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Zone Startups India
The Zone Startups India Fund has a corpus of Rs 190 crore and a Rs 10 crore grant from Indian government's Department of Science and Technology.
Empower is considered to be the first of its kind in the country, along with Google and the department of science and technology partnering with the organisation.
Country's second largest private sector lender HDFC Bank today launched a dedicated product for start-ups which will offer banking, payments and forex services.
The firm is being accelerated at the Zone Startups India accelerator program. The investment saw participation from Mumbai based venture catalysts.


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Zee partners with AIF to impact social change in India
Zee supported the American India Foundation in raising over $100,000, with the proceeds benefitting the Maternal & Newborn Survival Initiative in India
In ongoing efforts to support charities dedicated to fostering socio-economic development around the world, Zee Americas sponsored the American India Foundation’s 6th Annual New York Young Professionals Gala this April. Each year, AIF raises awareness and funds for one major cause, ranging from neo-natal health and education to healthcare for HIV positive women and children. This year’s nominated programme was MANSI (Maternal and Newborn Survival Initiative), which aims to lower infant mortality rate and lessen childbirth complications for women in rural areas of India, who have limited access to proper medical facilities and practitioners.
Sameer Targe, GM, Zee Americas said, “Zee believes in supporting initiatives that promote social and economic change, especially when it comes to empowering the youth and their efforts to make a difference in the lives of those less fortunate.”
With 500 guests in attendance this year, AIF’s annual gala also included a live and silent auction. AIF raised over $100,000 this fiscal year with all the proceeds benefitting MANSI.
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Among the many industries expecting to do well at Expo 2020, the car rental sector is definitely one to watch, with the influx of a predicted 25 million visitors to Dubai during Expo translating to a vast amount of people needing transport. And experts believe the market is due for a correction.
But back to the present, the market looks buoyant. A recent Euromonitor International report states that the market is growing at a compound annual growth rate of 10 per cent year-on-year, and by 2017 is set to reach a value of Dh2.1 billion, up 59 per cent from 2012.
Big players are taking the opportunity seriously, with companies like Shift Car Rental – part of car dealer AW Rostamani Group – announcing it will invest Dh400 million over the next five years to expand operations. The cash injection will help the car rental unit double its fleet and expand across the UAE through a large number of car rental counters.
In Abu Dhabi, Fast Rent A Car has also announced plans to invest Dh60 million ahead of the Expo and open ten new outlets at different locations.
“In the last six months we have seen a surge in customers looking to rent a car in Dubai,” says Vinay Pagarani, Brand Manager at oneclickdrive.com. “This can be attributed to the fact that buying a car is too much commitment for an individual or company, as well as the fact that securing a bank loan isn't as easy these days.
"More and more residents are considering long-term rentals, with monthly or even yearly car lease plans. The benefits abound, especially in the current market scenario.”
However, traditional auto rental firms are facing competition from technology and social media as new players enter the mix, with mobile apps such as Dubai based u drive, an Uber style app allowing users to pay as they go.
“Dubai’s ever-changing need for transport solutions, the transient nature of life, and the overriding costs of car ownership make pay-as-you-go car rental a viable alternative,” says Hasib Khan, Managing Director, u drive. “For those who don’t want to commit to ownership, or don’t need a car every day of the week, u drive makes the perfect option.”
Pagarani at oneclickdrive.com says his company is not fazed by the tech attack.
“We believe the u drive model won't hamper the auto rentals market in a big way. Of course, single day basis rentals might unavoidably decline but then again their subscription model and rates make a four-hour rental more expensive than a full-day rental. In fact, we believe the predominant car rental market will give u drive a tough fight. The app craze will die down once users understand that they receive better rates renting cars traditionally.”
So who actually opts for rental drives in Dubai? Well, mainly tourists and business visitors to the emirate – but expat rentals are booming too.
Sebastian Tontsch, a photographer in Dubai has rented a car for more than a year and says the appeal of leasing a ride lies in the freedom that comes with the choice. “I think in general Dubai is well priced for renting a car and it gives you a come-and-go freedom that owning a car doesn’t. And in the hot weather who needs the headache of car maintenance and repairs?”
Dubai's car rental market is still in its nascent stage, according to Pagarani. “Not in terms of the cars being provided but in the service on offer,” he says. “Price over service has left the market in a state of confusion and customers still expect lower prices from better serviced companies. We believe car rental rates in Dubai are due for a correction.”


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Woolworths has made its first deal to sell a wide range of wholesale groceries to another retailer, outside its own store brands.
The deal to sell to organic grocer Huckleberry followed a Commerce Commission investigation into the grocery sectorwith recommendations for the big two supermarket chains to sell wholesale goods to smaller competitors.
New Zealand’s supermarket chains were last week given a year to show they would sell wholesale to other retailers to open up competition – and were warned that if not, they could face prices being set by a regulator.
Huckleberry managing director Darren Guo said the government’s push for supermarkets to open up their wholesale channel was what it needed to get the negotiations rolling.
“Eating organic food shouldn’t be out of reach for anyone, which is why we strive to give Kiwi shoppers access to the organic options they want, at the most competitive prices,” he said.
Woolworths New Zealand (WWNZ) director Stephen Sexton also said the government directive and Commerce Commission investigation were the major drives to get the deal going.
The supply deal demonstrated the company’s commitment to encourage more competition, Sexton said, as its business was currently just set up to serve its Countdown, SuperValue and FreshChoice stores.
The wholesale business was planned to operate separately from its Countdown, SuperValue and FreshChoice retail supermarkets.
But Sexton told Morning Report it would use the same infrastructure and logistics network.
About 60 retailers had shown interest in a wholesale deal with the business, including smaller retailers like dairies and convenience stores, right up to national-scale chains.
“Starting a wholesale business and all the complexity that brings isn’t an easy task – but we’re determined to get there,” he said.
“We’ve been working hard to get this [Huckleberry] agreement in place and we are confident it will be the first of many. “
He said WWNZ would have to experiment a bit as it worked through a range of issues, from order to delivery, which it could apply to other would-be wholesale customers.
“The government has been really clear that it wants to see wholesale opening up so we’ve all got to play our part.
“We’ve got a number 8 wire solution for Huckleberry and the medium retailers, and we’ll be able to on-board a few more … if we’re talking hundreds of sites national it’s going to take us 12 to 15 months to get the technical capability and capacity in our network to supply that, but we’re committed and we’ll work through that. “
WWNZ could not give an indication of the price difference of its wholesale-supplied goods compared to what retail customers paid in its own stores, Sexton said, because that was commercially sensitive. But WWNZ would need to make profit from the wholesale business for it to be sustainable.
And the final prices the wholesale groceries would ultimately be sold on for in stores was not something WWNZ had a say in, he said.
“That’s really in the hands of the retailers we supply wholesale … we don’t get involved in their price position. We feel that we’re providing competitively priced groceries.”


