Tata is the most trusted brand in India. Whenever an Indian hears the word – Trust, the first brand name that comes to mind is always Tata. With 150+ years of legacy, Tata has been the forefront brand that cares about its employees as much as they care about its customers. But very few know that Tata is also known for taking risks in the absence of which India wouldn’t have witnessed such revolutionary changes that she is seeing today. Here’s a list of 10 Biggest Ventures which Tata entered into in the past or is planning to make a foray into in the future:
1. Iron & Steel
With the establishment of Tata Steel in 1907, India achieved tremendous growth as the demand for steel increased manifolds during World War I & World War II. In 2007, Tata acquired the British Steel entity Corus for $ 12 billion which was the largest private sector transaction in the world by an Indian company.
2. E-Vehicles
Tata is undoubtedly the Tesla of India. It didn’t take much time for Tata to realize that e-vehicles are the future and they started investing heavily in the business. Today, 7 out of 10 e-vehicles sold in India are manufactured by Tata. With the acquisition of Jaguar & Land Rover for $ 2.3 billion, Tata is aiming to become a global leader too.
3. Health & Wellness
It was Tata who, to promote research in Cancer Treatment, inaugurated the Tata Memorial Centre which today is the leading Cancer-research centre in India. In June 2021, Tata acquired the majority stake in the e-pharma company 1mg. With a number of research centres, hospitals and pharmacies, Tata aims to make India healthy.
4. Aviation
Tata is a global aviation leader. In 1932, JRD Tata flew the first airline in the world’s largest democracy and consolidated the aviation industry. With a partnership with Singapore Airlines for Vistara and the acquisition of Air India, Tata has shown again that it is still adamant on revolutionising the Aviation industry around the world.
5. Power
Tata Power is a pioneer in many thermal & hydro projects around the country. It was Tata who conceptualised clean energy and promoted hydro-projects in the 1900s and today operates not only in India but also in Singapore, South Africa, Bhutan and Indonesia. Tata Power earns more than INR 6000 crores in revenue and is India’s largest Integrated Power Company.
6. IT
Tata Consultancy Services or TCS is the largest IT company in India, whose market cap is 4 times more than all the listed companies in Pakistan. With companies like Tata Elxsi, Tata is aiming to provide engineering services to e-vehicles around the world. TCS, the largest private-sector employer in India, is currently the cash cow for Tata Group.
7. Tourism
Tata is the owner of Indian Hotels Company Limited which has its presence in about 12 countries on 4 continents around the world. It owns hotels like Taj, Ginger and Vivanta besides operating spas, resorts and jungle safaris. With a closed circuit of aviation, hotels and luxury goods, Tata has well-captured the Tourism Industry.
8. Infra
Infrastructure & Tata has a strong connection which dates back to an era before Independence. Tata established India’s first hydroelectric power station of 40 MW and since then constructed innumerable roads, houses, dams, etc. around the world. Tata Housing, a subsidiary of Tata Sons, develops residential properties & has projects spread across India, Sri Lanka & Maldives.
9. Defence
This is also one of the most unknown business ventures of Tata. India is the world’s 3rd largest defence spender and the Tata group saw a very big opportunity in the sector. Partnering with DRDO and the Ministry of Defence, Tata announced the consolidation of its 5 defence units to make India’s largest private Aerospace & Defence (A&D) company. An unlisted company, Tata A&D is expected to make huge profits in coming years.
10. Watches & Jewellery
Tata-owned Titan is the 5th largest watch manufacturer in the world. Today, Titan owns not just Watches under the segment of Fastrack, Sonata but also eyewear (Titan EyePlus) and Jewellery (Tanishq). Very few Indians are aware of the fact that the first jewellery retail chain was opened by Tanishq only.
Tata also has plans to foray into ecommerce platforms and counter Amazon, JioMart and Flipkart. Tata has almost every consumer good like salt, tea, coffee, clothes, etc in its basket. Now, it aims to create one single app or rather a Super App- TataNeu for all its products and services- be it financial services, grocery or medicine shopping, or airline services.
