DOST helps small and
medium enterprises in tech development
About P2.5
million was given out by the Department of Science and Technology
(DOST) Southern Mindanao for 2007 as its direct intervention
to qualified small and medium enterprises (SMEs) for technology
development.
Aimed to convince
SMEs to upgrade the level of technology to improve and increase
production, the Setup Program continues to be one of the major
projects of the said department. More…
Orders for Rs.23 crore
at trade show
KOCHI: Business
orders worth Rs.23 crore were received at the three-day Trade
Technology Business Show 2007 which concluded here on Saturday.
Deals worth Rs.41 crore had been initiated at the meet, said
Industries Minister Elamaram Karim.
The meet was
a success, the Minister told reporters at the concluding session.
The meet would be conducted every two years and the next one
would be held in August-September 2009, he said.
The meet helped
the government to identify the strengths and weaknesses of
the small and medium enterprises (SME) sector. It has also
assisted the entrepreneurs in confidence building. More…
INDIA: Nimsme to help
textile clusters be competitive
HYDERABAD:
The National Institute for Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises
(Nimsme), with support from the German Technical Cooperation
(GTZ) is planning to provide the much needed expert interventions
to the textile and readymade garment makers in the city, Mr
Chukka Kondaiah, Programme Director, Nimsme said.
The textile
and readymade garment cluster with around 200 players, including
75 in the textile park in Gundlapochampally itself are expected
to be covered by this venture.
The main aim
of Nimsme is to help them build strengths and stand up to
competition. It will make the textile and readymade garment
makers’ credit worthy through specific interventions
by offering them training. More…
Auto component SMEs
in India globally competitive
New Delhi: Indian small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the
auto component industry have shown improvement in productivity
and become globally competitive, a Pricewaterhouse Coopers
study has said. Improvement in operational performance and
cost cutting has helped SMEs acquire new customers besides
getting additional orders from the existing customers. More…
IBM launches SME operations
in Jamshedpur
Kolkata: IBM India today announced the launch of the SME operations
in Jamshedpur, as part of its expansion plans to enter 14
new cities in the country.
The venture would enable IBM to cater to specific requirements
to enable customised services to SMB clients spread across
Jamshedpur and neighboring markets through the newly opened
centre.
Company sources
said as part of its strategy to tap the SMB market in India,
IBM was slated to expand operations in six more cities, including
Nasik, Surat, Bhubaneshwar, Jaipur, Madurai and Ludhiana.
IBM had earlier announced the launch of similar centres in
Vizag, Chandigarh, Nagpur, Coimbatore, Goa, Bhopal and Lucknow.
More…
Online Services Conclave
held at FMS, Delhi
The MBA (Management
of Services) students at Faculty of Management Studies (FMS),
Delhi conducted an Online Services Conclave titled ‘ClickIT-
The World at your Click’ on September 22, 2007. The
conclave was a result of the originative efforts of Synopsys-
the Systems, Operations and Consulting Society at FMS and
aimed at recognizing the emergence of the online services
industry.The speakers for the conclave were leaders from the
online services industry who addressed the various functional
aspects of such services like change in business models, content
protection issues, interaction between suppliers and end users,
etc.
The conclave
was held in two sessions- the first session was themed ‘Online
Services- Prospects and Challenges’ while the post-tea
session was titled ‘Online Services- The Way Ahead’.
The speakers for both the sessions were business leaders who
are at the helm of operations for leading providers of online
services. They bought onto the dais experiences from across
different functions including marketing, e-commerce, promotion,
strategy, operations, communication and marketplace development.
More…
MSMEs
to grow 13% annually, employ 1.3 million in 2007-12
NEW DELHI:
The micro and small and medium enterprises sector in the country
is expected to grow by 13 per cent annually and generate an
additional 1.3 million jobs per annum during 2007-2012, a
senior official said on Thursday.
"India's
policies for its MSMEs are most appropriate for developing
countries and are viewed as a role model, especially in Africa.
MSMEs are expected to grow annually by 13 per cent and generate
additional 1.3 million jobs per annum during the Plan period
2007-2012," Additional Secretary and Development Commissioner
in the Ministry of MSME Jawhar Sircar said. More…
Women
empowerment programme organized
Micro, Small
and Medium Enterprises Development Institute J & K Jammu,
a functionary under Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises,
government of India today organized Intensive Industrial Motivation
on Women Empowerment through self-employment opportunities.
