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Government of Canada boosts global competitiveness of Windsor manufacturer
Ennova Facades Inc. to receive over $1 million investment from the Government of Canada to increase production and create jobs
July 19, 2023 - Windsor, Ontario
With thousands of skilled workers and vast expertise, Ontario’s manufacturing industry has incredible potential for modernization and growth. With support, this industry is poised to carve out a larger piece of the global market for Canadian-made products while creating quality jobs across the region.
Today, the Honourable Filomena Tassi, Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario), along with Irek Kusmierczyk, Member of Parliament for Windsor—Tecumseh, announced an investment of $1.15 million for Ennova Facades Inc. (Ennova) to enhance its operations and competitiveness, and increase its production by 100 percent.
Ennova is a family-owned, innovative manufacturer of custom-made exterior building products, including walls, windows, solar shades and more. The company offers solutions for large projects in Canada and the U.S., such as airports, hospitals, residential, and other buildings. This investment will support the Canadian manufacturer to add equipment at its Windsor and Amherstburg facilities to increase efficiencies and enhance its local capacity to meet the growing demand for its products.
With these improvements, Ennova will be able to reduce lead times and diversify its clientele, especially in the affordable housing market as developers pursue more cost-efficient building solutions with shorter ordering lead times. The company will in turn increase its competitiveness and revenues while creating 13 good, full-time jobs in the Windsor region.
Through investments like these, the Government of Canada will continue to support manufacturers to help them bring new products to market, create jobs and grow southern Ontario’s economy. The Government of Canada is investing in people so they can reach their full potential and develop new possibilities, so everyone can succeed.
“Ennova is demonstrating the strength of made-in-Canada products while boosting its competitiveness and production. The Government of Canada is committed to supporting manufacturers as they evolve, grow and adapt new processes and technologies while creating good jobs for Canadians."
- The Honourable Filomena Tassi, Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario
“Today’s investment in Ennova will help the company increase productivity while creating good jobs in the region. By investing in businesses like this, our government is taking the necessary steps to help strengthen Canada’s manufacturing sector, contributing to a more resilient future.”
- Irek Kusmierczyk, Member of Parliament for Windsor−Tecumseh
“We are incredibly grateful for the opportunity to partner with FedDev Ontario. This opportunity affords us the ability to significantly enhance our production efficiency while simultaneously creating new jobs for Windsor-Essex. The funding that FedDev Ontario has graciously extended to us will enable us to continue to grow and meet the ever-increasing demand for quality construction components.”
- Michal Chlumecky, President, Ennova Facades Inc.
Founded in 2016, Windsor-based Ennova Facades Inc. provides not only architectural design assistance and engineering services but also manufactures a robust line of building facade products including unitized curtain walls, passive house window systems, insulated infill panels, architectural louvers and architectural solar shading systems to the North American glazing contractor market.
Since 2015, the Government of Canada, through FedDev Ontario, has invested nearly $50 million in more than 65 projects in Windsor, creating over 1,500 jobs and maintaining over 4,100 jobs.
Since November 2015, the Government of Canada, through FedDev Ontario, has invested nearly $720 million in 340 manufacturing projects, creating over 9,100 jobs and maintaining nearly 9,000 jobs.
Office of the Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario
Subscribe to FedDev Ontario's Southern Ontario Spotlight newsletter, featuring economic development news and updates from across the region.
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Bernard Matthews unveils £3m rebrand
Bernard Matthews is returning to its roots as part of a £3 million complete rebrand in an effort to make it more relevant for today’s consumers.
A new logo and branding has been brought to life through 360-degree video technology, with a specially created animation of the brand’s home – Witchingham Hall – which has already been viewed by the top grocery retailers via virtual reality, a world-first for the industry.
The change for the UK’s largest poultry brand will be implemented across the entire company, including its website, Facebook page, email marketing and category offering, which includes 100 turkey and chicken SKUs in frozen, fresh breaded and cooked meats ranges.
An on-pack colour categorisation system has been integrated in the design to enable easier range navigation between the different products and flavours. Fresh coated products will receive the biggest change, moving from clear plastic into full-colour sleeves with a window to see the products.
Rob Burnett, CEO at Bernard Matthews, said: “The branding is a completely new direction and new chapter in what has been an iconic story. The branding combines the best from the past, with the landmark Witchingham Hall, and a contemporary and fresh design that feels very British. However, it’s not simply about new packaging, this is about an integrated sales, marketing and NPD strategy which helps us resonate with modern families.”
The re-launch will also include TV sponsorship, PR activity, social media and website redesign. The new packaging will be introduced in three phases from September 2015 to early 2016.
Burnett added: “The brand now has an engaging and simple illustrative style, with a look that reflects our countryside roots in Norfolk and celebrates our award-winning green energy credentials.
“We believe that the brand’s unique story will be better told by bringing to life the world of Bernard Matthews. Characters from the illustrations will also be brought to life, allowing consumers to explore the world further.”
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More than 90% of Scotland’s single farm payments have now reached farmers, according to rural affairs secretary Richard Lochhead.
The latest figures show that 17,400 payments (92%) have been made – putting £406 million into bank accounts across Scotland.
Mr Lochhead said the cash would provide a welcome boost for Scottish farmers and crofters, many of whom have faced difficult conditions in 2012.
“The single farm payment always provides a much needed shot in the arm for farmers and wider rural communities. I’m sure it will be particularly welcome this year given the weather conditions many farmers have endured,” he said.
“Staff have worked tirelessly to ensure that as many payments as possible can be made as quickly as possible and I’m pleased that over 90% of claims have already been paid.
“Clearly our priority now is to pay the remaining claims as quickly as possible and we will be working with producers to resolve any problems. In the meantime, I would urge anyone whose claim is still outstanding to respond promptly to any requests that will help us to make payment.
“It’s also worth remembering that Scottish farmers can get early access to payment information – up to a week before it goes into their bank – by signing up for Rural Payments Online. This also allows claimants to apply online, with 24 hour access, instant receipts and dedicated helpdesk support. Over 2,000 people have already viewed their online information this year and, even if you didn’t submit your application online, it’s not too late to benefit.”
Bulk of UK farmers have received farm payment


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IBL News | New York
BMW showcased Amazon’s Alexa LLM-powered voice assistant in cars during the CES conference in Las Vegas.
The new capabilities provide users with a natural way of getting to know them instead of digging through the car manual.
For example, users can ask the assistant for things like recommendations on different drive modes and activate their chosen mode.
They can also ask for instructions on how car features work—like the parking assistance system—and hear explanations in easy-to-understand terms through the BMW assistant’s customized voice.
The demo followed Amazon’s previous announcement that BMW’s next-generation Intelligent Personal Assistant will be supported through our Alexa Custom Assistant technology (ACA).
BMW and Amazon said that voice technology can strip away complexity and minimize distractions in the car.
Amazon also reported that Character.ai conversational chatbots work with Alexa.


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Website BuyMeDesign offers launching pad for unsung HK designers
Space is the bane of the Hong Kong designer's existence - and not in the way you might think.
"Hong Kong designers don't have many channels to distribute their products," says French designer and curator Florence Coirier Giraudon. With only a handful of design shops specialising in local products, local designers lack the shelf space needed to reach customers, which deprives them of the feedback needed to improve their products.
That's where Giraudon comes in. Two and a half years ago, shortly after moving to Hong Kong with her husband, she started BuyMeDesign, an online shop and design blog that plays an active role in linking designers to international buyers.
"A lot of designers deserve more visibility," says Giraudon. "We're a curation platform that spotlights emerging designers, markets their brands and also sell their products."
Giraudon, who spent more than a decade as a graphic designer and strategist for luxury brands such as Hermès and Louis Vuitton, selects products that she believes are unique, well-conceived and of good quality. Ideally, they should also have a compelling narrative and eco-friendly credentials. "It's about the materials, the craft, the story," says Giraudon.
New designers are introduced to customers through an interview, product reviews and coverage of their latest ventures.
That multi-pronged approach has paid off for many of the designers featured. The first brand promoted on the site was Hong Kong-based Native Union, which designs accessories for mobile devices. With BuyMeDesign's help, it struck a deal to supply watch brand Panerai with iPad cases.
The site also connected local design brand iLiveTomorrow with a Canadian architect who bought Taiwanese designer Pili Wu's Loop chair for a restaurant project.
Giraudon says most of BuyMeDesign's customers are overseas. "US customers are used to buying online," she says. Hong Kong shoppers are more reticent: "They need to be reassured that there's someone there who they can contact in case of problems."
Giraudon plans to open a BuyMeDesign showroom where customers can see products in person. And just like the website, the showroom will feature new designers every week. There's also a hotel design fair in the works.
BuyMeDesign also has links with overseas events to spot up-and-coming talent and promote its own stable of designs.
"If we want to build a design identity for Hong Kong, we need to go abroad," says Giraudon, who was in Paris last month to prepare for Maison et Objet, an interior design exhibition that BuyMeDesign will be covering.
"Maison et Objet has a pavilion for South Korea and Taiwan, but nothing from Hong Kong," she says. "Last year there were six brands from Hong Kong, but they were shown separately," she says.
"By doing it online, we offer a lot of visibility to the international market." email@example.com


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China's plan to boost vehicle sales draws criticism
China's government on Tuesday announced measures to spur vehicle sales after the first decline in almost three decades last year. But observers criticized the policies, saying they expect the effect on sales to be "limited."
The measures also include replacing old cars, optimizing new-energy vehicles and allowing pickups in more regions.
The policies, which are vague and subject to approval by the local governments, will disappoint investors, according to analysts including Robin Zhu at Sanford C. Bernstein.
“Does this mean the central government does not plan to open its wallet?" Zhu wrote in a research note Tuesday. “We expect a limited impact on auto sales.”
Any step to get Chinese consumers back into showrooms would be welcomed by carmakers such as Volkswagen Group and General Motors that have increasingly relied on the Asian country for growth, while U.S. and European markets near saturation.
Investors have eagerly awaited measures from the government to stimulate the market after vehicle purchases slowed in the world’s second-biggest economy amid a trade war, weakening currency and declining stock market.
“China is under threat, for sure,” VW Group CEO Herbert Diess said last week in a Bloomberg TV interview in Davos, Switzerland. “This year will be challenging.”
Car manufacturing, which accounts for 7.4 percent of China’s industry output and 2.5 percent of gross domestic production, according to former Minister of Industry and Information Technology Li Yizhong, has been a growth engine for China for much of the past three decades.


