L&T Technology Services Partners With Microsoft To Offer IIoT-Based Smart Manufacturing Solutions

L&T Technology Services Limited (BSE: 540115, NSE: LTTS), a leading global pure-play engineering services company, announced that it has entered into an agreement with Microsoft to offer LTTS’ Energy & Sustainability Manager Solution on Microsoft Azure to digitally transform and create sustainable factories of the future.

LTTS’ Energy & Sustainability Manager is a comprehensive compliance and standard-driven solution that tracks energy losses across plants - the goal being to sustainably reduce wastage throughout a business and providing visibility into utilities and plant equipment. Deployed on Azure, the solution will be taken jointly to end-customers as IP-Cosell solution across a variety of industries.

This latest agreement is part of LTTS’ expanded collaboration with Microsoft to enable enterprises around the world to leverage LTTS’ cutting-edge Manufacturing Solution suite hosted on Azure enterprise cloud-first, mobile-first infrastructure.

In a smart factory setup, it has become mandatory to track and audit all forms of energy consumption and at the same time achieve sustainability goals. Keeping energy efficiency objectives in mind, a company-wide commitment towards energy conservation is imperative with visibility into resource utilization across the water, air, natural gas, electricity, and steam to improve the energy map, comply with statutory regulations, save on energy cost, and achieve net-zero carbon emission.

Abhishek Sinha, Chief Operating Officer and Member of the Board, L&T Technology Services said, “Energy savings and sustainability have become key goals of all major digital transformation exercises. In such circumstances, it is paramount that manufacturing companies achieve environmental compliance and standards, while ensuring that environmental goals are observed across the organization. With efficient business operations, enhanced energy management and state-of-the-art green technologies as its pillars, LTTS’ Energy & Sustainability Manager solution will help companies achieve significant energy savings and also attain sustainability goals.”

Venkat Krishnan, Executive Director, Global Partner Solutions, Microsoft India said, “With sustainability at the core of our business, Microsoft has been helping companies achieve the highest levels of environmental sustainability. We are supporting organizations to explore energy innovations for next-gen sustainable technology, while reimagining business models and building a better planet. This collaboration with an engineering services’ leader like LTTS, can transform legacy plants and truly create factories of the future.”

Previously, LTTS has also helped develop the World's Smartest Office Campus in Israel in collaboration with Microsoft. The futuristic campus is being run on LTTS’ smart campus platform i-BEMS (Intelligent Building Experience Management System), considered the backbone of the modern smart building that provide energy saving technology and cloud- based asset management to complement Microsoft’s Digital User Experience design solutions.

About L&T Technology Services Ltd

L&T Technology Services Limited (LTTS) is a listed subsidiary of Larsen & Toubro Limited focused on Engineering and R&D (ER&D) services. We offer consultancy, design, development and testing services across the product and process development life cycle. Our customer base includes 69 Fortune 500 companies and 57 of the world’s top ER&D companies, across industrial products, medical devices, transportation, telecom & hi-tech, and the process industries. Headquartered in India, we have over 17,900 employees spread across 17 global design centers, 28 global sales offices and 72 innovation labs as of September 30, 2021. For more information please visit https://www.ltts.com/

DMI Finance Partners With Reliance Retail For Digital Finance Options To Customers Across India

DMI Finance Private Limited (“DMI”) today announced its partnership with Reliance Retail Limited (“RRL”) to provide a first-of-its-kind suite of digital finance options for RRL consumer electronics customers across India. 

Through a completely paperless digital journey, DMI will offer financing solutions to RRL consumer electronic customers at merchant locations across India. This partnership will kick-off with loans for the newly-launched JioPhone Next by Reliance.

This transformational partnership brings to all RRL customers an end-to-end paperless journey that that will provide instant, flexible, and affordable EMI options. The loan tenor for the JioPhone Next will be for 18 and 24 months with Jio providing a free and attractive plan for the duration. 

The spokesperson at DMI said: “In todays world, a smartphone is not just a consumer product, but a tool for financial inclusion at large. We, at DMI, are proud to partner with Reliance Retail to provide financing for a range of consumer electronics starting with the JioPhone Next, that will enable access to a digital life for hundreds of millions of Indians and bring them a step closer to realizing their dream of a more prosperous future.”

