Lerros unveils new jackets: Lerros, the European leisurewear major, has launched its latest autumn winter range. The winter range includes cotton pullovers in full and half sleaves. The range of jackets from Lerros, for light and rugged wear, are available in four styles including reversible, in fiery and subdued colour combinations.

Ripples '98 in Bangalore: Ripples '98, an international consumer exhibition, is to be held in Bangalore from November 19-22. Leading companies like Hindustan Lever, Colgate-Palmolive, SmithKline Beecham, Johnson & Johnson are expected to participate the exhibition. The event is being sponsored by Tetra Pak India, a processing and packaging company.

Major plans for Keltron on the anvil:The state-owned Kerala State Electronics Development Corporation (Keltron) has drawn up an ambitious expansion-cum-diversification plan in electronic components, focussing on its flagship subsidiary, Keltron Component Complex, kannur. The plan envisages a three-fold increase in its operation to make it a Rs 100-crore company by 2001, stated a press release. Besides plant modernisation and diversification of product range, the proposal involves expansion of the capacity of aluminium-electrolytic capacitors from 150 million pieces to 250 million and later to 500 million per year. Also, there is a proposal to set up a Rs 3-crore unit for etching and forming of aluminium foil with financial support from the department of electronics).

Naresh kumar is manager Lufthansa-western India: German Airlines, Lufthansa has appointed Naresh Kumar Gaind as manager western India who succeeds Dieter Grosse, who has moved to Shanghai. Gaind was at Lufthansa (India operations) for the last 29 years, a statementsaid.

>Bilt division to come out of red this year: Ballarpur Industries autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) division is likely to come out of red in the current fiscal after its diversification into turnkey contracting in construction. The division, which manufactures construction materials using fly ash, is likely to make profits this fiscal with the turnover expected to increase to Rs 16 crore from Rs 13 crore last year, Suresh Sharma, general manager of AAC division said on Thursday. Bilt, the flagship company of the Thapar group, had set up the division in 1992 at a capital investment of Rs 47 crore to manufacture construction materials like blocks, pre-cast reinforced slabs and wall panels.

IOC to augment Kandla-Bathinda pipeline capacity: Sate-owned Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) has decided to augment an additional 1.3 million tonnes of crude oil through Kandla-Bathinda pipeline. The IOC has now decided to augment the capacity of Kandla-Bathinda product pipeline by an additional 1.3million tonnes to 8.8 million tonnes annually by May 2000, an official spokesman said on Thursday. Recently the capacity of the pipeline was raised from six million tonnes to 7.5 million tonnes per annum.

IOC expects to complete the expansion programme at a cost of Rs 1,247 crore by July 2001, he added.