AHEL to Diversify Its Pharmacy Business

AHEL (Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Ltd) has planned to restructure its business exercise by divesting its pharmacy business by forming it as a separate entity and naming it as APL (Apollo Pharmacies Ltd). The newly formed company will turn out to be a completely owned subsidiary of AMPL (Apollo Medicals Pvt Ltd). Apollo management has mentioned that the new entity is just front-end division of the pharmacy business, which is valued at nearly Rs.5.27Bn.

New investors have taken up on nearly 75% stake for approximately 1.06Bn in Apollo Medicals Pvt Ltd, while parent company, the Apollo Hospitals has been planning to pull up nearly 25% stake in AMPL. The new investors are inclusive of Enam Securities, Jhelum Investment Fund, DSP BlackRock’s chairman and investment banker Hemendra Kothari and these investors will be owning the remaining 75%.

Proposed Reorganization to Beef up Pharmacy Retail Business

Apollo has been taking immense efforts in unlocking the potential of its pharmacy business by sharply focusing on retail sector as well. The company further is planning to enter into e-commerce zone that is basically its omni-network strategy for providing consumers with an option for picking up on physical or online stores. In the forthcoming years, according to Shobana Kamineni, AHEL’s executive vice-chairperson, the company will be looking for new or strategic equity investors, while IPO remains a choice to be explored.

The company had clearly stated that the proposed reorganization will not be holding back any material impact on AHEL’s financials as backend business that is related with the pharmacy business inhibits nearly 85% of business economics, which will be help by AHEL in future as well. The propose move will be highly beneficial for Apollo as it will comply with prescribed FDI (foreign direct investment) limits, which in turn helps in further expanding pharmacy retail business. Apollo is expecting the new organization to be operative by April 2019. Apollo had mentioned that this spin-off will enable the company in maximizing stakeholder value as well as set platform for the ‘value discovery’ pharmacy retail business.

Pharmacy Division Sales Growth: Consolidated Information

The pharmacy business consisted of nearly 38% of Apollo’s Rs.8, 243.5Cr revenues in the FY18. Pharmacy business has increased by 17% on Y-o-Y basis with 4.5% EBITDA margin, which is comparatively lesser than company’s EBITDA of 9.6%. Organized pharmacy retail holds less than 5% of $15Bn domestic pharmaceutical market of India, which is likely to increase by 12% CAGR by over the next 10year time-span that would be predominantly driven by volume growth.

The company has been currently experiencing nearly 27% growth in business with improved operational performance of flagship hospital business. The merged EBITDA rose at 11.3%, while the hospital business EBITDA rose at 18.2%. New hospitals revenue growth increased by 23% with majority revenue share from Tamil Nadu, which consisted of Rs.979.8Cr. Shares of Apollo has increased by 1.82% for closing at Rs.11, 66.15 on BSE.

Forward Looking Plans

Shobana Kamineni has been focusing on creating a multi-year development platform with the expansion of pharmacy outlets to be nearly 5,000 from current 3,167 in the next 5years and is also anticipating a turnover of Rs.100Bn revenue. She further stated that approximately 20% revenue growth would be from the online segment. In addition, Apollo is planning to enhance its private label business to over 12%. Apollo will be entering into brand licensing contract with the APL for licensing Apollo Pharmacy to online pharmacy operations and frontend stores.

Spin-offs have outperformed broadly in the business world with increasing unique investment opportunities expected to take place. By spinning-off pharmacy business, AMPL can remove debt from balance sheet, thereby improving its total margin levels, which in turn becomes valuable for investors.

Satellite Sensor Technology to Tie Air Pollution to Businesses and Brands

Almost every business is responsible for at least some part of global air pollution, be it through their regular operations or through their supply chains. The heavy consumption of fossil fuels for temperature control, food and beverage production, and goods and passenger transport are increasingly releasing greenhouse gases and pollutants that affect people around the world constantly. This is estimated to cost the global economy more than $5 Trillion through expenses on welfare programs.

Until now, businesses could easily deflect responsibility, and put the blame on other parties. However, with the advent of new technology involving satellites and sensors, the real sources of pollution can now be easily and accurately tracked, putting actionable insights back into the hands of brands and businesses involved.

With this new technology, modern businesses will have to make a choice: On one hand, they can choose to tackle the sources of pollution head on and reap the benefits of being a pro-environment organization. Alternatively, they will have to risk eventual exposure regarding their polluting activities, which can adversely affect their business’s profitability.

