Month: December 2022

Canberra’s Pathway to Sustainability is Unlocking Career Opportunities in Australia

Canberra should be at the top of the list for those seeking to study, work, or live in a progressive and sustainable city. Australia’s capital city is leading the country’s sustainability drive and is on track to achieve zero net emissions by 2045. It has attracted investments of over $2 billion into sustainable energy and experts say this ambitious push towards sustainability is unlocking exciting job opportunities in cleantech and renewable energy industries.

 

The Business Council of Australia estimated the push to net-zero emissions would unlock over 195,000 jobs in Australia over the next 50 years. Recently, the Climate Council suggested that a Renewable Energy Storage Target could unlock around 100,000 jobs in renewable energy.

 

Canberra will have an increasing number of jobs to offer in these sectors, because it has a leadership position in renewable energy research and development, coupled with a robust higher education network that supports its broader sustainability imperatives.

 

“Canberra is a unique city in Australia, with strong urban planning foundations that have inspired collaboration across multiple sectors including education, research, industry and government. This has contributed to a well-planned, accessible, and sustainable city,” said University of Canberra Emerita Professor Barbara Norman.

 

“With an important global shift towards a more sustainable future, there are opportunities to be part of innovative solutions that will have an impact in Canberra, nationally, and globally,” she said.

 

Students interested in moving to Canberra can choose to study at some of Australia’s best-ranked universities. Canberra's universities are powering research, education, future skills development, and technology rollouts.

 

Canberra has been at the forefront of taking action to address climate change. It is the first city in mainland Australia to have achieved a 100% renewable energy supply. Recently the city rolled out several initiatives in its push towards a low-carbon economy, including building the largest battery storage system in Australia and developing a renewable energy and clean tech innovation hub. Canberra has partnered with global companies in developing next-generation renewable hydrogen and storage technologies and is also increasing incentives for people to choose zero-emission vehicles.

 

The local government is investing in, and providing financial incentives for, the development of technology and infrastructure required to support these initiatives. This forward-thinking approach is attracting global interest and global companies, which in turn means more jobs and long-term career opportunities. Right now, Canberra has the second highest concentration of renewable energy jobs in Australia.

 

Canberra’s world-leading response to climate change is essential for the community, and results in more opportunities for the economy. It’s the place to be if you’re looking to build your career while living more sustainably.

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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)

India-based company Permionics to service solar wafer orders of over 10 GW capacity

The India-based company has bagged water management systems to service 10 GW Capacity orders in the solar wafer and ingot/wafer manufacturing sector

VADODARA, India, Dec. 19, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Permionics, a Gujarat-based pioneer in membrane technology, is on its way to making major changes in the way we approach sustainability.

With pollution and environmental degradation being the number 1 threat to mankind, the need for renewable resources and sustainable solutions is higher than ever before.

As renewable energy continues to rise in popularity, major solar cell manufacturers and companies in the sector are looking to backward integrate and take control of their supply chain. One crucial component of this process is the solar wafer, which is made from silicon ingots.

However, the production of solar wafers is a water-intensive process. To produce just one GW of wafer capacity, roughly 1 million litres of purified water is required each day. This water, known as semiconductor grade water or 18Meg Ohm water, is the purest form of water and requires a complex and expensive purification process.

In addition to the large amounts of water needed for production, the manufacturing process also generates waste in the form of chemicals used for cleaning and etching the wafers. This waste requires careful treatment and disposal, and many companies are looking for ways to recycle and reuse water in order to make the process more sustainable.

The government of India is fully supporting this revolution and plans to increase its domestic solar equipment manufacturing capacity to 25 gigawatts (GW) of solar cells and modules, and 10 GW of wafers by April 2023, according to two government officials. Currently, India has a manufacturing capacity of 3 GW for solar cells and 15 GW for modules. Additionally, manufacturing zones for power and renewable energy equipment are being set up in coastal, mountain, and landlocked states.     

