Surya Kiran, Saras to Make Comeback at Aero India Show in 2019

The Surya Kiran team was disbanded in 2011 and will return with a nine-aircraft display that never failed to delight the crowds. Things hot up for Aero India as 47 aircraft confirm presence; IAF Surya Kiran, NAL’s SARAS will be part of display after many many years.

With little over a month left for Aero India to start, around 47 metal birds that will take part in the airshow have confirmed their participation.

While a majority of the aircraft that would be taking part in flying and static display during the airshow are Indian made or belong to the Indian armed forces, a few foreign ones too are making their presence felt. Aero India is to be held at the Air Force Station Yelahanka between February 23 and 24.

Among the Indian aircraft, the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas will have the largest presence with nine aircraft which will be on both flying and static display, followed by the Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) and the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA).

The aerobatic teams who have confirmed their participation include the Indian Air Forces (IAF) Surya Kiran and the Sarang teams. After a hiatus of eight years, Surya Kiran will return with its nine-aircraft formation during next months’ Aero India.

Surya Kiran used to be a big draw, performing stunts in Kiran MK-II aircraft, a basic trainer for IAF’s budding fighter pilots. It had been the mainstay at the biennial Aero India since 1996. However, the team was disbanded after the 2011 edition of the air show as the IAF decided to reroute the Kiran Mk-II’s solely for training purposes due to a shortage of trainer aircraft.

The Surya Kiran team later made a conversion to the Hawk Mk-132 Advanced Jet Trainer (AJT) and since 2015 have been training and performing with the Hawk aircraft. Though the Surya Kiran team performed at 2017 edition of the airshow, it was with a six-aircraft formation and not the nine aircraft formation.

Also making a return to the airshow after many years is the NAL designed and developed SARAS PT1N which last performed in the Aero India 2009. The SARAS program was grounded since 2009 following a crash of prototype of the aircraft in the outskirts of Bangalore and took to the skies only last year. The 14-seater aircraft will be among the aircraft that will be part in the flying display.

Among the vintage aircraft which will be taking part in the airshow is the Dakota aircraft.

Among the foreign helicopters and military aircraft which will be on static display are the Airbus H135 and Airbus H145 the Airbus A400M, C295 and the ANTONOV 132D. Two Rafales will also be part of the flying display.

Aeris and Roambee Unite to Enhance Cold Chain Monitoring via IoT

Aeris, a technology leader in the Internet of Things (IoT), has announced it is working with the Roambee Corporation, an IoT supply chain and enterprise asset visibility company, to help enterprises improve their monitoring of shipments and assets through IoT-based technologies offered by both companies.

Roambee provides IoT-based real-time global condition monitoring and visibility services for in-transit goods and in-field assets. Roambee’s unique end-to-end solution simplifies global shipment visibility across the supply chain, including the entire cold chain process for enterprises. The company provides patented hardware and software technology, combined with an array of senor data, analytics, predictive reporting and open application programming interfaces (APIs) to increase return on investment (ROI), improve supply chain operations, and reduce inventory loss.

Aeris offers end-to-end IoT and machine-to-machine (M2M) solutions through its comprehensive Aeris® Mobility Platform (AMP) and Aeris Connectivity Platform (ACP). Collectively, these platforms enable enterprises and original equipment manufacturers to embark on a digital transformation journey to enhance revenue, create new services and form new business models.

ACP provides Roambee with the ability to manage its global data connectivity, which in turn is being used by Roambee for its shipping, inventory, pallet, asset and fleet monitoring services. This helps Roambee advance its service delivery while improving supply chain predictability and throughput for enterprises.

The Aeris Connectivity Platform provides a “smarter” cold chain because real-time monitoring devices provide managers with live data and situational alerts, thereby mitigating risks along the cold chain before they arise, while providing actionable insights for future business improvements.

Roambee’s real-time monitoring solutions provide managers with live data and situational alerts, thereby mitigating risks along the cold chain before they arise, while providing actionable insights for future business improvements. By leveraging ACP and its location-based services, Roambee’s services alleviates on-time delivery risks; reduces spoilage and damage risks; lowers theft and financial risk, and improves its overall delivery of service.

Ananth Narayanan, CEO of Myntra and Jabong Resigns

Ananth Narayanan, chief executive officer of Walmart-owned Myntra and Jabong, on Monday resigned from his post. According to sources, Narayanan is planning to pursue external opportunities.

