Beiersdorf AG’s Nivea announced its first ever manufacturing plant in India, located at Sanand, Gujarat with an investment of $168 million to open by March 2015. The German company will also establish an R&D center at the factory, which will focus on innovations for Indian consumers as well as other markets, said Managing Director of Nivea India, Rakshit Hargave, during the ground-breaking ceremony of the factory.
Nivea sells 50 million units of its different products every year in India. The company has to import nearly60 per cent of its total requirements and some of its requirement is met through outsourced production. The new plant would help the company reduce its imports by half.
“An important aspect of the plant is the R&D center. This is the only R&D center of the company in the entire SAARC region,” said Stefan De Loecker, corporate senior Vice-President, Near East Region, Beiersdorf. “The R&D center will focus on establishing products according to the needs of the Indian consumers. Secondly, it will be used for innovation in packaging so as to make it more economical,” he added.
