Swiss Garnier
A SYNONYMY OF INTEGRITY, RELIABILITY AND AUTHENTICITY
From being actively involved in the research and development of some new medical formulations to ensuring the patients with adequate and appropriate access to some avantgarde advancements, the Pharma industry abides by the burden of offering quality care to the endconsumers. Contributing in this direction, numerous industry giants – in the last two decades – have emerged out with their matchless offerings to disrupt the industry exponentially. One such big name in this respect is ‘Swiss Garnier Group’ that has carved a niche for itself in the relevant industry and stirred disruption across the globe from different aspects.
This time our latest edition presents the success story of Swiss Garnier Group that has become a prominent player in the industry. In a virtual interaction with the Director of the Group, Dr Vignesh Gandhi, team Business Connect discussed the entrepreneurial journey of the family business and its transformation into a roaring success.
AN OVERVIEW OF THE COMPANY
Pharma industry has always been burdened with a heavy responsibility to be credible and effective at the same time. Human life is precious and is majorly dependent on this industry for medical urgencies. Imbibing this enormous responsibility in their core values as the fulcrum of its business, Swiss Garnier Life Sciences pioneered this space with its exemplary offerings. “All of our systems, philosophies and attitudes have been attuned to this vital aspect of our business environment,” states Dr Vignesh Gandhi, the Director.
Swiss Garnier is a significant player in the Pharma manufacturing as well as marketing industry. At present, the group has three major ventures under its parasol- Swiss Garnier Life Sciences, Swiss Garnier Biotech Pvt Ltd and Swiss Garnier Genexiaa Sciences Pvt. Ltd. The facilities for two of their eminent ventures like Life Sciences and Biotech Pvt. Ltd. are located in Himachal Pradesh. For Genexiaa Sciences, the manufacturing facility has been situated in Sikkim. In the next financial year FY 21-22, they have envisioned to dive into domestic marketing.
Fundamentally, the Group manufactures and delivers finished goods to Indian as well as International industry giants like Lupin, Abbott, Dr.Reddy’s, USV, Sun Pharma, Piramal, Biocon, Merck, Wockhardt, Glenmark, Alembic, Novartis, Bayer etc .. to name few. Acknowledging the scenario that the in-house capacity of such brands won’t be quite enough to cater to the surging demands of the population across the globe, Swiss Garnier offers contract manufacturing services to its diverse clientele.
“To meet the appropriate demands of the masses across the world, some major International industry giants outsource their brand to other companies after regular audits and related processes. For Indian Market, they manufacture most of the brands of top 20-25 Indian Pharmaceutical and Multinational Pharmaceutical companies,” states Dr Vignesh Gandhi.
As a global pharmaceutical manufacturer, Swiss Garnier is specialized in the development and production of some ingenious pharmaceutical formulations. The company was incepted in 2006 as a contract manufacturing company but has turned itself into an enterprise with over 410 crores INR turnover. At present, the company has four manufacturing facilities that are catering to both domestic and international markets and its success has been well-acknowledged and awarded by various reputed Indian business organization’s and magazines.
Headquartered in Chennai, Swiss Garnier has become one among those few Indian Pharma companies with wellequipped manufacturing facilities that formulated dosages of tablets, capsules, liquid, ointment & powder (sachet & bottle). By keeping technological strength and a quality product at the forefront, the company is spreading its service wings to over 40 countries across the globe with their own brands in various segments like Cardiology, Diabetology, Gastroenterology etc… It has various countries accreditation and approvals.
It is dedicated in developing, manufacturing & marketing highly effective & innovative pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals and food supplement formulations at its state-of-the-art facilities with global standards. Committed to customer satisfaction, employee empowerment and environment care, the company is scaling greater heights by targeting to emerge out as a leading global healthcare provider. It has established an alternative system of medicines and hospital services duly to provide consistent quality and timely delivery to the utmost satisfaction of all the associates and customers.
But ascending the ladders of success to reach the pinnacle is never a bed of roses, and the founders of the company also witnessed a fair share of hardships and carved their path to exponential growth with their sheer determination and adamant zeal to succeed.