Pilot Satellite and Sensors Programs Launched in the UK and US

The technology to detect air pollution sources will be made available to not just companies and governments but also to the citizens of the cities involved.  Pilot programs for this ambitious project have already been launched in London in the United Kingdom, and Houston and Oakland in the United States. New innovations to improve the systems are being constantly included, with data analytics creating an open source knowledge base for the world.

This means that very soon information on the amount of pollutants being released by individual locations and operating fleets, will be tied to the corresponding economic and health impacts they have on their surroundings. This will allow companies to accurately gauge their pollution footprint, and take action against it to improve their standing with investors, communities and consumers.

Pro-Environment Measures to Boost Initiative

Leading businesses across the world have already started to take initiative by increasingly investing in alternative energy sources and pollution free transport solutions, to eliminate the presence of emissions from their operations and supply chains. Steps including energy audits, electrification of heat sources, contracts with clean energy providers, best practices are increasingly gaining popularity. With efficient pro-environment frameworks in place the satellite and sensors program is anticipated to show great potential for the future.

£3.5Bn Boost of Annual Funding Expected for Community Healthcare in the UK

The Government of England has announced that community and primary healthcare in England is going to benefit from a real-terms increase of £3.5 Billion per year by 2023/24.

Theresa May Reveals Plans for Boost to Reduce Pressure on Hospitals

Prime Minister Theresa May announced that the plan for the NHS, for long-term improvement, which is supported by £20.5 Bn for the coming five years is anticipated to greatly improve patient care at homes, with the objective of reducing unnecessary hospital stays by patients across the country.

The funding is expected to help in the foundation of rapid response teams comprising nurses, doctors, and physiotherapists, who will be capable to provide immediate care to patients who can be better treated at home that at hospitals.

Moreover, the additional funds will also be used to assign homes with dedicated professionals such as general practitioners and pharmacists, who know individual healthcare needs to provide customized support and treatments, even out of hours.

Theresa May stated that through the plans patients would be able to avail much better care within the community. In addition, unnecessary hospital stays cost the NHS and its staff in pressure on time, effort and money, which would be significantly reduced through the new plan.

Patients to Expect Big Benefits in Health and Money

Research has shown that when older people who spend approximately 10 days in a hospital bed, leads to the muscular ageing worth 10 years. This is especially important as more than a quarter of admission of patients to care homes are considered to be avoidable. The new funding will help ease the work pressure on NHS staff, significantly reduce waiting times and make more hospital beds free for patients who really need them.

The government expects that the plan will greatly aid the healthcare sector, especially in the cancer and mental health sectors that are planned to receive at least £2 Bn more during the same period.

Questions Raised On Implementation

The Nuffield Trust has stated that the increased funds is in line with the 3.4% overall that the NHS has been receiving over the last 5 years, and that it was not really a big shift from the current situation, but it would simply allow community services to keep up with the growing demand of the coming years.

A representative of the King’s Fund cautioned that a shortage of general practitioners and community nurses is going to be a major challenge, and that the added £20.5 Bn had its limitations. The question of whether the government can implement their plan and how fast they can implement it is of utmost importance to gauge the degree of success.

InCred to Raise INR 300 Crore from its Private Equity Investors and Founder with a Focus on Business Diversification

A digital lending start-up based in Mumbai, InCred has successfully raised a funding round of INR 300 crore ($41.9 million) from the company’s private equity investors including Siddharth Parekh’s Paragon Partners and the private founder, Mr. Bhupinder Singh. The company’s major focus is on the four lending verticals including small and medium enterprises, affordable housing, consumer and education finance.

Founder in the year 2016, InCred is backed by Manipal Group’s managing director and CEO, Mr. Ranjan Pai, co-chief executive officer, Deutsche Bank, Anshu Jain, and the founder and chairman of Landmark Holdings-Dalmia Group, Gaurab Dalmia. The lending start-up is recognized for offering several type of loans including home, educations, personal, two-wheeler loans, and SMEs along with a simplified lending platform.

Mr. Singh has contributed around INR 40 crore ($5.59 million) share while nearly INR 40 crore ($6.99 million) were provided by Paragon Partners. The remaining investment was raised from the high net-worth individuals. This raised investment of INR 300 crore would help the lending firm in diversifying its business successfully and move ahead of the present mainstay business of SME lending and retail.

These investments would further strengthen the business offerings of InCred and create a robust business strategy in dealing with its competitors in the market which include Qbera, OptaCredit, Lendingkart, IndiaLends, LoanTap, among many others.

