Exploring Opportunities: India and Slovenia as Economic Partners by Slovenia Times

Exploring Opportunities:

India Slovenia

and as Economic

Partners

Embassy of India Ljubljana Veleposlaništvo Republike Indije v Ljubljani

Exploring Opportunites: India and Slovenia as Economic Partners A publication by the Indian Embassy in Slovenia (www.indianembassy.si) and The Slovenia Times (www.sloveniatimes.com) Editor-in-chief: Maja Dragović Assistant editor: Jaka Terpinc Translation: Grah Prevodi, Vesna Paradiž, Lara Pečjak Chief sub editor for English: Claire Reed Chief sub editor for Slovene: Martin Pogačar Design / layout: Maja Kaplan The Slovenia Times CEO: Brane Krajnik Publication manager: Marko Stijepić Marketing: Uroš Prezelj Irena Kržan Printed by Littera Picta Medvode

India - Slovenia

CONTENTS

Contents

4 Foreword by Indian Foreign Minister

44 ETI

6 Foreword by Slovenian Foreign Minister

46 Krka

8 Foreword by Indian Ambassador to Slovenia

48 Radeče Paper Mill

10 Foreword by Slovenian Ambassador to India

50 Slovenian Steel Group 54 Turboinštitut

14 Historical overview

56 BIA Separations

18 Economic overview

58 Trimo Group

24 Trade Agreements

60 Automotive Cluster of Slovenia

26 Facts and Figures

62 Iskra Capacitators

28 International Centre for Promotion of Enterprises

64 Litostroj Power

30 Interview: Jože Kastelic

68 Port of Koper

32 Tourism in India

70 Kolektor Group

66 Petra Machines

72 Avto Celje 36 Slovenian Chamber of Commerce

74 Lifeclass

40 Delta

76 Indian Business Etiquette

42 Dhimahi – Geodesic

78 Useful Contacts India - Slovenia

FOREWORD

The

time is ripe S. M. Krishna Minister of External Affairs of the Republic of India

am very pleased to learn about the publication of a brochure on ‘Exploring Opportunities: India and Slovenia as Economic Partners’ that will chronicle success stories of Slovene companies doing business with India, with a view to raising awareness about experience of Slovene companies operating in the Indian market and encouraging more Slovene companies to explore the vast opportunities offered by India in the areas of trade in goods and services, investment, technology flows, collaborative research and other possibilities. India and Slovenia now have Ambassador level representation in each other’s countries. The time is, therefore, ripe to focus on strengthening bilateral economic ties to tap the full potential of this relationship. The sharp rise in bilateral trade during 2009, by over 50% in each direction, is already indicative of the gathering momentum. There could also be greater exchange of investment and technology flows and collaboration in training and education. I am, therefore, happy to note that a trade and investment promotion conference is being held in Ljubljana on 14th April, 2010 for not only releasing the new brochure but also for generating more interest in exploring new business opportunities. I wish the event every success.

India - Slovenia

elo sem vesel pričujoče brošure. Dokument beleži uspešne zgodbe slovenskih podjetij, ki poslujejo z Indijo, širi glas o izkušnjah z indijskim trgom ter tako spodbuja tudi druga slovenska podjetja k raziskovanju ogromnih možnosti, ki jih ponuja Indija na področju izdelkov, storitev, investicij, tehnologije, skupnih raziskav in drugih dejavnosti. Končno imata tako Indija kot Slovenija državna zastopstva na veleposlaniški ravni, zato je pravi čas, da okrepimo dvostranske vezi in izkoristimo celoten potencial te povezave. Strm vzpon dvostranske trgovine v letu 2009, več kot 50 % v obeh smereh, nakazuje obetaven razvoj. Še vedno je dovolj prostora za večji pretok investicij in tehnologij, ter za širjenje sodelovanja na področju izobraževanja. Zato z veseljem naznanjam, da je trgovska in investicijska promocijska konferenca v Ljubljani 14. aprila 2010, priložnost za ustvarjanje zanimanja in raziskovanje novih poslovnih priložnosti. Dogodku želim, da bi bil kar najbolj uspešen!

FOREWORD

strength to strength

From

Samuel Žbogar, Minister of Foreign affairs of the Republic of Slovenia

I am pleased to report that the relationship between Slovenia and India has developed successfully since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1992. The relationship, characterised by a high degree of understanding and trust, was further strengthened with the August 2002 opening of the Slovenian Embassy in New Delhi and the opening in February 2007 of an Indian Embassy in the Republic of Slovenia. With the September 2009 arrival of our first Ambassador in New Delhi, new chances to deepen the relationship at all levels have opened up. This will increase the opportunities for regular official visits at the highest level.

Z zadovoljstvom lahko ugotavljamo, da se odnosi med Slovenijo in Indijo po priznanju Slovenije in vzpostavitvi diplomatskih odnosov med državama leta 1992, uspešno razvijajo. Prijateljski odnosi z visoko stopnjo razumevanja in zaupanja so se okrepili z odprtjem veleposlaništva Republike Slovenije v New Delhiju avgusta leta 2002 in po tem, ko je februarja leta 2007 začelo delovati veleposlaništvo Republike Indije v Ljubljani. S prihodom prvega veleposlanika RS v New Delhi septembra 2009 so dane nove možnosti za poglobitev medsebojnih odnosov na vseh ravneh. S tem se povečujejo tudi možnosti za uradne obiske na najvišji ravni.

n addition to strong cooperation between the two countries’ Ministries of Foreign Affairs – the Slovenian Minister of Foreign Affairs has twice visited India and we in Slovenia have hosted India’s Minister of State for External Affairs – there is also good cooperation between the ministries of science and technology, allowing scientific researchers from many fields to carry out their work in both countries. Annual political consultations between the countries’ deputy foreign

oleg sodelovanja ministrstev za zunanje zadeve v okviru katerega je minister za zunanje zadeve v zadnjih letih dvakrat obiskal Indijo, v Sloveniji pa smo gostili državne ministre za zunanje zadeve Indije, je razvito tudi sodelovanje med ministrstvoma za znanost in tehnologijo na podlagi česar znanstveni raziskovalci opravljajo svoje raziskave na številnih področjih v obeh državah. Letne politične konzultacije na ravni namestnikov ministrov za zunanje

India - Slovenia

PREDGOVOR

ministers are important opportunities to examine all forms of bilateral cooperation, to share information on conditions in the various regions of both countries and to exchange views on issues to be discussed in international forums. Thorough review of economic cooperation is conducted by the two countries’ joint commission for trade and economic cooperation, which met for the seventh time in September 2009, this time in Ljubljana. The exchange of political views also takes place, thanks to fringe meetings at multilateral forums including the United Nations. The last such meetings were between Prime Minister Borut Pahor and the Prime Minister of India Manmohanom Singh on the fringes of the December 2009 Climate Conference in Copenhagen and between myself and India’s Minister for Foreign Affairs SM Krishno at the London-held International Conference on Afghanistan in January 2010. Following the opening of India’s economy to the world in the early nineties, it has turned into what is today a country with a rapidly growing economy and one which has handled the current economic and financial world crisis relatively well. It is also important as one of the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China), particularly in terms of economic cooperation and further development of economic and trade relations with Slovenia. By population, India is the second largest country in the world and is the world’s largest democracy. As such it is pursuing its place in international organisations, especially the UN. It is therefore an important partner for Slovenia not only from an economic point of view, but also from the political perspective. The future of cooperation between Slovenia and India lies in deepening cooperation in all areas of mutual interest. In particular, there is great potential for cooperation in the economic field, where time and again we see that the enormous possibilities remain unexploited. This also includes efforts by both countries to ensure that Luka Koper, with its advantages over the western European ports, becomes a springboard for Indian goods destined for the countries of central Europe. India and Slovenia also cooperate closely within the International Center for Promotion of Enterprises (ICPE), which has the potential to develop into an important institution that can help emerging economies in transition. It therefore represents an opportunity for both countries to implement joint development programmes and other such projects, as well as to promote economic projects. I am pleased to note there has been a gradual strengthening of cooperation in the cultural field. The recently cooperation agreement on culture, arts, education, sports and the media for 2010-2014 will further contribute to this. I believe that this publication and the event to mark its launch will help to build a strong bridge of cooperation between the two countries.

zadeve so pomembne za pregled vseh oblik bilateralnega sodelovanja, za seznanjanje razmer v regijah obeh držav in za izmenjavo stališč o vprašanjih, ki se jih obravnava na mednarodnih forumih. Temeljitemu pregledu gospodarskega sodelovanja je namenjena mešana komisija za trgovinsko in gospodarsko sodelovanje med državama, ki je septembra 2009 zasedala že sedmič, tokrat v Ljubljani. Politična izmenjava mnenj med državama poteka tudi v okviru srečanj predstavnikov obeh držav ob robu zasedanj multilateralnih forumov, vključno v OZN. Zadnji tovrstni srečanji sta bili med predsednikom vlade Borutom Pahorjem in predsednikom indijske vlade dr. Manmohanom Singhom ob robu zasedanja Podnebne konference v Koebenhavnu decembra 2009 ter menoj z ministrom za zunanje zadeve Indije S.M. Krishno, ob robu zasedanja Mednarodne konference o Afganistanu v Londonu konec januarja letos. Po tem, ko se je v začetku devetdesetih let prejšnjega stoletja gospodarsko odprla svetu, je Indija danes država s hitro rastočim gospodarstvom, ki se je relativno dobro soočila s sedanjo gospodarsko in finančno krizo v svetu. Pomembna tudi kot ena izmed BRIK držav (Brazilija, Rusija, Indija, Kitajska), še posebej z vidika gospodarskega sodelovanja ter nadaljnjega razvoja gospodarsko-trgovinskih odnosov s Slovenijo. Indija je po številu prebivalcev druga največja država na svetu, je največja demokracija na svetu in si kot taka prizadeva uveljaviti svoje mesto v mednarodnih organizacijah, še posebej v OZN, zato je tudi s političnega vidika, ne le z gospodarskega vidika, pomemben partner za Slovenijo. Prihodnost sodelovanja med Slovenijo in Indijo je v poglobljenem sodelovanju na vseh področjih, kjer se pokaže obojestranski interes. Zlasti velike možnosti sodelovanja obstajajo na gospodarskem področju, kjer vedno znova ugotavljamo, da so ogromne potencialne možnosti neizkoriščene. Sem spadajo tudi prizadevanja obeh držav, da bi Luka Koper s svojimi prednostmi pred zahodnoevropskimi lukami postala odskočna deska za indijsko blago namenjeno v države srednje Evrope. Indija in Slovenija tesno sodelujeta v delu Mednarodnega centra za promocijo podjetij (ICPE), ki ima potencial, da se razvije v pomembno institucijo, ki lahko pomaga razvijajočim se ekonomija v tranziciji in kot tak predstavlja priložnost za sodelovanje med institucijami obeh držav z namenom implementacije skupnih razvojnih programov in drugih projektov, ki jih ICPE organizira in izvaja, kakor tudi za spodbujanje gospodarskih projektov v obeh državah. Z zadovoljstvom ugotavljamo, da se postopoma krepi tudi sodelovanje na kulturnem področju, k čemur bo prispeval tudi nedavno podpisani progam med vladama obeh držav o sodelovanju v kulturi, umetnosti, izobraževanju, športu in pri javnih občilih za obdobje 2010-2014. Verjamem, da bo tudi ta publikacija in nanjo navezan dogodek, pomagala izgraditi trden most sodelovanja med državama.

India - Slovenia

FOREWORD

Promising

prospects for enhanced economic

engagement Villur S. Seshadri, Ambassador Embassy of India, Ljubljana

The Government of India decided to open a resident diplomatic mission in Slovenia in 2006 and I had the honour to present my credentials as the first resident Indian Ambassador in Ljubljana on 1st March, 2007. It took a while for the newly established mission to set up a Chancery and make other arrangements for issue of visas, etc. But once done, the new premises was formally inaugurated on 31st March, 2008 by Shri Anand Sharma, then the Minister of State for External Affairs of India who visited Slovenia at the time. India - Slovenia

Leta 2006 je indijska vlada v Sloveniji odprla rezidenčno diplomatsko misijo in v čast mi je bilo, da sem 1. marca 2007 nastopil mesto prvega rezidenčnega indijskega veleposlanika v Ljubljani. Potrebnega je bilo nekaj časa, da je novoustanovljena misija uredila prostore in vse potrebno v zvezi z izdajo viz ipd. Ko je bilo to urejeno, je 31. marca 2008 Šri Anand Šarma, takratni indijski državni zunanji minister, ki je ravno v tistem času obiskal Slovenijo, prostore svečano otvoril.

PREDGOVOR

he reasons for establishing a resident mission, I believe, were straight forward. Slovenia had done very well since its independence in 1991 and had emerged as a stable democracy and a rapidly growing economy. Regionally, it had become a member of EU and, subsequently, the Eurozone, all taking place very smoothly. Economically too it had been a success story in terms of transition to a more market oriented system with many of its companies performing well including in some niche markets. India, that had representation in several parts of the world could not, anymore, be physically unrepresented in Slovenia. Bilateral relations between the two countries span a wide variety of subjects and these have been further strengthened in the last few years. Fortunately, there are no open political issues between the two countries which makes things easier. There have been some exchanges of high level visits in the recent months such as the visit of the Indian Minister of State for External Affairs Smt. Preneet Kaur who participated in the Bled Strategic Forum in August 2009 and also met Slovene political leaders. There was also a Slovene–India Parliamentary Friendship Group delegation, led by Mr. Josef Jerovšek, which went on a familiarization tour of India in November, 2009 at the invitation of the Government of India. The Slovene President Dr. Danilo Türk visited New Delhi in February 2010 to address the Delhi Sustainable Summit when he also met with the Prime Minister of India Dr. Manmohan Singh and discussed bilateral and other matters of mutual interest. There can be no doubt that more frequent visits of ministerial and other high level delegations can bring about better awareness of opportunities and the potential for closer cooperation. Opportunities, clearly, are vast. From all accounts the Indian market will witness a steadily growing domestic demand that can well be expected to continue for the foreseeable future. It will be to mutual benefit if Slovenian companies quickly find ways to secure their presence there just as Indian companies also need to focus more on exploring opportunities in Slovenia and its neighbourhood.

azlogi za ustanovitev stalne misije so bili po mojem mnenju precej jasni. Vse od osamosvojitve leta 1991 se je Slovenija izredno hitro razvijala in postala stabilna demokratična država s hitro rastočim gospodarstvom in, nenazadnje, postala je članica EU in s tem Evro območja. Vse to je teklo izjemno gladko. V gospodarskem pogledu je Slovenija zgodba o uspehu, še posebej skozi prizmo tranzicije k bolj tržno orientiranemu sistemu, v katerem so se nekatera podjetja v nišnih trgih zelo izkazala. Indija, ki je prisotna v več delih sveta, je enostavno potrebovala zastopništvo v Sloveniji. Dvostranski odnosi med državama obsegajo celo vrsto področij, ki smo jih v zadnjih nekaj letih še dodatno razvijali, k čemur je pripomoglo tudi to, da med državama ni odprtih političnih vprašanj. V zadnjih mesecih je bilo več obiskov na visoki ravni. Tako se je v letu 2009, na primer, indijska državna ministrica za zunanje zadeve ga. Preneet Kaur udeležila Strateškega foruma na Bledu in se srečala s slovenskim vodstvom. Novembra 2009 se je parlamentarna skupina slovensko-indijskega prijateljstva, pod vodstvom g. Jožefa Jerovška, na povabilo indijske vlade odpravila na spoznavni izlet v Indijo. In prav pred kratkim, februarja 2010, je slovenski predsednik dr. Danilo Türk obiskal New Delhi, kjer je govoril na delhijskem vrhu o trajnostnem razvoju. Ob tej priložnosti se je srečal tudi z indijskim premierom dr. Manmohanom Singhom, s katerim sta govorila o dvostranskih odnosih in drugih pomembnih stvareh za meddržavno sodelovanje. V prihodnje bo več obiskov na ministrskih in drugih visokih ravneh nedvomno vodilo k večjemu prepoznavanju priložnosti in spodbujanju možnosti za tesnejše sodelovanje. In te so, seveda, ogromne. Indijski trg pričakuje enakomerno rast domačega povpraševanja, ki se bo po predvidevanjih še nekaj časa nadaljevalo. Zato bo slovenskim podjetjem koristilo, če bodo hitro znala najti poti, da si zagotovijo prisotnost na indijskem trgu. Prav tako pa bo sodelovanje koristno tudi za indijska podjetja, ki se morajo osredotočiti na odkrivanje priložnosti v Sloveniji in okolici.

India - Slovenia

FOREWORD

An important contribution Janez Premože, Ambassador Embassy of Slovenia, New Delhi

On behalf of the Slovenian embassy in New Delhi, I wish to express satisfaction at the publication of this supplement on Slovenian-Indian relations. This publication by The Slovenia Times is certainly making an important contribution to a better understanding of the many opportunities and possibilities of India - this large and diverse country which is Asia’s oldest democracy; this dynamically developing land of ancient civilisations and cultures; a country the cuisine of which is recognised throughout the world; and, most importantly, this land of friendly and open people. My wish and desire, and that of the Embassy, is that such events become regular practice - a great opportunity to share both good news and business experiences as friends who are interested in the diverse aspects of life and work in India. 10 India - Slovenia

Veseli me, da lahko v imenu Veleposlaništva Republike Slovenije v New Delhiju izrazim zadovoljstvo ob izdaji publikacije o Slovensko – indijskih odnosih. Izredna priloga »Slovenia Times« je zagotovo pomemben prispevek k boljšemu spoznavanju številnih priložnosti in možnosti Indije, te velike in raznolike države, najstarejše azijske demokracije v dinamičnem razvoju, dežele starodavnih civilizacij in kultur, po svetu prepoznane kulinarike ter predvsem dežele prijaznih in odprtih ljudi. Moja želja in želja Veleposlaništva je, da takšni dogodki postanejo redna praksa, izvrstna priložnost za izmenjavo novic in dobrih izkušenj tako poslovnega sveta kot prijateljev, ki jih zanimajo raznoliki vidiki življenja in dela v Indiji.

PREDGOVOR

ll of us at the Embassy in New Delhi cover a range of key areas for successful bilateral cooperation. Our goals are, to a large extent, common to and in line with those of the EU – the promotion of economic activities; expansion of trade, tourism and services; participation in academic institutions, science and culture. At the Embassy we perform consular functions to protect our citizens effectively. With the promotion of Slovenia as an attractive tourist destination, we want to increase the number of Indian travellers who stop by in our country while on trips to Europe. Slovenia represents a reliable economic partner to India but still has to present its commercial potential and emphasise its business interests and possibilities. It also has to present the logistical advantages of Slovenia as an entry point for Indian exporters to the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. It is encouraging for our further economic cooperation that India is one of the few countries to which Slovenian exports increased in 2009 compared to 2008. With its knowledge, network of contacts, information, and up to date economic news on opportunities in the Indian economy, the Embassy informs, advises and helps Slovenian companies in getting to know the Indian market. India and the EU are important trading partners – indeed, the EU is India’s biggest trading partner and foreign investor. As a member of the EU, Slovenia is therefore automatically very active in India and was particularly so during the country’s Presidency of the EU in 2008. India and the EU are negotiating a Free Trade Agreement which would facilitate and strengthen economic cooperation. Such an agreement would allow the development of the Indian manufacturing sector due to new access to European markets and would mean European industrial exports become cheaper in India. Both would open up additional opportunities for Slovenian exporters. Economic cooperation between the Republics of Slovenia and India is the most important and difficult task of the Embassy. But also of great importance is the signing of the first cooperation agreement in culture, arts, education, science and the media. This agreement covers the period from 2010 to 2014. We believe that cooperation in the scientific field, the exchange of students and teachers, recognising the diversity of cultures, and perhaps even some joint projects in the areas covered by the agreement, will benefit both countries. We hope that the first results of our work - work in all the areas which are of great importance to Slovenia - will soon become apparent. We hope this will in turn lead to a strengthening of financial and staffing support to the Embassy, allowing us to become faster and more efficient. The Embassy gathers and provides the sort of information needed to establish business relationships – it distributes promotional materials and invites experts and opinion leaders to Embassy-organised events. In addition, we offer advice and support to Slovenian companies attending various trade fairs. At the Embassy we encourage proactive dialogue, and we hope that events held in India to promote Slovenia become a regular and continuous form of activity. We also have high expectations for the announced visit of a Slovenian government and business delegation to India in the second half of this year. Let me conclude my contribution by expressing the desire for ever faster progress in economic cooperation between Slovenia and India - a goal which is at the heart of our work at the Embassy.

sodelavci na Veleposlaništvu v New Delhiju pokrivamo ključen spekter zadolžitev za dobro dvostransko sodelovanje. Naši cilji se v veliki meri prekrivajo s cilji EU na mnogih področjih skupnega interesa, od spodbujanja gospodarskih aktivnosti, povečevanja blagovne menjave, turizma in storitev, do sodelovanja na področju akademskih inštitucij, znanosti in kulture. Na Veleposlaništvu opravljamo konzularne naloge za učinkovito zaščito naših državljanov. S promocijo Slovenije kot privlačnega turističnega cilja se trudimo, da bi vedno večje število turistov iz Indije na poti po Evropi, našli nekaj zanimivega tudi v naši deželi. Slovenija za Indijo predstavlja zanesljivega gospodarskega partnerja, ki pa mora vendarle še predstaviti svoj poslovni potencial, doreči svoje poslovne interese in domet in hkrati na ugoden način predstaviti logistične prednosti za indijske izvoznike v države Srednje in vzhodne Evrope. Spodbudno za naše nadaljnje gospodarsko sodelovanje je, da je Indija ena redkih držav kamor se je slovenski izvoz v primerjavi z letom 2008 v letu 2009 povečal. Veleposlaništvo s svojim znanjem, mrežo stikov, razpoložljivim informacijami in tekočimi gospodarskimi vestmi o priložnostih v različnih panogah indijskega gospodarstva obvešča, svetuje ter pomaga slovenskim podjetjem pri poznavanju obširnega indijskega trga. Indija in EU sta pomembni trgovinski partnerici, saj je EU največja trgovinska partnerica in tuja investitorka v Indiji. Slovenija je v Indiji zelo aktivna tudi kot članica EU, kar je dokazala v času predsedovanja v letu 2008. Indija in EU se pogajata o medsebojnem prostotrgovinskem sporazumu, ki bi olajšal in okrepil gospodarsko sodelovanje. Sklenitev sporazuma bo odprla dodatne priložnosti za slovenske izvoznike, saj naj bi sporazum omogočil razvoj indijskega proizvodnega sektorja zaradi novega dostopa do evropskih trgov, medtem ko bi evropski industrijski izvoz v Indijo postal cenejši. Poleg gospodarskega sodelovanja, ki je najpomembnejša in tudi najbolj zahtevna naloga Veleposlaništva smatramo, da je podpis prvega krovnega programa med republiko Slovenijo in Republiko Indijo o sodelovanju v kulturi, umetnosti, izobraževanju, znanosti in medijih za obdobje od 2010 do 2014 zelo velikega pomena. Prepričani smo, da bo sodelovanje na znanstvenem področju, izmenjava študentov in profesorjev, spoznavanje različnosti kultur in mogoče tudi kakšni skupni projekti na področjih, ki so navedeni v programu, koristili tako enim kot drugim. Upamo, da bodo prvi rezultati na vseh področjih, ki so ključnega pomena za RS in moto delovanja Veleposlaništva, vidni kaj kmalu ter s tem bi dobili potrdilo za okrepitev tako gmotne kot tudi kadrovske zasedbe na Veleposlaništvu in s tem bi postali hitrejši in še učinkovitejši. Veleposlaništvo redno spremlja in posreduje informacije potrebne za vzpostavitev poslovnih odnosov, sodeluje pri razpošiljanju promocijskih gradiv, vabi strokovnjake in mnenjske voditelje na dogodke v organizaciji Veleposlaništva. Nadalje svetujemo in nudimo oporo slovenskim podjetjem pri nastopih na sejmih. Na Veleposlaništvu spodbujamo proaktiven dialog in želimo, da bi promocijski dogodki Slovenije v Indiji postali redna in kontinuirana oblika dejavnosti. Veliko pričakovanj vlagamo v napovedani obisk vladno – gospodarske delegacije v Indiji v drugi polovici letošnjega leta. Dovolite, da svoj prispevek sklenem z željo po vedno hitrejšem napredku v sodelovanju med Slovenijo in Indijo katerega del so, ob sicer skromni gospodarski prisotnosti, vsekakor tudi aktivnosti našega Veleposlaništva.

India - Slovenia 11

Historical and economic overview

Zgodovinski in gospodarski pregled

HISTORICAL OVERVIEW

So far away and

yet so close

Once upon a time in the early nineties, a group of geography students went on an American coast-to-coast trip. Somewhere along the way they decided to stay overnight at a motel run by an Indian immigrant. As the group showed their passports at reception, the owner of the establishment couldn’t hide his excitement. The cause of his joy was, he felt, so important that he just had to share it with his children. Quickly gathering them around the group of travellers, he explained quite why this group of guests was so special: “See,” he said, “these people come from the land of President Tito, a great friend of our Prime Minister Nehru”.

14 India - Slovenia

Jaka Terpinc, Senior Editor at The Slovenia Times

Davno tega, v 90-ih letih prejšnjega stoletja, se je skupina študentov geografije odpravila na potovanje po Ameriki, od obale do obale. Na poti so se ustavili v motelu, ki ga je vodil indijski imigrant, da bi prenočili. Ko so na recepciji pokazali svoje potne liste, lastnik motela ni mogel skriti navdušenja. Bil je celo tako navdušen, da je svoje veselje enostavno moral deliti s svojimi otroci. Družina se je hitro zbrala okoli popotnikov, lastnik pa je vendarle tudi gostom razkril, kaj je bilo tako izjemno: »Poglejte,« je dejal, »ti ljudje prihajajo iz države predsednika Tita, velikega prijatelja našega premiera Nehruja.«

ZGODOVINSKI PREGLED

t was just a few years after Slovenia’s painful break from the malfunctioning and bloodily dissimilating kingdom of Tito. And so the legacy of the Socialist Federative Republic of Yugoslavia wasn’t one with which the travellers were especially keen to be associated. On the other hand, being greeted with recognition and respect felt better than hearing the usual “Slo-what”? This hotel owner was born in a land six thousand miles away from a country nestled between the Alps and Adriatic. But he knew and valued Slovenia – and wanted his children to do the same. It’s a tale which beautifully sums up the special cultural and political partnership between Slovenia and India. It is a relationship which at times has been sullied by myth, misunderstandings and misinterpretations. But it is also a relationship which has endured for many hundreds of years, evolving and growing stronger with time. Surveying this centuries-long connection, one can’t help but conclude that there has always been – and will always be – more that unites these two nations than divides them. The story begins The seeds of India and Slovenia’s unconventional love story were perhaps sown as far back as the early eighteenth century. It was at this time that Franc Gallenfelst, an inhabitant of Bled, travelled to to the country as a commander in the service of the Portuguese court. Gallenfelst is considered the first Slovene who had the opportunity to see India up close and personal. But it was two hundred years later that the relationship was cemented for good. The mid twentieth century was a time of tremendous upheaval for both countries – for India, independence from colonial rule; for Slovenia, membership of Tito-led Federative Yugoslavia. It was also the era of Cold War. This was a dispute in which both India and Slovenia decided not to take sides, a decision which ultimately saw the connection between the two countries become stronger and more formal than ever.

o se je zgodilo le nekaj let po bolečem odhodu Slovenije iz nedelujočega in razkrajajočega se Titovega kraljestva in popotniki niso bili preveč navdušeni nad tem, da jih je gostitelj povezoval z dediščino Socialistične federativne republike Jugoslavije. Po drugi strani pa jim je bil takšen pozdrav poln spoštovanja še vedno bolj všeč od tistega običajnega: »Slo…kaj?«. Lastnik motela je bil rojen 10000 km daleč od dežele med Alpami in Jadranskim morjem, a je vendar poznal in cenil Slovenijo – in je to pričakoval tudi od svojih otrok. Ta zgodba lepo povzame posebno kulturno in politično partnerstvo med Slovenijo in Indijo in ponazarja odnos, ki je bil občasno zaznamovan z miti, napačnimi razumevanji in neustreznimi interpretacijami. Hkrati pa je to tudi odnos, ki se je ohranjal skozi stoletja, in ki se je skozi čas razvijal in krepil. Če pobliže pogledamo to stoletno vez, hitro postane jasno, da obstaja – in vedno bo obstajalo – veliko več tistega, kar ta dva naroda združuje kot tistega, kar ju ločuje. Zgodovina začetkov Seme te nenavadne ljubezenske zgodbe med Indijo in Slovenijo je bilo menda zasejano že v davnem 18. stoletju. Takrat je Blejec Franc Gallenfelst potoval v Indijo kot poveljnik v službi portugalskega dvora. Gallenfelst naj bi bil prvi Slovenec, ki je imel priložnost osebno spoznati Indijo, vendar pa se je pravi odnos razvil šele dve stoletji kasneje. Sredina 20. stoletja je bil čas izrednih sprememb za oba naroda – Indija se je otresla britanske kolonialne oblasti, Slovenija pa je postala del Titove Jugoslavije. To je bil tudi čas hladne vojne, spora, v katerem sta se Jugoslavija, in s tem Slovenija, ter Indija odločili, da ostaneta nevtralni. Ta odločitev je vodila k vse močnejšim in vse bolj uveljavljenim vezem med državama. Neuvrščeni Gibanje neuvrščenih – uradna zveza držav, ki se niso pridružile ne Združenim državam ne Sovjetski zvezi – je bilo idejni otrok Tita, indijskega premiera Nehruja in egiptovskega predsednika Nasserja. O možnosti sodelovanja sta Indija in Jugoslavija prvič razpravljali leta 1950 na zasedanju Varnostnega sveta. Enajst let pozneje, po vrsti pogostih medsebojnih obiskov omenjenih voditeljev, je bilo uradno ustanovljeno Gibanje neuvrščenih. Slovenija je prek diplomatov, kot sta bila Aleš Bebler in Joža Vilfan, v zvezi igrala ključno vlogo vse od začetka. V do tedaj bipolarnem svetu je bil vzpon tretjega igralca dogodek z izredno politično in gospodarsko težo. Obenem pa je prispeval h krepitvi kulturnih vezi med državami članicami. Veliko indijskih študentov je prišlo na študij v Jugoslavijo, pri čemer je bila Ljubljana še podebej vabljiva, saj je nudila kvaliteten študij inženirstva in družboslovja. Jugoslovanski študentje pa so se imeli priložnost učiti sanskrit v domovini tega jezika. Ljubezen do literature Tisti Slovenci, ki so se odločili za študij klasičnega indijskega jezika, so stopili na pot bogate tradicije. V 19. stoletju se je lingvist Fran Miklošič namenil primerjati sanskrit in slovanske jezike. Njegovo delo je nadaljeval Karol Glaser, ki je v sanskritu doktoriral in velik del svojega življenja posvetil prevajanju indijskih avtorjev v slovenščino in nemščino. Še posebej

Jawaharlal Nehru and Josip Broz Tito

The non-aligned The non-aligned movement – a formal association of countries aligned neither to the United States nor the Soviet Union – was the brainchild of Tito, Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Egyptian president Gamal Abdul Nasser. The opportunity for cooperation was first discussed in 1950, at a Security Council meeting between India and Yugoslavia. In Belgrade eleven years later, following frequent visits by the leaders to one another’s countries, the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) was officially founded. Through diplomats such as Aleš Bebler and Joža Vilfan, Slovenia played a key part in the alliance from the very beginning. This creation of a third player in a previously bi-polar world was of course of massive political and economic significance. But it also led to the strengthening of cultural links between the member countries. Many Indian students took the opportunity to come to Yugoslavia, with Ljubljana a particularly appealing destination for those interested in technical and social studies. Yugoslav students, meanwhile, found themselves blessed with the chance to learn Sanskrit in the country of its birth.