A JOURNEY FROM IDEATION TO INCEPTION
M. S Theivendran (Dr Vignesh’s father) is a B. Tech Graduate in Chemical Engineering who served ONGC in Mumbai for over a decade. But deep down he always strived to be an entrepreneur and bring the waves of change in the business world. Undoubtedly, the initial phase of the entrepreneurial excursion was quite difficult to deal with for his father along with the whole family.
Calling off from a high-heel job where he used to acquire a considerable amount of paycheck was not a piece of cake despite knowing the uncertain nature of the business world. In this journey, his better half – Mrs T Rethinavalli unwaveringly supported him from ideation to inception. Together, the husband-wife duo laid the foundation of the company in 2000, in Chennai. Later, in 2005, they shifted the manufacturing facilities to Himachal Pradesh owing to a myriad of factors and began the business operation at full throttle.
“Undeniably, we came across multiple hardships at the beginning but our unfaltering determination and dedication paved our path to a steady growth,” cites the duo. Their entrepreneurial journey that dawned from a rural area to flag the name in the Himalayan terrain has been fantastic and inspiring to many people.
At present, both of them are leading the organization as the Chairman and Managing Director and taking the company to greater heights. Mrs Rethinavalli who is M.Sc B.Ed graduate has attended various Entrepreneurs programs conducted by FICCI and many others. She takes care the overall supply chains as well as finance whereas M.S Theivendran administers overall production-related operations. Their legacy was taken forward by Dr Vignesh Gandhi (their son), an MBBS and MD ( Internal Medicine) has initially worked at Apollo Main Hospital, Greams Road Chennai and also Global Glenegles Hospital.
He has also completed his Hospital Administration Degree from ISB( Indian School of Business) Mohali and Hyderabad. When he entered his inherited family business, the company was struggling from multiple aspects where he immensely contributed to its upliftment by taking care of Business Development, new molecules identification and R&D. “To grow as an outstanding businessman, dodging the bullets of challenges is mandatory, as a well-to-do business will never offer you a growing platform,” states Dr Vignesh Gandhi.
Moreover, his wife Mrs. Saranya Vignesh who is also Doctor by Profession is helping the business by her contribution in Supply Chain. His younger brother Mr.Vishnu also came on board after completing his Business Management studies from France. He also underwent his internship with Abbott Pharmaceutical company at Basel, Switzerland and PwC ( Price Waterhouse Cooper) Mumbai. He is taking care of HR, Production Planning `and IT
INSPIRING VISION WITH AN EXTRAORDINARY MISSION
When asked to highlight the exclusive vision & mission of the company, Dr Vignesh Gandhi reveals that they are zealously committed to customer satisfaction, employee empowerment and environmental care. The dynamic company has always been determined to emerge as a leading global healthcare provider in the targeted industry by duly offering consistent quality and on-time delivery to the utmost satisfaction of all the associates and customers.
Also he states that the main success of the company are his employees who are the real backbone of the organisation. Their selfless contribution and involvement has paved the way for the real success of Swiss Garnier.
A GLANCE OVER ITS COMPETITIVE EDGE
Though there are multiple companies in the marketing and manufacturing industry, Swiss Garnier is staying ahead of the curve due to its authentic product portfolio. Owing to its robust R&D team, the company has been making a difference in the industry by suggesting its exclusive formulations to its esteemed customer base. These formulations are promoted under their customer’s brand names domestically and International with their own brand name.
Pertaining to the quality, Dr Vignesh asserts that the organization may compromise with the marginal profits but it never negotiates with the product’s quality. To them, keeping their quality-oriented clientele in sync with their product-line is the foremost priority. “Patients are the frontline consumers of our formulations that spurs our ethical values to ensure best-in-class offerings to our end-customers,” quotes Dr Vignesh.
ABOUT THEIR EXCLUSIVE BUSINESS MODEL
A robust and resilient business model lay the foundation of a successful business venture. Swiss Garnier Group of companies has a steadfast business model that allows it to be an extended arm and reliable manufacturing facility for the preeminent Pharma enterprises. “We offer various Dosage forms, Drug Delivery System, and Packaging Solutions. Thus, providing our customers with a fair and highly competitive Indian Pharma market. Our dosage forms include tablets, capsules, liquids, powder in sachets & Jars,” quotes the Director.
