Bentley Systems, Incorporated, a leading global provider of comprehensive software solutions for advancing infrastructure, announced the acquisition of Synchro Software, headquartered in London, leader (and the market creator) in 4D construction modeling software, for scheduling and project management. Synchro, “construction’s time machine,” has been globally adopted, in particular, for building and civil infrastructure projects. The acquisition broadens Bentley’s ProjectWise construction offerings—which already include ConstructSim, the leader for 4D construction modeling in project delivery of industrial plants. With construction project management in 4D, benefits of BIM can extend throughout infrastructure project delivery and asset lifecycles, as traditionally disconnected workflows become digital workflows.
Synchro’s strong growth, since the introduction of Synchro PRO in 2007, has coincided with the burgeoning adoption of BIM for design workflows—which, however, stop short of considering construction planning, scheduling, and project management strategies. For London’s Crossrail, Synchro digital construction innovatively applied Bentley Systems’ iModel work packaging to complete the reach of its BIM application portfolio and its CDE. Crossrail, the largest European construction project over this period, is now being completed on time and on budget. Synchro has increasingly become the standard for major constructors leveraging BIM through project delivery. Synchro’s 2018 4D Digital Construction Conference in Amsterdam brought together infrastructure construction thought leaders from 18 countries, including presentations by Royal BAM Group, Mortenson Construction, Robins & Morton, Shanghai Construction No. 4 Group, Skanska UK, and Larsen & Toubro, who shared their benefits achieved through innovatively applying 4D construction modeling with Synchro.
In industrial project delivery, characterized by EPC (engineer-procure-construct) contracting,
integrated processes are already the norm—leading to ConstructSim’s digital workflows for advanced work packaging. However, in vertical buildings and civil infrastructure projects, notwithstanding the advancement of BIM for design and engineering, prevalent design/bid/build contracting has institutionalized disconnected workflows isolating construction planning from BIM data and geometry.
· Constructors have been constrained by the limitations of stand-alone planning and scheduling programs, without digital visibility into the engineering information coalesced within the separate 3D BIM environment;
· Construction planning typically lacks the workface-level granularity and depth of detail, and exploration of sequencing alternatives, to sufficiently minimize risk and schedule variance; and
· constructors characteristically need to create their own independent 3D models to serve construction only, in the process orphaning the BIM deliverables which can then never, despite their engineering intelligence, accurately represent the as-built asset for operations and maintenance.
Within Synchro, 3D BIM deliverables are linked with the 4D time dimension to intrinsically and immersively synchronize, through digital workflows, the construction strategy, work breakdown structure, schedule, costs, resources, supply chain logistics, and progress. Synchro’s 4D construction modeling appropriately incorporates other construction variables (human, materials, equipment, falseworks, and space) for safe, reliable, and predictable project delivery performance. Synchro includes intrinsic CPM scheduling, or users can maintain external project schedules.
By synchronizing changes from BIM, schedule and/or field conditions, Synchro provides clear visibility into both the project data and the design, making it quick and easy to communicate and analyze the impact of changes on the entire project delivery process. This also enables Synchro users to compare construction strategy alternatives—even in early stages of design and bid processes—and to evaluate the feasibility and efficiency of different scenarios, deriving insights toward the best possible construction outcomes.
By incorporating Synchro 4D construction modeling through the ProjectWise CDE, infrastructure project delivery can now benefit from unprecedented digital workflow advancements. For the first time, change synchronization can assure that BIM deliverables are updated for changes which occur during construction, aligning the as-designed, as-constructed, and as-operated digital engineering models to improve both project performance and asset performance. And, in particular for civil infrastructure projects, constructioneering digital workflows can automate direct relationships between the project’s digital engineering models, the continuously-surveyed digital context of site conditions before and during construction, and positioning devices controlling construction equipment and feeding back as-built conditions.
