Pune investment & industrial development

[adam_india]

Italian agri machinery manufacturer Maschio Gaspardo sets up plant near Pune

Italy-based multinational company Maschio Gaspardo Group which specializes in the production of agricultural machinery, has entered into India with its maiden manufacturing unit set up in Ranjangaon, Pune. The state of the art manufacturing facility has been set up at an investment of Rs 200 crore.

Currently having presence in 14 countries with a wider base in Italy, the group specializes in the production of agricultural machinery for tillage, sowing, seeding, landscaping, forage-making, sprayers and crop care.

The plant is proposed to manufacture rotary tillers, mulchers and seeders for the domestic market in the beginning which would later be expanded to the manufacturing of other machineries. To start with, the new plant will manufacture products for Mahindra & Mahindra and New Holland India.

Plans are also underway to serve the needs of Maschio Gaspardo Group's other global customers, by providing local supply to their India and Asia Pacific facilities.

“The growing importance of Indian agricultural market gives this country a central position in Maschio Gaspardo Group’s global strategy.
Pune is an ideal location for our new plant because the city provides a strong infrastructure and a rich talent pool of skilled workforce in the manufacturing sector. Our long-term vision is to capture agricultural growth through investing in fast growing markets and aligning our manufacturing footprint with the needs of our global customer base,” said Alessio Riulini, Managing Director, Maschio Gaspardo India.

The new plant will aid Maschio Gaspardo Group to achieve its aim for 2012; to exceed $280 million (~Rs 1400 crore) turnover. The Pune plant will currently employ 120 people and will be increased to 250 people along with planned investment of Rs 100 crore until 2017.

http://www.business-standard.com/ind...ndia/187670/on

[adam_india]

TÜV opens new lab and facility in Pune

TUV India, subsidiary of TÜV NORD Group, said it has expanded into high-end testing services and with an investment of 5 million euros the company inaugurated a laboratory and new office premises.
This laboratory will be operational in testing of agricultural and processed food, material, animal feed, pharmaceutical and cosmetic products--as per national and international standards and will serve only the domestic market currently.
The lab houses advanced analytical equipment which will be instrumental in testing. The same premise stretched on a 30,000 square feet of land also houses a Centre of Excellence for Food Safety. TUV India, is a technical service provider of independent, neutral, third party services like various ISO certifications, inspection services, training courses, validation and verification of carbon mitigation projects (CDM), testing and certification of consumer and industrial products, as well as vehicles and vehicle components and aggregates

Read more: http://business-standard.com/india/n...pune/192346/on

[adam_india]

German companies in Gujarat get drawn to Pune

Strong German community, city’s image as an educational hub attract investment; more needs to be done on infrastructure: Experts
Several German companies based in Gujarat seem to be swimming against the current tide, and setting up shop in Pune.

Helping attract German investment, as Zubin Kabraji, regional director of Indo-German Chamber of Commerce reads it, is the presence of a strong German community in Pune and the city’s image as an educational hub.

Kabraji, citing an example, said German ball bearing manufacturer Schaeffler has a unit in Vadodara in Gujarat but decided to expand operations to Talegaon in Pune. Other than Schaeffler, automobile giant Volkswagen will expand their training and manufacturing facilities in Pune, he said.

The automobile giant has already invested $800 million in Pune and the estimated expansion plan is pegged at $200 million.

Most companies that have a presence in Pune are from the automobile and heavy engineering sectors. Kabraji said there are around 300 German companies, large and medium, operating from Pune. The cumulative investment by German companies in Pune in the last 30 years is pegged at around $7 billion.

Talking about companies preferring Pune over Gujarat, Kabraji stated that although establishing units is easier in Gujarat it is not a “tested destination. Other than presence of education institutions and a large and vibrant German community, Pune has of late emerged into a large melting pot of culture, a major attraction for the companies,” he said.

Keeping up with the trend, Kabraji stated that automotive giant Continental is also in the final process of setting up shop in Ranjangaon industrial area soon, with an estimated investment of around $400 million.

Pramod Wadpally, country head of Andreas Stihl Private Limited, a German company that deals with core engineering, stated that one of the major reasons for companies getting attracted to Pune is that the city already has a strong base of automotive engineers. “Pune has a strong base of good engineers and it is easy to hire good people. Mumbai port being near is an added attraction,” he said.

Ranjan Baruah, managing director and CEO of SurTec, a company acquired by German firm Freudenberg, said Pune’s base as a hub for automobile, manufacturing and auto ancillary components has a cluster effect on all companies. “Pune’s working environment and availability of skilled manpower that speaks English and German are added attractions for companies to come to Pune,” he said.

