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- Insider ran down the most notable advertising and marketing people moves of late.
- They span companies like Omnicom's TBWA, NBCUniversal, and Clubhouse.
- See more stories on Insider's business page.
The revolving door is always swinging in advertising and marketing.
Here's a rundown of some of the biggest people moves in advertising and marketing of late. Let us know if we missed anyone.
Ad agency shifts
Mindshare, part of WPP's media investment unit GroupM, named Amanda Richman as CEO of North America. She had been US CEO of Wavemaker, another GroupM media planning and buying agency. Richman succeeds Adam Gerhart, who became Mindshare's global CEO in December.
Elsewhere at WPP, Wunderman Thompson hired Audrey Melofchik as CEO of New York. Melofchik is set to oversee all of the company's New York offices including its recently integrated healthcare practice, Wunderman Thompson Health. She was president of rival Omnicom agencies DDB New York and Velocity, its Johnson & Johnson unit.
- Meanwhile, former Mindshare Global CEO Nick Emery is headed to You & Mr Jones, a branding and technology company founded in 2015. Emery will be a founding partner of the firm's newly launched media division.
- At WPP rival Omnicom, its TBWA network promoted Nancy Reyes to CEO of ad agency TBWA\Chiat\Day New York, from president. She replaces Rob Schwartz, who has been CEO since 2015.
- Havas Media Group hired Meghan Grant as chief strategy officer of North America. Grant comes from rival Publicis media agency Zenith, where she was an EVP of strategy and client lead for Verizon.
- MDC Partners poached Rebecca Routs from Martin Sorrell's advertising company S4 Capital as senior director for key client relationships, responsible for helping lead certain client engagements for the global network. Routs spent the past four years leading Google initiatives at Firewood agency, part of S4 Capital.
- In platforms, audio-based social media app Clubhouse poached Spotify's head of content communications, Grey Munford, to lead comms. Munford, a former CBS and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer exec, joins Clubhouse head of global marketing Maya Watson, who was hired away from Netflix last month.
- NBCUniversal poached Nielsen exec Kelly Abcarian as an EVP of measurement and impact in its advertising and partnerships, or ad sales, division. Abcarian had been with Nielsen since 2014, most recently as general manager of advanced video advertising.
- Coca-Cola Co. hired away Rapha Abreu from Restaurant Brands International to be its global VP of design. Abreu was the VP and global head of design for the owner of fast-food companies like Burger King and Popeyes. Now he'll oversee the design for the beverage giant's brands including Coca-Cola, Fanta, and Minute Maid. Restaurant Brands lost another high-profile exec this month, its top marketer Fernando Machado. Machado left after seven years to join gaming giant Activision Blizzard in the same role. At Activision Blizzard, Machado replaces David Messinger, who held the chief marketer role for just under two years.
PR agency moves
Earlier this month, Edelman promoted US Chief Operating Officer Lisa Osborne Ross to US CEO, the PR firm's largest operation with 2,360 people across 13 offices. Osborne Ross replaces Russell Dubner, who is moving into a global role.
- And IPG's Weber Shandwick hired away Michael Frohlich from WPP's Ogilvy to be CEO of its EMEA region. Frohlich was with Ogilvy for more than nine years, most recently as UK CEO. The PR firm also promoted former Asia-Pacific vice chair Tyler Kim to CEO of APAC. Kim replaced Baxter Jolly, who was named chairman of the APAC region.


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Health & wellness: Latest news and analysis articles
Post Holdings has undergone significant change in the last two years through a spate of M&A. While there are questions about the outlook for...
Pinnacle Foods, owner of Wishbone dressings, has been shopping and has picked out a firm that is going to bulk out its presence in the froze...
Shares in Snyder's-Lance fell yesterday after the US snack group's third-quarter results missed Wall Street's expectations and the company r...
Research suggesting the price gap between healthier and less healthy foods is widening will have been greeted with concern by public health...
Americans consume 16bn quarts of popcorn annually, with 70% of popcorn eaten at home. Capturing a share of this is all about keeping it simple and being honest with consumers, Angie Bastian, co-founder of popcorn firm Angie's Artisan Treats tells just-food's Hannah Abdulla.
UK cheese maker Cricketer Farm supplies the country's major retailers with low-fat cheese, a category growing amid the rising consumer interest in health. However, in the last 18 months, the business has added a new brand - Cheeky Cow - to its portfolio, with half the fat of mature cheddar. MD Greg Parsons talks to Dean Best about the brand's early performance, the competition and how there are plans for "evolution" in 2015.
just-food's management briefings see the team provide an in-depth look at a key issue or market affecting our readers in the industry. This year, the briefings included a deep dive into the confectionery sector, a spotlight on Vietnam and analysis of the development of the dairy industry in India.
US protein bar company ThinkThin has promoted Michele Kessler to the post of CEO and signalled it is eyeing expansion into complementary food categories.
Australia's consumer watchdog has launched an investigation into the sale of unpasteurised milk in the country after consumption of raw milk was linked to a number of illnesses and, potentially, one fatality.
This week, Danone announced it was forming a new division for its operations in Africa and keeping its medical nutrition arm, which had been the subject of takeover speculation. Tesco issued yet another profit warning, but CEO Dave Lewis is convinced the company is taking the right steps for the future and outlined changes to the way the retailer will do business with suppliers. Elsewhere, Kellogg remained coy over union claims it was mulling the closure of two cereal plants in the US. Here is the week in quotes.
US researchers have claimed high sugar consumption has more of a negative impact on heart health than high salt consumption.
Australia needs tighter regulation on fruit and veg claims on packaged foods, a research body has claimed.
The meat-free protein sector could be in for a popularity boost as more and more research points to the damaging effect livestock production is having on the environment.
How can diet-related ill-health be tackled? How can the health and wellbeing of the population improve? Such a complex issue is often reduced to soundbites and brickbats, with industry in the firing line. Some of the criticism is misjudged, some well-founded. However, what is certain is manufacturers have a central - perhaps the central - role to play.
- Focus: Danone CEO Faber puts stamp on business
- Cleaning up Tesco will have mixed supplier impact
- General Mills US "priority" categories gain share
- The just-food interview: Doux CEO Arnaud Marion
- Interview part 2: BRF CFO Augusto Ribeiro
- General Mills outlines "aggressive" NPD drive
- Coles supplier payments broke competition law
- Kraft to reappraise business, says new CEO Cahill
- General Mills earnings drop one-third
- PepsiCo opens snacks plant in Saudi Arabia

domain: news


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Cadix International Inc., a software company based in Atlanta, has developed an on-line signature verification system that company officials claim detects nearly 100% of unauthorized signatures.
The system uses a terminal equipped with a pressure-sensitive writing tablet to capture signatures electronically. Once captured, a signature is then compared, using biometric technology, to an authorization file containing valid signatures for a given account.
Developed with the banking industry in mind, the system can be used for a range of applications, including check endorsement verification, vault and safety deposit box access, and identification at the point of sale.
"It performed well under tests and basically won't allow any false accepts," said Steve Hollingsworth, marketing director at Cadix.
The process is based on proprietary pattern recognition software that Cadix has been refining for 10 years. Company officials claim it can accept or reject signatures within a second.
Though no banking company has purchased the system, Mr. Hollingsworth said Cadix is in discussions with two financial institutions, which he declined to name. The company will soon launch a pilot with a credit union, he said.
At least one banker expressed mixed opinions on adding such a product to the bank's operations.
Bruce P. Brett, senior vice president with Signet Banking Corp., Richmond, Va., said that the process of creating a data base containing images of customers' signatures may be impractical.
"I'm generally positive toward any effort to reduce fraud," Mr. Brett said. "I think any bank would be interested in such a system, but I'd question its convenience and reliability."
Although several virtually flawless methods of positively identifying a person exist - including electronic retina scans and handprint analysis - none are generally feasible for the banking industry, experts said.
As such, the industry generally relies on passwords or personal identification numbers, which can be stolen.
Experts consider biometric identification a good alternative to current methods because the technology relies on individual characteristics that are difficult to copy.
In retina scanning, for instance, an infrared laser shoots into the eye to recognize unique patterns. Likewise, fingerprint analysis is virtually foolproof.
But Mr. Hollingsworth maintained that as good as these identification techniques are, consumers are unlikely to embrace them. The criminal connotations of fingerprinting and the perceived dangers of retina scanning would be too much for a bank to overcome in using the technologies.
However, Mr. Brett said that banks, though cautious, are constantly looking for better antifraud options. "Everyone's looking for the magic bullet," he said, "and I'm convinced there is none."
The Cadix system can be used as a stand-alone module or networked as part of a larger system. The software can communicate with a host computer using local or wide area networks or dial-up communications. Verifications can be sent long distances over high-speed transmission lines within three to five seconds.
Signature templates occupy 1.5 kilobytes of disk space, allowing 20,000 signatures to be stored on a 40-megabyte hard disk. With such storage requirements, the technology readily lends itself to service bureau offerings, though storage is becoming less of an issue as technology evolves, Mr. Hollingsworth said.
"If you think about it, it doesn't matter where the signature is," Mr. Hollingsworth said. "It could be on a two-dimensional bar code, which can hold two or three signatures, or on a smart card."
The tablet and a copy of the software starts at $1,500. Volume discounts are available.


