India Business Insight articles from January 2009, page 5

India Business Insight archives from January 2009

KAPPEC SCOUTS FOR POTENTIAL PPP OPPORTUNITIES FOR COLD CHAIN UNITS IN KARNATAKA (as the Government of Karnataka is keen on promoting cold chains).
January 31, 2009... Karnataka State Agricultural Produce Enterprise (KAPPEC) is scouting for public private partnership (PPP) opportunities in the cold chain sector. The Government of Karnataka is keen on promoting cold chains for export of agricultural and...

JUST ONE ICE FACTORY FOR 8 LAKH FISHERMEN IN MAHARASHTRA (which forces fishermen to buy ice from private companies at higher prices).
January 31, 2009... The eight lakh fishermen of Maharashtra are dependent on just one ice factory at the Sassoon Dockyard. The factory is operated by the Maharashtra Fisheries Development Corporation. The factory produces 60 tonnes of ice per day, which is...

HORTICULTURE REGISTERS 6.7% GROWTH RATE, GOVERNMENT IMPLEMENTS TWO NEW SCHEMES (and horticultural production increases to 202.7 million tonnes during 2008-2009).
January 31, 2009... The Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India has announced that the Indian horticulture sector recorded a growth of 6.7 percent resulting in production of 202.7 million tonnes of fruits and vegetables during 2008-2009. The ministry has...

SATELLITES EMPLOYED TO HELP FARMERS CONSULT SCIENTISTS (NESAC and ISRO have set up 34 VRCs in north eastern states).
January 31, 2009... Farmers can now consult scientists and experts in agriculture by means of Village Resource Centres (VRC), linked by satellites, set up in north eastern states by North Eastern Space Application Centre (NESAC) in association with Indian Space...

CENTRE SANCTIONS 10 MEGA FOOD PARKS (with an estimated investment of Rs150-200 crore for each park).
January 31, 2009... The Government of India has given its approval for setting up 10 mega food parks across India with an estimated investment of Rs150-200 crore for each park. The Government of India will provide a grant of Rs50 crore and the remaining amount...

FUTURE GROUP LAUNCHES "EXPRESS" FORMAT OF BIG BAZAAR (in Tarapur, Maharashtra).
January 31, 2009... Future Group has opened an express format of its Big Bazaar brand called the Big Bazaar Express in Tarapur, Maharashtra. The store will offer a range of fresh food and grocery products, accessories, and health and personal care products along...

PRODUCTION SITE OF ZIEMANN INDIA OFFICIALLY INAUGURATED (the plant will manufacture stainless steel brewing vessels and tanks).
January 31, 2009... Ziemann India Pvt Ltd has inaugurated its production plant at Kondhapuri near Pune. The plant, which will have an area of 5,600 square metres, will manufacture stainless steel brewing vessels and tanks.

KS OILS ACQUIRES EDIBLE OIL REFINERY IN HALDIA (from Kolkata-based Ambo Agro Products for Rs125-150 crore).
January 31, 2009... KS Oils, an integrated edible oil company based in Madhya Pradesh, has acquired an edible oil refinery in Haldia port from Kolkata-based Ambo Agro Products for Rs125-150 crore. The acquisition is a part of the company's backward...

FRESHTHROP TO INVEST Rs25 CRORE IN FRUIT JUICE VENTURE (is setting up a food processing plant in Nashik).
January 31, 2009... Freshthrop Fruits Ltd (FFL), which is into exporting fresh fruits, is venturing into production of fruit juices. The company is setting up a food processing plant in Nashik with an investment of Rs25 crore. The plant will have a capacity of...

GCMMF TO CREATE NEW RECORD IN MILK PROCUREMENT (in 2008-2009).
January 31, 2009... The Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF) is on track to create a new record in milk procurement. Most of the federation's 13 dairies have already reported record collection of milk in 2008-2009. As on 27 Dec 2007, the...

