Intel to invest $20M in 6 Indian firms

By: EE Times
Source: http://www.eetimes.com

SAN FRANCISCO—Intel Capital, the venture capital arm of the world's biggest semiconductor, said it plans to invest roughly $20 million in six Indian companies.

Separately, Intel announced that Intel Capital invested in CareCloud, a healthcare IT company. Intel also confirmed that it has signed an agreement to buy Israeli navigation software firm Telmap, reportedly for between $300 million and $350 million.

Intel Capital said it would invest the $20 million in fabless semiconductor company Saankhya Labs Pvt. Ltd., independent test engineering and solutions provider Testing Czars, banking technology platform provider Financial Inclusion Network and Operations (FINO), TV programming guide provider What’s on India Pvt. Ltd., electronic payment solutions and processing provider enStage and solar power products provider Duron Energy Pvt. Ltd.

Intel Capital said the investments are part of its ongoing efforts to support Indian technology innovation and entrepreneurship.

"Indian entrepreneurs are increasingly at the forefront of innovation, using technology to change the way we live and do work. Intel Capital’s investments in these six companies will help them grow their businesses and push into new markets," said Arvind Sodhani, president of Intel Capital and executive vice president of Intel, in a statement.
Intel said it has already completed investments in Saankhya Labs, Testing Czars and FINO . Intel Capital has signed investment agreements with What’s on India, enStage and Duron Energy, it said.

Details of the six investments, including the amount to be invested in each company, were not disclosed.

Funding for the investments announced by comes from the $250 million Intel Capital India Technology Fund established in December 2005, Intel said. This fund invests in Indian technology companies to stimulate local innovation and the continued growth of India's information technology industry, the company said.

Last week, the Reuters news service reported that Suresh Kumar Kuppam, managing director for Asia Pacific at Intel Capital, said valuations of early-stage technology companies in India are increasing and approaching a bubble stage.

"The computing revolution is just starting in India," said Navin Shenoy, vice president and general manager, Asia-Pacific, at Intel. "As PC ownership rises among Indian households, there is growing demand for online services and content. Intel is working closely with our Indian customers to help them meet this demand."

Last week, in a blog posting, Intel said Intel Capital has invested in CareCloud, a healthcare IT company that is utilizing cloud, mobile and social networking technologies to bring new capabilities and efficiencies to healthcare providers. CareCloud targets physician practices, offering apps for practice management, revenue cycle management and soon-to-be electronic medical record, according to Intel.


Source: http://www.eetimes.com/electronics-news/4228865/Intel-to-invest--20M-in-6-Indian-firms

Mercedes Benz starts car leasing business in India

By: The Economic Times
Source: http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com

NEW DELHI: German Luxury car maker Mercedes Benz on Tuesday started car renting business in India with the launch of Star Lease that will make available its complete range of cars for hire.

According to the new scheme, customers would have the option of leasing a Mercedes car on a monthly rental for a period ranging between 12 and 36 months.

Commenting on the development Mercedes Benz India Director Sales and Marketing Debashis Mitra said, "Consumers shall now have an option to drive away a Mercedes without any initial investment and just pay affordable rentals which shall cover all insurance and maintenance costs for three years."

Source: http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2011-10-11/news/30266857_1_leasing-benz-financial-marketing-debashis-mitra

Komatsu Opens Second Production Base in India

By: Press Release
Source: http://www.komatsu.com



Komatsu Ltd. (President and CEO: Masahiro Sakane) held an opening ceremony at Komatsu India Private Limited today for its second production base in India. Komatsu India began operation in January this year, producing large dump trucks for mines in India.
In 1958, Komatsu signed a technical assistance agreement for bulldozers with the Government of India. This agreement was later passed to BHARAT EARTH MOVERS LTD. (BEML), an undertaking of the Government, through which Komatsu continued to make contributions to India's production of construction equipment. In 1998, Komatsu established L&T-Komatsu Limited jointly with Larsen & Toubro Ltd. and embarked on the production of hydraulic excavators.
As the 21st century was ushered in, the Indian economy was gaining full momentum in growth, expanding the nation's energy needs and infrastructure investments. As a result, India's resource development projects are buoyant, driven by the thriving demand for coal for thermal power generation and for the production of iron, copper and non-ferrous metals. Against this backdrop, the mining industry is modernizing operations with equipment, and this is sharply increasing demand for large equipment for mining use. Anticipating a high level of orders for off-highway dump trucks and other equipment to continue into the future, Komatsu decided to build this new local production base and commenced the construction in May last year.
Komatsu India's plant shares the basic design concepts with the Ibaraki Plant in Japan, which also opened in January this year, featuring a simple assembly line configuration and assembly instruction display system, among others. By making the production processes "visible" at the plants, Komatsu has established a solid quality assurance system.

