ABB LTD
ABB Power Grids and Ashok Leyland team up for greener electric buses
Development by Ashok Leyland of new electric buses using ABB’s world’s fastest flash-charging technology to advance urban mobility while cutting carbon emissions
Ashok Leyland, flagship of Hinduja Group, and ABB Power Products and Systems India Limited have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in the public e-mobility space, to expand the ecosystem for efficient and greener electric bus transportation systems in India. The MoU outlines a partnership to develop a pilot electric bus based on ABB’s innovative flash-charge technology, TOSA, which tops up the battery in just seconds while passengers get on and off the bus. This avoids the need to take the vehicle out of service for recharging every few hours or having a replacement bus ready, thus minimizing the size of the fleet while increasing passenger carrying capacity.
“We are pushing the boundaries of e-mobility with our flash-charging technology TOSA for buses to contribute to a cleaner, greener, and sustainable future. The aim is to provide a zero local emission mass public transportation bus system with high passenger capacity. We are pleased to be working with Ashok Leyland in advancing responsible urban mobility,” said Mr. N. Venu, Managing Director, ABB Power Products and Systems India Limited (ABB Power Grids’ business in India).
The Indian Government is promoting the use of electric vehicles (EVs), in some cases planning on mandating it, to reach 30 per cent penetration of EVs by 2030. For operators, the switch to electric is a big ask. Their primary challenge with battery-operated buses is to maximise passenger load carrying capacity and running time to make the whole operation economically viable as well as sustainable for the future.
To solve this problem, Ashok Leyland – India’s largest bus manufacturer, and the fourth largest manufacturer of buses in the world – will develop and manufacture electric buses with ABB’s award-winning TOSA flash-charging technology along with operational support and service.
GAIL (India) Limited
Giving a major boost to development of natural gas grid in North East India, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, today approved Viability Gap Funding/ Capital Grant of - 60% of the estimated cost of Rs. 9,265 crore for the project to Indradhanush Gas Grid Limited (IGGL).
The North East Gas Grid project is being implemented by IGGL, a Joint Venture company of five CPSEs (GAIL, IOCL, ONGC, OIL and NRL). The total length of the pipeline is planned to be 1,656 km and will be built at estimated cost of Rs. 9,265 crore (Including interest during construction). It will cover eight states of the North-Eastern region i.e., Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura.
The Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas will identify milestones for major activities for this project and link the same for releases of capital grant of the project.
For effective monitoring of the project implementation, a Committee comprising of officials from Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas, Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Development of North East Region, Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, and Department of Fertilizers will be formed, which would periodically review the progress in implementation of the project and take steps to smoothen out any issues in execution.
IGGL will enhance availability of natural gas in North East and ensure uninterrupted supply of natural gas to industries, domestic consumers and for transport purposes to establish a clean fuel led economy.
The North East Gas Grid will get the natural gas supply from GAIL’s Barauni - Guwahati pipeline, which is a part of Jagdishpur — Haldia & Bokaro — Dhamra Natural Gas Pipeline Project, popularly known as ‘Pradhan Mantri Urja Ganga’.
Expressing gratitude to the Government for the crucial decision to approve Capital Grant to IGGL, GAIL Chairman & Managing Director Dr. Ashutosh Karnatak said it would boost the gas based industries in North East India. He said GAIL-has already enabled an online portal through which third parties can easily book Common Carrier capacity for natural gas transmission services under GAIL’s pipelines. More than 2,000 consumers have already utilized the services and industrialists from North-East will also be benefitted once the natural gas grid is developed in the region, Dr Karnatak said.
GMR INFRA
GMR Hyderabad Aerotropolis Limited (GHAL) forms JV with ESR to develop a world-class Logistics and Industrial park
• GHAL, ESR form GMR Logistics Park Private Limited (GLPPL} to develop a world-class logistics and industrial park
• The project capital outlay would be around Rs. 550 crores
GMR Hyderabad Aerotropolis Limited {GHAL), a subsidiary of GMR Hyderabad lnternationa I Airport Limited {GHIAL), has formed a joint venture with ESR Hyderabad 1 Pte Limited {ESR}, a subsidiary of the Hong Kong headquartered ESR Cayman Limited, to develop a 66-acre logistics and industrial park at the Hyderabad airport city.
