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Notice (8): Undefined variable: file [APP/View/Elements/side_bar.ctp, line 60]Code Context// $file = 'http://aabhiyan:QUVLg8Wzs2F7G9N7@nepalstock.com.np/api/indexdata.xml';if(!$xml = simplexml_load_file($file)){$viewFile = '/var/www/html/newbusinessage.com/app/View/Elements/side_bar.ctp' $dataForView = array( 'articles' => array( (int) 0 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 1 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 2 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 3 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 4 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 5 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 6 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 7 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 8 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 9 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 10 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 11 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ) ), 'current_user' => null, 'logged_in' => false ) $articles = array( (int) 0 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '2260', 'article_category_id' => '149', 'title' => 'Aqua Hundred: A Trusted Quality Brand', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => null, 'content' => '<div> </div> <div> <strong>--By Upashana Neupane </strong></div> <div> </div> <table align="right" style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 10px;" width="25"> <tbody> <tr> <td> <img alt="Rabin Shrestha, Business Manager, Aqua Minerals Nepal Pvt Ltd" src="/userfiles/images/bt1(1).jpg" style="border-width: 0px; border-style: solid; width: 200px; height: 221px;" /></td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#FFFFFF"> <div align="center"> <div style="text-align: center;"> <div> <strong>Rabin Shrestha</strong></div> <div> <em>Business Manager</em></div> <div> <em>Aqua Minerals Nepal Pvt Ltd</em></div> </div> </div> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <div> Aqua Hundred carries 21 years of glorious history of providing purified water in Nepali market. Introduced in 1992, it stands true to its initial motto “Drink safe water and be healthy”. The brand was launched by Aqua Minerals Pvt Ltd at a time when huge amount of purified water used to be imported from foreign countries in lack of domestic brand, that could correspond to the market’s need, Rabin Shrestha, Business Manager at Aqua Minerals, says. </div> <div> </div> <div> Aqua Hundred is market leader in purified water since the beginning of the brand. Named combining two words: Aqua and Hundred (Aqua means Water and hundred represents the 100 per cent purity), its logo has oval shape of waves, that symbolise water.</div> <div> </div> <div> Aqua Hundred is the pioneer to introduce big jar for purified water in Nepali market. It changed common perception among people that bottled, purified water is available only in 1 litre or half litre bottles. “In the initial days, when we introduced big jars, people were surprised and used to stare at us,” Shrestha says, “Now the scenario has changed and Aqua Hundred has become popular and has established itself as must have drinking water in every household.” </div> <div> </div> <div> Reflecting two decades of business journey, Shrestha says that the company was started with a commitment to provide quality water to the customers and has continued doing so, sustaining many ups and downs. “Aqua Hundred was launched to address the drinking water scarcity in Kathmandu valley and as direct response to growing awareness and demand of people for clean and pure drinking water,” Shrestha informs.</div> <div> </div> <div> Initially, 19 litre jar and half litre mineral water bottle were launched. By now Aqua Hundred has expanded to varieties of products like cup water, ice-cubes and chlorine solutions. </div> <div> </div> <div> Shrestha says, in the initial days Aqua Hundred made massive publicity campaigns in electronic and print media, hoarding boards and like to promote the brand. Now customers are familiar to the brand and it has become a brand to trust in. “We have always prioritized ‘quality’, thus have won the trust of our customers,” he says.</div> <div> </div> <div> <img alt="aqua hundred" src="/userfiles/images/bt2%20(Copy).jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0px 10px 0px 0px;width: 200px; height: 321px;" />Aqua Hundred with the tagline is “Sabaiko Bishwashilo Paani (Everyone’s Trustworthy Water)” has customers’ faith as it has always been providing best quality consistently. “Consistency is most important to sustain in the market,” Shrestha says, “Providing good quality is not sufficient. One should also continue fulfilling commitments.”</div> <div> </div> <div> The company has an in-house lab of its own and each product is tested before getting into the market. Aqua Hundred Jar is a polycarbonate jar which is recommended for reusable purpose. Aqua Hundred is ISO 9001:2008 certified company but Shrestha says that the best award Aqua Hundred has ever got is the faith of its customers. We have always believed in customer’s satisfaction and their loyalty. </div> <div> </div> <div> Shrestha says, due to unstable political scenario of Nepal, it is difficult to grow and sustain in the market. Similarly, illegal and low quality bottled water has been ruining the image of the entire industry. He says all those companies and products should be properly monitored or banned by the concerned authority. In the near future, Aqua Hundred has plans to spread its market outside the valley too.</div> <div> </div> <div> Shrestha says we should promote Nepali products. “If best quality product is available within our own country, why to use foreign brands?,” he says, “Be Nepali, Buy Nepali”.</div>', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2013-12-10', 'modified' => '2013-12-17', 'keywords' => 'the corporate weekly from Nepal, nepali corporate events – news – interviews – reviews, nepali corporate focus, nepali corporate status and news, news from nepali corporate industry, corporate happenings – events – news from nepal', 'description' => 'Aqua Hundred carries 21 years of glorious history of providing purified water in Nepali market. Introduced in 1992, it stands true to its initial motto “Drink safe water and be healthy”. The brand was launched by Aqua Minerals Pvt Ltd at a time when huge amount of purified water used to be imported from foreign countries in lack of domestic brand, that could correspond to the market’s need, Rabin Shrestha, Business Manager at Aqua Minerals, says.', 'sortorder' => '2105', 'image' => null, 'article_date' => '0000-00-00 00:00:00', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => false, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '0' ) ), (int) 1 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '1801', 'article_category_id' => '149', 'title' => 'Have A Heritage Sleep, Balaji Now Eyeing On Carpet', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => null, 'content' => '<div> </div> <div> <strong>--By Bhawani Timilsina </strong></div> <table align="right" border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px"> <tbody> <tr> <td> <img alt="Hemraj Dhakal, Director, Balaji Coir Industries Pvt Ltd" src="/userfiles/images/hd.jpg" style="border-width: 0px; border-style: solid; width: 200px; height: 209px;" /></td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#FFFFFF"> <div align="center"> <div> <strong>Hemraj Dhakal</strong></div> <div> Director</div> <div> Balaji Coir Industries Pvt Ltd</div> </div> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <div> </div> <div> Being one of the popular local brands ‘Heritage’ mattresses is the favourite choice among the consumers. And, if all goes well, the brand is going to be available in also carpet and furnishing products in near future.</div> <div> </div> <div> “Heritage, by its name, reflects that the product is classic. And that we are also exploring business opportunities in carpet and furnishing goods,” says, Hemraj Dhakal, Director of the Balaji Coir Industries Pvt Ltd (BCIPL).</div> <div> </div> <div> The mattress segment is the key component of the BCIPL. The product was introduced in 2004. “With almost a decade long experience, the company has become successful to surpass all other international brands. We have been attempting to assess quality and comfort through heritage mattress, he says. The company imports raw materials from India, Malaysia, China, Bangladesh, Thailand etc. “We design our products according to the requirements and demand of the consumers,” Dhakal said.</div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> The company used to import mattresses from India in initial phase. Later the company had to face numerous problems and they decided to start their own production in Nepal. The major raw materials are coconut fiber and latex that adds natural quality to the product. They follow an international technology during manufacturing process to ensure quality. “We have a lab testing facility and with its inception we have surpassed all the other imported products. Nepalis consumers prefer our brand as it assures both quality and comfort,” he claims.</div> <div> </div> <div> The company has been manufacturing four types of mattresses called silver, gold, diamond and platinum (including super platinum). The company claims to have occupied 20-30 percent share of the total market, with product guarantee of five years.</div> <div> </div> <div> The company has 90 outlets across the country. It also supplies its product to Tibet. The price of the mattresses ranges between Rs 3,500-Rs 25,000. “We have set the price with a view to make it affordable to the people of all classes,” Dhakal said.</div> <div> </div> <div> While sharing the success factors of the brand, he says, “Our marketing strategy plays an important role to achieve success in this field. Our consumers know how to choose the best products on the basis of quality and durability. We can assure that our product is of best quality, giving high comfort.”</div> <div> </div> <div> He also mentions the business advantage of the growing sense in the consumers about the advantages and drawbacks of using mattresses. With the tagline ‘all season mattresses’, the product is suitable to use during all seasons, says Dhakal. The carpet market has been slowly and gradually growing in Nepal.</div> <div> </div> <div> “At a time while the Indian products were flooding the Nepali market, our brand helped reduce the import quantity,” he claims. According to Dhakal, around Rs 100 million has been invested in the company. “Though the competition is not tough, it is very essential to adopt changes in the demand. As the market has been growing it becomes very necessary to deal with quality of product.” he said</div> <div> </div> <div> He feels that the consumers will be benefitted from using Nepalis brands that offer guarantee and warrantee services. As per a market survey, nearly 60 per cent market has been occupied by the local product, whereas 40 percent by the international brands.</div> <div> </div> <div> <img alt="Heritage" src="/userfiles/images/hrtg.jpg" style="width: 550px; height: 362px; margin-left: 20px; margin-right: 20px;" /></div> <div> </div>', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2013-09-10', 'modified' => '2013-09-19', 'keywords' => 'the corporate weekly from Nepal, nepali corporate events – news – interviews – reviews, nepali corporate focus, nepali corporate status and news, news from nepali corporate industry, corporate happenings – events – news from nepal', 'description' => 'Being one of the popular local brands ‘Heritage’ mattresses is the favourite choice among the consumers. And, if all goes well, the brand is going to be available in also carpet and furnishing products in near future.', 'sortorder' => '1662', 'image' => null, 'article_date' => '0000-00-00 00:00:00', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => false, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '0' ) ), (int) 2 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '1761', 'article_category_id' => '149', 'title' => 'PLO: A Local Power', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => null, 'content' => '<div> </div> <div> <strong>--By Bhawani Timilsina </strong></div> <div> </div> <table align="right" border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1"> <tbody> <tr> <td> <img alt="Krishna P. Dulal, Director, Purwanchal Lube Oil Pvt Ltd" src="/userfiles/images/kd.jpg" style="width: 200px; height: 207px;" /></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align: center;"> <div> <strong>Krishna P. Dulal</strong></div> <div> Director</div> <div> Purwanchal Lube Oil Pvt Ltd</div> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <div> Purwanchal Lube Oil (PLO), a leading lubricant in the Nepali market, was launched in 2000 by the Purwanchal Lube Oil Pvt Ltd. The company has been living up to meet the challenges of the market – its demands and changes – for over 12 years now. </div> <div> </div> <div> The company finalised a brand logo and name after conducting a small research. Krishna Prasad Dulal, Director of the company says, “We did not have to make a huge effort to select a brand name and logo. We simply chose a name that would represent the eastern region. As our initiation was from Morang district, the brand name PLO helps to maintain our originality among customers.” </div> <div> </div> <div> The company has taken up the challenge to reach out to people across all economic levels with its product – it claims that the main target of its brand is the farmer population in Nepal. According to Dulal, the initial phase of business was rather challenging as people were reluctant to use a local product. “We struggled hard to convince our customers and have been constantly attempting to overcome difficulties through innovative marketing strategies and powerful team unity,” Dulal says.</div> <div> </div> <div> He assures that the company has been using base oil and additives like LITHIUM, HCO, and VI. “The base oil and additives are similar in quality to those used in popular international brands,” Dulal claims, assuring that the company does not compromise with quality. With a total market share of 8 per cent, other products of PLO include 2T Oil, 4T Extra Power, AP-3 Grease, APF Dextron-III, Gear Treat GL-5, GMP Oil, Hydraulic Oil, Mission 2T, PLO Multipurpose III, Active Coolant and Super Plus, PLO Super Multi Grade, Gear Oil (Non-Grade) and PLO Super SAE 40. </div> <div> </div> <div> Over these 12 years, the marketing team and its strategies have been the company’s strength to prop up the brand. Dulal claims that marketing plays a significant role in generating trust among people.“We believe that business can prosper when a brand wins the confidence of its customers,”he says. </div> <div> </div> <div> “About 85 per cent of the lubricants market has been occupied by foreign brands, but 32 per cent of the market still remains with domestic brands,” informs Dulal. “We have a target to win over 20 per cent of the total market of lubricant in Nepal so that 50 per cent of the market will be among Nepali brands.”</div> <div> </div> <div> The company has covered 75 districts, 86 dealers, more than 5000 retailer counters and more than 200,000 customers till date. The cost of the grease and lubricants is priced between Rs 300 to Rs 500 per bottle. Over the years since its inception, the sales and turnover of the company has been increasing annually and the company has been able to expand to markets all over the country. “There is cut-throat completion in the market and domestic lubricant brands have been working together to compete with international products,” says Dulal. </div> <div> </div> <div> The company has also got suggestions from some customers that its focus should now be in manufacturing high-class lubricants that can be used in high-end vehicles. “This will create a possibility for Nepali lubricants to enter the international market, and if that happens, Bhutan and Bangladesh among other countries could be our target markets,” Dulal explains. </div> <div> </div> <div> The company has yet to achieve a lot and the launching of the new ‘Star’ brand for high-end vehicles is a step ahead towards its ultimate goal.</div> <div> </div> <div> <img alt="PLO" src="/userfiles/images/plo1.jpg" style="width: 550px; height: 220px;" /></div>', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2013-09-04', 'modified' => '2013-09-04', 'keywords' => 'the corporate weekly from Nepal, nepali corporate events – news – interviews – reviews, nepali corporate focus, nepali corporate status and news, news from nepali corporate industry, corporate happenings – events – news from nepal', 'description' => 'Purwanchal Lube Oil (PLO), a leading lubricant in the Nepali market, was launched in 2000 by the Purwanchal Lube Oil Pvt Ltd. The company has been living up to meet the challenges of the market – its demands and changes – for over 12 years now.', 'sortorder' => '1622', 'image' => null, 'article_date' => '0000-00-00 00:00:00', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => false, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '0' ) ), (int) 3 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '1709', 'article_category_id' => '149', 'title' => 'Zero-MSG Noodles', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => null, 'content' => '<div> </div> <div> <strong>--By Bhawani Timilsina</strong></div> <div> </div> <table align="right" border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1"> <tbody> <tr> <td> <img alt="Arun KC, Sales Director, Himalayan Snax and Noodles Pvt Ltd" src="/userfiles/images/akc.jpg" style="width: 200px; height: 208px;" /></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align: center;"> <div> <strong>Arun KC</strong></div> <div> Sales Director, Himalayan Snax</div> <div> and Noodles Pvt Ltd</div> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <div> Mayos instant noodle has retained its position as one of the largest selling brands in the Nepali market. “With several years of expertise and commitment, we have carved a niche for ourselves in the market,” says Arun KC, Sales Director of Himalayan Snax and Noodles Pvt Ltd (HSNPL). KC says that noodle consumers were long waiting for a distinct taste in their noodle snack. “Sensing this opportunity, we launched Mayos noodle in 2000 and received an overwhelming response which for us quite excited.”</div> <div> </div> <div> Mayos noodle is now available as Mayos Cup Noodles with distinct additional flavours such as Mayos Khatta Meetha & Mast Masala, chicken & vegetarian package and Mayos Hot and Sour. </div> <div> </div> <div> The company holds 25 per cent of the market share in the brown noodles selling market, KC says. With an aim to serve consumers with healthy products, the company is now producing noodles with OMEGA-3 (Fatty Acid) and has avoided the use of Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) after growing complaints from consumers. The company made this decision after conducting a research that found that use of MSG could damage the health of consumers. “Being healthy as well as tasty, we can assure that the quality of our noodle is distinct from others,” he adds. </div> <div> </div> <div> KC says that the company makes no compromise when it comes to the health and taste of the consumer. “This is the reason why we have always been making an effort to come up with a wide variety of flavours.” </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> The company retails Mayos noodles at Rs 15 per pack of 75gms in both chicken and vegetable flavours with nutritional value per pack at 363 calories and 347.6 calories, respectively. </div> <div> </div> <div> The company at first worked in collaboration with the Thai company Thai President Foods PLC. ShakaLaka Boom, Ru-Chee, Lekali, J-mee, Hurray, Doharee, Jhilke and Humpty Dumpty Krunchy King are other noodles brands under the HSNPL Company.</div> <div> </div> <div> “In the beginning, the tagline ‘It’s the wonderful Mayos Noodles’ helped us strengthen our branding. We also came up with coupon schemes as a promotional campaign later on, KC recalls, claiming the brand has been successful as it has stayed in the minds and hearts of people. </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> According to the KC, competition has increased as a wide range of noodles have emerged in recent times. “We do focus on experimenting with innovative concepts help us identify with the interest of consumers,” he mentions, with regard to this. “In order to integrate novel flavours and packaging format, a mixed fortification of Vitamin A, Calcium, Iron and Proteins has been introduced to all flavours of Mayos products. The Vitamin A, Calcium and Iron components in in Shaka Laka Boom and Ru-Chee noodles was a part of our contribution to address malnutrition since 2007,” he says. </div> <div> </div> <div> Mayos products have also won fame in an international market. “Throughout the years, our domestic markets as well as export markets have had constant expansion into leading regions,” he says. “We have grown up now from being a local product to an internationally recognized one over our 13-year-long journey, and our popularity has been driven by the trust of our consumers,” he states.</div> <div> </div> <div> In the seven years of operation in the export market, HSNPL has witnessed a lot of ups and downs, but it is the customers’ satisfaction policy helps HSNPL stand on its distinct value, KC reveals. “Our main motto has always been customer satisfaction – whether it is for health reasons or satisfaction in taste,” he says.</div> <div> </div> <div> </div>', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2013-08-27', 'modified' => '2013-09-19', 'keywords' => 'the corporate weekly from Nepal, nepali corporate events – news – interviews – reviews, nepali corporate focus, nepali corporate status and news, news from nepali corporate industry, corporate happenings – events – news from nepal', 'description' => 'Mayos instant noodle has retained its position as one of the largest selling brands in the Nepali market.', 'sortorder' => '1570', 'image' => null, 'article_date' => '0000-00-00 00:00:00', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => false, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '0' ) ), (int) 4 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '1672', 'article_category_id' => '149', 'title' => 'Steady Manufacturers', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => null, 'content' => '<div> <strong>--By Suraksha Adhikari</strong></div> <div> </div> <table align="right" border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1"> <tbody> <tr> <td> <img alt="Rajesh Agrawal Director, RMC" src="/userfiles/images/ra.jpg" style="width: 200px; height: 211px;" /></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align: center;"> <div> <strong> Rajesh Agrawal</strong></div> <div> Director, RMC</div> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <div> Established in 1993, Rajesh Metal Crafts Ltd (RMC) has been a familiar name in the steel and manufacturing business. Initially established as Rajesh Hardware Company, it only imported steel from Japan, Korea and other countries. But with the increase in manufacturing activities in the country, the partners of Rajesh Hardware Company decided to enter the metal business themselves and established RMC. </div> <div> </div> <div> Named after the Company Director, the venture began as a family business which commenced with the concept of constructing paint packing steel drums with an initial investment of Rs 5 million. With a widening scope for metal business in Nepal over the years, RMC has been expanding business accordingly and is considered as one of the best manufacture service providers in Nepal today.</div> <div> </div> <div> “We had no experience in the manufacturing industry but were confident that the business will surely succeed in time and as per expectations, business expanded with the rising living standards of people,” said Director of RMC, Rajesh Agrawal.</div> <div> </div> <div> Explaining the initial phase, Agrawal said, “There was no concept of industrialisation during the initial years. Now the country is moving forward in this aspect. Though the Maoist problem had created hindrance mid-way, it has been improving now.”</div> <div> </div> <div> Initially focused on local traders only, RMC also began to export steel to India. Forty per cent of the annual turnover that the company registers today is earned through exports. RMC cement has also recently started exporting from Nepal and is the first company in Nepal to do so.</div> <div> </div> <div> The company has been providing quality products to its consumers including MS black pipe, GI Pipe, Galvanised Corrugated Sheets, GI Sheets, CR sheets and Colour Coated Sheets.</div> <div> </div> <div> Having 150 dealers all over the country, the company faced a couple of hurdles on the way to success. “The Maoist problem and political instability are the biggest hindrances to the growth of the company,” states Agrawal. Along with this, Agrawal believes that power outage has also created a lot of problems in the production of manufacturing materials.</div> <div> </div> <div> Focusing on positive aspects, Agrawal highlights the growth of consumerism in recent years. “With the growth of various aspects of the economy, the affordability of consumers has been increasing. With this, consumerism in steel has also been increasing.”</div> <div> </div> <div> “In villages, people who had thatched roof houses are slowly transforming to steel sheets with a rise in their living standards,” he said.</div> <div> </div> <div> The per capita steel consumption of Nepal is 30kg per person which is one of the lowest in the world. “A stable political condition in the country can boost the steel market,” Agrawal added, speaking about the high scope of steel consumption here. </div> <div> </div> <div> RMC has been a consistent brand for the last 15 years. Talking about market shares, Agwaral said that it is 50 per cent in black pipes, 25 percent in CR sheets and 20 percent in GI pipes. “We have aimed to increase exports with value addition to products by forward and backward integration,” he stated. </div> <div> </div> <div> Having started with around 15 employees only, the company now has 480 employees hired. The RMC group also has investments in H&B Development Bank and Prudential Insurance Company.</div> <div> </div> <div> Talking about support from the government Agrawal said, “The government has provided tax free provisions for our exports.” Full time electricity to all industries would be appreciated but the government is not in the condition to fulfill such requirements. We should take some steps ourselves to solve this problem, “he added.</div> <div> </div> <div> Considering the Jagadamba Company in the Pipe industry and Hulas Steels and Arati Steels in GI Sheets as major competitors, the company is well on its own track to provide quality products to consumers with an annual turnover of Rs 5 billion, according to Agrawal. </div> <div> </div> <div> As a part of its promotional campaign and advertisement, the company has been disseminating information through Agrawal Television Commercials, Print advertisements, audio advertisement in FM and scratch coupon schemes for consumers. </div> <div> </div> <div> “Fulfilling corporate social responsibility, we have installed water tanks in the villages of the employees of the company, and have been providing free medical treatment for the families of our workers,” Agrawal said. </div> <div> </div> <div> With plans to construct a clinker-based cement industry in Palpa, the company now aims to produce clinkers in Nepal itself – a product which was thus far only imported from India. </div>', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2013-08-20', 'modified' => '0000-00-00', 'keywords' => 'the corporate weekly from Nepal, nepali corporate events – news – interviews – reviews, nepali corporate focus, nepali corporate status and news, news from nepali corporate industry, corporate happenings – events – news from nepal', 'description' => 'Established in 1993, Rajesh Metal Crafts Ltd (RMC) has been a familiar name in the steel and manufacturing business.', 'sortorder' => '1533', 'image' => null, 'article_date' => '0000-00-00 00:00:00', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => false, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '0' ) ), (int) 5 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '1621', 'article_category_id' => '149', 'title' => 'Going From Strength To Strength', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => null, 'content' => '<div> </div> <div> <strong>--By Suraksha Adhikari</strong></div> <div> </div> <table align="right" border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1"> <tbody> <tr> <td> <img alt="Bhaskar Munankarmi, Assistant Manager, Him Electronics Pvt Ltd" src="/userfiles/images/bhaskar(1).jpg" style="width: 175px; height: 185px;" /></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align: center;"> <div> <strong>Bhaskar Munankarmi</strong></div> <div> <em>Assistant Manager</em></div> <div> <em>Him Electronics Pvt Ltd</em></div> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <div> Him Electronics Pvt Ltd was established in 1988 as a Consumer Electronics (CE) distributor in Nepal. A sister-concern of the Golchha Organisation, it is today the largest dealership and manufacturer of consumer electronics in the country. The company was established with the technical assistance of Sanyo Electrical Co Ltd and the Himstar brand was subsequently introduced with black and white televisions. Since then, the range of products offered by the brand has grown to cover some home appliances as well. </div> <div> </div> <div> The brand name ‘Himstar’ was kept so as to keep uniform and associated with the company Him Electronics Pvt Ltd. “The logo has a star in it, combined with yellow, black and white colours which are quite visible and justifies our motto of creating brand visibility,” says Bhaskar Munankarmi, Assistant Manager at Him Electronics Pvt Ltd. </div> <div> </div> <div> In the initial phase, the company focused on electric products like CFL, after which it gradually shifted to consumer electronics. “We have a variety of products and they are popular not just due to our reasonable price but also for our prompt service, after sales facility and best quality material,” claims Munankarmi. </div> <div> </div> <div> With more than 250 employees at present, the company’s popularity has risen gradually. “This has not been an overnight success - our patience and hard work has led us to our present position.” </div> <div> </div> <div> Him Electronics did not have a strong dealership network to begin with and had fewer portfolios in the market but it strengthened its network and added goods which led it to become a recognised brand. “Ever since the establishment of the company, continued effort was put in to provide better, efficient and prompt after sales service which has reinstated the service motive stronger than before,” Munankarmi explains. </div> <div> </div> <div> Initially focusing on the production of televisions, the company expanded its service to the production of electronic products keeping in mind the increasing requirements of customers today. This helped widen its scope and popularity in the last two decades. The company’s products were targeted to a middle class market that desired quality products at an affordable price, and it claims that it is the most affordable brand with good quality for middle class consumers. </div> <div> </div> <div> With 250 employees and 300 dealers across the country, the company is currently providing its services in Birtamod, Itahari, Biratnagar, Lahan, Janakpur, Birgunj, Narayanghat, Butwal, Pokhara, Dang, Nepalgunj and Dhangadi besides the Kathmandu Valley. “We have not planned to enter the international market as currently our focus is to cover the national market successfully,” states Munankarmi. </div> <div> </div> <div> With a strong market presence despite tough competition, the Himstar group believes that it has proven that brand issues come second to quality. “Despite well established competitors including CG, Videocon, Sony and Whirlpool, our quality products have maintained a good name in the mind of the consumer,” says Munankarmi. </div> <div> </div> <div> Himstar’s market share is approximately 18 per cent but the company aims to increase the number to 25 per cent in upcoming years for which a range of products are being marketed aggressively, according to Munankarmi. </div> <div> </div> <div> The list so far includes televisions, audio/video systems, refrigerators, washing machines, air conditioners, vacuum cleaners, microwave ovens, wrist watches, CFLs, circuit breakers and more. Along with these, the company is planning to provide a complete package of home appliances as they are preparing to penetrate the upper middle class market by tailoring its products according to demand. </div> <div> </div> <div> Focusing on strengthening its brand to enter this new turf, Him Electronics continues to maintain an incremental rate of profit of 20-25 per cent each year as a key part of its market strategy.