Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Sterlite Power Wins IPMA Global Project Excellence Award for NRSS-29 Power Transmission Project


Sterlite Power, a global leader in power transmission, has been awarded the coveted ‘Gold’ award in the mega sized projects category at the prestigious Global Project Excellence Award 2019 for its Northern Region Strengthening Scheme (NRSS-29) project in Jammu & Kashmir. The award was presented at the 31st IPMA World Congress held on October 1, 2019 in Mexico.

The NRSS-29 project was one of the largest and toughest private sector transmission projects commissioned in the country till date. This 414 Km long transmission corridor of national importance was constructed by overcoming extreme challenges of terrain and weather. Sterlite Power delivered this critical project ahead of schedule with innovative use of technology, synergistic partnerships and deeper engagement with local communities. The project plays a vital role in bringing reliable power to Jammu & Kashmir, especially during winter months when the region traditionally suffered blackouts. This project had the unique distinction of being dedicated to the nation by Honorable Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, earlier this year in February 2019.

Commenting on the milestone, Mr. Pratik Agarwal, Group CEO, Sterlite Power said, “It is a matter of great pride to receive this global honor from IPMA for our NRSS-29 power transmission project which lights up the lives of 12.5 million people of Jammu & Kashmir. We are grateful to our dedicated team of employees and partners who worked relentlessly to overcome massive challenges and deliver one of the toughest transmission projects in the country ahead of schedule.”

Sterlite Power is the first Indian power transmission company to achieve the prestigious Gold category award from IPMA. The project won the highest recognition against strong competition from other industry heavyweights such as China Energy Shenyang Group Co. Ltd, Prysmian Powerlink Srl, Italy and PT. JGC Indonesia. International Project Management Association (IPMA) is the world’s oldest project management association based out of Netherlands. The IPMA award is given to projects across the globe that demonstrate project management excellence. 

Dr Trust, Dr Physio Debut as First Healthcare and Wellness Products at Croma Stores

Highlights

* Nureca becomes the first company to sell healthcare and wellness products from its Dr Trust and Dr Physio brands at Croma stores across India
* The tie-up will bridge the gap between the need for and availability of high-quality affordable healthcare and wellness products in the Indian market

In a first for the Indian market, Nureca Pvt Ltd has joined hands with Croma, India’s first Omni-channel electronics retailer from the Tata Group, to emerge as the very first company to sell healthcare and wellness products through Croma stores. As part of this tie-up, Nureca will sell products from its Dr Trust and Dr Physio brands at 30 Croma stores across the country

India’s healthcare and wellness landscape is beset by multiple challenges. The country has a vast population, which includes a large number of senior citizens, who now have fewer family members to take care of their medical needs owing to the rising trend towards nuclear families. Furthermore, owing to work-life imbalance and other contributing factors, the incidence of lifestyle disorders and related health issues among working people is on the rise.

Home healthcare and wellness technologies can play a crucial role for the geriatric population in preventive healthcare by enabling them to regularly monitor vital health parameters while enabling working people who cannot take out the time to visit clinics on a frequent basis to avail the same facilities at home itself, and that too at affordable prices.

“Nowadays, there is a renewed focus on healthcare to be able to better cope with the pressures of fast-paced modern living. Consequently, home healthcare and wellness devices have become more of a necessity rather than a luxury. However, the limited availability of healthcare and wellness devices and the lack of awareness about these products has been a major impediment. Nureca seeks to bridge this gap by making these devices available through the tie-up with Croma,” said Mr Saurabh Goyal, Director, Nureca Pvt Ltd.

Affordable home healthcare technologies can be a boon, both as regular health monitoring tools and therapeutic devices like massagers. With India witnessing a growing need for tech-driven home healthcare devices, Croma’s nationwide presence will help make Dr Trust and Dr Physio solutions easily available to a wider audience.

“Dr Trust’s product range comprises trustworthy medical devices and health monitors, which are backed by pioneering technology. Dr Physio, on the other hand, offers some of the most imaginative and restorative wellbeing and personal healthcare products. While both these brands have a strong presence across e-commerce platforms, the tie-up with Croma will ensure the availability of high-quality yet affordable healthcare and wellness technologies among people who want to physically explore a product before purchasing it,” said Mr Goyal.

Mr. Venu Copal, Head of Buying, Croma, added “We are quite excited to bring forth to our customers the latest in the world of healthcare. When it comes to gadgets, our experience says that customers always prefer to touch-feel-try the product before they buy it. These gadgets being in the healthcare space, is going to make physical validation even more indispensable. As an emerging category in today’s day and age, it’s a great a new addition to our existing portfolio of 9000+ products”

Under this tie-up with Croma, Nureca will introduce products from these brands at Croma’s ‘Gadgets of Desire’ stores in a phased manner. Apart from meeting Indian standards and regulations like ISO, Dr Trust and Dr Physio products are USFDA and CE approved, which is an endorsement of Nureca’s adherence to the highest quality standards.

