Infraero Pioneers the Use of Digital Twins to Increase the Safety and Efficiency of Brazil’s Airports

Infraero, Empresa Brasileira de Infraestrutura Aeroportuária is one of the three largest airport operators in the world, managing 54 airports across Brazil. It facilitates more than 100 million passengers each year, accounting for nearly 60 percent of Brazil’s air traffic. Infraero is creating a parametric 3D model and database of Londrina Airport’s underground, land, and above-land information to improve its business intelligence and operations.

Londrina Airport will be the first in Brazil to have a digital twin. The final product will include 3D modeling of 20 buildings, one take-off-and-landing runway, two aircraft yards, taxiways, and access roads—a total airport surface area of 920,354 square meters. Infraero is going digital to improve its business intelligence and decision making.

By leveraging digital DNA to manage its assets, Infraero can take a more preventative approach to maintenance, effectively use airport space, and improve airport safety. Maintenance teams will be able to utilize real-time monitoring and control of assets for improved efficiency of remote asset management. The model will serve as a large-scale information repository to improve performance and obtain data more efficiently.

The digital engineering information, or digital DNA, of the project was modeled using Bentley’s design software. MicroStation’s point-cloud import feature enabled the team to model the entire airport via point clouds and conduct point-cloud studies to verify the existing facilities. OpenBuildings Designer was used to model existing buildings, such as the passenger terminal, cargo terminal, and fire station. OpenRoads was used to create the geometric project and runway system surfaces map: a comprehensive model of take-off and landing runways, taxiways, and service roads. When complete, the comprehensive building and infrastructure model will serve as a basis for future airport expansion projects, enable effective maintenance, cut maintenance costs, and increase asset availability. The live model will also facilitate a range of studies: passenger flow, demand and capacity, layout changes, and launch studies for new commercial areas.

Infraero has already experienced savings of BRL 540,000 per year with improved information management. The company plans to expand its use of BIM methods in the operation and maintenance phase of its other assets. The Digital Airport Pilot Project at Londrina Airport will serve as a model as the other 53 airports managed by Infraero seek to effectively leverage their digital DNA.

Patrícia Oliveira, BIM champion, Infraero, said, “[Bentley’s software enabled] comprehensive digital modeling [to] promote integration and collaboration across different areas of the company. [This will] benefit all business sectors [and offer] consistent and up-to-date information to all stakeholders.”

Londrina Airport is the first airport in the region to effectively leverage its digital DNA to improve business intelligence, asset management, and operations; it serves as an example for other airport owner-operators in the region that seek to promote safe and high-quality airport infrastructure.

GS Caltex India Ropes in Cricketer Shikhar Dhawan as Brand Ambassador

GS Caltex India, a 100% owned subsidiary of GS Caltex Corporation, South Korea has signed on cricketer Shikhar Dhawan as a brand ambassador in a strategic move to establish itself as a major player in the premium lubricants category in the country.

As part of the association, Shikhar Dhawan will be the face of GS Caltex India for the company’s premium lubricants range & new business initiatives.

Speaking about the importance of this strategic alliance, Mr. Rajesh Nagar, MD & CEO, GS Caltex India Pvt. Ltd. said, “It’s a perfect match in more ways than one, especially since both Shikhar and GS Caltex are Smart Performers and setting new benchmarks in their respective fields.

GS Caltex stands for smart technology, premium quality and smart performance, qualities that are embodied by Shikhar on the cricket field. He is an aggressive and flamboyant player and his success as a cricketer in both the international and domestic circuits mirror the qualities of our premium performance-oriented product offerings. We are delighted to welcome Shikhar to the GS Caltex family and hope to maintain a long and significant relationship with him.”

Mr. K Madhu Mohan, GM-Marketing, GS Caltex India Pvt. Ltd further added, “We are happy to have Shikhar onboard as our new brand ambassador. Shikhar joining the GS Caltex family is a great way to increase significant brand consideration by establishing superior-performance and premium quality of our lubricants. With his explosive and power packed performances on the cricket field, we believe Shikhar personifies our core value proposition of Smart Technology for Smart Performance. We are sure that our association with Shikhar is significant and would further enhance our engagement with our consumers across the country.”

Speaking about the collaboration, Shikhar Dhawan said, “I am extremely delighted and proud to be a part of the GS Caltex family. GS Caltex is a well-established name in the lubricant industry and globally recognized brand for its high-performance products. I look forward to an exciting innings together.”

About GS Caltex India.

GS Caltex India is a 100% owned subsidiary of GS Caltex Corporation, South Korea. The company is currently doing business in high quality premium lubricants manufactured from its own Group II plus base oils imported from its Yeosu Refinery, South Korea. The company has also expanded into other businesses like Polymers, Polypropylene and petrochemicals. GS Caltex India has a very impressive range of high-quality finished lubricants and supplies to large businesses including major global OEMs.

