Founded in 1900, the INR 381 Billion (38,105 Crores) Murugappa Group is one of India’s leading business conglomerates. The Group has 28 businesses including nine listed Companies traded in NSE & BSE. Headquartered in Chennai, the major Companies of the Group include Carborundum Universal Ltd., Cholamandalam Financial Holdings Ltd., Cholamandalam Investment and Finance Company Ltd., Cholamandalam MS General Insurance Company Ltd., Coromandel International Ltd., Coromandel Engineering Company Ltd., E.I.D. Parry (India) Ltd., Parry Agro Industries Ltd., Shanthi Gears Ltd., Tube Investments of India Ltd., and Wendt (India) Ltd.
Market leaders in served segments including Abrasives, Auto Components, Transmission systems, Cycles, Sugar, Farm Inputs, Fertilisers, Plantations, Bio-products and Nutraceuticals, the Group has forged strong alliances with leading international companies such as Groupe Chimique Tunisien, Foskor, Mitsui Sumitomo, Morgan Advanced Materials, Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile (SQM), Yanmar & Co. and Compagnie Des Phosphat De Gafsa (CPG). The Group has a wide geographical presence all over India and spanning 6 continents.
Renowned brands like BSA, Hercules, Montra, Mach City, Ballmaster, Ajax, Parry’s, Chola, Gromor, Shanthi Gears and Paramfos are from the Murugappa stable. The Group fosters an environment of professionalism and has a workforce of over 51,000 employees.
Group Heritage
The story of the Murugappa Group is a legacy of entrepreneurship that started in 1934 and lives to this day.
Our journey began in 1898 when 14 year old Murugappa Chettiar accompanied his uncle as an apprentice to the British province of Burma. He eventually set up his own banking practice, with his fluency in Burmese giving him an uncommon edge. By 1914, he had secured his firm’s position as second only to The Imperial Bank of Burma.
The great depression, World War and growing sentiment against foreigners cast a shadow on the future of the business in Burma. Employing keen foresight, Dewan Bahadur had the family funds transferred to India before the Burmese government took over foreign holdings. The origins of the group in India can be traced back to this prudent act. In India, he encouraged his three sons to seize opportunities that would diversify their businesses. A series of investments included a sandpaper plant, manufacturing of steel safes, setting up of an insurance company, a rubber plantation and more. The Group has drawn from its heritage and carried out organisational and entrepreneurial changes with transparency; and was one of the first to successfully transition from a family-managed group to a professionally managed corporate house.
Group-philosophy
This was the basic principle laid out by our founder, over a century ago and the tradition has endured. Today, this belief continues to guide our decisions and define our work ethics.
