I thought to try out local refill centers to fit into my budget and quick service. I handed over toner to the person at refill center. He took some printout using the toner. His evaluation took about 3 – 4 minutes. He quickly quoted me Rs. 250 for refilling, Rs. 350 for Drum (this one does actual printing job) & Rs. 150 for PCR (this one collects excess ink powder). So total of Rs. 750/-

Rs. 750 according to me was high. I, like my dad, (he is a great bargain hunter) thought of bargaining. I asked him to do the job for me for 500 bucks finally there was mutual agreement between us to do the job for Rs. 550 which is approx. 27% less then his quotation. A thought ran through my mind how much this people are making that he easily allowed me a discount of Rs. 200.

This is how I came up with this article to reveal cartridge refilling business.

The search begins for locating wholesale market for Printer consumables which ended at Modi Street located in Fort Area in Mumbai. At Modi Street one can find many stores selling printer & toner consumables and also new toners at wholesale price. The study was conducted for Toner of Canon LBP 2900B. The facts of the study are listed as below:

Main Parts in Toner that need to be changed: Ink Powder, Drum, PCR, Magnet, Blade
? Ink Powder ranges between Rs. 45 – 60/packet depending on quantity. E.g. 80 gms powder will cost Rs. 45 while 100 gms. Powder will cost Rs. 60
? Drum ranges between Rs. 110 – Rs. 140 depending on quality
? PCR available between Rs. 40 –Rs. 45
? Magnet ranges between Rs. 40 – Rs. 55
? Blade ranges between Rs. 40 – Rs. 50

Comparison between Wholesale Price, Retail Price and Price of Chain Cartridge Refilling stations:

* It is assumed that 100 gms ink powder is used for refilling and all other products used are of best quality hence higher rate is considered for calculation purpose. In wholesale price Rs. 350 is for changing all the important parts (as mentioned above) of cartridge & refilling while the retail price is Rs. 1060 for same and Rs. 1750 is for changing all parts at Chain Cartridge Refilling station.

Analysing above numbers tells us that cartridge refilling is 200% Margin business even if you are a local retailer with one store. Imagine the margin of chain stores. Also starting up with cartridge refilling business is easy. You need a small shop or stall at good location and material worth Rs. 5000 to start with. Of course you need to have certain amount of technical and mechanical knowledge. It is advised that you buy dummy cartridges & toners from market and try your hands on that before taking up customer orders.

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1. Eagles fly alone at a high altitude and not with sparrows or mix with other smaller birds like geese.Birds of a feather flock together.No other bird goes to the height of the eagle. Eagles fly with eagles,never in a flock.Even when Moses (Old Testament Bible) went to commune with God on the mountain, he left the crowd at the foothills.

Principle: Stay away from sparrows and ravens. Eagles fly with eagles.

2. Eagles have strong vision, which focuses up to 5 kilometers from the air. When an eagle sites prey- even a rodent from this distance, he narrows his focus on it and sets out to get it. No matter what obstacles come, the eagle will not move his focus from the prey until he grabs it.

Principle: Have a vision and remain focused no matter what the obstacle you face and you will succeed.

3. Eagles do not eat dead things. He feeds on fresh prey.Vultures eat dead animals but not eagles. .

Principle: Steer clear of outdated and old information.Do your research well always.

4. The Eagle is the only bird that loves the storm. When clouds gather,the eagles get excited.The eagle uses the wings of the storm to rise and is pushed up higher.Once it finds the wing of the storm, the eagle stops flapping and uses the pressure of the raging storm to soar the clouds and glide. This gives the eagle an opportunity to rest its wings.In the meantime all the other birds hide in the leaves and branches of the trees.

Principle: We can use the storms of our lives (obstacles, trouble, etc) to rise to greater heights. Achievers relish challenges and use them profitably.

5. The Eagle tests before it trusts.When a female eagle meets a male and they want to mate, she flies down to earth with the male pursing her and she picks a twig. She flies back into the air with the male pursuing her. Once she has reached a height high enough for her, she lets the twig fall to the ground and watches it as it falls. The male chases after the twig. The faster it falls, the faster he chases until hereaches it and has to catch it before it falls to the ground, then bring it back to the female eagle. The female eagle grabs the twig and flies to a much higher altitude pursued by the male until she perceives it high enough, and then drops the twig for the male to chase. This goes on for hours, with the height increasing until the female eagle is assured that the male eagle has mastered the art of picking the twig which shows commitment,then and only then, will she allow him to mate with her!

Principle: Whether in private life or in business, one should test commitment of people intended for partnership.

