Our History
1900s
1903
Guthrie & Co. partners with Scott & Co. to form Guthrie and Company Ltd., capitalised at RM1million.
Harrisons & Crosfield invest in rubber in Malaya via the acquisition of the Pataling Company, which owns an estate in Selangor.
1905
Successful acquisition of Golden Hope Rubber Estate Ltd., located in Klang, along the Langat River, which consists of 900 acres of rubber, coffee and coconuts.
1907
Harrisons & Crosfield opens first Kuala Lumpur office under the name Crosfield, Lampard & Co. Acquires estates in Malacca, Selangor and Perak with a total of 6,673 acres and enters Sumatra via the acquisition of Begerpang estate.
1910s
1910
William Middleton Sime, Henry d'Esterre Darby and Herbert Milford Darby establish Sime, Darby & Co. in Malacca.
1916
Sime, Darby & Co. becomes agent and secretary for five rubber plantations with a total of 12,437 acres. Sime, Darby & Co. diversifies into timber, preservatives and motor insurance.
1920s
1920
Harrisons & Crosfield is given exclusive rights to cut and develop the timber industry in Borneo through the acquisition of the China Borneo Company.
1920
Guthrie & Co. acquires property at Mengkibol, Johor, planted with Elaeis Guinaeensis, the African oil palm. Establishes the first hydraulic press system at the factory.
1924
Guthrie & Co. purchases a small property in Kluang, Johor, planted with Elaeis Guineensis and named it Elaeis.
1930s
1930
Formation of Oil Palms of Malaya Limited.
Sime Darby & Co. opens its first office in Kuala Lumpur, located along the present-day Jalan Tun H.S. Lee (formerly High Street).
1936
Sime Darby & Co. moves its headquarters from Malacca to Singapore.
1940s
1941
World War 2: The first bomb in Singapore lands on the roof of 6 Battery Road, the headquarters of Messrs Guthrie and Company.
1945
World War 2: London headquarters at Great Tower Street is engulfed in flames due to enemy aircraft activity. The rubber trade is under threat due to the creation of synthetic rubber, which led to the commercialisation of the oil palm.
1948
Formation of Harrisons & Crosfield Latex Ltd. in Malaya. Processing of latex began in the Pataling factory. Diversifies into oil palm.
1950s
1955
Creation of Harrisons & Crosfield's Palm Oil Research Station in Klanang Bahru estate, Banting by research officer Brian Gray.
1959
Harrisons and Crosfield acquires Carey Island with 18,000 acres of rubber, coconut and tea, and 10,000 acres of reserve land suitable for oil palm cultivation.
1960s
1960
Incorporation of Kumpulan Guthrie Sdn. Bhd. to serve as the local agent for Guthrie Estates Agency Ltd. to manage the vast holdings. Diversifies into oil palm.
1964
Sime Darby & Co explores the new oil palm crop on the Merlimau Pegoh and Tali Ayer estates.
1965
Guthrie Corporation Limited is listed on the London Stock Exchange.
1970s
1977
Guthrie Corporation Limited transfers plantation interests from UK subsidiaries to Malaysian incorporated companies. Expands into the Philippines, China and Africa.
The amalgamation of the 'three sisters' – Golden Hope Rubber Estate Ltd, Pataling Company and London Asiatic, resulting in Harrisons Malaysian Estates Ltd. owning a total land bank of 179,000 acres, planted with rubber, oil palm and coconut.
1978
Sime Darby Berhad is incorporated in Malaysia and sets up its head office in Jalan Conlay, Kuala Lumpur.
1979
Sime Darby Berhad incorporates Consolidated Plantations Berhad, the Group's principal vehicle for further expansion in plantations.
1980s
1980
Sime Darby Berhad commences trading on the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange.
1981
The Dawn Raid: PNB, through Rowe & Pitman and Khalid Ibrahim, gains control of Guthrie Corporation Limited (GCL) through the implementation of a dawn raid on GCL shares, bringing GCL under Malaysian control.
1982
Permodalan Nasional Berhad and Harrisons & Crosfield establish a joint venture, Harrisons Plantations Berhad, to acquire plantation interests of Harrisons Malaysian Estates Ltd.
1982
Guthrie Corporation Limited's plantation interests come home to Malaysia. Plantation assets in Malaysia and overseas and the marketing and distribution network companies in the UK and the US are transferred to Kumpulan Guthrie Sdn. Bhd.
1986
Harrisons & Crosfield ventures into the food sector via the acquisition of Kapar Coconut Industries Sdn Bhd.
1990s
1990
To reflect its Malaysian identity, Harrisons Malaysian Estates Ltd. changes its name to that of its oldest constituent estate, Golden Hope Plantations Berhad.
1994
The Guthrie Group strategically diversifies its core business into plantations, property development, manufacturing and services. The Group also commences its property development activity in Bukit Jelutong.