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Given that I work in the technology field I thought this article from a recent travle mole newsletter was very interesting...
Fontainebleau announces first (almost) paperless hotel
When it opens this fall, the famous Fontainebleau Resort’s $1 billion makeover will include what it is calling the first paperless hotel room -- with one exception.
With an Apple iFB system, guests at the famed Miami hotel that has deteriorated in recent years are given a personalized introduction screen with their names and the weather and other information. From there, they can access local information, dining and entertainment options, recreation and relaxation suggestions and, of course, the Internet.
This new in-room computer system allows for Fontainebleau to cut back on half a million newspapers every year, according to the company.
One paper product remains, however. That is what you usually find in the bathrooms.
The new technology will debut later this year at the grand re-opening of the Fontainebleau Miami Beach and in the forthcoming Fontainebleau Las Vegas, a $2.9 billion, 63-story destination resort and entertainment complex set for opening in 2009. Report by David Wilkening


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Pizza chain Dominos said it was looking to step up its share buy back programme after it increased its profits by a third in the year to January 2.
The AIM listed company saw pretax profits rise by 34.9 per cent to £8.8 million from £6.5 million in 2003.
The firm has already bought 800,000 shares at a cost £1.6 million.
Chief executive Stephen Hemsley said: "We are going to continue to return cash to shareholders through share buy back. I would think it would be bigger than 2004."
The company's strong performance was spearheaded by a growth in the size of the firm, which opened 40 new delivery stores during the year to take its total to 357.
The increased number of stores meant the company had a bigger advertising budget to spend on campaigns like its long running link up with The Simpsons.
Chairman Colin Halpern said: "For us here at Domino's Pizza in the UK and Ireland, bigger seems to present us with more opportunities to get better at what we do.
"As our store numbers grow, so do our systemwide sales. In 2004, total sales from all stores reached a record-setting £174.3 million, a £32 million increase over 2003."
Mr Halpern said the company would continue its expansion drive and was ultimately targeting 1,000 stores.
He said: "As the number of stores increases, the associated costs per store are reduced. For example, consider our National Advertising Fund (NAF) which finances our marketing campaigns and is made up of contributions from all stores.
"The NAF provides for the continuation of our very successful relationship withThe Simpsons on Sky One as well as all of our TV advertisements and campaigns in support of new product developments.
"In 2004 our NAF grew to £ 7 million, up from £5.7 million in 2003."
Mr Halpern added that demand for pizzas was likely to rise as people enjoyed watching videos and DVDs at home.
He said: "Demand for home-delivered pizza is following suit as people seek to enjoy more time in their homes.
"A quick look at the growth in our e-commerce business is clear evidence that more people are logging on, ordering a pizza and sitting down at home to enjoy as much leisure time there as possible."
The company said it was increasing its dividend by 50 per cent from 3.5p per share to 5.25p.

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Effective April 14th, Android phones from Samsung, Sony, HTC and LG (there’s no Motorola in that list) Sold in India, will come bundled with a Reliance 3G connection with 1 GB of free data for the first six months.
But these devices will work on networks of all other mobile operators and consumers will have the option to switch to other operators.
Industry experts estimate that more than 200,000 such phones will be sold in India over the next two years and that RCom will be able to retain two-thirds of these customers on a long-term basis.
“RCom would be able to retain more than a fair share of these customers on its network,” said Prashant Singhal, Partner at Ernst & Young Global’s Indian affiliate. “The intangible brand benefits from such an exclusive tie-up will exceed the monetary benefits in the two years.”


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Main Street’s Crust Bakeshop To Expand into Neighboring Storefront—to offer wine, cheese, and more, as North Main Provisions.
Alexis Kelleher and her partner, Nate Rossi – former sous chef at Armsby Abbey – plan to expand into the storefront next to Crust to open a wine and cheese shop. Crust was wildly popular before it even opened in 2014. Food lovers waited for the highly anticipated shop to open its doors and expectations were met with its grab-and-go model of freshly baked breads, pastries, Armeno coffees, farmstead cheeses, and breakfast sandwiches.
In February 2018, Ms. Kelleher approached Mass Foodies days after signing a lease with even more exciting news for Crust fans: a 2018 expansion. Two months in, construction has recently taken the attention of passersby and North Main Provisions is starting to take shape. “With everything that’s been happening in Worcester, combined with an opportunity to take over the neighboring space next door it felt like the right time to expand. Nate and I are passionate about food, in general, but we are really excited to share our love of wine, cheese, and bread with the people of Worcester,” Ms. Kelleher explained. The new storefront will allow for more seating at Crust and will also offer a greater array of products.
The expansion is expected to be completed by the spring and open by the in the next month or two. Crust has also been asked to exhibit at the upcoming Worcester Wine Festival where they will be presenting tastings of the exciting new offerings.


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We are living in a time our ancestors would scarcely recognize. We have an abundance of choices in every aspect of our lives. Whether it’s making purchases for our dairy operation, buying a new vehicle, or deciding on what kind of clothing we want to wear, the list of choices is endless. How this abundance is produced and made available to everyone, however, tends to be a mystery to the consumer.
Since only about 2% of the population are farmers, 98% of people in America don’t have first-hand experience of where and how agricultural goods are produced. This means today’s farmers have a tremendous opportunity to provide positive education to the rest of the population. In news articles, blogs, social media posts, etc., we already see how many businesses within the agricultural sector are opening their doors to their customers and consumers. More so than ever, dairy farmers are giving tours and are happy to provide some insight into how they produce what ends up on the dinner table.
MoDak Dairy near Goodwin reopened its doors to the public on
Saturday, June 12, a return of a nearly annual tradition at the dairy to hold open houses.
Photo taken June 12, 2021. (Michelle Rook / Agweek)
Still, however, it takes a collective group to make a positive impact in providing education. With enough farmers willing to put themselves out there, both online and in-person, Mitch Breunig of Mystic Valley Dairy, is a good example of this external outreach. His twitter (@mysticvalley) and the plethora of articles outlining his advocacy work showcase the kind of content necessary to integrate the public with the agricultural work.
With excellent information comes misinformation. As a group of people who devote their lives to agriculture, it is important to diminish the falsehoods spread about production agriculture and amplify the truths.
Prairie Estates Genetics
Agweek: June Dairy Month farm tours resume in South Dakota
Written By: Michelle Rook | 5:30 am, Jun. 21, 2021


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News tagged ‘U.S.’
According to what Apple CEO Tim Cook told German retail employees last week, in April, the long-awaited Apple Watch will hit the store shelves not only in the USA, but in a number of other countries. Looks like the guys from Cupertino are currently planning to make the wearable device available for purchase in as many countries as possible and as soon as possible. The smartwatch is expected to hit the U.S. stores in the first week of April. In the second half of the month, the sales of the device may start in Germany and several other countries.
As you probably know, earlier this year Apple CEO Tim Cook said that the long-anticipated Apple Watch will hit the store shelves in April. Up to this day, this was the only more or less exact timing.
Today, however, a new rumor appeared on the Internet, which suggests that the wearable device may hit the store shelves between April 6th and April 10th. The guys from Cupertino are expected to begin shipping the smartwatches to distribution points across the United States of America in the very first days of the month, so the official release may take place in the first full week of April.
According to the latest report from Reuters, the Chinese government has recently removed Apple and several other U.S. tech giants from the list of approved vendors for state purchases. Such a step looks quite strange, especially after Apple has been several times accused of spying on users on demand of the Chinese government.
As you probably know, the guys from Cupertino are expected to release their long-anticipated Apple Watch in April. There will be several different versions of the wearable device, namely, Apple Watch, Apple Watch Sport and Apple Watch Edition. Each model will boast of several health-tracking sensors and its own unique design. While the first two modifications of the smartwatch will be relatively cheap and affordable for most U.S., European and Asian customers, the analysts believe that the gold Apple Watch will bring most of the income to Apple. Even though the prices for the device are expected to start at about $4000.
According to the information that was made public ahead of the White House Summit on Cybersecurity at Stanford University, the U.S. government may soon make Apple Pay available for the owners of federal-payment cards. The big event may take place in September. These cards include Social Security cards as well as those issued to veterans getting financial support from the state. The official U.S. government acknowledgement will become a massive step forward for Apple, which can help the company lure lots of new customers not only from the USA, but also from other countries. Moreover, this acknowledgement proves that the NFC-based payments system ensures a high level of security for customers, banks and other partners of the company.
Apple once again proved that it is one of largest companies in the world. In fact, yesterday the tech giant from Cupertino managed to reach the market capitalization of incredible $710.736 billion. This allowed Apple to grab the title of the first $700 billion company in the United States of America. Below you may take a look at the chart showing more details on Apple’s achievement.
According to the latest report from people familiar with the matter, Apple has begun training its retail employees in the USA and the U.K. ahead of the launch of the long-awaited Apple Watch. The stores staff has reportedly begun getting acquainted with the new wearable device, its specs and features. Retail employees should be aware of every particular detail of the smartwatch in order to be able to sell it and help those customers who encounter problems connected with the gadget.
As you probably know, Apple is expected to announce its financial results in the first fiscal quarter of 2015 on Tuesday, January 27th. Today, a new report has been released by the Financial Times reporters, which suggests that the guys from Cupertino may have sold more iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus units in China than in the USA in the last quarter. This happened for the first time in the history of the company. Still, it should be noted that the report is based on the analysts' estimates and rumors, that is why I suggest that you should take it with a few pinches of salt.
It is Sunday today, that's why I've made up a list of the most interesting posts of the last seven days. This week was full of events worth your attention, so make sure you check out all of them.
According to the latest report released by a research firm Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP), Apple managed to get 50% of the smartphone sales in the USA in the calendar quarter ending in December. In other words, half of the handsets sold on the territory of the United States over the last few months are Apple's iPhones.
According to the latest report from a news agency Beijing News, Apple has agreed to allow China's government officials to perform security audits on those company's gadgets that are sold in the country. The officials have fear that the iPhones, iPads and other devices are used for surveillance by the governments of other countries and want to protect the Chinese customers.
Earlier today, Apple was granted a patent for an eye-tracking technology, which can help users control the whole interface of a computer, laptop or smartphone. This technology will reportedly be used in the next generations of Apple's iPhones, iPads, Macs and even Apple TVs. The technology described in the document is unique as it allows users not to lose control of a cursor while working with a device. That is the key point of Apple's most recent patent.
According to the latest patent application published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Apple is currently working on a technology, which will allow to turn the iPhone home button into a small joystick for gaming. The home button with Touch ID will continue performing its usual functions, however, a simple push will change it into a useful thing for gamers.
Apple on Tuesday was granted a patent for a smart pen capable of capturing handwritten text and drawings and turning them into digital notes or images to be displayed on the screen of a smartphone or tablet. Apple’s rights for the technology described in a document entitled “Communicating stylus” were granted by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The patent has a registration number 8,922,530.
According to the latest report from the analyst Gene Munster of Piper Jaffray, the demand for Apple’s iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus remains high and even continues to grow, even though Apple suppliers have significantly improved the number of handsets available for the purchase. Munster’s report is based on the survey conducted by the analyst among 1.004 U.S. customers planning to buy a new smartphone in the next few months.


