Oldest Companies of India that are still going strong

Today, India is proud of the wildest out-of-the-box startups like Paytm, Ola, Zomato to name a few. But this entrepreneurial craze is not something that is recent. It takes a lot of resilience and willingness for a company to make an impact in the market especially in a country like India.

Let us look at some of the old companies that are going strong even today (this is not a complete list).

• Dabur India Ltd.-1844
• Britannia Industries -1892
• CESC Limited- 1899
• ITC -1910
• Berger Paints - 1923
• Bata Shoes - 1931
• Cipla - 1935
• Larsen & Toubro Limited -1946
• SBI -1955
• Bajaj Finance -1987

1. Dabur India Ltd

Dabur India Ltd (derived from Daktar Burman) is an Indian multinational consumer goods company, founded in 1884 by S. K. Burman and headquartered in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh. It manufactures Ayurvedic medicine and natural consumer products. It is one of the largest fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies in India. Dabur derives around 60% of its revenue from the consumer care business, 11% from the food business and remaining from the international business unit. The company has a market capitalization of 101,077 crores as of 21 Jun 2021.

2. Britannia Industries

Britannia Industries Limited is an Indian food and beverage company. Founded in 1892 and headquartered in Kolkata, it is one of India's oldest existing companies. It is now part of the Wadia Group headed by Nusli Wadia. It is best known for its biscuit products. The company sells its Britannia and Tiger brands of biscuits, breads and dairy products throughout India and in more than 60 countries across the world. At present, 90% of Britannia's annual revenue comes from biscuits. Britannia is one of India's 100 Most Trusted brands listed in The Brand Trust Report. Britannia has an estimated market share of 38% in biscuits.

3. CESC Limited

On 17 April 1899, the first thermal power plant of The Calcutta Electric Supply Corporation Limited was commissioned at Emambagh Lane near Prinsep Ghat, heralding the beginning of thermal power generation in India. The Calcutta Tramways Company switched to electricity from horse-drawn carriages in 1902. Three new power generating stations were started by 1906. The company was shifted to the Victoria House in Dharmatala, Kolkata in 1933, and still operates from this address.

In 1970, the control of the Company was transferred from London to Calcutta. In 1978 it was named "The Calcutta Electric Supply Corporation (India) Ltd." The RPG Group was associated with The Calcutta Electric Supply Corporation (India) Limited from 1989, and the name was changed from The Calcutta Electric Supply Corporation (India) Limited to CESC Limited. In 2011, CESC became a part of the RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group, which was formed on 13 July 2011 by Sanjiv Goenka, the youngest son of Dr RP Goenka, the late founder of RPG Enterprises. CESC also has its own Transmission & Distribution system through which it supplies electricity to its consumers.

4. ITC

ITC Limited is an Indian company headquartered in Kolkata, West Bengal. ITC has a diversified presence across industries such as cigarettes, FMCG, hotels, packaging, paperboards and specialty papers and agri business. The company has 13 businesses in 5 segments. Also there are 90 countries where ITC exports its products. Its products are available in 6 million retail outlets. Established in 1910 as the Imperial Tobacco Company of India Limited, the company was renamed as the India Tobacco Company Limited in 1970 and later to I.T.C. Limited in 1974. The company now stands renamed to ITC Limited, where "ITC" today is no longer an acronym or an initialized form. The company completed 100 years in 2010. It employs over 36,500 people at more than 60 locations across India and is part of the Forbes 2000 list. Within a relatively short span of time, ITC has built 25 mother brands, many of which are market leaders in their segments. ITC’s excellent Indian brands anchor competitive and inclusive value chains that create, capture and retain larger value within the country.

5. Berger Paints

Berger Paints Ltd is an Indian multinational paint company, based in Kolkata, India. Undergoing a number of changes in ownership and nomenclature in its 88 year old history in India, the company has come a long way. Starting out as Hadfield's (India) Limited, it had just one factory in Howrah, West Bengal. By the close of 1947, Hadfield's was acquired by British Paints (Holdings) Limited, UK and came to be known as British Paints (India) Limited. In 1983, the name of the Company was changed to Berger Paints India Limited. Currently, the majority stake is with the Delhi based Dhingra brothers. Berger Paints has established itself through a long course of time. This company has 16 manufacturing units in India, 2 in Nepal, 1 each in Poland and Russia. It is second largest paint manufacturer in India.

6. Bata Shoes

Bata India is the largest retailer and leading manufacturer of footwear in India and is a part of the Bata Shoe Organization. Incorporated as Bata Shoe Company Private Limited in 1931, the company was set up initially as a small operation in Konnagar (near Calcutta) in 1932. In January 1934, the foundation stone for the first building of Bata’s operation - now called the Bata. In the years that followed, the overall site was doubled in area. This township is popularly known as Batanagar. It was also the first manufacturing facility in the Indian shoe industry to receive the ISO: 9001 certification. The Company went public in 1973 when it changed its name to Bata India Limited. Today, Bata India has established itself as India’s largest footwear retailer. Its retail network of over 1375 stores gives it a reach / coverage that no other footwear company can match. The stores are present in good locations and can be found in all the metros, mini-metros and towns. Bata’s smart looking new stores supported by a range of better quality products are aimed at offering a superior shopping experience to its customers. The Company also operates a large non-retail distribution network through its urban wholesale division and caters to millions of customers through over 30,000 dealers.

