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3D printing stocks collectively surpassed the broader equity market last year, and have maintained the lead so far this year. This is in sharp contrast to the scenario of 2012 and 2013, when 3D printing stocks took a beating due to tepid demand.
While a lot more volatility awaits the space, growth projections for the 3D printing industry are alluring. After all, 3D printing has revolutionized the manufacturing process by which an object is printed from a digital image or three-dimensional computer model. 3D printing has, undoubtedly, trimmed machine, material and labor costs.
Manufacturing methods, by the way, result in high waste. But, 3D printing only uses the required amount of materials to create a product, implying minimal waste. Several manufacturing industries also need a lot of storage space to keep parts and products. However, 3D printing does cut the amount of storage space needed and in turn brings down storage costs.
Needless to say, 3D printing technology is much in demand. After all, it provides access to materials that are fit for use in a wide array of products. Aerospace and the car industry, in particular, will now turn to 3D printed parts to design lighter aircraft or cars.
3D printing and Christoph Schell, President 3D Printing & Digital Manufacturing at HP Inc added that “2019 will be the year that additive manufacturing moves from prototyping into full production in the automotive industry, hence, in the move to full production, 3D printing enables the automotive industry to innovate faster, leverage flexible manufacturing, reinvent supply chains, create new markets and produce new parts in new ways that were previously impossible.”
3D Printing Stocks to Win Big in 2019
As promising prospects are expected to make 3D printing stocks winners this year, take a look at these selected few poised to move north in the near term. These stocks have market caps greater than $200 million and trade on the U.S. stock exchange.
Belgian-based Materialise NV MTLS provides 3D printing software and on-demand 3D printing services. The Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) company’s sizeable software business provides juicy profit margins, while it specializes in the preparation of 3D prototypes for manufacturing, biomedical research and online services, to name a few.
Materialise is run by founder Wilfried Vancraen. This is encouraging as various studies show that stocks tend to do well, especially, if the company is being managed by the owner. The stock has already outperformed the broader Internet - Software industry in the last one-year period (+26.4% vs +4.6%).
The company’s projected earnings growth rate of the current year is 350%, way higher than the industry’s estimated gain of 16.2%. To top it, Materialise flaunts a Growth Style Score of A.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current fiscal earnings, by the by, has soared 66.7% in the past 90 days. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Stratasys Ltd. SSYS provides 3D printing and additive manufacturing solutions to individuals, small and large businesses, and enterprises. The company recently launched innovative products and collaborated with a number of companies.
Notably, the Zacks Rank #2 company has tied up with the likes of The Boeing Company BA and Ford Motor Company F to introduce cutting-edge 3D printing technologies to the aerospace and automotive industries. Such a strategic move will surely help Stratasys expand geographic reach and drive market penetration.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current fiscal earnings, by the way, has surged 26.8% in the past 90 days. The company’s estimated earnings growth rate for the current quarter and year are a solid 31.3% and 15.6%, respectively. The stock has outperformed the broader Computer - Peripheral Equipment industry so far this year (+16.8% vs +6.0%).
Proto Labs, Inc. PRLB uses traditional manufacturing techniques as well as 3D printing to develop plastic and metal prototypes. The Minnesota-based company serves customers in the United States, Europe and Japan.
Proto Labs not only does quality work but its speedy services also lend it an edge over peers. Such speedy services help customers manufacture products at a brisk pace and introduce those in the markets more quickly.
The Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company may not be a pure play on 3D printing. But, its 3D printing segment did help revenues grow by a significant margin in the first three quarters of 2018. Take a look —
(Data Source: Proto Labs)
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current fiscal year earnings, in the meantime, has increased 3.3% in the past 90 days. The company’s projected earnings growth rate of the current year is 44.4%, more than the industry’s estimated gain of 19.8%. Additionally, Proto Labs flaunts a Growth Style Score of A.
The stock has outperformed the broader Rubber - Plastics industry in the last one-year period (+4.0% vs -5.0%).
More Stock News: This Is Bigger than the iPhone!
It could become the mother of all technological revolutions. Apple sold a mere 1 billion iPhones in 10 years but a new breakthrough is expected to generate more than 27 billion devices in just 3 years, creating a $1.7 trillion market.
Zacks has just released a Special Report that spotlights this fast-emerging phenomenon and 6 tickers for taking advantage of it. If you don't buy now, you may kick yourself in 2020.
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Materialise NV (MTLS) : Free Stock Analysis Report
The Boeing Company (BA) : Free Stock Analysis Report
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To read this article on Zacks.com click here.
Zacks Investment Research


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Phishing emails remains one of the top threat vectors used by attackers to breach corporate defenses to inflict harm and make money. Each quarter, Cofense Intelligence analyzes vast quantities of phishing attacks both reported by customers and discovered in other proprietary sources. In this episode, we’re joined by Cofense Cyber Threat Intelligence Analyst and lead author of our Q1 2020 Phishing Review, Aaron Riley.
Questions or comments? Reach us at [email protected]
Learn more about how phishing awareness training can help your organization defend against changing phishing threats.

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ALPHARETTA, Ga. – About 35 percent of households say they definitely will purchase or are likely to purchase one or more home audio components in the next year, and the top three reasons they gave are to improve the quality of music playback, replace older components, and add surround sound to their video experience, MarketSource found.
MarketSource, a market research company and provider of integrated sales and market services, conducted the nationwide online survey exclusively for TWICE. The company compiled responses from 387 adults, yielding a sample size considered statistically robust to provide a significance level of +5 at a 95 percent confidence interval, MarketSource said.
All told, 12 percent of surveyed adults said they would definitely purchase one or more audio components, while 23 percent said they are likely to purchase. A total of 40 percent said they are neither likely nor unlikely; 33 percent are definitely unlikely to purchase; and 22 percent will definitely not purchase.
The survey also found that:
· consumers who are likely or definitely planning to buy an audio component in the next year are more likely to buy speakers than any other type of component;
· a majority of households surveyed own some type of audio component;
· cost is the reason cited by a plurality of non-owners for not considering a component purchase, but current ownership of tabletop stereo systems and iPod-docking speaker systems was also cited; and
· consumers are far more interested in buying some type of audio product that distributes music to multiple rooms of the house than they are in buying audio components in general. o


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Mack Trucks announced that Geotab Drive for Mack Trucks leverages cloud computing via Geotab to deliver reliable Electronic Logging Data (ELD) and compliance services.
Volvo Trucks has partnered with Geotab to provide an integrated electronic logging device (ELD) solution for all Volvo-powered trucks model-year 2015 and newer.
According to a recent study on ELD compliance and use by U.S. trucking fleets, one in eight trucking fleets are not ELD compliant.
When the Federal Motor Carrier and Safety Administration (FMCSA) published the ELD Final Rule in 2015, fleets and carriers had two years to prepare for the switch from paper logs to electronic logging devices (ELDs). Despite this timeline, many in the transportation industry weren’t fully prepared for the December 2017 deadline and experienced culture shock
Make no mistake: There is no technology that will allow your fleet to manage itself. Just as a driverless truck likely won’t be seen within our lifetimes, there won’t be a magical “manage my fleet” button to push so that you can sit back and monitor data dashboards. Technology might make fleet management more efficient,
Continental has announced that its VDO RoadLog Office Solo Electronic Logging Device (ELD) software is now compatible with Apple computers and laptops. VDO RoadLog Solo customers can now perform USB key synchronization on modern Apple computers and laptops having macOS Sierra (version 10.12 or higher), Apple Computer’s Mac OS X operating system for Macintosh desktop, laptop,
Continental, manufacturer of VDO RoadLog ELD, has announced that the latest versions of the company’s VDO RoadLog ELD and RoadLog Office fleet management and reporting software are fully compliant with Transport Canada Regulations for HOS (Hours Of Service) tracking and reporting. The latest release of RoadLog ELD software provides all of the features required by
Cold chain visibility and food safety solutions provider Cooltrax has announced an integration of its industrial IoT platform with CarrierWeb, a provider of ELD telematics and other fleet management solutions. Through this first phase integration, Cooltrax and CarrierWeb customers can now access product temperature data and driver logs using a single sign-in for easy visibility into
Your head pounds. You can’t focus. The world swirls around you, and all you want is a heaping plate of comfort food. Symptoms of the ELD hangover—a technology implantation process that has plagued unprepared fleets that are still having issues due to poor ELD device training and misguided ELD selection. The industry has already seen
ZED Connect, a technology provider and subsidiary of Cummins Inc., has established an Electronic Logging Device (ELD) trade-in program for One20 ELD users who are looking for a replacement, following One20’s closure earlier this month. ZED Connect’s new Summer Switch Program offers existing One20 users lifetime access to the ZED-ELD hardware and ELD solution, including
Gorilla Safety launches program for fleets left behind by One20’s unexpected exit from the ELD business
Electronic Logging Device (ELD) providers Gorilla Safety introduced a special program targeted toward fleets left abandoned by ONE20, an ELD provider that recently announced that it would cease operations and exit the market, effective June 18, and that its devices will no longer work after that date. Gorilla Safety is offering those who subscribed to
ELD provider ONE20 has suddenly announced that it is going out of business on June 18. In a note on its website, ONE20 says that its apps, such as ONE20 Maps, My ONE20 and ONE20 F-ELD, will no longer work, and no updates will be offered. This means that users of ONE20 ELDs will need


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By The Nation
Ecartstudio’s latest development is a Smart-City Platform for Business to Business (B2B) and Business to Consumer (B2C) interactions, to support the smart-city concept and promote a more convenient lifetstyle. The funding will be used to expand Ecartstudio’s business and support the development of products and services that are expected to make it the leader in smart-city platforms in Thailand within three to five years.
Narongpon Boonsongpaisan, head of InVent said that “location- and map-based applications were very useful for many businesses, such as when searching for restaurants, food and product deliveries, ordering taxis, media advertisements and sales promotions via mobile phones. Ecartstudio is leading the development of location-based services technology, to address the needs of consumers, businesses and even the government in offering services and manipulating the city to increase efficiency, create revenue and reduce costs. The use of location-based applications by service businesses, retail, transport, real estate, media advertising and other businesses has huge pote
ntial for growth.”


