MyGate Receives Accolades from the Karnataka State Police for the KSP Clear e-Pass System

Karnataka State Police today honoured MyGate, the country's leading player in the community management space, for their contribution towards the efforts of the state police department during the lockdown. MyGate had, on a pro-bono basis, provided their technical expertise to build and manage the KSP Clear Pass, which issued over 2 lakh e-passes to Bengaluru citizens during Phase 1 & 2 of the lockdown.

Shri. Praveen Sood, Director General of Police, Karnataka, along with Shri. Pratap Reddy, Additional Director General of Police, Karnataka,  acknowledged MyGate's efforts by handing over a certificate of appreciation to Mr. Vijay Arisetty, Co-founder & CEO, MyGate and Mr. Shreyans Daga, Co-founder & CTO, MyGate.

“Our gratitude to Team MyGate for providing citizens (through Karnataka State Police), a user-friendly epass system during COVID-19 lockdown. An exemplary Public Private Partnership,”  said  Shri. Praveen Sood, Director General of Police, Karnataka.

About MyGate- Founded in 2016, MyGate is the largest security and community management app in the country, simplifying urban living of over two million homes in 10,000+ housing societies. It was ranked #4 on YourStory’s list of India’s Most Disruptive Start-ups in December 2019 and one of India’s coolest start-ups by Business Today in 2019. MyGate was founded by Vijay Arisetty, an ex- IAF pilot (Shaurya Chakra awardee), Abhishek K, former VP at Goldman Sachs, and Shreyans Daga, former project head at Oracle and Digit.

From left to Right - Mr. Shreyans Daga, Co-founder & CTO, MyGate, Mr. Vijay Arisetty, Co-founder & CEO, MyGate, Shri. Praveen Sood, Director General of Police, Karnataka and Shri. Pratap Reddy, Additional Director General of Police, Karnataka.

Jaguar Land Rover Inaugurates New 3S Retailer Facility in Bengaluru

 New 3S in the city

* Jaguar Land Rover unveils new state-of-the-art 3S (Sales, Service and Spare parts) Retailer Facility on New Airport Road

* Spread over a total area of over 4 160 m2, the facility offers a showroom display of a wide range of products from Jaguar and Land Rover’s portfolio, and a fully equipped service workshop with 19 service bays. 

* Jaguar Land Rover India distribution network is spread across 27 outlets in 24 major cities across India.

Jaguar Land Rover India today announced the opening of a new 3S Retailer facility in Bengaluru by Marqland in a fast developing area on New Airport Road.

This new 3S Retailer facility in the prominent location of New Airport Road complements the Boutique showroom in City Centre on Cunningham Road to offer exceptional Customer Experience and Convenience. Marqland previously operated its 3S facility on Hosur Road.

This Retailer facility is spread over 4 160 m2 and is designed to provide the highest quality of sales and after-sales service. It provides an enhanced premium customer experience, displaying a wide range of products from the Jaguar and Land Rover portfolio, and has an impressive handover bay for delivering vehicles to customers. 

This facility also has a Jaguar Land Rover approved pre-owned car section and showcases a wide range of Jaguar Land Rover branded accessories and merchandise for its discerning customers. It also has a fully equipped workshop, with state-of-the-art tools and equipment and highly trained technicians and staff to provide the highest quality after-sales experience. 

Rohit Suri, President & Managing Director, Jaguar Land Rover India Ltd (JLRIL), said, “Post the opening of the Boutique Showroom in City Centre in  2019, this new, ultra-modern integrated 3S facility on New Airport Road will further strengthen JLR’s presence in the Bengaluru area. It will ensure that our customers are able to enjoy world-class sales, service, and spares under-one-roof from a location that is convenient and easily accessible.”

Customers can even book their cars by visiting the online booking platform at www.findmeacar.in for Jaguar and www.findmeasuv.in for Land Rover..