ESR and GHAL for the aforesaid transaction have entered into definitive agreements with an equity interest of 70% and 30% respectively in the SPV viz., GMR Logistics Park Private Limited. The total project outlay would be around Rs. 550 Crore.
The JV proposes to develop a flagship airport centric logistics and industrial park providing stateof-the-art facilities for warehousing, distribution centers and non-polluting industrial facilities such as light assembly.
The park will provide new age facilities and amenities to occupiers and help attract investments and employment in the region.
"we are pleased to announce the launch of our joint venture 'GMR Logistics Park Private Limited' with ESR Hyderabad 1 Pte. Limited. This collaboration would set new standards for the warehousing and industrial real estate sector. It would also benefit the burgeoning cargo industry in the region," said Mr. Aman Kapoor, CEO Airport land Development, GMR Group.
HINDUJA GLOBAL SOLUTIONS
Customer Experience (CX) Trends with Business Impact for 2020
HGS releases annual list of top BPO industry trends with expertise from reknowned industry thought leaders and analysts
Each year, HGS publishes a list of top customer experience (CX) trends—an on-theground forecast of what consumers are demanding in terms of their customer service experiences, and what brands have to deliver in order to stay competitive in the new year. HGS is honored to build this list in partnership with an elite group of industry thought leaders for this year's predictions. The participating brands, analysts, and consultants who contributed their insights and experiences to this year’s panel include: Ember Group, DXL Big+Tall Men’s Apparel, NelsonHall, Ryan Advisory, Execs in the Know, Frost & Sullivan, HFS Research, and Funai Corporation.
After the final list was compiled, the key learning was clear; as the CX industry undergoes transformation driven by technology, innovation and consumer demand, to succeed brands must find the balance between enabling great CX and directing capital, time and attention to competing priorities.
The HGS 2020 CX trend ebook highlights the top ten trends, covering topics related to contact center operations, challenges and strategic priorities for the coming year.
Here's a quick look at three of the biggest trends in customer experience, according to the expert opinions shared in the 2020 HGS CX trends report:
Trend 1: CX Economic Maturity - The Focus is Shifting from “Why CX?” to “How Much?” The economics of good (versus bad) service are becoming clearer, quantifiable and irrefutable.
• Mike Havard, Director, Ember Group
Trend 2: Customer Data Platforms & Journey Analytics for a 360-Degree View In 2020, winning brands will invest in a technology stack based on a strategy that optimizes personalization, and it starts with understanding the customer.
• Laura Cicchelli, Vice President, CRM & Analytics, DXL Big+Tall Men’s Apparel
Trend 3: AI & Automation That Enhance Live Advisor Support…Without Comprising CX AI and machine learning technology can enhance live advisor support and help overcome the industrywide problem of costly, high labor attrition due to mundane, repetitive tasks.
• Ivan Kotzev, Lead Analyst, Customer Experience (CX) Services, NelsonHall
INTELLECT DESIGN ARENA
Intellect Digital Core (IDC) adjudged Winner by Celent in ABCD Vendor View for Asia Pacific, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Latin America
Intellect Design Arena Ltd, a specialist in applying true Digital Technologies across Banking & Insurance, today announced that Intellect Digital Core(IDC) has been adjudged ‘Winner’ for ‘Breadth of Functionality’ by Celent in their ABCD Vendor View for Asia Pacific, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Latin America report: ‘The Modern Core Banking Systems’.
Celent set out to award vendor platforms in the report, based on its proprietary ABCD scoring methodology - Advanced architecture, Breadth of functionality, Customer base, and Depth of service. The report surveyed market-leading core banking systems (CBSs) offered by 14 different vendors. This report is one in a series of reports covering the core systems market across the globe and includes providers in North America, Asia-Pacific, Europe, the Middle East & Africa, and Latin America
Craig Focardi and Stephen Greer, Senior Analysts, Celent said, “Intellect IDC is a strong platform choice for institutions of all sizes across the globe.” They further added, “In a relatively short timeframe, Intellect Design Arena has built a large global customer base of institutions of all sizes. It built its platform to be highly componentized and driven by flexibility in the way it implements. That also extends to its functional capabilities with a significant number of parameters and configuration capabilities for both product creation and extension.”