Source: http://www.komatsu.com/CompanyInfo/press/2007032818281516865.html

A Grande Excursion to India

By: Katie Spence
Source: http://www.dailyfinance.com

India, the land of 1.21 billion people, may soon be getting its first Starbucks (NAS: SBUX) , thanks to a possible joint venture with Tata Coffee. A final deal is expected to be announced within the next three weeks, and if it goes through, it could mean great things for Starbucks shareholders.

Mmmmm, coffee
Although Indians are traditionally considered to be tea drinkers, according to a recent poll, overall domestic coffee consumption rose to an estimated 108,000 metric tons in 2010, which represents an 80% growth in the past decade -- and with numbers like this, you'd better believe Starbucks is sitting up and taking notice.

Moreover, India is considered to be one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, and with U.S. consumer spending still on shaky ground, moving into countries such as India and China is one way Starbucks can continue to increase profits.

Going global
India is by no means the first global expansion project Starbucks has undertaken. In 1998, Starbucks opened a location in Taipei, and in 1999, Starbucks opened its first location in Beijing through a licensing agreement with Mei Da Coffee. Since these initial openings, Chinese consumers have responded favorably to Starbucks, and as of the end of 2010, there were more than 750 Starbucks locations throughout Greater China, which includes Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan.

In addition, Starbucks Chairman Howard Schultz said in January that in the next five years, Starbucks plans to triple its outlets in Mainland China to 1,500. Clearly, business is going well both in China and internationally in general -- according to Starbucks' Q3 report for 2011, the company had record-breaking third-quarter sales thanks to an 8% increase in global comparable-store sales, and in Q3 FY11, international net revenue come to more than $658 million, which is a 20% increase over Q3 FY10.

Not without peril
Starbucks' expansion into India seems like a golden opportunity, but it does carry a certain degree of risk. Starbucks will have to compete with already established companies like Cafe Coffee Day, a unit of Amalgamated Bean Coffee Trading, which runs the largest chain of coffee retailers in India, and Whitbread, which operates Costa Coffee Stores.

Still, if companies such as Coca-Cola (NYS: KO) , Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYS: CMG) , and Wal-Mart (NYS: WMT) have taught us anything, it's that international growth can mean good things for the company. Coke's total net revenue for Europe alone came to $1.6 billion for its most recent 10-Q; Chipotle headed across the pond to England in 2010 and this year opened its second location, because, as Chairman and co-CEO Steve Ells said, "We think the prospects are very good for Chipotle in London and around Europe." Wal-Mart, whose international ambitions are a major contributor to sales growth, realized 26% of its total revenue internationally.

Other coffee titans have also jumped on the potential for an international java boost. Sara Lee (NYS: SLE) has announced plans to spin off its international coffee and tea business and has a track record of gobbling up smaller foreign coffee companies. Kraft (NYS: KFT) has announced a similar plan to split into two more focused companies, with its Maxwell House brand making a new bed in the house of North American Grocery.

A perky future
The joint venture between Starbucks and Tata Coffee still has to be completed, but if it does get done, I believe the future of Starbucks in India will mean increased profits for Starbucks shareholders. Starbucks traded up 1% following the news of a possible joint venture on Tuesday. And with the Dow Jones Industrial Average (INDEX: ^DJI) being a more negative than positive yo-yo these days, a 1% increase in a company's stock price is nothing to scoff at.

Source: http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/10/12/a-grande-excursion-to-india/

Walmart to invest more in India if FDI policy is relaxed

By: rediff Business
Source: http://www.rediff.com

The world's largest retailer Walmart on Wednesday said its investments in India will grow manifold if foreign direct investment regulations on multi-brand retail are relaxed in the country.