Zippo Introduces a Stunning New Range of Windproof Lighters in India

 

With a legacy of over 87 years, Zippo windproof lighters have become synonymous with exceptional quality and designs, etching millions of stories world over. Throughout its lifetime, it has remained a timeless collectible for enthusiasts across the globe.

Adding sheen to their collection, Zippo has recently launched a new range of windproof lighters to help bring a unique flair to your summer stories. The lighters in all metal construction, sport eclectic designs and intricate engravings, guaranteed to leave you in awe.

Available in antique silver, copper and gold finishes these lighters come with a lifetime guarantee and are can be purchased at  https://www.williampenn.net/ or in the 28 William Penn stores and 3 shop-in-shop operations across 10 cities.

Zippo: more than a lighter

With over 80 years of history, Zippo has an influential and dedicated fan base. The brand has transcended its functional benefits to become a cultural icon and regularly features in films around the world.

The unique designs, date stamping, affordability and rich history of the Zippo lighters make them a great item to collect.  The number of collectors and lovers of Zippo lighters continues to increase daily. In the United States alone it is estimated that there are around 4 million Zippo windproof lighter collectors and there are 11 official collectors’ clubs worldwide. Choose from an array of new designs available on the William Penn Online Shop https://www.williampenn.net/, and in 28 William Penn stores and 3 shop-in-shop operations across 10 cities.

Telebu is Bringing Enterprise Communication to Political Campaigning for Parties like BJP

Recently, Mr Sachin Kalyanshetti, BJP MLA, (Solapur Constituency) & Solapur District President BJP was facing some communication challenges with the party Cadre. He decided to use Telebu’s product grptalk, in the hopes of communicating with maximum people. Telebu’s grptalk app helped him address his party workers and volunteers for the Solapur Bike Rally. The campaign was initiated after National President's instructions to all BJP states offices. With grptalk, Mr Sachin was able to connect with 3200+ people on single conference call, and address everyone about the upcoming bike rally in Solapur. For the Solapur BJP office, this has been a big win in terms of bridging the communication gap between the MLA and people present at the booths.

With the soon approaching election season, political campaigning has seen its methods and reach change rapidly to accommodate the latest technologies. In this age of digitalization and advanced technologies, yesteryear’s methods of rallies and pamphlet distribution no longer strike the right chord with today’s voters. Understanding the changing preferences and behaviour patterns of their audience, political parties have been quick in adopting the latest technology, in their bid to best reach out to voters in India.

One of the enterprises at the epicentre of tech-enabled political campaigning is Telebu, with its suite of enterprise communication products. With its marquee product, grptalk, the Hyderabad-based company has been working with political parties to help them streamline communication and campaigning. grptalk is a unique audio-conferencing solution that enables 3 to 10,000+ participants on a single PSTN network call to enable high-quality ‘instant conferencing’ (dial-out calls), without any app download, PASSCODES etc.

Commenting on the latest development, Satya Kalyan Yerramsetti, CEO of Telebu, said, “We have been honored to work together with Mr Sachin Kalyanshetti from BJP and facilitate easy communication between him and the party members. Political campaigning has, for long, relied on traditional and offline mediums. However, with the advent of advanced, tech-enabled solutions, we believe it is about time for the sector to be disrupted with the right technology. Ahead of the general assembly elections, Telebu’s suite of enterprise communication products will help different political parties efficiently communicate with party workers, supporters and volunteers, in addition to reaching out to maximum voters. At Telebu, we have been facilitating this transition, helping Indian political parties leverage advanced communication tools and platforms, ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.”

Recently, grptalk also received appreciation from the Principal Secretary to Telangana Government (CT & Excise) & IAS officer, Sri Somesh Kumar, who said that the app has made communication with team members easy. Ahead of the general assembly elections, communications technology is going to play a crucial role in enabling seamless communication between the political parties, its workers, volunteers, and prospect voters. Telebu has been working with different political parties to level the playing field by bringing communication technology in political campaigning.

StashFin and Fullerton India Partner for Onward Lending of $15 Million

Online lending company – StashFin and Fullerton India, a leading non-banking finance company (NBFC) with a pan India presence announced their partnership that will benefit both the entities for onward lending USD 15 million. This will enable them to expand reach and create better efficiencies.

Non-banking financial companies like Fullerton India are playing an increasingly significant role in taking formal lending to the remotest corners of the country. StashFin, a digital lending platform, launched by former financial services professionals in September 2016, offers loans ranging from Rs 10,000 to Rs 3,00,000 with repayment periods starting at three months. Borrowing is made easy, transparent and secure, with the funds deployed either into a bank account or into a Visa prepaid card, with interest charged only on the amount withdrawn. Customers can access the platform either through its website or app. Customers acquired through this partnership can draw funds to the card from the available line 24/7, even on public holidays, bank holidays etc. The product is also a flexi-credit line which the customer can use as and when required as against a traditional personal loan. This gives complete flexibility and independence to the customers.

