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In the light of our previous posting related to Airbus and Boeing continuing to experience supply chain production scale-up challenges, we turn some attention to new news related to Bombardier’s C-Series program.
For the past several years Supply Chain Matters has highlighted Bombardier’s C-Series aircraft program, particularly challenges related to gaining market attraction as a viable alternative to more technology advanced single-aisle commercial aircraft needs. This effort placed Bombardier in direct competition with the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 for new commercial airline orders. In 2013 Supply Chain Matters declared that the C-Series could indeed be a competitor.
A series of multi-year program setbacks and lack of substantial customer orders have resulted in building financial loses and questioning whether the aircraft would indeed make any mark. The aircraft is powered by the new geared turbofan technology provided by Pratt & Whitney which has experienced its own start-up design and production challenges. Upwards of $3.2 billion have already been written off from the program. Now, there are some signs of life amid some important new orders.
Last week, Delta Airlines agreed to acquire 75 of the CS100 model aircraft with options for an additional 50 aircraft, along with agreeing to serve as the U.S. launch customer. Delta additionally has the option to convert some of the latter orders to the large CS300 model. The firm order was valued at $5.6 billion in U.S. dollars and was characterized as possibly providing some measure of street credibility for the C-Series program. In announcing the order, Delta’s CEO indicate that the airline’s decision brings the C-Series as a third option in the mainline aircraft marketplace.
Deliveries are expected to begin in the spring of 2018 and Delta now represents Bombardier’s largest commercial aircraft customer. Delta announced a new order for Airbus A321 jets as well. Industry watchers and executives indicate that Delta was able to negotiate a very attractive financial deal for the C-Series jets. According to Delta, the CS100 will provide better fuel efficiency and a 30 percent improvement in maintenance costs over Delta’s existing Boeing 717 aircraft fleet.
Last week Bombardier reported year-over-year revenue and profitability declines. According to business media reports, the C-Series is not expected to reach a break-even cash flow basis until 2020. The company remains saddled with a large debt load as-well.
With the new Delta order, the diversified transportation equipment manufacturer has secured 325 firm orders for both the CS100 and CS300 aircraft, including airline customer Lufthansa and its Swiss International unit. According to business media reports, the company is still awaiting a commitment from government owned Air Canada for 45 jets, amid some threats of violation of World Trade organization prohibiting direct subsidies of aerospace by domestic governments. The company is seeking financial aid from Canada’s federal government but those talks remain uncertain. Bombardier has raised $2.5 billion since October after agreeing to sell almost half of its take in the C-Series program to the Quebec government as well as selling a stake in its train-making operations to a Quebec pension fund.
Supply Chain Matters has previously noted signs that commercial aircraft supply chains supporting both Airbus and Boeing may indeed be faltering in their ability to scale-up current and future production volume output commitment milestones. The first clear sign came in February when Boeing transmitted a supply chain shock wave by warning that total 2016 production output and deliveries would be lower than that of 2015.
Last week, both commercial aircraft global producers announced their Q1 financial performance which included ongoing challenges related to supply chain challenges and expected performance for 2016 total delivery commitments.
Airbus CEO declared that 2016 has turned out to be the challenging year that was anticipated. Aircraft deliveries, cash and earnings were noted as heavily loaded towards the end of the year. While total revenues matched year-ago levels, net income and free cash flow were considerably below Q1 year ago levels. Further noted in the context of supply chain:
“The A350XWB ramp-up is progressing with the focus on bottlenecks in the supply chain, reducing outstanding work and controlling recurring costs. This is increasingly challenging. The target for a monthly production rate of 10 A350s by the end of 2018 remains unchanged. Five A320neos were delivered in the first quarter to two customers. Pratt and Whitney is committed to supplying new engines for aircraft delivery from the summer of 2016. The engines are expected to be delivered at the right level of maturity to enable the NEO (new engine option) ramp-up in the second-half of 2016. Overall, the A320 ramp-up preparation continues despite temporary supply chain challenges that are expected to be recovered at year-end.”
From or lens, such candid detail from a CEO related to the global producer’s most critical new product introductions is a clear sign of concerns related to various supply chain challenges.
In May of 2015, we noted that Airbus conducted an operational review of its crucial A320 supply chain amid a backlog of 5100 booked customer orders, many of which were for the new engine option version. In February of 2015, the company indicated that it had plans to increase the monthly production rate to 50 aircraft per month by early 2017, while evaluating an even larger cadence amid existing production of 42 A320 aircraft per month at the time.
In December of 2015, Airbus had to delay the initial A320neo delivery fulfilment milestone. Airline customer Lufthansa stepped-up at the last minute to serve as first delivery customer after former designated launch customer Qatar Airways refused to take first initial delivery because of last-minute operating limitations of Pratt’s new geared turbofan, PW1100G Pure Power aircraft engine. Lufthansa did take delivery of the first A320neo aircraft in January, but without any ceremony, fanfare or appearance of the “neo” decal on the aircraft. The explanation for the delay provided by Lufthansa was added technical acceptance and documentation needs required from engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney as well as Airbus. Subsequent industry reports pointed to an engine cooling recycle issue for the engine when operated in dry high heat desert climate operational conditions.
Reporting on last week’s Q1 financial performance from United Technologies, the parent of Pratt, The Wall Street Journal provided somewhat more detail related to the new geared turbofan engine. Reported was that Pratt was changing its production process to eliminate a cooling issue with the engine when operating in high heat climates between flight cycles. That correlated with the reports in January regarding performance and certification needs related to the new engine. The production change is expected to be completed by June.
Regarding the A350XWB, there were previous reports of supply challenges related to the aircraft’s seats and interior cabin features among other supply issues.
In Q1, Airbus delivered 125 aircraft to 49 customers. Deliveries included:
103 A320 aircraft including five A320neo models
13 A330 aircraft
4 A350 XWB aircraft
5 A380 aircraft
As of the end of March 2016, commercial aircraft order backlog was reported as 6716 aircraft orders, of which, nearly 81 percent consisted of the single aisle A320 family of aircraft. That equates to over 13 years of production at current quarterly output levels.
Boeing’s Q1 Performance
Boeing reported higher revenues but lower profits for its Q1 financial reporting. Total revenue increased 2 percent from the year-earlier period while core operating earnings decreased 21 percent, missing analyst’s profit expectations for the first time since 2011. Boeing incurred an additional $243 million pre-tax charge related to a new U.S. Air Force tanker development program that has been plagued by product design and subsequent production delays.
The Commercial Airplanes business segment reported that revenues decreased to $14.4 billion, a six percent decrease from the year-earlier period primarily from lower delivery performance.
Boeing executives have increasingly pointed to operational cost challenges brought about by a more competitive industry new aircraft pricing environment. In addition to reduced deliveries, Boeing had recently announced specific job cuts and cost reduction efforts involving cuts of more than 4500 positions by June. Boeing had indicated that the commercial aircraft business segment expected to initiate about 2400 of these cuts via attrition and approximately 1600 through voluntary layoffs. The cuts included “hundreds” of managers and executives which would indicate a trimming of organizational hierarchy. Boeing continues to maintain pressure on current suppliers for cost cuts and productivity increases. Yet, During Q1, Boeing purchased an additional $3.5 billion of the company’s outstanding shares leaving $10.5 billion remaining under the current repurchase authorization to be completed over the next two years. Boeing has additionally taken steps to leverage more revenue from service parts revenues involving proprietary part designs taking away some revenue opportunities from major suppliers.
In Q1, the latest quarter, Boeing delivered 176 commercial aircraft that consisted of:
121 737 aircraft
23 777 aircraft
30 787 aircraft
1 747 aircraft
1 767 aircraft
Order backlog remains described as robust at $480 billion with over 5,700 commercial airplane orders. At current Q1 product volume that backlog equates to a little over 8 years of customer order backlog.
Thus, for the two dominant manufacturers of commercial aircraft, supply chain challenges have once again come back as concerns amid an environment of robust order backlogs. Each has different manifestations and supplier challenges, and each reflects on internal operational scale-up as well. More and more, challenging product design among the most critical supply components, including aircraft engines will continue to be the linchpin towards achieving required production scale-up milestones.
© Copyright 2016. The Ferrari Consulting and Research Group and the Supply Chain Matters® blog. All rights reserved.
In an earlier Supply Chain Matters posting, we noted that this week, Apple provided a huge thud across Silicon Valley and global equity markets. The globe’s richest and most profitable company delivered a huge financial disappointment resulting in the first quarterly sales drop in 13 years. Executives pointed to macroeconomic headwinds and a far more competitive and challenging smartphone market. Yesterday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average suffered its biggest drop since February, fueled by the recent financial performance news from Apple, along with sharp declines provided by IBM and Cisco Systems.
However, this is a global world of industry competition and it is important to reflect on other players and other product, market, pricing and supply chain trends in similar industries and markets.
This week Samsung Electronics reported what was billed as the fastest profit growth in its core mobile business in nearly three years, attributed to strong initial sales for its Samsung Galaxy S7 model smartphones. Overall revenue rose 5.7 percent. The company’s mobile business operating profit for the March ending quarter rose 42 percent from the year-earlier period, noted as the largest year-over-year improvement in mobile profits since the second quarter of 2014.
Business media reports cite analyst’s estimates that Samsung shipped 10-12 million units of the new Galaxy S7 series phones in the past quarter. Keep in mind that Samsung elected to push-up the scheduled launch of this new S7 models to Q1, which may have led to the improvement in financial performance. Once more, Samsung’s guidance to investors reflected a continued optimistic sales growth forecast for S7 devices in the current operating quarter. In its reporting, global business network broadcaster CNBC quoted market research firm TrendForce as forecasting that S7 unit shipments will reach 52 million by year-end, surpassing a previous record of 47 million for the Galaxy S4 model. While that number does not equate to iPhone sales in a single quarter, keep in mind that Samsung offers abroad variety of other smartphone models in various competitive price ranges. One estimate indicates over 79 million total Samsung produced smartphones sold in Q1.
Thus, while the overall global smartphone market may be shrinking or turning toward a replacement cycle, there are pockets of provider growth. Among the current rankings of top five global producers of smartphones, besides Samsung and Apple, three are China based, offering price competitive models, especially for larger China and Asia based markets.
Operating margins for Samsung are noted to have risen to 14.1 percent from 10.6 percent from a year ago amid a streamlining of product line offerings and reductions in manufacturing costs. Keep that number in perspective and recall that Apple’s current operating margin was noted as close to 28 percent in its most recent quarter, twice that of Samsung. That may be an indicator of price performance and sensitivity reflected in today’s global smartphone markets. It also counters Apple’s claim of macroeconomic headwinds in current regions, since Samsung competes in similar geographies.