International symposium on Rabindranath Tagore at the Faculty of Arts, Ljubljana University

India - Slovenia 15

HISTORICAL OVERVIEW A love of literature Those Slovenians who chose to study this classical language of India were following a rich tradition. In the 1800s, linguistics scholar Fran Miklošič undertook a comparison of Sanskrit and the Slavonic languages. His work was continued by Karol Glaser, who gained a PhD in Sanskrit and spent much of his working life translating works from the Indian language into both German and Slovene. His adaptations of the literature of Rabindranath Tagore proved particularly popular. Slovenes couldn’t get enough of the work of the Indian poet, novelist and playwright – not least because this fervent supporter of Indian independence crafted messages which seemed to equally suit their situation during the early twentieth century. Slovenian poet Srečko Kosovel would later declare himself greatly influenced by the work of Tagore. But Kosovel is far from the only prominent Slovenian figure to have found inspiration from India. In more recent times the late president Dr Janez Drnovšek looked east to find spiritual enlightenment. His series of essays on life and consciousness drew heavily on Indian philosophy, religion and spirituality, both reflecting and encouraging the comfort many Slovenians find in practices such as yoga, meditation and Ayurveda healing. Changing times This ongoing cultural exchange proves that the decline of the non-aligned movement did not mark an irreversible deterioration in Indian-Slovene relations. Certainly Indians were bitterly disappointed when Tito’s Yugoslavia crumbled in the early nineteen nineties. But the country never took an anti-Slovenian position as a result. It recognised the newly independent Slovenia in May 1992 and in 2002 a Slovenian embassy was established in New Delhi. The relationship between the two countries is one which continues to evolve. In 2007, India opened an embassy in Ljubljana. In 2009, a Hindi unit was established at the Faculity of Arts in Slovenia. Both indicate the importance the two countries attach to their centuries’ old relationship. And it’s the reason one can’t help but imagine a certain Indian hotel owner would greet Slovenian guests with the same excitement now as he did twenty years ago.

popularne so bile njegove priredbe literarnih del Rabindranatha Tagoreja, poeta, romanopisca in dramatika, za katerega se je zdelo, da se ga Slovenci ne morejo naveličati. Razlog vsaj delno tiči v dejstvu, da je ta goreči podpornik indijske samostojnosti ustvarjal dela, ki so odzvanjala situacijo slovenskega naroda v zgodnjem 20. stoletju. Tudi Srečko Kosovel je velik vpliv na svoje ustvarjanje pripisoval prav Tagoreju. Vendar pa Kosovel še zdaleč ni edina pomembna slovenska osebnost, ki je navdih našla v Indiji. V zadnjem času je duhovno razsvetljenje na vzhodu iskal pokojni predsednik Drnovšek. Njegova zbirka esejev o življenju in zavesti se močno opira na indijsko filozofijo, religijo in duhovnost in tako odseva kot spodbuja mnoge Slovence, da najdejo mir v jogi, meditaciji in ajurvedskem zdravljenju. Spremenljivi časi Tovrstna neprestana kulturna izmenjava dokazuje, da zaton gibanja neuvrščenih ni zaznamoval indijsko-slovenskih odnosov. Indijci so bili vsekakor bridko razočarani, ko je Titova Jugoslavija propadla v zgodnjih 90-ih prejšnjega stoletja, vendar pa Indija nikoli ni zavzela proti-slovenske drže. Indija je neodvisno Slovenijo priznala maja leta 1992, v letu 2002 pa je bilo odprto slovensko veleposlaništvo v New Delhiju. Odnos med državama se še naprej razvija: leta 2007 je Indija odprla veleposlaništvo v Ljubljani, leta 2009 je bil ustanovljen lektorat jezika hindi na Filozofski fakulteti, kar govori o pomembnosti, ki jo državi pripisujeta njunem stoletnem spoznavanju. In prav zato si ni težko zamisliti tistega indijskega hotelirja, ki bi slovenske goste danes pozdravil prav s takim navdušenjem kot jih je dvajset let nazaj.

The late president of Slovenia Janez Drnovšek with Smt. Sonia Gandhi at the New Delhi conference on peace, non-violence and the continuity of Gandhi’s philosophy. (Photo: BOBO)

16 India - Slovenia

TRADE

Trading on a long

established relationship Aleš Šinkovec

In the 1950s, President Tito was a frequent visitor to India. He travelled to the Eastern country primarily with a view to strengthening political cooperation between the country and Yugoslavia – an aim which was to be fulfilled with the creation of the non-aligned movement. But he quickly realised that India represented not only a political partner for the federation he led. It could also be a valuable trade partner. It is a realisation which remains as relevant now as it did then.

ilateral trade between the two countries has been steadily growing in both directions. In 2008, Slovenia exported EUR 49m worth of products to the Eastern nation, and imported EUR 87.9m from it. Interestingly, even during 2009, when many countries including Slovenia and India witnessed steep decline in their overall exports, Slovenia’s exports to India rose sharply by 55% and India’s own exports to Slovenia also expanded by 58%. Total bilateral trade at Euro 215 million during 2009 is still too small however in the trade basket of either countries and there is reason to believe that it can be much more. It is however interesting that even in 2009, India has emerged as the largest export market for Slovenia in Asia.

18 India - Slovenia

V 50-ih letih prejšnjega stoletja je predsednik Tito pogosto potoval v Indijo. Na vzhod je potoval predvsem z željo, da bi krepil politično sodelovanje med Indijo in Jugoslavijo, kar je pripeljalo do nastanka gibanja neuvrščenih. Tito je kmalu spoznal, da Indija ne predstavlja samo političnega partnerja, temveč da ima precejšno vrednost tudi kot trgovinski partner. In danes se zdi ta ugotovitev še kako sodobna.

vostranska izmenjava med državama konstantno raste. V letu 2008 je Slovenija v Indijo izvozila za 49 mio EUR izdelkov ter od tam uvozila za 87,9 mio EUR. Kot zanimivost naj povemo, da je v letu 2009, ko so mnoge države, tudi Indija in Slovenija, utrpele padec izvoza, Slovenija vendarle uspela povečati izvoz v Indijo za 55 %, prav tako pa je za 58 % zrasel izvoz iz Indije v Slovenijo. Skupaj je dvostranska menjava v letu 2009 znašala 215 mio EUR, kar pa je, z vidika obeh držav, še vedno premalo in upravičeno lahko verjamemo, da se ta številka lahko še dvigne. Kljub temu pa je Indija v letu 2009 še vedno predstavljala največji izvozni trg tako za Slovenijo kot za Azijo. Preseganje stereotipov Za take poslovne rezultate se je bilo potrebno boriti s stereotipi, tako v Sloveniji kot v Indiji. Poslovni svet je Slovenijo pogosto uvrščal v skupino

TRGOVANJE

Bringing down the stereotypes To achieve such successes, both India and Slovenia have had to battle against stereotypes. The business community has often slotted the Slovene nation into the “Eastern European war torn country” pigeonhole. India, meanwhile, has been regarded as somewhat out of step with modern economics. It’s an assumption which must rankle with Indians as much as the wartorn moniker rankles with Slovenians. The fact is that India’s economy is currently listed as the 12th largest in the world, with an annual growth rate second only to that of China. With 1.2 billion inhabitants it is also second only to China in terms of population. In India 52% of the population are below the age of 25. Key global player A number of developments have driven India’s ascension to the status of a key global player. The most significant was the liberalisation of the country’s economy. The 1991 reforms saw a doubling of GDP, with privatisation and the introduction of global competition leading to an explosion in industries such as IT and outsourcing. Household incomes have quadrupled in past 20 years and private consumer spending is projected to further quadruple by 2025. India’s economic boom has been further bolstered by two key developments in the new millennium. First, Goldman Sachs began advertising its theory of a new economic bloc which it dubbed BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China). Secondly, the 2008 edition of Forbes’ list of billionaires contained four Indians within the top ten. There is no doubt that recognition from a global investment banking firm and from a respected financial publication helped improve India’s standing in the business community.

»vzhodnoevropskih, v vojni razdejanih držav«, medtem ko je bila Indija pogosto prikazana kot gospodarsko nerazvita država brez stika z modernostjo. To prav gotovo moti Indijce prav tako kot »med vojno razdejani« nadimek jezi Slovence. Dejstva govorijo drugače, saj je indijsko gospodarstvo trenutno dvanajsto največje gospodarstvo na svetu, letna gospodarska rast pa je takoj za kitajsko. Poleg tega je po številu prebivalcev Indija z 1,2 milijardama prebivalcev takoj za Kitajsko, pri čemer je 52 % prebivalstva mlajšega od 25 let. Ključni globalni akter Indijo je do položaja ključnega globalnega akterja pripeljala cela vrsta razvojnih dejavnikov. Pri tem je bila najpomembnejaša liberalizacija gospodarstva. Reforme leta 1991 so pripeljale do podvojitve BDP, privatizacija in vpeljava globalne konkurence pa je povzročila eksplozijo v sektorjih, kot so informacijska tehnologija ter podizvajalska dela. Prihodki gospodinjstev so se v zadnjih dvajsetih letih početverili, pričakovati pa je, da se bo enako zgodilo s potrošnjo do leta 2025. Indijsko gospodarsko eksplozijo v novem tisočletju sta še dodatno spodbudila dva razvojna dejavnika. Goldman Sachs je začel promovirati teorijo o novem gospodarskem bloku in ga poimenoval BRIK (Brazilija, Rusija, Indija in Kitajska), poleg tega pa so se na Forbsovo lestvico najbogatejših Zemljanov med prvih deset uvrstili štirje Indijci. Priznanji s strani globalnega bančnega podjetja in cenjene finančne publikacije sta nedvomno pripomogli k izboljšanju položaja indijskega gospodarstva v svetovnem poslovnem svetu. Prednosti Slovenije Položaj Slovenije v poslovnem svetu se prav tako izboljšuje. Osrednji preboj se je zgodil v času slovenskega predsedovanja Svetu Evrope Evropske unije leta 2008, kar je bila potrditev balkanske države kot pomembne geopolitične sile in to prvič po njeni samostojnosti.

Slovenia’s advantages Slovenia’s position in the self-same community has also been improving. A major breakthrough came with the country’s 2008 presidency of the Council of the European Union. It ensured that the Balkan country was finally recognised as a significant geopolitical force, arguably for the first time since its independence.

Source: SURS

Slovenia’s imports and exports (in ’000 US $) 2500

Source: ACS

India’s imports and exports in goods and services (US $ bln)

250

200 2000 Import

Exports

150

1500

FE * Statistics refer to May

Export 1000 500

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008*

100

res Im

s r ve

r ts

FDI

0 2002-03

2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08

2008-09

India - Slovenia 19

ECONOMIC OVERVIEW

The possibilities at hand Both Slovenia and India are countries on the ascent. The rising import and export levels prove that each has to some extent recognised this in the other. Many Indian companies are taking advantage of Slovenia’s unique selling point – its membership of the EU and simultaneous strong economic ties to the Balkan nations.

Slovenija in Indija sta državi v vzponu. Povečevanje trgovinske menjave, tako uvoza kot izvoza, potrjuje, da sta državi do neke mere prepoznali to kvaliteto druga v drugi. Številne indijske družbe izkoriščajo edinstveno tržno pozicijo Slovenije – njeno članstvo v Evropski Uniji in hkrati močno povezanost z Balkanom.

Port of Koper

zpostavitev neposrednih ladijskih povezav med indijskimi pristanišči in luko v Kopru – ko bo to mogoče – podprtih z železniško infrastrukturo iz Kopra, ki bo omogočala hiter prevoz blaga iz luke do številnih ciljev v Evropi, lahko bistveno spremeni trgovske povezave z Indijo. Prizadevanja za tako razširitev trgovanja so velika. Družba za upravljanje Luke Koper je že odprla pisarno v Indiji, da s tamkajšnjimi podjetji poveča uporabo luke. Vendar pa lahko postane Indija za Slovenijo še večji trg, saj je indijski uvoz v zadnjem desetletju konstantno rastel 20 do 30 % letno (razen v času krize). Če bo stopnja rasti ostala med 8 in 9 %, lahko z gotovostjo trdimo, da se bo ta trend v prihodnje tudi nadaljeval. Uvozne potrebe po mehanizaciji in prevoznih sredstvih, elektronskih izdelkih, kemikalijah in farmacevtskih izdelkih ter železu in jeklu v Indiji so ogromne, kljub temu da država številne med njimi tudi izvaža. Ker ima Indija naraščajoče potrebe po infrastrukturi, tako energetski, cestni in avtocestni, letališki in pristaniški,

20 India - Slovenia

GOSPODARSKI PREGLED

stablishment of direct shipping links between Indian ports and Koper – as and when that becomes feasible – that is backed up by added rail infrastructure at the Koper end to ensure rapid carriage of goods between the port and the several European destinations in this region, can bring about dramatic changes in respect of trading ties with India. Keen efforts are now being made to seize just such chances for trade expansion. The management company for the Port of Koper has already opened offices in India to help increase use of the port by businesses there. But India can become an even larger market for Slovenia for the simple reason that India’s merchandise imports have been steadily growing at around 20 to 30% annually during the last decade (except during the crisis) and if India’s growth rate continues to be in the range of 8 to 9% it can be assured that this trend will continue in the future as well. India’s import needs are huge in respect of Machinery and Transport Equipment, Electronic Goods, Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals and Iron and Steel even as India also exports several products in these categories. India’s expanding infrastructure needs, be it in terms of power, roads and highways, airports or ports, are also vast, estimated at over US $ 500 billion during the next few years that will also generate their own import demand. To some extent, this can already be seen in evidence in the export of Hydraulic turbines (HS No. 8410) from Slovenia to India which rose from Euro 4.618 million in 2008 to Euro 25.15 million in 2009. An examination of the ten largest export items given below at four digit level also gives some indicative trends. Indian exporters in Slovenia Indian exporters also need to explore further penetration into the Slovene market. The Indian small scale sector could also look for openings both in terms of markets for their products and for sourcing technology for product upgrades. For the first time, 14 Indian small scale companies participated in the International Trade Fair in Celje in September 2009. This can become a regular feature and Slovene companies too need to participate in sector specific exhibitions that are held in India from time to time. Indian companies could also avail of the familiarity of Slovene businesses with other markets in Western Balkans particularly in respect of products for which Slovenia itself may not be a producer. Possibilities of using a warehouse in Sežana or other logistic centres for bulk imports and then distributing depending on specific needs of each of these markets could be a possibility. The following trends among some of the largest import items from India may provide an idea in this regard. Possibilities in infrastructure While Slovenian companies have some direct investment presence in India already, and a few Slovene investment funds are also participating in India’s equity market, these are however extremely limited in nature considering the potential. Another area where Slovene companies could participate is in bidding for infrastructure projects including construction of highways where many foreign companies are already present.

Pharmaceutical products rank high among both imports and exports

ocenjene na več kot 500 milijard ameriških dolarjev v obdobju naslednjih petih let, bo to še dodatno povečalo potrebo po uvozu. Na nek način se to že kaže v uvozu hidravličnih turbin (HS Št. 8410) iz Slovenije v Indijo, ki je iz 4,618 milijona evrov v letu 2008 zrastel na 25,15 milijona evrov v letu 2009. Natančen pregled desetih največjih izvoznih artiklov navedenih spodaj in zaokroženih na 4 decimalke, tovrsten trend potrjuje. Indijski izvozniki v Sloveniji Indijski izvozniki morajo ravno tako raziskati nadaljnji preboj na slovenski trg. Tisti del indijskega trga, ki je usmerjen na manjša podjetja, bi lahko tu iskal priložnosti tako glede trga za svoje izdelke kot tudi glede iskanja tehnologij za nadgradnjo izdelka. Septembra 2009 je 14 majhnih indijskih podjetij prvič sodelovalo na Mednarodnem obrtnem sejmu v Celju. To bi lahko postala redna praksa, slovenska podjetja pa morajo ravno tako občasno sodelovati na specializiranih sejmih v Indiji. Indijska podjetja bi lahko prav tako imela korist od domačnosti slovenskih podjetij s trgi na zahodnem Balkanu, še posebej skozi ponudbo tistih proizvodov, ki jih Slovenija ne proizvaja. Za uvoz na debelo ter distribucijo obstaja možnost uporabe skladišča v Sežani ali drugih logističnih centrov, pač glede na specifične potrebe vsakega od trgov. Določen vtis nam lahko ponudijo trendi nekaterih največjih uvoznih artiklov iz Indije. Možnosti na področju infrastrukture Slovenska podjetja so na področju investicij v Indiji do določene mere aktivna in nekateri slovenski investicijski skladi poslujejo na indijskem trgu vrednostnih papirjev, vendar pa je obseg poslovanja glede na potencial v obeh primerih izjemno omejen. Slovenska podjetja bi se sicer lahko potegovala tudi za infrastrukturne projekte, vključno z izgradnjo avtocest, pri katerih veliko tujih podjetij že sodeluje.

TEN LARGEST EXPORT ITEMS FROM SLOVENIA TO INDIA IN 4-DIGIT CODE * IN MILLION EUROS HS CODE *

2008

2009

8410

ITEMS Hydraulic turbines

4,60

25,10

2934

Nucleic acids and their salts

5,40

10,50

2941

Antibiotics

1,40

6,80

7219

Flat-rolled products of stainless steel

5,70

6,20

8414

Air or vacuum pumps

4,70

8406

Steam turbines

1,10

3,50

7228

Other bars and rods of alloy steel

1,20

2,10

3921

Plates, sheets, film, foil and strip, of plastics

1,80

8448

Auxiliary machinery

0,02

1,20

8536

Electrical apparatus for switching or protecting electrical circuits

0,60

1,10

* Harmonised System Codes, Commodity Classifications

Source: Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia

India - Slovenia 21

ECONOMIC OVERVIEW

Automated welding at Revoz - Renault’s car plant in Novo Mesto

Hydro turbines top the Slovenian exports to India

Indian companies have also ventured out in recent years in a big way with India’s outward investments totaling US $ 17.68 billion in 2008. These have taken place in a variety of sectors including steel, automobiles, telecom, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, beverages, hotels, IT, etc. Greater exposure of Indian businesses to investment opportunities in Slovenia could therefore bring results. Additionally, businesses from the two countries could also venture into third country markets such as in the Western Balkans.

Indijska podjetja v zadnjih letih prav tako ciljajo navzven s širokopoteznimi vlaganji v tujino, ki so v letu 2008 znašala 17,68 milijard ameriških dolarjev. Njihove investicije segajo na številna področja, kot so jeklarska industrija, avtomobilska proizvodnja, telekomunikacije, farmacija, kemična industrija, proizvodnja pijač, hotelirstvo, IT in podobno. Prav zato bi indijska podjetja z boljšim poznavanjem možnosti za investiranje na slovenskem trgu lahko tukaj uspešneje poslovala, poleg tega pa bi podjetja iz obeh držav lahko iskala posle na trgih tretjih držav, na primer v državah zahodnega Balkana.

Opportunities in INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY and HUMAN RESOURCES Both Slovenia and India have very specialized human resource capital in terms of skills in research in science and technology, IT, engineering and design, and management. Could there be ways in which the two countries can build on these in a mutually beneficial way? While some cooperation is already taking place under the framework of the IndiaSlovenia Joint Committee on Science and Technology (the next lot of 18 projects for cooperation during 2010-2012 are due to be finalized soon) and under the International Centre for Promotion of Enterprises (ICPE), there could be additional opportunities that are more commercial in nature and scope. These are worth exploring.

Možnosti na področju INFORMACIJSKIH TEHNOLOGIJ ter človeških virov Tako Slovenija kot Indija se na področju človeških virov ponašata z visoko stopnjo specializacije, predvsem kar se tiče znanja, potrebnega za znanstvene in tehnološke raziskave, IT, inženiring, oblikovanje ter menedžment. Potrebno se je vprašati, če bi državi na teh področjih lahko plodno sodelovali. Do določene mere sodelovanje sicer že poteka v sklopu Skupnega slovensko-indijskega odbora za znanost in tehnologijo (naslednjih 18 projektov za sodelovanje v letih med 2010 in 2012 bo kmalu zaključenih) ter pod okriljem ICPE (Mednarodni center za promocijo podjetij), vendar pa je priložnosti predvsem na komercialnem področju še več. Vredno jih je raziskati.

The automotive industry The possibilities for cooperation in the automobile sector are simply waiting to be explored. India has the ninth largest automobile industry in

Avtomobilska industrija Možnosti za sodelovanje na področju avtomobilske industrije tako rekoč samo čakajo, da jih nekdo odkrije. Indijska avtomobilska industrija je po

MAJOR IMPORT ITEMS OF SLOVENIA FROM INDIA BY 4-DIGIT CODE * IN MILLION EUROS HS CODE * 2710

ITEMS

2008

2009

Petroleum products

0,016

47,200

3004

Pharmaceuticals

8,910

17,400

2933

Heterocyclic compounds with nitrogen hetero-atom[s] only

19,726

15,900

2934

Nucleic acids and their salts

10,925

12,130

8703

Motor cars and other motor vehicles

7,016

9,300

2304

Oilcake and other solid residues of soya bean-oil

0,399

4,800

2941

Antibiotics

3,231

2,307

2935

Sulphonamides

1,259

2,110

2922

Oxygen-function amino-compounds

2,088

1,945

2606

Aluminium ores and concentrates

0,161

1,253

2921

Amine-function compounds

0,846

0,883

0901

Coffee

0,670

0,880

6302

Bedlinen, table linen, toilet linen and kitchen linen

1,276

0,864

7222

Other bars and rods of stainless steel; angles, shapes and sections of stainless steel

1,002

0,818

* Harmonised System Codes, Commodity Classifications

22 India - Slovenia

Source: Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia

GOSPODARSKI PREGLED the world and is Asia’s fourth largest exporter. The country specialises in manufacturing small, low-cost, fuel-efficient vehicles – just the type of cars, in other words, which will prove increasingly popular in an age of fuel and energy efficiency. And Slovenia is home to the Revoz car factory. The plant manufactures three separate vehicles for Renault and saw seven percent growth in 2009. Other companies have already invested in India’s low-cost labour force; Hyundai exported 240,000 vehicles made in India. There are also opportunities for exporting parts for manufacturing within Slovenia. Although the global financial crisis was particularly destructive for the automotive industry, experts agree there will be many opportunities within it over the next few years.

obsegu deveta največja na svetu, v Aziji pa je Indija četrti največji izvoznik avtomobilov. Proizvodnja je specializirana za majhna, cenovno ugodna ter varčna vozila, ki bodo v dobi, ki jo določa varčevanje goriva ter energije, vse bolj pridobivala na popularnosti. Po drugi strani v Sloveniji deluje tovarna avtomobilov Revoz, ki izdeluje tri različna vozila za Renault in je v letu 2009 zabeležila 7 % rast. Druga podjetja že imajo izkušnje z vlaganjem v poceni delovno silo v Indijii – Hyundai, na primer, je izvozil 240.000 vozil, izdelanih v tej azijski državi. Ravno tako obstajajo tudi možnosti za izvažanje delov, namenjenih za proizvodnjo v Sloveniji, in čeprav je globalna finančna kriza pustila močne posledice prav v avtomobilski industriji, strokovnjaki menijo, da se bodo na tem področju v prihodnjih nekaj letih pokazale številne priložnosti.

Being a tourist Tourism is yet another area that is still in an ascent stage. While the opening of an Embassy in Ljubljana has made obtaining visas much easier there could be more organized tours for visiting the different tourist attractions in India. Slovenia could also seek to secure a more prominent presence in the tour itineraries of Indian visitors to Europe. Some promotional efforts including perhaps by getting some Bollywood production units to use Slovenia and its rich natural beauty as a backdrop for their films may be one way to popularize the attractions. There could also be more visits of cultural groups from both sides that can in turn generate more interest and subsequent visits. While the Indian Embassy in Ljubljana has organized the visits of a limited number of cultural troupes in collaboration with the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), there could be many more organized on a more commercial basis. It is clear that both Slovenia and India have much to gain from increasing trade relations. There may be a long way to go before trade with the India reaches the half billion dollar a year mark seen during the time of Tito, but progress is being made.

Turizem Turizem je eno od področij, ki so še vedno v povojih. Odkar deluje indijsko veleposlaništvo v Ljubljani je pridobitev vize sicer precej bolj enostavna, vseeno pa bi se dalo organizirati več vodenih turističnih ogledov po Indiji. Slovenija bi se lahko potegovala za vidnejše mesto na itinerarjih indijskih turistov, ki se odpravljajo v Evropo. S svojo bogato naravno in kulturno dediščino, bi bila Slovenija morda primerna za produkcijo t.i. “bollywoodskih” filmov, kar bi bil vsekakor eden od načinov promocije slovenskih turističnih zanimivosti. Poleg tega bi lahko med obema državama potekalo več obiskov kulturnih skupin. V sodelovanju z Indijskim svetom za kulturne odnose (ICCR), je indijsko veleposlaništvo v Ljubljani organiziralo obiske kulturnikov, vendar pa bi bilo tovrstnih, tudi bolj komercialnih obiskov lahko več. Očitno je, da lahko tako Indija kot Slovenija z bolj intenzivnim gospodarskim sodelovanjem veliko pridobita. Veliko časa bo najbrž še potrebnega, preden trgovanje z Indijo doseže pol milijarde dolarjev na leto, kolikor je znašalo v času Jugoslavije. Napredek pa je vsekakor že viden.

