Mphasis and DEF Partner to Spearhead Rural India Digital Transformation

True to its brand promise of ‘Unleashing the Next’, Mphasis,  a leading IT services and solutions provider, today announced the launch of a unique initiative in the town of Musiri, Trichy district in Tamil Nadu, to transform the lives of artisans and the weavers’ community in the area. By collaborating with Digital Empowerment Foundation (DEF), Mphasis is transforming traditional skill-based clusters in the Musiri region into an integrated digitally-enabled cluster to empower artisans, weavers, and entrepreneurs for socio-economic prosperity.

At an event organized in Trichy, Vishesh Nautiyal, Director - South Zone, Ministry of Textiles, Government of India and P. Vasu, Dy. Director, Dept. of Handlooms and Textiles, Government of Tamil Nadu virtually inaugurated five digitally connected cluster resource centres in Natrajnagar, Manamedu, Mangalampudur, Paithamparai and Thathiangerpet in Musiri. V. Suryanarayanan, Chief Financial Officer, Mphasis and Osama Manzar, Director, Digital Empowerment Foundation were also present at the event. The cluster resource centres have been set up with an intention to provide physical space, digital infrastructure, and various equipment’s required for the betterment of the cluster community.

The programme also includes development of a ‘Cluster Wireless Network’ which provides the much needed Internet infrastructure for the cluster community. The cluster wireless network model will create an ecosystem by connecting schools, health centres and anganwadi centres in the region. In order to enhance employability, livelihood, income and living conditions of the citizens, the initiative will deploy a ‘Cluster Core Skills Development’ programme along with ‘Cluster Tertiary Skills Development’ to encourage entrepreneurship and self-sustainability of cluster members.

Similarly, the ‘Cluster Enterprise Development’ programme will provide software support for the development of Digital Resource Centre (DRC), enabling digital product designing and processing. In addition, the ‘Cluster Resource Centre’ (CRC) will offer information-based, digital and non-ICT support services for the core and tertiary activities of the cluster. Empowering the members to expand their product reach, the programme also envisions the development of an exclusive e-commerce portal, aiding the cluster community to connect with national and global customers.

“Mphasis is committed to bringing a difference in the lives of people. As our country is on a journey to create a digitally empowered society, Mphasis being a responsible corporate entity decided to contribute significantly within our limit. According to economic statistics, handloom sector is providing the second largest employment after agriculture in our country. Despite being a mass GDP contributor, they are struggling to sustain livelihoods. We partnered with DEF to create a meaningful difference in to the lives of artisans and weavers’ community by modernizing the way they function, live and trade. By doing so, Mphasis is spearheading the much needed digital inclusion of a larger section of our society,” said V. Suryanarayanan, Chief Financial Officer, Mphasis.   

‘’It is essential to digitally empower the rural masses to enable better inclusion with the rest of the country. We are glad to collaborate with Mphasis on this project to transform the lives of a larger part of our rural population and empower them in the digital path. Hundreds of community members have already received digital literacy and we look forward to touching the lives of many more and thus being a part of the larger Digital India vision,’’ Osama Manzar, Director, Digital Empowerment Foundation.

German Engineered SmartWash Set to Revolutionize Indian Bathrooms

Dr. Wiesner Test and Automation, a 50 year veteran of the industrial automation industry has marked its entry into the B2C lifestyle consumer segment through the launch of SmartWash, a range of automated bathroom closet seats. A fusion of precision German engineering and local manufacturing in Bangalore, SmartWash aims to redefine the hygiene, convenience and luxury benchmark in Indian bathrooms.

Available in 4 different variants, SmartWash aims to usher in a distinct shift in our day-to-day bathroom experience. With features like automated water cleansing for both men and women, pulse and water massage and odor control, the SmartWash offers a truly global quality offering at prices tailored to suit Indian budgets. The price range begins at Rs 9999 and consumers will have the choice to purchase their product through the online store or through local stores very soon.

