Category Archives: Business & Economy

Havells launches distribution boards to match home decor

Business & Economy
A.V. Jagdish (right), Vice-President, Havells India Ltd, and Anil Sharma, Head-Corporate Communications, at the launch of the company's Metalica Divine Series and Metalica range of distribution boards in Coimbatore on Thursday. -- K. Ananthan / The Hindu
A.V. Jagdish (right), Vice-President, Havells India Ltd, and Anil Sharma, Head-Corporate Communications, at the launch of the company’s Metalica Divine Series and Metalica range of distribution boards in Coimbatore on Thursday. — K. Ananthan / The Hindu

Coimbatore :

Fast-moving electrical goods (FMEG) company Havells India Ltd (HIL) has launched the ‘Metalica’ and ‘Metalica Divine Series’ of distribution boards, which it hopes would create a niche market for the product.

Speaking to newsmen in Coimbatore at the national launch of the new-look distribution boards, A.V Jagdish, Vice-President, HIL, said as more people are opting for flats, distribution boards have come to be part of the living room. But in most places, their colour stands out from the interiors of the homes. The new product would appeal to style conscious people, he said.

He said the metalica boards with metallic finish and six or seven colour options would match the interiors of the homes. The company might even give consumers the option of having boards with floral themes or with posters painted on them. The scratch-resistant boards would have magnetic locks and designer handles. To begin with, the boards would come in silver grey/golden sparkle and sparkling white colours.

The ‘Metalica Divine Series’ would satisfy the pious by having images of Gods painted on them. These distribution boards could be changed to suit the décor of the room and could be done by the homeowners themselves without the help of electricians. These would be priced from ₹1,300 to ₹7,800. The divine series would have six options and two more colours would be introduced apart from grey and white. In two years, the company might have customised options for buyers who could choose the photos to be printed on them!

He said the distribution board business in India was estimated at ₹600 crore and Havells share was about ₹100 crore. In three years, he expected Havells’ share to go up to ₹225 crore. He was confident that the initiative would create opportunities for Havells to capture greater market share.

Self-priming mono block pumps

He said Havells was also launching its self-priming mono block pumps in Coimbatore. He said industrial pumps accounted for ₹4,000 crore of the ₹10,000-crore pump market. The balance was accounted for by agricultural and domestic pumps. Domestic water-lifting pumps had a market share of ₹2,000 crore. Apart from its 8,000 electrical goods dealers/retailers in the State, HIL would also sell through sanitary/hardware stores.

Anil Sharma-Head-Corporate Communications, HIL, said the 0.5 HP pumps would be priced in the range of ₹2,500 to ₹7,000 depending on the variants. In a month’s time two more models could be launched. The company was looking at garnering ₹100 crore from the pump business in the first year. The pumps were informally launched at Lucknow earlier, he said.

source: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com / Business Line / Home> Companies / by R. Yegua Narayanan / Coimbatore – March 20th, 2014

Coimbatore garage drives campaigns in south India

Business & Economy, Science & Technologies, Sports

For political parties in southern India, election manifestos and selection of candidates can wait. Not their leaders’ customised campaign vehicles sourced from a garage in Coimbatore, 430km southwest of Chennai.

CarsCF31mar2014

Koyas and Sons began rolling out luxurious raths (chariots) for politicians much before BJP stalwart L K Advani made them fashionable with his Rath Yatra in 1990.

AIADMK head and Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa swears by their luxury on wheels, so do rival DMK chief M Karunanidhi and former Andhra Pradesh  chief minister Kiran Kumar Reddy.

Amma, as Jayalalithaa is called, had a sophisticated ‘Koya rath’ — her second this poll season — delivered on Monday.

Kalaignar (Karunanidhi) and his younger son MK Stalin have already been driving around in the ones the garage designed for them.

DMK leader TR Baalu, PMK chief Ramadoss and Vijayakanth of DMDK have not ordered theirs; the ones they had for the 2011 assembly elections in Tamil Nadu are as good as new.

