Mumbai all set to host Central India Property Expo 2012

 Mumbai will host ‘Central India Property Expo 2012' at Nehru Centre, Worli  from May 19. The two-day property fair will showcase the most profitable properties - those offering the highest return on investment (ROI) - in Indore and Bhopal. 

Organised in association with Confederation of Real Estate Developers Associations of India (CREDAI)- Madhya Pradesh and Times of India, the show is being managed by DForce Communications, who will be responsible for event conceptualization, execution, promotions, media management, crowd management, facility management and hi-tech stall design,etc.

Commenting on the show, Sonal Jetha, Managing Director, DForce Communications said: "We have planned the event in such a way that both the participants and the visitors gain maximum benefits. We are looking after every need of the participants, from logistics and communication to stay and display. Our motto is to make the potential buyers meet the most profitable properties and vice versa, and the event is going to be advantageous for both the buyers and participants."

The by-invitation expo is targeted at the top real estate players in the region and has achieved 100 per cent confirmed stall booking. Talking about the objective of the expo, Ajay Mohgaonkar, President, CREDAI MP said: "The expo aims to showcase a select few prime properties of Indore and Bhopal in front of the potential customers of the metros."

According to him, investors in metros are looking to invest in Indore and Bhopal as the offer the ROI, but they lack the knowledge of how and where to make these investments. The Central India Property Expo aims to not only fill the gap but also act as a bridge for unlimited growth and future investments.

The builders of Bhopal are upbeat to represent Madhya Pradesh in the Central India Property Expo 2012.

According to director of Fortune builders Ajay Mohgaokar, this is an exceptional attempt to present some selected properties of Bhopal and Indore to around 35 lakh probable investors.

He further said, “There are many investors who are interested in buying properties in Indore and Bhopal as these cities of the central India region are providing the highest returns. The Central India Property Expo will provide a platform to the investors to understand the real estate caliber of both the cities.”

CREDAI-MP chairman Gopal Goyal said that the financial development of Indore and Bhopal are attracting some of the world’s biggest IT and other multinational companies and they are investing in large parts of lands. 

This is the reason that the real estate in these two cities are giving good returns.

The main real estate groups of the state participating in the expo are AG8, Aryvrat Housing, Chinar Builders, Fortune Builders, IBD Universal private limited, Maan Developers, Mirchandani Group, Paras Housing, Ruchi Realty, Silver Springs, Signature Group and Treasure Town.

Himachal CM inaugurates GCC's new plant in Baddi

General Cable Corporation, one of the most globally diversified industrial companies, has completed construction on its state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Baddi in Himachal Pradesh. 

The plant was inaugurated by Himachal Chief Minister P K Dhumal on Friday at a function which was attended by among others Mathias Sandoval, General Cable President and CEO Rest of World, Peter Campbell, General Cable Senior Vice President of Asia and Sandeep Sood, General Cable Country Head of India Operations. 

Designed and built in compliance with Indian Green Building standards, the manufacturing facility is situated on 20 acres of land in the industrial town of Baddi, which is one of the fastest growing cities in India and becoming manufacturing hub for multinational companies. 

“By designing ‘green’ from the ground up, we have seen immediate benefits in operating costs. These include energy savings of 30% to 40% and water savings of 20 to 30% when compared to other similar wire and cable operations. We have created a better-quality work environment for our associates, which will promote good health and safety practices and therefore increase productivity. We are off to a great start and are excited about our future,” said Sandeep Sood, Country Head of India Operations. 

The broad range of products to be developed and manufactured at the facility include aerial transmission conductors, low, medium and high voltage power cables, building wire, control, instrumentation and specialty cables. At current installed capacity, the facility is capable of generating annual revenues in the range of $100 to $120 million, complementing the Company’s existing exports into the country. 

“The opening of any new facility is a significant achievement, but the quality of execution at this plant in Baddi has been exceptional. I want to recognize the support of the state of Himachal Pradesh and our employees who have helped make this plant a reality as we address the outstanding opportunities in the growing Indian market,” said Mathias Sandoval, General Cable President and CEO Rest of the World.

GMR to launch first long-term infrastructure bonds

HYDERABAD: Indian infrastructure conglomerate GMR group will launch the country's first long-term infrastructure bonds issue next month to raise Rs 360 crore for its highway project through credit enhancement scheme of the state-owned lender India Infrastructure Finance Company Ltd (IIFCL), reports Economic Times.

Towards this, IIFCL would guarantee the bonds issue to the tune of 30% that helps GMR improve credit rating of its highway special purpose vehicle (SPV) enabling it attract long-term funds from insurance companies and pension funds, said IIFCL chairman and managing director SK Goel.

Talking to reporters in Hyderabad on Friday, Goel said GMR was the first among the four credit enhancement schemes that IIFCL is taking up on a pilot basis to channelise long-term funds towards a robust long-term bonds market in the country. 

 The other three infrastructure projects that IIFCL will help raise long-term funds include an airport, a seaport and a power project, which in all will raise some Rs 2,000 crore through the bonds issues. The guarantees extended by IIFCL, varying from 30%-50% of the bonds issues, will assist the infrastructure developers improve their credits ratings to reach AA and above, to meet the investment requirements of insurance firms and pension funds, he said.

GMR Highways managing director O Bangaru Raju told ET that their road SPV - GMR Jadcherla Expressways - that became operational in February 2009, will now retire high-cost debt of banks with low-cost and fixed rate long-term infrastructure bonds.

"The bonds issue also helps us reduce the interest burden as the long-term infrastructure bonds carry fixed rate of around 100 basis points below the bank lending," he said.

