An international delegation has swapped the sand dunes of Egypt for the seven hills of Sheffield to visit local heavy lifting manufacturer, Mechan.

Representatives from Cairo Metro’s Line Three and the Egyptian National Authority for Tunnels visited Mechan to see the rail depot handling system commissioned for the project in action.

Mechan’s bogie changing equipment has been ordered by the French arm of transport infrastructure specialists, Alstom, who are working on phase one of the Cairo Metro Line Three. Now the Egyptian and French contingent has seen the machine pass its factory acceptance test, it is being disassembled and transported to Cairo, where Mechan’s engineers will carry out the installation.

The equipment will enable bogies, undercar apparatus and wheelsets to be exchanged on rail vehicles scheduled to run on Cairo Metro’s Line Three. The apparatus is latched into place on a track in the maintenance depot so it can lift and support the rail car’s weight. This allows the bogie to be removed and repairs to be made to the underside of the vehicle from a maintenance pit in the depot floor.

Richard Carr, Mechan’s managing director, said: “Despite the cold weather, we provided the representatives from Egypt and Alstom with a warm Sheffield welcome when they visited Mechan to see our skilled engineers at work and view their completed bogie changing equipment. The construction of Cairo Metro’s Line Three is a massive undertaking and we are very pleased that our connections in France have enabled us to play a part in the project.”

Egypt was the first country in Africa to have a metro network. The construction of Line Three commenced in 2007 and phase one is scheduled for completion in 2011. Once the project is finished, it will connect Cairo Airport in the east with Embaba and Mohandisseen in the west and will carry more than two million passengers a day.

Source: http://www.riagb.org.uk/news/Mechan%20egypt.pdf

Now, more than ever, sustainability is a high priority in business planning and is key for the future of the private sector. Join business and community leaders on April 15 from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Lancaster Host Resort & Conference Center for the first-of-its-kind Business Sustainability Conference.

Here’s why the Conference is a must attend

• After breakfast, the Conference will kick off with a presentation from Auntie Anne’s, Inc.’s President and CEO, Sam Beiler, on how Auntie Anne’s works toward becoming a more sustainable business. He will define what it means to cultivate a corporate environment that promotes sustainability in the broadest sense.
• Following the keynote will be a series of four workshops (you pick two) emphasizing how people and planet fit into sustainability. The sessions will focus on a variety of topics ranging from how to improve employee engagement to concrete ways to implement affordable green practices.
• After lunch, in a facilitated discussion, participants in The Chamber’s Green Plus program will share their experiences in achieving certification. The Chamber’s Green Plus program combines online tools with advice from other businesses and universities to help small businesses assess their business performance, as well as their environmental and community stewardship to create sustainability plans. Learn from a panel how you can practically incorporate green best practices into your business.
• Roundtable discussions focused on how sustainability can fit into your company’s business plan and daily routine will finish out a full day of learning and networking. Learn from your peers and expert facilitators as you share ideas and questions surrounding sustainability.

Key components of sustainability include people, planet and prosperity. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to see how those three things combined create the perfect plan for overall business sustainability.

Source: http://www.lancasterchamber.com/article.aspx?cid=2121&bu=&bs=Current%20Chamber%20News

The International Cotton Association ICA has been forced to suspend its annual training programme, Complete Cotton, due to a number of industry changes that have resulted in a shortfall in delegate applications.

ICA Directors reluctantly made the decision last week, following a meeting of the Association’s Training Committee. Kai Hughes, ICA Managing Director, explains:

“This past year has been particularly difficult for firms with many having to make savings. There has also been a large amount of consolidation in the industry, which has seen a decrease in the number of new entrants into the trade. In addition, strict visa restrictions for entry into the UK have had a direct impact on the number of students joining the course.

“Despite actively marketing the course, take up has been slow and disappointing. There were 35 places available and, as of last week, eight delegates had signed up. One of the major benefits of attending the course is the networking and the friendships that the students make. This year’s delegate shortfall was considered to be well below the level required to produce a viable course for our students and it would also have had a big financial impact for the ICA. All these factors played a part in our decision - it was a sad decision, but the right one.”

