Sona Comstar collaborates with NASSCOM to enhance digital skills of their employees through FutureSkills Prime

Sona Comstar collaborates with NASSCOM to enhance digital skills of their employees through FutureSkills Prime

Hyderabad, 13 October 2021: Sona BLW Precision Forgings Limited (Sona Comstar), India’s leading automotive technology company, is collaborating with FutureSkills Prime – a MeitY-NASSCOM Digital Skilling Initiative to upskill its employees/workforce in cutting edge digital technologies with industry-relevant and government recognized curriculum based courses.

FutureSkills Prime is the first-of-its-kind public-private cooperation between the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and NASSCOM to create a digital skilling ecosystem for India’s citizens. The objective is to reskill/upskill graduates and professionals in emerging technologies and professional skills to make India a global digital talent nation in the coming years.

Sona Comstar aims to upskill its employees to be ready to face the digital revolution across multiple functional areas. FutureSkills Prime is dedicated to advising and encouraging Indian professionals to play motivating, valuable, and purposeful roles in a future brimming with opportunities made possible by cutting-edge digital technologies.

Mr. Vivek Vikram Singh, Group CEO, Sona Comstar commenting on the initiative, said, “We are proud to be the part of the enterprise by Government of India and NASSCOM. As the world, especially manufacturing, rapidly transitions from the Industrial Age to the digital age, the skills required have also evolved. The advancement of technology and digital transformation compels up-skilling as the natural progression towards a promising future. As an automotive technology leader, it is our endeavor to up-skill our workforce at this juncture.”.

Mr. Kiran Manohar Deshmukh, CTO, Sona Comstar, said, “We are rapidly moving towards digital transformation. A lot of the workforce is not prepared for change at such a scale, and we need to reskill our workforce—especially managers, engineers, and executives—according to the changing needs of the industry.” He further added, “The digital transformation will not only be rapid, but it will also proliferate across all facets of manufacturing. Therefore, there is a need to have ‘digital literacy’ among the entire workforce. Going forward, we also plan to work with NASSCOM to develop and curate the content suitable for the shop floor employees and other front-line associates in the manufacturing sector.”

FutureSkills Prime promotes skilling through Foundation, Bridge and Deep Skilling courses across technologies. The focus remains on digital technologies like Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, IoT, Cloud Security, Python, Design Thinking, etc., and few soft skills like Creativity, Critical Thinking, etc. NASSCOM will continue to provide some new content regularly throughout the program.

On the collaboration, Mr. Navanit Samaiyar, Head, Market Development and Learner Success, NASSCOM FutureSkills said, “With technology proliferating industries, and the world moving towards digitized existence, it is essential that we arm the workforce across sectors to be future-ready with critical tech & professional skills. Upskilling in emerging technology is an armour that the workforce needs to not just meet the challenges of a digital-first world but to thrive in it. This initiative, by Sona Comstar, to upskill their workforce is a first in the automobile industry. In that respect, Sona Comstar is a visionary leader in recognizing the benefits of enabling a culture of learning tech. This will not only benefit the company but will be an example for others in the automobile industry where tech is already married to automobiles. This partnership will help FutureSkills Prime get closer to the vision of making India a digital talent hub. We are enthused and extend our support to enable the upskilling of the workforce of Sona Comstar in this collaboration.”

About SonaComstar

Sona BLW Precision Forgings Limited (Sona Comstar) is one of India’s leading automotive technology companies. Founded in 1995, it is headquartered in Gurugram, India, and has emerged as a global supplier with nine manufacturing and assembly facilities across India, the USA, Mexico, and China.

Sona Comstar is primarily engaged in designing, manufacturing, and supplying highly engineered, mission-critical automotive systems and components to automotive OEMs. Sona Comstar is a leading supplier to the fast-growing global Electric Vehicle (EV) market. The company has strong R&D, engineering, and technological capabilities in precision forging, mechanical and electrical systems, and base and application software development. It is diversified across geographies, products, vehicle segments, and customers.

Sona Comstar is listed on BSE Ltd (BSE) (Code: SONACOMS/543300) and National Stock Exchange of India Ltd. (NSE) (Symbol: SONACOMS) in India.

