"Opportunities don't happen. You create them."-Chris Grosser
The Aditya Birla Group of companies is a $44.3 billion corporation spanning over 34 countries. With its massive operations in multiple sectors especially in metals, textiles, carbon black, telecom and cement, it has established it’s self as a global mammoth in the Fortune 500. Despite its massive influence in international markets such as Africa, America and Asia, it is a massive domestic player in fashion, financial services and banking. With a brand umbrella impacting 14 major global industries and employing over 120,000 employees in 34 countries, who could fathom that the idea of a simple cotton tradesman by the name of Seth Shiv Narayan Birla would end up changing India.
The reach of Aditya Birla Group is tremendous with is vertical and horizontal business expansion. To understand the scale let’s look at the weekend journey of a working professional, Mira. While getting ready for work, she might, use food and ingredients that use products from brands such as Oxywhite, Gusto, Cornio and other such chemical products from ABG to make her breakfast safe and healthy her family. After breakfast, they would change into clothes brought mostly from retail giants such as Pantaloons holding accredited international such as Ralph Lauren, Louis Phillipe and Forever 21. After deciding if she should wear the orange Liva dress, she leaves her apartment made from UltraTech Cement, to go for lunch which she can pay from with the help from ABPB.
Seth Shiv Narayan Birla envisioned the foundation of this conglomerate in 1857. Before independence, most Indian industries revolved around the production and export of natural resources. The European countries had a high demand for cash crops namely cotton and tea, and colonies were formed to meet up those demands. The inefficiencies of the export market gave rise to a new breed of Indian entrepreneurs who became liaisons and traders.
However, after independence, brands gained more importance than pricing. The quality far outweighs pricing and people in India demanded more. They wanted a story which advertising gave. They didn’t want chocolate, they want a Cadbury. With the economic and financial reforms of 1991, there was a rising middle class that made the emphasis on niche specialist products and luxury products. Here you see the rise of brands trying to introduce premium products in their line-up. Now as we are approaching 2020 you can see brands and companies trying to make their product social media friendly. Aditya Birla is proactively changing for the positive and since its inception has identified products to be future proof. This showcases that the company will resilient and promote innovation, truly being a world leader for change.
ARSHIS R BALSARA