HSIL Group’s Vice Chairman and MD Sandip Somany Elected as President of FICCI for 2018-19

Sandip Somany, Vice Chairman and Managing Director, HSIL Limited has been elected as the president of FICCI for 2018-19 after the conclusion of the 91st Annual General Meeting of the apex industry chamber.

With this coveted industry acknowledgment, Somany will be working closely with Government and business leaders towards spearheading the country’s economic growth and promote inclusiveness. Mr. Somany was previously working as the Senior Vice President, FICCI.

In the past, FICCI President Somany has held many industry leadership positions, including that of President of Ph.D. Chamber of Commerce and Industry and President of International Chamber of Commerce India chapter (headquartered in Paris). He was also the Chairman of Indian Council of Sanitaryware Manufacturers (INCOSAMA) and a member of the Executive Committee of Governing Council of All India Glass Manufacturers Association.

Somany is widely recognized as a pioneer of the Indian ceramic industry and has played an instrumental role in making it an organized industry. With more than three decades of industry experience, a penchant for anticipating market needs and a constant thrust on innovation, Somany has led HSIL’s evolution from an Indian sanitaryware maker to a diversified home solutions company.

Expressing gratitude and talking about his vision for the industry, Sandip Somany said, “I am thankful for FICCI’s vote of confidence in appointing me as the President. This position is a great opportunity as it will allow me to continue to work within FICCI to meet its objectives aligned with industries at large, and our country. I look forward to engaging with industry stalwarts and leaders to foster an ecosystem of innovation and growth, together building consensus between industry and policy.”

Somany holds a degree from the prestigious University of California, U. S. A. and has a Bachelor’s degree from the Delhi University. He is an avid reader, keeps abreast of world’s political and economic news and is an adventure sports enthusiast.

Get a Vivo Smartphone by Paying Only INR 101; Offer on Purchase of above INR 10,000

Vivo India, today announced an exclusive offline offer ‘New Phone, New You’ to celebrate the Christmas and New Year festivities. The 41 days offer period starts from December 20th 2018 – January 31st 2019 across all partner outlets pan India. With this offer**, customers can buy any Vivo smartphone above the value of INR 10,000* by making an immediate payment of INR 101 and paying the total amount in 6 equal EMIs.

Steps to avail this offer:

1.       Visit any of the 45,000+ Vivo-BFL mapped partner stores
2.       Carry your basic KYC document (PAN Card, Voter ID card, Aadhar Card etc.)
3.       Select your favourite Vivo device (*NEX, V11, V11 Pro, Y95, Y83 Pro, Y81-4G)
4.       Pay an upfront fee of INR 101 and submit your KYC documents to the retailer
5.       The device MOP will be divided into 6 equal EMI’s as per the scheme construct
6.       Go home and enjoy your new Vivo device

Besides the above mentioned offer, Vivo is also providing:

·         HDFC ZERO Down Payment offer with additional 5% Cashback on Credit/Debit cards EMI transactions, Credit card regular transactions and with HDFC CD paper finance
·         HDB ZERO Down Payment offer for 6 month EMI**

Commenting on the launch, Jerome Chen, Senior Vice President, Vivo India said, “We are excited to bring attractive offers for consumers across India, as we get ready for Christmas and 2019. The ‘New Phone, New You’ offer has been specially curated to provide exciting propositions to our consumers that want to enter the New Year with a new Vivo device. With the New Year round the corner, we at Vivo wish to bring happiness to our customers and make Vivo buying experience a delight.”

Vivo has introduced a simple yet innovative financing option in partnership with Bajaj Finance, HDFC, HDB and Capital First to ensure availability of Vivo smartphones for everyone.

Sreeleather Announces “Bullet Raaja Contest Sshme” - Winners Receive Brand New Bullet 350 CC Motorcycle

Sreeleathers, , the leading footwear chain offering wide range of quality footwear in the latest styles announced the winners of the “Bullet Raaja” contest, today.  Sekhar Dey, Partner, Sreeleathers and SushantoDey, Partner, Sreeleathers, the Chief Guests on the occasion announced the winners and presented a brand new Bullet – 350 CC motorcycle to each winner of the contest. The winners were among the 5,000 participants of contest scheme from Bengaluru city.

Shrikanth YE from Bengaluru emerged as the winners of the “Bullet Raaja” contest scheme.

Sushanto Dey, Partner, Sreeleathers said, “There was an overwhelming response for the contest from our customers with around 5,000 participants in Bengaluru and. I thank our customers for deciding to shop at Sreeleathers during the festive season. “Bullet Raaja” contest, being the first contest scheme in this region, we propose more such contest schemes in forthcoming festive seasons. Apart from contest schemes, the festive offers, exceptional customer care have resulted in becoming one of the leading  footwear chain showroom in Bengaluru and we have plans to expand more in the city and Karnataka state.”