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Apple is well-known for incorporating the latest technology in several of its products. When it comes to major changes, the corporation prefers to take its time and implement them gradually over time. This has both positive and negative implications. Users don't always feel lost or desire to update every year. However, they do not receive the most up-to-date technology that other firms include in their goods.
Reportedly, Apple is occasionally chastised for not offering as much RAM in its handsets as Android makers. That's correct, the iPhone from Apple's Cupertino headquarters doesn't have a lot of RAM. Many naysayers, however, overlook the fact that iOS is not as memory-hungry as Android. In reality, when it comes to mobile performance, the iPhone is a solid challenger. With the iPhone 14 Lined up, Apple can finally give its phone owners a RAM boost.
Allegedly all the iPhone 14 series will have 6gb ram— Anthony (@TheGalox_) June 2, 2022
14 | 14 Max: LPDDR4X
14 Pro | 14 Pro Max: LPDDR5
The iPhone 14 Pro series will also have 256gb base storage pic.twitter.com/8GU42NGEof
Apple may employ 6GB of RAM across the whole iPhone 14 series, according to the report. For comparison, the ordinary iPhone 13 models feature 4GB (LPDDR4X), but the iPhone 13 Pro versions have 6GB (LPDDR4X). If the claim is correct, all iPhone 14 versions will come with more memory. It's worth mentioning, though, that future Pro versions may use a more power-efficient form of RAM (LPDDR5) than standard iPhone 14 models, which will use LPDDR4X.
With the A15 Bionic CPU from the iPhone 13 reported to be included in the ordinary iPhone 14 models, the RAM jump is a pleasant change.
Finally, the sources showed that the iPhone 14 Pro will be the only device to receive the majority (if not all) of the big modifications. The standard iPhone 14 is shaping out to be the iPhone 13s in this scenario. Although Phone 14 isn't expected to be released until September, anticipation is already building. Apple hasn't acknowledged the existence of its upcoming smartphone, but rumors of an iPhone 14 and a "complete makeover" are circulating online.


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The biggest Black Friday annual sale attracts shoppers around the world. Europe is no exception, since many European stores join the grand campaign. During this period, there are huge queues for the most popular goods, crowds of people who want to get a credit card gather in banks even before opening, and fights may occur at cash desks. That’s why sales in online stores have become so popular. You can buy anything you want online at any convenient time without queuing. What is Joom, is one of the largest online stores in the world at the moment.
Many people begin to prepare for the event in advance wondering about the upcoming campaign, which involves major Chinese hypermarkets. Even today many customers are already clarifying when Black Friday 2019 will be held on Joom. Such attention is connected with the tremendous success of the last sale. Electronics manufacturers offered 40-50 percent discounts, even higher were the discounts on smart watches and other smart gadgets. As for accessories, household goods, and cosmetics, the discounts exceeded 75 percent. As a result, Black Friday on Joom has become one of the most profitable days for Chinese sellers. The global sale has caused unprecedented interest, allowing significant savings on the most popular goods.
Black Friday 2019 on Joom: forecasts for buyers
Every year there are more and more people who prefer online shopping. Joom has already entered the list of the most popular online hypermarkets – over the 2 years of its existence, the number of the application users has increased several times. Many products can be bought only here – we are talking about vintage accessories, souvenirs, gifts, and household goods. The e-commerce platform has some undoubted advantages that attract users:
- The catalog includes products with descriptions in English and prices in the buyer’s currency (you can configure the function in 1 click).
- All products are always available as the last Black Friday has already proven – Black Friday 2019 is predicted to create a real boom.
- Real, not fake discounts. You can follow the price change on the official Joom website or by adding the product to your favorites.
- Free delivery of all packages. This concerns not only Europe but the whole world. Such policies make purchasing even more profitable, since there are no overpayments for delivery.
Future Black Friday on Joom (which falls on November 29, 2019) is already being actively discussed on the net. There are a number of resources that constantly monitor the pricing of stores participating in Black Friday. Here you can evaluate the rating of a particular online store, find out how many days are left before the official sale and compare prices on Joom and other Asian e-commerce platforms.
What will be the conditions of the future grand sale? Today, it is too early to make a forecast, but we can sum up the most interesting offers: the use of coupons, “hour discounts” and the hottest offers in popular Joom sections. Perhaps Black Friday 2019 on Joom will be based on the experience of other Chinese hypermarkets. Thus, Aliexpress buyers could play exciting games, and the received coins could be exchanged for bonuses. Interest in this event is still preserved, and real customer reviews with photos on Joom confirm that the cheapest products of the highest quality can be bought on extremely reasonable terms on the day of the grand sale.


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Car vending machine that's an industry eye-opener
Winning project: Car Vending Machine
Award Tier: SG Mark Gold
WHEN Autobahn Motors' general manager Gary Hong visited Toys 'R' Us with his son a few years ago and saw a display case for Matchbox cars, he was struck with an idea for his own business. That led to the world's largest "vending machine" for cars at the family-owned used car dealership's showroom at Jalan Kilang in Bukit Merah, which opened in December 2016.
With a capacity to hold 60 cars, the building dispenses luxury automobiles, including Ferraris and Porsches and Minis. The S$3 million-facility enabled Autobahn to showcase its cars in an eye-catching manner while scrimping on space. The company had moved to its new location from its previous showroom at Bukit Timah Road, which it had occupied since the business started almost 30 years ago. Mr Hong credits good design for the new showroom's effectiveness in drawing customers, estimating that sales have gone up about 30 per cent since.
"Design has enhanced our ability to present the selling of used cars in an innovative way with the touch of buttons," he said. Customers use a touchscreen on the ground floor to select a car which is brought to them within minutes. "I am always a fan of innovation and creativity. Take the new Changi Airport Terminal 4, which makes the travelling experience exciting right from when you check in." He said that being conferred the SG Mark Gold has endorsed the firm's efforts to bring some innovation and creativity to the car industry here. "It has set a benchmark in design as well as set a new standard in the way we sell cars."
He added: "I would encourage other companies to participate in the SGMark, as I believe there are many good creators, innovators and designers out there."


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Lead Photo: A home décor store is one of the latest to come to Bell Tower Shops. Photo by Sammsara Luxury Modern Home from Pexels
Bell Tower Shops off U.S. 41 in south Fort Myers has four new tenants that recently opened or are coming soon. The newcomers are Art the Wall, a home décor store that opened this week; Matinique Bakery Café, an upscale, gourmet bakery and unique eatery coming this summer to Center Court; Subtle and Chic Boutique, a distinctive women’s clothier coming in August; and Three Dog Bakery, a treat shop for dogs coming in early September. Bell Tower is continuing the expansion to its tenant lineup that started earlier this year with the additions of Burntwood Tavern, Stogie Pairing cigar lounge, Artsemble Underground and CycleBar.


