Kumar Mangalam Birla: “Defining moment for the Aditya Birla Group, Birla Opus’ launch embodies the spirit of aspirational India.”

MUMBAI: Aditya Birla Group Chairman, Mr. Kumar Mangalam Birla, today announced the launch of products and services under its new decorative paints brand, “Birla Opus”, aiming for Rs.10,000 Cr gross revenue within 3 years of full-scale operations. This marks the Aditya Birla Group’s entry into the rapidly expanding Rs. 80,000 Cr Indian decorative paints market, with an unprecedented level of upfront investment of Rs.10,000 Cr. Birla Opus business is being set up by the group’s flagship company, Grasim Industries Ltd.

Kumar Mangalam Birla, Chairman, of Aditya Birla Group, said, “India today is teeming with dynamism, audacity, and a penchant for disruption. This India finds a reflection in our paints venture, Birla Opus. The Aditya Birla Group’s deep insight into the building materials ecosystem, honed over the years, offers us a unique vantage point. Birla Opus, therefore, is poised to transform the paint industry with a 40% addition to current capacity.  No paint company globally has ever launched in one shot— factories, operations, products, and services, at the scale that we are about to undertake. He added, “Birla Opus should be seen as a scale start-up incubated by the Aditya Birla Group. It uniquely combines the agility, energy, and frugality of a start-up with the muscle, reliability, and brand strength of a storied and dynamic conglomerate.”

Birla Opus products will be available in Punjab, Haryana, and Tamil Nadu from mid-March 2024 and across all 1 lakh population towns in India by July 2024. The company aims to expeditiously expand its distribution to over 6,000 towns by the fiscal year-end. This will be the fastest & widest pan-India launch by any paint brand.

The Aditya Birla Group Chairman also unveiled the brand logo of ‘Birla Opus’. The name ‘Birla Opus’ embodies the trust that underpins the Aditya Birla brand, with ‘Opus’ signifying beauty. The word ‘Opus’ is derived from the Latin phrase “magnum opus, ” representing a great work of art.

“Birla Opus is all set to redefine standards on creativity, scale, transparency, technology, and sustainability. We are confident that the benefits of the competitive advantage built on the interplay of futuristic technology and pioneering chemistry will be passed on to the consumers through lower costs and superior quality consistency. Birla Opus promises to simplify the consumer journey making the experience of painting enjoyable and contemporary.’  stated Himanshu Kapania, Director, of Aditya Birla Group.

Birla Opus will offer the widest range in the industry, with 145+ products and 1200+ SKUs across water-based paints, enamel paints, wood finishes, waterproofing, and wallpapers. The products offered will be across consumer segments – economy, premium, luxury, designer finishes, and institutional clients. In addition, Birla Opus will present the largest range of 2,300+ tintable color choices including 216 iconic Indian colors.

The brand is also set to delight consumers through its direct painting services, PaintCraft. This one-stop-shop for a comprehensive range of products and services, at launch, is an industry-first. 

Rakshit Hargave, CEO, of Birla Opus, said, “On the back of strong in-house R&D, and extensive field validations, Birla Opus is committing to a higher product warranty than the leading players across most of water-based products. Birla Opus is also setting a benchmark by offering a first-time warranty on enamels and wood finish products. As a customer-centric organization, Birla Opus is poised to introduce a unique and pathbreaking customer assurance program shortly. As part of the inaugural offer, consumers will get an additional 10% volume on water-based products and contractors will get loyalty benefits across most of our products.”

Birla Opus has already enrolled over 300,000 painting contractors and is starting the largest-ever sampling program.

To service the length & breadth of the country, Birla Opus is building the “second largest network” of dealers within the first year, to create win-win partnerships with dealers. Birla Opus is installing for free, new-age compact tinting machines with a 40% reduced footprint enabling easier color adoption. Birla Opus is committed to meeting the industry standard of 4-hour delivery of its 1200 + SKUs to dealers in Depot towns through the largest network of 150+ depots integrated with the latest warehousing systems.

At the launch event, Aditya Birla Group Chairman, Kumar Mangalam Birla “invited the entire spectrum of 100,000+ paint dealers pan India to participate in this industry revolution and transform consumer experience”.

