Usha International signs next 20-year agreement with Janome Corporation – the world’s largest hi-tech sewing machine manufacturer from Japan

Underpins company’s commitment to growing the technologically advanced sewing machines category in India

 

Usha International, India’s leading consumer durables major and the pioneer in the sewing machine category in the country, today extended its collaboration with Japanese sewing machine company, Janome Corporation, for the next 20 years. This agreement underscores its commitment to grow the market further by introducing technologically superior sewing machines to cater to evolving needs of the existing as well as the new-age customers. The growth potential of the sewing machine category in India is humongous and Usha aims to lead this growth of fully automatic sewing machines business – which, in fact, is expected to double over the next decade or so.

Usha’s partnership with Janome Corporation began in 1993 when it first started marketing Janome machines in India. With its market share in the category at 65% today, the company takes pride in having developed the market of fully automatic sewing machines in India.

The user-friendly Usha Janome sewing machines hit the sweet spot with sewing enthusiasts in India, as they are superior in quality and offer an elevated sewing experience across age groups, allowing the brand to forge a deep connection with customers. The Japanese technology offers tech innovations and premium features making the entire sewing experience seamless and superior.

Commenting on the association, Mr Parveen Kumarr Sahni, President, Sewing Machines Business, said, “Usha’s commitment to offering user-friendly products offering superior technology is inbuilt into our corporate vision, and being world leader in sewing machines, Janome Corporation was the natural choice as a partner, when Usha wanted to expand the automatic sewing machine market in India. We started marketing their products in India in 1993 and the agreement we signed today will further strengthen our partnership and take the sewing machine industry in India to greater heights. Our aim is to grow the sewing segment with a focus on the experiential.”

He further added, “At Usha, we keep our consumers at the core, constantly engaging in understanding consumers’ needs, anticipating, and even creating consumer demands for today. Our renewed collaboration with Janome is a testament to this commitment. The Usha Janome fully automatic sewing machines powered by Japanese technology are the perfect choice to bring alive one’s creativity with their user-friendly features and an increasingly acceptable price range that fits all needs and wants of our patrons.”

The fast-increasing consumer base in India taking up sewing is attributed to the growing affinity to learning a life skill, to the growing DIY culture, and to consumers taking up a creative hobby that allows them to give form and face to their unique artistic expressions, and is who these state-of-the-art, user-friendly Usha Janome machines are aimed at. Today, people want products that offer user-friendly technology that aids their passions and enhance their lifestyles. Usha Janome offers best-in-class machines offering consumers a joyful experience as they up their creative skills. Further, Usha has created a 360-degree eco-system to support and aid sewing enthusiasts through their journey into the world of learning and creating – investing in experiential marketing for building this category in India which includes teaching, easy-to-follow content, post sale demos and service, as well as tutorials on the various features of the machine including how to use the foot accessories.

The Usha Janome range of automatic sewing machines with Japanese technology that have helped Usha go deeper into the category offering world-class machines equipped with remarkable and easy-to-use features, comprising Straight Stitch Machines, Industrial Machines, Automatic Zig Zag Machines, and Computerised Embroidery and Quilting Machines. Among these, the hero products that have been the cornerstone of our market growth have been the hi-end Memory Craft embroidery machines that are easy-to-use, versatile, feature rich, and come with an artistic digitiser enabling consumers to customise the entire design-to-execution journey using the machine’s wi-fi compatibility with both iOS and Android systems.

Some of our flagship Usha Janome machines are – Quilt Magic, Dream Maker 120, Design Craft, Sew Magic, Stitch Magic, Mystique, Wonder Stitch Plus, Style Stitch, Wonder Stitch, Excella DLX, Allure DLX, My Fab Barbie, Marvela, Dream Stitch, MC 450E with Artistic Digitizer Jr., MB 7E, MC 15000 with Digitizer MBX, MC 8200 QCP SE, MC 550 E with Artistic Digitizer Jr, MC 9850 with Artistic Digitizer, Skyline S9 and 6700 P.

For more information, please visit www.usha.com or ushasew.com

Benling India Sales Growth Exceeds 50 percent in Electric Vehicles in Fiscal First Three Quarters

Gurugram, Haryana, India

  • Surging demand for E2W see strong sales; More electric two-wheelers sold in 3 quarters 2021 than all of 2020.
  • Confidence in economy bring slew of new retail outlets; aiming for 25 cities.
  • Unlocked green financing for its E2W at low-interest cost by tying up with NBFC.

