Kesoram Industries
Indian industrial company whose continuing operations center on viscose rayon filament yarn and transparent paper products.
Last updated August 27, 2026
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Overview
Kesoram Industries Limited is an Indian industrial company with roots in the textile-manufacturing business and a history of diversification into rayon, tires, cement, and related industrial activities. The enterprise began in 1919 as Kesoram Cotton Mills. Its business changed substantially after the construction of a rayon plant in 1959, when the company entered viscose rayon production under the Kesoram Rayon name. Rayon became one of the company’s enduring industrial activities, while later decades brought expansion into tires and cement. The company developed the Birla Tyres business in the early 1990s and operated cement businesses under the Birla Shakti Cement and Vasavadatta Cement names. Its cement operations included plants at Sedam in Karnataka and Basantnagar near Ramagundam in Telangana. In 1986, the Sedam facility, known as Vasavadatta Cement, was commissioned, and the corporate name was changed to Kesoram Industries Limited on 9 July of that year. The company was subsequently listed on several Indian and international exchanges, including the National Stock Exchange of India, the Bombay Stock Exchange, the Calcutta Stock Exchange, and the Bourse de Luxembourg, although current listing details are not established in the supplied material. Kesoram also participated in the development of coal-related infrastructure through a 2012 joint venture with Maharashtra Seamless Limited and Dhariwal Infrastructure Private Limited. The venture concerned a coal block allocated by the Indian central government in Maharashtra. During 2014–15, the company sold a tire plant to JK Tyres. In 2018, it demerged Birla Tyres as part of a debt-reduction plan. Birla Tyres later entered insolvency proceedings and was acquired by a consortium led by Himadri Speciality Chemicals and Dalmia Bharat Refractories. The company’s strategic direction shifted further toward simplifying the portfolio and reducing debt. In 2023, Kesoram announced a proposed demerger and transfer of its cement business, reported as having 10.75 million tonnes per annum of capacity, to UltraTech Cement through an all-stock transaction valued at ₹5,379 crore. The intended result was to leave Kesoram focused principally on rayon and transparent-paper packaging activities conducted through its subsidiary Cygnet Industries. The supplied material states that the transaction was expected to be completed by the end of 2024, but it does not establish the final completion status. Leadership has also changed during this period. After the death of Basant Kumar Birla in 2019, his daughter Manjushree Khaitan became chairperson. Khaitan died in 2024 after a brief illness. The supplied material also reports that the Birla family exited Kesoram Industries in December 2025 through the sale of its promoter stake to Frontier Warehousing Limited. Because the available material does not provide a current corporate filing or confirmed post-transaction operating status, the company’s present ownership and status are recorded conservatively.
History
Kesoram Industries traces its origins to Kesoram Cotton Mills, established in 1919. The company initially operated in cotton and textile manufacturing, but its industrial profile broadened after it built its first rayon plant in 1959. The facility operated under the Kesoram Rayon name and established the company in viscose rayon production, an activity that later remained central to its portfolio. The company subsequently diversified into tires and cement. Its tire business operated under the Birla Tyres brand, while its cement activities included Birla Shakti Cement and the Vasavadatta Cement plant. Vasavadatta Cement was commissioned at Sedam in Gulbarga district, Karnataka, in 1986. On 9 July 1986, the corporate name was changed to Kesoram Industries Limited. The cement division also operated the Kesoram Cement plant at Basantnagar near Ramagundam in Telangana. Kesoram became associated with the B.K. Birla Group and was listed on multiple exchanges, including India's National Stock Exchange and Bombay Stock Exchange, as well as the Calcutta Stock Exchange and the Bourse de Luxembourg according to the supplied reference. In 2012, it entered a joint venture with Maharashtra Seamless Limited and Dhariwal Infrastructure Private Limited to work a coal block allocated by the central government in Maharashtra. The company later began reducing its exposure to tires. It sold a tire plant to JK Tyres during 2014–15 and demerged Birla Tyres in 2018. The demerger was described as part of a debt-reduction program. Birla Tyres subsequently entered insolvency proceedings and was taken over by a consortium led by Himadri Speciality Chemicals and Dalmia Bharat Refractories. Leadership changed after Basant Kumar Birla died in 2019. His daughter, Manjushree Khaitan, became chairperson and remained in that role until her death after a brief illness in 2024. In 2023, Kesoram announced a proposed transfer of its cement operations to UltraTech Cement. The transaction was structured as an all-stock deal, with the cement business reported at 10.75 million tonnes per annum of capacity and the transaction value reported at ₹5,379 crore. The plan was intended to reduce debt and leave Kesoram with rayon and transparent-paper packaging operations, including activities held through Cygnet Industries. The supplied material reports a further ownership change in December 2025, when the Birla family allegedly sold its promoter stake to Frontier Warehousing Limited. The current status of that transaction, the company’s ownership, and the final completion of the cement transfer are not independently established in the available references. Kesoram’s documented continuing industrial identity is therefore centered on Kesoram Rayon, which manufactures viscose rayon filament yarn and cellophane or transparent paper.
- 2024
Manjushree Khaitan dies
[1]Manjushree Khaitan dies after a brief illness, ending her tenure as chairperson.
- 2023
Cement business transfer is announced
[1]Kesoram announces a proposed demerger and transfer of its cement business to UltraTech Cement through an all-stock transaction.
