MIC Celebrates Silver Jubilee, Expands LED Capacity

MIC Celebrates Silver Jubilee, Expands LED Capacity

Hyderabad-based MIC Electronics recently celebrated 25-years of operations by inaugurating a new production centre for LED-based lighting products. The 60,000sft centre, added to its facility at Cherlapally near Hyderabad, was inaugurated by Kazuto Miyazaki, managing director of Nichia Corporation, Japan. MIC also announced an investment of 180 crore on a separate lighting division at Shamshabad, a suburb located on the outskirts of Hyderabad.

According to Dr M V Ramana Rao, chairman and managing director of MIC Electronics Ltd, the new facility, for which land has already been obtained, will help the company to substantially enhance its production capacity for grid-based, offgrid-based and solar-powered lighting products and consolidate its position as a leading player in the country. “The encouragement being provided by the Government of India for promoting LED lighting products has given confidence to the company to go in for large scale expansion of its lighting products,” he said.

The company also released an all-in-one solar-powered streetlight for use in rural areas. The light has a built-in power pack and an integral solar panel, and facilitates easy installation and use. This will help the company to contribute to the government’s Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission, which targets deployment of two crore rural lighting systems by 2022.

“MIC’s commitment to develop products relevant to the rural population of the country has made the company lay special emphasis on solar-powered lighting products, which are needed by the people living in rural parts and mountainous terrains, and those deprived of access to grid-based power. MIC’s solar-powered portable lights, fixed home lights and street lights will be ideal for providing distributed and decentralised lighting solutions to underdeveloped areas,” he added.

According to Rao, MIC is poised to benefit from the large business opportunities foreseen in LED-based lighting and display segments and is expected to register sales of 500 crore. MIC also made its presence felt at the recently concluded LED Expo in New Delhi, where it had displayed a range of its solar-powered, LED-based lighting products. Also on the display were LED lanterns, for which the company has a collaboration with oil and gas major Indian Oil Corporation, to develop and market them through select Indian Oil retail outlets. The tie-up also includes development of more sustainable products relevant to India.

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LED Standards by Jan, Testing in Pipeline

LED Standards by Jan, Testing in Pipeline

“In a bid to regulate the LEDs market and enhance their credibility, national standards for LEDs have been devised by BIS and they will be formalised by 15th January,” informed Sandeep Garg (sgarg@beenet.in), energy economist with the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE). While speaking at the recently concluded LED Expo in New Delhi, Garg highlighted key challenges and opportunities for the LED lighting industry. He added that the government had taken initiatives to promote the use of energy-efficient LED lighting products, and had set up a committee to analyse the contemporary scene in this lighting segment. The committee has already submitted its recommendations. 

According to Garg, absence of technical standards has become a barrier to the increased acceptance of LEDs, and this has led to the entry of sub-standard products in the market. To counter this, testing of the products is being accelerated with the setting up of two government-sponsored laboratories in New Delhi by 2011. “This will be a step in the right direction and will encourage wider commercial use of LEDs.” The government is also considering LEDs as one of the main instruments for promoting energy-efficiency. “The committee has recommended that the government offer fiscal incentives to promote the deployment of LEDs, as they will help in significantly reducing peak demand for electricity due to lighting.” 

Garg points out that the main factors hindering adoption of LEDs are limited availability of LED technology; high initial costs and long payback time of more than seven years; absence of technical standards, testing protocols and facilities; and absence of incentives for manufacturers to promote indigenous production. He also stresses the importance of aggregating demand for LEDs, and calculating their complete lifecycle costs and warranty period. 

One of the ways of promoting LEDs, Garg points out, is by creating a task force to identify energy-efficient lighting solutions for key applications such as public streets, buildings, displays, hoardings, signages and traffic. “In the case of LEDs, focussing on the concept rather than the products will help, as LEDs are very different from other light sources and each application needs a different assembly of components,” he adds. 

According to Garg, the committee has recommended the formation of a central institutional mechanism in the form of a secretariat in New Delhi. It has also suggested that various ministries should aggregate LED demand, and make policies that mandate domestic manufacturing to meet this demand.

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Pegasus Aims for Pan-India Network

Pegasus Aims for Pan-India Network

“We aspire to have pan-India presence, and therefore, we have participated in this national-level trade show, wherein we want to spot the potential distributors and dealers for our range of solar LED-based lighting products,” says Dr Sudhindra Tatti (statti@pegasus-semiconductor.com), managing director of Ahmedabad-based Pegasus Semiconductor Ltd. The company was a debutant in the recently held LED Expo 2010 at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi. 

Tatti informs that to acquire distributorship of Pegasus products, a channel partner has to invest at least 2 lakh, and should possess an elementary knowledge of the solar energy business. “Besides, he should also have extensive reach in rural areas.” Tatti divulges that the company has identified some potential distributors from the Delhi-NCR region and West Bengal at the trade show, and is currently holding next level discussions with them. 

He also informs that Pegasus is concentrating on appointing dealers in all regions of the country. “The company already has 10 dealers in western and southern regions, but wants to strengthen this network by adding more dealers within this financial year. In the north, we are focussing on states like Haryana, Delhi- NCR and Madhya Pradesh.” Talking about the selection criterion of dealers, Tatti says, “We are a growing company, and are looking for dealers who are willing to grow with us. We will welcome those persons who have a commitment to solar energy. We will provide them a whopping trade margin of 20-22%.” 

