Himalaya Drug Co. (HDC) popularly known as the manufacturer of Liv.52 is reinventing itself. "I would like to see Himalaya as a trusted brand in every household symbolizing global leadership in herbal healthcare," says Meraj Manal, Chairman.

Work has started in this direction. Since December 2001, the Rs.250 crore HDC has put in place a new branding strategy. With a presence in 56 countries, the idea is to have a global identity for the company. An umbrella brand, Himalaya Herbal HealthCare has been created. "I would want that wherever people see Himalaya, they should know it stands for international quality," says Ravi Prasad, President & CEO, HDC. The old yellow and brown packs have now changed total and orange with a teal cap.

Himalaya has a fairly comprehensive range of products. The therapeutic range that doctors prescribe, the range of personal care products, companion animal products, or pet care products.

On the retail side, the company is forward integrating into exclusive retail outlets. The first store was started in Bangalore on an experimental basis. It was linked to the company's medical centre and the office, where there was a panel of doctors answering technical questions. Customers coming to the store began perceiving it as a service something that was hugely in demand.

Today, there are 18 Himalaya exclusive outlets nationwide, selling all Himalaya products. All the staff is trained by HDC.

Meraj Manal, the founder's son and chairman of HDC, oversees the US operations. "We would like to extend the founder's vision by making Himalaya a top-to-toe brand that provides good health for the entire family," says Manal.

Prasad came to HDC in 1980 as a Sales Development Manager. In 1993, post-perestroika in the USSR, he was instrumental in restarting the company's export division. Although it is a privately held company, professionals run it. Each division is a profit centre. Every division head is a professional. The Ayurvedic Concepts division is headed by Soumitro Banerji, an IIM Calcutta alumni. Philipe Haydon heads the pharma division. The animal health care division is headed by Praveen Kala. And Dr. S.K. Mitra, an MBBS and MD in pharmacology, heads the technical services and research and development (R&D).

Today, HDC claims to be the seventh largest pharmaceutical company in the country. It has a field force of 500 representatives. It is present in the therapeutic or pharmaceutical (37 products), herbal or ayurveda (60 products) and pet care (15 products) segments. Personal care products account for 10 percent of the company's turnover. And its products are sold through 100,000 retail outlets.

Himalaya's central philosophy is to give the world consumer researched herbal products. And it is around this central concept that the company has grown. The central concept had to be housed in the R&D laboratory. And the company's strength is its research.

Research and development is essentially project driven. Today, HDC's R&D comprises 80 people.

Within the next five years, Prasad wants to double the company's turnover to Rs.500 crore. What Prasad is banking on is the huge movement towards herbal products world over. With doctors accepting herbal health care, there's a huge movement towards integrating herbal products into the allopathic side. The thrust is going to be on research.