Benling India Energy & Technology Limited, a company manufacturing electric two wheelers logged a stunning 53.73 percent year-on-year growth in the first three quarters of fiscal 2022, with sales clocking around 42,000 units. Despite the second wave of Covid-19 weighing heavy on the automotive industry, the company sold 30,000 units in the pandemic-impacted period (FY 2020). The business grew to Rs. 96 crores for the first three quarters ended FY 2021-22 from Rs. 45 crores for the year-ago period FY 2020-21. The company achieved a sales turnover of Rs 116 crores in FY 2020-21.

Mr. Amit Kumar, CEO and ED, Benling India with range of High and Low Speed e-scooters

Benling India has also drawn its plans to scale up to nearly 50 more cities in coming months and is eventually aiming for up to 300 cities for showroom activity. Benling India is strengthening its footprints across PAN India. It started off 2022 with a brand-new EV showroom at UP (Bijnor, Ghaziabad) and quickly expanded to Delhi, Haryana (Rewari), Bengaluru (Karnataka), Kerala (Parappanangadi) in recent weeks. The company has already tied up with around 210 dealer partners across the country in three years of its operations.

Mr. Amit Kumar, ED & CEO, Benling India said, Benling has been an aspirational pure electric brand globally with strong presence in 84 countries. The Indian subsidiary, Benling India Energy & Technology Limited has been set up with an intent to make India as a distribution hub to cover Asian Region. India is one the largest two-wheeler markets in the world and so far, have remained untapped with a significant demand for EV products. The brand sees this is an appropriate time to expand beyond the metros and penetrate in Tier 2, 3 cities to meet the increased demand and keep the momentum going. Affordability is Benling India’s central focus in asserting its position in the market.

Benling India has invested about Rs. 90 crore in the business, which has been used in building the production facility and developing products. In the next three years the company will be investing another Rs. 110 crore for revamping the production facility and increasing the installed capacity. Also, through this expansion and investment strategy, the company will create more than 500 jobs over the next three years.

Benling India manufactures electric two wheelers at Manesar, Haryana since 2018 in technical collaboration with Japan’s Zhushi Clubs Limited. The company offers a wide range of colour options and provides its customer 3 years of warranty on battery. With 100% localisation in manufacturing, its high-speed models are all ARAI/ICAT certified. The company has unlocked low-interest cost financing for its E2W by tying up with renowned NBFCs and fintech players that are operating in the green financing space.

Commenting on its recent financing tie-up, Mr. Amit Kumar, ED & CEO, Benling India, “India’s electric vehicle market could be worth USD 206 billion in ten years if the country expects to achieve its 2030 electric vehicle (EV) ambitions. This potential boom in the market calls for an increasing need for financing as the market is going to be worth USD 60-70 billion in the next 10 years.

Benling India continue to remain extremely bullish on the long-term prospects of the business and will continue to invest and innovate in bringing richer and more experiential models for customers. With a tilt towards personal mobility and the economy returning stronger, along with people keen to get on with their lives is fuelling the demand.

The company sells high speed model (Aura) & low speed models (Falcon, Kriti) which are available for test ride and purchase at all its retail outlets. The base model, Kriti is priced at INR 68,000 (ex-showroom) whereas Falcon is priced at INR 72,000 (ex-showroom) and the High-speed Aura is available at INR 82,975 (ex-showroom). The new retail outlets provide unique ownership experience along with complete service and support for the owners.

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(Disclaimer: The above press release comes to you under an arrangement with NewsVoir India and this publication takes no editorial responsibility for the same)

Tejas Networks Announces Acquisition of Saankhya Labs (P) Ltd. To Enhance its Wireless Products Offering

BENGALURU, India, March 31, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Tejas Networks (BSE: 540595) (NSE: TEJASNET) today announced that it has signed definitive agreements to acquire 64.40% of shares of Saankhya Labs Private Ltd. Bangalore (“Saankhya”) for INR 283.94 Cr in cash. The initial acquisition of Saankhya shares is expected to close within the next 90 days. Tejas Networks, upon procuring all necessary consents and approvals, also intends to proceed with acquiring the balance 35.60% shares through a merger process or a secondary acquisition.

