Tata Group facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Tata Group

Type	Corporate group
Industry	Conglomerate
Founded	1868; 157 years ago (1868)
Founder	Jamsetji Tata
Headquarters	Bombay House, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Area served	Worldwide
Key people	Ratan Tata (Chairman Emeritus) Natarajan Chandrasekaran (Chairman & Managing Director) S Parmar (chief corporate counsel)
Products	Automotive Chemicals Defence Electronics FMCG Jewellers Home appliances Salt Steel Cement Tea
Services	Airlines Aerospace Consultancy Electric utility Electric power Finance Hospitality Hotels Information technology Retail E-commerce Real estate Telecommunications
Revenue	₹1,200,000 crore (US$200 billion) (FY 2023)
Number of employees	1,028,000 (FY 2023)
Subsidiaries	35 (See full list)

The Tata Group is a very large group of companies based in Mumbai, India. It was started in 1868 and is now India's biggest group of businesses. Tata Group offers products and services in more than 150 countries and works in 100 countries around the world.

As of March 2024, there are 29 Tata Group companies whose shares are traded publicly. Together, these companies are worth about ₹31.6 trillion (which is about US$382 billion). Some of their well-known companies include Tata Consultancy Services, Tata Motors, Tata Steel, Air India, and Titan.

A Look at Tata Group's Journey

How It All Began (1839–1904)

Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore, a learning place started by Jamshedji Tata.

Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata was born in 1839. After finishing college in Bombay in 1858, he joined his father's trading business. He was especially interested in trading with China.

During the American Civil War, the cotton market in Bombay grew very fast. Tata and his father joined a bank called Asiatic Banking Corporation. When the war ended, their business faced difficulties. Luckily, they were able to rebuild their business in the next three years. A good deal for supplying goods to an army trip in 1868 helped them get back on their feet.

In 1870, Jamshedji started his own trading company with a capital of Rs. 21,000. He bought an oil mill that was not doing well and turned it into a cotton mill called Alexandra Mill. He sold it for a good profit after two years. In 1874, he opened another cotton mill in Nagpur named Empress Mill.

Jamshedji had four big dreams:

• To start an iron and steel company.
• To build a special hotel.
• To create a world-class learning institution.
• To set up a hydroelectric plant (which uses water to make electricity).

He saw one of his dreams come true in 1903 when the Taj Mahal Hotel opened in Colaba. It was the first hotel in British India to have electricity!

The famous Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in Mumbai, owned by Tata Group.

Growing Bigger (1904–1938)

After Jamshedji passed away, his older son, Dorabji Tata, became the chairman in 1904. Sir Dorabji started the Tata Iron and Steel Company (TISCO), which is now known as Tata Steel, in 1907. To show the group's worldwide goals, Tata Limited opened its first office outside India in London.

Following his father's dreams, the first hydroelectric power plant in Western India was built, creating Tata Power. Another dream, the Indian Institute of Science, was also started, with its first students joining in 1911.

Expanding Horizons (1938–1991)

J. R. D. Tata was the chairman of Tata Group for a long time, from 1938 to 1991.

J. R. D. Tata became the chairman of the Tata Group in 1938. Under his leadership, the value of the Tata Group grew a lot, from US$101 million to over US$5 billion. When he started, there were 14 companies. By the time he left in 1988, Tata Sons had grown into a huge group of 95 companies. These companies were either started by Tata or Tata had a major share in them. They became known for new areas like chemicals, technology, cosmetics, marketing, engineering, and software services.

In 1932, JRD started an airline called Tata Air Services (later renamed Tata Airlines). In 1953, the Indian government took over most of the airline from Tata Sons. However, JRD Tata continued to be its chairman until 1977.

In 1945, Tata Motors was founded. At first, it made train engines. In 1954, it started making commercial vehicles after working with a company called Daimler-Benz. In 1968, Tata Consultancy Services was started.

Modern Era (1991–Present)

Ratan Tata, a former chairman, led Tata Group to buy many companies.

