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Taiwan’s Foxconn stated on Monday it had partnered with Indian conglomerate Vedanta to make semiconductors within the South Asian nation, because the electronics large appears to diversify its enterprise amid a worldwide chip scarcity.
In an announcement, Foxconn stated it had signed a memorandum of understanding with oil-to-metals group Vedanta to make semiconductors, calling it “a major enhance to home manufacturing of electronics in India.”
Foxconn stated it will make investments $118.7 million (roughly Rs. 900 crore) to arrange a three way partnership firm with Vedanta, which might be the bulk shareholder of the brand new enterprise. Foxconn would maintain 40 % of the enterprise’s shares, it added.
“This primary-of-its-kind three way partnership between the 2 corporations will assist Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s imaginative and prescient to create an ecosystem for semiconductor manufacturing in India,” the assertion stated.
The Taiwan firm has in recent times counted semiconductors amongst its core companies and final 12 months fashioned a partnership with Yageo to make semiconductor chips, following a worldwide chip scarcity that has rattled producers of products from vehicles to electronics.
The corporate has additionally in recent times introduced plans to develop into a significant participant within the international EV market, and has stated it was in talks with “associated foundries” on potential collaboration to make chips for EVs.
© Thomson Reuters 2022


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Apple chief executive Tim Cook said that ensuring safe working conditions at plants making its coveted gadgets is a priority, as an audit of a key supplier continued in China.
Quoted from Apple chief says factory labor under scrutiny on Gadgets News Headlines – Yahoo! News
Announcements included the new iPhone X and iPhone 8, Apple Watch with cellular connectivity, Apple TV 4K, and much more. We’re committed to sustainability and continuing to reduce our impact on the environment. Get the latest science news and technology news, read tech reviews and more at ABC News. Apple CEO Tim Cook for Spending the day in Ohio and Iowa is bound to raise a few eyebrows. Tags: apple, cook, president, heres, Foxconn, the Taiwanese electronics supplier for and other tech giants, said Wednesday it would open its first major American in Ian Parker visits the top-secret lab where the world’s most powerful design team created the Watch. Inside 's Chinese 'sweatshop' where workers are paid just £1.12 per hour to produce iPhones and iPads for the West. Factories covered in

domain: news


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By if-admin | June 25, 2020
GlobalWebIndex has reported that 29% of total internet users have used a live streaming option on social media, and 13% have watched a live gaming stream. These figures alone tell us that live streaming is the new mode to watch – and that marketers needed to weave it into their strategy, like yesterday.
Before you start (if you haven’t already), we’ve answered some key questions that can frame your live stream activities. Here we go:
What’s the average demographic of a live streamer?
While this doesn’t narrow down much, it does tell us that your target demographic is likely to engage with you via live stream – yet another reason to jump on the bandwagon.
How do live streamers want to engage with brands?
One of the biggest advantages of live stream is that users are engaging with brands like never before. Live stream has unearthed a unique perspective for users – they now have a backstage pass. According to techjury, 87% of audiences would prefer to watch online vs. on TV if it means more behind-the-scenes content.
This new, up-close relationship has led to a surge in engagement with 18% of audiences providing ideas for a new product/design, 19% sharing a brand’s post on social media, and 20% interacting with a brand on a messaging app.
How do live streamers feel online experiences compare to real life?
According to App Annie, consumers spend 50% of their time on mobile in social apps, with user-generated video streaming apps like TikTok blurring the lines between social and real life.
Simply put, live streams are filling the void left by cancelled events and are substituting real-world counterparts.
If you’re living under a rock and don’t already know that we’ve been releasing a new Serious Social Live Stream every week, you do now. Check out what’s already been shared live on Facebook here and follow our social channels for new ones.


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Serta Simmons Bedding LLC held a grand opening event and ribbon-cutting ceremony Tuesday for its state-of-the-art 500,000-square-foot manufacturing plant in Janesville, Wisconsin, that will produce mattresses and other bedding products under its Serta, Beautyrest and Simmons brands.
SSB has long had a manufacturing presence in Rock County, and this plant is retaining more than 300 jobs, according to a news release. The Doraville, Georgia-based company expects to create additional jobs at the plant over the next few years as the business regains lost market share.
The new plant at 200 Innovation Drive consolidates two Rock County plants that were in Beloit and at another location in Janesville. Now SSB has transferred production to the new manufacturing plant recently completed by Zilber Property Group.
The new plant will enable SSB to manufacture its portfolio of mattresses — including Serta Perfect Sleeper, Serta iComfort, Beautyrest Harmony and Beautyrest Black — under the same roof, enabling the company to better serve Midwest-area retailers and customers, as production was previously split between the two plants.
“Our company has a proud history here in Rock County and we couldn’t be more excited to reinvest here and continue to be a big part of the local economy,” said Mark Genender, chair of the board of directors and interim CEO at SSB. “This new manufacturing plant will enable us to enhance the quality of products and service excellence we offer to retail partners and consumers, all thanks to our experienced, talented and dedicated team of plant associates.
“On behalf of all my colleagues at SSB, we are very appreciative of this project’s support from Janesville and Rock County and applaud Zilber for delivering such a high quality and industry leading plant.”
Kevin Lahner, Janesville city manager, added, “Serta Simmons Bedding expanding its operations in Rock County is an excellent indicator of the direction the city is moving. The partnership brings more job opportunities into the community and boosts the local economy. We couldn’t be happier.”
The new plant is one of the 18 manufacturing plants across the United States and Canada operated by SSB. An additional five Serta plants in the United States are operated by licensing partners.
“We are thrilled to have partnered with Serta Simmons Bedding on their remarkable state-of-the-art facility, meticulously designed to meet their exact operational needs,” said Chad Navis, vice president of Zilber Ltd. “We are grateful for the opportunity to contribute to sustained economic growth in the area and look forward to being a part of SSB’s continued success in their heir new plant.”


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UK Government Funds Research in Digital Fintech and Promotes Firm Regulations
In November, the U.K. government launched a call for information on digital currencies, with a focus on their function as a payment method rather than as a speculative investment.
After receiving more than 120 responses, the government released a Treasury document titled “Digital Currencies: Response to the Call for Information,” which summarizes the submissions received and outlines the government’s views and proposed next steps:
- The government intends to apply anti-money laundering regulation to digital currency exchanges in the United Kingdom, to support innovation and prevent criminal use. The government will formally consult on the proposed regulatory approach early in the next Parliament.
- The government will work with BSI (British Standards Institution) and the digital currency industry to develop voluntary standards for consumer protection.
- The government is launching a new research initiative that will bring together the Research Councils, Alan Turing Institute and Digital Catapult with industry in order to address the research opportunities and challenges for digital currency technology, and will increase research funding in this area by £10 million (U.S. $14.6 million) to support this.
The Digital Catapult is a national center whose mission is to rapidly accelerate the United Kingdom’s best digital ideas to market to create new products, services, jobs and value for the U.K. economy. Their focus is on data and metadata – on the data value chain.
The Alan Turing Institute will promote the development and use of advanced mathematics, computer science, algorithms and big data for human benefit. The Institute will encompass a wide range of scientific disciplines and be relevant to a wide range of business sectors.
Allocating the grant to these organizations indicates that the U.K. government is interested in supporting and understanding the underlying technology – the blockchain – and understands the potential benefits it could bring to society.
The first two points indicate that, similar to progressive jurisdictions such as the Isle of Man, the U.K. government intends to offer a friendly and agile regulatory environment to digital fintech firms while providing strong consumer protection and strictly applying money-laundering regulations. This approach, agile but firm, suggests that cryptocurrencies are poised to be integrated with the regulated framework of mainstream fintech.
The Treasury document recognizes that, in addition to reducing the costs involved in moving money around the economy, digital currencies can speed up transaction processing times, the cost and time advantages of digital currencies being most notable in the context of cross-border transactions.
While digital currencies offer greater privacy in some respects, they also create greater transparency, because all transactions are published on the public blockchain. This consideration shows that, similar to other governments, the United Kingdom is now persuaded that digital fintech based on cryptocurrencies can provide more – not less – transparency and control.
Elliptic, a secure Bitcoin vault based in London, stated that the U.K. government action plan represents encouraging progress in several key areas: anti-money laundering (AML), consumer protection and technical standardization.
“Prioritizing AML will bring much-needed legitimacy and clarity to the industry and hopefully encourage banks to engage more with digital currency businesses,” reads Elliptic’s statement.
“Furthermore, allowing the industry to develop its own consumer protection and technical standards will promote collaboration and innovation much more efficiently than top-down regulation. This response is important for cryptocurrency companies in the U.K. because it demonstrates a pragmatic, collaborative and priority-driven approach to regulation,” the statement reads. “The Treasury’s willingness to work alongside entrepreneurs to promote financial innovation while working tirelessly to protect consumers is a main reason the U.K. holds its place at the forefront of fintech innovation globally.”


