text:
Back in July, we told you how Salma Hayek and her babydaddy, French billionaire Francois-Henri Pinault, called it quits and broke off their engagement.
Well, now it seems like the two are giving love a second chance.
Salma was spotted at the Balenciaga fashion show in Paris on Tuesday morning (above).
And, as her escort was ex-fiance Pinault, who is also the owner of the fashion house.
One insider says the two were "very friendly together, looking happy. They weren't holding hands but were definitely side by side."
So, are they an item again or just some friendly exes?
Last Thursday, Hayek and Pinault shared an afternoon tea together in the gallery of the Plaza-Athénée Hotel.
One eyewitness says "They seemed very comfortable with Valentina playing on the couch between them."
And, just this past Saturday, Pinault took Hayek and Valentina away for a weekend trip outside the city.
Then, after the show today, Hayek and Pinault returned to the hotel, where Valentina was waiting for them in the lobby.
An onlooker says, "She came walking over and kissed Mommy and then she kissed Daddy. It was very sweet."
What do U think?
Is romance rekindling or are they just friendly exs?
[Photo via Getty Images.]


text:
HOUSTON (November 10, 2014) – Watershed Market, is pleased to announce it’s upcoming holiday market on December 6, 2014 from 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. in east downtown. The market will showcase local vendors including fashion and jewelry designers, artists and innovators from Houston and the surrounding areas, perfect for finding local, sustainable gifts for friends and family.
Watershed Market’s successful grand opening was in March and included two days of food, drinks, kids activities, live entertainment and free yoga. Vendors were overjoyed with the turnout and the success the Market presented.
In September, Watershed Market had a section at the Texas Home and Garden Show. The section featured the types of small businesses that coincide with Watershed Market’s mission to provide Green, Local, Adaptive, Sustainable, Innovative and Reuse (GLASIR©) products to Houston. The THG Show was an opportunity to support our vendors while letting the community at large know these types of products exist in their backyard.
The following businesses are a few of the confirmed vendors that will be present at the Holiday Watershed Market in December:
Come out and support Watershed Market as we aim at becoming a monthly event. Come shop and stroll, try some new food and drinks and purchase local GLASIR products for your holiday gifts.
- December 6, 2014
- 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
- 2322 Polk St., Houston, Texas 77003
- Kid friendly
- Dog-friendly (on leashes please!)
- Rain or Shine

domain: news


text:
New marketing taskforce to tackle economic growth
18 February 2004
New marketing taskforce to tackle economic growth head-on
A new Mayoral Business Marketing Taskforce has been established to capitalise on Waitakere’s reputation as a place of business opportunity.
The group will act as an umbrella for economic development initiatives to deliver on Waitakere City Council’s Draft Economic Development Strategy, adopted in October last year.
The Strategy recognises the importance of marketing, branding and building positive messages about Waitakere City as a credible business location.
Taskforce members include Mayor Bob Harvey, Massey Ward Councillor Gary Russell (who suggested the taskforce), Henderson Ward Councillor Annette Fenton, New Lynn Ward Councillor Derek Battersby and a Council director. Enterprise Waitakere has also been invited to nominate representatives and other business stakeholders in Waitakere will be approached for their input.
The Taskforce will set up a City-wide business-orientated marketing strategy (possibly including the role an industry and trade show could play), coordinate and further promote the potential of ongoing, high profile economic development projects, develop an effective business attraction and incentives package and strengthen relationships with key partners in the City, such as Maori business and economic development interests.
“The taskforce needs to develop an `image update' for the City to meet the marketing demands of its new business investors, “ Cr Russell says.
“This means a marketing strategy to further encourage business clusters to establish themselves in the region. The next step is to market the commercially zoned land available in the City.
Councillor Russell pointed to the fact that at the recent international `Working at the Coal Face' economic conference in Auckland, Waitakere City was held up as a place of business opportunity, sustainable growth and quality of lifestyle, with a growing youth labour market.


text:
Do you remember the days when using a PC was all the rage? While some people continue to rely on this type of technology, others are finding that a tablet is the way to go. Of course, this has a lot to do with why the Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPad lineup has been such a success over the past few years.
As a growing number of consumers move away from PC usage, it only makes sense for tablet and smartphone shipments to go through the roof.
According to a recent report from the International Data Corporation (IDC), worldwide tablet shipments are set to surpass portable PC shipments in 2013. Even more so, tablet shipments will surpass total PC shipments by 2015.
Here is a brief excerpt from the piece, showing the opportunity that is lying ahead for Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) as well as its competitors:
“Tablet shipments are expected to grow 58.7% year over year in 2013 reaching 229.3 million units, up from 144.5 million units last year. IDC now predicts tablet shipments will exceed those of portable PCs this year, as the slumping PC market is expected to see negative growth for the second consecutive year. In addition, IDC expects tablet shipments to outpace the entire PC market (portables and desktops combined) by 2015.”
As you can see, IDC is hot on the idea that the tablet market will continue to grow. Of course, it is easy to see why with year over year growth increasing to 58.7 percent.
Ryan Reith, Program Manger for IDC, added the following:
“Tablets surpassing portables in 2013, and total PCs in 2015, marks a significant change in consumer attitudes about compute devices and the applications and ecosystems that power them. IDC continues to believe that PCs will have an important role in this new era of computing, especially among business users. But for many consumers, a tablet is a simple and elegant solution for core use cases that were previously addressed by the PC.”
Even though Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has pretty much invented the tablet market, there is plenty of room for competitors. For instance, lower priced Android devices are picking up steam. This could continue to be a big trend, with “the worldwide average selling price (ASP) for tablets is expected to decline -10.8% to $381.”
What are your thoughts on the Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) lineup of tablets and how the company will approach the future of this market?
For more from this story, check out the graph on the next page:


text:
Fall is right around the corner, and several additional Covid-19 travel restrictions can affect your international travel plans. Here are the latest guidelines for domestic and world travel.
While case counts continue to increase across the United States, there are several domestic travel guidelines to know about how to enter bars, tourist attractions and sports venues.
Hawaii requires proof of vaccination or a negative pre-arrival test to enter the state quarantine-free.
The island of Oahu is taking public health protocols a step further, starting September 13, 2021. On this date, individuals must be fully vaccinated to enter restaurants and other common areas restriction-free.
Unvaccinated travelers must have a negative diagnostic test no older than 48 hours.


text:
- Carla Trivino Daily News Staff Writer
Animal lovers gathered at Evelyn & Arthur on Dec. 11 for Palm Beach Island Cats’ Sip & Shop event.
Store manager Mindy Cahn and chairwoman Zelda Mason welcomed shoppers, who sipped wine and nibbled on tasty hors d’oeuvres, while purchasing their holiday gifts.
Palm Beach Island Cats President David Leavitt reminded everyone about the organization’s recently launched awareness program: “PROTECT OUR ISLAND LIFE” and how pivotal their support is .
Shoppers included Lucille Hume, Traci Braun, Karin Strasswimmer, Wendy Bowes, William McManus, Paul Puffenbarger, and John and Carol Stiglmeier.


text:
The Chrysler LX cars have become iconic for their rear-wheel-drive and V-8 power over the years, but the icons may eventually have to evolve for the modern world. At least some within Fiat Chrysler Automobiles feel the future is electric for cars like the Dodge Charger and Challenger.
Speaking with Automotive News FCA Head of Passenger Cars Tim Kuniskis explained how he sees the future of these old school cars.
“I think the absolute future is electrification of these cars,” Kuniskis told the publication during a recent FCA media event. “That’s not necessarily bad. It could be [battery electric], it could be [plug-in hybrid], it could be regular hybrid, could be e-axles, any one of the number of electric technologies. But I am a firm believer that electrification will be the key to high performance in the future.”
Kuniskis went on to add that FCA is of the opinion consumers’ love of performance cars isn’t going away during the electric vehicle era. The primary problem the automaker sees with electrification is that the costs have not gotten low enough to slot into cars like the Dodge Charger and Challenger, though that will eventually change.
FCA has been slow to offer battery-electric vehicles, which is one of the drivers to its failed attempt to merger with Groupe Renault. Renault is one of the world’s leaders when it comes to battery-electric vehicles.
At last report the current LX-based Dodge Charger and Challenger are slated to be on the market for several more years, so no one needs to worry about losing their HEMI-powered sedan or coupe anytime in the near future.


