QuEST Global Announces Winners Of The 10th Edition Of ‘Ingenium’

* Team from P.E.S. Institute of Technology, Bengaluru wins top honors for their software concept that detects Parkinson’s disease at an early stage 

* Bennett University, Noida, and P.E.S. College of Engineering, Mandya teams recognized as first and second runners-up positions respectively

* Mentored by a dedicated team of industry experts from QuEST, the winning teams demonstrate innovative thinking that help solve real world challenges and pave the path for a better, safer and smarter world

QuEST Global, a global product engineering services company, announced the winners of the 10th annual ‘Ingenium’ competition. Ingenium is an initiative aimed at fostering innovation and an entrepreneurial mindset amongst engineering students. Through Ingenium, QuEST provides a platform for the young talent of India to apply their engineering skills to solve real world problems. This year’s winners are selected from over 6000 teams and were selected based on the uniqueness of their ideas, application into the real world, demonstrability and cost effectiveness.

We are happy to congratulate the P.E.S. Institute of Technology (PESIT), Bengaluru, for their first place win. PESIT’s Loganyaa Senthil, Niraj Anil Babar, and Rohan Pillai created a software proposition to aid doctors in the early detection of Parkinson's disease. It not only detects the disease but is also designed to predict the stage of the disease, helping doctors adopt the right course of treatment from an early stage. 

Penumudy Tanvi and Vysyaraju Sampath Raju from Bennett University, Noida, and Manikant Amaresh Savadatti and Suryakantha from P.E.S. College of Engineering (PESCE), Mandya are the first and second runners-up respectively. Bennett University students developed solutions intended to effectively reduce the time of image search on the web. The second runners-up utilized artificial intelligence to create an advanced, cost effective robot that acts as an assistant to primary healthcare providers in hospitals. The robot helps reduce front line workers contact with patients by delivering medicines, basic health monitoring and delivering audio and video messages.  

Speaking on the announcement Shrikant Naik, Global Head – Delivery, QuEST Global said, "Ingenium demonstrates QuEST’s commitment to investing in people and our community by providing young engineering talent a platform for experiential learning. The creativity, resiliency and uniqueness of the ideas presented by the students fuels my belief in the young engineering talent of our country. I appreciate our sponsors, Wabtec Corporation, India, and Ingersoll Rand Technologies and Services Private Limited for their shared vision in nurturing young engineers and helping to provide a platform to showcase talent.”

Mr. Yogesh Kumar, Vice President – Technology & India Engineering, Wabtec Corporation, said, “Innovation is the core belief of Wabtec. We have partnered with QuEST for Ingenium as it amplifies that belief and it is one of the key drivers for our strong relationship with the company. I am overwhelmed to see the depth and breadth of ideas coming from our young minds. These have true potential to solve complex problems of tomorrow across industries. Congratulations to all the winners and participants!”

“It feels great partnering with QuEST and making life better for communities around us. I am delighted to witness the next generation of engineers work on unique ideas that utilize technological advancements for the benefit of the society. Makes me feel proud of the students who participated. We wish all the winners the very best for their future.” added Mr. Ramesh KV, Engineering Director, IRETC, Ingersoll Rand Technologies and Services Private Limited.

Ingenium demonstrates the company’s commitment to successfully utilize its engineering expertise to bridge the industry-academia gap and create a pool of a skilled workforce who will eventually help bridge the skill gap that currently looms over the industry. For the past 10 years, this annual forum has provided an opportunity to identify, support and nurture the skills of engineering students and help them live their dream of bringing their ideas to life.

About QuEST Global:

For nearly 25 years, QuEST Global has been a trusted global product engineering services partner to many of the world’s most recognized companies in the Aerospace & Defense, Automotive, Energy, Hi-Tech, Healthcare and Medical Devices, Rail and Semiconductor industries. With a presence in 13 countries, 54 global delivery centers and 12,000+ personnel, QuEST Global is at the forefront of the convergence of the mechanical, electronics, software, and digital engineering innovations to engineer solutions for a safer, cleaner, and sustainable world. QuEST Global’s deep domain knowledge and digital expertise help its clients accelerate product development and innovation cycles, create alternate revenue streams, enhance consumer experience, and make manufacturing processes and operations more efficient.

