Aditya Vikram Birla : Driving Innovation and Industry Expansion through Optimized Supply Chains and Sustainability
Aditya Vikram Birla, Chairman and Managing Director, Cosmic Birla Group, 0
In railways, infrastructure investment has surged to 2.4 lakh crore in 2023, and pioneers in this sector are ensuring 100 percent indigenous production of key components, reducing import dependence. Similarly, the steel industry contributes about 2 percent to India’s GDP and can be seen undergoing a green transformation, with leaders investing in low-carbon production and circular economy models.
Amidst this burgeoning landscape, Aditya Vikram Birla, the Chairman and Managing Director of Cosmic Birla Group, is driving the company towards unprecedented growth and innovation. Since taking the helm in 2014, he has played a pivotal role in expanding the company’s presence across multiple sectors, ensuring backward and forward integration to optimize efficiency. Under his leadership, Cosmic Birla Group has emerged as a key player in critical industries such as railways, engineering, iron & steel, and EPC projects, ensuring seamless supply chains and reducing industry bottlenecks.
He is also leading investments in green steel, energy-efficient plants, and solar-powered infrastructure to reduce the company's carbon footprint by 30-40 percent in key sectors. His expansion plans, with 1,000+ crore earmarked for infrastructure upgrades and new facilities, aim to create thousands of jobs and cement Cosmic Birla Group as a major force in India’s industrial landscape.
Engaging in an immersive interaction with CEO Insights magazine, Aditya shares his strategies, future roadmap, and much more. Let's read about it.
Could you provide an overview of your company, including the products and services you offer?
Cosmic Birla Group is a diversified conglomerate that operates across multiple industries, constantly pushing boundaries to create impactful solutions. With a workforce of over 1,000 direct and indirect employees, our strength lies in our ability to adapt, expand, and lead with vision.
Our flagship entity, Cosmic CRF, is publicly traded on the BSE and specializes in a wide range of products, including hot and cold rolled sheets, coated coils, tubes, rebars, wire rods, automotive steels, and building solutions. Beyond Cosmic CRF, our strategic expansion includes AVB Entech, Comet Technocom, Comet Tradecom, Prilika Enterprise, Asansol Steel, Cosmic Rail Solutions, Cosmic Steel Castings, and N S Engineering. We have a presence across industries such as engineering goods, railway components, electrical transmission, defense, real estate, and FMCG. We are also a proud RDSO-approved vendor, ensuring high industry standards.
We are also focusing on sustainable mobility through Raft Cosmic EV, which manufactures electric two-wheelers. With 92 dealers across India, we are expanding our network and entering the EV leasing sector, working closely with delivery platforms such as Zomato and Swiggy to support green mobility.
What challenges has your company faced, and how did you overcome them?
Over our 51-year journey, the toughest setback was the liquidation of Cosmic Ferro Alloy. However, we refused to be defeated, and with resilience, strategic vision, and relentless determination, we rebuilt stronger than ever. Today, Cosmic CRF, our BSE-listed entity, stands as a multi-bagger and a symbol of our rapid growth, cementing our position as one of the fastest-growing groups in Eastern India.
What are the various CSR and philanthropic activities that the company has undertaken?
As part of our CSR initiatives, we actively organize blood donation camps and tree plantation drives in the districts where our manufacturing facilities operate. Our focus is to give back to the communities that support us.
We are also balancing our carbon footprint through green steel, eco-friendly transport, regular energy audits, solar panel installations, and rainwater harvesting. Our EV venture, Raft Cosmic EV, is another step towards sustainability and a greener future while fostering positive environmental and social impact.
In what ways has your company revolutionized its industry and emerged as a game-changer?
We have always believed in challenging industry norms and setting new benchmarks. Through Cosmic CRF, we have embraced technology and modern management practices to enhance productivity and achieve highly competitive unit economics, allowing us to disrupt the market and emerge as a leader.
One of the biggest industry challenges we identified was timely delivery, and we made it our strength. We have gained a competitive edge and expanded our market share by becoming the frontrunner in on-time deliveries.
With a strong presence in railways, automobiles, iron and steel, and engineering goods, which are the key sectors in driving India’s economic growth, we aim to become one of the largest contributors and a true game-changer for these industries.
What are your plans for expansion, growth, and diversification?
Our vision for the future is ambitious yet deeply rooted in innovation, sustainability, and integration across key sectors. One of our major upcoming projects is the greenfield facility under Cosmic Steel Castings, which will have a production capacity of 30,000 metric tons per annum. This facility will not only cater to railway products but also serve export oriented sectors.
