Friends Group Of Companies

What Friends Group Of Companies does

Friends Group Of Companies is a privately held Indian industrial conglomerate headquartered in Gandhidham, Gujarat, operating across port logistics, commodity manufacturing, and equipment retail through a portfolio of wholly owned subsidiaries. Its Gautam Freight Pvt Ltd unit provides stevedoring, customs clearance, cargo handling, lighterage operations, and container freight station services at Kandla Port, supported by 22 lakh sq ft of covered warehouses and 10 lakh sq ft of open paved storage. The group manufactures and exports castor oil and derivatives (Hydrogenated Castor Oil, 12-Hydroxy Stearic Acid, Methyl 12-Hydroxy Stearate, Ricinoleic Acid, Glycerine, and Dehydrated Castor Oil Fatty Acid) through ISO 9001:2015- and ISO 22000:2018-certified Kandla Agro & Chemicals Pvt Ltd, with an annual crushing capacity of 2 lakh metric tons serving pharmaceutical, cosmetics, lubricants, and plastics customers in Japan, China, the Middle East, and India.

The group is also one of India's largest salt producers via The Kutch Salt & Allied Industries Ltd, which manages 15,000 acres of salt pans producing industrial, iodized, and edible salt; Perfect ChemFood Industries & Terapanth Foods Ltd operates edible salt manufacturing under job-work agreements with Patanjali and Aashirwad. Two further subsidiaries, Shri Gautam Automotives Pvt Ltd and Shantinath Motors Pvt Ltd, serve as authorized dealerships for Tata Motors commercial vehicles and JCB India construction equipment respectively in the Kutch region. Revenue is generated through logistics service fees, commodity manufacturing and export sales, dealership margins on vehicles and equipment, and 188.06 MW of captive renewable energy generation (130.25 MW wind, 57.81 MW solar) accumulated since 2006. The go-to-market model is B2B enterprise sales via direct relationships, export channels, and OEM dealership arrangements; pricing is not publicly disclosed and appears to be quote-based for manufacturing contracts and fixed-margin for dealership transactions.

Name

Friends Group Of Companies

Legal name

Friends Group Of Companies

Website

https://friendsgroup.co.in

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Friends Group Of Companies is a privately held Indian conglomerate based in Gandhidham, Gujarat, operating port logistics at Kandla, castor oil and salt manufacturing, and Tata and JCB equipment dealerships across multiple wholly owned subsidiaries serving industrial and FMCG clients globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Gandhidham

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Infrastructure, Personnel, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Logistics & Cargo Handling Services: Revenue from stevedoring, customs clearing, cargo handling, lighterage operations, and container freight station services at Kandla Port. Handles dry bulk, breakbulk, and project cargo.
2. Castor Oil & Derivatives Manufacturing & Export: Manufacturing and export of castor oil and derivatives including Hydrogenated Castor Oil, 12-Hydroxy Stearic Acid, Methyl 12-Hydroxy Stearate, Ricinoleic Acid, Glycerine, and Dehydrated Castor Oil Fatty Acid to global markets.
3. Industrial & Edible Salt Production & Export: One of the largest producers and exporters of industrial salt, iodized salt, and edible salt. Manages 15,000-acre salt pan operations.
4. Commercial Vehicle & Equipment Sales & Service: Sales and service of Tata commercial vehicles and JCB construction equipment through dealership operations.
5. Renewable Energy Operations: Investment in wind (130.25 MW) and solar (57.81 MW) energy since 2006.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Friends Group Of Companies is a diversified Indian conglomerate operating across port logistics (stevedoring, customs clearance, cargo handling, warehousing at Kandla Port), manufacturing and export of castor oil derivatives and industrial/edible salt, commercial vehicle and construction equipment dealerships (Tata Motors and JCB), and renewable energy generation (wind and solar). The group operates through multiple wholly-owned subsidiaries with an integrated supply chain anchored at Kandla Port in Gujarat, India.