Investments in the startup company showcase the increasing financial support that private equity investors offer for the profitable business. Private equity investor, Paragon Partners have been an investor in InCred earlier, where the company invested a fund of INR 25 crore in March, a year earlier. InCred has been raising funds from private equity firms for a while now where a private equity firm, IDFC Alternatives, in October 2016, brought nearly 10 percent stake for INR 80 crore that valued about 800 crore for the company.

The Indian financial services industry has witnessed exceeding interest by the private equities irrespective of issues such as financial frauds, and non-performing assets noticed in the banking sector of India. The continual faith and investments by these private equity investors would possibly transform the current scenario and reflect major opportunities in the forthcoming future. The continual interest of the private equity investors would also strengthen the financial position of the Indian business sector

Loss of Customer Base with Flouted Mission of Technology Giants

Amazon had recently announced about its new headquarters, however the company wasn’t expecting a negative response out from public. The technology graveyard has been riddled with unsuccessful products and developments such as Amazon’s Fire Phone and Apple Newton. The technology giants in the long run are expected to focus on high-tech marketing organization, which needs an understanding of market-adoption process. The most common misunderstanding that most of the companies consider is that customers are early-adopters or hold similar characteristics or personalities.

Multi-Billion-Dollar Tech Firms to Witness Downfall in Revenue Sales

In the chosen territories of Amazon, which is Virginia and New York, the local politicians recoiled at the taxpayer-funded incentives promised to Amazon. Journalists throughout the political spectrum had panned deals and the social media has been flooded with Virginians and New Yorkers’ voices pledging resistance.

There were revelations that Facebook had exploited the anti-Semitic conspiracy ideas for undermining the legitimacy of critics, which in turn led to a negative impact on public view regarding the same. Even Apple and Amazon have been witnessing their share market values heading nearly US$1 trillion. All of the above factors has resulted in loss of the public trust in technology companies that have been promising to remake the planet politically, environmentally and socially. With each new scandal as well as failed response, companies are witnessed as turning out to be a serious danger for the society.

Warning Alarm for Tech Giants to Ramp up from What’s Left

The technological firms are definitely wealthy and powerful, however, their days of hiding scrutiny are about to end. American public have begun suspecting that technology giants are unprepared or perhaps unwilling for taking up the responsibility of tools that they introduce to the world. Future of the corporate offices of Amazon is shaping up as multi-sided brawl amongst the elected officials as well as people who they are planning to represent. The response of each technology firm to every new revelation draws up a standard pattern.

It’s high time that the tech giants should be changing themselves dramatically by either breaking themselves up or taking hold of responsibility for the damage caused to consumers because of their products and platforms. Using any technology holds related risks but increasing technological systems in complexity and size stimulates the probability of damage. In addition, the tech giants are also likely to focus on developing models that would help them in differentiating between discontinuous and continuous innovations.

$12.5 million Capital Raised by Medical Device Manufacturer, NICO Corporation

NICO Corporation, a leader in modern interventional technologies and a medical device provider in Indianapolis has announced that it has completed a capital raise of $12.5 million of Series B. As stated by the company, the funding is raised among present shareholders which would provide resources for their lined-up priority activities including commercialization, new product development, additional biological preservation and tissue collection clinical studies, growth of clinical and sales team, regional expansion, and adding to the ever-growing published evidence library around enhanced economic and clinical outcomes

Jim Pearson, President and CEO of NICO Corporation stated that the company’s shareholders have confirmed and substantiated the confidence and commitment in the outcomes and value of NCIO technologies as well as their capabilities to create and grow new markets in neurosurgery. Market growth in neurosurgery is challenging owing to the environment that is changing slowly along with the era of strict healthcare protocols and regulations, and it only happens via documented outcomes that demonstrate improved economic value and clinical outcomes. Jim further added that the capital infusion positions NICO to additionally validate and support clinical outcomes through publications peer-reviewed and enables the company to company to keep working towards addressing the growing demand across the globe for the NICO technologies utilized in minimally invasive parafascicular surgery (MIPS).

The company focuses on extending its capabilities across various geographies and presently has its footprint in Australia, United Kingdom, the United States, Singapore and Canada. The primary focal point of expansion for the company remains Europe where NICO plans to offer its medical solutions.