Moreover, being in sync with the market demands while ensuring best-in-class quality products in a short period allows them to acquire the fame of being the most trusted professional contract manufacturing firm amongst other pharma companies in the country. With their internal operations that involve some principal functions, they are offering the clients state-of-the-art solutions.
From cost optimization via continuous improvement to time optimization by deploying advanced planning tools such as ERP for effective manufacturing management, they are making a difference for their clients at the forefront. “Our campaigns are flexible and adapted according to customers demand. Moreover, our products are regulatory compliant that meet the stringent requirements of DCGI regulations and FSSAI norms and our manufacturing facilities are approved by WHO GMP, ISO and other national and international accreditation’s ,” cites Dr Vignesh.
Catering to the demands of the leading Pharma enterprises, Swiss Garnier ensures a collaborative approach for the customer’s requirements. The esteemed customers of the company adjoin its team to create a prolonged association to expedite all processes and provide an interesting platform thereof. The team open-handedly invites creative challenges and spurs out-of-box thoughts while being in harmony with their partners.
In terms of their exclusive research approach, the newfangled product line developed by them is the outcome of the incessant efforts by the R&D team. Be it Drug Delivery System, Tablet in Tablet dosage forms, Tablet in Capsules or Unique Solutions for critical packaging requirements, their customers are always assured with exceptional, regulatory compliant and patient-friendly product portfolio. In this concern, the Director claims, “Our capability in New Product development has attracted Top Pharma Companies to develop their licensed molecules and manufacture commercially at our manufacturing facilities in various locations.”
THE CSR INITIATIVES
The key officials at Swiss Garnier are the firm believers in giving back to society. So far, the company has contributed to set up a building for orphanage homes( Good Life Centre) in Chennai, where around 300 children are being well taken care of. The company is also helping several medical or engineering aspirants with educational assistance be it tuition fee or other study materials.
Being a Pharma manufacturing giant, the company conducts regular medical camps where the underprivileged sections are offered a myriad of high quality medical supplies under the supervision of some specialized medical doctors. For the upcoming year, they have planned to expand this selfless service wings across the nation, by serving more and more masses in need. Swiss Garnier also funds various State level sports tournaments to encourage the younger generation actively participate in physical activities which is lacking a lot in the present generation.
To add more feathers in the crown, Swiss Garnier company and also the promoters have been awarded with various national and International awards, to name a few are mentioned below:
- Winner of Asia Pacific – Steve Awards for excellence in innovation in healthcare industries in 2020
- Awarded by SME Chamber of India for the ‘Best Family-Owned Business’ in 2020
- Winner of ‘101 Most Fabulous Global Healthcare Leaders Award’ by Global Healthcare Congress 2020
- Won ‘Bhutan Healthcare Leader Award’ from Global Healthcare Congress 2020
- India SME 100 – India SME & Axis Bank in 2019
- ‘International Leadership Innovation Excellence Award 2019’ from Institute of Economic Studies at Colombo, Sri Lanka
- Won Super SME Award from World Association of Small and Medium Enterprises in 2016
- ’The Healers Award’ by The Times of India in 2015`
- ‘SME Business Excellence Award’ by Dun & Bradstreet in 2015
- ‘Strategic Business Partner Award’ from ABBOTT for 6 consecutive years since 2014
- Emerging India Award’ by CNBC TV18 & ICICI Bank in 2013
Being in Pharma Industry is a very noble industry which is serving the people directly by providing them with medicines and curing them physically and mentally and make them feel strong. To work in such Industry is also a real service to mankind which is not only the management who is steering the ship but it’s right from the Office Assistant to Vice President of the organisation who are the real leaders of not only our organisation but also for every organisation states Dr. Vignesh.
Their long term goal is to backward integrate and start API business and forward integrate and venture intoDomestic Marketing and Hospital Services and go into IPO.
