Medicamen: Steering Success

B K Gupta, MD Medicamen Biotech

Medicamen was established in Haridwar, Uttrakhand by BK Gupta. The company is spread as a state-of-the art project covering 47000 square feet. Medicamen has developed facilities for manufacture of tablets, capsules, oral liquids and ointments in non -beta lactum segment. The betalactum segment of the company's manufacturing plant has separate sections for manufacturing tablets, capsules, dry powder and ready mix syrup. "This is under advance stage of implementation and will probably be ready by October 2007," informs Gupta.

Keeping in mind the beautifully laid down industrial estate, the good connectivity of the state and supplies of water and electricity in abundance, the company planned its functions in Haridwar. While the company holds a WHO-GMP approved plant in the state of Rajasthan, two -third of the company's turnover is export oriented. According to the company officials, it was a sheer compulsion for the company to shift to Uttarakhand as it was declared as tax free zone and the excise duty was imposed on M.R.P. "To save our one-third domestic business we have established plant in Uttrakhand and we feel at par with any other company in the tax free zone as far as competition is concerned," asserts Gupta.

However, the company faced challenges related to manpower. Availability of technically competent and experienced manpower was a hurdle that the company faced in the time of sheer competition. Medicamen has developed its own facilities to provide best of services to its clients and customers. The company believes that implementation of new and latest technology is very important for successful functioning of any pharmaco. The company has therefore adopted ERP system to manage the plant in a best possible manner and have shifted quite a few personnel from its Rajasthan plant to man the important portfolios.

The companies' functions are focused in franchisee marketing, institutional business and loan licence or contract manufacturing in the domestic market. The company intends go slow and steady and therefore plans to continue with the same domain of functions. However, the company plans to launch the generic and prescription business from Haridwar in near future. Medicamen is also looking at marketing tie-ups in the times to come.

The company aims to double the sales from next financial year onwards with the establishment of beta-lactum segment with an annual increase of around 50 percent. The company has plans to establish a new plant for liquid, powder and injections in the next financial year in the same industrial estate.