automobiles manufacturers

While buoyancy in vehicle sales in India may be heartening for the industry and economy, it is also leading to a rise in road accident fatalities in the country. automobile manufacturers in india has the dubious distinction of being the second highest in the world after China in annual road accident fatalities. The number of annual road accident fatalities in India crossed the 80,000 mark in 1999 — a rising trend since 1990 when the number was 54,000 as per the department of road transport and highways data. In 2002, the number of road accident fatalities per 10,000 vehicles was the highest in China (17.10) followed by India (14.39). In most highincome countries such as Sweden, US, Australia, Japan and Germany it ranged between 1.08 and 2.58. While globally 90% of road crashes were attributed to “human error” by the World Health Organisation’s “World report on road traffic injury prevention”, in India “driver fault” was to blame for 83.5% of accidents, followed by passenger/pedestrian fault (4.7%), mechanical defect in vehicles (3%) and “other factors” (6.8%) such as cattle, fallen trees, non-functional signals and absence of reflectors. These were some details highlighted in a study published by Pune-based Central Institute of Road Transport’s (CIRT) latest edition of the Indian Journal of Transport Management. automobile supplies Society of Indian automobiles manufacturers (Siam) said sale of passenger cars in India rose by 69.23% between 2001-2005 — from 5.67 lakh in 2000-01 to 8.19 lakh in 2004-05. Siam statistics state sale of two wheelers rose by 58% during the same period, with domestic sales of two wheelers rising from 3.6 million in 2000-01 to 6.2 million in 2004-05. Based on the WHO report, the study by Alok Rawat, principal secretary with the Sikkim government notes the social cost of road accidents in the country was pegged at Rs 55,000 crore in 1999-2000, constituting 3% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for that year. Although road accidents have been traditionally viewed as random events “that happen to others”, according to Rawat, the new paradigm shift now views road crashes as “preventable and predictable.” This has been demonstrated in high income countries, says Rawat, where an established set of interventions through legislations and technology have led to “significant reductions in the incidence and impact of road traffic injuries.”

agricultural products manufacturers

Life’s Good” for LG India head Soon Kwon but he wishes the economy were in better health. Kwon, 55, believes that to beat the slowdown there is a need to engage a large part of the population in industriali zation. According to heavy dependence on agricul ture, and even FDI, is not right way forward if wants to return to a higher growth trajectory and, importantly, match up to China. The slowdown has already made Korean consumer giant LG Electronics rethink some of its planned investments for India. “Regarding new investments for plant and manufacturing, we would have to make necessary adjustments,” says Kwon, who has had stints at the company’s headquarters in South Korea apart from Australia, US and Canada. “The first months of this year were more encouraging than last year. During the initial months last year, everybody was worried about the overall macro-economic situation, mostly the rupee value. But now that the rupee is slowly stabilizing, LG feels a little better in the overall business sense,” says Kwon. Kwon feels the government should put more emphasis on industrialization as “India’s growth rate has fallen drastically and this has had an effect on the overall economy”. “The dependency on agriculture and FDI is too high. Until we have a global industrialization plan, I cannot see how it will be possible to achieve an economic growth rate of 8-9%. As a Agricultural products manufacturers, we want to see some radical and rational moves towards industrialization.” Agricultural equipments manufacturers He says that the poor economic performance is having an effect on how corporates view India. “Disposable incomes are not rising even though the prices of products are. Three or four years ago, everyone expected consumer demand to double in the next five years, but it seems like demand is falling,” Kwon says. LG has four major business divisions in India – television, home appliances, air conditioners and mobile phones. Home appliances contribute about 50% to its revenues, TVs about 35%, ACs 10% and mobiles chip in the least. Is the company worried that mobiles form a small portion of its business, especially considering that most of its competitors like Samsung and Sony bank so much on the mobile phone business? “Different companies may have different business portfolios. They may be more successful than us in mobiles but LG is obviously the leader in other segments,” Kwon says. LG is globally re-working its strategy on mobile phones. “The whole mobile business mechanism is more dynam- than other segments, and it is also a very global business. Last year, we shifted our mobile priorities and decided to pull out of lower-budget phones, and instead focus on smartphones. Ever since then, our mobile business has started growing. This year, we can grow it to 10% of our over- business,” Kwon says. Apart from a sluggish , corporates in India – including LG – have been having a run-in with tax authorities. “I do not think that this will impact our business at all… I do think that the government should spend more time in allocating resources for industrialization. I do not know to what scale the government would go further, but this tax issue is a worrying factor.” agricultural products exporters Kwon feels that the government needs to come out with policies that aid corporate growth, which is a necessary step to compete against China. “If you look at the global market, India may be the only country to ultimately compete against China. The role of the Indian government is very important here as the economy does not grow on its own... how to grow further and how to reduce the gap between India and China will depend on how we grow in the industrial sector.” When he is not slugging it out in the Indian market for business, Kwon loves to play guitar and join his wife for shopping. Having spearheaded the India operations of LG for the past two years, Kwon has also developed a taste for Indian food, which is evident from his fondness for chicken tikka and naan