Walmart said it will ramp up its investment in India to strengthen supply chains and enhance direct linkages with farmers in order to provide 'quality products at affordable' prices to Indian consumers.

"There would be manifold increase in investment by Walmart in India if FDI in multi-brand retail is opened up," Walmart India president Raj Jain told reporters on the sidelines of a CII event in New Delhi.

Walmart currently has 9 cash-and-carry stores in India through a joint-venture with Bharti Enterprises.

"Investment in India is not a problem, policy (FDI regulations) is a problem," Jain said.

At present, India does not allow FDI in multi-brand retail, which has restricted international players to the wholesale cash-and-carry business.

In the wholesale business, 100 per cent FDI is allowed, whereas in single brand retail, 51 per cent overseas investment is permitted.

While a committee of secretaries has given a green signal to FDI in multi-brand retail, the move requires political approval.

The government is still in the process of finding a political consensus on the issue.

Walmart currently works with a large number for farmers for direct sourcing of products

"We already work with farmers in the North and will soon start that in the South too. We are doing as much as we can, but our investments cannot be monetised on the back of wholesale alone," he said.

Through wholesale, the company anyway can not control the prices that end-consumers pay for the final products, he added.

Jain, however, did not share absolute numbers on the quantum of investment being made by the company in the country and the expected increase in case FDI is allowed in multi-brand retail in India going ahead.

Source: http://www.rediff.com/business/slide-show/slide-show-1-walmart-to-invest-more-if-fdi-policy-is-relaxed/20110928.htm

Target watching India retail space

By: Nivedita Mookerji
Source: http://business-standard.com
The India office of Target, the US retail major, is busy strategising these days on how to display products across the shelves of nearly 2,000 of its American stores, to woo Christmas shoppers.

The Bangalore hub, where Target has its India operation, is going all out, making predictions on the number of buyers expected in the holiday season and taking a call on what promotional offers would click at these US stores. All this, while Target Corporation's Minneapolis headquarters is watching the Indian retail space keenly. It is likely to finalise its plan for this market only after the chain’s Canada foray.

The retailer refers to its Bangalore operation as Target’s “second headquarters”. However, like any other multi-brand chain, it is not permitted to open stores in India yet. Currently, foreign direct investment (FDI) is not permitted in multi-brand retail. In single-brand retail, up to 51 per cent is allowed. There’s no restriction on FDI in cash and carry or the wholesale business.

Asked about the chain’s India plans in terms of opening multi-brand retail stores, Lalit Ahuja, chairman & president, Target Corporation India, told Business Standard, “We have started thinking beyond the shores (of the US) now. We will plan other international destinations once we have success in Canada. We will look at other international destinations at an appropriate time.”

Target has announced its Canada plan, and is slated to open anything between 100 and 150 stores there in 2013-14. Ahuja said the chain was closely tracking retail developments in India. According to him, it is only a matter of time before multi-brand retail is opened to foreign investment. This would benefit the sector in terms of technology, supply chain and best practices, he said.

On the industry view in the US, he said, “There’s a fair amount of interest in the big story in India.” However, also anxiety and frustration on how long it may take for India to open the sector. International majors such as Walmart (US), Tesco (UK) and Carrefour (France) have been waiting for years to open stores in India. On current operations, Ahuja said, “Where Minneapolis ends is where Bangalore begins.” The India operation is not an outsourcing entity; rather, it’s the second headquarters for Target, he reiterated. The Bangalore centre is focused on strategic work, finance, technology innovation, analytics, property development and marketing, among other functions. “The functions here are in-step and aligned with our counterparts in Minneapolis.”

Target India has 2,500 staffers. In addition, there are 1,000 contract workers. The company refused to give any investment figures, but said, “We have invested significantly”. “There are no specific numbers that we can give, but there’s a nice story ahead,” according to Ahuja.


Source: http://business-standard.com/india/news/target-watching-india-retail-space/454525/

Oracle India to hire 3,500 employees by May 2012

By: Sameer Ranjan Bakshi
Source: http://www.mydigitalfc.com
Oracle India on Thursday said it is looking to hire about 3500 employees by May 2012 for all its business verticals in the country.

