Category technology

September 27, 2024, PRINCETON, N.J. – CitiusTech, a leading provider of healthcare technology, services & solutions, announced that it is Novant Health’s preferred vendor for Enterprise Data & Decision Intelligence services. Novant Health is an integrated network of more than 850 locations, including 19 medical centers, more than 700 physician clinics and urgent care centers, outpatient facilities, and imaging and pharmacy services in North Carolina and South Carolina.

Novant Health aims to harness the power of enterprise data to drive improved patient outcomes and greater operational efficiency through the integration of cutting-edge technologies and methodologies. To that end, CitiusTech will provide Novant Health with a comprehensive suite of data, analytics, and digital services along with strong healthcare domain knowledge. These services include data platform development, engineering and supporting analytic products leveraged for clinical and operational decision-making. The key focus for Novant is building a suite of platforms and products and ensuring its successful implementation across the enterprise.

“We are committed to helping Novant Health achieve its goals by providing robust, scalable, and secure enterprise solutions that drive measurable results,” said Rajan Kohli, CEO, CitiusTech. “This collaboration is all about using enterprise information to push healthcare forward. By bringing together our strengths in advanced analytics, AI, and data integration with Novant Health’s innovative delivery model, we’re focused on creating solutions that improve patient care, boost efficiency, and drive real impact across the board. Together, we are redefining what quality healthcare can look like.”

As healthcare organizations continue to recognize the critical importance of taking a data-first approach in driving innovation and improving patient care, partnerships like the one between Novant Health and CitiusTech are likely to become increasingly important. This collaboration not only underscores CitiusTech’s position as a leader in healthcare technology but also highlights Novant Health’s commitment to adopting cutting-edge solutions to meet the evolving needs of its patients and communities.

Chennai, September 27, 2024 — Cisco, the worldwide leader in security and networking, has today inaugurated its first manufacturing facility in India, marking a significant milestone in its commitment to building manufacturing capabilities in the country. This state-of-the-art site will produce a range of Cisco’s best-in-class routing and switching products to meet the rapidly growing technology needs of organizations in India and around the world. With this strategic investment, Cisco aims to drive over USD $1.3 billion in revenue, broadening its diverse and resilient supply chain. The facility is also expected to create 1200 jobs in the state.

The Chennai-based manufacturing facility was inaugurated by Shri. Jyotiraditya Scindia, Minister of Communications; and Minister of Development of North Eastern Region, Government of India, along with Chuck Robbins, Chair and CEO of Cisco; Jeetu Patel, Executive Vice President and Chief Product Officer, Cisco; Dave West, President, Cisco APJC; Daisy Chittilapilly, President, Cisco India & SAARC; and state and local government officials. This opening marks an important expansion milestone in Cisco’s worldwide manufacturing footprint.

Cisco has collaborated with Flex  to successfully build the Chennai site and bring advanced telecom technology that can help connect citizens in India and globally. This is the next milestone in Cisco and Flex’s longstanding 25-year partnership to ramp up manufacturing across the globe with speed, resilience, and sustainable practices.

The facility, which will initially focus on Cisco’s Network Convergence System (NCS) 540 Series of routers, represents the first phase of the company’s multiyear investment plan. Significant innovation and technical advancements are planned in the next phase including printed circuit board assembly components with several layers; products requiring, at times, thousands of individual components; and industrial-grade products that are built to endure severe environmental conditions. With this, Cisco is broadening its technical manufacturing capabilities to enable additional customers and market segments.

“The inauguration of the Cisco’s manufacturing facility in India producing advanced telecom equipment is a testament to the country’s growing Atmanirbharta in the global technology landscape. Certain that the factory will strengthen Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi Ji’s vision of becoming a global manufacturing hub and amplify the holistic growth of India’s telecom ecosystem,” said Shri. Jyotiraditya Scindia, Minister of Communications; and Minister of Development of North Eastern Region, Government of India.

“We congratulate Cisco on the inauguration of this state-of-the-art facility in Tamil Nadu. This facility is in line with Tamil Nadu becoming a critical hub for advanced manufacturing and technological innovation. Under the leadership of Honourable Chief Minister Thiru. MK Stalin, Tamil Nadu continues to attract world-class investments, reinforcing our position in the global supply chain, especially in electronics manufacturing. We look forward to strengthening our collaboration with Cisco as we continue to drive technological growth and industrial leadership in the region,” said Dr. T.R.B Rajaa, Minister for Industries, Government of Tamil Nadu.