Although socio-economic reasons is making Pune an an emerging and major investment hub for German companies, Kabraji stated that much needs to be done to improve overall infrastructure for accelerating investment by German companies. “Other than Gujarat and Karnataka, bureaucratic red tape is a major bottleneck for companies willing to invest in the country. Better resources and streamlining of the process is necessary to help remove that,” he said. Kabraji hoped that in the next five years, the number of companies investing in Pune should cross 400.

http://www.expressindia.com/latest-n...-pune/1060604/

[cncity]

With Pune serving as a major automobile and IT hub, the first of-its-kind Pune International Exhibition and Convention Centre (PIECC) coming up at Moshi is need of the hour for serving as a platform for industries around the area and in western Maharashtra to display their technology and products.

Pegged at Rs600 crore, it would be first such centre in Maharashtra on the lines of Pragati Maidan in New Delhi.

Pune Metropolitan Region (PMR) comprising Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad is one of the fastest growing urban agglomerations of India besides being an international education destination. An international exhibition centre is required to position Pune on the global map.

The PIECC is proposed to have facilities comparable to exhibition centres of Hanover in Germany, Birmingham in Britain and Tokyo in Japan. It will have state-of-the art closed exhibition (air-conditioned) halls, convention centres supported by meeting rooms, banquet halls and classroom training set ups.

The exhibition and convention space will be supported by world-class hotels and service apartments. It will also cater to the local population through upscale retail complexes, recreational facilities such as multi-cuisine restaurants, gaming zones, golf course, go-carting tracks, library facilities and amphi-theatres.

It will be developed on a 40.5-hectare plot at Moshi, around 15 km from the proposed international airport, and is situated within the automobile manufacturing and engineering industrial area of the PMR. Price waterhouseCoopers (PwC) had prepared a feasibility study for the proposed centre in this regard. It will be jointly developed by the PCMC and Pimpri-Chinchwad New Township Development Authority (PCNTDA) under the aegis of the state urban development department.

The project would be ready in the next 3-4 years. It is expected to be developed on a build-operate-transfer (BOT) basis where the private investor recovers the cost through rental fees.

http://www.dnaindia.com/pune/report_...al-map_1793444

[cncity]

PUNE: The directorate of floricultural research is to be set up in the city soon. The union government's directorate will take a decision about the introduction of any new variety in the country.

About 10 hectares of land, which belongs to College of Agriculture in Shivajinagar, will be utilized for setting up the directorate. The polyhouses and a testing centre will come up in Hadapsar on about 35-40 hectares of land.

This was confirmed by Tukaram More, the vice chancellor of Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth, who was participating in the XXII annual group meeting of All India Coordinated Research Project on Floriculture in the city.

Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar, in a public function at the College of Agriculture, had mentioned that the ministry was looking for 100 acres of (close to 45 hectares)

land for setting up the floricultural directorate. "It is almost finalized that the directorate will be set up in Pune. The required land is available here and we are waiting for sanctioning of funds," said More referring to it. He refused to divulge further details.

The directorate's Pune office will be the main centre for the country's floricultural activities. More than 18 states in the country have floriculture projects where loose and cut flowers are grown and marketed.

The directorate will conduct studies and research on various local and imported flowers, develop new varieties, introduce fragrance in flowers, and develop varieties with longer shelf life and having different sizes which will be fit to be grown in varied climatic conditions. The expertise will subsequently be passed on to farmers across the country.

Speaking to TOI on conditions of anonymity, a senior officer from the horticulture department said, "Minimum 100 acres of land is required for setting up the directorate, which will come up in the premises of the College of Agriculture. It is confirmed that the office building will be set there while research related infrastructure will be constructed in Hadapsar, where 65 to 70 acres of land owned by the college is available."

The officer said that once the directorate starts functioning, indigenous varieties can be developed fast. Many polyhouse owners use imported saplings and have to pay a large share of their income as royalty to the companies abroad. The actual income of farmers is quite low.

The directorate will help in development of indigenous varieties of roses and other flowers and export them.

