Tata Docomo launches festive offers

 Kolkata, Oct 18 (IBNS): Cellphone operator Tata Docomo on Wednesday announced an array of special offers and services on the occasion of Durga Puja, here.

"We have based our offers on the theme of Kolkata unlimited, which means pay a certain value and enjoy unlimited services. The products are specifically launched for Kolkata," informed Tata Teleservices Limited Circle Head- West Bengal and NESA, Ashok Ghose.

The company announced the launch of RC 222 and RC 333 for CDMA and GSM prepay customers in Kolkata and RoWB, with both these recharge coupons allowing the customers benefit of more talk time which are of Rs.242 and Rs.370 in balance respectively.

Recharge coupons with denominations of Rs.22 and Rs.123 have been introduced which offers 20 hours of free calling on Tata Docomo network along with Rs.44 RC offering STD and local calls at 1.2 p/2 sec.

The brand also introduced RCV 250 with full talk time and 2 GB data in selected towns of West Bengal, while in the data space, existing and new post-pay Tata Photon Max customers in Kolkata with unlimited usage will now get a flat bill cap of Rs.1000 every month under which they can utilize 3 GB data up to 6.2 Mbps (download) speed.

Tata DOCOMO also launched midnight recharge service for the Puja which will be available in almost 50 pandals across Kolkata.

"Pandal hopping will also become more fun with Tata Docomo Pujo-r Unlimited Thek across top 4 Puja pandals in Kolkata: Bagbazar, Mudiali, Samaj Sebi and Dumdum Park Tarun Sangha, bustling with celeb visits, live performances, kids' competitions and cultural activities," asserted Ghose.

For post pay customers nationally, there is an unlimited plan of Rs.899 that enables customers to make local and national calls on any mobile or fixed line network across India with this fixed monthly rental.

The brand that claims to be number 3 in West Bengal has been growing ahead of the market which itself had a growth of 2-3%, targeting a growth of 20% this year, apprised official.

The market share in-terms of customers is 11% for the brand in Kolkata circle while market share in-terms of revenue is 12.5% which marks a rise of 30-35% as whole, making 11-12% contribution during this Quarter.

"These unlimited plans for our Tata Docomo customers are the latest addition in our ever-expanding portfolio of differentiated offerings. We have spent about a Crore in the promotional package for these offers,"added Ghose.

Sony Xperia S Tablet Not Made For India

The sales of the tablets have been reportedly halted due to some defects found lagging in the devices. 

Sony is known for a lot of things in India, be its Xperia smartphones, Vaio laptops or even the Bravia LCD TV range for that matter. As far as Sony's tablets, commonly referred to as the Xperia tablets, are concerned, they have hardly managed to create a space in the competitive tablets segment in the country.

We spoke to Kenichiro Hibi, managing director, Sony India, and when asked for his opinion on the overall tablet segment plans for Sony in India, he said, “ Sony's range of tablets in the country is not targeting the entry-level segment and more inclined towards the premium-end segment.” While this statement does clearly indicate the company's targeted consumer base, but we still cannot understand the lack of marketing or visibility the product has received compared to its Vaio range, Xperia smartphones and even Bravia TVs.

Earlier this month, EFYTimes had reported that Sony might be looking at bringing in its Xperia S tablet in the country as a part of its festive season product range.

When asked, why no tablet launches for the festive season in the country, Hibi informed us that “Sony has majorly focused itself in the Indian market with its range of home entertainment, IT and smartphone products and with me at the helm of Indian market, we will continue to concentrate on these segments thoroughly.”

Also there have been recent developments regarding Sony's halting sales of Xperia S tablets after water-resistant defects and design flaws were found in those devices. Sony began selling its latest Android tablet on 7 September in the United States followed by its launch in Japan, Europe and elsewhere. So far, it has shipped around 100,000 units of the device.

The tablet market in India is fairly orchestrated by the entry-level-price-range tablets starting from Rs 7,000 up to around Rs 15,000. Micromax is said to be the front-runner amongst a lot of tablet makers like Karbonn, Zync, HCL, to name a few. The iPads and Galaxy Tabs are the most realistic competitors to Sony's tablet range in the country, which are priced starting from Rs 24,000.

