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This Day (Nigeria) - AAGM: LG Electronics Leads in Market Share With Air Conditioners.
762 words

24 January 2005

This Day (Nigeria)

AIWTHD

English

The Financial Times Limited. Asia Africa Intelligence Wire. All material subject to copyright. This Day (Nigeria) (c) 2005 All rights reserved
Builds assembly plants in Lagos
Global and National digital leader in electronics, LG Electronics continues its hold on the global and national air conditioner market with a record sales of 10,120,000 units in 2004.
According to a research survey conducted by Fuji Economy Research Institute, Fuji Keizai Co, Ltd, 51,620,000 units of air conditioners was sold globally in 2004 with LG Electronics making 19.7% of the recorded sales from 18.4% in 2003. This means that LG produced on one in five air conditioners bought in 2004.
The result indicated that LG global market share has consistently rise since 2000 with a sales of 4.1 million unites and there after doubled it in 2003 with 8 million units.
LG Electronics plan to grow various markets commenced with establishment of production facility in China in 1995, India (1997), Brazil 2001 and Nigeria in 2003.
LG also dominates the Chinese, Indian and Nigerian markets, maintaining the highest market share.
A 2004 survey of the consumer electronics market in the country showed that LG recorded 15% market penetration against 5% recorded in 2003.
LG Electronics currently operates eight-production facility globally with an assembly plant and a Commercial Air Conditioners showroom in Nigeria.
This unprecedented success is founded on LG's patented technologies. LG's Gold Fin' practical application and semi-permanent heat exchanger were both first in 1999. LG also made famous such technological breakthroughs as the 5mm tube of heat exchanger' in 2001 and the MPS (Multi Power System) in 2004, which acts an air cooler in the summer and a heat pump in the winter. The company also introduced 'the 3-dimensional air cooling' system in 2000 another world first.
LG complemented its pioneering effort with artistic design elements, adding renditions of world famous pieces by Van Gogh and Sisley among others on the front panel of its art cool air conditioner. The ART COOL air conditioner was introduced into the country's in 2003.
In December 2004, LG achieved a new milestone, successfully reducing the production time of one air conditioner unit to 10 seconds, and that of one compressor to 5 seconds. This represents a 1.5 second improvement over the year before, which may seem insignificant but 1.5 seconds makes a momentous difference in considering the entire production line. David Park, Head of Overseas Sales & Marketing of Digital Appliance Company of LG said, "The speed of production has improved by 10 seconds, which means production capacity has improved by 31% over 2003.
LG's unique ability to combine 'globalization' and 'localization' strategies has partly made this unprecedented emergence possible, as it enables the company to adapt to the needs of local customers, recognizing regional, cultural, and religious differences.
David Park said, "We will expand markets in the new area of Commercial Air Conditioners (CAC), utilizing our strong global sales network in Residential Air Conditioners (RAC) and our role as a technology leader. We are planning to increase the number of local sales engineers to fortify our CAC networks and invest more heavily in R&D. I am confident that our solid base in RAC will help us to maintain our leadership role, this time in the new field of CAC. We thus intend to finally cement our leadership position and become the number one air conditioner brand in both categories by 2010."
About LG Electronics, Inc.
LG Electronics, Inc. (Korea Stock Exchange: 06657. KS.), headquartered in Seoul, South Korea, was established in 1958 and has grown into a global force in electronics, information and communications products with annual total revenues of US $30 billion. With more than 64,000 employees working in 75 overseas subsidiaries and marketing units around the world, LG Electronics is comprised of four main business companies including Digital Display, Digital Media, Digital Appliance, and Mobile Communications.
LG Electronics is fast becoming the leader of the global home appliances industry, ranking No. 1 in sales of air conditioners, microwave ovens and canister vacuum cleaners. LG Electronics was the first company to commercialize a full line of Web-enabled home network appliances including refrigerators, washing machines, microwave ovens and air conditioners, and is increasingly seen as a leader in premium appliances, including the TV refrigerator.
LG's goal worldwide is to create and enable the intelligent networking of digital products that will make consumers' lives better than ever. More information can be found at www.Ige.com .
Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media. (allafrica.com)
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Document AIWTHD0020050126e11o0004v

