TKM Sells 8801 Units In Domestic Sales In The Month Of June 2021

* Clocks a cumulative growth of 107% in the first half of 2021 when compared to the same period last year

Toyota Kirloskar Motor today announced that the company sold a total of 8801 units in the month of June 2021, thereby registering a growth of 128% when compared to the domestic sales in the month of June 2020. Having resumed production at its plant on June 15th, the company has been focusing on catering to the pending orders of customers.  TKM’s plant at Bidadi in Karnataka was shut owing to a scheduled annual plant maintenance starting 26th April, which was then further extended as a result of the state-wide lockdown was announced by the Govt. of Karnataka. For reference, TKM had reported wholesales of 3866 units in the month of June 2020 and 707 units in the month of May 2021. The cumulative wholesales of TKM in the first six months of the calendar year 2021, stands at 59332 units when compared to 28686 units sold in the corresponding period last year, thereby registering a growth of 107%.

Commenting on the monthly sales, Mr. Naveen Soni, Sr. Vice President at TKM said, “Having resumed production with a 50% workforce last month after the gradual unlock in the state of Karnataka, our immediate goal was to cater to the pending orders of our customers. Although our dispatches only began by the third week of June, we have been able to register a 128% growth over domestic sales in June 2020. In terms of demand, we are witnessing good traction in the market arising out of ‘pent up demand’ and thereby leading to good levels of enquiries and new customer orders. We also anticipate retail sales to be better in the coming months, provided that the pandemic doesn’t pose newer challenges at us.

Having said that, we must bear in mind the fact that, relaxation of restrictions across states have not been uniform and hence the process of unlocking has been gradual and intermittent. Accordingly, our dealerships have been opening up sporadically and amidst various restrictions, including limitations pertaining to the number of manpower working at a time as well as the manhours of work they put in. Here, we must also take into consideration the fact that not just the auto industry, but as a country we are now coming out of a very difficult phase and it will take some time for the industry and the market to bounce back. Moreover, we are also focusing on vaccinating both our employees as well as their families and extending our support to have our dealer and supplier staff vaccinated too, so as to ensure lower risk & severity of infections. In fact, companywide, 96% of our employees have received their first dose of vaccination and we are in the process to complete vaccination for all our employees, including the ones ‘working from home’, concluded Mr. Soni.

Citrix® Presents 2021 Partner Innovation Awards Globally

* Company recognizes forward-thinking organizations leveraging digital workspace solutions to help companies adapt to and deliver future of work

As we slowly emerge from the most uncertain times the world has ever seen, one thing is clear: people are not going back to working the way they did. The future of work lies in flexible models that empower employees to work when, where and how they need to perform at their best. And today, Citrix Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CTXS) recognized a group of innovative organizations who are leveraging digital workspace solutions to deliver it as part of its 2021 Innovation Awards for Partners program.

“The modern workforce demands a modern environment in which they have simple, secure and reliable access to the tools and information they need to get work done, wherever it needs to get done,” said Mark Palomba, Chief Operating Officer, Sales and Service, Citrix. “Our global ecosystem of partners understand this and we are pleased to recognize their efforts to deliver solutions that enable companies to create the space their employees need to succeed.”

Designed to showcase partners who use Citrix technology to break new ground, solve unprecedented problems and uplift their communities, the Citrix Innovation Awards for Partners program generated scores of nominations from around the globe. Three finalists were selected based on their innovative thinking and results achieved, including:

Logicalis Australia, a leading provider of global IT solutions and managed services that helped Peninsula Health quickly adopt a mass remote work strategy in the face of COVID-19 that kept staff and clinicians safe and able to deliver exceptional patient care without disruption.

RawWorks, a consultancy whose mission is to make the Netherlands work faster and smarter, that assisted the municipality of Hollands Kroon in creating a digital work-from-anywhere environment through which its employees could continue to deliver critical services to constituents throughout the pandemic.

Third Octet, a Canadian provider of work solutions designed to improve engagement, productivity and profit for its clients, that enabled The University of Toronto Mississauga to offer remote lab sessions so that students could continue classes while its campus was locked down.

