Outstanding Businesses In Kerala-2021

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Vol. 10 Issue 00 2021

OUTSTANDING

BUSINESSES IN

2021 Business Upfront Kerala State as an Emerging Business Hub

Biz-Talk Kerala’s cultural impact on business operations

Company of The Month

Techversant Empowering Companies in their Digital Transformation Journey

Weft Technologies Bringing Businesses into the Digital Era with Innovative Approach

Editor’s Note FROM BACKWATERS TO THE GLOBAL BUSINESS MAP

Kerala is also an emerging hub for business apart from tourism and spices. This investorfriendly state has many business opportunities for entrepreneurs. With the highest literacy rate and lowest population growth, Kerala is one of the ideal places to start or scale businesses.

Given that the state leads in industrial growth and per capita income, there is no stopping for Kerala to be on the top of the business map. The state made impressive strides in the non-conventional business space. Technology, media, and advanced techniques in traditional or regular businesses are making the headlines in God’s Own Country and globally. In fact, technology is the main engine that is driving the business growth in Kerala.

Kerala has always believed in the ease of doing business and being part of the global maritime trade route, the export business has always thrived here. The presence of four international airports in the state

Sumita Sarkar Editor-in-Chief

sumita@insightssuccess.com

speaks volumes about the flourishing business landscape in Kerala. The Kerala government is further enabling the ease of doing business in the state.

The state has also taken complete advantage of the Start-up mission, and several ideas are being translated into businesses by intelligent minds. The digital revolution in Kerala will soon promote the state to the country’s Silicon Valley.

The state has made monumental growth in the business sphere. The people of Kerala are known and respected worldwide for their hard work and enterprising nature. Their flexibility in accepting and moving ahead with the changing times set them apart.

Their ability to easily blend and mould themselves under any situation makes them excellent employees and entrepreneurs.

coir, spices, and tourism. One can see a reverse brain drain in the state of intellectuals, and this will continue for good as emerging businesses are carving a niche for themselves globally and establishing a stronghold in their areas of business.

The SMEs and Start-ups have rendered a global platform to the enterprising Keralite, and there is no stopping for them now.

To share the success stories of some businesses with an edge over the others, we came up with our latest edition of Insights Success – Outstanding Businesses in Kerala 2021. We are sure the edition will interest you and will be an eye-opener.

So, right now, it is Kerala calling.

Have an inspiring read!

There was a time when people migrated from Kerala to the cities in the country and the world. The state has come a long way from being known for its backwaters,

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ARS T&TT: Paving the Way towards Sound and World-class IT Infrastructure

CAGGO Steam Services Facilitating Non-Toxic Cleaning Solutions for All Vehicles

Citrus Informatics Driving the IT Industry with Excellence

SocialPulsar Fuelling Growth with Essential Digital Marketing Solutions

Toonz Media Group Entertaining the World by \Creating Long-Lasting Memories

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Empowering Companies in their Digital Transformation Journey

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Techversant

Weft Technologies Bringing Businesses into the Digital Era with Innovative Approach

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Weft Technologies Bringing Businesses into the Digital Era with Innovative Approach

Weft Technologies Bringing Businesses into the Digital Era with Innovative Approach

Editor-in-Chief Sumita Sarkar Deputy Editor Abhishaj Sajeev Managing Editor Sayali Sangewar

sales@insightssuccess.com

Assisting Editor Ananda Kamal Das

OCTOBER, 2021

Contributing Writer Ashlesh Khadse

Corporate Offices: Chief Designer Priyanka Rajage Designing Head Vishal Pawar Co-designer Rashmi Singh

Operations Head Megha Mishra Business Development Manager Ashwini Pahurkar Business Development Lead Neha Bhadane Business Development Executive Nitin Patil

Technical Head Aditya Kothare

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OUTSTANDING

BUSINESSES IN

2021 Company Name

Management

Brief

Aptech Limited

Anil Pant Managing Director & CEO

Aptech Limited has over three decades of strong experience in the vocational skill training and non-formal academic curriculum-based training programs.

ARS Traffic and Transport Technology India

Manesh V.S Managing Director

ARS Traffic & Transport Technology has been providing traffic and transport technology solutions to private and public organizations for nearly 20 years.

CAGGO Steam Car Wash

Ajmal Khalid and Jithin Raj, the Founders

CAGGO provides a professional and unique steam car wash right at your doorstep.

Citrus Informatics India Pvt Ltd

Sarji R Mohammedali Founder & CEO

Citrus Informatics is an Information & Communication Technology (ICT) company that uses well-defined processes, best practices and innovative thinking to develop breakthrough solutions that leverage emerging technologies to achieve the business goals of our clients.

Digital Mesh Softech India (P) Limited

Ravi John CEO & Director

Digital Mesh is a leading software development and outsourcing service provider based in India with a global client base.

Jayanti SMP Tea Private Limited

Ashwin Shah Owner

JAYANTI SMP TEA PRIVATE LIMITED is located in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India and is part of the Beverage Manufacturing Industry.

SOCIALPULSAR DIGITAL MARKETING PRIVATE LIMITED

Ajish Nair Founder

Social Pulsar is a team of leading digital strategists, artists, and engineers who are passionate about the online business and are always ready to deliver for you.

Techversant Infotech Pvt. Ltd.

Joby John CEO

Techversant has a huge network of patronages which include the companies starting from small, capable start-ups to a very high-level enterprise from across the world such as North America, Europe, Middle East and Australia.

Toonz Animation

P. Jayakumar CEO

Toonz Animation, the animation division of Toonz Media Group, is a pioneering institution in the field of animation in Asia.

Weft Technologies

Nidhin Ravi Director

Weft, a top Software Development Company in Kochi, Kerala provides web application, web design, Android/IOS mobile app and eCommerce.

OUTSTANDING BUSINESSES IN KERALA

Weft Technologies Bringing Businesses into the Digital Era with Innovative Approach

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Technology and art have merged in a beautiful rapport in our work sphere and that keeps us going forward

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echnology’ has become one of the most important terms in the recent era. It is driving the growth of entire world by digitalizing every industry. From cleaning the house to attending a business meeting, technology has made almost every task possible. It has become an inevitable part of our lives. We cannot imagine life without technology as most of our work rely on it.

The COVID-19 pandemic has proved to us, the importance of technology.

Almost every business is trying to incorporate technology in its operations and automate the tedious tasks. The software companies are helping these businesses to adapt technology by providing software solutions and making it easy for them to enter the digital world. These companies are the catalyst in the process of digitalization.

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We strongly believe in ourselves and that's what we would like to share to the youngsters to have strong faith in their skills and never stop learning

Weft Technologies is one of the most innovative company that is driving more and more businesses everyday towards a digital world. The company is providing excellent and reliable digital solutions. It is pride for Weft Technologies to utilize the cutting-edge technologies and deliver excellence.

“Make something people want ‘includes’ making a company that people want to work for,” says Sahil Lavingia.

A Journey of Resolving the Digital Divide When the team of Insights Success asked Nidhin Ravi, the Director of Weft Technologies to share with us about his inspiration to establish the company, he said, “After years of conceiving the idea of building a business that could resolve the digital divide of our hometown, first baby steps to our establishment were taken by the year of 2015.”

“With digitization enveloping the inside out of the world, we were in a stride to help our hometown raise the bar when it comes to digital transformation. Kerala is still on the pathway to embrace complete digitization and we wanted a solution that could reach all classes of people,” he added.

Nidhin shared why he chose Kerala for the establishment of Weft Technologies. He said, “We decided to establish our company in the Smart City hub of Kochi, which is the prime technocities of Kerala, and we chose this plot to be amongst the likeminded, equally passionate techies so that we could go the extra mile with loads of inspiration, strong held commitment, and undying dedication.”

The motive of the company was to team up energetic, passionate, and goal-oriented youth and use their skill set and synergy to a common goal: Grow with Weft.

With onboarding of rightly skilled candidates and successful staffing, the company was on route to a host of prestigious clientele and acclamations.

“We are digital transformers with specialists in growth hacking and use cutting edge technology to deliver impactful software solutions and have associated with a proud line of international clients to broaden our horizons,” Nidhin said about the company.

“Our beginning was quite humble, but our hard work, perseverance, and strong will helped us cross milestones in our journey and we have stumbled around a number of roadblocks, but we met the challenges right on its eye and continue to move forward,” he added.