Permionics Group, a Liquid Separation & Membrane Technology pioneer, specializing in water and waste management systems, has mastered the technology and process integration necessary for total water and waste management in the solar wafer manufacturing process. It has years of immense expertise in this field, having executed multiple USP-grade water systems and end-to-end management systems in the pharmaceutical industry for decades. The company works closely with its customers to deliver end-to-end customized solutions, meeting their requirements and needs.

By using state-of-the-art unit processes and exotic materials, Permionics is able to make the process greener and more sustainable. This is a revolutionary step in environmental conservation.

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

FANS OF ŠKODA RECEIVES OVERWHELMING RESPONSE IN NOIDA

›   ŠKODA customers and fans get together to celebrate the success of the brand

›   Year-end offers announced making it the ‘Best Time to Buy a ŠKODA’

 

The Fans of ŠKODA juggernaut has been on a roll all through 2022. After events, meets and celebrations in Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Delhi, Kolkata, Bhubaneshwar, Hyderabad, Pune, Jaipur, Guwahati, Coimbatore and other parts of India, Fans of ŠKODA set up camp in Noida. The congregation of ŠKODAs and around 60 people comprising of ŠKODA fans, customers and their families enjoyed a fun-filled Sunday at the BRITE ŠKODA dealership. The revolutionary Fans of ŠKODA movement is part of the car maker’s INDIA 2.0 Project that also focuses on customer centricity and customer satisfaction. 

 

In Noida, the celebrations were held at the ŠKODA Auto India Noida dealership, where the Fans had an immersive experience with their ŠKODA cars.

 

ŠKODA AUTO which is synonymous with customer centricity and customer satisfaction has taken its customer delight initiatives a notch above by introducing a slew of purchase, maintenance and bonus offers and packages for both the KUSHAQ and the SLAVIA, making it perhaps the best time to buy a new ŠKODA car. 

 

ŠKODA AUTO India already leads the industry with a 4-year/100,000 km warranty over the industry-standard 3-year one. In addition to this warranty is a standard 4-year Peace of Mind Package along with a Complimentary Standard Maintenance Package for both the KUSHAQ and the SLAVIA. 

 

The company has also doubled its sales in the period from January to November 2022 compared to annual sales of 2021. ŠKODA AUTO has already won the mandate of having the KUSHAQ as the safest car in India with a 5-star rating for both adult and child safety. Besides, the SLAVIA has provided the sedan segment a much-needed fillip. Both the cars have been developed on the India-specific, ready-for-the-world MQB-A0-IN platform, and have some unbeatable deals ranging from Financial Benefits, Loyalty Bonuses and Exchange Incentives running at present.

 

Chennai-Based MSME, ST Advanced Composites Makes Overall Structure of UAE’s First Lunar Mission – Rashid Rover

  • Demonstrating its expertise in R&D and manufacturing of advanced materials, STAC, a Chennai based MSME, won the contract to make the structural parts of UAE’s first lunar Mission

 

When Rashid Rover “the first-ever rover of United Arab Emirates” put its legs on the surface of the moon in a matter of hours after emerging from the chest of Hakuto-R, the Japan-made lander. Onboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket that took off from Florida, USA on December 11, it will mark the fruitful completion of a two-year long arduous efforts of ST Advanced Composites (STAC), a Chennai MSME of innovative composite parts that was entrusted with the task of the manufacturing and supply of the rover’s structural parts.

 

ST Advanced Composites Makes Overall Structure of UAE’s First Lunar Mission – Rashid Rover

 

The rover’s Chennai connection should also lift the spirit of India’s Make in India movement in the defence and aerospace industry, and the hopes of the country becoming a global manufacturing hub for aerospace products in near future. 

