Ahmedabad: Four leading Chinese companies will visit Ahmedabad in September to explore investment opportunities in Gujarat.
The companies- Wuxi Xinje Automation, Sunfar, Estun Automation and Zhejiang Chint Electric Co-are eyeing investments in greenfield projects and partnerships in Gujarat.
The Chinese companies will meet entrepreneurs in Gujarat at a business conference organized by India China Economic & Cultural Council (ICEC) on September 12, 2012.
Maheshwar Sahu, principal secretary-industries & mines, Government of Gujarat along with Peng Gang, commercial counselor, embassy of the People's Republic of China along will address the meet of 100 participants.
As part of their first visit to the state, the Chinese companies will make presentations on their profile, products and business opportunities at the conference.
"ICEC plans to install an operational windmill at the event to put across the message of a clean and green Gujarat," said Jagat Shah, chairman, ICEC-Gujarat chapter.
Zhejiang Chint Electric Co is a manufacturer of switchgear, circuit breakers and distribution box besides many other electrical products. The company, which had taken up the electrification project for Beijing Olympic Games 2008, is looking at making investments in the manufacturing sector in India. Sunfar is a maker of invertors and is interested in creating a distribution network in India besides setting up greenfield projects.
Estun Automation, which is a manufacturer of servo motors and industrial robotics, is exploring a greenfield project and distribution network. Wuxi Xinje Automation, which is the manufacturer of human machine interface, touch panel, touch screen, touch LCD, touch screen monitor among other technology, is also looking at Gujarat for making investments.
Success in my Habit
Monday, September 3, 2012
Essar to retail fuel in Kenya
Mumbai: After Indian Oil Corporation’s decision to sell petroleum products abroad, London-listed Essar Energy is following suit. Essar, the largest private fuel retailer in the country, would set up retail outlets in Kenya.
The company has set up a pilot fuel retail outlet in the African country, where the likes of KenolKobil are already present. “Essar has set up a pilot retail outlet in Kenya under the franchisee model,” an Essar Energy spokesperson stated in an email response.
Fuel for the outlets would be sourced from Essar’s refinery in Kenya. The retail outlets would be set up under the Essar brand; the company wouldn’t partner any local company for this. “Currently, we are studying the market and, depending on the outcome, may undertake modest expansion,” the spokesperson added.
As part of its global expansion plans, Essar Energy had acquired 50 per cent stake in Kenya Petroleum Refineries (KPRL) in 2009 from Royal Dutch Shell, BP and Chevron. The government of Kenya owns the remaining 50 per cent in the company’s equity. The refinery processes crude oil primarily imported from the Gulf region for marketing companies. KPRL’s primary products include liquefied petroleum gas, unleaded premium gasoline, regular petrol, automotive gasoil, industrial diesel, fuel oil and special products like bitumen and grease.
In June, KPRL had signed a financing agreement with Standard Chartered Bank to help the refinery roll out its business transformation plan. The agreement would enable KPRL to access $250 million and transform the toll refinery to a merchant refinery. “This facility would be utilised for our working capital requirements. We will now be able to procure oil, process it and sell the petroleum products to marketing companies,” said Brij Mohan Bansal, chief executive, KPRL.
Currently, KPRL receives crude oil from oil marketing companies. A merchant refinery would enable KPRL to purchase its own crude oil.
The refinery currently processes 1.6 million tonnes of crude oil a year. After the transition, it would process Murban crude from the United Arab Emirates. It would also be able to handle crude oil from cheaper sources. The refinery would continue to focus on servicing the main Kenyan market, the most dominant in the region. Kenya has a demand of about 4 million cubic metres per year.
Essar Energy also owns Stanlow refinery in the UK, which it bought on July 31, 2011, for $350 million.
The refinery has a nameplate capacity of 2,96,000 barrels per stream day, though currently, it operates at about 70 per cent of this level. The refinery is UK’s second-largest and helps meet about 15 per cent of the country’s gasoline requirements, along with large volumes of diesel and jet fuel. Refined fuels from Stanlow are distributed across the UK, mainly by roads and pipelines.
After the company had announced its results for the quarter ended June, it had said it would not expand its retail operations in India till there was clarity on pricing of diesel in the country.
Essar Oil, a unit of Essar Energy through a franchise model, operates about 1,400 retail outlets, with 200 outlets under various stages of construction. The fuel retail outlets across India sell gasoline and gasoil under the Essar brand. The company is also increasing non-fuel retailing activities in its portfolio of retail outlets to provide an additional source of revenue.
The company has set up a pilot fuel retail outlet in the African country, where the likes of KenolKobil are already present. “Essar has set up a pilot retail outlet in Kenya under the franchisee model,” an Essar Energy spokesperson stated in an email response.
Fuel for the outlets would be sourced from Essar’s refinery in Kenya. The retail outlets would be set up under the Essar brand; the company wouldn’t partner any local company for this. “Currently, we are studying the market and, depending on the outcome, may undertake modest expansion,” the spokesperson added.
