WeP Solutions Ltd, India’s Leading Retail billing solution provider, has opened its ‘Experience Zone ‘at HSR Layout, Bangalore. It will be the first store in South India to display all products related to retail billing enabling a real-time experience for its customers. The store is aimed at providing a hands-on experience to shop owners and traders with regard to their complete billing needs.
The experience zone will enable customers to understand the complete cycle of creating a list of items, customizing billing, and calculating discounts and tax compliance. They will also be able to seamlessly connect to device such as weighing scales, barcode scanners, and cash drawers.
Speaking about this, Venkatesh K, Chief Executive, Printer Business Unit, WeP Solutions Ltd, said, “Bangalore is one of the fastest growing smart cities in India, and hence, the perfect place location for the experience zone. It will definitely be a game changer in the retail billing and printing sector offering manifold benefits to our trusted consumers. The store will be a one-stop-shop for the users, where all their requirements are fulfilled under one roof – right from bill generation to compliance and printing. The initial response has been positive, and we hope to make the experience better for our trusted clients with each passing day.”
The idea behind devising these unique bill-printing solutions was to upgrade the current manual billing process used by shop owners. WeP aims to enable them with compact, easy to install, and simple to use billing machines. The market is huge in India with an estimated 18 million shops in need of these solutions. Not only will these printers omit manual errors but also avert any cash loss and improve productivity. WeP billing printers are highly affordable with the range starting from INR 6999. The printers come in both Thermal and Dot Matrix technology, making them ideal for small and medium businesses such as hotels, retail and grocery stores, garment and textile shops, and sweet shops.
WeP Solutions Ltd is already a pioneer in the billing printer segment, with 80,000+ satisfied retail customers in India. All products are designed and manufactured from WeP’s plant in Baddi, Himachal Pradesh. The company provides onsite installation of its billing printers. All their products are sold and serviced by a strong and robust dealer network pan India.
Manipal Global Education Services (MaGE), India’s leading higher educational and training services provider, today announced the appointment of Ravi Panchanadan as Managing Director and CEO of the Manipal Global Education Services.
Ravi had been appointed the President and COO of MaGE in 2017. Prior to that, he had handled both consumer and enterprise businesses for MaGE, in India and abroad. He has headed universities in Malaysia as well as MENA region, apart from leading professional learning and assessment businesses in India.
Ravi, who has close to three decades of experience across FMCG, IT & ITES industries, brings to his new role a thorough understanding of the best business practices and the latest technologies. This experience will help him expand the existing businesses and develop new engines of growth, both in the national and international markets. Ravi’s business acumen, proven record in setting up new businesses from scratch and building them to profitable propositions, will help MaGE achieve its vision of empowering learners and transforming lives.
Commenting on his appointment, Ravi said, “I'm quite excited about my new role. I look forward to contributing to the brand’s success in the coming years. It is an exciting period to be part of an organization which is a significant player in the sector and I intend taking it a couple of notches higher.”
Passing the baton
Ravi has taken over from S Vaitheeswaran, who had been heading the company for six years. Vaitheeswaran moves to his new role as the Group CEO – Manipal Education & Medical Group (MEMG) at the corporate office.
Commenting on the change of leadership, Vaitheeswaran stated: “I believe it was an exciting journey for all involved and handing over the reins to the right people is paramount. I truly feel that the last six years were very fulfilling and gave me the opportunity to gain valuable experience in the education industry. I am sure Ravi, with his core skills and expertise, will take MaGE to the next level. Given his talent and passion, I’m sure he will do great here.”
MaGE has been witnessing a new phase of growth over the last few years, having forayed into diverse segments and grown rapidly. At the same time, it has leveraged technology to empower students with its quality education and innovative learning methodologies.
Manipal Global Education Services Pvt Ltd. provides customized training solutions for industry partners as well as direct-to-learner diplomas and certificate programs in various fields such as information technology, finance and management. The company offers higher education services that include a range of services for educational institutions in India; corporate training programs in partnership with major banks and other institutions; vocational training across a number of sectors; and technology-driven services in areas, such as testing and education delivery.
