Cleaner innovation

With the ‘no dust broom’, Gala has got a innovation at its core, the company has solutions, says Jatin gala, Chief operating officer, Freudenberg Gala household product pvt ltd.

- Swati Deshpande

Today what we know as Freudenberg Gala Household Product Pvt Ltd started its journey with trading of grass brooms. Speaking about the history of the company, Jatin Gala, Chief Operating Officer, Freudenberg Gala Household Product Pvt Ltd said, “The journey has been very eventful. It started in 1945 when my grandfather Lalji Gala migrated from Kutch. We had a small shop at Masjid, Mumbai that dealt with grass brooms. That time we were just traders. That business went on for 35-40 years. Later on we started manufacturing grass brooms. This was a specialised job. My uncles had to travel to rural places of the country especially North East of India often for purchasing right kind of grass for the broom.”

“In 1989, my uncle and father thought of diversification. This is how the idea of entering into plastics brushes came,” he continued. At that time, plastic was still at a nascent stage in India. “In fact, plastic brushes were unknown to masses then. Additionally, this diversification plan required a special expertise, and machines had to be imported from Germany. Also, we had to learn new technology and acquire expertise in the same.”

At this time, focus of the company was mainly on exports. “As we started getting business in the sector we acquired new machines and expanded ourselves in the area.”

It is in the year 1995-96 when the company ventured into the consumer business in the domestic market. “Then onwards domestic market has remained the focus of the company. And this is how the brand Gala came into existence,” Gala explained. Incidentally, around the same time the company invested in the new technology. “We bought completely automated brush making machines. And it was a worthy investment keeping our exports market in the view at that point,” he noted.

Foray into the domestic market