Toyota Kirloskar Motor Posts Robust Growth of 19% in Domestic Sales in Jan 2018

Toyota Kirloskar Motor has recorded robust sales growth in January 2018 as compared to the same period in 2017. The company sold a total of 12,351 units in the domestic market this month. The company exported 888 units of the Etios series this month thus clocking a total of 13,239 units.  In the month of January 2017, TKM sold a total of 10,336 units in the domestic market and exported 916 units of the Etios series in January 2017.

Commenting on the sales performance, N. Raja, Deputy Managing Director, Toyota Kirloskar Motor said, “It is a delight to usher in the new year with a double digit growth. We are happy to have sustained the positive growth momentum post GST.  The customer demand has consistently been strong and we have catered to the growing customer demand. 

The success story of Innova Crysta and Fortuner sales growth continues to the new year. Customers continue to highly appreciate both the products and we are pushing our production capacity to fulfill the strong demand in the market. Corolla retains its position as the segment leader with overwhelming performance in the month of January.

We are looking forward to the upcoming Auto Expo 2018 to showcase our premium new launch, facelifts & concepts with a show-stopping reveal and many more distinctive displays under the thematic banner of “Driven by a Better Future.

We hope the Union Budget 2018 brings in more growth oriented measures to promote growth of Auto Industry. Government should aim at more long term policy so as to lower the effect of budget tinkering and bring long term stability.  Considering the critical issue of environment pollution, we hope the Government relax tax rate in favor of clean and green technologies such as strong hybrids similar to pre GST era.

5G, Blockchain Tech, R&D Pursuits Great Impetus for Doing Business

Indian industry have welcomed some of the budget initiatives saying this was a great impetus for doing business in India. The heads of Indian leading companies  have all welcomed the government's thrust on encouraging R&D pursuits in the areas of AI, machine learning, robotics, 5G and cutting edge analytics.

Kris Gopalakrishnan, Past President of CII and founder of Infosys Ltd says, “We welcome the government’s thrust on encouraging R&D pursuits in the areas of AI, machine learning, robotics and high end analytics. This move will further leapfrog the innovations driven by Indian tech companies and will place the country at the centre of global digital transformation.”  

"This initiative will not only focus on the rural economy, healthcare and infrastructure but also on digital skilling, education and jobs creation,” he said at the CII union Budget Viewing Session in Bengaluru. He adds that “further training and skilling in cyber-physical systems and the extending of broadband access to 5 crore rural citizens will help bridge the digital divide.”

Reacting to the government move to establish 5G test bed at IIT Madras. Kris said the 5G technology is being standardised globally to enable the Internet of Things (IoT) applications. This move will further help the startup ecosystem that has started getting a lot of traction.

The government will also explore the use of the blockchain technology proactively for ushering in a digital economy. However, government doesn’t consider cryptocurrencies as a legal tender, he concludes.

QuEST Global Celebrates 20th Anniversary with New 320,000 Sq.Ft. Facility at Embassy Tech Village, Bengaluru

QuEST Global, a leading pure-play engineering services provider has marked their 20^th year of operations by launching a state-of-the-art 320,000 sq.ft. facility in Embassy Tech Village, ORR, Bengaluru. QuEST’s engineering specialists, who were dispersed across multiple locations in Bengaluru, will now work under one roof, thus promoting mutual synergies. This will go a long way towards enabling efficient collaboration among the company’s key business units. The streamlining of operations is expected to strengthen QuEST’s abilities in pursuing their core business strategies of combined organic and inorganic growth and agile business diversification.

The smart new facility in Embassy Tech Village can seat 4000+ employees, and boasts of an entire bouquet of smart facilities, including a 2500-square-feet Customer Experience Center, a world-class Data Center, a Digital Manufacturing Lab and an Embedded Engineering Lab. The vibrant interiors facilitate an open work culture, allowing employees to interact with each other and their mentors without barriers. Informal collaboration zones have been set up for meetings and networking, and best-in-class facilities are in place for trans-global conferences and training, equipped with advanced audio-visual equipment.

Commenting on the inauguration of the new campus, Chairman and CEO of QuEST Global Ajit Prabhu said, “From a one-room, one-customer office in 1997, we have come a long way. Today, we make a positive business impact on some of the world’s most recognized brands. From embedded systems, mechanical systems and engineering software to product lifecycle solutions, QuEST is enabling customers build new products, open new markets and lead their industries. In order to enhance collaboration between our various functional teams, we have consolidated all our offices in Bengaluru to a new facility in Embassy Tech Village. We have designed this new facility to enable effective intra-functional conversations, constructive debates and synergies that drive our roadmap for future growth.”

QuEST Global is headquartered in Singapore, and operates out of 40 locations across North America, Europe and Asia with 8,700 employees. Nearly half of the company’s total workforce is employed in India in Bengaluru, Belgaum, Chennai and Trivandrum.

