TKM Opens Admissions for Toyota Tech Training Institute for 2017-18

Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) has announced the opening of admissions for the academic year 2017-18 of Toyota Technical Training Institute (TTTI), a dedicated 3-year program that provides opportunities for intelligent students from economically weaker sections across Karnataka to become skilled technicians in auto manufacturing and plant administration.

Admission to the 10^th batch of TTTI is open to male candidates only (at present) from economically backward sections of the society, from across the state of Karnataka. Aspirants between the age of 15-17 years (as on 15^th July 2017) and have cleared SSLC in their first attempt with 50% overall and 50% in Mathematics and Science each are eligible to apply.

Further details on this year’s application are given below:

The selection procedure which starts soon after the SSLC result announcement (during May ’17) includes a written test, skill test, physical test, assessment test, interview, medical test and antecedent check.

The three year full-term apprentice residential training in Automobile Manufacturing has four courses namelyAutomobile Assembly, Automobile Weld, Automobile Paint and Mechatronics.

The training curriculum at TTTI is a unique blend which focuses on the holistic development of Knowledge (16%), Skill (34%), Body and Mind (50%) of the students.

Toyota Kirloskar Motor has been instrumental in promoting skill development in the automotive industry through various innovative programs. TTTI is one such step by the company towards helping talented youth from rural Karnataka in improving their quality of life and making them more employable thereby promoting a robust economy in the country. The institute has provided training to close to 500 students from across the state.

Training at TTTI is not restricted to classrooms and workshops alone. TTTI exclusively emphasizes on over all development of the trainees as per industry requirements & towards “Perfecting people” and there by contributing young multi skilled, energetic, ideal students to the nation.

At the completion of the training,

v  Students are getting certification from Toyota Kirloskar Motor Pvt. Ltd.

v  Students are getting a privilege to appear for NAC (National Apprentice Certificate) exam and  certification from ASDC (Automotive Skill Development Council )

During the course, students will be given the opportunity to take part in various national and internationals competitions like National Skill Competition and World Skill Competition (Skill Olympics).

The Hive Brings 2000 Start Enablers To Bengaluru With ‘STARup 2017’

The Hive – Collaborative Workspaces at VR Bengaluru, yesterday concluded ‘STARup2017’, a gathering of over 2,000 entrepreneurs, investors, corporate representatives, government officials and influencers from across the world’s leading start-up ecosystems. The conference was presented by Ah! Ventures and was focussed on the theme of Emerging Technology Trends. It welcomed an array of distinguished personalities from the start-up ecosystem; Praveen Sinha (Jabong), Sauvik Banerjjee (TATA Cliq), Archana Priyadarshini (Unicorn India Ventures), Shalini Prakash (500 Startups), Dr. A. Velumani (Thyrocare) and Sandeep Agarwal (ShopClues) among others. 

The two-day conference witnessed a host of panel discussions and sessions with eminent speakers across FinTech, HealthTech, EduTech, EmeringTech, CleanTech, FoodTech & Logistics, Platforms & Aggregators, Robotics & AI and Co-working segments.

Ankit Samdariya, spokesperson for The Hive, said,” STARup is one of the largest networking and knowledge sharing events in the country. In-line with our vision of connecting communities, we partnered with STARup2017 to provide a platform for the start-up ecosystem to connect and engage in a colloquial environment at VR Bengaluru.”

The conference created an opportunity for like-minded people across start-up ecosystems to network and learn from each other. It also provided a platform where start-ups could pitch and procure funding for their ventures. In a drastic departure from the conventional conference venues STARup2017 was held across different venues including a pub, a fitness studio, a rooftop bar and pool side and co-working spaces.  

Harshad Lahoti, Founder, Ah! Ventures said, “For the first edition STARup in Bangalore, The Hive was an ideal choice as it offered 1 million sq.ft of unique co-working and networking spaces at VR Bengaluru. The Hive’s culture of collaboration resonates with the essence of STARup which is all about bringing communities together.”     