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The discussion about sustainability in packaging has been picking up some steam over the past several years, but took a necessary backseat during the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19). This break was necessary and actually ended up shedding some light on several aspects of packaging manufacturing that affect overall business success. These affect not only the packaging industry itself, but also the food and beverage industry, which accounts for the biggest chunk of the packaging market.
One of the lessons learned during the pandemic was that plastics, once demonized with images of water bottles and grocery bags floating in oceans and rivers around the world, turned out to be a good ally in the fight against the spread of the virus, with businesses employing single-use cups, straws, masks, grocery bags and other articles to keep the virus from spreading through contact.
The natural consequence was that experts in a variety of industries started to really think about how to resolve the problem of reducing the amount of plastics in landfills. The entire packaging industry has placed a spotlight on end-of-life (EOL) for all packaging materials to showcase how packaging can help keep the planet green.
The reality is that packaging helps to determine how most food and beverage manufacturers differentiate themselves from their competition. Many products are identified and referred to by their packaging. Some packaging is so distinctive that companies can go without a logo or label. The shape and color of this type of packaging can be seen and recognized from a mile away. This kind of branding is critical to sales growth, as there are a number of consumers who rely on a certain type of product packaging. Many purchases are driven by the way a product is packaged. The packaging can change the customer’s experience entirely, transforming it from simply purchasing a product to undergoing a cultural experience. Consumers will quickly indicate to a manufacturer if the packaging is a winner or a loser.
What exactly is sustainable packaging?
This is a question that can have a thousand different answers depending on who is providing the answer.
Over the last several years, climate change has been front and center as a global concern. Sustainability in business has also become a global issue, and customers are demanding that companies address it. One of the major components of sustainability, when it comes to protecting the environment, is waste generated from the packaging of food, beverage and consumer products. Packaging featuring a reduced environmental impact is now becoming a consumer priority. Consumers are now forcing manufacturers to use sustainable packaging materials and it’s reflected in their spending habits.
To provide a definition of exactly what sustainable packaging means, let’s look at the accepted 5Rs rule as described in the diagram below.
Although some in sustainability might have different views, especially around their ideal concepts for sustainability, the fact of the matter is that applying any or a combination of these R's will certainly improve the sustainability of any given packaging.
The concept that has possibly been employed the most so far is “Reduce,” as companies have made incredible efforts to reduce the weight for all packaging formats. The bottom line is that anything that truly minimizes the overall carbon footprint, including addressing the EOL cycle, should be welcome.
Potential impacts on food manufacturers
The evolving types and composition of packaging for food products have major implications for the entire manufacturing supply chain, starting with phasing out the products that do not have sustainable packaging and changing product numbering. This phasing out needs to be managed carefully as it could have serious cost and profit implications up and down the supply chain and throughout the business.
Another often overlooked aspect is the compatibility of new packaging formats/designs with the existing packaging machinery. Therefore, manufacturers should conduct an in-depth analysis and eventually a trial run before scaling up to full production. This analysis should include primary packaging, secondary packaging and end-of-line, as well as set-up and change over.
Click here to learn more about food manufacturers and sustainable packaging strategy:
At the end of the day, one of the most important roles packaging plays is to protect the product inside. As manufacturers transition to sustainable packaging, the entire business will be impacted, starting with product development. As new food products are designed, developed and created, the new package, beginning with materials, components and shape, could impact the food product in the package. This could drive the composition of food items, ingredients and ultimately alter the taste of the food, which could impact the product’s market appeal.
One area that could completely change as new packaging evolves to meet sustainability goals is procurement. As new materials for packaging are introduced, previously used suppliers might not be able, for whatever reason, to make the new packaging. This will impact the entire purchasing process from product cost to the entire relationship between supplier and manufacturer.
New materials and components might significantly impact the packaging machinery in terms of operational parameters and could adversely impact overall equipment effectiveness (OEE).
As products are re-engineered and new products are introduced, manufacturing will have to adapt to a variety of changes. There might be a need for modification of production lines or even the need to purchase new pieces of a line or equipment. The change to packaging and equipment could impact the timing of changeovers and setups, which ultimately could impact manufacturing efficiencies, throughput and the delivery of on-time orders.
Supply chain and sales and marketing
The trend toward sustainable packaging will also affect the supply chain. Products that remain in distribution will be in new packaging even if the look is the same. There will have to be a new SKU assigned to the newly packaged product. This will require a phasing out of the old product. Sales and marketing will have to research the new packaging’s impact on sales. Since this transition is being made to accommodate a packing change rather than a product recall, companies should sell all the products in the older packaging to minimize cost losses.
Because e-commerce continues to grow throughout the food and beverage sectors, distribution channels need to be considered as they pose new challenges to the industry. Some of the most prominent companies have already developed a set of complete specifications involving packaging as a result of several lessons learned over the years. Following these specs won't totally prevent failures, but it should be a good starting point.
IT and systems
New product changes will impact most IT systems. Master data records, bills of materials and product routings might all be impacted. Data that exists for the old products will need to be archived and data for the new products will need to be added and managed.
Adapting to changing consumer buying habits
Packaging changes made to adapt to sustainable practices could have a serious impact on the market. Consumer-buying habits may change based on this new packaging. Manufacturers need to ensure all areas of the business are prepared for this change, especially in the areas of processes and systems. This will not be a one-time occurrence. As the sustainable revolution grows and packaging technology evolves, manufacturers will have to continuously adapt to the changes.
A trend to be observed and monitored throughout the year is some circular initiatives that have been initiated around the globe. These circular initiatives could have a profound impact. So far, several major retailers and brand owners in Europe and North America have launched projects to primarily test the waters.
The drive toward sustainability provides an opportunity for food and beverage manufacturers to take a good look at all areas of their business from the products they produce and sell to the systems and processes used in their operations. It can be an opportunity to implement a sales and operations planning process (if one is not already in place) to optimize the supply chain and manage this ongoing change to a new mix of SKUs to adapt to the packaging changes. This past year should be proof that change is the only constant in food and beverage manufacturing and that more change is likely on the way. Sustainable packaging is just one of the many on the horizon.


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After the close last night, Costco (COST 210.09, +0.19, +0.09%) issued December comparable sales results which once again looked quite solid, with core sales (which exclude more volatile gasoline sales and FX impacts) up 7.0%, beating the 6.4% expectation. However, so far the stock is trading moderately lower today following a 10% jump in shares over the past few weeks.
The run up in the stock
ahead of the comps report may have taken some of vigor out of the positive
news. Its comparable sales growth did slip a bit from last month. This was possibly related to November being an
exceptionally strong month (core +10.1%) with an earlier Thanksgiving.
Outside of the very impressive November results, COST's December comparable sales growth is generally in-line with its recent performance. For instance, in October, COST reported core comps of +6.6%, following +6.2% in September and +8.0% in August. The average of these three months is +6.9%, virtually matching COST's December number.
Furthermore, COST continues to outpace its competitors by a considerable margin. Before the open today, Target (TGT) reported November/December comps of +5.7%, driven by strong store traffic. While solid, that still lags behind COST. Furthermore, when Wal-Mart issued its Q3 earnings on November 15, it reported that Sam's Club -- perhaps COST's closest competitor -- experienced comp growth of 3.2%. Lastly, BJ Wholesale's (BJ) Q3 comps were up 1.9% in Q3. By comparison, COST's comparable sales were up a much more robust 8.8% in its last quarter.
Drilling down more on its December sales results, traffic was up 5.6% on both a U.S. and worldwide basis, with the average transaction up 0.5% for the month. Its e-commerce channel had another strong showing, jumping by 13.6%. This was a considerable cool-off compared to the +46.1% mark seen in November. Again, the earlier Thanksgiving this year provided a significant positive impact in terms of yr/yr growth for November.
In terms of product categories, food and sundries were a standout, up mid-to-high single digits, led by candy and tobacco. Another strong category was softlines, also up mid-to-high single digits, with apparel and housewares seeing solid growth.
All in all, it was a good report from COST. As its next earnings report approaches (confirmed for March 7), the key question is whether it has reigned in merchandising costs. As some may recall, in 1Q19 (reported December 13), higher merchandising costs pressured its margins as gross margin slid by 50 basis points to 10.7%. Investors homed in on this, along with a modest top-line miss, driving shares sharply lower in the several days that followed its earnings report.


