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Snapshots of Food Industry News
Coke launches Aquarius – non-carbonated drink
Coca Cola India has expanded their portfolio of non-carbonated drinks with the launch of their lemon flavoured beverage Aquarius. The active hydration beverage is one of the top brands globally. Aquarius is a low calorie beverage that contains sodium, calcium and potassium and will be available in 400ml packs at a price of Rs.30. The hydration market is just beginning to build up in India and is likely to grow rapidly.
Coca Cola has been launching new drinks periodically like dairy drink Vio, Fuze ice teas and Coke Zero. Coca Cola also sells brands like Maaza, Minute Maid juice drinks, Schweppes sodas, Kinley packaged water and Georgia tea and coffee besides their carbonated beverages. Aquarius will be used to shape the active hydration category in India and will be aimed at young urban consumers with active lifestyles.
Amazon introduces the Wickedly Prime food label
The US-based e-commerce giant, Amazon has introduced a private food label, Wickedly Prime. Wickedly Prime is exclusively for Amazon Prime members and so targets the “foodie” crowd with offerings that are similar to those available at Trader Joe’s. Wickedly Prime offerings include snacks like popcorn, tortilla chips, and soft shell almonds. Amazon has other private labels like Happy Belly that sells nuts and tea, Mama Bear which sells baby products, Presto! that sells detergents and Buttoned Down that sells formal dress shirts for men.
Badal inaugurates Verka Bhatinda Dairy’s modern ice-cream unit
Harsimrat Kaur Badal, minister for food processing, recently inaugurated the modern dairy and ice cream unit at the Verka Bhatinda Dairy. Badal congratulated the dairy on becoming operational within the time frame as the foundation stone was laid only in April. The one lakh capacity of Verka Bhatinda Dairy has been increased to two lakh litres per day to cater to consumer demands. Out of the allocated Rs.32 crores a sum of Rs.22 crores has been spent on a fully automated unit and the rest on building village level infrastructure for procuring milk from local farmers. This will ensure the quality of milk in the entire supply chain.
This would also enable the Punjab State Cooperative Milk Producers’ Federation (Milkfed) pay the farmers more. Verka is the flagship brand of Milkfed. Milkfed is an organisation that has a three-tier system which comprises milk producers’ cooperative societies at the village level, milk unions at the district level and the Federation as an apex body at the state level. Verka has put up auto-milk collection centres where milk testing is done on the spot and this ensures high-quality products.
Global demand for food processing and packaging machinery increases
The international demand for food processing and packaging machinery rose by 6 percent to reach a value of 38 billion euros in 2015. The demand for machinery and equipment for the production, filling and packaging of beverages remains high as the global consumption of beverages is on the rise. It is estimated that almost one-third of the world trade of this machinery was sold to the beverage and liquid food industry New machinery will be showcased at the leading trade show ‘Drinktec’ to be held in Munich between September 11 and 15, 2017. Drinktec is the world’s largest platform with the highest density of experts and so all involved in the beverage or liquid food business make sure to be there.
In alignment with the global development there is likely to be an increase in the number of visitors from China, Brazil, Mexico, India, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and Iran at the tradeshow. Germany remains the foremost supplier country of food processing and packaging machinery with an average export of 87 percent. After Europe the most important sale region of food processing and packaging machinery is Asia followed by North and South America. In 2015 India too has demonstrated a higher demand for equipment for manufacturing and packaging of food and beverages along with other Brazil, Iran, South Africa, Nigeria and Thailand. Asia is the largest market for soft drinks, and a further increase of 29 per cent is expected. By 2020, the global sales volume is estimated to reach 790 billion litres. The rise in consumption will propel investments in the expansion or modernisation of production capacity. Since local suppliers will not be able to meet the demand for equipment and machinery it will be procured from international markets.
