Espresso: Apollo 24x7 scales up online consultations

Apollo 24x7's online consultations

Apollo 24x7, the omni-channel healthcare platform of Apollo Hospitals Enterprise, reported 200,000 digital consultations in the first quarter of fiscal year (FY) 2022, according to a stock exchange filing.

Since inception, the platform has got 10 million registrations, and completed 570,000 online consultations, the company said in an investor presentation. It has also serviced 1.65 million medicine orders, the company said, adding that Apollo 24x7 has 2 million active users a week.

Britannia catalyses digital projects

FMCG company Britannia pointed to shifts in consumer preferences and behaviors, and growth of online business channels as changes brought about by the pandemic. “These trends are likely to strengthen and present new opportunities for the food business,” Britannia said in its annual report.

In response, the company took its dealer management system to the cloud, connecting more than 3,500 distributors and 2.4 million shops. Similarly, its sourcing and procurement interactions with over 500 vendors has moved to a new digital platform.

Britannia also transitioned its learning and development programmes online, and introduced an interactive learning management system in 2020-21.

Hanwha injects $300 million in OneWeb

South Korean company Hanwha Systems invested $300 million in OneWeb, a low earth orbit (LEO) satellite communications company run by Bharti Enterprises. The investment brings OneWeb’s equity investment since November 2020 to USD $2.7 billion with no debt issuance.

“Hanwha brings further defence capabilities, and the latest antenna technologies to OneWeb, alongside relationships to new government customers and expanded geographical reach,” OneWeb stated in a press statement.

OneWeb’s first generation fleet of 648 satellites that will deliver global coverage in 2022 is fully funded. To date, it has launched 254 satellites into orbit. With the recent launches, OneWeb expects to offer connectivity services by the end of 2021.

Info Edge’s revenue up, profit drops

Online classified company Info Edge India reported 5.8 percent sequential growth in revenue in the first quarter of fiscal year 2022 (QA-FY 2022). Its consolidated revenue of Rs 380.14 crore in the latest quarter was also 23 percent higher than a year ago.

Its flagship business, recruitment services, contributed to 70 percent of operational revenue in the quarter ended June 2021. Its profit of Rs 155.34 in Q1 FY 2022 however dropped nearly 50 percent sequentially, though it was 66 percent higher on a year-on-year basis.

Amara Raja Batteries’ Q1 results

Amara Raja Batteries (ARBL), which makes lead-acid batteries for industrial and auto applications, reported a 11 percent sequential decline in its revenue for the first quarter of fiscal year 2022.

The company clocked Rs 1,902.8 crore in consolidated top line, and net profit of Rs 124 crore in the first quarter of the current fiscal year. Its profit dipped over 34 percent sequentially, though it nearly doubled the profit over the same quarter a year ago when the COVID-19 pandemic led to nation-wide lockdowns.