Vikas Chadha Appointed New President of Honeywell India Effective August 1, 2016

Honeywell has announced the appointment of Vikas Chadha as President, Honeywell India, succeeding Anant Maheshwari, who held a series of leadership roles with the company during the past 12 years. Chadha will assume responsibility as country leader for Honeywell India effective August 1, 2016.

“Vikas takes over a very strong Honeywell India business that is an important part of our company’s manufacturing, engineering and software development strategies. Honeywell India features a wide range of advanced offerings intended both for India and the rest of the world,” said Shane Tedjarati, President, Global High Growth Regions, Honeywell. “Each of our business units has a strong presence in India, and our total number of employees in the country has grown from 1,000 in 2002 to approximately 15,000 today, including almost 8,000 engineers, in 50 Indian cities. We continue to see macro trends such as dieselization, rapid urbanization spurred by the 100 Smart Cities campaign, Make in India, the emerging middle class, and growth in civil aviation and defense as being drivers of our growth in the region for many years to come.”

“Today, Honeywell has a significant ‘Make in India’ footprint in country that spans seven state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities and five technology development centers. Anant has done a terrific job in helping Honeywell build its presence and grow our business in India, and we wish him well in his future endeavors,” continued Tedjarati. “We have worked hard to ensure that our bench strength of talent in India is very strong. This internal appointment reflects the organization’s continued evolution, and the maturity and depth of leadership talent in the country.”

Prior to this new appointment, Chadha, a 7-year Honeywell veteran, has served as Managing Director of Honeywell Automation India Limited (HAIL) since January 1, 2014. A successor to Chadha will soon be named.

Earlier, Chadha was Regional General Manager, Honeywell Building Solutions, for the India region, and before that, Regional Director – South Asia for Honeywell’s Security business. Before joining Honeywell, Chadha was a consultant with McKinsey & Company, where he spent more than two years in strategic consulting and business improvement in India and the Middle East. He has also held national-level management positions at Sharp Business Systems and at Larsen n Toubro Limited.

“Vikas brings a highly successful track record from a career spanning more than 20 years, with a mix of strategy and consulting, rich business experience, and people management,” said Tedjarati. “We are highly confident that he will help continue the momentum we have in India, and create new opportunities to build our capabilities and growth in the country.”

Chadha will drive Honeywell’s businesses to seek new growth opportunities and identify potential synergies in the region. Honeywell is among the most deeply invested multinationals in India, with more than 3,000 technology products, solutions, and innovative applications being engineered in the country. The cutting-edge work that is done here supports Honeywell’s advanced technology development, software capabilities through CMMI Level 5 programming, and new product introductions, including in the emerging connected technologies space.

 “Honeywell’s proven global strategy of having Great Positions in Good Industries, and its unwavering commitment to investing in India has helped drive growth here,” said Chadha. “It is a great opportunity to be taking on this role now as Honeywell continues its evolution as a cyber-industrial company with strong capabilities in software engineering and product development, much of which is coming from our plants in India. I am looking forward to driving our business in India forward and serving our customers with some of the world’s leading technologies.”

ITC Infotech 2nd Edition of its Flagship Annual Technology Innovation - iTech 2016 - On July 16-17, 2016

ITC Infotech, a global scale full service provider of technology solutions, has announced the second edition of its annual technology innovation and co-creation platform ‘iTech 2016’. The event will take place at the ITC Infotech campus in Bangalore on July 16 and 17, 2016.

Marking a first this year, iTech 2016 will introduce a new segment called ‘Showcase’, a unique platform designed to connect technology startups and their solutions directly to business users. As a part of ‘Showcase’, shortlisted startups will get the opportunity to interact with business leaders and technocrats, and demonstrate their solution to them. As a system integrator, ITC Infotech may partner and invest in helping startups further develop their solution, create a joint go-to-market and provide wider market access.