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Payment protection insurance functioned perfectly for all consumers. The product had no flaw in itself. The manner bank employees sold the insurance policy tarnished its reputation. According to analysts, consumer confidence is at an all-time law for UK banks.
Bank analysts added that it would take more than a “flawless decade” of no offences and mis-selling for banks to restore their local and international consumer confidence. Aside from PPI mis-selling, banks find themselves in the middle of regulatory action for rigging and toxic deals worldwide.
Analysts said banking consumer confidence was at its worst in 2009, the year consumer group Which? sent a collective complaint about payment protection insurance to the former watchdog the Financial Services Authority.
Analysts said the PPI bill of £27 billion seemingly acts as a “barometer” of consumer confidence in the United Kingdom. PPI is the UK’s largest financial scandal, affecting millions of consumers.
The UK’s “Big Five”, Lloyds, RBS, Santander, Barclays and HSBC, are all due to add to the PPI bill a collective £5 billion. It was reported that Lloyds would spend about £2.5 billion alone. Today, Lloyds addresses half of the PPI bill at £14.5 billion.
Analysts said that despite agencies such as the Financial Conduct Authority and Financial Ombudsman helping resolve consumer and bank disputes, the memory left by PPI would be a reminder for consumers that banks can trick consumers at any time. It would be more than a decade until this memory regarding payment protection insurance would fade, they said.


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The most valuable application yet may be as a new emergency service in Rwanda for delivering vital medical supplies, starting with blood.
A fleet of 15 drones will soon be buzzing around the vast country, bypassing the sub-standard road network, and making life-saving interventions.
The fixed-wing crafts are the product of Californian start-up Zipline, in partnership with delivery giants UPS and vaccine specialists the Gavi Alliance. The technology is cutting edge, but simple to use, according to Keller Rinaudo, Co-Founder of Zipline.
“(Users) send a text message and they’ll get a text message back saying the Zip has been discharged. They’ll be able to walk outside, see the delivery occur and have what they need to save the patient’s life,” he says.
“The accuracy of each delivery is extremely high and we’re actually able to deliver into their mailbox which is approximately the size of three parking spaces.”
The drones are controlled from an iPad that is programmed with coordinates and a flight plan, drawing on the delivery expertise of UPS.
When the drone arrives it ejects the payload with rubber bands, to float to earth on a mini parachute.
“We’ve put $800,000 into Zipline and this partnership to develop this service and we’ve invested a lot of our senior staff in terms of their logistics expertise,” says Laura Lane, President of Global Public Affairs at UPS. “We’ve got some of the most sophisticated mapping technologies and we’ve been testing these capabilities and so from our perspective it’s about mapping more of the Rwandan territory and making sure (the blood) gets delivered at that very point it should.”
The demand for such a service in Rwanda is clear, where trauma injuries and avoidable deaths through haemorrhaging after childbirth are relatively common, and the infrastructure for delivering and storing blood supplies is poor. Each delivery is projected to cost between $15 and $30, roughly the same as by motorbike.


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Analysts say gambling and shopping won’t save Netflix
Despite increased competition in streaming wars, Bank of America analysts said on Tuesday they saw Netflix remain the king of content and predict Los Gatos shares will rise to $ 680 per share by the same time next year.
Netflix was trading around $ 541 at noon Tuesday.
The streaming wars are in the midst of a wave of consolidation. Amazon paid for MGM in late May, following a mega-merger between WarnerMedia, which runs HBO Max, and Discovery. Both agreements remain subject to regulatory approval.
To keep pace, analysts at BofA said in a research report that they suspected Netflix was considering franchises and other intellectual property that it could turn into new movies and shows to bolster its selection. It would be the opposite approach that its competitor Amazon took it when it spent $ 8.45 billion to gobble up MGM studios for content from the Hollywood studio’s iconic library.
Netflix has deepened into e-commerce, in an effort to gain an edge over other streamers, but analysts are not impressed.
This spring, Netflix has opened a new online store, which sells equipment such as clothing and action figures related to some of its content. And the streaming giant is reportedly looking to hire game executives, like reported by L’Information. But analysts said none of these moves would likely give them a head start.
Movies and series
Netflix will host several new films each year from its recently announced multi-year partnership with Steven Spielberg’s production studio Amblin Partners. Analysts applauded the deal, calling it “instrumental” to bolster Netflix’s film pipeline. They also called the second seasons of “Lupine” (debuted in June), “Bridgerton” and “The Witcher” (both launching later this year) as Netflix’s most important original content right now.
Later, analysts watch what might happen UK government plans to regulate US streaming services. It is not known what changes will result, but analysts have pointed to the British Culture Secretary’s fears that some viewers may regard the hit series “The Crown” as fictional. The government’s plans are expected to be announced later this week.
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More than 40 shoeboxes are wending their way to Romania thanks to donations from members of the local community.
Various items were given by Melbourne Chapel members, Melbourne Country Women’s Association, Elvington WI, parents of Awesome Club children, friends and family.
The items included toiletries, toys, scarves, hats, gloves, socks and much more. Youngsters from the Awesome Club, based at Melbourne Chapel, and chapel members packed the 43 boxes, which have been delivered to the collection centre in Bridlington. Janet Hayton, of Thornton, organised the collection.
Chapel member Jean Thorpe said: “Thanks to everyone who supported this venture with gifts and money.”


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In 2011, the Ohio Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Section filed dozens of lawsuits and received more than 31,000 complaints, among other highlights.
Complaints involve everything from used car sales to debt collection.
The top ten complaint categories of 2011 are:
- Motorized Vehicles
- Collections, Credit Reporting, or Financial Services
- Internet or Phone
- Health and Beauty
- Household Goods or Property Improvement
- Professional Services
- Shopping, Food, or Beverages
- Sweepstakes or Prizes
Allcare Dental Closing Generates 1,000 Complaints
After dental chain Allcare Dental unexpectedly closed its doors in late 2010, consumer complaints poured into the Ohio Attorney General’s Office.
By December 2011, more than 1,000 consumers had filed complaints against Allcare Dental, pushing “Health and Beauty” to the fourth highest complaint category.
Most Allcare Dental complaints alleged that consumers paid for dental products they did not receive and they did not receive refunds. Allcare patients were typically low-income and often elderly. The Attorney General and the Ohio State Dental Board worked with Allcare to successfully transfer patient records to new dentists, but were not successful in persuading Allcare to refund money for undelivered products.
As a result, the Attorney General filed a lawsuit on June 17, 2011, charging Allcare with failure to deliver. The case is pending.
Consumers Get Help Through Complaint Process
The Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Section offers an informal dispute resolution process to help resolve complaints between consumers and businesses.
In 2011, the dispute resolution staff helped adjust or recover millions of dollars for consumers, small businesses, and nonprofits.
If you believe you have been treated unfairly in a consumer transaction, file a complaint at www.OhioAttorneyGeneral.gov or call 800-282-0515.
High School Video Contest Yields 275 Submissions
Hundreds of Ohio high school students entered the 2011 Take Action High School Video Contest, which ended Dec. 15.
The contest encouraged students to promote Internet safety by producing a 60-second video on one of five consumer-related topics.
Winners will be announced during National Consumer Protection Week in early March.
Learn more about the Consumer Protection Section’s 2011 activity by reading the 2011 Consumer Protection Section Annual Report at www.OhioAttorneyGeneral.gov/Reports.


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Leading the way to a frictionless future: Our Kalyna Stiles is changing the retail world
Authorized push payment fraud - what banks need to know
Telecom & Technology Services - For a World That Never Stops Across the Globe Blog Series
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The recent steel tariffs have a had a double negative impact on the US farming industry over the last two years.
The first big hit came when the tariffs on imported steel and aluminum went into effect. The cost of farming (new machinery and replacements parts for existing units) immediately shot up overnight.
After the import tariffs were expanded for agricultural products from China, US farmers were hit with retaliatory tariffs, and a full-out trade war had begun.
Originally, the increased tariffs on imported steel and aluminum were unveiled as part of “America First” economic policy of the Trump administration.
On March 1, 2018 new tariff rate took effect. Overnight the cost of imported steel rose 25% and imported aluminum went up by 11%.
These tariffs, designed to protect US steel and aluminum suppliers and manufactures, actually increased farmers cost of new equipment and replacement parts by at least 6%. With no way to recoup that unforeseen added expense, their dwindling profits go down even more.
Then, in June 2018, the metal tariffs were extended to include EU, Canada and Mexico. These countries had dodged the previous tariff increases because of their “US ally” status.
Manufacturers who had shifted their supply chains to keep consumer prices down now had no choice but to raise their prices for new equipment and parts. It was noted repeatedly during this timeframe that President Trump had officially put more tariffs on US allies than on China.
Many farmers who were planning on purchasing new, more efficient farm equipment are now postponing those purchases. Typically, farmers replace their equipment every 5-7 years, but they are now stretching that timeline a bit further now.
This also means they will be spending substantially more to maintain their existing equipment for another year or two. No matter the scenario they choose, the cost of farming has increased in 2020. These new steel tariffs means less profit for our already struggling farming industries.
Since then, Trump has set new tariffs, and then escalated those tariffs on other imports from China. The Trump administration claims these tariffs are to combat forced technology transfer, intellectual property abuses, and other unfair trade policy practices currently in place.
As a result of the new tariffs, China imposed retaliatory tariffs (matching the $34 billion we imposed against them) against US imports. It’s doubtful that the US agricultural market will regain their lost market share with China, once the trade war has run its course.
China has already started taking their business elsewhere, and there are plenty of other supplier options to choose from. It doesn’t appear that they will be coming back to the US farmers for the agricultural products they need to import, anytime soon.
As an example, China is now purchasing their soybean imports from Brazil. Over the last two decades, the US has become a leader in soybean production. However, soybean exports to China have decreased over 90% since the tariffs went into effect.
US soybean farmers now have excesses of product, but nowhere to sell them. As a direct result of the retaliatory tariffs from China and other countries, they have been effectively been cut out of the global soybean market.
The end result is that tariffs put in place to protect one industry, has done such harm to another. When we look at the big picture, here is what we see.
To keep the farmers solvent during the trade war and beyond, the federal government will begin paying subsidies to the farmers. And subsidies are paid out from the taxes we all pay in.
This article was written in March 2020. It is now a writing sample for demonstrative purposes.
Please contact me to learn more about project fees and availability.
Freelance B2B Copywriter and Content Marketer


