Category Archives: Engineering
Zen and the art of platform engineering – CIO
Achieving and maintaining any sense of Zen requires a commitment to keeping everything in balance. Too much of any one thing inevitably creates levels of friction that, over time, become unsustainable. Within a DevOps context, the current manifestation of Zen is organizations embracing platform engineering methodologies that enable them to standardize around a common set of tools and practices, all while empowering without burdening their developers.
Platform engineering, at its core, is a methodology for enabling DevOps at scale without sacrificing innovation. In this digital era, as the number of applications continues to increase, there is a critical need to rethink the building and deployment of applications so that it becomes more efficient for all involved parties, developers, cybersecurity, compliance, and IT operations teams alike.
DevOps goal has always been to increase the drumbeat at which organizations get to continuously deliver business value through software, by getting all IT functions to smoothly collaborate. But as the adoption of DevOps grew in organizations, so did the complexity of the world they live in: from highly powerful but complex cloud infrastructure to increasingly sophisticated security attacks, and constantly evolving and cumulative compliance requirements. In many organizations, this has started to feel like an untenable situation.
Now is the time to step back and define a unified approach that strikes a delicate balance between efficiency and the freedom to innovate that so many developers prize, all while making sure organizations are able to standardize their tools and processes, as well as trust their overall security and compliance posture. As the protagonist in the novel Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance discovers, not every issue can be rationally addressed when people who invariably value and cherish their own insights and ideas are involved.
Leaders intuitively understand that, for better or worse, every action creates an equal and opposite reaction. As DevOps adoption grew in organizations, it became very clear that one of its most central constructs, continuous integration and continuous delivery, that is, pipelines that fully automate the lifecycle of software development and delivery, led to huge gains in development velocity: developers were able to focus on creating business value through their code, and, for any new piece of code contributed, a pipeline would promptly execute and give them quasi-instant feedback if anything wasnt OK. Witnessing this success, an increasing number of new missions of other functions were forced into those pipelines, from security to compliance and a lot more, shifting left towards developers the burden to instantly react when things go wrong without them necessarily equipped to understand the reason for the failures.
In parallel, the world developers lived in increasingly got more complex, with powerful but complex cloud native infrastructure, open-source projects, and practices constantly emerging and being adopted. This led to an overflow of cognitive load, and, ultimately, an inability for developers to truly deliver on their initial mission: coding business value! A new balance had to be redefined, one that allowed organizations to standardize their tools and practices, keep a strong security and compliance posture, leverage modern and constantly evolving cloud technologies, all while giving back velocity (and happiness!) to developers.
Platform engineering arose to address this exact problem. Platform engineering, when done right, creates a unique opportunity to improve the DevOps experience by abstracting away for developers as much as possible this ever-increasing complexity, allowing them to focus on their work, all while enabling them to look under the covers and modify and expand it as they see fit. This shifts the dynamic from a message of control, to one of empowerment, where development teams are helped and kept focused by default, but trusted to selectively go deep and make changes if they think there is value in doing so.
Ultimately, successful adoption of platform engineering requires a level of trust to be firmly established. The issue is that trust, as always, is hard to win and is easily lost. IT leaders who embrace platform engineering will need to place a special emphasis on transparency. Development teams are likely to appreciate the potential of platform engineering, but psychologically they are just as likely to view any change to existing DevOps workflows with suspicion: will the pipelines that they brought to the organization later be taken hostage? Developers need to be able to adopt new tools in ways that platform engineering teams will support rather than reject. Otherwise, developers will simply find ways to write code in the shadows, regardless of what policies might be violated.
Establishing trust may require IT leaders to move slower than they would prefer, but when it comes to DevOps, the single most important asset any organization has is a culture that values software engineering best practices infused with a high degree of empathy.
Today, being able to consistently deliver high-quality software is one of the most important competitive differentiators an organization can have. The challenge is achieving that goal in the most fiscally responsible and efficient way possible. Any organization given infinite resources can build and deploy software. Very few organizations, however, enjoy that privilege, so optimizing DevOps workflows quickly becomes a high priority as the amount of code being managed only continues to grow.
Each organization will need to decide for themselves whether a shift to platform engineering will require new or additional DevOps tools and platforms to unify workflows, but one thing that is certain: Some level of reengineering of existing workflows will be required to create a more symbiotic relationship between developers and IT operations teams. Organizational change, of course, never comes easy, so the most important thing IT leaders can do is establish the goal and then over-communicate how each change moves the organization closer to achieving that goal. Dont take anything for granted.
At the same time, IT leaders need to make sure that the rest of the management team is on board with those changes. There inevitably will be platform engineering miscues that might slow down delivery of one project or another, but theres little doubt that platform engineering will lead to more software being delivered faster at a lower cost and, most importantly, with less stress for all concerned.
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Scaling up from on-site inspections – Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
Harvards Engineers Without Borders-USA chapter (EWB-USA) can only do so much from the classroom. EWB-USA, a student organization affiliated with the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS), couldnt travel to its project sites in Kenya and the Dominican Republic from 2020-2022, and the Dominican Republic team didnt get to visit the Los Sanchez community until earlier this year. The Los Sanchez team, which started building a community water storage and distribution system in 2016, has made two trips to their project site this year, including once over the summe
Being on the ground, its so impactful to see the work weve done on our computers, and see how happy the residents are to have these systems, said Jack Shea, a third-year mechanical engineering concentrator and Los Sanchez project co-lead. The first time we had water coming out of a supply line on our January trip, you could see the happiness on everyones faces. The joy they received from that is super powerful to me.
Finally getting in two trips in a year allowed the Los Sanchez team to collect data and implement necessary adjustments in a timely manner. The team collected data on elevation and water demands, then in the summer returned to start installing one of two large water storage tanks that will connect with previously built supply pipes.