Affordability Driving Consumer Demand for Residential Real Estate in Peripheral Areas of Bengaluru: Magicbricks Data

* Home buyers are retaining size preference but reducing budgets

* Security, proximity to school, local markets and offices are key deciding  factors

* Whitefield, Sarjapur Road, Electronic City and Bellary Road most preferred localities

With India intermittently unlocking, new encouraging trends are now visible in the real estate sector after a period stagnancy. The sector is witnessing a tectonic shift and according to Magicbricks data, consumer preference in Benglauru is shifting towards peripheral areas due to affordability.

The shift in consumer demand towards Bengaluru’s peripheral areas has been accentuated by the demand-supply mismatch in the less than Rs.5000/sqft price category. Magicbricks data also suggests that Bengaluru’s consumer demand for BHKs and size hardly remain unchanged pre-COVID vis-à-vis post-COVID indicating that home buyers are retaining size preference but reducing budgets to move to the peripheries of the city in search of larger houses at lower cost.

Magicbricks data suggests that peripheral areas near employment hubs like Whitefield, Sarjapur Road, Electronic City and Bellary Road were the most preferred localities for home buyers during the April-May-June period of 2020. The consumer demand in these localities are driven by factors like affordability, better access to IT hubs and sound connectivity to the airport. The extension of metro lines from Baiyappanahalli – Whitefield and RV Road – Bommasandra is likely to boost the demand for the economic hubs of Whitefield and Electronic City in the future.

Commenting on the changing consumer behaviour, Mr. Sudhir Pai, CEO, Magicbricks, said: “We are experiencing a strong recovery in demand after searches dipped by 50% in April. Buyers are back in the market and our data suggests that Bengaluru’s recovery rate is faster than the national average. There is an emerging trend towards larger homes; but with budgets which are lower than earlier, buyers are searching more towards peripheral areas of the city. Our recent survey suggests that around 33% of home buyers in Bengaluru prefer under construction properties, which is significantly higher than the national average, reflecting their trust in branded developers. We are also witnessing an uptick in demand for plots and from NRIs.”

Bengaluru’s home buyers also displayed increasing propensity towards ready-to-move in properties with as many as 67% respondents suggesting that they want to cut down risk factors by opting for ready-to-move in units. Overall, 74% users are planning to reduce their budget preference and around 50% have cut it by 10-30%. Factors like gated community and proximity to schools and colleges remain the two main priorities for home buyers while selecting a property while amenities such as clubs, gyms and open areas have lost their sheen since COVID-19. Our survey also suggests that in Bengaluru, 55% of the respondents said that they would choose any developer (Tier 1/2) who can give the most economical option/best deal.

About Magicbricks: India's no 1 property site

Magicbricks is India’s No.1 property site. With monthly traffic exceeding 20 million visits and with an active base of over 1.4 million+ property listings, Magicbricks provides the largest platform for buyers and sellers of property to connect with each other in a clear, transparent manner.

Phoenix Marketcity Introduces Curbside Service & Phoenix @Doorsteps for Seamless Shopping Experience

Embracing the ‘new normal’, Bengaluru’s favourite shopping and lifestyle destination, Phoenix Marketcity has introduced Curbside service for its customers who may want to shop at the mall at the comfort of their homes. Curbside service ensures comfort and convenience to consumers by offering a seamless retail experience designed with safety in mind. The mall has set up a Curbside pickup desk keeping in mind minimal interaction and trouble-free experience to get the shopping orders picked. Another modest initiative is Phoenix @ Doorsteps which is basically a home delivery service where customers will get their shopped bags delivered at their doorsteps.  

Phoenix Marketcity is now offering these concierge services for its patrons where they can place their shopping orders through the Whatsapp application platform, which will direct customers to select merchandise and products from their catalogues or through assisted virtual shopping. Customers can shop from the favourite brands and make payments online while easily enquiring about, timings and delivery with a chatbot to respond to frequently asked questions and connect with individual stores for brand related queries at the same time. The orders would be ready for contactless a Curbside pickup at an allotted time. 

