OYO Customers Now Have the Choice to Receive Booking Confirmation via WhatsApp

In a bid to ensure hassle-free communication and booking experience for its guests, OYO - India’s largest hospitality company, has started testing WhatsApp enterprise solution. Travellers booking an OYO will now have the choice to receive their booking confirmations along with cancellation and navigation details for locating a hotel via WhatsApp. This development is in line with OYO’s pioneering use of technology in budget hotel operations in India - enabling users to book a hotel across 230 cities in India, Malaysia and Nepal within seconds via the OYO app.

Once a booking is created, the integration will allow OYO to send a  confirmation message through WhatsApp. Customers will receive the message through OYO’s verified profile to ensure reliability. In case of connectivity issues, OYO will further notify the guests through SMS. Users who do not use WhatsApp will receive notifications through SMS and email. In order to ensure privacy and security for guests, the company will only send relevant information about a guest’s stay through WhatsApp. Guests will also receive directions for locating their hotel on the day of the check-in and notification in case a booking is cancelled.

Commenting on the development, Anil Goel, CTO - OYO, said, “Technology has been the biggest driver for OYO to create value in India’s hospitality industry and also the experience we offer to our guests. Since OYO’s inception, we have built first-in-industry tech solutions - such as OYO consumer app, Krypton and the Owner app for our hotel partners. With the latest WhatsApp integration, we will make the post-booking experience hassle-free for our guests. They can now easily access their booking details via WhatsApp, which enjoys a huge reach in India with over 200 million active users. It’s fast, secure and hassle-free — exactly how the OYO experience is.”

Through innovation in technology, training and strong brand recall, OYO has established its leadership in the hospitality segment today with 8,500-plus hotels in more than 230 cities within its network.

Motherhood Expands to 300 Bed Neonatology Care Centres by 2017; Starts Neonatal ICU on the Wheels

At a time when Neonatal Care and saving the lives of newborns is becoming a national priority, Bangalore based Motherhood, a leading network of Women & Children’s hospital is expanding their network of Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICU) to better serve premature newborns and sick babies born in the city of Bangalore and neighbouring districts of the state. The single speciality women & children’s hospital chain currently has 4 hospitals in Bangalore with a 5th facility currently under execution. It has multiple new hospitals under execution across the country. The first phase of 70beds NICU expansion at an investment of Rs. 150 million makes it a large network of NICU beds across the city of Bangalore. The network will be backed by a full-time team of 34 highly trained and specialised Neonatologists along with a team of skilled nurses.

Nearly 0.75 million newborns don’t survive every year in India, the highest for any country in the world. The neonatal period—the first 28 days of life—carries the highest risk of mortality per day than any other period during the childhood. The daily risk of mortality in the first 4 weeks of life is 30-fold higher than the post-neonatal period. Still, new-born health did not receive the commensurate attention it deserved until during the past decade. This has resulted in a slow decline in neonatal mortality rate in our country. Preterm complications & infections are the two main reasons for neonatal deaths in India. Unless immediate action and appropriate measures are not taken, the neonatal mortality rate cannot be reduced. 

Vijayarathna V, CEO, Motherhood Hospitals’ said, “We are going to extend our Neonatology services to inborns (within the hospital) and also outborns (born at other institutions) who require specialised Care. 40% of our NICU beds are earmarked for babies who are born in other hospitals in Bangalore or neighbouring parts of the state who require NICU support. We also have a well-equipped Neonatal Ambulance to transport such babies from various places. With a strength of 34 Neonatologists, we intend to provide the best of care to new-borns and infants round the clock.” 

Motherhood Hospitals has recently operationalised its 4^thhospital in HRBR Layout and will be launching its 5^th centre in South Bangalore, Banashankari by beginning of 2018. It will also foray its presence in cities like Mumbai, Pune and Chennai by end of the financial year. The company was funded by leading private equity fund TPG Growth in 2016.

“Infant mortality and morbidity in the country is on the rise. India’s next big challenge is to meet the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)–which countries have agreed upon under the aegis of the United Nations Development Programme–on child and neonatal mortality. The SDG is to reduce child mortality to 25 per 1,000 live births and neonatal mortality to 12 per 1,000 live births. Therefore, it is extremely important that healthcare in India recognizes the gap and act on it” shared by Dr. Pratap Chandra, Dr. Vikas Satwik and Dr. Prashanth Gowda, Senior Neonatologists at Motherhood.

Speaking to the media, Vishal Bali, Executive Chairman, Asia Healthcare Holdings & Senior Advisor - Healthcare, TPG Growth said “As we began the expansion of the Motherhood chain of Women & Children’s Hospital across the country, the demand supply gap in high end Neonatology Care became very apparent. A good blend of high technology infrastructure with high end clinical skills is required to save many new borns across the country and provide parents the much needed confidence as they go through the birthing experience. Over the last year Motherhood Hospitals have transformed to provide not just high-end Obstetrics and Gynaecology services but with the addition of Neonatology and Reproductive Medicine (IVF) each hospital now provides comprehensive clinical services to women & children. These changes are critical to demonstrate the advancement in this spectrum of the healthcare sector.”

