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Milestones of Balmer Lawrie

Since the beginning, we have been motivated by a common goal that is sustained by dedication and enthusiasm. Every action we've done and every obstacle we've surmounted has brought us to this point. We are proud to stand here today as a monument to both our unwavering resolve and our stakeholders' unfailing support.

Corporate Journey
Early Years

1867 - 1894

1867
Partnership firm established on 1st. Feb.1867 Agent for Tea trading, shipping & forwarding S.G.Balmer passes away India Tea Co. set up to blend & export tea
1872
Banking operations started Appointed managing agents for Jokai Tea
1882
Appointed managing agents for Crystal Ice Supply, Kolkata
1888
Commences food exports to West Indies
1889
Annual Bonus paid to employees
1890
Appointed managing agents for Bengal Paper Mills First use of typewriters
1891
Appointed managing agents for New Beerbhoom Coal
1894
Electric power in Office at 103 Clive Street

Corporate Journey
Maturing Years

1908 - 1936

1908
Alex Lawrie passes away Bombay branch opened
1909
New 4 storied Office constructed ( Present HO)
1917
First motor car acquired
1919
Appointed managing agents for Aurther Butler & Co. First audit of accounts by Price Waterhouse
1920
Biecco and Bridge & Roof promoted Appointed managing agents for Indian Galvanising Co.
1924
Became a Pvt. Ltd. Co. on 1st. January, share capital of 40 L
1932
Delhi branch opened
1936
Became a Public Ltd. Co. on 6th. January

Corporate Journey
Growth Years

1937 - 1969

1937
Grease production commences in Pilkhana, Howrah
1944
Grease production commences in Sewree, Bombay Barrel production commences at Indian Galvanizing Provident Fund introduced for staff
1946
Employee Trade Union formed
1947
Branch Offices opened in Karachi & Chittagong
1949
Balmer Lawrie & Co (Pakistan) Ltd. Formed
1951
Tribeni Tissue commissioned with BL as managing agent
1952
Branch Office started at Madras, later discontinued
1956
25% of BL divested by Alex Lawrie & Co. in favor of Indo-Burma Petroleum
1958
Insurance agency (Sun Insurance) terminated
1963
Banking operations discontinued
1968
Duncan Brothers take over management control
1969
Managing Agency system abolished, BL looses managing rights in respect of more than 40 tea gardens

Corporate Journey
Uncertain Years

1972 - 1972

1972
Indo Burma Petroleum Co. acquires control by taking over all shares from Alex Lawrie & Duncan Brothers. BL becomes a subsidiary of Indo Burma Petroleum

Corporate Journey
Public Sector Era

1987 - 2022

1987
Schedule B PSE
1992
Wholly owned subsidiary incorporated in the UK – Balmer Lawrie (UK) Ltd. for Container Leasing on global scale MoU signed with Van Leer to form a Joint Venture company for manufacture of "Valerex" plastic drums
1993
Barrel Division, Chembur commenced production of drums Balmer Lawrie ties up with Hispano Quimica SA, Spain for marketing Leather Chemicals in India
1994
CFS Kolkata commissioned Taloja plant for blending of lubricants set up
1995
First export of Leather Chemicals products started
1996
Balmer Lawrie undertook the packaging of tea for the world’s most exclusive store – Harrods of Knightsbridge
1998
Facility to produce grease and blended oils commissioned at Sayli, Silvassa
1999
Bitumen processing and packaging plant commissioned in Uluberia Barrel plant for manufacturing Bitumen Drums was set up at Panipat
2000
Packet Tea was launched in domestic market under the "Tarang" brand name CFS at Navi Mumbai commissioned CFS at Manali, Chennai commissioned
2001
IBP Co. Limited, transferred their holding of 61.8% in Balmer Lawrie & Co. Ltd. To Balmer Lawrie Investments Limited. The equity shares of Balmer Lawrie are listed with Mumbai and National Stock Exchanges.
2003
Mini Ratna II PSE
2006
Mini Ratna I PSE
2007
Container division, Mathura closed Barrel/ drum manufacturing plant at Asaoti, Haryana commissioned
2008
Refinery & Oil Field Services carved out to function as a SBU
2010
Chittoor plant of SBU: IP at Andhra Pradesh commenced operation PT Balmer Lawrie Indonesia (PTBLI) to manufacture lubricating greases & oils formed at Jakarta, Indonesia
2011
Manufacturing of some selected range of Construction Chemicals started at the Leather Chemicals plant, Chennai Plant of PTBLI to manufacture lubricating greases & oils in Indonesia commissioned
2013
Tea activity fully closed
2014
Tours & Leisure Travel business of Vacations Exotica Destinations acquired Taloja plant of SBU:IP commenced operation
2015
Vishakhapatnam Port Logistics Park Ltd. incorporated
2016
Balmer Lawrie celebrates 150th Foundation Day First of the three Cold Chain Logistics facilities commissioned in Hyderabad
2017
The Cold Cahin Unit at Rai in NCR commenced operations in the month of May Balmer Lawrie Start-up Fund launched to support starts-ups An MOU was signed between Balmer Lawrie and IIM Calcutta Innovation Park for selection and incubation of Start-ups on 14th September The first meeting of the Board of Directors of Visakhapatnam Port Logistics Park Limited 20th September Project E-Saksham launched to provide payroll, PMS and ESS solutions 100th Annual General Meeting held on 14th September
2018
The newly modernised ARL, the state-of-the-art R&D Centre of SBU:G&L inaugurated on 20th July AVI-OIL India Private Ltd. (AVI-OIL), a joint venture company of Balmer Lawrie completed 25 years in November
2019
Inauguration of the 200 Ltr Plastic Drum Line and 20 Ltr PPCP Conipail Line at BL-UAE on 5th March Baroda plant of SBU: IP inaugurated on 10th June Cold Chain Unit at Patalganga, Maharashtra was inaugurated
2021
SBU: Leather Chemicals renamed as SBU: Chemicals owing to its foray in Agro and Textile Chemicals SBU: Cold Chain formed and brand LOGICOLD launched
2022
Cold Chain Unit at Bhubaneswar commissioned in July