6. Eagles prepare for training.When about to lay eggs, the female and male eagle identify a place very high on a cliff where no predators can reach; the male flies to earth and picks thorns and lays them on the crevice of the cliff, then flies to earth again to collect twigs which he lays in the intended nest. He flies back to earth picks thorns and lays them on top of the twigs. He flies back to earth and picks soft grass to cover the thorns, and then flies back to pick rugs to put on the grass. When this first layering is complete the male eagle runs back to earth and picks more thorns, lays them on the nest; runs back to get grass and rugs and lays them on top of the thorns, then plucks his feathers to complete the nest. The thorns on the outside of the nest protect it from possible intruders. Both male and female eagles participate in raising the eagle family. She lays the eggs and protects them; he builds the nest and hunts.During the time of training the young ones to fly, the mother eagle throws the eaglets out of the nest and because they are scared, they jump into the nest again. Next, she throws them out and then takes off the soft layers of the nest, leaving the thorns bare. When the scared eaglets jump into the nest again, they are pricked by thorns.Shrieking and bleeding they jump out again this time wondering why the mother and father who love them so much are torturing them. Next, mother eagle pushes them off the cliff into the air. As they shriek in fear,father eagle flies out and picks them up on his back before they fall, and brings them back to the cliff. This goes on for sometime until they start flapping their wings. They get excited at this newfound knowledge that they can fly and not fall at such a fast rate. The father and mother eagle supports them with their wings.

Principle: The preparation of the nest teaches us to prepare for changes; the preparation for the family teaches us that active participation of both partners leads to success; being pricked by the thorns tells us that sometimes being too comfortable where we are may result in our not experiencing life, not progressing, and not learning at all. The thorns of life come to teach us that we need to grow, get out of the nest, and love on. We may not know it, but the seemingly comfortable and safe haven may have thorns; the people who love us do not let us languish in sloth but push us hard to grow and prosper. Even in their seemingly bad actions they have good intentions for us.

7. When the Eagle grows old, his feathers become weak and cannot take him as fast as he should.When he feels weak and about to die, he retires to a place far away in the rocks. While there, he plucks out every feather on his body until he is completely bare. He stays in this hiding place until he has grown new feathers, then he can come out.

Principle: We occasionally need to shed off old habits, things that burden us, or add no value to our lives.

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The Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) modified and renamed an erstwhile Small Industries Cluster Development Programme (SICDP) and introduced the Cluster Development Programme (MSE-CDP) in October 2007, aimed at:

-> Addressing common issues of MSEs such as tech-upgrade, access to markets, capital, etc.
-> Building Capacity of MSEs through creation of consortia, self help groups, associations, etc.
-> Creating or upgrading infrastructural facilities in the clusters.
-> Establising common facility centres such as testing labs, training centres, raw material depots, effluent treatment plants, etc.

Apart from MSE-CDP, the Lean Manufacturing Programme and Promotion of Information and Communicaton Technology are cluster-based programmes. The former trains clusters in eliminating manufacturing waste and streamlining systems, while the latter assists clusters in adopting IT application in their entire chain of business.

How to avail benefits under the MSE-CDP initiative?

-> Send proposals to the office of Development Commissioner (MSME) through concerned State Governments or institutes of Ministry of MSME.
-> An MSE-CDP Steering Committee will approve these proposals.
-> Mentoring activities and funding patterns of MSE-CDP can be accessed from:-

http://www.dcmsme.gov.in/schemes/ModifiedGuidelinesofMSE.pdf

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Buying food has become an interesting past time compared to a decade back.
Men too are taking an active part in this chore. Times have changed from going to the kirana store and giving the list to the owner who packs the stuff in a bag and gives it to you. These days it has become a ritual to spend a couple of hours or more in a huge retail shops browsing through the aisles picking up stuff reading about them and then choosing what the consumers want.

There is an invisible bond that forms between the consumer and manufacturer when the consumer picks up a product and starts reading the label.
The opportunity for the consumer to interact with the products has increased immensely because of the retailers who have come into play in the arena of food. The only way a manufacturer can forge a strong bond with the consumer through his product is by maintaining consistency in quality, honsety and accuracy in the information provided on the label.

The consumer will have more trust on the product if it is labeled properly and repeated patronizing will be higher only when the consumer trusts the manufacturer. The manufacturers need to trust the consumer to make the right choice and come back for their product based on quality of the product than by withholding or inaccurate information. And this is the only way to build the market for a product which will withstand the test of time.

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The various annual competitions conducted by E-Cell are:

*Envision: Product Design Competition
*Eclairez: Social Entrepreneurship Challenge
*Negocio: Web 2.0 and Mobile Application based Competition
*Cleantech Challenge: Clean Technology based Business Plan Competition.

Deadline for 1st round Submission: 15th Novermber, 2010

Contact: Chanakya Hridaya
chanakya@ecell-iitkgp.org
+91 9674450231

For more details, visit http://www.ecell-iitkgp.org/competitions/

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Why do companies go for an IPO? What are its benefits?
Companies float an IPO to raise capital. Listed companies get access to cheaper capital. Since they are more compliant and transparent, and are subjected to scrutiny by various authorities, they can get access to lower interest rates when they issue debt. A listed company can issue more stock and raise fresh capital faster than an unlisted company. They can also offer their own stock to buy out a company. Hence, mergers and acquisitions are easier for listed companies since they can issue stock as part of the deal. A listed company can offer ESOPs to employees, which is an attractive retention tool. There is also a considerable amount of prestige that follows a successful listing.

