Sriperumbudur & Oragadam Projects Update

[nsantha2]

Originally Posted by hari.manivannan

Perfect recipe for disaster! tracks carrying cargo may need more maintenance and imagine if there are breakdowns, it could cause havoc. Already public transport is inadequate, if we straightaway plan for dual purpose, it's just not going to suffice.

Wouldn't it make sense to plan for a dual purpose track than to consider it halfway through or even after the construction of the metro line to Sriperumbudur?

Or simpler, though perhaps more work would be to have parallel lines - one set for cargo and another for passenger movement. That way the companies' demands for a railway line for goods will be met, and the pressure on the roads will also be reduced. I think a cargo link from Sriperumbudur is as, if not more, important than a metro line.

Cargo lines will ensure movement of goods regardless of the situation on the roads (which will of course improve with the addition of a rail link), and will encourage more companies to set up base in Sriperumbudur as they can be sure that there will not be any issues with goods transportation.

[kvijayasundaram]

this was in the news for a while, but was not confirmed. Now it seems to be a reality !!

http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Defau...&Skin=TOI&GZ=T

Videocon to set up plasma TV plant for Rs 1200 crore
TK Rohit | TNN

Chennai: Consumer electronics and home appliances major, Videocon International is all set to establish a plasma TV manufacturing unit at Sriperumbudur, 40 kms from here. Videocon will be investing Rs 1,200 crore for setting up a stateof-the-art plasma TV manufacturing unit that will roll out one million TV sets every year.
With this, Videocon becomes the second company to set up a TV manufacturing plant at Sriperumbudur after Samsung Electronics, which began operations last year.
Videocon will sign a memorandum of understanding with the Tamil Nadu government next month. The state government has allotted 100 acres of land at Sriperumbudur for the project, sources in the state government said.
“We will be investing Rs 1,200 crore for setting up a stateof-the-art manufacturing plant on the same lines as our plant in Italy. We will manufacture one million plasma television sets from the plant at full capacity,” chairman and managing director of the $2.5 billion conglomerate, Venugopal Dhoot told The Times of India.
Dhoot said Videocon will employ over 3,000 persons in the Sriperumbudur plant which will become a hub for manufacturing LCD and Plasma TVs. The plant will go on stream in a couple of years, he said. Videocon has a 30% share in the television market.
“This will be our largest TV manufacturing facility in the country and we will be exporting from this facility as well,” he said. Some of the vendors might also be located at the facility and is likely to provide components for it. Last year, Samsung inaugurated its $30 million 20-acre facility to manufacture one million flat colour TVs and three lakh LCD television sets.

[Raj_network]

Originally Posted by nashcode

Videocon chooses MH

Videocon plans unit in Maharashtra

NEW DELHI, Aug 6: Consumer durables major Videocon Industries today announced that it would set up a semiconductor fab to manufacture thin-film transistor liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD) in Maharashtra at an estimated project cost of Rs 8,000 crore in a tie-up with IBM.
The company has applied to the Central government for a subsidy of Rs 2,000 crore for the project under the recently announced Semi Conductor Policy, Videocon said in a statement.
“This project will generate employment to 10,000 people. Videocon established a full-fledged research and development laboratory in Japan exclusively to develop this product and is the first Indian company to have successfully developed it,” the company said. - PTI

http://www.thestatesman.net/page.new...ss=1&id=217351

Different updates in Pipeline thread few weeks ago.

Do u they setup in TN and MH??> i guess both are different projects. right?

[deeguy07]

Originally Posted by SVG

Since most of the metro rail is going to be above the ground, on elevated tracks, like MRTS, may be they may have some addl line or use the same lines for freight traffic also...

They may also be thinking of extending of metro rail to Sriperumbudur to service commuters who work in the area. This would be a good move, purely from a commuter rail perspective and not from the perspective of handling freight traffic also using the same lines... Not sure what the Govt / Railways are thinking...

Frankly, i dont think its a good idea to use metro rail for goods traffic. The HYD MMTS service is a good example. The HYD MMTS trains use the same tracks as the mainline / freight trains. Since the freight traffic is heavy in the section between Begumpet and Lingampalli (which falls in the HYD - Mumbai / Pune route), there is very little possibility of increasing the frequency of MMTS trains. This affects the patronage to some extent, as the frequency is about 30-45 min on an average. If metro rail in Chennai is used for freight traffic, it could suffer the same fate.

