TRACING THE ROOTS OF A GLOBAL CORPORATION

The roots of the Aditya Birla Group date back to the 19th century in the picturesque town of Pilani, set amidst the Rajasthan desert. It was here that Seth Shiv Narayan Birla started trading in cotton, laying the foundation for the House of Birlas. Through India's arduous times of the 1850s, the Birla business expanded rapidly. In the early part of the 20th century, our Group's founding father, Ghanshyamdas Birla, set up industries in critical sectors such as textiles and fibre, aluminium, cement and chemicals. As a close confidante of Mahatma Gandhi, he played an active role in the Indian freedom struggle. He represented India at the first and second round-table conference in London, along with Gandhiji. It was at "Birla House" in Delhi that the luminaries of the Indian freedom struggle often met to plot the downfall of the British Raj. Ghanshyamdas Birla found no contradiction in pursuing business goals with the dedication of a saint, emerging as one of the foremost industrialists of pre-independence India. The principles by which he lived were soaked up by his grandson, Aditya Vikram Birla, our Group's legendary leader.

Aditya Vikram Birla: putting India on the world map

A formidable force in Indian industry, Mr. Aditya Birla dared to dream of setting up a global business empire at the age of 24. He was the first to put Indian business on the world map, as far back as 1969, long before globalisation became a buzzword in India. In the then vibrant and free market South East Asian countries, he ventured to set up world-class production bases. He had foreseen the winds of change and staked the future of his business on a competitive, free market driven economy order. He put Indian business on the globe, 22 years before economic liberalisation was formally introduced by the former Prime Minister, Mr. Narasimha Rao and the former Union Finance

Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh. He set up 19 companies outside India, in Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Egypt. Interestingly, for Mr. Aditya Birla, globalisation meant more than just geographic reach. He believed that a business could be global even whilst being based in India. Therefore, back in his home-territory, he drove single-mindedly to put together the building blocks to make our Indian business a global force. Under his stewardship, his companies rose to be the world's largest producer of viscose staple fibre, the largest refiner of palm oil, the third largest producer of insulators and the sixth largest producer of carbon black. In India, they attained the status of the largest single producer of viscose filament yarn, apart from being a producer of cement, grey cement and rayon grade pulp. The Group is also the largest producer of aluminium in the private sector, the lowest first cost producers in the world and the only producer of linen in the textile industry in India. At the time of his untimely demise, the Group's revenues crossed Rs.8,000 crore globally, with assets of over Rs.9,000 crore, comprising of 55 benchmark quality plants, an employee strength of 75,000 and a shareholder community of 600,000. Most importantly, his companies earned respect and admiration of the people, as one of India's finest business houses, and the first Indian International Group globally. Through this outstanding record of enterprise, he helped create enormous wealth for the nation, and respect for Indian entrepreneurship in South East Asia. In his time, his success was unmatched by any other industrialist in India. That India attains respectable rank among the developed nations, was a dream he forever cherished. He was proud of India and took equal pride in being an Indian. Under the leadership of our Chairman, Mr. Kumar Mangalam Birla, the Group has sustained and established a leadership position in its key businesses through continuous value-creation. Spearheaded by Grasim, Hindalco, Aditya Birla Nuvo, Indo Gulf Fertilisers and companies in Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Egypt, the Aditya Birla Group is a leader in a swathe of products viscose staple fibre, aluminium, cement, copper, carbon black, palm oil, insulators, garments. And with successful forays into financial services, telecom, software and BPO, the Group is today one of Asia's most diversified business groups.

