New Delhi: The 2nd Stakeholder' Consultation/ AEPC Stakeholder Forum meet convenes here today. The second stakeholder consultation was organized to discuss and consult the DISHA facilitation programme methodology being implemented in Garment Manufacturing Factories in India. The meeting was presided-over by Shri V. Srinivas, IAS, Jt. Secretary (Exports), Ministry of Textiles. Chairman AEPC Dr. A Salthivel, Ashok Logani, Chairman DISHA Sub- committee, Mrs Manisha Sinha, Director Exports, Ministry of Textiles, Shri H K Jethi, Director Ministry of Labour, Labour Commissioner of States, Brands, Buying Houses, NGOs, Trade Union, Accreditation Agencies, Compliance consultants, exporters were also present in the meeting.
AEPC launched the Driving Industry towards Human Capital Advancement (DISHA) programme in December 2011, under the aegis and support of the Ministry of Textiles, Government of India to support the Indian apparel industry in addressing some of the concerns and challenges. AEPC is supporting the development of a code of conduct along with a guideline and self-assessment tool as Indian apparel industry's self-regulatory initiative under the DISHA programme - Common Code of Conduct.
During the First Stake Holders Forum we have discussed and shared the code and other tools to the stakeholders of the Indian apparel industry to seek their feedback for effective and desired impact of the DISHA programme.
AEPC DISHA has undergone a significant change since its inception. Now the focus is on transferring the ownership and control based on the participatory engagement and owning the responsibility of implementing the DISHA- CCC (Code of Conduct). The DISHA tool kit has been handed over to the DISHA champions who are from the employee pool manager level staff of the factories. The DISHA team regularly monitors the developments after they have gone through the TOT/ training and implementation sessions. Ministry officials also from time to time visit these factories to see the intent and resolve of implementation of DISHA codes.
Speaking on the forum Dr. A Sakthivel Chairman AEPC stated that, “The first Roundtable of the Stakeholders initiated the process for the formation of this Forum. The Forum discussed the most important initiative being taken by AEPC for meeting and managing compliance challenges in the work place – DISHA.” We invite everyone who would like to contribute towards development of a comprehensive framework for managing compliance challenges, in this context. Recognizing the need for providing a multistakeholder platform to exchange perspectives, voices and concerns as well as seek assistance and contribution of various stakeholders of the apparel industry towards developing strategies to address compliance challenges AEPC DISHA respects all suggestions and feedbacks, he added.
Chairman AEPC further informed that, during the first Stakeholders Consultation, Questionnaires were circulated to all participants in order to get institutional response of various stakeholders on their perception of the compliance challenges faced by the apparel industry and their expectations from DISHA to meet their challenges. The assessment of these questionnaire show very positive response from most of the stakeholders to the AEPC approach to understand and resolving compliance challenges faced by Indian Apparel Industry. The concept was appreciated by all stakeholders. It was recognized as a huge ambition that manufacturers take responsibility for making India a responsible sourcing destination.
Shri V Srinivas Jt. Secretary Exports in the Ministry of Textiles said, “At present there are 145 enrolments from across India. Factory visits have been initiated in 78 of these, in NCR, Jaipur, Ludhiana, Bangalore, Chennai, Mumbai, Tirupur, Maudrai, Kolkatta. Of these 78 factories, 26 have completed atleast 3rd visit of the 6 visit DISHA training programme. During the interaction with some of the DISHA participating factories during the distribution of the DISHA adoption certificates, last week, I was happy to know that the programme has given tangible benefit to factories in the areas of market access, productivity and worker relationship management and retention”. As we all know, social and environment compliance has become an important requirement while supplying to the western markets. For India to remain competitive in this scenario, we have to focus intensively on two competitive levers; innovation and social compliance. Global apparel buyers are now insisting on full compliance with International and national labor standards, regulations and convention. I am happy that the programme has come out as a robust programme for addressing the industry's requirement for compliance management”.
JS Exports briefed that, “The Ministry is keen to run this programme in the 12th plan and beyond. We have a target of 2600 units by the end of this plan period. I feel this year was a preparatory year and we would need you feedbacks to make the programme more robust and effective. I would like to share with you that the programme has been received with great enthusiasm by the USTR and US Dept of Labour. USTR has expressed eagerness to enter into cooperation with us on various issues including this programme. The proposed MoU with USTR envisages sharing of knowledge and best practices in the areas of social compliance to strengthen such initiatives.