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Zacks Investment Research upgraded shares of Rogers Corporation (NYSE:ROG) from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note published on Wednesday morning. Zacks Investment Research currently has $171.00 target price on the electronics maker’s stock.
According to Zacks, “Roche is a leader in research-focused healthcare with combined strengths in pharmaceuticals and diagnostics. Roche is the world’s largest biotech company, with truly differentiated medicines in oncology, immunology, infectious diseases, ophthalmology and neuroscience. Roche is also the world leader in in vitro diagnostics and tissue-based cancer diagnostics, and a frontrunner in diabetes management. The Company develops medicines for various disease areas, including oncology, immunology, infectious diseases, ophthalmology and neuroscience. Its pharmaceutical products include Anaprox, Avastin, Bactrim, Bondronat, CellCept, Cotellic, Dilatrend, Dormicum, Invirase, Kadcyla, Kytril (Kevatril), Lariam, MabThera, Madopar, Neupogen, Pegasys, Perjeta, Pulmozyme, Rocaltrol, Rocephin and Roferon-A. The Company offers products for researchers, including cell analysis, gene expression, genome sequencing and nucleic acid purification. “
Several other research analysts have also commented on the company. B. Riley lifted their price target on Rogers Corporation from $147.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Sunday, November 5th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a buy rating and issued a $165.00 price target on shares of Rogers Corporation in a research report on Friday, November 3rd. Finally, BidaskClub upgraded Rogers Corporation from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report on Saturday, August 12th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Rogers Corporation has a consensus rating of Buy and a consensus target price of $160.25.
Shares of Rogers Corporation (ROG) traded up $2.78 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $153.00. The stock had a trading volume of 143,300 shares, compared to its average volume of 208,507. The stock has a market capitalization of $2,791.33, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.54 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a current ratio of 3.74, a quick ratio of 2.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. Rogers Corporation has a 52-week low of $67.60 and a 52-week high of $154.00.
Rogers Corporation (NYSE:ROG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 2nd. The electronics maker reported $1.41 EPS for the quarter, topping the Thomson Reuters’ consensus estimate of $1.26 by $0.15. The company had revenue of $206.80 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $198.16 million. Rogers Corporation had a return on equity of 14.22% and a net margin of 10.88%. The firm’s revenue was up 25.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.86 earnings per share. sell-side analysts forecast that Rogers Corporation will post 5.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
ILLEGAL ACTIVITY NOTICE: This article was originally published by Markets Daily and is the property of of Markets Daily. If you are reading this article on another site, it was illegally stolen and republished in violation of U.S. and international trademark & copyright law. The legal version of this article can be viewed at https://www.themarketsdaily.com/2017/11/12/rogers-corporation-rog-stock-rating-upgraded-by-zacks-investment-research.html.
In other Rogers Corporation news, SVP Jeffrey M. Grudzien sold 3,042 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $114.08, for a total value of $347,031.36. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 28,022 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,196,749.76. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Robert C. Daigle sold 208 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $135.86, for a total transaction of $28,258.88. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 35,981 shares of company stock valued at $4,644,611. 1.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.
A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. BlackRock Inc. lifted its stake in Rogers Corporation by 60,174.9% in the first quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 2,189,786 shares of the electronics maker’s stock worth $188,037,000 after purchasing an additional 2,186,153 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Rogers Corporation by 5.3% in the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,636,085 shares of the electronics maker’s stock worth $177,712,000 after purchasing an additional 82,322 shares during the last quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC lifted its stake in Rogers Corporation by 1.9% in the second quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC now owns 1,533,535 shares of the electronics maker’s stock worth $166,573,000 after purchasing an additional 28,911 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in Rogers Corporation by 0.5% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,049,565 shares of the electronics maker’s stock worth $114,004,000 after purchasing an additional 5,406 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp raised its stake in shares of Rogers Corporation by 3.4% during the second quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 618,786 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $67,212,000 after acquiring an additional 20,253 shares in the last quarter. 93.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
About Rogers Corporation
Rogers Corporation manufactures and sells engineered materials and components for mission critical applications. The Company’s segments are Advanced Connectivity Solutions (ACS), Elastomeric Material Solutions (EMS), Power Electronics Solutions (PES) and Other. The ACS segment manufactures and sells circuit materials and solutions for applications in wireless communications infrastructure, automotive, connected devices, consumer electronics and aerospace/defense.
For more information about research offerings from Zacks Investment Research, visit Zacks.com
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Amazon recently announced their plans for total smart home domination – starting with the AmazonBasics Microwave.
So what exactly is it, and will people actually purchase it?
For starters, the kitchen appliance will respond to voice demands. So instead of having to press a bunch of buttons in a desperate attempt to add a little bit of time to your frozen meal, you can just ask Alexa to add 30 seconds from across the room. There’s also a bunch of quick-cook presets that prevent customers from having to go through the trouble of making up guestimating the amount of time it will cost to cook a meal.
That sounds slightly more convenient than a regular microwave… But that’s not the real incentive behind the appliance.
The bigger motivation for Amazon is the fact that it connects through the Alexa Connect Kit. That kit takes typical analog appliances and turns them into smart-home devices, connected through Amazon’s cloud services. And for the e-commerce jungle, that means getting their digital footprint into a host of kitchen-related brands and products.
The question is … How much will the average consumer value having an AmazonBasics microwave?
We asked Survey Junkie members in our daily poll whether they’d purchase one.
Here’s the results.
Looks like Amazon will actually probably see success with this one… And seeing as they’re a consumer-first company, we’re not totally surprised. Over 41.3% of Survey Junkie members said that they’d buy it, and an additional 38% say they’d consider it.
How do you compare to other Survey Junkie members?


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Mercedes is all set to unveil a new GLC SUV in India on July 21, under its performance-oriented AMG lineup. The Mercedes-AMG GLC-43 4MATIC Coupe will be the first SUV in the GLC lineup with a coupe-like chassis, and will be powered by a 362bhp, 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 petrol engine that produces 520Nm of torque. This will make the upcoming Mercedes-AMG GLC-43 Coupe the most powerful offering in the entire GLC lineup in India.
The new SUV will have a nine-speed transmission and the 4MATIC drivetrain makes it an all-wheel drive car. Being lighter than the Mercedes-Benz GLE SUVs, the AMG GLC-43 is faster, and will reach 0-100kmph in 4.9 seconds. The SUV will go on to top the speed off at an electronically restricted 250kmph limit. It will also come with five driving modes, including a user-defined one where the driver gets to customise the dynamics of the performance-oriented SUV.
Presently, the Mercedes-Benz GLC lineup comprises the 220d 4MATIC (diesel) and 300 4MATIC (petrol) SUVs in India. The present GLC-class SUVs are priced within Rs. 55 lac, but this being an AMG edition SUV, pricing is expected to be around Rs. 80 lac. Watch this space for more details, coming up next week.
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Shop workers facing verbal and physical abuse on a daily basis
More than 85 per cent of workers claim they're being abused verbally or physically on an almost-daily basis, a report by the National Retail Association (NRA) has revealed.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, retailers in Australia have reported a staggering 400% increase in aggression and abuse, as a result of customer anger at restrictions and panic buying.
NRA chief executive Dominique Lamb, said that Australia's 1.5 million retail workers have been at the frontline of the pandemic, confronting increased risk, stress and abuse, and that due to this, they should be classified as essential workers.
"We'd like to see the government recognise retailers as an essential frontline service and implement a 'retail resilience program' to educate workers on how to cope during the pandemic," she said.
"Areas that require urgent attention include mental health issues, high smoking rates and exposure to violent crime at work."
• While much customer conflict can be avoided or defused through helpful service and positive communication skills, Maybo acknowledges that along with healthcare staff, retail workers have been at the forefront of society's response to COVID-19. Firstly, with stores seeing panic buying in the early stages of the pandemic and then with the introduction of restrictions and social distancing
• Maybo provides retailers with support on policy and guidance, plus flexible, cost-effective training that responds to risk and role requirements
• Comprehensive training options include our latest eLearning course: Reducing Conflict and Violence Risks: COVID-19 Edition click here


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NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — Christmas has arrived early for NBA fans — and it has sleeves.
Though judging by the reaction on social media, the league’s reported holiday jerseys may as well be a big ol’ lump of coal.READ MORE: Third Stimulus Check: How Could The Economic Relief Package Put More Money In Your Pocket?
Uniform maven Paul Lukas of ESPN says he has confirmed the jerseys that were leaked online Thursday, sleeves and all, will indeed be worn on the court Dec. 25.
“The overall visual effect is that of a glorified T-shirt,” Lucas wrote.
Images of the uniform tops were passed around on Twitter after Brian Erni of SportsNet New York noticed them for sale on eBay. Erni posted them to SNY’s website, saying he’d “put money” on them being legitimate Christmas jerseys.
The seller, “erikdeals,” no longer has the items up for auction, ESPN reported.
Brooklyn hosts Chicago on Christmas Day. Other games include New York-Oklahoma City, LA Lakers-Miami, San Antonio-Houston and Golden State-LA Clippers.
The Warriors broke out the NBA’s first sleeved jersey on Feb. 22 last season and wore them twice more. The team announced six dates for the alternates this season — not including Dec. 25.
Some reaction:READ MORE: Bronx Students Receive Free Laptops For School; 'Tens Of Thousands' Still In Need, Borough President Says
The NBA used a monochromatic design for its jerseys last Christmas.
You May Also Be Interested In These StoriesMORE NEWS: Judge Esther Salas Returns To Bench More Than 7 Months After Son Killed, Husband Wounded In Attack
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Vegan chefs were recently featured on ABC’s The Taste and fellow major network NBC took notice, featuring a vegan cooking segment on yesterday’s Today show. Vegan lifestyle bloggers Annie and Dan Shannon whipped up a full vegan meal for hosts Kathie Lee and Hoda, including Pesto Chicken Sandwiches, Sweet Potato Risotto, and Salted Caramel Apple Whoopie Pies from their upcoming cookbook, Betty Goes Vegan. When asked what the point of being vegan was, Annie responded that different people have different reasons for going plant-based, but that for them it was the love of animals that kept meat off their plates. To watch the Shannons’ cooking segment on Today, check out today.com.
Photo via meettheshannons.com
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When was the last time you got yourself a hold of a smartphone that had on it written “Made In America”? There are 307 million smartphone users in the United States alone as of 2022.
But how many of them do you reckon are manufactured in the US? With Apple being the world’s largest smartphone firm with billions of dollars in revenue and a market share of 23%, most of those phones are manufactured in China!
This brings us to the question as to why aren’t the USA manufacturing smartphones on their home ground rather than outsourcing them from outside of their territory. Despite owning such huge companies with massive revenue, was the idea doomed from the beginning, or is there something else?
The Challenges of Repatriating Manufacturing to the US
At present, more than millions of manufacturing-oriented jobs originating in the US have shifted overseas. Surprisingly true that many companies are hinging on factories that are a boat, a drive, or at least a long-haul flight away from their customers. Under the unfortunate crisis of Covid-19, society began to comprehend the tumultuousness of the whole manufacturing system due to shortages or blockage of supply of their desired products. This then led to a lot of factories in China being forced to shut down permanently or temporarily. This jeopardized the entire supply chain and manufacturing process so hard that, even when China started to fight back by re-starting the whole manufacturing process from the ground up, they paid the price for their sufferings. Among some of the common issues they faced were regarding shipping, trucking, and air travel where the massive replenishment was evident and the shelves began to run out of its stock due to an increasing demand.
According to experts and senior analysts in manufacturing, 2020 was marked one of the worst years, backed by the collapse of the Chinese manufacturer, the inability of American-based companies to cope with the market needs, and their unwillingness to enter the manufacturing industry despite scarcity. This is also another partial reason why the whole “Buy American” was an executive order from President Joe Biden, which encouraged the federal government to draw upon its multi-trillion dollar budget by purchasing materials that had been made in the US. He hoped that by boosting the demand for American-made products, companies would start to re-invest in manufacturing back home, which would then fill the gap.
However, Biden wouldn’t be the only person who wanted to see this issue solved. The successor of Steve Jobs and CEO, Tim Cook made a pledge back in April 2021 stating th at Apple will spend 430 billion dollars on US Investments in order to generate about 20,000 jobs in the United States over the next five years. These jobs will focus on employees who have a keen eye for working with 5G connectivity, artificial intelligence, and of course, silicone chips. However, as all things go, there ensues an uncertainty on how far things will go. It’s because – WITH that multi-billion dollar investment, it’s unlikely for Apple to shift to core manufacturing work in their own homeland any soon. Take the iPhone for instance. As Apple’s signature product, the iPhone will most likely continue to be assembled in China, NOT in the USA. In order to align with that change, the US might need ages to up the game with the latest manufacturing technologies, all while offsetting lower wages and other costs like transportation, supply chain and taxes. The US, for its own economic sake, will also need to turn its traditional education system into a more practical-based vocational course. By integrating this into its apprenticeship and education system from the ground up, the American workers involved in manufacturing jobs can finally secure an assurance that it’s a worthwhile career to pursue.
Not just smartphones, in order for the whole process to work, the global supply chain would tamper with other products like cars, computers, refrigerators, and silverware and the lot would also need to expand back to American shores. But among all these, perhaps the biggest challenge in this regard would be how Americans prefer to vote with their wallets. Besides buying into the “Buy American” concept, we all apparently are buying smartphones regardless of their place of origin. According to the research c and associate provost from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, “Am I willing to do the legwork to find what’s made in the US or find what was made locally and purchase that to give my signal to the system? Consumers signal to manufacturers what consumers want, so we have a responsibility if we want this to change.”
Decades earlier, a lot of car companies, drug manufacturers, and even toy companies used to manufacture their products in the US, but nowadays almost all of the clothing you’ll find in your closet has the “made in Bangladesh/Vietnam/Columbia tag. Renowned toy company Mattel has its figurines and other toys produced in China, Indonesia, or Mexico. And as for tech like smartphones, it gets a lot harder as the gadgets have turned smaller and more advanced recently. You need minerals that have been mined from Africa, Australia, and South America, and then take those materials on worldwide trips to get them melted, treated, extruded, and shaped into microchips, sensors, batteries, or glasses. Kinda gives you an idea of why it’ll not be easy for the USA to leap over directly toward manufacturing. While it had a good thing going on, the Pandemic came in and changed everything, causing factory shutdowns in Asia and causing a global shortage of cars, drugs, and food. This shortage even impacted Apple, whereby they gave a heads-up on their limited number of iPads and Mac production.
Truth is, at this point while coming up with premium products through a domesticated method is possible, it’s not easy. Take a look around you. Things different from smartphones or tech that also require microchips are no longer made in a single town or factory. They are rather assembled from parts sourced from different countries of the world. Since China does it a lot cheaper, It won’t help United States to fit in big shoes
Now, how easy or difficult would it be to fix it? Well, considering the term “American-Made” is pretty vague in itself, it’s going to be complicated. What actually needs to happen next, is more investment and of course, more innovation in new types of manufacturing. One way could be to utilize the recycling process to recycle the older materials into new ones or cater to more advanced technology in general. The whole concept depends on technology, and technology demands investment.