Readers should recall that Samsung is both a competitor as well as a major supplier to Apple in the form of proprietary processor chips as well as general memory chips produced by Samsung’s semiconductor operations. In the latest quarter, this chip business recorded its first year-over-year decline in more than three years, due to what was termed as a supply glut and cooling demand for processor and memory chips.
We have previously noted the importance of Samsung’s vertical supply chain integration strategy reflected by its chips business as both an internal and external industry supplier. From an advanced technology perspective, Samsung gains the benefit for first mover advantage in leveraging the most advanced chip based technologies. From a broader key strategic industry component supplier perspective, the risk is that when supply chain dominants such as Apple financially sneeze, the implication flows down to the component supplier, even large key suppliers. These reverberations will likely continue over the coming months.
Thus there are different sides to any coin and it is important for high tech and consumer electronics supply chain S&OP teams to focus on the core sales, pricing and product trends reflected in the overall market, not just certain players. Another key takeaway is the ongoing critical importance of responsive and timely product design and new product introduction.
This is a Supply Chain Matters update commentary regarding Chipotle Mexican Grill, specifically efforts to address its ongoing food-safety challenge that not only threatens the restaurant chain’s value to its brand and to its investors, but on perceived quality risks in its farm to fork supply chain.
This week, the restaurant chain posted its first quarterly financial loss as a public company amid a nearly 30 percent reduction in same store sales. Total revenues were down 23.4 percent while net income dropped by $122.6 million. Operating margin dropped to 6.8 percent from just over 28 percent a year earlier due to what was described as higher marketing, waste and food testing costs.
In a previous February commentary, we observed that the restaurant chain had entered a new critical phase, one focused in rebuilding its brand integrity along with assuring that food safety practices were re-addressed across the supply chain and within its individual restaurants. In our mid-March commentary, we highlighted reports that seemed to put a different twist to the ongoing crisis. At the time, The Wall Street Journal citing informed sources, reported that the restaurant chain considered stepping back from the food safety changes touted back in February. Rather than conduct high-resolution DNA testing on a multiple of inbound supply ingredients, the plan was apparently to test only certain foods. Further reported was that the chain’s beef supplies would be pre-cooked in centralized kitchen facilities to insure that E.coli was eliminated, and then packaged in vacuum-sealed bags and shipped to local outlets where the product could be marinated and grilled.
We speculated that the decision to scale back DNA testing may have been brought about by further process and supply chain focused analysis. Yet, the restaurant chain later announced the hiring of a noted meat industry food safety expert to be its new director of overall food safety. We questioned whether such decisions for scaling back testing should have been made so early in the process, without the insight or input of the chain’s newly hired food safety expert, and without allowing more time to address consumer concerns regarding uncertainty in food sourcing and handling practices.
Our stated belief was that restoring consumer trust in a badly damaged brand is not a one-time marketing or financial budgeting challenge, but rather a systemic management challenge to address quality and food safety practices among all farm to fork processes and activities.
The chain has since stepped-up training within local restaurants on food safety and food handling practices as well as the assistance of a field leadership program to assist local managers in managing and auditing food safety and handling practices.
Chipotle’s co-CEO, Steve Ells indicated to investors that rebuilding trust with customers would take some time. While we found that that admission insightful and somewhat overdue, we were taken back by a subsequent statement:
“We will continue to make it our top priority to entice customers to return to Chipotle through effective promotions and marketing, and when they do return, we’re committed to providing the very best experience that we can to help ensure that they will keep coming back.”
Not a mention of testing and assuring consistent food safety practices as the top priority.
Further noted in business media reports are even further changes in food preparation and sourcing practices after apparent customer feedback indicated a decline in the quality of certain ingredients. Customers complained that produce or lettuce no longer tasted as it should. For instance, now the chain claims to have refined its washing of lettuce which will once again allow local restaurants to cut lettuce locally while still ensuring that it is safe. Similarly, bell peppers will be blanched and sliced in local restaurants rather than the previous change to do so in central kitchens.
On a positive note, customers apparently have endorsed the process for cooking organic beef in vacuum sealed bags within central kitchens because the meat is now perceived to not as dry to the taste.
As Chipotle customers may now be aware, the chain is attempting to incent customers to return by offering free burritos and other promotions. Over 5 million free burrito offers were issued followed by a direct mail promotion distributed to over 20 million households. Judging from the customer traffic statistics to-date, the chain’s most loyal consumers may not be completely convinced as of yet to return, although data seems to point to return by some not as loyal but cost conscious customers. One equity analyst has indicated that couponing is a short-term rather than a more sustainable strategy for restoring traffic.
In recent weeks, both Glass Lewis & Co. and Institutional Shareholder Services, both influential proxy advisory firms have weighed in on management. ISS is recommending a vote against re-election of certain current Chipotle board members at the upcoming annual stockholder meeting in May. The firm questions whether the ongoing food safety issues have exposed a flawed board succession process that nominated directors who have the management skill sets to keep pace with a chain’s size and complexity. Further stated was a failure of risk oversight by the firm’s Audit Committee.
Glass Lewis has reportedly taken issue with the board’s pay-for-performance model. As we noted in our March commentary, senior executive bonuses were recently changed to be pegged to increases in the firm’s stock price alone. ISS has also opined that the majority of discussion with major investors has focused on improving share price and changing executive compensation as opposed to addressing food safety.
The reality of losing the trust of loyal customers is indeed an ongoing challenge and Chipotle management must by our lens, have as its collective top priority means and methods to address food safety and quality from farm to fork. Management compensation not directly tied in some fashion to that goal, and management briefings and direction-setting that continues to lead with marketing and sales tactics are not going to convince this past Chipotle consumer that issues have been addressed and the quality and safety of food is industry-leading. Apparently we are not alone in that perception.
© 2016 The Ferrari Consulting and Research Group and the Supply Chain Matters® blog. All rights reserved.
This week marked a rather significant milestone and a rather huge thump within Silicon Valley and global equity markets. The globe’s richest and most profitable company along with the most highly recognized supply chain delivered a huge if not somewhat expected disappointment. Note your calendars for reference, as this week; Apple did indeed report the company’s first quarterly sales drop in 13 years.
The growth streak has temporarily paused and the question is now what comes next.
The financial numbers are somewhat ugly by Apple standards- second fiscal quarter revenues declined 13 percent while profitability fell over 22 percent. Then again, how many companies would envy a quarter that resulted in over $50 billion in sales and over 10 billion in net income?
Revenues across global regions were consistently down- a 10 percent reduction for Americas; a 5 percent reduction in Europe; a 26 percent reduction in the all-important Greater China region. Once more, Apple has issued lower sales forecasts for the current quarter. The impact of a strong U.S. dollar was somewhat a factor in global revenues with Apple indicating that revenue declines would have narrowed by 4 percentage points without such an impact.
For the past year, Apple’s shares have declined 20 percent and according to a commentary by The Wall Street Journal: “The decline erased more than $46 billion of the company’s market capitalization, more than the total value of Caterpillar Inc. or Netflix Inc.”
The unit volume picture was concerning- All important iPhone sales volume was reported as 51.2 million, down 16 percent from year earlier period. The firm’s iPad sales volumes declined 19 percent, continuing in a two-year long sales slump despite efforts to boost sales and a strategic alliance with IBM for more iPad focused business applications. Supply Chain Matters highlighted a number of ongoing published reports emanating from supplier information leaks indicating that Apple’s S&OP team has been consistently reducing iPhone production volumes since the beginning of the year. While inventories did increase, the situation would have likely been a lot worse since Apple had plans at one time to support an 80 million iPhone sales rate. Apple CEO Tim Cook indicated that the company plans to reduce inventories by $2 billion because of what he describes as the current challenging global economy. Gross margin for the current quarter is forecasted to be in a range of 37.5 to 38 percent, again below margin rates in the 40 percent range in prior years.
One bright spot was the introduction of the lower cost Apple iPhone SE that started shipping at the end of March. Apple CEO Tim Cook described current demand for this model as exceeding current supply, but too late to make any difference in second quarter performance.
The obvious question that reverberates across financial networks is when Apple, if ever will, return to growth. Some would point to the need for an acquisition, some point to the need for the next “cool” product, perhaps electric cars or televisions.
Within the supply chain umbrella, one can anticipate a number of ongoing challenges.
Apple’s product design and product management teams are now under enormous pressure to develop the next successful groundbreaking product. The all-important design completion milestone date is mid-summer, since the global supply chain needs time to build supply and production to meet the traditional September new product announcement period and the critical October-December holiday sales period. Apple’s product design culture has always shown a tendency to push design changes to the very last minute.
Another reality is how long Apple can continue to support a premium price and margin point given an overall slump in global smartphone sales. Emerging consumer regions where sales growth continues to exist are battlegrounds for price vs. performance, with lower price winning the majority of the time. If the iPhone SE turns out to be a sales volume success, it will have to be supported by a lower-cost supply chain channel.
Apple’s global direct materials procurement teams must continue to practice active supplier management since many of Apple’s suppliers have pinned their own financial performance outcomes on the large output volumes expected from Apple. When Apple sneezes, suppliers tend to catch pneumonia. Challenges will manifest themselves at annual supply contract reviews when volume expectations are clarified. With Apple practicing active segmentation, dual sourcing and key commodity risk mitigation, the role of supplier sourcing management should be very active.
Finally, Apple S&OP team must continue to be the arbitrator between sales and marketing teams who live in a hyped atmosphere of ever optimistic sales growth, a financial community now razor focused on margins and profitability goals, and supply chain operational teams that has not previously found themselves under an overt cost control looking glass.
A final open question is what if Apple elects to execute a large or complex acquisition. Perhaps an existing electric car or up and coming consumer electronics company?
There’s been an evitable thud in Cupertino, and the coming months will indicate whether this is indeed a temporary setback, or another turnaround milestone for the legacy and history of Apple.
© 2016. The Ferrari Consulting and Research Group and the Supply Chain Matters® blog. All rights reserved.


