Tata Group

 Tata Group History

The Tata Group was founded by Jamsetji Tata in 1868 as a trading company, evolving into an Indian multinational conglomerate headquartered in Mumbai. Key milestones include establishing India's first steel plant in 1907, the first luxury hotel (Taj Mahal Palace Hotel) in 1903, and Tata Airlines (later Air India) in 1932. Under leaders like JRD Tata and Ratan Tata, the group expanded rapidly, with major international acquisitions such as Corus Steel and Jaguar Land Rover in the 2000s.  

Early years and nation-building (1868–1938) 

• 1868: Jamsetji Tata founds a trading company with an initial capital of ₹21,000. 

• 1874: Establishes Empress Mills, a textile mill in Nagpur, which becomes a success. 

• 1903: Opens the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, India's first luxury hotel. 

• 1907: Tata Iron and Steel Company (later Tata Steel) is founded, becoming India's first steel plant. The group also opens its first overseas office in London. 

• 1910: Tata Power is established. 

• 1932: Tata Airlines (which would later become Air India) is launched by JRD Tata. 

Expansion and globalization (1938–present) 

• 1938: 

  JRD Tata becomes chairman and leads the group's expansion into a global powerhouse. 

• 1940s-1980s: 

  The conglomerate grows by entering sectors like chemicals, engineering, and consumer goods. Tata Motors (founded as Tata Engineering and Locomotive Company in 1945) launches India's first indigenous passenger car, the Indica, in 1998. 

• 1968: 

  Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) is established, a move that contributes to India becoming a global IT powerhouse. 

• 2000s: 

  The group makes major international acquisitions, including Tetley Tea (2000), Corus Steel (2007), and Jaguar Land Rover (2008), marking its significant global presence. 

• 2017: 

  Natarajan Chandrasekaran is appointed chairman, and Tata Sons converts from a public to a private limited company. 

• 2024: 

  An agreement is reached to merge Vistara with Air India to form a single, larger airline.

• Acquisitions

• February 2000 – Tetley Tea Company, $407 million[16]
• March 2004 – Daewoo Commercial Vehicle Company, $102 million
• August 2004 – NatSteel's Steel business, $292 million
• November 2004 – Tyco Global Network, $130 million
• July 2005 – Teleglobe International Holdings, $239 million
• October 2005 – Good Earth Corporation
• December 2005 – Millennium Steel, Thailand, $165 million
• December 2005 – Brunner Mond Chemicals, $10 million
• June 2006 – Eight O'Clock Coffee, $220 million
• November 2006 – Ritz Carlton Boston, $170 million
• January 2007 – Corus Group, $12 billion[17]
• March 2007 – PT Kaltim Prima Coal (KPC) (Bumi Resources), $1.1 billion
• April 2007 – Campton Place Hotel, San Francisco, $60 million
• January 2008 – Imacid Chemical Company, Morocco[18]
• February 2008 – General Chemical Industrial Products, $1 billion
• March 2008 – Jaguar Cars and Land Rover, $2.3 billion
• March 2008 – Serviplem SA, Spain
• April 2008 – Comoplesa Lebrero SA, Spain
• May 2008 – Piaggio Aero Industries, Italy (sold off in 2015)
• June 2008 – China Enterprise Communications, China
• October 2008 – Miljo Grenland / Innovasjon, Norway
• April 2010 – Hewitt Robins International, United Kingdom
• July 2013 – Alti SA, France
• December 2014 – Energy Products Limited, India
• June 2016 – Welspun Renewables Energy, India
• May 2018 – Bhushan Steel Limited, India
• February 2021 – BigBasket (68%) by Tata Digital
• June 2021 – 1mg (55%) by Tata Digital
• October 2021 – Air India, Air India Express and 50% stake in Air India SATS, ₹18,000 crore (US$2.1 billion).
• January 2022 – Nilachala Ispat Nigam Ltd, $1.5 billion
• June 2023 – Kaleyra, Inc by Tata Communications, $100 million.[19]
• January 2024 – Capital Foods (75%) by Tata Consumer Products, ₹5,100 crore[20]
• July 2025 – Iveco Group's commercial vehicles business by Tata Motors, €3.8 billion[21]