Over the years, the subject of Tribology came to be recognized as a very important aspect in all industrial operations . The application of correct Tribological practices can protect and enhance the life of plants and machinery, improve efficiency of operations, reduce energy consumption and prevent expensive breakdowns. Major organizations and academic institutions in the country have realized the  importance of Industrial Tribology and its relevance to modern design and  efficient plant maintenance .They are , therefore ,  coming forward to organize  National and International Tribology Conferences  in different  parts of the country.

To provide a common umbrella to work further in this area, Tribology society  of India (TSI) was set up as a professional, non profit body bringing  together academicians, industry as well as research organizations as its members. It was set up in its present form, in June 1989, with its  headquarters at Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited, Corporate R&D at Hyderabad. This society is affiliated to the International Tribology Council, UK which has  33 other  national societies  spread all over the world . The activities related to tribology in the country started way back in 1972 , when First International Conference on Tribology  was organized  by Indian Institute of Technology at New Delhi. Continuing with this, a series of National and International Conferences had been organized in the last 29 years. Besides there are a number of academic and industrial centers in India actively pursuing research related activities in this area.

The society has seven local chapters organizing a number of events like seminars and workshops. The society also  has a regular quarterly newsletter, which will soon be developed into a full-fledged journal. There are plans to bring out Tribology series  Booklets  to disseminate information related to various topics of interest to  industries.