Nidhin mentioned about the clients and said, “We are proud of our accomplishments and have a huge client base in the UAE. We are equally proud of our hometown clientele and are elated to be a part of their digital transformation journey and their continued association with us for their branding requirements and growth hacking strategy planning.”

The mission and vision of Weft Technologies are centered towards optimized growth of its associated crew and clientele and reap remarkable results.

The company continues the efforts to make every possible client, who wishes to have a digital transformation,

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possess it in the best quality and functionality with its skilled teams and improvise the deliverables to the clientele.

An Exemplary Entrepreneur Nidhin Ravi, Director of Weft Technologies is a successful entrepreneur and has over ten years of experience in IT project management, strategy planning, digital marketing, ecommerce, and mobile apps.

In the past, he has worked with several multi-national companies based in India and UAE and has helped in building successful tech products keeping in mind, enhancing end-user experience. After a few hiccups at the beginning of a successful entrepreneurial career, Nidhin had acted as founder and CEO of a selected few startups, all of which had seen commercial success in their own fields.

A result-oriented director, consultant, coach, and technical project lead, Nidhin has been able to gather a thorough understanding of corporate training needs. With a diverse and enriched background, Nidhin handles corporate and tech-based challenges with ease and a strategic mindset.

Needless to say, he is a resolute-nature polyglot, a quick learner with strong networking, communication, and organizational skills. With all his strategic initiatives rapidly gaining traction, Nidhin is slowly crossing the next stage of entrepreneurial success.

Values and Ethics• Ethical Practices • Professionalism • Long-term relationship • Agility • Constant Reinvention • Price parity

Specialties• Global Project Management • Leadership workshops • Entrepreneurship & Leadership skills • Network building • Market analysis • Work-Life Balance Kerala - A Propitious Location The trajectory of the development curve when it comes to digital transformation has been laid back in Kerala. The stagnation of the growth curve in digital innovation was a problem, which needed a solution, and the team of Weft Technologies was ready to do their part to make a difference.

They wanted to invest their time and skills to create a new history of digital innovation in Kerala backed up realms of growth hack strategy.

When we asked Nidhin to share how Kerala is a favorable location for his company, he said, “Kerala, with its favorable policies for startup mission and budding IT companies made us launch our company effortlessly. Since the demand for digital innovation was at peak, we were having a favorable time in connecting with our target audience.”

“With a lot of techie biggies running their branches in and around Kerala, there was never a need for second thought, since we were assured of the fact that digital needs were flourishing among the Kerala audience,” he added.

An Exceptional Approach When we asked Nidhin about the challenges he has faced while establishing Weft Technologies, he said, “Just like any other business, we were testing the waters, we were new to the tech industry, but with years of experience and sound knowledge, we had the pre-requisite skill set. We had to take time in staffing and collecting the resources, which resonated with our ideals and vision.”

Kerala has been falling short in terms of digital growth compared to the counterparts and the state government has put in several efforts to elevate the digital transformation ratio. So, acceptance was never an issue.

Nidhin shared about his strategies to overcome the hurdles encountered. He said, “Making our ideals familiar with the Kerala audience was our preliminary task and we embraced simplicity to do it so. Kerala’s culture embraces simplicity in its entirety, and we adopted it in our marketing

Impediments Encountered during the Pandemic Covid -19 was a challenging time for Weft Technologies as it was for every other individual or business in question. The team of the company tried with their best efforts to have close ties with their clientele and be attentive to all their queries and be a constant source of support for their concerns around the clock.

The safety of Weft Technologies’ workforce was the primary concern, and the team went onto work from home and used digital communication to keep the work in progress.

Nidhin said, “Covid-19 opened eyes for many, who were afraid to take a break from the traditional brick and mortar institute setup and understood the massive potential behind having an e-commerce store and we found a

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With our exceptionally outlandish thoughts and design streaks, our client base always expects something way out of the box from us every single time and we won't let them down at any cost

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strategies and could grow substantially huge with years of hardship and could collect accolades from different spheres of our hometown.”

number of queries in the midst, for which we were more than happy to respond.”

Digital transformation was the need of the hour, and many wanted to take the leap of faith for once, and when they did, they started to generate revenue, and this gave them a quick revelation on how much they missed out in terms of years.

So, Covid-19 was an eye opener for many, who were so stubborn to leave their traditional business strategies and as, Weft Technologies’ team believe, change is the only constant thing.

Words of Inspiration Advising the youth of tomorrow, the team of Weft Technologies states, “We strongly believed in ourselves and that’s what we would like to share to the youngsters to have strong faith in their skills and never stop learning.

There should never be a breakpoint in your learning curve and continuously update yourself with the latest tech trends.”

“Failures are necessary for escalated growth and setbacks, or roadblocks should never stop you from achieving your goals,” the team adds.

“Never take shortcuts for your hard work, undoubtedly, your strenuous work will pay you off at the end of the day with flying colors. Dedication and perseverance are the root values that need to be incorporated in your persona while you are on the journey to achieve something big!” Nidhin guides the youth.

“Most importantly, build your network wisely, it has in store a massive amount of potential, which you can put into use at some point of your time,” he adds.

A Vision Ahead When we asked the team of Weft Technologies to share their future goals and strategies, they stated, “Our long goals are centered towards complete digital transformation of Kerala, where every individual has access to all digital entities. We dream of Kerala, which is positioned among the top league and put our hunker efforts into it to make it possible.”

“Latest technologies like AI, machine learning, and data science have huge potential that still remains unknown to many of the Kerala’s industries, and we would love to invest our efforts to use our skill set to make these industries visualize their data trends and make important business decisions with ease,” they added.

want to boost our corporate identity and let the public know, how important it is to have an amicable work atmosphere and a happy workforce is necessary for the potential growth of the company,” the team of Weft Technologies said.

Current Industrial Scenario in Kerala IT industry is having a booming growth in the pandemic situations with continued employment opportunities for all the techies, in a situation where thousands lost their jobs.

IT industry is also facing a number of queries in digital transformation and ecommerce stores are now being embraced by many industry owners upon understanding its potential.

Allied industries are approaching IT industries for digital solutions that can ease their work process at times of social distancing and lockdowns.

But lockdowns have also resulted in many stagnant projects that could have been launched by now and everyone should strive together to come out of this situation victoriously as united as we can.

Words of Worth They communicate clearly and let us know if there will be any delays or changes to the timeline.

- Mr.Imran J, Director, Bases Inc

Automation of many industries in Kerala is still a matter under question, and with digital transformation, most of the erroneous procedures can be successfully avoided.

They are committed to completing projects within the set timeline.

- Mr. Hakkeem

“We have an amicable work atmosphere and in the long run, we

Delivering Quality We are digital innovators with an extensive service palette. We deliver software solutions that are centered on a high-end technology stack and always prioritize our client requirements.

We are in constant touch with cutting edge technologies and invest our efforts in growth hack strategies to promote the products or services of our client base.

Technology and art have merged in a beautiful rapport in our work sphere and that keeps us going forward.

We deliver quality designs and functional customized software solutions and branding experts.

With a handful of international clients, we have a presence in Dubai, UAE and serving clients all over GCC. We have worked over a wide array of cultural disparities and ideologies and have a high scale of flexibility and work dynamics.

We can adopt those work standards into each emerging project to curate potential solutions.

E-commerce and app development, growth hack strategy, branding and design, we have worked in all realms and continue to adopt emerging technologies into our work sphere for remarkable results.

Our e-commerce solutions have been lauded by our clients and we are proud to be under news coverage post delivering an e-commerce solution for HygeineShoppie and got tremendous accolades for our exquisite hard work.

With our exceptionally outlandish thoughts and design streaks, our client base always expects something way out of the box from us every single time and we won't let them down at any cost!

Company of The Month

Innovation on cloud Empowering Companies in their Digital Transformation Journey

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he ambition for achieving excellence is what drives any company to zeniths. This excellence could encompass—but is not limited to—delivering unparalleled service to customers, innovating products that add value to the users, or prioritizing on bridging a gap in the industry.

What drives a company to achieve such excellence are its grit and commitment to overcome any adversity. Challenging times such as the COVID-19 pandemic have put numerous businesses and entrepreneurs to the test. Those who strove to scale their business operations in this period, leveraged resources and opportunities and were the ones immune to the ripples of the pandemic’s impact.