NICO Corporation stated in their press release that the neurosurgery device market is expected to showcase rapid growth over the forthcoming decade owing to continuously expanding capabilities of neurosurgery by hospitals to align with advanced imaging, approach, and technological integration with the help of MIPS. NICO Corporation is determined to introduce products continuously for meeting the clinical needs and foster clinical evidence for the purpose of research activities. This funding would play a major role in the company’s future pursuits and initiatives. Ever since NICO Corporation has been found, the company has managed to raise $49.5 million in capital funding.

Such funding raised by key players in the healthcare industry and their clear objective to enhance their offerings and expand their reach is expected to foster the developments in healthcare while opening new doors of opportunities for the companies to serve patients better

The Arrival of 5G Smartphones is Expected to Push Back Leading Players in the Market

Currently, as market leader, Samsung holds around 20 percent of the worldwide smartphone market, followed by Huawei and Apple at around 14 and 13 per cent respectively during the third quarter of this year.

Giants Fall to Technology Transition

Earlier, when the telecommunications industry moved from 2G, 3G and to 4G, a number of major smartphone market players lost significant amounts of market share owing to challenges rising from design innovations to keep up with technological advancements.

The biggest example of this was the fall of Finland-based Nokia which was a market leader during the period of 2G, and lost significant traction during 3G, and almost completely faded away during the era of 4G. The company was unable to keep up with new advances such as dual-sim capabilities. Despite the acquisition of the company by Microsoft, the business had to stop.

Similarly, Motorola also lost significant market share during the move from 2G to 3G. While Samsung was the biggest gainer during the 3G period, with an increase of double the market share, the company is anticipated to face a tough time with 5G, as China is anticipated to be one of the major markets for the new technology, with Chinese smartphone manufacturers taking center stage.

In addition, Huawei is also anticipated to face a challenging time during the period of transition, owing to the blockage of the company’s smartphone and 5G business within the United States.

Expected Winners of the 5G Battle

Small scale players including Sony, and Sharp are anticipated to gain market share in the local markets, provided they display agility in brand marketing and technology building. On the other hand, brands such as OPPO, Vivo, and Xiaomi, are anticipated to gain market share on a global scale, with the enhancement of distribution and marketing networks, leading to profitable sales of several million units. All of these companies already have a strong network in Asia and Europe and are anticipated to put forth strong competition in North and South America during the 5G phase.

At a time, when consumers are unwilling to pay high amounts on new phones which show only small improvements, the intense competition between smartphone manufacturers will largely come down to who has the wider portfolio of useful intellectual property.

Market players such as Lenovo-Motorola and LG will require smart strategizing to transition successfully in to 5G or risk heavy losses, While Samsung and Huawei, will face challenges owing to their limited presence in the China and US markets.

Fox Network Group and AT&T to Renew the Multi-year Deal

The American multinational telecommunications company AT&T and the television company, Fox Network Group announced the renewal of their multi-year deal which establishes the continuation of distribution of Fox programming across the video platforms of AT&T including DIRECTV NOW, DIRECTV, and AT&T U-verse.

The local broadcast stations in 17 cities and regional sports networks owned by the Fox Network Group are included in the renewal. The renewal also includes the National Geographic Channel, FS1, FS2, Nat Geo Wild, FX, FXM, FXX, and Spanish Language services such as Nat Geo Mundo, Fox Deportes and Fox Life, BabyTV, along with Fox Soccer Plus pay-per-view service.

The chief content officer and senior executive vice president for AT&T Communications, Daniel York said that they are pleased to close the multi-year deal with Fox Network Group for the complete range of content of AT&T. He further added that the customers of AT&T communications would continue to enjoy their programming on-demand and live on a range of devices. The customers can enjoy the same in both on-the-go and at home. Daniel concluded, saying that they have been working with FOX Network Group for delivering greater choices for customers and providing enhanced value to them.

Although the financial terms are undisclosed this deal reflects the increasing emphasis given to customers and their needs for which the communication companies thrive harder for offering immense alternatives and choices which could effectively improve offerings for the customers.

President of Distribution, Fox Network Group, Mike Biard, said that the expanded partnership of FOX Network Group with AT&T through the extended range of agreement ensures that that the highly rated sports and entertainment programming would be available on a broader level to the customers of DIRECTNOW, DirecTV, and U-Verse for the forthcoming years.

With increasing partnerships such as this, the entertainment industry and communications sector is expected to benefit largely. The increasing spending witnessed over these segments by the customers across the globe is expected to foster the growth in the sector. The Fox Network Group and AT&T’s partnership over renewing the multi-year deal highlights their joint strategic business offerings as they head towards providing customers the right programming along with the flexibility of streaming at home or right into their mobile devices when they commute. The long-term deal between these two giants would bring effective transformations to the sector.