Adient Opens Automotive Seating Prototyping and Testing Facility at Pune Tech Centre

Adient, the global leader in automotive seating announced that it has broken ground on a state-of-the art automotive seating prototyping and testing facility in Pune that will be the largest of its kind ever to be built in India. Construction of the new facility marks a major expansion of Adient’s existing technical center in Pune, already a world-class facility with the largest workforce among the automotive seating supplier’s global network of tech centers.

The new facility, which is scheduled to open in late 2018, will provide physical testing to augment the capabilities of the existing technical center in Pune, a global Center of Competence at Adient for computer-aided engineering (CAE), computer-aided design (CAD) automation and finite element analysis (FEA) simulation expertise. First established in 2000, Adient’s India Tech Center today has a total headcount of approximately 1,000 engineers, which consists of roughly 850 engineers based locally in Pune and a further 150 engineers stationed at Adient locations outside India on global assignments. 

Situated on a 20,000 m² site near the existing tech center, the new prototyping and testing facility will boast full-scale prototyping, testing, and trim capabilities, enabling Adient to conduct full product verification in India to global customer and regulatory standards. The facility will house a fully hydraulic acceleration sled test system, offering precision pulse matching, full payload capability, and high-speed video capture from onboard cameras. A 6-axis shaker table at the facility, complete with semi-anechoic chamber, will enable NHV (noise, vibration and harshness) analysis and road durability testing.

“As well as underscoring our long-term commitment to India, this investment of more than $30 million is an important milestone for Adient as we optimize our engineering footprint around the world to deliver global standard product development and innovation capabilities wherever our customers are,” said Dr. Detlef Juerss, Vice President, Engineering & Chief Technical Officer at Adient. “With this new facility, we will be able to fully execute product development including design and product validation for global and local launch programs right here in Pune, all backed by cutting-edge infrastructure that will be truly unrivaled in India’s automotive industry.”

“Adient has for many years benefited from its strong focus on design in India, a dynamic environment that is rich in talent and creative inspiration. Our India Tech Center team already plays a vital role in Adient’s global industrial design operations, providing designs to support our customers today and imagining concepts that will shape the experience of mobility in the future” said Richard Chung, Vice President, Innovation at Adient. “I am very excited about the potential we can unleash in Pune as we accelerate our design and innovation processes here.”

“Adient was one of the first global automotive tier 1 suppliers to enter India. Over the past two decades since then we have built world-class manufacturing and product development capabilities across the country. We work closely with our customers, who recognize that success in India depends on developing India-specific products,” said Murali Rajagopalan, Director and Country Manager, Adient India. “India is phasing in new safety regulations for which development activities need to begin now. As far as Adient is concerned, the timing could not be better. When this new facility opens we will be able to support our customers on an entirely new level, so I see this as an exciting new chapter for Adient India.”

Adient (then a division of Johnson Controls) first established its operations in India in 1995 through the formation of Tata Johnson Controls, a collaboration with Tata Automotive Components. Adient, which recently celebrated the first anniversary of its spin-off as an independent automotive supplier, today has more than 2,500 employees at its wholly owned subsidiary Adient India. Adient recently received a Best Supplier Award for Quality from Tata Motors, adding to a long list of supplier awards it received in 2017, which include the Toyota Regional Contribution Award, the Honda Supplier Development Award, the Nissan Supplier Quality Award (for the fourth consecutive year), and the Nissan Global Innovation Award.

eScan Security Solution Retains its Gold Partnership with Microsoft

eScan Enterprise Security Solution has once again retained the Microsoft Gold Partnership. eScan has earned the "Gold Certificate" in Microsoft's Partner Program in recognition of its expertise, strategic role and contribution to the security industry.

eScan had successfully completed the stringent process of Microsoft to earn the most credible Microsoft Gold Certificate & it is the highest level of Microsoft partnership. For the certification every participant must enroll certain number of partner points throughout the year to qualify. eScan has been receiving this prestigious certificate for over a decade now consecutively.

As a certified gold partner, eScan will have access to the Partner Knowledge Base and receive priority listing in Microsoft directories. The Microsoft partner network enables eScan strengthen its capabilities to showcase leadership at the marketplace on the latest technologies. This also is testimony to better serve customers with trust and commitment.

Govind Rammurthy, CEO & MD, eScan, "This Microsoft Gold Partnership certificate showcases our expertise and commitment to today's technology market and demonstrates our deep knowledge of MS technologies and its products. It establishes our drive towards developing world-class products at par with our global peers and provides security to the vast MS platform users."