Another key feature this year is the 2-day hackathon on Augmented Reality/ Virtual Reality (AR/VR), aimed at startups, professional developers and students. The hackathon will be a 30-hour prototype building contest that will address crowdsourced business challenges from ITC businesses and ITC Infotech’s global customers. Participants for the AR/VR Hackathon, perceived to be the technology of the future, can present their ideas across any of the following challenge areas:

Manufacturing: Solutions to guide on the correct course of action, change plant & equipment maintenance process, while saving time and money, or enhance training material, quality control and related areas. 

Consumer Goods:  Create an immersive experience and transform the way consumers interact with products in store.

Retail: Enhance customer experience in online and offline shopping. Solutions to create virtual trial room or virtual fashion shows to present the new season and line.

Hospitality: Entries should present solutions designed to revolutionize the way guests experience the hotel property, its amenities, deals & offers and other information.

Education and Stationery Products: Entries should use AR/VR technologies to pique children’s interest in academic material, enhance learning with interactive puzzles and simplify understanding of ‘how things work’.

Banking, Financial Services and Insurance: Solutions to make processes easier and radically improve customer experience.

Agriculture: Create a thriving ecosystem with intelligent pest management & control solutions. Guide farmers and farm workers in planning usage of fertilizers, pesticides and irrigation schedules for different crops and crop cycles.

Sushma Rajagopalan, MD and CEO, ITC Infotech, said, “Technology today is aiding transformational shifts in the ways business, governments, and societies function. Inventive technological thinking, married to agile decision making is critical to respond swiftly to the needs of business and society. With iTech 2016, we are bringing a unique opportunity to bright young technologists to showcase their design thinking and technology ideas, while interacting closely with the vibrant ecosystem of entrepreneurs and business leaders of the future.”

With the immense success of IoT Hackathon at iTech 2015, ITC Infotech is geared up to offer best-in-class experience through iTech 2016, which will in turn allow participants to race against time and showcase path-breaking solutions which are market ready. The winners, first runners up and second runners up will be awarded a cash prize of Rs 3, 00,000, Rs 2, 00,000, and Rs 1, 00,000 respectively.”

With Sondex Acquisition, Danfoss Emerges Leading Player in Heat Transfer Solutions

Danfoss and Sondex have announced an agreement for Danfoss to acquire full ownership of privately-held Sondex Holding A/S, a global leader in heat transfer technologies. Sondex develops, produces and markets heat exchangers, and the company represents an ideal match to the Danfoss Heating business segment. Thus the acquisition confirms Danfoss’ strategic focus on building leading positions and accelerating profitable growth. 

“Sondex is a well-performing company with a second-to-none heat exchanger expertize, which perfectly fits our ambition to further strengthen our position within heat transfer solutions. By joining forces we are able to offer a broader, even more competitive and innovative product and service portfolio within heat transfer to the benefit of our customers”, says Niels B. Christiansen, President and CEO, Danfoss.

Combining the two businesses, Sondex and the Danfoss Heat Exchanger business, is an important lever to develop the already strong market position in district energy and HVAC, and to increase relevance within industries as marine, food and beverage, off-shore, and industrial refrigeration.

“Sondex and Danfoss both come from positions of strength and we already enjoy a strong and long-standing relationship in key areas. Now, we combine our businesses to make an even bigger impact in the markets we serve. I am very pleased about the opportunity to combine our strengths as I am confident that together we will have a very compelling and unmatched value proposition in the market”, says Aage Søndergaard Nielsen, CEO, Sondex.

Sondex is headquartered in Kolding, Denmark and employs approximately 1,200 employees worldwide. Upon regulatory approval of the transaction, the company becomes part of the Danfoss Heating business.

The parties have not disclosed the purchase price or other conditions of the transaction.

Samsung’s Galaxy On7 Pro & Galaxy On5 Pro Now Available on Amazon.in

Samsung India has announced launch of its Galaxy On Pro series of smartphones, Galaxy On7 Pro and Galaxy On5 Pro, which will be sold online through Amazon.in. Made in India, the new 4G-enabled smartphones are packed with a host of services and features which take the smartphone experience to the next level. Through these new devices, Samsung aims to cater to the growing needs of the users who are ‘always on the go’ and want to remain socially updated at all times.