CSIRO Aims for Artificial Intelligence and Space Technology Advancements with $35M Increase in Funding

The top science and space agency of Australia announced a massive $35 million investment into space technology and artificial intelligence, which is anticipated to act as a significant part of the state run science and space agency’s portfolio for the Future Science Platforms, which was initiated by the organization during 2016.

Investment to Develop Solutions for Real-world Problems

A large chunk of the $35 million investment will be spent on developing machine learning and artificial intelligence capabilities, to improve understanding and predictions on complex information build upon solutions for global issues of high importance including sustainable energy production, environment protection, and food security among others.

$16 million will be pressed into development of advancements in space technology that will primarily be used for the observation of the earth, efficient utilization of resources in space, manufacturing equipment for Mars and Moon missions, improving life support systems, alongside the accurate tracking of interstellar objects. The activities will also involve the employment of post-doctoral researchers and students, and a number of collaborations within the industry.

Apart from artificial intelligence, machine learning, and new space technology CSIRO’s future science platforms portfolio also includes modules such as environomics, precision health, synthetic biology, active integrated matter, probing bio-systems, digiscape, hydrogen energy systems, and deep earth imaging. For instance, the initiative made automotive hydrogen powered systems work through hydrogen extracted from ammonia.

Australian Space Agency Projected to Triple in Size

The $16 million investment combined with the $26 million from the federal budget earlier this year, will be key to the formation of a dedicated Australian Space Agency. This move is anticipated to grow the size of the Australian space sector by three times to $20 billion by the year 2030. The researchers at CSIRO are also currently researching laser technology that is touted to bring about a revolution in how data is captured from space. The process is anticipated to increase data capture by up to 10 times through the use of optics and light instead of radio waves.

The Future Science Platform is anticipated to utilize the challenging environment of Australia to opportunities for scientific growth that will put the country on center-stage on a global scale, by bringing the best expertise in regards to technology, science, math, and engineering. This will be able to develop innovative solutions for problems for various regions around the world, giving Australia an edge in the market.

Nestle To Grab Consumer Nutrition Business of GlaxoSmithKline in India

Some of the biggest consumer companies across the globe have been eyeing on the nutrition business of GlaxoSmithKline and the competition has been intensifying for securing the expensive Horlicks malted drink product of the company. Amongst other products, malt-based drinks are considered as one of the largest health-food drink across India.

Nestle is pitted against Unilever in the final talk of negotiations for acquiring GSK’s Indian consumer nutrition business, which is inclusive of Horlicks malted drink product. Nestle has been taking the lead with a significantly huge offer by leaving Unilever behind and Coca-Cola being the third contender has been opted out. The winner will be launching an open offer for mopping up nearly 26% additional stake.

Earlier this year, GlaxoSmithKline had mentioned about a strategic review with regards to its nutrition business across the globe and this review is likely to conclude by 2018-end. The transaction is highly beneficial for the FMCG bounty hunters who are seeking for expansion opportunities in India.

Nestle India to Widen Malt Drink Product Portfolio

Nestle India has been selling malt drink Milo and is now seeking for expansion of its product portfolio with acquisition of Horlicks brand by GSK. This in turn helps the company in synergizing distribution of Milo by means of pharmacy channels. Growing demand from parents to fill the nutritional gaps of their children has influenced Nestle in firming up on Horlicks brand acquisition. Local manufacturers are ramping up on their product offerings in order to attract newcomers such as the Manpasand Beverages, a juice-drink maker.

GSK Introduces New Version of Horlicks

GlaxoSmithKline lately introduced a new version of Horlicks with addition of protein for competing in the explosion of ayurvedic products and energy drinks. GSK is strongly focusing on innovation and launch of sachets, which in turn would benefit in recouping growth. However, the decision of parent market to place Horlicks on block by carrying out the strategic analysis of its heavy investment in GSK of India is a threat.

GSK has been planning to continue making heavy investments for intensifying growth opportunities for its oral health and over-the-counter brands in India such as Eno and Sensodyne. The company has been constantly investing in vaccines and pharmaceutical businesses with development of new manufacturing plant in Vemgal, Karnataka. Understanding millennial preferences, employing new acquisition strategies and leveraging new packaging techniques is turning to be play an essential role in the competitive business world.