JK Tyre Develops and Produces Total Control Hand Sanitizer to Fight the Indian Pandemic

Indian tyre industry major and the pioneer of radial tyre technology in the country, JK Tyre & Industries Ltd., has taken yet another step towards its commitment to the nation by producing the hand sanitizers under the brand – ‘Total Control Hand Sanitizers’.

Dr. Raghupati Singhania, Chairman & Managing Director, JK Tyre & Industries Ltd said, “The JK Tyre Total Control Hand Sanitizer is our latest contribution towards ongoing relief measures of the government in countering the pandemic. This Sanitizer has been developed and produced strictly in accordance with the standards. We will continue with our efforts to fight this pandemic.”

JK Tyre developed this sanitizer  at its ‘Global Tech Centre’ , “The Raghupati Singhania Centre of Excellence”,Mysuru  as per the guidelines issued by the World Health Organisation, and acquired all the necessary approvals and licenses within a record time period of eight days. The Company has undertaken the production of the Sanitizer at Jay Kay Gram, Kankroli Plant, Rajasthan.

In addition to contributing to the relief efforts of the Company through distribution in local communities, the sanitizer is also being made available to the entire ecosystem, such as the dealer network and channel partners to ensure right hygiene.

Animal Planet’s New Documentary ‘The Zoo: COVID-19 and Animals’ Looks at the Effects of Coronavirus on Animals

When the Bronx Zoo announced their four-year-old Malayan tiger tested positive for COVID-19 the world was shocked to learn that animals can be victims of this pandemic, and many questions were raised. Dave Salmoni, Animal Planet’s big cat expert, dives deep to answer these questions in the special THE ZOO: COVID-19 AND ANIMALS on May 17 at 1 pm and 8 pm on Animal Planet, Animal Planet HD and on recently launched Discovery Plus app. Salmoni speaks with a wide spectrum of experts from the World Health Organization to wildlife biologists to veterinarians to uncover how the virus affects animals and how pet owners can keep their pets and family safe.

The special will feature Bronx Zoo Chief Veterinarian with an update on the big cats and their treatment; Dr. Peter Embarek from the World Health Organization’s COVID-19 Task Force, who works particularly on all aspects of the virus related to animals; EXTINCT OR ALIVE’s wildlife biologist, Forrest Galante providing insight on COVID-19 and how it relates to wildlife; and Dr. Jeff of DR. JEFF: ROCKY MOUNTAIN VET how the virus affects pets. Audiences will also hear from Dr. Blue, Dr. Ross, and Dr. Lavigne of THE VET LIFE and EVAN GOES WILD’s Dr. Evan Antin on how to care for pets during this time.

“When news about Nadia the tiger came out the questions immediately began; what about my pets? How do I keep my animals and family safe? We’re going to answer these questions and more through this documentary. We're speaking to a wide range of experts from the World Health Organization, to wildlife biologists, to veterinarians. We are at war with this disease and so we get down to the nitty gritty, and discuss practical questions about daily lives with our pets. We know animals do play a role in this pandemic, and when it comes to our pets, we have to take care of them like any other member of our family.” says Animal Planet’s big cat expert, Dave Salmoni.

Sai Abishek, Director–Content, Factual & Lifestyle Entertainment – South Asia, Discovery, said, “We have been the forefront of busting myths around novel Corona virus with international documentaries. With this latest film, we take a hard look at how animals are being treated during such a crisis and the safety measures that can be taken to keep both, the people and their pets healthy.“

THE ZOO: COVID-19 AND ANIMALS premieres on 17th May at 1 PM and at 8 PM, only on Animal Planet, Animal Planet HD and on recently launched Discovery Plus app.

