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Genoa embraces open Wi-Fi network
For The R-C
Development of a wireless network to provide internet access throughout downtown Genoa has provided a modern amenity to the rustic town — and it also has the ability to create a richer tourism experience for people visiting Nevada’s oldest settlement.
Want to learn more about legendary mail carrier “Snowshoe” Thompson, who carried mail to and from Genoa and Placerville twice a month for 20 years in the 1800s? Or Mormon Station State Historic Park, where Thompson’s statue is located?
One day there will be an app for that, said Genoa Town Manager Philip Ritger.
The $20,000 open “mesh” network utilizes a series of nodes and signal boosters from Genoa businesses and organizations to provide blanket coverage throughout the downtown corridor. On a recent Friday afternoon, more than 200 people were logged into the network, Ritger said.
The Genoa Main Street Wi-Fi project, born in part out of the need to provide increased online payment transaction capability for vendors at the annual Candy Dance arts and crafts festival, has already provided an important connectivity link to visitors to the town. One possible evolution for the system could help visitors to Genoa learn more about the town’s rich history.
“It is a positive thing for this town and for what can happen in the future,” Ritger said. “There are plenty of opportunities to do some really dynamic walking tours of the historic district using GPS coordinates and an app-type approach to marketing the town and the historic district.”
Business owners — even those who long have had private Wi-Fi networks in place — say that providing free Internet access to tourists is a key step in the town’s evolving tourism efforts.
Nick Agosta, owner of Genoa Country Inn, said it’s impossible to run a business today without access to the Internet and Wi-Fi for customers. Agosta installed a private network when he re-opened the inn in 2010. But the Genoa open-access network helps guests stay connected as they move about town for meals or sightseeing.
“A lot of people are here for multiple-day stays, and we also have corporate accounts,” Agosta said. “Those people need to use their laptops or computers — if you are going to operate a hotel you have to have Wi-Fi for your guests. In today’s world, it’s pretty much a must and not a convenience anymore.”
For others, especially businesses with space for guests to sit and stay a spell, the open Wi-Fi network allows guests to peruse the Internet or catch up on their social media accounts – and hopefully spend a few dollars while they relax.
Lois Wray, co-owner of the Pink House since 2014, said customers that come into the establishment for food and drinks typically log on to send texts or post photos to social media accounts while they enjoy the open patio or enclosed parlor space. Like most businesses in town, the Pink House has its own secure network to safeguard credit-card transactions. But the open network allows guests to stay connected.
“Today people rely on having Internet access to their emails or for sending documents,” Wray said. “Having reliable access to the Internet is absolutely crucial to a businessperson today.
“It helps foster a better atmosphere for Genoa, and all of Genoa businesses,” she adds. “And the Candy Dance is the biggest event we have every year. Anything that makes it more reliable for the vendors is a huge plus.”
Vendors can use personal payment platforms such as Square for transactions at the Candy Dance, which is held the last full weekend in September. However, the sheer number of visitors to Genoa has the ability to overwhelm the network, Ritger said.
“A mesh network depends on the placement of the nodes and how much bandwidth can you provide,” he said. “What we provide now is more than sufficient 360-some days a year; we can support probably up to 1,000 clients. But where it becomes interesting and difficult is during the Candy Dance.”
Access to the town’s open Wi-Fi network is isolated so that only vendors can connect to it during the Candy Dance, and the network has plenty of bandwidth to support the thousands of online transactions that take place during the two-day event.
The problem, Ritger said, is that more than 30,000 people descend on Genoa for the annual faire held since 1919 — and almost every person has a smartphone that’s constantly “pinging” the network and trying to connect to it.
“The activity of that number of devices is enough to bring the system down; it can’t handle the capacity,” he said. “We are still working to try and correct or modify that, but it’s only two days out of the year.”
Genoa lacks the high-speed connectivity that comes with fiber optic cabling. The current Wi-Fi network based at the Town Hall uses a signal from Charter and is boosted throughout town using additional access points at the Genoa Volunteer Fire Station and the Pink House.
The beauty of the network, Ritger said, is that it blankets the entire downtown area. However the installation, performed by Tmak Holdings owner Tony Prestigiacomo, had to overcome issues such as various tree cover and the patchwork of various building locations in Genoa.
“We are an older town, and the system we put in is very unobtrusive,” Ritger said. “It was difficult to figure out how to project the signal and get the best coverage. Placement was difficult, but we had a great contractor who worked with us to facilitate all that.”


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| Nov 10, 2013
| 8:00 AM
The Tory Burch universe just keeps getting bigger.
On Tuesday, the New York-based designer staked her claim on the West Coast's most famous shopping street, opening her first Rodeo Drive flagship. It's her fourth store in the Los Angeles area and her...
| Nov 8, 2013
| 4:32 PM
Imagine two cars similar cars. One is a Subaru, the other is a Dodge. Which one commands a higher price? The Subaru, according to a new study from ALG. The Santa Barbara, Calif., company, a longtime calculator for used-car residual......
| Oct 21, 2013
| 6:54 PM
More than $100,000 in merchandise was stolen during a "window smash" burglary at a posh Rodeo Drive store, Beverly Hills police said Monday afternoon.
Officers responded early Monday to a burglary alarm call at Saint Laurent Paris at 469 N. Rodeo...
| Oct 24, 2013
| 7:01 AM
The renowned chef Thomas Keller talks about nouvelle cuisine as "personality cuisine" in the new documentary "Spinning Plates," which goes into the kitchens of three distinct American eateries to reveal the personalities behind the menus.
| Oct 23, 2013
| 4:04 PM
Just off Melrose Avenue at La Cienega Boulevard in Los Angeles is tree-lined Melrose Place — a quiet stretch of shops and boutiques near West Hollywood that includes some of the world's best-known fashion brands: Oscar de la Renta, Marc Jacobs and...
| Aug 14, 2013
| 6:33 PM
Bryan Ortega spent his early years on Walnut Drive in a house that is no longer there. His family’s home gave way to the Glendale (2) Freeway in the early 1960s, but before they moved, he and his older siblings made the surrounding hills their...
| Aug 26, 2013
| 3:33 PM
SEDALIA, Mo. -- A clown who provided commentary while another clown wore a mask of President Obama during a rodeo at the Missouri State Fair says he's received death threats. Tuffy Gessling said he never intended to offend anyone.
Another clown wore...
| Aug 27, 2013
| 2:57 PM
WASHINGTON -- A clown banned from the Missouri State Fair for his involvement in a skit that mocked President Obama said that he has received death threats and complained that "a lot of people have lost their ability to laugh."
"I’ve had one...
| Aug 27, 2013
| 3:47 PM
If you read a synopsis of "Ivanhoe," you might think it's filled with exciting episodes, so how could it be so excruciatingly boring for an adolescent? Then came the real torture, an assignment to read a dolorous soap opera called "Silas Marner."
| Sep 9, 2013
| 1:03 PM
Sitting at the intersection of Hollywood and high fashion, it's no wonder Rodeo Drive is one of the most fabled shopping streets in the world.
It's been immortalized in movies, books, song lyrics and on reality TV.
The thoroughfare played a supporting...
| Aug 22, 2013
| 10:48 AM
More than 1,200 people wearing white descended on Rodeo Drive with tables, chairs and lots of Champagne and cheese Wednesday night during a global flash-mob dinner called Diner en Blanc.
The Beverly Hills street was closed to traffic and instead a giant...
| Aug 23, 2013
| 11:39 AM
Marco Rubio is in a fix. Ironically, it was the tea party that the young up-and-comer exploited in his race to national stardom, and now it’s become a headache — one that he shares with the Republican Party in general.

domain: news


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Barry McCabe has released a teaser trailer to announce “Boogeyman 2”, the sequel to “Boogeyman” that was launched last year.
Boogeyman 2 is slated to be released on Steam and Oculus Store, and full Oculus Rift support has been confirmed. It will launch at $7.99 with day one launch discount.
Boogeyman 2 trailer that it will features the same core premises: you will be fending off the Boogeyman from your bed room during nightfall. The player play as a girl alone in her room, being waken up by her doll. The doll warns her of a dangerous monster, but it seems like a dream that becomes increasingly real as inhumanlylong fingernails begin to creeparound the closet door.
The doll suggest to grab a flashlight, and you did. Now you are to watch and get ready to defend against the boogeyman. And you are to survive 8 nights of terror with plenty of new surprises and distractions not found in the first title.
The Boogeyman has been re-designed to look more sinister than ever. The developer is hoping to launch it in December, but it will depend whether the game is bug free by then.
Boogeyman 2 is currently on Steam Greenlight.


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What do Jerry Garcia, Phish, and Bernie Sanders have in common? Hopes for marijuana reform, yes, but also—ice cream!
Ben Cohen, co-founder of Ben & Jerry’s, said in an interview last month that he had concocted an ice cream flavor in honor of Sanders, the presidential candidate. Cohen explained that the idea of “Bernie’s Yearning’’ was more a product of his own political beliefs than a product that will be available in stores anytime soon.
But that didn’t stop Senator Sanders from giving it a try when he visited “The View’’ on Wednesday morning and co-host Raven Symone presented him his namesake pint.
“That’s good stuff,’’ Sanders said. “This is the first time I’ve tasted it. Excellent, really good. And I’m not just saying that ‘cause it’s called ‘Bernie’s Yearning.’’’
“Bernie’s Yearning’’ is plain mint ice cream with a disc of solid chocolate covering the entire top. According to Cohen, “the disc of chocolate represents the 90 percent of wealth that’s gone to the top 10 percent over the last 10 years.’’ Cohen’s sweet-tooth solution to this disparity? Take your spoon, whack the chocolate into itty bitty pieces, and share the wealth with the minty 99% percent.


