Yamaha Introduces Vintage Edition in FZS FI with Bluetooth Connectivity

* The Vintage edition has been added in FZS FI (149 CC)

* The Vintage edition will offer best of both worlds - Style & latest features

More than ten years ago in India, a motorcycle offering the punch of performance & economy from Yamaha cemented the way for refined engine and smooth power delivery as the centerpiece of ‘the thrill of riding’. Yamaha FZ in the 150-cc category personified as ‘lord of the streets’ with its stylish looks & comfort has developed a new class of performance motorcycle in the country. 

In order to further cast the strong legacy of the FZ brand in a striking frame, Yamaha today introduced the “Vintage edition” for the FZ brand enthusiasts of the country. A mix of both worlds, Style & Technology, the Vintage edition of FZS-FI is ready to boost the iconic style quotient of Yamaha in India. The Vintage edition of FZS-FI in India gets the same Style & DNA of the FZ brand. Apart from the timeless vintage graphics that augment its iconic legacy, a new leather finish single piece two level seat will further add to its styled-up antiquity. The new Vintage edition of FZS-FI will also have the latest introduced features like Bluetooth Connectivity “Yamaha Motorcycle Connect X” Application for various utilities. 

FZS-FI ABS Vintage edition will be priced at Rs. 1,09,700/- (Ex-Showroom Delhi). The new variant will be available at all the authorized Yamaha Dealerships from the 1st week of December 2020. 

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Motofumi Shitara, Chairman, Yamaha Motor India Group of companies said, “We are committed to offer better motorcycling experiences to the customers in India. Today we have introduced the Vintage edition in our FZS-FI variant with smart features like Bluetooth connectivity. We will continue to bring more such excitement for the biking enthusiasts in future, eventually as we rev up the entire line up of our motorcycles.”

Vi Ramps Up GIGAnet 4G Network Capacity Across Bengaluru Circle

* Migrates 3G spectrum to 4G on 3200 sites in the city, reinforcing existing 4G capacity

* Additional 5 MHz of 2100 MHz band spectrum deployed to increase the total 4G bandwidth to 20 MHz

* Vi Customers in Bengaluru can now enjoy a significantly enhanced 4G Network

Vodafone Idea Limited has successfully refarmed 3G spectrum to 4G across 3200 sites in Bengaluru, thereby substantially enhancing GIGAnet 4G capacity in the city. This development coming on the heels of the deployment of 5 MHz of the 900 MHz spectrum band in late 2019, means that Vi customers in Bengaluru will get to enjoy higher download speeds apart from better indoor coverage. The existing 4G infrastructure, ramped up with the migration of 3G spectrum to 4G, gives Vi GIGAnet 4G the triple advantages of wider coverage, network quality as well as stronger traffic carriage capacity in Bengaluru.

Ookla the global leader in broadband testing and web-based network diagnostic applications, has certified GIGAnet from Vi as the most consistent and fastest 4G network in the country. And now Vi customers in Bengaluru can enjoy the faster 4G experience when they use a 4G handset and a 4G SIM.

The year 2020 has brought about massive changes in consumer behaviors. While the data demand has grown manifold, telecom network today has become the mandatory layer to exist in a digital society. This has drawn focus on the criticality of 24x7 high speed mobile network connectivity across both- commercial as well as residential areas. The integration of erstwhile Vodafone and Idea networks, combined with the latest 3G to 4G spectrum refarming gives Vodafone Idea the edge of optimum availability and utilization of spectrum to serve the needs of tech savvy individual customers as well as Enterprises in Bengaluru.

Arvind Nevatia, Cluster Head- Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh & Telangana, Vodafone Idea said “The network augmentation initiative was mandated to offer our customers an enhanced 4G data experience to complement their data demand. Supplementing the existing 4G infrastructure with the deployment of another layer of 2100 MHz has brought about enhanced data speeds, besides a better indoor network experience for Vi customers in Bengaluru. We request all Vi 3G customers to visit the nearest retail outlet at the earliest to upgrade to a 4G SIM and  start experiencing the full potential of Vi GIGAnet 4G”.

