Toyota Kirloskar Motor's Scheduled Annual Maintenance Program From April 26 To May 14, 2021

Toyota Kirloskar Motor has announced its scheduled annual maintenance program across both its plants from 26th April to 14th May, 2021. Periodic maintenance of plant and machinery is a standard operating procedure to enhance the competitiveness of the plants, such as operational efficiencies, productivity and safety of equipment, from time-to-time basis.  

During this period, operations at both the Toyota factories in Bidadi will witness a temporary halt, impacting supply of vehicles produced at its plants. The company will use the pipeline finished goods inventory to serve the pending & immediate requirements of its customers so as to ensure minimal discomfort to them. However, any inconvenience thus caused to customers due to this temporary shut-down is regretted and the company along with its dealer partners will ensure that best efforts are made to mitigate such issues. This shutdown will have no impact on the supply of other models such as the Glanza, the Urban Cruiser, imported vehicle models as well as vehicle servicing operations.

Only limited number of employees as permissible by the rules of social distancing & other mandatory guidelines will be engaged in essential jobs & activities at the plant.  The management will also use this time to further enhance modern COVID-19 protection measures to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all its people. Toyota in India, has its manufacturing unit based in Bidadi near Bangalore. Spread across 432 acres of land, Plant I has a capacity of Up to 1,00,000 units & Plant II with a capacity of up to 2,10,000 units, annually.

Livinguard AG Steps Up To Safeguard Indians During The Second Wave Of COVID-19

* Increase affordability and accessibility of its antiviral masks and gloves to deliver the ultimate protection 

Since March 2021, the daily cases have been rising and have hit a 5-month high, with the maximum active cases. One of the primary reasons for the sudden spike can be attributed to the complacency among the public about wearing masks and maintaining basic COVID protocols. To help control the increasing numbers and live up to its purpose of protecting the health and well-being of people, Livinguard AG, the globally renowned hygiene brand, has made their hygiene products, specifically masks and gloves, even more accessible for the masses and institutions - Governments, Public Sector Bodies, Corporates, Hospitals, Hospitality, Manufacturing units, etc. By ramping up manufacturing in India, Livinguard has been able to bring down its costs and reduce prices upto 50% across B2B and B2C channels. Textiles treated with Livinguard Technology have been scientifically proven to destroy >99.9% bacteria and viruses, including SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) by researchers at the Freie Universität Berlin and The Department of Environmental Science at the University of Arizona. Furthermore, they are reusable and washable up to 6 months, effectively replacing 210 single-use masks.

Mr. Sanjeev Swamy, Founder, Inventor & CEO, Livinguard AG, said, “With the rise in daily cases, we at Livinguard, want to stand by the country, our Government, health facilities and our fellow citizens, to avoid maximum casualties during the second wave. Our purpose is to protect the health and wellbeing of people; we want to make our technology and its benefits more accessible and affordable for all in these difficult times. Our technology is scientifically proven to permanently destroy >99.9% of SARS-CoV-2 virus and masks impregnated with Livinguard technology are protecting Covid Warriors all around the world. Our masks are washable and reusable, and mostly made from cotton making it eco-friendly and sustainable. Our masks need to be washed only with water about once a week and therefore last you upto 6 months. I can proudly say several institutions and organisations in India have entrusted Livinguard and chosen our technology to protect themselves from the Virus. We want to extend this protection to as many Indians as possible.” 

Livinguard’s unique and pioneering technology can play a vital role in defence against the novel coronavirus. Researchers from Freie Universität Berlin in Germany have confirmed the efficacy of Livinguard’s continuous self-disinfecting technology to permanently destroy the novel coronavirus when applied to textiles or surfaces. Similarly, the Department of Environmental Science at the University of Arizona, USA conducted laboratory testing on fabrics treated with the Livinguard technology and confirmed that the technology permanently deactivated greater than 99.9% of the human coronavirus. When microbes come in contact with the most arduously scientifically driven textile surface, it has a strong positive charge, the negatively charged microbial cell, is destroyed leading to permanent obliteration of the microorganism. Unlike heavy metal-based solutions, such as titanium, silver, zinc and copper, this novel technology has been found to be safe for both skin and lungs. Moreover, Livinguard Technology destroys continuously, which significantly diminishes the risk of transferring them to the user and to other surfaces. 