A more realistic solution would be to connect Sriperumbudur to either Avadi or Tambaram side, by laying a new line, which would be much more conducive for freight traffic.

As you said, using the same Metro Lines for freight traffic is impossible as it will disrupt the metro services (compare the speed and freq of a metro train and that of Goods train). CMRL has adopted a standard gauge and Indian Goods train run on Broadgauge!!

Also about the rail link from Sriperumbudur, IR has conveyed their inability to fund the link to Avadi and requested TN govt and corporates to fund it. Even if these funds come through, IR is already planning to conduct a fresh survey to a link to Tambaram as it makes sense to spend less money for the same purpose.

[Subra]

Originally Posted by Raj_network

Different updates in Pipeline thread few weeks ago.

Do u they setup in TN and MH??> i guess both are different projects. right?

Yes, they are different projects. This consumer electronics plant was cleared by TN cabinet couple of weeks ago. MH is getting an LCD chip plant with an investment of around 8000 crores.

[Raj_network]

CHENNAI: The long pending proposal for a rail link between Sriperumbudur and Avadi might be implemented in a new form, as an extended Metro Rail corridor. The authorities are discussing this possibility before a feasibility report can be prepared.

According to sources, the state put forward the suggestion to take Metro Rail to Sriperumbudur at a recent meeting held with Metro Rail officials and Southern Railway. The idea is to have an arm connecting Sriperumbudur with corridor II of Metro Rail that passes through Thirumagalam, Koyambedu and Anna Nagar East. If Metro Rail agrees, the railways would have to withdraw the Sriperumbudur-Avadi proposal as it would then amount to duplication. The railways had similarly withdrawn the St Thomas Mount-Koyambedu-Anna Nagar link of the MRTS since Metro Rail will cover the same areas.

Meanwhile the proposed Avadi-Sriperumbudur new railway line has already run into rough weather because the state has expressed its inability to part-fund the project and also informed the railways that land acquisition would be troublesome and expensive because of lack of space. So, the railways have asked the state government to convene a meeting with industries to look at the possibility of getting industry funding.

However, the railways have also decided to connect Sriperumbudur either to Tambaram, Guduvancheri or Kancheepuram so that the manufacturing hub can be linked to the rail network. A re-survey will be done to finalise the line alignment, railway sources said. But, that too will have to be built using part-funding from state government or industries because railways would not be in a position to execute the project, southern railway chief public relations officer Neenu Ittyerah.

The proposal was first mooted when industries, which have a big presence in Sriperumbudur, demanded a link for freight movement to the port or a mass rapid passenger transport system that would take most of the traffic off the road connecting Sriperumbudur to the city. The industries said they were finding it difficult to transport their goods to the port in the heavy traffic.

Hyundai, which has doubled its capacity to six lakh cars per annum and is exporting a major chunk of them, is finding it difficult as its containers are getting stuck in traffic jams along the 40 km stretch to the port. "Metro Rail can take a sizeable number of roadusers in the area off the roads. It will not only facilitate faster movement of people from the city to the outskirts, but also unclog the roads and ensure easier transport for the companies there," a Hyundai official said. According to unofficial statistics, close to 20,000 people commute from the industrial hub to the city everyday.

Meanwhile, Chennai Metro Rail Corporation is yet to give its nod to the state government's suggestion. "The proposal came up while discussing investment details of the Avadi-Sriperumbudur rail link. It needs extensive planning and feasibility surveys as was done for the two metro corridors for the city," an official said.

State government sources said that the issue is expected to come up again at a meeting called for by chief secretary A K Sripathy with the railways to discuss the Avadi-Sriperumbudur rail link; which was originally part of the MoU that Hyundai had signed with the state government when it set up operations in the outskirts of the city in 1999. Officials of the Chennai Metro Rail Corporation are also likely to take part in the meeting next month.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/C...ow/3511228.cms

[Keeran]

Metro may be extended to Sriperumbudur

“Meanwhile the proposed Avadi-Sriperumbudur new railway line has already run into rough weather because the state has expressed its inability to part-fund the project and also informed the railways that land acquisition would be troublesome and expensive because of lack of space. So, the railways have asked the state government to convene a meeting with industries to look at the possibility of getting industry funding.”


How disconcerting to note that an infrastructure project, indispensable for enticing investment and promoting economic growth should go by default because the government is shy of governing . “There
will be economic decline and professionals will lose their vocation, if the ruler does not rule”says Kural (560).