Vodafone Idea will continue to offer 2G services in Bengaluru.

About Vodafone Idea Limited

Vodafone Idea Limited is an Aditya Birla Group and Vodafone Group partnership. It is India’s leading telecom service provider. The Company provides pan India Voice and Data services across 2G, 3G and 4G platform. With the large spectrum portfolio to support the growing demand for data and voice, the company is committed to deliver delightful customer experiences and contribute towards creating a truly ‘Digital India’ by enabling millions of citizens to connect and build a better tomorrow. The Company is developing infrastructure to introduce newer and smarter technologies, making both retail and enterprise customers future ready with innovative offerings, conveniently accessible through an ecosystem of digital channels as well as extensive on-ground presence. The company is listed on National Stock Exchange (NSE) and Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) in India.

ANSR Collaborates with IBM to Establish and Operate Centers of Excellence in Advanced Enterprise Technologies

 

* IBM’s products and solutions will help ANSR accelerate GCC led enterprise digital transformation 

IBM (NYSE: IBM) and ANSR Consulting Inc., the global market leader in designing, establishing and operating Global Capability Centres (GCCs), today announced a strategic collaboration to set up and manage Centers of Excellence (CoEs) in areas including cloud, analytics, artificial intelligence (AI) and automation for Global Capability Center (GCC) clients across the globe.

With more than 40% share of the global GCC market and an immense talent pool, India is seen as a hotbed for enterprise transformation and innovation through GCCs - a trend that is becoming even more important as clients look to accelerate digital transformation, rebalance project priorities and optimize costs in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

As part of this collaboration, ANSR will combine its proprietary GCC Playbook, GCC Consulting services expertise as well as its capability to design, build and operate GCCs with the deep industry and IT Consulting competencies of IBM Services. The partnership will also enable GCC clients to use the IBM Garage methodology - IBM’s unique approach for putting innovation at the heart of an enterprise along with cloud support and continuous delivery through co-creation, co-operation and co-execution at speed and scale. The IBM Garage methodology can help clients accelerate their migration to hybrid multi-cloud and accelerates application modernization to achieve their business goals.

This collaboration will be executed through a joint go-to market initiative for existing ANSR and IBM customers as well as enterprises which are seeking to set up GCCs in support of advancing the enterprise growth and transformation agenda.

While ANSR will set up and run GCCs using its unique ‘as a service model’, IBM will enable the clients’ transformation agenda by bringing in extensive industry knowledge and deep technology expertise globally.

“We are excited to partner with IBM and aim to provide our clients the best-of-breed combination of ANSR & IBM’s offerings and services. Clients will now be able to co-innovate and co-execute along with ANSR & IBM through this collaborative model. This will definitely enable an accelerated and hassle-free journey for our clients’ GCCs to become true transformation centers and an extension of the enterprise,” said Lalit Ahuja, Founder & CEO, ANSR.

“GCCs have now come a long way to become a true extension of the global enterprise. The COVID-19 pandemic has made the world truly borderless. It is imperative that the right partnerships across the GCC ecosystem are leveraged towards delivering value to the enterprise in relevant markets. With this collaboration, businesses will be able to take advantage of the vast universe of IBM’s intellectual property as well as research in specific industries along with ANSR’s GCC capabilities in a seamless manner. The CoEs will give clients access to world-class talent and solutions in a contactless, Dynamic Delivery model along with best of the breed Hybrid Multi-Cloud, Cognitive & AI capabilities,” reiterates Santosh Kulkarni, Global Leader - Global Capabilities Centers, IBM.

People Win Big with Golden Festival Offer of Godrej Locks & Architectural Fittings

Godrej Locks & Architectural Fittings and Systems, the 123-year-young leading manufacturer of innovative locking solutions and architectural fittings last month announced Golden Festival Offer, an engaging initiative, which gives consumers a chance to get gold vouchers worth up to INR 50,000. The company is set to announce more than 100 winners who won gold vouchers from across India. These winners were chosen through a lucky draw on a weekly basis.

