Hitachi Aims To Disrupt Industrial IoT Platform Market with New Commercial Lumada Software Stack

Hitachi Ltd. and Hitachi Vantara, jointly announced Hitachi’s first commercial Lumada internet of things (IoT) platform offering. Now in its v2.0 release, the Lumada IoT platform has been fully updated with an elegant, portable architecture that enables it to run both on-premises or in the cloud and to support industrial IoT deployments both at the edge and in the core.

The new software stack is designed to help customers quickly and easily gain insights, predictions and recommendations from their data, and can be easily adapted to support mid-to-large-scale environments. Lumada’s integrated advanced analytics have also been enhanced with artificial intelligence (AI) functionality at scale. The result is a highly intelligent and flexible platform that accelerates superior outcomes for enterprise and industrial customers, such as increased operational efficiencies and cost savings, enhanced operational safety and reliability, improved asset utilization, performance management and product quality, and the creation of new business models.

Among the notable advancements to the Lumada IoT platform are asset avatars, Hitachi’s unique approach to what is commonly referred to as “digital twins.” Asset avatars provide a digital representation of physical assets and rich metadata for analytics, serving as a digital proxy for business and industrial assets and providing rapid data-driven insights into their health and performance, with continuously updated sensor values. This approach helps to eliminate “blind spots” in operation-critical systems by providing improved access to – and insights from – business, machine and human data, which can help users move more rapidly from measurement to management to improvement. The newly enhanced software stack also provides IoT developers and architects with powerful design tools and features that simplify the creation and deployment industrial IoT solutions, with faster time to insight.

Since introducing Lumada to the market as a co-creation platform in May 2016, Hitachi has hardened and optimized its Lumada IoT platform. These improvements are based on numerous deployments in proof-of concept (POC) and co-creation project engagements with its customers and partners, as well as in its own factories. Hitachi worked with customer Daicel Corporation to co-create an image analysis system using Lumada that improves product quality and increases productivity by detecting signs of facility failures and deviations in front-line worker motions. This system has allowed Daicel to improve the in-process guarantee rate for products.

Another customer, Okuma Corporation, worked with Hitachi to co-create an advanced high-efficiency production model with Hitachi to support mass customization in its manufacturing plants. The target of this joint demonstration experiment is to double productivity and reduce production lead time by 50%. 

Based on the best practices developed throughout projects like these, Hitachi has enhanced Lumada’s functionality to simplify management of business and industrial assets, support greater asset utilization and accelerate the time to value of IoT deloyments. Its next generation architecture is highly flexible, composable and adaptable to support customers’ existing business and IT environments and help them to more rapidly achieve highly optimized outcomes.

Customers looking to accelerate their IoT initiatives using Lumada will benefit from engaging Hitachi’s co-creation services, tapping its expansive expertise in both operation technology (OT) and information technology (IT) to create customized IoT solutions that are tailored to their unique requirements.

“Our next-generation Lumada IoT platform demonstrates Hitachi’s unparalleled expertise in both OT and IT, and reinforces Hitachi’s commitment to being an innovation partner for our customers in the IoT era,” said Keiji Kojima, chairman at Hitachi Vantara and senior vice-president and exective officer at Hitachi Ltd. “With the powerful advancements delivered today, our customers and partners can now choose to harness the full power of Lumada’s AI, advanced analytics and asset avatars capabilities to simplify their own IoT solution development or to accelerate their digital transformation initiatives in co-creation projects with Hitachi. In either case, we believe Hitachi is delivering a highly intelligent and unique solution that challenges the industrial IoT platform market status quo.” 

Hitachi’s next-generation Lumada IoT platform architecture has been fully updated with five major layers to form a flexible, portable and composable software foundation with comprehensive security capabilities and expanded support for unstructured data uploads. IoT developers and architects will also benefit from Lumada’s dynamic design features, rich analytics and robust asset management capabilities, including:

• Lumada edge: Allows any variety and velocity of data to be easily ingested, transformed and analyzed in close proximity to physical assets.
• Lumada core: Provides asset registry, identity and access management and simplifies the creation of asset avatars.
• Lumada analytics: Blends OT and IT data to uncover patterns with powerful analytics, machine learning and AI.
• Lumada studio: Delivers predefined widgets to simplify the creation of dashboard applications; issues alerts, notifications or just straight-through processing.
• Lumada foundry: Offers foundational services to ease deployment on-premises and in the cloud, as well as security, microservices and support features.