Several global and Indian organisations have chosen Livinguard products for the safety and protection of their employees. These include renowned institutions such as Alembic, KKR, RBL, Zee Network, Cipla and many more. Fine Hygienic Holdings in Dubai also empower their Fine Guard masks with Livingurd’s Technology. Livinguard has also partnered with Blue Star to provide their air conditioning and cooling units with Livinguard treated filters that can destroy bacteria and viruses, including the coronavirus. Livinguard recently collaborated with PadSquad and Live to Give, to donate 50,000 reusable masks and 43,500 reusable sanitary napkins to the BMC, Mumbai Police, IT dept and others. 

On Livinguard’s recent donation to the BMC, Shri P. Velrasu, Additional Municipal Commissioner, Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai, added, “We are glad to partner with Livinguard, PadSquad and Live to Give. Livinguard’s unique and innovative antiviral masks can protect our frontline workers as they fight the Virus to keep the citizens of Mumbai safe. The pioneering Livinguard technology allows for reusability and washability of the mask up to 6 months, significantly reducing the waste generated from traditional, single-use masks. We are glad that Livinguard has joined our fight in protecting both people and the planet.” 

James Lafferty, CEO of Fine Hygiene Holdings, Dubai, stands strong with us in the fight against COVID-19,"We believe the breakthrough technology of Livinguard is a cornerstone for our company for the decades to come. As the world now becomes more attuned to communicable disease prevention, Livinguard Technology will be an integral part of our plans, not only on wearables such as our Fine Guard Masks, but also gloves, wipes and specialized paper products. The applications are endless, and it provides a wonderful opportunity for Fine to dramatically improve the wellness of the world’s consumers.” 

Livinguard’s patented and break-through technology created a new self-disinfecting-textile category, recently approved by the EPA in the United States, whereby a washable and reusable textile kills bacteria and viruses. The brand is committed to providing better hygiene solutions, suited for the future, against unprecedented global adversities. It views personal and planetary health as inseparable imperatives and is hence committed to provide protection that is not only appropriate for people but also the planet. Being a partner to the Government and institutions to curb the spread of COVID-19, Livinguard has pledged to offer these world class products at up to 50% reduced prices to ensure affordability and accessibility for those who need it most and also made the line of products available across leading ecommerce platforms like Amazon, Nykaa, and Flipkart. Livinguard products are also available at leading offline retail stores and pharmacies. For bulk purchases to safeguard employees and staff, corporates and institutions can connect with Livinguard directly at sales.india@livinguard.com to avail further discounts.  

About Livinguard AG: 

Livinguard is an environmentally friendly hygiene technology platform based in Zug, Switzerland. It is the first company in the world to empower textiles and other materials with self-disinfecting properties, it licenses its patented technologies to companies from various industries to improve the health and wellbeing of consumers. Livinguard AG operates in Switzerland, Germany, USA, Singapore, Japan, India, and South Africa. The ever-increasing levels of pollution, global travel, shared mobility, and the prevalence of drug resistant microbes have led to growing threats of infectious disease. The company sees its solutions as essential safeguards that can offer enhanced safety and better health to billions of people. Livinguard believes that our future is tied to sustainable solutions amidst non-degradable wastes that threaten our existence on this planet. Their commitment is to develop highly effective technologies that also minimize waste and use of resources. The company views personal and planetary health as inseparable imperatives and the foundational base of everything that they do. Livinguard is committed to bring good health and well-being to people and the planet. Livinguard is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Innovators Community. 