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Spending on connected health monitoring devices in the U.S. will reach $845 million based on the forecast of the Consumer Technology Association, convening the annual 2021 CES this week in a virtual format. CTA unveiled the 2021 key trends we’ll see presented this week through the online exhibition hall and in educational sessions on the CES.Tech platform. Six major themes emerge at #CES2021: digital health, robotics and drones, 5G connectivity, vehicle technology, smart cities, and over all — digital transformation. All of these have applications in health and health care, especially accelerated in need by the COVID-19 pandemic which has
The Suicide Rate in America Increased by 40% between 2000 and 2017. Blue Collar Workers Were Much More At Risk.
The rate of suicide in the U.S. rose from 12.9 per 100,000 population to 18.0 between 2000 and 2017, a 40% increase. Those workers most at-risk for suiciding were men working in construction and mining, maintenance, arts/design/entertainment/sports/media, farming and fishing, and transportation. For women, working in construction and mining, protective service, transportation, healthcare (support and practice), the arts and entertainment, and personal care put them at higher risk of suicide. The latest report from the CDC on Suicide Rates by Industry and Occupation provides a current analysis of the National Violent Death Reporting System which collects data from 32 states,
There’s less talk about Bitcoin and cryptocurrency at #CES2020. The most important currency under discussion is Trust. We have begun a consumer electronics migration from the past decade of the Internet of Things to this next decade of the Intelligence of Things. The different “I’s” signal the transition from devices that have connected to the Internet and generated data from our everyday lives, to the next ten years of gathering that data, mashing it up for meaning, and feeding back intelligence to users in the form of advising, coaching, nudging — with potentially powerful feedback loops for health, wellness and
Next week, the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) will convene CES, the Consumer Electronics Show, where over 180,000 tech-minded people from around the world will convene to kick the tires on new TVs, games, smart home devices, 5G connections, 3-D printing, drones, and to be sure, digital health innovations. At #CES2020, exhibitors in the health/care ecosystem will go well beyond wearable devices for tracking steps and heart rate. I’ll be meeting with wearable tech innovators along with consumer electronics companies and retailers. I’ve also scheduled get-togethers with pharma and life science folks, health plan people, and execs from consumer health companies.
While 75 million people in the U.S. have a smart speaker at home, only 1 in 13 Americans have used a voice assistant like Alexa or Google Assistant for health care. But over one-half of consumers would like to access a voice assistant for some aspect of their health care, according to a study from Orbita and Voicebot, Voice Assistant Consumer Adoption in Healthcare. The study polled 1,004 U.S. adults 18 and over in September 2019. In 2019, few health care providers have adopted voice assistants into their workflows. The report calls out one big barrier to early adoption especially
Social, mobile, analytics and the cloud now underpin the health care industry. We’ve been SMAC’ed, and Accenture’s Digital Health Tech Vision 2019 believes we’re in a post-digital era ripe with opportunity. Five trends comprise the Vision: DARQ Power, the acronym for Distributed ledger technology, Artificial intelligence (AI), extended Reality, and Quantum computing. Adopting these applications can help health care reduce costs, drive labor efficiency and support people-centered design and experience. Get to Know Me is the use of technology to develop and deepen relationships with people. As an example of this trend, Accenture points to Mindstrong which leverages AI and
“The Fourth Industrial Age,” Dr. Abraham Verghese writes, “has great potential to help, but also to harm, to exaggerate the profound gap that already exists between those who have much and those who have less each passing year.” Dr. Verghese asserts this in his forward to Deep Medicine, Dr. Eric Topol’s latest work which explores the promise of artificial intelligence (AI), Big Data, and robotics — three legs of the Fourth Industrial Age stool. [If you don’t know the work of Dr. Verghese, and since you’re reading the Health Populi blog, you must get to know Dr. V now. Your
What industry compels its “consumers” to wait longer and travel further for services more than any other in a person’s daily life? That would be health care, a report from Altarum notes. People travel further and wait longer for medical services than for veterinary care (second in this line-up), auto repair, banking, and household services. The annual opportunity cost for travel and wait time in health care is $89 billion, Altarum estimated. For the average person, that translates to 34 minutes of travel time and 11 minutes waiting time at the provider’s office. In terms of personal opportunity costs, Altarum gauged the
Health begins at home. I found evidence for that, beyond my own N of 1 understanding, in a research article published in the UK in 2000 by Lyn Harrison and Frances Heywood. Lyn and Frances tested three assumptions that they believed linked housing and health: that housing contributes to health; that housing is not routinely included in health or social planning;’ and that the potential contribution of primary care is wasted. Their conclusion: that the housing-health link was not receiving the recognition that connection needs. Nearly two decades later, that housing-health link still isn’t universally embraced by health care stakeholders. But
If I’m going to spend a week someplace, it usually has to be Italy. So next week in Las Vegas, I’ll deal with that bias by staying at the Venetian Hotel for the entire week to cover all-things-health at CES 2019, the annual convening of electronics retailers and enthusiasts. Most of the 180,000+ folks come to Vegas from over 150 countries to kick the proverbial tires on TVs, autos, games, virtual reality, 3-D printing, drones, and other shiny new things. For me, for the past eight years, CES means consumer-facing health in a person’s hands, on her phone, and increasingly
In our Amazon-Primed world, the future of retail is not ten years from now; it’s “tomorrow.” So GMDC, the association of retailers and brands who supply them, has formed a program called Retail Tomorrow to turbocharge the supply side with consumers who are already demanding convenience, immediate (or “soon”) gratification, and health where she/he “is.” That’s personalization, and that’s where retail health can and is making a difference in Everyday Peoples’ lives. In our DIY culture, we’re pumping our own petrol, making our own airline and hospitality reservations (from Expedia to Airbnb), trading stocks online, and cooking at home enabled by
Design-thinking has come to health/care, finally, and Amy Cueva has been beating this drum for a very long time. I’m delighted to be in her collegial circle, speaking at the conference about the evolving healthcare consumer who’s financially strapped, stressed-out, and Amazon Primed for customer service. I’m blogging live while attending HXD 2018 in Cambridge, MA, the health/care design conference convened by Mad*Pow, 26th and 27th June 2018. Today was Day 1 and I want to recap my learnings and share with you. Amy, Founder and Chief Experience Office of Mad*Pow, kicked off the conference with context-setting and inspiration. Design
Connecting Life’s Dots, the organization Living in Digital Times partners with CES to deliver conference content during the show. At CES 2018, LIDT is connecting a lot of dots to help make health streamline into daily living. Robin Raskin, founder, kicked off LIDT’s press conference setting the context for how technology is changing lifestyles. Her Holy Grail is to help make tech fun for everybody, inclusive for everybody, and loved by everybody, she enthused. LIDT has been a presence at CES for many years, conceiving the contest the Last Gadget Standing, hosting tech-fashion shows with robots, and supporting a young innovators
More consumers are seeking health-making opportunities everywhere, both within and outside of traditional healthcare touch-points. That includes peoples’ consumption of beer. We learned from the Edelman Health Engagement Barometer that consumers seek to engage for health beyond healthcare organizations – namely, hospitals, providers, over-the-counter medicines, pharma and insurance. What was perhaps the most surprising industry segment consumers called on for personal health engagement was brewing and alcohol. Fully 8 in 10 consumers expect brewing and spirits companies to engage in health. The bar chart shows this finding, arraying beer and liquor producers on par with retail and consumer technology, along


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November 15 (SeeNews) - Alaska Airlines flew on Monday the first ever commercial flight using cellulosic renewable jet fuel, made by Gevo Inc (NASDAQ:GEVO), from Seattle to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
The US biofuels maker produced the renewable alcohol to jet fuel (ATJ) using sugars derived from forest residuals and supplied by The Northwest Advanced Renewables Alliance (NARA). Alaska Airlines also flew two commercial flights in June on Gevo ATJ derived from isobutanol using sustainable corn as the sugar source.
Last week Gevo also said that gasoline blended with the company’s isobutanol for use in automobiles is now available in the Houston area, with Musket Corp as its distribution partner. “This marks the first time that our isobutanol has been specifically targeted towards on-road vehicles,” said Gevo CEO Patrick Gruber.
The company makes isobutanol at its Luverne Plant in Minnesota. It expects to produce about 500,000 gallons (1.9 million litres) in the current year. ATJ sales and the Musket partnership are in line with Gevo’s efforts to develop markets for its products.


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Well, Halo was here since the beginning and it’s my favorite game from both Xbox and Xbox 360. So, naturally, when I heard this news I was really pumped. It appears that Microsoft has registered a couple of new Halo domains ahead of this month’s E3 expo.
We all know that Microsoft will be releasing a new Halo TV series on the Xbox One, series that will be directed by Steven Spielberg, so this could be the name of the new series. Also, we can take in consideration that this may be a new game for the next-gen consoles. Sincerely, both sound great for me.
The registered domains are as follows:


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Montgomery Distribution, a member of the Palletways network, has invested in a 135,000-square-foot state-of-the-art logistics hub in Preston.
To ensure an unparalleled customer experience and maintain the highest service standards, the newly acquired site is currently undergoing an impressive £3.4 million refurbishment. This substantial investment reaffirms Montgomery Distribution's dedication to provide cutting-edge solutions and meeting the evolving demands of its clients.
It will transform the logistics hub into a state-of-the-art facility with the latest technologies and optimised infrastructure, bolstering Montgomery Distribution's operational efficiency and strengthen its overall offering to the industry.
The news comes just two years after Montgomery Distribution ploughed more than £1 million to relocate to a new depot in Rugby which featured sufficient storage for more than 5,000 pallets along with the acquisition of 25 Scania Vehicles and 23 latest generation forklift trucks across its regional depots in Belfast, Leeds, Preston and Rugby.
Steven McBride, managing director at Montgomery Distribution, said “This recent development marks a significant milestone in Montgomery Transport Group's commitment to enhance its presence and capabilities within the logistics and supply chain industry.
“By expanding our footprint with this strategic acquisition, we have reinforced the business to help us better serve our existing and new customers. The new logistics hub's increased capacity and advanced capabilities will enable us to handle streamline our processes and handle larger volumes for our customers.”
Warwick Trimble, network director for Palletways UK, added: “This is a remarkable investment which will help Montgomery Distribution build on their already-impressive record for delivering a first-class service for their customers.”


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Dear p2pb2b traders! We are glad to announce that the 2nd season of Referral Games has come to an end! Thank you all for the participation, it was a tough battle.
P2PB2B news Posts
Global payments in cryptocurrency are getting more real. Xeonbit has created a private digital currency that can be used for secure payments online and it is now available for trading on p2pb2b.
Every business requires professionals in order to keep the work done on the highest possible level. However, not all potential candidates are always honest about their skills thus companies risk to hire inexperienced staff. Skillchain has created a network that will help to solve the problem.
The third project listed on p2pb2b has announced its AirDrop on our exchange. Garuda team has dropped 500.000 GAD tokens today!
The question of global waste management has become one of the top priority problems that modern society pays attention to. Swachhcoin company has implemented the blockchain technology in order to solve the issue and its coin was just listed on p2pb2b.
p2pb2b already has over 90 coins listed but we are not even planning to stop. Another project has recently joined our trading platform and now users can buy, sell, and trade BAK token which is a part of Bacon Chain.
Another project is holding AirDrop on p2pb2b exchange. INFLIV has just allocated 200.000 IFV tokens for the program. The rules are simple. Only p2pb2b users with confirmed passed KYC procedures can participate.
Dear p2pb2b traders! We have great news about one of the projects that has recently joined our platform. GOLDFund is holding a termless Airdrop on p2pb2b today and provides 20 million GFUN tokens.
The technologies open up people a whole new world of opportunities and are bringing us closer to the future. Based on the following concept, Ultrain Technology Limited has created an ecosystem that will positively affect all aspects of business life.
The implementation of Artificial Intelligence is getting broader. Endor is using this technology in a prediction model for business. The token of the platform just got listed on p2pb2b. Endor is an AI-based platform that can answer any predictive business questions.