Product overview

Friends Group Of Companies is a diversified conglomerate operating as a unified portfolio of subsidiary companies, not a single product or platform. The group comprises multiple sub-brands offering distinct services: Gautam Freight Pvt Ltd (logistics, stevedoring, customs clearance), Kandla Agro & Chemicals Pvt Ltd (castor oil manufacturing), The Kutch Salt & Allied Industries Ltd (salt production), Friends Salt Work and Allied Industries (warehouse/storage), Perfect ChemFood Industries & Terapanth Foods Ltd (edible salt), Shri Gautam Automotives Pvt Ltd (Tata vehicles), and Shantinath Motors Pvt Ltd (JCB equipment). Core offerings span logistics services (stevedoring, cargo handling, customs clearance, warehouse management, lighterage), manufacturing (castor oil & derivatives, industrial salt, edible salt), renewable energy (wind and solar), and commercial vehicle/equipment dealership. The group has 35+ years of industry expertise primarily serving Kandla Port and the Kutch region in Gujarat, India.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Stevedoring Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Handles maximum quantity of salt at Kandla Port
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• PatanjalicoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPerfect ChemFood Industries & Terapanth Foods Ltd collaborates with Patanjali for job work services, manufacturing edible salt under the trusted Patanjali brand label. Maintains highest manufacturing standards for the renowned brand.
• AashirwadcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPerfect ChemFood Industries & Terapanth Foods Ltd provides job work services for Aashirwad brand, manufacturing high-quality edible salt under their trusted label. Ensures consistent quality meeting production standards.
• Tata MotorscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorShri Gautam Automotives Pvt Ltd is the trusted Tata Motors commercial vehicle dealership partner in the Kutch region. Provides sales, service, maintenance, repairs, financing options, and after-sales support for Tata commercial vehicles.
• JCB India LimitedcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorShantinath Motors Pvt Ltd is the authorized JCB India Limited dealership established in 2019. Provides sales of JCB equipment, maintenance services, and genuine JCB parts to construction companies in the region.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone: India's largest port operator, running cargo handling, warehousing, and logistics across multiple ports including Mundra (adjacent to Kandla). Directly comparable to Gautam Freight's stevedoring, customs clearance, CFS, and bulk cargo handling operations, but at vastly greater scale and geographic breadth.
• Adani Wilmar (Fortune brand): Large integrated edible oils and food products company in India, including packaged salt and staples. Comparable to The Kutch Salt & Allied Industries Ltd in industrial and edible salt production at scale, though with a much broader branded FMCG portfolio.
• Container Corporation of India (CONCOR): Government-owned inland container depot, CFS, and multimodal logistics operator with port-adjacent terminals across India. Comparable to Friends Group's CFS and warehousing model, though CONCOR operates at national scale rather than the single-port Kandla focus.

Direct peers

• Gujarat Ambuja Exports: Indian agro-processing company manufacturing castor oil derivatives, starches, and other specialty chemicals with export orientation. Comparable to Kandla Agro & Chemicals on castor derivatives product line and international customer mix.
• Aegis Logistics: Indian logistics company focused on liquid bulk storage, terminaling, and gas distribution at major Indian ports. Closest direct peer to Friends Group's port-based logistics and warehousing franchise at Kandla, with overlap in port-adjacent storage infrastructure and bulk commodity handling.
• Jayant Agro-Organics: Leading Indian manufacturer and exporter of castor oil and specialty castor derivatives (Hydrogenated Castor Oil, 12-HSA, Ricinoleic Acid). Directly comparable to Kandla Agro & Chemicals' product mix, customer base (lubricants, cosmetics, pharma), and export orientation.
• Allcargo Logistics: Indian multimodal logistics and container freight station operator providing cargo handling, warehousing, and freight forwarding services. Overlaps with Gautam Freight's CFS, cargo handling, and stevedoring offerings, though Allcargo is much larger and more geographically diversified.
• Sahara Salt / Sambhar Salts (Indian salt majors): Established Indian industrial and edible salt producers operating large salt pans in Gujarat and Rajasthan. Directly comparable to The Kutch Salt & Allied Industries Ltd on raw salt production capacity, processing, and export markets.

Others

• Tata Motors (Commercial Vehicles): OEM whose commercial vehicles Friends Group retails through Shri Gautam Automotives. Comparable as the upstream brand partner and counterparty in the dealership franchise, rather than a competitor, but a critical peer for understanding the dealership's economics.
• JCB India Limited: OEM of construction equipment whose machines Friends Group retails through Shantinath Motors. Comparable as the supplier-counterparty in the dealership franchise, and as a benchmark for construction equipment market dynamics in India.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/friends-group-of-companies-india

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Friends Group Of Companies