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As expected, General Motors made an official announcement today about its updated strategy, confirming Cadillac as the leading brand in their electrification plan.
Cadillac will introduce the first model based on GM’s all-new EV-specific architecture, codenamed ‘BEV3’, which will eventually become the foundation of at least 20 all-electric model by 2023. Cadillac’s next-gen electric model is expected to reach the market in 2021.
GM President Mark Reuss said that their new platform will be exclusive to Cadillac for an undisclosed amount of time. However, he didn’t reveal if the future electric Cadillac will be an SUV or a sedan. Reuss added that Cadillac is now destined to become the luxury brand it has always meant to be.
The new BEV3 modular platform will offer great flexibility to GM, as it will be able to be used for up to 11 different types of vehicles, ranging from a compact crossover and car to full-size seven-seat SUVs and vans.
However there was no mention if it’s capable of forming the basis for an electric pickup truck. GM repeated its claim that the next-generation EVs will be profitable for the company.
GM will also double the resources allocated to electric vehicles and autonomous driving technologies in the next two years, as announced in the previous weeks.


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Gov. Carney signs Delaware Personal Data Privacy Act, effective 2025
Governor John Carney signs the Delaware Personal Data Privacy Act, the strongest data privacy bill in the nation.
Bill sponsor State Rep. Krista Griffith says these are rights Delawareans have never had before.
“Delawareans haven’t had the right to even access who has their information, how much information they have on you individually, and also, if there is something wrong with that information, to correct it," Griffith says. "But most importantly, to even delete the information.”
The bill goes into effect January 1, 2025, and the Director of the Department of Justice’s Fraud and Consumer Protection Division Owen Lefkon says the DOJ will begin a public outreach period no later than July 1, 2024, to inform consumers of their rights and businesses of their obligation.
“Sometimes people want to give their data," Lefkon says. "You can get benefits, you can get a discount. One of the key things about this bill is it gives consumers choice. It puts the control back in the hands of the consumer.”
Lefkon says Delaware is also the first state to raise restrictions on selling children’s data from 16 years old to 18.
The law applies to entities conducting business in Delaware that controlled or processed the personal data of 35,000 consumers or more, or 10,000 consumers if they derive more than 20 percent of their gross revenue from the sale of personal data.
Delaware DOJ’s Director of the Consumer Protection Unit Marion Quirk says consumers don’t always know what information they’re offering up in a business transaction, and the potential effects.
“People can know about your health information for example," Quirk says. "I think that’s one of the real concerning things if that type of information is sold and used that could have a negative impact on you getting a job, otherwise caring for your family, insurance related issues, so that’s one of the things that we are very concerned about.”
Quirk says the DOJ will hire two more lawyers, a paralegal, and a technologist to educate consumers and businesses about their rights and responsibilities and to enforce the legislation.


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View Here : Mercedes G63 2018
Explore 2018 AMG G63 SUV features, specifications, packages, accessories and warranty information. See colors and photos, and view inventory.
The Mercedes-AMG G63 / G65 are two frighteningly quick and insanely expensive twins that function primarily to enable macho braggadocio.
Mercedes is set to officially debut the G63 at the 2018 Geneva International Motor Show on March 6, after which the production version will arrive in showrooms toward the end of 2018.
Tim Robson road tests, off-road tests and reviews the Mercedes-AMG G63 with specs, fuel consumption and verdict at its international launch in France.
it s no secret mercedes is preparing its next generation of g-class the go-anywhere luxury suv that started life nearly 40 years ago as a military truck. spy shots and rumors have surfaces ...
New Mercedes-AMG G63 REVEALED - Range-topping G-Class is a monster THE all-new Mercedes G-Class 2018 range was revealed earlier this year and now details about the range-topping AMG G 63 have emerged.
The design of Mercedes-AMG G63 2018. One of the biggest selling points of the G-Class has always been the way it looks. We can safely say the 2018 Mercedes-AMG G63 will sell at least as well as its predecessor. This is because the car looks mostly the same as before, at least at a first glance.
2018 Mercedes-AMG G63 pricing and specs … Mercedes-AMG has announced local pricing for the new G63 will kick off at $247,000 before on-road costs when it touches down in August.
If the new Mercedes-Benz G550 is the automotive equivalent of a powerlifter, then the new Mercedes-AMG G63 must be the automotive equivalent of a powerlifter on steroids.
Explore specifications, safety features, photo and videos for the entire Mercedes-Benz luxury vehicle line-up. Compare performance and luxury sedans, coupes, convertibles, crossover, SUVs and wagons. Build Your Own Mercedes-Benz, or Contact a Dealer.


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PARIS — Ann Demeulemeester, the edgy Belgian designer known for her poetic, rock ’n’ roll style, has a new investor and is planning to use the capital infusion to expand her business.
Anne Chapelle, who has been managing director of Demeulemeester’s Antwerp-based house since 1994, has acquired an undisclosed stake in Demeulemeester’s company, which is also partly owned by the designer’s husband, Patrick Robyn.
A spokeswoman for Demeulemeester called the deal a “partnership” that leaves Demeulemeester total creative freedom.
She declined to say whether Chapelle owned a majority stake. The agreement gives Chapelle’s holding company, called EDU NV, control of Demeulemeester’s brand, according to the spokeswoman.
Meanwhile, EDU has acquired majority control of the fledgling business of young German men’s wear designer Dirk Schonberger. Critically acclaimed for his sharp tailoring, Schonberger, who has dressed celebrities such as Mick Jagger, had fallen on difficult times recently.
He said the deal would allow him to funnel his creative juices into his clothes while leaving business and production concerns to Chapelle. Schonberger will show his clothes Jan. 30 in Paris during men’s fashion week.
Demeulemeester’s spokeswoman said EDU was interested in acquiring stakes in other young designers’ businesses as well.
As for Demeulemeester, she said Chapelle’s investment would accelerate development of the brand. She said the first fruits of the deal would be an expanded men’s collection, which Demeulemeester plans to show to the press and buyers in Paris in July. In the past, Demeulemeester has integrated a small capsule men’s collection into her women’s runway presentation.
EXCLUSIVE: @tomford is opening its first-ever beauty store. The boutique, which opens November 20 in London’s Covent Gardens, was designed with the over-the-top glam Ford is known for. Read the full story on WWD.com, link in bio. #wwdbeauty #wwdnews (📷: Simon Wagner) #TomFordBeauty
New York-based DJ @harleyvnewton threw a party to celebrate the holiday collection of her dress and pajama line @hvn at the Ladurée Beverly Hills. It Girls @katebosworth, @rashidajones and more joined in on the fun, which included cocktails, croque monsieur sandwiches and a photo booth. #wwdfashion (📷: Owen Kolasinski/BFA.com)
For the holidays, @Burberry partnered with 20-year-old artist @blondeymccoy on a series of three outdoor murals in downtown Manhattan. The murals are McCoy’s interpretation of a Christmas eve party, the idea of charity and the spirit of family. His third mural, pictured here, is the most personal. The image depicts McCoy’s grandparents and father in London’s Trafalgar Square in the Seventies. “My work often features lots of sentimental objects.” #wwdeye
For spring 2018, designers applied bold colors and cartoonish motifs on everything from sneakers and belts to key chains. See all the top men’s accessories trends on WWD.com. #wwdtrends (📷: George Chinsee; Prop Styling by @rnasti; Market Editor: @luiscampuzano)
The @dior-sponsored @guggenheim international gala pre-party has a history of drawing cool-girl musical acts to serenade the crowd –– and last night was no exception. @haimtheband performed songs both new and old, and lured a star-studded audience with the likes of Rebecca Hall, Kate Mara, Mamoudou Athie and more. #wwdeye (📷: @lexieblacklock)
In a partnership between the @metopera and the @englishnationalopera, “Marnie” was born. The opera, with costumes sponsored by @mrporterlive, is an adaptation of the 1961 thriller by Winston Graham. Arianne Phillips, who created the costumes, is no rookie: She’s styled Madonna for her tours and created costumes for a myriad of films in the past. Read WWD’s interview with Phillips, where she talks about her inspiration for the opera’s costumes on WWD.com #wwdfashion
@barneysnyc took a different approach to their holiday windows this year. Instead of Christmas decor, Barneys tapped @thehaasbrothers to tell a story of positivity, gratitude and inclusivity via heartwarming silliness and humor. “It’s about kids and it’s about coming together and being family and loving each other,” said Simon Haas. #wwdfashion (📷: @joshuascottphoto)
Beauty influencer @kandeejohnson makes her foray into hair care with a collaboration with @ogx_beauty — making it the first time that OGX has teamed up for a product creation. The collab includes shampoos and conditioners in three scents. At 39 and a mom, Johnson is a different profile than the emerging social media stars, but is considered one of the pioneers of the digital beauty influencer world. Read WWD’s interview with her on wwd.com, including the strangest beauty product she’s ever tried #wwdbeauty


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Next time someone pitches you a timeshare deal, remember Briana Buckhalter.
She’s the Boynton Beach woman who was found guilty Tuesday of four charges of fraud. Buckhalter’s companies raked in $3.1 million over six months in 2009 and 2010 by telling timeshare owners that buyers had been found for units they wanted to unload, the Post’s Jane Musgrave reports.
Buckhalter and her cronies persuaded desperate unit owners to let them charge $2,996 to their credit cards so the sales could be consummated.
“They never, ever sold a single timeshare unit,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Adrienne Rabinowitz said.
Buckhalter made about $10,000 a month, conning 80 victims out of about $200,000, Raniowitz said.
“Where else is Briana Buckhalter going to make that kind of money?” Rabinowitz asked. “Nowhere.”


