Category Archives: Business & Economy

TIE LUMIS excellence award for Skanray

Business & Economy, Records, All, Science & Technology

Caption: Vishwaprasad Alva, Managing Director, Skanray Technologies, Mysore, receiving the TiE Lumis Excellence Award-2012 at the TiEcon 2012 awards ceremony in New Delhi on Sept. 28 as other dignitaries look on. The award is instituted by TiE Delhi- NCR & Lumis Partners in 2008. Skanray Technologies is a city-based Primary Healthcare Devices company. TiEcon 2012 is India’s largest entrepreneurial conference.

Mysore, Oct. 16

The Mysore- based Primary Healthcare Devices Company, Skanray Technologies, won the TiE Lumis Excellence Award-2012 at the TiEcon 2012 awards ceremony in New Delhi on Sept. 28.

This award was instituted by TiE Delhi- NCR & Lumis Partners in 2008. Skanray bagged the award after rigorous scrutiny from 100 entries and the selection was based on the business strategy, competitiveness, business scalability & potential and financial stability of the business.

The Jury for this award included Rohtash Mal-Equitigro, Subinder Khurana and Sandeep Sinha-Managing Partner at Lumis Partners, Pradeep Gupta- Chairman Cybermedia.

Vishwaprasad Alva, Managing Director, Skanray Technologies received the award on behalf of the Skanray family.

Geetika Dayal, Executive Director – TiE Delhi NCR said, “The idea of these awards instituted 5 years ago was to discover path-breaking ideas that are transforming into great businesses and are potentially sustainable. It is heartening to see how the winners each year are showing unprecedented promise.”

TiEcon Delhi 2012 under its theme ‘Thriving in Chaos’ showcased not only the success and grit of entrepreneurs who have overcome all odds but also engaged with policy makers and investors to create a blueprint for India’s entrepreneurial ambitions. TiEcon 2012, India’s largest entrepreneurial conference, included more than 1,000 intellectuals from across the world like intrapreneurs, entrepreneurs, startups to engage in rich dialogue with other dynamic entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, industry executives, and thought leaders over two full days of networking, inspiring talks and idea sharing.

source: http://www.StarofMysore.com / General News / October 16th, 2012

Mysore hotels in India’s Top 100 business hotels’ list

Business & Economy, Records, All

Caption: 1) Royal Orchid Metropole 2) Windflower Resort and Spa

Mysore, Oct. 16

Two hotels from city — Windflower Resort and Spa and Royal Orchid Metropole — have featured in Conde Nast Traveller’s India’s top 100 business hotels list.

Conde Nast Traveller is a premier travel magazine. The city hotels feature amidst other majors like the Oberoi and Grand Hyatt Mumbai, Vivanta by Taj in Bangalore, ITC Royal Gardenia in Bangalore and Radisson Blu Plaza in Delhi.

The magazine has summerised Royal Orchid Metropole as: “This historic hotel was built by the Maharaja of Mysore in 1920, its location in the heart of the city makes it a great base to visit companies like Wipro and Infosys Technologies.”

And Windflower Resort and Spa as: “On the outskirts of the city, this hotel makes for a good base for mixing business with leisure. Its spa offers 30 different treatments that are sure to make any work trip pleasurable.”

source: http://www.StarofMysore.com / General News / October 16th, 2012

RajaRajeswari Medical College and Hospital hosts IMSA DR. R. R THUKRAL SOUTHERN CHAPTER

Business & Economy, Science & Technology

Bangalore, August 7, 2012:

RajaRajeswari Medical College and Hospital recently hosted the inauguration of the R.R Thukral Southern chapter of the International Medical Sciences Academy in the city. The two day conference happened on 3rd and 4th August 2012 received a footfall of innumerable eminent doctors and medical advisors across the country.

The platform has been created to discuss and resolve varied health related issues, which is witnessing a vertical rise amongst people where in a paradigm shift in the health care solutions also needed to be addressed.

