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![]() L&T office in Manapakkam, Chennai with core sector divisions | |
Company type | Public |
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ISIN | INE018A01030 |
Industry | Conglomerate |
Founded | 7 February 1946[1] Bombay, Bombay Presidency, British India (present-day Mumbai, Maharashtra, India) |
Founders | |
Headquarters | L&T House, Ballard Estate, Mumbai, Maharashtra , India [2] |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people |
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Products |
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Services | |
Revenue | ![]() |
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Total assets | ![]() |
Total equity | ![]() |
Number of employees | 407,438 (including 348,094 workmen) [5] (2024) |
Divisions |
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Subsidiaries |
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Website | www |
Larsen & Toubro Limited, abbreviated as L&T, is an Indian multinational conglomerate, with interests in industrial technology, heavy industry, engineering, construction, manufacturing, power, information technology, military and financial services. It is headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
L&T was founded in 1938 in Bombay by Danish engineers Henning Holck-Larsen and Søren Kristian Toubro. [6] [7]
As of 31 March 2022, the L&T Group comprises 93 subsidiaries, 5 associate companies, 27 joint ventures and 35 jointly held operations, operating across basic and heavy engineering, construction, realty, manufacturing of capital goods, information technology, and financial services. [8]
On 1 October 2023, S N Subrahmanyan took charge as Chairman and Managing Director of L&T. [9]
Henning Holck-Larsen and Søren Kristian Toubro were in India to represent the interests of the Danish dairy equipment manufacturer FLSmidth when they founded L&T through an oral agreement in 1938. The company was legally incorporated in 1946. [7]
The start of World War II in 1939 and the resulting blockade of trade, led Larsen and Toubro to undertake jobs and provide service facilities. The German invasion of Denmark in April 1940 stopped supplies of Danish products. The war-time need to repair, refit, and degauss ships offered L&T an opportunity, and led to the formation of a new company, Hilda Ltd, to handle these operations. L&T also started to repair and fabricate ships. The internment of German engineers in India who were to construct a soda ash plant for the Tata Group gave L&T a chance to enter the field of installation. [10]
In 1946, they incorporated Engineering Construction & Contracts Ltd. (ECC) to focus on construction projects. ECC now exists as the construction division of L&T. [7] By 1947, the company represented the manufacturers of equipment used to manufacture products such as hydrogenated oils, biscuits, soaps and glass. In 1947, the company signed an agreement with Caterpillar Tractor Company to market earth moving equipment. At the end of the war, large numbers of war-surplus Caterpillar equipment were available at attractive prices, but the finances required were beyond the capacity of the partners. This prompted them to raise additional equity capital, and on 7 February 1946, Larsen & Toubro Private Limited was incorporated. [10]
In 1947, the firm set up offices in Calcutta and Madras and New Delhi. In 1948, 55 acres of undeveloped marsh and jungle was acquired in Powai, Mumbai. In December 1950, L&T became a public company with a paid-up capital of ₹20 lakh (equivalent to ₹22 croreorUS$2.6 million in 2023). The sales turnover in that year was ₹1.09 crore (equivalent to ₹120 croreorUS$14 million in 2023). In 1956, a major part of the company's Bombay office moved to ICI House in Ballard Estate, which would later be purchased by the company and renamed as L&T House, its present headquarters. [10]
During the 1960s, ventures included the Utkal Machinery Limited (UTMAL) (set up in 1960), Audco India Limited (1961), Eutectic Welding Alloys (1962) and Tractor Engineers Limited (TENGL) (1963). [10]
In 1965, the firm had been chosen as a partner for building nuclear reactors. Dr. Homi Bhabha, chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission had approached L&T in the 1950s to fabricate critical components for nuclear reactors.
