L&T and Bharat Electronics Sign MoU for Defence Products and Systems in India

In line with the efforts to indigenise the defence sector under ‘Make in India’ initiative, Larsen & Toubro (L&T), India’s multinational engineering conglomerate, and Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), a leading public sector enterprise in defence electronics and tactical systems, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to cater to the needs of evolving domestic and export markets for defence products and systems.

The MoU seeks to leverage the capabilities of both the firms for meeting the growing requirements of the Indian Armed Forces. The MoU also intends to leverage the well-developed supply chain, vast experience and expertise of BEL and L&T to synergise and enhance exports in the defence sector.

Jayant Patil, Whole-time Director (Defence) and Member of L&T Board, said: “This MoU offers an opportunity for public-private sector partnership between two industry leaders in Defence Equipment & Systems to synergise their strengths to deliver to the Indian Armed Forces and to the export market contemporary products with high indigenous content.”

The decision to formalise the partnership through this MoU, a key milestone for both L&T and for BEL in their long-term relationship, was made after extensive evaluation and identifying the core competencies and strong synergies between the two of them. L&T and BEL have collaborated and partnered on co-development and production of major sub-systems involving complex technologies and sophisticated weapon systems such as Akash Missile launchers and other radar platforms for Indian MoD orders.

L&T has been delivering a range of launcher systems, fire control systems and airframes / sub-systems for various indigenous weapon programmes as development partners and production agency to DRDO and DPSUs. By synergising L&T’s manufacturing, system design & integration capabilities and extensive global footprint with BEL’s core competencies in electronic equipment & systems, the companies look forward to enhancing their product range, jointly evolve new products and enhance business prospects.

SpiceJet to Add Hubli its Fifth UDAN Destination; To Launch Hubli-Chennai & Hubli-Hyderabad Flights Under UDAN

SpiceJet, the country’s favourite low-cost carrier, today announced the commencement of operations from Hubli effective 14th May, 2018. SpiceJet was awarded Hubli under the second round of UDAN, and it will be its fifth destination under the Regional Connectivity Scheme.

With the addition of Hubli-Chennai and Hubli-Hyderabad UDAN routes, SpiceJet will operate six daily UDAN flights. The airline had launched services on the Mumbai-Porbandar, Mumbai-Kandla, Jaipur-Jaisalmer and Hyderabad-Puducherry routes under the UDAN scheme last year.

SpiceJet is the first and only airline to connect Hubli-Chennai and Hubli-Hyderabad with direct flights. The airline will also connect Hubli with key metro cities of Bengaluru and Mumbai, both of which are non-RCS sectors.

To celebrate the launch, SpiceJet has announced a limited period special introductory all-inclusive one-way fare for each of the new routes starting as low as Rs. 2694/- applicable for bookings made on a first come first serve basis.

With the introduction of the new flights, passengers from Hubli can now conveniently travel to a host of other cities both on SpiceJet’s domestic as well as international network via multiple onward connections from the metros routed.

On the occasion, Shilpa Bhatia, Chief Sales & Revenue Officer, SpiceJet said, “SpiceJet is delighted to connect Hubli on to its pan India network. UDAN has been one of the biggest success stories of this government and we are proud to be a part of Prime Minister’s grand vision to ensure that every Indian can fly. Our flight services from Hubli will provide greater flexibility and convenience to both leisure and business travelers.”

Hubli, the second largest city in Karnataka, houses the largest number of government offices in the state. Earmarked for the smart city project, it is also a major trading centre for commodities like cotton and iron.

Bookings for tickets are now open on www.spicejet.com, SpiceJet’s mobile app and through online travel portals and travel agents.

Samsung Celebrates Mother-Daughter Bond in New TVC on Digital Inverter Refrigerators

Samsung India has launched a digital campaign showcasing its new Digital Inverter Refrigerators through a heart-warming story of the relationship between a mother and a daughter.

Conceptualised by Cheil, the campaign film, which shows a modern, young, evolved working woman gifting her mother a refrigerator that runs on both inverter and solar power for a better, improved and hassle-free life, has gone viral with over 50 million views on YouTube in the first 20 days of its launch.