The winners are from Mumbai, Kalyan, Baramati, Kankroli, Jodhpur, Bikaner, Udaipur, Degana, Guwahati, Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Bengaluru, and many more cities. All the winners will get gold vouchers from Kalyan Jewellers ranging between INR 5,000- 50,000. In addition to the gold voucher winners, Godrej Locks will also announce close to 1000 winners from across the country and they will be rewarded with shopping vouchers.

Golden Festival Offer was announced to drive customer delight and provide them something extra they could look forward to from the brand. The consumers simply had to buy any Godrej range of products including locks, architectural fittings and kitchen systems with minimum purchase value of INR 2000 in one single GST invoice to be eligible to participate in this exciting offer. Golden Festival Offer helped in building brand awareness and increasing loyalty among the key consumers. This added to people’s spirit during the festive season and generated interest even during the pandemic.

Godrej Locks has a variety of offerings, from the timeless Nav-Tal padlock, they have evolved to high-end holistic safety solutions that today safeguard millions of homes and offices. This includes rim locks, mortise locks and also digital locks. The company has a range of digital locks called Spacetek and Advantis which have superior fingerprint technology and also a RFID feature.  It also has a range of architectural and kitchen fitting products including door closers, floor springs, ergo boxes, corner solutions, etc.

About Godrej Locks & Architectural Fittings and Systems

Godrej Locks & Architectural Fittings and Systems is a 123-year-old leading manufacturer of innovative locking devices. Since its inception in 1897 by Ardeshir Godrej, the name ‘Godrej’ has become synonymous with trust, protection and integrity. From the first Anchor branded lock in 1897 to the first ever spring less lock in 1907, to the iconic 'Nav-Tal' in 1954, and to the postmodern biometric locks, Godrej has set every benchmark in the locks industry. Over the years, Godrej Locks & Architectural Fittings and Systems have changed in form, function and scope of application. But one thing still remains the same – the solid stamp of trust and reliability. Godrej Locks adhere to global quality norms and hold ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 certifications.

With their locks reaching several countries around the world over a period of time, the brand has come a long way in delivering world-class smart locking solutions, therefore revolutionizing the very perception of a locking device from a mere functionality at an entry and exit point, to a proud pause at the doorstep, a moment to take in the significance of how far they have come.

Bata India CEO Sandeep Kataria Elevated as Global CEO Bata Brands

The Bata Shoe Organization, one of the world’s leading manufacturers and retailers of quality footwear, today announces the appointment of Sandeep Kataria as CEO, effective immediately. Mr. Kataria is the first Indian to be elevated to this prestigious global role of the footwear major. He takes over from Alexis Nasard, who is stepping down after almost five years in the role.

Mr. Kataria has extensive leadership experience in working across geographies, backed by an intuitive understanding of consumers and a determined but inclusive leadership style. With 24 years of experience at Unilever, Yum Brands and Vodafone in India and Europe before joining Bata India as CEO in 2017, he has been directly involved in leading businesses and powerhouse brands that command impressive consumer following and extensive global reach. A passion for developing talent blends perfectly with Mr. Kataria’s sound understanding of markets and strategic finesse, making him a leader of exceptional merit.

As the CEO of Bata India Ltd, Mr. Kataria has helped drive the Company’s consistent growth and profitability. Under his leadership, Bata India doubled its profits driven by double digit topline growth, and sponsored some of the most ingenious campaigns, including ‘Surprisingly Bata’, that revamped Bata’s image as a more vibrant and contemporary brand, targeted at younger consumers.

Speaking about Mr. Kataria’s appointment, Ashwani Windlass, Chairman – Bata India Ltd, said: “I would like to congratulate Sandeep on his well-deserved promotion. Over the past few years, the India team has delivered exceptional growth in footwear volumes, revenues and profits, and has strengthened Bata’s customer measures in a highly competitive footwear market. The Bata Group and Bata India both stand to benefit greatly from Sandeep’s extensive experience.”.”