Galaxy On7 Pro and On5 Pro come loaded with power-packed features such as UDS (Ultra Data Saving) mode, faster 4G booster and S bike mode, which promise to provide a differentiated experience to millennials. Consumers will also be able to enjoy a host of exclusive deals and offers with the pre-loaded My Galaxy app on the Galaxy On7 Pro and Galaxy On5 Pro. The stylish new devices are VOLTE-enabled and will come with enhanced memory, powerful battery and an enhanced selfie experience with palm gesture/ wide angle.

Manu Sharma, Vice President, Mobile Business, Samsung India Electronics, said, “The new devices represent young India’s need to be always connected on-the-go. Consumers want to be more productive every moment and every day, from excelling in their professional lives to being updated on social media. Both Galaxy On7 Pro and Galaxy On5 Pro are the perfect smartphones with India Innovations like UDS and S bike mode for users who want an optimal mix of style, portability and power.The new devices will enable users to seamlessly integrate their personal and professional lives.”

Noor Patel, Director Category Management, Amazon India, said, “We are happy to partner with Samsung and offer customers an exclusive access to the new Galaxy On7 Pro and Galaxy On5 Pro smartphones. Customers on Amazon.in can now enjoy shopping for these new devices with ease and convenience from across India."

Surf like a ProThe smartphones come with full 4G LTE capability that enables faster browsing and download/ upload speeds, allowing the user to do more. Coupled with the UDS mode, it ensures up to 50% mobile data savings by blocking unnecessary background applications from consuming data. It also has a proprietary data compression technology, which ensures the most cost-efficient 4G experience. The devices come with the large HD 5.5” (Galaxy On7 Pro) and HD 5” (Galaxy On5

Pro) display which are made for crystal clear clarity and comfortable viewing. Users can be assured of an engaging, effortless and enriching viewing experience.

Ride like a Pro

The new device comes with the revolutionary S bike mode, which ensures that the users can ride their two wheelers, tension free on the road while encouraging responsible riding. S bike mode’s urgent call alert system notifies callers through an automated answering machine that the user is riding and is unavailable to take calls. However, callers have the option to press ‘1’ in case the call is urgent. As a safety feature, the in-built motion lock ensures that the rider has to come to a halt before they can answer the call.

Game like a Pro

Galaxy On7 Pro and Galaxy On5 Pro is powered by a 2GB RAM and 3,000mAh battery for Galaxy On7 Pro and 2,600mAh for Galaxy On5 Pro which will enable a smooth gaming experience for longer durations. The devices offer storage space of 16GB expandable up to 128GB, to ensure consumers never run out of space.

Shoot like a Pro

Both the phones feature a powerful primary (13MP for Galaxy On7 Pro and 8MP for Galaxy On5 Pro) and secondary camera (5MP for both). The front camera can also recognize palm gestures to click selfies and is capable of clicking 120 degree wide ‘groupfies’. Users can quick-launch the camera with a double-tap for a differentiated experience to capture precious moments instantly. With 128GB expandable memory card slot, the devices will enable users to carry their favourite photos, videos and songs with them wherever they go.

Price and Availability

Galaxy On7 Pro and Galaxy On5 Pro will be available in gold and black colours and the product will go on sale on www.amazon.in from July 12, 2016 at an attractive price of Rs 11,190 and Rs 9,190, respectively.

Leading Quote-to-Cash Software Provider - Apttus - To Set Up Development Centre in Bengaluru

Apttus, the category-defining Quote-to-Cash solution provider on Salesforce1 and Microsoft Azure cloud platforms, today announced the official opening of its Bengaluru centre in India. Due to the brand’s rapid growth of its customer base and solutions offering, the Apttus India team has tripled in size over the last year, adding personnel most notably to its product engineering, sales engineering, support and professional services teams.