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The Publisher Research Council has named Josephine Buys as the new chief executive officer to lead the industry body. Read more
Eric D’Oliveira is the new CEO of Primedia Broadcasting, effective 1 October 2018. He takes over from Omar Essack, who was promoted to Primedia Group CEO in April. “Primedia is d... Read more
Change is underway at the IAB SA, with a fresh crop of digital leaders joining the industry organisation. Read more
Making Mediacom the number one media agency in South Africa is a tall order, but it’s one that new CEO Ashish Williams plans to make a reality. Michael Bratt sat down with him to find out ho... Read more
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Japan’s government is considering pressuring companies to raise wages again next year as the economy stalls due to weak consumer spending, several government sources said.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s government has nudged major companies into raising wages for the past two years in the spring with a series of meetings with major business lobbies and labor unions.
Voices are now growing within the government to use the same tactic for next year’s wage negotiations, the sources said, after data this week showed the economy shrank in the second quarter as exports slumped and consumers cut back spending.
Abe took office in late 2012 with a pledge to vanquish decades of deflation and economic malaise with structural reforms and monetary easing, but consumers have been cautious and inflation has ground to a halt.
The Emergency Election Sale is now live! Get 30% to 60% off our most popular products today!


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In the face of economic uncertainty, 1 in 2 sponsors in Ireland are planning to increase their spend on sponsorship in 2019, fuelling an Irish Sponsorship market that is set to grow by 11% to €226m in 2019, according to the annual ONSIDE Irish Sponsorship Industry Survey from sponsorship experts ONSIDE.
Contributing to an overall 70% increase in spend on sponsorship in Ireland over the past decade, 2018 saw the sponsorship market grow by 14% to an estimated €204 million. 2 in 3 sponsors in Ireland increased their investment in sponsorship during last year, underpinned by a marked surge in the numbers of sponsoring companies investing close to 1 in every 4 Euros of their overall marketing and communications spend on sponsorship.
According to John Trainor, Founder and CEO of ONSIDE:
“Off the back of very strong growth evidenced in 2018, sponsors and rights holders in Ireland are cautiously confident that demand will continue into 2019 - despite concerns generally among 3 in 4 sponsors around macro forces such as Brexit, tightening marketing budgets and the clutter that comes with the increase in the number of brands using sponsorship.”
Trainor adds that
“with 67% of sponsors seeking new sponsorship opportunities, and only 40% of existing assets potentially becoming available through exits by current sponsors, 2019 will again see a competitive marketplace as sponsors jostle for a limited supply of good assets”.
Hot sectors to watch in 2019 according to the industry research are travel and airline sectors, with banking, telcos and beer also expected to be key drivers of the increasing spend this year. 7 in 10 sponsors looking for a new sponsorship in 2019 will be looking for a sports play, with properties in rugby seen as providing top growth opportunities for sponsors, and GAA offering strongest potential in terms of ‘value for money’. After Rugby and GAA, sponsorship of Concerts / Music Festivals and e-sports rose most significantly through the ranks in terms of being seen to provide strongest areas of opportunity this year.
Reflecting on the standard of activity produced by the collective Irish sponsorship industry last year, 57% of industry practitioners surveyed felt that sponsorship campaigns in Ireland in 2018 were ‘more effective’ than previous years. Vodafone’s partnership with the IRFU was again voted by the industry as the best sponsorship of the past year, followed by two female centric sponsorships by Lidl / Ladies Gaelic Football and Softco / The Women’s Hockey Team. No doubt boosted by these successes, 3 in 4 sponsors believe women’s sport in general provides a significant opportunity for sports sponsors in 2019, up 14% year on year. The "20x20“campaign, which aims to exponentially increase attendance, participation and coverage of women' sport in Ireland by 2020 has also had a strong early impact according to Trainor, with 84% of sponsorship practitioners already familiar with the initiative.
According to the industry professionals surveyed, Johnny Sexton stands clear at the top of the most marketable personality list for 2019, joined on the podium by ‘the public’s favorite’ Katie Taylor and Irish Rugby Head Coach Joe Schmidt. Trainor noted that “other 2019 stars in the eyes of sponsors surveyed in the latest research that will be to the fore in consideration for brand ambassadorial campaigns are predominantly rugby players including Conor Murray, Rory Best, Peter O’Mahony and Jordan Larmour”.
Relatedly, 1 in 2 sponsors strongly agree that the Rugby World Cup 2019 in Japan is an opportunity for their businesses to engage with consumers in Ireland, versus 16% that held the same view of the FIFA World Cup in Russia last summer.
Challenges to the industry uncovered by the ONSIDE research include the range of sectors that will come under increased scrutiny by government and other interest groups. In terms of self-governance, 2 in 3 rights holders in Ireland are already or likely to impose a self-imposed ban on sponsorship of their organisations by electronic cigarette companies over the next two years, compared with 1 in 2 in the case of gambling / online betting sponsors, and 4 in 10 in the case of a high fat / sugar / salt foods.
Live Streaming has grown as the area of innovative marketing that Irish sponsorship practitioners believe will provide the best opportunity to activate sponsorships in 2019, increasing by 22% for sponsors, while social media marketing still remains key for rights holders.
“Rugby at all levels will be a major driving force keeping the momentum behind Irish sponsorship strong – from the rebooted Guinness Six Nations Championship, to the Dublin hosted European LGBT rugby union tournament Union Cup in June, as the country gears up to unite in huge numbers for the Rugby World Cup. On the business side of this, deepening loyalty is a much bigger part of the game plan for sponsors in 2019 than over the past two years – both in terms of customer loyalty and employee loyalty, which will be aligned with a significantly renewed appetite for the media exposure potential of sponsorship to form three key goals of sponsorship deal doing this year”.


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FDA Warns Fresenius Kabi API Manufacturing Plant
By Zachary Brennan -
Published 02 January 2018
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last week released a warning letter sent to Fresenius Kabi’s active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) manufacturing plant for liquid pharmaceutical products in Kalyani, India, for deficiencies that the company says will not impact product supplies.
Categories: News, India, US, FDA, Active pharmaceutical ingredients, Government affairs, Manufacturing
Tags: Fresenius, warning letter, API manufacturing
FDA Warns Fresenius Kabi Subsidiary Over Promotional Materials
By Michael Mezher -
Published 15 February 2017
The US Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER) has warned Fenwal, a Fresenius Kabi subsidiary, for the second time due to promotional materials for the company's platelet additive solution.
Categories: News, US, CBER, Advertising and Promotion, Blood, Compliance, Drugs
Tags: Fenwal, Fresenius Kabi, InterSol, Amicus, Promotional Materials


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Bankledger Middleware Designed to Make Blockchain Service Enterprise-ready
A blockchain report released by World Economic Forum released last year revealed that over 90 central banks are discussing how to implement blockchain and predicted that 80 percent of commercial banks worldwide would develop their own blockchain applications to provide better financial services in 2017.
Now it is widely accepted that blockchain could be a game-changer in areas concerning digital asset, supply chain, debt and equity, notarization, electronic billing, medical records, the Internet of things and data sharing. But as adaptable and flexible as Ethereum, Fabric or Elements and other blockchain platforms are, they are not accessible to all businesses. And when a company is already using a blockchain platform, it would be too costly to replace it. Is it possible to provide a universal solution where enterprises could develop applications based on different blockchain platforms in a cost effective way?
This is what Bankledger is working on. As a blockchain startup, it is going to launch Bankledger Middleware(BMWare) in April. It allows clients signed up to the platform to access to blockchain services and quickly develop their own blockchain applications.
Based on BMWare, Bankledger have three types of business models.
Bankledger Developer Platform(BDPlatform)
For small and medium- sized companies and public institutions short of resources they need to develop a blockchain application, they will find a public API, SDK and a demo procedure available at its open-source development platform. A JAVA developer could use these to help him understand blockchain tech and quickly get started with building a prototype solution within two months.
Bankledger Private Deployment(BPDeploy)
For large businesses and government agencies looking for confidentiality and security, Bankledger will provide a tailor-made solution to launch BMWare and multiple blockchain platforms at their own networks where data would be stored. And Bankledger will help upgrade software when necessary.
Bankledger and its clients can pull together to develop, test and scale a blockchain application to better solve industry-specific issues to benefit world economy.


