Kochi/Cochin is the industrial capital of Kerala, with the state's largest industrial area located in the city. Home to a dozen of Kerala's own heavy and medium industry brands like FACT, HIL, IREL, TCC dozens of large chemical industries like Binani Zinc etc and large production houses like Appollo tyres, HMT etc, along with couple of new ones planning to come up soon....

The city is closely associated with number of electronic components manufacturing, which remains less known due to non-disclosure of details to outsiders, while it is also primary hub for number of boatyards, boat components making, fish processing industries, food processing and spices extracts industries.

Eloor is the state's largest industrial estate, while Kalamassery and Aluva are other important industrial hubs.

In this context, kindly post news related to industries, engineering, technology etc here...

^^

Great thread MI :)

Here's the first update!

Record Turnover for HMT
Hindustan Machine Tools Ltd. (HMT) Kalamassery unit, registered record turnover of Rs 64 Crore in the current financial year. This is the highest turnover of the company in the last decade.

Several joint venture projects on HMT land are under consideration!

Manorama (http://www.manoramaonline.com/cgi-bin/MMOnline.dll/portal/ep/malayalamContentView.do?contentId=10572742&programId=1073753761&channelId=-1073751706&BV_ID=@@@&tabId=11)

Carborundum forms 51:49 refractory JV with Israel firm
Country’s leading manufacturer of abrasives and industrial ceramics Carborundum Universal, a part of Chennai-based Murugappa Group, has formed a joint venture with Israel-based Cellaris for the refractory business. It would be a 51:49 joint venture, with Carborundum holding 51 per cent and Cellaris picking up the rest.

“We got the approval to set up a joint venture with the Israeli company Cellaris at the Cochin SEZ, owned by CUMI. This JV will produce fibre refractory,” according to K Srinivasan, managing director of Carborundum Universal.

Fibre refractory will be a special grade of refractory, which has in its terms of thermal ability as good a property as a fibre, but in dimensional stability it’s like a fired product. It is first of its kind raw material and the company expects to see this working by the second half of 2012. The end-user segment will be the refractory manufacturers, who will be using the same as input or raw material.

The JV has planned to make an investment of Rs 15 crore initially. The plant in its present form actually was operational and existing in Israel. After the formation of JV, the plant in Israel has been dismantled and will be brought to its Cochin SEZ for re-commissioning.

“We would prefer calling this technology demonstrator plan in the first stage, so it would not be a great turnover, even if you run the plant flat off we will do less than Rs 10 crore. But once we stabilise and run it, we will scale up and go for a larger scale commercial plant,” said Srinivasan.

The refractory business comes under company’s ceramics division, which comprises both industrial ceramics and refractories. This division’s business caters to wide a variety of industries including healthcare, metals, food processing, cement, and electricity transmission, among others.

Source (http://www.mydigitalfc.com/news/carborundum-forms-5149-refractory-jv-israel-firm-140)

http://www.hmtmachinetools.com/images/hmt-logo.jpg - Kalamassery

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http://fact.co.in/images/intop.gif (http://fact.co.in/index.htm)

Udyogamandal Division (http://fact.co.in/div.htm#udyo)

FACT commenced operation at Udyogamandal with the commissioning of a 50,000 tonnes per annum Ammonium Sulphate Plant in 1947.

In the decades that followed multi stage expansion programs were undertaken bringing in the latest technologies of the day which were quickly mastered and successfully implemented. Today the division is a mostly mix of 35 year old small capacity plants and 2 year old state of the art technology plants.

The latest addition to this unit is a 900 tonnes per day ammonia complex set up with an investment of RS 642 crores. FACT Udyogamandal division is 14001 certified.

Cochin Division (http://fact.co.in/div.htm#coch)

FACT Cochin Division has set up in the 1970's at Ambalamedu 30 km from Udyogamandal and adjacent to the Cochin Refineries. Phase-I of the division saw the setting up of an integrated Ammonia urea complex utilizing Indian Engineering skills. A large scale complex fertilizer plant of 485,000 TPA was set up as phase-II of Cochin Division and sulphuric acid and phosphoric acid plant of marketing capacity.

Petrochemical Division (http://fact.co.in/caprolactamfact/message.htm)

FACT diversified into petrochemicals in 1990 with the production of caprolactam. This versatile petrochemical is the raw material in the manufacture of nylone-6, which finds extensive application in textiles, tyre cord and engineering products. Thanks to its high quality the products have been acknowledge as among the best in the world.

The division is located adjacent to the Udyogamandal division. Co-product ammonium sulphate is transferred for processing to the fertilizer plant of udyogamandal division.

FACT Petrochemical Division is ISO 9002 and 14001 certified.

FACT Engineering & Design Organization (FEDO) (http://fact.co.in/fedo/home.html)

FACT Engineering & Design Organization (FEDO) was established in 1965 for utilizing the considerable indigenous plant building expertise accumulated by FACT in its process of nurturing the nascent chemical fertilizer industry.

FEDO is today one of India's premier project engineering organization, catering to a wide spectrum of industries like petrochemicals, refining, pharmaceuticals, hydrometallurgy etc as well as petroleum storage, environmental engineering, offsite facilities etc.

The division undertakes project execution on consultancy and turnkey basis, handling the intricacies of the technology sourcing, design and engineering, hardware procurement and construction with practiced ease.

FEDO is ISO 9001 certified.

FACT Engineering Works (FEW) (http://fact.co.in/divcontd.htm#few)

Established in 1966, FACT Engineering Works was originally conceived as a unit to fabricate and erect equipment for fertilizer plants. Over the years, it developed capabilities in the manufacture of Class I Pressure Vessels, Heat Exchangers, Columns, Towers etc. required for the fertilizer, petrochemical and petroleum industries. FEW received ISO 9002 Certification in 1998.

Kalamassery Industrial Estate

A large industrial estate spanning some 5 sq.km area, with lots of small/medium scale industries working, and helping in employing a lot of people from the surrounding areas.

Products from the estate have an amazing range, from chemicals to paints, food products to oleoresins, agricultural implements, containers and packaging materials, web services, plastics and polymers, industrial chemicals etc. The Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation (KSIDC), in its latest publication, Infinity, paints a glorious picture of the strides made by the industrial estate.
http://kdpia.com/index.html

Locals oppose plywood units

Local residents in Kunnathunadu, Kothamangalam, Muvattupuzha and Aluva taluks, under the Action Council for Environmental Protection, have come up against the plywood manufacturing units functioning from residential areas.

As part of the protest, a march will be held from Perumbavoor to Kuttipadom on Saturday. The council said that nearly 30 plywood manufacturing units were functioning within a 1-km radius at Kuttipadom in Vengola panchayat.

Council chairman Varghese Pulluvazhi said that the council was formed a couple of months ago to demand the relocation of 400-odd plywood units from the residential areas in these four taluks. The council is also seeking to halt the installation of 29 new units. It is learnt that 500 more units are awaiting clearance from the authorities.

Many units are causing heavy chemical pollution in the area. The formaldehyde used in the manufacturing process could lead to respiratory ailments and was a carcinogen, said S. Seetharaman, noted environmentalist and a patron of the council.

The refuse from these units have polluted the waterbodies. Vast areas of paddy fields have also been filled up due to pollution, said John Peruvanthanam, environmentalist and also a patron of the council.

The council has been suggesting the formation of an industrial area for plywood units or a consortium which complies with environmental norms.

The proliferation of smaller units has resulted in the increase in number of migrant labourers in these localities. With no facilities provided for accommodating this floating population, it has become a social issue as well, said Mr. Pulluvazhihttp://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/article2700334.ece

FACT-Railways clash hits transportation of urea

The shortage of fertilisers may worsen in the coming days as the urea imported by the Fertilisers and Chemicals Travancore Ltd (FACT) is yet to be transported from Willington Island. FACT officials are blaming the Railway authorities for not allotting them a rake for transporting the urea. “We asked the Railway authorities for a half rake. But they are insisting on hiring a full rake which we do not need right now. The Railways said that they would be able to consider allotting a half rake only after December 12,” a senior official of the distribution department of FACT said.

However, Southern Railway area manager George John said that FACT had not registered an indent for the rake with the Railways. “We, with the clearance from the headquarters, are ready to allot the rake once they register an indent,” he said.

The low rate clearance of imported fertilisers has had an adverse impact on the agricultural sector, at a time when the price of fertiliser is skyrocketing. “If the distribution gets delayed, it will further worsen the situation,” said the official.

Around 24,000 tonnes of urea and 27,000 tonnes of potash reached Kochi in the second week of November. It has piled up at the Kochi port due to a shortage of loading workers.

About 25 percent of India’s urea requirement is met through import. India requires around 28 million tonnes, of which import accounts for 8 million tonnes. FACT imports urea mainly from Gulf countries. Import of potash is 100 percent as there is no indigenous production.

Meanwhile, the clearing of fertilisers is at a snail’s pace, according to the port authorities. Though the unions had expressed their willingness to clear the cargo as early as possible, at a meeting held on Tuesday, only around 800 tonnes is being cleared from the godown a day.http://expressbuzz.com/cities/kochi/fact-railways-clash-hits-transportation-of-urea/341911.html

http://img600.imageshack.us/img600/8592/93006684.jpg (http://www.tcckerala.com/)- Udyogamandal
The Travancore Cochin Chemicals Limited, Udyogamandal is a State Public Sector Undertaking owned by Government of Kerala. Reflecting the quality policy of commitment and excellence TCC has a good track record of profitable operation and healthy industrial relations. A heavy chemical industry engaged in the manufacture and marketing of Caustic Soda, Chlorine and allied chemicals, TCC is accredited with ISO 9001: 2008 certification.

PRODUCTS


Caustic Soda Lye


Caustic Soda Flakes


Liquid Chlorine


Hydrochloric Acid


Sodium Hypochlorite


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CII to hold conference on industrial corridors (http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/economy/article2712009.ece?ref=wl_industry-and-economy)
CII is organising a conference on ‘Opportunities in Industrial Corridor Infrastructure in Kerala – Focus Kochi-Coimbatore Industrial Corridor' here at the Hotel Gateway on Wednesday.

The key speakers of the conference include Mr Tom Jose, Managing Director, Kochi Metro Rail and Chairman and Managing Director, KSINC; Mr T. Balakrishnan, Managing Director, INKEL Ltd; Mr Alkesh Kumar Sharma, Secretary – Industries, Government of Kerala and Managing Director, KSIDC; Mr Paul Antony, Chairman, Cochin Port Trust; Mr Rajesh Agarwal, Divisional Railway Manager – Trivandrum Division, Southern Railway; Mr B. Ramaswamy, President and Head – Infra and Facilities Management, Feedback Infrastructure Services Pvt Ltd.

A press statement issued here said Kerala has an ambitious programme to attract crores of investment in its proposed industry corridors spread across the State. This would need a matching development of infrastructure in all sectors.

FDI

One of the key objective would be to attract FDIs. In the present Indian context, major business houses as well as MNCs are no longer enamoured by the traditional investment destinations. They look for stable industry climate, well developed infrastructure, friendly Government policies and good quantity social infrastructure, even if these are provided at non-metro locations. Therefore, it is imperative that the Government and CII as an industry body, examine the above in a holistic manner and work together to reinstate Kerala to its rightful place as the most preferred investment destination in India. To catalyse this lofty objective, the conference on infrastructure projects and investment prospects will be a good platform to engage the stakeholders to meet and talk on the investments, the statement said.

CII to hold conference on industrial corridors

CCIC will create an Industrial Revolution: Conference
Tom Jose, MD Kochi Metro, said that CCIC will fuel Financial and Industrial growth and drive Economic development. The state government has to take strict measures to promote development, particularly Infrastructure projects. He was speaking at the ‘Opportunities in Industrial Corridor Infrastructure in Kerala – Focus Kochi-Coimbatore Industrial Corridor' organized by CII.

The presence of Port, Container Terminal, International Airport, Mobility hub, expert human resource, research institutions like CUSAT, the upcoming Metro rail etc make Kochi a strong investor destination. The land acquisition for development is the major hindrance. Government has a lot to do on this front.

The CCIC conceived within 50 km radius at a length of 200 km along NH, will cover districts of Ernakulam, Kottayam, Thrissur & Palakkad, and requires 15,000 hectares of land to be taken up. The clusters are formed by adding existing industries, where new units will come up.

12 industrial nodes, in 2 zones will form the industrial cluster. Engineering-Electronic Hub, chemical-petrochemical Hub, food park, knowledge park, jem & jewellery hub, emerging engineering hub, agro processing hub will be developed across the 4 districts. Proposed Electronic & Hardware park @ Amballur, KRL's Petrochemical plant, FACT etc will be part of the corridor.

Transport & shipment, Water & Electricity will be provided to all the clusters. Central-State governments and project SPV will run the project. An expected cost of Rs 23,541 crore in the corridor will bring in investment worth Rs 1 lakh crore in 10 years. The project conceives to create direct employment to 2 lakh and another 10 lakh indirectly.

Manorama (http://www.manoramaonline.com/cgi-bin/MMOnline.dll/portal/ep/malayalamContentView.do?contentId=10621596&programId=1073753761&channelId=-1073751706&BV_ID=@@@&tabId=11)

I personally believe, it should have been Kochi-Palakkad Industrial Corridor. Why include some other city without aiming its development, will create confusions all around!

GAIL Pipeline being laid

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cc: update

CCIC will create an Industrial Revolution: Conference


I personally believe, it should have been Kochi-Palakkad Industrial Corridor. Why include some other city without aiming its development, will create confusions all around!

I am sure, with the current mood, it will be only Kochi-Palakkad Industrial corridor... We need a way out to reach to Bangalore for this Industrial Corridor... I believe, Nilambur route is a good option, as it will also connect Mysore to the project and surely Karnataka will have a major interest

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Nest Electronic City (http://nestinfratech.com/electronic-city_apartment.html#top) Site Updates

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Hindalco to be re-opened on Saturday (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/thiruvananthapuram/Hindalco-to-be-re-opened-on-Saturday/articleshow/11233059.cms)
Hindalco Industries (http://www.hindalco.net/index.htm), Kochi, which had been locked up since February, will resume its functioning on Saturday.

An agreement has been signed between the Birla Group which owns the company and representatives of trade unions in the presence of labour minister Shibu Baby John here on Friday. Hindalco, which produces sophisticated aluminium equipment and aluminium sheets, has been shut down for 10 months following labour unrest. Though several rounds of discussion had been held to settle the issue, no compromise formula could be reached.

As per the new agreement, an employee of the company will get an additional salary of around Rs 4,000 per month. It was also decided to confirm the services of 13 casual labourers immediately. Twenty seven employees will be re-employed soon and nine others will be re-inducted in six months.

The Union Fertilizer Ministry is exploring the possibility of merging the Kochi unit of Hindustan Organic Chemicals Ltd. (HOCL) with Kochi Refinery, a unit of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd. (BPCL).

Link : Source (http://www.thehindu.com/business/companies/article2752518.ece)

^^

The Union Fertilizer Ministry is exploring the possibility of merging the Kochi unit of Hindustan Organic Chemicals Ltd. (HOCL) with Kochi Refinery, a unit of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd. (BPCL).

Sources said the first step was to find out whether the Petroleum Ministry would be amenable to a merger in view of the new projects lined up for Kochi Refinery and considering the benefits that would accrue to the merged entity.

The capacity of Kochi Refinery is being expanded from the current 9.5 million tonnes to 15.5 million tonnes a year.

BPCL plans to establish a joint venture petrochemicals complex here. Once the petrochemicals complex is a reality, BPCL will emerge as a major challenger to HOCL in the petrochemicals derivatives market, especially in the case of phenol.

Besides, Kochi Refinery is already the key raw material supplier to the Kochi unit of HOCL, which employs more than 400 people. The Kochi unit has an installed capacity 40,000 tonnes of phenol a year.

The raw materials supplied by the refinery include LPG, LSHS and benzene. Merging HOCL unit with BPCL refinery would give the new entity an advantage over its competition, industry sources pointed out.

The Kochi unit of HOCL, commissioned in 1988, recorded a net profit of more than Rs.100 crore last year. It produces carbolic acid (phenol), acetone and hydrogen peroxide. According to sources, the unit will see a substantial dip in profit this year owing to the continuing world-wide economic recession and spiralling raw materials prices.

Sources said merging the two units of HOCL — one in Kochi and the other in Rasayani in Maharashtra — with what was then the stand-alone Kochi Refinery was mooted about a decade ago. However, the proposal was not accepted by the refinery, which was then interested only in considering the possibility of merging the Kochi unit.

Trade unions at HOCL are learnt to have submitted a memorandum to the Petroleum Ministry, seeking a merger of the HOCL unit with that of BPCL refinery.

Manorama article on the work progress: Manorama Link (http://www.manoramaonline.com/cgi-bin/MMOnline.dll/portal/localContentView.do?tabId=16&contentId=10768318&district=Cochin&programId=1079897613&BV_ID=@@@)

^^Fantastic :)

Haven for exporters (http://www.frontline.in/stories/20120127290111100.htm)
http://www.frontline.in/images/20120127290111001.jpg
Workers at a production unit in the CSEZ

The Cochin Special Economic Zone (CSEZ) is one of the 15 Government of India-owned duty-free enclaves in Kerala meant to promote multi-product exports. It has excellent infrastructure and facilities for fast-track clearances.

Until 2000, when the concept of special economic zones became popular in India, the enclave was functioning as the Cochin Export Processing Zone. Today it is one of the largest employment destinations in Kerala, and is spread over 41.7 hectares at Kakkanad (about eight kilometres from Ernakulam), on the new seaport-airport highway.

SEZs are meant to provide export processing units an operating environment free from legal hassles governing import and export, a liberal regime in respect of levies, domestic regulations and restrictions in order to boost manufacturing and augment exports, earn foreign exchange and generate employment opportunities.

In other words, they are meant to generate additional economic activity; promote exports of goods and services; encourage investment from domestic and foreign sources; create jobs; and develop infrastructure facilities in order to attract foreign and domestic investments.

As far as trade operations, duties and tariffs are concerned, SEZs are considered “foreign territory”, outside the territory of the Indian Customs department.

There are 98 units now functioning in the CSEZ, in sectors such as electronic hardware and food and agro-products (which together account for the majority of exports), plastic and rubber products, engineering goods, gem and jewellery, textiles and garments, and electronics software. Twenty-three more units are being established.

These units together employ over 11,200 employees and registered exports worth Rs.17,003.53 crore in 2009-10, a growth of 45 per cent over the previous year. In 2010-11, it was the jewellery sector that showed impressive growth, with 93 per cent of share in export, according to initial estimates by the State government.

The CSEZ is strategically located, with the international maritime highway from Europe to the Pacific Rim just 12 nautical miles off Kochi and major international air routes passing over the city. The State government plans to develop a Greater Cochin SEZ by adding on more phases of the SEZ at the Cochin port and Cochin airport, and forming customs-bonded industrial areas along the airport-seaport highway. The inauguration of the Vallarpadam Container Transhipment Terminal SEZ nearby has been a major factor in enhancing the location advantages of the SEZs in Kerala.

Besides operating the CSEZ, the jurisdiction of its Development Commissioner (the designated authority running the enclave) extends to new SEZs being set up in Kerala and Karnataka and also the hundred Export-Oriented Units (EOUs) in Kerala, Karnataka, Lakshadweep and Mahe. Nearly 75 EOUs are in operation in Kerala and 15 more units are being established.

The CSEZ, however, is the only multi-sector SEZ in Kerala, and expansion plans are being mooted in nearby Alappuzha district on 125 acres (1 acre = 0.4 ha) of government land in Cherthala taluk. The policy of the Kerala government allows the development of SEZs on its own, or in the public, private or joint sector.

In addition to eight SEZs notified earlier in Kerala, seven more were notified during 2009-10. Among them were the four SEZs developed by the Kerala State Information Technology Infrastructure Ltd at Kollam, Alappuzha, Pallippuram and Kannur and others by Electronic Technology Park–Technopark in Thiruvananthapuram, Carborandum Universal Ltd at north Thrikkakkara (near Kochi) and TCG Infrastructure Holding Ltd at Thrikkakkara.

KOCHI: Spices major Synthite Industries Limited, a global leader in oleoresins, anchored its foray into the international market for natural products by acquiring a Chinese firm for a consideration of $3 million (Rs 159 crore) early this month. The acquisition of the firm based at Xinjian in the southern Jiangxi province is the first of its kind by a Kerala-based firm.

The Rs 800-crore Synthite, based at Kolenchery near Kochi, has been scouting for potential acquisitions for the past few months to expand its market for natural products in China and Indonesia.

Link: TOI (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kochi/Synthite-acquires-Chinese-firm-for-3-mn/articleshow/11468505.cms)

Synthite sets up new product division as part of internal rejig (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kochi/Synthite-sets-up-new-product-division-as-part-of-internal-rejig/articleshow/11532990.cms)
Spices and natural products company Synthite Industries Ltd (http://synthite.com/corporate-information) has set up a new product development division (NPD) (http://synthite.com/new-products) early this month which will come up with value-added solutions for oleoresins and other export-oriented spice products of the company. Synthite Ltd Director Aju Jacob will lead the new division.

The NPD has been set up by merging the Synthite Natural Specialties, R&D and Technical Services divisions. The move is expected to bring out the synergies in these functions, Jacob said.

"The new division will study the application of products in specific segments of the food industry. Based on this study, we will develop standard products for each of these segments, which can then be sold to a large number of customers. The products so developed can be customised again to meet specific needs," Jacob said.

The NPD will have 33 people on its rolls. "We are planning to build a new technology centre in Kolencherry and move employees there to foster an atmosphere that aids creativity," Jacob said. He also stated that Synthite would look beyond developing generic and customised solutions for flavour houses and develop standard products that cater to a wider audience in the food and feed industry.

The company will build the NPD around four different classes of products - natural specialties (flavours), natural colours, anti-oxidants and health ingredients. "The anti-oxidant market holds great potential. We are trying to understand the anti-oxidation properties inherent in foodstuffs like meat and seafood."

Synthite presently markets its anti-oxidant brand under the tag of 'Neox'.

The R&D department will provide the research backbone, while the technical service team will develop suitable equipment, processes and products to launch commercial production.