“I’m very excited about what Synchro brings to Bentley’s capabilities for comprehensive project delivery, not only in terms of technology, but also by virtue of the proven construction expertise of the Synchro team, led by the vision and advocacy of Tom Dengenis,” said Stephen Jolley, vice president of construction for Bentley. “In construction modeling for industrial projects, the market is already converging around ConstructSim’s advanced work packaging and workface planning. In the advancement of going digital for civil and building construction, the needed impetus for these ‘industrialized’ advantages is precisely what we are now announcing. For infrastructure projects, integrating Synchro’s 4D construction modeling completes the reach of our ProjectWise CDE.”
Tom Dengenis, CEO of Synchro Software, said, “This combination reflects my conviction about what’s imperative for finally driving infrastructure construction substantially forward. At Synchro, we accomplished the breakthrough of 4D construction modeling software many years ago, but we have wanted to advance the market faster than our own continuous growth. With my 40+ Synchro colleagues in the UK, Boston, San Francisco, Shanghai, and Moscow, I look forward to working more directly with our new Bentley colleagues, thanks to our now so much greater combined power and commitment, to accelerate the global industry in going digital.”
Malcolm Taylor, head of technical information, Crossrail, said, “Using specialist software from Bentley Systems and Synchro, our project schedule could be linked to the 3D information to produce 4D models that could show the progress of design and installation at any particular point in time. Using 4D models to plan helped speed up the project teams’ understanding of what we needed to do and when. They could also tease out conflicts that were not normally apparent from regular Gantt charts and drawings. Using the 4D model for construction progress also manages payment expectations as it allows teams to readily agree on what’s completed and accepted—as well as producing an excellent as-built record for the future maintainer. For me, the news of Bentley Systems’ acquisition of Synchro Software is excellent, and will help reinforce how 4D can be used to improve construction management.”
Bentley Systems’ CEO Greg Bentley said, “Synchro has already inflected upward the construction productivity curve, by leading the adoption of 4D construction modeling for significant projects worldwide. The opportunity to extend digital workflows from BIM to institutionalize 4D construction modeling across infrastructure project delivery, superseding disconnected planning and scheduling, is enormous and immediate; its magnitude is confirmed by the clamor of new startups. Tom Dengenis’ informed enthusiasm and business foresight in anticipating and advancing the market’s potential—reflected in Synchro’s sustained and increasing growth from critical mass to escape velocity—assures me that we now, uniquely, have the right combined team and converged technologies. Every constructor and every infrastructure project can gain from going digital through our 4D construction modeling!”
Western Digital unveiled the SanDisk Ultra Fit USB 3.1, a low-profile USB flash drive ideal for people who want to add more photos, videos, games and audio files to their notebooks, tablets, TVs, gaming consoles and car audio systems. The drive, available in capacity up to 256GB, gives customers the flexibility to keep more content at their fingertips – approximately, 14,000 photos, 10 hours of full HD video and 16,000 songs.
The new SanDisk Ultra Fit USB 3.1 high speed flash drive is compact in design allowing users to plug and leave it in, making it simpler to add extra, high-speed storage to their device! Just by plugging it in the user can instant storage for their devices. SanDisk Ultra Fit USB 3.1 Flash Drive enables write speeds up to 15x faster than a standard USB 2.0 drives.
With this flash drive, a full-length movie can be moved in less than 30 seconds2 plus it includes SanDisk SecureAccess software for password protection and 128-bit AES encryption software making it easy to password-protect critical files. The user just needs to drag and drop files into the vault, and they'll be encrypted to keep the private files private.
The drive comes with a RescuePRO Deluxe data recovery software download offer4. This software allows recovery of files that have been accidentally deleted (download required). It is also backward-compatible, so it can be plugged into any USB 3.0 or 2.0 port.
Perfect companion for people who need an always available extra storage on their devices for media and more, SanDisk Ultra Fit USB 3.1 Flash Drive features a five-year limited warranty and comes in 16GB/32GB/ 64GB/ 128GB/ 256GB capacities with up to 130MB/s1 read speed.