Bharat Celebrates Valentine’s Day, Meesho Observes Spike In Demand For Couple T-Shirts, Soft Toys, Coffee Mugs And Health Products

* Meesho witnessed 2X rise in orders from cities like Visakhapatnam, Guwahati, Agartala, Bhubaneswar, Vijayawada, Raipur and Coimbatore compared to metros

* Ahead of Valentine’s Day, 2X more women are shopping for gifts as compared to men

* The demand for sexual health products has surged by 57% in the weeks leading up to Valentine’s Day

Ahead of Valentine’s Day, Meesho, India's fastest growing internet commerce platform, has witnessed a considerable rise in the sale of apparel, personal care, jewelry, soft toys and sexual health products. This has led to a 50% average increase in orders across these categories. The season of love has seen 2X more women shopping for gifts as compared to men this year.

Meesho has also witnessed a 2X rise in orders from cities like Visakhapatnam, Guwahati, Agartala, Bhubaneswar, Vijayawada, Raipur and Coimbatore compared to metros.

Key Valentine’s Day shopping trends include:

* The top-searched keywords on Meesho are ‘rose gift boxes’, ‘soft toys’ & ‘valentine's day gifts’.

* The platform is seeing an 80% increase in demand for couple t-shirts, with more than 50% of the demand for couple t-shirts, sweatshirts and watches being driven by tier 4 cities like Bhadravati, Kota, Salur, Hospet, Valsad, Panchkula.

* Jewelry and Personal Care items like makeup, facial kits and massagers registered a 50% increase in orders.

* Gift hampers are seeing ~4X increase in demand from tier 2+ cities compared to tier 1 and metros

* The demand for sexual health products has surged by 57%

According to Utkrishta Kumar, CXO, Business at Meesho, ”The value e-commerce market in India presents immense potential. At Meesho, we are solving for both accessibility and price for customers across the country. We have witnessed a 1.5X rise in orders as people set out to celebrate Valentine’s Day. It is interesting to see 80% of this demand emerging from tier 2+ cities. Today, customers are digitally-savvy and are increasingly veering towards e-commerce as a safe means to shop for their needs.”

Meesho provides access to over 77 million unique products from a plethora of categories. Customers have the convenience of shopping for a wide assortment of products at the lowest prices from the comfort of their homes. In 2021, Over 71% of all new Meesho users came from India’s Tier 3+ markets.

About Meesho:

Meesho is India’s fastest-growing internet commerce platform. With a vision to enable 100 million small businesses, including individual entrepreneurs, to succeed online, Meesho is democratizing internet commerce and bringing a range of products and new customers online. The Meesho marketplace provides small businesses, which includes SMBs, MSMEs and individual entrepreneurs, access to millions of customers, selection from over 700+ categories, pan-India logistics, payment services and customer support capabilities to efficiently run their businesses on the Meesho ecosystem. 

CO2 AI By BCG And CDP To Launch The Tech Platform Of Reference To Enable The Exchange Of Scope 3 Data, Accelerate Decarbonization

Emissions Must Be Cut by 50% by 2030 in Order to Reach Net Zero by 2050, and Industries Need to Move Beyond Addressing the Issue at Just Company Level

CO2 AI by BCG and CDP Join Forces to Enable Scope 3 Data-Sharing at the Product Level and Power Collaboration Within Ecosystems  

Platform Provides a Solution for Organizations, Suppliers, and Customers to Seamlessly Share Their Sustainability Data, Facilitating Net-Zero Journeys for Entire Ecosystems

In order to reach net zero by 2050, emissions must be halved globally by 2030. Accordingly, organizations have a clear and urgent need to be able to accurately measure the full scope of their emissions before they can effectively manage them. Companies cannot achieve this individually. Tracking and measuring must also extend across value chains in an end-to-end manner, providing entire ecosystems with the product-level data they need to act on reducing their overall carbon footprints.

Today, CO2 AI by BCG and CDP are pleased to announce their strategic partnership to co-develop a platform that enables companies to collaborate on—and accelerate—their emissions optimization journeys by sharing product-level sustainability data in a secure, auditable, and action-oriented manner. The platform’s key benefits include the enablement of transparency at scale and accurate measurement of scope 3 emissions (external emissions that occur in the value chain of the reporting company). 

The platform will support organizations in measuring and sharing their primary sustainability data more comprehensively by allowing all members of their ecosystems to exchange data in an easy and transparent way. The platform will be enabled by best-in-class technology to ensure a secure and high-quality data exchange, including the use of artificial intelligence (AI). 