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LED industry or step photovoltaic footsteps investment excess enterprise to change the price
For the LED industry, winter has lasted for a year, but spring is still so far away. At the beginning of November, the News of the suspension of production came from Shenzhen, where LED enterprises gathered. 'National Business Daily' reporter learned that Shenzhen Haobo Optoelectronics Co. , Ltd (Hereinafter referred to as Haobo Optoelectronics) This billion-dollar LED enterprise is mired in the problem of capital chain. After several years of revelry, the sequelae of LED industry has been showing up. Some people in the industry predict that the reshuffle period of the LED industry will probably continue until the 2014, and may even repeat the mistakes of the photovoltaic industry. Nearly 60% of the profits of LED enterprises have declined. Behind Haobo Optoelectronics, a large number of LED enterprises are experiencing the pain of loss or sharp decline in profits. 'National Business Daily' reporter rough statistics found that in 42 LED related listed companies, the third quarter profit decline or loss reached 24. October 25 dragon optical 2012 three of the quarterly bulletin released the company current revenue about 41. 38 million yuan with than decreased 76. 67; The net profit loss attributable to shareholders of listed companies is about 32. 66 million yuan. On October 26, the three-quarter report of Dehao Runda's loss followed. The company's revenue in the third quarter was about 7. 5%. 2. 1 billion yuan, down 12. 23; Net profit attributable to shareholders of listed companies-RMB 8. 88 million. In October 29, LED-related enterprises that lost money in the third quarter added another Tiantong stock (600330, stock bar): The company's current revenue 2. 8. 7 billion yuan, down 19 year on year; The net profit loss attributable to shareholders of listed companies was 30. 08 million yuan. In addition to these three loss-making enterprises, 21 LED enterprises have seen their net profits decline. Among them, Shilan Wei (600460, stock bar), China Microelectronics (600360, stock bar)Zhou Ming technology (300232, stock bar)Net profit of all three companies fell by more than 80. Regarding the current situation of the LED industry, Wang Luyao, a secondary market analyst at the high-tech LED Research Institute, commented that there was a surplus of upstream investment. He Huahua, a consultant researcher at CIC, believes that the direct cause is overcapacity. This phenomenon is mainly affected by two factors: On the one hand, the economy is weak and investment and production are slowing down, while the profits of domestic LED enterprises are mostly obtained through exports; On the other hand, the phenomenon of blind follow-up in the market is serious, with products piling up at the middle and low ends and long-term scuffle lowering prices. For many LED Enterprises, the direct way to produce excess capacity is to start a price war. Recently, a reporter from National Business Daily called ganzhao Optoelectronics (300102, stock bar) Dong Mi's office and staff said that many companies were expanding their production last year and many enterprises were selling their goods, so the price of chips dropped sharply. However, she stressed that although the price dropped, the company's sales volume still rose. According to the third-quarter report of ganzhao Optoelectronics, the total profit and net profit of the current period decreased year on year, mainly due to the large decrease in chip prices compared with the same period last year, and the decrease in chip Gross profit margin. Huacan optoelectronic board secret office also said that the company's sales volume has increased, but the price has dropped by a large margin. He Huahua believes that the current LED market has the characteristics of disorderly development, insufficient demand and concentrated products in the middle and low end, which are exactly the same as the photovoltaic industry. If LED enterprises do not see the market environment in time, very may be in and photovoltaic industry. Deadlock. Guo Xiuze, secretary general of Guangdong lighting appliance association, predicted that the LED industry will continue to be shuffled until the middle of 2014.


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Mike Brewer typically focusses on the world of classic cars but on this week’s Car Dealer Podcast he shared his views on Tesla and what he makes of its latest valuation.
The Wheeler Dealers host joined James Baggott and Rebecca Chaplin for the round up of the week and commented on how a medium sized company like Tesla could be worth more Toyota.
He said: ‘Tesla is a small to medium sized company but their stock value is worth more than Toyota. It’s ridiculous.
‘That’s just because of these fantastical stories. Cybertruck, what happened to that? The Semi – whatever happened to that? Have you ever seen one?
‘The share prices went through the roof again when he announced it but they don’t come back down.’
The news came out during the week that the Hertz deal wasn’t a signed agreement when Musk tweeted about this, and its value dropped again below £1tn.
‘This story has raised the share price and guess what, it’s not coming back down again. It sort of stays up where it is,’ said Brewer.
You can listen to the show in full on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and more, or by clicking on the player above.
This weekend, Brewer will be selling five of his personal car collection at the Classic Car Show and talked to the Car Dealer team about what he predicts they’ll sell for at the auction.
He explained he was selling them because he doesn’t get to use them anymore and that he needed to practice what he preaches.
‘I just don’t get to use them, I have too many cars. I shout and preach to people that if you’ve got a classic car, use it,’ he said. ‘They don’t like to be sat around doing nothing.’
Each week on the Car Dealer Podcast an industry guest judges who has picked the best news stories of the week. To find out more about the stories that featured this time you can click below.
- Strong demand in used car sector drives 19th consecutive month of price growth
- Wheeler Dealer Mike Brewer selling five of his own classics as he looks to ‘consolidate’ collection
- Burglar found hiding in car dealership toilet after causing thousands of pounds of damage breaking in
- Tesla’s share price takes a hit amidst confusion over landmark Hertz deal
- Scottish car salesman turned pro wrestler to go head-to-head with former WWE superstar
- Tesla boss Elon Musk insists that landmark Hertz deal is yet to be completed
- #B4B21: Bangers4Ben cars make £15,350 at auction taking total to more than £35,000 raised so far
If you’d like to appear as a judge on the Car Dealer Podcast then drop us a message using the contact form on the About Us page.


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Marissa Mayer says Yahoo should have bought Netflix or Hulu, not Tumblr, during her tenure as CEO.
“We thought about a transformative acquisition and bought Tumblr,” Mayer said an interview with Tech Brew. “At the same time, we’ve also been thinking about whether it’s possible to buy Hulu or, ironically, Netflix. And I think Netflix had $4 billion at the time and Hulu had $1.3 billion. And in hindsight, both would have been a better purchase.”


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Online video chat with girls no credit card or signing up No email required hook up chat rooms
Bloggers poured over the data, estimating that of the 5.5 million female profiles on the site, as few as 12,000 were real women — allegations that Ashley Madison denied. Bots are infiltrating just about every dating service.A whopping 59 percent of all online traffic — not just dating sites — is generated by bots, according to the tech analyst firm, Are You a Human. Spammers are using them to lure victims on Tinder, according to multiple studies by Symantec, the computer security firm.For AFF, bots are a cop out, though the appeal of building them is obvious enough to Conru."If I wanted to boost our revenue and move to the Cayman Islands, we could probably double our revenue simply by using bots," he says."They're not the only ones using fake profiles," says Marc Lesnick, organizer of i Date, the industry's largest trade show. in mechanical engineering design from Stanford, Conru is among the smartest and most respected people in the online dating business."It's definitely pervasive."have to to be careful of what I say," Andrew Conru, the founder and owner of Adult Friend Finder, tells me one morning in his corner office high above San Jose. Since he launched AFF in 1995, he's turned the site into a swinger-friendly empire that's discreetly mainstream — boasting over 30 million members who pay a month to find "sex hookups, online sex friends or hot fuck friends." But while Conru has enough millions to retire several times over, he's giving a rare interview to blow the whistle on the widespread use of sexbots in the business.A leaked file of sample dialogue includes lines such as: "Is anyone home lol, I'd enjoy an interesting cyber chat, are you up to it?" and "I might be a bit shy at first, wait til you get to know me, wink wink :)".
The company countersued Silva, alleging that she absconded with confidential "work product and training materials," and posted pictures of her on a jet ski to suggest she wasn't so injured after all.When he saw an ad for the dating site Ashley Madison, which boasted 36 million members and the tagline, "Life is short, have an affair," he decided to check it out. Everyday, he received more of these come-ons — until he finally said, "Fuck it." "I'm like, ' Hey, all these women want to talk with me,'" he recalls. As anyone who's dated online knows, this is not entirely unusual. "I just figured they're not interested anymore," Russell says."' Let me go ahead and put in my credit card information.'"Russell paid 0 for 1,000 credits, which he could spend on sending replies or virtual gifts. After a few months of rejection, he didn't bother to log back on Ashley Madison again."It's been a cat and mouse game for 20 years."And it's not a game he always wins.
The company suffered a massive hack that exposed the profiles of an estimated 3.5 million members — which generated international headlines by revealing high-profile kink-seekers on Capitol Hill, in Hollywood and higher education.
Last July, he found out that he wasn't the only one getting the silent treatment.


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DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--LTK (formerly rewardStyle and LIKEtoKNOW.it), pioneer of the creator economy and the largest global influencer marketing platform, today announced a round of funding that values the Dallas-based company at $2 billion.
“Ten years ago, we began with a mission to make creators, like myself, as economically successful as possible,” said Amber Venz Box, Co-founder and President of LTK. “This investment further validates the current and future opportunities for creators around the world when they put their skills to use on the LTK platform.”
LTK has been profitable for many years with strong topline growth spurred by the demand for LTK’s creator-guided shopping experiences as consumers further adopted online shopping. In the last year, consumers purchased more than $3 billion in fashion, beauty, fitness, home and lifestyle products from LTK creators, including sales generated through LTK Creator Shops™, the LTK shopping platform, blogs and social media.
“We believe there is a paradigm shift in the way consumers shop, which has highlighted the tremendous role creators play in guiding the online retail experience,” said Lydia Jett, Managing Partner at SoftBank Investment Advisers. “LTK has built a seamless shopping platform that now reaches millions of monthly shoppers in more than 100 countries. We are thrilled to be partnering with Amber Venz Box, Baxter Box and the team to support LTK’s long-standing advocacy of global creators as they continue to scale.”
The investment by SoftBank Vision Fund 2 will be used to expedite growth initiatives. The company plans to aggressively hire across the entire organization to dramatically accelerate growth of its three-sided technology platform with new products for creators, brands and shoppers and to scale its international presence.
“SoftBank Vision Fund 2 shares our vision and amplifies our ambition, and I am proud to welcome them to LTK as we build the future of the creator economy,” said Baxter Box, Co-founder and CEO of LTK.
Upon the closing of the transaction, Angela Du, Investment Director at SoftBank Investment Advisers, will join the company’s board of directors, which includes the founders, as well as directors from Maverick Ventures and Bonanza Capital.
Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC served as financial advisor and Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz served as legal counsel to LTK.
About LTK (formerly rewardStyle & LIKEtoKNOW.it)
LTK is the largest global influencer marketing platform. Founded in 2011 by Amber Venz Box and Baxter Box, the company’s mission is to empower the world’s premium lifestyle creators to be as economically successful as possible. Now in its 10th year, LTK has grown to become a three-sided marketplace, serving creators, brands and shoppers. LTK is the most trusted and effective business-enablement platform for creators, powering their universal LTK Creator Shops™. More than 5,000 retailers employ the LTK Brand Platform for performance-driven campaigns, paid collaborations and content licensing, and invested more than $1 billion in influencer marketing through the LTK platform by summer 2021. Shoppers purchase more than $3 billion in products annually on the LTK platform and app. LTK is headquartered in Dallas, TX with teams in the UK, Brazil, France, Germany, Australia, China and South Korea and clients in more than 100 countries.