automobiles manufacturers

While buoyancy in vehicle sales in India may be heartening for the industry and economy, it is also leading to a rise in road accident fatalities in the country. automobile manufacturers in india has the dubious distinction of being the second highest in the world after China in annual road accident fatalities. The number of annual road accident fatalities in India crossed the 80,000 mark in 1999 — a rising trend since 1990 when the number was 54,000 as per the department of road transport and highways data. In 2002, the number of road accident fatalities per 10,000 vehicles was the highest in China (17.10) followed by India (14.39). In most highincome countries such as Sweden, US, Australia, Japan and Germany it ranged between 1.08 and 2.58. While globally 90% of road crashes were attributed to “human error” by the World Health Organisation’s “World report on road traffic injury prevention”, in India “driver fault” was to blame for 83.5% of accidents, followed by passenger/pedestrian fault (4.7%), mechanical defect in vehicles (3%) and “other factors” (6.8%) such as cattle, fallen trees, non-functional signals and absence of reflectors. These were some details highlighted in a study published by Pune-based Central Institute of Road Transport’s (CIRT) latest edition of the Indian Journal of Transport Management. automobile supplies Society of Indian automobiles manufacturers (Siam) said sale of passenger cars in India rose by 69.23% between 2001-2005 — from 5.67 lakh in 2000-01 to 8.19 lakh in 2004-05. Siam statistics state sale of two wheelers rose by 58% during the same period, with domestic sales of two wheelers rising from 3.6 million in 2000-01 to 6.2 million in 2004-05. Based on the WHO report, the study by Alok Rawat, principal secretary with the Sikkim government notes the social cost of road accidents in the country was pegged at Rs 55,000 crore in 1999-2000, constituting 3% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for that year. Although road accidents have been traditionally viewed as random events “that happen to others”, according to Rawat, the new paradigm shift now views road crashes as “preventable and predictable.” This has been demonstrated in high income countries, says Rawat, where an established set of interventions through legislations and technology have led to “significant reductions in the incidence and impact of road traffic injuries.”

