"We are preparing for the future. The company is highly focused on the technology front, and thus has the advantage of making a success in e-commerce," P&G country manager Gary W Cofer told The Financial Express in an exclusive interview. He has just taken over the reins from his predecessor Helmut Meixner. To start with, the company has provided each customer business development (CBD) manager with lap-tops. There are in all 80 CBD managers in P&G.

Cofer said, "Procter & Gamble is estimated to grow at 20 per cent in the next six to 12 months." Procter & Gamble Hygiene and Health Care reported a 13.12 per cent rise in net profit to Rs 20.69 crore in the second quarter ended December 1999, against Rs 18.29 crore in the corresponding period last year.

Expressing his commitment to P&G's Indian operations, Cofer said: "We have invested Rs 200 crore in the last two years, and have launched six global brands in the Indian market during the last six months. We have made these investments with a long-term perspective.''

Elaborating on his agenda for the company's growth, Cofer said that P&G will continue with "Project Spearhead", build on its organisational capabilities and launch one major product initiative per month.

He maintained that the company will work on a strategy to focus on the urban consumer by offering superior products. The company's portfolio consists of premium brands, such as Whisper, Ariel, Head & Shoulders and Pantene. Among these, Whisper has completed a decade in the Indian market, and has managed a value-wise leadership position in its category. "Pantene has not taken off too well," admits Cofer, adding, the company is formulating a strategy so as to bring it back on the growth platform.

Commenting on the impact in Indian markets of the global investor perception regarding P&G after the company failed to deliver the profits that it had predicted, Cofer said India, as part of the Asean-Australasia-India (AAI) region, has performed well and is expected to continue treading the growth path.

According to a company spokesperson, P&G, as part of its new policy, will recruit for the AAI region as a whole, and not just for India. Cofer said he increasingly sees India as a sourcing point for managerial talent.

Cofer, who was instrumental in successfully implementing the Golden Eye Project -- for faster speed to market -- is confident that the new organisational changes at P&G will bring in the requisite growth for the Indian operations. The new changes are part of the compnay's "Organisation 2005" restructuring efforts.

Organisation 2005, which was announced a year and a half ago, aims at accelerating the growth of P&G through a culture of Stretch, Innovation and Speed (SIS). Over the last two years, ongoing structural and cultural changes have taken place in the organisation.

The cultural changes announced as part of Organisation 2005 have also driven initiatives like greater empowerment through greater employee involvement. Asked whether the company is moving towards a more risk-oriented approach, Cofer answered in the affirmative. "We are definitely taking more risks. The new culture has increase speed to market and has resulted in a faster movement of products into the Indian market."

As for his understanding of the Indian consumer in the last two years that he spent in the country, Cofer said: "The Indian consumer is a highly discerning consumer. She wants the most superior of products quality-wise to meet her needs. By providing these products, we will grow our business and create value in our core categories."

The multinational has been laying greater emphasis on India being part of the AAI Market Development Organisation (MDO). The MDO operates as a single entity, with Singapore being its headquarters. This is expected to lead to co-location of multi-funtional resources at one location in order to create synergies and efficiencies.

The Cincinnati-based Procter & Gamble Company is represented in India by Procter & Gamble Hygiene and Health Care, in which it holds 65 per cent, and Procter & Gamble Home Products, a wholly-owned subsidiary.