Castrol India Sows Seeds of Good Health for Farmers with Castrol Khet Aasana

Castrol India Limited, the leading automotive and industrial lubricant manufacturing company in the country, today announced its health outreach programme for the food providers of the nation – the farming community. This campaign will extend specially curated yoga aasanas Castrol CRB Plus Khet Aasana to farmers to help reduce health adversities they face caused by their stressful and laborious schedules.

The results of a detailed independent research, covering over 700 farmers across five regions in India, commissioned by Castrol India this year threw up some startling results.  The study, which attempted to assess health issues faced by farmers as a linkage to the nature of their job and working conditions revealed that physical stress is a concern among farmers currently. 68% farmers reported that they suffer from musculoskeletal problems while digestive issues were reported by over 51% farmers, respiratory problems were raised by over 31% farmers, and another 30% reported suffering from diabetes. In addition to this, the study also found that over 50% farmers face stress and other relative diseases such as hypertension, anxiety and depression. Farmers also subscribed to the myth that farm work is healthy employment, due to which over 65% of them were not undertaking any physical activity to manage their health.

Kedar Apte, Vice President - Marketing, Castrol India Limited said, “Farmers are an important community in India and need to be acknowledged for their tireless efforts to provide the nation with nutritious produce. This, in turn, fuels a healthy population and keeps India moving. Unfortunately, their own health remains out of their consideration. Through Castrol Khet Aasana, we at Castrol India are committed to empower farmers with yoga aasanas to help avoid and reduce unhealthy nuances of their work, enabling them to lead healthier lives. Castrol Khet Aasana is a reiteration of Castrol India’s purpose-driven approach and commitment to care for and contribute to the well-being of our consumers.”

Commenting on the launch of the Castrol Khet Aasana, which took place at Azadpur Mandi, New Delhi today, Hon’ble Union Minister of the State - Agriculture & Farmers Welfare Parshottam Rupala, said, “Keeping in mind the agricultural business and farmers, creating yoga aasanas on the basis of their needs is a good effort in supporting the agricultural sector at large. Our country thrives on agriculture, so I would like to thank Castrol and congratulate them on initiating an activity that helps keep our farmers healthy.”

Minister of State (Independent Charge) Ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH) Shripad Naik said, “We must give more importance to the physical and mental health of farmers and these Yoga Aasanas can help relieve them of stress.”

The research study designed and executed by The Yoga Institute, Mumbai also established that over 70% of farmers showed keenness to learn and embrace yoga as a part of their lifestyle. Keeping their hectic daily routine in mind, 16 Khet Aasanas have been designed to be practised during the day. These aasana sequences have been devised and named to ensure they are relatable to farmers and being byte-sized ensure time investment is minimal. 

Building on the positive impact delivered by Castrol CRB Truck Aasana on over two lakh truckers nationwide, Castrol India plans to conduct Khet Aasana across 2,000 Indian villages with an aim to benefit over 120,000 farmers before end of 2019.

Enterprises Need to Adapt Tech Strategy to Address Increasingly Complex Business Environment: Mindtree Tech Beacon 2019

Mindtree, a global technology services and digital transformation company, has published the fifth annual edition of Tech Beacon, an annual report from Mindtree to offer technology guidance for enterprises.

Tech Beacon identifies a need for organizations to adapt their IT architecture to address evolving business challenges. It also recommends the most important emerging technologies and tools for enterprises to invest in, experiment with or watch for future application (Invest, Experiment and Watch) based on the maturity & production readiness

“Today, with aggressive digital disruption proliferating, the global business environment is transforming faster than ever. It is therefore important for enterprises to better understand how emerging technologies offer a compelling value proposition to keep pace with this dynamic reality,” said Madhusudhan KM, Chief Technology Officer, Mindtree. “Tech Beacon offers technology guidance to enterprises based on the industry requirement, changing business dynamics, and anticipated technology evolution.”

Here are some key recommendations from Tech Beacon:

Systems interacting with systems

·         The challenge behind scalability in micro-services can be addressed with Distributed Architecture and Service Mesh due to its consistent discovery, security, tracing, monitoring and failure handling service.

·         Reactive Autonomic Architecture should be at the top of chief technology officers’ priority list as it simplifies and improves the end user experience by predicting their needs in a complex, dynamic and uncertain business environment and avoids system failure in unplanned situations.

Turning Information into Insights

·         The role of Machine Learning is limited in the data harvesting process. Organizations use humans for manual tasks like data cleanup, outlier removal, etc. There is a need for integrating exploratory data analysis tasks as part of a processing pipeline.