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41 Entertainment grants Free TV and Pay TV rights for the first two seasons of PAC-MAN and the Ghostly Adventures in France.
V & S Entertainment appoints Daredevil Development to create a gaming app for the hit show Everything’s Rosie.
Henson Independent Properties acquires the global rights to Sixteen South Television’s new animated preschool series, Driftwood Bay.
9 Story Enterprises acquires second season of 3D animated preschool preschool series, Monkey See Monkey Do.
The Jim Henson Company’s third party media distribution and licensing banner acquires media distribution rights to new series Elias: Rescue Team Adventures, and global consumer products rights to the Elias property from Norway’s Animando.
Wombles Copyright Holdings and Dramatico Entertainment reveal plans to relaunch the iconic British brand, including a new series for a slot on UK-based Channel 5′s Milkshake block in 2015.
The Jim Henson Company’s third party distribution and licensing banner, HIP, announces new international deals for The Annoying Orange and Driftwood Bay.
International distributor PGS Entertainment secures worldwide broadcast rights, excluding the U.S. and France, to the forthcoming CG-animated Alvin and the Chipmunks TV series.
Mind Candy confirms Moshi Monsters The Movie, the first ever Moshi Monster movie, set for a UK and Ireland release December 20.
eOne reveals the UK licensing program for upcoming CG animated movie, Justin and the Knights of Valour.
International children’s channel KidsCo licenses CG-animated series Sendokai Champions from media agent Nottingham Forest.
Nickelodeon & Viacom Consumer Products announce highlights of their portfolio for Brand Licensing Europe 2013.
PGS Entertainment licenses A Squared Entertainment’s Secret KidVenture Club in Thailand, Singapore, Brazil, and Israel.
Jennifer Ansley is announced as the new Vice President, Marketing and Communications at 9 Story Entertainment.
DreamWorks Animation names Paul Kurzawa to the newly created position of Head of Retail Development & Entertainment, where he will be tasked with expanding the brand into the retail environment.
Cartoon Network and the Lego Group unveil the new Mixels franchise, which will feature animated content (primarily shorts), a rich digital gaming experience, a collectible building toy concept, plus much more, and is set to launch in 2014.
Three Stooges leader Moe Howard’s autobiography re-released under the title “I Stooged to Conquer” with a new foreword by Moe’s daughter, Joan Howard Maurer, and newly restored photographs.
Rainbow appoints new licensing agents to its global network for top brands including Winx Club, PopPixie, and Huntik: Secrets & Seekers.
DHX Media signs a new deal with Canal+ to bring the CG animated show, Monster Math Squad, to territories including France, Monaco and Andorra.


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Crash Prompts US Distributor to Recall Hangzhou Zhongce Tyres
A US tyre importer and distributor has asked the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) for help in recalling almost half a million Hangzhou Zhongce Rubber Company produced light truck tyres and filed an $80 million claim, following a death and injury lawsuit. Hangzhou Zhongce disputed the claims. “Our tyres are qualified to be sold in the US,”’ Xu Youming, a manager in charge of legal affairs told Bloomberg, adding: “We’ve been exporting tyres for more than 10 years. We know what we are producing and selling.”
Foreign Tire Sales (FTS) appealed to NHTSA for aid in recalling an estimated 450,000 light truck tyres sold under the Westlake, Telluride, Compass and YKS brand names after the company allegedly learned that the manufacturer had left a critical component out of the tyre.
Affected tyres include some Westlake, Telluride, Compass and YKS-branded light truck products. Affected sizes include: LT235/75R-15, LT225/75R-16, LT235/85R-16, LT245/75R-16, LT265/75R-16, LT3X10.5-15.
According to an FTS report to NHTSA, Hangzhou has refused to give the Tire Identification Number for which tyres were built with an allegedly insufficient gum strip. And as a result FTS says there could potentially be even more defective tyres on the market than first thought.
“There are nearly half a million of these substandard tyres out there, unbeknownst to consumers. The Hangzhou Rubber Company deliberately and secretly removed a safety feature from these tyres and two young men died as a direct result. This was a tragedy that didn’t have to happen, but hopefully we can prevent future fatal crashes,” said Jeffrey B. Killino, an attorney with Woloshin & Killino, which represents the families of the deceased and injured.
According to a report FTS filed with NHTSA, the company suspected that something was wrong with the tyres in October 2005, when it noticed a sharp increase in the number of warranty adjustments on the tyres, but Hangzhou officials assured them that the tyres were sound. The company continued its suspicions in May 2006, after an ambulance crash in New Mexico prompted FTS to examine the blown tyre that caused the rollover. According to the company, the Chinese manufacturer had failed to include the 0.6 mm gum strip between the belts to keep them from separating. FTS stopped buying tyres from Hangzhou in June 2006, the report said.
According to Foreign Tire Sales’ report to NHTSA, it contracted the Hangzhou Rubber Company in 2000 to design and manufacture light truck tyres that FTS, of Union, New Jersey, would import and sell.
In March 2006 Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. voluntarily recalled about 288,000 replacement tyres in three separate actions because of problems found in passenger and light truck tyres. These included Dean, Mastercraft, Starfire and Trendsetter tyres made in China by Hangzhou Zhongce Rubber Co. Ltd. between 21 November 2004, and 30 July 2005, under an off-take manufacturing agreement. In this case the tyres were said to contain an “unauthorised material”’ in the upper sidewall that could create small voids, which could result in air leaks.
GITI Tire (China) Investment Company Ltd is the only Chinese tyre manufacturer to exceed Hangzhou Zhongce in terms of sales last year, according to the China Rubber Industry Association. Hangzhou Zhongce, founded in 1958, plans to boost profit to 650 million yuan ($85 million) on sales of 18 billion yuan by 2010, according to its website.


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Many states including California and Arizona are sure to be looking at recreational cannabis on their 2016 ballots. These states are currently operating under medical laws and the shift to recreation will certainly change almost every aspect of the business. Looking at how states like Colorado, Oregon and Washington have handled the medical companies and dispensaries will give good insight into how newly recreational states will follow suit. In reference to other states, all medical companies and dispensaries facing legalization needs to take note of the tragedy of the medical cannabis community in Washington and the successes of Colorado.
In Washington all of the medical cannabis companies were forced to buy a license from the state in order to operate which has given the state rights to regulation but also forced all of the purely medical shops to close. This highly disputed legislation has created a lack of products for medical patients like children with epilepsy who need pure CBD tincture. Surely this will even out but it isn’t an ideal model for future recreational states.
This veteran in the recreational industry has seen a slew of legislation going through their government which has made police confused and unclear on which policies still stand and which have become obsolete. In terms of translating from medical to recreational the shift was somewhat seamless for most business owners. Some cities passed laws that ensure only medical dispensaries will reside in their town limits, but mostly companies have just split their establishment into two separate entities. One side of the dispensary will serve medical patients and one side will serve recreational clients.


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Here's a game for the iPhone and iPod Touch that should appeal to the more rhythmically-inclined iDevice users out there. It's called BeatRider, and while on the surface it looks just like another Guitar Hero clone, it actually has an ace up its sleeve.
BeatRider's main selling point is that it allows users to play using their own MP3s. To do that, players will have to upload the song they want to play to the BeatRider servers since apparently existing App Store apps can't directly access a user's music library. That's a feature that's supposedly going to be introduced in the iPhone 3.0 firmware, though, so it may not have to be such a roundabout process in the future.
Here's a video showing the upload process as well as some actual gameplay at the 2:50 mark. BeatRider is currently awaiting approval for an App Store stint. There will be a free Lite version as well as a paid download.


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‘Open for business’: Push for Sydneysiders to support the CBD
The Sydney Business Chamber is telling Sydneysiders businesses in the CBD are “open for business”.
Kathryn O’Regan, the executive director of the Sydney Business Chamber, said there’s a “steady flow” of foot traffic slowly returning to central Sydney.
“There’s a little bit more confidence happening with business and with customers,” she said.
“It has been challenging. Those businesses that have put their COVID safe plans in place are doing a great job.
“There will be businesses that don’t survive.”
Click PLAY below to hear the full interview


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The indications are that Aussie households are ready to start spending again, dipping further into debt as they go. The Westpac-Melbourne Institute index of consumer confidence has shown it’s biggest single jump ever and the latest Dun & Bradstreet Credit Expectations Survey shows how we intend to pay for our anticipated shopping spree. One in five households say their debt levels will increase in coming months.
On today’s BTalk I ask Christine Christian, D&B’s CEO, if consumers have lost all sense of reality. The figures show that, although many want to take on more debt, almost half of all households are also saying they will turn to their credit card to pay for otherwise unaffordable expenses over the next few months. In fact, credit card levels continue to rise (up 5 percent over the last year), which is frightening at a time when we expect interest rates to do the same. Equally disturbing, those with the greatest intention to spend money are the same groups demonstrating signs of potential financial stress.