Hi-Tech:- Nitel Gets Succour From Huawei Technologies
by Godfrey Ikhemuemhe

479 words

19 January 2005

03:05 PM

All Africa

AFNWS

English

(c) 2005 AllAfrica, All Rights Reserved
Jan 19, 2005 (Vanguard/All Africa Global Media via COMTEX) --
EMBATTLED National carrier, NITEL, last week got a lifeline from Huawei Technologies to boost its transmission capacity and offer better services to Nigerians through a Dense Wave Division Multiplexing (DWDM) project to be executed in one month.
This is coming a few months after China and Nigeria signed a memorandum of understanding on the development of telecom infrastructure.
The project worth about $3 million is a donation to the National Carrier by Huawei, and it is expected to ease traffic congestion on the NITEL network.
Managing Director of Huawei, Mr. John Wang, said that the project would run from Lagos through Benin and Enugu to Portharcourt. Once completed, the project is expected to relieve the shortage of transmission resources between Lagos and Port Harcourt and also provide more bandwitdh and offer more services to Nigerians.
Once equipped with the DWDM optical transmission systems, NITEL would be able to begin wholesale bundling of bandwidth to ISPs and other customers, as well as provide other broadband services.
While describing NITEL as a leading communications giant, Mr. Wang said that the mission of his company is to help NITEL become a successful player in the industry with sustainable growth.
Minister for Communications, Cornelius Adebayo, described the project as part of the efforts of government to rapidly improve on the tele-density for the social and development of the country. He praised the initiative of Huawei and NITEL to collaborate on the project, stressing that it is a testimony to the fact that between them, the two organizations can be of immense benefit to the development of telecommunications services in the country.
Only a few months back, the Federal Government represented by the Ministry of Communications, and the Peoples' Republic of China represented by Huawei Technologies, signed a memorandum of understanding seeking to establish strong partnership and mutual cooperation in the development of telecommunications infrastructure and training in Nigeria.
Chairman of NITEL, Vincent Maduka at the inauguration of the project, said that the modern digital equipment (DWDM) would enhance fibre optic wide band transmission on the NITEL network, and increase/improve voice and data traffic along the Lagos, Enugu and Port Harcourt route, which represents a major lucrative market for NITEL and other service providers.
Maduka used the opportunity of the event to reiterate that NITEL was on course in its privatization sometimes this year. But he contended that despite the planned privatization, the company was determined to improve its services, grow its assets and maintain its leadership position in the provision of traditional and modern telecom services and wholesale provisioning in line with its market position as a national and dominant carrier.
He also described the inauguration of the project as a clear demonstration of investors' confidence in the National carrier.
Document AFNWS00020050120e11j000ev
Vanguard (Nigeria) - AAGM: Nitel Gets Succour From Huawei Technologies.
Godfrey Ikhemuemhe

477 words

19 January 2005

Vanguard (Nigeria)

AIWVAN

English

The Financial Times Limited. Asia Africa Intelligence Wire. All material subject to copyright. Vanguard (Nigeria) (c) 2005 All rights reserved
EMBATTLED National carrier, NITEL, last week got a lifeline from Huawei Technologies to boost its transmission capacity and offer better services to Nigerians through a Dense Wave Division Multiplexing (DWDM) project to be executed in one month.
This is coming a few months after China and Nigeria signed a memorandum of understanding on the development of telecom infrastructure.
The project worth about $3 million is a donation to the National Carrier by Huawei, and it is expected to ease traffic congestion on the NITEL network.
Managing Director of Huawei, Mr. John Wang, said that the project would run from Lagos through Benin and Enugu to Portharcourt. Once completed, the project is expected to relieve the shortage of transmission resources between Lagos and Port Harcourt and also provide more bandwitdh and offer more services to Nigerians.
Once equipped with the DWDM optical transmission systems, NITEL would be able to begin wholesale bundling of bandwidth to ISPs and other customers, as well as provide other broadband services.
While describing NITEL as a leading communications giant, Mr. Wang said that the mission of his company is to help NITEL become a successful player in the industry with sustainable growth.
Minister for Communications, Cornelius Adebayo, described the project as part of the efforts of government to rapidly improve on the tele-density for the social and development of the country. He praised the initiative of Huawei and NITEL to collaborate on the project, stressing that it is a testimony to the fact that between them, the two organizations can be of immense benefit to the development of telecommunications services in the country.
Only a few months back, the Federal Government represented by the Ministry of Communications, and the Peoples' Republic of China represented by Huawei Technologies, signed a memorandum of understanding seeking to establish strong partnership and mutual cooperation in the development of telecommunications infrastructure and training in Nigeria.
Chairman of NITEL, Vincent Maduka at the inauguration of the project, said that the modern digital equipment (DWDM) would enhance fibre optic wide band transmission on the NITEL network, and increase/improve voice and data traffic along the Lagos, Enugu and Port Harcourt route, which represents a major lucrative market for NITEL and other service providers.
Maduka used the opportunity of the event to reiterate that NITEL was on course in its privatization sometimes this year. But he contended that despite the planned privatization, the company was determined to improve its services, grow its assets and maintain its leadership position in the provision of traditional and modern telecom services and wholesale provisioning in line with its market position as a national and dominant carrier.
He also described the inauguration of the project as a clear demonstration of investors' confidence in the National carrier.
Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media. (allafrica.com)
FVAN40167870
Document AIWVAN0020050120e11j00003
International

