The company has a small marketshare in the 33 million sq m global market for linoleum floor coverings. Chowdhury said the growing market potential and the high entry barriers for new players have encouraged Birla DLW to go for a major expansion drive in the near future.

Birla DLW recorded a 32.7 per cent growth in turnover to Rs 10.22 crore during the year to March 31, 1999 from Rs 7.70 crore in the previous year. On a capital base of Rs 4 crore, the net profit stood at Rs 2.20 crore against Rs 0.82 crore in the previous year.

The company caters mainly to institutional buyers and exports almost 90 per cent of its products to European customers. It manufactures a wide range of linoleum products fromnatural ingredients like linseed oil, natural rosin and wood/ cork powder which are calendered onto jute hessian sourced from Birla Jute Mills, a division of Birla Corp.

Birla DLW received the ISO 9002 certification from Det Norske Veritas (DNV) on Wednesday. The company is the only manufacturer of eco-friendly linoleum not only in India but also in Asia. Its products have been certified as fire retardant by the Warrington Fire Research Centre of the UK. Chowdhury said his company was a major supplier to the Indian Navy. It has also supplied linoleum floorings to INS Delhi and INS Mysore as well as the Indian Army which uses the flooring material for bunkers in border areas.

Birla Corp managing director KC Mittal told reporters that as a result of the group's accent on quality, all major divisions and companies including two jute mills, three cement plants and three cable companies have already received the ISO 9002 certification.