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Several people have been injured after a stolen vehicle was involved in an accident in Mukuyu shopping centre in Murang’a County.
Reports indicate that the car, a Nissan Navara double cabin, was stolen at Kenol area within Murang’a County.
The owner had parked the vehicle to do some transactions in a bank at Kenol town when the thief stole it.
When he was done at the bank, the owner of the pick-up truck realised his vehicle was missing. Upon enquiring from the town dwellers, he was told that it was driven towards the Mukuyu direction. That was when he promptly boarded a motorbike to trail it, and found out that it was involved in an accident.
An angry mob had started beating up the lone suspect but he was saved by police.
More to follow…


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It’s called quite simply, Factory and it’s become the new German home of several little-known startups from around the globe. So why are tech firms, Twitter, Mozilla and Soundcloud moving in with them? CCTV America’s Jack Barton traveled to Berlin to explore this innovative tech project.
When it’s complete, the building running along what was once the Berlin Wall will bring together dozens of early stage startups with international technology giants. Some have already moved in. Factory is the brainchild of Simon Schaefer, who shows off some of the World War-II explosives his team cleared in the process of creating this edgy project.
“We figured out if we bring together, in a stage agnostic way, very large companies and very small companies at different stages we were hoping for synergies and we are very lucky that that is actually happening,” Schaefer says.
Cross-pollination is the key and it’s a model that appears to already be working well for women’s Business-Lifestyle-platform Edition F.
“Start-ups come together at different stages so we’re very young, we launched edition F only in May, so only three months ago but then there’s also Soundcloud or Twitter, some very established startups, not even startups anymore and you cooperate, you meet the people and you share your knowledge and your know-how and it’s a strong network,” says Susann Hoffmann, Co-founder, Edition F.
Berlin was chosen because startups, like event search app Vamos, were already flocking here because the city is relatively cheap, connected and considered “cool.”
Luis-Daniel Algeria, Co-founder, Vamos says, “Berlin has the elements and the factory has put it under one roof.”
Experimentalism is taken seriously, but big firms have been quick to get on board.Even Google which has long clashed with the German government over privacy laws has pledged more than $1.3 million to help startups here.Simon Schaefer now wants to export this model across Europe and beyond.
“What we’ve built is a system that works anywhere outside Silicon Valley, anywhere where there’s not so much development yet but a lot of aspiration to try and do something,” he says.
The demand is such that there are currently said to be seven times more startups applying for space at the Factory than there is room to accommodate them.
CCTV America is joined by Rob Enderle, Principal Analyst at the Enderle Group, to talk about what’s next for the startup world.


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Apple is turning its attention and resources back to a decade-long partnership with the Product (RED) campaign today. The company has kicked off an effort meant to coincide with Thursday’s World AIDS Day and is introducing several new products, special limited-edition items for games in the App Store, and donations tied to certain Apple Pay purchases — all intended to nudge customers to join the fight against AIDS.
At a small press gathering in New York City on Tuesday, Apple VP Lisa Jackson said "We’ve been part of (RED) from the beginning," adding that the partnership "really aligns with who we are as a company." The campaign, which includes other partners such as Starbucks, Coca-Cola, and Bank of America, has raised over $360 million and directed that money to the Global Fund to fight AIDS. Apple points out that it (plus Beats) has raised nearly $120 million of that total, making it the largest corporate Global Fund contributor in the world.
But the company wants that number to grow much larger, with the goal being to reach the first "AIDS-free generation" by ending pediatric AIDS perhaps as soon as 2020. So, as Jackson said Tuesday, "essentially, Apple is turning (RED)" for the next two days in the following ways:
Apple retail: The company says 400 stores across five continents will either turn the Apple emblem red or display window signage related to World AIDS Day and (RED).
App Store: 20 popular games will release exclusive in-app purchases of (RED) content, and 100 percent of those proceeds will go to the Global Fund.
New products: Apple has unveiled a (RED) smart battery case for iPhone 7, a (RED) Beats Pill+, (RED) Beats Solo 3 headphones, and a (RED) leather case for the iPhone SE as the latest additions to its lineup of products linked to the campaign.
Donations for Apple Pay purchases: Beginning today, Apple will donate $1 to (RED) "for every purchase made with Apple Pay" via the company’s website or at the Apple Store for a total of up to $1 million. Bank of America has also agreed to make a donation for every Apple Pay transaction using its cards, up to the same $1 million maximum. That one seems a little more likely to raise the $1 million a little faster, if you ask me.


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Many sectors of direct marketing are used to being public enemy number one but few could shoulder the latest accusations being levied at the technology sector, amid claims it is sapping the world’s resources and doing more environmental damage than both the aviation and shipping industries.
According to a report in The Guardian – which quotes soon-to-released US research – the communications industry could use 20% of all the world’s electricity by 2025, with billions of Internet-connected devices producing 3.5% of global emissions within 10 years and 14% by 2040.
Swedish researcher Anders Andrae told the newspaper: “The situation is alarming. We have a tsunami of data approaching. Everything which can be is being digitalised. It is a perfect storm. 5G is coming, IP traffic is much higher than estimated, and all cars and machines, robots and artificial intelligence are being digitalised, producing huge amounts of data which is stored in data centres.”
US researchers expect power consumption to triple in the next five years as one billion more people come online in developing countries, and the Internet of Things, driverless cars, robots, video surveillance and artificial intelligence grows exponentially in rich countries.
Under a best case scenario, Andrae said, there will be continuous improvements of power saving, renewable energy will become the norm and the explosive growth in demand for data will slow, but he warned: “There is a real risk that it all gets out of control.”
Rise of engagement to spark bonanza for data and tech
Tech revolution could bring in extra £455bn to UK firms
Tech spend tops $34bn but still marketers want more
Travel brands urged to embrace tech to build loyalty
London faces mass exodus of tech talent to the North
Digital skills gap is costing the UK economy billions


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The 2012 International Mobile Gaming Awards
Posted on May 08, 2012 at 12:05pm
The International Mobile Gaming Awards (IMGA) were established in 2004 to honor mobile games of exceptional quality, showcasing both creativity and innovation. The awards are strictly for mobile games, so those designed for tablets, netbooks and handheld consoles are not eligible. Over the last 7 years the IMGA panel has reviewed more than 1,500 games, determined to highlight exceptional mobile games and their developers, to bring them to the attention of the ever expanding mobile gaming market. This year’s IMGA winners were announced on March 1st in a ceremony that took place in Barcelona, Spain with thirty nominees in competition for the prestigious accolades. The game developers lucky enough to receive an IMGA gain free publicity from ProSieben Sat1 Games worth around $130,000.
The prizes are awarded based on the innovation, popularity and overall success of a game, with separate awards based on expert opinion and that of the mobile gaming market. This year’s big winners were Chair Entertainment, which claimed both the Grand Prix and Excellence in Gameplay awards for Infinity Blade II. Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP from Canadian developer, Capy, took the award for Most Innovative Game, whilst Lithuanian developer, On5, took home the prize for Best Mobile Social Game for Charadium II. The People’s Choice award went to Flick Tennis from Indian developer Rolocule Games and Contre Jour, bought to you by the Ukrainian Mokus Games, won the Judges’ Honorable Mention. As well as awarding the top innovators in the industry, the IMBAs have become the world’s biggest showcase of what’s new and what to expect from the world of mobile gaming.
This year was no exception, as the latest and greatest state-of-the-art mobile games were displayed, showing what’s set to come to the iPhone, Android, Windows Mobile, Bada (Samsung), BREW MP, BlackBerry, WebOS, J2ME, Flash, and HTML5 markets very soon. The very latest mobile devices with the potential to improve the quality of mobile gaming for the masses were also showcased at the IMBAs. It seems the future of mobile gaming is looking bright as recent technological advances have improved gaming speed and graphics. As mobile gaming looks set to get better and better, its enthusiastic market of gamers is sure to get bigger each year.
IGT Cardless Connect Goes Live At Two More Casinos
Posted on October 23, 2017 at 12:10pm
Global casino gaming, lottery, and social gaming experts IGT (International Game Technology) have now announced that their breakthrough ‘Cardles
Android Pay Affect, will this effect Mobile Gaming?
Posted on June 03, 2015 at 12:06pm
We’ve been waiting for this news for quite some time but Google has now finally revealed its plans for a new payment solution that could really