Shri. Ashok Logani, Chairman DISHA Sub- Committee said, “Happy workers leads to less absenteeism & reduced over time leading to increased productivity and reduction in production cost. This is the philosophy behind our dedicated training on worker issues. The DISHA champion’s team concept enhances relationship between apparel manufacturer and various dept heads in the middle management. DISHA is a space of interest to all the various stakeholders so that they can use their sphere of influence to converge people together to discuss and answer some very important questions. This platform, brought forward by the AEPC with the help of the government makes it imperative for all of us to come together to envision what the future should look like for the industry and others in the supply chain”.
Secretary Textiles, Smt. Kiran Dhingra IAS, last week distributed the DISHA adoption certificate to the ‘DISHA Champions’. 78 factories which have been reached out for the training and implementation under project DISHA. The six days training programme/ workshop aimed at the capacity building and greater awareness for the effective implementation of the programme.
Success in my Habit
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Chiranjeevi Attends Fourth meeting of Asean and India Tourism Ministers at Vientiane
The Fourth Meeting of ASEAN and India Tourism Ministers was held in Vientiane, Lao PDR today in conjunction with the ASEAN Tourism Forum 2013 . The Meeting was jointly co-chaired by Union Tourism Minister Shri K.Chiranjeevi and Prof. Dr. Bosengkham Vongdara, Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism, Lao PDR.
Both the Ministers signed the Protocol to amend the Memorandum of Understanding between ASEAN and India on Strengthening Tourism Cooperation, which would further strengthen the tourism collaboration between ASEAN and Indian national tourism organisations.
The main objective of this Protocol is to amend the MoU to protect and safeguard the rights and interests of the parties with respect to national security, national and public interest or public order, protection of intellectual property rights, confidentiality and secrecy of documents, information and data.
Both the Ministers welcomed the adoption of the Vision Statement of the ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit held on 20 December 2012 in New Delhi, India, particularly on enhancing the ASEAN Connectivity through supporting the implementation of the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity. The Ministers also supported the close collaboration of ASEAN and India to enhance air, sea and land connectivity within ASEAN and between ASEAN and India through ASEAN-India connectivity project.
The Ministers were pleased with the implementation progress of the MOU in 2012 through the following projects and activities:
Familiarization trip of 10 travel writers from ASEAN Member States to India;
Visit of teachers/faculty of hospitality institutes from India to ASEAN Member States and vice-versa for developing teaching modules and establishing student exchange programmes between ASEAN and India;
Visit of 10 travel writers from India to ASEAN Member States;
Familiarisation trip of 20 tour operators from ASEAN Member States to India during Buddhist Conclave; and
Exchange visit of tour operators and travel agents between ASEAN and India
In further promoting tourism exchange between ASEAN and India, the Ministers agreed to launch the ASEAN-India tourism website (www.indiaasean.org) as a platform to jointly promote tourism destinations, sharing basic information about ASEAN Member States and India and a visitor guide.
The Ministers welcomed the successful conclusion of the 8000km ASEAN-India Car Rally organised as one of the highlighted events in commemorating the 20th Anniversary of ASEAN-India Dialogue Relations in 2012.
Both the Ministers signed the Protocol to amend the Memorandum of Understanding between ASEAN and India on Strengthening Tourism Cooperation, which would further strengthen the tourism collaboration between ASEAN and Indian national tourism organisations.
The main objective of this Protocol is to amend the MoU to protect and safeguard the rights and interests of the parties with respect to national security, national and public interest or public order, protection of intellectual property rights, confidentiality and secrecy of documents, information and data.
Both the Ministers welcomed the adoption of the Vision Statement of the ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit held on 20 December 2012 in New Delhi, India, particularly on enhancing the ASEAN Connectivity through supporting the implementation of the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity. The Ministers also supported the close collaboration of ASEAN and India to enhance air, sea and land connectivity within ASEAN and between ASEAN and India through ASEAN-India connectivity project.
