Mphasis Sparks Accelerates Digital Transformation to Indian Organisations

Mphasis, a leading IT services and solutions provider, today launched ‘Digital Acceleration Program – Sparks’. Sparks accelerates digital transformation for organizations without them having to invest in future proof technology or research labs by constantly bringing in industry disruptors revolutionizing the global banking and insurance sectors. These partnerships are a catalyst in verticalyzing cutting-edge digital technology to help Mphasis’ customers pragmatically deliver end-to-end solutions.

Sparks currently introduces two vital elements ‘Customer Experience’ and ‘Data, Information and Intelligence’ aspects of digital. Sparks evolution roadmap consists of bringing in three other elements: Commerce, Operations, and Architecture and Technology Transformation.

Sparks concurrently fast tracks market reach and growth of leading FinTech and Insure Tech companies; by leveraging a combination of Mphasis’ strong vertical focus, technical proficiency and transformative digital leadership threading domain & digital technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI), Natural Language Processing (NLP), Robotic Process Automation (RPA), Big Data & Advanced Predictive Analytics. 

Sparks initially focuses on hyper-personalization, micro and omni-channel engagements, bringing in AI and NLP technology to transform experience through partners - Ushur, Loyakk and Artificial Solutions Inc.

“Sparks is a potent combination for ensuring digital competitive advantage, innovative technical expertise and future proof business solutions. Collaboration in a mutually beneficial ecosystem offers interoperability, protection of investment and confidence in the future for both our customers and partners as we jointly walk down the path of relevance. Our stringent evaluation methodology ensures we enroll only the best ‘Silicon Valley’ like FinTech and Insure Tech focused start-ups into Sparks,” said Dinesh Venugopal, Head of Strategic and Digital Customers, Mphasis.

Sparks partners will help customers improve application performance, deliver impactful customer experiences and drive business outcomes. All partners—including digital agencies, independent software vendors, cloud platform providers, and specialized systems integrators —working wih Mphasis can now grow their business reach and jointly serve leading banks, brokerage and insurance companies with vertically relevant digital offerings.

Simha Sadasiva, Chief Executive Officer, Ushur, which provides highly innovative micro-engagement, self-service platforms on mobile phones, said, “Mphasis Sparks is a very thoughtful initiative that leverages its deep domain expertise and access to a large market and offers a unique opportunity to companies like us to deliver disruptive solutions to Banking and Insurance industries. We believe business analysts in enterprises can leverage our service bots to drive down significant costs in new and existing customer engagement”.

“We provide Unifier-X, a next-generation Mobile Engagement Platform that enables enterprises to deliver high-touch, personalized experiences to its high-value customers. The credibility of Mphasis driving innovation via its Spark 1.0 program creates incremental revenue growth, access to larger customers and formalizes our joint efforts in support of customer loyalty in critical markets. We are excited to bring innovation in personalized experiences,” said Salim Ali, Chief Executive Officer, Loyakk.

“We are delighted to be part of Mphasis Spark. Customer expectations are changing fast - they now expect to be able to speak to automated channels in a humanlike, natural way – and get accurate, meaningful replies 24/7.  Our natural language platform delivers an artificially intelligent, conversational component that complements the other technologies that Mphasis are integrating into a compelling customer experience proposition for the banking and insurance sector,” said Lawrence Flynn, Chief Executive Officer,

Mining Companies Licenses Eka’s CTRM Software & Commodity Analytics Platform

Eka Software Solutions, the leading global provider of Smart Commodity Management software solutions, announced today that one of the world’s largest metals and mining companies has selected Eka’s CTRM software and commodity analytics solution to integrate with Eka’s execution platform for a seamless production planning process.

The company sought a software solution that would integrate disparate systems and replace a largely manual process to provide an accurate production plan at optimum time intervals. Eka’s solution differs from typical systems in that it is highly integrated to the execution layer providing the scheduling staff with up to the minute feedback on current plan tracking and plant availability. The new software has a variety of inputs including maintenance plans, stock levels, current performance, rail schedules, and ship arrival forecasts and loading sequences. Outputs include detailed task schedules for execution that are dynamically updated in real time.

Eka’s Commodity Analytics solution uses the plan and delivery metrics to provide process performance results that include efficiency and diagnostics as well as scenario based learning. The integrated suite will ensure that optimal execution plans are applied to maximize the plants current capability.

The metals and mining giant was already using Eka’s software for executing production plans and have been impressed with the state-of-the-art 3D stockpile control and material tracking capabilities, which delivered significant throughput improvements. By integrating Eka’s systems for planning and scheduling, the company gains context rich analytics information that will enable it to make the best decisions in operations and maximize throughput.