“The tie-up between Nureca and Croma Retail is an indicator of the upward trajectory and immense potential of this market segment in India. It will go a long way in drawing attention to the need for affordable home healthcare in India and making handy healthcare devices readily available,” said Mr Goyal.

“Our brands/products, backed by pioneering technology at affordable price points, are designed to help Indian customers keep a check on their health and meet their wellness needs. The Indian market is still at a nascent stage and we want to raise it to a level where customers ask for products which are high on quality and features. As a decisive step in this direction, we have introduced many pioneering features at very affordable price points to give Indian customers access to products which are on a par with global standards,” he added.

The medical devices market size, valued at US $4.9 billion in 2017, is expected to go up to US $11 billion by 2022 on account of the rising geriatric population and declining cost of medical services. Besides, technological enhancement and development of medical electronics has made it possible to provide high-quality healthcare at home at affordable prices. It can help patients save 10-25% of the medical treatment costs. The Indian home healthcare market is estimated to reach US $6.21 billion by 2020.

Registering a CAGR of 8.8% since 2016 when it was pegged at $220.76 billion, the global home healthcare market is projected to reach $364.69 billion by 2022. The fastest CAGR growth in home healthcare market is expected to come from the Asia-Pacific market, which is expected to grow at 9% from 2016 to 2024. It is projected that in India, where home healthcare adoption is still at a nascent stage, this market will grow from around $4.46 billion in 2018 to $6.21 billion by 2020. While this market size is still much smaller as compared to China, tie-ups like the one between Nureca and Croma will appreciably enhance the share of home healthcare segment in India’s healthcare industry.

Accenture Recognized as Leader in Inaugural IDC MarketScape Report for Worldwide Managed Cloud Services


Accenture has been positioned as a Leader in the first ever IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Managed Cloud Services 2019 Vendor Assessment (Doc # US43251618, July 2019).

In the report, which evaluates 10 service providers across the full spectrum of clouds and IT applications and infrastructure for managed public, private, and hybrid cloud services, Accenture was named a Leader.

“Managed cloud services are becoming a primary means of enterprises getting critical support by third-party managed SPs to help them manage their cloud environments,” said David Tapper, vice president of Outsourcing and Managed Cloud Services at IDC. “The breadth of its investment along with its strong consulting and migration capabilities make Accenture a good partner for any business looking to exploit the opportunities inherent in the cloud.”

Looking at Accenture’s main strengths, the IDC MarketScape noted the company’s high utilization rates of Platform-as-a-Service delivery, investments in centers of excellence, strong financial growth performance, high client retention, high service availability, fast response times rates, and robust recovery services.

The IDC MarketScape also noted that “Accenture’s growth rate in the managed cloud services surpassed market standards.” Finally, Accenture was rated highly for “application capabilities in supporting SAP, Oracle, and Microsoft, along with systems infrastructure software, that are deployed on public clouds.”

The strength of Accenture’s offering was underlined by highly positive client feedback sourced by IDC during the writing of the report. According to the IDC MarketScape, “Client feedback reflects an overall high satisfaction rating, with strength in providing technology expertise, possessing industry and/or business process knowledge, and delivering a full array of security and recovery capabilities.”

Kishore Durg, senior managing director and Accenture Cloud lead, commented: “Businesses are increasingly looking to managed cloud services for business transformation. Accenture’s approach is to apply the innovation usually seen in public cloud to hybrid alternatives, helping businesses with powerful automation, self-service and microservice capabilities. It’s about staying focused on business outcomes to make an impact within their organizations. The IDC MarketScape shows that we are on the right track, and we look forward to building on this strong leadership position.”

In the IDC Managed CloudView 2018: Executive Summary, which involved 1,500 respondents across six countries, used to complement this competitive analysis, Accenture received a higher rating against rivals in which respondents indicated that they would recommend Accenture to a friend or colleague.

Tata Motors Passenger Vehicle Ranks 2nd in J.D. Power 2019 India Customer Service Index (Mass Market) StudySM


Key highlights:

* An achievement for the third successive year
* By scoring 870 on a 1000-point scale, the company has crossed the industry average score (826 for this year) for the fourth time

In an acknowledgement of Tata Motors’ commitment to offer its customers a seamless after-sales experience, the Company has once again been ranked the 2nd highest with a score of 870 (above industry average of 826) in the prestigious J.D. Power India Customer Service Index (Mass Market) StudySM for the year 2019. This is the third consecutive year that Tata Motors has secured this rank.