·         Organizations should utilize Lambda and Kappa data processing techniques to generate useful insights from available data. Lambda offers a consistent pattern and a real-time view into the generated insight, storing the data and then generating the insight in the batch layer. Kappa is the next iteration in this evolution, generating insights as the data arrives within its ‘streaming layer.’

Interaction with Humans

·         Organizations are increasingly using conversational systems as a channel to enable machines to interact with humans. These systems offer Natural Language Processing (NLP) and integration capabilities in the IT environment, in addition to mobile and web. Organizations should use libraries like Rasa, Wit.ai, and Microsoft's LUIS, which provide core language processing capabilities and enable “human-like” conversations with existing systems.

·         Enterprises need a renewed architecture to deliver cognitive experiences to their customers, enabling systems to interact with users seamlessly. To enable these cognitive experiences, enterprises should explore computer vision capabilities and tasks such as recognizing objects and characters, combining/matching/analyzing images or video with product details, and even superimposing objects with three dimensional images on to live video. This enables machines to extract data from and understand the content of digital images and video.

·         CTOs, while adopting machine learning and AI in their processes, should also carefully draw in boundaries of interaction and responsibility between humans and machines. Human intervention is often a better solution than one that’s fully automated, where machines have too much control.

Tech Beacon 2019 has put its focus on seven technology categories that will drive enterprises’ technology strategy in the next 12 months: Application Development, Cloud computing, Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence, Conversational apps, Blockchain and eXtended Reality (XR).

It also highlights technologies & tools for these seven focus areas with a recommendation to Invest, Experiment or Watch, based on their maturity and potential to drive business value.

MAHE Top Private Indian University in QS World Rankings

Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) emerged as the top ranked private university in India according to the Quacquarelli Symonds World University Ranking 2020 released on Wednesday.  In the 16th edition of the rankings, Manipal figures in the 701-750 band, up from 750-800 last year, among the 1620 considered universities and 1000 published universities from 82 countries.  MAHE’s performance was among the top 66 per cent in the Rankings this time.

For the 2020 Rankings, QS has analyzed over 93 million citations from more than 13 million papers, 45,000 survey responses from employers and 94,000 survey responses from academics before evaluating 1000 Universities.

Universities are evaluated on six performance indicators: Academic reputation, Employer reputation, Student-to-faculty ratio, Citations per faculty, International faculty ratio and international student ratio. Four of the indicators are based on ‘hard’ data, and the remaining two are based on major global surveys – one of academics and another of employers – each the largest of their kind.

In the subject-wise QS World University Ranking announced earlier this year, Manipal College of Pharmaceutical Sciences was ranked in the 201-250 range in the   Pharmacy and Pharmacology discipline. Kasturba Medical College, Manipal was ranked in the 351-400 range in Medicine, an improvement of 50 ranks from the previous year’s rankings.

Commenting on the rankings this year in general and the QS World Rankings in particular, MAHE Vice Chancellor, Dr H. Vinod Bhat said, “We have been working hard on every performance indicator and the results have started showing. We hope to improve our position in the world rankings in the coming years, and of course do better in the Indian surveys”.

In the NIRF national rankings, MAHE was placed at No. 9 and recognized as one of the top 10 Universities in India. A number of other ranking agencies in India, have in their 2019 surveys, found MAHE to be the best private university in the country. THE WEEK for instance, has for the fifth consecutive time ranked Manipal as the best private university in the country and Education World has ranked MAHE top private university for the fourth successive time.

Rivigo Launches National Freight Index to Bring Transparency to the Road Freight Marketplace

In a bid to transform the logistics sector in India, Rivigo, a technology-enabled logistics company, launched the National Freight Index (NFI) today. With this, Rivigo aims to bring transparency to the previously opaque industry. This first-of-its-kind barometer of the road freight market in India is based on a Rivigo rate exchange, which gives a live spot rate on over 7 million lane and vehicle type combinations in the country.

NFI offers an aggregated picture of both live rates and historical trends of spot price movements in the road freight industry. The index is represented in two main forms: In terms of actual freight rates condensed to INR per ton-km and in terms of relative movement with respect to a base month.

Commenting on the launch, Gazal Kalra, Co-Founder, Rivigo, said, “We are excited to announce the successful launch of the National Freight Index. In the existing logistics market structure, there are high inefficiencies due to information asymmetry, which leads to a great loss of value. NFI will enable unrestricted access and sharing of freight rate information. This will bring transparency in the market and propel the logistics sector towards efficiencies and growth.”