“Ananth has played an important role in making Myntra and Jabong into a formidable player in the fashion ecommerce market and steering the company towards sustainable growth,” Myntra said in its statement.

Flipkart’s Amar Nagaram has been named as the head of Myntra and Jabong, the company stated. He will report to Flipkart Group CEO Kalyan Krishnamurthy.

Nagaram, who recently moved to Myntra from Flipkart, has been working with the group for around seven years now.

“Myntra and Jabong are an important part of the Flipkart group serving our valuable customers. The company will continue to execute the growth strategy and leverage synergies with Flipkart as appropriate,” it said. “...(Nagaram) has played a pivotal role in making shopping accessible, delightful and affordable on every connected device. Most notably, he led the efforts on revisiting the boundaries of mobile web, making the experience on it as good as native,” the statement said.

According to sources, Narayanan might join Hotstar as its CEO.

Market sources said Jabong will continue to operate for now and Flipkart may shut down the platform after a few months.

Toshiba TEC Singapore Inks Partnership for Multi-Function Peripherals with Galtech Infosolutions for Indian Markets

Toshiba Tec Singapore Pte Ltd announced the partnership with Galtech Infosolutions Pvt Ltd for the sale and service distribution of Toshiba multi-function office peripheral systems.

With Galtech’s strong business presence and network in the Northern and Southern parts of India, Toshiba TEC and Galtech collaboration is a powerful step forward in the expansion of Toshiba’s award winning MFPs penetration across India.

"We are very pleased to make this announcement with Galtech," said Takeshi Kimura, General Manager of Toshiba TEC Singapore. "Customers in India are continuously looking for the latest innovations that strengthen operations as well as the financial bottom line. We believe Galtech Infosolutions has all the capabilities and industry expertise to represent Toshiba in providing the highest level of satisfactory office printing requirements to these parts of India.”

"We are pleased to be working with Toshiba TEC Singapore” said Kishore Krishnan, Managing Director of Galtech Infosolutions Pvt Ltd. “We will be able to leverage on our very strong dealer network and business expertise so as to bring quality, high speed, brilliant print quality and state-of-the-art MFPs to South & North India. We are confident that this partnership will move us up very quickly to the next level of excellence.”

Galtech will commence distribution of the following Toshiba MFP series with immediate effect.

Luxury Goes Digital with Revolutionary QUEO SmarTap for Bathrooms

Bathrooms aren't usually the first room in a home, you would associate with being smart but that's not to say they can't be. QUEO - the purveyor of bespoke bathrooms has introduced the world’s most indulgent shower experience, the ‘Queo SmarTap’. The latest QUEO offering has created the first and only complete smart bathing system, delivering a sensational experience.

Queo Smartap’s technology manifests itself in pure luxury and comfort and lets users enjoy a perfect flow of water, at the exact right temperature, sustained throughout their shower. To add to the experience the Queo Smartap’s creates an ambience of relaxation with customized music and the perfect shower scenario. This avant-garde bathing system can also regulate the shower, bath and sink to create a synchronized bathroom tailored to tunes to match your hair-flips while you shower.

This extremely tech-savvy shower system can be controlled through a smartphone app, voice commands via Amazon Echo or manual digital controllers. The system is highly intuitive and brings the shower at the users’ fingertips, by learning their lifestyle and creating countless shower scenarios through its smartphone app. Whether it is the wetness of mist, a tropical downpour or the thrill of a roaring jet stream, the three Outlet Controls of SmarTap ensures a rich and indulgent experience.

Hot, cold, quick and relaxing, the SmarTap app lets consumers define countless bathing scenarios tailored to their preferences, each one with a personal user profile.

Yes Bank Signs Banking Partnership with Kia Motors Across India

Yes Bank, India’s fourth largest private sector Bank, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Kia Motors, world’s eighth largest automaker, to enter into a strategic financing partnership, making it one of the first Indian banks to become their preferred financier. The benefits of this partnership will be extended to the entire auto value chain - Auto dealers as well as customers, covering multiple car models offered by Kia Motors India.

Kia Motors is set to enter Indian market by second half of 2019 with an all-new mid-SUV which was previewed at 2018 Auto Expo. The partnership will utilize YES BANK’s capabilities to provide a comprehensive range of attractive financing options for Kia Motors’ customers in India, helping support the company’s continued growth and expansion plans in different geographies.