 

Weighing a little less than 10 kg, Rashid Rover is the Arab world's first lunar rover, conceived by Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre, UAE’s national space agency. Considering that the weight, strength, and reliability of materials that go into making the rover’s structure is crucial for the success of its lunar mission, the space agency scouted across the world to identify a company that has the necessary expertise, before signing the contract with STAC. Now that the rover is about to complete its 385,000 km journey to start crawling on the moon’s surface for months to identify the presence of water and the planet’s test soil conditions, STAC has a strong case to prove its mettle in making innovative composite parts.

 

Talking about the company’s expertise and the Rashid Rover project, Dr. Devendran Thirunavukarasu, Director, STAC, explained, “We make parts in advanced composite materials such as metallic and carbon fibre mainly for defence and aeronautical industries. We have done projects for ISRO and DRDO, besides a few global space tech companies, including one in the UK. However, making Rashid’s structure proved to be a demanding project. Our research and design focus helped us win the confidence of UAE and provide end to end solutions for them to their extreme satisfaction. In space missions, we are talking about materials that are at least 10 times lighter and 5 times stronger than steel. We built the rover’s structures using magnesium alloy, carbon fibre, and aluminium. We are happy that the customer is extremely happy with our work. We hope to keep building on our strength and contribute towards indigenization of the local defence and space industry, while also tapping export opportunities.” 

 

STAC is a full-service of the composites manufacturer providing engineered composite products for various industries. Founded in 2014, the company has energetic and young team comprising specialists in offering design assistance, material selection consultation and manufacturing advanced composite materials using natural, glass, carbon, and Kevlar fibres. It has emerged as a comprehensive one-stop composites shop with an on-site manufacturing facility that meets design requirements from start to finish, meeting production schedules. 

 

For more details, please visit: www.stadvancedcomposites.in

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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)

Upaj by Absolute is solving the ‘unseasonal rainfall’ loss for farmers with a first-of-its-kind, DIY Insurance Marketplace in collaboration with DigiSafe

NEW DELHI, Dec. 17, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Unexpected rainfall in various states has harmed the ready-for-harvesting crops such as rice, soya bean, cotton, pulses, and vegetables at a time when India is facing a likely food grain shortfall due to decreased sowing of Kharif crops, particularly paddy. Additionally, unseasonal rain is likely to cause damage to 15 to 20% of summer-seeded crops. India's millions of rural smallholders are expected to be hit by bad crops. As a result, the need & demand for crop insurance is likely to increase.

Farmer using Upaj App

Crop insurance guards farmers against two potential losses: the loss of crops – caused by natural disasters, and the loss of income – caused by a drop in the price of agricultural products. Parametric Crop Insurance, however, is based on predetermined characteristics like rainfall rather than crop yield. Through Parametric Crop Insurance offerings, farmers can get faster claim settlements during natural or weather calamities like unseasonal rainfall.

While acknowledging the challenges in traditional insurance models, recently, Devendra Fadnavis, Maharashtra's Deputy Chief Minister, was reported emphasizing the importance of crop insurance and recommending active innovations in the Agri-fintech ecosystem.

Absolute's first-of-its-kind DIY insurance platform, built on its AgCloud ecosystem Upaj, is emerging as a concrete solution to farmers' problems, establishing safety nets in place to shield all types of farmers from catastrophic weather events. With DIY insurance marketplace, farmers will have the freedom to select parametric insurance products from several insurers available at their respective pin codes.

Upaj, world's first universal AgCloud ecosystem by Absolute, provides full-stack agronomy solutions to farmers to get crop advisories through AI & ML. It has enabled the feature of crop insurance for added security of the farmers. Creating India's first DIY marketplace for parametric crop insurance, Upaj by Absolute allows farmers to custom-create their own insurance cover for the amount they want and helps farmers to calculate the insurance premium for specific crops, pertaining to their areas and the coverage amount.

Sourabh Bagla, Director of Upaj, Absolute said, “Crop insurance programs have existed in the past, but they have been plagued with limited adoption and slower evaluation rates. With a tech-driven strategy and a focus on parametric insurance, we intend to speed up the procedure while retaining its accuracy. We believe that by establishing a sustainable ecosystem that intervenes at every stage of the farming life cycle, we can support resilient producers to thrive by shifting to sustainable techniques.”