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Even if you have changed all your passwords over the Heartbleed virus, you may still be at risk if you use an Android device, according to the Huffington Post.
Marc Rogers, a security expert at the mobile security firm Lookout, told Huffington Post that numerous devices using older versions of Google’s Android operating system may be at risk of the high-profile bug.
Rogers said people using Android version 4.1.1 should avoid sensitive transactions on their mobile devices due to security vulnerabilities.
“The whole device is vulnerable, so you should be cautious about the kind of sites you use,” Rogers told Huffington Post. “I’d be cautious about doing banking on your phone.”
Rogers also advised that users with older versions of Android should update to the newest version if an update is available. If no update is available, he says users should contact their phone manufacturer to make sure their device is safe to use.
Lookout has a free app that lets Android users see if they are running a vulnerable version of the software on their phone.
Source: Huffington Post


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Published on: Feb. 9, 2018
Become a Sponsor for Girl Scouts QuestFest 2018
This July, thousands of Girl Scouts will once again join us here in the historic home of Girl Scouting for QuestFest 2018, presented by Publix Super Market Charities! Girls will use their smart phones to navigate through Savannah’s Historic District to solve clues, complete challenges, carry out random acts of kindness, and give back to the community. You can promote your business to thousands of attendees and their families from across the country by becoming a sponsor for the event, which only takes place right here in Savannah! For event and sponsorship information, please visit GSQuestFest.org.


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•The collaboration will seek to explore and identify a way to secure data.
You will soon be able to conveniently and securely verify the digital information you upload on your mobile devices after a new partnership by Mastercard and Samsung was signed.
The collaboration will seek to explore and identify a way to secure data.
"Our digital and physical lives are merging and we need a digital identity solution that reflects this reality," Ajay Bhalla, president of cyber and intelligence at Mastercard said.
People will access a digital identity capability on their devices for interactions in both physical and digital worlds.
"Consumers should be in complete control of the privacy and security of their personal identity ...we're excited to work with Mastercard to bring the first digital identity solution to Samsung smartphones," said Yongje Kim, head of service business office at Samsung Electronics mobile division.
The collaboration with Samsung builds on Mastercard's commitment to improving how people manage and use their digital identity and follows the publication of the company's model for digital identity in an increasingly connected world.


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This year, YouTube embraced being YouTube.
Last year, while courting the advertising community at its inaugural Brandcast, Google executives touted the Hollywoodization of YouTube, showcasing 100 funded channels backed by the likes of Ashton Kutcher while rolling out movie stars like Julia Stiles and Jennifer Garner.
This year the messaging was markedly different. There were famous names on stage, but there were folks famous in the YouTube universe for YouTube reasons, such as violinist Lindsey Stirling, a reject from NBC’s America’s Got Talent who now claims 300 million views, and dancer D-trix.
In fact, front and center at the slickly produced event were baby videos, bawdy vloggers, musicians riffing off each other, response videos and all sorts of native YouTube fare unique to the platform. And rather than trotting out actresses and Hollywood producers, YouTube also highlighted stars born on the site, including Korean pop sensation Psy, Baauer of the Harlem Shake, and Macklemore, the American rapper without a record contract who performed to close the show.
During one of the many clip packages YouTube presented at the Brandcast, one young creator said, “I don’t care if it’s a show shot with a professional camera.” That sort of summed up YouTube’s point of view as well.
“I want to talk about what I got wrong,” said Robert Kyncl, YouTube’s global head of content. “I thought YouTube was like TV. I was wrong. It isn’t. YouTube talks back. It's interactive. And YouTube is everywhere.”
Kyncl cited Nielsen research that found that YouTube reaches more adults 18-34 than any cable network in the U.S. “TV skews older,” he said.
Google chairman Eric Schmidt pushed that message home even harder: that YouTube is changing the world's behavior. “This is a new thing we have to figure out,” he said “It’s not a replacement for what we know. It’s participatory … that’s a profound change. It’s not just another choice.”
Execs were pushing the YouTube-is-different-than-TV narrative hard this year, given that last year the company embraced a more TV-like sales pitch, and it didn’t entirely work.
This time around, YouTube is pushing brand-safe ad packages around content genres like sports and food.
But Wednesday’s Brandcast was a far cry from the NewFronts held early in the week in that it wasn’t about YouTube urging brands to buy this show or this channel. Instead, YouTube urged brands to embrace content creation. Among the companies showcased during the event were Red Bull, which drew a stunning 8 million concurrent views for its space jump stunt last year, and GoPro, a camera company that has generated 100 million views via user-generated content.
Kyncl unveiled a new product, Brand ID (from the budding video ad tech firm Zefr), which allows advertisers to identify fan-produced videos on YouTube. Turns out there are a lot more than you think. Take Pantene. The company’s official channel boasts of a fairly impressive 39 million video views, per Kyncl. But Brand ID found fan-created videos were responsible for 113 million more views.
“We have to start thinking beyond commercials,” said Margo Georgiadis, vp, Americas, sales. "Consumers are giving us that message."
Google hasn’t completely given up on selling big names. Kyncl touted new channels in the works by comedians like Sarah Silverman and Ricky Gervais. And YouTube proudly put the spotlight on AwesomenessTV, which was just acquired by DreamWorks (spurring CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg to make an appearance on stage).
But for the most part, the night was about core YouTubers, and the generation of young viewers growing up watching them and communicating with them. Said Felicia Day, veteran Web content producer and creator behind the niche-enthusiast-serving Geek & Sundry channel, “This generation is not going back.”
Neither is YouTube, so it seems.


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Change is the only constant thing in life and online marketplaces have adopted this as their ecommerce mantra. Etailers keep changing their policies so often that sellers are no longer ready to stand this injustice.
Latest policy update from Flipkart
As of Thursday, Flipkart introduced new changes to its policy concerning weight issues. The online retail platform notified its sellers via email asking sellers to claim weight reversal charges within 30 days from date of settlement.
The email to sellers read, “There is an important policy update with respect to weight reversal charges. Effective from 23rd June 2016, any dispute on incorrect weight amount charged by our logistics partner must be raised within 30 days of the settlement date. After the above mentioned 30 days period, Flipkart will not consider any dispute related to weights.”
IOS spoke with AIOVA, to know whether this 30 day time frame was sufficient for online sellers.
A spokesperson from the association said, “30 days is certainly not enough, especially when the marketplace takes 6 months and even more to reimburse our money. If sellers need to meet a time limit, why shouldn’t the marketplace? We don’t even receive interest on the delayed payments owed to us.”
Reason for weight related issues
The spokesperson also mentioned the main reason for weight related issues is the lack of clarity on local, zonal and national pricing and the amount charged according to the weight as per location.
He said, “The marketplace does not specify which areas in the country are local, zonal or national. Every time we speak to Flipkart seller support or Flipkart product managers about this they each have different answers about which regions in the country are local, zonal and national according to the seller’s location.”
“If the marketplace itself doesn’t know this information, how are we supposed to figure it out in 30 days? Give us a rule book so we know what we have to pay,” he further stated.
Other changes introduced by Marketplaces
Flipkart isn’t the only one changing weight policies. Snapdeal also added changes to its weight policy by revising charges. Continuous fluctuation in weight charges are impossible to cope with and are a constant hassle for online sellers.
Snapdeal also introduced a new form of capital assistance where sellers can acquire early payments. The marketplace said this will help online sellers with easy cash flow. However, AIOVA questioned the etailer’s source of finance and whether it is legitimate.
At the start of this week we saw online sellers participate in an online dharna that involved stock outs on Flipkart. The lack of desired response from the marketplace forced the protesting sellers to raise their prices by at least 20-25% to avoid making losses.
eSellerSuraksha president, Sanjay Thakur said this is the second phase of the dharna. The high prices on Flipkart are bound to drive buyers away in his opinion. However the marketplace claims otherwise.
A Flipkart spokesperson officially stated, “The number of active listings from our sellers as well as number of units sold has increased this week. We have received a positive response to our new policy from an overwhelming majority of our 90,000 sellers. We are confident that the new policy will not only help sellers to boost their business but also empower them to improve on quality and grow a loyal base of customers in the long run. We are working closely with our sellers to ensure a smooth transition.”
Amazon also changed its commission structure like Flipkart. Some may say it is to take advantage of the discontent Flipkart is creating among its sellers. Online sellers had no real complaints about the decrease in the online marketplace’s commissions. This could quite possibly mean they approve of this change.
Need for government intervention?
“There are no laws or persons from the government to look into these policy and that is why marketplaces are making policies that suit their own benefit,” said AIOVA’s spokesperson.
Continuous changes that cause discrepancies in reconciliation, giant accounting headaches and not to forget loss of income are not what online sellers signed up for. Clarity and a reasonable amount of time would help online sellers to raise questions or doubts and adhere to new policies.


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The American Hockey League has announced a collaboration with a Canadian crocodile wear outlet.
The two companies are teaming up on two t-shirts featuring the Canadian crocodiles, including the two-inch-thick Crocodile.
The shirts are available in two sizes, a 3XL and a 6XL.
The Crocodilians have a soft-spoken demeanor, and the shirt features a cartoon of them with a large, snarling grin.
The croc-themed t-shirts will be sold exclusively at the NHL store on Friday, Nov. 2.


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Yankee Candle Offers Military Discount
Posted on March 28, 2013 by
SOUTH DEERFIELD, Mass.-The Yankee Candle Company has a new military discount program that recognizes the contributions and commitment made by military personnel and their families with a 10 percent discount on purchases made at all 568 Yankee Candle retail and outlet stores, as well as online at yankeecandle.com.
"Yankee Candle is extremely grateful for the military personnel who serve our country all over the world," said Harlan Kent, CEO. "The military discount program is our way of saying thank you to those men and women, and their families, for all they do for our country."