FACT likely to seek private investment (http://ibnlive.in.com/news/fact-likely-to-seek-private-investment/222189-60-122.html)
FACT’s attempt to move out of the red is going to be tough with no major public sector undertaking (PSU) showing any interest in it. In this scenario, the fertilizer company is likely to join hands with the private sector for its expansion. Initially, FACT’s plan was to go in for a joint venture with a PSU to implement some of its long-pending projects such as the new urea plant, phosphoric acid plant, and capacity expansion for factamfos production and a container freight station (CFS). However, no company has responded to its express of interest (EoI). The CFS was aimed to tap business related to the International Container Transshipment Terminal. The urea-plant project gains significance in the wake of India’s demand for about 28 million tonnes of urea, of which only 8 million tonnes are being imported. Heavy interest on loans availed of by the company to tide over the liquidity crunch is a major problem before the FACT management. The company paid a whopping `140 crore as interest alone during last year and suffered a loss of around `40 crore. “If the company did not have such a burden, we could have generated a profit of `100 crore,” FACT chairman and MD Sham Lal Goyal had said at a seminar recently.
He had said that the firm was planning to approach the Centre for an interest-free loan of `550 crore to tide over the crisis. The management was looking for a joint venture with PSUs such as Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilizers or any of the oil companies. “We were mainly looking at public sector oil companies, but none has evinced interest. However, no decision has been taken on private investment,” said a company spokesperson.

New Factamfos plant likely to be set up (http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/article2824504.ece)
Fertilizers and Chemicals Travancore (FACT) is expected to see a major investment in expansion and capacity addition in 15 years in the form of a new, 1,000-tonnes-per-day Factamfos plant at the Kochi division.

The last major investment in the fertilizer company was in a 900-tonnes-per-day ammonia plant, which involved an investment of more than Rs. 600 crore.

Several plans on anvil

Involving an investment upwards of Rs. 250 crore, the proposed Factamfos production facility is among several other plans on the anvil for the public sector fertilizer giant. A Rs. 680-crore, five-lakh-tonnes-per-day urea plant, using carbon dioxide from FACT's ammonia plant and 2,000-tonnes per day sulphuric acid plant have also been proposed.

The detailed project report is ready for the proposed Factamfos plant and a detailed environment impact assessment study is under way. The plant is likely to be commissioned in two years, the money being found through internal accruals and assistance from the Union government.

FACT management is also preparing a detailed project report on increasing the capacity of 360-tonnes-per-day phosphoric acid plant to 540 tonnes per day.

Factamfos, the 20:20:0:13 complex fertilizer from FACT, is its sales driver and during 2010-11 the company sold nearly 6.5 lakh tonnes of the product. Factamfos sales this financial year stands at over 4,20,000 tonnes till the end of December.

Meanwhile, it is learnt that consultant Deloitte is reviewing the working capital requirement of FACT, which uses naptha as feedstock. The consultant had recommended in 2008 that FACT should be given a lifeline in the form of a special assistance of Rs. 450 crore in working capital. The money, being given as interest-free loan, was meant to bridge the gap in working capital till LNG was made available in Kochi with the commissioning of the LNG terminal.

FACT is at a disadvantage over some of the other fertilizer companies in the country considering the feedstock it uses. While the cost of LNG input is a little more than U.S .$ 4 per MMBTU, naptha costs six times that amount. Though the Union government provided Nutrient-Based Subsidy Scheme to make up for the gap, FACT's share of compensation was, initially, much lower than some of its competitors.

For example, while FACT was awarded Rs. 2,331 per tonne of Factamfos under the NBSS, its counterpart Madras Fertilizers was awarded Rs. 4,784 per tonne for its Factamfos-equivalent product. This anomaly is being rectified through an interim increase in the rate of compensation to FACT.

End with a profit

The FACT Officers' Association has said that the fertilizer company made a profit of Rs. 30 crore over the last two quarters and that the company would be able to end the year with a profit given that it would get its share of fertilizer subsidy and other incentives.

A spokesman for the Association said that FACT's future depended on the availability of natural gas at competitive rates. He pointed out that if FACT received LNG as feedstock at the rate it was made available to other fertilizer companies, FACT would have ended the financial year 2010-11 with a profit of more than Rs. 200 crore.

H&R Johnson to scale up Woodenza business (http://www.myiris.com/newsCentre/storyShow.php?fileR=20120130201121200&dir=2012/01/30)
Johnson Woodenza, the wooden flooring business of H&R Johnson (India), a division of Prism Cement announced an aggressive scale up across pan-India. The company is using the franchisee retail route for the business growth with focus on high-volume markets to drive business penetration and volumes.

As part of this business penetration, the company is looking at creating a specialized franchised hub network across key markets like Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kochi, Kolkata and Ludhiana. This Franchisee network will function in a Hub & Spoke manner thereby being a strategic hub to recruit multiple Spokes in the form of retail counters to drive business volumes. H&R Johnson expects South India to contribute nearly 30% of business volumes in the Woodenza business while North and West India are expected to contribute about 25%, East India is expected to contribute nearly 20% volumes.

Commenting on the planned scale-up of its Woodenza business, Vijay Aggarwal, Managing Director, Prism Cement (Q,N,C,F)* said, ``The wooden flooring segment is growing about 40% every year as it has become the preferred choice in shops, restaurants, hotel rooms, and residential projects. Our business scale-up plans for Woodenza is in line with our commitment to grow in the wooden flooring business by delivering innovative and stylish products to consumers.``

Johnson Woodenza products are an international range sourced from some of the top wooden flooring brands in the world. The Johnson Woodenza range, lends its signature beauty and elegance to the rich interiors of homes and commercial projects built to make a statement.

DGCA favours financial autonomy for AI Express (http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/dgca-favours-financial-autonomy-for-ai-express/463281/)
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has recommended giving financial autonomy to Air India Charters Ltd (AICL), the company which runs Air India Express, the low-cost brand of Air India operating in the international sector.

“From a safety perspective, it is imperative that AICL be given financial autonomy,” said a financial audit report done by the aviation regulator.

The DGCA decided to go for a financial audit of all the airlines after Kingfisher Airlines grounded planes and cancelled flights without prior information. A safety audit had raised issues on the functioning of Kingfisher and AI Express. The audit of Air India is currently on.
AI Express is the international low-cost carrier subsidiary of the government carrier, and operates in West Asian and Southeast Asian countries with its base in central Kerala’s Kochi. The airline operates 204 flights a week and connects 14 international destinations

The airline, with an equity base of Rs 30 crore, operates 21 Boeing 737-800 aircraft. Of the 21 aircraft, 17 are owned by the company, while the rest are on lease.

AI Express has accumulated losses of Rs 1,105 crore and is estimated to incur losses of Rs 430 crore in the current fiancial year. It has a debt of over Rs 3,687 crore, comprising Rs 2,387 crore (long term for aircraft acquisition) and Rs 1,300 crore (short term).

According to an agreement with parent company Air India, the airline shares 25 per cent of the revenue with the latter. It is projected to share Rs 430 crore for 2011-12 on revenue of Rs 1,700 crore.

AI Express has to depend on its parent company for pilots and other administrative staff. “AI Express is considered the training ground for AI pilots,” said a senior AI official, who did not want to be identified. “The airline does not have its own pilot cadre. The shortage will continue unless it creates its own cadre of pilots.”

AI Express, the official added, is financially much stable than its parent company, which is under huge losses. “AI Express is estimated to make losses of Rs 430 crore, and that is exactly the amount it will pay to Air India,” the official said. “If one removes that, the airline will be a profit making company.”

Air India is under huge losses of Rs 20,000 crore and a debt of Rs 43,000 crore. The airline is also working on debt restructuring plans with 26 banks that had lent to the carrier.

It has also asked the government to infuse around Rs 5,400 crore more in the current financial year. The government has already infused Rs 3,200 crore (Rs 1,200 crore infused in 2011-12) in the airline.

Creating a fresh cluster culture (http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/article2849497.ece)
Kerala Furniture Consortium Private Limited, near Kochi, and Confederation for Ayurverdic Renaissance Kerala Limited (CARe Keralam), Thrissur, are among the seven industrial clusters selected by the National Innovation Council from across the country as part of a pilot programme to “seed and strengthen innovation in industry clusters.”

These industrial clusters, incorporated in 2006 and 2011 respectively, were established under a programme of cluster development by the Union Ministry for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises. They won national recognition for leveraging the strength of micro and small enterprises in building a fresh manufacturing culture and establishing niche markets.

Initiatives at CARe Keralam under the pilot programme include efforts to “take Ayurveda to the world through revalidation by way of science,” said its Managing Director Karimpuzha Raman on Tuesday. Standardisation is the first issue being tackled by the consortium of 110 manufacturers spread across Kerala, he said.

The furniture cluster is holding skill development programmes and is being equipped with hi-tech machinery for raw material processing; components development and accessing the bulk supply market under the initiative by the Innovation Council, which seeks “to transform an industry cluster into an industry innovation cluster.”

Collaborations

“The Cluster Innovation Centre will promote collaborations, bringing together industry, academia, research institutions, professional service organisations, government, non-government agencies and society,” said the Council report on the pilot project that covers seven sectors including automobile components, Faridabad; bamboo products, Agartala; brassware, Moradabad; food processing, Krishnagiri and life sciences, Ahmadabad.

Raw material standardisation will ensure that Ayurvedic products have a common standard. Stringent testing for quality at the CSIR-affiliated laboratory at Koratty, near Thrissur, is another step in taking Ayurveda to the world.

A research and development section and a museum on India's own system of medicine are also part of the programmes being implemented.

Managing Director of the Furniture Consortium K.P. Rajendran said that the Consortium figured in the 20 clusters chosen by German agency for international cooperation GIZ, and it also found a place among the 40 industrial clusters chosen by the MSME Department.

Multi-brand IT outlets mushrooming in the city

http://img267.imageshack.us/img267/5925/39486030384280029701331.jpg

Hankook (http://global.hankooktire.com/Main/default.aspx) concept store opened in Kochi

http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/5925/39486030384280029701331.jpg

Source: Manorama

Sree Sakthi Paper registers 7.3% sales growth in Q3 (http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/companies/article2860475.ece)
Notwithstanding the economic slowdown, the Kochi-based Sree Sakthi Paper Mills Ltd managed to register a 7.3 per cent growth in sales during the quarter ended December 31.

The kraft paper manufacturer produced 18,666 tonne during the lean quarter (as compared to 18,526 tonne in the corresponding quarter of the previous year) and clocked a net turnover of Rs 47.40 crore for the three-month period as against Rs 44.25 crore in the corresponding period of 2010 . The average net sales realization this year was higher by 7.9 per cent.

After taking into account a foreign exchange fluctuation loss of Rs 71 lakh, the company made a profit of Rs 119.46 lakh. But for the forex fluctuation, the operating profit would have been higher by 11 per cent.

The company's boiler project is slated to be completed before the end of the current fiscal. With the economy showing some signs of improvement, the benefits of recent modernisation-cum-expansion should be felt in the coming quarters, a company statement issued here said.

Furniture consortium plans big with Toyota method (http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/article2871001.ece)
What has Toyota Production System, known also as lean manufacturing practice, got to do with Kerala's ambitions to become a rubber-wood industry powerhouse?

The Kerala Furniture Consortium, a venture of small furniture manufacturers, near here, backed by the Union Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Industries, feels that adopting the globally renowned manufacturing practice will take the State closer to realising its ambitions.

While the consortium is in the middle of adopting the manufacturing system, it plans a furniture design and patenting facility in Kochi with help from the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad.

Tata Consultancy Services is its consultant for adopting Quality Technology Tools and it has already soft-launched Kerala's furniture brand of the future — Kefcon, its managing director, K.P. Raveendran, says.

The consortium, he says, is among the seven chosen by the National Innovation Council for special support. It was incorporated in 2006, has 33 members, and helps out more than 600 small-scale wood product makers in Ernakulam.

The consortium provides a common raw material processing facility; makes high-tech machinery available to small manufacturers; and helps them in components development and in accessing clients such as Railways and defence services, which require bulk supplies.

Common centres

The consortium also plans common facility centres soon in Kollam, Malappuram, Kozhikode, and Kannur.

Mr. Ravindran is confident that Kerala can catch up with Malaysia, a leader in the rubber-wood furniture market provided there is support to obtain new technologies. Kerala offers skilled labour, comparatively cheaper than what is available in Malaysia, he says.

However, the price of rubber wood is a big area for concern. C. Sabu, managing director of Meenachil Rubber Wood Ltd., in which the Rubber Board has a major share, says that rubber wood costs about Rs.6,500 a tonne in India. It costs around Rs.2,500 a tonne in Malaysia, Thailand, China, and Vietnam.

Countries such as Malaysia are already exporting rubber wood boards at Rs.60-65 a sq.ft, while the India-made boards cost about Rs.90 a sq.ft, Mr. Sabu says.

Indian rubber wood industry manufactures products as varied as packing cases to knocked-down furniture. There are just about a score of big players, who together account for a business volume of around Rs.200 crore a year.

But rubber wood's acceptability in the European market as timber that does not eat into tropical rainforests is a big advantage.

If enterprises in the State can add value to at least 25-50 per cent of the estimated 1.5 million cubic metres of rubber wood available annually, it can make its mark on the world market.

An official of the State-run cooperative Rubco says that only about 10 per cent of the rubber wood now goes into value addition. This situation has to change drastically.

Asus to launch premium tablet (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kochi/Asus-to-launch-premium-tablet/articleshow/11816557.cms)
Personal computer and accessories manufacturer Asus will launch its premium computing tablet Prime on February 22 in India, said Alex Huang, country head for the business systems group of Asus Technology Pvt Ltd (India).

He was in Kochi to inaugurate Laptop World, the company's third outlet in Kerala.

Running on the Android Honeycomb 3.2 operating system, the slim tablet will have a 10.1 inch screen. "This is a premium product with an NVIDIA Tegra 3 quadcore processor priced at Rs 49,999," said Huang.

Asus' Transformer, a crossover between a tablet and a netbook launched last year, accounts for 5% of the total portable devices market in the country, he said.

In Kerala, the model gained only 2.5% of the portable devices market.

Kerala contributes 7 to 8% of the overall turnover of Asus Technology. Huang believes that this will rise to 10% of the top line by the end of the current fiscal. Nationwide, the company is on an expansion drive and is planning to open 100 shops in 4-5 months. Asus currently has stores in New Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Kozhikode, Goa, Jaipur, Thane, Raipur, Bhilai, Gurgaon and Durgapur.

Sree Sakthi Paper top line up 7% in Q3 (http://www.equitybulls.com/admin/news2006/news_det.asp?id=101237)+
Notwithstanding the economic slowdown Kochi-based Sree Sakthi Paper Mills Limited (http://www.sreekailas.com/index.php) managed to register 7.3% growth in sales during the quarter ended 31st December, 2011.

The kraft paper manufacturer produced 18666 MT during the lean quarter (as compared to 18526 MT in the corresponding quarter of previous year) and clocked a net turnover of Rs 47.40 cr for the three-month period as against Rs 44.25 cr in the corresponding period of last year. Average net sales realization this year was higher by 7.9%

After taking into account a foreign exchange fluctuation loss of Rs 71 lakh, the company netted a profit of Rs 119.46 lakh. But for the forex fluctuation, the Operating Profit would have been higher by 11%.

The company's boiler project is slated to be completed before the end of current fiscal. With the economy showing some signs of improvement, the benefits of recent modernization-cum-expansion should be felt in the coming quarters.

Gurnee firm opens office in India (http://newssun.suntimes.com/business/10510000-420/gurnee-firm-opens-office-in-india.html)
Henry Broch & Company (http://www.hbroch.com/#!) said Wednesday it has established an office in Cochin, India to source ingredients for the food processing industry throughout Southeast Asia.

Broch, at 3940 Porett Drive in Gurnee, along with its subsidiary, Antonetti, Price & Kuzma, represents natural ingredients — spices, vegetables, fruits, herbs and extracts — from supply sources worldwide, and sells to major food companies in the U.S. and overseas.

“Our office in Cochin allows us to have direct, daily contact with growers and up-to-the-minute information on growing conditions and production in Southeast Asia,” said Greg Antonetti, Broch vice president of sales and business development. “Our newly established field office will ensure that the ingredients we source are consistently of the highest quality.”

Broch, one of the largest U.S. industrial ingredients sales and distribution firms, was founded in 1941. Cochin (Kochi) is a major port city on the Arabian Ocean in southwest India.

KSIDC proposal to set up 'Ready-mix concrete' plant in Kochi (http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-propertyplus/article2881155.ece)
The Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation (KSIDC) is proposing the setting up of a ready-mix concrete plant in Kochi against such a background.

Ready-mix concrete is ready to be used, with cement, sand, metal, and other additives mixed as required by the client. It is manufactured in a centrally located factory (batching plant) and delivered to the worksite, generally in special trucks known as transit mixers, capable of mixing the ingredients en route .

A KSIDC report says the ready-mix concrete business in India is still in its infancy. Nearly 80 per cent of the cement consumption in developed countries is in the form of ready-mix concrete and 20 per cent in the form of recast.

In India, ready-mix concrete accounts for less than 5 per cent of the cement consumption. In contrast, 70 per cent of the cement produced in a developed country such as Japan is used by the ready-mix concrete business, the report says.

Availability of raw materials, such as sand, metal and water, apart from cement, are to be considered before deciding on the location of the plant. Kochi is considered suitable as the ingredients can be made available without much difficulty.

A unit will consist of a batching plant, a transit mixer, and a concrete pump. The cost of machinery for a plant with a capacity of 30 cubic metres per hour is around Rs.2 crore. The total cost of the project will be Rs.4 crore. The plant will have to employ 20 persons. The KSIDC project will be executed with private participation.

Cisco eyes $400 mn IT opportunity outside top six metros (http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/ites/cisco-eyes-400-mn-it-opportunity-outside-top-six-metros/articleshow/11889904.cms)
Networking major Cisco on Tuesday said it aims to tap the USD 400 million IT market outside the top six metros and would focus on partner-led business model to increase its geographical reach.

He said the company plans to scale up operations and create growth leveraging on its partners. Cisco will develop joint business plans along with partners and allocate funding and resources to tap the market.

"Over the past few years, we have experienced remarkable growth in the partner-led segment. Today, this segment is a major contributor to Cisco's revenue in the country; with significant headroom for market development and expansion, particularly in tier II and upcountry markets," Menon said.

Partner business group is the fastest growing business unit for Cisco in India and accounts for one-third of its India revenues. "It is the fastest growing business division for us, growing at over 45 per cent CAGR for the last three years. We would further increase our channel efforts to augment partner capabilities," Menon said.

The partner-led strategy will focus on increasing geographical reach and drive business for products and services for India market.

Cisco, which follows July-June financial year, will focus on strengthening its base across top 14 non-metros to which it would extend its reach in the current financial year.

These cities are Chandigarh, Lucknow, Gawahati, Jaipur, Bhopal, Indore, Ahmedabad, Vododhara, Bhubaneswar, Vizag, Coimbatore, Kochi, Kanpur and Patna.

Menon also said that its Unified Communications Manager BE 3000 - its first product designed and developed for the Indian market by its team here, has around 300 users at present. Cisco expects to sell about 10,000-12,000 units of the product in the next six months.

I have seen plenty of office space lying vaccant in area's like Kadavanthra and Kaloor simply because of over supply.

Similarly there is another high end office space u/c from Calicut based Hi-Lite U/C in Vyttilla. Wonder if we really have such demand in Kochi.


I just figured out the presence of MNC's in Kochi, not considering their size, utility or area of business. And here's few findings of mine! Add to the list if you are aware of more firms, as there's many :)

Mott MacDonald (http://www.mottmac.in/contactus/cochin/)
Huawei (http://www.huawei.com/ap/en/catalog.do?id=1153)
CITI Bank (http://www.online.citibank.co.in/customerservice/branch-atm-locations.htm?eOfferCode=LFTNVCS)
IBM (http://www-07.ibm.com/in/city/kerala/cochin/index.html?ca=vbo_map)
Microsoft (http://www.microsoft.com/india/msindia/msindia_ouroffices.aspx#Kochi)
Nokia Siemens Networks (http://entrance-exam.net/engineer-cs-core-nokia-siemens-networks/)
HSBC (http://www.hsbc.co.in/1/2/miscellaneous/about-hsbc)
ABB (http://www.abb.co.in/References/Default.aspx?db=db/db0004/db001502.nsf&c=098df9ab9d4ed8dec12574a9003f3901)
JCB (http://www.jcbindia.com/dealerlocator.aspx?QS=D|33)
Acer (http://www.acer.co.in/ac/en/IN/content/contacts)
Siemens (http://www.siemens.co.in/pool/about_us/our_locations/siemens_location_list_for_intranet_28-1-09.pdf)
RBS Wealth Management (http://royalwealthmanagement.rbs.com/royal-wealth-management/Contact-us/en/index.asp#Cochin)
Honeywell ADI (http://www.honeywell.com/sites/portal?smap=honeywell_india&page=HIIPL3&theme=T6&catID=C01CB9B3E-88B1-F66B-564E-F69D1A4C1519&id=HC82444AC-E237-617F-AA11-2899A8C3F0EA&sel=6)
MAERSK Line (http://www.maerskline.com/link/?page=lhp&path=/asia/india/servicepoints/Cochin)
Evergreen-Line (http://www.evergreen-line.com/tbo1/jsp/TBO1_GlobalInfo.jsp?en=n&Type=&Country=IN&CountryName=India)
Mediterranean Shipping Company (http://www.mscindia.com/contact/cochin.html)
HAPAG-LLOYD (http://www.hapag-lloyd.com/en/offices/office_1588866.html)
MOL Mitsui OSK Lines (http://www.molpower.com/htm/contact/office_asia.htm#wasia)
APL (http://www.apl.com/india/html/contact.html)
COSCON (http://www.coscon.com/contact/getOffice.do?area=Asia%20%20%20%20%20%20&selectI=1&country=India)
NorthgateArinso (http://www.ngahr.com/news/northgatearinso-opens-new-global-service-delivery-centre-hyderabad)

^^

CISCO, ADOBE etc joining soon. Kochi is a business hub!

Adobe Revamps India Strategy (http://www.crn.in/Software-015Feb012-Adobe-Revamps-India-Strategy.aspx)
Adobe has revamped its go-to-market (GTM) strategy to include channel expansion; it also intends to target enterprise customers aggressively. Besides, the company is moving ahead with its plans to become customer-focused from being a product-focused organization.

“Our GTM strategy for 2012 has a two-pronged approach: channel expansion and a focus on enterprise customers,” said Vineet Sood, Director, Channel, Alliances and Inside Sales (South Asia), Adobe Systems.

Increasing its focus on enterprises, Adobe is planning to expand its channel base of about 80 active partners to more than 120 in 2012. The company is eying system integrators (SIs) to service its enterprise customers. Further, it has plans to revamp its partner program, and will be rolling out its third generation program, Adobe Partner Connection (APC), in Q22012.

“APC has three objectives: improve the earning-to-sweat ratio of Adobe partners by increasing margins on Adobe solutions; expand the channel base beyond metros and tier-1 cities to tier-2 cities such as Kochi, Jaipur, Pune and Kolkata; and align SIs like Wipro, HCL, TCS and Dell to serve enterprise customers. We are already in touch with these large SIs for partnerships,” explained Sood.

Adobe is planning to introduce specialized certification programs for partners operating in the education and digital media segments.