The event was not all work and no play; it had five breakout sessions such as, Money on the Table, Tu Bhi Beer Hai, Jam with T-Man, 18-of-a-Kind and Wallet Bureau to enliven the atmosphere.

L&T Infotech Rebranded LTI; To Hire 1,500-2,000 Freshers in FY17-18

L&T Infotech, a leading IT services company, is rebranding itself as LTI. Days after Wipro unveiled its new brand identity, L&T Infotech, too, has decided to drop the word ‘Infotech’ from its name to reflect the changed business environment. The tech firm also announced that they would be hiring about 1,500 to 2,000 freshers during this financial year.

The new LTI’s tagline says: ‘Let’s solve,’ which symbolizes its ability to come up with solutions in an ever-changing digital world. 

Sanjay Jalona, CEO of L&T Infotech says, "20 years ago used to work with IT companies, but now we work with consumer, marketing, manufacturing and technology companies. Infotech was old and referred to the IT section of the customer base, which has changed as have technologies. We want to position ourselves differently in the marketplace. So the CIOs are just stakeholders of ours today."

With the core value proposition shifting away from outsourcing of IT services to transformational activity, India’s technology companies are trying hard to covey to customers that they are more than just outsourcing companies.

Like many of its larger peers, L&T Infotech, too, has been chasing the transformational deals that require deployment of disruptive technologies like mobile, cloud, artificial intelligence and cloud. It may be recalled that Infosys dropped 'Technologies' from its name in 2011 as it got into different lines of business over the years. And, Wipro’s new brand identity seeks to convey pretty much the same thing to its customers.

The company has worked with Saffron, a global agency founded by Wally Olins, to develop a new corporate identity. The new identity and brand idea is based on amber sky and blue sea forming a mosaic of sorts. Jalona explains, "There are different pieces of rocks and they come together to form a mosaic, which is a work of art. We trademarked MOSAIC and it is our framework for digital transformation. All investments we are making are in these technologies and capabilities." MOSAIC is an acronym for a platform that will deliver disruptive technologies to customers like mobile, social, automation, artificial intelligence, IoT and cloud.

LTI Will Continue to Hire 1,500 to 2,000 Freshers During FY17-18

LTI says that it would continue to hire freshers from campuses even though there will be a significant focus on improving the quality of hiring.

Jalona says, “We plan to hire the best in class fresh candidates from prominent institutions and also through number of hackathon events held in all the locations we are present. LTI will continue to grow at the leader quadrant during FY17-18.”

Company sources indicate that LTI employees of about 21,000 globally, 4,000 in the Bangalore centre and about 3,000 in the US alone.

The average salary of a US LTI employee stands around $70,000 to $80,000, which is one of the best in the industry, expect for couple of larger rivals who have a higher degree of consulting revenue mix.

Students of SREC, IIIT Jabalpur & UVCE Emerge Winners at L&T Tech Services TECHgium

L&T Technology Services Limited, a leading global pure-play Engineering R&D Services company has announced the winners of its pan-India engineering talent hunt TECHgium. Students of Sri Ramakrishna Engineering College, SREC, Engineering College in Coimbatore won the first prize; Indian Institute of Information Technology, Design and Manufacturing (IIITDM) Jabalpur won the second prize while University Visvesvaraya College of Engineering (UVCE), Bangalore were the winners of the third prize in the engineering talent contest.  

The initiative is a nationwide outreach and open innovation model that offers a ready platform to students to solve contemporary challenges in engineering faced by industries globally. Over 7,000 engineering talent with 193 faculty members from 164 reputed engineering institutes participated in the competition to solve the 22 challenges defined by LTTS’ clients like Intel, Calsonic Kansei, Wartsila, Danaher, Setra Systems, Continental, Zebra and Thomson International. 

The multi-stage competition required students to create concepts, submit abstracts, present technical papers and showcase Proof of Concepts (PoCs) to address the challenges.

