About Us

Our journey, vision, and commitment to excellence.

Sinnar Factory
History & Vision

Expertise in Catalytic Hydrogenation Since 1986

Transforming Technological Expertise into Industrial Reality

Founded in 1986 by three chemical engineers, Catapharma Group represents a passion for blending technological expertise with industrial success. Dr. Shrikant Karwa’s doctoral research on liquid-phase catalytic hydrogenation laid the foundation for the Group's evolution from a single product operation to a multi-product enterprise. Today, Catapharma employs 160+ professionals, operates two state-of-the-art manufacturing sites, and achieves an annual turnover of $20+ million.

Technological Expertise

At the heart of Catapharma’s success is its expertise in liquid-phase hydrogenation technology. With an in-house R&D lab and pilot plant, the Group has developed mastery in processes including Catalytic Hydrogenation, Oxidation, N-alkylation and O-alkylation, Nitrosation, Low-temperature Nitration, Esterification, Ethoxylation, etc.
This wide-ranging technological capability supports the Group’s innovative approach to chemical manufacturing.

160+ Dedicated Employees
2 Manufacturing Sites

Manufacturing Facilities

Our manufacturing facilities are located in Sinnar, an established industrial belt near Nashik. The region is well suited to large-scale chemical manufacture and logistics.

Sinnar is approximately 180 km from Mumbai and about 30 km southeast of Nashik, giving us efficient access to major transport routes and export facilities.

Group Companies & Sites

  • Catapharma Chemicals Pvt. Ltd. (est. 1989)
  • MDB Chemicals (India) Pvt. Ltd. (est. 1997)

In-house Capabilities

The Group handles catalyst design, equipment design, and process development in-house. Our R&D and pilot plant enable scale-up from laboratory to commercial manufacture while ensuring quality through GC, HPLC, TLC and Karl-Fischer analysis.

Our Journey

Milestones and achievements across the decades. Edit the markup below to update milestones.

1986

Founding

Financed by Venture Capital of IDBI for pilot plant of Paracetamol from nitrobenzene using selective catalytic hydrogenation.

1991

First manufacturing site

Comissioning of manufacturing plant for pharma and dye intermediates using green catalytic hydrogenation technology.

1991–2005

Application of Green Chemistry

Developed green chemistry routes for over 50 products, reducing India's import dependence and establishing roots in foreign markets.

1998

Second Manufacturing Site

Comissioning of Export Oriented Unit for catechol derivatives.

2005

1-Methyl-3-phenyl piperazine

With a capacity of 80 MTA, became a major supplier to manufacturers of Mirtazapine.

2010

trans and cis-N-BOC-4-Amino Cyclohexane Carboxylic Acid

With a capacity of 30 MTA, became a major supplier to manufacturers of Oclacitinib.

2015

1,2-Methylenedioxy benzene

With a capacity of 3000 MTA, became a largest supplier to the Agrochemicals, Perfumery and Pharma industries.

2018

1-Amino-4-methyl piperazine

With 300 MTA capacity, became a largest supplier to manufacturers of Rifampicin globally. With new use as a substitute for Hydrazine in boiler water treatment, it's consumption is increasing year after year.

2019

N‑Benzyl Ethanolamine

With a capacity of 300 MTA, became the most sought after by manufacturers of Cyclen (Intermediate for MRI contrast agents)

2020

1-Amino-4-cyclopentyl piperazine

Developed for inventor of Rifapentine in 2011, and commercialized as the exclusive supplier globally with a capacity of 48 MTA.

2025

N,N'-Di-t-Butyl ethylenediamine & N,N-Dimethyl butylamine

Established major capacity.