Anupam Shrey, Founder, Digisafe said, “With this collaboration, we aim to bolster the government's efforts in the existing insurance schemes and complement them with our services for deeper rural penetration. Our motivation is derived from ensuring a sustainable and better livelihood to the farmers economically, as we believe that they play a crucial role in driving the economic wheels of the country.”

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

Wolters Kluwer celebrates 30 years of UpToDate, the industry-leading clinical decision support solution

 

More than two million clinicians around the world trust and depend on UpToDate to help them diagnose and improve care decisions

 

Wolters Kluwer, Health  marked 30 years of UpToDate®, an industry-leading clinical decision support (CDS) solution. More than two million clinicians in over 190 countries trust UpToDate to help them improve care by providing evidence-based answers to clinical questions. Studies have demonstrated that UpToDate helps improve decision-making leading to higher quality of care and improved health outcomes. It has also had a substantial impact on medical education.

 

“For 30 years UpToDate has offered evidence-based answers to critically important questions,” said Peter Bonis, MD, Chief Medical Officer, Wolters Kluwer, Health. “The urgency to get it right is core to our culture, and as we look to the next 30 years, we know there is more to do. Our goal is to ensure care teams everywhere have access to trustworthy, evidence-based information and actionable information when and where they need it.”

 

According to Mr. Harish Ramachandran, Country Head – India, and SAARC at Wolters Kluwer's Clinical Effectiveness division, “UpToDate has a rich history of 30 years of supporting and promoting the best quality patient care, and we will continue to work towards this commitment. We strive to bring this technology to every healthcare institution even though clinicians have the necessary training and knowledge, access to the most recent and evidence-based information, can help improve clinical outcomes “

 

 

Delivering the best care everywhere

The anniversary also marks a major milestone in its partnership with Ariadne Labs Better Evidence program: over 100,000 subscriptions of UpToDate have been donated to caregivers and institutions in resource-limited settings in 159 countries. The program, which began in 2009, is part of Wolters Kluwer’s ongoing mission to deliver the best care everywhere.

 

“UpToDate subscriptions have supported clinicians working in some of the most challenging settings around the globe, allowing them to provide better, more equitable care for their patients, regardless of location or resources,” said Rebecca Weintraub, MD, Director of Better Evidence at Ariadne Labs a joint center for health systems innovation at Brigham and Women's Hospital and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. “Giving medical students access to UpToDate in low-resource settings, where cost has traditionally been a major barrier is helping prepare them to provide evidence-based care for long into the future.”

 

Three decades of better, more consistent care decisions

UpToDate was founded in 1992 by renowned nephrologist Burton “Bud” Rose, MD to solve the challenge of how to help clinicians stay current and make better decisions for their patients. He started with his specialty of nephrology. UpToDate first shipped on floppy disks by mail; a new version was released three times a year.

 

Three decades later, UpToDate is used on smartphones, browsers, and within electronic health record (EHR) systems by over two million clinicians and 44 thousand institutions across more than 190 countries. It is updated continuously and used heavily with users accessing over 54 million topics per month across 25 specialties.

 

The power of UpToDate was displayed during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic – with a rapidly changing knowledgebase, it was imperative clinicians had the most recent, vetted, and trusted information to treat patients. UpToDate quickly expanded its resources, providing free access to the Wolters Kluwer Coronavirus Resource Center, featuring over 90 different topics that have been updated two thousand times.

 

UpToDate has fulfilled Dr. Rose’s ambition to improve care and has been recognized as the standard and leader in the CDS market for pioneering evidence-based, point-of-care solutions that help clinicians align care team decisions. Learn more about the impact that UpToDate is making today in healthcare.