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Designers lightened up the mood for spring.
The veteran fashion critic also files from Peter Som and Milly.
White tulle at Oscar, bright colors at Peter Som, and sequins at 3.1 Phillip Lim.
Naeem Khan is "worried."
Rumor has it he's in talks to assume a creative-director role.
After a season out of the public eye, the celebrated designer is back with a brand new attitude.
And Orlando Pita styled hair at the Christian Dior couture show, while Pat McGrath did the makeup.
Also, see the khaki jacket Alexander Wang designed for the Gap.
We compile a list of labels that aren't showing. It's more than a few.
The economy has brought young designers to unlikely sponsors.
The designer may have had a rough time of late, but don't count him out just yet.
Having just lost his financial backer, anything's possible.
He could really use a new financial backer.
The label has split from Creative Design Studios.
Rumor has it that NexCen is selling the office furniture from the showroom.
The label's new owner, Peacock Holdings, plans to revive the line within a year.
But don't expect it to return to its former runway glory anytime soon.
The economy has brought the label's last, tumultuous six months to a sad end.
Bill Blass New York is liquidating, and retailers aren't buying Som's spring 2009 line.


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Korean bank to integrate blockchain, biometrics, IoT payments
Shinhan Card, Korea’s biggest, global top-five credit card company, is looking into blockchain-powered, facial recognition-based payment systems and internet of things financial payments, as the country is trying to become a pioneer of “deviceless” payment systems, writes The Korea Times.
Ryoo Tae-hyun, director of Shinhan Card’s digital first division, said in an interview for The Korea Times that the plan for the upcoming future is to make traditional methods obsolete, and turn to plastic-free and deviceless payments.
“The senior vice president of Visa, who directs the firm’s innovation, came to Korea before the Chuseok holiday and told me that he expects Korea will lead the new payment system before the United States or China,” he said. “Digital payments already account for 16.5 percent of the way our customers make payments. The figure has jumped from 12 percent two years ago.”
If the Korean government is willing to invest in a nationwide infrastructure, Ryoo believes the country will easily be ahead of the game, to the detriment of competing countries such as US and China.
“By the end of September, the Financial Services Commission (FSC) will decide whether to designate our facial payment as an innovative financial service,” he said.
The FSC has established that companies developing innovative financial services will not be affected by financial regulations and are the sole owners of their services for two years after approval.
In August, Shinhan Face Pay was rolled out in cafeterias, coffee shops and a convenience store, and in November it will be tested at universities.
Aware of global privacy concerns, Ryoo assures users that the technology doesn’t breach privacy.
“Unlike China’s facial payment system collecting original images, our system only stores key points of images, so it is free from privacy issues,” he said. “Our Face Pay also features age tracing algorithms that means our customers using the system do not have to submit a new photo for 10 years.”
Shinhan Card received a patent for a blockchain-based payment system in Korea after using the technology to establish a credit transaction service. It applied for patents in the US, China, Japan, Vietnam, Indonesia, and the European Union, and will hear the decision in 2020.
“With our system, we provide our customers with cryptocurrencies available at our affiliated stores, in accordance with their credit limits,” Ryoo said. “Cryptocurrencies developed by other blockchain companies can only be used at a limited number of stores. Ours can be used at a wider range of places, because we have served as a platform for our customers and affiliated stores for over the past 30 years.”
Ryoo believes the mix of blockchain technology with IoT will help get rid of plastic cards sooner than anticipated.
“We installed our payment module in products from Hyundai Motor and LG Electronics,” he said. “Our customers will be able to do grocery shopping with LG ThinQ refrigerators. This means that products themselves become our affiliates. If the nation’s manufacturers pay more attention to cooperation with financial firms, the pace of innovation will be much faster.”
Korea is a true leader in tech innovation and adoption. Last year, Korean credit card companies Shinhan, BC, and Hana Card had announced work on a finger vein-based payment authorization solution. Starting January 2020, travelers to South Korea will use palm vein biometrics for authentication during boarding checks, following a partnership between the Korea Financial Telecommunications and Clearings Institute (KFTC) and the Korea Airports Corporation (KAC).


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Anti-cholesterol drug price to fall by 20 per cent
Further prices drops forecast for a range of generic drugs over coming year
New measures next month will promote greater use of generic drugs. Photograph: Bloomberg
The price of one of the most heavily used medicines in Ireland will fall by 20 per cent next month under new measures to promote the greater use of generic drugs.
Although atorvastatin, an anti-cholesterol drug used by tens of thousands of Irish patients, will still be almost four times dearer than in Northern Ireland or Britain, the move is significant because it heralds similar price falls for a range of medicines in the coming year.
The original branded version of the drug was sold under the brand name Lipitor.
The Irish Medicines Board (IMB) yesterday published its first list of interchangeable medicines, covering 96 different versions of atorvastatin, thereby triggering the price reduction agreed last year with drugs manufacturers. Similar lists covering 19 other compounds are to be published over the next year, and will lead to corresponding price cuts for those substances.
Prices should fall further in November, when the HSE publishes a reference price for atorvastatin, representing the maximum amount it will pay for any of the versions of the product on the list. As well as cutting the cost of the State’s drugs bill, the measure will encourage generic drugs manufacturers to reduce their prices to the level of the reference price. The savings made will depend on the reference price set for each drug.
The IMB said the publication of the list meant a pharmacist “may” offer patients an alternative from the list. It said patients should talk to their pharmacist or doctor if they have any questions.
After November, consumers will have to decide whether to choose the less expensive medicine and save money. For those on a medical card or using the drug payment scheme, the HSE will pay the full reference price. If consumers wish to stick with the medicine on their prescription, even if this is a higher price, those on a medical card will have to pay the difference between the reference price and the retail price.
The Irish Pharmacy Union said the move would lead to lower medicine prices as well as saving the State money. It warned Minister for Health James Reilly to take a “careful and measured approach” to the introduction of reference pricing.
Pharmacists say medicine shortages could result if this price is set too low.


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Russia is planning to launch e-visas for Indian tourists
Famous for its rich cultural heritage, ornate cathedrals and subtropical beaches, Russia attracts as many as 30,000 Indian tourists annually.
By India Today Web Desk: Russia is one destinations that has constantly made a traveller happy. Right from the Red Square of Moscow to exploring the idyllic charm around Lake Baikal to exploring the Black Sea, Russia is one of the most multifaceted destinations for travellers.
Seems like the country has realised that Indians love to travel. This is evident from the fact that Russia is now considering the launch of e-visas for Indian tourists.
But wait, this is not the only thing that Russia is doing to woo Indian travellers to the country. Russia is also planning to launch direct flights between Mumbai and Moscow.
"We are planning to start offering e-visas to the Indian tourists to ease travel norms for those visiting our country," Valery Korvokin, Head of International Department of the Russian Federal Agency for Tourism, told PTI.
We are pursuing the e-visa issue with our foreign ministry. We expect a positive development on this important matter in the next few months," Korvokin said.
Out of the 1.8 crore outbound Indian tourists, nearly 30,000 visit Russia annually.
"We are working on increasing the visibility of Russia in Indian media and TV. We are also working with our University officials to formulate Indian tourist friendly measures," Korvokin said.
The Agency's Deputy Head Sergey Korneev has pointed out the fact that Russia is hosting the 2018 FIFA world cup and that can be a big draw for Indian tourists. He has also suggested that Indian tour operators can take advantage of this and plan out FIFA special packages for Indian tourists.
(With inputs from PTI)


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InMoment, the leading provider of Experience Intelligence (XI), has announced that its client and partner, Virgin Money UK, has been awarded the Silver Award in the UK Customer Experience Awards. The awards are one of the industry’s highest esteemed CX events, celebrating and recognising organisations that provide innovative customer experiences.
At the award ceremony, Virgin Money UK—one of the largest banks in the UK—was celebrated for its excellence in the “Customers at the Heart of Everything—Initiative” category for its CX programme, CX Success, in partnership with InMoment.
Virgin Money UK CX Success programme is an initiative to create a company-wide culture of customer obsession, delighting customers and colleagues in every interaction. Through the innovation of a best-in-class CX governance framework, Virgin Money focused on driving CX insights into action, the CX Success programme was prepared for a technology partner that could help equip and empower colleagues.
Through a highly selective process, Virgin Money UK chose to partner with InMoment, an established leader in experience intelligence, to assist in carrying out its CX strategy. InMoment’s platform arms approximately 300 colleagues with real-time feedback each day, giving the organisation the visibility it needs to act on customer feedback. By building mutually beneficial relationships with customers, colleagues are motivated to deliver exceptional experiences within every interaction, increasing customer engagement and closeness.
The results of the programme have touched every aspect of the company. Relationship NPS® doubled year-on-year, and Transactional NPS® levels likewise grew by 30 percent. Through CX Success, Virgin Money UK was able to receive more customer response rates at an increase of 13 percent, while experiencing a reduction of monthly complaints by 27 percent.
“In developing a CX programme that fit all the needs we prioritized as an organisation, we knew we needed a technology partner who could provide the intelligence necessary to create lasting impressions with our customers,” said Yvan Goupil, Head of Customer and Marketing Insight at Virgin Money. “Choosing InMoment as our sole technology provider has allowed us to gather and leverage the experience intelligence necessary to truly become customer-obsessed and facilitate a smooth integration of Virgin Money with Clydesdale Bank, Yorkshire Bank and the digital brand B.”
“Time and time again, Virgin Money has proven itself to be a truly customer-centric organisation, solidified by its receiving the Silver Award in this year’s prestigious UK CX Awards,” said Simon Fraser, VP, Customer Experience Strategy at InMoment. “Working with the team at Virgin Money is always a great experience, and we are honored to be their technology partner, providing them with the intelligence needed to create lasting impressions on its customers while benefiting the bottom line.”
Virgin Money will be speaking with InMoment at Forrester’s CX Europe 2019 event on 14 November. CX Europe will take place on 14 and 15 November in London, bringing together some of the greatest leaders, entrepreneurs, and creative thinkers in CX. Learn more about the event here.
InMoment™ is the leader in Experience Intelligence (XI), transforming metrics into meaning to drive high-value business decisions and relationships with both customers and employees. The company’s cloud-native XI Platform is engineered with data science at the core, and specifically architected to harness intelligence from across the entire experience ecosystem to deliver clear business value. The platform features three clouds that all work seamlessly together to give companies a comprehensive understanding of the most important factors impacting their bottom lines, including: Customer Experience (CX) Cloud, Employee Experience (EX) Cloud, and Market Experience (MX) Cloud. InMoment’s approach of providing strategic technical, best practice and thought leadership support ensures that our nearly 500 brands across 95 countries realize maximum business impact.
About Virgin Money
Virgin Money is the new disruptive force in UK banking. Bringing together the combined history and expertise of Clydesdale Bank, Yorkshire Bank, the digital brand B and Virgin Money, we are the only bank outside the ‘Big 5’ that boasts a genuine full-service personal and business banking capability.
We serve 6.4 million customers across the UK through a digital-first approach that offers leading online and mobile services, supported by telephone and branch banking, including a national network of branches and business banking centres.
We are structured around three divisions – personal, mortgages and business – offering a full range of products and services for consumers and small and medium sized businesses, delivered through our leading technology platform to deliver a consistently world class experience for customers.
Our ambition is clear – to make Virgin Money a new force in consumer and business banking that will disrupt the status quo.