</div>', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2013-08-12', 'modified' => '2013-08-12', 'keywords' => 'the corporate weekly from Nepal, nepali corporate events – news – interviews – reviews, nepali corporate focus, nepali corporate status and news, news from nepali corporate industry, corporate happenings – events – news from nepal', 'description' => 'Him Electronics Pvt Ltd was established in 1988 as a Consumer Electronics (CE) distributor in Nepal. A sister-concern of the Golchha Organisation, it is today the largest dealership and manufacturer of consumer electronics in the country.', 'sortorder' => '1482', 'image' => null, 'article_date' => '0000-00-00 00:00:00', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => false, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '0' ) ), (int) 6 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '1582', 'article_category_id' => '149', 'title' => 'Quality Is A Sign Of Success', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => null, 'content' => '<div> </div> <div> <strong>--By Suraksha Adhikari</strong></div> <div> </div> <table align="right" border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1"> <tbody> <tr> <td> <img alt="Devraj Mishra ,Chairman Karuna Interior Pvt Ltd" src="/userfiles/images/DEVRAJ.jpg" style="width: 175px; height: 192px;" /></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align: center;"> <div> <strong>Devraj Mishra</strong></div> <div> Chairman</div> <div> Karuna Interior Pvt Ltd</div> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <div> Karuna Interior Pvt Ltd, a familiar name for interior works and furniture was established in 1990. After three years of operation, the company expanded itself to the field of metal structural works and aluminum fabrication. </div> <div> </div> <div> Named after the mother of chairman, Devraj Mishra, the venture began as a family business which commenced wooden furniture manufacturing in 2005. With the widening scope of furniture business, Karuna has enhanced its services and has now become one of the best interior service providers in Nepal. </div> <div> </div> <div> “What we create for you is not our creation, but your own,” says chairman Mishra, explaining the company’s tagline “The user is the dreamer; the dreamer, the owner”. </div> <div> </div> <div> “We have a variety of products and they are popular among our clients not only due to the reasonable price but also for our prompt service, amazing designs and best quality materials,” added Mishra. </div> <div> </div> <div> With more than 40 employees at present, the company faced many ups and downs from its inception to its current market status. “Our main hurdles ranged from the lack of knowledge among customers on interior design and conventional practice of not adhering to advice, poor discussion during design phase, the inability to visualise the end product and demands for change after work is done with,” informed Mishra. </div> <div> </div> <div> Considering all problems and crises as good lessons, the company actively introduced a new technique to run business and has been dealing with interior design related products and services among customers who want to decorate residential buildings, offices in commercial complexes or private buildings. </div> <div> </div> <div> The company asserts that its target groups are middle and upper-middle class families - their individual homes, apartments or rented living spaces; banks and financial institutions, corporate business houses, hotels/ restaurants, schools/colleges and government offices. </div> <div> </div> <div> With a single outlet at Gairidhara Kathmandu, the company’s market mostly extends to the Capital only. According to Executive Director Bipin Sharma, the company is focused on customer satisfaction with after sales service quality. </div> <div> </div> <div> The company does not believe in competition as it believes that the best one always stands out without having to compete. “The brand name is a strength in itself and our dedication towards our customers will ensure its strength in the future,” adds Sharma. </div> <div> </div> <div> Sharma says the company has annual advertisement plan through print media. The company focus on social networking as well. </div> <div> </div> <div> With plans to construct a well-equipped factory in Dahachok, Kathmandu and an expanding showroom space in Gairidhara, the team at Karuna Interior Pvt. Ltd. continues to provide satisfying services to its customers.</div> <div> </div>', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2013-08-06', 'modified' => '0000-00-00', 'keywords' => 'the corporate weekly from Nepal, nepali corporate events – news – interviews – reviews, nepali corporate focus, nepali corporate status and news, news from nepali corporate industry, corporate happenings – events – news from nepal', 'description' => 'Karuna Interiors Pvt Ltd has come a long way in establishing its market in interior design services', 'sortorder' => '1443', 'image' => null, 'article_date' => '0000-00-00 00:00:00', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => false, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '0' ) ), (int) 7 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '1536', 'article_category_id' => '149', 'title' => 'Over 1000 Nepal Made Vehicles On The Road', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => null, 'content' => '<div> <img alt="Hulas Motors" src="/userfiles/images/hulas.jpg" style="width: 500px; height: 100px; margin: 5px;" /></div> <div> </div> <div> <strong>--By Shruti Sonthalia</strong></div> <div> </div> <table align="right" border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1"> <tbody> <tr> <td> <img alt="Surendra Golchha Director, Golchha Organisation" src="/userfiles/images/Surendra%20Golchha.jpg" style="width: 160px; height: 157px;" /></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align: center;"> <div> <strong>Surendra Golchha</strong></div> <div> Director, Golchha Organisation</div> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <div> Hulas Motors was established in the year 1996, as a sister concern of Golchha Organisation. “We started this unit to produce a multi-utility vehicle,” said Surendra Golchha, Director, Golchha Organisation. Farmers, the major customers of Hulas Agro, would use bullock carts to transport pump sets to and from their field. Producing a vehicle that could be powered by the pump set engine itself was thought of. It would double as motor engine for transporting itself to the field where it would do the pumping job and would again be used as motor engine on the way back. </div> <div> </div> <div> “Hulas Bhaye Aru Kina Khojne,” is the tagline of the sole motor producers of Nepal. The essence of the tagline is ‘an end to your search’ and is a universal tagline for all the products manufactured by the group. </div> <div> </div> <div> The vehicles are designed in two categories, passenger and cargo vehicles. The company manufactures mini utility vehicle (MUV) and light commercial vehicle (LCV). Mustang and Sherpa are major products of the company. ‘Bhudeo Khadya Udyog’, another unit of the organization manufacturing rice, aata, pulses with the brand name of Hulas, which is also used in steel utensils, corrugated iron-sheets, etc. “We are actively working on bringing electrical vehicles,” Golchha said about the product in pipeline. </div> <div> </div> <div> Speaking of the challenges, Golchha says, ” The concept of getting into this venture was in itself a challenge.” He stated that, producing a vehicle which can move with minimum safety requirement is another challenge. Similarly, it is also a problem to get the Made-in-Nepal vehicle registered in Nepal as the system here is still such that as if the vehicles can only be imported. So, the authorities insist for import documents even for a Made-in-Nepal vehicle. “To meet the demands of the customers and to maintain the cost of the vehicle,” were some of the hurdles the brand faced. The Director states that the product’s major competition is from India. Golchha observes that over the years there has been a tremendous growth in the quality, finish and comfort level of the vehicles from Hulas Motors. </div> <div> </div> <div> The factory of Hulas Motors is situated in Biratnagar employing 110 skilled workers. Maximum work is done manually. The factory produces 100 vehicles per year at present. “We aim to produce at least 400 vehicles a year,” projects Golchha. </div> <div> </div> <div> About the marketing activities, Hulas believe in person-to-person and point-of-sales marketing instead of using mass media. The reason for the same being that the customer segment of the brand is not suitable for mass media. The market share of Hulas Motors, according to Golchha is 10-15 percent with an annual turnover of approx Rs 7-8 crores. The products are distributed through 9 dealers nationwide. </div> <div> </div> <div> Hulas Motors as a company does not indulge in any kind of CSR activities, but it adds to the contributions of the Golchha Organisation. The organization broadly practices CSR, providing scholarship, support in the times of disasters i.e. as relief funds. They have opened ‘Ramlal Golchha Eye Hospital Foundation’ in Biratnagar. Group renders help to construct school buildings. The organization also gives medical aid to the local people of the places where their units are placed. </div> <div> </div> <div> “Nepal is an amazing country with lots of scope and opportunities,” Golcha said. The government’s vision for industrialization is lacking and the company is trying to push the government for this. The company is known for the after sale service with centers present almost everywhere the Hulas Motors units are present. This helps the company to maintain the image and acceptability.</div> <div> <img alt="Mustang" src="/userfiles/images/mustang.jpg" style="width: 250px; height: 218px; margin: 5px;" /> <img alt="Mustang" src="/userfiles/images/mustang1.jpg" style="width: 250px; height: 218px; margin: 5px;" /></div>', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2013-07-30', 'modified' => '2013-07-30', 'keywords' => 'the corporate weekly from Nepal, nepali corporate events – news – interviews – reviews, nepali corporate focus, nepali corporate status and news, news from nepali corporate industry, corporate happenings – events – news from nepal', 'description' => 'Hulas Motors was established in the year 1996, as a sister concern of Golchha Organisation.', 'sortorder' => '1397', 'image' => null, 'article_date' => '0000-00-00 00:00:00', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => false, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '0' ) ), (int) 8 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '1489', 'article_category_id' => '149', 'title' => 'The Dairy Pioneers', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => null, 'content' => '<div> </div> <div> <strong>--By Shruti Sonthalia</strong></div> <div> </div> <table align="right" border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" width="15%"> <tbody> <tr> <td bgcolor="#FFFFFF" style="text-align: center;"> <img align="baseline" alt="Sanjit Kumar Rajbhandari Senior Manager for sales and marketing Chitwan Co-E Group" src="/userfiles/images/Sanjit%20Kumar%20Rajbhandari.jpg" style="border-width: 0px; border-style: solid; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; width: 200px; height: 230px;" /></td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#FFFFFF" style="text-align: center;"> <div> <strong>Sanjit Kumar Rajbhandari</strong></div> <div> <em>Senior Manager</em></div> <div> <em>for sales and marketing</em></div> <div> <em>Chitwan Co-E Group</em></div> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <div> ‘ Rahul’ - Pure Taste of Nepal, is a powder milk brand promoted by the Chitawon Coe Group known for infrastructure development and construction business. After the successful venture of the Manakamana Cable Cars, the group has started another pioneering project - Chitawon Milk Limited - which is the only private company in Nepal to produce powdered milk - others in the market being imported products. </div> <div> </div> <div> Rahul has hit the markets with the tagline ‘Har Din Har Pal’, giving the dairy product a sense of being a basic necessity in daily life. Senior manager for sales and marketing Sanjit Kumar Rajbhandari says that the major challenge for the brand is the unavailability or scarcity of raw milk as the company has not been able to reach good capacity utilization. </div> <div> </div> <div> Factory at Chitwan, has 150 workers using fully-automatic machines. The factory has a processing capacity of 150,000 litres of milk and an output rate of 15 tonnes of milk powder per day. The factory uses German technology such as the Alpha Laval machinery and the NIRO-GEA, a multi stage spray-drying technology. The in-house lab of the factory is equipped with high-tech facilities such as Milk-San from FOSS-Denmark, a company that produces analytical instruments for quality control. </div> <div> </div> <div> Other products by Rahul apart from powder milk include ghee, skim milk powder (SMP) and dairy whitener. Since all products use milk as their basic ingredient, productivity varies given its scarcity in Nepal. Rahul, however, targets to produce 50 tonnes of ghee every month. </div> <div> </div> <div> For marketing, Rahul uses print as well as electronic media. “We also participate in events, especially family and housewife targeted events, “says Rajbhandari. The company is seen to sponsor events during the Teej festival. </div> <div> </div> <div> The products are distributed in all 75 districts in Nepal with the help of 50 dealers. The products also reach the inaccessible regions, like Solukhumbu and Jumla, through air lifting. The SMP product has been exported to Pakistan since the last two years on a regular basis. The company owns 50 percent of market segment for dairy whiteners used for tea and coffee and it sells 600 tonnes of dairy whitener according to Rajbhandari. Additionally, the consumer pack of SMP for health-conscious people is the company’s new product in the pipeline. </div> <div> </div> <div> The senior manager, explains about the two seasons of raw milk i.e. lean and flush. In lean season there is less availability of raw milk and in flush season there is excess milk supply from farmers.Because of this powder plant, milk holiday problem was solved in the country. To counter the problem of scarcity, Chitawon Milk Limited helps farmers by providing nutritious cattle feed, grass, and free health services for the cattle so that it leads to an increased production of milk.</div> <div> </div>', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2013-07-23', 'modified' => '2013-07-24', 'keywords' => 'the corporate weekly from Nepal, nepali corporate events – news – interviews – reviews, nepali corporate focus, nepali corporate status and news, news from nepali corporate industry, corporate happenings – events – news from nepal', 'description' => '‘ Rahul’ - Pure Taste of Nepal, is a powder milk brand promoted by the Chitawon Coe Group known for infrastructure development and construction business.', 'sortorder' => '1350', 'image' => null, 'article_date' => '0000-00-00 00:00:00', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => false, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '0' ) ), (int) 9 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '1404', 'article_category_id' => '149', 'title' => 'Steady Progress To The Top', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => null, 'content' => '<p> <strong>Chairman Deepak Shrestha and Managing Director Amrit Pd Dwa with Brand Ambassador Rajesh Hamal (Center).</strong><br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <strong>By Shruti Sonthalia</strong><br /> <br /> <br /> Nepatop, a manufacturing company of plastic water-storage tanks, compost bins, water pumps, pipes and fittings among other polythene-based products, was established in the year 1999 by Chairperson Deepak Shrestha and Managing Director Amrit Prasad Dwa. Friends prior to being colleagues, the duo got their acumen together to form what stands today as a respectable ISO certified company.<br /> <br /> Assuring as the tagline “Sab thikthak!” sounds, the journey of Nepatop as a business venture has indeed been alright. Major issues that pose challenge include the increasing rate of currency exchange which has nearly doubled since the time of the company’s birth. This of course adds to the cost of raw materials the company has to import.<br /> <br /> Other challenges include availability of labour – the lack of which can hamper the company’s progress. Nepatop, nevertheless, is sailing fine with 300 workers today. Shrestha, who believes that Nepalis ought to support their home economy instead of going abroad for opportunities, observes the changing patterns in human resource in his company: “Initially we had to hire engineers and trainers from abroad but today, I am proud to say that we have a strong Nepali manpower to complete the job,” he says.<br /> <br /> Nepatop started business by producing water storage tanks, has indeed been alright. Major issues that pose challenge include the increasing rate of currency exchange which has nearly doubled since the time of the company’s birth. This of course adds to the cost of raw materials the company has to import.<br /> <br /> Other challenges include availability of labour – the followed by water pumps, PPR pipes and fittings, HDPE pipes, UPVC pipes and fittings, and a new product is expected by 2014. The company aims to satisfy its customers by maintaining good quality and providing after-sale services, which is also a part of its marketing strategy. Additionally, Nepatop products are advertised in style with Rajesh Hamal as their brand ambassador.<br /> <br /> The company has four workstations three in the capital itself and one in Nuwakot, covering an area of 60,000 square feet all fully automatic plants producing 20- 25 metric tonne of goods per day. The market share for each of its products is different-the company has 75 percent of the market in PPR pipes, 16- 18 percent in water tanks, 25 percent in UPVC and less than 2-3 percent in HDPE.<br /> <br /> In terms of production capacity, the company still needs to achieve another 20- 25 percent of the current amount produced. But with 17 distribution channels in place countrywide, Nepatop seems to have good infrastructure in place to assure a steady progress in the future. Shrestha mentions that the company is one of the largest tax payers in the country. But on a more positive note, he forecasts with believable confidence that Nepatop will be the largest producers of plastic pipes and fittings by 2020.<br /> <br /> </p>', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2013-07-15', 'modified' => '0000-00-00', 'keywords' => 'the corporate weekly from Nepal, nepali corporate events – news – interviews – reviews, nepali corporate focus, nepali corporate status and news, news from nepali corporate industry, corporate happenings – events – news from nepal', 'description' => 'Nepatop, a manufacturing company of plastic water-storage tanks, compost bins, water pumps, pipes and fittings among other polythene-based products, was established in the year 1999 by Chairperson Deepak Shrestha and Managing Director Amrit Prasad Dwa. Friends prior to being colleagues, the duo got their acumen together to form what stands today as a respectable ISO certified company.', 'sortorder' => '1266', 'image' => '1373884811.jpg', 'article_date' => '0000-00-00 00:00:00', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => false, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '0' ) ), (int) 10 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '1315', 'article_category_id' => '149', 'title' => 'Shinning Brand Of Nepal:GoldStar', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => null, 'content' => '<p> <strong><span style="font-size: 12px;">--By Sujan Dhungana</span></strong></p> <p> <span style="font-size: 12px;">‘ Hathi Baliyo Ki Hathi Chhap Chappal Baliyo.’ Does this ring a bell? Yes, it is the age-old slogan of “Hatichaap” slippers from the Universal Group. Being the conglomerate of ‘Modern Slipper Industries Pvt Ltd’ and ‘Kiran Shoes Manufacturers,’ Universal group is shoe-manufacturer for its ever-supporting customers. The manufacturing history dates back to 1980(slippers) and 1985(shoes) under the chairmanship of Noor Pratap Rana. The MD is Amir Pratap Rana.</span></p> <p> The company witnessed an unprecedented growth in every sphere, i.e. demand, production and skilled labour force (then 30 employees now 2000). Rajan Shrestha, head Sales and Marketing, explains the problems faced by the company, so far. The foremost being during the Maoists insurgency. Thus, the government did not allow smooth supply of the shoes. “Counterfeiting is our major problem wherein our product is copied illegally,” says Shrestha. According to him, a legal battle was fought to resolve the issue which curbed the practice in Nepal but it still continues in some neighbouring countries. Though domestic production alone caters to 55 per cent of Shoes demand, 45 per cent is still imported from India and China. According to him, this causes taxation problem at a major scale and poses threat to Nepali market.</p> <p> Shrestha believes that raw material dependency is salt on the wound, as more than 90 per cent of the raw material is imported. He says that the company cannot alter its price structure so frequently despite the instability of dollar therefore, importing of raw material lowers down their profits. Lack of skilled labour force is another hindrance. The company arranges for a 6 month training (by the older staffs) to make its employees learn the art of shoe-making.</p> <p> In spite of these problems the company has stood strong in the competition. Shrestha confirms, ‘the consistency in quality’ as the pillar behind their undaunted success. At present “Goldstar” does not indulge in any sort of branding and marketing exercise. The brand’s ‘Made In Nepal’ image has helped the company stand firm in their position for years, Shrestha says. </p> <p> The Universal Group functions in 5 different units, which carry out different steps of shoe-making. These units produce varieties both in shoes and slippers. For even distribution the products across the country, the company follows a distribution network (dealers-wholesalers, retailers). With a double-digit growth every year the company is planning to capture the international market as well. With this thought Goldstar aims at ten million pairs a production which is around 8 million at present.</p> <p> Regarding CSR practiced by the company, Shrestha says the company does not believe in publicity of their donations. Providing scholarship to the children of the employees and others, giving computers to the government schools are some of the CSR activities undertaken by the company. Last year the company provided four motorcycles to the police for easy accessibility. Shrestha says, “Our quality is our brand ambassador”, hence the ‘value for money’ proposition makes Goldstar the real star. </p> <p> (With help from Shruti Sonthalia)</p> <p> </p>', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2013-07-02', 'modified' => '0000-00-00', 'keywords' => 'the corporate weekly from Nepal, nepali corporate events – news – interviews – reviews, nepali corporate focus, nepali corporate status and news, news from nepali corporate industry, corporate happenings – events – news from nepal', 'description' => 'The brand’s ‘MADE IN NEPAL’ image has helped the company stand firm in their position for years.', 'sortorder' => '1177', 'image' => null, 'article_date' => '0000-00-00 00:00:00', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => false, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '0' ) ), (int) 11 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '1206', 'article_category_id' => '149', 'title' => 'Rumpum Instrumental In Breaking Monopoly Market', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => null, 'content' => '<p> <strong>Mahesh Jaju <br /> Managing Director <br /> Asian Thai Foods<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> </strong></p> <p> <strong>By Upashana Neupane</strong><br /> <br /> Launched 13 years ago in the market, Rumpum brown noodles with its unique taste has become a household name in Nepal. The brand, which was launched in late 90s with a massive media campaign, was initially targeted at the 8-18 year-old. However, over the years, the brand, has slowly become a favourite among households and working class people. According to Managing Director Mahesh Jaju Rumpum is now the leading brown noodle in Eastern Development Region. <br /> <br /> Available in two flavours -- chicken and vegetarian, Rumpum is a Nepali noodle which tastes like Singapore soup. The noodle is rich in nutrients such as Vitamin A, Vitamin D3, Calcium and Proteins, the company says. Asian Thai Foods P. Ltd., a Sharda & Jaju Group joint venture, entered into the brown noodle segment at a time when there was monopoly in the market of brown noodles. But Rumpum, with its ability to adapt to the changing market, soon proved that it was here to stay. <br /> <br /> “We are very conscious about the brands. We have a very strong research dept and an international quality lab to check our products regularly to uphold our standards,” shares Mr. Jaju. Meanwhile, as more brands entered into the market, competition intensified. To attract consumers, Rumpum has been running various consumer schemes to attract new consumers including the initial highly successful offer of putting a toffee along with each Rumpum. <br /> <br /> The company, which was started with 250 employees, now has 600. Rumpum is currently the largest exported brand to be made and exported from Nepal to India. Besides they also export regularly to USA, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Malaysia and countries in the Gulf, according to Asian Thai Foods. Managing Director Mahesh Jaju says, ‘’Brands stand the test of time only if they do not compromise on quality. One has to be able to be position a product differently from the rest to push the brand towards success’’, he concludes. As part of the CSR, besides supporting various sport activities, cultural programs etc, the company has time and again provided noodle during natural calamities.<br /> <br /> </p>', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2013-06-29', 'modified' => '0000-00-00', 'keywords' => 'the corporate weekly from Nepal, nepali corporate events – news – interviews – reviews, nepali corporate focus, nepali corporate status and news, news from nepali corporate industry, corporate happenings – events – news from nepal', 'description' => 'the corporate weekly from Nepal, nepali corporate events – news – interviews – reviews, nepali corporate focus, nepali corporate status and news, news from nepali corporate industry, corporate happenings – events – news from nepal', 'sortorder' => '1068', 'image' => null, 'article_date' => '0000-00-00 00:00:00', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => false, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '0' ) ) ) $current_user = null $logged_in = falseinclude - APP/View/Elements/side_bar.ctp, line 60 View::_evaluate() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 971 View::_render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 933 View::_renderElement() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 1224 View::element() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 418 include - APP/View/Articles/index.ctp, line 157 View::_evaluate() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 971 View::_render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 933 View::render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 473 Controller::render() - CORE/Cake/Controller/Controller.php, line 968 Dispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 200 Dispatcher::dispatch() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 167 [main] - APP/webroot/index.php, line 117