“India has been an important market for Cisco for nearly three decades, and we are immensely proud of our progress and partnerships here,” said Chuck Robbins, Chair and CEO of Cisco. “The inauguration of a manufacturing facility in Chennai marks a significant advancement in our commitment to the region. This expansion not only deepens our presence in India, but also strengthens our partnerships with customers, partners, and the government. By delivering cutting-edge technology from this facility to our customers in India and across the globe, we are enhancing supply chain reliability and catalyzing innovation, both locally and globally.”

“We are proud to officially open a new manufacturing facility in Chennai, which is a pivotal step in our investments in India,” said Daisy Chittilapilly, President, Cisco India & SAARC. “This new facility strengthens our capabilities in the country to produce state-of-the-art technologies, contributing to our nation’s technological advancement and global competitiveness.’’

The new facility enhances Cisco’s manufacturing capabilities and is a step towards helping accelerate India’s transition into a leading digital economy. By diversifying supply chains, Cisco is committed to helping global organizations bolster their resilience.

Potsdam, September 20th, 2024 – The first of October 2024, Germany’s first fully digital university will launch its initial MBA and Master’s degree programs as well as Open Courses and Micro-Degree Programs to train training professionals for the digital transformation worldwide. This is the vision of computer science professors Mike Friedrichsen and Christoph Meinel. The initiators of the innovative digital university concept expect approval as a state-recognized university in the first quarter of 2025. The private and non-profit “German University of Digital Science” (German UDS) is based in the media city of Babelsberg in Potsdam, where the headquarters and the so-called “Maschinenhaus”, hosting the servers for teaching operations, are located.

 German UDS – Germany’s First Globally Operating Digital University

Why does the German UDS call itself the first fully digital university? Since the COVID-19 pandemic at the latest, online lectures have become common practice for students and lecturers alike. However, most universities in Germany and abroad continue to offer in-person classes alongside online lectures.  At German UDS both studies and continuing education are entirely possible in a 100% digital format. Moreover, from the start, the new university positions itself as an explicitly global educational institution. This means that students and lecturers from around the world can become part of the German UDS, as all lectures, exercises, seminars, and exams are offered digitally and exclusively in English.

 German UDS Target Audiences

The German UDS is designed for all learners and teachers worldwide who want to actively shape the digital transformation. The initiators, Profs. Drs. Mike Friedrichsen and Christoph Meinel, particularly focus on the Global South: “We are not thinking exclusively, but emphatically, of people from the Global South for whom studying or further education in the western world is impossible for financial, professional, or family reasons. But even in Germany, in Europe, or other Western countries, not everyone is able to attend an in-person university.”

 Addressing the Global IT Skills Shortage

The shortage of skilled professionals in many sectors continues to grow nationally and internationally. Germany, in particular, will need more highly educated professionals in the coming years than any other European country. The increasing digitalization of all areas of life significantly raises the demand for IT experts. According to the U.S.-based Korn Ferry Institute, the global tech sector alone will face a shortage of 4.3 million IT specialists by 2030.

This is where German UDS positions itself: education and training for the digital transformation.

The clear goal of German UDS is to help alleviate the critical global shortage of IT professionals, a shortage that is stalling digital progress in many countries. “In Germany alone, almost 150,000 IT positions cannot currently be filled,” says Meinel, referring to the latest findings of the Bitkom Digital Association.

Artificial intelligence alone will not solve the skills gap, Friedrichsen emphasizes: “The future problem solvers and architects of digitalization need high-quality knowledge. German UDS intends to deliver this knowledge online, no matter where in the world people live and work.”

 The Academic Offering – Digital for Digital

Starting October 1, 2024, the following programs will be offered:

– MBA programs: Digital Technologies and Digital Transformation

– Master’s programs: Advanced Digital Reality, Applied AI, Cybersecurity, and Digital Leadership

The launch of the first MBA and Master’s degree programs will be followed by a Bachelor’s degree in Digital World. “Open Courses” and ‘Micro-Degree Programs’ complement the digital learning offering in various digital topics. A course on the innovation method “Design Thinking” is also being developed.

Anyone interested can apply for the coming semester until end of September 2024.