“This heart-warming campaign shows the strong bond between a mother and daughter. The campaign showcases the brand ethos of Samsung of caring about consumers at every step and bringing in innovative technologies to solve real life problems. Through this emotional story, we wanted to communicate how our new refrigerator line runs non-stop on the home inverter, making life better for a modern young Indian women. The campaign crossing 50 million views on YouTube in India is a testimony of consumer love and trust in brand Samsung,” said Ranjivjit Singh, Chief Marketing Officer, Samsung India.

In the film, the mother is seen entering the daughter’s house while she is away at work. The mother brings with herself kheer that she has prepared lovingly for her daughter. She keeps it in her daughter’s fridge for her to enjoy when she is back from work. Just as she is leaving, there is a power cut. When the daughter returns home the power outage is still there but she is elated to see the kheer in the fridge. She calls her mother to appreciate her love but the mother is concerned that the kheer might have gone bad because of the long power cut. It is here that the daughter tells her not to worry because her new refrigerator even works on the home inverter.

The 60-second film focuses on a real life situation, of the difficulty faced by individuals when food gets spoilt due to power cuts during summer months. The film captures a young working woman in conversation with her mother that touches hearts with different emotions of joy, love and care.

The end of the film shows the daughter buying a similar refrigerator for her mother, hoping that the refrigerator takes care of her mother like her mother takes care of her.

“Samsung is a brand that stands for innovation. The task at hand was to show how this offering of a refrigerator that runs on an inverter can make a world of a difference in the consumers’ life, in a very real way. This film is crafted in a way that makes the viewer feel that this is a situation straight out of their lives. The narrative beautifully connects the ad to its viewers and we are seeing a lot of positive response to the campaign. We hope to garner more brand love through this emotional campaign,” said Aneesh Jaisinghani, Executive Creative Director, Cheil India.

Balancing Digital Investments Key to Driving Sustainable Growth in India’s Manufacturing Sector: Accenture Research

Manufacturing businesses in India are keen to invest in digital technologies but are struggling to derive tangible business benefits due to an imbalanced approach to digital investments, according to Reinventing Business with Industry X.0, a new report from Accenture.

Ninety-three percent of the executives surveyed – who represent 29 manufacturing and production companies in India with an annual turnover of at least US$1 billion – want to leverage digital for growth, with 76 percent intending to use digital to create new, experience-driven revenue opportunities. However, only 31 percent plan to use digital to drive greater operational efficiencies, likely missing out on bottom-line improvements.

“There appears to be a singular focus on revenue growth, with businesses neglecting an important requirement of the digital era: the transformation of operations to unlock trapped value,” said Anindya Basu, geographic unit and country senior managing director – Accenture in India. “Businesses in India must place equal emphasis on using digital to drive efficiencies at the heart of the business and using the freed-up funds to drive strategic investments in new products, customer experiences and business models that create long-term value.”

For example, Accenture research has found that industrial equipment companies globally could reduce their total cost per employee by almost 20 percent and increase their market capitalization by nearly 25 percent if they combine innovative technologies such as autonomous robots, artificial intelligence, blockchain, big data and 3D-printing.

Indian manufacturers have been struggling to achieve globally competitive scale and productivity. While the industrial sector in India has grown 6 percent annually since 2011, to more than US$700 billion in 2016, the value addition per employee is one of the lowest in the world, at only US$6,000.

An Action Plan for Success
The Accenture report suggests that the right combination of digital technologies could help Indian industrial companies address this issue, as the technologies hold the potential to drive dramatic efficiency improvements and exponential revenue growth. Specifically, the report recommends that companies adopt a new approach that Accenture refers to as Industry X.0. It is an action plan for becoming more adept at embracing technological change and digital technologies to manage the shift from industrial manufacturing to producing and delivering digital products and services and supporting them in the field.

According to the report, Indian businesses should take six actions to derive value from Industry X.0:
Transform the core: Drive new levels of efficiency by building core engineering and production systems around digital technologies. Ensure that physical machines and software systems are tightly integrated for predictive maintenance, and help scale automation to optimize production runs and improve overall equipment effectiveness.

Create hyper-personalized experiences: Design and deploy products, services and platforms that constantly adapt to changing customer needs. Use big data to generate real-time insights to enable decision making, and enhance the customer and workforce experience through smart, digital touchpoints.

Innovate business models: Create new business models to drive differentiated customer value propositions well beyond the point-of-sale interaction. Use the internet of things (IoT) and Industrial IoT to develop connected and intelligent products that can be monetized via software-based-services and pay-per-use revenue models.