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Smart Agriculture on the Rise
Yano Research Institute (the President, Takashi Mizukoshi) has carried out a survey on the smart agriculture market in Japan, and found out the market size, the trends by market players, and the future outlook.
The smart agriculture market in Japan was valued at 18,007 million yen for FY2019, and is projected to reach 20,328 million yen for FY2020. Between FY2017 and FY2019, the market growth was led by the cultivation support solution such as cloud service for agriculture, complex environmental control system, and production support solution for dairy farming/animal husbandry. From FY2019, agrochemical spraying using drones and agricultural robotic vehicles are becoming increasingly popular.
Pervasion of Agrochemical Spraying Using Drones
Driven by the development of agrochemicals suited to spray using drones, use of agricultural drones for agrochemical spraying has been widely adopted by large-scale paddy rice farmers from FY2019, and it is assumed to vegetable farmers and fruit tree farmers will follow hereafter. The use of drones is also expected to extend to other process like fertilizing and seeding. As to the use of drones for remote sensing, since proving tests by the market players are still ongoing, implementation in full-scale is likely to be after 2022.
The market of smart agriculture in Japan is projected to grow to 50,100 million yen by FY2026.
As the agricultural data collaboration platform (WAGRI) was launched in April 2019, all kinds of data sharing regarding smart agriculture have begun. Further commoditization and alliance of data is likely to go forward as an implementation of open API for agriculture starts in FY2021. Moreover, it is expected that the advancements in telecommunication technology (5G, private 5G) will drive expansion of agricultural robotic vehicles.
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Please contact our PR team when quoting the report contents for the purpose other than media coverage.
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text: The good people at McLaren Automotive surely don’t believe in half measures. A year into the launch of its first road car, the high-performance 12C, and the gradual rollout of a global dealer network, the UK carmaker has gone and brought out the 12C Spider. By the looks and sound of it, McLaren has brought in a bit of more into the Spider. For one, it can do zero to 160 kilometres per hour in the small matter of 6.1 seconds and packs in 616bhp through a twin-turbocharged 3.8 litre V8 engine. Then there’s the retractable roof, which can be put through its paces while on the move. And in an extreme bit of detailing, the engine can be viewed through a glass screen. “It does look deceptively simple, but a lot of engineering went into getting it to fit into the overall packaging,” asserts Mark Harrison, regional managing director at McLaren Automotive. For Harrison too, the recent past has been a time of change. As a consummate communicator, he has had long and fruitful stints heading PR operations at some of the marque automotive companies. But this is the first time that he will be doing a lot more than communicating about a particular model or spreading the good word about the company.As managing director, he takes on the central role in getting McLaren acquainted with the Middle East’s extremely finicky sports-car aficionados. But he doesn’t believe it’s a task beyond him. Q: Even for a sports-car brand, aren’t back-to-back launches just a tad excessive? More so, as the brand is still finding its way around global markets? A: Right from the time the 12C (the coupe) was launched, it was clear that we were working on extending the line-up. Engineering on the 12C Spider started at more or less the same time. Also, we had a full year from the launch of the coupe to try and know what works. Being a new car company that extra effort was made in learning what the customer truly wants and, in a way, this meant being less manipulative compared to the way the car industry typically does launches. Q: But was a year long enough to build a following for the 12C? A: It’s been slowly ramping up the numbers and had 1,000 units sold in the period. In the Middle East, deliveries started from the end of last year and have now touched 100. Q: But wouldn’t the 12C Spider kind of overwhelm the 12C? A: It’s the nature of motor racing and the F1 industry that something or the other is constantly changed or upgraded. That’s what happens when you have the brightest engineers around. On average, every 20 minutes something or the other gets changed in F1. Now, road car teams are bringing in the best and the brightest from racing and you are seeing the same dynamics of change getting applied there. As for the 12C Spider, there is a clear price differential from the coupe, and partly reflects the extra cost on the roofing. We have worked hard on the details. (While the coupe retails for 176,000 pounds in the UK, the Spider’s list price is 195,000 pounds and the first deliveries will start from November.) Q: But can the best engineers ensure that a car company is profitable? How closely are you looking at the bottom-line? A: We are well aware that carmakers have to work to a budget these days. McLaren Automotive has spent 800 million pounds to date and it’s our intention to turn a profit pretty quickly. The way to go about doing that is not make too many cars and have these pile up at dealerships, which would make them unprofitable. It also means coming out with models that will have customers head back to the dealerships. The company has four shareholders and in the short term the company is well-positioned in regard to its financial targets. Q: It does sound a highly conservative view for a sports-car maker… A: What the recession taught the car industry was that if you got too bold, you will get burned. There were too many unsold cars and dealerships were left carrying too high a stock level. Mind you, we launched the business through the recession, though the plans were in place well before. Even then, there wasn’t too much of a deviation from the original set of plans. By mid-2015, the expectation is that we can produce 4,000 cars a year, and this way we get to ensure that we have enough cars to meet the demand and not much more than that. Being conservative seems to me a very sensible thing to be doing.


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Indian bitcoin company raises $1.5 million from U.S., Indian investors
NEW YORK Unocoin, a Bangalore-based bitcoin startup, has raised $1.5 million in funding from a mix of Indian and U.S. investors, the company announced on Thursday.
PARIS Google (GOOG.O) will appeal against a 150,000 euro fine issued by France's data-protection watchdog over how user information is tracked and stored, the U.S. search engine said on Wednesday.
The privacy watchdog, known as CNIL, had objected to Google's method of combining data collected on individual users across services such as YouTube, Gmail and social network Google+. The move towards broad storage was introduced by Google in March 2012 and combined 60 privacy policies into one.
"We're now appealing their decision."
(Reporting by Gwenaelle Barzic; Writing by Lionel Laurent; Editing by David Goodman)
"Farmville" creator Zynga Inc on Thursday appointed Gerard Griffin as its chief financial officer, adding another Electronic Arts Inc executive to its top ranks.
MUMBAI/HONG KONG Wal-Mart Stores Inc is in talks to buy a minority stake in India's largest e-commerce firm Flipkart, two people familiar with the matter said, as the world's biggest retailer aims to break into a fast growing but highly competitive online retail market.


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KABUL (Pajhwok): Residents of Kabul say they have been struggling with finding mobile credit cards since the Taliban took control of the central capital.
The Taliban captured Kabul on Sunday, forcing former president Ashraf Ghani to flee the country. Now the Taliban control all of Afghanistan except central Panjsher province.
A number of Kabul residents said finding mobile credit cards had become difficult and expensive in the city.
Abdul Jalal, a resident of the Kart-e-Parwan area of Kabul, said he had been trying to find a credit card for two days and finally found it in a shop the previous day, but he bought a 250 afghanis card for 300 afghanis.
He said the price of credit cards of all telecom companies had increased.
Jamshid Popal, a resident of the Taimani area of Kabul, said the price of credit cards had gone up as 50 afs card of Roshan was sold for 60afs.
He called on telecom firms to make available credit cards in the market without any delay.
Wasiullah, a resident of Rahman Mena in Kabul, said he bought a Roshan network card of 500 afs for 550 afs.
Abdul Mansoor, a resident of Deh Afghanan area of Kabul, who was busy selling cards, said the telecom firms had stopped issuing credit cards to market since last five days.
He said the cards available with them had been issued before the fall of Kabul to the Taliban.
Pajhwok tried to contact the telecom firms about the issue but was unsuccessful.


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Posts Tagged ‘iceberg-interactive’
Posted by DaRipp3r on December 6, 2013 under Euro, News, PC
Veteran game publisher Iceberg Interactive announces today that its latest 4X space strategy game Star Lords is available now on Steam’s Early Access program. Developed by up-and-coming Portuguese developer Arkavi Studios, Star Lords offers many features that fans of the genre know and love, including a large universe to explore, deep and complex gameplay, customization options, and much more.... more.
Posted by DaRipp3r on November 19, 2013 under Euro, News, PC
Iceberg Interactive releases a brand new teaser trailer today for its upcoming 4x space strategy game Star Lords (PC), which is being developed by Portuguese game developer Arkavi Studios. Star Lords is an epic-sized complex and dense 4x strategy game with a deep economic and political layer. The game features a tactical turn-based combat approach and excels with its human-like AI that does... more.
Posted by DaRipp3r on October 24, 2013 under Euro, News, Portables
Unigine Corp. announces the launch of Oil Rush on iOS devices today for $4.99. Dominate the seas in this post-apocalyptic naval strategy game where oil is key to survival. What is left between the endless ocean and the burning sky…is war! Oil Rush takes place in a world where nuclear war has melted the ice caps, changing the face of the planet forever. The game features group real time s... more.
Posted by DaRipp3r on October 17, 2013 under Euro, Mac, News, PC
Veteran video game publisher Iceberg Interactive announced today it is tapping into gamers’ inner xenophobe by announcing that the action-packed horror survival side-scroller Dark Matter is available today on Steam as well as GOG.com, with other digital portals and English and German retail releasing the game tomorrow. Dark Matter is simultaneously launched for the PC, Mac and Linux platfo... more.
Posted by DaRipp3r on October 3, 2013 under Euro, Mac, News, PC
Veteran video game publisher Iceberg Interactive revealed today that its’ love affair with all things off-planet continues apace with the action-packed 2.5D survival platformer Dark Matter, coming to PC, OS X and Linux on Steam and in Western European retail mid-October. Developed by InterWave Studios, Dark Matter is set in a derelict spaceship inundated by a sinister alien presence and in... more.
Posted by DaRipp3r on September 20, 2013 under Euro, News, PC
Renowned video game publisher Iceberg Interactive announced today, that its upcoming 4X turn-based strategy game Horizon (PC) has reached the Beta milestone on Steam. Horizon, created by Toronto-based developer L3O Interactive, launches players into a universe of galactic exploration and conquest, as they take mankind on its first journey into deep space, taking gamers beyond the known horizon.... more.
Posted by DaRipp3r on August 21, 2013 under Euro, Mac, News, PC
Indie videogames developer Amplitude Studios made quite a splash last year with their first title Endless Space (PC/Mac). The hugely popular 4x space strategy game launched on Steam in July 2012 selling around half a million units in its first year, while garnering critical acclaim, marking an excellent debut for the Paris outfit. Since the 2012 release, the studio has not only worked o... more.
Posted by DaRipp3r on July 3, 2013 under Euro, News, PC
Videogames publisher Iceberg Interactive is pleased to announce that its new 4x turn-based strategy game “Horizon” has now officially released on Steam’s ‘Early Access’. Horizon is currently in an advanced development stage with many of its features working but not yet fully complete. Developer L3O Interactive invites gamers to give valuable feedback and to participate in the discus... more.
Posted by DaRipp3r on June 26, 2013 under Euro, News, PC
Amplitude Studios is excited to announce that its first expansion pack ‘Disharmony’ for the popular 4X space-strategy hit Endless Space is available on Steam today. Disharmony follows the release of four free add-ons that have extended gameplay since the game’s original inception in summer 2012. “I’m very excited to get this into the players’ hands,” says Romain de Waubert, Crea... more.
Posted by DaRipp3r on June 18, 2013 under Euro, Mac, News, PC
Amplitude Studios is excited to announce that they have entered the last stages of development for ‘Disharmony’, the first official expansion to their 4x space strategy hit Endless Space. The expansion pack follows the release of 4 free add-ons that have extended gameplay since the game’s original inception in 2012. Upon the Disharmony launch, Amplitude plans to unlock the ‘Shered... more.
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Zynga prices IPO at $10 per share
Updated 12:18 am, Friday, December 16, 2011
Zynga priced its stock at $10 a share late Thursday, giving the San Francisco social games publisher a $9 billion valuation, including options and grants to company executives.
The amount was at the high end of what the company had projected two weeks ago, when it said shares would be priced between $8.50 and $10, implying that the company was worth as much as $9 billion. That was well below what some analysts on Wall Street predicted when the company first filed its initial-public-offering plans in July with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
At that time, many had predicted Zynga could be worth $15 billion to $20 billion. But then the stock markets went haywire, gyrating by as much as several hundred points a day beginning in late August. Debt crisis in Europe further squeezed the credit markets, leaving many IPOs, including Zynga's, in limbo.
Despite continued market volatility, the company pulled the trigger Dec. 2 with a substantially lower valuation than expected, setting into motion its long-awaited IPO, which is now set to debut on Nasdaq on Friday.
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Some investor concerns pertain to the $1 billion market for social games and its ability to continue its exponential growth, said Michael Cai, a game industry analyst with Interpret, a market research firm in Los Angeles.
"There's the challenge of converting free players into paying customers," Cai said. "But if any company can succeed in this space, it's Zynga. There's no question they are the leader. In the end, it's a solid company and very well-run."