Added Sood, “We are revamping our set-up to become a customer-focused organization with an emphasis on segments like media, entertainment, BFSI, telecom, FMCG, manufacturing, IT/ITeS, retail and e-governance. We also expect good growth from digital media and digital marketing solutions. While SMB customers will be serviced directly by partners, enterprise customers will have direct representation from Adobe, while the implementation will be done by partners.”

Meanwhile, the company has appointed Kulmeet Bawa as Director, Enterprise Business, India and South Asia. It has also appointed regional territory managers in several cities including Hyderabad, Chandigarh and Ahmedabad.

BenQ launches slew of products in Kerala (http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/marketing/article2896682.ece?homepage=true&ref=wl_home)
As part of strengthening its channel outreach in south India, BenQ, the internationally-renowned consumer lifestyle brand, has announced the launch of more than 20 products in Kochi. This includes Projectors, Monitors, TVs and Cameras in various price ranges.

Mr Rajeev Singh, Country Head and General Manager, BenQ India, said that Kochi is a booming market for technology with rapid developments taking place. With the Government announcing a project to build an industrial park named Electronic City, the demand for projectors and monitors are expected to grow, opening up new opportunities for the company.

AIMED AT EDUCATION SECTOR

Aimed at enhancing the teaching and learning process at schools through the maximum use of ICT tools, the focus is on providing the schools with multimedia projectors, monitors and other IT-enabled devices for better learning in the classrooms. Kerala has been a traditionally strong market for BenQ projectors, having supplied more than 4,500 projectors for educational institute in 2011with customers and partners like Keltron and Next Education, the company see that the numbers from the State can be doubled in 2012, he said.

Upsurge in demand of projectors is key to BenQ's growth in India, with the market size increasing from almost 300,000 units in 2011 to estimated 500,000 units in 2012. BenQ has tapped this potential market coming out as a leader with a massive 20 percent overall share, he said.

Keeping in mind the rise in demand for projectors from the education sector in India, BenQ plans to unveil new models to meet the demands of this sector.

Products of 2 UK companies launched (http://ibnlive.in.com/generalnewsfeed/news/products-of-2-uk-companies-launched-in-india/963884.html)

Hope Kochi gets the nod for the plant!
Kochi, Feb 15 (PTI): Foreshore Automation Systems Private Ltd, a Group company of UAE based Kingston Holdings, today said it was aiming a sales turnover of 10 million US dollars this year from various products of two UK based companies in India. While Xpelair is a world leader in Ventilation products, Rexon Technologies is into lifestyle, Security, and Energy efficient products and solutions LED lighting and Sensors. Launching the products Lalu Samuel, Chairman Kingston Holdings Group, told reporters here this was the first venture in India of the two UK based companies. The up market products were higly priced and energy efficient. Though the products are presently being imported, they were looking at Kerala, Karntaka, Chennai for setting up a manfuacturing plant, he said. In Southern India the construction sector was active and there could be demand for the products. Products manfuactured by Xpelair are Carbonite compliant which ensures less impact on planet resources. It uses lesser energy making it economical in the long run. The product range includes energy saving auto controls (sensors) deisgn to respond to changing indoor Air quality without human intervention, Ian Michael Urmston, Xpelair International sales manager and Stephen James Mongan International Marketing manager said. Rexton has diverse portfolio in various categories including Home security, Door Entry, Access control , Data storage, Samuel said. The group was targetting 20 per cent growth in the next 5 years and new products would be introduced.

Genomics, the new beckoning for Calsoft founder (http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/companies/article2897092.ece)
The founder of California Software, Mr Sam Santosh, has quit the company and is ready for a stint in genomics R&D. He resigned as CEO and Managing Director of California Software on February 13.

Last year, Mr Santosh, along with a few NRI friends, invested $3 million to incubate a company called SciGenom, which specialises in DNA sequencing to predict and treat diseases.

Mr Santosh is the CEO and promoter of SciGenom. He has a controlling stake in the company.

LAB IN KOCHI

SciGenom has a 10,000 sq.ft lab in a special economic zone in Kochi, Mr Santosh's hometown. For the last one year, the lab has been working with hospitals in Kochi, Bangalore and Chennai validating various tests on the Indian population across oncology, prenatal and cardio diseases.

Saliva, blood and tumour samples are tested to get their DNA code, which is then used to predict diseases and one's predisposition to diseases. The data also helps doctors prescribe the appropriate drugs to patients.

The genome company employs 40 people, including 25 scientists — some of them have returned home from the US. The company has commercialised 30 tests (priced between Rs 1,000 and Rs 10,000) and is ready for a national roll-out in a few months.

The tests will be promoted under the brand MedGenome. There are plans to set up labs in major cities, besides tying up with diagnostic chains to set up collection centres across the country.

‘NEXT REVOLUTION'

On why he chose genomics to put his money in, Mr Santosh says: “Twenty years ago, I invested in software and IT. After IT, the next revolution is going to be in genomics. There have been big breakthroughs in sequencing technologies.”

For the past 20 years, Mr Santosh was the Managing Director & CEO of Chennai-based California Software Company, which he founded in 1992. He scaled up Calsoft to become a global IT player with over 1,200 employees and offices in eight countries. The company went public in India in 1996.

Calsoft later became a subsidiary of Chemoil, which was acquired by Glencore, Switzerland. Calsoft subsequently sold most of its units; today it has a small presence in India with 250 people in Chennai and Bangalore.

Mr Santosh moved out as promoter of Calsoft in 2010. He holds an engineering degree and an MBA from IIM Kolkata. He lives in Pleasanton, California.

Ford launches new showroom in Cochin (http://www.oncars.in/Car-News-Detail/Ford-launches-45-dealerships-in-India/1853)
Ford India (http://www.india.ford.com/) has inaugurated 45 new sales and service outlets spread across 35 cities in India today. Of the new inaugurals, 20 outlets will offer 3S - showroom, sales and service - facilities, while 14 will be service workshops and 11 will be standalone sales showrooms. The aggressive expansion of sales and service network follows the overwhelming success of the company's small car, Ford Figo and the soft launch of the SUV, Ford EcoSport at the 2012 Auto Expo in New Delhi.

With today's inaugurals, Ford India has expanded its dealership network to 230 sales and service outlets spread across 123 cities in India. Exactly two years back on 16 February, Ford India had launched 26 dealerships on a single day. With the company's aggressive expansion of sales and service network, Ford aims at increasing its worldwide sales by nearly 50 per cent by mid-decade.

New outlets have been opened in New Delhi, Noida, Rohtak, Sonepat, Panipat, Kanpur, Lucknow, Bareilly, Gorakhpur, Alwar, Bikaner in the North; Rourkela, Agartala, Kolkata in the East; Bangalore, Chennai, Cochin, Coimbatore, Gulbarga, Hyderabad, Belgaum, Thanjavur, Tirupur in the South; and Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Goa, Jabalpur, Indore, Sagar, Solapur, Bhillai, Jamnagar in the Western region.

Kochi Refinery mulls sulphur link to FACT (http://http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kochi/Kochi-Refinery-mulls-sulphur-link-to-FACT/articleshow/11920558.cms)

Kochi Refinery, operated by Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL), is understood to be planning to build a pipeline to transport molten sulphur from its refinery in Ambalamugal to Fertiliser and Chemicals Travancore Ltd (FACT), as part of the phase I of its Rs 12,000-crore expansion plan to boost refining capacity, a source close to the project said.

The refinery is yet to announce a detailed proposal for the pipeline project, which could include a sulphur handling terminal, though the source said that discussions have been initiated with FACT. "It is a very good possibility at the moment.

Setting up a sulphur link makes strategic sense for us and will also serve FACT's raw material requirements," the source said. Kochi Refinery is presently scouting for a joint venture partner for a new sulphur recovery unit which is part of its Phase I expansion plans to improve refining capacity from 9.5 MMTPA (Million Metric Tonnes Per Annum) to 15.5 MMTPA by 2016.

The new sulphur recovery unit which is part of the six new units coming up under the integrated expansion plan, will raise the refinery's sulphur production capacity to 260 TMT (Thousand Metric Tonnes) annually from 48 TMT at present.

"FACT's sulphur requirements are estimated in the region of 200 TMT (Thousand Metric Tonnes) or more annually and the new facilities will be equipped to handle thatOnce Phase I of the expansion is in final stages of completion we will look to work on the pipeline to meet FACT's supply requirements

," the source said. Besides the sulphur recovery unit, BPCL, which acquired Kochi refinery in 2006, will award engineering, procurement and construction contracts for a crude distillation unit, vacuum gas oil hydro treating unit, diesel desulphurisation unit, petro-fluidised catalytic cracking unit and a naphtha hydro treatment unit.

Vimta Labs has conducted an Environmental Impact Assessment study and has given the go-ahead to the Refinery's expansion plan. A feasibility report is expected to be placed before the BPCL board next month.

Ford launches new showroom in Cochin (http://www.oncars.in/Car-News-Detail/Ford-launches-45-dealerships-in-India/1853)

Ford India opened a new showroom ‘Malayalam Ford’ in Kochi on Thursday. This was part of an initiative by the company where 45 new sales and service outlets in 35 locations across the country were launched on a single day. With the new outlets, Ford India has strengthened its pan-India network to 230 sales and service outlets with presence in over 123 cities, said Tom Chackalackal, executive director, Ford India, while inaugurating the new showroom in Kochi.

“The new showroom will further extend Ford’s grasp on world-class products and services in one of the world’s fast growing auto market. From sales and service expansion to localisation to affordable spares and child part strategy, Ford India has truly redefined what consumers want and desire,” said Chackalackal.

Ford India opened a new showroom ‘Malayalam Ford’ in Kochi on Thursday.

They also have atleast 4 service points in the city.

They called me at least five times, claimed it is an intro call, and casually asked for my address, car number etc. I politely declined, telling that they do not need it.

Infact, i can say that Ford is one of the best service providers in Kochi, with my experience.

Kochi firm develops party invite tool (http://english.manoramaonline.com/cgi-bin/MMOnline.dll/portal/ep/contentView.do?contentId=11049255&tabId=1&channelId=-1073865030&programId=1080132912)
For those who party often and find it difficult to send out invitations, Leap Software Solutions Private Limited (http://www.leapsoft.in/). has begun providing a free online invitation tool called Yoovite.com.

Yoovite.com (http://www.yoovite.com/), developed by Kochi-based Leap Software Solutions with its US subsidiary, has been designed to create and manage online invitations for parties and events such as weddings, birthdays and other occasions.

Incidentally, this mode of invitation is quite popular in the western world, and is now coming to India for the first time.

Leap Software's Chief Operating Officer and Technology head Boby Thomas said, "This is one of the major internet tools they have developed for Indian customers."

"This tool has features such as login with your Facebook account, send SMS messages to guests, import contacts from your email account such as Gmail, Yahoo Mail, Hotmail or Rediff mail. It also offers features to manage RSVPs of all your guests," said Thomas.

Once registered in Yoovite.com, you can choose from hundreds of available designs or templates. There is a robust event management section where the user can manage their past and future events, manage their contacts, create groups and much more.

Yoovite Mobile App for both iPhone and the Android market are currently under development and will be available soon to download.

Proposals to setup plants to produce tissue paper (http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-propertyplus/article2908756.ece)
Major industrial units such as an oil refinery, an LPG bottling plant, and machine tools, fertilizer, and chemical manufacturing units have helped Kochi maintain its superior position in industry. The new mega projects such as an international container transhipment terminal and an LNG terminal are taking the achievements forward.

As massive commercial activities attract the masses to the city, one serious consequence has been the strain on infrastructure. A question that crops up at development-oriented discussions is whether mega projects are suitable for a city which is bursting at the seams. This has given scope for smaller yet significant projects that go well with the times.

Several new projects which require small areas of land are to be taken up in Kochi and suburbs. One among them is a project to make tissue paper. The Rs.15-crore project, proposed by the Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation, will require only one acre (0.4 hectare) of land. It can be set up with private participation in two years and will have a capacity to make 15 tonnes of tissue paper a day.

The plant will have a pulp-making unit, a refiner system, a paper-maker, a starching system, a vacuum system, an air-compression system, and a warehouse. The machinery will have to be imported and the plant can be set up on a turnkey basis. Paper pulp, the raw material, can be sourced from fresh or recycled pulp. The unit, which will be able to employ 60 people, will require 500 kilolitres of water a day. The power requirement will be 600 kVA.

The tissue paper market is at a nascent stage in India, but the increased income levels of the middle class provide immense scope for marketing the product, a study conducted by the industry promoters said. Preliminary studies have estimated the current Indian market for tissue paper at 30,000 tonnes a year, while that of China is 3 million tones, industry sources say. Apart from meeting the increased local demand, the industry has good potential for export. The product can be exported to North and South America, Europe, Africa, the Asian region, says the industry facilitator's study. The corporation is also proposing a unit to produce facial tissue paper, with an investment of Rs.3.5 crore. The project, with a capacity of 96,000 pieces an hour, can be set up on 50 cents of land. The project can be completed within a year after deciding on the private partner. A project to manufacture rubber floor mats is another plan mooted by the corporation. It can be set up at the Rubber Park at Irapuram, near Perumbavoor.

FACT registers Rs 14.79 crore profit

For the quarter Oct-Dec 2011. The company suffered Rs 30.34 crore loss during the same period last year.

http://img441.imageshack.us/img441/8835/39486030384280029701331c.jpg

Source: Mathrubhumi

Another UAE Retailer to enter into Kochi with Villa and Gold Center project.

One of GCC's most reputed Gold retailer, the SKY JEWELLERS, is going to launch a Gold Jewellery Showroom and 36 Villa project in Kochi.

This is part of mega expansion project worth AED 97 Million. Apart from Kochi, the group is planning to start a Mall in Kottayam and a convention center in Thiruvalla.

Read from here (http://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidGN_20022012_210216) for details

IBM Deploys 16th Corporate Service Corps Team for Kochi projects (http://pr.efytimes.com/e1/79219/IBM-Deploys-th-Corporate-Service-Corps-Team-To-India)
Tuesday, February 21, 2012: As a part of the Corporate Service Corps (CSC) program, IBM today announced four projects for Kochi. The projects will be implemented in partnership with India@75, Local Economic Development Society (LEDS), Kara Ventures and Navabharath Foundation. A team comprising of 12 IBMers from nine different countries (France, Canada, Sweden, Brazil, USA, Australia, Slovakia, Germany and Spain) will work on these projects over a six month period with one month being spent on location.

The team will focus on developing sustainable solutions for the rapidly growing city, which is currently among the fastest growing urban centres in India. Specifically, the teams will work with NGOs on four key projects; Including conceptualizing a solid waste management system and formulating new strategies for the handloom sector. As part of the deployment, the IBM team will also focus on developing innovative youth empowerment programs and will work to promote the budding micro-enterprise sector.

“The 16th deployment of a CSC team to India demonstrates IBM's commitment to India and to the growth markets. Through the Corporate Service Corps program, we leverage some of IBM’s best talent and expertise to drive social innovation. The projects at Cochin highlight our commitment to accelerate and enhance the operations of NGO’s and public agencies. Working closely with the community is also a great learning experience for the individual and provides a canvas for many innovations.�, said Mamtha Sharma, Manager - Corporate Citizenship & Community Affairs, IBM India/South Asia.

Kochi is an important city for IBM. It has experienced rapid economic growth in recent years due to the development of tourism, manufacturing, shipbuilding, seafood and spices exports, and IT industries. IBM has a branch office in Kochi and has been working with clients in the region to provide advanced software solutions, technologies and services to aid their business growth.

In recent years the state has witnessed heavy investment by companies keen to tap into its vibrant economy, brining about new challenges for the emerging industrial hub.

Rashi To Strengthen Its Services (http://www.crn.in/ITChannel-021Feb012-Rashi-To-Strengthen-Its-Services.aspx)
Rashi Peripherals aims to extend its less than 24 hours TAT to more products distributed under its umbrella in FY2012-13. It has already increased its number of service centres, invested on resources including people and their training as well as on testing equipment.

“Rashi aims to become a one-stop-shop for all distribution needs including services. Currently, we have a TAT of less than 24 hours for 90 percent of our products. We want to extend it to 95 percent by end of this year. We want to open service centres in cities where we do not have our offices. In addition, in some cities, especially metros, we plan to have multiple service centers,” informed Rajesh Goenka, VP, Sales and Marketing, Rashi Peripherals.

Rashi has maintained its product replacement within three days while TAT for high end models/ EOL products are within 7-15 working days. The distributor recently added two more centers in Thane and Amravati. To improve upon the TAT, it has introduced token system and an express service facility for big SIs (who want to be attended to immediately).

Besides, Rashi has also increased the size of service centres. The average size of each service centre in tier-2 cities is 500 sq ft while those in the metros are as large as 2000 sq ft.

The distributor has also invested in state-of-the-art testing and repairing equipments like six BGA machines for motherboards’ chip repairing, costing Rs 15 lakh each. Earlier, the equipment was only available at the RMA center, but now with the increase in volume of branches it is available in centers at Cochin, Chennai, Kolkata, Delhi, Ahmedabad, Mumbai and Ludhiana.

Rashi would also strengthen its present service staff strength of 200 employees by at least 20 percent in 2012. It would also continue with its mission to organize free service camps in 20 cities this year as well as provide free services to out of warranty products for its regular customers, charging only for the components.

Avant products launched in Kerala (http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/todays-paper/tp-others/tp-states/article2917753.ece)
Avant, a leading manufacturer of construction and interior products, has announced the launch of Avant Signature Flooring and Koolroof in the Kerala market. Speaking on the occasion, Mr Antonio Varghese, Chairman and CEO, said the company is looking at a 5 per cent market share from the State in flooring, as the wooden flooring market in South India is estimated at Rs 1,100 core in the organised sector. Likewise, the company is looking at a 7-8 per cent share in the roof tiles segment, where the market is estimated at Rs 5,600 crore nationally. He said the products have been well received around the world and are manufactured using German technology. The products are built to survive harsh climates and offer long lasting durability, which is perfectly suited to the Kerala market, he added. The Kochi based A 2 Z Group is the exclusive dealer of Avant products in Kerala.— Our Bureau

Travancore Rayons to be redeveloped

KSIDC to take over and run the age old firm

Discussions to take place after Piravom Election

റയോണ്സ് പുനരുദ്ധാരണം; ചര്ച്ച ഉപതെരഞ്ഞെടുപ്പിനുശേഷം (http://www.madhyamam.com/news/153448/120222)

പെരുമ്പാവൂര്: ട്രാവന്കൂര് റയോണ്സ് പുനരുദ്ധാരണഭാഗമായി തിരുവനന്തപുരത്ത് ചൊവ്വാഴ്ച നടത്താനിരുന്ന ഉന്നതതല യോഗം മുഖ്യമന്ത്രി ഉമ്മന് ചാണ്ടിയുടെ അസാന്നിധ്യത്തില് നടത്താനായില്ല. പിറവം ഉപതെരഞ്ഞെടുപ്പിനുശേഷമെ യോഗം ചേരാനാകൂ.
തൊഴിലാളികള്ക്ക് ആനുകൂല്യങ്ങള് വിതരണം ചെയ്യുന്നത് സംബന്ധിച്ച് വ്യവസായ മന്ത്രി പി.കെ.കുഞ്ഞാലിക്കുട്ടി, തൊഴില് മന്ത്രി ഷിബു ബേബിജോണ്, തൊഴിലാളി യൂനിയന് പ്രതിനിധികള്, ധനകാര്യ സ്ഥാപനങ്ങളിലെ പ്രതിനിധികള് തുടങ്ങിയവരുമായാണ് ചര്ച്ച നിശ്ചയിച്ചിരുന്നത്. ഉപതെരഞ്ഞെടുപ്പ് പെരുമാറ്റച്ചട്ടം നിലവില് വരുംമുമ്പ് യോഗം തീരുമാനിച്ചിരുന്നതാണ്. എന്നാല്, കഞ്ചിക്കോട് കോച്ച് ഫാക്ടറി ഉദ്ഘാടനച്ചടങ്ങില് മുഖ്യമന്ത്രിക്ക് പങ്കെടുക്കേണ്ടതിനാല് യോഗം ചേരാനായില്ല.

കെ.എസ്.ഐ.ഡി.സി കമ്പനി ഏറ്റെടുത്ത് നടത്താന് ധാരണയായിട്ടുണ്ട്. ഇതിന്റെ അടിസ്ഥാനത്തില് തൊഴിലാളികള്ക്ക് ആനുകൂല്യങ്ങള് നല്കുന്നത് സംബന്ധിച്ച് യൂനിയനുകളുടെ നിര്ദേശം നേരത്തേ സര്ക്കാറിന് സമര്പ്പിച്ചിരുന്നു.
ഇപ്രകാരം കമ്പനിയുടെ ആസ്തി 30 കോടിയും തൊഴിലാളികള്ക്ക് നല്കാനുള്ള ആനുകൂല്യം 50 കോടിയുമെന്ന് ഏകദേശ കണക്ക് തിട്ടപ്പെടുത്തിയിട്ടുണ്ട്.
ഇതേതുടര്ന്നുള്ള അവസാനഘട്ട ചര്ച്ചയാണ് ചൊവ്വാഴ്ച മാറ്റിവെച്ചത്. ഉപതെരഞ്ഞെടുപ്പിനുശേഷം യോഗം ചേര്ന്ന് തുടര്നടപടി പൂര്*ത്തിയാക്കുമെന്ന് പി.ആര്.ഒ പി.വി.സുകുമാരന്* അറിയിച്ചു.

^^ It seems to be revival time for lot of industries based in Kochi..We saw how proper leadership ,guidance and support brought FACT back on track. lets hope Travancore Rayons can repeat this :)

Good to see several HEAVY INDUSTRIES being revived..... Infact, it will help not just the companies alone, but also inject a huge confidence for other similar ventures to consider and invest back.

FACT's revival itself is a case study.... They have huge scope and surely can rock the sector well....

Bharti AXA eyes it big in Kochi (http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/banking/article2920472.ece?ref=wl_industry-and-economy)
Bharti AXA General Insurance Company Ltd is aiming to double its business in South India by the end of the calendar year 2012. The company clocked Rs 180 crore in 2011 with the sale of 2.79 lakh policies and settling 40,739 claims in the region.

Speaking to reporters here on Wednesday, Mr N. Sampath Kumar, Chief Financial Officer, said the company has chalked out its plans to penetrate deeper into smaller cities/towns and semi-urban markets through strategic tie up with micro financial institutions. It is also looking at business from the growing SME segment, he said.

Kochi, he said, is a key market for the company in the southern region, which contributes 5 per cent of the overall south zone revenue. The city has generated Rs 8.65 crore business in 2011, where 68 per cent of the business comes from the motor vertical, followed by the health and commercial lines, at 19 per cent and 13 per cent, respectively. The company sold over 11,741 policies and settled 2,311 claims in Kochi.

