India and Hong Kong based PTron, leading mobile accessories brand expands operations to international markets. PTron joins hands with global distributors/ channel partner network to expand its reach. As a part of this strategy, PTron has announced appointment of Cellpay as its exclusive distributor for USA. It is the second largest market in the world for mid-market, semi branded mobile accessories in the world, after China.
PTron Already has Distribution Channels & Partners in Israel, Indonesia, Italy and Canada.
Global mobile accessories market is expected to reach USD 255Bn by 2023. The single largest segment globally, is the mid market segment which is estimated at USD 102Bn. PTron has established its own design, testing, procurement and sales operations in China and a sales office in Hong Kong to avail products to its international customers.
Commenting on the launch of international operations, Ameen Khwaja, Founder & CEO of PTron said, "We have an in- depth knowledge and understanding of our consumers and mobile accessories market. PTron stands for quality products and unbeatable prices. It is an honor to partner with all the six distributors. We are confident that their rich background in the industry and an exceptional distribution reach will help us strengthen our goal of increased market penetration in the FY 2018 - 2019. Cellpay is an established player in the mobile industry and have a strong reach to the retail market. We look forward to working with them to make PTron successful in the US market”.
Peter Jasani of Cellpay, distributor for the USA, said “We are pleased to partner with Palred and bring PTron brand to a larger US consumer base. There is a tremendous opportunity for these world-class mobile accessories due to their competitive prices and quality. We are aware that they are one of the largest brands in India and this partnership is a validation of our faith in PTron. We strongly believe that this is a long term partnership with commitment from both parties and will lead to a win-win scenario for both of us.”
Talking on this announcement, international sales manager of PTron, Alice Shen said “We are pleased to have found a strong partner in US, as it is one of the most strategic markets for PTron products. Success in the US market will establish our credibility to penetrate other markets more easily”.
PTron has already delivered over 5 Million items to valued customers over multiple online platforms in India. After a successful consumer base online, PTron recently entered the offline market in India and expanded its distribution channel of PTron products over 12 states in India, in a short span of 6 months. PTron brand is known for its wide range of quality products and very competitive pricing.
KeyPoint Technologies, a global leader in innovative language technology and localization services, today, announced the appointment of Roman Sofianos as Director to drive business development for the localization division. In this capacity, Roman will be responsible for driving KeyPoint’s localization business and growth strategy globally.
Roman has over two decades of experience in the translation and technology space. Prior to joining KeyPoint, he was the Strategic Accounts Director for enterprise solutions at TransPerfect. During his localization career, he has had the opportunity to lead relationships with global accounts such as Cisco, SAP and Juniper Networks.
Speaking on the appointment, Nutan Chokkareddy, CEO KeyPoint Technologies said, “We are delighted to have a veteran like Roman join the team. Roman has a proven leadership record, having successfully led international localization businesses. Given his in-depth industry experience, he is sure to play a pivotal role in expanding KeyPoint’s presence overseas.”
Quote from Roman Sofianos: “I am very happy to join the KeyPoint family of companies. The breadth of experience across the team is impressive and extensive. The expansion of the operations in North America will continue to facilitate the global growth of KPT Localization’s product and services”.
Samsung Electronics has organized the Global Startup Acceleration Program in Bangalore in partnership with the International Institute of Information Technology Bangalore (IIIT-B) to mentor startups in varied fields in order to support the sustainable growth of local entrepreneurs in the country.
Thirty one employees from Samsung’s global headquarters in Korea and five university students from Korea have been mentoring 20 shortlisted startups remotely for the last two months as part of the Samsung Employee Volunteer Program. These volunteers are using their own vacation time for this program.
From August 6, the startups and their assigned mentors came together for a five-day bootcamp at IIIT-B to better understand the hurdles faced by the startups in developing their products and services.
The startups and their mentors showcased their business models to several Venture Capital firms that were present at IIIT-B on August 9. On August 10, the startups gave individual pitch presentations to a panel comprising Dr. Aloknath De, Chief Technology Officer, Samsung R&D Institute, Bangalore, DV Jagadish, CEO, Outreach at IIIT-B and representatives of two venture funds.
Hexpressions, which offers affordable, ready to assemble homes made out of Composite Paper Honeycomb panels, was the winner of the Global Startup Acceleration Program award and was given a prize of INR 200,000. The first runners up Ziroh Labs that works in the area of privacy engineering and runtime encryption of data was given a prize of INR 150,000 while the second runners up Olly Credit, with a business model around mobile micro credit cards for millennials was given a prize of INR 100,000.
Social enterprise Geriatric Care Network, which provides preventive and wellness focused healthcare solutions for the elderly, and BrownPacket, a mobile app for hyperlocal medicines and wellness products delivery, won the Best Improvement Award for showing the most improvement through the two month mentoring process.
Geriatric Care Network also won the Best Potential Award, which was also given to Susurla VS Suresh of Startoon Labs, which offers a solution that assists physiotherapists to accurately measure recovery of mobility and muscle strength of patients undergoing physiotherapy.
The Best Social Impact Award was given to Avidia Labs that offers immersive learning experiences for schools using augmented reality and virtual reality
“At Samsung we strive to encourage young minds and nurture the spirit of innovation. With the Global Startup Acceleration Program, our experts and engineers from different domains are volunteering to support the sustainable growth of local entrepreneurs in the early stage,” said Dr. Aloknath De, Chief Technology Officer, Samsung R&D Institute, Bangalore.
Since 2010, about 1,500 employees have joined this program in 43 countries. This year, Samsung is focused on supporting local entrepreneurs and helping them build their businesses for a sustainable impact on society.
This program is being held globally in Indonesia, Malaysia, India, South Africa between July and September with 80 selected startups. Among winners in four countries, five startup will be invited to Samsung headquarters in Korea.
The 20 selected startups in India work in a wide array of areas such as security for cloud data, AI powered solutions for educators and students, information management systems for schools, AR, VR, healthcare solutions for the elderly, use of IoT for healthcare, energy efficient IoT devices and ready to assemble homes, among others.