A US $29.2 billion corporation, the Aditya Birla Group is in the league of Fortune 500. It is anchored by an extraordinary force of 130,000 employees, belonging to 30 different nationalities. In India, the Group has been adjudged "The Best Employer in India and among the top 20 in Asia" by the Hewitt-Economic Times and Wall Street Journal Study 2007. Over 50 per cent of its revenues flow from its overseas operations. The Group operates in 25 countries India, UK, Germany, Hungary, Brazil, Italy, France, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Australia, USA, Canada, Egypt, China, Thailand, Laos, Indonesia, Philippines, Dubai, Singapore, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Malaysia and Korea. Globally the Aditya Birla Group is: :: A metals powerhouse, among the world's most cost-efficient aluminium and copper producers. HindalcoNovelis is the largest aluminium rolling company. It is one of the three biggest producers of primary aluminium in Asia, with the largest single location copper smelter No.1 in viscose staple fibre The fourth largest producer of insulators The fourth largest producer of carbon black The 11th largest cement producer globally, the seventh largest in Asia and the second largest in India Among the world's top 15 BPO companies and among India's top four Among the best energy efficient fertiliser plants

Grasim Industries Limited, a flagship company of the Aditya Birla Group, ranks among India's largest private sector companies, with consolidated net revenue of Rs.202 billion and a consolidated net profit (before extraordinary items) of Rs.27.6 billion (FY2010). Starting as a textiles manufacturer in 1948, today Grasim's businesses comprise viscose staple fibre (VSF), cement, chemicals and textiles. Its core businesses are VSF and cement, which contribute to over 90 per cent of its revenues and operating profits. The Aditya Birla Group is the worlds largest producer of VSF, commanding a 21 per cent global market share. Grasim, with an aggregate capacity of 333,975 tpa has a global market share of 10 per cent. It is also the second

largest producer of caustic soda (which is used in the production of VSF) in India. Viscose staple fibre Grasim is India's pioneer in viscose staple fibre (VSF), a man-made, biodegradable fibre with characteristics akin to cotton. An extremely versatile and easily blendable fibre, VSF is widely used in apparels, home textiles, dress material, knitted wear and non-woven applications. Grasim's VSF plants are located at Nagda in Madhya Pradesh, Kharach in Gujarat and Harihar in Karnataka, with an aggregate capacity of 333,975 tpa. Cement Grasim ventured into cement production in the mid 1980s, setting up its first cement plant at Jawad in Madhya Pradesh and since then it has grown to become a leading cement player in India. Grasims cement operations through its subsidiary UltraTech, span the length and breadth of India, with 11 composite plants, 11split grinding units, five bulk terminals and 74 ready-mix concrete plants. All the plants are located close to sizeable limestone mines and are fully automated to ensure consistent quality. All units use state-of-the-art equipment and technology and are certified with ISO 9001 for quality systems and ISO 14001 for environment management systems. Chemicals Rayon grade caustic soda is an important raw material in VSF production. To achieve reliable and economical supply of this chemical, Grasim set up a rayon grade caustic soda unit at Nagda in 1972 with an initial capacity of 33,000 tpa. This has since grown to 258,000 tpa, making it the countrys second largest caustic soda unit. In cement, Grasim through its subsidiary UltraTech Cement Limited ("UltraTech") has a capacity of 52 million tpa and is a leading player in India. In July 2004, Grasim acquired a majority stake and management control in UltraTech. One of the largest of its kind in the cement sector, this acquisition catapulted the Aditya Birla Group to the top of the league in India. The amalgamation of Samruddhi Cement Limited (SCL) with UltraTech w.e.f. 1 July 2010 completed the restructuring of the cement business. Earlier, Grasim's cement business was demerged into SCL.The merger has

created the largest cement company in India, providing a platform that will help in pursuing aggressive growth going forward.

Grasim Bhiwani Textiles Ltd

is a subsidiary of Grasim Industries Ltd having strong presence in manufacturing of Polyester Viscose fabric catering the market under brands GRASIM & GRAVIERA as also exporting its fabric to various reputed brands. The company has its manufacturing facility in Bhiwani Haryana and its Marketing & Sales Office at New Delhi. The company is spread across the geography through a large network of dealers , agents and retail outlets. The company utilizes strong manufacturing facilities comprising of Fibre Dying , Yarn Spinning , Weaving , Processing and Folding with state-of-theart machines , processes and professional environment. The company also has strong presence in International market catering to the fabric need of International brands. The company has strong Design and Development team which conceptualizes and develops designs as per fashion standards and market needs. The company also has its product range of RMG Ready made Garments with exclusive design and qualities.