Bharti AXA General Insurance, with a market share of 3.69 per cent last year among private insurers, is looking at a 40 per cent growth nationally in 2012. The total business in India last year was Rs 776 crore, against Rs 528 crore achieved in 2010.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Manoj Nair, Zonal Vice-President, South, Bharti AXA General Insurance, said the company aims to double Kochi's contribution in the coming year by increasing the sales in the vertical of micro finance institutions, health and commercial lines. The company is also looking at two more branches in the State by the end of this year, taking the total number of branches in the State to three. It has also tied up with 17 hospitals in the city to facilitate cashless hospitalisation and 32 garages to offer cashless facilities for its motor customers, he added

Australia turns focus to South, keen on more bilateral trade (http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/economy/article2920451.ece?homepage=true&ref=wl_home)
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/multimedia/dynamic/00931/cii-tn_931807f.jpg
Mr David Holly, Consul-General to South India, Australian Consulate General, Chennai, at an interactive session on India-Australia Partnership in Trade and Investment, in Madurai.

The signing of strategic partnership with India in 2009 has enabled Australia to raise its diplomatic strength and engage in the promotion of more bilateral trade and investment in the region and establish contact with cities such as Madurai, said Mr David Holly, Consul General to South India, Australian Consulate General, Chennai, here recently.

Addressing an interactive session on ‘India- Australia Partnership: Trade and Investment' organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), he said that the increase in diplomatic strength has facilitated devotion of more resources to South India in particular with the establishment of offices in Bangalore and Kochi.

Joyalukkas to diversify business (http://www.mydigitalfc.com/news/gold-losing-shine-joyalukkas-diversify-business-784)
Sluggish jewellery sales seems to be worrying Joyalukkas; the gold retailer is now diversifying its business. The company plans to launch air charter service, strengthen money exchange business, and re-brand and expand textile retail.

Joyalukkas Money Exchange was launched in 2006, but has remained dormant during the past few years due to licence issues in Dubai. Now the company has become active with five centres in the UAE and 10 centres coming up in other parts of the Gulf — Qatar, Muscat, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. The company is also launching its first Indian money exchange centre at Kochi next month.

“The jewellery market has become saturated and the consumption too has been sluggish last year. This made us focus on other businesses. We are strengthening the money exchange business and have set a target to have 100 centres in three years. The centers will come up in markets where the Joyalukkas brand is strong. In each country, the centers will provide money exchange related services that are legally permissible,” Joy Alukkas, chairman of Joyalukkas told Financial Chronicle.

Apart from money exchange, the centers will also retail gold coins, purchase old gold jewellery and provide travel related services. “The key business of Joyalukkas will remain jewellery retail and the centers will augment the business,” he said.

Further, Joyalukkas also is in the process of providing air charter service. The company has bought an Embraer Phenom 100 business jet and plans to add a long-range business jet and helicopter soon. The service will mainly target corporate clients. The company will invest Rs 100 crore in the charter service branded Joy Jet.

The wedding centers, hypermarkets that house both jewellery and textiles, would be re-branded as Jolly Silks and the focus of the stores will be more on textile retail.

More changes lined up at DDB Mudra Group (http://www.afaqs.com/news/story.html?sid=33241_More+changes+lined+up+at+DDB+Mudra+Group)
http://www.afaqs.com/all/news/images/news_story_grfx/2012/33241_1.jpg

The DDB Mudra Group network in India has adopted a new structure, brand identity, colours and brand architecture. The logo and the structure clearly bear strong DDB presence.

After the restructure, the group will now comprise eight branded agencies, namely DDB Mudra, DDB MudraMax, Mudra, Water, DDB Health & Lifestyle, Maatra, RAPP and Tribal DDB India.

The agency DDB Mudra shall be the influence and behavioural change agency with a pan India presence across Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Kochi, Kolkata and Mumbai. The second agency, Mudra, shall function as the partnership firm for entrepreneurs, with a pan-India presence across Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Kochi, Kolkata and Mumbai (earlier, Ignite Mudra, which worked under the leadership of Sudarshan Banerjee as a partnership firm for entrepreneurs, was rolled back into Mudra). The two agencies have been created with a possible intent of being able to work with competing brands.

DDB MudraMax, formerly known as MudraMax, shall be the experience and engagement arm which offers media, out of home, retail and experiential services.

Joy Alukkas to focus more in other business (http://www.mydigitalfc.com/news/gold-losing-shine-joyalukkas-diversify-business-784)

Sluggish jewellery sales seems to be worrying Joyalukkas; the gold retailer is now diversifying

Joyalukkas Money Exchange was launched in 2006, but has remained dormant during the past few years due to licence issues in Dubai. Now the company has become active with five centres in the UAE and 10 centres coming up in other parts of the Gulf — Qatar, Muscat, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. The company is also launching its first Indian money exchange centre at Kochi next month.

“The jewellery market has become saturated and the consumption too has been sluggish last year. This made us focus on other businesses. We are strengthening the money exchange business and have set a target to have 100 centres in three years. The centers will come up in markets where the Joyalukkas brand is strong. In each country, the centers will provide money exchange related services that are legally permissible,” Joy Alukkas, chairman of Joyalukkas told Financial Chronicle.

Apart from money exchange, the centers will also retail gold coins, purchase old gold jewellery and provide travel related services. “The key business of Joyalukkas will remain jewellery retail and the centers will augment the business,” he said.

Further, Joyalukkas also is in the process of providing air charter service. The company has bought an Embraer Phenom 100 business jet and plans to add a long-range business jet and helicopter soon. The service will mainly target corporate clients. The company will invest Rs 100 crore in the charter service branded Joy Jet.

The wedding centers, hypermarkets that house both jewellery and textiles, would be re-branded as Jolly Silks and the focus of the stores will be more on textile retail.

Its good, as we can see more and more Kochi based trade options from Joy Alukkas.... Joy Jet can really revolutionize Kochi's Private Jet dreams up and increase more competition here.......

OmniActive Health to set up R&D centre, Mfg facility in Canada (http://ibnlive.in.com/generalnewsfeed/news/omniactive-health-to-set-up-rd-centre-mfg-facility-in-canada/969222.html)
Mumbai based OmniActive Health Technologies today announced its latest international foray by setting up an advanced research and development centre in Prince Edward Island (PEI) in Canada, a senior company official said. "We are setting up a R&D centre in Canada. We will invest USD 1.5 million in the first year and USD 2.2 million in the second year. The Government of Canada is also investing USD 1.1 million in the project," OmniActive Chief Technology Officer Jayant Deshpande told PTI here. The company is also setting up a nutrition supplement manufacturing facility in Canada at an investment of USD 5 million in 2014, he said. The setting up of advanced facility at the Biocommons Research Park at Charlotte town opens up an exciting world of opportunities for OmniActive. Utilising this advanced facility, Omniactive will develop new products and technology for their customers, Deshpande said. OmniActive Health Technologies, supplies a range of proprietary active ingredients and advanced delivery platforms for ingredients used in healthcare, food, and personal care applications and conducts operations from its manufacturing, R&D and corporate facilities at Pune, Mumbai, Thane and Cochin. The leading provider of ingredients also has a subsidiary in Morristown, New Jersey, USA and an international distribution network which covers Europe, Asia and South America. Among other facilities, Prince Edward Island offers highly competitive business costs for investor companies and a positive tax environment besides a highly skilled labour pool and strategic infrastructure.

New branch of ICICI Bank at Thevara (http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/banking/article2935366.ece?ref=wl_industry-and-economy)

ICICI Bank has announced the inauguration of its new branch at Thevara in Kochi. The branch was inaugurated by Dr P. Mohamed Ali, Vice-Chairman and Managing Director, Galfar, and Chairman of Mfar Group. The branch will remain open for customer transactions on Monday to Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Saturdays.

The branch will offer entire range of ICICI Bank products including a comprehensive range of deposits, home loans, personal loans, mutual fund and demat services to cater to different customer profiles and needs, press release said.

Olympus looks for a creative agency (http://www.afaqs.com/news/story.html?sid=33260_Olympus+looks+for+a+creative+agency)
http://www.afaqs.com/all/news/images/news_story_grfx/2012/33260_1.jpg

Olympus Imaging India is looking for a creative agency in Mumbai. As a part of the mandate, the selected creative agency will take care of the digital camera business of Olympus.

Sources from the industry have confirmed the news to afaqs!.

The size of the business or the annual media spend could not be ascertained at the time of filing this report. However, it is learnt that the company plans to increase its spend on on-ground activities, and digital and social media.

The Olympus Camera business moved to Mudra (now DDB Mudra) in 2004 as a result of DDB's global alignment.

For the record, Olympus Corporation was established in Tokyo, Japan in 1919. The company has its Indian head office in Mumbai. The India office of Olympus is principally involved in the marketing of digital still cameras, Olympus pen, DSLRs, accessories, binoculars and voice recorders. Olympus stores are already functional in Bengaluru, Kochi, Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Noida and Pune.

Kitex plans Rs 200-cr capacity rise

Kitex Garments, a fully export-oriented clothing manufacturer based in Aluva, is planning to invest Rs 200 crore next year to increase capacity at its Kizhakkambalam plant.

Kitex Garments MD Sabu M Jacob said that capacity at the plant would be increased to 5.75 million units per day from the current rate of 1.1 million units per day by fiscal 2015. Jacob was talking to reporters after receiving Vendor of the Year 2011 award from Toysrus, the largest infant wear retailer in the world, headquartered in New Jersey, USA.

"We plan to achieve revenues of Rs 1,300 crore by fiscal year 2015," revealed Jacob. "Currently, we supply kidswear to Toysrus, Carter's, Gerber, and Little Me in the US and Mothercare and Tesco in the UK. This year, we will add six US companies and one UK firm to our client base to reduce the risk of client concentration," he said.

"We rank third among dedicated baby clothing manufacturers in the world, and with increased production capacity we will reach prime position by 2015," he added. UK-based retail giant Tesco Plc has started sourcing directly from Kitex through its international sourcing arm Tesco International Sourcing, based in Hong Kong. "Mothercare a chain of infant wear stores in the UK is also sourcing from Kitex and we will be adding H&M, another UK-based retail chain to our European clientele," Jacob said. At present, Kitex exports 80% of its product output to the US market and the remainder to the UK.

The company currently has 7,800 employees which it plans to increase to 9,500 by fiscal 2015, Jacob said. "Ninety per cent of our workforce is from Kerala, but this will come down to 50-60% next year. We are getting workers from Assam, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Orissa, Mizoram and West Bengal," he said.

Tamanna bridal couture store to open in Kochi (http://ibnlive.in.com/news/pandya-talks-about-his-bridal-couture-store/236560-60-119.html)
A bridal couture store in the city with a wide range of wedding wardrobe options, Tamanna (http://tamannaworld.com/) retails over fifty of India’s leading young designers as well as their in-store collection of clothes for every marriage ceremony. Lokesh Pandya, Director of Tamanna speaks to Vyas Sivanand about his collection, the demand and his expansion plans.

Tamanna is almost 25 years old. What sets it apart from others?
The first Tamanna store came up on Dispensary road in 1987, which I started with my wife, Dhanya Pandya. From the beginning, we have ensured that the collection which we have at our store is exclusive and not available in any other store.
We source the fabric from Benaras, Lucknow, Dubai and Milan. These fabrics are then given to our designers who design exclusively according to our requirements.

Who are your designers?
Our designers include Gourav Chabra, Shashank Devsarey, Mohit Kapoor, Sulakshana and Style Guru brand.

What is your price range?
The price range for grooms is between Rs 15,000 to Rs 2 lakhs while for the bride, it is between Rs 12,000 to Rs 2.5 lakhs.

Are you planning to expand with more stores?
We are opening another showroom at Orion Mall, Rajajinagar, which will be our third store.
We have plans to open more stores in Jayanagar, JP Nagar, Koramangala and Whitefield.
We might also look at other cities like Cochin, Chennai and Hyderabad.
Even the tier-II and tier-III cities are showing potential, but all these plans will materialise only after 2015-16.

Are you looking at franchisees?
If somebody is enthusiastic about taking up a franchise route for our store and is willing to invest, then we are also open to explore the option.

Demand must have changed over the years. What is in vogue?
There used to be good demand for artificial georgette, artificial satin, etc. Many fabrics have come and gone in these few years.
Today, the demand is more for nets, chanderi silk, pure chiffon and pure georgette. Benarasi fabric as an add-on is also in great demand.

Havells opens exclusive showroom in Kochi (http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/marketing/article2967207.ece?homepage=true&ref=wl_home)
Havells India Ltd has opened its first exclusive showroom — Havells Galaxy — here on Tuesday. This is the fifth galaxy of the company in Kerala.

Havells Galaxy offers a wide range in stylish and high quality low voltage electrical equipments including industrial switchgears, cables, fans, CFLs, lighting fixtures, electrical water heaters, crabtree switches and domestic appliances.

The company has been operating and marketing its products in the State for several, years and the business has shown an upward trend in terms of turnover in a short span of time. The opening of the new showroom is yet another initiative by the company targeted at end users, architects and consultants to showcase Havells products.

At present, there are 127 such display centres across the country, and the company plans to open more by the end of this financial year, a press release said.

GAC International Moving Services extend to India (http://www.arabiansupplychain.com/article-7228-gac-international-moving-services-extend-to-india/)

GAC has extended its International Moving Service to the Indian Subcontinent with the opening of a new office in Mumbai.

The office opening marks the expansion of the service beyond the Middle East, where GAC has been providing a portfolio of packing and moving services for more than three decades.

It comes at a time when the Indian economy is continuing to grow, and demand for moving services for personnel being transferred into and out of the country is on the rise.

Paul Haegeman, GAC India’s managing director, said it made sense to add to the services offered to clients they deal with on a daily basis, many of whom move for professional reasons to the Middle East or back to India.

“GAC India already has an experienced team of logistics professionals throughout our network of 25 offices nationwide, as well as an in-house customs broker (CHA) license, which has enabled us to fit smoothly into the group’s International Moving network,” he added.

The new Indian operation will be fully equipped with packing crews, equipment and warehouses. The team is headed by Rashid Batliwalla, an industry veteran with 18 years experience, who takes up the position of general manager.

In addition to Mumbai, teams are being established in Cochin, Delhi and Chennai manned with personnel from throughout GAC to serve the Indian market.

CCIL to hire 25,000 people by April (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kochi/CCIL-to-hire-25000-people-by-April/articleshow/12190552.cms)
Six-month-old Chemmanur Credits and Investments Ltd (CCIL), a non-banking finance company (NBFC), is planning to hire 25,000 people at its nascent sales division within a month to market its products aggressively in the state.

The new sales vertical will be inaugurated on March 10 by Kerala minister for labour Baby John, said Boby Chemmanur, chairman of the Boby Chemmanur International Group in Kochi on Wednesday.

The company has thus far recruited 1,200 sales managers. The new sales officers will work under the sales managers for a training period extending to six months on a commission basis.

"We will review their performance after the training period and promote them as sales managers on the basis of merit. The new sales vertical of CCIL will primarily help us market two products of the company - Bhadram, a loan for buying gold, and loans granted against mortgaged gold," said T K Thomas, CEO of the company.

"Sixty branches are already functional and 100 more locations in Kerala have been earmarked for new branches in MarchWe will expand our branch network all over India and provide more employment opportunities in the process," Thomas said.

CCIL has achieved revenues of Rs 250 crore till date, and is targeting a top line of Rs 2,000 crore in its first year of its operations.

Federal Bank announces expansion, hiring spree (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kochi/Federal-Bank-announces-expansion-hiring-spree/articleshow/12190546.cms)

Ernakulam zone contributes 17.5% of the total business of India's 4th largest private bank :cheers:
Kochi-based private lender Federal Bank will open 100 new branches on Saturday, said P C John, executive director of the bank. He was talking to reporters in Kochi on Thursday about the bank's branch expansion plans. The new openings will increase the bank's branch network in the country to 938.

"Our branch network will grow to 1,000 by June 2012. Our strategy is to focus on Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Punjab," John said. "These are places with more potential for small and medium enterprises and NRI business. Of the new branches opening on March 10, 26 will be located in Kerala, 19 in Tamil Nadu, nine in Punjab and eight in GujaratTwenty-one of these branches will be in metro towns, 17 in urban areas and 57 in semi-urban areas," he added.

As part of the outlet expansion plan, the bank is also on a recruitment drive.

"For each new branch, we need three or four employees and are hiring locally to avoid the language problem while expanding to other states. We recruited 1,000 people this fiscal and will add another 1,500 people in fiscal 2013," John said. "The Ernakulam zone of the bank has huge potential for growth, contributing 17.5% of the bank's total business, with deposits of Rs 8,000 crore and advances of Rs 6,025 crore. With the addition of six new branches, the total branches in the zone will reach 160," said GM T Oommen Benajamin. The new branches will be at Bharananganam, Kurichi, Manimala, Kottaramattom in Pala, Vannappuram and Mangattukavala in Thodupuzha. "The bank will also be adding six new ATMs in the Ernakulam zone on March 10," he added.

The bank has also witnessed a spurt in NRI deposits since last April, authorities said. "This was the offshoot of rupee depreciation and removal of the interest rate cap on rupee term deposits by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI)," said John.

BINANI Zinc (http://binaniindustries.com/group-companies/binani-zinc/binani-zinc-landing.asp) to invest Rs 300 Crore for upgradation

To increase production from 38,000 TPA to 50,000 TPA in next 3 years
Target turnover of Rs 2000 crore from Rs 500 crore currently, in 5 years
500 people including chemical engineers are employed directly

http://img841.imageshack.us/img841/5925/39486030384280029701331.jpg
cc: Manorama

^^ Most of the large and medium scale industries are in the process of expansion..This will help to increase the GDP of the state and city.

Its great to hear about upgradation. Hope even TCC will follow and will enlarge the local economy....:banana::banana:

Rs.100 crore for development of basic industrial infrastructure (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Thiruvananthapuram/article3015856.ece)
The entire focus of industrial development is going to be on making ‘Emerging Kerala Global Meet,' slated for September, a grand success, with Finance Minister K.M. Mani allocating Rs.100 crore in his 2012-13 Budget for development of basic infrastructure and land acquisition for various projects that would come in through this route.

Mr. Mani said in his Budget speech that part of the basic infrastructure for projects presented at the Emerging Kerala meet would be related to establishing trade and commercial zones in the three cities of Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, and Kozhikode. The steps to identify suitable land had already been taken and such plots would be notified as commercial zones under which all activities related to industry and commerce would be permitted. The Rs.100 crore allocated for this purpose would be made available to Kinfra over and above its customary Budget allocation. Commercial zones would also be set up at district headquarters, important towns and municipalities.

MANUFACTURING ZONES

The Finance Minister said he was allocating Rs.20 crore for establishing a special purpose vehicle that would set up industrial manufacturing zones under the national manufacturing policy. These zones would be concentrated on the Kochi-Coimbatore industrial corridor.

In addition, an electronics manufacturing hub would be set up at Ambanellore. He also allocated Rs.50 crore for setting up a petrochemical industrial zone that would promote large number of small-scale industries. The allocation, he said, had been made in the context of the mega plan of the Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd's to increase the production capacity of the Kochi Refineries and set up other petrochemical-related units in Kochi at a total cost of Rs.18,000 crore. Considering the fact that this would be a huge investment in Kerala's industrial sector, the State government had already announced tax sops for BPCL, he said.

NATURAL GAS

With a view to cash in on the natural gas distribution in cities, the Finance Minister allocated Rs.12 crore for the proposed supplementary gas infrastructure project under the auspices of Kerala GAIL Gas Ltd, a joint venture of the Gas Authority of India Ltd. and the Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation.

The Finance Minister has made another hefty allocation of Rs.12 crore for setting up a company to operate seaplane services. However, he has not elaborated on the proposed project, except that the services have been proposed in the light of the traffic bottlenecks and for reducing travel time.

The other proposals for the industrial sector are Industrial park in Brahmapuram on the land owned by the Kochi Corporation; Edu-Health City on the 240 acres of land owned by Inkel in Malappuram, Botanical garden in Thonakcal for which the Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation has already acquired 36 acres; multi-storey industrial estates at Kochuveli, Manjeri and Kottaikkal for which the Finance Minister earmarked Rs.20 crore.

The Finance Minister also proposed the setting up of a Seaport Airport Area Development Authority to provide connectivity between seaports and airports in the State. The Nedumbassery-Vallarpadom, Karipur-Beypore, Mattannur-Azheekal and Vizhinjam-Shanghumughom belt would come under the authority.

Entrepreneurs call for a new culture of enterprise (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Kochi/article3015905.ece)
Small and medium sector entrepreneurs in Kerala's industrial capital have warmly welcomed the general tone of the State Budget 2012-13 providing a new roadmap for industrial development and for its focus on new generation industries employing emerging technologies.

At the same time, they have also called for a new culture of enterprise that will imbibe the spirit of the budget proposals.

Industrial clusters using bio-technology; value-added products from rice and coconut; technology-aided agriculture and new electronics park have the potential to take the State into a new trajectory of growth, said Thomas Xavier Kondody of the Kerala State Small Industries Association (KSSIA). He said that entrepreneurs in the State should orient themselves to take on the new challenges as we build a new culture.

Director of the city-based Institute of Small Enterprises Development P.M. Mathew said that the budget emphasis on new technology industries was a point of take-off for Kerala. He, however, felt that some of the budget proposals tended to dissipate the resources over a large geographical area and he questioned the rationale behind giving too much of a political orientation to development projects.

An industry insider in the city said that the government should provide an enabling environment as he pointed out that technology-driven enterprises suited Kerala given its natural endowments.

The proposal for developing an industrial estate on 100 acres at Brahmapuram is a welcome step, said an office-bearer of KSSIA. The proposal for setting up a 1,200-MW gas-based power plant in Kochi; additional skill development programmes for students and the State innovation mission are all steps in the right direction that spell good news for Kochi and its hinterland.

Josco to opens new outlets at Lulu Mall and MG Road

Manorama (http://www.manoramaonline.com/cgi-bin/MMOnline.dll/portal/ep/malayalamContentView.do?contentId=11256118&programId=1073753761&channelId=-1073751706&BV_ID=@@@&tabId=11)

Videocon to add 625 Digiworld stores in a year (http://www.mydigitalfc.com/news/videocon-add-625-digiworld-stores-year-670)
Digiworld (http://www.edigiworld.com/), the electronic multi-brand retail store from Value Industries, a listed company of Videocon Group, is expanding its footprint and plans to launch a total of 1,000 stores by the end of next financial year.

“We are targeting tier II and III cities for growth by opening 625 new stores as these markets are exploding,” Anirudh Dhoot, director, Videocon Industries, told Financial Chronicle.

“We want to take the total tally to over 1,000 stores by the end of financial year 2012-13,” he said. The tier II and III towns and cities were growing rapidly with a taste for good consumer durables and electronic goods and the company wanted to aggressively tap this segment offering top quality brands, Dhoot said.

