Technology

Shivalik Bimetal Controls Ltd. Reports Shunt Success in Europe, Asia & India for Q1FY25

Published

2 years ago

August 7, 2024

NEW DELHI, Aug. 7, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — At a meeting held on August 6th, the Board of Directors of Shivalik Bimetal Controls Ltd. (SBCL) released the financial results for Q1FY25. As a global leader in thermostatic bimetal/trimetal strips, shunt resistors, and silver contacts, SBCL navigated a challenging global market environment marked by commodity price fluctuations and geopolitical tensions. The Company demonstrated resilience and continued to drive positive volume growth.

Q1FY25 Financial Performance Summary:

Total Income: Decreased marginally by 5.18% to ₹107.22 Crore from ₹113.07 Crore in Q1FY24, reflecting the effects of lower commodity prices for key input metals.Product Volumes: In volume terms, measure in total weight, the business grew by 8.58% YoY in Q1FY25, from 5,47,916kg in Q1FY24 to 5,94,951kg in Q1FY25.Profitability: Profit Before Tax (PBT) fell by 18.75% to ₹21.75 crore, with PBT as a percentage of sales decreasing by 339 basis points to 20.29%. These declines are primarily due to rise in Cost of Goods Sold (COGS); marginally due to increased manpower costs with investment in people and R&D; and to some degree, higher operational expenses. Management is implementing enhanced cost management strategies towards future mitigation, through improved manufacturing efficiencies and implementing selling price adjustments that are absorbable by the market.

Q1FY25 Highlights from Shunt Resistor Sales:

The strong growth in Europe, Asia, and India has mitigated the reduction in sales from the Americas to a great extent, maintaining Shivalik’s robust financial health and reaffirming its strategic focus on having a diversified market presence.

Europe: Sales in Europe surged by 134.40%, reaching Rs. 8.04 crore in Q1FY25 off a small base of Rs. 3.43 crore in the same period last year. This growth is the result of Shivalik’s successful market penetration and increasing demand for its high-quality shunts in the European region.Asia (Excluding India): The Asian market recorded a substantial increase of 67.02%, with sales rising to Rs. 17.03 crore from Rs. 10.20 crore in Q1 FY24. This growth stems from Shivalik’s strategic expansion and the robust demand across various Asian markets outside India.India: The Indian market continued to show steady growth, with sales increasing by 11.34% to Rs. 11.26 crore in Q1FY25 from Rs. 10.11 crore in Q1 FY24. This consistent performance is the outcome of the steadily rising domestic demand and the Company’s solid foothold in its home market.Americas: Despite the significant gains in these regions, sales for Shunts in the Americas dropped by 44.76%, from Rs. 29.22 crore in Q1 FY24 to Rs. 16.14 crore in Q1FY25. This decrease reflects market-specific challenges and ongoing consolidation in the EV marketplace being experienced in the United States.

Financial Performance:
(Rs. In crore) (Standalone Figures)

Key Figure

Q1FY2025

Q1FY2024

Change

Total Income

107.22

113.07

-5.18 %

Profit before tax

21.75

26.77

-18.75 %

PBT as % of Sales

20.29 %

23.68 %

(339 bps)

Profit after Tax

16.30

20.23

-19.41 %

PAT Margin

15.21 %

17.89 %

(268bps)

Topline Performance and Demand: The Q1FY25 financial performance reflects a complex interplay of external market conditions and strategic operational decisions. The total income decreased by 5.18% to ₹107.22 Crore from ₹113.07 Crore in Q1FY24, reflecting the impact of lower commodity prices for input metals and market fluctuations. This reduction in raw material costs, coupled with market volatility, has contributed to the overall decrease in sales revenue. This decline was partially offset by increased volumes in both bimetal/trimetal strips and shunt resistors, indicating continued underlying demand strength for the Company’s products.