Products: GRASIM SUITINGS: from the house of Grasim Bhiwani

Textiles Ltd (A subsidiary of Grasim Industries Ltd, Aditya Birla Group). It has a strong nationwide presence in fabrics and is well known for its branded suiting, shirting and readymade garments. The brand has grown at 10-15% consistently over the last 3 years. It commands a market share of 22% in PV branded Menswear fabric market.

Grasim Suiting has always been on the forefront in terms of providing quality innovative fabrics which are technically superior and designed around consumer preferences.

Past innovative products setting the trend in the industry:

Freedom (The softest fabric currently available) Ice Touch (fabric which keeps body temperature 5 degrees cooler) Uncrushables (First wrinkle free PV fabric) Venetia (Designs inspired from Italy) Caramel (soft, smooth and light weight fabric)

are timeless favorites of consumer.

Amongst the recent launches are

Xcite (an all season fabric with Air-flow technology) Jazzspree (fabric with feel of cotton and drape of wool) Aquafresh (fabric with water coolant technology) Petunia (Design collection for all occasions)

GRAVIERA SUITINGS:

COLLECTIONS:

CUSTOMERS:
UNITED COLOR OF BENETTON

GLOBUS

BLACKBERRYS

DOCKERS

WESTSIDE VANHEUSEN

PETER ENGLAND

LOUIS PHILIPE

ARROW

JOHN PLAYER WILLS LIFESTYLE

GLOBAL CUSTOMERS:

MARKS AND SPENCER

LEVIES DEBENHAMS

HAGGAR

NEXT

MATALAN

AND MANY MORE..

CORPRATE CUSTOMERS:
INSTITUTIONAL / CORPORATE WEAR We value your uniform requirements and with our in house R&D and QA facilities, we are able to supply the required quality at the right time. To name a few, our list of clients includes: Indian Army Indian Air Force Police MRF TVS Group ESSAR Group ITC NHPC NHDC

Cooperative Sugar Mills Cement plants

On the one hand our Dope Dyed/Fibre Dyed fabrics ensure excellent consistency in colours coupled with higher shade fastness w.r.t. washing, rubbing, sun light etc, leaving almost no room for lot to lot shade variations, on the other hand Polyster/Viscose blend offers skin friendly wear ability for 10-12 hours without getting the uniform crushed. Hence our products makThe quality standards that we have benchmarked ourselves against, are the best not only in the country but across the globe. It is not only our customer service and timely delivery but also taking care of your development needs. CORPORATE GIFTING Suit lengths Safari Lengths Shirt Piece + Trouser Piece Combo Pack Trouser Lengths Readymade Shirts Readymade Jackets Readymade Suits In attractive gift packs.

MANUFACTURING FACILITY:
OPERATIONAL CAPABLITY : SPINNING
Capacity : 18 Metric Ton / Day Dyed Yarn Spinning : 35,000 Spindles (polyester viscose) Counts : 2/24s Ne, 2/30s Ne, 2/40s Ne, 2/45s Ne, 2/50s Ne, 2/60s Ne 70% of Polyester used is Fibre Dyed & balance is Dope Dyed 95% of Viscose used is Dope Dyed & balance is 5% 100% Modal used is Fibre Dyed

OPERATIONAL CAPABLITY : WEAVING

138 Looms Sultex G6500 : 40 Toyoda Airjet : 40 Sulzer Projectile : 10 Dornier Rapier : 48

OPERATIONAL CAPABLITY: PROCESSING

Capacity : 50,000 meter per day (18 Mn Meters per year) Latest Technology Singeing Machine : Osthoff, Germany Microprocessor Controlled Stenter : Harish, India Microprocessor Controlled Continuous Relax Scouring : Harish, India Kier Decatising : Biella, Italy Continuous Decatising : Sperotto Rimar, Italy Stabila : Sperotto Rimar, Italy Super finish : M - TEC, Germany Zero Zero & Calendaring machines

DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT:

Team : 10 designers Capacity & Lead Time Desk Loom : 40/day 3 days New Designs : 30/day Sampling: 10/day Yardages (up to 30 Meters) : 7/day 7 days New Yarn Shade Development : 3/day 7 days Ready yarn shade library 1000 shades

QUALITY TEST LAB:

Capability to test FIBRE, YARN & FABRIC as per AATCC (AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF TEXTILE CHEMISTS & COLORISTS BS (BRITISH STANDARDS) ISO (INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ORGANISATION)

Textile industries in India

Textile business is one among the largest foreign exchange earners in India and this sector has been significantly benefitted from the termination of Multi-Fiber Arrangement in the year 2005. Out of the total exports in India, 17% is contributed by the textile industry in India and this industry account for 14% of its industrial production. More than 35 million people are employed in this sector. When it comes to Indias exports, carpets and readymade garments offer larger contributions. The names of top players in the Indian Textile Industry are given below: Top companies in Textile industry in India: Bombay Dyeing Fabindia Grasim Industries JCT Limited Lakshmi Mills Mysore Silk Factory Arvind Mills Raymonds Reliance Textiles Some details regarding these top players in the textile industry in India is given below: Bombay Dyeing: Bombay Dyeing came into existence in the year 1879 as a small company dealing with Indian spun cotton yarn dip-dyed by hand and now the company has grown into one among the top textile companies in India. They are one of the trusted and respected brand name in the textile industry and some of the products manufactured by them are: Sports wear Kids wear

 Womens wear Mens wear Home furnishing like sofa covers and screen clothes Bath towels Bed spreads and sheets Fabindia: Fabindia is operating from its headquarters in Delhi and they are popular for their traditional techniques and hand-based processes. They are acting as a link between craft-based rural producers and modern urban markets, which in turn creates a wide range of rural employment thereby preserving the tradition of India. Their textile products are affordable, contemporary, craft-based and natural. Grasim Industries: Grasim Industries is a subsidiary of the popular Aditya Birla Group and they are one among the largest private sector companies in India. The company began its journey as a textile company in the year 1948 and now they are dealing with different products like cement and chemicals in addition to textiles. JCT Limited: JCT Limited is one among the leading manufacturers of filament yarn and textiles in India and they are the subsidiary of Thapar Group. Some of their best features like high standard of performance, work ethic and values has made this company to reach this height. Lakshmi Mills: Lakshmi Mills came into existence in the year 1910 and this company has contributed to the development of Textile Industry in Tamil Nadu in general and to the district of Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu. Right from their inception they are working towards their prime objectives of customer satisfaction and quality production and because of this they have reached this height. The company is looked with great respect since it not only developed itself, but has also let ways for other companies to develop in this sector. Mysore Silk Factory: Mysore Silk Factory is located in the city of Mysore in Karnataka and they are dealing with the production of quality silk textiles for end-user consumption. Different high end machines are being used by them for the production of quality silk clothes. The company began its journey in the year 1930 with just 10 looms and now they have 159 looms, pirn machines, warping machines and several other preparatory machines as well. Arvind Mills: Arvind Mills is acting as trendsetting company in different styles of textiles and they are now acting as synonymous of a wide range of life-style products. The company has carved out of an aggressive strategy to develop their current strategy by setting up world scale garmenting offering and facilities. Raymonds: Raymonds group came into existence in the year 1925 and within a short period of their establishment they have emerged as a global name in the textile industry. A number of group companies are operating under Raymonds and some of their popular brands are: ColorPlus

 Park Avenue Manzoni Raymond Premium Apparel Reliance Textiles: As we all know, Reliance is a big name in a number of industries in India and they have made their mark in the textile industry as well. Their flagship Vimal, which was re-launched in the year 2007-08 is one among the trusted brand name in the textile industry. They are acting as one among the top modern textile complexes in the whole of Asia and they are trying out new product initiative, which includes the following products: Production of Mosquito repellent nets according to the standard laid by World Health Organization Auto-textiles & home furnishings Water-repellent and fire-retardant tent fabrics to help out police and defense service These top players in the textile industry, contribute a great to the development of the countrys economy by offering to the export industry of the country and by offering wide range of employment opportunities.