At the Expo, Pegasus Semiconductor exhibited its entire range of solar LED-based products that includes homelighting systems, street lights, direct 220V LED products and solar power packs, all of which it manufactures at a 10,000sft facility in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. According to Tatti, around 1,000 pieces of its homelighting system Suryadeep are produced every week. 

With Suryadeep, Pegasus has taken the initiative in lighting up the far-fl ung villages of Barmer district in Rajasthan. “We have installed more than 800 Suryadeeps in the area,” Tatti avers, adding that the company executed the project with the help of International Centre for Entrepreneurship & Career Development. He points out, “The project has resulted in generating employment opportunities for the locals, who act as salesmen for the villagers.” The company has also installed solar streetlights, parking lights and 220V LED streetlights in the campus of Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad. It has also worked with Sterling Greenwood’s resort, located along the Sanand highway, where its double-sided LED-based solar streetlights were used.

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S M Electronic Introduces LED-Driver Solutions

S M Electronic Introduces LED-Driver Solutions

Bangalore-based distribution company S M Electronic Technologies has recently added LED driver solutions to its repertoire. Informs Gaurav Mann (gaurav@mysmindia.com), the company’s senior field applications engineer, “We are already offering a wide range of capacitors, diodes, active and passive devices of various leading Japanese and Taiwanese brands. From now on, we will also be supplying LED driver solutions made by Renesas, Panasonic, Sanyo and Rohm.” 

Notably, LED drivers being offered by S M Electronic range from 3W to 50W in general lighting and up to 100W in street lighting. “LEDs have become a frenzy in the country and the switchover is happening at a fast rate. But what one tends to overlook is that the market is flooded with substandard drivers at the moment. Since a driver is critical to any LED-based product’s performance, it is essential that quality is not compromised. We are making sure that quality products reach the end-users.” 

Mann informs that the company is more focused on the northern region at the moment since the potential here is quite high. “When it comes to LEDs, north India is currently leading the way. In fact, Delhi/ NCR itself is home to many manufacturers of LED-based products. Also, we have supplied to various projects here which have been initiated by government agencies and utilities.” And he further states that S M Electronics is willing to expand its dealer base across the country and particularly in the north. 

Commenting on the recently concluded LED Expo 2010, Mann says, “This is a wonderful convergence platform for all people associated with lighting. The Indian LED industry is booming and the show has given ample glimpses of this growth. The organisers have done a wonderful job and we are happy to showcase our products here. Our stall has witnessed a huge inflow of visitors including dealers, specifiers, government agents and other end-users. One major change I have noticed is that the awareness of visitors is quite high. Prospects look bright for the industry in the near future.” 

Established in 1990, S M Electronics is now one of the leading electronic component distribution companies in India. Its operations are spread across the country with offices in Chennai, Pune, Hyderabad and Singapore. Pertinently, the company has joined hands with Singaporebased

GS Technology to source a wide range of electronic components.

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Candela Eyes Western Region, To Set Up Unit in Noida

Candela Eyes Western Region, To Set Up Unit in Noida

New Delhi-based Candela Lighting Systems Pvt Ltd, a company that specialises in LED lighting solutions for architectural lighting, plans to expand operations in the country’s western region in 2011. “We would like to appoint projectscentric distributors in Mumbai, Pune and Indore by next year. The dealers must be connected to prestigious architects and interior decorators, as they play a critical role in interior lighting projects,” informs B N Sinha(info.candelalighting@gmail.com), joint director of the company. 

Candela has a wide range of products to offer, including downlighters, track lights, spot lights, cove lighting and linear LED strips for interior applications and inground up-lighters, facade flood lamps and IP68 approved under-water LED lights for exteriors. And to market these, Candela has distributors in Delhi, Bangalore, Kolkata, Kanpur, Chandigargh and Himachal Pradesh. It is now looking for more distributors in western India. 

Sinha informs that the company plans to set up a new facility in Greater Noida, UP. “Noting the unabated growth opportunities in the LED segment, we are setting up a new plant in 2011,” he says. The company currently produces LED luminaires and lighting systems at a facility at Baghpat in UP, from where it also offers lighting design consultancy and customised LED concepts. “We do not use any sub-standard components and our LED chips are mainly imported from Edison and Nichia. We manufacture our own LED drivers, right from 1W to 150W as well as high quality luminaires, in addition to lighting control gear using technologies like DMX, Optima, Visual and Master,” avers Sinha. 

Candela mainly markets to projects and specialises in offering customised decorative lighting solutions for hotels, resorts, restro-bars, shopping malls, corporate offices, farmhouses and residences. “Our prestigious clients include ITC Rajputana, Sheraton New Delhi, MBD Radisson Ludhiana, Eros Shangrila, Jubilant Organosys and the British High Commission,” adds Deepak Tyagi, the other joint director of the company. “We focus on the aesthetic side of lighting and customise luminaires to facilitate architectural requirements of the client.” 

According to Sinha, Candela has created a niche in interior lighting projects, unlike its competitors who have fl ooded the market with low priced low-quality imported LED lighting products.

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Seoul Semiconductor Taking Rapid Strides in India

Seoul Semiconductor Taking Rapid Strides in India

Korea-based LED maker Seoul Semiconductor is expanding its trade network in India. The company has entered into marketing tie-ups with five distributors and is quite upbeat about the growing demand of its products in the country. Says Baik Lewis (ysbaik@zled.com), the company’s overseas director, “Our channel partners in India include Consortium Component Technologies, Power LED, Excel Point, Spectra and Avnet. The prospects are bright and we are growing with each and every passing day.” 

