Anthrax vaccine to open BT account for Kerala
Thiruvananthapuram: After the Rs 10-crore SPV (special purpose vehicle) with Avestha Gengraine for pharmaceutical validation, Kerala’s Biotech Board has glued its nose on health. Cell sensitising photodynamics for cancer detection and modified Anthrax vaccines top the agenda of the newly-formed Rs 100-crore BT board.

The board will soon have one-on-one parleys on getting industry partnership for this with country’s major BT players, MS Valiathan, noted technocrat and vice-chairman of the BT Board said.

In the context of bio-warfare scare, efforts for fine-tuning the Anthrax Vaccine Adsorbed (ADA), developed in 1970, has world-wide relevance. "The business plan for tie-ups will be finalised in the next few days," Dr Valiathan said. BT Commission, a subsidiary of Kerala BT Board, will start its networking activities from Tuesday. Product development programmes in Kerala’s traditional pepper and its newest fancy of vanilla will also be put up for industry backing.

The idea is to bring national players like Reddy’s Labs, Ranbaxy, Astra Zeneca, Nicholas Piramal, Cipla, Wockhardt, Orchid, Biocon, Reliance Life Sciences, Shanta Biotech or Bharat Biotech as partners in lines with CISR-model industry- linkages.

Kerala had announced its draft BT policy in August. Despite the state’s glaring vacuum in IITs or IIScs in the SWOT analysis for BT policy, its activities have been assessed to have competent manpower support. For instance, the cancer detection photodynamics project and modified Anthrax vaccine project had been set in motion by Regional Cancer Centre (RCC), Thiruvananthapuram and Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology (RGCB), Thiruvananthapuram. The pepper and vanilla projects have been proposed by Indian Spice Research Insititute.

One area of focus will be forecastive medicine like PCR-based diagnostics or immuno diagnostics of physiological and genetic diseases like cancer, diabetics and mental diseases.
Back to News Review index page  

A makeover for Taj group business hotels
Bangalore: Keeping in tune with the changing needs of the corporate traveller, the Taj Group of Hotels is ushering in changes in its business hotels. The Taj Residency, Bangalore, is the group's first Business Hotel to witness this change, followed soon by the Taj President, Mumbai. According to Jyoti Narang, chief operating officer, Taj Business Hotels, "We want to put the house in order before strong international brands enter India."

The renovations at the hotel were taken up after the group researched the key trends in the industry and the key needs of its customers. Narang explained that the hotel has tried to over-deliver on the basic needs like good food and comfort and satisfy the higher needs of the guest such as boredom, loneliness and the need to destress.

Two floors comprising 40 rooms at the Taj Residency, Bangalore, have been equipped with ergonomically designed mobile work desk with special task lighting. Herman Miller work chairs (costing $600 each) are placed at the work desks in each room. For entertainment, a 42-inch plasma TV, a DVD/MP3/CD player provide various options to the guest.

According to Narang, 60 per cent of the business hotels' guests are Indians and the rest from abroad (mostly from the US and the UK). Bangalore has a huge IT clientele and that's why we decided to hire an American designer for the makeover.

The new rooms are to be launched in the first week of December. As for tariff change, Narang said, "We want to increase the benefits for which the customers will pay more." The Taj Group has 23 business hotels with 18 in India and five spread across Sri Lanka, South Africa and West Asia.
Back to News Review index page  

Castlerock in pact with Japan co for Surimi project
Mumbai: Cochin-based Castlerock Fisheries Ltd (CFL) recently entered into a joint venture agreement with Nichirei Corporation of Japan for setting up Surimi project in India. Toshio Aok, general manager (Marine Product Division), Nichirei Corporation and Manu Mahtani of Castlerock Group of Companies signed the agreement. As per the agreement, Nichirei Corporation will buy all the produce from the plant and market it in Japan and all over the world.

The total cost for the Surimi project including the imported machinery from Fukoku Kogyo Co Ltd Japan would be $2 million. Under this venture, CFL has planned to sell about 18,000 tonnes Surimi to Nichirei valued at $45 million for three years. The company has recently set up Rs 10 crore plant at Taloja, that was acknowledged by the European Union as the best Plant in India, in alliance with the Nichirei Corporation of Japan for three years with the help of the technical know-how provided by them.

"Fishes will be converted to Surimi (Fish paste) which will be eventually used for making imitation crab meat" and "Kamaboko". These products are similar in taste and smell as the genuine products, which are far more expensive; they are also very high in nutrition and low in fat and are ideal health food as well as great in taste," Lokesh Srivastava, general manager (Marketing) of CFL said.

This factory at Taloja will source its fish from fishermen along the Gujarat, Maharashtra and Goan coastline thus increasing their profits by buying waste fish that would normally be disposed or sold at very nominal prices, he said. The company is also in the process of setting up another joint venture production facility with a UK-based company for major value addition in the areas of "frozen ready meals" for global market such as the US, the UK, South Africa and Australia.
Back to News Review index page  

Ganjam pact with Italian brand
Bangalore: Italy's luxury jewellery brand, Laurentia, has entered India through an exclusive tie-up with Ganjam, a traditional jeweller in Karnataka. The 18-carat jewels priced upwards of Rs 17,000 will be on display at Ganjam by Design boutique at Leela Palace.