Fullerton India & StashFin finalised the partnership in order to meet the demand of their expanding target market. Addressing the digitally enabled newer audiences in newer geographies, and providing them a customer-friendly digital on-boarding experience has been the backbone of this partnership, offering personal loans to salaried individuals. With RBI expected to streamline the regulations for NBFCs in order to harmonise them with banks and have a greater say in their operations, the role of NBFCs is expected to increase significantly. It is in this light that Fullerton India and StashFin partnership will construct and sustain the platform in further contributing to India's growth story.

Commenting on the partnership Nishant Jasapara, Head of Digital Business, Fullerton India said, “In the ever changing digital world, our prime objective is to offer our services at the fingertips of our consumers by providing a user-friendly platform. Our audience is now better connected than ever before, and several fiscal incentives and technology initiatives have been targeted at making India a less cash economy. The synergy between Fullerton and StashFin aims to drive the digital experience of the consumers and evolve to one of the finest platforms. The association will help the customers fulfil their borrowing needs online without having to worry about the hassles of logistics or endless paperwork around getting access to finance”.

Tushar Aggarwal, founder and CEO of StashFin feels, that young salaried professionals often require credit but are unable to adequately get access to finance from traditional lenders. "Our mission is to offer them easy and seamless credit," he said. Speaking about the tie-up, he said, "This partnership will help us expand our footprint to the under-served and unserved parts of India." The benefits of borrowing through a platform like StashFin, he explained, are quick approvals, low processing fees, completely secure processes, minimum documentation needed, flexible payback terms and instant disbursal. It can take as little as four hours for a loan to be processed. Documents can be picked up from the customer at her/his choice of place and time. "This is what differentiates us from a traditional lending institution," he pointed out.

Rohini Nilekani,Gates Foundation and Sattva Unveil Flagship Report on the State of ‘Everyday Giving in India’

Rohini Nilekani, renowned philanthropist has today launched a flagship report on the state of ‘Everyday Giving in India’. The research was undertaken by Sattva Consulting, a well-known  social impact consulting firm, in association with Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies.

This report is a first-of-its-kind 360-degree mapping of the market, solutions, innovations, challenges and opportunities in “everyday giving” in India—i.e. the ways in which India’s ordinary citizens give their money and time, and engage with social causes. The report has been prepared through a comprehensive market estimation process along with conversations and surveys with key players, experts, individuals and charitable organisations. This report is based on the research study conducted between September 2018 and March 2019 and examines the state of everyday giving in India to understand what it would means to unleash the full brain, muscle and financial power of India’s everyday givers to propel the country’s social development.

One of the study’s biggest findings is the comparatively small percentage of India’s everyday giving that goes towards NGOs. Only INR 3.5k crores goes to NGOs, making it a mere 6% contribution to total philanthropic giving in India.

The report launch was followed by two insightful panel discussions on “Strengthening our citizenship muscle: Everyday giving in a participatory democracy” & “Innovation and growth potential of the formal everyday giving market in India”.

The panel discussions highlighted various themes around everyday giving and the ways of harnessing the potential of India’s  billion givers to enable and support the country’s social development. The conversation also brought up the subject of how everyday giving and citizen engagement can be leveraged as a powerful instrument in the best possible way to overcome key social challenges of the country.

While discussing the need of streamlining philanthropic giving, Rohini Nilekani, Co-founder of Rohini Nilekani philanthropies said, “This carefully researched report shows us that the giving muscle in India is well-exercised, but could do with some protein shake! In fact, the research tells us that with some streamlining of efforts, India could emerge as the hub of innovation around everyday giving. The report details many recommendations for all sections of society – samaaj, bazaar and sarkaar. We hope this will help many more people and institutions join this journey of everyday giving to achieve our common goal of a good society, embedded in kindness to strangers.”

Victoria Vrana, Victoria Vrana, Deputy Director, Policy, Systems and Giving by All at Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation said “India has always had a rich culture of giving, and this study is an important attempt to unpack how enabling India’s everyday givers and their solution ecosystem can have a huge impact on human, economic, and social progress in the country”

Aarti Mohan, Co-founder, Head - Sattva Research said “Nearly all cultures have strong traditions of giving and caring for their communities. India, in fact has the most number of people volunteering and donating money in the world, ahead of the USA and China. Growing potential to give is evident from the expanding size and wealth of India’s middle class. We believe this is the apt time to discuss individual giving and citizen engagement in nation building, when the country is embarking on a new wave of governance post the elections of 2019”.

