Abof Brings SKULT India’s Athleisure Fashion Brand By Shahid Kapoor

abof has announced the launch of India’s first athleisure fashion brand, SKULT, exclusively on its portal. This brand is in partnership with actor Shahid Kapoor, who has built an iconic reputation amongst India’s youth through movies such as Udta Punjab, Haider, and Jab We Met. SKULT, built on the principle of ‘Fashion meets functionality and Design meets Innovation’, is an evolvedstyle of athleisure which draws inspiration from all around the world but adapted for Indian sensibilities and body types.

Athleisure is a huge trend globally. It is a completely new genre of fashion being introduced by abof to Indian millennials in its continued efforts to be a differentiated player in a market cluttered with discounts. In athleisure, clothes are designed to be sturdy to withstand vigorous routines, yet they are trendy and versatile to be worn everywhere. The fashion needs of millennials have changed in last one decade where comfort wear has permeated in routine life. Youth in India today wants to dress down in everyday wear which is casual yet chic. Identifying the void in Indian wardrobes and taking the idea forward, abof.com has taken this street-wear hybrid trend to next level with the launch of SKULT which stands for Shahid + Cult. SKULT’s athleisure collection is unconventional, highly voguish, yet easy to carry and more importantly reminds consumer something about Shahid’s personality in each of its piece.

The atypical ‘Athleisure’ collection by Skult has been designed in-house by abof and has taken more than a year to work on this brand and its products. Commenting on his idea of SKULT, Shahid said, “Skult is about free styling. Skult is about fashion and functionality. Skult is about being yourself wherever you are. It's about apparel that's an extension of your body. That allows you to express yourself with no restrictions or rules. Sometimes clothes that are cool feel too restricting. This line sets you free. Own style. Don't let style restrict you”.

The collection of SKULT is absolutely enthralling with never before seen silhouettes and designs. SKULT is crafted to suit all occasions - work, casual or social.  There is no other brand in India that offers anything even remotely close to the range of SKULT. The collection has strong emphasis on black, grey, nude and monochromatic tones. The offbeat, yet trendy brand has a wide variety of merchandise for men in its launch season with over 250 options, which includes internationally trending categories like meggings and shackets. Apart from bringing these never-heard-before categories in India, even the regular categories have intricate detailing - like thumb holes, drop shoulder jackets, scoop hem tees, long line tees with drawcord - which makes the collection really stand out. SKULT has used high-performance yet very lightweight fabrics - cotton viscose, slub jersey, grindles, melanges, snow heather, terry, lycra denim, cotton satin, and popcorn knit – with the single-minded objective to make it really comfortable. The line also consists of 50 key pieces under ‘SKULT SIGNATURE’ where each piece has been crafted by the actor himself.

“Shahid is a youth icon who is admired for his style. We are extremely excited to partner with him in creating India’s first athleisure fashion brand which combines the actor’s love for ‘fun and comfortable’ dressing", said Kedar Apshankar, Deputy CEO,abof.com. “Athleisure is the new age clothing and we believe that comfort twined with hi-class fashion will take SKULT to great heights. The collection is exceptionally promising and refreshingly on-point. I am confident that this brand and its collection will be embraced by millennials and replace a large part of regular clothes in their wardrobes”, he added.

Heavy Duty Concreel HD Cement Now From JSW Cement

With its unceasing efforts in expanding its horizons and giving something new and beneficial to the society, JSW Cement, one of India’s leading cement has added to its foray, a superior quality product called as Concreel HD -One Cement Six Strengths. It is an environmental friendly green product. JSW Cement launched this cement earlier in Cochin City

 ‘Concreel HD’, a unique cement specially designed for all your concrete based construction requirements. Concreel HD provides exceptional early and final strength along with quick setting thus making it ideal for strength bearing applications such as beams, columns, slabs and foundations.

Speaking on the occasion Parth Jindal, MD- JSW Cement Ltd said,”JSW Cement has come a long way right from its inception till date. Exploring opportunities and expanding its market size, today, we are proud to be introducing this product to the south market which is a highly opportunistic region for us to step up our growth. With this investment, we hope to achieve another milestone to the progress of JSW Cement in the cement industry.”

A result of world class manufacturing process, Concreel HD is an environmentally friendly product with improved chemical resistance and superior cohesion, thereby providing more durability and increased safety to your structure. Therefore, Concreel HD is the perfect solution to all your concrete based construction needs.

JSW Cement has been doing very well in the South and to add to its excellence JSW Cement has launched the Concreel HD cement which will help the company to add more to its turnover which will in turn help the company to grow leading to its expansion and diversification.