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Ten fashion lines created by Columbia designers will be showcased at the first KCOU fashion show. Proceeds will benefit the Rainbow House of Columbia, an emergency shelter serving abused and neglected children as well as families in crisis. The show will be at 8 p.m. on Saturday at The Blue Note, 17 N. Ninth St.
“The show will be a great night of music and fashion,” said show coordinator Monica Jost.
The night will also include non-stop live music as well as the opportunity to win prizes through raffles, such as gift certificates to local restaurants and businesses and CDs.
The spotlight of the evening, however, will fall on the fashions created by a group of 10 local and diverse designers.
“Some are Mizzou students, some are graduates of Mizzou, and one is even still in high school,” Jost said. “There are both female and male designers as well.”
One of these designers is 25-year- old Sandra Keeney. Inspired by black and white films and Hollywood musicals, Sandra Keeney said she hopes her line, SK Designs, will somewhat resemble the costumes found in these productions.
“I love the grandeur and care of the costumes designs and hope to have a similar feel to my clothes,” Keeney said.
For the show, Keeney said she will present six different outfits. For her women’s wear designs, she is rouching the fabric — also known as gathering — in order to create a draping effect. For menswear, she is incorporating layers into the designs using shiny and satiny fabrics.
Even though Keeney has been sewing since she was a kid, she stopped for a while. She said she felt the need to pick up sewing again about four years ago. She has been designing and selling her products at Maude Vintage ever since.
Keeney said she decided to participate in the KCOU fashion show because of how rewarding the end result proves to be.
“I love the energy of the fashion shows,” she said. “It’s really rewarding after the hours of tedious, yet fun work.”
Another designer, Ava Corn, 21, agrees the fashion show has been challenging, yet enjoyable, work.
“I think it’s a real challenge,” she said. “But in the end, I’m so proud of what I have created, it is all worth it.”
Corn, who has been designing for five years, said she has always had a passion for designing and fabrics. After taking a sewing class in high school, she said she realized she could make any garment wearable if she dedicated enough of herself to her projects.
Corn’s main inspiration for her creations is comfort.
“I live my life in the most comfortable clothes I can find,” she said.
On Saturday, Corn will showcase five of her designs. She said her line incorporates bright colors with lots of tex-tures. She said she is eager to share her designs with other people.
“Putting my ideas out there is very exciting,” she said.


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Unlocking supply chains sets trillions in cash free for good
More than $5 trillion is locked up in vast supply chains that deliver the products and services that enable our globalised economy to function.
Imagine what an innovative and modern business, small or large, could do if access to such a large pool of capital were available to it? The possibilities are endless: a new manufacturing plant, a global expansion plan or even something as simple as payroll and funding capital expenditure.
This is what that cash should be doing, but it can’t because it is locked up in unpaid invoices of companies all around the world, struggling with inefficient supply chains funded by cumbersome traditional banks.
Much of the cash is owed to small and medium-sized enterprises that, in the most extreme cases, may have to wait up to nine months to get paid. Sometimes they cannot hang on and are forced out of business through no fault of their own.
Greensill, the world’s leading provider of working capital finance, is changing this with a unique technology-driven approach that is helping to oil the wheels of the global economy and keeping supply chains all over the world running smoothly.
Supply chain finance (SCF) has been around for more than three decades and the market has grown by around 30 per cent in the past eight years. This increase is largely because technology-driven SCF programmes have become recognised as much more efficient and cost effective than other forms of finance such as taking on debt.
We are always looking ahead, asking ourselves how we can further revolutionise working capital finance
Today, however, big data and artificial intelligence are among new technological advancements disrupting traditional working finance models to produce ever faster, easier and more efficient ways of providing companies with the cash they need.
“There are going to be a bunch of very significant changes that take place over the next few years and the broader finance industry, frankly, isn’t really keeping up,” says Lex Greensill, founder and chief executive of Greensill. “Greensill is way ahead of the curve.”
Founded in 2011, Greensill is the world’s largest non-bank provider of working capital and has become one of the leading disruptors in SCF.
The London-based company has offices around the world and has extended $50 billion of financing to a pool of 1.7 million suppliers in 60 countries since inception. It also owns Greensill Bank, based in Germany, and runs a suite of SCF funds which together have more than $5 billion of assets under management.
Greensill’s mission is the democratisation of capital, making cash available to the smallest of firms on the same terms traditionally enjoyed by the biggest multinationals.
The firm works with some of the biggest and most complex organisations, with supply chains that include tens of thousands of companies, to devise unique and innovative working capital solutions.
For example, Greensill has helped Boeing change the way aircraft purchases are financed without the need for traditional US and European export-import bank support. It has assisted telecommunications providers such as Vodafone in finding a cost-effective way of financing increasingly expensive mobile phone handsets for millions of consumers worldwide.
By reimagining mobile phone handset financing in Latin America, Greensill is putting smartphones in the hands of more people in remote regions who can now connect to the wider world on a scale not previously possible. In Australia, meanwhile, the company is working with its largest clients to devise a new means of providing finance for indigenous-owned suppliers in an effort to level the playing field and democratise capital further still.
Greensill also works with governments. It is the sole provider of SCF to the UK government through a £1-billion programme with the Crown Commercial Service. The government SCF scheme ensures prompt payment to high street pharmacies, which were being hampered by slow government payment mechanisms. North of the border, Greensill also devised a unique financing plan with the Scottish government to provide low-cost hydro-energy.
“We are always looking ahead, asking ourselves how we can further revolutionise working capital finance,” says Mr Greensill. “Every day we ask ourselves ‘how can we unlock that capital so our clients can put it to work?’ That’s what gets us out of bed in the morning.”
To that end Greensill has recently developed a data-driven version of its basic product.
As the suppliers that have provided invoices to Greensill over the past eight years automatically feed information into the firm’s systems, this trove of accumulated data has become a vital resource in providing an evermore efficient route to unlocking capital. The quantities of data are so large that the only way to analyse them and put them to the most effective use is with artificial intelligence and machine-learning.
“By constantly analysing this data, we get a real-time view of any company’s financial health an from this we can deduce risk with an unprecedented degree of accuracy,” Mr Greensill adds.
As the digital age gathers pace, the need for innovative solutions to the funding, development and manufacture of new products, and the evermore complex supply chains behind them, will become greater.
For example, the rollout of 5G connectivity over the next three years is expected to see the rise of autonomous machines and emergence of completely new industries connected to the much-heralded internet of things. Greensill forecasts show that the development of the so-called fourth industrial revolution will require upwards of $2.7 trillion by the end of 2020 alone.
It represents a huge challenge to the whole concept of SCF. Yet there is plenty of liquidity in financial markets, more than enough to fund a future of self-driving cars, robot surgery and all the other imagined applications that will rely on 5G technology.
Working capital finance will evolve to meet any challenge, using artificial intelligence and big data while tapping into financial markets. Modern technology is helping Greensill make cash available to a wider cross section of companies in a way that is more cost effective, faster and easier.
“We are in a technological arms race to provide access to an enormous global pool of capital,” Mr Greensill concludes. “Greensill is winning that race right now and through the hard work of our excellent people all over the world, we innovate every day to ensure we continue to unlock that capital so our clients can put it to work.”
For further information please visit www.greensill.com


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Realme has formally confirmed that it’s going to additionally launch realme 5s in India on November 20 alongside realme X2 Professional. Flipkart’s microsite for this cellphone reveals options like a 48MP quad-camera setup, a diamond-cut sample, a bodily fingerprint scanner on the again and a 5,000mAh battery.
The teaser reads “Extremely Detailed Photos, that stay sharp even when zoomed in”. This means that realme 5s might sport a telephoto lens in quad digital camera arrange. No different element concerning the cellphone has been revealed as of now.
To recall, Realme is all set to launch its flagship realme X2 Professional on November 20 in India. There have been already studies relating to the Realme 5s. The itemizing within the Bureau of Indian Requirements confirmed the mannequin quantity RMX1925 and the Nationwide Broadcasting and Telecommunications Fee in Thailand confirmed the title as realme 5s.
Now, the corporate itself confirmed that it’s going to additionally launch a second cellphone on November 20 occasion. realme 5s will characteristic 48MP quad-camera similar to beforehand launched Realme 5 Professional. Nonetheless, it should have a much bigger battery than Realme 5 Professional. No different specs can be found as of now, and we anticipate it should have the identical specs as Realme 5 Professional. We should always know all the small print when it launches subsequent week.


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December 2, 2003 - Posted at 9:45 a.m. CDT, updated at 11:02 a.m. CDT
JONESBORO, AR - Frito-Lay Incorporated announced today that production will be adjusted at its Jonesboro plant, bringing in work from a plant closing in Kentucky but also shutting down two older lines.
Plano-based company spokesman Jared Dougherty told K8 News that the addition means ten new jobs will eventually be phased in at the Jonesboro plant over the next four to six months. "This will increase our productivity by about 140,000 pounds per week," said Dougherty.
The closing of the 41-year-old plant at Louisville, Kentucky, will put 326 people out of work when the facility closes in January.
Production will shift to newer plants in a strategy by PepsiCo Incorporated, its parent firm, to streamline snack food and beverage operations.
The Jonesboro Regional Chamber of Commerce office lists the Frito-Lay plant as employing 644 people, making it the region's sixth-largest employer. The plant opened in 1997 at a 140-acre site in an industrial park at the city's eastern edge. The 400-thousand square-foot plant makes corn chips and potato chips.
Four other plants will also take on production from Kentucky.