As part of the ongoing recruitment drive within Asia Pacific, the heightened need in India, according to Oracle, is a result of the company’s growth across all business units — software, hardware, middleware, applications for Oracle and Oracle global business units and includes positions at all levels from graduates to senior sales staff. Oracle, which has current employee base of 21,000 plus employees, aid that the company would extensively promote this recruitment drive through social media like Facebook, twitter, Lin­kedin, YouTube and others.

Sandeep Mathur, managing director, Oracle, said, “Growth in India is being driven by government investment, telecom, banking and Healthcare and others. I-flex acquisition has helped us in servicing financial sectors”. Oracle has 7000 plus customers and 1000 plus partners. “There has never been a more exciting time to work for Oracle. Oracle has emerged as the technology partner of choice for many customers,” said Mathur.

He added, "With our current workforce and the new hire plan of adding 3,500 more people, we want to ensure we have the right talent, skills and attitude to fuel the growth of our company and serve our customers as they embark on their transformation journeys”.

Source: http://www.mydigitalfc.com/jobs/oracle-india-hire-3500-employees-may-2012-200

New law to boost mining investment in India: Caterpillar

By: MSN News
Source: http://news.in.msn.com


Singapore, Oct 18 (PTI) Foreign investments in India�s mining sector will boom once the draft bill on the sector is passed by parliament, infrastructure major Caterpillar Asia said at a conference here today.

The Government is expected to introduce the draft bill to Parliament in the forthcoming Winter session.
"Our customers tell us that foreigners'' appetite for investment in the Indian mining sector will increase significantly as they gain confidence with the backing of the new law," Kevin Thieneman, President for Caterpillar Asia, said at the annual Global Entrepolis Singapore conference.

Caterpillar, a global heavy-duty machinery producer, has several customers in the infrastructure and mining sectors in India.

Thieneman -- who is also the chairman of the Caterpillar China -- said Indonesia and Vietnam had modernised their mining laws and it was now for India to do so and bring about certainties in the sector and boost investor confidence.

He said investors would want the law to provide security and certainty for their investments in the mining projects, which have grown bigger and involve high risks.

Among major changes in the law would be the uniform structure of royalties across the country instead of the current state-by-state tax structure, Theineman said.

Speaking to PTI after addressing the conference, he said the Indian mining industry was expecting the law to be passed by December though it would depend on parliamentary proceedings.

Sounding bullish on business prospects in India, he noted the slower parliamentary process but said he was "hopeful" that the new law will be passed in the next parliamentary session and give boost to the mining sector.

The conference was opened by Trade and Industry Minister Lim Hng Kiang who said emerging Asia would provide growth opportunities in an increasingly volatile environment. PTI CORR MM

Source: http://news.in.msn.com/international/article.aspx?cp-documentid=5523326

IBM Opens Office in Indore, Madhya Pradesh Expanding its Foothold in India

By: Katelyn Noland
Source: http://blog.executivebiz.com
IBM has opened a new branch office in Indore, Madhya Pradesh in central India as part of the company’s initiative to increase its presence in key growth markets.

IBM now has 15 branches in the country and plans to establish footing in more than 40 Indian cities by 2013.

This branch will strengthen IBM’s ability to deliver more advanced solutions such as information management, security and networking, cloud computing, business analytics, strategic outsourcing and hosting services, according to the company.

Opening the new branch is part of IBM’s ongoing investment in India, focusing on smaller cities across the country in order to meet needs of clients and partners.

“IBM is a partner to innovative and high-growth companies across India,” said Nipun Mehrotra, vice president of general business and geographic expansion, IBM India/South Asia. “By strengthening our presence in the Madhya Pradesh region we are able to offer the most advanced technologies and solutions to our local partners and clients, helping them to do things smarter and break away from the rest of the pack.”

IBM says it is already engaged with clients and partners in multiple industries in this area, some of which include food manufacturers Sonic Biochem and Everfresh Bakeries as well as textile manufacturing company Pratibha Syntex.

IBM is partnering with Sonic Biochem Extractions in a 10 year outsourcing contract where IBM will host and manage Sonic Biochem’s IT infrastructure including storage, servers, network equipment and security solutions.