text:
Why Indian manufacturing startups are looking closely at Thailand
Ease of doing business, tax exemptions, and easy access to Southeast Asian markets - Thailand is making it easier for startups, especially in the manufacturing sector.
Mention Thailand and the mind immediately visualises pristine beaches, flea markets, and a roaring nightlife. While tourism has been a key driver of Thailand’s economy, over the last year, the country has also been establishing its credentials as a manufacturing hub in the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) region.
Over the span of the one week that I was in the country, what struck me was how it was looking to establish itself as a manufacturing hub, with easy access to markets such as Indonesia, Cambodia, Vietnam, and the Philippines among others.
Regular sessions between government officials and entrepreneurs, plans of setting up a maintenance, repair and overhaul unit for aircraft, new airports, and policies to drive investment in manufacturing – Thailand is making all the right moves. Not only that, the country is also not shying away from opening its shores to investments from neighbouring countries, mainly China.
Not just manufacturing companies from within the country, but those from across the world are seeing improving processes that are making it easier to set up operations in Thailand.
Ease of doing business
In 2016, the World Bank had ranked Thailand at second place in terms of ease of doing business among emerging economies in East Asia. The 2018 World Bank Ease of Doing Business report ranked Thailand at 26 among 190 economies. India, on the other hand, ranked 100.
It is this very ease of doing business that has gotten several Indian startups keen on Thailand and by extension, Southeast Asia.
The Rs 300 crore Hi-Tech Membrances Group supplies reverse osmosis kits to companies that sell water filters. It is an SME (Small and Medium Enterprise) that was started in 1995, and has plants in Bardoli, Parwanoo, and Surat in India. Founder and CEO Vijay Shah would import close to 100 reverse osmosis systems into the country, but found the duties and levies heavy. That is when he decided to set up a plant in Thailand.
He told YourStory that the Thailand Board of Investment (BOI) helps businesses set up operations in the country. The BOI works under the Office of the Prime Minister of Thailand, and focusses on investments in the country, as well as overseas investments.
The idea is to get a seamless link between private sector corporate entities, investors, and government agencies with manufacturing startups, SMEs, MSMEs (Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises) and even larger manufacturing units. This helps create a manufacturing ecosystem that can work together when needed and thrive.
Thailand provides a seven-year tax exemption to export-driven manufacturing businesses.
“Thailand gives us access to the ASEAN market. The tax rates are lower, the import duty rates are at zero, compared with India’s 10 to 30 percent. There is generally a liberal view on import duties for products that are primarily meant for exports,” explains Vijay.
Thailand is also working on several exemptions that would come into effect this financial year.
On the other hand, even with the Make In India campaign and other efforts in this direction, India has primarily been a services-led economy, as opposed to Thailand, which has historically been focussed on export-led manufacturing.
However since 2014, with the push of Make in India, the country has focussed on developing infrastructure, building a talent pool to the needs of a manufacturing economy and even attract FDI.
While India is growing, a global report states one of the major challenges India faces is building a strong infrastructure for manufacturing startups and also that the governance model is slow to react. In terms of exemptions, the Indian government has given 100 percent tax exemption for the first three years for startups in general. For manufacturing businesses and entities, GST (Goods and Services Tax) plays a significant role.
According to H&R Block, persons holding advance authorisation, export promotion capital goods (EPCG) and export-oriented units (EOU) do not have to pay IGST and cess on imports. The council also introduced a scheme to paying 0.1 percent as GST on procured goods.
In India, under the GST regime, it has been observed that exporters were facing difficulties like blocked cash flows as they were required to pay GST and Integrated GST on raw materials, imported finished goods, inputs and others.
According to media reports, India is currently working on a new GST system to allow companies with units in tax-free zones to claim a GST refund. As of the last fiscal, $515,000 was earmarked for the implementation of the National Manufacturing policy.
“However, most of the policies and processes take time. We are not sure how startups can avail these benefits. In countries like Taiwan and Thailand, the transparency of the benefits and how they can be availed, makes it easy to look at setting up in either place,” says an electric vehicle manufacturing startup founder, who intends to set up a base in Southeast Asia, on the condition of anonymity.
Apart from tax exemptions, Thailand has eased visa regulations for trained professionals.
Land and raw materials
“It is easier to get parts of products made in Southeast Asia, especially Thailand and Taiwan. The labour is cheaper, and more skilled in building hardware,” electric vehicle manufacturing startup founder adds.
“In India, it becomes difficult to explain to vendors what we want. In a number of cases, we need to train and also work on a trial-and-error basis to get a basic part. This is a cost as we need to further import raw materials, and so it becomes easier to manufacture elsewhere,” he adds.
One of the biggest requirements for manufacturing startups is the ease of procuring raw materials. According to a Damco report, while India does not lack in availability of raw materials and labour, its growth as a sourcing region could still be limited by the fact that it is not competitive enough in the area of secondary, non-cost factors.
In Thailand, the Free Zone encourages Thailand-based manufacturing operations by making the process simpler. The duty on products manufactured abroad and imported into the country is decided on the basis of the complete product, rather than materials or components. It also provides the manufacturer uses of labour and services.
While India has removed import licensing requirements for consumer goods, certain products face licensing related barriers. Special import licenses are needed for vehicles and motorcycles. There is a negative list for banned or prohibited items like oils of animal origin, tallow and fat. Certain chemicals and livestock products require an import licence.
Pharma products can be imported by government trading monopolies only. India also has distinguished goods under remanufactured, reconditioned, new, and secondhand categories.
Apart from raw materials, land also plays an important role. Thailand has set up industrial parks like Amata, which has factories of some of the biggest global brands. Amata’s Chief Marketing Officer explains it is easy to procure land in Thailand. He adds that procurement of land takes a year, post which, the government offers benefits for manufacturing startups like electricity and easy access to water.
Under Make in India, National Investment and Manufacturing Zones are being conceived as giant industrial greenfield townships to promote manufacturing activities. It is also said that the central government will be responsible for improving or providing external physical infrastructure linkages like rail, road, ports, airports and telecom, and work towards bearing costs of the same.
“There is little known or seen in that direction. Also, the paperwork and details are complicated,” says a textile manufacturer.
One of the benefits of India and Southeast Asian countries is the fact that the labour costs are cheaper and lower. Thailand is known for its skilled and productive workforce, while the costs of labour are higher than India, like Rs 8000 per person versus Rs 6000 per person in India, the efficiency is higher.
“While there is labour available, the need to have skilled labour for high-intensity technology isn’t available in India. There is little know-how. There is more talent for the services sector in India than high-technology talent for manufacturing,” says another motor vehicle manufacturer in India.
Indian companies looking at Thailand as a manufacturing destination isn’t new. Large Indian corporations like Aditya Birla Group, Mahindra Group, TVS Logistics Services, Punj Lloyd Group and Ranbaxy Laboratories among others have already made investments in the country.
But the lure of further tax exemptions and policy changes are now making it easier for SMEs and MSMEs.


text:
DAILY BRIEFING: Rocketing demand for artisan spirits boosts independent craft gin and vodka
Rocketing demand for artisan spirits has boosted independent craft gin and vodka
Rocketing demand for artisan spirits has boosted independent craft gin and vodka. Sales of specialist versions have more than doubled in five years. Turnover has hit £350million, up 123 per cent from £157million in 2012, Funding Options says.
Online craft marketplace Etsy is expanding its London office, basing most of its international operations in the UK to streamline its global business. Around 150,000 British sellers were based on the platform at the end of 2016.
Some 58 per cent of firms want Chancellor Philip Hammond to invest in physical and digital infrastructure to strengthen the economy as it steers its way through Brexit negotiations, a poll by accountants BDO LLP reveals.
Christmas spending is likely to fall 0.1 per cent this year as lower wages and tepid growth hit consumer confidence. Spending in November and December is set to slump, Visa’s consumer spending index shows, while online buying is expected to dominate sales.
Global dividends grew at their fastest rate in more than three years thanks to generous special dividends, according to the Janus Henderson Global Dividend Index. More than £248billion was paid out in the third quarter, up 14.5 per cent.
Loo roll maker Accrol wants £18million from investors to tackle a cash crisis. It suspended shares last month after warning that earnings would be lower than forecast.
Most watched Money videos
- A 'mortgage-free' way for first-time buyers to own their home
- Rolls-Royce plans to mine on the moon
- £2M 1980s Lamborghini Countach is back with a top speed of 221mph
- Britain's Garage of the Year 2021 nominee's incredible construction
- Taking a look at the Jaguar XJ220 from all angles on a test drive
- Scaled-down electric Aston Martin DB5 marks release of new Bond film
- Cinematic video of Lamborghini Countach with a top speed of 221mph
- Porsche 928 driven by Tom Cruise sells for $1.98 million at auction
- Porsche 928 driven by Tom Cruise in Risky Business sells for a bomb
- Britain's best used car this year: The French-made Peugeot 5008
- Dacia unveil the Jogger: the UK's least expensive seven-seat car
- Take a look at clutter-free EV chargers trialled in London