Speaking on the launch of Curbside service, Mr. Gajendra Singh Rathore said “Curbside service is being introduced to keep the interest of customers alive with a hassle-free experience and smart shopping. The initiative has been introduced with an understanding towards the needs of the consumer and the changing scenario. We intend to offer seamless access to products and a process with minimal human interaction ensuring safety”. 

Other than this, the mall is taking utmost care of the safety of all with mandatory temperature checks at entry points, sanitisation, social distancing and limiting the number of people on the escalator to four at a time.  

Curbside Service: Steps to Follow  

SHOP ON THE GO – CURBSIDE PICK-UP 

Step 1- Send a Hi message on our WhatsApp number +916366940002. You will be assigned a Personal Shopping Assistance  

Step2: Select Merchandise/products from the Catalogue we share with you, or through assisted virtual shopping. 

Step 3: confirm your order and pay online securely 

Step 4: Choose a time slot to collect your safely packaged items from Curbside Pick-up 

Step 5: Drive to the curbside Pick-up point at your designated time. Your shopping bags will be placed in your car or Opt for home delivery  

Manipal Hospitals Salutes Mamtaz Begum’s Unflinching Approach in Fighting Covid19

As India celebrates its 74 years of Independence on August 15, as a patient centric organization, Manipal Hospitals will showcase its patriotism in a responsible way. Manipal Hospitals Old Airport Road will grace this occasion along with its COVID warriors who are fighting to get freedom from the invisible enemy.

Ms. Mamtaz Begum from Manipal Hospitals Nursing team is a real COVID Warrior and recognizing her valiant efforts, the hospital has given her the privilege to hoist the flag along with all other COVID warriors and the management team. 

Ms. Mamtaz Begum is a living proof of a responsible and sensible citizen. She is a frontline warrior with 26 years of experience. She has gone through tough times in her life as well as during this pandemic.

Ms. Begum was a student of Manipal and started her career at Manipal Hospitals Old Airport Road. Her personal journey started when she fell in love with a Muslim boy and was trying to convince her parents. Fortunately, her parents have agreed and she married her love of life in 1996 and changed her name as well. Her life took a complete twist in 2016 when she was diagnosed with high Creatinine. The news came as a shock to everyone in her family as both her renals were damaged.

Dr. Viswanath S, HOD & Consultant - Nephrology, Transplant Physician, Manipal Hospitals Old Airport Road advised her that she had to undergo renal transplant. Mamtaz has had an immense support from Manipal Hospitals financially as well as professionally. Her husband and her two sons stood like a pillar during this journey. Her renal transplant done at Manipal Hospitals, Salem was successful and she was recuperating well. She was aware of the plight of her health conditions; yet continued to lead a cheerful life by staying positive.

Destiny had something else in store and life took a U-turn once again in her life during these unprecedented times. She was serving all the vulnerable amongst us and performing her duty professionally as a Nurse. She was diagnosed as a COVID Positive and her family was shattered as she also had underlying disease.

Mamtaz once again stood the test of times and fought this battle positively and came out as a COVID SURVIVOR.

Mr. Deepak Venugopalan, Regional COO, Bengaluru & TNN Cluster, MHEPL said, “Colleagues like Mamtaz are a huge inspiration for all of us. They put their duty and patients before themselves. Glad that she got her independence from Covid and who better than her to hoist the flag on 15th August.”

She would like to thank Manipal Hospital’s entire Management for being with her during all odd times and giving her moral support. Her mantra in life is to stay strong and to be positive for any tough battle. She has joined back her duty and has stepped up to help others, putting the country’s needs before everything else, even her family members.

Ms. Mamtaz Begum has stood tall against all odds and is indeed a great role model for others to follow.