As part of its global expansion plans, Essar Energy had acquired 50 per cent stake in Kenya Petroleum Refineries (KPRL) in 2009 from Royal Dutch Shell, BP and Chevron. The government of Kenya owns the remaining 50 per cent in the company’s equity. The refinery processes crude oil primarily imported from the Gulf region for marketing companies. KPRL’s primary products include liquefied petroleum gas, unleaded premium gasoline, regular petrol, automotive gasoil, industrial diesel, fuel oil and special products like bitumen and grease.
In June, KPRL had signed a financing agreement with Standard Chartered Bank to help the refinery roll out its business transformation plan. The agreement would enable KPRL to access $250 million and transform the toll refinery to a merchant refinery. “This facility would be utilised for our working capital requirements. We will now be able to procure oil, process it and sell the petroleum products to marketing companies,” said Brij Mohan Bansal, chief executive, KPRL.
Currently, KPRL receives crude oil from oil marketing companies. A merchant refinery would enable KPRL to purchase its own crude oil.
The refinery currently processes 1.6 million tonnes of crude oil a year. After the transition, it would process Murban crude from the United Arab Emirates. It would also be able to handle crude oil from cheaper sources. The refinery would continue to focus on servicing the main Kenyan market, the most dominant in the region. Kenya has a demand of about 4 million cubic metres per year.
Essar Energy also owns Stanlow refinery in the UK, which it bought on July 31, 2011, for $350 million.
The refinery has a nameplate capacity of 2,96,000 barrels per stream day, though currently, it operates at about 70 per cent of this level. The refinery is UK’s second-largest and helps meet about 15 per cent of the country’s gasoline requirements, along with large volumes of diesel and jet fuel. Refined fuels from Stanlow are distributed across the UK, mainly by roads and pipelines.
After the company had announced its results for the quarter ended June, it had said it would not expand its retail operations in India till there was clarity on pricing of diesel in the country.
Essar Oil, a unit of Essar Energy through a franchise model, operates about 1,400 retail outlets, with 200 outlets under various stages of construction. The fuel retail outlets across India sell gasoline and gasoil under the Essar brand. The company is also increasing non-fuel retailing activities in its portfolio of retail outlets to provide an additional source of revenue.
Indian food business now worth Rs 75,000 crore, growing at healthy rate
In foodie terms, it could best be described as a melting pot. The second Indian Restaurant Congress held in New Delhi last week had venture capitalists, marketing gurus, social media specialists, chefs and restaurateurs rubbing shoulders with each other — all with food on their mind. The business of food, that is. What was served to them would have perhaps whetted their appetite for more. According to a report released at the Congress, the Indian food services industry is worth nearly Rs 75,000 crore now and is growing at a healthy compounded annual growth rate of 17%. It is likely to reach Rs 1,37,000 crore by 2015.
For many years, the food business has been seen as a tempting and lucrative opportunity — reflected in the fact that opening a restaurant tops the wish-list of a number of people. But what would make the next few years exciting for the sector is the way the market is rapidly getting organized. Gaurav Marya, president of Franchise India that prepared the report, says that even though 70% of the market is currently dominated by unorganized players, the organized segment has witnessed double-digit growth across formats, especially quick service restaurants driven by international chains, and causal and fine dining outlets dominated by Indian and private equity majors. "In the future, the organized market is expected to grow even faster — at around 20 to 25% per annum," he says.
The growth is accentuated by factors that have been in existence in India since the past few years — namely rise in disposable incomes and families becoming progressively nuclear. This captive audience has led to many investors drooling over the great Indian restaurant bazaar. "With the growing popularity of the food and beverage businesses in India , the investment community has made significant investments here. Last year, these businesses received $ 256mn of funding overall, while this year has already seen $ 43mn being invested," says Sandeep Kohli, who, as the former India head of Yum Restaurants , brought brands like KFC and Pizza Hut to the country.
The proliferation of more outlets, especially across popular categories like quick service or fast food, casual, fine dining as well as food courts may mean more people heading out of home to grab a bite. But it also means the industry has to pull up its socks to meet higher customer expectations . "With a smarter consumer who has multiple options, quality control has to be high and sustainable because consumer loyalty is no longer a given in a cluttered market place," says Kohli.
With increased competition, meeting customer expectations is going to be a challenge, especially for restaurants which are looking at ramping up their operations to reach a wider customer base. "The key area for a restaurant chain is to ensure consistency in service and food standards," says Kabir Advani, managing director of Berco's that serves Chinese and Thai, and has 15 outlets spread across the National Capital Region.
"A person visiting our restaurant in Connaught Place from his office during lunch may visit our Gurgaon outlet for dinner with his family. Naturally, he will expect similar quality. Our job is to ensure we match his expectations wherever he goes." But in order to do that, a good team with an efficient manager and a skilled chef is essential. As the sector expands, retaining talent — a key attribute for the success of a restaurant — is going to be a major headache for restaurateurs. Industry estimates put the requirement of trained manpower in the business at around 30 lakh within the next few years, a number which will grow further as demand increases. Pankaj Chaddah, cofounder of restaurant review site Zomato, says that the industry urgently needs to invest in training and making jobs more lucrative. "There is very little loyalty towards any employer from the staff and they shift for small raises. Even students from hotel management institutes are opting for jobs in other industries related to the service sector ."
