Grasim prunes non-core trade
Mumbai: AV Birla group company Grasim Industries has scaled down its non-core trading business which was not adding much value. Grasim has scaled down the trading business without effecting the companys operations. Trading was adding negligible profitability to the companys bottomline.

The move will enable Grasim to reduce inventory levels. The cash involved in the trading business was about Rs 100 crore for the company.
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JSPL, NKK Corp in tech deal
New Delhi: Jindal Steel and Power Ltd (JSPL) has signed a technical collaboration agreement with NKK Corporation of Japan for producing the worlds largest rails at its rail and universal beam mill project in Chhattisgarh.

JSPL is setting up a $100 million rail and universal beam mill project to meet the growing demand of railways and construction industry.

According to the agreement, the Japanese company would transfer know-how for producing the worlds longest rails of 120 metres and universal beam of larger size.
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LeasePlan Fleet plans expansion
New Delhi: Leaseplan Fleet Management India is planning to expand its fleet strength in India. The company is also also exploring the viability of bringing its other business arms like insurance and consumer rentals into India.

ABN Amro Lease Holding NV chairman Hugo Levecke said, "India is a very important market for us and we will look at extending all our services to India. Currently we will focus on increasing our fleet in India and the lease finance business."
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Telco not to hike car prices
Mumbai: Telco has decided against hiking the price of its automobiles, though its main rivals Maruti and Hyundai are contemplating price increases. While Maruti is mulling a 3 per cent increase in prices, Hyundai is looking at around Rs 11,500 increase on the Santro tag along with a Rs 37,000 hike in the Sonata and a Rs 19,000 increase in the Accent prices.
Any price increases by two players could end up helping the third.
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Crocodile to launch new mens wear
Mumbai: Crocodile Products, a joint venture between Singapore-based $ 2.6 billion Crocodile International and Coimbatore-based Shivaram Associates, plans to launch its summer range of mens wear by March 2002.

The summer menswear will be launched in knitted and woven fabrics and is targeted at young executives. While shirts of this range will be priced between Rs 575 to Rs 800, the trousers will be priced at Rs 800 to Rs 1,200. The company is currently working on a media campaign for the new range. The company has earmarked Rs 1.2 crore for the campaign, which will include TV commercials, magazine ads and outdoor advertising.

Crocodile is also planning to launch some unisex products as well as products of non-tearable material. Besides, it is also planning to expand its leather products basket.
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Wipro enters pact with WatchGuard
Bangalore: Wipro Infotech has entered into an alliance with WatchGuard Technologies, a leading provider of comprehensive internet security solutions.

Under the alliance, Wipro, along with WatchGuard, would offer 'Managed Firewall' services to corporate bodies in India.

Wipro Net is the first ISP in South Asia to offer this service.
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Saregama shuts US distribution office
Kolkata: Saregama Plc has closed down its distribution office in the US, deciding to source its supplies from the UK. This is part of the cost-cutting exercise now on at Saregama India Ltd (SIL), which holds 70 per cent of Saregama Plc's equity. The remaining part of the equity is held through Offex (the London-based small stock exchange) by NRIs and OCBs.

With distribution centred around the UK, the US sales team will be able to concentrate only on sales.

The proposed merger of Saregama Plc with RPG Global Music has been put on hold. RPG Global is the 100 per cent subsidiary of SIL, catering to the West Asian, Far East and the Australian markets.

Saregama Plc has teamed up with the Indian Music Industry (IMI), and the newly-formed IMI (US) to check piracy. In the UK, the company has tied up with the British Phonographic Industry and IMI to check piracy.
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Concorde Motors shuts Delhi, Lucknow units
Bangalore: Concorde Motors Ltd., the joint venture between the Tatas and Jardine Motor Company, has closed its operations in Delhi and Lucknow to streamline cost. The company will now focus on south Indian markets of Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabd for future growth.

Concorde had earlier exited from Ludhiana in Punjab.

Concorde reported a turnover of Rs. 650 crore in the last financial year. Business from Tata Indica is on the upswing even as multi-utility vehicles are slipping. A good monsoon, followed by a good harvest is likely to give a fillip to sagging MUV sales.
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Tatas set up Internet exchange
Hyderabad: The Tatas are considering to set up a national Internet exchange and regional exchanges across the country, according to information technology advisor to the Andhra Pradesh government T. Hanuman Choudary. According to Choudary, the Tatas have already initiated discussions with the government in this regard.

Discussions were on for forging an alliance with the optic fibre transmission providers across the country to participate in the national Internet exchange.

The setting up of a national Internet exchange would provide affordable Internet access to Indian public at large.
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IBM to earmarks $100 million to promote Linux in India
Mumbai: IBM has earmarked $100 million to promote Linux in India as an operating system on its hardware.

This is 10 per of the $1 billion set aside for promoting Linux worldwide.

IBM is backing Linux as a clear business decision as the company believes that Linux will be a major player in the future, with open standards ruling the roost and proprietary technologies becoming increasingly irrelevant.

IBM is also in talks with various Indian government agencies to bring Indian language support on Linux.

The applications could range from free software applications such as Apache and Send-mail at the low-end, while enterprise customers are planning to implement e-business applications such as mySAP.com on the Linux platform. IBM has already invested in setting up a development centre in Bangalore which supports business partners and independent software vendors across the ASEAN/South Asian region.

IBM has also set up a 'Linux Competency Centre' in Bangalore which develops standards and embedded software for open source software.

According to a recent report by International Data Corporation, an independent IT industry research agency, Linux currently has 27 per cent of the worldwide server operating system market and continues to grow by 28 per cent annually.
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