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Hyundai saw its Chinese sales grow by 26% in April 2013 according to results released by the Korean company. Hyundai operates its joint venture with Beijing Auto and has introduced a wide range of models over the past few months, the latest generation of Hyundai Sante Fe has proven to be a popular model since its introduction at the Beijing-Hyundai…Read More →
Jeep returning to China was one of the key topics of the Shanghai Auto Show, the iconic American brand aired their latest incarnation of the Jeep Cherokee which grabbed headlines across the Chinese automotive and mainstream media. The Cherokee is popular in China owing to it being the first vehicle to be produced in the Chinese market, VW’s Santana…Read More →
GM’s flagship brand, Cadillac, will gain a new production facility in the Pudong district of Shanghai later this year according to recent Chinese media reports.
The Chinese daily newspaper, First Financial Daily, is reporting that the new factory will be based in the Jinqiao area of Pudong, Shanghai, close to GM’s Asia-Pacific Headquarters with…Read More →
The Suzuki Authentics Concept Sedan is coming to the 2013 Shanghai Auto Show according to a press release from Suzuki. Suzuki have struggled to break their mold as a small car manufacturer in the Chinese market over the past few years, the 2005 introduction of the Suzuki Swift at the Chang’an-Suzuki joint venture has seen them perform quite well and…Read More →
According to Chinese media reports and reports from Bloomberg, GM are apparently looking to buy into struggling Chinese auto manufacturers. By 2015 GM is expected to lift its China sales by 75% to roughly 5 million units per year, and by buying a Chinese brand they will be able to increase capacity relatively easy.
Despite joining the World Trade…Read More →
January 2012 was host to the Chinese New Year which sees 1.3 billion people head home for a once per year two week (or longer) break, that translates into less sales times for car sellers during the CNY period but strong sales ahead of it. With the New Year falling in February this year, almost all car brands are recording record sales (we say almost…Read More →
Chevrolet may have a new compact low cost MPV up its sleeve for the Chinese market if these spy shots of the Chevrolet Spin are anything to go by. The Spin is a Brazilian produced car for the South American market motor and is aimed at the lower end of the market, does that sort of market fit in with China’s current Chevrolet line up at all?
Xi Jin Ping is the new boss in China and he’s grappling with corruption. Fighting corruption appears to be Xi’s main goal at the moment with many a official being sent off to prison for his misgivings, Xi has also ordered the military and government organs to cut back on the big dinners and booze spending and to remember the Party’s roots to represent…Read More →
Earlier this month and in late December there was plenty of rumors that Beijing Auto and Daimler would create a new alliance to cement ties in China and Globally, facts were thin but rumors were strong. There is no smoke without fire, and preliminary investigation showed that there was a plan in the pipeline to create a partnership similar to Renault…Read More →
On January 1st Chinese drivers came to face with the toughest rules to date, those that went through a yellow light were given automatic 6 point deductions from their license and red light jumpers faced the same punishment. The rule was enforced for a couple of days to set an example, some police forces said they wouldn’t immediately fine road users…Read More →
What’s the best way to road test your facelift car without it getting noticed by the general public who are armed with high quality cellphone cameras? Obviously not covering your car in eye catching camo is one method. The facelift Grand Cherokee has been spotted road testing in China ahead of a launch in March-April this year.
The Chinese media are pushing around various stories regarding the forthcoming third generation of Land Rover Freelander. The Freelander is expected to be one of the first vehicles to be made in China under the new joint venture arangement between Chery and JLR, the two companies are expected to carry out considerable amounts of R&D together to…Read More →
Opening the curtains in the morning to check on the days weather has become a fruitless task, the weather largely stays the same: “Gray, with a hint of gray” This is not smog central Beijing, this is Qingdao – reportedly one of the cleanest cities in China and a long time member of the “Top Ten Most Livable Chinese Cities” lists that come out…Read More →
From 2008 onwards, Ford finally found the accelerator pedal in the Chinese market, it may have had some unusual policy ideas, such as neglecting to introduce a 1.6L Focus during the massive sub 1.6L displacement car boom from 2008-2010, but the company is moving to understand the Chinese consumer. Previous Ford models launched in China were European…Read More →
Qoros launches in the next few months at the Geneva Motor Show, for those that are not in the know, Qoros is the latest and greatest automotive brand. Qoros is a joint venture between Chery and Israeli Corp, the plan is to create a Chinese brand capable of taking over the world. On one hand you have Israeli venture capital and on the other hand you…Read More →
The Lavida has been a hit for VW China, the car was designed specifically by SH-VW whilst FAW-VW produced a new Bora to give consumers a choice below the Golf/Sagitar line up. The Lavida came with 2.0L, 1.8L, 1.6L and 1.4TSI engines but that crowd was later thinned to 1.6L or 1.4TSI models with automatic or manual gearboxes. The Lavida was an instant…Read More →
Some car companies are clearly doing better than others, but other car companies might surprise you with their ranking on this list. The VAG group of brands continue to dominate the Chinese market, and clearly if it wasn’t for the powerhouse that is WuLing then GM would have been in the second or third spot a long time ago. Please note that these figures…Read More →
The simple answer being of course, Federal Crash Standards. In a seemingly eternal battle of cat and mouse, as soon as Chinese manufacturers meet Euro 5 emissions or build a car that has NCAP 4 stars or better, a new range of standards and guidelines appear that take it to the next level for their already stretched R&D budget.
BYD’s CEO and one of China’s richest men, in a recent interview with China’s Securities Report put forth his belief that BYD are in the progress of catching their second breath in the Chinese market owing to their improved technology, quality and green technology.
At the 2013 Shanghai Auto Show BYD are expected to launch a new generation of green…Read More →
According to Bloomberg, Jeeps are going to see Chinese production soon:
Chrysler signed an agreement today with a Chinese automaker to build Jeeps in that country, part of worldwide expansion plans for the iconic American brand.
Fiat â€“ the Italian manufacturer that controls Chrysler â€“ signed the deal with Chinaâ€™s…Read More →
Previously cars on the Chinese mainland had a worryingly short life span, small taxi vehicles were limited to 8 years, mid size rental vehicles were limited to 10 years…Read More →
Last week the China Daily reported that one of BMW China’s more senior leaders at the BMW-Brilliance Joint Venture was preparing to leave his post. Today another report indicates that the Vice President, Mr. Lu Yi is preparing to move to the new Chery-JLR joint venture as the new CEO.
From China Daily:
BMW Brilliance Senior Vice-President…Read More →
One of the major topics in 2011 and 2012 for vehicle makers in China was the era of ‘slow growth’. Manufacturers had grown used to a decade of 30% year on year growth but that stopped in 2011 with the onset of the global economy which led to slower export sales but was also partly influenced by rising inflation in China and rising worker salaries as…Read More →
China is the top investment destination for global automakers due to significant domestic demand and export opportunities, according to KPMGâ€™s fourteenth annual Global Automotive Executive Survey.
The survey, titled Managing a Multidimensional Business Model, interviewed 200 automotive executives across 31 countries. It found that…Read More →
China has a traffic problem, the ongoing love affair with the automobile has turned into a binge consumption spree that has obviously spilled out onto the roads. In previous years red lights were seen as â€˜sort of optionalâ€™ when it came to stopping to allow other cars passed, especially if there werenâ€™t any cameras overhead monitoring…Read More →
Renault have long been out of the Chinese market, Renault initially had a joint venture with SanJiang where the Renault Traffic was made. The JV was not successful but SanJiang was taken over the larger Dongfeng, meaning that Renault and Dongfeng can go ahead with producing cars in China thanks to the original agreement with Sanjiang, nonetheless Dongfeng…Read More →
Nissan strong sales in China have come to an abrupt halt thanks to the diplomatic spat between China and Japan over the Diao Yu Islands. Toyota have also suffered a similar fate as Chinese consumers stayed away from Japanese brands, either out of patriotic duty or due to Japanese cars being destroyed in riots. Japanese car sales fell back in October…Read More →
Ford’s Chinese sale grew by an impressive 21% over the course of 2012 according to a press release issued by the Shanghai based company earlier today, total sales for the course of the year reached 626,616 units. December sales soared to 70,510, an increase of 43% over December 2011.
â€œRecord 2012 sales highlight the positive response our customers…Read More →
India is large potential market for car markers, hence GM’s interest in the low cost market. India, like China, has a large appetite for low cost cars…Read More →
Following on from the Five Foreign Brands article, we also need to take a look at Chinese brands that look set to excel in 2013. Chinese manufacturers have undergone a spiritual awakening in the past four years, many have realized that they cannot rely on the Chinese market if they are going to become automotive giants, at worse they will be snapped…Read More →
Foreign auto brands have had their run of the Chinese market since they first came in 1984, the popularity of foreign autos has sky rocketed over the past few years with Chinese brands struggling to maintain their market share. Although foreign brands own the lions share of the market, some brands have only just entered or are going through a period…Read More →
The pu-tong (regular) Sagitar has been on the market for a few months already and seems to be holding its ground in the sales figures as per usual for a VW vehicle in the PRC. Powered by the choice of 1.6L or 1.4TSI engines mated to DSI or manual transmissions the new Sagitar is a regular sight on Chinese roads, alongside the current Golf which…Read More →
China’s BYD is going out an all out assault on the world EV market, the Shenzhen based company has already spread its fingers out into several key markets but…Read More →
The BYD Su Rui Sedan seems to be BYD’s game changing vehicle, the Su Rui was unveiled at the Beijing Auto Show in April this year and launched shortly afterwards with pricing starting at 80,000RMB and topping out at around 120,000RMB. The Su Rui has now become known as the BYD G5 for overseas markets and will soon be exported out of China. In the meantime,…Read More →
According to the SMCP, some Chinese car dealers are ready to drop their Chinese brands and move over to other ‘safe brands’, but what exactly is a safe brand in China? With mob mentality at an all time high its easy for Korean, French, German or American brands to ‘Upset the feelings of the Chinese peoples‘. French supermarket chain, Carrefour,…Read More →
GM’s sales have jumped to 260,018 vehicles in November bringing the total of car sales in China to 2.593 million in the first 11 months of the year, up slightly over the first 11 months of 2011 where 2.547 million GM vehicles were sold.
Shanghai GM sold 136,444 vehicles in November as demand jumped 20% on a year on year basis. Wuling vehicles fell…Read More →
The diplomatic fall out and consumer backlash against Japanese products continued into November with Honda announcing that sales were down in China 29% in year on year figures.
Although the figures are down, it seems that the situation is slowly improving as October’s sales were down nearly 50% in October.In November 2012 Honda sold 41,205 cars in…Read More →
Toyota’s China sales are continuining with their downward trend according to reports from the South China Morning Post. The SCMP reports that Toyota sold just 60,000 cars in November in the Chinese market across its two joint venture partners, whilst November 2011 saw sales of over 80,000 units.
The violent protests that erupted in September over…Read More →
BAIC may have seen the Read More →
Chinese drivers like jumping red lights according to this report from Xinhua. In my own experience, with at least a decade on Chinese roads, Chinese drivers are jumping red lights because others are busy jumping…Read More →
Luxury car maker Fisker are pushing back their plans for a China launch until 2013 according to Reuters reporter Nichola Groom who managed to corner Fisker’s Roger Ormisher on the floor of the LA Auto Show which opened this week.
Fisker said earlier it would launch in China by the end of this year. But the company encountered a slight delay…Read More →
JD Power’s 2012 China New Automobile Quality Study…Read More →
FAW-VW have announced the extension of the joint venture between the two companies ahead of time. The original agreement was due to expire in 2016 but as a show of confidence in the joint venture both Volkswagen and First Automobile Works hammered out a new deal at the recent FAW-Volkswagen advisory board meeting in Foshan, China.
The talks also…Read More →
The Youngman-Proton tie up is producing some interesting cars, not interesting in a ‘wow‘ factor but more interesting in the ‘What were they thinking?‘ aspect. Youngman bases its cars off the Proton RCR, a car that was originally sold in China but has since given away to two self developed models from Youngman, neither products are…Read More →
The Guangzhou Auto Show gave us a chance to get up close with the new Santana. Volkswagen is using its tried and tested “Same sausage, different lengths” throughout its China models, from the Passat (US Passat) to the Magotan (Euro Passat) to the Sagitar (US Jetta) to the New Bora (China Bora), to the VW Lavida (China only) to the all new Jetta…Read More →
… Old Ford Focus.
A sub brand from Ford in China…Read More →
The Toyota…Read More →
Subaru executives were…Read More →
The VW Golf has been a major hit in the Chinese market, VW followed it up with the introduction of the GTI as a locally made model and also imported the wagon, crossover and R Series models to satisfy Chinese appetite for the hatchback model. The 7th generation Golf has been a headline inducing topic for the past few months, questions about when it…Read More →
Volkswagen announced today that is expecting to expand its own dealership to 3000 dealers in the next 3 years, by 2015 the VAG group aims to expand its line up of Audi, VW and Skoda dealerships by over 50%. Currently VAG Group has 1,120 VW dealerships, 230 Audi dealerships and 240 Skoda dealers covering 30 Chinese provinces, territories and autonomous…Read More →
SPRINGO, or rather Springo for those that don’t like to be shouted out is the new brand/model name for the Chevrolet Sail EV. The Sail was designed and developed in China for the Chinese market and other developing markets, South American markets have already been on the receiving end of the gasoline variant for several months now. The pure electric…Read More →