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To highlight Sony's plight in Japan, three new PS4 games launched and only sold an average of 10K each. So the Vita remains pretty much the lead platform there, but so few new games are coming out in 2015, that the situation could stagnate. As it is, the Vita, should sell around 1.1 million in Japan this year, pretty much matching last year, while the 3DS is down 2 million sales on 2013, but still miles ahead at 2.75 million for the year.
To alarm things further NIS made a statement recently that Disgaea 5 (out next March on PS4 in Japan) needs to sell at least 150,000 for the company to keep going. If they go down, that's a lot less Vita games to come west from one of the format's best supporters. Perhaps a rapid Vita conversion is on the cards?
09./00. [PSV] Samurai Warriors: Chronicles 3 #


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Zac Efron’s love for Kodiak Cakes is not an act
In a video Zac Efron posted to his Instagram account in June, he’s lying on the grass with his head resting on a plaid pillow. “Maybe I do have commitment issues,” he discloses to his co-star, an 800-pound grizzly bear named Tank. Later, he asks the bear, “Do you like flapjacks or waffles?
Amid the creepily-obsessed comments below the video, Efron’s fans tried to guess what the promo was for. “Season 2 of Down to Earth?” they asked, adding armies of red heart emojis. When it was announced a week later that Efron was the new chief brand officer of Kodiak Cakes, none of those fans called out the partnership as forced. That’s because, at its core, it isn’t.
“Kodiak and I share a common philosophy when it comes to food and a genuine love for adventure and the great outdoors,” Efron writes to me via email. “We want to inspire people to eat better, get outdoors more, and give back more. The impact we will have together through these projects is what makes this so different than just being a brand ambassador.”
It’s true. Since Michael Jordan struck his $1.3 billion deal with Nike in 1984, celebrity endorsements have become a massive component in the business strategies of our economy’s behemoths—and celebrities are no longer treated as billboards in brand partnerships.
According to Statista, the influencer marketing industry has grown from $1.7 billion in 2016 to $13.8 billion in 2021. In the last year, Megan Thee Stallion worked closely with Popeyes to release an exclusive line of hot sauces and merchandise, with part of her contract including a multi-franchise ownership deal. Doja Cat has been given complete creative control of her brand ambassador partnership with JBL speakers, an agreement that would have been unheard of a short time ago. And while Ye(Kanye West)’s 10-year partnership with Gap might just save the past-its-prime retailer, he also gets to demand that the Yeezy Gap Engineered by Balenciaga clothing collection be sold from piles of trash bags.
Ryan Reynolds took an active role in the day-to-day business and creative direction of Aviation Gin after acquiring it. Actress Elizabeth Banks assumed the role of co-owner and chief creative officer upon partnering with Archer Roose, one of the country’s top purveyors of canned wines. So, too, does the Zac Efron x Kodiak Cakes partnership run deeper than a run-of-the-mill celebrity endorsement. Efron is a bonafide member of the company’s C-suite and is committed to collaborating on projects and attending board meetings.
“There’s a difference in the culture right now about what people see through, and notice is fake. Studies show that consumer’s expectations are higher of brands than they are in the government,” says Cory Bayers, CMO of Kodiak Cakes and an experienced marketer who has previously worked his magic for outdoor-centric brands like Helly Hansen, Lululemon, and Patagonia.
“I don’t sell things. I tell stories,” Bayers says. “I’ve been very fortunate to work with brands where the stories are real. There’s no fabrication, which is the stereotype of what a marketer does.”
IMAGES APPEAR COURTESY OF KODIAK CAKES
Because of Kodiak Cakes’ commitment to creating healthy, whole grain, and high-protein breakfast items, athlete partnerships have always been a natural fit. Ultrarunners Shalane Flanagan and Courtney Dauwalter, as well as rock climbers Matty Hong and Emily Harrington, were added to the Kodiak roster. Many of the athletes were already eating Kodiak Cakes before the partnerships were formed, says Cameron Smith, president and co-founder of Kodiak Cakes.
“We never want our customers to feel that Kodiak has lost its soul or is just trying to get a quick buck,” Smith says about the grassroots-type partnerships the company was built on. “It’s always been very much about getting the product into people’s hands and mouths, knowing that once people try it, they tell us they love it. They become authentic brand ambassadors because they love [the product] and are using it.”
So when Kodiak Cakes began talking about bringing on a main celebrity partner, the team created a long list of potential candidates that reflected the company’s ideals. Near the very top of the list, Smith says, was Efron.
“On his show ‘Down to Earth’ and with how Zac views food, lifestyle, and taking care of his body, we just got that rustic, outdoor vibe from him,” Smith says. “He didn’t have any brands attached to him, and in our conversations, he mentioned being hesitant to attach himself to a brand. He cares a lot about his personal image and who he’s connected to. That just made us even more excited.”
Venturing into uncharted waters, Smith says the Kodiak team didn’t know what to expect upon meeting Efron for the first time. But when Efron visited company headquarters to attend a board meeting before the announcement went live, they did what all executives do to get to know each other—they walked around Whole Foods together.
“We talked with Zac about certain products and ingredients and what he looks for in his food. It was really cool to hear how he thinks about nutrition,” Smith says. “He’s very mindful of what he’s putting into his body.”
The partnership was a big leap for Kodiak Cakes and a big leap for Efron, Smith says.
“I was walking around the office with him, showing him what we’ve built here, and I was just so impressed with how approachable he was,” he continues. “In the board meeting, you could tell he was really seeking to learn. It was cool to watch someone who has been so successful in their career have that desire to continue to learn about other things that they’re doing in their life.”
For Efron, the feeling was mutual. As a “longtime fan” of Kodiak Cakes’ products, Efron says the partnership felt organic from the start. “We all share a similar mentality about living life to its fullest, and the team really encouraged me to come to the table as a collaborative partner,” he says. “We’re aligned in terms of brand strategy and sustainability goals, and I’m excited to see what we can do together.”
ZAC EFRON AND JOEL CLARK PHOTOGRAPHED BY LAUREN C. PANDOLFI FOR KODIAK CAKES.
Kodiak Cakes’ commitment to sustainability and conservation is important to Efron, who has demonstrated his own eco-conscious beliefs on “Down to Earth.” Throughout the eight-part Netflix series, Efron travels to Iceland to learn about renewable energy, lives off the grid in Costa Rica, and advocates against biopiracy in Lima.
With Kodiak, Efron is throwing his weight behind the Keep it Wild initiative. The first sold-out product drop included limited-edition prints and apparel, with 100 percent of the proceeds and a dollar-matched donation from Kodiak Cakes going directly toward the conservation of grizzly bear and wildlife habitats.
“We are going to continue partnering with artists and other brands to create limited-edition products and apparel to raise money for a range of conservation initiatives around North America focused on preserving delicate ecosystems for wildlife and future generations,” Efron says.
“Keeping it wild” extends into the ways the team at Kodiak Cakes thinks about their partnership with Efron, too. “We’re asking, ‘How can we make sure that Zac is woven throughout the organization?’” Smith says. “Whether it’s through different products that we’re able to launch with Zac’s thumbprint or other ways we’re able to do good as a brand, we want Zac’s thoughts there. We want to stay close to him and ensure he is helping us as we navigate some of those areas for Kodiak.”
Of course, Kodiak Cakes also aims to be the top pancake mix worldwide—and this partnership with Efron just might get them there.
“When I joined [Kodiak Cakes] in 2019, sales were just under a million dollars,” Smith says. “I remember meeting another company at a food show, and they said they were doing about $15 million in annual revenue. At the time, I thought, ‘Holy cow, that’s more than a million dollars a month.’ I remember thinking how cool it would be if Kodiak got to that level.”
Kodiak far exceeded that level this last year, making more than $300 million in annual revenue. “To see that, and to see that someone like Zac is excited to partner with Kodiak and that athletes are saying that they love the product—it just blows my mind,” Smith says.
In an interview with Forbes earlier this year, Kodiak Cakes co-founder Joel Clark mentioned the company was only one and a half market share points away from being the number one pancake mix brand on the market.
“When I started working with Joel, our pancake share was about 2 percent of the category. The pancake category was worth $300 million, and we had 2 percent of those dollars,” Smith says. “Today, the pancake category has almost doubled, and as a brand, we’re close to a 20 percent share.”
Now Kodiak Cakes is right behind Pearl Milling Company—formerly known as Aunt Jemima—and gaining speed fast. “We have our hearts set on not just becoming the number one brand, but elevating what food can mean to consumers in this category,” Smith says. “When we become number one, we’ll have shifted what pancakes mean to consumers.”
To the Kodiak Cakes team, pancakes are more than just America’s favorite breakfast item. Bayers believes the company’s products “fuel epic days and wilder lives.” and that an epic life can be achieved whether you’re a professional rock climber, a single mother starting her own business, or—in the case of Zac Efron—a movie star.
“Someone on our leadership team once said that they feed their kids Kodiak Cakes so they can have epic days, too,” Bayers says. “Even if they are just sending their kids off to school, they want them to have an epic day where they’re meeting new friends, doing new things, and where anything is possible.”
ZAC EFRON PHOTOGRAPHED BY LAUREN C. PANDOLFI FOR UTAH BUSINESS