Its good to have boots on the ground with project members able to see what theyve designed right in front of them, Shea said.
More frequent trips to project sites also allowed the Kibuon, Kenya team to re-evaluate and scale up the plan they first devised in 2019. Initially, they were going to drill a number of borehole wells with nearby hand pumps. But local regulations require boreholes to be a certain distance from each other, meaning not all members of the Kibuon community will have equally easy access to clean drinking water.
You could have a situation where someone is in between two boreholes, and its nearly a kilometer to the closest site, said Kibuon project lead Alex Dyer, a fourth-year electrical engineering student at SEAS. That wouldnt meet our goal of less than a 30-minute travel to sustainably retrieve water.
By spending time in Kibuon over the summer, Dyers team discovered a potential solution. One of the newer boreholes turned out to have a much higher water flow rate than initially thought. Combined with improved electrification efforts in the community, the team realized an electric pump could draw enough water from the well to fill a large storage tank. If placed on top of a hill, the tank could easily distribute water to smaller kiosks, which could be placed much closer to residences.
We can place them wherever we want, which gives us a lot of flexibility, Dyer said. This is a great opportunity. It definitely poses a lot of challenges, but thats what makes the process exciting. We like having these challenges where we can work with community members, source data, and then overcome them by engaging new technical fields that we hadnt experienced in other classes.
Like many student organizations at Harvard, EWBs membership shrank during the early years of the pandemic, as courses switched to a virtual format and restrictions on indoor gatherings made it difficult to work on large group projects. But those numbers have quickly rebounded over the last two years, helped out by EWB members also receiving course credit through ES105HFR: Humanitarian Design Projects. The course is taught by EWB faculty advisor Chris Lombardo, Associate Director of Undergraduate Studies in Electrical Engineering at SEAS. This year, for the first time, some S.B. engineering students can also use 105HFR as their required third-year design course.
The human element has totally been brought back into the class, Shea said. When I joined the class two semesters ago, we hadnt traveled in a while, and it was very hard for me as a new student, who hadnt been to Los Sanchez, to understand there are real people and a real community involved in this project. Thats the most powerful part of this class. Following our trips, you can see our project members are way more invested because theyve been on the ground.
Shea described EWB as a win-win for engineering students. The projects require a range of technical, interdisciplinary and interpersonal skills that can be applied to a wide range of industries or careers. At the same time, EWB students get a chance to see the impact engineering can have in the world, especially when its done in collaboration with a community.
The Kibuon community has told us over and over again that water is life, Dyer said. Having the opportunity to work with them to make that more available to them has definitely been a memorable part of my college experience.
Harvard EWB was recently recognized with the Premier Student Chapter Award from EWB-USA. The award, which Harvard also won in 2018, recognizes a chapter that upholds excellence in the organization, exhibits consistent and successful fundraising, engages in thoughtful public relations and marketing efforts, engages in robust participation and interaction with other EWB-USA chapters, makes a positive impact for a community, and has highly engaged faculty advisors and mentors.
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Scaling up from on-site inspections - Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
Vision Engineering Welcomes Kakos as New Distributor Sales Executive – Quality Magazine
Vision Engineering announced the appointment of Gary Kakos as the new Distributor Sales Executive. With an impressive background in sales and a wealth of experience in sales and customer relations, Mr. Kakos is poised to drive Vision Engineering's growth and expansion in the marketplace.
Gary Kakos joins Vision Engineering after a successful tenure at Owl Cyber Defense Solutions, where he served as a Senior Sales Associate. His accomplishments at Owl Cyber Defense Solutions, including revenue growth through channel partners, demonstrate his strategic approach to sales and his ability to forge strong partnerships within the industry.
Prior to his role at Owl Cyber Defense Solutions, Gary Kakos served as a Regional Manager at Victorinox, where he played a key role in collaborating with distributors to target end users. His diverse experience in both cybersecurity and consumer goods positions him as a versatile leader ready to navigate the challenges of the dynamic industrial inspection market.
"We are thrilled to welcome Gary Kakos to Vision Engineering as our new Distributor Sales Executive," said Lee Nagel, Senior Sales Development Manager at Vision Engineering. "Gary's proven track record, industry knowledge, and commitment to excellence align seamlessly with our company values. His leadership will be instrumental in strengthening our partnerships and driving sales initiatives."
In his new role, Gary Kakos will be responsible for working with distribution partners to co-develop sales strategies, educate and train partners on current and new products and drive marketing objectives to increase sales.
"I am honored to join Vision Engineering, a company renowned for its commitment to innovation and excellence in the industrial microscope sector," said Gary Kakos. "I am excited about the opportunity to contribute to the company's continued success and look forward to collaborating with the exceptional team at Vision Engineering."
For more information, visit http://www.visioneng.com.
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Vision Engineering Welcomes Kakos as New Distributor Sales Executive - Quality Magazine
Virginia Tech engineering and science will blend to try to find Alzheimer’s treatment – Roanoke Times
BLACKSBURG According to the most recent report from the Alzheimers Association, one in 10 people above the age of 65 has Alzheimers disease.
Its the most common form of dementia, though many more suffer from similar disorders.
Xiaoting Jia, an associate professor in the Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Virginia Tech, has worked for more than a decade to understand how Alzheimers affects the brain, and how to slow its effects.
Jias particular area of expertise is neural fiber, extremely small, strand-shaped devices that can be filled with electrodes and sensors to both provide in-depth imaging from deep in the brain, as well as provide some types of treatment, either through electrical stimulation or through direct application of medications.