Samsung employees who are mentoring the startups as part of the Samsung Employee Volunteer Program bring their global business experience and expertise in domains such as B2B market research, pricing strategies, strategic planning in the area of IoT, AI, cloud, data, strategic investments and planning, databases, machine leaning algorithms, Android programming, healthcare business, computer vision technology, biomedical engineering, among many others.
In India, IIIT- B invited applications from startups for the Global Startup Acceleration Program starting May. Of the applications that were received, Samsung Electronics and IIIT-B shortlisted 20 startups based on the problems that they were trying to solve, their business model, motivation levels of participants and their passion towards their venture, amongst other factors. Based on the domain of the startups, mentoring teams were allocated to address their business problems.
As part of its corporate social responsibility, Samsung R&D Institute, Bangalore (SRI-B) signed a MoU with IIIT-B under which three startups will get extended support from the local incubation center at IIIT-B for the next 24 months.
“The kind of support a startup receives in its initial phase can define its success. As a company that strongly believes in co-prosperity as one of our core values, we are proud to partner with a prestigious institution such as IIIT-B to provide best infrastructure and mentorship to early-stage startups, helping grow the local startup ecosystem,” said Dipesh Shah, Managing Director, Samsung R&D Institute, Bangalore.
Simplilearn, one of the leading digital economy training providers, in partnership with People Matters, announced the launch of a research study on “Trends & Best Practices in Onboarding”. The findings of the report provide insights into how Indian companies are approaching employee onboarding.
The survey saw the participation of 106 organizations and some of the key findings of the report include:
i . The Current State of Onboarding: Trends and Challenges
· 93 percent of companies have a formal onboarding process, and of which 61 percent have different programs for fresher and lateral hires
· Orientation programs (70 percent), an impeccable Day 1 experience (80 percent), and engagement activities during pre-boarding like technical skill-training, projects and mentoring sessions by leaders and managers, etc. (68 percent) are the most sought-after methods by companies to engage and assimilate new hires
· Getting new hires accustomed (44 percent), involvement of managers (44 percent), and learning engagement (42 percent) are among the top challenges companies face in their onboarding programs
· However, only 27 percent companies are satisfied with the outcomes of their current onboarding programs
ii. Use of Technology in Onboarding Process
· The overall adoption of technology solutions in onboarding is yet to reach critical mass in India. A whopping 76 percent of the participating companies responded that they do not have a dedicated onboarding technology solution
· The top areas where technologies are being leveraged in onboarding programs across organizations include orientation (57 percent), constant communication during pre-boarding (46 percent), first-day experiences (45 percent), goal setting and expectation management (44 percent), and training & assessments (36 percent)
· The top technical domains for upskilling new hires according to the survey are Big Data, AI & Machine Learning, Cloud Computing, Programming, Cyber Security and Data Science & Business Intelligence
iii. How Can Organizations Improve Their Onboarding Practices?
· The study revealed that it takes 3-6 months to train campus hires and make them productive for the job. Hence, it is necessary for organizations to begin their onboarding right from the time the campus hire accepts the offer, i.e. Pre-boarding.
· 44 percent of the companies said that they begin pre-boarding the new hires while they are still on campus.
· 58 percent of the participating companies confirmed having a planned engagement during pre-boarding. However, the pre-engagement activities primarily included communication and new hire documentation. It was also unusual to find that while Indian companies have expressed their discontent with skilled talent available to perform jobs on new technologies, only few of them (32 percent) are implementing skilling and training initiatives for new hires while they are still on campus.
Speaking on the findings of the report, Krishna Kumar, Founder & CEO at Simplilearn said, “Onboarding is the golden period for companies and new hires to get aligned. In this age of digital transformation where upskilling is a critical focus, it was surprising to observe that only 24 percent of the companies leverage technology in onboarding. Companies are in an endeavor to save time and costs to get their new hires up to speed with core technical skills required for the job. I believe there is a huge potential for companies to leverage technology to engage and offer training during onboarding which leads to employee productivity and clear business ROI.”
“Onboarding is often overlooked as a formality rather than a key strategy to ensure well-performing new employees become productive and culturally aligned in an organization”, said Ester Martinez, CEO & Editor-in-Chief at People Matters. “Onboarding offers a great opportunity to augment competitive advantage by creating a committed talent pool that gives the desired performance. It remains an untapped area of creating an impact to the bottom line.”
Juniper Networks, an industry leader in automated, scalable and secure networks, today announced that Ricoh Group has successfully implemented Juniper Networks’ high-performing solutions to modernize and simplify the operations of its core networking and security infrastructure that supports approximately 500 locations and 34,000 users in Japan.
Ricoh Group has several partner companies and branches utilizing the same network. Coupled with the increase in cloud deployments, this led to more operational complexities and a lack of scalability over time. As such, a high-performance network was required to support the rising demand for increased bandwidth and to alleviate Ricoh’s existing network issues while simplifying operations across three particular areas:
Internet connectivity: Due to the increase in network usage, speed slowed significantly and cloud applications could not function at their optimal level. The network had to be managed and operated separately across various locations, leading to increased operational expenses.
Wide Area Network (WAN): As Ricoh’s WAN services were managed externally through multiple service providers, its customers’ requests were not processed quickly enough, leading to delays in response rates. Due to this, streamlining and maintaining consistency of network functions across the entire organization remained a challenge.
Local Area Network (LAN): With the growing demand for access to data centers and the internet, there was a drop in overall speed and connection. To mitigate, Ricoh’s service providers had to troubleshoot issues individually, resulting in management inefficiencies and added costs in coordinating multiple investigations across different locations.
To resolve these challenges, Ricoh set out to reconfigure its entire network infrastructure based on a carefully developed framework that involved the simplicity of network configuration across multiple locations, automation capabilities to reduce operational complexities and operability that aligned with industry standards. After a stringent selection process, Ricoh selected Juniper Networks to undertake the modernization of its network infrastructure.
Juniper’s MX480 5G Universal Routing Platform, SRX5800 Services Gateway, EX9214 Ethernet Switch and the data center fabric switch QFX5100 were deployed to address the various network issues while significantly improving operability, stability and security across the Ricoh Group’s network.