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Cocksure car thieves who scoff at annoying alarms or steering-wheel locks could be in for a jolt the next time their hands creep near an ignition.
The latest auto security device won't just pierce felonious eardrums; it'll zap parking lot prowlers with high-voltage justice.
Auto Taser puts a shocking new spin on the concept introduced by the Club, the ubiquitous bar protecting 20 million autos worldwide.
Though Air Taser, which is marketing Auto Taser, didn't create the Club, it has taken the concept to a new level.
Auto Taser is an alarm and stun gun in one.
Its bar, which looks like a billy club, locks horizontally across a steering wheel with a key. A remote control then activates a motion detector that sets off an alarm if anyone approaches the ignition.
But the real protection comes from the electric jolt to anyone who lingers near the steering wheel for more than a few seconds.
Air Taser also markets a popular stun gun.
"I'm all for it because my car was broken into," said Grant Grand of DeLand, Fla., as he eyed the invention in an Altamonte Springs, Fla., parking lot in a demonstration.
"If someone's going to break into your car, they deserve it," he added.
The rod is available for about $200 at The Sharper Image stores. It also can be purchased from Air Taser, based in Scottsdale, Ariz.
"If their hand comes within one inch (of the device), they will be zapped," said spokeswoman Tina Miller-Steinke.
Car stereos also are protected by Auto Taser.
The bar is designed to overlap audio components and deliver the same electric charge if someone tampers with the stereo equipment.
The nonlethal surge is less than a full amp of power, enough to scare off intruders without frying them.
"It will temporarily disable them, but it won't kill them," Miller-Steinke said. "There are stickers to warn that if a thief enters the car, they'll have to face the consequences."
The Auto Taser is "better than the Club because there are ways to break (the Club) down," said Robert Dicrisci of Orlando as he watched sparks fly from an Auto Taser.
"This doesn't give them time. It'll shock them first," Dicrisci said.
Crime prevention aside, Auto Taser is igniting confusion.
Winner International, the Pennsylvania-based maker of the Club, has been besieged by retail owners looking to purchase the Auto Taser.
Winner says it doesn't fear competition from the high-wattage hybrid.
"The basic premise behind the Club is that it is a visual deterrent," said James Mallory, a spokesman for Winner International.
"For the same price as an Auto Taser, you can get a pretty good car alarm."
But the Taser has sparked interest in the theft prevention industry.
"It's an interesting concept," said James Pasco, executive director for the National Fraternal Order of Police, which endorses the Club. "We haven't even seen this one, but it sounds intriguing."
Jeff Benzing, a spokesman for the National Insurance Crime Bureau, said he recalled a scene from the futuristic film "Robocop" depicting a similar zapping device.
"Anything that goes on the market that would prevent vehicle theft, we support," Benzing said.
"This one is very unusual, though. Most anti-theft devices don't inflict pain on the perpetrator," he added.


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- Planet Possible
Global treaty to regulate plastic pollution gains momentum
Even producers have an interest in global rules on plastic waste that would resolve the inconsistencies among countries.
The simple plastic bag has come to symbolize the world’s growing problem with plastic waste. Yet globally, there are seven definitions of what is considered a plastic bag—and that complicates efforts to reduce their proliferation.
Banning bags, along with other plastic packaging, is the most commonly used remedy to rein in plastic waste. So far, 115 nations have taken that approach, but in different ways. In France, bags less than 50 microns thick are banned. In Tunisia, bags are banned if they are less than 40 microns thick.
Those kinds of differences create loopholes that enable illegal bags to find their way to street vendors and market stalls. Kenya, which passed the world’s toughest bag ban in 2017, has had


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Robloxplayer.exe goes public Wednesday— right here‘s exactly how indie game makers transformed it into a $30 billion company
Ethan Gawronski was about one decade old when he discovered Roblox. He dove into its games, mainly to socialize with other youngsters.
Now, at age 20, Gawronski has his own Robloxplayer.exe e that he works on full time with his sweetheart, Elle Deppe. The couple, that fulfilled on the application, gained more than $49,000 in the past month from their activity game, Bad Business, by selling attire and also tools gamers can use to make their personalities look cooler as well as perform better.
“ Secretive designer areas, there were people that were making foolish amounts of money and also we believed we can do that,“ claimed Deppe, that‘s additionally 20, in a current interview.
Bad Business is among the numerous user-created games on Robloxplayer.exe , the youngsters‘ enjoyment set to go public on Wednesday after being valued at $29.5 billion in January. The company has constructed one of the top-grossing applications for Apple and also Google tools by transforming younger customers into game developers without forcing them to discover challenging coding. The company rewards designers by sharing 30% of the profits from digital purchases.
Robloxplayer.exe said in the current update to its prospectus that it paid designers $328.7 million in 2014, up almost 200% from 2019. That far outpaced the business‘s sales development of 82% last year, when it reserved $923.9 million in total earnings.
Greater than 1,250 developers made at least $10,000 in the digital currency Robloxplayer.exe , which can be transformed to cash. Over 300 made $100,000 or more.
Robloxplayer.exe is telling possible shareholders to get comfy with its substantial payments. In its capitalist presentation recently, the company claimed it prepares to spend much more to developers to motivation higher-quality web content and fund bigger groups of engineers, designers, artists as well as manufacturers .
“ What made use of to be a leisure activity has actually come to be a job for an individual person, and now is increasingly more ending up being the structure for large, incredibly creative workshops that are arising on our system,“ stated CEO David Baszucki, who established Roblox in 2004.
On Tuesday, the New York Supply Stock market established a reference price for Roblox‘s direct listing of $45 a share, which coincides rate financiers paid in January. Nevertheless, the recommendation cost does not necessarily indicate where the supply will open on Wednesday, when shares will trade publicly for the first time.
Gawronski dropped out of university last semester after taking two years obviously at Grand Valley State College, where he switched over majors multiple times. Deppe finished her two-year partner‘s degree in Portland, Oregon, and made a decision that sufficed. They‘ve been cohabiting considering that last year in an apartment in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
The couple satisfied personally for the first time in 2017 at a Robloxplayer.exe programmer seminar. They quickly began working together and also were invited into an accelerator program at Roblox 2 years later, at the firm‘s university in San Mateo, California. That‘s where they began developing Bad Business.
“ The goal of the accelerator program for us was to construct something that was profitable sufficient to move in together,“ claimed Gawronski, including that month-to-month earnings is up around 30% since September. “It was a bit of a wager but it exercised.“
Gawronski and Deppe have been upgrading the game every week approximately with brand-new tools, maps as well as other functions. In the process, they‘ve had the ability to include an additional permanent worker as well as eight contractors.
Roblox‘s Covid boom
Robloxplayer.exe has actually been a significant recipient of the Covid-19 shutdowns, which compelled children out of the classroom and also far from their friends. Without school to participate in and birthday celebration celebrations canceled, kids resorted to Roblox, where they can mingle essentially, browsing amusement park, participating in concerts and playing action games while additionally remaining in touch using its prominent message conversation attribute.
Daily active customers jumped 85% in 2020 to 32.6 million. The number of hrs that players spent on the application greater than increased to 30.6 billion.
That extraordinary as well as unforeseen growth has actually created some difficulties around its programmer neighborhood. The company has needed to emulate an influx of fraudsters and spammers who are out to take advantage of some of the millions of kids that are ready and willing to invest their parents cash on Robux.
In-game pop-ups entice customers with the assurance of cost-free Robloxplayer.exe if they submit a survey, only to reroute them to other sites where there‘s no Robux and also a lot more spam. In many cases, Roblox developers unwittingly install a destructive plug-in from the game growth studio, contaminating their very own game.
“ Due to the popularity of our system, our team believe that we are an appealing target for these kind of strikes,“ Roblox said in its program. The firm stated it‘s spending to see to it outdoors parties can not access individual data as well as to stop phishing, spamming and also malware as high as feasible.
Roblox‘s second-biggest expense, behind developer costs, is safety and security, privacy and also facilities . Those costs leapt 69% in 2015 to $264.2 million.
Alexander Hicks, designer of the role-playing game Robloxian High School, claimed he observed boosted spam early in the pandemic when there was a surge in brand-new individuals. But he claimed the firm did something about it pretty promptly to bring back order.
Hicks has a deep financial interest in Roblox maintaining its website flourishing and also clean . In 2020, his game studio, RedManta, increased income on the website to $2 million.
In addition to Robloxian High School, RedManta is the developer of World// Absolutely no, where children team up to fight beasts. Hicks began the business in 2018 after dropping out of Carleton University in Canada and relocating to Silicon Valley. He was currently making $50,000 a month from the senior high school game and also was ready to reinvest his earnings to develop a business.
It hasn’t been all up as well as to the. As an enthusiastic gamer without any real business experience, Hicks hired about 15 people, none over the age of 22. His business‘s preliminary efforts to duplicate the success of Robloxian Secondary school fell short, and also RedManta burned through cash so quickly that he needed to dismiss a great deal of his very early staff members.
“ I had actually hired to our ability, so when the game started to do not as well I can see a future where we would not have money in the bank to maintain moneying it,“ Hicks said. “That experience gave us the foresight for exactly how to scale without taking as well big of a danger.“
Hicks‘ business expanded in 2015 from both the pandemic-fueled development of Robloxplayer.exe and the success of his second game, which has 1.2 million monthly active customers, according to its site. He additionally shut the Silicon Valley office because of shelter-in-place orders as well as moved at the very least briefly to Los Angeles, where he‘s renting out a house with friends.
Diversifying to decrease risk
RedManta now has 10 individuals, spread out throughout the UNITED STATE and Canada, including features to both games while likewise servicing the next prototype.
“The objective is to scale up so we have numerous games and several teams to remain diversified so if one game sees its appeal drop, we‘re safe with other ones,“ he claimed.
Robloxplayer.exe might quickly provide programmers another method to branch out: In-game ads.
Thus far, nearly all of Roblox‘s income has originated from online products. Much more lately the company rolled out a costs membership service so users might get a particular quantity of Robux on a monthly basis.
But Roblox has started dabbling with top quality material, allowing business like Warner Bros., Netflix as well as Marvel to market their products via virtual experiences. The pop band Why Do not We held an special launch event on Roblox over the weekend break for their new cd.
Sam Drozdov, a former item designer at Facebook, sees a possibly larger untapped opportunity for advertising and marketing. In January, he launched Bloxbiz to allow game designers to reveal ads within their games, utilizing 3D signboards and also posters.
Drozdov claimed that some developers have actually done this by themselves, putting up fixed ads in their games. There hasn’t been an advertisement network to attach businesses with hundreds or thousands of Roblox titles in an automatic method, also though in-game advertising is a rapidly growing business throughout mobile, console and also computer system games.
Bad Business is amongst the millions of user-created games on Roblox, the kids‘ amusement established to go public on Wednesday after being valued at $29.5 billion in January. The business has constructed one of the top-grossing apps for Apple and also Google devices by turning younger individuals right into game developers without requiring them to learn challenging coding. The couple met in person for the very first time in 2017 at a Roblox developer meeting. They quickly started working with each other and also were welcomed into an accelerator program at Roblox two years later, at the company‘s school in San Mateo, The Golden State. He was currently making $50,000 a month from the high institution game as well as was ready to reinvest his earnings to build a business.


