Technology In Facades Can Make A Building Strong And Sustainable: Dr Prashanth Reddy Of Fundermax India

By Manu Sharma

A building façade is more than just a cladding which enhances the exterior of the building. There is a lot of technology that goes behind designing and executing a façade, which can even contribute in making the structure of the building strong, besides being sustainable and creative.

Dr Prashanth Reddy, Managing Director, Fundermax India, a 130-year-old Austrian company dealing in architectural products for interiors and exterior applications, talks about this and much more in an exclusive interview with Manu Sharma of Silicon Village.

Here are the excerpts: 

Manu Sharma : Fundermax has been in the business of facades for several decades. When did the company start incorporating technology in facades? 

Dr Prashanth Reddy: Since the beginning, Fundermax has always emphasized on usage of technology in its façade systems. The signature rear ventilated façade system offered by Fundermax maintains a gap between the building envelope and cladding, and between cladding elements, thus ensuring sufficient flow of air behind the cladding. This enables the building in sustaining a comfortable temperature, thereby reducing power consumption and improving the thermal comfort of the occupants. It incorporates technologies like rear ventilation systems and stress-free sub-construction systems to achieve best performance of façade.

MS: What is the unique technology used by Fundermax as compared to your competitors?

PR: We design futuristic and environment friendly façade systems. The concept of rear ventilated façade system (rain screen façade system) can help in making the building more sustainable by providing heat resistance, sound insulation and extreme weather resistance. Tropical climate can sometimes be uncomfortable and therefore it is important to use the right façade system for optimizing temperature levels inside a building. The objective of a such a façade system is sustainability.

We also offer passive architectural elements such as louvers which can be optimally used to mitigate glare and heat. To ensure durability – the entire design of the exterior façade could be enhanced based on digitally researched environmental factors of wind and heat much before devising an installation system. All such factors tremendously help in giving character to buildings.

MS: Being a BE in mechanical engineering, what made you get into this venture?

PR : Fundermax products and systems work on the principles of sustainability, innovation and creativity which is my core as well. And, being a BE Mechanical, it helped to bring the technical excellence in solution selling.

MS: How many projects have been completed so far by Fundermax? Can you give details about some inspirational tech facades that you have done?

PR: Fundermax India has completed more than 15000 projects. All the exterior façade work done by Fundermax is based on the rear-ventilated principle.

MS: How do high- tech facades combine efficiency and creativity?

PR: In addition to safety, architects chiefly value the creativity and design possibilities provided by the use of rear-ventilated facades. The design can be individually harmonized with the characteristics of the building. Material combinations of various other cladding materials can also be easily integrated with Fundermax Rear Ventilated Façade systems. Other technological advantages of rear-ventilated façade systems include the structural division of insulation and weather protection materials. These systems are thus less susceptible to damage when compared to other façade systems. Furthermore, fire, noise and lightning protection requirements can be implemented easily. Such creative execution makes the façade an efficient one.

MS: Can you explain how façade technology is driven by solar control? 

PR: Sun shading systems can be designed after doing the sun path analysis. These systems could be static or dynamic. Dynamic louvers will change the position automatically with the change in position of sun to provide visual and thermal comfort to the occupants.

MS: Any major changes or innovations that you're planning in future?

PR: The drive is to help architects build sustainable buildings and participate in green building constructions. Max Exterior panels are made up of 65% natural material and façade can be designed on the principles of rear-ventilated façade. We are looking forward to delivering more projects in green building segment.

MS: Please tell us about expansion plans of Fundermax in India.

PR: We are market leaders in exterior segment and we are going to expand in interior segment by end of year 2021. Some of the products we are going to introduce are:

* Max Interior panels, which are suitable for durable partition system for restrooms, cubicles & internal wall claddings. 

* MFC (Melamine-faced chipboards) & MDF for interior furniture and kitchens. 

* Max Resistance2, which is a niche offering that is specifically used for laboratory tabletops. 

Honeywell Wins Industry Honours At Prestigious Zinnov Awards 2021

* Earns ‘Great Place to Innovate’ and the ‘Next Generation Women Leaders’ awards in recognition of organizations that are focused on value creation in India

Honeywell has announced that it won two awards at the 12th Zinnov Awards 2021, including ‘Great Place to Innovate’ and ‘Next Generation Women Leaders.’ The Zinnov Awards recognize champions of change, visionaries and trailblazers from the Indian technology community.