Birla Opus has six strategically located, fully automated, integrated, and global-scale manufacturing plants with a total commercial capacity of 1,332 MLPA (million liters per annum) – a quantum leap of 40% in addition to the current industry capacity. Panipat (Haryana), Ludhiana (Punjab), and Cheyyar (Tamil Nadu) Birla Opus plants are dedicated to the nation today. Chamarajanagar (Karnataka), Mahad (Maharashtra), and Kharagpur (West Bengal) units will commence production throughout FY25. All 6 manufacturing plants are fully sustainable with zero liquid discharge and equipped with 4th generation manufacturing technology to manage supply chain processes at lightning speed, zero defects, and end-to-end traceability.

The Aditya Birla Group’s entry into the paints market signals its confidence in the sector’s future bolstered by the government’s push for infrastructure development and housing for all. India’s economy is expected to reach 10 trillion USD by 2034, with the paints sector set to surpass the Rs 3,00,000 crore mark by that time. Birla Opus is uniquely positioned to capitalize on this dynamic landscape.

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K N Srikanth, Director, Amazon India, reaffirmed the company’s commitment to delivering exceptional customer experiences. Maharashtra is a very important market for Amazon India, with the city of Pune witnessing a 70% YoY order surge for the Home, Kitchen, and Outdoor categories during this festive season. As India’s most preferred, trusted, and loved marketplace, Amazon is excited with the remarkable response from its customers in the first few days of the month-long Amazon Great Indian Festival 2023.

Maharashtra plays a pivotal role, accounting for a double-digit share of the Home, Kitchen, and Outdoor category business. Around 50% of Amazon’s customer base in Maharashtra comes from Tier-2 and higher cities/towns. Maharashtra contributes to the highest number of new customers for Amazon’s Home, Kitchen, and Outdoor market, with Pune being one of the fastest-growing cities for home, kitchen, and outdoors.

In Maharashtra, electric scooters and bikes are available for customers in more than 20 cities, covering over 450 pin codes. Of all the orders placed in the last three months for EV two-wheelers, 25% of them were from Pune customers.

Amazon has 14 FC (Fulfilment Centers) in Maharashtra, boasting over 6 million cubic feet of storage space, along with 6 SCs (Sortation Centers) covering more than 516,000 sq. ft. of processing area. Amazon India has also created more than 100,000 seasonal job opportunities across its operations network for the Indian festive season.

Overall, Maharashtra tops the shopping charts this festive season, with Pune emerging as one of the fastest-growing cities in the Home, Kitchen, and Outdoor categories. Amazon.in’s launch of a comprehensive range of interior and exterior paints in Maharashtra during the Great Indian Festival is set to provide customers with a wide selection of 1,000 color shades of interior and exterior paints delivered with convenience at their doorsteps.

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The launch of the Dulux AssuranceTM program comes as nearly one in every two Indian consumers prioritizes quality as the primary factor during purchase. The latest research by Dulux shows that Indian consumers trust the brand and its superior-quality products to keep their homes looking good year after year.

Rajiv Rajgopal, Managing Director of Akzo Nobel India, said, “The demand for paint and coatings is rapidly growing in India, and the industry is expected to grow from 62,000 crore to 1 lakh crore in the next five years. While consumer demand for decorative paints continues to grow, we also know that choosing the perfect paint that gives assured results isn’t always easy. Hence, at Dulux – a brand synonymous with quality and innovation, we have launched the Dulux AssuranceTM Warranty Program. It’s our commitment to back unmatched quality with an unbeatable warranty – thus giving families the power to make confident paint choices.“

The warranty program is free of cost, and consumers can register for it or raise a claim in case of any eventuality through WhatsApp, the Dulux India website, or even the Dulux India official account on Facebook Messenger. Upon successful validation of the claim, the replacement product e-voucher will be sent by e-mail or WhatsApp within 14 working days and is redeemable anytime within three months from the date of issue.

Akzo Nobel India has been present in India for 69 years and became a member of the AkzoNobel Group in 2008. With an employee strength of around 1,500, AkzoNobel India has five manufacturing sites, two RD&I centers, regional offices, and a distribution network spread across the country. All manufacturing facilities have a state-of-the-art environmental management system, and the company’s commitment to Health, Safety, Environment, and Security (HSE&S) has been among the best-in-class globally, with due care being taken to protect people and the environment.

The Dulux AssuranceTM program is a significant step towards providing Indian consumers with a worry-free paint experience for longer. With the extensive warranty coverage, homeowners across India can now enjoy peace of mind and convenience while choosing the perfect paint for their homes.

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