Both the index and the exchange are based on Rivigo’s machine learning and economics powered pricing algorithms, which are continuously improving on accuracy. The rates on the exchange and index are computed using millions of data points from historical transactions, current market dynamics, micro market insights and other factors - with the ultimate purpose of giving a fair and precise representation of the state of the spot market in the country.

The Indian road freight market for 2018 is estimated to be in the range of USD 150-160 billion. About USD 130-140 billion of this is the Full Truck Load (FTL) market. Within this, Rivigo estimates that the spot freight market is about USD 110-130 billion and is growing at 9%-10% per year. Efficiency of the spot freight marketplace will determine how this growth is compounded and National Freight Index will empower all stakeholders to realize its full potential.

QuEST Global Acquires Dakota Moon to Solve Complex Engineering Problems in SCM

QuEST Global, a global product engineering and lifecycle services company, acquired Dakota Moon Enterprises LLC, a Nevada based engineering and supply chain services provider to the aerospace industry. The acquisition will enhance capabilities of QuEST Global in providing comprehensive supply chain solutions to OEMs and Tier1 suppliers in engineering essential industries like Aerospace & Defense, Transportation (Automotive and Rail), Power and Industrial, and Oil & Gas. With this acquisition, QuEST Global believes that it will be able to improve the operational efficiency of its customers, which in turn will help them solve the complex challenges faced in terms of supply chain delivery, cost and quality of products.

Founded in 1992 by Jerry Kelso and Mary Beth Bonkowski, Dakota Moon Enterprises is headquartered in Henderson, Nevada, USA. Over the years, the company has built a strong reputation under the leadership of Mary Beth, Jerry Kelso and Jim McQueeney, who joined Dakota Moon in 2016 as its President, by providing supply chain management solutions to leaders in the aerospace industry. Their services and solutions include supplier recovery management, supplier development management, procurement management, program management and staffing support.

Dakota Moon brings more than two decades of experience in managing the manufacturing industry’s delivery performance and an extensive network of engineers with strong supply chain fundamentals. It believes that the existence of long-term and deep-working relationships with its customers and its ability to dive deeply into the manufacturing issues of suppliers have ensured faster delivery and improved product quality for their customers.

Mary Beth Bonkowski, CEO and Founding Partner, Dakota Moon said, “We are excited about the acquisition of Dakota Moon by QuEST Global. The combination of both companies brings great opportunities for our customers and employees. Our capabilities in providing customized supply chain solutions and QuEST Global’s solid foundation in providing supply chain services and expertise in convergence of mechanical, electronics, software and digital engineering innovations, will help us to deliver world class supply chain solutions to customers across diverse industries. We are confident that by leveraging the deep relationships of both companies with customers and quick turnaround time, we will be able to add unmatched value for our customers.”

Ajit Prabhu, Chairman & CEO, QuEST Global said, “We are constantly looking for outstanding talent and capability to provide innovative services and solutions to our customers. The inclusion of Dakota Moon into QuEST Global will enable us to provide comprehensive engineering and supply chain solutions to our customers. We strongly believe that the investments we are making to enhance our engineering capabilities, use of digital technologies and enterprise software solutions will help our customers solve complex engineering challenges in their respective industries. As a trusted thinking partner to our customers, we are committed to provide end-to-end engineering solutions that will help redefine their engineering strategy from a long-term perspective.”

OEMs and Tier1 suppliers are facing severe pressures to ramp up production as they need to continuously improve supply chain and operational excellence. With the added capabilities of Dakota Moon, QuEST Global believes it will be able to take the pressure off its customers through supplier management solutions like supplier development, supplier recovery management, capability and capacity analysis, BoM analysis, should cost analysis and value engineering.

Town of Florence and Subex Establish IoT Security Lab in Collaboration

Subex, a leading Internet of Things (IoT) and critical infrastructure security solutions provider, has announced a partnership with the Town of Florence, Arizona to establish an IoT security lab in Florence. The lab is an extension of the ongoing work that Subex is undertaking in securing the critical public infrastructure of the Town of Florence.

The lab will serve to raise awareness on cybersecurity issues for citizens of Florence, lawmakers, businesses and other stakeholders. The lab is comprised of physical and virtual devices, connected networks and systems, and subsystems that raise awareness of various aspects of cybersecurity. It will also enable decision makers, students and city officials to get first-hand experience in these matters and help them use that learning and awareness to promote cybersecurity. The lab will evolve to reflect changes in the threat environment, security practices and strategies, device architecture and network changes and more to stay relevant to all stakeholders.           

Through an earlier agreement, Subex is already providing end-to-end cybersecurity to the Town of Florence to detect, repel and remediate advanced threats to its most basic and vital technological systems. When Florence deploys its smart cities technologies, Subex will continue to be the cybersecurity partner of choice for all projects coming under the plan.

