Category: Business

Karnataka, May 29: Sri Narasu’s Coffee Company Pvt. Ltd., South India’s iconic authentic coffee brand with a legacy spanning a century, today highlighted its aggressive pan India expansion plan, and strengthen its distribution network and opening its first store in Bangaluru, to be followed by Amaravati. The brand expands its footmark into Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh, after creating a significant foothold in Tamil Nadu, with 78 company owned stores and 180 SKUs, including a range of products in Coffee, Tea, and other food products in the FMCG category. The company is known for its high-quality gold standard coffee blend.

The move is part of company’s strategic expansion plan for the year, after Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh are the next big markets for coffee consumption. Narasu’s Coffee is favourably positioned to acquire a significant market share in these regions, with its strategic geographic location – Salem being at the center for these connecting states. Bangaluru currently has one store, and Amaravati store is set to open in next 2-3 months. Each store will host the range of products including their premium coffee blend, instant coffee, and freeze-dried variants. Similarly, the company plans to enhance is existing distribution of 42 distributors to 150 by the fiscal year end.

Narasu’s Coffee has an extensive portfolio in the instant coffee segment, which includes – Pure Instant Coffee range, Master’s Extra Strong, Insta Strong Coffee range and Freeze dry segment. The price points range from Rs. 560 to Rs. 3340 per kg. and caters to consumers from all economic strata.

Shri. Sivanantham, Chairman, Sri Narasu’s Coffee:

“Our journey has been built on the pillars of ethics, reliability, and integrity values that have earned us the trust of millions of families who have made Sri Narasu’s Coffee a part of their daily lives across generations. Our focus remains firmly on the future without compromising on the standards, and the commitment to quality that has defined us since 1926. We believe in growth with responsibility and will ensure that our consumers always get the value for their spend, consumer satisfaction is a non-negotiable virtue at Narasu’s.”

Mr. Srudheep S, Managing Director, Sri Narasu’s Coffee:

“To sustain a legacy for nearly a century requires deep respect for our roots and an unyielding commitment to quality. We have spent decades building an unassailable foundation in Tamil Nadu in product integrity, supply chain discipline, and consumer trust. Today, we have a strong network of distributors and dealers, we see immense potential in the southern region and aspire to capture a significant market share. Our vision is clear: to bring the authentic South Indian coffee experience to every modern kitchen across India and beyond.

We have a strategic pan India expansion plan charted for next 3 years, the Bengaluru and Amaravati stores mark the commencement our journey to growth. By establishing a strong supply chain network combined with good retail presence, by this fiscal year end, this should add approx. 18 to 20% revenue to our existing portfolio. Our instant coffee range is the key offering and growth driver for us.

The domestic instant coffee market is fast growing and Narasu’s is best placed to create a niche and achieve a significant market share. Out USP is our blend, which has remained consistent for decades, our consumers come to us for the authentic taste and blend we provide. Which is the result of our stringent quality control standards and operational excellence. We are the only brand in Tamil Nadu to ensure the products are dispatched and are on the racks within 24 hours of dispatch.”

Built on a legacy of trust, authentic taste, and an uncompromising commitment to the South Indian filter coffee tradition, Sri Narasu’s Coffee is set to become one of India’s most respected coffee enterprises.

 

DETROIT, Mich. (May 28, 2026) – ITS America Conference & Expo, organized in partnership by RX Global and ITS America, welcomes 170 exhibitors to its 2026 event, including nearly 70 first-time participants and a growing group of innovative startups featured in the inaugural ITS StartUps Zone. The event takes place June 9-12, 2026, at Huntington Place in Detroit, bringing together over 3,000 public and private sector transportation leaders, researchers, and decision-makers committed to advancing safer, smarter, and more connected mobility solutions.

New Exhibitors Expand the ITS and Mobility Ecosystem

This year’s show floor welcomes companies spanning artificial intelligence, connected transportation, cybersecurity, data analytics, digital infrastructure, autonomous vehicles, and smart city technologies. New exhibitors joining the 2026 lineup include:

• BusPatrol delivers AI-powered school bus safety programs trusted by communities across North America.