How can an IPO be structured?
An IPO can be done either through a fresh issue of shares or through an offer for sale of existing shares to investors. If fresh shares are issued, the company’s fresh capital is injected into the business and its equity base increases. The stake of existing investors in the company decreases, to that extent. When existing shareholders of the company sell equity shares that they own, then it is called an offer for sale. In this case, there is no infusion of money in the company. The existing shareholders, sell their stake usually for a profit.
How long does it take for a company to list post-IPO?
In a recent directive, Sebi has ordered companies to get their issue listed within 12 days, from the date of closure of the IPO. Earlier, it took companies 22 days to list the IPO.

How is an IPO priced?
IPOs are priced by companies in conjunction with merchant bankers. Essentially, there are two ways of pricing an IPO — the fixed-price route and the bookbuilding option. In a fixed-price mechanism, the price at which the shares are issued to the public is disclosed, before the issue opens for subscription. In the book-building process, the company announces a price band within which investors have to bid for the shares. The lower end of the price range is called the floor and the upper end is called the cap. After the bidding process is complete, the cut-off price is arrived at based on the demand of securities. Retail investors have the option of bidding at a cut-off price.

Source: Economic Times

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Looking at this attractive market size & the future where the e-retailing is to take off in India, Future Group, India’s largest retailer, is going digital in a big way. Future group aims to sell wide range of products from bedspreads to trendmills through internet, mobile phones, TV & dedicated kiosk.

In addition to the group’s online retail arm, Future E-commerce, who already operates an e-commerce portal, it will launch new initiatives such as marketing through mobile phones & virtual shopping through manned kiosks.

Kishore Biyani, Group CEO, with the view that most of people in urban areas spend 8 to 10 hours in a day on one of the four screens, says that this translates into huge sales potential.

The company owned futurebazaar.com will increase the number of products available online significantly. At present, there are 4000 SKU’s at futurebazaar.com compared with 1.6 lakh SKU’s that an average Big Bazaar store stocks. The company is targeting sales of Rs. 300 crore from digital commerce in first year.

In order to grow in virtual world the company is in talks to acquire a small IT company with about 150 personnel to develop and maintain contents & websites.

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Phool Gully, located at Dadar (West) is popular for all kinds of flowers starting from a common flower like Mogra to Roses to Gerberas to carnations to orchid to LAXMI Kamal (Lotus). The market also has wide range of flowers to offer for Pooja (Prayer) like Tulsi Leaves. Market is flooded with all kind of Roses viz. white, pink, red, yellow, etc. and various kinds of flowers, Garlands & Bouquets.

One can find dealers having a small kiosk, a store or big stores selling multiple products (flowers). Sight of hawkers is very common on both side of road giving the market a chaotic look. The market starts at 5 am and the busy hours of market is 5 am to 11.30 am this is the period when all the retail vendors visit the market. Rest of the time it is open for the ultimate customers.

On inquiry with the vendors there we learned that many online flower bouquets selling websites source flowers from here to cater to their Mumbai market specially. Also majority of hawkers selling flowers in and around Mumbai source flowers from this market. The market operates at reasonable profit margin. We learned that a small size bouquets having 5-6 flowers will cost about Rs. 60 – 80 while they are sold in retail at around Rs. 120 – 160. Similarly Medium size bouquets of 12 Pink Roses with seasonal fillers wrapped in cellophane with a ribbon bow will cost around Rs. 180 while they are sold online and offline at about Rs. 349 – 399.

Similarly large size bouquets with about 20 fresh yellow roses will cost about Rs. 280 – Rs. 300 which is sold at Rs. 500 – Rs. 550 in retail market. It was bought to our notice that the prices of flowers fluctuates with change in season and also on law of demand and supply. For e.g. during the month of February the prices of red rose shoot up due to heavy demand on occasion of Valentines Day.

How to Reach Phool Gully?
Market is very close to Dadar Station. Just stepping out of Dadar (West) station you will find yourself in the flower market. Dadar is a popular station on Western Line.

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We are happy to announce Winners for Tabbles Business Edition Licenses. Winners are:
1.) Javier Aprea
2.) Nico : Nico Wiedemann
3.) ha14 : Hovsep Avedissian

Congratulation all the winners.

Here is how you can download and use your license:
Download it here. After downloading Tabbles use the license key mailed to you.

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This time they had come up with various theme at one location. It was excellent expo organised by them. Various themes or you can call industry which they have targeted were Signage, Lighting, Digital Signage & LED, Machine Tools, Hand Tools, Material Handling & Storage, Cutting & Welding Equipments, Pumps, Valves & Compressors, Gears, Motors & Control. All these at one Place.

They branded and divided the Expo under various brands like India International Sign Show 2010 for Signage, India International Light Fair 2010 for lightning, IMEX for International Machine Tools Expo, HTA10 for Hand Tools Asia Expo, PVC10 for Pumps, Valves & Compressors Expo and so on.

Various national & international companies exhibited their products in the Expo. International Participation was from countries like China, France, Germany, South Korea, Taiwan, etc. For more information about companies that participated look at the below picture.

Few More Pictures of Expo

I would say people in related industry must visit this expo. Prices of Chinese companies were really competitive as compared to Indian Companies in LED lights.

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