Jia, along with neuroscientist and long-time collaborator Harald Sontheimer and brain imaging technology expert Song Hu, have received a high-priority, short-term $795,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health to create a new, multi-purpose or, as Jia puts it, bi-directional neural fiber, capable of providing diagnostic information and directed treatment for Alzheimers.
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The fiber would be able to both read-out and write-in, Jia said. It would have electrodes inserted to scan neuroactivity, and stimulate neuron activity.
The team will have only about a year to work, based on the initial grant, though Jia says that the grant is transitional, meaning once they present their research, they will likely be awarded another, five-year grant to continue their work.
Some of the stories Ive seen on this have said that weve solved the problem, or that we will solve it in one year, Jia said. This work will more likely take a lot longer than is laid out in this grant.
The goal of the project, from an imaging standpoint, is first to pin down what causes Alzheimers to develop. According to Jia, it has long been suspected that Alzheimers develops from amyloid protein deposits in the hippocampus region of the brain, which may lead to decreased blood flow and neuron death. However, due to limitations in our current ability to see images of deeper regions of the brain like the hippocampus, the relationship is still unclear.
Once more in-depth imaging is achieved, the next goal of the project is to use electrical stimulation to help reestablish bloodflow and, ultimately, to administer anti-amyloid drugs using the fiber.
The goals of the project are complicated and ambitious and, according to Jia, are only possible with experts from many different disciplines working closely together.
For engineers, we have this capacity to be very creative in terms of solutions for problems, Jia said. For other disciplines, like neuroscience, everything starts with an understanding of the problem, and people spend years working to understand the problems. It is important for engineers to work alongside others to understand the problems, and to get their hands dirty in the lab, testing the solutions.
Jia has devoted a large part of her career as an engineer working alongside neuroscientists. Her grandmother and other members of her family have suffered from Alzheimers, she said, and her personal connection with the horrors of the disease have led her to use her own expertise to help others to help treat the as-yet incurable disorder.
As an engineer, I look for problems to solve, and Ive always been interested in brain disorders, Jia said. Many members of my family have been affected by the disease, and Ive seen how bad it can be.
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Federal grant to help NIU create a generation of more diverse, entrepreneurial engineers | NIU Newsroom – NIU Newsroom
An ambitious new program at NIU is working to attract science students from underserved populations who are interested in becoming not just scientists and engineers, but also entrepreneurs.
The world sorely needs more talented engineers, and more talented entrepreneurs. By helping individuals unlock both those skill sets we can create huge opportunities for students enrolled in this program, says Nicholas Pohlman, an NIU Presidential Teaching Professor who teaches mechanical engineering in the NIU College of Engineering and Engineering Technology.
Pohlman, who has worked with Fermilab for 16 years, and Barton Sharp from the NIU College of Business, are overseeing the NIU effort, funded by an $850,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) program known as Reaching a New Energy Sciences Workforce (RENEW). NIUs project is titled, RENEW: Accelerating Underrepresented Engineering Careers through Accelerator Innovations.
The first step in the program is to attract talented students from underserved populations including Black, Hispanic and Indigenous students, many of whom have difficulty seeing themselves in science, technology, engineering or mathematical (STEM) fields, due to a lack of role models. Pohlman and Sharp hope to overcome that hurdle by building those role models into the program.
The goal is to have a pipeline of students, from undergrads to Ph.D. students, says Pohlman. As we build that pipeline, those more advanced students will serve as role models and mentors to the younger students entering the program.
Starting during their undergraduate years, students in the program will have the opportunity to work with NIU engineering faculty and Fermilab scientists on projects pertaining to the development of magnets that are crucial to high-energy physics. The students, who will be paid for their work, will have the opportunity to engage in a steady stream of projects that will build their knowledge, help them develop new skills and build their confidence as they progress.
The students recruited from NIU and selected for this program will be paired with a participating professor from NIU and a research mentor from Fermilabs Magnet Systems Department. The students will then conduct magnet research and development projects at Fermilab. Some of the research areas that students will work on in this program include high-temperature solenoids, fiber optics, quench antenna and machine learning.
We need to develop new experts in the field of accelerator magnet development. It can be very difficult to find the proper experts, said Stoyan Stoynev, deputy head of the Magnet Systems Department at Fermilab. We need new people with new ideas who can push the boundaries of where we are, and we want to develop our own experts and keep the know-how weve built at Fermilab.
In addition to preparing engineers for potential careers at Fermilab (and many other places where their skills would be in demand), the program also aims to turn graduates into entrepreneurs.
While scientists in the field of high energy physics may be looking to unlock the secrets of the universe, they typically have a very narrow focus, says Pohlman. They are so determined to overcome the challenge in front of them that they rarely take the time to think about the potential industrial or commercial applications of what they are working on.
To train this group of scientists to think about other potential uses for the technology, the program will engage the help of the NIU Department of Management, which teaches entrepreneurship. That aspect of the program will be led by Sharp, the Mike and Kristina McGrath Professor of Entrepreneurship in the NIU College of Business.
Sharp is uniquely qualified for the role. He has a degree in engineering and worked in research and development in the aerospace industry before pursuing a career in academe. I have seen first-hand instances where engineers had fantastic ideas, but they end up never coming to fruition because they were not able to get their ideas across to people, Sharp says.
To help students enrolled in the program avoid that fate, Sharp and Pohlman plan to help them develop soft skills like communication and teamwork that intrinsically incorporate appropriate interactions with diverse populations. Some of that work will be done at sessions each semester where the students, faculty and scientists from Fermilab will gather to discuss their work.
Those sessions will be open to anyone on campus and will be held at NIU cultural centers across campus. The goal is not only to expose students from underrepresented groups to potential career paths, but also to get as many viewpoints as possible.