PLANT LIPIDS PVT LTD: SEASONING THE TASTE BUDS (Plant Lipids is a manufacturer of essential oils, spice oleoresins, and natural food colours).
January 31, 2009... Plant Lipids Pvt Ltd (PLPL), an ISO 9001:2000 certified company, is a manufacturer of a wide range of essential oils, spice oleoresins, and natural food colours. It has its main manufacturing facility and corporate office in Kochi,...

FISH PROCESSING INDUSTRY: WITNESSING A 'SEA' CHANGE (India's seafood export declined from 6,12,641 tonnes during 2006-2007 to 5,41,207 tonnes during 2007-2008).
January 31, 2009... Seafood exports from India declined by 11.58 percent in terms of quantity and by 8.88 percent in terms of rupee value in 2007- 2008. However, seafood exports had grown by 2.49 percent in terms of dollar value to a record Rs1,899.09 million....

CIPET TO DESIGN COURSES IN PLASTIC ENGINEERING (like product design, plastics mould technology, plastics processing, testing and quality control).
January 31, 2009... The Central Institute of Plastics Engineering and Technology (CIPET) is planning to design innovative courses in various disciplines of plastics engineering and technology like product design, plastics mould technology, plastics processing,...

NEW AGENT SPARKS GROWTH FOR CINPRES (Cinpres appoints Spark Technologies as its new representative in India).
January 31, 2009... Cinpres Gas Injection has appointed Spark Technologies as its new representative in India. Spark Technologies will provide local sales and service support in Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai regions. Spark Technologies will be the technical sales...

DUPONT OPENS INTEGRATED KNOWLEDGE CENTRE IN HYDERABAD (the centre will house a biotechnology centre, materials research centre and global engineering design centre).
January 31, 2009... DuPont has opened a DuPont Knowledge Centre (DKC) on 15 acres of land in the ICICI Knowledge Park in the Genome Valley in Hyderabad. This will be DuPont's first integrated knowledge centre and sixth major research & development (R&D)...

LOHIA STARLINGER LTD: WEAVING SUCCESS (the company has a 60 percent market share in India).
January 31, 2009... Lohia Starlinger, which was incorporated in 1981, is a manufacturer of complete range of machines required by the plastic woven fabric industry. The company has a 60 percent market share in India. The company has received ISO 9001:2000...

BHARTI-WALMART TRAINING CENTRE IN AMRITSAR (with the aim of improving the employability of youth in Punjab).
January 31, 2009... The Government of Punjab and Bharti WalMart Private Limited have jointly set up a training centre at the Government Institute of Garment Technology (GIGT) in Amritsar. The centre has been set up with the aim of improving the employability of...

GERMAN WHOLESALER CARRY OPENS FIRST STORE IN KOLKATA (two months after it had received licence to sell farm commodities and other food items in West Bengal).
January 31, 2009... Metro Cash & Carry, the Indian arm of German wholesaler Metro AG, opened its first outlet in Kolkata, nearly two months after it had received licence to sell farm commodities and other food items in West Bengal. The outlet has an area of...

HIMALAYA SETS HIGHER TARGETS FOR 2012 (is aiming at a turnover of Rs1,000 crore by 2012).
January 31, 2009... Agricultural foods company Himalaya is aiming at a turnover of Rs1,000 crore by 2012. As part of this plan, Himalaya is investing Rs125 crore to set up a processing plant in Gujarat. The company is also setting up a controlled...

STEPS TO BOOST FISHING INDUSTRY (National Fisheries Development Board has put in place several schemes to promote the industry).
January 31, 2009... The National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB), which has received an allocation of Rs1,500 crore during the current Five Year Plan, is undertaking massive modernisation programme for the fishing industry infrastructure in the country. A...

DUPONT LAUNCHES KNOWLEDGE CENTRE NEAR HYDERABAD (with an investment of Rs130 crore).
January 31, 2009... DuPont, the $29.4-billion global science company, has launched its new experiment ? Research and Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) - under one roof in Hyderabad. The experiment will be carried out at The DuPont Knowledge Centre (DKC), which...