 

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Kinara Capital Adds 15 New Branches; Reaches 125 Branches Across 100 plus Cities in India to Serve MSME Sector

Bangalore, Karnataka, India

  • Digital Process combined with Doorstep Customer Service Simplifies Access to Credit for MSMEs

  • Aims to reach 2,00,000 MSMEs in the next 3 years

  • On-boarded 800 employees and plans to hire 2,000 by FY25

 

Kinara Capital, a fast-growing fintech driving MSME financial inclusion, today announced the launch of additional 15 new branches, that brings the company’s total field presence to 125 branches serving MSMEs in 100+ cities across Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and UT Puducherry. The new branches will expand the company’s customer service in Tier 2 urban areas. Kinara Capital aims to support 2,00,000 MSMEs in the next 3 years. The company on-boarded 800 employees this year, thereby increasing the workforce by 45% and plans to hire 2,000 by FY25.

 

Serving the MSME sector for over a decade, Kinara Capital is wholly dedicated to simplifying access to credit for small business entrepreneurs. With 90% of Kinara’s customers new to business credit, doorstep customer service in vernacular languages is a critical step towards educating many small business entrepreneurs on how business loans work and helping them with the application process.

 

Thirunavukkarasu R (Thiru R), Chief Operating Officer (COO), Kinara Capital, said, “In our mission to drive vast financial inclusion, Kinara Capital has invested heavily in building both tech-enabled processes and operational facilities. We are influencing small business growth with a highly-effective model that combines the best-of-tech with the best-of-people to deliver personalised customer service to small business entrepreneurs. With an existing workforce of 1,000+ field officers, the addition of new branches strengthens our presence in our existing geographies and furthers our reach in the MSME sector.”

 

This extensive field presence with 125 branches expands Kinara’s overall reach in 3,420 pincodes enabling doorstep customer service for even more MSMEs from manufacturing, trading and services sectors. The 15 new branches will provide Kinara’s services in these regions: Mudhol and Vijayanagar in Karnataka; Mayiladuthurai, Ranipet, Tenkasi in Tamil Nadu ; Eluru, Ponnur, Tuni in Andhra Pradesh; Godhra, Mehsana, Varachha in Gujarat; and Boisar, Mira-Bhayandar, Panvel, Shahapur-Vasind in Mumbai areas in Maharashtra.

 

A sneak peak of the branch openings – www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmZ1jzZEncg

 

In addition to broadening its field presence, Kinara’s omnichannel customer service includes in-house multilingual call centre, and customer support available via WhatsApp, chat, email, and customer app. This ensures that every customer touchpoint is with a Kinara employee starting from inquiry to sales to ongoing customer support until the closure of the loan.

 

Access to personal customer service and a fully digital process with myKinara App provides fast and flexible disbursement of collateral-free business loans within 24-hours. MSMEs can avail of Rs. 1 lakh to Rs. 30 lakhs of Working Capital, Asset Purchase, and Bill Discounting business loans from Kinara Capital. Women entrepreneurs qualify for an automatic discount with HerVikas program on all business loans. 

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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)

Cashfree Payments enables eUPP to provide educational institutions with instant and secure payments for parents and students

BENGALURU, India, Dec. 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Cashfree Payments, India's leading payments and API banking solutions company, is enabling eUPP (eLite Unified Payment Platform), a fee payment management system for schools and colleges, to offer an instant and secure fee payments experience for end users. Currently, through this partnership, more than 500 educational institutions across the country are leveraging Cashfree Payments' payment collections suite for their payment needs.

eUPP is an online fee payment management system for schools, colleges, universities and other educational institutions. It brings all educational expenses on a single platform and provides maximum benefits to families, students and parents from their expenditures towards education related activities. eUPP is owned by Connexrm Pte Ltd, a Singapore Headquartered company and has a portfolio of products under its umbrella to help an institution cover the entire paradigm of their requirements.

