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Unseen moment Rangers star Robin Propper makes costly error before Motherwell opener as SPFL boss pinpoints mistakeNew Delhi: Manufacturing companies are likely to ramp up investments into technology integration to 11-15% of their overall budget in the next two years, compared with the existing 10%, a report by the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) showed. These increased investments are likely go into IoT (Internet of Things), robotics and Big Data, the report titled ‘Smart Manufacturing: Unlocking India’s Potential' said. This could be important as the share of the manufacturing sector in the gross domestic profit (GDP) has remained flat at about 13-17% over the last few years, even as services leads growth in India's economic output. Capital-intensive industries like semiconductors, aerospace, and automotive are leading the charge in adopting these technologies, the report said, while traditional industries like textiles and food processing are gradually transitioning towards digitization. Manufacturing employed about 18.4 million people in FY23 as per Annual Survey of Industries (ASI) data released in September this year, about 7.5% higher than the 17.2 million in FY22. Also read: Build workers’ homes closer to factories to make manufacturing more productive and competitive: Niti Aayog Less than a third of Indian firms across major manufacturing sectors benefit from the integrated information technology (IT) connectivity they have created among subsystems, indicating room for improvement, the report also showed. IT connectivity integration About 20% of the surveyed firms have little or no IT connectivity integration in place, the report noted. "Only 30% of companies with very well integrated IT systems benefit from seamless connectivity between subsystems, enabling real-time data analysis and supporting agile decision-making. This suggests that there is significant room for improvement, especially for the 20% with limited or no integration," said the CII report. CII noted from its extensive surveys across the Indian manufacturing sector that most Indian firms are committed to digitization and technology adoption, at a time when the adoption of automation tools and artificial intelligence (AI) is rising across the globe. While many companies, particularly in sectors such as capital goods, chemicals, electronics, and steel are committed to investing in technology and going digital, CII observed variance across these sectors. For instance, in the electronics sector, many companies have well-defined strategies with a high commitment to technology integration, while in the automobile sector, there is more variation - ranging from companies with no strategy at all to companies with extremely committed and clear strategies, CII said in the report. This is due to the differing business sizes and market segments observed in the automobile sector, the CII report said. Also read: Time is running out to revive India’s manufacturing sector The capital goods sector is bolstering its technology inclusion, with many companies either having a clear roadmap towards technology investments, or companies being in the process of developing such investment plans. "Larger companies are likely leading the charge, but smaller ones are catching up," the CII report said. The report said that challenges within the manufacturing sector such as high costs, unclear returns on investment, and the integration of legacy systems persist, especially for small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Additionally, the report underscores the urgent need for workforce upskilling to bridge the skills gap and enable seamless adoption of advanced technologies. CII recommended in the report the formation more public-private partnerships to establish shared technology hubs, the strengthening of industry-academia collaboration, and implementation of supportive policies to encourage broader adoption of smart manufacturing along with a push for increasing budget allocations for technology.Tagitagi Sangam Year 8 student praised for 491/500 exam marks
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Minnesota is focused on one final task before it sets its sights on the Big Ten Conference season. The Golden Gophers (7-5) will look to finish 2024 on a high note when they host Morgan State on Sunday afternoon in Minneapolis. It will be the final nonconference game for Minnesota before it begins conference play in earnest with a home date against No. 21 Purdue on Thursday. Meanwhile, Morgan State (6-9) is hoping to break out of a skid that has included seven losses in its past 10 games. The Bears are coming off a 99-72 loss against No. 3 Iowa State on Dec. 22. The highest scorer on either team is Minnesota's Dawson Garcia, who is averaging 19.2 points to go along with a team-high 7.3 rebounds this season. Garcia is shooting 49.7 percent from the field, 85 percent from the free-throw line and 31.8 percent from 3-point range. Mike Mitchell Jr. ranks second on the Golden Gophers with 11.6 points per game. Lu'Cye Patterson is next with 10 points per contest, and Parker Fox is fourth with 6.8 points per game. "At the end of the day, we're all here for a reason," Mitchell said. "We have to produce when we're out there, but once (Garcia) gets going, it helps us all figure it out together." Minnesota coach Ben Johnson