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Father of fibre optics may manufacture in India
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Cut cost of Auto Expo: Ford New Delhi, January 18 The Indian subsidiaries of the world’s two largest auto companies General Motors and Ford, that are abstaining from the ongoing Auto Expo, today asked the CII, SIAM and ACMA to do some brainstorming for bringing down the cost of the event to offer “value-for-money” to the participants.
Little car genius
Dabbawalas give food for thought at IIM
RBI lets foreign cos set offices in SEZs
Petronet reserves shares for staff
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Father of fibre optics may manufacture in India New Delhi, January 18 We may consider doing development and manufacturing later in India, Dr Kapany, told ‘The Tribune’ in an exclusive interview. Dr Kapany, was here recently to attend the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas. He was one of the 12 recipients of the prestigious Pravasi Bharatiya Samman award conferred by the Prime Minister this year. Dr Kapany has been involved in the development of the technology behind devices for endoscopy to high-capacity communication that have changed the medical information and business worlds. He was named as one of the seven unsung heroes by the ‘Fortune’ magazine in its Businessmen of the Century issue couple of years ago. Dr Kapany is the Chairman of K2Optronics Inc., an emerging start-up in the fibre optics communications industry in the USA. “We are focusing on fibre optic components and modules that enable next-generation all optical networks. These products are used by system manufacturers to build dynamic networks optically enabled services,” he said. Born in Moga in Punjab and raised in Dehradun, Dr Kapany studied optics at the Imperial College of Science and Technology, London. As an entrepreneur and business executive, Dr Kapany has specialised in the process of innovation and management of technology transfer. K2Optronics is positioning itself to play a key role in the telecommunications industry, which by definition today encompasses voice, data, and video transmission technologies. Everyone is aware of the forecasted growth rates and demand projections associated with the Internet, which is being driven largely by the e-commerce revolution, he said. He added that many companies today were being set up to trade solely using the Internet. Late in 1999, for the first time, Internet traffic on the world’s telecommunication networks actually overtook voice traffic levels, an event which was unthinkable 10 years ago, he observed. The major investors in the company include Ally Ventures, Jafco, Advent Venture Partners (UK), Sutter Hill Ventures, the Photonics Fund, Bessemer Venture Partners, Global Technology Group, Intel Capital and GATX ventures. “We are poised to be a leader in the telecommunications industry by developing the components and modules that form the underpinnings of optical systems in next-generation all-optical networks,” the leading scientist said. According to estimates, the worldwide optical component market is expected to increase from $5 billion in 1999 to $ 24 billion in 2004. Dr Kapany’s first entrepreneurial venture was way back in 1960 when he founded Optics
Technology Inc. In 1967, the company went public and in 1973, he founded Kaptron Inc., and was President and CEO until 1990 when he sold the company to technology giant AMP Incorporated. For the next nine years, Dr Kapany was an AMP Fellow, heading the Intrapreneur and Technical Expert Programme and serving as Chief Technologist for Global Communications Business. On his present venture, he said the first product EC 48 was a directly modulated next-generation optic fibre network. To counter the exponential growth in bandwidth, telecommunication companies world-wide are deploying new techniques to increase bandwidth capacity. Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM) is one such technology, which has emerged as the leading economical technology of choice for increasing capacity. DWDM enables many light signals to co-exist on the same fibre simultaneously carrying many discreet signals or data/voice channels. This enabled potentially a 100-fold increase in the data carrying capacity of a single fibre link, he said. Dr Kapany is known as much for his philanthropic endowment and promotion of Indian arts as he is for his contribution to optics fibre technology. He has been the founding chairman and major funder of the Sikh Foundation and its activities for over 30 years and as an art collector, he has specialised in Sikh art. He was the prime mover and donated generously for the internationally acclaimed ‘Arts of the Sikh Kingdom’ exhibitions, which started at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, and moved to San Francisco later. On the award conferred by the Indian Government, he said it meant a lot as this was the country he was born in.