Following this partnership, the 500 educational institutions on eUPP's platform can now seamlessly track their payments collections directly via the eUPP application. Further, they will be able to use Cashfree's payments suite to manage their payments flow directly from the eUPP mobile app. This has helped eUPP boost their transaction success rates, and has enabled their customers to improve their service quality by offering greater transparency and functionality around payments on their existing platform and end customer touchpoints.

Cashfree Payments' robust and reliable payments infrastructure processes 20 million API requests every day, with 99.99% average system uptime. This payments platform is capable of offering higher success rates, owing to its direct integrations with banks, card networks and third party payment players along with in-house dynamic routing algorithms.

Reeju Datta, Co-Founder, Cashfree Payments said, “Digitalisation has gained an essential impetus in the recent past, which has also extended to the education sector. As a part of this partnership, we provided eUPP with a powerful and scalable payments infrastructure which cuts down its payment processing time and delivers a better experience to their customers.”

Sumit Shukla, Founder and CEO, Connexrm PTE and Sr. Vice President, Apar Technologies said, “eUPP is a platform that has worked with multiple payment gateways, but we've always found that the best services have been made available to us through Cashfree Payments which has helped in growing our customer confidence. Instant transaction confirmation with a near zero rate of failure is what our platform has experienced so far, while lowering our costs by 30%. This, for us, makes Cashfree Payments the primary choice for all the transactions on eUPP.

I am confident that our growing partnership in offering a combined package of technology, administrative services, payment services, lending services, eUPP universe services would provide schools and other educational institutions an unparalleled experience and would help them with technology adoption and effective financial management.”

Cashfree Payments is one of India's leading providers of payment solutions to enterprising businesses, and has received an in-principle approval from the RBI for a Payment Aggregator license. Recently, India's largest lender, SBI invested in Cashfree Payments, underscoring the company's role in building a robust payments ecosystem. Cashfree Payments works closely with all leading banks to build the core payments and banking infrastructure that powers the company's products and is also integrated with major platforms such as Shopify, Wix, Paypal, Amazon Pay, Paytm and Google Pay. Apart from India, Cashfree Payments products are used in eight other countries including the USA, Canada and UAE.

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

Maximise earnings with Piaggio Vehicles’ all new Apé FX Max range of commercial 3 wheeler Electric Vehicles

  • Up to 30% enhanced on-road driving range – 145km (± 5kms) per charge for passenger vehicles and 115km (± 5kms) per charge for cargo vehicles
  • Improved grade ability – 20% for passenger vehicles and 19% for cargo vehicles encourages easy plying on all terrains
  • Best-in-class warranty – up to 175,000 kms for passenger vehicles and up to 150,000 kms for cargo vehicles
  • With a running cost of less than INR 0.50 per KM, the new range currently offers the most cost-efficient vehicles in its segment, combined with an aggressive price point tantamounts to a lower Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) overall
  • Piaggio India signs MoUs with leading EV industry players like SUN Mobility, Three Wheels United, Zyngo, City Link, Amplus Solar, Magenta Mobility, MoEVing, and MBSI to deliver 24,000 cargo and passenger EVs in 2023

Piaggio Vehicles Pvt Ltd (PVPL), a 100 % subsidiary of the Italian Piaggio Group and India’s leading manufacturer of small commercial vehicles as well as pioneers in 3-wheeler electric mobility launched two new electric 3-wheelers: Apé E-City FX Max in the passenger segment and Apé E-Xtra FX Max in the cargo segment. The new vehicles were unveiled by His Excellency, Mr. Vincenzo de Luca, Ambassador of Italy to India in the presence of Mr. Diego Graffi, Chairman & MD, Piaggio Vehicles Pvt Ltd, and Mr. Sudhanshu Agrawal, EVP and Business Head, Electric Vehicles and Exports, Piaggio Vehicles Pvt Ltd along with invited Govt. of India dignitaries.  Besides the launch of the new range, Piaggio Vehicles Pvt Ltd also signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) with key industry partners to ensure continued strides in building a robust EV infrastructure in India.

