The origins of CG can be traced back to the pioneering work of Colonel REB Crompton, who, in 1878 founded a business at Chelmsford, Essex, England under the name of REB Crompton & Co., to engage in the manufacture and contracting of electrical equipment. REB Crompton & Co. merged with F&A Parkinson Limited, thereby establishing Crompton Parkinson Limited (CPL) in England. In 1937, CPL established its wholly owned Indian subsidiary 'Crompton Parkinson Works Ltd.', in Mumbai, along with a sales organization, 'Greaves Cotton & Crompton Parkinson Ltd.'
 
In the year 1947, with the dawn of the independence of India, the Company was taken over by Lala Karamchand Thapar, an eminent Indian industrialist who formed the Thapar Group. In 1966, Crompton Parkinson Works Ltd and Greaves Cotton & Crompton Parkinson Ltd. merged to create CG Power and Industrial Solutions Limited in its present form.
 
In the 1960s CG took its initial steps to revolutionize its portfolio, which till then comprised only motors and consumer products. It took a major leap in the electrical engineering segment, through the acquisition of transformer technology from Westinghouse Electric Corporation of USA, for manufacture of 400 kV transformers and aluminum wound transformers. This was followed by further expansion in the switchgear, vacuum interrupter and allied businesses. By 2005, the Company had emerged as one of the leading companies in the electrical engineering domain of India, in its three business areas of Power Systems, Industrial Systems and Consumer Products; and a serious contender in the global arena.
 
CG established its international manufacturing footprint in the year 2005 by acquisition of the Belgium based Pauwels Group, which gave CG additional manufacturing facilities for Power and Distribution transformers at Belgium, Ireland, USA and Indonesia. This was followed with a series of successful acquisitions - Ganz, Hungary in 2006; Microsol, Ireland in 2007; Sonomatra, France; MSE, USA in 2008 and PTS, UK in 2010 in its quest to establish a technology edge, increase its global market reach and enhance the product portfolio. The business domains of the new companies that joined the CG family,  charted the way for CG becoming a 'full solutions provider' which has carved out for CG a position as a serious international player and a recognized transnational corporation.
 
Initially, CG's foreign acquisitions operated their respective businesses under their individual Brand names. To integrate these new entrants into the CG family, the first step was integration of processes, systems and technologies across all the acquired companies worldwide. The next step was to articulate the one single idea that provided a common thread through all the CG Group companies. They discovered their shared philosophy, this realisation and initiative gave birth to CG`s new Brand Identity which was launched on 15th October, 2009, succinctly conveying this shared philosophy.
 
Whilst the Company`s name in India will continue to be CG Power and Industrial Solutions Limited, the names of all the foreign companies in the CG family start with 'CG', thus establishing their lineage and uniting every company in the CG family with a common face to the internal as well as the external world, globally.

On October 16, 2014 the Board of Directors of Crompton Greaves Limited (CG), at its meeting approved a proposal to demerge its Consumer Products Business Division into its wholly owned subsidiary, Crompton Consumer Products Limited (CCPL) with effect from April 1, 2015.

Products

Power Systems-  

• Transformers & Reactors
•  Switchgear Products
•  Instrument Transformers
• T&D Systems / Engineering Solutions
• Protection, Control & Automation
• Services for Power Systems
• Transformer & Switchgear Components

 Industrial Systems

• Motors: High / Low Voltage AC & DC
• Generators / Alternators AC & DC
• Traction Motors / Alternators / Control Electrics
• FHP / Commercial Motors
• Railway Signalling & Coach Appliations
• Drives & Automation
• Stampings & Laminations
• Services for Industrial Systems

Milestones

It was first company to introduce an under light ceiling fan in the year 1989.

It was first to introduce 12 inch wall fan in high speed.

The company’s research and development and quality division has been certified to ISO 27001:2005 by UL India.

Its industrial transformer division located at Malanpur is amongst the few units in India, to have been accredited both ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001, certification for occupational health and safety management system.

2010- Crompton Greaves Ltd entered into a Joint Venture Agreement with ZIV Aplicaciones y Tecnologia, S.L (ZIV)., headquartered in Spain, for establishing a Joint Venture Company in India, for the manufacture of Substation Automation Systems for Substations in EHV and UHV range, including protective relays, differential relays, bay control units, bus-bar systems, substation units, etc2011- Company has been awarded a contract as franchisee of Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Ltd. for power distribution in Jalgaon Circle in Maharashtra for a period of 10 Years.- CG acquires New Jersey based QEI Inc.- Crompton Greaves Ltd acquires Sweden based Emotron Group.2012- Crompton Greaves Acquires leader in smart Grid Automation : ZIV Group.