Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister (CM) Dr Mohan Yadav will inaugurate Godrej Consumer Products Limited’s fourth manufacturing unit at the Malanpur industrial area in Bhind district on Thursday, August 26, in a major boost to the region’s industrial and employment prospects.

The expansion involves an investment of more than Rs 450 crore and is expected to create over 2,250 new jobs while significantly increasing the plant’s production capacity.

On the occasion, CM Dr Yadav will also distribute appointment letters to newly recruited Public Works Department (PWD) employees during the event. Labour, Panchayat and Rural Development Minister and Bhind district in-charge minister Prahlad Singh Patel, New and Renewable Energy Minister Rakesh Shukla, other public representatives and senior Godrej Group officials are expected to attend.

Major expansion to boost production

As part of the expansion, the company is installing a continuous saponification plant with a capacity of 10 metric tonnes per hour and an automated packaging system capable of handling 217 bundles per minute.

The expanded facility will have the capacity to manufacture 4.2 billion hair colour sachets, 1.4 billion mosquito repellent products and 1 billion air freshener sachets annually. Its hair cream production capacity will stand at 7,300 metric tonnes a year.

The expansion is expected to open up employment opportunities for young people from Bhind and neighbouring areas while giving a fresh push to local industrial activity.

The state is also expected to receive additional annual revenue of around Rs 185 crore through Central Goods and Services Tax (CGST) and State Goods and Services Tax (SGST) following the expansion.

Focus to be laid on sustainability

Alongside increasing production, Godrej is also focusing on environmental sustainability at its Malanpur facility. According to the Dow Jones Sustainability Index, Godrej Consumer Products is among the world’s second-most sustainable FMCG companies.

The Malanpur plant will feature a zero-liquid-discharge system and a 204-kilowatt rooftop solar power plant as part of its sustainability measures.

Godrej Consumer Products has operated in Malanpur since 1991. Spread across 65 acres, the plant has so far received cumulative investment of Rs 850 crore.

Over more than three decades, the facility has emerged as an important manufacturing hub for the Godrej group, producing a range of products, including soaps, hair colours and household insecticides.

Malanpur set for manufacturing boost

The fourth manufacturing unit is expected to substantially increase the plant’s overall production capacity.

At present, the facility can produce 150,000 metric tonnes of soap noodles and 70,000 metric tonnes of finished toilet soap annually. Following the expansion, soap noodle capacity will rise to 200,000 metric tonnes, while finished soap production will increase to 120,000 metric tonnes a year.

The plant’s combined annual production capacity will consequently reach 320,000 metric tonnes, putting the Malanpur facility on course to become one of Asia’s largest integrated soap manufacturing units.