At those meetings, scientists will provide brief elevator pitches describing the technical work they are doing and potential practical application of the technical advances being developed. Not only will this provide an opportunity for students and others to learn about the science, but it will also create a melting pot of ideas where the knowledge and perspectives from a diverse group of people can mix and recombine in ways that lead to new and unexpected innovations and opportunities.
We know from the literature on creativity and entrepreneurship that any successful new development comes about as the result of a recombination of pieces that were already out there, Sharp says. Once you have different ideas swimming around in the same room, theyre going to collide and recombine in ways you never anticipated.
It is from those collisions and combinations that both the NIU and Fermilab partners hope new uses for the technology will arise.
One of the primary goals of that process will be to get the students and the scientists from Fermilab to think about ways that aspects of their work could be applied to ideas far afield from the particle physics at the heart of their work, Pohlman said. Ideally, we would love for some of these ideas to become, or be incorporated into, commercial products or new tools for manufacturers, all with their roots extending to Fermilab.
Throughout the program, resources will be allocated to student-faculty combinations to explore some of those new ideas, using the fail-fast entrepreneurial approach to quickly prototype, test and iterate the different approaches so that funding and other critical resources can be allocated in the most effective and efficient ways.
While the ramp-up of activity has been incremental, one thing that both Pohlman and Sharp agree upon is that they want to involve faculty and students from across campus in the program. Pohlmans excitement is clear: There are plenty of seats available as all thrill rides are the most fun when the acceleration is highest.
We are going to be knocking on a lot of doors across campus to help make this program successful, Sharp said.
For more information, contact Dr. Pohlman at npohlman@niu.edu
NIU is home to one of the best university accelerator physics programs in the nation. The program benefits from the close proximity of major accelerator research facilities atFermi National Accelerator LaboratoryandArgonne National Laboratory. The faculty members associated with the program collaborate with these laboratories and with colleagues from around the world in high-priority accelerator projects and experiments. They also teach accelerator and beam physics courses at NIU.
In October, the U.S. Department of Energy awarded NIU Physics ProfessorBela Erdelyi and a colleague at Argonne National Laboratory a $600,000 grant over three years to study a new type of particle accelerator to be used in discovery science.
About NIU
Northern Illinois University is a student-centered, nationally recognized public research university, with expertise that benefits its region and spans the globe in a wide variety of fields, including the sciences, humanities, arts, business, engineering, education, health and law. Through its main campus in DeKalb, Illinois, and education centers for students and working professionals in Chicago, Naperville, Oregon and Rockford, NIU offers more than 100 areas of study while serving a diverse and international student body.
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Leveraging Engineering and Research Talent in India with Global Capability Centers – University of California, Berkeley
Multinationals can leverage engineering and research talent in India with global capability centers.
India recently launched an unmanned spacecraft to the moon, the first one to land near the moons Southern pole. More creditable is the fact that Indias program cost just $75 million, while comparable missions, the U.S. Apollo 10, Russia Luna 25, and China Change-1 in inflated-adjusted dollars cost $2.5 billion, $195 million, and $278 million, respectively. This achievement emphasizes two things. First is the depth, scale, and capabilities of the engineering and research talent available in India. Second is the cost of that talent. We describe how multinationals are leveraging this resource by opening global capability centers (GCCs) in India. We then argue that every multinational company that competes with knowledge capital and research and development (R&D) must have a GCC in India to survive and thrive. We provide seven suggestions on how other companies can open their own GCCs to leverage research and engineering talent in India.
Not that long ago, U.S. corporations looked primarily toward India to perform low-end technology work, such as adding two more digits to their software codes to fix their Y2K problems. Opening of satellite offices in India was mostly about operating cost-effective call centers. At that time, one could hardly visualize that the center of gravity of firms research activities would shift to a foreign location, least of all to India. In the last two decades, however, things have changed. Engineers from India have proven their talent, so much so that the tech giants such as Alphabet, Microsoft, IBM, and Adobe are now headed by engineers educated in India. Top multinational technology companies such as Microsoft, GE, Facebook, Bosch, SAP, 3M, Oracle, Volvo, and SKF have opened GCCs in India that employ an army of researchers who perform activities comparable to, if not even more advanced than, what they have in their own home offices. Most important, those centers are not only about cost cutting but also about doing cutting-edge innovation research, which is almost impossible to replicate, at scale, in their own home countries because of restricted manpower availability and visa regulations.
We first describe a few success cases and how they have progressed over years.
One of Microsofts largest R&D centersafter its home office in Redmond, Washingtonis the India Development Center (IDC) in Hyderabad, India. IDC works on a wide range of products and services, including Windows, Azure, Office, and Dynamics 365. IDC is also home to several Microsoft research labs, which conduct basic and applied research in areas such as artificial intelligence (AI), cloud computing, data analytics, natural language processing (NLP), and quantum computing.
Microsoft chief executive officer (CEO) Satya Nadella said in an interview with Economic Times in January 2023: India has an advantage when it comes to human capital, which will play a key part in building technologies of the future such as AI and quantum computing.
Boschs largest R&D center outside of Germany is in Bengaluru (formerly Bangalore), India. It works on crucial areas such as driver assistance, passive safety, active safety, anti-lock braking systems (ABS), electronic stability programs (ESP), and hardware development. The center also works on big data and software solutions related to the Internet of things (IoT). Boschs new Center of Excellence in Hyderabad will focus on enterprise information technologies, cloud technologies, artificial intelligence of things/machine learning (AIoT/ML), cyber and embedded security, connected products, and connected industry solutions.
Bosch chairman Stefan Hartung said in February 2022 that the company plans to make a Rs 2,000 crore ($260 million) investment by 20252026. Half of that will go into advanced automotive technologies; the other half, into building digital mobility solutions. Software is a key differentiator in products and services. And India is a global software powerhouse. We have over 25,000 employees connecting sensors, software and services, Hartung said.
