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The next generation of cold storage distribution and food processing plants boasts a future filled of automated equipment and energy efficient construction. But, it’s the green features that help companies produce and store cold foods in a more sustainable manner.
Here’s a breakdown of what some of today’s refrigerated and frozen food processors and distributors are doing to launch their manufacturing plants into the future.
Smithfield Foods—achieving the ultimate in sustainability
Food safety and quality are pillars to Smithfield Foods’ sustainability program. That’s why the third installment of its sustainability report showcases its commitment to producing safe, quality food.
“Our report includes multiple case studies,” says Bill Gill, assistant vice president of sustainability for the Smithfield, Va.-based company. “The ‘Inside a Smithfield Food Laboratory’ case study offers readers a scientific look into our in-house food safety research lab. Our laboratory tests, validates and evaluates the latest in food safety technologies.”
In 2016, Smithfield Foods invested $20 million to upgrade refrigeration, cleaning and sanitation systems, physical integrity maintenance of facilities and the installation of new product and environmental testing equipment.
Smithfield Foods also announced plans to upgrade its Tar Heel, N.C., distribution facility to include blast cell cold storage capabilities that will increase the facility’s capacity by 140 million pounds.
As far as green food processing, Smithfield Foods continues to make progress toward the following goals—10% water reduction, 10% waste reduction and 5% energy reduction, as well as reduce greenhouse gas emissions 25% by 2025.
“We aim to accomplish this by using a variety of measures such as high-efficiency motors, variable frequency drives, updated refrigeration control systems, recycling and water reuse. We also use biogas as a substitute for natural gas in plant boilers,” adds Gill.
In 2016, Smithfield Foods recycled 27,288 tons of cardboard. Its Middlesboro, Ky., plant sends 23% (109,000 pounds) less plastic to the landfill and saves more than $110,000 per year. Smithfield Foods’ new sustainability report also revealed the company’s first company-wide water policy, which outlines efforts to reduce impact on water resources across all operations. For instance, the Yuma, Colo., plant employs new systems to conserve water on farms. The Ilawa, Poland, facility structured new procedures to reduce the amount of water used in production and the volume of wastewater created. And, the Milan, Mo., location maintained its outstanding multi-year air, water and waste compliance record.
In April, Smithfield Foods introduced Smithfield Bioscience, which supplies byproducts from the meat production process for the development of pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals and medical device solutions.
And, the company released Smithfield Renewables, a new platform within the organization that will unify, lead and accelerate its industry-leading carbon reduction and renewable energy efforts.
“Our commitment to sustainability exists at every level and across all our operations,” adds Gill. “It is important to have support from our executive leadership and employees across the company, from our farms to our facilities day in and day out.”
Straus Family Creamery—instituting organic farming practices
In July, Albert Straus of Straus Family Creamery, Marshall, Calif., launched what is said to be the first full-scale electric truck powered by cow waste. This environmentally-friendly alternative to diesel-fueled trucks features an electric motor powered from batteries charged from electricity generated from cows’ waste.
“It took us 8 years to develop this vehicle, with failures along the way. But, we kept trying. We worked with a local mechanic and an electric vehicle expert to adapt the engine of a 33,000-pound gross weight international harvester truck,” says Straus, organic dairy farmer, founder and CEO. “The feed truck measures, mixes and hauls feed before dropping the feed into the trough for my nearly 300 cows. I think it’s a significant benefit to have the cows actually power the truck that feeds them.”
Organic farming practices are the foundation of Straus Family Creamery’s sustainability efforts.
“Renewable energy has been a focus of my sustainable organic farming practices and creamery from the very beginning,” adds Straus. “My methane digester has been operating on the farm since 2004, and powers smaller vehicles and some farm equipment in addition to the new electric feed truck. At the creamery, we purchase 100% renewable electricity from California wind and solar sources through our partnership with Marin Clean Energy’s Deep Green Renewable Program. This change immediately decreased our operational greenhouse gas footprint by 20%. We also finished an extensive 5-year initiative to reduce water consumption at our creamery. We reduced normalized water use by 30% from 2011-2016. We use a system that allows us to reuse all the water from the creamery at the Straus dairy farm; it is used to flush the barns, help with electricity generation for the methane digester and irrigate pastures. We’ve installed energy efficient equipment like LED lighting and reduced our landfill impact by boosting our recycling efforts. These practices have reduced costs, and in some cases, provided new small revenue streams.”
Bongards’ Creameries—managing waste from beginning to end
Bongards’ Creameries, Bongards, Minn., is expanding its Humboldt, Tenn., plant to feature automated case packing and palletizing systems, including robotic palletizing, a variable retention cooling system for hot-filled products and a new order picking system with automated guided vehicles capable of placing, picking and staging pallets as guided by the warehouse and order systems.
The company’s Perham, Minn., natural cheese facility uses heat from the county’s adjacent waste incinerator to produce steam, which is then used by the plant as part of the cheese production process. Wastewater is also fully treated, then reused to irrigate crops.
And, the company’s headquarters facility leased space for a 40-acre solar garden to satisfy all of the plant’s electricity needs.
“As a company, we’re very committed to incorporating sustainable attributes in our facilities,” says Brent Jewett, vice president of operations. “Our team is currently researching the potential sale of manufacturing byproducts to methane digesters and energy companies, which would provide low-cost inputs and minimize waste from our production processes.”
Solve for Food—employing MATS technology for e-commerce influx
Just a few short months ago, Solve for Food (SFF), Bentonville, Ark., received an investment to break ground on a new technology center that will feature MATS technology, which uses a combination of hot water bath and microwave energy to quickly and safely sterilize packaged food.
“By providing MATS on a tolling basis, we remove the barrier to entry to next-generation food processing,” says Greg Spragg, president and CEO. “SFF gives all food companies, particularly food startups and small companies, access to the new MATS preservation technology.”
The SFF Food Innovation Center will be a destination for brands and innovators to utilize MATS technology to create better packaged food products and receive go-to-market services.
“High-quality packaged foods that can be shipped and stored at ambient temperature are the lynchpin for food e-commerce providers,” says Spragg. “The ability to package a wide variety of protein-rich, shelf-stable foods also makes MATS a sustainable solution for producing humanitarian rations. Located in close proximity to agricultural hubs will allow SFF food production centers to quickly capture surplus crops, minimizing losses due to waste and spoilage.”
NatureFresh Farms—preserving heat in the greenhouse
NatureFresh Farms, Canada, uses high-pressure sodium lighting to supplement growing practices in off-peak farming conditions, such as winter. How it works is, NatureFresh Farms recaptures CO2 for fertilizer on the plants.
“This is because we burn natural gas for heat at a 98% efficiency. We store the heat for when needed and blow the CO2 into the greenhouse to use as fertilizer for the plants,” says John Ketler, general manager. “When we irrigate, whatever drains out of the plant is recaptured, sterilized and then reused again. Therefore, 0% of fertilized water gets dumped into the ditches.”
When it’s cold outside, NatureFresh Farms uses energy curtains in the greenhouse to act as an insulation barrier. Plus, all of its waste material is recycled and/or composted, and the company burns wood for one quarter of its heat supply.
Country Hen—creating moisture-resistant egg carton made from recycled materials
The Country Hen, Hubbardston, Mass., completed a state-of-the-art facility that employs radiant heating systems to ensure the hens in the barn remain warm. The plant also features LED dimmable lighting, which creates a natural sunrise and sunset effect, easing the hens from the transition of light to dark or dark to light. And, the newly installed 350,000 kw solar energy system provides enough power to continuously operate the main production farm, feed mill, processing lines and the new facility.
“The Country Hen built this new facility to provide the most natural, healthiest life for our hens. This commitment to our hens is part of our continued leadership in organic agriculture,” says Brandy Gamoning, marketing manager. “The Country Hen is also in the beginning stages of moving toward a durable, sturdy, humidity and moisture-resistant egg carton made from recycled materials. With this new packaging, customers will be able to view the eggs without having to open the carton, and the eggs will be protected from breakage as a result of the innovative trifold design.”