About the DMI Group:

Founded in 2008 and supported by a deeply experienced team across 40 offices in India, DMI is a Pan-India credit platform with core businesses in digital consumer and MSME finance, housing finance, wholesale finance, and asset management. It is a technology-first lender with class-leading digital finance initiatives. It is supported by global institutional investors, strategic family offices, leading banks, and public market creditors in India. For more details, please visit www.dmifinance.in. 

The 24th Edition Of Bengaluru Tech Summit From Nov 17-19, 2021

As the world and nation prepare to move forward in a post-pandemic scenario, technology will play an even more critical and all-pervasive role in the successful functioning of businesses and industries across sectors and governments, said C.N Ashwath Narayan, Karnataka’s Minister for Electronics, IT, BT and S&T, Higher Education, Skill Development, Entrepreneurship & Livelihood.

Speaking at the curtainraiser of the 24th edition of Bengaluru Tech Summit (BTS2021) in Bengaluru on November 9, Mr. Narayan said, “Technological innovations are redefining the future, and it is in this context that Bengaluru Tech Summit 2021 becomes more relevant. It has emerged as a trendsetter event globally and has become India’s leading technology summit.”

Emphasing the importance of Indian IT sector, S. Gopalakrishnan (Kris), co-founder of Infosys and Chairman of Karnataka Vision Group on Information Technology, said the entire world increased its dependency on Indian IT during the COVID-19 crisis and the industry came out with flying colors.

“We witnessed rapid adoption of digital technologies during the COVID-19 crisis. It is essential that industry and tech leaders come together to understand and strategise on the emerging opportunities in the IT field. The tech event gives the IT industry the platform to present the most recent and upcoming technological innovations in the new normal,” he added.

Dr. Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, Executive Chairperson, Biocon Limited and Chairperson, Karnataka Vision Group on Biotechnology, said, “For this event, we have curated sessions that will highlight the most recent technological and scientific advancements in the field of biotech, like mRNA (messenger ribonucleic acid) technologies.”

The theme chosen for BTS2021 is ‘Driving The Next’, highlighting the role of digital and technological innovations which drove and supported the growth of multiple sectors in a post-pandemic world. The event will witness the coming together of global tech leaders, Indian corporates and startups from IT, deep tech and biotech, showcasing disruptive technologies, forging partnerships and alliances.

Sajan Pillai Promoted McLaren Technology Acquisition Corp. Announces Closing Of $201,250,000 IPO At NASDAQ

US-based digital transformation leader and serial investor, Sajan Pillai promoted McLaren Technology Acquisition Corp. (Nasdaq: MLAIU) announces the closing of $201,250,000 Initial Public Offering, which is approximately INR 1500 CR. The offering included $2.625 million units issued to underwriters upon full exercise of their overallotment option. This is the second Indian promoted SPAC to go for a listing at Nasdaq and the first banking and insuretech focused SPAC of Indian origin. The stock debuted on Nasdaq at $10.05 and closed at $10.07 on November 3 on a volume of 15,344,818. 

With the goal to rev up investments and incubate B2B tech start-ups in India, McLaren is the first of its kind fintech start-up acquisition company, promoted by Sajan Pillai, to further boost the tech startup sector while riding on the digital transformation wave. Anchored on India’s booming fintech segment, the SPAC aims to identify and acquire promising start-ups focusing on the banking, financial services, and insurance sectors that leverage artificial intelligence, machine learning, and digital technology in their offerings. Companies with enterprise valuation between $600 million and $2 billion falls under the focus area of the SPAC.

The offering consisted of one share of the Class A common stock and one-half of one redeemable warrant. The holders of each whole warrant were entitled to purchase one share of Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share. Once the securities comprising the units begin separate trading, shares of the Class A common stock and warrants are already listed on Nasdaq under the symbols 'MLAI' and 'MLAIW,' respectively.

California based McLaren Tech. Acq. Corp is a blank check company targeting merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization, or similar business combination with one or more businesses. Previously, Sajan’s Season Two Ventures and McLaren Strategic Ventures have already made some key acquisitions within deep tech.