At the core, the MX480 provides the agile infrastructure, pervasive security components and adaptive disaggregated software that offers the strong programmability required by the solution. Investment protection is also secured with the newly-released Juniper Penta silicon-powered MPC-10E line cards, which provides high-interface density at 1/10/100GbE, enabling 1.5 Tbps throughput per slot and inline data-plane security, eliminating complexity without any performance penalties.
Alongside the implementation of the SRX5800 firewall, Ricoh was able to streamline its network connectivity and secure its network infrastructure through advanced threat detection and prevention. The organization also deployed Junos OS to further automate and simplify its network operations.
To optimize LAN connectivity in approximately 500 locations, Ricoh centralized the group’s network operations across its large-scale branches by utilizing the QFX and EX series switches leveraging Virtual Chassis technology, cutting its infrastructure footprint by 50 percent and energy consumption by 33 percent.
Additionally, with Junos OS being a common operating system, Ricoh was able to reduce its operational workloads through the unified configuration of network devices.
In the next phase of deployment, Ricoh aims to further implement the SRX series to unify, enhance and automate its security strategy through Juniper’s Software-Defined Secure Network (SDSN) framework.
“New threats continue to emerge as technology advances. With Juniper Networks, we receive guidance and detailed advice on how best to mitigate and prevent these threats, while ensuring that our network operates seamlessly. Juniper has also been very flexible in handling issues around our network modernization. We are pleased to have Juniper Networks’ continuous support, along with their high-quality technology and solutions,” says Tomotake Wakuri, Digital Transformation Division, Ricoh Company, Ltd.
“Juniper Networks is pleased to play such a crucial role in significantly transforming Ricoh Group’s large-scale network into a simplified, secure and automated infrastructure. We look forward to a continued strong partnership as we create innovative solutions that can solve Ricoh’s networking complexities so that they can focus on driving business growth,” Tomohiro Furuya, Japan Country Manager, Juniper Networks.
Hinduja Global Solutions (HGS) (listed in BSE & NSE) has announced its unaudited First Quarter results for FY2019.
Speaking on the results, Partha DeSarkar, CEO of HGS said: “HGS continued its business momentum in the first quarter of FY2019. For the second quarter in a row, overall revenues crossed the Rs. 10,000 million mark to register Rs. 11,008 million, an increase of 18.7 % YoY. Of this, 5% was organic, 4.7% from forex gains and the rest 9% came from the acquisitions of AxisPoint Health and Element Solutions.
During the quarter, we signed nine new logos, expanded our relationships with eight existing clients and won five DigiCX deals, reflecting how our offerings are resonating with the evolving needs of clients. Looking at the sales pipeline, we see big opportunities for our technology-led services including DigiCX, analytics, cloud services, RPA and machine learning, and continue to invest in strengthening our capabilities. The healthcare vertical posted strong growth and accounted for over 50% of the revenues for the third quarter in a row. The two recent acquisitions helped increase share of healthcare vertical revenues from 51% to 54%.
From a margin perspective, the performance of legacy business was as per our expectations. EBITDA margins stood at 9.5%, excluding the acquired businesses. While most of our businesses showed good growth, the India CRM business continues to see twin pressures of drop in volumes from telecom clients and increase in minimum wages.
Element Solutions has done well and we expect this business to play a key role in driving our digital offerings in the social media and cloud segments. AxisPoint Health’s performance was below expectations, with costs higher than anticipated. We have initiated the necessary cost management measures and these are expected to be in place in Q3.”
The innovative digital label printing solution provides superior productivity, colour stability, and profitability, along with easy operability and cost-efficient operations
Konica Minolta Business Solutions, a leading global provider of advanced imaging and networking technologies, has recently installed AccurioLabel 190, its state-of-the-art digital label printing solution, at Hora Art in India. The Hora Art installation marks the first roll-to-roll label printing installation made by Konica Minolta India and further strengthens the company’s domain leadership position in the country.
Pradeep Hora, Managing Director and Sanjay Hora, Director of the company, Hora Arts, said, “We wanted a digital label printing solution which could seamlessly cater to our various small-lot printing requirements. The AccurioLabel from Konica Minolta is perfectly suited to our business needs and allows us to deliver superior quality prints at fast speed, with better overall productivity and profitability.”
Speaking at the latest equipment installation, Ashok Sethi, EGM PP & IP Sales, Konica Minolta Business Solutions India Pvt ltd, said, “The growing demand for differentiated labels and packaging options has made it necessary for print and printing businesses to look beyond the conventional and towards more advanced, future-ready solutions. The installation of AccurioLabel 190, our first roll-to-roll label printing installation in India, follows close on heels of its India launch and is proof that the print and printing market is ripe for disruption through technological innovation.”
A compact, high-performance digital label printer, the AccurioLabel 190 from Konica Minolta operates at the optimal intersection of performance, quality, and cost. It uses dry toner electrophotography to deliver outstanding high-quality images. The AccurioLabel 190 ensures extremely accurate image processing and formation for industrial printing requirements; the print quality is as high as the most high-end digital label printers and is comparable to offset printing.
The AccurioLabel 190 also boasts of the highest speed and most stable printing performance in its class with per-minute speeds of 18.9m, 13.5m, and 9.45m, depending on the paper type. It can handle a wide range of media such as ordinary/matte paper, glossy paper, tack paper, synthetic paper, and film with paper thickness of 60-250 micron and maximum input width of 330 mm. All of this makes the AccurioLabel 190 perfect for new-age label printing operations such as small-lot printing, VDP, and barcode printing.
The AccurioLabel 190 is equipped with advanced colour adjustment software, allowing it to deliver consistent, stable, and superior quality output from sample production to actual production. This enables the AccurioLabel 190 to ensure higher productivity and better profitability, even for small-lot printing.
“Through our range of offerings, Konica Minolta aims to deliver best-in-class productivity, profitability, ease-of-usage, and cost efficiency to its customers, while enabling them to cater to the ever-evolving print requirements of the digital age.
The installation was followed by a grand inauguration event at the venue on August 9, 2018. At the event, Vijay Kamat, Product Manager IP and Shayak Mukherjee, Business Consultant R2R interacted with the media to discuss the differentiation that the innovative solution delivered for print and printing businesses.
Spread across 13 acres, Ikea first store at ech hub HITEC City under Cyberabad. Nestled between tall office buildings and under-construction sites, the 400,000-square-foot outlet is the culmination of years of research and an investment of Rs1,000 crore ($146 million).
