Gillanders Arbuthnot  has a rich heritage intricately linked with the undivided British India. The company started its corporate journey in the year 1819 when F M Gillanders and G C Arbuthnot formed a partnership firm under the name Gillanders Arbuthnot & Co. On 1st February 1935, the firm became a Private Limited company and carried on business in the erstwhile British India including Burma.

The company then had interests in banking & finances, property management, wide range of trading activities and as manager agents of several other companies. The company was elevated to the status of a public limited company on February 28,1947.

The business interests of the company covers areas of tea, textile, chemicals, paints, real estate etc. At present Gillanders Arbuthnot & Co. is a part of well-known G D Kothari Group of Companies.Kothari Group's activities cover a very wide field in different disciplines viz. manufacturing of CNC Milling Machines and Machining Centres, Non-Ferrous Foundries, Turnkey Projects / Construction, Pharmaceuticals, Jute, Tea Gardens, Textiles, Paints, Vegetable Oils, Wood Products, Banking and in services of the Society -- Hospitals, Charitable Dispensaries, Temple, Real Estates, etc.

Different Divisions of the company includes:

• Tea Division - The tea division comprises of nine gardens measuring total grant area of 5351.35 hectare. The company follows the best agricultural and manufacturing practices and all its gardens are ISO 9001:2000 and HACCP certified.

• Construction Division - Modern India Construction Co. (MICCO), a Unit of Gillanders Arbuthnot & Co. Limited (GACL) , Kolkata, belongs to the KOTHARI GROUP. MICCO initially started more than 50 years back with Fabrication and Erection of Steelwork and have fabricated more than 3.5 Lakh tonnes. Subsequently, MICCO has grown into an Engineering/Turnkey Contracting Company and have executed large number of Contracts all over India and Overseas countries like South Africa, Malaysia, Nigeria, Kenya, Bangladesh etc. involving design, detail engineering, manufacture and supply, erection, commissioning and performance tests.

• Yarn Division - This unit produced varieties of yarn for domestic and exports market. They have two spinning mills known as GIS Cotton Mill at Champadany, near Kolkata, West Bengal, India and another one as North India Spinning Mill at Ahmedgarh, near Ludhiana, Punjab, India.

• Marketing Division - When Gillanders Arbuthnot was established in India, apart from other activities, they started importing and rious products such as, a wide range of Paints, Construction Chemicals, Painting Equipment, Paint Brushes, Abrasive Sheets, Adhesives, various Chemicals, etc.

• Waldies - It is one of the largest manufacturers of Lead Oxides and Stabilisers for PVC Industry. Its factory is located on the bank of River Ganges around 14 Kms from Kolkata. It is the most respected name in the industry and is well known for its high quality products which are unmatched in India.

• Property Division - They own a four-storied commercial building known as “Gillander House” at Netaji Subhas Road, Kolkata-700001. There  Property Division is engaged in utilizing this highly valued property and earn income from the tenants of this building. The division also looks after the maintenance and up keeping of this property.

• Captive Power Plant - 6.5 MW cogeneration power project at village Akbarpur, Malerkotla, Dist. Sangrur in Punjab is the flagship project of GILLANDERS ARBUTHNOT & CO. LTD. in the power sector.

 Awards /Achievements

• Waldies division of the company has ISO 9001, ISO 14001 & OHSAS 18001 Certification.
• All the tea gardens of the company are ISO 9001:2000 and HACCP certified.