The event saw attendance from leading NGOs, crowdfunding channels, Internet and social media influencers, funders, policymakers and other enablers leading the charge on encouraging giving by common people in India.

About Sattva
Sattva is a social impact strategy consulting and implementation firm that works closely at the intersection of business and impact, with multiple stakeholders including non-profits, social enterprises, corporations and the social investing ecosystem. Sattva works to realise inclusive development goals across themes in emerging markets including education, skill development and livelihoods, healthcare and sanitation, digital and financial inclusion, energy access and environment, among others.

Sattva Research works on research and insights to influence decision-making and action towards social impact in the ecosystem in Asia. They have partnered with organisations such as the Gates Foundation, Confederation of Indian Industries (CII), USAID, AVPN, DFID, GIZ and Rockefeller Foundation to publish research, case studies and insights, and engages sector leaders through roundtables, conferences and impact circles.
 
About Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people’s health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all people—especially those with the fewest resources—have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle, the foundation is led by CEO Sue Desmond-Hellmann and co-chair William H. Gates Sr., under the direction of Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett.

Ather Energy Announces Entry into Chennai Region Along with Charging Infra by June

Ather Energy, has announced its plan to enter the Auto Hub of India, Chennai, in June 2019.  On the heels of its announcement of launching in multiple cities this year, Chennai is the second city the company is entering after its commercial launch in Bengaluru in 2018. With this, Ather enters its rapid expansion phase, and plans to be in 30 cities over the next couple of years.

As in the case of Bengaluru, Ather Energy will be introducing both its products 450 and 340, along with setting-up its public charging infrastructure, Ather Grid, across consumer-friendly locations such as cafes, malls, tech-parks, gyms, etc.  To encourage adoption of EVs in the city, Ather Energy has announced free charging at Ather Points for all electric vehicles for the first 6 months. Ather’s electric and intelligent scooters bring ease of access and convenience to their owners by allowing them to identify charging point locations and their real time availability through the Ather Grid app. This unique model is currently existent in Bengaluru with Ather Grid up and running at 24 charging locations with 31 charging points.

After witnessing tremendous success in Bengaluru with stocks of Ather 450 being sold out till September 2019 in Bengaluru alone, the company today has opened its early access privileges to Chennaites and the rest of India as it ramps up. The “Pre-Order Interest” option on the company’s website gives consumers priority deliveries, early access to book the Ather 450 & Ather 340 and invitations to exclusive events and test rides.

Ather Energy reiterated its commitment to developing India’s charging ecosystem by announcing its pan-India association with Godrej Nature’s Basket recently. The partnership will see Ather Energy setting-up its charging stations - Ather Point - at Godrej Nature’s Baskets’ 35 odd locations across the country.

Holding a special place for the company’s founders and IIT Madras graduates – Tarun and Swapnil, Chennai has become a hotbed of innovation and technology. It was during their time at the institute that the founders decided to build electric scooters instead of battery packs to address the influx of substandard EVs flooding the Indian market.

Ravneet Phokela, Chief Business Officer says, "After a successful launch in Bengaluru, we are expanding across the country starting with Chennai. The launch in Chennai is like a homecoming for Ather, as the organization was conceptualised at IIT Madras. We have already started receiving pre-order interest from enthusiasts on the website. As we enter this exciting market, we are looking at extending the same go-to-market strategy that we employed in Bengaluru, starting with accepting pre-orders, setting up of the charging infrastructure and the Experience Center, followed by the delivery of vehicles.”

About Ather 450: 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 for the scooter category of 0-40 km/hr in 3.9 seconds. Also, for the first time in the category, Ather 450 comes with parking assist, which allows riders to reverse into tight parking spots. The key differentiators of the Ather 450 are its intelligent features, seamless charging and ownership experience. The Ather 450 has a 7” touchscreen dashboard that allows onboard navigation with options of alternate 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’s health and charge status. Finally, with the over-the-air (OTA) updates functionality, the vehicle is capable of improving over time with continuous upgrades and the addition of new features and functionalities.

About Ather Energy: Ather Energy, India’s premium, smart electric vehicle company was founded in 2013 by IIT Madras alumni, Tarun Mehta and Swapnil Jain. Backed by founders of Flipkart, Tiger Global and Hero Motocorp, Ather Energy has designed India’s first truly intelligent electric scooters - Ather 450 & Ather 340 - powered by a comprehensive public charging network, Ather Grid, built and designed in India.  With 31 charging Points in Bengaluru, Ather Grid is the largest fast charging network for two wheelers in the country. With over 42 patent applications, 127 trademarks and 122 design registrations to its name, Ather Energy aims to provide consumers with the best possible ownership experience. The company currently operates in Bengaluru and will be entering the Chennai market in June 2019, followed by other major cities across the country.