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Introduced in 1992, it stands true to its initial motto “Drink safe water and be healthy”. The brand was launched by Aqua Minerals Pvt Ltd at a time when huge amount of purified water used to be imported from foreign countries in lack of domestic brand, that could correspond to the market’s need, Rabin Shrestha, Business Manager at Aqua Minerals, says. </div> <div> </div> <div> Aqua Hundred is market leader in purified water since the beginning of the brand. Named combining two words: Aqua and Hundred (Aqua means Water and hundred represents the 100 per cent purity), its logo has oval shape of waves, that symbolise water.</div> <div> </div> <div> Aqua Hundred is the pioneer to introduce big jar for purified water in Nepali market. It changed common perception among people that bottled, purified water is available only in 1 litre or half litre bottles. “In the initial days, when we introduced big jars, people were surprised and used to stare at us,” Shrestha says, “Now the scenario has changed and Aqua Hundred has become popular and has established itself as must have drinking water in every household.” </div> <div> </div> <div> Reflecting two decades of business journey, Shrestha says that the company was started with a commitment to provide quality water to the customers and has continued doing so, sustaining many ups and downs. “Aqua Hundred was launched to address the drinking water scarcity in Kathmandu valley and as direct response to growing awareness and demand of people for clean and pure drinking water,” Shrestha informs.</div> <div> </div> <div> Initially, 19 litre jar and half litre mineral water bottle were launched. By now Aqua Hundred has expanded to varieties of products like cup water, ice-cubes and chlorine solutions. </div> <div> </div> <div> Shrestha says, in the initial days Aqua Hundred made massive publicity campaigns in electronic and print media, hoarding boards and like to promote the brand. Now customers are familiar to the brand and it has become a brand to trust in. “We have always prioritized ‘quality’, thus have won the trust of our customers,” he says.</div> <div> </div> <div> <img alt="aqua hundred" src="/userfiles/images/bt2%20(Copy).jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0px 10px 0px 0px;width: 200px; height: 321px;" />Aqua Hundred with the tagline is “Sabaiko Bishwashilo Paani (Everyone’s Trustworthy Water)” has customers’ faith as it has always been providing best quality consistently. “Consistency is most important to sustain in the market,” Shrestha says, “Providing good quality is not sufficient. One should also continue fulfilling commitments.”</div> <div> </div> <div> The company has an in-house lab of its own and each product is tested before getting into the market. Aqua Hundred Jar is a polycarbonate jar which is recommended for reusable purpose. Aqua Hundred is ISO 9001:2008 certified company but Shrestha says that the best award Aqua Hundred has ever got is the faith of its customers. We have always believed in customer’s satisfaction and their loyalty. </div> <div> </div> <div> Shrestha says, due to unstable political scenario of Nepal, it is difficult to grow and sustain in the market. Similarly, illegal and low quality bottled water has been ruining the image of the entire industry. He says all those companies and products should be properly monitored or banned by the concerned authority. In the near future, Aqua Hundred has plans to spread its market outside the valley too.</div> <div> </div> <div> Shrestha says we should promote Nepali products. “If best quality product is available within our own country, why to use foreign brands?,” he says, “Be Nepali, Buy Nepali”.</div>', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2013-12-10', 'modified' => '2013-12-17', 'keywords' => 'the corporate weekly from Nepal, nepali corporate events – news – interviews – reviews, nepali corporate focus, nepali corporate status and news, news from nepali corporate industry, corporate happenings – events – news from nepal', 'description' => 'Aqua Hundred carries 21 years of glorious history of providing purified water in Nepali market. Introduced in 1992, it stands true to its initial motto “Drink safe water and be healthy”. The brand was launched by Aqua Minerals Pvt Ltd at a time when huge amount of purified water used to be imported from foreign countries in lack of domestic brand, that could correspond to the market’s need, Rabin Shrestha, Business Manager at Aqua Minerals, says.', 'sortorder' => '2105', 'image' => null, 'article_date' => '0000-00-00 00:00:00', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => false, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '0' ) ), (int) 1 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '1801', 'article_category_id' => '149', 'title' => 'Have A Heritage Sleep, Balaji Now Eyeing On Carpet', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => null, 'content' => '<div> </div> <div> <strong>--By Bhawani Timilsina </strong></div> <table align="right" border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px"> <tbody> <tr> <td> <img alt="Hemraj Dhakal, Director, Balaji Coir Industries Pvt Ltd" src="/userfiles/images/hd.jpg" style="border-width: 0px; border-style: solid; width: 200px; height: 209px;" /></td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#FFFFFF"> <div align="center"> <div> <strong>Hemraj Dhakal</strong></div> <div> Director</div> <div> Balaji Coir Industries Pvt Ltd</div> </div> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <div> </div> <div> Being one of the popular local brands ‘Heritage’ mattresses is the favourite choice among the consumers. And, if all goes well, the brand is going to be available in also carpet and furnishing products in near future.</div> <div> </div> <div> “Heritage, by its name, reflects that the product is classic. And that we are also exploring business opportunities in carpet and furnishing goods,” says, Hemraj Dhakal, Director of the Balaji Coir Industries Pvt Ltd (BCIPL).</div> <div> </div> <div> The mattress segment is the key component of the BCIPL. The product was introduced in 2004. “With almost a decade long experience, the company has become successful to surpass all other international brands. We have been attempting to assess quality and comfort through heritage mattress, he says. The company imports raw materials from India, Malaysia, China, Bangladesh, Thailand etc. “We design our products according to the requirements and demand of the consumers,” Dhakal said.</div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> The company used to import mattresses from India in initial phase. Later the company had to face numerous problems and they decided to start their own production in Nepal. The major raw materials are coconut fiber and latex that adds natural quality to the product. They follow an international technology during manufacturing process to ensure quality. “We have a lab testing facility and with its inception we have surpassed all the other imported products. Nepalis consumers prefer our brand as it assures both quality and comfort,” he claims.</div> <div> </div> <div> The company has been manufacturing four types of mattresses called silver, gold, diamond and platinum (including super platinum). The company claims to have occupied 20-30 percent share of the total market, with product guarantee of five years.</div> <div> </div> <div> The company has 90 outlets across the country. It also supplies its product to Tibet. The price of the mattresses ranges between Rs 3,500-Rs 25,000. “We have set the price with a view to make it affordable to the people of all classes,” Dhakal said.</div> <div> </div> <div> While sharing the success factors of the brand, he says, “Our marketing strategy plays an important role to achieve success in this field. Our consumers know how to choose the best products on the basis of quality and durability. We can assure that our product is of best quality, giving high comfort.”</div> <div> </div> <div> He also mentions the business advantage of the growing sense in the consumers about the advantages and drawbacks of using mattresses. With the tagline ‘all season mattresses’, the product is suitable to use during all seasons, says Dhakal. The carpet market has been slowly and gradually growing in Nepal.</div> <div> </div> <div> “At a time while the Indian products were flooding the Nepali market, our brand helped reduce the import quantity,” he claims. According to Dhakal, around Rs 100 million has been invested in the company. “Though the competition is not tough, it is very essential to adopt changes in the demand. As the market has been growing it becomes very necessary to deal with quality of product.” he said</div> <div> </div> <div> He feels that the consumers will be benefitted from using Nepalis brands that offer guarantee and warrantee services. As per a market survey, nearly 60 per cent market has been occupied by the local product, whereas 40 percent by the international brands.</div> <div> </div> <div> <img alt="Heritage" src="/userfiles/images/hrtg.jpg" style="width: 550px; height: 362px; margin-left: 20px; margin-right: 20px;" /></div> <div> </div>', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2013-09-10', 'modified' => '2013-09-19', 'keywords' => 'the corporate weekly from Nepal, nepali corporate events – news – interviews – reviews, nepali corporate focus, nepali corporate status and news, news from nepali corporate industry, corporate happenings – events – news from nepal', 'description' => 'Being one of the popular local brands ‘Heritage’ mattresses is the favourite choice among the consumers. And, if all goes well, the brand is going to be available in also carpet and furnishing products in near future.', 'sortorder' => '1662', 'image' => null, 'article_date' => '0000-00-00 00:00:00', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => false, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '0' ) ), (int) 2 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '1761', 'article_category_id' => '149', 'title' => 'PLO: A Local Power', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => null, 'content' => '<div> </div> <div> <strong>--By Bhawani Timilsina </strong></div> <div> </div> <table align="right" border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1"> <tbody> <tr> <td> <img alt="Krishna P. Dulal, Director, Purwanchal Lube Oil Pvt Ltd" src="/userfiles/images/kd.jpg" style="width: 200px; height: 207px;" /></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align: center;"> <div> <strong>Krishna P. Dulal</strong></div> <div> Director</div> <div> Purwanchal Lube Oil Pvt Ltd</div> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <div> Purwanchal Lube Oil (PLO), a leading lubricant in the Nepali market, was launched in 2000 by the Purwanchal Lube Oil Pvt Ltd. The company has been living up to meet the challenges of the market – its demands and changes – for over 12 years now. </div> <div> </div> <div> The company finalised a brand logo and name after conducting a small research. Krishna Prasad Dulal, Director of the company says, “We did not have to make a huge effort to select a brand name and logo. We simply chose a name that would represent the eastern region. As our initiation was from Morang district, the brand name PLO helps to maintain our originality among customers.” </div> <div> </div> <div> The company has taken up the challenge to reach out to people across all economic levels with its product – it claims that the main target of its brand is the farmer population in Nepal. According to Dulal, the initial phase of business was rather challenging as people were reluctant to use a local product. “We struggled hard to convince our customers and have been constantly attempting to overcome difficulties through innovative marketing strategies and powerful team unity,” Dulal says.</div> <div> </div> <div> He assures that the company has been using base oil and additives like LITHIUM, HCO, and VI. “The base oil and additives are similar in quality to those used in popular international brands,” Dulal claims, assuring that the company does not compromise with quality. With a total market share of 8 per cent, other products of PLO include 2T Oil, 4T Extra Power, AP-3 Grease, APF Dextron-III, Gear Treat GL-5, GMP Oil, Hydraulic Oil, Mission 2T, PLO Multipurpose III, Active Coolant and Super Plus, PLO Super Multi Grade, Gear Oil (Non-Grade) and PLO Super SAE 40. </div> <div> </div> <div> Over these 12 years, the marketing team and its strategies have been the company’s strength to prop up the brand. Dulal claims that marketing plays a significant role in generating trust among people.“We believe that business can prosper when a brand wins the confidence of its customers,”he says. </div> <div> </div> <div> “About 85 per cent of the lubricants market has been occupied by foreign brands, but 32 per cent of the market still remains with domestic brands,” informs Dulal. “We have a target to win over 20 per cent of the total market of lubricant in Nepal so that 50 per cent of the market will be among Nepali brands.”</div> <div> </div> <div> The company has covered 75 districts, 86 dealers, more than 5000 retailer counters and more than 200,000 customers till date. The cost of the grease and lubricants is priced between Rs 300 to Rs 500 per bottle. Over the years since its inception, the sales and turnover of the company has been increasing annually and the company has been able to expand to markets all over the country. “There is cut-throat completion in the market and domestic lubricant brands have been working together to compete with international products,” says Dulal. </div> <div> </div> <div> The company has also got suggestions from some customers that its focus should now be in manufacturing high-class lubricants that can be used in high-end vehicles. “This will create a possibility for Nepali lubricants to enter the international market, and if that happens, Bhutan and Bangladesh among other countries could be our target markets,” Dulal explains. </div> <div> </div> <div> The company has yet to achieve a lot and the launching of the new ‘Star’ brand for high-end vehicles is a step ahead towards its ultimate goal.</div> <div> </div> <div> <img alt="PLO" src="/userfiles/images/plo1.jpg" style="width: 550px; height: 220px;" /></div>', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2013-09-04', 'modified' => '2013-09-04', 'keywords' => 'the corporate weekly from Nepal, nepali corporate events – news – interviews – reviews, nepali corporate focus, nepali corporate status and news, news from nepali corporate industry, corporate happenings – events – news from nepal', 'description' => 'Purwanchal Lube Oil (PLO), a leading lubricant in the Nepali market, was launched in 2000 by the Purwanchal Lube Oil Pvt Ltd. The company has been living up to meet the challenges of the market – its demands and changes – for over 12 years now.', 'sortorder' => '1622', 'image' => null, 'article_date' => '0000-00-00 00:00:00', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => false, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '0' ) ), (int) 3 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '1709', 'article_category_id' => '149', 'title' => 'Zero-MSG Noodles', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => null, 'content' => '<div> </div> <div> <strong>--By Bhawani Timilsina</strong></div> <div> </div> <table align="right" border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1"> <tbody> <tr> <td> <img alt="Arun KC, Sales Director, Himalayan Snax and Noodles Pvt Ltd" src="/userfiles/images/akc.jpg" style="width: 200px; height: 208px;" /></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align: center;"> <div> <strong>Arun KC</strong></div> <div> Sales Director, Himalayan Snax</div> <div> and Noodles Pvt Ltd</div> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <div> Mayos instant noodle has retained its position as one of the largest selling brands in the Nepali market. “With several years of expertise and commitment, we have carved a niche for ourselves in the market,” says Arun KC, Sales Director of Himalayan Snax and Noodles Pvt Ltd (HSNPL). KC says that noodle consumers were long waiting for a distinct taste in their noodle snack. “Sensing this opportunity, we launched Mayos noodle in 2000 and received an overwhelming response which for us quite excited.”</div> <div> </div> <div> Mayos noodle is now available as Mayos Cup Noodles with distinct additional flavours such as Mayos Khatta Meetha & Mast Masala, chicken & vegetarian package and Mayos Hot and Sour. </div> <div> </div> <div> The company holds 25 per cent of the market share in the brown noodles selling market, KC says. With an aim to serve consumers with healthy products, the company is now producing noodles with OMEGA-3 (Fatty Acid) and has avoided the use of Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) after growing complaints from consumers. The company made this decision after conducting a research that found that use of MSG could damage the health of consumers. “Being healthy as well as tasty, we can assure that the quality of our noodle is distinct from others,” he adds. </div> <div> </div> <div> KC says that the company makes no compromise when it comes to the health and taste of the consumer. “This is the reason why we have always been making an effort to come up with a wide variety of flavours.” </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> The company retails Mayos noodles at Rs 15 per pack of 75gms in both chicken and vegetable flavours with nutritional value per pack at 363 calories and 347.6 calories, respectively. </div> <div> </div> <div> The company at first worked in collaboration with the Thai company Thai President Foods PLC. ShakaLaka Boom, Ru-Chee, Lekali, J-mee, Hurray, Doharee, Jhilke and Humpty Dumpty Krunchy King are other noodles brands under the HSNPL Company.</div> <div> </div> <div> “In the beginning, the tagline ‘It’s the wonderful Mayos Noodles’ helped us strengthen our branding. We also came up with coupon schemes as a promotional campaign later on, KC recalls, claiming the brand has been successful as it has stayed in the minds and hearts of people. </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> According to the KC, competition has increased as a wide range of noodles have emerged in recent times. “We do focus on experimenting with innovative concepts help us identify with the interest of consumers,” he mentions, with regard to this. “In order to integrate novel flavours and packaging format, a mixed fortification of Vitamin A, Calcium, Iron and Proteins has been introduced to all flavours of Mayos products. The Vitamin A, Calcium and Iron components in in Shaka Laka Boom and Ru-Chee noodles was a part of our contribution to address malnutrition since 2007,” he says. </div> <div> </div> <div> Mayos products have also won fame in an international market. “Throughout the years, our domestic markets as well as export markets have had constant expansion into leading regions,” he says. “We have grown up now from being a local product to an internationally recognized one over our 13-year-long journey, and our popularity has been driven by the trust of our consumers,” he states.</div> <div> </div> <div> In the seven years of operation in the export market, HSNPL has witnessed a lot of ups and downs, but it is the customers’ satisfaction policy helps HSNPL stand on its distinct value, KC reveals. “Our main motto has always been customer satisfaction – whether it is for health reasons or satisfaction in taste,” he says.</div> <div> </div> <div> </div>', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2013-08-27', 'modified' => '2013-09-19', 'keywords' => 'the corporate weekly from Nepal, nepali corporate events – news – interviews – reviews, nepali corporate focus, nepali corporate status and news, news from nepali corporate industry, corporate happenings – events – news from nepal', 'description' => 'Mayos instant noodle has retained its position as one of the largest selling brands in the Nepali market.', 'sortorder' => '1570', 'image' => null, 'article_date' => '0000-00-00 00:00:00', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => false, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '0' ) ), (int) 4 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '1672', 'article_category_id' => '149', 'title' => 'Steady Manufacturers', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => null, 'content' => '<div> <strong>--By Suraksha Adhikari</strong></div> <div> </div> <table align="right" border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1"> <tbody> <tr> <td> <img alt="Rajesh Agrawal Director, RMC" src="/userfiles/images/ra.jpg" style="width: 200px; height: 211px;" /></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align: center;"> <div> <strong> Rajesh Agrawal</strong></div> <div> Director, RMC</div> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <div> Established in 1993, Rajesh Metal Crafts Ltd (RMC) has been a familiar name in the steel and manufacturing business. Initially established as Rajesh Hardware Company, it only imported steel from Japan, Korea and other countries. But with the increase in manufacturing activities in the country, the partners of Rajesh Hardware Company decided to enter the metal business themselves and established RMC. </div> <div> </div> <div> Named after the Company Director, the venture began as a family business which commenced with the concept of constructing paint packing steel drums with an initial investment of Rs 5 million. With a widening scope for metal business in Nepal over the years, RMC has been expanding business accordingly and is considered as one of the best manufacture service providers in Nepal today.</div> <div> </div> <div> “We had no experience in the manufacturing industry but were confident that the business will surely succeed in time and as per expectations, business expanded with the rising living standards of people,” said Director of RMC, Rajesh Agrawal.</div> <div> </div> <div> Explaining the initial phase, Agrawal said, “There was no concept of industrialisation during the initial years. Now the country is moving forward in this aspect. Though the Maoist problem had created hindrance mid-way, it has been improving now.”</div> <div> </div> <div> Initially focused on local traders only, RMC also began to export steel to India. Forty per cent of the annual turnover that the company registers today is earned through exports. RMC cement has also recently started exporting from Nepal and is the first company in Nepal to do so.</div> <div> </div> <div> The company has been providing quality products to its consumers including MS black pipe, GI Pipe, Galvanised Corrugated Sheets, GI Sheets, CR sheets and Colour Coated Sheets.</div> <div> </div> <div> Having 150 dealers all over the country, the company faced a couple of hurdles on the way to success. “The Maoist problem and political instability are the biggest hindrances to the growth of the company,” states Agrawal. Along with this, Agrawal believes that power outage has also created a lot of problems in the production of manufacturing materials.</div> <div> </div> <div> Focusing on positive aspects, Agrawal highlights the growth of consumerism in recent years. “With the growth of various aspects of the economy, the affordability of consumers has been increasing. With this, consumerism in steel has also been increasing.”</div> <div> </div> <div> “In villages, people who had thatched roof houses are slowly transforming to steel sheets with a rise in their living standards,” he said.</div> <div> </div> <div> The per capita steel consumption of Nepal is 30kg per person which is one of the lowest in the world. “A stable political condition in the country can boost the steel market,” Agrawal added, speaking about the high scope of steel consumption here. </div> <div> </div> <div> RMC has been a consistent brand for the last 15 years. Talking about market shares, Agwaral said that it is 50 per cent in black pipes, 25 percent in CR sheets and 20 percent in GI pipes. “We have aimed to increase exports with value addition to products by forward and backward integration,” he stated. </div> <div> </div> <div> Having started with around 15 employees only, the company now has 480 employees hired. The RMC group also has investments in H&B Development Bank and Prudential Insurance Company.</div> <div> </div> <div> Talking about support from the government Agrawal said, “The government has provided tax free provisions for our exports.” Full time electricity to all industries would be appreciated but the government is not in the condition to fulfill such requirements. We should take some steps ourselves to solve this problem, “he added.</div> <div> </div> <div> Considering the Jagadamba Company in the Pipe industry and Hulas Steels and Arati Steels in GI Sheets as major competitors, the company is well on its own track to provide quality products to consumers with an annual turnover of Rs 5 billion, according to Agrawal. </div> <div> </div> <div> As a part of its promotional campaign and advertisement, the company has been disseminating information through Agrawal Television Commercials, Print advertisements, audio advertisement in FM and scratch coupon schemes for consumers. </div> <div> </div> <div> “Fulfilling corporate social responsibility, we have installed water tanks in the villages of the employees of the company, and have been providing free medical treatment for the families of our workers,” Agrawal said. </div> <div> </div> <div> With plans to construct a clinker-based cement industry in Palpa, the company now aims to produce clinkers in Nepal itself – a product which was thus far only imported from India. </div>', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2013-08-20', 'modified' => '0000-00-00', 'keywords' => 'the corporate weekly from Nepal, nepali corporate events – news – interviews – reviews, nepali corporate focus, nepali corporate status and news, news from nepali corporate industry, corporate happenings – events – news from nepal', 'description' => 'Established in 1993, Rajesh Metal Crafts Ltd (RMC) has been a familiar name in the steel and manufacturing business.', 'sortorder' => '1533', 'image' => null, 'article_date' => '0000-00-00 00:00:00', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => false, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '0' ) ), (int) 5 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '1621', 'article_category_id' => '149', 'title' => 'Going From Strength To Strength', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => null, 'content' => '<div> </div> <div> <strong>--By Suraksha Adhikari</strong></div> <div> </div> <table align="right" border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1"> <tbody> <tr> <td> <img alt="Bhaskar Munankarmi, Assistant Manager, Him Electronics Pvt Ltd" src="/userfiles/images/bhaskar(1).jpg" style="width: 175px; height: 185px;" /></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align: center;"> <div> <strong>Bhaskar Munankarmi</strong></div> <div> <em>Assistant Manager</em></div> <div> <em>Him Electronics Pvt Ltd</em></div> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <div> Him Electronics Pvt Ltd was established in 1988 as a Consumer Electronics (CE) distributor in Nepal. A sister-concern of the Golchha Organisation, it is today the largest dealership and manufacturer of consumer electronics in the country. The company was established with the technical assistance of Sanyo Electrical Co Ltd and the Himstar brand was subsequently introduced with black and white televisions. Since then, the range of products offered by the brand has grown to cover some home appliances as well. </div> <div> </div> <div> The brand name ‘Himstar’ was kept so as to keep uniform and associated with the company Him Electronics Pvt Ltd. “The logo has a star in it, combined with yellow, black and white colours which are quite visible and justifies our motto of creating brand visibility,” says Bhaskar Munankarmi, Assistant Manager at Him Electronics Pvt Ltd. </div> <div> </div> <div> In the initial phase, the company focused on electric products like CFL, after which it gradually shifted to consumer electronics. “We have a variety of products and they are popular not just due to our reasonable price but also for our prompt service, after sales facility and best quality material,” claims Munankarmi. </div> <div> </div> <div> With more than 250 employees at present, the company’s popularity has risen gradually. “This has not been an overnight success - our patience and hard work has led us to our present position.” </div> <div> </div> <div> Him Electronics did not have a strong dealership network to begin with and had fewer portfolios in the market but it strengthened its network and added goods which led it to become a recognised brand. “Ever since the establishment of the company, continued effort was put in to provide better, efficient and prompt after sales service which has reinstated the service motive stronger than before,” Munankarmi explains. </div> <div> </div> <div> Initially focusing on the production of televisions, the company expanded its service to the production of electronic products keeping in mind the increasing requirements of customers today. This helped widen its scope and popularity in the last two decades. The company’s products were targeted to a middle class market that desired quality products at an affordable price, and it claims that it is the most affordable brand with good quality for middle class consumers. </div> <div> </div> <div> With 250 employees and 300 dealers across the country, the company is currently providing its services in Birtamod, Itahari, Biratnagar, Lahan, Janakpur, Birgunj, Narayanghat, Butwal, Pokhara, Dang, Nepalgunj and Dhangadi besides the Kathmandu Valley. “We have not planned to enter the international market as currently our focus is to cover the national market successfully,” states Munankarmi. </div> <div> </div> <div> With a strong market presence despite tough competition, the Himstar group believes that it has proven that brand issues come second to quality. “Despite well established competitors including CG, Videocon, Sony and Whirlpool, our quality products have maintained a good name in the mind of the consumer,” says Munankarmi. </div> <div> </div> <div> Himstar’s market share is approximately 18 per cent but the company aims to increase the number to 25 per cent in upcoming years for which a range of products are being marketed aggressively, according to Munankarmi. </div> <div> </div> <div> The list so far includes televisions, audio/video systems, refrigerators, washing machines, air conditioners, vacuum cleaners, microwave ovens, wrist watches, CFLs, circuit breakers and more. Along with these, the company is planning to provide a complete package of home appliances as they are preparing to penetrate the upper middle class market by tailoring its products according to demand. </div> <div> </div> <div> Focusing on strengthening its brand to enter this new turf, Him Electronics continues to maintain an incremental rate of profit of 20-25 per cent each year as a key part of its market strategy.