 

ŠKODA Auto India Partners with PPS Motors to Expand its Footprint in Karnataka

 Summary

* ŠKODA AUTO’s new state of the art dealership facility in Bengaluru: PPS Motors boasts 4,500 sq. ft. of a modern showroom and 18,000 sq. ft. of premium service space, 70 plus technicians and staff members, 10 mechanical stations and body shop bays, and service capacity of 5,500 plus ŠKODA AUTO vehicles per annum

* The new dealership facility is the third outlet of the Czech marque, in Bengaluru, and aims to enhance the overall purchase and ownership experience for the ŠKODA AUTO customers in the region

* Under the ‘INDIA 2.0’ project, ŠKODA AUTO India will double its network penetration, and expand to 50 new cities, over the next three years

* ŠKODA AUTO celebrates 125 years of its glorious history and heritage the world over

With the inauguration of PPS Motors in Bengaluru, ŠKODA AUTO India aims to strengthen its position in Karnataka and push forward its campaign of establishing a strong foothold in the southern markets of our nation. The new state of the art dealership facility sports the new Corporate Identity and Design as a part of ŠKODA AUTO global redesigning process. The Czech auto manufacturer, under the purview of the ‘INDIA 2.0’ project, will have at least twice as many sales and service touchpoints, as it does today, by 2022.

PPS Motors is strategically located at 219/11, Ramana Maharishi Road, Palace Orchards, Sadashivanagar, Bellary Road and offers utmost ease and convenience across the region. The sales facility sprawls over an area of 4,500 square feet and accommodates at least four cars on display. A dedicated service workshop, located at 35, Kranthikavi Sarvagna Road, Sreerampuram, Okaluipuram, is spread across 18,000 square feet and houses ten mechanical stations and body shop bays. With 75 trained personnel, PPS Motors has a capacity to service 5,500 plus ŠKODA AUTO vehicles per annum.

Commenting on the inauguration of the new facility, Mr. Zac Hollis, Brand Director, ŠKODA AUTO India said, “To ensure preparedness for INDIA 2.0 launches, we at ŠKODA AUTO India are continually striving to expand our network reach, across the nation, so that not only more and more customers can experience our products but also enjoy easy access to our customer centric aftersales solutions. Bangalore is a key market for us in South India, and we are confident that our

partnership with PPS Motors will be pivotal for the brand and will further strengthen our foothold in Karnataka.”

Mr. Rajiv Sanghvi, Dealer Principal, PPS Motors Private Limited said, “We are delighted to partner with ŠKODA AUTO India and introduce a new dealership facility in Bengaluru, Karnataka. The modern architecture and streamlined business processes will provide the ideal backdrop for the presentation of ŠKODA AUTO products. With the global best practices and processes of Skoda Auto India and adapting them to suit our customers in the region we endeavour to create a lot of value for all our stake holder’s especially our customers to offer world service and customer care”

MODERN DEALERSHIP FACILITIES WITH STREAMLINED BUSINESS PROCESSES

With the highest priority given to functionality, clear orientation, and transparency, ŠKODA AUTO India has successfully rebranded its entire network of 83 sales and 58 service touchpoints across 69 cities across the nation. The Czech brand has invested over INR 1,200 million, along with its dealer partners, in the biggest rebranding campaign in its history in India.

In line with the ‘INDIA 2.0’ project, the corporate architecture, functional interiors, and rationalized business processes, aim to enhance the overall customer experience. The new dealership design architectural concept reflects ŠKODA AUTO’s philosophy expressed in the slogan: “Simply Clever with a human touch”.

The new architecture of the dealership facility is characterized by clear and simple shapes, a harmonious colour concept, modular design features, and a modern lighting concept. The new exteriors of the ŠKODA AUTO dealerships will be the brand’s powerful statement during both day and night - clear, transparent, modern, and open.

In addition to sustaining ŠKODA AUTO’s proven strengths, the company is placing an increasing emphasis on enhancing the emotional appeal of the brand. It is conveyed by the sophisticated and logical arrangement of all the key elements, business areas, customer zones, and the use of cutting edge technology.

The high quality materials, new design features, effective lighting solutions, architectural graphic elements, and warm wooden tones create an inviting atmosphere. Fresh hues, clarity, openness, and transparency - are the highlights of the new interiors of ŠKODA AUTO showrooms.