Several renowned medical institutions like National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Manipal hospital, Narayana Hrudayalaya and many more participated at the conference to share their experiences in the medical field. Among the most eminent speakers were, Dr. Somashekar, specialist in Oncosurgery of MANIPAL HOSPITAL, Dr. Prathima Murthy, Professor of Psychiatry at NIMHANS, Dr. MuraliManohar specialist in Cardio-Thoracic and Vascular Surgery of Narayana Hrudayalaya delivered outstanding lectures based on their experiences in their respective specializations. They also shared their practical experiences in the profession and interacted with the audiences addressing their queries.

On the occasion, Vijay Anand, Executive Director, RajaRajeswari Medical College and Hospital said, “This conference has given our institution a whole new dimension to explore wider diversities in medical sciences. It has given our medical students a national exposure which will help them in progressing further as medical practitioners.”

The chief guest of the conference, Dr. M. Ramanathan, Vice-chancellor of Annamalai University said, “The aspiring medical students who have been a part of this platform are privileged that they have been given such an exposure at such a young stage of their professional lives. I am also delighted to see the immense growth of the institution and I believe this is the right step in the right direction to produce some of the most efficient doctors in the county.”

The conference, an initiative taken in the state by RRMCH, has been an enriching and enlightening experience for the audience and the institution was appreciated and applauded for the same.

source: http://www.rrmch.org / RajaRajeswari Medical College & Hospital / October 12th, 2012

‘Out of the Box’ : Youngster Opens Shoe Laundry in Bangalore

Business & Economy, Green Initiatives / Environment

Bangalore, Oct 16 (Bangalore Mirror) :

Think always ‘Out of the Box’ – that is what successful people advice others. Here in Bangalore, a youngster who did his post graduation in New Zealand has return to his homeland has done just that – thinking differently, and without any hesitation, he has opened a ‘shoe laundry’.

Cloth laundries are common. But what is this shoe laundry?

Just imagine picking up your muddied shoes, taking them to the nearest launderer and getting them washed and dried, or polished. The shoe laundry takes care of all your shoe needs.

Bangalore’s first shoe laundry has just been launched by a former news producer of a television channel. Ask Shashank Bharadwaj, 29, why he quit a plum job to get into the business of washing shoes, and he says the “change just happens to be in the natural scheme of things.”

“I worked with a channel as a news producer before moving to New Zealand for my masters degree in communications. I then took up a job with an investor relationship firm and worked with them for about eight months.

“But more than a year ago after I returned to India, I was looking for somebody to wash my sports shoes and could not find any options. So I decided to open a shoe laundry myself,” is his answer.

The shoe laundry is located at Vidyaranyapura.

For a lay person, it would seem like a very unsound business idea that will cater only to lazy souls who can’t wash or polish their own shoes. Does Bangalore really have that many lazy souls for the business to flourish?

Shashank takes offence at such critical judgement being passed on his potential customers. “My family is also sceptical. But it is not about being lazy; it is about people who have become very busy in a city like Bangalore. It is not just the sports shoes variety that you have in mind. We clean everything from Jimmy Choos and Kenneth Cole to Pumas and Reebok. Also, the amount of dirt our shoes accumulate needs professional help,” he says.

But having convinced himself that the idea made sense, Shashank studied the concept, found a similar business in Mumbai, contacted its owner, had him come down to teach the technique to his four hands here and finally began operations a couple of weeks ago. Given the exorbitant rates that people pay for their shoes and with more number of international brands coming into town, his logic does not seem misplaced either.

“I have invested Rs 6 lakh in the venture,” says Shashank.

So how long does it take for the laundry to clean your shoes? It is a ten-step process, beginning with the separation of the laces and soles, a pre-soak, then washing by labourers before being put in a customised washing machine for a thorough clean-up. They are then put in a disinfectant to clean up the odour and rid them of bacteria and are dried naturally.

The technique, of course, differs for every shoe. The leather shoes are not soaked but only cleaned with water and are dried differently. The soap solution is customised as well.

But probe him for some more details and he is quick to hide behind the phrase “trade secrets”. The service even picks up and drops off the pair at your home and even does minor repairs.