indian manufacturers

As India's sparkling growth story spreads across the world, Friuli Venezia Giulia (FVG), in the north of Italy, is gearing up to be a part of this wave through bilateral economic cooperation. Industry chambers and companies of this region are looking for increasing tieups with Indian counterparts to benefit from the emerging superpower's economic boom. "Our objective is to get to know more about Indian market, companies by holding workshops in the areas of energy, heavy industries, machineries, system designing, finance, communication and technology," Valduca Bertossi, chairman, Udine Chamber of Commerce, a northern province of FVG region, told visiting journalists. And leading the pack is a leading global insurance player Assicurazioni Generali from Trieste, a southern province of FVG. The company, listed on the Milan Stock Exchange (2006 turnover 64.5 billion euros), has already got a licence from IRDA for insurance venture in the country. It has tied up with Kishore Biyani's Future Group, a retail venture, to form a JV Future Generali Insurance Life Insurance Company, where Generali holds a 26% stake. "We want to repeat the success of distribution through malls in India as we have done in Switzerland and Philippines," said a senior official of Generali. indian manufacturers The JV is also negotiating with several mutual funds and banks to give a further boost to the insurance business, though the official refused to divulge names. "At present, India and China are the two most important areas for our growth," added the official. Now, across the western part of Europe, India is getting recognition for its corporate aggressiveness and hunger for acquisitions. "India. We know that man Mittal has bought Arcelor," said a man on the street, referring to LN Mittal. Ask him about Tatas' acquisition of Corus and he nods, saying, "Of course... yes." Other companies in the FVG region, which are looking for greater access to Indian market include Fantoni Group (turnover 360 million euros), a indian manufacturer of modern age wooden furniture for business and residential projects. "We would like to share the Indian boom," said Paolo Fantoni, managing director. The company, which already has a presence in Bangalore and Chennai, is looking for tieups with real estate majors like DLF and Embassy group to bag interior business for mega residential and corporate projects. "We want to focus on the top-end of the market," added Fantoni. Another major player in line is Itema Group (sales 667 m euors), a leading player in the area of textile machinery. Its group company Savio, which specialises in making sewing and twisting machines for yarn, is setting up a production facility in Coimbatore. "The 5 million euro facility will be ready to start production in early 2008," said Mauro Moro, industrial director of Savio. Also, heavy industries player like Danieli has set up base in Kolkata and started working with Bhel. Another area of bonding will be commodities like coffee. "India is the third largest supplier of raw coffee to Italy. We are looking to increase tieups with Indian farmers and various bodies to boost the supply chain," said Furio Suggi Liverani, director of Illy, a coffee processing company. Apart from biggies, start ups like PMP Industries, which makes gear boxes for mixer trucks, is looking for a strong presence in India. The company, which is setting up a production base in China, has established a presence in Mumbai and Delhi

indian manufacturer

As India's sparkling growth story spreads across the world, Friuli Venezia Giulia (FVG), in the north of Italy, is gearing up to be a part of this wave through bilateral economic cooperation. Industry chambers and companies of this region are looking for increasing tieups with Indian counterparts to benefit from the emerging superpower's economic boom. "Our objective is to get to know more about Indian market, companies by holding workshops in the areas of energy, heavy industries, machineries, system designing, finance, communication and technology," Valduca Bertossi, chairman, Udine Chamber of Commerce, a northern province of FVG region, told visiting journalists. And leading the pack is a leading global insurance player Assicurazioni Generali from Trieste, a southern province of FVG. The company, listed on the Milan Stock Exchange (2006 turnover 64.5 billion euros), has already got a licence from IRDA for insurance venture in the country. It has tied up with Kishore Biyani's Future Group, a retail venture, to form a JV Future Generali Insurance Life Insurance Company, where Generali holds a 26% stake. "We want to repeat the success of distribution through malls in India as we have done in Switzerland and Philippines," said a senior official of Generali. indian manufacturers The JV is also negotiating with several mutual funds and banks to give a further boost to the insurance business, though the official refused to divulge names. "At present, India and China are the two most important areas for our growth," added the official. Now, across the western part of Europe, India is getting recognition for its corporate aggressiveness and hunger for acquisitions. "India. We know that man Mittal has bought Arcelor," said a man on the street, referring to LN Mittal. Ask him about Tatas' acquisition of Corus and he nods, saying, "Of course... yes." Other companies in the FVG region, which are looking for greater access to Indian market include Fantoni Group (turnover 360 million euros), a indian manufacturer of modern age wooden furniture for business and residential projects. "We would like to share the Indian boom," said Paolo Fantoni, managing director. The company, which already has a presence in Bangalore and Chennai, is looking for tieups with real estate majors like DLF and Embassy group to bag interior business for mega residential and corporate projects. "We want to focus on the top-end of the market," added Fantoni. Another major player in line is Itema Group (sales 667 m euors), a leading player in the area of textile machinery. Its group company Savio, which specialises in making sewing and twisting machines for yarn, is setting up a production facility in Coimbatore. "The 5 million euro facility will be ready to start production in early 2008," said Mauro Moro, industrial director of Savio. Also, heavy industries player like Danieli has set up base in Kolkata and started working with Bhel. Another area of bonding will be commodities like coffee. "India is the third largest supplier of raw coffee to Italy. We are looking to increase tieups with Indian farmers and various bodies to boost the supply chain," said Furio Suggi Liverani, director of Illy, a coffee processing company. Apart from biggies, start ups like PMP Industries, which makes gear boxes for mixer trucks, is looking for a strong presence in India. The company, which is setting up a production base in China, has established a presence in Mumbai and Delhi