Pricing and Availability
SanDisk Ultra Fit USB 3.1 Flash Drive will be available exclusively on Amazon.in until July 20, 2018 and across all retail outlets post that. The price points are as follows:
16 GB - INR 800
32 GB - INR 899
64 GB - INR 1649
128 GB - INR 3099
256 GB - INR 7590
L&T Technology Services Limited, a global leading pure-play engineering services company, has partnered with California based Cadence Design Systems, a leader in manufacturing electronics and integrated circuits to launch its new NB-IoT (Narrow Band – Internet of Things) protocol stack nB-on which will be hosted on Cadence’s Tensilica platform.
NB-IoT is a Low Power Wide Area Network connectivity standard from cellular Industry (ETSI/3GPP) to enable a wide range of devices and services to be connected. nB-on is an innovative offering from LTTS utilizing NB-IoT designed with low memory and low power footprint enabling easy integration to custom target platforms. Cadence’s Tensilica solution can be integrated into system-on-chip (SoC) devices to deliver fast time to market with low risk through pre-verified and pre-certified intellectual property (IP).
These are opportune times for organizations that intend to derive maximum benefits from IoT enabled connected devices. According to Technavio, the global NB-IoT chipset market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 61% from 2017-2020, while Gartner has predicted that the number of ‘connected things’ will reach 20.4 billion by 2020. LTTS is a prime mover in India leveraging its IoT, IIoT and NB-IoT prowess for developing Smart Cities under the Smart Cities Mission by the Indian government. The company is contributing significantly to the L&T Group’s asset management projects and turnkey solutions for smart cities, smart communication systems and security solutions.
Ashish Khushu, Chief Technology Officer at L&T Technology Services said “We are excited to roll out nB-on, a comprehensive and light-weight 3GPP NB-IoT device protocol stack developed by LTTS that is both platform and industry agnostic. Our partnership with Cadence Technologies involves integrating nB-on with Cadence’s popular Tensilica platform, which will result in cost effective use cases for a multitude of functions ranging from smart parking management, smart meters to modern fleet and waste management. Our combined NB-IoT package will provide enhanced IoT connectivity, lowering deployment & maintenance costs while supporting a large number of devices. LTTS has been an important contributor to prevailing 3GPP NB-IoT standards and anticipates mass adoption of the nB-on solution in the near future”.
“Increasingly companies are looking to integrate NB-IoT functionality into their low-cost IoT SoCs,” said Gerard Andrews, director of marketing for Tensilica products at Cadence. “From wearables to smart city to industrial applications, this new class of IoT SoCs will require solid modem IP and a strong engineering services partner. With L&T Technology’s fully tested NB-IoT modem IP and proven engineering team, they can reduce risk and time to market for companies looking to enter the emerging NB-IoT SoC market.”
LTTS will be exhibiting the NB-on solution at the upcoming GSMA Mobile World Congress 2018. The visitors would be able to experience the functionality of nB-on at Booth Number B89 in Hall N1, between June 27 to 29.
Betting big on consumer engagement and relationship enhancement, Canon India announces the launch of ‘Get the Edge’ – a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) program aimed at improving consumer proximity and enhancing customer delight. With the objective of establishing a platform to connect and manage its interactions with the customers, Canon India is taking a step ahead in the direction of customer experience, by launching ‘Get the Edge’ for its subdomain edge.canon.co.in
Starting today, the special service would entail devising a Canon-pedia of photography, which will be a one-stop-shop for the new, amateur as well as advanced camera users to hone their photography skills. The ultimate goal of this program is to propagate photography and imaging culture in the country.
Commenting on the occasion, Kazutada Kobayashi, President & CEO, Canon India, said, “Taking a step ahead in our endevour of customer delight, we are pleased to announce this venture of ‘Customer Relationship Management’. Backed by our customer’s faith in our strong legacy of more than two decades in the country, we are confident that the CRM program – ‘Get the Edge’ will help us build and maintain lifetime connect with all our customers across the country. The communication and approach of the program has been segmented for different customers at different levels, including entry level users, mid-range users and advanced and professional camera users, thus aiming to provide them with an enhanced experience. We have always maintained our stance of promoting the imaging culture in the country and this programme would be a vital contributor in this space.”