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Precision Fabrics Group is staying the course and registering positive growth in key business segments, as it navigates the myriad challenges in the industrial textiles sector, beset by domestic and global supply chain disruptions, rising commodity prices and labor shortages in today’s pandemic-impacted economy.
Headquartered in Greensboro, N.C., Precision Fabrics Group—a new NCTO member–is an engineered materials business focused on highly technical, high-quality woven and nonwoven materials.
The company’s diverse portfolio represents a prime example of the U.S. textile industry’s innovative contribution and importance to the economic backbone of the U.S. economy.
Its core business is in industrial fabrics, centered around sophisticated weaving technologies and finishing chemistries for performance fabrics aimed at high-tech markets. The company specializes in designing fabric constructions for coating and laminating substrates, process and cure liners and other industrial applications.
In a testament to the company’s innovative might, Precision’s fabrics are also used in protective apparel, surgical garments, therapeutic bedding and aerospace safety equipment.
It has produced thousands of yards of fabric used to filter contaminated water in Guinea to help eradicate worm disease and also provided the woven release fabric used in the construction of emergency escape chutes, which were used in the 2009 emergency landing on the Hudson River in New York City.
Precision Fabrics Group was created in 1988 in a leveraged buyout from Burlington Industries, and continues today as a privately held company, employing approximately 600 associates and operates plants in North Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee.
In an interview, Byron Bassett, corporate vice president of Precision Fabrics, outlined the impact of the pandemic, and the ongoing challenges the company is facing and overcoming in a turbulent economy that is on the rebound but is still uneven due to new rising coronavirus cases associated with the Delta variant.
“The last two years have been the most uncertain that I have experienced in my 34- year career. There have been other times where the economy took a little dive and short term dip, but this one seems to be so protracted and the recovery so uncertain,” Bassett said. “It seems as if the economy has had more elasticity in years past.”
“We’re involved in the industrial sector and there is large portion of that industrial sector that essentially became a fraction of what it was pre-Covid– almost overnight at the onset of the pandemic last year. The sector is coming back now but the process of recovery is going to be a slow one in some areas,” he added.
The industrial textile sector, like all other segments of the U.S. textile industry, was impacted by shutdowns and economic downturn during the COVID-19 pandemic last year, but according to research highlighted in this summary of IFAI’s 2021 State of the Industry report, the outlook for the industry is positive.
“Collectively, companies in the industry…have positive expectations for their future. Some 62% expect their revenues to increase while only 5% expect a decrease (one-third are not sure),” IFAI said. “Overall, respondents expect an average increase of 8.5% in annual revenues over the next two years. Organizations serving the hospitality markets anticipate the highest increase in revenues (10%). Those serving manufacturing and agriculture anticipate slightly lower-than-average revenues.”
The research is based on findings from more than 300 members of the industrial fabrics community, gathered through an online survey fielded January–March 2021 that asked organizations about their businesses pre-pandemic (2019) and during the pandemic (2020), as well as their outlook for the future, according to IFAI.
Bassett said Precision Fabrics shares that optimism, having registered growth in the first half of this year, but warned there are headwinds slowing down the recovery.
SUPPLY CHAIN ISSUES DOMESTICALLY AND GLOBALLY
“We’re still waiting for yarns to run our looms. We’ve got 10 percent or 15 percent of our production capacity that has been hampered by [shortages] of raw materials. So on top of all of the other things, we are struggling to meet delivery schedules, which is a pretty common thing—as a result of these supply chain issues,” Bassett said.
He noted that supply chain problems downstream and upstream are impacting business and said domestic yarn manufacturers, non-woven produces and chemical companies across the board are having difficulty procuring polymers, necessary to run supply raw materials, as well as shortages in manpower to run them.
“There is a myriad of reasons that are hard to put together. We had a terrible winter down in the Gulf, which impacted the petrochemical based stocks. We had plant shutdowns because of COVID that reduced production outputs. There has been a lot of competition for commodities,” Bassett said.
“As our order books have strengthened over the last 6 months, priming the pump has been difficult, as a result.”
Another challenge causing supply chain disruptions has to do with the sheer magnitude of the effort necessary to ramp back up industries, many of which were temporarily shuttered for several months, particularly in the U.S. petrochemical industry, which supplies the majority of polymers to the textile industry.
Upstream manufacturers are also facing severe supply chain delays and issues.
For example, the automotive industry is a strong business segment for Precision, which makes nonwoven acoustic fabrics for the interior of vehicles to address sound absorption.
While consumer demand is high for new cars, an ongoing computer chip shortage, has severely impacted the production of new automobiles.
“The automotive business is a really good example where secondary or tertiary level supply chains are impacting every other tier of suppliers,” Bassett said. “They are saying this chip shortage will last into next year. Then we expect a surge because of pent- up demand. This turbulence is going to continue. How do you take a manufacturing process and ramp up from 30 percent of historical production volume to 130 percent of historical production volume? How do you forecast that?”
Rising raw material prices and freight surcharges on imported inputs are also putting pressure on margins.
“Raw materials are increasing in price; the cost of freight particularly sea freight is at all-time highs and some suppliers are implementing surcharges on components made from feed stocks that are on allocation. The combination of these factors require PFG and other companies to rethink their strategies as the demand in the market improves, Bassett said.
WOKFORCE ISSUES—LABOR SHORTAGES
As business continues to come back online, NCTO member companies are facing one of the more dire labor shortage environments in history, in line with every other major industrial, retail and transportation sector across the country.
The textile industry was recently listed as one of seven industries “most desperate for workers,” by the Washington Post.
Shortages are so acute that manufacturers have had to turn down contracts from businesses, including those that want to make their goods here in America.
“From my perspective, there has been a change in our culture, a change in how people view themselves relative to companies themselves and what they see as their part in it,” Bassett said. “We are going to have to find some creative ways to keep people engaged, particularly in manufacturing. I don’t think young people graduating from college today are thinking: ‘If I could only get into manufacturing and work for 45 years, I’d have a great career.’”
Bassett said the labor shortages are also driven by a generational gap and retiring Baby Boomers.
“We’ve got Baby Boomers that have worked in manufacturing for 40 years and are looking forward to retirement. A lot of those folks have worked with us for a very long time and we’ve relied on them. Filling those jobs over the next 5-10 years is a key focus. That is the essence of where we are going as a manufacturing company—we are going to have to figure out how to replace that know-how.”
IMPORTS AND RESHORING
Bassett said there continues to be price pressure from imports, particularly on lower-cost fabrics.
“There are situations where import prices are below our material costs. Some countries see it as a huge opportunity to take a long-term approach and dominate our markets. They have easy access to our market and are willing to invest in the those markets in the short run at lower margins to try choke out the domestic supply base,” he said.
The domestic industry is fully aware of the cost of producing polymers and can easily identify when imported textile components are imported into the U.S. market at below-market prices.
“We’ve seen countries support their industries and I just think there are a lot of reasons for our federal government to make it a strategy to rebuild the U.S. textile industry,” he said. “I don’t think we will make T-shirts here but we need a thriving textile industry in this country as part of an overall, nationwide manufacturing strategy. We are part of what needs to be here for the long run.”
He added that he is seeing a willingness on the part of Precision Fabric’s customers to reshore.
But he cautioned that in some segments such as personal protective equipment (PPE), “memories are quite short and people have reverted back to imports.”
He said foreign suppliers often try to combat reshoring by offering even lower prices as an incentive lure companies back offshore.
Despite the challenges and other headwinds, Bassett said on balance Precision Fabrics is seeing an increase in orders and business is coming back.
“We’ve absorbed extra costs when things were leaner last year, and as we are digging out, we have tried to maintain as much continuity as we possibly can. We think that’s good for everybody in the long run,” he said. “It has been our philosophy to stay the course. We’ve got a lot of loyalty in our workforce and recognize that we’ve got skills in our manufacturing operations that would be difficult to replace once lost. It is important that we keep those associates working so that we are prepared to handle the volume when the market rebounds.”
The sectors related to “heavy industry” such as construction, aerospace and even automotive, despite ongoing supply chain issues, are areas where the business is coming back, he said.
Finally, Bassett said the industrial textile segment is “probably the one category in which we can survive as a domestic manufacturer.”
“Low-cost commodity fabrics or consumer items cannot be our focus. We have to continue innovating and take on the most technically challenging applications in our industry. Once something becomes commoditized, we need to replace that business with an innovative product, one that is more financially sustainable. It is that kind of strategy that will provide a real future for the American textile industry.”

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A mad scientist scarecrow promoting the Science Gone Wild haunted house… (Cloe Poisson )
WETHERSFIELD — — By CHRISTOPHER HOFFMAN
Beware birds and small animals: scarecrows are taking over Main Street in Old Wethersfield.
The 17th annual Scarecrows Along Main Street begins Saturday with at least 25 entries standing sentinel in Old Wethersfield Historic District.
The festival, sponsored by the Old Wethersfield Shopkeepers Association, lasts through the end of October.
"It's a wonderful event," said Dana Spicer, owner of Heart of the Country and one of the event's organizers. "We encourage people to come and enjoy the historic district and the enjoy the scarecrows at the same time."
These scarecrows are not just the traditional hay-stuffed plaid shirts and faded jeans. There are no rules, allowing makers to give flight to their creativity, Spicer said.
One of last year's entries, for example, was titled "crowbar" and consisted of crows sitting at a bar, Spicer said. Another was made of pie plates, she recalled.
On the first weekend in October, the scarecrows will be judged in five categories, including two juvenile divisions, and for businesses, organizations and individuals, Spicer said. Old Wethersfield businesses will donate the prizes, tailoring them to the winners. A children's group, for example, could receive a free pizza party, she said.
It's not too late to enter, Spicer said. And scarecrow makers need not be from Wethersfield, she said.
"In past years, we've had people from out of the state enter," Spicer said.
Anyone interested in participating may obtain an entry form from Spicer's store at 169 Main St. or Neill Walsh Goldsmiths and Gallery at 125 Main St.
Spicer said that the event started 17 years ago to encourage people to visit Old Wethersfield, the state's largest historic district.


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Central Co-op, the Seattle-based food merchant that merged with the Tacoma Food Co-op and closed its Sixth Avenue site, has picked a new location.
The Co-op’s new site will be located at 4502 N. Pearl St., the current site of Bargain World.
The 10-year lease for the site was signed Friday morning, the grocer announced in a news release, and it has options to extend.
The 14,000-square-foot site was previously a grocery store and the location was picked in part because it is on two Pierce Transit bus lines and has ample parking.
Central Co-op is planning renovations for the building, with hopes to get it open by the end of the year.
About 35 jobs will be added to staff the store, CEO Garland McQueen wrote in the release, and there will be a job fair as the store’s opening approaches.