chemicals manufacturers

An international treaty that had seemed unreal and remote until now, has suddenly rattled the chemical industry in India, especially Gujarat. In the last few months, the Central government has suspended the export licenses of four companies for violating the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) by selling restricted chemicals to Israel. It has also slapped a prohibitive Rs 20 lakh fine. Shockingly, two of these companies are from Gujarat, specifically Vadodara. Officials refused to divulge the names of the companies, saying it would be unfair, as the offences were minor and “would give a bad name to India”. chemical exporters Senior officials from New Delhi said that unless companies start adhering to the CWC, they could find themselves in deep trouble, as the Parliament has ratified the convention, making it an enforceable Act. “The chemicals that the four companies exported to Israel, fall under schedule II of the CWC. They are widely traded, but are listed in the CWC,” said joint secretary and director of the National Authority for CWC. He was in Vadodara on Thursday to attend an awareness programme organised by the Gujarat chapter of the Indian chemicals manufacturers Association (ICMA). “Although we know that these companies did not have bad intentions, they were penalised for violating the CWC by exporting to Israel.” The Jewish state is considered a non-state party, as it is yet to have the CWC ratified by its Parliament. ,chemical manufacturers directory , Gujarat has found special focus on the CWC radar as 60 per cent of the industry is located here. The National Authority has already drawn up a list of 525 companies from Gujarat that potentially need to make declarations under the CWC. Sources in ICMA say the number may be much higher given the plethora of small and medium companies in Gujarat. Officials complain that many of these companies have not made declarations despite being contacted repeatedly. The CWC is a universal, multilateral, disarmament treaty, which bans the development, production, acquisition, transfer, use and stockpile of all chemical weapons. The CWC Act, 2000 came into force on 1st July 2005. Sharma added that the violators have escaped with mild punishment. However, given the atmosphere today, any violation could lead to much higher penalties, even imprisonment

business consulting firms

These payments were “invisibles” in RBI books. Indians spent 70% more in 2004-05 on travel abroad and on sourcing foreign transport, engineering, constancy and distribution services to cope with growingbusiness needs. business consulting firms Also, India’s external sector current account slipped into a deficit of $6.4 billion in 2004-05 after a three-year span of continuous surpluses, preliminary RBI data showed. Non-capital receipts from abroad exceeded payments made overseas by $10.5 billion in the current account in 2003-04. Significantly, as more and more Indians travel abroad and Indian businesses avail of foreign services, payments on these counts are increasing sharply. These payments, categorised as “invisibles”, rose sharply last fiscal to touch $45.8 billion. India’s strength in its external sector in recent years has been “invisibles.” Invisible receipts due to foreign tourists coming to India, Indian workers sending in remittances and exports of services, especially computer software, have been robust and have provided a surplus over invisible payments. In 2004-05 too, invisible receipts were in surplus by about $31.6 billion. business services directory But the growth in invisible payments at 70% in 2004-05 was much stronger than the 48% growth in invisible receipts, thereby opening up the possibility of the invisible account getting into the red in coming years. As such the trade account, representing merchandise exports and imports, went deep into the red in 2004-05, showing the deficit at a historic high of $38.1 billion. But for the surplus in the invisibles, India’s current account gap would have been much larger than a modest $6.4 billion. But if invisible payments continue to grow faster that invisible receipts, the possibility of a deficit in the coming years cannot be ruled out. service providers from India Huge net capital inflows in 2004-05 amounting to $32.5 billion meant that India could easily negotiate the modest current account deficit of $6.4 billion and yet add over $26.1 billion to its forex kitty. The viability of India’s external balance of payments would, therefore, depend on invisible surpluses and net capital inflows. The good news is that in 2004-05, receipts grew by 25% from international tourist traffic to India. Private transfers, comprising primarily remittances from Indians working abroad, remained sizeable at $20.9 billion. IT services exports too were buoyant, touching $17.3 billion.