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The ruling Congress Party has conceded defeat in India's elections, meaning the nationalist BJP party under Narendra Modi is set to take power.
"We accept defeat. We are ready to sit in the opposition," senior Congress member Rajeev Shukla told reporters.
More top news
Thousands of pounds worth of heroin has been found stashed inside the covers of children's books at Heathrow Airport.
Internet search engine says Cilla Black was the subject of more online searches than Kim Kardashian this year, beaten only by Taylor Swift.
A supermarket price war and fierce competition across the rest of the high street has seen shop prices slumped by a record level last month.


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Blizzard has announced "Diablo III: Ultimate Evil Edition," which contains the content of both the main game and its recent PC expansion. It's out Aug. 19 for the Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS4 and PS3.
Windows 10: Three years, one billion devices - how is Microsoft doing so far?
Windows 10 Insider Preview build 14379 out now for PC and Mobile
Huawei's MateBook goes toe-to-toe with Surface
Microsoft: Windows 10 Anniversary Update available on Aug. 2 - here's what's new
99% of Windows 10 Mobile devices are Lumias (and other Windows phone insights)
Ransomware: what it is, and what you can do about it


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Recall Alert: GM, Volkswagen and hot dogs
A popular food company has issued a recall for some of its ready-to-eat hot dogs over a possible contamination.
John Morrell & Co. is recalling 210,606 pounds of hot dogs that might have metal mixed inside.
Two brands are affected by this recall that were produced on Jan. 26. They were shipped to retail The food has the establishment number 296 on the side of the package.
The recall comes after three customers called and complained about finding metal in the hotdogs. There were no reports of any injuries.
The following products are affected by the recall:
-- 14-ounce packages of “Nathan’s SKINLESS 8 BEEF FRANKS,” with a Use by date of Aug. 19, 2017.
-- 16-ounce packages of “Curtis BEEF MASTER Beef Franks,” with a Use by date of June 15, 2017.
Customers are asked not to eat the hot dogs and to either throw them out or return them to the store for a refund. Consumers with questions can contact the company at 877-933-4625.
Meanwhile, General Motors has issued a recall for 55,068 cars over an issue with the air bags. The automaker reports that in the event of a crash, a young child who is not sitting property in the front passenger seat and not wearing a seat belt could injure their neck.
Because of this, the cars do not meet federal requirements. The 2016-2017 Chevrolet Spark vehicles are affected by this recall.
GM is still trying to come up with a fix for the problem but once it does owners will need to take the cars in for a free repair. The recall number for this defect is 17199. Drivers with questions can contact GM at 800-222-1020.
Finally, Volkswagen has issued a recall for 84,262 cars over an issue with the engine. The automaker reports that in some 2012-2014 Passat vehicles, grease could leak.
It happens in cars with a diesel engine and a Direct-Shift transmission. The underbody heat shield on the car might not be long enough to protect the right half-shaft grease boot from heat. That can cause the grease to leak.
Volkswagen will send a letter out to owners and mechanics will replace the driveshaft heat shield for free beginning in July. Volkswagen’s number for this recall is 23W5. Customers with questions can contact the company at 800-893-5298.


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July 2, 2013 |
MUMBAI: Budget carrier AirAsia India, which is looking to launch operations in the country later this year, will add 10 aircraft annually and focus operations on the country's under-utilised airports as part of its expansion plans, senior officials of the company said. AirAsia India, a joint venture between the AirAsia, Tata Group and Telestra Tradeplace has also decided to focus currently on the markets in South India before expanding operations in the rest of the country.
June 19, 2014 |
KOLKATA: Bharti Airtel will shortly name PD Sarma as the new managing director of its Bangladesh subsidiary at a time when the telecom operator is aiming to drive data growth in the country. Sarma, who is currently hub chief executive of the company's mobile operations across West Bengal, Kolkata, Odisha, Assam and Northeast circles, will directly report to Bharti Airtel CEO Gopal Vittal, a company executive said. At Airtel Bangladesh, he will replace Chris Tobit , who is slated to return to Bharti Airtel India in a leadership role that will be finalised shortly.
February 14, 2015 |
MUMBAI: Reliance Communications, India's fourth largest mobile phone operator, reported an 85% jump in net profit for the fiscal third quarter, boosted by lower cost of financing debt and as more of its subscribers used the pricier data services. The Anil Dhirubhai Ambani-owned company reported net profit at Rs 201 crore for the October-December period. Revenue rose 1.2% on year to Rs4,799 crore. The company's net finance cost fell to Rs652 crore from Rs749.3 crore a year back.
July 13, 2013 |
STAFFORD, UK: Alstom Grid, the transmission business arm of French engineering major Alstom , sees its India business playing a bigger role in global operations as it taps the manufacturing capacity and the country's manpower might to drive growth. Besides building its India-listed Alstom T&D India as a manufacturing hub for local and global operations, the company is also using its manpower for global operations with some Indian executives already being assigned key roles at the global level, Gregoire Poux-Guillaume, global president of Alstom Grid and executive vice-president of Alstom, told ET. "India continues to be our number one market.
March 12, 2013 |
HYDERABAD: IT firm Mahindra Satyam may increase its headcount in Australia to 5,000 in two years from the present 1,600, a senior official of the IT major said. According to Bobby Gupta , who took charge of Australia and New Zealand (ANZ) operations, the region which is currently contributing eight per cent of Mahindra Satyam's global revenues, is expected to grow up to 10 per cent after merger with Tech Mahindra . Mahindra Satyam recently appointed Bobby Gupta, who headed Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
October 8, 2012 |
NEW DELHI: Aricent Group today said it has appointed Frank Kern as its Chief Executive Officer with immediate effect. He will succeed current CEO Sudip Nandy , who will be transitioning to a new role as the Aricent Group's Chairman of India and will be based in Bangalore, India, Aricent said in a statement. "The Aricent Group has been a fantastic growth story, and we are grateful to Sudip for his leadership. We are equally thrilled that Frank Kern will be leading the Aricent Group in its next phase of development and growth," Jamie Greene , Member of KKR, and a member of the Aricent Group Board of Directors, said.
October 30, 2014 |
KOLKATA: Uninor, the Indian unit of Norwegian cellphone service provider Telenor, widened its operating loss in the third quarter of 2014 from a year earlier, as higher investments in network expansion ate into robust revenue growth , which made the company the fastest growing among all of the parent's global operations. Telenor said its Indian unit posted an operating loss of 195 million Norwegian krone (about Rs 180.5 crore) against NOK 143 million Rs 132.4 crore)
November 13, 2014 |
KOLKATA: Groupe SEB, Europe's leading small appliances maker, plans to invest Rs 100 crore in local manufacturing and roll out 100 products in the country by 2016 after having acquired complete ownership of Maharaja Whiteline, top officials said. Maharaja Whiteline, a Delhi-based small appliances maker founded in 1976, is being renamed Groupe SEB India. The brand will stay alive. "The Maharaja Whiteline brand will continue in India. All we need to do is remove the dust and revitalise the brand," said Sunil Wadhwa, CEO at Groupe SEB India.
March 16, 2010 |
NEW YORK: Beverages major Pepsico on Tuesday said Hugh Johnston will takeover as its chief financial officer by the end of this month. Currently serving as the executive vice-president of Pepsico's global operations, Johnston has been associated with the company for over 20 years. Johnston would be succeeding Richard Goodman as the CFO at the end of this month, Pepsico said in a statement. "Hugh is a highly capable executive with broad financial and operating experience and a deep understanding of our businesses," PepsiCo chairman and CEO Indra Nooyi said.
September 27, 2005 |
KOLKATA: Global Steel Holdings on Tuesday said it was consolidating its global operations and the process would be completed in the next 6-9 months. Speaking about the group's strategy, GSH chairman P K Mittal, also the chairman of Ispat Industries Ltd (IIL), said currently it was consolidating its global operations. "It will take six to nine months to complete the process of consolidation of our global activities. The whole purpose behind this is that the balance sheet of Global Steel Holdings should reflect all companies the group controls," Mittal said.


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After introducing dual-edged displays in its recent flagship devices, Samsung is now expected to showcase foldable smartphones by early 2016. According to a SamMobile report, that quotes a Chinese technology tipster (via Weibo), and its own internal sources, Samsung's foldable display project is titled "Project Valley" and is in the testing phase. The device is said to incorporate the more recent Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 SoC.
SamMobile hints at the existence of another foldable display Samsung device comprising of a Snapdragon 620 SoC under the hood. The smartphone will reportedly feature a MicroSD card slot (unlike Samsung's current dual-edged flagships), and a fixed battery, apart from 3GB RAM.
Other aspects such as the underlying technology beneath foldable displays, and the commercial launch/release date of such devices are yet to surface. There is no official word from Samsung, either.
Galaxy Note 5
Samsung recently released the much-expected Galaxy Note 5 as a sequel to its popular Galaxy Note 4 large-screen smartphone. Although it was initially rumoured that the device would not be available in Europe, recent reports indicated that the handset will come to select EU countries, but the launch timeline is unknown.
The Galaxy Note 5 will also be available in the US and Canada and a host of other countries. Click here to view the full list of these geographical regions.