Build a digital ready workforce: Recruit, train and retain talent with skills, such as software engineering and machine learning, for the digital enterprise.  Encourage collaboration between people and machines.

Build new ecosystems: Build an ecosystem of supply chain partners including start-ups and customers to scale new digital business models rapidly. Tap into internal and external sources for new ideas, while nurturing innovation clusters to prototype early-stage technology use cases.
Pivot Wisely: Synchronize innovation and growth through balanced investments in the core business and in new business. Stay focused on traditional performance metrics while keeping an eye on disruptors, and continuously inject digital technologies into mainstream operations.

“Industry X.0 will unleash a new level of energy into the manufacturing industry,” said Raghu Gullapalli, managing director - industrial, Asia Pacific, Africa, Middle East & Turkey (AAPAC), Accenture. “To harness the true potential of digital for profitable growth in the future, Indian companies need to look at immediate-term value extraction from legacy data and build a progressive roadmap for connecting their products, equipment, supply chain, people and customers. Companies that embark on this journey in a holistic manner today will emerge as the digital leaders of tomorrow.”

Research Methodology
Accenture surveyed senior executives from 29 companies across 12 manufacturing and production industries in India with annual turnover in excess of US$1 billion. The companies were a part of a larger survey of more than 900 senior executives from large industrial companies across 21 different nations to understand how companies deploy digital technologies and the benefits they derive from them. The research identified a set of 10 technologies critical for Industry X.0: 3D printing, artificial intelligence, augmented/virtual reality, autonomous robots, autonomous vehicles, big data analytics, blockchain, digital twin, machine learning and mobile computing. Using both survey data and company financial data, researchers performed an Economic Value Modelling analysis to identify the technology combinations with the biggest impact on top- and bottom-line value release, as measured by market capitalization and cost-per-employee. They then identified the optimum mix of technologies by combining results from machine learning and principal component analysis.

Quantum Video Surveillance Storage Portfolio Now Available Through Convergint Technologies

Quantum Corp has announced that its complete line of scale-out tiered storage, archive and data protection solutions for video surveillance environments is now available through Convergint Technologies. Certified with the industry-leading camera, VMS and analytics offerings, these award-winning, intelligent solutions will provide Convergint’s global user community with the foundation for next-generation security, analytics and AI infrastructures — a key challenge facing customers in this evolving market.

Multitiered Storage for an Expansive Range of Video Surveillance Environments

With an extensive heritage of implementations for environments such as federal installations, transportation, healthcare, higher education and city surveillance, Quantum’s storage portfolio for video surveillance offers a logical fit with Convergint’s strategic direction. The partnership with Quantum enables Convergint to provide its video surveillance and security customers with an expanded range of integrated, scalable solutions for data protection and retention.

Powered by its StorNext parallel file system and data management platform, Quantum’s multitier storage makes the combination of storage performance and data retention more affordable. As a result, customers can not only keep surveillance data longer but also have more budget available to spend on cameras and real-time analytics, for a more effective video surveillance environment.

Visit Convergint and Quantum at ISC West

Convergint Technologies (booth 14099) and Quantum (booth 22125) will highlight their solutions for video surveillance environments at ISC West 2018, Las Vegas, April 11-13.

Supporting Quotes
Tony Varco, vice president, security division, Convergint Technologies
“Convergint’s success stems from the level of service we provide to our clients, and we are continually looking to enhance our ability to meet our customers’ needs. Our partnership with Quantum allows us to maintain our growth strategy with intelligent storage solutions to further deepen and expand the portfolio we offer to customers.”

Wayne Arvidson, vice president, intelligence, surveillance and security solutions, Quantum
“Retention time for surveillance data continues to increase, and Convergint understands the value of storage as part of the surveillance and security infrastructure. With their global reach, reputation of excellence, and extensive qualification and vetting process, I’m pleased to have Quantum included among Convergint’s select list of offerings.”

Samsung Carnival Comes to Flipkart, Get Instant Discount and Exciting Offers on Select Products

Samsung, India’s biggest and most trusted consumer electronics and mobile phones brand, is bringing Samsung Carnival to Flipkart, giving instant discount, exciting exchange offers and no-cost EMI schemes on select products from April 10 to April 12, 2018.

