Mumbai Industries

Mumbai the commercial capital of India has a vast array of different industries. It was the British East India Company which had taken the charge of developing Mumbai, then known as Bombay. They began reclaiming land from the sea in 1730. By 1830, the Company built a causeway which connected the mainland Bombay with the southernmost islands. Textile industries were the main industries that the East India Company developed and presently, they are the largest and most important amidst other industries. The East India Company strived to establish overseas trade; as a result, Bombay port began to grow. In 1852, due to the completion of Bombay railroads, it started spreading it wings in the interior of the subcontinent. During the American civil war (1861-1865) Indian cotton production boomed incredibly as imperial England completely leaned on the Indian cotton industry. After the Second World War, Bombay experienced a majority of its growth in industries. In 1869 and 1872, the opening of Suez Canal and Bombay-Delhi railroad helped solidify Bombay’s stature as India’s most important Port. As a matter of fact, 7,000 workers in the textile industries in 1860 grew in leaps and bounds to 73,000 workers in 1900. India’s first Trade Union was established in Mumbai by cotton mill workers.

Today, Mumbai accounts for 20% of India’s total employment in Industries and 11% of India’s employment in totality. Mumbai is shouldering 30% of India’s export and imports. Being India’s economical capital it contributes 40% to income tax, 60% to the collection of custom duty, 20% to the central excise collection and 40% to the foreign trade of Indian economy. Today Mumbai has included industries like pharmaceutical, construction, engineering, metal, silk, glassware, bike and film, plastic, printing and petroleum. Industries like IT, medical research, computers and electronic equipment of all varieties, renewable energy and power are located in Mumbai. Almost all of India’s petroleum is marketed in Mumbai. Today, headquarters of the major financial institutions like the Bombay Stock Exchange, the Mint, the National Stock Exchange and the Reserve Bank of India are located in Mumbai along with corporate offices of numerous Indian industrial giants like Tata Group, Reliance, Bombay Dyeing, Vedanta Resources, etc. In the area of south Mumbai many foreign MNCs also have their branches. Most of India’s television and satellite networks are located in Mumbai. Bollywood, the Hindi movie industry is also located in Mumbai, along with the big film studios and production houses. Vast skilled human resources are located in Mumbai.

World’s most famous Bhaba Atomic Research Centre deep rooted with state-of-the-art infrastructure is situated here.
Mumbai’s unique lunch dispatchers known as Dabbawallas, hardly aware of management school studies, yet catering the corporate citizen with the organizational skill of six-sigma has compelled the world’s top management schools to conduct a research on India’s very native management skill.

List of major Mumbai based industries