Del Monte Introduces First Ever Clinically Proven Juice To Reduce Cholesterol And “Del Monte A-C-E To Boost Immunity”

Features

*Del Monte's Heart Smart with Reducol is a 100 per cent mixed fruit juice that helps lower bad cholesterol (LDL); Priced at INR 70 and available in 240ml can format
* Del Monte also announced the launch of Del Monte A-C-E, 100 per cent mixed fruit juice with added Vitamins A,C & E that helps boost immunity; Priced at Rs. 70 and available in 240 ml can format

Del Monte, the premium food brand, has forayed into the health and wellness space with the launch of India’s first cholesterol reducing fruit juice with Reducol. Del Monte's Heart Smart -- a 100% mixed fruit juice with Reducol, is a natural plant-based ingredient that is clinically proven to reduce cholesterol in 8 weeks (when taken as a part of a balanced diet).

Del Monte also announced the launch of Del Monte’s ACE -- a 100% mixed fruit juice fortified with Vitamins A-C-E and rich in anti-oxidants that help in boosting immunity.  Del Monte’s Heart Smart and ACE will be available in 240 ml packaging and priced at INR 70. Initially, the juices will be available online on Amazon exclusively starting 11th May 2020. Subsequently, they will be available across all leading supermarkets on E-commerce portals across top cities including Delhi-NCR, Mumbai and Bengaluru. Both the products have a shelf life of 12 months.

“We have always given the highest priority to quality and healthy options while bringing new products to the market. We hope to create new benchmarks in this segment as our beverage with Reducol will be India’s first Juice that helps lower cholesterol. India has a sizeable number of people suffering from cholesterol and heart ailments. We are focused on helping consumers improve their health through our products,” says Mr Yogesh Bellani, CEO FieldFresh Foods Pvt. Ltd (that manages the Del Monte brand in India). Reducol, the trademark ingredient of Del Monte’s Heart Smart is a unique plant-based sterol blend, derived from coniferous trees that blocks the absorption of bad cholesterol into the digestive system and naturally flushes it out from the body without affecting the good cholesterol level.

The second product Del Monte ACE is loaded with the goodness of antioxidants. While Vitamin A enables normal functioning of the immune system, Vitamin C boost immunity and protects the body from infections and Vitamin E helps white blood cells to function effectively. Both the products have No Added sugar and preservatives which makes it an apt fit for today’s health conscious consumers.

“Del Monte ACE, which has been in under development for a while, is another relevant offering for consumers today given the heightened concerns around immunity stemming from the COVID19 pandemic. Our endeavour will be to expand this range of 100% fruit juice offerings keeping evolving consumer needs in mind” Bellani added.

The new products are the result of Del Monte’s detailed research and its aim to bring healthy and quality products to the Indian market. Indian consumers are becoming more health conscious. The company’s research showed that 48% of consumers aspire to lead a healthy lifestyle while 51% feel there should be healthier snack options available to consumers. According to the study, 46% of consumers look for ‘added nutrition’ while choosing a snack, and 51 per cent of buyers look for ‘made with natural ingredients’. India’s packaged fruit juices category is valued at INR 5,000+ crores and is growing steadily, especially the cold-pressed segment, as consumers are ready to pay a premium for quality products.

Tips to Enhance Longevity of Tyres During Lockdown in Indian Market

The national lockdown has curbed the movement of people making the vehicles unused for an extended period. Any machine which is left unused is bound to give trouble when restarted. Hence, it becomes important to maintain our objects to enhance longevity. In these troubled times, all of us want to know ways of taking care of our vehicles, but we often forget that tyres form an integral part of the juggernaut and its equally imperative to take care of the tyres as well.

Tyres do not like sitting in the same position for too long, because the weight of the car on the tyre can cause a flat spot. So, if you have space and it is safe to do so, you can also push your car forwards or backwards occasionally, so the weight is not on the same spot.

Here are the tips from MAXXIS TYRES on how to increase shelf life of tyres during the Lockdown period:

Normally, we do not want to over-inflate our tyres because that reduces grip. However, doing so reduces the risk of flat spots, just do not go over the recommended limit.

