Samsung to outsource CTVs from Videocon
Kolkata: Samsung India is reportedly negotiating with Videocon International for manufacture of Samsung-branded colour television sets at Videocon’s Salt Lake plant. A high-level technology team from Samsung recently visited Videocon’s Salt Lake plant to take stock of manufacturing facilities.

Both the TV majors also have a similar technology sharing alliance, where Samsung uses Videocon’s manufacturing facilities at Aurangabad and Gandhinagar to manufacture Samsung-branded consumer durables. Samsung, which has an assembly line at Noida, does not have a full-fledged manufacturing unit in the country.

Kitchen Appliances, a wholly owned subsidiary of Videocon bought out the high-tech CTV plant at Salt Lake plant from Philips India two years back. It has capacity to make around 6 lakh CTV units annually and is operating at around 30 per cent capacity producing around 12,500 CTVs per month. Besides Videocon-branded CTVs the Salt Lake unit also makes CTVs for Akai and Sansui, the two other partners of Videocon.
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Indo Gulf plan alliance with Petronet LNG
Mumbai: Indo Gulf Corporation is working on a plan to convert its existing 1-million tonne per annum jetty in Dahej into a port with a capacity of 6-7 million tonnes per annum. The company is exploring a tie-up with the Petronet LNG for converting the existing jetty into a solid cargo port near the latter's proposed liquefied natural gas terminal.

The company is also alternatively looking at inducting a joint-venture partner by way of a port management company, if the Petronet LNG tie-up does not materalise. The captive jetty has been recently transferred into a 100 per cent subsidiary, Dahej Harbour & Infrastructure.

The company recently received permission from Gujarat Maritime Board to offer a 26 per cent stake in DHIL to JV partners. It has also got permission from the GMB to use the jetty for commercial purposes provided that the commercial capacity is equal to the captive capacity.
The jetty at Dahej has a capacity to handle 1 million tonnes per annum. The copper used for Indo Gulf's copper smelter is imported through the port. With Indo Gulf planning to increase the copper smelter capacity to 2 million tonnes, the commercial cargo, which the port will be able to handle will go up to 2 million tonnes.
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Ujala corners 60% market share
New Delhi: Jyothi Laboratories is believed to have cornered a whopping 60 per cent market share with its Ujala brand of dye-based liquid blue. It major market rival - Reckitt Benckiser, which launched Robin Sunglow two years ago, is lagging behind with just 6 per cent of market pie. Market sources say Ujala is marching ahead despite selling 75 ml liquid packs at Rs 8, while Reckitt is selling at Rs 7, due to its street smart marketing strategies.

According to industry estimates, the size of the blue market is about Rs. 400 crore with three fourth of the market dominated by the liquid category, while the shrinking powder category has the rest of the market. FMCG analysts say local manufacturers have an edge over MNCs on account of low production costs and resulting in better margins for dealers, who in turn push their products in the market.
Reckitt was the first organised player to enter this segment with Robin blue powder. Ujala came into the scene much later in 1983, with a low price dye-based liquid blue. Two years later, Reckitt brought out its own share of liquid blue, Robin Dazzling with a different composition and pricing strategy.
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Maruti plans VRS to improve its bottomline
New Delhi: Maruti Udyog Limited (MUL), country’s largest carmaker Maruti Udyog has reportedly planning a "golden handshake" scheme to cut down its workforce and improve its bottomline. A draft note on voluntary retirement scheme (VRS) is believed to have been prepared for both the shop floor (factory) and office workers. The proposal for trimming the workforce assumes importance in the wake of Maruti making losses so far during the current financial year.
The company management had earlier cited difficult financial conditions, as a major reason to block an incentive scheme, which resulted in an over three month long strike by the employees union. The draft proposal for voluntary retirement is likely to be made open to employees above the age of 40 years in the company, which has over 5,500 workers, including about 4,500 in the shop floor with an average age of 36 years at present.
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Oyzterbay to bid for Tanishq
Bangalore: Oyzterbay Pvt. Ltd., a venture capital-funded start-up in branded jewellery retailing, started by a group six former employees of Titan Industries Ltd. is planning to bid for Tanishq, the branded jewellery division of Titan. The group led by Mr Vasant Nangia, former COO of Tanishq, quit the company in March last year to float the new company, which is expected to begin operations with launch of 15 exclusive boutiques across the country.