Umesh Srivastava, assistant director general of Indian Council of Agricultural Research, was also present at the meeting. "Floriculture projects have been set up on 1.90 lakh hectares of land in the country that produce 10.31 lakh loose flowers and 69.02 crore cut flowers. In the 2011-12 fiscal, floriculture export was worth Rs 365.32 crore and involved 300 export oriented units in the country. We mainly export to the UK, the Netherlands, Germany, Japan and UAE," he said.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/c...w/18282553.cms

[cncity]

http://www.telecomtiger.com/Infrastr...2&section=S220

[MethodMan]

Bridgestone India opens new radial tyre plant in Chakan, Pune

Pune, February 5: Bridgestone Corporation, the world’s largest tyre manufacturer, has opened its second plant in India at Chakan, Pune. The high-profile inauguration witnessed the presence of Prithviraj Chavan, chief minister, Maharashtra; Kazuhisa Nishigai, COO and representative board member, Bridgestone Corporation; Kiyoshi Asako, consulate general of Japan (Mumbai); Shinichi Sato, president, Bridgestone Asia Pacific Pte; Hiromi Tanigawa, managing director, Bridgestone India, and other company officials. The company had earlier signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the government of Maharashtra on April 26, 2010. The company has committed an investment of around Rs 2,600 crore for this 187-acre facility which, according to Nishigai, is one of the single largest tyre manufacturing plants in the world.

According to company officials, once ready for operations, the facility will have the capacity to produce up to 10,000 units and 3,000 units of radial tyres for passenger cars and trucks, buses respectively, per day. While making the announcements, the officials also estimated that the plant will generate local employment for nearly 1,800 people.

Chavan, who anticipates the GDP growth to roll back to 8 percent in the coming financial year once the central government comes out with corrective monetary policy and other measures, highlighted that Maharashtra is the richest state in the country and relatively offers many more economic opportunities to companies setting up their base in the state.

“The Chakan belt and the adjoining Satara district are emerging automotive hubs in the state and offer vast opportunities besides good infrastructure to the companies. I wish to see Bridgestone making efforts in the development of the local area and people through its CSR activities, bring in their value systems besides the regular business,” said Chavan. The event also saw Tanigawa handing over a cheque of Rs 1 million to Chavan for the CM’s relief fund.

[MethodMan]

Img src: http://automotivehorizon.sulekha.com

[cncity]

PUNE: A captive 5 MW solar power plant will soon be set up by Finolex Cables LtdBSE -8.99 % at its manufacturing facility at Urse near Pune with an estimated investment of Rs 40 crore.


The proposed plant, expected to be commissioned within six months, will provide electricity for the internal consumption of the Urse facility, which would be pooled with additional State Electricity Board (MSEDCL) supply for night time operations.

"With this in-house experience (setting up of captive solar power plant) we can go ahead and set up larger projects in future," company's Managing Director Deepak Chhabria told PTI, after the Finolex Cables' Board meeting which approved the third quarter results yesterday.

Referring to the company's future plans, Chhabria said there was good scope for growth in the fibre optic business as the new government initiated projects were expected to spur the demand in the sector.

"There are bright prospects for the segment growth in view of the government projects which envisage laying down of total underground network to be installed and handed over to the Defence services with an estimated investment of Rs 8,000 to 10,000 crore," he said.

"Tenders are already floated for these projects," Chhabria added.

While noting that the fibre optic sector was poised for significant growth, he said that as a country "we need to spend more on infrastructure to expand the industry."

Articulating the company philosophy, he said, "We are reinventing ourselves in large product portfolio in various segments. If you are diversified, you are better equipped."

He said the company aimed at being "one-stop-shop" for any cabling need with concentration of quality.

In reply to a question, Chhabria said if the government introduced uniform Goods and Service Tax ( GST), it will help the industry with improved sales.

Finolex Cables Ltd is considered India's largest and leading manufacturer of electrical and communication cables who have also added electrical switches and Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFL) to its range of products.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/...w/18498227.cms

[cncity]

Swedish compressed air solutions manufacturer Atlas Copco has set up a new manufacturing plant at Chankan near Pune.

The company has made investment of Rs 100 crore in this facility. The new facility will manufacture industrial and portable compressors, while the existing facility at Dapodi will continue to produce oil free compressors and quality air product.

These will be designed for India and cater mainly to the domestic market, but the company could consider export to countries depending upon the future market conditions.

Atlas Copco India, operating in India for the last 53 years, has three plants in Pune and one each in Nashik in Maharashtra and Hyderabad. Atlas Copco India clocked sales revenues of Rs 2,200 crore in the last financial year and is expecting to cross turn over of Rs 3000 by end of March 2013.

The company is also looking forward to growth in biogas and hospital segment.

Commenting on this, Horst Wasel, president, quality air division, Atlas Copco said, “This new facility has been built to lean manufacturing principles.The Group continues its focus on India, and compressor business is growing in India. This factory will help increase efficiencies, and further support business expansion in India, and also serves customers in India and abroad. India is in the top five customer centres in the world. Atlas Copco’s compressor business comprises of over 45 per cent of the revenues and we are clocking a double digit growth in India.”

http://www.business-standard.com/art...2200662_1.html

[cncity]

Pune, March 4:

EagleBurgmann, a joint venture between the German Freudenberg Group and the Japanese EKK Group, has invested Rs 9 crore to set up a new research & development facility in Pune.