text: This year’s holiday season is upon us, although it looks and feels vastly different because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. However, what didn’t change were the deals and promotions retailers offered during Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Shoppers try to make the most of these promotions and deals by doing their holiday shopping for gifts, decorations, household products, electronics, and more. With restrictions on traveling and large gatherings in most of the country this year, shoppers are likely to spend less on travel and more on gifts for their loved ones to boost the holiday spirit. According to Adobe Analytics, Cyber Monday spending rose 15.1% year over year, with spending reaching almost $10.8 billion. Adobe also reported that spending rose nearly 22% year over year to $9 billion on Black Friday. Over the years, both Black Friday and Cyber Monday have gone from one-day events to multiple days, to a week-long “Cyber Week.” This year, Black Friday sales started in early November. How early did this year’s deals start, and when did they reach their peak? The answer is in the following data collected and analyzed from over 12,500 keywords across 17 retail categories, around half a million ads, with special promotions from over 3,000 different retailers using GrowByData Search Intelligence Solution. The deals trend Viewing the overall promotional trends for Black Friday versus Cyber Monday in the graph below, special offers for Black Friday started much earlier than for Cyber Monday. The number of Cyber Monday promotions increased steeply on the day (Nov. 30), then declined almost equally as fast. Black Friday deals started early in the month and ramped up during the week of Black Friday. A view into the popularity of specific promotions for these two events, the terms “Black Friday Sale” and “Get 25% Off or More on Select Products” were used by 13% of retailers, making it the most popular promotion for Black Friday. Almost a quarter of retailers provided 25% discounts during this period. There seemed to be more of a variety in the special offers found for Cyber Monday. The most popular offering by a slight margin was “15% Off for Cyber Monday,” with 10% of retailers using this promotion. “Cyber Sale—40% Off Sitewide” was the second-most-popular promotion choice among retailers, with 9.5% using it. The apparel and accessories category had the most ads with special offers for Black Friday and Cyber Monday. In second place for Black Friday promotions were the religious and ceremonial category. The category with the second-highest number of Cyber Monday promotions was arts and entertainment. Finally, a view into which retailers specifically had the largest number of overall ads containing special promotions during the two deal days. Lorex Technology, a company specializing in security cameras and systems for homes, had the most ads with special offers for Black Friday. Conversely, Adidas had the most significant number of ads containing special offers for Cyber Monday. In conclusion Despite the country continuing to be severely impacted by COVID19, with new lockdowns announced daily, shoppers’ holiday spirit still seems to be alive and well. Shoppers spent at record levels on Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Retailers provided shoppers with great deals, making the shopping experience extremely safe and convenient for shoppers. Happy holidays! GrowByData Article Originally Published at Retail Times on December 18, 2020.


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FBI director James Comey revealed during the Center for Strategic and International Studies conference that he knew he was mocked for admitting that he tapes over his webcam. But that didn't stop him from recommending that other people do the same. "There's some sensible things you should be doing, and that's one of them," he said at the event. He likened it to locking cars and doors at night, as well as setting up alarm systems for your own safety and security. He added: "You go into any government office and we all have the little camera things that sit on top of the screen. They all have a little lid that closes down on them. You do that so that people who don't have authority don't look at you. I think that's a good thing."
If hackers get a hold of your webcam, they can easily turn your life into a reality show without your consent. Back in 2014, someone put up a website that showed live feeds from people's CCTVs, baby monitors and webcams, while a hacker live streamed footage from people's computers on YouTube last year. In some instances, hackers use the victims' webcams to take sensitive photos, like what happened to Miss Teen USA 2013 Cassidy Wolf.
Despite the dangers of leaving webcams uncovered, Comey was still mocked online because, as The Hill noted, people find it funny that the FBI's head honcho takes extra care of his privacy. Some reference the agency's efforts to force Apple into unlocking the San Bernardino shooter's iPhone, in particular. If you'll recall, Apple didn't budge, and the feds had to pay a third party for a tool to unlock the device. Comey defended himself during his talk, however, telling attendees that "It's not crazy that the FBI director cares about personal security as well."
Software developer Abraham Masri claimed to have found the bug, called "chaiOS," and posted it on programming site GitHub on Tuesday afternoon. The so-called "text bomb" typically causes an iPhone to crash and, in some cases, restart. A newly discovered security flaw is affecting Apple's iPhone and Mac computers.
5 years ago
As bad flaws go, this one was particularly nasty. Google found a flaw in a security tool used in all modern Windows systems, known as the Microsoft Malware Protection Engine, that allowed total remote control over a vulnerable PC by just sending an email.
5 years, 8 months ago
Tech industry leaders including Alphabet Inc's Google, Facebook Inc, Microsoft Corp, AT&T and more than two dozen other Internet and technology companies filed legal briefs on Thursday asking a judge to support Apple Inc in its encryption battle with the U.S. government.
6 years, 11 months ago
In the days since the FBI revealed it needs Apple’s help to unlock an iPhone used by one of the San Bernardino shooters, many have taken sides in what the company, resisting the request, has framed as a debate about fundamental civil liberties.
6 years, 11 months ago


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In the Android Ecosystem, Fragmentation is Nothing New
All the way back in 2011, before Android marched to the top of the mobile platform wars, developers were voicing concerns about the fragmentation of the platform. In a post back then, I noted this quote from a study that Appcelerator and IDC did: "The Appcelerator-IDC Q2 2011 Mobile Developer Survey Report, taken April 11-13, shows that interest in Android has recently plateaued as concerns around fragmentation and disappointing results from early tablet sales have caused developers to pull back from their previous steadily increasing enthusiasm for Google’s mobile operating system."
Recently, there has been alarm in the press over how much Andoid fragmenation there is, but the fact remains that Google benefits from the spread of both the Android releases that it controls, and the open forks that keep appearing.
Android's ascension to the top of the smartphone field has been meteoric. In July, Strategy Analytics researchers delivered their latest smartphone market share numbers, which showed Android reaching new highs at a record 84.6 percent share of global smartphone shipments.
As I noted here, though, Google steers a preferred version of Android (the version used by members of the Open Handset Alliance, with Google Play support and services), while the Android Open Source Project walks its own path. The fact is, both channels benefit Google in big ways.
Market share numbers from ABI Research on Android show that Google’s version of Android is on 65 percent of phones, while the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) is on 20 percent. The Next Web has noted that that 20 percent figure could be a warning sign for Google:
"The concern for Google centers around the fact that AOSP handsets don’t emphasize Google services. Since Google is not a primary hardware company — though it has its Nexus range and used to own Motorola — having its services as a central of Android is an important way to get engagement (and revenue) from mobile phone owners."
The fact is that the whole Android ecosystem benefits Google, and forked versions are nothing new.
"Would it be better for Google’s bottom line if everyone was under the Google Play roof? Of course it would be. That said, the Android Open Source Project is a very nice safety net, capturing many handset manufacturers and users into the Android ecosystem rather than have them go elsewhere. It helps defend Google’s income derived from its version of Android, which is always a good goal for any company, especially one based in technology."
Notably, ABI Research numbers suggest that Chinese and Indian phone manufacturers accounted for 51 percent share of global shipments for the first time in the last quarter. These phone makers may be more inclined to build around open forks of Android, so fragmentation is not going to end. Still, even Android forks help to advance the Android ecosystem, and we've learned that as we've observed fragmentation occurring for years now.