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BMW and Volkswagen lead ‘next level’ automotive supply chain partnership
Ten global automotive giants including BMW, Jaguar Land Rover and Volkswagen (VW) have launched a new partnership to integrate a common approach to sustainability throughout the automotive supply chain.
DRIVE Sustainability is being overseen by the European Business Network for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR Europe) and calls on automakers to provide services that ensure that supply chains provide decent working conditions for staff while minimising the environmental impact of their actions.
BMW is acting as a lead partner in the initiative alongside Scania, VW, Volvo Cars and Volvo Group, and Daimler AG, Honda, Jaguar Land Rover, Opel and Toyota Motor Europe have all signed up as partners to the initiative
CSR Europe’s executive director Stefan Crets said: “DRIVE Sustainability is a commitment from the automotive industry to move to the next level of sustainability and supply chain management. Sustainability is well established among the buying criteria of these companies; therefore, it is now the time to strengthen the way they work together and establish a Partnership focused on results, based on stronger collaboration, excellence, leadership and impact.”
The partnership will spend the remainder of 2017 “fine-tuning” the supplier strategy, which includes training events in countries such as Turkey, India, Spain, Hungary and Italy. Members of the initiative can also lean on CSR Europe’s 45-strong corporate member team to help push its CSR agenda further.
DRIVE Sustainability builds on the work carried out by the European Automotive Working Group on Supply Chain Sustainability, which pushed for stringent supply chain standards, tailored to human rights and environmental issues, and promoted similar educational measures to achieve it.
Daimler’s detailed year
DRIVE Sustainability member Daimler released its latest sustainability report on Tuesday (28 March). The German carmaker revealed that it invested more than €3bn in environmental projects to streamline the production process of its vehicles in 2016.
The firm, known for its Mercedes-Benz vehicles, reduced fleet emissions in China and the US by 7% and 6% respectively. Emissions remained stable in Europe due to a growth in demand for luxury class models.
Daimler spent a large portion of 2016 exploring the potential of energy storage in relation to electric vehicle (EVs) production. Around 3,000 replacement battery modules that were intended for EV use were instead redistributed to form a stationary energy storage system. In Lunen, 1,000 used batteries from EVs were reused as part of the operational make-up for the largest second-use battery storage system in the world.
The use of second-life batteries to facilitate energy storage systems is becoming common practice in the auto industry. Last year, BMW completed a new utility-scale energy storage facility, which uses 2,600 worn EV battery modules to stabilise the grid and reduce the impact of peak demand.
Nissan recently took the concept a step further with an innovative vehicle-to-grid concept. Moreover, old Renault EV batteries will be converted into energy storage units under a new partnership between the French carmaker and UK firm Connected Energy.


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THQ’s bankruptcy filing is full of all sorts fun little tidbits, including a list of unannounced projects from THQ’s internal studios.
While the games are officially unannounced, most of these titles have already been discovered thanks to trademark filings and domain registrations over the years.
- Vigil is hard at work on Crawler (working title). With Darksiders II less than six months old, development has probably just begun on Crawler.
- RTS specialists Relic will release Atlas (working title) in 2014.
- As expected, THQ Montreal is working on a game known as 1666. The development team is being lead by Assassin’s Creed creator Patrice Desilets.
- Turtle Rock’s “co-op multiplayer action game” will be titled Evolve.
- And finally (and not surprisingly), the document has confirmed that WWE 14 is in development at Yuke’s.
Development on all of these titles will continue and we’ll hopefully hear more about them soon.


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Exciting new generation of tow cars stunned the people at the Paris Motor Show 2016. Wild concepts and crazy supercars stole the attention of people who attended the show but as expected, there were a few which stood out.
The new Land Rover Discovery, the Skoda Kodiaq, and the Audi Q5 were the tow cars which grabbed most of the attention among the tow cars in the show.
According to David Motton of Practical Caravan, people already had an idea as to what the New Discovery would look like before the show, the Land Rover had already released n image showing the front of the car, but the Paris Motor Show have unveiled every little detail of these cars.
He also stated that the new Discovery looks far more modern and contemporary but people have different tastes. He said that the weight of the new Discovery shed a huge 480kg from the kerbweight to bring it into line with its lighter and more fuel-efficient rivals, like the Audi Q7 and Volvo XC90. He still thinks that the Discovery still weighs in at over two tones and that the legal towing capacity is 3500kg.
Motton also mentioned about the changes in the engine line-up, and the improved economy and emissions. Despite the new car's improved efficiency, he said that it still emits more than the most fuel-efficient Audi Q7 and Volvo XC90.
The Discovery has not changed its seven-seat layout, the second and third rows are higher than the front seat. This is to make sure that everyone in the car gets a good view from the inside. The third row, as well as the second row now have Isofix mounting points on SE spec cars and above so this type of child seat can now be used.
The new Discovery also has a new feature called Intelligent Seat Fold, where the second and third row can be controlled using a smartphone app.
The Motoring Research indicated that the price of the new Discovery start from £43,493 for the base Discovery S, and £62,695 on the first edition. It was also stated that only 600 are coming to the United Kingdom.


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cnn: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration told the manufacturers of seven caffeinated alcoholic beverages Wednesday that their drinks are a "public health concern" and can't stay on the market in their current form.
The move follows a year-long review by the FDA, which gave the companies 15 days to either reformulate their products or face possible seizure under federal law, said Dr. Joshua Sharfstein, the agency's principal deputy commissioner. Experts have said the caffeine used in the beverages can mask the effects of alcohol, leaving drinkers unaware of how intoxicated they are.
"FDA does not find support for the claim that the addition of caffeine to these alcoholic beverages is 'generally recognized as safe,' which is the legal standard," Sharfstein told reporters. "To the contrary, there is evidence that the combinations of caffeine and alcohol in these products pose a public health concern."
One of the companies that received warning letters was Phusion Projects, of Chicago, Illinois, which makes Four Loko -- a drink nicknamed "blackout in a can" by some users. The company announced Tuesday that it was dropping caffeine and two other ingredients, guarana and taurine, from Four Loko in the face of "a difficult and politically-charged regulatory environment."
The other companies are San Diego, California-based United Brands, which manufactures the Joose and Max brands; Portland, Oregon's Charge Beverages Corp., which sells Core High Gravity HG, Core High Gravity HG Orange, and Lemon Lime Core Spiked; and New Century Brewing of Boston, Massachusetts, which makes Moonshot.
For complete story, go to: cnn
Read more stories in the news.


