Wipro: Applying Thoughts

                                          Wipro

Wipro Limited (formerly Western India Products Limited) is an Indian multinational information technology (IT), consultingand outsourcingservice company headquartered in Bangalore, Karnataka, India.As of September 2013, the company has 147,000 employees serving over 900 clients with a presence in 61 countries. Wipro is the third largest IT services companyin India. On 31 March 2013, its market capitalisation was 1.07 trillion ($19.8 billion), making it India's 13th largest publicly traded company. Azim Premjiis a major shareholder in Wipro with over 50% of shareholding.
To focus on core IT Business, it demerged its non-IT businesses into a separate company named Wipro Enterprises Limited with effect from 31 March 2013. The demerged company offers consumer care, lighting, healthcare and infrastructure engineering and contributed to approx. 10% of the revenues of Wipro Limited in previous financial year.

Early formative years

The company was incorporated on 29 December 1945, in Mumbai by Mohamed Hasham Premji as 'Western India Products Limited', later abbreviated to 'Wipro'. It was initially set up as a manufacturer of vegetable ghee, vanaspati, and refined oils in Amalner, district Jalgaon, Maharashtra, under the trade names of Kisan, Sunflower and Camel. The company logo still contains a sunflower to reflect products of the original business.

In 1966, after Mohamed Premji’s death, his son Azim Premjireturned home from Stanford University and took over Wipro as its chairman at the age of 21.

During the 1970s and 1980s, the company shifted its focus to new business opportunities in the IT and computing industry, which was at a nascent stage in India at the time. On 7 June 1977, the name of the company changed from Western India Vegetable Products Limited, to Wipro Products Limited.

The year 1980 marked the arrival of Wipro in the IT domain. In 1982, the name was changed from Wipro Products Limited to Wipro Limited. Meanwhile Wipro continued to expand in the consumer products domain with the launch of "Ralak" a tulsi-based family soap and "Wipro Jasmine", a toilet soap.

Wipro Enterprises Ltd.

• Wipro Consumer Care & Lighting

Wipro Consumer Care and Lighting (WCCLG), a business unit of Wipro Limited operates in the FMCG segment offering a wide range of consumable commodities. Established in 1945, the first product to be introduced by WCCLG was vegetable oil, later popularised under the brand name "Sunflower Vanaspati". It offers personal care products, such as Wipro Baby Soft and Wipro Safewash, toilet soaps like Santoor and Chandrika as well as international brands like Yardley. Its portfolio of lighting solutions includes products like Smartlite CFL, LED, emergency lights and more.
Through its customer-centric products and acquisitions, Wipro Consumer Care and Lighting has become a fast growing company in the FMCG segment.

• Wipro Infrastructure Engineering

Wipro Infrastructure Engineering is the hydraulics business division of Wipro Limited and has been in the business of manufacturing hydraulic cylinders, truck cylinders, and their components and solutions since 1976. This division delivers hydraulic cylinders to international OEMs and represents the Kawasaki, Sun Hydraulics and Teijin Seiki range of hydraulic products in India. It has entered into partnerships with companies like Kawasaki and aerospace giant EADS. The commitment to quality has made Wipro Infrastructure Engineering the second largest independent manufacturer of cylinders in the world. The company has recently ventured into water treatment systems and solutions to cater to the needs of various industries.

• Wipro GE Medical Systems Limited

Wipro GE Medical Systems Limited is Wipro’s joint venture with GE Healthcare South Asia. It is engaged in the research and development of advanced solutions to cater to patient and customer needs in healthcare. This partnership, which began in 1990, today includes offerings like gadgets and equipment for diagnostics, healthcare IT solutions and services to help healthcare professionals combat cancer, heart disease, and other ailments. There is complete adherence to Six Sigmaquality standards in all products.

Sustainability at Wipro

Wipro’s approach to sustainability is structured on enabling itself, as an organisation, and its customers to be more ecologically sustainable. It is driven by issues considered important to employees, India current and future generations, customers, investors, suppliers, and the community as a whole. Wipro has been ranked 1st in the 2010 Asian Sustainability Rating (ASR^TM) of Indian companies^[80] and is a member of the NASDAQGlobal Sustainability Index as well as the Dow Jones Sustainability Index.
In November 2012 Guide to Greener Electronics, Greenpeace ranked Wipro first with a score of 7.1/10.

Listing and shareholding

Listing: Wipro's equity shares are listed on Bombay Stock Exchange where it is a constituent of the BSE SENSEX index and the National Stock Exchange of Indiawhere it is a constituent of the S&P CNX Nifty. The American Depositary Shares of the company are listed at the NYSE since October 2000.
Shareholding: On 30 September 2013, 73.51% of the equity shares of the company were owned by the promoters: Azim Premji, his family members, partnership firms in which he is a partner and Trusts formed by him/his family. The remaining 26.49% shares are owned by others.