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While there is demand for new trucks, OEMs continue to be limited in what they can produce due to shortages of semiconductors and other components.
North American Class 8 net orders stayed steady at about 21,400 units in January. The total was down 8% month over month, and down 50% year over year.
January orders continued to track in a restricted range with the total for the month equaling the average of the last four months. OEMs continue to match order rates to build rates as they manage backlogs monthly. OEMs are not entering all their 2022 commitments because they do not want to overbook due to the uncertain supply chain, FTR officials said in a press release.
“January orders met expectations. As a group, the OEMs are entering orders at the same rate as production. Backlogs have tracked in a narrow range for the last ten months, which is odd in this cyclical industry. Normally, this would indicate a very stable market. In this case, it reflects a market frozen by a weak supply chain,” Don Ake, vice president of commercial vehicles for FTR, said.
Class 8 orders have totaled 343,000 units over the last twelve months, which would equate to a robust production year.
Kenny Vieth, ACT Research’s president and senior analyst, said: “For Class 8, with backlogs stretching through 2022 and still no clear visibility on the easing of the everything shortage, January’s net order haul reflects the ongoing conservative approach by OEMs looking to limit the risk of overbooking and underbuilding that plagued the industry in 2021.”
“The big negative to the January order volume is that it indicates the supply chain has not improved yet from the end of last year,” Ake said. “OEMs are not confident they can get parts, so they limit the number of orders they enter. Order totals will rise as soon as supply chain conditions improve.”


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Hardware news tagged RIM
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Smartphone Sales Demonstrate Lowest Growth Rate, Nokia Maintains Lead.
Apple Demonstrates Unprecedented Growth in Smartphones Despite Slow Market
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Apple Claims iPhone 3G Outsold RIM BlackBerry Last Quarter.
Apple’s Goal to Ship 10 Million Handsets in 2008 Achieved
Monday, September 8, 2008
Nokia Sustains Smartphone Market Leadership, Apple Commands 2.8% of the Market.
Market of Smartphones Continues to Grow, Nokia Stays on Top


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East County News Service
Photo: Brew Coffee Spot is one of many shops in the Lake Murray Village Shopping Center
April 22, 2022 (La Mesa) -- On Saturday, May 21st the La Mesa Chamber of Commerce invites you to join them at a new community event, “Shop & Dine La Mesa” located at the Marketplace at Lake Murray Village Shopping Center, at the corner of Lake Murray Blvd. and Baltimore Drive (5550-5680 Lake Murray Blvd.) between 11:00 a.m.- 4:00 p.m.
“Shop & Dine La Mesa” is a family-friendly, free pilot program created by the La Mesa Chamber of Commerce to promote businesses in various geographic areas of La Mesa that currently receive no marketing dollars from the City of La Mesa. The Chamber applied for a Small Business Stimulus Grant from the County of San Diego and was awarded the funds to execute this program.
The County of San Diego has been awarding grant funds through the American Rescue Plan (ARPA) that is designed to assist businesses impacted by the pandemic. ARPA funding is designed to provide critical assistance to small businesses across the country, deploying capital and support to help these businesses not just persevere, but recover on solid footing.
The La Mesa Chamber “Shop & Dine La Mesa” program will shine a spotlight on areas and businesses that are part of the economic engine of the City of La Mesa, with the Marketplace at Lake Murray Village Shopping Center being the first chosen location. The goal of this program is to remind the public that these centers exist and to create a fun-filled afternoon with face painting, balloon artists, bubble blowing, and other activities that promote the businesses in the shopping center, as well as businesses within the surrounding area.
The public will be encouraged to visit that day, as well as in the future by meeting these merchants and taking advantage of discount coupons they may be offering.
The La Mesa Chamber will offer prizes to guests that visit a percentage of participating businesses that day via a shopping card or a QR code for each participating business that is designed by Digital Marketing sponsor HUMBL, Inc.
The Chamber has added a Community Health and Safety component which will allow visitors to meet our La Mesa Police Department, our ambulance provider, American Medical Response and members from our Heartland Fire & Rescue team.
For more information, visit www.lamesachamber.com or contact Mary England at 619-251-7730.