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How to read U.S. economic data, without the spin
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - As the United States gears up for presidential, congressional and local elections in November, the country's economy is also on a rollercoaster ride.
China posts first import growth since pandemic, exports also up
BEIJING (Reuters) - China's imports in June rose for the first time since the coronavirus crisis paralysed the economy, as government stimulus stoked demand for commodities, while exports, fuelled by medical goods, also rose in a sign the recovery is gaining traction.
UK economy could shrink 14% this year, budget forecasters say
LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's economy could shrink by more than 14% this year if there is lasting damage from the coronavirus, a scenario that would push government borrowing to nearly half a trillion dollars, budget forecasters said on Tuesday.
Euro zone industry output recovers less than expected
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Euro zone industrial production rose in May, official estimates showed on Tuesday, but the recovery from lockdown-induced record declines March and April was lower than expected and far from offsetting past drops.
California's new lockdown dims outlook for U.S. growth in pandemic
(Reuters) - California Governor Gavin Newsom's decision Monday to reimpose restrictions on bars, restaurants, gyms and even ordinary office work to tamp down a surge of coronavirus infections is dimming economic growth prospects for the nation as a whole.
Pandemic knocks Singapore into recession as GDP plummets 41% in second quarter
SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Singapore's trade-reliant economy plunged into recession in the second quarter with a record contraction, signaling a rough first half globally and an equally challenging outlook as the coronavirus crisis exacts a heavy toll on business and demand.
Exclusive: Trump administration to soon end audit deal underpinning Chinese listings in U.S. - official
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Trump administration plans to soon scrap a 2013 agreement between U.S. and Chinese auditing authorities, a senior State Department official said, a move that could foreshadow a broader crackdown on U.S.-listed Chinese firms under fire for sidestepping American disclosure rules.
China's economy seen growing 2.5% in second quarter as lockdowns end, stimulus kicks in: Reuters poll
BEIJING (Reuters) - China's economy likely returned to modest growth in the second quarter after a record contraction, as lockdown measures ended and policymakers announced more stimulus to combat the shock from the coronavirus crisis, according to a Reuters poll.
India's auto sales volume will take 3-4 years to recover: industry body
BENGALURU (Reuters) - India's auto sales volume will take another 3-4 years to reach 2018 levels, an industry body executive said on Tuesday, as the coronavirus-induced lockdown hurt monthly revenue and increased pressure on a sector already reeling from poor demand.
Hedge fund manager Singh calls Trump's handling of coronavirus 'an incredible gift'
(Reuters) - President Donald Trump's handling of the coronavirus outbreak early this year was "an incredible gift" for investors because it kept markets stable long enough for some to protect their portfolios, Axon Capital co-founder Dinakar Singh told investors this month.


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eBay’s mobile sales continued to grow during the holiday shopping season, according to a release issued by the company today. eBay is reporting that gross merchandise value (also known as GMV, the total sales dollar value for merchandise sold through eBay) was up 166 percent to $230 million from Nov. 25 to Dec. 25 from the same period last year.
In the U.S., sales from eBay’s mobile apps grew 134 percent over the same period last year, generating nearly $100 million in GMV.
In terms of yearly stats, eBay says that designer handbags, diamond jewelry and Rolex watches topped this year’s most expensive holiday purchases.
In the U.S., the top five categories ranked by the number of items sold through eBay’s mobile apps for the year were: clothing shoes & accessories; cell phones & PDAs; collectibles; jewelry & watches; and toys & hobbies.
In terms of gadgets, the consumer electronics category saw its peak in mobile sales after the release of the iPad and iPhone 4. In the U.S., cars & trucks ranked in the top five categories in every state except Hawaii, and auto parts was a top five category in all 50 states. Other categories that were shopped through eBay mobile in nearly every state were clothing & accessories (49 states) and sporting goods (47 states).
It’s no secret that eBay has been making a big push to launch and promote its new mobile offerings in time for the holiday season. And as more consumers look to their mobile phones as a way to search and shop for products, eBay is gaining more traffic to its apps.
eBay’s primary iPhone app has seen over 13 million downloads, and its suite of apps have been downloaded 30 million times.


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Back to Blog
Apple revealed today the new iPhone 15 & 15 Pro and a new Apple Watch Series 9.
The new iPhone 15 will be available in 5 colours, including pink.
iPhone 15 sees the new dynamic island introduced for this year, something that was introduced for the first time last year on the 14 Pro.
The 15 Pro will have a new titanium case, thinner borders and be one of the 'lightest pro models ever'.
A big change to the new 15 Pro will be an action button to replace the mute switch.
The new 'action button' will be able to open camera, activate torch and more, all with one click of a button.
There will also be a huge upgrade for those using iCloud+ storage, as they are introducing new 6TB & 12TB plans.


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MakerBot Doubles Production Capacity With New 170,000 Sq Foot Factory in Brooklyn
Many shareholders of Stratasys (SSYS) have been discouraged a bit lately by news coming from their subsidiary, MakerBot. Perhaps, it’s the recent layoffs that were announced back in April, or perhaps the issues experienced with the early versions of the Smart Extruders. Whatever it is though, one thing is for sure; CEO Jonathan Jaglom appears to be a breath of fresh air for the company, at least when it comes to making changes within, in order to help the company fit his vision of how the world’s top manufacturer of desktop 3D printers should operate.
Jaglom has been no slouch when it comes to running the company. He has taken initiative in order to run things his way, and only time will tell if that way is the “right way”. Today MakerBot seems to be taking a step in the right direction, as they inform 3DPrint.com that they have opened a new factory at Industry City in Brooklyn, NY.
“The opening of the new factory reinforces MakerBot’s commitment to manufacturing in Brooklyn and is an important step in preparing the company for growth in the 3D printing market,” Johan Broer, PR Manager for MakerBot tells 3DPrint.com this morning. “The new facility measures 170,000 square feet, which doubles production capacity compared to MakerBot’s previous Industry City factory. A new layout streamlines the production process to help MakerBot advance its lean manufacturing methods and dedicate an even larger space to product testing.”
One thing is for sure, Jonathan Jaglom envisions his company’s production and sale of 3D printers to increase in the future, and that can only be a good thing for shareholders who have recently been discouraged.
This morning at 10:00 AM ET, a ribbon-cutting ceremony took place to inaugurate the opening of the new factory. Jaglom, was on hand, along with Brooklyn Borough President, Eric Adams; Dean of the School of Science and Engineering at SUNY New Paltz, Dan Freedman; Brooklyn Technical High School Principal, Randy Asher; Tech Alumni Foundation Chief Education Officer, Matt Mandery, and many others.
“Since MakerBot was founded in 2009, we have been leading the desktop 3D printing revolution from Brooklyn and this has spearheaded a renaissance of manufacturing here,” said Jonathan Jaglom. “Brooklyn has defined what MakerBot is today and I couldn’t think of a better place for our new factory. The new MakerBot factory is a state-of-the-art facility with a focus on lean manufacturing and efficiency, making it one of the most advanced factories in New York City and in the global 3D printing industry. Close proximity to our R&D teams and corporate headquarters is a huge advantage as it allows us to adapt quickly to changes in the growing market of 3D printing.”
To think back, it was just six years ago that MakerBot opened their first factory in Brooklyn. Located on Dean Street, it became a breeding ground for new ideas and innovations within the desktop 3D printing space. Led by visionary and marketing guru Bre Pettis, the company rapidly grew to become the leading manufacturer of desktop 3D printers.
The new factory looks to solve several issues that were experienced at the previous facility and its predecessors. This 170,000 sq. foot building will enable the company to streamline the manufacturing of their products by bringing the various functions in the manufacturing process closer together. These include materials, product testing, production, and shipping, while also allowing the company to continue making the manufacturing process more efficient and less wasteful.
“The future has arrived, and its first stop is Brooklyn. We are witnessing the growth and evolution of 3D printing technology in our borough, a rapidly growing industry with infinite potential,” explained Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams. “MakerBot is bound to thrive in their new expanded factory at Industry City, innovating solutions to everyday real-world challenges in the marketplace while inspiring new opportunities for economic and technological development. I thank MakerBot and their development team for calling Brooklyn, the new Silicon Valley, their home.”
MakerBot cites a recent industry research report by Canalys as one of the motivating factors for the move. Canalys forecasts that 3D printing revenues will grow to more than $20 billion worldwide by the start of 2020.
The current MakerBot factory employs 140 individuals which include staff who are involved in shipping, receiving, quality engineering, supply chain, manufacturing, engineering, and production. It should be interesting to see if the company begins increasing its workforce in the coming months to amp up for what may be an increase in production in the near future.
What do you think about this move from MakerBot? Is this a signal that the company will be seeing an increase in sales? Discuss in the MakerBot Opens New Factory forum thread on 3DPB.com.
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Post Office could profit more from social grant payments
The Post Office could earn almost R2.4 billion over the next five years, that’s more than double the cumulative profits earned by CPS over the same period, a report revealed.
CAPE TOWN - The Post Office could end up profiting more from paying social grants than its controversial predecessor, Cash Paymaster Services (CPS).
It’s been revealed in a report to the Constitutional Court, the Post Office could earn almost R2.4 billion over the next five years, that’s more than double the cumulative profits earned by CPS over the same period.
A panel of experts overseeing the transition of the grant payment system says it’s concerned beneficiaries could end up paying more to access their money.
While the Post Office stands to make a loss in this financial year during the takeover of the social grant payment system, by 2023 it projected it will make an annual profit of more than R800 million.
Most of its profits will be derived from doubling a monthly account servicing fee charged to the South Africa Social Security Agency (Sassa) of R13 per beneficiary.
A court-appointed panel of experts led by the Auditor General says this fee is well above the monthly cost incurred by the Post Office for maintaining beneficiary bank accounts.
The Post Office is also proposing doubling its over-the-counter fee to R23.
The panel says it’s unreasonable for the Post Office to use these profits to upgrade its branches, and that it has significantly understated the costs it would incur in providing payment services to grant beneficiaries.
It adds that with less than two weeks to go before CPS is completely phased out, Sassa and the Post Office are yet to sign a formal agreement.
And the cost to beneficiaries for accessing social grants remain uncertain.
(Edited by Zamangwane Shange)