Source: http://blog.executivebiz.com/2011/11/ibm-opens-office-in-indore-madhya-pradesh-expanding-its-foothold-in-india/

Ferrari zooms into Indian market

By: Malvika Sampat
Source: http://investmoneyinindia.com

Taking account of the Indian premium car market, one of the worlds most admired brand, Ferrai is making roads into Indian market.

Ferrrai, the style icon and luxury sports car is targeting the super rich segment in India.

Ferrari has officially entered the Indian market with popular models such as Ferrari California priced at Rs. 2.2 crore, 458 Italia at Rs. 2.56 crore and 599GTB Fiorano tagged at Rs. 3.37 crore. All prices are ex-showroom Delhi.

Ferrari’s latest model the FF, which was unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show earlier this year, will also be available. It carries a price tag of Rs. 3.41 crore.

Booking of the cars has already started with the opening of the first dealership in the national capital. The second showroom will be operational in the second half of 2011 in financial capital, Mumbai.

The company expect to sell more than 100 cars in the next 2-3 years.

Ferrari SpA Chief Executive Officer Amedeo Felisa told that the company has appointed the Shreyans Group as its official importer in India. India is the 58th market for Ferrari. Explaining the late arrival of Ferrari in India, Felisa said it was waiting for the right time to enter the market.

Now Ferrari is in India, a part of the Fiat group, and like its parent Ferrari too shares a string relationship with the Tata Group. TCS develops software for Ferrari’s road and race cars and it was a foregone conclusion at one time that the brand would ride into India on Tata’s shoulders.

Source: http://investmoneyinindia.com/3090/ferrari-zooms-into-indian-market

BMW is investing more than 1 billion euros ($1.42 billion) in factories including in India

By: Alex Webb
Source: http://www.bloomberg.com

Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (BMW), the world’s biggest maker of luxury cars, is operating factories at more than 110 percent of capacity on record demand for models like the X3 and X1 sport-utility vehicles.

BMW plans to make a decision to add new production facilities in growing markets, including Brazil, as it aims to lift sales to 2 million vehicles a year by 2020 from a target of 1.6 million this year, Frank-Peter Arndt, the carmaker’s production chief, said today in Munich. The company aims to increase output further next year with the introduction of the revamped 3-Series sedan, he said.

“We are a business that aims for permanent and long-term success,” Arndt said at an event marking the start of production of the 35,350-euro 3-Series sedan. “We will seek in 2012 to exceed these successful levels of 2011.”

BMW is hoping that the sixth generation of its best seller will preserve its lead over Volkswagen AG (VOW)’s Audi and Daimler AG (DAI)’s Mercedes-Benz, which have both set their sights on the overtaking the Munich-based manufacturer. BMW is investing more than 1 billion euros ($1.42 billion) in factories in Germany and South Africa to produce the vehicle.

The maker of BMW, Mini and Rolls-Royce vehicles plans to expand production at plants in Russia, India and Thailand, where it assembles parts produced elsewhere, Arndt said. The annual capacity at a factory in Chennai, India, will double from the current 20,000 units, he said.

Even with the growth plans, BMW is prepared for a potential slowdown in demand and can reduce production volumes by 20 percent to 30 percent if necessary, Arndt said. BMW measures full capacity at a plant based on two eight-hour shifts, staffed five days per week and 47 weeks per year, according to the executive.

BMW is scheduled to report earnings for the third quarter on Nov. 3. The manufacturer is expected to report a 32 percent increase in earnings before interest and taxes of 1.57 billion euros, based on the average of 14 analyst estimates compiled by Bloomberg.

Source: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-10-28/bmw-factories-work-overtime-on-strong-demand-for-x3-x1-models.html

Haryana attracted 73 Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) projects worth about Rs ... production across various manufacturing verticals including automobiles

By: INDIA BOOMS
Source: http://www.indiablooms.com
Mumbai, Oct 31 (IBNS) With a share of Rs 1,826 crore and over 24,200 assesses Gurgaon accounted for about 23 per cent of total tax worth Rs 8,044 crore realised from 1.7 lakh assesses under the Haryana VAT Act 2003 during 2009-10, apex industry body ASSOCHAM said on Monday highlighting the district’s contribution in state’s economic development.
Besides, Gurgaon also accounted for about 7 per cent of total tax realised under the Central Sales Tax Act 1956 with a share of Rs 285 crore of the total Rs 4,063 crore. Of the total 1.67 lakh assesses, about 24,000 were from Gurgaon.