With latest technology and seven new test beds, a wide variety of products like dry gas seals for compressors for the oil & gas industry can be approved. The oil & gas industry is a high strategic priority for both companies.

The new facility will help to strengthen the company’s position in the mechanical seal industry in India. Most seals tested here are designed for the chemical and petrochemical industry, especially for the oil & gas segment.

Wet seals can be tested up to pressures of 150 bars and speeds up to 8,000 rounds per minute (rpm). Another test rig will equip the centre as a dry gas seal test facility to allow testing for dry gas seals up to pressures of 350 bars and speeds of 24,000 rpm.

Four other pump test rigs are designed to work for the testing of wet seals for pumps up to pressures of 150 bars and speeds of 5,000 rpm.

These test rigs are designed not only for testing seals for special engineered applications but also with a view to using them for seal qualification testing as per the latest edition of the API 682 (American Petroleum Institute) standard.

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/...cle4475128.ece

[cncity]

PUNE: The stunning visual effects in the movie 'Life of Pi', which recently won an Oscar in the VFX category, have a Pune stamp on them. Five Puneites contributed in the making of those cutting edge storm sequences, the lifelike animals, and the backbone of the film - the lifeboat, among other animations.

Till today, you may have only enjoyed those stunning visual effects in 'Life of Pi' which just won an Oscar in the VFX category, but now, take pride in them too. After all, they have a Pune stamp on them, what with five Puneites having contributed to the making of those edge-of-the-seat storm sequences, the sinking life-like animals, and the backbone of the film - the lifeboat, among others.

These five artists represent the fast-growing hub of animation and gaming that Pune is. The city is home to some of the biggest names in the business, working round the clock on the most spectacular, eye-popping visual effects, the almost real animated characters and sequences in feature films and advertisements and intricately designed computer and mobile games, all of which were, till a few years ago, considered a domain of the west.

So what has changed market dynamics, making India, and especially Pune, the preferred destination for creation of animation, visual effects, gaming and comics (AVGC)?

According to most in the business, it's the city's abundantly available artistic talent and its proximity to Mumbai that make Pune the preferred destination. "Compared to the west, Indians are genetically more artistic and creative. Combined with the competitive pricing, it makes for an unbeatable combination," states Rashmi Ahad of Pune-based Krayon Pictures, an animation studio which recently produced Delhi Safari - a full fledged animation film that got an international release. The studio is currently working on 'Kamlu', a film about a camel which is being directed by Govind Nihalani.

Sandesh Chonkar and Swapnil Borawake, the two Puneites who worked on Life of Pi at their Rhythm and Hues office in Mumbai, talk in sync when they say their childhood interest in drawing cartoon characters, which they honed with professional training, is helping them live their dream.

And it's no small a dream, considering a report presented at FICCI's Frames 2012, which pegged the revenues accruing to the country's animation, VFX and gaming industry in 2011 at Rs 31,000 crore, a robust growth of 31% over 2010. According to the report, growth was achieved in the backdrop of increased contract work, higher VFX content in movies and 2D/3D conversion projects.

While experts admit that the industry in India is still at a nascent stage, they foresee emerging as the next big hub in the coming years, offering end-to-end products, right from story writing to the final dubbing and music, behind the already established ones like Mumbai, Bangalore and Hyderabad.

"Pune has tremendous potential, not just in terms of talent and know-how, but technology too, to emerge as a real centre for high quality work," says Jesh Krishna Murthy, founder and CEO of Anibrain VFX, a Pune-based studio which has worked on some of the biggest Hollywood projects in the last two years, including Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Resident Evil - Retribution, Ghost Rider - Spirit of Vengeance, Silent Hill 3D, Cosmopolis, Chronicle, Three Musketeers, Hanna and War of Titans.

Admittedly, while contract work for international projects continues to be the breadwinner for most of the animation and VFX studios in the city, several are gradually making the shift towards their 'owned' creations.

For Pune-based Pheobus Media Creations, which has created several of such 'owned' creations, including featurites like Akbar & Birbal, My Name is Raj and Kumbh Karan, all of which have been telecast on leading television channels, and even a full-fledged movie, Dashavatar, the creative satisfaction in narrating local stories is incomparable. "Animation is all about storytelling, and when it is your own, there is a lot of value addition you can do as you convert the script to screen," says Rahul Bakshi of Phoebus, which has now ventured into reviving local characters like the famous Marathi kid detective Faster Fenay, whose adventures will soon be seen as a series on the small screen.