During the 1970s, L&T was contracted to work with Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). Chairman Vikram Sarabhai chose L&T as manufacturing partner. [11]
In 1976, ECC bid for a large airport project in Abu Dhabi. ECC's balance sheet, however, did not meet the bid's financial qualification requirement. So it was merged into L&T. ECC was eventually rechristened L&T Construction and now accounts for the largest slice of the group's annual revenue. [12]
In 1985, L&T entered into a partnership with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). L&T was not yet allowed by the government to manufacture defence equipment but was permitted to participate in design and development programmes with DRDO. After the design and development was done, the firm had to hand over all the drawings to DRDO. The Indian government would then assign the production work to a public sector defence unit or ordnance factory for manufacture. The firm currently makes a range of weapon and missile systems, command and control systems, engineering systems, and submarines through DRDO. [11]
Larsen & Toubro established a financial services subsidiary called L&T Finance in November 1994. [13]
In 2015, the company began developing commercial, retail and office space around the Hyderabad Metro Rail project. [14]
In June 2019, the company acquired a controlling stake in IT services company Mindtree. [15]
As of 31 March 2022, L&T has 93 subsidiaries, 5 associate companies, 27 joint ventures and 35 joint operations. [18]
L&T has across the decades exited from several businesses. These include:
L&T sold its 16.5 million tonne/per year capacity cement division to UltraTech Cement and also divested its 8.5% stake in A V Birla group company Grasim Industries in 2004. [28]
In 1992, L&T established a 50-50 joint venture with John Deere to manufacture tractors in India, called L&T - John Deere. L&T sold their interest to John Deere in 2005. [29]
In 1992, L&T established L&T-Case Construction with CNH Global as a 50-50 joint venture to build backhoes. In 2011, L&T sold its share to CNH, and the company was renamed Case New Holland Construction Equipment India. [30]
In 1987, L&T launched the L&T Medical Equipment & Systems division. [31] In November 2012, it was sold to Skanray Technologies Pvt Ltd. [32] Currently, L&T Mysore division manufactures Single-phase and Three-phase static solid-state Electricity Meters to various utilities in India. The range of meters varies from residential, industrial, prepayment and smart meters. there are both whole current and CT operated meters. It also houses a relay servicing unit.
EWAC Alloys Limited was a wholly owned subsidiary of L&T. The company was engaged in design & development, manufacture and supply of special welding electrodes, gas brazing rods and fluxes, welding torches and accessories, atomised metal powder alloys, flux cored continuous wires & wire feeders, polymer compounds & wear-resistant plates.
Prof Wasserman, founder of Eutectic Castolin, and Henning Hock Larsen, founder of L&T, founded the Eutectic Division in India in the year 1962. Eutectic Castolin was later merged into the Messer Group of companies, Germany and referred as Messer Eutectic Castolin (MEC). In 2010, L&T, bought the entire stake from Messer to become the wholly owned subsidiary of it. The current headquarters is in Ankleshwar, Gujarat (India), and the products are sold under the name EWAC.
L&T sold its entire stake in unlisted subsidiary EWAC Alloys to UK-registered ESAB Holdings for a total consideration of Rs 522 crore. The share purchase agreement has been executed on 11 October 2017. [33] The acquirer ESAB offers products for welding and cutting process. In 2012, ESAB was acquired by Colfax Corp., a diversified industrial manufacturing company based in the US.