Arambagh Foodmart to take store count to 75 by 2020
Arambagh Foodmart Pvt Ltd, a retail chain has a unique format as it is positioned between the neighbourhood kirana store and the supermarket. The USP of the stores is their concept of ‘value for time’ along with ‘value for money’. Besides competitive pricing and attractive promotions what has spelt success for the Arambagh is their location at crowded places. This is why the retail chain has been able to spread their footprint across Bengal and other eastern cities in a fairly quick time. Arambagh Foodmart Pvt. Ltd began by selling processed and ready-to-eat chicken items but has now evolved and become one of the top three Food & Grocery retail chains in the eastern part of India. The product basket comprises of quality food and groceries – packaged and loose, fish, meat and poultry, toiletries, soft drinks, ice-cream and ready-to-eat snacks. Good quality staples are their mainstay of which rice is the most sold category.
It was the elderly customers that first benefitted from Arambagh’s free home delivery of groceries and so became loyal customers. Over the years working couples and single men who prefer home deliveries have begun to place telephonic orders. The customers mostly belong to the middle to upper-middle class but affluent families prefer that prefer gourmet products are not part of their customers. The stores are standalone and close to residents and apartment buildings dominated by Bengali population. They are highly appreciated for additional services like arranging the groceries inside kitchens or delivery of shopping done in other stores. The biggest challenge the retail chain is facing is from e-commerce but their knowledge of customer preferences and buying patterns gives them an edge.
Nilgai Foods to raise USD 10 million for expansion in India
Nilgai Foods, an FMCG start-up in the Delhi- NCR region, is looking to raise USD 10 million to propel expansion plans. The start-up would like to tap into institutional segment to drive sales. Presently the company’s revenue from institutional sales is around 10 percent and they would like to increase that to 60 percent. It is for this reason that Nilgai Foods is also concentrating on developing ultra-large institutional plants. Around 30 percent of the raised investment would go into distribution expansion and the rest would be utilised for marketing.
Nilgai would also like to see their two brands Pico and Cocofly launch across the country as they are concentrated mainly in Delhi-NCR. Cocofly which also sells on Vistara Airlines has got a good response. The company is also in discussion to with other airlines and the Indian railways to supply their products. However, without adequate funds they will not be able to have a multi-city pan-India launch. Presently the company has sales of around Rs.8 crores and it hopes to raise that to about 30 crores from institutional sales by next year. However, with a pan India presence of Pico and Cocofly they will be able to have a turnaround of about Rs.300 crore in the next four years.
Massive Restaurants eyeing turnover of INR 200 crores
Massive Restaurants, which is backed by Everstone Capital, is planning a turnover of Rs.200 crores by the end of 2017. It plans to raise USD 15-20 million so some of its brands can have a bigger global presence. Their restaurant inventory is likely to triple with expansion in the domestic as well as international arena especially in the Middle East and Europe. They plan to open 34 new outlets next year of which 10 will be franchise-operated.
Massive Restaurants will launch Masala Library in the Middle East in a 7-star property in the coming year with branches in London and New York. It’s Dubai based and much talked about and popular Farzi Café will be launched in Asia, Europe and the US. They have plans to launch two restaurants every month, next year. Massive Restaurants say that all their outlets are profitable and the average store EBITDA margins are in excess of 25 percent while Farzi Café alone generates sales of Rs.2 crores a month.
Amazon introduces 2-hour grocery delivery app, AmazonNow
In order to expand its reach Amazon India has launched their AmazonNow app in Delhi and Mumbai. This will allow their customers to shop for everyday essentials from their 5000 products. The app will enable products to be delivered within two hours or at a pre-scheduled time and on a basket purchase of Rs.350 or more delivery will be free. Last year the app had been launched as Kirana Now but was renamed Amazon Now as it was not just major brands that joined the platform but also local kirana stores. The aim of the company is to delight their customers with the best selection of products and pricing. Their FMCG segment boasts of 19 lakh products and 9000 sellers. AmazonNow app is available from Google Play Store.