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A recent survey from Appcelerator reads that 88 percent vendors claim of’ user experience’ being crucial measure for enterprise apps as it is for consumer apps. Also, a total of 46 percent of organizations are projecting to build business to enterprise applications while 52 percent propose to build two or more business to business applications. These numbers clearly show that enterprises are getting interestingly aligned to getting an app developed for them.
ITBusinessEdge’s Carl Weinschenk pointed that companies are still focusing on how to maximize value out of apps for enterprises as it is for consumer products, from implementing security to connecting to databases, possibilities are endless. He further stated that “The apps themselves also … present a categorization challenge: What truly comprises an enterprise app?”
What are developers’ interests?On focusing the weakness, the biggest challenge to overcome is to build apps which support multiple platforms as most of the enterprises use more than three operating systems
Coming to mobile operating systems, surveys state than 80% of developers are inclined towards building apps for iOS, 79 percent are persuade to develop Android apps for phones while 59 percent are interested in developing apps for Android tablets
How can companies support more development?Mobile app developers are anticipating quite a number of planned investments to come their way in order to support mobile application development for enterprise. Also, four in ten developers state that in addition to a devoted platform and a full-fledged enterprise store, businesses are citing their interests in development of mobile specific API’s for enterprise mobile application development
Currently the utmost investment priority is to obligate an increased number of testing tools. This is a necessity because additional, complex security and exponentially increasing functionalities are requirement of growing mobile platforms for ever expanding businesses. Tools like ‘static analysis software’ help developers in testing their codes and applications thus giving them an edge to complete their application with robust code and stable application. Hence, we can see that there is a scope of opportunity and hence a lot of tough competition in this dimension as a number companies are becoming mobile savvy for their business and customer.
Chelsea App Factory which largely focuses on needs of such enterprises who are in need of a secure, reliable, accurate and robust app for their B2B requirements. Testing tool gives accurate results by precisely analyzing developers code, it identifies potential security loop holes and reliability issues before the code is actually sent to production. As of today, over 1100 firms including automotive, medical, military, aerospace, gaming and consumer electronics rely on such applications for a vigorous and secure output of their code.


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You’ve seen the news coverage. Starting in August, the United States Postal Service will discontinue Saturday mail delivery. Forget the bills. Forget the junk mail. Who cares if you have to wait until Monday to get those items? In fact, studies have shown that seven out of 10 Americans are fine with eliminating Saturday mail delivery.
But, the burning question in central Indiana is, “When am I going to get my IBJ if mail isn’t delivered on Saturday?” Don’t worry. We have a plan. It’s been ready to go for months, in anticipation of this inevitable news.
Read on to learn about our plan, but first, a few facts about the U.S. Postal Service:
• First-class, single-piece annual volume has decreased 37 percent since 2007.
• The USPS lost $15.9 billion in fiscal year 2012.
• The post office is in default on a payment of $11.1 billion it owes the U.S. Treasury for retiree health benefits in fiscal year 2012.
• The USPS has exhausted its $15 billion borrowing limit.
• Cash available is low—and running out fast.
• Since 2006, the USPS has reduced its career work force by 193,000 positions—without layoffs.
• More than 200 mail-processing facilities have been consolidated.
The bottom line is that people don’t mail as much as they used to, and the volume continues to decline. How many bills do you mail? Now think about how many you pay online. How many letters have you written in the past year versus how many e-mails you’ve sent on a daily or hourly basis? People communicate differently today. That’s pretty obvious.
Desperate times call for desperate measures. The postal brain trust has been talking about eliminating Saturday delivery for years, and it looks like the fight to keep that from happening is about over. You’re likely to see some more wrangling in the near term, but this should be a done deal. The savings to be realized with five-day mail delivery is $2 billion per year. That still leaves a $14 billion annual deficit, but you have to look for savings everywhere when you’re talking about deficits this large.
In brief, here’s the new postal plan. Starting the week of Aug. 5, you’ll receive your mail Monday through Friday only. However, the post office will continue delivering packages, a growing part of its business, on Saturdays. Post offices will remain open on Saturdays, and mail will be delivered to P.O. boxes on Saturdays.
More postal-reform legislation is being sought by the USPS as it fights for increased flexibility to support a sustainable business model. I’m sure we’ll hear a lot more on this topic as the year progresses.
What about IBJ? What’s the plan to ensure you have your IBJ to read on Saturday? In short, we’re moving up our deadlines by one day and you’ll receive your IBJ in Friday’s mail. For decades, we’ve gone to press on Thursday afternoon. The paper is printed overnight and Friday morning, then sorted for mail delivery and distribution to newsstands and vending machines. All the mailed copies are delivered to the post office by Friday afternoon.
About 50 percent of our subscribers elect to have IBJ delivered to their home, and those folks (in central Indiana) receive their paper in Saturday’s mail. Most of the other half of our subscribers get their paper on Monday at the office.
Starting sometime in June or July, we’ll go to press on Wednesday afternoon, the paper will be printed overnight and on Thursday morning, and it will be delivered to the post office Thursday afternoon to arrive both at the office and at home in Friday’s mail.
If you’re a home subscriber who values your Saturday quality time with IBJ, you’ll already have your paper and you won’t have to wait for the Saturday mail. Saturday breakfast with your IBJ might become your new routine!
Of course, we’ll continue to break news daily on ibj.com, on your mobile devices and in your e-mail inbox. And we plan to launch an improved website in tandem with the change to Friday delivery. I’ll have more to say about our new Web and digital offerings in the months to come.
So don’t worry. You don’t need Saturday mail delivery to stay on top of IBJ’s exclusive in-depth business news. Thanks for continuing to read and support IBJ. We appreciate your business.•
Morris is publisher of IBJ. His column appears every other week. To comment on this column, send e-mail to email@example.com.


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U.S. Pork’s Advantages Highlighted at SIAL China
Highlighting the attributes of U.S. pork and bringing together exporters and buyers from China’s retail, foodservice and processing sectors, USMEF set up an impressive display at SIAL China, one of the world’s largest food shows. Funded by the Pork Checkoff, USMEF’s booth featured cutting demonstrations and samples of several U.S. pork cuts, as well as opportunities for exporters and buyers to have one-on-one discussions.
USMEF’s presence at SIAL China 2017 featured cuts of U.S. pork on display, along with pork cutting demonstrations and samples
Held in Shanghai, this year’s SIAL China attracted more than 80,000 food industry professionals and 3,200 exhibitors representing 70 countries.
“SIAL China sets the benchmark for food shows and provides a perfect setting for overseas companies stepping into Asia and China,” said Ming Liang, USMEF marketing director in China. “The show is where importers and exporters can gain valuable market insights, analyze trends and learn about innovations in the regional food industry.”
Business discussions between meat importers and exporters at the USMEF display at SIAL China
A number of U.S. red meat competitors also showcased products at SIAL China. Denmark, the Netherlands, Spain, Germany and Canada are among the countries vying for a share of this market, and all are aggressive, said Liang.
Buyers from several sectors of China’s food industry sampled U.S. pork dishes at SIAL China
“For this reason, it was important for us to meet with as many key buyers as possible and give them background material detailing the advantages of U.S. pork,” he explained. “It was also a great venue for cutting and cooking U.S. pork to give visitors a taste of the product.”
Among the items featured in the USMEF cutting demonstration were U.S. boneless pork butt, boneless loin, belly, tomahawk loin, French-cut loin, spare ribs, tenderloin and jowl meat.
For the tastings, USMEF chefs prepared a number of U.S. pork dishes, including fried pork chop, roasted pork butt, roasted ribs with sweet sauce and roasted bacon.
Although the Chinese market had not yet opened to U.S. beef, Liang said there were a number of inquiries about importing and distributing U.S. beef in China. USMEF shared with Chinese buyers the advantages of U.S. beef compared to competing products, along with the potential profitability of using underutilized U.S. beef cuts.
“We collected and categorized all the information received at SIAL so that it can be used to promote U.S. beef once it regained access to China,” said Liang.


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Chinese oil producing giants CNOOC
PetroChina's bottom line increased 17% over last year to $5.5 billion in net income (45.3 billion yuan), where CNOOC's increased 11% amid both price and production increases to $845 million (7 billion yuan). Both reports are for the first half of the year.
PetroChina, which makes about half of its money from actual oil production (the remainder coming from downstream activities), says that the high oil prices on the market make it economically feasible for it to increase its expenditures on exploration and production by 13%, having spent more than $6 billion. PetroChina's oil and gas output (measured by barrels and not by revenues) increased 2.7%, well below the 4.3% gains turned in by CNOOC. Similarly, CNOOC noted that it would continue to plow money into exploration.
As I've said many times in the past, investors must be very careful with Chinese companies. In April, I reported that CNOOC was placing "deposits" exceeding $800 million to a sister company for which investors in CEO have no stake. These are tantamount to high-risk interest-free loans of shareholder equity to a related company. Naughty, naughty.
Of note is that, unlike the U.S., the command economy in China means that the higher oil and gas prices at the wholesale level have not necessarily corresponded to higher retail prices. The state announced Tuesday that it would increase retail prices by 6% to respond to higher pricing -- refining margins in China have been deeply negative during the recent spike -- which is costly for the downstream companies such as Sinopec
China's industrial and consumer-driven boom is well documented, but as the government has been more concerned about inflation, it has not allowed retail prices to float. This means two things -- first, as we noted, downstream companies get crushed. But second, the producers such as CNOOC and PetroChina see higher demand levels than they might otherwise (assuming that there is some elasticity of demand at the retail level in China for gasoline and oil-based products). Higher demand equals higher prices, and one of the key factors that experts have blamed on higher petroleum prices worldwide is -- yep, you guessed it -- Chinese insatiability for oil, particularly because of the rise in automobile ownership. At present China imports more than 40% of all of its hydrocarbon needs, some from regional producers such as Petrokazakhstan
As CNOOC's Chairman Fu Chengyu noted, the company anticipates that oil prices will remain quite high, which makes aggressive exploration economically feasible. CNOOC, as a pure E&P company, has fared better in current environments than either of its larger rivals, Sinopec and PetroChina. If crude prices drop because of more dependable global supply from places such as Nigeria, Iraq, and Venezuela or slackening demand because of slowing growth in China, CNOOC and PetroChina might be sitting on enormous capital investments with little potential for return, similar to what dogged the Texas drillers for more than a decade. But planning for at least stable demand in China seems like a pretty good bet, and its potential for continued explosive growth and dependence upon imports means that domestic exploration seems like a pretty sound use of funds.
Bill Mann owns shares in Petrokazakhstan.


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Lights, Camera, Action! Artaaj launched Nautica clothing amidst a cool blue ambience at Hiltonia Gardens in Abu Dhabi. Brought to the UAE by LIWA Trading, the event included a press conference and fashion show.
A custom designed catwalk in the shape of a ship bow with blue ambient lighting from underneath was the platform for 12 male and 6 female models. Along a beautiful lakeside, DJ Hassan hit the tunes as the models presented the latest Nautica collection from America. This was done after the traditional cake cutting ceremony by Mr. Abdulla Nasser and Ms. Patricia Canavan, Vice President of the International Licensing Division.
An amazing performance by the DJ together with Saxplayer Oleg and a percussionist made the evening complete.


