Pune-based Quantum Infotrainers and Consultants, a one-stop solutions IT company operating on multi-levels which include pioneering in embedded systems training, announced the launch of its US operations via a sales office in Texas, Houston. Quantum has been offering services to clients across India, and has a presence in Delhi and Mumbai via representative offices and is planning to set up operations in Kolkata and Bangalore soon. The company has appointed a branch head along with two business development executives who are going to take care of business in the US and North America, which includes Canada, Mexico and other countries. 

Announcing the start of US operations, Pratik Surana, CEO, Quantum Infotrainers & Consultants said, "We would gradually look at business coming in from the US and neighbouring countries as training plays a great role in these markets." He added, "In addition to the same, new clientele will be looked for. Quantum will be providing training services to them either by sending our trainers on site and/or through web conferencing whenever and wherever possible and eventually will come up with their own trainer's and consultant's team there, based on the initial response." 

There will be an extension of the existing service line, to undertake other allied services such as instructional designing, course material development, content writing etc for the existing schools, colleges, universities and other educational institutes in that region. Quantum is already working on one such project for a US-based school on the lines of K12, making CBTs and WBTs, instruction manuals and product manuals. 

According to Surana, the company is also exploring some university tie-ups with the US universities in terms of providing them guidance on the course structures, and running their certification programmes in and around India. There have been plans to undertake their faculty development programmes through senior experts who have been ex-IITians, and are from such premium institutes. Furthermore, there are plans to come up with courses of a short term duration which are specific to business intelligence, networking and web programming for the existing work force and software professionals in America and promote a concept called "educational tourism" on the lines of "health tourism" wherein these professionals will come in batches, will undergo technical as well as foreign languages, cross culture sensitivity and life skills training under a course of 2-3 months duration and will tour India as well. 

Quantam's clients include Infosys Technologies, Tata Consultancy Services, Satyam Computers, Kanbay Software, Geometric Software Solutions and Mahindra British Telecom, among others.

Porsche Deutschland GmbH has purchased a pair of Berlin-based Porsche Centers from the Eduard-Winter Group. The sale sees the Eduard-Winter Group withdraw completely from the automobile industry, having already sold its 19 VW-Audi dealerships at the end of 2005. 

“Over the last 15 years, Berlin, the capital, has been transformed at a breathtaking pace into the country’s political and cultural hub. We want to do justice to this city’s special significance and build up a presence with our own subsidiaries on the ground,” said Bernhard Maier, Managing Director of Porsche Deutschland GmbH. The 80 employees from the two dealerships have been kept on by Porsche Deutschland GmbH. “We still see enormous potential in the greater Berlin and Potsdam area and intend to expand further”, confirmed Maier. 

Maier also announced a location shift: since the Berlin-Süd Porsche Center on Goerzallee no longer meets the sports-car manufacturer’s requirements, Porsche has purchased a site for a new build in the Dreilinden part of town – between Berlin-Zehlendorf and Potsdam. The Managing Director of the new Porsche Center is Detlef Splinter, head of the Porsche Center in Franklinstraße, in the centre of Berlin, since 2003. On September 1, 2007, Otmar Westerfellhaus, who has been Managing Director of the Porsche subsidiary in Mannheim for the last four years, took the helm in central Berlin.

Ravi Kant, Managing Director, Tata Motors, has been elected as the new president of the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM). He was elected at SIAM's annual general meeting held in New Delhi recently. Ravi Kant has been vice-president of SIAM for two years and takes over from Vice-Chairman, Bajaj Auto, Madhur Bajaj. 

Dr Pawan Goenka, President - Automotive, Mahindra and Mahindra, was elected vice-president of SIAM. The current SIAM treasurer and chairman, Eicher Group, S Sandilya, will continue in his post for another term.

DaimlerChrysler AG has announced that it is planning to enter a co-operation with Jalandhar-based coach builder, Sutlej Motors Ltd (SML). The co-operation encompasses the development, production, marketing, sales and after sales of luxury rear engine coaches. The Mercedes-Benz chassis will be manufactured by Daimler Chrysler India and the body will be built by SML. DaimlerChrsyler India will handle the sales and after-sales of the coaches. 