According to the garage’s managing partner PV Mohammed Riaz, a campaign vehicle — essentially a tempo traveller — is virtually a luxury apartment on wheels.

From toilet, sofa cum beds, recliners, refrigerator and microwave to TV, sensors and wifi internet facility, it has everything one can ask for.

Depending on requirement, refurbishing the interiors of a campaign vehicle costs `3-5lakh. Each takes at least a month to complete, and political parties order well in advance to get theirs on time.

“But these campaign vehicles are season business. Our main activity throughout the year is refurbishing caravans for film stars and other VIPs,” Riaz said, adding the most important aspect they keep in mind is a client’s riding comfort.  The comfort factor had made former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi refurbish his Ambassador at Koyas and Sons. Gandhi was impressed by what the garage had done to former Kerala chief minister M Karunakaran’s car.

Ditto with film stars Rajinikanth and Amitabh Bachchan, who had their caravans redone by Koyas. Home> Campaign Watch / by K V Lakshmana, HT / Chennai – March 19th, 2014

source: http://www.hindustantimes.com / Hindustan Times / Home> Campaign Watch /  by K V Lakshmana, Hindustan Times / Chennai – March 19th, 2014

Coding to crepe

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features
Joshna Rebecca Naveen in one of her creations./ Photo: Justapose Photos / Special Arrangement / The Hindu
Joshna Rebecca Naveen in one of her creations./ Photo: Justapose Photos / Special Arrangement / The Hindu

From software engineer to fashion designer – Joshna Rebecca Naveen’s transformation was seamless. Susanna Myrtle Lazarus talks to the newest designer on the virtual block about the shift.

Joshna Rebecca Naveen’s Online Boutique is a line of designer and customised saris. She talks to NXg about her journey and inspiration.

From computer codes to crepe and chiffon — what prompted the shift?

After working for several years in the IT industry, I took a break to sail with my marine engineer husband. A few months ago, I wanted to do something creative. I love fashion, especially saris; since I’ve always had an eye for colour and design, I took the leap and started dabbling in designing saris. The first sari I made was for me, and since then there has been no looking back.

Why Facebook?

Using Facebook as the medium for marketing was purely for convenience. It gives me the freedom to post and interact with customers on the go. I also get feedback that I use in creating my next collection. So far the customer response has been great, especially after my first exhibition a few weeks ago.

What’s your marketing/advertising strategy?

I get a lot of work on recommendation from clients, who are happy with what I’ve created for them. Of course Facebook advertisements help. I model my saris and have my clients send in photos of them wearing Rebecca’s creations so that they have an idea of how the sari will look on an average-sized woman.

There are several such online boutiques on Facebook. What makes Rebecca’s special?

Each sari I have made has a story behind it. A lot of care and effort go into every consultation but it’s worth it when they’re delighted with their sari. It is a reflection of themselves and their taste. I also keep the pricing affordable so anyone can stand out in the crowd without spending a bomb! I’m very proud of the mother-daughter series of matching sari and pavada chattai. I feel it is something unique I have to offer.

What has been your success rate?

I’ve just about broken even. The success rate is about 75 per cent with sales and 100 per cent with customer satisfaction. I started out wanting to make trendy designer pieces for young women. However, I soon realised that older women too want such saris, but find that the ones in the market aren’t what they feel is “suitable” for their age.

They make up a large part of my clientele now as I can design what they have in mind.

Rebecca's creation. / Special Arrangement / The Hindu
Rebecca’s creation. / Special Arrangement / The Hindu

What inspires you?

Everything! Tablecloths, curtains, bouquets of flowers… Being a compulsive embroiderer, I love working out colour combinations and patterns. While I like working with ethnic designs, I continue to have an eye out for contemporary and quirky trends. I try to incorporate a little bit of both in the pieces I design. When it comes to colours, I have a weakness for pastel shades.

How do you survive in the tough world of being an entrepreneur?

I’ve a very simple philosophy: don’t think about the competition and don’t let it get you down.

I love designing. It is my passion and I do it for myself and not for competing. In fact, I am quite tickled when clients send me photos from other online designers and ask me if I can make a similar sari.