The programme
was held in association with government Polytechnic for women,
Jammu at the auditorium hall of the polytechnic
Near about
250 participants who are acquiring technical skills in the
area of computer, embroidery, textile designing, beauty culture
and modern office management under the scheme of community
polytechnic/IRG attended the programme, a PIB handout said.
more…
Enhanced
credit flow to SMEs planned
The Union Government will take steps to increase credit flow
to micro, small and medium enterprises through the Small Industries
Development Bank of India and other agencies, the Finance
Minister, P. Chidambaram, has said.
“I had
promised to enhance the credit flow to the sector by 20 per
cent a year and double the total quantum of lending in five
years. The credit flow to the sector has gone up by 27 per
cent. I would like to see it grow by 30 to 35 per cent a year,”
Chidambaram said.
The Minister
was speaking after declaring open a new technology incubator
building at the Tiruchi Regional Engineering College Science
and Technology Entrepreneurs Park (TREC-STEP) here on Saturday.
More…
MISMED Act or not, Industries
Dept is incorrigible
More things
change, more they remain the same’ is a French proverb.
It must have been coined after the Frenchman (assuming a Frenchman
coined it in the first place) paid a visit to India (to Bangalore,
to be more specific). Even to the present-day India, the knowledge-based,
trillion-dollar and the second fastest growing economy in
the world, this proverb is relevant.
Desiring to
write an article on the status of the small and medium –
scale industries in the State of Karnataka consequent upon
the enforcement of the new legislation, viz., the Micro, Small
and Medium Enterprises Development Act, 2006 (MISMED Act,
2006), I decided to seek some basic information from the Directorate
of Industries and Commerce, Government of Karnataka. When
I dialled the direct telephone number of the officer concerned
(of the rank of Deputy Director), I got the reply that I most
dread from government offices: the Saab is away at a meeting.
Undaunted, I dialled eight more telephone numbers listed on
the directory against the department. The last of these eight
calls elicited a response - one kindly soul sympathised with
my plight and offered to do his best to help me out. More…
EU
to invest Rs 40 cr in food testing units
To facilitate
processed food trade between India and European countries,
the European Union (EU) has initiated a process to set up
improved testing facilities in six locations across India.
The EU plans to invest nearly Rs 40 crore towards this end.
The initiative
is taking off under the EU-India Trade and Investment Development
Programme (TIDP).
The EU emphasises
on quality control and proper testing of processed foods before
shipment. It is investing the sum to improve the testing facilities
at existing laboratories at six strategic locations spread
across Mumbai, Chennai, Kochi, Hyderabad and Bhubaneswar.
More…
Nabard, 4 others invest
in Aavishkaar venture fund
Nabard, the apex rural development bank in India; Cordaid,
a Dutch non-governmental development organization; CEP Investment
Trust Fund, a Canadian social venture fund supported by CARE
Canada; ENAM Capital, part of ENAM group, a leading Indian
financial services conglomerate; Lesing Nominees and Aavishkaar
International announced their joint investment in the India-focussed
pioneering micro equity fund, Aavishkaar India Micro Venture
Capital Fund.
This joint investment raises Aavishkaar’s fund corpus
to $6 million and will support the launch of up to 60 socio-commercial
businesses in India over the next 5 years. The fund aims to
double its corpus size in next six months by attracting more
global investors. More…
India : NCEUS CM now
Chairperson of Inter-Govt Working Group
Dr. Arjun Sengupta,
Chairman of the National Commission for Enterprises in the
Unorganized Sector (NCEUS) under the Ministry of Micro, Small
& Medium Enterprises has been elected as the new Chairperson
of the Inter-Governmental Working Group of the Human Rights
Council on the Right to Development.
The Working
Group on the Right to Development is one of the Inter-Governmental
Working Groups on Human Rights and was established in 1998.
Dr. Sengupta
has been associated with the issues relating to Right to Development
for a long time and has been serving as the Indian expert
on Human Rights and Extreme Poverty.
more
India
To Introduce Medical Devices Regulation Bill
The Department of Science & Technology has proposed to
bring in a new legislation to enforce uniform and effective
standards of Medical Devices throughout the country. This
will ensure that substandard devices are not exported, especially
to developing countries, which do not have medical devices
regulation in place.