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Back to the Bricks likely a repeat event for Rockford
By BETH ALTENA
The beauty and charm of Rockford in winter was instrumental in the successful event which took place Friday, June 7 in downtown. Organizer Charles SeKrenes visited our town during one Ice Festival weekend and fell in love—with Rockford. He proposed making Rockford one of the stops on the Lakeshore to Lakeshore promotional tour for this summer’s upcoming Back to the Bricks (B2B) car show and extravaganza held annually in Flint, Michigan.
Friday’s visit by hundreds of car fans is part of an economic stimulus idea that brought Back to the Bricks to flint nearly a decade ago. As the town lost much of its auto manufacturing industry, organizers came up with a huge city-wide event to honor the auto history of the town and bring commerce to the area. It has been a huge success that now draws upwards of 400,000 people and lasts more than a week in downtown Flint.
The promotional tour for the event isn’t too bad, either. SeKrenes said he wouldn’t be surprised if there were soon multiple promotional B2B promotional tours running throughout the state independently, as you can only gather so many automobiles and their fans in one location.
With an emphasis on automobiles and history and with the purpose of promoting Flint’s event and bringing commerce to each town the tour visits, it is doubtful any community would fail to welcome with open arms the hundreds of car exhibitors. Those individuals, families or groups as they show off their vehicles, either vintage or otherwise cool, also buy dinner, shop and need a place to stay for the night.
Rockford’s first B2B invasion included hundreds of cars parking at the South Squires parking area and throughout town. From classic antiques to themed vehicles such as the breast cancer awareness car, there were many different types of autos to view.
Prior to settling in for the day in downtown, many of the exhibitors took advantage of a visit to a local automobile collector and restorer who showed off a private collection from his Belmont home. From there the tour settled in downtown and took advantage of many of the town’s restaurants and other establishments before heading out for a night’s stay and Saturday’s trip to Hart where the vehicles have become part of the town’s annual Asparagus Day Parade.
SeKrenes said he believes first-time visitors will be impressed with Rockford and all the town has to offer. He said he couldn’t believe how many restaurants and shops the town boasts when he stopped in during the Ice Festival.
“If everyone has a good time and likes it, it will be part of our route permanently,” he stated. As of press time, the week-long tour was still underway, so word has yet to be heard how the B2B visitors felt about the new daytrip destination of downtown Rockford. Doubtless they loved it.


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A popular view of older adults — that they are an unproductive drag on the American economy – is under challenge by a new brief commissioned by AARP called “The Longevity Economy.”
Authored by U.K.-based Oxford Economics, the brief refutes standard conventions of older adults and their economic impact, claiming that if the American population 50 and older were considered its own economy, its purchasing power would be the third highest in the world – after the United States and China – at a whopping $7.1 trillion annually.
Instead of a dwindling economic force, the brief insists that adults 50+ are actually reaching their peak economic productivity and will work long past traditional retirement age.
“Rather than being a burden to society, these older people will continue to fuel economic activity far longer than past generations had,” states the brief.
And so, it appears that Baby Boomers will continue to redefine aging just as they have art, sex, politics, religion, travel and culture.
The brief also suggests that businesses and governments would be well-served by viewing aging Americans as a source of both economic revenue and social capital.
Wait a second. Older adults aren’t really social and economic burdens?
“Older Americans are a vibrant group, driven to keep working and contributing to the economy either by financial need or simply the desire to stay active and feel fulfilled,” says the brief. “The growing presence will be not only a net gain for the overall American economy, but also a crucial opportunity for businesses.”
While the 2012 spending power of 50+ adults accounted for just under half of American economic activity (48%), by 2032 this number is projected to tally over half (52%).
And older adults are critical contributors in many other areas.
They make charitable donations of $100 billion annually.
And growth in health-related fields like tele-medicine, mobile health, and anti-aging products are all expected to explode.
What about entrepreneurship?
Nearly twice as many businesses are launched by adults in their 50’s and 60’s than their much-heralded 20’s counterparts – largely because they have not only the desire, but the capital, credit and experience.
The AARP brief –its full title “The Longevity Economy: Generating economic growth and new opportunities for business” — is expected to be a centerpiece for the much anticipated White House Conference on Aging held Monday, July 13, and streamed online.


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Officials confirm some clean-up work has been suspended
Hopes that BP could complete the relief well and halt the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico ahead of schedule were receding yesterday as the first hurricane of the season began to disrupt the company's clean-up...
It has long been touted as a key pillar of the low carbon economy, but is the hydrogen sector finally starting to live up to its promise?
The focus may have been on its Brexit projections, but as Madeleine Cuff argues the OBR's highlighting of climate risks demands attention from businesses and policymakers
Two of America's best-known detergent brands will now be available to US customers in reusable packaging
Successful circular cities have these three things in common, reports Circle Economy's Joke Dufourmont


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The Story Lab has launched ‘Make with Mishka’ for Pinnacle Drinks’, featuring a four-day interactive workshop series with supporting content, produced in partnership with media agency Carat and media partner Pedestrian.TV.
Pinnacle Drinks challenged The Story Lab to develop a campaign for Mishka to enhance the vodka brand’s personality and bring to life ‘Mishka Moments’ by inspiring and influencing with lifestyle tips and ‘drinkspiration’ solutions.
The female, trendsetting Mishka target audience trades experiences and knowledge for social currency. Understanding this helped build The Story Lab’s approach: bringing together popular talent to inspire via meaningful experience where they can create, learn, drink and DIY their hearts out with their friends.
‘Make with Mishka’ is the resulting four-day workshop series, created in partnership with Pedestrian.TV, where over 100 competition winners will try their hand at activities such as jewellery making, floristry, painting and cocktail creations.
The workshop events are taking place until Satruday in a uniquely designed workshop space at the heart of Sydney’s Surry Hills.
In addition to the workshops, The Story Lab has ideated and developed a six-part stop motion Mishka Cocktail series, designed to inspire consumers to create their own Mishka moments at home in new and imaginative ways.
In a twist on the summer cocktail, ‘The Spring Racer’ teaches viewers to add edible flower ice cubes, and ‘Tealicious’ uses chilled peached tea to put a spin on tea time.
Claire Booth, senior manager of content partnerships at The Story Lab, said: “Pinnacle set us the challenge of inspiring Mishka’s female target audience with lifestyle tips and ‘drinkspiration’.
“With a lot of brands already playing in this space, the key to a successful approach was to give Mishka something new to talk about, something new to own and something new to make people a part of.
“‘Make with Mishka’ is a unique campaign doing just that – paving a new way of socialising and putting Mishka at the heart of these moments.”
Rachel Hofman, marketing manager at Pinnacle Drinks, said: “It was important for us to not only inspire the Mishka audience through content they want to consume, but also to physically bring to life ‘Mishka Moments’ through a brand experience.
“Working in close collaboration with The Story Lab and Carat, we’ve been able to do this through the unique cocktail series The Story Lab produced and the exciting ‘Make with Mishka’ platform in partnership with Pedestrian.TV.”
James McManus, head of creative projects at Pedestrian.TV, said: “The ‘Make with Mishka’ workshop series is a real Pedestrian partnership first. We’re thrilled to team with Mishka to get our audience’s hands dirty and throw them in the creative deep end.
“A video content series off the back of the workshops will feature the incredible skills of some of Australia’s best DIY guns, and inspire our wider audience to embrace innovation.”
The Story Lab
Senior manager of content partnerships: Claire Booth
Content partnerships director: Claire Crennan
Senior producer: Sarah-Jane Sands
Art director: Clalla Morishita
Ecosystem planning manager: Sally Cartmell
Marketing manager: Rachel Hofman
Group advertising manager: Rachel Tikey
Head of creative projects: James McManus
Project manager: Jordana Johnson
Project coordinator: Paigge Warton
Your ABC has you covered in 2022 with world-class dramas, exciting kids’ content, engaging documentaries, entertaining comedies and some reality with a difference. There really is something on offer for everyone from the very young to the very young at heart. Just because ABC is waiting to celebrate it’s 90th birthday doesn’t mean we can’t […]
The Athlete’s Foot, also known as the “Experts in Fit”, have commissioned some well-known faces to explore a range of topics all related to FIT in their new online series #FITTALK. Each season, a new host will tackle different topics ranging from finding the right shoes for your activity, enhancing your FIT with the correct […]
BBC Studios will produce Space 22, its first locally created format for the ABC in Australia. Space 22 will explore the impact of art and creativity on mental health in a new six-part documentary series. The series, which is created and produced by BBC Studios’ Australian production arm, will also be available to the international […]
Sanitarium and Milk + Honey United have launched a visually striking new campaign for The Alternative Dairy Company’s range of plant-based milks The national campaign, ‘Today’s Milk’, will launch via online video, OOH and social and digital, and will focus on the company’s diverse range of soy, oat and almond milk variants. Creative executions will […]
A collective of Brisbane-based creatives are getting behind Lifeline Queensland’s Giving Day campaign in a bid to rally funds for their Crisis Support service. BCM Group, Israel Rivera, and Rosco Audio are calling on their networks to donate during the 12-hour digital fundraiser on Thursday the 25th of November. Managing director of BCM Group, Phil […]
Commonwealth Bank have combined their long-running support for women’s cricket, with their recent sponsorship of women’s football and The Matildas for an empowering new summer campaign. ‘The Game Changers’ aims to champion both elite and grassroots female cricketers and footballers, who through their skill and passion are moving the game forward and changing it for […]
The BBC is on track to achieve a record half-a-billion global viewers by the time of its centenary celebrations in 2022. The forecast is based on the Global Audience Measure (GAM) published today, which records the total weekly number of adults accessing the BBC around the world. The GAM found the broadcaster had achieved its […]


