V-Guard Industries, the Kerala-based manufacturer of voltage stabilisers, electrical and electronic products, is expecting its cable business to contribute significantly to the turnover this year. The business currently contributes 27% to its revenues.

With funds of Rs 65 crore raised from the IPO last year, the firm set up a low-tension (LT) power cables plant at Coimbatore and a house-wiring cables plant at Kashipur, Uttarakhand, both of which will start production in May. The LT cable unit has the capacity to produce 3,000 tonne of aluminium and 300 tonne of copper annually.

International spot prices fell 66% in second half of 2008

JSW Steel Ltd is believed to have placed orders to import 4,00,000 tonnes of coal at renegotiated lower prices by the end of this fiscal.

Hind Dorr to executeRs 1,100-cr mining & processing project

Hindustan Dorr Oliver, the unit of Hyderabad-based infrastructure firm IVRCL, is working on a plan to make it big in the nuclear power segment. The company has almost finalised an agenda for pursuing the sector and developing that as a core vertical.

As part of its plans, the company is set to implement a project for Uranium Corporation of India Ltd at Tummalapalle in Kadapa district of Andhra Pradesh.

But will have to do away with SEZ benefits in case of domestic sales

After folding Reliance Petroleum into itself, Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) is weighing selling fuel refined at the former's Jamnagar refinery, an export-oriented unit located in a special economic zone, in the domestic market.

Under Section 80IB of Special Economic Zone Act, any entity having a facility in an SEZ, which is otherwise treated as an export-oriented unit, can sell the product in the domestic market in case the market for export is not viable.

"The objective of an SEZ isto try and sell maximum in the export market but in case it is not available or viable, the products can also be sold in the domestic market," said a source close to RIL.

Company's two-wheeler sales fell 17% in February

Slowly, the two-wheeler landscape is changing and entry-level bikes appear to be the primary reason for that.

Entry level bikes, that cost for less than Rs 40,000 and typically have engine displacements less than 125cc, now comprise a little over half of the total market.

Hero Honda Motors has been the undisputed leader here. But what has happened over the last few months has surprised everyone, including parts suppliers and analysts: Hero Honda has gone from strength to strength in this segment, taking market share away from close competitor Bajaj Auto and this has led to the latter reporting significant overall sales declines.

Hyderabad-based drugmaker will license and supply 75 generic drugsthat address a $200m market to Pfizer

After trying it out for almost a year, the world's biggest drug-maker Pfizer Inc, has decided to turn copycat in right earnest. And the $50 billion giant will take the help of Hyderabad-based Aurobindo Pharma, an established copycat drug-maker, to make this happen.

The multinational will license 70 generic drugs and 12 sterile injectibles, including penicillins and cephalosporins, which according to industry watchers are valued at over $200 million in sales, from Aurobindo for marketing in the US, and Europe.

That is good news for Aurobindo but may not leave much for Pfizer to smile about, say analysts.