Celebrity chef Sanjeev Kapoor, who also runs a number of successful multi-brand restaurants, says that the only way to counter this issue is to shift the focus from "customers first" to "employees first." "If your employees are happy, your customers would be happy," he says. "Most of the new entrants to the business are penny wise pound foolish , where they would invest lakhs of rupees to bring in imported lights for their outlet, but would be reluctant to pay Rs 50,000 a month to an effective manager."
Poor employee retention has led to many restaurants shutting shop quickly. But another bottleneck for the industry is the high value of real estate, especially rentals in malls where footfalls might not justify cost of operations. Restaurateurs are working around this problem by opting for revenue-sharing arrangements with landlords. "Partnering with real estate owners is the only viable business model for the future, otherwise high land cost can easily bleed a restaurant," says Rajeev Panjwani , vice-president of the National Restaurant Association of India.
Over-expectation is yet another stumbling block. Kapoor says that most people don't realize that they are getting into a 365-day-a-year job with no holidays.
"Most of the growth is being driven by new entrants who are cash-rich but glamour struck," he says. "They are not aware of the hard side of the business and eventually phase out because of excessive investments in their projects and over estimated sales."
But despite bottlenecks and the inherent risks, it's an exciting time to be in the food business. Chennai-based Mohammed Ali, who runs an online community of people passionate about food, compares it to a marriage. "There are various phases to it — some sweet, some bittersweet . At the end, what counts is passion and, of course, good sense."
A recipe that those eyeing the restaurant pie can take note of. Look out for the burns, though.
For many years, the food business has been seen as a tempting and lucrative opportunity — reflected in the fact that opening a restaurant tops the wish-list of a number of people. But what would make the next few years exciting for the sector is the way the market is rapidly getting organized. Gaurav Marya, president of Franchise India that prepared the report, says that even though 70% of the market is currently dominated by unorganized players, the organized segment has witnessed double-digit growth across formats, especially quick service restaurants driven by international chains, and causal and fine dining outlets dominated by Indian and private equity majors. "In the future, the organized market is expected to grow even faster — at around 20 to 25% per annum," he says.
The growth is accentuated by factors that have been in existence in India since the past few years — namely rise in disposable incomes and families becoming progressively nuclear. This captive audience has led to many investors drooling over the great Indian restaurant bazaar. "With the growing popularity of the food and beverage businesses in India , the investment community has made significant investments here. Last year, these businesses received $ 256mn of funding overall, while this year has already seen $ 43mn being invested," says Sandeep Kohli, who, as the former India head of Yum Restaurants , brought brands like KFC and Pizza Hut to the country.
The proliferation of more outlets, especially across popular categories like quick service or fast food, casual, fine dining as well as food courts may mean more people heading out of home to grab a bite. But it also means the industry has to pull up its socks to meet higher customer expectations . "With a smarter consumer who has multiple options, quality control has to be high and sustainable because consumer loyalty is no longer a given in a cluttered market place," says Kohli.
With increased competition, meeting customer expectations is going to be a challenge, especially for restaurants which are looking at ramping up their operations to reach a wider customer base. "The key area for a restaurant chain is to ensure consistency in service and food standards," says Kabir Advani, managing director of Berco's that serves Chinese and Thai, and has 15 outlets spread across the National Capital Region.
"A person visiting our restaurant in Connaught Place from his office during lunch may visit our Gurgaon outlet for dinner with his family. Naturally, he will expect similar quality. Our job is to ensure we match his expectations wherever he goes." But in order to do that, a good team with an efficient manager and a skilled chef is essential. As the sector expands, retaining talent — a key attribute for the success of a restaurant — is going to be a major headache for restaurateurs. Industry estimates put the requirement of trained manpower in the business at around 30 lakh within the next few years, a number which will grow further as demand increases. Pankaj Chaddah, cofounder of restaurant review site Zomato, says that the industry urgently needs to invest in training and making jobs more lucrative. "There is very little loyalty towards any employer from the staff and they shift for small raises. Even students from hotel management institutes are opting for jobs in other industries related to the service sector ."
Celebrity chef Sanjeev Kapoor, who also runs a number of successful multi-brand restaurants, says that the only way to counter this issue is to shift the focus from "customers first" to "employees first." "If your employees are happy, your customers would be happy," he says. "Most of the new entrants to the business are penny wise pound foolish , where they would invest lakhs of rupees to bring in imported lights for their outlet, but would be reluctant to pay Rs 50,000 a month to an effective manager."