The company has licensed InSight CM - Site Automation Control and Commodity Analytics Cloud solutions. Site Automation Control provides real-time visibility into operations, productivity, equipment usage, inventory, and maintenance and delay accounting. With Site Automation Control, companies have a clear view of stock on hand and future movements. Commodity Analytics Cloud is an advanced analytics solution that provides apps to measure and diagnose the performance of a plan and to optimize stockyard processes. By identifying deviations from the plan and areas where performance can be improved, operators can make timely corrective actions.

“The integrated site automation control and commodity analytics solution recognizes that production efficiencies are impacted by the scheduling process as much as operational capabilities.” said Peter Stanley, Eka’s Director of supply chain solutions. “Instead of manually gathering disparate data when anomalies occur, the production team will now have the supporting analytics to make continuous improvements to production plans.”

Universal Robots Standardizes Shop Floor Processes for Bajaj Auto Ltd

Esben H. Østergaard, founder and CTO of Universal Robots, and Vikas Sawhney, GM, Engineering, from Bajaj Auto Ltd. showcased the proficiency of a co-bot through an interactive session to demonstrate how collaborative robots are increasing the efficiency of processes on Bajaj’s shopfloors. Since 2010, Bajaj Auto Ltd. has more than 100 Co-bots helping them drive their position as the world’s 3rd largest motorcycle manufacturer. They are the first company in India to implement the use of collaborative robots in automotive assembly lines in India.

On this occasion Vikas Sawhney, Bajaj General Manager Engineering (Robotics and Automation) said, “Two-wheeler assembly lines are highly labor-intensive, spatially challenged which have physically taxing movements that require high-end precision. While trying to automate these lines, one of the basic requirements was for standardization. Moreover, we also wanted to be cognizant of the requirements of the large women workforce at Bajaj.”

During this session, Vikas Sawhney and Esben H. Østergaard also showcased a short video on how the UR co-bots revolutionized the Bajaj shopfloor by streamlining and automating the processes of production across units.

Adding to this, Esben H. Østergaard, Founder and CTO of Universal Robots said, “We are very happy to hear about how our co-bots have eased out processes at Bajaj. Our co-bots were chosen because of their compactness, safety and cost effectiveness. This is a sustainable and suitable option for companies like Bajaj whose employees now possess the right tools to carry out repetitive tasks with faultless precision. The collaborative nature of our co-bots will ensure that their employees are beaming with smiles at the end of their day.”

Universal Robots (UR) was launched in India on October 22, 2015 and is the leading manufacturer of advanced user-friendly and light industrial robotic arms from Denmark.

Top 10 Worldwide Mobile Phone Vendors Increased Sales in Q2 of 2016

Global sales of smartphones to end users totaled 344 million units in the second quarter of 2016, a 4.3 percent increase over the same period in 2015, according to Gartner, Inc. Overall sales of mobile phones contracted by 0.5 percent with only five vendors from the top 10 showing growth. Among them were four Chinese manufacturers (Huawei, Oppo, Xiaomi and BBK Communication Equipment) and South Korea's Samsung.

"Demand for premium smartphones slowed in the second quarter of 2016 as consumers wait for new hardware launches in the second half of the year," said Anshul Gupta, research director at Gartner. In addition, the decline in sales of "feature phones" (down 14 per cent) bolstered the decline in overall sales of mobile phones in the second quarter of 2016.

All mature markets except Japan saw slowing demand for smartphones leading to a decline in sales of 4.9 percent. In contrast, all emerging regions except Latin America saw growth, which led to smartphone sales growing by 9.9 percent.

"The top five smartphone manufacturers together continued to gain market share in the second quarter of 2016 — up from 51.5 percent to 54 percent year on year, led by Oppo, Samsung and Huawei," said Gupta.

In the second quarter of 2016, Samsung had nearly 10 percent more market share than Apple. Samsung saw sales of its Galaxy A and Galaxy J series smartphones compete strongly with Chinese manufacturers. Its new smartphone portfolio also helped Samsung win back share it recently lost in emerging markets.

Apple continued its downward trend with a decline of 7.7 percent in the second quarter of 2016. Apple sales declined in North America (its biggest market) as well as in Western Europe. However, it witnessed its worst sales decline in Greater China and mature Asia/Pacific regions, where sales declined 26 percent. Apple had its best performance in Eurasia, Sub-Saharan Africa and Eastern Europe regions in the second quarter of 2016, where iPhone sales grew more than 95 percent year on year.

 Among the top five smartphone vendors, Oppo exhibited the highest growth in the second quarter of 2016 at 129 percent. This is due to strong sales of its R9 handset in China and overseas. "Features such as an anti-shake camera optimized for selfies, and rapid charge technology, helped Oppo carve a niche market for itself and boost sales in a highly competitive and commoditized smartphone market," said Gupta.