Lewis, who was representing his company for the second time at LED Expo in New Delhi, informed that Seoul Semiconductor is keen on increasing its presence in the eastern and southern regions of India. “Both these regions are very promising. People in south India are more receptive to new technologies and take informed buying decisions. On the other hand, the eastern half is witnessing a number of green lighting initiatives by the government and various lobbies. It is a perfect opportunity for manufacturers like us to make an entry.” 

Meanwhile, the company is also mulling the establishment of a manufacturing unit in India. “We are in the process of analysing the commercial viability of a plant here. It all depends on the market demand and requirements. Although we are quite hopeful that the proposition will materialise, it’s a bit premature to make an announcement,” he quips. 

Lewis observes that the Indian LED market is growing tremendously and activity at LED Expo was a reflection of the same. “Not long back, Indians considered LEDs as expensive propositions and there was reluctance in their minds. But now I have noticed a drastic change in their approach. During the course of the show, I have received a lot of trade enquiries and people like architects, designers, researchers and end-users have visited our booth. The awareness levels are increasing and it augurs well for the industry.”

Lewis feels that in the next two years LEDs will replace conventional lighting sources in all major lighting applications across India. “Competition is immense here since more and more manufacturers are entering this arena. Also, the Indian government has shown willingness to initiate a green lighting revolution in major cities and towns. These two factors are resulting in a growing demand for LEDs. Consequently, prices too are becoming competitive. Moreover, the benefits of switching over to LEDs are manifold and people are realising that as well.”

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Unisun to Market Solar Products in North, Add Inverters

Unisun to Market Solar Products in North, Add Inverters

Kolkata-based Unisun Renewable Energy, manufacturer of a wide range of solar products, is looking for distributors and dealers in the northern region of the country. “We are keen to build strong network in the region. At present we would like to have two distributors each in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, and one each in Rajasthan and Kashmir,” says Amit Roy (info@unisunsolar.com), CEO of the company, adding that the distributors must have a wide reach in rural areas. 

“As far as dealers are concerned, we already have 24 dealers in east and north-east India, and are now looking to expand our dealership network in the northern region,” says Roy. Also, to ramp up sales as well as to monitor the network in the region, there are plans to set up a regional office in Delhi within the current financial year. He further informs that anyone who can extend the company’s quality products and services to semi-rural areas and villages is eligible to become a dealer. “We do not have any specific requirement for selecting dealers. In fact, we are looking for dealers with the necessary sales staff, and after-sales support facilities. We will provide them a hefty trade margin of 15-20%.”

Unisun Renewable Energy manufactures a range of solar products, including street lights, inverters, lanterns, power plates, and charge controllers at its 3,200 sftfactory in Haripal, West Bengal. The company displayed its 2W and 3W solar lanterns at the recently concluded LED Expo 2010. The latter comes with mobile charging facility. “We are here for the first time, and have got an overwhelming response from visitors at this three-day event.” 

The company is also in the process of expanding capacity, and for that it is setting up a factory in Behala Industrial Estate in Kolkata, to manufacture solar and non-solar sine-wave inverters. “We have already got possession of 1,040 sft in the estate, and are set to begin production from this February.” According to Roy, at this factory the company will be able to manufacture around 1,200 inverters a month.

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Pasolite to Boost Presence in North

Pasolite to Boost Presence in North

“Our brand is quite renowned in the south and now we are intent on giving a fillip to our presence in the north as well. In order to achieve this, we are willing to expand our trade network in the northern region,” says Ganpat Jain (ganpat800@gmail.com), managing director of Bangalore-based Pasolite Electricals. The lighting fixture manufacturing company, which has a whole gamut of products on offer, unveiled its latest range of LED-based garden lights at the recently concluded LED Expo 2010 in New Delhi.

Informs Jain, “The northern region is very promising and harbours a huge potential when itcomes to LEDs. Therefore, it’s essential that we appoint more channel partners here. At the moment, there are around 500 traders associated with us pan-India and we want to stretch this figure.” He says that Pasolite zeroes in on a dealer by assessing his market reputation, financial soundness and most importantly, the ability to connect with end-users. And the margins that a dealer can enjoy are also healthy; around 25-30%. 

Talking of his LED-based lighting products, he says, “We always make sure that our offerings meet the customer requirements. Therefore, we provide customised solutions. When it comes to quality, we are one of the best since we source diodes from global leaders like Nichia, Cree, Osram and Edison. And our manufacturing unit in Bangalore is equipped to churn out a world class product.”

Acknowledging competition from other manufacturers, Jain asserts that today buyers are not just running after low-priced LED products. “In fact, the focus is more on quality and long life. Price does play an important role in a competitive market like India, but people are realising that it is wiser to spend initially and enjoy long term benefits. As far as we are concerned, our LED-based products are in the mid and upper segment. Nonetheless, our prices are competitive.”

What is noteworthy about Pasolite is that it likes to spread awareness about green lighting. The company has recently conducted an education module for students at the Ambedkar College of Engineering in Bangalore. “Education and awareness is very important and we are quite keen on doing our bit to spread the knowledge. There are plans for more such workshops in educational institutions.” 

