Larsen &amp; Toubro originated from a company founded in 1938 in Mumbai by two Danish engineers, Henning Holck-Larsen and Søren Kristian Toubro. The company began as a representative of Danish manufacturers of dairy and allied equipment. However, with the start of the Second World War in 1939 and the resulting blockade of trade lines, the partners started a small workshop to undertake jobs and provide service facilities. Germany's invasion of Denmark in 1940 stopped supplies of Danish products. The war-time need to repair and refit and degauss ships offered L&amp;T an opportunity, and led to the formation of a new company, Hilda Ltd, to handle these operations. L&amp;T also started to repair and fabricate ships signalling the expansion of the company. The sudden internment of German engineers in British India (due to suspicions caused by the Second World War), who were to put up a soda ash plant for the Tata's, gave L&amp;T a chance to enter the field of installation.