With a team of more than 100 engineers, 3Ms R&D center in Bengaluru focuses on application development, engineering, and product development. In addition to local projects, the center contributes to global research work.
Shaun Braun, senior vice president (SVP) of digital transformation at 3M, said in March 2022 that the company was planning to add a new technology center of excellence in Bengaluru to accelerate its digital charter at scale. He added that the tech hub in Bengaluru is the cornerstone for transforming to a digitally connected company that combines its material and digital sciences through advanced capabilities to solve customer challenges. He called Bengaluru a city of digital innovation and referred to a digital renaissance happening at Bengaluru.
Oracles Indian R&D centers are an integral part of the companys global product development, working in the domains of databases, cloud computing, enterprise software, and hardware. Safra Catz, CEO of Oracle Corporation, said in 2016: Our entire product lines are done out of here India is our front office it is from where we serve the world. Referring to the strong developer skill set, she called it an unbelievable source of intellectual capital and said that the technology knowledge is so deep and we are making it in India for the world.
By the end of 2021, GE India had more than 6,000 scientists, researchers, and technologists, working on innovations in various fields: aviation, health sector, and materials solutions; electric power (gas turbines and renewable energy, among others); thermosciences; physical-digital analytics; imaging; and controls and optimization. GE India is working on technologies and areas such as 5G-enabled use cases, next-generation medical technology, AI/ML, IoT, big data, edge computing, and cybersecurity. GE India had filed more than 3,500 patents.
Vic Abate, SVP and chief technology officer of GE, said in 2020 that he always looked at India as a country that adds value for its global business and not just for the cost-arbitrage it offers. He went on to say that we go to India more and more because it has the best team to solve problems . . . it is not about the costs.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in 2021: I am really excited about the role that India will play in building this future. Indias talent poolthe engineers, developers and creators, and your whole vibrant start-up ecosystem are playing a huge role in shaping the future. India is on track to have the largest app developer base in the world by 2024, and already has one of the largest Spark AR developer communities.
Mercedes-Benz Research and Development India (MBRDI) is the largest research and development center for Mercedes-Benz Group AG outside of Germany. MBRDIs expertise includes developing new technologies such as connected, autonomous, and electric in the mobility worlddriving digital acceleration, leading excellence in-car software, and paving the way for sustainable mobility.
Ola Kllenius, CEO of Mercedes-Benz, said in January 2023: We have more than 5,000 engineers in Bangalore working on the future innovations for Mercedes everywhere in the world. He added, So theres a piece of India in every Mercedes that we sell around the world. He mentioned fields such as software and digital, electricals, and classical mechanical technologies.
Thermo Fishers new India Engineering Center (IEC) in Hyderabad, which includes an engineering lab, will support new product development for laboratory and analytical solutions for the companys global sites. IEC will design and develop instruments, perform product reliability performance testing and verification, and carry out product validation. Tony Acciarito, president, Asia Pacific & Japan, Thermo Fisher Scientific, mentioned in April 2022: Hyderabad city is a hotspot for talent acquisition, home to world-renowned R&D institutes, and is one of Indias fastest-growing engineering, life sciences and IT knowledge hubs.
ABB Innovation Center (AIC) is one of the companys largest centers hosting 2,500 technologists in a new, AI-enabled eight-floor facility in Bengaluru. The team there focuses on end-to-end competence in R&D, engineering and operations, digital technologies, and services spanning the entire life-cycle management. The team works on providing solutions with next-level AI, ML, data analytics, three-dimensional and digital wins, multiphysics modeling, and IIoT technology. It also plays a key role in the development of ABBs global digital solutions such as ABB Ability Genix.
Peter R. Voser, ABB chairman, mentioned in 2019: India is one of the countries where we do everythingwe have research and development, digital development centers, we have the back office services etc. He added that the India center helps ABB in positioning for two major revolutions: the energy revolution and the automation robotics revolution.
Qualcomms development centers in Bengaluru, Chennai, and Hyderabad make India its largest research base outside of San Diego, California. The centers are focused on developing a wide range of technologies, including wireless modems, multimedia software, digital signal processing and embedded applications, and digital media networking solutions. The centers are also at the forefront of research into next-generation technologies such as 5G, artificial intelligence, and extended reality.
Chris Patrick, SVP and general manager, said in 2022: Theres almost nothing we do at Qualcomm that the India team doesnt have a strong role to play from start to finish. He emphasized that [t]he Qualcomm India team is absolutely essential, really indispensable in terms of everything we do all over the world.
Honeywell R&D India is the companys global center of excellence. It is headquartered in Bengaluru, with additional facilities in Pune and Gurugram, and works on a variety of cutting-edge technologies in aerospace, building technologies, performance materials and technologies, and safety and productivity solutions.
Former Honeywell CEO and current chairman Darius Adamczyk said in 2018: We have close to 10,000 engineers in India. So, we are not chasing something new. And were leveraging not just for the local business but for the global business as well.
Walmart Labs in Bangalore is responsible for building platforms and products to power Walmarts e-commerce and digital shopping experiences. The center researches competitive intelligence and analytics (CIA) platform using machine learning, while focusing on e-commerce; supply chain management; big data and analytics; social, mobile, and cloud technology.
While Walmart has no direct customer touchpoints in India, many of its operations are powered by Indias tech talent. Its chief technology officer and chief development officer, Suresh Kuma, mentioned in April 2023 that Walmart Global Tech (WGT) centers in India are the retailers tech backbone and that they support numerous areas, from supply chain optimization and merchandizing technology to payments and customer experience improvements.
