HSIL Invests Rs 160 Cr in New Pipes Manufacturing Plant in Telangana; Launches TRUFLO by Hindware

HSIL, India’s leading Sanitaryware Company, and makers of the iconic brand Hindware have ventured into the household plumbing pipes segment with the inauguration of their manufacturing facility in village Isnapur, District Medak, Telangana. The move is aimed at providing integrated solution for home building, enhancing customer convenience, facilitating cross-sale and extending the existing building products distribution chain to the hardware channel distribution chain for the pipes sub-segment.

The HSIL plant in Isnapur, Medak is the first of its kind manufacturing facility in the state and currently has a total production capacity of 30,000 metric tonnes with plans to scale up the production capacity to up to 60,000 MT by 2020 in order to emerge as a key player in the CPVC and UPVC pipes and fittings segment. This plant is the epitome of the best manufacturing practices accumulated and market understanding from HSIL’s existing operations.

The plant will manufacture all types of CPVC and UPVC pipes and fittings, suitable for potable water transportation, water harvesting and sanitation applications, primarily in building construction segment. With the inauguration of the manufacturing plant, HSIL will be the exclusive company in India that offers integrated homebuilding solutions through product offerings such as plumbing, sewerage, sanitation, and underground drainage, besides the existing products in sanitaryware and faucets segments.

At the plant inauguration, Sandip Somany, VCMD, HSIL Limited said, “Venturing into pipes segment is a natural extension of our portfolio of bathroom product streams from ‘front of wall’ to ‘behind the wall’. We aspire to be among the top 4 brands in the country in the next 5 years and are confident of achieving this given that we plan to expand our pipes business by leveraging our current brand, sales and distribution network.”

Rajesh Pajnoo, President, HSIL Pipes Division, HSIL Limited, said “We are extremely excited to launch our manufacturing plant in Isnapur, Telangana.  To ensure product and technological supremacy we have entered into an alliance with Japan’s Sekisui Chemical Co. Ltd. which is a 70 year old $9-billion turnover company, for supply of chlorinated polyvinyl chloride (CPVC) resin. We are confident that our legacy of over five decades and this strategic partnership will enable us to provide better quality heat-resistant pipes and fittings and offer best in class products to the Indian market.”

The Indian market size of the Indian PVC pipes and fittings is poised to grow at a double-digit CAGR over the period 2015-20 and is projected to reach an estimated Rs 327 billion by FY2020.   This remarkable growth is going to be driven by the expansion of housing sector and increasing water sanitary management. Rising demand from construction sector and increasing recognition among people regarding the benefits of PVC pipes will further fuel this demand.

With a cumulative investment of Rs 160 crores, HSIL Pipes Division currently employs more than 200 people in the workforce. The manufacturing facility is also compliant with the green building norms laid down by IGBC and is capable of providing higher yields over the prevailing industry benchmarks.

Navjit Ahluwalia and Jatin Khanna to Oversee Hilton’s Expansion, Performance in India

Hilton has announced the appointments of Navjit Ahluwalia as Senior Vice President and Country Head, India, and Jatin Khanna as Vice President and Head of Operations, India.

Effective immediately, Ahluwalia will oversee Hilton’s 33 hotels trading and under development, including the recently opened Conrad Bengaluru, while leading the company’s growth strategy in the country. Khanna, who assumes his position next month, takes over operations from Andre Gomez, who will be moving to a new role elsewhere in the company.

“India is swiftly becoming one of the fastest growing travel and tourism markets in the world. As we seek to rapidly expand in the country, there is a need to grow our leadership team to ensure we continue to deliver best-in-class hospitality, in addition to ramping up our pipeline,” said Alan Watts, executive vice president and president, Hilton, Asia Pacific. “Having recently joined Hilton myself, I am excited to embark on the next chapter of our journey in India with Navjit and Jatin, both industry veterans well-known for their accomplishments.”

Ahluwalia, an Indian native, brings to Hilton 30 years of hospitality experience, including over 13 years at Marriott International where he held key leadership roles, the most recent being senior vice president responsible for expanding the company’s portfolio in South Asia.

Also an Indian native, Khanna holds over 20 years of operations experience, including with both IHG and most recently Marriott International, where he managed Marriott's full portfolio in Bengaluru city as vice president, Bengaluru and general manager for the Bengaluru Marriott Hotel.