The Government
has also proposed to create a Regulatory Authority that will
seek to establish and maintain a national system of certification
relating to quality, safety, efficacy and availability of
medical devices. Shri Kapil Sibal, Union Minister for Science
& Technology and Earth Sciences informed this at a press
conference here today. More…
India to increase economic
cooperation with African countries
India would
increase cooperation with African countries especially in
the field of cluster development, pharmaceuticals, low cost
housing and building materials, renewable energy, leather,
food processing, traditional knowledge, traditional medicines
and use of ICT in industry.
The blueprint
of an action plan to promote South-South cooperation with
countries of Africa will be drawn up soon by the UNIDO Centre
For South-South Industrial Cooperation (UCSSIC), and follows
deliberations of the 5-day International Conference on India-Africa
Cooperation on Industry,
Trade and Investment, jointly which concluded here on Friday.
The Conference was organized by the United Nations Industrial
Development Organisation (UNIDO) in cooperation with the Indian
Government under the aegis of the recently established UCSSIC.
More…
INTERNATIONAL
Bank
tells SMEs to use online tools
A THRIFT bank
is confident it will gain a bigger foothold in the small and
medium enterprise sector by offering e-business solutions.
This, despite
efforts of some international software giants now offering
business solution packages to SMEs. “They have the resources
but we have the expertise about SMEs … knowing how they
behave and their requirements,” said Planters Development
Bank SME Solutions Inc. president Adonis Yap.
More…
Namibia:
Second SME Expo Kicks Off in City
The second
annual SME Expo co-hosted by Bank Windhoek and the Development
Bank of Namibia started yesterday.It is aimed at providing
a platform for small and medium enterprises to exhibit their
products and services to the Namibian market. The expo at
the NamPower Convention Centre in Windhoek will end tomorrow.
The keynote
speaker at the event, Prime Minister Nahas Angula, commended
the two banks for their joint effort to provide financing
to the often-marginalised SME sector. "The decision to
join forces and embark on a new course is commendable and
has clear benefit for the country. The SMEs are pioneers smoothing
the path for others," Angula said. To date N$53 million
has been extended by Bank.more…
Competition,
rising costs key concerns of SMEs: survey
Small and medium-sized
enterprises in Singapore are feeling the pinch from increasing
competition and rising costs amidst the global boom.
That's one
of the key findings in the latest survey by DP Information
Group. The 5th SME Development Survey also showed that more
Singapore SMEs are venturing overseas. Questionnaires for
the survey were sent to more than 10,000 SMEs in Singapore.
More…
State administration
ministry joins Microsoft initiative for innovation development
The European Union Grant Advisor program (EUGA) will be presented
at Sofia’s Kempinski Zografski Hotel at 2.00 pm. It
targets innovations and raise in competitiveness of the small
and medium enterprises (SME) and the NGOs, the press office
of the Ministry of State Administration and Administrative
Reform announced. More…
SAP
opens door to channel
Enterprise
software giant SAP AG has given its clearest indication yet
that it will look to build relationships with multiple channel
partners across the Middle East after ending its exclusive
distribution agreement with long-term partner SAP Arabia.
SAP has purchased
the license and maintenance customer contracts of SAP Arabia,
as well as its trademarks, in a move that paves the way for
it to begin its own channel development activities in the
Middle East region.
The ERP software
vendor has made a series of moves to strengthen its channel
presence in the European SME market during recent years and
now looks set to repeat that strategy in the Middle East.
More…
SMEs’
contribution to GDP on the rise
The Government
expects small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to contribute
37% to the national gross domestic product by 2010 from 32%
in 2005.
According to
the SME Annual Report 2006 released by Bank Negara’s
National SME Development Council yesterday, the SMEs contributed
about 19% of the country’s total export value in 2005
and the Government hoped to increase it to 22% by 2010.
The report
also said the programmes and initiatives for SME development
would, therefore, be intensified to achieve the targets. More…
SME
development vital - His Majesty
HIS Majesty
King Mswati 111 has encouraged the development and economic
empowerment of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) as an important
part of economic growth.