Saankhya was founded in 2007 by technology entrepreneurs with global experience and has developed a wide range of system and semiconductor products for cellular Wireless, Broadcast radios and Satellite communication ground-terminal, which are deployed by customers in India and in international markets.  With a rich IPR portfolio and 73 international patents (41 granted, 32 filed), Saankhya is a pioneer in building software defined radios (SDR), powered by its own SDR chipsets. Saankhya has a strong technology team of more than 250 engineers, with deep expertise in wireless communication systems and fabless-semiconductor design.

Mr. Sanjay Nayak, CEO & MD of Tejas Networks said, “We are committed to our vision to create a global telecom equipment company from India, which will provide an end-to-end stack of world-class products and solutions based on latest technologies and customer requirements. This acquisition shows our continued commitment to expand our wireless product offerings to address the growing market opportunity. Saankhya’s products would complement our existing 4G/5G Radio Access Network (RAN) products and positions us well for the emerging opportunities in the O-RAN and 5G Broadcast space. We are excited to welcome the highly talented and experienced team of Saankhya and the intellect and domain expertise they bring for wireless as well as semiconductor design. We expect that this acquisition will accelerate our roadmap to create a full range of trusted and secured, world-class telecommunication products.”

Mr. Parag Naik, Co-founder and CEO of Saankhya Labs said, “We are delighted to become a part of Tejas Networks, which is India’s leading telecom equipment company. Being part of Tejas Networks gives us a strong platform to scale up the business for our wireless products and technologies in India as well as in to international markets. Our customers and partners will also benefit from a larger product portfolio and an accelerated roadmap of our products. This merger will further Saankhya’s founding team’s vision to build a world class technology company from India.”

ONE Media 3.0, LLC (“ONE Media”) which is the largest shareholder of Saankhya, will sell majority of its shareholding in Saankhya and post merger, will retain a minority shareholding in Tejas. Mr. Mark Aitken, ONE Media’s President said, “Our close relationship with Saankhya has been critical to moving our company forward in the world of NextGen Broadcasting. Saankhya has delivered world-class products, technology and solutions, spanning across communication as well as semiconductor domains. From mobile phone design to low-cost, efficient broadcast radio heads enabling single frequency networks, its contributions have been a strategic key for us. We look forward to continuing our business and technology engagement with Tejas Networks, in opportunity areas such as cellularized 5G broadcast infrastructure.”

(Disclaimer: The above press release comes to you under an arrangement with PRNewswire India and this publication takes no editorial responsibility for the same)

Holy District 2022 Celebrated its 5th Edition Internationally

Capital Group & Gold Coast Films celebrated its first-ever international edition of Holy District Festival at Amari Galle, Sri Lanka with Bacardi being an Event Sponsor.

India’s Premium Holi Festival – Holy District went international this year – curated by Neeraj Mishra & Sunny Arora brought the Lifestyle & Travel Community together, adding the festive flavour to the concept.

Holy District Festival Celebrations at Amari Galle, Sri Lanka

The 2-day event included a Traditional Holi get-together with gujiyas served, Bacardi Cocktail Party at the beach, Post-party Bonfire & Detox Day. This event was attended by famous Travel & Lifestyle Influencers from India like Nitibha Kaul, Shruti Sinha, Mehak Ghai, Sukhmani & Gurleen Gambhir, Mohit Hiranandani, Steffi Kingham, Nikita Bhamidipati, Faaya Hundal & Avantika Hundal indulging in various experiences.

This is the second successful collaboration conducted with Gold Coast Films. India is a very significant market for us seeing visitors throughout the year; from family visits to destination weddings and now for the celebration of significant cultural events. These collaborative events are not only a great opportunity for cross-cultural experiences but also add to our commitment to providing unique, experiential stays for our guests. Amari Galle is an award-winning resort boasting an array of services, facilities, culinary offerings, MICE, and weddings all while providing an absolute panoramic ocean view from every angle of the property,” says Puneet Dutta – Area General Manager, ONYX Hospitality, Sri Lanka.

At Gold Coast Films, we are focused on IP building & creating new age concepts at International Destinations. With a passion to travel and creating a strong community, we aim to widen our horizons through such concepts, IPs and events,” says Neeraj Mishra – Founder, Gold Coast Films.