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New Delhi/Chennai, April 1 :
Automobile manufacturers Tuesday reported a decline in March sales due to prevailing economic slowdown coupled with high fuel and interest costs.
Domestic sales in March fell by 5.2 percent at 102,269 units from an off-take of 107,890 units reported in March 2013.
For year ended March 31, 2014, the company reported a 1.4 percent fall in its total sales at 1,155,041 units from 1,171,434 units sold in the previous fiscal.
Chennai-based Hyundai Motor India’s sales last month declined by 8.4 percent at 51,708 units from 56,437 units sold in the corresponding month of last year.
However, the company’s domestic sales grew by 3.4 percent and stood at 35,003 units — up from 33,858 units sold in March 2013.
Company’s exports last month fell by 26 percent at 16,705 units — down from 22,579 units being shipped-out during the corresponding month of last year.
Other major players in the Indian auto market, Tata Motors and Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M), too, reported a drop in sales.
Tata Motors’ total sales, including exports, in the month under review fell by 29.60 percent at 51,184 units last months from an off-take of 72,712 units in the corresponding month of 2013.
The company’s domestic sales including commercial and passenger vehicles in the month under review too decline. The off-take fell by 33.49 percent at 45,996 units from 69,160 units sales in March 2013.
For year ended 2013-14 the company’s sales fell by 30.04 percent at 566,695 units from 810,086 vehicles shipped-out during the corresponding month of 2013.
M&M’s off-take last month was marginally down by 0.5 percent at 51,636 units from 51,904 units.
Domestic sales stood at 48,490 units during last month, as against 49,225 units during March 2013, a decline of one percent.
However, the company’s exports during the month under review grew by 17 percent at 3,146 units from 2,679 units.
For year ended March 31, 2014, the company reported a decline of 10 percent in its total sales at 507,176 units from 563,373 units sold in the previous fiscal.
Honda Cars India reported its highest ever monthly domestic sales of 18,426 units during last month with a growth of 83.4 percent. The company had sold 10,044 units in March 2013.
Two- and three-wheeler maker TVS Motor closed last month with 17 percent increase in sales over previous year’s corresponding period.
In a statement, the company said it sold 196,826 units last month, up from 167,583 units sold in March 2013.
Two-wheeler major Hero MotoCorp’s March sales grew by 11.9 percent at 524,028 units 468,283 units.
For year ended March 31, 2014, the company’s sales reported a growth of three percent at 6,245,895 units from 6,075,583 units sold in 2012-13.


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Swedish packaging specialist aPak has made a significant investment in Kongsberg digital finishing solutions to automate its production and provide the speed and flexibility demanded by its customers.
The designer, printer and manufacturer of bespoke packaging, which has more than a century of specialist experience, recently installed a new Kongsberg C64 cutting table complete with an automated Feeder and Stacker at its facility in Mölndal, near Gothenburg. “We create the best results for our customers by offering customized packaging solutions, effective warehousing, and automation,” said Jan Vesterberg, Packaging Designer at aPak. “We had experienced a growing demand for fast deliveries, particularly on small volume batches, and with material shortages during the pandemic we found that larger volume articles were becoming increasingly difficult to produce.
“We were already looking to upgrade an older CAM-solution and wanted a faster, better, and more versatile machine,” said Jan. “Kongsberg’s impressive automation solution seemed the natural choice to take our capabilities one step further. Not only can we now produce samples at higher speeds and with better precision, but we can also create smaller product series on site, which is very beneficial for our customers.
“All in all, this investment means we have a digital finishing solution that increases the value for our customers while also creating new business opportunities,” said Jan. “The tools delivered with our system ensure that we always have the best possible equipment for each job. We’ve already enjoyed the benefits of being able to offer a quicker turnaround on samples and delivering small volume batches, and we are now accepting jobs that we previously couldn’t. In the future this will enable us to tap into markets where we haven’t been before,” he said. “We now have the capability to create unique boxes, tailor-made for just about anything, without the need for additional expensive tooling.”
Melanie Fox, Territory Sales Manager with Kongsberg Precision Cutting Systems, said that the Kongsberg C64 delivers the highest levels of performance. “With its state-of-the-art engineering and technology, it combines an aluminum composite tabletop, rack and pinion drive system and dynamic table mapping to deliver the greatest cutting accuracy and consistency,” she said.
“The new table is served by the Kongsberg Feeder and Stacker, which enables aPak to significantly increase its productivity. With its stack height and quick automatic load cycles, it is the optimal solution for short run production on a wide variety of materials. The underside camera takes away the manual processes of checking each sheet and calculating registration marks. It scans each sheet from below, on the print side, and automatically locates the registration marks, barcodes and the corner of the sheet,” added Melanie. “This saves anything up to thirty minutes on each job set up, boosting productivity even further.”
Jan said that the combination of speedy turnaround and flexibility to quickly adapt to current packaging trends for much smaller segments of the market now gives aPak even more standout in the market. “We can now provide an even better service for our customers,” he said. “Even if a customer might already be working with someone else, when they see what we can do, we become the first name they think of when they think ‘packaging’.”
For more on the Kongsberg C series, the Kongsberg automate Feeder & Stacker or the entire range of digital finishing solutions and tools visit www.Kongsbergsystems.com
For more on aPak, visit www.apak.se


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Harry Potter's magic lifts Scholastic
CHILDREN'S publisher Scholastic, Pearson's major rival in the US educational books market, posted a narrower first-quarter loss thanks to the record-breaking sales of the latest Harry Potter.
But earnings in its core school books business also grew, on improved sales to school libraries.
The loss was $24.8m (£15m) against $44.6m for the same period a year earlier. Revenue rose 55% to $475m from $307m a year ago, beating forecasts for $422m.
Educational sales for the June-to-August period are traditionally slow, due to schools' summer breaks, but the company still saw a 20% increase in revenue in this division. It has cut capital spending by $26m and chairman Richard Robinson said the firm would meet its target of $40m cuts in 2004.
The Potter effect pushed up overall revenue growth by 55%. But some analysts say the growth in educational book revenue was the result of one-off increases in classroom library spending in New York. 'Sales of the Potter book were more than thought, but there are still concerns that the company's underlying business is still weak,' said one analyst.
Scholastic sold 11m copies of Harry Potter and The Order of The Phoenix, bringing revenue from the series to $170m in the quarter, against $15m a year earlier.
Revenue from media, licensing and advertising slid 4% to $16.1m.
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Spanish fashion designer Paco Rabanne has died at the age of 88, the Business of Fashion reports. The news was confirmed on Friday morning by Puig, the beauty and fashion conglomerate that controls the Paco Rabanne fashion and fragrance brands.
Rabanne’s namesake brand shared the following message in an Instagram post:
“The House of Paco Rabanne wishes to honour our visionary designer and founder who passed away today at the age of 88. Among the most seminal fashion figures of the 20th century, his legacy will remain a constant source of inspiration.
We are grateful to Monsieur Rabanne for establishing our avant-garde heritage and defining a future of limitless possibilities.”
Rabanne was a pioneer of fashion’s space-age movement, inspired by the then-ongoing space race in the ’60s. The revolutionary designer used materials like metal and plastic to create dresses and accessories made of chainmail and paillettes that brought glamour to a Jetsons-like fantasy of the future. Boundary-pushing pieces in silver and gold metals soon became his signature. The futuristic materials and silhouettes were a favorite among stars like Peggy Guggenheim and Françoise Hardy, and were worn by Jane Fonda in Barbarella.
Rabanne told the New York Times in 2017 he saw creating armor-like designs for women as political. “In France, during the ’60s, we had a similar women’s liberation movement as in America.” He explained, “At the same time I was doing the costumes for the movie Barbarella. So it was a moment when women emerged to be warriors because they needed to affirm their desire of emancipation, freedom, and liberty.”
Rabanne was influenced by fashion at an early age — his mother was a seamstress for Cristobal Balenciaga. Rabanne went on to study architecture at l’École Nationale des Beaux-Arts and did stints in construction and drawing fashion sketches before going on to design jewelry at Dior, Balenciaga, and Givenchy and eventually launching his own line in 1966. Soon after, Rabanne signed a deal with Puig to launch the brand’s best-selling fragrances.
Rabanne often took inspiration from the mythical and astrological, describing himself as clairvoyant and recounting his experiences with mysticism and predictions in a book. His values of mysticism became a heavy theme in his work, as Julien Dossena — the current creative director for the Paco Rabanne fashion brand — told Hero Magazine in 2020.
Rabanne retired from the fashion world in the late ’90s to pursue art. Dossena thanked the late designer on Instagram for the legacy he left behind. Dossena’s latest ready-to-wear collection for Paco Rabanne is scheduled to show during Paris Fashion Week.


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Nakamoto Games, the premier play-to-earn gaming ecosystem, has announced a single-player version of the widely popular NAKA Strike multiplayer play-to-earn game. The announcement was made as part of Nakamoto Games’ push toward better, faster, more rewarding, and more engaging gaming titles for its players.
Since its launch, NAKA Strike has become a viral sensation and has attracted countless new players from all around the world. The game combines exciting, fast-paced, and interactive gameplay with the lucrative play-to-earn rewards system of the Nakamoto Games platform. These features – combined with the exceptional tournament challenge of NAKA Strike– have generated massive amounts of attention in blockchain gaming and play-to-earn circles.
With regards to the new release, NAKA Strike players can now fight against advanced AI-trained bots while still vying for NAKA rewards. There is no longer any need to fight alongside anyone else and players can log in and start their campaigns whenever they want.
Nakamoto Games CEO Tor discussed the new release and said: “We are ecstatic at the success of NAKA Strike and are humbled by the reception of the game and the outpouring of support for the multiplayer version of the game. We wanted to thank our players and have developed a single-person version of the game that retains all the excitement and thrills of the multiplayer version while retaining the play-to-earn benefits of the original. We are sure that our players will love this new release and are steadily adding new games, features, and benefits to our community over the weeks and months to come.”
From Duck Hunter, NAKA Strike, and NAKAR – a fast-paced racing game – to Candy Shop, Alien Apocalypse, NAKA Heist, NAKA DUI, and more, Nakamoto Games is changing the narrative for blockchain-based decentralized play-to-earn games and is helping new developers, rising studios, and new players benefit from the rapidly maturing blockchain gaming space.
About Nakamoto Games
Nakamoto Games is building the premier play-to-earn ecosystem that gives anyone with an internet connection the opportunity to earn cryptocurrency and generate a sustainable source of income by playing fun, interactive, and highly engaging blockchain-based games. Players benefit by earning for playing games they enjoy, and developers can use platform services and resources to launch, market, grow, and monetize their play-to-earn games to new and existing audiences. Learn more by reading the project lite paper or by visiting https://nakamoto.games/.