Consumers buying Galaxy On Nxt 64GB during Samsung Carnival on Flipkart will get the smartphone at Rs 11,900 after flat Rs 1,000 off. Galaxy On Max, which excels in low-light photography, will be available at Rs 12,900 after flat Rs 2,000 off. Galaxy On Nxt 16GB can be bought for an exciting price of Rs 9,490. Galaxy On5 and Galaxy J3 Pro will be up for grabs at Rs 5,990 and Rs 6,990 respectively during the Samsung Carnival on Flipkart.

There are exciting offers on consumer durables too. Samsung’s 49" M6300 Full HD Curved SMART TV will be available at a special price of INR 66,900. This season, customers can look forward to a cooler summer as the carnival brings attractive offers on refrigerators as well. Samsung’s 253L 2 Star Frost-Free Refrigerator and Top Mount Freezer with Convertible 5-in-1 will be available at a special price of Rs 23,790 and Rs 36,090 respectively.

Adding to this summer bonanza, customers can avail instant discount, no-cost EMI and exciting exchange offers on select products.

“We are happy to announce Samsung Carnival on Flipkart with attractive offers. During the Carnival, we will have instant discount, exciting exchange offers and attractive no cost EMI on select products that will allow consumers to purchase and enjoy their favourite Samsung products,” Sandeep Singh Arora, Vice President, Online Business, Samsung India, said.

"Flipkart has always stood for customer centricity and ensuring maximum value for every purchase made. Samsung Carnival, between 10-12 April, is Flipkart’s yet another way of offering great products at some of the most affordable prices" Ayyappan Rajagopal, Senior Director, Flipkart, said.
Partner offers:

Instant Discount: 10% instant discount* with ICICI Bank Credit and Debit Cards (*T&C apply)          
  
Best exchange value: Customers can exchange their existing prodcuts and get great value for their old device.

No Cost EMI: No cost EMI financing schemes available on select products with select Credit/Debit cards.

Liebherr India to Expand Business in South India, Targets 100 City Dealer Network Expansion in the Region

After dominating the refrigerator market around the world, Liebherr, the German refrigerator expert, is all set to enter India and has targeted the South Indian market to drive growth. The company, which has plans of opening a manufacturing unit in Aurangabad is currently aiming 40% of its sales from South markets and plans to grow significantly in the coming years. Aspiring to tap the refrigerator market in India, the German refrigerator expert, Liebherr announced its business expansion in the country targeting around 100 cities in South India in the upcoming months. The company has planned to partner with major dealers & retail chains in cities in South India and will be locally manufacturing a mass premium range of refrigerators from its plant in Maharashtra’s Aurangabad district where it has already invested around Rs 500 Crore to set up operations.

Liebherr anticipates maximum demand coming from metro areas as well as from tier-I/II cities owing to their developmental infrastructure such as metros and other connectivity. Targeting the premium mass segment, Liebherr Appliances India aims to produce high-quality refrigeration appliances tailored to suit the Indian market, the plant will have initial capacity of manufacturing over 500,000 cooling appliances per year starting 2018.

Liebherr group which achieved a consolidated group turnover of 9.2 billion Euros in the year 2016 ,  plans to produce new line up of refrigerator products in coming months of 2018. It will introduce 19 different models in various colors and feature combinations in refrigerators to cater Indian consumers. In 2019, it will add around 22 models and another 11 technologically advanced models will be introduced additionally in the next 3 years to widen its range in phased manner. Liebherr has been in India since 2008 as a part of the domestic refrigerator and freezer market with presence of built-in refrigerators & freezers, side by appliances with different cooling zones, special wine cabinets, under counter fridges and freezers with a huge HNI clientele.

Commenting on the expansion plan, Mr. Radhakrishna Somayaji, Chief Sales Officer, Liebherr Appliances India Private Limited said, “We are pleased to announce our expansion in South India and our aim to sell the upcoming range of refrigerators in urban and semi - urban parts of the country. We believe, as a market, South India encompasses a huge potential for us and with price capping in almost all the states of south, we are looking at capturing the good market. We have set an objective of entering & growing the business by expanding our refrigerator range. We have now specific plans at some of our plants. We would make sure that we would utilize them to the maximum and invest going forward. This would be for the base capacity and also focusing on new product launches. We aim to continue to leverage our strong brand, differentiated products , great quality, competitive pricing and global networks to continue to increase sales.“

Sophos Introduces Phish Threat Attack Simulation and Training Solution with New Analytics and Multi-Language Support

Sophos , a global leader in network and endpoint security, today announced the expansion of its Sophos Phish Threat phishing attack simulator and training solution to Europe and Asia. With enhanced dashboards and new analytics to track organizational risk and employee performance, Phish Threat simplifies a key part of an organizations security strategy – employee awareness and training. With the capability to choose from hosting locations in Ireland, Germany or the US, organizations worldwide can now access multi-language, interactive security training from within the Sophos Central security management platform.

