Emirates SkyCargo to Transport Upto 17 Tonnes More Cargo on Select Boeing 777-300ER Aircraft

Emirates has introduced additional cargo capacity by using Boeing 777-300ER aircraft with seats removed from the Economy Class cabin. The measure has been introduced in response to the strong air cargo market demand for the rapid, reliable and efficient transportation of essential commodities such as Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), pharmaceuticals, medical equipment, food, machinery and other supplies around the world.

Watch a video of how Emirates Engineering modified the aircraft here.

Emirates SkyCargo will be operating 10 Boeing 777-300ER aircraft with Economy Class seats removed allowing for up to 17 tonnes or 132 cubic metres of additional cargo capacity per flight on top of the 40-50 tonne cargo capacity in the belly hold of the widebody passenger aircraft. The modified Boeing 777-300ER aircraft are being deployed on routes to key production and consumer markets where Emirates SkyCargo sees maximum demand for movement of urgently required goods.

Nabil Sultan, Emirates Divisional Senior Vice President, Cargo said: “Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, Emirates SkyCargo has taken very seriously its responsibility of connecting people and businesses across the world with the commodities that they urgently require. To this end, we have been working flat out, first to re-connect a global network of more than 85 destinations and then to introduce capacity options that fit what our customers demand from us including passenger aircraft flying only with belly hold cargo and loading cargo in the overhead bins and on passenger seats. Now, with the Emirates Boeing 777-300ER aircraft with modified Economy Class cabins, we will be able to transport even more cargo per flight, allowing for more cargo to reach their destination faster and for more efficient cargo operations.”

The modification of the Economy Class cabins of the 10 Emirates Boeing 777-300ER is being executed at the state of the art Emirates Engineering facilities in Dubai with each aircraft requiring close to 640 man-hours of work for the modification. Engineers remove 305 Economy Seats from one aircraft, fixing safety equipment and implementing regular load bearing tests during the process. Seven aircraft have already been modified by the Emirates Engineering team, with three more aircraft due to be ready by mid-July 2020.

Ahmed Safa, Divisional Senior Vice President Emirates Engineering said: “Converting our passenger aircraft to these mini freighters is certainly a sign of the times. Our teams have shown resilience, an innovative spirit, and adapted quickly to the needs of the changing business environment. We have risen to the twin challenges of new procedures and safety protocols within set timelines, and we are extremely proud of what we have achieved.”

By the end of the project, the Emirates Engineering team would have removed 3,050 seats, which will be safely and hygienically stored away till the time the aircraft are required for passenger services. The seats will be fitted back into the aircraft and tested for passenger safety and comfort.

With its focus on safety of operations, Emirates SkyCargo has implemented strict rules on the type of cargo that can be loaded inside the modified Economy Class cabins. Some of the cargo commodities that can be loaded include general cargo such as PPE and garments, pharmaceuticals that can be maintained within a temperature range of 15 and 25 degrees Celsius and perishables such as cut flowers, and select dry and non-smelling fruits and vegetables. Cargo loaded in the passenger cabins would need to be packaged inside a suitable external container such as a plastic or cardboard box in accordance with the latest regulations outlined by IATA.

Emirates SkyCargo is the freight division of Emirates. The air cargo carrier operates a combination of scheduled and chartered flights to more than 85 global destinations every week. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Emirates SkyCargo has been acting as a global conveyor belt connecting markets across the world to supplies of essential commodities including PPE, pharmaceuticals, food and other perishables, e-commerce goods as well as machinery and other equipment.

Emirates Engineering ensures that Emirates’ wide-body fleet of more than 260 aircraft are maintained in peak condition. The team is conducting regular parking checks on the grounded aircraft and scheduled A-checks, C-checks and operational maintenance on the flying fleet serving a mix of cargo and an increasing number of passenger destinations.

SABIC Extends Humanitarian Support to Indian Communities and Frontline Workers in the Fight Against COVID-19

SABIC, a global leader in diversified chemicals has come forward to support people, communities and frontline workers through its CSR efforts across Vadodara, Mumbai, Pune, Chennai and Bengaluru. These include monetary donations to central and state Governments, distribution of relief material to people and protective kits to the frontline workers.

The company, as part of the monetary aid, has donated INR 1 Crore towards the Prime Minister’s Care Fund. In addition to this, SABIC is continually extending support to the migrant and daily-wage workers across Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu region. SABIC is providing dry rations to help them navigate through these difficult times and to support 30, 000+ families.

