Business
How MSMEs Are Upgrading To Modern Tech For Lifting Indias Productivity
New Delhi: As India’s manufacturing ecosystem accelerates toward greater scale and sophistication, factories are increasingly turning to modern material-handling technologies to stay competitive. Manual load movement once the norm on most shop floors is no longer sufficient for today’s high-volume, fast-paced production demands. Manufacturers are now embracing advanced solutions such as Electric Overhead Travelling (EOT) cranes to save time, improve workflow management, and unlock higher productivity.
With automation, digital controls, and precision-engineered systems becoming more accessible, these cranes are helping industries streamline operations, reduce downtime, and enhance workplace safety, making them indispensable tools for the next generation of smart factories. EOT cranes, commonly visible in workshops and industrial sheds, play a vital role in lifting and transporting materials with precision. With rising production volumes, tighter delivery schedules and stricter safety norms, industries are adopting these systems to reduce physical strain on workers and streamline day-to-day operations.
A key driver behind this growing adoption is the emergence of Indian manufacturers who design cranes suited to local factory environments. Over the past three decades, companies such as LOADMATE have supplied EOT cranes, electric chain hoists and wire rope hoists to a wide range of sectors, from engineering and fabrication to textiles, chemicals and heavy manufacturing. Their familiarity with local usage conditions has resulted in systems that are robust, economical to maintain and aligned with Indian industrial requirements.
According to Manish Agarwal, CEO of LOADMATE, customization has become an important factor in equipment selection. “Every factory has its own layout, workflow and load-handling needs. When lifting systems are designed around these specific conditions, the result is better efficiency and better safety. Indian manufacturers are able to understand these needs more closely. The availability of service teams and spare parts within the country also gives long-term confidence to plant owners,” he said.
According to experts, imported cranes are often harder to service and more expensive to modify. For MSMEs operating on tight schedules, local manufacturers have filled a crucial gap by offering solutions tailor-made for load capacities, spans, duty cycles and operational environments. This allows factories to upgrade without major alterations to infrastructure, making the transition more cost-effective.
This shift mirrors a larger nationwide trend. As Indian factories adopt leaner processes and modern automation, reliable lifting systems have become integral to improving throughput and reducing downtime. The preference for domestically built cranes has also helped minimize delays related to maintenance and spare parts availability, challenges that previously disrupted production cycles.
Business
‘Side Hustle Generation’: Over 50% Of US Gen Z Opting For Extra Gigs Amid Economic Uncertainty
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At least 57% of Gen Z in the US now have side gigs, from retail to gig work, amid economic uncertainty and concerns over the impact of AI on jobs.
Gen-Z is the first generation for whom a 9-to-5 job isn’t essential for achieving financial success. (AI-Generated Image)
Amid widespread economic uncertainty, more than half of the Gen Z population in the United States is opting for side gigs to navigate the job market and for extra cash.
At least 57% of Gen Z in the US now have side gigs, compared to 21% of boomers and older, according to The Harris Poll, which dubbed them “America’s first true ‘side hustle’ generation.”
Most of them are picking up side hustles, from retail to gig work, for extra cash. Younger people “want to work [and] find success, but many of them just feel disillusioned with the opportunities to get there through the traditional career ladder,” Glassdoor chief economist Daniel Zhao told Axios.
Role Of AI
In an August report, Glassdoor researchers said that some of the youths are chasing creative or entrepreneurial goals. Moreover, AI and other technological advances have made it easier for professionals to monetise their skills and passions.
“We’re witnessing a true side hustle generation where work identity lives outside of traditional employment. Additional commentary and research also shows that there’s a growing number of Employee+ workers who diversify income streams without abandoning job security,” Glassdoor said.
“For Gen Z, the day job funds the passion project. Work pays the bills, but identity and fulfilment can come from entrepreneurial pursuits, creative endeavours, or social causes they care about,” it added.
Why Are Gen-Z Opting For Side Gigs?
One of the main reasons for this shift is job anxiety. Recent graduates are struggling to secure jobs, while those with them aren’t seeing the career growth they expect, according to Zhao.
Data shows that the financial optimism for college students has fallen to their lowest level since 2018, mostly due to concerns over unemployment and ‘AI-induced layoffs’. The advent of AI remains the most pressing concern among young workers.
As per The Harris Poll, Gen Z is the first generation for whom a 9-to-5 job isn’t essential for achieving financial success. Side hustles are not merely distractions or fallback options; they are central to Gen Z’s identity, offering creative, entrepreneurial, or activist outlets that main jobs cannot supply.
“It definitely makes me feel more financially secure,” Katie Arce, who works full-time in e-commerce and picks up shifts at a vintage clothing store in Austin, Texas, told Axios.