In mid-2022, Advance Auto Parts chose Hyderabad for its GCC, which would act as a hub of innovation, providing critical transformational support and automotive solutions across IT, digital, finance, and human resources for its North American markets. The GCC in Hyderabad aims to help accelerate innovations for the brands automotive solutions related to supply chain optimization, competitive pricing, store operations, and customer interface. Advance Auto Parts president and CEO Tom Greco said: Setting up a GCC in India . . . was a strategic move to support Advances transformational journey by leveraging Indias talent to deliver efficient solutions for complex process, participate in innovation programs, and develop digital capabilities.
In addition, India has emerged as the largest employment center for auditing and management consulting organizations, such as Accenture(350,000 employees in India), Deloitte USI (76,000), E&Y (80,000), KPMG (40,000), Bain (3,000), BCG (3,000), and McKinsey (5,000), for high-value functions such as strategic consulting, analytics, and digital transformation. Many of these firms have established their major research and innovation centers in India, taking advantage of the highly skilled labor force in the country. The presence of such a large workforce in India allows these global firms to offer round-the-clock services and maintain a competitive edge in the global market.
We offer seven suggestions for firms and managers considering opening GCCs in India.
Talent availability, digital skills, dynamic culture, international flights, and strong industry ecosystem are some of the key drivers for selecting cities for GCCs. Bengaluru accounts for 30% of total GCC units in India and 34% of the total GCC talent present in India. Hyderabad, Pune, and Gurugram, near Delhi, have emerged as other hubs.
Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) are world renowned for the talent they have supplied to numerous companies around the world. In addtition, National Institutes of Technology (NITs), Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS), Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), SRM University, and Delhi College of Engineering are among students top choices. Tata Institute of Fundamental Research and Indian Institute of Science offer trained scientists and researchers. GCCs also broaden their recruitment pool by considering candidates from other leading engineering institutions, as well as Tier II and III colleges in India.
For roles in management, finance, and human resources, GCCs shift their focus to premiere management institutions. They actively recruit from the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs), Indian School of Business, Faculty of Management Studies at the University of Delhi, S.P. Jain Institute of Management and Research, XLRIXavier School of Management, Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies, Management Development Institute in Gurgaon, and Symbiosis Institute of Business Management in Pune.
A firm usually brings a person of Indian origin who has worked in its global operations to head its GCC operations in India. That improves alignment between the GCC and the parent company, by communicating effectively while understanding local nuances. India has its unique complexities, from social interactions to business etiquette, that a foreigner may have a difficult time understanding. This understanding is essential to building relationships with key stakeholders in India, such as government officials, local firms, suppliers, business leaders, and customers. More important, that understanding is essential to making the right recruitment decisions and shaping workforce development strategies.
Special Economic Zones (SEZs) provide a range of incentives such as tax exemptions, customs duty waivers, simplified administrative processes, flexibility in employment, and robust infrastructure support. Given the significant growth in the number of SEZsfrom 143 a decade ago to 378 as of January 2023located in prime IT hubs such as Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Pune, Delhi, and Mumbai, these zones offer a conducive environment for GCCs to thrive while enjoying fiscal and operational advantages.
GCCs should not be just satellite offices. They should be composed of cross-border teams from both the parent organizations home country and the Indian talent pool. This will allow for smooth knowledge transfer between the parent company and the new center while ensuring an agile and informed decision-making process. Home-country members can offer expertise in established corporate practices, while Indian members can provide insights into local norms, human resources and recruitment practices, and local regulations. Cross-border teams are also essential for operational continuity across multiple time zones.
India has emerged as a fertile ground for reverse innovation, with multinational corporations such as GE, Samsung, and Siemens leveraging the countrys technological prowess to first develop cost-effective solutions for Indias local market and then launching them in global markets. GEs portable and cost-effective MAC 400 electrocardiogram (ECG) machine and Discovery IQ PET/CT scanner were initially aimed at local challenges but found broader applications, such as the MAC 800 in Europe and North America. Similarly, Samsungs R&D Institute in Bangalore has been a hotbed for next-generation communications technologies such as 5G and 6G. Boschs Indian entity has also been a key contributor to cutting-edge solutions, ranging from intelligent transportation management systems to healthcare devices such as retinal eye screening cameras.
India Stack is the moniker for a set of open application programming interfaces (APIs) and digital public goods that aim to unlock the economic primitives of identity, data, and payments at population scale. By providing a unified set of APIs, it revolutionizes how users interact with various services, enabling integration without the need for multiple accounts or passwords. Its open architecture fosters innovation and collaboration, paving the way for developers to create applications that can easily merge with existing digital infrastructures. This democratization of technology is particularly impactful for businesses of all sizes and sectors, making it a globally applicable model. More and more countries around the world are likely to adopt this model. Experimenting and succeeding with India Stack will enable companies to be ready for global launches as and when more countries adopt digital technologies for day-to-day businesses.
The high number of employees based in India underscores the countrys critical role in hosting global capability centers. Indias role in these operations serves not only as an outsourcing hub for lower-end tasks but also as a vital component for high-value functions such as strategic consulting, analytics, and digital transformation. Many firms have established their major research and innovation centers in India, taking advantage of the highly skilled labor force in the country. The presence of such a large workforce in India allows these global firms to offer round-the-clock services and maintain a competitive edge in the global market.
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CPC Pumps International completes first pump assembly in India – Hydrocarbon Engineering
Published by Callum O'Reilly, Senior Editor Hydrocarbon Engineering, Thursday, 21 Dec 23
CPC Pumps International has reached a significant milestone by completing its first pump assembly in Pune, India.
A provider of API 610 compliant, custom-engineered centrifugal pumps, CPC Pumps International, was acquired by the Atlas Copco Group in August 2021. The Atlas Copco Groups Gas & Process Division has an existing manufacturing footprint in India that dates back to the early 1990s.