“The overwhelming response to the Nasdaq IPO will enable McLaren to aggressively on-board proven deep tech start-ups and growing companies in banking, financial services and insurance sector, primarily from India. We already have experience of mentoring a promising line-up of 8 early-stage startups from India, including Warehouse Now, 4baseCare, Uvik, Aerchain. Soon we will be deploying a senior-level team for an India roadshow to collaborate with later-stage companies who are looking to go public on Nasdaq along with active handholding on business growth” said Sajan Pillai, Chairman and CEO, McLaren Technology Acquisition Corporation.

Rajeev Nair and Murali Gopalan serve as Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer, of McLaren Technology Acquisition Corporation respectively. Mizuho Securities USA LLC acted as the sole book-running manager for the offering.

About McLaren Technology Acquisition Corp.

McLaren Technology Acquisition Corp. is a newly organized blank check company formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses. Their search is focused on companies in the Banking, Financial Services and Insurance (“BFSI”) sector that have a strong, tech-intensive approach.

Sunfeast Reimagines The Dark Shell Vanilla Crème Biscuits With The Launch Of Dark Fantasy Vanilla Fills

* Redefines the vanilla crème biscuits segment with a dark choco shell cookie filled with luscious molten vanilla crème 

Sunfeast Dark Fantasy, one of India’s beloved premium cookie brands from ITC Ltd. has launched the Dark Fantasy Vanilla Fills. The Vanilla Fills are passionately crafted to bring the signature, Fills experience to the vanilla crème & dark shell biscuit segment. The rich crème vanilla filling encased in a dark choco shell offers a luscious flavour burst. 

As per Nielsen data, the market size of the crème biscuit category in India is pegged at INR 6,123 Cr for FY 21. Sunfeast Dark Fantasy has been the pioneer of the centre filled crème biscuit category with the Choco Fills cookies. With the launch of Dark Fantasy Vanilla Fills, it has introduced a new, exciting vanilla filled cookie and has brought in a ‘new experience’ to the dark shell vanilla crème biscuit segment.  

Speaking on the launch, Mr. Ali Harris Shere, Chief Operating Officer, Biscuits & Cakes Cluster, Foods Division, ITC Limited,said, “Sunfeast Dark Fantasy is known for its indulgent choco creations and is a pioneer in the centre filled cookie category. During consumer interactions we found out that consumers are looking for fresh and innovative products in the crème category. Also, there has not been any big innovation or improvement in the sandwich crème biscuit category. We picked this up as an opportunity to upgrade the sandwich crème category with a superior centre filled experience. Dark Fantasy Vanilla Fills is a manifestation of our continued efforts to provide exciting new experiences to the new age consumers. Sunfeast Dark Fantasy has been a beloved cookie brand for over a decade, and we look forward to receiving love and support from our consumers". 

Priced at Rs. 20 for 75g, Sunfeast Dark Fantasy Vanilla Fills will be available across retail stores and select modern trade stores in the Southern and Western region along with the www.itcstore.in. The launch of the Sunfeast Dark Fantasy Vanilla fills will be accompanied by a 360-degree communication campaign intended to bring the brand's latest innovation. 

ExxonMobil Lubricants India Renews Endorsement Deals With Neeraj Chopra, Mirabai Chanu & Bajrang Punia; Felicitates Them In A Event

ExxonMobil Lubricants Pvt Ltd announced today the renewal of its brand ambassador association with the Tokyo Olympics medallists - Neeraj Chopra, Mirabai Chanu, and Bajrang Punia - for Mobil India. The announcement was made during a gala felicitation ceremony at New Delhi in the presence of the company’s top retailers.

Tokyo 2020 was India’s most successful Olympic campaign with a tally of seven medals. While Neeraj Chopra became the first track & field athlete and the second Indian to win an individual Gold medal, Mirabai Chanu is the first Indian weightlifter to win a Silver. Bajrang Punia, who won a Bronze at the event, is the only Indian wrestler to win three medals at the World Wrestling Championships. A common thread among these sportspersons is that they symbolize a powerful story of transformation, rising from humble beginnings to representing India at the Olympics.

Commenting on the development, Deepankar Banerjee, CEO, ExxonMobil Lubricants, said, “We feel extremely proud to renew our brand association with Neeraj Chopra, Mirabai Chanu and Bajrang Punia. Our engagement with them began before they achieved world fame, and hence it gives us immense pleasure to see them become the very best in their respective fields, winning major titles and medals at the Olympics. Like the athletes have made a difference to India and the sport they represent, we too will continue to work hard, building on Mobil’s world-class brands, synthetic leadership, and scale to bring trusted, high-quality performance products and solutions to the country.”

