Balmer Lawrie and Company

YEAR                                                      EVENTS
 1960 - The company was incorporated as a Pvt. Ltd. company under the
 name Indian 
              Flange & Mfg. Co. Pvt. Ltd., on 12th February.  It  was
 a wholly owned subsidiary of 
              American Flange & Manufacturing Co. Inc., USA.  The name
 was changed to Tri-Sure
              India (Pvt.) Ltd., on 22nd April.  It was converted into
 a public limited company on 24th
               February, 1975.
 
           - American Flange & Manufacturing Co. Inc., USA, developed
 substantial technical 
              know-how for the manufacture, insertion, application and
 the use of Tri-Sure closure 
              parts and provided this information, under licence or
 other arrangements, to its
              subsidiaries and affiliated companies throughout the
 world.
 
 1973 - 2,53,335 shares held by American Flange & Mfg. Co. Inc. USA
 and 1 share by its nominee
              Tri-Sure Products Inc. of New York.
 
 1975 - Before the public issue of capital during April, the Company
 was a wholly owned 
              subsidiary of American Flange & Manufacturing Co. Inc.,
 USA.
 
           - After the public issue of capital the non-resident
 holding in the company reduced from 
             100% to 49% whereupon the Company ceased to be a
 subsidiary of American Flange &
              Manufacturing Co. Inc., USA (AFMC).
 
           - 2,63,680 shares issued (prem. Rs 7.50 per share) of which
 25,000 shares each to LIC & UTI
              and 41,341 shares to Indian directors and employees were
 reserved for firm allotment.
              1,72,339 shares offered to the public in April 1975. 
 Subsequently, the entire premium 
              amount refunded to shareholders.
 
 1988 - 1,82,900 shares issued for cash at par to Balmer Lawrie & Co. 
 Ltd.
 
 1991 - The company has also signed a MOU with W.S. Atkins,an expert
 energy  consultancy
              firm operating in the U.K. and Europe for possible 
 collaborative work on large projects
              in India and export of energy management services in
 South East Asian countries.
 
            - Freight Container Repair Division was set up as a 100%
 Export Oriented Unit for serving 
              the container repairs and maintenance needs of
 international container leasing companies.  
 
 1992 -  The Company has set up a Technical Services Centre at
 Perungudi, Madras , which will,
               apart from developing tailormade products, look into
 customers, specific problems and
               offer cost effective solutions. 
 
 1993 - The Company diversified into manufacture of state of the art
 valerex plastic drums through
               acquisition of the project set up by Balmer Lawrie &
 Co. Ltd.
 
             - Name of the Company was changed from Tri-Sure India,
 Ltd., to Balmer Lawrie-Van Leer 
               Ltd., with effect from 28th December.
 
            - The 'Valerex' is an unique State of the Art' technology
 in plastic containers being introduced
               in India for the first time by the Company under
 technical collaboration with Van Leer  B.V.  of
               Netherlands.
 
           - The Company proposes to set up a  separate joint venture
 with equity participation from
              Fuchs Petrolub AG  of Switzerland (their investment
 company) to market the entire range 
              of  Fuchs  and Balmerol brands of lubricants  and 
 greases  which would be manufactured
              at Company's existing/expanded and ungraded
 manufacturing facilities at Calcutta, 
              Bombay and Madras.
 
           - Balmer Lawrie (UK) Ltd. signed a long term agreement with
 world renowned container
              leasing company-Transamerica  Leasing Inc.,  USA  to
 manage  its fleet.
 
           - Proposed Join Venture Company with IOC & NYCO S.A.,
 France Agreements were 
             signed between Balmer Lawrie. 
 
           - The  Company set  up a Training-cum-Production Centre for
 Socks  Knitting  and 
              operationalised a Lift Irrigation Project in one of the 
 backward districts of West Bengal.
 
 1994 - 32,57,268 rights shares issued in prop. 1:4.
 
            - The Company has entered into a marketing tie-up and
 technical services agreement 
               with a world renowned multinational-Hispano Quimica SA,
 Spain
 
 1995 - Major effort was put into commissioning of import equipment in
 the Flange Pressing, 
              milling and threading and stabilization of imported plug
 line.
 
           - A number of new customers in the lube oil sector were
 added.  In view of this, the Company
              proposed to double its capacity.
 
           - 14,39,748 shares allotted on conversion of 14% PCDs.
 
           - The Company has entered into strategic alliances with
 several MNCs who are global 
              leaders in their respective fields of activity.
 
 1996 - Multinational Companies who have entered the country in Lube
 oil business got their 20 L 
              containers from the Company.  Capacity of the plant was
 increased by adding injection
              moulders and welders.
 
            - V-200 production had a full year of operation and the
 Company achieved more than 50% 
              capacity utilisation in the very first  year of
 operation.
 
           - 40,07,016 No. of Equity shares of Rs 10 each allotted due
 to conversion of Part `B' of 14%
              PCD of face value of Rs 50.
 
           - The Company formally opened on its state-of-the-art
 container freight station at Manali
              near Chennai port.
 
 1997 - The Company received the National Award for its outstanding
 achievement in export of 
              packet tea and tea bags for 1995-96. 
 
           - The Company is setting up two more Container Freight
 Stations at Chennai and Mumbai.
   
 1998 - The Company is setting up a Barrel Plant at Panipat to cater
 to the requirement of Panipat
              Refineries of Indian Oil Corporation Ltd.
 
            - On 21 January,  the Company executed an agreement with
 National Securities Depository
               Ltd., and MCS Ltd. (the Registrar and Share Transfer
 Agent of the Company).
 
 1999 - The Company has received approval of the Reserve Bank of India
 for setting up of 
              full-fledged money changing business in different cities
 throughout the country, which shall
              enable it to add value to customer service.
 
 2000 - The Company has closed down its units at Manali and Aroor as
 part of its business
               restructuring exercise.  The production (of industrial
 fat) at the Taloja unit was phased
               out in 1999-2000 while the company's entire equity
 stake in Balmer Lawrie Fuchs Ltd.,
               a joint venture, has been sold.
 
            - The ICRA had assigned the highest safety rating of `A1+'
 to the Rs five crore
               commercial paper programme of the company.
 
            - Similar agreement has been executed by the Company and
 MCS Ltd., with Central 
              Depository Services (India) Ltd., on 31 January.
 
 2002
 
 -Mr S N Mathur gives his resignation from the post of chairman at the
 company.
 
 -Government finalizes on the disinvestment of the company, and
 directs it to release an advertisement for buying the equity stake.
 
 -Ties up with Switzerland firm for outbound tourism.
 
 -Appoints Shri S K Mukherjee as the Director Finance of the company.
 
 2003
 
 -Mr P Radhakrishna appointed as the Director on the board of the
 company.
 
 -Shri N P Singh appointed as the WholeTime Director of the company.
 
 Shri A K Jain has been appointed as a Director of the Company with
 effect from September 29, 2003, as a nominee of the Ministry of
 Petroleum & Natural Gas, Government of India. The earlier nominee,
 Shri A K Srivastava, has stepped down from the Board.