Seagate open their first India office
New Delhi: Seagate Technology, a global major in manufacture of computer hard discs and storage solutions has decided to open its first office in India. The company will open its first sales and marketing office in Delhi, since it launched authorised distribution of its products in the country, twenty years back.

Seagate’s retail operations in India are presently conducted through a network of three authorised all-India distributors -- Karma Distribution Singapore, ACI Computers and Electronics Resources India -- and over 150 resellers, who are known as Seagate partners. As per International Data Corporation (IDC) figures, Seagate enjoys a majority marketshare in most Asia-Pacific countries -- including India -- where it has over 70 per cent share, based on both unit volume and revenue, followed by Samsung and Quantum.
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L&T team wins air cargo hub contract
Bangalore: L&T and Ramboll-Unique Zurich Airport combine has been selected as the feasibility consultant for India’s largest international transshipment air cargo hub to come at Nagpur. The hub to be built at an estimated investment of Rs 300 crore.
L&T has been given six months to deliver a comprehensive techno-economic report, including a masterplan for the transshipment hub, the engineering design and a business development strategy, for the facility detailing all revenue streams etc. The facility is expected to be developed over a 75-acre plot at an estimated Rs 300 crore investment. The proposed cargo hub is expected to be promoted as the regional hub for all outward and inward movement to India.
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Parry snaps up with Chupa Chups
Chennai: Parry Confectionery Ltd. (PCL) has snapped its five-year old joint venture arrangement with Chupa Chups SA, Spain for producing lollipops. The agreement, was delayed in implementation and became unviable with government’s new exim policy, allowing free imports of confectionery. Chupa Chups’ plan was initially to create a production base in India. Parry’s is also considering options for restructuring the business of Leaf Parrys, yet another 50:50 joint venture floated five years ago with Huhtamaki OyLeaf of Finland. The JV plant near Chennai was set up with Rs 20 crore outlay for making specialised products. PCL, facing a rough weather in recent years, is restructuring its current manufacturing activities to bring down costs and pay off debts.
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Invensys buys out CG Powerware
New Delhi: Powerware International, part of the $2.3-billion Invensys Power Systems, has increased its equity in its Indian arm - CG Powerware to 100 per cent from 51 per cent by acquiring the shares held by Crompton Greaves. With this, Powerware will now be a 100 per cent subsidiary of Invensys. CG Powerware was a joint venture between Powerware International (51 per cent) and Crompton Greaves India (49 per cent) engaged in power management solutions. Invensys is also planning to invest $15 million over the next five years in India and establish a 10 per cent marketshare in next three years. The company has also decided to set up a manufacturing facility in India by the first quarter of next financial year.
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Hindustan Motors launches CNG version of RTV
New Delhi: Hindustan Motors has launched a compressed natural gas (CNG) version of its Rural Transport Vehicle (RTV) priced at Rs 4.36 lakhs (ex-showroom-Delhi) in tune with the new emission standards being enforced in Delhi from March 2001. The vehicle, made in alliance with Australia-based OKA Motor Company, will be sold in both the passenger and 1.5 tonne cargo versions. The CNG- RTV would be powered by a four cylinder, 1817cc, dedicated (Isuzu converted) CNG engine as well as five speed syncromesh gear box. The company expects to sell about 100 RTVs every month in this fiscal and about 2,500 unit in 2001-02. HM at present is selling the RTVs in Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, besides Delhi. It is also manufactures the petrol and diesel version of the RTVs at its plant in Pithampur, with a monthly manufacturing capacity of 500 vehicles.
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Wockhardt ties up with Harvard Medical
Mumbai: Wockhardt Life Sciences has tied up with US-based Harvard Medical International (HMI). The collaboration will focus on quality management and development of medical technology. HMI would also work with Wockhardt in developing strategies for building managed health care systems, where consumers can freely access medical services, while insurance firms take care of the bills.

