Avail Technology Courses In Semiconductor & Manufacturing In India

 

Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IITB) and Applied Materials, Inc. today announced the extension of their partnership to offer a certification course in “Semiconductor Technology and Manufacturing” through IIT Bombay’s Continuing Education Programme (CEP) for the second year. This course, designed to bridge the existing skill gap in this specialized high-tech sector, complements the Government of India’s in-principle approval for the establishment of two semiconductor manufacturing facilities in the country. The Semiconductor Technology and Manufacturing certification course was jointly launched by IIT Bombay and Applied Materials in the year 2012 and was received enthusiastically by industry as well as academia.

The six-day course starting on December 10, 2013 endeavors to impart knowledge about the basic concepts of integrated circuit (IC) fabrication and manufacturing, develop an understanding of semiconductor processes, hardware and system technologies, as well as provide hands-on user training on production level tools and systems widely used in the industry. Renowned faculty members from IIT Bombay will deliver lectures along with industry professionals from Applied Materials. The lab sessions will be held at the IIT Bombay Nanofabrication Facility (IITBNF) and the Applied Materials Nanomanufacturing Lab, Electrical Engineering Department, IIT Bombay.  On successful completion of the course, participants will receive the Continued Education Programme (CEP) certificate by IITB.

Speaking about the programme, Prof. Abhay Karandikar, Head of the Electrical Engineering Department, IIT Bombay, said, “We are glad to take this certification program to its second year. It will strengthen the semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem in India through our state-of-the-art nanofabrication facilities and partnership with Applied Materials. The hands-on training and high level of faculty expertise are the highlights of the course that generated very positive feedback from participants last year. We plan to increase and diversify the hands-on lab sessions this year to enhance the quality and breadth of exposure to semiconductor manufacturing and R&D for the participants.”

Speaking on the occasion, Aninda Moitra, President & Managing Director, Applied Materials India, said, “This is an opportunity to reiterate our commitment to the overall growth of the Electronic System Design and Manufacturing (ESDM) sector. Talent development is critical to maximize the impact of this sector. India has high-quality talent, and they need to be continually channeled to move from a purely theoretical environment to a combination of theory and practice, especially in industries that are R&D intensive. This is exactly what the course addresses – giving students and individuals in the ESDM ecosystem hands-on exposure to manufacturing, and the opportunity to utilize India’s only 200mm semiconductor fabrication facility dedicated to university-industry research.”

In India, Applied Materials is a strategic partner and an enabler of the semiconductor and solar manufacturing ecosystem. Since it started local operations in 2002, Applied Materials India has grown into the second largest engineering resource pool for the company globally, providing design engineering, engineering support services, and cutting edge innovation in materials science and engineering to the global organization. The India region, which is a key link to the company’s global IT infrastructure footprint, provides IT solutions and services, and hosts the second largest data center for Applied globally.

The CEP programme is intended for working professionals in the semiconductor industry, research scientists and technical staff, and academics. It includes modules on VLSI & Semiconductor Technology, Semiconductor Equipment Overview and Lab Equipment User Training.  Those with a diploma or a bachelor's degree in Science/Engineering are eligible to apply. One can register for the course at http://www.cen.iitb.ac.in/cen/events/cep_course.php. Application submissions are due by November 24, 2013.

HealthKartPlus Expands Its Footprint In Bengaluru

HealthKartPlus, a online pharmacy network and medicine application, has announced the expansion of its drug delivery services in Bengaluru region. After successfully catering to the consumers within Delhi/NCR, the company is now ready to expand its services in other cities. Followed by Bengaluru; the service will be introduced in other metros in phase manner. With this approach, the company aims at making orders of medicines more convenient and accessible to its consumers across all major cities in India.

The online pharmacy network HealthKartPlus is a platform to connect local pharmacies directly to consumers. Also, it provides consumers with value added information about their medicines. It keeps consumers informed on how their medicine works, explains the side effects, interaction with other drugs and potential contraindications – besides giving information on more economical substitute available for the same generic salt. The company has also made its app available for free across Android, iOS and Windows 8 for users.

On the occasion, Prashant Tandon, Founder Healthkart, said “We are really excited to start our service in Bengaluru. HealthKartPlus has received extremely good reviews in Delhi/NCR for its service and utility as a pocket chemist app. This is a one of a kind service in India and Bengaluru, being the technology hub of the country, is the obvious choice for our second location."

1 Million Die Premature In India; Philips Holds Awareness Campaign

By Manu Sharma

In India over 35 lakh children are born premature. Proper handling and efficient medical care is the need of the hour. On the occasion of “World Prematurity Day” on November 17, 2013, Philips Innovation Campus observed an awareness session with Dr. Karthik Nagesh on the topic “Developmental care for premature babies” in Bangalore.