Toyota Kirloskar Auto Parts [TKAP] Announces Year 2018 Organizational Changes

Toyota Kirloskar Auto Parts (TKAP), announced the restructured organizational changes at the board level, effective from 29th January 2018 with the nomination of K G Mohan Kumar as Managing Director, succeeding Toru Takeuchi. In line with the company’s visionary focus on growing beyond the captive unit boundaries, this is the first-time ever [across the Toyota Group Companies board in India] an Indian executive is being elevated to lead the local management as Managing Director. An industry veteran, Mohan has been with the Company right from inception since 1998 and was previously the Joint Managing Director.

Takeuchi, previously the Managing Director, is elevated as Senior Executive Advisor to the Board and Whole-time Director of Toyota Kirloskar Auto Parts.

On further development, K N Prasad, Senior Vice President has been promoted to Senior Vice President and Whole-time Director for Production Engineering, Environment and Quality Control functions, being associated with the Company for more than 17 years now.

Commenting on the changes announced, Vikram S. Kirloskar, Vice Chairman of TKAP, said“This signifies an impetus to strengthen the senior leadership team to realize the company’s vision “WIN INDIA, WIN THE WORLD”. Towards this, the TEAM TKAP led by Mr. Mohan with his broader expertise on the local & global platforms, would enhance its core competencies to offer more comprehensive solutions that meet ever changing dynamics of the auto market. This also recognises the relentless efforts of this team on their long association with the company; their enthusiasm and commitment will further support to take this Company forward.”

Speaking on the new development, Toru Takeuchi, Senior Executive Advisor to the Board and Whole-time Director said, “In the light of TMC’s [Toyota Motor Corporation] strategic outlook to develop leadership team, this vital development in structural design testifies the empowerment to take the operational performance to newer heights. We are confident that Mr. Mohan will further spearhead to usher in multi-fold perspectives. Given the ‘Make in India’ push and the focus to develop India as a leading manufacturing hub, TKAP has a larger role to play on Toyota’s operational expansion in India with the redefined managerial synergy & dynamism.”

Sharing his views on his new elevation, K G Mohan Kumar, Managing Director of TKAP, said “I am privileged & humbled to be nominated as Managing Director. It is really inspiring to take up this new challenge to drive the team with the years of my learnings in Toyota, at this juncture of TKAP. For me, this is a new journey to further uplift the company’s business operations and live unto that level. I am confident that with the Team TKAP’s continued & unstinted support, as always, we shall further expand our customer base beyond Toyota, in synergy with our Partner, AISIN.”

The structural changes become more prominent for the Company to align the skills of people to boost operational performance and stay ahead of the industry with futuristic outlook of technology & innovation, thus remain competitive.

TKAP manufactures drive train parts and assemblies and has over the years demonstrated its strength in implementation of a lean and environmentally responsible approach to manufacture products in sync with the “Zero Defect, Zero Effect” initiative of the Government. It is also equipped to meet the stringent expectations of its customers with flexible manufacturing lines having quick set-up change capability. The current organization changes will equip the Company to enhance its Indian imprint, to grow with the Industry.

Atos Signs Major Contract with Henkel to Drive Digital Transformation

Atos, a global leader in digital transformation, has signed a contract to deliver large scale IT outsourcing services to Henkel, a global leader operating worldwide in three business areas: Adhesive Technologies, Beauty Care and Laundry & Home Care.

As part of the contract, Atos will be responsible for Henkel’s Datacenter infrastructure, globally hosted in two main sites in Germany and the US. The new contract enables Henkel to react to the digitization of the market and to strengthen its position.

Atos is Henkel’s partner for managing their servers for applications as well as management and support for Oracle and SAP databases, Storage & Backup, Operations for Application Data, as well as Active Directory, File- and Print servers in remote locations.

Atos will develop the existing datacenter landscape. At the core of the solution is a shared private cloud, which will provide Henkel with a foundation on which to run and manage all their applications easily and flexibly. Additionally, this provides a foundation from which to use Atos Canopy Orchestrated Hybrid Cloud offering.

„Accelerating the digitization of our business processes is our top priority. Therefore, we need a state-of-the-art IT infrastructure that allows us to react very flexibly to new requirements and the volatile environment we operate in“, says Dr. Joachim Jaeckle, CIO of Henkel.

„Transforming traditional data center operations into flexible cloud solutions is a true milestone for organizations: it requires deep expertise and experience to deliver real competitive advantage, agility, and a strong position for future needs. We are glad to accompany Henkel alongside this important step of their digital journey“, says Philippe Miltin, Group Senior Vice-President for Manufacturing, Retail and Transportation at Atos. 