In 1991, Ratan Tata became the chairman of Tata Group. This was also when India's economy became more open, allowing foreign companies to compete. During this time, Tata Group started to buy several companies.

• In February 2000, Tata Group bought Tetley Tea Company.
• In 2007, they bought Corus Group.
• In 2008, they acquired Jaguar and Land Rover.
• In 2008, Tata Motors launched the Tata Nano, which they called "the world’s most affordable car."

In 2017, Natarajan Chandrasekaran was chosen as the chairman. He helped reorganize different parts of the business and increased Tata's ownership in its companies. Under his leadership, the group bought companies through special laws and invested in online shopping (E-commerce). They also expanded their airline business by winning a bid for Air India and fully buying Air Asia India. He has said that the future plan is to focus on healthcare, electronics, and digital technology.

Tata-owned Air India received approval to buy AirAsia India. This happened almost two months after they first suggested the idea. The Competition Commission of India (CCI) approved Air India's purchase of all shares in Air Asia India.

Leaders of Tata Group

The chairman of Tata Sons is usually also the chairman of the Tata Group. As of 2020, there have been seven chairmen of Tata Group:

• Jamsetji Tata (1868–1904)
• Sir Dorabji Tata (1904–1932)
• Sir Nowroji Saklatwala (1932–1938)
• J. R. D. Tata (1938–1991)
• Ratan Tata (1991–2012)
• Cyrus Mistry (2012–2016)
• Ratan Tata (2016–2017)
• Natarajan Chandrasekaran (2017–present)

Companies in the Tata Group

The Tata Steel plant in Jamshedpur, a major part of the Tata Group.

The Tata Group has many companies that work in different areas. Here are some of them:

Companies Tata Group Has Bought

Tata Group has grown by buying many other companies over the years. Here are some of their important acquisitions:

• February 2000 – Tetley Tea Company, for $407 million.
• March 2004 – Daewoo Commercial Vehicle Company, for $102 million.
• January 2007 – Corus Group, a steel company, for $12 billion.
• March 2008 – Jaguar Cars and Land Rover, famous car brands, for $2.3 billion.
• February 2021 – BigBasket (68% ownership) by Tata Digital, an online grocery store.
• June 2021 – 1mg (55% ownership) by Tata Digital, an online pharmacy and health platform.
• October 2021 – Air India and Air India Express, airlines, for ₹18,000 crore (US$3.1 billion).

Giving Back to Society (Philanthropy)

The Tata Group has helped start and fund many research, education, and cultural places in India. They even received the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy for their good work. Some of the places they have supported include:

• Indian Institute of Science
• Tata Institute of Fundamental Research
• The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI)
• National Centre for Performing Arts
• Tata Medical Center
• Tata Memorial Hospital (a cancer hospital)
• Tata Trusts, which are groups that manage their charity work.

In 2008, Tata Group gave US$50 million to Cornell University for farming and nutrition programs in India, and to help Indian students study there.

In 2010, Tata Group donated INR 2.20 billion (US$50 million) to Harvard Business School. This money helped build a new academic and living building for executive education programs. This building, now called Tata Hall, was the largest gift Harvard Business School had ever received from an international donor.

In 2017, Tata Trusts gave US$70 million to University of California, San Diego. They also worked together to set up the Tata Institute for Genetics and Society (TIGS). This institute aims to solve big world problems like public health and farming. The building where TIGS is located is named Tata Hall because of this donation.

In 2020, Tata Group donated INR 15 billion to the PM CARES Fund to help India fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tata Trusts

Most of the charity work of the Tata Group is done through special trusts created by members of the Tata family. These trusts include:

• Sir Dorabji Tata Trust and Allied Trusts
  • Sir Dorabji Tata Trust
  • Lady Tata Memorial Trust
  • JRD Tata Trust
  • Jamsetji Tata Trust
• Sir Ratan Tata Trust & Allied Trusts
  • Sir Ratan Tata Trust
  • Tata Education and Development Trust

See Also

In Spanish: Grupo Tata para niños

• List of companies of India
• List of largest companies by revenue
• Forbes Global 2000
• Fortune India 500