GMR had arranged funds for its Farukhnagar-Jadcherala road project on National Highway 7 during August 2006. Of the total cost of Rs 471 crore, ICICI Bank led bankers' consortium extended Rs 353 crore of debt, while the balance Rs 118 crore was pumped in as equity by the developer

Indiabulls Real Estate reports rise in Q4 net profit

Mumbai: Indiabulls Real Estate Ltd, one of the largest listed real estate developers in India, announced rise in net profit in Q4 for the financial year ended March 31, 2012.

The company's net profit after tax (PAT) rose to Rs. 57.78 Crore in Q4 FY 12 from Rs. 41.52 Crore in Q3 FY 12, the preceding quarter. The Income from Operations grew to Rs. 445.2 Crore in Q4 FY 12, from the Rs. 356.3 Crore for the last quarter, a company release said.

Total Area Under Development (AUD) Increased by 10.63 msft aggregating total AUD to 71.55 msft as on March 31, 2012. While Area Under Construction (AUC) Increased from 17.04 msft in FY 11 to 17.17 msft (103 towers across India) in FY 12.

The total land acquired in Q4 FY 12 is 334.40 Acres. Total land acquired in FY 12 is 420.47 Acres in Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) and National Capital Region (NCR). The present land bank of Indiabulls Real Estate is 836.03 acres in high demand centres of Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), National Capital Region (NCR) and Chennai.

Total sales for the year FY12 is Rs. 1,982.04 Crores for an area of 3.54 msft. New Leased area in Q4 FY 12 is 62,299 sft and total new leased area in FY12 is 0.60 msft. Total leased area stands at 2.21 msft as on March 31, 2012.

Key Financial Highlights: Q4 FY 12

	Q4 FY 12	Q3 FY 12
Income from Operations (Rs. Cr)	445.2	356.3
PBT (Rs. Cr)	60.8	70.0
PAT (Rs. Cr)	57.7	41.5
Basic EPS (in Rs.)	1.17	0.9

Hyundai Construction Equipment opens fifth facility in Tamil Nadu

Pune: Hyundai Construction Equipment India Pvt. Ltd. (HCEIPL), a subsidiary of Hyundai Heavy Industries, today inaugurated a 3S facility at Puddukottai in Tamil Nadu to cater to the needs of the fast growing market in the south Indian state.

Being the fifth such facility, ‘Shristi Construction Equipment’ is a dealership of HCEIPL, which will cover areas like Puddukottai, Tanjore, Sivagangai and Tiruvarur.

Shristi Construction Equipment, which covers 14 districts, provides sales and services of excavators and rock breakers ranging from eight tonne to 80 tonne. The location of Shrishti's branches is positioned in such a way that each one can cover 50kms radius from the hub point and about three districts. With its head office in Madurai, Shristi has three branches in Tirunelvelli, Coimbatore and Nagercoil enabled with 3S options, a release said.

Dheeraj Panda, Head - Marketing & Key Account Management said, "The opening of the 3S facility in Puddukottai underlines our commitment towards developing and expanding our operations in the Indian excavator and backhoe loader business. Excavators in this territory are employed majorly for Blue Metal quarry (black stone) and granite quarry applications. Tanjore and Tiruvarur are major hubs for agriculture and the backhoe loader segment dominates this region. Hence, South India is one of our key markets and this facility will not only cater to larger markets but also help us meet the demands of this market."

"Shristi Construction Equipment is one of our most valuable dealers in India. They are growing at the rate of five percent annually and HCEIPL is confident that it will capture 25 percent of the total market share within its territory," he added.

About HCEIPL

Hyundai Construction Equipment India Pvt. Ltd., a subsidiary of Hyundai Heavy Industries, Korea, has revolutionized the Construction Equipment business in India with its cutting edge technology in Excavator market and aims to be the market leader in terms of customer delight and market share. It has grown to a position of strength in three years since its inception in 2008 to an admirable and enviable player in the construction equipment industry.

Set up over a 50 acre land at Chakan near Pune in Maharashtra in a lush green surrounding with an initial investment of Rs. 300 crore in 2007, the state of the art manufacturing facility boasts of best in class technology, churning out world class products.

Hyundai (HCEIPL) is headquartered in Pune and has four Regional Offices at Delhi, Calcutta, Hyderabad and Mumbai overlooking sales & service through its strong 24 dealerships across every state in India. The dealerships are aptly supported by Sales and Service centers ensuring customer centric service and maximum uptime to customers. Each region has a Warehouse for its immediate requirement whereas the mother warehouse in Pune works as a feeder.

Kobe Steel inks agreement with Essar for plant in India

Japan's Kobe Steel and India's Essar Steel have begun talks for setting up a steel plant in India. The two companies already have a technology-sharing pact.

Though Essar MD & CEO, Dilip Oommen confirmed the discussions, he declined to provide any details.

Essar has been producing advanced high-strength steel sheets for the automotive sector with technology inputs from Kobe since December 2010. The new plant the two are reported to be considering will have a continuous annealing line and a continuous galvanising line to produce steel for the auto industry.

Kobe will also set up a steel plant with SAIL at Durgapur in West Bengal using its exclusive ITmk3 technology to produce 500,000 tonnes of steel nuggets. The plant is expected to start operations in 2015.

Other Japanese-Indian collaborations in the sector include JFE’s purchase of a 15% stake in JSW and tie ups to manufacture auto-grade steel as well as set up a cold-rolling mill at its Vijayanagar plant with JFE’s technical help; a Tata Steel – Nippon Steel JV to produce auto-grade steel with an investment of Rs 1,800 crore to set up a 600,000-tonne cold-rolled steel line which is scheduled to start in 2013; and a a technological tie-up with Sumitomo Metals for Bhushan Steel’s plant in Odisha.