The district also accounted for about 15 per cent of total tax collected under the Passenger and Goods Tax Act 1952 with a share of about Rs 51.88 crore, according to an analysis of The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM).

Out of total value of property transferred worth Rs 32,000 crore in Haryana, Gurgaon accounted for about Rs 4,200 crore with about 47,200 registered properties against total of about 5.4 lakh in the whole state.

Interestingly, Gurgaon accounted for about Rs 14 crore and 60 per cent of total entertainment tax receipts worth Rs 25 crore in Haryana.

“Gurgaon accounts for a sizeable proportion of total number of large, medium and small units operating throughout the state of Haryana, total investment made in these units and employment generated by these units thereby making the city as one of India’s fastest growing commercial hub,” said D.S. Rawat, secretary general of ASSOCHAM while releasing ‘A Statistical Note on Gurgaon.’

The district alone accounted for nearly 71 per cent and Rs 30,608 crore out of total exports from Haryana worth Rs 43,031 crore in 2009-10, said ASSOCHAM.

Software companies based out of Gurgaon accounted for a large part of IT/Software exports worth about Rs 22,700 crore from Harayana in 2009-10 as the city is home to largest number of call centres and business process outsourcing (BPO) companies.

“Gurgaon being India’s third largest software hub after Bangalore and Chennai. It can be easily transformed into India’s global financial centre to sit alongside global commercial hubs of Manhattan in New York, Ginza in Tokyo and the Square Mile in London,” said Rawat.

Haryana attracted 73 Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) projects worth about Rs 9,500 crore between April 2005 and December 2010 and Gurgaon accounted for about 80 per cent of this FDI with a share of 38 projects worth over Rs 7,300 crore.

Gurgaon’s contribution to industrial production in Haryana is between 65 per cent to almost 100 per cent it accounted for over 70 per cent of all exports from the state in 2009-10.

“The district city contributes substantially to Haryana’s overall industrial production across various manufacturing verticals including automobiles, sports goods, hosiery, water fittings and sewing machine,” said Rawat.

Gurgaon profoundly contributes to economic progress and financial development of Haryana evidently, as about 35 per cent of all the industrial units operating in the state are based out of Gurgaon with total investment of over Rs 6,450 crore employing about 60,000 people with a production of goods and services over Rs 21,400 crore.

“Significant investments in business segments like corporate and asset management, back office functions of banking, insurance, capital market, private equity and venture capitalist companies, microfinance establishments are fuelling the industrial growth in Gurgaon,” said Rawat.

A total 1,356 large and medium units operating in Haryana with an investment of Rs 25,750 crore employing about 2.4 lakh people with a production of over Rs 1.70 lakh crore.

Nearly 435 units are based in Gurgaon with an investment of Rs 6,450 crore employing about 60,000 people producing goods and services worth Rs 21,400 crore.

Gurgaon also accounts for over 25 per cent of total small and medium enterprises set up in Haryana during the course of last five years with about 3,140 units out of a total of 12,192 MSME units set up across the state.

Out of nearly 10,300 registered factories employing 7.41 lakh workers in Haryana in 2009, Gurgaon accounted for over 1,700 factories and 2.28 lakh workers.

Besides, over 2.93 lakh people were employed in Haryana’s organised private sector in 2009-10 and Gurgaon accounted for about 30 per cent of the total workforce with over 86,200 workers.

Of about 2.2 lakh commercial establishments, shops, hotels and restaurants employing over 3.3 lakh workers in Haryana, about 1.63 lakh were employed in over 6,500 commercial establishments set up in Gurgaon.

Out of the total deposits and credits of over 2,100 scheduled commercial banks in Haryana worth over Rs 87,200 crore and Rs 53,600 crore respectively, Gurgaon accounted for about Rs 25,000 crore deposits and Rs 8,800 crore credit of the 260 scheduled commercial banks in the city.

Of the 2.53 crore population of Haryana as per 2011 census Gurgaon district’s population accounts for 15.14 lakh and has surged by about 73 per cent during the last decade.