 “We see our university’s unique selling point truly in the term ‘digital.’ It is the key to the future. That makes our offer coherent: we provide digital learning and teaching for the most central digital topics of our time – Digital Technologies and Transformation, Digital Reality and Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity, and Digital Leadership Anyone wanting to dive deeply into these subjects should also apply digital technology practically during their studies. It’s not only our practical collaborations with companies and partners worldwide, but also the specially developed learning platform, German-UDS.academy, that synthesizes studies and practice through this study method. In our opinion, this significantly contributes to ‘learning by doing’,” Friedrichsen and Meinel explain. “After all, what better practice is there than to digitally tackle digital topics? Ultimately, we learn everything in a context – walking, speaking, reading, writing… We want to move, communicate, participate, and express ourselves. It’s no different in the digital world. Only by feeling at home in it can we dive deeper and shape it together.”

Students enrolled virtually at German UDS will pay moderate and affordable fees of €7,500 per academic year to obtain the Bachelor of Science, Master of Science and Master of Business Administration (MBA) degrees.

 German UDS aims to serve as a “beacon of digital education,” democratizing global access to high-quality, innovative knowledge essential for navigating digital transformation and alleviating the IT skills shortage. “At the same time, the future digital university is also committed to actively promoting freedom, equality, self-determination, tolerance, and the rule of law in the digital world,” emphasizes Friedrichsen.

The German-UDS.academy learning platform

The German-UDS.academy is a digital education platform offering a wide range of interactive online courses (MOOCs – Massive Open Online Courses) and additional services. Professors, lecturers and researchers from the German University of Digital Science and its partners create interactive Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) on various digital transformation topics, regardless of location. These courses are then made available on the German-UDS.academy platform. With these activities, the German-UDS.academy, providing a global social learning network.

“Professors and other academics involved in our project have already prepared the first courses. They are aimed at anyone who wants to help shape the digital transformation and move confidently and self-determined in the digital world,” reports Prof. Christoph Meinel, the former Director of the Hasso Plattner Institute (HPI) in Potsdam, who retired as HPI Managing Director in March 2023 and immediately dedicated himself to founding the German UDS.

“With the first online courses of the emerging German UDS, we are demonstrating that we don’t just talk the talk, we act,” adds Prof. Mike Friedrichsen, who previously taught at Stuttgart Media University (HdM) for 25 years.

Support from an international advisory board

According to the initiators, the project of a private digital university is supported by an international advisory board of academics. The eight-member advisory board includes experts from the universities of Stanford (USA), Monterrey (Mexico), Madrid (Spain) and Cape Town (South Africa).

Non-Profit Sponsoring Organization Already Active

Friedrichsen and Meinel have established a foundation for their project, which serves as the shareholder of the non-profit “German University of Digital Science gGmbH”. This resides in the so-called “CloudHouse”, the headquarters of the German UDS, in Potsdam’s media city Babelsberg. It provides the start-up funding for the digital university and is responsible for all its rights and obligations. According to the initiators, they are currently in intensive discussions with private individuals, companies, and institutions about contributions to the initial financing.

India, 26th September 2024: Rakuten India, a leader in cutting-edge technology and innovation, announces the appointment of two senior executives: Jay Swamidass as Vice President and Global Head of Sales and Subhash Chandra as Head of Global Partnerships & Alliances. These leadership appointments represent a significant step in Rakuten India’s ongoing efforts to expand its global footprint and enhance its enterprise software offerings.

In recent years, Rakuten SixthSense has witnessed impressive growth, broadening its reach and becoming a key player in the global technology space. This success has been fueled by the platform’s dedication to innovation, its capacity to tackle complex enterprise challenges, and its focus on cultivating strong strategic partnerships. With the appointment of Jay Swamidass and Subhash Chandra to the leadership team, Rakuten SixthSense is poised to accelerate its growth and drive further advancements in the industry.

Jay Swamidass brings over two decades of experience in enterprise software sales, having held key positions and leadership roles at Hewlett Packard, Commvault Systems, Veeam Software, and most recently, Apica. At Rakuten India, Jay will lead the sales strategy for Rakuten SixthSense, focusing on delivering innovative solutions to enterprise customers. His expertise in analytics, cloud, AI, and enterprise infrastructure will support the company’s goal of further expanding its footprint in this critical market.