Ather Energy launched their disruptive intelligent, electric scooter Ather 450 and their previously unveiled variant, the Ather 340. The Ather 450 is designed for city riding conditions, it comes with a top speed of 80 km/hr, a range of 75 km and one of the quickest accelerations of 3.9 seconds from 0-40 km/hr in the scooter market.
Limited pre-orders have opened on Ather’s website and, their experience centre, AtherSpace at Indiranagar will open for test rides on Friday, June 8.
The Product:
The Ather 450 has been designed to solve for problems limiting current electric two-wheelers, like slow charging speeds, low powered motors, and short battery lives. It can fast charge to 80% at a rate of 1 km/minute. It comes with a 3.3kW BLDC motor that can comfortably ride up 18-degree slopes, making steep parking lots, flyovers, and roads an easy climb. And for the first time in the category, Ather 450 comes with parking assist, which allows riders to reverse into tight parking locations.
The key differentiator of the Ather 450 are its intelligence features, seamless charging and ownership experience.
The Ather 450 has a 7” touchscreen dashboard that allows onboard navigation with options of alternative routes and saved locations. It comes with the Ather app that enables push navigation from the phone to the vehicle dashboard, remote monitoring of the vehicle health, charge monitoring and managing service requirements. Finally, with the over-the-air (OTA) functionality, the vehicle is capable of improving over time with continuous improvement and addition of new features and functionalities.
The Ather 450 comes with a home charging Point, that will be installed by the company at either owners’ homes or workplace. Features like surge protection, authenticated power draw, and remote charge monitoring makes Ather’s Point a fast, safe and intelligent charger.
Ather Energy has a new dealership and service model. While the ordering, payment, and test ride scheduling is online, the brand has opened its experience centre, AtherSpace to give customers an in-depth look and experience of the product. The servicing woes are also taken away by a seamless doorstep pickup and service that can be scheduled through the Ather app.
The Pricing
Ather is offering a unique no-hassle, pricing model. The total cost includes what consumers pay upfront to buy the scooter and a monthly subscription that will take care of most operational expenses.
The Ather One plan entitles customers to free public and home charging, periodic maintenance inclusive of consumables, breakdown assistance and unlimited data services for the dashboard at only Rs. 700 + GST per month, which is way lower than the sustenance cost of present scooters.
The Ather 450 is priced at Rs. 1,24,750 on road and the Ather 340 is priced at Rs. 1,09,750 on road. This is inclusive of subsidy @ Rs. 22,000, GST, road tax, smart card fee, registration card, and insurance.
For the first set of consumers, Ather Energy is offering the first year of the subscription plan for free. The company will also provide a home charging Point with the Ather 450 and a charging cable with the Ather 340. The price of these products and their installation will be waived off for these consumers.
Tarun Mehta, Co-Founder & CEO says, "We started building electric scooters four years ago at IIT Madras and we are super excited to launch not only the Ather 340, but also our higher performance flagship variant, the Ather 450. It has been designed with quick acceleration, great handling, high storage space and new-to-category features like park assist, remote diagnostics, and onboard navigation. In the last 4 years we have not only built the scooter, but an ecosystem for an electric vehicle future. Be it the suppliers and partners who were entering the EV market, the charging infrastructure that had to be set up for consumers and the engineering talent itself to build the products. Between the Ather 450 & Ather 340 launching and AtherGrid being up and running in Bengaluru, we are really looking forward to expanding into Chennai & Pune in the coming months. These are exciting times to be a part of the industry."
The newest entrant in the taxi business in the metropolis has also vowed to be the greenest on this World Environment Day. While rival taxi companies are slowing down on EV plans, S3 has got the approval and tie up for a mobile bio-diesel distribution pump. The pump will be used to fill bio-diesel for its cabs across Mumbai.