Poor employee retention has led to many restaurants shutting shop quickly. But another bottleneck for the industry is the high value of real estate, especially rentals in malls where footfalls might not justify cost of operations. Restaurateurs are working around this problem by opting for revenue-sharing arrangements with landlords. "Partnering with real estate owners is the only viable business model for the future, otherwise high land cost can easily bleed a restaurant," says Rajeev Panjwani , vice-president of the National Restaurant Association of India.
Over-expectation is yet another stumbling block. Kapoor says that most people don't realize that they are getting into a 365-day-a-year job with no holidays.
"Most of the growth is being driven by new entrants who are cash-rich but glamour struck," he says. "They are not aware of the hard side of the business and eventually phase out because of excessive investments in their projects and over estimated sales."
But despite bottlenecks and the inherent risks, it's an exciting time to be in the food business. Chennai-based Mohammed Ali, who runs an online community of people passionate about food, compares it to a marriage. "There are various phases to it — some sweet, some bittersweet . At the end, what counts is passion and, of course, good sense."
A recipe that those eyeing the restaurant pie can take note of. Look out for the burns, though.
Thailand seeks tie-ups in tourism, education
Krich Attitkaew, president of the Thailand-India Parliamentarians Friendship Group, said Indian students can study in Thailand with scholarship.
He invited business people from Kerala to Thailand to understand the culture and traditions of that country. He said that Thailand is seeking cooperation with Kerala in education and tourism areas.
There is scope for business cooperation with India and Thailand in areas of chemical industry, seafood products, machine parts, gems and jewellery, education, tourism, food and edible items and logistics, said Nitipoom Navaratna, vice-president of the Thailand-India Parliamentarians Friendship Group.
India and Thailand have enjoyed a close and mutually enriching relationship for over a millennium and the friendship is growing even today, K.N. Marzook, chairman, KCCI, said.
A total of 250,000 Indians live in Thailand contributing to the growth of the Thai economy. It is heartening to learn that India and Thailand would work together to double the bilateral trade to around $14 billion by 2014, he added.
Pusadee Tamthai, Prasongsak Boondej and Somchat Panapat, executive committee members of Thailand-India Parliamentarians Friendship Group, and Deepak L. Aswani, director, KCCI, also addressed the gathering.
Saturday, September 1, 2012
India fastest growing market for Domino's
New Delhi: Despite a palpable slowdown in the eating out industry across the globe, India has emerged as the fastest growing market for Domino's, outpacing US, which is the largest market for the pizza chain major across 73 countries where it has presence. India recorded an annual growth rate of nearly 50% for Domino's for the fifth consecutive year.
"India has been performing fabulously for us. We are seeing some pressure in western Europe especially, where it has been a very tough economic year for us," Domino's executive vice president (international) Richard E Allison Jr said. India, which accounts for 5% of Domino's' global sales, is among the top five markets for the US-based company. In terms of store counts too, India has registered the highest growth among all other markets.
The brand added 75 stores in India in calendar year 2011 taking the total number to 500. It is planning to increase the number by 100 in the current financial year. The company, which currently competes with other food chains such as Pizza Hut and Papa John's, commands around 55% share of the Rs 1,800 crore pizza industry in the country.
With only 10-15% of the industry organized, Allison is optimistic on increasing its market share by increased accessibility to consumers. The company will invest over Rs 150 crore in India this financial year, up from the Rs 111 crore it had invested last year. Like most other companies in the quick service restaurant space, Domino's too reported a decline in the same store sales growth in the April to June quarter to 22.3% from 36.7% in the corresponding period last year.
With consumer spending getting more discretionary, the brand has pushed price hikes, which normally happen in the first quarter, to the second quarter of the current fiscal year.
The company is also focusing on value offerings in a bid to widen its consumer base in the country. "We have to think about the product pricing always. The game is all about value pricing. We are only focusing on increasing our market share in India."
"India has been performing fabulously for us. We are seeing some pressure in western Europe especially, where it has been a very tough economic year for us," Domino's executive vice president (international) Richard E Allison Jr said. India, which accounts for 5% of Domino's' global sales, is among the top five markets for the US-based company. In terms of store counts too, India has registered the highest growth among all other markets.
The brand added 75 stores in India in calendar year 2011 taking the total number to 500. It is planning to increase the number by 100 in the current financial year. The company, which currently competes with other food chains such as Pizza Hut and Papa John's, commands around 55% share of the Rs 1,800 crore pizza industry in the country.
With only 10-15% of the industry organized, Allison is optimistic on increasing its market share by increased accessibility to consumers. The company will invest over Rs 150 crore in India this financial year, up from the Rs 111 crore it had invested last year. Like most other companies in the quick service restaurant space, Domino's too reported a decline in the same store sales growth in the April to June quarter to 22.3% from 36.7% in the corresponding period last year.
With consumer spending getting more discretionary, the brand has pushed price hikes, which normally happen in the first quarter, to the second quarter of the current fiscal year.
The company is also focusing on value offerings in a bid to widen its consumer base in the country. "We have to think about the product pricing always. The game is all about value pricing. We are only focusing on increasing our market share in India."