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As most of us have probably seen, there was a lot of controversy recently surrounding the new Pepsi advertisement with Kendall Jenner. In the ad, she hands a police officer a Pepsi during a protest, which then seems to solve all of the tension between the police and the protestors. The scene in the advertisement is very reminiscent of the photo of Ieshia Evans standing bravely in front of police during a protest. In “Pepsi Pulls Ad Accused of Trivializing Black Lives Matter”, Daniel Victor from the New York Times writes about how the ad steals imagery from the Black Lives Matter movement, and how Pepsi did apologize and pull the ad, claiming they were only “trying to project a global message of unity, peace, and understanding” (Victor 1). One of the problems with the message this ad sends, though, is that peace can be acquired through something like handing an officer a drink, and this undermines the reality of protests and how dangerous they can be. People accused Pepsi of “appropriating imagery from serious protests to sell its product” (Victor 1), and the ad unfortunately shows how some companies either do not realize what underlying messages their advertisements might be sending, or are more concerned with profiting from current social issues and movements.
The controversy surrounding the Pepsi ad reminded me a lot of our discussions in class. We have talked about cultural appropriation, as well as the Black Lives Matter movement and its message and significance. Generally, one of the themes we have discussed is white people profiting from black struggles. Slavery, of course, is the most obvious example, but even today the structural racism that exists in our society relies on the appropriation of black culture for white profit. Creating an advertisement, especially one with a white woman, that simplifies the struggles that black people have faced to protest police brutality, definitely sends the wrong message and is an example of how whites benefit from black culture and social movements. Companies should not use such imagery to sell their products because these protests are beyond that in significance.


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A digest of important news from sources selected by our local editors. Delivered weekday mornings.
It’s from a modest St. Louis-based operation called Anheuser-Busch. Heard of them?
The brewing behemoth Thursday announced a program dubbed Project 12, which charged each of its 12 U.S. breweries with coming up with a small-batch brew under the Budweiser label. One of the six semi-finalist beers comes courtesy the Columbus brewhouse and its general manager, Kevin Lee, and assistant brewmasters Travis Burge and Tyler Hunter.
The original 12 were cut down to six internally. Consumers take the reins from here: Public sampling begins in August to pick just three brews that will go into a limited edition sampler pack that will go nationwide in October.
Spokeswoman Pier Scott, in an email to Columbus Business First, said times and locations for sampling events in Columbus are still being determined but will be in August. Budweiser is hosting events in its 12 brewery cities as well as on its Made In America concert tour, which is hitting 12 cities including an Aug. 1 stop in Cincinnati.
Each beer is named for the ZIP code of the brewery. Scott said the company will keep the ZIP codes as names for the final three that get wide release.
Each beer is a lager and uses the proprietary Budweiser yeast, but brewmasters were free to experiment from there. The semi-finalists are:
Dan Eaton covers retail, restaurants, manufacturing, automotive and the advertising/PR industry for Business First.
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Much in the way that the 7-inch tablets were criticized as being too small to be considered a real tablet until the success of Amazon's Kindle Fire, Samsung's Galaxy Note (at 5.5-inches) was criticized as too big for a smartphone when it was shown at the CES (consumer electronic show) in Las Vegas. Once it and its successor the Galaxy Note II showed some success more companies have decided that this is the right direction to go and are now coming out with their own versions of what has been deemed “phablets” (bigger than a smartphone but smaller than a tablet). Apple was one of the first to jump on this new trend, although not to such an extreme, with their increasing the size of the iPhone to 4-inches. Since then Sony’s 5-incher, Huawei’s 6.1-inch and a few others have also joined in the rank of this new trend in mobile devices.
These “phablets” aren't exactly a new trend in handheld technology. In the early 1990's a company called Psion started a trend with their Series 3. Once again Apple was the first ones to jump on this new trend with their Newton that was released in 1992. The then CEO at Apple. John Scully, dubbed these new devices PDA's (personal data assistants). Soon other companies, such as, Nokia, Microsoft, Palm and others joined in on this new trend. The PDA's started to fall out of favor shortly after the turn of the century when smartphones came onto the market and hand a wider variety of applications that could run on them.
Now, over a dozen years since the hayday of the PDA's we see sometimes trends tend to circle back. Even though the new “phablets” are far and above in versatility and power they can still find their roots back in those PDA's form over 20 years ago.


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This is an archived release.
Fewer deliveries in March
The total deliveries of petroleum products fell by 11.7 per cent in March compared with March 2001, and totalled 716 million litres. Heating products decreased the most, but the deliveries of the remaining products declined as well.
The reasons for the decline may partly be due to a mild March. In addition, the number of delivery days was less in March this year than in March last year. During the past 12 months, however, the deliveries increased.
In March the deliveries of light heating oil and heating and lighting kerosene decreased by 21.0 and 25.3 per cent respectively, whereas sale increased during the 12- month period. Also heavy fuel oil showed a fall in deliveries in March and a rise in the past 12-month period.
The deliveries of both auto diesel and motor gasoline declined in March and rose during the past 12-month period. The deliveries of motor gasoline came to 180 million litres in March, of which 155 million litres were 95-octane motor gasoline and 24 million litres were 98-octane motor gasoline. Out of the 24 million 98-octane gasoline, 7 million were "lead-substituted" motor gasoline. This is motor gasoline designed for cars that need the protection they traditionally got from lead. This sale has declined considerably during the past months, and for the past 12 months the decrease was 28.4 per cent.
There were 19 delivery days in March 2002 against 22 in March 2001.


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There’s a new reality taking shape in global markets.
Commentators have in the last few months mostly focused on a rotation from growth to value, but I think that view is too simplistic. I see many shifts happening simultaneously that could likely define the next decade in markets around the world.
Many investors are expecting a return to normal after inflation subsides and central banks stop raising rates. But I believe the world is undergoing significant changes and that investors will need to reset their expectations about how a typical investing environment will look. Here are five seismic shifts happening in economies and markets right now, as well as the long-term investment implications of each:
The market is grappling with a macro environment it hasn’t seen in a long time. Inflation is its highest since the early 1980s. And until recently we've had 40 years of declining interest rates. That’s longer than most investment managers’ careers, if not lifetimes. That’s part of the reason we see a market struggling to adjust to this new reality.
Is this the end of a 40-year disinflation cycle?
It’s easy to assume these are market dislocations that will quickly reverse — bond markets are currently pricing a return to 2% inflation within two years, for example. But these cycles often last much longer than people anticipate, and there is reason to believe higher inflation is structural and likely to persist.
In this new environment I’m especially cautious of highly levered companies, or those raising new debt. Money isn’t “free” anymore, so a larger slice of earnings will go to service debt. Companies with the ability to fund their own growth as well as those with strong pricing power and dependable cash flows will remain attractive in a high-inflation, higher-cost-of-capital world.
I think we're going to be in a much less narrowly concentrated market going forward. The last decade was dominated by a handful of tech stocks that you basically had to own to keep up with the market. I don't think that's going to be the case anymore.
I expect opportunities to arise from a variety of companies, industries and geographies. Well-managed companies beyond the tech sector may have their chance to shine again.
For example, e-commerce companies have gone from being the disruptors to being challenged themselves. They’re often very low margin and expensive to scale with difficult delivery logistics to manage. Very few have done it well. Some traditional retailers that have combined the benefits of brick-and-mortar stores with a compelling online shopping experience are starting to take share from pure e-commerce companies.
Market leaders are becoming less concentrated
After the market’s dive in 2020, I expected leadership to broaden, and it has done so. In my view, this is a healthy development and supports why I have been trying to de-concentrate my own portfolios. In theory, it should be a positive backdrop for stock pickers over indexers.
The last bull market was dominated by tech companies that made their fortunes on digital assets, such as online marketplaces, streaming platforms, search engines and social media. This overshadowed the fact that you can’t build a new economy without older industries. Not that digital-first companies are going away, but I think investors will start to place greater emphasis on commodities and producers of physical assets.
Capital spending super cycle could power a new industrial renaissance
Some might assume that trends like the shift to renewable energy will squeeze out incumbents in traditional sectors like industrials, materials or energy. On the contrary, there may be winners among businesses that are helping other companies be more energy efficient — whether that's smart buildings, power management or HVAC systems that reduce gas emissions. Other global trends such as grid modernization, reshoring and energy security may cause a boom in capital investment across industries. These are areas where smartly managed industrial companies might have a real renaissance.
Many newer investors got comfortable with stocks being very expensive over the last five to 10 years and now assume stocks will return to those levels during the next bull market. When rates were near zero the market could support loftier multiples, but I think those days are over.
An exercise I’m trying to apply when evaluating my portfolio is to ask: “What if stocks don’t return to 25x earnings in 2027? What if they only trade at 15x earnings?” If I can make a stock work at that level, then I can probably limit my downside. Using that lens, I'm trying to find emerging and growth-oriented companies that are not valued as such. I like those that may also offer potential upside to the valuation, but where the investment thesis doesn’t depend on it.
If multiple expansion is limited in the next bull market, stock returns will have to be powered by earnings growth. That means markets aren’t likely to be as patient with unprofitable companies. Stocks whose business models depend on cheap money are going away. Companies that funded losses while trying to scale rapidly even where the economics didn’t work are going away. Markets once paid up heavily for future growth, but now with higher interest rates they are less willing to do so. The market is calling time on business models that don’t work when money is no longer free.
The globalization of supply chains is another multi-decade trend that is shifting. For a generation, companies have moved manufacturing abroad to cut costs and boost margins. But the limitations of placing efficiency over resilience are now clear. Rising geopolitical tension and pandemic-induced disruptions have led companies to consider bringing supply chains closer to home.
While bottlenecks caused by COVID shutdowns have improved, many companies are still being impacted. The auto industry is a prime example. Major automakers have tens of thousands of unfinished cars waiting for final parts, and that missing component is often as minor as an inexpensive semiconductor chip. Now companies are creating supply chain redundancies so that a single disruption doesn’t derail their entire operation.
Even as pandemic-related issues ease, I believe increased geopolitical conflicts are here to stay and will continue to fuel this change. The current environment reminds me of the 1970s, with tension between Russia and the West, more aggressive confrontations with China, the rise of authoritarian leaders around the world and less global cooperation. Since the fall of the Berlin Wall, we’ve had more than 30 generally peaceful and prosperous years. But there are more risks now, and this backdrop suggests lower valuations are warranted and “surprises” should feel less surprising.
Higher global tensions have increased risk of relying on international supply chains
Consider Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), the world’s dominant manufacturer of cutting-edge semiconductors. After having concentrated the bulk of its capacity in Taiwan — a focal point of geopolitical concerns — the company is building its first manufacturing hub in the United States. It’s also constructing a new plant in Japan. That regionalization should create a more efficient supply chain for some of its top U.S.-based clients, including automakers and technology companies like Apple, Qualcomm and Broadcom.
The combination of low rates and rising markets made the last 10 years feel like one long sunny day at the beach. While some rain showers have now driven beachgoers indoors, they’re still looking out the window waiting for the storm to pass. They don’t realize that there’s a new weather system upon us with more clouds, colder temperatures and much stronger winds. The world’s not ending, but it may be a wetter, cloudier and colder place — and life won’t be a day at the beach.
That may sound like a dark outlook, but I actually see this as a really exciting time to be an investor. My fellow managers and I are able to adjust to this new reality of investing in a variety of ways.
Although we haven’t gotten everything right, we have been shifting from higher growth sectors like consumer discretionary and information technology to health care and industrials over the past few years in anticipation of this new reality. New market environments present new opportunities, and that’s where experience and flexibility can be essential.
The S&P 500 Index is a market capitalization-weighted index based on the results of approximately 500 widely held common stocks.
The MSCI All Country World Index (ACWI) is a free float-adjusted market capitalization-weighted index designed to measure equity market results in the global developed and emerging markets, consisting of more than 40 developed and emerging market country indexes.