Commented Sandeep Kataria, CEO – Bata Brands: “I am honoured to accept this new appointment and excited by the journey ahead of us. Bata is a brand with an enviable reputation for high quality, affordable footwear. I have been privileged to be part of Bata’s success in India and I look forward to

building further on our proud, 120-year history as shoemakers to the world. While 2020 has presented unique challenges, the appeal of our brands and the passion of our people provide every reason for confidence regarding our prospects in the years ahead.”

About Bata:

Founded in 1894, Bata is one of the world’s leading shoemakers, designing comfortable and stylish footwear at surprisingly affordable prices. Bata is a family-owned business selling more than 180 million pairs of shoes annually in 5,800 stores and producing locally in 22 Bata-owned manufacturing facilities across five continents. Bata operates in more than 70 countries and has 35,000 employees.

About Bata India:

Bata has held a unique place in the hearts of Indians for more than 85 years. Probably the only footwear brand that offers footwear and accessories for the entire family, Bata has redefined the modern footwear industry in India. It has established a leadership position in the industry and is the most-trusted name in branded footwear. Bata sells about 50 million pairs every year and serves 120,000-plus customers every day.

Bata India is the largest footwear retailer in India, offering footwear, accessories and bags across brands such as Bata, Hush Puppies, Naturalizer, Power, Marie Claire, Weinbrenner, North Star, Scholl, Bata Comfit and Bubblegummers, to name a few. It retails in more than 1550 Bata-owned and franchisee stores on bata.in, on e-commerce marketplaces and in thousands of multi-brand footwear dealer stores pan-India. To make its products accessible to millions of Indians, Bata has evolved its channels and recently launched new channels such as Bata Chat Shop, Bata Home Delivery and Bata Store-on-Wheels for neighbourhood communities.

Paytm Money Launches IPO Investments, Empowers Investors to Participate in Initial Public Offerings

Highlights

* IPO application process accessible in the app for users

* Enables companies to reach the largest set of retail investors

* Offers a hassle-free application process via UPI ID 

* Aiming for 8 to 10% of applications market share in the first year of launch 

India's homegrown digital financial services platform Paytm announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary Paytm Money now facilitates investments in Initial Public Offers (IPOs) in India. This launch will benefit retail investors with wealth creation opportunities, as they will be able to seamlessly apply and join the growth story of rapidly expanding companies. The company has made the process of IPO application completely digital & simple for retail investors across the country to apply for IPOs. It will continue to innovate and add new tech-savvy features for enhanced user experience.

Paytm Money has enabled investors to instantly apply for all the latest IPOs via UPI ID, linked to their bank accounts to quickly complete the IPO application process. The company is leveraging the convenience of UPI infrastructure to offer a faster turnaround time reduced to 3-4 days for completion of the entire process.

The platform offers a seamless interface to make changes, cancel or reapply the bidding application within the IPO window. It is equipped with features enabling investors to track upcoming IPOs, view company history & details, download prospectus, and also check the performance of past IPOs. This service is available on both the Paytm Money app and website.

Varun Sridhar, CEO - Paytm Money said, “The Indian start-up ecosystem has a growing appetite for entering the capital market, now more companies want to raise capital from a broader set of investors with a public listing. Likewise, investors are also increasingly willing to diversify their portfolio. This presents a big opportunity and we intend to make the process more accessible to our fellow citizens. In near future, we plan to launch IPO funding, derivatives trading, margin finance and a host of other value-adding features to make investing seamless and convenient. This is aligned with our mission to drive financial inclusion across the country.” 

In the period March-November 2020, the country’s stock exchanges (both NSE and BSE combined) witnessed 12 IPOs and raised proceeds worth Rs.249.73 billion (or Rs 24,973 crores) in total. Some of the successful IPOs of 2020 were SBI Cards, Mazagaon Dock, Rossari Biotech, Happiest Minds, and CAMS among others. Within these, Happiest Minds and Rossari Biotech were oversubscribed by 150.98x and 79.37x and have delivered a listing day return of 111% and 77% respectively as per NSE’s data.