Hatsun Agro opens 1,000th outlet in Chennai
Hatsun Agro Products Ltd, the makers of dairy products, has inaugurated their 1000 Daily Hatsun outlet in Chennai. They had set up their first outlet in 2014 to sell the now popular milk brand Arokya, curd, paneer, ghee, butter, skimmed milk and dairy whitener. The company is planning to treble the number of their outlets to 3000 in 2017. Hatsun Agro says that retail expansion is the best way to meet consumer demands and also to reach out to new consumers even in small cities. Their pan- India expansion in the coming year will see them reach out to consumers in Tier II and Tier III cities. Besides expanding to new geographies the company’s Research and Development primarily focuses on innovation of new products.
Patanjali plans to go global in the next 5 to 10 years
Guru Ramdev has announced that in the next five to ten years Patanjali will be a global brand and the entire world will become familiar with Patanjali products. Guru Ramdev also stated that he was neither comparing Patanjali products with those of others and nor did the company wish to bring down the business of others. He clarified that he has no intention to introduce wine or beer even though social media has been carrying this report.
Presently Patanjali Ayurveda has m-cap of Rs.1 lakh crores and in the future this would be more than 5 lakh crores. However, the yoga Guru stated that the profit from the company does not go to any individual but is used in the interest of the nation. In the next five years the Patanjali will generate employment for about 5 lakh young people and will benefit more than 5 crore farmers. The company also intends to bring benefits for women and entrepreneurs by expanding into textile sector.
Coca- Cola reshuffles senior management
Beverage major Coca- Cola has reshuffled the senior management in its India operations. Vice-President Human Resources, Sameer Wadhawan will now have charge of the newly created department of Franchise Capability and Business Transformation. Wadhawan will work closely with Coca-Cola’s 15 franchise bottling partners in India and South West Asia so the company can be future ready by building capability and transforming business. Wadhawan will take over responsibility from January 2017.
Manu Narang Wadhwa who was with American Express has now joined Coca Cola as Vice- President Human Resources to take over from Wadhawan.


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Electronic Arts has posted a few seconds of footage from the first trailer for the next game in its Battlefield first-person shooter series. The full trailer will be posted on May 6.
The clip was posted on the official Battlefield Twitter account:
The clip shows an example of the game's graphics engine in action, as it gets up close and personal with a character's face. Of course, this is game engine footage and not actually in-game footage from the Battlefield game, but it does offer an idea of the level of detail the final game might have.
EA's reveal of the next Battlefield game, barring any internet leaks, will happen starting at 4 p.m. Eastern Time (1 p.m. Pacific Time) on Friday. The game is likely to be releaed on the PC, Xbox One and PlayStation 4 platforms.

domain: news


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The better than expected exhibitor response to ITMA Asia + CITME 2020 is an indication of the robust growth of Chinese textile machinery market. The exhibition which took off today and will last till June 16, 2021, is showcasing 1,237 exhibitors from 20 countries and regions. Ernesto Maurer, President, CEMATEX, says, the response to the combined exhibition seals its reputation as the leading-edge business platform in Asia for textile machinery. The exhibition is being organized by Beijing Textile Machinery International Exhibition and co-organized by ITMA Service.
China’s dominance continues with major exhibitors
China continues to be largest exhibitor at ITMA ASIA+CITME 2020 with over 1,000 exhibitors showcasing their products on 56,000 sq. mt. net exhibit space. Major Chinese exhibitors include: CHTC, Fong’s, Ningbo Cixing, Wuxi Hongyuan, Hangzhou Honghua, Jiangsu Yingyou Textile Machinery and Changshu Textile Machinery.
