Reality Check: Auto component exports may skid

NEW DELHI: The bankruptcyfiling by General Motors , the world’s largest carmaker till last year, may hit Indian auto component exports and lead

to surplus capacity and payment delays in the domestic market , say industry experts. GM accounts for a significant chunk of $900 million worth of auto components India exports to US every year.

The exact extent of loss of orders for Indian component makers could not be ascertained. Some component makers said they had cut exposure to GM in the previous months as its bankruptcy became imminent. “As part of its restructuring GM will close 11-12 plants and phase out some models. If a component maker is supplying auto parts to that model or plant, then it would be definitely impacted ,” said Surinder Kapur, chairman and MD of parts maker Sona Group, which sells about 3% of its overall export to GM in the US.

Agreed Shriram Pistons managing director AK Taneja: “The component industry is already facing the a surplus capacity and GM’s restructuring could add to that burden.” Several Indian component makers had insured themselves against loss of orders and delayed payment on account of the US automaker’s bankruptcy.

But many were not able to get insurance cover. Auto Component Makers Association (ACMA) secretary-general Vishnu Mathur said the companies who have not got the insurance cover might face delayed payments. Though some manufacturers such as Rico Auto, which gets 2.5% of its overall export revenues from GM, said they haven’t faced any payment delays yet. Meanwhile, GM India in a press statement clarified that it would continue to operate in the country even as its parent filed for bankruptcy.

GM said it would go ahead with its plan to launch new cars including the mid-size sedan Cruze, a new mini-car (code M300) and an array of alternative fuels cars. Kolkata-based GM India dealer Dulli Chand Motors’ owner Rajesh Sanci said the news has ended several months of uncertainty in the market . “GM has made it clear that its Indian subsidiary is separate from the US and Canadian operations. While customers were a bit wary initially, but there has been no real impact on our retail sales as our average monthly sales of 80-90 cars remains intact.”

Impact minimal, says Sundram

WHEN reports of General Motors filing for bankruptcy trickled in, it deepened the worries of Indian auto-component makers, who were already coping with low demand in the domestic market, reports ET NOW. But TVS group company Sundram Fasteners, which has been supplying radiator caps to GM for the last fifteen years is not worried as it has gradually reduced exposure to the carmaker over the years, a top official said.

“Last year, of our total sales of Rs 1,260 crore, GM contributed Rs 11 crore. At one point, the supply was huge but now it’s less than 1% of revenues. We have diversified our exposure over the years,” Sundram Fasteners chairman and managing director Suresh Krishna said.

Source: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/

China's e-commerce giant Alibaba to expand business in U.S

BOAO, Hainan, April 17 (Xinhua) -- China's business-to-business(B2B) e-commerce giant Alibaba Group still regards the United States as its most important market in its overseas investment strategy, Wei Zhe, chief executive officer of the company, said Friday.

The group will invest one third of its newly added 30-million-U.S.dollar fund for overseas marketing in the United States this year, he told Xinhua during the annual conference of the Boao Forum for Asia in China's southern province of Hainan, which started Friday.

"Alibaba plans to double its staff in the United States to further boost its marketing and improve customer service," he said.

Enterprises worldwide need new business opportunities to address the present crisis, which has provided a strong chance for Alibaba to expand its own business, he said.

The group has been developing Indian and Japanese markets in the past year and has set up the largest e-commerce platform in the two countries.

The group also plans to develop trading platforms in other languages such as Spanish, French and Russian, according to Wei.

"We've never considered to acquire or control other enterprises, but hope to help local e-commerce enterprises to achieve success, which in turn brings the success of Alibaba's global strategy," he said.

Source: http://news.xinhuanet.com/

Semi Equipment B2B Moves Up in March

SAN JOSE – The 90-day average of orders of North America-based semiconductor equipment manufacturers was $278.9 million in March, down 76% from last year.
The book-to-bill ratio for the month was 0.61, up from the low of 0.47 in January and the revised February figure of 0.49, SEMI said.

A book-to-bill of 0.61 means that $61 worth of orders were received for every $100 of product billed for the month.

Bookings were up 8% from February, the trade group said.

Billings were $455.3 million, down 13% from February and 66% from March 2008.
“The sharp decline in bookings levels has abated," said Stanley T. Myers, president and CEO of SEMI. However, the improvement in the March book to bill ratio is primarily attributed to reduced billings, and semiconductor equipment bookings remain at levels below that needed to support a healthy supply chain."