text:
Robotics is one of the hottest areas for investors. According to a 2014 Global Venture Capital Confidence Survey released by consulting firm Deloitte & Touche and the National Venture Capital Association, robotics showed the biggest year-over-year jumps in global investor confidence with a 4 percent increase over 2013.
Jeremy Capron and Steve Crowe sit down to discuss one major sector for investors to consider: industrial robotics. Join them as they cover the most promising enabling technologies, key companies and small upstarts positioned for growth in the industrial robotics space.
Everyone is aware of the big four who seem to dominate the industrial robotics landscape: ABB, KUKA, Fanuc and Yaskawa. Still, if you’re looking for open opportunity in the space there is plenty of room for growth and more companies than you think are set to leverage the proliferation of robotics in manufacturing.
RBR’s Managing Editor, Steve Crowe, interviewed Jeremie Capron, Director of Equity Research at CLSA about how to spot trends, opportunities and risks in the manufacturing robotics market.
Steve: Hey everyone! Welcome to the latest edition of the RoboBriefing’s podcast, my name is Steve Crowe. We’ve got a great show on top today as we’ll be discussing investing in robotics. Joining us for today’s podcast is Jeremie Capron, Director and Research Analyst at CLSA Americas. He covers the industrial sector with a particular focus on Industrial Automation. Jeremie, thanks for being here, let’s get right into it. What criteria do you look for in a robotics manufacturer when evaluating a company as a good investment candidate? Are there telltale signs that alert you to an unwise investment in such a manufacturer? If so, what are they?
Jeremie: I think as an investor, the first thing that you look for is a large addressable market. When I attend robotics trade shows or industry events, I often see a lot of impressive technology coming up for startups but in many cases I don’t see a large market opportunity and that’s an issue. I think the robotics industry outside of the Big Boy industrial robot makers–Fanuc, ABB, Yaskawa and KUKA–it largely consists in small-size companies and some of the more innovative companies or products that you see coming up, in many cases, don’t have an obvious business opportunity, and I think that’s the major issue for the industry, for the smaller companies that are trying to come in to the space. Now, the large players in this space, they have a very large addressable market and that is industrial automation, so Fanuc, ABB, Yaskawa and KUKA have a big market with automotive companies and an increasingly large number of other vertical industries. The other thing that I look for when evaluating a company is a sustainable, competitive advantage which can be a technological advantage, it can be a cost advantage, and this is generally synonymous with sustainably high returns on capital which is what investors are looking for. One last comment here, I advise institutional investors in public companies and the universe of investible robotics companies is still fairly limited. You’ve got the ‘big four’ players, they are all public listed companies, they’re trading on foreign stock exchanges, and here I think that what we look for as investors is growth opportunity that is more structural than cyclical grow in nature, and that means is that we tend to like companies that are largely more diversified in terms of the end markets that they serve as opposed to being largely driven by the automotive sector, and we also tend to favor companies that have large exposure to Asia because of the high growth potential within markets like China where penetration of robotics who remains relatively low. iRobot, is a different beast, I would say it’s a very interesting company that’s been very innovative here in the US. I think, we as investors, I think it’s a hard stock to trade because, yes, it has a lot of technology but it also has a major issue for investors which is that its core product, its main product is, at the end of the day, a consumer product. iRobot was very successful in selling over 10 million units of its robotic vacuum cleaner but it’s laying in a state where you have very large competitors, resourceful competitors that could be significant threat to iRobot’s profitability if it doesn’t manage diversify outside of this vacuum cleaner market. I’m thinking of the likes of Samsung, Panasonic which all play in the vacuum cleaner market, and so when you sit back and look at iRobot, it is a robotics company, but from an investors’ perspective it’s consumer electronics maker, and that can put off a number of investors.
Steve: It’s seems to be a given that trying to squeeze significantly more cost out of production requires automation, which in turn, will require robots in order to maximize automation. This seems especially apt when talking about end-user needs in advanced manufacturing and supply chain logistics. Across the landscape of robotics manufactures, Jeremie, do you see any as being better than others in supplying these end-user needs, and which would make for a more meaningful investment, for example, Foxconn which supplies automation in the form of robots to Apple’s products?
Jeremie: Sure, yes. I think the short answer to this question is that it certainly looks like automation technology is at a turning point right now and this is an industry that has grown dramatically over the past couple of decades, but automation technology itself into have progress that in much slower pace. Robotics, generally, has made serious advances but its growth only represents a relatively small portion of the automation industry overall, probably, just about 10 percent of a $100 billion industry at this point. I think the much larger market of control systems has actually seen relatively limited technological change over this period, and you can see a lot of factories that have been running on seriously old technology. You know, 20 to 30-year old control systems are still prevalent in many process plants in the West. When we researched the industry, and we speak with executives at some of the major automation companies out there, I think there is keen sense that we are at a new flexion point with the explosive growth in mobile technology, in open platform, in computing power, in storage capacity, we’re seeing a proliferation of inexpensive sensors, and all this suggests that the industrial internet is becoming a reality. I think this is the biggest point in terms of where the automation industry is going. When we think about some of the major beneficiaries here, beyond robotics, we think the automation control system suppliers are particularly well-positioned, they are very much software-driven already. They are in a key position where they already understand the world of manufacturing inside-out, and they have a product that is the natural interface between production equipment and the world of data and data analytics. Companies like Rockwell Automation, ABB, Siemens with pretty broad portfolios of automation products and services should benefit. I think automation companies are only just starting offer a mobile access to some of their systems out there, be it from Smartphones and tablets, this is a big trend. I think the productivity gain are simply too large to ignore. I think this is set to accelerate dramatically going forward and, probably, one of the key issues that comes to mind here, one of the constraints will be cyber security.
Steve: Some say the era of tepid funding of robotics is ending and that 2013 revenues of 29 billion in robotics purchases could more than double by 2025. Jeremie, do you agree with that transition to high-growth over the next decade? If you do, where in the industrial robotics landscape would you see the most opportune investments: Asia, Europe, North America? Who among the publically traded industrial robot majors like ABB, KUKA, Fanuc and Yaskawa are well-positioned to take advantage of this growth forecast?
Jeremie: Yes, in general, I would say that I agree, they would transition into a high growth period. Robotics has already grown at a pretty fast pace, largely exceeding the growth rate that we saw for the broader factory automation industry, which has been at around of 7 percent per annum or so over the past decade. Robotics has grown in the double digits, we are now seeing annual shipments in excess of 150,000 units, and I think that trend is going to accelerate as we start to see major application outside of the automotive sector that has been the key driver of so-called robotics in recent years. If companies start looking beyond the automotive sector and start offering cheaper robots that are easier to use that can address needs for the general manufacturing industry or electronics or the food and beverage sectors among others, I think we’re going to continue to see an acceleration in the growth rate for the industry. In terms of who’s best positioned to grow, again, I think exposure to Asia is critical. This is because we’re starting from much lower penetration levels in markets like China where you have an install base of industrial robots that is below 30 robots per manufacturing worker, and that compares to numbers that are in the hundreds in Western markets like Germany, or even Japan, and South Korea. Naturally, I think there is a lot of runway for growth in China, and that means the likes of Fanuc and Yaskawa are especially well-positioned. ABB has a very fine robotics business, but ABB is a much bigger company overall, very diversified, and some of its none-robotics business have some structural issues there. KUKA is really interesting because KUKA is a pure-play. KUKA seems to be aligned with some of the right customers, customers that have been very successful, particularly within the auto markets. Western or German auto makers in particular. KUKA understands that it needs to diversify. They recently made significant acquisition, that of Swisslog, which will give it more exposure outside of automotive, and I think that’s good for them. Maybe one last comment on your question regarding the funding of the robotics industry, yes, it has been a great year in terms of venture capital and private equity funding for the industry but it’s also been a great year in terms of large mergers and acquisitions. I think you need to put this year in the context of a very strong year for venture capital, private equity and M&A overall, and this is not just limited to robotics. I think across markets, including the broader industrial market, we’re seeing a very strong year in terms of deals and funding.
Steve: Jeremie, do you see any smaller competitors as potential drivers of industrial robot sales? If you do, who among the smaller robot manufactures have an edge at taking significant market share, especially focusing on publicly traded companies like Adept?
Jeremie: Yes, we are starting to see some smaller competitors making headway with innovative products. I think the most obvious ones are Universal, which is based out of Denmark, and Rethink Robotics also comes to mind. These two companies are focused on so-called collaborative robots, and they’re trying to address in a very smart way, a potentially huge market outside of the traditional robotics applications in automotive. Much lower price points, easy to use products that can be easily programmed by what we could call more traditional manufacturing companies or smaller mom-and-pop shops here in the US. I think Universal and Rethink are remarkable in terms of their approach to the market in terms of the products that they bring to the market place. However, we also need to put things in prospective here, they only represent a few thousands of units, and that compares to an industrial robot market of more than 150, 000 units annually. Yes, they are making head way. Are they going to revolutionize the industry? I don’t think so. I think the‘big four’ really understand the transfer to collaborative robotics. I think they have in-house capability to address that market. I think they have a strong hold on the robotics industrial world and then they have the financial capabilities to acquire any technology where they feel there’s a gap. Interesting landscape, smaller competitors, increasing market share at this point, however, I don’t think that we’re going to see major disruption of the established players at this point.
Steve: Jeremie, final question for you here, and then we’ll let you go. I want to focus on components that enable robotic systems like vision systems and other sensors. Do you see these enabling technologies as strong potential investment candidates? There are companies like Cognex and Siemens that come to mind for vision systems, there are plenty of others. Are there any in particular that caught your attention as good investment candidates?
Jeremie: Yes, absolutely. I think you’re right. Enabling technologies are a key area of focus for us. It goes back to the pick-and-shovel business example along with the zoom in mining in many cases, buying the suppliers of equipments that’s needed for certain application proves to be the right move from an investment perspective. We’ve researched a number of enabling technologies at length. I think vision systems are one of those very exciting technologies that enable a broader use of robotics. There’s a number of companies that play in that space, Cognex which is based in Massachusetts, has been a dominant player here. KEYENCE in Japan also plays in that space. I think vision is increasingly becoming critical not only to robotics but also to factory automation in general, and vision, computer vision, helps you do quality inspection in mass manufacturing in a much more efficient way than human operators have been able to do for many years. I think the penetration rate of vision system in factories is still extremely low. We’re starting to see a more rapid adoption and that’s good for the likes of Cognex and KEYENCE. In terms of robotics, vision, obviously, enables a much broader use of robotics beyond automotive. The vast majority of the install base of industrial robots, you could qualify as Blind Robots that are programmed to repeat the same motion at high speed and high accuracy. However, once you start using vision technology and vision-guided robotics, you dramatically expand the range of potential applications. When you start to see a robot that can solve the bin picking problem, when you start to see a robot that can pick up random objects on the conveyor at a high speed, you can start envisioning applications in agriculture and robots that could pick fruits and also some other use cases. Vision is critical, yes. I also think automation control systems are critical. Here, it could provide a strong potential investment candidate, we talked about Rockwell Automation earlier, I think the automation for full equipment suppliers are in a fantastic position. They have a huge install based of controllers that essentially run production lines in factories, and these equipments generate a tremendous amount of data. Data which can be used to generate insights into production systems and these insights can be used to increase productivity. When we think about efficiency improvements in manufacturing, I think automation control system suppliers are front and center, and we’re starting to see convergence between the world of automation control system and the world of robotics. We’re starting to see equipment suppliers align and one of the best examples is Fanuc and Rockwell getting closer and starting a partnership a couple of years ago, and taking this partnership a step beyond just a few months ago. I think that’s still positive for the industry. I think the industrial laser providers are also providing good investment candidates. Industrial lasers I think have had increased penetration in factory automation be it the cutting or welding of metals, engraving and marking, and also potentially in the 3D printing of metal. We’re researching the industrial laser industries to a great amount of detail and like companies like IPG photonics and in the space.
Steve: Great stuff, Jeremie, I want to do this again soon. We could discuss for hours, but thanks for being here. Jeremie Capron, Director of Equity Research at CLSA Americas. To listen to other episodes of Robo-briefings, please visit roboticsbusinessreview.com. Plus, check out all our additional industry coverage available to RBR members including in-depth reports, research and expert interviews. If you’re not already a part of the RBR community, we encourage you to visit roboticsbusinessreview.com to become a member today. We’ll see you next time.[Audio Ends]


