Telco locks out Lucknow unit
Lucknow: Following arson and violence by striking workers demanding higher wages and parity with the workers of the Pune plant, the management of truck major, Tata Engineering and Locomotive Limited (Telco), was forced to order a lock out at the plant. The plant, which is situated on the outskirts of Lucknow, manufactures the Sumo, besides medium and light commercial vehicles.

The workers attacked the plant general manager, Mr. C. V. Singh, and also caused extensive damage to the administrative buildings at the plant. The unit, which employs 1,000 workers, produces about 12,500 vehicles per annum. The unit has been plagued with labour problems right from inception. Company officials reassured the markets that the closure of the unit will not hamper the supply of vehicles.
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Ranbaxy applies for clinical trials of its asthma molecule
New Delhi: Ranbaxy Laboratories, on the forefront of original research in pharma in this country, today achieved a significant milestone in its research efforts. The company filed an Investigational New Drug application with the Drug Controller of India, seeking permission to begin clinical trials in the country for its new asthma molecule -- the RBx 4638. This application follows the successful pre-clinical trials of the molecule.

The molecule, which belongs to the Very Late Antigen 4 class of drugs, represents a new method of treatment for asthma. It is believed that the molecule is a novel one and there exists no such drug in the international markets for the treatment of this disease. The activity profile of this drug is similar to that of steroids without the side effects.
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BPCL inaugurates its new de-sulphurisation plant
Mumbai: In an attempt to play a major role in the conservation of the environment, Bharat Petroleum Corporation (BPCL) today had the union minister for petroleum and natural gas, Mr. Ram Naik, inaugurate its diesel hydro desulphurisation plant. This plant will help bring down the sulphur levels in diesel from the current one per cent to 0.25 per cent.

The minister also inaugurated the company's R&D centre built on a budget of Rs. 55 crore.
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J&J to help markt Concord's products
Hyderabad: Multi-national company, Johnson & Johnson Limited (J&J), today teamed up with Hyderabad based perenterals manufacturer, Concord Drugs Limited (CDL), to market the latter's sterile tissue adhesive, an innovative product patented in India, under its own brand name.

The product, iso-amyl 2-cyano-acrylate, is used in sutureless surgeries, with great demand in applications in opthalmic, dental, cardiac, ENT, plastic, orthopedic and general surgeries. This unique wound closure glue was developed by CDL in technical collaboration with the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology. The product, a gamma sterilised, non-pigmented, non-toxic, non-allergic and bio-static tissue adhesive, allows for rapid wound closure with minimal scarring and reduces risk of post-surgical infection and trauma.
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Indal gets a visit from top Hindalco officials
Calcutta: A week after signing an agreement with Alcan for the acquisition of its holding in Indian Aluminum Company (Indal), the Birla-group major, Hindalco Industries, sent a senior team headed by its director and president, Mr. A. K. Agarwala, to visit the Indal head office.

The meeting was said to be for the purposes of getting acquainted with the Indal management team. The Hindalco executives met the 15-member management committee which was followed by individual meetings with the executives stationed in the different factories and offices in the eastern region. The Hindalco team chose to reassure the Indal management that their services will continue to be valued and that the Birla company had no intentions of making any large scale changes.
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Maruti finishes the year with over 4 lakhs in sales
New Delhi: After creating a record with sales of over 40,000 units in March, Maruti Udyog Limited (MUL) will be closing the financial year with over 400,000 units. This figure will represent the highest sales ever achieved by the 16-year old joint venture between the government and Suzuki Motors of Japan. This amount would also represent a whopping growth of 24 per cent or 75,000 units over the previous financial year.

The company listed the capacity expansion from 2.5 lakh vehicles to 3.5 lakh vehicles, better capacity utilisation of over 120 per cent, product upgradation and introduction of new products and models as some of the reasons for this phenomenal performance.
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