Complete Cotton was due to take place in April in Liverpool, UK. It is a two-week training programme that focuses on all aspects of the cotton trade and, over the years, it has provided an excellent grounding for many of today’s influential players in the cotton world.

Kai concludes: “On a more positive note, the decision to suspend the 2010 programme has forced us to take action and re-evaluate our education provision. We aim to completely re-think and re-vamp the course in time for next year - rationalising the syllabus and providing more advanced, in depth modules on aspects of the trade. We also want to be able to introduce a range of new courses that can be delivered at global locations, that are demand led, trade focused and are flexible enough to react to the ever-changing market conditions.”

Source: http://www.ica-ltd.org/news/ica-re-evaluates-its-training-provision

The inflation-busting increases being foisted on heavy goods vehicle (HGV) operators who use the M6 toll road is bad for business, other motorists and the environment, says the Freight Transport Association (FTA). Despite a pronounced drop in traffic volume along the chronically under-used toll road, Midland Expressway increased the toll price for HGVs by 6.4 per cent – almost double the rate of inflation.

The leading trade body fears that even more lorries will avoid the £700m+ bypass, adding to congestion on the already over-burdened M6, a strategic gateway for commercial goods vehicle deliveries.

Stephen Kelly, FTA’s Head of Policy for the Midlands, said:

“Extra toll costs are the last thing the commercial vehicle sector needs, but by effectively closing the gate to this vital corridor for so many hauliers we are in danger of not realising the economic and environmental benefits that this road was built for in the first place.

“It is, frankly, hard to swallow the argument that this extra revenue will be ploughed into major improvements – what is the point of investing in a road which nobody can afford to use?”

The cost of congestion is two-fold: needless emissions being expelled from idling traffic damages the environment while this wasted fuel burns a sizeable hole in the pockets of commercial vehicle operators, a problem brought into even sharper focus by the runaway cost of diesel.

Source: http://www.fta.co.uk/news/item/m6-toll-hike-bad-for-business-the-environment-and-all-road-users

The CLA today congratulated Tom Taylor on his appointment as CEO of the Agricultural and Horticultural Development Board (AHDA).

The rural economy experts work closely with the levy board to improve the efficiency and competitiveness of various agriculture sectors within the UK. The CLA welcomed the appointment of the new CEO.

CLA Deputy President Harry Cotterell said: “The AHDB has a critical role in providing near market research and development and market information for our industry. We supported the bringing together of the old levy bodies because there are efficiencies to be gained, and synergies to be realised, by having them operate cohesively on one site.

“Tom Taylor has a big challenge to stitch this new organisation together swiftly and minimise the disruption to levy payer services. We wish him well and look forward to an early meeting.”

Source: http://www.cla.org.uk/News_and_Press/Latest_Releases/People/Agriculture/1001542.htm/

As part of its commitment to promote and acknowledge the use of quality data throughout the book industry, the Book Industry Study Group (BISG) today unveiled an enhanced Product Data Certification Program (PDCP), offering for the first time:

• descriptive qualitative feedback at the ISBN level
• new data categorization as good, excellent or ideal using three new certification levels: Bronze, Silver and Gold
• special acknowledgement for those using ONIX 3.0 and/or including additional marketing detail

In the digital reselling space a publisher’s metadata is exponentially important,” said Neil DeYoung, Director of Digital Media for Hachette. “It’s the responsibility of all publishers to become certified by BISG so downstream recipients can build to standards that will reduce sales reporting errors, improve the search and discoverability process for books and make the entire industry more efficient.”

As a means of quantifying the quality of product data against industry best practices, BISG’s Product Data Certification Program gives applicants an objective evaluation of their ONIX or Excel data files via a panel of leading North American data recipients, including Baker & Taylor, Barnes & Noble, Bowker, Ingram and the Library of Congress. Applicants whose data files meet the best practice criteria for data content and timeliness are certified by BISG as Quality Information Providers.