CDP’s Supply Chain program is currently the go-to reference for sustainability data at the company level. The partnership will complement and expand on CDP’s existing work on scope 3 data disclosure and expand its product-level data with access to important technological and infrastructure capabilities. 

For BCG, the partnership represents the next step in the development of CO2 AI by BCG, an end-to-end AI-powered solution that organizations from all industries can deploy to quantify current emissions and find ways to reduce them at scale. 

CDP is also publishing its 2021 Supply Chain report, Engaging the chain: driving speed and scale, today. Produced in collaboration with BCG, the report reveals that although progress is being made when it comes to direct environmental impacts, only 38%, 47%, and 16% of reporting companies are engaging with their suppliers on climate change, deforestation, and water security, respectively. It is urgent that companies cascade measurement and action down the entire supply chain to achieve the speed and scale required to avert environmental crisis.

“We are truly excited and proud to partner with CDP – the gold standard of environmental reporting. This platform will provide a critical unlock in the fight against climate change. Together, we will help organizations around the world take targeted action to decarbonize value chains,” said Christoph Schweizer, BCG’s CEO. 

“There is a critical need for companies to collaborate with their value chains on environmental action, especially decarbonization. Through our partnership with BCG, we can accelerate insights into action, leveraging digital, advanced analytics, and AI solutions to revolutionize emissions management,” said Paul Simpson, chief executive officer at CDP. 

“The AI-enabled platform will allow organizations, suppliers, and customers to exchange product-level data and empower them to compute their own carbon footprint. It provides a seamless way to share sustainability data across supply chains and collaborate on levers and roadmaps, facilitating net-zero journeys for entire industries,” said Charlotte Degot, managing director & partner at BCG, and founder and global leader of CO2 AI by BCG.

“CDP looks to continually improve the speed and scale of supplier engagement globally, leveraging over a decade of sustainable supply chain experience. The development of this platform complements our long-standing work on scope 3 emissions data, further enhancing collaboration across ecosystems at a product level,” said Dexter Galvin, global director of corporations and supply chains at CDP. 

Valentine Special: 5 Outdoor Date Ideas For When You Plan For Holiday Across South Africa

Travelling together can be incredibly romantic, especially after being cooped up for so long – together or separately. Now that borders have opened, the big question is, where to go? The fact is, you are spoilt for choice when it comes to South Africa! Would you rather watch the sunset on the beautiful coastline that stretches for about 3750 kilometers in total, or spend nights getting to know each better in the magnificent and royal national parks of the Rainbow Nation? Would you rather devote time in a boutique bedroom on a rocky outcrop with your partner – with no walls or a night under the starlit skies with all the comforts of a suite? Or, looking out of the cage into the deep blue sea to view a shark emerging from the murky depths?

A South African style romantic vacation can be as laid-back or as active, as you would like it to be. You can go on a safari, indulge in adventure activities, enjoy a city break, relax by the beach or sample delicious food and wine. Breathtaking landscapes, awe-inspiring wildlife, warm local hospitality, rich history and culture come together to weave unforgettable memories. There is the formidable and astoundingly beautiful Drakensberg Mountain Range in KwaZulu-Natal – as well as the wild stretches of bushveld in Mpumalanga, Limpopo and the North West provinces. The Free State offers big skies and homegrown hospitality and the Northern Cape's mesmerizing lunar landscapes offer a new way to interpret romance.

Read on to find out where you can enjoy the best expert-recommended dates in South Africa:

Cuddle by Coffee Bay: Nestled within the Wild Coast of the Eastern Cape Province is Coffee Bay – a beautiful coastal town that draws in enormous interest from visitors due to its unspoilt beaches and rich, traditional Xhosa lifestyle. The Coffee Bay is also widely known for the Hole in the Wall, a geographical marvel that rests within its gates. It is an offshore stack of rock through which the elements have eroded a hole; this hole amplifies the sound of the waves onto the rock, inspiring the local Xhosa people to name it esiKhaleni which means ‘place of sound’.

Explore Winelands by the Moonlight - Experience the cape winelands from a completely different perspective lit by moonlight! A trail by moonlight on horseback will take you back in time and offer a truly magical experience in the Witzenberg Valley. Just 90 minutes from Cape Town, away from city, lights, and pollution – you will be blown away by the brightness of the moon and be fascinated by your very own moon shadow.