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Around the world, Fashion Week is generally known for being a showcase of waifish, uniformly homogenous-looking models parading down the runway. Even as new voices push for change it can sometimes seem like fresh perspectives on what it means to be beautiful can get lost in the mix. Fortunately that wasn’t the case during Los Angeles Fashion Week last year.
When dancer and model Dexter Mayfield stepped onto the runway during male underwear brand Marco Marco’s fashion show last year, he managed to capture the attention of everybody in the room in addition to making the internet take notice. Holding his own in a hooded turquoise and black mesh number paired with high-heeled boots wasn’t enough for the showstopping plus-size model.
As Mayfield finally reached the end of the runway he showed the versatility of the piece by playfully unzipping it. After that he graced the audience with a little twerk and then proceeded to skip gracefully down the runway. In that moment Mayfield managed to not only entertain the Los Angeles Fashion Week audience but show them what real confidence looks like. Needless to say, Mayfield’s display of boldness ended up being the runway walk that was heard around the world.
Part of the significance of Dexter’s video is that it brought something back that the fashion world is sorely missing: pomp and circumstance. Years ago, when many of the world’s most famous models were beginning their careers, it was not taboo for a model to set themselves apart with their runway performance. This was the era that birthed Naomi Campbell’s famous way of gliding down the world’s runways as if she was walking on air. It was an era where supermodel Pat Cleveland’s show stopping spins and flirtatious gestures were commonplace. Dexter’s genius way of capturing our attention might be seen as a way of referencing that era of fashion. His wonderfully ostentatious way of modeling also embodied the spirit of Marco Marco’s brand, which is known for choosing showstopping male models in underwear.
His runway performance was probably one of the most shared and viewed high fashion underwear videos of 2015. The video of his runway performance garnered more than 25 million views on Facebook alone last year. According to Buzzfeed, a comedian named Sam Kalidi shared the video on Facebook after adding the song “Beautiful” by Christina Aguilera to play in the background. Kalidi also added the affirmation “be your own kind of beautiful” at the end. He posted the video with a message that thanked Dexter and encouraged viewers not to succumb to fat shaming. Kalidi’s Facebook post garnered more than four million views alone.
According to Buzzfeed, Dexter was a little intimidated by the prospect of modeling but right before going on he had a conversation with the designer behind Marco Marco and decided to go “for it.” What came next was a moment that distinguished itself among high fashion underwear videos and that threatened to break the internet.
It should be a surprise to no one that Dexter has a background in dance. How else could he skip so gracefully in high-heeled boots? His background in dance gave him experience dealing with environments that have very limited expectations of who and what people are allowed to be. Despite that, Dexter seemed to be able to step into a certain headspace and push past the limits of how people think a model should look.
Dexter’s Fashion Week moment was even more important given the fact that male plus size models are so rarely included in conversations about expanding mainstream fashion’s definition of beauty. According to Details Magazine, Dexter’s runway moment may have been a first for plus-sized male models. The magazine wrote that Dexter’s viral runway walk was the “closest any plus-size model has come to modeling at a major fashion show.” Dexter’s moment could end up being groundbreaking start of making sure that men of size are more visible in the fashion industry. Hopefully this moment shows other designers that plus size male models are more than capable of modeling a wide range of clothes and that consumers are interested in seeing them do so. Dexter may also lead the way in getting the fashion industry to put more plus-size men in underwear.
Dexter was one among a number of male models in underwear to walk the runway during last year’s Los Angeles Fashion Week. A number of handsome men in underwear graced the catwalk including adult entertainer Boomer Bank and Men’s Health cover star Aydian Dowley, according to Out.com. Other luminaries who walked during the show included RuPaul’s Drag Race stars Raja, Alyssa Edwards, Detox and Sharon Needles. Brendan Jordan also walked during the show. If Jordan’s name doesn’t ring a bell, readers may remember him as the effervescent boy who stole the show during a local news broadcast. During the fashion show, Brendan modeled a black, turquoise and magenta number while wearing an expertly applied full face of makeup. Models like Brendan Jordan and Dexter Mayfield made last year’s fashion show one of the many highlights of LA Fashion Week.


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DETROIT (AP) — Toyota unveiled a new hybrid concept car that is smaller than the Prius and geared toward younger buyers, as part of the Japanese automaker’s strategy to expand its lineup of hybrid and alternative-fuel vehicles.
Toyota showed off the FT-CH compact car at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit on Monday. The company also confirmed plans to badge future hybrids with the Prius name, expanding the Prius brand into an entire family of hybrid vehicles.
A production version of the FT-CH could be sold under the Prius name, Toyota said.
“The strategy is still taking shape and obviously it will require additional models to qualify as a family,” said Jim Lentz, president of Toyota Motor Sales USA, a division of Toyota Motor Corp.
Toyota said the FT-CH is 22 inches shorter than the Prius and is lighter and more fuel efficient than the existing hybrid. The car was designed to appeal to younger buyers and was inspired by the retro style of early 8-bit video games popular during the 1980s, the company said.
Toyota said the car — which, as a concept vehicle, has no official timeline for going on sale to the public — underscores the automaker’s strategy to sell a wider variety of hybrids, battery-electric and fuel-cell vehicles over the next several years. Hybrids run alternately on batteries and gasoline.
Toyota said it plans to sell 1 million hybrids per year globally in the early part of this decade by launching eight new hybrids over the next few years. It also plans to offer plug-in hybrids and all-electric cars starting in model-year 2012 and hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles in 2015 in its global markets.
Toyota recently launched a global demonstration program of its plug-in hybrid technology involving 600 Prius plug-ins. Starting early this year, Toyota is sending 150 plug-in Priuses powered with lithium-ion batteries — in contrast to the bulkier nickel-metal hydride batteries that currently power hybrids — to the U.S. for testing and demonstration.


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Earlier on Bloomberg TV, Rob Enderle had this to say about the hype surrounding Apple's iPad:
Nothing can live up to this hype – even if it was made out of fairy wings and ran on pixie dust it wouldn't make it.
The tech analyst -- who has made a name with his consistent pessimism towards Apple products -- claims that the new gadget "is a good offering; it's not a perfect offering." Enderle also predicts that Apple will have to slash prices in order to meet their own sales expectation... despite the seemingly high demand that has caused a shortage in iPads.
Watch the interview below:


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Virtual live auctions of animals can still be held through the livestock mart system, an agricultural software development company has said.
Irish company “Livestock Live” says it is working with the Department of Agriculture on virtual auctions in a number of marts throughout the State, and piloted a test auction last week in Carnaross, Co. Meath.
Under the system, nicknamed “Moober”, farmers and buyers can participate in remote online bidding and video streaming of animals for sale, using technology developed for mobile phone and personal computer.
Livestock Live chief executive Brendan Hannigan says it had been testing its technology over the past couple of years, and the technology is well suited to comply with Covid-19 restrictions.
All livestock marts have been closed for over a week, but Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed said today that his department planned to issue guidance to marts on “a very limited range of essential services that comply with Government guidelines and do not require people to assemble”.
“These include measures to facilitate calf sales and the weighing of livestock, and online or brokerage services, and are subject to the approval of standard operating procedures by my department,” Mr Creed said.
Mr Hannigan said his company would be offering “a range of options to marts to put in place these protocols for the department”.
“We believe that our existing mart partners have the technology in place, and most major marts could be in a position to offer on line virtual auctions with the coming weeks,” he said.
His company has proposed three separate options to keep marts trading under the procedures.
Bidding will “mostly be based on estimated weights”, the company says, but stresses it has “full audit functionality for online bids to ensure transparency and accuracy”.
Livestock Live currently supplies three livestock marts - Gortatlea in Co. Kerry, Carnaross in Co. Meath and Manorhamilton in Co. Leitrim - but says it is willing to set up systems in co-operatively owned marts over the next month.
More than 1.5 million cattle and two million sheep are sold at marts every year, and April and May are normally the busiest two months of the year for cattle.


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It has been revealed that in an effort to help promote Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z, Tecmo Koei is going to be bringing some unique promotional entertainment to those who are attending PAX Prime. There will be special Yaiba food trucks placed outside of the PAX Prime venue which is at 2nd Avenue and Pike Street between 11 AM to 2 PM on August 30th and 31st.
All food will be spiced with “Yaiba’s own hot sauce” and players will also have a chance to attend a “midnight zombie movie night” that will be hosted by Dead Ninjaz After Dark. The event is a double feature where the “Miami Connection” and “Zombie vs. Ninja” movies will be shown and attendees can take part at the bar or take photos with the well-known cosplayer Jessica Nigri.
Anyone who attends the event must be 21 or over to attend and will receive gift bags that will include Yaiba branded hot sauce and a special limited edition print by comic book artist Corey Lewis. The event itself will take place between 9 PM to 1:30 AM at The Big Picture, 2505 1st Avenue.


