New York: Unilever Indonesia comes in at No.1 on the 3rd annual BusinessWeek ranking of the best performing companies in Asia. High Tech Computer (Taiwan), Lion Diversified Holdings (Malaysia), Siemens (India), and Pakistan Petroleum (Pakistan), round out the top five. It's been a banner year for India Inc. As India's economy grows faster than ever, its newly confident companies are showing their global ambition. And India's moment is evident in the latest Asia BusinessWeek 50 ranking. Indian outfits dominate this year's list: There are a dozen in all, ranging from automakers to a mortgage lender to pharmaceutical producers. This diversity is a surprising reversal from just a few years ago, when all the world knew about corporate India was its software shops. This year, there's just one tech player on the list, Tata Consultancy Services Ltd. (No.23).
Other trends play out on the list, which captures the performers with the most dynamic sales and profit growth. Hong Kong property developers capitalized on the surge in real estate prices both in their city and on the mainland. Taiwan's role as tech manufacturer for the world boosted the fortunes of High Tech Computer (No.2), Compal (No.18), and Novatek (No.37). And the rebound in Indonesia, back from the financial crisis that consumed it in 1998, can be seen in the surprising surge of Unilever Indonesia to the top of the list: Indonesians are finally feeling affluent enough to buy more of the company's consumer products. The Asia BusinessWeek 50 is featured in the September 17, 2007 issue of BusinessWeek, on newsstands Monday, September 10th. Expanded content, including an explanation of the methodology, an interactive table, and company profiles, is available online at www.businessweek.com/extras. http://www.adoimagazine.com/home/index.cfm?ar=2216&version_id=2217