And while the work is extremely painstaking, considering there are 25 frames to be created for every minute of film, costs take a while to recover. "The industry demands creatively skilled people who are trained in the latest techniques of animation. Work is slow and your accounts are in the red for at least six-seven years, considering the huge investment required in technology, networks and people, but the shelf life of the end-product is long, as the film has the potential to be dubbed into multiple languages," explains Ashish Kulkarni, chief executive officer of Reliance Animation which too has popular properties to its name, like Little Krishna, Shaktimaan, Krishna aur Kans and Big Bees Jr.

Kulkarni also points out that there is tremendous potential for animation in the Indian entertainment market. "So far, the Indian channels have largely carried internationally made products. Work is bound to increase if they choose to move over to local content and Indian stories," he says.

It certainly has expanded for the gaming segment of the industry, demonstrated by the emergence of at least 15 major games development studios in Pune alone. For Zapak Mobile Games, which set up shop here in 2008 and employs nearly 200 people to develop games for the national and international markets, the skill sets of manpower available in Pune matches their requirements well. "Pune is a great location and we have been able to recruit some very good designers, coders and engineers from the colleges here. Of course, there is a lot of learning on the job, but the boom has only begun with increased internet penetration and acceptability of mobile gaming," says Chaitanya Prabhu, the company's business head. Zapak has delivered games like Ben10, Border Wars, Chhota Bheem, Total Recall, ICC T20 Sri Lanka 2012, and others, out of its Pune stable in the last one year.

Manvendra Shukul, chief executive officer and founder of Lakshya Digital, which has its Pune team developing games for the iOS platform, including Rusty's Biscuit, Astro Mon and Zippy, says the global perception about India is that of a destination for service-oriented work. "Considering there was hardly anything to speak of about a decade back, we have certainly come a long way," he says. Shukul, however, points out that there is a gap in the education imparted at the large number of training institutes mushrooming in the city and what is required as per industry standards. "Most players in the industry are training their staff themselves, which is more cost-effective for students and companies both," he explains.

Anant Sardeshmukh, director general of Mahratta Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture, which set up a full fledged division for animation and gaming in 2007, admits that the problem of skilled manpower needs to be addressed. "Both quality and quantity suffer as companies need to invest in developing and training their human resources. We are asking the government for a separate policy for the AVGC industry, which will ease not just the credit availability from banks, but also streamline the industrial training, which is currently quite haphazard," he says.

The policy could also go a long way in changing the common perception in India which so far regards animation as content good enough only for children. "The industry has a lot of potential if one looks beyond the safe zone of mythology. The idea is to sell a good story," says Akhauri P. Sinha, managing director of the Bangalore office of Moving Pictures Company, which co-worked on the Oscar-winning Life of Pi.

Pune's success, according to Sinha, is all the more remarkable considering it has no cushioning advantage of a full-fledged film, television or advertising industry in the city. And that is certainly, no small feat!

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/c...w/18785231.cms

[adam_india]

US glass major Corning to set up Rs 588-cr Pune facility

US-based specialty glass major Corning Inc has decided to invest about Rs 588 crore for setting up an optical cable manufacturing facility at Chakan near Pune.

It will provide employment to 270 persons.

The investment would be done through its Indian arm Corning Technologies India Pvt Ltd.

The Maharashtra Government has provided a window of five years for making the investment.

A senior Industries Department official said that the Maharashtra Government has decided to enter into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the company, which will enable the company to get a number of sops under the ‘Mega Projects Scheme’.

About 26 acres has also been allocated by the Maharashtra Industries Development Corporation for setting up the unit, the official said.

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/...ue&ref=wl_home

[adam_india]

Givaudan has opened an innovation centre in Mumbai, expanding local capabilities and resources to bring innovative and creative flavour and taste solutions to its customers in India.

For the first time Givaudan’s sensory science, flavour science and foodservice expertise will be available from within India. Food and beverage customers across the sub-continent will benefit from faster access to the company’s tools and technical services, including Indian consumer-preferred flavour profiles.

Representing an investment of over CHF 3.7 million (€3m) to meet rising customer demand across the Indian sub-continent; the innovation centre is also the latest demonstration of Givaudan’s on‑going commitment to expanding its creative and technical capabilities in India. The company just completed the expansion of its flavours powder blend capacity at its Daman production facility and is planning a new flavours manufacturing site at Pune.

At the official opening of the facility, Mauricio Graber, president flavour division, says, “Growth in developing markets is one of our strategic pillars and we aim to increase our total sales in these markets to 50% by 2015 across all categories. We will achieve this growth by investing in high‑growth markets like India, through superior local talent, capabilities and consumer understanding, together with world‑class infrastructure.

