Tata Group Companies bag export award
New Delhi: Tata Iron and Steel and Tata Projects have bagged the top export and highest export awards for the year 1999-2000 announced by the Engineering Export Promotion Council.

Tisco has bagged the all India trophy for top exporters in the large scale manufacturing sector. Others who bagged the trophy in this section include Enfield Industries, Nalco, Bhel and Jyoti Structures.

Tata Projects has bagged the all India trophy for highest exporters for turnkey industrial projects. The others to get the trophy in this category include Tata Engineering and Locomotive, Kvaerner Powergas, Karnal Agriculture and United Metal Industries Manufacturing.
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Sibar Media to foray into films
New Delhi: TV serial producer Sibar Media and Entertainment will foray into film production with two regional films to be released soon.

The company is also planning startegic alliance with some other TV channels for supplying software for production and would introduce interactive software-based programmes of 21 channels in its network at a cost of Rs 60 crore.
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Telco plans to divest Rs 400 crore
Pune: Tata Engineering plans to sell Rs 400-crore non-core financial investments and save costs by rs 225 crore this fiscal.

The company is also in the process of restructuring its expensive debt portfolio of Rs 500 crore, of which it has already pre-paid Rs 193 crore during April-September 2001-02.

The company has targeted to cut the balance sheet size by Rs 1,000 crore over the next three years after reducing it by Rs 953 crore during 1998-99 to 2000-01.
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McDowell plans to market imported wine
Mumbai: McDowell & Company Ltd is in talks with global wine majors for importing wine in bulk. McDowell plans to bottle and market the wine in India. The company has initiated talks with Concha Y Toro, the largest producer of wine in Chile and Australia-based Sandalford. The company is also in talks with a French company and a South African wine major.

McDowell & Co Ltd has a presence in the wine market through its alliance with the Italian wine maker Bosca. Bosca is manufactured at Baramati Grape Industries Ltd and sells over 15,000 cases per annum.
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Himalaya Drug launches herbal Viagra
Bangalore: Himalaya Drug company has launched two products which claims to offer a safe alternative to allopathic medication for erectile dysfunction.

The company has introduced two new products Tentex Royal capsules and Himcolin Gel (a local application medicinal gel) which claim to be quick acting herbal medicines for improving sexual performance of males. While the capsules are priced at Rs 7.50 per unit, the local application gel is approximately priced at Rs 75.
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Daewoo plans LPG Matiz
Kolkata: Daewoo Motors India Ltd (DMIL) has undertaken R&D work to introduce LPG version of Matiz. The company has already completed R&D activity for development of Matiz-LPG variant with the Italian kit to provide alternate fuel option to customer.
It had also undertaken development of Matiz CNG during the past year and is continuously working on value engineering and increased localisation to improve cost effectiveness.
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SAIL to get Rs 1,000cr from assets sale
New Delhi: The Steel Authority of India expects to earn around Rs 1,000 crore in cash in the current financial year from sale of non-core assets.

The current years expected cash earnings will come from sale and transfer of assets which will include power plants at Bokaro and Bhilai and real estates in the form of houses and flats at SAILs townships in Durgapur, Bokaro, Rourkela and Bhilai.

Transfer of assets at Bokaros 302-mw power plants into a joint venture with Damodar Valley Corporation is in the final stages, awaiting clearance from the Central Electricity Authority.
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L&T, Grasim plan cross-branding
Mumbai: Grasim Industries and Larsen & Toubro are working towards cross-branding of cement to drastically cut down on freight costs.

The cross-branding exercise would enable L&T and Grasim to roll out their cement brands from the others manufacturing facility. Cross-branding is one of the options that the Aditya Birla group flagship is seriously exploring to exploit synergies with L&T, where it has recently acquired a 10 per cent stake for Rs 766 crore.
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Telco posts cash profit on Indica
Pune: Tata Engineering has achieved cash profit on Indica during July-September and is unveiling Sedan and Estate variants of the car at next month's Auto Expo.

The company sold 4,900 units of Indica per month during July-September.Indica sold 38,043 units during April-November this fiscal, a 18 per cent rise over last year.

Its market share in premium small car segment also grew to 21.6 per cent from 17.4 per cent a year ago.

Telco is also exploring markets in South-East Asia and Turkey for ex-porting the Indica as completely-knocked-down units. At present, the car is exported to markets in Bangladesh, Kenya, Egypt, South Africa, Malaysia and Malta.
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Hero Puch plans 4 stroke scooters
New Delhi: Hero Puch plans to launch a slew of 4-stroke two-wheelers, in the 75 cc to 150 cc range, over the next one year.