High infrastructural growth with vast pool of IT and ITeS industries, investor-friendly policies, highly skilled, motivated and its relatively low-cost IT labour force and sprawling shopping malls, numerous skyscrapers comprising commercial and residential complexes together with modern infrastructure set Gurgaon apart from rest of the cities.

By the end of this decade, Gurgaon will develop as an international financial platform to serve India’s growing needs and increase its voice in global financial markets, said ASSOCHAM.

Source: http://www.indiablooms.com/BusinessDetailsPage/2011/businessDetails311011e.php

HP Investing in the Indian Market

By: James Adams
Source: http://www.cartridgesave.co.uk

India, by most projections, is about to become the world’s third largest economy. The big players in the digital imaging and printing industry are paying attention, starting with HP.

The executive connection

A few telling details: Vyomesh Joshi, born and raised in Ahmedabad, India and educated in the USA at Ohio State University, is today the executive vice-president of HP’s imaging and printing group. This group accounts for about a fifth of the $126-billion company’s total sales, by far the largest single component of the business.

Speaking about his native country, Joshi says: “We see IT adoption growing rapidly. I see extraordinary opportunity in consumer, small and medium business, and enterprise.”

HP’s view of the future

He explains, “Take the imaging and printing business. The connect rate of PCs to printers is 10 to 1 in India; in the US it is 10 to 3-4. People here don’t tie printers to their needs. Once we have printers as a web appliance and we have compelling content, things will change.”

Asked about HP’s vision of the future and rumours about the imminent breakup of the company, Joshi had this to say: “Leo (HP CEO Leo Apotheker) is taking the company in the direction of cloud, connectivity and software . Look at the printing strategy, that’s also about cloud, connectivity and software . If you look at our parts and the overall business, and if you look at where the market is going, the value for the customer is more if we stay together.”

Source: http://www.cartridgesave.co.uk/news/hp-investing-in-the-indian-market/

'Puss in Boots' showcases work by India animators for DreamWorks

By:Richard Verrier
Source:http://www.latimes.com


'Puss in Boots' marks the first time DreamWorks has relied on Indian animators to help produce a full-length feature film. The Bangalore, India, animation studio has become an increasingly important piece of DreamWorks' production pipeline.

When the cat bandit "Puss in Boots" strides onto the big screen this weekend, Vanitha Rangaraju and her colleagues in Bangalore, India, will take special pride in the feline's starring role on the global stage.

A spinoff of the hit "Shrek" movies, "Puss in Boots" represents a milestone for DreamWorks Animation and for the fledgling animation industry in the world's second most populous nation.

The film, starring Antonio Banderas and Salma Hayek, marks the first time that the Glendale studio has relied on a crew of Indian animators to help produce a full-length feature film. Until now, DreamWorks Animation had used the studio it operates in Bangalore to produce mainly TV specials and DVD bonus material. But after investing more than $10 million over the last three years, DreamWorks has turned the Bangalore studio into an increasingly important piece of its production pipeline.

The investment underscores how Hollywood is increasingly farming out animation and visual effects work to India, both to capitalize on the country's low labor costs and to tap into a large pool of English-speaking workers with sought-after computer skills. The pace of production also is accelerated because of the 24-hour cycle that can be maintained by pairing the Bangalore workers with their counterparts in Hollywood.

"We're very excited because we've been working toward this for three years,'' said Rangaraju, head of lighting for the India animation unit. "This is the first time this has happened in India, and it's going to encourage a lot of people to move into the industry."

DreamWorks is among several studios tapping into the labor pool in India. Sony Pictures Entertainment and Rhythm & Hues, the Los Angeles animation and visual effects house, each have facilities in India that have done work on such feature films as "Yogi Bear" and "Alvin and the Chipmunks." Walt Disney Studios partnered with Mumbai-based Prana Studios to produce its 2008 computer-animated movie "Tinker Bell." Additionally, several large Indian companies, such as Reliance Group, Tata Elxsi and Prime Focus, have established beachheads in Hollywood to do visual effects and 3-D conversion work on films such as "Spider-Man 3" and "Clash of the Titans."

Traditionally, much of the film and TV work Hollywood has outsourced to India has involved low-skill, labor-intensive tasks such as wire removal — the tedious process of digitally erasing wires used to suspend stunt people and stars in action movies. The animation work has been confined mostly to TV series or made-for-DVD movies. But that's beginning to change, as evidenced by "Puss in Boots."