“To compete effectively today, data has to be right and it has to be on time,” said Scott Lubeck, BISG’s Executive Director. “With literally millions of new products competing for buyers’ attention, you can’t afford a missing title or cover image, or an incorrect price. The Product Data Certification Program plays an essential role in helping publishers, distributors and retailers — both online and bricks-and-mortar — improve the quality of this critical information.”

Source: http://www.bisg.org/news-5-532-bisg-strengthens-commitment-to-improving-book-industry-product-data.php

FIEO welcomed a High Powered delegation consisting of members of the Ministry of Health, Government of Fiji on 17th February, 2010 at New Delhi, followed by an Interactive Meet with the Indian members of the trade in Healthcare, Medical Tourism, Travel & Tourism & Consultancy.

The delegation was headed by Dr.Salanieta Saketa, Permanent Secretary for Health, Government of Fiji; Prof. Ian Rouse, Dean of Fiji School of Medicine; Dr. Iferemi Waqainabette, General Surgeon in Fiji. The delegation was escorted by Shri Ratish Singh, First Secretary, Fiji High Commission in India. Shri Subhash Goyal, Convenor, FIEO Committee on Services while welcoming the delegates from Fiji extended all support from Indian organizations for the development of core sectors in Trade in Services in Fiji. The delegation is on a 5 day tour to India to explore various business opportunities in Healthcare, Travel & Tourism, Medical Tourism, seeking consultancy assistance in Infrastructure & various projects, sourcing medical equipments from Indian manufacturers.

Dr. Saketa thanked FIEO for providing such an Interactive platform for discussion and interaction & invited Indian companies to be part of the reforms that are going in their country. As Fiji is witnessing lack of basic healthcare facilities in Oncology, Cardiology, joint replacement, diabeties, etc, she felt that through assistance of Indian hospitals and players in medical sector in India, Fiji would be able to overcome the effects of these diseases. One to One meeting with the Indian players in Healthcare sector was also organized during the meet so as to explore opportunities in Healthcare & Medical Tourism.

It was also briefed to the Indian delegates that Fiji Trade and Investment Bureau (FTIB) is a Government agency & is engaged in promoting investment and the development of Industries & is also responsible for increase in Trade in Services and goods of Fiji with various countries.

Shri Ratish Singh, First Secretary, Fiji High Commission said that Fiji has a population of over 9 hundred thousand & pointed out that Fiji has vast opportunities in the field of travel and tourism and for exploring Fiji as a tourist destination and the new air route between India and Fiji has further increased the scope of inbound and outbound traffic of tourists and patients between India and Fiji. He further informed that the new air route has brought the airfare and airtime by almost half. He also pointed out that there is great possibility of opening a tourism BPO in Fiji as there are lot of opportunities coming from India, US, China, Japan, etc. in this field. Mr Singh was also informed that India has got best medical facilities that too are available at much lower rates as compared to other developed countries of the world. Prof. Ian Rouse, Dean of Fiji School of Medicines pointed out that various cultural similarities between India and Fiji & was of the view that there is good scope for Ayurvedic and traditional medicines in Fiji as they are already using the same, procured from other countries. As the fact remains that India is blessed with quality and cost competitiveness in healthcare sector, visiting delegates were keen to source medical equipments from India and hoped to increase inbound of patients to India as currently Fijian patients are being well treated in Indian hospitals which include Batra Hospital, Moolchand Hospital, to name a few.

Source: http://fieo.org/view_Press_Releases_detail.php?lang=0&id=0,21&dcd=505&did=1266406893fuc1u7r7k2fkff9919tgopjqr6

Majority of India Inc. seek extension of existing excise sops for next fiscal barring engineering and automobile sector in which Indian industry is little apprehensive that there could be a calibrated roll out of excise benefits for them, says a random Survey of the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM).

The Survey on Industry’s Expectations of Budget Proposals for 2010-11 conducted under aegis of ASSOCHAM in which 400 CEOs were consulted by ASSOCHAM Research team concludes that Finance Minister would focus more on to sustain current growth momentum for which continuation of fiscal concessions would have to be retained.

85% of CEOs belonging to large, micro, small and medium enterprises polled in ASSOCHAM Survey held that stimulus package for textiles, gems & jewellery, construction and real estate, cement and steel etc. should go on for 2010-11.

