Pat Olney, President & CEO -Road Machinery Business Line, Volvo Construction Equipment 

At Excon 2007, Volvo Construction Equipment launched new series of Wheel Loaders and the PT220 RH Pneumatic Tire Roller. Post Volvo CE’s acquisition of Ingersoll Rand’s Road Machinery Division (in May 2007), this is the first time globally that the road machinery are being launched in Volvo colours. 

Speaking on the occasion, Eberhard Wedekind, President, Volvo Construction Equipment (Region Asia), said, “The Indian market has accepted our equipment very well and the encouraging response from the sub-continent has led us to launch our latest series of Wheel Loaders in India”. Part of the range is the L90F, which is powered by the latest D6D, a turbocharged 6 cylinders, water cooled diesel engine delivering up to 175HP. 

Like most other Volvo equipment, it is capable of giving higher productivity owing to excellent fuel efficiency. Ideally suited for medium tonnage production requirements, it is bound to be very popular for road construction, Coal and Iron ore mining and ports. The PT220 is designed to suit the quality needs of the Indian roads. The machine aims at giving a smooth mat finish to the roads, giving it the quality at par with global standards.

Dassauly Systemes has announced the setting up of Dassault Systemes India. This marks Dassault’s official entry into India. Leading player in the 3D and PLM space, Dassault’s setting up of a wholly owned subsidiary in India follows a growing wave of Indian businesses like Apollo Tyres, Tata Motors, Ashok Leyland, Infosys, Sat yam and others, who have begun adapting DS solutions to produce more innovative products. Dassault Systemes has six brands under its wings—SolidWorks, Catia, Simulia, Delmia, Enovia and 3Dvia. In India, according to Suman Bose, Country Director, Dassault, said, “Auto is our biggest business sector in India; we are growing in the ship building sector too”. “PLM is becoming a major business initiative among India companies” Suman added. 

Speaking on the occasion, Bernard Charles, President and CEO, Dassault Systemes, said, “Dassault Systemes is honored to work with local customers and partners that are carving the future for India, finding solutions to current and future business challenges. DS brings over a 26 year experience in 3D and PLM to the table and wants to share this know-how to the benefit of India's businesses”. 

“We have significant activities going in India. In India we have 500 plus customers across 11 industries. Across the globe we have 1 million users, not including viewers” added Charles. According to Charles the US Navy is using Dassault software. Boeing 787 development is a DS PLM example and uses almost all Dassault platforms. LG uses Enovia and includes 15000 users. Quoting that Dassault has gained 10 per cent market share in the last 5 years and would be reaching an estimated US $ 1.7 billion in software alone, Charles stated, “We are growing by 14-15per cent on the revenue side. We added three brands in the last 5 years”. 

With Simulia the company is developing virtual simulation solutions. The company recently added 3Dvia to its brands list to increase the 3D influence. Under 3Dvia, Dassault and Microsft have reached a strategic alliance to develop and market Microsoft Virtual Earth. The company is also developing 3Dvia for collaborative intelligence to influence global collaborative innovation. Dassault is acquiring Seemage to replace 3D based documents into real documents. 

Referring to India, Charles stated that the Delmia R&D in Bangalore will now play a bigger and wider role under the Dassault umbrella. “India represents about 25 per cent of our R&D capacity”. Charles stressed upon the fact that India is becoming an engineering centre not only to serve Indian companies but to serve worldwide companies.

ICICI Bank recently conducted its first training workshop for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) for using the SME Toolkit effectively. The workshop was a curtain raiser for the classroom training initiative that ICICI Bank along with Institute of Management Studies (IMS) has developed for SMEs. The SMEs will need to register themselves with IMS for complete classroom training. The participating SMEs will be trained to use the new version of the SME Toolkit, a free online resource to help small businesses improve their management practices and to understand the business regulatory environment, launched jointly by IFC, ICICI Bank and IBM in August 2007. 

ICICI Bank's focus is on localisation of the SME Toolkit content and tools and the latest software version, of the SME Toolkit, Web 2.0, includes live chat, online forums, and interactive business directories that create a global community where smaller businesses can interact and collaborate. 

Speaking for this initiative, Sanjeev Mantri, General Manager, ICICI Bank, said, “The SME Toolkit provides SMEs with an ecosystem to enable them to scale up their businesses. ICICI Bank has partnered with IFC to make available this useful service to all SMEs in India. We will keep innovating on a perpetual basis to enable SMEs to avail maximum benefit from the Toolkit."The event was marked with a presentation on 'Growth Drivers for SMEs' by ICICI Bank and on 'Internet Marketing Solutions for Emerging Corporates' made by Google, the internet partners. 

The discussions ended with an interactive session where the SMEs present discussed issues pertaining to Human Resource, Accounting and Finance. ICICI Bank plans to conduct eight more such workshops in the cities of Delhi, Kolkata, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad and Ahemdabad.