Speaking to the event, Dr. Karthik Nagesh, a senior neonatologist and founder, managing trustee of the ‘Foundation for Newborns’ which is a trust that does charity for sick babies and promotes newborn health said, “Two of the deadliest diseases infecting the new born are pneumonia and prematurity. Ever year about 15 million children are born prematurity in India and out of which I million of them die annually. The new born need a good start in life. Hence we should do whatever it takes to reduce the burden and mortality associated with prematurity by spreading awareness on the need for their safe delivery in institutions where they can be cared for.” 

Until three years ago the survival of babies born in just 28 weeks of gestation and weighing less than 1kg was zero. According to industry sources mortality in India accounts for 50% of infant mortality, which has declined to 84/1000 live births. There is no prenatal care for over 50% of pregnant women, and over 80% deliver at home in unsafe and unsanitary conditions. Those women who do deliver in health facilities are unable to receive intensive neonatal care when necessary. 

Anxious parents of pre-term babies can now deal with the difficulties of handling a premature baby if they are well-informed and work closely with care givers.

Dr Karthik says, “Earlier all the Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs) in India were only in a few cities and tier 1 like the Kasturba Medical Hospital, Fortis. Shankara Cancer Foundation and CMC Vellore were equipped. However, now we also see an advent of NICUs to the Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities as well.” 

However, Level I and Level II neonatal care is unavailable in most health facilities in India, and in most developing countries, he said adding there is a need in India for Level III care units also. The establishment of NICUs in India and developing countries would require space and location, finances, equipment, staff, protocols of care, and infection control measures. Neonatal mortality could be reduced by initially adding NICUs at a few key hospitals.

In fact, India stands second in the world wherein out of every 100 children born 14% are born premature while Malawi in Africa leads with 18.1% per every 100 born.

These tiny patients are at a high risk of a variety of long term developmental complications including motor impairments, cognitive deficits, and behavioral disorders. Although physical and motor disorders may be more noticeable, increasingly more focus is being directed towards the mental health issues that children born prematurely or at low birth weight are at higher risk for attention-deficit, attention-deficit-hyperactive, anxiety, and other emotional disorders.

With emphasis on Integrated development care for neonates, Philips showcased a range of products to promote family centered care including positioning aids like Bendy bumpers, Prone Plus, Snuggle Up, Fredrick T Frog, and Wee pee Diapers for premature neonates.

Demonstratiing the products, Srikanth Muthya, director, Healthcare, Philips, said “Each product is developed with seven evidence based core measures in mind: Healing Environment, Partnering with Families, Positioning & Handling, Protecting Sleep, Minimizing Stress & Pain, Optimizing Nutrition, and Safeguarding Sleep” He also added “Philips has extended beyond basic therapeutic devices and moved into cognitive developmental care for premature new borns.”

Asia’s First Hybrid Cloud Now Powered By OpenStack

Rackspace Hosting has launched Asia’s first hybrid cloud powered by OpenStack, the open source cloud computing platform. The new public cloud joins Rackspace’s existing portfolio of private cloud and dedicated solutions to complete the Open Cloud Company’s Hybrid Cloud offering to businesses throughout the Asia-Pacific region.

“We are excited to launch Asia’s first hybrid cloud powered by OpenStack,” said Ajit Melarkode, managing director of Rackspace Asia Pacific. “OpenStack already gives thousands of our customers access to the power of open standards and enables them to enjoy freedom from vendor lock-in as they open new gateways to faster innovation through cloud computing.”

Rackspace identifies India as a robust and upcoming market, seen in their decision to launch the first hybrid cloud in Asia powered by Openstack. The public cloud services market in India is forecast to grow 36 percent in 2013 to total $443 million, up from $326 million in 2012, according to Gartner, Inc. Studies done by Deloitte indicate that organizations that can bridge hyper hybrid clouds with their core systems will be at the forefront to elevate business performance with the next wave of digital innovation.

Scania Invests Rs 250 cr to Set Up Assembly Plant in India

With an initial investment of Rs 250 crore, Sweden's Scania Commercial Vehicles has set up an assembly plant in India to manufacture about 2,500 heavy haulage trucks besides 1,000 inter-city buses and coaches annually at a factory near Bangalore. 

Currently the localisation is 18% for trucks and 100% for bus bodies, the company said, adding that they have plans to increase the locolisation of trucks to over 25% by next year.

The facility first of its kind in Asia will serve as the company's head office and centre for all commercial operations . The operations will consist of final assembly of trucks with bodywork and building of complete coaches along with a service workshop and a central parts warehouse.

"Today marks the beginning of a new era for us in India, and it is our largest industrial footprint in Asia so far," said Martin Lundstedt, president and chief executive, Scania Global.

Scania said that it plans to employ over 800 people at this facility within five years. The unit employees about 198 presently.