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Uber Accident lawyer Burbank Ca
The popular ridesharing service, Uber, is at the center of a federal lawsuit, accused of ripping off its own drivers for a long period and for a lot of money! Indeed, Uber doesn't have the best reputation for being upfront about how it pays its drivers. Undercover reporters have found numerous incidents where there was a significant difference between the fare that Uber charged its passengers and what they told their drivers that the passengers paid.
Many drivers are complaining that they've been ripped off by Uber, and there is currently a large federal lawsuit against the company. The fact is; there is ample evidence that the company is not upfront or honest about what it charges its riders. Drivers are constantly finding themselves being deprived of the full extent of the contract that they entered into with Uber, and they can ask the court for damages.
Can I File an Uber Lawsuit in Burbank?
Fare discrepancies have ranged from as little as $0.15 - $8.00. A class-action lawsuit filed in federal court against Uber accused the company of deceiving drivers and denying them the "true and accurate amount of money they should be paid." The company continues to breach the terms of service that the drivers all sign when becoming employed by Uber. Uber is hiding their fare discrepancies because it should be disclosed clearly in its contracts.
This has been happening across Burbank and across the country, ride after ride after ride! It mounts up quickly. Some estimates have shown that lift may be profiting north of $2 million each day just in the pay discrepancy that occurs between passengers and drivers. This does not include the standard fee that Uber deducts from their drivers. We don't think it's too much to ask for Uber to be upfront about the fare the show to passengers and drivers, and that is why Albert Abkarian & Associates is happy to help Uber drivers file suit against this deceptive company.
Start Your Lawsuit Today
Although Uber is in the spotlight now, this sort of behavior flew under the radar for a long time, and it's wrong! It is time that Uber is held accountable and pay their drivers what is rightfully theirs! If you would like to file an Uber lawsuit in Burbank, you're in the right place now. Contact Albert Abkarian & Associates today to get started with a free consultation.
Why Does Uber Breach its Contracts?
Uber's justification has been that passenger pricing and driver pay are based on two different factors. According to the company itself, when Uber quotes a price in advance to the passenger, it uses an estimated time and distance, but driver fare is based on actual time and distance. Interestingly, there has never been a reported case where the driver came out on top of this discrepAncy. Further, according to Abdeljabar et al. v. Uber, drivers wages are accumulating to average far below the Burbank minimum wage. This is another claim that can be made against Uber.Uber Accident lawyer Burbank Ca
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“Binance will comply with Vietnamese law”
On the morning of June 4, Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao attended the Vietnam NFT Summit 2022 event in Hanoi, organized by the Vietnam Blockchain Association. The head of a major cryptocurrency exchange has many notable shares about blockchain technology.
“Today, together with the Vietnam Blockchain Association, I pledge that Binance will always comply with Vietnamese laws, put users first, so that Vietnamese users in particular and users around the world believe that the platform Binance’s platform is one of the most secure and trusted platforms in the world.”
“Blockchain is more than just a cryptocurrency”
Changpeng Zhao said that blockchain technology in the past few years is creating unprecedented changes in many fields, from economy and finance to culture and education.
However, in Vietnam blockchain is still limited in practical application. Many people think that this technology is only associated with the cryptocurrency industry.
When asked about how many people only see blockchain as a short-term money-making opportunity, Changpeng Zhao affirmed that blockchain is the future of technology and that he is investing in it.
“Blockchain is not just a cryptocurrency or a digital asset, but much more. This technology can be used in electronic identification, real estate digitization, copyright protection or software distribution,” said Binance CEO.
According to Zhao, art is also an area where blockchain technology can help develop in the earliest and most reasonable way. Although not many Vietnamese people are interested, he thinks that art will pioneer in applying blockchain to life.
“I myself did not think that art would be one of the first fields to apply blockchain technology so successfully,” Mr. Zhao shared.
Bridge for international cooperation on blockchain
Within the framework of the event, Vietnam Blockchain Association and Binance announced cooperation on research exchange, blockchain technology application, human resource training in Vietnam and internationally.
The association will work with Binance to focus on researching and developing blockchain technology applications in many fields from centralized finance to new technology trends such as NFT, Web 3, Metaverse… Through connection programs , the association will also promote personnel training and attract international investment in Vietnam.
Mr. Changpeng Zhao believes that blockchain is a new technology for the digital economy. Many countries are determined to grasp and properly apply blockchain technology to life.
“I think that clear and effective regulation is essential for blockchain to be applied in every corner of life, not just cryptocurrencies, DeFi or NFT,” shared the CEO of Binance.
According to Phan Duc Trung, Vice President of the Vietnam Blockchain Association, the cooperation of the Binance platform with the Vietnam Blockchain Association is a big step forward, laying an important premise for promoting the development of blockchain technology, contributing to the development of blockchain technology. in the process of national digital transformation.
“In its role, the Association not only plays the role of connecting and gathering the Blockchain community in the country, but also a bridge to bring Vietnamese products to the world as well as attract more international resources. about Vietnam,” said Mr. Trung.
Through networking programs, the Association also promotes personnel training and attracts international investment sources into Vietnam.
at Blogtuan.info – Source: danviet.vn – Read the original article here


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It was a rough week the world over.
Read about the unique role Facebook played in the aftermath of the Paris attacks and its plans to build a nonprofit competitor to Kickstarter. Also: Google is building a programmatic ad sales tool for native and mobile video, and consumers rank the social ads they consider the most effective.
Skim for the latest.
How Facebook and Twitter played a critical community role during the #ParisAttacks
Take the first step (it's free).
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Kansas City’s signature outlet center is pleased to announce its newest fashion retailer, H&M, which plans to open its second Kansas location this fall at Legends Outlets. Joining more than 100 designer outlets, retail, dining and entertainment destinations at Legends Outlets, H&M offers shoppers a one-stop destination for quality clothing at affordable prices, with collections for men, women and children.
The new store will occupy a 25,025 square-foot retail space, across from Polo Ralph Lauren Factory Store and Panera Bread, at 1803 Village West Parkway, Suite M-103, Kansas City, KS 66111. H&M is slated to open late October 2017.
As one of the world’s largest fashion retailers, H&M features clothing and quality at the best price and in a sustainable way for women, men, teenagers, children and the home. The selection includes everything from sparkling gala outfits and exclusive designer collaborations to everyday basics and high-performance yoga wear to help fashion fans across the globe dress their personal style.
For more information about H&M, visit: www.hm.com/us/.


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Volvo Cars and Northvolt will open a joint research and development (R&D) centre in Gothenburg as part of a SEK 30 billion investment in battery development and manufacturing.
The R&D centre, which will become operational in 2022, will create a few hundred jobs in Gothenburg and positions Volvo Cars as one of the few automotive brands to make battery cell development and production part of its end-to-end engineering capabilities.
Following the partnership announced by both companies earlier this year, Volvo Cars and Northvolt have now signed a binding agreement this week to create a joint venture for the development and sustainable production of batteries for the next generation of pure electric Volvo cars.
The establishment of the new research and development (R&D) centre in Gothenburg will be followed by the construction of a new manufacturing plant in Europe. It will produce next generation state-of-the-art battery cells, specifically developed for use in next generation pure electric Volvo and Polestar cars. The exact location of the plant is expected to be confirmed in early 2022.
The R&D centre will be in close proximity to Volvo Cars’ own R&D operations and to Northvolt’s existing innovation campus Northvolt Labs in Västerås, Sweden, ensuring synergies and efficiencies as it develops battery technologies.
“Our partnership with Northvolt secures the supply of high-quality, sustainably-produced batteries for the next generation of pure electric Volvos,” said Håkan Samuelsson, chief executive for Volvo Cars. “It will strengthen our core competencies and our position in the transformation to a fully electric car company.”
The partnership will focus on developing tailor-made batteries that give Volvo drivers what they want, such as range and quick charging times. Volvo Cars is working with Northvolt to create a true end-to-end system for batteries, whereby it develops and builds the batteries itself. This deep vertical integration is important since the battery represents the largest individual cost component in an electric car, as well as a major part of the carbon footprint.
“Volvo Cars is an excellent partner on the road towards building up a supply of battery cells that are made in Europe with a very low carbon footprint, and that are optimized through vehicle integration to get the best performance out of the next generation EVs,” said Peter Carlsson, chief executive for Northvolt.
As for their joint battery plant, Volvo Cars and Northvolt are in the final phase of a selection process to find a suitable location in Europe. The plant will have a potential annual capacity of up to 50 gigawatt hours (GWh), which would supply batteries for approximately half a million cars per year. It will start construction in 2023, with large scale production in 2026, and is expected to employ up to 3,000 people.
Alongside battery supply agreements, the partnership with Northvolt secures the European battery cell needs that are part of Volvo Cars’ ambitious electrification plans. It aims to sell 50 per cent pure electric cars by the middle of this decade, and by 2030 it aims to sell only fully electric cars.
The partnership with Northvolt is key to Volvo Cars’ ambition to become a leader in the premium electric car segment and sell only pure electric vehicles by 2030. It also represents an important step in strengthening Volvo Cars’ own development capabilities.
SOURCE: Volvo Cars


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The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and New York Attorney General Letitia James filed a lawsuit against MoneyGram in federal court, alleging the money remittance company has failed to fulfill the compliance obligations placed upon it in previous enforcement actions.
The CFPB and NYAG filed the lawsuit Thursday in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, after the two sides apparently failed to reach a settlement regarding allegations that MoneyGram held up money transfers unnecessarily; failed to implement clear policies and procedures for resolving disputes; and for failing to ensure compliance with a federal money-transferring law.
“MoneyGram spent years failing its customers and failing to follow the law, ignoring customer complaints and government warnings in the process,” said CFPB Director Rohit Chopra in a press release. “MoneyGram’s long pattern of misconduct must be halted.”
“Consumers deserve to know where their money went. Companies have an obligation to be transparent with consumers, treat them fairly, and follow the law, but MoneyGram repeatedly failed to do so,” James said in a press release. “Today we are suing MoneyGram to correct their unlawful practices and prevent them from further harming consumers. New Yorkers can trust that my office will always protect them from unscrupulous companies.”
Compliance takeaways: In November 2012, MoneyGram agreed to forfeit $100 million and enter a deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) with the Department of Justice (DOJ) for processing thousands of transactions for its own agents known to be engaging in a widespread money laundering scheme that defrauded tens of thousands of people out of at least $100 million.
In 2014 and 2016, the CFPB conducted supervisory examinations of MoneyGram and found that the company’s “weak and inadequate compliance management system failed to prevent, timely detect, or promptly correct violations of the Remittance Rule;” committed various violations of the Remittance Rule; and committed unfair acts or practices in violation of federal money transferring law “in connection with their failure to promptly release remittance transfers that had been cleared by their internal screening processes,” the complaint said. The CFPB listed 12 matters requiring attention (MRAs) that needed to be addressed.
A follow-up examination in 2019 concluded that MoneyGram’s “compliance program remained seriously deficient, that they had failed to satisfy eight of the twelve outstanding MRAs, and that they had failed to demonstrate that they employed a reasonable process to promptly release remittance transfers that had been cleared by internal screening processes, resulting in a risk of harm to consumers.”
The CFPB found that MoneyGram had continually violated the Remittance Rule, starting in 2013 and as recently as earlier this year. The company allegedly did not properly investigate notices of error within the 90-day time period laid out in the rule; and closed investigations with incomplete information or due to factors not central to the facts of the complaint, like if it was filed by the customer in a certain time frame. Even if the company did properly conduct an investigation, it often did not properly notify the customer as required by the rule, nor refund the fee, also as required.
The company’s policies and procedures were not clear enough for employees to understand when a complaint regarding an error was covered by the Remittance Rule, which triggered the rule’s error-resolution requirements, the complaint said. The company also failed to comply with the rule’s documentation and recordkeeping provisions.
In 2018, the DOJ extended the 2012 DPA for an additional 30 months, and MoneyGram agreed to pay an additional $125 million because of “significant weaknesses” the agency identified in the company’s anti-money laundering (AML) program. In May 2021, the company announced the DOJ concluded it had fulfilled its obligations under the DPA, including the approval of enhancements to its AML program by a compliance monitor.
MoneyGram responds: In a statement, the company said negotiations with the CFPB and NYAG broke down due to “increasingly unjustifiable and unprecedented demands.”
“The Bureau and NYAG know that MoneyGram has invested heavily in compliance to build a best-in-class compliance program with record-low anti-fraud numbers designed to protect consumers against harm,” MoneyGram said. “We have spent considerable time attempting to educate the CFPB about the company’s robust and effective compliance efforts and the weakness of its case, including the complete absence of any consumer harm.”
“Ultimately, MoneyGram refused to be strong-armed into an unfair settlement,” the company said. “The company is fully prepared to vigorously defend itself and expose the meritless nature of today’s complaint in court.”
In February, MoneyGram alerted investors it expected to pay approximately $15.8 million to resolve investigations by the CFPB and New York State Department of Financial Services. MoneyGram settled with the NYDFS in March for $8.25 million.
Editor’s note: An original version of this story stated MoneyGram expected to pay approximately $15.8 million to resolve investigations by the CFPB and NYAG. The story was updated April 26 to change NYAG to NYDFS.