About FutureSkills Prime

FutureSkills Prime is the first-of-its kind public-private partnership, between Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology and NASSCOM to build a digital skilling ecosystem for the citizens of India. Its mission is to reskill/upskill professionals in emerging technologies and professional skills, towards a vision of making India a digital talent nation. FutureSkills Prime is committed to guiding and empowering the Indian professionals towards playing exciting, valued, and purposeful roles in a future that has significant possibilities, enabled by new-age digital technologies. In the short journey, FutureSkills Prime has upskilled 4,00,000+ citizens of India, 89 % of whom are youth, thereby contributing towards the vision of making the country a Digital Talent Nation.

Huawei’s Ken Hu Calls on ICT Industry to Work Together on Next Stage of 5G Development

[Dubai, UAE, October 13, 2021] Huawei’s 12th annual Global Mobile Broadband Forum (MBBF) kicked off in Dubai today with a keynote from the company’s Rotating Chairman, Ken Hu.

He spoke on the current state of 5G development and new opportunities moving forward. “In just five years of commercial deployment, 5G has provided a considerable upgrade in mobile experience for consumers, and it’s already starting to empower different industries around the globe. Progress was much faster than we expected, especially in terms of the subscriber base, network coverage, and the sheer number of 5G terminals on the market.”

Hu outlined three areas of opportunity that will drive the next stage of 5G’s growth, including XR services, the B2B market, and low-carbon development.

Ken Hu

Ken Hu speaking on 5G development at MBBF 2021

The current state of global 5G development

There are currently 176 commercial 5G networks around the globe, serving more than 500 million subscribers. In the consumer space, average 5G download speeds are roughly 10 times greater than 4G, which has fueled broader adoption of applications like VR and 360º broadcasting. In the enterprise space, there are already 10,000 projects exploring B2B applications of 5G (5GtoB) around the world. 5G applications in industries like manufacturing, mining, and ports have already passed trial and are being replicated at scale.

While progress has been steady, Hu noted that there are still some areas for improvement. “Right now more than half of these 10,000 5GtoB projects are in China. We have a huge number of use cases already, but we need to build more sustainable business cases.”

He went on to speak of broader changes that will have a long-term impact on the ICT industry, including accelerated digital transformation caused by the pandemic, how cloud and AI have become must-haves for all organizations, and how the world is taking climate change more seriously. “These trends provide many opportunities for our industry,” he said. “But they also create some challenges. There are a few things we can do to get ready.”

First, the industry needs to get networks, devices, and content ready for explosive growth in Extended Reality (XR). To support a smooth cloud-based XR experience, networks need to provide download speeds faster than 4.6 Gbit/s with latency no greater than 10 milliseconds. “Last year,” noted Hu, “we released our goals for 5.5G. And we believe they will help address this challenge.”

On the device side, lowering barriers to headset adoption is critical to reaching a tipping point in virtual reality, one of the key technologies in the Extended Reality repertoire of AR, VR, and MR. “To reach [this tipping point], we have to make improvements to both headsets and content. For headsets, people want devices that are smaller, lighter, and more affordable.” To enrich the content ecosystem, Hu called on the industry to provide cloud platforms and tools that simplify content development, which is notoriously difficult and expensive.

Second, telecom operators need to enhance their networks and develop new capabilities to get ready for 5GtoB. A strong network is key to 5G applications for industrial use, so operators need to keep making improvements to network capabilities such as uplink, positioning, and sensing. As industrial scenarios are much more complex than consumer scenarios, O&M can be a real challenge. To help, Huawei is developing autonomous networks that bring intelligence to all aspects of 5G networks, from planning and construction to maintenance and optimization.

Digital transformation also requires different roles. In addition to providing connectivity, operators can also serve as cloud service providers, systems integrators, and more, and develop the requisite capabilities. To drive broader adoption of 5G in industries, developing industry-specific telecoms standards is also important. In China, operators, together with their industry partners, have begun working on standards for applying 5G in industries like coal mining, steel, and electric power, and this has helped to fuel greater adoption within these sectors.

“Beyond technology,” concluded Hu, “these are some of the intangible strengths that won’t provide immediate profit, but will be key to long-term competitiveness in the 5GtoB market.”

