The Rs700-crore Emami Ltd has set up its second production facility in Assam. The Rs50-crore state-of-the-art manufacturing unit has come up at Abhoypur to produce creams, lotions and ointments.

Spread over nearly 50,000sq meters of land, the plant has an installed capacity to produce 5,400 tonnes of cream, 1,800 tonnes of lotion and 900 tonnes of ointment. The popular brands of the company in this segment include Boroplus Antiseptic Cream, Himani Fast Relief, Boroplus Advance Moisturising Lotion and Fair & Handsome (fairness cream for men).The plant will churn out toally 17 crore Boroplus Antiseptic Cream and Fair & Handsome sachets, 11.5 crore cmall boxes of Menthoplus Balm and 3 crore bottles of Boroplus Lotion per annum.

The unit has the capacity for further expansion both in terms of volume and additional products. In the second phase, the unit will be able to produce 41.5 crore sachets of Navratna Oil, 3.5 crore bottles of Navratna Oil, 3.5 crore 'dibbis' of Himani Fast Relief, and 2.5 crore bottles of Menthoplus Balm per annum.

The company said that the process for evaluating compliance for ISO, GMP and TPM standards certification for the new Abhoypur unit has already begun.

Emami Ltd's existing plant at Amingaon produces 100 crore sachets of Navratna Oil, 25 crore Boroplus Antiseptic Cream/Fair & Handsome tubes, 19 crore Boroplus Antiseptic Cream/Fair & Handsome sachets, 1.8 crore bottles of Menthoplus Balm, 3.5 crore bottles of Navratna Oil and 2.5 crore bottles of Boroplus Lotion per annum.

According to R S Agarwal, joint chairman of Emami group of companies, "the new unit at Abhoypur is a reflection of our commitment to innovation and investment at a time when the world reels under a severe economic recession. The new project also demonstrates our faith and conviction towards the industry friendly environment in Assam".

With Abhoypur plant coming in, Assam has now become a major production centre for Emami. The Abhoypur unit has the capacity to double the production capacity.

To adhere to good engineering practices, interior layout of the plant is based on unidirectional flow of material which is also a unique concept. The high speed Mentho Plus balm packing line has the output capacity of 400 UPM (units per minute) while the imported spout filling and flow wrapping machine has the output of 240 UPM.

Founded in 1974, Emami is a Rs2,000-crore diversified business group with a presence in FMCG, newsprint, private hospital, edible oil, bio-diesel, realty, ball pen tips manufacturing, a contemporary art and retail chain with Frank Ross and Starmark in its fold.

Emami Limited has acquired Zandu Pharmaceutical Works Ltd comprising leading brands such as Zandu balm, Kesari Jeevan and Zandu Chyawanprash. Emami Paper Mills Ltd is one of largest newsprint manufacturer in the country. AMRI hospital is the largest private hospital chain in Eastern India. Emami Biotech Ltd is the only integrated plant to produce 1 lakh tonnes of bio diesel and 3 lakh tonnes of edible oil annually. CRI Ltd is one of the largest ball pen tip manufacturer in India.