Shashank claims that in the last two weeks that he began the business, he has cleaned about 60 pairs of shoes. “A client of mine didn’t know how get his Rs 20,000 Italian leather shoe cleaned because he was scared it would be ruined. But we are just what the doctor ordered for a dilemma like that. For now, I get orders from men and, even women, who call us usually about their husbands’ shoes. Maybe men dirty their shoes a lot more,” he quips.

So, if you are looking for a clean pair of shoes and can’t be bothered about the whole cleaning up of the mess, just call him on 9916484295.

source: http://www.daijiworld.com / Home> Top Stories / Tuesday, October 16th, 2012

Austrian Co’s community service in N’GUD

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Nature, Science & Technology, World Opinion

Caption: AT&S Austria’s Chairman of Supervisory Board Honnes Androsch (extreme right) is seen with Mysore Unit’s Executive Secretary Roopa Rao and Managing Director Ric Rawlley.

Mysore, Oct. 7

An Austria-based company called AT&S India, having an electronic micro-chip industry in Nanjangud, has been providing community services in the areas of health and education for villages in the surroundings for the past several years.

AT&S Mysore Unit Managing Director Ric Rawlley, addressing a press meet in city yesterday, said that AT&S India has been providing regular medical services to the residents of Korehundi village located just behind the plant, in association with JSS Medical Institution.

“Physicians visit this village – which has a population of approximately 800 people — every week to attend to the patients and provide free consultation and medicines. AT&S India has constructed a medical examination centre and also a room for small children who attend the Anganwadi (special educational / health system for poor children),” said Rawlley.

AT&S has set up a new high capacity pump installed at Srikanteswara Water Works in Nanjangud, providing 100 liters of drinking water to Sujathapuram School everyday.

“The industry has been providing scholarships for employees’ children each year, along with free medical facility to nearby village people. Regular free medical checkup and distribution of medicine to Handuvinahalli villagers is being done,” he said.

Other community service works done by the industry are: Sponsoring three eye camps per year in association with Rotary Club of Nanjangud, distribution of uniforms, school bags and drinking water to Korehundi primary school and Anganawadi children, monetary rewards for toppers, computer literacy, sponsoring vocational training to villagers, etc.

AT&S unit is situated close to river Kabini. The company has a captive power generating station to meet operational requirements. The total land area is 42 acres, which is sufficient to take care of all future expansions. The present built up area is 39,300 sq mtrs.

AT&S Austria’s Chairman of Supervisory Board Honne

source: http://www.StarofMysore.com / Home> General News / October 07th, 2012

Best Industrialist Award for B.S. Narayan

Business & Economy, Records, All, Science & Technology

Caption: Mysore Industries Association President P. Vishwanath seen presenting Best Industrialist Award to Excel-Par Electronics Company’s Managing Director B.S. Narayan in city on Wednesday as Rotary Mid-Town President R.S. Vishwanath, Secretary L.M. Manoj Kumar and Rotary Mid-Town Professional Services Director Dr. K.A. Prahallad look on.

Mysore, Oct. 12:

The city’s Excel-Par Electronics Company’s Managing Director B.S. Narayan was presented the Best Industrialist Award by former Mayor & Mysore Industries Association President P. Vishwanath at a function organised by Rotary Mysore Mid-Town at Rotary Hall on JLB Road in the city on Wednesday.

Speaking on the occasion, Vishwanath said the entrepreneurs are the real creators of wealth. But it is tragic to note that neither the government nor associations/organisations are willing to help bail out industrialists when they are forced to shut shops for inevitable reasons. At the same time, a successful industrialist will be targeted by one and all, with the authorities working on taxing him. The present mindset of taxing a successful industrialist should go, he said.

Lamenting that nearly 70 per cent of the industries are facing closure due to problems such as power cuts, labour problem, non-availability of raw materials and the like, Vishwanath lauded Excel-Par Electronics company for its excellent management and service.

Referring to Mysore Master-plan-2031, Vishwanath observed that if the government gives its nod for the plan in its present shape, then there can be no doubt that Mysore would soon become a concrete jungle sans any green belt.

The Comprehensive Development Plan (CDP) lacks any green idea. Besides, the earlier notified green belt too has been cleverly amended in the map and shown as agricultural land.