TRIPARTITE PACT FOR SHRIMP HATCHERY (Oceanic Edibles International signs tripartite pact with Indian Overseas Bank and a group of farmers).
January 31, 2009... Oceanic Edibles International Ltd of the Oceanaa Group is planning to set up a shrimp hatchery under a tripartite pact with Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) and a group of farmers. Under the agreement, IOB will provide loans to shrimp farmers...

INDIAN SEAFOOD EXPORTS AIMS FOR $4 BILLION BY 2012 (TUSMP expected to be the primary growth driver of exports in the coming years.).
January 31, 2009... Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) has requested the seafood exporters to focus on value-added marine products to achieve a growth 10 percent a year to increase Indian seafood exports to $4 billion by 2012. According to...

FIFTY TIMES SMART (Wadhawan Food Retail sets up its Smart supermarket in Koramangala, Bangalore).
January 31, 2009... Wadhawan Food Retail Private Limited (WFRL) has set up its Smart supermarket in Koramangala, Bangalore. With the opening of this Smart Store, WFRL now has more than 200 food and grocery (F&G) retail outlets in the convenience store format in...

'HIGH STREET' FOOD COURTS BY LITE BITE FOODS (plans to have 60 outlets by the end of 2008-2009).
January 31, 2009... Lite Bite Foods is planning to set up food courts on highways, under its high street food court brand Food Union Clix. It has already started setting up food courts of 5,000 square feet offering six brands on high streets. The company...

NEW GM PAPAYA SEED TO BE DEVELOPED (TNAU and Monsanto sign an agreement for developing a GM papaya seed that is resistant to Ring Spot Virus).
January 31, 2009... The Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) and global seed major Monsanto have signed an agreement for developing a GM papaya seed that is resistant to Ring Spot Virus (RSV). Crop losses will be minimised and productivity will increase...

'TERMINAL MARKETS' FOR TRADING BY HARYANA AGRICULTURAL MARKETING BOARD (at Ganaur in Sonepat district with an estimated investment of Rs1,000 crore).
January 31, 2009... The Haryana State Agricultural Marketing Board has decided to set up an export-oriented Terminal Market for trading in fruit, vegetables, fish, meat products and poultry near Ganaur in Sonepat district. The board will acquire 600 acre of land...

FRESHTHROP TO ENTER FRUIT JUICE BUSINESS (is setting up a food processing plant in Nashik with an investment of Rs25 crore).
January 31, 2009... Freshthrop' Fruits Ltd (FFL), which is into exporting fresh fruits, is venturing into production of fruit juices. The company is setting up a food processing plant in Nashik with an investment of Rs25 crore. The plant will have a capacity of...

INDIAN TEA PROMOTION CENTRE IN CAIRO SOON (Ministry of Commerce, Government of India, to provide the initial investment estimated at Rs50 lakh).
January 31, 2009... The United Planters Association of South India (Upasi) has sent a proposal to the Tea Board for setting up Indian Tea Promotion Centre in Cairo in Egypt. The Ministry of Commerce, Government of India, has offered to provide the initial...

FUN FOODS TO BE BOUGHT OVER (by the Oetker Group).
January 31, 2009... Oetker Group, one of the largest family-owned firms in Germany, is planning to invest Rs110 crore to acquire Fun Foods and VRB Foods, makers of pizza toppings and mayonnaise, for Rs110 crore. The group will complete the acquisition through...

TOP 10 INDIAN ONLINE PROPERTIES (Google sites topped the list of top 10 websites with the maximum number of unique visitors in Jul 2008).
January 31, 2009... The total Indian Internet audience, according to comScore data for Jul 2008, was 2,88,86,000. Google sites topped the list of top 10 websites with the maximum number of unique visitors. The number of unique visitors that each of the top...