Third, the industry needs to get ready to go green. According to the World Economic Forum, by 2030, digital technology can help reduce global carbon emissions by at least 15%. “On one hand,” said Hu, “we have a great opportunity to help all industries cut emissions and improve power efficiency with digital technology. On the other hand, we have to recognize that our industry has a growing carbon footprint, and we have to take steps to improve that. Right now Huawei is using new materials and algorithms to lower the power consumption of our products, and we’re remodeling sites, and optimizing power management in our data centers for greater efficiency.”

“We have seen so many changes in the past two years – with the pandemic, technology, business and the economy,” Hu concluded. “Moving forward, as the world begins to recover, we need to recognize the opportunities in front of us and get ready for them. Get our technology ready, get our businesses ready, and get our capabilities ready.”

The Global Mobile Broadband Forum 2021 is hosted by Huawei, together with its industry partners GSMA and the SAMENA Telecommunications Council. The forum gathers mobile network operators, vertical industry leaders, and ecosystem partners from around the world to discuss how to maximize the potential of 5G and push the mobile industry forward.

For more information, please visit: https://www.huawei.com/en/events/mbbf2021

Punjab National Bank Reduces Gold Loan Rates

Hyderabad/Delhi, October 13, 2021: Adding cheer to the festive season, Punjab National Bank (PNB) has come up with a range of deals and offers, making its banking services and transactions more attractive than ever before. As part of the new scheme, the bank has slashed the interest rate on loans against gold jewellery and Sovereign Gold Bond by 145 basis points to bring more joy to its customers.

PNB now offers loans against Sovereign Gold Bond (SGB) at 7.20% and loans against gold jewellery at 7.30%.

Additionally, PNB has slashed the home loan rate which now starts from 6.60%, while customers can avail car loans starting from 7.15% and personal loans from 8.95%, one of the lowest in the industry.

During the festive season, PNB is also offering a full waiver of service charges/processing fee on the loans against gold jewellery and SGB, similar to home loans and vehicle loans announced recently.

The bank has also slashed the margin on home loans. Hence, home loan seekers can now avail of loans up to 80% of the property’s value without any upper ceiling on the loan amount.

With the reduction in interest rate and zero processing fee, funds are available at a very competitive rate on a range of retail loan products offered by PNB during this season.

Must Buy Home Decor and Furniture on Amazon.in available during Great Indian Festival for a Budget Makeover

Bengaluru, 13 October 2021: With festive season officially kicking in, it’s time to start planning for a house refresh. This year, brighten up your home with festive home décor including decorators, planters, cushions and much more to make it truly reflect your personal style.

For new furniture and mattresses, customers can conveniently shop for reliable products as Amazon.in Quality Verified Program offers a worry-free purchase with quality assurance on a wide range of products that undergo inspections on 20+ quality parameters such as workmanship, product functionality, stability and many more. This program covers a large selection of furniture including beds, mattresses, sofas & recliners, dining sets, entertainment units, wardrobes, tables, chairs, shoe racks, bookshelves etc. Customers can additionally enjoy a minimum 1-year warranty and be assured of getting exactly what they see on Amazon on products under the Quality Verified program, adding more value to their purchase.

Here are some products customers can choose from on Amazon.in during the Great Indian Festival to brighten up the festivities.

Home Décor

• Home Centre Heritage Printed Decor Bowl with Buddha Figurine: Adorned by a printed design and a Buddha figurine in the centre, this round bowl is a great addition to your living room decor for a refreshing appeal this festive season. Place this alongside your sofa and enhance the overall interior of your home front. It is available for INR 1,599.
• Polyresin Human face showpiece: Decorate your table or your dressing table with this elegant looking showpiece. Available at INR 1,424.
• Cushion cover set of 5: Get home this festive looking set of cushions which are perfect for both indoor and outdoor décor. They are ideal for sofa, chair, couch, bed, car seats and more. The vibrant and beautiful shades can brighten up any space of your house. You can buy it on Amazon.in for INR 569.
• Gold Metal hanging planters: Enhance the look of your living room/dinning space/balcony with this set of metallic hanging planters which brings tranquillity to your space. These decorative planters are sure to add bundles of charm to your space. Beautifully detailed, they feature round pots in gold finish and metal strings for easy hanging. It is available for INR 1,450.
• Hanging Planter Crystal Glass, Tea Lights Candle Holder: Enhance the appearance of your room by hanging this whimsical glass terrarium – candle holder with a hook or with string for a unique home decorative accent or as a perfect glass ecosystem for your house plant. Perfectly shaped and sized for air plants, sand, moss, tea light or votive candles. Unveil your creative side with these fun terrariums. Use a single terrarium or arrange a group along your wall or hang to create an amazing illuminating light or garden display. It is available for INR 2,490.

