Kolkata’s manufacturing legacy dates back to the 1870s, when jute mills popped up along the Hugli River. Boosting both local and global trade, these woven natural fibers turned West Bengals’ capital city into the “Jute Capital of the World” by the turn of the century.
Today, Kolkata has since evolved into a full-blown manufacturing hub, home to companies producing everything from chemicals and pharmaceuticals to electronics and automobiles. The following companies contribute to the city’s dynamic industry, localizing global brands and driving economic growth.
Top Manufacturing Companies in Kolkata
- Siemens
- ITC Limited
- Nestlé
- Unilever
- Abbott
- PepsiCo
- L'Oréal
- Mahindra Group
18 Top Manufacturing Companies in Kolkata
Global tech conglomerate Siemens is the largest industrial manufacturer in Europe. The Germany-based company makes everything from control systems and power generation components to medical instruments and smart infrastructure, spanning across a variety of sectors. With 22 factories and 11 research and development centers in India, Siemens has been involved in the country’s growth for more than a century, and continues to build in its cities, including recent projects like the Rapid MetroRail line in Gurgaon.
Headquartered in Kolkata, ITC Limited is an Indian conglomerate with a diversified portfolio. The company is primarily known for its consumer goods, personal care items and stationery products. It also operates a chain of luxury hotels, produces paperboards and packaging, develops sustainable agricultural practices alongside farmers and deploys IT services through its subsidiary, ITC Infotech. Additionally, ITC is a significant player in the tobacco industry, ranking as the market’s third most valuable company in the world.
Nestlé is not only the world’s largest food company — ranking No.1 globally since 2014 — but it is also a beloved household name, known for iconic brands like Maggi instant noodles, KitKat chocolate bars, Nesquik chocolate drink mix and Purina pet food products. And that’s just four of its 2,000-brand portfolio. Founded in 1866, the Swiss company has a 112 year history developing new products and distribution strategies in India, with nine manufacturing facilities and four branch offices in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata.
Unilever, operating through its Indian subsidiary Hindustan Unilever Limited, manufactures a wide variety of products across categories such as home care, personal care and food and beverages. Aside from being the world’s largest soap manufacturer, other key items produced in its Indian facilities include products like Surf Excel and Rin laundry detergents, Dove soap, Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, Kissan ketchup, Knorr soups and Lipton tea. Founded in 1929, the company established operations in Kolkata and continues to maintain its regional offices there.
Global healthcare company Abbott specializes in diagnostics testing, medical devices, nutrition and branded generic medicines. Founded in 1888, Abbott manufactures healthtech products such as glucose monitoring systems, pediatric and adult nutrition formulas, cardiovascular devices and laboratory diagnostics from the 160 countries it operates in, including offices in Kolkata.
PepsiCo is a global leader in the food and beverage industry, directly competing with Coca-Cola in the non-alcoholic drinks market. While the New York-based company is renowned for its iconic soda brand, Pepsi, it also has a diverse portfolio that includes snacks like Lay’s potato chips and Quaker oat-based granola bars and rice cakes, as well as electrolyte-infused and fruit-based beverages like Gatorade and Tropicana. PepsiCo employs more than 1.7 million people across its Indian operations, with 63 locations throughout the country.
L'Oréal is the world’s largest manufacturer of commercial and professional beauty products, operating in more than 150 countries. The France-based company owns a diverse portfolio of more than 30 different skincare, haircare and makeup brands, including Garnier, Maybelline, Lancôme and its namesake cosmetics line. L'Oréal expanded its reach to India in 1994, opening a regional headquarters in Mumbai, with Kolkata offices primarily focused on regional distribution, sales and marketing.
Mahindra & Mahindra, part of the Mahindra Group, is a India-native automobile manufacturer that makes a diverse range of vehicles, including SUVs, light commercial and utility vehicles, trucks and farm equipment. In fact, Mahindra Tractors is the largest manufacturer of tractors in the world by volume. Its top car models include the Scorpio N, Thar ROXX and Mahindra XUV700 SUVs. Founded in 1945, the Mahindra Group is headquartered in Mumbai, with several dealerships and showrooms located in Kolkata.