Speaking during
the official opening of the Swaziland International Trade
Fair (SITF) at Mavuso Exhibition and Trade Centre, the King
said SMEs formed a cornerstone of government’s industrial
development policy. More…
Big
banks now eyeing SMEs
Small- and
medium-size enterprises SMEs, not state-owned enterprises
as previously thought, have become the favourite clients of
big banks, including state-owned ones.
A recent survey
of 63,000 enterprises in 30 provinces and cities in the north
conducted by the SME Development Agency under the Ministry
of Planning and Investment showed that the biggest problem
of the enterprises was lack of capital.
50% of polled
enterprises have been found as having less than VND1bil ($62,500)
in capital, nearly 75% have less than VND2bil ($125,000),
and 90% of enterprises have less than VND5bil ($312,500).
The survey also showed that only 32.28% of SMEs could access
bank loans.more…
IBM,
Business Partners, DTI and IFC Launch Web Portal to Help Fuel
Growth of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises in South Africa
IBM (NYSE:
IBM), Business Partners, International Finance Corporation
(IFC) a member of the World Bank Group, and the Department
of Trade and Industry, have come together to provide South
Africa's budding entrepreneurs, small and medium enterprises
with a free Web-based toolkit to help them start, finance
and grow their business.
The South Africa
Business Toolkit (http://southafrica.smetoolkit.org/), launched
today, contains the latest information and communication technologies
(ICTs) to help small and medium enterprises in emerging markets
learn and implement sustainable business management practices.
The goal is to increase the reach of local small business
into the global economy by improving the productivity, efficiency
and capacity of the estimated 600,000 active small businesses
in South Africa as well as improve their access to capital
and new markets. The South Africa toolkit is available both
as online and offline modules which include the portal, offline
CDs, mobile alerts and classroom training. More…
ARTICLES
Systematic HR practices
ensure the success of SMEs
MUMBAI: A competent
workforce is perhaps the most important asset for any organisation.
Thus, it is in the interest of any company irrespective of
its size to positively focus on human resource (HR) development
& management. However, it is rather sad that the HR activities
are often neglected by many Indian SMEs. As per a survey conducted
by the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII), around 80%
from the small enterprises and about 20% of the medium enterprises
respondents indicated having no formal HR department.
According to
Sarita Nagpal, Deputy Director General, CII, the problem arises
because "most of the SMEs are not aware of the strategic
dimensions and associated benefits of HRD". Indian SMEs
can turn the tables around by learning from the big players
as well as from their global counterparts and address the
challenges that they face on their HR front. More…
‘Investors
do not have any financial claim over the rating agency’
In the ongoing
subprime drama, rating agencies are key players, coming under
heavy fire. Serious doubts are being raised, both in the US
and elsewhere, whether the rating agencies could have alerted
investors and thus averted the massive losses, rather than
give good ratings to the subprime mortgage loans. Significantly,
Ms Kathleen Corbet, president of Standard & Poor’s,
a leading global credit rating company, resigned a few days
ago, making way for Mr Deven Sharma.
Just the right
time for a zero-base on rating, which is why Business Line
interacted with Mr N. Muthuraman, Director, Criteria and Product
Development, CRISIL, for answers to a few basic questions
about rating. More...
EVENTS
SME Expo
SME Expo will be an exposition
for showcasing the emerging high technology manufacturing
capabilities of Small & Medium Manufacturing Enterprises
in India. A major trade promotion event aimed at helping small
and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) capture the business opportunities
for exploring the mainland market and overseas markets. more…
The
Garment Technology Fair
The Garment Technology Fair
(TGTF-Jaipur) is a one-stop single platform concept focusing
on cross sector & process oriented approach. It brings
together manufacturers of garment machinery, equipment &
services and reaches out to the country's entire apparel industry.
TGTF will showcase the latest machinery, auxiliary equipment
& accessories required by the Garment Industry. more…
Food
Bake & Hospitality-2007
FOOD BAKE and HOSPITALITY 2007
will order to bring latest development of technology in the
field of food production, processing, and storage, bakery,
oven, and dairy equipment, bread making plant, refrigeration,
packaging, marketing and hospitality under one roof and make
available. The different sources of information and knowledge
covering all the major sectors of industries. more…
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