Nirma
Indian conglomerate
title: "Nirma" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["chemical-companies-of-india", "manufacturing-companies-based-in-ahmedabad", "laundry-detergents", "chemical-companies-established-in-1969", "manufacturing-companies-established-in-1969", "indian-companies-established-in-1969", "companies-formerly-listed-on-the-bombay-stock-exchange", "indian-brands", "1969-establishments-in-gujarat"] description: "Indian conglomerate" topic_path: "geography/india" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nirma" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Indian conglomerate ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox company"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| logo | Nirma svg logo.svg |
| type | Private |
| industry | Fast-moving consumer goods |
| foundation | 1969 |
| location | Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India |
| founder | Karsanbhai Patel |
| products | Detergent, Soaps, Cements, Putty, Soda ash, Injectables |
| subsid | |
| homepage | www.nirma.co.in |
| :: |
| name = | logo = Nirma svg logo.svg | logo_size = | type = Private | industry = Fast-moving consumer goods | foundation = 1969 | location = Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India | founder = Karsanbhai Patel | products = Detergent, Soaps, Cements, Putty, Soda ash, Injectables | revenue = | operating_income = | net_income = | num_employees = | parent = | subsid = | footnotes = | homepage = www.nirma.co.in Nirma is a conglomerate based in Ahmedabad, India, involved in the manufacture of various products, including detergents, soaps, cement, cosmetics, salt, soda ash, linear alkyl benzene, and injectables. It was founded in 1969 by Karsanbhai Patel, a laboratory technician, as a one-man operation.
History
In 1969, Dr. Karsanbhai Patel, a chemist at the Gujarat Government's Department of Mining and Geology manufactured phosphate-free synthetic detergent powder, and started selling it locally. The new yellow powder was priced at ₹3.50 per kg, at a time when HUL's Surf was priced at ₹13. Nirma sold well in Ruppur (Gujarat), Patel's hometown. He started packing the formulation in a 10x10 ft room in his house. Patel named the powder Nirma, after his daughter Nirupama. He was able to sell about 15-20 packets a day on his way to the office on bicycle, some 15 km away. By 1985, Nirma washing powder had become one of the most popular household detergents in many parts of the country, which was aided in part by the popular "Washing Powder Nirma" television advertisement.{{cite news | last = | first = | date = | title = 40 years ago...and now: Nirma girl endears, but brand's seen better days | url = https://www.business-standard.com/article/management/40-years-ago-and-now-nirma-girl-endears-but-brand-s-seen-better-days-114110501447_1.html | work = Business Standard | location = | access-date = 8 January 2020
By 1999, Nirma was a major consumer brand, offering a range of detergents, soaps and personal care products. The group also set up a healthcare subsidiary called Nirlife to manufacture intravenous fluids.
In November 2007, Nirma purchased American raw materials company Searles Valley Minerals Inc., making it among the top seven soda ash manufacturers in the world.
Nirma Group started cement manufacturing in 2014 from a single plant in Nimbol, with a newly established company Nuvoco Vistas Corporation. In 2016, Nirma acquired Lafarge India's cement assets for $1.4 billion. In February 2020, Nirma acquired Emami Cement for .
In September 2023, Nirma acquired a 75% stake in Glenmark Life Sciences from Glenmark for 5,652 crore (US$680 million). In 2024, Glenmark Life Sciences was renamed Alivus Life Sciences.
CSR
The company established Nirma University in 1995, which is managed by the Nirma Education and Research Foundation (NERF). It also runs the Nirmalabs education program, which has been dedicated to training and supporting entrepreneurs since 2004.
References
References
- (1 December 2019). "Indian Ad-age: How a jingle made Nirma sabki pasand!".
- "SRIJAN March - 2010".
- Desai, Santosh. (28 August 2022). "From Maruti to Amul: Five brands that shaped India after independence".
- Talukdar, Tapash. "Karsanbhai Patel: The man behind the {{sic". The Economic Times.
- (27 November 2007). "Nirma shares soar 7% on acquisition of US co". [[The Economic Times]].
- Mascarenhas, Rajesh. "Nuvoco Vistas likely to file DRHP for Rs 5,000 crore IPO this week". The Economic Times.
- Pandey, Piyush. (2016-07-11). "Nirma to buy Lafarge India cement assets for $1.4 billion".
- (6 February 2020). "Nirma to acquire Emami's cement business for ₹5,500 cr.". The Hindu.
- Sadam, Rishika. (2023-09-21). "India's Glenmark to sell majority stake in life sciences unit for $680 million". Reuters.
- (9 October 2024). "Glenmark Life Sciences to rebrand as Alivus Life Sciences, shares in green". BusinessLine.
- (January 24, 2020). "How a Gujarati businessman went from making detergent in his backyard to building a Rs 2500 crore empire". [[GQ India]].
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