Clusterkraft Newsletter

In a state like Manipur where unemployment is a big issue a scheme like SEAM will be very beneficial, said state chief secretary, Rakesh who was the chief guest at the inaugural function of SEAM (Skills for Employment in Apparel Manufacturing) at RDS High School in Imphal. The function was organised by the department of education (S), government of Manipur and supported, managed and implemented by the ministry of rural development (government of India) and IL&FS Cluster Development Initiative Ltd. The chief secretary further said the digitalised centre under the scheme was the first centre in the entire north east region More…

Overseas sales of Indian textile, leather, gems and jewellery are picking up but overall exports may start growing only after June, Trade Secretary Gopal Pillai said on Thursday. "I expect, in April, May and June, exports to stabilise. Thereafter there would be a recovery," he told reporters. He expects India's annual exports will be $170 billion in the year to March, sharply lower than an earlier target of $200 billion, after the dismal performance in December and March quarters. Exports were estimated at $144.3 billion until January. Exports have been declining since October as the global economic slowdown trimmed demand from major More…

Technical textiles are expected to be a biggest opportunity emerging in India. The industry value is estimated to range from Rs 6,000 crore to Rs.80,000 crores by 2015. The best part is, one need not have to look outside the country for business. There are two major impediments on the road to the growth and development of technical textile sector in India. The first roadblock is the absence of an eco system as it has not evolved as much as the Eco System that supports the knitting industry in Tirupur. The second barrier is the absence of a mechanism that will enable the SMEs to enter the technical textiles sector. Currently the means More…

World Bank Approves $400 Million Loan To Small Industries Bank in India

The World Bank has approved $400 million additional financing loan to the Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI), which is aimed at improving access to finance for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). This will help scale up the fully disbursed original project which had been approved by the World Bank on November 30, 2004, the bank said in a statement. World Bank Country Director for India Roberto Zagha said the project is part of a larger program of support in response to India's request for funding in light of the financial crisis. "It is targeted particularly at SMEs, to help address the credit slowdown More…

SMEs saw green shoots in Q4

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs), harried by the liquidity crunch and fall in exports, have started to record the first increase in business. Abhishek Saraf, director of Squarefoot, a flooring solutions firm with annual revenues of Rs 35 crore, sounds really positive about his company's prospects now compared with a couple of months back. "In the third quarter we did a lot of cost-cutting and retrenched about 10% of our white-collar workforce of over 100, but since April, we have been quite aggressive in hiring," said Saraf. A Thane-based chemical engineering firm with annual revenues of Rs 5 crore gave quotations worth Rs 66 lakh in More…

The economic slowdown was a short-term issue that needed to be addressed while keeping the long-term goals of the IT industry in perspective, according to NASSCOM's president Som Mittal. In a discussion with journalists of The Hindu at the newspaper's office here on Wednesday, Mr. Mittal elaborated on NASSCOM's road map to realise the IT industry's potential of $300 billion in revenues by 2020. By looking at the bigger trends across the world that were disruptive, the industry body arrived at this roadmap, he said. "There are some bigger trends that threaten our industry, on the one hand, and, on the other, offer a huge amount More…

As part of the industry cluster initiative for the small and medium enterprise sector, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)'s southern region is planning to launch 15 new clusters across south in 2009. The industry body had started the initiative in 2004. Chairman of CII Southern Region C R Swaminathan said so far around 93 companies from the southern states benefited through the cluster approach, which was launched to improve the internal competitiveness and gain sustainable advantage in the business. It has generated recurring savings to the tune of 70 crore every year in the region. In Tamil Nadu, the CII is planning to set More…

Severely hit by the rising payment defaults from overseas exports, the Export Credit Guarantee Corporation of India (ECGC) had paid Rs 786 lakh claims to 29 exporters from Punjab. "The claims have been made to exporters from Punjab dealing in pharmaceutical, hosiery, engineering goods and agro product items," said V Viswanathan, general manager (national marketing), ECGC. He was speaking at a seminar on 'New stimulus package to help SME exporters and banks' organised by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham) at Ludhiana. With the contraction in demand from overseas countries More…