TOP FIVE HINDI MOVIES OF 2008 (Ghajini was the leader among the top five Hindi movies of 2008 with a collection of Rs200 crore).
January 31, 2009... Ghajini was the leader among the top five Hindi movies of 2008 with a collection of Rs200 crore. The other movies in the top five list of 2008 were Singh is King with collections of Rs107 crore, Race with Rs105 crore, Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi with...

SOUTHERN RELIGIOUS CHANNEL (Kamadhenu Telefilms to launch a free-to-air spiritual multi- lingual channel named Sri Sankara).
January 31, 2009... Kamadhenu Telefilms is planning to launch a free-to-air spiritual multi-lingual channel named Sri Sankara by end-Dec 2008. The channel will be in Hindi, Kannada, Tamil and Telugu. Kamadhenu Telefilms has already commenced test...

YASH RAJ CANCELS TV CHANNEL LAUNCH (feels that the crisis in the economy is not a favourable condition for a new launch).
January 31, 2009... Yash Raj Films, which had earlier planned to launch a TV channel in early Jan 2009, has now dropped its plans as it feels that the crisis in the economy is not a favourable condition for a new launch. Yash Raj Films is one of India's leading...

IGNOU TO START SCIENCE & TECH CHANNEL (the programmes will be initially beamed in English and Hindi).
January 31, 2009... Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) is planning to start a television channel for science and technology. The channel will beam programmes on aspects of sciences, application of sciences, scientific research, history,...

SPIRITUAL MUSIC CHANNEL: DIVYA LAUNCHED (has commenced transmissions from the Thaicom satellite).
January 31, 2009... A Chandigarh-based multiple system operator (MSO) has launched DIVYA - a spiritual music TV channel - which has commenced transmissions from the Thaicom satellite. The channel will primarily beam devotional songs with less than two hours...

ZEE NEWS TIES UP WITH VOICE OF AMERICA (will get content from VoA for beaming in India).
January 31, 2009... Zee News has entered into a tie-up with Voice of America (VoA) under which it will get content from VoA for beaming in India. The content will include America LIVE, a five-minute daily segment, and News Top 10, a prime time news bulletin and...

ISRO TO INCREASE TRANSPONDER CAPACITY (plans to add 300 more transponders in the next five years).
January 31, 2009... To provide communication service to direct-to-home (DTH) players, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is planning to more than double its transponder capacity in the near future. At present, Indian satellites have 211...

YOU TELECOM SELLS 49% STAKE (to Tulsi R Tanti and his family members).
January 31, 2009... Tulsi R Tanti and his family members have acquired 49 percent stake in You Telecom. You Telecom operates in Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Gurgaon, Hyderabad, Mumbai Navi Mumbai, Pune, Rajkot, Surat, Vadodara, and Visakhapatnam as an...

AKSH PLANS MOBILE TV WITH MTNL (in Delhi and Mumbai).
January 31, 2009... Aksh Optifibre and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd (MTNL) have entered into a partnership to provide mobile TV services in Delhi and Mumbai. Aksh will provide Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) feed for mobile TV on MTNL's 3G service. The...

SATYA PAUL ACCESSORIES (are available at 10 Samsaara stores and multi-brand outlets such as Westside and Shoppers Stop).
January 31, 2009... Satya Paul Accessories has a network of five exclusive brand outlets and 30 Satya Paul stores. Its products are also available at 10 Samsaara stores and multi-brand outlets such as Westside and Shoppers Stop. It claims that the economic...

SAVILE ROW COMPANY OF LONDON (plans to increase its presence in India).
January 31, 2009... Savile Row Company of London has a network of eight stores at Mumbai, Bangalore, Delhi and Jaipur and 15 shop-in-shops. It plans to open 15 outlets and 200 shop-in-shops and increase its presence in India. It also plans to offer its...