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This will help Maruti turn the website into a single-window channel for customers through which they can select the car, find dealers and arrange financing.
India’s largest carmaker, Maruti Suzuki India (MSIL), is focused on getting 50 per cent of its customers’ car-financing transactions executed through its Smart Finance platform by next year.
Shashank Srivastava, executive director-sales, MSIL, said this will help the company turn its website into a single-window channel through which customers can select their models, find dealers, and arrange financing. He said there is a likelihood that 100 per cent of its customers availing of financing will take it through Smart Finance.
To date, the company has disbursed Rs 6,500-crore loans via Smart Finance to around 100,000 customers, accounting for 28 per cent of all finance-based car-purchase transactions for the company.
Srivastava said vehicle finance is an area where customers still have to move out of the company’s existing digital platforms.
With the introduction of the new platform, the enquiry-to-sales conversion is likely to improve.
He said the company witnessed a trend which saw customers comparing interest rates on third-party platforms.
“This was leading to a loss of conversion rate for us, given that customers were occasionally moving to another manufacturer.
“To check that, we will provide flat-out financing options on our own website,” he said.
The company has been able to sign up 15 banks and non-banking financial companies, including HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, Axis Bank, IndusInd Bank, Cholamandalam Finance, AU Small Finance Bank, Mahindra Finance, and Kotak Mahindra Prime, for the service.
Srivastava said banks, initially hesitant to make their product visible on the company’s platform, have now realised the merits of being present on the website of India’s largest passenger carmaker.
More eyeballs will only increase their chances of customer acquisition, while lowering costs, he said.
“The company has a conversion rate of around 12-13 per cent.
“For this reason, a large number of prospective buyers visiting our website will facilitate banks to market their products better,” he added.
As the government announced lockdown last year to rein in the Covid-19 pandemic, MSIL decided to digitise its customer-facing infrastructure for those disinclined to showroom visits.
“We have been able to completely digitise 24 of the 26 steps in the car-purchase journey, except test driving and financing.
“For financing, the customer had to make repeat journeys to get it cleared,” he said.
With 80 per cent of cars in India being bought using easy financing options, MSIL had launched its online car financing solution Smart Finance towards the end of last year, amid increasing demand for digital services.
Initially, the service was available for Nexa channel customers, accounting for roughly 20 per cent of the company’s entire sales.
This was expanded to all customers across India in July this year.
Photograph: Anindito Mukherjee/Reuters
Source: Read Full Article
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July 11, 2016
Tech to Look Out for in 2016
If you watched E3 this year you’ll have noticed that virtual reality is the next big thing for games. Just when it will really take off is still questionable, especially with the price for the headsets, but the time will come when it really hits its stride.
With this in mind, we decided to look at some technology coming in 2016 that is based around virtual reality. If the technology is going to really take off, then the interaction between the gamer and the machine has to be an immersive experience. Something that is still quite a puzzle for developers and designers working on the answer right now.
Kinect and the 3D Glasses
While the Kinect may have become a second though on the Xbox One, that doesn’t mean that it has completely disappeared from use. SMI Vision is a company who are looking at creating a set of 3D glasses that will use the Kinect to track head and eye movements of the user. What these glasses will offer is a level of 3D that is like a super VR experience, fully using the 3D space around them and creating an impressive level of immersion.
Leap Motion is another technology looking to improve the interaction between the gamer and the virtual reality world. Instead of being about head and eye co-ordination though this is more about the movement of the player’s hands. Tracking your fingers it recreates the hands in the 3D space of virtual reality. One very positive aspect of Leap Motion is the fact that not only is it open source, but it also comes at a cheap price.
Oculus Rift is seen as the premium virtual reality experience, but it is having some major competition at the moment from HTC Vive. At this point, it is hard to say which headset is the best, but with the coming of the much cheaper PlayStation VR, competition is set to be intense.
With this generation of virtual reality, the gamer is able to do whatever they want, from exploring virtual worlds, taking part in a gunfight, or in the future maybe even playing some bingo games in a virtual bingo hall. The only limits of this technology really is the developer’s imagination.
Using the Oculus Rift, Project Holodeck will catch the interest of any Star Trek fan who knows the Next Generation’s Holodeck and how impressive it was. We may not be at that level of immersion or graphical quality yet, but it is interesting to see that developers are looking to work on a truly virtual world like this.
With these new technologies in mind it is interesting just where virtual reality will take us. While there are good attempts right now to establish virtual reality as a gaming choice, there are still signs that it has some way to go before it will be a commercial success. With each new step up the technological ladder though, it is clear that virtual reality is here to stay.


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Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
News Specialist Jed Boal reportingAmerican consumers are getting squeezed at the gas pumps as prices hover at record levels.
In fact, the average price for a gallon of gas here in Utah is the highest ever. And it could still climb.
We've been through this before, but never quite this bad.
Heather Sterrett/Motorist: "IT'S RIDICULOUS. FOR ONE GALLON, IT'S TWO BUCKS ALMOST...IN OUR TRUCK IT'S TEN MILES."
Heather Sterrett and her boyfriend are homeless, sleeping in the car. They can't run the car at night to stay warm because they can't afford the gas.
Heather Sterrett/Motorist: "BASICALLY WE HAVE NO MONEY, ALL OUR MONEY GOES TO GAS."
While it's not that dire for everyone,we're all paying the price.
What's to blame?
Market fears of a war with Iraq, a disruption in Venezuelan oil exports from a workers' strike, and a high demand for petroleum products.
The average price for a gallon of regular unleaded in Utah is $1.68, up 56-cents from a year ago. Nationally, the numbers are about the same. However, in California today, they're paying more than $2.00 a gallon.
Nicole Leisinger is from Maryland and admits we're actually lucky here. The prices are worse on the east coast.
Nicole Leisinger/Motorist: "SOMETIMES TEN CENTS MORE...YEAH, IT'S PRETTY EXPENSIVE...KINDA HAVE TO DEAL WITH IT."
While the gas prices today have Americans worried, some industry analysts say, it won't last. Barring an extended war with Iraq, those analysts believe the price could drop back down to around a buck-forty by July.
Susan Horstman/Motorist: "EVENTUALLY THEY WILL. THEY WENT HIGH WHEN THEY DID DESERT STORM, THEN THEY WENT LOW AFTER THAT TOO. IT'S JUST WITH THE MARKET BEING SHAKEY, EVERYBODY TAKES A SCARE AND THE PRICES GO UP."
The Energy Department expects pump prices will go even higher, and could affect Americans' eagerness to travel this summer.


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Aaron Rodgers signs memorabilia deal
Online retailer Fanatics signed an exclusive deal with Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers to produce autographs and signed memorabilia.
Fanatics of Jacksonville, Fla., is an online retailer of licensed sports apparel and merchandise. It powers e-commerce sites of all major professional sports leagues, including NFLShop.com, major media brands and more than 150 collegiate and professional team properties.The deal means items signed by Rodgers and bearing a Fanatics' numbered hologram can be authenticated.
Authenticating signatures and the origins of memorabilia are critical to fans getting the value they pay for. Forgeries are rife.
"It's always a problem in the industry," said Mike Worachek of Packer City Antiques, 1920 Marlee Lane in Ashwaubenon. "You can have a certificate from a business. It still doesn't mean the item is legit."
Worachek said arrangements such as the one between Rodgers and Fanatics helps because items can be verified.
"For us, a signing like this is good," he said.
Worachek said he does not handle items unless he is reasonably certain they are authentic. Current popular forged items have Brett Favre/Aaron Rodgers/Bart Starr signatures.
Victor Shaffer, executive vice president of Fanatics Authentic, said a representative of Fanatics is on hand to observe items being signed. Nothing is signed without one of their people in the room.
"We have a lot at stake and take the authenticity really, really seriously," he said. "Our mission is to provide a safe haven for fans and collectors who care about authenticity."
The deal does not preclude Rodgers from other signing activities, such as for fans.
"Fanatics would never want to get in the way of an athlete doing what he wants to do for his fans," Shaffer said.
Some players will use different signatures for items intended for resale and those they believe they are signing for a fan's personal use.
"You can see a few variations in (Brett) Favre's autographs," Worachek said.
Fanatics Authentic will offer unique Aaron Rodgers items, some of which already are available though NFLShop.com. Shaffer said they will have enough items to get through the holiday season.
Terms of the multi-year deal were not disclosed.
Contact firstname.lastname@example.org and follow him on Twitter @RichRymanPG or on Facebook at Richard Ryman-Press-Gazette. Or call him at (920) 431-8342.