NSTPL launches country's first DTN cable service
Mumbai: Noida Software Technology Park Limited (NSTPL), along with Motorola, Intelsat and KIT digital, today announced the launch of India's First Direct To Network (DTN) cable service - JAINHITS.
JAINHITS will mobilise the investment of over Rs 1500 crore over the period of five years in the Headend In The Sky (HITS) platform, with strategic support from its partners to deliver affordable digital service to existing cable operators and MSOs and help them meet the Government's National Digitization Mandate. Motorola is the end to end technology partner, KIT digital is the solution architect and managed services partner, and Intelsat is the satellite provider for the JAINHITS service.
JAINHITS service will be available pan India to cable operators and MSOs by November 2012. HITS is a satellite-based platform for distribution of digital TV signals to cable operators. In the first phase, JAINHITS will offer 200 standard definition and high definition service; HBB TV (Interactive TV) and broadband. In the second phase, it will be scaled to offer 500 channels including 30 HD channels and value added services for e-commerce, education, healthcare, financial services, gaming, and on-demand content etc. Within one year of launch, the platform will evolve into a multi-screen service.
Dr JK Jain, Chairman, Jain TV Group said, '---instead of investing our energies and money in building multiple digital headends, Cable Operators should join hands towards creating the HITS partnership into a Federation of Cable Operators that will jointly create India's unique new generation network to carry entertainment, education and information across the length and breadth of India"" .
Commenting on the launch, Ankur Jain, Managing Director, JAINHITS, said, "Today, there are about 7 DTH operators, 60,000 Cable Operators and about 6000 Headend operators who connect over 120 million TV Homes. JAINHITS will be the only national cable platform that can help achieve digitization within stipulated deadline. With JAINHITS the national digitization infrastructure expenditure on network can reduce from Rs 30,000 crore to 1,500 crore. We will be operating the latest technology in DVB S2 MPEG 4 quality over satellite followed by DVBC transmission for cable. These technologies are more suited for broadcast than IPTV and DTH as they are weather proof, capacity efficient and can run 1000 channels unlike DTH and IPTV."
Kevin Keefe, VP & GM-Sales, Asia Pacific - Motorola Mobility said, "It is an interesting time in India as the country gears up to have digital cable revolution. As the global leader, we are excited to be part of this revolution and bring in all our experience in making sure the Indian consumers get the best TV viewing experience there is anywhere in the world."
NSTPL has signed a multi-year, multi-transponder agreement for C-band capacity on Intelsat 902 at 62 degree East. The company plans to use the capacity to create a white label, turnkey channel package (JAINHITS) that can be received and distributed by multiple system and local cable operators throughout the country. Stephane Thibault, Managing Sales Director, Media Services, Asia - Intelsat, said, "India has a flourishing cable distribution market and millions of people in India watch TV via cable. With cable going digital soon in the country it makes sense to implement HITS technology. Intelsat's satellites and video services enable new and innovative platforms that can efficiently reach consumers in regions of the world such as India."
NSTPL is a Satellite Communication Operator. NSTPL is a B2B video and data service operator. Its services portfolio includes TV Uplink, Down linking of International Channels, Video and Data engineering services, Digital Satellite News Gathering (DSNG) & Broadband services. The company is an existing profit making closely held company.
JAINHITS will mobilise the investment of over Rs 1500 crore over the period of five years in the Headend In The Sky (HITS) platform, with strategic support from its partners to deliver affordable digital service to existing cable operators and MSOs and help them meet the Government's National Digitization Mandate. Motorola is the end to end technology partner, KIT digital is the solution architect and managed services partner, and Intelsat is the satellite provider for the JAINHITS service.
JAINHITS service will be available pan India to cable operators and MSOs by November 2012. HITS is a satellite-based platform for distribution of digital TV signals to cable operators. In the first phase, JAINHITS will offer 200 standard definition and high definition service; HBB TV (Interactive TV) and broadband. In the second phase, it will be scaled to offer 500 channels including 30 HD channels and value added services for e-commerce, education, healthcare, financial services, gaming, and on-demand content etc. Within one year of launch, the platform will evolve into a multi-screen service.
Dr JK Jain, Chairman, Jain TV Group said, '---instead of investing our energies and money in building multiple digital headends, Cable Operators should join hands towards creating the HITS partnership into a Federation of Cable Operators that will jointly create India's unique new generation network to carry entertainment, education and information across the length and breadth of India"" .
Commenting on the launch, Ankur Jain, Managing Director, JAINHITS, said, "Today, there are about 7 DTH operators, 60,000 Cable Operators and about 6000 Headend operators who connect over 120 million TV Homes. JAINHITS will be the only national cable platform that can help achieve digitization within stipulated deadline. With JAINHITS the national digitization infrastructure expenditure on network can reduce from Rs 30,000 crore to 1,500 crore. We will be operating the latest technology in DVB S2 MPEG 4 quality over satellite followed by DVBC transmission for cable. These technologies are more suited for broadcast than IPTV and DTH as they are weather proof, capacity efficient and can run 1000 channels unlike DTH and IPTV."