Tempting enough for Indian tourists? One of estimated 800 Slovenian castles and manors

India - Slovenia 23

TRADE AGREEMENTS

Making the most of India’s free trade agreements S

lovenian companies can benefit a great deal from investing in India both to cater to the expanding domestic market as well as in using India as a competitive production base for export to third countries, including many Asian markets with which India has concluded free trade agreements. India’s investment regime is fairly open, with most of the sectors available for foreign direct investment up to 100% under the Automatic Route. India and Slovenia have concluded a Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement and India is also in the process of negotiating a Broad based Trade and Investment Agreement with EU that can be expected to make it even more attractive for all EU investors, including from Slovenia. In India, the nodal point for regulating foreign investments at the level of Central Government is the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) and details about policies, procedures and statistics about actual inflows can be seen at their website www.dipp.nic.in. All the 28 states and 7 Union Territories also have attractive promotional features to offer for foreign investment and these are easily downloadable from their respective websites. Additionally, there are already 105 operational Special Economic Zones (SEZs) with quality infrastructure where export oriented units can be located and there is a legislative framework governing fiscal incentives that are applicable for units in the SEZs. Many more SEZs that have been formally approved are also in the process of being established. That India has been seen as an increasingly attractive foreign investment destination is evident from the fact that such inward investment flows rose from only US $ 4.1 billion in 2000-01 to US $ 35.1 billion in 2008-09 and indications are that this level will be more or less maintained even in 2009-10.

24 India - Slovenia

lovenska podjetja lahko veliko pridobijo z naložbami v Indiji, predvsem z naložbami v storitve za zagotavljanje potreb rastočega indijskega trga. Izplača se tudi vzpostavljanje konkurenčnih proizvodnih enot za izvoz v tretje države, predvsem na azijske trge, s katerimi ima Indija sklenjene sporazume o prosti trgovini. Naložbeni režim v Indiji je relativno odprt, saj so, v skladu z Automatic Route, v večini sektorjev mogoče direktne tuje naložbe v celoti (t.j. ni potrebna predhodna odobritev s strani indijske banke). Indija in Slovenija sta sklenili Sporazum o izogibanju dvojnega obdavčevanja, Indija pa se z EU pogaja o širokem sporazumu o trgovini in naložbah, s čimer bo za evropske in tudi slovenske investitorje postala še bolj privlačna. Osrednja koordinacijska točka, ki regulira tuje naložbe v Indiji na ravni centralne vlade, je Oddelek za industrijsko politiko in razvoj (Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP)), podrobnosti o politikah, postopkih in statistikah o dejanskem pritoku sredstev pa so dostopne na www.dipp.nic.in. Vseh 28 indijskih držav in 7 zveznih teritorijev tujim investitorjem ponuja promocijske vsebine, ki so dostopne na spletnih straneh posamezne države oziroma teritorija. Poleg tega zdaj deluje že 105 Posebnih gospodarskih območij (PGO-jev, Special Economic Zones (SEZs)) s kakovostno infrastrukturo, kjer je mogoče najti izvozno naravnana podjetja ter zakonodajne okvire, ki določajo fiskalne spodbude za podjetja v PGO. V teku je ustanavljanje še več PGO-jev. Dokaz, da je Indija postala privlačna destinacija za tuje naložbe je v dejstvu, da so naložbeni tokovi zrasli s samo 4.1 miljard USD v letih 2000-01 na 35.1 miljard USD v letih 2008-09. Napovedi za 2009-10 kažejo, da se bo stopnja rasti ohranila tudi v tem obdobju.

TRGOVINSKI SPORAZUMI Free Trade Agreements (FTAs)- already Concluded SN

Name of the Agreement

Date of Signing of the Agreement

India-Sri Lanka FTA

28th December, 1998

Agreement on SAFTA

4th January, 2004

India-Singapore CECA

India-Nepal Treaty of Trade

India-Bhutan Agreement on Trade Commerce and Transit

17th January, 1972

ASEAN-India Free Trade Agreement in Goods

13th August, 2009

India-S. Korea Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA)

7th August, 2009

6 7

FTAs under negotiation SN

Name of the Agreement

India-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA)

India – Sri Lanka Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA)

29th June, 2005

India-EU Broad Based Trade and Investment Agreement

6th March, 2007

India-Thailand Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA)

India-Malaysia Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA)

Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical & Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA)

India-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Framework Agreement

India-Mauritius Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Partnership Agreement (CECPA)

India - Slovenia 25

FACTS AND FIGURES

India STATISTICS

EXTERNAL

GDP (PPP) total

Export of goods

$3.298 trillion (2009 est.)

$185.295 billion (2008-09)

GDP growth

Export goods

software, petroleum products, textile goods, gems and jewelry, engineering goods, chemicals, leather manufactures

6.7% (2008/2009)

GDP - per capita

Export of commercial services

$3,100 (2009 est.)

GDP by sector

agriculture: 17.5% (2009 est.) NEW industry: 20% (2009 est.) services: 62.6% (2009 est.)

$102 billion (2008-09)

DELHI

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 9.1% (2008-09)

Population below poverty line 22% (2008)

Gini index 36.8

Labour force

467 million (2009 est.)

Labor force - by occupation agriculture: 52% (2003) industry: 14% (2003) services: 34% (2003)

Export partners

EU 21.24%, US 12.3%, UAE 9.4%, China 9.3% (2008)

Import of goods

$303.696 billion (2008-09)

Import of commercial services $52 billion (2008-09)

Import goods

crude oil, machinery, gems, fertilizers, chemicals

Import partners

EU 14.07%, China 11.1%, Saudi Arabia 7.5%, US 6.6%, UAE 5.1%, Iran 4.2%, Singapore 4.2%, Germany 4.2% (2009-08)

FDI stock

$156.30 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

Gross external debt

$232.5 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

Unemployment rate 9.5% (2009 est.)

Main industries

telecommunications, textiles, chemicals, food processing, steel, transportation equipment, cement, mining, petroleum, machinery, information technology

PUBLIC FINANCES Public debt

60.1% of GDP (2009)

Revenues General information Land area: 2,973,193 sq km Land boundaries: 14,103 km Coastline: 7,000 km Highest point: Kanchenjunga 8,598 m Population: 1,156,897,766 (July 2009 est.) Population growth rate: 1.407% Telephone country code: 91 Internet suffix: .in Time zone: UTC+5.30

26â&#x20AC;&#x192; India - Slovenia

$153.5 billion (2008 est.)

Expenditures

$223 billion (2009 est.)

Foreign reserves

$287.37 billion (end-Dec 2009)

STATISTIÄ&#x152;NI PODATKI

Slovenia STATISTICS

EXTERNAL

GDP (PPP) total

Exports

$56.47 billion (2009 est.)

$23.02 billion (2009 est.)

GDP growth

Export goods

-6.2% (2009 est.)

manufactured goods, machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, food

GDP - per capita

Export partners

$28,200 (2009 est.)

Germany 18.2%, Italy 11.4%, Croatia 8.1%, Austria 7.3%, France 5.5%, Russia 4.7% (2008)

GDP by sector

agriculture: 2.3% (2009 est.) industry: 30.5% (2009 est.) services: 67.2% (2009 est.)

Imports

$24.24 billion (2009 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

Import goods

0.8% (2009 est.)

machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, chemicals, fuels and lubricants, food

Population below poverty line 12.9% (2004)

Gini index

LJUBLJANA

24 (2005)

Labour force

1.064.000 (3rd quarter 2009)

Labor force - by occupation agriculture: 2.5% (2007) industry: 36% (2007) services: 61.5% (2007)

Unemployment rate 9.4% (2009 est.)

Main industries

ferrous metallurgy and aluminum products, lead and zinc smelting; electronics (including military electronics), trucks, automobiles, electric power equipment, wood products, textiles, chemicals, machine tools

Import partners

Germany 17%, Italy 16.4%, Austria 11.1%, France 4.6%, Croatia 4.1% (2008)

FDI stock

$12.51 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

Gross external debt

$53.2 billion (30 June 2009)

PUBLIC FINANCES Public debt

31.4% of GDP (2009 est.)

Revenues

$20.58 billion (2009 est)

Expenditures

$23.54 billion (2009 est.)

General information

Foreign reserves

$3.873 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

Land area: 20,273 sq km Land boundaries: 1,086 km Coastline: 46.6 km Highest point: Triglav 2,864 m Population: 2,005,692 (July 2009 est.) Population growth rate: -0.113% (2009 est.) Telephone country code: 386 Internet suffix: .si Time zone: UTC+1

India - Sloveniaâ&#x20AC;&#x192;27

PROMOTING COOPERATION

Opportunities to be had

The International Center for Promotion of Enterprises (ICPE) is a UN sponsored intergovernmental organisation with member countries from Latin America, Asia, Africa and Europe. Its mandate is to pursue and promote international cooperation in areas related to the transfer of technology, sustainable entrepreneurship as well as promote knowledge-based societal change through research, training, consultancy an information services in these fields. The institute’s director, Dr Štefan Bogdan Šalej, tells us more about the ways in which the institute works. What is ICPE – what is it for? We were founded during the Yugoslavia era by a group of Slovenian politicians, and were the first international intergovernmental institution with a head office in Ljubljana. At that time, ICPE was an international centre for public enterprises. It was focused specifically on helping post-colonial countries to establish new management. The centre was very important in helping these countries manage public sector enterprises. Later on, the centre changed its purpose to the promotion of enterprises but we are now once again focusing on the efficient productive management of public sector enterprises. And we are in permanent dialogue with other stake holders. This means with the private sector, with the government sector and so on. We are not promoting any kind of enterprise, or any kind of ideology. We are an intergovernmental organisation, so we are promoting socially responsible, globalised, competitive and productive public sector enterprises which can help the country develop.

28 India - Slovenia

Mednarodni center za promocijo podjetij (International Center for Promotion of Enterprises (ICPE)) je medvladna organizacija v okviru Združenih narodov, katere članice so države Latinske Amerike, Azije, Afrike in Evrope. Njegova naloga je promocija mednarodnega sodelovanja na področjih, povezanih s transferjem tehnologije, trajnostnega podjetništva in promocije družbenih sprememb, ki jih vodi znanje, kar pa lahko dosežemo prek raziskovanja, usposabljanja, svetovanja in informacijskih storitev. Direktor inštituta, dr. Štefan Bogdan Šalej, nam bo povedal več o inštitutu in delu. Kaj je ICPE, čemu je namenjen? Center je v času Jugoslavije ustanovila skupina slovenskih politikov in to je bila prva mednarodna medvladna institucija s sedežem v Ljubljani. V tistem času je bil to mednarodni center za javna podjetja. Osredotočal se je predvsem na pomoč post-kolonialnim državam, ki so vzpostavljale nova vodstva. Vloga centra je bila še posebej pomembna pri pomoči tem državam pri upravljanju njihovih javnih sektorjev. Kasneje se je poslanstvo centra spremenilo in postal je institucija za podporo podjetjem, pri čemer se še vedno osredotoča na učinkovit proizvodni menedžment podjetij javnega sektorja. Poleg tega smo v neprestanem dialogu z deležniki. To pomeni tudi s privatnim, z vladnim sektorjem ipd. Naš namen ni promocija kakšnega posebnega podjetja ali ideologije. Smo medvladna organizacija in zagovarjamo družbeno

POSPEŠEVANJE SODELOVANJA odgovorna, globalna, konkurenčna in produktivna podjetja javnega sektorja, ki pomagajo pri razvoju države.

India’s GDP growth compared to the world as a whole 10

8 India World

2 1950’s

1960’s

1970’s

1980’s

2001-03 1990’s 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

How does it work in practice? We produce various studies; we edit a quarterly magazine on public sector management. Then in the education field we have different seminars. For instance, these days we are promoting lobbying in the EU – how a company can be more efficient in the European Union. In the past we promoted different financing seminars, relationships with banks, trade promotion etc. We provide specific training programmes for different member states – currently we have 18 member states. Besides this we have a specific programme which has been very successful, an MBA programme with an emphasis on the public sector. We are doing this together with the Faculty of Economics at the University of Ljubljana. Over 650 students from 45 countries have graduated from this course. We are also starting a new programme, which is a green industry MBA with post graduate school Jožef Štefan. Do you have any programmes for students from India? We have specific, short-term programmes for Indian government officers in the EU. We currently have a training programme for Indian civil servants. This year we will train over 500 of them, not just in Slovenia, but also in Austria, Hungary, Italy and Croatia. We will show them how public services in these countries work; how business works; and how they can learn about the EU. India has a very active role in ICPE. India perceived the importance of ICPE, and the host country Slovenia, as an entry gate to the EU. This is something that some countries perceive better, and other countries perceive less well. Slovenian businesses have not yet recognised the importance of ICPE. ICPE is a meeting point – for example, we introduce Mexican business to India. So thus far Slovenian businesses haven’t shown much interest in making the most of what ICPE has to offer? Slovenians sometimes prefer to go to the country instead of coming to us and enjoying this opportunity they have with an international intergovernmental organisation. There is a misconception in Slovenia that ICPE favours India and that it is a branch office of Indian interests in Europe but this is not the case. India understands and appreciates Slovenian quality, the conditions Slovenia can offer to them, and they are making the most of the membership – something which Slovenians also have to do themselves. Slovenians have to look at ICPE and see what kind of opportunities they have in this house. It makes no sense that you are a host country and yet do not fully enjoy the opportunity. In Slovenia, it is not yet understood how important it is not only to have embassies but how important it is to be a host country for different international organisations. It is a pity that ICPE is the only international orgnaisation hosted here at the moment – we would rather be the best one than the only one. The present government, however, understands that is important and is giving us their full support.

Kako deluje v praksi? Izdelujemo različne študije, izdajamo četrtletno revijo o menedžmentu v javnem sektorju, organiziramo izobraževalne seminarje. Na primer, prav v teh dneh promoviramo lobiranje v EU, se pravi, kako je podjetje lahko bolj učinkovito v Evropski uniji. V preteklosti smo promovirali različne finančne seminarje, odnos z bankami, promocijo trgovanja ipd. Zagotavljamo posebne programe za usposabljanje za različne države članice – trenutno jih je 18. Poleg tega izvajamo poseben program MBA, s poudarkom na javnem sektorju, ki je bil v preteklosti zelo uspešen. Program izvajamo v sodelovanju z Ekonomsko fakulteto Univerze v Ljubljani. Do sedaj je na tem programu diplomiralo 650 študentov iz 45 držav. V sodelovanju s podiplomsko šolo Jožef Štefan pa začenjamo z novim programom, MBA zelenih industrij. Ali imate kakšen poseben program za študente iz Indije? Imamo prav poseben, kratek program o EU za indijske vladne uradnike. Prav tako trenutno izvajamo program usposabljanja za indijske javne uslužbence. Letos jih bomo usposobili 500, ne samo v Sloveniji ampak tudi v Avstriji, na Madžarskem, v Italiji in na Hrvaškem. Pokazali jim bomo, kako v teh državah delujejo javne službe, kako poteka poslovanje in kako se lahko učijo o EU. Indija igra v ICPE dejavno vlogo, saj so zaznali pomembnost centra in tudi pomembnost Slovenije kot vstopne točke v EU. To nekatere države zaznajo bolje, druge slabše. Slovenska podjetja še niso prepoznala pomembnosti ICPE. ICPE predstavlja prostor srečanja, na primer, mehiškemu podjetju pokažemo Indijo. Zakaj slovenska podjetja do sedaj niso pokazala pretiranega zanimanja za prednosti, ki jih ponuja ICPE? Slovenci včasih raje obiščejo državo, namesto da bi prišli k nam in izkoristili priložnost, ki jim jo nudi mednarodna medvladna organizacija. V Sloveniji obstaja napačna predstava o tem, da ICPE daje prednost Indiji in da je v bistvu podružnica indijskih interesov v Evropi. To ne drži. Indija razume in ceni slovensko kakovost, pogoje, ki jih Slovenija ponuja, zato iz svojega članstva želijo in znajo potegniti kar največ. In to morajo storiti tudi Slovenci. Obiskati morajo ICPE in ugotoviti kakšne priložnosti imajo pri nas. Nima prav dosti smisla, da država gostiteljica ne izrabi priložnosti. V Sloveniji še ne razumejo, kako pomembno je imeti ne samo veleposlaništva ampak tudi, da je pomembno gostiti različne mednarodne organizacije. Škoda, da je ICPE ta hip edina mednarodna organizacija s sedežem v Sloveniji. Veliko raje bi bili najboljša. Trenutna vlada razume pomen teh stvari in nas pri našem delu podpira.

India is making the most out of its membership in ICPE

India - Slovenia 29

BUSINESS experiences

India, the country of centuries-old

traditions

Jože Kastelic, a former director of the Intertrade company is a man with vast experience in international business. As a specialist in sales promotion between Yugoslavia and the developing countries he worked in many parts of the world, from North Korea to Brazil. He also worked in India for six years.

Jože Kastelic, nekdanji direktor podjetja Intertrade je človek z bogatimi izkušnjami z mednarodnim poslovanjem. Kot specialist za pospeševanje prodaje med Jugoslavijo in državami v razvoju, je svoje delo opravljal na številnih koncih sveta, od Severne Koreje do Brazilije. Med tem je 6 let služboval tudi v Indiji.

ndia is among the largest countries in the world and second in terms of population but even in times of accelerated globalisation it is not drowning. On the contrary, Indians respect traditions that have survived long centuries. The foundations on which society on the subcontinent is based are respect for diversity of religions, a traditional way of eating, wellestablished traditions in family life. A significant proportion of the population still respects the caste system and I would like to particularly emphasise the general tolerance and great respect for fellow man that exists among people, even in the hierarchy. Even if I were given the power to, I would not change anything; simply put, I like their way of life. When assigned to be the director of a company in India headquartered in New Delhi and with branches in Bombay – today’s Mumbai, Madras (Chennai) and Kolkata (Calcutta) – I set myself a goal: to accelerate the sale of goods from the former Yugoslavia, to export high-quality products from India and possibly establish more permanent forms of cooperation. I met the objective but, of course, not by myself. I had excellent colleagues from Slovenia who led the branches and the professional staff from India surpassed my expectations in diligence and inventiveness. To understand the success it is necessary to explain the organisation of the company and the mode of operation. The company branches had been strategically placed in the most important industrial, commercial and transportation centres and the head office was close to the government and the federal administration. The staff working in branches were local and their operation was limited to a certain circle of federal states. I soon realised that the methods and organisation of business were altogether different than in Slovenia and

ndija, ki je med največjimi državami sveta in druga po prebivalstvu, se tudi v času pospešene globalizacije v njej ne utaplja. Nasprotno, Indijci spoštujejo tradicije, ki so preživele dolga stoletja. Temelji, na katerih sloni družba na podkontinentu so spoštovanje različnosti verstev, tradicionalen način prehranjevanja, ustaljeni običaji v družinskem življenju. Pretežen del prebivalcev še vedno spoštuje kastni sistem, predvsem pa bi rad poudaril, da med ljudmi vlada vsesplošna tolerantnost in v veliki meri spoštovanje do sočloveka, četudi v hierarhiji. Tudi če bi lahko, ne bi ničesar spremenil. Enostavno rečeno, način njihovega življenja mi je preprosto všeč. Ob premestitvi na mesto direktorja podjetja v Indiji s sedežem v New Delhiju in podružnicami v Bombaju – današnjem Mumbaju, Madrasu (Čenaj) in Kalkuti, sem si zadal en sam cilj: pospešiti prodajo blaga iz takratne Jugoslavije, uvoziti iz Indije kvalitetne proizvode in po možnosti vspostaviti trajnejše oblike sodelovanja. Cilj sem dosegel, seveda ne sam. Imel sem odlične sodelavce iz Slovenije, ki so vodili podružnice, strokovno osebje iz Indije pa je po pridnosti in iznajdljivosti presegalo moja pričakovanja. Za razumevanje uspeha moram obrazložiti organizacijo podjetja in način delovanja. Podružnice so bile strateško umeščene v najpomembnejša industrijska, trgovska in prometna središča, centrala pa je bila blizu vlade in zvezne administracije. Osebje zaposleno v podružnicah je bilo lokalno, njihovo delovanje pa omejeno na določen krog zveznih držav. Kaj kmalu sem dojel, da je način dela in organizacija poslovanja povsem drugačna, kot v Sloveniji in da bi bila izguba časa, če bi običaje ali karkoli v organizaciji skušal spremeniti.

30 India - Slovenia

POSLOVNe izkušnje trying to change the custom or anything else in the organisation would merely be a waste of time. What do we encounter in India? 29 differently developed countries and a further 7 federal territories. Many nations and different races. Over 80 languages and 300 dialects; the educated in particular speak English, too, which is also the “unifying” language of all Indians. 14 fonts. A number of religions (Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Jainism, Zoroastrianism, Buddism), which for Indians represent not only certain rituals but also an actual way of life. The meat and leather industries, for example, are in the hands of Muslims, except for pork products. Jains and Parsees [followers of Zoroastrianism] and most Hindus as well are strict vegetarians. The caste system is important in family life (marriage; mixing between the castes is rare) and in workplace hierarchy. And last but not least – in India we encounter food and eating habits that are completely different from our own. And what do we have to know about the business environment? In India there are several million small, medium and large businesses, including several hundreds of thousands of real giants. The country has over 70,000 banks and branches, all controlled by The Reserve Bank of India. Rivalry predominates between individual countries and even more so between companies, therefore one local agent can not cover the whole market. However, the door has been open to foreigners. To evaluate the cost it is important to consider the size of India; the distance is 5,000 km between the north and the south and 3,600 km between the east and the west. All this is essential for choosing a way of working with India. Solutions should be sought by weighing the following facts: Modern electronic communication can be used only as a means in the process of selection and does not enable a subjective choice of a partner. When choosing the right buyer, seller, agent or co-operator it is essential to obtain references from a reliable bank (they must also be checked), from government institutions, large chambers or reliable personal contacts. India has several chambers of commerce and they also have the Federation of Chambers of Commerce, but their system of working is different than ours and their references can also be questioned. It is advisable to search for an agent directly in the country in which you intend to operate or somewhere in the middle where there exists an industry or a sort of production. Before making the selection it is important to consider the limits that I have already mentioned. To cover more federal states it is recommended to have more agents. The most acceptable form is one’s own representative office. As a foreigner a representative is accepted everywhere, he can directly select and supervise buyers/sellers, control the goods before shipment, which is often necessary, and take care of regular payments. In selecting a person, it is important to choose someone who will accept local custom, which means welcoming their culture, eating habits and people in general and not discriminating against people because of their lifestyle, beliefs, dress, eating habits, etc... Failing to do this can lead to being on the receiving end of the ignorance of not only the surroundings but also the business world. News of people who do not approve of the local environment spreads rather quickly. Since maintaining one’s own representative in India along with the essential support personnel is relatively expensive, it would be necessary to seek a common language of various companies wishing to establish commercial contacts with India – the country with a huge industrial and mental potential, one of the fastest growing global powers in the world. Such collective organisation should be dependent solely on the results of their work, except for an introductory period of one or two years. Let me conclude with a few facts: a company that sent me to India for six years in the mid 1950s already had its own private clearing arrangement and, in the middle of the 1980s, a special payment arrangement in a convertible currency. From the total scope of business between India and Yugoslavia, the organisation had controlled up to 95% of trade exchange and industrial cooperation in different years, despite the presence of several Yugoslav posts. The success was the result of branched organisation, excellent managers of individual units and highly qualified local staff, but it is certainly worth mentioning the fact that we had been accepted as their own. All of our success in India was thanks to the broad organisation in the parent company in Ljubljana, which consisted of specialists on specific areas of trade and connoisseurs of India.

S čim se srečamo v Indiji? Z 29 različno razvitimi državami in še 7 zveznimi teritoriji. Z več narodi in različnimi rasami. S preko 80 jeziki in 300 narečji, predvsem izobraženci pa govorijo angleško, ki je tudi »združevalni jezik vseh Indijcev,« ter s 14 pisavami. Srečamo številnime vere (Hindujci, muslimani, kristjani, jaini, parsiji, budisti), ki za Indijce ne pomenijo le določenih obredov, temveč po nauku ver ljudje tudi dejansko živijo (mesna in usnjarska industrija npr. je v rokah muslimanov, razen za proizvode iz svinjine. Džaini in parsiji so striktni vegetarijanci, pretežno so to tudi hindujci. Kaste so pomembne pri družinskem življenju (poroke, mešanje med kastami je redko) in za hierarhijo na delovnem mestu. In nenazadnje v Indiji srečamo za nas popolnoma drugačno hrano in prehranjevalne navade. In kaj moramo vedeti o poslovnem okolju? V Indiji je več milijonov malih podjetij, srednjih in velikih podjetij, med njimi pravih gigantov je več stotisoč, preko 70.000 je bank in podružnic, vse pa nadzira RBI (Rezervna banka Indije). Med posameznimi državami vlada rivalstvo, še bolj med podjetji, zato en lokalni agent ne more pokriti celotnega trga, so pa odprta vrata tujcem. Stroškovno je pomembno upoštevati velikost Indije, saj je 5.000 km razdalje med severom in jugom ter 3.600 km med vzhodom in zahodom. Vse to naštevanje je bistveno pri izbiri načina dela z Indijo. Rešitve je iskati v tehtanju naslednjih dejstev: Moderna elektronska komunikacija pri izbiri lahko služi le kot sredstvo in ne omogoča vsebinske izbire partnerja. Z izbiro pravega kupca, prodajalca, agenta ali kooperatna je nujno pridobiti reference pri zanesljivi banki (tudi te je treba preveriti), pri vladnih institucijah, pri velikih zbornicah ali pri zanesljivih osebnih zvezah. Zbornic je v Indiji več, obstaja pa tudi Federacija zbornic, vendar pa je sistem njihovega dela drugačen kot pri nas in je njihova referenca lahko tudi vprašljiva. Agenta je priporočljivo poiskati v državi s katero nameravate poslovati, oz. v okolju, kjer obstoja industrija oz. proizvodnja. Pri izbiri je pomembno upoštevati omejitve, ki sem jih že omenil na začetku. Za pokrivanje več zveznih držav je priporočjivo imeti več agentov. Najbolj sprejemljiva oblika je lastno predstavništvo. Kot tujec je predstavnik sprejet povsod, lahko neposredno izbira in nadzira kupce/ prodajalce, nadzira blago pred odpremo, kar je često nujno, skrbi za redna plačila. Pri izbiri človeka pa je pomembno izbrati nekoga, ki sprejme lokalne običaje, tj. sprejme njihovo kulturo, prehranjevalne navade, ljudi in ne diskriminira ljudi zaradi njihovega načina življenja, verovanja, oblačenja, prehranjevanja ipd. Odstopanje od teh meril kaj lahko privede do tega, da ga ignorira ne le okolica, temveč tudi poslovni svet. Glas o ljudeh, ki se ne približajo lokalnemu okolju, se kaj hitro širi. Ker je vzdrževanje lastnega človeka v Indiji, skupaj z nujnim pomožnim osebjem, razmeroma drago, bi bilo nujno, da se v tem poveže več podjetij, ki želijo vzpostaviti gospodarske stike z Indijo, z državo z ogromnim industrijskim in umskih potencialom, z eno najhitreje rastočih svetovnih velesil. Taka skupna organizacija mora biti odvisna izključno od rezultatov lastnega dela, izjema je lahko le uvajalno obdobje enega ali dveh let. Naj zaključim z nekaj dejstvi: podjetje, ki me je poslalo v Indijo za šest let, je imelo že sredi 50-tih let prejšnjega stoletaj privatni klirinški aranžma, v sredi 80-ih prejšnjega stoletja pa poseben plačilni aranžma v konvertibilni valuti. Od celokupnega obsega poslovanja med Indijo in Jugoslavijo, je organizacija obvladovala tudi do 95 % blagovne menjave in industrijskega sodelovanja v posameznih letih, kljub temu, da je bilo prisotnih več jugoslovanskih predstavništev. Uspeh je bil rezultat razvejane organizacije, odličnih vodij posameznih enot in izjemnih lokalnih sodelavcev. Vsekakor pa gre omeniti tudi dejstvo, da so nas sprejeli za svoje. V Indiji smo lahko uspešno delali zahvaljujoč široki organizaciji v matičnem podjetju v Ljubljani, kjer so delali specialisti za posamezna blagovna področja in poznavalci Indije.