We are happy to collaborate with Gold Coast Films to take our 5th Edition of Holy District international. Next year we aim to curate a multi-city India Tour and will explore the international destination as well for our patrons,” says Santosh Smith – Festival Curator, Holy District & Director, Capital Group.

Capital Group is a complete media communication and entertainment company, with operations in India and UAE. Since its inception in 2012, Capital Group, through its many business verticals, has grown exponentially and has attained a leadership position in the Indian market. Through our experienced team resources, we look to make a significant contribution to the Outdoor Media | Events | Sports | Gaming & Digital markets.

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(Disclaimer: The above press release comes to you under an arrangement with NewsVoir India and this publication takes no editorial responsibility for the same)

Cyient launches a Firmware Over-The-Air (FOTA) Solution for Connected Devices

HYDERABAD, India, March 29, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Cyient, a leading global technology solutions company, today announced a pre-built solution for managed Firmware over-the-Air (FOTA) updates from its CyientfIQ™ innovation platform. CyientfIQ™ as a platform fosters technology disruptions and enables the development of new IPs and solutions in collaboration with Partners. The FOTA solution is designed to accelerate the development of intelligent and connected products for its customers across the industry.

This solution is built for Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) in Industrial, Construction, Agriculture, Mining, Medical, and Automotive/Off-highway, to ensure that there is a significant reduction in the cost of after-sales service support, and an avenue for additional revenue through optional new feature upgrades for end-users.

The CyientfIQ™ FOTA solution is designed to provide end-to-end solutions, i.e., device to OTA server, and addresses industry or domain-specific needs in terms of various system architecture, security needs at each layer of the architecture, and legacy device upgrade. While this solution’s benefits will have a bearing on almost every sector, the automotive industry will see a considerable impact, with more than 250 million vehicles set to have some OTA capabilities by 2025. It is estimated that the total OEM cost savings from OTA updates to be $18.5 billion in 2020 and reach $60.9 billion by 2025. At that point, more than 250 million vehicles will have some type of OTA capabilities.

With the increasing use of connected and intelligent devices, devices must be updated for new features and technology changes. The CyientfIQ™ FOTA solution addresses firmware update scenarios such as Device to Cloud OTA server, Gateway to Cloud OTA server, and Device To Gateway To Cloud OTA server. The end-to-end FOTA update requires the coordination of complex elements right from device, gateway, and device administration to the cloud OTA server. Cyient will provide a seamless upgrade process that eliminates all risk factors in these steps.

Commenting on the solution, Mr. Rajaneesh Kini, CTO, Cyient, said, “Cyient provides a  one-stop solution to implement the FOTA update strategy, right from the device up to the cloud OTA server. As the devices are becoming connected over wireless communication more and more, the Over The Air (OTA) update of firmware has come in handy and, as a boon, addresses all those challenges. This solution is secure, reliable, and resilient to successfully carry out an atomic update and automatic rollback with minimal device interruption.”

Cyient has over two decades of experience in offering embedded system, digital, and IoT solutions and services to OEMs, wearables and diagnostic equipment, fleet operators, and asset management firms in Oil & Gas, Mining, Construction, Agriculture, Medical, Automotive, Off-highway, Rail, Aerospace and Defense industries.

Learn more here –   Cyient Firmware over-the-Air (FOTA) Solution for Connected Devices

(Disclaimer: The above press release comes to you under an arrangement with PRNewswire India and this publication takes no editorial responsibility for the same)

Fujifilm India Unveils new range of CT, MRI and Ultrasound Machines in India

  • The enhanced portfolio includes the Scenaria View, Supria series, The Echelon Smart and Arietta series,
  • Offering a diverse portfolio, the new range will include solutions pertaining to CT, MRI, Digital Radiography, AI, PACS, endoscopy, IVD and ultrasound systems
  • Keeping the patient and their comfort at the core, Fujifilm’s new portfolio to benefit millions of Indians

Image Caption: Shunsuke Honda, Senior Manager Medical System Division, Fujifilm India, Koji Wada, Managing Director Fujifilm India and Chander Shekhar Sibal, Head of Division, Medical Division, Fujifilm India

 

 Fujifilm India Pvt Ltd, a leader in diagnostic imaging and medical system technology, today unveiled a new range of products at the 74th National Annual Conference of IRIA 2022. The latest portfolio includes a plethora of products offering complete and integrated solutions for diagnostic purposes including CT, MRI, X-ray, AI, PACS, endoscopy and ultrasound systems through the Scenaria View, Supria series, The Echelon Smart and Arietta series

In order to strengthen its market position further and provide a wide variety of diagnostic services, Fujifilm completed the acquisition and takeover of Hitachi’s Diagnostic Imaging on 31 March last year. With the acquisition, Fujifilm offers a comprehensive solution spectrum that caters to a broad range of clinical needs.