IKEA expects this store to attract 7 million visitors annually. Towards this, the company has localised and tweaked its offerings.
For instance, the in-house 1,000-seater restaurant (its biggest yet) will sell samosas starting at Rs10, besides its signature cinnamon buns, coffee, and meatballs. Such pricing is attractive in price-sensitive India.
It will offer 7,500 affordable, good quality, value-for-money home furnishing products, all under one roof.
The store will remain open 365 days from between 10.00 am and 11.00 pm.
The logo of IKEA is seen outside its under construction store in Hyderabad on July 18, 2018
Local and affordable
Understanding Indian shoppers’ price sensitivity, the store offers around 1,000 products priced under Rs200. For instance, among the 7,500 items on offer are chopping boards for Rs100, mugs at Rs59, door-mats priced at Rs99 and monotone sofa throws that cost Rs180.
There are armchairs for Rs4,990 (onwards) and tables such as the India-made Lack table starting at Rs599.
At the restaurant, too, the dishes are modestly priced. For example, a portion of Hyderabad’s famed biryani (a steamed rice, meat, and, spice preparation) costs just Rs99, while IKEA’s signature chicken balls are available for Rs149.
Besides ensuring affordability, IKEA has also tweaked the product categories that it will push more in India.
While textiles is a major focus area for it globally, in India, it is betting on kitchenware and dining products. The company estimates that kitchenware can generate upwards of 10% of its turnover in the country.
So a large section at the two-storied store is dedicated to all things kitchen: pots and pans, spice boxes, idli-makers, cutlery, bowls, plates, containers, and tiffin boxes.
“We anticipate this is the very area where we can see huge volumes going forward,” John Achillea, the Hyderabad store manager, told media.see huge potential in this (kitchenware), even more than textile because India is already a big textile market. While we will have some work to do in textiles, the reality will be that cooking and eating products will be required right from the beginning.”
Even in this, there have been some adjustments made for India based on research—IKEA visited over 1,000 homes to understand how Indian families live. So, for instance, the cutlery sets will only include spoons and forks since Indians hardly use knives to eat.
And it doesn’t stop there.
IKEA OFFERS
The IKEA store in Hyderabad will exhibit two full homes that reflect 'Life at Home in Hyderabad', besides different room sets based on different parts of the home like bedroom, kitchen, children's room and living room.
It will also have a market hall where you will find home kitchen utensils and accessories, textiles, rugs, lighting, decoration, stationary and even live plants.
The store will house a 1,000-seater restaurant, IKEA's largest and possibly India's largest restaurant, a cafe which will offer coffee, bakes, frozen yogurt and many more for purchase.
It also offers a kids' play area named Smaland where customers can leave their children as they shop for things.
IKEA RESTAURANT
The IKEA restaurant will offer 50 per cent Swedish specialties like salmon and chicken and vegetarian meatballs and 50 per cent local delicacies like Hyderabadi biryani and samosas, apart from other Indian delicacies, at affordable prices.
IKEA AND FDI
IKEA got Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) approval in 2013 which allowed 100 per cent FDI for single brand retailers in India.
With that, IKEA became the first major single retailer to get the FDI approval and plans to open several stores and multiple touch points across the main cities in India.
IKEA IN INDIA AND FUTURE PLANS
While the first IKEA India store open in Hyderabad, the global retailers has a plan to open another store in Navi Mumbai in 2019.
IKEA has also acquired land sites in the states of Karnataka and Delhi/NCR and continues to look for more in other major cities.
IKEA has been sourcing from India for its global stores for more than 30 years.
Its plan to open retail stores in 40+ cities across the country reinforces its long-term commitment and deep connection with India.
Speaking to India Today, Peter Betzel, CEO, IKEA India said that the company thanked the Telangana government for its tremendous support. He added that he hoped that the people of the fast growing city will enjoy the shopping experience.
The IKEA store employs 950 co-workers with 50 per cent women employee in Hyderabad directly and 1,500 indirectly in services and expects to host close to 7 million visitors each year.
There are currently 403 IKEA stores in 49 countries with a sales volume of 38.3 billion euros. As many as 936 million customers visited IKEA stores in FY17 and more than 2.3 billion people visited IKEA online.
Global technology platform and digital payments leader, PayPal, and HDFC Bank, the largest credit card issuer in India, today announced a strategic partnership that will result in a safer, faster and more convenient payment experience for HDFC card holders and help drive incremental digital spend. HDFC cards will be presented as a payment option during enrollment and subsequent payments, with the ability for consumers to easily open PayPal accounts and set it as their preferred payment method.
HDFC Bank has more than 35 million credit and debit cards issued in India, while PayPal is available in more than 200 markets globally with a network of 19 million merchants. This partnership will create a number of joint growth opportunities that will advance PayPal and HDFC Bank’s shared vision of offering consumers greater choice and flexibility in managing their money.
This agreement will take effect immediately, with new experiences available to customers that are designed to drive incremental digital spend.
Speaking about the partnership, Anupam Pahuja, Managing Director, PayPal India, said, “Offering choice to our customers has been at the core of our strategy, and the partnership with HDFC Bank is another step in this direction. Through this partnership, we’re enabling HDFC Bank to provide its customers with the ability to shop how, where and when they choose, by leveraging the power, safety and convenience of PayPal.”
Parag Rao, Country Head of Card Payment Products, Merchant Acquiring Services and Marketing at HDFC Bank Ltd., said, “We are delighted to partner with PayPal. This agreement is about offering choice and partnering with companies in the payments ecosystem that we feel can help us create meaningful products that benefit both consumers and merchants. This partnership allows us to reach millions of existing and potential new PayPal customers across India.”
Bentley Systems, Incorporated, a leading global provider of comprehensive software solutions for advancing infrastructure, today announced the finalists in the Year in Infrastructure 2018 Awards program. The annual awards program honors the extraordinary work of Bentley users advancing infrastructure design, construction, and operations throughout the world. Twelve independent jury panels of distinguished industry experts selected the 57 finalists from 420 nominations submitted by more than 340 user organizations around the world.