By popular vote, RawWorks was selected as the 2021 winner.

“Through its out-of-the box thinking and strategic implementation of Citrix technology, RawWorks is changing the game for Hollands Kroon, and its customers worldwide,” Palomba said. “We are inspired by their vision and pleased to recognize their efforts with the 2021 Innovation for Partners Award.”

About Citrix

Citrix (NASDAQ: CTXS) builds the secure, unified digital workspace technology that helps organizations unlock human potential and deliver a consistent workspace experience wherever work needs to get done. With Citrix, users get a seamless work experience and IT has a unified platform to secure, manage, and monitor diverse technologies in complex cloud environments.

NASSCOM Recognizes QuEST Global’s Sindhu Ramachandran As A Woman Role Model In ER&D

* The award recognizes women in positions of technical leadership who serve as a role model for the entire ER&D ecosystem

QuEST Global, a global product engineering and lifecycle services company, today announced that Sindhu Ramachandran, General Manager with the company, has been recognized as ‘Woman Role Model in ER&D’ in the ESP segment at the NASSCOM Engineering & Innovation Excellence Awards, 2021. The award recognizes women in positions of technical leadership who serve as a role-model for their organization and the entire ER&D ecosystem.

Speaking on the development, Sindhu Ramachandran, said, “I am delighted to be recognized as a Woman Role Model in ER&D by NASSCOM. Apart from recognizing my effort, this award is an endorsement of the best-in-class services we provide to global clients from India as a team. This award reflects NASSCOM’s commitment towards increasing opportunities for women in Engineering and will inspire women to join the sector. I would also like to thank QuEST for giving me opportunities to create impact for customers globally.”

Sindhu completed her B.Tech. in Computer Science & Engineering from College of Engineering, Trivandrum, and M.Tech. from University of Kerala and joined QuEST Global in 2008. She was interested to work in medical image processing, which motivated her to join QuEST Global. She has been working on projects involving the implementation of image processing algorithms and their optimization, medical imaging, and other such areas. Her experience in image processing and computer vision made her transition to the execution of AI projects easier and faster. As the relevance of AI increased, Sindhu successfully was able to marry industrial technologies with AI to add pertinent value to the various customers across industries. She conceptualized and positioned AI technologies as a strategic differentiator with the potential to scale across industries. 

Currently, she leads the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Center of Excellence at QuEST Global. Sindhu makes QuEST an AI-aware organization internally by conceptualizing the competency framework for AI-related technologies and identifying the skills, competencies, and levels of expertise to be mapped to organizational roles.

“ER&D has become one of the fastest-growing segments in India as the country emerges as an engineering and design hub for automobiles, aerospace, consumer electronics, machinery, and semiconductors. Women generally bring diverse sets of experiences and will play a crucial role in the growth of the sector. Women leaders such as Sindhu are setting new benchmarks in the sector. I want to congratulate her and all the other awardees for their contributions to the Indian ER&D industry,” said K S Viswanathan, Vice President, Industry Initiatives, NASSCOM.

“We are very proud of Sindhu’s contributions to the ER&D sector. Her ability to solve complex engineering challenges and drive innovation within the company had led to a positive impact for many of our customers. This recognition acts as an inspiration for more women to join the ER&D sector and take it to new heights. At QuEST, we pride ourselves in being a boundary-less organization and have an innovation-friendly atmosphere that has encouraged many amazing women in engineering to become role models in the last two decades. We will continue to provide a productive workplace to women across engineering streams,” added Shrikant Naik, Global Delivery Head, QuEST Global.

The first edition of NASSCOM Engineering & Innovation Excellence Awards in 2021 recognized and felicitated the stellar performances of the Indian ER&D industry. These awards included key themes such as Futuristic Innovation, Inspirational Leadership, and Technical Prowess to showcase breakthrough solutions, honor disruptive leaders and recognize technical capabilities among Indian enterprises, respectively.

20th Year Commemorative Coffee Table Book Wins Gold At 2021 Asia Pacific Stevie Awards

Sify Technologies Limited  (NASDAQ: SIFY), India’s most comprehensive ICT solutions provider today announced that the Coffee Table book produced to commemorate their 20th year of listing on Nasdaq has won the Gold at the Asia Pacific Stevie awards 2021.