“I am thrilled to join Rakuten India at such an exciting time,” said Jay Swamidass, Vice President and Global Head of Sales, Rakuten SixthSense. “The company’s focus on cutting-edge observability solutions and its commitment to solving complex enterprise challenges align perfectly with my passion for leveraging technology to drive operational excellence and business resilience. I’m excited to work alongside this talented team to strengthen our market presence and deliver real value to our clients through unparalleled visibility and performance insights.”

Subhash Chandra, appointed as Head of Global Partnerships & Alliances, Rakuten SixthSense, brings 23 years of experience in building strategic partnerships across the technology sector, with prior leadership roles at AWS, Google Cloud, SAP, and IBM. Subhash will focus on expanding Rakuten India’s global partner network to enhance its technological capabilities and market reach, which will further fuel the company’s rapid growth.

“Rakuten India’s vision of innovation through collaboration is truly inspiring,” said Subhash Chandra, Head of Global Partnerships & Alliances. “I am eager to lead the global partnerships efforts and work closely with our partners to create synergies that empower our clients and elevate Rakuten India’s solutions on a global scale.”

Commenting on the appointments, Sunil Gopinath, CEO of Rakuten India said, “We are delighted to welcome Jay and Subhash to the Rakuten India leadership team. Their expertise and leadership will be pivotal as we continue to innovate and expand our global presence in enterprise software and observability. With their strategic insights and operational excellence, I am confident we will achieve new milestones and continue our significant growth trajectory for our Rakuten SixthSense business.”

Hyderabad, September 26, 2024 – The Smart City Living Lab announces the launch of its innovative Digital Twin for water utility network. This project was initiated in collaboration with ZF Technologies, a CSR initiative five months ago, represents a significant advancement in smart city infrastructure management.

Ms.Anuradha Vattem, Chief Technology Architect mentioned that the idea of building a Digital Twin has been triggered when an MOU for establishing Centre of Excellence for Water (Water COE)with Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board(HMWSSB) last February and one of the problems discussed was the Digital Twin for Water and Sewerage Treatment Plant.

In continuation with that, the team started understanding and thinking on how Digital Twin can be applied and used for Utility networks like water. And ZF has facilitated and fuelled our idea in building the first Digital Twin for a water network in IIITH Smart City Living Lab.

In brief about the product, an area of water network in the Kohli research Block was identified where Different nodes (water quality, water flow, water level and motor control) were deployed. After extensive research into existing software options and exploring all possibilities, the team opted to develop its own software stack, tailored specifically for this project. It has used the standard stack used for smart city solutions (including the oneM2M interoperable layer).

The ZF Team is led by Mr. Krishnaswamy Jambunathan, Vice President and Head – of Tech Center India at ZF Group and Rakesh Mishra, Head Of Finance. has graced the official launch of the Digital Twin at the Campus. Mr. Krishnaswamy Jambunathan appreciated the team’s effort towards developing the platform.

The successful implementation of the Digital Twin technology has garnered immense satisfaction from the ZF Team. Today’s launch event marks the culmination of this collaborative effort and paves the way for wider adoption of this groundbreaking solution.

After the Launch, Mementoes were given to the team who worked on the Digital Twin Project as a token of appreciation.

Dr Deepak Gangadharan says “The Water Network Twin project with ZF is very timely, given the National initiative of Sangam Digital Twin by DoT. This demonstrates the commitment and expertise of IIIT-H in being one of the major contributors in the Digital Twin space for Smart City solutions”.

Following the launch, the Smart City Living Lab and ZF technologies teams engaged in discussions regarding the various activities to be planned as a part of the future collaboration. ZF team mentioned that they were happy with the progress made on the campus and are very much interested in working on more future collaborations.

Dr. Karthik Vaidhyanathan expressed that The biggest takeaway from this project has been in taking the concept of digital twin from lab to land thereby contributing towards the goal of sustainable smart cities. This experience has enabled our team to move towards the development of a platform that enables city stakeholders in building digital twins for different smart city use cases

Ms. Anuradha Vattem reiterated that this visit from ZF to the Smart City Living Lab proved fruitful and it marks the beginning of many more engagements with ZF in the coming years.

Mumbai,  September 24, 2024 –– Trend Micro Incorporated , a global cybersecurity leader, today published research revealing that global organizations lack sufficient resources and leadership buy-in to measure and mitigate risk across their digital attack surface.