Few advantages of Concreel HD are-

ü  High early strength

ü  Most Durable

ü  Quick Setting

ü  Resistant to chemical attack

ü  Superior cohesion
ü  Green product

Aston Martin DB11 Priced in India at Rs 4.2 Crore; Showcased in Bengaluru

The Aston Martin DB11 has launched in India at Rs 4.2 crores (ex-showroom Delhi). After the display of the car initially in Mumbai earlier this month, Bengaluru was the second stop for the luxury car at the ITC Gardenia this week.

The Aston Martin DB11 is the first series production Aston to be powered by a twin-turbo engine. The Aston Martin DB11 was previewed with the Aston Martin DB10 that was created for the James Bond film ‘Spectre’ and is the first model of the company’s ‘second century’ expansion plan. The Marek Reichman-led design team has made the new flagship sports car more swanky and athletic compared to the DB9.

The Aston Martin DB11 is 50 mm longer and 28 mm wider compared to the DB9. The wheelbase has been elongated by 65 mm to mount the new 5.2-litre V12 engine. The DB11 is the first series production Aston Martin to feature a twin-turbo engine. Developing 608 PS and 700 Nm of torque, this unit makes the DB11 capable of doing 0-62 mph (0-100 km/h) in just 3.9 seconds and onward to a top speed of 200 mph (322 km/h). There’s an 8-speed automatic transmission handling the delivery duties.

The Aston Martin DB11 can reach 0-62 mph (0-100 km/h) in 3.9 seconds and hit a top speed of 200 mph (322 km/h).

Key features of the Aston Martin DB11 are, fully-digital instrument cluster with all-LED headlights with daytime running lights and low-speed cornering lights, 20-inch wheels, LED tail lights, 12-inch full-colour TFT LCD display, 8-inch TFT screen for the infotainment system, Bang and Olufsen audio system, parallel and bay park assistance and a 360-degree birds-eye camera.

Diageo’s New Business Service Centre in Karle Town Goes Live From October 17, 2016

Diageo, a global leader in beverage alcohol, is extending its shared services operations into India by opening a new Business Services Centre in Bangalore which will start operations on 17 October 2017. To be known as Diageo Business Services India (DBSI), it will initially build a global (Diageo) Finance & Accounting footprint. Situated at the Karle Town Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Bangalore, this centre promises to create great career opportunities for business professionals, particularly in the fields of Finance and Accounting, and plans to move fast into other areas such as Business Intelligence, Analytics and Data Services amongst others. The centre is expected to employ around 1000 people by the end of 2017.

DBSI, a new entrant to India’s global in-house centre (GIC) community, is looking to create a distinctive identity in the market. “The essence of our culture rests on two fundamental pillars,” commented Tracey Barnes, Managing Director, DBSI. “ These are ‘how we work’ – in an open, exciting and dynamic culture, where our employees care about doing the right things, the right way and know they can make a difference and second, ‘what we offer’ - opportunities to grow in an environment where the best of Diageo globally meets the best of India. At Diageo culture, diversity and inclusion are integral to our ways of working. We believe that our organisation should fully reflect the communities we work in and serve. This is particularly important in Bangalore where we are creating so many opportunities for great talent and we are aiming for an equal balance of female and male employees.”

Set against this cultural identity, DBSI has already made its presence felt in the market. Testimony to this is the fact that the centre has already marked its first hiring landmark – reaching 100 employees. “We believe in hiring the very best talent who we know can be successful for themselves and in turn drive our business forward. We also want to hire people who identify with the Diageo culture and spirit, with real potential to grow as the business grows. We are creating an open and inclusive culture that values diversity and inspires us to win together.” added Samarpita Banerjee, Head of HR, DBSI.

Currently, DBSI is operating from an incubation centre at Karle Town ahead of moving to a purpose built, state of the art permanent facility, in the same centre, before the end of the calendar year.

USF Launches Second Dr APJ Kalam Postgraduate Fellowship

In celebration of President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam's birth anniversary, the University of South Florida (USF) announced the second Kalam Postgraduate Fellowship today. The Fellowship is for exemplary Indian students seeking to pursue a PhD in specified Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) programmes at USF.

A popular and respected icon for India’s youth, President Kalam was a strong advocate for education and a passionate supporter of clean energy and energy independence. He visited USF in 2012 and is remembered affectionately by the university and the vibrant Indian heritage community in Tampa Bay, Florida.