• Claro provides AI video analytics and cybersecurity solutions designed to protect logistics and supply chain operations.

• Chainzone Technology is a veteran LED variable message sign manufacturer with global project experience, including major European tunnel and highway deployments.

• Connected Signals delivers real-time, predictive traffic light information directly to vehicles.

• Raytec Systems designs high-performance LED lighting solutions that support license plate recognition, wrong-way detection, and smart city applications.

The complete list of new exhibitors is available at itsamericaevents.com.

 

Startups Gain a Bigger Stage

ITS America Conference & Expo 2026 introduces the all-new ITS StartUps Zone, a dedicated space on the show floor built exclusively for emerging transportation companies, with an estimated 5 companies set to participate. The event also wants to cast a spotlight on other start-up companies that are exhibiting on the show floor with a larger presence, such as Mobito Neuweb, Inex.Net, ASX, ViaSight and Intreelligent. ITS America Conference & Expo ensures new voices in transportation receive the visibility and connections they need to grow.  Placed alongside the industry’s most established players, emerging companies gain direct access to the agencies, investors, and partners who can advance their technologies from concept to deployment.

“The growth in new exhibitors and startups reflects the extraordinary momentum building across the intelligent transportation sector,” said Laura Chace, President and CEO, ITS America. “Cities, agencies, and industry partners all benefit when the full range of innovation, from established platforms to emerging technologies, is represented in one place. ITS America Conference & Expo is exactly that place, and we are proud to be the platform where the future of transportation comes to life.”

More to Discover for Attendees 

The expanded exhibitor lineup gives attendees more opportunities to explore new technologies, identify deployment partners, and learn from real-world implementations. From advanced cybersecurity platforms and AI-powered traffic management tools to connected vehicle systems and smart infrastructure technologies, the 2026 show floor offers a broader, more diverse range of solutions than ever before.

“The ITS StartUps Zone is a direct response to the appetite we see for emerging technology across the transportation sector,” said Jaime McAuley, Event Vice President, ITS America Events, RX Global. “We created this dedicated space so the boldest new innovators in transportation can stand alongside the industry’s most established names, because that kind of access accelerates innovation and drives real results for the communities transportation professionals serve.”

New exhibitors are integrated throughout the show floor at Huntington Place, with the ITS StartUps Zone and other start-up companies exhibiting, the event offers a dedicated destination for the latest emerging technologies. To register and explore the full exhibitor list, visit itsamericaevents.com.

New Delhi, May 28 : Eastman Impex, a player in India’s automotive components and manufacturing sector, has announced an aggressive expansion roadmap with a planned investment of approximately  INR 40 crore year-on-year over the next three years. The investment will be directed towards strengthening its aluminium fabrication and axle assembly parts manufacturing capabilities, further reinforcing its position in the domestic and global markets. 

With a current turnover of INR 700 crore, the company is targeting a significant scale-up to INR 1,200 crore in revenue by 2029. As part of its long-term strategic vision, Eastman Impex is also preparing for a potential IPO by 2030.

The upcoming investments will primarily focus on expanding advanced aluminium fabrication facilities and enhancing production capacity for axle assembly components—key segments that are witnessing strong demand across the automotive and industrial sectors.

Speaking on the development, Gaurav Singal, CEO, Eastman Impex, said,

“We are focused on building a future-ready manufacturing ecosystem by consistently investing in innovation, capacity expansion, and people. Our ₹40 crore annual investment plan reflects our long-term commitment to scaling our aluminium fabrication and axle assembly businesses. With a clear roadmap to achieve ₹1,200 crore in revenue by 2029 and a planned IPO in 2030, we are confident of delivering sustainable growth while contributing to India’s manufacturing ambitions.”

In line with its growth strategy, the company is also strengthening its human resource vision with a strong focus on inclusive hiring and local employment generation. Eastman Impex currently employs over 2,200 workers, including approximately 230 women employees. The company is actively promoting women workforce participation and prioritising recruitment from the local Punjabi talent pool, contributing to regional economic development.

Additionally, Eastman Impex is leveraging various Punjab government schemes to enhance its operational efficiencies and support its expansion initiatives.