Sharda Tickoo, Country Manager for India & SAARC at Trend Micro: “A lack of clear leadership on cybersecurity can have a paralyzing effect on an organization—leading to reactive, piecemeal and erratic decision making. Companies need CISOs to clearly communicate in terms of business risk to engage their boards. Ideally, they should have a single source of truth across the attack surface from which to share updates with the board, continually monitor risk, and automatically remediate issues for enhanced cyber-resilience.”

Trend polled 2,600 global IT leaders responsible for cybersecurity in small, medium and large organizations to better understand their attitudes toward attack surface risk management (ASRM).

The top three gaps in cyber-resilience revealed by respondents were:

• Sufficient staffing for 24x7x365 cybersecurity coverage – which just 36% have
• Attack surface management techniques to measure the risk of the attack surface (used by 35%)
• Using proven regulatory and other frameworks like the NIST Cybersecurity Framework (only 34%)

The failure of a majority of global companies to achieve these cybersecurity basics could be traced back to a lack of leadership and accountability at the top of the organization. Half (48%) of respondents claimed that their leadership doesn’t consider cybersecurity to be their responsibility. Just 17% disagreed strongly with that statement.

When asked who does or should hold responsibility for mitigating business risk, respondents returned a variety of answers, indicating a lack of clarity on reporting lines. Nearly a third (31%) said the buck stops with organizational IT teams.

This lack of clear direction on cybersecurity strategy may be why over half (54%) of global respondents complained that their organization’s attitude to cyber risk is inconsistent and varies from month to month.

The leadership required to remediate these issues is not present in many organizations. Nearly all (96%) of those surveyed have concerns about their attack surface. Over one third (36%) are worried about having a way of discovering, assessing and mitigating high-risk areas, and a fifth (19%) aren’t able to work from a single source of truth.

Mumbai, September 18th, 2024 – Launching today, Vu Televisions proudly announces the sequel of the 2022 edition of its highly acclaimed GloLED TV – The Vu GloLED 2025 TV with better computing capabilities. Just in time for the festive season, this new TV features a 1.5 GHz VuOn™ processor, which improves phone and camera pairing as well as Bluetooth connectivity. Developed at The Vu Design Center, the Vu GloLED 2025 TV is now smarter and faster, offering better graphics and clearer pictures with AI upscaling. The 1.5 GHz VuOn™ processor also supports 2-way Bluetooth 5.3 and 5 GHz Wi-Fi, making it a great match for all your devices, including your Apple iPhone. The Vu GloLED range is well-known for its Glo Panel, now with Dolby Vision, HDR, Dolby Audio, and DTS VirtualX Surround Sound. Control everything from your couch with the new voice remote that includes a Wi-Fi hotkey, the world’s first developed by Vu Televisions.

During the launch of this TV at an art gallery, Devita Saraf, Founder Chairperson and CEO, Vu Televisions, commented, “Considering the massive success of the Vu GloLED TV 2022, it was difficult to find a way to upgrade the product but then our research team showed that Gen Z’s pattern of TV usage has a lot more to do with pairing devices such as phones and cameras. Putting in over a year of research, we added a better processor and can now proudly say we are the only TV where Apple and Google come together! Gen Z users are not only content consumers, but also content creators, for whom we have added camera connectivity for video recording and video conferencing. This product is truly a young consumer’s dream TV and we have made it even more affordable than the previous version!”

Kunal Gupta, Vice President, Large Appliances, Flipkart, said, “Our 10-year partnership with Vu has democratized access to high-quality smart TVs, driving industry growth. In the past decade, smart TVs have evolved from mere entertainment devices to the heart of connected living rooms. As consumer preferences shift towards smarter, immersive experiences, Flipkart remains dedicated to providing a wide variety of value-driven selections. The launch of the new Vu GloLED 2025 TV on Flipkart ahead of The Big Billion Days underscores our commitment to offering India the latest television technology. Together, we’re bringing cutting-edge features, superior picture quality, and an unparalleled entertainment experience to millions of Indian homes.We’re looking forward to continuing this journey, delivering the latest innovations, and redefining how India experiences entertainment. Further, Vu’s deep understanding of Indian consumers, from urban centers to rural India, perfectly aligns with our vision of empowering customers nationwide.”

Key features of Vu GloLED TV 2025

The VuOn™ 1.5GHz Processor

The most advanced AI VuOn™ processor available, it stands as the fastest in its class, guaranteeing superior graphics, enhanced picture clarity, and seamless, lag-free streaming with high-speed graphics and smooth motion. This processor supports Bluetooth, Screen Mirroring, and Casting from smart phones, and connects easily with cameras, PlayStations, and other devices, both wired and wirelessly, for effortless enjoyment of your favorite content.