ABB India Opens a New Robotics Facility to Support the Digital Transformation of Manufacturing in India

The new ABB Robotics solutions delivery facility will enable Indian customers to reap the benefits of Industry 4.0 including cutting-edge robotics and digitalization technologies, going at the heart of helping India become a resilient high-tech manufacturing economy in the world.

Spread over 3,600 sq.m at the ABB Nelamangala factory premises in Bengaluru, the new facility will enable ABB India to deliver robotic applications and digital solutions for a variety of Indian industries, including automotive, food & beverage, electronics and other upcoming sectors. The facility houses a state-of-the-art shop floor that can run proof of concepts and factory acceptance tests for 1000 ABB robots every year, which doubles the company’s capacity. This enables rapid innovation, adaption, optimisation and agile delivery of made-to-order robotics applications for Indian customers.

“The new facility harnesses the powers of ABB’s deep global expertise and knowledge of the Indian industrial landscape to support our customer base,” said Sanjeev Sharma, Managing Director of ABB India. “Even with increased demand for automation, the penetration of robotics, especially in small and medium enterprises is still low in India compared to the global average. With the help of the new and improved robotics facility, we will be able to share our knowledge and encourage Indian manufacturers to embrace our game changing technologies and become best-in-class manufacturers for local and global markets.”

The facility includes a demonstration center where the latest technologies in robotic welding, gluing and material handling will be showcased and can be used to carry out joint prove-out sessions with customers. ABB will also integrate an ABB AbilityTM Connected Services team that can remotely monitor an installed base of ABB robots to conduct predictive maintenance and high uptime.

A new Customer Experience Center is being set up for customers to learn about the latest in robotics technology and applications, including ABB’s dedicated robot simulation and programming software, RobotStudio. Additionally, the facility will host a paint lab where customers can run simulations of a broad range of industrial painting applications.

ABB is one the leading suppliers of robot, robot systems and machine & factory automation solutions, having shipped over 400,000 robot solutions across the globe. Designed as a complete digital ecosystem, ABB’s factory of the future concept will cater to the growing demand of collaborative automation solutions, by enabling innovation of new robot applications tailor-made to the Indian market.

About ABB Group

ABB (ABBN: SIX Swiss Ex) is a leading global technology company that energizes the transformation of society and industry to achieve a more productive, sustainable future. By connecting software to its electrification, robotics, automation and motion portfolio, ABB pushes the boundaries of technology to drive performance to new levels. With a history of excellence stretching back more than 130 years, ABB’s success is driven by about 110,000 talented employees in over 100 countries.

Zenith forays into BPO space; Goes ahead with expansion

Despite the global recession and the massive layoffs, Zenith software, a leading software company and part of the $120 million Zenith Group, having recently forayed into the KPO space is going ahead with its expansion plans. The Bangalore-based company is expanding its office into a new campus that can house that can accommodate 500-600 per shift.

In an interview with Manu Sharma of CIOL Bureau, Sampath Kumar, CEO of Zenith Software talks about the new business foray and its recruitment drive in India. Excerpts.

CIOL: What has been the impact of recession on Zenith Software?
Sampath Kumar: The US recession has not affected us so far. The only problem is that the US companies want to push the dates. No one wants to decide immediately but business has not affected us in any way. But they are keen on outsourcing the work to India. It is a ‘wait n watch’ situation to gauge its impact in 2009.

CIOL: What has been your recent expansion plans?
SK: Since we are foraying into the information technology enabled services (ITES) in a big way, we are expanding our office by moving into a new campus of 25,000 sqft of built-in space located in Koramangala. The building will comprise of four floors and can accommodate 400-500 employees per shift and we can be further expanded to accommodate 1,500-2000 if necessary.

CIOL: What is Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO), why has Zenith forayed into this space?
SK: Zenith has signed up with NovusSTS (pioneers in the newly defined recruitment process optimization business) for providing RPO services. RPO is a form of Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) where an employer outsources or transfers all or part of its recruitment activities to an external service provider.

