Formerly called
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Union Carbide India Limited |
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Founded | 1905 |
Headquarters | Kolkata, West Bengal, India |
Area served
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India |
Products | Batteries, flashlights, lanterns, lamps, luminaires, packet tea |
Brands | Eveready, Powercell, Uniross |
Website | www |
Eveready Industries India Ltd. (EIIL), formerly Union Carbide India Limited, is the flagship company of the B.M. Khaitan Group. The Eveready brand has been present in India since 1905.
EIIL's principal activities are the manufacture and market of batteries, flashlight cases, electrolytic manganese dioxide and arc carbons. It also manufactures photo-engravers plates/strips for printing, castings, hard facing and tube rods, carbon electrodes and other related products. The company also produces and markets tea. The Group's operating facilities are located at Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad, NOIDA, Gurgaon and Navi Mumbai. During the fiscal year 2002 the group sold its wholly owned subsidiaries Dufflaghur Investments Limited and Natex Investment and Marketing Limited. Batteries accounted for 51% of fiscal 2002 revenues; tea, 38%; flashlight cases, 9%; electrolytic manganese dioxide, 1%; purchased products, 1% and others, nominal.
EIIL is the world’s third largest producer of carbon zinc batteries, selling more than a billion units a year. EIIL is India’s largest selling brand of dry cell batteries and flashlights (torches), with dominant market shares of about 46% and 85% respectively.
EIIL started its operation in India in 1905. The first dry cell batteries were imported from the USA and sold in the major cities of the country. These batteries were primarily used in imported torches.
In 1939, the company set up its first battery plant in Kolkata. This was followed by another battery manufacturing plant in Chennai in the year 1952. A torch manufacturing plant was set up at Lucknow in 1958. Today it is one of the largest torch manufacturing plants in South East Asia. The plant manufactures the full range of brass, aluminium and plastic torches.