JK Tyre & Industries Ltd Highlights Its Road Safety Commitment; Collaborates With Delhi Traffic Police

JK Tyre & Industries Ltd Highlights Its Road Safety Commitment; Collaborates With Delhi Traffic Police


By collaborating with Delhi Traffic Police to organise a comprehensive safety awareness week, JK Tyre & Industries Ltd has once again demonstrated its unwavering commitment to enhancing road safety. The leading Indian tyre maker has contributed to the road safety initiative held as part of National Road Safety Month (January 1–31, 2025) and spearheaded by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) to foster responsible driving habits and reduce road accidents.
Held at the Delhi Police Traffic Training Park, BKS, the road safety initiative under the theme ‘Sadak Suraksha Jeevan Raksha,’ features a series of engaging awareness activities conducted at high-traffic zones across the city. 
The company, in collaboration with the Delhi Traffic Police, has conducted over a period of six days, interactive sessions at key traffic intersections such as the ITO, Connaught Place, Punjabi Bagh and Dhaula Kuan. The emphasis of these session was to take crucial safety measures such as adhering to traffic rules, wearing helmets and seat belts, and not using mobile phones while driving.
Speaking about the initiative, Srinivasu Alahan, Director – Sales & Marketing, JK Tyre, said, “For over three decades, JK Tyre has been at the forefront of road safety awareness and education. We take immense pride in supporting this cause through our National Road Safety Month initiatives. Ensuring road safety remains a top priority for us, and our cutting-edge products, such as SMART Tyres and Puncture Guard Tyres, have significantly contributed to enhancing driver safety. These innovations empower drivers by providing real-time alerts on potential issues, enabling preventive action and reducing accident risks. Through our sustained efforts, we remain dedicated to creating safer roads for all.”
 

Hyundai Motor Group Bags 2026 Red Dot Design Awards For Robot Platform And New Employee ID Card Case

Hyundai Red Dot Design 2026 Award

South Korean auto major Hyundai Motor Group has received recognition at the 2026 Red Dot Award: Product Design for both its mobile robot platform and its new employee ID card case. The Red Dot Award is a competition honouring designs across product, brand and concept categories.

The Robotics LAB’s MobED (Mobile Eccentric Droid) platform was named a winner for its integration of engineering and design. MobED follows the ‘Refined Edge’ philosophy, intended to help robots integrate into human environments. The platform features Drive and Lift (DnL) technology and an eccentric wheel mechanism to maintain stability on uneven surfaces and inclines. It is designed for use in logistics, delivery, and inspection.

Minwoo Park, President and Head of AVP Division of Hyundai Motor Group, said: “The question was never whether the technology works, but whether it works for people — in the real world, at scale. With MobED’s Red Dot recognition, we have demonstrated exactly that. This is Physical AI in practice, and we will continue to push the boundaries of what it can achieve.”

On the other hand, Hyundai Motor Company also received a Red Dot Award for its new employee ID card case. This item is designed for versatility and personal expression, featuring MagSafe capability for magnetic attachment and a modular reel holder. The design allows the detachment of the neck strap so the case can be affixed to smartphones or paired with other accessories.

The case is available in white and clear blue and features replaceable modules to help prevent damage and reduce the need for full replacements. This design also received the iF Design Award. The product is sold through the Hyundai Collection, the official merchandise store of the company.

Rapido - Maharashtra

Roppen Transportation Services (Rapido) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Maharashtra Information Technology Corporation (MahaIT), the nodal agency for digital governance in Maharashtra. The partnership aims to support citizen awareness, digital inclusion and mobility ecosystems within the state.

The collaboration will utilise Rapido’s technology and network to assist the adoption of digital governance initiatives such as Aaple Sarkar, MahaID and MahaSaarthi.

Subhash Shelake, spokesperson for MahaIT, said, “We are pleased to collaborate with Rapido to explore how technology platforms and large on-ground mobility networks can support Maharashtra’s larger digital governance and citizen outreach objectives. An important aspect of the MoU includes digitally verifiable onboarding and background verification process including, integration with MahaID, for Rapido Captains to ensure trust, transparency and passenger safety in the state. We also see strong potential in enabling Rapido Captains to act as grassroots digital information ambassadors helping drive greater awareness and adoption of public digital services among citizens across Maharashtra.”

