Murugappa Group Unveils New Brand Identity

Chennai, September 8, 2010 – The Murugappa Group unveiled its new brand identity today. The new logo – the Murugappa Peacock in a vibrant red reflects the strength and energy the Murugappa Group embodies, while retaining the timeless values and beliefs that define the Group.

Unveiling the brand, Mr. A Vellayan, Executive Chairman, Murugappa Group said, “This contemporary rendition of the Murugappa Peacock is a sign of the Group’s global outlook and the dynamic targets we have set out to reach. Red as a colour embodies vigour, power, passion, drive, energy and is renowned for its excellent visibility. The clean lines and the unique lower case style in which ‘murugappa’ is written help connect with audiences through simplicity and elegance.”

The development of the Murugappa brand programme commenced in 2008, when the Group was drawing up near term growth plans.The programme began with an evaluation of the Group’s Brand and it’s connect with the core audiences including employees, investors and other stakeholders.

A pan-India study among diverse audiences revealed that a sizeable cross section connected Murugappa Group with business ethics and best people practices, but they also expressed the need to more fully understand the Group and the diverse businesses they were in.

The conclusion was that the Group needed to deepen the understanding among the core audiences. The Group also needed to connect to the generation of the future – the emerging tribe of confident, global Indians.

A brand campaign was developed to synchronise with the Group’s ambitious growth plans with the theme “Energy Unbound”. The first step in this process was to convey this theme through the Group identity that is the brand logo. An internal team formed to anchor the campaign selected Design Consultancy, Lopez Designs, as partner in this effort. JWT was appointed as the Advertising Agency.

“We wanted to retain the unique imagery that the Murugappa Peacock conveyed as the symbol of a Group that was proudly Indian. At the same time, we wanted a more ‘energized’, modern and contemporary depiction,” added Mr. A Vellayan.

This new identity marks the beginning of the Murugappa Brand campaign to enhance awareness and understanding of the Group’s size, scale and diversity. The campaign will also focus on strengthening the brand association between the Murugappa Group and the constituent companies.

Print advertisements in national dailies will focus primarily on increasing awareness about the Group’s diverse constituent businesses.

The campaign also includes TV Advertisements on national news channels over the next month. Developed around the communication theme ‘Energy Unbound’, the TV Commercial conveys in a metaphorical manner the Group’s endeavour to harness the wealth of the world for all stakeholders.

“Our aspiration is to make the Murugappa Group one of the most admired and well recognized brands among business Groups in India. To achieve this objective our communication will continue over the next 3-4 years,” added Mr. A Vellayan.

About Murugappa Group

Founded in 1900, the Rs.13617 Crores (USD 3.03 billion) Murugappa Group is one of India’s leading business conglomerates. The Group has 29 businesses including seven listed companies actively traded in NSE & BSE. Headquartered in Chennai, the major companies of the Group include Carborundum Universal Ltd., Cholamandalam Investment and Finance Company Ltd., Cholamandalam MS General Insurance Company Ltd, Coromandel International Ltd, Coromandel Engineering Company Ltd, EID Parry (India) Ltd, Parry Agro Industries Ltd, Tube Investments of India Ltd and Wendt (India) Ltd.

Market leaders in served segments including Abrasives, Auto Components, Cycles, Sugar, Farm Inputs, Fertilizers, Plantations, Construction, Bio-products and Nutraceuticals, the Group has forged strong joint venture alliances with leading international companies like Mitsui Sumitomo, Foskor, Cargill, Groupe Chimique Tunisien, Winterthur Technology Group and Morgan Crucible. The Group has a wide geographical presence panning 13 states in India and 5 continents.

Renowned brands like BSA, Hercules, Ballmaster, Ajax, Parry’s, Gromor and Paramfos are from the Murugappa stable. The organization fosters an environment of professionalism and has a workforce of over 32,000 employees.

Safe Harbor

Some of the statements in this news release that are not historical facts are forward looking statements. These forward looking statements include financial and growth projections as well as statements concerning our plans, strategies, intentions and beliefs concerning our businesses and the markets in which we operate. These statements are based on information currently available to us, and we assume no obligation to update these statements as circumstances change. There are risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events to differ materially from these forward looking statements. These risks include, but are not limited to, the level of the market demand for the products, the highly competitive market for the types of the products that we offer, market condition that would cause customers to reduce their spending for the products, our ability to create, acquire and build new businesses and to grow existing businesses, our ability to attract and retain qualified personnel, currency fluctuations and market conditions in India and elsewhere around the world, and otherwise not specifically mentioned herein but those that are common to industry.