SPENCER'S (plans to expand its retail network to two million square feet by Mar 2009).
January 31, 2009... Spencer's has a retail network covering 1.2 million square feet (sq ft) and plans to expand it to two million sq ft by Mar 2009 and 2.8 million sq ft by Mar 2010. It also plans to launch its website in 2009.

SPYKAR (plans to expand its network to 225 stores in Jan-Mar 2009 and 300 stores in 2009-2010).
January 31, 2009... Spykar has recorded revenues of Rs156 crore with a network of 200 exclusive stores. It plans to expand its network to 225 stores in Jan-Mar 2009 and 300 stores in 2009-2010. The company plans to reach the youth through the digital media.

OYO (plans to house its products in 40 Spykar stores).
January 31, 2009... Oyo was launched on 1 May 2008 and has built up a network of 66 exclusive stores by Dec 2008. It plans to expand its network to 80 exclusive stores in Jan-Mar 2009 and 100 stores in 2009-2010. It also plans to house its products in 40 Spykar...

URBAN 10 (records revenues of Rs6 crore in 2007-2008 and expects to earn revenues of Rs12 crore in 2008-2009).
January 31, 2009... Urban 10 recorded revenues of Rs6 crore in 2007-2008 and expects to earn revenues of Rs12 crore in 2008-2009. The company has a network of 85 stores across India, which is to be expanded to 125 in Jan-Mar 2009 and 250 in 2009-2010. The...

VISHAL RETAIL (has a network of 180 stores, which will be expanded through the franchisee route in Jan-Mar 2009).
January 31, 2009... Vishal Retail has set a revenue target of Rs500 crore for Jan-Mar 2009. It has a network of 180 stores, which will be expanded through the franchisee route in Jan-Mar 2009. The company expects to have 400 stores by Mar 2010.

EBONY RETAIL HOLDING LTD (plans to open the second Ebony Gautier store at Gurgaon in Feb 2009).
January 31, 2009... Ebony Retail Holding Ltd has a retail network of five departmental stores at Faridabad, Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Jalandhar and Amritsar. It has also opened Ebony Gautier in partnership with Gautier of France at Noida and plans to open the...

PORTICO (records a growth of 40% in Oct-Dec 2008).
January 31, 2009... Portico recorded revenues of Rs80 crore through its retail network of 60 shop-in-shops, one franchisee showroom and 400 multi-brand outlets. The company plans to expand its network to 200 shop-in-shops, 10 franchisee outlets and 600...

COLORBAR (records a growth of 70% in the festive season of 2008 over 2007).
January 31, 2009... Colorbar recorded a growth of 70 percent in the festive season of 2008 over 2007. The company claims that it has not been affected by the global meltdown.

SHAHNAZ HUSAIN GROUP OF COMPANIES (plans to double the carpet coverage during 2009-2010).
January 31, 2009... The Shahnaz Husain group of companies has direct carpet coverage of 40,000 outlets aross India. It plans to double the carpet coverage during 2009-2010. The company recorded a growth of 55 percent during the festive season of 2008 as compared...

DITI JEWELLERY (plans to set up 35 shop-in-shops by the end of 2009 and have 100 points of sale by Mar 2010).
January 31, 2009... Diti Jewellery commenced operations in the end of 2007. In 2008, it set up 12 outlets and 19 shop-in-shops. The company plans to set up 35 shop-in-shops by the end of 2009 and have 100 points of sale by Mar 2010.

TANISHQ (plans to set up four stores in Hyderabad, Chennai, Delhi and Kolkata in Jan-Mar 2009).
January 31, 2009... Tanishq has a network of 118 stores, of which 20 were set up in 2008. It plans to set up four stores in Hyderabad, Chennai, Delhi and Kolkata in Jan-Mar 2009. Though it had good sales during the festive season of 2008, the global slump has...