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New Orleans welcomed Collision, the fastest growing technology conference in America, for the first time ever earlier this week. Attendees include CEOs of both the world’s fastest growing startups and the world’s largest companies, alongside leading investors and media.
The over 10,000 attendees descended on the city from all over the world from a wide range of industries.
Corporate Insight Strategy, a company I connected with yesterday at a women in technology discussion, provides strategic planning services to scaling companies. Under the name Merger Match, they provide non-financial due diligence services to companies proposing merger or acquisition. Their mission is to help good companies make the leap to fantastic.
Alese Stroud, founder of the company, said her favorite thing about Collision is the variety of ideas being presented. “There are so many world changers here. The problems they choose to solve and their approach to market is informative. Collision is such a global marketplace. I have met entrepreneurs from Canada, Finland, Mexico and Croatia, in addition to many states of the US.”
The California-based startup 420BusinessClub is a networking platform reserved for professionals in the cannabis industry. Founder Simone Cimiluca-Radzins shared insights into the platform yesterday alongside other ALPHA startups at Collision.
“With the daily expansion of the cannabis industry as talk increases and more and more states legalize it, the need to network and connect increases too,” said Cimiluca-Radzins. “420BusinessClub provides the solution by establishing a networking platform that is reserved for professionals involved in the cannabis industry who want to meet fellow professionals, promote themselves, and grow in the industry.”
In addition to the speakers, pitches and daytime networking opportunities, Collision hosts attendees at various bars throughout the city for their infamous Night Summit events.
Last night featured a New Orleans-inspired party hosted by Greater New Orleans, Inc. the regional economic development agency with other partners highlighting technology organizations in the Big Easy.
For those looking to get out of the downtown area, Propeller: A Force For Social Innovation is hosting their annual celebration of social entrepreneurs and pop-up restaurants. Propeller Pop will take place from 7:00 to 10:00 pm tonight with an investor hour kicking off at 6:00 pm.


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Experts to FCC: Change Course on Broadband Privacy Rules
INDUSTRY GROUPS AND EXPERTS AGREE: THE FCC MUST CHANGE COURSE ON BROADBAND PRIVACY
Washington, DC (June 8, 2016) – A coalition of industry groups including WISPA, CTA, CTIA, and US Telecom today published a joint article in opposition to the FCC’s proposed new rules for broadband privacy protection. The full text follows.
When FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler proposed new rules for broadband privacy, he promised [PDF] to “listen and learn from the public and ISPs before we adopt final, enforceable, rules of the road.”
Well, the public’s verdict on Chairman Wheeler’s plan to abandon the FTC’s well-tested and effective approach to online privacy and replace it with heightened and inconsistent rules for broadband providers alone is now in – and the result is clear. An overwhelming majority of the expert comments filed to date have urged the FCC to change course.
Privacy Experts Question the FCC’s Approach. Commenters with long experience in privacy and consumer protection questioned the FCC’s decision to break with the White House’s longstanding call [PDF] for a uniform privacy framework and create separate rules for broadband providers alone. Remarkably, even the FCC’s sister agency, the Federal Trade Commission, criticized [PDF] that idea as “not optimal” and warned that aspects of the proposed new rules “[do] not reflect the different expectations and concerns that consumers have for sensitive and non-sensitive data” – a blunt assessment from the lead federal enforcement agency with decades of experience protecting consumers’ privacy online.
President Obama’s former FTC Chair, Jon Leibowitz, echoed this sentiment, warning that in many important areas the draft rule “overshoots the mark, proposing regulations for broadband providers that go well beyond those imposed upon the rest of the internet economy and which, if adopted, would undercut benefits to the very consumers it seeks to protect.” And former FTC Commissioner Josh Wright submitted a detailed economic study explaining that the FCC proposal “fails to consider the economic costs affecting consumers, ISPs, and innovation” and “establishes a regime that would ultimately inflict significant consumer welfare losses.”
Commenters Warned that Consumers Would Be Harmed. Consumer and civic groups led by stalwarts like the NAACP and LULAC warned that the FCC’s “patchwork” approach would only confuse consumers and make it harder for them to understand and protect their rights. Overall, the broad range of comments in the record reinforce this fundamental point.
In fact, survey research provided to the FCC shows that consumers overwhelmingly reject the kind of disparate treatment of their online data that the FCC has proposed, with 83 percent agreeing that privacy protections should be based on the sensitivity of data, not who collects it.
The public’s instincts on this issue are backed up by expert commentary from groups like the Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council – joined by eight partner organizations –explaining how the proposed rules will erect a damaging new barrier to broadband adoption “by restricting innovative products and services that offer flexible pricing options for cost-sensitive consumers.”
For these reasons, many commenters urged the FCC to develop a common, harmonized approach to online privacy. As former FTC Commissioner Jon Leibowitz urged, the FCC “should strive to harmonize its proposed rules with the FTC approach and other U.S. privacy laws, and carefully consider the consequences of failing to do so.”
Other Experts Showed that the Rules are Based on a Flawed Premise. Groundbreaking research from Clinton and Obama Administration privacy adviser Peter Swire, cited by many commenters, established that broadband providers don’t have unique or greater access to consumer data than other internet companies – refuting one of the core assumptions underlying the proposed new rules. In fact, in a world where 70 percent of internet data will be encrypted (and thus invisible to broadband providers) by the end of the year, and in which consumers use multiple ISPs throughout the day, any ISP has only limited insight into its customers’ information and activities online. The Future of Privacy Forum likewise stressed that the FCC’s “rulemaking covers data that is already being used, shared, and traded by a wide range of companies other than ISPs for the identical purposes covered by this NPRM.”
The logical disconnect of differing regimes is so great that leading constitutional law scholar Laurence Tribe filed an extensive analysis [PDF] concluding that the FCC’s proposed rules “would violate the First Amendment … and should not be adopted” because they “singl[e] out broadband ISPs for extremely burdensome regulation while ignoring that much of the same information is available to and routinely used by social media companies, web browsers, search engines, data brokers, and other digital platforms.”
Business and Tech Groups Highlighted Economic and Technical Problems with the FCC’s Proposed Approach. Advertising, business, health and technology groups found the rules would introduce profound “friction” into the online economy, distorting markets due to the patchwork treatment of data and stifling innovation with inappropriate opt-in and other requirements that are not tailored to the sensitivity of data or consumer expectations.
Others identified even more technical flaws with the proposed FCC approach. The Internet Society’s Mark Buell, Return Path and Farsight Security questioned a number of definitions and assumptions in the NPRM, including the inaccurate and misleading analogy of IP addresses to telephone numbers. The Messaging, Malware and Mobile Anti-Abuse Working Group similarly warned that the rules as currently framed could inadvertently undermine cooperation and communication needed to secure the web from malware, viruses and hackers online. Small companies like Earth Networks explained how FCC’s proposed rules threaten partnerships with “service providers with scale” that benefit energy markets and grid operators. And representatives of startups and tech innovators that cautioned that the FCC’s proposal “throws a wet blanket over startup engineers building additional, novel systems that may substantially increase consumers’ privacy and security.”
The record makes clear that the best course is for the FCC to abandon its flawed approach and harmonize privacy regulation for broadband providers with the well-established and effective approach implemented and consistently endorsed by the FTC and the Obama Administration for many years and that has both protected consumers’ privacy and fostered unprecedented innovation, investment, and broadband adoption. This is the core of the Consensus Privacy Framework [PDF] first submitted by a wide range of industry participants to Chairman Wheeler in March, which is a more efficient, pro-consumer and pro-innovation alternative.
Chairman Wheeler promised to review the record and listen to the public. If he is to keep that promise, the FCC must change course.
WISPA is a membership-driven trade association that promotes the development, advancement and unity of the fixed wireless Internet service provider industry. WISPA has over 800 members that support WISPA’s advocacy, education and other collaborative industry initiatives. For more information, visit www.wispa.org.
Tel: (202) 246-5659


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Ukraine and Bosnia and Herzegovina have been developing their trade relationships in recent years, with both countries looking to expand their market reach and increase their economic ties. The OK Factory platform has been playing a significant role in this process, providing a platform for Ukrainian manufacturers to promote their products to Bosnian buyers and vice versa.
Growing Trade Relationship
The trade relationship between Ukraine and Bosnia and Herzegovina has been growing steadily over the past few years. In 2019, the two countries signed a Free Trade Agreement, which aimed to strengthen their economic cooperation and reduce trade barriers. Since then, trade between the two countries has continued to grow, with Bosnia and Herzegovina becoming an important market for Ukrainian goods.
OK Factory’s Role
The OK Factory platform has been instrumental in the development of the Ukraine-Bosnia and Herzegovina trade relationship. The platform provides a space for Ukrainian manufacturers to showcase their products to a global audience, including potential buyers from Bosnia and Herzegovina. The platform’s focus on promoting made-in-Ukraine products has helped to increase the visibility of Ukrainian manufacturers and their products in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Additionally, OK Factory provides a range of tools and resources to help Ukrainian manufacturers export their products to Bosnia and Herzegovina. This includes logistical support, translation services, and guidance on the regulatory requirements of exporting to Bosnia and Herzegovina. By simplifying the export process, OK Factory has helped to make it easier for Ukrainian manufacturers to enter the Bosnian market.
Benefits of the Relationship
The Ukraine-Bosnia and Herzegovina trade relationship has brought benefits to both countries. For Ukraine, the growing export market in Bosnia and Herzegovina provides a valuable opportunity to diversify its export portfolio and reduce its reliance on traditional export partners. For Bosnia and Herzegovina, the relationship provides access to high-quality Ukrainian products, which can help to boost its domestic economy and support local businesses.
Moreover, the development of the trade relationship between Ukraine and Bosnia and Herzegovina can serve as an example of the potential benefits of international economic cooperation. By working together, both countries can improve their economic prospects and strengthen their ties, bringing benefits to both sides.
In conclusion, the growing trade relationship between Ukraine and Bosnia and Herzegovina is an exciting development for both countries. The OK Factory platform is playing a crucial role in this process, providing Ukrainian manufacturers with a platform to promote their products to Bosnian buyers and simplifying the export process. As this relationship continues to grow, it has the potential to bring significant benefits to both countries, demonstrating the potential of international economic cooperation.


