Industry

Porto Novo iron works established

With a loan from the government, Josiah Marshall Heath set up iron and steel works at Porto Novo (Parangipettai) in South Arcot.

Parry's sugar factory at Nellikuppam

The firm founded by Thomas Parry set up a sugar plant at Nellikuppam, described as the first in India.

Binny's Buckingham Mill begins production in Madras

Registered in 1876, Binny and Co.'s Buckingham Mill went into operation in 1878, and the Carnatic Mills came three years later in 1881.

Lakshmi Mills founded in Coimbatore

G. Kuppuswamy Naidu founded Lakshmi Mills, one of the earliest composite textile mills of Coimbatore.

T. V. Sundram Iyengar starts a bus service in Madurai

T. V. Sundram Iyengar began Madurai's first bus service and founded the firm that grew into the TVS Group.

Madras Labour Union founded

B. P. Wadia and Thiru. V. Kalyanasundaram founded the Madras Labour Union, among the first organised trade unions in India.

Madras State Aid to Industries Act

The Justice Party government passed a law to advance state loans for setting up industries in the Presidency.

G. D. Naidu builds India's first indigenous electric motor

Coimbatore inventor G. D. Naidu, working with D. Balasundaram, developed India's first indigenous electric motor.

Standard Fireworks founded at Sivakasi

N. R. K. Rajarathnam founded Standard Fireworks at Sivakasi, first making matches and later fireworks.

India Cements founded

India Cements was started by S. N. N. Sankaralinga Iyer, whose first factory was at Thalaiyuthu near Tirunelveli.

Ashok Motors (later Ashok Leyland) founded in Madras

Raghunandan Saran founded Ashok Motors in Madras to assemble cars; it became Ashok Leyland in 1955.

Standard Motor Products begins car production in Madras

Standard Motor Products of India completed its first locally built Standard Vanguard cars at Vandalur near Madras.

Enfield India set up to build the Bullet in Madras

Enfield India was formed with Madras Motors to assemble the Royal Enfield Bullet motorcycle in Madras.

Integral Coach Factory founded at Perambur

The Integral Coach Factory, a railway coach manufacturing unit of Indian Railways, was established at Perambur in Madras.

Neyveli Lignite Corporation established

A central public sector company was set up to mine lignite and generate power at Neyveli in South Arcot district.

Hindustan Photo Films incorporated at Ooty

The public sector Hindustan Photo Films was incorporated to make photographic and X-ray films at Udhagamandalam.

Madras Rubber Factory incorporated to make tyres

Madras Rubber Factory, begun as a balloon maker at Tiruvottiyur, was incorporated to manufacture tyres.

Heavy Vehicles Factory set up at Avadi

Battle tanks became the business of the Heavy Vehicles Factory, which the Ordnance Factory Board set up at Avadi.

Sundaram Clayton founded by the TVS group

Formed with the UK firm Clayton Dewandre to build brakes and vehicle components, Sundaram Clayton laid the groundwork for TVS Motor.

Neyveli lignite thermal power station commissioned

The first units of the Neyveli Thermal Power Station, burning lignite from the Neyveli mines, were commissioned.

BHEL incorporated to run the Tiruchirappalli plant

Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited came into being to set up heavy electrical factories, among them the boiler plant at Tiruchirappalli.

Madras Refineries formed as a joint venture

Madras Refineries Limited was formed by the Government of India, Amoco and the National Iranian Oil Company to build a refinery at Manali.

Madras Fertilizers incorporated

A Government of India and Amoco joint venture, Madras Fertilizers, was incorporated to produce fertilisers at Manali.

Construction of Salem Steel Plant begins

Following a Government of India decision in May 1972 to locate a special steels plant at Salem, construction got under way.

First unit of Tuticorin Thermal Power Station commissioned

The first unit of the coal-fired Tuticorin Thermal Power Station was commissioned, with further units added through 1992.

Titan Watches founded as Tata-TIDCO joint venture with plant at Hosur

Titan Watches Limited was incorporated in Chennai as a joint venture of the Tata Group and TIDCO, with a quartz watch plant at Hosur.

Mettur Thermal Power Station begins generating

The first unit of the Mettur Thermal Power Station, the state utility's first inland coal-fired plant, was commissioned.

Ford enters India with plant near Chennai

Ford re-entered India through a joint venture with Mahindra and set up its main car plant at Maraimalai Nagar near Chennai.

Hyundai Motor India formed, plant at Irungattukottai

Hyundai established an Indian subsidiary and a car factory at Irungattukottai near Chennai, where the Santro, its first car, was launched in 1998.

TIDEL Park inaugurated in Chennai

TIDEL Park, one of the largest IT parks in South Asia at the time, was inaugurated in Chennai by Prime Minister Vajpayee.

Foxconn opens plant in Nokia SEZ at Sriperumbudur

Foxconn India opened a factory inside the Nokia Special Economic Zone at Sriperumbudur to supply Nokia, anchoring an electronics cluster near Chennai.

BMW opens its car plant near Chennai

BMW Group Plant Chennai began operations, adding a luxury carmaker to the automobile cluster around the city.

Nokia halts production at Sriperumbudur

Nokia suspended handset production at its Sriperumbudur factory near Chennai after Microsoft ended its manufacturing agreement.

Ford ends car manufacturing in India

Ford announced it would stop manufacturing in India, leading to the closure of its car plant near Chennai.

Samsung workers strike at Sriperumbudur

About 1,500 workers at Samsung's Sriperumbudur plant struck for over a month, seeking recognition of their CITU-backed union.