ThoughtWorks Re-Launches Vapasi to Bring Technical Women Back to Work

ThoughtWorks, a global technology company, announced the re-launch of Vapasi, today. Vapasi is a ThoughtWorks India initiative that addresses the gender gap within the senior developer community. The program will enable experienced women developers who are currently on a career break, to re-enter the world of programming.

Vapasi will provide female developers, who have chosen to go on a break, an intensive deep dive into object-oriented programming through a customized designed four week boot camp that will also involve sharpening participants’ programming skills through hands-on sessions. This will ensure that, the returning technologists can keep track of changes, in the ever dynamic IT space. Post the boot camp, participants are encouraged to apply for a 3 or 6 month internship with the company. After the internship, participants who are interested in joining ThoughtWorks, full time, can opt for a specially designed recruitment procedure.

The program’s intention is to also provide female IT professionals with a platform, to define/re-define career paths, connect and identify with role models, exchange experiences and support each other in becoming an active member of the IT community.

Commenting on the Vapasi program, Savita Hortikar, Head of Recruitment, ThoughtWorks India said, “ThoughtWorks has always been passionate about diversity. We realize that an inclusive working environment of passionate and driven women technologists leads to collective and sustainable organizational growth. We are happy to provide a platform in the form of the Vapasi program, for women professionals to continue strong technical careers.”

This program is part of #TalkTechToHer, a ThoughtWorks campaign directed towards women in technology who have more than 6 years of work experience. The campaign wants to elevate the conversation around inclusivity and drive an important message that women can achieve as much as men, or more, when they are presented with the opportunities, without the biases.

This year, Vapasi will be held in Hyderabad, launching in the third week of August. Log on to https://info.thoughtworks.com/vapasi to find out more about the program.

BPCL Awards Microsites Design & Implementation Contract to Octaware Technologies

Octaware Technologies Limited, a leading software and business solutions development company, is pleased to announce that they have been awarded the prestigious contract from BPCL for the design and implementation of their loyalty and brand microsites. Octaware was one of the bidders and was awarded the contract, post evaluation and presentation of efficient solutions and capabilities to the evaluation committee.

The scope of work under the contract includes design and implementation of microsites for BPCL’s loyalty programs – SmartFleet & PetroBonus and other brands - Speed and In & Out. The engagement includes a period of 3 months for implementation of microsites and an additional three years of support and maintenance. Octaware Technology Limited’s expertise in the areas of online portals & enterprise systems helped them win the contract.

Commenting on the development, Aslam Khan, Chief Executive Officer, Octaware Technologies Limited, said, “We are extremely delighted to have won the prestigious contract from BPCL, our first major win in the Indian PSU sector, post our IPO in April 2017. The fact that it falls under one of Octaware’s key focus verticals of governance, demonstrates our consistent and steady inroads in the Indian market, surpassing some of the strong players in the region. We look forward to a long-term business association with BPCL”.

Tata Elxsi Wins Supplier Excellence Award from Jaguar Land Rover

Tata Elxsi, a leading global design and technology services company, has received the prestigious Jaguar Land Rover Supplier Excellence Award for 2017.

This award recognizes companies who consistently demonstrate excellent on-time delivery, continuous quality, technical innovation and consistently meet production and design challenges with a complete understanding of Jaguar Land Rover‘s standards.

Tata Elxsi has been working with Jaguar Land Rover for over 16 years now, and set up an Offshore Development Center for Jaguar Land Rover in 2008, to provide design, technology and engineering services, right from advanced R&D to software and engineering for production programs and complete vehicle program management.

Tata Elxsi was recognized this year for its contribution to an innovative industry-first feature, which is now available in Jaguar Land Rover vehicles.  Tata Elxsi was responsible for the development of this module, including the application, base software, integration and testing. The design delivers a scalable common architecture, which can be used across multiple variants and programs, resulting in not only a differentiated feature for Jaguar Land Rover vehicles, but also significant cost and weight savings along with the benefits of complete ownership of the software.

Speaking about the award, Anil Sondur, Executive Vice President, Tata Elxsi, said, “Winning the Jaguar Land Rover Supplier Excellence Award is a great moment for us, and, reaffirms the fact that we are strategically aligned to Jaguar Land Rover’s vision and roadmap, and understand their commitment to design & technology. We take pride in supporting Jaguar Land Rover to achieve its goals of building  cars that combine distinctive design and superlative technology“

Panasonic Eyes Rs. 2,000 Cr Revenue from Smartphone Business Across India

Japanese tech major Panasonic expects a revenue of Rs. 2,000 crore from its smartphone business this year as it revamps operations by launching new devices and undertakes aggressive marketing.

