In 1857, Shiv Narayan Birla, started cotton trading in Pilani, Rajasthan. The enterprise grew, expanded and came to be known as Aditya-Birla Group, a multinational conglomerate with a presence in over 36 countries, managed by the fourth-generation Birlas.
GD Birla, who took over the company, diversified the business. Birla’s business concerns include non-ferrous metals, cement, textiles, chemicals, agri-business, carbon black, mining, wind power, insulators, telecommunications, financial services, retail and trading solutions. The management of the company by Aditya Vikram Birla changed the face of the Birla Group.
In 1969, he started Birla’s first overseas venture- Indo-Thai Synthetics Co. Ltd. It was followed by the setting up of 19 overseas companies in Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Egypt. Today, almost 50 per cent of the company’s revenue comes from its overseas operations. Their major subsidiaries include Grasim, the world’s leading producer of viscose staple fibre, Hindalco, that produces aluminum and copper; Ultra Tech Cement, Pantaloons and Planet Fashion.
Picture Credit : Google