Profitability: Profit Before Tax (PBT) fell by 18.75% to ₹21.75 Crore compared to ₹26.77 Crore in Q1FY24. The PBT as a percentage of sales decreased by 339 basis points to 20.29%. Profit After Tax (PAT) reduced by 19.41% to ₹16.30 Crore from ₹20.23 Crore in Q1FY24, reflecting overall pressure on profitability due to increased operational costs amidst fluctuating market conditions. The PAT margin dropped by 268 basis points to 15.21% compared to 17.89% in Q1FY24, driving the Company’s focus on cost management to maintain profitability in a volatile market environment.

The decline in profitability reflected in Q1FY25 is due to several factors. Increased Costs of Goods Sold (COGS) was the main contributor to the profitability drop alongside marginal rise in operational expenses, including higher utility costs and maintenance expenses. In response to these challenges, Shivalik is strengthening its cost management strategies to optimize operational efficiencies, effectively manage input costs, and ensure sustainable growth despite volatile market conditions. Furthermore, Shivalik anticipates that as the Company transitions towards producing more complex subassemblies using their components to deliver value-added solutions, coupled with future general selling price adjustments that the market can absorb, these measures should offset the current cost loads.

Regional Performance: The Company showed resilience through positive volume growth and strategic market expansion in key regions of Europe, India, and Asia (excluding India).

Taking Root in Europe: Europe’s performance in Q1FY25 showcased significant growth, particularly in the shunt resistor segment. Shunt resistor sales in Europe surged by 134.40%, reaching ₹8.04 Crore compared to ₹3.43 Crore in Q1FY24. This substantial increase reflects the growing demand for shunt resistors driven by the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) in the region. Despite a slight decline in the thermostatic bimetal/trimetal segment, with sales decreasing by 19.61% from ₹11.93 Crore in Q1FY24 to ₹9.59 Crore in Q1FY25, the overall market presence in Europe remains strong. This performance is the result of Shivalik’s strategic positioning and the successful penetration of high-growth markets.Stable Performance in India: The Indian market continued to demonstrate stable growth in Q1FY25, particularly in the thermostatic bimetal/trimetal segment. Sales in this segment marginally increased by 0.39%, reaching ₹29.89 Crore compared to ₹29.77 Crore in Q1FY24. The shunt resistor segment also showed positive growth, with sales increasing by 11.34% to ₹11.26 Crore from ₹10.11 Crore in Q1FY24. This consistent performance underscores the company’s strong market presence and the increasing demand driven by the smart meter transition and the steady adoption of hybrid and electric vehicles, aligning with India’s push towards modernisation and electrification.Dynamic Growth in Asia (Excluding India): Asia, excluding India, displayed dynamic growth patterns in Q1FY25. The shunt resistor segment experienced significant growth, with sales increasing by 67.02%, reaching ₹17.03 Crore compared to ₹10.20 Crore in Q1FY24. However, the thermostatic bimetal/trimetal segment faced challenges, with sales declining by 42.91% to ₹4.12 Crore from ₹7.22 Crore in Q1FY24. This mixed performance highlights the strong growth potential in the shunt resistor market while underscoring the need for strategic adjustments in the thermostatic bimetal/trimetal segment to enhance growth across all Asian markets.
Strips stay resilient in the Americas: The performance in the Americas showed a mixed picture, with significant growth potential and recovery signals. While shunt resistor sales declined by 44.76%, from ₹29.22 Crore in Q1FY24 to ₹16.14 Crore in Q1FY25, thermostatic bimetal/trimetal sales remained stable, showing a marginal decline of 0.36% to ₹11.15 Crore from ₹11.19 Crore in Q1FY24. Despite these challenges, the region’s market is expected to recover, driven by strategic market initiatives and customer signals, indicating a positive outlook for the upcoming quarters.

Management Commentary:

Mr. N.S. Ghumman, Managing Director of Shivalik Bimetal Controls Ltd., commented:

“Over the past year, we have diligently focused on adapting to market fluctuations and enhancing our strategic initiatives to drive sustainable growth. Our Q1FY25 performance underscores the effectiveness of these efforts, particularly in the European market where our efforts in shunt resistor sales are taking root. Additionally, our strategic expansion in other high-growth markets and the rising long-term demand for electric vehicles (EVs) position us favourably across various regions.