ECEL, subsidiary of Escorts Limited and leader in the Indian Construction and Material handling Equipment Industry, unveiled the TRX Series of Pick-n-Carry Cranes in the 23 T ( TRX 2319 ), 17T ( TRX 1713 ) and 16T ( TRX 1614 ) category at the EXCON 2007. The cranes are packed with features and attributes which are desirable for the end customers. Some of its key attributes are :High Lifting capacity, Faster Speed (up to 40 km/hr), Boom height of 21.5 m, Centrally / Front Mounted Cabins for improved visibility and placement of load, and Hydrostatic Transmission (in TRX 2319). 

In another development, in partnership with Alpha Services, pioneers of mobile tower cranes, ECEL will exclusively market its range of mobile tower cranes.

The Rs.3.2-billion Jamuna Auto Industries Ltd is going to choose between Chennai and Jamshedpur to locate its research and development (R&D) centre. Planned at an outlay of Rs 150 million, the R&D centre would employ over 50 engineers. According to Jamuna Auto CEO Randeep Jauhar, the company would need around 10 acres for the proposed centre. "Getting land allotted near Chennai is very difficult," he told the media in Chennai. 

Jamuna Auto prefers Chennai as the group company Jai Parabolic Springs Ltd has a plant here to make parabolic springs. Jauhar said the company is also looking at Jamshedpur for the R&D centre. The company has recently acquired Tata Motor's leaf springs plant at Jamshedpur for Rs 150 million. It is now building a new factory there at an investment of Rs 750 million. The proposed plant will have a total capacity of around 50,000 tonne per annum (tpa). 

The company is also putting up a Rs 100-million plant in Uttarakhand to assemble parabolic springs for Tata Motor's vehicles. The company will fund the expansion with a mix of debt and internal accruals. It has already raised $8 million through external commercial borrowings. It plans to raise another $8 million through the same route. Presently, the group commands 60 per cent of the Indian auto springs market. Its share in the replacement market is however just six per cent.

Illustrating Renault’s commitment to offering a line-up of ecological, economical vehicles, the Logan Renault eco2 concept complies with all three of the criteria that count towards the eco² appellation. 

Manufactured at the Pitesti plant in Romania, which has been ISO 14001-certified since 2005, the concept contains 8.3per cent of recycled plastics and is 95per cent reusable by weight. Special attention has been paid towards reducing CO2 emissions below the100g/km threshold. The concept is powered by a 1.5 dCi (63kW/85hp) engine which runs on B30 biofuel. The final drive ratio has been lengthened 8per cent to reduce fuel consumption while ensuring a level of mid-range acceleration that is suitable for ordinary use. 

Changes to the exterior include a flexible splitter under the front bumper to reduce underbody turbulence combined with a spare-wheel fairing to optimize the flow of air underneath the car. There’s a rear lip spoiler to reduce the vehicle's overall drag performance. The active control alternator ensures that the battery is charged only as required (12.8 Volts instead of 13.5 Volts). The battery consequently doesn't have to be charged so frequently, which leads to lower fuel consumption.

Ricardo, which has enjoyed a long and successful history of providing engineering and consulting services to Indian customers across a wide range of market sectors ranging from two and three wheelers to passenger cars, commercial vehicles and the power generation industry, has set up a wholly owned subsidiary, Ricardo India Private Limited. Based at Delhi the subsidiary will be chaired by Surjit Singh Kalra, who has been Ricardo’s representative in India for over 20 years. He will be supported by executive vice president Trevor Downes, who has worked for Ricardo in the UK since 1996 in roles including diesel engine development and testing as well as in operational management positions. 

The subsidiary is expected to further consolidate the recent significant growth of Ricardo’s Indian business including company’s numerous ongoing projects for Indian customers that encompass a broad range of disciplines, including engine and transmission engineering, control and electronics and strategic consulting. 

As a leading global developer of clean, high fuel-economy and low CO2 vehicle technologies, according to Ricardo sources, the company has found its services in demand from Indian customers as they seek to satisfy the increasingly stringent demands of legislators and consumers in both the domestic Indian and international markets. 

Commenting on the development, Dave Shemmans, Ricardo Group CEO, said, “As one of the fastest developing emerging markets and boasting some of the world’s leading industrial companies, India is extremely important for Ricardo. The launch of Ricardo India will bring us closer to our customers in India and enable us to offer an improved and more responsive level of service.”

Mahindra & Mahindra Farm Equipment Sector (FES) and Shriram Transport Finance Company (STFC) have joined hands to finance Mahindra Vishwas certified tractors. Mahindra Vishwas is a unique initiative by M&M Farm Equipment Sector to provide farmers with second hand tractors, with quality certification from M&M, which entails free services and warranty. To facilitate better services and affordable packages to farmers the company has tied up with STFC, which is a leader in asset based funding of used commercial vehicles. STFC is planning to span out its business by entering used tractor financing. Given its limited experience in the used tractor business STFC has allied with India’s largest used tractor player-Mahindra Vishwas. 