The ‘Great Place to Innovate’ award is a coveted recognition among Indian multinationals and technology companies as it honours organizations that are focused on value creation in India and make concerted efforts across five key areas: organization charter, culture, internal programs and processes, external linkages, and innovation metrics.

Honeywell won for relentlessly driving innovation and technologies developed in response to the pandemic. These solutions were engineered in India, with teams working collaboratively through the lockdown.

The ‘Next Generation Women Leaders’ category recognizes women leaders who have excelled at mentoring upcoming talent and serve as an inspiration for the industry. Honeywell’s senior director for Human Resources, Dr. Urmi Chatterjee, won for her exemplary work in nurturing I&D and developing the next generation of women leaders. She helps spearhead Honeywell inclusion and diversity (I&D) initiatives in India and globally. At Honeywell, I&D is the foundation of a performance culture that promotes respect, understanding and appreciation of different perspectives, backgrounds and experiences.

“Innovation is a part of our DNA, and the diversity of people and their experiences are our ultimate differentiator. Honeywell’s India commitment is evident in three state-of-the-art manufacturing and engineering operations and four global centers of excellence for technology development and innovation,” said Samuel Pratap, President, Honeywell Technology Solutions. “This recognition is an inspiration to continue pushing the boundaries of technology and develop state-of-the-art products and software that help solve our customers’ toughest challenges.”

The 12th edition of Zinnov Awards focused exclusively on global centers of excellence in India, especially those whose mettle was tested due to COVID-19.

Honeywell, a Fortune 100 software-industrial leader, has a strong engineering presence in India through Honeywell Technology Solutions (HTS). For more than 25 years, HTS engineers have developed cutting-edge products and solutions in aerospace, building technologies, safety and productivity solutions, and performance materials. HTS leverages the country’s diverse top engineering and technology talent to support Honeywell’s businesses globally.

Best Cameras And Accessories Brands To Buy On This World Photography Day

* Enjoy up to 5% Instant Discount on HSBC Cashback Card Transactions

* Customers can avail No Cost EMI on select cards for orders above ₹3000

All photography enthusiasts gear up to get your hands on your favorite Camera.

Amazon.in brings a host of deals and offers on the best cameras, ring lights and tripods across various popular brands like Canon, Panasonic, Sony, Digitek, Fujifilm and many more. 

Customers can enjoy up to 5% Instant Discount on HSBC Cashback Card Transactions on top brands. They can also avail No Cost EMI on select cards for orders above ₹3000.

Here are some products for all photography enthusiasts to choose from this ‘World Photography Day’ bringing forth some great deals and offers from sellers:

·       Canon EOS R Mirrorless Digital Camera: The Canon EOS R is the company's first attempt at a full-frame mirrorless camera and features a 30.3-megapixel sensor and has an OLED electronic viewfinder (EVF) with a high resolution of 3.69 million dots. The camera is available for INR 1,36,990 with No Cost EMI on select cards for orders above ₹3000 and customers can also enjoy up to 5% Instant Discount on HSBC Cashback Card Transactions.

·       GoPro HERO9: A new, larger rear touch screen with touch zoom on HERO9 Black feels instantly familiar and a dazzling new front display makes it for easy framing and intuitive camera control. It comes with Video 5K30 + 4K60, Wide FOV and a a massive 1720mAh battery. of . Capture crisp, pro-quality photos with 20MP clarity. With SuperPhoto, HERO9 Black can automatically pick all the best image processing for you, so it’s super easy to nail the shot. This beast is available for INR 41,490.

·       Fujifilm X-T200: It’s a mirrorless camera with 15-45mm & 50-230mm Dual Lens Kit. It gets highly accurate face and eye Detection using AF Algorithm to capture your favourite moments as it is and achieve focus in low light environments up to -2.0EV, worth a buy. Get it for INR 76,000 and save up to 12% inclusive of taxes and customers can also enjoy up to 5% Instant Discount on HSBC Cashback Card Transactions.

