The late Manu Chhabria-promoted Jumbo group will be investing about Rs 500 crore (Rs 5 billion) in the next two years to expand the brewing and distillery capacity of Shaw Wallace.

The group is also talking to international brewers such as South African Breweries, Heineken and Carlsberg to forge a strategic alliance in the brewery business.

International consulting firm McKinsey is advising Shaw Wallace on the alliance.

"Much of the expansion will be through greenfield projects," Jumbo group's chief operating officer P Nanani told reporters here on the sidelines of a function to launch the Royal Challenge student fashion awards.

The company has already invested Rs 200 crore (Rs 2 billion) till date to expand capacities, and a unit at Kochi in Kerala would be operational soon, Nanani said.

Meanwhile, human resources advisory firm Mercer Consulting has submitted a report on human resource benchmarking for alignment of job and responsibilities in the company.

Nanani explained that "the effort was aimed at rationalising operations, and there were no plans to shed manpower."

Commenting on the group's decision to exit non-core businesses like gelatine, Nanani said though these are profitable activities, they are open for divestment if an appropriate offer is made.

On the revival of the ailing Dunlop India, Nanani said, "We are awaiting a package from the appellate authority for Industrial and Financial Reconstruction, and are committed to improve the company's performance.