As per the law, the green belt zone in urban areas cannot be changed for any reason. But the CDP has no mention of the green belt and in some cases, provision has been made for constructing buildings in space meant for parks.

He added that a meeting of former Mayors has resolved to submit objections to the CDP in its present form.

Vishwanath also called upon all the informed citizens and industrialists to submit their objections and suggestions to the government in this regard.

Narayan replying to the felicitation, expressed gratitude to the citizens of Mysore and the Rotary for recognising his contribution to the industrial sector.

source: http://www.StarofMysore.com / General News / October 12th, 2012

RBI to banks: Learn from Apple, Devi Shetty

Business & Economy, Leaders, Science & Technology

Mumbai:

The Reserve Bank of India has asked banks to emulate two completely disparate organizations – Apple and Narayana Hrudayalaya – to increase their relevance to consumers.

While Apple is considered to be the ultimate aspirational brand, Narayana Hrudayalaya is a specialty hospital – a brainchild of cardiologist Dr Devi Shetty – with the altruistic motive of making complicated surgeries affordable.

Delivering the keynote address at the 6th Economic Times Banking Technology Conclave, RBI executive director G Padmanabhan said that Indian banks have grown their business 10-fold and their net profit and business per employee several-fold without hiring additional staff thanks to technology.

Urging the banks to improve customer experience in electronic transactions, Padmanabhan said they should think about difficulties customers face in navigating the maze of security protocols and ensure that these do not discourage adoption of ebanking. “Banks need to examine how they can make electronic transactions safe and secure while providing customers equal or more ease, comfort and convenience compared to branch banking.”

Padmanabhan cited the example of Apple and Steve Jobs. “Let us not get into his (Jobs’s) style of functioning; (but) the gadgets that he has given to us are world class. Their user-friendly nature makes them the most preferred in their class. Be it the iPod, iPhone or the iPad, they continue to dominate the sales in their respective markets. Can banking in India become the ultimate customer experience?”

He said banks should also crunch costs by emulating Narayana Hrudayalaya, which he described as “Walmart personifying the service spirit of Mother Teresa”. “By thinking differently about everything from the unusually high number of patients it treats to the millions it provides insurance, and by thinking a lot like the world’s largest retailer, the hospital group is able to continually wring out costs,” he said.

Drawing similarities between the two organizations, he said the hospital negotiates for better prices and buys directly from manufacturers, cutting out distributors. Cardiac care, an equipment-intensive specialty, made it easier for the hospital group to expand into other areas that require the same infrastructure. “Can banks look to reduce costs the way Narayana Hrudayalaya has done?” he asked.

source: http://www.m.timesofindia.com / Home / October 10th, 2012

MTR Foods earmarks Rs 150-cr investment in next two years

Business & Economy
Chennai:

MTR Foods, an instant food manufacturer has lined up an investment of close to Rs 150 crore over the next two years, as part of its target of generating Rs 1,000 crore revenue by 2015.
MTR Foods Chief Executive Officer Sanjay Sharma said, “We continue to make investments. We will be making investments of Rs 100-150 crore in the next two years. We are a profitable company. The funds will be raised through internal accruals.”
During the fiscal (2011-12), the company reported revenues of Rs 350 crore and in this financial year the company is aiming to garner Rs 450-crore revenue.
Launching the new ‘MTR Sambar Masala Podi’, ‘Rasam Podi’ and ‘Kulambu Podi’ exclusively for the Tamil Nadu market. The company hopes to achieve a double-digit share in the masala market in Tamil Nadu valued at Rs 712 crore.
Besides MTR Foods, ‘Aachi Masala’ and ‘Sakthi Masala’ are the competitors in Tamil Nadu. The southern region (comprising Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka) contribute 70 per cent to the company’s sales.
The investments would be utilised to improve the basic infrastructure at its integrated manufacturing facility in Bangalore.
Recently, the Bangalore-based company had acquired Pune-based Rasoi Magic to enter into the ‘meal mixes’ market.
source: http://www.news.indiamart.com / Home> SME News> Business News / SME News, Friday, October 05th, 2012

India’s Karnataka begins electronic auction sales of manganese ore

Business & Economy, Science & Technology, Uncategorized

Singapore (Platts)

Indian state-owned trading company MSTC Ltd has begun electronic auction sales of minehead stocks of manganese ore available with Karnataka miner Sandur Manganese & Iron Ores (Smiore).