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In recent past, Google had been boasting about Android 2.2 Froyo that it features the world’s fastest mobile browser. So, it is time to put its speed to test against reigning champion iOS 4 along with the latest sensation MeeGo.
Test was conducted on leaked Nokia Aava, Nexus One, and iPhone 4. All these phones ran the latest version of Firefox, Chrome, and Safari, respectively. SunSpider was used as the benchmark, because of its good balance between hardware and software.
Here are the results, MeeGo, which is currently in pre-alpha phase, took 4.215 seconds to open the same page which Froyo took 5.765 seconds, while iOS 4 took 10.902 seconds.
Clearly MeeGo takes the crown here, with Froyo taking the second spot, and iOS 4 going for far third. So, this test does nothing but adds on to the confusion – which mobile OS should we opt for, well established iOS 4, fast growing Android, or the latest MeeGo and then there is this upcoming Windows Phone 7 from Microsoft.
Check Out Related Posts:


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Technical improvements to the Movano-e’s electric architecture have also improved charging time, reducing a 0-80% charge from a 22-kW AC charger from eight hours to four. The Movano-e also comes as standard with 50-kW DC (CCS) rapid charging capability, enabling an 80% charge in just one hour.
Pricing for the eMovano remains unchanged. The van is available in two lengths: 19.7 feet (5998 mm) and 20.9 feet (6363 mm).
Vauxhall offers fleet and business customers an electric van across its light commercial vehicle (LCV) lineup. Additionally, by 2024, every Vauxhall on sale will be available with an electrified version. By 2028, Vauxhall plans to sell only fully electric cars and vans – seven years ahead of the UK government deadline.
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It comes as no surprise to us that the new MacBook Pro with OLED Touch Bar has its haters, and it does not take much before they start going for the juggler when an issue arrises. The thing is, most laptops have their issues, but when you have to pay such a high premium the microscope is always going to be looking with more detailed scrutiny.
The latest news suggests that there is a serious shortcoming in the new MacBook Pro battery life, and as such has been causing a bit of an issue for owners. It would seem some users are experiencing shorter battery life than they were led to believe, with reports of around 30 to 60 per cent less than Apple stated.
Now, this is where things gets interesting because Macrumors readers seem divided about this, with some suggesting that it might just take the release of macOS Sierra 10.12.2, which is still in beta to fix the battery issues.
However, there are others that believe there is no such issue and that the up to 10 hours of battery life was just a guide. So what do they believe is the case? Well, they assume that people are just consuming the power wrong. This is because they could be using power hungry apps.
The thing is, we can see both of these being correct, but surely these owners would have tried out their new MacBook Pro laptops battery life while also using standard software, and not just those that are battery intensive?
*Identifying Monetised Links - outgoing links that we monetise are marked with an '*' symbol.


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Amazon To Reportedly Ban Sales Of Apple TV And Google Chromecast Starting October 29th
The gloves are about to come off in the streaming devices market, and it looks as though Amazon is bringing out its “Fire” branding by taking a blowtorch to Apple and Google. The online retail giant markets streaming devices like the Fire TV and the Fire TV stick, both of which serve as vehicles for its Prime Video streaming platform.
The Apple TV and Google Chromecast don’t play nicely with Amazon Prime Video. While a somewhat neutered Prime Video app is available for iOS devices (Amazon doesn’t want to give Apple a cut of purchases, so only content that you have already purchased or content freely available to Prime subscribers is available via the app), there isn’t a Prime Video app available for the Apple TV platform. Likewise, the app also is not available for the Chromecast.
First generation Google Chromecast
Since it can’t get its Prime Video app on competing platforms from Apple and Google, Amazon decided to simply cut them out completely. Starting October 29th, Amazon will no longer sell either the Google Chromecast or Apple TV via its website. This edict also extends to third-party sellers via the Amazon Marketplace.
"Over the last three years, Prime Video has become an important part of Prime," read an email from Amazon to its Marketplace sellers that was obtained by Bloomberg Business. "It’s important that the streaming media players we sell interact well with Prime Video in order to avoid customer confusion."
It should be noted that Microsoft’s Xbox One and Sony’s PlayStation 4, along with Roku’s family of streaming devices are all safe from the ban — all of these devices welcome the Prime Video app with open arms.
The current generation Apple TV (not the newly announced and not yet launched fourth generation model) is currently the 14th best selling device in the entire electronics section of Amazon, and ranks in 4th place in the Streaming Media Player. The Google Chromecast is ranked #6 in electronics and #2 in Streaming Media players behind the Amazon Fire Stick.


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Fresh Express salad has been linked to a Listeria outbreak that has sickened at least 10 people since 2016, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). One person has died. The onset of of the most recent illness was October 19, 2021. The illnesses have been reported from eight states, IL, MA, MI, NJ, NY, OH, PA, VA.
Contact the Pritzker Hageman Listeria Lawyers Today
Phone: 888-377-8900 | Text: 612-261-0856
Fresh Express Salad Recall
Fresh Express issued a recall for salads produced at its facility in Streamwood, IL on December 20, 2021. The company has temporarily ceased production at the plant.
The recalled salads have product codes Z324 through Z350. They were sold under the Fresh Express brand name and store brand names at BJ’s, Weis Markets, ALDI, Albertsons, Walmart, GiantEagle, ShopRite. The store brands include Wellsley Farms, Weis, Simply Nature, Signature Farms, O Organics, Marketside, Market District, Giant Eagle, and Bowl & Basket.
Previous Outbreaks Linked to Fresh Express Salads
2020 Fresh Express Salad Cyclospora Outbreak
Fresh Express salads have been linked to previous outbreaks. Last year, 701 people were sickened with parasitic infections after eating Fresh Express salads contaminated with Cyclospora. The bagged salad containing iceberg lettuce, red cabbage, and carrots produced by Fresh Express were sold under that brand name and store brands including ALDI Little Salad Bar, Giant Eagle, Hy-Vee, Jewel-Osco Signature Farms, ShopRite Wholesome Pantry, and Walmart Marketside. All of the salads were produced at the Fresh Express facility in Streamwood, IL. Multiple recalls were issued
2019 Fresh Express Salad E. coli Outbreak
In 2019, an E. coli outbreak linked to Fresh Express Sunflower Crisp Salad sickened 10 people in 5 states. Four people were hospitalized one of whom developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) a form of kidney failure associated with E. coli infections. The number of illnesses reported from each state was: Georgia (1), Illinois (1), Minnesota (4), North Dakota (1), and Wisconsin (3).
2018 Fresh Express Salad Cyclospora Outbreak
A 2018 Cyclospora outbreak linked to Fresh Express salad sold at McDonald’s sickened 511 people in 16 states, hospitalizing 24 of them. During an investigation of the outbreak, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) tested an unused package of romaine lettuce and carrot mix distributed to McDonald’s by the Fresh Express processor in Streamwood, IL. Results were positive for Cyclospora.
Experienced Listeria Lawyers
If you developed a Listeria infection after eating Fresh Express salad and would like to discuss your legal options, please contact our Listeria lawyers. Our Food Safety Team has more experience handling Listeria lawsuits than any other law firm in the country securing some of the largest Listeria settlements in U.S. history including a recent award of $6.4 million.


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The United States called the complaint, which includes cases that involve a variety of exports as well as other nations such as China and Brazil, an attack on how the nation goes about using its trade enforcement system.
The 32-page complaint homed in on technical details of the U.S. trade rulebook, ranging from the U.S. treatment of export controls to the use of retroactive duties and split decisions by the six-member U.S. International Trade Commission. The complaint was filed last month but released yesterday.
It says the US levies penalties beyond what's allowed by the WTO, improperly calculates rates, and unfairly declares penalties retroactive, while also limiting evidence from outside parties.
Thirty-two-page complaint by Canada cites USA investigations of products from countries around the world, with decisions that date back to 1996.
Trade relations between the countries have experienced some stumbling points as the sides are deadlocked in unsuccessful negotiations over NAFTA, the trade pact signed by the US, Canada, and Mexico in 1994 and based on the fundamental principle of tariff-elimination across North America.
In other words, Canada is trying to show that the United States cannot have it both ways; they can't eliminate chapter 19 and disregard the WTO's authority to judge the USA trade remedy system and its decisions. The negotiations certainly aren't unfamiliar with shows of muscle or grandstanding; think of the Trump administration's outrageous NAFTA demands, the threat to leave NAFTA, the softwood lumber dispute, the Boeing-Bombardier dispute and most recently, the newspaper dispute.
"This isn't going to calm passions in Montreal", Warner told The Canadian Press. "It's nearly like Canada is fighting this on behalf of the worldwide community ..."
Even so, any complaint before the WTO will take years, and the effort is further complicated by the fact that the Trump administration is blocking new appointments to the WTO's appellate body. It's practically goading the Trump administration to blow up the organization, Warner added.
Kevin Dietsch/SIPA/NewscomAmerica's trading relationship with its northern neighbor continues to deteriorate as the USA and Canada butt heads over the Trump administration's protectionism.
US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer commented on the move, saying that Canada's protest against recent US trade actions in a complaint to the WTO is "a broad and ill-advised attack on the US trade remedies system".
Canada claims the U.S.is guilty of breaking three basic WTO rules: the anti-dumping agreement, another on subsidies and a third on understanding the settlement of disputes mechanism.
He further called Canada's accusations "unfounded" and said that they "could only lower U.S. confidence" that its neighbor is committed to mutually beneficial trade.