New data By Zendesk Reveals Digital Transformation Accelerated By 1-3 Years For Over Half Of India’s Companies

In 2020, companies made seismic shifts in how they do business as the impacts of COVID-19 transformed customer expectations and workplace dynamics, virtually overnight. Being digital-first and, in many cases, digital-only, meant companies had to rapidly acquire new technologies to reach customers and connect remote teams. Against this backdrop, Zendesk, Inc (NYSE: ZEN), a customer service software company with support and sales products designed to improve customer relationships, has released new data on digital adoption in India. 

The most successful companies are adopting new technologies at light speed. This accelerated timeline of adopting innovative solutions and technology - known as the “digital tipping point”. In fact, among tech decision makers in India, 93% of them say COVID-19 sped up digital adoption. More than half say that digital transformation has been sped up by 1-3 years. At the same time, 72% of customers in India say that customer experience (CX) is more important to them now than a year ago. 

“CX isn’t just a sideline part in a company’s digital transformation, it is the driving force behind it. The past year has shown us that the most successful companies are infusing great customer experiences in everything they do, and this will remain true in 2021 and beyond. Case in point, 41% of tech decision makers in APAC saw increased investment in CX in 2020, with 53% seeing continued increase in 2021. We believe there will be a continued focus on customer centricity and ongoing digital transformation as we adapt to our next normal,” said KT Prasad, MD & RVP SAARC, Zendesk.

The pressure on delivering great CX has never been higher. Across APAC, two in five customers use multiple channels for the same issue - meaning support teams need to be prepared to serve customers across multiple channels. Not only that, customers increasingly expect personalisation from brands throughout their CX journey - 89% of customers in India agree. 

In response to the increased spotlight on CX and digital adoption, businesses in India are recognising the need to up their CX game and are investing in their customers and employees. 90% of Indian companies say CX is now a priority in their digital business transformation efforts. In APAC, 55% of tech decision makers say their budgets for tech purchases will increase in 2021, helping them to better manage more distributed workforces, adapt to the next normal and add new ways to offer support.  

Navigating across the digital tipping point

Zendesk has outlined five main areas of investment for every company to consider a great customer experience:

Messaging has evolved from being how people communicate in their personal lives to becoming a business essential, and has grown faster than any other customer service channel. It will remain the dominant channel for both simple self-service as well as more complex conversations.

Artificial intelligence will become table stakes for customers who want to be in control of their conversations. Companies need to leverage self-service and automation to deliver friction-free customer experiences. 61% of APAC customers say chatbots are helpful with simple issues.

Build agility into the business from Day 1 to have the infrastructure needed to adapt immediately to unexpected volatility, new customer needs and changing business demands. 

Remote work tools will keep maturing to enable better collaboration, establish deeper trust, and build meaningful connections. 

Being able to make data-driven decisions that address emerging CX challenges will be a major differentiator. 

About Zendesk: Champions of Customer Service

Zendesk started the customer experience revolution in 2007 by enabling any business around the world to take their customer service online. Today, Zendesk is the champion of great service everywhere for everyone, and powers billions of conversations, connecting more than 100,000 brands with hundreds of millions of customers over telephony, chat, email, messaging, social channels, communities, review sites and help centers. Zendesk products are built with love to be loved. The company was conceived in Copenhagen, Denmark, built and grown in California, taken public in New York City, and today employs more than 4,000 people across the world. 

RapiPay To Provide Free AEPS (Aadhaar Enabled Payment System) Services To Its Merchants

* The move is to boost financial inclusion in the country and increase AEPS reach.  

* Cash out business (AEPS and Micro ATM) has grown by 30% in transactions value in April 2021 over March 2021.  

To facilitate the government’s agenda of financial inclusion growth in India, especially rural areas, RapiPay, one of the leading assisted payments Fintech company announces free AEPS (Aadhaar Payment Enabled System) services for merchants and retailers. This initiative will benefit millions of Indian consumers who will be able to withdraw cash from their neighborhood RapiPay agent outlet. The free AEPS activation will encourage more and more retailers to start providing AEPS services to serve customers and grow their business. RapiPay targets to activate over 1 lakh new AEPS ids to its agents with this move which means 1 Lakh more ATM machines for the people.  