The innovatively packaged book in larger-than-standard size was a runaway winner in the Award for Innovation in Marketing or Sales Literature category with 32 judges voting for it and one judge commenting, “What's old is new again. Extremely innovative way of presenting the information”.

The entry titled “Reading a book is good for your eyes and our business” uses a nostalgic Tintin styled old-word storytelling that takes decision makers on a journey of Sify’s strengths, woven into a disparate teenage group’s discovery of their capabilities.

Chairman of Sify Technologies, Raju Vegesna, said, “We are delighted that our endeavor to interpret our marketing collaterals through our disruptive DNA has been recognised at the global level. This award proves that an incisive marketing narrative that sets itself away from the run-of-the-mill will undoubtedly draw attention to itself. To be recognised among the best in the business sets the bar higher for all future Sify marketing activities”.

About Sify Technologies

A Fortune India 500 company, Sify Technologies is India’s most comprehensive ICT service & solution provider. With Cloud at the core of our solutions portfolio, Sify is focussed on the changing ICT requirements of the emerging Digital economy and the resultant demands from large, mid and small-sized businesses. 

Sify’s infrastructure comprising state-of-the-art Data Centers, the largest MPLS network, partnership with global technology majors and deep expertise in business transformation solutions modelled on the cloud, make it the first choice of start-ups, SMEs and even large Enterprises on the verge of a revamp.

More than 10000 businesses across multiple verticals have taken advantage of our unassailable trinity of Data Centers, Networks and Security services and conduct their business seamlessly from more than 1600 cities in India. Internationally, Sify has presence across North America, the United Kingdom and Singapore.

Discovery India, BYJU’s Are Back With Season 4 Of India’s School Quiz ‘Discovery School Super League’

* DSSL S4 is back with double the fun and learning with its latest campaign thought ‘Aao Milkar le khushi ki Udaan’which unites and inspires kids to work together whilst keeping up their competitive spirit 

* DSSL S4 targets virtual participation of 3 million users across 30,000 schools  

* Top team from each state to qualify for the TV round to be showcased on Discovery Channel and Discovery Kids 

* 9 winning students along with their respective principal/teacher to be eligible for an exciting prize – An all-expenses paid trip to NASA 

* Introduces8 Indian languages besides English i.e. Hindi, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Marathi, Bengali, Gujarati for virtual participation.

Following the phenomenal success of Discovery School Super League with 2.35 million participants across 23,000+ schools in season three, Discovery India and BYJU’S     - The learning app, announced its fourth season today. With its latest campaign thought, ‘Aao Milkar le khushi ki Udaan’, the quiz focusses on helping each student make progress that is filled with happiness, contentment, and confidence. DSSL S 4 engages not just students but also their parents, teachers, and principals through interactive new formats. It aims at making learning fun by uniting and inspiring kids to work together whilst keeping up their competitive spirit. Targeting over 3 million participants across the country from class 3-10, students from 30,000 schools across 30 states will participate virtually in the quiz free of cost from their respective homes through the mobile application and the top team from each state will qualify for the TV round.   

As the competition kickstarts virtually, students in the preliminary round can take advantage of preparatory tests to hone their skills before taking the main test on the app. After going through rigorous rounds of quizzing, the top team from each of the 30 states will qualify for the 6-episode TV quiz show which will premiere on Discovery channel and Discovery Kids. Owing to the current scenario, the TV round will be shot distantly with anchors at the studio while the contenders will battle it out virtually from their respective homes. To celebrate the spirit of learning, 9 students of the competition along with their respective principal/teacher will be awarded a special chance of spending a day at NASA.  

“This initiative is an attempt to give students a unique opportunity to dive deeper into every subject while honing their general knowledge. Combining technology and creativity, we’re bringing students immersive ways to stay engaged whilst learning thereby making the application a wholesome destination for acquiring knowledge and ensuring every student gets a chance to participate in the quiz hassle free. Discovery School Super League began as a means to contribute to the development of young minds, letting them compete in a healthy way. With students from across 30000 schools participating in the quiz, season 4 will bring double the excitement, fun and learning "said, Atit Mehta, Marketing Head, BYJU’S. 