340 such CEOs have expressed their concurrence that they anticipate partial roll out of excise benefits for engineering and automobile sector as these key areas of Indian economy are virtually out of recessionary mode, say findings of ASSOCHAM Survey.

Remaining 160 executives, however, held that the government has already dropped sufficient hints by projecting GDP growth @ 7.5% for current fiscal that government has already made up its mind for gradual and measured phase out of stimulus package.

They argued that not only the projected GDP growth of 7.5% for current fiscal is an indication to this effect but their reason is supported by the robust figure of index of industrial production (IIP) for December 2009 which clocked 16.8% growth – the highest in recent history of economic liberalization.

About 240 CEOs are of the view that the Finance Minister might propose to RBI in his budget proposals to vigilantly monitor activities of micro finance companies and restrict them from availing huge credit from commercial banks under garb of priority sector lending at highly reduced rates.

According to them, micro financing companies are exceeding their mandate and liberally extending credit to micro belts in every nook and corner of large cities including metros at exorbitant rate of interest.

210 CEOs have suggested that real estate still needs government to continue doles and therefore in a bid to spur up demand for dwelling units, ceiling of interest exemptions limit on housing loans should be raised to Rs.3 lakh from existing Rs.1.5 lakh. This is necessary as real estate has yet to come out from recessionary modes, they felt.

Over 300 CEOs have demanded that the Finance Minister should permit Pension Funds to invest 10-15% of their funds in Infrastructure projects from 2010-11. They have also suggested that refinancing of existing rupee loans through External Commercial Borrowings (ECBs) be permitted for such projects based on interest cost advantage.

Besides, majority of the CEOs also pressed for disinvestment of public sector undertakings, proceeds of which should partly be allowed to fund infrastructure augmentation in PPP projects to help India grow and achieve intended growth rate of close to 9% in next 2-3 years.

They also called for rationalization of Dividend Distribution Tax (DDT) and recommended that it should be payable at one level only so that cascading effect is minimized. According to them, Infrastructure development business often requires a multi-tier corporate structure with a holding company at the top which is generally a listed entity.

Source: http://www.assocham.org/prels/shownews.php?id=2331

IEEE, the world’s largest technical professional association, today announced the launch of a substantial upgrade to the IEEE Xplore® digital library. The new product’s intuitive user interface and customizable search tools make exploring IEEE’s more than two million documents of trusted research easier, faster and more productive. Users can now spend less time researching and more time developing better products and pioneering technology.

“This major upgrade marks a milestone in the evolution of the IEEE Xplore digital library, enabling our customers to truly discover an altogether smarter research experience,” said Karen Hawkins, IEEE Director of Product Management. “The innovative new features of the IEEE Xplore digital library were implemented as a direct result of the feedback we’ve received from our customer base as well as the user research we’ve collected.”

The task of updating a Web resource with such a vast amount of information was complex, requiring an in-depth, multi-functional team approach. The new IEEE Xplore digital library is the product of collaboration between IEEE and hundreds of librarians, faculty, scientists and engineers, as well as IEEE professional and student members and volunteers. Individual users and large and small organizations can subscribe at various levels, with new features that include:

• New efficient, easy-to-navigate design – The new IEEE Xplore digital library enhances the search and browse tools with a clean and more efficient design. A global search box on every page provides an opportunity to begin a search from anywhere on the site, and the prominent browse feature allows users to peruse thousands of journals, magazines, conference proceedings, standards, books, educational courses, and more.
• Enhanced search engine with flexible features – Smart “Refine this Search” capabilities allow for filtered search results via multiple facets and provide the ability to easily add or remove search elements. A convenient type-ahead feature shortens search time and search suggestions decrease the possibility of zero search results. Custom saved searches can be created directly from the search results page. Users can also sign up for RSS feeds and e-mail alerts to stay current with newly added content.
• Advanced search mode – For power users who appreciate a more hands-on search experience, a free-text command search with Boolean operators is available in Advanced Mode. Included with other features is the ability to search external sources such as CrossRef and scitopia.org.
• New personalization features – Several personalization options are available for guests, members and users at subscribing institutions. These new options include the ability to set search preferences, save searches and set alerts to receive instant notification when new research relevant to your search is published in IEEE Xplore.
• Institutional branding for customers – Co-branding, which includes an organizational logo as well as information about the organization’s subscription, is visible to authenticated users throughout the site. This feature promotes the subscribing organization and educates end users that this content is made available by their institution’s subscription.
• Enhanced online support – Page guides, online help and support have been consolidated into one common area with localized files available in several languages.