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Top UK Challenger Banks | 2022
6 July 2022
The UK is home to a powerful triumvirate of challenger banks, made up of Monzo, Revolut, and Starling Bank. Competition has always been fierce between these companies, with lofty investments being secured, international expansions, ever-increasing customer counts, and even personal feuds hitting headlines (more on that later). But whilst the big dogs fight it out, new entrants have been making their way onto the digital banking scene, offering targeted services to increasingly niche markets.
Read on for a rundown of the UK’s high-growth digital banking sector or download our list of the UK’s top challenger banks below.
Download the full list of top UK challenger banks for 2022.
What is a challenger bank?
Born out of an attempt to change UK banking in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, challenger banks, or neobanks, exist to disrupt incumbent firms—high street banks such as HSBC, NatWest, Lloyds and Barclays—and provide more personal and efficient banking experiences through their competitive pricing, mobile apps and real-time payment notifications.
Our definition of a challenger bank excludes companies offering limited bank-like services, such as P2P loans, currency exchange or pre-paid cards. When we talk about challenger banks, we mean deposit-accepting institutions that have (or are intending to apply for) a banking licence. We also don’t consider subsidiaries of established parent banks as challengers.
How do challenger banks differ from traditional banks?
The early wave of UK challenger banks included Metro Bank, the first high street bank to launch in the UK for 150 years, alongside TSB and Virgin Money. More recently, however, we’ve seen the rise of digital-first banks like Monzo, Revolut and Starling Bank.
While challenger banks provide similar services to traditional retail banks, including current accounts, savings accounts, credit and debit cards, mortgages or loans, they typically don’t have physical branches, instead offering online banking services via mobile apps. The majority of challenger banks in the UK are smaller digital banks like these, and were founded within the last 10 years.
Are challenger banks safe?
Whilst there’s mounting interest in neobanks, it seems they may not have gained people’s trust just yet. In fact, a recent YouGov study found that only 17% of people in the UK trust challenger banks as much as their traditional counterparts. But how safe are challenger banks really?
There are many companies in the UK that market themselves as challenger banks, but are in fact e-money or payment institutions, like Monese and Pockit. For companies with an e-money licence, customers’ money is held by a partner bank and cannot be invested or loaned, and is thus not subject to Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) protection—although the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) does still regulate these firms.
Whereas, for challengers with banking licences, deposits are held by the bank themselves and protected by the FSCS (up to £85k). In the UK, banking licences are authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA), with consent from the FCA, and certify that a bank has met strict legal criteria required to ensure their customers’ funds and data are kept secure.
What does the UK’s challenger bank sector look like in 2022?
It’s safe to say that fintech innovation has succeeded in disrupting the financial services space. Since our records began, back in 2011, the UK’s fintech sector has seen meteoric growth. Fintech was the UK’s top-performing sector last year and is showing no signs of stopping, with 26p in every £1 of equity investment secured in Q1 2022 going to fintech companies.
Of the UK’s current unicorn companies, 1 in 2 are fintechs, including four of the biggest challenger banks: Revolut, Monzo, Starling Bank, and OakNorth (all based in London, the fintech capital of Europe). And according to Plaid, last year, fintech adoption among digitally active consumers reached 86% in the UK—a six-fold increase from 2015. At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, however, use of challenger banks fell by around 90%, compared to just 60% for traditional ones. Despite these concerns, overall, COVID seems to have accelerated the shift towards digital services for many customers.
Challenger banks are generally seen as a more convenient method of banking, typically providing improved customer support, without the need for face-to-face interactions. This has prompted a mass migration towards challengers in recent years, that’s put pressure on traditional banks to improve their mobile banking services and digital offering. RBS’s (short-lived) attempt at creating its own app-only bank Bó is a prime example of this. Last year, JPMorgan launched its own digital bank Chase, in an attempt to stay competitive and respond to shifting customer demands. Chase offers challenger bank-style perks, like 1% cashback on all spending, but the company recently announced they expect it to lose more than $1b over the next few years.
Investors are putting significant amounts of money behind challenger banks, seeing long-term potential in the sector. Since 2011, high-growth UK challenger banks have secured 149 equity deals, amounting to £6.55b in total investment—a rather impressive feat given how nascent an industry it is. Funding figures have doubled from just seven announced deals in 2014 (worth £428m) to 14 deals in 2021 (worth an impressive £1.83b). Indeed, 2021 was a record year for pounds invested into challenger banks in the UK, up 134% from 2020 (£781m). Top investors in the sector last year included Schroders, Softbank Vision Fund, and Tiger Global, thanks to their £578m round with Revolut.
Who are the main challenger banks in the UK?
Of the equity investment secured by UK challenger banks in 2021, 64% went to the UK’s three main challenger banks, across just six funding rounds. Monzo, Starling Bank and Revolut are among the UK’s top five fintech companies, but how did these industry leaders first come to be?
Revolut was first on the scene of the early challenger banks, launching in the UK in 2015. Founded by Nikolay Storonksy (CEO) and Vlad Yatsenko (CTO), Revolut sought to transform the way people spend and transfer money abroad with its ability to top up and hold several currencies combined with the free currency exchange and ATM withdrawals. Prior to working on Revolut, Storonksy—the UK’s first fintech billionaire—had a background as a trader at Credit Suisse and Lehman Brothers, whilst Yatsenko built financial software systems for major investment banks like Deutsche Bank.
Since launching, Revolut has expanded globally, and now offers several additional features, such as insurance, trading (including cryptocurrency), budgeting tools and bill splitting, plus junior accounts designed for children. It has also begun offering personal loans and credit cards. In 2017, the company also launched Revolut Business, with added features such as company cards, expenses, and custom software integrations.
Revolut has secured £1.27b in equity fundraisings so far, across nine rounds. And according to its website, it now has more than 18m personal users and 500k business customers around the world, with over 30 in-app currencies. Its latest round of investment, in July 2021, will be used to fund further product development and expand its marketing efforts, particularly in the US, India and Latin America. In late 2021, it also acquired talent sourcing marketplace Wanted and point-of-sale provider Nobly.
Quickly following was Monzo, first launched in early 2016 as ‘Mondo’. Monzo’s founding team met whilst working at rival venture Starling Bank, ultimately leaving the company in 2015 to start their own company, under Starling’s then-CTO Tom Blomfield. In May 2020, Blomfield stepped down as Monzo’s UK CEO, being replaced by its existing US chief executive TS Anil. Despite initially remaining at Monzo as President, he has since left the business.
Initially operating through a prepaid Mastercard debit card and mobile banking app, Monzo didn’t receive its banking licence from regulators until 2017. These days, the Monzo app now offers personal current accounts and joint accounts, with a strong focus on savings and borrowing (through both overdrafts and loans) for consumers. It also offers business accounts, with integrated accounting and tax pots, plus multi-user access for small companies. In 2020, the company announced a new premium service, Monzo Plus, for a small monthly fee.
Since its formation, Monzo has secured £927m worth of equity deals, across 17 funding rounds. Most recently, in January 2022, it received £73.0m from Chinese tech company Tencent. The company currently boasts more than 5.6m customers with a Monzo bank account, and was named the Best British Bank of 2022.
Whilst Starling Bank is the most recent of the three big challenger banks, having launched in the UK in mid-2017, founder and CEO Anne Boden first had the idea for it back in 2014. But due to disagreements with her founding team (Blomfield in particular), Starling was late out of the gate. Adding to this delay was that, unlike rival Monzo, Starling waited to receive its banking licence from regulators before launching.
Following a 30-year career in the banking sector, Boden sought to revolutionise the space, building an app to help customers manage their finances in real-time. She was awarded an MBE for her services to financial technology in 2018. Boden’s book, Banking on It, details the company’s founding, including her fallout with Blomfield and their conflicting visions for the company.
Alongside business banking, Starling currently offers four current account options—personal, joint, euro, and teen—plus a debit card for kids, ‘Starling Kite’. The bank also introduced a number of new features during COVID-19, specifically built to support customers during the pandemic. These included government-backed lending for small businesses, mobile cheque deposits, and its new Connected cards for people relying on friends and family to shop on their behalf.
To date, Starling Bank has raised nine equity funding rounds, amounting to £715m in investment, and opened more than 2m customer accounts. Thanks to strong customer reviews, it ranks first on the Which? customer satisfaction table (just ahead of Monzo and Triodos Bank). In July 2021, the bank completed its acquisition of buy-to-let specialist lender Fleet Mortgages. Starling secured its most recent fundraising in April 2022, totalling £131m, with existing backers Goldman Sachs, Fidelity, Qatar Investment Authority, RPMI Railpen, and angel investors.
New digital banks in the UK
Of course, there were other challenger bank startups surfacing around the same time as these three, albeit operating on a smaller scale. Some challengers have tried to set themselves apart through their focus on ‘green finance’, for instance, such as Tandem (first founded in 2013) which now offers eco-friendly lending initiatives, alongside its instant bank transfers. Meanwhile, others have taken the B2B route and hence a lower profile, despite being some of the top challenger banks for businesses—OakNorth and Atom Bank are among the most notable (both also founded in 2013).
Despite massive amounts of investment in recent years, and rising user numbers, many of the early challenger banks have come under scrutiny for failing to turn a profit. Commentators often argue that these major fintechs aren’t worth their sky-rocketing valuations. Monzo had a particularly hard time of it during the pandemic, with annual post-tax losses growing to £113.8m in 2020 (up from £47.2m the year prior) which it put down to the impact of COVID-19. The bank also saw a 40% drop in its valuation.
Not everyone has suffered, however. Starling announced in April that it had not only survived the pandemic, but had been in profit for the past 18 months. And when comparing the three big players, Revolut earns the most revenue per customer, whilst Starling has the most diversified revenue stream and holds the most deposits per user.
In the midst of criticisms and escalating tensions within the sector, a new wave of challenger banks has arrived. Unlike their predecessors, these digital banks are taking a more focused approach, targeting smaller subsets of customers or offering more streamlined financial products, cross-selling features from the very start to maximise profits. One example is Allica Bank which focuses primarily on business banking for established SMEs. Launched in 2019, it operates through an online banking platform and a network of local bankers, offering savings accounts, commercial mortgages, and asset finance. Allica Bank has so far raised £250m in equity investment, across 10 rounds, between July 2014 and June 2022.
Another recent arrival is ClearBank, the UK’s first purpose-built clearing bank in more than 250 years, which launched in early 2017. Clearing banks are authorised to move money between organisations and individuals, and before now, this market had been dominated by just a handful of firms. Focused on automating and speeding up payment processing for businesses, ClearBank offers API integrations and real-time access to payment schemes like Bacs. To date, the company has secured £351m in equity fundraisings.
Then there’s Bank North, a Manchester-based fintech aiming to disrupt the UK’s SME lending industry. Previously operating under the name B-North, the bank rebranded earlier this year, after receiving its full banking licence. Whilst founded in 2017, Bank North isn’t due to launch until later this year—fintech companies often take longer than most to build a market-ready product, especially in the case of banks due to the additional time taken to secure regulatory approval.
Also in the works is Fiinu (currently in the pre-application phase of obtaining its licence), which is aiming to transform the UK’s short-term borrowing landscape and help customers improve their credit scores. Meanwhile, having received its restricted banking licence in August 2021, new kid on the block Kroo plans to launch its current account offering this year. The ‘social bank’ currently operates as an e-money institution, with a debit Mastercard and mobile app that enables customers to manage their shared spending more efficiently.
So challenger banks are making waves, big players and new entrants alike… From greater transparency and ease of use, to handy budgeting tools and ‘polymorphic’ debit cards, these innovative fintech startups are transforming modern-day banking. But should traditional banks be worried? Will the most recent wave of digital challengers surpass the likes of Revolut? However this turns out, challenger banks are sure to have a lasting impact on our relationship with money.
23 of the UK’s top challenger banks
There are currently 23 challenger banks in the UK that have met one or more of our high-growth triggers. As Beauhurst only tracks private businesses, this does not include challengers that have exited, such as Metro Bank. For a full breakdown, including where UK challenger banks are based, how much funding they’ve raised, and their target markets, download our complete list of challenger banks below.
Download the full list of top challenger banks in the UK.


