Larsen & Toubro Limited, also known as L&T, is an Indian multinational conglomerate headquartered in Mumbai, India.The company has business interests in engineering, construction,
manufacturing goods, information technology and financial services.L&T is India's largest engineering and construction company.Considered to be the "bellwether of India's engineering & construction sector", L&T was recognized as the Company of the Year in Economic Times 2010 awards.
A company was founded in Bombay in 1938 by two Danish engineers, Henning Holck-Larsen and Soren Kristian Toubro. The company began as a representative of Danish manufacturers of dairy equipment. However, with the start of the Second World War in 1939 and the resulting restriction on imports, the partners started a small workshop to undertake jobs and provide service facilities.
Germany's invasion of Denmark in 1940 stopped supplies of Danish products. The war-time need to repair and refit ships offered L&T an opportunity, and led to the formation of a new company, Hilda Ltd., to handle these operations. L&T also started to repair and fabrication shops signalling the expansion of the company.
The sudden internment of German engineers in India (due to suspicions caused by the War), who were to put up a soda ash plant for the Tatas, gave L&T a chance to enter the field of installation.
In 1944, ECC was incorporated by the partners; the company at this time was focused on construction projects (Presently, ECC is the construction division of L&T). L&T decided to build a portfolio of foreign collaborations. By 1945, the company represented British manufacturers of equipment used to manufacture products such as hydrogenated oils, biscuits, soaps and glass.
In 1945, the company signed an agreement with Caterpillar Tractor Company, USA, for marketing earth moving equipment. At the end of the war, large numbers of war-surplus Caterpillar equipment were available at attractive prices, but the finances required were beyond