SABIC is also undertaking the effort to support India’s frontline and essential services workers such as police and sanitation workers and more. The company will be doing so by donating protective equipment such as masks, gloves, visors and personal protection kits. 

Janardhanan Ramanujalu, Vice President & Regional Head, SABIC South Asia & ANZ said, “COVID-19 pandemic is a global health crisis and its sweeping impact continues in India. Our products are being used in producing personal protection wear and medical equipment such as COVID-19 test kits and ventilators, crucial for saving lives. SABIC team’s response in managing production and ensuring logistics during the lockdown, facilitated much of these equipment in India and around the world. We also fully understand our responsibilities towards supporting the communities we operate in. Therefore, through our CSR initiatives we are supporting those who have been affected by the pandemic.”

SABIC also launched an employee donation and corporate matching campaign. Employees across its India locations donated generously towards relief for COVID-19 and effectively doubled the amount collected with the company matched portion.

In close collaboration with its customers, SABIC is also leveraging its expertise by working with them to manufacture critical material that enables domestic production of COVID-19 test kits, gloves, ventilators, goggles, PPEs, sanitizers and high-grade bottles that can store disinfectants for a longer duration.

YES BANK Launches Yuva Pay - Digital Wallet for Smart Phone, Feature Phone in Partnership with UDMA Technologies

YES BANK announced the launch of ‘Yuva Pay’, a unique digital wallet in partnership with UDMA Technologies to enable contactless payments. This collaboration is in line with YES BANK’s fast-track innovation efforts of enabling communities to experience the convenience of digital banking services – as the nation slowly begins to unlock after the COVID-19 lockdown.  This innovation is a digital wallet issued under minimum KYC regulations, combined with bill payments via Bharat Bill Pay and Unified Payments Interface (UPI).

Through the app, utility bills like municipal, house, water tax, electricity, LPG, DTH, Mobile bill, license fees, Windmill & Solar park fees, building sanction fees and billboard taxes can be paid along with insurance renewal, fastag recharge, EMI payment, school fees and use at retail outlets. The first live program of the solution will be implemented by State Rural Development & Panchayat Raj Department, Karnataka and the first phase will cover 158 gram panchayats with 238 villages. Subsequently, this program will be rolled out to 6200 gram panchayats covering 12 million households across 29,000 villages in the second phase.

Speaking on the launch, Anita Pai, Chief Operating Officer, YES BANK, said, “This unique endeavour is yet another step taken by YES BANK towards achieving the Government’s vision of Digital India by converting all paper transactions into paperless digital transactions. The program also aims to make the low income groups transition to digital and contactless transactions by enabling wider access to secure electronic payment services.”

Prashanth Naik, CEO, UDMA Technologies, said “We envisage a long lasting business relationship. YES BANK is one of India’s leading digital payments facilitator and we intend to replicate this solution across the country, specifically in the rural segment where internet connections maybe an issue and feature phone is prevalent. Together, we now offer India’s strongest offline wallet solution that not only brings the world’s best payments experience to Indian Citizens, but is an important step towards eventually having cashless transformation in India.”

To activate the unique feature, customers need to follow a simple process:

Feature Phone Users

Users to visit the nearest ‘Yuva Mitra’ associate to complete minimum or full KYC verification process. Once the verification is complete, the wallet is activated and users can start using their services through Interactive Voice Response Services (IVRS) wherein all transactions are processed securely via OTP & T-PIN authentication.

Smart phone Users

Users can download the ‘Yuva Pay’ mobile application from Android play store, complete the minimum KYC requirements and add money to their wallet. As per RBI guidelines, the user will need to complete biometric based KYC process within 24 months after wallet activation. If internet connection is available, users can start using the services online while in case of no internet connection, the payment and collection request is converted into an encrypted SMS and the transaction is completed in offline mode.

63% of HR Managers are Hiring Amid COVID-19 Tension, Most Recruiting for Niche Job Roles Solely: TimesJobs Survey

Survey

* In the TimesJobs survey, 16% of respondents said that their top leaders are seeking ways to collaborate with competitors to ensure business growth

* A majority (42%) of HR managers stated that they are using talent assessment platforms to evaluate candidates 

* Around 21% of HR managers claimed that they conducted hiring audits to ensure they were recruiting a diverse set of talent 

With 63% HR managers at India Inc. buoyed about hiring amid the COVID-19 lockdown, this quarantine period may not be as gloomy as it seems. 