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Distributors Continue To Excel
The surprise with this year's Top 100 Distributors is that there was no downturn. With all of the economic difficulties and harsh realities and stock market woes, guess what? Distributors found a way to maintain revenue.
The Top 10 distributors on this year's list posted combined total sales of $1.23 billion, an increase of $55.5 million or 4.7 percent over last year. These same companies reduced their combined workforce by 846 people, increasing sales per employee from $249,148 to $319,481.
Does this translate into higher profits? Not necessarily, but the additional $70,333 in sales per employee indicates that these companies are making every effort to hold on to profitability.
If there is one difference this year, it is a decline in forms sales. For several years, even though the percentage of overall Top 100 sales held by forms has decreased, the dollar value of forms sales has risen. This year form sales decreased by 4.6 percent to $793 million. Commercial printing sales were essentially flat at $484 million while direct mail sales increased by 27.3 percent to $135 million. Label sales grew 13 percent to $218 million and promotional product sales gained 7.7 percent to $238 million.
Industry consolidation also continues as smaller distributors seek the protection and buying power of the larger sales organizations. Others see the sale of their businesses (usually over time) as a viable retirement option.
Overall, the industry has responded to economic strictures by becoming leaner, more diverse and more productive. When the rebound arrives, the distributor sales machine will be finely tuned to take advantage of an expanding marketplace.


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Ends Friday 15 December 2017
Regent Arcade Shopping Centre is getting into the festive spirit this December, offering the chance for visitors to have their Christmas wishes granted with an exciting competition.
Promising to put smiles on faces this winter, the Cheltenham shopping centre will be delivering an early Christmas gift to a host of lucky winners by asking them to simply leave their wish on the Regent Arcade website.
With a top-secret budget to be spent on granting Christmas wishes, Regent Arcade Shopping Centre will be making as many wishes come true as possible, with the lucky winners to be revealed the week before Christmas.
To be in with a chance of winning your Christmas wish, simply head to regentarcade.com and enter your details along with what you’re wishing for this festive season.
SoGlos's standard competition terms and conditions apply.
Thursday 07 December 2017
Ends Sunday 29 April 2018
Celebrating Cheltenham Beauty Week, SoGlos is offering one lucky reader the chance to indulge in some heavenly pampering at...
Ends Tuesday 1 May 2018
Festival-loving families can get their hands on the hottest tickets around thanks to SoGlos’s latest competition with...
Ends Wednesday 2 May 2018
Teaming up with SoGlos for a seriously tasty giveaway, masters of natural and organic milk drinks, Bam, are giving away a whopping...
Ends Thursday 3 May 2018
Indulge in the ultimate treat at one of Cheltenham’s most stylish hotels, with a heavenly spa day and afternoon tea up...
Ends Sunday 6 May 2018
Green-fingered gardeners and visitors alike can look forward to the return of the hugely-popular RHS Malvern Spring Festival...


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Engine is set to open a new EV rapid charging hub in London, the first of its kind in the capital with six 50 kW chargers installed at Stratford International Station.
The site is the first of at least five hubs to be rolled-out in London in the coming years, as Transport for London (TfL) aims to tackle air quality in the city. Plans are to install 300 rapid chargers by the end of 2020. Engine’s hub is in partnership with TfL, and part of London’s EV infrastructure delivery plans.
Chargers at the hub will be compatible with any EV on the road, and offer completely open usage thanks to contactless bank card / smartphone payment and access. There are also no parking fees for those using the charge points.
Christina Calderato, TfL’s Head of Transport Strategy and Planning, said: “For those that need to charge up in 20-30 minutes, London is one of the leading world cities for rapid charge points. The addition of the east hub in Stratford is the first super charging facility, allowing drivers easy access and convenient methods of payment.”
Ian Johnston, CEO of Engenie, said: “London is trailblazing the EV revolution and actively working to deliver cleaner air for its nine million residents. This rapid charging hub is a significant step change in the crucial infrastructure needed to serve the accelerating number of electric vehicles across the city.”
The site is the first open-access rapid charging hub in London. Zap-Map’s database shows there is a taxi-only hub at Heathrow, and a Tesla Supercharger station at Westfield White City, but both of these have restricted access to EVs other than taxis and Tesla models respectively. At the time of going to press, there are no other hubs in the capital with six rapid chargers or more.
The hub will be open to the public, and TfL has part funded the hub with Engenie subsidising the site to cover parking fees. The hub opens on 28th December 2019, and will appear on Zap-Map as soon as it goes live thanks to Engenie’s dynamic data partnership.


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Brightcove Sidestepping Lack of Flash Support on Apple iPad
Back in February I interviewed Jeff Whatcott, senior vice president of marketing at Cambridge, MA-based Brightcove, about the online video hosting company’s attempts to help its customers deliver video to as many Internet-connected devices as possible. At the time, the company was announcing software that will allow its customers to serve videos stored on its platform to Flash-compatible mobile phones. But Whatcott hinted that Brightcove was also working on ways to get video to non-Flash devices, including iPhones and iPads.
Now it’s official. Brightcove today announced a new software feature, “Brightcove Experience for HTML5,” that will allow companies who use Brightcove’s platform to encode video in the H.264 format required by Apple’s iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch. Brightcove says the New York Times and Time Inc. are already modifying their websites so that readers who visit using their Apple iPads (which hit stores this Saturday) will be able to watch the videos embedded in the sites, rather than simply seeing the now-familiar “Missing Flash plugin” icon.
“The Brightcove Experience for HTML5 fills the gap between the current playback capabilities of the emerging standard and what our customers need to operate successful online video businesses,” Brightcove CEO Jeremy Allaire said in a statement.
It wasn’t quite clear whether Allaire was referring to Flash or H.264 as the “emerging standard.” In any case, the announcement reflects Brightcove’s recent strategy of searching for neutral ground in the escalating Internet video wars.
That battle pits partisans of Adobe’s Flash—the format used by Hulu, Disney, JibJab, and thousands of other media and game publishers—against proponents of HTML5, a next-generation version of the Web markup language that is expected to make it easier for Web publishers to offer video in multiple formats, including non-proprietary formats like H.264, also known as MPEG-4.
Given that the Brightcove platform was originally built around Flash—a format that Allaire helped to create at Macromedia, which Adobe acquired in 2005—Brightcove has long been seen as part of the Flash contingent. But Whatcott told me last month that the company has “no platform leanings” and that its first priority is to help customers distribute video as widely as possible. “To this point, Flash has been a great horse to ride, but now there are emerging pockets where we can’t ride that horse,” Whatcott said.
HTML5 videos served up over the Brightcove platform won’t come with all the same bells and whistles as their Flash counterparts. For now, the job of the new “Brightcove Experience for HTML5” code is simply to detect whether a user is connecting from an HTML5-compatible device, then play back H.264 videos. The software can also show playlists—thumbnail renderings of related videos. But publishers can’t yet use it to create custom-branded players, compile audience analytics, provide viewers with social-media sharing options, or—crucially—serve up advertising.
All of those are standard features of the Flash version of the Brightcove player, but they’re “not very easy to do with H.264 and HTML5,” Whatcott told me. The company said today it expects to add those capabilities “over the course of this year.” Brightcove might need to move a bit faster, though, to keep up with competitors like Mountain View, CA-based Ooyala, which announced last week that its own video publishing platform, which includes advertising and analytics capabilities, will support H.264 video delivery to iPads and iPhones starting April 3.
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Good news for the video game enthusiasts that ‘The Sims 4’ is finally offering a wealth of new contents. This is what they are doing mainly for the arrival of Eco-Living stuff pack, Dogs and Cats expansion pack and Fitness stuff pack. Read the text below to know more about it.
Although there is no official confirmation on ‘The Sims 4: Dogs and Cats’’ existence, but in the last few months it has constantly created headlines. On the other hand, a recent retailer has reportedly leaked that the Pets DLC is in progress, as reported by Telegiz.
The Dogs and Cats expansion pack of ‘The Sims 4’ will be released on November 9 this year (or November 7 in the United States). This is again not an official declaration, rather leaked by a fan-cum-close observer who has accessed the pre-order listing of the pack. The website further reports that the Pets DLC will mainly introduce Dogs and Cats as pets in ‘The Sims 4,’ everyone’s adored life simulation game.
As far as the ‘The Sims 4: Fitness Stuff’ is concerned, a set of materials and beautiful items are being previewed in a new teaser by Maxis. It will provide more activities and challenges to athletic Sims who desire to commence a healthier lifestyle. It will also introduce new moods to develop Sims’ mood while working out.
Apart from these, the pack will also include new rock climbing treadmill, ear buds, sports garments, workout videos added with creating own fitness studio and local gym. ‘Fitness Stuff’ will be released on June 20 for Linux, Windows PC and Mac OS.
Alternatively, the Eco Living stuff pack will reportedly include a rough number of potential features. The voting part will be starting next week and the pack is expected to be launched anytime in 2018.