If over-inflation is not possible, try keeping your 2-Wheeler vehicle on main stand, so tyres do not touch the ground to minimize flat spot. And for 4-Wheeler vehicles, we could push the vehicle forward/backwards once a week by 5m-10m to avoid flat spot.

Park your vehicle in covered area, so tyres do not come in direct contact with sunlight or UV rays.
You can use your new-found free time to give your tyres a clean and dressing to protect from road grime or UV light that might eat away at the rubber. While you are down there, you can give them a quick check for damage and tread life, too.

Sylo Expands User Base; Garners Highest User Growth in India

Sylo, a New Zealand based global software development house is set to dominate the decentralised secure communications and asset-wallet space globally with over 200,000+ active users globally in six months of its launch. It has also penetrated the Indian market substantially with more than 25% of this user base coming from India.

According to a report by Statista Research the number of mobile phone messaging app users in India is projected to grow to 230.5 million users in 2020. The high-scale decentralised communication platform, Sylo, aims to take crypto to this vast user base in India that uses instant messaging on their smartphones, thereby expanding the crypto user base in India. India has slowly been more forthcoming to increased adoption of crypto and blockchain technology with its multiple initiatives by the government and corporate bodies.

In line with its vision, Sylo also announced the listing of their SYLO cryptocurrency token on major global exchange KuCoin. The SYLO token is available for public trading on the KuCoin platform effective immediately. The release of the SYLO token has been a much-awaited next step from the creators of the Sylo Network, Sylo Protocol, and next-generation decentralised app, the Sylo Smart Wallet. The successful release of the SYLO token is now just the latest in a string of authenticating milestones for the company.

A key zone of application for the SYLO token is the Sylo Smart Wallet that combines a digital wallet with a decentralised private messenger. It enables users to connect from the safety of a wallet address, send and receive digital assets in chat, make audio and video calls, and store Bitcoin or any ERC-20 compatible token, such as SYLO or Ethereum, in a non-custodial wallet.

“India is a critical market for us and we are very happy to see the rapid adoption globally and specifically across a wide range of interest groups in India already. The rapidly increasing adoption globally along with the SYLO token listing on KuCoin is a testimony to the hard work put in by the team and the need that we have successfully managed to bridge. We are excited about growing in India and look forward to forging more partnerships in the crypto space in India”, Dorian Johannink, Sylo Co-Founder and Business Director said.

Download the Sylo Smart Wallet from the Google Play or Apple App stores.

Corporates Expect Economic Normalcy to Take Nearly 17 Months: TRA Whitepaper in India

A fortnight after it released a survey on consumer insights, TRA Research, a consumer insights and brand analytics company today released its second report "TRA’s Coronavirus Corporate Insights 2020", a whitepaper from a research conducted across 16 cities with 101 corporate respondents from 8th April to 4th May 2020. The TRA survey indicates that corporates, on average, perceive it will take 66.1 weeks (16.5 months) to achieve economic normalcy, while for full health normalcy, they feel it will take 15 weeks (3.8 months) more.

N. Chandramouli, CEO, TRA Research, elaborated on the findings, “The biggest concerns of Corporate India are of Global recession which is 66% on the Worry Index, followed by India’s inability to overcome the health crisis at 59%. Three important factors of Business survival, India’s bleak economic outlook and Social unrest, all had a Worry Index of 57%, showing the many concomitant challenges that corporate India was grappling with at the moment. Shaky Consumer Confidence remains lowest on the Worry Index at 39% showing ‘Little Worried’, possibly implying corporates are currently more concerned about the larger picture leading to disruptions.”

“Considering the Covid impact, the highest was Revenues for the year at 75% Impact Index, followed by Advertising at 64% impact, showing that the first cuts were in immediately controllable expenses, especially in the light of the negligible demand for many sectors during the lockdown”, Chandramouli added.

The survey revealed the Coping-Worry gap among Upper Management was the highest at 32%, and perhaps there is just too much on the plate of the top management to cope with everything together. The other challenge of the Upper Management is perhaps the external show of strength they have to present, despite their personal fears and anxieties.