In a recent TimesJobs survey, a majority (63%) of HR managers said that their company had been hiring amid the COVID-19 crisis time. Out of these, nearly 65% of respondents stated that they were hiring for niche positions only. 

TimesJobs survey titled ‘The Indian workplace response to COVID-19’ gathered responses from 1,145+ HR managers working across different industries. The important takeaways from this survey include:

1. Diversity topped the hiring agenda: A majority (61%) of HR managers asserted that hiring diverse talent was their top priority even when compared to other factors as Learning & Development.

2. Leadership response was proactive: Around 34% of respondents said their executive management was working proactively to ensure business survival amid the crisis.

3. Employee well-being gained the centre stage: More than 34% of respondents stated that restructured the employee health initiatives in sync with the public health advisory. 

4. The virtual workplace is here to stay: Nearly, 49% of respondents claimed that companies were investing in preparing for virtual work-ready modules, followed by compulsory upskilling activities.

Explaining the findings of the TimesJobs survey, Sanjay Goyal, Business Head, TimesJobs and TechGig said, “The last few months have been a roller-coaster ride. However, on the brighter side, it forced companies to adopt virtual operations more seriously. The survey also pointed that most companies were hiring for the niche roles only, and in my sense, these are the organisations which are virtual-ready, and have restructured/are restructuring their products and processes for customers and employees via technology.”

Other notable insights from this survey were - 

‘Business survival’ crucial for top leadership:

Around 34% of professionals stated that their top management was working aggressively to find new solutions for business survival. Nearly, 24% of respondents said that their top brass was working on building a strong and transparent communication network within the organisation to smoothen the processes. While 16% of respondents asserted that their leaders were seeking ways to collaborate with competitors for business growth. 

Companies investing in assessment tools to evaluate skills: 

TimesJobs survey asked how the hiring managers were assessing candidates in the present lockdown. Around 42% of respondents stated that their company used assessment platforms to evaluate skills on candidates, this hints that companies are becoming more cautious of who they bring on board. 

Corporates held hiring audits to uphold D&I agenda while hiring amid COVID-19:

Around 24% of HR managers said that they wrote neutral job posting to encourage diverse hiring during the COVID-19 lockdown. About 21% of professionals said that their company conducted a hiring audit to ensure the Diversity & Inclusion mandate was fulfilled. While 16% of respondents said that they were writing job posting using a tech-based tool to ensure they were hiring a diverse talent pool. 

Lava Pledges to Contribute Rs. 40 Lacs for LAC Martyrs’ Families

Indian Mobile handset brand, Lava International Limited, has pledged to contribute Rs.40 lacs to the families of brave martyrs of LAC. This contribution will be made for the welfare of the bereaved families of soldiers who lost their lives protecting our country during a faceoff with the Chinese soldiers at Galwan valley recently. Lava plans to raise this amount through its July month’s sales. 

As per media reports, 20 Indian soldiers lost their lives on the night of 15th/16th June at Galwan district in Ladakh in a brutal skirmish at the Line of Actual Control. Lava intends to contribute Rs. 2 lacs for each of these 20 families. The contribution will be made to the Army Battle Casualties Welfare Fund at South Block, New Delhi.

Sunil Raina, President & Business Head, Lava international said- “As an Indian brand, we salute the Patriotism of our brave soldiers who fought hard at the LAC and gave their lives protecting our Motherland. As a nation, it is our collective responsibility to stand united against any threat to our nation and do our bit for the country. Being an Indian Brand, we salute the valour of our soldiers and this small contribution is our humble gratitude to the supreme sacrifice our soldiers make at the battlefield.” 

The contribution will be raised from Lava’s July sales, so every time you buy a Lava phone, you have a chance to contribute to India’s Brave martyrs. 

Lava International Limited is a leading Indian Mobile Handset Company with operations in 20+ countries. Right from its inception Lava has been at the forefront of building a strong ecosystem of design and manufacturing of mobile handsets. In line with Govt. of India’s ‘Make in India’ initiative, Lava has taken a lead in support of this important nation building program and has set up a design team in India, becoming the first brand to do so in the country. With this ‘Design in India’ initiative Lava is now the only Mobile handset company that makes truly ‘Made In India’ phones with complete control on design and manufacturing within India.