Phishing remains an easy access route into organizations for today’s ransomware payloads and data breaches. With forty-one percent1 of organizations seeing an attack on a daily basis, employee training remains critical to maintaining effective security. Sophos Phish Threat automates the entire training process and provides visual analytics to identify vulnerable employees.  As the only security awareness training program from a leader in IT security, it can be managed alongside email, endpoint, and network security from one console for improved risk management and incident response.

Sunil Sharma, Managing Director Sales at Sophos India & SAARC said “In 2017, 30 percent of Indian organizations reported email and web malware attacks as per a SophosLabs finding. With businesses challenged by the alarming increase in phishing and compliance threats, they are attempting to tackle the issue themselves by deploying next generation IT security solutions. These attempts mostly fail due to lack of employee awareness to spot a phishing email.”

Sunil further added, "Human behavior is a critical element of cybersecurity yet 62 percent of companies don’t train employees to recognize phishing attempts. SophosLabs sees malware on up to 77 percent of blocked mail. Creating a culture of security and data protection awareness has risen in priority with the greater risk of email born ransomware and the planned introduction of new legislation such as GDPR. Employees have to be responsible for the way they handle data and how to spot a phishing attack should be part of their training. Phish Threat builds greater employee awareness by creating suspicious emails using known techniques, successful spoofs, and contemporary examples. In fact, after just four Phish Threat simulation training emails, the average organization reports a 31 percent2 reduction in employee susceptibility.”

Phish Threat enables IT managers to identify susceptible employees and manage relevant real-world phishing email simulations to deliver more effective training sessions from within Sophos Central. Attack templates and training are available in nine languages and constantly updated based on Sophos’s global awareness of current threats. When errors are made, individuals are automatically given corrective training to learn from their mistakes. Phish Threat also provides the analytics and reporting metrics to allow tracking and measurement of overall business risk and security posture at an organization or individual level. With benchmark data available on employee phishing susceptibility against global norms, training can be fully tailored, and data can be used to enhance security policy across Sophos Central to deliver a multi-layered security strategy against phishing and social engineering attacks.

MAHE Leapfrogs Seven Places to Achieve Best Ever Rank, KMC Manipal is Fourth Best in India

Manipal Academy of Higher Education Manipal has vaulted seven places in the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) Rankings for Universities in India, announced by the Union HRD Ministry in New Delhi on Tuesday. From 18, MAHE moved to the 11th rank which is the best yet for the University. In the overall ranking too, MAHE has jumped 12 places, from 30 to 18.

Indeed a remarkable achievement for the University celebrating its silver jubilee this year. And that’s not all, there was a lot more to cheer about with five of its constituent units doing extremely well in the rankings and making their presence felt in the education world.

Kasturba Medical College, Manipal was ranked fourth in India and the Medical College at Mangaluru was 16th. Manipal College of Pharmaceutical Sciences retained its rank of being the seventh best in the country. As for Faculty of Architecture, the college got the 10th rank. FOA needs a pat on the back for being the only private college to figure among the first ten. Manipal Institute of Technology ranked 43 the last time, also saw an improvement and was ranked 39th.

Vice Chancellor, Dr H. Vinod Bhat broke the news to thousands of students and faculty assembled at the inauguration of Silver Utsav 2018 at KMC Greens on Tuesday. The announcement was received by a thunderous applause from the huge crowd gathered to witness the popular events at Utsav.

There was excitement all over the University. This is what Vice Chancellor, Dr H. Vinod Bhat had to say about the achievements; “I am happy with MAHE’s ranking in NIRF this time. We have reached an all-time high of 11th position in the country, up from position number 18 last year. In addition to the University’s own ranking, individual institutions like KMC, Manipal; KMC Mangalore; Manipal College of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Faculty of Architecture have done us proud by their own demonstration of strength in national rankings. And it is my belief that in the coming years we will do even better and see MAHE in the top 10 in the NIRF 2019 rankings.”