·       Panasonic LUMIX G7: The Lumix G7 by Panasonic is the one to get hands on! Its power-packed with so many amazing features like 16-megapixel Micro Four Thirds sensor with no low pass filter to confidently capture sharp images with a high dynamic range and artifact free performance; WiFi enabled. The camera also hasa high resolution (2,360K dot) OLED Live View Finder and rear touch enabled 3-inch tilt/swivel LCD display (1,040 dot) that’s clear even in bright sunlight. Grab it now for INR 39,990.

·       Sony Alpha ILCE: This luxury camera comes with Full-Frame 24.2MP and is a Mirrorless Digital SLR Camera with 28-70mm Zoom Lens (4K Full Frame, Real-Time Eye Auto Focus, Tiltable LCD, Low Light Camera). Its Standard ISO ranges from 100 to 51200 and has 15-stop dynamic range at low-sensitivity settings. This stunner is loaded with many more features available for INR 1,58,922.

·       Sony Digital Vlog Camera ZV 1: Are you fond of vlogging? Well, then check this one out. The Digital Vlog Camera ZV 1 is compact in size, has a video Eye AF, flip screen, in-Built Microphone, Bluetooth Shooting Grip, 4K Vlogging camera and content creation. You can get this for INR 69,990 and save up to 10% inclusive of taxes and customers can also enjoy up to 5% Instant Discount on HSBC Cashback Card Transactions.

·       DIGITEK® (DRL 12C): It’s a professional 30.5 cm LED Ring Light with Tripod Stand for Mobile Phones & Camera, has 3 temperature modes with dimmable lighting feature perfect for YouTube videos, photo-Shoots, video Shoots, while live Streaming and makeup tutorials. Get this all-in-one camera accessory for INR 1,599 and save up to 47% and customers can also enjoy up to 5% Instant Discount on HSBC Cashback Card Transactions.

·       DIGITEK® (DTR 550LW) (170 CM) Tripod: This tripod for DSLR, Camera has an operating height of 5.57 feet and can load up to 4.5kg as the maximum capacity. It’s portable in design lightweight Aluminium Tripod with 360 Degree Ball Head. Get this beast for INR 1,274 and save up to 49% inclusive of taxes and customers can also enjoy up to 5% Instant Discount on HSBC Cashback Card Transactions.

Disclaimer: The product details, description and pricing are as provided by the sellers. Amazon is not involved in pricing or describing the products and is not responsible for accuracy of product information provided by the sellers.

Aakash Educational Services Selects Hughes Communications India To Connect Over 100 Education Centres Using Satellite Broadband

* State-of-the-art, Two-way High Throughput Satellite Technology to Enable Best-in-Class Hybrid Learning 

Hughes Communications India Private Ltd. (HCIPL), a leading provider of broadband satellite and managed network services and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hughes Network Systems, LLC (HUGHES), today announced its selection by Aakash Educational Services Limited (AESL), one of the leading test preparatory coaching institutes and now a part of Bengaluru-based EdTech company, Byju’s, for an interactive satellite broadband network. AESL chose Hughes and its industry-defining JUPITER™ System ground platform to connect more than 100 educational centers with High-Throughput Satellite connectivity as part of its nationwide network.  

Under the three-year initial contract, Hughes will provide a managed service including satellite bandwidth from the GSAT 18 satellite, Very Small Aperture Terminals (VSATs) at each learning centre, and 24 x 7 network operation – all to deliver reliable, uninterrupted connectivity across AESL’s growing institution. 

Commenting on the contract, Aakash Chaudhry, Managing Director, AESL, said: “We are expanding the scope and reach of hybrid classrooms with VSAT connectivity, wherein our students can make the best use of both offline and online learning, including remote access to live lectures. Having a reliable and seamless interactive learning environment enabled by Hughes can ensure that there is no disruption in education. We look forward to improving the learning outcomes of our students multifold with more standardized delivery of training and personalised coaching.”  

Commenting on the occasion, Shivaji Chatterjee, SVP and Head of Enterprise business, HCIPL, said: "We are delighted to have the opportunity to work with Aakash Educational Services, as they continue to innovate learning models to address students’ needs, during and post the pandemic. With our advanced connectivity solutions, Hughes will support a high-quality, two-way interactive learning experience with state-of-the-art satellite technology to recreate a virtual, yet live, classroom environment. Moreover, this will help Aakash provide the best hybrid learning experience for students and expand into newer territories.” 