With a robust investment pipeline, a clear growth trajectory, and a strong focus on workforce development, Eastman Impex continues to solidify its position as a key contributor to India’s evolving manufacturing and automotive ecosystem .

New Delhi, May 28: Redcliffe Labs today announced the appointment of Vijay T. S. as Chief People Officer (CPO), as the company continues to strengthen its organizational foundation to support its next phase of growth and expansion across India.

In this role, Vijay will lead the company’s people strategy across talent management, leadership development, organizational culture, performance excellence, and capability building to support Redcliffe Labs’ long-term growth and operational excellence.

Vijay, an ISB alumni, joins Redcliffe Labs with over 28 years of experience across healthcare, edtech, technology, manufacturing, and global business environments. Over the course of his career, he has led work across human resources, organizational development, business operations, change management, talent strategy, and leadership capability building. He brings deep expertise in organizational design, performance management, employee engagement, leadership hiring, and building scalable, high-performing teams.

Most recently, Vijay served as Chief People Officer at CureBay, where he worked on organizational design, leadership hiring, performance-linked rewards, and policy frameworks to support the company’s expansion across rural India. Prior to this, he spent nearly eight years at Chegg as Managing Director – India, leading a significant phase of operational growth and organizational scaling for the business in India.

Earlier in his career, Vijay held leadership roles at DuPont, Birlasoft, and Hyundai Motor India, where he built extensive experience across HR transformation, compensation and benefits, employee engagement, capability building, and strategic business partnering.

Commenting on the appointment, Aditya Kandoi, Founder & CEO, Redcliffe Labs, said, “Vijay brings a strong blend of strategic leadership, operational depth, and transformational people experience built over nearly three decades across diverse industries. As Redcliffe Labs continues to scale, strengthening leadership capability and building an agile, high-performance organization will remain a key priority for us. Vijay’s experience in building scalable organizations and aligning people strategy with business priorities makes him a valuable addition to our leadership team.”

On joining Redcliffe Labs, Vijay T. S., Chief People Officer, Redcliffe Labs, said, “After decades of building organizations, I have learned that purpose is what truly sustains growth. What drew me towards Redcliffe Labs was the sincerity behind its vision. A vision shaped by real experiences and a genuine commitment towards making preventive healthcare more accessible for millions of Indians.

My conversations with Aditya Kandoi reflected deep clarity of thought about building an organization that balances growth and impact while remaining equally committed to its people and culture. It feels great to join Redcliffe Labs at this phase of its journey and contribute towards building a strong, purpose-driven organization focused on Better Health Everyday.”

With this appointment, Redcliffe Labs continues to strengthen its leadership team and organizational capabilities as it expands its preventive healthcare ecosystem across India.

National, May 28: Leap Scholar, South Asia’s largest AI-powered study-abroad ecosystem, has released new data showing that Indian students are widening their study-abroad choices by increasingly looking beyond traditional destinations. The data shows rising demand for New Zealand, Italy, Singapore, France and wider Europe, as students evaluate global education through a sharper lens of career outcomes, specialised courses, affordability and long-term ROI.

The shift indicates that destination choice is becoming more strategic. Students are no longer looking only at the most popular countries; they are comparing markets based on what they offer in terms of future-ready courses, employability, lower-cost public university options and post-study value.

A strong example of this shift is New Zealand, where AI-led education is gaining significant traction. The University of Auckland’s Master of AI programme saw demand rise by 33,800% YoY, contributing to the university’s 865% overall growth. This highlights how a sharply positioned programme in a high-demand field can quickly influence destination preference among Indian students.

Singapore is also emerging as a serious contender. It appeared in 26.6% of student conversations, making it the second-most discussed destination after the UK in this dataset. Its proximity to India, strong academic ecosystem and technology-led job market are making it increasingly relevant, though students still need clearer India-specific guidance on costs, jobs, PR pathways and long-term outcomes.

Italy is gaining ground as a fresher-STEM destination. Freshers account for 65.8% of STEM demand, while STEM fields make up 52.9% of all fresher demand for the country. This positions Italy as a strong high-ROI option for Indian engineering and science students, especially due to its lower-cost public university ecosystem.

