Leading Mid-Corporates of India 2023

42 | Leading Mid-Corporates of India 2023 [ PROFILE OF 2023 AWARD WINNERS - MID-CORPORATES ] CLARION COSMETICS AN ALL-ROUND COSMETIC PRODUCT MANUFACTURER The cosmetics and cosmeceutical industry depends largely on contract manufacturing for their production requirements. The scope of operations of this industry space is expanding with increase in demand of both high volume cosmetics and skin/hair care products and small pouch & trial-sized/travel packages. Clarion Cosmetics, the flagship company of the Clarion Group, co-founded by Mr. K.N. Lakshmanan and Mr. Y.C. Korani, has refined the manufacture of personal care products into a well-honed quality driven process. The company’s journey began as a contract manufacturer of talcum powder in 1993 and today, Clarion is one of India’s leading Private Label Manufacturers and produces about 90,000 tonnes of Personal Care products annually. Clarion’s JV with Fiabila of France is the biggest Nail Enamel manufacturer in India and serves most of the leading brands. With state-of-the-art infrastructure and capabilities, today we are one of the largest contract manufacturers of personal care products in India, besides being the largest manufacturer of nail enamels in South Asia. Nikita Containers is a Clarion group company and is a leading player in the decorative Tin Container Industry. In 2005, Clarion ventured into Beauty Education and Skills Training with LTA. In 2018, Clarion also acquired two ethnic South Indian food brands – Mambalam Iyers and Thaayar Food Products. Clarion’s group companies include Clarion Cosmetics, Caress Beauty Care, Fiabila India, Cool Cosmetics, Lotus Beauty Care, Clarion Foods, Nikita Containers, Nikitaa Packaging, LTA, Rama Krishna Packaging, Mambalam Iyers and Thaayar Food Products. The INR 1512 Crore group is based in India with manufacturing locations in Navi Mumbai, Chennai, Pondicherry, Umbergaon and Haridwar. ADDRESSING ALL FORMS OF MARKET DEMAND The cosmetics and skin care market is divided into two segments. One is the e-commerce segment with premium skin care, hair care, colour cosmetics and make- up products that require high-end products in small volumes of 5000 to 15000 pieces per month. Another is the physical retail segment selling skin and hair care products at high volume. Clarion has developed the capacity and capability that is able to address the demand from both segments which is its USP. Besides being effective in offering a large product range, Clarion also brings about innovation with the help of its expert technology and manufacturing teams, helping improve production line throughput and overall manufacturing efficiency. Clarion also not only employs the highest Safety and Quality standards, but also remains committed to all ethical and statutory compliances while delivering turnkey solutions from concept to implementation; right from developing formulations with in-house R&D to the commercial scaling, manufacturing, filling and packaging. Clarion’s manufacturing units are also agile to meet the low volume requirements of e-commerce companies. Clarion’s manufacturing units are ISO 22716:2007 GMP certified. Further, all locations have a fully outfitted laboratory with advanced equipment, analytical and micro labs. R&D AT CLARION Following global standard processes, Clarion’s R&D has developed products ranging from revitalising shampoos and hair serum to body washes, massage oils, special purpose balms, skin creams, specialised ayurvedic creams, antibacterial liquid soap and handwash, hand sanitizers and hand rubs. The division has created a professional range of products for salons and a range of guest amenities too. Clarion’s Product Development Centre at Irungattukottai, near Chennai is fully fitted with the latest equipment, with a contemporary design. Further, the R&D lab is augmented by the availability of a Pilot plant in the same facility, to help scale up lab size batches to larger batch sizes. THE COVID CHALLENGE Clarion’s factory teams demonstrated great resilience during Covid and ensured all units operated at full capacity, with minimal disruption. During the critical Covid period, Clarion also set up a new factory to manufacture Handwashes for a prime customer, near Chennai and a Nano factory at Lotus Beauty Care, Haridwar to produce a host of skin and hair care products, incorporating agile manufacturing techniques to churn out a wide range of products with maximum flexibility in terms of packaging formats and lower run sizes, besides shorter lead times. Nano factory, in its very first year was instrumental in delivering 124 new launches (product portfolios) making it the most complex site with 100% FTR. FUTURE EXPANSION PLANS The company has achieved 38% growth over the last five years and has very ambitious future goals. Clarion is aiming to become a leader in the contract manufacturing space in India delivering high quality products at very competitive prices and in five years, wants to be at the forefront of high value, low volume manufacturing, on the strength of R&D, Innovation and Manufacturing expertise. Clarion is also striving to become a formidable player in the Guest Amenities space with premium product offerings. SOCIAL CONSCIOUSNESS AND DRIVE TOWARDS SUSTAINABILITY Clarion group’s CSR initiative “Clarion KIRAN” representing the values: Kind. Inspired. Responsible. Action-oriented. Nurturing, is actively involved in community projects, especially those in education, healthcare and renewable energy. KIRAN is focused on community projects such as building of Free Student Homes for school children (in partnership with AIM for Seva & Anandam) and rural education and rehabilitation of girls (in partnership with Matraanchal Kanya Vidyapeeth, Haridwar). Clarion contributes to Kalvi Thunai, Coimbatore to help it renovate and add facilities to help more deserving students avail of academic guidance. The renovated Kalvi Thunai has the required infrastructure to coach 150 students in the evening “School after School”. Clarion KIRAN takes concrete steps to create awareness among employees for the need to be environmentally conscious. Towards this, workshops and tree plantation drives in association with Environmentalist Foundation of India (EFI) were conducted in Chennai. Clarion also actively supports groundwater and pond rejuvenation efforts in Haridwar and Chennai. Initiatives in healthcare include sizeable contributions to Anandam, an old age home in Chennai and two Dialysis centres – one by Rotary Club of Chennai Towers and another by the Rotary Club of Chennai Ambattur. The Group generates wind power to the tune of 9.80 MW. Solar installations at Mumbai, Chennai and Pondicherry collectively generate about 700 KW, with plans for more such plants to be installed in Clarion’s facilities in 2023. [ BRANDED CONTENT ] Clarion Cosmetics Dun & Bradstreet