“We are exceedingly proud of the next-generation Lumada software stack we are delivering to the market and opening up to developers today,” said Rich Rogers, senior vice-president of engineering and product management at Hitachi Vantara. “However, Hitachi’s intention is that Lumada will be much more than just another IoT platform in a crowded market. 

Lumada’s ultimate purpose is to make it simple to harness the power of IoT data to drive real value for Hitachi’s customers and partners. We remain committed to delivering exceptional integrated software, solutions and services for Lumada. Our vision is that one day all Hitachi machines will be connected to it, enriching the data-driven insights and value we can provide to ensure every Hitachi customer will benefit.”

Epson Brings New Color Inkjet Picturemate – PM520 to Indian Market

Epson, a world leader in digital imaging and printing solutions has announced the launch of PictureMate PM520, an upgraded and improved version of the super successful photo printer, PictureMate PM245. The PictureMate PM520 offers borderless photo printing up to 5x7” & printing with border up to A5 size. The product is perfect for small photo studios as well as tourist photographers looking for instant prints due to its portability, and fills in the requirement of printing 4x6, 5x7 & A5 prints. The product is wireless and supports WiFi and WiFi direct along with other Epson connect features. The printer consists of a 2.7” LCD screen and supports connectivity with an SD Card. The new printer comes with an optional battery and a warranty of 1 year or 13,000 prints (whichever comes first).

Epson entered the instant photo printing market a decade ago with PictureMate PM100 which was mainly targeted towards home/personal use. The product quickly became popular amongst small photo studios and tourist photographers. The acceptance was understandable given that printing of passport photos and colour photos were not done in-house by the photo studios but were instead done in labs and then sent back to the photo studios. With the introduction of the PictureMate printer from Epson, photo studios could print photos in-house which reduced the output time to deliver the final product to the customer. This difference lead to a vast increase in business for photo studios. Even when it came to instant photos at tourist locations, various products were tried & were not up to the mark when it came to quality of pictures produced. PictureMate brought in superb quality of prints with ease of maintenance & low cost of print. The market for instant photos at tourist spots flourished rapidly thereby creating a livelihood for a huge number of people.

Industries have evolved and become fast paced. Photo studios are interested in servicing their customers faster. Even at tourist locations, customers want instant printouts of their photos rather than coming back at a later time to receive the final photo print out. Considering the requirement of the market for instant photo printouts, the PM520 is a rugged, compact and portable printer that can be used by photo studios and photographers at tourist locations for instant photo printouts.

Commenting on the launch, Siva Kumar, General Manager, Inkjet Printers said “We are excited to announce the launch of our new PictureMate printer – PM 520. We have recognised the need for an upgrade from PM245 in the market, and through PM 520, we aim to fulfil the requirement for printing 4x6, 5x7 & A5 outputs in studios & tourist locations while keeping the product handy & compact”.

The PM520 costs MRP 19,999 while the refill cartridge costs MRP 1,429. The PictureMate printer from Epson is the most preferred product in the photography market. The brand, Epson is known for its high quality, efficient products that are used by millions of users around the world.

Target Names Tammy Redpath as President of Target India

Target Corp. announces the appointment of Tammy Redpath as President of Target India. In this role, she will be responsible for the day-to-day operations of Target’s office in Bengaluru. Target India is an extension of Target’s headquarters with about 2,600 team members in fields including technology, marketing, human resources, finance and data analytics.

 Redpath is a 27-year Target veteran who started in stores and has held various positions at headquarters in merchandising and marketing. She was most recently senior vice president of creative and marketing operations, and oversaw marketing efforts across Target India. Redpath was a key leader on work done by Bengaluru and Minneapolis teams to leverage Computer-Generated Imagery (CGI) technology to create new content and experiences for Target.com.

Speaking on the appointment, Redpath said, “Target India has brought great value to Target, and I see immense potential for the talent here to make an even bigger impact. I look forward to working with this world-class team to grow Target’s business by creating new ways to delight and inspire our guests.”

