Incorporated in Feb.'46, Madhusudan Industries (formerly Madhusudan Vegetable Products Company), now better known for its CERA range of sanitaryware and tiles, has emerged as a major force in the Indian ceramic industry. The Company had three units, namely Edible Oil Unit having plants at Rakhial, Gujarat, Solvent Extraction Plant at Nimbahera, Rajasthan and Power Unit consisted 10 Nos. Wind Turbine Generators of 2.5 MW at Patelka, in Gujarat for captive consumption of power at its Edible Oil Unit at Rakhial.
The present promoters acquired the Vanaspati unit in 1969 and after modernisation achieved an overall growth and progress The Company expanded its capacities in Solvent Plant. It established an Oil Refinery, Soap Plant and Oil Mill at Rakhial, further commissioned a new Solvent Extraction Plant at Nimbahera, making it a pioneer in the edible oil industry.
In 1980-81, it entered the sanitaryware industry, with its own technology. Thereafter, the Company established a Sanitaryware Unit at Kadi in 1985-86, manufacturing the 'CERA' brand of Sanitarywares. The Company went public in Oct.'89 to expand the capacity of the tile unit from 7,000 tpa to 14,000 tpa; to manufacture glazed tiles and also to raise the capacity of the solvent extraction plant from 25,500 tpa to 45,000 tpa.
In Nov.'92, the company offered PCDs on a rights basis to part-finance its Rs 25-crore modernisation plan. Today, it has an installed capacity of 36,000 tpa of vanaspati and refined oils, 23,000 tpa of cotton seed decortication, 13,500 tpa of oil mill expelling, 15,000 tpa of vitreous china sanitaryware, 7,000 tpa of ceramic tiles, 1,80,000 tpa of oil cake extraction, 3,600 tpa of soap, 7,500 tpa of refined vegetable oils.
The Company hived off its Ceramic Division through the Scheme of Arrangement and Reconstruction in the nature of De-merger.
The Ceramic Division was demerged into a separate company, Cera Sanitaryware Limited in 2001. The Company established Wind Farm Units in Coastal Saurashtra and opened manufacturing tiles at Jambusar Plant.
In year 2001, the Ceramic Division of the Company got demerged to a separate group company and named as Madhusudan Oils and Fats Ltd, pursuant to the Order of Hon'ble Gujarat High Court. Later, the name of the Company was also changed to Cera Sanitaryware Ltd.
The Company sold the wind farm unit located at Patelka to M/s Cera Sanitaryware Limited, Kadi for consideration costing Rs 3.99 Cr. in September, 2005. Thereafter, it sold off the Nimbahera Unit as a going concern in July, 2006. The production of flowers commenced from December, 2008. It sold entire share holding of wholly owned subsidiary, Madhusudan Fiscal Limited and Madhusudan Fiscal Limited ceased to be a subsidiary of the Company during the year 2013-14.
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