“We are thrilled by the recognition of MHRD for our constant endeavor towards excellence in medical education. It has been a team effort of the college faculty and the top University management which has steered the college forward amidst the rapidly changing scenario of global medical education,” said Dr Pragna Rao, Dean KMC, Manipal. “At KMC, Manipal, we are acutely aware of the global context and changing standards of excellence in medical school curricula and are constantly striving to maintain those standards by implementing newer pedagogies,” she added.

“KMC Mangalore has broken into the Big League,” said Dean Dr Venkatraya Prabhu. “KMC Mangalore has always been in the forefront of providing learner-centric quality medical education. The NIRF rankings provide external verification and validation of this. Students of KMC, Mangalore have the unique advantage of being trained in both public (government) and private hospitals.It is matter of immense pride that we are ranked among the top colleges in the country and we are confident that in the years to come we will improve our rankings,” Dr Prabhu said.

MCOPS continues to maintain its position in the rankings. But what’s encouraging is that there is an increase of 6.67 points in the total score from the 60 last year,” said Principal of MCOPS Dr C. Mallikarjuna Rao. “We scored a 100 in Teaching Learning Resources and Public Perception and have shown remarkable improvement in Research Promotion and Consultancy and also in Outreach and Inclusivity,” he added.

We are excited about the recognition we have received from the most valuable ranking system in India,” said Nishant H Manapure, Director Faculty of Architecture. “Our students, faculty and staff have always put in their best efforts to make FOA an excellent centre for architectural education. This achievement has given us a tremendous boost to raise the bar in the coming years,” he added.  

Bausch and Lomb Launches New Digital Campaign for Bausch+Lomb Ultra

Bausch and Lomb, the market leader in contact lenses and lens care solutions in India, launched a new digital campaign for its product –Bausch + Lomb Ultra, which provides 16 hours of comfortable wear. The campaign includes a series of six digital ads – 3 renditions each of 15 seconds and 6 seconds. The ads are humorous in tonality and frown upon the awkward situations that arise due to the discomfort from wearing contact lenses for long hours. Bausch+Lomb Ultra has been introduced as the perfect solution to these problems.

Speaking about the campaign, Sanjay Bhutani, Managing Director, Bausch and Lomb India commented, ‘We at Bausch+Lomb have been thriving to make products that are consumer friendly, since decades. As times have changed and things are becoming digital, a chunk of the population is exposed to some or the other form of Digital screen. As a matter of fact, a spectacle wearing millennial typically spends 10-12 hours a day on multiple screens. This tends to dry out the eyes and thus making contact lens usage uncomfortable. To overcome this, we have launched Ultra-16 hour comfort lenses which could be worn up to 16 hours without any discomfort.’

The product has MoistureSeal technology which helps prevent dryness and retains moisture in eyes throughout the day. Bausch+Lomb Ultra-16 hour lenses are monthly disposable and priced at Rs.3700 for a pack of 6 lenses.

Techno Mobil Partners with Kings XI Punjab for IPL Season 11

TECNO Mobile, the premium smartphone brand from TRANSSION India, today announced its first big ticket association with Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018. Under this strategic partnership, TECNO is officiated as the Smartphone partner of Kings XI Punjab. 

The team is scheduled to play its first match against Delhi Daredevils on the 8th of April 2018 on their home ground PCA Mohali.   Riding on the competitive spirit of the team, the primary aim of this association is to further amplify TECNO’s overall brand awareness and establish a strong brand recall amongst the youth of India. The association comes immediately after the launch of TECNO’s Global “Camera-centric” Camon series smartphones in India. The “Best in any light “proposition of TECNO Camon resonates well with the Indian youth looking for a great smartphone camera that can help them shoot at any time of the day, in any light condition.

Gaurav Tikoo, Sr. Vice President Marketing TRANSSION India was equally enthused by the new association and said: “Cricket in its entirety is the most celebrated sport in India and within that IPL has always proven to be the most impactful media property for consumer connect.  IPL is all about Superlative Performance, which is also the mantra for TECNO Camon smartphones. 

Hence, this is an ideal platform for us to strengthen our brand prominence and visibility. We, at TECNO, are extremely delighted to be the Official Smartphone partner for Kings XI Punjab team and we sincerely wish them to win this year.  Adhering to TECNO’s brand philosophy of ‘Experience More’, through this synergic partnership we intend to engage with sports enthusiasts of India by launching a slew of new products during IPL period.”