“Bullet Raaja” contest scheme was the first of its kind from Sreeleathers had been a great hit among the customers of Bengaluru during the Diwali festive season. The contest scheme was conducted at Bengaluru and Chennai showroom. Customers who had purchases above Rs.999 were eligible for the contest scheme.

Sushanto Dey, Partner, Sreeleathers congratulated the winner on the occasion. A large number of customers and stakeholders attended the contest scheme event.

Unity Tech and Baidu Collaborate to Develop Autonomous Vehicle Simulation Geared to Enable the Future of Autonomy

Unity Technologies (https://unity3d.com), creator of the world’s most widely used real-time 3D development platform, announced today a collaboration with Baidu Inc., China's leading Internet Giant, to develop a real-time simulation product that creates virtual environments allowing developers to test autonomous vehicles in simulated real-world situations. The Unity-based real-time simulation will now be available to developers taking part in Baidu’s Apollo platform: an open, comprehensive and reliable platform geared towards accelerating the development, testing, and deployment of Levels 3, 4, 5 autonomous vehicles.

“Baidu is helping make significant advances in autonomous driving in China and around the world by advancing collaboration amongst many developers and manufacturers, which is why we’re thrilled to be collaborating,” said Tim McDonough, General Manager of Industrial, Unity Technologies. “The ability to accurately conduct autonomous testing in a simulated environment allows for millions of simulations to simultaneously occur, providing Apollo partners with a competitive advantage while helping to keep their business costs down.”

Unity ’s real-time 3D platform allows automotive manufacturers (OEMs) to reduce errors and risk while increasing efficiency and speed of testing by offering simulations that replicate real-world scenarios.  Unity also offers customizable content available through its Asset Store created by its millions of developers.

In addition to its collaboration with Baidu, Unity works with eight of the 10 largest OEMs in the world by helping improve the way they design, build, service and sell automobiles. The brand has continued to invest in its automotive division by bringing in experts from companies like BMW, General Motors, Toyota, Volvo, and the Volkswagen Group.

“By using a platform like Unity, our developers can focus on testing and research without worrying about non-functional environments or building something from scratch, “said Jaewon Jung, Chief Architect, Baidu. “The Unity-powered game engine simulation for Apollo has the ability to expedite autonomous vehicle validation and training with precise ground truth data in a more effective and safer way.”

As part of its growing autonomy efforts, Unity has recently collaborated to support artificial intelligence (AI) and deep learning for autonomous systems, as well as its recently launched  SimViz Solution Template: a package that provides OEMs and other brands with autonomous driving simulations solutions. 

K7 Computing Sets a Benchmark in the Global System Security Industry: AV Comparatives Reports 2018

K7 Computing Private Limited, a cybersecurity company protecting over 20 million customers globally against threats to their IT environments, has established its global leadership in the anti-malware and security industry as per the 2018 AV-Comparatives Performance Report. The study was undertaken by the Innsbruck, Austria-based independent testing organization, AV-Comparatives, to understand the ‘Impact of Consumer Security Software on System Performance’ across international players in the industry.

K7 Computing has been a leading performer in this study with consistent results of PC Mark score of 98 and PC Mark score 98.2 in the performance test of June & October 2018 respectively, reconfirming  K7 Computing’s technological edge with respect to system protection, resource efficiency, and impact to system performance.

Speaking on the accomplishment, J. Kesavardhanan, MD & CEO, K7 Computing said; “AV-Comparatives is a globally trusted and acclaimed independent testing body for anti-virus products. It is a matter of great pride and honour to be getting recognized by them consistently for outstanding performance. We all at K7 Computing perceive this achievement as a great responsibility to continue with building products of highest quality.”

Andreas Clementi, Founder and CEO of AV-Comparatives said; “Cyberattacks have been multiplying by the day which implies the increase in chances of companies and businesses falling victim to a cyber threat. Be it any sector, cyber threats become more intense with increase in our dependency on technology. Hence, it is important to use reliable and trusted anti-virus products that are effective in defending cybercrimes. We are glad to see that K7 computing has been a consistent performer with lowest impact rates and has been standing strong through the advanced series of tests.”

Notably, K7 Total Security also received maximum ratings (very fast) across all criteria of evaluation that included file copying, archiving/unarchiving, installing and uninstalling applications, launching applications, downloading files and browsing websites.  

Both test results have awarded K7 with an advanced three-star rating in its performance test which makes K7 Computing the only Indian company to have been recognized by the AV-Comparatives Report for its system efficiency.  

ACT Fibernet is Powered Partner for A.R Rahman ‘One Heart Tour’ in Bengaluru

ACT Fibernet (Atria Convergence Technologies Ltd.) India’s largest fiber-focused wired broadband ISP (Internet Service Provider), today announced its partnership with A.R Rahman’s ‘One Heart Tour’ as the connectivity partner for the upcoming event that will be held on 22nd of December 2018 at Ozone Urbana in Bengaluru.