 

Highlights of Fujifilm’s enhanced portfolio include:

  • Scenaria View (128 slice CT Solution) is a powerful premium performance CT solution that provides dependable routine application capabilities with available advanced clinical modules for Interventional CT, extended coverage Shuttle Scanning (for Perfusion Exams), Cardiac CTA and Dual Energy examinations. The View employs 64 discrete detector and electronics channels over a 40mm detector coverage and reconstructs up to 128-slices per scan rotation.
  • Supria (32/128 CT Solution) is an evolved CT device, employing latest technologies such as whole-body sub-millimeter imaging and dose reduction technologies. It provides lower dose and high-quality images and is capable of imaging in various patient positions reducing the overall scanning burden on patients.
  • The Echelon Smart (1.5T Superconductive MRI) is based on Fujifilm’s proprietary technology, and opened the potential for 1.5T systems, providing superb image quality and superior install flexibility, inherited from permanent-magnet MRI systems. It comes with noise reduction technology for a patient-friendly examination.
  • The ARIETTA (Series of Ultrasound) is designed to provide high quality imaging across a broad clinical range that includes abdominal, cardiac, and vascular applications. It has been developed with cutting edge technology for enhanced accuracy and safety to transform ultrasound diagnosis.
      

Managing Director of Fujifilm India, Mr. Koji Wada said, “Fujifilm has demonstrated the ability to be a leader in technical advancement and scientific innovation through its newest products and services lineup. Now, millions of individuals will have access to the most precise and accurate medical imaging and screening. This is a significant milestone for Fujifilm and its future growth. Today, we are stronger as a team, and our goal is to maximise the patients’ benefits with these new portfolio synergies. In the realm of prevention and diagnostics, our goal is to become a market leader and the number one comprehensive partner for the Indian healthcare community.”

 

Mr. Chander Shekhar Sibal, Senior Vice President, Medical Division, Fujifilm India said“As a leader in imaging technologies, we strive to ‘Never Stop’ providing the most cutting-edge technologies and solutions that not only improve image quality and workflow, but also focus on the patient’s overall well-being. Through our new launches, we aim to boost the diagnostic market and empower medical imaging information across the entire healthcare industry, keeping in mind the obstacles that a hospital experiences every day in diagnostics and imaging services.”

 

Fujifilm India has always worked towards spreading maximum awareness regarding early detection of critical ailments which can otherwise be treated if diagnosed on time. As a conscious effort, the brand has consistently pushed forward to improve healthcare diagnostic standards, helping to make the world better and fitter. Fujifilm India is continually working to innovate and introduce advanced technologies to produce forward-thinking medical equipment. The brand’s efforts have been centered at building a line of medical care that will offer easy access to healthcare solutions to millions of people and in turn strengthen the country’s medical infrastructure. Fujifilm is committed to providing Indians with the most effective diagnostic technologies available. The superior technical and innovative prowess is a testimony to the same, and with each passing year, the brand is striving to further fortify its position as the industry pioneer in medical imaging while still being committed to diagnostic services.

Wavin India Rewards app brings plumber community to the digital mainstream

Benefitting around 10000 plumbers in India through rewards deployment and increased accessibility to Wavin’s entire product catalogue

Wavin, a global solutions leader for the Building and Infrastructure industry and an Orbia business, reiterate its commitment to driving the plumber community towards more organized structure and bringing them to the digital forefront through Wavin Rewards app. Available in English, Hindi, Kannada, Tamil, Marathi, Malayalam and Bengali; the app has registered around 10000 plumbers across India. The app not only helps the brand to stay connected with the plumber community but offers a range of privileges and benefits   around discovering new plumbing solutions, pipes, fittings, hardware accessories, new tools and techniques.

