Natural Capsules to double capacity

Bangalore: Natural Capsules, maker of empty hard gelatin capsules, is doubling the manufacturing capacity of its Puducherry facility.

The company said it has signed a contract worth $1.05 million (around Rs 4.5 crore) to purchase hard capsule manufacturing equipment from Canadian company Qualicaps Inc’s Pharmaphil division. The equipment will be delivered within 18 weeks, according to a release from the BSE-listed company.

The Managing Director, Mr Sunil Mundra, said, the purchase would enable the company to [more than] double its manufacturing capacity to 7,380 million in the next 18 months and enhance its position as one of the leaders in capsule manufacturing”.

It can currently produce 3,600 million capsules a year. Set up in 1993, Natural Capsules posted Rs 20-crore turnover in 2007-08. It also makes non-gelatin ‘vegetarian’ or cellulose-based Vege capsules at its Bangalore unit.