DABUR VATIKA (DIL records a turnover of Rs2,234 crore in 2006-2007 with Dabur Vatika Hair Oil accounting for Rs70 crore).
January 31, 2009... The Indian cosmetics market is valued at Rs712 crore with facial makeup accounting for Rs97 crore, the lipstick segment accounting for Rs296 crore and the talcum powder market accounting for Rs495 crore. India has a vast potential for...

HIMALAYA (records a turnover of Rs500 crore in 2005-2006).
January 31, 2009... The Indian cosmetics market is valued at Rs712 crore with facial makeup accounting for Rs97 crore, the lipstick segment accounting for Rs296 crore and the talcum powder market accounting for Rs495 crore. India has a vast potential for...

DELSEY MORPHOS (launches new range of luggage).
January 31, 2009... Delsey Morphos has launched a new range of luggage for the corporate traveller. The bag, made of pure leather and denier polyester, is equipped with alloy-finish wheels and soft touch eject. The bag has separate compartments for shoes and...

VIKTOR AND ROLF FOR SAMSONITE (in scarlet red and sky-blue colours).
January 31, 2009... The Samsonite Black Label collection of bags by Viktor and Rolf combines glamour with utility. The bags are available in two colours, scarlet red with large bows for women and sky-blue with smart buckles for men. The luxury brand is available...

GOVERNMENT OF ANDHRA PRADESH MEASURES FOR INFRASTRUCTURAL GROWTH & SPENDING (will spend Rs8,025 crore to build more than 25 lakh houses under the Indiramma housing programme).
January 31, 2009... The Government of Andhra Pradesh will spend Rs8,025 crore to build more than 25 lakh houses under the third phase of the Indiramma housing programme. The Government of Andhra Pradesh has sanctioned 80 lakh houses so far in the last five...

BESTECH HOSPITALITIES ENTERS EXTENDED-STAY SEGMENT (is setting up an extended-stay suites property along with a convention centre in Gurgaon).
January 31, 2009... Bestech Hospitalities has ventured into the extended stay segment - it is setting up an extended-stay suites property along with a convention centre in Gurgaon. The property will have 32 suites and will be able to accommodate 1,500-2,000...

BADDI IN HIMACHAL PRADESH ATTRACTS HOTELIER INTEREST (demand for quality rooms has risen in the city because of rapid industrialisation).
January 31, 2009... Baddi, Himachal Pradesh's industrial centre, is attracting investments in the hotel sector. Demand for quality rooms, especially in the budget and no-frills segment, has risen in this city because of rapid industrialisation. Kamat Hotels...

RAHEJA DEVELOPERS PLANS SEVEN PROPERTIES IN NCR (in the next 3-4 years).
January 31, 2009... Raheja Developers, a real estate company based in Delhi, is planning to develop seven hotels in the Gurgaon and Sohna region in the next 3-4 years. The company has acquired four plots of land and plans to start construction of two premium...

PUNIHANI INTERNATIONAL LOOKS AT EXPANDING HOSPITALITY PORTFOLIO (plans to develop four-star properties in emerging tier II cities of Nagpur, Chandigarh and Hyderabad).
January 31, 2009... Punihani International, a leather garments and accessories company based in New Delhi, is planning to expand its hospitality portfolio. It plans to develop four-star properties in emerging tier II cities of Nagpur, Chandigarh and...

MAXIMUS HOSPITALITY TO OPEN 120 LITTLE ITALY VILLA FALCONIERI OUTLETS (in the next 5-6 years).
January 31, 2009... Maximus Hospitality is planning to open 120 Little Italy Villa Falconieri in the next 5-6 years. The company had recently opened its first restaurant under the same brand. The company plans to expand in two phases. In the first phase, it...

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK: MAPPLE HOTELS (has set up two Mapple Tiger Retreats- one at Bandhavgarh and the other at Kanha).
January 31, 2009... Mapple Hotels, Palaces & Resorts has set up two Mapple Tiger Retreats in Madhya Pradesh - one at Bandhavgarh in Umaria district and the other at Kanha, 160 kilometres southeast of Jabalpur. The company has developed Mapple Bundela Tiger...