has seen opponents focus on slowing down Garcia as the season has progressed. That strategy could create opportunities for other teammates, he said. "Teams are always going to guard Dawson differently," Johnson said. "Are they not switching ball screens? Can you play through him in the post? ... When you get two on the ball, you can (kick) it out. Now you've got an advantage on the backside." For Morgan State, Wynston Tabbs leads the way with 16.1 points per game on 45.9 percent shooting from the field. Three other players are scoring in double figures: Amahrie Simpkins (12.7 points per game), Will Thomas (12.1) and Kameron Hobbs (10.7). Morgan State coach Kevin Broadus wants his players to be more disciplined on defense. "That's one of the things that we have to change," Broadus said. "We're fouling too much." This is the second meeting between the schools. Minnesota pulled away for a 94-64 win on its home court in the inaugural matchup on Dec. 8, 2009. --Field Level MediaMike Gundy is bringing back a familiar face as his offensive coordinator for 2025. Reports first surfaced Thursday morning about the potential hiring of Doug Meacham as the next OC, and those reports were confirmed by Pokes Report’s Robert Allen just after noon. Meacham has spent plenty of time in Stillwater – first as an offensive lineman from 1983 to 1987 and then as a tight ends and inside wide receivers coach on Gundy’s staff from 2005 to 2012. He was also OSU’s passing game coordinator in 2008 and 2009. Once Meacham left Oklahoma State, he spent time at Houston, Kansas and TCU. He most recently spent four seasons in Fort Worth, where he served various roles on the offensive staff, most recently being the Horned Frogs’ inside wide receivers coach. This is Meacham’s fourth power four offensive coordinator job, with his first one being his most successful. At TCU, Meacham was co-OC from 2014-2016. In that span, he helped produce several high-octane offenses with Trevone Boykin at quarterback. In 2014, TCU just missed out on the college football playoff and had the No. 2 ranked total offense nationally. Meacham’s familiarity with Gundy’s offensive schemes is an appeal, but he’s also been able to learn under coaches like Gary Patterson, Sonny Cumbie, Sonny Dykes and Garrett Riley. Oklahoma State will need to rebuild its offense with Meacham’s help. Under former offensive coordinator Kasey Dunn, the Cowboys failed to produce a top 25 offense in five years after having 11 top-25 offenses in the 12 years leading up to Dunn’s tenure. In 2024, the Cowboys averaged just 27.2 points per game – good for 12th in the Big 12. Additionally, the offense will need to replace Ollie Gordon, Brennan Presley, De’Zhaun Stribling, Rashod Owens and all five starting offensive linemen. It’s unknown whether Meacham will also coach wide receivers or if he will bring in some of his own assistants.Toronto’s 2026 World Cup office growing as tournament kickoff nears 500 days away
Remain firm KEIR Starmer must resist the incessant siren calls of Remainers in his party. For the first time this decade, Britain has an Anglophile US President keen to do a deal which could transform our economic fortunes. What is the point of risking that relationship by cosying up further to a failed EU which we fought so hard to free ourselves from? Don’t take our word for it. Listen to Shanker Singham, one of the world’s leading trade experts. Living standards have no chance of getting better if Labour resets ties with Brussels and ends up derailing a US deal, he says. Britain’s post-Brexit place in the lucrative CPTPP group of trading countries would also be put at risk. READ MORE ON SIR KEIR STARMER Our current trade with the EU is working. Brexit freedoms must not be thrown away at the insistence of those Remainiac MPs who have never forgiven voters for inflicting that 2016 Referendum defeat. We trust the Prime Minister won’t make a fatal mistake by listening to them now. No panic, Kemi NIGEL Farage’s boast that Britain’s youngest political party now has more members than the oldest in the world is, on the face of it, bad news for the Tories. Most read in The Sun Right now Reform is cashing in on widespread dismay at Labour’s stuttering start in Government. But there is no need for Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch to start panicking just yet. A General Election is not likely for at least four years. That’s plenty of time for the Tories to put their catastrophic defeat behind them and come up with serious solutions to the country’s many problems. Showing true Conservative values and policies is the way for Badenoch to win voters’ trust, land punches on Labour — and deal with the rise of Reform. Hope for Beeb FOR the first time in years the BBC served up a feast of Christmas telly. The superb ending to Gavin and Stacey and the sublime Wallace and Gromit provided us with rare moments of national unity. In their own ways, these brilliant shows are celebrations of traditional British values and ordinary lives. Each had their own little digs at wokery and warnings of the stupidity of being led by social media. Food for thought for BBC bosses obsessed with both. READ MORE SUN STORIES This was a timely reminder that the job of the national broadcaster is to cater for the majority — not the minority. To stop preaching and make shows that we all want to watch together.SM approaches 2025 with cautious optimism