"Ganjam has always endeavoured to offer under the Ganjam World Line jewellery from around the world to the discerning Indian customer. This truly international collection reflects the best of the international trends in the sphere of fine jewellery and we are proud to present Laurentia," Umesh Ganjam, joint managing director, Ganjam by Design, said.

Laurentia, started in the early 80s and engaged in the production of articles made only of gold, has significant presence in Europe, Americas, Russia and West Asia. Laurentia will be part of Ganjam by Design as it charts out an expansion plan covering cities such as New Delhi and Hyderabad.
Back to News Review index page  

Kirloskar acquires stake in UK pump firm
Pune: To increase its revenues from exports, the Pune-based Kirloskar Brothers Ltd (KBL), has acquired certain assets and businesses of the UK-based SPP Pumps Ltd, a part of Thyssen Bornemiscza Group.

Talking to presspersons the chairman and managing director of Kirloskar Brothers Ltd (KBL), Sanjay Kirloskar, said the acquisition has gone in for a consideration of close to £7 million. KBL had made a down payment of £2 million and the rest had been pooled in by the Export Import Bank of India (EXIM) and the Bank of India.

Regarding SPP operations, he said the company sold pumping packages in a variety of market segments such as construction, irrigation, fire fighting and water supply and sewage. With its headquarters in Reading and factory in Coleford, SPP has a dominant market share in the UK fire-fighting market and currently supplies engineered fire fighting pump packages in the oil fields of Central Asia. It is a player in the West Asia markets for the water supply, sewage and the oil field sectors.

Kirloskar, looking back at the acquisition said KBL has had a 30-year relationship with SPP for supply of components required for pump manufacturing.

Initially, in 1973 SPP signed an agreement with KBL for supply of castings and components for SPP designed pumps. Over the years KBL has supplied SPP with components for hundreds of thousands of such pumps, in addition to supplying a large number of the same pumps around the world.

Kirloskar said in 1980s, KBL and SPP had worked on the joint development of a new range of split casing pumps for world markets. The pumps were jointly designed and manufacturing facilities were augmented at the Kirloskarvadi plant. Export market for these pumps include the US, S-E Asia and Europe. KBL's export business constitutes about 18 per cent of its turnover, he said. He noted that the aim was to look at more sourcing of components such as engines and valves.

He noted that the 1990s had seen the better days of SPP with its turnover touching £45 million and said, "With the crash of the S-E Asian markets, the company saw gloom." He noted that during the last fiscal (year ending November 2002), the company had made a small loss but official sources said SPP Pumps registered sales revenue of £27 million in 2002.
Back to News Review index page  

Novo Nordisk launches 2 new insulin analogues
New Delhi: Novo Nordisk India (NNI), the wholly-owned subsidiary of Danish diabetes care company, on Monday launched two insulin analogues - NovoMix 30 and NovoRapid.

Insulin analogues are advanced insulin therapies comprising genetically engineered human insulin molecules "that enable safer and simpler insulin regimens." Priced at Rs 525 with 300 units, NovoMix 30 is a premixed analogue while NovoRapid is rapid acting analogue, made applicable to the patient through an insulin delivery device called the flex pen. Both products were launched in the US market about 18 months ago.

The NNI managing director, Sanjeev Shishoo, told mediapersons here on Monday that the Rs 170-crore company expected a substantial growth in the next three to four years, by which time, the products would be established. Further, he said that more insulin products were slated for launch in India in the forthcoming year.

Outlining the advantages of the new products, he said that it would reduce the complication associated with diabetes.
Back to News Review index page  

BPL puts officers on delayed salary cycle
Bangalore: In order to streamline its operations in view of the ongoing restructuring, BPL Ltd has put its employees - manager levels and above - on a delayed salary cycle. While blue collar workers across the group will continue to get paid on time (along with regular bonus disbursement), white collar officers’ salaries will be delayed by 15-30 days.

BPL Ltd and its associate companies employ a total of 7,000 people (2200 in BPL Ltd alone). In 2001, the company had a total of 10,000 employees prior to the downsizing exercise.

According to the company, the salary delay was expected to be a temporary situation till the restructuring process reached fruition in the next two months. BPL Ltd senior vice-president and head (corporate HR and customer care) HN Shrinivas said this was because the company was operating on a tight payment schedule.

"We accept that the company is in a tough position at the moment and cash flows are tight. But we expect the shortfall to be ironed out once the restructuring exercise is in place and the debt servicing position is bettered," Shrinivas said.

While employees sources across BPL group companies like BPL Engineering and BPL Refrigeration confirmed that salaries were being delayed, some said that certain higher level managers’ payments were delayed even beyond 30 days. There is also talk of more lay-offs among employees in manufacturing units.

Meanwhile, as part of its mega restructuring exercise, BPL Ltd is eyeing the external commercial borrowing route to bring down the company’s debt servicing costs, according to market sources. The company currently service debts amounting to over Rs 800 crore.
Back to News Review index page