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A variety of Christmas tree outposts are selling a wide array of Christmas decorum in the area. All Seasons, a local landscaping company, has set up shop on Stacy Road between Whataburger and the Village at Allen.
“We sell Christmas trees, firewood, light-up yard art and all of the accessories associated with that kind of stuff,” manager Mike Smith said.
Currently more than half of Americans use faux-Christmas trees, and, facing stiff competitions from their fake friends, there is always a chance that All-Seasons will have to rely on their other products to make a profit this year as more people make the switch from the realistic to the reproductions.
To combat the surge of fake trees, an organization called the Christmas Tree Checkoff Task Force was created. The program, which was approved by the Department of Agriculture, if established, would require growers and importers of Christmas trees to pay a 15-cent “assessment fee” for each tree sold. The money raised would be pooled together to create a marketing campaign for the failing live Christmas tree market. The program was inspired by previously successful “checkoff” programs for beef (“It’s what’s for dinner”), pork (“The other white meat”), and milk (with its famous “Got Milk?” campaign).
Support for the program has been generally positive throughout the Christmas tree industry, with support from groups such as the National Christmas Tree Association and the Pacific Northwest Christmas Tree Association, but not from industry group Texas Christmas Tree Growers Association, which primarily consists of small rural growers that would not receive the benefits of such a campaign.
However, the plan is on hiatus until next Christmas, as it is in the midst of controversy, with some concerned citizens believing the program is another federal scheme to raise funds for the cash-strapped government. Even Texas Attorney General Greg Abbot chimed in with his tweet on November 9: “Obama=Scrooge. Obama has a new Christmas Tree Tax.”
However, this is not the case.
Defenders of the president say that the program, which would not increase federal revenues, was a levy that the Christmas tree industry itself wanted and had planned long before Obama had even become president.
“What’s being talked about here is an industry group deciding to impose fees on itself to fund a promotional campaign, and there are many success stories in every sector of the industry (milk, beef, pork, etc.),” Agriculture Department spokesman Justin DeJong said.
Whether the program is implemented or not, people in the Lucas-Fairview area already have their reasons for picking the type of tree they do.
“Normally we buy a real tree but since it’s cold, my dad builds fires, which kills the tree,” Sanders said. “We buy artificial ones now; it’s not as fun but still does a nice job.”
Sophomore Jordan Kirkpatrick likes the hassle-free mentality of her family’s fake Christmas tree.
“It’s just a lot easier to pack and my family is typically lazy,” she said.
However, despite faux-trees’ surge in popularity, there are some real-tree devotees.
“They smell better,” junior Abbey Ingram said.
She says issues concerning many fake-tree purchasers such as cleanup do not concern her. For Ingram, a so-called “tax” would not make much of a difference in her purchasing decision.
“A real tree makes a real Christmas,” Ingram said.


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Gary Smith named ACOMMS 2021 Communications Ambassador
Telecommunications icon, Mr. Gary Smith, has won Australia’s top communications industry award; awarded the title of Communications Ambassador 2021 at this year’s ACOMM Awards.
The winners of the prestigious Communications Alliance Awards 2021 were announced tonight at the 15th Annual ACOMM Awards Dinner in Sydney. The opening speech of the evening was given by Paul Fletcher, Federal Minister of Communications, Urban Infrastructures, Cities and the Arts.
The individual category awards were won by a selection of Australian service providers, made up of a mix of long-established players and new faces.
During a rich career spanning more than three decades in the industry, Gary Smith has made leading contributions to regulatory programs and frameworks that support industry performance and good results for customers.
Gary has led the industry through his positions on several boards, reference panels and working groups. From his time at AUSTEL, helping to define the industry framework for deregulation, to his 25 years at Optus and his roles on the TIO Board of Directors, the TIO Board and the Communications Alliance Board , to his involvement in the development of mobile porting arrangements, content blocking and takedown processes and industry rules related to security, Gary’s wisdom and guidance has been appreciated throughout the industry.
“Gary’s contribution has been enormous. He personifies the qualities the jury looks for in a communications ambassador and has been a source of regular and invaluable advice to me, the Board of Directors of the Comms Alliance, our management team and our industry colleagues in general ” , said Communications Alliance CEO John Stanton.
“Highly respected by all stakeholders, Gary’s constructive demeanor, insight and logical approach have been instrumental in solving many of the challenges the industry has faced in its quest for continuous improvement. “
Stanton added, “The ACOMM Awards represent the pinnacle of achievement for the Australian communications industry, and I congratulate all of the ACOMMS 2021 winners and finalists,
“Excellence in innovation is a ubiquitous trait in the achievements of the ACOMM 2021 laureates.”
The 2021 ACOMM Awards winners are:
COMMUNICATIONS AMBASSADOR – Gary Smith
- Innovation – Large Company – Optus: Donate Your Data – An innovative product that empowers clients to make a significant impact on bridging the digital divide for young Australians in need by donating something that has become an essential ingredient in connecting to the world that we are surrounds: data.
- Innovation – PME – National Narrowband Network Company (NNNCo): N-Station, the Plug-and-Play Portable LoRaWAN Gateway – The new NNNCo N-Station portable gateway kit is part of NNNCo’s brand new ‘Network in a Box’ LoRaWAN, the NNN Now range. This offering can be easily and quickly deployed by industrial customers around the world to connect their devices or sensors to the Internet of Things and start unlocking new business cases by receiving valuable data within minutes!
- Supplier innovation – Ericsson: Ericsson’s 5G Leadership and Innovation in Australia – Ericsson has provided several technological innovations to help Australian carriers achieve the world’s most advanced 5G mobile and FWA networks. Ericsson has helped Telstra, Optus and NBN achieve ten world premieres, including two world records in recent years, accelerating the deployment and adoption of 5G in Australia.
- Commitment to customer service – Telstra: EME Education Campaign – Telstra’s Chief 5G Investigator – Telstra’s 5G Investigator was a content campaign designed to help customers and the wider Australian population ignore the spreading misinformation and feel more secure. comfortable with the deployment and application of 5G technology.
- Industry Services, Professional Services – (joint winners) at Domain Administration and Clayton Utz
- Au.Domain administration: new rules to ensure the trust and security of the .au domain – The auDA compliance team oversaw the implementation of a new licensing framework for the .au domain, in collaboration with the .au domain domain name industry to promote compliance and ensure the. moreover secure, accessible and trustworthy for the benefit of all Australians.
- Clayton Utz: Legal Services – We are a leading Australian law firm with a leading national telecommunications practice. Our practice has unparalleled knowledge of the industry and we are at the forefront of current industry and regulatory developments. We are working on some of the most complex, strategic and prestigious projects, many of which have redefined the telecommunications landscape in Australia.
- Best mobile solution – Soprano Design: Soprano Connect – Soprano Design, world leader in CPaaS (Communications Platform as a Service), offers Australian companies a mobile solution to communicate with all their customers’ needs. During COVID-19, this service was adapted to include contact tracing communication, hospital and patient connection, and vaccine deployment.
- Community contribution – Telstra: Supporting the nation against fires and pandemic – In 2020, Australia has gone from one large-scale crisis to another, with months of unprecedented bushfires made worse by the disruption of the pandemic. These challenges underscore the importance of connectivity for all Australians and we are proud of our compassionate and continued response. We have taken a big step forward for the nation over the past 18 months to help our customers, our people and the country in times of need.
- Australian Space Industry Award – Vocus: Business Internet-Satellite – Our Business Internet-Satellite solution, developed with NBN, enables businesses, governments and wholesalers to invest and operate more easily and at lower cost in regions and remote areas of Australia , bringing benefits to both businesses and surrounding communities, and strengthens our position as a leader in the satellite industry in Australia.
- Diversity and Inclusion – Aussie Broadband: Inclusion First Program – Aussie’s Inclusion First Program focuses on real actions rather than words on paper, so diversity and inclusion are now part of the DNA of the company. This is not a specific large project, but an absolute belief that it is the little things that have the greatest impact over time. Winning the award, Aussie Broadband CEO Phillip Britt said: “I am very honored to accept this honor on behalf of the team, because diversity and inclusion are really important to us here at. Aussie Broadband. This award is a huge recognition of all the amazing work everyone at Aussie does with our “Inclusion First” approach. I want to thank everyone on the Aussie Broadband team.
- Sustainable development – TPG Telecom: felix mobile: a planted tree – Differentiating itself from other telecommunications brands on the market, felix launched by committing to planting one tree per month for each active customer, with the aim of planting 1,000,000 trees with the help of his clients.
- Artificial intelligence – Nokia: Nokia Scene Analytics – Nokia and the City of Melbourne are using AI to enhance the city experience in Melbourne’s iconic lanes.
This first appeared in the CommsWire subscription newsletter on November 24, 2021.
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According to U.S. research and brokerage firm, Bernstein Google is reportedly going to pay $3 billion up from what it spent three years back, in 2014, $1 Billion(6500 Crores in ₹).
It a win-win situation for both the companies as Google, being by far most popular search engine on the web, Apple cannot afford to have any other default search engine. And for Google, the Apple devices account 50% of their traffic, so backing out of the deal may not be an option for it.
Apple has previously dropped Google Maps as their default navigation service with introduction iOS 6. Similarly, Youtube was also dropped as the default app several years ago. So neither Google nor Apple is willing to take chances. It is highly likely that this deal will sail through. If confirmed, this deal will account for 5% of apple operating income this year.
With apple repeatedly highlighting services section as its core business and it becoming a fortune 100 services company, we may see an Apple search engine in the near future. But for now, they have to stick together.