The Kalam Fellow will receive $18,000 tuition per year. The Provost's Office will pay a nine-month stipend for the first year with the department/college contributing a teaching/research assistantship for up to an additional three years.

The Fellowship was launched in 2015 during the visit of USF Provost Ralph Wilcox to India. USF named Avijit Sengupta, a graduate from IIT-Bombay, as the first Kalam Fellow for the 2016-17 academic year. He is currently pursuing his research at USF’s Muma College of Business. A design researcher from Kolkata, Sengupta has worked at the Center of Social Media Innovation for Communities at the National University of Singapore (NUS). He has conference publications in the United States (twice with the American conference on Information Systems), South Korea and New Zealand.

The deadline for applications for the 2017-18 Kalam Postgraduate Fellowship is January 15, 2017. Full details, eligibility criteria, and application form will be available on www.usf.edu/world by Friday, October 21, 2016. The Fellowship decision will be announced mid-April 2017.

Samsung Invests Rs 1,970 Crore in Noida, Strengthens Make in India

Samsung India Electronics has announced expansion of its Noida plant with an investment of Rs 1,970 crore, strengthening its commitment to ‘Make in India’ and ‘Make for India’.

The Government of Uttar Pradesh approved the investment by Samsung India Electronics under Super Mega A by the state’s Cabinet Committee in Lucknow today. A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary, Rahul Bhatnagar and HC Hong, President and CEO, Samsung India Electronics, in the presence of Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav.

Speaking on the occasion, Akhilesh Yadav, said, “Noida is the symbol of Uttar Pradesh and India’s industrialization and growth ever since the economic liberalisation twenty years ago. Samsung has been our partner in this growth right since 1996. It has created thousands of jobs, supported business, developed the service sector, and helped give global recognition to Noida. Today’s MoU is yet another step in converting Noida into the electronics hub of India. I am happy Samsung is pioneering this transformation yet again.”

HC Hong, President and CEO of Samsung India, said, “In line with our commitment to ‘Make in India’ and living by our promise to ‘Make for India’, we are pleased to receive the Uttar Pradesh Government’s approval to invest in the state and expand our manufacturing base here in India. As digitization expands across the country, we are witnessing an increase in the adoption of electronic devices, appliances and mobile phones. A bigger and more robust manufacturing facility will help us address the needs and demands of our growing customer base across the country and the region. We plan to further the Samsung innovation promise across our Refrigerator, Mobile and LED TV range, offering the latest and best of the world to our customers.”

Samsung started its Noida plant in 1996 and continues to provide cutting edge technology and enriching experiences for customers across India from the Noida plant, with a large ecosystem of suppliers in the National Capital Region. As a responsible citizen, Samsung is involved in community development around the facility at Noida and across the state of Uttar Pradesh through contributions to education, skill development and healthcare initiatives.

In a journey that started in 1995, Samsung set new benchmarks in innovation led manufacturing and consumer marketing, and established itself as a truly national brand. Along the way, it effectively consolidated its position in India with two factories, three RnD centres and a design centre, employing over 40,000 people and establishing the largest sales and service network by any company in the country. By not only fulfilling its commitment to ‘Make in India’, but also living its promise of ‘Make for India’, Samsung has emerged as a truly Indian company at heart.

Manipal Fertility Bags FROST AND SULLIVAN’S 2016’ India Fertility Service Provider of the Year Award

Manipal Fertility part of Manipal Hospitals, one of India’s leading names in the Healthcare sector has been conferred with ‘Frost and Sullivan’s 2016’ India Fertility Service Provider of the year award in specialty chain of centers category.

This award is conferred to an organization that reflects continuous growth through execution of innovative strategy within the existing landscape of competition. The factors considered to determine the winner is to evaluate growth strategy, customer satisfaction, high success rates, growth innovation, leadership in customer value and leadership in market penetration.

Speaking on the occasion Dr. (Capt) Sandeep Sharma , Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Manipal Fertility said’ “ It’s a momentous occasion for Manipal Fertility as we always strive towards excellence. Manipal Fertility clearly displays a strong passion toward serving the patients in need through clinical expertise, R&D, modern techniques and adoption of state-of-the-art technologies to maximize the chances of success in Assisted Reproductive Techniques.”

Manipal Fertility’s key differentiators lie in its comprehensive services with primary focus on female infertility and also specialized focus on male infertility and sexual medicine, apart from infrastructure at par with international standards; cutting-edge technology to maximize success rates; qualified and experienced pool of consultants, embryologists, technicians and counsellors.