The content of the program is divided under four major categories, which include – campaigns & offers, tips, tricks and tutorials on photography, product centric details and genre specific information.
Further elaborating on the program, Eddie Udagawa, Vice President, Consumer Imaging and Information Centre, Canon India, said, “Customers have always been and will continue to be at the epicenter of all our innovations. The launch of our CRM program ‘Get the Edge’ is a step ahead in building a strong community of photography enthusiast and professionals, that would elevate the world of imaging. In line with the market trends and customer requirements, ‘Get the Edge’ would serve as a knowledge bank, publishing the latest information and providing the right solutions to the customers. We foresee this to be a Canon-pedia of photography, enriching customer experience and engagement on our digital platform- Canon Edge.”
The program has commenced through mailers sent out to registered Canon Edge members, highlighting the key aspects of the program and welcoming them on board. This program will offer arsenal of activities for users to browse through, which includes updates on latest products, product reviews, photography tips and techniques and photography contests and events.
Through various distinct phases of CRM, Canon will further customize their offerings for each consumer to suit their individual requirements and study their needs and expectations. The objective is to continue living by the brand’s tag line of ‘Delighting you always’.
Microsoft India received four prestigious awards at the Frost & Sullivan India Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Awards, held on June 21, 2018 in New Delhi. Currently in their 16th year, these awards honor and recognize companies who push boundaries of excellence and achieve landmarks to deliver business outcomes using digital and disruptive technologies in the Indian market.
Microsoft received the ‘Public Cloud Provider of the Year’ Award and the ‘Unified Communication Vendor of the Year’ awards for the second consecutive year. In addition, Microsoft also received the ‘Enterprise Team Messaging Vendor of the Year’ and the ‘Information Rights Management Vendor of the Year’ awards.
Congratulating Microsoft Corporation (India) for the award, Parminder Kaur, Associate Director, Digital Transformation Practice, Frost & Sullivan said, ““Microsoft has been at the forefront of innovation and has enabled enterprises to transform their digital experiences. With a deep focus on empowering end users, Microsoft continues to make investments in cutting edge technology and industry solutions, backed by a strong go-to-market strategy. Its partner ecosystem, thought leadership and focus on trust, security and privacy make Microsoft an undisputed leader.”
Speaking on the occasion, Meetul Patel, Chief Operating Officer, Microsoft India, said, “Microsoft has made significant investments in creating the technologies for a world characterized by an intelligent edge network of devices powered by a trusted, intelligent cloud. We are pleased that our innovative new technology is helping fundamentally reshape the IT infrastructure in India to make access to the latest technologies easier for every segment of the economy.”
The award recipients were judged on a variety of parameters that included revenue growth, innovation, product portfolio diversity, key achievements, and Go-to-market Strategy. It involved in-depth primary interviews with various industry participants and secondary research conducted by Frost & Sullivan analysts. An elite panel of jury members comprising of prominent CIOs/CTOs from the industry evaluated the compiled data and incorporated the end-user perspective. Frost & Sullivan then presented the awards to companies that received the highest industry rank in each category.
ThoughtWorks, a software and digital transformation consultancy, has announced a 2-year partnership with Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA) to design, develop, test and deploy automated data processing software for the MeerKAT radio telescope, a Square Kilometer Array precursor, that will break new ground in astronomical observations and will redefine our understanding of space as we know it. ThoughtWorks will archive, process, analyse and distribute data and/or data products for MeerKAT Absorption Line Survey (MALS) through the Automated Radio Telescope Data Processing Software pipeline.
Today’s announcement is a testament to ThoughtWorks’ expertise in data-intensive scientific discovery and the Engineering for Research (E4R) practice in India that secured the contract. Previously, ThoughtWorks designed and delivered software for the Thirty Meter Telescope, an observatory that will produce images ten times sharper than the Hubble Space telescope.
The MeerKAT project is led by Dr. Neeraj Gupta and Raghunathan Srianand of Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), India. Dr. Neeraj has this to say on the transformative expectation of the project, “The work to be completed by ThoughtWorks will allow us to use cutting-edge and innovative solutions required to tackle the big data challenge, posed by MALS and, improve our understanding of how galaxies form and evolve.”