Three reasons are adduced for the disinclination to execute the project: 1- Want of funds. The purported reason for this situation is brought about by profligate spending on largesse, both unsolicited and without restraint. 2 - Reluctance to acquire land. If abdication in the face of opposition be the governing ideology, why seek a mandate to govern? 3 - Seeking funding from industry. This is unethical. Kural 552 says, “A ruler’s act of soliciting funds is akin to brigandage”

It is damaging to the image of Tamil Nadu when a commitment made in an MOU with Hyundai about providing a rail link is not honoured. When Hyundai sought approval three years back to build a road to the harbor at it’s own cost, that too was declined. Nor has the government eased congestion on NH 4. Instead time restrictions are placed on freight movement. Will anybody be surprised when TN is bypassed for Hyundai III?

What TN needs is a Young Tamil Movement similar to Young Turks that preceded Turkey’s regeneration.

[Raj_network]

Chennai, Sep 23 : Leading car maker Hyundai Motor India Ltd (HMIL) will start third shift at its new plant in Tamil Nadu's Sriperumbudur from October to raise production in view of the rising demand for its i10 car model, a company official said.

The 300,000-unit-per-annum plant, which started operations in February this year, mostly rolls out i10 cars.

According to officials, the trial production of the third shift started Sep 15 and the daily unit production has gone up from 800 to 1,300, a 40 percent jump.

The company is expected to reach its target, 530,000 units a year, by the end of 2008.

According to Hyundai managing director H.S. Lheem, the third shift will help the company meet the domestic and export demand.

The introduction of the new shift will create over 800 new jobs.

http://www.newkerala.com/topstory-fullnews-25514.html

[Elango1984]

South Korean car major Hyundai will invest 50 million dollars (approximately over Rs 200 crore) in expanding its production unit at Chennai in India, as it gears up to go a step further to make the country its global hub with plans to start full-scale shipments of completely knocked down units.

The company has launched its new premium hatchback 'i20', which will be mainly exported to Europe, but expected to be launched in India either by the end of this year or early next year.

"We need to set up a fresh press line as to meet demands of newly launched premium hatchback 'i20' as well as the 'i10'. So we will invest around 50 million dollars to set up a fourth press line," Hyundai Motors India Managing Director H S Lheem said in Paris on the sidelines of Paris Auto Show.

He said a separate unit for the new press line would be set up at the company's existing plant at Chennai.

"I have got approval from the board of the parent company in Korea," Lheem said, adding the company has also decided to start full-scale exports of completely knocked down (CKD) units from India as well.

"Our estimate is to export a total of 33,000 units of 'i20' this year and by next year we will start CKD exports to countries like Australia and New Zealand to save import duties in those markets," he said.

Lheem said the mass production for exports of 'i20' would start by this month itself and the company's two units in Chennai are already running full capacity in three shifts of production.

Asked how the 'i20' would be positioned in the Indian market, he said: "It will be 8-10 per cent more expensive than the 'Getz' and both will co-exist," he said.

'Getz' is priced at Rs 3.39 lakh onwards.

Hyundai plans to sell a total of 5.8 lakh units of vehicles this year from its Indian operations.

"Next year we should be able to sell six lakh units," he said, adding new markets like the US and Canada are being explored for export opportunities besides plans to ship more to Russia.


http://www.financialexpress.com/news...n-unit/368675/

[Rasnaboy]

CHENNAI: The Hyderabad-based Mahidhra Projects Pvt. Ltd. is developing nearly 122 plots on 10 acres at Sriperumbudur near Chennai. The new venture, Mahidhara Capital, offers DTCP (District Town and Country Planning) approved plots and villas. In the first phase, around 56 plots ranging between 1,650 sq. ft. and 2,700 sq. ft. are being developed. In the second phase, it will develop villas as per customers’ specifications.

Source: http://www.hindu.com/2008/10/04/stor...0460632000.htm

[SVG]

To support India’s rapid growth in mobile subscribers, Nokia Siemens Networks today inaugurated a new facility for the manufacture and distribution of mobile communications infrastructure at Oragadam near Chennai.

Over the next three years the company plans to invest Rs 300 crore, approximately $70 million, in the facility and to generate 400 new jobs.

Simon Beresford Wylie, the chief executive officer of Nokia Siemens Networks, said, “Our operations in India are a prime example of where we feel we can build on our existing leadership with prudent, customer focused investment.”