“The expansion of our Mumbai Flavour Innovation Centre enables us to offer sensory science, flavour science and foodservice expertise directly from India for the first time. Together with our in‑depth understanding of the local Indian market, we are able to offer closer collaboration with our customers, creating true consumer‑preferred taste experiences to differentiate their products in the marketplace.”

India is one of over 40 countries in which Givaudan has a presence. In 2012 the company grew its business in developing markets by 13.2% in local currencies; it aims to increase its total sales in these markets to 50% by 2015 across all categories.

In 2013, further investments will be completed in Asia Pacific with the expansion of new spray drying capabilities in Indonesia and the ground‑breaking of a new savoury facility in China.

http://www.confectioneryproduction.c...ds-into-india/

Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (Japan), a leader in research, manufacturing and marketing of electronic equipment, has launched the sub-assembly of A&D inverters in India.

With this, Mitsubishi plans to increase its market share up to 15% by FY15 from the present share of 10% in India.

Mitsubishi Electric has the global footprint across 35 countries, which includes 17 global and two Indian Factory Automation Centres with five R&D centres. Yearly spend of Mitsubishi on R&D is 5% of its turnover ($44 billion), which is used for the development of Mitsubishi Electric’s products/solutions, the company said in a statement.

Speaking on the launch, Hideyuki Ohkubo, Executive Officer, Group President of Mitsubishi Electric India said, “We have already established our brand in India with presence since 1995, providing low voltage drives for market right from 0.4 kW to 500 kW for established business sectors like plastic, textile, pharmacy and automobile industry. Keeping in mind the increasing demand of the product in India, which was earlier imported, we are excited to assemble it here.”

The area for the sub assembly of inverters is approximately 1,000 sq ft, which is estimated to manufacture 40,000 units over the period.

Mitsubishi Electric India targets to manufacture 1,50,000 units in the next 3 years with an investment of Rs 15 crore.

Mitsubishi Electric has 51 channel partners in India with employee strength of 536 and its Factory Automation Division is headquartered in Pune. The company provides solutions to various industry verticals, which include Automotive, Pharmaceutical, Food & Beverage, Textile, Water and Waste Water Treatment.

In India, Mitsubishi Electric started selling automation products like PLC, HMI, Inverter, Servo motors in 1995.

To support and enhance the inverter business, Mitsubishi Electric India (MEI) has already started sub assembly of inverters from February 2013 in Pune. As a part of first phase of its venture, MEI will manufacture micro drives up to 7.5kW and will manufacture drives up to 15kW over the period. The products under focus here are FR-A 700 and FR-E700.

Inauguration of R&D centre will cater to local Indian market demands. MEI R&D, Pune is the fourth Mitsubishi R&D centre outside Japan, which will support the global products. MEI plans to increase current resource base in R&D from 30 to 150 in the coming year, the statement added.

http://www.business-standard.com/art...0200086_1.html

[adam_india]

Czech cos set to invest 400 mn euros in Aurangabad, Pune

Aurangabad and Pune in Maharashtra is set to get investments of around 400 million Euros over the next two years from several corporate houses in the Czech Republic, with a major focus on the automobile, energy, power and defence sectors.

India, which ranks amongst the top 12 priority countries for the Czech nation, is set to get $2 billion worth of investments over the next two years, from companies such as Bonatrans Group, Vítkovice Machinery Group, Skoda Auto, radar systems maker Eldis, data and telecommunication racks manufacturers Conteg and Linet, among several other corporates.

Czech companies like Skoda are already present in India and more companies from that country are interested in investing in India, said Jana Peterkova, Economical and Political Affairs Embassy of the Czech Republic.

The proposal was made at a meeting of members of the Engineering Exports Promotion Council with Peterkova and other officials of the Embassy.

Stating that Czech Republic was one of the ‘sweet spots of Europe’, she added that the country was also offering incentives to corporations working in the area of research and development and strategic services, such as software development. The discounted tax rate has been extended from the current five to ten years, she added, in a media statement.

Several Indian majors such as Infosys, Arcelor Mittal, Alok Industries, Spentex Industries, Glenmark Pharmaceuticals, Ashok Leyland, and Motherson Sumi Systems have already invested in the Czech Republic.

With the Czech Republic focusing on promoting collaboration with India in terms of power generation, metallurgy, engineering, chemicals, investments in health equipment as well as in environment protection would be on the rise, Peterkova added.

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/...cle4512114.ece

[adam_india]

Refusol eyes Asian markets with Euro 1.5m Pune plant

German firm Refusol, one of the top five providers of solar inverters globally, has set up its solar power inverter production plant in Pune to cater to the Indian, South Asian and West Asia markets.

