kairali and Washwell, followed by another brand, Rhythm, in March. The ultimate objective was to roll out soaps priced between Rs 5 and Rs 44 targeting all sections of the society, the officials said.

Apart from the local markets, the products of the company were now available in Tamil Nadu as well and steps for export of the products to Gulf countries had been completed, they said.

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