The plant will house two manufacturing units- one each for truck assembly and another for buses. The facility will also have service workshop and a central parts warehouse.

Scania had started production of trucks at the new facility during June and production trials have taken place for mining and off-road trucks.

The company plans to start the production of on-road trucks soon followed by bus rollout which is planned for the first quarter of 2014.

The company is bullish on improving highway infrastructure in India and acceptance of international industry practices like hub-and-spoke model.

Scania has been present in the Indian market since 2007 through a partnership with Larsen & Toubro (L&T). The company in India has also forayed into the engines segment with the launch of products for industrial, marine and power generation.

Asian Economies Account For 35% Of The Total Global IT Spend By 2020

Zinnov, a leading market expansion and globalization advisory firm, has announced the release of its latest study on emerging economies titled, “E+ Economies & Winning Strategies”.

The report encapsulates the spending patterns and IT investments of emerging+ economies namely India, China, Malaysia, Indonesia & Philippines which constitute 40% of the total world population.

As per the study, growing economic powers with sizable consumptions will lead the next wave of technology investments. Expanding base of globally competitive large and mid-size enterprises, strong base of growing

domestic micro & small companies, and growth of enabling IT infrastructure are among the key factors for the exponential growth of IT spending in E+ economies.

Enterprise led opportunities in E+ economies is 3 to 4 times of the U.S market, according to the released report. The total number of Forbes 2000 enterprises from E+ economies, are set to grow by 300% by 2020; while the number of U.S enterprises in the list could face a decline. China boasts a strong economy with 95,000 large & mid size enterprises followed by India with 55,000, while U.S stands at 41,000 enterprises only.

The report further states that the strong internet and mobile infrastructure is enabling IT investment growth in E+ countries. As per the findings, E+ economies will have a potential internet user base of 2,256 million by 2020. China with 42% penetration has a current internet user base of 564 million while developed economy of U.S stands at 244 million with 78% penetration. India stands second after China with a 157 million internet user base but with a low penetration of 11% which shows a tremendous growth opportunity.

Smartphone users in E+ economies, is also growing at a strong pace and it is likely to reach 1,795 million by 2020. China leads the E+ with 330 million smartphone users followed by 52 million in Indonesia. India stands

third with 44 million smartphone users. As per the report, increasing data consumption and smartphone penetration is creating newer opportunities in the telecom space.

Speaking about the findings, Praveen Bhadada, Director-Market Expansion, Zinnov, said, ?While the basic IT infrastructure is fast growing in E+ economies, mobile internet is increasingly becoming key as compared to

desktop internet in these countries. Mobile internet VAS revenues are expected to be over $22 Bn by 2016 and presents great opportunity for technology companies?

Further commenting on the Winning Strategies for Emerging Markets,  Praveen Bhadada added, “Technology companies should target large government projects for the next wave of technology investments in E+ economies. While leveraging influencer models can further drive IT adoption in the key sectors, it is important to re-define distribution to

suit the local needs of the customers. Creating an ecosystem for market development and focus on region specific deep consumer insights & localization are must have?s to win these markets.”

Philips Healthcare Honored by Frost & Sullivan

Philips Healthcare has received the prestigious Frost & Sullivan 2013 India Healthcare Excellence Award for the Imaging Company of the year 2013.  Krishna Kumar, President, Philips Healthcare India was presented the award at a ceremony held in Mumbai today.

The coveted Frost & Sullivan India Healthcare Excellence Awards are presented to companies that demonstrate best practices in the Indian Healthcare and Life sciences industry. The awards program follows a rigorous methodology to recognize superior planning and execution of product launches, strategic alliances, distribution strategies, technological innovations, customer services, healthcare delivery services, and mergers and acquisitions. A host of other crucial factors such as leadership, strategy, growth, service, innovation, integration, marketing, financial performance, and development are also considered as part of the award methodology.

Jayant Singh, Associate Director, Pharma and Medical Technology, Healthcare Practice, Frost & Sullivan said "Focus on innovation, quality, and reliability makes Philips the most trusted and a dependable partner of choice for its customers. Unique financing schemes, a comprehensive range of solutions, focus on training, after sales backed by an excellent customer support network reinforced the perception of the company in the eyes of the customer”.

Accepting the award, Krishna Kumar said “The Frost & Sullivan award for Imaging Company of the year is indeed a great honour and it recognizes our efforts towards providing the best in healthcare in India. This recognition inspires us to remain committed to our incremental efforts towards innovation in healthcare technology.”

Philips is currently the market leader in healthcare and is present across 5 categories – Radiology, Cardiology, Oncology, Respiratory Care and Critical Care. Together with its R&D hub, called the Philips Innovation Centre based in Bangalore, the company has been at the forefront of innovation in healthcare, with more than 33 new innovative products being launched recently.