Multinational conglomerate Johnson Controls (formerly known as Tyco) specializes in smart building technologies, offering products like HVAC systems, energy-efficient chillers and AI-enabled building management software. With more than 2,000 locations across 150 countries, the American company operates multiple facilities, including a key manufacturing plant that produces air-cooled and water-cooled chillers in Pune — its regional headquarters — and a sales office in Kolkata.
The Aditya Birla Group is a global conglomerate that caters to a wide range of industries, including everything from metals, cement and textiles to telecommunications and financial services. It is best known for manufacturing UltraTech cement, its signature aluminum, Birla Cellulose textiles and industrial chemical products. The company’s subsidiaries operate manufacturing plants in Kolkata, a city that also functions as a strategic hub for its financial services division.
Part of the Tata Group, Tata Steel operates across the entire steel value chain, producing a diverse range of products including flat steel, long steel and specialized materials for sectors like automotive, construction and engineering. Headquartered in Mumbai, the company’s product portfolio includes hot-rolled, cold-rolled and coated steel sheets, as well as rebars, tubes and roofing solutions. Kolkata is home to Tata Steel’s 17-story regional office and marketing headquarters.
Keysight Technologies manufactures electronic test and measurement equipment. Its portfolio includes oscilloscopes, spectrum analyzers and signal generators, as well as electronic design automation software, wireless communications and network security. The California-based company is renowned for its early advancements in 5G technology, and owns more than 2,000 patents. Founded in 1939, it mainly caters to the telecommunications, aerospace and defense, industrial, computer and semiconductor industries.
Since dissolving as a conglomerate in 2021, General Electric now exists as three separate companies: GE Vernova, GE Aerospace and GE Healthcare. GE Vernova primarily manufactures products in the energy sector, such as steam turbines, gas turbines, generators and power transformers, while its other segments focus on developing aviation components and medical equipment, respectively. As a whole, the GE brand still operates 15 manufacturing sites and five technology centers across India, with a key engineering center based in Kolkata.
Philips is a global brand that began as a consumer electronics company in 1891, and has since refocused its scope to healthcare. The first product to enter its portfolio was a lightbulb, which would be joined nearly a century later by cassette tapes and compact discs — two inventions that are original to the Philips brand. Today, the company manufactures diagnostic imaging systems, ultrasound machines and mobile surgery equipment. It also focuses on producing consumer health products such as haircare tools, electric toothbrushes and childcare products.
Multinational conglomerate Samsung is renowned for its dominance in consumer electronics — particularly smartphones — with its Galaxy series being one of the world’s top-selling devices. Additionally, the South Korea-based company is a leading producer of semiconductors, including memory chips and processors, which are integral to a variety of digital devices globally, as well as LED display technology. Samsung has a number of manufacturing plants throughout India, in addition to several research and development centers and retail stores, with a few located in Kolkata.
Tata Motors, another member of the Tata Group, is an Indian multinational automotive company that produces a wide range of vehicles, including cars, trucks, buses and defense vehicles, with a focus on electric vehicles. Founded in 1945, the Mumbai-based company manufactures popular passenger cars, namely the Nexon compact SUV and supermini Altroz, along with commercial and military vehicles. In Kolkata, it has a plant that primarily produces trucks, buses and specialized defense vehicles, as well as several show rooms and service centers.
Linde is a global industrial gases and engineering company. Founded in 1879, the Ireland-based manufacturer produces oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen and specialty gases for industries such as healthcare, manufacturing and steel. Linde’s operations span more than 80 different countries, arriving in India in 1995. Kolkata is home to its oxygen house, where it produces high purity oxygen for fuel-cutting operations, steelmaking and medical therapies.
Reckitt is a manufacturer of consumer health, hygiene, and home products, with operations in more than 60 countries. Some well-known brands in the company’s product portfolio include Dettol antiseptic liquid, Harpic toilet cleaners, Lysol disinfectant and Mortein insect repellents. In Kolkata, Reckitt operates manufacturing plants and distribution facilities that deliver its wide array of products to domestic and overseas markets.