The finalists for Year in Infrastructure 2018 awards for going digital advancements in infrastructure are:
Bridges
GS E&C Corporation – Jungkun~Jinjeong Bypass Road (Sueo-chon Bridge) –
Gwangyang, Jeolla-Namdo, South Korea
Indian Railways – Reality modeling facilitates efficient planning, construction and monitoring of Chenab Bridge – Reasi District, Jammu & Kashmir, India
PT. WIJAYA KARYA (Persero) Tbk – Design and Build of Road Bridge at Teluk Lamong Port Project – Gresik-Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia
Buildings and Campuses
Anil Verma Associates, Inc. – Regional Connector Transit Corridor (RCTC) – Los Angeles, California, United States
Shalom Baranes Associates – Cannon House Office Building Renewal – Washington, District of Columbia, United States
Voyants Solutions Private Limited – Station Development plan for Gwalior Railway Station – Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, India
Communications Networks
iForte Solusi Infotek – iForte Fiber Management System – Jakarta, Indonesia
PT. Linknet – Linknet Operation Center – Jakarta, Indonesia
SiteSee – Advancing Telecommunications – Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Construction
AAEngineering Group, LLP – Phase II of Pustynnoe Gold Plant: modernization and capacity increase – Balkhash, Karaganda region, Kazakhstan
Lendlease Engineering – New bridge over the Richmond River at Broadwater – Ballina, New South Wales, Australia
Tianjin Tianhe-Cloud Building Engineering Technology Co., Ltd. and China State Construction Bridge Co., Ltd. – Main Channel Road Project of Ningbo-Zhoushan Port (Zhoudai Bridge) – Zhoushan, Zhejiang, China
Digital Cities
Avineon India Pvt. Ltd. – Digital 3D Building Model of Rotterdam – Rotterdam, Netherlands
CCCC Water Transportation Consultants Co., Ltd. – BIM Technology Application in the Municipal Infrastructure Phase I Project of Zhong-Guan-Cun Science and Technology Town – Baodi District, Tianjin City, China
Yunnan Yunling Engineering Cost Consultation Co., Ltd. – New Municipal Road Construction PPP Project of the Municipal Public Facility Construction Project of Guandu Culture New City – Kunming, Yunnan, China
Environmental Engineering
China Water Resources Pearl River Planning Surveying & Designing Co., Ltd. – Jiangxi Xinjiang Bazizui Navigation-Power Junction Project – Shangrao, Jiangxi, China
PT. WIJAYA KARYA (Persero) Tbk – Landslide Disaster Protection Project on the National Road Network – Cianjur, West Java, Indonesia
Setec-Terrasol – Extension L11 – Adaptation of the Mairie des Lilas Station – Paris, France
Manufacturing
Brownfield Engineering Sdn. Bhd. – Propose 48MW Large Scale Solar (LSS) Project – Kudat, Sabah, Malaysia
Digital Engineering (BIM) Center of Shenyang Aluminum & Magnesium Engineering & Research Institute Co., Ltd. – Alumina Refinery Project Cooperated between CHALCO and Indonesia – Bukit Batu, West Kalimantan, Indonesia
Toshiba Transmission and Distribution Systems Asia Sdn. Bhd. – Integration of SCADA System with Electrical Panels for Brunei National Control Center – Brunei Darussalam
Mining and Offshore Engineering
CADDS Group Pty Ltd – Rio Tinto Iron Ore Sentry Guarding Project – Dampier, Western Australia, Australia
Northern Engineering & Technology Incorporation, MCC – SINO Iron Ore Mine – Perth, Western Australia, Australia
POWERCHINA Huadong Engineering Corporation Limited – Jiangsu Offshore Wind Farm – Jiangsu Province, China
Power Generation
JSC ATOMPROEKT – Hanhikivi 1 Nuclear Power Plant – Northern Ostrobothnia Region, Finland
Northwest Electric Power Design Institute Co., Ltd. of China Power Engineering Consulting Group – Huaneng Ningxia Dam Power Plant Stage Ⅳ project – Qingtongxia, Ningxia Hui autonomous region, China
Sacyr Somague – Hydroelectric use of the Foz Tua Dam – Foz Tua, Alijó- Vila Real, Portugal
Project Delivery
AECOM – Gaining New Perspective through ProjectWise Insights – United Kingdom
Arup – Arup Australasia Project Systems Team – Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Dragados SA & Transport for London – Bank Station Capacity Upgrade – London, United Kingdom
Rail and Transit
China Railway Engineering Consulting Group Co., Ltd. – BIM Project for the Beijing-Zhangjiakou High-speed Railway – Beijing, China
Italferr S.p.A. – Naples-Bari Route, Apice-Orsara Double Railway Line, Hirpinia-Orsara Operational Lot – Provinces of Avellino and Foggia, Italy
Skanska Costain Strabag Joint Venture (SCS) – Hs2 Main Works Lots S1 and S2 – London, United Kingdom
Reality Modeling
Hong Kong Science & Technology Parks Corporation & Chain Technology Development Co. Limited – Smart Campus of the Hong Kong Science Park – Hong Kong, China
Skand Pty Ltd – Building Envelope Inspection Powered by Machine Learning and Reality Modeling for RMIT University Brunswick Campus – Victoria, Australia
Transport for London - Major Projects Directorate – Deep Tube Upgrade Programme - Piccadilly Line Upgrade – London, United Kingdom
Road and Rail Asset Performance
CSX Transportation – Annual Patch Rail Capital Planning – Jacksonville, Florida, United States
Illinois Department of Transportation – Oversize-Overweight Truck Permitting System – Springfield, Illinois, United States
Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. – Nagpur Metro Asset Information Management System – Nagpur, Maharashtra, India
Roads and Highways
Alabama Department of Transportation – Birmingham, AL I-59/I-20 Corridor Project – Birmingham, Alabama, United States
Henan Provincial Communications Planning & Design Institute Co., Ltd. – BIM-based Further Design and Digital Construction of the Yaoshan-Luanchuan Section Project in the Zhengzhou-Xixia Expressway – Luoyang, Henan, China
Lebuhraya Borneo Utara – Pan Borneo Highway Sarawak – Sarawak, Malaysia
Structural Engineering
Arab Engineering Bureau – Burj Alfardan – Lusail, Qatar
Shilp Consulting Engineers – Alambagh Bus Terminal – Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India
VYOM Consultants – K10 Grand Commercial High Rise – Vadodara, Gujarat, India
Utilities and Industrial Asset Performance
Oman Gas Company S.A.O.C – Asset Performance Solution for Reliability Management – Al-Khuwair, Muscat, Oman
Vedanta Limited - Cairn Oil and Gas – Well Integrity and Flow Assurance Management – States of Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, and Gujarat, India
Volgogradnefteproekt LLC – Object Modeling and Life Cycle Management: Project Implementation and Commissioning – Volgograd region, Russia