Infinix Zero5 and Active Noise Cancellation Headphones Now Available Only on Flipkart

Infinix Mobile, the premium smartphone brand from TRANSSION Holdings, today announced the exclusive availability of its recently launched flagship “Dual camera” smartphone - Zero5, on Flipkart. In addition to attractive offers on the Zero5, Infinix Mobile has also introduced its brand new “Quiet” series of noise cancellation headphones exclusively on Flipkart at an introductory offer price. The Zero5 is available on Flipkart at an introductory price of Rs 17,999 starting November 22. The offer period begins from 12 noon on November 22 and continues till 24.

As part of the introductory offer, on purchase of every Zero5 using HDFC Bank Credit and Debit cards, customers can avail a ten percent instant discount. In addition, customers can also exchange their old mobile for the all new Zero5 and avail an additional discount of Rs 1000 over the regular exchange value of their old phone. To help its customers make the most of their smartphone experience, Infinix Mobile and Flipkart are also offering a whopping extra 100GB data on recharge of Rs 309 or above, valid for 10 recharges. The offer further entails a complimentary Jio Prime membership worth Rs 99.

As for the newly introduced exciting range of active noise cancellation headphones from Infinix Mobile, the Quiet 2 will be available at an introductory offer price of Rs 1,499 and the Quiet X will be available at an introductory offer price of Rs 4,999. This introductory offer is valid only for 3 days from November 22 to 24. 

Ayyappan Rajagopal, Senior Director - Smartphones at Flipkart, said, “We are glad to partner with Infinix for their upcoming launch of Zero5 series. Infinix began its journey in India through Flipkart hinting at the fact that Flipkart is the preferred online retailer and the undisputed leader in the online smartphones market. We are confident that through Flipkart's wide reach & seamless affordability levers, coupled with the Infinix’s superior technology and design, the new Zero 5 series launched will disrupt the market and excite customers, reinforcing the strong belief they have in Flipkart." 

Anish Kapoor, CEO, Infinix India said, “The all new Infinix Zero5 and our exciting new range of active noise cancellation headsets together offer a complete smartphone experience to our discerning consumers. We understand and value our customers and intend to further incentivize them with these attractive launch offers. Flipkart continues to be our exclusive partner, given their reach and understanding of our core consumers. With these exciting offers, we look forward to delivering the maximum value to our first customers and add to Infinix’s India growth story.”

Infinix Zero5 is a brand new smartphone that aims to bridge the gap between professional and amateur photography and carve a niche for itself. Packed with a premium dual camera setup, which uses a 12MP wide-angle lens and 13MP telephoto lens, the smartphone helps deliver a remarkable DSLR like experience. It also stands out with its 2x optical zoom, paired with up to 10x digital zoom that bring the object closer and enables clearer photography. Furthermore, the Zero5 is equipped with 16MP selfie camera with 4in1 pixel selfie camera technology, f/2.0 aperture and front flash for stunning selfies. Further adding to the phone’s finesse is its 15.18cms (5.98) FHD LTPS JDI display with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection. It runs on the latest XOS 3.0 Android Nougat powered by 2.6GHz Octa-Core Helio P25 processor with 6GB DDR4X RAM for bolstering speed and efficiency. It supports 4350mAh battery with 18W xCharge, a fast charger solution.

To up its users’ style quotient, the phone comes in varied color options including Sandstone Black, Champagne Gold and Bordeaux Red for the Zero 5 (6GB+ 64GB) and Bronze Gold Black for the Zero 5 pro (6GB + 128GB).

Infinix’s new range of noise free wired & wireless headphones, available in two variants; Quiet 2 (MRP Rs 2,499) and Quiet X MRP Rs 8999) are also expected to be a game-changer in the audio world. Equipped with Active Noise Cancellation, a technology presently available only in super premium segments, these headphones offer premium value within affordable pricing.  The noise cancellation technology is a great enabler, allowing users disconnect from a noisy environment with just a simple push / toggle button, at the same time enhancing their audio experience.

Upstream Cos Expect Shorter Time to Produce Oil and Gas Due to Digital Tech Investments: Reports from Accenture and Microsoft

Faster and better decision-making and shorter time to first oil and gas top the list of expected benefits that digital technologies can drive for upstream oil and gas companies, a new survey from Accenture and Microsoft Corp. reports. Respondents to the “Accenture and Microsoft 2017 Upstream Oil and Gas Digital Trends Survey”  also estimated the monetary value of digital technologies and noted the next wave’s potential to further transform their business, despite ongoing low oil prices.

Asked to identify the top ways digital benefits their companies, faster and better decision-making (30 percent) remained foremost, as in the 2016 edition of the survey. Faster time to produce oil and gas, however, jumped to second place from fifth last year (19 percent). Reduced risk enabled by real-time decision support was the third most important (12 percent).

