SUNDAY ET: Cool facts about conglomerates Samsung, Sony, Tata, Godrej and others

Salt-to-software, ships-to-chips. Such descriptors fit many conglomerates across the world that sell everything under the sun. Or at least, most things. ET looks at some of these giants and the myriad things they sell.
SAMSUNG

Samsung's TVs might be big in India but back home, they make ships

Sectors: Life insurance, advertising agency, shipbuilding, consumer electronics, hospitality

Headquartered: South Korea

Did You Know? Founded in the late 30s, Samsung produced and sold noodles and groceries in its early days. It entered the electronics business in the 60s. Today, Samsung's group companies, among the world's largest consumer electronics manufacturers, build ships, supply parts to Airbus A380, operate a theme park and a luxury hotel in Seoul.
SONY

Sony's first innovation - a wooden rice-cooker - failed but in the next seven decades it redefined innovation.

Sectors: Music, movie production, consumer electronics, banking, life insurance, gaming

Headquartered*: Japan

*Some businesses are headquartered in the US

Did You Know? Long before Sony made its iconic Walkman or even before its first transistor radio in 1955, Sony produced a clanger: an electrical rice cooker. The wooden cooker flopped as it produced undercooked or overcooked rice. Today, the group operates a bank, sells life insurance, bankrolls movies and TV serials.



GENERAL ELECTRIC

In India, GE is known for its medical devices like ultrasound machines but in the US, it makes trains

Sectors: Financial services, locomotives, lighting, health-care devices, call centres, aviation, appliances

Headquartered: US

Did You Know? American inventor Thomas A Edison co-founded GE , which was in the computing space in the 60s. It was one of the '7 dwarfs' with Burroughs, NCR, Control Data Corporation, Honeywell, RCA and Univac. IBM, the largest player, was 'Snow White.' In 1970, GE sold the computer business to Honeywell. With revenues of over $147 bn, GE continues to sell light bulbs. It also sells trains and ultrasound scanners.
WALT DISNEY

The first Disneyland in California kicked off in 1955.

Sectors: Media networks, parks, resorts, movie production, consumer products

Headquartered: US

Did You Know? With revenues of over $40 bn, Disney owns TV networks like ESPN and sells products from toys to pacifiers. In the past, Disney has been accused of planting subliminal messages in its movies. For example, conspiracy theorists believe that the word 'sex' is seen etched in the sky in a scene from The Lion King.