Pavan Guntupalli, Co-Founder, Rapido, said, “At Rapido, we have always believed that mobility platforms can play a larger role in enabling trust, safety and citizen awareness at scale. Through this collaboration with MahaIT, we aim to leverage our digital ecosystem and extensive captain network to support public digital initiatives while continuing to strengthen safer and more trusted mobility experiences for citizens across Maharashtra.”

Under the framework, Rapido will share government-approved awareness messaging via its in-app communication channels to improve reach for public digital services. Additionally, the organisations plan to explore a MAHA-Rapido Fellowship Programme to focus on digital inclusion and capacity-building in Tier 3 and Tier 4 markets in the state.

Mahindra Group Appoints Purnima Lamba As Chief Brand Officer

Purnima Lamba

Mumbai-headquartered automotive major Mahindra Group has announced the appointment of Purnima Lamba as its new Chief Brand Officer, effective 1 September 2026.

In this role, Lamba will shape and steward the corporate brand and communications strategy for the Group. She will lead the development and execution of a brand narrative aligned with the values, vision and business ambitions of the organisation.

Her responsibilities include overseeing brand consistency across business verticals, ensuring alignment with the identity of the Group and driving initiatives that enhance brand salience across traditional and digital ecosystems.

Dr. Anish Shah, Group CEO & MD, Mahindra Group, said, “We are pleased to welcome Purnima Lamba as Chief Brand Officer. Her global experience, strategic thinking, bold creativity and deep consumer insight make her an ideal leader to further strengthen the Mahindra brand. As we continue to build a compelling brand narrative aligned with our values, vision and business ambitions, Purnima’s ability to elevate brands, inspire teams and translate insights into impact will be invaluable. I wish her the very best in this key leadership role.”

Lamba joins the Group after a career spanning 25 years at Unilever, where she held leadership roles across India, the UK and the Netherlands. She has experience in building tech-enabled beauty experiences and digital media models.

She holds a BSc and MSc in Management from the London School of Economics and Political Science. Her background includes work across various beauty brands.

Maruti Suzuki India Sets Up Smart Factory Lab At Government Polytechnic College, Lucknow

Maruti Suzuki India

Maruti Suzuki India has established a state-of-the-art Smart Factory Lab at the Government Polytechnic College in Lucknow. The initiative, launched under the company’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program, is designed to train approximately 400 diploma students in its inaugural year, bridging the gap between academic theory and shop-floor engineering.

The Lucknow facility is part of a broader educational upgrade across the country, wherein Maruti Suzuki has deployed Smart Factory Labs across four selected government institutions:

  • Government Polytechnic College, Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh)
  • Institute of Engineering and Rural Technology (IERT), Allahabad (Uttar Pradesh)
  • Government Polytechnic, Ambala (Haryana)
  • Government Polytechnic, Nilokheri (Haryana)

During the inauguration ceremony in Lucknow, Maruti Suzuki also awarded merit-based scholarships to five top-performing students to encourage academic excellence.

The Smart Factory Labs are engineered to replicate modern industrial settings, transitioning students from traditional mechanical coursework into digitised production ecosystems. The facilities provide hands-on training with several industry-standard systems – Industry 4.0 & Industrial IoT (IIoT), Automation & Motion Control, Pneumatics & Fluid Power and Energy Measurement Infrastructure.

Under the guidance of Maruti Suzuki technical experts, the curriculum emphasises experiential learning, machinery operations, diagnostics and modern shop-floor safety workflows.

Rahul Bharti, Senior Executive Officer, Corporate Affairs, Maruti Suzuki India, said, “Skill development is a core pillar of Maruti Suzuki’s CSR initiative. By upgrading facilities into Smart Factory Labs, we are building future-ready professionals in alignment with the Government of India’s Skill India mission. These labs will provide experiential learning opportunities to meet the evolving needs of the manufacturing sector, minimise the skill gap, and instil confidence in students in using industry-specific equipment’s.”

“Alongside upgrading facilities at Government colleges, Maruti Suzuki has also set up four Japan India Institute for Manufacturing (JIM), a collaboration between the governments of Japan and India. JIMs impart advanced manufacturing techniques, hands-on learning, and efficient shop-floor management practices based on Japanese manufacturing principles and soft skills required to make students industry-ready,” he further added.