We believe the company should get a head-start and start looking at ways to re-enter the tablet segment in the country, looking at how varied research experts predict huge sales numbers for the segment in India over the next couple of years.

Fujifilm to sell 2.5 lakh cameras in India in FY13

Japanese camera maker Fujifilmtoday said it is targeting over 35 per cent growth in the Indian market this fiscal, aiming to sell up to 2.5 lakh units. Fujifilm India sells 12 camera models in the country.

"From April-March period, we are planning to sell between 2 lakh-2.5 lakh camera units in the country. Last year we sold 1.8 lakh units here," Fujifilm India Managing Director Kenichi Tanaka said.'

The company is aiming for Rs. 800 crore in revenues from Indian market in 2012-13, he added. It had posted sales of Rs. 500 crore last fiscal, which contributed for around 1 per cent of its total global sales.

For the fiscal ended March 31, 2012, the Japan-based Fujifilm Holdings Corporation posted global revenues of USD 27 billion.
"The ratio (contribution of India to the global revenues) is continuously going up," Tanaka said.
The company, which on Tuesday announced the launch of premium compact camera 'XF1' in the Indian market, said it plans to invest Rs. 15 crore on marketing activities during the festive season.
"We plan to invest around Rs. 10-15 crore on marketing during the Diwali period. We are expecting revenues of Rs. 40 crore from these two months of festive season," Tanaka said.
The company had achieved around Rs. 25 crore in sales during the festive season last year, he added.
Commenting on future product launches, Tanaka said the company is looking to introduce a aterproof camera in the Indian market next year.

Yamaha organizes FZ Raiders Full Throttle Meet

Mumbai, Oct 13 (IBNS): Motorcycle manufacturing company Yamaha Motor India on Saturday organised the Yamaha FZ Raiders Full Throttle Meet here.

The event, an initiative to connect with customers and increase brand awareness, saw young enthusiastic participants showcasing their mettle in various activities lined up for the day.

Yamaha officials said, "This is the first time that Yamaha has come up with a concept like this. Yamaha is planning to host a second FZ Raiders Full Throttle Meet in New Delhi In November, subsequently moving on to other cities in the country."

The event witnessed a series of fun filled activities like the Gymkhana contest, Bike Riding Rally by FZ Owners and Bike Customization Contest among others.

Prizes were distributed among the winners from each category and as a befitting finale to the eventful day, music band Bombay Rock Project performed few mixes of Bollywood meets Rock and Roll compositions.

Officials asserted, "The Yamaha FZ Raiders Full Throttle Meet is a pan-India marketing initiative that will cover the entire western and southern belt."

"Few cities where the FZ Raiders presence will be felt are Pune, Ahmedabad, Goa in western India and Chennai, Cochin, Hyderabad and Bangalore in the south.

Sony aims to treble India revenue; targets Rs. 20,000 crore by 2015

Electronics major Sony India on Thursday said it is targeting to treble its revenue to Rs. 20,000 crore by 2015 even as its Japanese parent continues to suffer losses globally due to adverse conditions in major markets such as Europe and the US.

Going forward, the company may also consider setting up an assembly unit in India, provided local regulations and tax structures make it attractive.

"For India, we have set a challenging and mid-range target of increasing our revenue three times by 2015. We are looking to achieve a sales of Rs. 20,000 crore in India," Sony India Managing Director Kenichiro Hibi told reporters.

The company had clocked a turnover of about Rs. 6,300 crore in 2011-12 and is expecting 35-40 percent jump in the current fiscal, he added.
Hibi, who took over the reins of the Indian operations in July this year, said the country will continue to be among the top five markets of Sony Corporation. It is currently the fifth largest after Japan, the US, China and Brazil.

"Our growth will be based on three main pillars TV, personal computers and smart phones. However, other segments like audio systems and cameras will also contribute significantly," he added.
Sony India's announcement of this sales target comes at a time when its parent is reporting losses due to unfavourable foreign exchange rates, impact of tsunami in Japan, floods in Thailand and adverse market sentiments in developed countries.

In the first quarter ended June 30, Sony Corp posted a rise of 1.36 percent in its global sales at 1.52 trillion yen. However, it saw its net loss widening to 24.6 billion yen during the period.
For the year ending March 31, 2012, Sony Corp reported 9.58 percent fall in its sales at 6.49 trillion yen. Its net loss also widened to 456.7 billion yen in the year..
"There are concerns in other global markets like Europe and China, but fundamentals in India are very strong. Demand here is strong and people are still coming to showrooms and buying our products," Hibi said.