Redpath began her new role on September 19, 2017, and will be based in Bengaluru.

PayPal Reduces Foreign Inward Remittance Certificate (FIRC)/ Advice Fee by 50%

PayPal, world’s leading payments platform today announced a 50 percent reduction in the Foreign Inward Remittance Certificate (FIRC)/ Advice fee from Rs. 200 to Rs. 100 per transaction, for up to 20 transactions. For more than 20 transactions, bulk FIRC fee will be levied at Rs. 2000. The move is in line to reduce the cost incurred in receiving payments from global markets and to encourage merchants to grow their cross-border business and realise the Government’s Make in India vision.

Narsi Subramanian, Director, Small Sellers & Consumers, PayPal India said,” The reduction in the FIRC fee is in line with our commitment of becoming a customer champion and enabling merchants to grow their cross-border business in a profitable manner.”

FIRC is a document that acts as a testimonial for all the inward remittances entering India. Most of the statutory authorities accept this document as proof that an individual or a business, such as a limited company, partnership firm, sole proprietorship firm and others, has received a payment in foreign currency from outside the country.

The freelancer market in India is growing immensely and PayPal is committed to help Indian freelancers improve profitability and improve the payment experience.

Lava, Vodafone Partner for Rs 900 Cash Back Offer on its Feature Phones this Festive Season

LAVA International Limited, one of the leading Indian multi-national companies in the mobile handset industry today, introduced a special Cash Back offer ahead of this festive season – in partnership with Vodafone India. 

The company announced that under this Cash Back Offer, new LAVA feature phone customers will be entitled to earn a Cash Back of up to Rs. 900 with Vodafone prepaid recharge. The offer is valid until October 31, 2017.

To avail the offer, customers will have to recharge their phones with Rs. 100/- or more with Vodafone in a month, including cumulative, recharge. This will allow the customers to receive Rs. 50/- Cash Back in the same month which will be credited to their Vodafone mobile number.  Customers will be entitled to avail the benefits of the offer for next 18 months from the day of registration, beginning any day within the offer validity period.

Commenting on the offer Gaurav Nigam, Head - Product, Lava International Limited said, “It is that time of the year when people wish to connect with each other more. This offer, we are sure, will add value to their festivities and help them get more out of their purchase. Users can avail Rs. 50 Cash Back for a period of 18 months, which sums up to Rs. 900/- and that is equivalent to the cost of our Captain N1 feature phone, thus making it eventually free for consumers. Customer centricity is at the core of LAVA and with this offer, we are certain to provide a valuable experience to our consumers.”

Commenting on the offer, Avneesh Khosla, Associate Director – Consumer Business, Vodafone India said, “We are happy to partner with LAVA to bring this pocket-friendly offering to our customers to enable them to make the most of their LAVA mobile. We are confident that the complimentary offerings from Vodafone will make the experience more seamless at affordable rates. This collaboration will enable our existing and prospective customers to make the most out of their new device purchase.”

The credited balance will be valid for 30 days from the date of receipt and the consumers will be able to enjoy the credited amount to make voice calls, send SMS or avail any Value-Added-Service like hello tunes, other than pay by balance and international roaming.

The offer is applicable on the entire existing Lava Feature Phone Portfolio consisting of following models- Captain N1, ARC 101, KKT 9s, Spark i7, ARC 105, KKT Pearl, Captain K1+, ARC One Plus, KKT 34 Power, KKT 40 Power+.

Gionee Adds to its X-Factor with Launch of the New X1s Priced from Rs 12,999

This festive season Gionee India with an aim to amplify smiles provides its consumers an incentive to rejoice with the launch of its new product X1s. X1s is the successor in the X series after X1 which was launched in August this year. Bullish on its commitment to India, Gionee is facilitating its pledge with the launch of X1s; which comes installed with cutting edge highlights such as fingerprint sensor and three individual slots.

The device will be available across all retail stores in India at a pocket friendly price of Rs 12,999 from 21 September 2017.