At present, the company retails consumer durable brands like Videocon, Philips, Hitachi, Panasonic, Sansui, Electrolux, Kenstar, Usha and Kelvinator, Kenstar, Toshiba, Sony, mobile brands like Apple, Blackberry, Nokia, Samsung, HTC, Videocon mobile handsets and services and D2H services and Canon and Nikon range of cameras.

Dhoot said, at present 60 per cent of the existing 375 Digiworld stores in 65 cities were owned by the company and 40 per cent by the franchises. “We will follow the same ratio in expanding our foot print pan India this financial year,” he said.

On Wednesday, it opened one of its largest 10,000 sq ft franchise-owned stores at Boisar town in Thane district, near Mumbai. The company said Boisar being a booming industrial town with a population of about 6 lakh would generate a business of Rs 50 lakh per month.

“Four more Digiworld stores are lined up in New Bombay, Cochin, Pune and in Punjab next month,” Dhoot said. The size of the stores ranges from 1,200 sq ft to 12,000 sq ft depending on the location, he said.

“The company and the franchisees invest a total of Rs 30 lakh-Rs 5 crore per store,” Dhoot said. He said it takes about six to 12 months to break even.

Dhoot said look wise all Digiworld stores flaunted a uniform format for branding for which the company invested Rs 5 lakh-Rs 25 lakh for exterior and interior decor.

Frederique Constant to open outlet in Kochi (http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/marketing/article3254875.ece?ref=wl_industry-and-economy)
Swiss “affordable luxury” watch maker Frederique Constant (http://www.frederique-constant.com/en) will continue to focus on the corporate executive segment in India. This, even as it expands its offerings to cover multiple segments and expand retail presence.

The company re-entered the Indian market in December 2010, after a failed attempt to enter the market through a distributor-led model in 2007.

“Senior executives in the corporate sector are a key segment, but most brands have not targeted them specifically. So we decided to put in efforts focused on them, with sponsorship of Golf tournaments, business television shows and the like,” said Mr Arun D'Silva, India Representative for Frederique Constant Geneve.

The company is present in 20 outlets currently. Highest sales are at the Ethos outlets at the Delhi and Bengaluru international airports, according to the spokesperson.

“There are not more than 40 outlets where a brand of Frederique Constant's stature can be sold in, in India. In comparison, there would 300 outlets in France or 250 in Portugal. That is a constraint. But the brand is well known to the well-travelled connoisseurs. So we must make the watches available,” D'Silva added.

Most sales are currently from the metros.

The brand will expand its presence to 10 more outlets, including those in Raipur and Cochin in 2012.

In terms of price points, Frederique Constant retails in India between Rs 45,000 and Rs 2.25 lakh. Maximum sales are in the Rs 45,000 to Rs 1.25 lakh bracket in India. The entry price point for the brand has gone up from Rs 29,000 at the time of launch.

Geojit BNP Paribas gears up for expansion with Brocade switching infrastructure (http://keralaitnews.com/state-scan/kochi/4631-geojit-bnp-paribas-deploys-brocade-switching-infrastructure)
Kochi: Geojit BNP Paribas, one of India's leading financial services providers has deployed a new networking infrastructure supplied by Brocade at its Kochi headquarters. The new network provides the firm with more than 1,100 wire-speed Gigabit Ethernet access ports, more carrying power, and a low-latency core that is both scalable and resilient, providing a strong foundation for business expansion and new service offerings.

A Balakrishnan, CTO, Geojit BNP Paribas said, “The network is obviously the operational backbone of our business and after several years of strong growth, we were beginning to experience constraints in our existing infrastructure. Brocade was able to offer us a very compelling value proposition with its campus and data centre networking solutions. It provided a scalable foundation, with low-latency performance for our continued development of services delivered through Internet, mobile, call centre and branch office channels.”

Geojit BNP Paribas selected Brocade's BigIron RX-8 Ethernet switch, designed for non-stop operation, as the heart of its new network. The RX-8 provides up to 384 non-blocking Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) or 128 10-GbE ports in a compact chassis with 1.92 Tbps of total switching capacity. This high capacity and port-density enables Geojit BNP Paribas to connect all access switches directly to the network core, reducing it total cost-of-ownership and eliminating latency caused by having an aggregation layer.

Brocade 48-port FastIron Workgroup switches have been deployed to provide network access and power-over-Ethernet within Geojit BNP Paribas' head office and call centre while 48-port Brocade FastIron LS switches are used for server connectivity within the data centre. Both these platforms provide wire-speed Gigabit Ethernet performance, with FastIron LS switches to the core upgradeable to 10-GbE.

Rajesh Kaul, Regional Sales Director, Brocade India said, “Geojit BNP Paribas has established itself as a leader among the thousands of stockbrokers operating in India. With the implementation of the new Brocade switching infrastructure, it now has a superior networking foundation with which to drive quality-based competitive advantage and scale its operations while maintaining a low network management overhead.”

An affiliate of the one of the world's largest financial groups, Geojit BNP Paribas pioneered on-line securities trading in India. Geojit BNP Paribas first offered its Internet trading system in 2000.Today, it is the country's third largest retail stockbroker with more than 633,000 clients, Rs.11,027 crores (USD2 billion) worth of assets under management and a national network of over 540 offices.

Eram Group launches e-Holidays in India (http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/services/travel/eram-group-launches-e-holidays-in-india/articleshow/12481399.cms)
The Middle East-based Eram Group (http://www.eramgroup-sa.com/) today announced foray into the hospitality sector in India, by setting up its first service centre here.

e-Holidays, the destination management company of Eram, would offer complete travel solutions, including inbound and outbound tours, business and leisure travels, international holidays, hotels, domestic holidays, through online and offline modes, Eram Group Head (Indian Operations) Mohammed Safeel told reporters here.

e-Holidays Group has emerged as one of the leading travel and destination management firms, Safeel said, adding that the company plans to open four more centres in South India -- Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai and Kochi - in four months and more centres in North India in a phased manner.

On business, he said these centres were set to offer extensive selection of holiday packages which include flight tickets, hotel and resorts reservation, airport pickup and drops, visa arrangements and other travel related services.

Though Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand proved to be preferred destination of customers, the company was focusing on newe areas like Egypt, Cambodia, Bali and South American countries, besides normal locations like Dubai, Kathmandu, Vietnam, Myanmar, Kenya and Uzbekistan and also domestic tour packages, Vijaya Raj, Head Overseas Operations said.

Melam JV to spice up new fiscal (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kochi/Melam-JV-to-spice-up-new-fiscal/articleshow/12488265.cms)
The news of proposed restructuring of one of Kerala's biggest brands is ushering in fiscal 2012-13 to Kerala.

The Melam group (http://www.melam.com/) is contracting business consultancy Deloitte to identify a market major in the fast moving consumer goods sector with a view to forming a joint venture to manage the company.

Leading curry powder manufacturer Melam group is looking to retain 51% of the total shareholdings in any operational JV formed to run the company, said Kurian John Melamparambil, chairman and managing director.

"Deloitte will help us find a partner from the FMCG sector to form a JV to manage the company. I may continue as chairman only on an advisory basis," Melamparambil said. A team from Deloitte Bangalore is expected to arrive in Kochi soon to discuss the company's future roadmap.

Melam has four companies under its umbrella - MVJ Foods India Pvt Ltd, which caters to seasonings and flavourings targeted at the domestic market; MVJ Spices marketing pickles, jam sauce and oats; MJ Associates which exports to overseas markets in 22 countries; and Melam Securities, a stockbroking firm registered with the Cochin Stock Exchange. The group has an employee strength of more than 350 people and operates two factories in Ernakulam district.

The whole idea behind forming the JV and eventual restructuring of the 100-crore company is that of 57-year-old Melamparambil. Once the transition happens and the functioning of Melam group continues along the envisaged road map, Kurian plans to retire from active business life.

He has kept a two-year deadline for this. "By 2014, the process would be complete. Then I can focus totally on charitable activities,"' he added.

"I was thinking of retiring when I finished 25 years of charity work," Melamparambil told TOI. "I had started off with philanthropic activities, and wish to retire that way," he said.

Kurian founded the Melamparambil Varghese John Memorial Charities (Melam Charities) in 1986, and six years later founded the Melam group to fund his social work. Till date, Melamparambil has spent more than Rs 15 crore on charitable activities.

Melam Charities picks the needy across the state through the 138 members of the Kerala Assembly, and sponsors their treatment through 910 hospitals registered with the charity. Till date, 1.25 lakh people have benefited from the project.

Sree Sakthi Paper completes Rs 30-cr project (http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/companies/article3272742.ece)

Sree Sakthi Paper Mills Ltd, Kochi, has completed the expansion-cum-modernisation project at an investment of Rs 30 crore.

The company said it has installed a high pressure boiler for supplying steam to its paper making unit and has commissioned a 2-MW turbine for captive power generation. The modernisation would enhance the paper production capacity by 55 tonnes per day or 18,150 tonnes a year.

The company has also commissioned a Krima-dispersing unit to make spec-free paper for high-end customers.

London Dairy plans to make it big in India (http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/london-dairy-goes-all-out-for-bigger-footprint/469753/)
http://im.rediff.com/money/2012/apr/02ice3.jpg

Rising mercury levels is hardly a welcome change for anyone. Except for ice cream manufacturers that is. In that sense the timing of premium ice cream maker, London Dairy ice creams’ first ever media campaign in India is perfect.

The campaign, which broke across channels on Friday, is based on the global creative designed by O&M for the brand, tweaked slightly for Indian television. The TVC takes you from the fields of Europe where the ‘freshest strawberries’ are picked to those of Africa, from where the ‘finest cocoa’ is sourced for London Dairy’s ice creams.

India’s branded ice cream market stands at just Rs 1,500 crore as compared to the carbonated drinks at around Rs 13,000 crore or even chocolates and confectionery at around Rs 4,500 crore. There is more than sufficient room for growth, feel industry players. Also, rising incomes, an increased tendency for travelling overseas and a resultant development of a discerning taste palette make a definitive case for premium ice cream makers like London Dairy with international flavours like Butter Pecan and Tiramisu to tap the Indian market.

“We are already present in 11 key cities (Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Cochin, Pune, Kolkata and so on) pan India, in close to 1,000 outlets in a mix of modern trade and select class A outlets. And plan to open up a few more cities in this season,” says a company spokesperson who added the tally of cities will go up to 15 this season.

And to promote and strengthen the brand, apart from the TVCs, below the line (BTL) activations too will gain traction. For the food industry, establishing taste credentials is key, especially for new products. That is a driving point for London Dairy ice creams too which dedicated almost 30 per cent of its marketing budgets to ‘sampling’ across outlets. Last year, the company logged around 8,000 samplings and intends to increase it almost 10-fold this year, with a target of 70,000. There are also London Dairy branded kiosks selling their impulse range, at select ‘high profile’ locations like the Inox cinemas at Nariman Point, Mumbai.

The company may have firmed up its plans, but there will be challenges. Pricing, to begin with - a 500 ML London Dairy tub will cost you around Rs 250 and a litre around Rs 475. Compare that with a tub of the same quantity from market leader Amul (with an estimated 25 per cent market share), you may get the same quantity for almost half the price.

NMGB opens 3 branches (http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/banking/article3273326.ece?homepage=true&ref=wl_home)
The Kannur-based North Malabar Gramin Bank (NMGB) has opened three new branches at Pukkattupady, Thiruvankulam and Manjapra in Ernakulam district. This takes the total number of its branches to 205 and those in the Travancore area to 62.

The bank has opened 20 new branches during the current year in compliance with the government policy that stipulates a ten per cent increase in the branch network, according to Mr K.P. Chandrasekharan, general manager.

The bank is now working under core banking solutions platform. It will soon introduce modern remittance and cash withdrawal facilities such as RTGS, NEFT and ATM, Mr Chandrasekharan said.

Kirtilals Outlets in South India Launch Polished Diamond Grading System (http://www.diamondne.ws/2012/04/03/kirtilals-jewellers-retail-outlets-in-south-india-launch-use-of-sarins-diascantms-polished-diamond-grading-system/)
Singapore Exchange Mainboard-listed Sarin Technologies Ltd (“Sarin”) (U77:SI), a worldwide leader in the development, manufacturing and sale of precision technology products for the planning, processing, evaluation and measurement of diamonds and gems, is pleased to announce that Kirtilal Kalidas Jewellers, one of south India’s leading retail jewellery chains established in 1939, and founder of Eurostar (1978), has selected Sarin’s DiaScanTMS+ polished diamond grading systems to enable its customers to ascertain the quality of the diamonds they purchase.

Suraj Shanta kumar, Director of Kirtilals, told the press that the machines, imported from Belgium at a cost of Rs. 5 lakh each (just under US$ 10,000), would soon be available at all its 10 stores. The aim of introducing the use of the systems in the retail stores was to create awareness on diamond quality standards among customers. The Gemology Institute of America (GIA) standards were applied to larger stones, while as the purchase of smaller stones was typically done on trust until now. Customer awareness on gold purity standards ishigh, and the DiaScanTMS+ machines would help create similar awareness on diam ond quality standards. Cu stomers would be able to know more about the colour, clarity, carat and cut of the diamonds they were purchasing. They would also get a certificate for the diamonds they purchased from Kirtilals.

This is an example of a key market player almost leading us in innovation with our own products! We salute Kirtilals for being an innovator in this regard and expect their customers to significantly benefit from their initiative. This is definitely a step by Kirtilals to inspire confidence in their consumer public.”
About Kirtilal Kalidas Jewellers

Established in 1939 in Coimbatore, south India, by Kirtilal K. Mehta, Kirtilals Kalidas is now one of south India’s largest diamond and gold jewellery chains, operating 10 stores throughout south India, also in Chennai, Hyderabad, Kochi, Bangalore, Vijayawada, Ludhiana, Madurai and Visakhapatnam.

United India Kochi region sets a record (http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/banking/article3280910.ece?homepage=true&ref=wl_home)
United India Insurance Company's Kochi region has topped in the collection of premium income at the national level in 2011-12.

Mr V. Sajan, deputy general manager and regional head of the company, said that Kochi region of United India Insurance Company has collected total premium of Rs 549.48 crore against a target of Rs 515 crore for 2011-12, a growth of 55 per cent over the previous year. Premium collected in 2010-11 was Rs 355.33 crore, a release issued here said.

After the formation of the region in 1984, this is the first time it has come to the first position in premium income. Earlier, only regional offices functioning in metropolitan centres alone occupied this top position. Total premium of United India at the national level has crossed Rs 8,000 crore.

Tag Heuer to open outlet in Kochi (http://www.hindustantimes.com/business-news/CorporateNews/Time-to-woo-Indian-women-Tag-Heuer/Article1-835537.aspx)
Think Formula 1, think Tag. Tag Heuer, whose forte is keeping time for men on the fast track, is set to sport a new collection to woo Indian women. “We are embarking on double digit encouraging growth from Indian market where our current focus is to gain attention of female shoppers,” said Frank Dardenne, general manager and official spokesperson for LVMH Watch and Jewellery (India). “For this, we target to escalate the sales for women’s watches to 35% this year from the current 25%.”
Tag, a unit of French luxury group LVMH, will bring in more design-centric watches, as women are more design-savvy and men more interested in technical aspects, Dardenne said.

Interestingly, pricing would not be a major concern. The costs would range between Rs 2.3 lakh to 15 lakh. “Indians are not bothered about super expensive spends,” he said. “We sold our limited edition watch costing R50 lakh in few days. We could probably have sold 10 units more, but the stock was unavailable.” Another aspect to wooing is the sales pitch. “We plan to bring bespoke, on-demand services. They would be able to engrave initials or could find various dial colours available,” said Dardenne.

Tag Heuer may also look for multi-brand retail outlets this year. “Two years ago our watches were available at just 6-7 outlets in India, but today we are present in 26 cities with 87 multi-brand retail partners. Earlier our focus was hotels and malls in metros, our next targets are Pune, Ahemadabad, Chandigarh and Cochin,” Dardenne said.

According to retail consultancy Technopak, the size of the Indian timewear industry is estimated at Rs 4,200 crore with an annual growth rate of 8-10%. Globally, Tag Heuer is aiming for sales of around 1 billion Swiss francs (R5,600 crore) this year whereas within India.

Tag Heuer to open outlet in Kochi (http://www.hindustantimes.com/business-news/CorporateNews/Time-to-woo-Indian-women-Tag-Heuer/Article1-835537.aspx)
This must be opening in Lulu i believe.

Frederique Constant is also coming, most prob in Lulu. We already have Rado, Tissot and Citizen in Oberon. That's some of the big names in Watches. :)

Kalyan Sarees to open new showroom in Kochi (http://www.cityjournal.in/Newspaper/20120405/Metro/Metro_1.html)
Cine artiste Mohanlal along with other actors such as Jayaram and Shriya Saran will inaugurate the sixth mega showroom of Kalyan Sarees at 10.30 on Sunday at Kovilakathum Padam Road. The new showroom will be a 'vishu kaineetam' for their customers, said managing director TS Ramachandran.

TS Ramachandran claimed it is their ability to understand the taste of women in Kerala that made the organisation a hit. He added the capacity to capture the new trend in the existing society was also a matter for success.
He also added the new showroom will give a wonderful experience to its customers in its variety and large stocks of products.
The company promises the best sarees and varieties of sarees to its customers from its sewing centre.

They are planning to open new showrooms in Kochi and Tamil Nadu in the immediate future. They are also planning to open 10 showrooms within three to four years.

Curtain-raiser to the Emerging Kerala Event: Logistics seminar at CIAL Trade Centre (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kochi/Logistics-seminar-ahead-of-Emerging-Kerala-meet/articleshow/12552438.cms)

This could, ideally, be the first major event happening at the brand new International Trade and Exhibition centre of Cochin International Airport.
As a curtain-raiser to the Emerging Kerala (http://emergingkerala2012.org/) meet to be held in September, the Kerala State Productivity Council and the logistics major Falcon Infrastructures Limited will hold a seminar on opportunities in logistics and supply chain management.

The seminar is expected to draw over 600 participants from India and abroad, the organizers said. Sessions on the latest trends in logistics, discussions, business-to-business meets, audiovisual presentations and the like are planned. The organizers pointed out that while Kerala has made major strides in service sectors like tourism, IT and healthcare, the state has not fully capitalized on its potential in logistics sector. With the launch of the Vallarpadam International Transshipment Container Terminal, exciting growth opportunities have dawned upon the state. With the exception of the founding of a couple of freight stations, no other investment worth mentioning has happened in the state so far.

Against this background, the seminar will bring existing growth opportunities in the logistics sector to light, thereby creating new pathways for investment for global investors.

Organizations like KSIDC, KINFRA, Department of Ports and Dubai Ports World will be supporting the seminar.

The seminar, which will debate the theme 'New Trends in Logistics - Gateway to Fast-track Prosperity' will be held at the CIAL Trade Fair Centre at Nedumbassery in Kochi from July 13 to 15.

PNB Ernakulam circle crosses Rs 100-crore net profit (http://ibnlive.in.com/news/pnb-crosses-rs-100crore-net-profit/246317-60-122.html)
Punjab National Bank, Ernakulam Circle, has crossed `100-crore net profit at the end of the financial year and the unit has achieved a net profit of `107 crore, announced K V Rajesh, deputy general manager and circle head, Punjab National Bank (Ernakulam Circle).

He said that the Ernakulam Circle had good business in the last fiscal and hoped that the bank would have flourishing business in the coming fiscal. The total business of the Ernakulam circle was around `5,000 crore, Rajesh said. The circle had achieved almost all the major parametres during the year, he added.

Rajesh also said that the initiatives taken by the bank in various sectors were encouraging and are receiving commendable response. The recently-launched exclusive salary accounts for defence and police personnel, nurses of private hospitals, state bank employees are getting encouraging response. Apart from these, the Punjab National Bank had also ventured into many social activities.
He also said that Cash Deposit Machines were installed in a number of branches in the circle. Rajesh also said that the bank would soon open new branches with Automated Teller Machines at Aroor, Maradu, Piravom, Karunagapally, Erattupetta, Kothanallor, Vaikom, Attingal, Varkala, Vizhinjam and Waddakkanchery.

Kochi may get a SEBI office (http://www.mydigitalfc.com/news/sebi-open-5-new-local-offices-2012-13-992)
With an aim to take its services at the door-step of investors, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has decided to open five more local offices, including at Chandigarh and Jaipur, in the current fiscal.

As part of its decentralisation of work to regional offices, the Mumbai-headquartered SEBI is opening new local offices in different regions of the country.

The five new offices will be opened at Chandigarh, Jaipur, Indore, Patna or Bhuwneshwar and Banglore or Kochi in 2012-13, according to an official document.

These offices have been "identified inter-alia" on the basis of number of demat accounts, registered folios, exchange trading terminals and rate of growth in beneficiary accounts. The idea behind new offices is to deepen of securities market.

The market regulator had decided to open a new Western Regional Office-I at Mumbai and three local offices at Hyderabad, Guwahati and Lucknow in 2011-12. It has identified office buildings and "further work is in progress", it said.

The Sebi Board in March, 2011, had asked the regulator to explore scope of strengthening its regional offices.

Following the Board decision, a series of internal discussions took place to explore the possibility of decentralisation of work to regional offices and opening of offices at new places.

During the discussions, it emerged that the investor should get the services of SEBI at his door step to promote a balanced, pan-Indian securities market.

As per the regulator, physical proximity of Sebi office to investors and intermediaries would promote deepening and broadening of the securities market.

Sree Sakthi Paper completes Rs 30-cr project (http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/companies/article3272742.ece)
Sree Sakthi Paper Mills targets a turnover of Rs 250 crore in the current fiscal (http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/indl-goods-/-svs/paper-/-wood-/-glass/-plastic/-marbles/sree-sakthi-paper-mills-targets-a-turnover-of-rs-250-crore-in-the-current-fiscal/articleshow/12598293.cms)
With the successful completion of its Rs 30 crore expansion cum modernization project, the Kochi-based Sree Sakthi Paper Mills Ltd, the largest Kraft paper manufacturer in South India, has targeted a turnover of Rs 250 crore in current fiscal.

The turnover stood at Rs 209 crore in 2011-12. The company has been able to enhance its production capacity by 18150 metric tones per year with the implementation of the project. The total production capacity of the company stood at 1 lakh tones per annum at present.

Bombay Store to open outlet in Kochi (http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/marketing/article3297061.ece)
The Bombay Store (http://www.thebombaystore.com/Default.aspx) expects at least 4 per cent of its revenues to come from online transactions this fiscal, according to Mr Anaggh Desai, CEO, The Bombay Store.

“We didn't have enough traction earlier, but in the last six months, the online business has picked up,” he added.