The Ministers were pleased with the implementation progress of the MOU in 2012 through the following projects and activities:
Familiarization trip of 10 travel writers from ASEAN Member States to India;
Visit of teachers/faculty of hospitality institutes from India to ASEAN Member States and vice-versa for developing teaching modules and establishing student exchange programmes between ASEAN and India;
Visit of 10 travel writers from India to ASEAN Member States;
Familiarisation trip of 20 tour operators from ASEAN Member States to India during Buddhist Conclave; and
Exchange visit of tour operators and travel agents between ASEAN and India
In further promoting tourism exchange between ASEAN and India, the Ministers agreed to launch the ASEAN-India tourism website (www.indiaasean.org) as a platform to jointly promote tourism destinations, sharing basic information about ASEAN Member States and India and a visitor guide.
The Ministers welcomed the successful conclusion of the 8000km ASEAN-India Car Rally organised as one of the highlighted events in commemorating the 20th Anniversary of ASEAN-India Dialogue Relations in 2012.
Saturday, January 19, 2013
Nalco to commission 2nd wind power project at Jaisalmer in Sept
Kolkata: National Aluminium Co Ltd said on Thursday that its second 47.6-MW wind power plant at Ludarva in Jaisalmer district of Rajasthan would be ready for commissioning in September.
The Rs 283-crore project will be executed by Gamesa Wind Turbines involving erection of 56 wind turbines, each of 850 KW rating.
On December 30, Nalco had commissioned its first wind power project at Gandikota in Kudappa district of Andhra Pradesh. Under this project, Suzlon erected 24 wind turbines, each with 2.1-MW capacity. The project had cost Nalco Rs 274 crore.
Nalco signed the power purchase agreement with Andhra Pradesh Transco and began injection of power to the State grid.
Nalco, a large thermal power consumer for its aluminium smelting in Odhisa, is obligated to generate renewable energy under the electricity regulations.
The Rs 283-crore project will be executed by Gamesa Wind Turbines involving erection of 56 wind turbines, each of 850 KW rating.
On December 30, Nalco had commissioned its first wind power project at Gandikota in Kudappa district of Andhra Pradesh. Under this project, Suzlon erected 24 wind turbines, each with 2.1-MW capacity. The project had cost Nalco Rs 274 crore.
Nalco signed the power purchase agreement with Andhra Pradesh Transco and began injection of power to the State grid.
Nalco, a large thermal power consumer for its aluminium smelting in Odhisa, is obligated to generate renewable energy under the electricity regulations.
Hitachi Consulting to expand India operations; open to more acquisitions
Hyderabad: Hitachi Consulting is on expansion drive in India and plans to more than double its headcount from 2000 to over 4500, including strengthening its physical infrastructure.
Part of the Japanese conglomerate Hitachi Limited, Hitachi Consulting recently acquired Celerant Consulting, which significantly adds to its presence in the US and Europe and new verticals such as energy and mining.
Philip R. Parr, Chief Executive Officer and President of Hitachi Consulting, told Business Line that the company plans to significantly expand its presence while also scouting for more acquisitions in the consulting and services related business.
"We have had a very successful acquisition-led growth in the past and the company management plans to sustain the growth by further strengthening the infrastructure in India at Hyderabad, but also looking at acquisitions," he said.
Hitachi Consulting has presence in India through three centres Hyderabad, Pune and Bangalore, with Hyderabad being its biggest.
The company has about 2000 employees in India and plans to take this number up to 4,500 by investing about $ 25 million in related infrastructure.
"By expanding our presence here, we will make India, Hitachi Consulting’s biggest development and support base with more than 50 per cent associates as we head towards $ 1 billion in revenue this fiscal," he added.
Sanjay Jesrani, Executive Vice President, Head of Global Development Centre, India and China, Hitachi Consulting, said the company is keen to expand its operations and partner with some of the Japanese companies setting up centres in India and expanding presence.
Part of the Japanese conglomerate Hitachi Limited, Hitachi Consulting recently acquired Celerant Consulting, which significantly adds to its presence in the US and Europe and new verticals such as energy and mining.
Philip R. Parr, Chief Executive Officer and President of Hitachi Consulting, told Business Line that the company plans to significantly expand its presence while also scouting for more acquisitions in the consulting and services related business.
"We have had a very successful acquisition-led growth in the past and the company management plans to sustain the growth by further strengthening the infrastructure in India at Hyderabad, but also looking at acquisitions," he said.
Hitachi Consulting has presence in India through three centres Hyderabad, Pune and Bangalore, with Hyderabad being its biggest.
The company has about 2000 employees in India and plans to take this number up to 4,500 by investing about $ 25 million in related infrastructure.