Vestige Launches ASSURE Night Care Gel Crème for Youthful Healthy Skin in Indian Market

Healthy Skin 

* Non-greasy and fast-absorbing formulation ensures complete skin care overnight

* It has anti-ageing properties. It hydrates and nourishes the skin, making it healthy and youthful

* Enriched with natural ingredients like Roseroot extract, Sicilian Sumac extract, Vitamin E and Shea butter

Vestige Marketing Pvt. Ltd., one of India’s leading direct selling companies and the manufacturer of hygiene, health and wellness products, expands its personal care portfolio with the launch of the ASSURE Night Care Gel Crème. Created from natural ingredients such as Roseroot and Sicilian Sumac extracts along with Shea tree butter, this Vitamin E enriched ASSURE Night Care Gel Crème gives one a healthy skin.

The ASSURE Night Care Gel Crème hydrates and nourishes the skin, while its anti-ageing properties provide a youthful and healthy look. It also helps maintain the skin’s natural elasticity, firmness and texture. It is an addition to Vestige’s growing portfolio of moisturisers, creams, masks and cleansers in the beauty and skincare segment.

Commenting on the launch, Mr Gautam Bali, MD, Vestige Marketing Pvt Ltd said, “We are delighted to share that we are expanding our portfolio of skincare and beauty products, which is one of the fastest growing segments. ASSURE Night Care Gel Crème is a unique product with natural ingredients. It provides non-invasive skin care. In today’s busy life, people tend to ignore skin care. With dust and other pollutants, the skin takes all the brunt. A quality night cream can help enhance the skin’s health as it accelerates tissue repair and promotes cell renewal during sleep.”

The ASSURE Night Care Gel Crème is suitable for all weather conditions as it enhances the skin’s natural properties. It uses a fast-absorbing and non-greasy formulation that ensures complete overnight care of the skin and makes you ready for your morning mirror assessment.

The ASSURE Night Care Gel Crème works at various levels:

1.      Promotes skin cell rejuvenation and gene activity of antioxidant enzymes in the skin

2.      Protects against skin cell damage and skin eruptions due to its anti-inflammatory properties

3.      Preserves the youthfulness of the skin owing to rapidly renewing collagen and reduction in the appearance of fine lines; works as an anti-ageing solution as well.

ASSURE Night Care Gel Crème comes in a 60 gram pack and is priced at MRP ₹315.00, inclusive of all taxes.

itel Mobile Brand Launches ‘itel Smart Gadgets’ to Enhance Smartphone Experience of Consumers in India

Smart Gadgets

* itel Smart Gadgets to empower aspirers and first-time users to live life uninterrupted by providing them relevance, quality, and affordability.

* Launches comprehensive gadgets portfolio by introducing 14 products under 4 categories ranging from power, audio, speaker to fit band

* The product range attempts to accentuate the user’s experience of accessories and bridge the market gap.

 

After establishing its leadership position in entry level Smartphone and feature phone segment, itel mobile forays into the accessories segment by announcing the launch of ‘itel Smart Gadgets’ to enhance and provide a superior mobile experience to its users.

itel ‘Smart Gadgets’ is built on the brand positioning of ‘Make Every Moment Magical’ for consumers by harping on the relevance, that it would make their day to day life complete without any interruptions. The portfolio of itel smart gadgets aims to fuel the aspirations of both aspirers and minimalist set of consumers by providing them with trendy and quality technology at an affordable bracket of price.

The portfolio boasts of 14 brand new and exciting gadgets ranging from power, audio, speaker and fit band in an attractive price range of INR 100 to INR 1999. Designed to enhance the smartphone experience of its consumers, the product range offers a complete mobile solution to users which incorporate a wide range of technology and features.

Announcing itel’s entry into accessories market, Mr. Arijeet Talaptra, CEO, TRANSSION India said “With ever-evolving lifestyle and technological advancements, there exists a remarkable need for high quality smart accessories in the entry-level segment, especially in Tier 3 cities and towns. With this growing demand for smart accessories, India has proven to be one of the crucial markets for itel with its existing loyal consumers base. itel smart gadgets are not targeted towards a specific age group or demography but to a mind-set who belong to semi-urban and rural areas, who are looking for stylish, efficient and quality product at a reasonable price point.”