With ‘delivering nothing less than true excellence’ at the crux of their mission, the companies featured in this edition exhibit true potential to spark a paradigm shift in the ways that industries and markets will function.

In our endeavour to find such exceptional companies, we came across the story of Techversant Infotech, how it empowered companies in adapting to the digitalization wave, and how it became

one of the top Digital Transformation Services and Solutions Company in India.

Redefining Excellence Established in 2008 and headquartered in Alberta, Canada, Techversant provides avant-garde digital solutions and services for businesses across the globe. The company is a trusted business partner to more than 500 enterprises—start-ups and conglomerates alike—and specializes in digital transformation services viz., Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, Enterprise Modernization, Enterprise Mobility, Data Science, Internet of Things, Technology Consulting, Cloud Computing, Quality Assurance and Custom web-mobwearable Application Development.

developed around the globe. The company has earned the title of the fastest growing internationally acclaimed technology consulting company focusing on creating innovative processes and technology solutions.

The company delivers web, cloud, and mobile based software solutions that cater to the needs of clients. The Techversant team comprises over 400+ technology experts on board, which include technical & solution architects, project & delivery managers, team leads, senior developers, quality, infrastructure & devOps engineers etc.

The engineers at Techversant have deep knowledge and expertise in the latest technologies which they leverage to build world-class digital solutions to ensure a high-quality user experience.

Techversant has built a proven expertise in dozens of domains ranging from Banking and Finance, Travel and Tourism, Healthcare, Data Analytics, Retail and E-commerce, Logistics and Transportation, Manufacturing, Automotive, Media and Entertainment, Education, etc.

To learn more about Techversant’s offerings and expertise, visit www.techversantinfotech.com or contact services@techversantinfotech.com www.techversantinfotech.com

Techversant has been recognized as the official Adobe Solution and Development Partner with the leading ColdFusion enterprise systems’

A Shepherd and A Commander How is a ship supposed to fare through the storms without a captain at its helm? Undoubtedly, the foundations of

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TechversantA Global Leader

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in Technology Solutions Joby John CEO/Founder Director

a company’s culture, values, and competency are laid through leadership.

Leadership is evidently the culmination of many years spent learning how to lead and inspire others. For any company to be successful at accomplishing its goals and objectives, there must be an emphasis on efficient leadership. Similarly, at the helm of Techversant’s voyage towards the horizons of success and excellence is its CEO, Joby John.

Mr. Joby John set sail on his entrepreneurial journey back in 2008 with a staunch belief that with the right attitude and hard work, becoming one of the most prominent names in the global IT industry would be a walk in the park.

Mr. Joby John’s more-than-successful journey teaches us about perseverance, commitment, sheer grit, and confidence. It is absolutely marvellous how he started Techversant with a team of merely two employees and then scaled swiftly to a point where the company recently achieved the milestone of being a 100-crore company, with 400+ employee strength and 500+ clients around the world.

The arc of Techversant’s growth is such that Mr Joby John opening the 1st office in Technopark, Trivandrum and now spread across Kochi, Canada, and USA, with plans to open few more office spaces in more countries and in the pipeline.

I fundamentally believe that if you

don’t have the courage to take risks and you are not learning new things, then you will end up not doing great and useful things in your life and in the life of the people around.” expresses Mr. Joby John. He also adds that through diverse experiences he learnt the lessons of how not to start a business, despite receiving great business advice and success tips back during his college days.

Mr Joby John has always emphasized on prioritizing innovation that is centred on Techversant’s core value of empowering users and organizations to “do more.” He also emphasizes on the importance of having a great team by his side. He said, “I grew my business to a million-dollar business within a short period of time with the support of our superstars – our employees.” He

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also added that an employee beneficial programme with a budget of whopping 20 crores has been allocated to reward Techversant’s employees on this achievement.

We asked Mr Joby John what his advice would be to the aspiring entrepreneurs who want to become a part of the IT industry, to which he said, “Stay updated with the latest trends and updates in the industry. It is really vital to provide work life balance to your employees and to deliver high quality services to clients. 100% client satisfaction should be your prime goal.

And finally, focus on what you do and believe in yourselves.”

A Handshake for Success “Joining hands with Joby in his vision of establishing Techversant as a Global Tech Company was one the best decisions that I have ever made,” says Quilo Soman, Director – Strategic Consulting of Techversant.

Each one of them has played their roles extremely well and worked hard to make Techversant unstoppable. The company has continued the growth phase, hired, built, and nurtured teams through this turmoil, and has accomplished the most significant growth ever in the history of Techversant.

Techversant is now a 100-crore club company, and this would not have been possible without the wholehearted support from its clients.

“We consciously and continuously strive to maximize the value we bring to our clients and our employees alike.

The journey has been incredible; thanks for staying with us and making our purpose and goal come true,” expresses Quilo.

“Now, when we look at Techversant’s successful 13 years’ journey, it gives us a proud feeling that we have marked our presence in the tech world as one of the most trusted and recognized Global Technology Consulting and Solutions Providers,” adds Quilo.

Surpassing Challenges Challenges, hurdles, adversities are inevitable. What makes a difference is how we stand tall in the face of an adversity and how we tackle them. On the same note, the main challenges Mr. Joby John faced during his initial years as an entrepreneur was talent acquisition and he believed it was one of the most important factors to define organizational culture.

The last two years have been challenging. Techversant’s team has shown dynamic persistence during the pandemic. They have been outstanding. The team was terrific in reorganizing themselves and the members to work from home as seamlessly as they would have from their offices. The team successfully fulfilled clients’ expectations, delivered quality results, sealed larger deals, and furnished them with desired solutions and offerings. They have responded in an agile and indigenous way to tackle every hurdle that came their way.

However, while hiring he always considered that great vision without great people is irrelevant which helped him to build a great team. Additionally, throughout his journey, Mr Joby John has always focused on evolving as per the latest industry updates and requirements to build Techversant as one of the fastest growing company.

Techversant has always and continues to give importance to its clients’ needs and satisfaction and this has helped it become one of the most trusted companies, which in turn helped them to grow from 1 client to 500+ clients

all around the globe.

Another pressing concern, and an inevitable challenge, was the COVID19 pandemic. As the pandemic continued to spread globally, Techversant continued to work more effectively by delivering extra support to its existing clients along with deploying safety measures for its employees.

The company ensured to sustain the quality of service to clients in the exact timeframe during the pandemic, which in turn helped it to grow more aggressively and achieve great milestones in the last two years.

Alongside efficient safety measures to ensure for employees, the company also provided employees with flexible work options at home to ensure the wellbeing of their families. “We believe that this is the time where we need to support each other the most and so we made sure that no employee was laid off and also proceeded as usual with our yearly appraisals, rewards, bonuses etc. Moreover, we are one of the few international technology consulting companies, which is on a hiring spree during a time like the Covid-19 pandemic,” added Mr. Joby John.

The company also provided free vaccination campaigns to all its employees to ensure their safety along with paid leaves to those who suffered due to Covid-19. All employees and their family members are protected under a Group Corona Insurance provided by the company.

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Mr. Manesh V.S Managing Director

ARS T&TT

Paving the Way towards Sound and World-class IT Infrastructure

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nowing that the information technology industry is authoritative not only for the development of newer industries but for the general wellbeing of the state, the government of Kerala is very much focused in IT/ITes. Information and Communication Technology [ICT] has been supporting the growth of the state for over two decades. Realizing its potential, the state government has made intense efforts to form a sound and world-class infrastructure for the sector and to develop the state’s digital technology capacities and resources.

These steps support the state to be at the forefront in implementing information and communication technology projects, e-governance initiatives, eliteracy programs, and in the creation of basic IT infrastructure facilities.

Currently, the state has the highest mobile penetration in the country, which clearly demonstrations the demand for world-class ITS solutions.

Even after the pandemic, Kerala is one of the significant IT destinations in India.

The country’s IT sector has recorded a steady growth over the last decade and various frontiers have been opening in relation to the application of information technology in day to day life. ITS being focused on smart cities; the solutions shall benefit the whole country. IT sector has been revolutionizing every sector in the economy.

Value addition and product enhancements help the industries to stay competitive in India. The smart city initiatives for major Indian cities are encouraging for ITS companies like ARS T&TT and will also help to

deliver world-class services.