</div>', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2013-08-12', 'modified' => '2013-08-12', 'keywords' => 'the corporate weekly from Nepal, nepali corporate events – news – interviews – reviews, nepali corporate focus, nepali corporate status and news, news from nepali corporate industry, corporate happenings – events – news from nepal', 'description' => 'Him Electronics Pvt Ltd was established in 1988 as a Consumer Electronics (CE) distributor in Nepal. A sister-concern of the Golchha Organisation, it is today the largest dealership and manufacturer of consumer electronics in the country.', 'sortorder' => '1482', 'image' => null, 'article_date' => '0000-00-00 00:00:00', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => false, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '0' ) ), (int) 6 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '1582', 'article_category_id' => '149', 'title' => 'Quality Is A Sign Of Success', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => null, 'content' => '<div> </div> <div> <strong>--By Suraksha Adhikari</strong></div> <div> </div> <table align="right" border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1"> <tbody> <tr> <td> <img alt="Devraj Mishra ,Chairman Karuna Interior Pvt Ltd" src="/userfiles/images/DEVRAJ.jpg" style="width: 175px; height: 192px;" /></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align: center;"> <div> <strong>Devraj Mishra</strong></div> <div> Chairman</div> <div> Karuna Interior Pvt Ltd</div> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <div> Karuna Interior Pvt Ltd, a familiar name for interior works and furniture was established in 1990. After three years of operation, the company expanded itself to the field of metal structural works and aluminum fabrication. </div> <div> </div> <div> Named after the mother of chairman, Devraj Mishra, the venture began as a family business which commenced wooden furniture manufacturing in 2005. With the widening scope of furniture business, Karuna has enhanced its services and has now become one of the best interior service providers in Nepal. </div> <div> </div> <div> “What we create for you is not our creation, but your own,” says chairman Mishra, explaining the company’s tagline “The user is the dreamer; the dreamer, the owner”. </div> <div> </div> <div> “We have a variety of products and they are popular among our clients not only due to the reasonable price but also for our prompt service, amazing designs and best quality materials,” added Mishra. </div> <div> </div> <div> With more than 40 employees at present, the company faced many ups and downs from its inception to its current market status. “Our main hurdles ranged from the lack of knowledge among customers on interior design and conventional practice of not adhering to advice, poor discussion during design phase, the inability to visualise the end product and demands for change after work is done with,” informed Mishra. </div> <div> </div> <div> Considering all problems and crises as good lessons, the company actively introduced a new technique to run business and has been dealing with interior design related products and services among customers who want to decorate residential buildings, offices in commercial complexes or private buildings. </div> <div> </div> <div> The company asserts that its target groups are middle and upper-middle class families - their individual homes, apartments or rented living spaces; banks and financial institutions, corporate business houses, hotels/ restaurants, schools/colleges and government offices. </div> <div> </div> <div> With a single outlet at Gairidhara Kathmandu, the company’s market mostly extends to the Capital only. According to Executive Director Bipin Sharma, the company is focused on customer satisfaction with after sales service quality. </div> <div> </div> <div> The company does not believe in competition as it believes that the best one always stands out without having to compete. “The brand name is a strength in itself and our dedication towards our customers will ensure its strength in the future,” adds Sharma. </div> <div> </div> <div> Sharma says the company has annual advertisement plan through print media. The company focus on social networking as well. </div> <div> </div> <div> With plans to construct a well-equipped factory in Dahachok, Kathmandu and an expanding showroom space in Gairidhara, the team at Karuna Interior Pvt. Ltd. continues to provide satisfying services to its customers.</div> <div> </div>', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2013-08-06', 'modified' => '0000-00-00', 'keywords' => 'the corporate weekly from Nepal, nepali corporate events – news – interviews – reviews, nepali corporate focus, nepali corporate status and news, news from nepali corporate industry, corporate happenings – events – news from nepal', 'description' => 'Karuna Interiors Pvt Ltd has come a long way in establishing its market in interior design services', 'sortorder' => '1443', 'image' => null, 'article_date' => '0000-00-00 00:00:00', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => false, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '0' ) ), (int) 7 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '1536', 'article_category_id' => '149', 'title' => 'Over 1000 Nepal Made Vehicles On The Road', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => null, 'content' => '<div> <img alt="Hulas Motors" src="/userfiles/images/hulas.jpg" style="width: 500px; height: 100px; margin: 5px;" /></div> <div> </div> <div> <strong>--By Shruti Sonthalia</strong></div> <div> </div> <table align="right" border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1"> <tbody> <tr> <td> <img alt="Surendra Golchha Director, Golchha Organisation" src="/userfiles/images/Surendra%20Golchha.jpg" style="width: 160px; height: 157px;" /></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align: center;"> <div> <strong>Surendra Golchha</strong></div> <div> Director, Golchha Organisation</div> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <div> Hulas Motors was established in the year 1996, as a sister concern of Golchha Organisation. “We started this unit to produce a multi-utility vehicle,” said Surendra Golchha, Director, Golchha Organisation. Farmers, the major customers of Hulas Agro, would use bullock carts to transport pump sets to and from their field. Producing a vehicle that could be powered by the pump set engine itself was thought of. It would double as motor engine for transporting itself to the field where it would do the pumping job and would again be used as motor engine on the way back. </div> <div> </div> <div> “Hulas Bhaye Aru Kina Khojne,” is the tagline of the sole motor producers of Nepal. The essence of the tagline is ‘an end to your search’ and is a universal tagline for all the products manufactured by the group. </div> <div> </div> <div> The vehicles are designed in two categories, passenger and cargo vehicles. The company manufactures mini utility vehicle (MUV) and light commercial vehicle (LCV). Mustang and Sherpa are major products of the company. ‘Bhudeo Khadya Udyog’, another unit of the organization manufacturing rice, aata, pulses with the brand name of Hulas, which is also used in steel utensils, corrugated iron-sheets, etc. “We are actively working on bringing electrical vehicles,” Golchha said about the product in pipeline. </div> <div> </div> <div> Speaking of the challenges, Golchha says, ” The concept of getting into this venture was in itself a challenge.” He stated that, producing a vehicle which can move with minimum safety requirement is another challenge. Similarly, it is also a problem to get the Made-in-Nepal vehicle registered in Nepal as the system here is still such that as if the vehicles can only be imported. So, the authorities insist for import documents even for a Made-in-Nepal vehicle. “To meet the demands of the customers and to maintain the cost of the vehicle,” were some of the hurdles the brand faced. The Director states that the product’s major competition is from India. Golchha observes that over the years there has been a tremendous growth in the quality, finish and comfort level of the vehicles from Hulas Motors. </div> <div> </div> <div> The factory of Hulas Motors is situated in Biratnagar employing 110 skilled workers. Maximum work is done manually. The factory produces 100 vehicles per year at present. “We aim to produce at least 400 vehicles a year,” projects Golchha. </div> <div> </div> <div> About the marketing activities, Hulas believe in person-to-person and point-of-sales marketing instead of using mass media. The reason for the same being that the customer segment of the brand is not suitable for mass media. The market share of Hulas Motors, according to Golchha is 10-15 percent with an annual turnover of approx Rs 7-8 crores. The products are distributed through 9 dealers nationwide. </div> <div> </div> <div> Hulas Motors as a company does not indulge in any kind of CSR activities, but it adds to the contributions of the Golchha Organisation. The organization broadly practices CSR, providing scholarship, support in the times of disasters i.e. as relief funds. They have opened ‘Ramlal Golchha Eye Hospital Foundation’ in Biratnagar. Group renders help to construct school buildings. The organization also gives medical aid to the local people of the places where their units are placed. </div> <div> </div> <div> “Nepal is an amazing country with lots of scope and opportunities,” Golcha said. The government’s vision for industrialization is lacking and the company is trying to push the government for this. The company is known for the after sale service with centers present almost everywhere the Hulas Motors units are present. This helps the company to maintain the image and acceptability.</div> <div> <img alt="Mustang" src="/userfiles/images/mustang.jpg" style="width: 250px; height: 218px; margin: 5px;" /> <img alt="Mustang" src="/userfiles/images/mustang1.jpg" style="width: 250px; height: 218px; margin: 5px;" /></div>', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2013-07-30', 'modified' => '2013-07-30', 'keywords' => 'the corporate weekly from Nepal, nepali corporate events – news – interviews – reviews, nepali corporate focus, nepali corporate status and news, news from nepali corporate industry, corporate happenings – events – news from nepal', 'description' => 'Hulas Motors was established in the year 1996, as a sister concern of Golchha Organisation.', 'sortorder' => '1397', 'image' => null, 'article_date' => '0000-00-00 00:00:00', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => false, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '0' ) ), (int) 8 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '1489', 'article_category_id' => '149', 'title' => 'The Dairy Pioneers', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => null, 'content' => '<div> </div> <div> <strong>--By Shruti Sonthalia</strong></div> <div> </div> <table align="right" border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" width="15%"> <tbody> <tr> <td bgcolor="#FFFFFF" style="text-align: center;"> <img align="baseline" alt="Sanjit Kumar Rajbhandari Senior Manager for sales and marketing Chitwan Co-E Group" src="/userfiles/images/Sanjit%20Kumar%20Rajbhandari.jpg" style="border-width: 0px; border-style: solid; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; width: 200px; height: 230px;" /></td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#FFFFFF" style="text-align: center;"> <div> <strong>Sanjit Kumar Rajbhandari</strong></div> <div> <em>Senior Manager</em></div> <div> <em>for sales and marketing</em></div> <div> <em>Chitwan Co-E Group</em></div> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <div> ‘ Rahul’ - Pure Taste of Nepal, is a powder milk brand promoted by the Chitawon Coe Group known for infrastructure development and construction business. After the successful venture of the Manakamana Cable Cars, the group has started another pioneering project - Chitawon Milk Limited - which is the only private company in Nepal to produce powdered milk - others in the market being imported products. </div> <div> </div> <div> Rahul has hit the markets with the tagline ‘Har Din Har Pal’, giving the dairy product a sense of being a basic necessity in daily life. Senior manager for sales and marketing Sanjit Kumar Rajbhandari says that the major challenge for the brand is the unavailability or scarcity of raw milk as the company has not been able to reach good capacity utilization. </div> <div> </div> <div> Factory at Chitwan, has 150 workers using fully-automatic machines. The factory has a processing capacity of 150,000 litres of milk and an output rate of 15 tonnes of milk powder per day. The factory uses German technology such as the Alpha Laval machinery and the NIRO-GEA, a multi stage spray-drying technology. The in-house lab of the factory is equipped with high-tech facilities such as Milk-San from FOSS-Denmark, a company that produces analytical instruments for quality control. </div> <div> </div> <div> Other products by Rahul apart from powder milk include ghee, skim milk powder (SMP) and dairy whitener. Since all products use milk as their basic ingredient, productivity varies given its scarcity in Nepal. Rahul, however, targets to produce 50 tonnes of ghee every month. </div> <div> </div> <div> For marketing, Rahul uses print as well as electronic media. “We also participate in events, especially family and housewife targeted events, “says Rajbhandari. The company is seen to sponsor events during the Teej festival. </div> <div> </div> <div> The products are distributed in all 75 districts in Nepal with the help of 50 dealers. The products also reach the inaccessible regions, like Solukhumbu and Jumla, through air lifting. The SMP product has been exported to Pakistan since the last two years on a regular basis. The company owns 50 percent of market segment for dairy whiteners used for tea and coffee and it sells 600 tonnes of dairy whitener according to Rajbhandari. Additionally, the consumer pack of SMP for health-conscious people is the company’s new product in the pipeline. </div> <div> </div> <div> The senior manager, explains about the two seasons of raw milk i.e. lean and flush. In lean season there is less availability of raw milk and in flush season there is excess milk supply from farmers.Because of this powder plant, milk holiday problem was solved in the country. To counter the problem of scarcity, Chitawon Milk Limited helps farmers by providing nutritious cattle feed, grass, and free health services for the cattle so that it leads to an increased production of milk.</div> <div> </div>', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2013-07-23', 'modified' => '2013-07-24', 'keywords' => 'the corporate weekly from Nepal, nepali corporate events – news – interviews – reviews, nepali corporate focus, nepali corporate status and news, news from nepali corporate industry, corporate happenings – events – news from nepal', 'description' => '‘ Rahul’ - Pure Taste of Nepal, is a powder milk brand promoted by the Chitawon Coe Group known for infrastructure development and construction business.', 'sortorder' => '1350', 'image' => null, 'article_date' => '0000-00-00 00:00:00', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => false, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '0' ) ), (int) 9 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '1404', 'article_category_id' => '149', 'title' => 'Steady Progress To The Top', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => null, 'content' => '<p> <strong>Chairman Deepak Shrestha and Managing Director Amrit Pd Dwa with Brand Ambassador Rajesh Hamal (Center).</strong><br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <strong>By Shruti Sonthalia</strong><br /> <br /> <br /> Nepatop, a manufacturing company of plastic water-storage tanks, compost bins, water pumps, pipes and fittings among other polythene-based products, was established in the year 1999 by Chairperson Deepak Shrestha and Managing Director Amrit Prasad Dwa. Friends prior to being colleagues, the duo got their acumen together to form what stands today as a respectable ISO certified company.<br /> <br /> Assuring as the tagline “Sab thikthak!” sounds, the journey of Nepatop as a business venture has indeed been alright. Major issues that pose challenge include the increasing rate of currency exchange which has nearly doubled since the time of the company’s birth. This of course adds to the cost of raw materials the company has to import.<br /> <br /> Other challenges include availability of labour – the lack of which can hamper the company’s progress. Nepatop, nevertheless, is sailing fine with 300 workers today. Shrestha, who believes that Nepalis ought to support their home economy instead of going abroad for opportunities, observes the changing patterns in human resource in his company: “Initially we had to hire engineers and trainers from abroad but today, I am proud to say that we have a strong Nepali manpower to complete the job,” he says.<br /> <br /> Nepatop started business by producing water storage tanks, has indeed been alright. Major issues that pose challenge include the increasing rate of currency exchange which has nearly doubled since the time of the company’s birth. This of course adds to the cost of raw materials the company has to import.<br /> <br /> Other challenges include availability of labour – the followed by water pumps, PPR pipes and fittings, HDPE pipes, UPVC pipes and fittings, and a new product is expected by 2014. The company aims to satisfy its customers by maintaining good quality and providing after-sale services, which is also a part of its marketing strategy. Additionally, Nepatop products are advertised in style with Rajesh Hamal as their brand ambassador.<br /> <br /> The company has four workstations three in the capital itself and one in Nuwakot, covering an area of 60,000 square feet all fully automatic plants producing 20- 25 metric tonne of goods per day. The market share for each of its products is different-the company has 75 percent of the market in PPR pipes, 16- 18 percent in water tanks, 25 percent in UPVC and less than 2-3 percent in HDPE.<br /> <br /> In terms of production capacity, the company still needs to achieve another 20- 25 percent of the current amount produced. But with 17 distribution channels in place countrywide, Nepatop seems to have good infrastructure in place to assure a steady progress in the future. Shrestha mentions that the company is one of the largest tax payers in the country. But on a more positive note, he forecasts with believable confidence that Nepatop will be the largest producers of plastic pipes and fittings by 2020.<br /> <br /> </p>', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2013-07-15', 'modified' => '0000-00-00', 'keywords' => 'the corporate weekly from Nepal, nepali corporate events – news – interviews – reviews, nepali corporate focus, nepali corporate status and news, news from nepali corporate industry, corporate happenings – events – news from nepal', 'description' => 'Nepatop, a manufacturing company of plastic water-storage tanks, compost bins, water pumps, pipes and fittings among other polythene-based products, was established in the year 1999 by Chairperson Deepak Shrestha and Managing Director Amrit Prasad Dwa. Friends prior to being colleagues, the duo got their acumen together to form what stands today as a respectable ISO certified company.', 'sortorder' => '1266', 'image' => '1373884811.jpg', 'article_date' => '0000-00-00 00:00:00', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => false, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '0' ) ), (int) 10 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '1315', 'article_category_id' => '149', 'title' => 'Shinning Brand Of Nepal:GoldStar', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => null, 'content' => '<p> <strong><span style="font-size: 12px;">--By Sujan Dhungana</span></strong></p> <p> <span style="font-size: 12px;">‘ Hathi Baliyo Ki Hathi Chhap Chappal Baliyo.’ Does this ring a bell? Yes, it is the age-old slogan of “Hatichaap” slippers from the Universal Group. Being the conglomerate of ‘Modern Slipper Industries Pvt Ltd’ and ‘Kiran Shoes Manufacturers,’ Universal group is shoe-manufacturer for its ever-supporting customers. The manufacturing history dates back to 1980(slippers) and 1985(shoes) under the chairmanship of Noor Pratap Rana. The MD is Amir Pratap Rana.</span></p> <p> The company witnessed an unprecedented growth in every sphere, i.e. demand, production and skilled labour force (then 30 employees now 2000). Rajan Shrestha, head Sales and Marketing, explains the problems faced by the company, so far. The foremost being during the Maoists insurgency. Thus, the government did not allow smooth supply of the shoes. “Counterfeiting is our major problem wherein our product is copied illegally,” says Shrestha. According to him, a legal battle was fought to resolve the issue which curbed the practice in Nepal but it still continues in some neighbouring countries. Though domestic production alone caters to 55 per cent of Shoes demand, 45 per cent is still imported from India and China. According to him, this causes taxation problem at a major scale and poses threat to Nepali market.</p> <p> Shrestha believes that raw material dependency is salt on the wound, as more than 90 per cent of the raw material is imported. He says that the company cannot alter its price structure so frequently despite the instability of dollar therefore, importing of raw material lowers down their profits. Lack of skilled labour force is another hindrance. The company arranges for a 6 month training (by the older staffs) to make its employees learn the art of shoe-making.</p> <p> In spite of these problems the company has stood strong in the competition. Shrestha confirms, ‘the consistency in quality’ as the pillar behind their undaunted success. At present “Goldstar” does not indulge in any sort of branding and marketing exercise. The brand’s ‘Made In Nepal’ image has helped the company stand firm in their position for years, Shrestha says. </p> <p> The Universal Group functions in 5 different units, which carry out different steps of shoe-making. These units produce varieties both in shoes and slippers. For even distribution the products across the country, the company follows a distribution network (dealers-wholesalers, retailers). With a double-digit growth every year the company is planning to capture the international market as well. With this thought Goldstar aims at ten million pairs a production which is around 8 million at present.</p> <p> Regarding CSR practiced by the company, Shrestha says the company does not believe in publicity of their donations. Providing scholarship to the children of the employees and others, giving computers to the government schools are some of the CSR activities undertaken by the company. Last year the company provided four motorcycles to the police for easy accessibility. Shrestha says, “Our quality is our brand ambassador”, hence the ‘value for money’ proposition makes Goldstar the real star. </p> <p> (With help from Shruti Sonthalia)</p> <p> </p>', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2013-07-02', 'modified' => '0000-00-00', 'keywords' => 'the corporate weekly from Nepal, nepali corporate events – news – interviews – reviews, nepali corporate focus, nepali corporate status and news, news from nepali corporate industry, corporate happenings – events – news from nepal', 'description' => 'The brand’s ‘MADE IN NEPAL’ image has helped the company stand firm in their position for years.', 'sortorder' => '1177', 'image' => null, 'article_date' => '0000-00-00 00:00:00', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => false, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '0' ) ), (int) 11 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '1206', 'article_category_id' => '149', 'title' => 'Rumpum Instrumental In Breaking Monopoly Market', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => null, 'content' => '<p> <strong>Mahesh Jaju <br /> Managing Director <br /> Asian Thai Foods<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> </strong></p> <p> <strong>By Upashana Neupane</strong><br /> <br /> Launched 13 years ago in the market, Rumpum brown noodles with its unique taste has become a household name in Nepal. The brand, which was launched in late 90s with a massive media campaign, was initially targeted at the 8-18 year-old. However, over the years, the brand, has slowly become a favourite among households and working class people. According to Managing Director Mahesh Jaju Rumpum is now the leading brown noodle in Eastern Development Region. <br /> <br /> Available in two flavours -- chicken and vegetarian, Rumpum is a Nepali noodle which tastes like Singapore soup. The noodle is rich in nutrients such as Vitamin A, Vitamin D3, Calcium and Proteins, the company says. Asian Thai Foods P. Ltd., a Sharda & Jaju Group joint venture, entered into the brown noodle segment at a time when there was monopoly in the market of brown noodles. But Rumpum, with its ability to adapt to the changing market, soon proved that it was here to stay. <br /> <br /> “We are very conscious about the brands. We have a very strong research dept and an international quality lab to check our products regularly to uphold our standards,” shares Mr. Jaju. Meanwhile, as more brands entered into the market, competition intensified. To attract consumers, Rumpum has been running various consumer schemes to attract new consumers including the initial highly successful offer of putting a toffee along with each Rumpum. <br /> <br /> The company, which was started with 250 employees, now has 600. Rumpum is currently the largest exported brand to be made and exported from Nepal to India. Besides they also export regularly to USA, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Malaysia and countries in the Gulf, according to Asian Thai Foods. Managing Director Mahesh Jaju says, ‘’Brands stand the test of time only if they do not compromise on quality. One has to be able to be position a product differently from the rest to push the brand towards success’’, he concludes. As part of the CSR, besides supporting various sport activities, cultural programs etc, the company has time and again provided noodle during natural calamities.<br /> <br /> </p>', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2013-06-29', 'modified' => '0000-00-00', 'keywords' => 'the corporate weekly from Nepal, nepali corporate events – news – interviews – reviews, nepali corporate focus, nepali corporate status and news, news from nepali corporate industry, corporate happenings – events – news from nepal', 'description' => 'the corporate weekly from Nepal, nepali corporate events – news – interviews – reviews, nepali corporate focus, nepali corporate status and news, news from nepali corporate industry, corporate happenings – events – news from nepal', 'sortorder' => '1068', 'image' => null, 'article_date' => '0000-00-00 00:00:00', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => false, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '0' ) ) ) $current_user = null $logged_in = falsesimplexml_load_file - [internal], line ?? include - APP/View/Elements/side_bar.ctp, line 60 View::_evaluate() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 971 View::_render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 933 View::_renderElement() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 1224 View::element() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 418 include - APP/View/Articles/index.ctp, line 157 View::_evaluate() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 971 View::_render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 933 View::render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 473 Controller::render() - CORE/Cake/Controller/Controller.php, line 968 Dispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 200 Dispatcher::dispatch() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 167 [main] - APP/webroot/index.php, line 117