Get the Perfect Phone Partner

The Vu GloLED TV offers extensive connectivity options, including casting from Android or Apple phones, 2-way Bluetooth for music, 5GHz Wi-Fi for streaming, and HDMI for gaming consoles. It supports both wired and wireless connections for additional devices. You can also control your smart home and TV with voice commands through Google Assistant or Apple HomeKit.

Vu GloLED2025 for Video Conferencing

Thanks to the Vu AI VuOn™ processor, which supports seamless camera connectivity, you can easily conduct Google Meet video calls by connecting an external camera and microphone to the TV. Additionally, Vu’s proprietary Family Moment app makes it simple to capture precious family moments

Latest Version of Superhit Glo-Panel

The Vu Glo-Panel delivers excellent color performance with a gamma range from 2.0 to ST2084, enhancing color intensity and provides uniform color accuracy in any light. Advanced A.I. technology upscales content to improve content sharpness and detail, and ensures smoothness for fast-moving scenes. It also supports Dolby Vision, HDR, and HLG formats for superior HDR video performance

Surround Sound with 24W DTS Virtual X Sound

This GLOLED TV showcases a sleek, slim floating panel design with built-in 24-watt powerful speakers. It features a robust amplifier that enhances vocal clarity and optimizes music playback. The amplifier independently fine-tunes and delivers high-quality sound through the TV’s built-in speakers. DTS Virtual X technology provides an immersive audio experience by simulating surround sound, making it feel like a home sound system is integrated into the TV.

Vu Remotes now with WiFi Hotkey Feature

Vu’s TV offers Indian-specific features, including Cricket and Cinema hotkeys with optimized Picture & Sound settings, quick preset access, and WiFi setup Hotkeys. The remote has a built-in Google Voice Assistant key. Running on the latest Google TV OS, the TV provides a refined interface with 4K UI support, background blurs, and customizable accessibility settings. It also enhances privacy by restricting background app services.

Kolkata, 18th September 2024: Neuron Energy, a leading manufacturer of EV batteries, has announced a strategic partnership with Pointo, a pioneer in the Battery-as-a-Service (BaaS) model. This collaboration will focus on leasing lithium-ion batteries to commercial E-Rickshaws in India. Starting in August 2024 and continuing through the following year, Neuron Energy has committed to delivering up to 12,000 high-capacity 5.1KW lithium-ion batteries for L3 category e-rickshaws, supporting the transition from lead-acid to lithium-ion technology and promoting the growth of sustainable electric mobility solutions.

Neuron Energy is recognized for its innovative range of electric mobility solutions, including lead-acid, lithium-ion, and cutting-edge sodium-ion batteries. Through this partnership, Pointo will lease Neuron Energy’s advanced battery packs as part of its comprehensive EV initiative across key markets such as Kolkata, Bihar, and Uttar Pradesh. This initiative will further enhance electric mobility infrastructure in these regions, offering e-rickshaw drivers cost-effective, high-performance alternatives to traditional batteries.

Commenting on the partnership, Pratik Kamdar, CEO& Co-Founder of Neuron Energy, said “Our collaboration with Pointo signifies a significant shift in advancing sustainable mobility solutions by ensuring consistent, high-quality battery supply for the rapidly growing E-Rickshaw sector. At Neuron Energy, we are committed to driving the future of electric mobility through our innovative battery technologies, and this alliance will enable us to scale our efforts in transforming the EV landscape across India.”

Riki Biswas, Founder of Pointo, said “Pointo, as a pioneer in the Battery-as-a-Service (BaaS) sector, integrates OEMs and NBFCs to ensure the highest quality and performance of our products while streamlining battery leasing and lifecycle management. Our partnership with Neuron will accelerate market entry and establish premier service facilities, enhancing customer support and minimizing downtime. Together, we are committed to advancing the adoption of next-generation green batteries and delivering sustainable energy solutions for the mobility sector.”

The leasing model for EV batteries is seen as a game-changer, offering an affordable, scalable, and sustainable solution to drive the adoption of electric vehicles. This partnership reflects the shared vision of Neuron Energy and Pointo to promote eco-friendly transportation and enhance the Indian EV ecosystem for a greener future.