Utilities Transmission and Distribution
Northeast Electric Power Design Institute Co., Ltd. of China Power Engineering Consulting Group – New project of a 750 kV substation in the Bortala Mongol Autonomous Prefecture – Bortala Mongol, Xinjiang Uyghur, China
Pestech International Berhad – Substation Design & Automation for Olak Lempit Substation Project – Banting, Selangor, Malaysia
POWERCHINA Hubei Electric Engineering Corporation Limited – Cha'anling-Xiaojiazhou 220 kV Electric Transmission Line Project – Xianning, Hubei, China
Water and Wastewater Treatment Plants
MCC Capital Engineering & Research Incorporation Limited – 400,000 ton/day Water Supply Project of Wenjiang District, Chengdu City – Chengdu, Sichuan, China
Shanghai Civil Engineering Co., Ltd of CREC – Civil engineering of the Beihu sewage treatment plant and auxiliary project – Wuhan, Hubei, China
Suez Water Technologies & Solutions – Ultra Pure Water Project 1 GW Manufacturing Solar Silicon PV Cells & Modules – Kutch, Gujarat, India
Water, Wastewater, and Stormwater Networks
Beijing Institute of Water – Beijing South-to-North Water Diversion Auxiliary Project: Hexi Branch Project – Beijing, China
DTK Hydronet Solutions – Conceptioneering and Master Planning of Bankura Multi Village Bulk Water Supply Scheme – Bankura, West Bengal, India
NJS Engineers India P Limited – JICA Assisted Agra Water Supply Project – Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India
The finalists will present their innovative projects to their peers, the jurors, industry thought leaders, and more than 130 members of the media as part of related infrastructure forums at Bentley’s Year in Infrastructure 2018 Conference, to be held later this year, October 15 through 18, in London at the Hilton London Metropole.
Chris Barron, Bentley Systems’ chief communications officer, said, “The Year in Infrastructure Conference is an ideal opportunity for infrastructure leaders from around the world to network with their peers, and learn about technologies and best practices to accelerate their organizations’ digital advancement. As part of the conference, we are pleased to congratulate and acknowledge the awards program finalists for their excellent work, and to provide conference attendees with the chance to meet the finalists and watch their project presentations, which represent this year’s most outstanding going digital advancements in infrastructure.”
SAP SE has announced the graduation of 16 startups from the second cohort of its accelerator program, SAP Startup Studio. The announcement was made at SAP Startup Social event. Six of these startups are developing co-innovation products with SAP, while a few others are building on the SAP Leonardo platform which combines emerging technologies like artificial intelligence, machine learning, advanced analytics and blockchain to solve specific business problems.
SAP Startup Studio, is a two-year old startup accelerator program which provides a one-year end-to-end engagement platform for startups to accelerate their growth journey. Graduating startups will continue to work with SAP as an alumni member and receive support from the program to scale further. This year, the cohort also saw an increased interest from the venture capital community. Skillate, an early stage startup which entered the program with just three founders, went on to raise funds and grow their team to 14 members over the year. Another successful startup is Entropik Tech which closed a Pre-series A round of $1.1 Million to scale its AI-based platform and launch more IP-based products and expand its footprint.
Speaking at the SAP Startup Social event today Dilipkumar Khandelwal, President – SAP HANA Enterprise Cloud, SAP SE & Managing Director, SAP Labs India said, “The Startup Studio perfectly fits into our philosophy of fostering entrepreneurship and promoting innovation for growth and development. We are tirelessly working to nurture and build a strong startup ecosystem in India by providing best in class infrastructure, expert mentorship and networking opportunities startups need to become successful. As part of that effort, the Startup Social is meant to give these startups direct access to meaningfully engage with the leading ecosystem think tanks and the investor community in India.”
Monis Khan, Co-Founder & CEO, Datoin said, “SAP Startup Studio gave us an excellent platform during our growth stage. We have gained significantly by being a part of the SAP’s startup accelerator program.”
Ranjankumar, Founder & CEO, Entropik Tech said, “Partnering with SAP provided us a platform to accelerate our growth. In the one year of incubation we had access to SAP’s technology mentors, sharpened our go to market strategy and benefited through the multiple connects and learnings from the startup ecosystem that SAP Startup Studio facilitated.”
SAP Startup Social saw a line-up of eminent speakers like Binny Bansal, Co-founder & CEO, Flipkart, Jitendra Gupta, MD PayU India, Peter Vesterbacka, who built Angry Birds franchise amongst others. The dignitaries addressed how startups are scaling up through effective synergies with the enterprises and working on design led innovations for the world. Additionally, global innovation specialist ‘Get in the Ring’ invited startups to their Enterprise Challenge to pitch their idea to a host of specialized judges and business leaders giving entrepreneurs the opportunity to practice their pitch, gain valuable feedback from mentors and connect with peers.
The event this year saw over 600 ecosystem participants, 50 investors and 32 CIOs in attendance. Launched in 2016, SAP Startup Social, the largest corporate startup accelerator driven summit in India is an annual commune for the various collaborators within the startup ecosystem in India.
Getac A140 tablets increase productivity and flexibility throughout the food production process at flagship German facility
Getac has announced that Nestlé Wagner GmbH, has selected the Getac A140 fully rugged tablet to digitise workflows and optimise productivity at its headquarters in Nonnweiler, Germany.
Nestlé Wagner GmbH produces around 350 million frozen food products annually, making it one of the largest manufacturers of frozen pizzas in Europe. Using the Getac A140, the company has achieved wide-ranging digitisation of its production processes, significantly increasing efficiency and allowing greater flexibility in day-to-day operations.