He added, “With its proximity to the local market improving our responsiveness and reducing the carbon footprint of new network deployments, this additional facility epitomizes our global strategy to build a responsible, customer focused business.”

The new Oragadam facility will manufacture Nokia Siemens Networks mobile base station controllers, Flexi EDGE BTS, microwave radio and access line-card products, as well as other telecom equipment.

The first deliveries of radio access products manufactured and distributed from the site to customers in India are planned for later this month.

http://infotech.indiatimes.com/News/...ow/3604045.cms

[Rasnaboy]

Chennai, Oct. 16 Nokia Siemens Networks on Thursday inaugurated a new facility for the manufacture and distribution of mobile communications infrastructure at Oragadam near Chennai. Over the next three years the company plans to invest $70 million (Rs 300 crore) in the facility. The facility will manufacture mobile Base Station Controllers, Nokia Siemens Networks Flexi EDGE BTS, Microwave Radio and Access line-card products, as well as other telecom equipment.

Mr Simon Beresfold-Wylie, CEO, Nokia Siemens, said the capacity of the plant would be ramped up to 4,000 units a month, in about six to nine months. These products are currently being imported. Mr Wylie also added that the optimal capacity of the facility can be determined only after 6 to 9 months.

Addressing a press conference here on the occasion of the inauguration of the plant, he said the technology of mobile base stations had improved over the years. Equipment that were as big as a large refrigerator and consumed 1,500 watts of power four years ago, are today of the size of a desktop computer and consume around 500 watt. Nokia Siemens is working towards reducing energy consumption further, to about 350 watts. Also, today’s technology allows the base stations to function in a higher ambient temperature (40 degree C), obviating the need for air conditioning.

The plant was later inaugurated by the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Mr M. Karunanidhi. Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister noted that Motorola and Nokia were already present in the state, producing mobile handsets. “With the establishment of the Nokia-Siemens plant here, the telecom equipments manufacturing industry is getting integrated in Tamil Nadu,” he said.

In his address at the function, Mr Wylie noted that Nokia Siemens Networks is already present in India (through its imported products). The company powers services for more that 175 million subscribers in India, he said.

“Around the world, Nokia Siemens Networks expects a 100-fold growth in network traffic globally, and the majority of this growth is expected to come from emerging markets,” Mr Wylie said.

Besides the plant inaugurated, the company’s operations in India include a global services hub, sales and marketing offices in Delhi NCR, a manufacturing facility in Kolkata for producing fixed network equipment, a development centre in Bangalore and a Global Networks Solution Centre in Chennai. The company also intends increasing the number of R&D centres in India.

With a workforce of more than 8,000, Nokia Siemens Networks has a presence in more than 200 locations in India, and measured in terms of revenue, is one of the country’s top 30 enterprises.

Also speaking at the function, the Union Minister for Communications and Information Technology, Mr A. Raja, noted that $73 billion of investments would be needed in the 11th Plan period (2007-12) to achieve the target of 600 million phone connections. “A majority of this is expected to come from FDI,” he said. At present, there are 350 million subscribers — both mobile and fixed line — in the country. Each month, 8 million subscribers are being added to this, Mr Raja said.

Source: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/...1751362100.htm

[anand9sv]

Hi ,

[anand9sv]

Hi, There is no doubt that next industrial revolution taking place between the area of Chennai , Sriperumbudur & Oragadam. My question is, why not Govt make a master plan now itself to have a speed train between Chennai and Sriperumbudur. May jbe like a mono rail or elevated speed train so that workers can go from Chennai to Sripenrumdur and return to chennai in the evening. No dobut a quite amount of people will go from chennai to Srierumbudur for work on a daily basis and Bus journey will be tedious. Everybody can not offered for a car and going to sriberumbudur by motorcycle is ruled out. Sriperamdur should be taking inside the city limit the elevated metro train which govt is considering up to poonamalli may be extended till Stripermadur. They may have have a link line between Tambaram to Poonammaili so that it will be convenient for mount road commuters to catch train from poonammaili and go to sripeambdur and come back. Really it will be a good network I belive.

[venkatm]

Sriperumbudur is 40 KM from the city and the metro fare will costs a minimum of 50 Rs one-way at today's prices which the workers will not be able to pay. The best solution is for the govt to work with Railways to build a double line with space for 1-2 more tracks from tambaram or Avadi. These will be used by both goods and regular emu's. I doubt MK or any other party in TN has any foresight except formulas for winning elections/making more money. Witness the land acquisition for the second parallel runway being put in cold storage

[senthil2001msk]

Caparo-Hyundai bus on slow track

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/...ow/3610645.cms


....Caparo India had signed a technical agreement with Hyundai Motor Company to mark the former’s foray into the luxury bus segment. Caparo’s assembling plant was to come up on a 20-acre site in South for manufacturing 1,500 buses a year.