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OCZ RevoDrive Hybrid Combines HDD and SSD in a Single PCIe Unit
Just like several other SSD manufacturers, OCZ has unveiled several new interesting products at this year’s Computex trade show, including their own approach to the hybrid drive concept; using an SSD as cache memory to a larger hard drive. Their new RevoDrive Hybrid comes with a 60 to 120GB SSD and a 500GB to 1TB hard drive and uses a PCI Express x4 port.
The RevoDrive Hybrid is not yet ready for prime time on the consumer market–the company apparently has difficulties in deciding whether to use a 5,400 or 7,200 RPM hard drive, but according to OCZ, their cache solution is so effective that you could use one at 5400 RPM without sacrificing too much performance.
Nvelo is the name behind the Dataplex software that manages the cache algorithm in the RevoDrive Hybrid, and according to Nvelo, Dataplex provides better performance in PCMark Vantage compared to Intel’s solution Smart Response-
The SSDs that sit on the PCB will be using several SandForce controllers in RAID 0 for higher performance and it is expected that the RevoDrive Hybrid will offer read/write speeds of 575 and 500 MB/s with 30 000 IOPS. One RevoDrive Hybrid gets a 60GB SSD plus a hard disk at 500 GB, while a more expensive version gets a 120GB SSD and a 1TB HDD. The RevoDrive Hybrid is expected to arrive in July with a price tag starting at $350.


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Green Day has released a live video for the track, “Let Yourself Go” from their upcoming album Green Day ¡UNO!. The video was recorded at the band’s surprise show, November 17, 2011 at the Red 7 in Austin, Texas.
¡UNO! is the first of a trilogy of albums and is due in stores on September 25th. The follow-up albums, ¡DOS! will be released on November 23rd, and ¡TRÉ! is out January 15, 2013.
Check out the video here.


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The top five corporate customers were Apple, Best Buy, Deutsche Telecom, Qualcomm, and Supreme Electronics, and these big clients accounted for about 14% of the company's total sales, according to a business report released by Samsung Electronics on May 16.
Lockheed Martin has joined Intel, Nvidia, and eight other big tech companies as part of a plan to securely link defense systems in what Lockheed calls a 21st century concept.
Samsung Electronics is talking with foundry clients about charging as much as 20% more for making semiconductors this year, joining an industry-wide push to hike prices to cover rising costs of materials and logistics.
Chipmaker Micron Technology on Thursday announced it was experimenting with a new pricing model for its chips called forward pricing agreements that would aim to stabilize the steep price fluctuations that plague the industry.
One of the most popular and iconic gadget brands in history is taking its last breath today. Apple announced that it will no longer make the iPod touch, the last device to carry the iPod name.
Toyota says it will suspend operations at more production lines at its factories in Japan this month due to the coronavirus lockdown in Shanghai.
Tesla has halted most of its production at its Shanghai plant due to problems securing parts for its electric vehicles, according to an internal memo seen by Reuters, the latest in a series of difficulties for the factory.
Infineon, the leading supplier of microchips to the auto industry, reported on Monday a 22% rise in second-quarter revenue and lifted its full-year outlook as it benefits from a global shortage of semiconductors.
AMD shrugged off the concerns about supply-chain issues and COVID-related Chinese manufacturing shutdowns, reporting record revenue of US$5.887 billion (up 71%) for the first quarter of 2022. And while AMD's rivals expressed uncertainty regarding ongoing chip shortages as a result of COVID-related manufacturing shutdowns in China, AMD appears less worried. The topic wasn't even mentioned in the company's press release.
Shanghai is expected to open up gradually, following a brutal lockdown.
The Biden administration is looking into claims that Yangtze Memory Technologies, a Chinese semiconductor maker, has supplied Huawei with chips, in a potential violation of US export controls.
The Financial Times
Texas Instruments tumbled in late trading Tuesday after China's ongoing Covid-19 lockdowns crimped the company's sales and profit forecasts, with the restrictions idling factories and slowing shipments.
A sharp drop in graphic chip prices could presage an unexpectedly quick ending to a global chip crunch that has crippled manufacturing from smartphones to cars, and the issue will be a central one for companies reporting results this week.
More and more car manufacturers now bet on SiC and GaN, and chipmakers are transforming their business to take advantage of the electric-vehicle market's explosive growth.
The board of Twitter has agreed to a US$44bn takeover offer from the Tesla billionaire Elon Musk.
Silicon Motion Technology is exploring a potential sale amid takeover interest in the semiconductor firm, according to people familiar with the matter.
At first blush, ASML's numbers look disappointing. But they're actually pointing to the same challenge and opportunity TSMC outlined last week: demand is so strong that it's tough to keep up.
Toyota and Volkswagen are gradually bringing their China factories back on line after they were closed for weeks because of COVID lockdowns.
TSMC said it won't start production at its 2nm node until the second half of 2025 or possibly the end of that year, which could signal a shift in the competitive landscape.
The goals don't exactly sound ambitious. For example, while TSMC plans to hit 2nm by 2026, Russia wants 28nm local chip manufacturing by 2030.
China's quarterly production of semiconductors shrunk for the first time since early 2019 as consumer electronics demand softened and Covid-triggered lockdowns in regions including Shanghai disrupted output.
Shanghai reported a record number of symptomatic COVID-19 cases on Saturday and other areas across China tightened controls as the country kept up its "dynamic clearance" approach that aims to stamp out the highly transmissible Omicron variant.
Shipments of some Apple products, as well as Dell and Lenovo laptops are likely to face delays if China's COVID-19 lockdowns persist, analysts say, as curbs force assemblers to shut down and closed-loop arrangements get harder to maintain.
Chinese automakers may have to halt production in May if shutdowns persist in the Shanghai area, said the chief executive officer of electric-vehicle firm Xpeng, a bleak assessment of supply-chain disruptions in the wake of Covid-19 lockdowns.
Synopsys, the biggest supplier of software used to design semiconductors, is under investigation by the US Department of Commerce for possibly passing key technology to banned Chinese companies, according to people familiar with the matter.
The company pledged to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions in its global operations by 2040, to increase the energy efficiency and lower the carbon footprint of Intel products and platforms with specific goals, and to work with customers and industry partners to create solutions that lower the greenhouse gas footprint of the entire technology ecosystem.
China's power battery installations in March were 21.4 GWh, up 138 percent year-on-year and up 56.6 percent from February, according to data released today by the China Automotive Battery Innovation Alliance (CABIA).
CN EV Post
According to recent comments from Toyota North America, the automaker expects to surpass the 200,000 vehicle threshold for EV sales sometime this summer, disqualifying itself from any additional tax credits in the United States under current legislation. Toyota's federal tax credits will be phased out just as the automaker plans to begin sales of its lone BEV, the bZ4X, later this year.
The manufacturing hub of Guangzhou closed itself to most arrivals Monday as China battles a major COVID-19 surge in its big eastern cities.
Ericsson said it had suspended business with customers in Russia "indefinitely," extending a halt from February that was originally billed as temporary, following sanctions imposed as a result of Russia's war in Ukraine.
In late 2021, a team of Meta Platforms employees building a key chip for the second version of Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses was notified that the company had decided to go with an alternative chip from Qualcomm, according to two people familiar with the matter. The custom chip would power a variety of functions, such as taking high-quality photos and videos, on the glasses. But Meta's augmented reality chief, Alex Himel, decided using it could delay the glasses' launch, expected next year.
China's President Xi Jinping has praised his country's handling of the Covid pandemic, even as Shanghai reported record case numbers.
General Motors and Honda Motor said on Tuesday they will develop a series of lower-priced electric vehicles based on a new joint platform, producing potentially millions of cars from 2027 in a bid to beat Tesla in sales.
Initially, there had been separate measures for the eastern and western sides, but the whole city is now subject to indefinite restrictions.
"Intel continues to join the global community in condemning Russia's war against Ukraine and calling for a swift return to peace. Effective immediately, we have suspended all business operations in Russia. This follows our earlier decision to suspend all shipments to customers in Russia and Belarus," Intel said in a statement.
3M aims to restart PFAS-related manufacturing and continues to make non-PFAS related products at Zwijndrecht, a company spokesman said in an email to EE Times. The timeline to resolve the situation is uncertain and, in several aspects, not under 3M's control, the spokesman said. 3M has communicated with its customers about the potential for disruption.
A huge political row has broken out in the UK about the ongoing plans to sell Newport Wafer Fab, one of the very few plants left in the country still making semiconductors, to a Dutch subsidiary of Chinese group Wingtech.
Musk could use his ownership stake to influence Twitter's business plan or its policies.
The previous 4.7% growth forecast has been cut to 2.5% due to "the impact of the war and related policies", said WTO boss Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.
Russia is turning to microchip manufactures in China to circumvent western sanctions which have boosted demand for bank cards linked to the Mir payment system, an executive with the domestic payment system said.