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According to JPMorgan analysts, Coinbase’s trading volume increased in the first weeks of 2023. Conversely, other exchanges continue in their downward trend. Which proves that after the demise of FTX, Coinbase’s reputation as a reliable exchange is starting to pay off.
Coinbase benefits from the collapse of FTX
The average daily volume (ADV) of the US-based cryptocurrency exchange increased by 0.3% year-on-year. It thus reached $1.6 billion in January, a modest but notable gain. According to data from JPM, other US exchanges, including Kraken and Gemini, saw declines of 13% and 46%, respectively.
As a reminder, Coinbase has seen a steady reduction in activity in 2022. As such, the slight increase in trading volume certainly suggests a trend reversal…
Indeed, after the disappearance of its rival FTX, Coinbase is on the rise. It now takes full advantage of its status as one of the most trusted stock exchanges in the United States.
The collapse of FTX has brought scrutiny to unregulated exchanges in the market. As a result, Coinbase seems to be one of the last choices for investors who want to trade cryptocurrencies without running a high risk of fraud. On the other hand, its rivals, including Binance and Gemini, are facing fallout.
The year 2022 has not been kind to Coinbase
Oppenheimer expects Coinbase’s revenue to fall sharply from $7.8 billion in 2021 to $3.2 billion in 2022. By the end of February, Coinbase is expected to announce their results of the fourth quarter.
In early January, Oppenheimer’s projections were released a day before Coinbase said it would cut its workforce by 20%, or around 950 workers. It should be noted that the exchange had laid off more than 1,000 workers in June.
In perspective, since Binance offers a more regulated and compliant platform, it seems to be in a good position to succeed.
Receive a digest of news in the world of cryptocurrencies by subscribing to our new service ofdaily and weekly so you don’t miss any of the essential Tremplin.io!


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The information below has been supplied by dairy marketers and other industry organizations. It has not been edited, verified or endorsed by Hoard’s Dairyman.
Bipartisan legislation has been introduced in Minnesota that will make healthy drinks—such as milk—the default beverages in kids’ menus at restaurants operating throughout Minnesota.
Known as the Healthy Kids Meal Bill, the legislation was introduced in response to the devastating long-term health impacts of unhealthy eating and drinking on children in Minnesota. Sugary drinks are a significant contributor to diet-related chronic diseases among Minnesotans.
“It’s recommended that children have no more than one 8-ounce sugary drink a week, but today the average child consumes as much as 10 times that amount,” says Jess Nolan of the American Heart Association. “That adds up to more than 30 gallons of sugary drinks every year—enough to fill a bathtub.”
An estimated 40% of children are likely to develop diet-related chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes and/or cardiovascular disease in their lifetime. These, and other chronic diseases, put youth at increased risk of serious illness including from COVID-19. Sugary drinks are also a major contributor to tooth decay. Diet-related chronic diseases cost Minnesotans more than $3 billion each year in increased healthcare costs.
An added benefit of the Healthy Kids Meal Bill is that it will help to increase sales of dairy products in Minnesota, which will, in turn, help increase income to dairy producers. Minnesota lost more than 250 dairy farms in 2019 due to low dairy prices brought on, in part, by decreased demand.
“The Healthy Kids Meals Bill is a win-win for Minnesota. It will help improve the health of Minnesota’s children while supporting the state’s dairy producers,” says Lucas Sjostrom, executive director of the Minnesota Milk Producers Association.
The legislation would require restaurants that offer a children’s meal on their menus to list water, unflavored milk, or a nondairy milk alternative as their default children’s meal beverage. It does not ban the sale of sugary drinks, such as pop, to children but such items would no longer be automatically included as part of a restaurant’s children’s meal, as they commonly are now.
Once the legislation is fully in effect in 2024, it would also require that a healthy side dish be offered on children’s menus.
There is a five-year phased-in approach to implementing the legislation is to allow restaurants dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic to settle back into their normal business routines prior to the Healthy Kids Meal measure going fully into effect.
Most restaurants already make water and milk available on their menus.
For parents like Sara DeVos of Sartell, the legislation is welcomed because it will help to reinforce the healthy eating habits they work on at home when they go to a restaurant.
“For me this is about consistency when it comes to healthy eating and drinking,” says DeVos. “Having healthy drinks as the default beverage on kids’ meals at restaurants will help me as a parent reinforce the importance of eating healthy, not only in our home, but also when eating at a restaurant.”
Minnesota organizations supporting the Healthy Kids Meal Bill include the American Heart Association, Twin Cities Medical Society, Action for Healthy Kids, Allina Health, CentraCare Health – BLEND, CentraCare Health - Feeling Good MN, Children's Hospitals and Clinics of MN, Blue Cross Blue Shield of MN, HealthPartners, Regions, Local Public Health Association of MN, Minnesota Medical Association, Minnesota Public Health Association, MN Academy Nutrition Dietetics, MN Academy of Pediatrics (MN-AAP), The Kidney Foundation, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, American Diabetes Association, Metro Doctors, Minnesota Dental Association and others.


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This article was published on June 5, 2022 and updated on November 30, 2022
It's no secret that Tom Sachs' Nikecraft General Purpose shoes aren't the most thrilling kicks to look at. In fact, many people dubbed the sneaker as a "snooze fest," especially compared to Sachs' man-on-the-moon Mars Yard Overshoe.
But, here's the thing: Tom Sachs agrees! Yes, he knows the shoes are dull and simple. The artist even branded his latest Nike sneakers as "boring," per the big, bold word stamped on the Instagram release announcement.
"Your sneakers shouldn't be the most exciting thing about you," the post reads. "It took us 10 years to make a sneaker this simple — as simple as can be and no simpler."
After designing crazy-innovative feet heat for astronauts and athletes, Tom Sachs finally said "I got you" to the average Joes of the world.
While the Sachs' GPS is indeed "democratic" in essence, our recent interview with Sachs utilized his forthcoming sneaker to remind us of his meticulous approach to design and kink for high-quality materials.
Crafted with Nike's Killshot and Waffle One in mind, Sachs' Nikecraft GPS boasts a tight-knit breathable upper resting upon a beefed-up cupsole featuring a comfy EVA center and rubber outsole and midsole.
Meanwhile, the tongue receives a perforated foam treatment, sealed with the Tom Sachs x Nikecraft branded label and donning strap (you'll get some pull tab action on the ankle, too).
Sachs' Nikecraft GPS series kicked off with the "Studio" colorway — the gum-soled iteration pictured up top — on June 10 for $109.99 on Nikecraft's website, with a restock in August.
There's now another restock in the works for December 2, offering fans one more chance at Sachs' coveted sneaker.
The second Nikecraft GPS colorway, "Archive," isn't restocking this time but don't be surprised if it also returns in due time.
“To some the GPS still represents an elite shoe that will be impossible to get, but we want our community to know that the GPS is here to stay,” Sachs told Highsnobiety. “It’s been crafted for a wider audience, for seasons to come. This is not a men’s shoe, or a women’s shoe; this is a universal shoe.