Apttus’ new 16,000 square feet technology centre is located at Salarpuria Touchstone Park on Outer Ring Road. The development centre is a combination of sales office and product development spaces that will be home for 200 employees and will leverage the best of HR practices that Apttus is known for.  

“The opening of our second centre in India after office in Ahmedabad, is representative of our commitment to our product and our customers,” said Jesal Mehta, GM - India of Apttus. “We’re growing our team to meet customers’ needs and attract the next generation of Apttus employees. Our Apttus India centres offer our young and dynamic team to work with global customers. Expanding our reach and capabilities in Bengaluru, will allow Apttus to continue its success in this vital market.”

With the opening of Bengaluru centre, Apttus has been also aggressively trying to enter emerging market in India for addressing the need for ‘Quote-to-Cash’ processes. With the India specific launch of Apttus QTC solutions, businesses would be able to take advantage of the world class solutions which are adopted by many of the Fortune 500 companies globally.

Quote-to-Cash connects a customer’s intent to buy with a company’s realization of revenue, and encompasses the entire sales, contract, and customer relationship lifecycles. Because Quote-to-Cash is at the heart of every company’s ability to drive revenue and manage risk, it is arguably the most important process for businesses to master and could be a game changer for the organizations to compete better.

50 MW Order from Atria Power for Inox Wind Scheduled to be Commissioned by March 2017

Inox Wind Limited, India’s leading wind energy solutions provider, has bagged an order for a 50 MW wind power project to be deployed in the state of Gujarat from Atria Wind Power.  Atria Wind Power is a part of the Atria Group which enjoys significant presence across a gamut of industries.  

The project is scheduled to be commissioned by March 2017 and will be executed on turnkey basis.  The order comprises of supply and installation of 25 units of Inox Wind’s pioneering 113 meter rotor diameter turbine combined with the 120 meter hub height tower.  The combination of Inox Wind’s presently most technologically advanced wind turbine variant together with the higher hub height makes it an outstanding choice to maximise wind resources at the site.    

As part of the turnkey order, Inox Wind will provide Atria with end to end solutions from development and construction to commissioning and providing long term operations and maintenance services. 

Inox Wind offers its clients total wind power solutions including wind resource assessment, acquiring land, developing the entire site infrastructure, building the power evacuation system, supplying the WTGs, erection and commissioning services, long term operations and maintenance services as well as post-commissioning support.

    

We are pleased to further build on the success of Inox’s 2 MW platform in India and expand our portfolio of projects in the state of Gujarat. The 113 m rotor dia turbine together with the 120 m hub height tower minimizes the cost of energy and further strengthens the company’s competitive position as the fastest growing wind energy solutions provider in the country.” said Kailash Tarachandani, Chief Executive Officer of Inox Wind Limited in his statement. 

Google Ties up with Universities to Unveil Skills Course for 2 Million Android Developers

Tech giant Google launched Android Skilling and Certification programme in India, aiming to train two million developers in next three years.

Android dominates Indian market, with over 90% phones sold in the country powered by the Google's operating system. Google wants to ensure that enough developers are building apps for millions of Android users in India.

The Android Developer Fundamentals course, a specially-designed instructor-led training programme, will be made available across public and private universities and training institutes of the National Skill Development Corporation of India.

"India is expected to have the largest developer population globally, overtaking the US, by 2018, with four million developers. But at present only 25% of developers are building for mobile," Google Vice President Product Management said Caesar Sengupta.

Google Head of Developer Training, Peter Lubbers, said the training is available for both students as well as mid-career developers, he added.

The in-person training module integrated into the course curriculum will be introduced within this calendar year by these partners.

Lubbers said Google has partnered with universities for its initiative. It has also partnered training organisations like Edureka, Koenig, Manipal Global, Simplilearn, Udacity and UpGrad, who will operate as Authorised Android Training Partners in India.

"We are also training the trainers to update their Android courseware to prepare students for the Android Certification and a career in Android development... We expect to train about 4,000 faculty members," said Lubbers.