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LINGAYEN, PANGASINAN—Tourists outside the Ilocos region are now allowed to visit Pangasinan after the provincial government eased travel restrictions this week.
Gov. Amado Espino III issued an executive order removing the travel authority and medical certificates from the required documents when entering the province.
But Espino asked tourists to check their destinations as some local governments might still require them to present a negative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction result when traveling to a town or a city in the province.
Pangasinan began to accept tourists coming from the Ilocos region and Baguio City in September last year under the “Ridge and Reef” travel bubble with its neighboring areas.
Last month, tourism industry players in Bolinao town asked Espino to accept tourists from Central Luzon region that make up the town’s second biggest tourism market, next to Metro Manila.
Bolinao and a large part of the province are known for its natural attractions, such as beaches, rivers, caves and waterfalls.
About 150 tourism-related establishments, like resorts and restaurants, have been built around these attractions in Bolinao alone.
According to Bolinao Business Tourism Association, relaxing restrictions on tourists, especially during the peak months between March and May, would help revive the tourism industry that is struggling due to revenue losses.
Espino said the local government had recognized the decline of the local tourism industry since “resources were directed to address our health and security systems.”
In his order, Espino asked local governments to enact “reasonable regulations” to maintain a balance between local economic recovery and safety measures.
He said minimum public health standards, such as physical distancing and wearing of face masks and face shields, would still be required.
Espino said tourists must register in the online visitor portal pangasinan.tarana.ph that would regulate compliance with travel requirements when entering Pangasinan.
He said the system would remove complications when applying for a travel schedule in the province.


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11th November 2020
UK government still hasn’t produced a lorry drivers’ guide
North American retailers, acting as The North American Bangladesh Worker Safety Working Group, loudly announced a “Safer Factories Initiative” on May 15, which they claimed “includes short, medium, and long-term strategic goals for moving forward with meaningful improvements to worker safety in Bangladesh”. A month later, some of the group still claim the Initiative is a real plan – but have released no details. America’s major retailers are less certain there ever will be such a plan.
Allegedly “formed in January 2013”, the North American Bangladesh Worker Safety Working Group is formed from the American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA), Canadian Apparel Federation (CAF), National Retail Federation (NRF), Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA), United States Association of Importers of Textile and Apparel (USA-ITA).
The Safer Factories Initiative , the group claimed, “details how the goal of improving worker safety in Bangladesh cannot only be done now, but can be sustained into the future.” The group added privately at the time that those details would be available “shortly”, and spokespeople provided lengthy descriptions of what the Initiative would not do – but by mid-June those details still remained unannounced.
Some members of the group apparently still believe there really is a plan somewhere : on June 3, the AAFA offered to discuss it with an activist shareholder group. But on May 30, the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC), a not-for-profit foundation, announced it had been asked by “an alliance of retailers and brands” to convene discussions, with a retired Republican and a retired Democrat Senator serving as independent facilitators, “to develop a single, unified action plan and schedule for implementation that will achieve effective and long-lasting change for the garment industry and its workers in Bangladesh.”
The “alliance” had come from four of the North American Bangladesh Worker Safety Working Group members (USA-ITA appears no longer involved), together with some major retailers and brands: Gap, Walmart, JC Penney, Sears and Target are known to be among them. The BPC went on to say that “the alliance intends to release this plan by early July.”
The ex-Senators commissioned by the BPC are real heavyweights: George Mitchell (the Democrat) played a decisive role in the Northern Ireland peace process, and has been both Senate Majority Leader and Chairman of Disney. There is no doubt about the determination of the BPC to engineer a plan, or of the willingness of many alliance members to see safer factories.
But even members of the alliance (no more seems to have been heard of the Safety Working Group or of this mysterious Safer Factories Initiative) are managing expectations about the BPC project. “We are hopeful that … these discussions will result in a plan for long-lasting change for the garment industry in Bangladesh,” said Bill Chandler, vice-president of global corporate affairs for Gap. A Walmart spokesman said the company believed “there is a need to partner with other stakeholders to improve the standards for workers across the industry”.
No more empty claims (except from the AAFA) about months of work producing a more robust and workable plan than the wimpy Europeans. But two months after the Rana Plaza collapse, and over six months after Tazreen, American garment buyers are being depicted in public as doing no more than talking about having talks.
This is unfair to the real work Gap and Walmart have done (and the real money they have spent) to improve factories and procedures. But there is a great deal of substance in the claims about inaction, and the industry’s enemies have not been slow to exploit the American industry’s inexplicably ham-fisted mismanagement (and its trade associations’ crass and loud-mouthed public announcements) in responding to public outrage.


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Thanks to slimy for the heads up! Looks as though PodTech (Robert Scoble anyone?) sat down with Matt Jubelirer, product manager of the Zune program and got a 40 minute video out of it. The...
All the announcements from Microsoft's Windows 10 Devices event
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Channel9 has posted a great video featuring Kam Vedbrat, lead program manager on the Aero interface being developed for Windows Vista. Well worth the download for those that can spare the bandwidth. Vista will include...


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THE Fremantle Business Awards have been launched for 2019.
The Fremantle Chamber of Commerce will hold the black tie gala on Friday June 7.
Viewpoint managing director Julius Jeppe, whose business won the outstanding new business award last year, said nominating was a great opportunity.
“Our team had been working extra hours and keeping up with a rapid pace for a few months prior to the awards,” he said.
“The awards present a great opportunity to not only reward them with a red carpet event, but also meet some of the other businesses around Fremantle.”
He said seeing their name appear on three big screens and hearing themselves announced as a winner was fantastic.
“I suggest to any other companies entering or thinking of entering this year to be prepared and write a speech, regardless of whether you think your company is going to win or not,” he said.
“Its great to be called up to accept the award, not so great when you fumble through an acceptance speech.”
Since the award win last year Mr Jeppe said they have turned their focused to their own internal product development and were recently announced as one of Westpac’s 200 Businesses of Tomorrow.
Fremantle chamber chief executive Danicia Quinlan said it was an exciting time for development in Fremantle.
“As a Chamber we are so proud to have the opportunity to bring together and reward our most unique, distinctive and inventive business leaders,” she said.
“We have revamped the awards program this year to focus on the fresh approach and growth opportunities within Fremantle, and what makes Fremantle businesses truly distinct and unique.”
Fremantle businesses can nominate themselves or others on www.fremantlebusinessawards.com.au.


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Uber to acquire alcohol delivery startup Drizly for $1.1 billion
Eric Risberg / Associated Press
Uber will acquire alcohol delivery company Drizly for $ 1.1 billion, the companies said in a press release on Tuesday.
The acquisition is another foray by Uber into app delivery – the Uber Eats service rivals DoorDash and Seamless.
Drizly will eventually integrate with the company’s Uber Eats app, but it will also keep its own Drizly app as per the release.
“By adding Drizly to the Uber family, we can accelerate this journey by bringing Drizly to the Uber audience and expanding its geographic footprint to our global presence in the years to come,” said Dara Khosrowshahi, CEO of Uber, in the press release.
The acquisition is expected to be completed in the summer.
This story unfolds …


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UPDATED 8:20 AM PT – Mon. May 27, 2019
China’s Foreign Ministry says any dispute between China and the U.S. should be resolved through talks.
This comes after trade negotiations between the world’s largest economies stalled earlier this month.
President Trump has hiked tariffs to 25% on $200 billion worth of Chinese imports, and threatened to impose duties on all remaining Chinese goods sold in the U.S.
During a press conference Monday, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman criticized the U.S., while claiming Beijing’s attitude has always been consistent.
“As everyone has seen, the U.S. side, including those in high places, has been saying all sorts of things about the China-U.S. trade and economic consultations,” said China Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang. “Sometimes they say a deal will be reached shortly, sometimes they say reaching a deal will be difficult. But you can look back that during the same period, China’s attitude has always been the same. First, we have always believed that all disputes between two countries, of course, should be resolved through negotiations and consultations.”
President Trump has said the U.S. is not ready to make an agreement with China, but remains optimistic a great deal will be reached in the future.