ARS Traffic and Transport Technology India Pvt. Ltd. [ARS T&TT], a 100% subsidiary of ARS Traffic and Transport Technology B.V the Netherlands, started its operations in India in 2001. It started as a total solution provider of intelligent mobility systems for the transportation market. ARS T&TT provides consultancy, design, development, operation, and services to its clients who require Smart Traffic and Transport Solutions.

Clientele includes major public and private traffic and transport organizations in India, the UK, and Europe.

ARS T&TT’s mission as an independent ITS solutions provider is to expand its leading position in the fast-growing smart transportation market. ARS T&TT’s unwavering focus on continuous innovation enables it to achieve this mission. ARS T&TT partners with its clients during the complete solution life cycle, right from the conceptual phase to the development, implementation and exploitation phases.

The Expert Duo ARS T&TT was founded by Dr. J.H. Linssen, Netherlands in1998.

Dr.Linssen is the Chief Executive Officer of the ARS group of companies. ARS T&TT India operations are masterminded by Mr. Manesh V.S, a techno-business enthusiast who indefatigably leads the India team as its Managing Director.

Manesh joined the organization in 2001 when the company started its first unit in the IT park in Trivandrum.

ARS T&TT India was born with five members, which has now grown to a strength of 250+ employees and spread across various states in India. Manesh started as a Delphi Programmer for the company and contributed to the growth of the company in the last two decades.

He steered and scaled up the company from an offshore development center to a full-fledged system integration capable company by opening the company’s potential to the domestic market. Thus ARS India had the opportunity to provide its solutions to the larger and reputed organizations in India like Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai, IOCL, BPCL, Madhya Pradesh Road Development Corporation, and Surat Municipal Corporations etc.

Emerging Silicon Valley of India Being a state with unique topography and well connected to the international business hubs by means of air and water, Kerala is a technology-friendly state in India. It has been promoting the IT business and allied services, which generates employment and revenue.

Kerala had promoted the IT/ITeS industries and computer hardware industries through establishing a world-class IT campus at Technopark, Trivandrum. The IT park in Trivandrum, Technopark is India’s first IT park and the largest one. The commendable infrastructure provided by the state government at Technopark has provided ARS T&TT a good foundation to establish its business.

The availably of high skilled resources has attracted many MNCs towards Technopark, Kerala.

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Dynamic Offerings ARS T&TT (India) offers comprehensive, end-to-end technology services and solutions to both private, public, and government authorities.

The company provides the winning edge to its clients by leveraging overseas experience and deeply committed people. ARS T&TT (India) also owns a full-fledged R&D center in India handling end-to-end development activities of all European projects and also effectively monitors its global projects with the support of a 24X7 Traffic Management Centre (TMC) and help desk following the ITIL practices.

ARS T&TT provides software solutions for: Ÿ Traffic Management & Information Ÿ Real-time and Forecast Travel Information/Travel time Prediction Ÿ Adaptive Traffic Signalling to improve the travel time Ÿ Public Transport Management and Passenger information. Ÿ Dynamic Platform Assignment for Bus Terminals Ÿ Traffic Enforcement Systems (Speed, Red-Light, Stop lane, Wrong Direction and No Parking Violations) Ÿ Toll plaza, Free Flow and In-car Tolling Ÿ Route Planning, Navigation and Fleet Management Ÿ Incident/Emergency Response Management Ÿ Parking Management Ÿ Automatic Traffic Counter and Classifier Ÿ 24/7 Monitoring, Data Analysis and Service Support Technology and Business Consultancy on Intelligent Traffic and Transportation Systems Troubles and Struggles The growing traffic and infrastructure demand more smart mobility solutions to solve the ongoing issues. It has brought in the need for more sophisticated AI-based solutions.

Leveraging this proven technology has

not been a solution to the increased volume of data to be processed. These challenges were tackled by the combined effort of technology and the business development teams.

Key areas of improvement were identified and with the continuous support of committed manpower resources and focussed management, success was not afar for the organization. The demand of the Indian market was predicted well in advance

by ARS T&TT business leaders out of their experience and continued learning from the European market, which helped ARS T&TT to be ready with perfectly packed futuristic products.

The well-planned and executed entry helped ARS T&TT to break into the competition’s client accounts.

Overcoming the Pandemic The initial wave of COVID-19 and the sudden shift to work from the home culture created discomfort and disturbance to the workforce echo system. ARS T&TT made quick adaptions to ensure its staff are moved to safer positions with their IT assets and restructures the IT backbone enabling people to work from remote areas. At the domestic business front, the team experienced severe challenges due to the delay/lack of payments for the contract implementation and operations. Despite all the challenges, ARS T&TT ensures none of its employees are affected financially, personally, and professionally. ARS T&TT has done multiple vaccination drives for its staff and ensured all are vaccinated and safe. Working together is the success mantra in the IT business in India, where juniors to seniors have the opportunity to interact and support each other, gain knowledge and grow together. Pandemic impacted this work rhythm which ARS T&TT is trying to bring back to its employees by ensuring their safety and offering them the best out of their professional life.

one of the key domains that has undergone rapid development in a very short period. It becomes a necessity as a city grows. Meeting the objective of both government authorities and the public at the same time makes ITS a unique domain. The public reaps the benefits of easiness and safety, whereas the government can generate additional revenue through the implementation of ITS solutions.

Being such a critical area of public importance, ITS domain is always open to consistent development and the business opportunities are neverending in nature. Government initiatives to implement smart cities across various cities in India have provided a sufficient boost to the domain.

Future Insights By having a very domain-centric direction and experience in intelligent transport/traffic systems, in international sectors, for two decades, ARS T&TT foresees itself to become a global leader in the ITS domain.

ARS has several first-to-market products based on many innovative ideas – like blue-tooth-based travel time measurement and video-based section control speed enforcement systems. ARS owns several marketleading products in the ITS domain.

ARS T&TT envisages introducing Artificial Intelligence-based cuttingedge technologies in the ITS domain through committed efforts in the future.

Also, it is planning to categorize its solutions under various business units with a special focus, on a productization approach for growth.

URL: https://ars-traffic.com/ Address: 131-135, 1st Floor, Nila, Technopark, Trivandrum – 695581, Kerala, India.

Landline: 0471-6616700/701

Words of Worth Intelligent Transportation Systems is

email: solutions@arstraffic.com

OCTOBER 2021 | 22 | www.insightssuccess.in

Kerala State as an

EMERGING Business Hub

Business Upfront

OCTOBER 2021 | 24 | www.insightssuccess.in

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istorically, Kerala has been a rich state. Being a part of many dynasties, Kerala has had wealth and business growth for centuries. Apart from that, Kerala is known for its beautiful natural scenes and culture. For the past few years, Kerala has been attracting great businesses from across the world in tourism.

Being geographically blessed, it suits the business operations very well making it an ideal place as an emerging business hub.

With many business tycoons of India like Anand Mahindra, Azim Premji, and Ratan Tata backing the state, Kerala would likely be a major Business Hub in the upcoming years.

OCTOBER 2021 | 25 | www.insightssuccess.in

The trend of Traditional Business Kerala is a small state with the highest literacy rate in the country and possibly in the whole of Asia. The residents of Kerala are proud and want to stick to the traditional family business that runs across generations. Kerala has seen a swift movement of population from urban areas to rural or semi-urban areas in the past few years. This is because of the market flexibility that these areas provide with low labour costs. The trend is not new in Kerala. It just got highlighted and boosted in the past few years. Malappuram is the fastest growing city in the world, making it an ideal place for running traditional businesses like agriculture, hospitality, etc.

Agricultural modernization will contribute significantly to the development of traditional business.

The introduction of Electric mobility will help the state conserve nature, contributing more to the development of the conventional agricultural industry.

Beautiful Business The name ‘God’s Own Land’ relates to the beauty that this state has to offer.

Being famous for beaches, rivers, culture, food, ports, Kerala attracted many tourists from all over the world.

This later turned into a major business in the form of tourism. The beautiful landscapes, coconut trees, rivers, boat races, etc. add more to its beauty. This makes Kerala one of the most visited states in the country, attracting more tourists, hence attracting more business.

Traditional Sea-route transport gets a modern touch Kochi has one of the largest ports in the country. Given the history and culture, it can be expected that the shipbuilding industry’s growth is exceptional in Kerala. The geography adds more benefit to the shipbuilding industry to grow and bring more business.