Jain was highly appreciative of the LED Expo exhibition and said that the organisers have done a wonderful job in providing facilities to exhibitors and visitors. Nevertheless, he feels that the inflow of visitors could be channelised in a better way. “This show has grown leaps and bounds over the past two years and I am definitely expecting a higher turnout next year.”

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ISQA 2010 Quality Awards Presented

ISQA 2010 Quality Awards Presented

ISQA 2010, the third edition of the IEEMA SME quality awards, was organised by Indian Electrical & Electronics Manufacturer’s Association in Mumbai recently. These awards have been instituted to recognise achievements of small and medium-sized organisations in the field of quality systems, and to encourage them towards operational excellence. SMEs play acrucial role in providing an efficient and cost-effective supply chain in the electrical sector.

The ISQA competition was open for small and medium members and vendors or suppliers of member organisations from the electrical industry. This year Tirupati-based Amara Raja Power Systems Ltd was honoured with the quality award for excellence in quality systems under the small enterprise category, while Formulated Polymers Ltd of Chennai under small enterprises category, and General Industrial Controls Pvt Ltd of Pune under medium enterprise category received commendations for significant achievement in quality systems. 

Three enterprises - Thane-based Ashida Electronics Pvt Ltd, Pragati Electricals Pvt Ltd and On Load Gears of Ambattur - were given the IEEMA SME quality certificate for their commitment to quality systems under the small enterprise category. 

Two companies, JLC Electromet (P) Ltd of Jaipur and PRS Permacel Pvt Ltd of Ambernath, were awarded these certificates under the medium enterprise category. The competition has been receiving overwhelming response from small and medium member organisations and their vendors from the electrical industry, and based on feedback, the award model has been revised to focus on certain specifics with regard to quality.

IEEMA opened the competition for entries for ISQA 2010 in April this year, and the winners were announced in December. The programme was attended by around 150 eminent invitees including top officers of the member and participating companies, apart from the examiners, past presidents of IEEMA and members of the jury. The winners were felicitated by chief guest S M Trehan, managing director of Crompton Greaves Ltd. Since institution of the award in 2008, twenty small, and six medium organisations have been felicitated.

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GreenStar to Appoint Distributors in North

GreenStar to Appoint Distributors in North

Gurgaon-based GreenStar Engineering, the Indian arm of US-based GreenStar Products, is on the lookout for distributors in north India. The company, which specialises in LED-based outdoor lighting solutions, showcased its latest Galaxy range of streetlights at LED Expo 2010 in New Delhi recently. “GreenStar is a well-known name in the US and now we want to increase our presence in the Indian market as well, particularly in the northern region. Appointment of channel partners is imperative in this endeavour. Currently, we have some channel partners associated with us but we want to expand our network,” says Rajesh Dua (rajesh@greenstarled.com), the company’s operations and procurement manager.

Headquartered in Texas, USA, GreenStar is a leading name in the North American electric equipment market, and has been providing eco-friendly and cost saving LED-based lighting to cities, and commercial and industrial sites. The company’s hallmarks include energy conservation and cost minimisation. GreenStar is also present in Latin America through its Mexican arm GreenStar Products–Latin America.

Dua informs that the company has recently completed a project in Noida where ninety streetlights were installed. “We have been a project-oriented company till now, but considering the market requirements we are planning to enter the retail segment as well. Apart from appointing distributors, we are considering marketing our products through retail chains like HomeTown. The LED adoption rate in India is on the rise and the retail segment appears very promising for us.” 

GreenStar’s streetlights can be custom configured with 24 LEDs to 72 LEDs in a modular way to meet specificluminance requirements, and are also fitted with photo sensor controlled on/off dimmers. “These fixtures provide a 60% saving in electricity and are UL-certified according to American standards. Their average life is 50,000 hours and we have ensured high thermal dissipation through our patented Zero Air Gap technology. Apart from this, wastage of light is minimised through the anti-glare luminary beam control. What’s more, there is a three year warranty on these lights.” 

Notably, the company is also planning to roll out its canopy light Solaris in the near future. “This fixture is also UL-certified and we are optimistic about its receptivity here.” Dua adds that just like streetlights, the canopy light too can also be customised.

Making an interesting observation about the Indian lighting market, Dua asserts that gone are the days when price was a hindrance in the proliferation of LEDs. “In the last decade, CFLs were considered an expensive proposition and look at their penetration now. It’s going to be the same with LEDs sooner rather than later!”.

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Havells Doubles Cable Capacity, Keen on Exports

Havells Doubles Cable Capacity, Keen on Exports

Electrical and lighting major, Havells India Ltd has doubled capacity at its cable and wire plant at Alwar in Rajasthan. Post expansion, the plant is now capable of producing goods worth `2400 crore. To achieve this capacity, Havells has shelled out a whopping `120 crore, and now the total plant area is 90 acres.

Asserts Sunil Sikka (sunil.sikka@havells.com), the company’s president, “This expansion has been undertaken to cater to the domestic as well as international demand of our cables and wires. We are now the only electrical and lighting company in the country to possess such a large manufacturing facility. This also gives us the competitive advantage of rolling out world-class products at a much lower cost without compromising on quality. The entire land area at the site is 120 acres, out of which 90 acres have been utilised. If the need arises, we can further expand this plant.” 