Through the partnership, YES BANK will be able to provide end to end financial solutions to Kia Motors India. The Bank will offer financing and banking solutions to both the Kia car dealers with products such as Term Loans, Cash Credit, Inventory funding etc. as well as the end consumers. The Bank will work towards satisfying the customers’ needs through auto loans with easy monthly repayment plans best suited for individual consumers. Moreover, YES BANK will also leverage its chat bot based platform, YES mPower bot, allowing it to deliver superior customer experience with 1 min loan approval across all the retail touch points.

Speaking about the partnership, Pralay Mondal, Senior Group President and Head, Retail and Business Banking, YES BANK said, “YES BANK is pleased to partner global auto manufacturer Kia Motors in India. The Bank has been working with various auto players to provide innovative finance solutions, thereby further strengthening our position in the competitive value driven car segment and also contributing to the growth of the segment in the country.”

“It is our endeavor to enhance the experience of our prospective customers and add more value to our dealer partners in India. The partnership with YES BANK will definitely set the benchmark of premium and hassle-free Kia experience. This partnership will empower our stakeholders and customers with financial products specifically tailored for them to facilitate their smooth entry into the world of Kia,” said Kookhyun Shim, MD & CEO, Kia Motors India. “Kia Motors India aims at creating excitement in the automobile industry with best in class innovative solutions meeting overall needs of our partners and customers likewise,” he added.

The partnership will focus on providing easy financing opportunities for the dealers and also make it easy for eligible buyers to acquire brand new Kia vehicles. Besides providing financing solutions, YES BANK will also work towards developing exclusive digital banking solutions for Kia Motors in India.

Kerala Government Announces Partnership with Unity Tech to Launch Startup Centre of Excellence

Kerala Startup Mission, the nodal agency of Govt. of Kerala for technical entrepreneurship in the State has partnered with Unity Technologies to launch a Centre of Excellence for AR/VR and gaming. Through this Centre of Excellence, Unity will extend support to startups developing products, services, and games on platforms including mobile, PC, and various AR/VR hardware. This Centre of Excellence will also have a special focus on providing different levels of training on AR/VR developer tools to students and professionals in the State. The partnership is a significant step forward for developing an AR/VR ecosystem in Kerala.

“The AR/VR market is expected to witness huge growth globally in the next 5-6 years. This growth in demand for AR/VR content and solutions will be accompanied by the sprouting up of a new set of businesses. “This Centre of Excellence for AR/VR Developer tools with Unity Technologies is a step taken by the Govt of Kerala towards creating an ecosystem for new businesses to grow and cater to the global demand,” said Shri. M Sivasankar IAS, Secretary Department of IT & Electronics, Govt. of Kerala. Sivasankar also said that ICT Academy of Kerala and CDIT has an important role to play in the creation of this ecosystem in Kerala.

“Unity is at the center of the AR/VR ecosystem, powering 60%+ of all content and we see this industry growing significantly over the next few years,” said Hubert Larenaudie, Vice President of Asia Pacific at Unity Technologies. “This Centre of Excellence for AR/VR developer tools is a step taken by the government of Kerala to create an ecosystem for these new businesses to grow and thrive."

"Kerala Startup Mission is committed towards creating an enabling ecosystem for young ventures working on various emerging technologies. With its rich pool of creative talent, Kerala has the opportunity to become a hub for this extended reality disruption, which is a combination of content and solutions powered by hardware and distribution platforms. This emerging industry will, in turn, create new jobs that require new sets of skills. We will be working with ICT Academy of Kerala for skilling interested students and professionals on these design and development tools." said Saji Gopinath, CEO, Kerala Startup Mission.

In line with the Knowledge City initiative of Government of Kerala, KSUM has a special emphasis in promoting startups working in various emerging technologies like AI, Cyber Security, AR/VR etc. Over the past one year, KSUM has touched bases with more than one hundred (  to be precise) startups in these emerging technologies and has provided these startups with various support mechanisms including technology access through Future Technologies Lab, Innovation Grants, seed loans, exposure programs, and market connects. Future Technologies Lab also runs evangelization drives across the State to attract more professionals and students to take up research, learning and development programs in these newer technologies.

“In the Industry 4.0 world, AR/VR is a vital technology that has applications in multiple domains, hence youth with skills and competencies in AR/VR will have a unique advantage in the future jobs market. ICTAK is delighted to be skilling interested students and professionals on these design and development tools” said Santhosh Kurup, CEO, ICT Academy of Kerala.