Build Expo 2012 to begin in Chennai from July 20

The 64th 'India-International Build Expo 2012' will begin at Chennai Trade Centre from 20^th July 2012. Touted as one of the largest Indian events dedicated exclusively to the construction and building sector, the expo will help the qualified professionals from this sector to exchange topical industry information apart from showcasing latest technology in construction industry.

 The three days Build Expo is expected to have more than 2000 trade visitors hailing from multiple SAARC countries. Home contractors, civil engineers, architects, property buyers, builders, construction professionals and equipment manufacturers are some of the prime attendees to the show. Distributors, suppliers, dealers and retailers of building and construction materials are also expected to attend the show.

Final users, home loan applicants, consultancy service providers, project managers, interior designers and IT experts participate in the event as well. Government officials and industry decision makers also take part in the thee-day Fair.

Being organized by Prompt Trade Fairs, the expo is likely to help Indian construction industry in updating latest technology in various forms of construction industry from other participating countries and also provide an opportunity to showcase their products for a possible business tie ups.

A large array of building materials, ceramic tiles, electrical gadgets, roofing solutions, hardware tools, construction machines and realty services will be showcased at the show and participants also have opportunities to leverage their business scopes.

The event brings in more than 60 exhibitors who will be exploring new and viable business opportunities.

Some of the main items of exhibit at the show include top quality acrylic sheets, building materials, industrial adhesives, scaffolding tools, ceramic tiles, roofing equipments and doors and windows. Bath fittings, aluminum extrusions, electrical appliances, glazing products, glasses, hydraulic tools, inverters, paints, laminates and kitchen accessories are also displayed here.

Facades, steel fabrication tools, lifts, cranes, brick making and RMC machines, asbestos, insulation materials, finance and home loan facilities and efficient realty services will also be showcased during the eventl. The list of exhibitors at the show features several renowned companies, including Eureka Forbes and Finolex.

Bosch Power Tools launches high-pressure washer for Indian F&B sector

Bosch Power Tools has now introduced a range of professional high-pressure washers (HPW) in India catering to the hospitality industry and food service sector.

The washers are ideal for the hospitality, manufacturing, facade or contract cleaning, building sites, commercial vehicles, automotive, construction, service and repair sectors. High flow rate and powerful pressure together combine in significantly reducing the water consumption when compared to the traditional belt-driven pressure washers. These tools are engineered to remove stubborn dirt and can perform in the most rugged environments.

The launch of the professional HPW range sees Bosch Lawn and Garden enter a new product category via its newly-formed Outdoor Cleaning Equipment Business unit. The organised cleaning segment in India is growing stupendously and now stands at Rs 250 crore of which HPW segment constitutes 20 per cent. Of these, 40 per cent of users are estimated to be Do It Yourself (DIY) users and 60 per cent are professionals.

Vijay Pandey, vice-president, Bosch Power Tools, said, “These tools will further strengthen our innovative edge in India and are designed to cater to the ever-growing hospitality industry.”

Speaking on the growth and development of Bosch Lawn and Garden, Graeme Stokoe, head, business development, OCE, said, “This is the first professional high-pressure washer range introduced by Bosch. The emerging market growth in Asia-Pacific provides ample opportunity for this range. This range has been designed specifically to cater for the requirements of heavy-duty users in the toughest Indian terrain. We are continuing to expand the product range and introduce more technically advanced products globally.”

Bosch is the world leader in the power tools segment. In India, the company plans to introduce the new products in a phased manner, which will be made available through a network of more than 600 Bosch authorised dealers and channel partners across 150 cities.

The range will be available across India and priced between Rs 40, 000 and Rs 1,00,000.

Layoff grips Indian real estate sector

Economic slowdown has  not only affected the home sale but also cast shadow on the millions of workforce in the construction industry as few companies are already started reducing employees’ strength to offset their loss proposition.

With no major headway on fresh projects and debt piling up as sales falter, real estate companies have started trimming workforce, reports DNA.

The heat is mainly on the marketing and sales teams, said sources. “There have been some major lay-offs on the sales and marketing side in various realty companies. The situation is a little worrisome,” said an employee of a leading real estate player. He asked to be left unnamed.

A source at a human resources firm confirmed that job cuts were on. “Real estate developers have been under pressure for the past one year. Funding for the industry has almost dried up, high interest rates have dampened sales and debt-servicing costs are inching up. For some developers, cutting down on workforce helps as new projects have dwindled due to delayed approvals and fresh funding crunch,” said the source, also requesting anonymity.

Sunil Goel, director, GlobalHunt India, in fact, sees a significant downsizing in the sector. “The companies are planning to reduce around 10-15% of the exiting workforce. The realignment is mainly witnessed in divisions like sales and marketing, where the companies are now going for outsourcing such services instead of paying a bomb to their exiting employees,” said Goel.

And the downsizing is not limited to smaller players. Several larger players have either downsized already or are in the process of doing so.