Notably, capacity for the entire range of LT, HT and EHV cables has been upgraded. Individually speaking, the production capacity of LT cable has been augmented by 92%, HT cable by 42%, control cable has been doubled, coils of fl exible cable has shot up by 150% and compounds by 67%. Talking of the manufacturing unit, Sikka informs, “The plant houses some of the most stringent processes to ensure manufacturing of high quality cables and wires. There is an in-house R&D set up to constantly upgrade the products. We are also the first company to get our cables and wires accredited by the British Approvals Service for Cables (BASEC).”

Following this expansion, Havells is eyeing a revenue of `1,800 crore from this segment by financial year 2012. “Last year, we spent around `100 crore on promotion and the figure might be higher this time around. We keep coming up with schemes for our trade partners periodically, and it will be no different this time as well. There are plans to further expand the dealer network.” 

An area where Havells is highly focused at the moment is creating an overseas market for its cables and wires, especially in the Middle East and Africa. “These two regions have a huge potential. We are looking for marketing tie-ups there and might even set up our own warehouse if the demand picks up. The other region which looks promising is Latin America,” heavers.

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Surya Roshni Sets up Another Facility

Surya Roshni Sets up Another Facility

New Delhi-based lighting major Surya Roshni Ltd, has set up another

manufacturing facility at Malanpur in Madhya Pradesh. “The new unit will manufacture high mast poles, making the company a total lighting solution provider,” confirms Gulshan 

Aghi (gaghi@sroshni.com), executive president and CEO of the company.

Spread over 48 acres, the installation’s capacity will be 1,00,000 million tonnes per annum of steel fabrication and galvanisation. The convergence of these two streams of steel and lighting would witness the manufacturing of 4,000 high mast and 30,000 octagonal poles in the first phase, along with galvanised swaged poles, highway crash guards, lighting monopoles and stadium masts. “The unit will be equipped with sophisticated computercontrolled machines from YSD, a Chinese firm which manufactures machines with technology from Belgium. We are also importing machines from Germany and USA for the facility. The galvanising bath, which measures 15.2x1.65x2.5 metres, will be the biggest in India,” Aghi informs. In the second phase, the company plans to expand its product portfolio to products for the power and telecom sector.

Once complete, this would the company’s third facility. As of now, Surya Roshni has manufacturing units in Kashipur (Uttarakhand) and Malanpur (MP), producing a wide range of GLS lamps, fl uorescent tube lamps, CFLs, auto halogen lamps, luminaires, special lamps, HID lamps, dichroic halogen lamps and various components. “Additionally,” Aghi avers, “we have a tie-up with AEC Illuminazione Srl of Italy and are marketing their innovative product range of street lights, tunnel lights and flood light fixtures.” 

Furthermore, the company has established a state-of-the-art R&D centre and laboratory at Noida, Uttar Pradesh. “The centre will be equipped with Mirror- Gonio-Photometer from LMT, Germany, which would ensure the development of energy-efficient luminaire optics of very high quality.”

Talking about other developments Aghi says, “With the coming up of the new manufacturing unit and laboratory, Surya Roshni is expected to become one of the country’s top three players in the luminaires and high mast and poles business within three years. While in terms of revenue the lighting business has a turnover of `600 crore, we are expecting a growth of 30% in the current fiscal.” 

On the retail front, the company plans to set up exclusive Surya Power shops for LED-based products in the next six months in all major metros. It currently has a strong presence in the retail market with 400 multi-brand dealers for luminaires and 75 exclusive dealers for its high mast business.

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T-5 Pendant Fixture

T-5 Pendant Fixture 

Sushil Electricals is offering Slim, a T- 5 pendant fixture for offices and retail applications. Its body is made of extruded aluminium alloy that helps the fixture to resist corrosion, and comes in silver grey colour. The company also supplies the fixture in other colours on demand

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LED Panel Lights for Many Applications

LED Panel Lights for Many Applications 

Glaciallight has launched the RoHS compliant Pollux series of LED panel light that works with an input voltage from 100V to 240V. Consuming 50W of electricity, it provides 3,400 lm of light with a CRI of 70. The beam of the light spreads up to 120° angle and gives CCT of 6,000K, which suits residential, commercial and industrial applications. According to the company, the series has a lifespan of 30,000 burning hours.

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Corrosion-resistant Spot and Downlight Fittings

Corrosion-resistant Spot and Downlight Fittings 

Vinay Group of companies has launched spot lights and downlighters under its Nightinglow brand. Made of high-grade aluminium, these fittings have better thermal conductivity and heat dissipation. Their surface is resistant to corrosion, which helps them to last longer. They are available with and without glass, and come in glossy and matt finish., this 15W CFL can replace a 75W GLS lamp.

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LED Bar Lights for Showrooms & Stores

LED Bar Lights for Showrooms & Stores 

Hanz Lite is offering 15W light bars that can replace fittings using a 50W halogen and 75W halide lamp, in jewellery showroomsboutiques, clothing and cosmetic stores.They are available in 0.224, 0.321, 0.515 and 1.0 meter lengths, and emit white and warm white colours.

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Solar Water Heating Systems for Homes

Solar Water Heating Systems for Homes

Fortune Sun is offering 150/250/500/ 1000 LPD solar water heating systems for homes. These high capacity systems can heat water up to a temperature of 60°C. According to the company, the payback period of these systems is 2.96 years.