“I am thrilled to join Hilton at such an exciting time for our economy and for the Indian hospitality sector. India will offer the greatest growth opportunities as our demographics come of age, giving a new fillip to domestic consumption and taking advantage of rising travel the world over,” said Ahluwalia. “As a sector, we will also contribute strongly to job creation and a global leader like Hilton is ideally positioned to create unique value. I look forward to expanding the Hilton footprint in the country and to working closely with Jatin to continue creating exceptional experiences for our guests.”

Both Ahluwalia and Khanna will be based in Hilton’s India regional office in Gurgaon.

Centre to Declare 2018 as ‘National Year of Millets’: Karnataka Government

Nutrient-rich millets have got a boost with the Union government deciding to declare 2018 as the ‘national year of millets’. This decision has been taken following a request by Karnataka, which is the country’s leader in the millet sector.

At the inauguration of the three-day international trade fair of organics and millets, Union Statistics and Programme Implementation Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda said the Union Agriculture Ministry had already completed the formalities in this regard. Karnataka Agriculture Minister Krishna Byre Gowda has been campaigning for declaring 2018 as national year of millets.

Good health, good business

According to experts, dedicating a year for millets will not only increase awareness about its health benefits, but also result in higher demand for these drought-resistant varieties, resulting in remunerative prices for poor and marginal farmers.

Addressing the gathering, Mr. Gowda said that Karnataka is trying to promote millet cultivation ‘as we move towards climate-smart agriculture in the wake of frequent droughts’. He pointed out that the State had witnessed only three normal rainfall years from 2000 to 2017.

The State government had spent ?200 crore in the last four years publicising the health benefits of millets among consumers in a bid to trigger an increase in demand. The State had also appealed to the Centre to include millets in the mid-day meal scheme for school children and in the Public Distribution System, he said.

Meanwhile, 250 companies have set up stalls at the exhibition at the trade fair, which is said to be the biggest such event in the country that has brought stake-holders in organics and millets under one roof. About 150 companies are participating as buyers, besides various research organisations.

After inaugurating the event, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah remarked that he had bajra roti for breakfast, as he had switched over to millets in the interest of health.

The main attraction at the Fest

The main attraction for consumers was Khanavali (the food court), which serves a wide range of dishes made from millets. It also hosts the Food and Nutrition Forum, which is an international conference and exposition being held throughout the trade fair.

ONE Co.Work’s BlockLabs is India’s First Dedicated Co-Working Space for Blockchain Startups at Koramangala

Unlocking the doorway for blockchain-based collaborative R&D expeditions, ONE Co.Work, an innovation-driven co-working space provider in India, has announced the launch of BlockLabs, India’s first dedicated co-working space for blockchain-related startups. Himanshu Bindal, the Founder and CEO of ONE Co.Work, is one of the most ardent proponents of blockchain technology in the country and a founding member of Blockchain Foundation of India (BFI). With this move, Himanshu and ONE Co.Work aim to further bolster the thriving eco-system and allow blockchain-based startups to access a conducive environment ripe for innovation, collaboration and networking.

ONE Co.Work has earmarked twenty percent of its seats for blockchain-related start-ups at its state-of-the-art co-working space in Koramangala. The facilityhas several ultramodern features such as sleeping pods and gaming lounges in addition to essential services needed by today’s emerging startups. ONE Co.Workwill also be organising an event “Setting the Roots of Blockchain Technology in India: Launch of BlockLabs” in association with BFI (Blockchain Foundation of India) and Kryptomoney to mark the launch of the first dedicated co-working space for blockchain-related startups in India.

“Setting the Roots of Blockchain Technology in India: Launch of BlockLabs” has witnessed engaging panel discussions, networking sessions, and knowledge sharing sessions by keynote speakers on diverse topics associated with the bourgeoning space of blockchain technology. The event alsoobserved, participation of renowned authors, entrepreneurs, and other prominent personalities that are a part of the blockchain community of India, including the couple who has accepted Kryptocurrency in their wedding gifts.

Himanshu Bindal, Founder and CEO, ONE Co.Work said, “Blockchain is a promising technology that has the potential to completely revolutionize the current business ecosystem. The technology, which virtually is still in its embryonic state, has helped yield proof of concepts for across-the-board applications that range from the financial world to logistics and even public policies, and its use cases are increasing with every day that passes. With BlockLabs acting as a catalyst, our aim is to drive more innovation towards blockchain and enable budding entrepreneurs of India to become leaders inthe emergent technology on a global level.”