What is your long-term dream?

I hope to run my own little boutique bridal studio in a couple of years with a full-fledged tailoring unit. Apart from that, I’d love to have the opportunity to dress Deepika Padukone in one of my creations!

Check out her work at facebook.com/rebeccasonlineboutique

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus> XNG / by Susanna Myrtle Lazarus / Chennai – March 30th, 2013

Social entrepreneurship beckons, say experts

Business & Economy, Education, Green Initiatives/ Environment, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Nature

Social entrepreneurship has gained cultural acceptance as a career path, established social entrepreneurs told a gathering of students at an ‘unconvention’ organised at IIT-Madras on Saturday.

Speakers at the event organised by Villgro, a city-based rural enterprise incubation centre, noted there was a never-like-before culture of embracing entrepreneurship and a growing number of investors willing to invest in such ventures.

Villgro’s CEO and founder Paul Basil laid out a simple mantra for students to follow: “India is the world’s lab; solve it here, then globalise it.”

Social entrepreneurs at the unconvention — a networking meeting that does not rigidly follow the rules of traditional conventions —included P. Srinivasan, co-founder and chairman of Jeevan Stem Cell and Blood Bank, K. Thiruvengada Krishnan, chief consultant of cornea and refractive services, Aravind Eye Care System, and Ravi Sarogi, co-founder of Uniphore Software Systems.

Dr. Thiruvengada Krishnan, in his presentation about Aravind Eye Hospital, outlined the founder Govindapa Venkatasamy’s vision of taking affordable eye care to the masses.

He pointed out that although the hospital ran several charitable projects such as provision of free spectacles and conducting of free surgeries in rural areas, they still made considerable profits because of their non-subsidised healthcare. He added that social enterprise could adopt a hybrid model that combined ‘not-for-profit’ and ‘for-profit’ operations.

Villgro welcomes social entrepreneurs to pitch their ideas for programmes. For more details, interested persons can visit www.villgro.org

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai> Events / by Special Correspondent / Chennai – March 16th, 2014

Madurai-based techie develops augmented reality game

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Science & Technologies, World Opinion

Madurai :

Augmented reality games may be in their nascent stage in tier-I cities like Chennai. But, that hasn’t deterred the passion of this Madurai-based game developer, who has come up with trial version of an augmented reality game titled ‘Zombies Table.’ The demo game, which was released 20 days back in Apple Store and Google Play, has already started gaining attention among online users.

In fact, the game, which is the brain child of T S Gokul Prasath, 29, from Anna Nagar in Madurai, has already become one of the top rated augmented reality games with more than 5,000 downloads in Apple Store and Google Play.

Unlike other games, augmented reality games engage the player with the objects in real life. It has been an emerging area where lots of research and developments have been taking place. While the demo game has got instant acceptance, the Madurai youth vows to bring out the full version of ‘Table Zombie’ in the next 30 days.

Gokul completed his engineering in a city college and later pursued his MBA in International Business from a reputed college in Coimbatore. Though he was interested in application and game development from his under graduation days, he could not pursue it then. After his MBA, he got placed well-reputed companies. But his urge to become a game developer never subsided. He quit his job and started developing applications before he stared his own developing unit named SRG United Solutions in the city.

Briefing about the game, Gokul says, “The game can be downloaded at free of cost and played in smart phone or tablet. We have also linked the game with a PDF document. Once the print out is scanned through the camera after launching the application, the characters would come alive and people can play it. The demo version of the Table Zombie has been rated among the top three games in augmented reality field. There has been articles and positive feedback by users too.”

When contacted R Sivarajah, the former president of Software Industries Development Association of South Tamil Nadu (SIDA) and founder of Nativelead, an organisation to develop entrepreneurship skills of students, he said there are not many companies developing augmented reality games even in tier one cities. “It is in a nascent stage in South India,” he said.

