Søren Kristian Toubro
Encyclopedia
Søren Kristian Toubro was a Danish
engineer who co-founded Larsen & Toubro
, an India
-based conglomerate
.
. As an employee of F. L. Smidth & Co.
of Copenhagen
, he came to India in 1934 to erect and commission the equipment supplied to the Madukkarai
Cement Works (near Coimbatore
) and the Rohri
Cement Factory (near the Sukkur Barrage
in Sindh
). Sometime after landing in India, he read a report in the Bombay Chronicle that quoted Mohandas K. Gandhi as saying: "(I am) not leading a movement to rid India of its white colonial masters in order to substitute them with brown ones." Toubro felt that such an India would "offer great opportunities to anyone with modern technological and management skills".
, a chemical engineer and a fellow Smidth's employee, to establish Larsen & Toubro
. The idea of L&T was conceived during a holiday in Matheran
, a hill station near Bombay (now Mumbai). Holck-Larsen was a risk-taker while Toubro was more conservative. Larsen & Toubro saw opportunities in India at a time, when few Europeans had realized the country's potential for industrial growth.
The first office of L&T, located in Bombay, was so small that only one of them could use it a time. Initially, L&T represented Danish dairy equipment manufacturers. However, the Danish imports were restricted during the World War II
, forcing L&T to start a small workshop that provided servicing and undertook small jobs. The imports stopped after the German invasion of Denmark
, forcing L&T to start manufacturing dairy equipment indigenously, a move that was successful.
Seeing opporunity in ship repair during wartime, Larsen and Toubro formed a new company called Hilda Ltd. Around this time, L&T also started two repair and fabrication shops. The internment of German engineers who were supposed to build a soda ash plant for the Tatas
provided L&T another new opportunity.
In 1944, Larsen and Toubro established Engineering Construction & Contracts (ECC). L&T started collaborating with international companies around this time. In 1945, L&T signed an agreement with the Caterpillar Tractor Company of USA for marketing earthmoving equipment. L&T also started representing British manufacturers of equipment used to manufacture a variety of products including biscuits, glass, hydrogenated oils and soaps.
At the end of World War II, the war-surplus Caterpillar equipment were available in bulk at low prices. However, L&T lacked the money to purchase them. Therefore, Larsen and Toubro decided to raise additional equity capital, and as a result, Larsen & Toubro Private Limited was established on 7 February 1946. After India gained independence in 1947, L&T set up offices in Calcutta, Madras and New Delhi
. In 1948, L&T acquired 55 acres (222,577.3 m²) of undeveloped land in the Powai
suburb of Mumbai.
Larsen and Toubro gradually transformed L&T into a large business house with diverse interests. A 2006 article in The Hindu
described Toubro as follows:
Soren K Toubro served as the director of L&T from 1946 to 1981, and retired from active management in 1962-63. He continued to serve on the L&T and ECC Board of Directors till 1981.
, where his wife spent her last days after his death.
The Toubro Training Centre, located in the Manapakkam
campus of L&T's ECC division, is named after him. The Toubro Construction Technology Centre, is also named after him, and was inaugurated by his son Ole K. Toubro in 2006.
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
engineer who co-founded Larsen & Toubro
Larsen & Toubro
Larsen & Toubro Limited is an Indian multinational conglomerate company headquartered in Mumbai, India. The company has four main business sectors: technology, engineering, construction and manufacturing. L&T has an international presence, with a global spread of offices and factories, further...
, an India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
-based conglomerate
Conglomerate (company)
A conglomerate is a combination of two or more corporations engaged in entirely different businesses that fall under one corporate structure , usually involving a parent company and several subsidiaries. Often, a conglomerate is a multi-industry company...
.
Early days in India
Toubro began his career as a civil engineerCivil engineer
A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering; the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructures while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing infrastructures that have been neglected.Originally, a...
. As an employee of F. L. Smidth & Co.
FLSmidth
FLSmidth & Co. A/S is a global engineering company based in Copenhagen, Denmark. Employing about 11,300 people worldwide, it provides the global cement and mineral industries with plants, machinery, services and know-how. FLSmidth is listed on the Copenhagen Stock Exchange and has offices in more...
of Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, he came to India in 1934 to erect and commission the equipment supplied to the Madukkarai
Madukkarai
Madukkarai is a suburb of Coimbatore city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Madukkarai is the Gateway to Coimbatore city from kerala state. It is located close to Kerala border. The Coimbatore International Airport is about 27 km from here...
Cement Works (near Coimbatore
Coimbatore
Coimbatore , also known as Kovai , is the second largest city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is a major commercial centre in Tamil Nadu and is known as the "Manchester of South India"....
) and the Rohri
Rohri
Rohri is a town of Sukkur District, Sindh province, Pakistan. It is located at 27°40'60N 68°54'0E, on the east bank of the Indus River. Rohri town is the administrative headquarters of Rohri Taluka, a tehsil of Sukkur District with which it forms a metropolitan area...