Mumbai, Monday, 16th September 2024: Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA), the apex national body of Automobile Retail in India today announced the outcome of Dealer Satisfaction Study 2024 results which was undertaken in association with PremonAsia, a consumer-insight led consulting & advisory firm based out of Singapore.

Commenting on the release of the study, FADA President, Mr. C S Vigneshwar said, “I extend my sincere gratitude to the over 1,500 Dealer Principals, representing nearly 4,500 outlets across India, who contributed to this year’s DSS study. Their invaluable feedback underscores the continued need for deeper collaboration between OEMs and Dealers to address key areas of concern. The 2024 findings highlight critical areas for improvement, particularly in the support for buy-back policies on unsold spare parts and the implementation of more dealer-friendly inventory management norms for new vehicles—both of which are essential to ensuring the financial stability of dealerships.

Despite these challenges, Dealers have expressed strong satisfaction with the reliability and diversity of OEM products, which continue to serve as key strengths in the Dealer-OEM relationship.”

PremonAsia Director and COO, Mr. Rahul Sharma said, “The Dealers continue to assign higher importance to After-sales and Business Viability related issues. While there have been improvements made by OEMs in all the areas, the expectations on ensuring Dealer viability, particularly related to OEMs buyback / deadstock inventory and understanding the dealer cost structure are still flagged as concern areas across the industry. Addressing these concerns through involving dealers in the policy making and hearing them will certainly go a long way in managing dealer expectations better.”

Key Highlights:

• 4-Wheeler mass market: JSW MG Motor emerges as the top performer with an industry-leading score of 866 points – the highest across segments.
• 2-Wheeler mass market: Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India (HMSI) leads with 805 index points, maintaining its position as the only brand to have consistently held the number one spot since the survey’s inception 4 years back.
• Commercial Vehicles: Ashok Leyland has surpassed its previous performance to achieve the top rank with 817 index points, while Bharat Benz makes its debut in the top three.
• Most significant improvement: Tata Motors PV has improved its last year performance by 98 points in this year’s study to end at number 4 in the 4-Wheeler Mass segment.
• In the 2-Wheeler Mass market segment, TVS Motor has secured the joint third position, improving its performance by 37 index points from last year.
• Bharat Benz has made its debut in the top three of the CV segments, achieving this milestone with a 94-point increase over its previous year’s performance.

With an Industry Average Dealer Satisfaction score of 768, there has been a single-point increase from last year. ‘Product’ scores the highest across all categories, indicating that the industry consistently provides competitive, well-supported and innovative products that meet customer expectations. After-Sales related areas assume the highest importance amongst all factors, followed by Sales. However, despite being the most improved factor over the past two years, ‘Business and Viability’ remains the lowest-scoring factor.

While 4-wheeler mass market dealers are more satisfied compared to last year, Dealer satisfaction in the 2-wheeler and CV segments has declined.

Opportunities for enhancement

• Provide support in clearance of above 60 days ageing vehicle stock
• Provide support in clearing unsold vehicle stock at change of calendar year
• Increase in warranty labour rates for better gross margin in workshops

Segment specific observations

In 4-Wheeler Mass Segment, dealers expressed concerns about the buyback or write-off policy for unsold spare parts inventory and the need for support in covering the carrying costs of stocks in transit. They also highlighted the importance of ensuring dealership viability, overall profitability, and greater involvement in OEM policymaking. However, dealers expressed satisfaction with the OEM’s extended warranty policy, as well as the reliability and range of products offered to customers.

In Commercial Vehicle Segment, dealers emphasized concerns regarding vehicle sales margins, overall dealership profitability, ensuring long-term viability, and a stronger desire for involvement in OEM policymaking. Dealers were quite happy with the overall product range and quality of fully built vehicles, and expressed satisfaction with the responsiveness of the OEM sales team

In 2-Wheeler Segment, the biggest concern which the study highlighted was OEMs were not supportive on buy back of dead stock of parts and they were not open to dealer inputs in terms of policy making and multi-brand outlets point of view. On the positive side, the study found that OEMs were fair in acceptance and rejection of warranty claims, product reliability & range as well as the training program for customer facing team.

New Delhi, September 14, 2024: MediaTek, a leading global fabless semiconductor company powering more than two billion connected devices yearly, hosted ‘Catch-up with Tech – a Lifestyle Influencer Meet & Greet’ in collaboration with Motorola and Flipkart on 10th September in New Delhi. Representatives from MediaTek, Motorola, and Flipkart were present for insightful discussions on the next frontier for technology. They discussed MediaTek’s dominance in various areas, including smartphones, smart devices, automotive and satellite communication, computing, and connectivity.