Live it up in East London: A contemporary setting and a laidback charm gives East London a distinctive identity. Well-travelled Indians would appreciate this picturesque city, still untouched by tourist commercialization as the perfect solution for leisurely vacations clubbed with a variety of adventure experiences in very untouched natural settings. East London is also one of the few places where one can see the White Lion at the Inkwenkezi National Park.

Hot Air Ballooning in Gauteng: You rise ever so slowly into the sky and drift gently in the wind. A hot air ballooning adventure is a low-anxiety adventure which will take you to an emotional high as you look down like a bird in flight at the landscape that unravels below. And tradition requires that a hot air balloon flight ends with a toast of sparkling wine. Say cheers to a good time!

Overnight at a Luxury Game Reserve: There is nothing quite as stirring as the sight of a lion, elephant or rhino roaming free in the bush; as haunting as the sound of a hyena laughing in the dead of night; as electrifying as the tension one feels when following spoor along a dry riverbed.  This is what makes the Game Reserve experience so memorable. Day and night safaris in open safari vehicles, led by highly trained Game Rangers and qualified Trackers, follow the animals on and off-road, deep into the heart of the wild African bushveld. The quaint, luxurious properties offered by these reserves are only an added bonus!

Elgi Equipments Ltd, Posts A PAT Of Rs. 41.73 Crores For The Third Quarter 2021-22

Elgi Equipments Ltd, manufacturer of air compressors, posted a PAT of Rs. 41.73 Crores for the December 2021 quarter, compared to Rs. 34.61 Crores in the same period in 2020-21, on a consolidated basis. The standalone PAT for the quarter was Rs. 45.78 Crores as compared to Rs. 33.47 Crores in the same period in 2020-21.

Consolidated sales for the quarter was Rs. 656 Crores as against Rs. 547 Crores in the corresponding quarter in 2020-21. Standalone sales for the quarter was Rs. 409 Crores compared to Rs.323 Crores for the same quarter in 2020-21.

Except for the Australia where the impact of COVID was more pronounced, the Company performed well in India and other international markets. The Company’s automotive business also performed well.

Outlook for the fourth quarter -2021-22

The Company expects to deliver moderate growth over the corresponding period of the last financial year.

About ELGi: Elgi Equipments Limited is a global air compressor manufacturer with a broad line of innovative and technologically superior compressed air systems. ELGi has consistently worked towards ensuring that its customers achieve their productivity goals while keeping the cost of ownership low. ELGi offers a complete range of compressed air solutions from oil lubricated and oil free rotary screw compressors, oil lubricated and oil free reciprocating compressors and centrifugal compressors, to dryers, filters and downstream accessories. The company’s portfolio of over 400 products has found wide application across industries. For further information on the organisation and its products, please visit http://www.elgi.com

Tata AIA Life & Neeraj Chopra Redefine The Meaning Of Trust

* Launches unique campaign ‘Bharosa’ to emphasize significance of trusting the right insurance partner

Tata AIA Life Insurance (Tata AIA Life), one of India’s leading Life Insurance Companies unveiled its latest digital brand campaign ‘#TataAIAKaBharosa’, highlighting the significance of trust when it comes to taking the right decisions in life about securing one’s financial future. 

Tata AIA Life’s ‘#TataAIAKaBharosa’ campaign highlights the significance of trust, especially when planning for one’s financial future with life insurance. While trust can mean different things to different people, this digital first campaign captures the core idea of trust from an athlete’s perspective. It provides a glimpse into Neeraj Chopra’s trust in his javelin and training regime to succeed in the Olympics. The film creates a synergy between the trust placed by the athelete on his training and equipments and the trust placed on Tata AIA Life by consumers when choosing to invest in life insurance. 

The narrative is woven through the eyes of Tata AIA Life’s brand ambassador, Neeraj Chopra, and his journey from a talented, hard-working athlete into a global champion and pays tribute to the trusted enablers that were instrumental in this achievement. The film ends with the message from Neeraj where he urges people to believe in themselves and take help from trusted enablers, similar to how he trusts Tata AIA Life for best in class Protection and Savings solutions.

Venky Iyer, Executive Vice President and Chief Distribution Officer, Tata AIA Life Insurance, said “In life, many of our decisions are not just a result of detailed analysis but an outcome of the trust we place in others or in something. When it comes to solutions such as Life and health insurance, the ‘Trust’ factor becomes even more critical .  Hence, choosing the right brand and solution to ensure the financial security of our loved ones becomes a matter of trusting the one name that will fulfil its promise of protection at all times. Our latest campaign ‘#TataAIAKaBharosa’, highlights the trust that Tata AIA enjoys among its consumers given its rich parent heritage and demonstrated capabilities over 2 decades as a Life Insurer.”