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Earlier this week, the Bombay High Court weighed in on the legality of services offered by ride-sharing platforms like Uber Technologies and Ola (ANI Technologies). Mumbai isn’t alone. It’s a battle being fought across the country — from Delhi to Kolkata, Bengaluru to Bhopal. Along with the legality of such services, what’s being contested is surge pricing (higher fares when demand peaks).
This comes after the Centre, in October last year, issued guidelines to set a broad direction, calling the ride-sharing platforms on-demand IT-based transportation aggregators — in the process, distinguishing them from taxi operators.
It specified requirements like a certain fleet size, a 24x7 call centre, screening, monitoring and training of drivers and use of GPS.
“Regulation should focus on public interest outcomes, like consumer protection as well as competition. Regulation should not contain protectionist supply caps that close the market to new entrants...,” says an Uber India spokesperson. Yet clarity eludes and protests have surged. Not just in India.
Uber, the global cheerleader of the ride-sharing industry, is reportedly fighting over 170 legal cases, from the US to Canada, Germany to the UK, Brazil to Korea.
And depending on where you look, the issue at hand varies. It’s the Uber drivers in the US. It’s the taxi unions in Canada. In June, city mayors of at least 10 cities — from New York to Paris — came together to evolve a common framework to regulate sharing economy firms like Uber and Airbnb, the vacation rentals platform.
What’s going on here?
Is Uber a taxi operator or a technology company offering its platform to drivers? Are Uber drivers its employees or independent contractors? As the sharing economy grows on the back of technology, disrupting many industries from hotels to taxis, governments, regulators and judiciary would do well to deliberate and respond rather than seek a quick fix.
The sharing economy is here to stay. PricewaterhouseCoopers estimates that global revenues from top five sharing economy activities, including homestays and ride-sharing, could grow from $15 billion in 2014 to $335 billion in 2025. And think tanks from the US to Europe and Asia are putting out research reports backing the sector; and the European Union has openly supported it.
Led by technology, this is a fast-growing, evolving business where speed of change will always outpace regulation. The government would do well to go for regulation with a light touch, allowing for flexibility. Users would like service providers to focus on user safety, driver insurance cover and background checks. Regulators should keep customer well-being at the core, enable competition and curb monopolists — be it Uber or taxi operators.
In India, Uber and Ola drivers are already complaining that their earnings have crashed as their incentives have been slashed. Wait for new problems to show up. Here’s what they, along with consumers and regulators, could learn from other economies grappling with the Uber-led sector:
Steering Towards Safety CALIFORNIA, US
This must start in California — the heart of world’s innovation — where Uber is headquartered and launched its services first.
It was the first state to legalise and regulate ridesharing services in 2013, with the emphasis being public safety. By establishing a new category called Transportation Network Company, ride-sharing companies like Uber were mandated to obtain a licence, conduct criminal background checks on drivers, set up a driver-training programme and offer a commercial insurance policy coverage of $1 million per incident.
The regulatory framework has been evolving as new battlefronts have opened up. First, it was the protesting taxi drivers who were hurting.
A new issue about insurance coverage arose when a driver of UberX (a lower-priced service where drivers use their own private vehicles) accidentally killed a girl in California in 2013. Uber said the driver was not covered by its insurance at the time as, even though he had the Uber app open, he did not have a passenger in the car.
So technically, Uber said, he wasn’t working for the company. Since then the government has evolved an insurance policy to ensure drivers have coverage. In 2014, Uber was sued for poor background checks (not doing fingerprint identification) and charging bogus “safe ride fees”.
Now, the big battle is if its drivers are employees (as some Uber drivers are claiming) or independent contractors (as Uber claims) and whether they have the right to unionise. Classifying them as employees would considerably jack up costs, including social security, for Uber.
But as the sharing economy (often called gigs economy) grows, governments are thinking hard about it. Uber, battling class-action suits from its drivers, had recently arrived at a $100 million settlement on their employee status earlier this month, only for it to be rejected by a court last week.
It isn’t just about regulation. The new issue now in California is who will regulate Uber and other players. In 2013, the California Public Utilities Commission had set rules. But now the state is considering that drafting of rules, their implementation and enforcement should be handed over to the state transportation agency.
Green Light for Cheap Ride OTTAWA, CANADA
Uber services were launched in 2014, triggering reactions from the city’s law department, which started fining its drivers as it considered them illegal. But the Competition Bureau, an independent federal law enforcement agency, intervened, saying ride-hailing services could lead to better prices, convenience and service for people.
Taxi drivers have been at the forefront of protests. Late last year, as a video of a taxi driver threatening an Uber driver and its passenger went viral, the city government asked KPMG to submit a report.
It offered three policy routes: the city could get rid of the fixed number of licence plates but set a significant licence fee for new plates; a fee-per-trip model for Uber drivers; and monitoring taxi performance and increasing the number of taxi licences if the service is slow. This would entail investment in data analytics.
Earlier this year, amid rising protests by taxi operators, the city council sat through a marathon debating session — 18 hours over two days — amid pressure from its citizens for cheaper and more reliable services, and legalising cab-hailing apps like Uber.
The council, announcing that they are “taking the handcuffs off the taxi industry”, created a new licensing category for Uber and also brought in a sharp 40% cut in licensing fee for the traditional taxi drivers.
The council rejected the demand for installing cameras in app-based vehicles but said it would revisit the issue after a year when it had enough data on it.
Besides the mandatory $2 million in liability insurance, the council brought in other changes, including eliminating a $1.5 service fee for customers paying by debit/credit card.
It has also eliminated an $820 taxi training course for drivers. It said that the taxi operators will have exclusive rights over taxi-hailing services and access to taxi lanes. Unlike taxi operators, Uber pricing will not be regulated.
But it allowed taxi drivers to offer reduced fares when pre-arranged through an app. Vehicles cannot be more than 10 years old. The latest is that the taxi associations have launched a $200 million class action suit against the city of Ottawa for allowing Uber to operate.
Mind Your Language, Too LONDON, UK
Uber launched in London in 2012 and has been fighting a tough battle. With over 25,000 cabs under it, Uber has faced protests from black cab drivers, who claimed its services are “illegal” and “driving them out of business”.
Last year, under pressure from taxi drivers, Transport for London (TfL) sought clarity from the court if the Uber app was a taximetre and if so could be illegal. But the court ruled in Uber’s favour.
The tussle continues. Earlier this year, TfL issued a new set of guidelines to regulate the industry and curb Uber’s growth. From October it mandates that foreign private hire drivers (the sector in which Uber operates) must prove their proficiency in English by taking a costly (£200) written test (that Uber claims is tougher than the test for British citizenship).
Further, TfL mandates that any changes in Uber’s operating model, including pricing and new product, must be notified in advance, which Uber says will slow down the rollout of new features. TfL also requires that Uber run its 24x7 customer call centre in London, which will mean it cannot use its large call centre in Ireland that it started early this year.
Also, Uber says, the rule is discriminatory as a similar rule does not apply to black taxis, which use online complaint forms. And, finally, TfL demands that Uber drivers must have commercial insurance for the whole year, even for the months they may not be working. Many Uber drivers work only at a certain time of the year.
Uber which had successfully dodged some tough regulations — like a five-minute waiting period between ordering a ride and the ride starting, which was under consideration last year— is seeking a judicial review of TfL’s latest rules. Uber is garnering support from its users, sending emails to them with a link, which has a pre-drafted email to petition its case with the mayor.
Amid curbs in countries like France, Spain, Germany, the European Union Commission has backed ride-sharing apps, saying: “The sharing economy is an opportunity for consumers, entrepreneurs and businesses, provided we get it right....
We invite member states to review their regulation in the light of this guidance and stand ready to support them in this process.”
In July, China legalised ride-sharing apps, effective November, with certain policy guidelines. This was just around the time its homegrown Didi Chuxing — which claims 80% market share in China, doing 10 million rides per day — acquired Uber’s China business.
The on demand transportation industry in China is expected to touch a $200 billion valuation in the next five years. The government wants to encourage online bookings and non-cash payments for the rides.
The policy mandates that drivers of ride-sharing vehicles must have a licence with three years of driving experience and no record of violent criminal or driving offence.
The app’s user data must be stored and used on mainland China and should be kept for a minimum of two years. Cars used for rides cannot be older than eight years, cannot have more than seven seats and should not have done over 600,000 km. Local authorities have been given room for setting pricing limits.
Didi is creating a development fund that will help accelerate the integration and close partnerships between ride-sharing apps, taxi operators and drivers. However, these new rules will need to be adopted at both the provincial and municipal level for which ride-sharing companies have to apply and secure new licences.
The government will encourage private car pooling too, but will require them to install safety features like security alarms and GPS. All drivers must register with local taxi regulators. The state council also indicated that taxi franchise fees will slowly be phased out as the services move online.
The guidelines also advise companies to “not disturb the normal market order by operating at the prices below the cost of operation” and resort to deep discounting.
Freeway for All SINGAPORE
Singapore has among the world’s highest taxi-topopulation ratios. Yet, its taxi services have faced many issues.
Commuters have had problems getting taxis during peak hours, in remote areas and in bad weather. One-shift taxis coupled with their low mileage per day have meant constrained supply.
The Land Transport Authority (LTA), a statutory body under the transport ministry, tried many measures to tackle the issue, including setting taxi availability standards in 2013, and setting the per taxi minimum mileage threshold at 250 km per day.
In 2014, it tried a new taxi information system that used heat sensors and cameras to locate waiting commuters and relay it to taxi operators.
It also launched a mobile app Taxi-Taxi@SG that showed the location of waiting taxis and commuters to boost availability. Despite so many measures, it was the launch of ride-sharing apps like Uber that improved the situation.
It also offered government a chance to recalibrate its transport policy. Around 2013, drivers with Uber and Grab (the two prominent players) operated unfettered. They were not required to hold vocational licences but had to incorporate their own company to meet LTA’s regulations that disallow individuals to offer a chauffeured service.
While they were allowed to take bookings through their apps, they could not pick up passengers from the streets or taxi stands. LTA did not regulate fares and let ride-sharing platforms set it, based on distance, location and demand.
In 2014, LTA brought in a light-touch regulation. It required taxi-booking apps with at least 20 taxis to register with LTA. Pushed by taxi operators seeking a level-playing field, the government undertook a sixmonth review before issuing a policy this April, which will be effective in 2017.
So far exempted from getting vocational licences, which were mandatory for taxi operators, Uber and Grab drivers will be required to attend a 10-hour course, clear tests on regulations and passenger safety to obtain a Private Hire Car Driver’s Vocations Licence (PDVL).
Both permanent residents and work permit holders are eligible. They need to register their cars with LTA, which will also do their background and medical screening.
While LTA legalised carpooling services in 2015, it limited such rides to two a day. The minister in-charge said that innovations benefiting commuters should not be obstructed.
Based on allegations, Mahindra said it had initiated an inquiry using a top consulting firm on the process of tooling purchases in its Automotive CDMM function. Following this, it indicated violations of the Code of Conduct by Rajneesh Vashishth-Vice President AD CDMM.
Videos of Epluto scooters on fire have gone viral on social media raising concerns over the safety aspect of EVs in general. If not nipped in the bud, it can potentially undermine India's nascent electric mobility revolution.