text:
Exhibitor registration open for Bioenergy 2016
December 15, 2015
By Andrew Snook
December 15, 2015 - Registration is now open for exhibitors at the 7th International Bioenergy Conference & Exhibition taking place from June 15 to 17, 2016 in Prince George, B.C.
This year’s theme is “Partnerships for Innovation: Driving success in the industry.”
As the biomass industry continues to evolve, so does Canada’s largest bioenergy conference. In 2016, the conference will review the transformation of the industry as it combines legacy sectors, such as pellets and CHP, with new technologies and innovative thinking to create new product pathways and integrated systems that lead the way to a sustainable low carbon future.
Bioenergy 2016 also has the largest biomass trade show in Canada and will feature an international lineup of presenters and bioenergy experts; an international partnerships forum and dedicated business-to-business meeting opportunities; pre-conference and post-conference industry tours; and the best social and business networking opportunities in the industry.
So don’t miss out and book early to reserve your spot at Canada’s biggest biomass trade show.
Any exhibitors interested in expanding their participation as a sponsor of Bioenergy 2016 can email email@example.com.
For more information about the show, click here.
Print this page


text:
SINGAPORE - Telco StarHub and Singapore-based sustainable energy firm Sunseap are tying up to offer customers a choice of two clean energy subscription plans starting next month.
The first plan named Green Life is a 100 per cent clean energy plan tailored to meet the needs of environmentally conscious customers. Customers will receive electricity fully produced by Sunseap's solar systems at no additional cost. Electricity will be charged at the usual regulated electricity tariff.
The second plan, Green Save, allows customers to take a step towards becoming more environment-friendly while enjoying some savings. With this plan, customers will receive 5 per cent clean energy and enjoy a 20 per cent discount off the regulated tariff.
This comes as 14 retailers have been approved to take part in the pilot launch of the Open Electricity Market (OEM) in Jurong, which allows households to choose whom they buy electricity from. The pilot starts from April 1, and will benefit about 108,000 household and 9,500 business accounts.
StarHub on Monday (March 19) said that both parties are entering Singapore's OEM, starting with the Energy Market Authority's soft launch in Jurong and culminating in the full liberalisation of the retail electricity market in the second half of this year.
"Consumers will be free to choose their desired electricity retailers according to their usage patterns and the prices offered. Switching electricity retailers will be seamless; there will be no disruption, and customers can continue to enjoy the same quality and reliability of electricity supply," it said.
Consumers can also "go solar without the hassle of owning or installing solar panels", it added.
As part of this joint operation, StarHub and Sunseap are collaborating on various fronts, including customer service as well as billing and sales to ensure a fuss-free experience for households.
To champion clean energy use, 5 per cent of StarHub's profits out of this business in the first three years will be channelled into the StarHub Clean Energy Fund, which will be used to drive environmental conservation initiatives including clean energy and efficiencies.


text:
BUS users in Cardiff deluged the city’s major bus operator with requests for the city’s new Iff smartcards as soon as the application process was opened.
Cardiff Bus said it had already started receiving paper applications and had taken online requests even before the city’s answer to London’s Oyster card was officially launched outside Central Library yesterday afternoon.
The £33m-a-year bus firm has said it will give out the first 30,000 cards free with £3 of credit already on it.
A spokeswoman for the company said it was pleased with the early excitement about the card – which was being launched with a promotional event involving ice sculptures and giveaways in the centre of Cardiff.
Deputy First Minister Ieuan Wyn Jones told the launch that the card was one of the first steps to achieving an all-Wales transport card that could be used for a variety of services.
The technology on which the card is based – ITSO – can be shared with other transport providers and public bodies so that in the long term, cards could be used for anything from council gyms to paying for school dinners.
Cardiff Bus has spent £300,000 on the card and brought in a design agency, Best Impressions, to develop the name.
The Welsh Assembly Government has also paid for smartcard readers on buses throughout Wales.
The Iff cards can be topped up with up to £50 in cash on buses or at Cardiff Bus’ Wood Street customer service offices.
It can then be swiped to buy tickets from singles to season tickets.
Councillor Joe Carter, the chairman of the bus company, said the card would end the long-running problem of passengers needing the correct change.
In previous years, passengers have overpaid by a total of some £37,000 as drivers were unable to give out change.
Coun Carter said: “Iff is both a prepayment card and a season ticket and it is good to be able to report that having the right change will now be a problem of the past for most of our customers.”


text:
The Internet’s prevalence and the smartphone’s increasing penetration is seeing users turn to their phones for the simplest of tasks. And when they do, they aren’t typing only in English.
In fact, Arabic ranked as the fourth most used language online in 2017.
That’s why, Red Blue Blur Ideas (RBBi), a Dubai-based independent digital marketing consultancy, conducted a study on the use of the Arabic language online.
Titled “A strategy for success: Arabic digital marketing in MENA,” the study dives into the unique requirements that need to be considered when Arabic is used online. For example, auto-translation tools must be avoided at all costs because domain names, web server configurations, URL structure, etc. require translation only by a native Arabic speaker. Moreover, mediocre quality translation leads to high bounce rates, making it essential for native Arabic speakers to translate content. Spaces need to be included between the coordination and the word so that search engines consider this a new word.
The report also highlights the importance of using the right words in Arabic, which sometimes have the same meaning. This influences the audience reach and website traffic. Words with hamza need to be carefully considered in paid campaigns, because Arabic speakers do not include hamza when searching online.
“The past decade has seen a monumental rise in the number of Arabic-speakers going online. Egypt alone represents 20 percent of the online Arabic audience, while the KSA holds 12 percent and the GCC countries together make up 22 percent,” says Ammar Badr, digital marketing consultant at RBBi.
With Google dominating 97 percent of the market share in Arab countries, findings show that being visible in customers’ native language is absolutely vital. Arabic is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world with a 41.7 percent Internet penetration. Unlike the English/European markets, the number of Arab speakers online is still young and developing, with its most significant advantage being low competition and vast amounts of high-quality data available. Yet, only one percent of all online content is in Arabic.
“With the ubiquity of smartphones, most people now use search engines to find what they are looking for, making it essential for businesses to create an effective digital marketing campaign in Arabic,” adds Badr.
App analytics and market data company, App Annie, have released a new report that sheds light on Gen Z’s mobile behavior, in order to help marketers develop effective strategies to reach them. 98% of Gen Z report owning a smartphone, on average receiving their first at the age of 10. They are also part of […]
Experticity, the world’s largest community of influential category experts have released a new study that sheds new light on the importance of micro-influencers on the average consumer. The study was conducted with online interviews of more than 6,000 individuals from the United States drawn from Experticity’s micro-influencer network and the general population. In addition, more […]
Market research companies eMarketer and Global Web Index have collaborated together to release the 10th edition of the global media intelligence report. The report is a detailed compilation of data and insights about internet users’ traditional and digital media usage in 42 key markets worldwide. Communicate will be highlighting the key trends that are shaping the […]
Social Bakers, a global AI-powered social media marketing company has released the Q3 edition of their social media trends report. The report reveals where the industry is currently standing with regard to spending and engagement globally. Here are the key findings – ADVERTISING Worldwide ad spend increased by 56.4% in Q3 compared to where it […]


text:
When it was launched in 2006 it was billed as Wales’ very own European-style beer with the strap line “Wales is Going Continental”.
It became the official beer of the Welsh national football team and was meant to propel Brains into the premium lager market.
But less than five years later, Brains 45 has been discontinued after the brewer said it was no longer “viable”.
And seasoned beer-lovers have reacted with little surprise that the brew they never quite took to their hearts has been pulled.
Arfur Daley, Wales spokesman for the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), said: “It is not really a surprise – it wasn’t a very good beer.
“And it was competing against real ales like Brains bitter and Brains dark. It never really had a niche.”
Mr Daley said “45” found it tough going in a market place against more established lagers and should concentrate on what it does best.
“There is a market for premium lagers, but they have to be a good quality,” he said.
“People will still pay a premium price for something like Peroni.
“But you just thought Brains 45 was going to be dropped.
“I think they are just a bit embarrassed by creating it and launching it and are now trying to forget it.
“You look at SA Gold – that’s just won the international brewing award and is one of only three Welsh breweries to win that award.”
In a statement, Brains’ Richard Davies said “Innovation and new product development (NPD) within our business is vital to our long term success, 45 has been a profitable brand for us but at current volumes it no longer has a viable role to play in our company’s beer portfolio”.
A spokeswoman added: “Our other beers are performing strongly and we are particularly pleased with Brains Black.
“Our cask ale portfolio is performing particularly strongly and we are investing in pubs like the City Arms because we recognise the growing amount of interest in cask ales.”
Brains 45 will still be available in cans in supermarkets for the next few months.
What do you think about the decision? Were you a fan of 45? Let us know your views in the comments