In November 2009, Larsen and Toubro (L&T) sold its petroleum dispensing pump (PDP) business to Gilbarco Veeder-Root, a US-based payments systems company, for around Rs 150 crore. Gilbarco has signed a definitive purchase agreement to acquire the business. With the completion of acquisition, L&T's PDP business will become part of a new division called Gilbarco Veeder-Root India Pvt Ltd. [34]
This was a joint venture of L&T and Kobe Steel of Japan, to manufacture internal mixers and twin screw roller-head extruder's for the tyre industry. L&T sold its entire 51% stake in L&T Kobelco Machinery Private to its joint venture partner in the company, Kobe Steel of Japan, for Rs 43.5 crore. [35]
L&T was an international manufacturer of electrical and electronic products and systems. The company manufactured custom-engineered switchboards for industrial sectors like power, refineries, petrochemicals and cement. [36] In the electronic segment, L&T offered a range of metres and provides control automation systems for industries. In May 2018, the firm signed a definitive agreement with Schneider Electric for the strategic divestment of its electrical and automation (E&A) business in an all-cash deal of ₹14,000 crore. [37] The deal was completed on 31 August 2020 after receiving the requisite regulatory approvals. L&T has said that its exit from the electrical and automation business is a part of its strategic portfolio review process. [38]
L&T Mutual Fund was the mutual fund company of the L&T Group. Its average assets under management (AuM) as of May 2019 is ₹ 73,936.68 crore. [39] On November 26, 2022, L&T Mutual Fund was sold to HSBC. [40]
Larsen & Toubro, signed an agreement to divest its stake in L&T IDPL to a portfolio company of Infrastructure Yield Plus II, an infrastructure fund managed by Edelweiss Alternatives in December 2022. The transaction is subject to completion of customary closing conditions including receipt of applicable regulatory and other approvals. [41]
The equity shares of the company are listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) and the National Stock Exchange of India (NSE). The company's shares constitute a part of the BSE SENSEX of the BSE as well as the NIFTY 50 index of the NSE. [42] Its global depository receipts (GDR) are listed on the Luxembourg Stock Exchange and London Stock Exchange. [42]
Shareholders as of 31 December 2022 [43]
Category | No. of Shares | % |
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Financial Institutions | 21,28,76,252 | 15.15 |
Foreign Portfolio Investors | 32,30,70,981 | 22.99 |
Shares underlying GDRs | 1,85,26,770 | 1.32 |
Mutual Funds | 24,49,70,289 | 17.43 |
Bodies Corporate | 1,51,76,276 | 1.08 |
Qualified Institutional Buyer | 8,85,65,413 | 6.30 |
Directors & Relatives | 17,84,815 | 0.13 |
L&T Employees Trust | 19,25,58,158 | 13.70 |
Others | 30,78,35,173 | 21.90 |
TOTAL | 1,40,53,64,127 | 100.00 |
As on 31 March 2022, the company had 45,615 permanent employees, out of which 2,997 were women and 48 employees with disabilities. At the same period company had 200,062 workers on contract basis. [44]
An agreement has been signed by Nibe Space, a division of Nibe Defence and Aerospace on 9 September 2024, with Larsen & Toubro, Skyroot Aerospace, Centum Electronics, AgniKul Cosmos, SpaceFields, Sisir Radar and CYRAN AI Solutions for the launch of India's first constellation of multi-sensor, all-weather, high-revisit Earth observation satellites. [52]
In January 2025, an undated video of Subrahmanyan’s New Year address sparked widespread controversy online. In the video, an employee is heard asking why Larsen & Toubro, one of India's largest conglomerates, requires employees to work on Saturdays. [53] [54] In response, Subrahmanyan expressed remorse not being able to make employees work on Sundays, stating it would make him happier since he himself works on Sundays. [53] [54] He further questioned that what do employees do "sitting at home" and how long could spouses stare at each other, suggesting that employees should "Get to the office and start working" on Sundays instead. [53] [55] [54] Shortly after the video went viral, Meena Subrahmanyan, his wife, became the target of widespread trolling on social media due to her husband's remarks. [56]
Subrahmanyan justified this stance by citing a conversation with a Chinese individual who claimed that China's longer work hours could enable them to surpass the United States. [53] [54] He subsequently endorsed a 90-hour workweek for employees, adding that such effort was necessary for achieving success. [53] [54] However, his statements were contradicted by a 2021 United Nations report, which highlighted the detrimental effects of excessive work hours on mental and physical health. [57]