Commenting on this disruptive and ambitious entry into the Lifestyle segment, HK Nagbhushan, Head of Operations and Director, India said, “We have been a pioneer in the industrial automation space for more than 50 years now. This education of creating world class manufacturing led us to the discovery of this product category. Our research shows that the Indian market is ripe for a smart bathroom. The growing urban elite are behind the tremendous demand for improving living standards as they have been exposed to global sensibilities. We estimate a demand of more than 50000 units in the first year alone.”

The SmartWash fits on most current bathroom pots and comes with easy instructions for a quick installation. Users will very soon have an option to avail an installation service with an on-ground channel partner for added convenience. Commenting on the realization of a long standing dream for Dr. Wiesner Test and Automation, Jochen Mὒller, Executive Director and Board Member, said “We are proud of this German Engineered and Made in India product. The team in India gets a lot of credit for having the vision of the product, especially one that touches our personal lives with so much impact. We are manufacturing almost 100% of the product in India itself which gives you an indicator of the technical strength of our Indian engineering and sourcing team.”

Post launch, the team is looking to ramp up production capacity at its Dabaspet facility near Bangalore. There is a strong push to adhere to the ‘Make in India’ theme and they estimate the team strength to quadruple in the next two years. SmartWash has received very positive interest from interior designers and real estate developers that promises to be a high volume growth area for the brand. The company has plans to enhance their lifestyle category product line in the near future with products like air purifiers and nebulizers under development. 

Mahindra Supro Brings Out 11 New Passenger and Cargo Vehicles in Diesel, CNG and Electric Variants.

Mahindra n Mahindra Ltd., a part of the US $17.8 billion Mahindra Group, today introduced 7 new products simultaneously under its Supro platform. The company launched 4 new variants of its stylish and spacious Passenger carrier, namely Supro Minivan, Supro Minivan VX, Supro Minivan CNG and Supro School Van and 3 new variants of its modern load carrier, Supro Minitruck, Supro Minitruck CNG and Supro Cargo Van. Priced competitively, the Supro Minivan starts at Rs. 4.61 lac (ex-showroom Bengaluru, BS4) while the Supro Minitruck starts at Rs. 4.33 lac (ex-showroom Bengaluru, BS4).

Today, the Supro platform boasts India’s widest range of Passenger and Cargo vehicles with 11 offerings which are available in Diesel, CNG and Electric Variants.

In the small commercial load category, the company expanded its range with the launch of Supro Minitruck, Supro Minitruck CNG and Supro Cargo Van, additions to the already existing Supro Maxitruck, making it a complete range of powerful, profitable Small Cargo vehicles.

In the passenger category, the company expanded its range with the launch of the Supro Minivan, Minivan VX, Supro Minivan CNG and Supro School Van to the already existing Supro, resulting in it a complete range of spacious, comfortable Minivans.

The Supro platform was conceptualised to effectively cater to the needs of multiple segments in the passenger and cargo movement categories, while delivering a superior value proposition.

Speaking on the launch, Pravin Shah, President and Chief Executive (Automotive), Mahindra n Mahindra said, “As the leader in the small commercial vehicle load segment with a market share of 51% in less than 3.5T category, we are always aiming to understand and address the evolving needs of our customers. The roll out of an entire range of 7 new variants from the Supro platform with their superior value proposition is a strong step in this direction.”

Shah further added, “The Supro brand is synonymous with Superior performance, Superior operating economics, Superior style and Superior comfort. With the launch of the Supro Minitruck and Minivan, we will further strengthen our portfolio under the “Supro” brand umbrella. I am sure that the Supro platform will go a long way in helping our customers prosper in life, in line with our Mahindra Rise philosophy”.

Built at Mahindra’s state-of-the-art plant in Chakan, Maharashtra, the Supro platform has undergone rigorous and full test cycle runs and has been validated on all performance, safety and reliability parameters. It also comes with a class-leading warranty of 2 years/60,000km (whichever comes earlier).

At the launch of the Supro platform in October 2015, the company had introduced two products, namely the Supro Maxitruck (aimed at customers upgrading from the mini truck segment) and the Supro Van (aimed at Personal, Dual usage and Low end Tour and Travel customers). In October 2016, two more variants, namely the eSupro Van and the eCargo Van were launched.

