Piramal Pharma’s Project Catalyst, NxGen, to increase profitability to 3X: Viral Gandhi, Group CIO

Piramal Pharma in FY25 surpassed the US$ 1 billion revenue milestone, delivering YoY growth of 12%, said the company in its annual report FY-25. The Pharma company’s EBITDA and Net Profit also recorded healthy growth of 15% and 411% respectively. The vision for FY2030 is to become a US$ 2+ billion global pharma, health and wellness company.

The technology roadmap of the company is aligned with the strategic goal of tripling EBITDA and doubling revenue by FY2030. To enable this, a five-year IT Long-Range Plan (LRP) has been devised. At the heart of this transformation vision is the Digital Transformation Office (led by CIO), which is defining strategic investments in automation, data security, and digital platforms.

“Project Catalyst is aligned to Piramal’s enterprise transformation and poised to be a key enabler to achieve its Long Range Plan goals of increasing the revenue to 2X and profitability to 3X through productivity improvement and unlocking operational efficiency, enabling us to deliver superior products and services to our stakeholders globally,” Viral Gandhi, President & Group CIO, Piramal Group, told FE CIO.

Piramal Pharma’s IT budget jumps 36 percent

As a part of the pharma major’s ongoing digital and IT transformation programme, the company’s technology investments surged 36 percent Year on Year (YoY). From 31.39 cr in FY 24 to 42.58 cr in FY 25, records the company filing in the annual report for FY2024-25. The major spends has been made as a part of ‘Project Catalyst’ and ‘Project Catalyst NxGen.’

Overall the technology investments have been made in the following areas:

• Process digitisation and automation 

• Data-driven enterprise enablement 

• Secure and scalable infrastructure 

• Innovation-led technology 

Catalyst NxGen – A Next-Generation ERP Transformation

The Catalyst NxGen, a flagship ERP initiative, is complemented by targeted automation, advanced analytics, and infrastructure modernisation programmes, collectively driving business impact and operational excellence. 

Accordingly, about 50+ digital Interventions are in various stages of implementation. Four digital tracks are being undertaken in the Contract Development and Manufacturing Organisation (CDMO), covering the entire scope of the drug lifecycle; Complex Hospital Generics (CHG), which refers to generic pharmaceutical products that are typically used in hospitals, often involving inhaled anesthetics, injectable pain management drugs, and intrathecal therapies and finally Central Partner Function, referring to shared services like IT, Finance, HR, Quality, Legal, and Supply Chain.

“FY2025 marked a pivotal year for Piramal Pharma as we advanced the foundational phase of Catalyst NxGen, our ERP-led transformation initiative. This programme is replacing legacy systems with a next-generation, future-ready ERP platform that enables process excellence, agility, and scalability across all entities,” said the company, adding the Master Data Management (MDM) framework will ensure high-quality, wellgoverned, and accurate data migration into the new ERP. The first rollout, covering India and select global entities, has already commenced with deployment planned through FY2026.

The tangible outcomes of ‘Project Catalyst’ in FY25 include: Up to 50% reduction in unplanned maintenance downtime through smart sensor automation; AI-driven eBMR (Electronic Batch Manufacturing Records) went live at select sites; the first fully AI-generated batch is scheduled for FY26.

The Road Ahead 

FY2026 will be a year of execution and scale, said the company filing, “We will continue advancing our ‘Catalyst’ journey, modernising core systems, digitising end-to-end processes, and embedding intelligence into decision-making. ERP, AI, and automation initiatives will be intensified with greater emphasis on execution, adoption, and measurable outcomes. In parallel, we are strengthening readiness for evolving global regulations in data protection, cyber security, and digital compliance through robust governance and proactive investments.”