Notice (8): Undefined variable: file [APP/View/Elements/side_bar.ctp, line 133]Code Context// $file = 'http://aabhiyan:QUVLg8Wzs2F7G9N7@nepalstock.com.np/api/subindexdata.xml';if(!$xml = simplexml_load_file($file)){$viewFile = '/var/www/html/newbusinessage.com/app/View/Elements/side_bar.ctp' $dataForView = array( 'articles' => array( (int) 0 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 1 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 2 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 3 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 4 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 5 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 6 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 7 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 8 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 9 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 10 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 11 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ) ), 'current_user' => null, 'logged_in' => false ) $articles = array( (int) 0 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '2260', 'article_category_id' => '149', 'title' => 'Aqua Hundred: A Trusted Quality Brand', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => null, 'content' => '<div> </div> <div> <strong>--By Upashana Neupane </strong></div> <div> </div> <table align="right" style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 10px;" width="25"> <tbody> <tr> <td> <img alt="Rabin Shrestha, Business Manager, Aqua Minerals Nepal Pvt Ltd" src="/userfiles/images/bt1(1).jpg" style="border-width: 0px; border-style: solid; width: 200px; height: 221px;" /></td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#FFFFFF"> <div align="center"> <div style="text-align: center;"> <div> <strong>Rabin Shrestha</strong></div> <div> <em>Business Manager</em></div> <div> <em>Aqua Minerals Nepal Pvt Ltd</em></div> </div> </div> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <div> Aqua Hundred carries 21 years of glorious history of providing purified water in Nepali market. Introduced in 1992, it stands true to its initial motto “Drink safe water and be healthy”. The brand was launched by Aqua Minerals Pvt Ltd at a time when huge amount of purified water used to be imported from foreign countries in lack of domestic brand, that could correspond to the market’s need, Rabin Shrestha, Business Manager at Aqua Minerals, says. </div> <div> </div> <div> Aqua Hundred is market leader in purified water since the beginning of the brand. Named combining two words: Aqua and Hundred (Aqua means Water and hundred represents the 100 per cent purity), its logo has oval shape of waves, that symbolise water.</div> <div> </div> <div> Aqua Hundred is the pioneer to introduce big jar for purified water in Nepali market. It changed common perception among people that bottled, purified water is available only in 1 litre or half litre bottles. “In the initial days, when we introduced big jars, people were surprised and used to stare at us,” Shrestha says, “Now the scenario has changed and Aqua Hundred has become popular and has established itself as must have drinking water in every household.” </div> <div> </div> <div> Reflecting two decades of business journey, Shrestha says that the company was started with a commitment to provide quality water to the customers and has continued doing so, sustaining many ups and downs. “Aqua Hundred was launched to address the drinking water scarcity in Kathmandu valley and as direct response to growing awareness and demand of people for clean and pure drinking water,” Shrestha informs.</div> <div> </div> <div> Initially, 19 litre jar and half litre mineral water bottle were launched. By now Aqua Hundred has expanded to varieties of products like cup water, ice-cubes and chlorine solutions. </div> <div> </div> <div> Shrestha says, in the initial days Aqua Hundred made massive publicity campaigns in electronic and print media, hoarding boards and like to promote the brand. Now customers are familiar to the brand and it has become a brand to trust in. “We have always prioritized ‘quality’, thus have won the trust of our customers,” he says.</div> <div> </div> <div> <img alt="aqua hundred" src="/userfiles/images/bt2%20(Copy).jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0px 10px 0px 0px;width: 200px; height: 321px;" />Aqua Hundred with the tagline is “Sabaiko Bishwashilo Paani (Everyone’s Trustworthy Water)” has customers’ faith as it has always been providing best quality consistently. “Consistency is most important to sustain in the market,” Shrestha says, “Providing good quality is not sufficient. One should also continue fulfilling commitments.”</div> <div> </div> <div> The company has an in-house lab of its own and each product is tested before getting into the market. Aqua Hundred Jar is a polycarbonate jar which is recommended for reusable purpose. Aqua Hundred is ISO 9001:2008 certified company but Shrestha says that the best award Aqua Hundred has ever got is the faith of its customers. We have always believed in customer’s satisfaction and their loyalty. </div> <div> </div> <div> Shrestha says, due to unstable political scenario of Nepal, it is difficult to grow and sustain in the market. Similarly, illegal and low quality bottled water has been ruining the image of the entire industry. He says all those companies and products should be properly monitored or banned by the concerned authority. In the near future, Aqua Hundred has plans to spread its market outside the valley too.</div> <div> </div> <div> Shrestha says we should promote Nepali products. “If best quality product is available within our own country, why to use foreign brands?,” he says, “Be Nepali, Buy Nepali”.</div>', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2013-12-10', 'modified' => '2013-12-17', 'keywords' => 'the corporate weekly from Nepal, nepali corporate events – news – interviews – reviews, nepali corporate focus, nepali corporate status and news, news from nepali corporate industry, corporate happenings – events – news from nepal', 'description' => 'Aqua Hundred carries 21 years of glorious history of providing purified water in Nepali market. Introduced in 1992, it stands true to its initial motto “Drink safe water and be healthy”. The brand was launched by Aqua Minerals Pvt Ltd at a time when huge amount of purified water used to be imported from foreign countries in lack of domestic brand, that could correspond to the market’s need, Rabin Shrestha, Business Manager at Aqua Minerals, says.', 'sortorder' => '2105', 'image' => null, 'article_date' => '0000-00-00 00:00:00', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => false, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '0' ) ), (int) 1 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '1801', 'article_category_id' => '149', 'title' => 'Have A Heritage Sleep, Balaji Now Eyeing On Carpet', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => null, 'content' => '<div> </div> <div> <strong>--By Bhawani Timilsina </strong></div> <table align="right" border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px"> <tbody> <tr> <td> <img alt="Hemraj Dhakal, Director, Balaji Coir Industries Pvt Ltd" src="/userfiles/images/hd.jpg" style="border-width: 0px; border-style: solid; width: 200px; height: 209px;" /></td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#FFFFFF"> <div align="center"> <div> <strong>Hemraj Dhakal</strong></div> <div> Director</div> <div> Balaji Coir Industries Pvt Ltd</div> </div> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <div> </div> <div> Being one of the popular local brands ‘Heritage’ mattresses is the favourite choice among the consumers. And, if all goes well, the brand is going to be available in also carpet and furnishing products in near future.</div> <div> </div> <div> “Heritage, by its name, reflects that the product is classic. And that we are also exploring business opportunities in carpet and furnishing goods,” says, Hemraj Dhakal, Director of the Balaji Coir Industries Pvt Ltd (BCIPL).</div> <div> </div> <div> The mattress segment is the key component of the BCIPL. The product was introduced in 2004. “With almost a decade long experience, the company has become successful to surpass all other international brands. We have been attempting to assess quality and comfort through heritage mattress, he says. The company imports raw materials from India, Malaysia, China, Bangladesh, Thailand etc. “We design our products according to the requirements and demand of the consumers,” Dhakal said.</div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> The company used to import mattresses from India in initial phase. Later the company had to face numerous problems and they decided to start their own production in Nepal. The major raw materials are coconut fiber and latex that adds natural quality to the product. They follow an international technology during manufacturing process to ensure quality. “We have a lab testing facility and with its inception we have surpassed all the other imported products. Nepalis consumers prefer our brand as it assures both quality and comfort,” he claims.</div> <div> </div> <div> The company has been manufacturing four types of mattresses called silver, gold, diamond and platinum (including super platinum). The company claims to have occupied 20-30 percent share of the total market, with product guarantee of five years.</div> <div> </div> <div> The company has 90 outlets across the country. It also supplies its product to Tibet. The price of the mattresses ranges between Rs 3,500-Rs 25,000. “We have set the price with a view to make it affordable to the people of all classes,” Dhakal said.</div> <div> </div> <div> While sharing the success factors of the brand, he says, “Our marketing strategy plays an important role to achieve success in this field. Our consumers know how to choose the best products on the basis of quality and durability. We can assure that our product is of best quality, giving high comfort.”</div> <div> </div> <div> He also mentions the business advantage of the growing sense in the consumers about the advantages and drawbacks of using mattresses. With the tagline ‘all season mattresses’, the product is suitable to use during all seasons, says Dhakal. The carpet market has been slowly and gradually growing in Nepal.</div> <div> </div> <div> “At a time while the Indian products were flooding the Nepali market, our brand helped reduce the import quantity,” he claims. According to Dhakal, around Rs 100 million has been invested in the company. “Though the competition is not tough, it is very essential to adopt changes in the demand. As the market has been growing it becomes very necessary to deal with quality of product.” he said</div> <div> </div> <div> He feels that the consumers will be benefitted from using Nepalis brands that offer guarantee and warrantee services. As per a market survey, nearly 60 per cent market has been occupied by the local product, whereas 40 percent by the international brands.</div> <div> </div> <div> <img alt="Heritage" src="/userfiles/images/hrtg.jpg" style="width: 550px; height: 362px; margin-left: 20px; margin-right: 20px;" /></div> <div> </div>', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2013-09-10', 'modified' => '2013-09-19', 'keywords' => 'the corporate weekly from Nepal, nepali corporate events – news – interviews – reviews, nepali corporate focus, nepali corporate status and news, news from nepali corporate industry, corporate happenings – events – news from nepal', 'description' => 'Being one of the popular local brands ‘Heritage’ mattresses is the favourite choice among the consumers. And, if all goes well, the brand is going to be available in also carpet and furnishing products in near future.', 'sortorder' => '1662', 'image' => null, 'article_date' => '0000-00-00 00:00:00', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => false, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '0' ) ), (int) 2 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '1761', 'article_category_id' => '149', 'title' => 'PLO: A Local Power', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => null, 'content' => '<div> </div> <div> <strong>--By Bhawani Timilsina </strong></div> <div> </div> <table align="right" border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1"> <tbody> <tr> <td> <img alt="Krishna P. Dulal, Director, Purwanchal Lube Oil Pvt Ltd" src="/userfiles/images/kd.jpg" style="width: 200px; height: 207px;" /></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align: center;"> <div> <strong>Krishna P. Dulal</strong></div> <div> Director</div> <div> Purwanchal Lube Oil Pvt Ltd</div> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <div> Purwanchal Lube Oil (PLO), a leading lubricant in the Nepali market, was launched in 2000 by the Purwanchal Lube Oil Pvt Ltd. The company has been living up to meet the challenges of the market – its demands and changes – for over 12 years now. </div> <div> </div> <div> The company finalised a brand logo and name after conducting a small research. Krishna Prasad Dulal, Director of the company says, “We did not have to make a huge effort to select a brand name and logo. We simply chose a name that would represent the eastern region. As our initiation was from Morang district, the brand name PLO helps to maintain our originality among customers.” </div> <div> </div> <div> The company has taken up the challenge to reach out to people across all economic levels with its product – it claims that the main target of its brand is the farmer population in Nepal. According to Dulal, the initial phase of business was rather challenging as people were reluctant to use a local product. “We struggled hard to convince our customers and have been constantly attempting to overcome difficulties through innovative marketing strategies and powerful team unity,” Dulal says.</div> <div> </div> <div> He assures that the company has been using base oil and additives like LITHIUM, HCO, and VI. “The base oil and additives are similar in quality to those used in popular international brands,” Dulal claims, assuring that the company does not compromise with quality. With a total market share of 8 per cent, other products of PLO include 2T Oil, 4T Extra Power, AP-3 Grease, APF Dextron-III, Gear Treat GL-5, GMP Oil, Hydraulic Oil, Mission 2T, PLO Multipurpose III, Active Coolant and Super Plus, PLO Super Multi Grade, Gear Oil (Non-Grade) and PLO Super SAE 40. </div> <div> </div> <div> Over these 12 years, the marketing team and its strategies have been the company’s strength to prop up the brand. Dulal claims that marketing plays a significant role in generating trust among people.“We believe that business can prosper when a brand wins the confidence of its customers,”he says. </div> <div> </div> <div> “About 85 per cent of the lubricants market has been occupied by foreign brands, but 32 per cent of the market still remains with domestic brands,” informs Dulal. “We have a target to win over 20 per cent of the total market of lubricant in Nepal so that 50 per cent of the market will be among Nepali brands.”</div> <div> </div> <div> The company has covered 75 districts, 86 dealers, more than 5000 retailer counters and more than 200,000 customers till date. The cost of the grease and lubricants is priced between Rs 300 to Rs 500 per bottle. Over the years since its inception, the sales and turnover of the company has been increasing annually and the company has been able to expand to markets all over the country. “There is cut-throat completion in the market and domestic lubricant brands have been working together to compete with international products,” says Dulal. </div> <div> </div> <div> The company has also got suggestions from some customers that its focus should now be in manufacturing high-class lubricants that can be used in high-end vehicles. “This will create a possibility for Nepali lubricants to enter the international market, and if that happens, Bhutan and Bangladesh among other countries could be our target markets,” Dulal explains. </div> <div> </div> <div> The company has yet to achieve a lot and the launching of the new ‘Star’ brand for high-end vehicles is a step ahead towards its ultimate goal.</div> <div> </div> <div> <img alt="PLO" src="/userfiles/images/plo1.jpg" style="width: 550px; height: 220px;" /></div>', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2013-09-04', 'modified' => '2013-09-04', 'keywords' => 'the corporate weekly from Nepal, nepali corporate events – news – interviews – reviews, nepali corporate focus, nepali corporate status and news, news from nepali corporate industry, corporate happenings – events – news from nepal', 'description' => 'Purwanchal Lube Oil (PLO), a leading lubricant in the Nepali market, was launched in 2000 by the Purwanchal Lube Oil Pvt Ltd. The company has been living up to meet the challenges of the market – its demands and changes – for over 12 years now.', 'sortorder' => '1622', 'image' => null, 'article_date' => '0000-00-00 00:00:00', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => false, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '0' ) ), (int) 3 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '1709', 'article_category_id' => '149', 'title' => 'Zero-MSG Noodles', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => null, 'content' => '<div> </div> <div> <strong>--By Bhawani Timilsina</strong></div> <div> </div> <table align="right" border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1"> <tbody> <tr> <td> <img alt="Arun KC, Sales Director, Himalayan Snax and Noodles Pvt Ltd" src="/userfiles/images/akc.jpg" style="width: 200px; height: 208px;" /></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align: center;"> <div> <strong>Arun KC</strong></div> <div> Sales Director, Himalayan Snax</div> <div> and Noodles Pvt Ltd</div> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <div> Mayos instant noodle has retained its position as one of the largest selling brands in the Nepali market. “With several years of expertise and commitment, we have carved a niche for ourselves in the market,” says Arun KC, Sales Director of Himalayan Snax and Noodles Pvt Ltd (HSNPL). KC says that noodle consumers were long waiting for a distinct taste in their noodle snack. “Sensing this opportunity, we launched Mayos noodle in 2000 and received an overwhelming response which for us quite excited.”</div> <div> </div> <div> Mayos noodle is now available as Mayos Cup Noodles with distinct additional flavours such as Mayos Khatta Meetha & Mast Masala, chicken & vegetarian package and Mayos Hot and Sour. </div> <div> </div> <div> The company holds 25 per cent of the market share in the brown noodles selling market, KC says. With an aim to serve consumers with healthy products, the company is now producing noodles with OMEGA-3 (Fatty Acid) and has avoided the use of Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) after growing complaints from consumers. The company made this decision after conducting a research that found that use of MSG could damage the health of consumers. “Being healthy as well as tasty, we can assure that the quality of our noodle is distinct from others,” he adds. </div> <div> </div> <div> KC says that the company makes no compromise when it comes to the health and taste of the consumer. “This is the reason why we have always been making an effort to come up with a wide variety of flavours.” </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> The company retails Mayos noodles at Rs 15 per pack of 75gms in both chicken and vegetable flavours with nutritional value per pack at 363 calories and 347.6 calories, respectively. </div> <div> </div> <div> The company at first worked in collaboration with the Thai company Thai President Foods PLC. ShakaLaka Boom, Ru-Chee, Lekali, J-mee, Hurray, Doharee, Jhilke and Humpty Dumpty Krunchy King are other noodles brands under the HSNPL Company.</div> <div> </div> <div> “In the beginning, the tagline ‘It’s the wonderful Mayos Noodles’ helped us strengthen our branding. We also came up with coupon schemes as a promotional campaign later on, KC recalls, claiming the brand has been successful as it has stayed in the minds and hearts of people. </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> According to the KC, competition has increased as a wide range of noodles have emerged in recent times. “We do focus on experimenting with innovative concepts help us identify with the interest of consumers,” he mentions, with regard to this. “In order to integrate novel flavours and packaging format, a mixed fortification of Vitamin A, Calcium, Iron and Proteins has been introduced to all flavours of Mayos products. The Vitamin A, Calcium and Iron components in in Shaka Laka Boom and Ru-Chee noodles was a part of our contribution to address malnutrition since 2007,” he says. </div> <div> </div> <div> Mayos products have also won fame in an international market. “Throughout the years, our domestic markets as well as export markets have had constant expansion into leading regions,” he says. “We have grown up now from being a local product to an internationally recognized one over our 13-year-long journey, and our popularity has been driven by the trust of our consumers,” he states.</div> <div> </div> <div> In the seven years of operation in the export market, HSNPL has witnessed a lot of ups and downs, but it is the customers’ satisfaction policy helps HSNPL stand on its distinct value, KC reveals. “Our main motto has always been customer satisfaction – whether it is for health reasons or satisfaction in taste,” he says.</div> <div> </div> <div> </div>', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2013-08-27', 'modified' => '2013-09-19', 'keywords' => 'the corporate weekly from Nepal, nepali corporate events – news – interviews – reviews, nepali corporate focus, nepali corporate status and news, news from nepali corporate industry, corporate happenings – events – news from nepal', 'description' => 'Mayos instant noodle has retained its position as one of the largest selling brands in the Nepali market.', 'sortorder' => '1570', 'image' => null, 'article_date' => '0000-00-00 00:00:00', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => false, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '0' ) ), (int) 4 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '1672', 'article_category_id' => '149', 'title' => 'Steady Manufacturers', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => null, 'content' => '<div> <strong>--By Suraksha Adhikari</strong></div> <div> </div> <table align="right" border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1"> <tbody> <tr> <td> <img alt="Rajesh Agrawal Director, RMC" src="/userfiles/images/ra.jpg" style="width: 200px; height: 211px;" /></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align: center;"> <div> <strong> Rajesh Agrawal</strong></div> <div> Director, RMC</div> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <div> Established in 1993, Rajesh Metal Crafts Ltd (RMC) has been a familiar name in the steel and manufacturing business. Initially established as Rajesh Hardware Company, it only imported steel from Japan, Korea and other countries. But with the increase in manufacturing activities in the country, the partners of Rajesh Hardware Company decided to enter the metal business themselves and established RMC. </div> <div> </div> <div> Named after the Company Director, the venture began as a family business which commenced with the concept of constructing paint packing steel drums with an initial investment of Rs 5 million. With a widening scope for metal business in Nepal over the years, RMC has been expanding business accordingly and is considered as one of the best manufacture service providers in Nepal today.</div> <div> </div> <div> “We had no experience in the manufacturing industry but were confident that the business will surely succeed in time and as per expectations, business expanded with the rising living standards of people,” said Director of RMC, Rajesh Agrawal.</div> <div> </div> <div> Explaining the initial phase, Agrawal said, “There was no concept of industrialisation during the initial years. Now the country is moving forward in this aspect. Though the Maoist problem had created hindrance mid-way, it has been improving now.”</div> <div> </div> <div> Initially focused on local traders only, RMC also began to export steel to India. Forty per cent of the annual turnover that the company registers today is earned through exports. RMC cement has also recently started exporting from Nepal and is the first company in Nepal to do so.</div> <div> </div> <div> The company has been providing quality products to its consumers including MS black pipe, GI Pipe, Galvanised Corrugated Sheets, GI Sheets, CR sheets and Colour Coated Sheets.</div> <div> </div> <div> Having 150 dealers all over the country, the company faced a couple of hurdles on the way to success. “The Maoist problem and political instability are the biggest hindrances to the growth of the company,” states Agrawal. Along with this, Agrawal believes that power outage has also created a lot of problems in the production of manufacturing materials.</div> <div> </div> <div> Focusing on positive aspects, Agrawal highlights the growth of consumerism in recent years. “With the growth of various aspects of the economy, the affordability of consumers has been increasing. With this, consumerism in steel has also been increasing.”</div> <div> </div> <div> “In villages, people who had thatched roof houses are slowly transforming to steel sheets with a rise in their living standards,” he said.</div> <div> </div> <div> The per capita steel consumption of Nepal is 30kg per person which is one of the lowest in the world. “A stable political condition in the country can boost the steel market,” Agrawal added, speaking about the high scope of steel consumption here. </div> <div> </div> <div> RMC has been a consistent brand for the last 15 years. Talking about market shares, Agwaral said that it is 50 per cent in black pipes, 25 percent in CR sheets and 20 percent in GI pipes. “We have aimed to increase exports with value addition to products by forward and backward integration,” he stated. </div> <div> </div> <div> Having started with around 15 employees only, the company now has 480 employees hired. The RMC group also has investments in H&B Development Bank and Prudential Insurance Company.</div> <div> </div> <div> Talking about support from the government Agrawal said, “The government has provided tax free provisions for our exports.” Full time electricity to all industries would be appreciated but the government is not in the condition to fulfill such requirements. We should take some steps ourselves to solve this problem, “he added.</div> <div> </div> <div> Considering the Jagadamba Company in the Pipe industry and Hulas Steels and Arati Steels in GI Sheets as major competitors, the company is well on its own track to provide quality products to consumers with an annual turnover of Rs 5 billion, according to Agrawal. </div> <div> </div> <div> As a part of its promotional campaign and advertisement, the company has been disseminating information through Agrawal Television Commercials, Print advertisements, audio advertisement in FM and scratch coupon schemes for consumers. </div> <div> </div> <div> “Fulfilling corporate social responsibility, we have installed water tanks in the villages of the employees of the company, and have been providing free medical treatment for the families of our workers,” Agrawal said. </div> <div> </div> <div> With plans to construct a clinker-based cement industry in Palpa, the company now aims to produce clinkers in Nepal itself – a product which was thus far only imported from India. </div>', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2013-08-20', 'modified' => '0000-00-00', 'keywords' => 'the corporate weekly from Nepal, nepali corporate events – news – interviews – reviews, nepali corporate focus, nepali corporate status and news, news from nepali corporate industry, corporate happenings – events – news from nepal', 'description' => 'Established in 1993, Rajesh Metal Crafts Ltd (RMC) has been a familiar name in the steel and manufacturing business.', 'sortorder' => '1533', 'image' => null, 'article_date' => '0000-00-00 00:00:00', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => false, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '0' ) ), (int) 5 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '1621', 'article_category_id' => '149', 'title' => 'Going From Strength To Strength', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => null, 'content' => '<div> </div> <div> <strong>--By Suraksha Adhikari</strong></div> <div> </div> <table align="right" border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1"> <tbody> <tr> <td> <img alt="Bhaskar Munankarmi, Assistant Manager, Him Electronics Pvt Ltd" src="/userfiles/images/bhaskar(1).jpg" style="width: 175px; height: 185px;" /></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align: center;"> <div> <strong>Bhaskar Munankarmi</strong></div> <div> <em>Assistant Manager</em></div> <div> <em>Him Electronics Pvt Ltd</em></div> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <div> Him Electronics Pvt Ltd was established in 1988 as a Consumer Electronics (CE) distributor in Nepal. A sister-concern of the Golchha Organisation, it is today the largest dealership and manufacturer of consumer electronics in the country. The company was established with the technical assistance of Sanyo Electrical Co Ltd and the Himstar brand was subsequently introduced with black and white televisions. Since then, the range of products offered by the brand has grown to cover some home appliances as well. </div> <div> </div> <div> The brand name ‘Himstar’ was kept so as to keep uniform and associated with the company Him Electronics Pvt Ltd. “The logo has a star in it, combined with yellow, black and white colours which are quite visible and justifies our motto of creating brand visibility,” says Bhaskar Munankarmi, Assistant Manager at Him Electronics Pvt Ltd. </div> <div> </div> <div> In the initial phase, the company focused on electric products like CFL, after which it gradually shifted to consumer electronics. “We have a variety of products and they are popular not just due to our reasonable price but also for our prompt service, after sales facility and best quality material,” claims Munankarmi. </div> <div> </div> <div> With more than 250 employees at present, the company’s popularity has risen gradually. “This has not been an overnight success - our patience and hard work has led us to our present position.” </div> <div> </div> <div> Him Electronics did not have a strong dealership network to begin with and had fewer portfolios in the market but it strengthened its network and added goods which led it to become a recognised brand. “Ever since the establishment of the company, continued effort was put in to provide better, efficient and prompt after sales service which has reinstated the service motive stronger than before,” Munankarmi explains. </div> <div> </div> <div> Initially focusing on the production of televisions, the company expanded its service to the production of electronic products keeping in mind the increasing requirements of customers today. This helped widen its scope and popularity in the last two decades. The company’s products were targeted to a middle class market that desired quality products at an affordable price, and it claims that it is the most affordable brand with good quality for middle class consumers. </div> <div> </div> <div> With 250 employees and 300 dealers across the country, the company is currently providing its services in Birtamod, Itahari, Biratnagar, Lahan, Janakpur, Birgunj, Narayanghat, Butwal, Pokhara, Dang, Nepalgunj and Dhangadi besides the Kathmandu Valley. “We have not planned to enter the international market as currently our focus is to cover the national market successfully,” states Munankarmi. </div> <div> </div> <div> With a strong market presence despite tough competition, the Himstar group believes that it has proven that brand issues come second to quality. “Despite well established competitors including CG, Videocon, Sony and Whirlpool, our quality products have maintained a good name in the mind of the consumer,” says Munankarmi. </div> <div> </div> <div> Himstar’s market share is approximately 18 per cent but the company aims to increase the number to 25 per cent in upcoming years for which a range of products are being marketed aggressively, according to Munankarmi. </div> <div> </div> <div> The list so far includes televisions, audio/video systems, refrigerators, washing machines, air conditioners, vacuum cleaners, microwave ovens, wrist watches, CFLs, circuit breakers and more. Along with these, the company is planning to provide a complete package of home appliances as they are preparing to penetrate the upper middle class market by tailoring its products according to demand. </div> <div> </div> <div> Focusing on strengthening its brand to enter this new turf, Him Electronics continues to maintain an incremental rate of profit of 20-25 per cent each year as a key part of its market strategy.