Kirloskar Centenary
A commemorative postage stamp on the Centenary of Kirloskar Brothers Limited (KBL) :
Issued by India
Issued on Jun 20, 1989
Description of Designs : The stamp has been designed by India Security Press, Nashik Road, and depicts the growth of Kirloskar industries from the barren field of cactuses to Engineering Excellence during the past 100 years. The first day cover and cancellation have been designed by Nenu Gupta.
Type : Stamp, Mint Condition
Colour : Multicolour
Denomination : 100 Paise
Overall size : 3.91 x 2.90 cms.
Printing size : 3.55 x 2.54 cms.
Perforation : 13 x 13
Paper : Imported unwatermarked adhesive gravure coated stamp paper
Number Printed : 15,00,000
Number per issue sheet : 35
Printing Process : Photogravure
Printed : India Security Press
About :
- The Kirloskar story began in 1888 when Laxmanrao Kashinath Kirloskar set up a small bicycle repair shop at Belgaum. Laxmanrao and his brothers set up a model industrial colony called ‘Kirloskarvadi‘. Their new company ‘Kirloskar Brothers Limited‘ was the parent of all the 26 companies that flourish under the Kirloskar banner today.
- The end of the World War II brought a tremendous upsurge of industrial activity under Laxmanrao‘s eldest son “S.L.“ who was the Chairman of the Group during 1989. Kirloskar Electric Company Limited at Bangalore, and Kirloskar Oil Engines Limited at Pune were established in 1946, the latter was in collaboration with U.K.‘s Associated British Oil Engines Export Ltd., the first instance of an Indo-Foreign collaboration. Next came Kirloskar Pneumatic Company Limited (1958) and Kirloskar Cummins Limited (1962) both at Pune. The latter won a citation from Lloyd’s Register of Shipping. Later the Kirloskar diversified into industrial consultancy and five star hotels among other activities.
- By 1989, the Group’s annual sales exceeded Rs. 700 crores. It had been a long march from a small shed to 26 powerful units, from a work force of four to over 20,000 employees – the Kirloskars had kept pace with India’s march to freedom, to self-sufficiency, to export around the globe contributing to the country’s core industries such as defence, power generation, oil and gas, agriculture, steel, coal and mining, railways and transportation.
- The Kirloskars describe themselves as “businessmen engaged in winning freedom and prosperity for our country through our chosen method – engineering excellence”.
- Text : Based on material supplied by Kirloskar Brothers Ltd.
[…] Kirloskar Industries are among the leading industrial enterprises in India. They have been responsible for transforming agricultural production in India through its products. Shri Laxmanrao Kirloskar the founder, was a pioneer with vision and zeal. He revolutionized Indian agriculture by introducing iron ploughs in place of the traditional wooden ploughs. […]
[…] and making use of the industrial opportunities offered by the Second World War, he made ‘Kirloskar‘ a name to reckon with in the engineering field. By the time of Independence in 1947, […]