The company plans to launch as many as 28 devices this year, priced in the range of Rs. 6,000 to Rs.20,000.

“We ended our partnership with Jaina in April and are now pursuing the smartphone business on our own. Last few months have been spent on preparing for the launch and now we are ready to bring in the best products for Indian customers,” Pankaj Rana, Panasonic India Business Head, Mobility Division, told PTI. He added that the company is targeting the youth with its smartphone offerings so as to convert them into buyers of its consumer durables range also.

Panasonic has also roped in actor Taapsee Pannu as brand ambassador, along with Varun Dhawan, for the smartphone vertical.

“We will launch 28 smartphones this year. About 20 will be offline and rest will be online. In the next 30–40 days, we will bring in 11 of these into the offline market,” Rana said. The companyhas been trying to make inroads into the hyper competitive Indian smartphone market but has not met much success.

India is one of the world’s fastest growing smartphone markets. Driven by increasing data consumption and falling data prices, a huge number of feature phone users are also migrating to smartphones and seek affordable devices.

According to research firm IDC, 27 million smartphones were shipped to India in the January–March quarter of 2017.

Samsung led the market with 28.1 per cent share, Xiaomi and Vivo had 14.2 per cent and 10.5 per cent share respectively. Lenovo had 9.5 per cent, while Oppo had 9.3 per cent share in the said quarter.

“We are not running after market share. We are working on strengthening our brand presence and delivering quality products to customers. This year, we hope to get Rs. 2,000 crore in revenue from the smartphone business,” Rana said. He added that last year, the smartphone business had revenue of about Rs. 1,400 crore.

He said the company expects tier II and III cities to account for major chunk of the sales, especially states like Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and West Bengal.

Panasonic will also use its 250 exclusive retail counters that sell its other products to showcase its handsets. “Apart from the exclusive counters, we are working with distributors across states and large format retail stores to reach customers,” he said.

Mahindra Unveils Superior Tech Tractor Jivo for South Indian Market

Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd.’s Farm Equipment Sector (FES), a part of the US$19 billion Mahindra Group today announced the launch of the Mahindra JIVO in Bengaluru. A new age, superior technology small tractor platform in the sub 25HP category, the Mahindra JIVO is suitable for row crop and horticulture farming. The tractor is available in the 4WD version with engine power of 24HP and PTO power of 22HP. It will be sold in Karnataka with immediate effect at a starting price of Rs. 4.00 lacs for the 4WD model, ex-showroom Karnataka.

With the launch of JIVO, Mahindra entered the growing segment of Horticulture and Row crop farming. Mahindra JIVO has been designed keeping in mind the latent needs of this specialized farming segment and is an ideal choice for the farmers owing to its narrow and compact build and high power.  

Developed ground up, the Mahindra JIVO is a highly versatile tractor that can be used across multiple applications including crop care, land preparation and inter culture activities. Mahindra’s first sub 25HP 4WD tractor, it is a high performance tractor that leads the segment with best-in-class torque and fuel efficiency. Further, its highest PTO HP and narrow turning radius make it ideal for spraying in vineyard applications.

With Innovation and Technology as its bedrock, Mahindra is working on redefining the face of farming in the future. The company embarked on various initiatives towards this end and the recently launched Farming 3.0 platform will help in taking farm mechanization to the next level.

Speaking at the Mahindra JIVO launch in Bengaluru, Ravindra Shahane, Vice President – Marketing, Farm Equipment Sector, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. “We are happy to present Indian farmers with the Mahindra JIVO that will help in small farm mechanisation with its multi-application suitability. With its compact size, stylish and comfortable design, class leading power, attractive price, best in class PTO HP and high fuel efficiency, I am sure that the Mahindra JIVO will be an instant hit in this specialized farming segment”.

The tractor is specially designed for operator comfort. Its small steering wheel, easy to operate pedals, gear shift lever located on fenders and suspension seat make the JIVO extremely comfortable to operate over long hours.

The Mahindra JIVO also comes with modern styling. With its wrap around head lamps, silver add on, attractive decals and sculpted bonnet this stylish tractor is sure to catch the attention of the farmer.

