Schevaran Labs to set up innovation centre

Mysore-based Schevaran Laboratories Pvt Ltd, a manufacturer of eco-friendly housekeeping products and cooling tower formulations, is setting up a scientific technology innovation centre (STIC) in Mysore. The STIC, spread over 3,500 sq ft area will begin research in April next year in sanitation and green housekeeping, and develop products for India.

According to Sam Cherian Kumbukattu, managing director, Schevaran Laboratories, the centre, being set up for Rs 1 crore, will also have a training centre to train its customers and general public on using green cleaning methods. The company has engaged Richard Joseph, former deputy director, Central Food Technology Research Institute (CFTRI) and other senior scientists from across India on its advisory board.

“Over the last two decades we have built up a sizeable marketshare in the manufacture and sale of around 50 branded chemical formulations for housekeeping, hospital hygiene, pharma and food industry, water treatment and, institutional and industrial maintenance. We are the first company manufacturing cleaning chemical formulations to get approval from the Ministry of Scientific and Industrial Research, for foreign collaboration,” Cherian said.

Schevaran has a joint venture with US-based Rochester Midland Corporation and technology tie up with US-based Water Wise Inc and H H World Trade Co Inc.

Its product range includes house keeping, hospital hygiene, pharma, food, institutional maintenance, industrial maintenance and water treatment.

The company will double its capacity to 300 tonnes per month at its Mysore plant at an investment of Rs 1 crore. “Having established our mark in the enterprise segment of industrial cleaners, we are now looking at expanding our market. We are planning to foray into the mass market with a wide range of products. We want to achieve Rs 100 crore turnover mark in the next seven years,” Cherian said.

Schevaran’s clientele includes Wipro, Intel, Mercedes, TVS Motors, Ford India among others. The expansion of capacity is done to enable the company to enter the mass market.

The company plans to use the organised retail chains like Reliance, More and Big Bazaar to penetrate the mass market in the next two years, he said.

Schevaran Laboratories, which reported a turnover of Rs 8 crore in 2007-08, is looking at over 85 per cent growth to Rs 15 crore during the current year and 100 per cent growth in the next financial year.