“Engineering excellence is the backbone that powers technology,” says Sameer Soman, Managing Director, ThoughtWorks India. “Our work on the MeerKat project enables the continued evolution of discovery and design when it comes to managing and processing incredibly large data sets. Also, as always ThoughtWorks will look forward to enterprise level applications of our learnings from this futuristic project.”
E4R is ThoughtWorks India’s initiative to design and develop software tools for scientific discovery, as a part of the larger computational science community. The practice is focused on solving next generation computational challenges across various scientific disciplines such as astronomy and biology.
After 3-days of great display of passion and grit, the Southern Chapter of IndiaSkills Regional Competitions 2018 concluded today in a grand ceremony, held at BIEC - Bengaluru International Exhibition Centre (BIEC), Bengaluru. The regional finale was graced by the august presence of Anantkumar Hegde, Minister of State for Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE), Government of India, Dr. K. P. Krishnan, Secretary, MSDE, Rajesh Agrawal, Joint Secretary, MSDE, Jayant Krishna, ED & COO, NSDC along with other dignitaries from industry and central and state government.
More than 300 competitors from 14 states competed in one of the biggest skill competitions in the region. Organized between 21st to 23rd June, the competition was spread across 7 locations in the city, with BIEC hosting 25 out of 36 competitions.
For the first time in the regionals, skill competitions were organized in unique trades such as Floristry, Print Media Technology, Landscape Gardening, Industrial Control, Aircraft Maintenance among others. The event also witnessed a lot of competitors breaking stereotypes by participating in non-conventional trades, e.g. a male competitor from Jammu & Kashmir participated in Beauty Therapy and a female competitor participated in the competition for Plastering & Dry Wall skill.
Karnataka won the highest number of first positions at the event (11), followed by Kerala (6) and Andhra Pradesh (4). The winners were felicitated by Anantkumar Hegde, Minister of State for Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, Government of India.
Addressing the closing ceremony, Anantkumar Hegde said, “Skill India should be reverberated amongst the youth to create a movement for nation building. In this endeavor, I am happy to see IndiaSkills competition being organized in Bengaluru for the first time. It is heartening to see the enthusiasm and hard work of all the participants who competed at this event.”
“I am proud to see large number of competitors breaking the conventional stereotypes and are showcasing their talent through this unique platform. I am sure the confidence that all of them gain through this event will help them contribute significantly to the growth of our country. Our journey for WorldSkills 2019 has begun and I am confident that our youth will make India proud at this event”, he further added.
Commenting on the initiatives, Dr. K. P. Krishnan said, “Skills form the backbone of all our national missions. IndiaSkills competitions are designed with an objective to showcase the highest standards of skills in India and motivate youth to consider vocational education as a mainstream career option. This is a unique amalgamation of government, academia, industry and other stakeholders, all coming together to develop best in class skilled manpower in the country.”
IndiaSkills competition, organized by National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) under the aegis of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), has brought together 50+ corporates and academic institutes, along with 22 state governments all with one vision of making India the skill capital of the world. Leading corporate like Toyota, Maruti, Tata Motors, Festo, VLCC, Future Group, Schneider Electric, Hindustan Aeronautic Limited among others, have partnered Skill India Mission for this unique initiative.
Since April this year, 500+ district and state level competitions have been organized across India. The southern chapter of IndiaSkills regional competition is the third in line of four such competitions across the country. The next regional competition for the eastern region is scheduled in Bhubaneshwar, Odisha from 15th to 17th July 2018.
The winners from these regional competitions will compete at the National Competition at New Delhi in September 2018, where the final winners will get a chance to undergo best in class industry training and represent India at WorldSkills International Competition 2019 in Kazan Russia.
India won 1 Silver, 1 Bronze and 9 Medallion of Excellence and ranked 19 among 56 countries at the last WorldSkills 2017 in Abu Dhabi. More than 1300 competitors competed in 51 skills at this event.