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By now, you’ve probably heard about Clubhouse—the invite-only, audio-based social network where users create or join “rooms” and have conversations about various topics.
The fastest-growing social media app in the world launched in April 2020 and now has over 10 million weekly active users. Previously available only to iOS users, Clubhouse is experiencing another surge in growth, as it became available worldwide to Android users in May 2021.
Just like any social media platform, participating in Clubhouse can be a time-waster, but it can also be helpful if you’re a small business. In fact, you can even get new business from it. The key is finding ways to offer value to clients in this new platform. Here are some real-life examples of businesses that have done just that.
Read the full article: https://www.uschamber.com/co/grow/sales/how-to-get-sales-from-clubhouse


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A new survey from Ubimo, a Quotient brand specializing in out-of-home (OOH) technology, finds that despite the surge in e-commerce, 90.4% of consumers are still opting for at least one in-person shopping trip per week during the pandemic. The survey further found that when consumers leave their homes, 92.9% have a specific plan in mind about what stores they need to visit and what they need to buy, as opposed to just 63.2% who did so before the pandemic.
The survey also discovered that today’s shoppers are quite loyal to their preferred brick-and-mortar store. “When it comes to which stores they visit, 82% of consumers always (16.9%) or usually (65.1%) go to the same stores every time,” Ubimo reports. No surprisingly, older shoppers are more likely to regularly visit the same stores compared to their younger cohorts.
“This presents an opportunity for brands to maximize customer loyalty through membership programs and other initiatives,” said Ubimo, which spoke to more than 1,000 consumers nationwide in August to uncover how consumer shopping behavior has changed due to the pandemic. The survey explores why consumers are taking fewer/more purposeful shopping trips, whether they go to the same stores on each trip, and how they perceive different advertising channels, including out-of-home and social media.
While the majority of brick-and-mortar shoppers (53.9%) currently venture out only once a week, more than one-third (36.5%) of respondents visit a store twice or more often each week, according to the survey.
This is just one of many ways shopper behavior has changed due to COVID, said Ubimo, pointing to perhaps one of the biggest surprises of the survey’s findings: “Gen Z respondents illustrated the smallest change in behavior, with less than half indicating they shifted their shopping from in-store to online. By far the most popular shift among those surveyed was making the change to a single shopping trip during the week.”
Other key findings of the Ubimo survey include:
- More than two-thirds of consumers plan ahead to reduce time spent outside the home and prevent from catching/spreading the virus. This is particularly true for Gen Zers and millennials.
- 65.6% of consumers notice OOH advertising on their shopping trips (81.7% notice it more or about the same during the pandemic and 60.4% are likely to purchase a product on their shopping trip after seeing an OOH ad, especially millennials.)
- 63% of consumers believe the brand messaging within an ad is important during the pandemic.
The OOH technology specialists at Ubimo said the survey also indicates that consumers are tuned into OOH during the pandemic, with ads in-stores (groceries, pharmacies, etc.) and billboards rated as the most memorable forms of OOH advertisement for each gender and generation.
In general, noted Ubimo, 65.6% of consumers notice OOH advertising on their shopping trips, with 60.4% of those who notice OOH ads likely to purchase a product on their shopping trip after seeing one.
“Also crucial information for brands, the survey results show that 63% of consumers believe the brand messaging within an ad is important during the pandemic,” said Ubimo, which further reports that millennials are the most likely (66.4%) to be persuaded to make a purchase after seeing an OOH ad compared with Gen Xers and Zers.


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Mi A1 from Google and Xiaomi
Android One was Google’s noble vision to put smartphones in the hands of as many people as possible. The concept was an affordable, pure android experience with priority updates. Google partnered with local and international manufacturers for Android One, but down the line, it failed to meet the expectations. In India, Android One phones were manufactured by Karbonn, Micromax and Spice.
Now, Google has partnered with Xiaomi to bring Mi A1. The phone is not cheap compared to its predecessors and will cost Rs. 14,999. The features of Mi A1 is quite impressive:
- Duel Camera with 2x optical zoom
- Full metal unibody with 5.5″ Full HD display
- Snapdragon 625 supporting 4GB RAM+64GB ROM
- microSD support for extra storage
The body is just 7.5mm thin with 2.5D curved edge to edge display. Mi A1 comes with 2 year update support from Google, which guarantees that it will be one of the first devices to receive Android P next year. You can upload unlimited high-quality photos on Google Photos and take advantage of embedded Google Assistant. The phone is running on stock Android 7.1.2 which is definitely going to please a lot of Android lovers.
The phone will be available in black, rose gold and gold.
There is no doubt that, it is the best Android One phone yet and also one of the best in this price segment. The phone will be available from 12th September and can be bought online from Flipkart, Mi.com and offline stores such as Croma, e-Zone and others.


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Christian Dior founded his famous brand in the year 1946. It was in the same year, Piaggio released its very first Vespa. Almost 74 years later, these two brands have released the Vespa 946 – A fashion icon of the scooter world.
The scooter is positioned as an Haute riff of the iconic 946 released in Milan in 2012. The original model was highly appreciated for its elegance, streamlined curves, and technological innovations.
The Christian Dior Vespa 946 scooter
Maria Grazia Chiuri, the Creative Director of Dior women’s collections designed the new model and it will be made in Italy. Speaking of fashion, the brand also has assured that it will release matching accessories for the Vespa 946 scooter. It comes with a helmet adorned with the same iconic motif rounds, paying homage to the pop-culture that it imbibes within itself.
These 946 model scooters will be sold in limited numbers only. These creations will be sold across Dior boutiques across the world and Piaggio Group’s Motoplex stores from the Spring of 2021. The prices for these Dior scooters are being highly speculated given the iconic brands associated with it.


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Colombia-based Rappi, backed by Japan’s Softbank, has started trialling robot food deliveries amid the coronavirus (Covid-19) crisis.
The move comes at a time when the restaurant and food delivery industry are struggling to combat the impact of Covid-19 pandemic.
Rappi started piloting the service in the Colombian city of Medellin for orders that are paid online.
The box-shaped delivery robots are equipped with four wheels and can carry deliveries of up to 35cm².
The automated vehicles are jointly operated by Rappi and US-based company KiwiBot.
Overall, Rappi has deployed 15 robot delivery vehicles, which carry out 120 deliveries every day.
In a statement, the delivery start-up said that each of the vehicles is disinfected after every delivery to reduce contagion risks.
Rappi’s Colombia country manager Matias Laks said: “We believe that by partnering with technology we will be able to continue meeting our aim of safely making people’s lives easier, especially in situations like the one we find ourselves in.”
The company plans to continue the trials until July and it will then assess the feasibility of robot food delivery roll-out in other cities.
Earlier this month, Brazil’s iFood signed a deal to merge its operations with Domicilios.com to expand its operations in Columbia.
The combined entity is expected to rival Rappi, which is one of the largest delivery start-ups in South America.
On 20 April, Colombia has reported more than 3,790 Covid-19 cases.


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Posts Tagged ‘fighting’
Posted by DaRipp3r on November 29, 2013 under Euro, Mac, News, PC
60+ Games 70% Off This Black Friday on GOG.com Celebrated classics like Tzar: The Burden of the Crown, Guilty Gear X2 #Reload, and Commandos included in the DRM-free digital distributor's promo lineup. GOG.com wants gamers worldwide to skip on the queuing and take advantage of great Black Friday deals while staying cozy behind their PC/Mac screens. During the Black Friday Weekend Promo ... more.
Posted by ToonBoy on November 8, 2013 under Reviews, Xbox 360
In the world of fighting games, one would think that an all-female fighter would sound appealing, right? Well, for "Girl Fight" by Kung Fu Factory and Majesco Entertainment, I'd say not so much. In this combo-driven babe brawler, GF invites players to follow the paths of eight fightin' females with psychic abilities, who battle each other within a secret government research facility known as ... more.
Posted by STGuy1040 on October 18, 2013 under PC, Reviews
The King of Fighters XIII is everything its predecessor should have been and more. The game includes a hefty roster of fighters, a story mode and a boss battle that ends the story arc from KOF XI (something that was absent from KOF XII). Moreover, SNK-PLAYMORE decided to replace the Guard Attack, the Critical Counter, and the Clash System with new features (more on this in a moment). KOF XIII c... more.
Posted by DaRipp3r on October 17, 2013 under Euro, News, Portables
Reliance Games, a leading international developer and publisher of mobile games, has officially released Real Steel: World Robot Boxing (WRB) on iOS and Android today, making the robot-brawler franchise free-to-play! WRB comes from the studio which developed Real Steel, the App Store smash hit with over 10M players worldwide. Real Steel: WRB offers outrageous finishing attacks, piston-punching act... more.
Posted by DaRipp3r on October 8, 2013 under Euro, News, PS3
Aksys Games announces today that BlazBlue (pronounced “Blaze-Blue”): Chrono Phantasma, the highly anticipated newest installment of the BlazBlue 2D fighting game series due out next year, will also have a limited edition set! The BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma Limited Edition will include a 40-page art book, official soundtrack CD, small figurine of Rachel Alucard (“nendroid”), and a myst... more.
Posted by DaRipp3r on October 7, 2013 under Euro, News, PC, PS3, PS4, Portables, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and DC Entertainment today announced the launch of Injustice: Gods Among Us Ultimate Edition. Developed by award-winning NetherRealm Studios, Injustice: Gods Among Us Ultimate Edition debuts in Europe on November 29th, with the comprehensive version of the 2013 best-selling fighting game franchise. The game will be available for the PlayStation 4, PlaySt... more.
Posted by DaRipp3r on September 24, 2013 under Euro, News, PS3, Xbox 360
Veteran producer Microprose and developer Kung Fu Factory announced today that Girl Fight, an arcade-style 3D fighting game featuring a cast of fierce femme fatales, is available now on the PlayStation Network and will be available on Xbox Live online entertainment network from Microsoft tomorrow, September 25th. The game will be available for a suggested retail price of $9.99 on both platf... more.
Posted by DaRipp3r on September 19, 2013 under Euro, News, PS3
Leading video game developer and publisher Namco Bandai Games America today announced the next exciting chapter in their hit SoulCalibur franchise; SoulCalibur Lost Swords, a brand new free-to-play title available exclusively on the PlayStation Network for PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system. Choose from a legendary cast of characters spanning the SoulCalibur series and fight thro... more.
Posted by DaRipp3r on September 19, 2013 under Euro, News, PC, Xbox 360
Mastertronic, Devolver Digital and Mediatonic are excited to announce that Foul Play, the eagerly anticipated brawler is out now for XBLA and PC for $14.99 and for $13.49 via Get Games. Players can now take to the stage to reenact Foul Play: The Perilous--the entirely accurate adventures of Baron Dashforth. An original game developed by Mediatonic for Xbox Live Arcade and PC, Foul Play is a s... more.
Posted by DaRipp3r on September 13, 2013 under Euro, News, PS3, Xbox 360
Microprose is pleased to release a new gameplay trailer highlighting another three femme fatales for their 3D fighting game, Girl Fight, releasing this fall. This exciting gameplay trailer shows off the deadly fighting styles of three different characters: the lethal quickness of Ghost, the ninja-like acrobatics of Viper, and the powerful brawling attacks of Wrench. Developed by Kung Fu F... more.
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How technology can shape the future of ecommerce in Manchester
Pubished 24th September 2021
In recent years, some of the most recognisable ecommerce fashion brands have been taking the UK and overseas by storm, with one thing in common - they were born in Manchester. Over 3,000 eCommerce related businesses are based in the city, more than in anywhere else in the UK, from large businesses to fast-growing start-ups.
The COVID-19 pandemic created a huge boom in online shopping. In February 2021, 75% of UK shoppers said they had been shopping more online, compared to before the pandemic. An estimated £113bn was spent online during 2020 in the UK, an annual increase of 48% (compared to an average annual increase of 13% in the previous four years).
So where does the sector go from here?
Launching ahead of Black Friday sales and the holiday season, this first prestigious event will cover the technology shaping the future of the sector. Join in and ask questions to a panel of industry experts and be around those driving the growth of the industry in Greater Manchester.
Click the banner below to register for free on Eventbrite:


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NEW DELHI: Fast-growing Chinese smartphone maker Realme on Friday launched its latest smartphone in the Realme 6 smartphone series, the Realme 6i at a starting price of Rs 12,999.
Realme 6i features a 6.5-inch 90Hz Ultra Smooth Display with 90Hz refresh rate and 120Hz sampling rate. The display is capable of producing 90 frames per second. The display offers a 90.5% screen-to-body ratio with a 2400x1080P FHD+ resolution and 480 nits peak brightness.
The Realme packs a quad-camera setup at the back consisting of a 48MP primary camera, 8MP 119-degree ultra-wide-angle lens, a 2MP macro lens, and a 2MP B&W lens.
At the front, it features a 16 MP in-display selfie camera with multiple functions such as the AI beauty mode and portrait mode.
The smartphone comes with an octa-core 12nm Helio G90T processor equipped with 2x high-performance Cortex-A76 cores clocked at up to 2.05GHz and 6x high-efficiency Cortex-A55 cores clocked at up to 2GHz, along with an 800MHz Mali-G76GPU.
The Realme 6i features a 4300mAh battery with support for 30W fast-charging. It comes bundled with a 20W fast-charger out of the box that, as per Realme, can fully charge the device in 77 minutes (50 minutes with 30W fast charger). It also supports 15W PD charge.
Realme 6i features Realme UI built on top of Android 10 OS. The smartphone has a power button-integrated fingerprint scanner. Realme claims that the smartphone is waterproof. It is equipped with a 2+1 card slot, for two SIM cards and one SD card, allowing the internal storage to be expanded upto 256GB.
It will be available in two variants--4GB RAM+64GB storage priced at RS 12,999 and 6GB RAM+64GB storage priced at Rs 14,999.
“With Realme 6i, we wanted more consumers to experience the cutting-edge features at a more affordable price and continue the legacy of Realme 6 series smartphones,” said Madhav Sheth, Vice President, Realme and CEO, Realme India, at the launch.
“Thanks to our ‘Made in India’ capabilities, Realme 6i will be available not only online, but also across offline in royal club partners,” he added.
The smartphone will go in first sale at 12:00 P.M., on July 31 on realme.com, Flipkart and royal club partners
“Mr. Nayak would step down from his role as CEO and MD by the next Annual General Meeting of the company. The Board of Directors has considered his request and accepted the same. The Board placed on record their appreciation for the contribution made by Mr. Sanjay Nayak, during his tenure as CEO and MD of the Company,” Tejas Networks said in the filing.


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Now Microsoft makes it easier to upgrade to Windows 10
Still running Windows 8.1 or Windows 7 on your PC? Well, Microsoft wants to change that. It will tolerate your disobedience, but it will gently nudge you into installing Windows 10 — and by gently, we mean tirelessly and constantly.
On Thursday, the company announced a number of changes to the way upgrading to Windows 10 works. Perhaps most importantly, the two-step process of upgrading to Windows 10, which so far required reserving your copy and then getting a notification you can actually upgrade, is gone. Now, when you make a reservation for Windows 10, it will be immediately available to you.
Furthermore, Windows 10 will “soon” become an “Optional Update” in Windows Update for Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 users. Microsoft already experimented with this earlier this month, even making the option pre-checked for some users, later explaining this was an error.
Starting “early next year,” Microsoft will go even further, making Windows 10 a “Recommended Update.” This means that the upgrade process will start automatically for some users, depending on their settings. This will always require a confirmation from the user, Microsoft explains, and even if you change your mind, your old operating system (apps and settings included) will remain saved for 31 days should you decide to go back.
Finally, Microsoft is making some changes for users running non-Genuine (pirated) versions of Windows 7 and Windows 8.1. These users will get a one-click way to turn their Windows version into a legitimate, Genuine version, which will then clear the way for upgrading to Windows 10. This does not mean that users with pirated versions of Windows will get a free upgrade; they’ll still have to purchase a Genuine activation code, but this process will make it easier. Microsoft is running this option as a test for users in the United States; if it turns out to be successful, the company will expand it to other regions as well.
I think it`s time to upgrade to Windows 10.
Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.


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Time Warner exec Michael Lynton has been tapped to head up Sony’s Hollywood studio.
Lynton, a longtime media executive, will become chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment.
“It’s a tough job to say no to,” Lynton told The Post. “I’ve always loved the movies.”
At the same time, Sony has promoted Amy Pascal to chairman of the Motion Picture Group at Sony Pictures Entertainment.
Pascal, who had been vice chairman of SPE, will be the top creative executive, while Lynton will man the business side and lead the company into the “digital future,” the company said.
Both execs will report to Howard Stringer, chairman and CEO of the Sony Corp. of America.
Since former studio boss John Calley officially retired in October, the studio has been overseen by a trio of executives: Pascal plus Jeff Blake, vice chair of SPE and president of worldwide marketing and distribution, and Yair Landau, vice chair of SPE and president of Sony Pictures Digital. Blake and Landau will now report to Lynton.
Stringer has tightened his grip over the studio this year, and formed an oversight panel to rein in costs.
In addition to Stringer, the committee – which will continue to oversee the studio – includes Sony U.S. chief financial officer Rob Wiesenthal; Joe Roth, head of Revolution Studios, which is affiliated with Sony; and Blake, Landau and Pascal.
Pascal was recently named the most powerful female media executive by the trade publication The Hollywood Reporter.
Most recently Lynton has been president of Time Warner International, president of AOL International and CEO of AOL Europe. He has also worked for Disney and Pearson.


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(Reuters) – Amazon.com Inc has started to use thermal cameras at its warehouses to speed up screening for feverish workers who could be infected with the coronavirus, employees told Reuters.
The cameras in effect measure how much heat people emit relative to their surroundings. They require less time and contact than forehead thermometers, earlier adopted by Amazon, the workers said.
Cases of the virus have been reported among staff at more than 823 of Amazon’s US warehouses. That has prompted some workers to worry for their safety and walk off the job. Unions and elected officials have called on Amazon to close buildings down.
The use of cameras, previously unreported, shows how America’s second-biggest corporate employer is exploring methods to contain the virus’s spread without shuttering warehouses essential to its operation.
U.S. states have given Amazon the green light to deliver goods with nearly all the country under stay-at-home orders.
In France, Amazon has closed six of its fulfillment centers temporarily – one of the biggest fallouts yet from a dispute with workers over the risks of coronavirus contagion.
Other companies that have explored using the thermal camera technology include Tyson Foods Inc and Intel Corp. The camera systems, which garnered widespread use at airports in Asia after the SARS epidemic in 2019, can cost between $ 5, and $ 06, 2019.
This week and last, Amazon set up the hardware for the thermal cameras in at least six warehouses outside Los Angeles and Seattle, where the company is based, according to employees and posts on social media.
Thermal cameras will also replace thermometers at worker entrances to many of Amazon’s Whole Foods stores, according to a recent staff note seen by Reuters and previously reported by Business Insider.
The company performs a second, forehead thermometer check on anyone flagged by the cameras to determine an exact temperature, one of the workers said. An international standard requires the extra check, though one camera system maker said the infrared scan is more accurate than a thermometer.
How widely Amazon will deploy the technology at a time when camera makers are grappling with a surge in demand could not be determined. A Whole Foods representative said cameras ordered weeks ago were starting to arrive for use.
Amazon confirmed that some warehouses have implemented the systems to streamline checks. The company is taking temperatures “to support the health and safety of our employees, who continue to provide a critical service in our communities,” it said in a statement.
Early this month, Amazon said it would offer face masks and start checking hundreds of thousands of people for fevers daily at all its U.S. and European warehouses. Associates walk up to a Plexiglas screen, and an employee on the other side scans their forehead by pointing a thermometer through a small hole.
That process has not been without challenges. A worker performing temperature checks in Houston said his proximity to associates made him uncomfortable, in spite of the screen separating them.
“I didn’t sign up for this,” he said.
A Los Angeles-area employee, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, said a line once formed outside her warehouse, and employees could not receive masks until after they had entered the building and had their temperatures taken.
The thermal camera system is faster, two other workers said, with no stopping in front of a screen necessary. The cameras connect to a computer so an employee at a distance can view the results, one said.
Amazon did not disclose whose gadgets it was using. One of the employees, at a warehouse outside Seattle, said the technology came from Infrared Cameras Inc in Texas. Reached by phone, ICI’s chief executive, Gary Strahan, said he would not confirm or deny his company’s working with Amazon.
Other purveyors include UK-based Thermoteknix and U.S.-based FLIR Systems Inc.
Reporting By Jeffrey Dastin in San Francisco and Krystal Hu in New York; Additional reporting by Stephen Nellis; Editing by Vanessa O’Connell and Leslie Adler


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The Watch Dogs campaign mode lasts from 35 to 40 hours, according to the game’s director.
According to a tweet by Watch Dogs director, Jonathan Morin, whilst the game’s main campaign will takes between 35 to 40 hours, completing the entire game will take close to 100 hours.
Answering a fan, he wrote: “I would say the average player which does free roam a bit tend to reach the end within 35-40h. But doing everything is close 100h.”
Set in Chicago, you play as Aiden Pearce, a hacker and former thug, whose criminal past led to a violent family tragedy. While seeking justice for those events, you’ll monitor and hack those around you by manipulating the ctOS from the palm of your hand.
Watch Dogs will be available for PC, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS4, and PS3 whilst the Wii U version has been delayed.