The manufacturing industry can thrive in Kerala, bringing in more business.

The manufacturing industry needs easy import and export facilities, which are easily available because of the ports.

Sea routes are the major mode of transport in Kerala. Being home to many ports adds significantly to the transport facilities for smooth businesses. It allows the transport industry to grow in Kerala, making it crucial to emerge as a new business hub for India and the world.

Gold Capital of India Thrissur, the gold capital is responsible for bringing around businesses worth 700 crores annually. Jewellery and precious metals have always been an integral part of Kerala’s culture. Every major jewellery shop in India in some or the other way is linked to Thrissur.

With the arrival of migration and creating more job opportunities for people around the world, this segment will have a huge impact on Kerala’s journey as an emerging business hub.

Home to upcoming start-ups in India Apart from the Silicon Valley of India, another city is emerging to become an IT hub. Thiruvananthapuram, the

capital city of Kerala, has attracted many IT companies to set foot and settle. This is due to the high literacy rate and the base that Kerala has created over the years. Recently, in the Special Industry Session, Kerala will be home to more than 200 start-ups which will create a base for the growth of business hubs in the future. In the session, Anand Mahindra stated that Kerala is capable of not just being India’s business hub but a global hub for green business. The upcoming businesses need an upcoming home for the growth of their business and Kerala strikes as a perfect place for new technologies.

AI, biotechnology, and machine learning are expected to be the future, and Kerela is the emerging business hub with an already well-established base that will boost the growth and efficiency of the business. With startups focused on such technology, it would not be hard for Kerala to become a business hub of India and potentially the world.

Kerala is committed to saving its beautiful nature, so most traditional business comes naturally to it. Kerala, unlike other states, does not have to be completely dependent on other states for economic support. At the same time, its highest literacy rate in the country adds more to its self-reliant economy. Kerala holds all the keys to becoming the next business hub of the country. Almost all the industries varying from Hospitality to IT are set and stable in Kerala, making it a perfect place for becoming a business hub soon.

- Ashlesh Khadse

OCTOBER 2021 | 26 | www.insightssuccess.in

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Facilitating Non-Toxic Cleaning Solutions for All Vehicles

OCTOBER 2021 | 28 | www.insightssuccess.in

Outstanding Businesses In Kerala-2021

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erala has emerged as a major business hub. It is providing companies with the opportunity to establish themselves not only on the local turf, but the national and global map as well. Many businesses have surfaced and have established themselves as prominent players in their respective industries.

They are delivering excellent services, while achieving customer satisfaction to the core.

One such company in Kerala, which is making rapid strides in car cleaning services is none other than CAGGO Steam Services. Established in 2016, it is a company known for offering car detailing in India. Over the last five years, it has provided excellent services in more than 100 cities in India. Its head office is located at Kakkanad, Kochi, Kerala. The company uses innovative and unique steam cleaning technology for detailing interior and exterior of the client’s vehicle. The steam cleans, deodorizes, kills allergens, and sanitizes the vehicles’ interior as well.

CAGGO is proud to be recognized as an eco-friendly detailing service provider and a leading high-quality cleaning company, which provides car wash services at the client’s convenience at home or office.

A Wide Variety of Excellent Services Right from the get-go, CAGGO focused on establishing its business in this busy world where time holds the major concern. Its mobile service tracks the customers and provides service at their doorstep. With expert professionalism and effective operations, the company is able to stand unique in this competitive market. Currently, its branches are spread across more than 100 cities in Kerala.

CAGGO specializes on delivering excellent steam cleaning services.

Conventional cleaning methods are often limited to the surface. Steam, on the other hand, penetrates into microscopic gaps between the surface dislodging even stubborn dirt particles.

In addition to this, bacteria and germs have no way to escape as steam is used as major cleaning property. This makes steam cleaning particularly efficient and hygienic. “Choosing steam is an excellent choice to clean and disinfect your vehicle with the high temperature, which actually kills and denature

Our goal is to obtain 100% satisfaction with our service. No fine print. No asterisks.

No worries.

harmful bacteria and microorganisms,” states team CAGGO. CAGGO offers numerous services on a platter, which include the following: • • • • • • • • •

Exterior Steam Wash Interior Steaming Polishing Seat & Roof Shampooing Engine Cleaning Glass Restoration Headlamp Restoration Sofa Carpet, Chair Cleaning Disinfection Service

The Seasoned Forerunners CAGGO marches ahead towards success under the astute leadership of Ajmal Khalid and Jithin Raj, the Founders. During Mr. Ajmal’s college days, he wrote blogs and found readers on a website created by Mr. Jithin.

Both earned small income from advertisements on the website while they were studying. After graduation, Mr. Ajmal turned to sales and marketing in the telecom sector, while Mr. Jithin took a step towards the web and app developing sector.

Years later, when Jio was preparing for an internet revolution, Mr. Ajmal realized that the prospects in the telecom sector were fading. At the same time, Mr. Jithin was facing competitions in the IT sector. It was from here, they decided to start a business together. They thought of many businesses but could not execute them because they were not sure about the possibility of success.

Once when they visited the service station for car washing, they noticed the hustle and bustle there. It was the time when the automatic service stations were revolutionizing. They realized that the revival of the automobile market will also benefit the car wash sector. But during that time, they did not have the money to start a service centre.

At the same time. Mr. Jithin and Mr. Ajmal decided to take some innovative steps in the car wash segment.

Eventually, they learned about other technologies and started steam car wash technology in Kochi, which was found only in foreign countries. The car wash was set up in an omni van to reach out to the needy.

OCTOBER 2021 | 29 | www.insightssuccess.in

Overcoming the Hurdles Mr. Jithin and Mr. Ajmal wanted to establish a business that no one had ever heard of. Therefore, in the beginning, the company had to face a lot of problems to gain customers. The consumer feared that the new technology and steam would cause damage while cleaning the vehicle.

However, with more publicity, customers soon came to know about the extensive services provided by the company. Those who used the service later did not go to the service centre because CAGGO delivered their services right at the customers’ doorsteps. This way, the customers were able to save time, fuel, as well as brighten and eliminate odours from the vehicle.

The lethal coronavirus pandemic also had least effects on the functioning and services of CAGGO. This is because, the company had introduced modern technology to disinfect the vehicle even before the pandemic had arrived.

Therefore, after corona, more people opted for its service. At the same time, the branches were able to make more profit by including the fumigation service.

Inspiring Words for the Next Gen Advising the young entrepreneurs of tomorrow, Mr. Jithin and Mr. Ajmal state that it is the desire of every entrepreneur to make a difference in any venture. It takes years to achieve success in a venture that no one else has tried. But many end everything

within a year thinking it is a loss. “It took 2 years for our business to make a profit. Many times, we tried to stop but with good luck we started with two or three services in the beginning. Today, CAGGO brings 30+ services to customers' doorsteps,” they express.

Taking Steps Forward CAGGO is taking steady steps towards achieving prominence in the car detailing and services industry. The company currently has 130 branches in South India itself. It plans to expand its service to 250+ cities in India by the next year.

Driving the IT Industry with Excellence

Sarji R Mohammedali Founder and CEO

Outstanding Businesses In Kerala-2021

Sarji’s Operational Obligations Primary Role • CEO, Citrus Informatics (India) Pvt Ltd (www.citrusinformatics.com ), Ernakulam, Kerala, India from 2010 January onwards [Citrus Informatics is an IT company started in 2010, providing Software development services to customers around the world. With the majority of customers in the USA, the company has more than 220 engineers working at the Kochi office.]

Additional Roles (Currently Handling) • Offshore Head & Director of Engineering, Netspective Communications LLC, MD, the USA from 2010 onwards.

• Offshore Head, TCTI Inc, NJ, the USA from 2009 onwards.

• IT Advisory, RGB Broadcasting Equipments (India) Pvt Ltd, Ernakulam, Kerala from 2010 onwards.