“We have set up a green field facility to manufacture a range of 10 kw, 13 kw, 17 kw, 20 kw and 23 kw high efficiency three-phase string inverters for the Indian, Saarc countries and West Asian countries,” Norbert Frings, CEO at Refusal GmbH, said. “We are ranked number three in Germany among inverter manufacturers and we bring to India advanced solar inverter technology,” he said.

He said these solar inverters with an efficiency of 98.2 per cent help customers maximise the yield of their photovoltaic plants on roof-tops or large-scale solar parks. At present, its clients include Lanco group, L&T, Mahindra & Mahindra, Tata Power, Jain Solar and Emmvee.

Frings said the power electronics specialist has invested 1.5 million Euros (Rs 10.5 crore) in the facility and plans to invest an additional 5 million Euros (Rs 35 crore) over the next three years.

The firm’s product range comprises string and central inverters with power outputs ranging from 3.6 kw to 1.3 mw.

“At present, we have the annual capacity to produce 15,000 units of solar inverters at our Pune plant,” Thomas Wittek, CEO at Refu Solar India, said.

He said the Pune plant will manufacture central inverters ranging from 333 kw upto 1 mw by the end of this calendar year. “We will make 10-15 units every week and depending on the market demand, we will be able to scale up production,” Wittek said.

He said India is a rapidly growing economy, requiring more power. “With power shortage in India, our solar inverters will play a central role in the Indian and global energy mix,” Wittek said.

Refusal GmbH has subsidiaries in US, China, Hungary and South Korea.

http://www.mydigitalfc.com/news/refu...pune-plant-710

[adam_india]

पिंपरी - केंद्रीय कृषिमंत्री शरद पवार यांच्या पुढाकाराने आणि मुख्यमंत्री पृथ्वीराज चव्हाण यांच्या मंजुरीनंतर अखेर पिंपरी-चिंचवड नवनगर विकास प्राधिकरण क्षेत्रात सुमारे चार ते पाच हजार कोटी रुपयांचे मोशी येथे आंतरराष्ट्रीय औद्योगिक प्रदर्शन केंद्र सरकार साकारणार असून, पहिल्या टप्प्यातील 400 कोटींच्या कामाची निविदा येत्या 25 तारखेला प्रसिद्ध होणार आहे.

सुमारे 200 एकर जागेवर आंतरराष्ट्रीय औद्योगिक प्रदर्शन केंद्र व्हावे, यासाठी केंद्रीय कृषिमंत्री शरद पवार यांनी मुख्यमंत्री असताना ही जागा राखीव ठेवली होती. परंतु, गेल्या 25 वर्षांपासून केवळ चर्चा, बैठका आणि विकास आराखडा तयार करण्यावर भर दिला जात होता. तसेच, राजकीय इच्छाशक्तीच्या अभावामुळे हा प्रकल्प होऊ शकला नव्हता. देशामध्ये प्रथमच असा भव्य स्वरूपातील हा प्रकल्प होत आहे, त्यामुळे या प्रकल्पाकडे संपूर्ण देशाचे लक्ष लागले आहे.
या आंतरराष्ट्रीय औद्योगिक प्रदर्शनात दोन हेलिपॅड, तीन पंचतारांकित हॉटेल, सात प्रदर्शन केंद्रांमध्ये विविध औद्योगिक उत्पादनास आंतरराष्ट्रीय बाजारपेठ उपलब्ध होऊ शकणार आहे. भारतामध्ये अशा प्रकारचे औद्योगिक प्रदर्शन केंद्र कोठेही नाही. केवळ दिल्लीत प्रगती मैदानाची सोय आहे. परंतु, तीही छोट्या स्वरूपात. तसेच, तेथे पंचतारांकित हॉटेल अथवा सात प्रदर्शन केंद्रे नाहीत. त्यामुळे पिंपरी-चिंचवड प्राधिकरणात होणारे आंतरराष्ट्रीय प्रदर्शन केंद्र हे भारतामधील एकमेव केंद्र असण्याचा बहुमान पिंपरी-चिंचवड शहराला मिळणार आहे.

सुरवातीला हा प्रकल्प खासगी सार्वजनिक भागीदारी (पीपीपी) तत्त्वावर करायचे ठरले होते. नंतर एसपीव्ही कंपनी तयार करून त्यावर औद्योगिक सचिव, नगरविकास सचिव, विभागीय आयुक्त व प्राधिकरणाचे मुख्य कार्यकारी अधिकारी हे सदस्य होते. परंतु, सरकारला खासगी कंपनी करता येणे अवघड आहे, असा अभिप्राय आल्यानंतर मुख्यमंत्री पृथ्वीराज चव्हाण यांनी एसपीव्हीऐवजी पिंपरी-चिंचवड प्राधिकरणाने हा प्रकल्प करावा, असे जाहीर केले होते. राज्य सरकारने पहिल्या टप्प्याच्या निविदेसाठी पिंपरी प्राधिकरणाला नुकतेच शंभर कोटी रुपये खर्च करण्यासाठी मंजुरी दिली आहे. त्यानुसार 25 मार्चला निविदा प्रसिद्ध करण्यात येणार आहे.