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Sainsbury’s shoppers, be warned: your supermarket trip could change massively soon.
Customers at the supermarket giant are braced for huge changes - if a trial goes nationwide.
Sainsbury's, which boasts multiple supermarkets across Birmingham, has officially launched its first digital-only store.
Amazingly, it has no tills whatsoever.
Now, before you panic, Brummies, don't fret or fear: we have everything you need to know below.
Firstly, Sainsbury's has created the store in London - and there's no sign of them being rolled out to Brum just yet.
So, if you prefer face-to-face, customer-to-sales assistant contact, you can relax.
Customers at the London store will be able to check out using their phones only as part of the supermarket's latest trial.
Why is this happening and how does it work?
Starting today, shoppers at Sainsbury’s Holborn Circus convenience store in London can check out the UK’s first till-free grocery store.
The experiment will put SmartShop Scan, Pay & Go technology to the test in a bespoke food-to-go store, making grocery shopping quicker and more convenient.
Customer feedback from the experiment will help Sainsbury’s develop the SmartShop Scan, Pay & Go app further before being rolled out more widely.
All customers will scan and pay for their groceries using the SmartShop Scan, Pay & Go app which they download on their smartphone.
They scan their groceries as they go round the store, pay in the app and scan a QR code before leaving which reassures them that they have paid, with no need to queue or pay at a till.
The store has been refurbished to remove the checkout area and tills.
This frees up store colleagues to spend their time on the shop floor, helping customers and keeping shelves fully stocked.
The store will have a helpdesk to support anyone who wishes to pay with cash or cards. Currently, 82% of transactions in this London convenience store are cashless.
The range of products available at the store has been tailored specifically for busy customers buying breakfast or lunch and other food to eat on-the-go.
In addition to ready-to-eat products, including drinks, snacks, breakfast pots, freshly baked pastries and sandwiches that can easily and quickly be picked up, scanned and paid for, the store will also offer a self-service coffee machine for hot drinks to go.
The experiment will last for three months during which Sainsbury’s will listen closely to customer and colleague feedback.
The Holborn Circus till-free store experiment builds on the success of Sainsbury’s SmartShop Scan, Pay & Go app.
Sainsbury’s was the first UK supermarket to bring in-app mobile payments to customers in a grocery store – in August last year – and the technology is currently live in eight convenience stores across London.
What Sainsbury's say
Sainsbury’s Group Chief Digital Officer, Clodagh Moriarty, said "We know our customers value their time and many want to shop as quickly as possible - technology is key to that.
"This is an experiment rather than a new format for us - it hasn't been done in the UK before and we’re really excited to understand how our customers respond to the app experience.
"We’ll be with our customers and colleagues all the way over the coming months, iterating continuously based on their feedback before we decide if, how and where we make this experience more widely available."


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- South Korea allocates a sovereign wealth fund of $200 billion upon Metaverse.
- This will be done through the Korea Investment Corp (KIC).
- KIC reported to concentrate on Metaverse and Artificial Intelligence vividly.
The world truly knows the epic potential of South Korea. Being such a well developed and futuristic country, the views and renewments of South Korea are completely towards the future, rather than being just futuristic alone. In such terms, the government of South Korea takes radical plans and announces officially regarding one such investment by them focusing on the future.
Accordingly, South Korea is investing about a whopping $200 Billion upon what is said to be the vivid future, the Metaverse. Yes, through the Korea Investment Corp (KIC), a whopping $200 Billion will be spent on Metaverse and it’s developments. In addition to this, the KIC is also said to concentrate more on Artificial Intelligence (AI) alongside the Metaverse too.
South Korea with Metaverse Madness
It’s obvious that South Korea is known as the home for Metaverse. The tech savvy country wants to evidently develop the whole nation with the help of Metaverse too. In such etrms, apart from just indulging and researching, now the government plans ways to make revenue by making Metaverse as a sovereign wealth fund.
Tech giants of South Korea like Samsung have indeed indulged themselves as much as it could into the Metaverse. Accordingly, as the latest Metaverse move by Samsung, Samsung launched it’s much anticipated flagship phone of the year 2022, the Samsung Galaxy S22 on it’s Metaverse store in Decentraland.
On the other hand, the epic game maker, Krafton, which actually brought out to the world a revolutionary game still on craze, the Players Unknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) announced its radical indulgence on Metaverse too. For this, Krafton will be joining hands with Seoul Auction Blue and Xbyblue for technically developing their Metaverse characters and to provide Non Fungible Token (NFT) based services too.


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With gas prices rising and global warming worsening, a group of scientists released a report Wednesday urging the auto industry to dramatically speed up development of more fuel-efficient automobiles.
The Union of Concerned Scientists, in a report issued in conjunction with the Center for Auto Safety, said improving technology could save consumers nearly $9.8 billion a year through reduced fuel consumption and raise efficiency to an average of 40 miles per gallon for cars and trucks. The average fuel economy among new cars this year is 24.5 mpg, tying 1999 for the lowest mark since 1980, according to government figures.
Using existing technology, the groups said, auto makers could meet the 40 mpg goal by 2012, increasing to 55 mpg by 2020.
In addition, vehicles that use "hybrid technology" could provide a major boon to fuel efficiency, the groups said.
"These are vehicles that would have the same acceleration, same general performance and same cargo space as cars and trucks we have today," said David Friedman, senior transportation analyst for the scientists' group.
Hybrid technology combines a traditional gasoline engine with an electric motor, offering fuel efficiency up to three times that of gasoline-only vehicles. Because hybrid engines burn less fuel and generate fewer emissions, they generally run cleaner. When the driver stops in traffic, the engine shuts down, restarting when the driver moves to accelerate again--a feature that reduces pollution from idling.
Consumers waste large amounts of gas "just sitting in traffic," said Jason Mark, director of the union's clean vehicle program. "The technology is very much ready to go and ready for prime time."
As part of his wide-ranging energy policy unveiled last month, President Bush proposed providing $4 billion in tax credits for purchases of hybrid electric-gasoline vehicles or cars powered by fuel cells.
But the major American car makers are at least two years away from offering the hybrid vehicles. This year, only about 16,000 of the vehicles will be available in the United States--sold by Honda and Toyota.
Daniel Becker, director of the global warming and energy program for the Sierra Club, said his organization has been working with the Union of Concerned Scientists to encourage quicker development of hybrid technology.
But Steve Douglas, director of environmental affairs for the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers' Sacramento office, said that, although hybrid technology is ideal for helping fuel costs and the environment, production would be costly for many manufacturers.
"Not only do you have to design the vehicles from the ground up, but the electric batteries are costly," he said. Moreover, cars with the new technology would cost an additional $2,000 to $4,000, analysts said.
Douglas noted that U.S. car makers are already moving toward the new technology. "I don't think forcing any type of technology, whether it's hybrid or electric vehicles, is appropriate." "Manufacturers are interested in this and are pursuing it."
Brendan Prebo, a spokesman for Ford Motor Co., said Ford is developing a hybrid version of its Explorer and Escape sport-utility vehicles that will be available to consumers in 2003.
Bigger Cars Preferred
However, consumers often prefer bigger, less-efficient cars to the more fuel-efficient models now on the market, according to industry figures.
Noting that preference, Douglas, of the automobile manufacturers' alliance, said: "It's not the case of 'If you build it, they will come.' We built it, but they haven't come."


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New clues about MS, and an Rx for brain injuries
-- Another reason to quit: Smokers are at greater risk of developing multiple sclerosis. Researchers at the University of Bergen in Norway, reporting in the journal Neurology, examined 22,312 adults and found 87 cases of MS. Smokers were almost twice as likely to develop the disease as people who never took up the habit. Each year MS hits over 400,000 Americans, causing symptoms that can range from blurry vision to seizures.
-- MS was also the topic of a report from scientists at the State University of New York at Buffalo. They found that the mental and motor skills impairment caused by the illness is linked to iron deposits deep in the brain's neurons. MS has long been thought to damage the white matter between the neurons.
-- A synthetic form of cannabis called Dexanabinol won fast-track status from the Food & Drug Administration as potentially the first drug for traumatic brain injury. The ruling guarantees that the drug will be reviewed within six months of an application. Developed by Pharmos Corp. (PARS) of Iselin, N.J., Dexanabinol could reduce brain damage in the hours after injury. Decades ago, scientists learned that mild pulses of electricity can induce bone cells to grow more bone. So if a little zap can help heal fractures, might it also prod hair follicles to keep making hair? The outlook is promising -- particularly for cancer patients likely to lose hair during chemotherapy.
Since 1987, Vancouver (B.C.)-based Current Technology has been working on a device that sends electrical pulses through hair follicles. It's modestly effective at boosting hair growth -- about the same as topical drugs such as Minoxidil. But doctors in New Zealand got more striking results when they used CTC's device on women undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer. Twelve of 13 women didn't experience the usual hair loss from the cancer drugs, making it easier for them to cope with the other side effects of chemotherapy, reports lead investigator Dr. Timothy Meakin. A new search engine has the potential to steal Google's thunder. The developers of "Dipsie" claim that when it goes live next July, the program will search 10 billion Web pages, triple the number Google searches.
There's an appetite for better results. Independent studies show that 50% of consumer searches don't find the desired information. That's largely because the specialized programs used by most search engines sniff out mostly "static" Web pages. The majority of the Net's newest information, however, is in "dynamic" sites featuring sound, video, or material customized to a surfer's request. Hewlett-Packard Co. (HPQ), for example, adds thousands of custom pages to its site each year, and Dipsie execs claim their engine will connect users better than rivals.
What's Dipsie's secret? All search engines use algebra to prioritize relevant items. Dipsie adds language-based, or semantic, analysis to the equation, sensing content and context. So it can figure out whether "cat" means a cute critter or Caterpillar (CAT). This improves the odds for spot-on results. Counterfeiters can fake labels, but they can't copy DNA. With that in mind, Los Angeles-based Applied DNA Sciences is marketing a copy-proof ink containing an unusual ingredient: engineered DNA strands that are impossible to replicate. "[DNA is] the most complicated password on earth," says Julia Hunter, Applied DNA's director.
Each batch of genetic material is unique, custom made by splicing together bits of DNA from different plants. These delicate molecules are then wrapped in resilient membranes, which can protect them for more than 100 years. Since the compound is neither corrosive nor toxic, it can be applied directly to all kinds of products, used in printed labels, embedded in tiny sensors, and even sprayed on food. Inspectors can then read the marker by swiping it with a special reagent that changes color in the presence of this particular type of genetic material.
The Commerce Dept. is trying out the technology to authenticate American-made textiles. In the future, contends Hunter, everyone from fashion designers to electronics manufacturers similarly could be marking their brands using nature's own code.