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The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates 50 percent of vaccines lose their potential before they are administered, very often due to disruption in cold chain supply.
Temperature-sensitive vaccines must be stored between two and eight degrees Celsius, but ice boxes and other portable refrigerant mechanisms do not sustain this optimal temperature for longer periods, especially when transported to remote areas.
The need for efficient logistics, especially for swabs, vaccines and other biological samples, has been heightened amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
This is the problem that Manipal-based Blackfrog Technologies wants to solve.
Founded by Mayur Shetty and Donson Dsouza in 2015 as an engineering consultancy, the startup transitioned into a product company to address the need for efficient vaccine storage and transportation. It has one aim: to be “the future of medical-grade refrigeration”.
“We realised that the problem did not lie in the healthcare aspect, but in logistics when it comes to vaccines. That’s when we took up cold-chain management technology,” says Mayur, on why they decided to create a portable, temperature-regulated carrier for transport of biologicals.
Blackfrog’s flagship product, Emvólio, is a portable, battery-powered refrigeration device that strictly maintains any pre-set temperature up to 12 hours for last-mile transport of vaccines. The startup has made it to YourStory’s Tech30 list for its patented rapid cooling technology.
How Emvólio helps
Emvólio, which means vaccine in Greek, stands out for its patented rapid cooling technology. The device maintains the optimum temperature of two and eight degrees Celsius that vaccines and other biological samples need.
The patented rapid cooling technology can be used for safe last-mile transport of vaccines, breast milk, blood serums and plasmas, medications, and specimens with minimal freeze-thaw cycles.
Each time a user opens the device to retrieve contents and subjects the cold chamber to ambient air, the technology ensures the temperature in the cold chamber returns to the set levels. This ensures minimal freeze-thaw cycles for critical biological samples.
Other capabilities include continuous temperature monitoring, location tracking, state of charge indication, communication with headquarters via live tracking, and vital statistics for improved coverage.
“We believe this device will reduce the economic burden of wasted vaccines and optimise human resources in vaccine delivery by nullifying the need for repeated immunisation visits due to unviable vaccines,” Mayur says.
The device has a two-litre capacity; it can easily carry about 50 vials of vaccine, enough for at least 300 children in a day. It also helps transport COVID-19 swab samples.
The level of portability and ease of charging sets the device apart. It can also operate as a standalone refrigerator during power outages and is presently being solar-operated at a remote health centre off from the grid.
The challenges along the way
Most of Emvólio’s parts are sourced from different states and countries. During the lockdown, Blackfrog faced major supply chain challenges as logistics were severely impacted. But they worked through them as they were focusing on mitigation of COVID-19.
“Our next steps will be to determine how we can produce large volumes in a short period as a COVID-19 vaccine might be on the way,” the co-founder says. He adds that it might be a challenge to scale production to 20,000-100,000 units.
“We’re trying to partner with organisations like Andhra Pradesh Medtech Zone (AMTZ), Visakhapatnam, which specialises in medical device manufacturing,” Mayur says.
Making an impact
Blackfrog has been closely working with many clients, including NGOs PRADAN and Support Jharkhand, with Collectives for Integrated Livelihood Initiatives (CInI) by Tata Trusts, and medical institutes like Ashwini Hospital and Vivekananda Memorial Hospital, and SVYM in Sargur, Karnataka. SVYM conducts vaccine runs for children of a local tribal community.
"We’ve been using Blackfrog’s cold chain solution for about a year now and have witnessed a significant difference in the impact we’re generating on ground. We now spend almost double the time immunising children, thanks to Emvólio’s longer cold life,” says Dr Dennis Chauhan, SVYM.
“We’ve also estimated Rs 13,000 in savings every month as we can bring back unused vaccines to the facility in appropriate conditions,” he adds.
Blackfrog is also working with SELCO Foundation to transport vaccines from private hospitals to peripheral cities. They are also working with CInI to transport animal vaccines, and have deployed four units so far with an additional order for 15 more units.
What comes next?
Blackfrog, part of the first cohort of Karnataka Startup Advancement Programme (KSAP) conducted jointly by CCAMP & K-Tech, aims to raise Rs 5 crore to scale up production in the next year.
The startup is incubated with Manipal Universal Technology Business Incubator, and has received a BIRAC (Biotechnology Ignition Grant from Government of India) to develop its concept supported by Venture Centre, Pune, as the implementation partner.
Blackfrog has also won awards and recognitions at many events, including CamTech-X Medical Devices Hackathon, Qualcomm Design in India Challenge (QDIC-2020), and SAMADHAN - COVID-19: Ministry of Human Resources Development.
Going forward, Blackfrog will use its patented cold chain management technology in other sectors. “We have already pivoted to address cold chain requirements in F&B,” Mayur says.
Edited by Teja Lele


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Material for wearables that can self heal after being stretched or cut
A research team announced a new material, developed via joint convergence research, that simultaneously possesses high stretchability, high electrical conductivity, and self-healability even after being subjected to severe mechanical strain.
Making dreams come true : making graphene from plastic?
Graphene is gaining heated attention, dubbed a "wonder material" with great conductivity, flexibility and durability. However, graphene is hard to come by due to the fact that its manufacturing process is complicated and mass production not possible.
IDTechEx visits South Korea
IDTechEx recently visited South Korea as part of a UK Trade and Investment mission. Here we summarise some highlights of the trip.
Opening of PETEC 17 March
The Printable Electronics Technology Centre (PETEC) is the UK's major new design, development, and prototyping centre for the commercialisation of printed electronics. With 180 present, the launch included keynote lectures from international experts in the field of printable electronics.
Opening of PETEC 17 March Airs Photovoltaics
The Printable Electronics Technology Centre (PETEC) is the UK's major new design, development, and prototyping centre for the commercialisation of printed electronics.
New type of flexible transistor created at room temperature - Korea/US
Products like the flexible transistor will account for 10 percent of the information technology (IT) device market within the next 10 years say researchers at KIST.


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General Electric Co. said it reached a deal to sell part of its stake in oil services company Baker Hughes, providing around $4 billion in cash for the struggling conglomerate.
GE will sell up to 101 million shares in a secondary offering to the market and Baker Hughes has agreed to repurchase about 65 million shares from its controlling shareholder. The deal followed talks between the two companies to allow GE to sell about six months sooner than previously agreed.
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25% off sitewide with this Target Promo Code


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It seems that Microsoft’s tile-based operating system, Windows 8, is accelerating to dominance of the PC gamer space. Released at the end of 2012, it’s now installed on 20% of Steam’s users’ machines. That accounts for more than all Mac and Linux users combined.
We wrote about the number of Windows 8 users on Steam last month, back then it was sitting at 18.45%. In a month that number’s increased to 19.97%.
Windows 7 still holds the majority stake in the Steam userbase with more than 60% of users having it installed on their machines. While Windows 8 is gaining slightly on Windows 7, it’s Mac and Linux operating systems we should look at.
Together, Mac and Linux operating systems are only installed on 4.63% of Steam Users’ machines. Of that, less than 1% are Linux machines. Despite the work Valve are doing to push Linux into the forefront of gamers’ attention it simply isn’t gaining ground as an operating system.
However, we need to remember that not every Steam user takes part in the hardware survey. It could be that millions of Linux users refuse to have their machines accounted for or that there are only 200 people who are allowing their machines to be inspected by Valve. Still, it’s this data that Valve use to make development decisions so they surely trust the numbers. We can choose to also.
What will be interesting to see is how those numbers change in the next six months. Later this month Valve are showing off their Steam Machines, all of which are natively running Linux operating systems. For every Steam Machine sold that will be a new Linux user in the Steam stats.
As it stands, though, at the start of 2014 Microsoft’s various operating systems seem to be installed on 95% of Steam users’ computers.


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Social Tables, one of the fastest growing startups in the hospitality world, has opened up a new Washington, DC-based office. From a new serpent table to an incredibly pink entrance area, this 30,000 square foot office is designed with growth in mind. The company moved into the new location in December of 2015.
During a joint press conference with DC Mayor Bowser and Chief of Staff for the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office Vikrum Aiyer to discuss, Social Tables CEO Dan Berger officially unveiled the space to the community. During the event, Berger announced their commitment to hosting 100 community events in their 10,000 square foot event space, even if they are not directly tied to the tech community.
Besides ensuring the company has plenty of room for future growth, Social Tables also has a few themes throughout, with a strong focus on collaboration and featuring how they work with hotels.


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Both the print and digital editions of today’s Insurance Day feature an article written by OpenUnderwriter strategy director David Daiches. The article discusses how insurtech can be harnessed in emerging markets, and how new, innovative approaches are being developed.
London 2nd December 2015
The partnership offers a robust, cloud hosted platform that will give African insurance providers a low cost distribution channel for their products. It will allow these products to be provisioned and purchased using SMS (as well as traditional methods), which will potentially open up a whole new market for low cost insurance.
We're working hard on the project to get early access releases out as frequently as possible so you get to test and comment on new features as they are added. The release this time has to major new feature inclusions, quote comparison, and support for expressions in assessment sheets.
We're working hard on the project to get early access releases out as frequently as possible so you get to test and comment on new features as they are added. Notable this time are Swift Financial payment integration, bringing SMS payments to OpenUnderwriter, and three significant UI enhancements. This latest release further refines and expands the software's feature set giving a preview of version 3.0. The focus, as always, is delivering innovative software that allows Insurance organisations to deliver results and quickly and efficiently.
Following on from the release of version 2.2 earlier in June, this latest service pack release delivers a number of small enhancements and bug fixes including a significant improvement to document security. This is now the latest stable release and we recommend that it be used in preference to 2.2.


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A Chicago area urology practice is promoting vasectomies by informing potential patients that if they get the procedure done right before March Madness, that they’ll be able to stay at home for a few days to recover and watch some of the games uninterrupted reports the Southtown Star.
Dr. Robert Bonzani and Dr. Tony Mammen of 21st Century Urology have started an advertising campaign that is promoting just that. Even offering a free pizza and a bag of frozen peas to celebrate and help with swelling after the procedure.
Their Web site says, “Drs. Bonzani and Mammen have decided to partner up with Aurelio’s Pizza and offer a $25 voucher for free pizza if any man wants his vasectomy done during the NCAA basketball tournament, beginning on March 17th and running through the finals. It’s a perfect way to get that vasectomy out of the way and then spend a weekend relaxing in front of the television, enjoying some college basketball.”
Bonzani and Mammen announced it on a local sports radio station and will run the promotion for the next two weeks. They are hoping that this will encourage men who have been contemplating getting the procedure to get it done.
“Here’s an excuse for a guy to sit on the couch for up to four days,” Bonzani said. “We thought that it would be a great incentive to tip these guys over the top.”
Although the promotion is being done as a fun marketing campaign, Bonzani and Mammen want men to know that the importance of resting a few days after the procedure is vital. Bonzani explains that doctors warn patients not to do too much after the vasectomy because they could suffer from additional painful swelling.
The idea was given to them after they attended a urology conference and heard about other practices having a great response in Oregon and Ohio reports the Southtown Star .
Bonzani and Mammen say that if the promotion is successful for them, they plan on making it an annual event.