Designed on a formidable Digital 360 proposition, IDC 19.1 presents banks with the best of both worlds; Digital Outside translates to enhanced customer experience and the Digital Inside drives operational efficiencies. Fully compliant with current regulations across geos, the solution will empower banks to become integral to its customers across multiple segments, with faster onboarding, enhanced efficiency with complete STP and real-time reporting, and increased reach with the rapid launch of new and innovative products powered by the robust configuration engine.
Commenting on the recognition, Rajesh Saxena, CEO, Global Consumer Banking, Intellect Design Arena, said, “This is indeed a very proud moment for us. We are delighted to receive this recognition from Celent, an acclaimed Global Analyst firm. Our fully integrated cloud-ready IDC 19.1 solution supports banks to be an innovative and responsive digital Bank. Intellect Digital Core banking solution is a unique combination of product innovation, technology optimisation, contextual customer experience and lower total cost of ownership. Our robust growth strategy, backed by a strong understanding of the domain, has equipped us in steadily driving business outcomes with a collaborative approach.”
Celent report states that, “IDC is offered as a comprehensive “bank-in-a-box” system, catering to core banking requirements of the bank. This ‘bank-in-a-box’ system has modular solutions that can be chosen based on the bank’s needs and can co-exist with existing systems in the bank’s landscape. This is possible due to the componentized design and a service-oriented paradigm followed by the modules constituting the solution. They have further built about 400 microservices powered by APIs across all core banking functionalities. Progressive Modernization is one of the key elements of our proposals allowing the bank to plug in new modules as its requirements evolve.”
MAHINDRA LOGISTICS
Mahindra Logistics opens state-of-art distribution centre in North India
Mahindra logistics Ltd. (MLL), one of India’s largest 3PL solution providers, recently launched a state-of-art distribution centre for the Pharma industry in North India. With this launch, MLL forays into a first-of-its-kind temperature-controlled warehouse in the Pharma sector
Through this facility, MLL will manage the warehousing and distribution for its client, in addition to their inbound and outbound multi-modal transportation across India. The state-of-the-art warehouse is specially designed and equipped with the latest temperature control mechanisms for efficient power consumption, customized storage, diverse Material Handling Equipment (MHE) and the very latest in technological solutions, including ‘Mycargo360’, a Transport Management Systems (TMS).
Mr. Rampraveen Swaminathan, CEO - Mahindra Logistics, said, “We are delighted to open this facility and we are certain that this facility will align our clients’ distribution network in North India and achieve their post-GST requirements. The facility is sustainable and energy efficient. Our integrated distribution solution combining warehousing, transportation and express movement will help our customers optimize their cost and on-time delivery”, he adds
The launch of this facility once again reinforces MLL’s expertise in logistics solutions for the pharma and consumer industries in India. MLL provides a range of services and solutions including warehousing, distribution and cross-border logistics solutions for the pharma industry. With warehousing, transportation and freight forwarding operations spanning 15 million square feet and 75000 vehicle placements per month, MLL has an extensive pan-India network and global connectivity.
SALORA ACTIVE PHARMA
We understand from Mylan NVs press release1 dated January 08, 2020, that Mylan N.V.'s U.S. based Mylan Pharmaceuticals(Mylan) has initiated a voluntary recall of three lots of Nizatidine Capsules, USP (150mg and 300mg strengths) due to detected trace amounts of impurity Nnitrosodimethylamine (NOMA) contained in the Nizatidine APL Mylan also indicated that the recall is voluntary, and the Company has not received any reports of adverse events related to these batches to date.
We are in the process of collecting corresponding lots of API from Mylan to carry out our internal investigation.
We would further inform you that our last supplies of Nizatidine API to Mylan were made in September 2017 and our overall sales of this API to the US market are less than 0.1 % of our total Company revenues.
TCS
TCS Named a Leader in Agile DevOps and Automated Development Services by NelsonHall