The facility in Pune manufactures highly specialised turbocompressors and turboexpanders for customers around the world while also supporting its customer bases aftermarket requirements in the Indian subcontinent.
Tushar Patel, General Manager of CPC Pumps International, explained that one of the main goals we set when acquiring CPC Pumps was to implement a sustainable global growth strategy with an ambitious timeline.
Completing production of our first pump, 100% built in India, is a symbol of our progress and is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our talented global team, he added.
CPC Pumps International plans to expand its manufacturing capabilities in India to support the growing demand for its custom-tailored centrifugal process pumps.
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CPC Pumps International completes first pump assembly in India - Hydrocarbon Engineering
Tis the season of giving . . . and engineeri – EurekAlert
HOUSTON (Dec. 20, 2023) The holiday season kicked off early this year for a Rice University staff member who received a welcome and much-needed gift from a team of freshman engineering students.
Sophia Burbano, Yung-Cheng Ko, Brad Mahung and Harry Zhu spent the past semester working on a portable filming studio for Brandon Martin, Rices senior videographer, as part of their Intro to Engineering Design coursework. Starting from a standard ready-made utility cart, the team designed and tested an enhanced prototype that incorporates lighting and microphone stands as well as storage compartments for lenses, cameras and other equipment.
We found that similar carts with the integrated light and audio stands and modular systems cost upwards of $2,000 to $3,000, Mahung said. We decided to go with a lot of 3D printed components, which allowed us to create the same sort of design, while keeping the overall weight and the cost of the product down.
The storage compartments and the 3D printed frame with the stands are two of the main innovations that we added, along with some weather proofing and a few other features added along the way.
On its first real-world trial run, the cart, dubbed Flash Studio, assisted Martin for a video shoot with Rice President Reginald DesRoches.
Were very proud of that, Mahung said.
The project required that students use engineering software to design and assess the performance of different elements of the prototype.
We had to make sure our mechanism could support the weight of the equipment properly, Zhu said, recounting how the team ran stress tests on each individual piece to figure out what reinforcements or adjustments were needed.
Zhu admitted the process also forced him to adjust.
Well, honestly, before I entered the team and this class, I knew literally nothing about 3D printing and laser cutting, he said. But taking this class, I spent time and effort learning this new stuff.
The kind of project-driven teamwork required in the course ensures that students develop not only computational and equipment manipulation skills, but also time- and task-management know-how. For Ko, communication and planning were skills he felt he improved the most as a result of working on the project.
I had never worked with a team at this pace, which is rather fast moving, Ko said. It really required thorough and clear communication throughout the project.
For Burbano, one of the most rewarding aspects of the project was getting to work in Rices Oshman Engineering Design Kitchen (OEDK).
Its just amazing to be surrounded by all of these tools theres this whole machine shop upstairs, Burbano said. I would say Ive touched maybe 10% of it. I really want to be able to hone my skills with all of those machines out there. I want to be able to use them to build more real-world solutions to real-world problems.
The idea for the project came from a conversation Martin had with Rice senior (now alumnus) Chris Heuser about the challenges of carrying gear to and from filming locations. Among other things, Martin conveyed that means of transport for audiovisual equipment dont typically have integrated features specifically designed to cut down the labor of setting it up and breaking it down. Heuser recognized that designing and building a solution to address this would be a great learning opportunity for students in an introductory engineering course, so he developed a project proposal and pitched it to the OEDK.
Were always looking for real life projects for our students to tackle, said Kevin Holmes, a Rice lecturer who taught this years Intro to Engineering Design. This particular team did a lot around iterations there was a lot of very positive trial-and-error work on the design aspect, which speaks to what we want students to get out of the class.
Although Martin has told many a story about engineering students projects in his 12 years on the job, he was never in the story himself until now.
Its one thing to film these projects every year, but to be a part of the other side and be a client I learned a lot of appreciation for what our students at Rice can do: Theyre learning, theyre giving back to Houstonians and clients all around the community, Martin said.
For Martin, the experience really helped drive home a sense of appreciation for the Rice community and its culture of care.
Its a great place to work just because there are so many nice people here that do stuff like this, he said.
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This release can be found online at news.rice.edu.
Follow Rice News and Media Relations via Twitter @RiceUNews.
Video is available at:
https://youtu.be/YIDJ36tSq04Video by Brandon Martin/Rice University
Image downloads:
https://news-network.rice.edu/news/files/2023/12/231130_team-flash-studio-freshmen-engineering-design_Martin-74-Enhanced-NR.jpeg CAPTION: Sophia Burbano (from left), Harry Zhu, Brandon Martin, Brad Mahung and Yung-Cheng Ko at the Oshman Engineering Design Kitchen. (Credit: Rice University)
https://news-network.rice.edu/news/files/2023/12/PXL_20231201_192446342.jpegCAPTION: On its first real-world trial run, the cart, dubbed Flash Studio, assisted Martin for a video shoot with Rice President Reginald DesRoches. (Photo by Brandon Martin/Rice University)
https://news-network.rice.edu/news/files/2023/12/231130_team-flash-studio-freshmen-engineering-design_Martin-25-Enhanced-NR.jpeg (Photo by Brandon Martin/Rice University)
https://news-network.rice.edu/news/files/2023/12/231130_team-flash-studio-freshmen-engineering-design_Martin-10-Enhanced-NR.jpg (Photo by Brandon Martin/Rice University)
https://news-network.rice.edu/news/files/2023/12/231207_team-flash-studio_martin-18.jpg CAPTION: Sophia Burbano (from left), Harry Zhu, Brad Mahung, Yung-Cheng Ko and Kevin Holmes. (Photo by Brandon Martin/Rice University)
Links:
Department of Computer Science: https://csweb.rice.edu/
Department of Materials Science and Nanoengineering: https://msne.rice.edu/
Department of Mathematics: https://mathweb.rice.edu/
Department of Mechanical Engineering:https://mech.rice.edu/
Oshman Engineering Design Kitchen: http://oedk.rice.edu
George R. Brown School of Engineering: https://engineering.rice.edu
About Rice:
Located on a 300-acre forested campus in Houston, Rice University is consistently ranked among the nations top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report. Rice has highly respected schools of architecture, business, continuing studies, engineering, humanities, music, natural sciences and social sciences and is home to the Baker Institute for Public Policy. With 4,574 undergraduates and 3,982 graduate students, Rices undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio is just under 6-to-1. Its residential college system builds close-knit communities and lifelong friendships, just one reason why Rice is ranked No. 1 for lots of race/class interaction, No. 2 for best-run colleges and No. 12 for quality of life by the Princeton Review. Rice is also rated as a best value among private universities by Kiplingers Personal Finance.
Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.
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Richest Billionaires in Construction and Engineering Industry (December 21, 2023) – CEOWORLD magazine
As of December 21, 2023, Diane Hendricks has a net worth of US$21.1 billion, making her the wealthiest person in the construction and engineering industry. Nassef Sawiris follows in second place with $7.3 billion, while Anthony Bamford ranks third with $7.1 billion, and Thomas Schmidheiny comes in fourth with $6.6 billion.
The fifth and sixth spots on the list are occupied by Rafael Del Pino, whose net worth is $5.5 billion, and Peter Gilgan, whose net worth is $5.2 billion. Francesco Gaetano Caltagirone is placed 7th with a net worth of $4.2 billion. Arkady Rotenberg ($3.3 billion) occupied the 8th position among the wealthiest people in the construction and engineering Industry, followed by Ravi Pillai (No. 9) with $3.2 billion and Samvel Karapetyan (No. 10, $3.2 billion).
Richest Billionaires in Construction and Engineering Industry, 2023
Have you read?Character The Aerodynamics of Leadership.The Rise of the Inter-Generational CEO: Working with Gen Z eye to eye.A New Approach to Public Sector Decision Making.How a CEO Can Best Handle a Crisis.Redefining Thankfulness: Gratitude Examples for the Forward-Thinking Leader.Financial Services, Risk Management and Beyond Tech Entrepreneur, Henna Karnas Vision for the Future.
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Azad Engineering IPO subscribed 11.11 times on day 2, all portions fully booked; check latest GMP | Mint – Mint
Azad Engineering IPO subscription status: Azad Engineering IPO has been subscribed 11.11 times at the end of second day. Non institutional investors (NIIS), and retail showed huge interest.
On day 1, Azad Engineering IPO has been subscribed 3.31 times led by retail and NIIs. The retail portion was fully booked within few hours of opening.
Azad Engineering IPO opened for subscription on Wednesday, December 20, and will close on Friday, December 22. Azad Engineering IPO price band has been fixed in the range of 499 to 524 per equity share of the face value of 2. Azad Engineering IPO lot size is 28 equity shares and in multiples of 28 equity shares thereafter.
Azad Engineering IPO has reserved not more than 50% of the shares in the public issue for qualified institutional buyers (QIB), not less than 15% for non-institutional Institutional Investors (NII), and not less than 35% of the offer is reserved for retail investors. Employees portion have been reserved equity shares aggregating up to 4 crores.
Also Read: Azad Engineering IPO: Price band fixed at 499-524 apiece; GMP, issue details, more
On day 2, Azad Engineering IPO's retail investors portion was subscribed 11.17 times, NII portion was subscribed 23.54 times, and QIB portion was booked 1.53 times. The employee portion is booked 6.25 times.
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Azad Engineering IPO has received bids for 11,24,42,904 shares against 1,01,22,705 shares on offer, according to data from the BSE.
Azad IPO retail investors' portion received bids for 5,65,64,480 shares against 50,63,585 shares on offer for this segment.
Azad Engineering IPO's non-institutional investors' portion received bids for 5,10,87,204 shares against 21,70,108 on offer for this segment.
Azad IPO's QIBs portion received bids for 42,89,852 shares against 28,08,852 shares on offer for this segment.
Azad Engineering IPO's employee portion received bids for 5,01,368 shares against 80,160 on offer for this segment.
Also Read: Azad Engineering raises 221 crore from anchor investors ahead of IPO
Azad Engineering IPO comprises a fresh issue of shares of up to 240 crore and an offer for sale (OFS) of up to 500 crore by a promoter and others selling shareholders, as per red herring prospectus (RHP). Azad Engineering IPO issue size is 740 crore.
Azad Engineering Limited is a producer of turbines and parts for aircraft. The business provides its goods to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) in the oil and gas, aerospace, defence, and energy sectors.
The book running lead managers of the Azad Engineering IPO are Axis Capital Limited, ICICI Securities Limited, SBI Capital Markets Limited, and Anand Rathi Securities Limited. The registrar of the issue is Kfin Technologies Limited.
Also Read: Azad Engineering IPO: Issue fully subscribed on day 1, retail, NIIs steal the show; check latest GMP
Azad Engineering IPO GMP today or Azad Engineering IPO grey market premium is +351. This indicates Azad Engineering share price were trading at a premium of 351 in the grey market, according to investorgain.com.
Considering the upper end of the IPO price band and the current premium in the grey market, the estimated listing price of Azad Engineering share price is 875 apiece, which is 66.98% higher than the IPO price of 524.
'Grey market premium' indicates investors' readiness to pay more than the issue price.
Disclaimer: The views and recommendations above are those of individual analysts, experts and broking companies, not of Mint. We advise investors to check with certified experts before making any investment decisions.
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