Girish Kalra, Chief Marketing Officer, Tata AIA Life Insurance added, “The film is shot in warm surroundings and shows Neeraj emphasizing on the importance he places on his javelin and technique in getting the maximum throw in. It is an interesting take to show Neeraj in one of those reflective moments in life, away from the action at the field.  In the end, he urges all of us to believe in ourselves and take help of trusted enablers, similar to how he has trusted Tata AIA Life for best in class Protection and Savings solutions.”

Neeraj Chopra, said, “In sport and in life, I am a firm believer in the importance of being well prepared and life insurance is one aspect that can help us plan for future needs related to financial security, family protection and wealth creation. Through this campaign, I want to share the importance of trusting the right life insurance brand in order to secure your and your family's future. I want to urge everyone, especially India’s youth, to think about this and take the steps necessary to ensure that your loved ones are adequately protected for life’s uncertainties.Just like I place trust in the javelin I chose and my equipment to help me win on the field, I believe in Tata AIA Life Insurance to help me plan better for the uncertainties and win at the game of life." 

Over the last two decades of its existence, Tata AIA Life has built the identity of a Trusted Life Insurance solutions provider with its simple and transparent product offerings, customer-oriented service delivery and best-in-class Claim Settlement performance. An internal research recently conducted by Tata AIA Life, indicates that ‘Trust’ is the most dominant attribute in the minds of consumers when they think of Tata AIA Life Insurance.

Neeraj’s association with Tata AIA comes from his own experience and understanding of the need to trust a brand like TATA AIA Life Insurance for adequate life cover. The synonymy between Neeraj’s attritubutes as an athelete and commitment to his sport, highly resonate with Tata AIA Life’s core brand values of consumer centricity and a passion for excellence.

Last year, Tata AIA Life announced a multi-year brand partnership with Neeraj Chopra as its brand ambassador. This association was the first brand partnership to be signed by the champion athlete after his historic Olympic win. Neeraj, who embodies Tata AIA Life's vision of enabling dreams and inspiring healthier and happier lives, will support Tata AIA's efforts in offering the best-in-class life protection and health & wellness solutions to its consumers across the country.

Fernandez Hospital Inaugurates Its Third Human Milk Bank

* Reinforcing its commitment towards breast milk

Fernandez Hospital inaugurated the third human milk bank at its Bogulkunta in-patient facility. This milestone bolsters Fernandez’s comprehensive breastfeeding care services for mothers and newborn, including Kangaroo Mother Care wards, a dedicated lactation helpline, human milk banking and lactation counselling. 

Fernandez Hospital started its first human milk bank in 2007. The milk banks receive approximately 1000 litres of expressed milk annually, which helps over 500 neonates in the NICU.

On the occasion, Dr Pramod G, CEO, Fernandez Foundation, said, “It gives us immense pleasure to announce the inauguration of our third human milk bank. At Fernandez, we are committed to breastfeeding and ensure that every newborn is on mother’s milk. The milk bank services are offered free of cost at our units. We firmly believe that every Neonatal Intensive Care Unit should be equipped with human milk banking facility.

Dr Tejo Pratap, HOD, Neonatology, said, “Some mothers face challenges in establishing and maintaining an adequate supply of milk. Our quality improvement initiative studies have shown that comprehensive breastfeeding care services, which includes educating the mother, supporting them for milk expression, and facilitating mother-infant interaction through Kangaroo Mother Care and other family-centred care initiatives, help improve and sustain milk output. Human milk banks are vital for coordinating and providing comprehensive breastfeeding services.”  

Human milk banks at Fernandez receive milk from donor mothers with excessive milk production after meeting the needs of their own babies and having undergone careful screening for underlying health conditions. Expressed milk is then refrigerated in special containers. This milk is then pasteurized, screened for infections, and stored in a deep freezer. When the need arises, the frozen milk is thawed and fed to a newborn.

About Fernandez Foundation: Fernandez Foundation is a not-for-profit healthcare organization committed to equitable and respectful care for women & children and is the parent organization to Fernandez Hospitals, Fernandez Outpatient Clinics, Stork Home and Fernandez Child Development Centre. 

For more information, visit - https://www.fernandez.foundation