Source: http://www.circuitsassembly.com/

Survey to Explore Effects of Multi-Generational Preferences in B2B Sales

Research designed to identify how multi-generational values, needs and preferences impact sales performance

GenerationalDNA, a research, training, speaking, and consulting firm specializing in harnessing multi-generational talents within organizations, is launching a survey this week that will analyze how the differing buying behaviors, responses and preferences of Baby Boomers and Generations X and Y affect the success or failure of B2B product and service sales campaigns.

The survey will target sales workers from each generation working across various industries. The results of this research will be a valuable tool to help companies match and respond to multi-generational buyers in their B2B sales efforts and other sales and marketing functions. Results will be published in early May 2009.

“This research is designed to uncover how multi-generational values, needs and preferences impact sales performance,” says expert and GenerationalDNA President David Brookmire. “The hypothesis is that the desired rewards will vary by generation and that these are essential to success for all B2B companies.”

This survey is the first of many resources and tools that the firm will make available to businesses this year to help them navigate rapid workforce changes. GenerationalDNA was founded to guide organizations in identifying the challenges and issues that arise from having a multi-generational workforce, as well as in harnessing the potential and talents unique to each generation.

According to Brookmire, the generational makeup (GenerationalDNA) of the global workforce has changed significantly in the last 10 years. Today, more generations work together in single workplaces, and they have greater disparities than ever before, and the workforce GenerationalDNA will continue to have dramatic shifts in age over the next 5-10 years.

Generation Y is entering the workforce and joining Generation X, while the experienced Baby Boomer Generation is leaving to pursue retirement and other employment that suits their lifestyles. This transition is rapidly producing knowledge gaps within organizations, many of which are losing experience faster than they can replace it, and simultaneously forcing organizations to deal with the different working, learning and communication styles of multiple generations within their workforce.

“Companies must understand the issues, drivers and desires for each generation to effectively motivate them,” Brookmire says. “This is especially true for motivating sales employees to excel and meet or exceed quota. Sales leaders will need to take these multi-generational preferences into account in the design and delivery of compensation and rewards for sales excellence.”

About GenerationalDNA

Atlanta-based consulting firm GenerationalDNA specializes in harnessing multi-generational potential within organizations. Founded by generational dynamics expert David Brookmire, the firm works with client organizations to identify potentials, talents and issues relating to a multi-generational workforce, and helps them develop strategies and tactics to strengthen management, talent development, team building, communication and collaboration between generations to increase business efficiency and profitability. For more information, contact David Brookmire at 404-593-5001.

Source: http://eon.businesswire.com/

The online showroom helps us to display our products online

Shenzhen Dicolor Optoelectronics Co., Ltd, as one of the leading Hi-tech LED display、LED lighting manufacturers, specializes in developing, manufacturing and marketing indoor and outdoor full color LED displays. Our products are widely used in outdoor, advertising, traffic systems (highway, airport, railway and subway etc), hospital, stadium and amusement public place, etc.

We've been exporting our LED displays to more than 65 countries worldwide. Such a market reach will no doubt convince you of the reliability of our items. Superior quality and reasonable price are our main advantages, which make our products more competitive in the international market. Meanwhile, excellent services and on-time delivery help us win great popularity among customers. So you can reply on our experience to meet international standards and reach your requirements.

To offer you screens that deliver the brightness, stability and color uniformity you expect, we use LEDs from Cree and Nichia. Each LED model must pass the extensive quality checks. In addition to in-house aging, white balance and electrical tests, you can also tell us the temperature setting&the humidity setting you want and we’ll send you a report. We also offer comprehensive after sales service. We can offer free LED display training in our factory for customers. Moreover, our engineers can visit you on-site for technical assistance

We make products under an ISO9001:2000-certified 7S management system. All of our items comply with CE、 RoHS Directive requirements.

Benefit from our products' performance by sending us your requirements.

What encouraged us to join Alibaba.com as Gold Supplier

We wanted to go abroad, so we became an Alibaba Gold Supplier in 2007. We chose Alibaba because it is a well-known player in the Internet industry. As a Gold Supplier on Alibaba.com, we can promote our products properly on the internet, and reach out to the right buyers.

We get many inquiries every day, which gives us many chances to get more customers in the future.

Benefits as a Gold Supplier

The online showroom helps us to display our products online so that buyers can find us easily. The Gold Supplier status did wonders for our reputation to the whole world since we can post an unlimited number of products; we hope to do even better with the help of Alibaba.

Source:http://news.alibaba.com/