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The Colour of Money

The Colour of Money
Seeing green in everything is no longer such a bad thing, in fact the world is rooting for an environment that let’s everyone make money

“If rising electricity bils are bothering you, switch to electrical appliances with the BEE (Bureau of Energy Efficiency) label. You can reduce your electricity bills and help India increase the availability of electricity, simply by buying refrigerators, ACs and tubelights that bear BEE’s star-rated energyefficiency labels.” This is how promotional activities about energy-efficient products
are being run, keeping in view the limited availability of generation capacity, besides the urgent need to maintain an ecological balance.
The focus is clearly on saving the environment, so much so that a business enterprise that does not in some way improves the environment, by either manufacturing or dealing in green products or services, is living in the dark age. The case for saving the environment has already been made. The question now is, how well enterprises can adjust to the new normal so that they quickly find new competitive edges in a market which wants only green products and services.
So pervasive is the concern for the environment that governments throughout the world have literally created a new ‘green market’ through mandates. The star label, which reveals to the buyer how energy-efficient a product is, has become a common sight on products across most countries ever since it was conceptualised two decades ago (see Energy Star Across the World). Though still being applied in India in phases, it is a sign of things to come and cannot be ignored.

The water heater industry is the most recent addition in the list of voluntary entrants to the star-rated category, and fan manufacturers joined two years back. While there is still time for star rating to become mandatory for these and other products, it is inevitable, and the smart ones are fast expanding their range of starrated products (see Rise of the Stars).

Star-rated products are designed to use less energy, thereby bringing savings formanufacturers as well as consumers. Very soon a lot more products will come under the preview of BEE’s star-labelling, and it may become near impossible to deal in a product that consumes energy and does not bear the BEE label. This is, therefore, the right time to begin thinking in terms of totally green dealings, something that goes beyond simply manufacturing or selling green products.
Any enterprise can be green, be it engaged in manufacturing, trading or providing a service. In simple terms, a green activity or product is one that uses less resources, consumes less energy during operation, and can be disposed or discontinued without causing damage to nature. So, it’s not enough to make a starlabelled product if in the process resourceslike electricity, water and effort are being wasted. Installing a green building product is of no use unless the processes in the building too do not use less of everything.

A new building does not become green simply by using more of star-labelled products; it needs to re-use everything that has been removed from site during its construction, avoid transporting material from distances as this causes consumption of fuel, and have as inhabitants only those who live nearby or use the public transport. This is the true meaning of being green.

Taking this forward, a retail store can be green by itself. The City Square Mall in mall-crazy Singapore wears its green leanings on its shoulder, with a slew of eco-features including waterless urinals in the toilets, dedicated hybrid parking for customers, rain sensors for landscape irrigation, and real-time displays of the building’s energy performance for shoppers’ information. To top it all, the mall also features a 49,000sft urban park that provides a learning experience about ecology and the natural environment.
On a smaller scale, shops too can become green enterprises. By installing energy-efficient equipment and controls such as star-labelled air-conditioners and fans, and time and motion sensors in toilets, meeting rooms and pantries, their electricity consumption can be reduced by as much as 25%. Further savings are possible with the use of LED lighting, and avoidance of glare and pollution of light outside the shop. Increased use ofInternet banking, and waste paper and cloth for packaging, adds to the greenness of business. Ensuring that customers do not have to drive down to the shop unnecessarily and deliveries are completed in minimum trips also is being green.

• Rise of the StarsStars play a vital role in the purchase of electrical appliances. Their upfront cost may be high, but the ownership cost of a non-star-labelled product, meaning the monthly electricity bill, is much higher.
  Purpose of Labelling
• The BEE star energy-efficiency labels have been created to standardise the energyefficiency ratings of different electrical appliances, and indicate their energy consumption under standard test conditions
• The labels indicate energy efficiency levels through the number of stars highlighted in colour on the label
• BEE star labels include a star rating system that ranges from one star (least energy efficient,thus least money saved) to five stars
  The size of the appliance does determine how much energy it will use. Always recommendthe size or capacity that is suited to the customer’s needs, not the largest available. The amountof energy that is consumed by an appliance is measured in watts and not voltage. This means that an appliance with low voltage will still use more energy. When left on stand-by mode, appliances continue to use a quarter of the energy needed to run them. It is, therefore, advisable to switch off appliances, and even plug them off when not in use.
  Current Labelling
• Mandatory: Frost-free refrigerators, fl uorescent tube lights, air-conditioners, distribution
  transformers
• Voluntary: Direct-cool refrigerators, colour televisions, electric water heaters, ceiling fans,
  pumps, LPG stoves
• In pipeline: Washing machines, set-top boxes, diesel gensets, invertors, UPS, batteries,
  passenger cars, fax machines, printers, computers, laptops, mobile phone chargers

It is evident that practicing green can not only prove profitable for the enterprise but also the customer. No wonder many entrepreneurs as insisting that they will only conduct a business that is green and nothing less, because they are not just driven by a cause but also a keen business sense.
The success of green business, particularly in the western world, has shown that it is economically feasible. Besides, the emergence of carbon emission reductions (CERs) as the currency of the future is a sign that ‘being green’ is soon going to be the only show in town. Companies are already generating CERs (1 CER= 1,572) by implementing environment-friendly manufacturing processes that cut emission of greenhouse gases at their premises, reduce consumption of energy, recover waste heat, use renewable energy, and install effl uent treatment systems.