Cement Factory (near the Sukkur Barrage
Sukkur barrage
Sukkur Barrage is a barrage on the River Indus near the city of Sukkur in the Sindh province of Pakistan.Sukkur Barrage is used to control water flow in the River Indus for irrigation and flood control purposes....
in Sindh
Sindh
Sindh historically referred to as Ba'ab-ul-Islam , is one of the four provinces of Pakistan and historically is home to the Sindhi people. It is also locally known as the "Mehran". Though Muslims form the largest religious group in Sindh, a good number of Christians, Zoroastrians and Hindus can...
). Sometime after landing in India, he read a report in the Bombay Chronicle that quoted Mohandas K. Gandhi as saying: "(I am) not leading a movement to rid India of its white colonial masters in order to substitute them with brown ones." Toubro felt that such an India would "offer great opportunities to anyone with modern technological and management skills".
Larsen & Toubro
In 1938, Toubro partnered with his former schoolmate Henning Holck-LarsenHenning Holck-Larsen
Henning Holck-Larsen was a Dane who co-founded the Indian engineering firm Larsen & Toubro .- Biography :...
, a chemical engineer and a fellow Smidth's employee, to establish Larsen & Toubro
Larsen & Toubro
Larsen & Toubro Limited is an Indian multinational conglomerate company headquartered in Mumbai, India. The company has four main business sectors: technology, engineering, construction and manufacturing. L&T has an international presence, with a global spread of offices and factories, further...
. The idea of L&T was conceived during a holiday in Matheran
Matheran
- Getting to Matheran :Matheran is located about 100 km from Mumbai, 120 km from Pune. and 320 km from Surat. It lies on the busy Mumbai-Pune rail link and the nearest train station is at Neral, approximately 11 km from Matheran. From Neral, one can either rent a taxi to the...
, a hill station near Bombay (now Mumbai). Holck-Larsen was a risk-taker while Toubro was more conservative. Larsen & Toubro saw opportunities in India at a time, when few Europeans had realized the country's potential for industrial growth.
The first office of L&T, located in Bombay, was so small that only one of them could use it a time. Initially, L&T represented Danish dairy equipment manufacturers. However, the Danish imports were restricted during the World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, forcing L&T to start a small workshop that provided servicing and undertook small jobs. The imports stopped after the German invasion of Denmark
Operation Weserübung
Operation Weserübung was the code name for Germany's assault on Denmark and Norway during the Second World War and the opening operation of the Norwegian Campaign...
, forcing L&T to start manufacturing dairy equipment indigenously, a move that was successful.
Seeing opporunity in ship repair during wartime, Larsen and Toubro formed a new company called Hilda Ltd. Around this time, L&T also started two repair and fabrication shops. The internment of German engineers who were supposed to build a soda ash plant for the Tatas
Tata Group
Tata Group is an Indian multinational conglomerate company headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. Tata Group is one of the largest companies in India by market capitalization and revenue. It has interests in communications and information technology, engineering, materials, services, energy,...
provided L&T another new opportunity.
In 1944, Larsen and Toubro established Engineering Construction & Contracts (ECC). L&T started collaborating with international companies around this time. In 1945, L&T signed an agreement with the Caterpillar Tractor Company of USA for marketing earthmoving equipment. L&T also started representing British manufacturers of equipment used to manufacture a variety of products including biscuits, glass, hydrogenated oils and soaps.
At the end of World War II, the war-surplus Caterpillar equipment were available in bulk at low prices. However, L&T lacked the money to purchase them. Therefore, Larsen and Toubro decided to raise additional equity capital, and as a result, Larsen & Toubro Private Limited was established on 7 February 1946. After India gained independence in 1947, L&T set up offices in Calcutta, Madras and New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
. In 1948, L&T acquired 55 acres (222,577.3 m²) of undeveloped land in the Powai
Powai
Powai is a suburb situated in the north-east of the city of Mumbai, India. The word Powai comes from Padmavati a Hindu Goddess , whose temple is situated on the banks of Lake Powai...
suburb of Mumbai.
Larsen and Toubro gradually transformed L&T into a large business house with diverse interests. A 2006 article in The Hindu
The Hindu
The Hindu is an Indian English-language daily newspaper founded and continuously published in Chennai since 1878. According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations, it has a circulation of 1.46 million copies as of December 2009. The enterprise employed over 1,600 workers and gross income reached $40...
described Toubro as follows:
Soren K Toubro served as the director of L&T from 1946 to 1981, and retired from active management in 1962-63. He continued to serve on the L&T and ECC Board of Directors till 1981.
Last years
After spending nearly five decades in India, Toubro retired to Denmark in 1981, and died there next year. Toubro had a large house and estate in KodaikanalKodaikanal
-Climate:Kodaikanal has a monsoon-influenced subtropical highland climate . The temperatures are cool throughout the year due to the high elevation of the city.-Economy:...
, where his wife spent her last days after his death.
The Toubro Training Centre, located in the Manapakkam
Manapakkam
Manapakkam is a census town in Kancheepuram district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.-Demographics: India census, Manapakkam had a population of 8590. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Manapakkam has an average literacy rate of 73%, higher than the national average of 59.5%:...
campus of L&T's ECC division, is named after him. The Toubro Construction Technology Centre, is also named after him, and was inaugurated by his son Ole K. Toubro in 2006.