</div>', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2013-08-12', 'modified' => '2013-08-12', 'keywords' => 'the corporate weekly from Nepal, nepali corporate events – news – interviews – reviews, nepali corporate focus, nepali corporate status and news, news from nepali corporate industry, corporate happenings – events – news from nepal', 'description' => 'Him Electronics Pvt Ltd was established in 1988 as a Consumer Electronics (CE) distributor in Nepal. A sister-concern of the Golchha Organisation, it is today the largest dealership and manufacturer of consumer electronics in the country.', 'sortorder' => '1482', 'image' => null, 'article_date' => '0000-00-00 00:00:00', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => false, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '0' ) ), (int) 6 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '1582', 'article_category_id' => '149', 'title' => 'Quality Is A Sign Of Success', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => null, 'content' => '<div> </div> <div> <strong>--By Suraksha Adhikari</strong></div> <div> </div> <table align="right" border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1"> <tbody> <tr> <td> <img alt="Devraj Mishra ,Chairman Karuna Interior Pvt Ltd" src="/userfiles/images/DEVRAJ.jpg" style="width: 175px; height: 192px;" /></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align: center;"> <div> <strong>Devraj Mishra</strong></div> <div> Chairman</div> <div> Karuna Interior Pvt Ltd</div> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <div> Karuna Interior Pvt Ltd, a familiar name for interior works and furniture was established in 1990. After three years of operation, the company expanded itself to the field of metal structural works and aluminum fabrication. </div> <div> </div> <div> Named after the mother of chairman, Devraj Mishra, the venture began as a family business which commenced wooden furniture manufacturing in 2005. With the widening scope of furniture business, Karuna has enhanced its services and has now become one of the best interior service providers in Nepal. </div> <div> </div> <div> “What we create for you is not our creation, but your own,” says chairman Mishra, explaining the company’s tagline “The user is the dreamer; the dreamer, the owner”. </div> <div> </div> <div> “We have a variety of products and they are popular among our clients not only due to the reasonable price but also for our prompt service, amazing designs and best quality materials,” added Mishra. </div> <div> </div> <div> With more than 40 employees at present, the company faced many ups and downs from its inception to its current market status. “Our main hurdles ranged from the lack of knowledge among customers on interior design and conventional practice of not adhering to advice, poor discussion during design phase, the inability to visualise the end product and demands for change after work is done with,” informed Mishra. </div> <div> </div> <div> Considering all problems and crises as good lessons, the company actively introduced a new technique to run business and has been dealing with interior design related products and services among customers who want to decorate residential buildings, offices in commercial complexes or private buildings. </div> <div> </div> <div> The company asserts that its target groups are middle and upper-middle class families - their individual homes, apartments or rented living spaces; banks and financial institutions, corporate business houses, hotels/ restaurants, schools/colleges and government offices. </div> <div> </div> <div> With a single outlet at Gairidhara Kathmandu, the company’s market mostly extends to the Capital only. According to Executive Director Bipin Sharma, the company is focused on customer satisfaction with after sales service quality. </div> <div> </div> <div> The company does not believe in competition as it believes that the best one always stands out without having to compete. “The brand name is a strength in itself and our dedication towards our customers will ensure its strength in the future,” adds Sharma. </div> <div> </div> <div> Sharma says the company has annual advertisement plan through print media. The company focus on social networking as well. </div> <div> </div> <div> With plans to construct a well-equipped factory in Dahachok, Kathmandu and an expanding showroom space in Gairidhara, the team at Karuna Interior Pvt. Ltd. continues to provide satisfying services to its customers.</div> <div> </div>', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2013-08-06', 'modified' => '0000-00-00', 'keywords' => 'the corporate weekly from Nepal, nepali corporate events – news – interviews – reviews, nepali corporate focus, nepali corporate status and news, news from nepali corporate industry, corporate happenings – events – news from nepal', 'description' => 'Karuna Interiors Pvt Ltd has come a long way in establishing its market in interior design services', 'sortorder' => '1443', 'image' => null, 'article_date' => '0000-00-00 00:00:00', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => false, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '0' ) ), (int) 7 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '1536', 'article_category_id' => '149', 'title' => 'Over 1000 Nepal Made Vehicles On The Road', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => null, 'content' => '<div> <img alt="Hulas Motors" src="/userfiles/images/hulas.jpg" style="width: 500px; height: 100px; margin: 5px;" /></div> <div> </div> <div> <strong>--By Shruti Sonthalia</strong></div> <div> </div> <table align="right" border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1"> <tbody> <tr> <td> <img alt="Surendra Golchha Director, Golchha Organisation" src="/userfiles/images/Surendra%20Golchha.jpg" style="width: 160px; height: 157px;" /></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align: center;"> <div> <strong>Surendra Golchha</strong></div> <div> Director, Golchha Organisation</div> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <div> Hulas Motors was established in the year 1996, as a sister concern of Golchha Organisation. “We started this unit to produce a multi-utility vehicle,” said Surendra Golchha, Director, Golchha Organisation. Farmers, the major customers of Hulas Agro, would use bullock carts to transport pump sets to and from their field. Producing a vehicle that could be powered by the pump set engine itself was thought of. It would double as motor engine for transporting itself to the field where it would do the pumping job and would again be used as motor engine on the way back. </div> <div> </div> <div> “Hulas Bhaye Aru Kina Khojne,” is the tagline of the sole motor producers of Nepal. The essence of the tagline is ‘an end to your search’ and is a universal tagline for all the products manufactured by the group. </div> <div> </div> <div> The vehicles are designed in two categories, passenger and cargo vehicles. The company manufactures mini utility vehicle (MUV) and light commercial vehicle (LCV). Mustang and Sherpa are major products of the company. ‘Bhudeo Khadya Udyog’, another unit of the organization manufacturing rice, aata, pulses with the brand name of Hulas, which is also used in steel utensils, corrugated iron-sheets, etc. “We are actively working on bringing electrical vehicles,” Golchha said about the product in pipeline. </div> <div> </div> <div> Speaking of the challenges, Golchha says, ” The concept of getting into this venture was in itself a challenge.” He stated that, producing a vehicle which can move with minimum safety requirement is another challenge. Similarly, it is also a problem to get the Made-in-Nepal vehicle registered in Nepal as the system here is still such that as if the vehicles can only be imported. So, the authorities insist for import documents even for a Made-in-Nepal vehicle. “To meet the demands of the customers and to maintain the cost of the vehicle,” were some of the hurdles the brand faced. The Director states that the product’s major competition is from India. Golchha observes that over the years there has been a tremendous growth in the quality, finish and comfort level of the vehicles from Hulas Motors. </div> <div> </div> <div> The factory of Hulas Motors is situated in Biratnagar employing 110 skilled workers. Maximum work is done manually. The factory produces 100 vehicles per year at present. “We aim to produce at least 400 vehicles a year,” projects Golchha. </div> <div> </div> <div> About the marketing activities, Hulas believe in person-to-person and point-of-sales marketing instead of using mass media. The reason for the same being that the customer segment of the brand is not suitable for mass media. The market share of Hulas Motors, according to Golchha is 10-15 percent with an annual turnover of approx Rs 7-8 crores. The products are distributed through 9 dealers nationwide. </div> <div> </div> <div> Hulas Motors as a company does not indulge in any kind of CSR activities, but it adds to the contributions of the Golchha Organisation. The organization broadly practices CSR, providing scholarship, support in the times of disasters i.e. as relief funds. They have opened ‘Ramlal Golchha Eye Hospital Foundation’ in Biratnagar. Group renders help to construct school buildings. The organization also gives medical aid to the local people of the places where their units are placed. </div> <div> </div> <div> “Nepal is an amazing country with lots of scope and opportunities,” Golcha said. The government’s vision for industrialization is lacking and the company is trying to push the government for this. The company is known for the after sale service with centers present almost everywhere the Hulas Motors units are present. This helps the company to maintain the image and acceptability.</div> <div> <img alt="Mustang" src="/userfiles/images/mustang.jpg" style="width: 250px; height: 218px; margin: 5px;" /> <img alt="Mustang" src="/userfiles/images/mustang1.jpg" style="width: 250px; height: 218px; margin: 5px;" /></div>', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2013-07-30', 'modified' => '2013-07-30', 'keywords' => 'the corporate weekly from Nepal, nepali corporate events – news – interviews – reviews, nepali corporate focus, nepali corporate status and news, news from nepali corporate industry, corporate happenings – events – news from nepal', 'description' => 'Hulas Motors was established in the year 1996, as a sister concern of Golchha Organisation.', 'sortorder' => '1397', 'image' => null, 'article_date' => '0000-00-00 00:00:00', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => false, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '0' ) ), (int) 8 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '1489', 'article_category_id' => '149', 'title' => 'The Dairy Pioneers', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => null, 'content' => '<div> </div> <div> <strong>--By Shruti Sonthalia</strong></div> <div> </div> <table align="right" border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" width="15%"> <tbody> <tr> <td bgcolor="#FFFFFF" style="text-align: center;"> <img align="baseline" alt="Sanjit Kumar Rajbhandari Senior Manager for sales and marketing Chitwan Co-E Group" src="/userfiles/images/Sanjit%20Kumar%20Rajbhandari.jpg" style="border-width: 0px; border-style: solid; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; width: 200px; height: 230px;" /></td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#FFFFFF" style="text-align: center;"> <div> <strong>Sanjit Kumar Rajbhandari</strong></div> <div> <em>Senior Manager</em></div> <div> <em>for sales and marketing</em></div> <div> <em>Chitwan Co-E Group</em></div> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <div> ‘ Rahul’ - Pure Taste of Nepal, is a powder milk brand promoted by the Chitawon Coe Group known for infrastructure development and construction business. After the successful venture of the Manakamana Cable Cars, the group has started another pioneering project - Chitawon Milk Limited - which is the only private company in Nepal to produce powdered milk - others in the market being imported products. </div> <div> </div> <div> Rahul has hit the markets with the tagline ‘Har Din Har Pal’, giving the dairy product a sense of being a basic necessity in daily life. Senior manager for sales and marketing Sanjit Kumar Rajbhandari says that the major challenge for the brand is the unavailability or scarcity of raw milk as the company has not been able to reach good capacity utilization. </div> <div> </div> <div> Factory at Chitwan, has 150 workers using fully-automatic machines. The factory has a processing capacity of 150,000 litres of milk and an output rate of 15 tonnes of milk powder per day. The factory uses German technology such as the Alpha Laval machinery and the NIRO-GEA, a multi stage spray-drying technology. The in-house lab of the factory is equipped with high-tech facilities such as Milk-San from FOSS-Denmark, a company that produces analytical instruments for quality control. </div> <div> </div> <div> Other products by Rahul apart from powder milk include ghee, skim milk powder (SMP) and dairy whitener. Since all products use milk as their basic ingredient, productivity varies given its scarcity in Nepal. Rahul, however, targets to produce 50 tonnes of ghee every month. </div> <div> </div> <div> For marketing, Rahul uses print as well as electronic media. “We also participate in events, especially family and housewife targeted events, “says Rajbhandari. The company is seen to sponsor events during the Teej festival. </div> <div> </div> <div> The products are distributed in all 75 districts in Nepal with the help of 50 dealers. The products also reach the inaccessible regions, like Solukhumbu and Jumla, through air lifting. The SMP product has been exported to Pakistan since the last two years on a regular basis. The company owns 50 percent of market segment for dairy whiteners used for tea and coffee and it sells 600 tonnes of dairy whitener according to Rajbhandari. Additionally, the consumer pack of SMP for health-conscious people is the company’s new product in the pipeline. </div> <div> </div> <div> The senior manager, explains about the two seasons of raw milk i.e. lean and flush. In lean season there is less availability of raw milk and in flush season there is excess milk supply from farmers.Because of this powder plant, milk holiday problem was solved in the country. To counter the problem of scarcity, Chitawon Milk Limited helps farmers by providing nutritious cattle feed, grass, and free health services for the cattle so that it leads to an increased production of milk.</div> <div> </div>', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2013-07-23', 'modified' => '2013-07-24', 'keywords' => 'the corporate weekly from Nepal, nepali corporate events – news – interviews – reviews, nepali corporate focus, nepali corporate status and news, news from nepali corporate industry, corporate happenings – events – news from nepal', 'description' => '‘ Rahul’ - Pure Taste of Nepal, is a powder milk brand promoted by the Chitawon Coe Group known for infrastructure development and construction business.', 'sortorder' => '1350', 'image' => null, 'article_date' => '0000-00-00 00:00:00', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => false, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '0' ) ), (int) 9 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '1404', 'article_category_id' => '149', 'title' => 'Steady Progress To The Top', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => null, 'content' => '<p> <strong>Chairman Deepak Shrestha and Managing Director Amrit Pd Dwa with Brand Ambassador Rajesh Hamal (Center).</strong><br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <strong>By Shruti Sonthalia</strong><br /> <br /> <br /> Nepatop, a manufacturing company of plastic water-storage tanks, compost bins, water pumps, pipes and fittings among other polythene-based products, was established in the year 1999 by Chairperson Deepak Shrestha and Managing Director Amrit Prasad Dwa. Friends prior to being colleagues, the duo got their acumen together to form what stands today as a respectable ISO certified company.<br /> <br /> Assuring as the tagline “Sab thikthak!” sounds, the journey of Nepatop as a business venture has indeed been alright. Major issues that pose challenge include the increasing rate of currency exchange which has nearly doubled since the time of the company’s birth. This of course adds to the cost of raw materials the company has to import.<br /> <br /> Other challenges include availability of labour – the lack of which can hamper the company’s progress. Nepatop, nevertheless, is sailing fine with 300 workers today. Shrestha, who believes that Nepalis ought to support their home economy instead of going abroad for opportunities, observes the changing patterns in human resource in his company: “Initially we had to hire engineers and trainers from abroad but today, I am proud to say that we have a strong Nepali manpower to complete the job,” he says.<br /> <br /> Nepatop started business by producing water storage tanks, has indeed been alright. Major issues that pose challenge include the increasing rate of currency exchange which has nearly doubled since the time of the company’s birth. This of course adds to the cost of raw materials the company has to import.<br /> <br /> Other challenges include availability of labour – the followed by water pumps, PPR pipes and fittings, HDPE pipes, UPVC pipes and fittings, and a new product is expected by 2014. The company aims to satisfy its customers by maintaining good quality and providing after-sale services, which is also a part of its marketing strategy. Additionally, Nepatop products are advertised in style with Rajesh Hamal as their brand ambassador.<br /> <br /> The company has four workstations three in the capital itself and one in Nuwakot, covering an area of 60,000 square feet all fully automatic plants producing 20- 25 metric tonne of goods per day. The market share for each of its products is different-the company has 75 percent of the market in PPR pipes, 16- 18 percent in water tanks, 25 percent in UPVC and less than 2-3 percent in HDPE.<br /> <br /> In terms of production capacity, the company still needs to achieve another 20- 25 percent of the current amount produced. But with 17 distribution channels in place countrywide, Nepatop seems to have good infrastructure in place to assure a steady progress in the future. Shrestha mentions that the company is one of the largest tax payers in the country. But on a more positive note, he forecasts with believable confidence that Nepatop will be the largest producers of plastic pipes and fittings by 2020.<br /> <br /> </p>', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2013-07-15', 'modified' => '0000-00-00', 'keywords' => 'the corporate weekly from Nepal, nepali corporate events – news – interviews – reviews, nepali corporate focus, nepali corporate status and news, news from nepali corporate industry, corporate happenings – events – news from nepal', 'description' => 'Nepatop, a manufacturing company of plastic water-storage tanks, compost bins, water pumps, pipes and fittings among other polythene-based products, was established in the year 1999 by Chairperson Deepak Shrestha and Managing Director Amrit Prasad Dwa. Friends prior to being colleagues, the duo got their acumen together to form what stands today as a respectable ISO certified company.', 'sortorder' => '1266', 'image' => '1373884811.jpg', 'article_date' => '0000-00-00 00:00:00', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => false, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '0' ) ), (int) 10 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '1315', 'article_category_id' => '149', 'title' => 'Shinning Brand Of Nepal:GoldStar', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => null, 'content' => '<p> <strong><span style="font-size: 12px;">--By Sujan Dhungana</span></strong></p> <p> <span style="font-size: 12px;">‘ Hathi Baliyo Ki Hathi Chhap Chappal Baliyo.’ Does this ring a bell? Yes, it is the age-old slogan of “Hatichaap” slippers from the Universal Group. Being the conglomerate of ‘Modern Slipper Industries Pvt Ltd’ and ‘Kiran Shoes Manufacturers,’ Universal group is shoe-manufacturer for its ever-supporting customers. The manufacturing history dates back to 1980(slippers) and 1985(shoes) under the chairmanship of Noor Pratap Rana. The MD is Amir Pratap Rana.</span></p> <p> The company witnessed an unprecedented growth in every sphere, i.e. demand, production and skilled labour force (then 30 employees now 2000). Rajan Shrestha, head Sales and Marketing, explains the problems faced by the company, so far. The foremost being during the Maoists insurgency. Thus, the government did not allow smooth supply of the shoes. “Counterfeiting is our major problem wherein our product is copied illegally,” says Shrestha. According to him, a legal battle was fought to resolve the issue which curbed the practice in Nepal but it still continues in some neighbouring countries. Though domestic production alone caters to 55 per cent of Shoes demand, 45 per cent is still imported from India and China. According to him, this causes taxation problem at a major scale and poses threat to Nepali market.</p> <p> Shrestha believes that raw material dependency is salt on the wound, as more than 90 per cent of the raw material is imported. He says that the company cannot alter its price structure so frequently despite the instability of dollar therefore, importing of raw material lowers down their profits. Lack of skilled labour force is another hindrance. The company arranges for a 6 month training (by the older staffs) to make its employees learn the art of shoe-making.</p> <p> In spite of these problems the company has stood strong in the competition. Shrestha confirms, ‘the consistency in quality’ as the pillar behind their undaunted success. At present “Goldstar” does not indulge in any sort of branding and marketing exercise. The brand’s ‘Made In Nepal’ image has helped the company stand firm in their position for years, Shrestha says. </p> <p> The Universal Group functions in 5 different units, which carry out different steps of shoe-making. These units produce varieties both in shoes and slippers. For even distribution the products across the country, the company follows a distribution network (dealers-wholesalers, retailers). With a double-digit growth every year the company is planning to capture the international market as well. With this thought Goldstar aims at ten million pairs a production which is around 8 million at present.</p> <p> Regarding CSR practiced by the company, Shrestha says the company does not believe in publicity of their donations. Providing scholarship to the children of the employees and others, giving computers to the government schools are some of the CSR activities undertaken by the company. Last year the company provided four motorcycles to the police for easy accessibility. Shrestha says, “Our quality is our brand ambassador”, hence the ‘value for money’ proposition makes Goldstar the real star. </p> <p> (With help from Shruti Sonthalia)</p> <p> </p>', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2013-07-02', 'modified' => '0000-00-00', 'keywords' => 'the corporate weekly from Nepal, nepali corporate events – news – interviews – reviews, nepali corporate focus, nepali corporate status and news, news from nepali corporate industry, corporate happenings – events – news from nepal', 'description' => 'The brand’s ‘MADE IN NEPAL’ image has helped the company stand firm in their position for years.', 'sortorder' => '1177', 'image' => null, 'article_date' => '0000-00-00 00:00:00', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => false, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '0' ) ), (int) 11 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '1206', 'article_category_id' => '149', 'title' => 'Rumpum Instrumental In Breaking Monopoly Market', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => null, 'content' => '<p> <strong>Mahesh Jaju <br /> Managing Director <br /> Asian Thai Foods<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> </strong></p> <p> <strong>By Upashana Neupane</strong><br /> <br /> Launched 13 years ago in the market, Rumpum brown noodles with its unique taste has become a household name in Nepal. The brand, which was launched in late 90s with a massive media campaign, was initially targeted at the 8-18 year-old. However, over the years, the brand, has slowly become a favourite among households and working class people. According to Managing Director Mahesh Jaju Rumpum is now the leading brown noodle in Eastern Development Region. <br /> <br /> Available in two flavours -- chicken and vegetarian, Rumpum is a Nepali noodle which tastes like Singapore soup. The noodle is rich in nutrients such as Vitamin A, Vitamin D3, Calcium and Proteins, the company says. Asian Thai Foods P. Ltd., a Sharda & Jaju Group joint venture, entered into the brown noodle segment at a time when there was monopoly in the market of brown noodles. But Rumpum, with its ability to adapt to the changing market, soon proved that it was here to stay. <br /> <br /> “We are very conscious about the brands. We have a very strong research dept and an international quality lab to check our products regularly to uphold our standards,” shares Mr. Jaju. Meanwhile, as more brands entered into the market, competition intensified. To attract consumers, Rumpum has been running various consumer schemes to attract new consumers including the initial highly successful offer of putting a toffee along with each Rumpum. <br /> <br /> The company, which was started with 250 employees, now has 600. Rumpum is currently the largest exported brand to be made and exported from Nepal to India. Besides they also export regularly to USA, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Malaysia and countries in the Gulf, according to Asian Thai Foods. Managing Director Mahesh Jaju says, ‘’Brands stand the test of time only if they do not compromise on quality. One has to be able to be position a product differently from the rest to push the brand towards success’’, he concludes. As part of the CSR, besides supporting various sport activities, cultural programs etc, the company has time and again provided noodle during natural calamities.<br /> <br /> </p>', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2013-06-29', 'modified' => '0000-00-00', 'keywords' => 'the corporate weekly from Nepal, nepali corporate events – news – interviews – reviews, nepali corporate focus, nepali corporate status and news, news from nepali corporate industry, corporate happenings – events – news from nepal', 'description' => 'the corporate weekly from Nepal, nepali corporate events – news – interviews – reviews, nepali corporate focus, nepali corporate status and news, news from nepali corporate industry, corporate happenings – events – news from nepal', 'sortorder' => '1068', 'image' => null, 'article_date' => '0000-00-00 00:00:00', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => false, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '0' ) ) ) $current_user = null $logged_in = false $xml = falseinclude - APP/View/Elements/side_bar.ctp, line 133 View::_evaluate() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 971 View::_render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 933 View::_renderElement() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 1224 View::element() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 418 include - APP/View/Articles/index.ctp, line 157 View::_evaluate() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 971 View::_render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 933 View::render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 473 Controller::render() - CORE/Cake/Controller/Controller.php, line 968 Dispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 200 Dispatcher::dispatch() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 167 [main] - APP/webroot/index.php, line 117