Speaking during the event, Imtiaz Ahmed, GM-Marketing Deployment, Consumer Marketing, ExxonMobil Lubricants, said, “The three champions personify Farak Laakar Dekhiye, what we stand for in India, which is not only our expertise, innovation and performance but also about giving people the confidence to unlock their ambitions for tomorrow. The athletes are a natural fit for us and we couldn’t be more pleased to be able to continue our association.”

During the felicitation ceremony, ExxonMobil Lubricants also showcased its latest products, Mobil Super SUV Pro and the Mobil Super Moto 2W engine oil upgraded range, which were recently introduced through an advertising campaign featuring Neeraj Chopra, Mirabai Chanu, and Bajrang Punia.

'Farmer-To-Farmer 'Rent-An-Equipment' – A Boon For Farmers After The Pandemic

By Mr.Ravindra K Agrawal, Promoter Managing Director, KisanKraft

Agriculture remains one of the biggest employers and sources of livelihood across the country, especially in rural India. It has been the dedication of our farmers and government which helped India in becoming self-reliant in food following the successful green revolution.

Income level of majority of farmers is very low, because of small plot sizes and scarcity of farm labour. Mechanization, especially for small farmers has remained very low, despite governments continuous intervention.

Additionally, our farmers face many challenges because of the changing climate conditions, scarcity of water, increasingly unpredictable instances of floods and drought. To top this,  the overall input costs are rising, especially seeds and fertilizers. Smallholder farmers are the backbone of the agricultural sector and food value chain in India. However, these small and marginal farmers are the ones who have suffered the most because of the above conditions in recent times.  

KisanKraft, has created a one-of-a-kind app, with a special service to facilitate farmer-to-farmer farm equipment rentals. Rental income can help supplement farmer incomes significantly.  Many farmers have found their income from renting their equipment lucrative and it has become an important source of income for them.  Many farmers have developed farm equipment rental as a side business, with some even purchasing multiple farm equipment exclusively for purposes of renting.

The KisanKraft app is a service to help both the equipment owner and farmers without equipment, and to bridge the gap with a unique digital application through their mobile phones. AS Covid aggravated farm-labour shortage, the KisanKraft rent-a-equipment facility has come as a boon to farmers.

The KisanKraft app is available in 11 languages, and within a few months of launch it has been downloaded by lakhs of farmers. KisanKraft is a seed-to-harvest company with a vision to improve livelihood and quality-of-life of small & marginal farmers and serve their needs in every facet of agriculture. The company’s equipment assists farmers in most aspects of cultivation, from soil preparation, planting, crop management, harvesting and post harvesting operations.

The farm labour shortage has been a continuing problem for years, causing under-utilization of farms, only to be further compounded due to the pandemic. KisanKraft is committed to to bringing affordable, appropriate, and accessible technologies to help better farmer’s livelihoods.

About KisanKraft app

KisanKraft is supporting government’s digital agriculture mission and has developed the KisanKraft app to provide agronomy and other important information on productivity improvement, disease & pest identification and management, appropriate fertilizer usage, soil management, weather forecasts, mandi prices, agricultural news, and best agricultural practices for around 90 crops. The app is also the first-of-its-kind for farmer-to-farmer equipment rental helping farmers supplement their incomes. This is a free platform available in 11 Indian languages for farmers.

About KisanKraft

KisanKraft was founded in 2005 with a vision to improve the livelihoods and quality-of-life of small & marginal farmers by serving their needs in every facet of agriculture. As a company to serving the entire seed-to-harvest cycle of small farmers, it assists them in most aspects of cultivation, from soil preparation, planting, crop management, harvesting and post harvesting operations. KisanKraft has served more than 50 lakh small farmers through mechanization adoption, to increase farmer earnings, crop productivity and cultivated area. The company has grown organically, beginning from a small garage and three people in 2005, to a pan-India organization serving lakhs of farmers across India through its’ 14 regional offices, 500+ employees and a large network of 5,000+ dealers.