The new vehicles to be launched are being designed by Hero Global Design Services in association with IDEA of Italy. The first two-wheeler in the planned series will be a 75 cc 4-stroke moped.

The 4-stroke 75 cc moped, fitted with the Briggs & Stratton engine from the US will be launched in March, 2002. Hero Puch has a collaborative agreement with Briggs & Stratton, one of the worlds largest 4-stroke engine manufacturer, for developing engines.

Hero Puch will introduce scooters in the 100 cc and 150 cc categories by the end of the year 2002.
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Torrent to launch 3 HIV drugs
Ahmedabad: Torrent Pharmaceuticals Ltd is planning to launch three anti-HIV drugs by the end of 2001. Initially, products would only be launched in Brazil.

The company has identified Brazil as a base to penetrate the Latin American market. Recently, Hyderabad-based Hetero Drugs had bagged an order worth Rs 24 crore to supply an intermediate for HIV-drug to Brazil.

The Brazil government spends $500 million for purchasing drugs to be distributed free. Almost 70 per cent of this amount is spent on anti-HIV drugs.
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Anchor ties up with Italian co
Mumbai: Anchor Electronics has tied up with the Ave Spa of Italy to manufacture and distribute electrical accessories, which have decorated homes, palaces and mansions in Europe, in India.

The Italian company has outlined plans to set up 60 electrical boutiques across India by December 2002.
Ave has over 170 patents for switches and electrical accessories designed by it. The joint venture company in India, called Anchor Ave, has started its first electrical accessory boutique in Mumbai and plans to open seven more in other cities like Delhi, Chandigarh, Bangalore, Chennai, Ahmedabad and Pune.
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Daikan Shriram explores outsourcing from GE
New Delhi: Daikan Shriram is in talks with GE India for outsourcing motors for its airconditioners. The company is also talking to Lloyd Electronics for outsourcing electric coil and few other vendors for sheet metal and dyes.

Daikin Industries, a Thailand based company is currently supplying SKD, CKD and some finished goods for Daikin air conditioners.
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BIFR okays closure of Hindustan Fertiliser
New Delhi: The Board for Industrial & Financial Reconstruction has confirmed the winding up of the sick public-sector company, Hindustan Fertiliser Corporation.

The winding-up would affect 7,500 workers and employees in its 4 units in West Bengal, Bihar and Assam and offices in New Delhi and Kolkata.
Meanwhile, different trade unions demanded that the case should now be referred to the Appellate Authority for Industrial and Financial Reconstruction and go for united action against the BIFR order.
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Bajaj Auto launches new service system
Chennai: Bajaj Auto Ltd has launched and advanced service system aimed at improving the performance efficiency of its dealers. Under the system, Bajaj dealers will be provided with layout plans on how to streamline the service area and also install hydraulic equipment to improve performance efficiency.

Under the new system, dealers would be able to increase the number of vehicles handled per day without increasing either the staff strength or the area available. The performance efficiency improvement would be through increased use of high-precision pneumatic control tools, hydraulic equipment, and pre-determined pumping of oil into the vehicles.
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Zee Turner to up subscription rates
Mumbai: Zee Turner is considering a hike in the subscription rates for its bouquet of 18 channels from around mid-January.

Turner International India has already intimated its distributors to effect a hike of Rs 2.25 per subscriber per month with effect from January, 2002, for the package of its pay channels, HBO, CNN and Cartoon Network.

The Zee bouquet of 15 channels is priced at Rs 30.

Recently, Star TV announced a hike of Rs 12 in its cable subscription rates for its digital bouquet of six channels, with effect from January 2002.
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Reliance insurance premium goes up 60%
New Delhi: The insurance premium for the Reliance group has gone up by over 60 per cent to about Rs 125 crore compared to the previous years Rs 75-odd crore. The sum assured is in the region of Rs 50,000 crore. The group will now have individual covers for its companies and plants located in Jamnagar, Hazira, Patalganga and Narora instead of a comprehensive policy.

The company had to shell out a higher premium in December 2000 as well due to the hardening of the global reinsurance market.
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Andrew Yule plans tea gardens sale
Kolkata: Andrew Yule & Co Ltd is exploring the possibility of reducing its exposure in tea growing and marketing.The company will initially dispose of the estates mortgaged to the Unit Trust of India.

Andrew Yule has also entered into talks with Tata Tea for a possible sale of some other gardens owned by it.

Andrew Yule has 12 tea gardens -- seven in Assam, four in Dooars and one in Darjeeling.
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