India - Slovenia 31

travel

Incredible When an elephant and a camel blocked our way from the airport to New Delhi, the capital of a country with over a billion people, I realised I am up for a special discovery of the India’s beauty. And if you consider that the animals walked in the opposite direction of driving, you can easily succumb to a feeling that in India time stands still. Well, no, actually, the time has rewound. A carefully planned adventure Any attempt at unveiling India is an adventure which has to be meticulously planned. If you are only making a short business trip or proper travel – India is a world apart. Before first visiting the country I have often heard that people come back with mixed feelings. Apparently, it is a love or hate relationship. In my view, the prerequisite for a perfect indulgence of India is life experience one might get at work and career, and among different people and cultures. With a backpackful of understanding and contemplation of an utterly different culture, religion, attitude to things material and immaterial one might hope for an unforgettable glimpse of life. The mountains, the plains and the littoral The country of over a million square miles in size is an extraordinary confluence of geographic and human history. Up north India almost touches the sky, the midlands are all plains and hills, while deep down south the land is cuddled by the sea. A giant peninsula, India is facing sea at three sides giving her visitors that little something special. I chose to explore the midlands to see the life, the trade, the birth and the dying of this great nation. Trading is fun The daily Delhi city pulse starts pumping long before sunrise. Albeit the city never sleeps, I was only slowly being woken up by the humming of

32 India - Slovenia

India Mitja Predovnik, MA

Tisti trenutek, ko nam je na štiripasovni cesti na poti z letališča proti središču glavnega mesta države z več kot milijardo prebivalcev New Delhiju zaprl pot slon in malo za njim še kamela, mi je postalo jasno, da je pred menoj odkrivanje lepot nenavadne dežele. Če k temu dodam, da sta obe živali hodili v nasprotni smeri vožnje, se povsem lagodno prepustite občutku, ki prevzame vsakega obiskovalca Indije – čas se je ustavil. Ne ne, pravzaprav se je čas zavrtel nazaj. Skrbno načrtovan podvig Kakršnokoli odkrivanje Indije je podvig, ki ga je treba skrbno načrtovati. Naj gre le za nekajdnevni obisk te azijske velikanke, sklepanje poslov ali popotniško potovanje – Indija je svet zase. Nemalokrat sem pred obiskom te države slišal, da so občutki ljudi, ki so se vrnili od tam, zelo mešani. Največkrat se zgodi, da Indijo ljudje bodisi obožujejo bodisi sovražijo. Sam menim, da je za popoln užitek Indije morda treba prej imeti nekaj izkušenj, ki si jih človek nabere v življenju, službi, karieri, med različnimi ljudmi in kulturami. S polno malho razumevanja in doumevanja povsem drugačne kulture, religije, življenja, odnosa do materialnih in nematerialnih dobrin je mogoče upati, da bo potovanje nepozaben utrinek življenja. Hribi, ravnine, primorje Država, ki meri več kot tri milijone kvadratnih kilometrov, je neverjeten splet geografske in človeške zgodovine. Na severu se skoraj dotika neba, na sredini je ravna in hribovita, proti jugu se država zliva z morjem. Indijo s treh strani oblivajo morja in tako se za vsakega obiskovalca najde kaj posebnega. Sam sem odločil odkrivati lepote osrednjega dela države in spoznati življenje, trgovanje, rojevanje in umiranje tega velikega naroda.

potovanjE Trgovanje je užitek Vsakodnevni utrip Delhija se začne že davno pred sončnim vzhodom. Mesto sicer nikoli ne zaspi, a hrup avtomobilskih in drugih motorjev me je začel prebujati, ko so se nad ravne strehe razpadlih hiš prikradli prvi sončni žarki. Pod oknom mojega hotela je bila ulica polna trgovcev. Cele dneve so vabili k nakupu svojih izdelkov in barantali. Eni z zelenjavo, drugi s sadjem, tretji z oblačili, plastičnimi izdelki, tehničnim blagom, tkaninami, svilo in zlatom. Skoraj pravilo je bilo, da so bili zjutraj pri pogajanjih veliko manj popustljivi kot v poznih popoldanskih urah. A s trdo pogajalsko voljo, dobrimi živci in predvsem veliko časa so se posli vedno sklenili. Indijci skoraj vedno popustijo pri ceni in trgovanje je užitek. Pozoren je treba biti predvsem na to, da jih pri trgovanju ne užališ in podceniš. A to se sčasoma in z občutki doživljanja okolice človek nauči. Turizem je največja storitvena dejavnost Radžastan je tisti del Indije, ki ga turisti najraje obiščejo. Poleg naravnih lepot skriva tudi nekaj arhitekturnih biserov, ki bi jih zlahka uvrstili med svetovna čudesa. Prav zato je turizem največja indijska storitvena dejavnost in ima šest odstotkov deleža v nacionalnem BDP. Poleg tega turizem zaposluje več kot osem odstotkov vse delovne sile. S široko zastavljenimi mednarodnimi oglaševalskimi kampanjami z naslovom Incredible India* se v zadnjih letih povečuje število turistov. Po lanskih podatkih je tako Indijo obiskalo več kot pet milijonov tujih turistov. Velik del se jih vsekakor ustavi tudi v Jaipurju, Udaipurju, Bikanerju in Jodpurju.

cars and allsorts of engines when the first sunbeams stole in above flat roofs of the city. The street under my hotel room window was packed with tradesmen inviting customers to haggle for and buy vegetables, fruits, clothing, plastic ware, technical products, various textiles, silk and gold. As a rule the merchants are much tougher hagglers in the morning, but as the day draws to an end they soften up. Nevertheless, with their determination, nerves of steel and much time at hand deals are done. Indians almost always let down the price, which makes trading great fun. You might not want to offend or underestimate Indians especially when doing business, but this is something you learn quickly. Tourism – the biggest industry in India Rajasthan is the part of India most widely visited by tourists and apart from the natural beauties it also offers several architectural jewels which could easily be listed among the wonders of the world. This is why tourism is the biggest industry bringing in some 6 % of Indian GDP and employing 8 % workforce. Large scale international campaign Incredible India yields increase in growing number of tourists by the year. According to 2009 data, over 5 million foreign tourists visited India, most of them also visiting Japura, Udaipur, Bikaner and Jodhpur. Curious millions in front of the mausoleum of love Most Indians live in Utar Pradesh country, but the majority of Earthlings know India by three world famous things: Taj Mahal, Ganges and Varanasi. It is simply amazing that over 3 million tourists every year visit Taj Mahal. Yet, whoever comes to Agra and walks to the Ganges through the city’s winding alleys to glimpse at the reflection of the most beautiful mausoleum in the world dedicated to love, knows why this is so. Taj Mahal is enchanting. Its clear lines, gentle ornaments, romantic gardens and fountains, stories of the past veiled in mystery, are overwhelming. The work of human hands initiated by great love between the ruler Jahan and his wife Mumatz Mahal was finished about 1653 and combines influences of Persian, Indian and Islamic architecture. Inimitable India India is unsurpassable. It lingers somewhere deep inside you, anchored among the worlds of pondering and searching for answers to where we are from, why we are here and where we are going to. India is just unforgettable. It remains in your heart, your soul, in all the days when for just a moment you stop the time, acknowledge transience and beauty of life, when you smile and say: “Incredible India.”

Milijoni radovednežev pred mavzolejem ljubezni Največ prebivalcev Indije je v zvezni državi Utar Pradeš. A mnogi zemljani jo poznajo po treh znamenitostih: Tadž Mahalu, Gangesu in Varanasiju. Že samo podatek, da Tadž Mahal obišče več kot tri milijone turistov na leto, je osupljiv. A kdor je kdajkoli prispel v Agro, se med njenimi ulicami sprehodil do Gangesa in v večernem mraku zrl v vodni odsev najlepšega mavzoleja, posvečenega ljubezni na svetu, ve, zakaj je številka tako visoka. Tadž Mahal te očara. S svojimi jasnimi potezami, nežnimi okraski, romantičnimi vrtovi in vodometi, zgodbami preteklosti, ki so še vedno zavite v tančico skrivnosti, te povsem prevzame. Delo človeških rok, ki ga je spodbudila velika ljubezen med vladarjem Jahanom in njegovo ženo Mumtaz Mahal in je bilo dokončano okrog leta 1653, združuje pridihe perzijske, indijske in islamske arhitekture. Neponovljiva Indija Indija je neponovljiva. Ostane nekje globoko v človeku, zasidrana med svetove razmišljanj in iskanj tega, od kod smo, zakaj smo tu in kam gremo. Indije preprosto nikoli ne pozabiš. Ostane v srcu, v duši, v mislih vseh tistih dni, ko za trenutek ustaviš čas, se zaveš minljivosti in lepote življenja in si z nasmehom rečeš »Incredible India«*.

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CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY OF SLOVENIA

Business with India

promising Nataša Turk, the Competitiveness Centre at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia

India is a country with over a billion inhabitants, a vast market, interesting for Slovene entrepreneurs. It is a country that implements investor friendly policy, including a variety of incentives and concessions for selected branches of industry. 36 India - Slovenia

Indija, država z več kot milijardo prebivalcev, ogromen trg, zanimiv tudi za slovenske podjetnike. Gre namreč za državo, ki oblikuje do vlagateljev prijazno politiko, vključujoč različne spodbude in koncesije za izbrane vrste industrijskih panog.

GOSPODARSKA ZBORNICA SLOVENIJE

apid socioeconomic changes and fast growth of local demand in India are causing local markets to expand and the creation of a large number of new markets throughout the country. It is forecast that by 2025 300 million consumers from the poor peasant class will have moved up into the lower peasant middle consumer class. Consumption of the peasant population, meanwhile, is forecast to reach today’s consumption of the urban population as soon as 2017.

agle socio-ekonomske spremembe in hitra rast lokalnega povpraševanja v Indiji povzročajo razširitev lokalnih trgov in ustvarjajo množico novih trgov po vsej državi. Napovedujejo, da se bo do leta 2025 300 milijonov porabnikov iz razreda revnega kmečkega prebivalstva pomaknilo v nižji kmečki srednji potrošniški razred, medtem ko naj bi potrošnja kmečkega prebivalstva dosegla današnjo potrošnjo urbanega prebivalstva že leta 2017.

Anticipating the Consumer Boom The McKinsey Global Institute’s (MGI) research predicts a threefold increase in Indian income in the next two decades. Consequently, India would become the fifth largest market in the world by 2025, while two years ago it was just the twelfth largest market. The mean annual rate of consumption increase shows the highest consumption increase rate in the use of communications, education, recreation, and health security. At the end the studied period, these should amount to 44 per cent of the whole consumption. The lowest consumption increase rate in the 2005-2025 period is predicted in the category of food, beverages and tobacco, forecast to drop to a mere 25 per cent. The Indian consumer market is ready for an explosion in the next two decades since private consumption – which amounted 370 billion US dollars in 2005 – is forecast to climb to 1,500 billion US dollars in 2025. Contrary to popular belief, the consumption increase will be achieved almost exclusively by the income increase, and neither by population growth nor due to the shift in saving habits of Indian households. Geographically speaking, the urban population will contribute more than two thirds to market growth, even though its population share will be merely 37 per cent. The size of the Indian market will still be closely connected to the number of inhabitants and the average consumption of one thousand US dollars per capita.

Pričakovanje potrošniškega buma Izsledki raziskave McKinsey Global Institute (MGI) napovedujejo trikratno povečanje indijskih dohodkov v prihodnjih dveh desetletjih. Tako bi Indija postala peti največji trg na svetu do leta 2025, medtem ko je bila še pred dvema letoma šele dvanajsti največji trg. Povprečna letna stopnja rasti potrošnje kaže najvišjo stopnjo rasti porabe pri uporabi komunikacij, izobraževanju in rekreaciji ter zdravstvenem varstvu, ki naj bi konec primerjanega obdobja skupaj pomenili 44 odstotkov celotne potrošnje. Najnižjo stopnjo rasti potrošnje v primerjanem obdobju 2005-2025 napovedujejo kategoriji prehrana, pijača in tobak, ki naj bi upadla na le 25 odstotkov. Indijski potrošniški trg je pripravljen na eksplozijo v prihodnjih dveh desetletjih, saj bo zasebna poraba, ki je leta 2005 znašala 370 milijard ameriških dolarjev, leta 2025 znašala 1.500 milijard ameriških dolarjev. V nasprotju s splošnim prepričanjem bo rast porabe dosežena skoraj izključno z rastjo prihodkov, in ne z rastjo števila prebivalcev ali zaradi spremembe varčevalnih navad indijskih gospodinjstev. Geografsko bo mestno prebivalstvo prispevalo več kot dve tretjini rasti trga, čeprav bo pomenilo le 37 odstotkov populacije. Velikost indijskega trga bo še vedno tesno povezana s številom prebivalstva in s povprečno porabo tisoč ameriških dolarjev na prebivalca.

Photo: Marko Jare

EU-India Free Trade Agreement India and the EU are negotiating for a mutual free trade agreement that would facilitate and strengthen economic cooperation between EU and Indian companies.

Prostotrgovinski sporazum med EU in Indijo Indija in EU se pogajata o medsebojnem prostotrgovinskem sporazumu, ki bi olajšal in okrepil gospodarsko sodelovanje med podjetji EU in Indije. Ta že zdaj zahteva, da se slovenska podjetja pripravijo na nove pogoje poslovanja z Indijo. Po besedah evropskega komisarja za trgovino Petra Mendelsona bi sporazum omogočil razvoj indijskega proizvodnega

The Slovenian embassy in New Delhi works hard on increasing the trade relations between India and Slovenia

India - Slovenia 37

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY OF SLOVENIA The agreement already prescribes that Slovene companies will prepare for new operational conditions with India. According to Mr Peter Mendelson, the European Commissioner for Trade, the agreement would enable development of the Indian production sector on account of new access to European markets, whereas European industrial exports to India would become cheaper. The optimistic view of the agreement is that it would yield India a 10.3 per cent average export increase, mainly in the fields of clothing, leather and automobile industries, while the EU would gain a 0.39 per cent average export increase, mainly in the fields of business services, minerals and transport equipment. The greatest impact of the free trade agreement would be on the Indian clothing, leather, metal, information-telecommunications and electronic equipment industries. In the EU the greatest impact would be on the clothing and leather industries that would be facing a 2-to-3 per cent production decrease, and the electronic equipment industry which would experience a 0.5 production decrease. Nevertheless, increase in exports, particularly processed foods, metal products, and textiles, is forecast.

Photo: Marko Jare

Opportunities for Slovene Companies in India The free trade agreement would bring about a tariff decrease, and increase the EU’s competitiveness for high added value products, e.g machines and electric machines. The increase in competitiveness of EU and Indian companies would produce new capital, know-how and technology transfers. Big opportunities are envisaged in the infrastructural sector (technology, management methods, institutional development, boosting of skills are the main achievements besides a large influx of resources). A transparent agreement would stimulate investment with a greater inflow of direct foreign investment bringing capital and technology sources as well as new enterprises and commercial groups to India. An example of a change generator could be Slovene consultancy companies operating in China, which enabled Slovene companies – without the staff or financial capacities to set up offices or businesses in China – to partly develop trade between the two countries. At present India lacks both such a Slovene consultancy company and the Slovene economy’s representation established by JAPTI (Public Agency of the Republic of Slovenia for Entrepreneurship and Foreign Investments). As Mr Jože Pavlič Damijan PhD says: “Exports are usually a small county’s only option to achieve economic expansion since a small country, based on comparative advantages in certain industrial and service processes,

Slovenia organises and attends many forums in India

38 India - Slovenia

sektorja zaradi novega dostopa do evropskih trgov, medtem ko bi evropski industrijski izvoz v Indijo postal cenejši. Optimistična različica sporazuma naj bi Indiji prinesla 10,3-odstotno povprečno povečanje izvoza, predvsem na področju oblačilne, usnjarske in avtomobilske industrije, EU pa 0,39-odstotno povprečno povečanje izvoza, predvsem na področju poslovnih storitev, mineralov in transportne opreme. Prostotrgovinski sporazum bo najbolj vplival na indijsko oblačilno, usnjarsko, kovinsko, informacijsko- telekomunikacijsko in industrijo elektronske opreme. V EU bo največji vpliv na konfekcijsko in usnjarsko industrijo, ki se bo soočila z dve- do triodstotnim upadom proizvodnje, in industrijo elektronske opreme, ki bo doživela polodstotni upad proizvodnje. Napoveduje se povečanje izvoza, predvsem za predelana živila, kovinske izdelke, tekstil. Priložnosti za slovenska podjetja v Indiji Prostotrgovinski sporazum bo prinesel znižanje tarif in povečal konkurenčnost EU za proizvode z visoko dodano vrednostjo, naprimer za stroje in električne stroje. Povečanje konkurenčnosti indijskih in podjetij EU bo povzročilo zagon novega kapitala, prenosa znanja in tehnologije. Velike priložnosti se kažejo v infrastrukturnem sektorju (tehnologija, načini upravljanja, institucionalni razvoj, krepitev usposobljenosti so glavni dosežki, poleg velikega dotoka virov). Pregleden investicijski sporazum bo spodbudil naložbe, večji pritok neposrednih tujih naložb bo prinesel vire kapitala in tehnologije, hkrati pa nove podjetja in komerciale koncerne v Indiji. Kot primer vzvoda sprememb bi lahko vzeli primer slovenskih svetovalnih podjetij, delujočih na Kitajskem, ki so slovenskim podjetjem, ki nimajo kadrovskih in finančnih zmožnosti za odprtje predstavništev ali podjetij na Kitajskem, s svojimi storitvami omogočila del razvoja trgovine med državama. V Indiji trenutno takšnega slovenskega svetovalnega podjetja ni, prav tako še ni predstavništva slovenskega gospodarstva, ki bi ga ustanovil JAPTI. Kot pravi dr. Jože Pavlič Damijan, je izvoz običajno edina možnost majhne države za dosego ekonomij obsega, saj lahko majhna država na podlagi primerjalnih prednosti v določenih industrijskih in storitvenih procesih zgradi velikoserijsko proizvodnjo le na podlagi izvozne usmerjenosti. Slovenska podjetja bi se tako morala odločati za proaktiven nastop na indijskem trgu. Izkušnje sicer kažejo, da se slovenska podjetja laže odločijo za nastop na določenem tujem trgu, če so del dobaviteljske verige globalnih podjetij in hkrati poznajo uspešno podjetniško izkušnjo drugega, zaupanja vrednega podjetja na izbranem trgu. Obrnite se na GZS Slovenskim podjetjem je v pomoč pri spoznavanju trga in vzpostavljanju osebnih stikov zagotovo lahko Gospodarska zbornica Slovenije, v okviru te pa Center za konkurenčnost, ki podjetjem zagotavlja podporo pri poslovanju na teh področjih: pri vstopanju in poslovanju na tujih trgih, pri vzpostavljanju mednarodnih razvojnih povezav in izvedbi razvojnih projektov na tujih trgih, pri spodbujanju tehnološkega in poslovnega razvoja, inovativnosti in konkurenčnosti, pridobivanju različnih virov financiranja. GZS je stična točka in mesto srečevanja slovenskih razvojno in izvozno usmerjenih podjetij, ki so razvojno in inovativno jedro slovenskega gospodarstva. Vodilni v slovenskih podjetjih bi morali imeti nenehno pred očmi izjavo Edwarda J. Zanderja, predsednika uprave Motorole, ki pravi: »Na indijskem trgu je ogromno velikih priložnosti, vendar niti ena sama ni podarjena. Nenehno vlagajte v izobraževanje in vzdržujte potrebno infrastrukturo.« Slovenska podjetja, ki se odločajo o vstopu na indijski trg, bi nadalje lahko koristila znanje in povezave indijskih visokih uradnikov, udeležencev podiplomskega študija Ekonomske fakultete in International Center for Promotion of Enterprises (ICPE) v Ljubljani ter nastajajočega inštituta v Hyderabadu.

Photo: Marko Jare

GOSPODARSKA ZBORNICA SLOVENIJE

can achieve large-scale production solely on the basis of its export orientation.” Therefore, Slovene companies should opt for proactive entry into the Indian market. Experience shows that it is easier for Slovene companies to enter into a particular foreign market if they act as a part of a global company’s supply chain and at the same time have learned of the successful business experience of somebody else, namely a trustworthy company in a certain market. Contacting GZS (the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia) Slovene companies can seek assistance in getting to know a market and making personal contact from the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia, namely at its branch the Centre for Competitiveness. The Centre provides support for: entering and doing business in foreign markets, establishing international development connections and execution of development projects in foreign markets, encouraging technological and business development, innovation and competitiveness, obtaining various funding resources. GZS is a connecting point as well as a meeting point for Slovene development and export oriented companies which form the development and innovation backbone of the Slovene economy. CEOs of Slovene companies should always bear in mind a statement by Edwarda J. Zander, the Motorola CEO, who said: “Big opportunities abound in the Indian market, yet not a single one is given as a gift. Continuously invest in education and maintain necessary infrastructure.” Furthermore, Slovene companies considering entering the Indian market could make use of the knowledge and connections of Indian high officials, participants in post-graduate studies at the Faculty of Economy and the International Center for Promotion of Enterprises (ICPE) in Ljubljana as well as the evolving institute in Hyderabad. Welcoming Foreign Investors India consists of 28 states and seven union territories. Governments of individual states implement investor friendly policy, including a variety of incentives and concessions for selected branches of industry. At the beginning of the year, the World Bank analysed the Indian investment environment in 16 states, involving four thousand Indian entrepreneurs and existing foreign investors in the production and trade fields. As anticipated the research showed a clear and expected connection between a good investment climate, increased amount of private investment, and a GDP increase. In addition, the research revealed that the five states with the best investment climate are Karnataka, Kerala, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Haryana.

Dobrodošlica tujim vlagateljem Indijo sestavlja 29 zveznih držav in šest zveznih ozemelj. Vlade posameznih držav oblikujejo do vlagateljev prijazno politiko, vključujoč različne spodbude in koncesije za izbrane vrste industrijskih panog. V začetku tega leta je Svetovna banka analizirala indijsko investicijsko okolje v 16 indijskih zveznih državah med štiri tisoč indijskimi podjetniki in obstoječimi tujimi vlagatelji na področju proizvodnje in trgovine. Po pričakovanjih je raziskava pokazala jasno in značilno povezavo med dobro investicijsko klimo, večjim obsegom zasebnih vlaganj in rastjo bruto domačega proizvoda. Raziskava je pokazala, da med pet držav z najboljšo investicijsko klimo sodijo Karnataka, Kerala, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh in Haryana.

COMPANY NOTES Company CONTACTS Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia Dimičeva 13, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia T.: + 386 (0)1 589 81 52 natasa.turk@gzs.si www.gzs.si CEO Samo Hribar Milič, Director General Contact for Indian Market Nataša Turk, Area Director Industry business association, non profit Main products business information, consulting, projects and technology transfer, event management More on http://eng.gzs.si/slo/

India - Slovenia 39

DELTA

Quality for long-term

development

The Sežana-based company Delta Ltd was established in 1990 and was at first engaged in the import of commercial goods and freight forwarding. Later the company expanded its operations to the fields of the entertainment industry, tourism and catering, established a travel agency and set up a system for renting entertainment devices. In the field of tourism, the company is still engaged in selling package holidays to other agencies and organising travels. In cooperation with NCP Šibenik, the company is also responsible for the Nautical Tourism Programme.

40 India - Slovenia

Podjetje Delta d.o.o. iz Sežane je bilo ustanovljeno leta 1990 in se je sprva ukvarjalo z uvozom trgovskega blaga in špedicijo. Kasneje je dejavnost razširilo na na področje zabavne industrije, turizma in gostinstva, ustanovili so turistično agencijo in vzpostavili sistem najemanja zabavnih aparatov. Na področju turizma se podjetje še naprej ukvarja s prodajo turističnih programov drugih agencij ter z organizacijo potovanj. V sodelovanju z NCP Šibenik izvaja tudi program Navtičnega turizma.

DELTA

oday Delta operates in the former Yugoslav republics as well, acting as an agent for sales of various goods and project management. Lately it has also focused on providing services for business cooperation between Asian countries and the republics of the former Yugoslavia. Delta has been present in the Indian market for more than 20 years, particularly involved in the trade of textile products, mostly originating from the state of Tamil Nadu but also in furniture from Rajasthan, which has strong handmade-furniture industry, and spare parts for the automobile industry in Maharashtra, which is especially promising taking into account the strong growth of the Indian automobile industry. Delta say that the increased activity of India has been noticed lately, leading to the opening of the Indian embassy in Slovenia, which helps many companies penetrate the Indian market and vice versa. Consequently, Delta managed to establish new cooperation with the company Texprocil, which is planning expansion via Slovenia to other Balkan countries, a move regarded as a possible way of establishing cooperation between the East and West as well as between Europe and the Balkans. The Embassy’s support as well as the Ambassador’s personal engagement are essential because it makes obtaining necessary information much easier. Delta has excellent relations and good experience with Indian partners, which have been developed during the long-standing cooperation and are the result of continuous adjustment to the fast developing market. Despite this, the Indian market is stable enough, which can be noticed in their business culture and the methods of communication. Furthermore, Delta appreciates production innovation, which can be noticed in the Indian market as a consequence of investments in development. At the same time, they point to the situation in Europe, which is more settled and more bureaucratic. In the future Delta is planning the continuation and expansion of cooperation and market exploration as they believe that a company which is unable to adapt to the market it is entering into is bound to fail. Success does not come overnight – it is a two-way process demanding patience, understanding and openness. Nervousness and a constant rush typical of Europeans mean nothing there, say Delta, and add that a settled approach ensures better chances for business success. In conclusion, here is their anecdote from India: it happened in Tirupur, where Delta’s CEO met a Chinese businessperson, who told him: “If you want to buy ‘quantity with a certain quality’, come to us, the Chinese. However, times are changing and if we want quality, we have to go to India to get it, and then, according to trade logics, sell it to you, the Europeans, who do not know yet that the low prices that we have in China cannot guarantee you business success. For success and long-term development quality is essential.”

elta danes s posredovanjem pri prodaji različnega blaga ter projektnim managmentom deluje tudi v državah bivše Jugoslavije, v zadnjem času pa se osredotoča na posredovanje pri poslovnem sodelovanju med azijskimi državami in republikami bivše Jugoslavije. Na indijskem trgu je Delta prisotna že več kot 20 let, predvsem na področju trgovine s tekstilnimi izdelki, ki večinoma izvirajo iz države Tamil Nadu, s pohištvom iz Radžastana, kjer je močna industrija ročno izdelanega pohišva, in trgovine z rezervnimi deli za avtomobilsko industrijo v Maharaštri, kar je še posebej perspektivno z ozirom na vse močnejšo indijsko avtomobilsko industrijo. V Delti opozarjajo, da je v zadnjem času opazna večja aktivnost indijske države, ki je odprla veleposlaništvo v Ljubljani, kar mnogim podjetjem pomaga, da lažje prodrejo na indijski trg. In obratno. Tako so letos uspeli vzpostaviti novo sodelovanje s podjetjem Texprocil, ki načrtuje širitev preko Slovenije na druge balkanske države, kar ocenjujejo kot možnost sodelovanja med vzhodom in zahodom pa tudi med Evropo in Balkanom. Podpora veleposlaništva in osebnega angažmaja veleposlanika je pomembna, saj je tako veliko lažje pridobiti potrebne informacije. V podjetju Delta imajo z indijskimi partnerji odlične odnose in dobre izkušnje, ki so jih gradili skozi dolgoletno sodelovanje in so rezultat neprestanega prilagajanja izjemno hitro razvijajočemu se trgu. Kljub temu je indijsko tržišče dovolj stabilno, kar je opazno tudi v poslovni kulturi in načinu komunikacije. Poleg tega v Delti cenijo inovativnosti proizvodnje, ki jo je zaznati na indijskem tržišču, kar je posledica velikih vlaganj v razvoj, hkrati pa opozarjajo na razmere v Evropi, ki je bolj umirjena in birokratizirana. V prihodnosti v Delti načrtujejo nadaljevanje in širjenje sodelovanja ter spoznavanja, saj verjamejo, da je podjetje, ki se ne zna prilagoditi trgu, na katerega vstopa, obsojeno na neuspeh. Uspeh ne pride čez noč, saj gre pri tem za obojestranski proces, ki zahteva potrpljenje, razumevanje in odprtost. Za Evropejce tipična nevrotičnost in večno hitenje tu nimajo nobenega pomena, pravijo v Delti, in dodajajo, da umirjen pristop zagotavlja boljše možnosti za poslovni uspeh. Za konec morda še anekdota: zgodilo se je v Tirupurju, kjer je direktor Delte naletel na Kitajca, ki mu je povedal: »Če želite kupiti ‘količino z določeno kakovostjo’ pridete do nas, Kitajcev. Ampak časi se spreminjajo in če mi želimo kakovost, moramo ponjo priti v Indijo, in potem to po trgovski logiki prodati vam, Evropejcem, ki še ne veste, da nizke cene, ki jih imamo na Kitajskem, niso garancija za vaš poslovni uspeh. Za uspeh in dolgoročen razvoj je nujna kakovost.«

India - Slovenia 41

Dhimahi~Geodesic

Intercontinental strategic

partnership

Dhimahi is a Slovenian computer company with rich experience and knowledge in the field of software development, including development, integration, analysis and system administration of complex business solutions. Their services, products and solutions are used by clients throughout Europe. The four main activities of the company are development, counselling, hosting and maintenance of software.