Source: http://www.ieee.org/portal/cms_docs_iportals/iportals/aboutus/news/2010/xplore_3.0_news_release.pdf

Defence offsets policy would be the key driver for the growth and modernisation of the defence industrial base. India’s Defence Offsets policy is evolving as per the requirements, keeping in perspective policy considerations and global processes. The industry therefore will evolve in-sync with the overall development leading to progressive policy initiatives coming up in future, announced Mr. MM Pallam Raju, Minister of State for Defence, Government of India. He was speaking at a Seminar on Leveraging Offsets for Naval Self Reliance organised by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). While speaking at the seminar, the minister acknowledged that the Indian Navy has now graduated to design and building of its own aircrafts.

Defining the milestones achieved in offsets domain, Mr. Raju outlined that offsets proposals worth 49,000 Crore are in the pipeline. Given the complexity involved in supervision of offsets, an administration infrastructure to facilitate offsets banking has been put in place. Public sector alone will not be able to absorb huge amount of offsets that are to be generated in future. Offsets therefore provide an opportunity to domestic players to penetrate the sensitive defence industry.

The minister further added the government is also planning to take a look at replicating tax benefits extended to exports firms to the domestic players as well. The government of India views combining the skills of public and private sector which will help in achieving higher degree of defence indigenisation. Role played by SMEs has been a testimony of being a backbone of the defence industry, and its role is vital for the self reliance of the industry.

Urging the Industry to gear up, the minister earmarked the prospects of ‘Buy and Make’ (Indian)categories which facilitates Joint Ventures with foreign OEMs, strengthening R&D, technological upgradation amongst others. He also stated that a strong defence industry will help India in leveraging its buying power, expanding technological base, facilitating global tie-ups and joint ventures. This will be in aimed at reducing defence imports and promoting indigenisation.

Vice Admiral NN Kumar, AVSM, VSM, Controller of Warship Production and Acquisition, Integrated Headquarters of Ministry of Defence (Navy) said that India is the world’s second largest importer of arms pegged at USD 5.6 billion. This amount is likely to grow in future. A strong domestic industrial base can be developed by having three key considerations in place, i.e. willingness of the exporting company to release technology, ability of the recipient to absorb technology and finally to keep pace with the technological advancements. The industry is still exposed to lot of gaps due to inadequate investments. He added that self reliance needs strong development capabilities and dedicated investment of resources.

Mr. Satish Kaura, Co-Chairman, CII National Committee on Defence & Chairman, Samtel Group said that as R&D in defence has not kept pace with the requirements of the industry, it has resulted in imports of major systems and armaments. India on the domestic manufacturing front is developing low-end, low-tech items. Kelkar Committee recommendation to create a technological development fund for SMEs in the area of design and development of defence production should be implemented.

Mr. Nalin Kohli, Chairman, CII Defence Sub Committee on SME & Chairman & CEO Terabyte Informatics Pvt Ltd stated that offsets should not be seen as an obligation particularly in Indian context but an opportunity for global companies to experience India’s low cost competitive advantage. The industry should introspect ways and means to harness technical expertise and promoting indigenization of defence industry.

Source: http://www.cii.in/PressreleasesDetail.aspx?enc=9Vc90uU/Xlr8qfHKtGffu0GmpUoE59lXMkPdYIAvyy3ck32roQrnJDrtdgEpUprweKQvPR9IILTjd2RMhCoOWB/qDe1rWJYlu0fRXP3NIRFSRmo6eBDAbl/QA2kMiZlnQURiWadvwNV42XWS/2C/bA==