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Don't let it get away!
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Help yourself with the Fool's FREE and easy new watchlist service today.
You love Chinese companies' fast growth -- but you hate their slipshod accounting and stick-it-to-America practices. What if you could find a way to combine the growth of China with the safety of American reporting standards? Look no further than Yum! Brands (NYSE: YUM ) .
As the company behind restaurants such as KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell, Yum!'s profit will soon be more Chinese than American. And I mean way more Chinese. Yum! was the first quick-serve chain to enter China, beating even global powerhouse McDonald's (NYSE: MCD ) , and its KFC franchise is more popular in China than a calculator at an engineering convention. More importantly, China already delivers one-third of the company's operating profit, with just 3,500 outlets there.
In contrast, Yum! has nearly six times as many locations in the U.S., but they generate only 4% more operating profit in total than all of China's outlets year to date. The company opened more than 500 restaurants in China last year, and it plans almost the same number this year. More importantly, Yum! currently sees room for as many as 20,000 outlets in China. But surely, as China's middle class grows, a nation that has four times as many people as the U.S. should have more than just an equal number of Yum! restaurants.
If you extrapolate the same level of profitability out across those 20,000 outlets, you see that Yum!'s operating profitability will explode just from this buildout of China. Tack on potential growth in places such as India, and the long-term appreciation of China's currency, and you have the case for a blockbuster stock. That's the kind of opportunity that has CEO David Novak stating: "I wouldn't trade our long-term position in China with any consumer company in the world." True, Yum!'s Chinese workers have demanded and received increased wages, but the opportunity remains enormous nonetheless.
When it comes to China, Yum! has easily stolen a march on its rival McDonald's. The Golden Arches has about 1,100 outlets in China, and plans to expand to about 2,000 by 2013. But McDonald's profit doesn't rely to nearly the same extent on China's performance as Yum!'s does.
Despite plenty of ballyhoo over China's breakneck growth, there's still plenty of opportunity for American multinationals. Starbucks (Nasdaq: SBUX ) is planning thousands of stores there, to complement its current base of around 400. Handbag maker Coach (NYSE: COH ) is moving into China a big way, with the recent opening of a flagship store in Shanghai and double-digit same-store sales there in its most recent quarter. China is also a huge part of Nike's (NYSE: NKE ) expansion plans, and the company aims to markedly add to its $1.7 billion in sales there last year.
Even the near-ubiquitous Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO ) still has room to run in China's less developed agricultural areas, a fact that led fellow Fool and Global Gains advisor Tim Hanson to recommend the stock as a way to play China.
Given its enormous opportunity in China, combined with the benefits of American corporate governance – and a 2.1% dividend, to boot – Yum! looks like a finger-lickin' good prospect.


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Hewlett Packard Co Chief Executive Meg Whitman said on Wednesday she expected revenue to "stabilize" in 2014 and business to accelerate again in 2015, sparking the stock to jump as much as 9.5 percent.
Whitman's comments to analysts at the company's annual investor briefing eased concerns about her multiyear turnaround program. Whitman said she was comfortable with the progress of her plan.
HP shares were up 5 percent at $21.75 in mid-day trade after surging to a high of $22.76 earlier.
"This time last year I was feeling HP was falling dangerously behind," Whitman said. "Our business units lacked a clear crisp integrated strategy. Our innovation pipeline was there but wasn't being commercialized."
"In 2013 we started to change that," she added. "Our multiyear journey continues. I am comfortable with the progress we are making."
Whitman said when she joined HP, operations were in disarray, with the sales team lacking modern tools and an information-technology infrastructure.
Whitman said there was progress generating cash flow and stabilizing some parts of HP's business such as Enterprise Services. The company generated a total of about $7 billion in free cash flow through the fiscal third quarter of 2013, she said.
Two years into what she has always described as a five-year effort, sales and profits are still sliding, and Wall Street is losing patience. The stock has fallen 17 percent in the past three months and lost more than half its value since 2010.
While HP's massive but stagnant printer division made money, the personal computer business has been contracting as more customers switched to tablets and mobile devices. Whitman wants to turn HP into a major player in the corporate technology services market, now dominated by Oracle Corp , International Business Machines Corp and Cisco Systems Inc .
Whitman, who has been known to take a hands-on approach with corporate customer, stressed that need again on Wednesday.
"This year alone I met with close to 1,000 customers and partners," Whitman said.
(The story has been filed again to delete second stock quote in paragraph 8.)
(Reporting by Poornima Gupta; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)


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US: Fabric mills embrace yarns for stretch denim
Jean of cotton, Tencel and Lycra dualFX fabric from Tejidos Royo's MeSu collection
By combining Invista's patented Lycra dualFX fabric technology with Lenzing's Tencel fibre, the two companies say they have overcome many of the challenges faced by mills in developing stretch cellulosic fabrics. The combination also builds on the growing popularity of both fibres in the denim market.
The Lycra dualFX fabric technology combines two stretch fibres into a single yarn, and adding Tencel to the mix helps overcome problems like fabric recovery and seam slippage.
"We're pleased to see how the value chain is embracing this concept," said Jean Hegedus, global denim director for Invista. "These fabrics really address the consumer's need for soft, luxurious denim that performs and keeps its shape, wash after wash, and wear after wear."
Among the new styles being showcased are the MeSu line from Tejidos Royo of Spain, and the Suprelast our collection from Textil Santanderina of Spain. Orta of Turkey, along with Central Fabrics and Prosperity from North Asia, have also embraced the fibre combination.
Pakistan-based denim supplier Artistic Fabric Mills (AFM) has developed a collection of stretch denim fabrics that offer high elasticity and superior recovery and are, it says, tested to guarantee les...
This report provides a round-up of recent corporate developments in the global technical textiles sector, including acquisitions, divestments and mergers, business news, investments, joint ventures, a...
Moisture management is the process of transporting moisture in the form of perspiration away from the skin to the outer surface of a fabric or garment where it can evaporate....
This report provides a round-up of recent corporate developments in the global technical textile sector, including acquisitions, divestments and mergers, business news, financial results, investments ...
Austrian cellulosic fibre producer Lenzing has extended its Tencel range by launching a new micro version of its A100 fibre, developed for use in knitted sportswear fabrics....
This report analyses some of the latest developments and innovations in the global apparel industry....
- 3D printing gears up for fashion industry change
- Cutting pollution saves China textile mills money
- US fashion industry applauds trade bills package
- Myanmar - right time, right place, new challenges
- Apparel working conditions linked to profit
- Traceable label offers textile transparency
- Benetton $1.6m Rana Plaza payment “insufficient”
- China cotton imports to rise as Xinjiang cuts crop
- China textile and garment firms eyeing Morocco?
- Crystal first China licensee of RevoLaze tech


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Construction on Schedule for GM-Union Pacific Distribution Center
May, Bill, THE JOURNAL RECORD
It may look like nothing more than a large parcel being plowed
But the construction site at NE 10th Street and Sooner Road must be done in just a little more than two months.
"We've got to move from our temporary location to our new location by Sept. 1," said John Greenlee, manager of the Union Pacific railroad yard operation in Oklahoma City.
The 110-acre Midwest City auto loading plant site is to handle switching operations for Union Pacific to move new cars from the General Motors assembly plant to distribution centers in 23 states. It also will serve as distribution center for GM vehicles coming to dealers in central Oklahoma.
Union Pacific and GM signed the contract calling for a new distribution center on Aug. 1. Details of that contract, other than it is for seven years, have not been released.
"It's safe to say that it's a multimillion-dollar contract," Greenlee said.
Since Union Pacific took over distribution operations for GM, the temporary yard has been just south of the Oklahoma City fairgrounds.
That's why this site must be vacated by Sept. 1, to allow workers to get ready for the 2002 version of the Oklahoma State Fair.
"It may not look like it, but we are on schedule," Greenlee said.
Along with the new railyard, UP has installed new track between Oklahoma City and El Reno, as well as from the existing Harter yard near downtown and the new yard.
The new yard will have eight tracks, each capable of handling 10 rail cars for loading.
Along with the new construction, the Harter yard also is being updated.
New track is being added, the yard is being enlarged and parking and freight handling areas are being paved with concrete, Greenlee said.
It will mean a slight enlargement of the work force at the Harter yard. With the new track, the new yard will have 27 employees, up from 15.
Because of contractual and regulatory conditions, A-OK Railroad will handle all loading and unloading in the new yard, Greenlee said. A-OK also will handle traffic between the plant and the new yard.
This is considered a major contract because of the volume of traffic, Greenlee said. …


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Carlyle senior executives will benefit from this hefty payout as well, because many own shares of the company as well as investments in the funds. In other words, they can afford to be generous. Make that offering bonus number two.
Carlyle is also paying itself back $19 million in expenses to go public. Most companies that disclose how much they spend on offering expenses spend between $1-3 million. This goes to lawyers, filing fees and the bankers. But $19 million? To themselves? That makes this the third offering bonus.
Initially Carlyle said its executives wouldn't be selling stock on the offering. Which sounds like it's really supporting the company, but as you see, they are already raking in money in so many ways that they don't need to sell their stock.
>To contact the writer of this article, click here: Debra Borchardt. >To follow the writer on Twitter, go to http://twitter.com/wallandbroad. >To submit a news tip, send an email to: firstname.lastname@example.org.


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Mondelez is expanding its Ritz brand into the £2.7bn bagged snack category with the launch of Ritz Crisp & Thin.
The supplier said the baked snack - made from potato flour - would be the first of several major extensions for the cracker brand. Crisp & Thin will be available from 11 May in a 100g flat-bottomed sharing bag (rsp: £2.19) and a 30g individual bag (rsp: 79p) in four flavours: cream cheese & onion and salt & vinegar (available in both sizes), sweet red chilli and sea salt & black pepper (sharing bags only).
A 30g portion contains 135 calories, 4.8g fat and 0.4g salt while standard crisps contain about 150 calories, 7g to 9g of fat and 0.6g salt.
Crisp & Thin was developed in the UK, which is the first market it is rolling out to. Mondelez will follow the launch with a £10m campaign over the next seven months, including TV, outdoor, sampling and in-store activity.
“Ritz is an iconic brand with 93% consumer awareness,” said Rick Lawrence, category lead for biscuits, crisps and snacks at Mondelez. “Our strong brand heritage and 81 years of baking expertise mean we are uniquely placed to create a new segment to expand savoury snacks.
“The UK is the biggest consumer of savoury snacks in Europe. Currently dominated by the traditional fried potato crisp, there is significant room for snacks to be bigger within the category. This is the first launch of many geared up to drive significant growth in savoury snacks in the UK.”
Ritz is worth £19m after recording 33% growth last year [Nielsen 52 w/e 21 January 2015], thanks in part to the launch of on-the-go format Ritz Breaks last April and a six-week TV push - the first for the brand in 30 years.
The bagged snacks category grew 1.1% on flat volumes [Nielsen 52 w/e 11 October 2014].