The company posted revenues of Rs 29 crore during fiscal 2011-12, which is expected to grow to Rs 40 crore in 2012-13.

The Mumbai-based lifestyle retail chain will also offer a wider range of home décor products to its store offerings in the current fiscal.

“We will enhance its range of furniture, soft furnishings and accessories across all our large stores,” said Mr Desai.

The Bombay Store was started as the Bombay Swadeshi Co-operative Store in 1906 by patriots such as Lokmanya Tilak and Ratanji Jamshedji Tata and is the first retail firm to be listed on the BSE. The store now caters to the sub-40 year-old consumer.

On expansion plans, he said that the 16-store chain plans to add eight outlets. “We are targeting Tier II towns like Nagpur, Nasik, Baroda and Kochi,” Mr Desai said. The retail chain opened its second store in Bangalore on Saturday.

Milano & Designer - M&D Furniture showroom opened in Kochi

1st outlet of the Italian company in India.

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cc: Manorama

Kovai Pazhamudir Nilayam - The Fruits World (http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/vendorfruits-achievesimprobable/470851/)
Kovai Pazhamudir Nilayam maybe a mouthful for anyone outside Tamil Nadu but after you read about this company’s trajectory from roadside vendor of fruits to regional retail king, the name just may stick around in your imagination. The name means ‘Orchard of Fruits’ and is the first branded retail chain purely for fresh fruits and vegetables in the country. While other chains such as Reliance and More have posted large losses (Rs 44 crore for Reliance, Rs 423 crore for Aditya Birla’s More), Kovai says that it posted Rs 3 crore profit on revenues of Rs 150 crore in 2011-2012.

In 1965, armed with in-depth knowledge about fruits, “especially procurement” says Natarajan, and fortified by the modest savings that the band of brothers had diligently squirrelled away, Natarajan and his brothers decided to open their own shop—a 400 square feet establishment in Coimbatore. Kovai was born.

Being a retail chain that specialises in only fruits or vegetables has its own challenges which are roughly the same today as it was back in the ‘60s. One has to compete with carts that come right to your doorstep and sell you products that are invariably cheaper. Indians like to bargain, and Kovai’s model back then (and now) was to sell fruits in kilograms (versus in dozens) and that too at a fixed price. (However, Kovai’s large volumes and direct sourcing today actually help keep prices around 10-20 per cent lower than those of hypermarkets and street vendors and where most such chains falter in quality of product, Kovai’s is regarded as excellent.)

Natarajan and his brothers finally realised that their only hope for success was in doing something back then that companies like Airtel have been feverishly pursuing today: Generating ‘value added services.’ Besides fruits, the brothers started selling fresh fruit juices as well as sliced fruit in their outlet which allowed them to milk more revenue per kilogram of fruit rather than selling it whole. Ths slices and juices were able to garner them a 150% margin. This proved to be a life-saving strategy and allowed them to slowly consolidate their operations and expand.

Today, Kovai has expanded to 34 outlets, of which 24 are owned and run by Natarajan, while rest are owned and run by his three brothers.

Senthil was also the brain behind the expansion of the business, adding 21 stores over a period of six years. “Now we are planning to add another 50 by 2015 with an investment of Rs 50 crore. While the major focus will be in Tamil Nadu, we will also look at Bangalore, Cochin and Hyderabad,” he said. He is in the process of raising Rs 25 crore of private equity funding for this purpose.

Still, staying a regional king is one thing and expanding onto the national stage something else entirely. Becoming a national chain requires deep pockets, a branding exercise with a catchy name (that people can pronounce across the country) and a vast distribution, supply chain and cold chain network. Not having all the pieces in place could spell disaster as now-extinct retail chain Subhiksha found out and something that the heir to this empire will have to internalise if he wants to continue the magical journey charted by his father.

Call to convert barren land in Mulavukad (http://ibnlive.in.com/news/call-to-convert-barren-land-in-mulavukad/247760-60-122.html)
In the backdrop of the proposal in the state budget for the fast implementation of the Industrial Development Authority to boost development in areas near the Vallarpadom-Nedumbassery Highway, the Mulavukad Land Owners Association has come up with a demand to convert the land which has become barren owing to the construction of a highway in Mulavukadu Island.

The land owners said the highway that starts from the Vallarpadom ICTT area to Kalamassery passes through the lands in the western side of the Mulavukadu panchayat.

“Farming has not been taken up in the area for the past 25 years,” they said.

CII seminar on Free Trade Agreements

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cc: Manorama

Startup Village to spawn 1,000 ventures in 10 years (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kochi/Startup-Village-to-spawn-1000-ventures-in-10-years/articleshow/12682331.cms)
Startup Village, a technology business incubator formed through a public-private partnership to promote technology startups, will rope in investments of Rs 100 crore and nurture 1,000 startups in the next ten years, said Sanjay Vijayakumar, CEO of wireless solutions startup MobMe Wireless Solutions, on Sunday.

Infosys Technologies co-chairman Kris Gopalakrishnan, who will serve as chief mentor, launched the Startup Village at the Kinfra Hi-Tech Park in Kalamassery near Kochi on Sunday. It will primarily serve as a telecom innovation hub. Sanjeev Vijayakumar is the chairman of the board of governors of the Startup Village.

Built on 15,000 sq ft of space, Startup Village is jointly promoted by the National Science and Technology Entrepreneurship Development Board (NSTEDB), the Department of Science and Technology, government of India, and Technopark, Thiruvananthapuram, besides MobMe Wireless and other private parties.

Kris Gopalakrishnan said the Startup Village is an indicator of the state's transformation into an industrial powerhouse. "Kerala's Technopark is probably one of the most successful tech parks in the country, but nobody really talks about it," Gopalakrishnan said.

He said the state has slowly been putting in place all the ingredients to build a successful entrepreneurial ecosystem. "The four key ingredients: innovation, education, research and entrepreneurship to create a good business development ecosystem are now falling in place. This will help to change popular misconceptions about Kerala as a business-unfriendly state," Gopalakrishnan said.

It has been confirmed that when the right people come together, the possibility of success improves dramatically. "Startup Village is an attempt to bring the right people together in the process of incubating companies with great ideas," Gopalakrishnan said.

Cusat vice-chancellor Ramachandran Thekkedath suggested that the Startup Village must also look at the possibility of incubating entrepreneurial ventures and ideas from older and retired professionals as well who are no less creative than their younger counterparts.

The village will have a 4G network, advanced telecom labs and provide all services including legal, intellectual property and accounting help.

A three-month residential accelerator programme to support entrepreneurs in developing their ideas into products has been initiated. Every company in the programme will receive $10,000 in seed capital along with introductions to network partners, venture capital firms and angel investors, Vijayakumar said.

A $10-million angel investment fund is also being set up under the guidance of KPMG to invest $50,000-$500,000 in high-growth startups.

Aakash Tablet Delayed by Two Weeks (http://goodereader.com/blog/tablet-slates/aakash-tablet-delayed-by-two-weeks/)
All is not well with the Aakash tablet, with getting even more murky with the ultra low cost project. In a move that is bound to push back the delivery schedule of the Aakash tablet, manufacturer Datawind has said it is severing all ties with component supplier Quad Electronics. Datawind is claiming the impact of the move could be a 2 weeks delay for the Aakash to reach consumers, though it shouldn’t be surprising if that stretches even further. The Hyderabad based company Quad Electronics is entrusted with supplying the touchscreen panels of the Aakash tablet.

However, the development isn’t as new as the rumblings that have been going on for quite some time. Datawind claimed it had ended its ties with Quad Electronics back in January on the grounds of having breached its intellectual rights property.

As Datawind chief executive Suneet Singh Tuli said, “Quad circumvented our relationship with IIT-Rajasthan, signed a direct memorandum of understanding with them and then sold off its inventory in the open market… We started taking pre-payments at the end of January, offering delivery in 8 weeks starting end of March – we’re about two weeks late from that date.” He however said, “We expect to catch up to our promised delivery schedule by end of April.”

Searches for new partners in Cochin and Noida have already started, though nothing concrete has been achieved yet.

V Guard registers 35% growth in turnover (http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/companies/article3320716.ece)
The Kochi-based V Guard Industries Ltd has registered a 35 per cent growth in turnover in 2011-12, crossing Rs 1,000-crore mark.

Mr Mithun Chittilappilly, managing director, V Guard Industries Ltd, said at a press meet here on Monday that 23 per cent of the turnover comes from the non-south Indian markets where the company has concentrated for the last four years. The company clocked Rs 228 crore from non-south markets.

He declined to comment on the profitability of the company, as the results are yet to be announced. In the previous financial year, V Guard registered a net profit of Rs 42 crore.

The company is also introducing two new products – domestic switch gear and induction cooker in the market in the current financial year. This is the first entry of V Guard in the kitchen appliances segment, he added.

WONDERLA EXPANSION

Mr Arun Chittilappilly, managing director, Wonderla Holidays Pvt Ltd, said on the occasion that Wonderla has proposed to set up two new amusement parks in Hyderabad and Chennai in the next five years at an investment of Rs 550 crore. It has already acquired 55 acres in Hyderabad and is awaiting a legal opinion on the land identified in Chennai.

He pointed out that the amusements parks in Kochi and Bangalore had registered a year-on-year growth of 25 per cent and about 22 lakh guests visited these facilities last year. The amusement park business is an emerging field in India and the company wanted to expand in more places, he added.

Wonderla has opened 84 luxury rooms at its Bangalore theme park, benefiting holidayers to get the twin advantage of a world-class theme park and top notch resort to enjoy hospitality and entertainment under one roof.

REALTY VENTURE

Mr Kochouseph Chittilappilly, vice-chairman of the V Guard group, said that the company is entering into the real estate sector in the State with the construction of luxury apartments at Vazhakkala in 50 cents. The second project is a budget residential apartment complex coming up on one acre land at Kaloor.

Ms Sheela Kochouseph, managing director, V-Star Creations Pvt Ltd, announced its foray into kids' innerwear category with the launch of Little Vanessa and Little Valero, a spin-off from the lingerie parent brands Vanessa and Valero.

Holii to appeal Kochi customers (http://www.fibre2fashion.com/news/apparel-news/newsdetails.aspx?news_id=110115)
http://www.fibre2fashion.com/news/images/110/Holii_11011576.JPG

Holii (http://www.holii.in/stores/store-locator.html), the India-based company engaged in business of designing and distribution of fashion accessories, is planning to enter the apparels segment by unveiling a couture line by December 2012.

The Rs. 200 million brand, which is a joint venture firm of Hidesign India and Future Group, is also geared up for revamping its look and price structure, said Holii Chief Executive Officer, Gilles Moutonet.

At present, Holii offers luxury handbags, Ipad covers, wallets, laptop bags and other leather items for women in luxury and mid-segment price ranges.

Working to revamp its look, the company intends to change it logo and completely re-brand it. While changing its image, Holli would draw inspiration from Indian handicrafts for its designs.

Further, as it is growing as a brand and in its product offerings, the brand is trying hands on different fabrics and colours, but mainly while mingling it with leather, as the basic knowhow flows from Hidesign, India's foremost leather company and brand.

Holii products are currently sold at 12 standalone boutiques in Kolkata, Pune, Chennai, New Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore. The brand collection is also available at Lifestyle, Shoppers Stop, Central and Pantaloon outlets.

Holii clocked 60 percent growth last year and intends to set up new shops in 16 cities including Kolkata, Kochi, Lucknow and Chandigarh this year.

Also, it is looking forward to add Jamaica, Europe, Dubai, South Africa and Germany to its list of export destinations.

FACT invites private investment (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Kochi/article3323759.ece)
The public sector Fertilizers and Chemicals Travancore (FACT) has called for expression of interest (EOI) from both private and public sector companies for investments in expansion and diversification projects it has identified.

In a recent announcement, FACT said that it planned to expand and diversify its core business to sustain productivity and improve profitability. The company had earlier limited the scope of possible joint ventures to public sector companies.

The potential areas of cooperation with private sector companies include a new sulphuric acid plant; urea plant; NP complex fertilizer plant and an ammonia-urea complex.

FACT's production facility is spread over two campuses — Udyogamandal and Cochin, and comprises, among others, a 990-tonnes-a-day ammonia plant; two sulphuric acid plants; a phosphoric acid and a complex fertilizer plants.

At the centre of FACT's new plans is the projected availability of LNG in Kochi by the end of the current year. FACT hopes to switch feedstock from the costly naphtha and furnace oil to LNG when natural gas will be available here. The availability of LNG and the pricing will decide the future of the expansion and diversification plans which include: a sulphuric acid plant with a capacity of 2,000 tonnes a day. The investment requirement is more than Rs. 318 crore. An NP complex at an investment of over Rs. 200 crore and an ammonia-urea complex at an investment of Rs. 4,600 crore are the other major items on the agenda for expansion and diversification.

The company has floated a 50:50 joint venture model between FACT and the willing company for specific projects. FACT authority has also proposed that the 2,000-tonnes-a-day sulphuric acid plant and the 1,000 tonnes-a-day NP plant can be combined as a single block.

BFC Group Holdings Launches New Retail Network in India (http://www.bna.bh/portal/en/news/504393)
BFC Group Holdings, a leading international money transfer and foreign exchange group, announced today the expansion of its international network of branches with the launch of the BFC Forex & Financial Services PVT LTD (BFC Forex) retail network in India. The launch was inaugurated with the opening of the first branch and Head Office in Mumbai and 4 branches in Kerala.

BFC Forex is regulated by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and was established in December 2004 as an approved and licensed entity under RBI’s Money Transfer Service Scheme (MTSS), thereby enabling the inflow of funds into India from BFC customers living abroad.

With a network of over 50 strategically located branches throughout the Gulf and a further 10 located in the UK, BFC Group is expanding its retail network with 5 BFC Forex branches in India. These new branches embody BFC Group’s values of trust, care and efficiency, and are a commitment to customers to ensure their inward remittances are received on-time, every time and the receiving customer experiences the same high quality service they do in the send markets. Customers will be able to collect money from one of BFC Forex’s retail branches located in Mumbai, Tirur, Ernakulam – Cochin, Vadakara and Calicut. The branches will enable customers to receive cash from EzRemit and Moneygram send locations, as well as buy and sell foreign currency.

BFC Forex is licensed as a Fully Fledged Money Changer (FFMC) granted by RBI. It is the sole principal agent of Bahrain Financing Company for their cash remittance product (EzRemit) as licensed by RBI. With the license under the Money Transfer Service Scheme (MTSS), BFC Forex is able to serve customers by cash payments across its own counters and also through a sub agent network of more than 15,000 locations in India.
EM

French furniture maker Gautier to open store in Kochi (http://www.mydigitalfc.com/news/quality-labour-logistics-are-challenges-here-901)
http://ebonygautier.com/dev/wp-content/themes/ebonygautier/images/logo.jpg

French furniture maker Gautier (http://www.gautier.co.uk/) signed an exclusive distribution agreement with domestic lifestyle retailer Ebony Homes for India and the Saarc countries in 2007. Since then, Ebony Gautier have worked hard towards redefining the premium furniture segment with an element of functionality. Earlier, Gautier had a licence arrangement with the KK Birla group in the country that ended in 2003. Abhijeet Mitra, CEO of Ebony Gautier (http://ebonygautier.com/dev/) tells Meenakshi Dwivedi about his company and its future plans.

What are the emerging trends in the home furniture market in India?

There has been an inclination toward compressed wood furniture for better finish and stylized, yet functional and durable furniture. And yes, people do prefer modern and contemporary (straight line) furniture. Interestingly, customers are not scared of white furniture. Of late, it is the most preferred choice for customers when you talk about the colour pattern.

What are your future investment plans?

With the launch of our new store in Faridabad, the total number of Ebony Gautier stores in India is six now. Faridabad has a strategic importance because it is among the cities that have the highest per capita income. And this is the segment we are targeting — cities with income levels of Rs 60-70 lakh per annum. We plan to open 20 more stores in Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Lucknow, Jaipur, Ludhiana and Cochin in the next two years.

Gautier was here long ago, but they were re-branded to Style Spa. It happened while I was abroad, so not sure why.

Gautier was here long ago, but they were re-branded to Style Spa. It happened while I was abroad, so not sure why.

Gautier Renamed Style Spa In India As French Tie-up Ends
http://www.financialexpress.com/news/gautier-renamed-style-spa-in-india-as-french-tieup-ends/78799/1

So that must be the end of it. Gautier has found some other local partner, Ebony here, for the Indian market.

Gautier Renamed Style Spa In India As French Tie-up Ends
http://www.financialexpress.com/news/gautier-renamed-style-spa-in-india-as-french-tieup-ends/78799/1

So, both are different entities. Gautier India is renamed Style Spa and the Gautier France is making its Kochi entry.

High growth in investments in the state

State witnessed rich growth in the number, investment & employment creation of the micro-small-medium industries in the fiscal 2011-12.

A total of 12,543 companies were formed during the period.

Ernakulam district lead the number of investments with 1936, followed by Kollam at 1366.

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cc: Manorama

Kochi logs on to iPad3 (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kochi/Kochi-logs-on-to-iPad3/articleshow/12768990.cms)
Though nearly two weeks remain before Apple officially releases the latest version of its iPad in India, iPad 3 is already available in the city. While authorized dealers have asked customers to wait for a couple of days, there are shops around Marine Drive which sell the tablet at a price equal to the international rate and sometimes even less. Two options are available for consumers; a high priced iPad3 with all available warranty or a cheaper one that lacks warranty.

Amithab A K, owner of E-Store at Penta Menaka, claims that he sold 34 pieces of the new iPad since it was released in mid- March. "I have been receiving enquiries and orders since the US release date was announced and we managed to get iPads from Apple dealers abroad. The tablets are sold with all guarantees and support provided by the company and I sold the first iPad3 for Rs 67,000. But with prices coming down, a 64GB tablet now costs just Rs 53,000. The price might come down with India release around the corner, but we are not expecting much price difference," Amithab said.

He added that iPad which comes in black and white colours with 16GB, 32GB and 64GB storages are bought by professionals like doctors and engineers belonging to the 35 and above age group. Support in the form of user guidance and software updates are also being provided, he said.

Aravind S, another shop owner here said that the demand for older versions of iPad too has increased following the release of the new model. However for both the new and old versions, which are sold at much less than international rates, no kind of warranty is given.

The store manager of Tokyo Shop, a duty paid shop in the city said that unlike iPhones - which has to be unlocked if brought abroad - iPad has no such constraints and can be used anywhere. However a customer will have to book five days prior to the delivery date to get a piece since it has to be brought here from other countries.

"There is nothing illegal in what we are doing since we just buy from dealers and sell it here. However we cannot guarantee its longevity and consumers have to take a chance. Our consumers, who belong to upper middle class, are not worried since we have authorized vendors in the city who can rectify any software or hardware issues," the manager said.

iPad3 Kochi price

64GB - 53,000

32GB - 49,000

16GB - 42,000

CM lures foreign direct investment for Kerala in Delhi (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kochi/Chandy-lures-foreign-direct-investment-for-Kerala-in-Delhi/articleshow/12769214.cms)
The Kerala government on Friday launched a campaign to attract foreign direct investment (FDI) and said the state had unveiled a single-window mechanism for clearing investment proposals.

"Kerala is ready for investment. We want to send out a message to the world that investment is welcome," chief minister Oommen Chandy told a meeting of senior diplomats, heads of multilateral agencies and chiefs of trade missions here. Chandy urged the heads of foreign missions to take the message to their countries and help facilitate the flow of investment. The meeting was held in the run-up to the emerging Kerala Global Connect show scheduled at Kochi from September 12 to 14.

"The state government has a clear development agenda which is tailor-made to attract investments to the state. The long-term economic growth and progress of the state is the number one objective of emerging Kerala initiative," he said.

"The government has worked out a pro-active industrial and commercial policy for the state. The policy is intended to transform Kerala into a vibrant entrepreneurial society with faster and inclusive growth," said the CM.

Officials said the state government is developing a National Manufacturing and Investment Zone in the Kochi-Palakkad region, covering four districts.

The meeting was attended by diplomats from the US, the UK, France, Canada, Germany, the Russian Federation, Belgium, China, Taiwan, Denmark, Czech Republic, Malaysia and Sri Lanka.

Representatives from agencies such as Asian Development Bank, World Bank, Japan External Trade Organization, Indo-Canadian Business Chamber, US-India Business Council, UN Women, and Unesco also attended the meet.

KSIDC Electronics Hardware Park
In the backdrop of the huge potential of electronic hardware manufacturing, the State government is going ahead with its plans to set up a world class facility to host units in the electronic hardware industry. The electronic hardware park the government is planning will come up on 334 acres in the Amballoor village in Kanayannur taluk of Ernakulam district. The Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation (KSIDC), the investment promotion arm of the government, is the nodal agency for the project.

The hub would offer world class facilities for original equipment manufacturers, contract manufacturers, semi-conductor manufacturers and R&D institutions in the electronic industry. It will also provide facilities for ancillary units.

A tool room facility for use by small-scale industries, which might not be able to set up one on their own, will be an important part of the hub. The proposed facility will have machines such as CNC lathes, turning machines, milling machines, drilling machines, contour cutting machines, and planing machines. Entrepreneurs can use the tools at the hub to develop new products.

The hub will have a PCB/chip design/embedded technology training centre which will train entrepreneurs in developing new technology products using the existing hardware. The hub will also host R&D units developing new technologies for hardware building blocks such as smart cards, high-power semi-conductors, ASIC IP such as microprocessors, DSPs, and analog RF functions, MEMS transducers, etc.

The hub will also house an incubation centre, which will offer basic facilities for budding entrepreneurs to develop and test their ideas before hitting the market.

KSIDC sources said the hub is conceived as an industrial centre complete with social infrastructure comprising commercial and residential complexes, service facilities, hotels and recreation facilities to attract companies and professionals.

The project is estimated to cost '750 crore. It will be financed using equity capital of '175 crore to which with the State government ('125 crore) and KSIDC ('50 crore) will contribute. The hub is expected to receive grant in aid of '125 crore from the Central government and a term loan of '450 crore.

The proposed site at Amballoor meets the qualifications that make it ideal for the hub. It is located on the outskirts of the Kochi city, within 50 kms of the Cochin International Airport and the Vallarppadam international container transshipment terminal (ICTT). The area is sparsely populated and well-connected by wide roads, capable of handling container traffic. Its proximity to the National Waterway-3 opens up the possibility of establishing a water link to the ICTT.

KSIDC plans to develop the land by laying internal roads throughout the hub area, totalling a length of 20 kms. A 20 MVA, 110 KV substation is proposed to be set up to ensure availability of quality power. Ducting for cables and pipes will also be provided. A rain water harvesting project to ensure water supply is also being planned.