Apollo Tyres, for instance, uses waste heat generated in its plant at Baroda for other manufacturing activities, thereby cutting use of electricity. This qualifies it for CERs. Pune-based Bajaj Auto, through
its subsidiary Bajaj Finserv that operates 138 windmills in Maharashtra, earned 1,00,000 units of CERs in 2008–09. For every megawatt of electricity provided through a windmill, a company earns between 2,000and 3,000 units of CERs. Tata Motors, Bharat Forge, Bajaj Finserv and Apollo Tyres are actively monetising their CERs. The domestic auto industry has earned nearly 3.77 lakh CERs, with an estimated value of 18.5 crore!

Energy Star Across The World
Energy Star is an international standard for energy-efficient consumer products,
which originated in the USA. It was first created as a United States government
program during the early 1990s, but Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Taiwan
and the European Union have also adopted it. Devices carrying the Energy Star
logo, such as computer products and peripherals, kitchen appliances, building and
other products, generally use 20–30% less energy than required by federal standards.
However, many European-targeted products are labelled using a different standard -
TCO Certification - a combined energy usage and ergonomics rating from the Swedish
Confederation of Professional Employees (TCO).

However, not everything that appears green need be so. Particularly in the case of products that claim to be green, it is wise to be sceptic to a degree. Instances of green washing, where companies falsely claim their products to be greener than others, or industries unjustifiably insist their technology is green, are increasing.

A declaration that paper manuals will no longer be included in appliance packaging is more a cost-cutting measure than an attempt at being eco-friendly. Similarly, claiming that a refrigerator is green because it is halon-free is utter nonsense, since the use of this gas is not permitted in the first place.
Or take CFL bulbs, which boast that they will pay back in six months time, use 80% less energy, and last 10 times longer than an incandescent bulb. But, they don’t tell that it’s important to dispose themoff properly, because they contain mercury which can irreversibly contaminate the environment.
Profit by itself is not such a bad thing, what is bad is the willingness to harm the environment that our children will inherit. A polluter in any corner of the world has the potential to harm people of any country. A person with absolute disregard for the environment is jeopardising the whole community. But, eco-entrepreneurs are saving the world, and earning profit.

Being an eco-entrepreneur is easy. Just stop selling a GLS lamp, build only LEEDrated buildings, specify only proven green building products, design spaces that use only locally available materials. This year The Green List brings you some pretty impressive concepts that were launched in the last 12 months, and which will enable you to become one yourself. 

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The Lighting Dragon

Reads an old chinese saying, “The dragon has nine sons. Each of them has his own duty, and each has his own likes and dislikes.” This saying communicates the many different meanings that the image of the dragon in everyday Chinese life has. As in all other parts of the world, in China the dragon is a strong and prevalent symbol. Stylised and represented as a snake, the dragon has been the symbol of the overpowering strength of the Chinese Empire for centuries. Today it is still associated with notions of eternity and power.

A highly subtle translation of this symbol into our modern times is presented by the design of the Noto pendant lamp. Its designer, Michele De Lucchi, has transformed the symbol of the dragon into an abstract lighting structure. In a free design interpretation, he has created an expressive dragon-like sculpture of glass and light, a lamp that is highly distinctive even when switched off. And while it is switched on, it produces a pleasant, diffused lighting atmosphere

The design concept of the pendant lamp follows a highly logical structure. The frame consists of a steel structure, while six movable cylinders made of hand-blown opal glass form the ‘dragon’ diffuser that seems to
float in air. This floating effect, which is central to the lamp’s appearance and presence, is facilitated through its special fixture. There is only one point where the mounting is fixed to the body of the lamp and it is hardly visible.

This is how the aim of the Noto’s design, namely to use a symbol and exemplify its meaning, is achieved in a subtle manner.

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Intel Invests $100 Million In Visual Computing Research

A day after having a little publicity fun with Black Eyed Peas front man Will.i.am, Intel announced a $100 million investment in research at U.S. universities over the next five years, and said it will open Intel Science And Technology Centers at several universities throughout the year. The first one will be at Stanford University.

One of the priorities of the research is what Intel calls “visual computing,” which will harness Intel’s latest Core chips, which combine the traditional microprocessor and a 3-D graphics processor that until recently had generally been a separate chip. The research will be focused on applications for both consumers and professionals.

A video showing some of that research in action is below. It shows how millions of vacation photos of Rome are being used to build an incredibly realistic 3-D model of some of its most popular tourist sites.

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Cybercriminals Shifting From Windows PCs

In a major cybercrime turning point, scammers have begun shifting their focus away from Windows-based PCs to other operating systems and platforms, including smart phones, tablet computers, and mobile platforms in general, according to the Cisco® 2010 Annual Security Report, released today.
The report also finds that 2010 was the first year in the history of the Internet that spam volume decreased, that cybercriminals are investing heavily in “money muling,” and that users continue to fall prey to myriad forms of trust exploitation.

In response to the last decade of cyber-exploits targeting PC operating systems, PC platform and application vendors have shored up security in their products and taken a more aggressive approach to patching vulnerabilities. As a result, scammers are finding it harder to exploit platforms that were once their bread and butter — in particular, the Windows platform — and are looking elsewhere to make money. Just as important in driving this trend is the widespread adoption of mobile devices and applications. Third-party mobile applications in particular are emerging as a serious threat vector.

The Cisco Annual Security Report also includes winners of the 2010 Cisco Cybercrime Showcase and discusses the impacts of social media, cloud computing, spam and global cybercrime activities on network security.