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Upping the ante on security
Warehouse’s surveillance system sets new standards for industry
PKT Logistics Group Sdn Bhd has set a new benchmark for warehouse security with its state-of-theart surveillance system from Ricoh Malaysia installed at its new warehouse in Batu Kawan, Penang.
Its chief executive officer and managing director Datuk Michael Tio says the RM3mil investment in its security system is in line with the Government’s call to position the country as a logistic hub in the region.
“With every new warehouse that PKT builds, we continuously invest effort and resources to improve space optimisation, environmental impact, functionality, safety and security.
“Coupled with attractive themed designs of our warehouses, we provide cutting edge storage solutions to our customers,” Tio said.
He was speaking to reporters after the handover of the surveillance system by Ricoh Asia Pacific managing director Kazuhisa (Kaz) Goto.
Also present at the event were PKT Logistics chairman Datuk Jalilah Baba and director Katsuji Kobayashi as well as Ricoh Malaysia chief operating officer Alice Lee.
The new warehouse, called The 12 Waves, is the largest single-storey warehouse in the country with 650,000sq ft of storage space.
The 12 Waves is PKT Logistics Group’s fourth addition to its line of iconic warehouses including The Waves, The Ship, and The Lighthouse.
“The company notes that security is of utmost importance to retain customers’ confidence. We worked with Ricoh Malaysia to equip the entire site with integrated analytic systems to enhance the overall security of the warehouse,” Tio added.
The 12 Waves will boast a comprehensive suite of security solutions that includes hardware and services. The entire setup was specifically designed to provide high security to the premises and assets.
PKT Logistics collaborated with Ricoh Malaysia to implement Ricoh’s solution of intelligent network cameras, automatic license plate recognition, access control system, alarm system with 24/7 central monitoring system, visitor management system and LED motion floodlight system, among other solutions, to optimise its operation processes.
Goto said, like PKT, the company shares a similar goal to take businesses to the future with innovative and digital capabilities.
“We applaud PKT’s aim and vision of bringing advancement to the Malaysian logistics industry.
“We look forward to working closely with PKT to empower its needs with the right tools – from innovative surveillance solutions to managed information services,” Goto added.
Completed in May 2017, The 12 Waves offers facilities such as 54 loading bays to serve northern region customers from industries such as automotive and electronics.
The 12 Waves, which costs RM120mil, makes up one of the three main components at PKT’s One Auto Hub in Batu Kawan. The other two are The Ship Campus and The Lighthouse Lodge.
The warehouse also incorporates office suites, a food court, a convenience store, a trucker’s lounge, and a Japanese garden, which will be open to the public.
The 12 Waves has an unconventional wave-shaped design, which not only stands out aesthetically, but incorporates environmental features such as natural lighting, natural ventilation, solar panels and LED lighting.
PKT provides end-to-end design, implementation and operation of logistics solutions in freight forwarding, customs brokering, haulage, contract logistics and distribution management for large and medium-sized national and multinational companies.
Headquartered in Tokyo, Ricoh Group operates in about 200 countries and regions. It is a provider of document management solutions, IT services, commercial and industrial printing, digital cameras, and industrial systems.
In the financial year ended March 2017, Ricoh Group had worldwide sales of 2,028 billion yen or US$18.2bil.
Control centre: Tio (third from right) explains the features of its surveillance system as (from right) Mitsui O.S.K Lines associate general manager Katsuji Kobayashi, Jalilah and Goto look on.
New space: PKT Logistics’ new warehouse, The 12 Waves, in Batu Kawan.


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Want to crush your challenges and kill scores in the games you play every day? Try these dexterity games to improve your speed and coordination. Read more →
PS4 Almost Launched Without A Hard Drive
Sony’s PlayStation 4 launched last year with both a 500GB Hard Drive and 8GB of unified memory, but the process of including said components in the console was anything but simple. During a speech made during today’s Develop Conference in Brighton, PS4 lead system architect Mark Cerny revealed that discussions were involved regarding whether or not the inclusion of a proper hard drive would be the best financial move for Sony.
SCEI president Andrew House initially expressed immense concerns over including a hard drive, as it would cost the company an expense of around $1 billion to the project, but in the end there was no other alternative.
“It’s such a large decision, because it’s a commitment not just to the initial launch but for the life cycle. That has massive implications for how it will shape the business model for a number of years,” said House. “Yes, we debated. But it became extremely clear to me that financial issues aside we had to be struggling for a certain level of experience that would get people to embrace a brand new platform.
“If we were going to fulfill our promises as a company, but if the industry as a whole was going to move on… we were starting to get a lot of nay-saying, ‘what’s the role of a console? Is there a role for a console?’ Those two things came together to point out what was needed for the transformative experience.”
Cerny added, “For the hard drive, we thought does every player need downloadable content? Not every player does. But does every player need to play Watch Dogs the way it was intended? And you know, if you want to save money, unfortunately the answer is yes. Watch Dogs is a title that needed 15GB cached, very fast media on a hard drive or it wasn’t going to be able to be played at the level the creator’s wanted it to be. It was embedded on such a basic level.”
Cerny also explained that similar discussions took place regarding whether or not raising the 4GB memory to 8GB would be the right move, as it would also cost an extra $1 billion to the project. Before long it became clear that something had to be done to remedy the increasing costs of PS4 project, so Sony opted to exclude the PS Camera from the system, regulating it to an add-on. Mark Cerny admitted this decision also follows along with the philosophy of the console.
“It’s pretty obvious if you do the math, it’s more than a billion for the hard drive, and more than a billion for the extra RAM, so it was pretty obvious to me that something was going to have to give. But at the same time the camera makes sense as an independent proposition. It does not need to be included with the hardware to be a success. If it offers something that is perceived to be of value, then it’s a great thing to add to your PlayStation 4 ecosystem.”


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MASSILLON – Frito-Lay is expanding southeast of the city by opening a new fleet maintenance facility and vehicle dispatch center.
After:Industrial buildings, 108 acres for sale at $6.25 million in southeast Massillon
Massillon officials participated in a May 11 ribbon-cutting ceremony with Frito-Lay staff at the Millennium Boulevard site, welcoming the company to the city.
The leading snack company has purchased Baker Hughes’ former site at 3415 Millennium Blvd. SE and is in the process of starting its activities.
According to the Stark County Auditor’s website, FL (Frito-Lay) Transportation purchased the three buildings and the 108-acre property for $6.25 million in July.
Frito-Lay operates multiple facilities at 16th Street and Raff Road SW in Canton Township. The snack company also has a warehouse in Wooster.
Frito-Lay is looking for fleet mechanics in Massillon
According to Frito-Lay’s employment website, fritolayemployment.com, the company is seeking an undetermined number of entry-level and experienced Fleet Technicians in Massillon.
Mayor Kathy Catazaro-Perry told City Council Monday night the company could have up to 25 positions.
David Maley, the city’s director of economic development, said Frito-Lay has the ability to expand the site later.
“With 108 acres there, there’s a lot of opportunity for them to grow,” Maley said, noting that the company had previously contracted for the vehicle maintenance service.
A local Frito-Lay representative could not be reached for comment.
After:New Aldi retail grocery store planned on former Massillon Kmart site
It appears Frito-Lay has no immediate plans to renovate or add new buildings to the site. However, there are plans to build a large entrance off Phoenix Avenue SE, allowing fleet vehicles better access to the facility, Maley said.
Councilman Ted Herncane, D-at large, who chairs the council’s economic development committee, said Frito-Lay’s expansion in Massillon seemed like a good fit.
“Frito-Lay has production facilities in Canton and Wooster, so fleet maintenance and vehicle repair makes sense at this (new) location,” he said.
Frito Lay produces a number of snack brands, such as Doritos, Cheetos, Fritos, Lays potato chips, Ruffles, Sun Chips and Cracker Jack. It’s also a PepsiCo brand.
Contact Steven at email@example.com. On Twitter: @sgrazierINDE


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A few days ago we reported on Microsoft’s plans to release several new flagship smartphones including the Lumia 940 and Lumia 940XL models. Back then we had only scarce information on the new handsets and we mentioned just the cameras’... Read more
A while ago we reported that Sony plans to retire its current Xperia Z3 flagship smartphone by introducing the new and improved Xperia Z4. The new flagship is expected to arrive at the upcoming CES 2015 exhibition that will take place in... Read more
Every year hundreds of new smartphones reach the market but only some of them can be classified as high-end devices that are worth noting. This year has not been much different – we got the Samsung Galaxy S5, Apple’s iPhone 6 and of course... Read more
Yesterday we reported that this week we will get the first Microsoft-branded Lumia smartphone and we even reported the supposed tech specs. While the launch is for sure, being scheduled for November 11, which happens to be today, we now have... Read more
Motorola, along with the US mobile phone carrier Verizon, has officially presented the new Droid Turbo smartphone. The new company product boasts a larger display, an advanced processor and support for LTE.
So, let’s take a look at the... Read more
Samsung has added a new smartphone to its seemingly endless list of Galaxy devices but this time the case is a bit different – we are talking of a new flagship device, known as Galaxy S5 Plus.
The new smartphone carries the G901F code... Read more
The big moment has come our way at last – Google has announced the new Nexus 6 smartphone.
As usual we’ll start with the Nexus 6 specs – the device, which was designed by Motorola, comes with a huge 6-inch AMOLED display that works at... Read more
You may like Apple or not but there is something you should be grateful for — the launch of the new iPhone 6 will surely bring various new flagship smartphones to the market in the near future that will have to compete with the new Apple... Read more
The Google Nexus line of high-end Android devices has been with us since 2010 but we haven’t had any news about it recently, making some people speculate that Google has ended development of the line. Now there is some news on the rumored... Read more
It always happens like this – you buy a great piece of hardware – be it a notebook, a tablet or a smartphone – for quite a bit of money only to find out in a few months that there’s a better model for the same money or even less. This now... Read more
As it usually happens the tech specs of various smartphones and mobile devices show up well before the official launch. The Google Nexus 6 is not an exception – the device specs have been listed online thanks to the popular AnTuTu... Read more