"By expanding our presence here, we will make India, Hitachi Consulting’s biggest development and support base with more than 50 per cent associates as we head towards $ 1 billion in revenue this fiscal," he added.
Sanjay Jesrani, Executive Vice President, Head of Global Development Centre, India and China, Hitachi Consulting, said the company is keen to expand its operations and partner with some of the Japanese companies setting up centres in India and expanding presence.
Jet Airways partners with CentrumDirect for Forex
Mumbai: Jet Airways has entered into a partnership with CentrumDirect, one of India’s leading financial services groups, to offer Foreign Exchange Services to guests travelling abroad.
Guests may avail themselves of this facility online by providing the necessary details on the airline’s Web site www.jetairways.com.
Authorised representatives from CentrumDirect will then contact the guests to complete the transaction.
With a presence in over 40 cities within India, CentrumDirect offers 30 leading world currencies, travellers’ cheques and prepaid travel cards.
Guests may avail themselves of this facility online by providing the necessary details on the airline’s Web site www.jetairways.com.
Authorised representatives from CentrumDirect will then contact the guests to complete the transaction.
With a presence in over 40 cities within India, CentrumDirect offers 30 leading world currencies, travellers’ cheques and prepaid travel cards.
BHEL bags Rs 750 cr contract in Bhutan
New Delhi: Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) has secured a contract for supplying electro-mechanical equipment for a 720 mw hyydroelectric project in Bhutan.
The order envisages manufacture, supply, erection and commissioning of the electro-mechanical equipment for Mangdechhu hydroelectric project. The value of the contract will be in the range of Rs 730 crore to Rs 750 crore, an official statement said.
The project is being set-up under a bilateral agreement between India and the Bhutan.
The order has been placed on BHEL by Mangdechhu Hydroelectric Project Authority ( MHPA), Bhutan. After the 1,200-mw Punatsangchhu-I 1200-mw and Punatsangchhu- II projects, this is BHEL's third consecutive contract for the main electro-mechanical package in Bhutan.
The company has installed its electro-mechanical equipment in Chhukha (336 mw), Kurichhu (60 mw) and Tala (1020 mw) hydroelectric projects in Bhutan. These projects today account for 95% of the total power generating capacity in that country.
On commissioning of these projects alongwith Mangdechhu project, BHEL supplied electro-mechanical equipment will account for around 4,350 MW in Bhutan by 2017.
For the present contract, four turbines and generators of 170 mw each and associated equipment will be manufactured and supplied by BHEL's Bhopal facility while the control system will be manufactured and supplied by BHEL's electronic division at Bangalore.
Besides, Bhutan, BHEL overseas hydro installations include projects in Thailand, Malaysia, New Zealand, Taiwan, Tajikistan and Nepal. BHEL also has ongoing hydro projects in Rwanda, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and DR Congo.
The order envisages manufacture, supply, erection and commissioning of the electro-mechanical equipment for Mangdechhu hydroelectric project. The value of the contract will be in the range of Rs 730 crore to Rs 750 crore, an official statement said.
The project is being set-up under a bilateral agreement between India and the Bhutan.
The order has been placed on BHEL by Mangdechhu Hydroelectric Project Authority ( MHPA), Bhutan. After the 1,200-mw Punatsangchhu-I 1200-mw and Punatsangchhu- II projects, this is BHEL's third consecutive contract for the main electro-mechanical package in Bhutan.
The company has installed its electro-mechanical equipment in Chhukha (336 mw), Kurichhu (60 mw) and Tala (1020 mw) hydroelectric projects in Bhutan. These projects today account for 95% of the total power generating capacity in that country.
On commissioning of these projects alongwith Mangdechhu project, BHEL supplied electro-mechanical equipment will account for around 4,350 MW in Bhutan by 2017.
For the present contract, four turbines and generators of 170 mw each and associated equipment will be manufactured and supplied by BHEL's Bhopal facility while the control system will be manufactured and supplied by BHEL's electronic division at Bangalore.
Besides, Bhutan, BHEL overseas hydro installations include projects in Thailand, Malaysia, New Zealand, Taiwan, Tajikistan and Nepal. BHEL also has ongoing hydro projects in Rwanda, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and DR Congo.