Key Highlights

· Spam: 2010 marks the first year of declining spam volume in the history of the Internet. Despite this good news, 2010 saw an uptick in spam in developed economies where broadband connections are spreading, including France, Germany and the United Kingdom. In the United Kingdom, for example, spam volume rose almost 99 percent from 2009 to 2010. The good news is that Brazil, China and Turkey — all of which figured high on last year’s list of spammed nations — showed significantly lower volumes in 2010. In particular, Turkey’s spam volume dropped 87 percent. This reduction is due in part to the high-profile takedowns of botnets like Waledac and Pushdo/Cutwail, attributed largely to researcher Thorsten Holz (see the Cisco Cybercrime Showcase) and ISPs restricting malicious e-mail from broadband networks. In addition, authorities are taking the spam problem more seriously and are looking to take down egregious offenders.

· Money Muling: As the cybercriminal economy expands and criminals gain access to even more financial credentials, there is a growing need for money mules — people recruited to set up bank accounts, or even use their own bank accounts, to help scammers “cash out” or launder money. Money muling operations are becoming more elaborate and international in scope, and Cisco security experts anticipate they will be a major focus of cybercriminal investment in 2011.

· Trust Exploitation: Most cybercrime exploits hinge not only on technology but also on the all-too-human tendency to misplace trust. The Cisco Annual Security Report lists seven “deadly weaknesses” that cybercriminals exploit through social engineering scams — whether in the form of e-mails, social networking chats or phone calls. The seven weaknesses are sex appeal, greed, vanity, trust, sloth, compassion and urgency.

· Cisco Global ARMS Race Index: Cisco’s Global Adversary Resource Market Share (ARMS) Race Index was designed to track the overall level of compromised resources worldwide and, over time, to provide a better picture of the online criminal community’s rate of success at compromising enterprise and individual users. According to data collected for the 10-point index, the level of resources under adversarial control worldwide at the end of 2010 was down almost a half a point from the December 2009 level of 7.2 reported in the Cisco 2009 Annual Security Report.

· The 2010 Cisco Cybercrime Showcase: The second annual Cisco Cybercrime Showcase presents two awards for 2010 — one acknowledging the outstanding contributions of a security professional in the fight against cybercrime (the “Good,” Thorsten Holz, Ruhr-University Bochum, Germany/LastLine), the other the most threatening malware (the “Evil,” Stuxnet).

· Cisco Cybercrime Return on Investment (CROI) Matrix: The Cisco CROI Matrix, which made its debut in the Cisco 2009 Annual Security Report, analyzes types of cybercrime that Cisco’s security experts predict profit-oriented scammers will channel their resources toward in 2011. Based on performance in 2010, the matrix predicts that the data-theft Trojans such as Zeus, easy-to-deploy Web exploits, and money mules will continue to rise in prevalence in 2011. The “wait and see” moneymakers include mobile malware, with Zeus already being adapted for the mobile platform in the form of SymbOS/Zitmo.Altr (“Zitmo” stands for “Zeus in the Mobile”). Social networking scams, on the other hand, will not be a significant area for cybercriminals to invest resources in 2011, despite ranking in last year’s report in the Potentials category. That does not mean that social networking scams are declining; they are simply a small part of a bigger plan — launching Web exploits like the Zeus Trojan. 

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Facebook Wants To Share Your Posts As Ads!

Facebook has done it again. As long is the list of its ever-increasing user base, so is the list of the company's attempts to sell the user base to advertisers. The company has done it before, with Facebook Beacon, privacy issues, terms of use and the more recent one where it would hand over your physical addresses and phone numbers to developers. Although, the company took back the proposed feature roll-out after much public outrage, it seems they are never short on ideas to convert your personal information into advertising dollars. 
The new issue is with respect to the 'likes' you do on stories that you come across on the Web or with your physical check-ins. All stories 'liked' by you on the Web or your physical check-ins at businesses/public places would also appear in the right-hand as a “Sponsored Story”. There has been no official announcement from the company's end nor have the users been briefed about it – however some users who already have the feature enabled have reported seeing the new changes.

Reacting to this, the official reply comes from Jim Squires to the Wall Street Journal, “This gives a way for marketers to increase the visibility of stories about their organisation… this is word-of-mouth marketing at scale.”

The company in 2007 had launched a similar service but had to shut it down due to a class-action privacy lawsuit. 

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eBook On Wikileaks

New York : New York Times (NYT) is set to publish its first eBook, titled 'Open Secrets: Wiki leaks, War and American Diplomacy' on January 31, which will sell for $5.99 through Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, Google's eBook store and Apple's iBook store.
Just 11 days before the launch of a physical copy on Wikileaks named 'The Gurdian's book on Wikileaks',NYT has planned to launch their eBook. NYT have been looking forward to grow the revenue in new digital business.
The Editor Bill Keller has announced that he had written an essay on its involvement with Wikileaks in eBook and also he added why they have decided to publish the U.S state department cables of war logs including 27 more new cables. The eBook will contain essays from Frank Rich and Maureen Dowd too.
It also explains the profiles of Julian Assange, the founder of Wikileaks, and Bradley Manning, who was suspected for supplying classified information and NYT's deteriorating relationship with Assange which is available as online preview.
It can be another way to profit and NYT has planned to charge for the access to its sites soon. The Editor had said that the eBook will be the latest example of exploiting the creative potential of the Web to deliver the world's best journalism in any format whatever the readers find easier to read.
But Wikileak gave a negative reaction towards the new launch of New York Times. It tweeted that this is a just another self serving smear of NYT where the facts are wrong from top to bottom, and it's a dark day for U.S journalism. 

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