Furniture

• Duroflex LiveIn – Pressure Relieving, Memory Foam, Roll Pack, 6 Inch King Size Medium Firm Mattress with Superior Comfort and Anti Microbial Fabric: Live out of the box with luxury memory foam mattresses, which is anti-microbial and keeps you protected from bacteria, fungi, and dust mites. LiveIn’s pressure-relieving memory foam naturally moulds to the shape of your body for a luxurious feel and cradled support. It is available on Amazon.in for INR 10,659.
• Spacewood Riva Queen Size Engineered wood Bed Without Storage: Add comfort, luxury and style to your bedroom with this Spacewood Riva Queen Bed that comes in premium natural wenge finish featuring an elegant design. This queen bed has surpassed 20+ quality and safety tests. It is free from burrs and sharp edges as well as toxins and harmful chemicals, providing enhanced safety for your family and small children. Get this for INR 13,039.
• Home Centre Emily 5 Seater Fabric Sectional Sofa Set (Brown): Bring comfort and durability into your living room with this sofa set. It is lighter with a smooth finish, ensuring consistency and aesthetic look. It has combination of pocket spring & high-resilience foam in the seats to provide suitable comfort. The sofa also has solid wood legs for greater strength and longer durability. It is available for INR 32,950.
• Home Centre Diana Beechwood Veneer Finish 4-Seater Dining Table with 2 Chairs and 1 Small Bench (Beige, Walnut): Get this modern age dining furniture that has eye catching arrangements, and made of beech wood. The solid wood has been stained, covered with a protective layer, fumigated and the excess moisture content is eliminated which protection against any kind of mite infestation. Get this for INR 14,950.

Check out the whole collection here (https://www.amazon.in/l/976442031)

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. The deals and discounts are provided by sellers and/ or brands to the total exclusion of Amazon.

Disclaimer: Product descriptions, features and deals are provided by sellers and reproduced as-is.

Routesms Solutions FZE signs SPA to acquire stake in Interteleco International

Routesms Solutions FZE (“RSL FZE”), UAE, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Route Mobile Limited signs the share purchase agreement (“SPA”) to acquire a stake in Kuwait based mobile communication service provider Interteleco International for Modern Communication Services (Limited Liability Company), Kuwait (“Interteleco”), to expand its strong CPaaS capabilities in Kuwait.

Mumbai, India, October 12, 2021: Routesms Solutions FZE (“RSL FZE”), UAE, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Route Mobile Limited (“Route Mobile”), one of the leading cloud communication platform service providers to enterprises, over-the-top (“OTT”) players, and mobile network operators, today announced that it has signed a SPA for the acquisition of 49% (legal shareholding/effective ownership) of the total outstanding equity share capital of Interteleco along with additional 41% of economic & beneficial interest (including profits, dividends, voting and distributions) of Interteleco. Interteleco is engaged in the business of modern communication services and integrated services for mobile communication. This acquisition will help establish Route Mobile’s direct presence in Kuwait and thus augment its business horizons and integrate its business verticals in Kuwait.

Interteleco is into the business of modern communication services and integrated services for mobile communication in Kuwait. Its services include mobile app services, payment solutions, communication services, chatbot, and conversational AI among others. It caters to a variety of industries including telecommunications, financial accounting, inventory management, e-commerce, and project management service companies.

Rajdipkumar Gupta, Managing Director and Group CEO, Route Mobile Limited, said, “Route Mobile has been a communication enabler in the GCC, and this acquisition further reinforces our commitment in bringing global personalized communication solutions to businesses in the region.”