In terms of the smartphone operating system (OS) market, Android regained share over iOS to achieve an 86 percent share (see Table 2) in the second quarter of 2016. Android's performance continued to come from demand for mid- to lower-end smartphones from emerging markets, but also from premium smartphones, which recorded a 6.5 percent increase in the second quarter of 2016.

A number of key Android players, such as Samsung with the Galaxy S7, introduced their new high-end devices, but Chinese brands like Huawei and Oppo are also pushing their premium smartphone ranges with more affordable devices.

"Google is evolving the Android platform fast, which allows Android players to remain at the cutting edge of smartphone technology," said Roberta Cozza, research director at Gartner. "Facing a highly commoditized smartphone market, Google's focus is to further expand and diversify the Android platform with additional functionalities, like virtual reality, enabling more-intelligent experiences and reach into wearables, connected home devices, in-car entertainment and TV."  

She Walks, She Leads; Gunjan Jain Profiles India’s 24 Feisty Women

Gunjan Jain debut book is an authorised anthology of India’s most dynamic women leaders, it profiles life stories of 24 prolific women at the acme of their careers. The book features Nita Ambani, Indra Nooyi, Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, Mira Nair, Priyanka Chopra, Kareena Kapoor, Mary Kom, Sania Mirza, Rajshree Birla, Shobhana Bhartiya, Chanda Kochhar, Anamika Khanna amongst others.

Instead of profiling the ladies alone, Gunjan has closely interacted with their inner coterie, thus delving deeper into the persona behind the achievers. So you have India’s much admired icons like Shah Rukh Khan and Sachin Tendulkar decoding the multifaceted perfectionist, Nita Ambani.

At the launch, she has got Bengaluru’s bio-technology czarina, Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw (who is featured too) sharing candid moments of her friendship with philanthropists Yasmeen Premji and Sudha Murty.

This book is not just a revelation about the lives of these famous women, but more like a Bible on India’s high profile personalities and their hoi polloi friends too. So, don’t be surprised to read about Hollywood’s legendary star Goldie Hawn 20-year-old friendship with Parameshwar Godrej.

Gunjan, in her quest for ‘growth” and  desire to delve deeper into the lives of her subjects has even managed to conduct, snappy interviews with the low profile but high net worth husbands or children of these women of substance. From Kumarmangalam Birla to Tanya Godrej and Akash Ambani, these children with a golden spoon reveal fascinating aspects of their mother’s lives.

The author, who visited Bengaluru to launch her book, talks highly about the local power women she has handpicked for her book.

Another lady to have made it to this coveted list is Sudha Murty, whom Gunjan hails as a trendsetter. “Imagine, she was the only girl amongst 300 male students in an engineering college, and was a topper too. That takes a lot of courage,” she says with obvious admiration.

So, it is a tough call, to ask her to name her personal favourites. But, she sportingly chooses Nita Ambani’s name from the pick, after making it clear that all 24 ladies are special to her.

Speaking about Nita, Gunjan admits, “Her quest for accomplishment and sense of service is unparalled. She is compassionate and wants to genuinely contribute to society. I have never seen this in anyone before,” reveals Gunjan who was obviously thrilled to have Nita as the host of her first book launch in Mumbai.

Gunjan’s personal record is pretty impressive. She has a degree in economics and finance from Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, besides a masters in wealth management from Cass Business School, UK. Gunjan is currently enrolled in a general management programme from Harvard Business School.

Gunjan holds a diploma in image management from the London Image Institute as well as the Academy of Image Mastery in Singapore. And if all this not enough to overwhelm you, she also has a diploma in international etiquette and protocol from the Institut Villa Pierrefeu in Switzerland. Ask her if she constantly seeks challenges, and she simply states, “I constantly seek growth to better myself. And this quest got stronger when I was working on this book.” 

Chinese Handset Maker Oppo to Invest Rs 100 Crore for Manufacturing in Noida; Kicks Off Oppo F1s in Bengaluru

Chinese smartphone maker OPPO will set up a local manufacturing unit in India with an investment of Rs 100 crore for the facility in Noida. The unit, which will have a capacity of 10 million handsets, will become operational in August this year. ”Our Noida facility will become operational in August. With a capacity of 10 million units, the facility will be our own. We are investing Rs 100 crore in the project,” says Sirius Liu, Sales Head for Bangalore, OPPO told the media at the First Sale of Selfie Expert OPPO F1s at the OPPO store in Jayanagar, Bangalore.

Industry sources indicate that its present partnership with Foxconn to assemble phone locally will also continue. At present, Foxconn has production lines at its Chennai factory dedicated for OPPO’s smartphone requirements in the country. The company would manufacture its entire range here but the company “is not looking at India as an export hub at the moment.”

