A steady inflow of big overseas orders
“Malaria kills a child every 30 seconds and hundreds of thousands of adults every year”, states the World Health Organisation (WHO). As an immediate measure to control malaria-related deaths, WHO has recommended all health agencies worldwide to use only long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs), one of the best ways to prevent mosquitoes from biting and infecting individuals. They are a simple, safe and cost-effective method of protection against malaria and lymphatic filariasis.
Shobikaa’s DuraNet is a long-lasting insecticide-treated net developed and manufactured to save lives, particularly in countries like Africa where nearly 6,60,000 people died of malaria in 2010, according to a WHO report.
Shobikaa Impex Private Ltd. (SIPL) was started in 1993 at Karur in Tamil Nadu, by Mr. M. Sivasamy, now its Managing Director, to manufacture mosquito nets using conventional fabrics with no insecticides. Initially these nets were distributed in the domestic market all over India. Later, the company diversified into manufacturing polyethylene nets incorporated with insecticides mostly for the export market.
SIPL has long-lasting relationship with Clarke, a leading multinational company in the US which owns the DuraNet brand. In 2010, SIPL acquired the brand from Clarke.
In an exclusive interview to The Textile Magazine, Mr. M. Sivasamy, Managing Director, SIPL, speaks about the company’s premium brand and its strength. He says: “DuraNet is a ready-to-use mosquito bed net made from high-density polyethylene (HDPE) which is procured from Reliance and Haldia. The net is strong and durable and will hold up well to everyday use and washing, and gives protection against malaria for up to three years. Our company further increased DuraNet’s malaria control capabilities by incorporating a safe and effective insecticide called alphacypermethrin. The product has been approved by the World Health Organization Pesticides Evaluation Scheme (WHOPES) as an innovative product for use in malaria control programs around the world.”
DuraNet is manufactured by SIPL in its 25 state-of-the-art production facilities in Karur with a production capacity of 1.5 million nets per month. The company has 36 Karl Mayor knitting machines to knit polyethylene yarn, each with a capacity to produce 600 kg of fabrics per day. DuraNet is being largely exported to the whole of Africa and also to South American countries where there are more frequent cases of malarial outbreak.
On the company’s performance and sales turnover, Mr. Sivasamy, says: “DuraNet has been declared the best in terms of fabric strength, chemical activity and durability after several field trials conducted by WHO, among 13 WHO-approved LLINs collected from all over the world. Our product performance has led to huge exports, and we expect a total sales turnover of Rs. 300 crores in the financial year 2013-14.”
Shobikaa is shifting gears by progressing into the next phase where the company intends to set up a manufacturing facility in Shanju city in China. The year 2013 marks a milestone for Shobikaa as its Chinese plant with a capacity to produce two million nets per month under its brand DuraNet will commence production.
Apart from this, the company intends to have its presence in Africa by setting up a unit to produce DuraNet, which will provide employment to the local poor people.
In less than two decades with a production capacity of more than 38 million nets sold every year under its flagship brand DuraNet, the Karur-based net manufacturer, now with a turnover of nearly Rs. 300 crores, expects the figure to touch the Rs. 1,000-crore mark by 2016.
Recently Global Fund Organization has selected Shobikaa as a panel provider to supply DuraNet for 2014-2015. This is another achievement for the company.
Shobikaa gives top priority for service and accessibility with its offices located in the US, Europe and Asia enjoying outstanding customer relationship across the globe. In the current year, Shobikaa has invested Rs. 120 crores towards technological upgradation of DuraNet LLIN by buying German machines.