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LONDON (MarketWatch) -- Publisher Pearson PSON, +0.13% PSO, -1.02% said Wednesday that if the U.S. dollar continues to strengthen against sterling, then fiscal-year adjusted earnings per share are expected to be towards the top of current market estimates. The company is trading in line with expectations, with nine-month sales up 8% and operating profit up 11% at constant exchange rates. "We're naturally cautious about the global economic conditions, but we have good trading momentum, innovative products, resilient businesses and a strong balance sheet," said CEO Marjorie Scardino.
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LG recently announced two new smartwatches that, though similarly named, are actually very different. That includes the LG Watch Urbane LTE and the LG Watch Urbane. No, the Urbane LTE doesn’t simply offer an LTE connection as the primary difference.
Instead, it’s actually powered by LG’s own custom software, which we suspect is built on webOS since this watch is a version of the Audi watch we saw during CES 2015. The Watch Urbane, meanwhile, runs Android Wear. You’ll still find a premium stainless steel body, however, the same heart rate monitor, and a plastic OLED display that’s bright and beautiful. The Watch Urbane LTE also sports a larger 700mAh battery to make up for the drain you’ll get while connected to a wireless network.
The device is capable of placing its own phones calls without the need for a smartphone, which is a neat function that should attract some consumers. It also looks like a pretty standard timepiece on the wrist, instead of a glaringly noticeable smartwatch. Check out a closer look in the video above.


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The Associated Press
Dell Inc.’s (Nasdaq: DELL) fiscal second-quarter earnings jumped 16 percent as companies and public-sector organizations spent more than they did a year ago on computers, servers and other technology. Revenue rose 22 percent to $15.5 billion, slightly more than Wall Street was expecting.
But that strength did not carry over into Dell’s consumer PC sales. Revenue in that segment was flat compared with last year’s quarter.
Dell says consumer demand for new computers petered out in the second half of the quarter, and that the back-to-school shopping season has been weaker than expected.
During a conference call, one analyst wanted to know whether Apple Inc.’s popular new iPad could cut into consumer PC sales in the future. CEO Michael Dell responded — but didn’t utter the words "Apple" or "iPad."
QUESTION: What impact do you think the iPad — and other upcoming tablet computers — could have on PC sales to consumers in the second half of the year?
RESPONSE: "I think it is a question of how many tablets do you think will be sold. If the PC market is 380 million units and the tablet market is — take a guess. I’m not sure it’s a huge percentage this year. Certainly there is a lot of excitement around Android (Google Inc.’s smart phone software, which may also run on tablets), and we are participating in that. Lots of folks (are) working on tablets and touch type solutions. I think next year you will see a lot more of them."
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Unless it appeals, Tesla will have to pay $ 16,000 to each of the thousands of affected homeowners across the country. The fine could be even larger as other similar legal efforts are underway in other countries.
Back in 2019, Electrek reported several reports from Tesla owners of significant drops in range from 12 to 30 miles following a software update.
Only Model S and Model X vehicles equipped with 85 kWh battery packs, which were discontinued in 2016, appear to be affected at this point.
For most owners, the drop in range happened after Tesla’s 2019.16.1 and .2 software updates were updated.
Tesla owner David Rasmussen was among those affected and he had one of the most severe drops we’ve seen.
At the time he said Electrek:
“My 2014 Model S 85 was getting a rated range of 247 miles until May 13. Now after the next update it continued to drop to 217 miles. This is an 11% drop in 5 weeks. ”
Rasmussen plotted the degradation in battery capacity of his Model S over the last 100,000 kilometers or so, and the drop is pretty obvious:
In addition to the loss of range, the rapid DC charge rate at boost stations has also been reduced. Affected owners see much slower charging sessions.
When Electrek reported the problem, Tesla told us that the goal of the update was to “protect the battery and improve battery longevity”, and it only resulted in a loss of range for “one. small percentage of owners ”.
This created a lot of confusion among owners affected by the update who wanted more details on the sudden need to “protect” the battery.
This has led to a series of lawsuits in different markets for Tesla to compensate affected owners.
One of those lawsuits was brought in Norway and the court has now delivered its judgment – finding that Tesla has indeed reduced the charging speed with the update.
According to Norway’s Nettavisen, Tesla did not respond to the lawsuit and the 30 owners behind the case were automatically given 136,000 crowns (~ $ 16,000) each in compensation unless Tesla appeals the case. which he still has a few weeks to do.
There could be over 10,000 Tesla owners affected by the update in Norway alone, which could make the fine quite expensive for the automaker, but more importantly, it could also set the tone for several more. similar lawsuits, including one in the United States.
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Home sales are booming. Shares are reaching record highs. Industrial production is emerging from the divide it fell into at the start of this year.
And yet, the US economy is far from regaining the health it achieved, with low unemployment, spending consumers and booming travel, before the coronavirus crippled the country in March. Not while the viral epidemic is still raging and Congress remains deadlocked to provide more relief to tens of millions of unemployed people and state and local governments whose incomes have dwindled.
Each week, about 1 million new Americans claim unemployment benefits – a level of job insecurity not seen in a single week during the depths of the Great Recession of 2007-2009.
Economists say that as many businesses have reopened and consumers have started shopping and spending more, the situation is starting to clear up, if only intermittently. Most say the economy is growing again. Still, the scars will surely remain from the catastrophic April-June quarter, when the government said the economy collapsed at an annual rate of 31.7% – by far the worst quarterly contraction since this hold began. of registers in 1947.
Some industries, especially those related to travel and hotels and restaurants, could struggle for years. And while the number of confirmed viral infections is on the decline, the threat of a major resurgence remains, especially as students increasingly return to schools and colleges. Consumers whose spending drives much of the economy and the economists who analyze it are decidedly pessimistic about the prospects for a return to prosperity.
“As long as we continue to see outbreaks of infection, disruptions to business – especially in industries exposed to social distancing rules – will continue,” said Rubeela Farooqi, chief US economist at High Frequency Economics. “The risk of business failures due to repeated closures is high, and the likelihood of permanent job losses increases with each successive shutdown, which could cause permanent damage to the labor market and the economy.”
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The Conference Board, a business research group, reported this week that consumer confidence has fallen to its lowest level since 2014.
And in survey results released this week by the National Association for Business Economics, two-thirds of economists polled said they believe the U.S. economy is still in recession. Nearly half said they did not expect it to return to pre-pandemic levels until mid-2022. Eighty percent believe any recovery will give way to a “double dip” recession of 25% or more.
In early spring, the economy entered a tailspin as millions of businesses suddenly shut down and consumers stayed home to avoid infection. Employers cut more than 22 million jobs – a record total, by far – in March and April.
Since then, the labor market and the economy have rebounded as businesses slowly reopen. The Federal Reserve’s efforts to keep interest rates very low helped fuel a record-breaking stock market frenzy. Home sales increased thanks to extremely low mortgage rates and pent-up demand. And an upturn in auto production has boosted US industry.
In total, employers created nearly 9.3 million jobs in May, June and July. Yet this hiring surge only replaced 42% of the jobs lost in March and April. Over 27 million people continue to benefit from some form of unemployment assistance.
Additionally, a summer resurgence of confirmed COVID cases in the South and West forced many businesses to shut down again in July. Data firm Womply reports that business closures have mostly leveled off over the past four weeks. Yet 70% of bars in Texas and 71% of health and beauty stores in California were closed by mid-August, Womply found.
After promulgating a massive financial bailout in March, Republicans and Democrats in Congress failed to agree on allocating additional aid to the unemployed and struggling states and towns. The expiration of $ 600 a week federal unemployment benefit – a lifeline to help the unemployed survive the crisis – is leaving many families in despair.
“My income is basically halved,” said Taylor Love, a 34-year-old unemployed massage therapist in Austin, Texas. “Paying our mortgage is going to be a struggle. We’re going to have to tap into what little savings we have. “
President Donald Trump signed an executive order on August 8 proposing a lean version of expanded unemployment benefits. At least 39 states have agreed or said they will seek federal grants that would allow them to increase weekly benefits by $ 300 or $ 400. But questions remain as to how quickly this money will get to people or how long it will last.
In a question-and-answer session after a speech Thursday, Fed Chairman Jerome Powell said that “if we can keep the disease under control, the economy can improve pretty quickly.” But he warned that sectors of the economy that have been hit the hardest, including travel and tourism, will take longer to recover.
“It’s a lot of workers – we have to support them,” Powell said.


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Foldable smartphone shipments are facing a high increase compared to last year. Here are the details…
The foldable phone market seems to be the only bright spot in the smartphone industry this year. According to DSCC (Display Supply Chain Consultants), in the second quarter of this year, global foldable shipments reached 2.2 million units, up 42% from the previous year and 16% from the first quarter of 2023. The foldable smartphone shipment is on its way to its own record.
Foldable smartphone shipment reached 2.2 million units!
Samsung became the largest maker of foldable phones in the second quarter, outpacing Huawei by 32 percent to 30 percent in market share. Huawei actually had the first and third best foldable models by shipments. The Mate X3 was the top-delivered phone from April to June, while the clamshell Pocket S came in third.
With the Galaxy Z Flip 4 and Galaxy Z Fold 4, Samsung had the second and fourth best-selling foldable devices in the second quarter. Vivo’s X Flip device took fifth place. Clamshell models took the lead in the second quarter, taking over 53 percent of the foldable market.This quarter, DSCC expects foldable shipments to hit a new record with 6.9 million units delivered worldwide. This represents an annual increase of 10 percent compared to the third quarter of 2022 and a staggering 200 percent increase from the second quarter. Samsung’s market share is expected to decline in the third quarter of this year.
In the foldable panel market, Samsung Display has started to decline. Samsung Display, which has a 63 percent share in all foldable models shipped, had a lower share compared to its 68 percent share in the previous year. This was Samsung Display’s lowest market share since the first quarter of 2021.