Grasim Industries is among India’s leading textile and chemical manufacturing companies. The company is headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra. Indian multinational conglomerate, Aditya Birla Group is the parent company of Grasim Industries. Grasim Industries started its journey as a textile manufacturer. However, over the years, it has expanded its portfolio and now operates several businesses in various sectors. The company was incorporated just 10 days after India became independent in 1947. Indian businessman G D Birla established the company in order to manufacture textile fibres. Three years later, the company would begin manufacturing fibre at its Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh unit. 1954 was the year when Grasim Industries expanded its portfolio as it started VSF (Viscose Staple Fibre) production at Nagda, Madhya Pradesh. VSF is a man-made fibre that has strong sustainability credentials and serves as an alternative to cotton. Grasim Industries opened a composite textile mill at Bhiwani, Haryana in 1963. In the early 1970s, Grasim Industries established VSF and pulp plants at Harihar, Karnataka. The company also expanded its portfolio as it started production of caustic soda for captive use. 1985 was the year when Grasim Industries entered the cement production business and opened its first cement plant at Jawad, Madhya Pradesh. In the years that followed, Grasim Industries expanded its production and diversified its portfolio. In 2001, Grasim Industries spun off its consultancy and software services. Accordingly, Birla Technologies Limited came into existence. The company acquired a 10 per cent stake in construction giant L&T in 2001. In 2004, Grasim Industries acquired a majority stake in L&T Cement Ltd and the company was renamed as UltraTech Cement Limited. 2009 was the year when Grasim Industries shaved off its sponge iron business. Two years later, the company acquired a key stake in Sweden-based fabric company Domsjo Fabriker AB. Grasim Industries commissioned a new state-of-the-art VSF production plant in 2014 at Vilayat, Gujarat. 2015 was a major year for Grasim Industries when Aditya Birla Chemicals (India) Limited was merged with the firm. Two years later, Aditya Birla Nuvo was merged with Grasim Industries. Subsequently, Grasim demerged its financial services vertical and listed it on Indian bourses by the name, Aditya Birla Capital. In 2019, Grasim purchased a 100 per cent stake in fabric supplier Soktas India Private Limited. 2021 was the year when Grasim forayed into the paints business and in 2022 the company announced that it will venture into the B2B e-commerce platform for building materials segment. The company has a workforce of over 23,000 employees as of March 2022.
Products and services
Grasim is among the largest producers of VSF (Viscose Staple Fibre) in the world. The company also manufactures Viscose Filament Yarn, VFY also known as rayon. VFY is a natural fibre which can be treated such that it resembles materials like silk, cotton and wool in its feel and texture. Grasim Industries is also a prominent player in the Chlor-Alkali segment. The company manufactures various chlorine derivatives like Stable Bleaching Powder, Polyaluminium Chloride, Chlorosulphonic Acid, Chlorinated Paraffin Wax, Chloromethane etc. Grasim also manufactures linen and wool. The company also specialises in the production of ceramic and composite insulators. Through its subsidiaries, Aditya Birla Solar Limited (ABSL) and Aditya Birla Renewables Limited (ABRL), Grasim has a strong presence in the renewable energy sector. Similarly, through its subsidiaries, UltraTech Cement Limited and Aditya Birla Capital Limited, Grasim has a formidable presence in the cement and financial services business respectively.
Listing
Shares of Grasim Industries are listed on BSE, NSE, Madras Stock Exchange, Calcutta Stock Exchange, etc. The company is a part of multiple indices like Nifty 50, Nifty 500, S&P BSE Sensex 50 etc.
KMB
Kumar Mangalam BirlaChairman (Non-Executive)
RB
Rajashree BirlaNon-Exec & Non-Independent Dir
AR
Anita RamachandranNon-Exec. & Independent Dir.
NMR
N Mohan RajNon-Exec. & Independent Dir.
VC
Venkatadri ChandrasekaranIndependent Director
AKG
Adesh Kumar GuptaIndependent Director
SD
Sailesh DagaCompany Sec. & Compli. Officer
RK
Raj KumarNon Executive Director
HKA
H K AgarwalManaging Director
AB
ANANYASHREE BIRLANon Executive Director
AB
Aryaman BirlaNon Executive Director
YPD
Y P DandiwalaIndependent Director
SA
Sushil AgarwalNon Executive Director