Speaking on the development Sohel Kazani said “I am very excited that we have received a fantabulous response from the drivers and riders both. As a company, Sahyadri Smart Safe Private Limited was a late entrant in the business, but we always wanted to be the path leaders. Going forward with our vision, we have procured the equipment and supply for bio-diesel distribution. The mobile bio-diesel distribution van will travel all over the Mumbai and have fixed timings at South Mumbai and near all Mumbai entry points. In the first stage we only want to supply the fuel to our taxis, if we are surplus, we will distribute it to other vehicles too.”
Bio-diesel blend has been made a mandate in many countries. The government had recommended a blend in 2017 but the same has not been made compulsory. Biofuels also reduce the emissions making the environment cleaner. It would help the economy by reducing crude import; India imports approximately 8 lakh crores of crude oil annually. Also, it is priced lower than convention diesel, resulting in savings for the drivers. Shifting to biofuels is also a long-term solution to the problem of rising fuel prices. There is no major infrastructure change required compared to EVs where major infrastructure investment is required on charging points.
At the commercial inception of the cab services, S3 had provided a patented technology registered as 'Oxy Power' to all its drivers. This technology requires an external fitment in the car and helps in the better utilization of the fuel resulting in 20% and 30% reduction in fuel consumption. Reduced fuel consumption helped the taxis to operate at flat fares all the times. Now with BioDiesel, there will be further 5% to 10% reduction in fuel costs resulting in Net overall 40% reduction in fuel bill to be paid by the taxi owners.
“The average consumption of fuel by the cab owners based on 300km per day traveling amounts to 30 liters of diesel, and that equals to Rs 2200 per day. A 40% reduction would mean Rs 880 saving per day on fuel account or as much as Rs 26000 approx a month by using bio-diesel and the oxy-power unit. A pilot study made us understand that it keeps the fuel systems and fuel injector cleaner thus reducing the vehicle maintenance cost and increasing the mileage. It will also help in additional employment generation. We would like to work closely with the government to make the shift to biofuels happen and we hope that they lower the GST on bio-diesel to 5%” mentioned Sohel.
Biodiesel can be used in any diesel car without any additional modification as in the case of CNG. It is cleaner and more efficient than regular diesel. Biodiesel can be used alone or blended with regular diesel in any proportions. Nitin Gadkari, Minister of Road Transport has been advocating the use of biofuels for a very long time. He has mentioned on several occasions that there is an urgent need to re-think and revisit transport infrastructure and fuel dependency across not just India, but the globe.
As per United Nations’ Water Development Report 2016, one of the most serious problems mankind faces today is the scarcity of water for drinking and domestic use. In India, 63 million people are still lacking access to safe drinking water, according to statistics from World Bank. While potable water shortage is a matter of global concern, experts have in the recent past stressed that efficient processes and technologies for conservation, management and proper utilization of water systems is crucial to address the growing water crisis.
With an eye to innovate in terms of water resource management, Chariot Tech Private Limited, a company that operates New-Delhi based IoT start-up Chariot, has recently tied up with Axioma Metering, a market leader in energy and metering products’ manufacturing in the Baltic region.
The partnership intends to change the face of water metering in India by introducing an umbrella of IoT technology-enabled smart water meters, which will be equipped to monitor, analyze, and appropriately manage water networks across the country.
Commenting on the collaboration, Nilay Mehrotra, Co-Founder & CEO, Chariot said, “In today’s era of rapid urbanization, management of the water systems is a critical component for the sustained socio-economic growth. At a time when our country is facing the threat of a full-blown water crisis, Axioma and Chariot’s partnership is not only going to benefit the Smart Cities mission, but also the country’s citizens extensively. Coupled with the power of the Internet of Things, the adaptation of smart water metering on a large scale has the potential to enable responsible water usage within communities, which in turn, can emerge as a permanent solution to India’s water mismanagement woes. With the help of advanced analytics-based optimizing strategies, we dream of a future where every household gets a fair share of clean water supply.”