The meetup showcased MediaTek’s dedication to making technology more accessible for consumers. It featured the motorola razr 50, the first flip phone powered by MediaTek Dimensity 7300X SoC. The event also showcased the upcoming motorola edge 50 Neo for the first time, a candy bar phone powered by MediaTek Dimensity 7300 processor, and the EnvisionxSpectra Smart TV line, which uses Mini-LED technology powered by MediaTek SoCs. This year’s Catch-up With Tech event took place at an exquisite venue in New Delhi, India, and saw more than 50 Lifestyle Influencers, Analysts and Media personalities in attendance. The event focused on the new Motorola smartphones and MediaTek Dimensity chipsets, creating incredible user experiences. The information pertaining to these new smartphones and MediaTek Dimensity 7300 series chipsets was further elaborated in an engaging panel discussion.

The panel discussion was moderated by Anuj Sidharth, Director of Marketing & Corporate Communications at MediaTek. It included expert panellists such as Shivam Ranjan, Head of Marketing, APAC at Motorola, Konark Tyagi, Video Head- Non News & Podcast, Jagran New Media and prominent Lifestyle Influencer Sneha Arora.

The future-ready smartphones offer brilliant cameras, smooth displays, ultra-fast performance furthered by MediaTek’s HyperEngine optimisations, incredible AI enhancements, a powerful NPU for AI workloads and elevated gaming features. MediaTek chipsets for smart TVs provide speedy performance, advanced intelligence & brilliant picture quality, and offer robust connectivity that makes home entertainment experiences simply incredible.

MediaTek family of chipsets power nearly 2 billion devices every year, and the extensive portfolio includes MediaTek Dimensity for 5G Smartphones, MediaTek Helio G series for 4G gaming smartphones, MediaTek Kompanio for Arm-based Chromebooks, MediaTek Pentonic chipsets for Smart TV technologies, MediaTek Genio for Internet of Things, Dimensity Auto for innovative automotive technologies, and MediaTek Filogic for smart Wi-Fi 6/6E & Wi-Fi 7 solutions, among others.

Catch-up with Tech series is a mainstay for MediaTek, which aims to bring technology closer to consumers and help billions of people explore their true potential, said Anku Jain, Managing Director, MediaTek India. Through our collaboration with Motorola, we’re empowering mainstream 5G smartphones and foldables backed by MediaTek Dimensity 7300 series with AI-powered camera technologies, next-gen connectivity, incredible displays, accelerated gaming, and reliable Sub-6 5G connectivity at an accessible price point.

The MediaTek chipsets provide outstanding performance with four Cortex A78 Big cores and four Cortex A55 Efficient cores. The SoCs seamlessly integrate AI capabilities with a dedicated NPU to enhance the overall smartphone experience. Furthermore, the 4nm process technology leads to significant improvements in battery performance.

Shivam Ranjan, Head of Marketing, APAC, Motorola said, “At Motorola, we are focused on bringing meaningful innovation to consumers, and our collaboration with MediaTek reflects this commitment. The ‘Catch-up with Tech’ event highlighted the perfect synergy between Motorola’s vision and MediaTek’s cutting-edge technology. Our partnership is making 5G and foldable smartphones more accessible, in line with our goal of providing future-ready, powerful devices. Together, we are empowering customers with innovative technologies that enrich their daily lives.”

Kunal Gupta, Vice President, Flipkart said, “As consumers increasingly seek versatile entertainment options, the demand for smart TVs continues to rise. At Flipkart, as India’s homegrown e-commerce marketplace, our goal is to make the latest smart TVs accessible and affordable for customers across the country. With the launch of the Motorola EnvisionX Spectra TVs, featuring mini LED technology and screen sizes ranging from 32” to 86”, we are delighted to offer a diverse selection that caters to different entertainment needs, bringing advanced technology and an exceptional viewing experience directly to our customers’ homes.”

The MediaTek Catch-Up with Tech is an interactive, informative series aimed at demystifying the innovative technologies transforming our daily lives. The series emphasizes MediaTek’s commitment to making advanced technology accessible to consumers, thereby enhancing and enriching our daily lives and making us smarter and healthier.