Sterlite Industries, a part of Vedanta Resources, a London-listed metals and mining major, is India's tenth largest company in terms of sales. Sterilite Industries had a sales turnover of Rs 24,376.83 crore (Rs 243.76 billion) in 2007 .

Anil Agarwal is the executive chairman of Sterlite. Sterlite Industries (India) Limited was acquired in 1986, bringing together several metal related activities managed by the Agarwal family. Sterlite was listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange in 1988 and on the National Stock Exchange in 2004.

Vedanta was listed on the London Stock Exchange in 2003. Vedanta has two copper businesses, the first based in India and the second at Konkola Copper Mines in Zambia, which was acquired in November 2004. The copper business in India is held within Sterlite Industries (India) Ltd.

There is some captive copper mining, but the business is principally in smelting and refining. Sterilte has plants in Tuticorin in Tamil Nadu and Silvassa. Sterlite owns two copper mines in Australia. In 2005-06, Sterlite had a domestic market share of some 43% of copper sales.

Image: Sterilte plant in India, Anil Agarwal (inset)executive chairman, Sterlite Industries