Anand Sharma Announces Rs. 55 Crores Scheme for Agrotextiles in Northeast
New Delhi: The Union Minister for Commerce, Industry & Textiles Shri Anand Sharma today inaugurated the second edition of TechnoTex-2013 here in Pragati Maidan. TechnoTex-2013 is an annual and premier event jointly organised by the Ministry of Textiles and FICCI, focusing exclusively on Technical Textiles. Speaking on the occasion, Shri Sharma announced a scheme on Usage of Agrotextiles in North East Region with a five year budget of Rs. 55 crores. Earlier, a pilot scheme worth Rs 500 crores for GeoTextiles was announced in the Budget Speech last year. “Viewed in tandem with our recent policy announcement of 51 per cent Foreign Direct Investment in Multi Brand Retail with its attendant benefits of reducing post-harvest agriculture and horticulture losses, the two Schemes together can change the trajectory of development in the North East Region,” said Shri Sharma. In consonance with the need to give an added thrust to the textile sector, the Minister said that the Plan outlay for the 12th Five Year Plan stands considerably enhanced to more than five times the allocation in the previous Plan to Rs 703 crores.
Shri Sharma further added that a special scheme has also been formulated in the Ministry of Textiles for the North East Region “for promotion of the Textiles Industry in this region by allowing fiscal flexibility through relaxation of parameters to suit localised region specific requirements.” Shri Sharma was confident that the approach of the Ministry and various schemes for the North East will fast track development of its infrastructure and bring in a new paradigm for economic growth in the region.
Shri Sharma, while considering the overarching and expansive nature of Technical Textiles, said that “a conscious effort has been made to solicit inter-ministerial collaborations with concerned Departments in Government of India to steer the agenda in coordinated partnership with States, Industry and related Ministries.” Shri Sharma was hopeful that both the industry and the departments as important stakeholders will find this mutually rewarding and enriching.
The Minster also said that the Ministry of Textiles is promoting technical textiles by incentivising to the extent of Rs 40 crores of the total project cost, Textile Parks specifically dedicated to Technical Textiles under the Scheme for Integrated Textile Parks (SITPs). “Five such Parks namely, the Pallavada Technical Textile Park in Tamil Nadu, Baramati Hi-Tech Park in Maharashtra, Eco Textile Park in Gujarat, Jaipur Tex Weaving Park in Rajasthan and the Technical Textile and Machinery Mega project in Karnataka are under various stages of completion and are expected to emerge as industrial hubs in their own rights, generating employment, attracting investment and augmenting our export potential,” added Shri Sharma
Shri Sharma further added that a special scheme has also been formulated in the Ministry of Textiles for the North East Region “for promotion of the Textiles Industry in this region by allowing fiscal flexibility through relaxation of parameters to suit localised region specific requirements.” Shri Sharma was confident that the approach of the Ministry and various schemes for the North East will fast track development of its infrastructure and bring in a new paradigm for economic growth in the region.
Shri Sharma, while considering the overarching and expansive nature of Technical Textiles, said that “a conscious effort has been made to solicit inter-ministerial collaborations with concerned Departments in Government of India to steer the agenda in coordinated partnership with States, Industry and related Ministries.” Shri Sharma was hopeful that both the industry and the departments as important stakeholders will find this mutually rewarding and enriching.
The Minster also said that the Ministry of Textiles is promoting technical textiles by incentivising to the extent of Rs 40 crores of the total project cost, Textile Parks specifically dedicated to Technical Textiles under the Scheme for Integrated Textile Parks (SITPs). “Five such Parks namely, the Pallavada Technical Textile Park in Tamil Nadu, Baramati Hi-Tech Park in Maharashtra, Eco Textile Park in Gujarat, Jaipur Tex Weaving Park in Rajasthan and the Technical Textile and Machinery Mega project in Karnataka are under various stages of completion and are expected to emerge as industrial hubs in their own rights, generating employment, attracting investment and augmenting our export potential,” added Shri Sharma
Friday, January 18, 2013
Fiat India to help parent develop smallest Jeep
New Delhi: Fiat India’s research and development (R&D) team would contribute significantly in the Italian car maker’s programme to design and develop its alliance partner Chrysler’s smallest Jeep, to be launched globally in mid-2014. The company has finalised a plan to roll out nine new models by 2016, some of which would be shipped from India to right-hand-drive markets abroad.