The new Mahindra JIVO is equipped with key features for more benefits:

-       Fuel efficient Mahindra DI engine – Best-in-class fuel efficiency

-       Automatic Depth & Draft Control (ADDC) – Ideal for land preparation activities

-       8 Forward + 4 Reverse transmission – More speed options to choose from

-       Side shift gears – Open floor space & comfortable gear shifting

-       High ground clearance – Useful in crop care applications

-       4WD – More traction even on wet fields

-       2 Speed PTO – Improves rotavator application

-       750 KG lift capacity – Best in class lift allows the farmer to operate bigger implements

-       High top speed of 25 KMPH – More trips to move farm produce

-       Highest PTO power – For continuous spraying in Vineyard applications

The Mahindra JIVO 245 4WD will also be available in unique two tone red & silver sheet metal and will be equipped with Mahindra DiGiSENSE technology which will enable farmers to get updates on their tractors’ performance as well alerts on a real time basis.

Going forward, a 20 HP 2WD product has been planned on the JIVO platform, which will be launched during October - December 2017 period.

Infosys Gurgaon Concludes its First Flagship SPARK Program

The Infosys Gurgaon Development Centre (DC) organized its flagship SPARK program, a special initiative driven by the recruitment team at Infosys, for students from top Engineering schools. This program aspires to enhance the skill levels and industry readiness of engineering graduates in the country. Over 200 students participated in the event.

The power packed day began with context setting and ice-breaking sessions, followed by a corporate presentation about Infosys. During the day, the students were introduced to ‘Project Think Approach’, where participants were divided into teams to complete a complex task with many moving parts and several constraints. The session helped students in understanding the importance of working together, managing time and dependencies, assigning responsibilities, critical path and deliverables.

The one-day program involved various fun activities including quizzes, group activities, exciting prizes and more, to enhance its interactive quotient. Students also got to witness the top-quality infrastructure and facilities at the Infosys Gurgaon DC.

FarEye Partners With BlurDart to Further Enhance Its Customers Experience & Reduce Carbon Footprint

FarEye, a Global Logistics Management Solution announces its partnership with Blue Dart to further enhance its customer experience and reduce its carbon footprint. Blue Dart is South Asia's premier express air and integrated transportation & distribution company, and a differentiated solution provider for all merchandise delivery offerings from e-tailing companies in the country. Today Blue Dart is the largest express courier company with a 46.5% market share in the organised air express segment in India and a 13.5% market share in the organised ground express market.

A leader in the express logistics industry in India, Blue Dart has been at the forefront of best-in-class technological innovations and continuously invests in technology to further improve its operational efficiency and enhance its superior customer experience. Being a SaaS platform, FarEye became an apt fit as it seamlessly integrated with the existing systems at Blue Dart, making the company’s IT infrastructure more flexible and agile.

Under the partnership, FarEye’s technology platform is managing deliveries for Blue Dart along with various unique and innovative features like caller ID functionality to identify customer call with docket number and other details, reattempt delivery option for undelivered products (increases workforce efficiency and delivers enhanced customer satisfaction), live monitoring of field executive on maps, click to call and SMS etc. FarEye’s platform can also work in offline environment.

FarEye has proved to be a partner of choice for Blue Dart in several ways:

Cost reduction: By using the right algorithms, FarEye optimises the work schedules and routes for each delivery personnel.

Value Creation: FarEye’s systems have helped Blue Dart to bridge this gap and provide personalised & seamless customer experience.

Reduced Carbon Footprint: Missing a package delivery impacts a worker’s efficiency but at the same time, the second or third trip, increases the carbon footprint of delivery. Besides this, by digitalising operations, most of the processes are now going paperless.

Anil Khanna, Managing Director, Blue Dart said, “Blue Dart is delighted to partner with FarEye. We are a highly focused and insanely customer centric brand and this partnership will only enable to enhance the experience for our customers. FarEye’s platform is scalable, future-oriented and flexible and has enabled us to have complete visibility of each shipment and keep the customer informed at every step, ‘real-time’. It has also helped us in automating first mile pickups and last mile deliveries and going almost paperless, a small step in reinforcing our goal to have zero emissions by 2050”.

Kushal Nahata, Co-founder & CEO FarEye said, “The dawn of digitalization created the need for enterprises to adopt mobility solutions in order to overcome the operational complexities with the help of an added visibility layer. Our association with Blue Dart has been a massive learning for us and we have tried to put in our best and rolled out innovative solutions based on challenges faced by their team. The amount of learning we had working with Blue Dart is immense and has been our greatest reward. FarEye is an enterprise grade technology platform and we were lucky that Blue Dart evaluated us on capability as compared to other MNC IT companies. This motivates us to work even harder to be able to provideunbeatable innovative products which help our clients deliver their brand promise 'real-time’.”