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A bridge between Standens Barn and the Weston Favell Centre has been reopened three months after it was taken away to be repaired.
The 1975 footbridge was removed so it could undergo ‘major refurbishment work’ but is now back in full use.
Matthew Hulland, spokesman for the the shopping centre, said: “It first closed back in March while the shopping team had to find shoppers a safe, temporary crossing.
“Then it was removed in the dark of night and taken to Birmingham for restoration work, but now its story ends with a new look and grand reopening.”
The 20-tonne, 28 metre-high structure has received minimal maintenance over the years but, following recent surveys, was identified as being ‘structurally deficient’.
It was loaded on to a specially-equipped long-load vehicle using a 70 tonne crane before being repaired and repainted as part of a £4 million renovation of Weston Favell Shopping Centre.
Northampton Borough Council leader Mary Markham and ward councillor Stephen Hibbert performed the ribbon-cutting.


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CRTC launches review of cellphone financing plans
Sept 6, 2019
Global Korean Post
Commission is concerned new industry marketing practices may erode protections Canadians have under the Wireless Code
Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) launched a review of the device financing plans that certain service providers recently introduced or plan to offer to their customers.
While the new financing plans may make cellphones more affordable for customers, the CRTC wants to ensure that Canadians continue to benefit from protections under the Wireless Code as well as take advantage of competitive offers in the marketplace.
In particular, the CRTC is concerned that when customers cancel their wireless service plan, the requirement to pay the remaining balance of their device financing plan could result in the imposition of a penalty or fee.
The CRTC is seeking views by October 15, 2019 on questions such as:
- What are the benefits for customers of having access to wireless device financing plans that exceed 24 months?
- How to ensure that device financing plans comply with the Wireless Code’s objectives of making it easier for Canadians to understand their mobile contracts and switch service providers, and of preventing bill shock?


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The Hatchery, a novel incubator for start-up businesses, has launched a Cape Town office to extend its work in finding and supporting innovative entrepreneurs on the African continent.
The newly launched Cape Town office will oversee innovative cleantech projects. Project founders will enjoy the benefits of the incubator’s unique approach to supporting entrepreneurs that includes flexible timelines and budgets, and advisory support with a host of project-related tasks.
“We release founders from the time-consuming tasks of raising funds and running a business because these often aren’t their core skills”, says Jon BÃ¸hmer, The Hatchery’s Norwegian investor. “We want them to have enough time to focus on their creative innovation because that’s the lifeblood of their business.”
More details are available at https://www.hatchery.no
The company has announced the launch of its Cape Town office to raise awareness of opportunities for African entrepreneurs in cleantech fields.
As Africa’s “tech capital,” Cape Town is the ideal location for a cleantech incubator like Hatchery. In 2020, the city’s tech start-ups received $88 million in investments. Cape Town is also home to the majority of South Africa’s venture capital firms and developers, and its universities offer some of the best training in digital skills.
The new office supports 5 cleantech projects. The Pulse project provides smart utility metering in developing economies. SwiftPower is a technology solution to upgrade utility meters. Oasis is a blockchain exchange funding small-scale solar projects in Africa. PushMoney is a platform supporting mobile orders and transactions. Lastly, Pawa is a platform providing free solar energy to impoverished communities.
As an incubator of cleantech start-ups, Hatchery is invested in technologies that increase productivity or profitability while reducing resource consumption or pollution. For example, the Cape Town office’s Pulse project uses IoT sensors to meter energy and water. The Oasis project funds solar projects with the hyper-security of the blockchain and uses automation to reduce overhead costs.
Jon BÃ¸hmer, is a serial entrepreneur with expertise in cleantech and multimedia and 30 years of international experience. He launched the incubator to utilize his expertise in serving multiple companies at the same time. The idea of an incubator, or hatchery, particularly resonated with him, since he had grown up on a chicken farm.
The Managing Director of the Cape Town office, Chwayita Nqiwa-Twalo, said: “It’s a privilege to have the opportunity to identify, build, and support these exciting entrepreneurial brands. I’m passionate about engaging with inspirational founders and helping to turn their vision into reality.” “What sets us apart as venture builders is that we take the burden of responsibility away from the founder by ensuring we’ve got the right experts to advise on taking the business forward”, said Nqiwa-Twalo.
Interested parties can find more information at https://www.hatchery.no
V and A Waterfront


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As the world scrutinises SA for development opportunities in the run-up to 2010, SATIE is providing a marketing event to showcase SA business to an international audience. The first major commercial initiative of its kind, SATIE takes place in London in October 2007 and features a conference, networking platforms and as a series of ‘pavilions’ for business sectors such as property, business process outsourcing, recruitment, tourism and, of course, 2010.
According to SATIE, the deal is seen as an important sign of growing confidence in economic growth in the region, too.
Auditors Grant Thornton have forecast that 2010 will create 160 000 jobs and that SA’s GDP will increase by R21.4 billion (approximately 2%). Tax revenues will increase by over R7 billion and the expenditure by spectators attending the event is forecast to be R12.7 billion.
SATIE organiser, Richard Fletcher suggests that these figures should not be ignored. “The opportunities for SA business are huge”, says Fletcher.
“Germany used the World Cup to great advantage by branding itself ‘the land of ideas’”, continues Fletcher. “With SATIE taking SA to London, we can help SA business be ahead of the game and of course, alive with possibility”.
The dti, which is using SATIE to help forge relationships with European companies and promote investment and export opportunities for SA business, joins a number of other diverse organisations that realise the benefit of exhibiting at SATIE in London.
Not just about business, SATIE will also showcase SA as a leisure destination too. Visitors will be able to enjoy South African beer in a shebeen replica, sample a ‘braai’ and ‘potjiekos’, stroll into the cheese and wine pavilion, listen live to SA bands and see how SA’s fashion designers can compete on the world’s runways.