The remarks reignited concerns about toxic work environments in India, especially following the 2024 suicide of an Indian Chartered Accountant and death due to heart attack of another one attributed to work pressure. [58] This controversy also brought attention to Subrahmanyan’s substantial remuneration in 2024, which amounted to ₹510,000,000 (approximately $6,000,000 in 2025), compared to L&T’s median employee salary of ₹955,000 (approximately $11,000 in 2025). [59]
Prominent figures such as Harsh Goenka, Deepika Padukone, Anand Mahindra, Anupam Mittal and Cyrus Poonawalla expressed their disapproval of Subrahmanyan’s remarks on social media. [60] [61] [62] [63] [55] A spokesperson for Larsen & Toubro defended his statements, describing them as a call for collective dedication and effort to drive progress and achieve the shared vision of India, emphasizing that extraordinary outcomes demand extraordinary effort. [63]
Larsen & Toubro (L&T), an Indian multinational, has faced criticism for maintaining operations in Russia despite international sanctions imposed after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The company has been listed on platforms such as Leave Russia, which tracks businesses still active in Russia. Critics argue that L&T's continued activities undermine global efforts to economically isolate Russia and exert pressure to end the conflict in Ukraine. The company's lack of public clarity on its position has raised questions about its ethical responsibility and alignment with international norms. [64]
Eicher Motors Limited is an Indian multinational automotive company that manufactures motorcycles and commercial vehicles, headquartered in New Delhi. Eicher is the parent company of Royal Enfield, a manufacturer of middleweight motorcycles. It also manufactures Eicher branded trucks and buses, under a joint venture with Volvo Group.
Anil Manibhai Naik is an Indian industrialist, philanthropist and the chairman emeritus of Larsen & Toubro, an Indian engineering conglomerate, and a former chairman of the National Skill Development Corporation.
Hero MotoCorp Limited is an Indian multinational motorcycle and scooter manufacturer headquartered in Delhi. It has a market share of about 30% in the Indian two-wheeler industry. The Munjal family, with its 34.75% stake, is the biggest shareholder in the company as of 2024.
BEML Limited, formerly Bharat Earth Movers Limited, is an Indian public sector undertaking which manufactures a variety of heavy equipment, such as that used for earth moving, railways, transport and mining. It is headquartered in Bangalore. BEML is Asia's second-largest manufacturer of earth moving equipment. Its stock trades on the National Stock Exchange of India under the symbol "BEML", and on the Bombay Stock Exchange under the code "500048".
Henning Holck-Larsen was a Danish engineer who co-founded the Indian engineering firm Larsen & Toubro (L&T) along with Søren Kristian Toubro.
The Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC) is an Indian central public sector undertaking which is the largest government-owned oil and gas explorer and producer in the country. It accounts for around 70 percent of India's domestic production of crude oil and around 84 percent of natural gas. Headquartered in Delhi, ONGC is under the ownership of the Government of India and administration of Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas. It was founded on 14 August 1956 by the Government of India. In November 2010, the Government of India conferred the Maharatna status to ONGC.
Grasim Industries Limited is an Indian manufacturing company based in Mumbai. Since its inception in 1947 as a textile manufacturer, Grasim has diversified into textile raw materials like viscose staple fiber (VSF) and viscose filament yarn, chemicals and insulators, along with cement and financial services through its subsidiaries UltraTech Cement and Aditya Birla Capital respectively. The company is a part of the Aditya Birla Group.
The Bengaluru Suburban Railway is an under-construction suburban rail network for the city of Bengaluru in Karnataka. Since the first proposal in 1983, several others were made but to no avail until a revised proposal of length 161 km (100 mi) was approved in the 2019 Railway Budget. The network is set to have four lines in total with two of them planned to open by December 2026.
Søren Kristian Toubro was a Danish engineer who co-founded the engineering firm Larsen & Toubro, an India-based conglomerate.
The Kattupalli Shipyard, officially Adani Katupalli Port Private Limited, is a large shipyard project at Kattupalli village near Ennore in Chennai, being built by L&T Shipbuilding Ltd. It is being set up jointly by TIDCO and Larsen & Toubro (L&T) in two phases. L&T shipbuilding Kattupalli is a minor port. Adani ports and special economic zone (APSEZ) acquired Kattupalli Port from L&T in June 2018 and renamed it as Adani Katupalli Port Private Limited (AKPPL).