While the first vehicle is expected to roll off the line in the first quarter of 2008, the two companies intend to build bus bodies on Mercedes-Benz chassis manufactured by DaimlerChrysler India, which is a 100 per cent subsidiary of DaimlerChrysler AG. DaimlerChrysler and SML plan to develop their activities that will meet international quality norms in terms of reliability, safety and comfort. Both the companies intend to set new standards in the Indian bus segment. DaimlerChrysler Buses is the world’s leading manufacturer of buses and coaches. It also has a dedicated coach division called Setra, and which makes some of the best and most luxurious buses in the world. DaimlerChrysler Buses has around 17,100 employees worldwide and sold 36,000 buses and coaches in 2006.

German major Volkswagen has launched the Passat in India. Available in two versions, the Passat is assembled in India at Skoda’s Aurangabad plant where the Skoda Octavia, Skoda Laura are also made. Volkswagen’s first car to be launched in India after the company’s arrival in India, the Passat, in its sixth generation, is powered by the 2.0-litre TDi diesel engine that produces 140bhp @ 4000rpm and 320Nm of torque between 1750-2500rpm. Priced between Rs 22.35 lakhs and Rs 24.35 lakhs respectively at ex-showroom Delhi, the Passat is equipped with a 6-speed automatic DSG gearbox, ABS, ESP press-and-drive starting function, auto air-con, 6-CD changer, bi-xenon head lamps, electromechanical parking brake and more. 

Speaking at the launch in Mumbai, Joerg Mueller, managing director of Volkswagen Group Sales India, said, “We are excited to be in India. The Passat will set the pace for our future product launches in India and India is a key market for our strategic growth plans”. “We hope that the launch of the Passat will affirm our commitment to provide the latest technology and high value to discerning Indian customers” added Mueller. “We want to grow our presence by setting up a production facility at Pune and expanding the Volkswagen network in India. We want to co-operate with India’s outstanding community and build cars with high local content”. 

In its sixth generation, the Passat is globally the most successful Volkswagen car after the Golf and the Beetle. The Passat, which Mueller describes as a fine and successful car, has sold more than 14 million units from the time it was first launched in 1973. Referring to Volkswagen entry into India with the Passat, Kevin Rose, executive director, sales international, Volkswagen AG, said, “We sold the twenty-fifth billion Golf recently. Nearly 40 million Passats have been sold until now and the car has won the most awards in its class and is about comfort, elegance, space, performance and more”. Added Andreas Prinz, managing director of Volkswagen Passenger Cars at Volkswagen Group Sales India, “With the Passat we hope to build a long standing relationship with the discerning Indian car-lover through our high standards of excellence and after sales service”. 

According to Rose, “India is very much a part of the global strategy. Volkswagen is a market leader in Europe we expect growth will come from outside Europe. 63 Per cent of sales are from outside Europe and with India it should go to 70-80 per cent in another 10 to 15 years. We are a brand that moves with people”. Stating that Volkswagen is investing Euro 410 million at Pune, and that there is a need to understand the market first, Rose explained, “We are manufacturing the Passat at Aurangabad and our stress would be to build the local content and then move to Pune”. 

Pune, claim sources close to Volkswagen, would be the location for the small car. They add that the plant will be operational by 2009. When asked by a media representative, Mueller declined to reveal any particulars about the company’s sourcing activities in India. Sources however claim that Volkswagen is in discussions with various vendors for supplier development. It is a well known fact that Volkswagen recently held a supplier meet at Mumbai for the first time in India. Interestingly, the entry of Volkswagen also gives rise to the question of brand positioning. Two VW Group companies, Skoda and Audi are already present in India. Asked about synergies between group members, all that Mueller stated that Volkswagen would be looking at striking synergies with its sister companies. Skoda is in India from 2001 and Audi is also in India for nearly two years now.

Visteon Corporation has announced that it has completed the sale of Visteon Powertrain Control Systems India (VPCSI) in Chennai to Adyar River Ltd. While the transaction is part of the restructuring activity to improve business, the agreement covers the VPCSI operation in Chennai which manufactures starters and alternators for global car makers. The transaction supports the company’s strategy to invest proceeds from the sale of non-core assets in its market leading businesses. Employees in the operation will continue to be employed as part of the transaction. 