Sasken Communication Technologies Limited Renamed to Sasken Technologies Limited to Reflect its Broad Range of Services

Sasken Technologies Limited, (formerly Sasken Communication Technologies Limited), announced that it has changed its name to Sasken Technologies Limited effective February 14, 2017 to reflect its broad range of services.

The Company had earlier changed its name from Silicon Automation Systems Limited to Sasken Communication Technologies Limited in 2000 in order to cater to the growing opportunities in the telecommunication space around the world. Today, the nexus of forces such as computing, communications, mobility, cloud, social media and analytics has transformed communications into a core ingredient across all business verticals. Sasken’s expertise therefore now serves businesses ranging from automotive, smart devices and wearables, industrials, enterprises, satellite, and retail, among others. Therefore, Sasken’s new name is a true reflection of its current vast opportunity landscape.

Rajiv C. Mody, Chairman, Managing Director and CEO, Sasken Technologies Limited said, “We see a whole new world unfolding in front of us where new services are getting launched which were hitherto unheard of. The key drivers that are making this difference are advances in silicon, embedded systems, cloud computing, and cognitive technologies.

“Sasken has been at the helm of enabling technologies that touches and betters lives. Over the past two and a half decades, we have enabled our customers to build cutting-edge solutions that have been breakthroughs in their respective markets. We are working with technology leaders to enable cognitive technologies that help define the world of tomorrow in areas such as car, home, wearables and devices, industrials, and retail. We are very proud of our heritage and are continuing to build a new future which is really going to make a difference in the new world we are embarking on.”

IESA Launches Hyderabad Chapter; To Make Hyderabad an ESDM, Aerospace and Defense Hub

IESA, India Electronics and Semiconductor Association the premier trade body representing the Indian Electronics System Design and Manufacturing (ESDM) industry has announced the launch of their Hyderabad Chapter. The key objectives of setting up an office in Hyderabad is to widen the eco-system, acquire new members and strengthen the supply chain in the region.  This move will boost the electronics, hardware and semiconductor startups and firms in the state with the required support and information. There will also be a large thrust on the Aerospace & Defense manufacturing too.

Telangana contributes to 6% of the electronics production in the country and aims to reach a revenue of more than $10Bn and provide employment to 1.75L citizens. The Telangana Government is planning to make Hyderabad as the hub of ESDM and is pursuing to attract investments into the two ESDM clusters at e-City Manufacturing Cluster and Maheshwaram Science Park. With a view to facilitating investments in the electronics manufacturing industry, IESA has gearing up to strengthen operations in Telengana this year.

Excited with this announcement, K. Krishna Moorthy, Chairman, IESA said, “This is a proud moment for us as we have now expanded our presence across the major technology hubs of the nation. With this launch, we now have an even more strengthened support to bring India into the global radar for manufacturing innovation. Several policy initiatives have been approved in last few months which include providing very attractive financial investment in electronics manufacturing and providing preference to domestically manufactured electronic goods in all Government procurement as well as all those electronic goods whose use has security implications for the country. This expansion has put us in the right path for the fulfilment of our objectives and aiding the government of India to digitally empower the nation. We are certain that, with the right mix of trained professionals and regional expertise we will make our vision of making India the global hub for innovation a successful reality very soon.”

Spearheading and strengthening ties with the local industry, MosChip Semiconductor has joined hands with IESA. Speaking at the launch of the IESA Hyderabad chapter, Ram Reddy, CEO and  Chairman, Moschip Semiconductor, said “We are delighted to be a member company of IESA Hyderabad. We strongly believe that this collaboration will be an impetus to start-ups and engineering/ research students to promote the country’s top design engineers and buyers with the best degree of technical knowhow and help bring the Government and ecosystem together on the same platform.”

Commenting on this move, M.N. Vidyashankar, President, IESA added, “We are delighted to announce the launch of the new IESA Chapter in Hyderabad. We need to improve the supply chain. We could achieve innovation-led design in the semiconductor space. But, what we lack is design-led-manufacturing. With the recently announced Chennai chapter and this launch, we have further expanded our reach to enrich the supply chain and make significant inroads in making the country the next manufacturing hub. We strongly believe that this expansion will fast-forward our operations and enable us to achieve the common goal of giving a boost to design-led-manufacturing.”