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Bonds to offset forex flows
New Delhi, January 18 The bonds would help create a fund, which would be maintained and operated by the Reserve Bank in consultation with the government. According to RBI Deputy Governor Rakesh Mohan, the proposal was mooted by a working group which looked into the ways of sterilising the forex inflows and examined various options, including issuing market stabilisation bonds. However, he declined to give a timeframe on the proposed bond. “One alternative was to allow the RBI to sell securities. But it was not favoured as the interest payments on the bonds would impact the balance sheet of the central bank. Moreover, there was no use having two sovereign rated securities — G-Secs and RBI bonds — in the market as it will create confusion,” he said. Moreover, the issue of such bonds by the central bank would require amendment in the RBI Act. “If market stabilisation bonds are issued by the government, there is no need for amending the RBI Act,” Mohan said. The bonds could be credited to a market stabilisation fund created in the public account of the central government while the RBI is given the mandate to maintain and operate the fund. The RBI sucks off excess liquidity from the system through various modes like the liquidity adjustment facility, open market operation and revising the cash reserve ratio. The working group felt that neither of these three modes should be used to deal with the excess
forex. — PTI
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Safari Bikes to invest Rs 20 crore this year Chandigarh, January 18 In an interview with TNS, Mr R.D.Sharma, Chairman-cum-Managing Director, Safari Bikes Ltd, today claimed that the Safari group was keeping a check on the bicycle prices by cutting down the cost of production but maintaining quality. He asserted that while the industry was witnessing a negative growth rate this year due to the increase in steel prices, the Safari group had registered a growth of over 25 per cent in sales. The group is supplying over 100 models of bicycles to the domestic and international market under the brand name of Hi-Bird. It is also exporting sports goods and other engineering products. Set up in 1994, the company has attained an annual turnover of Rs 100 crore. Mr Sharma claimed that the group had introduced the first ever bicycle in the domestic market that was fitted with traffic indicators and triple suspension. For this, the company’s name had been registered in the Limca Book of Records. Mr Sharma claimed that the company is the recipient of Int’l Europe Award for Quality (2000), France, the first and only bicycle manufacturer from India. It has also been honoured with International Star Award for quality (Platinum category) in 2001 by the International Star Convention for Quality, Geneva. About the company’s vision, he said, “We are committed to delivering quality products all over the globe and dream of establishing a distinct identity at the global platform.” On the company’s expansion plans, he said, “We are in the final stage of signing a technological tie-up with a major bicycle manufacturing company in the Europe to manufacture high-end bicycles.We will make an investment of over Rs 20 crore this year to expand our capacity from 6,000 cycles per day to 10,000. The company has also plans to come up with a public issue by 2005-end,” he added. Unlike other bicycle manufacturers, he said, the Safari group had entered the domestic market in 2001 after making a name in the international market. He said that the company was already exporting bicycles to over 80 countries in South Africa and Europe, but now it would focus on the vast potential of domestic market. Recently, it has also got an order for supplying 32,000 bicycles for school teachers to Rwanda. The company has set up a network of 1,500 dealers, and planned to expand it to 5,000 dealers across the country. Despite being priced at 15 to 20 per cent higher in comparison to other models, the Hi-Bird bicycles are getting an overwhelming response from the market. Consequently, every month, they are expanding the network to one or two states, he added.
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Cut cost of Auto Expo: Ford
New Delhi, January 18 “We had to spend Rs 2.5 crore if we had taken a stall of 800-900 sq metres on rent as well as on other arrangements to showcase our products. We assessed the cost structure and found that participating in the event would not be a good return on investment,” General Motors Chief Operating Officer Rajeev Chaba said. Mr Chaba pointed out that in the given format and circumstances, the event did not offer good value for money. Echoing Mr Chaba’s points of view, Ford India Vice-President (External Affairs) Vinay Piparsania said the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) and the Automotive Component Manufacturers Association (ACMA) should sit together to find out ways to reduce the cost of the auto event to woo more participants. However, Ford maintained that it did not participate at the show this time as it had nothing noteworthy to showcase. The organisers — CII, SIAM and ACMA — charge Rs 6,000 a metre from their members as rent for indoor raw space with a condition that minimum 50 sq metres will have to be hired. Non-members have to pay Rs 6,500 a metre and overseas companies $ 200 per metre. The respective fee for outdoor raw space is Rs 4,500, Rs 5,500 and $ 150 per metre. Here also the condition is that at least 50 sq metre will have to be taken on rent. Built-up space is available at Rs 8,000, Rs 9,900 and $ 250 a metre with the condition that 125 sq metre space has to be hired. The CII Trade Fairs Committee Chairman, Mr Subodh Bhargav, however, defended the high cost of participation. “Around 20 per cent of the cost is towards rent that is paid to the Indian Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO), which owns the venue.”