Dr. Keshab Panda, CEO & Managing Director, L&T Technology Services Limited said, “We are proud to be the dream engineering company in college campuses across India. Through TECHgium our aim is to further extend this strong association with the engineering student community and create the digital engineering skills much needed by our nation. We also thank our clients for sharing the challenges that has made this contest so exciting.”

The elite panel of jury members for the final stage which showcased live demonstration of Proofs of Concepts from 40 teams and 105 students, included Pareekh Jain, Senior Vice President and Managing Director India, Hfs Research, Raman Ganapathiraman, Country Manager, India, ARC Advisory Group and Rashmi Urdhwareshe, Director, Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI).

The team from Sri Ramakrishna Engineering College, Coimbatore worked on a Single Seated Powered Winch Mechanism. Indian Institute of Information Technology, Design and Manufacturing College, Jabalpur who developed a PoC on Use of Phased Array Ultrasonic Technology for leakage detection. Student from the University Visvesvaraya College of Engineering, Bangalore who developed a solution for incorporating variable compression ratio in a turbocharged engine to increase low power efficiency.

The winning teams were also awarded cash prizes of Rs 3 lakhs, Rs 2 lakhs and Rs 1 lakh respectively. These successful students will be eligible for placements in L&T Technology Services after graduation based on the merit of their solutions.

Speaking on the award win, Charles Martin of Sri Ramakrishna Engineering College, Coimbatore said, “It is yet to sink in that our work will solve a challenging problem faced by a global technology leader. We are grateful to LTTS for providing this unique opportunity to experience the pace of problem solving expected by the industry.”

“We are pleased to be part of this unique TECHgium contest. It has been immensely helpful in building our confidence to face industry challenges after we graduate,” commented Avashesh Singh of IIIT Design and Manufacturing, Jabalpur.

Other PoCs showcased at TECHgium include a project on Vehicle assistance using Artificial Intelligence (AI)’ from Dayananda Sagar College of Engineering, Bangalore and a project related to the building industry - a mobile based control to adjust roof panels thereby maximizing day-light inside rooms.

TCS Opens First Drones Research Lab in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA

TCS has opened its first Drones Research Lab in the US, at its Seven Hills Park Innovation Centre located in Cincinnati, Ohio, to address the demand for unmanned aerial vehicles and business solutions across industries.

The lab — featuring indoor labs, showcase, warehouse and outdoor terrain footprints — provides a rapid experimentation and co-innovation environment for customers to build solutions for specific industry problems in accelerated 30-60-90-day delivery cycles, the company said in a statement.

FAA Part 107-certified TCS pilots based at the lab fly fully equipped drones to collect data for specific industry use-cases. Advanced computer vision, machine-learning and deep-learning algorithms enable fully automated processing of drone-captured images to reveal precise insights.

“Forward-thinking companies worldwide are at different stages of exploring drone technology to re-imagine existing operational processes and transform the way they do business,” said K Ananth Krishnan, EVP and Chief Technology Officer, TCS. “The Drones Research Lab combines the latest in drone technology with cutting-edge research from our labs, and enables our customers to rapidly build innovative solutions.”

The lab is an extension of the global TCS Research and Innovation ecosystem bringing the combined expertise of its labs, start-ups, academia and technology partners closer to customers. The fully operational lab demonstrates solutions for insurance, manufacturing, logistics and transportation industries, as well as specific environmental applications.

Agencies

PTC India signs Agreements for 1050 Mega Watts Wind Power

PTC India Limited, the leading provider of power trading solutions in India, has announced the execution of Memorandum of Agreements (MoAs) with seven (07) state utilities for sale of wind energy for a total quantum of 1049.9 MW. The tariff for wind energy was discovered transparently through competitive bid at a historic low of 3.46 / Unit. PTC’s thrust on renewable energy is in line with the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to reach 175 GW of renewable capacity by 2022.