Caparo was evaluating locations like Sriperambadur, Oragadam and Nellore, and was hoping to firm up its decision in three months. The venture was slated to start production in the last quarter of 2008-09.....

.......But, sources familiar with the development said the project has not much made headway since then. It is learnt Caparo is not pursuing the venture for various reasons. It is also said that other than the investment made on the auto component project at Sriperambadur near Chennai, it has decided to freeze fresh investments.

[Rasnaboy]

CHENNAI: Japanese auto major Nissan Motor Co will make next generation March model at its Orgadam plant near here, built in partnership with French
car maker Renault, a top official said Saturday.

The joint venture company Renault Nissan Automotive India Ltd (RNAI) is investing around Rs.40 billion ($833 million) in the plant, which has a total capacity of 400,000 units.

"We will roll out the small car from our Chennai plant while the plant in Thailand is the mother unit for that model," RNAI managing director Shouhei Kimura told reporters.

He said construction work was progressing at the plant site. "The foundation for stamping unit and paint shop has been laid. Excavation work for constructing other units are on," Kimura added.

According to him, around 50 vendors will set up their operations near the car plant, including some overseas companies like Unipress Sheet Metal Press.
'
Nissan Motor India Ltd has tied up with Hover Automotive India Ltd to take care of the car distribution in the country. The company plans to have 55 dealers by 2012.

Expected to start commercial production by 2010, Nissan plans to ship out 110,000 cars, primarily to Europe from 2011 through the Ennore port.

"We plan to increase exports to 180,000 units from India over a period of time," said Nissan Motor corporate vice-president Toshifumi Hirai.

A memorandum of understanding (MOU) to this effect was signed between Nissan Motors and Ennore Port Ltd. The exports would include the next generation small cars.

Source: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/...ow/3612623.cms

[Subra]

Good to know that Ennore is also becoming a car export hub. Daimler is also looking at Ennore port.

[Rasnaboy]

Oh great!! Do you have any source for that (Daimler), Subra?

[Rasnaboy]

Originally Posted by Subra

Good to know that Ennore is also becoming a car export hub. Daimler is also looking at Ennore port.

Here's the reason why Chennai Port was not chosen.

Ennore Port gets boost from Nissan business

Work on a Rs 110-cr facelift to begin soon.

Chennai, Oct. 18 Armed with the prospect of long-term business from Nissan Motor India, Ennore Port Ltd will soon begin work on a Rs 110-crore facelift that will enable it to handle export of cars.

In six months, Ennore Port will be ready with a quarter-kilometre-long ‘common user terminal’ where car-ferrying ships can anchor in the 12-metre deep waters. Abutting the waterfront will be enough space to park 5,000 cars.

If Nissan alone uses the terminal, EPL’s investments will be paid back in six years.

Nissan expects to begin exporting (mostly to Europe) 1.1 lakh cars a year — cars that will be manufactured at a facility created by a joint venture of the Japanese company, and Renault of France.

The plant, at Oragadam near Chennai, will make cars for both the companies. Nissan also expects to ramp up exports — up to perhaps 2 lakh — in line with market demand.

Why not Chennai port?

Nissan should have liked to use the Chennai port, which is nearer to the car plant by 25 km. But there is not enough room there, Hyundai having taken up most of it. In fact, Chennai port charges Hyundai 0.30 per cent of the FOB value of cars, lower than the 0.45 per cent that Nissan has agreed to pay the Ennore port.

Also, any benefit of expansion at Chennai port will first go to its anchor customer, Hyundai. The Korean company has sent 1.17 lakh cars out of the port so far in the current financial year, against 1.38 lakh cars in 2006-07. According to Mr K. Suresh, Chairman, Chennai Port Trust, some 5 lakh cars would be shipped from 2011. Hence, there is substantial “spill over from Chennai port” that Ennore could capture.

Mr S. Velumani, Chairman, Ennore Port, and Mr Shouhei Kimura, Managing Director, Nissan Motor India, on Saturday signed a memorandum of understanding for Nissan to use the port.

Source: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/...1951200200.htm