The city's primary industry is engineering and textile industry. The district also houses the country's largest cluster of hosiery and poultry industries. Most of the industries are run by entrepreneurs, often indigenous with family based or community financing. The city's industrial growth started in 1920’s and accelerated after Independence, without any government assistance or without the entry of external industrial houses. Of late, IT companies have started opening their offshore development centres in the city, for the advantages of salibrous climate, cheap manpower and infrastructure in the city.

Early industrial developments

When the British occupied Coimbatore, the territory connected the Malabar ports with the rest of India (apart from Konkan coast). Later the British expanded their railway network in 1862, passing through Podanur to Cochin for quicker transit of raw materials required in England. By mid 1888, Sir Robert Stanes founded the Coimbatore Spinning and Weaving Mills (also known as Stanes Mills) in the northern edge of the town after starting a coffee curing factory in Trichy road. Sir Robert Stanes would later assist several others in setting up their ventures. [5] Two more mills (Kalleeswara and Somasundra mills) were established by 1910. Lakshmi Mills Company commenced their operations in 1911 in Papanaickenpalayam. By 1930s a big chunk of textile mills were established around Coimbatore thanks to the cheap power offered by the Pykara power station. In 1900, Swamikannu Vincent, a railway engineer built the first cinema in South India, the "Variety Hall" (now Delite Theatres). His son Paul Vincent, introduced talkie motion pictures in South India. In 1922, Narayanaswamy Naidu started a workshop to repair cane crushers and cotton ginning machines. Two years later, he established the Dhandayuthapani Foundry.[6] Around the same time, G.D.Naidu started his unique bus service and he is also credited for manufacturing the first electric motor in India. In 1931, Pollachi Nachimuthu Gounder stated his transport business which grew into a multi-crore industrial and trading house. In the 1940s, a Sheffield University graduate, S.Balasundaram Naidu from Avarampalayam in Coimbatore started his company Textool to manufacture textile machines of his design. Wet grinders, considered to be India’s only product and engineering invention, has been manufactured which later spun-off into several variants. LMW and Pricol would commence operations later growing into a multi crore group. Some wealthy industrialists (notable example S.Karivardhan) with a penchant for tinkering machines and cars plunged into motor racing later making it the country's capital.

Industries today

Coimbatore is the highest revenue earning district in Tamil Nadu. General trade attracts people from the neighbouring Kerala. Neighbouring town, Tirupur has Asia’s largest garment manufacturing clusters. Coimbatore is also emerging as an IT and BPO city. Agriculture is still the major occupation in the district. The motor and pump industry supplies 2/3rd of India’s requirement, while wet-grinder industry has a near monopoly. Textool, offered a prototype of Sten Guns to Indian Government after independence. They developed the first in-house designed car in the 1960s, which never saw the light of day due to license raj. They made several prototypes until 1990s. They successfully manufactured India's first indigenously developed diesel engines in 1972 for cars and their own CNC lathes in 1982. Today their spin-off company Jayem Automotives offers R & D services to Mahindra, Tata Motors and Hindustan Motors. Maruti Udyog and Tata Motors source up to 30% of automotive components from Coimbatore. The city also houses numerous jewellers engaged in jewellery exports. Coimbatore also has a 160,000 square feet trade fair ground built in 1999 named COINTEC to host INTEC (Small Industries Exhibition). The Trade Fair complex, one of the country's largest was built in six months owned by CODISSIA (Coimbatore District Small Industries Association). It is also the country's largest pillar-free hall.

Environmental issues

Coimbatore has good air quality, in spite of being heavily industralised. Most industries are engineering based (less polluting) and there are no toxic spewing or waste dumping factories. In 1990’s the State Government and pollution control board took major steps to re-locate the steel foundries out of the city. The foundries were established in 50's and 60’s when there were no residential areas nearby, but expansion had to give way. The textile mills are all equipped with air treatment towers. The city has no proper underground drainage or sewage system. Garbage is collected by the Corporation (sometimes systems developed by the locals). The city's hospitals have no proper bio-waste management scheme. Drainage is pumped into the remaining tanks through streams. During the 80’s, corporation planned on closing the tanks due to encroachment by filling with waste. But as a result of outcries from associations, the tanks are being renovated by the city's environmental groups with their own fund-raising. From mid 90’s, corporation authorities are keeping public encroachments under check. Siruthuli, an environmental organisation initiated by the city's industrial houses have embarked in de-silting of tanks and cleaning of Noyyal River. Citizen Voice Club is one of the most active clubs in raising civic issues.