Following the announcement, the Visteon India footprint includes four manufacturing plants and two technical centres, employing more than 2,000 people. India is an important part of Visteon’s expansion in Asia, one of the fastest growing automotive markets in the world. Visteon has 55 facilities and 38 manufacturing plants in Asia. The company expects Asia to become its largest region by 2009, generating nearly 50 per cent of its revenue. 

Adyar River Limited, at the other end, is a joint venture between Argyle Street Management Limited and Leticia Investments Corp. founded in 2002, the principal business of Argyle Street Management Limited (ASM) is management of funds investing in special situations in Asia. Argyle manages approximately US$800 million of assets including equity and debt instruments as well as real estate investments under ASM, Asia Recovery Fund (ARF), ASM Hudson River Fund (HRF), certain property fund and discretionary accounts. Argyle’s funds will be investing in Adyar through ARF and HRF, certain property fund and discretionary accounts.

The US $ 2.1 billion Kalyani Group has acquired the RSBconsult GmbH (RSB),Germany, as a strategic step towards entering into the high growth wind energy sector. The Pune-based auto component leader is already present in the wind energy sector, both as a wind farm operator as well as a supplier of components. "The acquisiton of RSB", said Baba kalyani, chairman, kalyani group, "will give the Kalyani Group a strong and experienced design and engineering team that would take care of product technology, while the Kalyani Group will bring in its well-established global supply chain capabilities and engineering skills to drive the global business model and also manage Asia Pacific markets and operations from India". "There are two strategic leverages in the wind turbines business, product technology and supply chain management". 

RSB is a well-established design-and-consulting house and has more than 150 man years of cumulative and international experience in the wind industry with customers across the globe. Based in Muenster, Germany, RSB was set up in September 2003 by highly experienced designers from the wind industry as a design and consulting house. The company has end-to-end design capability right from components to wind turbine systems and currently working on wind industry projects with customers across Europe as well as in China, Japan and India in the Asian Region. "Wind turbines require a number of forged, machined and other metal components. Our foray into this business will therefore provide immense opportunities within the group to create a global component supply to the OEMs and Tier I companies in this industry", Kalyani added.

Atlas Copco has yet again proven its world leadership in air-compressor manufacturing – with new ISO 8573-1 Class 0 certificates for oil-free air compressors in the centrifugal, tooth, scroll and water-injected screw ranges. The ‘Class 0’ rating for these compressors is the next step in a continuous drive in innovation that began with the certification of the Z screw compressor range in 2006, the first compressors in the world to be TÜV certified ISO 8573-1 Class 0. Tested using the most stringent test methods available and simulating realistic industrial environments, the TÜV found no traces of oil in the output air stream under any of the test conditions. 

‘The fact that we can now offer a wide range of Class 0 certified compressors means that we can help customers select the best and most efficient compressor technology to improve their productivity and profitability,’ says Ronnie Leten, Atlas Copco’s Business Area President Compressor Technique. ‘It’s a strategic choice of Atlas Copco to invest in new technologies, as this is the best way to help our customers meet their own targets. And one of the driving forces in Atlas Copco is our commitment to customer value.’ 

Applications where 100% oil-free air is important include food and beverage processing, pharmaceutical manufacturing and packaging, chemical and petrochemical processing, semiconductor and electronics manufacturing, the medical sector, automotive paint spraying, textile manufacturing and many more. 

Contamination by even the smallest quantities of oil in such purity-critical compressed-air applications can result in damaged products or product batches, high rejection rates and returns, and costly production downtime and cleanup. Atlas Copco’s Class 0 air compressors eliminate the risks of oil contamination as well as the resulting extra costs, by preventing oil from entering the production process. 

For Atlas Copco’s customers, Class 0 certification means zero risk of contamination, zero risk of damaged or unsafe products, and zero risk of losses from operational downtime. Above all, zero risk of ruining a company’s hard-won professional reputation. 

The Class Zero certification of the Z screw compressors is now extended with a wide range of oil-free air technologies, including the high-capacity ZH centrifugal compressors, the ZR/ZT tooth compressors, the AQ water-injected screw compressors, the SF scroll compressors and the P series of rental compressors. (Neeraj Bhargava, Business Line Manager, Atlas Copco. Tel: 020-39852311. E-mail: neeraj.bhargava@in.atlascopco.com)