History of Balmer Lawrie

Driven by the spirit of entrepreneurship, two enterprising Scotsmen Stephen George Balmer and Alexander Lawrie sowed the seeds of this company at Kolkata on 1st February, 1867. History goes…a coin was tossed…Balmer won…Balmer’s name preceded in the Firm incorporated and thus was born Balmer Lawrie.

There was hardly any business where Balmer Lawrie did not delve into in its formative years, whether it was from Tea to Shipping, Insurance to Banking or Trading to Manufacturing. The company has left a mark of its own at every step of its remarkable corporate journey.

Today, Balmer Lawrie is a Mini-Ratna-I Public Sector Enterprise, under the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Government of India. It has eight Strategic Business Units – Industrial Packaging, Greases & Lubricants, Chemicals, Travel & Vacations, Logistics Infrastructure, Logistics Services, Cold Chain and Refinery & Oil Field Services, with offices spread across the country and abroad. Balmer Lawrie has grown enormously in the last 157 years and has become the market leader in Steel Barrels, Industrial Greases & Specialty Lubricants, Corporate Travel and Logistics Services. It has very well responded to the demands of an ever changing environment and has taken full advantage of every opportunity to innovate. Balmer Lawrie also grew inorganically through various JVs over the period of time.

1867

Face Behind The Name

1867

The Journey Begins.....

1867

The First Balancing Act

1873

The Early Leaders

1878

The initial business included Trading, Tea and Shipping

1870

Tea: The Harbinger Business

1870

Tea: The Harbinger Business

1870

Tea: The Harbinger Business

1880

With High Spirits the Trading Business moved on

1884

Balmer Lawrie offered more than 250 products and services

1884

First evidence of 'Passage' operations

1884

First evidence of 'Passage' operations

1884

First evidence of 'Passage' operations

1877

The man behind the Manufacturing Business

1879

The Managing Agent

1879

The Managing Agent

1879

The Managing Agent

1879

The Managing Agent

1879

The Managing Agent

1879

The Managing Agent

1879

The Managing Agent

1890

The Balmer Lawrie Cheque

1909

Balmer Lawrie IIO

1917

The Jubilee Group

1924

Became Pvt Ltd Co

1927

Board of Directors, 1927

1929

OTJ Era

1930

Barrel production in Calcutta

1937

Grease production commenses at peelkhana in Howrah

1937

Balmer Lawrie was a pioneer in grease manufacturing in India

1950

Work and Life Balance

1950

Work and Life Balance

1950

Work and Life Balance

1950

Evolution of lettering & logo

The Founders, Mr. Stephen George Balmer and Mr. Alexander Lawrie History goes... a coin was tossed, Balmer won and thus the name Balmer Lawrie

Original building of Balmer Lawrie at 103 Clive Street, Kolkata

The First Balance Sheet of the Firm (August 1, 1867–December 31, 1867)

British Staff (1873) Mr. Alexander Lawrie is second from the left

Clippings from the Statesman, January 28,1878

Managers's Residence, Jamirah Tea Garden, 1940s

Tea Auction in progress, Calcutta, 1940s

Tea Tasting Room, Calcutta, 1940s

Laphroag Islay Whisky was the first product for which an impressively coloured pamphlet was brought out in 1880s

Monthly Circulars called 'Index' were printed to introduce products and services offered

Shipping & Forwarding Department was established in 1867 which was taken over by The Anglo Indian Carrying Co. in 1873

Advertisement in The Statesmen in 1930s and 1940s

Advertisement issued in 1952

Mr. James Nicholson Stuart joined Balmer Lawrie in 1877

British India Electric Construction

Bengal Flour Mill

Bengal Paper Mill

Indian Galvanizing

Calcutta Ice Association

New Beerbhoom Coal

Bridge & Roof

Though Banking Services started in 1872; another service promoted around 1890s was Insurance

21 NS Road-106 Years Ago

British and Indian employees with their families

Certificate of Incorporation

Board of Directors, 1927

Mr. Owain Trevor Jenkins (OTJ) was appointed as Chairman in 1946. Sir Owain Jenkins along with Mr. A. T. Montgomery who succeeded him broadened Balmer Lawrie's manufacturing base.

By 1930 Indian Galvanizing was the most proficient producer of drums in the country. It also had the most extensive range Indian Galvanizing had plants in Howrah and Sewree

Ads for first products of Balmerol

Mr. Paul Gonsalves, the Father of Grease Manufacturing in India, working at his desk ou the right, Bombay 1954

Balmer Lawrie senior staff football team 1949

Balmer Lawrie won Merchant's Cup in Golf (1958)

Team for Merchant's Cup 1950s Mr. N.N Atal (3rd from left) was the first Indian managing director