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Engineers in Norfolk have been given a boost by the news that luxury car manufacturer Lotus is ramping up its operations in the region, and will take on a number of new staff in a bid to achieve its goals. The company is set to create 45 specialist engineering jobs, as well as 40 manufacturing experts, while at the same time improving its graduate scheme and hiring 18 young academics who have only recently left university. Lotus currently has new owners in DRB-Hicom, which bought its parent firm Proton in 2012. DRB-Hicom has now suggested that this investment has allowed it to go ahead with plans for growth and it is now inviting applications for the roles. Aslam Farikullah, chief operating officer at Lotus, said: "It's been a period of substantial change at Lotus and we are now in a strong position to expand our work on future products and to increase production in our manufacturing facilities. We want Lotus to be at the forefront of the global automotive industry and for us to remain competitive, we will introduce more exciting products." Sales at Lotus are said to be significantly higher in 2013 than they were in previous periods, with between 40 and 45 cars being made each week at its headquarters in Hethel, reports the Norfolk Eastern Daily Press. About 85 per cent of these vehicles are created in Norfolk with the intention of them being exported to other markets. In the five months to May, the prestigious manufacturer recorded 80 sales in the UK, in comparison to just 70 in the whole of last year. It has also sold 722 cars around the world over the same time. Lotus is now taking on a raft of new staff in a bid to cope with what it has described as increasing demand for its products from around the world. It will also make significant attempts to move into brand new markets over the months and years to come, potentially driving its expansion project.
The company is creating an intelligent water distribution network by working with Royal HaskoningDHV, Vodafone and Technolog to implement technology to cut leakage by 15% over the next five years and pave the way for more than halving it by 2045. SES’s vision is to create a self-learning
Heathrow has taken the decision to push back the completion of the third runway from 2026 to “early 2028 or late 2029”. It comes as the aviation watchdog published its determination on early construction costs and timings for the expansion programme. In its determination the CAA ruled
In addition to ensuring full compliance with the French Sapin II legislation that tightened anti-corruption measures nationally, Saur took the decision in 2018 to embark on a process leading to ISO 37001 certification; the only internationally recognised standard currently in place. The award of


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These New Air Jordans Have People Waiting in Line For Days
People have lined up as early as five days in advance to wait for Nike’s (NKE) limited-edition Air Jordans to go on sale.
The sneakers, Air Jordan 2 Retro “Just Don,” are being sold at the Jordan Brand store in Chicago. The Chicago Tribune reports that they cost $650 and come with a red leather cap donning the Air Jordan Wings logo. They’re also sold in children’s sizes for $350, but without the hat.
Enrique Zamora, a fan of the brand, began waiting in line on Monday morning to ensure he’d be the first to purchase them. “I stay true to Michael Jordan,” he told the Tribune. “It’s good for sports and for fashion, and you get to rep a guy that did some amazing stuff.”
Others are entrepreneurs making an investment. Since each customer is only entitled to buy one pair, Vaughn Simmons, a Chicago native, enlisted family members to wait in line for him to later sell them online. Simmons’ uncle, who’s being compensated $100 for each day he waits in line, told the Tribune the sneakers can easily resell for $2,000 or more. That would give Simmons a profit of about $1,450 a pair—enough for him to buy his own, pay his uncle, and still come out with a solid margin.
Nike could not immediately be reached for comment.