This study is based on responses from 7,177 new-vehicle owners who purchased their vehicle between March 2016 and August 2018, it was fielded from March through August 2019. Now in its 23rd year, the Study measures new-vehicle owner satisfaction with the after-sales service process by examining dealership performance in five factors (listed in order of importance): service quality (30%); service initiation (18%); service facility (18%); service advisor (17%); and vehicle pick-up (17%).

Commenting on this achievement, Mr. Mayank Pareek, President – Passenger Vehicles Business Unit (PVBU), Tata Motors, said, “We are delighted to announce that we have secured the 2nd rank in the prestigious J.D. Power CSI Study rankings once again this year. This is an incredible achievement for all of us at Tata Motors as it attests to the success of our initiatives that result in an exceptional overall customer experience. We are committed to the continuous improvement of our customer service efforts by keeping our customers’ needs in mind and through constant industry analyses so we can constantly succeed at being the best in terms of overall customer experience.”

According to Mr. Subhajit Roy, Head Customer Care, Domestic & International Business – PVBU, Tata Motors - “We have always aimed to provide our customers with excellent quality service on all their products and we have successfully achieved that yet again by being ranked 2nd in the coveted J.D. Power CSI Study rankings this year. We hope to continue to succeed in this endeavor and consistently provide our customers with a refined and value-for-money experience.”

Tata Motors has a countrywide presence, catering to customers across 650+ workshops by consistent quality & service delivery. Tata Motors continues to upgrade its workshops with comfortable lounges and state of the art technology, to better serve its patrons. TML workshops are continuing to practice the waterless, foam washing at customer doorstep and at around 200 workshops across India.

Further, the company has added a slew of features in the Tata Motors Service Connect App, like Service Booking, Dealer Locator, Cost Estimate Calculator for Scheduled and Standard Repairs and Service History among others. Reinforcing the company’s image as a customer-centric brand, the app has been rated as one of the best in its segment by customers on the Google Play store. Tata Motors is also focusing on digital transformation of workshops by launching applications like job card opening through tablets, digital ready reckoner, electronic estimate tool, vehicle tracking and bay scheduler etc. to further enhance the digital experience of customers.

Additionally, the online platform, Tata Motors Service Website can be visited for booking an appointment for car service & repairs and for information regarding vehicle servicing, Authorized Dealers / Service Center locations, as well as services like extended warranty, annual maintenance contracts (value care), 24x7 roadside assistance support, Women-Assist Program and so forth.

OPPO Showcases 5G Readiness in Partnership with Qualcomm & Jio at India Mobile Congress 2019


OPPO, the leading global smartphone brand showcased its Reno 5G smartphone in partnership with Qualcomm and Jio at India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2019. The demo of its first 5G smartphone at IMC is a testament to OPPO’s commitment of offering new and innovative technology to India. 

Earlier this month, OPPO had announced that it is working on providing 5G capabilities on all its premium mid-range smartphones in 2020. With the demo of a 5G capable smartphone, OPPO has cemented its status as a technology leader in the segment and proved their capabilities in bringing 5G connectivity to the masses.

OPPO Reno 5G is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor combined with the X50 5G modem. The 5G capable chip was launched in February at MWC 2019 and is the first to integrate 5G baseband and 5G modem into the processor. Keeping up with its status quo of being the first with technology breakthroughs, OPPO was the first brand to demonstrate a 5G capable smartphone at MWC 2019 powered by Qualcomm’s new 5G chip. 

OPPO has always focused its energies on advancing technology keeping the consumer at the center of their innovation strategy. Continuing on the same path, OPPO has invested a great deal in 5G research and development across the globe and plans to continue working closely with leading industry partners to bring the best products and experiences to consumers.

Plan to Set Up 14 Authorized World Skills India Training Centers Across 9 Cities in Media & Entertainment Sector

Highlights

* Cities include Chandigarh, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Indore, Mumbai, Pune, Shillong and Trivandrum
* AWSITC aims to provide best in class training to candidates to showcase their skills at national and international competitions, by making them industry ready

Dr. Mahendra Nath Pandey, Hon’ble Union Minister of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), today announced the launch of 14 Authorized World Skills India Training Centers (AWSITC) across 9 cities in India, for the Media and Entertainment sector. The new institutes are being set up for advanced skill training of candidates in the media and entertainment sector, not just to compete in the WorldSkills and IndiaSkills competitions buts also to further develop the skilling eco-system for training candidates for the international market.

The state of the art AWSITCs, set up in partnership with the MESC (Media & Entertainment Skill Council), will help the candidates to enhance their skill as per the global standards and the training programs will be designed as per the NSFQ level, which will be industry linked. All candidates will get hands-on training on live projects.

The minister also marked the event by felicitating some of the winners of the recently concluded WorldSkills competition, held in Kazan in August this year.