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Getting Mercedes engineers to help may seem natural for anyone who wants to build a luxury car. So that is exactly what Carlos Ghosn has done – even though he is in charge of two rival carmakers, the alliance partners Renault and Nissan. Mr Ghosn is also the ultimate head of Nissan’s luxury car subsidiary Infiniti. And he has now revealed that a new, compact Infiniti will be built using Mercedes architecture.
The Infiniti-Mercedes platform sharing deal is the latest project in an 18-month-old strategic partnership between Daimler and the Renault-Nissan alliance.
The partnership also includes an agreement to supply Infiniti with Mercedes engines. In return, Mercedes will get to use Renault engines in its small A-Class model.
The carmakers are also producing a small delivery van that will be sold under the Renault and Mercedes badges, and they are working together on battery technology for electric cars.
And this is just the beginning, according to Mr Ghosn, as the partnership is set to deepen considerably, delivering savings of some 4bn euros ($5.5bn; Ј3.5bn) in the process.
Mercedes hopes the partnership will help it supply more small cars in the future, as it tries to regain the position as the world’s best-selling luxury car company, a position lost to BMW a few years ago.
Infiniti is also gunning for dramatic growth on the back of a string of new model launches, with its global sales set to more than treble over the next six years to some 500,000 cars per year.


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AT&T and the City of Amarillo Celebrate Groundbreaking for $24M Fiber Network
AT&T will offer ultra-fast internet speeds to more than 22,000 customer locations in Amarillo.
The tip of the shovel went down. The dirt came up. And the future for reliable, high-speed internet in Amarillo got a whole lot


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The Indian Government on grounds of National Security has barred Hong-Kong based Hutchison Port Holdings, the largest independent port operator in the world from bidding for Indian ports.
MUMBAI: After close to a year of intense debate, the Indian government has decided it does not want the Chinese investing in, or managing any Indian port.The first company to bear the brunt of this decision will be Hong Kong-based Hutchison Port Holdings (HPH), the largest independent port operator in the world. The company has been waiting for security clearances before it could go ahead with its bids to build container terminals for Mumbai and Chennai at Rs 1,200 crore and Rs 494 crore respectively. The decision also eliminates future Chinese participation in 13 ports planned across the country at a cost of Rs 61,000 crore.
Hutchison Port Holdings for its own part has denied that it has been banned by India.
A spokesman for Hutchison Port Holdings, Anthony Tam, denied that his company had been barred.”In regards to India, HPH has not been rejected from participating in any port projects in India and we have in fact taken part in previous bids,” Tam said.”HPH is interested in investing in the country. However, we have yet to identify a suitable investment that would meet our investment criteria.”
The Chinese seem to be taking this blow on their chin quite stoically. The People’s daily has been quite restrained in its reporting of the said incident.
This is not the First time that HPH, a part of Hutchison Whampoa owned by Hong Kong tycoon Li Ka-shing, 78 has ran into rough seas. Investments by Mr. Li, the world’s 10th richest man with a fortune of $18.8-billion (U.S.) according to Forbes magazine, have also generated national security concerns in the United States, in part because of Mr. Li’s ties to China. The rejection by India comes three years after Hutchison was forced to scrap plans to buy Global Crossing Ltd. because of a U.S. national security review according to Bloomberg .
Hutchison Whampoa, the parent company of HPH has already invested heavily in the Indian Mobile network business.Its’ Hutch brand operates mobile phone services in many telecom circles across India.


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Mast-Jagermeister’s Jagermeister sold 6.9 million nine-litre cases, which was an increase of 1.4%, doing particularly well in Spain where the brand exceeded three million bottles for the first time. The company told Drinks International that it also saw increases in sales in Czech Republic, France and Hungary.
Not far behind, is Fratelli Branca Distillerie’s Fernet Branca, which sold 5.27 million cases last year, a 2.3% increase from the previous year. Sales remain strong in Latin America and are growing in the US, Europe and Australia.
Tina Ingwersen-Matthiesen, a board member of Borco, which represents Fernet Branca in Germany, one of the brand’s top markets, said: “Traditional and authentic brands such as Fernet-Branca are increasingly perceived as an attractive alternative to the general increase in sugar content in consumer products.”
Campari, owned by Gruppo Campari, has also seen a steady growth in sales, with an increase of 1.6% with 3.2 million cases. It has seen a decline in Brazil but is gaining popularity in Argentina.
The final bitter to see an increase in sales is Aperol, also owned by Gruppo Campari, at 9.2% with 2.95 million cases sold. Both brands grew in popularity in Italy, their home country, as Campari rose 2.9% and Aperol 4.8%.
The Millionaires’ Club 2016 report will be published in June as a supplement to Drinks International magazine.


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B.A.B.A - Boere & Afrikaner Bevolking Aanwas Program
Ons het ons eie BABA BOOM nodig soos Amerika gehad het. Kontak ons vir meer besonderhede oor die BABA-program.
[This makes me chuckle. As long as Bud Lite is in pain… and there are new pains … it's excellent! Jan]
Bud Light Is Shown How It’s Done as Patriotic Beer Company Brings Back Iconic Can
By Warner Todd Huston
May 8, 2023 at 1:29pm
In stark contrast to Bud Light and its fealty to the woke agenda, America’s oldest brewery is once again showing Anheuser-Busch InBev how it’s done.
Pottsville, Pennsylvania-based Yuengling announced Monday it was bringing back a Lager can design that celebrates the Stars and Stripes and U.S. veterans.
Unlike the Belgian conglomerate’s decision to embrace left-wing politics by putting transgender activist Dylan Mulvaney on a can of Bud Light, Yuengling is asking customers to “Rock the Stars & Stripes with us and [Team Red, White & Blue] all summer.”
Yuengling said it was donating $55,000 to the organization.
The Team RWB camo cans, which first appeared in 2022, are part of the company’s year-round “Stars & Stripes” program to honor and uplift U.S. servicemen and women and veterans.
Yuengling, which clashed with Bud Light two years ago when it accused the brand of stealing one of its ad slogans, seems to be working hard to benefit from the Bud Light transgender debacle.
Early in April, the company posted images to social media featuring the U.S. flag.
Bud Light, on the other hand, is still suffering the effects of a massive boycott that reportedly has led to a “staggering” decline in sales after it partnered with Mulvaney for a March Madness campaign.
The collaboration also resulted in no less than two Bud Light executives being put on leave.
The company couldn’t even win back its customers with a desperate video ad selling the idea that Anheuser-Busch is all about patriotism and American traditions despite having just cozied up to the radical LGBT lobby.
The attempt to invoke patriotism was a crashing disaster for the foreign-owned brand.
In a more recent attempt to spin its way out of the spiraling mess Bud Light has made for itself, Anheuser-Busch’s CEO denied there had been any ad campaign with transgender activists.
Last week, CEO Michel Doukeris appeared before investors and said reports to the contrary were “misinformation.”
“We need to clarify the facts that this was one can, one influencer, one post and not a campaign,” Doukeris said.
Regardless, these missteps by Bud Light and Anheuser-Busch will keep giving brands like Yuengling, Coors and the new Ultra Right Beer an open door to gain new customers by focusing on our veterans, our flag and our traditions — things that appeal to most American beer drinkers — instead of pandering to the radical LGBT agenda.
Video & Audio: How to think like a Genius Napoleons advice
Many Whites seem to be confused regarding skill and excellence. I look at some discussions Napoleon had in his final days regarding what exactly constitutes genius. We also look at a NAZI SS genius scientist, Werner Von Braun as proof of a man who achieved the impossible.