Bangalore is one of the hottest international hubs of innovation and is hailed as the world's second-fastest growing startup ecosystem. The city is home tobudding entrepreneurs and tech start-ups well-versed with the most advanced technologies. As a matter of fact, the cityis home to the largest section of IT professionals acquainted with blockchain technology. Through the launch of its dedicated space in Bangalore, ONE Co.Work aims to spur blockchain development in the region, and later carry it forward to other tech hubs in India.

Paytm QR Now Allows Merchants for Paytm, UPI, Cards Payments at 0% Charge; Targets 7 Lakh Kirana Stores in Bangalore

Paytm, India’s leading mobile-first financial services company has announced that its QR now allows offline merchants to accept unlimited payments directly into their bank accounts at 0% charge. Now, consumers can scan and pay at merchant outlets using their preferred payment methods such as Paytm, UPI, Cards and net-banking. The company also announced that it plans major foray in Karnataka and will add 3 lakh more merchants in Bangalore alone in 2018.

This new development is part of the company’s efforts to democratize mobile payments for both merchants and consumers by offering them more choices and convenience.

Paytm aims at extending its support to all major payments instruments so that both small and large merchants alike get the flexibility of accepting payments from a wider set of consumers, and help them grow their businesses. The company’s 10,000 strong sales team across the country is working closely with in-store merchants and helping them gain understanding on the added benefits and convenience of using Paytm QR. It will invest Rs. 500 crore in the upcoming calendar year to conduct merchant training and awareness initiatives to expand the reach and acceptance.

Paytm QR has eliminated the need for additional spends on POS machines for merchants and it has been supporting them in their day-to-day business. Currently, Paytm offers customers the widest range of offline and in-store payment use-cases including parking, tolls, kirana stores, utility, temples, local transport, railway & metros, school & college fee and challan among others. With the company’s clear focus on payments expansion, it expects to grow Paytm’s 5 million merchant base and targets 6X growth in offline payments by mid next year.

KiranVasireddy, COO – Paytm said, “We have been at the forefront of mobile payments in India. Today, Paytm is accepted at millions of large retail chains as well as small stores across the country, and we are committed to building the best payments infrastructure for our merchant partners. With Paytm QR, our merchant partners can now accept payments at 0% charge, directly in their bank accounts through multiple payment instruments including UPI and cards. And there is no monthly limit on collecting payments from their customers. We will continue to invest in expanding our payments network till the time every small and large merchant gets the power of mobile payments with Paytm.”

Foray into Tier 1, Tier 2 cities for expansion in Karnataka

The company will foray into smaller cities and towns in Karnataka and esp will add 3 lakh more merchants to its existing number of 4 lakh in and around Bangalore alone.

Speaking to the media, Amit Veer, Vice President of Paytm says, “Over the years we focused mostly on the metro but off late are looking at tier 1, tier 2 cities across the country. Especially in Karnataka, Bangalore has been a top market for Paytm and technologies like QR are easily accepted here.  About 48% of our merchants are from the mom and pop stores or kirana’s and these will help us achieve our targets soon.”

The other users where Paytm has witnessed a major acceptance in the city are Food; Gas and Petrol; Dairy Booths; Entertainment, Parking and Tools among others.  

Paytm QR offers these benefits to merchants:

– Accept payments directly into bank account

– 0% charge on receiving payments

– Real-time fund transfer

Posts related to Paytm QR now allows merchants to accept Paytm, UPI and Card payments directly into bank account at 0% charge.

ESC’s IndiaSoft to Bring Over 400 ICT Foreign Buyers from Jan 24-25 to Bengaluru

Experience a world of innovations and explore the avenue of sourcing the best of IT products & solutions for the growth of your enterprise including Mobile Application Services, Cloud Computing, SAAS, Big Data Management, KPO, BPO, LPO, e-security, Banking, Finance, Insurance, Telecommunications, Media & Entertainment, Bio Informatics,Engineering Design, Travel, Hotel, Hospitality, Logistics, Transportation, Educational, Pharma, e Governance, and much more under one roof.

The exclusive bazaar will have over 150 Indian IT companies catering a host of solutions with value additions, three dimensional growth in skills, technology and expertise.