The Fiat Group is investing Euro 1 billion in developing two new products at it facility in Melfi, Italy. Apart from the small Jeep (likely to be named ‘Jeepster’ or ‘Scamp’), the company is working on another crossover vehicle, based on the 500X platform. The second product would have the Fiat badge.
Enrico Atanasio, managing director, Fiat Group Automobiles India Private Limited, said, “Massive market research would be done from the next quarter for the product (Jeepster) in India. We want to understand the requirements of the market here. The Indian R&D (research and development) team would contribute significantly in the development of the product in Melfi. We are looking at leveraging India as an export hub for right-hand drive models. We have excess capacity in India and are looking at exporting vehicles from here to markets in the UK, Japan, Australia, South Africa.” Fiat operates a production unit at Ranjangaon in Maharashtra with partner Tata Motors. Currently, the two companies together utilise about half the facility’s annual production capacity of 1,80,000 units.
The Italian company has also commissioned an R&D set-up, Chrysler India Automotive Private Limited, in Chennai. Engineers at this facility would work towards launching a B-segment sports utility vehicle (SUV) in India in 2015. This product would be based on the product being developed in Melfi. “This is a new category. We have not finalised the specifications yet, but product-wise, it would resemble the compact SUVs launched in the market lately. It would be manufactured at our facility in Ranjangaon,” Atanasio said.
The new product from Fiat is expected to take on the likes of Renault Duster and the soon-to-be launched Ford EcoSport. Since its launch in July 2012, the Duster has recorded sales of 23,731 units. The vehicle is priced at Rs 7.49-11.69 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi).
The product introductions are part of Fiat’s blueprint to launch nine new and refurbished models in India over three to four years. Apart from the Jeepster, Fiat would also introduce a C-segment SUV from the Chrysler portfolio in 2016. Globally, this product would replace the Compass. Also on the cards are Wrangler, Jeep Cherokee and Abarth. All these products would hit the roads in 2013-14. Fiat would also launch a compact SUV in the second half of 2014.
“With all these product launches, eventually, we aim to have five per cent market share. Our priority is to successfully launch Jeep and Abarth products in India and develop our distribution network in the mid term,” Atanasio said. After the distribution and marketing tie-up with joint venture partner Tata Motors was terminated, Fiat had commenced work to put in place 100 dealerships by the end of this year. It would also establish 20 exclusive showrooms for Jeep-branded products by the year-end.
Fiat plans to sell 11,000-12,000 units in India this year and double the sales in 2014. In the April-December period of 2012, the company sold 5,924 units of the Punto and Linea in India.
The Fiat Group is investing Euro 1 billion in developing two new products at it facility in Melfi, Italy. Apart from the small Jeep (likely to be named ‘Jeepster’ or ‘Scamp’), the company is working on another crossover vehicle, based on the 500X platform. The second product would have the Fiat badge.
Enrico Atanasio, managing director, Fiat Group Automobiles India Private Limited, said, “Massive market research would be done from the next quarter for the product (Jeepster) in India. We want to understand the requirements of the market here. The Indian R&D (research and development) team would contribute significantly in the development of the product in Melfi. We are looking at leveraging India as an export hub for right-hand drive models. We have excess capacity in India and are looking at exporting vehicles from here to markets in the UK, Japan, Australia, South Africa.” Fiat operates a production unit at Ranjangaon in Maharashtra with partner Tata Motors. Currently, the two companies together utilise about half the facility’s annual production capacity of 1,80,000 units.
The Italian company has also commissioned an R&D set-up, Chrysler India Automotive Private Limited, in Chennai. Engineers at this facility would work towards launching a B-segment sports utility vehicle (SUV) in India in 2015. This product would be based on the product being developed in Melfi. “This is a new category. We have not finalised the specifications yet, but product-wise, it would resemble the compact SUVs launched in the market lately. It would be manufactured at our facility in Ranjangaon,” Atanasio said.
The new product from Fiat is expected to take on the likes of Renault Duster and the soon-to-be launched Ford EcoSport. Since its launch in July 2012, the Duster has recorded sales of 23,731 units. The vehicle is priced at Rs 7.49-11.69 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi).
The product introductions are part of Fiat’s blueprint to launch nine new and refurbished models in India over three to four years. Apart from the Jeepster, Fiat would also introduce a C-segment SUV from the Chrysler portfolio in 2016. Globally, this product would replace the Compass. Also on the cards are Wrangler, Jeep Cherokee and Abarth. All these products would hit the roads in 2013-14. Fiat would also launch a compact SUV in the second half of 2014.