For the past one year, this pandemic has resulted in economic disruption affecting people from all walks of life, especially in rural areas. The major hit was taken by small local businesses. The businesses which sailed through this tough period are those who made optimum usage of digital mediums and had adopted multiple avenues to sustain their businesses. RapiPay is one such company that helps shopkeepers and retailers to provide assisted payments and banking services to the unbanked population. Considering the current scenario, RapiPay has taken this major step of waiving off its one-time fees to empower more merchant partners and customers to adopt digital transactions. 

Commenting on this announcement, Mr. Yogendra Kashyap, CEO, RapiPay said, “At a time when small businesses and people are facing challenges like partial lockdown, social distancing, curfew, etc., the need of easy access of basic financial services to the under banked population is paramount. This initiative will help lakhs of retailers to use AEPS and offer cash withdrawal facility to consumers. RapiPay Saathis are also benefitted with one of the best commissions in the industry. We have already seen with the second wave of the lockdown our cash out business has grown by 30% for AEPS and 27% for Micro ATM transaction value for April 2021 over March 2021.” 

In the past one year of pandemic, RapiPay has witnessed a robust growth by over 250% from pre-covid to March 2021. The number of agents has quadrupled from 50K in Feb 2020 to 2 lakhs in Apr 2021. With RapiPay’s presence in the hinterlands of India, the government’s cashless incentives and DBT transfers are reaching the unbanked areas successfully.  

The lockdown has seen demand for AePS & Micro ATMs surging due to near doorstep services provided by Banking Business Correspondents. AePS and Micro ATMs facilitated millions of customers for cash withdrawals of the benefits they availed under Jan Dhan Yojana, PM-Kissan Samman Nidhi etc. during the pandemic.  

About RapiPay 

S.K. Narvar promoted RapiPay Fintech Pvt. Ltd., is instrumental in growing financial inclusion services in the country with services like Money Transfer, Aadhaar Enabled Payment System (AEPS), Micro ATM, Payments and many more. With a nationwide network of over 1.5 lakhs retailers (RapiPay Saathis), RapiPay is providing Banking and Financial services to more than 1 crore underbanked consumers every month. RapiPay is a subsidiary of Capital India Finance Limited (CIFL).

Sunteck Realty Limited Announces “Operational Update For Q4 & FY21”

* Pre-sales grows by 6% Q-o-Q in Q4 FY21 to Rs 371 cr 

* Collections grows by 27% Q-o-Q in Q4 FY21 to Rs 321 cr 

* Highest-ever collections achieved during the 4QFY21 and FY21  

* Strong quarter-wise sequential growth witnessed in FY21 both in Pre-sales and Collections  

* Aggressive project acquisitions done in FY21 within the industry 

Sunteck Realty Limited announced its Q4 and FY21 operational updates. 

Q4FY21 Highlights – 

Strong pre-sales witnessed during the quarter. 

Highest-ever collections achieved during the quarter. 

Acquisition of ~7 acre land parcel at Borivali (West), under the asset light JDA model. The residential project in the western suburbs of Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) will have ~1 mn sq ft of development potential.  

Strong cash flows during the quarter resulting in further reduction of negligible debt. Our average cost of borrowing has further come down during the quarter. 

FY21 Highlights – 

Highest-ever pre-sales achieved in the mid-income segment driven by residential projects at ODC, Goregaon West - a yoy growth of 77%.  

Strong pre-sales also witnessed in the ready to move in projects across segments. 

Highest-ever collections achieved in a financial year in FY21 at Rs 780 cr. 

Aggressive project acquisition done in FY21 within the industry - 3 new project acquisitions under the asset-light strategy totaling to approx. 8 mn sq ft. at Vasai, Vasind and Borivali. These projects will further strengthen the cash flows and balance sheet of the company. 