With the thrust on Smart Cities and Digital India recently, maintaining operational efficiency in terms of urban planning and infrastructure development for residents has become all the important. The oulook and growth trajectory of Smart Cities of the future will largely depend upon smart infrastructure; this is exactly where OEMs need to partner with startups, to derive support in meeting their software and hardware requirements.
Vaidas Jakubavicius, CEO, Axioma Metering said, “Apart from being a manufacturer of world-class heat and water metering devices, we at Axioma Metering believe in constant innovation, R8D, and upscaling. While we already assume a leadership role in developing ultrasound technology-based metering products in Baltic countries, we are indeed delighted to partner with Chariot in India, so as to bring a new dimension to the smart water metering scenario in this country. With sustainability and high-tech resource monitoring at its heart, we are sure that this tie-up will provide immense value to Indian cities and states, which are already poised for a digital revolution.”
Smart water meters provide real-time tracking for the flow and distribution of water networks in a specified area, while also monitoring consumption and expenditure. By studying usage patterns and parameters, predicting water loss due to leakage and enhancing water utility becomes easier. Over a period of time, this also helps in directing the water resources to low-yield areas which are in need the same.
Explaining further on the significance of the tie-up, Raj Garg, Co-founder & CTO, Chariot added, “Chariot has introduced a first-of-its-kind Universal IoT platform to India, and also has to its credit executing a project in Maharashtra on Smart Water Metering. Since inception, one of our key focus areas is to help the governments in making efficient choices by leveraging the power of emerging technologies. Through this partnership, we look forward to combine Axioma’s expertise in the metering sector with our own in the IoT solutions front; the ultimate aim is to support administrative bodies and regional stakeholders to manage their water needs.”
As a digital enterprise, Chariot’s Universal IoT platform, which is agnostic to any IoT protocol and device types currently available , delivers comprehensive Platform-As-A-Service (PaaS) and Software-As-A Service (SaaS) solutions for developing and operating big data, predictive analytics, and so on. On the other hand, Axioma designs and manufactures mechanical and ultrasonic devices for heat and water metering that are exported to 36 countries across the globe; it has already established a strong presence in European countries, and posted annual turnover of approximately 25 million euros. The company will be consolidating its foothold in the Indian arena through this partnership.
Across the globe, 5th June is celebrated as World Environment Day, which is the principle platform of the United Nation to create more awareness and action towards protecting Earth’s environment. This day has a very special significance for the real estate sector
Over the past few decades, fast-paced economic development coupled with rapid population growth and urbanization has led to a rapid depletion of natural resources. The accelerated rate of resource consumption and rise in greenhouse gases' emission has resulted in significant environmental degradation. This has, in turn, resulted in climate change, the rise in average temperature and deterioration of air quality.
The building sector is one of the major consumers of natural resources such as water, energy and other raw materials. It generates a large number of wastes and pollutants during the three phases of its life cycle - construction, maintenance and deconstruction. As per estimates, the construction sector consumes an approximate 25% of water and 35-40% energy, apart from other raw materials.
Additionally, it emits 40% of global wastes and 35% of greenhouse gases. Looking at the rampant degradation of the environment across the globe, it has become imperative to take measures for the optimal use of natural resources, reduction of wastes and restricting the pollution. The use of green building practices can help in addressing these concerns along with giving an impetus to build a sustainable environment for future generations.
What is a green building?
Apart from a noun, green building is also a verb – namely the practice of using processes and technologies which are environmentally friendly and energy efficient throughout the building's lifecycle from siting to design, construction, operation, maintenance, renovation and deconstruction.