CIOL: What are the work involved in RPO and its benefits?
SK: RPO involves the outsourcing of all or just part of recruitment functions and process. RPO providers manage the entire recruiting/hiring process from job profiling through the on boarding of the new hire, including staff, technology, method and reporting. A properly managed RPO will improve a company's time to hire, increase the quality of the candidate pool, provide verifiable metrics, reduce cost and improve governmental compliance. The RPO service provider is the source for in-scope recruitment activity.

CIOL: What is the future of RPO industry in India?
SK: Since only about 20-25 companies are into this pace in India, we see a bright future. Our policy is not to target the big players but instead found a partner for the delivery.

CIOL: What is Zenith role in the LPO industry?
SK: Zenith has been in this sector for the last three months and has entered into a joint venture with a law firm based in US. We have started with the training process and have about 10 employees, who are corporate lawyers and LPO professionals involved in document reviews, immigration services and contract drafting.

CIOL: Explain the travel software developed by Zenith?
SK: The company has developed a travel software similar to IBS. It is a total integrated software for the tour operators operating across the country. This is the first product by Zenith and was earlier exhibited in Mumbai in a travel expo called – Travel Eye. The product is likely to hit the market by 2009. In respect to the pricing of the software, we have planned to price it between Rs 5-10 lakh, depending on the module, we will customize it as per your requirements. The product was developed over the last two years and about 10 software engineers were involved in the product.

CIOL: What are the other software developed by Zenith?
SK: Following our success with the travel software, we are also developed a software for a retail company in Australia. Similarly also developed a automobile product for the Norwegian market expected to be rolled out in 2009.
For the insurance sector, we have signed up with a UK-based company for the development and support of large US insurance firms. This is for the life insurance products and we will handle the customisation, maintenance and the enhancement of the product. Similarly, we have also signed up with a Swiss company for non-life insurance. We have completed the prototype of the product using Java and the product will be out by end of 2009.

CIOL: What has been the attrition in your organization?
SK: The attrition in our company is only 8-10 percent much lesser than the industry standards of 25-30 percent in BPO industry. Presently we have a 50:50 mix of developers and ITES (BPO) employees. I feel ITES will outdo IT and already we have employed 35 members in the last one-month and will hire another 25-30 in the next few months.

CIOL: When has Zenith forayed into the Scandinavian market?
SK: Zenith has forayed into the Scandinavian market through a partnership with Norway-based Software Offshoring Consulting (SOC). SOC is part of the Norwegian Data-Invest Group that has been providing progressive and market oriented solutions and services. This partnership will expand Zenith Software Ltd’s (ZSL) footprint in the European market.
ZSL and SOC have been working together on joint product development for the automotive industry. This product will also be maintained by ZSL for all the clients across the globe. This relationship has now matured into partnership wherein ZSL-SOC would jointly market and provide offshore development services. This is an exciting phase in ZSL’s growth plans. With SOC’s strengths we will be able grow in the Nordic.

CIOL: How do you see the future of Zenith Software shaping up?
SK: With our foray into BPO/KPO space and from the present turnover of $6 million, we had anticipated a jump of $10-12 million by 2009. But do the present industry scenario we may now expect only a 50 percent growth from the initial target of 75 percent. The only problem we are facing is that things are not happening and projects are getting delayed. The trend is not only in the US market but also in UK and European markets as well. ”US is creating a ripple affect on other countries.”
By 2012, Zenith expects the company to have 2000 plus employees with major revenues from UK, European countries and a 10 percent decline from the US markets. The company will strongly look at analytics, insurance, claim processing, medical billing and market research in the future. We are in talks with insurance and healthcare industries.

CIOL: Any IPO plans in the pipeline?
SK: We have seen a good growth so far which has been totally debts free. We see inorganic growth growing faster than organic growth. We plan to roll out an Initial Public Offering (IPO) when the company reaches a turnover of about $50 million and with over 3000 employees.

CIOL: What are your plans for expansion into Tier II cities?
SK: The company is also targeting at Tier II cities like Mysore, Mangalore. But we find a number of problems like poor resource stain, poor infrastructure is another major problem. In fact, we initially looked at a SEZ in Salem, but later withdrew the idea.