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At Least There Won’t Be Financing to Build More Containerships this YearImage: MAERSK COPENHAGEN -(Dow Jones)- Danish oil and shipping company A.P. Moller-Maersk A/S‘s (MAERSK-B.KO) container shipping arm Maersk Line won global market share in 2011 and has successfully implemented shipping rate hikes in the first months of 2012, but still expects to make a full-year loss, as it struggles against over-capacity and still unacceptably low rates, Maersk Chairman Michael Pram Rasmussen said Thursday. Maersk Line, the world’s largest container shipping company, has implemented rate hikes in March and April of $750 and $400, respectively, per standard 20 feet container. Of this, the company has been able to successfully pass on $1000 worth of rate hikes to consumers in total so far, said Pram Rasmussen, speaking at Maersk’s annual general shareholders meeting. Maersk Line expects to implement further rate hikes in 2012, Pram Rasmussen said, but he also cautioned that with increasing over-capacity there remains a “latent risk of rate declines”. In 2011, global shipping rates declined an average of 8%. While the container shipping industry sailed deep in the red in 2011, Maersk Line expanded its global market share to 15.5% at the end of 2011, a level Pram Rasmussen described as “satisfactory”. “We had gotten too far behind in terms of market share, and we succeeded in winning it back in 2011,” Pram Rasmussen said, adding that Maersk Line‘s aggresive growth strategy “with all probability has added to the downwards rate pressure”. Now, he said, focus has shifted decisively to profitability. “We have now decided that we can’t accept the low rates,” he said. The strict profitability-focus will be maintained until an acceptable return has been restored, he said. The imbalance between offered tonnage and demand will, however, widen considerably in 2012, where growth in tonnage will rise by an estimated 10%, while demand is seen to expand by merely 5%. But in the longer term, Pram Rasmussen said, “the supply and demand balance will improve, because the vast losses made by the industry in 2011 means there won’t be financing available to build new ships”. Maersk Line operates some 630 ships world-wide. About 40% of its revenues are made on the Asia-Europe trade route. - Flemming Emil Hansen, Copenhagen Bureau, Dow Jones Newswires
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gCaptain StaffgCaptain is the top-visited maritime and offshore industry news blog in the world. Since 2006, gCaptain has proven to be a highly effective platform for information sharing and source for up-to-date and relevant news for industry professionals worldwide.
Billing Shipping’s $1 Billion Hole – The Logistical Challenge of Empty Shipping Containers
By gCaptain Staff On March 15, 2012
A.P. Moller – Maersk What do glass bottles shipped from the Middle East to Europe, used cars from Japan to New Zealand and fertiliser from Russia to Brazil all have in common? They are all examples of cargo previously not worth the cost of transport that are now part of the solution to one of Maersk Line’s largest logistical problems.
“Most countries either export refrigerated cargo and import dry cargo or the other way around. That’s the nature of global trade, but it means our equipment often goes one way full and the other way empty,” says Maersk Line’s Moshe Loberant. “It is an inefficiency the industry has typically accepted, and it is very costly.”Every year Maersk Line spends nearly USD 1 billion related to the shipping of more than 4 million empty dry and reefer containers back to where customers need them. But through more strategic use of its equipment, Maersk Line is sharply reducing the costs of this imbalance, raising the efficiency of its operations and even finding new business. The basic magic of ‘NORs’ Leading this effort in Maersk Line is Moshe Loberant. He is the head of a project that is simply called ‘NOR’ for ‘Non-Operating Reefers.’ A NOR is a reefer container that is used to ship dry cargo. That simple versatility is proving quite powerful in reefer heavy trading corridors (see chart). For instance, Brazil exports thousands of tonnes of fresh produce and meat all over the world. And because of its rapidly growing economy, it also imports a lot of dry commodities for infrastructure and development, leaving Brazil with too many dry containers and too few reefers. Under way for two years If a customer shipping dry cargo to Brazil uses a NOR instead of a dry container, the balance is corrected. Brazil receives the reefer it needs, and Maersk Line removes the cost and time of moving two empty containers – one empty dry container out of Brazil and one empty reefer back into Brazil. The NOR project has been under way for two years and has been studying this and other possible benefits of using NORs in the trading corridors where there is a surplus of dry containers and a shortage of reefer containers. The success so far is encouraging. In 2011, Loberant says approximately 85,000 NORs were utilised by customers, up 30% from 60,000 in 2009 when the strategy was put in place. The associated cost savings were approximately USD $50 million in 2011. He expects both figures to jump again this year. More than just a cost reduction Empty containers take up precious space on ships and they also suck up valuable time for vessels which must stay longer in port, as well as for terminals that must load and unload them. In Santos, Brazil, where reefer containers facilitate the country’s massive reefer commodity exports, NORs help improve port productivity. The port of Santos averages roughly 40 container moves per hour, which is a fairly low rate compared to other major ports. Using NORs reduces the total number of moves required, raising productivity. “By using just 20 NORs to carry dry cargo into Santos, we can replace 40 dry container moves – 20 full dry containers coming in and the 20 empties that eventually go out,” says Michael Hansen, Portfolio Manager for Maersk Line’s Europe – Latin America services. “That is one hour’s worth of improved efficiency we can put into South America’s largest port,” he says. “If a customer uses an NOR in the corridors where we have the biggest imbalances, we give them equipment and space prioritisation which helps them smooth out their supply chain. And in many cases they can receive a discount on the dry ocean freight rate,” says Loberant. So far customers have showed an eagerness to use NORs and the opportunities to expand the project show no signs of slowing down. Maersk Line is even finding that NORs are enabling them to make incremental revenue on cargo that normally would not cover the cost of transport. Examples include Japanese used car exporters using NORs to reach markets in New Zealand and glass bottle manufacturers in the Middle East finding new markets in Europe and the southern hemisphere. In Russia, Maersk Line’s Dennis Caro has used NORs to break into Russia’s three million-tonne market in organic fertiliser shipped to Latin America each year, a business Maersk Line was never interested in before, due to the lack of profit. “Using NORs enables us to enter into new markets which we wouldn’t have cared to enter before, and also to send a reefer where it’s needed, earning money and saving on container repositioning costs,” says Caro, who is a trade analyst for North and South America and in charge of finding break-bulk conversion opportunities in the region. In 2011, NORs out of Russia jumped to 6,500, up from only 300 in 2009. Expectations for next year are even better: Caro says Maersk Line’s entry into the fertiliser business has led to enquiries on NORs from other fertiliser shippers in the Baltic and Black Sea. John Churchill is A.P. Moller-Maerk Group’s External Communcations Manager and is based in Copenhagen.
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In early May 2020, the Indian government removed its lockdown restriction rules for ecommerce companies. Consequently, these companies started operating in their full capacity by delivering non-essentials as well. Immediately after this ‘unlocking of the economy’ online commerce companies saw a dramatic surge in sales due to pent-up demand due to which sales recovered to around 80% of pre-COVID-19 levels in the first three weeks. This has come to light through a new report published by Unicommerce, and sent to The Tech Portal.
And despite experts’ doubts on the consistency of this surge, it has not died down in the past seven weeks, according to Unicommerce. In addition to this, the recovery rates have been higher in smaller towns because of the limited availability of products in physical stores.
The ecommerce industry is estimated to completely reach pre-lockdown order volume by the end of June. This phenomenal recovery can be attributed mainly to costumers who are adopting online shopping to protect themselves from coronavirus and maintain physical distancing. All of the ecommerce platforms including Amazon, Snapdeal, Flipkart have seen this recovery in overall sale volumes.
Drilling down further in ecommerce, Electronics hasn’t only fully recovered its pre lockdown sale volumes, but it has also shown an improvement of 45%. As most employees are working from home, requirement of electronic devices such as USB cables, extension cords, trimmers, wifi routers, Laptops etc has increased significantly. However, the average cart size has decreased by around 5-10%, because people are ordering more low-value gadgets required to operate from home.
Online fashion has also seen a recovery of 70%. With people locked down in homes and an obvious increment in requirement for comfortable home-wear, this category has emerged to be most popular among online shoppers. But here again, the average cart size has decreased by 25% as people resort to buying affordable and cheap products rather than the high-value ones. Demand for high-value products is significantly less as compared to affordable products. Moreover, Kids clothes have witnessed over 100%r recovery.
Unicommerce said that Companies with D2C presence through their own website have 25% higher recovery rate as compared to other online selling brands. In particular, companies selling electronic appliances and fashion products have seen faster growth on their D2C platform as compared to the other sectors.
Further, it is important to note that, while volumes are recovering, the value of goods has fallen down further than the pre-COVID levels.
High costing products are not doing well. People are buying lower-cost items instead of the expensive ones. This is because consumers are cutting back on their expenses. In addition to this, the people who are buying products online for the first time prefer to experiment with low-value items.


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Will Efficiency Mania Mean the End of Premium?
When it comes to selling ads, it’s hard for major online publishers to compete with sites like GirlsInYogaPants.com.
The rise of audience-based ad buying has left “premium” publishers in an awkward situation, particularly when it comes to direct-response budgets. The more targeting data advertisers have to inform their buying decisions, the less they need to rely on expensive inventory from big-name sites. They can reach the same users for a fraction of the cost on mid-tail and long-tail sites instead, thanks to exchanges and networks.
And they do. Visit GirlsInYogaPants.com, a site dedicated to user-submitted photos of women in gym attire, and you’ll see ads for major brands like Chase, Volkswagen, Dominos, Geico, Progressive, Equinox, Walmart and many, many more. Agencies buy media on this type of site for one simple reason: It’s cheap and it works. In the world of Internet advertising, efficiency is still king, and that doesn’t play well into the hands of publishers with hefty content bills to pay.
“We’re at an inflection point where major publishers are being impacted by the long-tail inventory that is available,” explained Josh Wexler, evp at Rubicon Project, which helps online publishers automate the selling of their ad inventory.
But publishers themselves aggressively maintain that quality and context still matter. Ads placed against professionally produced content perform better than those on long-tail blogs populated with aggregated or user-submitted material, they say. News Corp announced this week it’s launching a private exchange in an attempt to differentiate its inventory, for example.
Part of the problem is nobody can agree on just what constitutes “premium” in the first place. To some, it’s only the most prominent ad spots on sites operated by major brands like the New York Times or Yahoo. To others, it’s inventory on any site in the comScore 500. Almost every major publisher claims its inventory is “premium.”
But context is still powerful, even for direct-response campaigns. Business Insider’s chief revenue officer Pete Spande says agencies are actually pulling back on straight-out audience buying and paying more attention to the context in which their ads actually run. “There’s been a realization that context matters,” he told Digiday. “We hear impressions at a $6 CPM in the right context convert better than cheaper ones in the wrong context.”
Wexler reported a similar trend. Data that flows though Rubicon Project’s system shows that advertisers do pay more for inventory on comScore 100 sites versus mid-tail and long-tail ones.
That might be the case, but for advertisers — particularly those in the direct-response arena — performance is a more important metric than cost. Unless $6 impressions perform 12 times better than ones purchased for 50 cents, many advertisers would rather pick the cheaper option. That fact is evidenced by the hundreds of major brands whose ads are littered across the scruffier neighborhoods of the Web. If the inventory they’re buying doesn’t work, they probably wouldn’t be buying it.
Publishers like News Corp say that they’re not interested in direct-response budgets and that their focus is selling premium brand opportunities. But the fact of the matter is, all advertisers look at performance-based metrics when evaluating their campaigns. As a result, they’re always competing against long-tail sites for ad dollars whether they like it or not.
The question is whether or not agencies and advertisers find value in paying the higher CPMs associated with short head of the Web’s publishers. Right now, it appears plenty are happy spending millions of their ad dollars further down the tail.
Image via Flickr
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After years of enjoying fat profits with Austria's central and eastern European neighbors, business leaders fear that Russia's war with Ukraine could ruin Austria's prosperity. Sanctions, a weakened ruble and low oil prices are all combining to cripple demand.
Austrians are becoming reluctant Europeans, impatient with geo-politics that hinder their nation's growth. They are sitting at the edge of their seat, hoping that the latest ceasefire in Ukraine will hold and that business can get back to usual.
"Everything that happens in central and eastern Europe directly affects Austria much more than, say, Portugal," Stefan Bruckbauer, an analyst for Bank Austria, told DW. Some 70 percent of Austrian exports go to central and eastern Europe.
Austria's central bank estimates GDP will grow by only 0.4 percent in 2014. Unemployment, although low by EU standards, is at its highest peak in 30 years.
Increased sanctions, like the ones announced Monday by the EU, lead many Austrian leaders to fear there is worse to come. The business community in Austria, which once fully supported sanctions, now speaks openly about the negative effect on companies' net earnings.
"We don't believe economic sanctions will lead to the political solution we are all aiming for," Walter Koren, director of the Austrian Foreign Trade Organization, told DW. Koren points to a study released this week by the Austrian Institute for Economic Research (WIFO) that in a prolonged, intensified trade war, Austria could lose up to 45,000 jobs and 2.9 billion euros.
Koren said only through strong diplomatic efforts - and not economic or military - can the situation in Ukraine be resolved.
Bad for business
While the US encourages stronger sanctions and possibly supplying arms to Ukraine should the Minsk II ceasefire fail, Bruckbauer says Europeans, who have closer economic and territorial ties to the region, have a different view. "Europe should find its own position and not follow the US," he said, echoing comments made by Austria's Chancellor Werner Faymann.
"I can't approve of the euphoria of many in the EU over the success of sanctions against Russia. I see absolutely no cause for celebration. I don't know why we should be pleased if the Russian economy collapses," Faymann told the newspaper Oesterreich last December. "We'd be sawing off the branch we're sitting on if we erected a new wall to Russia's economy."
This isn't because the former Soviet might plays a big role in Austrian manufacturing - direct exports to Russia account for only about 0.8 percent of the Austrian economy. Instead, it's because Austria's main trading partners think they do.
Industrial goods drive Austria's economy. Companies from Germany, Slovakia and the Czech Republic purchase Austrian machinery and parts. So when these manufacturers believe demand for their goods will be low, they are slow to order the machines and parts.
Sentiment and sanctions
"Sanctions themselves don't play a big role" on the Austrian economy, Bruckbauer said. "Sentiment hurts much more."
And it's not just sentiment. Austrian business leaders also worry - a lot as it turns out - about the prospect of a trade war.
Shortly after the EU announced a new raft of sanctions against Russians, the foreign ministry in Moscow said it would respond "adequately." What that means at the moment is unclear, but Bruckbauer said a trade war "would definitely be negative for the Austrian economy."
Mostly, energy security looms as a potential risk for Austria. Currently the Alpine country says it has nearly a years' supply of energy. Should Russia cut off oil and gas, the Austrian economy would suffer greatly - not just in manufacturing, but also in other sectors. In addition to manufacturing, retail, too, feels the blow. The number of Russian tourists fell 4.3 percent last year, and that is hurting sales.
While the after-work crowd struggles to pace their walking amidst the hordes of weekend tourists just arriving in Vienna - overall, overnight stays are up 2 percent in Austria - all is quiet on the secluded Golden Quarter pedestrian zone, a u-shaped shopping experience brought to the uber-rich by brands like Prada, Brioni and Church's.
Wealthy Russian investors spurred the development of the gilded shopping area, which opened last spring to cater to a once swelling number of Russian and Chinese visitors visiting the Austrian capital. The Chinese are still coming, but these days, Russians aren't - or can't - travel to Vienna like they once could, hurt by the weakened currency or by sanctions. One store assistant manager said his luxury store saw 7 percent fewer Russian clients year on year.
"Volume is down year-on-year by 10 percent," said this assistant manager, who wished to remain anonymous.
As for the tourism and retail industries, sales along the Graben and Mariahilferstrasse, Vienna's main shopping drags, continue into February, well past the time when winter bargains normally are up for grabs.
New tourists on the block
But businesses along the Golden Quarter - which, as a rule, do not have sales - remain confident for this year. Though Russian tourists may be fewer, many of their Russian customers have residences in Vienna and have protected their wealth against a falling ruble.
At one menswear store, where sweaters start at 800 euros, a salesman said, "Our customers have the money; they know our brand; they will continue to come."
At a bespoke shoe store, where a clerk whiled away a quiet afternoon polishing the handcrafted ware, the branch manager said his store has seen fewer Russians, but far more Chinese and local Austrian clients.
All the managers polled along the Golden Quarter said that while Russian tourists may be staying away for now, the luxury shops are watching a new group which might be spurred on by a strong currency to visit Vienna - the Swiss.