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Netflix is making a big push to expand its Japanese entertainment catalog. At over 90 titles ranging from K-On to Alive in Borderland, Netflix is going to push for more originals and feature films that go beyond mere adaptations.
Japanese content has reached the Top 10 in over 50 countries, Netflix Japan announced in a press release, “in addition to over 120 million households that have chosen to watch at least one anime title — more than double the number of households in 2018.” As such, the platform is working closely with studios and creators to bring anime, adaptations, and feature films to international audiences on the streaming service.
At Netflix Festival Japan 2021 today, the streaming giant announced dozens of new projects, including live-action adaptations of classic manga and anime à la the company’s Cowboy Bebop adaptation.
Each of the projects originates in 20th-century manga like the live-action drama adaptation of the shōnen manga hit Yu Yu Hakusho. The story of an underworld detective first ran in Weekly Shōnen Jump in 1990 and remains a classic for fans of the genre. Details are sparse, but the feature is aiming for a Dec. 2023 release.
Simply titled Gundam, Sunrise and Legendary are collaborating on the franchise’s first live-action feature film. Debuted in 1979, Yoshiyuki Tomino’s fatalistic mecha manga about imperialism and war has since become one of the biggest franchises around the world. While there’s no release date, we did get a look at the first piece of concept art from the project, featuring a fiery Mobile Suit. Jordan Vogt-Roberts (Kong: Skull Island) has come on as director while Saga, Paper Girls, and Y: The Last Man comic writer Brian K. Vaughan will write the film’s script.
After finishing up Cowboy Bebop this month, Tomorrow Studios will turn its attention to an even greater undertaking: One Piece. Mangaka Eiichiro Oda will serve as executive producer on what is being called a “live-action drama series.” In a press release, Netflix stated “manga creator Eiichiro Oda and Weekly Shōnen Jump were confident they could overcome the many assorted hurdles and realize this miracle of a project.”
One Piece began publication in Shueisha’s Weekly Shōnen Jump in 1997 and recently surpassed 100 volumes in print, while the anime will air its 1000th episode on Nov. 21. Matt Owens (Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) will serve alongside Oda as executive producer and write the screenplay. Steven Maeda is the series’ showrunner.
There were no dates for One Piece either, but with the team gathered it looks to be a show worth waiting for.


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Improved operating performance in 2020/21
- Revenue up 15.0% at €137.6m
- EBITDA up 45.8%
- Positive net income
- Financial structure greatly strengthened by fundraising: cash and cash equivalents of €18.3m
Q1 2021/22 revenue up 80.2%
Rungis, 24 January 2022 – Omer-Decugis & Cie (ISIN: FR0014003T71 – symbol: ALODC), an international group specialising in fresh and exotic fruits and vegetables, announces its consolidated results for the 2020/21 financial year (ended 30 September 2021), as approved by the Board of Directors on 21 January 2022, and its revenue for the first quarter of 2021/22 (1 October to 31 December 2021). The 2020/21 annual financial report will be released by 31 January 2022.
Vincent Omer-Decugis, Chairman and CEO of Omer-Decugis & Cie, said: “We delivered a very good performance in our 2020/21 financial year, in line with the development plan announced at the time of our IPO, despite a backdrop marked by the health crisis and the forced closure of the out-of-home catering segment over nearly the entire period. The ramp-up of our ripening and packaging platform, which came into service in September 2020, has enabled us to reintegrate added value, improve productivity and beat the targets of ongoing commercial programmes, while winning new contracts from the very first months of operation. This has prompted us to accelerate the platform's ramp-up by commissioning additional ripening chambers and recyclable and compostable packaging machines at the end of Q4 2021 in order to increase processing capacity and ensure the development of our new lines of ripened fruit, such as avocado.
The 2021/22 financial year has got off to a great start, confirming our ambitions. We achieved record business in both divisions (SIIM and Bratigny), backed up by Madagascar lychees distributed throughout Europe, with the season living up to its promises in terms of fruit quality, logistical efficiency and consumer appeal.
More than ever, our Group is committed to sustainable and profitable growth in the service of healthy, diversified and responsible agriculture, attentive to the demands of European consumers seeking quality fresh fruits and vegetables meeting the best social and environmental practices on an international scale.”
|€000 – French GAAP, audited||FY 2019/20||FY 2020/211||Change|
|Gross margin |
% of merchandise sales
% of revenue
|Depreciation, amortisation and provisions||(903)||(1,726)||-|
|Operating income |
% of revenue
|Share of earnings of associates||-||95|
|Reversal of negative goodwill through profit or loss||696||-|
|Consolidated net income||1,139||1,066||-|
Eleventh consecutive year of growth
The Omer-Decugis & Cie Group posted revenue of €137.6 million for the 2020/21 financial year, up 15.0% on the previous financial year (13.9% in organic growth), representing deliveries of over 119,000 tonnes of fruits and vegetables. Despite the impact of the health crisis on the out-of-home catering segment, the Group recorded sustained and consistent growth in both business segments (SIIM and Bratigny) and across all product ranges.
The SIIM division's “ripening and distribution” business was up 14.3% on the previous financial year, with revenue of €98.1 million driven by growth across the entire range, especially in the climacteric fruit segments (bananas, mangoes and avocados), which benefited from additional operational ripening capacities. The strategic BPMA segment (bananas, pineapples, mangoes and avocados) grew by a significant 17.5%.
Bratigny, the Group's wholesale division, posted revenue of €39.4 million, up 16.6%, a good performance in view of the adverse 2021 spring weather conditions (periods of frost), which curtailed fruit and vegetable production volumes in France.
Gross margin representing 14.7% of revenue and strong EBITDA growth of 45.8%
Gross margin for the year totalled €20.2 million, representing 14.7% of revenue, a 0.7 percentage point improvement attributable to the end of subcontracting thanks to the complete in-sourcing of ripening and packaging activities on the new platform and the ensuing margin gains in the strategic BPMA segment (bananas, pineapples, mangoes and avocados).
Personnel expenses edged up to €8.9 million in the year ended 30 September 2021 from €8.4 million in 2019/20, the Group having already largely increased its workforce in previous years in anticipation of future growth.
Recurring EBITDA was positive at €3.4 million, a significant improvement of 45.8% on the previous year. The Group's recurring EBITDA margin increased to 2.5% for the year ended 30 September 2021, in line with the increase in gross margin on the back of productivity gains from new ripening and storage capacities and tight management of operating expenses.
After depreciation, amortisation and provisions of €1.7 million reflecting the investments made during the year, consolidated operating income for the year ended 30 September 2021 was €1.4 million (vs €1.1 million in 2019/20).
After a financial expense of €0.2 million and a tax expense of €0.2 million, Group net income for the 2020/21 financial year was €1.1 million, just below the previous year's figure which was boosted by full recognition of the badwill gain arising from the Coicault-Thomas acquisition (€0.7 million).
Sound financial structure strengthened by the successful IPO
The Group generated gross operating cash flow of €2.7 million compared to €1.2 million in 2019/20.
The change in Working Capital Requirement over the year was an increase of €5.3 million in line with the robust business Q4 growth (Q4 revenue up 31%) not yet recovered as of 30 September 2021 and the increase in inventory including inventory in transit at 30 September 2021.
The IPO carried out during 2020/21 H2 strengthened the Group equity to €31.5 million (vs €12.4 million a year earlier) and net cash and cash equivalents to €18.3 million (vs €2.8 million at 30 September 2020). With a gross financial debt of €17.2 million including the full financing of its new platform, Group net financial debt was
€1.1 million at 30 September 2021, compared to a negative net financial debt of €11.4 million at 30 September 2020.
The Omer-Decugis & Cie Group accordingly has the financial resources to pursue its strategy of balanced growth combining economic performance, sustainable agriculture, and social and environmental responsibility.
Proposed dividend of €0.035 per share
In accordance with its commitments, Omer-Decugis & Cie will propose a dividend of €0.035 per share for the 2020/21 financial year at its AGM to be held on 22 March 2022.
Record Q1 2021/22 revenue up 80.2%
|€000 - French GAAP, unaudited||Q1 2020/21||Q1 2021/22||Ch.|
|Omer-Decugis & Cie||28,163||50,743||+80.2%|
For the first quarter of 2021/22, the Omer-Decugis & Cie Group posted revenue of €50.7 million, up 80.2% (including 78.7% organic growth, Anarex having been consolidated on 11 December 2021) compared to the previous year. This record revenue reflects the strength of the Group's business, up 102.4% for SIIM and 28.6% for Bratigny on a like-for-like basis. The beginning of the year was marked by an exceptional performance in December mainly driven by the Madagascar lychees campaign throughout Europe during the Christmas period.
Omer-Decugis & Cie continued to roll out its strategic plan during this first quarter with the acquisition of Anarex in December 2021, a wholesaler specialising in exotic and ethnic products based in the Paris-Rungis International Market. Now part of the Bratigny wholesale division, Anarex enables the Group to extend its sales space at Rungis while expanding its offer on the ethnic range, which rounds out its exotic fruit offer and is particularly attractive in the Paris region.
Highly favourable outlook
Business in the first quarter of 2021/22 reflects the Group's impressive sales momentum. Despite the market impact of the enduring health crisis and surrounding uncertainties, the Omer-Decugis & Cie Group aims to continue developing its business in the ripened fruit segment, backed up by the additional capacity investments made at the end of 2021, while maintaining growth in its wholesale business. The development of the “100% carbon neutral” environmental approach, planned notably for bananas in 2022 following the summer 2021 launch of the carbon neutral pineapple, will be central to the Group's CSR strategy.
The Group reaffirms its growth ambitions and the development plan unveiled at the time of the IPO, aimed at achieving consolidated revenue of €175 million by 2023, rising to €230 million with an EBITDA margin of over 5% by 2025.
- AGM, 22 March 2022
- Q2 2021/22 revenue, 12 April 2022 (after close of trading)
- Q3 2021/22 revenue, 12 July 2022 (after close of trading)
- H1 2021/22 results, 25 July 2022 (after close of trading)
Read more: www.omerdecugis.com
About Omer-Decugis & Cie
Founded in 1850, Omer-Decugis & Cie is a family group which specialises in fresh fruit and vegetables, particularly exotic ones, for European consumers. The Group covers the entire value chain from production to imports and has specific expertise in ripening. The Group markets fruit sourced mainly from Latin America, Africa and Europe through all distribution networks (supermarkets and superstores, out-of-home foodservice, specialised distribution and fresh cuts). Committed to sustainable agriculture that is respectful of regions and people, the Group obtained an “Exemplary” ESG EthiFinance rating of 82/100. Established in the Rungis market, Omer-Decugis & Cie posted revenue of €137.6 million at 30 September 2021, representing over 119,000 tonnes of fresh fruits and vegetables distributed.
1 Consolidation, as of 30 September 2021, of Agroselvatica (Ecuador) and Vergers du Nord (Côte d'Ivoire), both by the equity method, and Siim Spain (which is just starting its operations and posted zero earnings for the 2020/21 financial year)
2 EBITDA: operating income before depreciation, amortisation and provisions, excluding provisions on current assets and loans