Roles handled before Citrus Informatics Centre Head [Head of Projects & Operations], UCI Technology private Limited (Software development Division of Trading Room Technologies, USA), Kochi, India July 2007-March 2009 • Head of Centre [Head-IT Projects & Operations]/Senior Vice PresidentTechnology, Avenir Computer Services, (Software development Centre of Atinav LLC, USA), Kochi, India, 2001-July 2007 • Vice President- Technology, Atinav LLC, New Jersey, USA, 1999-2001 • Senior Project Manager/Senior Technology Consultant, Avenir Inc, (Parent Company of Atinav LLC), World Trade Centre, New York, USA, 1998-1999 • Project Lead/Software Engineer, Avenir Computer Services, (R&D Centre of Atinav LLC, USA), Kochi, India, 1996-1998 • Lecturer, Institute of Human Resources Development for Electronics, Kerala, 1995

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he Information Technology and IT-enabled services sector is a field that is undertaking speedy evolution and is transforming the Indian business standards.

As the quality and quantity of services are enhancing day by day, the advanced information technology services are also rising. The majority of business operations are surrounded by software and IT services that are making impossible tasks possible.

One such organisation that is making this happen is Citrus Informatics based in Kerala. The company is contributing majorly to software and IT-related services. Citrus Informatics is an IT services company catering to the IT needs of the internal market. Currently, the company focuses mainly on the USA market in business sectors like Healthcare, Transportation, Logistics, Energy, Automobile, Broadcasting, and Non-profit, etc.

With a team of more than 220 highly skilled and technically proficient engineers, Citrus Informatics provides a wide range of management and engineering services including IT Consulting, Project Management, Technology Management, Product Management & Engineering, Architecture, Application/Solution Development, Mobile Apps, Database Design and Administration, Data Analytics, Machine Learning, Cloud Computing, UX Design, Testing and Quality Assurance, as well as Digital Marketing.

A Tech Legacy Sarji R Mohammedali is the Founder and CEO of Citrus Informatics. Sarji accomplished IT professional backed by 25 years of diverse experience of spearheading large IT Divisions spanning Program & Project Management, Infrastructure & Operations Management, People Management, Research, Product Development & Engineering, Technology Management, Application Development, Information Security, and Quality Management across a broad spectrum of verticals in the IT industry in USA and India.

He post-graduated with an MBA degree in Systems & Operations Management, a postgraduate diploma in Software Marketing holds an engineering degree in Computer Engineering. He worked with Business Domains like Healthcare, Supply Logistics, Automobile, Transportation, Device Integration, Real Estate, Non-Profit, Educational, Broadcasting, eCommerce, eLearning, and Management, etc

OCTOBER 2021 | 33 | www.insightssuccess.in

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He has equal competence in Management and technology/technical areas, and during 25 years of IT career, happen to successfully and effectively handle roles covering CEO, Heading of Software development divisions / Head of Software and Service Delivery, Project/Program/Product Manager, Technical/solution architect, Systems/Network Manager, Project Leader/ Lead Software Engineer roles.

Be honest, commi ed to the profession, give topmost priority for customer satisfaction, and ensure a good working environment for sta

Sarji has proven competence of having managed over many IT projects and was involved as core architect in many of the projects involved. His experience in managing multiple project teams and groups and managed up to 220 staff IT division comprising of Project managers, Business Analysts, IT technical teams, Quality Assurance & Control, and Administrative Staff in distributed global environment.

He has been recognized for getting the job done in a highly resource-constrained matrix environment with the highest customer and team satisfaction using the offshore development model. Sarji has worked with senior consultants from various management houses to review and better the existing organization structure, policies, procedures, and processes in the areas of Product Management, R&D, Information security, and HR.

“

Sarji possesses exceptional acumen in piloting corporate IT initiatives and streamlining systems across industry sectors for accredited clients resulting in saving time and money.

He has excellent exposure towards customer-facing roles and management of technology/system integration projects involving multi-vendor hardware, software customization, Software as Service (Saas), Cloud services, OEM models, enterprise applications, outsourcing, and onshore-offshore software development models.

He is an extremely creative and effective trouble-shooter, an effective communicator with exceptional analytical, technical, and team-building skills with the ability to relate to people at any level of business and work with steering committees and other project managers.

He has acquired international experience by working in the USA and India. And representing the organization in various events and occasions covering locations like the USA, India, UAE, China, and Malaysia.

His Educational Achievements • • •

MBA (Operations Management) PG Diploma in Software Marketing B.Tech (Computer Engineering)

Sarji possesses a strong aptitude for Application Development, Software Architecture, Network & Systems Administration, Quality Assurance, Control, and Process Improvement, Risk Management, Resource Management, Change Management, and Human Resources Management.

Catapulting Organizational Goals

Sarji also has extensive experience in managing projects in various technologies and tools including Java, C, C++, JEE, VC++, C#, VB, .Net, ASP.Net, JSP, PHP, Drupal, WordPress, Angular, React.JS, MS SQL Server, MySQL, PostgreSQL, iOS, Android, etc in various platforms and environments.

Sarji started the company with 5 engineers in 2010 and grown it to 220 engineers in 2021 without any venture capital funding. The company successfully managed and grown even during recession times. Highly trustable by customers and employees. The company is known for its great working environment and employee friendliness.

OCTOBER 2021 | 34 | www.insightssuccess.in

Sarji is in the IT industry from 1996 onwards and Kochi was not known for its Technological competence during that time. From 1996 onwards he had nurtured many junior engineers and was successful in setting up an R&D center for product development and engineering in Kochi. He was instrumental in the development of IT equilibrium in Kochi and for generating IT employment potential in Kochi.

As part of previous engagements, Sarji successfully set up the R&D infrastructure in Kochi even before so-called IT parks were in place. Proven to the industry that smaller and medium-sized IT companies can contribute well to the international market. Helped/guided many educational institutions to improve the academics and syllabus.

Architecture, Application/Solution Development, Mobile Apps, Database Design and Administration, Data Analytics, Machine Learning, Cloud Computing, UX Design, Testing, and Quality Assurance, as well as Digital Marketing.

Tech Journey Justified Getting the right projects initially was difficult. Initial years have taken all steps to build credibility and trust. Initially, the team at Citrus Informatics focused services in some specific technology areas and then gradually took initiative to deliver services to other technology areas.

Taken proactive steps to reduce the gap between industry and academia. Mentored many entrepreneurs and organizations in setting up reliable offshore infrastructure, processes, and policies in place.

“The main step we have taken initially during this pandemic period was to ensure business continuity. We were able to provide it without any issues and that made our customers happy. Taken all the steps to ensure the safety of our staff and they are working from home from the beginning of the pandemic period,” says Sarji.

Kerela – An Emerging Land of Opportunities

Industry Today and Vision Ahead

The founder is basically from Kochi, Kerala, and with an interest to be in Kochi and interest of being an entrepreneur along with the motive to give more job opportunities in Kerala, he has launched his business in this state. Also, Kerala is a beautiful state with a good number of skilled manpower and an educated community. The state has decent infrastructure also in place.

IT industry is booming in Kerala like in other states. A lot of new graduates are taking computer science and IT as their specialisation seeing the opportunity around. A lot of resources are available in Kerala. But the educational institutions need to take more proactive steps to improve the quality of students passing out from college and will have to take serious measures to bridge the gap between academics and the IT industry.

Dynamic Offerings At Citrus Informatics - IT services are provided to customers with expertise in facilitating solutions for healthcare, automotive, airlines, cold chain, logistics, real estate, non-profit, and e-commerce domains. The company is familiar with the standards, protocols, and regulations applicable in each of these spaces. This kind of knowledge cannot be taught but it can only be learned through practical experience working closely with people in these spaces, making Citrus Informatics, an even more valuable organization.

With a team of more than 220 highly skilled and technically proficient engineers, Citrus Informatics provides a wide range of management and engineering services including IT Consulting, Project Management, Technology Management, Product Management and Engineering.

Kerala government is taking a lot of initiatives to promote start-ups and that also creates a mobilization in the IT service and product industry in the state. Even during the pandemic period, the IT companies in the state are doing good. And recently companies are facing resource shortages due to the increase in demand.

Citrus Informatics will be focusing on Europe and the Middle East area also apart from the USA. We want Citrus Informatics to excel not only in Service Industry and also in Software Products Industry. The company wanted to have the main revenue stream coming from Products in fiver year term.

OCTOBER 2021 | 35 | www.insightssuccess.in

Keralas

cultural impact on

Business operations

OCTOBER 2021 | 36 | www.insightssuccess.in

Biz-Talk

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erala, also known as God’s Own Country, has a rich culture. Kerala is blessed with natural beauty. The Arabian Sea on the west and the Western Ghats in the north make it a perfect place for business supported by natural and cultural elements. The history of Kerala is also rich with ancient empires and dynasties. The rich culture and geographic significance connect the threads of business operations within and outside the state.