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Thanks again to our friend and follower Jimbo, today we can share with you the first official pictures of the interior of the 2016 Kia Sportage who was leaked in a South Korean Magazine.
Today we want to share with you a new information about the next-generation 2016 Kia Sportage (codenamed as QL). According to South Korean sources, the 2016 Kia Sportage will debut in September, a few months after due to the launch of the new Tucson.
When Kia launched the Soul at the 2008 Paris Motor Show, nobody expected that level of success. In its first complete year in the US-market (2010), the first generation Soul sold 67,000 units, followed by 102,000 in 2011 and 116,000 in 2012. With the launch of the second generation, the improved Soul reached 145,000 units in 2014. (more…)


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In a blog post published in October last year, Truecaller revealed that it was scouting for an ideal location to set up shop and launch a developer’s program in Africa.
Half of that plan was realised a month after when it launched the Truecaller’s Software Development Kit (SDK) programme in Nigeria. And now, the other half, with the launch of its Nairobi regional office.
According to Zakaria Abdulkadir Hersi — former MD of Efritin and now, Truecaller’s Director of Business Development and Partnerships, Africa — Kenya is an ideal choice because it is Truecaller’s largest market in Africa and one of the top five globally. The Truecaller app has 6 million active users in Kenya, and blocks 4.4 million calls per month.
In a report, the Swedish Caller ID company revealed that Kenya was one of the top 20 countries affected by spam calls in 2017 with scam calls making up 91% of the reported spam calls.
Truecaller will use the headquarters in Nairobi to run operations in Nigeria, South Africa, other key markets in the African region.
Jan. 18: Bonus Built in Africa episode: Town Hall meeting with Peter Salovey, President of Yale University
On March 25, 2021, Techpoint Africa will be hosting the brightest minds in decentralised finance/crypto at the Digital Currency Summit tagged “Building the money of the future” Click here for more details, registration and sponsorship. Location: Fourpoint by Sheraton, V.I. Lagos.


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SARASOTA, Fla. -- We know the Suncoast is home to some great restaurants, and now a national survey confirms it.
In an age when critiques are valuable and necessary, the success or failure of a restaurant could rest on something as simple as an industry rating. Enter the Zagat rating; a company owned by Google compiling information on restaurants in more than 70 cities around the country.
One of those cities is Sarasota, and the top five restaurants according to Zagat are: Mozaic Restaurant, Selva Grill, Michael's on East, Bijou Café, and Roy's Hawaiian Fusion in Sarasota.
JP Knaggs, owner of Bijou Café, has been part of Zagat surveys since it began in 1979. He says there is a reason he thinks his restaurant is top five. "We make people feel very much at home, and we give that personal touch."
Steven Warren, managing partner at Roy's Hawaiian Fusion in Sarasota also made the list and is familiar with the criteria based on opinions by everyday patrons. "Service, price level, food standards, and it's a voting system where people in the Zagat group will come in and review the restaurant. And then based on an average that they have."
And that average ranges from zero to 30. Scores from 26 to 30 equals an ‘extraordinary’ to ‘perfection’, down to zero through 10, which is a ‘poor’ to ‘fair’.
One common theme with most of the top restaurants we spoke to was the collaboration between management and staff.
"We feel that it is a team effort, and we are proud to be part of the team that wins the gold, so to speak." Michael Klauber, co-proprietor of Micheal's on East, is not only proud of his restaurant for making the top five, but the quality of restaurants as a whole in this county. "There are more highly rated Zagat restaurants in a 20-mile radius of Sarasota than anywhere else in the state."


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Players arrived in Lake Placid this evening for the Northstar Invitational. The first step before play begins tomorrow: checking in, getting settled in their rooms and the best part — snagging all the gear for the tournament.
The 2012 Northstar Invitational will bring 150 of the nation's top players to Lake Placid to compete in the premier, invite-only recruiting event. The tournament, which runs July 23-26 includes instruction as well as a competitive showcase oppor
Amanda Albright      1st May 2012
The Maryland Terrapins — who are head-to-toe in Under Armour — make their way into the ILWomen Gear Zone with their Maryland Pride game day gear.
In addition to the uniforms with tortise shell-patterned numbers and Maryl
Coming off a huge win over ALC rival Northwestern, the Florida Gators make their way into the ILWomen Gear Zone, the first team of many whose gear and apparel will be featured on the site.
The Gators sent us photos of everything from tshi
Danielle Bernstein      18th Nov 2011
Thursday at the IWLCA Annual Coaches Meetings consisted mostly of just that, meetings — but with a vendor area outside the main meeting area, there was plenty to look at outside of powerpoint slides and DVD video.
Brine was the only


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Salesforce.com plans to launch two new services to help companies manage content such as audio files and e-mail, the San Francisco software services company said Tuesday.
The offerings will be based on technology from Koral, a San Mateo start-up that Salesforce said it acquired in March for an undisclosed amount.
Salesforce Content, a Web-based content-management system, will allow businesses to control unstructured data – the kind of information that isn’t in neat rows and columns inside a spreadsheet or database system. This data might lie inside Microsoft Office documents, HTML files, videos or e-mail.
“Salesforce Content represents a decisive step toward our vision of managing all information on demand,” Marc Benioff, chairman and chief executive of Salesforce, said in a statement. “With Salesforce Content, we not only manage a company’s traditional structured information, but their unstructured information as well.”
Microsoft, Oracle and EMC are just a few of the major technology companies that sell content-management products to help businesses share, store and search through files. Several well-funded private companies offer open-source content-management software, including Alfresco, which is based in London but has U.S. headquarters in San Francisco.
Salesforce said its services will be more like consumer social Web sites. Like the photo-sharing site Flickr, users can easily “tag” documents with information. The system also will recommend files based on keywords, tags and ratings from other users, like Los Gatos online movie-rental site Netflix.
Salesforce was founded to sell a Web-based version of the customer-relationship-management software that businesses use to keep track of customers and sales, but it has been expanding into other areas of business software, always delivered as an online service.


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The ASEAN Commercial Vehicles market is expected to register a CAGR of 4%, during the forecast period, (2020 - 2025).
- The ASEAN countries witnessed a strong demand for heavy trucks and machinery, with the largest construction project pipeline, globally, with approximately USD 4.9 trillion worth of projects. Exports of heavy machinery, including trucks, from Singapore to the rest of the ASEAN region have grown steadily over the years. These exports are supported by investments in construction projects in the ASEAN region.
- Key developments in the market studied include product launches from significant manufacturers. In 2018, Mercedes-Benz launched AXOR 2528 R, IVECO launched the series 682 variant 4x2, Isuzu Astra Motor launched the new Isuzu GIGA truck, and Suzuki Indomobil Motor launched the facelift version of Mega Carry.
- Some of the major players in the market studied are Toyota, Isuzu, Mitsubishi, Hino, and Ford. In 2017, Toyota Motors dominated the ASEAN commercial vehicles market, with a market share of 35%, followed by Isuzu with a market share of 21%. The other players in the market studied include Daimler, TATA Motors, BAIC, and UD Trucks.
Key Market Trends
Light Commercial Vehicle Segment is Leading the ASEAN Commercial Vehicles Market
Under the light commercial vehicles (LCVs) segment, vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating of less than 16 metric tons have been considered, which includes pickup trucks, vans, light, and medium trucks, and minibusses. Pickup trucks covered the highest share, covering more than 60% of LCVs sales in the ASEAN region in 2018, and continued to be the highest in the LCV segment during 2019, as well. Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Vietnam were the major ASEAN countries with high demand for pickup trucks, in 2018. However, during 2019, Vietnam’s pickup truck sales declined, due to the country’s implementation of stringent checks on imported vehicles, which resulted in import halt from neighboring countries, majorly from Thailand, Indonesia, and Japan.
Major players, such as Isuzu, Mitsubishi, and Hino covered nearly more than 60% of the LCV segment of the market studied during 2018 and 2019. During the forecast period, the sales of LCVs are likely to continue to grow, owing to the following instances in the ASEAN countries, as automotive players in Thailand have geared their production plans in the coming years to capture the growing demand for light commercial vehicles across the ASEAN countries during the forecast period.
New models of LCVs have been significantly introduced in the ASEAN countries by the automobile manufacturers during 2018, to sustain in a highly competitive market, as well as to cater the growing demand for advanced vehicle features among the customers in the ASEAN countries.
In April 2018, Isuzu announced the launch of a cab-over lightweight truck TRAGA. The gross vehicle weight of the truck is 3 ton and it is based the D-MAX pick truck platform. According to the company the new vehicle is firstly launched in Indonesia and gradually will be launched in other emerging markets.
Thailand and Singapore are Expected to Grow at a Higher CAGR
At present, Thailand is the market leader and it is likely to continue its lead in the ASEAN commercial vehicles market. Thailand is the biggest manufacturer in the region and is planning to raise its annual production to 3.5 million units by 2025. The country faces competition from Indonesia, which has the goal of becoming the leading production hub. At present, the demand for commercial vehicles is declining in Vietnam, due to the new rule that came into effect (Vietnam finally eliminated its import tariff for automobiles from within the ASEAN countries from 30% on Jan 1, 2018). As a result, Toyota Motor and Honda Motor have stopped their exports to Vietnam since the beginning of the year, following the implementation of a rule that requires stringent checks on imported vehicles. The sales of commercial vehicles, such as trucks and buses, dropped by 16% to 23,364 units.
Singapore is a highly-developed free economy, with some of the positive factors being open and corruption-free business, followed by a transparent legal framework and many more. The construction sector (primary buildings in the country) exhibited slow growth in the first quarter of 2017. Though new building construction activities were active in the past few years, they exhibited slow growth in the recent past. The decrease is mainly due to the downfall in contract prices.
Some of the key players of the ASEAN commercial vehicles market are Toyota Motor Corporation, ISUZU, Mitsubishi Motor Corporation, and Hino Motors. The market studied is highly driven by factors, like joint-venture, partnerships, and growing demand of the industrial sectors and government’s development initiatives across the ASEAN countries. Product expansion facilities, free trade agreements within the countries, growing logistics, e-commerce, and construction sectors are the factors responsible for the increase in the respective market shares of key players in the region.
- In January 2020, Isuzu Motors Limited and Honda R&D Co., Ltd, an R&D subsidiary of Honda Motor Co., Ltd., signed an agreement to undertake joint research on heavy-duty trucks, utilizing fuel cells as the powertrain.
- In March 2020, Toyota Motor Corporation and Hino Motors, Ltd., announced plans to jointly develop a heavy-duty fuel cell truck and to proceed with initiatives toward its practical use through verification tests and other means.
- In September 2018, Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation (MFTBC) announced the construction of new assembly plant in Thailand with estimated investments of EURO 12 million.
Reasons to Purchase this report:
- The market estimate (ME) sheet in Excel format
- 3 months of analyst support