हे प्रदर्शन केंद्र व्हावे, यासाठी केंद्रीय कृषिमंत्री शरद पवार यांनी गेली अनेक वर्षे प्रयत्न केले. परंतु, आघाडीचे सरकार आणि राजकीय श्रेयाच्या मुद्द्यावरून हा प्रकल्प होऊ शकला नव्हता. मात्र, मुख्यमंत्री पृथ्वीराज चव्हाण हे राजकीय श्रेयापेक्षा एखादे काम पारदर्शक असल्यास मंजुरी देतात, त्यामुळे त्यांनी या प्रकल्पास मंजुरी दिली आहे

source: Sakal

Tenders for first phase costing 400 crores of the Moshi Convention Centre would be called on 25th March. Total cost of entire project is around 4000-5000 crores.
Details of convention centre as per article:
200 acres, 2 helipads, 3 five star hotels, 7 exhibition centres. As a comparison it is planned to be much bigger than Pragati Maidan in Delhi as per article.

[henchman]

^ where is this? I think this project deserves a separate thread!!

[adam_india]

Sany Heavy Industry to invest Rs 300 cr in Chakan plant

Chinese construction equipment manufacturer Sany Heavy Industry is planning to invest additional Rs 300cr in its Chakan plant and introduce port machinery and dumpers for the mining industry to its existing product portfolio this year.

The company has already invested Rs 311 crore in Chakan plant which is operational since April 2012 and assembles trailer mounted concrete pump, truck mounted concrete pump, concrete mixer truck, concrete batching plant and motor grader and cranes from completely knocked down kits.

From last year, it has began crawler crane production from the plant.

Over a year ago, Sany has acquired Germany based Putzmeister which manufactures range of concrete products in Goa is expecting a a turnover of Rs 500 crore.

Commenting on this, Alex Wu, Managing Director, Sany India said, " After China, India is most important market for us. This is our the biggest and first plant outside China. We will invest Rs 300 crore at this facility over the next three years. Sany is expanding its product range by launching port machinery and dumpers for the mining industry next year. Even though, the current market conditions are not in favour, we are planning for future and making these investments in India. Currently, we are neither making profits nor loosing money but very close to break even our investments."

He added, "We have earned revenue of Rs 175 from excavator sales.

The company has also decided to localise the current range of products to the extent of 50 per cent in revenue terms this year."

Sany sources engines from Cummins, USA and Kawasaki for its few construction equipment machines. With increase in localisation, it may source it from Cummins India which has head office in Pune and manufacturing facility in Pune and Phaltan.

Sany has introduced a pan India health check-up campaign for all its excavators and hoisting equipments for the next three months.

A team of 100 engineers to analyse and evaluate 700-odd machines in the Indian market.

T R Badarinarayan, CEO, Sany India said, "This unique health checkup exercise covering across India , will not only act as a proactive service on Sany machines, but will be an opportunity for Sany to impart to its customers the basics of equipment maintenance practices. These will pave way for customer satisfaction through larger equipment availability, hence larger returns on Sany products."

http://www.business-standard.com/art...0200540_1.html

[adam_india]

Mercedes upping India capacity, bets on FTA

As negotiations between India and the European Union (EU) for a free trade agreement (FTA) have been intensified, German carmaker Mercedes-Benz says it stays committed to its investment plans in India.

The company said that it will invest Rs. 850 crore investment, as planned, to double capacity at its Pune plant to 20,000 units per year by October this year.
"We are building capacities not to keep it unutilised. We will go ahead with our localisation plans," Eberhard Kern, managing director, Mercedes Benz India told HT.

The long drawn out India-EU FTA talks recently gained momentum with ministerial level discussions in Brussels last week. EU has been pushing for a drastic reduction in import duty of cars that will work to the advantage of German premium car manufacturers operating in India. The current duty structure, which works out to 120% for directly-imported completely-built cars, forces them to invest in local production.

Benz, which is lagging behind its compatriots BMW and Audi in luxury car segment, strives hard to return to the top with a slew of launches. Mercedes-Benz will launch diesel version of its luxury hatch B-Class, smaller A Class and SUV GL in the next three months.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/Punjab...1-1048676.aspx