Forthcoming events from IESA:

This year, Hyderabad will be the host city for DEFTRONICS 2017, the fourth edition of the annual Aerospace, Defence & Internal security focused event. This will be an additional fillip to the Aerospace & Defence sectors. The Indian Aerospace and Defence industry is one of the most lucrative industries with a booming market and an ocean of opportunities for engineering design and manufacturing companies. India’s current requirements on defence are largely catered to by imports. The Global OEM and Indian companies alike are keen to leverage the opportunity of defence contracts, which reflects the success of initiatives like ‘Make in India’

IESA Vision Summit 2017

The 12^th edition its annual flagship event, IESA Vision Summit 2017. Powered with global and Indian audiences to discover, innovate and bring together a stellar line-up of thought leaders & robust speakers. Scheduled on February 21 and 22 at The Leela, Bangalore, it aims to steer India closer to its goal of Design led Manufacturing – Redefining the future of India’s ESDM.

Telangana is the hub of Electronics Manufacturing Clusters with Districts of Hyderabad, Ranga Reddy and Medak being the base for the state. With an aim to give a fillip to the Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) sector of Andhra Pradesh, the India SME Forum has signed Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) with the State government for two industrial parks and an incubation centre in the State. As part of this, an industrial park for multi-sectoral MSME units is being proposed to be set up either at Vijayawada or at Visakhapatnam or Tirupati. As favourable Government policies and conducive growth opportunities exist in the state, Telangana became as one of the most preferred destination for the IESA’s expansion.

Julian Quinn Named as Regional Vice President (APAC) of Qlik

Qlik, a leader in visual analytics has announced the appointment of Julian Quinn as Regional Vice President for Qlik in Asia Pacific (APAC). Quinn will be responsible for leading and expanding Qlik’s operations throughout the region including ASEAN, Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea and Taiwan markets.

With over 30 years of experience in the IT Industry, Quinn has extensive knowledge of APAC markets and has a distinguished track record of sales success. Prior to joining Qlik, he held senior leadership positions at various companies, including but not limited to: Vice President Asia and Japan at Veeam Software, Vice President APAC at Adobe Systems, Vice President APAC at Borland, and Managing Director at Netscape.

“We’re delighted to welcome someone of Julian’s calibre onboard to helm Qlik’s operations in Asia Pacific. Under his leadership, even more organisations in the region will be empowered with self-service analytics to see the whole story behind their data,” said Mark Thurmond, Executive Vice President, Worldwide Sales and Services, Qlik.

Last year, in Asia Pacific, customers across different industries – such as Akindo Sushiro, Baidu, Lazada, Lupin Limited and Teachers Mutual Bank – started to harness Qlik’s platform-based approach to derive actionable insights.  

“There’s no better time to join Qlik, as we continue to witness the upward surge of embedded, self-service and visual analytics in every sector. I look forward to further strengthening Qlik’s position as the leader in APAC in the Business Intelligence and Analytics market segment,” said Quinn. 

HAL Push to Include HALOld Airport in Regional Connectivity Scheme

Hopeful that some commercial operations can start from the HAL Airport in the next few months, Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) has appealed to the Civil Aviation Ministry to include the airport on the list for regional connectivity.

 At the Aero India 2017, HAL CMD T Suvarna Raju said when the regional connectivity policy was announced, the HAL Airport was not even on the list. The Kempe Gowda International Airport (KIA) has already achieved the passenger traffic projected for 2020. It grew by 22.5% in 2016, recording a footfall of 22.18 million passengers.

Raju said, “Normally, a state or city will be proud to have two airports.” However, through an agreement with the government, the Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) had mandated that no other commercial airport should be allowed within a radius of 150 km from KIA.

HAL Airport, which was the city’s sole domestic and international airport for decades, was shut in 2008. All operations, barring VIP flights, were stopped at the old airport once KIA opened at Devanahalli. However, there have been demands from several quarters to at least operate short haul domestic flights from the old HAL Airport.