The new variants, Apé E-City FX Max and Apé E-Xtra FX Max have a superior driving range, 12” tyre size offering better ground clearance, and improved grade ability among other advancements. This EV range is fully assembled by an all-women team at Piaggio’s Baramati factory. Available as a fixed battery solution, Apé E-City FX Max and Apé E-Xtra FX Max boast of superior Italian design legacy with a new and attractive bezel and eye-catching graphics. A swappable battery solution for the new FX Max will also be available soon.

The new Apé FX Max range comes with advanced battery performance resulting in a longer run, enhanced earnings, and effective cost of ownership. The vehicles also have a reserve range of up to 5 kms, to combat range anxiety. Bigger tyres of 12” give drivers a better ride & handling experience, and control over rough, uneven road conditions making the journey safer as well as accessible to remote destinations. To provide better visibility and control while driving, the vehicle’s seat height has also been adjusted. Advanced telematics 2.0 gives drivers better navigation and allows fleet owners to track and manage the fleet with utmost efficiency.

The launch event also saw Piaggio Vehicles Pvt Ltd sign a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) with key EV players like SUN Mobility, Three Wheels United, Zyngo, City Link, Amplus Solar, Magenta Mobility, MoEVing, and MBSI to deliver 24,000 commercial EVs in a phased manner across India in 2023. Of these, over 10,000 will be deployed in partnership with SUN mobility for both cargo and passenger segments in more than 14 cities in India. Piaggio India is also partnering with Three Wheels United with their aggressive retail finance scheme for both Passenger and Cargo vehicles.

Apé E-Xtra FX Max 

Price (Ex-Pune):

Ape E-Xtra FX PU Max – INR 3,45,947

Ape E-Xtra FX WP Max – INR 3,43,458 

•       115 kms (± 5 km) driving range in a single charge

•       Bigger, 12” tyre size

•       Higher ground clearance of 220mm

•       Grade ability of 19%

•       Industry best warrenty upto 150,000 km

•       Telematics 2.0 (Improved location accuracy, new features on mobile app for drivers & owners)
Apé E-City FX Max 

Price (Ex-Pune): INR 3,25,794 

•       145 kms  (± 5kms) driving range in a single charge

•       Bigger, 12”  tyre size

•       Grade ability of 20%

•       Industry best warrenty upto 175,000 km

•       Transparent windows on the side

•       Telematics 2.0 (Improved location accuracy, new features on mobile app for drivers & owners)

Speaking at the launch, Mr. Diego Graffi, Chairman & MD, Piaggio Vehicles Pvt. Ltd. said, “I thank His Excellency, Mr. Vincenzo de Luca, Ambassador of Italy to India for his valuable time to unveil our new vehicles. As pioneers in light cargo electric mobility in India, we are delighted to add Apé E-City FX Max and Apé E-Xtra FX Max to our portfolio. Our talented team of engineers and R&D has designed the new Apé FX Max range to ensure optimum value for customers through better range, grade ability, and load-carrying capacity, as well as providing a competitive total cost of ownership. We feel the new range is an entrepreneur’s best bet to reap maximum benefits. With our vision fixed on the future of mobility, Piaggio Vehicles will continue its stride  to move India forward in its mission to adapt alternate fuels.”  

He further added, “ The MoUs we have signed today also cement our commitment to building India’s EV infrastructure with competent and reliable partners. We are sure of a successful collaboration that will not only significantly benefit customers but also pave the way for safer and more advanced EV technology in the country.”   

Speaking about the new range, Mr. Sudhanshu Agrawal, EVP and Business Head, Electric Vehicles and Exports 2W & 3W, Piaggio Vehicles Pvt. Ltd. said, “We are proud to include the Apé E-City FX Max and Apé E-Xtra FX Max in our electric 3 wheeler portfolio. Both variants have been manufactured with extensive customer feedback and more focus has been given to the vehicle range and performance on different road conditions. Aligned with our philosophy to provide path-breaking last-mile transport solutions, the vehicle is ‘Made in India’ for Indian needs and will also be exported across international markets. With low maintenance costs, the best in the industry warranty, advanced technology, a long-range, and added features; the FX Max range will definitely maximize the earnings of our customers. I thank our partners for their continued support and faith in Piaggio products”

The new Apé FX Max range has been designed to ensure maximum earnings for entrepreneurs while enhancing product performance and leading India’s EV mission.