“With all these product launches, eventually, we aim to have five per cent market share. Our priority is to successfully launch Jeep and Abarth products in India and develop our distribution network in the mid term,” Atanasio said. After the distribution and marketing tie-up with joint venture partner Tata Motors was terminated, Fiat had commenced work to put in place 100 dealerships by the end of this year. It would also establish 20 exclusive showrooms for Jeep-branded products by the year-end.
Fiat plans to sell 11,000-12,000 units in India this year and double the sales in 2014. In the April-December period of 2012, the company sold 5,924 units of the Punto and Linea in India.
RCom signs Rs 5,500-crore network deal with Alcatel
Mumbai/ New Delhi: Reliance Communications Ltd (RCoM) on Wednesday signed an eight-year end-to-end network managed services contract with Alcatel-Lucent for $1 billion (around Rs 5,481 crore), covering India’s eastern and southern markets.
The move is expected to be followed by a similar contract with Ericsson for the northern and western markets, to be announced soon.
The comprehensive managed services deal covers wireless, wireline and utilities. It is different from other contracts signed for managed services in the country by competing telcos, which have been limited to wireless services. The deal will also help RCom to dramatically trim its work force, with a little over 4,000 or 15 per cent of its total of around 26,000 shifting to Alcatel within the next 90 days.
Once the Ericsson deal is also sealed, 9,000 to 10,000 employees involved in the network business are expected to shift to the two companies.
Currently, RCom has a 33:67 joint venture (JV) with Alcatel-Lucent, announced in 2008 for managed services but was restricted to only wireless. After this deal, the JV will cease to exist. Explained Gurdeep Singh, president and chief executive for the wireless business: "The deal will mean that we do not have to deal with multiple vendors, which is essential as the market moves towards high quality data services. Also, it will ensure predictability in our cost structure, as it will be linked to quality of service and customer satisfaction."
He declined to comment on the proposed deal with Ericsson, saying an agreement with another equipment company would be announced soon.
Sources in the know say the savings in cost after both deals get through could 15-20 per cent, significant in the business. Especially when the company has Rs 36,000 crore of debt. RCom had earlier thought of giving the contract to just one vendor but decided it would be strategically better to have two. Nokia Siemens Network, Huawei Technologies and ZTE were also in the race for the project.
The contract would entail outsourcing end-to-end management services, including operational planning of the network (which most companies keep to themselves), management and maintenance of GSM, CDMA and wireline networks, fibre, utilities, internet protocol and field assurance (quality control). Munish Seth, managing director of Alcatel-Lucent India, said this was one of the largest and most strategic contracts till now for the unit. The managed services model was introduced in the country by Bharti Airtel, which has signed long-term contracts with Ericsson, Nokia Siemens Network and Huawei for second-generation and third-generation services.
Bharti also had a comprehensive outsourcing deal with IBM for information technology solutions for a few years. Vodafone has managed services contracts with Ericsson and Nokia Siemens.
The move is expected to be followed by a similar contract with Ericsson for the northern and western markets, to be announced soon.
The comprehensive managed services deal covers wireless, wireline and utilities. It is different from other contracts signed for managed services in the country by competing telcos, which have been limited to wireless services. The deal will also help RCom to dramatically trim its work force, with a little over 4,000 or 15 per cent of its total of around 26,000 shifting to Alcatel within the next 90 days.
Once the Ericsson deal is also sealed, 9,000 to 10,000 employees involved in the network business are expected to shift to the two companies.
Currently, RCom has a 33:67 joint venture (JV) with Alcatel-Lucent, announced in 2008 for managed services but was restricted to only wireless. After this deal, the JV will cease to exist. Explained Gurdeep Singh, president and chief executive for the wireless business: "The deal will mean that we do not have to deal with multiple vendors, which is essential as the market moves towards high quality data services. Also, it will ensure predictability in our cost structure, as it will be linked to quality of service and customer satisfaction."
He declined to comment on the proposed deal with Ericsson, saying an agreement with another equipment company would be announced soon.
Sources in the know say the savings in cost after both deals get through could 15-20 per cent, significant in the business. Especially when the company has Rs 36,000 crore of debt. RCom had earlier thought of giving the contract to just one vendor but decided it would be strategically better to have two. Nokia Siemens Network, Huawei Technologies and ZTE were also in the race for the project.