Nestle Wagner GmbH chose the fully rugged Getac A140 due to the quality assurance benefits it provides and the ability to roll it out extremely quickly to employees at the site, where it will complement existing laptops and special industrial computers already in use.
“The Getac A140 is extremely robust and reliable due to its outstanding build quality,” says Christian Joseph, Team Leader Operational Excellence at Nestle Wagner GmbH. “Its rugged design and impressive performance makes it ideally suited to everyday use on the production floor.”
High Level Safety and Usability in a Wide Range of Temperature Zones
In the food manufacturing process, it’s critical that no contaminants enter the food at any point. With the deployment of the fully rugged Getac A140, Nestlé has the confidence that if a tablet is accidentally dropped, it won’t break apart, ensuring production quality is maintained.
The use of the tablets has also proved to be extremely user-friendly. Not only are the devices easy to handle, the 14’’ screen offers enough space to clearly display key software applications. For example, all standard SAP information can be displayed on-screen and transactions can be carried out quickly using the A140’s stylus. Furthermore, the A140’s high degree of tolerance to temperature fluctuations means it can be used in a wide variety of different temperature zones.
“The A140 is our largest and most powerful tablet,” says Rowina Lee, Vice President of Global Sales & Business Development Centre, Getac Technology Corporation. “It stands out thanks to its excellent performance, its industry-leading level of safety and its extraordinarily rugged characteristics. With its reliability and comprehensive functionality, the tablet is perfectly suited to the production conditions at Nestlé Wagner GmbH.”
Industry 4.0: Digital Workflows Optimise Production Efficiency
With the Getac A140, the company has a fully rugged mobile device at its disposal for simply and rapidly accessing information, as well as gathering data directly on-site.
“Until today, we worked with a predominantly paper-based system, so that, for example, each change to the documentation of the numerous standards which food production requires had to be printed out and specially filed in a folder,” Christian Joseph explains. “With the new digital workflows, employees on the production line can easily access and make changes to the documents directly on the tablet if required”. The company can also use the A140’s integrated cameras to simplify and improve its production process. By making it possible for employees to take photographs or record videos directly on site, any potential difficulties occurring on the production line can be documented and distributed in real-time, ensuring they are resolved as quickly as possible.
“With these Getac devices, we are taking advantage of the opportunities offered by Industry 4.0, utilising mobile data capture to benefit from an increased level of production performance,” Christian Joseph confirms. “Getac is also helping us to simplify, accelerate and digitise our processes right here on site, where events occur. This way we can ensure continuous compliance to the latest quality standards. New opportunities have opened up for our employees to extend their level of competence and media usage, which is a key factor for us in developing the digital factory of the future.”
The device is safeguarded by Getac with the industry-leading bumper-to-bumper warranty, which even covers accidental damage.
Eyewear brand John Jacobs, known for its premium yet affordable eyewear range is now available on Amazon Fashion.
The range is available through a dedicated John Jacobs Brand Store on Amazon Fashion giving customers a quick and easy access to the selection. With close to 50 styles, the brand has launched the trendiest eyewear designed to befit the urban shopper at affordable prices starting from INR 3500.
Commenting on the launch, Manan Duggal, Business Head, John Jacobs said, “We have been scaling up rapidly with a 2X YoY growth in the last one year and our presence on Amazon Fashion is a huge step forward in our brand journey. The John Jacobs store on Amazon Fashion will feature sunglasses in styles that have gained limelight globally. We intend to take our unique styles to a wide base and Amazon is just the right platform for this endeavour’’
Commenting on the launch, Arun Sirdeshmukh, Business Head, Amazon Fashion said, “The accessories selection is growing at a rapid pace. We are continuously striving to expand our premium eyewear portfolio offering a wide selection from renowned brands. The launch of John Jacobs on Amazon Fashion is yet another step towards bringing the best of styles to our customers at affordable prices with fast and efficient delivery. We are delighted to bring a youthful urban brand that will appeal to our customers across the country.”
The 2019 Rugby World Cup Trophy, the Webb Ellis Cup has reached India, after a six month world tour. Having visited several countries across Europe and Asia, the Trophy has now made its way to Mumbai, via New Delhi and Agra and will head to Bhubaneshwar before heading to Japan. Land Rover has been a proud partner of Rugby World Cup since 2011 and is once again a part of the world’s leading rugby tournament for the 2019 edition as well.
Rohit Suri, President & Managing Director, Jaguar Land Rover India Ltd. (JLRIL), said, “We are extremely delighted to have the Rugby World Cup Trophy touring India. Land Rover’s association with Rugby is bound by strong shared values and a rich heritage with the sport for nearly two decades.”
Land Rover will be offering customers and fans from around the world the chance to get involved with Rugby World Cup 2019 – the world’s third largest sporting event.
India is the eighth leg of the Rugby World Cup Trophy Tour, and will be visiting 18 countries, having begun in Uruguay in February and finally culminating in Japan in September 2019. The 2019 Rugby World Cup will be played from September 20 to November 2, 2019 with participation from 20 countries in 48 matches across 12 stadia in Japan.
Land Rover Product Portfolio in India
The Land Rover range in India includes the Discovery Sport (starting at ₹ 44.68 Lakh), Range Rover Evoque (starting at ₹ 52.06 Lakh), All-New Discovery (starting at ₹ 74.95 Lakh), the New Range Rover Velar (starting at ₹ 83.34 Lakh), Range Rover Sport (starting at ₹ 99.48 Lakh) and Range Rover (starting at ₹ 174.30 Lakh). All prices mentioned are ex-showroom prices in India.
It is a proud moment for Karnataka as two women from our state are now crowned with the prestigious Mrs India-2018 title. Ujala Sabharwal has won the coveted Mrs India (under 40) while Kajol Bhatia has bagged the prestigious Classic Mrs India (40-60 age group) titles. This is the first time that both the women from Karnataka have won these prestigious titles. Now, Ujala and Kajol will represent India in the Mrs Asia-International and Mrs Planet competitions that are scheduled to be held later this year. In fact, Karnataka women bagged honors all the way as 10 out of the 11 contestants who represented Karnataka were honored with various titles and crowns.