He further added, “With this launch, itel aims to fulfil the aspirations and desires of its consumers to own smart accessories that not only are relevant for day to day transactions, but also upgrades their smartphone experience to a superior level.  The new range boasts latest technology, innovation, style all under an affordable bracket of price point. We are confident that the launch of itel smart gadgets range will enjoy similar success in India as we witnessed in the mobile handset segment.”

While developing the product, itel has ensured that each product is quality-driven, light weighted, highly portable and equipped with best in class specifications which helps in empowering users to live life on their terms and at their own pace. itel smart gadgets range will be available in attractive color variants and will go on sale across offline stores starting today.

itel hosted its first-ever innovative virtual Channel Partners meets to take the launch to its distributor fraternity amidst this lockdown. Insightful and interactive meetings were conducted to abreast the partners with the product portfolio and future business plans. To promote itel smart gadgets, itel will focus extensively on social and digital marketing communication to engage with consumers. Innovative product communications through aggressive WhatsApp marketing will be one of the crucial approaches the brand will follow to reach out to its customers.

itel smart gadgets range consists of 14 new products under 4 categories including power bank, phone charger, car charger, data cable, phone battery, wired earphone, Bluetooth earphone, wireless earphones, wired speaker, Bluetooth speaker and Fit Band. Let’s have a quick look at a few key products category wise:

1) Power

itel IPP-62 | 10000mAh Super Slim pocket size Power Bank

itel IPP-62 boasts of the ultra-slim and stylishly designed body along with multi-protection safety system to avoid any phone damage. Providing a massive capacity of 10000mAh, it allows 2.1A fast charging to support your devices throughout the day. This lithium polymer battery cell enabled power bank, comes with dual output with itel’s high speed charging technology, which enables users to charge two devices simultaneously. This portable power gadget can be fully charged at a fast speed in 4.5- 5 hrs and can be carried anywhere.

itel ICC-11 Car Charger | 3.4A Fast Charging for Two

itel car charger comes with dual USB ports that are designed to provide appropriate power to each connected device. itel's assurance of best quality, charger's compact design, multi-layered protection and its compatibility with most cars in the market make it a must-buy for your cars. It detects optimum charging protocols and delivers total 3.4A full speed charging to your devices. A perfect companion on the go! 

2) Fitbands

itel IFB- 11

itel Fitband comes with HD color screen and 20 days long-lasting battery life. itel fitness tracker is a must-have when it comes to keeping a daily check on your calorie counts, footsteps, keeps a track of your sleeping time, etc. It’s your perfect partner to your workout, swimming and jogging sessions with IP67 splash resistant technology. itel Fitband helps you with notification alerts of calls, messages and WhatsApp.

3) Speakers

itel IBS-10 Powerful Sound

The itel Bluetooth speaker is compact, portable and provides unmatched experience to the listener. It contains dual speaker of 5W each within 1 unit thus making output as 10W and comes with stereo stabilization and 1500mAh battery which makes it your perfect partner to turn any place into a music station or a disco. The wireless speaker also supports Bluetooth 5.0 along with music playtime of 6 hours. It comes along with three options so that you can listen to your favourite music anytime and anywhere—Aux connectivity, T-Card support along with Wireless FM. This will soon hit the market.

4) Audio

Bluetooth Earphones| BT Necklace (IEB-62)

BT Necklace is attractive Bluetooth earphones that are ergonomically designed, sweatproof and houses a precision-engineered with less than 20gm weight combines with the best quality BT Chip and In- line remote and microphone that redefines the audio experience for the music lovers. These earphones have flexible around-the-neck design & have magnetic buds and produce uber sound quality with extreme bass and big sound that ensures long-lasting comfort. The Necklace earphones exhibit a standby of 120 ours and its battery provides a talk time of up to 6 hours and music playtime of 5 hours continuously.

Service Proposition

itel is offering a 12 months’ warranty for its accessory portfolio, ranging from power banks, chargers, fit bands to Bluetooth headsets and speakers. The brand is also offering a 6 months’ warranty for other accessories in the portfolio which includes batteries, earphones, USB cables.  The service proposition provides an additional benefit of over the counter replacement for selected itel smart gadgets.  New itel accessories range will utilize time-tested robust Go-to-market strategy of itel smartphone business which has deeper regional penetration backed by a strong service network of 970+ service centers spread across the nook and corners of the nation.