Our commitment to research and development is key to our success. We specialize in niche and critical products that require technical expertise and have high value in segments like smart meters, Battery Management Systems (BMS), and electrification. With positive market pick-ups in Europe, Asia, and India for shunt resistors, especially as the EV market grows, our ongoing R&D initiatives aim to add further value through forward integration for OEMs. We are also focused on improving automation, operational efficiency, and technological processes for our high-precision products. These efforts ensure we remain at the forefront of innovation and continue to deliver superior value to our clients.”

CFO, Mr. Rajeev Ranjan, added:

“Our financial performance in Q1FY25 demonstrates the robustness of our business model amidst a challenging market environment. Despite a 5.18% decrease in total income to ₹107.22 Crore, our strategic focus on volume growth yielded an 8.58% increase in product volumes, underscoring the resilient demand for our products. This growth is a testament to our market positioning and the effectiveness of our expansion strategies in Europe, Asia, and India.

The decline in profitability, with PBT falling by 18.75% to ₹21.75 Crore and PAT reducing by 19.41% to ₹16.30 Crore, reflects the impact of increased COGS also affecting our margins. Looking forward, we are enhancing our R&D capabilities and operational efficiencies, positioning us for long-term growth. We are implementing manufacturing cost management to improve our margins.

Looking to the future, our market diversification strategy is yielding positive results, particularly in the European market, where shunt resistor sales improved by 134.40% off a modest base. This growth, along with significant gains in Asia, demonstrates our ability to capture high-growth segments and adapt to regional market dynamics. While sales in the Americas faced challenges, we are optimistic about a gradual recovery as the EV market stabilises and demand picks up.”

Shivalik Bimetal Controls Ltd.

Founded in 1984, and headquartered out of New Delhi, Shivalik Bimetal Controls Limited is a process and product engineering specialised business based in India. It manufactures and sells thermostatic bimetal/trimetal strips for switching components used in electrical, electronics, automotive, and industrial applications. The Company also makes shunt resistors for use in the high-growth automotive and industrial equipment segments. The rising demand for switchgear, battery management and smart metering systems also conveys solid long-term prospects for Shivalik’s product lines. With its unique business model based on proprietary bimetal technologies and niche solutions that OEMs demand, Shivalik thrives in an industry with high entry barriers. Today, as a valued vendor, the Company is making a mark in supplying high-quality bimetals and shunt resistors to the fast-emerging electric vehicles and customisable smart meters of the future,

Shivalik’s highly experienced management has led the Company to prominent ownership in technology and applications. Its solid balance sheet, combined with prudent capital management, drives Shivalik’s robust growth potential. With plants in Chambhaghat and Kather, Solan, operated by a team of 808 vastly skilled people, Shivalik serves more than 125 clients globally.

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Technology

Zifo Transforms Ontology Engineering with AI-Powered Intelligent Automation

Published

4 hours ago

April 30, 2026

Advanced AI solution speeds up ontology creation by 80%, generating structured, interoperable knowledge models for science-driven organizations.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. and CAMBRIDGE, England, April 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Zifo, the leading global enabler of AI and data-driven enterprise informatics for science-driven organizations, has developed an Intelligent Automation solution for Ontology Engineering, which is designed to seamlessly generate structured, interoperable knowledge models while accelerating ontology creation by 80%.

Overcoming the Bottlenecks of Manual Ontology Creation

Manual ontology creation in the biopharma industry has traditionally been a time-consuming process that requires specialized expertise. Organizations frequently struggle with semantic ambiguity, complex integration challenges, and limited scalability, resulting in workflows that can take weeks to complete. Zifo’s AI-powered automation tackles these challenges head-on by eliminating 80% of the manual work through automated class generation, description creation, and precise IRI mapping.

Addressing the Complexities of Semantic Knowledge

Developing comprehensive knowledge models often demands deep domain expertise to define relationships and align terminology. Zifo’s intelligent solution overcomes this by providing an AI-guided workflow featuring an intuitive interface, meaning specialized ontology engineering knowledge is no longer required. By leveraging LLM-powered generation, the solution creates precise definitions with a deep understanding of domain-specific context, while generating standardized synonyms and establishing controlled vocabulary alignment to eliminate inconsistent terminology.