Now in its sixth edition, the global survey showed the upstream areas most expected to benefit today from digital are production (28 percent), geological and geophysical (27 percent), and drilling and completion (19 percent).

“Digital technologies like IoT and predictive analytics can have a significant impact on the upstream oil and gas companies operations,” said Sandeep Dutta, managing director and lead for Accenture’s resources group in India. 

“IoT and analytics can help analyze diverse sets of operational data like drilling parameters and cross disciplinary data (geological models) and provide incisive operational insights. Predictive analytics can also reduce downtime, spare parts inventory and boost production in conventional as well as non-operational asset classes. Additionally, by using digital technologies at large, upstream companies can reduce finding, development and maintenance costs; material costs can also be optimized through the right digital interventions.”

Almost two-thirds (62 percent) of the more than 300 professionals surveyed perceive business value from digital technologies, with 27 percent totalling it at $50 million to $100 million or more for their companies. However, 14 percent of upstream respondents don’t know how much monetary value digital is delivering, 20 percent don’t measure it, and 4 percent believe digital is adding no value to their businesses today.

Most of the respondents expect their companies to realize value from digital technologies and 73 percent said most of their oil and gas fields will become fully automated using these technologies in three to five years.

On the other hand, 39 percent of respondents said the greatest risk from a lack of digital investment is becoming uncompetitive; more than double the next group at 19 percent who cited the inability to transition to a new energy landscape. Surprisingly, despite the rise of connected devices on oilfields further exposing upstream companies to cybersecurity risks, the fear of increased cyberattacks came in at a distant third (18 percent).

“Digital technologies that upstream companies are investing in today include mobile devices (56 percent), cloud (45 percent), big data and analytics (43 percent) and IoT (42 percent). Priority investment areas for these technologies are asset management and maintenance, capital project management and production optimization.

“It’s not always about petabytes of data. It’s about a set of solutions and technologies that could not have been achieved even five years ago,” said Egbert Schroeer, Worldwide Managing Director, Process Manufacturing, Microsoft Corp. “Digital is doing more than helping reduce operational costs through increased worker productivity with mobility. The cloud, better asset management and remote monitoring through analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) are driving operational excellence and subsurface data management for the oil and gas industry. However, it will be essential for upstream companies to quickly develop in-house capabilities and add external talent for data analytics and other leading technologies, to stay ahead in the digital revolution.”

Upstream companies are also now adding digital workforce challenges to their ongoing talent concerns.

Recruitment is their biggest challenge in this regard, especially skill-building for contingent labor, freelancers and onboarding new hires. Most said it will take three to five years to build the necessary digital skill base. For example, the great majority of respondents (85 percent) felt their companies lacked fully mature analytics capabilities. While they plan to develop that area, the expected three-to-five-year time frame in which they aim to do that might be too extended - competitively speaking - as technologies advance rapidly. This is especially relevant, as an Accenture Strategy study, 

Wirecard, Capital Float Partner to Provide Small Retailers Fast, Customized Loans in India

The leading global financial technology company Wirecard has entered into a unique alliance with Capital Float, the largest digital lending platform in India. Through this alliance, Capital Float will offer its recently launched ‘Proprietor Finance’ product to Wirecard’s agents, comprising of thousands of small retailers in India. The goal is to offer these retailers a unique revolving credit facility called ‘Pay Later’. Developed in-house at Capital Float, this working capital finance solution helps SMEs to make vendor payments on time.

The small retailer segment in India, comprising a total market of over 15 million retailers, has traditionally been underserved by conventional financial institutions due to inadequate documentation and ineligibility from a conservative credit perspective. These credit-starved businesses can now avail hassle-free working capital from Capital Float, which will help them manage their inventory and cash flows. ‘Pay Later’  will serve a significant portion of Wirecard’s customer base, which comprises of digital remittance shop owners, as it will enable them to geometrically increase scale of transactions on the platform, resulting in sizeably larger earnings for the retailers.

“We’re excited to announce our partnership with Wirecard. With close to 20 years of vintage in payment services, they possess immense multinational expertise and a robust network of small retailers. Through this collaboration, we believe that we can expand our borrower base to newer SME segments. We’re currently providing finance to Wirecard agents in the greater Chennai area to start off with and we intend to expand our scope to other metros and large tier 1 cities over the few months. We aim to disseminate more than thousand loans to Wirecard agents in the near future.” said Gaurav Hinduja, Co-Founder of Capital Float.

“We’re pleased to be collaborating with Capital Float, the leading digital lending company in India. We’re convinced that their top notch processes and products will significantly bolster the business relationships we have with our agents across India. By enabling them with lines of credit, they will be able to maximize their income on the Wirecard platform” said Georg von Waldenfels, Executive Vice President Consumer Solutions and Member of the Board of Wirecard India.