The alliance aims at financing one-lakh used tractors across the country by 2010. Mahindra Vishwas is the key player in the organised sector for second hand tractor business. The tractors are sold with a warranty of 6 to 12 months, which is ascertained on the basis of star rating given by M&M engineers to the tractors, once they are thoroughly refurbished by Mahindra Vishwas outlets. Mahindra Vishwas already has a tie-up with SBI, ICICI Bank, MMFSL, BOB, Allahabad Bank, UBI, CBI and many other commercial and co-operative banks and NBFC’s to provide finance.

Excon 2007, a five-day Construction Equipment and Construction Technology Trade Fair to be organized by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) from 14-18 November 2007 at the Bangalore International Exhibition Centre (BIEC), is expected to position India as the global sourcing hub for construction equipment. Vipin Sondhi, Chairman, Excon 2007 (and managing director of JCB India) has expressed that the fourth edition of the India's largest construction equipment and construction technology trade fair (Excon 2007), which is also Asia's third biggest and among the world's Top 10 events of its kind, is presented in the context of unprecedented economic growth in India with focused attention on infrastructure development. India's economic boom has resulted in an exponential growth in demand for construction equipment and services. Sondhi stated further that the construction industry is expected to play a critical role in the building of modern India.

Eberspaecher took over Purem Abgassysteme GmbH & Co. KG., based in Unna, Germany. With the purchase of this 100per cent Daimler subsidiary, the automobile parts supplier based in Esslingen has introduced a leading system integrator in the area of after-treatment of exhaust emissions for commercial vehicles into its company. 

The objective is to significantly raise its market share in this segment. In recent years, Purem has established itself as a system integrator for Daimler and generated that way a turnover of Euro 80 million in 2006 with 135 employees. 

Following this merger, Eberspaecher can also expand this system integration competence to other customers. Bernd Hofmann, who has been the General Manager of Purem for one year, will head the new Eberspaecher Commercial Vehicles Business Unit, which has almost all manufacturers in Europe, North America, Brazil and India amongst its customer base.

Bayer MaterialScience commissioned its coatings lab at Thane recently. The objective is to strengthen the company’s position in the high potential polyurethanes coatings market in India and will primarily focus on application areas like auto OEMs, auto refinish, plastic coatings, protective coatings, wood finishes and general industrial coatings. 

Speaking at the inauguration of the lab, Satish Shenoy, Country Representative for Business Unit: Coatings, Adhesives and Sealants, Indian Subcontinent, said, “Our target market in the short and medium term is the non-architectural coatings market. Mainly the industrial, automotive, protective and wood coating market segments. We would also like to use this Lab promote eco-friendly coating technologies like waterborne PU coatings, UV Coatings, etc”. Dr. Volker Mirgel, Sr. Vice President, Business Unit: Coatings, Adhesives and Sealants expressed that there was a need to bring the latest technologies to our customers in India, and be able to customize solutions for them. 

He added, “And this is what we aim to do with this lab. In due course of time, we hope to further expand and strengthen the facilities that the lab provides.” The (thane) lab will function in close co-ordination with Bayer’s Application Development Labs in Germany (EMEA), Shanghai (APAC) and Japan to support the coatings market in the Indian subcontinent. It is equipped with state-of-the-art testing, formulation and application equipment, meeting global standards and guidelines.

With 850 exhibitors from 50 countries, over 140 aircraft on display and over 35,000 sq metres of exhibition space, the Dubai Airshow this year is set to become the biggest ever in its 18-year-old history. "The scale of growth over the last two years - which amounts to 40 percent in booked floor space - reflects the massive growth the Middle East's aviation industry is experiencing across all segments," Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, president of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and chairman of Dubai Airports, said in a statement. 

Thirteen India companies will put up stalls at the show. Addressing a press conference here, Alison Weller, aerospace director of Fairs & Exhibitions (F&E), the event organizer of the five-day show beginning Nov 11, said: "We are expecting over 140 aircraft to be on display this year. There will be 850 exhibitors from 50 countries and the number of trade exhibitors is expected to total over 40,000." "This year, we have some 130 newcomers from 24 countries - which accounts for over 10 percent of the overall exhibitor profile," she added. "With 11 national pavilions, 91 chalets and 15 outdoor pavilions - up from five in 2005 - it truly is a full-house scenario," Weller maintained. 

Elaborating on the business aspect of the event, F&E chairman Virginia Kerr said: "Orders worth $21.3 billion were placed last year. We expect this year's figures to exceed that." According to Kerr, the civilian-to-military aircraft ratio would be in the range of 60:40 at this year's event. Among the aircraft on display this year would be the Cirrus SR22 G3, dubbed as the world's fastest selling, single-engine four-seater aircraft; the Dassault Falcon 7X, the original fly-by-wire business jet; the Sino Swearingen SJ30, the world's fastest, long-range light jet; and the MD-902 helicopter with its patented state-of-the-art no-tail-rotor technology. The Airbus A-380 superjumbo will also be back for show, which will also see military giants like the Russian MiG-29, the Lockheed Martin F-16 and the F-117A Nighthawk stealth fighter take to the air.