text:
BEAVERTON, Ore., Oct. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- A new survey of more than 1,000 adults conducted by independent market research firm Toluna, and sponsored by VTech® Communications, a wholly owned subsidiary of VTech Holdings Ltd. (HKSE: 303; ADR: VTKHY) and the largest U.S. cordless phone manufacturer, highlights a variety of communication differences among men and women as well as different ages and regions of the United States. For example:
- "Dating game" differences: If calling to ask someone out for a date, New Englanders are more likely to make "small talk" first (32 percent, compared to 21-24 percent of residents in other regions); men are also more likely to get "straight to the point" and ask for a date (40 percent) compared to women (27 percent).
- All's fair in love and war, the younger you are?: Fifty-five percent of 18-24 year olds and 50 percent of 25-34 year olds would say "whatever's" on their mind when fighting. The percentage consistently declined among older respondents, with only 34 percent of adults over 55 saying they would truly say what they are thinking. In fact, 32 percent of adults over 55 said they would just avoid the conflict and "end the conversation" (compared to 13 percent of 18-24 year olds).
- Phone faux pas trends: Women are more likely to hang up the phone on a significant other (44 percent, compared to 34 percent of men). Women also are more likely to eavesdrop on a conversation (41 percent of women vs. 30 percent of men).
To help bridge the gap created by different communication preferences and personalities, and spur more effective conversations, VTech offers StayGrounded.com, an online destination highlighting the importance of good communication practices to build strong relationships with friends and family. Featuring advice from developmental psychologist and life coach, Dr. Michelle Callahan, StayGrounded.com is currently highlighting the influence personality type has on communication styles, and offers practical tips for navigating different communication preferences.
"The key to overcoming communication differences is understanding and adapting to different communication styles and preferences," says Dr. Michelle, host of syndicated daytime talk show Wedlock or Deadlock and author of Ms. Typed: Stop Sabotaging Your Relationships and Find Dating Success (Three Rivers Press, 2010). "For example, men and women tend to have different communication patterns and often misunderstand what the opposite gender is trying to communicate or wants from a conversation."
In addition to communication advice, StayGrounded.com offers visitors the opportunity to vote in weekly polls about the power of communication and enter to win weekly prize packages that "match" one of four core personality types described by Dr. Michelle on the website.
StayGrounded.com also features more detailed data from the Toluna/VTech survey, which highlights several generational, gender and age differences in communication preferences. Other key findings include:
- Women more talkative about social happenings: For 66 percent of Americans, day-to-day social happenings comprise the initial topic of conversation with friends and family; however, this number is much higher for women – 78 percent compared to 54 percent of men.
- Who lets it go straight to voicemail? When asked what to do if the phone rings after a hard day at work, half of women said they would let the call just go straight to voicemail, compared to only 35 percent of men.
- Men prefer more relationship privacy: When it comes to announcing an engagement, 41 percent of men prefer to keep the details private/intimate (compared to 28 percent of women), and 45 percent of women want to share the juicy details of the proposal with friends (compared to 28 percent of men).
- Younger adults in long-distance relationships need more phone time: If in a long-distance relationship, 36 percent of 18-24 year olds would prefer to talk on the phone "a few times a day," compared to 13 percent (on average) of adults older than 35.
- Calling in "sick" – age matters: More than half (51 percent) of 25-34 year-old respondents admitted to calling in sick when not, compared to 41 percent of the general population.
"It's fascinating to see such distinct differences in how people communicate," said Tom Bacon, vice president, marketing, VTech Communications, Inc. "Our goal is to help people stay connected and build rich relationships through good communication, which is why we developed StayGrounded.com as a resource to celebrate and perfect the art of good communication."
Connect to Win Today
StayGrounded.com features weekly visitor polls, regularly updated tips, fun facts and videos. Visitors can continue the dialogue by sharing with others through email, Facebook® or Twitter®, or taking a "Talk Style" Quiz to enjoy a chance to win weekly prizes.
- Facebook: Become a fan of VTech http://www.facebook.com/VTechPhones for updates on StayGrounded.com, take the quiz to be eligible for a weekly prize package (valued at $100 each), and receive information on VTech discounts, events, sports and music initiatives
- Twitter: Follow VTech at http://twitter.com/vtech411 for the latest news, including links to product reviews, contests and giveaways
A VTech Phone for Any Lifestyle
VTech's latest DECT 6.0 cordless phone systems offer superior call quality, range and reception for the conversations that matter most. Available now on www.vtechphones.com and through major retail stores nationwide, the current lineup includes:
- Perfect for the style-conscious caller who demands both practicality and the latest technology, VTech's LS6245 handles both cellular and landline calls thanks to integrated BLUETOOTH® technology. It also offers a high-end, modern design with a touch-sensitive handset and base station. The VTech LS6325-3 is ideal for busy families who need to connect with friends and family – and with each other throughout the home – thanks to an added Push-to-Talk (PTT) feature.
- VTech's two-line DS6151 system is also great for busy households, as well as small office/home office users. It eliminates fights for phone time and frustrations over having just one phone line, and features intercom, call transfer, conference capabilities and a dedicated voicemail box for each line.
VTech is the world's largest manufacturer of cordless telephones and a leading supplier of electronic learning products. It also provides highly sought-after contract manufacturing services. Founded in 1976, the Group's mission is to be the most cost effective designer and manufacturer of innovative, high quality consumer electronic products and to distribute them to markets worldwide in the most efficient manner.
For further information on VTech and its array of products, please visit www.vtechphones.com.
The BLUETOOTH® word mark is owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc.
Twitter is a trademark of Twitter, Inc.
Facebook is a trademark of Facebook, Inc.
SOURCE VTech Communications, Inc.


text:
THE horseburger scandal has put food traceability at the top of many a shopping list and Fairtrade campaigners say that by seeking out its label on products, consumers know exactly what they are getting.
And as Fairtrade Fortnight begins in Limerick, Martha Lunji will make a presentation on how sugar from her cane farm in Malawi ends up in your cup of tea on Mallow Street.
The Fairtrade campaign ensures a fair price for producers in the developing world and buying a product with the label means the profits aren’t swallowed up by commodity traders and retail giants.
Fairtrade Fortnight in Limerick will be launched at the Irish Aid offices on Henry Street this Wednesday, February 27, by Mayor Gerry McLoughlin, with Ms Lunji due to speak at the event.
Fairtrade Ireland’s Peter Gaynor commented that “without our support now, farmers in developing countries face a difficult and uncertain future”.
“Smallholders in developing countries are increasingly hit by fluctuating commodity prices affecting their income and the prices they pay for the food they buy themselves, rising global food prices, rising production costs, and increasingly the impacts of climate change. Notwithstanding the ongoing economic recession in Ireland, Fairtrade continued to grow in 2012.”
Limerick has been a Fairtrade city for seven years now, a status achieved through the adoption of a resolution at the City Council, the appointment of a local committee, awareness campaigns in schools and encouraging a critical mass of retailers to stock a range of Fairtrade goods.
Local events over the next two weeks include a quiz night at Punches Hotel on Wednesday, March 6 (8pm); visits to schools by the Fairtrade committee and a celebration by the One World Society of Mary Immaculate College’s third birthday as an official Fairtrade college on March 5.


text:
Earnings season might be winding down, but when a company like Nike reports, investors perk up—even if they're not in the stock.
The global sports apparel and footwear company, which will release its third quarter earnings after the bell on Thursday, not only provides insight into the American economy, but also gives a great snapshot of business in China.
Nike is expected to report earnings per share of 67 cents on $6.23 billion in revenue, according to a consensus estimate from Thomson Reuters.
Beyond those numbers, there are three things investors will be looking for: future orders, gross margins, China.
(Read More: Is Under Armour Ready to Take Nike Head On?)
Nike uses the term "futures" as the metric that looks at pending orders for products, and it is something analysts look at for trends.
"In China, Nike doesn't have as much visibility in terms of end-use demand—not as much as they would like," said Credit Suisse's Christian Buss, who has a "neutral" rating on the stock.
Getting information in China from the retail level is difficult, and that has been part of the problem with a build-up in inventory there. Futures orders were down 7 percent last quarter.
"The reporting mechanism from local market players is informal at best," Buss said.
China has been weak of late, and it this lack of visibility has been part of the problem. Inventory has built up, and it is taking a long time to clear it out.
"The real problem over the last year is the market is filled with a glut of inventory in sportswear," said Michael Binetti of UBS. "It's not just Nike. There are a lot of local brands over there with a lot of product lying around.
"The demand has fallen short of being able to clear that product, and that has weighed on Nike sales over there for a while."
(Read More: Nike and the NFL: Sizing Up Year No. 1)
Margins are another key thing to watch. Gross margins have been compressing for almost 2.5 years.
"They said last quarter that they are expecting that (margins) to be up by about 80 basis points year over year. We're looking for them to reiterate them," Binetti said. "To hear that go positive would be very encouraging for people."
(Read More: Nike Suspends Contract With Pistorius)
Investors are also keeping an eye on the stock price.
In the last six months, Nike is up about 15 percent, but since hitting an all-time high last May, it's down about 6 percent. Perhaps, as the broader market keeps making new highs, it's a place to find some more upside?
"We still like where the stock is heading," Binetti said. "Nike is gaining a massive amount of market share.
"Nike is still in a very good position."
—By CNBC's Brian Shactman; Follow him on Twitter: @bshactman