Mr. Hussain Ali Falah Al-Shehry Al-Rashidi, Founder, Interteleco said, “It’s an exciting time for us, as this new association culminates our efforts in building a strong portfolio catering to businesses in Kuwait.” He further added, “Companies on the path to digital transformation require access to innovative solutions that would help them to connect with their customers. They can now capitalize on both Interteleco’s broad understanding of the region’s localized requirements and business complexities and Route Mobile’s CPaaS-driven solutions to offer next-level experiences to their customers.”

Subject to the fulfillment of conditions precedent provided in the definitive agreements, the acquisition is expected to be completed within the next two months.

About Interteleco:

Interteleco is into the business of modern communication services and integrated services for mobile communication in Kuwait. Its services include mobile app services, payment solutions, communication services, chatbot, and conversational AI among others. It caters to a variety of industries including telecommunications, financial accounting, inventory management, e-commerce, and project management service companies.

About Route Mobile Limited:

Established in 2004, Route Mobile Limited (“RML”) is a cloud communications platform service provider, catering to enterprises, over-the-top (OTT) players, and mobile network operators (MNO). RML’s portfolio comprises solutions in messaging, voice, email, SMS filtering, analytics, and monetization. RML has a diverse enterprise client base across a broad range of industries including social media companies, banks and financial institutions, e-commerce entities, and travel aggregators. RML is headquartered in Mumbai, India with a global presence in the Asia Pacific, Middle East, Africa, Europe, and North America.

IndiaRF Announces INR 310 crore (USD 42 million) Investment in Primacy Industries Limited

Mumbai, India | October 13, 2021: India Resurgence Fund (“IndiaRF”), a joint venture between Piramal Enterprises Limited and Bain Capital Credit, today announced an equity investment of INR 310 crore (USD 42 million) in Primacy Industries Limited (“Primacy”). The investment proceeds will be used towards strengthening the balance sheet of Primacy and providing fresh capital to fuel its ambitious growth plans.

Primacy is a leading manufacturer in the fast-growing contracting business for fragrance-based consumer products in air care, personal care and health & hygiene categories. With an operating footprint across India, U.S., Europe, Middle East and Australian markets, Primacy caters to some of the largest retailers and CPG companies in the U.S., Europe and India. Primacy has an established track record of providing innovative solutions based on latest fragrance and design trends. On the back of its manufacturing, design strengths, reliable and collaborative supply chain, Primacy is well positioned to provide various product solutions to meet the demands of global brands and private labels.

Commenting on the investment, Shantanu Nalavadi, Managing Director, IndiaRF said, “We are excited to partner with Primacy and its management team to tap into significant growth and M&A opportunities in the fragrance-based consumer product manufacturing space. India is amongst the lowest cost manufacturing destinations globally and we see huge potential for a high quality, global platform like Primacy to benefit from greater manufacturing outsourcing opportunities in fragrance & allied consumer product categories. IndiaRF continues to stay focused on partnering with businesses with strong fundamentals and solid management teams to augment their balance sheets and provide growth capital.”

Gautham Pai, Chairman, Primacy Industries Limited said, “We are delighted to partner with IndiaRF and look forward to work together to build a global consumer goods manufacturing platform. Investment from IndiaRF will allow us to leverage their experience in bringing in operational excellence and accelerate our ambitious growth trajectory with best in class performance and profitability standards”.

About India Resurgence Fund (IndiaRF)

India Resurgence Fund (“IndiaRF”), a joint venture between Piramal Enterprises Limited and Bain Capital Credit, invests capital in the form of both debt and equity. IndiaRF looks to invest in companies that have fundamentally strong growth prospects linked to infrastructure and consumption needs of India and are competitive on cost and quality in the export markets. IndiaRF is committed to creating value for all stakeholders. For more information, please visit: http://www.indiarf.com

About Primacy Industries Limited:

Established in 2005, Primacy Industries Ltd. has successfully managed to grow and evolve from a single plant operation in retailer branded (private label) candles to a leading independent manufacturer in the home fragrance sector. It has established its dominance in the previously fragmented fragrance industry through a combination of tested strategies and tactical add-on acquisitions. With extensive operations based in Mangalore and Gujarat, Primacy caters to some of the largest retailers in the U.S. and Europe. Primacy is also a leading contract manufacturing player in air care, personal care, home care and health & hygiene for some of the largest CPG companies in India.