Kevin Keefe, VP & GM-Sales, Asia Pacific - Motorola Mobility said, "It is an interesting time in India as the country gears up to have digital cable revolution. As the global leader, we are excited to be part of this revolution and bring in all our experience in making sure the Indian consumers get the best TV viewing experience there is anywhere in the world."
NSTPL has signed a multi-year, multi-transponder agreement for C-band capacity on Intelsat 902 at 62 degree East. The company plans to use the capacity to create a white label, turnkey channel package (JAINHITS) that can be received and distributed by multiple system and local cable operators throughout the country. Stephane Thibault, Managing Sales Director, Media Services, Asia - Intelsat, said, "India has a flourishing cable distribution market and millions of people in India watch TV via cable. With cable going digital soon in the country it makes sense to implement HITS technology. Intelsat's satellites and video services enable new and innovative platforms that can efficiently reach consumers in regions of the world such as India."
NSTPL is a Satellite Communication Operator. NSTPL is a B2B video and data service operator. Its services portfolio includes TV Uplink, Down linking of International Channels, Video and Data engineering services, Digital Satellite News Gathering (DSNG) & Broadband services. The company is an existing profit making closely held company.
NSTPL launches country's first DTN cable service
Mumbai: Noida Software Technology Park Limited (NSTPL), along with Motorola, Intelsat and KIT digital, today announced the launch of India's First Direct To Network (DTN) cable service - JAINHITS.
JAINHITS will mobilise the investment of over Rs 1500 crore over the period of five years in the Headend In The Sky (HITS) platform, with strategic support from its partners to deliver affordable digital service to existing cable operators and MSOs and help them meet the Government's National Digitization Mandate. Motorola is the end to end technology partner, KIT digital is the solution architect and managed services partner, and Intelsat is the satellite provider for the JAINHITS service.
JAINHITS service will be available pan India to cable operators and MSOs by November 2012. HITS is a satellite-based platform for distribution of digital TV signals to cable operators. In the first phase, JAINHITS will offer 200 standard definition and high definition service; HBB TV (Interactive TV) and broadband. In the second phase, it will be scaled to offer 500 channels including 30 HD channels and value added services for e-commerce, education, healthcare, financial services, gaming, and on-demand content etc. Within one year of launch, the platform will evolve into a multi-screen service.
Dr JK Jain, Chairman, Jain TV Group said, '---instead of investing our energies and money in building multiple digital headends, Cable Operators should join hands towards creating the HITS partnership into a Federation of Cable Operators that will jointly create India's unique new generation network to carry entertainment, education and information across the length and breadth of India"" .
Commenting on the launch, Ankur Jain, Managing Director, JAINHITS, said, "Today, there are about 7 DTH operators, 60,000 Cable Operators and about 6000 Headend operators who connect over 120 million TV Homes. JAINHITS will be the only national cable platform that can help achieve digitization within stipulated deadline. With JAINHITS the national digitization infrastructure expenditure on network can reduce from Rs 30,000 crore to 1,500 crore. We will be operating the latest technology in DVB S2 MPEG 4 quality over satellite followed by DVBC transmission for cable. These technologies are more suited for broadcast than IPTV and DTH as they are weather proof, capacity efficient and can run 1000 channels unlike DTH and IPTV."
Kevin Keefe, VP & GM-Sales, Asia Pacific - Motorola Mobility said, "It is an interesting time in India as the country gears up to have digital cable revolution. As the global leader, we are excited to be part of this revolution and bring in all our experience in making sure the Indian consumers get the best TV viewing experience there is anywhere in the world."
NSTPL has signed a multi-year, multi-transponder agreement for C-band capacity on Intelsat 902 at 62 degree East. The company plans to use the capacity to create a white label, turnkey channel package (JAINHITS) that can be received and distributed by multiple system and local cable operators throughout the country. Stephane Thibault, Managing Sales Director, Media Services, Asia - Intelsat, said, "India has a flourishing cable distribution market and millions of people in India watch TV via cable. With cable going digital soon in the country it makes sense to implement HITS technology. Intelsat's satellites and video services enable new and innovative platforms that can efficiently reach consumers in regions of the world such as India."
NSTPL is a Satellite Communication Operator. NSTPL is a B2B video and data service operator. Its services portfolio includes TV Uplink, Down linking of International Channels, Video and Data engineering services, Digital Satellite News Gathering (DSNG) & Broadband services. The company is an existing profit making closely held company.
JAINHITS will mobilise the investment of over Rs 1500 crore over the period of five years in the Headend In The Sky (HITS) platform, with strategic support from its partners to deliver affordable digital service to existing cable operators and MSOs and help them meet the Government's National Digitization Mandate. Motorola is the end to end technology partner, KIT digital is the solution architect and managed services partner, and Intelsat is the satellite provider for the JAINHITS service.