Commenting on the Wavin Rewards India app and its relevance in the current scenario, Mr. Manish Khandelwal, Commercial Director, Wavin India, said, “With rapid digitalization picking up the pace, we are discovering ways to stay connected with our stakeholders and bring them an efficient and seamless digital experience. Supporting the growth of the plumbing community through the Wavin Rewards app that focuses on around technical knowledge and product discovery is a big step in that direction. By creating a straight route for our retailers, and the plumbers to reach us directly, we’ve made the brand and all our solutions much more accessible. This newfound accessibility will enable our partners to better service their clientele.”

“At Wavin, we strive to contribute towards bringing about positive change in the lives we touch. We want to create more organized structure for the plumbing sector. Upskilling the plumber community will further generate business opportunities and enhanced customer service experiences.” Mr. Khandelwal adds further.

The digital platform is also incentivizing all registered plumbers through reward points for engagement within community, to discuss product details, specifications, experiences and learnings, and support one another in identifying new opportunities and customers. The points collected can be later redeemed for exciting gifts and vouchers as community loyalty rewards.

The app also provides a platform to search through the entire catalogue of Wavin’s plumbing solutions in seven different languages.

BNPL to Contribute 14 percent of E-commerce Transaction Value by 2026: Market Research by Benori Knowledge

In a survey, Benori finds that 90 percent users prefer or are more likely to shop from stores, either offline or online that offer BNPL options at check-out

Key Findings:

  • Benori’s market research and a survey with users confirms the growing popularity of BNPL as the preferred payment option when shopping
  • The BNPL market to grow 10x over the next 5 years to surpass USD 40 billion by 2026
  • To surpass 100 million BNPL users by 2026
  • 75% have used BNPL through E-commerce websites
  • 45% prefer to purchase with BNPL even if they have a credit card
  • 90% confess to overspending because of BNPL

One of the most interesting trends to play out against the backdrop of the accelerated adoption of E-commerce platforms in India, is the rise of the Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) payment option. A market research report by Benori Knowledge, a new-age provider of custom research and analytic solutions, highlights the potential of BNPL in the payments ecosystem, especially for E-commerce where BNPL will constitute 14% of transaction value by 2026, growing nearly 5x from 3% in 2021.

The India BNPL market could become the largest in size globally and is expected to grow 10x over the next five years to reach USD 35-40 billion by 2026 from a nascent stage of USD 3.5-4 billion in 2021. India’s large youth demographic, rising consumer spending, growing preference for online channels and electronic payment methods, exponential E-commerce growth, transparency with costs and benefits, and frictionless payment experience are expected to contribute to the market growth over the forecast period. Further, the low penetration of credit cards at just 5% is not enough to address consumer credit demand. India currently has around 22-25 million BNPL users which are estimated to reach 90-100 million by 2026.

The preference for BNPL emerges strongly in the survey conducted by Benori with over 1,000 users. An overwhelming 90% said that they are more likely to shop from stores, both offline and online that offer the BNPL option at check-out. Likewise, a majority, 75%, confirm using BNPL when shopping on E-commerce websites and apps. The BNPL option is most commonly used to purchase electronic products (71%), followed by fashion and lifestyle accessories (67%) and commonplace, everyday shopping items (57%). BNPL’s preference is being driven by its low or no interest rates, followed by flexibility and convenience, and non-eligibility for credit cards.

The number of BNPL users is closing the gap to the number of users using credit cards. Nearly half of the respondents claim to be using both BNPL and credit cards for payments, 45% of the respondents said that they would prefer to make their payments through BNPL, even if they own a credit card.

While the multiple benefits of BNPL are recognized by people of all age-groups, 60% of those more inclined to adopt BNPL fall into the GenZ and millennial categories. This points to BNPL becoming a ubiquitous mode of payment in the future as it sees increased acceptance from the young, digitally savvy segment of the population.

Further, BNPL as an alternative mode of payment is adding to the spending capacity of consumers and is also encouraging overspending. A staggering 90% of the respondents said that they spent more money than they had intended because of BNPL, with 40% revealing that using BNPL caused their monthly spending to increase by 30%. In fact, this increase climbed as high as 50% for 33% of the respondents. This trend was prevalent across tier-2 and tier-3 cities as well. The survey also indicated that on average, women spent more money when using BNPL than males.