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Introduced in 1992, it stands true to its initial motto “Drink safe water and be healthy”. The brand was launched by Aqua Minerals Pvt Ltd at a time when huge amount of purified water used to be imported from foreign countries in lack of domestic brand, that could correspond to the market’s need, Rabin Shrestha, Business Manager at Aqua Minerals, says. </div> <div> </div> <div> Aqua Hundred is market leader in purified water since the beginning of the brand. Named combining two words: Aqua and Hundred (Aqua means Water and hundred represents the 100 per cent purity), its logo has oval shape of waves, that symbolise water.</div> <div> </div> <div> Aqua Hundred is the pioneer to introduce big jar for purified water in Nepali market. It changed common perception among people that bottled, purified water is available only in 1 litre or half litre bottles. “In the initial days, when we introduced big jars, people were surprised and used to stare at us,” Shrestha says, “Now the scenario has changed and Aqua Hundred has become popular and has established itself as must have drinking water in every household.” </div> <div> </div> <div> Reflecting two decades of business journey, Shrestha says that the company was started with a commitment to provide quality water to the customers and has continued doing so, sustaining many ups and downs. “Aqua Hundred was launched to address the drinking water scarcity in Kathmandu valley and as direct response to growing awareness and demand of people for clean and pure drinking water,” Shrestha informs.</div> <div> </div> <div> Initially, 19 litre jar and half litre mineral water bottle were launched. By now Aqua Hundred has expanded to varieties of products like cup water, ice-cubes and chlorine solutions. </div> <div> </div> <div> Shrestha says, in the initial days Aqua Hundred made massive publicity campaigns in electronic and print media, hoarding boards and like to promote the brand. Now customers are familiar to the brand and it has become a brand to trust in. “We have always prioritized ‘quality’, thus have won the trust of our customers,” he says.</div> <div> </div> <div> <img alt="aqua hundred" src="/userfiles/images/bt2%20(Copy).jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0px 10px 0px 0px;width: 200px; height: 321px;" />Aqua Hundred with the tagline is “Sabaiko Bishwashilo Paani (Everyone’s Trustworthy Water)” has customers’ faith as it has always been providing best quality consistently. “Consistency is most important to sustain in the market,” Shrestha says, “Providing good quality is not sufficient. One should also continue fulfilling commitments.”</div> <div> </div> <div> The company has an in-house lab of its own and each product is tested before getting into the market. Aqua Hundred Jar is a polycarbonate jar which is recommended for reusable purpose. Aqua Hundred is ISO 9001:2008 certified company but Shrestha says that the best award Aqua Hundred has ever got is the faith of its customers. We have always believed in customer’s satisfaction and their loyalty. </div> <div> </div> <div> Shrestha says, due to unstable political scenario of Nepal, it is difficult to grow and sustain in the market. Similarly, illegal and low quality bottled water has been ruining the image of the entire industry. He says all those companies and products should be properly monitored or banned by the concerned authority. In the near future, Aqua Hundred has plans to spread its market outside the valley too.</div> <div> </div> <div> Shrestha says we should promote Nepali products. “If best quality product is available within our own country, why to use foreign brands?,” he says, “Be Nepali, Buy Nepali”.</div>', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2013-12-10', 'modified' => '2013-12-17', 'keywords' => 'the corporate weekly from Nepal, nepali corporate events – news – interviews – reviews, nepali corporate focus, nepali corporate status and news, news from nepali corporate industry, corporate happenings – events – news from nepal', 'description' => 'Aqua Hundred carries 21 years of glorious history of providing purified water in Nepali market. Introduced in 1992, it stands true to its initial motto “Drink safe water and be healthy”. The brand was launched by Aqua Minerals Pvt Ltd at a time when huge amount of purified water used to be imported from foreign countries in lack of domestic brand, that could correspond to the market’s need, Rabin Shrestha, Business Manager at Aqua Minerals, says.', 'sortorder' => '2105', 'image' => null, 'article_date' => '0000-00-00 00:00:00', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => false, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '0' ) ), (int) 1 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '1801', 'article_category_id' => '149', 'title' => 'Have A Heritage Sleep, Balaji Now Eyeing On Carpet', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => null, 'content' => '<div> </div> <div> <strong>--By Bhawani Timilsina </strong></div> <table align="right" border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px"> <tbody> <tr> <td> <img alt="Hemraj Dhakal, Director, Balaji Coir Industries Pvt Ltd" src="/userfiles/images/hd.jpg" style="border-width: 0px; border-style: solid; width: 200px; height: 209px;" /></td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#FFFFFF"> <div align="center"> <div> <strong>Hemraj Dhakal</strong></div> <div> Director</div> <div> Balaji Coir Industries Pvt Ltd</div> </div> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <div> </div> <div> Being one of the popular local brands ‘Heritage’ mattresses is the favourite choice among the consumers. And, if all goes well, the brand is going to be available in also carpet and furnishing products in near future.</div> <div> </div> <div> “Heritage, by its name, reflects that the product is classic. And that we are also exploring business opportunities in carpet and furnishing goods,” says, Hemraj Dhakal, Director of the Balaji Coir Industries Pvt Ltd (BCIPL).</div> <div> </div> <div> The mattress segment is the key component of the BCIPL. The product was introduced in 2004. “With almost a decade long experience, the company has become successful to surpass all other international brands. We have been attempting to assess quality and comfort through heritage mattress, he says. The company imports raw materials from India, Malaysia, China, Bangladesh, Thailand etc. “We design our products according to the requirements and demand of the consumers,” Dhakal said.</div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> The company used to import mattresses from India in initial phase. Later the company had to face numerous problems and they decided to start their own production in Nepal. The major raw materials are coconut fiber and latex that adds natural quality to the product. They follow an international technology during manufacturing process to ensure quality. “We have a lab testing facility and with its inception we have surpassed all the other imported products. Nepalis consumers prefer our brand as it assures both quality and comfort,” he claims.</div> <div> </div> <div> The company has been manufacturing four types of mattresses called silver, gold, diamond and platinum (including super platinum). The company claims to have occupied 20-30 percent share of the total market, with product guarantee of five years.</div> <div> </div> <div> The company has 90 outlets across the country. It also supplies its product to Tibet. The price of the mattresses ranges between Rs 3,500-Rs 25,000. “We have set the price with a view to make it affordable to the people of all classes,” Dhakal said.</div> <div> </div> <div> While sharing the success factors of the brand, he says, “Our marketing strategy plays an important role to achieve success in this field. Our consumers know how to choose the best products on the basis of quality and durability. We can assure that our product is of best quality, giving high comfort.”</div> <div> </div> <div> He also mentions the business advantage of the growing sense in the consumers about the advantages and drawbacks of using mattresses. With the tagline ‘all season mattresses’, the product is suitable to use during all seasons, says Dhakal. The carpet market has been slowly and gradually growing in Nepal.</div> <div> </div> <div> “At a time while the Indian products were flooding the Nepali market, our brand helped reduce the import quantity,” he claims. According to Dhakal, around Rs 100 million has been invested in the company. “Though the competition is not tough, it is very essential to adopt changes in the demand. As the market has been growing it becomes very necessary to deal with quality of product.” he said</div> <div> </div> <div> He feels that the consumers will be benefitted from using Nepalis brands that offer guarantee and warrantee services. As per a market survey, nearly 60 per cent market has been occupied by the local product, whereas 40 percent by the international brands.</div> <div> </div> <div> <img alt="Heritage" src="/userfiles/images/hrtg.jpg" style="width: 550px; height: 362px; margin-left: 20px; margin-right: 20px;" /></div> <div> </div>', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2013-09-10', 'modified' => '2013-09-19', 'keywords' => 'the corporate weekly from Nepal, nepali corporate events – news – interviews – reviews, nepali corporate focus, nepali corporate status and news, news from nepali corporate industry, corporate happenings – events – news from nepal', 'description' => 'Being one of the popular local brands ‘Heritage’ mattresses is the favourite choice among the consumers. And, if all goes well, the brand is going to be available in also carpet and furnishing products in near future.', 'sortorder' => '1662', 'image' => null, 'article_date' => '0000-00-00 00:00:00', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => false, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '0' ) ), (int) 2 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '1761', 'article_category_id' => '149', 'title' => 'PLO: A Local Power', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => null, 'content' => '<div> </div> <div> <strong>--By Bhawani Timilsina </strong></div> <div> </div> <table align="right" border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1"> <tbody> <tr> <td> <img alt="Krishna P. Dulal, Director, Purwanchal Lube Oil Pvt Ltd" src="/userfiles/images/kd.jpg" style="width: 200px; height: 207px;" /></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align: center;"> <div> <strong>Krishna P. Dulal</strong></div> <div> Director</div> <div> Purwanchal Lube Oil Pvt Ltd</div> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <div> Purwanchal Lube Oil (PLO), a leading lubricant in the Nepali market, was launched in 2000 by the Purwanchal Lube Oil Pvt Ltd. The company has been living up to meet the challenges of the market – its demands and changes – for over 12 years now. </div> <div> </div> <div> The company finalised a brand logo and name after conducting a small research. Krishna Prasad Dulal, Director of the company says, “We did not have to make a huge effort to select a brand name and logo. We simply chose a name that would represent the eastern region. As our initiation was from Morang district, the brand name PLO helps to maintain our originality among customers.” </div> <div> </div> <div> The company has taken up the challenge to reach out to people across all economic levels with its product – it claims that the main target of its brand is the farmer population in Nepal. According to Dulal, the initial phase of business was rather challenging as people were reluctant to use a local product. “We struggled hard to convince our customers and have been constantly attempting to overcome difficulties through innovative marketing strategies and powerful team unity,” Dulal says.</div> <div> </div> <div> He assures that the company has been using base oil and additives like LITHIUM, HCO, and VI. “The base oil and additives are similar in quality to those used in popular international brands,” Dulal claims, assuring that the company does not compromise with quality. With a total market share of 8 per cent, other products of PLO include 2T Oil, 4T Extra Power, AP-3 Grease, APF Dextron-III, Gear Treat GL-5, GMP Oil, Hydraulic Oil, Mission 2T, PLO Multipurpose III, Active Coolant and Super Plus, PLO Super Multi Grade, Gear Oil (Non-Grade) and PLO Super SAE 40. </div> <div> </div> <div> Over these 12 years, the marketing team and its strategies have been the company’s strength to prop up the brand. Dulal claims that marketing plays a significant role in generating trust among people.“We believe that business can prosper when a brand wins the confidence of its customers,”he says. </div> <div> </div> <div> “About 85 per cent of the lubricants market has been occupied by foreign brands, but 32 per cent of the market still remains with domestic brands,” informs Dulal. “We have a target to win over 20 per cent of the total market of lubricant in Nepal so that 50 per cent of the market will be among Nepali brands.”</div> <div> </div> <div> The company has covered 75 districts, 86 dealers, more than 5000 retailer counters and more than 200,000 customers till date. The cost of the grease and lubricants is priced between Rs 300 to Rs 500 per bottle. Over the years since its inception, the sales and turnover of the company has been increasing annually and the company has been able to expand to markets all over the country. “There is cut-throat completion in the market and domestic lubricant brands have been working together to compete with international products,” says Dulal. </div> <div> </div> <div> The company has also got suggestions from some customers that its focus should now be in manufacturing high-class lubricants that can be used in high-end vehicles. “This will create a possibility for Nepali lubricants to enter the international market, and if that happens, Bhutan and Bangladesh among other countries could be our target markets,” Dulal explains. </div> <div> </div> <div> The company has yet to achieve a lot and the launching of the new ‘Star’ brand for high-end vehicles is a step ahead towards its ultimate goal.</div> <div> </div> <div> <img alt="PLO" src="/userfiles/images/plo1.jpg" style="width: 550px; height: 220px;" /></div>', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2013-09-04', 'modified' => '2013-09-04', 'keywords' => 'the corporate weekly from Nepal, nepali corporate events – news – interviews – reviews, nepali corporate focus, nepali corporate status and news, news from nepali corporate industry, corporate happenings – events – news from nepal', 'description' => 'Purwanchal Lube Oil (PLO), a leading lubricant in the Nepali market, was launched in 2000 by the Purwanchal Lube Oil Pvt Ltd. The company has been living up to meet the challenges of the market – its demands and changes – for over 12 years now.', 'sortorder' => '1622', 'image' => null, 'article_date' => '0000-00-00 00:00:00', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => false, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '0' ) ), (int) 3 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '1709', 'article_category_id' => '149', 'title' => 'Zero-MSG Noodles', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => null, 'content' => '<div> </div> <div> <strong>--By Bhawani Timilsina</strong></div> <div> </div> <table align="right" border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1"> <tbody> <tr> <td> <img alt="Arun KC, Sales Director, Himalayan Snax and Noodles Pvt Ltd" src="/userfiles/images/akc.jpg" style="width: 200px; height: 208px;" /></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align: center;"> <div> <strong>Arun KC</strong></div> <div> Sales Director, Himalayan Snax</div> <div> and Noodles Pvt Ltd</div> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <div> Mayos instant noodle has retained its position as one of the largest selling brands in the Nepali market. “With several years of expertise and commitment, we have carved a niche for ourselves in the market,” says Arun KC, Sales Director of Himalayan Snax and Noodles Pvt Ltd (HSNPL). KC says that noodle consumers were long waiting for a distinct taste in their noodle snack. “Sensing this opportunity, we launched Mayos noodle in 2000 and received an overwhelming response which for us quite excited.”</div> <div> </div> <div> Mayos noodle is now available as Mayos Cup Noodles with distinct additional flavours such as Mayos Khatta Meetha & Mast Masala, chicken & vegetarian package and Mayos Hot and Sour. </div> <div> </div> <div> The company holds 25 per cent of the market share in the brown noodles selling market, KC says. With an aim to serve consumers with healthy products, the company is now producing noodles with OMEGA-3 (Fatty Acid) and has avoided the use of Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) after growing complaints from consumers. The company made this decision after conducting a research that found that use of MSG could damage the health of consumers. “Being healthy as well as tasty, we can assure that the quality of our noodle is distinct from others,” he adds. </div> <div> </div> <div> KC says that the company makes no compromise when it comes to the health and taste of the consumer. “This is the reason why we have always been making an effort to come up with a wide variety of flavours.” </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> The company retails Mayos noodles at Rs 15 per pack of 75gms in both chicken and vegetable flavours with nutritional value per pack at 363 calories and 347.6 calories, respectively. </div> <div> </div> <div> The company at first worked in collaboration with the Thai company Thai President Foods PLC. ShakaLaka Boom, Ru-Chee, Lekali, J-mee, Hurray, Doharee, Jhilke and Humpty Dumpty Krunchy King are other noodles brands under the HSNPL Company.</div> <div> </div> <div> “In the beginning, the tagline ‘It’s the wonderful Mayos Noodles’ helped us strengthen our branding. We also came up with coupon schemes as a promotional campaign later on, KC recalls, claiming the brand has been successful as it has stayed in the minds and hearts of people. </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> According to the KC, competition has increased as a wide range of noodles have emerged in recent times. “We do focus on experimenting with innovative concepts help us identify with the interest of consumers,” he mentions, with regard to this. “In order to integrate novel flavours and packaging format, a mixed fortification of Vitamin A, Calcium, Iron and Proteins has been introduced to all flavours of Mayos products. The Vitamin A, Calcium and Iron components in in Shaka Laka Boom and Ru-Chee noodles was a part of our contribution to address malnutrition since 2007,” he says. </div> <div> </div> <div> Mayos products have also won fame in an international market. “Throughout the years, our domestic markets as well as export markets have had constant expansion into leading regions,” he says. “We have grown up now from being a local product to an internationally recognized one over our 13-year-long journey, and our popularity has been driven by the trust of our consumers,” he states.</div> <div> </div> <div> In the seven years of operation in the export market, HSNPL has witnessed a lot of ups and downs, but it is the customers’ satisfaction policy helps HSNPL stand on its distinct value, KC reveals. “Our main motto has always been customer satisfaction – whether it is for health reasons or satisfaction in taste,” he says.</div> <div> </div> <div> </div>', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2013-08-27', 'modified' => '2013-09-19', 'keywords' => 'the corporate weekly from Nepal, nepali corporate events – news – interviews – reviews, nepali corporate focus, nepali corporate status and news, news from nepali corporate industry, corporate happenings – events – news from nepal', 'description' => 'Mayos instant noodle has retained its position as one of the largest selling brands in the Nepali market.', 'sortorder' => '1570', 'image' => null, 'article_date' => '0000-00-00 00:00:00', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => false, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '0' ) ), (int) 4 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '1672', 'article_category_id' => '149', 'title' => 'Steady Manufacturers', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => null, 'content' => '<div> <strong>--By Suraksha Adhikari</strong></div> <div> </div> <table align="right" border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1"> <tbody> <tr> <td> <img alt="Rajesh Agrawal Director, RMC" src="/userfiles/images/ra.jpg" style="width: 200px; height: 211px;" /></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align: center;"> <div> <strong> Rajesh Agrawal</strong></div> <div> Director, RMC</div> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <div> Established in 1993, Rajesh Metal Crafts Ltd (RMC) has been a familiar name in the steel and manufacturing business. Initially established as Rajesh Hardware Company, it only imported steel from Japan, Korea and other countries. But with the increase in manufacturing activities in the country, the partners of Rajesh Hardware Company decided to enter the metal business themselves and established RMC. </div> <div> </div> <div> Named after the Company Director, the venture began as a family business which commenced with the concept of constructing paint packing steel drums with an initial investment of Rs 5 million. With a widening scope for metal business in Nepal over the years, RMC has been expanding business accordingly and is considered as one of the best manufacture service providers in Nepal today.</div> <div> </div> <div> “We had no experience in the manufacturing industry but were confident that the business will surely succeed in time and as per expectations, business expanded with the rising living standards of people,” said Director of RMC, Rajesh Agrawal.</div> <div> </div> <div> Explaining the initial phase, Agrawal said, “There was no concept of industrialisation during the initial years. Now the country is moving forward in this aspect. Though the Maoist problem had created hindrance mid-way, it has been improving now.”</div> <div> </div> <div> Initially focused on local traders only, RMC also began to export steel to India. Forty per cent of the annual turnover that the company registers today is earned through exports. RMC cement has also recently started exporting from Nepal and is the first company in Nepal to do so.</div> <div> </div> <div> The company has been providing quality products to its consumers including MS black pipe, GI Pipe, Galvanised Corrugated Sheets, GI Sheets, CR sheets and Colour Coated Sheets.</div> <div> </div> <div> Having 150 dealers all over the country, the company faced a couple of hurdles on the way to success. “The Maoist problem and political instability are the biggest hindrances to the growth of the company,” states Agrawal. Along with this, Agrawal believes that power outage has also created a lot of problems in the production of manufacturing materials.</div> <div> </div> <div> Focusing on positive aspects, Agrawal highlights the growth of consumerism in recent years. “With the growth of various aspects of the economy, the affordability of consumers has been increasing. With this, consumerism in steel has also been increasing.”</div> <div> </div> <div> “In villages, people who had thatched roof houses are slowly transforming to steel sheets with a rise in their living standards,” he said.</div> <div> </div> <div> The per capita steel consumption of Nepal is 30kg per person which is one of the lowest in the world. “A stable political condition in the country can boost the steel market,” Agrawal added, speaking about the high scope of steel consumption here. </div> <div> </div> <div> RMC has been a consistent brand for the last 15 years. Talking about market shares, Agwaral said that it is 50 per cent in black pipes, 25 percent in CR sheets and 20 percent in GI pipes. “We have aimed to increase exports with value addition to products by forward and backward integration,” he stated. </div> <div> </div> <div> Having started with around 15 employees only, the company now has 480 employees hired. The RMC group also has investments in H&B Development Bank and Prudential Insurance Company.</div> <div> </div> <div> Talking about support from the government Agrawal said, “The government has provided tax free provisions for our exports.” Full time electricity to all industries would be appreciated but the government is not in the condition to fulfill such requirements. We should take some steps ourselves to solve this problem, “he added.</div> <div> </div> <div> Considering the Jagadamba Company in the Pipe industry and Hulas Steels and Arati Steels in GI Sheets as major competitors, the company is well on its own track to provide quality products to consumers with an annual turnover of Rs 5 billion, according to Agrawal. </div> <div> </div> <div> As a part of its promotional campaign and advertisement, the company has been disseminating information through Agrawal Television Commercials, Print advertisements, audio advertisement in FM and scratch coupon schemes for consumers. </div> <div> </div> <div> “Fulfilling corporate social responsibility, we have installed water tanks in the villages of the employees of the company, and have been providing free medical treatment for the families of our workers,” Agrawal said. </div> <div> </div> <div> With plans to construct a clinker-based cement industry in Palpa, the company now aims to produce clinkers in Nepal itself – a product which was thus far only imported from India. </div>', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2013-08-20', 'modified' => '0000-00-00', 'keywords' => 'the corporate weekly from Nepal, nepali corporate events – news – interviews – reviews, nepali corporate focus, nepali corporate status and news, news from nepali corporate industry, corporate happenings – events – news from nepal', 'description' => 'Established in 1993, Rajesh Metal Crafts Ltd (RMC) has been a familiar name in the steel and manufacturing business.', 'sortorder' => '1533', 'image' => null, 'article_date' => '0000-00-00 00:00:00', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => false, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '0' ) ), (int) 5 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '1621', 'article_category_id' => '149', 'title' => 'Going From Strength To Strength', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => null, 'content' => '<div> </div> <div> <strong>--By Suraksha Adhikari</strong></div> <div> </div> <table align="right" border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1"> <tbody> <tr> <td> <img alt="Bhaskar Munankarmi, Assistant Manager, Him Electronics Pvt Ltd" src="/userfiles/images/bhaskar(1).jpg" style="width: 175px; height: 185px;" /></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align: center;"> <div> <strong>Bhaskar Munankarmi</strong></div> <div> <em>Assistant Manager</em></div> <div> <em>Him Electronics Pvt Ltd</em></div> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <div> Him Electronics Pvt Ltd was established in 1988 as a Consumer Electronics (CE) distributor in Nepal. A sister-concern of the Golchha Organisation, it is today the largest dealership and manufacturer of consumer electronics in the country. The company was established with the technical assistance of Sanyo Electrical Co Ltd and the Himstar brand was subsequently introduced with black and white televisions. Since then, the range of products offered by the brand has grown to cover some home appliances as well. </div> <div> </div> <div> The brand name ‘Himstar’ was kept so as to keep uniform and associated with the company Him Electronics Pvt Ltd. “The logo has a star in it, combined with yellow, black and white colours which are quite visible and justifies our motto of creating brand visibility,” says Bhaskar Munankarmi, Assistant Manager at Him Electronics Pvt Ltd. </div> <div> </div> <div> In the initial phase, the company focused on electric products like CFL, after which it gradually shifted to consumer electronics. “We have a variety of products and they are popular not just due to our reasonable price but also for our prompt service, after sales facility and best quality material,” claims Munankarmi. </div> <div> </div> <div> With more than 250 employees at present, the company’s popularity has risen gradually. “This has not been an overnight success - our patience and hard work has led us to our present position.” </div> <div> </div> <div> Him Electronics did not have a strong dealership network to begin with and had fewer portfolios in the market but it strengthened its network and added goods which led it to become a recognised brand. “Ever since the establishment of the company, continued effort was put in to provide better, efficient and prompt after sales service which has reinstated the service motive stronger than before,” Munankarmi explains. </div> <div> </div> <div> Initially focusing on the production of televisions, the company expanded its service to the production of electronic products keeping in mind the increasing requirements of customers today. This helped widen its scope and popularity in the last two decades. The company’s products were targeted to a middle class market that desired quality products at an affordable price, and it claims that it is the most affordable brand with good quality for middle class consumers. </div> <div> </div> <div> With 250 employees and 300 dealers across the country, the company is currently providing its services in Birtamod, Itahari, Biratnagar, Lahan, Janakpur, Birgunj, Narayanghat, Butwal, Pokhara, Dang, Nepalgunj and Dhangadi besides the Kathmandu Valley. “We have not planned to enter the international market as currently our focus is to cover the national market successfully,” states Munankarmi. </div> <div> </div> <div> With a strong market presence despite tough competition, the Himstar group believes that it has proven that brand issues come second to quality. “Despite well established competitors including CG, Videocon, Sony and Whirlpool, our quality products have maintained a good name in the mind of the consumer,” says Munankarmi. </div> <div> </div> <div> Himstar’s market share is approximately 18 per cent but the company aims to increase the number to 25 per cent in upcoming years for which a range of products are being marketed aggressively, according to Munankarmi. </div> <div> </div> <div> The list so far includes televisions, audio/video systems, refrigerators, washing machines, air conditioners, vacuum cleaners, microwave ovens, wrist watches, CFLs, circuit breakers and more. Along with these, the company is planning to provide a complete package of home appliances as they are preparing to penetrate the upper middle class market by tailoring its products according to demand. </div> <div> </div> <div> Focusing on strengthening its brand to enter this new turf, Him Electronics continues to maintain an incremental rate of profit of 20-25 per cent each year as a key part of its market strategy.