Granules India Limited is an Indian multinational pharmaceutical manufacturing company based in Hyderabad. Granules manufactures several off-patent drugs, including Paracetamol, Ibuprofen, Metformin and Guaifenesin, on a large scale for customers in the regulated and rest of the world markets. Granules India Limited also operates in the contract research and manufacturing (CRAM) segment.
UltraTech Cement Limited is an Indian multinational cement company based in Mumbai. It is the largest manufacturer of grey cement, ready-mix concrete (RMC) and white cement in India and 5th largest around the globe with an installed capacity of 152.70 million tonnes per annum and 119 million tonnes per annum sales volume.
Castolin Eutectic was established in 1906 by Jean-Pierre Wasserman in Lausanne, Switzerland. He discovered a new method of low-temperature brazing of cast iron, which was a revolutionary process for the repair and wear-protection of metals. During the last decades fluxes, brazing alloys as well as coating and welding equipment and consumables have been developed and the company is present with its own subsidiaries in over 100 countries on all five continents.
Project-75 (India), simply referred to as the P-75(I) program, is a military acquisition initiative affiliated to India's Ministry of Defence (MoD), aimed at the planned procurement of diesel-electric submarines for the Indian Navy (IN). Originally conceived in 1997, the initiative's objective has been to procure a class of six conventionally-powered attack submarines for the Indian Navy Submarine Arm, as a replacement for the force's Sindhughosh-class submarines.
L&T Technology Services (LTTS) is an Indian multinational technology company that provides engineering research and development (ER&D) services, headquartered in Vadodara. The company's business interests include automotive engineering, embedded system and semiconductor engineering, industrial internet of things, manufacturing plant engineering, and medical engineering.
Cholamandalam Investment and Finance Company Limited (CIFCL) is an Indian non-banking financial company and investment service provider, headquartered in Chennai. Established in 1978, it is a part of the Murugappa Group.
Sekharipuram Narayanan Subrahmanyan is an Indian businessman who is currently serving as the chairman and managing director of Larsen & Toubro, an Indian multinational conglomerate. He took over as the MD from A. M. Naik on 1 July 2017. He is also the Vice Chairman on the Boards of LTIMindtree and L&T Technology Services, Chairman of L&T Metro Rail (Hyderabad) Limited and Director and Chairperson of L&T Finance Holdings Ltd.
The HSL-class fleet support vessels are a series of five fleet tanker planned to be built by Hindustan Shipyard (HSL), Visakhapatnam and Larsen & Toubro at Kattupalli Shipyard for the Indian Navy. The deal was signed on 25 August 2023 with an expected project completion timeline of 8 years. These ships will be an indigenous design by the Hindustan Shipyard's in-house design team. The primary role of the vessels would be to replenish ships of the Indian Navy with fuel, food and various other supplies. With a length of 230 m and displacement of 45,000 tonnes, these will be the heaviest and the second largest vessels to be in operation in the Indian Navy fleets before 2030.
Samarthak-class Multi Purpose Vessel is a series of under construction Multi Purpose Vessels for the Indian Navy. Under the programme the Indian Navy is acquiring two advanced ships. MPVs will be the first of its kind platform, constructed to provide a cost-effective solution to meet a variety of requirements of Indian Navy. These vessels, to be built by Larsen & Toubro's at Kattupalli Sipyard near Chennai, will perform multi-role support functions such as maritime surveillance and patrol, launching and recovery of torpedoes, and operation of various types of aerial, surface and underwater targets for Gunnery/ASW firing exercises. These vessels would also be capable of towing ships and rendering humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) support with limited hospital ship capability. The ship will also act as trial platform for naval weapons and sensors under development, support platform for ISV & salvage operations, and to provide logistics support for India island territories.
Polycab India Limited is an Indian electrical equipment company based in Mumbai, India. The company manufactures and sells electrical products, including wires and cables, electric fans, LED lighting and luminaires, switches and switchgear, solar products, and conduits and accessories. It also operates in the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) sector.
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