The Mrs India Karnataka 2018 grand finale was held at Feathers Radha hotel, Chennai from July 26-31. More than 72 contestants from across India participated in the finals under various age categories. The finale was a fun-filled 5-day grand event. It included various competitions and events like 7-themed photo shoots, special workshops on self-make up in three different styles, Odissi dance, Silambam (a 3,000-year old martial art using sticks), a bit of acting, how to face a camera and personal interview round. The final day was an extravaganza where contestants represented 72 different cultures and traditions of India and showcased their costumes. 30 women were selected for the question and answer round.
Addressing a press conference here on Thursday, Mrs India 2018-Smt Ujala Sabharwal said, "I dedicate this title to the women of Karnataka. Today, we have once again proved to the whole country as to how Karnataka has lot of talented people. I thank Mrs Pratibha Saunshimath for being my backbone all the way." Describing the challenges in preparing for the beauty pageant, Ujala says, "As I am from IT background, I had been wearing business suits all the time. However, during the pageant, carrying gowns and walking on the ramp with high heels was a Herculean task. However, today, I can proudly say that I am equally comfortable walking in the high heels and gown as well as wearing my business attire."
Classic Mrs India 2018 Smt Kajol Bhatia said, "Winning of both the titles would definitely encourage more and more married women to come forward and take up this challenge. With Mrs Pratibha Saunshimath at the helm of affairs, I am sure many more women will be encouraged for future competitions." Kajol had to overcome a lot of challenges and the first was to shed 6 kgs of her weight in a flat one month. She worked out on a diet which was best suited for her and easily succeeded and then worked on the skin and hair care. "It was quite a task in grooming myself for the photo shoots and the ramp walk and preparing for the question round in the finals", she added.
Speaking on the occasion, Mrs Karnataka director-Pratibha Saunshimath (former Mrs India-Asia International) said, "I am very happy to see Karnataka women shine and succeed better than other across the country. Today, we have once again proved that there is a huge potential in Karnataka. Till now, many married women didn't have any platform. Luckily, we have Mrs India forum which is helping the women to conquer the world. It is indeed a proud moment for Karnataka queens to have proved their talent once again."
Mrs India beauty pageant is conducted by Mrs India Pageant Productions Pvt Limited headed by Mrs Deepali Phadnis.
PROFILE OF UJALA SABHARWAL
Ujala Sabharwal is a techie with a four-year old son and a loving husband. “I have twin mottos in life; aim high yet stay grounded. I love and look forward to spending whatever time I can get with my son every day. Listening to music is a therapeutic and enjoyable hobby. I never even imagined that I would be a part of such an event let alone win a crown. I give all the credit to my family, friends and colleagues who have provided me nothing but encouragement and empowerment in all the endeavors,” Ujala says.
PROFILE OF KAJOL BHATIA
Kajol is married for 23 years to Sunil Bhatia and has two children. She holds a degree in fashion designing and Event Management and design her own outfits. She's now a trained grooming consultant, Right from her childhood days, she has participated n won many talent shows; Pink Carnation Queen, Mrs Bangalore Club 1st runner up, Bowring Club Queen 1st runner up, Glamorama Queen of Area 6 LC India and Mrs. Personality at the National Competition by Ladies Circle India She's been an active and integral part of the social service organisation Ladies Circle India for the last 17 years. On the personal front she helps 2 orphanages - Sneha Jyoti nivas and Sevalaya Ashraya Ashram. She helps a school for the needy called True Happiness; and also supports a lady Ms. Susan who has been a victim of acid burns. Kajol is now looking at launching her designer label soon.
SPARSH Foundation, a charitable wing of SPARSH Hospital, today announced the Guru-Namana Program for retired teachers suffering from crippling arthritis on the occasion of Teachers Day celebrated on September 5. Under the program, Joint Replacement Surgeries will be performed completely free of cost by a highly-skilled team of doctors. All the infrastructure and logistics including operation theatres, wards, etc. will be offered free of cost by SPARSH Hospital.
The operating surgeons, theatre staff, nursing staff, paramedical staff, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, dietician, etc. will work under the umbrella of SPARSH Hospital. They will be offering their services for free, including post-operative care for as long as required. The free screening will begin from 11th August and will continue till 11th September. Retired teachers from any part of Karnataka need to make a pre-registration, carry valid identity proofs and previous medical records to avail the free screening.
Following is the screening schedule in 7 locations across Karnataka:
Raichur August 11, 2018, SPARSH Information center, Uma Hotel complex, 8AM-2PM
Chikmagalur August 11, 2018, Joldal Nursing Home, 10AM-2PM
Bijapur August 18, 2018, Yashodhara Superspecility Hospital, Solapur Bypass Bijapur, 8AM-2PM
Davangere August 23, 2018, Modi Compound, Near Gundi Circle, Davangere, 9AM-2PM
Gulbarga August 22, 2018, HCG cancer centre, Khuba plots, Gulbarga, 9.30AM-2.30PM
Bangalore September 5 2018 to September 8, 2018, SPARSH Hospital for Advanced surgeries, #146, Infantry Road, 10AM-2PM
Channapatna Sept 11, 2018, Balu Diagnostic, Parvathi Theatre, Channapatna, 10AM-2PM
The registration will close on September 11, 2018, and operations will be performed upon the comfort of the patients after required mandatory checkups. This year will mark the 8th year of Guru Namana program by SPARSH Hospital.
“We have been conducting the Guru-Namana Program as a way to thank the teachers, who are the backbone of our society. Unfortunately, teachers are kept in the low side of remuneration and most are unable to afford high-end treatments such as joint replacements. Through our initiative, we pay tribute to these unsung heroes of our lives. It is our way of celebrating Teacher’s day that is 5th of September,” commented Dr Sharan Patil, Chairman, SPARSH Hospital.
“In last 7 years, we identified over 800 deserving retired teachers in need, by conducting the screening camps in Bangalore, Raichur, Bijapur, Gulbarga and Davangere. All the surgeries were successfully conducted free of cost, ” he added further.
Intending donors can also donate liberally to SPARSH Foundation, which is also tax-free under the GoI Scheme ATG.
Contact details for registration: 080-61222000. Please mention free registration for GURU-NAMANA Program.
