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after school hours. Dhanapal showed keenness towards his father’s budding business and after the demise of Krishnan Nadar, Dhanapal took over the reins of the business while he was still in school. There has been no looking back since. The young boy withered storms and steered his company to an enviable position in the FMCG sector, In 1983, with an initial capital of Rs.5 lakhs and 20 workers, Dhanapal started another unit in Madurai. The cost of a detergent cake was 50 paise back then. Later, in 1994, he re-named the brand name from Gold Soap as Power Soap and introduced 250 gms Power detergent cake costing Rs. 5 a piece. “We strive hard to manufacture quality products at an affordable price, This is our motto,” says Dhanapal.

In 1998, Dhanapal introduced Power detergent powder and that was a grand success too.”Nowadays, consumers prefer detergent powders to cakes as it saves water and time: so we are expanding our detergent line. We have already managed to capture the South Indian market and we are on our way to the north as well,” says Dhanapal.

	Dhanapal didn’t dismiss his business at this growing stage. He took the enterprise to the next level with four core manufacturing units, producing a wider range of products. In 2000, he started a manufacturing unit in Puducherry called Narmadha Chemicals. “We chose Puducherry for its industrial-friendly policy,” he says. The company was rechristened as Power Soaps Limited. In 2002, he started another manufacturing unit in Puducherry under the name Abirami Soap Works and in 2003, he started Praveen
Chem Industries in Karaikal. A recent development is his new manufacturing unit, set up in Silvasa, Maharashtra. That was in 2007. The products manufactured at these companies include Nature Power Bath Soap and Shampoo, Laa Fairness Cream, La Talc and Bath Soap, Laa Shampoo, different varieties of Power detergent cakes and detergent powders, Tyko detergent cakes and detergent powders, Gio Dish Wash Bar and Clora Toothpaste. “ Power has become a household name in South India. We have introduced bath soaps in Tamil Nadu and will soon market the products in other South Indian states too,” says Dhanapal. The company also owns its own raw material manufacturing unit that caters to 80 per cent of its requirement. The rest of the raw materials are imported from countries like Indonesia, Singapore, Qatar, China, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia and Iran
Power Soaps Limited has also acquired two companies that manufacture soft drinks and mineral water and renamed the units, Hello Chennai Water Pvt Limited and Powersoft Drinks Pvt Ltd. By 2013, Dhanapal is all set to increase his turnover to more than Rs.1000 crore. “We have set ourselves strong goals and stiff targets. We want to penetrate all segments of FMCG market and achieve the magic figure of Rs.1,000 crore turnover in the next five years,” he says.
The company will be procuring fully automated equipments from Italy and will set up a fully-automated factory in another six months, Minimum work force is sufficient to run the automated unit. Dhanapal’s vision got a bigger boost, when his son Krishnaraja, who is just out of school, vowed to assist him in realizing his big dream,”. My father and grandfather are my sources of inspiration, I was fortunate to be introduced into the business world so early in life. I have been managing the administrative affairs of Power Soaps Pvt Ltd for about 18 months now. I think it is time for me to introduce new products and stay competitive in the FMCG sector,” says Krishnaraja, adding that the company will soon be introducing floor cleaners. The duo is of the strong opinion that advertisements lend wings to their products to reach customers’ hearts. They are now alls set to conquer the South Indian markets with their unique strategies and joint efforts.