LIXIL Inaugurates its First Cistern Assembly Facility in Maharashtra, India: Strengthens its Global Footprint

LIXIL inaugurates its first cistern assembly facility in the Asia Pacific region in Mumbai, India

 

LIXIL Corporation (LIXIL), maker of pioneering water and housing products, has inaugurated its first cistern assembly facility in the Asia Pacific region in Mumbai, India. Outside Japan, this is LIXIL’s second Cistern Assembly Plant globally after Poland.

 

OVERVIEW OF THE PLANT

·         Location: Mumbai Logistics Hub, Mumbai Suburban, Maharashtra, India.

·         Plant Head:  Sasanka Lenka  

·         Area: 23,500 Square feet.

·         Main products: GROHE Cisterns

·         Current Production capacity: 150,000

Spread across 23,500 sq. ft., the Mumbai facility will serve as a central production base for the Indian market, bolstering its capacity to cater to increased demand not just in the country but also across other markets in the region. With this transformational step, LIXIL will not only be bringing many future-first innovations to the country but also reinforce its commitment to the Indian government’s ‘Make in India’ initiative.

 

The LIXIL Cistern Assembly Facility Team

This state-of-the-art facility will help localize three of the top-selling GROHE Flushing Cisterns. The facility will have a production capacity of 150,000 units in its first year and is designed to upscale annual production up to 300,000 units in the second year of its operation. Being situated in the same vicinity as LIXIL’s Mumbai Distribution Centre, the location of this plant will play a significant role in logistics optimization while ensuring uninterrupted service.

 

Amongst other members from the LIXIL leadership team; present during the inaugural ceremony were Bobby Joseph, Leader, LIXIL Water Technologies- India & Subcon; Jorg Vogeley, Leader, Plant Porta Westfalica, Manufacturing Fittings, LIXIL International.

Bobby Joseph, Leader, LIXIL Water Technologies- India & Subcon; Jorg Vogeley, Leader, Plant Porta Westfalica, Manufacturing Fittings, LIXIL International

 

Speaking on the occasion, Bijoy Mohan, Leader, LIXIL International said, “Asia continues to be a key growth driver for LIXIL globally and India is central to that endeavour. Bringing APAC’s first Cistern Assembly Facility to the country is a testimony of our strong commitment to the dynamic Indian market and the ‘Make in India’ initiative. With this new facility, we aim to make India pivotal to exports across emerging markets in APAC. We believe that this facility will lead the way in bringing the best innovations and world-class manufacturing practices while ensuring a stronger presence in the category worldwide.”

 

Adding further, Jens Harder, Leader, Manufacturing Fittings, LIXIL International said, “This new assembly plant is a further step towards accelerating LIXIL’s footprint in emerging markets and building capabilities to deliver quality products to our end users. The cistern assembly plant for our GROHE brand is one among many initiatives from LIXIL International and we are confident that this will enable us to be leaders in the cisterns category in India.”

 

Bobby Joseph, Leader, LIXIL Water Technology (LWT), India & Subcon also said, “We have a clear vision and strategy for the Indian market, and we will continue to deliver on that. The Flushing systems category is rapidly growing in India. We anticipate significant growth in the market and with this investment, we aim to be the category leader. This investment is a huge milestone in our journey as it will help us replicate our global leadership position and transform the industry in India by enabling exports across APAC.”

 

LIXIL has two manufacturing facilities in Vijayawada (ceramic, American Standard and GROHE) and Manesar (TOSTEM windows).