Manya Rathore
Research expert covering India
Tata Group - statistics & facts
From its tea and salt in Indian kitchens to buses on roads, beauty products on bathroom shelves, and steel in houses to building ‘the common man’s’ car, Nano, and some of the most famous luxury hotels, the Tata brand was a household name in India even before the era of competitive marketing. Tata Sons, the principal holding company of the Tata Group, set out as a private trading enterprise. The over 155-year-old conglomerate now spans 30 companies across ten verticals in over 100 countries and ranks among big global businesses.
By the early 90’s, Tata entered the passenger vehicle market, making it the first Indian manufacturer to achieve the capability of developing a competitive indigenous automobile. 1998 saw Tata launch India’s first fully indigenous automobile – the Indica and later manufactured the Tata Nano, once the world’s cheapest car. Tata Motors leads the number of Indian commercial vehicles, accounting for more than half the exports. Ratan Tata later influenced Tata Motor’s direction in the in the electric vehicle (EV) space.
During his years in office, Tata Tea acquired, Tetley, and Tata Motors acquired the the British automobile manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover, spreading the global reach of the Tata Group. The group bought back the debt-ridden Indian national air carrier Air India. The conglomerate had founded the airline before it was taken over by the government in 1953.
Ratan Tata was also known for backing various startups ranging from e-commerce to digital payment platforms and philanthropic projects. Ratan Tata was also known for backing various startups ranging from e-commerce to digital payment platforms and philanthropic projects.
With Ratan Tata’s death in October 2024, his half-brother Noel Tata has been unanimously appointed as the new chairman of Tata Trust, the philanthropic arm that guides the Tata Group. The business community’s eyes are on the developments as this salt-to-software conglomerate marks the beginning of a new era.
Salt to software: Most successful businesses
A hallmark of the conglomerate is that each Tata company or enterprise operates independently under the guidance and supervision of its board of directors. Employing over one million people, the total revenue of Tata Group in the financial year 2024 was over 165 billion U.S. dollars. The Group’s leading subsidiary in terms of market capitalization, Tata Consultancy Services is the biggest IT player in the country and the second-largest company in India in terms of market capitalization. It is also among the largest contributors to Indian exports. Tata Motors, Tata Steel (TISCO), and Titan Company are consistent performers in the Group. Tata Consumer Products and Trent, the latest entry in the Nifty50 index, are the two other performers with major gains in the last years.Making of a global Indian conglomerate under Ratan Tata
The Group grew and expanded under the chairmanships of Dorabji Tata and J.R.D Tata. However, Ratan Tata transformed it from a family business conglomerate to a multinational corporation with globally recognizable brands. Ratan Tata was the first to introduce iodized vacuum-evaporated salt in the country, Tata Salt.By the early 90’s, Tata entered the passenger vehicle market, making it the first Indian manufacturer to achieve the capability of developing a competitive indigenous automobile. 1998 saw Tata launch India’s first fully indigenous automobile – the Indica and later manufactured the Tata Nano, once the world’s cheapest car. Tata Motors leads the number of Indian commercial vehicles, accounting for more than half the exports. Ratan Tata later influenced Tata Motor’s direction in the in the electric vehicle (EV) space.
During his years in office, Tata Tea acquired, Tetley, and Tata Motors acquired the the British automobile manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover, spreading the global reach of the Tata Group. The group bought back the debt-ridden Indian national air carrier Air India. The conglomerate had founded the airline before it was taken over by the government in 1953.
Ratan Tata was also known for backing various startups ranging from e-commerce to digital payment platforms and philanthropic projects. Ratan Tata was also known for backing various startups ranging from e-commerce to digital payment platforms and philanthropic projects.
With Ratan Tata’s death in October 2024, his half-brother Noel Tata has been unanimously appointed as the new chairman of Tata Trust, the philanthropic arm that guides the Tata Group. The business community’s eyes are on the developments as this salt-to-software conglomerate marks the beginning of a new era.