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FreightWaves SONAR recently unveiled an update designed to give users new ways to analyze data — especially pricing data.
Domestic transportation demand patterns continue to trek eastward, shaking up entrenched freight flows and positioning the market for future rate hikes.
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A full 95% of SONAR users rated the freight market solution with high marks, leading to an overall rating of 4.5 stars.
The best supply chain teams invest in technology as part of their continuous holistic operational improvements, not simply in reaction to temporary crises. Investing in technology to improve the capabilities of your supply chain team as part of a strategic initiative yields better results throughout all phases of the freight market cycle. Retailers, manufacturers and […]
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Third-party supply chain and freight market data has become an important tool for retailers, manufacturers and suppliers who want to redesign their networks, improve strategic planning, benchmark their transportation spend and the service they’re getting in return, and measure the efficiency of their facilities. Leading supply chain organizations are using data on freight rates, volumes, […]
In order to make a real difference, a motivation to better the industry must be coupled with a deep knowledge of the freight market.
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The rest of the year could be characterized by relatively low rates and volatility Like it or not, freight market volatility is here to stay. The post-recession environment that filled our expectations with the concept of “normal” is in the distant past. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic era, the U.S. transportation sector was experiencing an […]
Freight procurement has serious problems. It’s “broken” in the sense that when the market shifts, shippers don’t get the service they’ve agreed to pay for and volumes awarded to carriers are withheld and withdrawn. Contracts don’t hold up. The lack of a mechanism to tie contracts to prevailing market conditions creates enormous inefficiencies in freight […]
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Retailers, manufacturers and suppliers have saved a lot of money on transportation costs in 2023 compared to the years before, but other parts of their organizations are facing persistent inflationary pressures on everything from energy and labor to cattle futures and the cost of money itself. Margins remain challenged in many industries, and strategic finance […]
Medium-term demand planning has always been a tough nut to crack for retailers, suppliers and manufacturers. Lack of data, lack of conviction and lack of organizational agility all conspire to keep companies from recognizing medium-term opportunities and challenges and responding decisively. In this blog post, we’ll walk through some of the obstacles to medium-term demand […]
At its annual Investment Community Meeting in April in Tampa, Florida, Walmart’s management team took the opportunity to lay out an ambitious transformation of its supply chain. Walmart U.S. CEO and President John Furner explained how the retailer was digitally combining its ambient, perishable and e-commerce supply chains, which were built separately and in parallel […]
You’ve heard of “March Madness.” Well, the maritime market is in the middle of its own “August madness.” The maritime market madness has caused some retailers to wonder if Christmas is going to be canceled. While it may be premature to say Christmas is canceled, any company having to purchase capacity on the ocean is […]
Last year, FreightWaves estimated that the top five paper and packaging companies in the U.S. spent a whopping $7 billion and $9 billion on transportation in 2019. Despite revenue declines across the industry in 2020, we estimate that freight spend was as high as pre-pandemic levels due to growth in packaging demand and elevated freight […]
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Freight costs and budget adherence are among the most important and often overlooked aspects of transportation management. As the industry struggles to recover from the unprecedented global events of 2020, recognizing budget limitations is essential for industry growth and success. The costs of logistics as a ratio of total expenses are too significant to ignore. […]


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New Columbia Solar completes 1-MW solar project for mixed-use commercial development in Washington, D.C.
New Columbia Solar and Trammell Crow Company, one of the nation’s largest commercial real estate developers and investors, announced that their 1,029.24 kW system has achieved Authorization to Operate (ATO) from PEPCO. The two companies teamed up to add a solar installation to The Shops at Dakota Crossing, a neighborhood that combines hundreds of row houses with a “Main Street”-style shopping center.
“We are excited to partner with such an exemplary developer and inspirational leader in commercial real estate,” said Mike Healy, CEO of New Columbia Solar. “This solar panel is a great example of sustainable development – bringing together economic opportunity and commitment to clean energy in a different corner of the country’s capital.”
Trammell Crow Company has defined a comprehensive approach to sustainability and with the installation of solar energy, New Columbia Solar has supported the company’s sustainability efforts. The project helped Dakota Crossing stores achieve LEED certification, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and facilitate the energy benchmarking process.
In addition to providing clean energy, the installation of this solar panel included a $100,000 warranty extension provided by Fortis Warranty for the roofs at no cost to Trammell Crow Company. New Columbia Solar and Trammell Crow Company expect this project to be the first of many through their commercial partnership for district solar projects.
News from New Columbia Solar


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Big things are set to come in small packages with the launch of Microsoft’s newest super-thin Surface Go tablet.
Microsoft officially announced last Monday that the 10-inch Surface Go will be the company’s latest addition to its Surface tablet line. The Surface Go will be Microsoft’s smallest Surface product yet, at just 1.15 pounds and 8.3 mm thin.
The company released a 1-minute video on YouTube introducing the new super-lightweight tablet.
Panos Panay, Chief Product Officer for the Surface said that the Surface Go is designed for a dynamic lifestyle whether at work, school, or home.
“Many of us play different roles throughout the day, moving from work or school to home and everywhere in between,” says Panay. “Our team designs every Surface to adapt to that dynamic lifestyle, to strike a balance between performance and versatility, form and function. Our products don’t do just one thing because people don’t do just one thing.” Panos said.
The Surface Go is powered by the Intel’s 7th Generation Pentium Gold Processor 4415Y, optimized for swift performance and up to nine hours of battery life.
The Surface Go tablet is set to hit the shelves on August 2.
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THE opening milk price for Saputo, the global company that took over Murray Goulburn, may not have been as high as first hoped, but suppliers are backing CEO Lino Saputo Jr to deliver the goods.
Mr Saputo Jr was in Leongatha last week for a meeting with suppliers, where he told them not to judge him for the $5.75/kg milk solids, but what will follow in the months to come.
“We chose this opening price based on our assessment of the expectations of the market conditions for the rest of the year,” Mr Saputo said after the meeting.
“We believe it is responsible and allows room for upward movements if improved market conditions are realised throughout the year.”
He said the conservative early approach followed by strong step-ups has been well received elsewhere. Suppliers of Warrnambool Cheese and Butter have been most content following Saputo’s takeover there.
“It’s not something new that we do and suppliers appreciate the transparency.”
Mr Saputo said the future of dairy looks good all around the world with growing markets to drive demand.
He agreed farmers weren’t paid enough for their milk, and it was up to industry leaders to find the right balance between supply and demand to solve the issues.
Mr Saputo said the company was committed to all former Murray Goulburn factories, except for Koroit which had to be carved out prior to the takeover.
“They all have a great future and can expect some capital investment, and that includes Leongatha.”
He said he hoped to bring suppliers “back home” after the MG price crash in 2016, and attract new farmers to return the factory to full capacity.
“Once they understand our work ethic and character, I’m sure we’ll have the supply we need.”
Saputo’s net milk supply has increased since May 1 and the company is receiving interest from prospective suppliers across its operations.
Gordon Vagg from Leongatha South stuck fat with MG throughout the crisis, and while his loyalty was tested to the extreme, he’s glad he stayed.
“The professionalism in the delivery of the presentation (at the supplier meeting) was just another step up from what we’ve seen before.
“We were provided with details about what processors around the world are doing and all the global trends, not just Saputo’s own data. That’s not something we’re used to.
“We were able to speak with Lino personally and ask questions. I’d never spoken to any of the previous MG CEOs.
“He runs the meetings himself; he doesn’t need a chairperson. He’s just very approachable and down to earth.
“He looks for loyalty in suppliers and customers and his handshake is as good as a binding contract. That’s the way his family has done business and why it’s so successful, with 43 per cent of the US milk market.”
Mr Vagg said he knows of many former MG suppliers who are keen to come back when their contracts run out.
“The only thing the previous board of MG did right was to find the right buyer,” Mr Vagg said.
“I always thought that Murray Goulburn should have aligned itself with an overseas company to provide better access to international markets.
“MG was just too small on a global scale. I’m so thankful we’ve got a decent look at it now.”
Suppliers love Saputo