A Solution Designed for Scalable Scientific Data Modeling

The AI-powered solution addresses critical format compatibility and integration points in ontology management:

Seamless Integration: Automated mapping connects directly to established ontologies, including NCIT, CHEBI, OBI, and EFO, via BioPortal and OLS APIs.Massive Scalability: Parallel processing and batch operations empower teams to execute large-scale ontology projects without performance limitations.Automated Hierarchies: The AI autonomously generates semantic relationships and parent-child hierarchies based on domain context and predefined relation vocabularies.Format Compatibility: The solution produces direct OWL/RDF exports with proper URIs, ensuring seamless downstream integration.

Unique Features include:

Multi-Source Integration: The solution combines BioPortal, OLS, and EMBL-EBI APIs to guarantee comprehensive ontology coverage.Intelligent Ranking System: The system uses AI-powered relevance scoring and justification for precise ontology mappings.Precise IRI Mapping: It ensures that each generated class is linked to the correct IRI, directly promoting semantic web compatibility.Human-in-the-Loop Design: The solution automates repetitive tasks while maintaining vital expert oversight.End-to-End Workflow: Users are guided through a complete pipeline, from initial domain knowledge input straight to exportable OWL files.Visual Knowledge Graph: An interactive graph visualization allows for intuitive relationship exploration and validation.Multi-Format Exports: Provides seamless export options in CSV, OWL, or HTML Ontograph formats for downstream use, collaboration, and visualization.

Strategic Value Across the Scientific Chain

This solution breaks down the traditional barriers of data structuring. Built on a robust backend of Python, LangChain, and leading LLM models, alongside a frontend framework using Next.js 15 and Cytoscape.js for graph visualization, the solution is highly adaptable. Furthermore, future optimization enhancements will include provisions for uploading user-defined classes or semi-ready ontologies.

About Zifo

Zifo is the leading global enabler of AI and data-driven enterprise informatics for science-driven organizations. With expertise spanning research, development, manufacturing, and clinical domains, Zifo serves a diverse range of industries including Pharma, Biotech, Chemicals, Food and Beverage, and more. Trusted by over 190 organizations worldwide, Zifo is the partner of choice for advancing digital scientific innovation.

For more information, visit www.zifornd.com; https://zifornd.com/practical-ai-blueprints/

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SOURCE Zifo Technologies

Technology

UNC-Chapel Hill establishes ‘Carolina in the Capital’ with new Washington, D.C. office

Published

4 hours ago

April 30, 2026

CHAPEL HILL, N.C., April 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has opened a new office in Washington, D.C., establishing an expanded presence for the University in the nation’s capital and creating exciting opportunities for students, faculty, staff and alumni.

Located at 101 Constitution Avenue NW, the 10,861-square-foot space – coined “Carolina in the Capital” – will support a variety of functions, including educational programming for undergraduate and graduate students, alumni relations and engagement with government partners.

As a leading R1 university, UNC-Chapel Hill annually attracts more than $1.6 billion to the state’s economy to fund research that creates a better quality of life for all its citizens. More than 60% of UNC-Chapel Hill’s total research funding comes from federal sponsors with the majority of that federal funding coming from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which is based in the Washington area.

“Carolina in the Capital is a state-of-the-art facility that reflects our commitment to creating experiential learning opportunities for our students and faculty,” said Chancellor Lee H. Roberts. “The space is designed as an immersive learning environment where students can translate classroom knowledge into hands-on experience, which has never been more important. The facility also strengthens our ability to support engagement between our staff, alumni, policymakers and partners.”

Supporting students participating in Carolina’s Washington-based academic programs is a priority. For years, students and faculty have relied on temporary or borrowed spaces across the city. The new office provides a permanent home where students can gather, learn and build community while living and studying in Washington. A robust schedule of classes and events will fill the space throughout the year.

The Washington, D.C. region is home to the largest concentration of out-of-state Carolina alumni anywhere in the country. The new office creates a dedicated space to strengthen those connections and support networking, mentorship, professional development and community-building among D.C.-based Tar Heels.