Dhimahi je slovensko računalniško podjetje z bogatimi izkušnjami in znanjem na področju razvoja programske opreme, ki zajema razvoj, integracijo, analizo in sistemsko administracijo kompleksnih poslovnih rešitev, svoje storitve, izdelke in rešitve pa uporabljajo naročniki po vsej Evropi. Poglavitne štiri dejavnosti podjetja so razvoj, svetovanje, gostovanje in vzdrževanje programske opreme.

urrently, Dhimahi’s most recognisable project is the web system for the electronic sale of tickets by the company Eventim. Eventim is the European leader in the field of ticket sales, with a presence in 19 countries. Its operations include sales, distribution and marketing of tickets for concerts, cultural, sports and other events. Dhimahi’s services play a key role in Eventim’s strategy of online ticket sales throughout Europe. Dhimahi’s goals include further growth as a development-programming company, development of software solutions within the framework of “sustainable development” and entry into strategic partnerships. In

renutno najbolj prepoznaven projekt podjetja Dhimahi je spletni sistem za elektronsko prodajo vstopnic podjetja Eventim. Eventim je v panogi prodaje vstopnic vodilen na evropskem trgu s prisotnostjo v 19 državah. Njegovo poslovanje vključuje prodajo, distribucijo in trženje vstopnic za koncerte, kulturne, športne in druge prireditve. Eventim uporablja storitve podjetja Dhimahi, ki so ključnega pomena v strategiji spletne prodaje vstopnic po vsej Evropi. Cilji podjetja Dhimahi so nadaljevanje rasti kot razvojno-programersko podjetje, razvijanje programskih rešitve v okviru »trajnostnega razvoja« in sklepanje strateških partnerstev. V skladu s temi cilji sta Dhimahi in

42 India - Slovenia

Dhimahi~Geodesic

Vojko Kercan, managing director of Dhimahi

accordance with these goals, Dhimahi and Geodesic, an Indian company for IT solutions with a head office in Mumbai, became strategic partners in the European market in 2010 and thus expanded the range, which now covers a varietyof technical solutions, products and know-how. The Dhimahi company was looking for an Indian partner especially because of the market’s huge potential. At the first meeting at Geodesic’s Mumbai headquarters it became evident that this was an extremely professional company as far as organisation, development and solutions were concerned. This was a good catalyst for today’s cooperation. At the same time, Geodesic was looking for a European partner and they found the Slovene company Dhimahi, using a Sanskrit name, and staff who were familiar with the Indian customs, tradition and culture. Geodesic is an innovator in the development of software products for mobile devices and personal computers, especially in the fields of information, communication and the entertainment industries. Their software package Mundu, which has already won some prizes for excellence, incorporates solutions for message sending, IP telephony and an online radio. The company is listed on the Indian stock exchange, namely the National Stock Exchange and Bombay Stock Exchange. It also has branches in the USA, England, Germany, Hong Kong, Sweden, and Mauritius. In the European market, Dhimahi will be managing Geodesic’s products and providing support for their clients. For major development projects it will collaborate with a large team of experts from the Indian company. The two companies have decided to cooperate on the basis of Dhimahi’s knowledge of the local market and Geodesic’s big development potential. Thus, they have created a competitive market environment that includes more than 450 development engineers and over 60 years’ worth of experience in information technology. The companies believe that their partnership will ensure the highest possible value for European clients, because they combine locality (Dhimahi) with highly professional and cost-reasonable development possibilities and solutions (Geodesic). At first, they will cooperate in services for the Slovene financial sector, but they plan future expansion to other European markets.

Geodesic’s product Wealth Console, advanced desktop tool

Geodesic, indijsko podjetje za IT storitve s sedežem v Mumbaju, v začetku leta 2010 postala strateška partnerja na evropskem trgu ter tako razširila ponudbo, ki sedaj vključuje širok spekter tehničnih rešitev, izdelkov in znanj. V podjetju Dhimahi so iskali indijskega partnerja predvsem zaradi velikega potenciala. Ob prvem srečanju na sedežu Geodesica v Mumbaju je bilo jasno, da gre za izjemno profesionalno podjetje, tako v smislu organizacije, razvoja in rešitev. To je bila dobra vzpodbuda za današnje sodelovanje. Obenem pa je tudi Geodeisc iskal evropskega partnerja in našli so podjetje slovensko podjetje Dhimahi, s sanskrtskim imenom in tudi ljudi, ki poznajo indijske navada, tradicijo in kulturo. Geodesic je inovator v razvoju programskih izdelkov za mobilne naprave ter osebne računalnike predvsem na področjih informacijske, komunikacijske in zabavne indsutrije. Njihov programski paket Mundu, ki je za svojo odličnost prejel že kar nekaj nagrad, vključuje rešitve za pošiljanje sporočil, IP telefonijo in spletni radio. Podjetje je uvrščeno na indijski borzi, in sicer na National Stock Exchange in Bombay Stock Exchange. Svoje podružnice ima še v ZDA, Angliji, Nemčiji, Hong Kongu, na Švedskem in Mauriciusu. Dhimahi bo na evropskem trgu upravljal z izdelki podjetja Geodesic ter nudil podporo njihovim naročnikom. Za večje razvojne projekte pa se bo povezal z zajetnim strokovnim kadrom indijskega podjetja. Podjetji sta se odločili za sodelovanje na podlagi Dhimahijevega poznavanja lokalnega trga in velikega razvojnega potenciala Geodesica. S tem sta ustvarili konkurenčno tržno ponudbo, ki zajema več kot 450 razvojnih inženirjev in več kot 60 let izkušenj v panogi informacijske tehnologije. Podjetji verjameta, da bo njuno partnerstvo evropskim naročnikom zagotovilo največjo vrednost, saj združuje lokalnost (Dhimahi) in visoko strokovne ter stroškovno ugodne razvojne možnosti in rešitve (Geodesic). Najprej bodo sodelovali v storitvah za slovenski finančni sektor, kasneje pa načrtujejo širjenje na druge evropske trge.

Dhimahi’s solution Eventim

India - Slovenia 43

ETI

Innovations

for the future

Since its foundation in 1950, ETI Group has grown into one of the world’s leading providers of solutions to residential and commercial electrical installations, power distribution of low and medium voltages, and power electronics and semiconductors. Their product range also covers technical ceramic products, tools and equipment as well as plastic and technical rubber products.

44 India - Slovenia

Koncern ETI se je od leta 1950 do danes razvil v enega vodilnih svetovnih proizvajalcev rešitev za stanovanjske in poslovne instalacije, distribucijo električne energije za nizko in srednjo napetost ter močnostno elektroniko in polprevodnike, poleg tega pa proizvaja tudi izdelke tehnične keramike, orodja in naprave ter izdelke iz plastike in tehnične gume.

ETI

n important element of the company’s growth strategy is subsidiaries at home and abroad as well as close cooperation with selected strategic partners. Nowadays ETI Group employs more than 1600 people, and sells its products in over 60 countries worldwide. The company is a generous investor in development and innovation, and one of the first Slovene companies to have obtained the ISO 9001 certificate for quality management and the ISO 14001 certificate for environmental management. During its market existence, the company has succeeded in creating an internationally competitive, development capable and stable commercial group, stopped neither by fierce competition nor by the recession of recent years. Its goals are building a quality range of products and services, boosting flexibility and competitiveness, and developing new products. In addition, a wealth of resources is invested in know-how and technological development. ETI has been present in the Indian market since 1982, when first contact was made with a business partner, with whom they still do business. In the second half of the 1980s they established a link-up with their current biggest Indian buyer and up to 2005 succeeded in nearly doubling the extent of sales. The core product range, which ETI has been launching and has established the company in the Indian market, includes electrical engineering production programme of finished products (fuse link programme) and subassemblies (switch programme) as well as the sale of technical ceramic products. ETI is present in India mainly in New Delhi and Mumbai and surrounding areas. However, appliances with installed ETI products are sold throughout the entire Indian subcontinent, and also find their way to Southeast Asia, the Gulf countries, and Europe. The company believes that for successful operations in the Indian market it is important to adhere to an indirect communication approach, avoid conflicts, and make business decisions after careful thought. They appreciate the need to avoid ultimatums that usually convey aggression and disrespect. As decisions are taken at the highest levels, it is necessary and advisable to cultivate relationships with management members as well as encourage personal contact and build confidence, also by showing consideration and interest for the family. During negotiations, according to ETI, non-verbal communication is important, while tactless, direct rejection is not recommended. The most important factors that encouraged ETI to enter the Indian market were its size and absorbent power – the key advantage of the Indian market. India’s economic boom after 1999 also played an important role as well as investment increase, privatisation, and policy friendly to foreign investment. Regarding the future, the company plans to continue cooperating with existing partners as well as consider a possible expansion in the sense of production cooperation. It needs to be stressed that a key move for strategic entry to the market is setting up one’s own business in India since administrative (especially duty) impediments make successful operations of European companies in this market impossible.

omemben element v strategiji rasti podjetja so hčerinske družbe doma in v tujini ter tesno sodelovanje z izbranimi strateškimi partnerji. Koncern ETI danes zaposluje več kot 1600 ljudi, svoje izdelke pa prodaja v več kot 60 držav po celem svetu. Podjetje veliko investira v razvoj in inovacijsko dejavnost ter je eno izmed prvih slovenskih podjetij, ki je pridobilo certifikat kakovosti ISO 9001 in certifikat za ravnanje z okoljem ISO 14001. V času svojega poslovanja jim je uspelo ustvariti mednarodno konkurenčno in razvojno sposobno ter stabilno poslovno skupino, ki je niso ustavili niti izjemni konkurenčni pritiski niti recesija zadnjih let. Podjetje stremi k izgrajevanju kakovostne ponudbe celotnega spektra proizvodov in storitev, h krepitvi fleksibilnosti in konkurenčnosti in k razvoju novih proizvodov. Ob tem ogromno sredstev investirajo v znanje in tehnološki razvoj. Podjetje ETI je na indijskem trgu prisotno že od leta 1982, ko so s poslovnim partnerjem, s katerim poslujejo še danes, navezali prve stike. V drugi polovici 1980-ih so se povezali s trenutno največjim indijskim kupcem in do leta 2005 uspeli skoraj podvojiti obseg prodaje. Osrednji nabor proizvodov, s katerimi se ETI pojavlja in uveljavlja na indijskem trgu, vključuje elektrotehnični proizvodni program gotovih izdelkov (varovalčni program) in podsklopov (stikalni program), ter prodajo izdelkov tehnične keramike. Podjetje ETI je v Indiji prisotno predvsem v New Delhiju in Mumbaju z okolico, vendar pa se aparati z vgrajenimi izdelki podjetja ETI prodajajo po celem indijskem podkontinentu, pot pa najdejo tudi v jugovzhodno Azijo, zalivske države in Evropo. V podjetju verjamejo, da je za uspešno poslovanje na indijskem trgu pomemben indirektni komunikacijski pristop, izogibanje konfliktom in sprejemanje poslovnih odločitev po tehtnem premisleku. Prav tako cenijo izogibanje ultimatom, ki praviloma sporočajo agresivnost in nespoštovanje. Ker pa se odločitve sprejemajo na najvišjih nivojih, je potrebno in priporočljivo razvijati odnose z vodstvenim osebjem ter spodbujati osebne stike in graditi zaupanje, tudi prek izkazovanja pozornosti in interesa za družino. Med pogajanji, poudarjajo v ETI, je pomembna neverbalna komunikacija, ni pa priporočljiva netaktna, neposredna zavrnitev. Med razlogi, ki so podjetje ETI spodbudili k vstopu na indijski trg je predvsem njegova velikost in absorpcijska moč, kar je tudi največja prednost indijskega trga, poleg tega pa je pomemben dejavnik tudi razcvet indijske ekonomije po letu 1999, povečevanje investicij in privatizacija ter tujim vlaganjem prijazna politika. V prihodnosti želijo v podjetju ETI nadaljevati sodelovanje z obstoječimi partnerji, in razmišljajo o možni širitvi v smislu proizvodne kooperacije. Za strateški vstop na trg pa je ključna ustanovitev lastnega podjetja v Indiji, saj administrativne (zlasti carinske) ovire evropskim podjetjem onemogočajo uspešen nastop na tem trgu.

India - Slovenia 45

Krka

One of the

World’s

leading generic

producers

Using their own development, international connections, flexibility and efficiency, Krka have been consolidating their position as one of the leading generic pharmaceutical companies in European and world markets. Their products are sold in over 70 countries and, as well as numerous companies and branch offices abroad – in the Russian Federation, Poland, Croatia, and Germany – they have their own production-distribution centres.

46 India - Slovenia

Krka d.d. z lastnim razvojem, mednarodnimi povezavami, fleksibilnostjo in učinkovitostjo, utrjuje položaj enega vodilnih farmacevtskih generičnih podjetij na evropskih in svetovnih trgih. Svoje izdelke prodaja v več kot 70 državah. Krka ima številna podjetja in predstavništva v tujini. V Ruski federaciji, na Poljskem, Hrvaškem in Nemčiji ima tudi lastne proizvodno-distribucijske centre.

Krka

pecial attention is paid to the development of generic pharmaceutical products with added value – the result of their own know-how. These products are known for high quality, safety, and effectiveness. The majority of their products are prescription medicines, followed by self-treatment products, veterinary products and cosmetic products. Their product range is complemented by spa-tourist services provided by Terme Krka spa representing a 4 per cent share in sales. Nowadays, the Krka brand is a household name having gained the confidence of both the professional public and end users. Their extensive product range is constantly extended with new products, which are introduced into new therapeutic fields. Krka’s strategic orientation and goals include the continuous development of the company; focus on key, mostly European and Central Asian markets; constant development of pharmaceutical and chemical industries; boosting company recognition and public image; production of new products; expansion of the marketing-sales network; as well as environmental concerns. Krka have been present in India for over 16 years, and since the opening of their Indian office in 2000, cooperation with Indian partners has been intensified and upgraded. At present they cooperate with some ten companies enabling the best possible potential efficiency offered by the Indian market. India has developed itself into an important centre for the chemical-pharmaceutical industry and nowadays prides itself on numerous large and highly successful pharmaceutical companies. There is also an array of small enterprises responding remarkably well and adjusting themselves to continuously changing market conditions. It is these very qualities that have drawn both originators and generic companies like Krka to the country. Krka’s direct presence in the Indian market enables the company to gain invaluable experience not only in understanding the market, its methods of functioning, and Indian companies’ dealings, but also in acquiring knowledge on the culture and customs of this vast country, which are the basis for long-term, genuine relations with Indian partners. Krka intends to further expand its international marketing network in the future and, at the same time, enter markets with modern generic products manufactured in their own production facilities in Slovenia and abroad. Intensively investing in the know-how and creativity of their nearly eight thousand employees, the company accomplishes their strategic goals and builds long-term relations with their partners.

osebno pozornost namenja razvoju generičnih farmacevtskih izdelkov z visoko dodano vrednostjo in ki so izjemno kakovostni, varni in učinkoviti. Svojo ponudbo dopolnjuje tudi z zdraviliškoturističnimi storitvami Term Krka, ki predstavljajo 4-odstotni delež od prodaje. Krka je danes uveljavljena blagovna znamka, ki si je zgradila zaupanje tako pri strokovni javnosti kot pri končnih uporabnikih. Svoji široki paleti izdelkov nenehno dodaja nove in z njimi vstopa na nova terapevtska področja. Krkina strateška usmeritev in cilji vključujejo neprestan razvoj podjetja, osredotočanje na ključne, predvsem evropske in srednjeazijske trge in nenehen razvoj farmacevtske in kemijske dejavnosti. Poleg tega težijo k utrjevanju prepoznavnosti in javnega ugleda podjetja, k širjenju ponudbe novih izdelkov, nadgrajevanju marketinško-prodajne mreže ter skrbi za okolje. Krka je v Indiji prisotna že več kot 16 let, sodelovanje z indijskimi partnerji pa se po letu 2000, ko je v Indiji odprla svoje predstavništvo, poglablja in nadgrajuje. Trenutno sodeluje z nekaj deset podjetji, kar jim omogoča, da kar najbolje izkoristijo potencial, ki ga nudi Indija. Skozi leta se je Indija razvila v pomembno središče kemijsko-farmacevtske industrije in se danes ponaša s številnimi velikimi in zelo uspešnimi farmacevtskimi podjetji. Poleg tega obstaja cela vrsta manjših podjetij, ki se izjemno dobro odzivajo in prilagajajo nenehno spreminjajočim se trgom. Prav te kvalitete so v deželo privabile tako originatorje kakor tudi generične firme, kot je Krka. Krkina neposredna prisotnost na indijskem trgu podjetju omogoča pridobivanje bogatih izkušenj ne samo v razumevanju trga in načinov delovanja in poslovanja indijskih podjetij, temveč tudi v spoznavanju kulture in običajev te velike dežele, kar je osnova za dolgotrajne in pristne odnose z indijskimi partnerji. Krka namerava svojo mednarodno marketinško mrežo v prihodnje še razširjati, obenem pa na tržišča vstopati s sodobnimi generičnimi izdelki, proizvedenimi v lastnih proizvodnih obratih doma in na tujem. Z intenzivnim vlaganjem v znanje in ustvarjalnost skoraj osem tisoč zaposlenih, uresničuje strateške cilje in gradi dolgoročne odnose s svojimi partnerji.

COMPANY NOTES Company CONTACTS Krka d.d. Šmarješka cesta 6, 8501 Novo mesto, Slovenia Tel.: + 386 (0)7 331 21 11 info@krka.biz www.krka.si CEO Jože Colarič Industry pharmaceutical and chemical industry Main products prescription pharmaceuticals, self-medication products, cosmetic and animal health products

India - Slovenia 47

Radeče Paper MILL

Centuries

of experience for future

generations

The beginning of the paper production tradition in the Sopota stream valley dates back to 1736 when the paper mill was registered in the Vienna register and a watermark with the inscription “Ratschah” made. At the beginning of the 20th century the industrialised production of paper began in Radeče and soon after the company specialised in the production of securities and protected papers.

48 India - Slovenia

Začetki tradicije izdelave papirja v dolini ob potoku Sopota segajo v leto 1736, ko je bila papirnica vpisana v dunajski register in je bil izdelan zaščitni vodni znak z napisom Ratschah. V začetku 20. stoletja so v Radečah začeli industrijsko proizvajati papir, kmalu zatem pa so vpeljali še specializacijo za izdelavo vrednostnih in zaščitenih papirjev.

Papirnica Radeče

oday the Radeče paper mill company produces and sells products with high added value for customers. The production ranges from technical and special papers to securities and protected papers as well as plastic and cardboard cards. The business expands to foreign markets where it is a competitor to some of the world’s largest producers in the sector. In line with their policy of corporate social responsibility, Radeče paper mill prioritises environmental protection, health and safety. Therefore, the company continuously modernises its technology and strengthens its energy efficiency to actively contribute to environmental protection, especially reducing the water burden. In the community where the company is based and works it operates in line with the principles of responsibility and develops a system of operations which contributes to the general development of local and wider communities. Bearing this in mind the company is committed to the responsible use of natural resources and to the protection of the environment so as to ensure the future for today’s and tomorrow’s generations. Radeče paper mill has been exporting its products to the Indian market for at least three decades. Beginning its exports with cardboard, recently the company has been exporting mainly protected and security papers. The paper for non-judicial stamps and other security paper make the company present virtually all over the Indian subcontinent. They do business mainly with state institutions and state printing houses which demands a high business culture as Indian partners leave nothing to chance. Radeče paper mill says its business partners are aware of their size and therefore it is even more important to build an equal relationship in their cooperation, taking into account knowledge of the business environment. Due to its remoteness and complexity, the Indian market presented a challenge for the Radeče paper mill. It entered into this market mainly because the European markets of security and protected papers are too full while in the Southeast Asia the needs for this paper are still great. It has to be noted that the European and Indian markets differ especially in size and growth. As the population in Southeast Asia grows, so do the needs for different products. Due to the European market’s attitude to Southeast Asia, it can be observed at the same time that the consolidation of Asian market is growing meaning that the market could be reduced at a certain point. Therefore the Radeče company defends the strategy to remain present in this market and this takes sincere business relationships. The Radeče paper mill follows its business strategy, understanding that each market has its specifics and that success depends also on the approach towards customers. In the future an increase in exports to the Indian market is envisaged which depends on the continuation of globalisation and market consolidation in this part of the world as well.

anes podjetje Radeče papir proizvaja in prodaja izdelke z visoko dodano vrednostjo za uporabnike. Izdelujejo tehnične in specialne papirje, vrednostne in zaščitene papirje ter plastične in kartonske kartice. Širijo se na nove trge, kjer konkurirajo nekaterim največjim svetovnimi proizvajalcem iz njihove dejavnosti. V skladu s politiko družbene odgovornosti poslovnega sistema Radeče papir so njihove prioritete varstvo okolja, zdravje in varnost. Zato neprestano posodabljajo tehnologijo in povečujejo energetsko učinkovitost in tako dejavno prispevajo k varovanju okolja, predvsem k zmanjševanju obremenitve voda. Tudi do skupnosti, v kateri živijo in delajo, poslujejo odgovorno ter razvijajo sistem poslovanja, s katerim prispevajo k splošnemu razvoju lokalne in širše družbe. Pri tem se zavezujejo, da bodo naravne vire uporabljali odgovorno ter varovali okolje in tako današnjim in jutrišnjim generacijam zagotovili prihodnost. Poslovni sistem Radeče papir svoje izdelke na indijski trg izvaža že najmanj tri desetletja. Začeli so s kartoni, v zadnjem obdobju pa so to predvsem zaščiteni in vrednostni papirji. S papirjem za nesodne znamke in drugimi vrednostnimi papirji, so prisotni praktično na celotnem ozemlju indijske celine. Sodelujejo predvsem z državnimi institucijami in državnimi tiskarnami, kar zahteva visoko poslovno kulturo, saj indijski partnerji ničesar ne prepuščajo naklučju. Kot zatrjujejo v radeškem podjetju, se njihovi poslovni partnerji zavedajo, da so veliki in da je zato še toliko bolj pomembno, da se v medsebojnem sodelovanju zgradi enakopraven odnos, ki upošteva znanje in poznavanje poslovnega okolja. Zaradi oddaljenosti in zahtevnosti je indijski trg Papirnici Radeče predstavljal izziv, vanj pa so vstopili predvsem zaradi prenasičenosti evropskih trgov na področju vrednostnih in zaščitenih papirjev, v jugovzhodni Aziji pa so potrebe po teh papirjih še vedno zelo velike. Ob tem je potrebno opozoriti, da je razlika med evropskim in indijskim trgom nedvomno v velikosti in rasti. Z naraščanjem prebivalstva v jugovzhodni Aziji rastejo tudi potrebe po različnih izdelkih. Obenem pa je zaradi odnosa evropskega trga do jugovzhodne Azije opazna vse večja konsolidacija azijskega trga, kar pomeni, da se trg v določenem trenutku lahko tudi zmanjša. Zato v Radečah zagovarjajo strategijo, da ostanejo in obstanejo na tem trgu, za kar pa je potreben odkrit poslovni odnos. V papirnici Radeče maksimalno sledijo poslovnemu cilju, da ima vsak trg svojo specifiko, uspeh pa je odvisen tudi od pristopa do kupcev. V prihodnosti načrtujejo povečanje izvoza na indijski trg, kar pa je odvisno tudi od nadaljevanja svetovne globalizacije in povezovanja trgov v tem delu sveta.

India - Slovenia 49

Slovenian Steel Group

Tradition forges the future SIJ Group – Slovenian Steel Group plc is a group with a rich tradition and many years of experience as well as being one of Slovenia’s leading commercial groups, consisting of 15 companies. Their high added value products are appreciated at home, in the EU, the USA and elsewhere with over 70 per cent of their products being exported across the world. The steelworks Acroni Ltd and Metal Ravne Ltd manufacture long and flat steel products, Noži Ravne Ltd is renowned for top-quality industrial knives, and Elektrode Jesenice manufactures filler materials for various welding processes of steel and other metals. Another two companies belonging to the core companies are SUZ Ltd and ZIP Center Ltd. Serpa Ravne is a subsidiary of Metal Ravne and is mainly engaged in service industries.

50 India - Slovenia

Skupina SIJ – Slovenska Industrija Jekla, d. d. je skupina z bogato tradicijo in dolgoletnimi izkušnjami in ena vodilnih slovenskih gospodarskih skupin, ki jo sestavlja 15 družb. Njihove izdelke z veliko dodano vrednostjo cenijo doma, v EU, v ZDA in drugod po svetu, kamor izvozijo več kot 70 odstotkov svojih izdelkov. Jeklarski podjetji Acroni, d. o. o. in Metal Ravne, d. o. o. predelujeta jeklo v ploščatem in dolgem programu, podjetje Noži Ravne, d. o. o. slovi po vrhunskih industrijskih nožih, Elektrode Jesenice pa proizvajajo dodajne materiale za različne postopke varjenja jekla in drugih kovin. Med jedrna podjetja spadata tudi podjetji SUZ, d. o. o., in invalidsko podjetje ZIP Center, d. o. o. Serpa Ravne je hčerinska družba Metala Ravne in opravlja predvsem storitveno dejavnost.

SLOVENSKA INDUSTRIJA JEKLA

ollowing a series of successful investments in production capacities SIJ group continues to invest in market development in the EU and elsewhere. They primarily focus on acquiring steel centres, i.e. production-vending centres. These are extremely important for the development of the steel industry, and its specialisation and competitiveness. Such centres enable the adequate and timely supply of steel in required dimensions. Furthermore, they fulfil the highest quality standards providing appropriate mechanical and thermal curing. SIJ Group knew how to take advantage of its small size (on a world scale it is a very small steelworks), searching for its opportunities in certain products with high added value as well as employing a high degree of adaptability. SIJ Group is a successful commercial system, and – due to the Slovene steelmaking tradition, excellence, new knowledge, and environmental orientation – it acts as an important factor in the shaping of the modern European steel industry. Metal Ravne is a steelworks with almost four hundred years of tradition and nowadays manufactures steel products from an extensive programme. Core steel programmes comprise tool and high-speed steels as well as some construction and special steels. Products from these steels are semimanufactures used for production of parts in the car, electric, machine, chemical, petrochemical and food industries as well as in construction, mining, and for special purposes. Metal Ravne has been present in India for over 20 years in the cities

o uspešno zaključenih vlaganjih v proizvodne zmogljivosti skupina SIJ – Slovenska industrija jekla pospešeno vlaga v razvoj trgov v EU in drugod po svetu. Usmerja se predvsem v nakup steel centrov oziroma obdelovalno-prodajnih centrov, kateri so izjemno pomembni za razvoj jeklarstva, njegove specializacije in konkurenčnosti. Omogočajo namreč ustrezno ponudbo in hitro dobavo jekel v zahtevanih dimenzijah in kvaliteti ter ustrezno mehansko in toplotno obdelavo. Skupina SIJ je znala izkoristiti svojo majhnost – v svetovnem merilu gre za zelo majhno jeklarno – in svoje priložnosti išče v nišnih izdelkih z visoko dodano vrednostjo, poleg tega pa jo odlikuje tudi velika stopnja prilagodljivosti. Skupina SIJ je uspešen poslovni sistem, ki s tradicijo slovenskih jeklarjev, odličnostjo in novimi znanji ter okoljevarstveno naravnanostjo pomembno sooblikuje sodobno evropsko jeklarstvo. Metal Ravne je jeklarsko podjetje s skoraj štiristoletno tradicijo in danes proizvaja jeklene izdelke iz dolgega programa. Nosilni programi jekel so orodna in hitrorezna jekla ter specialna in nekatera konstrukcijska jekla. Izdelki iz teh jekel so polizdelki za izdelavo delov za avtomobilsko, elektro, strojno, kemijsko in živilsko industrijo, gradbeništvo, rudarstvo, petrokemijo in specialne namene. Podjetje Metal Ravne je v Indiji prisotno že več kot 20 let in sicer v Mumbaju, Kalkuti, Bangaloreju, Madrasi, New Delhiju. Na indijskem trgu so prisotni predvsem z orodnimi jekli, jekli za plastiko, hitroreznimi jekli in tudi s specialnimi jekli za energetiko.

