CHENNAI: During World War II, an Indian PoW captured by the Japanese in Burma found an empty bottle of Amrutanjan lying outside his cell. He reached out, opened it and inhaled the smell of menthol and eucalyptus oil still emanating from it.
Until his release, he later wrote to Amrutanjan, he sought comfort in that aroma, one which reminded him of home. Nearly seven decades later, the Chennai-headquartered Amrutanjan Health Care could feel nostalgic too about a time when it was an undisputed leader in the pain balm business.
What's happened is this: in a series of rapid moves, uncharacteristic of the organisation, Amrutanjan's fourth generation scion and 36-year-old MD Sambhu Prasad has, in just the last five months or so, taken the company into four new product categories. These are ready-to-eat food (Kitchen Delights), beverage (Fruitnik), hand sanitiser (Purity) and sanitary napkin (Comfy).
Not just that. Prasad is going in for a rebranding of the flagship Amrutanjan brand in order to woo the youth. Simultaneously, he has chalked out global plans, involving the creation of five export hubs. All this as he experiments with a new concept called pain management centre.
"Five years down the line, we would be a much broader healthcare company," says Prasad. Now in his sixth year as MD, Prasad had worked in the US before joining the family-run business.
These are big plans for Amrutanjan, as in recent decades it seemed to have allowed matters to merely drift. More evidence of the bigness comes when you hear from Shining Consulting, a firm engaged for the rebranding exercise, that the Amrutanjan brand should become Rs 1,000 crore big in five years. This number is even higher than the company's sales in the last 10 years put together.
"It means," says Ramanujam Sridhar, Founder-CEO, Brand-Comm, "they are ready to take risks. And a new identity (new branding) is necessary because now they have a new focus."
As reported in: http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2011-09-07/news/30122948_1_amrutanjan-brand-pain-balm-amrutanjan-health-care
Until his release, he later wrote to Amrutanjan, he sought comfort in that aroma, one which reminded him of home. Nearly seven decades later, the Chennai-headquartered Amrutanjan Health Care could feel nostalgic too about a time when it was an undisputed leader in the pain balm business.
Now, it has been overtaken by the likes of Zandu Balm. Attempts in the recent past to take the company beyond pain balm have failed.
The Rs 120-crore company, founded 118 years back by freedom fighter Nageswara Rao Pantulu, is now considered by analysts as too small and insignificant to track. Many others wonder how it let slip of the opportunity despite owning a heritage brand.
That's why the recent flurry of activity in this organisation is significant. Success or failure could mean a fresh growth beginning or a return to just nostalgia.
What's happened is this: in a series of rapid moves, uncharacteristic of the organisation, Amrutanjan's fourth generation scion and 36-year-old MD Sambhu Prasad has, in just the last five months or so, taken the company into four new product categories. These are ready-to-eat food (Kitchen Delights), beverage (Fruitnik), hand sanitiser (Purity) and sanitary napkin (Comfy).
Not just that. Prasad is going in for a rebranding of the flagship Amrutanjan brand in order to woo the youth. Simultaneously, he has chalked out global plans, involving the creation of five export hubs. All this as he experiments with a new concept called pain management centre.
"Five years down the line, we would be a much broader healthcare company," says Prasad. Now in his sixth year as MD, Prasad had worked in the US before joining the family-run business.
These are big plans for Amrutanjan, as in recent decades it seemed to have allowed matters to merely drift. More evidence of the bigness comes when you hear from Shining Consulting, a firm engaged for the rebranding exercise, that the Amrutanjan brand should become Rs 1,000 crore big in five years. This number is even higher than the company's sales in the last 10 years put together.
"It means," says Ramanujam Sridhar, Founder-CEO, Brand-Comm, "they are ready to take risks. And a new identity (new branding) is necessary because now they have a new focus."
As reported in: http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2011-09-07/news/30122948_1_amrutanjan-brand-pain-balm-amrutanjan-health-care