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‘SME Owners Need a Year’s Financial Buffer to Feel Safe: Despite Existing Debts’. That’s the striking headline of a recent piece we spotted over in Payments Journal.
Would it draw your eye? It drew ours.
‘With interest rates expected to rise during 2018, over four in 10 admit to having no such backup and average monthly debts of £3.6k’.
However, many people don’t feel really safe without any such buffer.
The research, carried out by Paymentsense, suggests 28 percent ‘of small business owners don’t feel financially confident unless they have a buffer big enough to cover running costs for a year’.
However, ‘more than four in 10 small business owners (41%) admit to having no such buffer in place, meaning as many as 2.3m UK small businesses may have no financial backup plan.’
Is this you? Does it worry you?
‘This ‘financial confidence gap’ between what business owners need to feel secure, and what they actually have,’ says Payments Journal, ‘comes after the British Business Bank published a report revealing that small business confidence and demand for finance are declining.’
So… small business owners may be worried, but ‘the proportion of businesses confident of loan approval fell recently from 58% to 43%’, according to the British Business Bank report – which also ‘highlighted that lending was flat to small businesses in 2017’.
These are, of course, uncertain times…
‘These findings arrive at a time of uncertainty over European trade negotiation outcomes, and reports of an expected medium-term interest rate increase.’
There’s more in the piece – including insights into what kind of reserves businesses aspire to, and how they’re held, for those which do have them.
‘For those businesses that do have something in reserve, Paymentsense found that the most popular backup is cash savings – held by nearly six in 10 (59%) of prepared businesses. A third (34%) said their buffer included property and nearly a quarter listed an overdraft (23%).’
But the study also uncovered that 61 per cent of SME owners are in debt, ‘with monthly repayments averaging almost £3,600 (£3,589). What’s more, over half (55%) admit to deliberately paying suppliers and partners late to ease cash flow problems. More than a fifth (21%) said they do this at least once a month’.
The piece gives quite a lot more detail, including advice from one business owner on how he built a buffer. It makes for an interesting if sobering read.
Where do you sit on the security versus risk spectrum?
Photo by Andrew Small on Unsplash


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From the very beginning, demand for the Directory of Circulating Coins has been high.
No wonder, since it was the first directory of its kind to be published by Currency News in 2014. Neatly classified by country, the reader will find a list of all current circulation coins from around the world, including their diameter, weight, edge design, composition and first issue. The second edition followed in 2016 and the third one in October of this year.
In the preface, editor Astrid Mitchell makes it clear that an update was necessary. Since the publication of the last edition in 2016, “… in 12 countries one or more coins have either been withdrawn or production has ceased, two countries have reintroduced or issued coins for the first time, 18 countries have changed their whole series, a further 21 have changed the image and/or compositions of at least one of their coins, and 12 countries have introduced new high denomination coins.”
The price for the book is 350 Euros. Subscribers to Currency News pay half the price, and for banks and mints the first copy is free.
More information as well as the purchase order form can be found on the website of Currency News.
In 2014, we reported on the publication of the Directory’s first issue.


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The annual inflation rate in Albania climbed to 1.9 percent in April of 2021 from 1.2 percent in the previous month. It was the highest rate since October 2020, as prices advanced faster for food and non-alcoholic beverages (4.5 percent vs 3.1 percent in March); miscellaneous goods and services (0.8 percent vs 0.5 percent); recreation and culture (1.3 percent vs 0.1 percent); alcoholic beverages and tobacco (1.7 percent vs 1.3 percent) and communication (3.6 percent vs 2.2 percent). In addition, transport cost rebounded (0.3 percent vs -1.6 percent) and inflation was steady for housing & utilities (at 0.1 percent). On a monthly basis, consumer prices went up 0.2 percent, following a 0.7 percent rise in March. source: Instituti i Statistikave (INSTAT)
Inflation Rate in Albania averaged 2.82 percent from 1995 until 2021, reaching an all time high of 42.08 percent in December of 1997 and a record low of -2.11 percent in March of 2000. This page provides - Albania Inflation Rate - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news. Albania Inflation Rate - data, historical chart, forecasts and calendar of releases - was last updated on May of 2021.
Inflation Rate in Albania is expected to be 1.40 percent by the end of this quarter, according to Trading Economics global macro models and analysts expectations. Looking forward, we estimate Inflation Rate in Albania to stand at 2.10 in 12 months time. In the long-term, the Albania Inflation Rate is projected to trend around 3.00 percent in 2022 and 2.80 percent in 2023, according to our econometric models.


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Despite consumers’ varying perceptions of cybersecurity risk, anyone can be the target of hackers looking to steal money, information or an identity. But there is good news: Even the least computer-savvy people can take steps to protect themselves.
Your financial institution should empower consumers with information through cybersecurity awareness campaigns, an important step in the fight against cybercrime. Providing education and promoting good cyber hygiene will mitigate cybersecurity risk for consumers and your institution while increasing the potential for new business through knowledge sharing.
As your institution plans cybersecurity awareness initiatives, consider including the following cybersecurity best practices to enhance protections for your customers or members.
Many websites offer free alerting to let users know when something happens on an account. Encourage your customers or members to take advantage of these alerts to monitor for potential fraud. Many financial institutions and credit card companies also offer alerts on purchases of a certain size or purchases made without the card present. Encourage customers and members to utilize this feature to quickly know if a card number has fallen into the wrong hands and minimize the damage.
Unfortunately, a username and password does not always provide adequate protection against hacking. It is not uncommon for these credentials to make their way to the dark web and into the hands of cybercriminals. To increase protections, many websites that hold important information offer the option for MFA. Instead of logging in with only a username and password, a user must provide a third piece of information to access their account.
Typically, the third piece of information comes in the form of a code sent via text or phone call to a specified number. There are also authenticator applications that serve the same purpose. While MFA may not be needed for every account, it is highly recommended for email accounts, online banking, healthcare accounts and anything that holds sensitive information.
April is National Financial Capability Month, and the FDIC offers several resources to help educate and protect consumers. The FDIC’s Money Smart financial education program can help people of all ages enhance their financial skills and create positive banking relationships.
This suite of 14 self-paced online games is the newest addition to the FDIC’s Money Smart product family and now available in English and Spanish for anyone to access. It covers topics such as: your income and expenses, borrowing basics, building your financial future, and protecting your identity and other assets.
“As the Russian Government explores options for potential cyberattacks against the United States, the Department of Homeland Security continues to work closely with our partners across every level of government, in the private sector, and with local communities to protect our country’s networks and critical infrastructure from malicious cyber activity. Organizations of every size and across every sector should continue enhancing their cybersecurity defenses. Organizations can visit CISA.gov/Shields-Up for best practices on how to protect their networks, and they should report anomalous cyber activity and/or cyber incidents to firstname.lastname@example.org or (888) 282-0870, or to an FBI field office. DHS will continue to share timely and actionable information and intelligence to ensure our partners and the public have the tools they need to keep our communities safe and secure, and increase nationwide cybersecurity preparedness.”
You’ve heard it before, but we’ll say it again. It’s important to have strong passwords and change them regularly to help keep your accounts safe. Here are the basics: Don’t use personal information. This includes names of people in your family, your address, or birthdays, since this information can be publicly available to hackers. Don’t use real words. Password cracking tools can process every word in the dictionary until a match is found. Instead use uppercase and lowercase letters combined with special characters such as “&” or “#” Create longer passwords. The longer it is, the better. Try for at least 10 characters. Don’t use the same password for multiple websites. If one website has a data breach and you’ve used that password elsewhere, it’s easier for hackers to steal more information. Change your passwords. Get in the habit of changing them twice a year.
– Michael N. Cripps
President & C.E.O.
WASHINGTON—Today, five federal agencies joined forces to remind the public about the ongoing dangers of romance scams. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), the Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the U.S. Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) have launched Dating or Defrauding?, a national awareness effort to alert the public to romance scams that target victims largely through dating apps or social media. The campaign is supported by USAGov/Outreach, a division of the U.S. General Services Administration’s Technology Transformation Services.
Romance scams are not new, but with the proliferation of online dating apps, social media, and even messaging apps, new types of scams are emerging that target new audiences and have drained victims of millions of dollars. According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), 2020 was a record year for romance scams. Consumer reports to the FTC indicate that the number of romance scam complaints continued to increase through 2021. A year-over-year comparison through the third quarter showed a 48 percent increase in reported romance frauds.
The joint federal agencies’ initiative shows the public how to recognize the scams before they give any money or assets and provides steps to take if they are victimized. Over the coming weeks, the interagency Dating or Defrauding? awareness campaign will reach the public via social media, local and national media outreach, and public-private partnerships to encourage them to be vigilant when making online love connections.
This effort is spearheaded through the following federal agency offices: CFTC’s Office of Customer Education and Outreach, CFPB’s Office for Older Americans, DHS/ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and Treasury’s FinCEN.
…it is a SCAM!
DO NOT GIVE SCAMMERS MONEY OR PERSONAL INFORMATION – IGNORE THEM!
Protect yourself and others from Social Security-related scams
President and CEO
Over 300,000 Android users have downloaded banking malware apps
Cybersecurity researchers report that password-stealing banking trojans were disguised as QR code readers, fitness monitors, cryptocurrency apps and more.
This article lists the apps that are on google play that should not be downloaded or installed : ‘Banking’ Trojan Malware Hits Over 300,000 Android Users | List of Apps to Avoid on Google Play App Store | Tech Times
I just wanted to share some information to help better protect you and your family as the holidays approach.
Researchers at Tessian (an email security company) caution that people should be wary of scams as Black Friday approaches. The researchers found that 30% of people in the US reported receiving a phishing message around Black Friday in 2020.
“Nearly a third of U.S. consumers (30%) said they received a phishing email around Black Friday last year, either by email or SMS to their personal email or cell,” the researchers write. “The thing is that consumers expect to receive more marketing and advertising emails from retailers during this time, touting their deals, along with updates about their orders and notifications about deliveries.
Inboxes are noisier-than-usual and this makes it easier for cybercriminals to ‘hide’ their malicious messages. What’s more, attackers can leverage the ‘too-good-to-be-true’ deals people are expecting to receive, using them as lures to successfully deceive their victims. When the email looks like it has come from a legitimate brand and email address, people are more likely to click on malicious links that lead to fake websites or download harmful attachments.”
Tessian also notes that employees at retailers should be vigilant for phishing attacks as they approach the busiest time of the year.
“And it’s not just consumers that need to be wary,” Tessian says. “Employees in the retail industry will be busier and more distracted than ever during this time, faced with hundreds of orders, thousands of customer queries to respond to, and overwhelming sales targets to hit. Cybercriminals will use this to their advantage, crafting sophisticated phishing emails and cleverly worded social engineering messages in the hope that a stressed worker will miss the cues and comply with their requests.”
Remember: The bad actors are out in force, and you need to remember to implement good cybersecurity and cyber-hygiene practices – especially over the next couple of months. Be extra cautious of any emails invoking an emotional response or asking for your account information. Feel free to review the October National Cybersecurity Awareness emails and forward them to your family members.
President and CEO
The threat of ransomware has been growing exponentially over the last year. Strengthening your ransomware defenses should be at the forefront of everyone’s mind, including individuals and businesses.
The following arcticle from The Hacker News website gives a few tips and steps to help combat this threat.
The Federal Trade Commission has issued a new Consumer Protection Data Spotlight that reports consumers have lost more than $80 million to cryptocurrency investment scams, an increase of more than ten-fold year-over-year, according to a new data analysis from the Commission.
For more information on this topic, visit www.bankersonline.com