Hughes provides connectivity services to thousands of classrooms across India, helping to bridge the Education Divide. Secondary schools, colleges and universities, corporate offices, training centers, and coaching institutions benefit from pathbreaking distance learning solutions from Hughes. 

About Hughes Network Systems

Hughes Network Systems, LLC (HUGHES), an innovator in satellite and multi-transport technologies and networks for 50 years, provides broadband equipment and services; managed services featuring smart, software-defined networking; and end-to-end network operation for millions of consumers, businesses, governments and communities worldwide. The Hughes flagship Internet service, HughesNet®, connects more than 1.5 million subscribers across the Americas, and the Hughes JUPITER™ System powers Internet access for tens of millions more worldwide. Hughes supplies more than half the global satellite terminal market to leading satellite operators, in-flight service providers, mobile network operators and military customers. A managed network services provider, Hughes supports nearly 500,000 enterprise sites with its HughesON™ portfolio of wired and wireless solutions. Headquartered in Germantown, Maryland, USA, Hughes is owned by EchoStar. 

Renault India Presents All New Sporty KIGER To Ace Weightlifter And #TokyoOlympics2020 Silver Medalist Saikhom Mirabai Chanu

Renault, which is in its 10th year of operations in India, presented Renault KIGER to the Ace weightlifter and #TokyoOlympics2020 Silver Medalist Saikhom Mirabai Chanu for her stunning performance on the world stage and making every Indian proud of her feat. Hailing from a village in East Imphal, Mirabai not only lifted the spirits of the entire nation but with her dedication and commitment, she also became an inspiration for other athletes. Her journey finds resonance with a billion Indians who aspire to break out of their humble backgrounds. Renault is proud to celebrate her journey with the Stunning, Smart and Sporty KIGER.  

Mr. Sudhir Malhotra, Vice President – Sales & Marketing, Renault India handed over the keys of the brand new Renault KIGER to the #TokyoOlympics2020 Silver Medalist, Saikhom Mirabai Chanu. 

Renault KIGER is a brand-new sub four metre compact SUV designed and developed for India. Loaded with several smart attributes and powered by a sporty, world-class turbocharged 1.0L petrol engine, Renault KIGER is a breakthrough product targeted at the core of Indian automotive market. The stunning design of Renault KIGER is exemplified by a host of sporty and muscular elements which make Renault KIGER stand out as a true SUV. On the inside, Renault KIGER’s smart cabin combines technology, functionality and roominess. This high performance, modern and efficient engine ensures a sporty drive and is complemented by multi sense drive modes which offer the flexibility to best suit the customers driving preferences. 

Renault India is celebrating its ten glorious years of its operations in India. As part of the tenth anniversary celebration, Renault India launched the all new RXT (O) variant of the Renault KIGER. Together with its product portfolio expansion strategy to drive volumes in India, Renault is substantially increasing its network reach in India and introducing several unique and pioneering initiatives to ensure that customers have an unparalleled association with the Renault brand. Currently, Renault India has more than 500 sales and service touchpoints in India, which include 200+ Workshop On Wheels locations across the country 

ABOUT RENAULT  

Renault India Pvt. Ltd. is a fully owned subsidiary of Renault S.A.S. France. Renault India cars are manufactured in the manufacturing facility located in Oragadam, Chennai, with a capacity of 480,000 units per annum. Renault India also has a widespread presence of more than 500 sales and service touchpoints, which include 200+ Workshop On Wheels locations across the country, with benchmark sales and service quality. 

Renault India’s product line up and services have seen strong recognition among customers and industry experts alike, winning more than 60 titles, making Renault India one of the most awarded automotive brands in a single year in India. 

MaxiVision To Celebrate World Senior Citizens Day On August 21, 2021

* To conduct Free Eye checkups to the poor senior citizens

Hyderabad Based MaxiVision Eye hospitals group to celebrate World Senior Citizens day on Saturday on 21st Aug as part of their CSR initiative to create awareness on issues affecting older age people. We can do more to make life easier for our aging population and enable them to live with dignity. Unfortunately, many elderly people are left to isolation and marginalization in a lot of communities with no one paying attention to their deteriorating health conditions. More support is needed for senior citizens to live the life with nobility.