“Discovery School Super League continues to be one of the most awaited events in the School calendar given the scale of the platform and opportunities it provides for students to shine at a national level. In fact, with schools being closed due to the pandemic, the eagerness from student community to participate in quiz has increased. We at Discovery believe that learning can be made fun through innovative and engaging formats and Discovery School Super League becoming India’s biggest and highly appreciated quiz competition serves as a testament to our belief.” said, Shaun Nanjappa Chendira, Head of Advertising Sales- South Asia, Discovery Inc. 

To aid even better preparation for the quiz, season 4 will have the option to change the Discovery School Super League application into 8 Indian languages besides English i.e. Hindi, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Marathi, Bengali, Gujarati. While the question paper will be in English, the instructions will be translated in the selected regional language. Being a one stop destination for learning, the mobile application will also help students expand their knowledge base through educational films, receive education led rewards, educational trips, exclusive certificates,      BYJU’S scholarships, a chance to virtually spend a day with the top educationists of India, and much more.  

YouTube Link: : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQgkLJb6tLQ&ab_channel=DiscoveryChannelInd

Video Commerce Marketplace ‘BigBox’ Launches Video Shopping For Over 27 Categories

* Onboarded Renowned Brand Names Like Sangeetha Mobile, Pothys Hypermarket, Basicslife, Godrej Real Good, etc.

* Plans to add at least 2000 more stores in the next 6 months

‘BigBox’, India’s first ever video commerce (V-comm) marketplace, today announced that it has launched its operations by onboarding over 100 retail stores across Mumbai, Bangalore and Chennai. Founded by Santhosh Palavesh (Founder & CEO), BigBox is a first of its kind SaaS platform that would help retailers go online within 30 minutes. The start-up aims to target the hyperlocal retail stores that have suffered tremendous business opportunity on account of the Covid19 lockdown. BigBox is looking to disrupt the day-to-day shopping experience by enabling customers to shop from the comfort of their homes via a video call to their neighborhood retail stores and have their orders customized to their better-suited interests.

Speaking on the launch Mr. Palavesh said, “The Indian brick & mortar players have suffered severe business losses due to the multiple lockdowns. While restaurants, pharmacies and even e-commerce players managed to gain some traction, it was the traditional retail outlets that had to bear the brunt. Not only did walk-in customers disappear overnight, the traditional shop owners had no means to take their business digital.”

Looking at this huge opportunity, Santhosh partnered with Mr. Balachandar R. (Co-Founder – BigBox), who has a wealth of experience in retail heading leading retail brands & is also the Council member and lead volunteer of the Retail Association of India, Chennai and both launched a pilot of BigBox in Chennai. Unlike the big e-commerce players who charge a commission of anywhere between XX% = XX%, BigBox works on a pure play SaaS model charging only INR 2,500 per connection. The app is available both on iOS and Android allowing the customers to video call and shop from anywhere across the world. 

Mr. Balachandar R., Co-Founder of BigBox said, “Bigbox was founded with the objective of empowering the physical retailer to connect personally with the consumer through video without the limitations of a physical space and make digital sales easy for retailers by providing features of catalog, billing and logistics with easy plug n play and low costs. Going forward, we would be onboarding more than 2000 retailers and over 100 national chains across India in the next 6 months.” 

BigBox is the perfect platform that helps retailers take their business online instantly. Speaking about onboarding retailers, Santhosh said, “Retailers need not require e-commerce expertise or a website to start video selling, nor do they have to burn cash for digital marketing. BigBox handles door-to-door deliveries through third-party logistics providers, for these sellers. BigBox offers 27 categories of video shopping spanning Mobiles & Electronics, Grocery, Jewellery, Furniture, Footwear to Services, Restaurants, Pharmacy, Men’s Wear, Women’s Wear, Industrial Goods, Sports & Outdoor etc.”

To start video selling on BigBox, retailers have to download the BigBox Seller App and sign up using their mobile number. After choosing a subscription package to begin with and entering payment details, they have to enter store location and other details to start selling.