The electronics industry in Kerala is valued at $100 million. The State got a head start in the industry with the formation of Keltron in 1973, which was a pioneering organisation in electronic hardware industry when it was in its nascent stage. At present, global electronics majors have a presence in the State. TE connectivity (Tyco Electronics) has its own manufacturing unit in the State, while other majors Framatone Connectors and CII have joint ventures, namely FCI OEN and CII Guardian. Home grown players such as Keltron, NeST and OEN also have a formidable presence in the industry. Several global majors have outsourced their production to the units in the State. While some units produce a range of products such as capacitors, resistors, relays, counters, etc, some others manufacture whole units.

A number of factors have helped make Kerala a formidable presence in electronic hardware manufacturing. They include the high density of science and technology personnel, thanks to its technical education infrastructure consisting of more than 100 engineering colleges and hundreds of poly-techniques which provide the skilled and semi-skilled workers needed for the industry.

The opportunity

The $1.75 trillion electronics industry is the largest and fastest growing manufacturing industry in the world today. Electronic gadgets have been a part of our life for quite some now. But the IT and mobile revolutions have changed the scene drastically. They have profoundly affected the way we live our lives. Electronic gadgets like smart phones and tablets are the most talked about products in the world today.

Not surprisingly, the $1.75 trillion electronics industry is the largest and fastest growing manufacturing industry in the world today. And India is one of the fastest growing markets for electronic hardware, thanks to rising incomes and aspiration levels. The market for electronic hardware in the country is expected to touch $400 billion by 2020, from the current figure of $45 billion.

Source: Economic Update

Let me reiterate something that makes me excited about hardware manufacturing. It provides decent employment to people from the lower strata of society, and ploughs back much of the income into the society, creating social upliftment. I would welcome such job opportunities over the ITVty opportunities any day.

I daresay that SFO Tech, V-Guard and OEN, along with smaller players like Iga, Sfe-power and KCL have contributed much more to the overall development to Kochi than all the ITVty companies around.

The only concern I have is that Thripunithura and Thiruvankulam is going to be BIGG MESS as far as traffic is concerned.

I daresay that SFO Tech, V-Guard and OEN, along with smaller players like Iga, Sfe-power and KCL have contributed much more to the overall development to Kochi than all the ITVty companies around.

+ 1

Also note that the compared to hardware manufacturing, where most of the talent is hired from local market, opportunities created by IT might not prove fruitful to the people from the region. Having said that IT helps a lot in the brand promotion of the city.

40% rise in Kitex group turnover (http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/companies/article3342504.ece?homepage=true&ref=wl_home)
Kochi-based Kitex group has registered 40 per cent growth in export turnover, which touched Rs 527 crore in 2011-12 against Rs 377 crore in the previous year.

Net profit also showed a jump of 45 per cent from Rs 30 crore to Rs 44 crore during the financial year ended March 31.

Of the total turnover, Kitex Garments Ltd, a BSE listed company, has done a turnover of Rs 318 crore as against Rs 261 crore in the previous year. The 100 per cent export-oriented company registered a net profit of Rs 27.12 crore against Rs 20.63 crore of the previous year.

The earnings per share is also higher at Rs 5.71 against Rs 4.34. Mr Sabu M. Jacob, managing director, said that as a result of the improved performance, the board has recommended a higher dividend of 60 per cent against 40 per cent in the previous year.

CHILDEREN'S WEAR

Kitex Children's Wear Ltd, a sister concern of Kitex Garments, has contributed to the total turnover Rs 209 crore during the year against Rs 115 crore of the previous year. The net profit stood at Rs 8.01 crore against Rs 8.35 crore.

Kitex is in the process of doubling its turnover and the capacity. The company is planning to bring out toddler-wear under its own brand name in the US and the European markets.

The company had during the year received an excellence award for the best vendor of the year from ‘Toys R Us', a renowned US brand. Kitex is on its path to be a leader in the kids-wear and toddler-wear sector, Mr Jacob added.

^^^^^^

+ I wish, Kochi should have right mix of all jobs, much like Mumbai or Delhi, than concentrating in one area as primary revenue/employablity sector.

Kochi's economic powress lies in its key entrepreneurial and manufacturing skills. It must be exploited to the best to bring in more larger manufacturing units, hard technology enabled industries and lot of physical activities. It have strong multiplier effects from grassroot and one reason why Kochi is the Industrial Capital of Kerala, because it has experienced the same, since 1930s......

Kochi-Palakkad region, as part of Industrial Corridor, will surely help to transform Kerala into major economic powerhouse... These kind of electronic industries have successfully transformed Korea, Japan, China etc.... Its time, we must try emulate that model, fully understanding our limitations and problems.

Kochi's future lies more strongly in Electronics, Hardware, Chemicals, Pharmaceutics, Petrochemicals, Gold, Jewels and Tourism primarily. Its time, we need to strongly develop on our key points too....

The E-City is a sure indication for the same.....:)

^^

OC and Co is trying hard, i believe, for the Emerging Kerala event. If they can bring in investments to the tune of Rs 1 lakh crore as they expect, that would pave way to the next stage of Industry growth in the state. Kochi will definitely act as the parent city pulling investments. :cheers:

Having said that IT helps a lot in the brand promotion of the city.

Not really, as many of the 'cyber warriors' believe and try to propagate. If you work at ITVty, what you see around is ITVty, and what you see on the web is ITVty. And if the only thing of significance you have is ITVty, you would think that is the only game in town. IT Helps in brand promotion for IT projects, not for other domains of business.

^^

Agree with respect to your POV. What i meant was, the presence of a major MNC will advertise the city much more than a local brand. And it is those companies that will attract outside crowd to the city, which can be considered branding the city. Thereby bringing in other domains of business.

Synthite group (http://synthite.com/corporate-information) is making nearly 1000 Crores revenue and employs 1200 people, all in a suburb of Kochi. Does anyone talk about them? Meanwhile, we hear trumpets about IT companies that employ a few hundred people, and a few tens of crores in revenue.

^^

Agree with respect to your POV. What i meant was, the presence of a major MNC will advertise the city much more than a local brand. And it is those companies that will attract outside crowd to the city, which can be considered branding the city. Thereby bringing in other domains of business.

You happen to see the presence of MNCs in IT field because you are looking the places 'of ITVty, by ITVty and for ITVty'. You aren't seeing trumpeting about MNCs in other fields, doesn't mean that they do not exist.

Tyco, Framatome, GE Medical systems, Ericsson Telecom, etc are equal to the Oracles and Capgeminis in their own fields. You just don't see their names trumpeted on ITVty space, that's all.

Synthite group (http://synthite.com/corporate-information) is making nearly 1000 Crores revenue and employs 1200 people, all in a suburb of Kochi. Does anyone talk about them? Meanwhile, we hear trumpets about IT companies that employ a few hundred people, and a few tens of crores in revenue.

Exactly! We are not hearing about it, neither many in the country.

We have companies like V-Guard, Nest, Kitex, Synthite, Eastern etc. making revenues close to 1000 crores a year, but hardly marked as Industry development in the state. Where as a IT MNC which sets shop in the state is publicized in national and international media, which brands the city better.

^^Not international media. Just us at SSC. :lol: We get a daily dose of IT braggery, so our vision gets biased that's all.

Tyco, Framatome, GE Medical systems, Ericsson Telecom, etc are equal to the Oracles and Capgeminis in their own fields. You just don't see their names trumpeted on ITVty space, that's all.
^^Not international media. Just us at SSC. :lol: We get a daily dose of IT braggery, so our vision gets biased that's all.

:okay:

Yea, you are right. Too much involvement of IT guys in the online world plays downs any marked importance of the other field.

I have found it surprising the Huawei and Nokia Siemens, which are top MNCs in their fields, are hardly promoted part of Kochi's industry space where as a Wipro or Arbitron is seen everywhere.

^^

OC and Co is trying hard, i believe, for the Emerging Kerala event. If they can bring in investments to the tune of Rs 1 lakh crore as they expect, that would pave way to the next stage of Industry growth in the state. Kochi will definitely act as the parent city pulling investments. :cheers:

The Brand is already created ,, we dont need to cry/beg for media attentions, it just happens .... we have to leverage this brand and take city to next level...

Mixture of Tourism , Healthcare , heavy industries , IT , Retail , Fashion , Glamour .. the area where more focus reqd is Infraa.... Now thats Pathetic in Kochi ... No good roads and no efforts seen to improvise the existing...
Hope with Metro Rail we can change it some what the situation of Traffic in city...

I think we, being impatient, are being unfair to people like Chammany and Ebrahim Kunju. In the age of instant downloads, we are forgetting that those guys operate over a hugely lethargic machinery. I am seeing a lot of positive changes in infra over time recently. In fact much more than the whole of five years under Achu and Williams.

^^

+ 1

France's Thales bets big on India's metro, rail projects (http://www.newstrackindia.com/newsdetails/2012/04/24/39--France-s-Thales-bets-big-on-India-s-metro-rail-projects-.html)
Seeing a huge business opportunity in India's public transport sector, French technology giant Thales (http://www.thalesgroup.com/Countries/India/Homepage/) is planning to bid for the upcoming metro projects across the country, either independently or in partnership with other firms.

The company, which set up the ticketing system for Delhi metro, is also looking to upgrade the communication and security systems of Indian Railways.

"We are open to all options. Our first preference will be to do it independently. We can do it in partnership with local players also and through joint ventures," said Eric Lenseigne, country head and managing director of Thales' India operations.

"We can also be a part of general consortium bidding for the projects," Lenseigne said in an interview with IANS.

Thales has already won contracts for providing communication based trans-control system for the third phase of the Delhi metro project and for Hyderabad metro.

It will also be providing a train protection warning system for Indian Railways.

Lenseigne said Thales will bid for signalling, ticketing and communication systems of metro and rail projects, competing with players like General Electric, Siemens, Bombardier and Alstom.

Almost Rs. 200,000 crore (two trillion rupees) investment is expected to be made in various metro projects across the country in the coming 10 years.

In February, a panel headed by Sam Pitroda, advisor to the prime minister, in a report to the government suggested investment of Rs.822,671 crore for modernisation of Indian Railways over the next five years. This includes Rs.20,000 crore for upgradation of the signalling system in existing routes and an additional Rs.20,000 crore for installing state-of-the art signalling system for bullet trains.

Lenseigne said the company would aggressively expand in the transport sector in India and was targeting to increase revenue from this segment to at least 50 percent of the total revenue.

"Our major business in India come from the defence sector. But we will be expanding rapidly in the transport segment. Our target is to get at least 50 percent of Indian revenue from the transport segment, as is the case with our global business," he said.

Thales has a significant presence in India's defence sector. Almost 90 percent of the company's $260 million business in India comes from the defence sector.

Thales, which has presence in 56 countries, earned nearly $17 billion revenue in 2011. The company has big presence globally in the defence, security, aerospace and transport segments. Aerospace and transport accounted for 40 percent of its global revenue while the rest came from the defence and security segment.

Lenseigne said the company targets to double the headcount in India in the next four-five years. Thales employs nearly 250 people in India.

He said the company will open new offices, if required. "We want to be local. We will be expanding our operation wherever we get opportunity."

Besides the national capital, it has offices in Mumbai, Kochi, Gwalior, Bangalore, Visakhapatnam, Chennai, Hyderabad and Lucknow.

With over six decades of operations in India, covering both military and civilian space, Thales also has two joint venture agreements with Rolta and Samtel. Besides, it also has a technology company in Chennai to develop software for its global customers.

Upcoming Trade fairs in Cochin

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International Consumer Electronics Expo will be held on 11-13 May 2012 at Gokulam Park Inn, Cochin

International Consumer Electronics Expo is a three day international trade show that caters to the field of consumer electronics with diverse sub areas such as home automation such as music systems and home theater systems and control systems and office automation systems. International exhibitors are expected to come down at the event venue in Kochi, Kerala and take part in the proceedings.

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FurniFest-2012 (India International Furniture & Furnishing Fair) going to be held from 23rd to 27th May -2012 at Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium, Kaloor, Cochin.

This event is organised by Reccardo, Kochi in association with "Furniture Manufacturers & Merchants Association", Kerala (FuMMA) and there will be participation from many reputed organizations in the field of Furniture, Furnishing and allied sectors. This trade fair will act as a platform for manufacturers/producers, suppliers/traders, service providers, buyers and consumers from India and abroad to meet for business and showcase their products and services.

Headless, CSEZ slips into danger zone (http://ibnlive.in.com/news/headless-csez-slips-into-danger-zone/251926-60-122.html)
Uncertainty looms large over the business prospects of the Cochin Special Economic Zone (CSEZ), Kakkanad, as it has been functioning for the past eight months without a new chief. According to sources, the institute is facing such a dilemma for the first time since its inception in 1984.

The absence of a Development Commissioner (DC), who is the overall authority of the CSEZ, has put many activities on hold. Though the central government had appointed commissioners on ad-hoc deputation twice, sources said that was only a temporary solution. “The ad-hoc DCs appointed twice by the Union Ministry of Commerce were based at Vishakapattanam. In the event of major issues which called for an immediate addressal, the ad-hoc DCs were not able to tackle them effectively. The co-ordination with other authorities faced difficulties,” said a highly-placed CSEZ official.

The standoff between the customs authorities and CSEZ over the inspection of transshipment containers at the International Container Transshipment Terminal (ICTT) has reportedly got worsened in the absence of a DC. The Customs and the CSEZ authorities have been at loggerheads ever since the commissioning of the ICTT. The former had sought permission to inspect the transshipment cargo, but this was unacceptable to the CSEZ authorities who maintained that the entry to ICTT was restricted because the area came under the SEZ Act. “Foreign investors have been lured to CSEZ by offering amenities such as uninterrupted power and water supply and a strike-free environment. However, state government has now imposed a load-shedding on CSEZ. To take this issue up with the state government, we do not have a chief,” sources said.

The companies under CSEZ together contribute `30,000 crore to the exchequer. There are about 160 companies under the CSEZ with 15,000 employees. Appointing a DC is the need of the hour, and the lethargy of the concerned authorities is deplorable, they added.

Citizen Watches India to expand presence in tier II cities (http://www.indiaretailing.com/news.aspx?topic=1&Id=6509)
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Citizen Watches India plans to expand its presence in the country over the next three to five years not only in metros but also in tier-II cities. It will also simultaneously increase its number of multi-brand outlets. Currently, the retailer has approximately 450 retail outlets.

Citizen Watches is present in 24 cities across India and currently has 30 exclusive outlets. The main focus of the brand remains on MBO’s, shop-in-shops, and national chain stores such as Shoppers Stop, Lifestyle, and Pantaloons. Citizen Watches India plans to expand in cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Kolkata, Chennai, Pune, Ahmedabad, Kochi, Chandigarh and Hyderabad

The brand recently relaunched its store in Bangalore at Safina Plaza where it also launched its new "Prestige Chronograph" collection. Katsusuke Tokura, Managing Director, Citizen Watches, India said: “More than being a functional time keeper, watches have become fashion accessories even for men. The current size of affordable luxury segment of Indian watch market is approximately Rs 4,000 crore and is expected to double in the next five years and we also hope to double our turnover in the next five years.”

Takeshi Okada, General Manager, Citizen Watches, India, said: “Citizen Watches has become successful in creating futuristic environment-friendly concepts such as Eco-Drive that powers the watch to function anytime and anywhere as long as there is light. Our collections are a fusion of technology and beauty.”

Citizen Watches Japan is a JPY285 billion (US $ 3.5billion) 82 year old company selling watches and allied products in more than 150 countries. Citizen Watches (India) started operations in 1997.

New production plant for ResiTech Electricals (http://www.resitechtransformers.com/)

The new plant at Aluva Industrial Area will be inaugurated tomorrow.

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cc: Mathrubhumi

Tier-II & III cities new gold mines for I-T dept (http://www.moneycontrol.com/news/cnbc-tv18-comments/tier-iiiii-cities-new-gold-mines-for-i-t-dept_697442.html)
To boost sales, India Inc is shifting focus from saturated metropolitan markets to new and emerging cities. And the taxman, who does not want to lose out on any direct tax collections, is following suit, reports Ashmit Kumar of CNBC-TV18.

Where there's growth, the taxman is sure to follow. Tier-II and tier-III cities. These cities have fuelled growth for Indian Inc in past year. And also become star performers for the income tax (I-T) department.

Tax collections from nine tier-II cities from Ahmedabad to Pune to Kochi to Chandigarh to Jaipur have shown growth between 20-30% in FY12. Even Lucknow and Patna have not failed to impress; Guwahati has surprised all with a 25% surge in direct tax mop up.

That's a sharp contrast to the bigger cities. Kolkata, with 8% growth in tax collections, has been the leader followed by 5% in Delhi and 3% in Mumbai. Bringing the all-India tax growth rate down to 10%.
What's behind this surge in tier-II cities? Simple. These smaller cities offer potential for widening the tax base, and taxing of unchecked revenue streams.

The taxman now wants to better the high tax collection rate from these secondary cities and plan to deploy innovative tax collection strategies aimed at increasing the overall tax contribution from these cities higher than the current 30%.

Acumen Capital to open 40 more branches (http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/acumen-capital-to-open-40-more-branches/472801/)
Kochi based broking house, Acumen Capital Market (India) Limited (http://acumengroup.in/index.htm), will be opening 40 new branches across the country during the current financial year, according to vice-chairman and managing director Akshay Agrawal.

“A major chunk of the proposed branches will come up in the four southern states as the region is rather un-tapped as far as the capital and commodities markets are concerned. Branches will also be opened in states like Gujarat and Bihar,” he told Business Standard.

The company currently has around 500 outlets across the country. The new branches will be a mix of company-owned and franchisee outlets. Acumen, the erstwhile Peninsular Capital, was founded in 1996 and was renamed in 2008. The company had taken a major expansion plan in 2008 and the next big plan is being charted during this year. Agrawal said that the company had performed reasonably well in 2011-12, though the market was passing through a dull phase.

“The worst phase is over as far as the capital markets are concerned. I am optimistic about the next five years, and hence the company has initiated the expansion of its branch network,” he added.

The retail investor participation in the market has been static or coming down for the last four to five years. But, this is picking up slowly this year. The commodities markets performed well in 2011-12 as there was a 50 per cent rise in volumes and participation. Both Nifty and the Sensex are now at par with the levels in 2007, Agrawal said.

The profitability of corporate India has been doubled during this period, which points out to the strength of the Indian economy. By 2017, the profitability of Indian companies is likely to be quadrupled. So, the capital markets will also be more vibrant in the coming years, he added.

“Except for negative factors like swelling up of crude oil prices, increase in government borrowings and galloping fiscal deficit, all other economic parameters are on the positive side,” he said.

Acumen is also planning to conduct more investor awareness programmes during this year in order to enhance the retail investor participation. Last year, the company had conducted more than 250 such camps across the country, Agrawal said, adding that a major technological upgradation was also on the anvil.

BANDHEJ (http://www.bandhej.com/default.aspx) opens boutique in Panampilly Nagar

Panampilly Nagar taking on MG Road as the retail hub :)

6th Bandhej store in the country.

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cc: Mathrubhumi

BANDHEJ (http://www.bandhej.com/default.aspx) opens boutique in Panampilly Nagar

Panampilly Nagar taking on MG Road as the retail hub :)

6th Bandhej store in the country.



Very True.... It has became the botique corridor of Kochi with numerous of exculsive designer and botique stores.... Unlike MG Road, which caters all of various budgets/stratas, Panampally Nagar is primarily meant for elite and serious fashion buyers........

I have to been Bandhej some time back in Ahmedabad.... Its really pretty awesome botique and the stuff is purely ethnic Indian or more specific its pure Gujarati Kutchi culture, which you rarely see in regular stores like Kalyans or Jayalakshmi.... Its too niche..... Since Kochi has a considerable size of Gujarati Community living, surely it shall be a major hit along with other fashion seekers........ Another testimony for Kochi being cited as Fashion Capital of Kerala.....

Very True.... It has became the botique corridor of Kochi with numerous of exculsive designer and botique stores.... Unlike MG Road, which caters all of various budgets/stratas, Panampally Nagar is primarily meant for elite and serious fashion buyers........

I have to been Bandhej some time back in Ahmedabad.... Its really pretty awesome botique and the stuff is purely ethnic Indian or more specific its pure Gujarati Kutchi culture, which you rarely see in regular stores like Kalyans or Jayalakshmi.... Its too niche..... Since Kochi has a considerable size of Gujarati Community living, surely it shall be a major hit along with other fashion seekers........ Another testimony for Kochi being cited as Fashion Capital of Kerala.....

I guess Ritu Kumar boutique is also at Panapilly nagar.....

I guess Ritu Kumar boutique is also at Panapilly nagar.....

Its not excatly in Panampilly Nagar.... It is in SA Road, opposite Manorama looking towards PN side..... The branding of PN is very crucial for most of the botique stores to give a premium outlook. So saying Ritu Kumar Store at PN, adds more value than Ritu Kumar at SA Road.... Ofcourse, this is for those who doesn't know who is Ritu Kumar, one of India's most celebrated ethnic fashion designer......

Muthoot Capital Q4 net more than doubles (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/Muthoot-Capital-Q4-net-more-than-doubles/articleshow/12942795.cms)
Kochi based Muthoot Capital Services (MCS) (http://www.muthootcap.com/index.htm) registered 133% increase in net profit after tax during the fourth quarter ended on March 31, 2012, to Rs 6.27 crore from Rs 2.68 crore during the corresponding period of the previous year.

Total income rose 102% to Rs 23.31 crore from Rs 11.54 crore a year earlier, the company said.

MCS managing director Thomas George Muthoot said, "The company is continuing its activities of credit delivery in rural and semi-urban areas by extending two-wheeler and three-wheeler loans to the needy. Boosted by the continued good performance, we have already expanded operations to states in North India, in addition to those in South India."

Financial expenses of the company were Rs 3.63 crore in the quarter compared to Rs 6.32 crore a year ago, an increase of 74%. Non-financial expenses rose 99% year-over year to Rs 7.71 crore. Total expenses were Rs 14.03 crore, an increase of 87% from Rs 7.50 crore in the same quarter last year.

For the year ended on March 31, 2012, the company's net profit rose 59% to Rs 15.39 crore from Rs 9.67 crore a year earlier.

During the year, total loan assets increased to Rs 298.62 crore from Rs 174.98 crore, and as a result, total revenues climbed 77% to Rs 66.97 crore from Rs 37.73 crore reported in the previous year.

Company CEO R Manomohanan said that equity infusion during the year by way of rights issue of shares had helped the company improve its financial position.

The company granted loans to nearly 1.18 lakh customers under its various automobile financing schemes, he said. It presently has more than one lakh borrowers, mainly under the two-wheeler and three-wheeler categories.

Tierra Food set to launch banana, tapioca chips (http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/marketing/article2853699.ece)
In its endeavour to enter the traditional snack food industry in Kerala, the Kochi-based Tierra Food India Pvt Ltd is all set to introduce banana and tapioca chips in the State.