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Kuehne+Nagel expects new lithium battery regulations to push up supply chain costs
03 / 03 / 2016
Kuehne+Nagel (K+N) is expecting the new lithium-battery regulations to add cost to air cargo supply chains, while it also provided its thoughts on the potential impact of Amazon starting its own logistics operations.
Speaking shortly after announcing its results for 2015, the Switzerland-based forwarder gave its thoughts on new regulations banning the transport of lithium-ion batteries as cargo on passenger aircraft.
K+N chief executive Detlef Trefzger said: “More regulations make supply chains more complex and costly.
“We in principal support an ease up of supply chain [regulations] and the ease up of trade [regulations]. Regulatory driven additional costs or complexity is neutral for our business because it is a clear argumentation towards our customers. We can’t avoid [regulations]. We can’t save or drive productivity on that.”
Trefzger was also asked whether he thought Amazon’s moves to provide transport services could prove to be a threat to the freight forwarding market.
While he couldn’t comment on a customer directly, he pointed out that other companies and industries had created their own logistics operations in the past.
He said: “I don’t know if you remember the Japanese trading houses and their logistics arms in the 80s, I know it’s a long time ago, but we were all afraid of them having logistics arms up and running and doing business in parallel with forwarders.”
“The same was true with Korean conglomerates in the 90s and if you look at car manufacturers in France and Germany, or the contract manufacturers in China, they all have their logistics arms.
“So from that point of view, as long as customers in the e-commerce industry are successful and our solutions are state-of-the-art, compelling and market leading we welcome every professional participant in the market.”
Another hot topic in freight forwarding at the moment is consolidation amongst the larger players.
K+N said was in the position to participate in merger and acquisition activity but only if these moves would “enlarge and deepen” its solutions offering.
Trefzger also provided his thoughts on the slowdown of economic growth in China and how this could impact the company.
He said K+N remained positive about China’s growth and felt the country was going through a transition period as it moved from being a low-cost manufacturing base to a high-end production centre.
This transition was causing changes in demand patterns, but there was still growth in the country.
He said: “Domestic consumption is increasing – the middle class is consuming heavily – and if you look into e-commerce, China is the hottest e-commerce market globally.
“So from that point of view, China is a strong market and what other market can show a sustainable GDP growth of 6%?
“The market pattern has changed, the market structure, the trade lanes have changed. The growth in intra-Asia is driven partly by China, so the importance of China in the global economy will increase and also our footprint in China will grow as well.”


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German automotive consortium owned HERE Maps has ended support for devices running Windows 10, the company said in a blog post; starting March 29, all HERE branded apps will be pulled down from the Windows 10 app store. HERE maps will continue to live on Windows Phone 8 devices, but the company stated explicitly that it will not be releasing new updates/features for any Windows Phone platform. In the past few months, HERE branded apps were live on Windows 10 devices using a workaround. The company said that ending support was Windows 10 was a business decision since the app needed developing from scratch. However, Windows 10 users can rely on the pre-installed version of Windows Maps app for navigation. According to the company, Windows Maps contains several HERE elements, since Microsoft in 2014 developed the app using assets it received from the HERE brand. HERE maps in India: After the Lumia brand found a sizable market in India, Nokia’s India division introduced a new venue-based map service called ‘HERE Venue’ in June 2013, which offered details specific to a venue including specific stores, product offers, floor levels, elevators and restrooms within a mall. In October 2013 it said that it would be launching a community mapping pilot program in India, wherein it would combine its industrial data collection methods with a crowd mapping initiative. Other developments from HERE: -In July 2015, German automakers Audi, Daimler AG and BMW AG bought Nokia’s digital mapping service Nokia HERE for about $2.7…
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The Structure and Style of a Dogma Community: Conspiracy theories and organized Twitter engagement on Sushant Singh Rajput
Studying the 'community' supporting the late Sushant Singh Rajput (SSR) shows how Twitter was gamed through organized engagement
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U.S. Shares Inch Higher Ahead of Health-care Bill Vote, Boosted by Upbeat Durable Goods Orders
U.S. shares rose on Friday with all three stock benchmarks advancing as investors were awaiting a vote on a closely watched health-care bill while new orders for durable goods climbed faster than expected.
The S&P 500 index added 0.36% with seven out of 11 sectors making up the benchmark trading higher. While information technology stocks were leading the gains, up 0.6%, shares of companies in materials and consumer Staples lost 0.13% each.
Commerce Department reported orders for U.S. durable goods increased 1.7 percent after a 2.3 percent advance the prior month that was larger than previously estimated. While durable goods jumped for the second straight month, the so-called core durable goods orders which strip out transportation equipment increased 0.4 percent.
Voting on amended Trump’s health-care legislation that would replace the Affordable Care Act, widely known as Obamacare, is scheduled for late-afternoon Friday.
Buy Stop at 2350.00, Take profit 2360.00, Stop loss at 2345.00