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK: LEMON TREE HOTELS (has opened three hotels with a total of 301 rooms in Ahmedabad, Aurangabad and Indore).
January 31, 2009... Lemon Tree Hotels has opened three hotels with a total of 301 rooms in Ahmedabad, Aurangabad and Indore. The hotel in Ahmedabad has come up in Navrangpura with a total investment of Rs35 crore and has 99 rooms. It is owned and managed by...

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK: TAJ MOUNT ROAD, CHENNAI (the hotel has seven floors housing 220 rooms including 16 suites and one presidential suite).
January 31, 2009... Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces has launched the Taj Mount Road in Chennai. The hotel has seven floors housing 220 rooms including 16 suites and one presidential suite. The hotel has a main banquet hall named Summit, which is spread over...

JEWEL'S VENTURES INTO HOTEL SECTOR (plans to establish its own hotel brand named The Jewels).
January 31, 2009... Jewel's (India) Hotels, which owns the Tandoor brand of restaurants, is planning to venture into the hotel sector and establish its own hotel brand named The Jewels. The company is developing a 65-room boutique hotel in Hyderabad and plans to...

JEWEL'S (INDIA) HOTELS: FRANCHISE ON THE CARDS (in its second phase of expansion).
January 31, 2009... Jewel's (India) Hotels, which owns restaurant brands like Tandoor, Tandoor Express, Flame of Tandoor and Ferrous Bar, is aiming at a pan-India presence within the next couple of years. The company plans to open brands like Tandoor, an ethnic...

THE LINDE GROUP AND SAMSUNG ENGINEERING TO BUILD ETHYLENE PLANT (bag a contract worth Rs1,030 billion euros from ONGC Petro- additions Ltd).
January 31, 2009... ONGC Petro-additions Ltd, a subsidiary of Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Ltd (ONGC), has awarded a contract worth Rs1,030 billion euros to consortium partners The Linde Group and Samsung Engineering (Korea) for building a turnkey ethylene...

TATA CHEMICALS ACHIEVES ISO 27001 CERTIFICATION (the certification is applicable pan India and covers 10 sites).
January 31, 2009... BSI Management Systems has awarded the ISO 27001 Certification to Tata Chemicals. This certification is applicable pan India and covers 10 sites ? the plants at Mithapur, Babrala and Haldia and Tata Chemicals' offices across India.

K-DOW DEAL FAILURE LIKELY TO DELAY RIL-ROHM AND HAAS JV PLANS (RIL and Rohm and Haas had plans to set up an acrylic monomer complex in Jamnagar).
January 31, 2009... Philadelphia-based Rohm and Haas and Dow Chemical had inked a definitive agreement on 10 Jul 2008 for the acquisition of Rohm and Haas by Dow. However, the deal did not go through and this is likely to delay the setting up of an acrylic monomer...

GUJARAT PETRO INCREASES CAPACITY OF ITS PROPOSED LNG UNIT (by 30% to 6.5 million tonnes a year).
January 31, 2009... Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation (GSPC) has raised the capacity of its planned liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal by 30 percent to 6.5 million tonnes (mt) a year, because the prices of metals used in construction, such as steel and...

FACT DEVISES NEW SYSTEM TO PRODUCE FERTILISER (new process helps FACT to produce ammonium sulphate as the main product instead of as a by-product).
January 31, 2009... Fertilisers and Chemicals Travancore Ltd (FACT) has devised and implemented a new technology for producing ammonium sulphate. The new process produces ammonium sulphate through direct neutralisation in the Lactam Plant. Earlier, these...

PROFILE: HRS PROCESS SYSTEMS PVT LTD (is a part of HRS Group, one of the leading specialists in heat exchangers and fruit/food processing solutions).
January 31, 2009... HRS Process Systems Pvt Ltd (HRSPSPL) is a part of HRS Group. The group is one of the leading specialists in heat exchangers and fruit/food processing solutions in Europe. HRSPSPL has a manufacturing facility on the outskirts of Pune. It...