With our experience from Asansol Steel Castings, we are now transitioning into a fully integrated wagon builder, supplying wagons, loco shells, and coach shells to The Railway Board of India. We are setting up a state-of-the-art casting facility in Durgapur with an investment of 250 crores to support this venture and are in the process of acquiring a liquid metal unit in Barjora to ensure backward integration for raw materials. In addition, under Cosmic Springs and Engineers, we are investing in a cutting-edge spring manufacturing facility in Jangalpur, West Bengal, specializing in CANSUB springs used in railway bogeys and wagons.
In the EV sector, our R&D team is working on a fully ‘Made in India’ product, set to launch in 2025, along with an innovative dual battery, dual swap high-speed variant expected in the first quarter of 2025. Looking ahead, our goal is to achieve a revenue of 5,000 crores by 2028. We are investing 1,000 crores by 2027 to attain this, and to upgrade our infrastructure and manufacturing capabilities across all sectors. With these expansions, we aim to establish ourselves as a dominant force from the East, driving India’s industrial and economic growth.
Awards and Recognitions:
•Listing of Cosmic CRF on the Bombay Stock Exchange in June 2023.
•Best Performing Company in the MSME Sector Award on Mahurat Trading Day (November 1, 2024).
•Felicitated as an ‘Emerging Business Conglomerate’ at the Viksit Bharat 2047 – Vision of New India 2.0 event in October 2024 by Hon’ble Shri Nitin Gadkari.
•‘Excellence in Industrial Innovation’ award by Times Business Awards WB 2024 for Cosmic CRF.
•Recognized as ‘India’s Fastest Growing Brands 2023-24' by Asia One media group.
As part of our CSR initiatives, we actively organize blood donation camps and tree plantation drives in the districts where our manufacturing facilities operate. Our focus is to give back to the communities that support us.
We are also balancing our carbon footprint through green steel, eco-friendly transport, regular energy audits, solar panel installations, and rainwater harvesting. Our EV venture, Raft Cosmic EV, is another step towards sustainability and a greener future while fostering positive environmental and social impact.
In what ways has your company revolutionized its industry and emerged as a game-changer?
We have always believed in challenging industry norms and setting new benchmarks. Through Cosmic CRF, we have embraced technology and modern management practices to enhance productivity and achieve highly competitive unit economics, allowing us to disrupt the market and emerge as a leader.
One of the biggest industry challenges we identified was timely delivery, and we made it our strength. We have gained a competitive edge and expanded our market share by becoming the frontrunner in on-time deliveries.
With a strong presence in railways, automobiles, iron and steel, and engineering goods, which are the key sectors in driving India’s economic growth, we aim to become one of the largest contributors and a true game-changer for these industries.
Our vision is to lead globally with cutting edge solutions, driving innovation, sustainability, and excellence while creating lasting impact across industries
What are your plans for expansion, growth, and diversification?
Our vision for the future is ambitious yet deeply rooted in innovation, sustainability, and integration across key sectors. One of our major upcoming projects is the greenfield facility under Cosmic Steel Castings, which will have a production capacity of 30,000 metric tons per annum. This facility will not only cater to railway products but also serve export oriented sectors.
With our experience from Asansol Steel Castings, we are now transitioning into a fully integrated wagon builder, supplying wagons, loco shells, and coach shells to The Railway Board of India. We are setting up a state-of-the-art casting facility in Durgapur with an investment of 250 crores to support this venture and are in the process of acquiring a liquid metal unit in Barjora to ensure backward integration for raw materials. In addition, under Cosmic Springs and Engineers, we are investing in a cutting-edge spring manufacturing facility in Jangalpur, West Bengal, specializing in CANSUB springs used in railway bogeys and wagons.
In the EV sector, our R&D team is working on a fully ‘Made in India’ product, set to launch in 2025, along with an innovative dual battery, dual swap high-speed variant expected in the first quarter of 2025. Looking ahead, our goal is to achieve a revenue of 5,000 crores by 2028. We are investing 1,000 crores by 2027 to attain this, and to upgrade our infrastructure and manufacturing capabilities across all sectors. With these expansions, we aim to establish ourselves as a dominant force from the East, driving India’s industrial and economic growth.
Awards and Recognitions:
•Listing of Cosmic CRF on the Bombay Stock Exchange in June 2023.
•Best Performing Company in the MSME Sector Award on Mahurat Trading Day (November 1, 2024).
•Felicitated as an ‘Emerging Business Conglomerate’ at the Viksit Bharat 2047 – Vision of New India 2.0 event in October 2024 by Hon’ble Shri Nitin Gadkari.
•‘Excellence in Industrial Innovation’ award by Times Business Awards WB 2024 for Cosmic CRF.
•Recognized as ‘India’s Fastest Growing Brands 2023-24' by Asia One media group.