Asian Paints

Asian Paints Ltd is an Indian multinational paint company, headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. The company is engaged in the business of manufacturing, selling and distribution of paints, coatings, products related to home decor, bath fittings and providing of related services. Asian Paints is India's largest and Asia's third largest paints corporation. Asian Paints is the holding company of Berger International. The company has 27 paint manufacturing facilities in 15 countries.

The company was started in a garage in Gaiwadi, Girgaum, Mumbai by four friends Champaklal Choksey, Chimanlal Choksi, Suryakant Dani and Arvind Vakil. They all belong to Jain families, and founded the company in February 1945. During World War II and the Quit India Movement of 1942, a temporary ban on paint imports left only foreign companies and Shalimar Paints in the market. Asian Paints took up the market and reported an annual turnover of ?23 crore in 1952 but with only 2% PBT margin. By 1967, it became the leading paints manufacturer in the country.

The four families together held the majority shares of the company. But disputes started over the global rights in 1990s when the company expanded beyond India. The disputes resulted in Choksey selling their 13.7% shares and exiting in 1997. Champaklal died in July 1997 and his son Atul took over. After failed collaboration talks with the British company Imperial Chemical Industries, Choksey's shares were mutually bought by the remaining three families and Unit Trust of India. As of 2008, the Choksi, Dani and Vakil families hold a share of 47.81%.

In 1950s, the company launched a "washable distemper", which was a balance between the cheap dry distemper that peeled easily and the more expensive plastic emulsions. Promoting their brand Tractor Distemper, the company used "Don't lose your temper, use Tractor Distemper" in their advertisings. In 1954, "Gattu" – a mischievous boy with a paint bucket in his hand – was launched as mascot. Created by R. K. Laxman, the mascot found appeal with the middle-classes.

He was used only in print advertisements and packaging till 1970s and by 1990s, was also seen on television advertisements. Gattu helped in bringing the commodity-led business of painters to the actual end users of home-owners. Ogilvy & Mather, the advertising agency associated with Asian Paints, launched marketing strategy by focusing on festive occasions in 1980s with their tag line "Har Ghar Kucch Kehta Hai" (Every home says something). Relating with festivals and important life events like marriages and child birth, the company advertised it as an occasion to paint homes by connecting on emotional level. In 1990s, the advertisements focused on the home exteriors, focusing on how the paints could keep the exteriors timeless. The company revamped its corporate identity in 2000s and axed Gattu as their mascot, and later changed its "Asian Paints" logo to the shorter "AP" mnemonic.

In 2022, Asian Paints acquired a 49% stake in the Indian decorative lighting company White Teak for ?180 crore (US$22.9 million), before buying another 11% the following year.

Apollo Tyres

Apollo Tyres Limited is an Indian tyre manufacturing company headquartered in Gurugram, Haryana. It was incorporated in 1972, and its first plant was commissioned in Perambra, Thrissur, Kerala, India. The company now has four manufacturing units in India, one in Netherlands and one in Hungary. It has a network of nearly 5,000 dealerships in India, of which over 2,500 are exclusive outlets. As of 2024, the company generates 87% of its revenues from India, 11% from Europe and 2% from other countries.

Apollo announced its entry into the two-wheeler tyre segment with contract manufacturing in March 2016. In November 2016, the company signed a Memorandum of understanding with the Government of Andhra Pradesh to set up a new factory in Andhra Pradesh to manufacture tyres for two-wheelers and pick-up trucks.

The company's second plant in Europe, was inaugurated by the Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orban, in April 2017.

In May 2019, Apollo Tyres opened its first Apollo Truck Tyre Zone in Malaysia.

Apollo Tyres Ltd. was incorporated on 28 September 1972 as a Public Limited Company and obtained certificate of Commencement of Business on 24 October 1972. The company was promoted by Bharat Steel Tubes, Ltd., Raunaq International Pvt. Ltd., Raunaq & Co. Pvt. Ltd., Raunaq Singh, Mathew T. Marattukalam and Jacob Thomas. In 1975, the company made its Initial public offer of equity shares and its first manufacturing facility was commissioned in Perambra Plant, Thrissur, Kerala, India in 1977, followed by its 2nd plant at Limda, Gujarat, India in 1991. The company acquired Premier Tyres Limited- PTL in 1995, which became its 3rd plant at Kalamassery, Kerala, India. In 2008, it started a new plant at Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. A year later in 2009, the company acquired the Netherlands-based tyre maker Vredestein Banden B.V. (VBBV) for an undisclosed sum.

The company focused on the production of truck tyres in India and introduced its first truck tyre, Rajdhani in India. The company expanded its operation across India and in 1996, it expanded operations outside India by acquiring Dunlop's Africa operations. In 2013, it disposed of the Dunlop brand in Africa along with most of the South African operation in a sale to Sumitomo Rubber Industries of Japan. The very same year, it started its Global R&D Centre, Europe in Enschede, the Netherlands.

In 2015, Apollo Tyres bought Germany's Reifencom for €45.6 million. It shifted its corporate office for Europe region to Amsterdam from Enschede, the Netherlands and opened a Global R&D Centre, Asia in Chennai, India a few months later.

In 2016, the company signed an MoU with the Government of Andhra Pradesh to set up a new factory in the state. In 2017, it inaugurated its plant in Hungary. On 9 January 2018, the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, N Chandrababu Naidu laid the foundation stone for Apollo Tyres' ?1,800-crore tyre factory in Andhra Pradesh. The plant will come up over a 200-acre site in Chinnapanduru village near Sri City in Chittoor district and produce passenger car radial (PCR) tyres with an initial capacity of 55 lakh (5.5 million) tyres per year and will serve both domestic and export markets.

On 16 September 2025, Apollo Tyres was announced as the sponsor of the Indian national cricket team in a three-year agreement, covering 121 bilateral matches and 21 ICC fixtures, valued at ?579 crore (US$68 million).

Tata Steel

Tata Steel Limited is an Indian multinational steel-making company based in Jamshedpur, Jharkhand, and is headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. It is a subsidiary of the Tata Group.

Formerly known as Tata Iron and Steel Company Limited (TISCO), Tata Steel is among the top steel producing companies in the world with an annual crude steel capacity of 34 million tonnes per annum. It is one of the world's most geographically-diversified steel producers, with operations and commercial presence across the world. The group (excluding SEA operations) recorded a consolidated turnover of US$19.7 billion in the financial year ending 31 March 2020. It is the second largest steel company in India (measured by domestic production) with an annual capacity of 13 million tonnes after SAIL.

Tata Steel operates in 26 countries with key operations in India, Netherlands and United Kingdom, and employs around 80,500 people. Its largest plant (10 MTPA capacity) is located in Jamshedpur, Jharkhand. In 2007, Tata Steel acquired the UK-based steel maker Corus. It was ranked 486th in the 2014 Fortune Global 500 ranking of the world's biggest corporations. It was the seventh most valuable Indian brand of 2013 according to Brand Finance.

In July 2019 Tata Steel Kalinganagar (TSK) was included in the list of the World Economic Forum's (WEF's) Global Lighthouse Network, showing leadership in applying Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies to drive financial and operational impact.