7. Cipla

It was founded by Khwaja Abdul Hamied as 'The Chemical, Industrial & Pharmaceutical Laboratories' in 1935 in Mumbai. The name of the company was changed to 'Cipla Limited' on 20 July 1984. In the year 1985, the US FDA approved the company's bulk drug manufacturing facilities. Cipla primarily develops medicines to treat respiratory, cardiovascular disease, arthritis, diabetes, weight control, depression and other medical conditions. Cipla has 34 manufacturing units in 8 locations across India and a presence in over 80 countries.

8. Larsen & Toubro Limited

Larsen & Toubro Ltd was incorporated in the year 1946 as a private limited company. Earlier the company was established as a partnership firm founded by two Danish engineers Henning Holk Larsen with Soren Kristian Toubro in Mumbai. Larsen & Toubro Ltd, commonly known as L&T, is an Indian multinational conglomerate company that specializes in technology, engineering, construction, manufacturing and financial services conglomerate headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. The company is also counted in the list of world's top 5 construction companies. The company has business interests in basic and heavy engineering, construction, realty, manufacturing of capital goods, information technology, and financial services.

9.SBI

On 1st July State Bank of India was constituted under the State Bank of India Act 1955, for the purpose of taking over the undertaking and business of the Imperial Bank of India.

State Bank of India (SBI) a Fortune 500 company, is an Indian Multinational, Public Sector Banking and Financial services statutory body headquartered in Mumbai. The rich heritage and legacy of over 200 years, accredits SBI as the most trusted Bank by Indians through generations.

SBI, the largest Indian Bank with 1/4th market share, serves over 44 crore customers through its vast network of over 22,000 branches, 58,500 ATMs, 66,000 BC outlets, with an undeterred focus on innovation, and customer centricity, which stems from the core values of the Bank - Service, Transparency, Ethics, Politeness and Sustainability.

The Bank has successfully diversified businesses through its 11 subsidiaries i.e SBI General Insurance, SBI Life Insurance, SBI Mutual Fund, SBI Card, etc. It has spread its presence globally and operates across time zones through 233 offices in 32 foreign countries.

10. Bajaj Finance

Started as two wheeler finance company, Bajaj Auto Finance Ltd in 1987. Registered as a Public Limited Company in 1988. Ten years later, in 1998, the company was registered with RBI as NBFC. Company ventured into Durable Finance in 1998-99 and captured big chunk of the market with first mover advantage.

Bajaj Finance Limited, a subsidiary of Bajaj Finserv, is an Indian non-banking financial company (NBFC). The company deals in consumer finance, SME (small and medium-sized enterprises) and commercial lending, and wealth management. Headquartered in Pune, Maharashtra, the company has 294 consumer branches and 497 rural locations with over 33,000+ distribution points.

Surprised to see that there is no mention of a single TATA company. They are the most ethical one's around and at the same time, they donate a substantial portion of their earning towards charity. Along with that Birla and Wadia group of companies can also be taken.

I rarely swear by businesses but both TATA and Birla are gems.

India is emerging as the world’s leading country with its growth in advanced technological developments, manufacturing, and better infrastructures. Though there are many new industries and companies expanding their business in the Indian market, we have some old companies still standing immobile in the market. This is not something easy to achieve, it takes a lot of commitment and resilience.

Some of the oldest companies in India still going strong:

Shalimar Paints

They are one of the oldest and leading paint manufacturing companies in India. It was founded in 1902 by two British entrepreneurs AN Turner and AC Wright in Howrah. They have more than 54 branches and 3 manufacturing units in India. They use cutting-edge technologies to pioneer aviation coatings, marine paints, and the painting of thermal power plants. Some of India's iconic structures like the Howrah bridge, Salt Lake Stadium, Rashtrapati Bhavan have Shalimar Paints to make them ethereal.

SBI

State Bank Of India was founded in 1806 as the Bank of Calcutta mainly to fund British General Wellesley’s war against the Marathas and ruler of Mysore Tipu Sultan. Later in 1995, the Govt of India acquired its control. It provides a wide range of financial services that include life insurance, pension fund management , credit card factoring etc. Today, SBI is one of the biggest banks in the country with more than 24000 branches and a market cap of Rs. 3.76 lakh crores.

Dabur India Ltd

Dabur India Ltd is one of the leading companies in India. It has experience of over 133 years
They started making healthcare products in 1884. It was founded by S.K.

Burman

The company specialises in hair care, oral care, health care, skin care, home care, and foods. The company's products are marketed under brand names including Dabur Chyawanprash, Dabur Honey, Dabur Baby, Vatika, Hajmola, Real, Fem, Dabur Amla, and Dabur Red Toothpaste. The company's products are available in more than 60 countries and are very popular.

Aditya Birla Group

They are an Indian International conglomerate company, founded by Seth Shiv Narayan Birla in 1857 and headquartered in Worli, Maharashtra. They are now well established in the Textile, Finance, Cement, Mining, Metal, fashion and Retail, and Telecommunication Industry among others. Aditya group secured a position among the top10 cement manufacturers in the world. They have many companies in the international market also.

Bombay Burmah Trading Corporation (BBTC)

The BBTCL was established in 1863 and they are the oldest Rupee Company in India founded with public participation. Now the Company has diversified its business into tea, coffee, other plantation products, biscuit, and dairy products, auto electric and white goods parts, weighing products, horticulture and landscaping services, healthcare products, etc. they are still standing still along with new industries and companies with new ethics and perseverance.
Though the life expectancy rate of companies is shrinking rapidly all over the world, in India there are few old companies standing still powerful. Their contribution to the economic growth of the country is immensely valuable.

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