World Senior citizen’s day is observed every year on 21st Aug to create awareness on issues relating to older people such as degenerating of health with age and abuse of elderly people etc.MaxiVision has always been in the forefront to extend support to those poor elderly people who have done a lot for the society but lack physical, moral support in their ripe age. In the past few years Maxi Vision has extended support to thousands of poor senior citizens by offering free eye checkups, free eyeglasses distribution, Diabetes, Hypertension checkups, etc. on the occasion, recognizing and remembering their contribution to the society and thanked them for their services.

As a gesture towards all older people in the society, MaxiVision intends to play its part in the cause this year as well, as part of its corporate social responsibility, Said Mr. Sudheer -CEO. Due to COVID19 effect on hospitals MaxiVision will limit the number of free eye checkups to 100 people only this year. Free eye check us are strictly for poor senior citizens only who hold a white ration card and crossed 60 years of age. Patients need to register/enroll their number in advance to avail of this facility before Friday i.e. 20th Aug. Free eye checkups are done in all Maxi Vision branch hospitals in Hyderabad (Somajiguda, Begumpet, Madhapur, AS Rao Nagar, Kukatpally, Santosh Nagar) Warangal, Karimnagar, Bhimavaram, Vizag and Vijayawada, on world Senior citizen’s day, to mark the occasion.

Eye problem is very common in the old age people and vision defects develop as the age grows. World Senior citizen’s Day is a day for all sons and daughters to recognize the role of their older parents who put in their best efforts to shape up the life of their children to become responsible members of society. It is the time we must recollect and respect their invaluable services toward the children and show up affection, love, appreciation on International Senior citizen’s day by honoring them.

Free Eye checkups timings 10 am – 2 pm on Saturday 21st Aug 2021.

Indian Businesses Continue Having Cybersecurity Concerns With Remote Working, One Year Into The Pandemic: Thales

 ·         40% of respondents from India reported an increase in the volume, severity, and/or scope of cyber-attacks in the last 12 months in comparison to the global figure of 47%

·         Nearly 2 in 5 (35%) of respondents, globally, find malicious insiders as the biggest threat to data security

·         48% of respondents in India (38% worldwide) consider third-party vendor networks to be the biggest target for cyber attackers

Despite being over a year into remote working and the possibility of a likely shift to hybrid remote/in-office working models, security remains a key concern for respondents both globally and in India. While 38% of respondents from India continue to be very concerned about the security risks while working remotely, globally, this figure stands at 39%.

This is just one of the key insights from the 2021 Thales Global Data Threat Report, a commissioned study conducted by 451 Research, part of S&P Global Market Intelligence, which reveals that managing security risks is undoubtedly getting more challenging, with almost 40% of respondents from India reporting an increase in the volume, severity, and/or scope of cyber-attacks in the last 12 months.

Attacks On The Rise

Talking about global stats, of those who have ever experienced a breach, two in five (41%) had it happen in the last year. This number has nearly doubled from 21% in 2019 globally, marking a significant shift in the threat posed.

For respondents from India, malware (56%) is the leading source of security attacks followed by ransomware (53%), and phishing and credential stuffing (both 43%). Yet, when it comes to how attacks occur, the message is clear: internal threats as well as external attackers are still of great concern to industry. Malicious insiders (40%), external attacks (25%) and human error (25%) have been spotted by respondents from India as the types of attacks seen with the greatest threat.

Despite the increased risk remote working has posed to enterprises throughout the pandemic, nearly half (48%) of respondents from India report that their security infrastructure was not prepared to handle the risks caused by Covid-19. In fact, only one in five (21%) of organisations believe it was very prepared.

Major targets for Cyber-Attacks

Forty-eight percent of respondents from India rank third-party vendor networks as the biggest target for cyber attacks, followed by on-premises legacy applications (44%), cloud based storage (40%) and web applications (38%).

Ashish Saraf, VP and Country Director – India, Thales, comments: “Many organizations experienced heightened security challenges over the last year and with the increasing number of ransomware attacks, organizations are now facing a double extortion threat. Not only could they be locked out of their critical IT & OT systems but also have their sensitive data released on the internet. The traditional aspect of just relying on a sound backup and restore strategy is no longer sufficient, organizations need to implement a comprehensive digital security including controlling access to data, encryption of sensitive data coupled with secure management and control of encryption keys. It is important for all the stakeholders in the data flow chain to embrace cutting-edge technology solutions to mitigate these risks.”