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An advertisement for bitcoin on a bus in London’s West End.
Barry Lewis | In pictures | fake images
LONDON – The nation’s advertising regulator banned an ad campaign in the UK that told people “it’s time to buy” bitcoins as being irresponsible and misleading.
The posters for the cryptocurrency exchange service Luno, displayed on the London Underground network and on London buses this year, contained a cartoon image of a bitcoin with the words “If you are watching Bitcoin on the tube, it’s time to buy ”.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said Wednesday that the ads should not reappear in their current form and that they did not highlight the risks.
It comes a week after the bitcoin price collapsed by 30% in a single day, leaving many retail investors who had bought bitcoin significantly out of pocket. It also comes two weeks after the Governor of the Bank of England said that crypto investors should be prepared to lose all their money.
The watchdog said it received four complaints about the ad. Three of them were from people who believed the ad did not illustrate investment risk and accused it of misleading. One said the ad took advantage of the inexperience or gullibility of the consumer.
“We believe that consumers would interpret the statement ‘it’s time to buy’ as a call to action and that the simplicity of the statement gave the impression that investing in bitcoins was simple and accessible,” said the ASA.
The regulator added that “investing in bitcoins was complex, volatile and could expose investors to losses and considered that it contrasted with the impression that the advertisement gave, that the investment was simple and conventional.”
“For that reason, we came to the conclusion that the ad irresponsibly suggested that engaging in bitcoin investing through Luno was straightforward and straightforward,” he added.
He has told Luno to make sure his future marketing communications make it “clear enough that the value of investments in bitcoins was variable and could go up or down.” They should also highlight that Luno and the bitcoin market are not regulated.
Luno agreed not to reshare the ads in their current form and promised to ensure that future ads carry an appropriate risk warning, the ASA said.
Luno, who is part of a group that also owns the CoinDesk website, did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment.
Susannah Streeter, senior investment and markets analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, said in a statement that regulators are increasingly concerned about the risks that cryptocurrency investments may pose to consumers.
“Cryptocurrencies are very complex and very difficult to value, especially since the rules of the game can change very quickly,” he said.
Last week’s cryptocurrency selloff came after authorities in China and the US took steps to tighten regulation and tax compliance for cryptocurrencies. The sell-off was a major change for the cryptocurrency, which seemed to be gaining traction among major Wall Street banks and publicly traded companies.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who helped fuel bullish sentiment when his company announced in February that it had bought $ 1.5 billion worth of bitcoin, struck a blow earlier this month when he announced that the automaker had suspended purchases. of vehicles using cryptocurrency for environmental concerns.
The price of Bitcoin surged this week after Musk said that he had been talking to Bitcoin miners about how to make the cryptocurrency more environmentally friendly.
The bitcoin price at 3:49 am ET was $ 40,445.17 and is up about 4% in the last 24 hours, according to CoinDesk.


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'This is a chimichanga! This is a chimichange on IMAX!' Deadpool makes the bold proclamation that bigger is better, especially when it comes to his upcoming movie, with a new IMAX teaser trailer. It arrives as the big treat on the 9th day of Deadpool, which is celebrating the holidays leading up to the big trailer debut on Christmas day. Along with this teaser, which premiered this past Thursday in IMAX 3D theaters showing Star Wars: The Force Awakens, we get a Marvel Comics inspired IMAX exclusive poster!
Based upon Marvel Comics' most unconventional anti-hero, Deadpool tells the origin story of former Special Forces operative turned mercenary Wade Wilson, who after being subjected to a rogue experiment that leaves him with accelerated healing powers, adopts the alter ego Deadpool. Armed with his new abilities and a dark, twisted sense of humor, Deadpool hunts down the man who nearly destroyed his life.
Yesterday marked the 8th Day of Deadpool, which brought cool movie-themed Emojis and a behind-the-scenes image featuring Ryan Reynolds as Wade Wilson and T.J. Miller as Weasel. On Sunday, the 7th Day of Deadpool, we got a cool Christmas card from Wade Wilson remembering the year that had passed. Saturday was the 6th Day of Deadpool, which brought an action-packed page from the script. On the 5th Day of Deadpool, we got a brand new theatrical one sheet in honor of National Ugly Christmas Sweater Day. The 4th day of Deadpool brought new photos from Empire Magazine which reveal the Merc's Christmas list and tease his big Empire Magazine cover. Before that, we also got a new theatrical style poster and viral video, naughty and nice Christmas photos with Ryan Reynolds, and a hand-drawn version of the Merc With the Mouth's battle plan! Here's what Deadpool had to say about the 12 Days of Deadpool.
"Hi, I'm Deadpool. The other guy in a red suit with a lap worth sitting on. I'm here to tell you happy holidays. In the spirit of this most festive time of year, I've decided to release my holiday cheer all over the world. How, you ask? Well, you naughty stocking stuffers, brace yourselves, because starting today, you're getting not one, not two, but twelve glorious days of Deadpool. So sit back, hold onto your ornaments, have a little egg nog...Well, at least that looks like egg nog...And prepare yourself, because it's time for Saint Wade to put the win in winter wonderland."
To play along with this online advent calendar, you'll have to continue getting up early every morning to open one of your favorite movie and entertainment websites. There are only 3 more days left! Tomorrow, on December 23, Ryan Reynolds will be sharing the delights of his upcoming adventure movie on his private social media channels. Christmas Eve will give us a trailer teaser. And it is all leading up to the big Trailer reveal on Christmas morning, which happens on ESPN.
Tim Miller makes his directorial debut with Deadpool, working from a script by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick. Deadpool has already been confirmed as part of the X-Men movie universe, but we'll have to wait and see how/if he will show up in future X-Men movies. Deadpool hits theaters on February 12, 2016, going up against Warner Bros.' How to Be Single and another highly-anticipated sequel, Paramount's Zoolander 2. You can take a look at all the Deadpool stocking stuffers that have been delivered so far right here.


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“Smarter Textile. Better Life” in ShanghaiTex 2019
Textile means more than just a piece of clothing today, it has always been closely related to our daily life. Since more consumers are eager to buy unique, creative and functional clothing, innovative technologies are being adopted in a broad range of applications in the textile and fashion market.
MCN's 1,000th machine assembled at Shanghai
The Pakistan weaving industry is currently seeing Mayer & Cie. China (MCN), a subsidiary of the German circular knitting machine manufacturer Mayer & Cie. (MCT), headquartered in Albstadt, assembled its 1,000th circular knitting machine recently.
SSM launches 2 new products
SSM showed two new product launches for the first time at the ShanghaiTex 2017. The PWX-CTM, for cone-to-muff, and the PWX-MTC, for muff-to-cone winding, generated large interest. SSM was very pleased by the high response on their shared booths.
Mouvent's breakthrough digital textile printer
Mouvent achieved a major milestone in November with its first ever global trade show demonstration of its ground-breaking textile printing machine, the TX801. There were several live demonstrations of the TX801 during ShanghaiTex 2017, which were very positively received.
Mouvent’s breakthrough digital textile printer
Mouvent, a company that is focused on digital print technology, achieved a major milestone with its first ever global tradeshow demonstration of its ground-breaking textile printing machine, the TX801, at ShanghaiTex expo, held from November 27 to 30, 2017.
Saurer & its philosophy of innovation, sustainability
Saurer Group presented its full range of new technologies in fibre processing from raw material to a multitude of yarns during the Shanghaitex 2017. The product range further included different finishing processes. For Saurer it was yet another opportunity to present the group as the partner of choice along the textile value chain with its full product range.
Savio’s winding revolution at ShanghaiTex
Savio Macchine Tessili is set to participate in ShanghaiTex, the 18th international exhibition on textile industry, in China from November 27 to 30, 2017, in hall E1 stand B11. Savio is a leader in yarn finishing machine sector, operating in marketing of automatic winders, etc.
India is of strategic importance for Santex
For Stefano Gallucci, CEO of Santex Rimar Group, India holds a lot of strategic significance. He was visibly present at last year’s India-ITME in Mumbai and came back recently to Techtextil India to witness the progress of technical textiles in the Indian sub-continent.


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Connectix has resumed sales of its Playstation emulators for Power Macintosh G3s and G4s, after a US appeals court overturned an injunction obtained by Sony.
Connectix said customers can place orders for the $49 Virtual Game Station through its Web site.
Under US law, the case was returned to a district-level court for final resolution. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals sided with Connectix, concluding: "The Virtual Game Station does not contain any of Sony's copyrighted material."
The court also ruled that Connectix' reverse-engineering of the Playstation was "fair use, necessary to permit Connectix to make its non-infringing Virtual Game Station function with Playstation games".
"The court has recognized that reverse engineering is a common, legitimate, and valuable development practice, protected under law," said Roy McDonald, CEO of Connectix.
He added: "We are pleased to be able to bring our product back to the Macintosh community and launch it in the Windows market. Now consumers on both platforms will enjoy their right to choose to play PlayStation games on these computers, and Sony and game developers can benefit from the expanded market for their games as a result of this choice."
The 25 page finding is available under case 99-15852


