Spotlight

Ozone—The name speaks volumes

Ozone Pharmaceuticals is not just a company but a company of thoughts. It is a company which believes that ‘vision without action is a dream’ and that ‘there is no substitute to hard work,’ Sushmi Dey discovers…

Just like the ozone layer which acts as a shield protecting the earth from biologically dangerous effects of ultraviolet solar radiation, Ozone Pharmaceuticals offers the promise to protect humanity from various ailments. A pioneer in ayurvedic medicines, the company has consolidated its position in the market with its popular and innovative brand-NoMarks. The jewel in the Ozone Group's crown, NoMarks contributes close to 35 percent of the Group's Rs 112-crore turnover.

After creating a success story with NoMarks in the anti-marks crème category, the company has recently announced its entry into the anti-acne skin care segment. The company launched a pimple and mark removal ayurvedic crème called 'Zap n Clear' in April 2008. The product will be part of its No Marks Anti-Acne Range. "Taking the No Mark legacy forward, Ozone Ayurvedics has launched its No Mark Anti Acne range and Zap n Clear is the first product to be launched under this range," says SC Sehgal, Chairman, Ozone Group of Companies.

The anti-acne market in India is valued at Rs 60 crores and is expected to grow at 12.4 percent in 2008-09. While the company claims that 'Zap n Clear' is the only anti-acne formulation available in India, the early launch is definitely going to gain Ozone a prominent position in the market.

"Ozone is putting in a concerted effort at expanding the skincare category by introducing new and innovative products for various skin related problems. After the huge success of NoMarks in the Anti-Marks segment, Ozone's entry in the anti-acne segment, with Zap n Clear, is yet another step in this direction. The launch of Zap n Clear reiterates our commitment to the consumers by providing them a wider choice," says Neeta Aggarwal, CEO, Ozone Ayurvedics.

However, sky is the limit for this 16 year old young company with ambitious projects in hand. Ozone is also planning to launch several other products in consumer healthcare segment like Oil-free Sunscreen Lotion and NoMarks Anti Acne face cream. Besides, it plans to launch Anti Acne face pack and Anti Acne scrub in the therapeutic segment and a No Pimple No Marks Face wash and soaps in the preventive segment under this range subsequently.

Inception

The company has expanded tremendously since its inceptions in 1992. The company started its business with retailing its products nationally under an unknown banner. A year later, the company started operations in Northern India, Nepal and Kashmir with only one manufacturing unit at Bahadurgarh, in Haryana,. As the company was hardly known at that time, it faced real bottlenecks finding reliable distributors and retaining company personnel. "I started the business with only around Rs three crores. It was difficult to convince bankers then as when you are starting a business everyone looks at you with a lot of suspicion but you have to be focused and prove your credentials," says Sehgal. With its keen desire and aspiration to serve humanity through finest quality medicaments, Ozone carved its own entity in a short span of time. The company became nationally operational in 2001and since then has never looked back.

Moving Ahead…

In 2001, the company started Ozone Ayurvedics and since then Ozone has been at the forefront of introducing pioneering products using knowledge of ayurveda and modern pharmacological research. With the objective to propagate a natural, organic way to good health and healing, Ozone as a company has intensified its work for aggregation of knowledge, standardisation of work, control of quality etc.

Moving forward, two years ago, in 2006, Ozone established its R&D centre. The company also owns state-of-the-art manufacturing units in Baddi (Himachal Pradesh) and Guwahati (Assam) with WHO GMP certification. The group has a government-approved analytical testing lab at Bahadurgarh, manned by a highly skilled and qualified team, and equipped to outsource testing of various formulations for allopathic as well as ayurvedic formulations. "R&D is an inherent part of all manufacturing processes in the Ozone Group. We are therefore planning Rs 20 crore of investment in R&D over the next two years," informs Sehgal.

Growing fast

The Ozone group is all set to reach greater heights. The company presently has a turnover of Rs 112 crores. "We expect our next hundred (crore) in the coming two years," says Sehgal. The company follows a three tier structure wherein it covers three organisations under one group—Ozone Pharmaceuticals, Ozone Ayurvedics and Ozone R&D division.

However, the secret behind the company's success is its business strategy to simultaneously exist in two branches of medicine. "We work to bring in amalgamation between allopathy and ayurveda and believe that the outcome will be rejuvenating and synergistic," asserts Sehgal. The group has two main divisions-pharmaceutical and consumer healthcare wherein they work towards both ayurvedic and allopathic products.

The pharma division of the company manufactures formulation drugs. To make its business more speciality-oriented to consumers, the company is planning to create speciality specific divisions under Ozone Pharma banner. These divisions will specifically look into areas like cardiac and diabetic, orthopaedics etc. "The different divisions are in formative stage and shortly Ozone Pharma would be operating in verticals, which would be specialty specific. The same core thought is being applied even in case of ayurveda where we are going to be in cosmeceutical formulation which would provide solution to specific problems," reveals Sehgal.

Through its consumer healthcare business, the group looks into the over-the-counter (OTC) segment. This division of Ozone has generated leading brands like NOMARKS and KWIK, all of which are ayurvedic preparations.

However, the pharma division is the largest part of the Ozone group businesses and brings out only prescription drugs. This division works on several key therapeutic areas like antibiotics, antifungal, nutritional, anti-infectives, anxiolytics, cardiac and diabetic segment. "The largest selling products in this division are Osil, a most relied upon vasotropic agent and is used for effective management of varicose veins and haemorrhoids and Tranostat, a haemostate used for exceeding bleeding," informs Sehgal.

Presently, Ozone products are available in 21 countries and has its own strong marketing and distribution network. The company employs 1700 employees which includes 20 scientists.

Initiatives

The company initiated steps to launch a massive drive towards management of acne and pimples. "We view acne and pimple as a problem and it has to be dealt with a therapeutic solution. To knock pimples off and diminish or clear pimple marks, we have launched several therapeutic products and plan to introduce more variants very soon," says Sehgal.

For Ozone, expansion is also now on the cards. As part of the company's expansion plans, it is extending its research facility in the field of organic farming and has already acquired land in the North-East for cultivating the crop. The group is already involved in organic farming and has its own herbal cultivation farm in Gurgaon where all herbs are grown organically.

CSR activities

The company performs its corporate social responsibility (CSR) under a programme called Ozone Mission. The programme was started in 2004. It is today actively engaged in rural development work through various need-based and people-centered advancement programmes. The mission's motto is— “Work is a birth right and employment opportunities should be created to help people live with dignity". Under the mission, Ozone has, adopted a cluster of 16 villages around Govardhan, near Mathura and has been actively working towards rural empowerment in the area through an integrated participatory process. A unique methodology of mobilising local resources in the form of funds, material and human resources, with villagers being made responsible for their implementation, which Ozone mission has been managing since its inception has proved very successful.

Given the perennial urge to look good, Ozone's cosmeceutical products seem to have an assured market and future. More important, Ozone has proved that one can successfully straddle the ayurvedic and allopathic markets.

sushmi.dey@expressindia.com