</div>', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2013-08-12', 'modified' => '2013-08-12', 'keywords' => 'the corporate weekly from Nepal, nepali corporate events – news – interviews – reviews, nepali corporate focus, nepali corporate status and news, news from nepali corporate industry, corporate happenings – events – news from nepal', 'description' => 'Him Electronics Pvt Ltd was established in 1988 as a Consumer Electronics (CE) distributor in Nepal. A sister-concern of the Golchha Organisation, it is today the largest dealership and manufacturer of consumer electronics in the country.', 'sortorder' => '1482', 'image' => null, 'article_date' => '0000-00-00 00:00:00', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => false, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '0' ) ), (int) 6 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '1582', 'article_category_id' => '149', 'title' => 'Quality Is A Sign Of Success', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => null, 'content' => '<div> </div> <div> <strong>--By Suraksha Adhikari</strong></div> <div> </div> <table align="right" border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1"> <tbody> <tr> <td> <img alt="Devraj Mishra ,Chairman Karuna Interior Pvt Ltd" src="/userfiles/images/DEVRAJ.jpg" style="width: 175px; height: 192px;" /></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align: center;"> <div> <strong>Devraj Mishra</strong></div> <div> Chairman</div> <div> Karuna Interior Pvt Ltd</div> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <div> Karuna Interior Pvt Ltd, a familiar name for interior works and furniture was established in 1990. After three years of operation, the company expanded itself to the field of metal structural works and aluminum fabrication. </div> <div> </div> <div> Named after the mother of chairman, Devraj Mishra, the venture began as a family business which commenced wooden furniture manufacturing in 2005. With the widening scope of furniture business, Karuna has enhanced its services and has now become one of the best interior service providers in Nepal. </div> <div> </div> <div> “What we create for you is not our creation, but your own,” says chairman Mishra, explaining the company’s tagline “The user is the dreamer; the dreamer, the owner”. </div> <div> </div> <div> “We have a variety of products and they are popular among our clients not only due to the reasonable price but also for our prompt service, amazing designs and best quality materials,” added Mishra. </div> <div> </div> <div> With more than 40 employees at present, the company faced many ups and downs from its inception to its current market status. “Our main hurdles ranged from the lack of knowledge among customers on interior design and conventional practice of not adhering to advice, poor discussion during design phase, the inability to visualise the end product and demands for change after work is done with,” informed Mishra. </div> <div> </div> <div> Considering all problems and crises as good lessons, the company actively introduced a new technique to run business and has been dealing with interior design related products and services among customers who want to decorate residential buildings, offices in commercial complexes or private buildings. </div> <div> </div> <div> The company asserts that its target groups are middle and upper-middle class families - their individual homes, apartments or rented living spaces; banks and financial institutions, corporate business houses, hotels/ restaurants, schools/colleges and government offices. </div> <div> </div> <div> With a single outlet at Gairidhara Kathmandu, the company’s market mostly extends to the Capital only. According to Executive Director Bipin Sharma, the company is focused on customer satisfaction with after sales service quality. </div> <div> </div> <div> The company does not believe in competition as it believes that the best one always stands out without having to compete. “The brand name is a strength in itself and our dedication towards our customers will ensure its strength in the future,” adds Sharma. </div> <div> </div> <div> Sharma says the company has annual advertisement plan through print media. The company focus on social networking as well. </div> <div> </div> <div> With plans to construct a well-equipped factory in Dahachok, Kathmandu and an expanding showroom space in Gairidhara, the team at Karuna Interior Pvt. Ltd. continues to provide satisfying services to its customers.</div> <div> </div>', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2013-08-06', 'modified' => '0000-00-00', 'keywords' => 'the corporate weekly from Nepal, nepali corporate events – news – interviews – reviews, nepali corporate focus, nepali corporate status and news, news from nepali corporate industry, corporate happenings – events – news from nepal', 'description' => 'Karuna Interiors Pvt Ltd has come a long way in establishing its market in interior design services', 'sortorder' => '1443', 'image' => null, 'article_date' => '0000-00-00 00:00:00', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => false, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '0' ) ), (int) 7 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '1536', 'article_category_id' => '149', 'title' => 'Over 1000 Nepal Made Vehicles On The Road', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => null, 'content' => '<div> <img alt="Hulas Motors" src="/userfiles/images/hulas.jpg" style="width: 500px; height: 100px; margin: 5px;" /></div> <div> </div> <div> <strong>--By Shruti Sonthalia</strong></div> <div> </div> <table align="right" border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1"> <tbody> <tr> <td> <img alt="Surendra Golchha Director, Golchha Organisation" src="/userfiles/images/Surendra%20Golchha.jpg" style="width: 160px; height: 157px;" /></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align: center;"> <div> <strong>Surendra Golchha</strong></div> <div> Director, Golchha Organisation</div> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <div> Hulas Motors was established in the year 1996, as a sister concern of Golchha Organisation. “We started this unit to produce a multi-utility vehicle,” said Surendra Golchha, Director, Golchha Organisation. Farmers, the major customers of Hulas Agro, would use bullock carts to transport pump sets to and from their field. Producing a vehicle that could be powered by the pump set engine itself was thought of. It would double as motor engine for transporting itself to the field where it would do the pumping job and would again be used as motor engine on the way back. </div> <div> </div> <div> “Hulas Bhaye Aru Kina Khojne,” is the tagline of the sole motor producers of Nepal. The essence of the tagline is ‘an end to your search’ and is a universal tagline for all the products manufactured by the group. </div> <div> </div> <div> The vehicles are designed in two categories, passenger and cargo vehicles. The company manufactures mini utility vehicle (MUV) and light commercial vehicle (LCV). Mustang and Sherpa are major products of the company. ‘Bhudeo Khadya Udyog’, another unit of the organization manufacturing rice, aata, pulses with the brand name of Hulas, which is also used in steel utensils, corrugated iron-sheets, etc. “We are actively working on bringing electrical vehicles,” Golchha said about the product in pipeline. </div> <div> </div> <div> Speaking of the challenges, Golchha says, ” The concept of getting into this venture was in itself a challenge.” He stated that, producing a vehicle which can move with minimum safety requirement is another challenge. Similarly, it is also a problem to get the Made-in-Nepal vehicle registered in Nepal as the system here is still such that as if the vehicles can only be imported. So, the authorities insist for import documents even for a Made-in-Nepal vehicle. “To meet the demands of the customers and to maintain the cost of the vehicle,” were some of the hurdles the brand faced. The Director states that the product’s major competition is from India. Golchha observes that over the years there has been a tremendous growth in the quality, finish and comfort level of the vehicles from Hulas Motors. </div> <div> </div> <div> The factory of Hulas Motors is situated in Biratnagar employing 110 skilled workers. Maximum work is done manually. The factory produces 100 vehicles per year at present. “We aim to produce at least 400 vehicles a year,” projects Golchha. </div> <div> </div> <div> About the marketing activities, Hulas believe in person-to-person and point-of-sales marketing instead of using mass media. The reason for the same being that the customer segment of the brand is not suitable for mass media. The market share of Hulas Motors, according to Golchha is 10-15 percent with an annual turnover of approx Rs 7-8 crores. The products are distributed through 9 dealers nationwide. </div> <div> </div> <div> Hulas Motors as a company does not indulge in any kind of CSR activities, but it adds to the contributions of the Golchha Organisation. The organization broadly practices CSR, providing scholarship, support in the times of disasters i.e. as relief funds. They have opened ‘Ramlal Golchha Eye Hospital Foundation’ in Biratnagar. Group renders help to construct school buildings. The organization also gives medical aid to the local people of the places where their units are placed. </div> <div> </div> <div> “Nepal is an amazing country with lots of scope and opportunities,” Golcha said. The government’s vision for industrialization is lacking and the company is trying to push the government for this. The company is known for the after sale service with centers present almost everywhere the Hulas Motors units are present. This helps the company to maintain the image and acceptability.</div> <div> <img alt="Mustang" src="/userfiles/images/mustang.jpg" style="width: 250px; height: 218px; margin: 5px;" /> <img alt="Mustang" src="/userfiles/images/mustang1.jpg" style="width: 250px; height: 218px; margin: 5px;" /></div>', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2013-07-30', 'modified' => '2013-07-30', 'keywords' => 'the corporate weekly from Nepal, nepali corporate events – news – interviews – reviews, nepali corporate focus, nepali corporate status and news, news from nepali corporate industry, corporate happenings – events – news from nepal', 'description' => 'Hulas Motors was established in the year 1996, as a sister concern of Golchha Organisation.', 'sortorder' => '1397', 'image' => null, 'article_date' => '0000-00-00 00:00:00', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => false, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '0' ) ), (int) 8 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '1489', 'article_category_id' => '149', 'title' => 'The Dairy Pioneers', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => null, 'content' => '<div> </div> <div> <strong>--By Shruti Sonthalia</strong></div> <div> </div> <table align="right" border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" width="15%"> <tbody> <tr> <td bgcolor="#FFFFFF" style="text-align: center;"> <img align="baseline" alt="Sanjit Kumar Rajbhandari Senior Manager for sales and marketing Chitwan Co-E Group" src="/userfiles/images/Sanjit%20Kumar%20Rajbhandari.jpg" style="border-width: 0px; border-style: solid; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; width: 200px; height: 230px;" /></td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#FFFFFF" style="text-align: center;"> <div> <strong>Sanjit Kumar Rajbhandari</strong></div> <div> <em>Senior Manager</em></div> <div> <em>for sales and marketing</em></div> <div> <em>Chitwan Co-E Group</em></div> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <div> ‘ Rahul’ - Pure Taste of Nepal, is a powder milk brand promoted by the Chitawon Coe Group known for infrastructure development and construction business. After the successful venture of the Manakamana Cable Cars, the group has started another pioneering project - Chitawon Milk Limited - which is the only private company in Nepal to produce powdered milk - others in the market being imported products. </div> <div> </div> <div> Rahul has hit the markets with the tagline ‘Har Din Har Pal’, giving the dairy product a sense of being a basic necessity in daily life. Senior manager for sales and marketing Sanjit Kumar Rajbhandari says that the major challenge for the brand is the unavailability or scarcity of raw milk as the company has not been able to reach good capacity utilization. </div> <div> </div> <div> Factory at Chitwan, has 150 workers using fully-automatic machines. The factory has a processing capacity of 150,000 litres of milk and an output rate of 15 tonnes of milk powder per day. The factory uses German technology such as the Alpha Laval machinery and the NIRO-GEA, a multi stage spray-drying technology. The in-house lab of the factory is equipped with high-tech facilities such as Milk-San from FOSS-Denmark, a company that produces analytical instruments for quality control. </div> <div> </div> <div> Other products by Rahul apart from powder milk include ghee, skim milk powder (SMP) and dairy whitener. Since all products use milk as their basic ingredient, productivity varies given its scarcity in Nepal. Rahul, however, targets to produce 50 tonnes of ghee every month. </div> <div> </div> <div> For marketing, Rahul uses print as well as electronic media. “We also participate in events, especially family and housewife targeted events, “says Rajbhandari. The company is seen to sponsor events during the Teej festival. </div> <div> </div> <div> The products are distributed in all 75 districts in Nepal with the help of 50 dealers. The products also reach the inaccessible regions, like Solukhumbu and Jumla, through air lifting. The SMP product has been exported to Pakistan since the last two years on a regular basis. The company owns 50 percent of market segment for dairy whiteners used for tea and coffee and it sells 600 tonnes of dairy whitener according to Rajbhandari. Additionally, the consumer pack of SMP for health-conscious people is the company’s new product in the pipeline. </div> <div> </div> <div> The senior manager, explains about the two seasons of raw milk i.e. lean and flush. In lean season there is less availability of raw milk and in flush season there is excess milk supply from farmers.Because of this powder plant, milk holiday problem was solved in the country. To counter the problem of scarcity, Chitawon Milk Limited helps farmers by providing nutritious cattle feed, grass, and free health services for the cattle so that it leads to an increased production of milk.</div> <div> </div>', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2013-07-23', 'modified' => '2013-07-24', 'keywords' => 'the corporate weekly from Nepal, nepali corporate events – news – interviews – reviews, nepali corporate focus, nepali corporate status and news, news from nepali corporate industry, corporate happenings – events – news from nepal', 'description' => '‘ Rahul’ - Pure Taste of Nepal, is a powder milk brand promoted by the Chitawon Coe Group known for infrastructure development and construction business.', 'sortorder' => '1350', 'image' => null, 'article_date' => '0000-00-00 00:00:00', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => false, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '0' ) ), (int) 9 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '1404', 'article_category_id' => '149', 'title' => 'Steady Progress To The Top', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => null, 'content' => '<p> <strong>Chairman Deepak Shrestha and Managing Director Amrit Pd Dwa with Brand Ambassador Rajesh Hamal (Center).</strong><br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <strong>By Shruti Sonthalia</strong><br /> <br /> <br /> Nepatop, a manufacturing company of plastic water-storage tanks, compost bins, water pumps, pipes and fittings among other polythene-based products, was established in the year 1999 by Chairperson Deepak Shrestha and Managing Director Amrit Prasad Dwa. Friends prior to being colleagues, the duo got their acumen together to form what stands today as a respectable ISO certified company.<br /> <br /> Assuring as the tagline “Sab thikthak!” sounds, the journey of Nepatop as a business venture has indeed been alright. Major issues that pose challenge include the increasing rate of currency exchange which has nearly doubled since the time of the company’s birth. This of course adds to the cost of raw materials the company has to import.<br /> <br /> Other challenges include availability of labour – the lack of which can hamper the company’s progress. Nepatop, nevertheless, is sailing fine with 300 workers today. Shrestha, who believes that Nepalis ought to support their home economy instead of going abroad for opportunities, observes the changing patterns in human resource in his company: “Initially we had to hire engineers and trainers from abroad but today, I am proud to say that we have a strong Nepali manpower to complete the job,” he says.<br /> <br /> Nepatop started business by producing water storage tanks, has indeed been alright. Major issues that pose challenge include the increasing rate of currency exchange which has nearly doubled since the time of the company’s birth. This of course adds to the cost of raw materials the company has to import.<br /> <br /> Other challenges include availability of labour – the followed by water pumps, PPR pipes and fittings, HDPE pipes, UPVC pipes and fittings, and a new product is expected by 2014. The company aims to satisfy its customers by maintaining good quality and providing after-sale services, which is also a part of its marketing strategy. Additionally, Nepatop products are advertised in style with Rajesh Hamal as their brand ambassador.<br /> <br /> The company has four workstations three in the capital itself and one in Nuwakot, covering an area of 60,000 square feet all fully automatic plants producing 20- 25 metric tonne of goods per day. The market share for each of its products is different-the company has 75 percent of the market in PPR pipes, 16- 18 percent in water tanks, 25 percent in UPVC and less than 2-3 percent in HDPE.<br /> <br /> In terms of production capacity, the company still needs to achieve another 20- 25 percent of the current amount produced. But with 17 distribution channels in place countrywide, Nepatop seems to have good infrastructure in place to assure a steady progress in the future. Shrestha mentions that the company is one of the largest tax payers in the country. But on a more positive note, he forecasts with believable confidence that Nepatop will be the largest producers of plastic pipes and fittings by 2020.<br /> <br /> </p>', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2013-07-15', 'modified' => '0000-00-00', 'keywords' => 'the corporate weekly from Nepal, nepali corporate events – news – interviews – reviews, nepali corporate focus, nepali corporate status and news, news from nepali corporate industry, corporate happenings – events – news from nepal', 'description' => 'Nepatop, a manufacturing company of plastic water-storage tanks, compost bins, water pumps, pipes and fittings among other polythene-based products, was established in the year 1999 by Chairperson Deepak Shrestha and Managing Director Amrit Prasad Dwa. Friends prior to being colleagues, the duo got their acumen together to form what stands today as a respectable ISO certified company.', 'sortorder' => '1266', 'image' => '1373884811.jpg', 'article_date' => '0000-00-00 00:00:00', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => false, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '0' ) ), (int) 10 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '1315', 'article_category_id' => '149', 'title' => 'Shinning Brand Of Nepal:GoldStar', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => null, 'content' => '<p> <strong><span style="font-size: 12px;">--By Sujan Dhungana</span></strong></p> <p> <span style="font-size: 12px;">‘ Hathi Baliyo Ki Hathi Chhap Chappal Baliyo.’ Does this ring a bell? Yes, it is the age-old slogan of “Hatichaap” slippers from the Universal Group. Being the conglomerate of ‘Modern Slipper Industries Pvt Ltd’ and ‘Kiran Shoes Manufacturers,’ Universal group is shoe-manufacturer for its ever-supporting customers. The manufacturing history dates back to 1980(slippers) and 1985(shoes) under the chairmanship of Noor Pratap Rana. The MD is Amir Pratap Rana.</span></p> <p> The company witnessed an unprecedented growth in every sphere, i.e. demand, production and skilled labour force (then 30 employees now 2000). Rajan Shrestha, head Sales and Marketing, explains the problems faced by the company, so far. The foremost being during the Maoists insurgency. Thus, the government did not allow smooth supply of the shoes. “Counterfeiting is our major problem wherein our product is copied illegally,” says Shrestha. According to him, a legal battle was fought to resolve the issue which curbed the practice in Nepal but it still continues in some neighbouring countries. Though domestic production alone caters to 55 per cent of Shoes demand, 45 per cent is still imported from India and China. According to him, this causes taxation problem at a major scale and poses threat to Nepali market.</p> <p> Shrestha believes that raw material dependency is salt on the wound, as more than 90 per cent of the raw material is imported. He says that the company cannot alter its price structure so frequently despite the instability of dollar therefore, importing of raw material lowers down their profits. Lack of skilled labour force is another hindrance. The company arranges for a 6 month training (by the older staffs) to make its employees learn the art of shoe-making.</p> <p> In spite of these problems the company has stood strong in the competition. Shrestha confirms, ‘the consistency in quality’ as the pillar behind their undaunted success. At present “Goldstar” does not indulge in any sort of branding and marketing exercise. The brand’s ‘Made In Nepal’ image has helped the company stand firm in their position for years, Shrestha says. </p> <p> The Universal Group functions in 5 different units, which carry out different steps of shoe-making. These units produce varieties both in shoes and slippers. For even distribution the products across the country, the company follows a distribution network (dealers-wholesalers, retailers). With a double-digit growth every year the company is planning to capture the international market as well. With this thought Goldstar aims at ten million pairs a production which is around 8 million at present.</p> <p> Regarding CSR practiced by the company, Shrestha says the company does not believe in publicity of their donations. Providing scholarship to the children of the employees and others, giving computers to the government schools are some of the CSR activities undertaken by the company. Last year the company provided four motorcycles to the police for easy accessibility. Shrestha says, “Our quality is our brand ambassador”, hence the ‘value for money’ proposition makes Goldstar the real star. </p> <p> (With help from Shruti Sonthalia)</p> <p> </p>', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2013-07-02', 'modified' => '0000-00-00', 'keywords' => 'the corporate weekly from Nepal, nepali corporate events – news – interviews – reviews, nepali corporate focus, nepali corporate status and news, news from nepali corporate industry, corporate happenings – events – news from nepal', 'description' => 'The brand’s ‘MADE IN NEPAL’ image has helped the company stand firm in their position for years.', 'sortorder' => '1177', 'image' => null, 'article_date' => '0000-00-00 00:00:00', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => false, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '0' ) ), (int) 11 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '1206', 'article_category_id' => '149', 'title' => 'Rumpum Instrumental In Breaking Monopoly Market', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => null, 'content' => '<p> <strong>Mahesh Jaju <br /> Managing Director <br /> Asian Thai Foods<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> </strong></p> <p> <strong>By Upashana Neupane</strong><br /> <br /> Launched 13 years ago in the market, Rumpum brown noodles with its unique taste has become a household name in Nepal. The brand, which was launched in late 90s with a massive media campaign, was initially targeted at the 8-18 year-old. However, over the years, the brand, has slowly become a favourite among households and working class people. According to Managing Director Mahesh Jaju Rumpum is now the leading brown noodle in Eastern Development Region. <br /> <br /> Available in two flavours -- chicken and vegetarian, Rumpum is a Nepali noodle which tastes like Singapore soup. The noodle is rich in nutrients such as Vitamin A, Vitamin D3, Calcium and Proteins, the company says. Asian Thai Foods P. Ltd., a Sharda & Jaju Group joint venture, entered into the brown noodle segment at a time when there was monopoly in the market of brown noodles. But Rumpum, with its ability to adapt to the changing market, soon proved that it was here to stay. <br /> <br /> “We are very conscious about the brands. We have a very strong research dept and an international quality lab to check our products regularly to uphold our standards,” shares Mr. Jaju. Meanwhile, as more brands entered into the market, competition intensified. To attract consumers, Rumpum has been running various consumer schemes to attract new consumers including the initial highly successful offer of putting a toffee along with each Rumpum. <br /> <br /> The company, which was started with 250 employees, now has 600. Rumpum is currently the largest exported brand to be made and exported from Nepal to India. Besides they also export regularly to USA, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Malaysia and countries in the Gulf, according to Asian Thai Foods. Managing Director Mahesh Jaju says, ‘’Brands stand the test of time only if they do not compromise on quality. One has to be able to be position a product differently from the rest to push the brand towards success’’, he concludes. As part of the CSR, besides supporting various sport activities, cultural programs etc, the company has time and again provided noodle during natural calamities.<br /> <br /> </p>', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2013-06-29', 'modified' => '0000-00-00', 'keywords' => 'the corporate weekly from Nepal, nepali corporate events – news – interviews – reviews, nepali corporate focus, nepali corporate status and news, news from nepali corporate industry, corporate happenings – events – news from nepal', 'description' => 'the corporate weekly from Nepal, nepali corporate events – news – interviews – reviews, nepali corporate focus, nepali corporate status and news, news from nepali corporate industry, corporate happenings – events – news from nepal', 'sortorder' => '1068', 'image' => null, 'article_date' => '0000-00-00 00:00:00', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => false, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '0' ) ) ) $current_user = null $logged_in = false $xml = falsesimplexml_load_file - [internal], line ?? include - APP/View/Elements/side_bar.ctp, line 133 View::_evaluate() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 971 View::_render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 933 View::_renderElement() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 1224 View::element() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 418 include - APP/View/Articles/index.ctp, line 157 View::_evaluate() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 971 View::_render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 933 View::render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 473 Controller::render() - CORE/Cake/Controller/Controller.php, line 968 Dispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 200 Dispatcher::dispatch() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 167 [main] - APP/webroot/index.php, line 117
| Currency | Unit |
Buy | Sell |
| U.S. Dollar | 1 | 121.23 | 121.83 |
| European Euro | 1 | 131.65 | 132.31 |
| UK Pound Sterling | 1 | 142.47 | 143.18 |
| Swiss Franc | 1 | 124.29 | 124.90 |
| Australian Dollar | 1 | 71.69 | 72.05 |
| Canadian Dollar | 1 | 83.90 | 84.32 |
| Japanese Yen | 10 | 10.94 | 11.00 |
| Chinese Yuan | 1 | 17.17 | 17.26 |
| Saudi Arabian Riyal | 1 | 32.27 | 32.43 |
| UAE Dirham | 1 | 33.01 | 33.17 |
| Malaysian Ringgit | 1 | 27.36 | 27.50 |
| South Korean Won | 100 | 9.77 | 9.82 |
Update: 2020-03-25 | Source: Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB)
| Fine Gold | 1 tola | 77000.00 |
| Tejabi Gold | 1 tola | 76700.00 |
| Silver | 1 tola | 720.00 |
Update : 2020-03-25
Source: Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers' Association
| Petrol | 1 Liter | 106.00 |
| Diesel | 1 Liter | 95.00 |
| Kerosene | 1 Liter | 95.00 |
| LP Gas | 1 Cylinder | 1375.00 |
Update : 2020-03-25