According to this young game developer, augmented reality game is the future of all games. “In fact, that time is not too far when movie wall posters would start playing the entire trailer. Google glass could be connected to this application. This would enable us to watch the trailers through posters, which would be designed using augmented reality technique,” Gokul added.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Madurai / by V. Devanathan, TNN / March 19th, 2014

Enjoy uninterrupted power sans inverters, the way retired Madurai professor does

Business & Economy, Green Initiatives/ Environment, Science & Technologies

Madurai :

Power cuts and poor voltage have been a regular feature, troubling both residents and industrialists alike in the region. When inverter sales are booming due to erratic supply, a retired electrical and electronics professor here is enjoying uninterrupted power supply without using one. This is possible by making use of basic direct current (DC) from solar power and batteries. The advantages of this scientifically well-proven concept, now tried by P S Kannan, is that power will be available uninterrupted and that without incurring high electricity charges.

Though, low DC power is more efficient than alternating current (AC) is the common system world over for power distribution is AC due to its transmission efficiencies. Kannan has made his home immune from power vagaries by using solar panels and batteries. He uses minimum AC-based grid supply during night.

“Solar power is DC and the power stored in batteries is also DC. I use DC power for running electronic equipment at home without using an inverter. Most electrical appliances and electronic gadgets can be used with DC power. Running a DC system along with the common AC system eliminates the need of inverters, the method is useful to avoid sine-wave problem in inverters. Battery life will be high and there is no transmission loss,” Kannan said.

An inverter converts AC into DC which is enough to run a few lights and fans or other low-power devices.

All electronic equipment/devices available in market can directly be powered using 180 to 280 volts of DC sources, instead of 230-volt AC sources required for normal operation, Kannan explained. Thus television, personal computers, tube lights with electronic ballast, CFL lights, mobile chargers, DVD players, digital set top boxes, electronic table and ceiling fans can be operated with a DC source, say solar batteries, without using an inverter drawing power from AC sources, like typical power grids, he said.

“The problem of using inverter is that it depends on power supply in the main grid. It affects the quality of power supply at home. In turn, the grid is affected when more number of inverters is used by power consumers,” Kannan said while stressing on the disadvantages of AC system.

To exploit the advantages of DC power, one has to invest in a solar system which is available between Rs 30,000 to 70,000. “My objective is to sensitise public about the option of an uninterrupted power system without using inverter,” he said.

R N Karunanidhi, a former colleague of Kannan, said they have installed it in a colleague’s home. One model is installed in a private engineering college for research and development. “I am working on using DC for induction stoves. If it succeeds, it can be very useful for cooking with solar power and ideal for places like forests and remote areas without electricity,” Kannan added.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Madurai / by J. Arockiaraj / March 12th, 2014

Kongu Retail Summit organised at Coimbatore

Business & Economy
Sanjay Badhe (third right), consultant of retail and marketing, speaking at a panel dicussion held at the Kongu Retail Summit - 2014 organised by the Retailers' Association of India in Coimbatore on Tuesday./ Photo: S. Siva Saravanan / The Hindu
Sanjay Badhe (third right), consultant of retail and marketing, speaking at a panel dicussion held at the Kongu Retail Summit – 2014 organised by the Retailers’ Association of India in Coimbatore on Tuesday./ Photo: S. Siva Saravanan / The Hindu

Retailers urged to focus on national market

Several retail players in south India are on the verge of becoming national retailers, according to Bijou Kurien, former president of Lifestyle at Reliance Retail.

Advantages

He said at the Kongu Retail Summit – 2014, organised here on Tuesday by Retailers’ Association of India (RAI), that south India has significant advantages, such as higher literacy and educational levels. Though 25 per cent of the country’s population is in the south, it has 30 per cent of the retail market. Traditionally, southern States are seen as risk averse. However, there have been several first initiatives in the retail sector from here – expanding to overseas markets, opening up a shopping mall, etc. Modern retail was born here.

The retailers in the south who focused largely on the regional market should now expand their focus to the national level. They should accommodate in their business newer channels of sale and the aspirations of the younger generation. The sector here is on the verge of becoming national retailers, he said.

The RAI is creating a database of service providers, said Kumar Rajagopalan, chief executive officer of the association.