Users surveyed also expressed a preference for a credit limit of over INR 50,000 and a repayment period of 30 days, exceeding by far what is currently being offered by most BNPL providers.

Commenting on the findings, Ashish Gupta, the Co-founder and CEO of Benori, said, “While there has been a huge increase in online purchases amidst the pandemic, the inflation and reduced disposable incomes led to the emergence and boom of short-term financing solutions. Both these elements propelled the growth of BNPL services in the country. While BNPL currently represents only a small share of the E-commerce spending, there are signs that there is still plenty of room for BNPL companies to grow in this segment. Additionally, with easy access to a digitally driven credit facility, BNPL is also addressing the gaps in the consumer credit demand that credit cards are unable to meet. Our research findings validate this and emphasise the favourable factors bolstering the potential of BNPL services in India. With the ever-increasing E-commerce volume, the fintech ecosystem and other growth drivers coming together, the Indian BNPL market is poised for extraordinary growth by 2026, emerging as a win-win situation for all stakeholders in the BNPL space.”

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(Disclaimer: The above press release comes to you under an arrangement with NewsVoir India and this publication takes no editorial responsibility for the same)

Axiata Digital Advertising Digitizes Finance Operations with Microsoft Dynamics 365 and Hitachi Solutions Asia Pacific

Hitachi Solutions Asia Pacific deployed Dynamics 365 Finance and Supply Chain Management to streamline ADA’s financial processes and support its digital transformation initiatives to boost business expansion.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, March 29, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Hitachi Solutions Asia Pacific (HSAP), a leading provider of global industry solutions powered by Microsoft Azure, is delighted to highlight its successful D365 Finance and D365 Supply Chain Management (SCM) implementation with Axiata Digital Advertising (ADA).

ADA is a Malaysia-based data and artificial intelligence company known for developing and executing integrated digital, analytics, and marketing solutions with operations across ASEAN and South Asia. To help ADA achieve its strategic growth in the region, they realized the need to replace their legacy ERP systems.

Previously using Dynamics NAV on-premises, the company has long outgrown the capabilities of the platform and had to heavily customize it just to suit their business needs. Other legal entities were also using different legacy systems or manual operations. ADA partnered with HSAP to implement D365 Finance and SCM across 11 legal entities in 9 countries within South and Southeast Asia. HSAP developed a global template and rolled out the new system in a big bang approach unifying ADA’s business financial practices into one platform.

Dynamics 365 Finance helped enable its users to seamlessly work on their day-to-day activities and has improved financial consolidation and month-end close processes. ADA is now able to complete closing faster as compared to the previous 12 to 15 days after month-end close, audit requirements are satisfied. Utilizing Azure cloud, ADA plans to further expand their use of D365 Finance and SCM as they gear for business expansion, both in terms of geography and scope of business.

“Dynamics 365 armed us with all the necessary capabilities to help simplify our operations and eliminate manual processes across our entities,” said Stephen Tan, ADA’s Head of Program Management. “Our partnership with Hitachi Solutions Asia Pacific and Microsoft enabled us to remain competitive in this rapidly evolving industry landscape by helping us better serve our clients while empowering our employees in utilizing a powerful cloud ERP platform.”

This deployment displayed HSAP’s established partnership with ADA by swiftly delivering value through its best practices and expertise despite the pandemic. The project also marks a huge milestone for HSAP as this is its first implementation in the advertising industry and the team’s first ERP project in newly touched base regions such as Bangladesh, Cambodia, and South Korea.

“Our team is thrilled to support ADA in digitizing its financial processes with D365 which resolved its business pains in the best way possible,” said Bimal Pandya, Vice President of Hitachi Solutions Asia Pacific. “With this successful implementation, we continue to provide ADA impactful guidance in helping its operation thrive towards transformation.”

About Axiata Digital Advertising

ADA is a data and artificial intelligence company that designs and executes integrated digital, analytics, and marketing solutions.

Operating across 10 markets in South and Southeast Asia, ADA partners with leading brands to drive their digital and data maturity and achieve their business goals.

ADA complements its unique digital expertise with deep proprietary data of 375 million consumers.

About Hitachi Solutions Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd.

Hitachi Solutions Asia Pacific helps its customers successfully compete with the largest global enterprises using powerful, easy-to-use, and affordable industry solutions built on the Microsoft Cloud. Hitachi Solutions provides global capabilities with regional offices in the United States, Canada, Europe, India/Middle East, Japan, and Asia Pacific. For more information, please visit: https://global.hitachi-solutions.com/.