A history of trade to foreign lands Kerala’s natural inheritance allows it to be a perfect land for growing various spices fancied by the world. When the Portuguese first came to India, trade increased incredibly with the European countries. The arrival and settling of foreigners to Kerala allowed the business to thrive in the state. As time passed by, Kerala became a land that adapted many cultures. These impacted the businesses. Despite that, Kerala adapted to distinct cultures finding ways to manage and thrive the business operations perfectly.

Culture, Festivals, and business operations Rivers and coconuts are an integral part of Kerala’s culture. As most people settled alongside the rivers, sea routes became an essential mode of transportation for conducting all the major operations. The history of trade to a foreign land through sea routes was also an added benefit to the business operations conducted within the Indian subcontinent.

Festivals also provide opportunities to conduct business. Onam is one of the

major festivals of Kerala. Boat races that have been a major attraction of the festival made it easier for business operations.

Onam is also celebrated with folk dances. Kathakali, one of the most famous classical dance forms in India, has its origin in Kerala. Being one of the major attractions for tourists, the cultural impact of the dance also has a significant impact on businesses.

Kathakali involves face paint, masks, and special costumes. Inspired by the various dance forms like Kathakali and Mohiniyattam, the handloom industry and handicraft industry flourished exceptionally. These artifacts from the handloom and handicraft industry were exported to other parts of the country and foreign lands via sea and river routes.

Kalpa Vriksham changing business Kerala is surrounded by nature - the Western Ghats slopes from the north, the rainforests from the east, and the Arabian Sea from the West made it easier for the businesses to grow inland and to foreign lands through seas.

Coconut trees are found in abundance in the state of Kerala. This tree is also popularly known as ‘Kalpa Vriksham’ in Southern India, for every part of the tree is used in some or other way. For example, the business of selling coconut is quite famous across the state. The coconut tree leaves are used to make ropes, mats, roofs, handicrafts, etc. Coconut is also used as an essential ingredient for cooking. This allowed the people of Kerala to conduct business without being dependent on anyone.

Shipbuilding Culture to being a necessity for business The rivers connecting various parts of the state and sea routes to the foreign land made it essential for Kerala to learn the art of shipbuilding. Today, Kerala has one of the largest shipbuilding and maintenance facilities in India. Fish being the staple food and fisheries an essential part of livelihood, the business became the need for the state. Boat racing is an integral part of the culture, and the fishery is an important business. Hence, ships and boats are an integral part of the culture.

These later became a major mode of conducting businesses.

Cultural Hospitality to hospitality business Hospitality is part of Kerala’s culture.

From various ancient dynasties to the discovery of India by Vasco da Gama, Kerala was the steppingstone to India for the world. Kerala welcomed everyone along with their culture.

Kerala is famous for its beaches, mountains, multi-cultural cuisine, port, festivals, boat races, etc. This attracted the world to God’s Own Country. This cultural hospitality has become a major business in Kerala in the form of tourism that contributes significantly to its economy.

The culture from the beginning has had a massive impact on the business operations in Kerala. That is why God’s Own Land is so rich with culture as well as business.

OCTOBER 2021 | 37 | www.insightssuccess.in

- Ashlesh Khadse

Fuelling Growth with Essential Digital Marketing Solutions

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he evolution of technology has changed the traditional marketing ways. The advent of several digitally successful solutions has led businesses to shift heavily towards digital marketing. Digital Marketing has become a go to solution for start-ups and businesses.

With the shifting of marketing assets, many digital marketing start-ups and companies are booming. Companies providing digital marketing solutions are evolving at a sky-rocketing speed.

One such exceptional company is SocialPulsar. The company provides several marketing solutions. Enhancing its client's needs, SocialPulsar stands tall in the industry of Digital Marketing.

Into its sixth year of operations, it is an award-winning digital marketing agency, partnering with the brands towards actionable marketing intelligence. Driven by professionalism and experience, SocialPulsar takes the time to understand the nuances of any brand leading anyone in the digital progression.

Focused on delivering value, it unlocks the potential of any brand through innovation, advanced marketing, business intelligence, and analytics.

Combined with data driven insights and automation tools, its experts leverage proven methods to help any business accelerate, achieve, and sustain digital visibility as per need.

It is a group of top digital strategists, artists, and engineers enthusiastic

When it comes to achieving any company's objectives, people need more than just another digital marketing partner; they need a trustworthy buddy who wants to see other companies succeed. SolarPulsar's top quality marketing packages, automation, decision science, and mobile marketing help people optimise their income and enhance their brand identification as one of the best SEO and Social Media Marketing companies in Kerala, India.

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Create business value through innovation

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Digital Marketing at its Best

about online business. Its digital marketing services provide the team with the most cutting-edge internet technologies and guarantee profitable results.

It assists organisations in achieving their marketing objectives by providing high-quality AI-driven marketing solutions, strong marketing automation, business intelligence, and digital branding. As one of the awardwinning Digital Marketing Companies in Kerala, India, SocialPulsar can provide consistent results to all of its clients.

Company Values · SolarPulsar delivers on its commitments – Individual and as a Team. · It is driven by love for what it does and welcomes challenges with excitement. · It values open dialogues and listens to internal and external voices impartially. · It is protecting the interest of its customer that lies core in the team. · The company strives to deliver value over and above what it commits to bringing out the best for the customer through innovation.

OCTOBER 2021 | 38 | www.insightssuccess.in

Outstanding Businesses In Kerala-2021

The Powerful Quartet Ajish Nair, Founder Ajish Nair founded SocialPulsar in the year 2015. Fourteen plus years of experience has made him churn rich expertise in almost all facets of business intelligence and digital intelligence, which helped him knit a lucid vision and mission for the organization.

He began his career with a start-up in India as a software engineer. He chose to explore further by working for Apple, PayPal, eBay, Oakley, PG&E, etc. SocialPulsar is a dream that he implants in every employee's mind, orienting them to deliver the best customer experience.

Uniqueness and Approach

Ajish Nair Founder

· Strategy based approach · Technology Agnostic · Domain Expertise · Highly Skilled team · End to End Service capability

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Deliver maximum ROI to the customer and create 'wow' factor through our service

“

The team at SocialPulsar understands the customer it evaluates the current status. It plans to define the strategy create story board variations. It executes and implements the idea with the audience in mind. It optimizes and evaluates and quantifies the results to optimize for better performance.

It is a One Stop Shop for End-to-End Digital Services for Digital Marketing Services, PR and B2B services, Custom Product Development Services.

Industries they Serve: Forex Trading, Retail, eCommerce, Real Estate, Finance, Advertising, Start-ups, Automotive, Dentistry, Digital Consulting, Health Care, Health and Wellness, Law, Marketing, Medical Services, Non-profit, and Professional Services.

OCTOBER 2021 | 39 | www.insightssuccess.in

Entertaining the World by Creating Long-Lasting Memories

A Visionary Man P. Jayakumar, CEO of Toonz Media Group, is a distinguished figure and a much-admired thought leader in the global media and entertainment industry. Joining Toonz as the Chief Finance Officer, Mr Jayakumar went on to take additional responsibility as the Chief Operating Officer before taking up the reins of the organization as CEO in 2003.

Under his inspirational leadership, Toonz expanded from its home ground in India, growing its global footprint, diversifying business, and making strategic international acquisitions. Today, Toonz has emerged as a global force in kids and family entertainment and a one-stop-shop for content production, distribution, and digital media exploitation. Mr Jayakumar was named one of Asia s top twenty toontitans by Animation Magazine and has served as co-executive producer on several award-winning animated television series and feature films. Mr. Jayakumar is a member of the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

He has also served as a jury member on the prestigious Emmy Award panel. Aside from that, he holds a number of key positions in India s government and quasi-government organisations, institutes, and trade groups. He is a member of the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) National Committee on Media and Entertainment and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry s (FICCI) Entertainment Committee, both of which are prominent business confederations in India. He is also the president of the Society of AVGC Institutions in Kerala (SAIK) and a member of the Media and Entertainment Skills Council s Governing Council (MESC).

