Tata Group

Tata Group is one of India's largest and most respected business groups. Tata Group's name is synonymous with India's industrialisation. The Group gave India her first steel plant, hydro-electric plant, inorganic chemistry plant and created a reservoir of scientific and technological manpower for the country. Its Trusts have instituted the Tata Institute of Social Sciences in 1936; India's first cancer hospital, the Tata Memorial in 1941, and in 1945, the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, which became the cradle of India's Atomic energy program. Today, Tata Group comprises 96 operating companies in seven business sectors: information systems and communications; engineering; materials; services; energy; consumer products; and chemicals. The Group has operations in more than 54 countries across six continents, and its companies export products and services to 120 nations.

Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata laid the foundations of Tata Group when he started a private trading firm in 1868. In 1874, he set up the Central India Spinning Weaving and Manufacturing Company Limited and thus marked the Group's entry into textiles. In 1887, Jamsetji Tata formed a partnership firm, Tata & Sons, with his elder son Sir Dorabji Tata and his cousin Ratanji Dadabhoy Tata. His younger son Sir Ratan Tata joined the firm in 1896. In 1902, the Indian Hotels Company was incorporated to set up the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower, India's first luxury hotel, which opened in 1903. The Tata Iron and Steel Company (now known as Tata Steel) was established to set up India's first iron and steel plant in Jamshedpur. The plant started production in 1912. In 1910, Tata Hydro-Electric Power Supply Company, (now Tata Power) was set up. In 1917, Tata Oil Mills Company was established to make soaps, detergents and cooking oils. In 1932, Tatas entered aviation sector with the establishment of Tata Airlines. In 1939, Tata Chemicals, presently, the largest producer of soda ash in India, was established. In 1945, Tata Engineering and Locomotive Company (renamed Tata Motors in 2003) was established to manufacture locomotive and engineering products. In 1954, India's major marketing, engineering and manufacturing organisation, Voltas, was established. In 1962, Tata Finlay (now Tata Tea), one of the largest tea producers, was established. In 1968, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), India's first software services company, was established as a division of Tata Sons. In 1970, Tata McGraw-Hill Publishing Company was created to publish educational and technical books. In 1984, Titan Industries, a joint venture between the Tata Group and the Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO), was set up to manufacture watches. In 1996, Tata Teleservices (TTSL) was established to lead the Group's foray into the telecom sector. In 1998, Tata Indica, India's first indigenously designed and manufactured car, was launched by Tata Motors. In 2000, Tata Tea acquired the Tetley Group, UK. This was the first major acquisition of an international brand by an Indian business group. In 2001, Tata entered into insurance business in joint venture with Tata AIG. In 2007, Tata Steel acquired Corus the fifth largest steel company in the world.

Tata Group Companies

The two Promoter companies of Tata Group are: Tata Sons and Tata Industries. Tata Sons is the promoter of all key companies of the Tata Group and holds the bulk of shareholding in these companies. Tata Sons is the owner of the Tata name and the Tata trademark, which are registered in India and several other countries. Tata Industries was set up by Tata Sons in 1945 as a managing agency for businesses it promoted. Tata Industries' mandate was recast, in the early 1980s, to promote the Group's entry into new and high-tech areas.

The rest of the Tata companies spread over seven sectors in which Tata Group operates are:

1. Engineering

(a) Automotive:

2. Materials

(a) Composites

3. Energy
(a) Power

5. Services
(a) Hotels and Realty

7. Information Systems and Communications
(a) Information Systems

Note: The above information was last updated on 21-07-2007