A team of about 100 animators in Bangalore spent six months animating three major scenes in the feature film — including one complex sequence in which Puss, Humpty Dumpty (Zach Galifianakis) and Kitty Softpaws (Hayek) enter a giant's castle surrounded by a lush jungle in the clouds. "Except for the story boarding, we did everything from start to finish," said Philippe Gluckman, creative director for the DreamWorks India unit, housed on the eleventh floor of a building in a high-tech park in a suburb of Bangalore. "I would hope nobody would be able to tell which sequences came from India."

DreamWorks launched the India studio in early 2008 as part of a partnership with Technicolor, which acquired the Indian animation company Paprika Animation Studios. Technicolor owns the facility but has tapped DreamWorks to hire and train 220 illustrators who work there. DreamWorks sent staff members to India to train the crews and hold master classes on topics such as how to properly shape mouths.

Before embarking on a full-length feature film, the DreamWorks India unit started with smaller projects, such as holiday TV specials including "Merry Madagascar" and "Scared Shrekless" (a separate unit with the Technicolor studio animated the successful Nickelodeon TV series "The Penguins of Madagascar"). Currently, the group is working on its next film projects, including "Madagascar 3," due out next summer, and is expected to have a role in the upcoming Bollywood-style musical "Monkeys of Mumbai."

"It has been a very steep learning curve for all of them," Gluckman said.

"Puss in Boots" Director Chris Miller said he was impressed with the quality of the work from India. "The work that came out of it was terrific and stands up to anything that was done here," said Miller, who also directed "Shrek the Third."

The ability to farm out even a small portion of the work to India has obvious financial advantages to DreamWorks, given the substantially lower labor costs — about 40% less than in the U.S. — and the increasingly competitive market in the U.S. The typical DreamWorks film costs about $130 million to produce.

But Joe Aguilar, head of the Indian operation for DreamWorks and producer on "Puss in Boots," said the primary rationale for expanding into India was about tapping a scarce resource: people. The studio didn't have enough people to meet its production needs at its two principal centers: in Glendale and at the PDI/DreamWorks facility in Redwood City. That became apparent when the studio began producing as many as three films in a year, he said.

"For us to continue to expand our capacity, we needed to have this facility," Aguilar said. "There is a tremendous amount of talent there."

Aguilar acknowledged some initial concerns within DreamWorks when the studio, which employs 1,561 people in Glendale and 557 in Redwood City, opened its facility in India.

"There has been fear in our studio," he said. "But, if anything, we've just built more space in Glendale to increase our capacity there, and we're moving into a bigger office in Redwood City. We're not reducing jobs in the U.S."

Source: http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-ct-dwa-india-20111029,0,1526743.story

$70 mn investment by Samsung in India

By: IT NEXT
Source: http://www.itnext.in

The leading electronic player plans to provide 4,000 jobs at its Noida centre

Mobile phone major, Samsung, has announced an investment of $70 million, tripling the manufacturing capabilities in its Noida facility.

With this investment, the company will enhance its production capabilities of 16 different models from the existing 12 million units a year.

India is one of its largest R&D centres in the world and the company also develops software for smartphones at its Bangalore facility.

J.S. Shin, president and CEO, Samsung South West Asia, said that they are constantly strengthening their presence in India.

“As India has emerged as one of the fastest growing markets for mobile devices in the world, we are working on an innovative mobile portfolio,” he said.

Ranjit Yadav, head - mobile and IT at Samsung India, said that with the current investment, Noida centre has become their largest production facility in the world.

“We have highly advanced and automated machines at our Noida manufacturing unit,” he added.

Reaffirming their commitment for the country, Yadav said that in 2010, Samsung became the first company to produce 3D LED TV in the country.

With this expansion, Samsung recruited 1,500 employees for its mobile manufacturing unit and now facilitates employment of 4,000 individuals at its Noida center alone.

The Noida plant manufactures various multi-media, dual SIM and touch screen models.

Almost 50 per cent of the company’s turnover comes from mobile and IT business in the country. Samsung invests close to 8 per cent of its total revenue in R&D globally.

Source: http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6269059779339500306#editor/target=post;postID=128392473398552544