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1774643/Hitachi_Logo.jpg

(Disclaimer: The above press release comes to you under an arrangement with PRNewswire India and this publication takes no editorial responsibility for the same)

Sikh Sainchian/Gutke Retrieved Safely from Odessa, Ukraine

Simran Singh of Sikh Dharma International carrying Sanchiyan, Gutkas and other Sikh artifacts

Odessa, Ukraine: The tragedy of the war in Ukraine has made it necessary to evacuate the ਸੈੰਚੀਆੰ (‘Sainchian/religious scriptures’) and ਗੁਟਕੇ (‘Gutke/sacred prayer tablets’) from the port city of Odessa in Ukraine. This virtuous seva was critical as the residents of Odessa had been preparing to defend the city from an imminent attack after the siege of Mariupol nearby. This sewa was made successful by the joint efforts of Sikh Defense Network-UK, Sikh Dharma International and the UNITED SIKHS. The holy scriptures are being respectfully brought into the United Kingdom, where they will be received by the Sangat and then taken to the National Sikh Museum in Derby, UK.

Simran Singh from Sikh Dharma International traveled from London to Iasi in Romania, from where he took a car to drive into the Moldovan capital Chisinau. The outskirts of the city were met by the members of the Ukrainian People’s Self Defense Organization. The general advice given was to not travel due to the city being prepared for assault. The entire sequence of the journey was an experience of grace and filled with Chardhi Kala, and joyful anticipation of the darshan of the scriptures.

The ਸੈੰਚੀਆੰ and ਗੁਟਕੇ were then collected from Odessa Gurdwara Sahib, following all the protocols and with utmost care. The ਸੈੰਚੀਆੰ will be taken for safekeeping by the National Sikh Museum in Derby. The sangat has been invited to the airport in Luton where flight arrives today at 1:40

“We are overjoyed that Guru Ji provided the blessing of retrieving the Sanchia at such a difficult time,” said Simran Singh, Global Affairs Advisor of Sikh Dharma International. “Coordinating on the ground with United Sikhs and the UK Sikh Defense Network in this mission was a game changer and it is together that the panth is the strongest. Now, our focus must remain on the humanitarian crisis in the Ukraine, where millions of people are in extreme duress, where food is in short supply, and where countless refugees are hiding or worse. United Sikhs is currently running convoys into Ukraine to evacuate Sikh and Hindu students, is feeding thousands of refugees on the entire sangat’s behalf at their langar hall, and is available to any person needing help. We are extremely grateful for their tireless work.”

Pritpal Singh Bhullar, Vice Chairman, UK Sikh Defense Network said, “When we started planning this mission with Simran Singh, it was important that he had real time knowledge of movements and travel routes to ensure his and scriptures safe return. The area is under military siege, with civilians evacuated, and we had to efficiently navigate military blockades, armored vehicle columns, and pending bombardments. We are particularly grateful to the Ukrainian People’s Self Defense Organization from Lviv for coordinating Ukrainian vehicles and non-military drivers at personal risk and during their own tremendous need. We are overjoyed that with Guru Ji’s blessing, this mission was a success.”

UNITED SIKHS has been involved in serving the emergency needs of refugees escaping the destruction of their country. This includes distributing warm meals to eat, tea/coffee, goodwill supplies, a warm and secure shelter in bitterly cold climate and conducting rescue operations along the Ukraine/Poland border for close to a month.

Gurpal Singh, UNITED SIKHS head of Security Operations said, “Thanks to Vaaheguroo that Guru Saheb’s most sacred Senchiaa and Gutkas have made their way out. The collective approach of sikh brothers and sisters in this operation with the Polish NGO’s, Ukrainian Civil Authorities and their NGO’s is a sign of           a collective human spirit to save humanity-in war or peace. We recognize Simran Singh and the Sikh Dharma International Sangat in their collective effort to join forces and work as a truly global Team. Their humanitarian supply, evacuation, and food delivery seva for the Ukrainian people are deeply inspirational as well. This Mission is a tribute to universal protection of places of worship globally and we are thankful to the Sikh National Heritage Museum in Derby, UK where they will be placed.”