The one-day event included panels discussions on professional outlook in family-run retail business, the art and science of retailing occasion wear in the south, realty facts in the emerging cities for retail, and leveraging technology. Consultants and retailers participated in the discussions. A book on “Power Retailers of south India” was also launched. The Hindu was the media partner for the event.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Coimbatore / by Special Correspondent / Coimbatore – March 19th, 2014

MRF’s toy brand opens first store in TN

Business & Economy

Company plans to open 20 more stores with focus on tier II towns

FunSkoolCF25mar2014

Funskool , one of the leading toy manufacturing company and promoted by the tyre major MRF group, opened its first toy store in India. The new store was set up at Coimbatore and company plans to start another 20 stores, focussing tier-II towns.

The first store, spread over in 1500 sq.ft was inaugurated at Coimbatore and this will be a test store for the company. Based on the success of this store, 20 more will be opened in another 2-3 years, said John Baby, chief executive officer, Funskool India Ltd

R Jeswant, vice president – sales and marketing, Funskool India added, tier II towns and beyond will be the focus for the new stores and the company decided to go on the franchisee model.

The company has identified Indore, Bhopal, Baroda, Surat, Kochi and others has potential destinations for future expansion.

These stores will feature company’s complete range of products manufactured and distributed. Funskool’s own brands like “Giggles”, the infants and preschool range, “Handy Crafts”, its newly launched arts & crafts range and “Play & Learn” range of puzzles as well as the complete range of products from their International partners like LEGO, Hasbro, Tomy Takara, Ravensburger, Rubik’s, Hornby, Siku etc..

In addition, Disney board games, Warner Brothers and Nickelodean board games and puzzles etc, for which the company has the license in India, will also, be available in the store, said the company.

Baby said that company’s endeavor is to take the complete range of products beyond the metro cities.

“This store gives us an opportunity to increase our brand presence and to reach out to a wider target audience. We hope to tap on the market potential to give our consumers a wide option of safe and quality toys, ” he said.

Jeswant added one of the major challenge in the tier II areas are lack of space for toys. There are no standalone stores or a huge supermarket, where the toys can be accommodated.

In 1987, the company, along with Hasbro Inc a global leader in children’s and family leisure time products, started a new joint venture called Funskool India Ltd, in which MRF holds 60 per cent stake. The company was manufacturing and distributing toys for some of the leading global toy brands.

Funskool’s commercial operations began with setting up of a factory at Goa to manufacture high quality toys and as the demand increased both in domestic and global markets, the company had set up its factory at Ranipet, about 100 kms from Chennai.

These facilities caters to global brands including Hasbro, Danish-brand Lego, Japanese brand Tomy Takara, German brand Raven-zhurger. It also got licence arrangements with Walt Disney, Warner Bros and Nickelodeon. About two years back Funskool also launched its own brand called Giggles and another brand Handy Crafts last month.

Funskool is likely to end this year with a turn over of around Rs 125 crore, an increase of around 20 per cent compared to last year. At present Lego alone contributes around 15% of the company’s turnover.

Indian toy industry is just 0.5% of the World’s toy market. While the developed markets have reported around one per cent growth CAGR,  the Indian toy industry grew in double digit. The retail value of the industry is estimated to be around Rs 2500-3000 crore.

Over the next 10 years, the company estimate is that the segment which the company operates would grow by around 12-15 per cent. “We don’t see any reason why we will not grow two times more than industry,” said Jeswant, who noted in the last five years the company grew by around 25%.

source: http://www.business-standard.com / Business Standard / Home> Companies> News / by T E Narasimhan / Chennai – March 19th, 2014

Budding entrepreneurs take the stage at IIT-M

Business & Economy, Education, Green Initiatives/ Environment, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Science & Technologies
IIT-M students who designed the Amrutdhara water project. (Right) Glow-in-the-dark notebooks by Pizzamutiny
IIT-M students who designed the Amrutdhara water project. (Right) Glow-in-the-dark notebooks by Pizzamutiny

From T-shirts and paper cups to unmanned aerial vehicles, the students of IIT-Madras seem to have left no stone unturned in their attempt to don the entrepreneurial cap.  Some of the projects were put up by the students at the recently concluded Entrepreneurship Week held at the institution.