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Netflix said a lot about its future this past couple of weeks, debuting new kinds of programming, its biggest-ever hit and a new minder of its ever-so-complicated bottom line.
The changes come just ahead of new streaming-video competition from Apple, Disney, Walmart and WarnerMedia. Netflix will have to evolve quickly to stay ahead of those deep-pocketed future competitors. All the recent news suggests just how the world's biggest streamer hopes to do that:
"Bird Box" Flies High
"Bird Box," an unconventional horror film whose tremendous cast is led by Oscar winner Sandra Bullock, did so well that for once, Netflix actually talked about how many people watched.
In the week after the movie's Dec. 21 streaming debut, 45 million subscribers, nearly a third of Netflix's 137 million total base, watched the movie. That's an astonishing number, one of the best debuts of any kind of entertainment title in 2018, and the best in Netflix history.
For comparison, the previously most-watched Netflix original feature debuted during the previous holiday season, sci-fi buddy-cop movie Bright, starring Will Smith and Joel Edgerton and directed by David Ayer. That film, whose sequel has been ordered, was viewed by 11 million people in its first three days, Netflix said then.
It's impossible to know how many people viewed Bird Box through each Netflix subscription, but it almost certainly averaged more than one person per account. If that average viewer multiple was even 2 people per account, that would translate, at the $9 average price for a U.S. movie ticket, to an opening week "box office" of around $810 million.
Admittedly, it's not a clean comparison in any way, but the biggest 2018 theatrical release, Avengers: Infinity War, grossed $338 million in its first week, and went on to gross more than $2 billion worldwide. The year's best opening weekend has to be the $750 million gathered in by video game Red Dead Redemption 2, from Rockstar Games.
Like those blockbusters, Bird Box has enjoyed genuine cultural crossover, even fueling an ill-advised Internet meme, the Bird Box Challenge, where participants perform various tasks while blindfolded. This new way for bored teens to injure or extinguish themselves spurred a cautionary Netflix tweet from what has become a cultural phenomenon.
Maybe Theatrical Runs Matter After All
Unlike Bright, Bird Box actually received a brief theatrical run before its online debut, part of Netflix's modest Awards Season accommodation for its contenders, including Alfonso Cuaron's Roma and the Coen Bros.'The Ballad of Buster Scruggs.
As I wrote previously, theatrical distribution of the three films marked the first time Netflix has modified its usual simultaneous release of films online and in a few theaters. The strategy shift was an attempt to placate Hollywood heavy hitters with legitimate Oscar ambitions, grab additional media buzz and awards credibility, all while not straying too far from its usual approach. (Update: It paid off for Roma and Cuaron with Golden Globe wins for best director and best foreign film; under inexplicable Globes rules, it wasn't eligible for best picture. That won't be an issue in the Oscar voting)
A genre film such as Bird Box wouldn't seem to be in the same class as Roma and Buster Scruggs, but Danish-born Susanna Bier is very much a star director on the level of Cuaron and the Coens. She already has directed one Oscar winner (In a Better World) and another Oscar nominee (After the Wedding), and won an Emmy directing the sublime limited-run series The Night Manager.
That makes Bier just the kind of international talent Netflix must keep attracting as it builds projects that can play well oversea, where most of its future growth will come from.
So, perhaps Netflix has a new formula for breakout projects: prominent cast + top director possibly from another country + genre-mixing story line + extra buzz from semi-traditional theatrical release = Big Hit. Bright had many of those factors, with Smith and Ayer's participation, but Bird Box hit it out of the park.
Bandersnatching A New Kind Of Movie/Game/E-commerce/Experience
This holiday season, Netflix also debuted Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, the first feature-length episode of its acclaimed science-fiction anthology series. What really made Bandersnatch different, however, was its interactive component.
Depending on a viewer's choices, they might see any of five main endings to the show. As with Bird Box, the project generated much crossover conversation, and more than a few grumpy reviews.
Interactive entertainments have been around in gaming for decades. But Bandersnatch's interactive component for perhaps the first time offered viewers of a big, name-brand TV franchise the chance to steer their story's unfolding.
That almost certainly will lead to further, perhaps more critically acclaimed productions, while also providing all kinds of useful data to help shape what shows Netflix makes next.
Perhaps Bandersnatch's success also will attract to Netflix more video-game creators, who have mastered how to write and tell complex, branching tales in franchises such as Bioware's Mass Effect, Knights of the Old Republic and Dragon Age series.
But Bandersnatch is more than just a blurring of games and TV. Such interactive adventures could easily become a new revenue source, too, through super-powered product placement and e-commerce.
With interactivity comes a new slew of data, and the ability to layer in products, product information and ways to buy. You can bet Amazon is figuring out how to ties its billions of dollars worth of programming into its vast e-commerce operation. And just maybe so are Disney, Apple, WarnerMedia and Walmart.
Bye Bye, In-App Purchases
Speaking of Apple, Netflix is joining a small but notable group of prominent online companies saving money by no longer allowing subscription transactions through their programs on the App Store and Google's Android Store.
Netflix may save as much as $500 million this year in Apple fees by ending its in-app subscription payments, SensorTower estimated. It's also getting out of Android Store payments.
I haven't seen estimates for fees saved on the Android side, but they were enough that another big app, hit video game Fortnite, opted to forgo the Android Store completely when it initially launched on that platform in August, instead signing a short-term exclusive distribution deal with Samsung's store.
Netflix is one of the relatively few big sites that can afford to dodge the Apple and Android fees, but it certainly won't be the last, as more companies move to reclaim as much revenue as they can from aggregators.
Hello, Mr. Moneybags
All of which brings us to the Netflix announcement this week that it hired Spencer Neumann as its new Chief Financial Officer. Neumann had been CFO at gaming giant Activision Blizzard since 2017. Activision didn't take kindly to the poaching, filing notice before he departed that it planned to fire Neumann for violating contract provisions.
But no matter. Neumann brings useful background as Netflix tries to diversify its revenue, make a profit in a bear market, and reduce its reliance on junk bonds to finance its vast content spending.
At Activision, Neumann would have seen how the dynamic game business is pushing into esports, virtual and augmented reality, merchandise, live events and more (see Bandersnatch, above). And in his previous role, as CFO and EVP of Global Guest Experience for Disney's theme park unit, Neumann would have seen the machine behind the Disney magic that extracts more dollars from its superfans.
Netflix also needs to extend the fan experience, to generate more money and build closer relationships with its best subscribers. It won't be easy. Neumann will be overseeing company finances amid a stock market considerably less enamored of tech darlings than a year ago. Netflix shares have yo-yoed wildly the past year, from a low of $206 per share to a high of $423. It closed Friday at $297.57.
Neumann has plenty of challenges, but at least Netflix isn't standing pat., as this past couple of weeks shows.


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While Huawei remains shut out of the US smartphone industry, the company is seeking to bring in revenue through new methods. On Tuesday, Huawei announced its intention to begin charging companies like Samsung and Apple royalties for access and use of its 5G-related patents.
Huawei called the upcoming fees "reasonable," pledging to negotiate with both Samsung and Apple while capping per phone royalties at $2.50, a lower rate than competitors like Qualcomm and Nokia. According to Bloomberg, the company expects to bring in between $1.2 and 1.3 billion in total fees from 2019 to 2021, though not exclusively for its 5G patents.
The firm is also collecting from companies outside the smartphone world, including smart car manufacturers. As the owner of the world's largest collection of 5G patents, it was only a matter of time before Huawei began leveraging them for additional revenue.
The move comes days after Huawei was named among the five Chinese telecom companies labeled a "threat to national security" by acting FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel, as reported by Reuters. Huawei has been on the US's Entity List since 2019.