- 2019
Manjushree Khaitan becomes chairperson
[1]Manjushree Khaitan succeeds Basant Kumar Birla as chairperson after his death.
- 2018
Birla Tyres is demerged
[1]The tire business is separated from Kesoram Industries as part of a debt-reduction plan.
- 2012
Coal-block joint venture is formed
[1]Kesoram enters a joint venture with Maharashtra Seamless and Dhariwal Infrastructure concerning a government-allocated coal block in Maharashtra.
- 1991
Birla Tyres is established
[1]The tire business is established as part of Kesoram Industries. It later collaborates with Pirelli in tire development and production.
- 1986
Vasavadatta Cement plant is commissioned
[1]The company commissions the Vasavadatta Cement plant at Sedam in Karnataka.
- 1986
Corporate name changes to Kesoram Industries Limited
[1]The company adopts the Kesoram Industries Limited name on 9 July.
- 1959
First rayon plant is established
[1]Kesoram builds its first rayon plant and begins operations under the Kesoram Rayon name.
- 1919
Kesoram Cotton Mills begins operations
[1]The enterprise that later became Kesoram Industries starts business as Kesoram Cotton Mills.
Products and positioning
A legacy Indian industrial group repositioning around specialty rayon and transparent-paper manufacturing after divesting or demerging its tire and cement businesses.
Viscose rayon filament yarn · 1959
Kesoram Rayon
Kesoram Rayon is the company’s principal continuing industrial operation. Established in 1959, the unit manufactures viscose rayon filament yarn. The factory is situated on the banks of the Ganges and is described in the supplied reference as employing more than 2,700 people, with 52 spinning machines and installed capacity of 6,500 metric tonnes per year.
Paper and packaging materials
Cellophane and transparent paper
Kesoram’s rayon-related operations also include cellophane or transparent-paper manufacturing. The transparent-paper business is identified as one of the activities intended to remain with Kesoram after the proposed transfer of the cement division, with related operations held through subsidiary Cygnet Industries.
Automotive tires · 1991
Birla Tyres
Birla Tyres was Kesoram Industries’ tire-manufacturing business, established in 1991. The business collaborated with Pirelli on tire production and development. Kesoram sold a tire plant to JK Tyres during 2014–15 and demerged Birla Tyres in 2018. The separated business later entered insolvency proceedings and was acquired by a consortium led by Himadri Speciality Chemicals and Dalmia Bharat Refractories.
Cement
Birla Shakti Cement
Birla Shakti Cement was the principal consumer-facing cement brand associated with Kesoram Industries’ cement division. The division operated cement manufacturing facilities in Karnataka and Telangana before Kesoram announced a proposed transfer of its cement business to UltraTech Cement in 2023.
Cement · 1986
Vasavadatta Cement
Vasavadatta Cement was the name of Kesoram’s cement plant commissioned in 1986 at Sedam in Karnataka. It formed part of the company’s cement manufacturing division, which was later included in the proposed transaction with UltraTech Cement.
Brand decisions
2023
Proposed cement-business transfer to UltraTech CementM&ABackground
Kesoram sought to reduce debt and concentrate on rayon and transparent-paper activities.
Action taken
Kesoram announced a proposed demerger and transfer of its cement business, reported at 10.75 million tonnes per annum of capacity, to UltraTech Cement in an all-stock transaction.
Aftermath
The transaction was expected to leave Kesoram focused on rayon and transparent-paper operations, but the supplied material does not confirm final completion.
Reported transaction value. ₹5,379 crore (2023 announcement)
2018
Demerger of Birla TyresStrategyBackground
Kesoram was carrying out a debt-reduction effort and reconsidering its diversified portfolio.
Action taken
The company demerged its Birla Tyres tire-manufacturing business.
Aftermath
Birla Tyres subsequently entered insolvency proceedings and was later taken over by a consortium led by Himadri Speciality Chemicals and Dalmia Bharat Refractories.
Recent events
- 2025
Birla family reportedly exits Kesoram Industries[1]
M&A · Leadership change
The supplied reference material reports that the Birla family sold its promoter stake to Frontier Warehousing Limited in December 2025. The final ownership position and transaction details require confirmation from authoritative corporate disclosures.
- 2023
Kesoram Industries proposes transfer of cement business to UltraTech Cement[1]
M&A
Kesoram Industries announced a proposed demerger and transfer of its cement business to UltraTech Cement through an all-stock transaction reported at ₹5,379 crore. The proposal was part of a broader effort to reduce debt and refocus the company on rayon and transparent-paper operations.
- 2019
Manjushree Khaitan becomes chairperson after Basant Kumar Birla's death[1]
Leadership change
Following the death of Basant Kumar Birla, his daughter Manjushree Khaitan became chairperson of Kesoram Industries.
- 2018
Kesoram Industries demerges Birla Tyres[1]
Bankruptcy
The company separated its tire-manufacturing business, Birla Tyres, as part of a debt-reduction plan. Birla Tyres subsequently entered insolvency proceedings and was acquired by a consortium led by Himadri Speciality Chemicals and Dalmia Bharat Refractories.
- 2014
Kesoram Industries sells a tire plant to JK Tyres[1]
M&A
During the 2014–15 period, Kesoram Industries sold a tire plant to JK Tyres as part of the reshaping of its tire operations.
Sources1 sources
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