Wockhardt currently has two super speciality hospitals — The Wockhardt Heart Hospital and Institute in Bangalore and the Wockhardt Hospital and Kidney Institute in Kolkota. It is also in the process of setting up a super speciality cardiac hospital in Mumbai. The company had recently transferred its hospitals business to a fully owned subsidiary.
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Shaw Wallace withdraws Royal Challenge from Delhi market
New Delhi: Shaw Wallace and Company (SWC) has withdrawn the Royal Challenge brand of whisky from the Delhi market in protest against the state government's order directing the company to reduce its prices. The company is also initiating legal action against the government order. Confirming the withdrawal move, a company spokesperson has said that it was economically unviable for SWC to sell Royal Challenge at the price prescribed by the Delhi excise department.

The Delhi excise department in a notice issued last December ordered the company to slash down the price of Royal Challenge whisky from Rs 340 to Rs 280, saying the ex-distillery price quoted by the company for determining the price of the whisky in the Capital was incorrect.

The company sells around 9,000 cases of Royal Challenge per month in the capital with the government getting excise revenue of Rs 360 per case.
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Infosys to set up world’s biggest software centre in Bangalore
Bangalore: Infosys Technologies Ltd. has decided to set up the world’s biggest software development complex near Bangalore at a cost of around Rs 619 crore. The proposed complex would be set up over 100 acres near Wipro’s facility in Sarjapur, 15 km from Bangalore, and will provide jobs to 7,120 persons.

A high-level committee of the state government had cleared the Infosys proposal on January 17. The software major has also been allotted another 100 acres in Mysore and 25 acres in Mangalore to open its software development facilities. Infosys at present has six development centres in Pune, Mysore, Chennai, Mangalore, Bhubaneswar and Mohali, besides 8.8-lakh-square-feet complex near Bangalore.
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Apollo ties up with Dona Sylvia for lifestyle clinics
Mumbai: Apollo Hospitals has tied with Dona Sylvia, a Goa-based holiday resort company to promote a holiday package concept that promises to enable people live a healthy lifestyle, combined with relaxation. The Dona Sylvia and Apollo Hospitals have jointly developed the concept, called 'health holidays, where participants will be scientifically trained on managing their health and lifestyle.

This is a first of its kind deal wherein a hospital major is tying up with a resort to create awareness about lifestyle and health care. The project is foray into the medical tourism sector, seen as a promising business opportunity. Apollo Hospitals will not invest in the venture and will earn its revenue through providing management and consultancy services.

The first health farm is to be opened next month at Dona Sylvia in Goa and Apollo will provide the technical expertise, which will include state-of-the-art health and medical screening facilities. Depending on the package, the price of the health holiday varies from Rs 4750 to Rs 25000. The Apollo group already has such lifestyle clinics at most of its hospitals, but the health farm at Dona Sylvia will be its first residential lifestyle clinic.
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William Grant ties up with Bacardi to sell Scotch whisky
Mumbai: William Grant & Sons, a global whisky major has formed an marketing alliance with Bacardi-Martini India Ltd. (BMIL) to sell its Scotch brands in India.

Initially, four brands - Glenfiddich Single Malt Scotch Whisky, Glenfiddich Solera Reserve, Glenfiddich Ancient Reserve and William Grants Family Reserve - will be made available in duty free shops and the popular bars and restaurants with liquor import licences in Mumbai, Bangalore, Calcutta and Delhi.

As per the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between William Grant & Sons and Bacardi-Martini in India, BMIL will be distributing William Grant's products in the Indian market through their distribution network across the country.

Both the partners would be working on an integrated marketing campaign for Glenfiddich and other products to build brand equity, highlight the quality and authenticity of the brands. Bacardi on its own is also launching two more products as a part of brand portfolio expansion, to expand its 15 per cent market share. US parent Bacardi International is planning to invest around Rs 30 crore in the existing Indian subsidiary. Internationally, Bacardi has around 300 products and in the post-WTO phase plans to market many more brands in India.
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