The Reliance Group, founded by Dhirubhai H.
Ambani (1932-2002), is India's largest private sector enterprise, with businesses
in the energy and materials value chain. Group's annual revenues are in excess of
USD 22 billion. The flagship company, Reliance Industries Limited, is a Fortune
Global 500 company and is the largest private sector company in India.
Backward vertical integration has been the cornerstone
of the evolution and growth of Reliance. Starting with textiles in the late seventies,
Reliance pursued a strategy of backward vertical integration - in polyester, fibre
intermediates, plastics, petrochemicals, petroleum refining and oil and gas exploration
and production - to
be fully integrated along the materials and energy value chain.
The Group's activities span exploration and production
of oil and gas, petroleum refining and marketing, petrochemicals (polyester, fibre
intermediates, plastics and chemicals), textiles and retail.
Reliance enjoys global leadership in its businesses, being
the largest polyester yarn and fibre producer in the world and among the top five
to ten producers in the world in major petrochemical products.
The Group exports products in excess of USD 7 billion
to more than 100 countries in the world. There are more than 25,000 employees on
the rolls of Group Companies. Major Group Companies are Reliance Industries Limited
(including main subsidiaries Reliance Petroleum Limited and Reliance Retail Limited),
Indian Petrochemicals Corporation Limited and Reliance Industrial Infrastructure
Limited.