The implementation of new technology and the introduction of cost-effective models have propelled a paradigm shift in the Indian logistics industry. The new models for logistics are supported by strong distribution and warehousing services. A recent survey placed India second to China in terms of the growth potential of the logistics sector. India's high rank can be attributed to the fact that Indian firms are implementing innovative business models, which are driving an increase in the volume and significance of trade. However, the pace of implementation has been relatively slow in this country. As a result, the players in the Indian More…

A technology cluster the province has committed to growing lacks a leader and strategic plan necessary for success, consultants commissioned to study the sector have found. The advanced learning technologies cluster - an information communications technology sector subset that employs more than 1,700 New Brunswickers - is floundering without a recognized "champion" inside and outside the province, reported Saint John-based Innovatia Inc. in a government-sponsored asset map. International consultant on industry collaboration to visit Dunedin to review industry clusters An international consultant in industry collaboration More…

International consultant on industry collaboration to visit Dunedin to review industry clusters

An international consultant in industry collaboration, Ifor Ffowcs-Williams, will visit Dunedin on May 27 and 28, to review industry clusters in the city and spark some new ones. The visit would be hosted by the Dunedin City Council economic development unit, manager Peter Harris said. Industries that already had active "clusters" included international education, engineering, food and technology. Mr Ffowcs-Williams would work with interested groups to review plans and explore new ways to collaborate. Also, he would assist Dunedin Host grow its membership and communication within the tourism industry. It was vital More…

SOFTWARE giant Microsoft recently launched a combination hardware-software offering designed to help small and medium enterprises (SMEs) weather the latest bout of financial flu. Speaking at the launch of Microsoft's Windows Server 2008 Foundation, Microsoft general manager for server and tools Bill Hilf said the new server software-sold in conjunction with brand-name hardware-provides "the most cost-efficient Windows Server product available in the market," since the entire package of server equipment and licensed software costs approximately P50,000 all in. Microsoft's original equipment manufacturer partners in this More…

The downturn could result in the loss of nearly one in five jobs in small and medium sized civil engineering businesses in north-east England that are carrying out essential infrastructure work, the Civil Engineering Contractors Association warned yesterday. About 1,600 jobs, or 11 per cent, have gone in less than a year and another 1,100 could be shed by companies working on activities such as foundation laying for roads, pavements and housing, and on pipelines, buildings, bridges and other infrastructure. The CECA in the north-east said six months of "half-hearted" government attempts at support had left its SMEs facing a bleak future More…

Leveraging resources & staff maximizes Peninsula's economic competitiveness Separate funding streams, turf issues and political agendas are all among the many reasons why many agencies prefer to remain autonomous in advancing their organizations' missions. But, none of these reasons stopped the Peninsula Council for Workforce Development (PCFWD) in its recent decision to merge similar-focused organizations, to solve challenges around the region's workforce issues. The PCFWD realigned with the Greater Peninsula Workforce Investment Board (WIB) and the Greater Peninsula Workforce Development Consortium (Consortium), More…

Commerce Department awards $800,000 grant to Idea Village

The U.S. Commerce Department's Economic Development Administration has awarded an $800,000 grant to The Idea Village of New Orleans to encourage industry cluster development by identifying growing emerging businesses and providing them with technical assistance through the IDEA Corps program. "The Economic Development Administration is pleased to partner with The Idea Village to boost business development and job growth," said Sandra R. Walters, EDA Chief Financial Officer/Chief Administrative Officer. "This EDA grant will help significantly strengthen the competitive advantage of the New Orleans region by spurring More…

Solar Equipment Manufacturing Plant outside Orlando: expected to create more than 3000 jobs

Amid the clouds lingering over Central Florida's economy - its jobless rate has more than doubled in the past year - this week's report that a solar-equipment manufacturer might build a plant and headquarters just outside Orlando was a ray of sunshine. The project could create 3,600 high-wage jobs in six years and make the region a hotbed for a growing and lucrative industry. Insiders say it's not a done deal. That makes it crucial for regional and state leaders not to let this prize catch get awau. The manufacturer, Ohio-based Willard & Kelsey Solar Group, has signed a preliminary deal with a local development company, Crockett More…