Sources said Mumbai-based developers like Indiabulls Real Estate, Rustomjee Group and K Raheja Universal were among the companies that have dished out pink slips already, mainly on the sales and marketing side.

Indiabulls officials denied this, saying the information was ‘incorrect’.

Rustomjee Group had not reverted to an email query at the time of going to press, while officials at K Rahejacould not be reached for a comment.

Another source said Delhi-based companies like Emaar MGF, Parsvnath Developers and Unitech have also been in the retrenchment mode in the last one year.

A charge Pradeep Jain, chairman, Parsvnath Developers, strongly countered as “completely wrong information. We are taking quality people and our number has increased in the last two quarters.”

Sources insist the trend has only just begun. Going by them, Delhi-based DLF and Mumbai-based Hiranandani Constructions are also in the process of re-alignment.

RVCF pledges Rs 20 cr in International Oncology Services

Noida: Jaipur-based Rajasthan Venture Capital Fund (RVCF) has invested Rs 20 crores in International Oncology Services Private Limited (IOSPL), a super specialty cancer care company for an undisclosed equity stake.

International Oncology has established comprehensive cancer care centres (known as International Oncology Centre) equipped with cutting edge technology at Fortis Hospital, Noida and
Dr. L H Hiranandani Hospital, Mumbai. The company with an objective to make quality cancer care more accessible to the people has identified several cities in India for setting up world class cancer care centers and expects to open its next centers in Rajasthan and Punjab shortly.

"The Oncology sector is currently witnessing a huge gap in terms of incidence of cancer in the country and limited quality cancer care facilities to treat the same. While the incidence of cancer is increasing at an alarming rate in India; the country faces large limitations in terms of lack of technical specialization and trained personnel. India has few public sector cancer centres, some central establishment and limited private sector participation. IOSPL through its specialized cancer care centres is set to address this burgeoning demand in India" said Rajendra Bhanawat, Chairman of RVCF.

Pradeep K Jaisingh, CEO and MD of International Oncology Services Pvt. Ltd. said, "After setting up comprehensive cancer centres in NCR and Mumbai, we are in the process of taking world class cancer care to several other states of India and Rajasthan is a special focus area for us. This investment by RVCF will help IOSPL carry out its immediate expansion plans and we are delighted to have their support."

"IOSPL with its professional and experienced promoters & team is expected to emerge as one of the leading cancer care company in India" said Mr. Girish Gupta, CEO of RVCF.

RVCF has invested in IOSPL through its Rs 200 crores SME Tech Fund which invests pan India in IT, education, healthcare, agro products, auto components and other growth sectors

Mantri Developers opens Danceotsav II

Bengaluru:  Mantri Developers, the leading Bangalore-based developer, is oganising ‘Danceotsav’ for residents with grand finale to be held on July 14. 
 

After the grand success last year, with more than 2500 people attending the event and over 350 participants, Mantri is excited to start off the Danceotsav season-II.

This year’ finalist will undergo one-day dance workshop before the finals by professional choreographers from Tarantismo Dance Academy, who will train and groom the dancers for the big day (Tarantismo was one of the semi-finalists on the show -India's Got Talent in 2011), the company said in a release. 

The semi-finals of Danceotsav will be held on July 5 at the Alliance Francaise, Bangalore and would be judged by Ansul & Sanjana's Dance Academy (ASDA). 

The grand finale will be held at the Palace Grounds and it would be adjudged by celebrity judges, making the evening more glamorous.

Commenting on Mantri Danceotsav, Snehal Mantri, Director, Marketing, Mantri Developers, said, "We have always believed in encouraging art and culture as it is vital for spiritual wellbeing and helps us to stay connected with the community. Danceotsav is one such approach introduced by us which has received encouraging response and it gives us great pleasure to see our customers of every age group taking part in this initiative. Our intension is to strengthen our relationship with our customers new and old and make everyone feel as a part of the big Mantri family."

Mantri Danceotsav is a social and cultural platform set forth by Mantri Developers to give all the residents of Mantri properties a chance to showcase their dancing talent. Danceotsav is amongst the top cultural extravaganzas in Bangalore. It is considered to be a unique initiative in the real estate industry and places Mantri Developers in a different league for practising community living in true spirits.

The festival paves way for the convergence of different cultures across the Mantri properties. It is also intended to give everyone a happy occasion to get together mingle, relax and enjoy a wonderful evening with family.

Rio Plus 20 Summit highlighted sustainable development

India Must Lead Global Sustainable Development Agenda Post Rio Plus 20 Summit

New Delhi: The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) held a special media interaction on the challenges and opportunities in the context of global sustainable development agenda post the recently concluded Rio Plus 20 Summit. 

Director General of TERI, Dr. R K Pachauri, Executive Director Dr. Leena Srivastava and Distinguished Fellows Nitin Desai, Ambassador Chandrashekhar Dasgupta & Dr. Prodipto Ghosh, reflected on the various issues raised at the Summit and underscored the need to tackle unsustainable means of production and consumption.

