WILLIAMSON MAGOR

Williamson Magor& Company Limited came into existence as a Corporate Entity on March 10, 1949 while it got incorporated under the name 'MACNEILL & BARRY LIMITED' to do business inter alia as General Merchants, Agency Business and Manufacture of all kind of articles. The Company became a Multidivisional Company with interests among other things in Manufacture of Tea, Jute, Engineering and Reprographic Items. The Company also had Agency and Trading Divisions. The Company being the major Group Shareholding Company, the Group is popularly known as 'Williamson Magor Group' (WM Group). The year 1975 was a land mark year for the Company when the then Williamson Magor & Co. Limited who were primarily engaged in the business of Growing and Manufacturing of Tea was amalgamated with the Company whereupon the name of the Company was changed to 'Macneill & Magor Limited'. Williamson Magor & Co. Limited, had a long history in tea business dating back to the year 1868 and is considered to be one of the pioneers of tea business in India. As a result of the amalgamation, the Company became a major tea Company in the country while having various other business in its fold. Later, the Company changed its business strategy and decided to hive off all divisions other than tea to a few newly set up companies within the Group. The Calcutta-based Macneill & Magor was renamed Williamson Magor & Company in 1992. The change of name is in line with the company's reorganisation programme. Over the last few years, the Company has been hiving off its engineering divisions, spinning them off into separate companies. In fact, both the Khaitans and the Magors who are the co-promoters, were of the view that for the different product groups to thrive, it is necessary to convert them into separate companies. Later the tea business was also hived off in favour of certain group companies as a result of which the Company became a pure Investment and Group Shareholding Company. In 1989, the industrial machinery product group was transferred to Kilburn Engineering. 1990 saw the transfer of the materials handling and electrical products groups to Macneill Engineering; and in 1992, the last two engineering groups (mining and trading) were transferred to Macneill International. The company transferred 2 tea gardens to its group outfit, Mcleod Russel (I) and 7 tea estates to The Bishnauth Tea Company. After transferring nine of its tea estates to the group companies, it virtually became a holding company of the subsidiary tea firms. Divested of its tea interests, the company's present activities include trading and investments, and are property owners and tea warehousemen. It also diversified into new areas. As a part of diversification into the power sector, it floated Assam Valley Power Corporation to set up a 90-MW combined-cycle gas-based power plant at Namrup, Assam. Eventually, the project was shelved due to non-allocation of natural gas by the Government of Assam. The two wholly owned subsidiaries of the company viz. Dirai Investments and Fairlie Place Services were amalgamated with the company with effect from 1st April 1997. The four Companies namely RBA Services Limited, RSM Estates & Consultants Limited, Woodside Fashions Limited and Mangalam Fashions Limited which became subsidiaries of the Company in year 2000-2001 ceased to be so during the year 2001. The Scheme of Arrangement between the Company and its then two subsidiaries namely DSK Real Estates Limited and Portside Estates Limited became effective on July 23, 2004. As provided in the Scheme, it became effective with retrospective effect from the Appointed Date viz. 1st April, 2002. The controlling stake of the Company in both the aforesaid companies was subsequently transferred to Keventer Projects Limited for valuable consideration and accordingly effective from September 28, 2004 Portside Estates Limited and DSK Real Estates Limited have ceased to be subsidiaries of the Company. During the year 2006-07, a new joint venture company with the name, 'Dl Williamson Magor Bio Fuel Limited' was formed on 29th July 2006. In 2012-13, the Company disposed its 51% shareholding in its 100% subsidiaries, Woodside Parks Limited and Majerhet Estates and Developers Limited on March 19, 2013 and as a result, these two aforesaid companies ceased to be subsidiary companies of the Company effective from the said Date. During the year 2020-21, Kilburn Engineering Limited ceased to be an Associate Company w.e.f. 30.03.2021. Since the Financial Year 2018-19 the Company's economic health declined due to a great portion of its Loan Assets turning into Non Performing Assets (NPA) as per the norms of the RBI. Further, Company had provided security in respect of the borrowing of some of its Group Companies by pledging a lot of the Company's investments in Shares in companies. As the Borrowers defaulted, the Lenders invoked the pledge by disposing of the Shares at any price they fetched. This ultimately affected the financials of the Company on account of loss of revenue from those investments and cast adverse effect on its Net Owned Fund. The fixed overhead expenses added to the negative value of the Net Owned Fund.