Multicloud Complexity Increases Risks Globally

As increases in attacks continue, businesses are turning to the cloud to store their data in this digital-first world. More than half (55%) of businesses, globally, report that more than 40% of their data is stored in external cloud environments. Despite this, only 17% of businesses have encrypted at least half of their sensitive data stored in the cloud. On top of this, complexity is an increasing issue, with many respondents now using at least two PaaS (Platform as a Service) providers (45%) and/or two IaaS providers (Infrastructure as a Service). A quarter (27%) of businesses are currently using more than 50 SaaS (Software as a Service) apps.

Future Challenges and the Road Ahead

Globally, companies are recognising the issues they are facing and are attempting to address them with Zero Trust strategies. More than three quarters (76%) of respondents’ cloud strategy reportedly rely to some degree on Zero Trust security. Almost half (44%) of respondents selected Zero Trust network access (ZTNA)/software-defined perimeter (SDP) as the leading technology to invest in during the pandemic. This was followed by cloud-based access management (42%) and conditional access (41%). In fact, a third (30%) of global respondents claim to have a formal Zero Trust strategy and, interestingly, those with a formal Zero Trust strategy are less likely to also report having been breached.

However, despite businesses making moves to stop current threats, worries are growing about future challenges on the horizon. Looking ahead, 82% respondents from India have shown concerns about the security threats of quantum computing, a threat arguably exacerbated by the increasing complexity of cloud environments.

Eric Hanselman, Chief Analyst at 451 Research, part of S&P Global Market Intelligence added: “The native controls and protections available in cloud environments address a set of necessary capabilities, but they’re often insufficient to deliver effective protections for sensitive data and workloads, especially when it comes to compliance with regulations such as GDPR and the implications of the Schrems II ruling. Organizations need to increase their use of encryption and ensure they take full advantage of encryption’s benefits by controlling the secrets that protect their data through BYOK (Bring Your Own Key), HYOK (Hold Your Own Key) or BYOE (Bring Your Own Encryption) approaches. Organisations also need to make internal changes to ensure that personnel at all levels understand the security challenges and to properly align investment priorities. Senior executives need to obtain a more complete understanding of the levels of risk and attack activity that their front-line staff are experiencing.”

About the 2021 Thales Global Data Threat Report

The 2021 Thales Global Data Threat Report was based on a global 451 Research survey commissioned by Thales of more than 2,600 executives with responsibility for or influence over IT and data security. Respondents were from 16 countries: Australia, Brazil, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, Sweden, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Organisations represented a range of industries, with a primary emphasis on healthcare, financial services, retail, technology, and federal government. Job titles ranged from C-level executives including CEO, CFO, Chief Data Officer, CISO, Chief Data Scientist, and Chief Risk Officer, to SVP/VP, IT Administrator, Security Analyst, Security Engineer, and Systems Administrator. Respondents represented a broad range of organizational sizes, with the majority ranging from 500 to 10,000 employees. The survey was conducted in January - February 2021.

About Thales

Thales (Euronext Paris: HO) is a global leader in advanced technologies, investing in digital and “deep tech” innovations – connectivity, big data, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and quantum computing – to build a confident future crucial for the development of our societies. The Group provides its customers – businesses, organisations and governments – in the defense, aeronautics, space, transport, and digital identity and security domains with solutions, services and products that help them fulfil their critical role, consideration for the individual being the driving force behind all decisions.

Thales has 81,000 employees in 68 countries. In 2020 the Group generated sales of €17 billion.

About Thales in India

Present in India since 1953, Thales is headquartered in Noida and has other operational offices and sites spread across Delhi, Gurugram, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Mumbai, among others. Over 1,800 employees are working with Thales and its joint ventures in India. Since the beginning, Thales has been playing an essential role in India’s growth story by sharing its technologies and expertise in Defence, Transport, Aerospace and Digital Identity and Security markets. Thales has two engineering competence centres in India - one in Delhi NCR focused on digital identity and security business, while the one in Bengaluru focuses on hardware, software and systems engineering capabilities for both the civil and defence sectors, serving global needs.