WORLD LINES; Canada, China, Cuba, Germany, India, Iraq, Italy, Japan, Nigeria and more

833 words

19 January 2005

Greenwire

GRWR

English

© 2005 E&E Publishing, LLC. All Rights Reserved
CANADA: University of Toronto researchers said last week they have developed a flexible plastic solar cell that is five time more efficient than current methods. According to team leader Ted Sargent, the film can turn 30 percent of the sun's power into usable electrical energy (Astrid Poei, Reuters, Jan. 13).
CHINA: With plans to commission nuclear power plants at a rate of two per year between now and 2020, officials have said China's push for nuclear energy will rival that of the United States in the 1970s. By 2010, planners predict that nuclear power will quadruple its current output to 16 billion kilowatt-hours per year (Howard W. French, New York Times, Jan. 15).
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO: Amid fears that poachers would wipe out the northern white rhino, Garamba national park officials have approved plans to relocate five of the animals from the park to Kenya next month. Fewer than 10 of the rhinos are believed to remain in the wild, making it the most endangered mammal on earth (BBC News online, Jan. 16).
CUBA: Two windmills are operational and two others will be online by the end of this month at the U.S. Navy base in Guantanamo Bay, each capable of generating 950 kilowatts of electricity. The four turbines will provide 25 to 30 percent of the base's energy needs, which could save the base as much as $2.3 million on fuel each year (Carol J. Williams, Los Angeles Times, Jan. 14).
GERMANY: Agriculture Minister Renate Kuenast called for tougher environmental standards on farms last week after inspections found free-range eggs containing high levels of dioxin. In Lower Saxony, 28 percent of free-range eggs exceeded E.U. limits for the chemical (BBC News online, Jan. 17).
INDIA: Finance Minister P. Chidambaram said this week that the country may consolidate its state-owned oil and natural gas companies while opening its petroleum industry to additional private-sector competition. Industry associations have urged the government to open up more territory for exploration and production by private companies (John Larkin, Wall Street Journal [subscription required]).
IRAQ: Insurgents continue to disrupt the country's oil industry, in some cases developing new tactics to cripple the infrastructure. In Baghdad recently, armed men stole paperwork from truckers that would have allowed them to leave the tank farm with a load of gasoline (Karl Vick, Washington Post, Jan. 15).
ITALY: State-owned oil company Eni SpA has become the most important energy company in Kazakhstan. Eni signed one of the first contracts with the newly independent country in 1992, and in 2001 became operator of the Kashagan Field in the Caspian Sea, the largest oil find of the past 30 years. Such moves have made Eni the sixth-largest publicly traded oil company in the world (Gabriel Kahn, Wall Street Journal [subscription required]).
JAPAN: The trade ministry has said it might allow two energy companies to explore for oil in a part of the East China Sea where both China and Japan claim exclusive economic control. Tokyo has barred companies from drilling in the area for the past 30 years for fear of angering Chinese officials, but will decide soon whether to permit Teikoku Oil Co. and Japan Petroleum to begin test drilling (Martin Fackler, Wall Street Journal [subscription required]).
NIGERIA: Officials said last week that ChevronTexaco Corp. and British Gas have agreed to build a $6 billion liquefied natural gas plant with Nigeria's state-owned oil company. Production will begin in 2009 with an expected initial year capacity of 11 million tons (Dulue Mbachu, AP/Houston Chronicle, Jan. 14).
SUDAN: Last week's peace agreement to end two decades of civil war likely will provide a large boost to the country's oil industry. Current production levels are 345,000 barrels per day, but the the country has proven reserves of 635 million barrels. Under the terms of the peace agreement, leases signed during the war with China National Petroleum Co., Malaysia's Petronas and other companies will be respected (Chris Tomlinson, AP/Houston Chronicle, Jan. 15).
SWEDEN: State-owned utility Vattenfall has offered to buy the Danish power company Elsam for $3.6 billion, a plan that could threaten a plan by Denmark officials to merge Elsam with state-owned gas company Dong. Officials said that Vattenfall, the Nordic region's largest utility, is trying to take advantage of recent power and gas deregulation in Demark (Bloomberg/New York Times).
UNITED KINGDOM: Officials are expected to conduct an urgent review of energy policy in the next months that will include a decision on whether to keep the Dungeness B nuclear power plant open. British Energy officials have said a decision on the plant's fate must be made soon if the facility is to avoid closing in two years (Andrew Taylor, Financial Times [subscription required], Jan. 17). -- DRL
(All cites Jan. 18 unless noted).
Document GRWR000020050119e11j0000r