Tibor Šimonka, president of the board, SIJ group

Andrej Gradišnik, CEO of Metal Ravne

India - Slovenia 51

Slovenian Steel Group

of Mumbai, Kolkata, Bangalore, Madras and New Delhi. In the Indian market it offers mostly tool steels, high-speed steels, steels for plastic and also special steels for the energy industry. The fruitful cooperation of the present day dates back 20 years to meeting United Steel & Bearing Company Kolkata at a trade fair in Germany and establishing first cooperation. In cooperation with this company, Metal Ravne began marketing tool steels using the company’s warehouse facilities in India. Mr Kejriwal, the owner of United Steel & Bearing Company Kolkata, is Metal Ravne’s long-standing agent whose help has been decisive in making the Ravne steel giant recognisable in this market. Just like many other companies, Metal Ravne sees the potential of the Indian market mostly in its size and prospects. Being an English-speaking region and having operations based on the English code of practice are also advantages of this market. But above all, the Indian market’s advantage is its greater constancy – movements in periods of recessions and economic expansions are smaller than in Europe – and greater receptiveness to high quality steels. Consequently, the company’s future plans include an increase of the market share mainly with more demanding products with high added value, such as steels for the energy industry.

Današnje plodno sodelovanje sega 20 let nazaj, ko so prek podjetja United Steel & Bearing Kalkuta, s katerim so se srečali na sejmu v Nemčiji, vzpostavili prvo sodelovanje. V sodelovanju s tem podjetjem so začeli s trženjem orodnih jekel preko njihovih skladišč v Indiji. Lastnik United Steel & Bearing Kalkuta g. Kejriwal je dolgoletni agent podjetja Metal Ravne, ki je odločilno pomagal pri prepoznavnosti ravenskega jeklarskega velikana na tem trgu. Tako kot marsikateremu drugemu podjetju, tudi Metalu Ravne izziv indijskega trga predstavlja predvsem njegova velikost in perspektivnost, poleg tega pa prednost vidijo tudi v dejstvu, da gre za angleško govorno področje in za način poslovanja, ki temelji na angleških poslovnih kodeksih. Ne glede na to pa je prednost indijskega trga v tem, da je bolj konstanten – gibanje v času recesij in konjunktur je manjše kot v Evropi, ter bolj dovzeten za visoko kvalitetna jekla. Zato nameravajo v prihodnosti povečati tržni delež, predvsem z zahtevnejšimi izdelki z visoko dodano vrednostjo, kot so jekla za energetiko. Acroni je proizvajalec ploščatih valjanih izdelkov iz jekla, proizvaja jekla različnih kvalitet – konstrukcijska, elektro, nerjavna in ostala specialna jekla. S proizvodnjo nerjavnih debelih pločevin se uvršča med najpomembnejše svetovne proizvajalce. Poslovno sodelovanje Acronija z indijskimi partnerji

Slavko Kanalec, CEO of Acroni

Darko Ravlan, director, Noži Ravne

52 India - Slovenia

SLOVENSKA INDUSTRIJA JEKLA Company Acroni is a producer of steel flat rolled products. Its range includes steels of various qualities – construction, electrical, stainless, and other special steels. Its production of thick stainless steel sheet ranks it among the most important world producers. Acroni’s business cooperation with Indian partners began after meeting them at an expert meeting, the company’s first encounter with the customs and practice of Indian business ethics. The company’s experience is that deals can be only done with the help of local agents. It also stresses that the Indians are very persistent negotiators and advocates of well organised bureaucratic matters, meaning that each deal requires lots of documentation. In the Indian market, the company has been present mostly with thick stainless steel sheet for around 10 years, mainly delivering to Maharashtra and Gujarat. It should be highlighted that India is the fifth largest importer of thick stainless steel sheet and one of the fastest growing markets for such products. Compared to European countries the Indian market is more exacting, however, this does not pose problems for Acroni, which is one of the biggest producers of this product and also plans consolidation of its presence in this market. Noži Ravne is a middle-sized company producing and selling industrial knives and related machine components under their own trademark – RAVNE KNIVES. Their products are used in the metallurgy and metal processing industry, paper and cardboard industries, paper and cardboard productions, graphic industry as well as the wood processing industry, particularly in veneer, plywood board, and chipwood productions. They are also used in basic industry of plastics and recycling of all kinds of bulky materials as well as in leather and food industries. Noži Ravne has been present in the Indian market, especially in the vicinity of Kolkata and Mumbai, since 1991, when first contact was established via Mr Paritosh Mazumdar, who had studied in the former Yugoslavia and upon returning to India made contact with potential partners from Slovenia. The company then expanded its presence through visits, the Internet, and trade fair activity, especially at specialised trade fairs in Europe. It is aware that upon entering the market cultural peculiarities and the special price sensibility of the market need to be taken into consideration. At present its most successful India-imported products are veneer knives and knives for metals in sheet metal rolling mills. The company’s greatest challenge, as for other firms, is what is for many the incomprehensible enormity of the market as well as its openness. However, these factors will not make the company – whose assets are business excellence and getting to know local business and cultural customs – abandon its bold future plans. Due to relatively weak domestic competition for more exacting products like the ones offered by Noži Ravne, the company’s future plans are presence and sale expansions in this rather unexplored market.

se je začelo po srečanju na strokovnem sestanku, kjer so se prvič srečali z navadami in delovanjem indijske polovne etike. Po njihovih izkušnjah je posle mogoče sklepati le s pomočjo lokalnih agentov, pri čemer pa poudarjajo, da so Indijci zelo vztrajni pogajalci in imajo stvari radi dobro birokratsko urejene. To pomeni, da je vsak posel povezan z obilno dokumentacijo. Na indijskem trgu so predvsem z debelo nerjavno pločevino prisotni približno10 let, dobavljajo pa v glavnem v Maharaštro in Gudžarat. Indija je peti največji uvoznik nerjavne debele pločevine in ob tem eden najhitreje rastočih trgov za tovrstne izdelke. V primerjavi z evropskimi državami je trg bolj zahteven, kar pa Acroniju ne predstavlja težav, saj so eden največjih proizvajalcev tega izdelka, načrtujejo pa tudi krepitev prisotnosti na tem trgu. Noži Ravne so srednje veliko podjetje za proizvodnjo in prodajo industrijskih nožev in pripadajočih strojnih delov z lastno blagovno znamko RAVNE KNIVES. Njihovi izdelki so uporabni v metalurgiji in kovinskopredelovalni industriji, v industriji papirja in kartona, za konfekcioniranje papirja, kartona in v grafični dejavnosti, v lesno-predelovalni industriji, predvsem v proizvodnji furnirja, vezanih plošč, iveric, poleg tega pa še v bazični industriji umetnih mas in reciklaži vseh vrst kosovnega materiala ter v usnjarski in prehrambni industriji. Noži Ravne so na indijskem trgu, zlasti v okolici Kalkute in Mumbaja, prisotni od leta 1991, ko so navezali prve stike preko g. Paritosha Mazumdarja, ki je študiral v bivši Jugoslaviji, in ob vrnitvi v Indijo navezal stik s potencialnimi partnerji iz Slovenije. Potem so svojo dejavnost širili z obiski, internetom, sejemsko dejavnostjo predvsem na specializiranih sejmih v Evropi. Zavedajo se, da je ob vstopu na trg potrebno upoštevati kulturno specifičnost in posebno cenovno občutljivost trga. Danes so najbolj uspešni proizvodi, ki jih izvažajo v Indijo, noži za furnir in noži za kovine v valjarnah pločevine, pri tem pa jim največji izziv predstavlja, tako kot mnogim drugim, za marsikoga nepredstavljiva velikost trga in vsekakor tudi odprtost. Vendar pa podjetja, ki stavi na poslovno odličnost in spoznavanje lokalnih poslovnih in kulturnih navad, to ne odvrača od smelih načrtov za prihodnost. Ob relativno šibki domači konkurenci za zahtevnejše proizvode, kakršne Noži lahko ponudijo, nameravajo v prihodnje še povečati svojo prisotnost, in seveda prodajo, na tem precej neraziskanem trgu.

India - Slovenia 53

Turboinštitut

power

The of nature, the force of

progress

Turboinštitut was founded in 1948 as a centre for knowledge and industrial research in the field of hydraulic machines. The company received financing from the state and therefore successfully entered the market of research services at its early stages. In the 1970s the institute worked on the production of special pumps, low-pressure compressors and turbines. From the 1980s onwards it has intensively cooperated with foreign producers of hydraulic machines and electricity organisations from different countries as well as beginning development of equipment for small hydroelectric power plants. In the 1990s when power plant renovation became a world trend, it focused on that field. 54 India - Slovenia

Turboinštitut je bil ustanovljen leta 1948 kot center znanja in industrijskih raziskav hidravličnih strojev. Inštitut je bil le v neznatni meri financiran s strani države, zato je že zelo zgodaj stopil na trnovo pot poslovanja na trgu raziskovalnih storitev. V sedemdesetih letih so se ukvarjali tudi z izdelavo specialnih črpalk, nizkotlačnih kompresorjev in turbin, že od osemdesetih let naprej pa so intenzivno sodelovali s tujimi proizvajalci hidravličnih strojev in z elektrogospodarskimi organizacijami različnih držav in začeli razvijati tudi opremo za male hidroelektrarne. V devetdesetih, ko je obnova elektrarn postala svetovni trend, so se posvetili področju obnov elektrarn.

Turboinštitut

n 1994 the company became an independent company and in 1998 it was legally transformed into a public limited company. With its business Turboinštitut successfully overcame the 1990s crisis which, for most companies, was a result of the decay of the Yugoslav market. Today Turboinštitut is focused mainly on export activity and has successfully expanded in recent years. The most prominent asset of Turboinštitut is the knowledge and experience of its employees. The entire technology of the development, testing, designing of small turbines and equipment for hydro power plants, turbine production, regulation and power plant management is the result of the company’s own development. Turboinštitut has been present in the Indian market for approximately 10 years but in the last three years its presence has become even more active. The company is interested mainly in areas rich with water which means all of the Himalaya Mountains which extend over the states of north India as well as other parts of the country. At the moment the company is present in Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh. The company offers the Indian market complete electro mechanic equipment for small hydro power plants which includes the design, production, assembly and start up of the power plant and encompasses the preturbine gate, turbines, regulation, supervision and automation. When getting familiar with the Indian market, the company mainly did business with Indian turbine manufacturers and supplied only demanding hi-tech products (turbine rotors). Today, Turboinštitut has a local representative in the Indian market who is well acquainted with their business and is actively involved in the acquisition of new customers. In view of the outstanding water potential, the Indian market is extremely interesting for the Turboinštitut’s activity since it is an extremely large market. The company sees opportunity in the fact that the Indian market, in common with quite a few non-European markets, is characterised by an extreme lack of technical knowledge, especially in the field where the Turboinštitut’s work establishes world criteria for quality and innovation. Therefore it sees its niche in selling knowledge and not only products with knowledge integrated. Regardless of big differences in the way business is done, Turboinštitut wants to expand its business in India, at the same time offering its Indian partners a range of products from the field in which it specialises as well as its specialised knowledge.

eta 1994 je inštitut postal samostojno podjetje, leta 1998 pa se pravno preoblikoval v delniško družbo. Turboinštitut se je v poslovanju uspešno izvil iz krize v 90-tih, ki je nastopila v večini podjetij po razpadu jugoslovanskega trga. Danes je Turboinštitut usmerjen predvsem v izvozno dejavnost in se v zadnjih letih uspešno širi. Največje premoženje Turboinštituta so znanje in izkušnje njegovih zaposlenih. Vsa tehnologija razvoja, preizkušanja, preizkusnih naprav, projektiranja malih turbin in opreme na hidroelektrarnah, izdelave turbin, regulacije in upravljanje z elektrarnami je sad lastnega razvoja. Na indijskem trgu je Turboinštitut prisoten približno 10 let, v zadnjih treh letih pa je njegova prisotnost postala še aktivnejša. Podjetje zanimajo predvsem področja bogata z vodo, kar pomeni celotno (pred)himalajsko pogorje, ki se razteza v državah severne Indije, pa tudi ostali deli države. Trenutno delujejo v državah Himačal Pradeš, Maharaštra in Utarančal Pradeš. Indijskemu trgu nudijo celotno elektrostrojno opremo za male HE, ki vključuje projektiranje, izdelavo, montažo in zagon hidrocentrale, zajema pa predturbinsko zapiralo, turbine, regulacijo, nadzor in avtomatizacijo. Na začetku spoznavanja indijskega trga so poslovali predvsem z indijskimi proizvajalci turbin in dobavljali samo visokotehnološko zahtevne izdelke (rotorje turbin). Danes ima Turboinštitut na indijskem trgu predstavnika domačina, ki dobro pozna njihovo poslovanje in aktivno deluje na pridobivanju novih kupcev. Glede na izreden vodni potencial je indijski trg izredno zanimiv za dejavnost Turboinštituta, saj gre za izjemno velik trg. Priložnost vidijo predvsem v dejstvu, da indijski, tako kot še precej neevropskih trgov, zaznamuje izrazito pomanjkanje tehničnega znanja, zlasti s področja, kjer delo Turboinštituta postavlja svetovne kriterije kakovosti in inovativnosti. Tako svojo nišo vidijo v prodajanju znanja in ne samo izdelkov z vgrajenim znanjem. Ne glede na velike razlike v načinu in kulturi poslovanja, si v Turboinštitutu želijo širiti poslovanje in obenem indijskim partnerjem ponuditi vrsto produktov z njihovega specialističnega področja in znanja.

India - Slovenia 55

BIA SEPARATIONS

A massive

opportunity BIA Separations is one of only a handful of companies offering convective interaction media (CIM) monolithic columns to the worldwide market. The Ljubljana-based subsidiary of the Austrian company is responsible both for the manufacture of these columns – used for the purification of biomolecules – and for research and development.

56 India - Slovenia

BIA Separations je le eno med peščico podjetij, ki svetovnemu trgu ponuja monolitne nosilce CIM (Convective Interaction Media - nova tehnologija čiščenja biomolekul). Ljubljanska podružnica avstrijskega podjetja je odgovorna tako za proizvodnjo teh nosilcev, ki se uporabljajo pri čiščenju biomolekul, kot za raziskave in razvoj.

BIA SEPARATIONS

iven that the purification of biomolecules is crucial for the production of biopharmaceuticals and vaccines – particularly when high levels of purity are needed – the need for CIM monolithic columns is growing quickly. As a result, BIA Separations is steadily increasing its presence throughout the world, including in Asia. The decision to enter the rapidly-expanding Indian market was taken in 2006. The attraction was the number of biopharmaceutical and vaccine-producing companies that are based in the country – key clients for BIA Separations. It was felt these represented a massive opportunity for the company’s products and methods. Another attraction was India’s receptiveness to new technologies, something not found in all territories. Initial contact was with the Indian market was through scientific exchange. Subsequently, a very strong distributor partner in Delhi was secured. The firm is now present in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Haryana and Delhi. It reports that business in the country is mainly conducted through personal contact and is based on trust. Though the firm has found that this trust can take some time to develop, it also finds that it ultimately leads to extremely strong ties between the two partners. BIA Separations’ CIM monolithic chromatographic columns are now used across India for laboratory and industrial scale purification of vaccines and various biopharmaceutical drugs. The company says the columns can easily meet the demands of such processes and that they are one of the most effective chromatographic materials on the market for the purification of large biomolecules. CIM monolithic chromatographic columns are not the only items BIA Separations sells on the Indian market – it also offers vaccine production process technology packages. The firm – which currently employs 55 people across Slovenia, Austria and the USA – firmly believes Asian markets are going to become extremely important in the near future. As a result, it plans to open a BIA Separations Asia subsidiary this year. The subsidiary would strengthen the company’s presence in the region, particularly in India and China, and ensure it properly serves the needs of these markets.

lede na to, da je čiščenje biomolekul ključnega pomena pri proizvodnji biozdravil in cepiv – predvsem ko je potrebna visoka raven čistosti – potreba po monolitnih nosilcih CIM hitro narašča. Posledično se podjetje Bia Separations postopoma širi po vsem svetu, vključno v Aziji. Odločitev, da vstopijo na hitro rastoče indijsko tržišče, je bila sprejeta leta 2006. Privabilo jih je število podjetij, ki v tej državi proizvajajo biozdravila in cepiva ter za BIA Separations predstavljajo ključne stranke. V podjetju so bili mnenja, da je to velika priložnost za proizvode in metode podjetja. Privlačna je bila tudi dovzetnost Indije za nove tehnologije, česar ni mogoče opaziti na vsej območjih. Začetni stik z indijskim trgom je bil vzpostavljen prek znanstvene izmenjave. Kasneje so v Delhiju vzpostavili sodelovanje z zelo močnim distribucijskim partnerjem. Podjetje je zdaj prisotno v državah Maharaštra, Gudžarat, Andra Pradeš, Tamil Nadu, Harjana in v mestu Delhi. Poročajo, da se posli v državi sklepajo predvsem prek osebnega stika in temeljijo na zaupanju. Čeprav so v podjetju ugotovili, da za razvoj tega zaupanja potrebujejo kar nekaj časa, menijo, da to sčasoma privede do zelo močnih vezi med partnerjema. Monolitni kromatografski nosilci CIM podjetja Bia Separations se zdaj uporabljajo po vsej Indiji za čiščenje cepiv in raznih biozdravil v laboratorijih in industriji. V podjetju pravijo, da so nosilci zlahka kos potrebam tovrstnih procesov in da so med najbolj učinkovitimi kromatografskimi materiali na tržišču za čiščenje večjih biomolekul. Monolitni kromatografski nosilci CIM niso edini proizvodi, ki jih BIA Separations prodaja na indijsko tržišče – ponuja tudi tehnološke pakete za postopek proizvodnje cepiv. Podjetje, ki trenutno zaposluje 55 ljudi v Sloveniji, Avstriji in ZDA, trdno verjame, da bodo azijska tržišča v prihodnosti postala zelo pomembna. Posledično namerava letos odpreti hčerinsko podjetje BIA Separations Asia. Hčerinsko podjetje bi okrepilo prisotnost podjetja v regiji, predvsem v Indiji in na Kitajskem, ter zadostilo potrebam teh trgov.

COMPANY NOTES Company CONTACTS BIA Separations Teslova 30, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia Tel.: + 386 (0)1 426 56 49 sales@biaseparations.com www.monoliths.com CEO Ales Strancar Contact for Indian Market Genetix Biotech Asia Pvt. Ltd. 71/1, Shivaji Marg, New Delhi-110 015, India Tel.: +91 11 4142 7031 Fax: +91 11 2541 9631 genetix@genetixbiotech.com www.genetixbiotech.com Industry biotechnology Main products products and services for bioproducts and vaccine purification

India - Slovenia 57

Trimo Group

Exploring

a new market Trimo is one of Europe’s leading developers of original and complete solutions for steel buildings, roofs, façades, steel constructions, solar solutions, containers, modular units and sound and insulation systems. Founded in 1961, the company is headquartered in Slovenia and renowned for innovation, quality, and customer support. It sells its products and services across 54 countries worldwide; has a sales network in 27 countries; and has production facilities in Slovenia, Serbia, Russia and the United Arab Emirates.

58 India - Slovenia

Trimo je eno od vodilnih podjetij v Evropi v razvoju originalnih in celostnih rešitev za jeklene stavbe, strehe, fasade, jeklene konstrukcije, solarne rešitve, kontejnerje, modularne enote ter protihrupne in izolacijske sisteme. Podjetje s sedežem v Sloveniji je bilo ustanovljeno je bilo leta 1961 in je znano po svoji inovativnosti, kvaliteti in podpori strankam. Svoje proizvode in storitve prodaja v 54 državah po vsem svetu; prodajno mrežo ima v 27, ravno tako pa ima proizvodne objekte v Sloveniji, Srbiji, Rusiji in Združenih arabskih emiratih.

Trimo Group

Trimo received an award by the Slovenian Chamber of Engineers for its modular system “Qbiss by trimo”

he company prides itself on constantly exploring new markets and seizing new opportunities. It says its innovative approach, expert knowledge, openness, reliability and with a focus on the future are the basic components that have taken the Trimo brand around the world. It is now carefully investigating whether India could be another market on which the brand becomes known. The firm became interested in India late last year after joining a delegation to the country organised by the Slovenian Chamber of Commerce (GZS). It is cautious but optimistic about the possibilities for doing business in the country. “First we want to check the options, price levels, quality and, of course, then we will decide”, a spokesperson says. But the advantages are clear. The country’s vast quantities of steel would be a boon for a company specialising in constructions made from the alloy. Other materials are also in abundance. “India is the closest destination for Nabao raw materials for our production of containers in the United Arab Emirates”, the company says. Little wonder that Trimo is focusing on cooperation with India in the field of standard raw materials and steel sheets, as well other services. In looking to set itself up in the Indian market, Trimo says the experience has been quite different from that on other new markets. It says personal contacts are much more important and that responsiveness is far greater. The company says prices in the Indian market are attractive. But other factors will have to be considered before Trimo decides that the Asian country is the next target for expansion. “Based on previous research through our contacts we have noticed that the price level is a favourable factor but transport costs, guarantee fees and similar have to be taken into account,” the company reports.

Economy Minister Matej Lahovnik presented an award to Trimo for its innovations

odjetje se lahko pohvali z neprestanim raziskovanjem novih tržišč ter izkoriščanjem novih priložnosti. V podjetju pravijo, da so strokovno znanje, odprtost, zanesljivost, inovativnost ter osredotočanje na prihodnost osnovni dejavniki, ki so znamko Trimo ponesli v svet. Zdaj natančno preučujejo, ali bo indija novo tržišče, kjer bi znamka postala znana. Podjetje se je pričelo zanimati za Indijo proti koncu lanskega leta, po tem ko je Slovenska gospodarska zbornica organizirala obisk delegacije v Indiji. Podjetje je previdno, a hkrati optimistično glede možnosti poslovanja v tej državi. »Najprej želimo preveriti možnosti, ravni cen ter kakovost in šele nato se bomo odločili,« pravi predstavnik podjetja. Toda prednosti so jasne. Obsežna količina jekla v državi bi za podjetje predstavljala velik napredek pri specializaciji v gradnji iz zlitin. Tudi količine drugih materialov so obsežne. »Indija je najbližji kraj za surovine iz Nabaa, ki jih potrebujemo za proizvodnjo kontejnerjev v Združenih arabskih emiratih,« pravijo v podjetju. Nič nenavadnega torej, da se Trimo osredotoča na sodelovanje z Indijo na področju standardnih surovin, jeklene pločevine in na drugih področjih. Ko so pri podjetju Trimo preučevali vstop na indijsko tržišče, so ugotovili, da je to precej drugačno od drugih tržišč. Pravijo, da je osebni stik veliko bolj pomemben in odzivnost veliko večja. Pri podjetju pravijo, da so cene na indijskem tržišču privlačne, vendar bodo morali upoštevati še druge dejavnike, preden se Trimo odloči, da je azijska država naslednja tarča za širitev. »Na podlagi raziskav, ki smo jih v preteklosti naredili prek naših kontaktov, smo opazili, da je cenovna raven ugoden dejavnik, vendar bomo morali upoštevati še stroške prevoza, garancijske provizije in drugo,« pravijo v podjetju.

COMPANY NOTES Company CONTACTS Trimo, d. d. Prijateljeva cesta 12, 8210 Trebnje, Slovenia Tel.: +386 (0)7 34 60 200 trimo@trimo.si www.trimo.eu, www.qbiss.eu CEO Tatjana Fink, MBA Contact for Indian Market Branka Mavretič Industry construction (engineering and production of pre-fabricated buildings) Main products steel buildings, façades, roofs, steel constructions, modular units, containers, sound and insulation systems

India - Slovenia 59

AUTOMOTIVE CLUSTER OF SLOVENIA

Driving cooperation with India Strong ties with its counterparts elsewhere in the world are helping the Automotive Cluster of Slovenia (ACS) increase cooperation between the Slovenian and Indian automobile markets, says Dušan Bušen, head of ACS.

How many of your members work within the Indian market? Numbers do not mean much as some of our members may have been working in India for a while but in the end it came to nothing. Others only got involved recently and for them, it has clicked immediately. What is the feedback you receive from your members about working with the Indian market? Business feedback is usually positive but external surroundings and business conditions differ from state to state just as it differs in Europe. Time and patience are called for to progress on anything: the sense of urgency is not always as one is used to but it works eventually. The proof is the existence of so many successful European joint ventures, subsidiaries and other forms of collaborations. Maybe we are a bit late and missed the boat somewhat. However, considering the growth figures, even

60 India - Slovenia

Po besedah direktorja Avtomobilskega grozda Slovenije (ACS) Dušana Bešana, so trdne vezi grozda s partnerji po svetu tiste, ki pomagajo pospeševati sodelovanje med slovenskim in indijskim trgom. Koliko vaših članov je deluje na Indijskem trgu? Število v tem primeru ne pomeni veliko, saj so nekateri naši člani delali v Indiji dlje časa, a se jim načrt ni izšel, medtem ko so drugi postali aktivni pred nedavnim in takoj našli pravo priložnost. Kakšne odzive dobivate s strani članov o delu na indijskem trgu? Poslovni odziv je ponavadi pozitiven, vendar zunanje okoliščine in poslovni pogoji nihajo glede na posamezno zvezno državo, ravno tako kot to velja za Evropo. Čas in potrpežljivost sta potrebna za napredek pri vsaki stvari. Naglica ne deluje vedno tako, kot bi pričakovali, a nenazadnje učinkuje, za kar dokaz je obstoj številnih evropskih poslovnih navezav, podružnic, mešanih podjetij in drugih oblik sodelovanja. Morda smo najboljši čas za vstop na tržišče že malce zamudili, vendar pa je upoštevajoč kazalce rasti celo pod temi zahtevnimi finančnimi pogoji vsaka skupna dejavnost lahko le uspešna.

AVTOMOBILSKI GROZD SLOVENIJE Na kakšen način ACS pomaga slovenskim podjetjem pri vstopu na indijsko tržišče? ACS ne pomaga, temveč skrbi za ustvarjanje sinergij, srečevanje idej, izdelkov, strank ipd. ACS ima močne vezi z partnerji v Indiji in z CLEPA (Evropsko združenje avtomobilskih dobaviteljev), kamor se lahko podjetje zateče po kakršenkoli nasvet. ACS tudi z drugimi evropskimi avtomobilističnimi grozdi, s katerimi raziskuje in rešuje težave ter išče namige za njihovo uspešno in hitro rešitev. Marsikdo je bil tem že pred nami in ima izkušnje. ACS se od njih uči ter oskrbuje svoje člane s kontakti in nasveti.

under these difficult financial conditions, any joint activity could only prove fruitful. How does ACS help Slovenian companies enter the Indian market? ACS does not help but facilitates meeting of minds through some advanced work, synergies in products, customers etc both during the ‘matchmaking’ phase and during the life of the venture. ACS has strong ties with its counterpart in India and with CLEPA (the European Association of Automotive Suppliers). These and other European Automotive Clusters can give advice on exploring and resolving any issues, as well as tips for resolving these amicably and in good time. You see, someone has been there before and may have had some experience: ACS tries to learn from this and provides its members with relevant contacts and advice. What are the most common queries you get from companies wishing to enter the Indian market? The usual queries and requests for assurances about regulatory compliances, bureaucratic hurdles, delays and information on the ‘REAL’ credibility of the other side, basically the same fears when someone would like to enter into any unknown zone. However, it must be pointed out that ACS’s role is neither to overcome any risk management issues nor to establish trust among the interested business professionals. It can, however, help with regard to ‘insider’ information on health of the companies and claimed data, and more importantly, on the seriousness of the queries for a joint set up for anything. You may know that sometimes ‘potential’ international partners are only interested in local market information and prices etc for purchasing and sales from the other side.