Atos is a leader in Infrastructure Outsourcing and has recently been identified as a Leader in Next-Generation Infrastructure Outsourcing by Forrester and as a Leader by Gartner in its Magic Quadrant Data Center Outsourcing & Infrastructure Utility Services (DCO/IUS), Europe and North America, Atos’ largest geography.

SOTC Opens First Ever Store Offering VR Experience in Bengaluru

SOTC Travel strengthened its presence in Bengaluru with the inauguration of its first ever experiential store offering Virtual Reality (VR) experiences in Bengaluru at 4/2-1 Prestige Samrah Plaza, St. Marks Road.

SOTC created a first of its kind customer experience zone where customers can be inspired by the different destinations through VR’s for real time experience of the key destinations that SOTC provides like New Zealand, South Africa and other destinations like Australia, Abu Dhabi, South Korea. The store comprises of a digital screen that features video itineraries of destinations and holiday experiences for the customer which could be viewed from an iPad.

Bengaluru is a potential market for SOTC which has been growing consistently year on year with significant progress. In an attempt to reach the optimum potential of this market and strive to provide the best pre & post tour experience to customers, SOTC Travel has developed a unique concept offering VR and the digital experiences at the store in Bengaluru.

Speaking about the launch, Daniel D'souza, Head Sales, India and NRI Markets, SOTC Travel said, “We believe customer experience is the key in making our business successful in this competitive and growing industry. It is extremely important for us to ensure that we keep delivering and enriching holiday experiences for our customers. Virtual Reality technology will allow us to know the clients’ needs before he even knows what he wants.”

He further added, “The store is one of our efforts to reinvent the buying experience for our customers. Its strategic location offers convenience and accessibility. We ensure that we provide superior service to our customers by meeting their every expectation”.

Videos Itineraries

List of 10 Video Itineraries of the key destinations that SOTC offers:

1.     8-Day Glimpses of East Europe: https://www.sotc.in/holidays/summer-budget-glimpses-of-east-europe?pkgId=PKG002002  

Download link: https://we.tl/6W4iQPFigQ

2.     8-Day European Dreams: https://www.sotc.in/holidays/summer-budget-european-dreams?pkgId=PKG001992  

Download link: https://we.tl/zUZR2qaS7p

3.     13-Day Magical Europe: https://www.sotc.in/holidays/summer-value-magical-europe?pkgId=PKG001983

Download link: https://we.tl/ap5mEN7fWe

4.     15-Day All of Europe: https://www.sotc.in/holidays/summer-premium-all-of-europe?pkgId=PKG001978

Download link: https://we.tl/sATQtWbV4y

5.     17-Day Grand Tour of Europe with Zermatt:https://www.sotc.in/holidays/summer-premium-and-exclusive-grand-tour-of-europe-with-zermatt?pkgId=PKG002016

Download link: https://we.tl/vT1sCfRFzl

6.     9-Day All of Scandinavia:https://www.sotc.in/holidays/summer-value-all-of-scandinavia?pkgId=PKG001995

Download link: https://we.tl/52ChWhPtpO

7.     12-Day Spanish Fiesta: https://www.sotc.in/holidays/summer-value-spanish-fiesta?pkgId=PKG002004

Download link:  https://we.tl/zkbRYgaPNb

Axis Bank Inaugurates its 220 New Branch in Bangalore, Karnataka

Axis Bank, India’s third largest private bank, announced the inauguration of its new branch in Nagadevanahalli, Bangalore that will offer a comprehensive range of banking services like accounts, deposits and loans including savings and current accounts and locker facilities etc.

Axis Bank will leverage the branch to reach out to the customers and empower them with digital offerings and facilitate services through Axis Pay, Axis Mobile application etc. It will consistently educate and encourage the customers to make more use of digital mode of payments for their daily transactions. On digital payment solutions, Axis bank is offering the desired infrastructure across India to conduct cashless transactions. Bank’s QR based scanning solutions has been a great digital platform for small ticket vendors to conduct cashless transactions.

Commenting on the inauguration of the branch, Sanjay Silas, President & Head-Branch Banking, Axis Bank said, “We are very happy to inaugurate our new branch in Bangalore. We have witnessed the increasing demand of banking services & products amongst the retail & institutional customers in Karnataka and to bridge this gap we have expanded our existing network to cater the customers and enhanced their overall banking experience. We are committed to bringing superior banking services, with digitally-driven convenience for our ever-increasing customer base.’’

The branch was inaugurated by Prof. R. Venkata Rao, Vice-Chancellor, National Law College, Bangalore. The branch shall cater to all basic banking transactions and also specific needs of customers, offering the entire spectrum of banking products and financial services covering Retail, Institutional and Consumer lending. Additionally, it will also offer various unique products to its clientele based on their needs and will consistently pioneer in introducing various products and services in the country.