Castrol India Launches the All-New Castrol POWER1 ULTIMATE Promising An Outstanding Performance for a Thrilling Ride

 

* This premium range of lubricants is developed with full synthetic technology 

* Available in a range of choices – 10W-40, 10W-50, 15W-50 and 20W-50 for bikes and sports bikes along with 5W-40 for scooters

Castrol, India’s leading automotive lubricants company, has announced the launch of Castrol POWER1 ULTIMATE, the newest addition to Castrol’s range of cutting-edge and full synthetic motorcycle engine oils. This all-new variant anchors on a unique 5-in-1 formula that is engineered to equip the bike for outstanding performance. Designed and formulated for motorcycle and performance enthusiasts, the Castrol POWER1 ULTIMATE offers a broader range of choices for those who are not only passionate about riding but also particular about the care of their 2-wheelers.

Endorsed by and closely developed basis feedback from professional riders, the new Castrol POWER1 ULTIMATE range embodies surprise and excitement for the riders with 5 ultimate benefits across:

* Acceleration

* Protection

* Smooth riding

* Keeping Engine cool and

* Enduring Performance

Continuing the legacy of the Castrol POWER1 range, the new Castrol POWER1 ULTIMATE has been tested under extreme conditions on different parameters.

Commenting on the launch, Sandeep Sangwan, Managing Director, Castrol India Limited, said, “Since its inception, Castrol has always come up with unique ways to anticipate and stay ahead of ever-evolving consumer preferences through advanced technologies. It is with this pioneering spirit to delight our customers that the Castrol POWER1 ULTIMATE range has been crafted. Designed specifically for bikers who enjoy the thrill of riding, the newest member of the Castrol family is committed to delivering ultimate performance, thus extending our vision to make tomorrow bigger for our consumers.”

Renowned MotoGP racer Cal Crutchlow unveiled the new livery on his bike with Castrol POWER1 ULTIMATE at the Valencia Moto GP race. Speaking about the crucial role of lubricants and oils in bikes, Cal Crutchlow said "The biking landscape is continuously evolving in India and there is a heightened enthusiasm for better performance from bikes. Lubricants play a critical role in performance delivery and long-running of the bike. Castrol has a strong heritage in motorcycle racing and has now developed Castrol POWER1 ULTIMATE to bring the best out of your bike! The cutting-edge technology developed with experience from the MotoGP racing tracks and the knowledge transfer from Castrol’s racing teams is at the core of these products. Developed at the heart of racing, Castrol POWER1 ULTIMATE is suited for the commuter, the enthusiast and the professional!"

Castrol POWER1 ULTIMATE is available at Castrol Bike Points, dealerships and online in different viscosities like 10W-40, 10W-50, 15W-50 and 20W-50 specially designed for bikes and sports bikes, and Castrol POWER1 ULTIMATE 5W-40 for scooters respectively. The specially engineered range boasts of a new and premium look along with attractive consumer pricing* of INR 474 for 800ml pack of Scooter oil and starting with INR 594 for 1L pack of Full Synthetic Technology 10W40 Bike engine oil.

*Maximum Retail Price in INR per pack All India as on 1st October 2020

About Castrol India: Castrol, is one of the world’s leading lubricant brands and has a proud heritage of innovation and fuelling the dreams of pioneers. Castrol India Limited is one of India’s leading lubricants company and has established itself as a pioneer and innovator in the Indian lubricants industry. Its iconic brands such as Castrol CRB, Castrol GTX, and in more recent times power brands like Castrol Activ, Castrol MAGNATEC and Castrol VECTON, are used by millions of consumers and customers across the country. The company also has a presence in select segments like High Performance Lubricants and metalworking fluids in industries as varied as automotive manufacturing to mining to machinery and wind & energy.

Castrol India has a large manufacturing and distribution network in India with three manufacturing plants and a distribution network of 350 distributors who sell to consumers and customers through over 100,000 retail outlets. Castrol sub-distributors also reach additional outlets in rural markets whilst Castrol India also directly services over 3,000 key institutional accounts.

Besides providing world-class products and services, Castrol India is focused on safety, compliance and quality as its number one priority.