Speaking on the occasion, Satish Menon, CEO, Kings XI Punjab said, “We at Kings XI Punjab are thrilled to have TECNO come on board as the Official Smartphone Partner for this season if the IPL. The reach and penetration that both brands offer when combined is immense. This is the start of something big.”

TECNO is ambitious about capturing audience attention in a big way and drive value from this association using the most prevalent digital platforms and a 360-Degree marketing approach. Under the association, all Kings XI Punjab players would be seen sporting TECNO logo on their caps.

The TECNO Camon portfolio currently includes two models Camon i & Camon i Air priced at  8,999 & 7,999 respectively. The standout feature of the Camon smartphones is Full View display with its photographic prowess that allows users to capture crisp & clear pictures in any light conditions.

L&T Technology Services Bags Multi-Million Dollar Digitalization Contract from ExxonMobil Exploration Company

L&T Technology Services Limited, a leading global pure-play engineering R&D services company, today announced that it has signed an agreement with ExxonMobil Exploration Company, valued at more than $20 million in the first year.

LTTS’ geospatial and digital expertise will enable rapid conversion of historical Geoscience content into the digital domain by leveraging sophisticated automation utilities. This will provide geoscientists with improved data availability, enhancing the speed and efficiency of analysis and evaluation. LTTS will work in collaboration with group company Larsen & Toubro Infotech (LTI) on this engagement.

This deal re-affirms LTTS’ technology investment strategy for its flagship customers and ensures its position as a leading partner among top ER&D service providers by capitalizing on the rapidly changing digital shifts in the Oil and Gas industry.

“Combining our Hydrocarbon heritage, geospatial domain understanding and our digital engineering expertise, we are ideally positioned to help ExxonMobil in this initiative. Our solutions will provide geoscientists accelerated insights into their subsurface data. This in turn maximizes asset utilization, minimizes data preparation time and reduces total cost of ownership,” said Dr Keshab Panda, CEO & Managing Director, L&T Technology Services Limited.

India’s First Android Oreo (Go edition) - LAVA Z50 Smartphone Now Priced of Rs. 2400

LAVA International Limited, a leading Indian multi-national company in the mobile handset industry, today announced that Z50, India’s first Android Oreo (Go edition) Smartphone, is available in the market at an effective price of Rs 2400. The device is now available at over 100,000 retail stores in black and gold color options. In the ecommerce space, the product is available on Flipkart, Amazon and Snapdeal.

The smartphone comes bundled with an attractive cashback offer of Rs. 2000 from Airtel as part of ‘Mera Pehla Smartphone’ program, which aims to bring a smartphone within the reach of every Indian. The online MOP (market operating price) for Z50 is Rs. 4400 and with Airtel cashback offer worth Rs. 2000, the effective price comes to Rs. 2400.

Gaurav Nigam, Head – Product, Lava International said  “We are delighted to announce the availability of Z50 for our customers, making it India’s first Android Oreo (Go edition) Smartphone to be available in the market. With the cashback offer from Airtel, LAVA Z50 is effectively available for Rs. 2400, making it a great option for smartphone buyers, looking for best technology at the most competitive price.”

Lava Z50 features a 4.5 inch display with 2.5D Curved Corning Gorilla Glass for tough and scratch resistant display screen. It is powered by a Mediatek Processor (MT6737m) with 1.1 GHz Quad-core and comes with 1GB of RAM coupled with 8GB of internal space. The smartphone also features enhanced storage space of 5.5GB (vs 3GB space which is typically available in 8GB ROM devices). It also helps in increasing the RAM performance upto 50%, which allows significantly faster application opening time.

Lava Z50 comes with a 5 MP rear and front camera with flash, providing brighter and sharper images. The smartphone sports Bokeh Mode in both the front and rear cameras thus capturing the moments powerfully, by making the objects stand out from the background.

Keeping in mind the needs of the Indian mobile users, the smartphone has been designed to facilitate search in 10 major Indian languages (including Hindi) besides enabling search for images, weather and also translate from search home screen.

The smartphone comes with 2-year warranty, re-affirming company’s focus on product quality and reliability backed by robust investments in research & development and product manufacturing.

Lava Z50 comes with a special launch offer of free one-time screen replacement, in case screen breaks within 1 year from the date of purchase.