France is moving beyond its MBA-led perception, recording 541.8% YTD growth, driven by specialised non-management degrees such as MSc Finance and MSc Marketing.

Interest is also building across Europe beyond the UK and Germany, with the Netherlands, Finland, Sweden, Denmark and other destinations appearing in 17.6% of student conversations. However, students continue to seek clarity on tuition, language requirements, work rights, PR pathways and job-market realities.

A separate destination-wise cost comparison for Singapore, France, Italy and New Zealand can also be shared with journalists as background data, for reference and publication at their editorial discretion.

Methodology

This trend report is based on anonymised lead-generation and student-interest data from Leap’s internal database. The insights have been drawn from a relevant subset of students within Leap’s overall database of 1.1 million+ students, filtered basis the specific geography, time period, destination interest, course preference, and student behaviour patterns analysed for this report.

The data has been reviewed to identify directional shifts in study-abroad intent, emerging destination preferences, course-level demand, and student decision-making trends. The report is intended to provide a timely view of how Indian students are evaluating global education opportunities and the factors shaping their choices.

 

Mumbai, May 28 : Equirus Securities, in its latest 4QFY26 result review on Varroc Engineering, noted that the company delivered an operationally steady performance with revenues and EBITDA surpassing estimates, although higher taxation resulted in a miss at the profit-after-tax  level.

Varroc Engineering reported consolidated revenue of Rs 23.7 billion for 4QFY26, marking a growth of 13% year-on-year and 4% quarter-on-quarter. The performance came approximately 3% ahead of Equirus Securities’ estimate of Rs 23.1 billion.

EBITDA stood at Rs 2.2 billion, up 1% year-on-year and 6% sequentially, surpassing estimates by around 6%. EBITDA margin came in at 9.4%, ahead of expectations, supported by improved operational efficiencies and stable gross margins.

Gross margin for the quarter stood at 35.8%, while employee costs increased 11% year-on-year to Rs 2.4 billion. Other expenses rose 22% year-on-year to Rs 3.9 billion, reflecting continued investments and operational scaling.

Profit before tax  grew 4% year-on-year to Rs 1,074 million, slightly ahead of estimates. However, recurring PAT declined 10% year-on-year and 27% quarter-on-quarter to Rs 693 million, primarily due to a significantly higher tax outgo during the quarter. The effective tax rate rose sharply to 35.7% compared to 23.5% in the corresponding quarter last year.

The company also reported improved contribution from joint ventures and associates, with profit from JV operations rising to Rs 14 million during the quarter compared to Rs 3 million in the year-ago period.

Interest expenses declined 14% year-on-year to Rs 349 million, while other income increased 14% year-on-year to Rs 55 million.

On the cash flow front, cash flow from operations  for FY26 stood at Rs 5.4 billion compared to Rs 7.4 billion in FY25. Capital expenditure during FY26 increased to Rs 4.0 billion against Rs 2.8 billion in FY25, indicating continued focus on capacity enhancement and growth investments.

Equirus Securities maintained that the quarter reflected a “decent operational performance,” though elevated taxation weighed on net profitability.

At the current market price of Rs 589, Varroc Engineering trades at FY27E and FY28E P/E multiples of 21.2x and 16.2x respectively.

SINGAPORE, Thursday, May 28: Cornerstone OnDemand Inc., a global leader in workforce readiness solutions, today announced new research showing that organisations across Asia-Pacific and Japan are losing millions of dollars each year to preventable workforce capability gaps tied to culture.

The report, The Hidden Number: The Economic Value of Culture and Capability, finds that for every 1,000 employees, the cost of unaddressed culture and capability failures is estimated at SGD 1.25 million in Singapore, INR 7.03 million in India, JPY 62.38 million in Japan and AUD 1.64 million in Australia. Notably, around 85% of these costs are tied to retention and absenteeism, pointing to existing teams rather than hiring pipelines as the largest source of workforce cost.

