Larsen & Toubro Limited (commonly known as L&T) is an Indian multinational conglomerate headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra. The company has interests in engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) projects, heavy engineering, defence manufacturing, hi-tech manufacturing, information technology services, and financial services. It is one of the largest engineering and construction companies in India and operates across more than thirty countries.
| Name | Larsen & Toubro Limited |
|---|---|
| Type | Public company |
| Industry | Conglomerate (engineering, construction, manufacturing, IT, financial services) |
| Founders | Henning Holck-Larsen and Søren Kristian Toubro |
| Founded | 1938, Mumbai (then Bombay) |
| Headquarters | L&T House, Ballard Estate, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India |
| Listings | BSE, NSE |
| Country | India |
L&T was founded by two Danish engineers, Henning Holck-Larsen and Søren Kristian Toubro, who had come to India in the 1930s. Initially set up as a partnership representing Danish dairy equipment manufacturers, the firm was incorporated as a private limited company in 1946 and became a public limited company shortly thereafter. The disruption caused by the Second World War, which restricted imports, prompted the founders to begin manufacturing and engineering activities within India, laying the foundation for the company's later diversification.
L&T Construction is among the largest construction organisations in India, executing projects in transportation infrastructure, buildings and factories, water and effluent treatment, power transmission and distribution, and metals and minerals. The company has built airports, metro rail systems, expressways, ports, dams and nuclear power plant structures.
The heavy engineering arm manufactures custom-built equipment for process industries, nuclear power and aerospace. L&T's defence business produces submarines, warship platforms, weapon systems, armoured vehicles and missile systems, and has been a private-sector partner in several Indian strategic programmes, including work associated with the Arihant-class submarine programme.
L&T Hydrocarbon Engineering provides EPC services for the upstream, mid and downstream segments of the oil and gas industry, with operations in India, West Asia and Africa.
The group's IT services are delivered primarily through LTIMindtree and L&T Technology Services. Financial services are offered through L&T Finance Holdings, covering retail finance, infrastructure finance and asset management.
The company manufactures industrial valves, electrical and automation products, switchgear, and construction and mining machinery, in some cases through joint ventures with international partners.
Henning Holck-Larsen led the company in its formative decades. Subsequent chairpersons have included A. M. Naik, who served as Chairman and Managing Director and is credited with restructuring the group during the 2000s and 2010s, and S. N. Subrahmanyan, who became Chairman and Managing Director.
L&T is regarded as one of the cornerstones of India's industrial and engineering capability. It has played a notable role in indigenous defence manufacturing, public infrastructure development, and the design and execution of complex turnkey projects. The company is a constituent of major Indian stock indices, including the BSE SENSEX and NIFTY 50, and is widely held by Indian institutional investors, with the Life Insurance Corporation of India historically among its largest shareholders.