Unilever to take Annapurna to international market
Mumbai: Unilever Plc has reportedly picked up Annapurna brand from the portfolio of Hindustan Levers, for worldwide marketing as an international brand. Unilever is believed to have already started to market Annapurna salt in some of the east African countries.

Hindustan Levers, which has developed the Kissan Annapurna brand, as a part of its portfolio of foods products, has however, not so far indicated its plans for franchising its brands in the world market. The company has placed significant local marketing thrust on Kissan Annapurna is part of the strategy to develop food business to Rs 4,000 crore in another three years.

Kissan Annapurna, the flagship brand is expected to contribute around Rs 1,000 crore to HLL’s total food business. Unilever, which conducted research with the idea to introduce Annapurna brand, in select countries has found that most people favourably responded to the Annapurna brand name.
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Bajaj Auto sales hit the bottom
Mumbai: Bajaj Auto Limited (BAL), Pune-based two-wheeler giant has ended 2000 with one of its worst performances ever. BAL’s sales have gone down by 45 per cent in December compared with the same period last year.

The company’s sales have dropped by 73,000 units from 1,32,000 vehicles in corresponding period of previous year.Bajaj’s scooter sales, its largest selling product, has slipped by whopping 75 per cent in December 2000. The aggregate figures however, exclude completely knocked down (CKD) kits supplied to its affiliate firm, Maharashtra Scooters, (MSL), but include sales of completely built units of MSL.

Market analysts say increased competition from rival companies might dent Bajaj’s bottomline in the short to medium term. The company is meanwhile, planning to launch ‘Eliminator’, its 175 cc four-stroke bike under the Kawasaki brand name. Saffire, a four-stroke scooter with a futuristic design is also being launched in more cities and towns across the country. The two launches, analysts say, might help Bajaj Auto retrieve some of the lost ground.
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Ajanta Clocks to move its manufacturing base to China
Baroda: The Rs 200-crore Ajanta Transistor Clock Manufacturing, makers of clocks and watches under the Ajanta Quartz brand is reportedly shifting its production operations to China. Among one of world's largest clock manufacturer with production touching one crore timepieces during 1999-2000, the company has also in recent years moved into manufacture of electronic calculators and telephone devices.

The company is believed to have already acquired a 300,000-sq-ft unit in China's Shenzhen province and decided to shift around Rs 100 crore worth of its machinery from its Morbi facility in Gujarat in the first phase. Subsequently, the company plans to shift remaining machinery and business operations to China.
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Black & Decker, Bajaj Electricals plan to join hands once again
Pune: Bajaj Electricals Ltd.(BEL) and the U.S.-based power tools maker Black & Decker, BIL’s erstwhile partners in power tools business are likely to once again resume their business relationship. Mr Shekhar Bajaj, chairman and managing director of Bajaj Electricals has said that the US company is once again considering a re-entry into the Indian market.

The five-year partnership during 1994-99 between the two companies had ended following Black & Decker's decision to pull out of India, due to restructuring of its global businesses. The two companies had set up a 50:50 joint venture -- Black & Decker Bajaj Ltd. --to manufacture home appliances as well as power tools. The company was subsequently renamed Bajaj Ventures Ltd. and became a wholly owned subsidiary of BEL.

Details of proposed renewal of ties between the two companies have not been disclosed but Mr.Bajaj has reportedly indicated that his company will offer manufacturing support to the marketing organisation, which Black & Decker would like to set up.
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Reliance cuts back on its product price as crude price eases
Mumbai: With international crude oil prices remaining steady, Reliance Industries Ltd. (RIL) has decided to bring about marginal reductions in prices of its petrochemical products. The largest reduction was made in partially oriented yarn (POY), which is now quoted at Rs 61.70 per kg. Other products, whose prices were revised downwards included polyester staple fibre (PSF) by 50 paise to Rs 51 per kg, PTA by the same amount to Rs 33.25 per kg and MEG to Rs 33.30 per kg.

Last month, RIL had made a similar major downward correction in prices of its products, with sharp fall in prices of crude oil. At that time, prices of PE were brought down by over Rs 5 per kg to Rs 44.3 and PVC the cut was by Rs 4 per kg to Rs 39 per kg.
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