Gionee is known to launch each of its device with front line selfie and battery features. Taking the legacy further, X1s offers unrivaled user experience witha 13MP rear + 16MP selfie camera accompanied with selfie flash. The 4000 mAh battery makes it sustainable for users to use the phone without having to worry about charging it for the second time in a day. The fingerprint sensor unlocks the phone within 0.3s and it not only addresses the security concern of your phone but also serves to take a selfie stably and conveniently. Adopting a suave metallic design, the device is supported by Amigo 4.0 based on Android 7.0, offering the best of features in the price range.

Commenting on the launch, Alok Shrivastava, Director – Business Intelligence and Planning, Gionee India stated, “By launching Gionee X1s we aim to offer our consumers with an outstanding confluence of advanced technology accompanied with enhanced selfie + battery capabilities. We have received a good response for X1 and the aim with the X series is to establish a stronger connect with the younger audience.  The X1s brings consumers premium photography and advanced features that goes well beyond the conventional boundaries for this price segment. We are confident our users will embrace this fresh, stylish and innovatively propelled device.”

X1s houses a front flash which is a must-have feature for selfie lovers giving them brighter and clearer selfies in low-light conditions. Features like Beautified Video and Face Beauty 2.0 allow every part of the skin appear radiant. Another remarkable inclusion is that X1s combines IR remote and flash together which is able to control devices at home with ease and convenience.

Furthermore, X1s can be simultaneously connected to two different networks while running an external SD card of up to 256 GB. With dual card slots and a dedicated SD card slot, Gionee X1s lets users balance work and personal needs effortlessly. X1s also sports a split screen, allowing optimal choice and convenience to the users.

Conscious about gratifying each penny spent by the customer, Gionee India has joined hands with Airtel and PayTm to announce two exciting offers with this launch. New or existing Airtel Customers who purchase X1s will get extra 10 GB data each month for a period of 6 months on any data recharge of 1GB or more. Likewise, every purchase of Gionee X1s will come with 2 PayTM Cashback Voucher Codes entitling customers with Rs 250 cash back on a base buy of Rs 350 from PayTM Mall.

Sandeep Saxena Promoted as MD of Products; Aaras Vasa Promoted as ED of Dr Batra's Clinics

Dr Batra’s Group of Companies, India’sleading homeopathic healthcare corporate, has announced the restructuring of its company boards by inducting two of its senior leadership - Sandeep Saxena and Aaras Vasa - into the Products and Clinics company Boards respectively. In addition, Sandeep Saxena has been promoted as the Managing Director of Dr Batra's Products while he continues in his role as Group CEO and Aaras Vasa has been promoted as the Executive Director of Dr Batra's Clinics as he continues in his role as the Chief Strategy Officer for the Group.

“Both Sandeep and Aaras have been with us for four years and above all else, have a very strong value system and immense passion for the brand which were very important criteria in their selection to the respective company Boards. The induction of professionals like them to our Company Boards is a step in the right direction towards creating a professionally managed company and ensuring good corporate governance. With a proven track record for successfully leading large scale initiatives and driving innovation and excellence, we are particularly excited to be offering these progressive internal opportunities for our people as we evolve and grow. I look forward to continuing to work closely with them in their new roles,” said Dr. Akshay Batra, Vice Chairman and Managing Director, Dr Batra's Healthcare.

Sandeep Saxena’s career spans over 24 years, during which he has worked with some leading companies in Consumer Healthcare, FMCG and Pharmaceutical sectors like Ranbaxy, Elder and Colgate-Palmolive India. Sandeep Saxena has played a crucial role in leading Dr Batra’s transformation from core Homeopathy Business to building the Consumer Healthcare and FMCG Business. During his tenure, the Product business has seen a big surge in the Modern Trade presence which now spans 5000 stores. Going forward the plan is to scale up this presence to 50,000 stores by 2020.

Aaras Vasa holds 15 years of experience and knowledge in strategy, market entry, technology and communication. He has worked internationally with Nokia and Motorola and in his last stint with Accenture he was an integral part of the communication, media and technology domain. Having joined Dr Batra's as COO in 2013, he was promoted to the role of a Chief Strategy Officer. Aaras has been responsible for directing and implementing new business lines and driving strategy and growth for the clinic vertical in India and internationally.