The research measures workforce capability across six pillars to highlight where organisations are losing value and demonstrate how culture and capability investment translates into commercial outcomes. The findings expose a consistent disconnect between how leaders perceive their organisations and how employees actually experience them.

HR leaders across Asia-Pacific and Japan rate their organisations’ workforce capability significantly higher than employees do in every market surveyed, a gap that holds whether the market is high-growth or mature. Researchers warn the disconnect may be distorting strategic decisions on AI investment, restructures and hiring.

Among the report’s findings:

●    APJ HR leaders rate workforce capability at 81.5 out of 100, while employees rate it more than 15 points lower across every market surveyed, a consistent gap regardless of market maturity.

●     Around 85% of the economic cost tied to capability gaps comes from retention and absenteeism rather than hiring inefficiency.

●    AI and Workforce Planning is the most significant blind spot region-wide, with employees reporting far lower confidence in their preparedness for automation and role change than HR leaders assume.

●     Indonesia and India lead the region in HR leader confidence but record the largest disconnects between leadership and employee perceptions.

●     Japan posts the lowest capability maturity score in the region and the weakest employee confidence in AI readiness.

●     Capability gaps widen in larger enterprises, where organisational complexity amplifies disconnects in leadership credibility, workforce planning and internal talent mobility.

The findings echo a separate Cornerstone study recently released, which found that in a survey of 2,000 US and UK employees, 46% reported using AI tools at work without any formal training from their employer, and 65% were building AI skills independently outside of work.The consistent pattern of employees navigating AI adoption without adequate organisational support points to a structural gap in how organisations globally are managing the human side of AI deployment.

 “The most important drivers of performance in modern organisations have historically been invisible. They sit across attrition, lost productivity, delayed hiring, contractor reliance and failed transformation outcomes, but are rarely measured as one workforce lever,” said Brenton Smith, Vice President, Asia-Pacific & Japan at Cornerstone OnDemand.

 

“This research gives APJ leaders a new way to see their Invisible P&L. The organisations that will outperform over the next five years are those that treat workforce capability as a measurable commercial system, not a soft HR metric.”

To help organisations address these gaps, Cornerstone launched Cornerstone Workforce AI™, the intelligence platform for workforce readiness, designed to deliver the insights leaders want, the skills people need, and AI agents that make action easy.

At its core are the Cornerstone People Graph™ and Cornerstone Skills Engine, which combine to turn two decades of workforce data across 45 million users, terabytes of labour market intelligence, a taxonomy of more than 55,000 skills, over 1 billion workforce profiles, and signals from systems-of-record into an inference layer that powers every decision. 

 

The rich, dynamic context this creates, coupled with agentic orchestration, makes Cornerstone Workforce AI a powerful ally for organizations who want to deliver strategic outcomes faster and turn continuous workforce readiness into a competitive advantage.

 

 

May 28 : India added 2.7 GW of rooftop solar capacity in the first quarter (Q1) of 2026 compared to 2.2 GW in Q4 2025 and 1.2 GW in Q1 2025, according to Mercom India Research’s newly released Q1 2026 India Rooftop Solar Market Report.

Installations during the quarter were driven largely by the PM Surya Ghar program, supported by subsidy-backed systems, simplified approval processes, and increasing state-level implementation support.

The residential segment accounted for 82% of total rooftop solar installations during Q1 2026. The industrial, commercial, and government segments contributed 11%, 7%, and 0.4% of the quarterly additions, respectively.

Installations under the capital expenditure (CAPEX) model accounted for 81% of the quarter’s additions, and capacity additions under the operational expenditure or renewable energy service company (OPEX/RESCO) model represented approximately 19% of installations.

“The rooftop solar market maintained strong momentum in Q1 2026, with installations increasing 25% quarter-over-quarter and 125% year-over-year, driven primarily by robust residential demand under the PM Surya Ghar program. While consumer interest in rooftop solar remains strong, the next phase of growth will depend more on implementation and execution. Faster approvals, financing access, installation quality, DISCOM coordination, and grid readiness will increasingly determine how quickly the residential segment can scale. As rooftop solar penetration rises, improving on-ground execution and consumer experience will become critical to sustain long-term growth,” said Raj Prabhu, CEO of Mercom Capital Group.

Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, and Gujarat led rooftop solar capacity installations during the quarter, accounting for 17%, 16%, and 15% of installations, respectively.

Rooftop solar tenders totalling 482 MW were issued in Q1 2026, a decline of over 38% quarter-over-quarter (QoQ) while increasing nearly 32% year-over-year (YoY). In Q1 2026, 269 MW of rooftop solar capacity was auctioned, a 67% decline compared to Q4 2025.

In Q1 2026, rooftop solar accounted for 18% of the country’s total solar installations.

Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Uttar Pradesh continued to lead cumulative installed rooftop solar capacity, accounting for 24%, 16%, and 9% of installations, respectively.

In Q1 2026, the average cost of rooftop solar systems remained relatively stable across most module technologies, while systems using Chinese modules recorded a noticeable increase in pricing.

India’s cumulative rooftop solar installations reached 23.5 GW at the end of March 2026.

The top 10 states accounted for 80% of cumulative rooftop solar installations as of March 2026.

Between Q1 2025 and Q1 2026, Assam recorded the highest compounded quarterly growth rate at 40%, followed by Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh, with growth rates of 22% and 18%, respectively.

The report also includes a comprehensive analysis of net metering policies in all Indian states and Union Territories.

Key Highlights from the Q1 2026 Mercom India Rooftop Solar Market Report

• India added 2.7 GW of rooftop solar capacity in Q1 2026

82% of the installations during the quarter came from the residential segmentCumulative rooftop solar installations reached 23.5 GW at the end of Q1 2026Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, and Gujarat led solar capacity additions during the quarterRooftop solar accounted for 18% of India’s total solar installations during Q1 2026

Mumbai, May 28 : Equirus Securities has reiterated its LONG stance on Transport Corporation of India  with a target price of Rs 1,185, citing healthy momentum across key business segments and strengthening multimodal capabilities that continue to support long-term growth.

According to Equirus Securities’ latest analysis of the company’s 4QFY26 performance, TCI’s Supply Chain Solutions segment delivered resilient growth despite temporary disruptions during March and a relatively high base effect. SCS revenues grew approximately 16% year-on-year, driven by strong traction across automotive, e-commerce and integrated warehousing businesses.

The report highlighted that TCI’s expanding multimodal network  spanning rail, road, shipping and warehousing  is strengthening its competitive positioning and enabling continued market share gains. While margins witnessed moderation due to upfront investments in manpower and infrastructure for newly acquired contracts, Equirus expects SCS revenue and EBIT to grow at nearly 16% and 20% CAGR respectively over FY26-FY29E, supported by operating leverage and warehouse ramp-up.

The Freight segment also showed signs of gradual recovery, reporting around 13% year-on-year revenue growth during 4QFY26 after an extended weak phase. Management attributed the improvement to rising less-than-truckload  contribution, leadership restructuring and network optimisation initiatives.

Despite near-term challenges such as pricing pressure, delayed fuel pass-through and subdued MSME demand, Equirus remains optimistic about the segment’s recovery trajectory. The brokerage expects Freight segment revenue and EBIT to grow at approximately 6% and 9% CAGR respectively over FY26-FY29E, with LTL contribution projected to rise to nearly 50% by FY30E.

Meanwhile, the Seaways business delivered another strong quarter aided by higher voyage frequency, absence of dry-docking shutdowns and effective bunker fuel pass-through mechanisms. Management maintained a FY27 growth outlook of 5–10% despite elevated fuel costs and near-term margin moderation linked to new vessel additions.

TCI is expected to add two new vessels by Q3/Q4FY27, increasing capacity by approximately 15,000–16,000 tonnes. Lower dry-docking impact compared to FY26 is also expected to support utilisation levels going forward. Equirus projects Seaways revenue and EBIT to grow at nearly 12% and 5% CAGR respectively over FY26-FY29E, driven by capacity additions and the structural shift toward coastal logistics.

Equirus Securities reiterated its positive outlook on TRPC, valuing the company at 17x FY28E P/E and maintaining its target price of Rs 1,185.