The company’s decision to locally manufacture smartphones comes at a time when handset makers are tapping into the multi-billion dollar opportunity in India, one of the fastest growing smartphone markets in the world. Handset makers like Samsung, Micromax, Xiaomi, Gionee, Lenovo and OnePlus have already set up assembly units in the country.

Besides, OPPO kick-started the first sale of Selfie Expert OPPO F1s at the OPPO store in Jayanagar, Bangalore recently. The sale was kick-started by Bollywood diva Huma Qureshi. Taking selfies a step further, the much awaited upgraded Selfie Expert OPPO F1s was recently launched in the Indian market. Pre-orders were taken across India from August 4 to August 10. 

Excited on being the first OPPO F1s customer, Huma Qureshi said, “The selfie craze in India is just getting popular day by day and I am too completely awestruck with this Phenomenon-I love taking selfies! OPPO has the best Camera Phone technology in the industry and I am very excited to use my upgraded Selfie Expert –OPPO F1s. With its 16MP front camera the OPPO F1s helps capture great selfies even in low light and is taking selfies to a whole new level.”

“Being a key market for OPPO, Bangalore as well as major centres in the states are expanding its footprint to meet the demands of growing customer base. “Said Liu, “Our First Sale initiative is to introduce customers with our latest upgraded Selfie Expert – OPPO F1s which is stepping up the selfie revolution with a 16 MP front camera, a sophisticated beautification feature and whole day use long battery endurance. Currently, we have 6 showrooms and 12 service centres in Bangalore and we aim to provide fast and best services to all our customers”

A feature packed product at a price of Rs 17,990, The F1s uses a 16 MP front camera providing high dynamic range and minimizing noise, so that pictures come out with a vivid depth and detail. The F1s is your personalized selfie expert with the latest beautification feature - Beautify 4.0. The front camera and the beautification feature together help you click perfect selfies.  With seven beautify levels, two skins tone modes and upgraded photo-processing algorithms, Beautify 4.0 is optimized to capture selfies with bright, clear skin, vivid eyes and striking features. The F1s is not just about great selfies and photography but is backed with powerful hardware to ensure a flawless experience.

It cruises on an Octa-core processor with 3GB RAM and 32GB ROM with an industry leading 0.22s fingerprint reader. The triple-slot card tray gives space for two Nano 4G SIM cards and an SD card to expand the storage space by up to 128 GB. 

Mark Innes Appointed New GM for Salesforce in Asia Pacific Region

Salesforce, the Customer Success Platform and world's #1 CRM company has announced the appointment of Mark Innes as the new general manager for Salesforce in the Asia Pacific region (APAC). In this newly created role, Innes will be responsible for the growth of the APAC region and helping customers of all sizes and industries with their business transformation using the world’s leading cloud CRM platform.

Previously, Innes was Salesforce’s senior vice president of enterprise business in APAC, responsible for the success of the company’s largest customers including Australia Post, Changi Airport, Cochlear, NSW Department of Family and Community Services, and Siam Commercial Bank. Innes brings more than 30 years’ experience working for global companies in senior sales and management positions in Australia, the United Kingdom and South Africa, across key industry sectors, including finance, telecommunications and utilities, as well as oil and gas.

In Salesforce’s first quarter of fiscal year 2017, revenue for APAC, including Japan, grew 29 per cent year-over-year in constant currency. In addition, over the last year Salesforce’s corporate philanthropic arm, Salesforce.org, has contributed more than 16,800 staff volunteer hours and $550,000 in grants to nonprofits across Australia and Asia. And over 1,100 nonprofits have benefited from using the Salesforce platform including the Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience, Foodbank, Leukemia Foundation, the Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre, and School’s Plus.

Commentary on News

●      Keith Block, vice chairman, president and COO, Salesforce, said: “There's a race to the top around transformation in the age of the customer, and Asia Pacific is no exception. Every company is looking for ways to put customers at the center of their business and Mark’s leadership and proven track record of customer success will accelerate our ability to deliver Asia Pacific’s next decade of growth.”

●      Mark Innes, general manager, Salesforce APAC said: “Asia Pacific is one of the world’s fastest growing cloud markets, and I am thrilled to be taking on this position to help Salesforce capitalize on the opportunity here. As the global leader in CRM, Salesforce is uniquely positioned to help companies across the region connect with customers in entirely new ways.” 

Background on Mark Innes

●      Innes joined Salesforce in 2012 as senior vice president for the company’s Enterprise Business in Australia and New Zealand and later expanded his role to in 2014 to lead the company’s sales, services, market development and sales consulting functions across the APAC region.

●      Prior to joining Salesforce, Innes was vice president of Oracle’s Applications Business in Australia and New Zealand.

●      Since entering the IT Industry more than 30 years ago, Innes has gained a vast amount of experience in various sales and executive management roles for leading global IT organisations.