Green building practices can improve the environment's ecology in numerous ways. They can reduce energy consumption by 20-30% and water usage by 30-50%, and significantly reduce waste generation by extensive recycling. Apart from the obvious protection of the ecosystem and biodiversity, the use of green building practices leads to:
· Better air quality
· Enhanced daylight, leading to lower electricity consumption
· Superior health and overall wellbeing
· Enhanced productivity
Across the different countries, there are several programs and agencies that define, categorize and certify green buildings, such as LEED (USA), BREEAM (UK), DGNB (Germany) and CASBEF (Japan). In India, IGBC and GRIHA are at the forefront of promoting the green building programs and certifications. Certifications are done on various parameters such as:
· Water conservation and efficiency
· Energy efficiency
· The types of building materials and resources
· Indoor environment quality, health and comfort
· Innovation and development
· Site and facility management
Though at a nascent stage, India has emerged as one of the leading countries in terms of green buildings' projects. India ranks only second after the U.S. in terms of the number of green technology projects and built-up area. More than 4,300 projects with an approximate 4.7 billion sq.ft. of built-up area are registered for green technology in the country.
However, this is only about 5% of the total buildings in India, indicating that there lies a tremendous potential for further penetration of green building technology in India. Growing at an exponential rate, the Indian green buildings' market is expected to double and may reach close to 10 billion sq.ft. by 2022 (at a valuation of $35-$50 billion).
Key factors driving green building practices
Although the initial costs of a green building may be higher (up to 15%, depending on various factors) than for conventional buildings, the long-term benefits such as low operating costs, potential health benefits for the occupiers and protection of the environment makes such buildings very viable options.
Some of the key factors that are likely to drive the green buildings' demand are:
· Increasing awareness
· Improving affordability
· Environmental benefits
· Resources - countries with higher populations and limited resources will tend to adopt green building practices faster
· Government support, subsidies and compulsions
Emerging trends and technologies in green buildings
Green buildings aim to build a sustainable environment through efficient use of energy and conservation of natural resources. The efficiency of a green building can be maximized by the use of innovative construction materials and cutting-edge technology. While there are many technologies used across different countries, some of the more notable ones are:
· Biomimicry: Also known as biomimetic, this is a concept of imitation of the various models, systems and elements of nature and incorporating them into buildings' design and architecture. This trend has led to the adoption of many innovative designs to optimize the of buildings' air ventilation along with better cooling and heating control. Eastgate Centre in Zimbabwe, with its biomimicry of termite mounds, is a great example.
· Green Roofs: In what is also known as the living roof technique, the roof of the building gets fully or partially covered with vegetation and soil on a planted waterproofing membrane. This moderates the heating and cooling of the building along with improving the air quality.
· Vertical Gardens or Living Walls: In this technique, the plantation is done vertically on either side of walls. This technique helps in degrading the pollutants and enhancing the air quality.
· Glass Fiber Reinforced Gypsum (GFRG) Panels: This is a very cost-effective and durable technique of development. It can be deployed fairly quickly and consumes less raw materials such as sand, cement and other products. Additionally, the core component - gypsum - is easily and cheaply available, considering that a huge amount of it is generated as a waste from fertilizer and mining plants. Buildings which use GFRG panels have a better lifespan and do not require beams and columns.
· Monolithic Concrete Construction: Unlike conventional techniques, in this method, all structures such as walls, floors, beams, columns, slabs etc. along with window and doors openings are cast in a single operation with the help of modular formwork made of aluminum. With thinner walls and columns, it provides a higher usable area. It is one of the potential technologies that can be used in affordable housing on a large scale, and it also conserves natural resources.
· Rain Gardens: This concept helps in enhancing groundwater absorption by reducing the amount of rain runoff. It uses planted depressions to allow water runoff to go through impervious urban areas, pathways, driveways, compacted lawns, roofs, parking lots etc. This technique allows more time for water to be absorbed in the ground that leads to an increase in groundwater levels, low soil erosion and reduced water pollution.
Ongoing challenges & barriers for green buildings
While the use of green building practices is on the rise in India, there are also a few challenges and barriers. Over the last few years, the slowdown in Indian real estate sector has led to a huge stash of unsold inventory. In addition, the impact of recent reforms amidst subdued demand has further dampened the market sentiments, and the majority of the developers are struggling to offload the existing inventory.