JAINHITS service will be available pan India to cable operators and MSOs by November 2012. HITS is a satellite-based platform for distribution of digital TV signals to cable operators. In the first phase, JAINHITS will offer 200 standard definition and high definition service; HBB TV (Interactive TV) and broadband. In the second phase, it will be scaled to offer 500 channels including 30 HD channels and value added services for e-commerce, education, healthcare, financial services, gaming, and on-demand content etc. Within one year of launch, the platform will evolve into a multi-screen service.
Dr JK Jain, Chairman, Jain TV Group said, '---instead of investing our energies and money in building multiple digital headends, Cable Operators should join hands towards creating the HITS partnership into a Federation of Cable Operators that will jointly create India's unique new generation network to carry entertainment, education and information across the length and breadth of India"" .
Commenting on the launch, Ankur Jain, Managing Director, JAINHITS, said, "Today, there are about 7 DTH operators, 60,000 Cable Operators and about 6000 Headend operators who connect over 120 million TV Homes. JAINHITS will be the only national cable platform that can help achieve digitization within stipulated deadline. With JAINHITS the national digitization infrastructure expenditure on network can reduce from Rs 30,000 crore to 1,500 crore. We will be operating the latest technology in DVB S2 MPEG 4 quality over satellite followed by DVBC transmission for cable. These technologies are more suited for broadcast than IPTV and DTH as they are weather proof, capacity efficient and can run 1000 channels unlike DTH and IPTV."
Kevin Keefe, VP & GM-Sales, Asia Pacific - Motorola Mobility said, "It is an interesting time in India as the country gears up to have digital cable revolution. As the global leader, we are excited to be part of this revolution and bring in all our experience in making sure the Indian consumers get the best TV viewing experience there is anywhere in the world."
NSTPL has signed a multi-year, multi-transponder agreement for C-band capacity on Intelsat 902 at 62 degree East. The company plans to use the capacity to create a white label, turnkey channel package (JAINHITS) that can be received and distributed by multiple system and local cable operators throughout the country. Stephane Thibault, Managing Sales Director, Media Services, Asia - Intelsat, said, "India has a flourishing cable distribution market and millions of people in India watch TV via cable. With cable going digital soon in the country it makes sense to implement HITS technology. Intelsat's satellites and video services enable new and innovative platforms that can efficiently reach consumers in regions of the world such as India."
NSTPL is a Satellite Communication Operator. NSTPL is a B2B video and data service operator. Its services portfolio includes TV Uplink, Down linking of International Channels, Video and Data engineering services, Digital Satellite News Gathering (DSNG) & Broadband services. The company is an existing profit making closely held company.
Piramal invests in German molecular imaging technology
Mumbai: Indian healthcare major Piramal, which had taken over Bayer HealthCare’s molecular-imaging pipeline, has been investing in German molecular imaging technology.
With the Indian major of the belief that the future of medicine is set to be personalised medicine, the global deal inked in April this year is set to help in the early detection of Alzheimers.
Piramal Enterprises sees revenue potential of $1.5 billion from its florbetaben molecule. Piramal had taken over the pipeline from the German company and has since then been continuing research and development work on the acquired PET (Positron Emission Tomography) which is a nuclear medicine imaging technique at its labs in Berlin.
At a press briefing, Ajay Piramal, Chairman of the Piramal Group commented on the strategy, “Molecular imaging is one of the key technologies paving the way for individualised medicine. Our acquisition of a powerful pipeline in this field is an important milestone on the road to an innovative pharmaceutical portfolio.”
Florbetaben, Piramal’s most advanced PET tracer, enables the detection of beta-amyloid deposits in the brain.
“A phase III study to test the reliability of florbetaben in the histopathological detection of beta-amyloid has been successfully completed. Submission of the dossier for drug approval by the US Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency is expected later in 2012.
“In addition, Piramal Imaging is working on other PET tracers for various medical indications,” said Swati Piramal, Vice-Chairperson of Piramal Enterprises.
Christoph von Knobelsdorff, Permanent Secretary at the Berlin Senate’s Department of Economics, Technology and Research, said Piramal Imaging’s decision to come to Berlin was a real gain for the city
With the Indian major of the belief that the future of medicine is set to be personalised medicine, the global deal inked in April this year is set to help in the early detection of Alzheimers.
Piramal Enterprises sees revenue potential of $1.5 billion from its florbetaben molecule. Piramal had taken over the pipeline from the German company and has since then been continuing research and development work on the acquired PET (Positron Emission Tomography) which is a nuclear medicine imaging technique at its labs in Berlin.
At a press briefing, Ajay Piramal, Chairman of the Piramal Group commented on the strategy, “Molecular imaging is one of the key technologies paving the way for individualised medicine. Our acquisition of a powerful pipeline in this field is an important milestone on the road to an innovative pharmaceutical portfolio.”
Florbetaben, Piramal’s most advanced PET tracer, enables the detection of beta-amyloid deposits in the brain.