On the priority of corporates, OPEX reduction has the top slot with 69.5% priority, CapEx reduction is the second highest priority at 65.5%, Business Strategy taking 64.5% priority, Company Operations are at 56.5% priority and, contrary to what many would believe, Manpower cost reduction is the very last what that corporates look at, which stands at 51.5% priority.

About TRA Research

TRA Research, a Comniscient Group company, is a consumer insights and brand intelligence Company dedicated to understanding and analyzing stakeholder behavior through two globally acclaimed proprietary matrices of Brand Trust and Brand Desire. TRA Research conducts primary research with consumers and stakeholders to assist brands with their business decisions based on Consumer Behavior insights.

TRA Research is consulting brands on transitioning during and after the Covid-19 crisis, to help them be more aligned to consumer and client expectations. TRA Research is the also the publisher of TRA’s Brand Trust Report and of TRA’s Most Desired Brands.

Renault Opens Offices, Select Dealerships and Service Centres

Renault, the number one European brand in India, opened its office and select dealerships and service centres, and has introduced several safety and hygiene measures as it prepares to welcome back customers across all its touchpoints. Renault has opened more than 194 showrooms and workshops in line with the new safety protocols and the remaining touchpoints will be opened in a phased-wise manner based on permissions from the local authorities. Renault dealerships have ensured special care to sanitise their facilities and test drive cars. There are multiple training programmes, protocols and processes in place to monitor the execution of Renault’s customer-first initiatives and efforts, as a part of their ‘Welcome Back’ initiative.

“Globally, Renault is gradually resuming business operations, country by country. In India, we have started the business operations in a phased manner. We have a long-term commitment here and India plays an important role in the strategic operations of Groupe Renault. Customer safety and satisfaction is our main objective and is one of the driving forces behind everything we do. As the lockdown is gradually being lifted and business is slowly resuming, our primary focus is on ensuring that we safeguard our customers, by introducing rigorous safety and hygiene practices across all touchpoints. At the same time, the health, safety and well-being of all Renault employees, dealers and other stakeholders, their families and the community at large is of utmost importance, and we have taken necessary actions on all these fronts as well,” said Venkatram Mamillapalle, Country CEO & Managing Director, Renault India Operations.

As a first step, all dealerships - showrooms and workshop, will be completely fumigated before it is opened for customers. There is a manpower health screening for all dealership employees after resuming the job and only post that will employees be allowed to start work. There will be daily monitoring, necessary action and processes which will be adopted across all showrooms and workshops, to ensure social distancing and safety measures are implemented.

Display and test drive cars, whether at the dealership or at customers’ homes will have multiple sanitization points after each customer interaction. The same detailed processes will be followed for all cars that come for servicing as well, to ensure customers have complete peace of mind.

In order to support the customer in these challenging times, Renault has announced a host of customer focused offers. Renault has rolled out a ‘Buy Now Pay Later’ scheme where customers can buy any Renault car in May and start paying their EMI after 3 months of purchase. The offer can be availed either at the dealership, on the Renault India website or the My Renault App. There are also offers across the product range including cash offers, exchange benefits and finance at a special rate of 8.99%. These are complemented by additional loyalty offers for its existing customers.

Renault has also significantly enhanced digital capabilities and portfolios with online booking options and other interventions. Customers can book cars from home on the Renault India website or the MyRenault App with zero booking amount, and can also get loan approvals remotely from Renault Finance.

On the service front, Renault has launched extended service warranty and extension of first free service. Renault has announced relaxation on Warranty (including the Extended Warranty policies) and Periodic service schedules for its customers during this lockdown period. Renault India’s 24X7 roadside assistance continues to ensure support for its customers in case of an emergency.

Renault Finance has also announced measures to support the customer which is the form of - Job Loss Cover and EMI Protect Plan.