Grasim Suitings : For The Self Made

Brand : Grasim Company : Aditya Birla Group Agency : O& M Brand count : 267 Grasim is a major brand in the Rs 2500 crore Ready to Stitch market. The brand which had its existence since 1957 .Grasim is a major player in the Rs 2500 crore Ready to Stitc

h textile segment. The brand lags behind the market leader Raymond's which holds a market share of about 25- 30 %. Grasim comes from a company that is one of India's largest manufacturers of cement and VSF. Grasim is now on its path of repositioning. The brand was earlier positioned as a Modern Fashion Brand. The positioning was reinforced by a series of new fibre launches . The collections like Aqua Soft, Ice Touch etc kept the brand in the limelight. The brand used the tagline " Power of Fashion" to convey the positioning. Now the brand has changed its positioning. Grasim has roped in the Bollywood Super hero Akshay Kumar as the brand ambassador. The tagline has been changed to " For the Self Made". The TVC featuring the actor is now on air. The repositioning is very significant for the brand because of the nature of competition that it faces. The competition is not only from the textile brands but also from the Readymades.

Every day we have new brands cropping up. In the brand competition , brands like Mayur , Reid and Taylor, Raymond's have stepped up their campaigns. Grasim wanted itself to be relevant and hence this attempt. The brand now has changed its personality from a Fashionable brand to an Ambitious Brand. According to a report in Agencyfaqs, the brand has broadened its TG to include the rural and small town markets where the Ready To Stitch wears are still popular. The new TG is 35 + male from smaller towns who are informed, fashion conscious and ambitious. In that way the choice of the brand ambassador is apt. Akshay is known for his humble beginnings and his struggle in life as a cook, a martial arts trainer and then to stardom. Hence the brand ambassador and the new positioning has many things to share. The new TVC also tries to relate the life of the actor and the brand. Impressive thought. The brand has now adopted the mainstay marketing philosophy of most of the readymade brands now existing in the market. Get a star to endorse it. In that way Grasim has forced itself to move to the popular road ( easy one ) . The brand is expected to spend around 7- 8 crore on this exercise. Remember that Grasim has become popular on the strength of the innovations in fabric rather than emphasis on promotions. Grasim was perceived to be an upmarket elite brand. The brand was also sold at a premium. Infact this is a brand that has used EVENTS to promote itself as an upmarket fashionable brand. Grasim was the brand that came out with the first Mr India contest which is running in its 12th Year. When it was launched, the contest evoked lot of PR and media attention which inturn benefited the brand. But the managers at Grasim wanted the brand to look at the masses. From the elite premium

club, the brand wanted itself to be more affordable. The logic behind the current repositioning is to make the brand a Masstige brand. Hence the brand chose to go in for a undifferentiated celebrity approach. By doing so, Grasim is putting its entire brand equity at stake and that too on a celebrity. Grasim could have done so with out a celebrity. Now look at the plight of Mayur suitings which took Salman as its brand ambassador. Now Salman is in Jail and can the brand bank upon Salman?

I am not jumping into conclusion that the new positioning of Grasim is not good. I feel that it lacks the depth and is too much depending on the endorsers rather than the brand itself. After the contract with Akshay ends, what will the brand do next ? Can it survive with a model? NO ! It will have to find another celebrity who was self made . The brand has put itself into a vicious circle and it may have to depend on one celebrity or another. Personally I feel that a brand should stand for itself not on any real person ( celebrity) . I think that the brand had made an error in believing that the guys in semi urban and rural markets are only influenced by celebrities . I am sure that they are pretty confused by the plethora of celebrity endorsements and may be looking for a change. Those fashion conscious customers of Grasim will be wondering what happened to this fashionable brand suddenly changing its personality. Akshay is definitely a right celebrity to endorse the brand with the new positioning. But whether the celebrity endorsement strategy is right for the brand, only time will tell. source : agencyfaqs

