Industry

John Binny establishes Binny & Co in Madras

Merchant John Binny, in Madras since 1797, established the firm of Binny & Co, one of the city's oldest mercantile houses.

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.

Madras School of Art founded

Surgeon Alexander Hunter founded a private art school in Madras, today's Government College of Fine Arts.

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.

Swamikannu Vincent starts touring tent cinemas

Coimbatore's Swamikannu Vincent began showing films in tent cinemas in 1905 and opened the Variety Hall theatre in 1914.

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 State Aid to Industries Act

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

Golden Rock railway workshop opens at Tiruchirappalli

The South Indian Railway moved its central workshop from Nagapattinam to Golden Rock in Tiruchirappalli.

Modern Theatres studio founded at Salem

T. R. Sundaram started Modern Theatres in Salem, a studio that went on to make more than 150 films.

Central Studios founded in Coimbatore

Coimbatore industrialists including B. Rangaswamy Naidu and Swamikannu Vincent set up Central Studios for South Indian film production.

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.

S. S. Vasan founds Gemini Studios

S. S. Vasan acquired a studio in Madras and established Gemini Studios, which became one of India's major film studios.

Standard Fireworks founded at Sivakasi

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

Alagappa College of Technology founded

Funded by Alagappa Chettiar, the University of Madras set up the Alagappa College of Technology for courses such as chemical engineering.

AVM Productions founded

A. V. Meiyappan founded AVM Productions, first working from Karaikudi during the war before moving to Madras.

India Cements founded

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

Central Leather Research Institute founded in Madras

The Central Leather Research Institute was founded in Madras as a laboratory of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research.

Central Electrochemical Research Institute founded at Karaikudi

A national laboratory for electrochemistry under the CSIR was founded at Karaikudi in Sivaganga district.

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.

PSG College of Technology founded in Coimbatore

PSG and Sons Charities started an engineering college at Peelamedu, Coimbatore, on the campus of its 1926 industrial institute.

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.

Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation established

The state government set up the Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO) to promote large industrial projects.

Madras Fertilizers incorporated

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

SIPCOT founded to develop industrial estates

The State Industries Promotion Corporation of Tamil Nadu was set up to develop industrial parks across the state.

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.

Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board established

The Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board was set up as the state body to monitor and control pollution.

Madras Export Processing Zone set up at Tambaram

The Union government set up the Madras Export Processing Zone on GST Road at Tambaram to attract foreign investment and boost exports.

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.

Krishnagiri district carved out of Dharmapuri

Krishnagiri became the 30th district of Tamil Nadu, taking in the industrial town of Hosur.

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.

Tiruppur becomes a municipal corporation

The knitwear town of Tiruppur was upgraded to a municipal corporation on 26 October 2008.

Sivakasi fireworks factory explosion

Forty people died and over 70 were hurt when an explosion hit the Om Sakthi fireworks factory near Sivakasi.

Nokia halts production at Sriperumbudur

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

Amma Cement sold at half the market price

The state began selling low-priced 'Amma' cement at Rs. 190 a bag through Civil Supplies Corporation godowns, starting in Tiruchi.

First Tamil Nadu Global Investors Meet

The state held its first Global Investors Meet at the Chennai Trade Centre, signing more than 100 investment MoUs.

Thoothukudi anti-Sterlite police firing

Police fired on protesters marching against the Sterlite copper smelter in Thoothukudi, killing 13 people; the state ordered the plant closed.

Second Tamil Nadu Global Investors Meet

The Palaniswami government held the second Global Investors Meet in Chennai, facilitating 304 MoUs worth about Rs 3 lakh crore.

Ford ends car manufacturing in India

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

Ennore ammonia gas leak

Ammonia leaked from a subsea pipeline of a fertiliser plant at Ennore, sending dozens of residents of fishing villages to hospital.

Tamil Nadu Global Investors Meet 2024

The DMK government held the third Global Investors Meet in Chennai, focusing on electronics, electric vehicles and renewable energy.