The lab was inaugurated by leaders and officials from Florence and Subex at a Cybersecurity symposium organized in Florence today.

Commenting on the inauguration, Brent Billingsley, Town Manager of Florence, Arizona, said that “We expect the lab will be a huge success with the young people of our community. Students can extend their learning outside of the classroom, by getting a hands-on experience with the basics of computing and coding. The lab will also provide them with an understanding of how smart sensors can improve and enhance their lives. They will get to learn all of these things, within the existing framework of cybersecurity, which is so critical to the success of this type of operation.”

“I am confident that this lab will prove to be immensely useful in raising awareness on cybersecurity across Arizona. In a world where the security environment continues to be threatened by the emergence of new threats in various forms, it is essential for all stakeholders to maintain the highest levels of situational and operational awareness.  This lab is a significant step in that direction,” said Vinod Kumar, Managing Director and CEO, Subex. 

Bengaluru First Indian City to Feature in Top-Ten Destinations for Cross-Border Investors Across APAC in 2019

CBRE South Asia Pvt. Ltd, India’s leading real estate consulting firm’s Asia Pacific Investor Intensions Survey 2019 findings revealed that Bengaluru – the capital city of Karnataka- for the first time has featured in the list of top ten destinations for cross-border investment across Asia Pacific. The survey revealed that India was among the top five preferred markets in APAC on the back of the launch of the first REIT (Embassy-Blackstone) and the resulting improved market transparency. The drivers for this trend were new infrastructure and potential growth opportunities in the market.

The first REIT by Embassy Group and Blackstone Group LP was launched in India in March this year and it is expected to catalyse investments in the country. Improved investor sentiment in office assets is likely to expose potential quality buildings as a fundraising avenue for developers and also propel major corporations to lease / purchase space in these developments.

Commenting on the findings of the survey Anshuman Magazine, Chairman and CEO, India, South East Asia, Middle East and Africa, CBRE said, “Bengaluru featured as the first Indian city in the list of preferred investment destination on the basis of its growing reputation across the globe as the home base to several international corporates. The city with a significant talent base and world-class infrastructure is also popular for offering several investment grade options in office, retail as well as residential segments.”

On the overall positioning of the Indian real estate market in APAC, he added, “A stronger interest in office properties followed by industrial & logistics, multifamily, hotels and retail were the preferred sectors of investment in APAC. There is significant scope for investment in India and the rising consumption and growing demand in the logistics sector, particularly, will continue to stimulate investors to seek opportunities in this market.”

Other key findings of the survey:

-      In almost all the geographies across APAC, the lack of investible stock for sale remains a major challenge for investors. The acquisition of numerous institutional-grade properties by long term buyers in recent years has constrained the availability of assets in developed markets, particularly Singapore, Hong Kong and Japan.
-      Despite the risk factors at the forefront of investors’ concerns, buyers continue to seek higher returns and are focused on value-added and opportunistic deals in the emerging markets such as India. This rising interest has propelled Bengaluru into the top ten destinations for cross-border investors for the first time since the survey began in 2014.
-      More investors in APAC are considering lending against assets rather than taking equity
-      positions as loan to value ratios tighten and banks adopt a more conservative attitude towards real estate financing. Other niche sectors attracting investor interest in APAC include retirement living, supported by ageing populations in Asia; data centres, driven by the increasing use of cloud computing; and healthcare, underpinned by demographic change and the emerging focus on wellness.

Some key facts about Bengaluru:

Bengaluru is considered as one of the fastest growing cities in India with the presence of important players from the areas of information technology, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, manufacturing and other sectors. In the past two decades, it has transformed from being a ‘Pensioners’ Paradise’ to India’s ‘Silicon Valley’ and has become the hub of research and innovation.
·         Known as one of the key investment destinations in the country, Karnataka’s Ease of Doing Business ranking was eighth across India in 2017, ahead of Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu.
·         On the Social Progress Index 2017, Karnataka ranked second after Delhi.
·         While Karnataka is the leading state in the machine tools industry, Bengaluru alone produced 60% of machine tools (in terms of value) in the country in 2018.
·         Bengaluru was ranked first on the 'Best place to live and work' list by Mercer in 2018.
·         In 2017-18, the total real estate investment in Bengaluru was almost USD 800 million, this investment more than doubled annually in 2018-19. Commercial assets were a prominent choice for investors.
·         Bengaluru ranked second on the Global Startup Ecosystem Growth Index by 'Compass' Infrastructure in 2018.