text:
No Stock Yet
Vipshop stock falls after disclosing more sales by JD.com
The U.S.-listed shares of Vipshop Holdings Ltd. (VIPS) sank 5.7% in morning trading Thursday, and have now tumbled TK% amid a four-day losing streak, after disclosing that a large shareholder, JD.com
Some bosses begin to have fun, while others are afraid to retire.
What are the bosses doing after they retire?
Why China's JD Is Giving Rival Tech Giant Tencent An Additional $220M Stake
Chinese e-commerce giant JD.Com Inc (NASDAQ:JD) on Wednesday said that it renewed its strategic cooperation agreement with the tech and gaming giant Tencent Holdings (OTC:TCEHY) for a period of three
Strategy Analytics: Apple Inc (AAPL.US) accounted for half of smartphone sales during the China online Shopping Festival.
According to Strategy Analytics's latest research, smartphone sales during this year's China online shopping festival were 14 million, down 25 per cent from a year earlier, Zhitong Financial APP learned. Apple Inc (AAPL.US) consolidated its leadership position, with Apple Inc outperforming the market, selling nearly 7 million iPhone units, down 4 per cent year-on-year. XIAOMI (01810) and Glory ranked second and third respectively. Sui Qian, senior director of Strategy Analytics, said: "COVID-19 's epidemic-related damage and economic headwinds have led to a mixed performance."
JD.com x Tencent? The two giants join hands again! JD.com Tencent renewed the three-year strategic cooperation agreement
China's two Internet giants, Tencent and JD.com, have announced that they will renew their "former relationship". JD.com Group-SW (09618.HK) $announced on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange that the company has renewed the strategic cooperation agreement with $Tencent (00700.HK) $for a period of three years. In the next three years, Tencent will continue to provide primary and secondary access portals to JD.com on his Wechat platform to provide traffic support, while JD.com will issue Class A common shares with a value of up to US $220 million to Tencent.
Goldman Sachs Group: for JD.com Group-SW (09618), the target price of HK $382will be added to the "convinced Buy" list.
Zhitong Financial APP learned that Goldman Sachs Group released a research report saying that it maintained the "buy" rating of JD.com Group-SW (09618) and continued to be included in the "convinced buy" list, with a target price of HK $382. Tencent (00700) and JD.com announced the renewal of a three-year strategic cooperation agreement. The two sides will carry out business cooperation in the areas of physical e-commerce portal, cloud technology and cloud services, membership system, online meetings, enterprise services, smart retail and advertising, while the bank expects JD.com to continue to be supported by Wechat traffic. According to the report, the agreement indicates that JD.com will issue Class A common shares to Tencent in the next three years as part of the consideration.
JD.com beauty makeup: make friends with the brand and solve the problem offline.
Deep burning (shenrancaijing) original
JD.com and Tencent opened the third round of strategic cooperation to further expand and deepen cooperation in consumption, technology and supply chain.
A few days ago, JD.com Group and Tencent renewed a three-year strategic cooperation agreement. According to the agreement, the two sides will conduct business cooperation in the areas of physical e-commerce portal, cloud technology and cloud services, membership system, online meetings, enterprise services, smart retail and advertising, in order to continuously enhance the convenient, fast and high-quality consumption experience of existing and potential JD.com and Tencent users.
Outlook for US stocks | Federal Reserve Mestre: support for raising interest rates by 75 basis points in July; Goldman Sachs Group begins to short: the performance of US stocks is going downhill
Morgan Stanley: the United States has a high probability of recession, but this time it is not so terrible; Xiao Mo: cut the profit forecast of large technology stocks, including macroeconomic pressure; NIO Inc. fell nearly 6% before the day, saying that the grizzly bear short report was groundless; JD.com and Tencent renewed the three-year strategic cooperation agreement; KANZHUN LIMITED and Full Truck Alliance Co. Ltd. announced the resumption of new user registration from now on.
JD.com Group-SW (09618) and Tencent (00700) renew a three-year strategic cooperation agreement
Zhitong Financial APP News, JD.com Group-SW (09618) announced that the company has renewed its strategic cooperation agreement with Tencent Co., Ltd. (stock code: 00700, "Tencent") for a period of three years. Tencent will continue to provide significant primary and secondary access portals to the company on its Wechat platform to provide traffic support, and the two sides also intend to continue to cooperate in communications, technical services, marketing and advertising, as well as membership services. The value of the partnership is expected to be paid or launched in the form of cash and shares in the company over the next three years. As part of the total consideration, the company will issue to Tencent
No Stock Yet


text:
Disneyland Is Donating Excess Food to Food Banks While the Park Is Closed
Disneyland really is a magical place, and now they’re sharing that magic with those who may need some extra support during this crucial time.
The Anaheim, California theme park has temporarily closed due to the coronavirus outbreak, and they decided to donate the excess food they would normally serve. Perishable items will be donated to a local food bank, Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County, so Disney can limit waste and give to a greater cause.
“While closely following food safety guidelines, excess inventory of dairy, fruit, vegetables, packaged goods and banquet meals is being donated to Second Harvest Food Bank, whose mission is to end hunger in Orange County,” said Kyleigh Johnson, external communications manager for Disneyland, in a Disney Parks Blog post.
Disneyland has always been dedicated to Second Harvest since 2014, and they have donated over 20,000 meals to them just last year. So, they are pretty passionately involved, and it is definitely only increasing now when things matter the most.
Second Harvest took to Twitter in response, sharing in a tweet, “Thank you to the team at @DisneyParks for helping us #FeedOC during the parks temporary closure due to #coronavirus.”
If you would like to join in Disney’s efforts, you can find local food pantries and other causes in your area that may need your assistance. Whether it’s extra food or money, everything counts. And if you get through self-quarantine with leftover pantry items and other non-perishables, please donate — they will still go to great use even once the quarantine period is over.
- Find your local food bank: Search at Feeding America


text:
with a successful start to 2018, materials manufacturer covestro continues its strong growth. thanks to ongoing robust demand and higher prices, sales rose by 5.4% to eur 3.8 billion in the first quarter. the main sales drivers were the polyurethanes and polycarbonates segments. core volumes remained stable compared to the exceptional growth in the prior year’s quarter. at eur 1.1 billion, ebitda was up 25.7% on the prior-year period. net income improved by 37.6% to eur 644 million. free operating cash flow (focf) increased by 72.5% to eur 364 million.
“we got off to a successful start in the first quarter and are well on track for the whole year,” said dr. markus steilemann, chief commercial officer (cco) and soon-to-be chief executive officer (ceo) of covestro. “while maintaining core volumes on a high level, we’ve again significantly improved all other key figures compared to the excellent results of the prior-year quarter.”
taking stock of the company’s performance, steilemann added: “we continue to benefit from increasing demand for sustainable solutions and superior materials. going forward, we will continue to concentrate our efforts specifically on high-margin products with exceptional properties.”
a recent example of this is found in markt bibart (germany), where covestro started commercial production of a novel material in march this year. the continuous fiber-reinforced thermoplastic composite (cfrtp) is extremely lightweight and exhibits metal-like properties. the demand for strong and light materials is growing worldwide, as they reduce energy consumption in a wide variety of applications and thus contribute to resource conservation. covestro has invested a mid-double-digit million euro sum in expanding production capacity.
in addition, the company’s digitalization strategy is opening up new business options. covestro recently started collaborating with the chinese internet giant alibaba and now offers its materials on the alibaba online platform – china’s largest business-to-business marketplace. under the link covestrochina.1688.com, covestro products will become available more easily for customers in this market.
increased profits in polyurethanes and polycarbonates segments –
high margin maintained in cas segment
sales of the polyurethanes segment rose by 7.1% to eur 1,950 million in the first quarter. the main driver of this growth was higher prices across all regions, which more than compensated for the decline of 1.0% in core volumes as well as negative effects from exchange rate movements. the segment’s ebitda rose by 36.1% to eur 637 million. higher margins had a favorable effect.
the polycarbonates segment recorded a sales growth of 8.3% to eur 1,033 million. the positive trend in selling prices boosted sales, whereas exchange rate movements had a negative impact. core volumes in this segment rose by 2.7% over the first quarter 2017. at eur 303 million, ebitda was up 30.6% on the prior year.
in the coatings, adhesives, specialties segment, sales declined by 7.1% to eur 592 million year-on-year in the first quarter. the reduction in sales was primarily due to currency effects as well as a decline of 1.3% in the segment’s core volumes versus the strong prior-year quarter. as with the other segments, selling prices had a positive impact on sales. ebitda was down 15.0% to eur 136 million due to lower sales volumes, negative currency effects and increased raw material costs. however, ebitda margin remained high at 23.0%.
share buy-back: first tranche completed successfully
the first tranche of the share buy-back program, which began in the fall of 2017, was completed successfully end of february. to date, approximately 4.5 million shares with a total value of eur 400 million have been repurchased, equivalent to 2.2% of capital stock. the next buy-back tranche is planned to commence soon. on october 26 last year, covestro announced to to buy back own shares for up to eur 1.5 billion, or up to 10% of its capital stock.
guidance for fiscal 2018 confirmed
based on its business performance in the first quarter, the company has confirmed its guidance for fiscal year 2018. dr. thomas toepfer, chief financial officer (cfo) of covestro since april 1, 2018, explained: “based on the ongoing robust demand and supported by efficient investments, we aim to generate further organic volume growth. at the same time, we expect prices to normalize in a number of product groups throughout the year. all in all, we expect to continue on our successful course.”
in the coming years, covestro intends to significantly increase its investments to continue to take exceptional advantage of the expected growth in the main customer industries. these investments are expected to include all segments and regions and to be in excess of the depreciation level.
in 2018 the company expects a low-to mid-single-digit percentage increase in core volume growth. covestro anticipates free operating cash flow significantly above the average of the last three years and roce is expected to approach the previous year’s level. ebitda is estimated to be around the level of 2017. covestro anticipates ebitda for the second quarter 2018 to be above the prior-year quarter.
with 2017 sales of eur 14.1 billion, covestro is among the world’s largest polymer companies. business activities are focused on the manufacture of high-tech polymer materials and the development of innovative solutions for products used in many areas of daily life. the main segments served are the automotive, construction, wood processing and furniture, and electrical and electronics industries. other sectors include sports and leisure, cosmetics, health and the chemical industry itself. covestro has 30 production sites worldwide and employs approximately 16,200 people (calculated as full-time equivalents) at the end of 2017.
find more information at .
follow us on twitter:
this news release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by covestro ag. various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. these factors include those discussed in covestro’s public reports which are available at www.covestro.com. the company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.