Among the many things that this decade will be known for, perhaps the most unanticipated is the unprecedented explosion of the digital universe. The IDC 2008 report 'The Diverse and Exploding Digital Universe' concluded that the amount of digital information produced by the world in the year 2011 will reach 1,800 exabytes, or 10 times higher than that produced in 2006, 95 per cent of it being unstructured. Propelled by the digitization of documents, pictures and videos, by individuals and organizations, the digital universe is expanding exponentially and haphazardly. The shift from physical to digital has also been accompanied More…

Texans have a knack for creating world-class barbecue - and success in culinary endeavors is akin to their strategy for economic development. Seasoned professionals from all levels of government provide juicy financial incentives and mix in industrial diversity to suit a variety of tastes. They combine those and patiently wait for the deals to gel, adding additional perks to spice up the deal, if necessary. The recipe works whether they are cooking up beef or beefing up the economy. Despite the national economic chill, Texas continues to whet the appetites of businesses and not only close those hot deals but keep 'em coming back for seconds. More…

By LEONG HUNG YEE and ANTHONY LEE NOT too long ago, making an overseas call would have been deemed a luxury as it was a costly affair. But since then, international call rates have fallen dramatically, thanks to the advent of technology. One of the most significant developments in this area is the prepaid international direct dialling (IDD) calling cards which has drastically cut cost of international calls. Words such as "lowest rates" or "cheapest" are undeniably the first to be thrown into promotional material used to sell IDD cards. DiGi Telecommunications Sdn Bhd international business head Koay Guan Lim says consumers More…

Michael Gurau--New Hampshire Business Review Karen Mills -- picked by President Obama to be director of the U.S. Small Business Administration -- has some thoughts on growing regional economies. For the past several years, the Maine resident has advocated for the economic benefit of regional industry and innovation clusters. Mills helped get a $.15 million U.S. Department of Labor WIRED grant for the Maine boat building industry and worked with Maine's Gov. John Baldacci to implement recommendations from an economic development study (Charting Maine's Future) related to industry clusters -geographically concentrated groups More…

By Don Shen In the global textile and clothing market, China has been a major player for almost two decades. Since becoming a member of the World Trade Organization, China's textile and clothing manufacturing and sales have increased dramatically, largely due to increased business from the West. In order to inform foreign businesses about current practices in trade with Chinese textile and clothing companies, a study was conducted examining major changes in China's textile and clothing industries over the last two decades. Specifically, this study intended to provide an overview of China's textile and clothing industries to More…

Event Profile: ET-ICT Expo 2009 is a crucial trade event for the telecommunication & IT industry in India. The Economic Times ICT Expo 2009 is being organized by India-Tech Foundation in association with The Economic Times. The event will gather international manufacturers and suppliers offering the latest products, services and technologies for the Telecommunication More…

Event Profile: Times Marwar Shopping Festival 2009, the 3-day event, provides an excellent opportunity to be familiar with Marwari community. It will give a superb platform to the large, medium, small enterprises to show their product and services to the potential buyers. Here one can get a wide range of products from clothes to jewelry, handicraft to snacks & food products. More…

Event Profile: Garment Technology Expo 2009 will provide a complete sourcing platform to apparel manufacturers. It will focus on a wide range of garment machinery, accessories and support services from India as well as abroad. Latest technology, new products launches, live demonstrations and technical seminars will be the essential part of the show. GTE 2009 will provide More…

Event Profile: HotelTech 2009 is Kerala's leading exhibition for hotel and bakery industry. Moving to its 3rd edition, the event will be held at the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium, Kaloor, Cochin. It will feature the most latest and innovative in hotel supplies, food & beverages, equipment for bakers & restaurants and other services. HotelTech Kerala will provide an excellent More…

Event Profile: Web Innovation 2009 will provide an interactive forum for the web designers, developers, entrepreneurs, marketers, business strategists, and venture capitalists to network and share their experiences. The conference aims to explore the Web ecosystem and looks into its future, & how the internet revolution is being created and delivered More…

Event Profile: IPTV India 2009, the leading business conference, will provide an excellent platform to the global industry players to understand the Indian market. The aim of the event is to assemble the telecom service providers - wire line/wireless, handset manufacturers, internet service providers, cable operators/DTH service providers, IPTV middleware, chip & device More…

Clusterkraft e-Newsletter

(Vol.46)