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Chicago-area entrepreneurs Andy Parker, Tom Costigan and Sean Lapp scheme daily about how to reap big wealth selling the same stuff on the Internet that now is sold on the streets and in the malls of America.
Their companies are standouts among dozens of Midwestern firms touting what their emerging industry calls e-commerce, an all but unbelievably vast marketplace.
It's vast because it draws its customers from tens of millions of people worldwide now using the Internet's World Wide Web, including what New York-based Jupiter Communications Inc. estimates are 14.6 million on-line American households.
It's lucrative because of the built-in affluence of the people who come through the figurative front door.
To get to the point where Parker, Costigan and Lapp want to start taking your money, you almost certainly have enough of it to afford a costly modern multimedia personal computer and an on-line service account.
A Boston-based market research company, Yankee Group, estimates that such modem-wielding consumers spent $730 million in 1996 and will be spending $10 billion per year by the year 2000 visiting Web sites where merchandise as varied as the content of the morning newspaper and a pair of sneakers can be purchased.
That prediction of tenfold growth anticipates that such credit card giants as MasterCard International Inc., Visa International and American Express Co. will have ironed out knots in assuring that on-line transactions made with their cards are secure.
All three companies have said they expect to start guaranteeing security of on-line commerce on the Web just as they do at the mall after the industry completes a procedure called Secure Electronic Transactions, now due on May 31.
Analysts at the Los Angeles-based market research company Binary Compass Enterprises noted in a study released last week that such a breakthrough in mass market credit cards is crucial to the future of on-line shopping, which now is largely done by risk-taking affluent American men.
BCE's survey of 1,091 randomly selected Internet shoppers found that 79 percent were male, 81 percent were college graduates, 74 percent were Caucasian and the average individual income of the shoppers was $75,000.
Although such customers are nice to have, it is crucial to reach more deeply into the American mainstream if e-commerce is to realize its potential, noted the study's authors, led by David Reibstein, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business.
Meanwhile, Parker, president of Lisle-based Mercantec Inc., wants to give these consumers an on-line virtual shopping cart that they can figuratively wheel about any of thousands of virtual storefronts springing up on the Web and load up with merchandise by clicking on icons.
Parker, who plans to debut his latest software at the Retail Systems 97 trade show starting Monday at Navy Pier, has a list of hundreds of clients--as varied as small-time sellers of adult video tapes and technology giant Motorola Inc.--that use Mercantec software to let Web visitors select and buy merchandise.
Mercantec software, called SoftCart, is sold either to companies or to the Internet service providers that host storefront-type Web sites. It calls up a display that lets browsers view whatever merchandise is being sold on a Web site and then click on choices for purchase upon leaving the virtual store.
Some Mercantec customers, such as Gateway 2000, the South Dakota-based personal computer sales giant, use shopping carts to let customers add and subtract options to check the impact that it has on the bottom line, much as one does with a real-life salesperson.
Other virtual storefronts using SoftCart sell women's shoes, barbecue supplies and, in the case of Mercantec customer American Demographics magazine, information itself.
"We are making the dream of retailers come true with software that lets them reach not just the people who come into their store, but the many, many millions who use the Internet," said Parker, who left Internet pioneer Spyglass Inc. of Naperville to co-found Mercantec with venture capital in 1995.
Costigan has a different dream. His idea is to sell software to the people who run Internet stores, such as Parker's customers, that will let them confront on-line visitors just as they do physical customers by sidling up to them and asking, "May I help you?"
"Everybody talks about plans to make money on the Internet, but the fact of the matter is that until we came along, nobody had the most basic tool that any seller can have: the ability to talk to customers," said Costigan, founder of Real Dialogue, a downtown Chicago company with a plan for global domination.
"Until we came along the Internet was like a used-car lot on Sunday afternoon," said Mike Costigan, Tom's father and chief financial backer of the sales-clerk-in-a-box plan.


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It’s been a busy few days, so I decided to catch up with some laughs by reading Paul Thurrott’s Short Takes, and I was stunned to read:
Dell in talks to acquire EMC
What could this mean to IT pros? I’ve got some opinions on this, but keep in mind that I’m just another tax-paying Joe and not some venture fund genius.
This just can’t be possible. Wasn’t Dell supposed to be in talks to buy Citrix? I even though that the Citrix story was laughable. It’s only a short time since Dell was privatized by Michael Dell, a transaction that cost $24.9 billion. By all reports, the privatization was a bloody affair, mainly thanks to competition from Carl Icahn. Let’s summarize it by saying that Dell and Icahn probably don’t send each other birthday cards. Private equity firm, Silver Laker Partners, was a headline funder of this takeover, but Microsoft watchers noted that Microsoft provided $2 billion to the takeover group.
Dell has always been an important partner to Microsoft. When Microsoft tried to compete against the Apple iPod, Dell was quick to build an MP3 player based on Microsoft’s technology. Dell has been there with Windows devices and servers over the years. Most recently, Dell has partnered with Microsoft to supply SAS and JBOD hardware for Windows Server Storage Spaces, and they are one of the partners building hardware for Windows Server 2016 Storage Spaces Direct. Also, the two corporations have created the Microsoft Cloud Platform System (CPS), a cloud in a rack based on Dell hardware and Microsoft software, such as Hyper-V, Windows Server, System Center, and Windows Azure Pack. It should be noted that this solution required a lot of improvements to Dell’s drivers and firmware.
Dell watchers often chuckle at acquisitions by this company. Some have been successful, such as the $1.4 billion takeover of EqualLogic or the $820 bargain consumption of Compellent after forcing arch-nemises HP into a $2.4 billion purchase of 3Par in a bidding war.
But other acquisitions leave one scratching your head. Dell has a huge portfolio. Some joke that Dell’s basement is where many companies go to die. Dell, like many companies with large portfolios, has a problem; it’s sales people have targets, and those sales people are going to sell products they know and can move quickly. So when Dell acquires a company like Quest Software for $2.4 billion, the large portfolio of that company is merged in, pushed down, and disappears. And then you’re left wondering what the fuss was all about.
Citrix has been shopping themselves around excessively in recent months. It’s been kind of embarrassing. Citrix was a company that was supposed to dominate end user computing — once in the 1990s with WinFrame, and then again during the Gartner/Forrester predicted era of VDI in the late 2000’s. Executives have been leaving this once powerful company that is now relegated to the role of supporting thick legacy programs in an era when SaaS and lightweight apps are taking over. It’s hard to say what future Citrix has, other than their interesting network appliances, which are probably short-lived thanks to the rapid evolution of cloud fabrics, such as Azure and the Windows Server 2016 Network Controller that includes load balancing and more.
Storage company, EMC, has been the subject of many rumors, too. EMC is a legacy storage are networking (SAN) company that once was a major player in enterprise and hosting storage. Times have changed. Legacy companies have faced many challenges in recent years:
And then there’s one other important fact: there are no SANs in the cloud. Microsoft, AWS, and Google are powered by software-defined storage, using commodity hardware such as JBODs with SAS connectivity. The next generation of storage flattens this architecture even more, as you can see with Storage Spaces Direct and vSAN. Room for the SAN in the modern computing market is shrinking on a daily basis, and this leaves EMC in the same position as Citrix — a legacy company that is sitting on glories of the past.
What would Dell do with EMC’s storage systems? Dell already has a great stack of products. Is Michael Dell simply thinking of buying and shutting down a competitor, leaving more room for himself, and take over the customer relationships? This seems like a waste of money — it’s thought that an EMC acquisition would cost $40 billion. Don’t forget that Dell is already in the hole for $11 billion after the privatization process.
But EMC owns 80 percent of VMware. That’s where things get interesting. EMC, the parent company, is losing money while VMware continues to grow. In fact, VMware is so successful that, until the Dell story broke out, it was rumored that VMware would buy out EMC!
Think about this: Microsoft provided $2 billion to privatize Dell. Dell might acquire EMC. EMC owns 80 percent of VMware. Would Microsoft own a share of VMware? Hyper-V fans like me are both giggling and shivering at the same time! You’ve got to think that people like Microsoft’s Jeff Woolsey are laughing at the irony right now.
I’ve got to think that Dell owning VMware would be a disaster for the Dell/Microsoft partnership. Obviously Dell would resurrect the “VMware in a rack” concept with Dell blades, networking and storage hardware. This would be in direct competition with the Microsoft CPS. VMware would start to push VMware’s VDI and cloud stacks, again, directly in competition with what Microsoft wants to do with System Center, Azure Stack and Windows Server.
And don’t forget that a Dell acquisition might devalue VMware too. Dell has 17.5 percent share of the server market. The other large players are HP (25.4%) and IBM (14.8%). Do you really think that HP and IBM will partner with Dell on enterprise virtualization? I think they’d quickly double-down on non-VMware solutions such as OpenStack, KVM, System Center/Azure Stack and Hyper-V.
Maybe owning 80 percent of VMware is Michael Dell’s goal. If so, I think it’s crazy. To be honest, if Dell are silly enough to buy EMC for their legacy portfolio that closely matches Dell’s, then I think that Dell/EMC would need to reduce the cost of acquisition and simplify future business by selling off the profitable VMware.


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Microsoft is releasing a new update to its Android Outlook.com app today. The software maker previously released a version for Android back in November, but the latest update this week removes the old outdated interface for a look that's more inline with the new web client. User interface tweaks aside, the update also includes a number of new features. Conversation threading, filters for unread and flagged mail, and the ability to mark messages as junk are all now supported.
A similar Mail app update for Windows 8 recently rolled out with new features to support flagging and junk mail in Outlook.com. Microsoft's Outlook.com Android update is available immediately from the Google Play store.