About BigBox:

Bigbox, India’s first ever hyperlocal video shopping marketplace, is a revolutionary step in the Indian market creating a whole new ecosystem called V-Commerce (Video Commerce). Founded by serial entrepreneur - Santhosh Palavesh (Founder & CEO) along with cofounder Balachandar.R, BigBox is created with a sole focus to digitally empower the local shop owners of India in these trying times of Covid19. India is racing towards a complete digital adoption, and the Indian e-commerce industry is expected to be a $200Bn market by 2026.

Traditional Indian retailers were already finding it difficult to stay relevant for the customers who were adapting to e-commerce platforms. The Covid19 pandemic has only expedited the need for every traditional retail business to go digital, so as to reduce human touch to the maximum limit possible. In these trying times, BigBox offers a seamless platform for retailers to use video commerce, enabling them to connect with customers over a live video call and also enabling customers to shop from any retail store from the comfort of their home. 

Headquartered in Chennai, BigBox has already onboarded 50+ retail stores and some renowned retail chains like Viveks electronics, Basicslife, Derby Clothing, etc. By creating a virtual video mall, BigBox has given retail chain owners a pan India audience and is helping them to get customers from any part of the country. Along with a personalized shopping experience, BigBox also integrated e-com features like doorstep pickup and delivery, accelerated online shopping, secure payment methods, and a wider video shopping marketplace. 

Thoughtworks Launches A New Brand Position - Creating Extraordinary Impact Together And Unveils New Logo And Visual Identity

* Reimagined visual identity adopts latest technologies for more inclusive and sustainable use, displaying the passion and excellence the company values

Thoughtworks, a global technology consultancy that integrates strategy, design and engineering to drive digital innovation, today announced the launch of its new logo, visual identity, tagline and category positioning. At the heart of this launch is a change of the company tagline to better align with the company’s purpose.

Over the past year, Thoughtworks has earned its position as a market leader in digital innovation and a technology visionary with a commitment to social impact that has been front and center since the company’s founding. Fueled by an investment of $720 million in 2021 and the acquisitions of Gemini Solutions and Fourkind, the company has grown to 9,000+ Thoughtworkers strong across 48 offices in 17 countries and over 300 clients. Today’s launch reflects this evolution.

“We’ve lived through extraordinary times in the past few years. Our expectations have changed and working with purpose-led companies matters more now than ever before. This presented us with the opportunity to evolve the logo and visual identity to be more reflective of how committed we are to creating extraordinary impact on the world through our culture and technology excellence,” said Julie Woods-Moss, Chief Marketing Officer of Thoughtworks. “Today’s reboot of our logo, visual identity and positioning is a clear illustration of this unity and also a direct reflection of the value we deliver to our clients — creative, multi-faceted, future-facing, and modern.”

The new logo incorporates an icon called an Oblique in front of the company name that signifies that we are always moving forward in pursuit of technological excellence. The Oblique is a way of representing how the company embraces contradictions and shows Thoughtworks’ dynamic personality — adventurous and analytical, opinionated and creative, professional and casual, dependable and surprising — as we deliver value fast to clients.

Valuing digital accessibility and sustainable technologies informed many design decisions. The reimagined color palette combines with new variable fonts, setting the course for unique visual styles that meet people's display preferences. This continues the work towards more inclusive technology that can be used by all. It’s another example of the visual identity truly representing Thoughtworks’ passion for inclusivity.

The emphasis on employees, clients and why clients partner with Thoughtworks is the essence of the new tagline “Delivering extraordinary impact together.” For over 27 years, Thoughtworks has been making extraordinary impact together with its clients and partners. The new tagline shows how Thoughtworks is helping to accelerate what’s next for clients, whether that is accelerating innovation, transformation or value.

Thoughtworks’ in-house brand and creative team designed the new logo and the core visual elements including a more modern, crafted wordmark; variable fonts; a simplified color palette and classic layouts; distinctive photography; and a new element, illustration.  The steering committee of 30+ Thoughtworkers from all functions across the globe utilized agile design and testing methods over five sprints to gain key learnings along the way to create this new identity.