Kaj so najbolj pogosta vprašanja podjetij, ki želijo na indijski trg? Običajna zagotovila in povpraševanja o regulatornih principih, birokratskih ovirah, zastojih in informacije o resnični kredibilnosti na drugi strani. V bistvu gre za običajne strahove, ki jih ima nekdo ob vstopu na neznano področje. Tu je treba poudariti, da vloga ACS ni v preseganju težav povezanih s tveganjem, niti v ustvarjanju zaupanja med poslovneži – lahko pa pomaga z insajderskimi informacijami o stanju podjetij in drugimi podatki ter, kar je najbolj pomembno, resnostjo povpraševanja po sodelovanju v kakšnemkoli smislu. Včasih »potenicalni« mednarodni partnerji v resnici želijo le informacijo o lokalnem trgu in cenah za nakupe in prodaje z druge strani. Katere so konkurenčne prednosti slovenske avtomobilske industrije pri vstopu na indijsko tržišče? Odvisno. V vsakem primeru nižji skupni stroški, ne glede na to ali ima slovensko podjetje dogovor s tretjo stranjo, kot je npr. patent, in neodvisno od tega ali ima lastno znanje ki bi ga Indijci želeli uporabiti pri poizvodnji, da bi bili konkurenčni še nekomu. Odvisno ali prihajate v Indijo s potrošniško aplikacijo iz Evrope, ki omogoča hiter vstop na Indijski trg, ter odvisno kakšen kapitalski delež je v igri. Treba je poudariti, da so dnevi ko so države kot so Kitajska, Brazilija ali Indija iskali zastarele tehnologije, mimo. Vsi želijo najnovejše in ne več po najmanjši ceni. Menim, da se najboljši dogovori med poslovnimi strankami ustvarijo z medosebnimi vezmi, ki učinkujejo bolje od strogih poslovnih pogojev, saj imajo Slovenci v Indiji poseben status. Kje na indijskem trgu vidite največje priložnosti za slovenska podjetja v avtomobilski industriji? Predstavljajmo si tak poslovni scenarij: Podjetje v Indiji, ki bi uporabilo slovensko znanje in proizvodnjo v Indiji, namenjeno prodaji ne le tam, ampak ob pomoči slovenskega podjetja tudi v Evropi. S tem je zagotovljena kvaliteta, proizvodni ter logistični stroški pa so precej nižji od tistih, ki bi jih terjala proizvodnja v Sloveniji z lastnim znanjem. To idealen primer, ki ustvarja prednost. Market share passenger cars in India

What is the advantage of Slovenian automotive industry when competing for work on the Indian market? It depends: lower overall costs; whether or not the Slovenian company has a third party arrangement (e.g. patent or royalty); whether it has its own know-how that Indians would like to share for production there to beat someone else; whether it comes to India with customer applications in Europe (that allows rapid entry into Indian market due to swift authority approval); or what kind of capital share arrangement is put on the table. It must be pointed out that long gone are the days when countries such as China, Brazil or India are looking for yesterday’s technology or product portfolio. They all want the latest and no longer at premium price. I think the best arrangement could be between parties that tie up through people rather than on straight business terms, since Slovenian people have always had a special place in India. Within the automotive sector, where do you see the biggest opportunities for Slovenian companies on the Indian market? One can envisage a business scenario like this: an Indian business that would very much like to use the know-how of a Slovenian business to produce in India – to sell not only there but eventually, assisted by the Slovenian business, to sell in Europe. The issue here is that the quality is given but the production costs plus that for logistics will be far less than that produced locally by the Slovenian company with its own know-how. This would be the ideal case for added advantage.

Ford 1,7%

M.-Renault 1%

GM 3%

Skoda Auto 0,9% Others 1,9%

Honda Siel 3,2%

Tata Motors 10,7% Maruti 45,5%

Hyunday 32,1%

India - Slovenia 61

Iskra Capacitors

Forging partnerships Iskra Capacitors has more than 50 years’ worth of experience in the manufacture of capacitors, devices for compensation of reactive energy, and components for the elimination of radio-frequency disturbances. All are products which are crucial to the high quality supply of electricity in any country. High quality protection from radiofrequency disturbances is required for good operation of electric devices. High quality energy capacitors and efficient compensation of reactive energy are necessary in energy systems and at transmission and distribution of electric energy. Capacitors for application in electronics, motor capacitors and capacitors for lighting applications, meanwhile, are convenient for communication purposes, electrical equipment, electric tools, electronic devices and automotive electronics.

62 India - Slovenia

Iskra Kondenzatorji ima več kot petdeset let izkušenj s kondenzatorji – napravami za kompenzacijo jalove energije – in elementi za odpravo radiofrekvenčnih motenj. Vsi ti proizvodi so ključnega pomena za visoko kakovostno oskrbo z elektriko v vseh državah sveta. Visoko kakovostna zaščita pred radiofrekvenčnimi motnjami je nujna za nemoteno delovanje električnih naprav. Učinkovita kompenzacija jalove energije in visoko kakovostni energetski kondenzatorji so potrebni za energijske sisteme ter pri prenosu in distribuciji elektrike. Kondenzatorji za elektroniko, motorski kondenzatorji in kondenzatorji za svetilke pa so pripravni za komunikacijo, električne naprave, električna orodja, elektronske naprave in avtomobilsko elektroniko.

Iskra KONDENZATORJI

t was almost a decade ago that Iskra Capacitors entered the Indian market and it now has multiple partners in the country. The company’s first dealings in India were with Cosmo Ferrites Limited, which it encountered at an industry fair in Munich. Trading between the two companies started modestly. In 2002, it amounted to EUR 8,000. It has sharply increased in the following years, however, peaking at almost EUR 400,000 in 2005. It was also at the Munich fair that Iskra Capacitors became aware of Syrma Technology. Syrma is based in Chennai, south India, and specialises in collaborative design and manufacture of medium/high mix and flexible volume electronic products. The two companies began cooperating in 2005 and anticipate reaching a record level of trade this year of close to EUR 1m. Iskra’s third biggest partner in India is Inspros Engineers. The two companies have been trading since last year after making initial contact at another trade fair - this one in Hanover. It is predicted that trade between the two will reach around EUR 140,000 in 2010. Cosmo Ferrites, Syrma Technology and Inspros Engineers may be Iskra’s biggest partners in India but they are far from the only Indian companies with which the capacitor firm does trade. It also has strong connections with New Delhi-based Parker Overseas; Oriental Export Cooperation and Hind Plant Machinery, both in Mumbai; Nilraj Engineering from Nashik; and Gujarat Polybutenes located in Dist Vadodra. And Iskra’s presence in the Indian market has been steadily increasing since a trip to the country last year. During their time in India, company representatives visited Nashik and Pune, two big industrial zones near Mumbai. The areas are home to around 1,500 firms, some of them Iskra’s competitors. Staff at the company speak very positively of their experiences in India, and of the experience of trading in the country. They say they find the Indian people friendly and their business partners fair and professional. They also say there are differences between India and Europe. »The Indian people do not lead as stressful lives as we do in Europe«, the company says. »Hence our strict quality requirements are sometimes foreign to them, but they are willing to adapt.« Iskra is also willing to adapt - it prides itself on providing products tailored to the requirements of its customers. The company intends to continue looking for new opportunities for cooperation with Indian organisations. In the longer term however it hopes to find a place for its products, services and system solutions in the large Indian market.

skra Kondenzatorji je na indijski trg vstopila pred slabim desetletjem in ima v tej južnoazijski državi mnogo partnerjev. Družba je najprej poslovala s podjetjem Cosmo Ferrites d. o. o., s katerim se je spoznala na industrijskem sejmu v Münchnu. Medsebojno poslovanje je bilo sprva skromnejše – v letu 2002 je znašalo 8.000 evrov. V naslednjih letih pa je obseg poslovanja narastel in je leta 2005 že skoraj dosegel vrednost 400.000 evrov. Münchenski sejem je družbo Iskra Kondenzatorji seznanil tudi s podjetjem Syrma Technology. Podjetje s sedežem v južnoindijskem Čenaju, je specializirano za projektiranje s sodelovanjem ter izdelavo srednje/močno različnih elektronskih proizvodov ter ima spremenljiv obseg izdelave elektronskih proizvodov. Podjetji sta začeli sodelovati v letu 2005, letošnje leto pa jima bo predvidoma prineslo rekordno poslovanje v vrednosti milijon evrov. Iskrin tretji največji indijski partner je Inspros Engineers. Sodelovanje podjetij se je začelo lani, po seznanitvi na poslovnem sejmu v Hannovru. Vse kaže, da bosta leta 2010 poslovali v vrednosti 140.000 evrov. Cosmo Ferrites, Syrma Technology in Inspros Engineers so resda Iskrini največji indijski partnerji, vendar še zdaleč ne edini. Družba je tesno povezana s podjetjem Parker Overseas v New Delhiju, Nilraj Engineering iz Našika, Gujarat Polybutenes iz okrožja Vadodra ter mumbajskima Oriental Export Cooperation in Hind Plant Machinery. Od Iskrine lanskoletne poslovne poti v Indijo, se njena prisotnost na tamkajšnjem trgu vedno bolj krepi. Med obiskom Indije so predstavniki družbe obiskali Našik in Pune, veliki industrijski coni blizu Mumbaja. Na teh območjih se nahaja približno 1.500 podjetij, med katerimi so tudi Iskrini tekmeci. Osebje družbe pripoveduje o dobrih osebnih in poslovnih izkušnjah v Indiji. Zaposleni menijo, da so Indijci zelo prijazni, njihovi tamkajšnji poslovni partnerji pa pošteni in profesionalni. Obenem pa tudi omenjajo razlike med Indijo in Evropo. »Indijci se ne vdajajo stresu tako kot Evropejci,« pravijo v podjetju. »Zaradi tega so jim naše ostrejše zahteve glede kakovosti včasih tuje, vendar so se pripravljeni prilagajati.« Tudi Iskra se je pripravljena prilagajati – odlikuje jo ponudba proizvodov, ki so prikrojeni potrebam strank. Družba se namerava še naprej ozirati za novimi priložnostmi za sodelovanje z indijskimi podjetji. Na dolgi rok pa želi svojim proizvodom, storitvam in sistemskim rešitvam utreti pot na ogromen indijski trg.

COMPANY NOTES Company CONTACTS Iskra Kondenzatorji, d. d. Vajdova ulica 71, 8333 Semič, Slovenia Tel.: +386 (0)7 38 49 200 Fax: +386 (0)7 30 67 110 iskra.semic@iskra-semic.si www.iskra-semic.si CEO Robert Srabotič, M.Sc Industry electro industry Main products manufacture of capacitors, devices for compensation of reactive energy, and components for the elimination of radio-frequency disturbances

India - Slovenia 63

LITOSTROJ POWER

Powerful

connections The Litostroj Power company offers customers integrated solutions for hydro power equipment, from design to implementation on a turn-key basis. The company independently covers development, design, construction, technology, manufacture, installation and servicing of its products. It also performs refurbishment and upgrading of hydroelectric power plants (HPPs) for its customers.

64 India - Slovenia

Podjetje Litostroj Power svojim strankam ponuja integrirane hidroenergetske rešitve, vse od zasnove do končne izvedbe. Podjetje samostojno pokriva razvoj, oblikovanje, konstrukcijo, tehnologijo, proizvodnjo, nameščanje in vzdrževanje izdelkov. Prav tako izvaja tudi obnove in nadgradnje obstoječih hidro central.

LITOSTROJ POWER

he advantages of the company lie in its ability to quickly respond and adapt to customer requirements, its innovative engineering solutions, many projects that have been realised all over the world, as well as up-to date technological facilities. The co-operation between Litostroj Power and Indian power supply companies has a long tradition. It was to India that the company’s very first exports were made back in 1958. Later on, Litostroj has cooperated in the realization of several other projects in India, such as: Yamuna I and Yamuna II HPP, Jaldhaka HPP, Periyar HPP, Sholayar I and Sholayar II HPP, Kodayar HPP, and some others. The aggregate power of all the units that have been installed there up to now is 452 MW. After some years of crisis, ending in the restructuring of the company and the formation of a new company called Litostroj E.I., the company took part in another project in India. The project was the hydroelectric power plant Bhavani Kattalai Barrage I. The contract with the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board, a state company dealing with the production and distribution of electrical energy in the mentioned state, was signed in 2001. The turn-key project encompassed the design, manufacture, supply and commissioning of two bulb turbine units, including all auxiliary equipment. Upon successful completion of the Bhavani I project, which was realised to the customer’s satisfaction, another contract with the same customer was signed in 2006. The contract was for the Bhavani Kattalai II and III projects. Under this contract, Litostroj has undertaken to manufacture, supply, install and commission four bulb turbines, and two 120-ton cranes, as well as to supply erecting devices and spare parts. Seeing that the Indian market is rather specific, Litostroj Power can only be present there either through a local representative, i.e. a consultant, or through cooperation with local companies. And in 2001, the company started co operating with its current partner and with BHEL, a local company involved in the engineering and manufacture of power generation equipment. The Czech company ČKD Blansko Engineering, one of the companies of the Litostroj Power Group, last year signed an important contract with the Hindustan Construction Company, a group of companies that has taken part in the installation of over 25 per cent of all hydroelectric capacity installed in India. The company keeps making all reasonable efforts to sign new deals. The target of Litostroj Power is to achieve a two per cent share of the Indian market for hydroelectric power plant equipment. This target can be achieved by signing new deals involving at least 50 to 100 MW aggregate installed power per year.

onkurenčne prednosti podjetja so hitra odzivnost, prilagodljivost naročnikovim željam, inovativne rešitve, lastna tehnološka kapaciteta ter dolgoletne izkušnje na svojem področju. Sodelovanje tega slovenskega podjetja za projektiranje, gradnjo elektrarn in izdelavo energetske in industrijske opreme, z indijsko energetiko, ima dolgo tradicijo. Prvi izvozni posel Litostroja je bil daljnega leta 1958 prav v Indijo, kasneje pa je na področju Indije sodeloval pri več drugih projektih: HPP Yamuna I in II, HPP Jaldhaka, HPP Perijar, Šolajar I in II, HPP Kodajar in drugih. Za indijske naročnike so, poleg novih turbin, izdelali in instalirali številne hidroenergetske agregate v skupni moči 452 MW. Podjetju Litostroj Power, takrat še Litostroj E.I., je na indijsko tržišče, po kriznih letih prestrukturiranja, ponovno uspelo vstopiti leta 2001 s projektom Bhavani Kattalai Barrage I. Z naročnikom, državnim podjetjem za proizvodnjo in distribucijo električne energije v zvezni državi Tamil Nadu, Tamil Nadu Electricity Board, je Litostroj sklenil pogodbo za projektiranje, izdelavo, dobavo in operacionalizacijo dveh cevnih agregatov. Uspešno, kakovostno in strokovno zaključenemu projektu izgradnje hidroelektrarne Bhavani I, je leta 2006 sledil podpis nove pogodbe z istim naročnikom. Tokrat je bila podpisana pogodba za sodelovanje pri projektu izgradnje hidroelektrarn Bhavani Kattalai II in III. S pogodbo se je Litostroj Power zavezal izdelati in dobaviti štiri cevne turbine, dve 120-tonski dvigali, montažne naprave in rezervne dele. Litostroj Power vlaga veliko energije v pridobivanje novih poslov. Zaradi specifičnosti indijskega tržišča lahko tam delujejo le prek lokalnega predstavnika oziroma konzultanta ali v povezavi z lokalnim podjetjem. Zato so leta 2001 vzpostavili sodelovanje z njihovim sedanjim agentom, lokalnim podjetjem BHEL, ki je indijsko podjetje za inženiring in proizvodnjo energetske opreme. Tudi Litostrojevo češko podjetje ČKD Blansko Engineering je lansko leto, v sodelovanju z Hindustan Construction Company, gradbenim koncernom, ki je sodeloval pri skoraj 30 % instaliranih hidro kapacitetah v Indiji, pridobilo pomemben posel na projektu črpalne postaje Čoka Rao. V Indiji Litostroj Power sodeluje v konzorciju s podjetjem Flovel Mecamidi, Guragon, New Delhi, v zadnjem času so bili prisotni na mednarodnih licitacijah za Hidroelektrarne Phata Byung, Basmey. Cilj podjetja Litostroj Power je na indijskem hidroenergetskem trgu doseči 2 % delež, kar bi jim lahko uspelo s pridobivanjem poslov med 50 in 100 MW na leto.

COMPANY NOTES Company CONTACTS Litostroj Power d.o.o. Litostrojska cesta 50, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia Tel.: +386 (0)1 582 41 02 info@litostrojpower.eu www.litostrojpower.eu CEO Drago Fabijan Industry hydro energy equipment Main products water turbines, pumps, valves, gates, cranes, engineering

India - Slovenia 65

PETRA MACHINES

Going global Petra Machines is a family owned business based in Slovenia’s capital city of Ljubljana. Founded in 2005, the company manufactures metal cutting band saw machines. It has quickly expanded thanks to a patented technological advance which enables superior movement of saw frames along the columns of its machines.

66 India - Slovenia

Petra Stroji je družinsko podjetje, ki se nahaja v slovenski prestolnici, Ljubljani. Ustanovljeno je bilo leta 2005 in se ukvarja z izdelavo tračnih žag za razrez kovin. Podjetje je hitro razširilo dejavnost, zahvaljujoč patentiranemu tehnološkemu napredku, ki omogoča boljše gibanje okvira žage po nosilnih stebrih stroja.

PETRA STROJI

he firm entered the Indian market last year with the creation of a joint venture company. Petra Machines India was formed last July and is now manufacturing both double column fully automatic and semi automatic band saw machines from a newly established plant in Chennai, Tamilnadu, India. The factory commenced operation in January 2010 and the first batch of machines rolled out in March. The company believes that establishing an efficient marketing and sales network is crucial to finding success in India. It began by focusing on Tamilnadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka but has now also appointed representatives in Mumbai, Pune, New Delhi, Hyderabad, Coimbatore and Chandigarh. While Petra Machines India first entered the market through contacts, the company believes the best way to gain business is through regional industrial fairs. It therefore plans to participate in three such fairs this year – one in Chennai in June 2010, one in New Delhi in July and one in Coimbatore in August. As Petra Machines operates in the field of capital equipment manufacturing and supply, it has found Indian business practices are very different to those in Europe. Machines in India are supplied strictly against 100 percent payment, the company explains, with any loan or leasing arrangement the responsibility of the purchaser. In Europe, it is the manufacturer which has to arrange leasing. The company has found that when dealing with the Indian market it is crucial to be flexible in terms of product development, supply and price. It reports that Indian customers like to deal with businesses which are flexible enough to accommodate clients’ requirements. Petra Machines says there are many factors which encouraged it to expand into India. One of the most important was the rate at which the country’s economy is growing – and the expert opinion that the pace of this growth can be maintained for at least the next 25 years. Other attractions included the skilled labour force, the good and reasonably priced manufacturing services available, the presence of abundant raw materials, and the English speaking population. One of Petra Machines’ major aims is to become a truly global company in the supply of band saw machines. It reports that having a base in India helps it towards that goal by allowing the cheap and easy export of products to the Asia Pacific region and to South Africa. The company plans to start exports to the latter by the end of the next financial year. For the moment, the Indian plant is to focus on manufacturing and exporting products already in the Petra Machines range. But from April 2012, it may start to make computer numerically controlled (CNC) machines and some new models. The goal for this financial year, meanwhile, is to achieve a turnover of 20 million Indian rupees.

odjetje je na indijski trg vstopilo lani, po oblikovanju skupnega podjetja. Petra Stroji Indija je bilo ustanovljeno julija lani in zdaj v novoustanovljeni tovarni v Čenaju v indijski državi Tamilnadu proizvaja dvostebrne tračne žage, tako avtomatske kot polavtomatske. Tovarna je pričela obratovati januarja 2010, prva serija strojev pa je bila narejena v marcu. V podjetju verjamejo, da je vzpostavitev učinkovite marketinške in prodajne mreže ključnega pomena za doseganje uspeha v Indiji. V začetku je bilo podjetje osredotočeno na države Tamilnadu, Andra Pradeš in Karnataka, zdaj pa ima predstavnike tudi v mestih Mumbaj, Pune, New Delhi, Hyderabad, Coimbatore in Chandigarh. Kljub temu da je Petra Stroji Indija vstopilo na trg prek vez, v podjetju verjamejo, da je najboljši način za pridobivanje posla prek regionalnih industrijskih sejmov. Zato namerava letos sodelovati na treh takih sejmih – enem v Čenaju, enem v New Delhiju in enem v Coimbatoru v avgustu. Pri podjetju Petra Stroji, ki deluje na področju izdelave in dobavljanja osnovnih delovnih sredstev, so ugotovili, da se indijski načini poslovanja močno razlikujejo od evropejskih. V Indiji se stroji dobavljajo le proti stoodstotnemu plačilu, pravijo v podjetju, kakršen koli dogovor za posojilo ali zakup pa je odgovornost kupca. V Evropi je proizvajalec tisti, ki mora urediti zakup. V podjetju so ugotovili, da je pri udejstvovanju na indijskem trgu ključnega pomena prilagodljivost v smislu razvoja proizvodov, dobavljanja in cene. Pravijo, da indijske stranke rade sodelujejo s podjetji, ki so dovolj prilagodljiva, da zadostijo potrebam stranke. V podjetju Petra Stroji pravijo, da jih je k širitvi v Indijo vzpodbudilo več dejavnikov. Eden od najpomembnejših je bila hitrost rasti gospodarstva v tej državi – in mnenje strokovnjakov, da se bo takšen tempo ohranil vsaj prihodnjih 25 let. Druge prednosti so vključevale usposobljeno delovno silo, dobre in cenovno sprejemljive proizvodne storitve, obsežno prisotnost surovin in angleško govoreče prebivalstvo. Eden od poglavitnih ciljev podjetja Petra Stroji je postati pravo globalno podjetje v dobavljanju tračnih žag. Kot pravijo, jim sedež v Indiji pomaga pri doseganju tega cilja, saj omogoča poceni in lahek izvoz proizvodov v azijsko-pacifiško območje in v Južno Afriko. Podjetje načrtuje pričeti z izvozi v slednjo do konca prihodnjega finančnega leta. Trenutno se mora indijska tovarna osredotočiti na proizvodnjo in izvoz proizvodov, ki so že v paleti proizvodov podjetja Petra Stroji. Z aprilom 2012 pa bodo morda pričeli izdelovati CNC stroje in nekaj novih modelov. Cilj za to finančno leto pa je doseči prihodek 20 milijonov indijskih rupij.

COMPANY NOTES Company CONTACTS Petra Stroji d.o.o. Gerbičeva 108, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia Tel.: +386 (0)1 24 45 830 Fax: +386 (0)1 24 45 836 infoindia@pe-tra.com info@pe-tra.com CEO Rudi Bric

Contact for Indian Market Petra Machines India Pvt.Ltd. (An Indo-Slovenian Joint Venture) D-14, Mogappair Industrial Estate,Reddypalayam Road, Mogappair west , Chennai - 600 037 Mobile: +91 9382 164 129 Tel.: +91 44 2624 3525 Fax: +91 44 2624 3424 Industry capital equipments manufacturer Main products double column horizontal band saw machines

India - Slovenia 67

Port of Koper

Opportunity lies in

shipping companies A shipping transport connection between Luka Koper (Port of Koper) and India was signed in the first half of 2009. Currently, 100,000 tons are transferred between the two countries each year. But the geostrategic position of Slovenia also makes the Port an ideal entry point for Indian goods destined for the rest of South Eastern Europe. President of the Management Board of Luka Koper Gregor Veselko, talks to us about the outlook of shipping transport links between India and Slovenia.

68 India - Slovenia

Ladijska transportna povezava med Luko Koper in Indijo je bila sklenjena v prvi polovici 2009. Trenutno se na tej poti letno pretovori 100.000 ton. Geostrateška lega Slovenije je tudi za Indijo idealna vstopna točka za jugovzhodno Evropo. Predsednik uprave Luke Koper Gregor Veselko o perspektivah transportne ladijske povezave med Indijo in Slovenijo.

LUKA KOPER Kdaj je indijsko tržišče postalo pomembno za Luko Koper? Za indijsko ne bi mogel trditi, da je že od nekdaj pomembno za Luko Koper, je pa pomembno že vrsto let – tako kot je pomemben daljni vzhod v celoti. Ker sledimo dogajanju na teh tržiščih, se zavedamo hitrega razvoja Indije, čemur sledi tudi pospešen uvoz iz tega trga. Kot luka smo vmesni člen v tej logistični verigi, zato je pomembno, da Indijo spoznavamo in razumemo na tak način. Zavedamo se svoje geostrateške pozicije. Kako se sodelovanje razvija v zadnjem času, ki je tudi obdobje krize v gospodarstvu? Ker je kriza predvsem kriza povpraševanja, se moramo v prvi vrsti osredotočiti na trženje in komercialne aktivnosti. Luka Koper ima svojega predstavnika na indijskem tržišču, Bedi Group, ki ga je pooblastila že prejšnja uprava, zdaj pa želimo to sodelovanje premakniti še za nivo višje. Z gospodarsko zbornico, agecnijo JAPTI ter ostalimi slovenskimi institucijami, ki so za to zadolžene v kratkem načrtujemo izmenjavo gospodarskih delegacij. Sodeč po dveh obiskih pri indijskem veleposlaniku se tudi na drugi strani v tej smeri odvija precej aktivnosti.

Gregor Veselko, CEO of Port of Koper

When did the Indian market become important for the Port of Koper? I cannot claim that the Indian market has always been important for Luka Koper, but it has been important for a number of years – just as important as the Far East in its entirety. Because we follow developments in these markets we were aware of the rapid development of India, followed by accelerated imports from that market. As a port we are an intermediate part in this logistic chain, therefore it is important that we recognise and understand India in that way. We are aware of our geostrategic position. How has cooperation evolved in recent times given it has also been a period of crisis in the economy? Since the crisis is mostly a crisis of demand, we must primarily focus on marketing and commercial activities. Luka Koper has its representative in the Indian market, Bedi Group, which had already been authorised by the previous management board. But now we wish to raise this cooperation to a higher level: with Gospodarska zbornica Slovenije (Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia), JAPTI (Public Agency of the Republic of Slovenia for Entrepreneurship and Foreign Investments) and other relevant Slovenian institutions we shortly plan an exchange of commercial delegations. Judging by the two visits to the Indian Ambassador similar activities are taking place on their side as well. What are the characteristics of this transport connection? Currently, a lot of cargo allocated to the European market lands in the north of Europe. The key to obtaining the cargo is a shipping connection which must be direct. Particularly interesting are connections with the West Indian ports because no direct connections have yet been established. Therefore, with the help of our mediator we are also looking for an Indian shipping company to bring a container ship directly to Koper. Here, too, the Indian Ambassador is helping us. Do constraints such as the capacity of railways present an obstacle to this entry? Port development is not possible without the development of hinterland and railways have a vital role here. The electrification of the first track between Koper and Divača is in development. A motorway link has been formed. I personally give great importance to the national spatial plan which is currently in the process of being accepted and will outline the development of the next three decades. If our plan is to have 40 million tons of cargo transfers, reinforcements of infrastructure are inevitable - thus far we have achieved 16 million tons of cargo transfers at most. If we see Slovenia as a kind of logistic platform for this part of Europe this should be realised at the national, local and private level. What is your experience in working with India? There have never been any problems with India, neither professionally, nor personally. A population of a billion people bears an immense potential. With their professionalism and technological expertise they are the market of the future and we must be aware of that. My experience so far is positive.

Kakšne so značilnosti te transportne povezave? Trenutno ogromno tovora, namenjenega evropskemu tržišču pristaja na severu Evrope. Ključ za pridobitev tovora je ladijska povezava, ki pa mora biti neposredna. Predvsem so zanimive povezave z lukami na Zahodu indije, ker neposrednih povezav še ni. Zato preko našega posrednika iščemo tudi Indijskega ladjarja, ki bi kontejnersko ladjo pripeljal neposredno v Koper. Tudi tu nam pomaga Indijski ambassador. Ali omejitev, ki jo predstavlja denimo zmogljivost železnic, predstavlja oviro za ta vstop? Razvoj pristanišča ne gre brez razvoja zaledja in tu so železnice ključnega pomena. Poteka elektrifikacija prvega tira med Koprom in Divačo. Avtocestna povezava je sklenjena. Sam dajem velik pomen državnemu prostorskemu načrtu, ki se ravnokar sprejema in bo predvidel razvoj naslednjih treh desestletij. Če mi razmišljamo v okvirih tega načta, po katerem je ciljna količina 40 milionov ton, bodo okrepitve infrastrukture neizogibne – doslej smo pretovorili največ 16 milionov ton letno. Če vidimo Slovenijo kot neko logistično platformo za ta del Evrope, je treba to uresničevati na nacionalnem, lokalnem in zasebnem nivoju. Kakšne so vaše izkušnje pri delu z Indijo? Z Indijo, njihovim načinom poslovanja in odnosi s posamezniki nikdar ni bilo težav. Miliarda ljudi nosi neizmeren potencial. S svojo strokovnostjo in tehnološkim znanjem so tržišče prihodnosti, česar se moramo zavedati. Moje izkušnje doslej so pozitivne.