Mr Vasant Nangia, is reported to have said that his new company ``will bid to buyout Tanishq at an appropriate time''. Oyzterbay's bid is likely to cover only the brand Tanishq and its distribution network, which means that Tanishq's manufacturing plant at Hosur in Tamil Nadu will be excluded from the bid plan.

Though Titan has repeatedly denied speculation on the sale of Tanishq, Titan's two main promoters _ Tata Group and TIDCO _ have in the past expressed their reservations about future of jewellery business.
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Hindustan Latex turnover crosses Rs 100-cr mark
Thiuvananthapuram: Hindustan Latex has achieved a record turnover which is expected to touch Rs 113.69 crore and register profit at about Rs 7.39 crore, by the end of this fiscal. Condoms, the company’s prime product had a market share of about 40 per cent in social marketing and 12 per cent in the open market. In social marketing segment, the company achieved sales of 193 million pieces of condoms, highest recorded by any organisation in the country. The turnover as a result of direct marketing alone rose from Rs 3 crore in 1994-95 to Rs 17.15 crore last year.
The company also exported its range products of condoms, blood bags, copper-T and hydrocephalus shunt worth Rs 4.33 crore during last year to 70 countries. This year export was expected to cross Rs 6.5 crore.

The company had been awarded the procurement consultancy for 2000-01 by the Union ministry of health and family welfare, wherein the company would procure and supply essential obstetric care kits, ophthalmic equipment and consumables under national programme for blindness totally worth about Rs 200 crore.
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Raymond group sets up new distribution arm
Mumbai: The Raymond group has set up a new wholly-owned subsidiary, JK Helene Curtis Distribution Ltd., in line with the group's growing thrust towards distribution. The new company will explore distribution opportunities for brands - both local and global. The group is also believed to be discussing with a number of companies in India and abroad for having distribution arrangements for other personal products.

Raymond group is laying more emphasis on distribution and wants to gradually phase out its manufacturing operations. While at the moment the two companies - JK Helene Curtis and JK Helene Curtis Distribution - will continue as separate companies, there are possibilities of the two companies exploring synergies in distribution. The new distribution firm will set up its own distribution network, in addition to the distribution system already established by JK Helene Curtis. JK Ansal, the Raymond group company, which is into the manufacture of `Kama Sutra' condoms, is also likely to be involved in harnessing group's distribution synergies.
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Nicholas Piramal to revive Rhone-Poulenc brands
Mumbai: Nicholas Piramal is working on a marketing plan to revive a number of Rhone-Poulenc India (RPI) brands, following the acquisition of Aventis subsidiary. Rhone-Poulenc brands, which would be revived, include Phensydyl, Gardneal, Stemetil, Flagyl, Phenargan and Essentiale. The company would also relaunch Tixyilx, which had been earlier withdrawn by Rhone-Poulenc two years back.

A senior-level management committee has also been formed to work out integration of Rhone-Poulenc's marketing staff of 3,000, involved in selling some 70 odd brands. However, over 90 per cent of Rhone-Poulenc's current turnover come from its top 10 brands such as Phensydyl, Flagyl, Gardenal and Stemetil. Tixyilx brand alone had a turnover of around Rs 10 crore, prior to being withdrawn. Phenesydyl, which is the second-largest selling brand in the cough and cold segment, has earned over Rs 38 crore turnover last year. Phenesydyl alone contributes almost 25 per cent of Rhone-Poulenc's sales turnover and is growing at close to 10 per cent annually.

RPI has an established presence in the respiratory, anti-ineffective, central nervous system, anti-emetic and hepatoprotective segments, which account for 90 per cent of the company's formulation turnover last year.
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