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For organic, 2022 is a lean year. “There is a drop in the volume of consumption, probably around 7 to 10% during the year 2022. And from 10 to 12% in specialized brands”observes Pierrick de Ronne, president of Biocoop and the Maison de la Bio, which brings together professionals from the sector.
However, the sector had tripled its sales volume over the last decade, from 4 to 12 billion euros. If 2020 had been marked by a 12% increase in the organic market, in a context in which confined households were willing to invest more in food due, in particular, to the increase in savings, the year 2021 nevertheless ended with a fall of 1.3%, which is accelerating. strongly this year.
Inflation eats away at budgets
Producers, distributors and economists unanimously point to the effect of food inflation, which could reach a maximum of 15% at the end of the year, well above general inflation. The rise in prices gnaws at the budget of the French, who first reduce their spending on food by around 4%. Manageable, they can be reduced more easily than fixed charges like rent or a subscription. Result: Organic is among the first purchases to cross off the grocery list, along with fresh produce.
“Customers make concessions against organic. They downgrade the market, they switch from an organic product to a conventional product, they opt for a cheaper organic product.”notes Pierrick de Ronne of Biocoop. “However, the inflation of conventional products is twice that of organic products, which do not require fertilizers or pesticides and consume less energy,” he continues. However, insufficient to close the gap between the prices of organic and conventional, around 20 to 50% according to Pierrick de Ronne.
Low-income households aren’t the only ones counting their pennies. The rise in the cost of living is spreading and is affecting more and more homes. “In 2019, half of the French said they had difficulty eating what they wanted. Today they are 63% and the middle and upper middle classes are increasingly affected”warns Pascale Hébel, associate director of the firm C-WAYS.
“Loss of confidence in organic”
Beyond budgetary considerations, the representative of the Maison du Bio feels “a loss of confidence” in organic. Organic products are becoming common as they become more popular in supermarkets. More and more customers are scanning purchases on their smartphones and are surprised by the ” inconsistencies » apparent organic products. Especially when they are imported from far away countries.
Above all, the consumer struggles to digest all the mandates to consume more green than green: local, seasonal, respectful of animal welfare, guarantor of fair trade, no plastic packaging… So many labels that share a part of the cake of products sold as “ethical” or “sustainable”, long monopolized by organics.
“Today, the only criteria of organic is no longer enough to convince. Consumer habits have changed very rapidly since the pandemic. Under the influence of more educated consumers, one new consumption criterion systematically displaces another. People were disappointed to see that organic doesn’t necessarily rhyme with local.”, analyzes Pascale Hébel. This consumer specialist insists on the enthusiasm for his local products and the success of the local stores that sell them, especially at the producer’s house.
The head of the National Federation of Organic Agriculture (FNAB) sees “a trend towards greenwashing with many products claiming to be eco-friendly”. Among them, the organic one faces three competitors on the shelves “Local, which is not to say that it is a reliable product, although local organic is obviously the ideal. Then the certificate of “high environmental value” promoted by the Ministry of Agriculture and the “zero residue of pesticides” which in fact provide few environmental guarantees compared to organic “regrets the president of the FNAB Philippe Clamadieu.
To recover the ground ceded to their competitors, organic producers and distributors boast of their specifications that impose an agriculture without pesticides, without transgenics and without chemical fertilizers. Since May 30, a communication campaign in this regard called “Bioréflexe” has been a reminder of the commitments of the sector.
Do not fall below 5% market share
In the coming months, the leaders of the FNAB and the Maison du Bio expect players, particularly those who had invested betting on the growth of the sector, to find themselves in difficulties or even, for some, in closure. In fact, large retailers, which account for more than 60% of organic sales, restrict the references marketed. Taking note of the drop in organic purchases on its shelves, it is reducing orders. The phenomenon has already begun. In a district in the west of Paris, an ecological brand, which had established itself after the lockdown to replace a discount brand, closed its doors in 2021 after a few months, leaving the walls to… the same low-cost store that had substituted .
On the other hand, those responsible for the FNAB and the Maison du Bio salute the resilience of sales channels that do not depend on large distributors to set their prices. Therefore, they do not anticipate a massive return from organic to conventional agriculture. According to Pierrick de Ronne of Biocoop and the Maison du Bio, the challenge will be not to fall below 5% in organic food consumption. That would condemn him to be again “a niche market”.
read alsoSales of eggs from caged hens increase, those of organic eggs decrease
#Inflation #sales #organic #products #plummet


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Innovation is shaping post-covid supply chains
A changing logistics world demands new ideas
Image: Nicholas Diemont, General Manager – Business Change Management
Covid19 is disrupting economies and changing the way supply chains work – and while the full impact is some way off from being fully understood, supply chains will need to be innovative and adapt to a new way of working.
Nicholas Diemont, General Manager – Business Change Management at DSV, says supply chains were already dealing with shorter product lifecycles, rising consumer expectations and online trading radically disrupting the retail landscape. But Covid19 has flagged many other challenges, from resilience and design to visibility and an obsession with minimising cost and reducing inventories.
All this means constant innovation is now a necessary part of the logistics business.
Innovation, quite simply, is about introducing something new or different. “In our world, that means turning new ideas and creative thoughts into products or solutions which meet new or existing needs. And it’s never been more important than right now”, he says.
Tough and competitive economic conditions mean old, out-dated businesses which don’t give customers what they want are in trouble – and DSV’s relentless commitment to innovation – which can be incremental (a step at a time) or radical (disruptive activity which signals major change) – drives both our competitive advantage and the sustainability of our operations”.
Incremental steps can be just as innovative as bold paradigm shifts in improving performance. “Supply chain design and mapping has never been more topical, and it is a competency we have been evolving over time to ensure every material, process and shipment is documented and integrated into a compelling customer supply chain strategy.”
Then, our electronic data interchange (EDI) automates the exchange of data between DSV and our customers’ transport and warehousing systems and handles invoices and enables customer partners to book transport with DSV. It is simple and efficient, reduces administrative time and increases security and efficiency and drives effectiveness for both customers and DSV.
DSV’s Africa Innovation Hub is working on a number of exciting projects which are changing – or might change – the way we and our customers work, at least for a while. They include:
- Applying the Internet of Things to logistics to counter increasing risk of theft and pilferage
- Developing and launching the DSV Locker, which has quickly become a favourite way for consumers to send and receive parcels. There are more than 300 DSV Lockers countryside and plans are to roll out another 100 by the end of 2020
- Using biometric verification to validate an identity without the need for physical identification
- Automating mundane, repetitive tasks and enhances efficiency and accuracy through Robotics Process Automation. We are applying RPA in our shared services in a number of ways. And finally,
- A number of DSV staffers are doubling up as “citizen developers” and developing user-friendly digital business applications to streamline aspects of our business – and positively impact our customers.
We are introducing an automated ETA service in South Africa for Road distribution deliveries, and this follows its success in Europe. The service was developed to meet specific customer needs, and proactively provides ETA to consignees and vastly improves our customer service.
*This content is based on an article which appeared recently in www.freightnews.co.za


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Netflix announced today that subscribers to its platform in Argentina and four other Latin American countries who wish to continue sharing their account with other users will have to pay an additional fee.
This new function will be implemented from August 22 and will cost $219, plus taxes, for each extra household (or “house”, as it will be called in the system), according to a statement posted today on the blog of the company.
The measure attacks for the first time an issue that the streaming giant was aware of and had always let go, and that it charted last April when company spokesmen detailed that in addition to the more than 220 million households that pay for Netflix, the service it was “shared with more than 100 million additional households.”
In other words, 1 in 3 households that watch Netflix series and movies do not pay for the service. Next month they will advance with a similar alternative function in Argentina, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and the Dominican Republic: “add a house”.
According to this, each subscription or account will be a “house” and, regardless of the chosen plan, will allow you to connect to Netflix from any device. The platform can also be used from outside the home through laptops, tablets and cell phones.
However, when you want to use the account from a TV outside the home, the system will offer the possibility of including it as an “extra home” at an additional cost. In addition, within the account settings, the owner can check where the service is being used and remove houses at the time they want.


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India’s sweet and savoury snacks market pulled in US$1.4bn in 2011 and is forecast to surge at 14% CAGR (compound annual growth rate) between 2011-1016, according to Euromonitor data.
PepsiCo already holds the largest market share in India’s sweet and savoury snacks sector but it has shown continued commitment with more than 50 new product launches set, all at various testing stages to market. The snacks hulk already launched 16 new pack sizes and variants between April and June 2012.
Ildikó Szalai, senior company analyst at Euromonitor International, told BakeryandSnacks.com that firm has shown “increased urgency and aggression in terms of product development and innovation,” in India’s snacks market.
This sector has a “very dynamic growth rate to exploit with an enhanced portfolio,” Szalai said.
However, she detailed that if PepsiCo is to secure solid, increased market traction, it “needs to remain sensitive to localised differences in demand.”
New and local competition
PepsiCo eats up the lion’s share of India’s snacks market – with retail sales at $477.1m in 2010 - and is a considerable way ahead of second placed Haldiram Foods International ($270.7m).
However, second-tier local players, namely Haldiram Foods International, Balaji Wafers and ITC Group, are “aggressively competing” with PepsiCo, Szalai said, particularly in the lower price segment of the snacks market.
These firms are also dedicated to Indian-centric flavours which help differentiate their offerings from established brands, she said, although PepsiCo has followed suit with its lentil/dal-based extruded snacks.
Similarly, new market entrants are also working in direct competition against India’s number one snacks firm, such as confectionery giant Perfetti Van Melle, that entered India in 2011 with a new product line of ready-to-eat (RTE) salted snacks.
However, Szalai said that while competition exists, there is no real threat for PepsiCo, or at least “not in the near future as the scale of their operations in the category is currently way behind PepsiCo.”
The surging snacks sector is underpinned by a demand for ‘convenience’, Szalai said, fuelled by rising disposable incomes and the habit to frequently snack between meals and at coffee time.
The growth outlook is very positive, she added, due to expected increases in urbanisation, busy schedules, changing eating habits and increasing influence of children in the purchase of packaged food items.
Economy offerings remain popular, she said, as “snacks are usually positioned as everyday food, hence affordability is important to consumers.”
She detailed that the rural market will become increasingly important and “as consumers are becoming more health conscious, niche products like low-fat, sugar-free, low-salt, non-friend or roasted snacks are expected to gain popularity.”
PepsiCo has made clear its plans to tap into this forecast health-trend in the snacks arena, Szalai said, which will prove invaluable should it want to compete with “dynamic local companies.”
“Health and wellness is an overarching trend in the global packaged food market and health credentials of any products are crucial to long-term success,” he said.