text:
by Kassie Coffey and Kendra Hoover
The third, fourth, and fifth grade students of Roundstone Elementary School had Market Day on the 11th and 12th of December. They had fun and learned how to start a business. The kids formed groups, made a product, and sold what they made. First grader, Ella McKinney had this to say about Market Day,”It was awesome! My favorite part was seeing all the products the third, fourth, and fifth graders made.” Roundstone students sold delicious snacks like popcorn, cookies, candies, co-coa, and gourmet s’mores. They also sold snowman pins, t-shirts, personalized platters, ornaments, lotion, and much more. Roundstone teachers and students want to thank everyone who supported our Market Day by attending, volunteering, and/or purchasing products.


text:
Ladies, take your battle for the environment a little closer to your heart with a solar-powered bra that can generate enough electric energy to charge a mobile phone or an iPod. Oh, it also has pouches to store water so you don't have to carry around environmentally unfriendly plastic.
Lingerie maker Triumph International Japan Ltd unveiled its environmentally friendly, and green colored, "Solar Power Bra" on Wednesday in Tokyo.
It features a solar panel worn around the stomach.
But the panel requires light to generate electricity and the concept bra will not be in stores anytime soon, said Triumph spokeswoman Yoshiko Masuda, as "people usually can not go outside without wearing clothes over it."
Still, it does send the message of how lingerie design could help reshape consumer items, Masuda said, adding that the bra should not be washed or exposed to a rainy day to avoid damaging it.
Being eco-friendly is now fashionable in Japan, and the "Solar Energy Bra" follows the company's other green-themed undergarments that include a bra that turns into a reusable shopping bag and one that featured metal chopsticks to promote the use of reusable chopsticks.
"It is very comfortable and I can really feel involved in eco-friendly efforts as well," model Yuko Ishida said.
The bra is also equipped with pads designed to hold water, resembling mini drink pouches, in order to reduce the usage of cans and plastic bottles. It doesn't hurt that the pouches also help fill out certain chest areas.
The bra was revealed just prior to the Hokkaido Toyoko Summit, where ministers from the Group of 8 developed nations will address environmental issues.


text:
Smith & Wesson has agreed to pay $2 million to settle civil charges of bribing government officials in Pakistan, Indonesia and other countries to win military and police business.
Authorities in northwest Ohio say one of the two people killed in a weekend plane crash was the CEO of an Ohio manufacturing company.
Twenty-two miners were killed in accidents during the first half of 2014, compared to 18 in the first half of 2013 and 19 for the same period in 2012.
Walker has made outsourcing an issue in the governor's race by criticizing Democratic gubernatorial challenger Mary Burke for profiting from outsourcing done by her family's company, but the Republican governor has received campaign donations from multiple companies that outsourced jobs.
Amazon said Monday that it has started selling 3-D printed customizable objects like iPhone cases, jewelry and figurines on the online retailer's website.
RPM International plans to spend nearly $800 million as part of a preliminary deal to fund a trust that resolves asbestos personal injury claims tied to a business owned by its Specialty Products Holding Corp.
Tyson Foods says it will sell its poultry businesses in Mexico and Brazil for $575 million in cash to help pay debt tied to its acquisition of Hillshire Brands.
China's State Administration for Industry and Commerce descended on Microsoft offices in Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou and Chengdu, questioning employees about the company's business practices in a move that the South China Morning Post described as a "raid."
The son of a Minnesota woman who died after eating tainted peanut butter hopes a trial in Georgia sends a message to food manufacturers that there can be serious consequences for peddling contaminated food.
General Motors Co. is considering a $37 million expansion of a mid-Michigan plant that makes three crossover vehicles.
The European Union's antitrust authority has cleared Apple's $3 billion deal to buy Beats Electronics, which makes headphones and offers music streaming services.
As the Obama administration weans the U.S. off dirty fuels blamed for global warming, energy companies have been sending more of America's unwanted energy leftovers to other parts of the world where they could create even more pollution.
Tyson Foods Inc. says it's closing three U.S. plants, employing a total 950 workers, which have struggled financially as the company's product needs have changed.
Two fertilizer companies sued following a deadly Texas explosion are claiming the small town deserves blame for failing to properly train volunteer firefighters and first responders, who made up most of the 15 people killed by the blast.
Great River Industries will expand in Natchez, Miss. and move its corporate headquarters there from Memphis, Tennessee, creating 25 jobs.
Check out some of this week's top headlines from across Manufacturing.net, from a new fuel cell system from GE to yet another delayed recall from General Motors.
To top it off, a video shows employees in the factory dropping the expired meat on the floor, then directly returning it to the production line.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has invited heads of state and other leaders to the Sept. 23 summit in New York. The U.N. says the goal is to spur governments, industry and civil groups to make new commitments to addressing climate change.
If you’re currently planning on implementing a Manufacturing Execution System (MES) or other applications in the Manufacturing Operations Management (MOM) space, you may think you have all the shop-floor areas and ...
The brewing company said Friday that Swinburn will be succeeded in the posts by Mark R. Hunter, who currently serves as CEO and president of Molson Coors Europe.
Orders for long-lasting manufactured goods rebounded in June after a May decline, helped by a recovery in demand in a key category that signals business investment plans.
Chinese regulators have concluded Qualcomm Inc., one of the biggest makers of chips used in mobile devices, has a monopoly, a government newspaper reported Friday.
Airplane maker Bombardier Inc. is cutting 1,800 jobs across facilities worldwide as it restructures operations.
Environmental regulators investigated an anonymous report alleging MFG Chemical Inc. in Dalton was illegally discarding waste five months before an accident injured a worker, government records show.


text:
THE Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences never gives awards to commercials. Even so, when ABC broadcasts the 76th annual presentation of the Oscars on Sunday, Feb. 29, the commercials will probably get much more attention than usual.
The reason, of course, is the continuing uproar over what took place during the CBS broadcast of Super Bowl XXXVIII on Feb. 1. The complaints that pitches for brands like Bud Light, Charmin, Cialis, Lay's, Levitra and Sierra Mist were almost as tasteless as the antics of the performers in the halftime show have led to renewed calls for more careful consideration of the content of commercials -- particularly during so-called big-event television programs like the presentations of the Academy Awards, the Grammy Awards and the Super Bowl, watched by tens of millions of viewers of all ages.
Yet critics need not worry that the Oscar show will bring back any offending Super Bowl ad characters like the flatulent horse, crotch-biting dog or exhibitionist kilt-wearer, much less the advice to seek ''immediate medical help'' for ''erections lasting longer than four hours.'' That is because ABC, which has broadcast the Academy Awards ceremonies annually since 1976, and the motion picture academy separately scrutinize the commercials scheduled to run during the show -- from scripts and story boards through finished tapes -- and no spot can run unless both agree it conforms to their taste and acceptability standards.
''This is the only event to my knowledge'' for which the commercials undergo two such separate screenings, Geri Wang, senior vice president for ABC prime-time sales in New York, said yesterday.
''We have our regular broadcast standards and practices we adhere to, and the Academy has its own set of standards,'' she added. ''As a result, we rarely have a problem.''
Among the stipulations in addition to avoiding questionable content are several intended to ensure a level playing field for all the movie studios that are Academy members. Among them: no commercials promoting films from any studio and no commercials in which Oscar nominees or presenters appear as endorsers.
For instance, let's say that Jerry Seinfeld decides to make a movie and it is such a huge hit, he is nominated for Best Actor. The show could not carry a spot promoting the film nor an American Express commercial featuring Mr. Seinfeld.
Ms. Wang discussed the issue of commercial content as ABC, a unit of the Walt Disney Company, released a list of the advertisers that have agreed to be sponsors of the Oscar broadcast. (The hostile takeover bid from the Comcast Corporation for Disney did not deter ABC from its release of the list, as perhaps the network followed the advice offered by the title of a series it once broadcast: ''Life Goes On.'')
There are more than a dozen companies buying commercial time in the Oscar program, the list shows, at a record price estimated at $1.5 million for each 30-second spot. Many sponsors are returning from previous years, among them the America Online division of Time Warner, Anheuser-Busch, Eastman Kodak, General Motors, Hewlett-Packard, Home Depot, MasterCard, McDonald's, J.C. Penney, PepsiCo, Procter & Gamble, Charles Schwab and Washington Mutual. The newcomers include Allstate Insurance.
''We're convinced that big television events are a great place for us to unveil new advertising,'' said Dave DeCecco, a spokesman in Purchase, N.Y., for the Pepsi-Cola North America unit of PepsiCo. ''You can't underestimate the water-cooler factor,'' he added, referring to the value of the morning-after discussions of the commercials.
Pepsi-Cola North America plans to introduce a revamped campaign for Diet Pepsi, Mr. DeCecco said, carrying the theme ''It's the diet cola,'' replacing ''Think young, drink young,'' introduced during the Academy Awards show in 2002.
There will also be commercials for the flagship Pepsi-Cola brand, he added, that are part of the recently introduced campaign carrying the theme ''It's the cola.'' The Diet Pepsi and Pepsi-Cola spots are created by BBDO Worldwide in New York, part of the Omnicom Group.
There will be no commercials for Sierra Mist, Mr. DeCecco said. It was that brand that was featured in the spot about the kilt-wearer, also by BBDO New York, which raised eyebrows during the Super Bowl for its provocative content.
Anheuser-Busch, which ran several commercials in questionable taste during the Super Bowl, including the Bud Light spots featuring the horse and the dog, is ''in the process of determining which spots will be aired during the broadcast,'' the company, based in St. Louis, said in a statement. In past years, when Anheuser-Busch sponsored both the Super Bowl and the Oscars, the company did not repeat Bud Light Super Bowl spots critics labeled crass or vulgar during the Academy Awards.
''As in past years, our standards are always high for this broadcast,'' said Olivia Cohen-Cutler, senior vice president for broadcast standards and practices at ABC in New York, reflecting ''the show in which the commercials are going and the audience to which the show is broadcast.''
Advertisers and agencies ''know that this is a double-pronged review process,'' she added, which may be why there have been few instances of commercials submitted to either the network or the academy that are rejected outright or need to be changed before they can appear.
Still, ''as with every big event,'' Ms. Cohen-Cutler said, a member of her staff will be at the ABC office on the afternoon of Feb. 29, ''through the last moments something could possibly come in'' from an agency or advertiser wanting to make changes to an already approved commercial.
ABC sold out the available commercial time for the broadcast in September. That is despite the show's rescheduling, to appear about a month earlier, and the disappointing ratings for the 2003 broadcast, attributed partly to Iraqi war jitters.
''This is a new year, with a fresh set of great films,'' Ms. Wang said, adding: ''The Academy Awards is typically the biggest entertainment special of the year. That broad, fast reach continues to be network television's strength.''
There is even ''a list of clients waiting to get on the Academy Awards,'' Ms. Wang said. There are three advertisers on the list, she added, declining to identify them.
Though the Super Bowl brouhaha seems to be having no effect on the commercials, it is affecting the broadcast itself. ABC is for the first time instituting a five-second tape delay, despite objections by the Academy that, in the words of Frank Pierson, the president, it ''introduces a form of censorship.''
Photo: Billy Crystal will be the host of the 76th Academy Awards, which will be broadcast Feb. 29, on ABC.