Commenting on the Q4 and FY21 operational performance, Mr. Kamal Khetan, Chairman and Managing Director, Sunteck Realty Ltd. said: “Presently, we are witnessing strong consolidation across the industry and we will be one of the biggest beneficiaries of this trend. The industry consolidation has already resulted in 3 new project acquisitions for us at Vasai, Vasind and Borivali in MMR. Going forward, we expect to leverage our brand franchise and management expertise to continue to evaluate new growth opportunities and thereby increasing our overall market share. 

During FY21, we have achieved strong pre-sales and highest-ever collections. A key to our strong operational performance is being a dominant developer in each of the micro-markets and housing segments we are operating.  Additionally, the focus on our core strength of sales & marketing and in-house construction capabilities will enable us to sustain this strong pre-sales and collections trend going forward.”  

About Sunteck Realty 

Sunteck Realty Limited (SRL) is one of the fastest growing Mumbai-based luxury real estate development companies. SRL has an immaculate track record of having one of the lowest net Debt/Equity ratios, financial prudency and sustainable growth. The company focuses on a city centric development portfolio of about 40 million square feet spread across 28 projects. Sunteck Realty has differentiated its projects under five brands - ‘Signature’: Uber luxury residences, ‘Signia’: Ultra luxury residences, ‘Sunteck City’: Premium luxury residences, ‘Sunteck World’: Aspirational luxury residences, ‘Sunteck’: Commercial & Retail developments. The company has been a trendsetter in creating iconic destinations such as the flagship project, Signature Island at Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC), Sunteck City in Oshiwara District Centre (ODC), Goregaon and SunteckWorld at Naigaon - the largest township of MMR’s western Suburbs. 

WhiteHat Jr Collaborates With Kapil Dev To Create Unique Learning Opportunities For Children

WhiteHat Jr, a leading EdTech company known for delivering live online classes in Coding & Math, has collaborated with ace cricketer and former World Cup-winning captain Kapil Dev to make learning fun and engaging. The association leverages a Cricket-based project to inspire students to create interesting applications. The project known as Kapil's Swing Bowling XI will be interwoven in the WhiteHat Jr curriculum to encourage students to create a mobile app that stimulates bowling on a cricket pitch by applying expert inputs in the form of bowling tips provided by the legendary cricketer.

Children can access this special project after completing 8 classes on the platform. Students will get exclusive access to a creative library of Kapil Dev’s images & videos, where he will be sharing his expertise as a bowler, in the form of tips. This one-of-a-kind project will connect children to their passion for cricket and help them apply concepts learnt in the course to a real-life situation. They can further extend and personalize their application as they choose. The project has been customized for students across levels - from beginner to intermediate to advanced to pro - with the level of complexity increasing with functions built into the simulator.  The company hopes to inspire thousands of students to create their own unique applications.

Speaking about the association, Kapil Dev said, “The exposure that today’s kids have is unbelievable and this project with Whitehat Jr aims to inspire children to create their own mobile application building on nuggets offered by me is a prime example of how engaged thinking and learning can lead to pointed outcomes. To be able to involve the next generation to understand the science behind tried and tested bowling methodologies is remarkable.  I am excited to see kids’ creative rendition in the form of new-age apps.”

“For children to become creators, we need to make learning fun, engaging and application-oriented, ” said Balaji Ramanujam, Chief Learning Officer, WhiteHat Jr. "We believe this project will pave the way for many such integrations across different  interest areas that children have.”

About WhiteHat Jr

WhiteHat Jr. has been launched with the singular mission of enabling kids to become creators versus consumers of technology. The company has been able to channel students’ natural creativity through an engaging curriculum and personalized live teacher attention. WhiteHat Jr. currently has more than 175,000+ students from around the world. The company’s 11,000+ strong women-only teacher workforce conducts LIVE Coding and Math online classes every day on its proprietary platform.