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But at its peak in November 2021, Musk’s net worth was $340 billion. That makes Musk the first person ever to lose $200 billion in wealth, Bloomberg reported last week.
How much money does Elon Musk have right now?
At the time of posting this article, Musk’s net worth is $228 billion, according to Bloomberg.
How much money does Elon Musk have 2022?
Musk lost $140 billion in 2022 due to the collapse of Tesla’s share price, leaving his total net worth at $130 billion, according to Bloomberg’s index of the world’s richest people. The fortunes of Silicon Valley billionaires took a beating in 2022 as share prices of the world’s tech giants plummeted.
Who is the No 1 richest person in world?
1. Bernard Arnault & family. Bernard Arnault is the CEO and Chair of LVMH (Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton) and his net worth is $198.4 billion, meaning Elon Musk was overtaken as the world’s richest man in 2022.
Has Elon Musk lost$ 200 billion? – Related Questions
Who is the top 1 trillionaire?
||Net worth (USD)
||Bernard Arnault & family
Who is the top 1 trillionaire in the world?
The world’s first trillionaires
- Elon Musk. Current net worth: US$263 billion.
- Gautam Adani. Current net worth: US$93 billion.
- Zhang Yiming. Current net worth: US$59 billion.
- Bernard Arnault. Current net worth: US$186 billion.
- Mukesh Ambani. Current net worth: US$97 billion.
- Jeff Bezos.
- Larry Page.
- Sergey Brin.
Who is top 10 richest man in the world?
Today’s Winners and Losers
- $1.6 B. Bernard Arnault.
- $1 B. Jeff Bezos.
- $813 M. Carlos Slim Helu.
- $754 M. Tadashi Yanai.
- $680 M. Iris Fontbona.
Who is the number 2 richest person?
Bernard Arnault, who oversees the luxury goods company LVMH, was at the No. 2 spot with his family’s net worth totalling around $153.1 billion.
Who is richer than Elon Musk?
This isn’t the first time Arnault has topped the list. The CEO has been ranked among the world’s top 10 richest people for several years now. In 2021, he overtook Amazon.com ‘s ( AMZN ) Jeff Bezos as richest man more than once. Estimating a person’s net worth is far from a precise science.
Who is the 2nd richest person in the world?
Arnault sits in second with a $166 billion net worth. However, Musk has lost about $100 billion this year, according to Bloomberg’s calculations.
Is Elon still the richest man?
Elon Musk loses title of world’s richest person to Bernard Arnault.
Which is the richest country in the world?


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In a quarter when it usually sets back and counts, Apple is in full injury control mode. It started with its Black Friday sale, which lasted four days this year instead of one. Then, the increased value of older phones when upgrading to iPhone XR or XS. And now it is straight up and tells us that there is nothing to worry about.
In an interview with CNET, Apple VP Greg Joswiak said that the iPhone XR "was our most popular iPhone every single day since the day it became available." While you can talk to the term "most popular" Joswiak made his comment on Reuters and told the publication that XR is Apple's "most common product and best selling iPhone" since Apple started selling it on October 26th.
On the surface is good news for Apple. While the iPhone XR is the cheapest of Apple's latest phones, scattered reports suggested that it was not the battle as it expected to be, and Apple's stock dropped down as a result (among other things). Now Apple says that the iPhone XR not only sells well, it sells better than any other iPhone over each of the last 33 days. But that number may not mean as much as you think.
The numbers played
Firstly, there are two iPhone XS models this year, the regular 5.8-inch model and 6.5-inch Max, both of which cost significantly more than $ 750 iPhone XR. Right outside the bat, which shares the sale of flagship phones. So while Apple can sell 30-40 million iPhone XSes for a quarter, it's split between two models, so it will not be as impressive by phone.
So let's say Apple sells 100 phones one day (lol, I know). We can assume that 30 of them are old models (iPhone 8 and 7), leaving us with 70. So let's say Apple sells 40 iPhone XS and XS Max (20 each for the sake of argument). It leaves 30 iPhones left for XR. So while technically it was outsourced every iPhone model, Apple sold more older phones and more iPhone XSes in this example. And there are a million ways to break down and get similar results.
Beyond that, the iPhone XR is significantly cheaper than XS and XS Max, so it should be the best-selling iPhone. In addition, it is a month newer. And there's not too much of a difference between them and XR either, with the cheaper model actually having a bigger screen than the iPhone XS. So what does "best selling" really mean? It's about spin, something Apple is highly adapted to. Remember, Apple can sell 80 iPhone XRs out of 100 iPhones every day, but we do not know and will never.
When Apple announced that iPhone X was the best-selling phone every week during the holiday quarter last year, it was also a guard, but it was more important. Apple tested whether customers were willing to spend a thousand dollars on an iPhone, and X's popularity showed it. Average selling price shot up, competitors ran to copy it, and chopped became an iconic symbol for Apple status.
This is not the case here. By saying that iPhone XR is the best-selling phone, Apple basically says it's not a flop. Joswiki's remarks can give good headlines and good PR, but it's not going to stop the questions about iPhone sales. It's basically all spin, so it's from now on. Since Apple will stop reporting unit sales, these types of vague sales reports are all we need to measure the success of a particular iPhone model.
And it's a reality distortion that would make Steve Jobs proud.


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Boston – September 21, 2017 – Thought Industries, one of the fastest growing online learning Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) companies and creator of the world’s first Learning Business Platform™, today announced its partnership with Uptimize, an e-Learning provider focused on neurodiversity inclusion. Uptimize will use the Thought Industries’ platform to provide both individuals and organizations with video-heavy, micro-learning to fulfill their mission of pioneering neurodiversity in the workplace.
The Thought Industries’ platform will enable Uptimize to further develop their current online learning experience by streamlining the delivery of their learning content. In selecting an online learning technology, the organization was looking for a platform that allowed them to author, host, and export content from the same place. It was also important to select a platform with robust client management functionality to allow Uptimize to deliver dedicated learning experiences to each individual organization engaging with their content.
“We were looking for a flexible, modern, online learning delivery technology — and out of all of the off the shelf solutions, Thought Industries was the best,” explains Ed Thompson, Director at Uptimize. “Our challenge was addressing how quickly we could build features, respond to the bugs, and address quality issues in-house — all of which could be ironed out by having the right partner. Selecting a platform we could rely upon was important.”
“Uptimize is doing great work to promote neurodiversity in the workforce via their dynamic, bite-sized video courses,” says Doug Murphy, President of Thought Industries. “Online learning experiences can be delivered in many formats, and we’re excited to have been selected as the foundation of Uptimize’s online learning operation.”
Uptimize is a learning platform connecting the entire neurodiversity ecosystem. Their mission is to pioneer and facilitate neurodiversity in the workplace through online training. Uptimize creates slick, bite-sized video learning tools both for neurodivergent individuals wishing to get hired and advance their career, and for organizations looking to better include neurodiverse talent.
About Thought Industries
Thought Industries is powering the business of learning with the world’s first Learning Business Platform™. Offering a comprehensive suite of enterprise-level learning delivery and monetization tools, the customizable platform enables businesses and organizations to deliver engaging and fully-branded learning experiences to their business and consumer audiences. From creating online courses to managing an online learning business, the platform hosts a library of powerful, easy-to-use features that enable organizations to get to market quickly and cost-effectively. Follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.


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Owego shop debuts 'Potholes' ice cream
Summer brings the height of construction season in upstate New York, and one local ice cream shop is making the most of it.
Ice Cream Works in Owego added NY Potholes to its list of hard ice cream flavors this season.
Described as chocolate ice cream with a jolt of coffee brandy, chocolate chips, chocolate “dirt” cookie crunch and a white chocolate stripe, co-owner Diane Franz said NY Potholes is a nod to similar geographically themed flavors like Rocky Road, Dusty Road and Louisiana Mud Pie.
It joins a handful of other rotating flavors introduced this summer, including three Christmas in July flavors: Peppermint Chip, Nutcracker and Christmas Cookie.
This is the first year the menu at the shop on George Street in Owego has included hard ice cream; the shop opened in 2013 offering soft serve.
Other flavors on the menu include Pink Squirrel — a strawberry amaretto — blueberry crumble and sweet corn with cracked pepper.
“So far, the response has been phenomenal," co-owner Mike Franz said in a statement.
Ice Cream Works now offers 30 flavors of hard ice cream, Dole Whip, soft serve and sundaes, and is open daily from noon to 9 p.m.
Follow Katie Sullivan on Twitter @ByKatieSullivan.


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Volkswagen confirms hybrid powertrain coming to Canada
By Design Engineering staffSustainability Automotive electric vehicle sustainable design transportation
Volkswagen Canada unveiled its BlueMotion technology and confirmed that hybrid technology would be offered in Canada in the future.
Volkswagen has confirmed that it will offer hybrid powertrain technology in Canada, under its new BlueMotionTechnologies brand, which was unveiled at this year’s Vancouver International Auto Show.
According to John White, president and CEO of Volkswagen Group Canada Inc., the company is responding to the economic and environmental challenges facing the auto industry. “Despite a difficult economic climate Volkswagen is well positioned with its lineup of fuel efficient vehicles to weather the current storm and prosper in the future. As such Volkswagen has set out to become one of world’s greenest automakers.”
He outlined how Volkswagen’s global sustainability mission would bring “important dividends” to the company’s efforts in Canada. He noted Volkswagen’s achievements in reducing vehicle emissions and enhancing fuel economy and efficiency through alternative power trains as demonstrated through the Canadian introduction of BlueMotionTechnologies.
“Under this umbrella, Volkswagen Canada will now unite all of its research and development activities towards environmental sustainability in personal transportation.”
Volkswagen Canada already offers a number of these fuel-saving and emissions-lowering BlueMotionTechnologies, such as TSI direct injection engines, DSG dual-clutch gearboxes and TDI Clean Diesel engines.
The TSI 2.0-litre direct injection gasoline engines are found in the Volkswagen GTI, Jetta, GLI, Tiguan, Eos and Passat Sedan and Wagon models, as well as the Passat CC. Direct gasoline injection with a turbocharger allows cleaner and more efficient combustion that lowers CO2 emissions.
Another technology that forms an integral part of BlueMotionTechnologies is Volkswagen’s DSG dual-clutch six-speed gearbox that combines the lower fuel consumption of a manual transmission with the comfort and convenience of an automatic. It features a normal mode as well as a sport mode.
Recently, Volkswagen introduced its TDI Clean Diesel engine in the Jetta Sedan and Wagon. The company says this 2.0-litre 16-valve turbocharged direct injection common rail Diesel engine delivers more power with 30-percent more fuel economy than a comparable gasoline engine.