The contract would entail outsourcing end-to-end management services, including operational planning of the network (which most companies keep to themselves), management and maintenance of GSM, CDMA and wireline networks, fibre, utilities, internet protocol and field assurance (quality control). Munish Seth, managing director of Alcatel-Lucent India, said this was one of the largest and most strategic contracts till now for the unit. The managed services model was introduced in the country by Bharti Airtel, which has signed long-term contracts with Ericsson, Nokia Siemens Network and Huawei for second-generation and third-generation services.
Bharti also had a comprehensive outsourcing deal with IBM for information technology solutions for a few years. Vodafone has managed services contracts with Ericsson and Nokia Siemens.
Textiles Secretary to launch India’s First Technology Innovation Centre
New Delhi: The Apparel Training & Design Centre (ATDC) under the Education & Training Initiatives of Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC) is going to set up India’s first ‘Technology Innovation Research Centre’ at the ATDC-Training of Trainers’ Academy, Gurgaon, in collaboration with JUKI India Pvt. Ltd. This Centre will demonstrate leading edge technologies and undertaking applied research. The ATDC-JUKI TECH Innovation Centre is an important initiative to strengthen the Apparel Industry, especially the SMEs, to adopt new technologies for increasing productivity, efficiency and quality for better price realisation and better global competitiveness.
The Centre will be launched by Textiles Secretary Smt. Kiran Dhingra, IAS tomorrow in the presence of Dr. A. Sakthivel, Chairman, AEPC, ATDC & IAM; Hari Kapoor, Vice-Chairman, ATDC; and a team from JUKI.
The ATDC-JUKI TECH Innovation Centre will be a platform where industry and academia can focus on showcasing and demonstrating leading edge technology and carrying out applied ‘Research’ which is a key word in SMART (Skills for Manufacturing of Apparel through Research and Training). Applied ‘Research’ combined with technology training can become a potent force to catalyse advancement of apparel production techniques and praxis, that would be relevant for India’s apparel manufacturing environment.
Smt. Dhingra will also be the Chief Guest and Convocation Speaker on the 2nd Convocation of Institute of Apparel Management at the Apparel House Auditorium tomorrow. The Institute of Apparel Management, which over the last three academic years has carved a niche as a premier fashion institute, is celebrating its 2nd Convocation. The Guests of Honour for the Convocation are Shri V. Srinivas, Joint Secretary (Exports), Ministry of Textiles, Government of India and Shri Sunil Sethi, President, Fashion Design Council of India. The students’ innovative displays will be also available for viewing at Lynx-I & II during the day of the Convocation.
ATDC-JUKI is also organising a seminar on “Intelligent Sewing Systems” at the ATDC – JUKI Tech Innovation Centre on January 18, 2013. This seminar deals with contemporary production practices that would help you to enhance productivity.
The Centre will be launched by Textiles Secretary Smt. Kiran Dhingra, IAS tomorrow in the presence of Dr. A. Sakthivel, Chairman, AEPC, ATDC & IAM; Hari Kapoor, Vice-Chairman, ATDC; and a team from JUKI.
The ATDC-JUKI TECH Innovation Centre will be a platform where industry and academia can focus on showcasing and demonstrating leading edge technology and carrying out applied ‘Research’ which is a key word in SMART (Skills for Manufacturing of Apparel through Research and Training). Applied ‘Research’ combined with technology training can become a potent force to catalyse advancement of apparel production techniques and praxis, that would be relevant for India’s apparel manufacturing environment.
Smt. Dhingra will also be the Chief Guest and Convocation Speaker on the 2nd Convocation of Institute of Apparel Management at the Apparel House Auditorium tomorrow. The Institute of Apparel Management, which over the last three academic years has carved a niche as a premier fashion institute, is celebrating its 2nd Convocation. The Guests of Honour for the Convocation are Shri V. Srinivas, Joint Secretary (Exports), Ministry of Textiles, Government of India and Shri Sunil Sethi, President, Fashion Design Council of India. The students’ innovative displays will be also available for viewing at Lynx-I & II during the day of the Convocation.
ATDC-JUKI is also organising a seminar on “Intelligent Sewing Systems” at the ATDC – JUKI Tech Innovation Centre on January 18, 2013. This seminar deals with contemporary production practices that would help you to enhance productivity.
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