IBM Study: COVID-19 Pandemic Impacted 9 In 10 Surveyed Consumers’ Views On Sustainability

* Global research reveals majority of consumers are willing to pay to support a sustainable future

The COVID-19 pandemic has elevated consumers’ focus on sustainability and willingness to pay out of their own pockets – or even take a pay cut – for a sustainable future, according to a new IBM Institute for Business Value (IBV) survey of over 14,000 consumers in nine countries.

Nine in 10 consumers surveyed reported the COVID-19 pandemic affected their views on environmental sustainability, and COVID-19 was the top factor cited in influencing their view – more than others presented such as widespread wildfires/brushfires, disasters due to weather events and news coverage on the topic.

The survey also revealed differences in consumer opinion across geographies, with Americans surveyed reporting the least concern about sustainability topics. For example, only 51 percent of US consumers surveyed said addressing climate change was very or extremely important to them, compared to 73 percent of respondents from all other countries.

“The survey showed respondents worldwide are increasingly concerned about the global climate crisis, and we have also observed businesses in many industries looking to take action to meet their customers’ and investors’ expectations and manage their own environmental goals,” said Dr. Murray Simpson, global lead for sustainability, climate & transition, IBM Global Business Services. “We see many companies beginning to make strides to build transparent supply chains or improve energy management to reduce carbon emissions with the help of innovative technologies like AI and Blockchain.”

According to the survey, many consumers are increasingly willing to change how they shop, travel, choose an employer and even where they make personal investments due to environmental sustainability factors.

Many surveyed employees are willing to accept a lower salary to work at a sustainability-conscious employer

According to the survey, 71 percent of employees and employment seekers surveyed say that environmentally sustainable companies are more attractive employers. In addition, more than two-thirds of the full potential workforce* respondents are more likely to apply for and accept jobs with environmentally and socially responsible organizations – and nearly half surveyed would accept a lower salary to work for such organizations.

At the same time, 48 percent of consumers surveyed trust corporate commitments on sustainability, with 64 percent of respondents expecting increased public scrutiny in the year ahead.

Given that one in four employees surveyed in February 2021 plan to switch employers this year, companies could face a risk of losing top talent to more sustainability-conscious competitors.

Environmental sustainability is affecting personal investment decisions

Forty-eight percent of all personal investors surveyed already take environmental sustainability into account in their investment portfolios and a further fifth (21 percent) surveyed say they are likely to do so in the future. 59 percent of personal investors surveyed expect to buy or sell holdings in the next year based on environmental sustainability factors.

Many surveyed shoppers and travelers are willing to pay more for environmental sustainability

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic’s financial impact on many individuals, 54 percent of consumers surveyed are willing to pay a premium for brands that are sustainable and/or environmentally responsible.

In addition, 55 percent of consumers surveyed report sustainability is very or extremely important to them when choosing a brand – 22 percent higher than consumers surveyed pre-COVID-19 pandemic by IBM. Slightly more than six in ten consumers surveyed said they are willing to change their purchasing behavior to help reduce negative impact on the environment, with consumers surveyed in India (78 percent) and China (70 percent) being the most willing.

With regards to travel, almost one in three respondents strongly believe their personal travel habits contribute to climate change. 82 percent of consumers surveyed globally would choose a more environmentally friendly transportation option even if it costs more, but only 64 percent of American respondents agreed compared to 95 percent of Indian and 91 percent of Chinese respondents.

Methodology

The IBM Institute for Business Value surveyed more than 14,000 adults globally from nine countries (United States, India, United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, Mexico, Spain, Brazil and China) during March 2021 to better understand consumers’ opinions and perspectives on environmental sustainability.

*Full potential workforce refers to survey respondents who are employed full-time or part-time, unemployed but currently seeking employment, or a full-time student or apprentice.

About the IBM Institute for Business Value 

The IBM Institute for Business Value (IBV) delivers trusted business insights from our position at the intersection of technology and business, combining expertise from industry thinkers, leading academics, and subject matter experts with global research and performance data. The IBV thought leadership portfolio includes research deep dives, benchmarking and performance comparisons, and data visualizations that support business decision making across regions, industries and technologies.