As part of the tour, Bengaluru is the first city where A.R Rahman will be performing live after seven long years with multiple other award-winning musicians and composers to celebrate the art of music. ACT Fibernet, as connectivity partner will provide high-speed fiber internet connectivity to the overall infrastructure, which will enable the musicians, fans, media, to interact and stay connected all time backed with world class internet experience.

Speaking on the association, Ravi Karthik, Head of Marketing, ACT Fibernet said, “One Heart Tour, is one of the most awaited event of the year, as we will witness the legendary musician A.R. Rahman performing live after a very long time. Bengaluru being a cosmopolitan city has always been one of the most preferred destination for both national and international artists and musicians. As a homegrown company, it has always been our endeavor to support events like this which brings together aspiring youth, new talents to encourage and celebrate different forms of arts, sports and culture in the city.”

Speaking on the association, C.K. Mohammed, Director, Vonamor Media said "One Heart Tour is about to take A.R.Rahman to cities where he's not performed in a long while or not at all, to give the fans an experience of a lifetime and see A.R.Rahman perform live in their city. We are super excited to partner with one of the finest & fastest Internet service providers 'ACT Fibernet' for the Bengaluru show."

Additionally, ACT Fibernet will also be running exciting contests on its social media handles for the customers and fans.  Lucky winners will get a chance to win free tickets to the concert and a once in a life time opportunity to meet the music maestro A.R.Rahman himself.

NTTF in Collaboration with Stratasys Launches India’s First Additive Manufacturing Certification Course at Stratasys India User Forum 2018

Stratasys India, a subsidiary of Stratasys, organized the 2nd edition of Stratasys India User Forum 2018 in Bangalore today. This 3D printing forum is an annual industry congregation hosted by Stratasys to promote the adoption of 3D printing technology across the region. The forum strives to provide a platform for key industry players and end-users to exchange insights on the latest 3D printing trends, applications, and best practices. On this occasion, Stratasys announced a collaboration with NTTF (Nettur Technical Training Foundation) to launch India’s first additive manufacturing certification course. This training program is designed to help students to learn new technologies in 3D printing and make them future industry ready.

Themed ‘Shaping what is Next’, the event witnessed coming together of Stratasys leaders, industry bests and end-users, to share knowledge on the latest 3D printing trends. 3D printing demonstrations in manufacturing, automotive, aerospace & defence, healthcare, and education were showcased during the event. These are some of the key sectors likely to see the highest 3D printing adoption according to solution users and industry speakers at the forum.

Attended by over 500 attendees comprising of industry speakers from leading companies, the gathering included prominent personalities like Reguraj N, Managing Director – Nettur Technical Training Foundation (NTTF), who shared insights on the Government’s skill development initiatives like PMKVY and DDU-GKY, and use of 3D Printing to revolutionize the education system in India. Dr Harider Singh Bedi, a medical stalwart from Shalby Hospital, Mohali, Punjab, shared a surgical miracle made possible with 3D printing. Ravi Shankar, Managing Director, Accreate Additive Labs, shined light on the evolution from 3D printing to 4D printing in the field of life sciences. And, Sanjay Anikhindi, Associate Vice President, JCB India Ltd., spoke on the topic ‘Driving Innovation in Earth Moving’.

The speakers presented case studies that highlighted the uses of 3D printing and how it is slowly changing the traditional manufacturing landscape and is setting the tone for smart manufacturing and industry 4.0, such as advanced prototyping with high-performance thermoplastics in shop floor, or shared office solution for high volume usage at enterprise accounts.

On the occasion, Stratasys displayed their latest range of F370 printers that are adaptable to all engineering environments, be it office, lab or classroom to facilitate rapid 3D prototyping.  Stratasys also showcased its latest FDM elastomer solution from its F123 Series, to show manufacturers the new levels of elasticity, durability with true soluble support; and allowing users to produce parts with unique resilience that can stretch or compress without losing shape.

Commenting on the occasion, Rajiv Bajaj, Managing Director, India & SEA, Stratasys said “3D printing has immense growth potential in India, but the uptake has to be faster. We notice there is a lack of awareness on the diverse applications of 3D Printing. Companies usually hold back on innovation ignorant of cost-benefit ratio, which if taken into consideration can help businesses deliver solutions faster, cheaper, better and easier. Stratasys India User Forum strives to bridge this gap and provide a platform for industry leaders to exchange knowledge and discuss the ever-changing dynamics of the industry.”

Guy Yair, Executive Vice President, EMEA & APJ, Stratasys said “India is becoming a manufacturing hub for foreign investors. Stratasys aims to leverage this opportunity to promote the adoption of 3D printing as part of the next Industrial revolution that empowers both personal manufacturing and customization in products.”

Stratasys is at the forefront of the global 3D printing market that is constantly striving to demystify technology and making it accessible to local manufacturers. The company is focused towards educating users on the benefits of 3D printing solutions and how it will help organizations achieve their business goals.