“A phase III study to test the reliability of florbetaben in the histopathological detection of beta-amyloid has been successfully completed. Submission of the dossier for drug approval by the US Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency is expected later in 2012.
“In addition, Piramal Imaging is working on other PET tracers for various medical indications,” said Swati Piramal, Vice-Chairperson of Piramal Enterprises.
Christoph von Knobelsdorff, Permanent Secretary at the Berlin Senate’s Department of Economics, Technology and Research, said Piramal Imaging’s decision to come to Berlin was a real gain for the city
Huawei to invest $150 million in Bangalore R&D centre
Bangalore: Chinese telecom equipment maker Huawei will invest $150 million in its research and development (R&D) centre coming up in Bangalore.
The centre, being built over one million sq feet can seat about 4,000 people, according to the company whose revenues were at $32 billion in 2011.
Huawei officials did not give out specific hiring plans, but said that they would pick up telecom engineers and networking specialists whenever there was a need. The development centre will cater to Huawei’s enterprise, telecom operators and cellphone business segments. Scott Sykes, Vice-President, Corporate Media Affairs, Huawei Technologies, told Business Line: “We see demand coming from 4G rollout in India, and the centre will work on our NextGen smartphone handsets.”
Last year, Huawei started making smartphones and, according to company officials, has sold 60 million smartphones till date. The India centre will work on technologies that can increase battery life in smartphones. This is because the battery life of most handsets in the market last not more than a day.
“We already have smartphones that come with two days of battery life and are looking to further reduce the form factor in a smartphone and provide better quality battery life and run on the latest networks.”
At the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona earlier this year, Huawei launched its slimmest smartphone at 6.68mm weighing about 110 gm.
The centre, being built over one million sq feet can seat about 4,000 people, according to the company whose revenues were at $32 billion in 2011.
Huawei officials did not give out specific hiring plans, but said that they would pick up telecom engineers and networking specialists whenever there was a need. The development centre will cater to Huawei’s enterprise, telecom operators and cellphone business segments. Scott Sykes, Vice-President, Corporate Media Affairs, Huawei Technologies, told Business Line: “We see demand coming from 4G rollout in India, and the centre will work on our NextGen smartphone handsets.”
Last year, Huawei started making smartphones and, according to company officials, has sold 60 million smartphones till date. The India centre will work on technologies that can increase battery life in smartphones. This is because the battery life of most handsets in the market last not more than a day.
“We already have smartphones that come with two days of battery life and are looking to further reduce the form factor in a smartphone and provide better quality battery life and run on the latest networks.”
At the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona earlier this year, Huawei launched its slimmest smartphone at 6.68mm weighing about 110 gm.
S. Africa seeks investments in agro-processing
Mumbai: South Africa has sought Indian investment for its flourishing food processing sector.
Speaking at a conference on “Challenges and Opportunities in agro sector in South Africa”, Deputy Minister of Department of Trade and Industry Elizabeth Thabethe said that the agro-processing sector offers opportunity for investment with the backing of the South African government through policy and various incentives. Undoubtedly, agro-food processing in South Africa is a sector that is not only open for new investments and the region, but one that is in fact viable, she said.
South Africa climatic condition is conducive for growing diversity of crops, livestock and fish. There were other sub sectors with investment potential too.
The establishment of preferential trade agreements such as the African Growth and Opportunity Act for the US market and a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the European Union, confer generous benefits for potential investors.
Bilateral Trade
Bilateral trade between India and South Africa has increased from $45 million in 1993 to $7 billion last year. Further, India ranks among the top 10 investing countries in South Africa, with investments estimated at over $6 billion to date. The challenge now lies in increasing the pace of growth and consolidating the gains being made, she said.
In a bid to strengthen the trade ties between India and South Africa various agreements including the General Trade Agreement, Cooperation on defense issues, SME development and Capacity building through the India Technical Cooperation Programme.
Speaking at a conference on “Challenges and Opportunities in agro sector in South Africa”, Deputy Minister of Department of Trade and Industry Elizabeth Thabethe said that the agro-processing sector offers opportunity for investment with the backing of the South African government through policy and various incentives. Undoubtedly, agro-food processing in South Africa is a sector that is not only open for new investments and the region, but one that is in fact viable, she said.
South Africa climatic condition is conducive for growing diversity of crops, livestock and fish. There were other sub sectors with investment potential too.
The establishment of preferential trade agreements such as the African Growth and Opportunity Act for the US market and a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the European Union, confer generous benefits for potential investors.
Bilateral Trade
Bilateral trade between India and South Africa has increased from $45 million in 1993 to $7 billion last year. Further, India ranks among the top 10 investing countries in South Africa, with investments estimated at over $6 billion to date. The challenge now lies in increasing the pace of growth and consolidating the gains being made, she said.
In a bid to strengthen the trade ties between India and South Africa various agreements including the General Trade Agreement, Cooperation on defense issues, SME development and Capacity building through the India Technical Cooperation Programme.
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