Tata Motors readies assembly line for Winger
Pune: Tata Motors is getting ready to manufacture a pick-up van `Winger' on the lines of the Renault Trafic. The new model will be made at Pune, and according to sources, the company purchased both the design and machines from Renault's plant in France for the purpose last year.

The proposed model is likely to be a passenger vehicle, closer to a mini-bus than a pick-up van for goods with a diesel engine outfitted with Common Rail Diesel Injection technology.

The Trafic which is a Renault-branded version of what it termed as a `panel van' is the name given by the company to its new generation of light vans. It exists in many different adaptations, from a three-seat cabin space in the front with the rear space available for loads, to a nine-seater.

Winger is expected to hit the market in early June or July, company officials are tight lipped on the issue.

Though the Trafic first hit the market in the 80s, it has undergone several revisions along the way. The current Renault Trafic designed in Paris is developed in a joint venture with General Motors and manufactured at the latter's plant in Luton. It is also sold as the Vauxhall and Opel Vivaro. Renault's ally Nissan sells it as the Primaster.

The nature of the exact arrangement between Tata Motors and Renault is not immediately clear.
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Wipro announces strategic partnership with IATA
Bangalore: Wipro Technologies, the global IT services business of Wipro, have entered into a strategic partnership with International Air Transport Association (IATA) for the latter's e-freight initiative.

The IATA e-freight programme forms part of its strategic "simplifying the business" initiative, with the association committed to lead and support e-freight implementation for the air cargo industry. The programme also aims to align stakeholders to common goals and standards in order to facilitate the delivery of e-freight solutions, a statement said.

"By joining the IATA e-freight preferred partner programme, Wipro will commit to the development of e-freight solutions that will dramatically reduce complexity and paper-based processes," the statement said.

IATA and Wipro have worked earlier in areas like design and development of platforms, reporting applications, portals and web-based applications. Wipro is also engaged in a long-term application support, it said.
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Globeleq-Lanco to lose Sasan project
New Delhi: The Globeleq-Singapore and Lanco combine, which won the bid for the 4,000 mw Sasan ultra mega power project, is said to have lost the contract following discrepancies in its bid.

The consortium had bagged the project with an aggressive tariff bid of Rs 1.19 per unit, competing against major power players like Tata Power, NTPC, Reliance Energy, Jindal Steel & Power, and L&T.

This was the lowest of the nine bids received to develop the project, and brought the Hyderabad-based Lanco to the national stage.

The fate of the project is now uncertain as the government will have to take a call on whether it should call for a rebid or consider another bidder.

Sources say the government may prefer to again open the bidding again.

Questions over the technical and financial capability of the consortium were raised after Globeleq Singapore was sold by parent company Globeleq arm of DFID, a UK government agency for investments in the third world. Globeleq Singapore was bought over by Prince Stone, the holding company of Lanco and JSPL.
There were also some questions raised about the financial strength of Globeleq-Singapore, which was the entity partnering Lanco.

One of the options being explored is to ask the second-highest bidder - Reliance Energy - to match the Lanco-Globeleq bid. Reliance had bid to supply power at Rs1.296 per unit.
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TRAI to select bandwidth resellers
New Delhi: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has spelt out the rules for allowing unlimited number of bandwidth resellers in the country.

Bandwidth resellers are companies, which do not own any infrastructure, but buy capacity from large international long distance service providers like VSNL or AT&T and then resell it to consumers like business process outsourcing units.

The move will benefit larger consumers of bandwidth such as ITeS companies, BPOs and Internet service providers who will be able to buy bandwidth from the resellers at much lower costs.

It will also benefit IT services companies as they will be able to expand their product portfolio by bundling international leased lines along with the services that they offer to their customers. ILD operators who can now ride on the resellers to increase their reach apart from getting assured business will also benefit.

TRAI has imposed an annual licence fee of 6 per cent of the revenues earned by the resellers in a bid to level the playing field with ILD operators. The regulator has also set an entry fee of Rs 1 crore for taking the licence for reselling.
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Emami to foray into cement manufacturing
Kolkata: Personal care and health-products company Emami has forayed into cement sector by signing an MoU with the Chhattisgarh Government for setting up a 4-million-tonne plant including a 100-MW captive power plant in the State.

The MoU was signed by R.S. Goenka, joint chairman, Emami Group of Companies, for the company, and by P. Joy Oommen, additional secretary, government of Chhattisgarh. The company, in a statement issued here, said the total investment for the project was estimated at Rs 1,600 crore, which would be financed through a mix of equity and term loans from financial institutions. A new company would be formed by the group for this project.
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3M to expand Indian operations: expands facilities
Chennai: Known for innovative product offerings like `Post-it' and `Scotch-Brite' 3M is expanding its Indian operations. The company is looking to enter new product categories and is also expanding its existing manufacturing facilities. The company is setting up a new unit in Pune to manufacture various kinds of tapes catering to the labelling and packaging industry. It is also ramping up the capacity of its existing units that make products for corrosion protection (Ahmedabad), automobile (Pune), telecom and electrical industries (Bangalore).

3M India has so far invested about Rs110 crore in India and plans to invest much more this year.

The company is also exploring new industrial segments and has commenced studies on the construction, automotive, water and electricity related industries.

3M India also plans to look at the consumer products industry and has recently introduced a floor mop in the Indian market.
3M India is exploring tie-ups with Indian companies with a strong marketing network.

The company expects these measures to lead to a growth of about 35 per cent in 2007-08.

The company reported net sales of about Rs 380 crore for the year ended December 2005. Globally, 3M makes about 55,000 products, while in India it makes over 2,000 products.
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Posco rethinks India plan as project gets delayed
New Delhi: South Korean steel giant Posco is reviewing its investment plans in India mainly due to the fact that its Rs52,000 crore steel project is getting delayed. The company is also looking at other options in south-east Asia.

The company recently told the central and the state (Orissa) government that "if matters were not sorted out within the next two-three months, it could re-consider its investment plans in the country," official sources said.

The Korean company has sought categorical assurance from the Navin Patnaik government on various issues for its 12 million tonne project and asked it to spell out its stand on the project as it says it cannot afford to wait for an indefinite period.

Posco's chief executive officer Ku Taek Lee met commerce and industry minister Kamal Nath to discuss the progress of the project.

Posco, which had signed an MoU with Orissa government in June 2005, is facing stiff resistance from Jagatsinghpur district locals who allege the company wants to acquire the land at a throwaway price. The company is also actively toying with the idea of shifting to Vietnam, which has a huge potential market and an investment-friendly climate, a government official said.
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