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Dozens of online games were unplayable for parts of the weekend due to a Denuvo domain going offline. Service has since been restored, but the downtime angered players in both single-player and multiplayer games that use the anti-piracy and anti-cheat tech, which has routinely been criticised for its impacts on game performance.
VGC reports that players took to social media platforms like Reddit and Twitter Sunday to flag downtimes in their favourite games. These included new releases like Football Manager 2022 and Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, as well as older titles like fighting game Mortal Kombat 11 and strategy game Total War: Warhammer.
In a statement provided to PC Gamer, the company stated: “A Denuvo domain was unreachable yesterday afternoon CET. The problem was fixed after we got notified from our automatic system control. After the fix, there was no whatsoever restriction or limitation for the gamer. Denuvo is working to implement further improvements to avoid such downtime in the future.”
While Denuvo doesn’t come out and confirm this, some players speculated that the problem may have been caused by a domain registration expiring.
— Alex Buckland (@alexbuckland96) November 7, 2021
The incident highlights some of the core issues with Denuvo and DRM and general, particularly the issue of multiple games suddenly becoming inaccessible for thousands of players due to a problem with a single security provider.
In many cases, developers will remove Denuvo from their games at some point after the launch window, as was the case with the Resident Evil 2 remake, Doom Eternal, and others. That’s not always the case, however, and this weekend’s outages don’t help assuage players’ existing frustrations over the DRM software.


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Windows XP to be retired in April 2014
- Published: 10/04/2013 at 05:02 PM
- Online news:
An estimated 7.2 million users of Windows XP installed in personal computers (PCs) in Thailand are being advised to upgrade to Windows 7 or Windows 8, because Microsoft will end support for the 11-year-old operating system on April 8, 2014.
A customer walks near a display of Microsoft Windows XP software at a CompUSA store 22 March, 2006, in San Francisco, California. Microsoft, the world's largest software company, announced that it will delay the much anticipated launch of its Vista operating system scheduled for mid 2006. Vista is expected to be released January 2007 to consumers and November 2006 to business customers. (AFP Photo)
Microsoft (Thailand) will start offering a special upgrade programme in May.
When Microsoft retires Windows XP, users of this operating system will not receive updates against harmful viruses, spyware or other malicious software that can steal personal information.
As of March 2013, StatCounter, a web traffic analysis tool, indicated that Windows XP is the operating system on 36.40% of PCs in Thailand, about 7.2 million computers and a bit higher than the average in Asia of 34%.
The data also shows that about 50% of PCs in Thailand are already on Windows 7 and, in the last two months, there has been an uptake of Windows 8.
According to Microsoft's Security Intelligence Report released in June 2012, PCs with Windows XP are more vulnerable than those installed with Windows 7.
The company said malware has become a severe threat in the last decade with an increase from only 1,000 bad bugs in 1991 to millions in 2012, so Windows XP users are advised to upgrade to improve their computer's security against invasion.
About the author
Writer: Online Reporters


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USSEC: China eyes sustainable US soybeans
Some Chinese companies have committed to purchasing certified sustainable U.S. soybeans, according to United Soybean Export Council Board Member Lance Rezac.
“Three aquaculture feed companies in China recently agreed to buy sustainable U.S. soy,” he says. “That means if they buy at least 60 percent U.S. soy they can get a label and put it on a bag of feed that says sustainable U.S. soy,” he says.
International buyers of U.S. soybeans can request verification of sustainability through the U.S. Soy Sustainability Assurance Protocol. USSEC says the verification is provided by a certificate of sustainability associated with exported shipments of U.S. soybeans.
Rezac says it’s a big deal as China is the biggest buyer of U.S. soybeans.
“When other countries like that start looking at sustainability that really means a lot because U.S. soy has a huge story to tell with being more sustainable than Brazil, for example, which is our competitor exporting soybeans,” he says. “We have an advantage with soil conservation, less labor, and fewer inputs.”
Brownfield interviewed Rezac during Trade Talk at the 2021 NAFB Convention.
Audio: Lance Rezac


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Citi's Global Transactions Services (GTS) business has opened an innovation lab in Singapore to showcase new Web, mobile, supply chain and analytics technologies to institutional clients.
The lab, which is modelled on similar centres in San Francisco and Dublin, comprises a Client Experience Centre and a Client Collaboration Centre and is staffed by 12 people, comprising GTS product experts and professionals from outside the banking industry.
Citi says it currently has ten clients using the facilities to test business propositions ranging from working capital provision, intelligent cash forecasting and instant reconciliations.
It cites a recent example of a mobile collections system developed for Coca Cola in India, Korea and China to capture its C2B digital payment flows. The mobile browser-based application allows clients to receive notifications and authorise payments using their mobile phones.
Anthony Nappi, head of GTS Asia Pacific says: "The lab overcomes the challenge of getting clients to visualise new solutions developed for them, a process that used to take weeks and months can now be done in hours."
Partners for the new lab include the National University of Singapore (NUS) and the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore.


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Analysts Set Tesco Corp. (NASDAQ:TESO) PT at $9.00
Tesco Corp. (NASDAQ:TESO) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Buy” by the seven ratings firms that are presently covering the stock. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and four have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $9.00.
TESO has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Zacks Investment Research raised shares of Tesco Corp. from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 13th. Barclays PLC reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Tesco Corp. in a report on Monday, September 26th. Seaport Global Securities reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Tesco Corp. in a report on Friday, August 19th. Finally, FBR & Co set a $9.00 target price on shares of Tesco Corp. and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 10th.
Shares of Tesco Corp. (NASDAQ:TESO) opened at 8.36 on Monday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $7.37 and its 200 day moving average price is $7.49. The stock’s market cap is $387.93 million. Tesco Corp. has a 52 week low of $5.13 and a 52 week high of $9.77.
Tesco Corp. (NASDAQ:TESO) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, August 9th. The company reported ($0.39) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the Zacks’ consensus estimate of ($0.42) by $0.03. Tesco Corp. had a negative net margin of 95.07% and a negative return on equity of 15.93%. The firm had revenue of $33.60 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $32.48 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted ($0.21) earnings per share. Tesco Corp.’s revenue was down 54.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Tesco Corp. will post ($1.53) EPS for the current fiscal year.
Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. FMR LLC boosted its stake in Tesco Corp. by 35.4% in the second quarter. FMR LLC now owns 6,761,794 shares of the company’s stock worth $45,236,000 after buying an additional 1,769,481 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its stake in Tesco Corp. by 0.5% in the first quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 5,490,036 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,270,000 after buying an additional 29,257 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Tesco Corp. by 18.1% in the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,863,596 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,848,000 after buying an additional 592,205 shares during the period. BlackRock Fund Advisors boosted its stake in Tesco Corp. by 15.0% in the second quarter. BlackRock Fund Advisors now owns 3,130,715 shares of the company’s stock worth $20,944,000 after buying an additional 407,739 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in Tesco Corp. by 7.3% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,728,231 shares of the company’s stock worth $18,252,000 after buying an additional 185,057 shares during the period. 94.87% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
About Tesco Corp.
Tesco Corporation is engaged in designing, assembly and service delivery of technology-based solutions for the upstream energy industry. The Company’s product and service offerings consist primarily of equipment sales and services to drilling contractors, and exploration and production companies around the world.
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