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United States of America (USA)
January 11, 2026, 17:08 IST
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Business
EV adoptions gathers pace in 2025: Sales hit 2.3 million units; UP, Maharashtra lead sales – The Times of India
India sold were at 2.3 million units of electric vehicle in 2025, making up 8 per cent of all new vehicle registrations, according to a new report by the India Energy Storage Alliance, based on Vahan Portal data, cited by ANI. This boost was driven by incentives offered by the government and festive seasons. The majority portion of the sales were two-wheelers at 1.28 million units.The total registrations recorded in the overall passenger car market in the year 2025 stood at 28.2 million. Two-wheelers marked the most registrations 20 million registrations, while passenger cars were at 4.4 million and agricultural vehicles recorded 1.06 million. The recorded sales rose steadily throughout the year though slightly improved in the festival seasons due to GST benefits.Electric two-wheelers were the stars of the EV market, grabbing 57 per cent of sales. Three-wheelers came second with 0.8 million units (35 per cent), while four-wheelers logged 175,000 units. The report spotted good progress in electric delivery vehicles, especially in smaller commercial segments.Uttar Pradesh was at the forefront in this, with 400,000 units sold, taking an 18 percent market share in India’s EV segment. Maharashtra followed, with 266,000 units sold, contributing 12 percent to the segment, followed by Karnataka, with 200,000 units sold, contributing 9 percent to the market. The three accounted for over 40 percent in the country’s EV sales.Some smaller states recorded a very encouraging uptake of EVs. Delhi, Kerala, and Goa were able to reach an EV-to-ICE ratio of 14 percent, 12 percent, and 11 percent respectively. Meanwhile, states from the Northeast, Tripura, and Assam, achieved ratios of 18 percent and 14 percent, respectively.A major achievement was recorded in the three-wheeler segment, which attained a market penetration of 32 per cent. The government also created a record with their biggest ever order of electric buses—10,900 unit—valued at a massive Rs 10,900 crore through the PM E-DRIVE scheme.The report also stated that that while smaller vehicles led EV adoption, government efforts to electrify larger commercial vehicles and develop charging infrastructure were setting up India’s EV sector for continued growth beyond 2025.
Business
Inside GM’s new world headquarters: Modernized midcentury designs with artifacts, surprises from the American icon
A 1963 Chevrolet K20 pickup truck and a new Chevrolet Silverado EV sit outside General Motors’ new world headquarters on Jan. 6, 2026 in Detroit.
Michael Wayland | CNBC
DETROIT – Outside General Motors‘ new world headquarters, between the 12-story building and the city’s first new skyscraper in more than 30 years, sit two red Chevrolet pickup trucks.
One is a 1963 Chevrolet K20. The other is a new Silverado EV. The trucks, while part of a temporary holiday display, are symbolic of what’s inside the new global offices for the Detroit automaker: its past and present, woven together.
GM is occupying four of six office floors of the building and has filled them with artifacts, design nods and “Easter eggs” tied to the Detroit automaker’s history.
They range from a blueprint of GM’s iconic design dome and an early map of its nearby proving grounds to an interior wallpaper of 300 patented technologies and a decorative wall of cassette tapes with songs featuring the automaker’s brands as well playful references to executive stalwarts such as CEO Mary Barra and President Mark Reuss.
One of the centerpiece objects of GM’s new headquarters is the McCormick Speed Form, an aerodynamic wind-tunnel model developed at the Warren Technical Center.
Courtesy: GM
“Leadership asked when we were helping design the space to bring in some Easter eggs and details to represent who we are at GM, you know, honoring our culture and our history and our innovation,” Rebecca Waldmeir, GM industrial design architecture and experience manager, told CNBC during a tour of the new headquarters.
Other surprises include references to relevant Detroit streets, design influences from GM’s famed design campus in suburban Detroit and artwork and sculptures of its products.
Aside from the aesthetics, GM officials say the new offices will assist with collaboration and are more relevant to how the company expects its employees to work in a post-pandemic world. It will house executive offices and other corporate functions such as marketing, legal and finance.
“A headquarters really should be, at some level, a beacon for the culture of the company,” said David Massaron, GM vice president of infrastructure and corporate citizenship. “When you come in here, it should help people understand who we want to be.”
A wall inside GM’s new Detroit headquarters includes cassette tape cases featuring songs referencing the automaker’s brands and vehicles as well as custom ones featuring GM executives such as CEO Mary Barra and President Mark Reuss.
Michael Wayland | CNBC
From fortress to functionality
The new headquarters marks a significant square-foot reduction for the automaker’s corporate office — from a towering complex called the Renaissance Center along the city’s riverfront to just four floors, roughly 200,000 square feet, in the new building.
GM’s new HQ is less than a mile from the RenCen, as it’s commonly called, which has been a symbol for the city since, ironically, Ford Motor built the complex but decided not to make it its headquarters in the 1970s. GM purchased the building in 1996 as its third headquarters, all of which have been in the Motor City.