MAN-FORCE NOW A 50:50 JV (MAN plans to raise its stake in MAN Force Trucks Pvt Ltd to 50%).
January 31, 2009... MAN, the German commercial vehicle manufacturer, plans to raise its stake in MAN Force Trucks Pvt Ltd, its joint venture with Force Motors, to 50 percent by acquiring 14.20 percent from Force Motors for Rs300 crore. MAN will also raise...

TATA MOTORS, VOLVO ANNOUNCE PRICE CUTS (after Government of India reduced CENVAT by 4%).
January 31, 2009... The Government of India recently reduced the Central Value Added Tax (CENVAT) by 4 percent. Following this, Tata Motors has reduced the prices of its light commercial vehicles by Rs17,000 to Rs23,000 ands that of its medium and heavy...

HM LAUNCHES WINNER (with an ex-showroom price of Rs3.9 lakh).
January 31, 2009... Hindustan Motors (HM) has launched a 2.3-tonne gross vehicle weight (GVW) truck christened Winner, developed in association with Chinese company Shandong Shifeng. Winner offers a payload capacity of one tonne. HM plans to build 1,000 units of...

SHRIRAM TRANSPORT FINANCE SEES NO DROP IN RESALE VALUE OF USED CVs (earlier reports of price decline was a result of distress sale by some finance companies).
January 31, 2009... Resale value of used trucks in the domestic market has not gone down, according to Shriram Transport Finance (STF). Earlier reports that the prices of used vehicles have declined were a result of distress sale by some finance companies,...

$500-MILLION MULTI-CARGO TERMINAL TO COME UP AT HAZIRA PORT (in the next 3-4 years).
January 31, 2009... Hazira Port Pvt Ltd (HPPL), a joint venture between Shell Gas BV and Total Gaz Electricite Holdings of France, is planning to develop a $500-million multi-cargo terminal at Hazira in Gujarat. The company has appointed Citibank as the...

DUNLOP SUSPENDS WORK AT SAHAGUNJ FACILITY (citing failure of prolonged discussions with the labour unions).
January 31, 2009... Dunlop India has suspended work at its Sahagunj facility in West Bengal citing failure of prolonged discussions with the labour unions. Dunlop had previously suspended production owing to a crippling working capital crisis, coupled with...

FOUR WORLD-CLASS BUS TERMINALS COMING UP IN PUNE (at a total cost of Rs168 crore).
January 31, 2009... Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) is planning to set up four world-class bus terminals in Pune at a total cost of Rs168 crore on public-private partnership (PPP) basis. The four terminals will be completed by 2010. While...

M&M'S LOW-COST TRACTOR EXPECTED IN JUNE 2009 (this low-cost tractor is likely to be priced at Rs1.5 lakh).
January 31, 2009... Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd's (M&M) Farm Equipment sector is looking at launching an ultra low-cost tractor in Jun 2009. This low-cost tractor is likely to be priced at Rs1.5 lakh. The tractor will be targeted at farmers with small land holdings....

CONCOR'S DURGAPUR TERMINAL TO BE OPERATIONAL SOON (will have a capacity to handle 500 TEUs a month on commissioning).
January 31, 2009... Container Corporation of India?s (Concor) Durgapur terminal in West Bengal is likely to be operational soon. The terminal will have a capacity to handle 500 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) a month on commissioning. The terminal has come...

SUNDARAM INDUSTRIES FORMS JV WITH BRIDGESTONE FOR RUBBER COMPONENTS (Bridgestone TVS India Ltd will make anti-vibration rubber components for automobiles).
January 31, 2009... Sundaram Industries Ltd has set up a joint venture named Bridgestone TVS India Ltd with Bridgestone Corporation of Japan to make anti-vibration rubber components for automobiles. Anti- vibration rubber components are used in engine and...