Outstanding Businesses In Kerala-2021

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OVID-19 has disrupted almost every industry in the world.

The entertainment industry is no different. While outdoor entertainment has been heavily impacted, at-home entertainment has seen an upswing. Streamers and broadcasters are repositioning their business strategies as lockdown behaviour results in habit formation.

There has been a lot of demand for fresh content for the animation industry, as children remain cooped up at home. The demand for edutainment content has escalated as parents try to look for another option for school with meaningful and engaging content.

One company shooing parents’ worries is Toonz Media Group. It is a leading animation studio and global kids and family entertainment company. It is also the parent company of Toonz Academy, a leading animation training institute in South Asia.

Toonz Academy was one of the first animation training institutes to be started in India, with a legacy of close to two decades. Earlier this year, it launched an EdTech platform called Ri8brain, which is a unique platform dedicated to learning creative arts.

Ri8brain basically carries forward the legacy of Toonz Academy.

It is not possible to miss a company like Toonz while searching for any innovative industry. In an exclusive interview with Insights Success, the team shares its rich history and future concerns. Following are the highlights of the interview.

Enlighten us with brief information about Toonz.

We have over two decades of unparalleled experience and are Asia’s one of the most active animation production studios. We produce over 10,000 minutes of 2D and CGI kids and family animated content per year.

We have studios and corporate offices worldwide, including in Ireland, Turkey, New Zealand, Spain, and the United States.

Toonz Media Group and its flagship divisions encompass dedicated units for IP creation, production, distribution and rights exploitation, digital and gaming content, licensing, and merchandising, as well as skill development. We boast of an envious pedigree of successful co-production partnerships with companies including Walt Disney, Turner, Nickelodeon, Sony, Universal, BBC, and Paramount, etc.

We have produced some of the most highly rated international shows such as: - Wolverine and The X-men with Marvel - Speedracer Next Generation with Lionsgate - Mostly Ghostly with Universal - Playmobil with Sony - Dragonlance with Paramount Pictures - Freefonix with BBC - Sherazade with Kika Germany - Gummybear, Friends, Fruit Ninja with Google, and many more.

We also have to credit several pioneering achievements in animation production, such as India’s first 2D

animated TV series and 2D feature film and India’s first 3D stereoscopic theatrical release.

Why did you choose Kerala as the launchpad of your business?

Toonz was established back in 1999, under the leadership of our visionary founder Mr G.A. Menon. He believed that Kerala offered a fertile land to groom professionals and artists in the field of animation, which was at a very nascent stage at that time. In fact, animation was not even a sector in India at that time.

We are among the first companies to be established in Technopark, Trivandrum, one of India's first and largest IT parks. Kerala has one of the highest literacy rates in the country. It is a traditionally knowledge-oriented society. With respect to talent, too, Kerala is a great place to invest. Our youngsters are highly qualified as well as skilled. Coming from a technocreative industry, we can vouch that the talent we have here is world-class.

Toonz as a company has benefitted a lot from this.

What kind of services do you provide to your clients?

In the last 22 years, we have worked with the world’s leading entertainment studios, channels, and networks, including Marvel, Nickelodeon, Turner, Disney, Netflix, Dreamworks, Lionsgate, Paramount, Sony, Universal, BBC, Amazon, and Google to name a few.

Recent years have seen a huge rise in Toonz’s digital broadcast activities, and

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it is now one of the fastest-growing businesses. Currently, we have 18 different YouTube channels with over 15 million subscribers and 350 million+ monthly viewership. Earlier this year, we launched our dedicated kids and family entertainment platform MyToonz.

Innovation and business diversification are coded in the DNA of Toonz, and we continue to remain on the cutting edge because of this characteristic. Our focus on gaming and immersive technology in recent years is testimony to this.

We have now ventured into the broadcast business. We have set up a new strategic business unit for this, focusing initially on emerging economies in Asia and Africa. We will be launching our first channel in Indonesia in the coming months.

What challenges have you faced while entering the animation industry, and how did you transform these challenges into opportunities?

Our journey from a humble Indian animation start-up to a global entertainment major has been phenomenal. Today, we are one of the largest and most diverse media organizations in the world. In the last two decades, we have been rated as one of the top ten animation studios globally.

Our pioneering growth has been a good blend of multiple strategies - from producing and co-producing numerous animation series with the world’s

The idea is to create worldclass content, and then monetize and leverage its full value by making it available as widely as possible largest studios and partners to commencing studio operations in new global destinations. Lack of trained talent was one of the first challenges we faced as a company as the animation was still a nascent sector.

That’s how we came up with the idea of starting an animation studio of our own, which now is a leader in animation and other visual arts training in this part of the world.

In the last few years, we have scaled up our footprint across the globe, opening offices and production, financing, and distribution hubs in strategic cities and territories across the world. In 2014, we acquired Imira Entertainment, a leading Spanish production and distribution company specializing in kids and youth programming with a focus on European, the US, Latin American, and African markets.

In 2019, we acquired majority stakes in Telegael, the Emmy Award-winning, full-service Irish production house, which makes both animated and liveaction kids’ content for global networks and studios. Telegael’s large live-action facilities have broadened the production scope for us. The Group’s additions also include Toonz New Zealand and Toonz Turkey, which focus on production and distribution in the Australasian and Middle East markets, respectively.

What would you like to advice the young generation of entrepreneurs and enthusiasts who want to become a part of the industry you are catering to?

In recent years, animation and related fields have taken a major leap. The AVGC–AR/VR industry (Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, Comics, Augmented Reality, and Virtual

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Reality) is one of the fastest-growing industries in the world today. It is an exciting field with immense growth potential, especially for those who are creative as well as equally adept with new-age technologies. Techno-creative jobs like Animation, Visual Effects, and AR/VR are among the most indemand jobs in the 21st century.

Animation is a technology-intensive sector. While creativity is the mainstay of this field, artists also need to be technologically adept and familiar with the most advanced software to produce animation. This business has long valued skill and developing and grooming fresh talent is a top focus. In the post-pandemic period, we anticipate a stronger demand for artists and creative workers who can quickly adjust to shifting conditions.

Professionals that not only have a great sense of creativity but are also continually upskilling their understanding of pertinent technologies would be in higher demand. CGI animation, applicationbased animations for filmmaking, entertainment media creation, edutainment, gaming, medical, defence, VR/AR, architecture, interior design, and advertisements are examples of this.

Where do you see yourself in the future? Kindly tell us about your strategies for scaling your business.

We are forever on the lookout for new opportunities to scale up and strengthen our portfolio while maximising the benefits for our

customers and partners. The entertainment and animation industry are bursting as it seems that there is a lot of opportunity for growth.

Our overall strategy at the highest level is two-pronged - focusing on content and platform. We plan to team up with the topmost creators, brands, and partners concerning content. And then, we would be focusing on making this high value content available on as many platforms as possible, whether it is in collaboration with telcos, smart TV companies, or play stores.

What is the current industry scenario of the animation industry in the nation as a whole?

In India, we have a thriving entertainment industry, catering to a huge audience within the country and abroad and employing millions of artists and technicians at different levels. The kid’s entertainment industry, in particular, is also booming in our country, thanks to the growing focus on the role of leisure, play, and entertainment activities on children’s mental and physical development.

India has the largest youth population globally and is, therefore, one of the biggest markets for kids’ entertainment. Despite these huge demographic advantages, we have not been able to fully leverage its benefits and potential of this sector so far. The animation industry in India has seen a meteoric rise in the past twenty years.

However, India continues to be largely an outsourcing hub for animation, just like other IT and ITES industries.

We have started making inroads in animation IP creation in the last few years. Still, only a handful of major animation studios in this country have taken that road so far. Then there are also the other issues affecting the Indian entertainment industry in general, like piracy, lack of uniform media policy for foreign investment, content regulation, price regulation, cross-media ownership rules, and lack of empowered regulators.

That said, we are seeing a lot of flux in the entertainment sector in the country with respect to policy formulation, infrastructure development, training opportunities, and government support.

We are positive that it will help us put the Indian entertainment industry on the global map.

From a business standpoint, there is now a lot more focus on technology integration, process efficiencies, and reduction of lead times. The need for remote collaborations for creative ideation has also never been so high.

Companies are now focusing on investing in business continuity planning, such as improving organizational agility; and upskilling employees to meet the needs of a transformed work environment.

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