Current market conditions have made the developers skeptical about the usage of any technology that increases the cost of construction. Apart from this short-term market situation, some of the other challenges for green buildings practice implementation in India are:
· Lack of awareness about green buildings practices and its long-term benefits: A large section of Indian users are still unaware of green building concepts and its enduring benefits. A majority of users perceive that green building practices are expensive and not financially feasible.
· Inadequate Government's rules, standards & policies: There are not enough stringent and mandatory laws to enforce large-scale implementation of green building norms.
· Lack of skilled resources and subject matter experts: A majority of industry stakeholders such as policy makers, architects, engineers, contractors and workers don't possess adequate skills and know-how required for green buildings' construction.
· Inefficient incentives and subsidies for developers: There are very few incentive plans and those that exist vary across states or even cities, based on the governing bodies. While in the majority of cases, incentives are in form of additional FAR/FSI, followed by a rebate on property tax and other schemes. However, these incentives have not been significant enough to encourage developers and homebuyers.
· Higher cost of equipment and products: The equipment and products used in the construction of green buildings cost more than the conventional ones, so small contractors and developers cannot afford them.
· Approvals and clearances: Developers already face a tedious process of approvals, and there is an apprehension that further addition of green buildings' related compliance may cause additional delays.
Conclusion
The relentless degradation of the environment along with fast pace depletion of resources, rising pollution and climate change has affected the human life significantly. The deteriorating health conditions and livability quotients are alarming for the current and future generations.
This state of affairs calls for closer attention and increased participation of countries across the globe to take measures to slow down environmental degradation. The building sector, which is one of the biggest consumers of resources and emits a significant amount of pollutants as well as wastes, can play a vital role in building a sustainable environment by increased usage of green technologies.
In India, the growth of green buildings can be accelerated through standardization of norms, better incentive schemes, single window clearances, robust financial support system and most importantly creating awareness amongst all the stakeholders. Increasing awareness about green buildings and their long-term benefits can create a much bigger market potential - and when all is said and done, green buildings are the foundation of any substantial sustainable living mantra.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched three Indian mobile payment apps in Singapore at a business event aimed at internationalisation of the country’s digital payment platform. At the ‘Business, Innovation and Community Event’ here where digital platform was the main feature, Modi launched India’s BHIM, RuPay and SBI app.
India’s RuPay digital payments system was linked up with Singapore’s 33-year old Network for Electronic Transfers (NETS). RuPay users will be able to make payments at all of NETS acceptance points across Singapore. Holders of Singapore NETS will be able to make online purchase on any National Payment Corporation of India (NPCI) e-commerce merchant website in India, using 2.8 million RuPay point of sale terminals in India.
Industry observers said it would create multi-billion dollar transactions as some five million Indians travel to and transit through Singapore, internationalising the RuPay beginning with the first cross border usage.
Also, a new app-based rupee remittance mode of the SBI’s Singapore branch was launched at the event. “In order to expand our remittance offering, we are launching rupee remittance to India through United Payment Interface (UPI),” SBI country head in Singapore, Soma Sankara Prasad, said today after the launch at the event where digital platform was the main feature.
Singapore branch of the SBI is the first to launch this new mode of remittance in collaboration with National Payment Corporation of India (NPCI). “This is a major step towards the internationalisation of India’s digital payment platform,” Prasad said.
It will be most convenient for Indian blue-collar workers here to use the app for sending money home from their dormitories at work sites, he said. Remittance of up to Rupees 100,000 will be made quick, easy and convenient with the help of Virtual Payment Address (VPA). This service will be available to all savings account holders of SBI Singapore. SBI has six branches in Singapore as well as Auto Teller Machines (ATMs).
Modi today started his tour in Singapore, by visiting the exhibitions centre. The India-Singapore Enterprise and Innovation Exhibitions at the Marina Bay Sands Convention Centre showcased innovation in frontier technologies, including artificial intelligence, fin-tech and innovation for social impact. The exhibition was put up jointly by Indian and Singaporean companies.