The company has set up a 6-tonne per day production facility at Kinfra Food Park in Adoor at an investment of Rs 15 crore.

Mr Alex Thomas, Managing Director, Tierra Food, said that the trial production will start within three weeks and the products will be initially launched in Kerala and then extended to major cities outside the State and to export markets.

The brand name of the product will be announced soon and it will be made available to the consumers in trendy packs priced at Rs 5, 10 and 20 through 15,000 retail outlets across Kerala, he said. The company is expecting Rs 12 crore sales in the first year of operations. It is offering a shelf life of four months for banana chips and six months for tapioca chips.

He pointed out that the current market size of banana and tapioca chips in Kerala is estimated at Rs 600 crore and Rs 150 crore respectively.

However, the invasion of the Kerala snack food market by the multinational companies and large Indian firms has lured the consumers out of banana and tapioca chips to potato chips and corn-based extruded snacks. This will continue to have lasting impact on the traditional snack food industry in Kerala, he said.

The salty snack food industry in the country is growing at 21 per cent and will continue to clock double digit growth for the next five years. Potato chips account for 43 per cent of the total salty snack market, which consists of chips, extruded snack and ethnic snacks, he added.

According to Mr Thomas, the traditional snack food industry in the State is largely in the unorganised sector led by retail shops.

Today banana and tapioca chips are largely used in the State for gifting or serving guests and during functions and festivals. Frying these at home has also come down drastically, he said and added that the company is focussing on processed foods made from crops grown in Kerala.

Bajaj Finserv to finance lifestyle products (http://www.indiablooms.com/BusinessDetailsPage/2012/businessDetails030512f.php)
To cash in on the burgeoning sales of lifestyle products, Bajaj Finserv Lending has forayed into financing of products like furniture, home furnishings, fitness equipment, luxury watches, etc, at zero per cent interest.

The size of lifestyle product industry in India is Rs. 200,000 crore.

The company claimed to be the first non-banking financial institution in the country to enter into financing of lifestyle products and has already tied up with retail chains like Evoke, Reliance Living, @Home, Hypercity, Fitness One and Durian to push its just launched product.

This facility will be initially available in Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad, Ahmadabad, Pune, Chandigarh and Cochin.

Bajaj Finserv Lending plans to replicate its established network of 0% interest Consumer Durable Loans with presence in over 4000 outlets across 80 cities.

“Given the changing socio-economic spectrum with rising aspirations and the growing demand for acquiring better lifestyles, it was natural for us to extend the 0% interest proposition to lifestyle products. This further reasserts our role in our customer’s life of enabling better realities,” said Rajeev Jain, CEO, Bajaj Finserv Lending.

The loan size in the segment ranges from Rs 25,000 to Rs 3 lakh and the total cost of the purchase gets divided into 12 equal installments (with tenor option of up to 24 months) and customer is required to pay only 4 installments as down payment.

The company expects total lending to touch Rs 350 crore during the current fiscal and will cross Rs.1000 crores by 2015 with the furniture alone contributing about 50 per cent of the total lending.

“The idea is to not just give finance but also flexibility and peace of mind to the customer. This ideally trickles down to a life time relationship creating win- win situations for the customer and the manufacturer,” said Devang Mody, President, Consumer Business, Bajaj Finserv Lending.

Cochin branch of SBI turns 150

KOCHI: The uniforms of guards have changed and they no longer brandish their swords as they used to, a century and a half ago. But still, the cash chest and locker of State Bank of India's (SBI) 'Cochin branch' at Fort Kochi has the same old steel doors imported from Britain. The branch, which started functioning on May 1, 1862, celebrated its 150th anniversary on Wednesday.

"The branch has been catering to the entire business community of central Kerala, and maintaining the accounts of exclusive clientele, including those of the ruling family of the erstwhile Cochin kingdom," wrote SBI chief general manager V Murali in the anniversary special issue of Keralam, the in-house magazine of the bank. Murali inaugurated the anniversary functions of the branch on Wednesday.

Source -The Times of India

Rs 64.4 crore business for HMT Kalamassery in the last fiscal.

Highest turnover in the last 15 years

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cc: Manorama

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New NIKE store at MG Road

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Hedge Equities (http://hedgeequities.com/) new corporate HQ at Palarivattom

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^^ Happy to hear that home grown companies are doing really well :)

Hedge Equities (http://hedgeequities.com/) new corporate HQ at Palarivattom

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In days to come, Palarivattom-Kaloor stretch would emerge as future Dalal Street of Kochi or Kerala....... So many brokerage houses have started own facility in this stretch which is less than a KM...... JRG, Geojith, Infoline, Kotak now Hedge etc.......

Really good to hear it... Infact, its time, Muthoot to think, brand technotowers as a financial tower for cluster financial agencies and brokerage houses.... Perhaps, if they can rope in Kochi branch of Bombay Stock Exchange as well as Cochin Stock Exchange, it shall strongly help them to get their space sell out, once they finish off their other legal issues.......

Bombay Store soon in Kochi (http://www.hindustantimes.com/business-news/CorporateNews/The-Bombay-Store-looks-to-take-chain-overseas/Article1-852239.aspx)
Mumbai-based retail chain The Bombay Store (TBS) (http://www.thebombaystore.com/) is planning to open 40 more stores from the current 14 over the next one year. The brand, popular for its bling and India specific memorabilia, is also actively looking at tapping the overseas market.
The company is looking for partners to set up shops in international locations such as London, Singapore, Dubai and Hong Kong to start with.
"We know the Indian market well enough but don't have a similar expertise for the markets abroad," said Asim Dalal, managing director, The Bombay Store. "TBS is looking to spend around Rs. 20-25 crore to scale up its domestic presence over the next one year. While the company remains debt free as of now, it will look at raising funds or selling stake to a larger retail player."

"At this stage the expansion is internally funded. We are open to raise funds or consider a larger investor who could fit into our long-term vision," said Dalal.

TBS has stores in Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Goa, Lonavala and Aurangabad. It is looking at adding four more stores in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai and Cochin.

The Bombay Store, listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), did business worth RS. 30 crore, expects a turnover of RS. 42 crore this year and it estimates more than Rs. 100 crore by the end of 2015.

Minister opens industries centre (http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/article3386465.ece)
Industries Minister P.K. Kunhalikutty on Friday opened a government industrial complex that will also house the Ernakulam District Industries Centre at Kakkanad.

Speaking after opening the building, Mr. Kunhalikutty said the government was keen on bringing the latest developments on the technological front to the State. “If we do not keep pace with the technological development, we will be letting down the new generations,” he said. He noted that the development of the IT sector in Kerala, which created a lot of job opportunities, had been aimed to benefit the new generation.

The Minister said Kochi had the inherent capacity to drive Kerala's industrial and commercial growth. In response to a request by Benny Behanan MLA, who presided, he said he would do his best for the infrastructural development of Thrikkakara in view of the fact that the municipality was home to SmartCity and Infopark.

Industries director T.O. Sooraj said the industrial complex had been planned 40 years back, but it had been delayed by legal wrangles over the land.

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'Rethm Loudspeakers' (http://www.rethm.com/home.html) from Kochi

Launched in India after competing with International brands.

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Manorama (http://www.manoramanews.com/cgi-bin/MMOnline.dll/portal/ep/mmtvContentView.do?BV_ID=@@@&programId=9958863&contentId=11545936)

^^ Wow...that's cool :cheers:
so far Bose was the lone brand in International market tagging an Indian flavour. Now we have one more Desi name to add...Gr8 going...Jai Ho !

ISPG Tech named Premier SME partner of Google (http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/info-tech/article3403851.ece)
ISPG Technologies (http://www.ispg.in/index.html), the Kochi-based IT company, has been selected as Premier SME Partner by Google. Only five organisations have been awarded Premier SME partner status in India and ISPG Technologies is the only one in Kerala.

Mr K.G. Sajith, Managing Director and CEO, ISPG Technologies, said the partnership with Google would help the company provide clients with high-end executive, technical, sales, marketing and account management services.

Through Premier SME partnerships, Google aims at helping SME businesses create, optimise and manage their online advertising campaigns. The partnership will enable ISPG Technologies to provide SMEs the most effective advertising solutions including full-service campaign management and one-on-one customer support, he said.

Mr K.G. Sreejith, Director (Sales and Web Management), ISPG Technologies, pointed out that a majority of the companies were not utilising the growing opportunities of Internet and e-commerce, though Internet usage in the country was on the rise. It is estimated that there would be 200 million Internet users in India by 2015.

The market faces a lack of efficient organisations capable of supporting and directing companies in this regard, he said.

Referring to future plans, he said the company would provide business houses expertise in the online space and encourage entrepreneurs to utilise the potential of online advertising campaigns.

Currently, the company caters to 200 international brands and 100 brands from Kerala. As Google’s Premier SME partner, the company hopes to increase its clientele in the State to over 1,000, he said.

The company, with a turnover of Rs 21 crore, would be expanding its current team to 550 in-house employees to emerge as one of the largest Web development and online marketing companies in the country, he added

Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute develops new fish breed (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/Central-Marine-Fisheries-Research-Institute-develops-new-fish-breed/articleshow/13072774.cms)
The Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) has developed a new fish breed suitable for Indian conditions. Scientists at CMFRI found the new variety 'Pompano' surviving even in saline waters outside the sea waters, which is rare for fish breeds.

"Popularly known as Chanduva in AP, this rare variety of Pomfret is not available even in sea waters now," CMFRI (Kochi) director G Syda Rao told TOI. Scientists say the breed will change the economic conditions of poor fishermen, particularly during the 45-day conservation period when the government bans fishing activity.

"Pompano could usher in revolution if the government hands over barren lands on the coast to fishermen to hatch this fish as it can survive all adverse atmosphere conditions and help them get good returns," said a marine scientist at CMFRI. Each fish weighs around 450 grams and a yield of about 1.5 tonnes is expected from each acre. "The yield from each acre would easily give the fishermen returns of over Rs 3 lakh," explained Syda Rao. The fishermen groups could earn at least Rs 25-30 lakh annually if they go for cultivation in five acres, scientists point out.

But CMFRI is facing a hurdle as it is not in a position to hatch the fish in large quantities and is looking forward to the private parties to chip in. In this context, CMFRI said the state governments should take the lead in helping the traditional fishermen cultivate the new breed. A near two-month fishing layoff during the summer is a crisis period for the fishermen families as most of them depend on the local moneylenders to make both ends meet.

With moneylenders charging huge rate of interest, the fishermen are forced to sell their stocks at cheap rates. "But in case of Pompano, they could go for three crops a year," said fish exporter Anantha Nagesh Babu. Since the yield is expected within four months unlike other fish varieties which take a longer time to breed, it's a win-win situation for the fishermen.

Nagesh Babu said the government should contemplate leasing out small portions of barren land to the fishermen self-help groups so that the fishermen's dependence on moneylenders would come down drastically.

In days to come, Palarivattom-Kaloor stretch would emerge as future Dalal Street of Kochi or Kerala....... So many brokerage houses have started own facility in this stretch which is less than a KM...... JRG, Geojith, Infoline, Kotak now Hedge etc.......

Really good to hear it... Infact, its time, Muthoot to think, brand technotowers as a financial tower for cluster financial agencies and brokerage houses.... Perhaps, if they can rope in Kochi branch of Bombay Stock Exchange as well as Cochin Stock Exchange, it shall strongly help them to get their space sell out, once they finish off their other legal issues.......
Cochin branch of BSE is meant for only speedy disposal of legal and technical matters , not for any business developmental activities . And CSE is now ornamental one .

Kitco to design integrated handling complex for Cochin Tea Trade Centre (http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/logistics/article3418880.ece)
KITCO, the Kerala Government owned consultancy firm, has been entrusted with the task of designing an integrated building complex for the proposed Cochin Tea Trade Centre.

The award of the consultancy has been approved by the board of trustees of the Kochi Port.

MAJOR HUB FOR TEA

According to officials, the port had proposed integrating tea trading activities on Willingdon Island to make the island a major hub for tea trade and bringing all activities under one umbrella, as done at the Dubai Tea Trading Centre, which handles more than 10 million kg a year.

DTTC is a dedicated facility offering its members warehousing, blending and packaging solutions.

Through this facility, DTTC allows international tea producers and merchants to hold stocks of tea to be readily available to meet the requirements of importers in the West Asia and adjacent regions, the officials said.

DEDICATED FACILITY

The tea trading activities on the Willingdon Island are scattered over several locations in a labour-intensive manner.

However, bringing them together and harmonising the activities will give a new impetus and image to Willingdon Island as a tea trading hub with Kerala accounting for a substantial quantity of tea annually.

LAND APPROVAL

There are six brokers, 192 buyers and nearly 150 buyers involved in the tea trading activities here under the aegis of Tea Trade Association of Cochin.

The Port Trust plans to make 6.6 acres available to the Tea Trade Association of Cochin on nomination basis with the approval of the Union Ministry of Shipping.

FINANCE

Discussions are on with the Tea Trade Association as the port has proposed that the association part-finance the tea complex.

GOVT SUBSIDY

The Commerce Ministry has expressed its willingness to provide 50 per cent subsidy under the ASIDE — Assistance to States for Infrastructure Development and Exports, scheme.

The local tea trading association, being the only registered association representing the stakeholders here, will be the nodal agency for the project implementation.

The port officials said that the Tea Board had extended support to the project.

Kochi based Indus Motors (http://www.indusmotor.com/index.php) is the Number 1 Maruti dealer in India for the 6th continuous year

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BASEL Watch Company (http://www.baselwatch.com/index.asp) to open outlet in Kochi

Authorized dealers for BLADE, ELIZ, ENICAR & SESCA watches.
4th outlet of BASEL in the state.

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ISPG Tech named Premier SME partner of Google (http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/info-tech/article3403851.ece)
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Hedge Finance gets non-banking financial company status (http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/finance/hedge-finance-gets-non-banking-financial-company-status/articleshow/13169973.cms)
Hedge Finance, part of the Kochi-based Hedge group, has announced that the company has acquired NBFC status.

The company will primarily be focusing on securities, a relatively under-tapped segment. With loans against security model, Hedge Finance is targeting a major growing segment in the Indian financial landscape.

"While focusing on loans against securities, Hedge Finance is also betting on Indian economy's growth," said Mr. Alex K. Babu, Managing Director, Hedge Finance. "Our main focus will be on providing loans to customers against financial instruments like equities, bonds and debentures" he said adding that the company will also provide gold loans, other types of conventional hire purchases and loans against properties.

As an organic extension of the services of Hedge Commodities, another group company having membership in MCX, NCDX and NMC, Hedge Finance will also lend against warehouse receipts.

He said that given the wide client base and modern infrastructure, the company would achieve a loan book position of Rs 100 crore within the first three months of operations. The new company will also spearhead the group's nationwide expansion.

RSM Astute to open office in Kochi :cheers:

RSM Astute Consulting (http://www.astuteconsulting.com/Home.aspx) is the subsidiary of RSM International (http://www.rsmi.com/en/default.aspx) in India.

Deloitte, KPMG, Ernst & Young and now RSM.

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Investors Meet held ahead of Emerging Kerala Global Meet (http://ibnlive.in.com/generalnewsfeed/news/investors-meet-held-ahead-of-emerging-kerala-global-meet/1000407.html)
Nearly 300 investors and industrialists from the districts of Ernakulam, Alappuzha and Thrissur districts turned out today at an Investors Meet here. The meet was organized under the aegis of Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation (KSIDC) and DIC as part of a build-up towards the Emerging Kerala 2012 to be held in September.

Members of CII, NASSCOM, DIC, KSEB, KSPCB, KWA, KFC, KINFRA were among those present. K G Ajithkumar, DGM, KSIDC welcomed the gathering and introduced the event which is planned as global connect, organized by Government of Kerala and KSIDC being the nodal agency for the event. He also emphasized on the different road shows already conducted in Delhi & Mumbai to be a huge success. Similar roadshows will be conducted in other major cities like Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, and also in major countries abroad very soon.

Shaji Sebastian, KSSIA President, said the safe & secure climate in Kerala was favourable for investment in all area. T P Thomaskutty, Executive Director, KSIDC made detailed presentations on core sectors identified by the Government of Kerala. The major core sectors included IT & ITES, Knowledge/ Education, Tourism, Food & Agro Processing, Ports, Shipbuilding & Logistics, Healthcare Services, Energy including Green Energy & Environment Technologies, Science & Technology including Biotechnology, Nanotechnology & Life Sciences, Infrastructure development including Urban Infrastructure (Power, Water, Urban Transportation, Waste Mgmt., etc), MSME and Financial Services.

The meet was held as a prelude to the Emerging Kerala 2012, to be held here from Sept 12-14. Over 200 project details have been published in the event’s website www.emergingkerala2012.org.pti ud

RSM Astute to open office in Kochi :cheers:

World's 6th largest Accouting and consulting firm.

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An investor meet was organised here under the aegis of KSIDC and District Industries Centre as part of a build-up to the ‘Emerging Kerala 2012' event, to be held in September.

Nearly 300 investors and industrialists from Ernakulam, Alappuzha and Thrissur districts turned out at the meet. Members of CII, Nasscom, KSEB, KWA, KFC, Kinfra were also present.

Mr K.G. Ajithkumar, deputy general manager, KSIDC, said that the road shows conducted as a prelude to the Emerging Kerala 2012 event in Delhi and Mumbai were a grand success. Similar road shows will be conducted in other major cities like Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and also in major countries abroad shortly.

Mr Shaji Sebastian, president, Kerala State Small Industries Association, stressed the need for more interactive sessions with different government agencies to create a favourable investment climate in the State. He said that the single-window clearance scheme is functioning well in Ernakulam and this would be extended to other districts.

Mr T.P. Thomaskutty, executive director, KSIDC, made detailed presentations on core sectors identified by the government. The core sectors included IT and ITeS, tourism, food and agro-processing, ports, shipbuilding and logistics, healthcare services, energy sector, MSME and financial services

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/article3432788.ece

BHARAT ELECTRONICS COCHIN

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^^

Thanks VJ, nice to see BEL product support centre Kochi.

Thanks VJ

Looks like a big office...

^^

Thanks VJ, nice to see BEL product support centre Kochi.

Polaris launches off road vehicles in Kerala (http://zeenews.india.com/business/automobiles/auto-news/polaris-launches-off-road-vehicles-in-kerala_48352.html)

Another cool addition to the Auto-hub 'Maradu'
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Kochi: Polaris (http://www.polarisind.in/polaris-dealers-cochin), World leader in off road vehicles, Friday said it was targeting to sell 100 million units by 2016-17 in India.

Polaris India was aiming to sell 100 million off road vechiles in India by 2016-17, Pankaj Dubey, country head (India) and Managing Director, told reporters here.

However, he declined to give any sales figures since the company, a wholly owned subsidiary of Polaris Industries Inc, launched its products in the country in September last year.

The vehicles were launched in Kerala market Friday with a price range starting from Rs 2.86 lakh. Geographically, Kerala has a wide variety of terrains that make the off road segment an area with a potential for exponential growth, he said.

Pointing that there was huge interest and business potential in the southern market, he said the vehicles have now been launched in all the southern states.

The specialised automobile market was at a nascent stage in India. Polaris' main aim was to sensitise the consumers and create a new market for the possible options available in recreational vehicles such as ATVs, RANGER, RZR Side-by-Side vehicles and snowmobiles, he said.

He said Polaris military vehicles were a true solution for easy movement in tough off road terrains like hills, forest, snow, desert and rocky land. There was also huge potential in tourism, agriculture, mining, forest patrolling and adventure.

These vehicles are used in Iraq and Afghanistan and the company had received lot of orders from the US army, he added.

The vehicles, including Sportsman ATVs, Ranger RZR, Snowmobiles, have so far been launched in 10 states.

Man with the golden touch (http://www.malaysia-chronicle.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=33734:man-with-the-golden-touch&Itemid=3)
When I walked into his hotel room, Mr Joy Alukkas was in the shower.

The Middle East has changed the life of many a Keralite and his was one.

Today, Mr Alukkas can be called the man with the Midas touch.

Starting with a single showroom in Abu Dhabi in 1987, the native of Trichur has built up a chain of more than 85 jewellery outlets spread across the Gulf region, India, London and now in Singapore.

He has five other businesses and he employs more than 5,000 people.

Things did not change much till 1999.

That was when the brothers decided to go separate ways and the family jewellery business was divided among the five.

Mr Alukkas recalls modestly: "I had two outlets and 26 employees then. Today I have 85 showrooms. That is my achievement."

Mr Alukkas, 56, runs his operations, both in India and overseas, from his base in Dubai.

He has lined up 15 new branches in India, in the coming months, spread across the south Indian states and in Mumbai, where he already has one.

The third among the five brothers, Mr Alukkas credits the smooth running of his business to his employees.

He has set up a training centre in Cochin, the first of its kind in the jewellery industry.

He also encourages his workers to upgrade their skills and says that some of them have gone on to become chartered accountants, IT specialists, managers and yet continue to work for him.

Given the number of jewellery showrooms he owns - including the 70,000sq ft showroom in Chennai, the world's largest - his brand should be the number one in India.

Even as his jewellery showrooms grew in number, Mr Alukkas looked for other opportunities.

He noticed that many who come to buy jewellery do so for the wedding needs of their family members.

This gave him the idea to start the Mall of Joy.

The first one will open in Calicut in August.

Seven more will follow, all in Kerala.

These malls, he says, will have everything that is needed for a wedding - like textiles, footwear, cosmetics, watches, etc.

There will also be space for a fine-dining restaurant to cater to the needs of the customers.

He wants to keep the malls small, around 15,000 sq ft. Anything bigger and it becomes a general mall, he says.

He already has three outlets specialising in silk textiles called Jolly Silks, named after his wife Jolly, in Kerala. Eight more are coming up soon.

Another business doing well is Joy Alukkas Exchange, which offers money transferring and foreign exchange services.

There are five outlets in the UAE. Another is coming up in Qatar and a branch in India is being planned.

Ultimately, Mr Alukkas says, he wants to have a branch in every place where he has a jewellery store.

Mr Alukkas has also ventured into territory which has no connection with jewellery - aviation and property.

He set up Joy Jets in Cochin last year.

Currently he has an Embraer business jet which is available for charter flights.

Another business jet, a Lear jet, will soon join the fleet.

Earlier this year, the company leased a helicopter to launch heli-tours for tourists wanting to catch Cochin from the air.

Mr Alukkas says his aim is to start a regional airline.

"There is potential for a good retailer in this field," he says.

His property wing is called Joy Alukkas Lifestyle Developers.

This is also Kerala based and his first two projects are coming up in Trichur and Cochin.

He has bought land to build a hospital to treat cancer patients.

The cancer hospital, he says, is not just another project.

"I want to be personally involved in it. I can give money to a charitable organisation or a project but it will not give me the level of satisfaction that I will get when I do something myself. I want to spend time with the cancer patients and share their experiences."