When asked if the company would consider setting up an assembly unit in India, he said Sony India is talking to the headquarters in Japan for this.
"Setting up of an assembly line will depend on market circumstances. We cannot say yes or no. We have to look into the present FTA treaties that India has signed with countries like Malaysia, from where we import TVs and audio systems.

"However, we are considering this option, but we don't have any concrete plans," Hibi said.
Under the current rules and tax structures, importing all the goods is the best option for Sony India, he added.

TB Kawashima to set up Indian plant for automotive textiles

The Japan-based TB Kawashima will set up an Indian unit for manufacture of high quality woven and Tricot, circular knitted textile fabrics for car seat, including weaving, knitting, dyeing, coating and finishing process. The Indian entity, TB Kawashima Automotive Textile (India) Pvt. Ltd., with an investment of Rs. 100 crores is coming up in the Kadakola Industrial Area in Mysore district.

In 2010, TB Kawashima was set up to specialize in fabrics for the transportation segment. Now it delivers standard products that satisfy customer requirements worldwide under a strong management. The predecessors of TB Kawashima are the automotive fabric divisions of Toyota Boshoku and Kawashima Selkon Textiles, and Tatsumura Textile AI.

With the tradition, technology and networks that these three companies developed over the years, TB Kawashima’s strength lies in its ability to take full advantage of its close relationship with seat assembly companies to make product proposals.

In October 2011, TB Kawashima merged with its former subsidiary Kawashima Echigawa Factory Ltd. to establish an integrated system that can respond more rapidly at every step, from development to production. This plant will serve as our base for future global production and supply, going from strength to strength in manufacturing capability and quality.

In December 2011, TB Kawashima had acquired a stake in Rayves Automotive Textile Company Private Ltd. from Raymond Ltd. Rayves Automotive Textile was a JV between Silver Spark Apparel Ltd., a subsidiary of Raymond, and Treves S.A. of France, offering printed seating fabric for Tata Motors.

Sri City offers readymade factories to Japanese firms

Chennai - With Japanese companies increasingly setting up production bases in India, the Sri City Pvt Ltd developing an integrated business city in Tamil Nadu will be offering readymade factories to attract small and medium enterprises (SME), a top company official said Friday.

He added that the company is planning to develop a golf course at the integrated business city known as Sri City about 80 km from here to attract bigger industrial investments.
"We already have a Japanese enclave in Sri City where 14 companies from Japan have set up shop. We are increasing the size of Japanese enclave by 200 acres to 500 acres. We will be building modular ready-built factories of various sizes (5,000 square feet, 10,000 square feet and 20,000 square feet) specifically for Japanese SMEs," Ravindra Sannareddy, managing director told reporters here Friday.
"We are planning to have a golf course at Sri City. I am leaving for Thailand for discussions with golf course investors," he said.

He said around 40 companies have set up their production base in Sri City and Alsthom Transport will start rolling out metro coaches for the Chennai Metro project.
According to Shinya Fujii, director general of Japanese External Trade Organisation (JETRO), the Indian auto industry is 10 times bigger than that of Thailand.

However, Thailand has 1,700 tier two and tier three companies as against 1,250 companies in Chennai, India's Detroit. In Thailand, there are 635 tier one companies and 23 vehicle assemblers. Chennai has 350 tier one companies and 14 vehicle assemblers, Fujii said.

Stressing the fact that global original equipment manufacturers depend on SMEs located in low cost markets like Thailand, China, Vietnam, India and others Fujii said investments by Japanese SMEs in Tamil Nadu will strengthen the existing supplier's network and open more options for localiing of parts for global OEMs.
Fujii said JETRO had offered readymade factories to Sri City, ensuring quicker delivery time, lesser approvals and lower capital costs for SMEs.

Queried about the status of the Omega industrial township promoted by Ascendas of Singapore, Mizuho Corporate Bank and JGC Corporation to attract Japanese investments Fujii said: "Land measuring 1,500 acres have been acquired. The project is awaiting state government approvals."