The Agreements were exchanged between PTC and Discoms in the presence of Hon’ble Minister of State (IC) for Power, Coal, New and Renewable Energy and Mines Piyush Goyal at a Conference of Power, New and Renewable Energy and Mines Ministers of States & UTs held here. Distribution Utilities of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Assam, Odisha, Delhi and Noida have signed MoA with PTC. Uttar Pradesh is the largest beneficiary of the Scheme and has signed MoA for 440 MW.

Deepak Amitabh, Chairman and Managing Director said, “We are proud to be associated as a trading partner for renewable resources based power generation, which is the energy for the future. The scheme is very beneficial for power industry as a whole and wind industry in particular. It will attract more investments in the industry and lower tariff through competitive bidding, which will benefit the end consumers. This model will be very helpful for scaling up wind power generation in the overall renewable energy basket in the future. The Scheme is aimed at better utilization of wind resources that are available abundantly in windy states and supply green power to non-windy states, hence helping the nation as a whole in achieving the target. I would like to congratulate developers and Utilities for their contributions towards achieving the target set by Govt. of India.”

Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) had formulated the Scheme for setting up of 1000 MW ISTS connected wind power in India. In the Scheme, wind projects are to be set up in windy states for supply of power to non-windy states and UTs. PTC is the trading partner responsible for purchase and sale of wind power under the scheme. The government successfully completed the first ever auction of wind power and associated infrastructure for 1,000 MW in last week of February with a provision to increase in upto 1050 MW. Bidders were selected and Letter of Awards were given to successful bidders. PTC India Ltd has successfully tied up entire power with above discoms.

Altimetrik’s Tech Playground in Pune Comprises Design Studio and Innovation Lab

Altimetrik, a technology transformation and solutions partner to global enterprises, has expanded its presence in India through the opening of its newest immersive experience center, Playground, in Pune. Comprising a Design Studio and an Innovation Lab, Playground will lead Altimetrik’s growth strategy and become the ‘global mecca’ for industries like banking, healthcare, fintech and manufacturing. By blending technology and innovation with global talent and capabilities, Altimetrik will be able to reduce time to delivery by upto 30%. This is the second such center after Bangalore and will soon be an integral part of a network of Playgrounds once similar centers are launched in the United States, Uruguay and other strategic locations.

The Playground, an integral part of Altimetrik‘s strategy, will enable technology-led business transformation for clients globally. With Pune becoming one of the fastest growing cities in the area of digital banking, e-payments and modern-day financial services, the city houses immense opportunities for the industry. It forms a critical part of Altrimetrik’s talent acquisition strategy.

Raj Sundaresan, Chief Operating Officer, Altimetrik, said, “As the country is headed towards a digital economy, Pune has the potential to spearhead this movement. We believe that the disruptive combinations that the Playground offers will enable us to achieve non-linear growth in our deeper clientele strategy globally. Innovation has always been an intrinsic part of Altimetrik’s solution engineering to clients. Our simple 4-step engineering approach – Envision, Engineer, Assemble and Deploy – is anchored through the Design studio and iInnovation lab. Through the Playground we want to empower the tech-savvy workforce to meaningfully use technology with an engineering and business-outcome mindset.”

The Playground – in both its digital and physical manifestations – is a disruptive combination of 3 key elements:

1.     The Design-led Engineering Methodology

2.     Platforms & advanced technology Capabilities

3.     Full-stack talent empowered with end-to-end ownership.

A differentiated experiential zone – with a dedicated Design Studio, and centers for each Capability to house Altimetrik’s components, solutions, frameworks and platforms, this area is where one can simply walk in, ideate and start building solutions with agility, velocity and precision. 

The elements of the Playground – Approach, Platforms and Full-stack Talent will accelerate faster delivery through component engineering while augmenting a profound customer experience. A globally scalable business innovation that fosters hyper-collaboration, unified teams, and an idea driven, open innovation ecosystem; it helps Altimetrik develop a differentiated and unique value proposition for Industry, Customers and Employees.