Grasim Suitings ropes in Akshay Kumar as its brand ambassador

Friday - May 18, 2007 Televisionpoint.com Correspondent Grasim Suitings, the textile division of Grasim Industries, has roped in Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar as its brand ambassador. He will be endorsing the mother brand Grasim Suitings as well as all sub-brands, and will also play a key role in brand and product communication and promotion. S Krishnamoorthy, Textiles Division President and Unit Head, Grasim Industries Ltd, said, "Today, Grasim stands for superb quality, innovation and style. The suave and charismatic Akshay epitomises Grasim's brand ideology of the power of fashion. Akshay is known for his great sense of style and his widespread popularity. There is a perfect synergy between the brand and the actor, and we believe that the relationship will go a long way in defining Grasim as a perfect fabric for all occasions." Elaborating on Akshay's role for Grasim Suitings, Krishnamoorthy added that the actor will play a significant part in the company's larger strategic move to make the brand develop a more mass and universal appeal. "Having conquered the metros, we are now moving in to smaller towns and cities where consumers find a strong link between fashion, style and its icons," he added.

"We have plans to promote Akshay's association with Grasim through TV, print and outdoor campaigns. The print campaigns will break within a week in dailies and magazines. The TVC will go air within 15 days, while the outdoor hoardings will be first put up in major metros, followed by smaller cities and towns. We will also be featuring Akshay in several customised marketing programmes for Grasim at the retail and consumer levels. He will also be the retail face of the brand and will be engaged in the Grasim Suiting channel partner programmes. Going forward, we will also launch an exclusive Akshay signature collection for his fans across the country," elaborated Krishnamoorthy. Akshay says, "Grasim appeals to me as a brand that stands for unmatched quality, and it's a great privilege for me to get associated with this brand. I look forward to working with one of the most trusted brand names in the country and contributing towards making Grasim Suitings the leader in this segment." About brand endorsements, Akshay opined, "I am very particular in choosing the brand I endorse. For me, a brand has to match my personality and inherent traits. I should be comfortable and proud of the brand that I will endorse, just like the way Grasim appeals to me as a brand that stands for unmatched quality."

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Grasim Industries' retail division is in top gear. The Aditya Birla Group textiles major, Grasim, plans to open at least 30 new exclusive brand stores across the country this year. Grasims retail foray has been lined up along with its commitment to bring international styles and designs at very affordable prices to customers. The Grasim brand already enjoys huge acceptance and popularity across the country due to its innovative and customer-oriented offerings. To bolster its brand presence, the company has recently roped in Hindi film actor Akshay Kumar as its brand ambassador. We will adopt the franchisee model for the exclusive brand outlets and branding and marketing support will be extended by Grasim, assured S. Krishnamoorthy, President and unit head of Grasim Industries, while speaking on the companys expansion plans. Grasims impressive product range includes subbrands providing a variety of choice such as Freedom (the softest fabric currently available), Ice Touch (a fabric which keep body temperature at 5 degrees cooler), Venetia (the latest line of Italian stripes and checks), Medova (international fabric launched for the first time with Modal), Caramel (soft, smooth and light weight fabric) and many other exclusive showroom collections. Each of these sub-brands have been successfully promoted through aggressive road shows, dealer meets, consumer offers and product trials. The showrooms will also offer a range of shirting and ready-mades to complement the entire line of menswear. With three showrooms already open at Davangere, Jodhpur and Chandigarh, Grasim is all set to expand its footprint in the domestic textile marketin style.

: the company : : Just the right match : : products : : management : : businesses : : milestones :

Grasims retail identity:

Grasim Retail Identity

The retail identity of GRASIM EXCLUSIVE SHOWROOM aims to establish a formal menswear wardrobe destination for a 30+ urban customer of Tier-2/3/4 town, who is A careful spender One who likes to wear good and look good Strong on middle-class value system High on self-worth and self-esteem Keen to rise the ladder of income and social-status, through hard work and perseverance A SELF MADE MAN