For winning a bronze medal in the graphic design category at Kazan, Shweta Ratanpura and her mentor Mr. Sathish Narayan received a cash prize of Rs one lakh. Nidhin Prem, winner of a Medallion of Excellence for 3D game Art, and his mentor Mr. Pradeep Kumar received INR 50,000 while Shrenik Gagule and his mentor Mr. Sameer Prabhune received INR 20,000 each for scoring 11th Rank in the Printing Technology category.

This year was India’s best ever performance in the biennial WorldSkills competition. The 48-member Indian team won one Gold, one Silver, two Bronze medals besides 15 Medallions of Excellence at the competition.

The event also witnessed the presence of Ms. Sunita Sanghi – Sr. Advisor, MSDE; Mr. Manish Kumar, CEO, NSDC; Mr. Subhash Ghai, Chairman, MESC; Ms. Shobha Ghosh, Asst. Secretary General, FICCI; Mr. Mohit Soni, CEO, MESC among other eminent dignitaries from industry and academia of various states.

Dr. Mahendra Nath Pandey, Union Minister for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship said on the occasion “With the advent of technology, skilling in the sector is gaining traction worldwide. There are lot of avenues for skilled workforce across evolving sectors like graphic design, 3D Digital Game Art, Print Media etc. These world class state of the art centres will help in preparing the candidates to be ready in making our country proud at various competitions and also equip them with enhanced skills in order to become industry ready.”

Mr. Subhash Ghai, Chairman, Media and Entertainment Skill Council said at the event, “Participating in the WorldSkills competition is a great honour. It is a global platform and privilege of being there and then coming back with a medal is something memorable. Platform like WorldSkills go a long way in incentivizing and encouraging people to not just learn a skill but excel at it. We hope that through this institute, we can encourage more youth to get skilled and not just participate, but come back with a medal and make their country proud.”

Mr. Manish Kumar, CEO, NSDC said, “Vocational training in technical sectors has a lot of scope and opportunity. Within this, it is important to link skill training with industry requirements which can help us to effectively create a sustainable skill ecosystem in the country. Achieving the overall vision of making India the skilling hub of the world is on track and these state of the art AWSITC will be a key endeavor for this. It is our duty towards the youth to provide them with the best training infrastructure and modules which will take them closer to realising their dreams.”

After the remarkable performance at WorldSkills Kazan, 2019, MESC is geared up to mark its best performance at WorldSkills Shanghai 2021 with the help of 14 AWSITC with the purpose to train and groom the future WorldSkills Competition champions with the help of industry engagement and participation in live projects. AWSITC will also be the stage for Faculty and Student Exchange Programs ensuring global standards and cater to the evolving manpower demand from the Industry.

The certification courses of 9 months to 36 months duration on graphic design technology, 3D Digital Game and Print Media technology will be offered at the centres. Striving to achieve Hon’ble Prime Minister’s vision of Skill India across the nation, AWSITC shall also function as a platform for all states to leverage and be benefited in terms of training the candidates who will be identified at state/regional or different levels of progression.

STL Unveils Stellar Fibre, Industry's First Universal Fibre, at IMC 2019


NSE, a global data networks innovator, launched Stellar Fibre at India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2019, in the presence of Ravi Shankar Prasad, Union Minister of IT and Communications. Stellar Fibre is a path-breaking solution that will power the next-gen ultra-high definition future. The leading edge innovation from STL’s optical design solutions guarantees best-in-class data transfer, negligible data loss even with high fibre bends, and compatibility with all fibres in use today.

Stellar Fibre is one of a kind in the current industry to have a bend insensitive (ITU-T G.657.A2) fibre design that has a mode field diameter (MFD) of the size of a legacy ITU-T G.652.D fibre. This feature enables service compatibility with existing networks which are provisioned with the legacy fibre, while bringing in the next-gen advantages of macro bend insensitivity. This makes Stellar Fibre an ideal choice for an existing network’s capacity enhancement or new network provisioning for Metro and Long Haul or Fibre to the X (FTTx) application.

Commenting on the launch, Ankit Agarwal, CEO-Connective Solutions, STL said, “We believe Stellar Fibre is an ideal product for the network operators of today who endeavour to provide their customers with new-age, enhanced experience. Dense and Deep fibre networks is the need of the hour and we hope Stellar Fibre can work as a cornerstone in making this transformation happen”

Stellar’s unique geometry ensures minimal splice loss and first-time right installation. This makes the fibre to be an installer’s delight. Simulations at STL’s Centre of Excellence suggest 10+ years increase in network lifetime on using the new bend insensitive fibre. It’s resilience to cuts and accidental bends brings down the network operations cost by a significant amount, making it the fibre of choice for network operators world-over.

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