The RenCen is Detroit’s fortress, a 5.6-million-square-foot complex complete with a more-than-700-foot center tower surrounded by four 500-foot towers and two smaller adjacent ones.
GM’s new headquarters at the Hudson’s Detroit development in the city’s downtown.
Courtesy: GM
The complex is infamously difficult to get in and out of and to navigate. For much of its existence, it was surrounded by concrete barriers before a redesign around the turn of the millennium.
It has long been something of a physical permutation of GM’s historically siloed culture, which Barra has made a priority to change during her roughly 11-year tenure as CEO.
“The RenCen was designed in a different era, in a pre-Covid era where everybody went to work five days a week, everybody went to their desk,” Massaron said. “Particularly, in a post-pandemic world, you need office space that people want to come to, because we have options.”
GM’s roughly 50,000 U.S. salaried employees are currently required to work in-office Tuesday through Thursday, but the rules are more flexible than before regarding location and remote working.
The Renaissance Center (complex of skyscrapers with the Chrevrolet sign) by the Detroit River.
Roberto Machado Noa | Lightrocket | Getty Images
Most of the company’s new executive offices on the top floor of the building will be open for executives to use as they please, Massaron said. Only four of the offices will be permanently assigned to top GM executives, such as Barra and Reuss, he said.
GM declined to disclose how many employees are expected to regularly work at the new headquarters, saying foot traffic will fluctuate based on priorities and workflows. The company also declined to disclose financial details of its 15-year lease at the new headquarters.
The building complex, known as Hudson’s Detroit, is owned by a real estate company of Rocket Companies chairman and billionaire Dan Gilbert, who has been purchasing and renovating properties in Detroit for more than a decade.
Showroom, pickleball
Aside from the office areas and the executive floor, which all overlook an open atrium, GM also plans to open a semi-public space to display products and host events on the first floor of the building.
Other amenities include social gathering areas and lounges, food and beverage services and a pickleball court and recreation area.
A common area outside of the executive offices of GM’s new headquarters in downtown Detroit.
Michael Wayland | CNBC
GM’s new headquarters, which remains under construction, comes months after Ford christened a new 2.1-million-square-foot global HQ and product design and development center in nearby Dearborn, Michigan.
Ford’s new facility includes offices, design and industrial operations and a host of amenities such as a 160,000-square-foot dining area with eight “kitchen concepts,” multiple courtyards and other upgrades.
The notable difference in the size between GM’s and Ford’s new headquarters comes down to location, headcount and the automakers’ portfolios of offices and operations throughout the region.
A pickleball court and seating area inside the building that includes GM’s new headquarters in Detroit.
Michael Wayland | CNBC
GM, for example, has a vast technology and design center that occupies 710 acres in nearby Warren, Michigan. That campus houses more than 24,000 employees.
Massaron said GM didn’t feel it needed to create “a city within a city” for its new headquarters, because it’s actually “a building within a city.”
Here’s a look inside GM’s new world headquarters:
The entry of the executive floor inside GM’s new global headquarters in Detroit.
Michael Wayland | CNBC
The executive hallway of GM’s new headquarters in Detroit.
Courtesy: GM
One of a dozen or so executive offices inside GM’s new headquarters in downtown Detroit.
Michael Wayland | CNBC
One of a dozen or so executive offices inside GM’s new headquarters in downtown Detroit.
Michael Wayland | CNBC
The interior design draws inspiration from Eero Saarinen’s iconic GM Global Technical Center, incorporating golden
metallic finishes, wood feature walls, warm recessed lighting and a blend of clean linear geometries with subtle
curves.
Courtesy: GM
Patent wall graphics highlight 300 of more than 49,000
patents granted since the company’s founding in 1911.
Courtesy: GM
A wall of cassette tapes celebrates GM’s broad cultural impact, nodding to the more than 78,000 songs that
reference GM brands and vehicles.
Courtesy: GM
A model of the Chevrolet Corvette CX concept hangs on the wall outside the executive boardroom of GM’s new headquarters.
Courtesy: GM
The executive boardroom inside GM’s new headquarters in Detroit.
Courtesy: GM
Inside the common atrium area of GM’s new global headquarters in Detroit.
Michael Wayland | CNBC
A coffee shop and cafe inside the atrium area of GM’s new global headquarters in Detroit.
Michael Wayland | CNBC
A common lounge area near the atrium of the building that houses GM’s new headquarters in Detroit.
Michael Wayland | CNBC
Three-dimensional sound-wave art profiles feature engine and EV tones from notable GM vehicles across
performance, EV and ICE categories, transforming acoustic engineering into sculptural expression.
Courtesy: GM
A statue of GM’s “Cadillac Goddess” sits on a table inside the executive floor of its new headquarters in Detroit.
Michael Wayland | CNBC
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