— UNI
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Little car genius
New Delhi, January 18 Included in the Limca Book of Records for 2004, Kaushik’s flair for cars and his remarkable memory helps him clearly differentiate between various car models of similar design, besides being able to identify a fast-moving or even a stamp-sized picture of a car. Having begun at the tender age of one-and-a-half years, today, as soon as he comes across a new car, Kaushik gets the details and memorises them. Invited as a guest at this year’s Auto Expo, Kaushik has remarkable memory about automobiles and his parents have applied to the Guinness Book of World Records for a similar mention. Besides, he has been felicitated by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu and is a recipient of the Junior Excellence Award as well as Ugadi Puruskaram 2003 Memory Power Superkid at the Samaikya Bharatha Gaurava Satkara 2003 by the Madras Telugu Academy.
— PTI
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| Dabbawalas give food for thought at IIM
Lucknow, January 18 Delivering a lecture during the ongoing “Manfest 2004” at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Lucknow last evening, Mr Raghunath Medge and Mr Gangarao Talekar of the Nutan Mumbai Tiffin Box Suppliers’ Association said about 5,000 ‘dabbawalas’ or tiffin carriers using cycles, push-carts and the local train system deliver about two lakh tiffin boxes carrying home-cooked meals to their clients over an area of 60 km in Mumbai every day. “We do not have any technical support or corporate strategy and simply work on a code system. We consider our brain to be the computer which rarely commits an error,’’ they said adding each dabbawalla was an individual shareholder of the association, which has an annual turnover of Rs 50 crore. To achieve new targets, the ‘dabbawalas’, who recently received a royal visitor when Prince Charles dropped in, work in strict discipline. They cannot have alcohol during duty hours, are supposed to carry identity cards, compulsorily wear white Nehru caps while strikes are a big no. Hailing mainly from neighbouring villages of Khed, Ambegaon, Mawar, Mulsi, Sangamner and Akola on the Deccan plateau, the ‘dabbawalas’ are today international figures with a world record in best time management and place in the ‘Ripley’s Believe it or not. Forbes Global, IIM, CII and the Indo-German Chamber of Commerce salute their efficient management practices inviting them for conferences while BBC, UTV, MTV and Zee TV have already made documentaries on them. The semi-literate ‘dabbawalas’ of the Mawle community, who came into existence in 1890, make only one error in two months, or in 16 million transactions and have gone beyond a six sigma performance. (Six Sigma is a management philosophy devised by Motorala). Mr Talekar says: “We do not understand anything about six sigma rating...We simply do our work with dedication and find satisfaction in serving food to people, which in turn helps us make a living’’. Owing to pollution, diseases and weight consciousness, clients prefer to eat home-made food, which helps our tribe continue to thrive, Mr Talekar said adding charges for the service range from Rs 150 to Rs 350 per month, per tiffin. He also said that following the visit of Prince Charles, they had been receiving much more attention with teams from Japan and Netherlands soon coming to study their model of simplified management. With an interesting colour-coding scheme, the ‘dabbawalas’ manage to reach out to the length and breadth of the city.
— UNI
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RBI lets foreign cos set offices in SEZs
Mumbai, January 18 The RBI has decided to grant a general permission if such units function in those sectors where 100 per cent FDI is permitted, provided they comply with part XI of the Companies Act and function on a “stand-alone” basis, the central bank said in a notification here today. In the event of the winding up of business and for remittance of such proceeds, the branch or unit should approach an authorised dealer with documents prescribed under the FEMA Act, it said. The auditor’s certificate should indicate the manner in which the remittable amount has been arrived, supported by a statement of assets and liabilities of the applicant, and indicating the manner of disposal of assets, it said.
— PTI
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Petronet reserves shares for staff
New Delhi, January 18 In all, 26,097,900 equity shares out of the offer of 260,979,900 shares, representing 34.8 per cent of the total equity, will be reserved for allotment to permanent employees/wholetime directors of PLL and permanent employees/ wholetime directors of its promoter companies — BPCL, GAIL, IOC and ONGC. Of the 234,882,000 equity shares being offered to public through a book building progress, 45 per cent (117,441,000 shares) will be reserved for Qualified Institutional Buyers while the remaining will be equally split between retail and non-institutional buyers, according to the draft red herring prospectus for the IPO filed by the company with SEBI.
— PTI
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New Delhi, January 18 
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