text:
Editor’s note: Game over for Toys ‘R’ Us
Lack of investments stalled steady growth
What killed Toys “R” Us?
If you think it was a combination of intense competition from other traditional retailers and online operations like Amazon, you are only half right — if that.
The rest of the load falls squarely on the private equity companies that bought Toys “R” Us over a decade ago and saddled the company with more than $5 billion in debt. That is billions with a capital B, and it was enough to prevent the chain, which was already under intense pressure from Wall Street for some previous serious missteps, to keep pace with its competition.
In case I am not totally clear here, let me put it another way. Toys “R” Us will go down in retail business history as a poster child for just how badly private equity operators can ruin a business — a venture so big that at one point some said it was simply too large to fail. By the way, that says a lot, because private equity does not have a very good record when it comes to the retail industry.
The problem with private equity money is that it comes with a very crucial string attached: make lots of money and do it quickly. The folks that got involved with Toys “R” Us and some other retailers have failed to see that retail requires constant investments in infrastructure, marketing, assortment and advertising. Starting a new venture a few billion or more in the hole caused the leadership to forgo some of these necessary investments in hopes of returning dividends to the investors. Just a wild guess here, but I do not think those investors in Toys “R” Us are very happy right about now.
Consumers noticed the lack of attention pretty quickly. I know that I did. Organized clean stores with the right assortment of products turned into a maze of junk on messy shelves, and not enough in-store help at crucial times of the year. Shoppers left in a hurry, most to chains like Walmart and Target and, of course, Amazon, which offered more basic assortments but in much neater surroundings and often at lower prices.
Many people will say that the chain had it coming to it. The bottom line is that Toys “R” Us did a great job of putting just about everyone else out of the retail toy business over the last 30-plus years. It did so at one time by using devastating firepower — a lethal mix of great prices, broad assortment and strong advertising — to make toy retailing virtually impossible to be profitable for other retailers.
The lesson, of course, is that to be successful retail needs to be run by professional merchants, those individuals who know that this is not a sprint, but a marathon. And private equity does not normally work very well with retailers. Just ask the folks at Toys “R” Us.
No comments found
How ECRM stays relevant at 25
For more than 25 years, ECRM has been able to bring suppliers and retailers together in highly productive, category-relevant venues to help with their business needs and growth plans. For those that have attended an ECRM event in the past, the infamous luggage tag and “three minutes” door knock are all too familiar branding moments.
Just as retailers and suppliers alike have evolved over the years, so has ECRM. It has worked to emphasize business services focused on category management support to accompany growing sales, increasing productivity and saving time and money for busy and often overworked merchant teams.
One significant step taken by ECRM recently was acquiring product discovery platform RangeMe. Currently, more than 30 large national retailers are using RangeMe to help their merchant teams in the product discovery process, offering them access to retail-ready suppliers. New suppliers looking to gain retail distribution can use the platform to submit their products directly to any of these retailers, whose merchants can review the standardized, vetted information.
With RangeMe, ECRM is becoming a key marketplace for new brands to onboard quickly with major retailers, enhancing speed to market, product discovery and, most importantly, business alignment to jumpstart sales growth for all parties.
Beyond RangeMe, ECRM is dedicated to working with merchants to develop and customize a purposeful plan to help clients accomplish white space co-creation, source new vendors and find the latest product innovations based on category growth needs.
When ECRM provides services to help merchant teams — many of which are stretched thin — save time and money, we think of ourselves as an extension of your team. Recently, a major retailer looking to discover new innovation called on ECRM to conduct a significant sourcing review, which led to the delivery of nearly 400 new potential suppliers with whom the retailer could create new assortments and source new capabilities to stay relevant.
For many years, ECRM’s services have also helped support retailers with their category planning and review processes. We have helped provide the resources, tools and infrastructure to support promotional planning, line reviews and seasonal planning programs across all product categories. These customized programs have brought the retail community significant cost savings, productivity enhancements and streamlined merchandising operations. In the past year, we have conducted more than 80 of these programs, significantly reducing the time it would take to implement these efforts if they were undertaken by the retailer’s team alone.
Also in the past year, ECRM has provided the retail industry with more than 280,000 meetings between retailers and suppliers. Our footprint, which covers national and regional retailers in all major CPG categories — including health and beauty care, consumables and general merchandise — is vast, particularly with regard to the information exchange, industry conversations and interactions that we facilitate across the mass market. For challenger brands — the bright spot in industry growth over the past several years — ECRM has always been the ideal place to gain a foothold in the retail space.
Wayne Bennett is senior vice president of retail for ECRM.
No comments found
Real-time interaction with patient data to enable robust pharmacy-patient coherence
Over 12.5 million people misused prescription opioids in 2015. Pharmacists have a great responsibility to track and manage the use of controlled substances and other drugs of interest not only for the betterment of the industry but for the good of humanity. Non-adherence also remains a huge burden of the healthcare system. Half of all patients with chronic diseases don’t take their medications as prescribed.
Unfortunately, solutions to these challenges have remained elusive due to the disjointedness of patient prescription data. For pharmacists, data coordination remains a major industry challenge, as does the incongruence among various states’ prescription drug monitoring programs. It remains to be seen if, when, and how a national database of drug use is implemented across the U.S. But it’s time for pharmacists to consider both the deep responsibility for and operational benefits of transmitting patient dispensing data to a contributory database. After all, we can wait for the government to pass legislation based on their perspective, or each of us in the industry can take on the challenge to improve patient care and our positions within the healthcare system.
To improve patient engagement, pharmacists require meaningful and actionable data, insights and analytics. To get the full picture of who’s taking what and to what degree of adherence, pharmacists need to coordinate care through information sharing via a patient platform concept. Using the same technology infrastructure that exists for prescriber compliance and leveraging the same technology platform benefiting the insurance and banking industries today, patient transaction data would be transmitted to a protected system—with patient engagement as the ultimate goal.
From the standpoint of monitoring controlled substances, a pharmacist would be able to receive more advanced opioid scoring and alerts, including morphine equivalency. If a patient filled a prescription a few days before, at a pharmacy a few blocks away, the pharmacist would know it. That could result in the pharmacist having a meaningful engagement with patients to help them with their situation.
Regarding patient adherence to other types of medications, the system would provide adherence score models to let pharmacists know if a particular patient is in need of further education or materials about the regimen to help produce better outcomes. Again, the pharmacist is able to take an active role using actionable information to educate the patient.
Immunization opportunities would also be flagged via immunization registry access. A pharmacist could note, for example, if the patient in front of him was a candidate for the shingles vaccine, and even perform the immunization right in the pharmacy for an additional revenue stream.
Additionally, universal patient identification would provide another layer of security for prescribing, offering patient and demographic data to confirm the identity of each customer. Supporting the use of a universal patient identifier, this platform would easily access other systems within healthcare, such as EHRs, lab systems, and hospital systems, as needed.
Operational benefits of amassing this data would be significant. For example, a pharmacy patient platform would enable basic functionality for states’ Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs (PDMP) compliance. Looking up controlled substance data for the state is often a clunky, time-intensive process. This system would query that information automatically for state reporting, creating a log for future access needs, such as requests from state regulatory authorities, and freeing up valuable staff resources for more time with customers.
The future of pharmacy is just a step away. Existing infrastructure is able to yield real-time interaction with the shared patient data to deliver solutions for a more streamlined, effective delivery of services. Informed providers and engaged patients result in better care and better outcomes: the possibilities are endless.
Brian Eidex is the current director of pharmacy at LexisNexis Risk Solutions Health Care, who holds 20 years of hands-on leadership experience in product management, sales and software development. His responsibilities with the company include generating new revenue from new and existing clients through client consultation and driving product management. LexisNexis prides itself on being able to use the power of data and advanced analytics to help customers make timelier decisions about hidden risks and opportunities by providing insights to people, the industry and society.
There is a critical need to allow patients to provide feedback regarding their adherence to medication therapy and believe it or not, there is already an open platform that is available. It's a question of whether Pharma, as well as the healthcare industry, is ready to accept the fact that without patient feedback, there's no way one can measure any quality measures or patient compliance.