The recent culmination of the Rio Plus 20 Summit has once again fuelled socio-political debate on the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead on the road to sustainable development. While a number of environmental activists and NGOs have expressed deep disappointment with the outcome of this major event, several governments view it as a victory and vindication of their own specific stands. TERI’s distinguished speakers said the need of the hour was to engage concerned stakeholders to arrive at a consensus on critical issues such as equity between developed and developing nations in achieving sustainable development.

Speakers felt there were two ways of following the outcome of Rio+20. One was to conclude that nothing of substance and certainly no agreements were produced by this conference. The second view would be to conclude that the ‘future we want’ as documented as the outcome of the conference clearly provided a wide canvas of concepts and directions that the world could possibly adopt towards the pursuit of sustainable development.

Speakers also pointed out that at the Summit, the developed countries had attempted to rollback principles of equity, which were an integral outcome of the Rio Conference held in 1992. However, lauding the strong and united stand taken by the developing nations at the Summit, Dr. R K Pachauri, Director General, TERI, said: “It is time India takes the lead and takes charge of the intellectual leadership of the sustainable development goals (SDGs) raised at the Summit.” Dr. Pachauri further added, “The final produced at the culmination of the Rio Summit had enough substance for each community and stakeholder to pick up elements to promote the discourse of global sustainable development.”

Speaking at the occasion, Executive Director, TERI, Dr. Leena Srivastava said: “The final document recognised the need of clean energy to achieve sustainable development. Emphasis of the Summit was also on boosting education and capacity building to meet sustainability targets.”

Ambassador C. Dasgupta, a Distinguished Fellow at TERI, said: “The road ahead would focus on the evolution and scope of sustainable development goals (SDGs) and their relation to the Millennium Development Goals.”

Nitin Desai, Distinguished Fellow, TERI, said: “The interest and participation of corporate entities and the scientific and academic communities at the Summit was far greater at the Rio Plus 20 Summit than ever before. This is so because the trend is no longer limited to green consumerism, but to green investors.”

Dr. Pradipto Ghosh, Distinguished Fellow, TERI, opined: “The focus on sustainable production and consumption is the main point that has emerged from the Summit. Strong unity among the G-77 group to protect their individual development space has also come out strongly through the conference.”

Speakers also highlighted relevant opportunities to enhance the scope of the sustainable development agenda:

i) Profiling the elements of a green economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication. The concept of green economy would need to take into account links between financing, technology, capacity building and national needs for sustainable development.

ii) Enunciating sustainable development goals and motivating of stakeholders, including business and industry to set in place a reporting system involving sustainability.

iii) Establishing regional, national, sub-national and local initiatives to implement the provisions of the Rio+20 document.

iv) Dealing effectively with the challenge of climate change and problems such as deforestation and loss of biodiversity as well as the problems of desertification, land degradation and drought.

v) Evaluating pathways to sustainable consumption and production.

Electrical drives market poised for big growth

Mumbai:  Indian Electrical Drives Market, which was valued at more than INR 15,000 million during FY2010-11, is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12 percent until FY2015-16, according to an analysis from Frost & Sullivan.

However, the Indian electrical DC drives market, which is losing out to the superior AC technology, was worth more than INR 800 million during FY2010-11 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of more than 4 percent until FY2015-16, the report said.

With energy accounting for 35-40 percent of energy-intensive industries’ production costs, the Centre is stressing the need for energy efficiency, thereby giving a leg up to the domestic electrical drives market.

Government initiatives such as the Bureau of Energy Efficiency’s (BEE’s) perform-achieve-trade (PAT) scheme that allows industries to derive business benefits through the exchange of energy savings certificates will give a huge boost to the uptake of electrical drives. Further, the BEE’s Star Rating program, which rates buildings based on their energy usage, will also drive the demand for AC drives.

There is substantial scope for the deployment of AC drives for energy conservation in the nine designated sectors of electric power generation, fertilizers, steel, cement, pulp and paper, aluminum, chlor-alkali chemical industry, textile, and railways.

Even while acknowledging the need to save energy, end users with limited budgets are deterred by the electrical drives’ high upfront costs. This issue will fade into insignificance in due course, as leading drive suppliers are setting up assembling/packaging facilities in India.

“Many market leaders have regional facilities that assemble/package drives, indigenizing various parts and auxiliary equipment as much as possible,” said the analysis, adding, “This reduction in production costs enables them to lower their drives’ prices and compete against import-based manufacturers.”

While the electrical drives market is anticipated to witness a high double digit growth over the next six years, budget constraints of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SME) segment impedes the market from growing at its optimum pace. The SME segment contributes significantly to India’s gross domestic product (GDP), but has been bogged down by inadequate funds. They are particularly reluctant to invest in the expensive MV drive segment.

“High price has been a major hindrance in the growth of MV drives,” noted a Frost & Sullivan analyst, adding, “However, with increasing standardization, their prices are expected to drop, facilitating their acceptance among SMEs.”