With small and medium enterprises&rsquo; (SMEs) need for efficient logistics growing, Aparna BPO Services Ltd, a logistics BPO services provider, has decided to enter the warehousing segment primarily meant for auto-ancillary and other SMEs in and around Pune.

Pune BPO sets up warehouse for auto parts makers

Business Standard

Deepak Pahwa, Managing Director of Pahwa Enterprises, India&rsquo;s largest private sector SME in the HVAC&amp;R (heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration) industry, tells Business Standard that some of his key customers are pharma units, and since dehumidification machines are at the heart of pharma units, his company was unaffected by the downturn.

'We have filed a world patent for a new energy-saving technology'

A patient in need of treatment is bound to go to a clinic to see a doctor. What if there is an ailing business unit or a small pain point in a business process? Can an entrepreneur walk into an &lsquo;entrepreneur&rsquo;s clinic&rsquo;? Well, in Pune at least they can.

And now, a clinic for ailing entrepreneurs!

The Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), an agency of the Union Ministry of Power, has introduced a programme to help small and medium enterprises (SMEs) use energy efficiently and several policy measures to accelerate power generation.

BEE to help SMEs use energy efficiently

Para 4.35 of Export Import Policy 2002-04 had a specific provision that in cases where the additional customs duty is adjusted from DEPB, no benefit of CENVAT/Drawback shall be admissible. This provision was deleted on 28th January 2004, thereby removing the restriction. So, we have taken Cenvat Credit of the same after that date. But, the Central Excise authorities have denied the benefit on the grounds that Cenvat Credit Rules at that time did not allow that.

'Fin Min cannot deny what Commerce Ministry allows'

The traditional industrial clusters in Tamil Nadu, home to over five lakh small and medium enterprises (SMEs), are witnessing a sign of revival after the slowdown, but the biggest challenge is labour shortage. Industry representatives from the engineering, textile and leather clusters in the state complain that the National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme (NREGP) is diverting workers from their units.

Workers return to villages

The substantial revision in the Minimum Support Price of cotton (by about 45 per cent last year), coupled with the slowdown in the economy, has put the Punjab textile industry in the doldrums. Some of the spinning mills have deferred their expansion plans and many have become unviable.

Spinning mills defer expansion

The smaller units are applying both strategic and tactical shifts to fight the slowdown.

Recession takes a toll on Ludhiana textile cluster

After a rough patch of more than eight months, proprietors of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the auto component segment are heaving a collective sigh of relief. Capacity utilisation, which had dipped as low as 25 per cent in a large number of units, has climbed to nearly 70 per cent over the last three months, keeping workers and executives busy.

Pune auto part units limp back to normal

The industries department in Karnataka has kick-started various programmes to give a thrust to the troubled tiny and villages industries. The department has allocated a sum of Rs 60,000 per unit &mdash; an increase of 50 per cent &mdash; to home-less SC/ST artisans for construction of living-cum-worksheds. This also includes increasing the subsidy component to 90 per cent (from the earlier 60 per cent) and free supplies of tool kits. The new scheme is with effect from 2009-10. Now, the artisan has to bring in only Rs 6,000 to avail of a subsidy of Rs 54,000, instead of Rs 16,000 to avail of a Rs 24,000 subsidy.

Rural MSMEs in Karnataka to get 90 % subsidy for work sheds

We have imported our raw materials under the Duty Free Import Authorisation (DFIA) scheme.

Duty-free inputs can be used only for exports

Entrepreneurs in this traditional town of family- managed companies, popularly known as the Manchester of south India, are now more open to entering into equity collaborations with both domestic and international partners.

Coimbatore units more  open to equity tie-ups

Tata Motors rolled out the first Nano from Pantnagar, a small town in Uttarakhand&rsquo;s Kumaon region, in a time span of less than five months, with the strong logistical support its ancillaries provided.

Component suppliers follow vehicle makers to Pantnagar

With the real estate market slowing down, the glass industry is diversifying into interior decoration, furniture, murals and other value additions to keep the show going.

Glass industry looks at value additions

Total loans to the sector, at Rs 16,919 crore, were up by 21 per cent in 2008-09 compared to the previous fiscal year.

Govt, RBI steps ease MSME credit woes in Karnataka

We were issued a Show Cause Notice on a matter relating to valuation and the Commissioner has passed an order against us imposing a penalty also. We want to appeal to the Tribunal but we have to pre-deposit the amount. We are short of cash due to the recession but we have a lot of unutilised Cenvat Credit in balance.

'Excise on goods can be paid through Cenvat credit on inputs'

Online advertising among Indian small and medium enterprises is expected to grow in the next one year, thanks to improved technology and SME investments in e-commerce.

Smaller units to step up online advertising, says report

Small and medium information technology enterprises in Orissa have sought a host of enabling measures from the newly elected government in the state to remain competitive during the ongoing recession.

Orissa small IT firms seek sops

In March 2005 Sampath Nathan, a Bangalore-based first-time entrepreneur, started a small back office processing firm with a corpus of Rs 1.5 crore, to make the most of the IT/BPO boom. A large chunk of the funds came from his savings, but he also borrowed Rs 60 lakh from a bank.

Recession hits small IT and BPO firms

While the global automobile giants are being buffeted by the downturn, Pune-based supplier of conveyor belts and systems to vehicle makers Automag (I) Pvt Ltd is looking at a year-on-year growth of 35 per cent over the next five years.

'We expect 35% year-on-year growth over the next five years'

Leading export promotion councils &mdash; EEPC (Engineering Export Promotion Council) India and Plexconcil (Plastic Export Promotion Council) among others &mdash; are planning to take up the issue of technological upgradation of India&rsquo;s small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) with the newly elected government, to keep them afloat and competitive in the wake of the downturn.

EEPC, Plexconcil push for SME revamp

SME: Find all the latest news on Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises in India. Explore more for the top headlines about SME sector on Business Standard.

Page 92 - SME