The space will also serve as a platform to bring Carolina’s research and academic expertise into closer conversation with policymakers, industry leaders and member organizations. Carolina is the nation’s 11th largest university in the country based on research volume with primary federal funding coming from NIH and the National Science Foundation (NSF), both based in the D.C. area. Carolina is a proud member of the Association of American Universities (AAU) and the Association of Public & Land Grant Universities (APLU), which are both based in Washington.

The office is funded entirely through the UNC-Chapel Hill Foundation and does not use any state appropriations.

You can view additional photos of the space here.

Media Contact: UNC Media Relations, 919-445-8555, mediarelations@unc.edu

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SOURCE University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Office of Communications

Technology

Investing.com Acquires Stonki to Accelerate Its Entry into the Agentic AI Era

Published

4 hours ago

April 30, 2026

The acquisition strengthens Investing.com’s AI capabilities, advancing a next-generation research assistant that can analyze markets, generate insights, and guide investors in real time

NEW YORK, April 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Investing.com, one of the world’s largest financial platforms used by more than 60 million investors each month, today announced the acquisition of Stonki, an AI-powered investing assistant designed to help traders turn ideas into structured, actionable trading plans.

The move marks a major step in the company’s evolution toward agentic AI, strengthening its ability to deliver faster, deeper, and more actionable market insights to a growing base of more than 300,000 paying subscribers across its InvestingPro suite, the company’s premium subscription offering for advanced market data, tools, and AI-driven insights.

Over the past 12 months, nearly 3 million users have used WarrenAI, Investing.com’s AI-powered financial research assistant launched last year, to perform market analysis, making AI a central entry point into the platform’s ecosystem. With the addition of Stonki, the company is moving beyond traditional AI tools toward agentic systems that can proactively guide users through the investment process.

“We’re entering the age of agentic AI, where the technology moves beyond just answering questions to actively helping investors think, analyze, and act,” said Omer Shvili, CEO of Investing.com. “Bringing Stonki.ai into the fold accelerates our goal of building an agentic platform that will serve as a 24/7 analyst for our users. We are developing this to be more than just a tool; it will be a partner that identifies opportunities, tracks unfolding situations, and surfaces trade ideas even when the user isn’t active—giving our users the kind of edge that was previously only available to professional investors.”

Founded in 2025, Stonki is developing a new category of ‘agentic’ AI for investing, enabling users to turn investment ideas into fully defined strategies with entry and exit conditions, risk management rules, and continuous monitoring.

“We started Stonki because, as investors and traders ourselves, we knew how much time and focus it takes to stay on top of the market and properly manage a day trade, a swing trade, an investment idea, or a portfolio,” said Ulas Bilgenoglu and Itay Verkh, co-founders of Stonki. “We set out to build AI that could carry part of that load by continuously monitoring the market, turning ideas into structured strategies, and helping users make better decisions with clear entry and exit conditions, disciplined risk management, and ongoing tracking. Joining Investing.com gives us the scale, data, reach, and strong AI foundation to accelerate that vision. Together, we can create an experience where AI helps users stay ahead of the market, manage risk, and act with greater confidence.”

The acquisition expands Investing.com’s AI capabilities across both technical and fundamental investing workflows. Stonki’s technology is built around persistent, real-time intelligence, continuously monitoring markets, tracking user-defined strategies, and alerting investors when conditions align, rather than relying on one-off prompts or static analysis.

For active traders, the platform is evolving into a real-time analysis engine designed to support high-frequency decision-making with precision and speed. For long-term investors, it is becoming a central hub for research, enabling users to evaluate opportunities, set personalized alerts, and monitor portfolios based on their individual investment strategies.

Users will be able to define specific conditions, such as a stock crossing a long-term moving average, and have the AI continuously monitor the market, analyze relevant signals, and surface actionable insights in real time. The system will also review portfolios on an ongoing basis, helping investors avoid potential losses and uncover new opportunities aligned with their strategy.

This latest step builds on Investing.com’s broader strategy of expanding its AI-powered suite, including WarrenAI, ProPicks AI, and its recently launched AI Chart Analysis, all aimed at delivering faster, more accurate and more actionable insights to investors.

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SOURCE Investing.com