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1 post • joined Tuesday 20th September 2011 19:54 GMT
One Petabyte in a Rack Powered by Nexenta’s Nexentastor ZFS file system implementation!
Aberdeen built a system using Nexentastor ZFS file system implementation called the Petarack, over a full petabyte of managed SAN storage in a single 42U rack. It was also on display at VMworld and ran seamlessly thanks to Nexentastor; and compared to EMC's and NetApps million dollar price tags; it's priced at $495K.
- Mexican Cobalt-60 robbers are DEAD MEN, say authorities
- Apple's spamtastic iBeacon retail alerts launch with Frisco FAIL
- Submerged Navy submarine successfully launches drone from missile tubes
- Pix Astroboffins spot HOT, YOUNG GIANT where she doesn't belong
- Cache in the Attic El Reg's contraptions confessional no.2: Tablet PC, CRT screen and more


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Appetite for overseas property still “incredibly strong” reports Ideal Homes International
Despite a year of pandemic-related disruption to the travel industry, demand for overseas property remains incredibly strong, according to newly released figures from Europe’s largest privately owned real estate agency, Ideal Homes International. The firm has sold 150 properties already in 2021 across Spain and Portugal, and it now turning its attention to Florida.
Pre-Covid, Ideal Homes International was running 20 holiday home exhibitions per year. The company has shifted everything online, from virtual events to hosting its own digital TV show on YouTube (nearly 3,500 subscribers and counting). Since late 2020, Chris White and his team have also begun negotiating package deals that see discounts of 5-10% passed on to those looking to buy homes in the sun.
Ideal Homes International’s latest promotion – The Grove Resort & Water Park in Orlando, Florida – is one such development. A 10% discount means that prices start from just over $300,000 for a two-bedroom/two-bathroom unit on the completed resort. Only five minutes from Walt Disney World and with shuttles running daily, The Grove is ideally located for access to Florida’s main attractions. It’s also a destination in its own right, with an on-site water park, three large swimming pools, a 20-acre activity lake, a spa, a marketplace and multiple restaurants and bars.
Florida itself is very much open for business right now, with packed accommodation and theme parks open as usual, though America’s borders are closed to international travellers until at least 21 April. The state is the most popular destination in the US for foreign homebuyers, with one in five of all foreign buyers picking up property there, according to the National Association of Realtors.


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It may have started out as a cruel April Fool’s joke, but now, thanks to the twisted mind of Hyperkin’s Chris Gallizzi, the “Smart Boy” has turned out to be a real thing.
Grand Theft Auto, one of the biggest video games in the world, is going to see a new format soon—television.
U2 have battled alongside Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (for 2001’s “Elevation” video) and written songs for Batman (“Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me” from the “Batman Forever” soundtrack), but now the Irish rockers will help soundtrack an NBA video game.
The former Beatle announced via Twitter on Saturday that he is creating new music with video game developer Bungie, of Halo fame.
Poll: Proposed State Law Against Distributing Violent Video Games To Minors Deemed Unconstitutional – Agree Or Disagree?
To the chagrin of many concerned parents in California, a proposed ban that prevents graphic video games from being sold or rented to minors was deemed unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in a ruling early […]


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Del-Nat has a new stockholder
Del-Nat Corp. announced that John Plumstead, president of Macon-based Tire Distributors of Georgia, Inc., has become a stockholder. Tire Distributors of Georgia supplies tires to hundreds of tire dealers throughout Georgia.
The company is family owned and operated. Donna Plumstead, his wife, serves as chief financial officer and Sean Plumstead, their son, is vice president and general manager.
Based in Memphis, Tennessee, Del-Nat Tire has a network of 80 tire dealers and distributors who are stockholders in the company, which operates as a cooperative.
Del-Nat, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this month and has annual sales of more than $200 million, offers each stockholder protected territories under one or more of the Del-Nat brand names: Delta and National passenger, light-truck and SUV tires; Chaparral light truck lines; as well as AKURET commercial tires for farm, OTR, truck and trailer applications.
Plumstead, who was in the tire business for 25 years before establishing his own company in 2003, said Del-Nat’s “brand exclusivity” was a major factor in his decision to become a stockholder.
“Del-Nat provides a protected territory which certainly is advantageous to what our company does,” said Plumstead. “We also get factory programs on a wide variety of tires which is beneficial to our customers.
“Of course, it’s a real positive to be part of a group owned by stockholders that care about each other and have their best interests at heart. We can offer our customers the best product at the best price.”
He says Del-Nat’s location in one of the nation’s top distribution centers adds to its value.
“We can have 350 tires delivered from Memphis to our customer’s door in a matter of days,” said Plumstead.
Founded in 1989, the number of Del-Nat stockholders as well as its product offerings has grown steadily during its 25 years.
“Our solid financial situation coupled with the steady growth of our stockholder base makes Del-Nat an attractive organization for many independents in our industry,” says Lyle Symonds, Del-Nat’s Vice President of Marketing. “A growing number of dealers are considering joining Del-Nat in order to strengthen their independence. Del-Nat is committed to keeping the independent tire dealer independent.”


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According to a report published by MacRumors, iOS 9.3.2, the latest updated version of Apple’s iOS mobile operating system, now comes with support for concurrent use of Night Shift and Low Power Mode features.
Here is some good news for iOS mobile users -- Apple now has a fix for that Siri bug found on iOS 9. As reported by various sources earlier this week, this particular bug makes full use of Apple’s digital assistant, Siri, in starting a Twitter search session in order to look for email address information.
If you are a subscriber of AT&T and own an iPhone 6 device (or newer model), you can now make and take voice calls by way of Wi-Fi outside the country. Yup, the second biggest wireless carrier in the United States has started sending text messages to its subscribers just this week, basically notifying them that AT&T’s Wi-Fi calling feature has been expanded to territories outside the US.
Apart from introducing its newest iPhone (the 4 inch iPhone SE) during its event held in its headquarters in the city of Cupertino in California, Apple also took the opportunity to announce iOS 9.3, the launching of the latest version of its iOS mobile operating system, at the same time highlighting the many new features that come with the software update.
Wirefly Is America's Most Trusted Source For All Cell Phones, Plans, TV, and Internet Deals
Wirefly offers great deals on a large selection of smartphones, cell phones, tablets, mobile hotspots, and other wireless devices for the nation's most popular carriers. Use Wirefly’s innovative cell phone and plan comparison tools to ensure you are getting the best deal on the market. Shop with confidence knowing that Wirefly wants to help you find the best prices on cell phones, cell phone plans, TV, and Internet service.


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Mitas Recalls E-07 Tires
Mitas discovered that these tires could suddenly lose pressure when used in extreme conditions, with no details being given on whether the incident causes severe consequences. While most tires have been sold in Europe, there are reports that the Mitas E-07 affected by this recall are also to be found in the US, Canada and some more countries.
The recalled tires have DOT codes ranging from 0111 through to 4812, and belong to three series:
- 110/80-19 M/C 59T E-07 TL MI
- 100/90-19 M/C 57T E-07 TL MI
- 110/80-19 M/C 59T E-07 DAKAR TL MI
Countries to which the faulty E-07 tires have been sold in are: Australia, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Czech Republic, Estonia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, UK, Ukraine, USA and Venezuela


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M&S will continue to decline regardless of an future success in food, according to Ed Bowsher, a senior analyst at Share Radio, the UK’s first national radio station dedicated to business, finance and money, unless new boss Steve Rowe improves the quality of its clothing – particularly in womenswear.
In response to M&S results published this morning, Bowsher said: “The best news today is that the gross margin is continuing to rise – up around another 250 basis points in clothing and home.
“This gives new boss Steve Rowe some extra cash to invest in improving quality as well as some targeted price cuts. Margins are up because the supply chain has become much more efficient and that’s down to the Lindsey brothers who were recruited in 2014. Signing up the Lindsey’s was probably previous boss, Marc Bolland’s best move at M&S.
“With margins moving in the right direction, Rowe must now start to boost sales in general merchandise. That’s going to be really tough. But Rowe has to improve the quality of M&S’s clothes – especially in womenswear. If he can’t do that, M&S will continue to decline regardless of any future success in food.”
Following today’s publication of Marks and Spencer Group Plc Quarter 4 2015/16 Trading Statement 13 Weeks to 26 March 2016, chief executive Steve Rowe said: “I am very proud and privileged to be leading M&S. We are focused on getting even closer to our customers and putting them at the heart of everything we do.
“We had a mixed performance in the final quarter of the year. Our Food business once again outperformed the market by c.3.5% pts. Although the sales decline in Clothing and Home was lower than last quarter, our performance remains unsatisfactory and there is still more we need to do.
“Turning around our Clothing and Home business by improving our customer offer is our number one priority. I will update you on my thoughts on the business in May.”