The auctions are on the lines of the iron ore e-auction sales the trader has been holding in the southern Indian state since September 2011.

An estimated 25,000-30,000 mt/month of manganese ore is expected to be auctioned over the next two to three months, Platts learnt from the Indian Supreme Court-appointed monitoring committee, which is overseeing the auction.

The first e-auction for manganese ore was held on September 21 in which some 27,560 mt were sold, a Bangalore-based monitoring committee official told Platts. The second auction is yet to be scheduled but is planned for the third week of October. Smiore has about 80,000 mt of manganese ore stock available to be auctioned over the next three to four months, the official added.

In the September 21 auction, the booking price of most cargoes was at a premium of about 25% on average over the respective floor price for lot sizes of 500 mt. Larger-sized cargoes were mostly sold at floor price levels, bid documents show.

The floor price for ore cargoes containing 36-68% Mn had been set at Rupee 6,500/mt ($125/mt). A 500 mt lot of this ore grade was sold at Rupee 7,950/mt and another at Rupee 7,800/mt.

A 4,012 mt cargo of the same ore grade was auctioned at Rupee 6,500/mt to SAIL Refractory Unit, a part of state-owned Steel Authority of India Ltd (Sail). All prices are on ex-stockyard basis. Royalty charges of 4.2%, VAT of 4%, and forest development tax of 12% are additional.

Smiore had been forced to suspend manganese mining operations in addition to iron ore production when Karnataka’s mining ban took effect in August 2011.

Prior to the ban, the company had had environmental clearances to mine up to 600,000 mt/year of manganese ore though production itself had averaged only 300,000 mt/year.

With the Indian Supreme Court and allied investigative authorities reassessing ore production limits in the wake of the illegal mining scandal in the state, Smiore would be permitted to mine only up to 180,000 mt/year of manganese ore when it is allowed to resume mining operations, a Bangalore-based company official told Platts.

It could take another two months for Smiore to resume manganese ore production, the official added.

Smiore operates a 4,000 mt/month silico-manganese smelter at Vyasanakere in Karnataka’s Bellary district, some 60-70 km east of Sandur. The works hosts two furnaces of about 2,000 mt/month capacity each but only one furnace is presently operational, producing about 1,500-2,000 mt/month of silicon manganese, the official said. The furnace is fed with manganese ore from stocks presently available with Smiore.

Although MSTC has been conducting e-auction sales for Karnataka-origin iron ore since September 2011, it was only in May this year that the Supreme Court permitted the sale of silico-manganese ore from Smiore’s stocks, Platts noted from the company’s announcement to the Bombay stock exchange earlier this year.

Only domestic end-users are permitted to bid in the auction sales while traders and exporters are barred from participation.

source: http://www.platts.com / Singapore (Platts) / Home> News & Analysis /  October 03rd, 2012

–Anitha Krishnan, anitha_krishnan@platts.com –Martin O’Rourke, martin_orourke@platts.com

Vyomesh Joshi joins Wipro board

Business & Economy, Science & Technology

Wipro on Monday announced the appointment of Vyomesh Joshi, an information technology industry veteran to its board of directors with immediate effect.

Joshi will serve as an independent member on the board and has spend having spent over three decades in the industry. He was until recently the executive vice-president of Hewlett-Packard’s Imaging and Printing Group.

Welcoming him to the board, Wipro Chairman Azim Premji said, “He brings in a unique combination of wisdom and technical capabilities. I am sure that Wipro will benefit from his insights and experience.”

Joshi received Masters’ Degree in Electrical Engineering from Ohio State University, US and had joined Hewlett Packard in 1980 as a research and development engineer and retired in March 2012 after a 32-year career with HP

source: http://www.DeccanHerald.com / Home> Business / New Delhi, DHNS / October 01st, 2012