Carborundum Universal Ltd , a part of Murugappa Group, is one of the largest and oldest conglomerates in India. CUMI is the leading manufacturer and developer of abrasives, ceramics, refractories, aluminium oxide grains, machine tools, polymers, adhesives and electro minerals in India. CUMI is the only abrasive manufacturer with the diversification. The company has subsidiaries in India, Russia, South Africa, Australia, China, Thailand and Canada.
History
CUMI was established as a result of diversification from banking business through cycle manufacturing with the intent to manufacture abrasive materials. CUMI's parent company, the Murugappa Group, made a tie up with the Carborundum, UK, a subsidiary of American abrasive manufacturer, Carborundum, USA and the Universal Grinding Co. Ltd., UK in 1950. The result was the Carborundum Universal of Madras. Then it was renamed and incorporated in 1954 as Carborundum Universal Ltd .
Establishments
Initially CUMI was founded to manufacture the core products for the collaborating companies. Later the company established its first bonded abrasive plant at Chennai with the facility acquired from Ajax Products and began its manufacturing in the abrasives platform. With the intention of producing technical ceramics for high temperature insulation products CUMI has made joint venture with Morgan Crucible Plc. UK resulted in the establishment of Murugappa Morgan Thermal Ceramics Ltd in 1982 The company has laid a strong foundation in Engineered Ceramics through number of joint ventures. In 1991 Wendt Ltd, a joint ventured company of Wendt GmbH, Germany and The House of Khataus, was merged with the CUMI. CUMI's first Industrial Ceramics division was established in Hosur, Tamil Nadu as a technical partnership with Coors Ceramics, USA in 1991. Later it was expanded with the unique Metallized Cylinders Plant. As a part of expanding their presence, in 2005 the company started CUMI Middle East FZE in Ras Al Khaimah. In order to strengthen their global presence CUMI bought Abrasive Enterprises Inc., Canada, for $2.24 Million by 2006. After a year CUMI established CUMI International Ltd in Cyprus.
Acquisitions
With in a decade, after the withdrawal of the collaborators, CUMI acquired Ajax Products Pvt Ltd. CUMI stepped up in abrasive industries by acquiring the Eastern Abrasives Ltd, Kolkata in 1978. In 1997 Cutfast Abrasive Tools Ltd, Eastern Abrasive Ltd, Cutfast Polymers Ltd and Carborundum Universal Investment are joined with Carborundum Universal Ltd. With in a year of acquisition of Sterling Abrasives Ltd and SEDCO in 2003, CUMI acquired CUMI Australia Pty Ltd., Australia. In 2007 the company took over a china based firm Sanhe Yanjiao Jingri Diamond Industrial Company Ltd and Russian Volzhsky Abrasive Works. The further acquisitions are followed in 2008, Foskor Zirconia Ltd, South Africa became a subsidiary of CUMI
The range of applications of different divisions like material removal, polishing the rough surface, fine finishing by the Abrasives division, wear resistant, heat resistant, liners and metallized ceramics by the Ceramics division, heat resistant, containment products from Super refractories division and the raw materials for abrasives and refractories by the Electrominerals division.