COMPANY NOTES Company CONTACTS Port of Koper Vojkovo nabrežje 38, 6501 Koper, Slovenia Tel.: +386 (0)5 665 61 00 portkoper@luka-kp.si www.luka-kp.si CEO Gregor Veselko, President of the Management Board Contact for Indian Market PS Bedi Group D-10, 3rd Floor, South Extension Part-II New Delhi -110 049, India Tel.: +91 11 4605 5200 Fax: +91 11 4155 2911 hsbedi@psbedi.com Industry sea port Main products handling, storing and additional services on goods

India - Slovenia 69

Kolektor Group

Following their customers

Stojan Petrič, president of the board

Kolektor Group is a world leader in the development, production and marketing of commutators. These switches are a crucial element of a variety of electric motors and electrical generators, and the Slovenian firm supplies them to a vast array of clients working in a massive range of fields. Aside from the production of commutators, the company works in the following fields:

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Kolektor Group je med vodilnimi v svetu v razvoju, proizvodnji in trženju komutatorjev. Ta stikala predstavljajo ključni element pri vrsti električnih motorjev in električnih generatorjev. Slovensko podjetje jih dobavlja številnim strankam, ki delujejo na zelo različnih področjih. Poleg proizvodnje komutatorjev podjetje deluje na področju:

Kolektor Group

Components and systems • Commutators • Electronic components • Magnetic components • Rotors • Hybrid components • Interior & Exterior • Electronics & Drives

Komponente in sistemi • Komutatorji • Elektronske komponente • Magnetne komponente • Rotorji • Hibridne komponente • Interior in eksterior • Elektronika in pogoni

Building technology and home product • Sanitary technology - LIV™ & SCHWAB™ • Vacuum cleaners - LIV™ • Insulation - MISSEL™ • Air conditioning & Ventilation • Installations • Buildings (arhitecture & engeniring)

Gradbena tehnologija in gospodinjski proizvodi • Sanitarna tehnologija - LIV™ in SCHWAB™ • Sesalniki - LIV™ • Izolacija - MISSEL™ • Klimatske naprave in prezračevanje • Instalacije • Gradnja (arhitektura in načrtovanje)

Industrial technology and energetics • Automation & Engineering • Production IT solutions • Products for automation • Tools & Equiment • Transformers • Trade & Services Kolektor Group is an old Slovenian hand on the Indian market, having been active in it for almost a decade. It now has customers all over the country including in cities like New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai and Kolhapur. The firm also does business with Indian customers via its companies in Germany, China and South Korea. The group’s Indian expansion began with commutators, its core product. But it now does business even in the home products sector with assembly for vacuum cleaners. The decision to enter the Indian market was made when increasing numbers of Kolektor’s global customers showed a presence within it or even moved to the country. »Our motto is to follow our customers globally«, the company says. The biggest motivation, though, was the size of the market and potential for growth. »There are plenty of opportunities there and the future for Indian market is definitely optimistic«, a company spokesperson says. »It is crucial for us to be there in order to capitalise on this growth opportunity.« »This is one market that has experienced growth even during the global financial crisis and recession in the western world. It also gives Slovene companies an opportunity to diversify their source of revenue and expand into new markets.« The firm is already looking for chances to further expand its operations in India. It is investigating using raw materials from the country. And it is soon to enter the Indian sanitary industry domain with its German brands Schwab which belongs to Kolektor Group. The brands are used for the firm’s sound insulation, fire protection, moisture protection and plumbing technology products. The company believes it will be able to offer real value for money to consumers in the sanitary market. »Indian consumers – especially the middle class – have increased their purchasing power and they can afford the best products in the world,« the firm says. »We at Kolektor believe that we can meet the needs of this market and in the sanitary business, we can offer products that can add value to such an industry.«

Industrijska tehnologija in energetika • Avtomatizacija in načrtovanje • IT produkcijske rešitve • Proizvodi za avtomatizacijo • Orodja in oprema • Transformatorji • Trgovina in usluge Slovensko podjetje Kolektor Group je na indijskem trgu prisotno že skoraj desetletje. Kupce ima po vsej državi, vključno z mesti, kot so New Delhi, Mumbaj, Bangalore, Čenaj in Kolhapur. Podjetje z indijskimi strankami sodeluje tudi preko podjetij v Nemčiji, na Kitajskem in v Južni Koreji. Širitev podjetja v Indijo se je pričela s komutatorji, ki so osrednji proizvod podjetja, sedaj pa deluje tudi v sektorju gospodinjskih proizvodov s sestavljanjem sesalnikov. Podjetje se je odločilo za vstop na indijski trg, ker se je tam pojavljalo vse več njihovih strank oziroma so se te tja preselile. Kot pravijo v Kolektorju: »Naš moto je slediti strankam po celem svetu.« Največja motivacija pa je bila velikost tržišča in potencial za rast. »V Indiji je veliko priložnosti in indijski trg ima zagotovo svetlo prihodnost,« pravi predstavnik podjetja. »Za nas je ključnega pomena, da smo tam prisotni in da čim bolje izkoristimo priložnost za rast.« »To je trg, ki je rastel tudi med svetovno finančno krizo in recesijo na Zahodu in slovenskim podjetjem daje priložnost, da razpršijo svoje vire prihodkov in se razširijo na nove trge.« Podjetje že išče priložnosti za nadaljno širitev svojega poslovanja na indijskem trgu. Med drugim preučuje uporabo lokalnih surovin. Kmalu bo s svojima nemškima znamkama Missel in Schwab vstopilo tudi v indijsko industrijo sanitarne tehnike. Proizvodi teh znamk se uporabljajo za zvočno izolacijo, protipožarno zaščito, zaščito pred vlago in v vodovodarstvu. V podjetju verjamejo, da bodo strankam na trgu sanitarne tehnike lahko ponudili pravo vrednost za vložen denar. »Stranke v Indiji – predvsem iz srednjega razreda – so povečale svojo kupno moč in si lahko privoščijo najboljše izdelke na svetu,« pravijo v podjetju. »Pri podjetju Kolektor verjamemo, da smo kos potrebam tega tržišča in lahko na področju sanitarne tehnike ponudimo proizvode, ki lahko tej industriji dodajo vrednost.«

India - Slovenia 71

AVTO CELJE

Exquisite products, wide business Avto Celje Commercial and Service Repair Companywas established in 1948 as a car service company. The Celje headquarters hosts a service facility, sales of spare parts for an assortment of road and commercial vehicles, and a tachograph unit. The service and spare parts units supply personal and commercial vehicles including Tata, Toyota, Fiat, Ford, Peugeot, Shuanghuan, Yuchai heavy machinery, forklifts Hangcha, scooters Jonway, Bashan quads, Vipiemme batteries, Aurora tyres, etc. The company maintains a widespread service network covering the entire country of Slovenia.

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network

Avto Celje, trgovsko in servisno remontno podjetje d.o.o., je bilo ustanovljeno leta 1948 kot servisno podjetje. Sedež podjetja je v Celju, kjer je tudi servis gospodarskih vozil, prodaja rezervnih delov za razna osebna in gospodarska vozila, ter tahografska enota. Servis in dobava rezervnih delov sta namenjena osebnim in gospodarskim vozilom Tata, Toyota, Fiat, Ford, Peugeot, Shuanghuan, bagrom Yuchai, viličarjem Hangcha, skuterjem Jonway, štirikolesnikom Bashan, akumulatorjem Vipiemme, gumam Aurora itd. Podjetje oskrbuje široko razvejano servisno mrežo po celi Sloveniji.

AVTO CELJE

Indian experience Cooperation with Tata began through following media coverage about the producer, which led to establishing first contact. Representatives of Avto Celje got acquainted with the make at various automobile showrooms in Europe and India and were pleasantly surprised by the high degree of Tata employees’ professionalism. Cultural differences presented no obstacle in establishing a business relationship. Avto Celje representatives who visited the Tata production unit cherish the memory of their visit to India and recall several smaller problems being resolved in a friendly and non-problematic way: one night they returned to their hotel only to find out that their room had been let out to someone else. But the receptionist was quick to react and he took them to another hotel and picked them up the next day when the room was available. The first Tata cars arrived in Celje in spring 2009 and were officially available on the Slovenian market in December 2009. At present Avto Celje imports a small vehicle (TATA Indica) and a spacious wagon (Indigo SW). Also available are an SUV Safari and the pickup truck Xenon which comes with either a single or double cabin. Both are four wheel drive and have a state-of-the-art diesel engine. The plan for 2010 is to establish a sales-service network in Slovenia and further promote Tata vehicles among Slovenian customers. TATA vehicles Established in 1945, Tata Motors’ presence cuts across India. Over four million Tata vehicles make their way on Indian roads, since the first rolled out in 1954. Today Tata Motors Limited is India’s largest automobile company. It is the leader in commercial vehicles in each sector, and among the top three in passenger vehicles. The company is the world’s fourth largest truck manufacturer, and the world’s second largest bus manufacturer. In 2005 a strategic alliance with European partner Fiat was established. Tata Motors is equally focused on environmentally friendly technologies in emissions and alternative fuels. It has developed electric and hybrid vehicles both for personal and public transportation. It has also been implementing several environmentally friendly technologies in manufacturing processes, significantly enhancing resource conservation.

Indijska izkušnja Sodelovanje s Tato se je začelo na osnovi medijskih informacij o proizvajalcu, ki so vodile k vzpostavitvi prvega stika. Na avtomobilskih sejmih v Indiji in Evropi so se predstavniki Avta Celje bolje seznanili z znamko. Nad visoko stopnjo profesionalnosti zaposlenih v Tati so bili pozitivno presenečeni. Tudi kulturna različnost pri vzpostavitvi poslovanja ni bila nikakršna ovira. Predstavniki podjetja so obisk v Indiji ohranili v lepem spominu, saj so bili celo manjši zapleti rešeni na prijazen in neproblematičen način. Tako so neke noči, ko so se vrnili v hotel izvedeli, da so ostali brez sobe, a jih je receptor sam peljal v drug hotel in se vrnil ponje takoj, ko je bila soba na voljo. Prve avtomobile Tata je podjetje Avto Celje uvozilo spomladi 2009, decembra istega leta pa so pričeli z uradno prodajo. Trenutno za potrebe slovenskega trgu uvažajo le majhno vozilo Tata Indica in prostoren karavan Indigo SW. Prodajno paleto dopolnjujeta še terenec Safari in poltovrnjak Xenon. Oba imata štirikolesni pogon in sodoben dizelski motor. V načrtu za leto 2010 je vzpostavitev prodajno-servisne mreže v Sloveniji in promocija znamke Tata med domačimi kupci. Vozila Tata Podjetje je bilo ustanovljeno leta 1945, prvo vozilo pa je prišlo na trg leta 1954 in od tedaj se je na Indijskih cestah znašlo okrog štiri milijone Tatinih vozil. Danes je Tata Motors Limited največji indijski proizvajalec avtomobilov. Med komercialnimi vozili prevladuje v vseh segmentih, med potniškimi pa velja za enega od treh največjih v Indiji. V svetovnem merilu je podjetje Tata četrto med proizvajalci tovornjakov in drugo v avtobusih. Leta 2005 se je pričelo strateško sodelovanje z italijanskim Fiatom. Tata Motors je osredotočen tako na okolju prijazne tehnologije pri zagotavljanju manjših izpustov kot tudi na uveljavljanje alternativnih pogonskih goriv. Razvijajo tudi hibridna in električna vozila za osebni in javni prevoz, z okolju prijaznimi tehnologijami, ki spremljajo proizvodnjo, pa prispevajo k ohranitvi naravnih virov.

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LIFECLASS

The

Indian touch

For the past four years, visitors to Istrabenz Tourism’s Terme and Wellness Lifeclass centre have been able to experience a little bit of India without ever needing to leave Slovenia.

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Obiskovalci Lifeclass centra Terme & Wellness Istrabenz Turizma imajo zadnja štiri leta možnost izkusiti nekaj Indije, ne da bi prestopili slovensko mejo.

LIFECLASS

A A

yurveda, India’s traditional medicine, has been offer at the spa since 2006 when the Shakti-Ayurveda Centre was opened. The treatment, which translates as “the science of life” has become increasingly popular in both the United States and Europe in recent years. Its basic philosophy centres around preventing disease in healthy people, connecting with nature, and taking an integrated approach to health – a philosophy many find both interesting and attractive. Staff at the Terme and Wellness Lifeclass centre were keen to be among the first in the region to offer Ayurveda. But they were also determined to provide authentic treatments. Ayurveda regards humans as having three energies: vata (air), pitta (bile) and kapha (phlegm) and as being the product of the balances of those different energies. An Ayurvedic doctor almost always prescribes a combination of medicines (consisting of some 1,500 herbs, minerals and metals), detoxification, diet, yoga and meditation. In developing authentic treatments, the Lifeclass centre was supported by the Indian embassy in Slovenia. Staff there assisted in acquiring contacts in the Asian country, including those at relevant institutions. Support also came from India’s health ministry and the Government Ayurveda College in Thiruvananthapuram. The service has gone from strength to strength since its introduction. In 2008, the centre increased its therapeutic team with eight Ayurvedic therapists from India, all of whom were selected by the Ministry of Health of the Indian state of Kerala. All completed their education at the government’s training institute for Ayurveda. In the same year, the centre became the first in the world to sign a cooperation agreement with the relevant institutions of the Government of Kerala in the field of implementation of authentic Ayurvedic treatments. The Indian treatments offered at Terme and Wellness Lifeclass centre are proving to be popular both with men and women. And the clientele is not confined to those living within Slovenia’s borders – guests wanting Ayurvedic treatments come all the way from Russia, as well as from Austria and Italy.

jurveda, indijska tradicionalna medicina, je v termalni ponudbi od leta 2006, ko so odprli Center Šakti-Ajurveda. Terapija, definirana kot »veda o življenju«, postaja v zadnjih letih vse bolj priljubljena tako v Združenih državah Amerike kot v Evropi. V osnovi se ajurvedska filozofija osredotoča na preprečevanje bolezni pri zdravih ljudeh, na povezovanje z naravo in na izvajanje celostnega pristopa, s čimer je za mnoge zanimiva in privlačna. Lifeclassov center Terme & Wellness je kot prvi v regiji z veseljem ponudil ajurvedo, prav tako pa so bili odločeni, da ponudijo izvirne terapije. V skladu z ajurvedo ima človek tri energije – vato (zrak), pitto (žolč) in kapha (sluz) – in je proizvod uravnoteženosti teh različnih energij. Ajurvedski zdravnik skoraj vedno predpiše mešanico zdravil (iz okoli 1.500 zelišč, mineralov in kovin), razstrupljanje, dieto, jogo in meditacijo. Pri razvijanju izvirnih terapij je Lifeclass center podprla indijska ambasada v Sloveniji, ki je pomagala pridobivati kontaktne informacije posameznikov in ustreznih institucij te južnoazijske države. K razvoju sta pripomogla tudi indijsko ministrstvo za zdravje in Ajurvedska fakulteta na Government Ayurveda College v Thiruvananthapuramu. Program žanje vse večje uspehe. Leta 2008 je center svojo skupino terapevtov povečal za osem ajurvedskih terapevtov iz Indije, ki jih je izbralo Ministrstvo za zdravje indijske države Kerala. Vsi terapevti so se usposabljali na vladnem ajurvedskem inštitutu. Leta 2008 je center kot prvi na svetu podpisal sporazum o sodelovanju z ustanovami keralske vlade na področju izvajanja izvirnih ajurvedskih terapij. Indijsko zdravljenje, ki ga ponuja Lifeclass center Terme & Wellness, je priljubljeno tako pri ženskah kot pri moških. Stranke, ki si želijo ajurvedskega zdravljenja, ne prihajajo zgolj iz Slovenije ampak tudi iz Rusije, Avstrije in Italije.

COMPANY NOTES Company CONTACTS LifeClass Hotels & Spa, Istrabenz Turizem d.d. Obala 33, 6320 Portorož - Portorose, Slovenia Tel.: +386 (0)5 692 90 01 info@lifeclass.net www.lifeclass.net CEO Marino Antolovič Industry tourism Main products hotels & spa

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HABITS AND ATTITUDES

Business etiquette Indian style Mojca Kopše

A businessman preparing for his first visit to India is faced with the dilemma of what kind of country he is travelling to.

Poslovnež, ki se pripravlja na prvi obisk Indije, je postavljen pred dilemo, v kakšno državo odhaja.

s he going to a country which has in recent decades rapidly progressed economically, developed a nuclear bomb and sent its own satellites into space? Or is he going to do business with a country where there are still pockets of illiteracy, or some people still observing the caste system? India is a mixture of both so there are no uniform rules of business manners. The Indian society can be hierarchical and this could also be reflected in the composition of some businesses. The leading person is an authority that makes all decisions and bears the full responsibility. The hierarchy is most evident in state enterprises and in rural areas, while privately-owned enterprises in major cities, especially in information technology, are more flexible and equal. In both business and social life Indians pay special respect to the elderly and those regarded as superior.

li odhaja v državo, ki je v zadnjih desetletjih hitro gospodarsko napredovala, razvila jedrsko bombo in v vesolje poslala svoje lastne satelite? Ali pa bo posloval z državo, v kateri še vedno obstajajo nepismena področja in kjer se del prebivalstva še vedno drži načelih starodavnega sistema kast? Indija je mešanica obojega, zato ni enotnih pravil poslovnega bontona. Indijska družba zna biti nekoliko bolj hierarhična, kar se lahko odrazi tudi v sestavi nekaterih podjetij. Vodilna oseba je avtoriteta, ki sprejema vse odločitve in nosi tudi vso odgovornost. Hierarhičnost je najbolj očitna v državnih podjetjih in na podeželju, medtem ko so podjetja v zasebni lasti v večjih mestih, predvsem v informacijski tehnologiji, bolj egalitaristična in prožna. Tako v poslovnem kot v družabnem življenju Indijci izkazujejo posebno spoštovanje starejšim in nadrejenim ljudem.

Religious and Linguistic Diversity The influence of various religions is most evident in rural parts of the country, but it can be found in the private lives of people living in

Verska in jezikovna raznovrstnost Vpliv različnih verstev je najbolj očiten v ruralnih delih države, pozna pa se tudi v zasebnem življenju ljudi v večjih, moderniziranih mestih.

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NAVADE IN OBNAŠANJE larger, modernised cities as well. Most of the population belongs to the Hindu creed. The second largest religion is Islam. The official language is Hindi, spoken or understood by less than 40 percent of the whole population. Individual federal states have their own official languages and in addition numerous dialects exist. English has the status of the auxiliary official language and is widespread in public administration and the business world. Due to the specific pronunciation it is sometimes difficult to understand. Furthermore individual English expressions may have a specific, local meaning in certain regions. A fairly comprehensive knowledge of English is an advantage in dealings with India (business cards and promotional material can be in English), but at the same time caution is necessary to avoid misunderstandings. There is nothing wrong in asking your business partner to repeat his words. It is also advisable to later write down the main points of conversation and ask your partner to confirm these agreements. Arrange Your Meeting at the Right Time Business meetings should be arranged a few weeks in advance and checked a few days before the agreed date. The more hierarchical the company is, the harder it is to get an appointment for a meeting on short notice. Working hours are partly dependent on the business activity, some businesses and offices are also open on Saturdays. Holidays have to be taken into account when planning a business visit; in India there are many, from national and local to religious ones. Namaste Indians traditionally greet people with “Namaste” and accompany the greeting with palms joined pressed on their chest (fingers facing the chin) and a slight bow. The word “Namaste” originates from Hinduism and has two meanings: the religious one “I bow to you” and the everyday one “greeting”. Both meanings express profound respect. In business situations a handshake between two men or two women is normal but in some environments a handshake between a man and a woman is not appropriate. If you, as a man, find yourself in such situation it is best to leave the initiative to a woman and if she does not offer you her hand then greet her with “Namaste”. Indians have a smaller personal space and a handshake is short and loose. If you do business with Muslims (in terms of the number of believers India is the third largest Muslim country) you can greet them with “Salaam Aleikum” or return their greeting with “Aleikum Assalam”. The Left One is Dirty Indians wish to meet a person with whom they will cooperate; therefore reaching business agreements takes longer than in the West. Meetings usually begin with polite small talk and while at it be ready for very personal questions - your future business partner wishes to form an opinion of you. Trust, respect and personal relationships are crucial in dealing with Indians. In addition to socialising with meals in restaurants you can also expect an invitation to their homes where you will get to know family members. In India this is very common and it contributes to the deepening of ties between partners. A refusal of such an invitation is considered to be very impolite. At business socialising with food and drink try to consider religious traditions: Muslims do not eat pork and other meat must be prepared following the “halal”procedure; Hindus do not eat beef; and many religious believers (Muslims and Sikhs in particular) do not consume alcohol. These rules must be borne in mind, particularly when hosting an Indian partner in Slovenia. In India it should also be noted that especially for eating but also in other situations only the right hand must be used – the left one is considered unclean. Too Hot For a Jacket A business suit is in major cities similar to those in the West but due to higher temperatures the style in everyday situations is a little more relaxed, which means, for example, that men may forgo a jacket. For professional women, it is advisable to dress more conservatively and avoid tight clothing, deep cleavage, short skirts or bare shoulders. Partnerships between Slovene businessmen and Indians are without a doubt a great and interesting challenge due to the cultural, geographical and religious context. But taking into account the factors listed, you can create a good foundation for successful long-term cooperation.

Večina prebivalstva je hindujske veroizpovedi. Druga največja religija je islam. Uradni jezik je hindujščina, ki jo govori ali razume manj kot 40 odstotkov vsega prebivalstva. Posamezne zvezne države imajo svoje uradne jezike, poleg tega pa obstaja še nešteto dialektov. Angleščina ima status pomožnega uradnega jezika in je zelo razširjena v javni upravi ter v poslovnem svetu. Zaradi specifične izgovarjave je včasih težko razumljiva, poleg tega imajo lahko posamezni angleški izrazi v določenih regijah povsem svoj, lokalni pomen. Dokaj razširjeno znanje angleščine je prednost pri poslovanju z Indijo (poslovne vizitke in promocijsko gradivo so lahko v angleščini), vendar je hkrati nujna previdnost, da ni nesporazumov. Nič ne bo narobe, če poslovnega partnerja prosite, da povedano ponovi še enkrat, pozneje pa je priporočljivo, da zapišete glavne točke pogovora in prosite partnerja za potrditev dogovorjenega. Pravočasno se dogovorite za srečanje Poslovni sestanki se dogovorijo nekaj tednov vnaprej in preverijo nekaj dni pred dogovorjenim terminom. Bolj kot je podjetje hierarhično, težje je dobiti termin za sestanek na krajši rok. Delovni čas je delno odvisen od dejavnosti, nekatera podjetja in uradi so odprti tudi ob sobotah. Pri načrtovanju poslovnegaobiska je treba upoštevati praznike, ki jih je v Indiji veliko, od državnih in lokalnih do verskih. Namaste Indijci se tradicionalno pozdravljajo z »Namaste «, pri čemer sklenjene dlani (prsti soobrnjeni proti bradi) prislonijo na prsi in se rahlo priklonijo. Beseda »namaste« izvira iz hinduizma in ima dva pomena: verskega »priklanjam se ti« in vsakdanjega »pozdrav«, oboje pa izraža globoko spoštovanje. V poslovnih situacijah je običajno rokovanje med dvema moškima ali dvema ženskama, medtem ko v nekaterih okoljih rokovanje moškega in ženske ni primerno. Če se kot moški znajdete v takšnem položaju, je najboljše, da prepustite pobudo ženski, in če vam ne ponudi roke, jo pozdravite z »namaste«. Indijci imajo ožji osebni prostor, stisk roke pri rokovanju pa je kratek in rahel. Če poslujete z muslimani (Indija je po številu vernikov tretja največja muslimanska država), jih lahko pozdravite s »salaam alejkum« in odzdravite z »alejkum as salaam«. Leva je umazana Indijci želijo spoznati človeka, s katerim bodo poslovali, zato je sklepanje poslovnih dogovorov dolgotrajnejše kot na zahodu. Sestanki se ponavadi začenjajo z vljudnim kramljanjem, pri čemer bodite pripravljeni tudi na zelo osebna vprašanja – vaš prihodnji poslovni partner si želi ustvariti mnenje o vas. Zaupanje, spoštovanje in osebni odnos so ključnega pomena pri poslovanju z Indijci. Poleg druženja ob hrani v restavracijah lahko pričakujete tudi povabilo na dom, kjer boste spoznali družinske člane. V Indiji sodi to k poslu in pripomore k poglabljanju vezi med partnerji. Zavrnitev takšnega povabila velja za zelo nevljudno. Pri poslovnem druženju ob hrani in pijači skušajte upoštevati verske običaje: muslimani ne jedo svinjine, drugo meso pa mora biti pripravljeno po postopku »halal«, Hindujci ne uživajo govedine, številni verniki (predvsem muslimani in sikhi) pa ne smejo uživati alkohola. Ta pravila morate imeti v mislih predvsem, kadar gostite indijskega partnerja v Sloveniji. V Indiji pa je treba vedeti tudi to, da se predvsem pri uživanju hrane, pa tudi v drugih položajih, uporablja predvsem desna roka, saj velja leva za umazano. Prevroče za suknjič Poslovna obleka je v večjih mestih podobna kot na zahodu, zaradi višjih temperatur pa je slog v vsakdanjih situacijah nekoliko bolj sproščen, kar pomeni na primer, da se moški lahko odpovejo suknjiču. Za poslovne ženske je priporočljivo, da se oblačijo bolj konservativno in se izogibajo ozkim oblačilom, globokim dekoltejem, kratkim krilom ali golim ramenom. Poslovanje slovenskih poslovnežev z Indijci je zaradi kulturnega, geografskega in religioznega konteksta brez dvoma zanimiv in velik izziv. Z upoštevanjem naštetih dejavnikov pa si lahko ustvarimo dobre temelje za uspešno dolgoročno sodelovanje.

India - Slovenia 77

CONTACTS

Useful contacts in Slovenia Gospodarstvena Zbornica Slovenije www.gzs.gov.si

National Centre for Trade Information - www.ncti-india.com National Small Industries Corporation Ltd - www.nsic.co.in Automotive Components Manufacturers Association of India (ACMA) http://acmainfo.com Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers - www.siamindia.com

JAPTI (Javna agencija Republike Slovenije za podjetništvo in tuje investicije) www.japti.si, www.investslovenia.org

Builders’ Association Of India - www.baionline.in Indian Drug Manufacturers Association (IDMA) - www.idma-assn.org

Indian embassy, Ljubljana www.indianembassy.si

Indian Electrical & Electronics Manufacturers’ Association www.ieema.org

SID Banka www.sid.si

Indian Machine Tool Manufacturers’ Association - www.imtma.in

Useful websites

on contacts in

Tools & Gauge Manufacturers Association of India - www.tagmaindia.org

India

National Association of Software & Service Companies www.nasscom.org All India Biotech Association (AIBA) - www.aibaonline.com

Slovenian embassy, New Delhi http://slovenia.visahq.com/embassy/India/

All India Plastics Manufactures Association - www.aipma.net

Government of India, Ministry of External Affairs, ITP Division http://www.indiainbusiness.nic.in/investment/investment.htm

Indian Chemical Manufacturers Association www.indian-chemicals.com/associations.htm

Government of India, Ministry of Commerce and Industry: Department of Commerce - http://commerce.nic.in Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion - http://dipp.nic.in

ELCINA Electronic Industries Association of India - www.elcina.com EBTC (European Business and Technology Centre in India) www.ebtc.eu

Directorate General of Foreign Trade - http://dgft.delhi.nic.in IBER (India Brand Equity Foundation) - www.ibef.org Reserve Bank of India - www.rbi.org.in Business Portal of India - http://business.gov.in India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO), India Trade Portal http://www.tradeportalofindia.org/Default.aspx?CountryCode=32 Department of Company Affairs (Registrar of Companies) http://dca.gov.in

Export-import Bank of India www.eximbankindia.com Invest India www.investindia.gov.in

Department of Economic Affairs - http://finmin.nic.in Central Board of Direct Taxes - http://incometaxindia.gov.in Central Baord of Excise and Custom - www.cbec.gov.in Ministry of Labour - http://labour.nic.in Ministry of Environment and Forests - http://envfor.nic.in Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs - www.india.gov.in Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) - www.cii.in Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) www.ficci.com Indian Merchants’ Chamber (IMC) - www.imcnet.org

Link to Websites of Various State Governments and of Union Territories http://dipp.nic.in/states/overview_states.htm

Business investment guides – market research publications Corporate Catalyst India: »Key to India Investment« http://cci.in/pdf/india-investment-guide.pdf »Indian-Slovenian Business Forum, Doing Business with India« http://cci.in/upload/ConfrenceSeminar/file/FileGGSXOVUDoing%20 Business%20with%20India_Pitfalls%20to%20avoid%20by%20Ajay_ Dec%201.pdf

Federation of Indian Export Organisation (FIEO) - http://fieo.org All India Association of Industries (AIAI) - www.aiaiindia.com

»How to do Business with India« http://cci.in/upload/ConfrenceSeminar/file/FileFRRUYNBhow_to_do_business.pdf

The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Ind. of India (ASSOCHAM) - www.assocham.org

KPMG, »India Calling 2009« http://www.in.kpmg.com/TL_Files/Pictures/India_Calling_2009.pdf

Federation of Indian Micro and Small & Medium Enterprises (FISME) www.fisme.org.in

PricewaterhouseCoopers, »Foreing Direct Investment« http://www.pwc.com/en_IN/in/assets/pdfs/fdimanual.pdf

78 India - Slovenia

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