The organizers, Electronics and Computer Software Export Promotion Council, (ESC) India’s apex ICT export promotion organisation will host around 400 IT buyers from plus 75 countries converging for business networking and creating a WIN WIN situation by providing a unique business opportunity to both global buyers and Indian exhibitors to interact and forge business alliances, strategic networking, joint ventures, business tie ups. 

Indiasoft 2018 will facilitate building of competencies by providing Indian participants an in-depth understanding about technology, market development and demand dynamics which assists in strengthening their foothold globally. The 16th high tech edition of Indiasoft will be visited by global IT fraternity including Latin America, Africa, CIS, ASEAN, SAARC, North America, Europe, Japan, Middle East, Japan, Hong Kong, Korea, etc. A truly B2B landmark event which will delight the participants, exhibitors and delegates with its persona and character.

The Indian software industry has brought a paradigm change in the global information technology (IT) landscape in recent years. Among the IT segments, software and services have emerged as the fastest growing sector of India’s exports. India has been instrumental in sharply shifting the fundamentals of the digital economy away from commodities to technology and value added services. Software exports from India have of late drawn significant attention around the world. Many countries are realising that they could considerably reduce their overall project costs by sourcing software from India, which is capable of providing total solutions in a host of sectors of the economy.

To meet the global aspirations of Indian software industry, the Electronics and Computer Software Export Promotion Council (ESC) has created a brand INDIASOFT, a unique global networking international IT event comprising of both exhibition and conference. INDIASOFT is meant to create awareness about the capabilities and core competencies of Indian Software and Services Industry and to facilitate joint ventures, collaboration and strategic alliances for outsourcing with overseas buyers.

INDIASOFT would sharply focus on major industry segments that require software and services such as Business Services, Communications, Entertainment & IT, Finance, Banking & Insurance, Government & Public Services, Logistics & Distribution, Manufacturing, Oil, Gas & Mining, Retail Businesses, Educational & Scientific Institutions, Travel & Transport, IT Training etc. Therefore, the horizon of doing business at INDIASOFT is fairly well-spread and wide.

Till now, ESC has organized 16 editions successfully in various IT hubs of India. The Council is organizing the 16th edition of INDIASOFT series called INDIASOFT 2018 . Around 250 Indian IT companies will be displaying a world of innovations and plus 400. IT buyers from over 70 countries are expected to visit INDIASOFT 2018 to forge business alliances, market tie –ups, etc. More details are available at the exclusive website www.indiasoft.org

Amazon Pay Launches Cash-Load for the Convenience at Your Doorstep

Amazon Pay has launched cash load, enabling customers to add cash to their Amazon Pay balance account from the convenience of their doorstep. This feature is in addition to the existing facility of adding money to their accounts using their bank accounts and credit/debit cards.

When paying cash for their cash on delivery order, Amazon customers can now simply ask the delivery associate to add the leftover change or provide additional amount up to INR 10,000 to be added to their Amazon Pay balance. Amazon Pay balance offer customers a faster and more convenient way to pay, without sacrificing on the safety and assurance that they expect of Amazon.

With this industry first innovation Amazon is continuing to extend the convenience of Amazon Pay by making it possible for millions of customers to start making digital transactions and support the Government’s vision of encouraging electronic payment leading to a less-cash society in India. The services enable customers who are comfortable with only cash to purchase from digital product categories which they could not buy from earlier. For the Amazon marketplace where these digital categories are sold and for merchants who accept Amazon Pay, this service significantly expands the addressable customer segment.

The cash-load service is available across India at all pin-codes where Amazon logistic services delivers. Amazon Pay cash load, has been launched in line with Amazon’s commitment to enhancing customer payment experience and increasing their preference for digital payments.

Commenting on the launch, Mahendra Nerurkar, Director Amazon Pay said: “We continuously seek to enhance our customers’ payment experience and increase their preference for digital payments. With Amazon Pay cash load, customers across India can now easily load cash at their doorstep once and pay digitally henceforth.  1 in every 3 of our cash paying customer has already begun using the service and getting its benefits.”

With Amazon Pay balance, customers can go cashless and enjoy fast and easy checkouts, quicker refunds coupled with a secured shopping experience only on Amazon.in. Customers get the benefit of ‘one-click’ payments with a faster and smoother check out process. Additionally, through Amazon Pay balance, customers can receive refunds faster than refunds to their bank accounts or credit cards. They can also view the details of balance transactions using an online statement. This statement provides a consolidated summary of all gift card credits and debits transactions such as balance added, promotional credits, balance expiry and redemption.