Govt Recalls Envoys for 10-Day Seminar
by Felix Osike

296 words

18 January 2005

03:05 PM

All Africa

AFNWS

English

(c) 2005 AllAfrica, All Rights Reserved
Kampala, Jan 17, 2005 (New Vision/All Africa Global Media via COMTEX) --
All heads of Uganda's diplomatic missions abroad have been recalled for a 10-day orientation seminar to review the country's foreign policy.
Fifty-two ambassadors, heads of missions and their deputies are already in Kampala to attend the meeting, which opens today at the Ministry of Foreign affairs headquarters.
Uganda's foreign policy is shifting from the traditional foreign relations to economic diplomacy.
"They were called long before and they will be getting a briefing on economic diplomacy and other issues," the newly-appointed foreign affairs minister, Sam Kutesa, said on phone yesterday.
Uganda's envoys to Belgium, EU, Canada, China, Denmark, Egypt, Ethiopia, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Libya, Nigeria, Russia, France, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, South Africa, Tanzania, UK, the UN and USA are attending the seminar.
Sources said the seminar was organised following persistent complaints from President Yoweri Museveni that some of the ambassadors were not doing a good job of marketing the country to attract foreign investments.
Among the topics to be discussed include economic diplomacy in exports promotion, tourism, investment promotion, technology transfer and resource mobilisation.
The ministry and its diplomatic outposts abroad have in conjunction with the Uganda Investment authority been engaged in frantic promotion of the country as an attractive investment destination.
They will also discuss the political and security diplomacy, general management and administration.
It is not clear whether the former trade and industry minister, Prof. Edward Rugumayo, who was last week appointed ambassador to France, will attend the seminar.
The envoys will on Friday travel to northern Uganda to assess the situation and be briefed on the peace negotiations with the LRA rebels.
Document AFNWS00020050118e11i000y4
New Vision (Uganda) - AAGM: Govt Recalls Envoys for 10-Day Seminar.
Felix Osike

295 words

17 January 2005

New Vision

MEWNEV

English

The Financial Times Limited. Asia Africa Intelligence Wire. All material subject to copyright. New Vision © 2005 All rights reserved.
All heads of Uganda's diplomatic missions abroad have been recalled for a 10-day orientation seminar to review the country's foreign policy.
Fifty-two ambassadors, heads of missions and their deputies are already in Kampala to attend the meeting, which opens today at the Ministry of Foreign affairs headquarters.
Uganda's foreign policy is shifting from the traditional foreign relations to economic diplomacy.
"They were called long before and they will be getting a briefing on economic diplomacy and other issues," the newly-appointed foreign affairs minister, Sam Kutesa, said on phone yesterday.
Uganda's envoys to Belgium, EU, Canada, China, Denmark, Egypt, Ethiopia, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Libya, Nigeria, Russia, France, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, South Africa, Tanzania, UK, the UN and USA are attending the seminar.
Sources said the seminar was organised following persistent complaints from President Yoweri Museveni that some of the ambassadors were not doing a good job of marketing the country to attract foreign investments.
Among the topics to be discussed include economic diplomacy in exports promotion, tourism, investment promotion, technology transfer and resource mobilisation.
The ministry and its diplomatic outposts abroad have in conjunction with the Uganda Investment authority been engaged in frantic promotion of the country as an attractive investment destination.
They will also discuss the political and security diplomacy, general management and administration.
It is not clear whether the former trade and industry minister, Prof. Edward Rugumayo, who was last week appointed ambassador to France, will attend the seminar.
The envoys will on Friday travel to northern Uganda to assess the situation and be briefed on the peace negotiations with the LRA rebels.
Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media. (allafrica.com)
NWVS40141455
Document MEWNEV0020050119e11h0004h