Fem Care plans R&D, chemical facilities

Nashik-based Fem Care Pharma (FCPL) is planning to set up a chemical facility at Vadivarhe, 6 kms from Nashik, at Rs 6 crore investment which will start commercial operation by April next year.

FCPL will also develop an R&D centre at its Nashik facility with a Rs 2 crore investment. In the current fiscal, FCPL is targeting Rs 85 crore sales target, including Rs 5 crore from exports.

Speaking to Business Standard, Sunil H Pophale, chairman and managing director, FCPL, said, "We are setting up a chemical facility at Vadivarhe to manufacture high value intermediates required for bulk drugs."

This will be the full Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) facility spread over 3.25 acres of land, with built-up area of 4,000 square metres. Initially, the manufacturing capacity of this facility will be 3 tonne per month.

Regarding the the R&D centre at its Nashik facility Pophale said, "Independent R&D activities will be undertaken in a area of 8,000 sq.ft under expansion plan."

In the fiscal year 2005-06, FCPL has registered 15 per cent sales growth compared with previous year. In 2005-06, the company's sales turnover was Rs 51.85 crore while it was Rs 44.91 crore in the fiscal year 2004-05. The company has set the sales target of Rs 85 crore for the current fiscal year (2006-07).

In 2005-06, FCPL reported export of Rs 1.76 crore. In the current fiscal , the company is targeting Rs 5 crore. Currently, FCPL is exporting to the US Nepal, Bangladesh, and Middle-East countries. The company is also planning to add Thailand and Malaysia to its fold shortly.

FCPL's existing facility, which is located in the Ambad areas of MIDC in Nashik, has chemical and cosmetic divisions.

The manufacturing capacity of the former is 500 kg per month while the cosmetic division is 100 per cent EOU.

FCPL has recently set up a cosmetic facility at Manakapur (District Solan) in Himachal Pradesh.