One of the most ambitious of projects was the Amrutdhara project, taken by an IIT-M student along with two other business partners. The mandate of the venture is simple: Do away with plastic bottles.

“Every year, millions of tonnes of plastic waste get accumulated due to the use of plastic bottles. Many of these plastic water bottles do not provide quality drinking water too. Reports show that many of them are of the same quality as tap water. Despite this, people are forced to buy it,” said Sandeep.

It is to put an end to this that the three-member team came up with the Amrutdhara project. Under the venture, a water filtration outlet is provided at public places where people can buy water at a cost of `3-`5 per litre. But unlike the plastic bottles, the water is provided in glasses that are washed and dried on site.

“The set up will also sell refillable bottles and provide real time analysis of the quality. If the water quality goes down a particular level, the machine will automatically shut down,” says Sandeep.

The economics of the project lies in the fact that even with the most state-of-the-art treatment system with reverse osmosis and membranes, the cost of treatment of water to package is estimated at 25 p per litre. The project, which won the runners-up title at the Indian Institute for Human Settlements’ (IIHS) National Students Challenge is now in the final stages of talks with the Puducherry government.

If bottled water is a menace, so are plastic cups. Mechanical engineering students of the IIT have come up with a project that would not only make selling paper cups profitable for the seller but also for the buyer!

“The idea is simple. Each paper cup will be printed with an advertisement. It will also have certain mobile numbers allotted by the advertiser. When the buyer sends a text to that number, he can avail discounts or other offers. So what we have is a win-win situation. Since we get to make profit through the advertisement, we sell the cups at half the price of normal cups to canteens or other sellers while for the buyers of the cup, it could mean getting discounts and offers,” says Nikhlesh, the second-year student who is part of the Admen company that took up the project.

The project has already fetched a turnover of `75,000 in 15 days, after being implemented 10 city colleges and an IT park.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Chennai / by Amritha KR – Chennai / March 20th, 2014

Chennai-based Food Box gives packaged food in 90 secs

Business & Economy, Records, All

Encouraged with the response from its first Food Box, Atchayam founders are now planning units at Chennai central station and the airport to add to the ones at DLF IT park and Koyambedu.

In a first of its kind food-joint, three Chennai based entrepreneurs have started what they’re calling a “Food Box”. Just 200 metres off the Koyambedu bus depot in Chennai stands the Atchayam Food Box. Customers queue up like they do in front of an ATM machine and order pre-determined food combinations.

And within 90 seconds, piping hot food in neat packaging slides out of the dispenser, removing human intervention in the entire food packaging and delivery process.

Satish Chamy Velumani, founder and CEO, Atchayam Foodbox says, “Food box brings unparalleled convenience to customers. It’s not just a machine but a revolution in good packing and delivery. The food box is compact and convenient. Consumers can stand in the queue to receive their order and go upstairs where they can dine.”

So, how does it work? On receiving an order, the combo number is sent to a computer that directs a robotic arm to pick the right box from cold storage. A conveyor belt takes it to the microwave oven and then to the dispenser. The Food Box accommodates 227 packs and offers 25 combos from chains like Adyar Anandha Bhavan, Amaravathi, Karaikudi and MR Chows.

Ramesh Narayan, co-founder and CFO, Atchayam Foodbox says, “Investment was in R and D. We are still researching on the techniques. Total investment is Rs 5 crore. We are planning on multiple versions of it. It’s just a beginning.

Encouraged with the response from its first Food Box, Atchayam founders are now planning units at Chennai central station and the airport to add to the ones at DLF IT park and Koyambedu. The longer-term plan is to go national and so, the next time you’re traveling in Chennai, you now know where to grab a bite.

source: http://www.moneycontrol.com / MoneyControl.com / Home> News> Business / by Poornima Murali, Reporter CNBC-TV18 / March 18th, 2014