After China, CEMATEX territories dominate with 170 exhibitors. Together they exhibitors occupy 13 per cent of the net exhibition space totaling over 9,200 sq. mt. From these territories, Germany and Italy are the two of the largest exhibitors with 57 exhibitors from Germany and 63 from Italy. The German pavilion spans 3,700 sq. mt. while the Italian pavilion spreads over 2,500 sq.mt. The third largest group of exhibitors at ITMA ASIA+CITME 2020 is from Japan, occupying over 2,200 sq. mt. net space. Japanese participation is coordinated by the Japan Textile Machinery Association, a strategic partner of the combined show.
ITMA ASIA + CITME 2020 features leading names from Europe and Japan like: Automatex Solution, Fil Control, Groz-Beckert, Itema, Jeanologia, Karl Mayer, MS Printing Solutions, Meech International, Muratec, Oerlikon Barmag, Picanol, Reggiani Macchine, Rieter, Santoni, Saurer, Savio, Shima Seiki, Staubli, Toyota, Tsudakoma, Vandewiele and Vanwyk. The products on display include: spinning machines which make up 25 per cent of all products displayed followed by finishing machines with 24 per cent of product category. Knitting machinery at 13 per cent, weaving machines 12 per cent and printing machines 8 per cent form the remaining exhibits at the trade show.
Universities in Research and Innovation Zone
A major attraction is the Research and Innovation zone which features 11 local universities and colleges. Some universities being featured are: Donghua University, Jiangnan University, Qingdao University, Tianjin University of Technology, Wuhan Textile University, Xi'an University of Technology, Zhejiang University of Technology and other institutions.
The extensive promotions carried out by the organizers via online and offline channels are expected to boost visitor turnout. Over 400 local textile and garment manufacturers’ associations and their members are expected to visit the exhibition which is also being supported by over 100 media partners from around the world.
Building long term business relations
In view of the ongoing pandemic, organizers are implementing safety measures to ensure participants’ safety. They are conducing mandatory temperature checks and strict badge verification with facial recognition at hall entry. Visitors are also being advised to observe social distancing. The exhibition is instrumental in uplifting the textile industry in China and Asia. It allows companies to reconnect face-to-face with clients and build long term business relationships, adds Wang Shutian, Honorary President, China Textile Machinery Association (CTMA).


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Robots don't always replace workers. Sometimes, workers use robots as tools.
Yotam Ottolenghi and his partner have a thriving food empire that includes wildly successful cookbooks. We go inside their London test kitchen as recipes are put through their paces.
The largest consumer recall in U.S. history is underway. Nearly 34 million drivers are supposed to replace their air bags. In the past, most drivers have been lax about responding to auto recalls.
John Malone, the man behind the proposed $55 billion takeover of Time Warner Cable by smaller Charter Communications, controls some of the best known media and entertainment properties in the country.
In conservative Alabama, legislative leaders propose bills to open up gambling and start a state lottery as a way to shore-up sagging state coffers. The governor, instead, proposes higher taxes.
For the first time in a White House race, the candidates will need a game plan for cyber policy for Day 1 in the Oval Office and will have some tough choices to make.
Is paper just a curiosity of the nostalgic? It turns out that digital natives think paper works in tandem with our devices. Research agrees that old-school note taking offers benefits a screen can't.
The thieves used the data to file fraudulent tax returns. The IRS commissioner said less than $50 million had been successfully claimed from the agency.
This week, NPR looks at four seemingly intractable problems that await the 45th president: stagnant wages, violent extremism, cybersecurity and the federal debt.
Ive was previously senior vice president of design at Apple and has played a large part in designing products since 1996. Some say his promotion might actually mean he's on his way out.
In the wake of Verizon buying AOL, one man wants to make sure that the history of the once-dominant Internet service provider stays alive. Jason Scott wants you to send him all of your AOL CD-ROMs.
Charter Communications announced Tuesday it is buying Time Warner Cable in a deal valued at $55 billion. Time Warner's deal to be acquired by Comcast unraveled last month when regulators made it clear they were opposed. Charter's CEO said he believes this new deal will be approved because the combined companies would control far less of the market for high-speed Internet service.
"Every crisis is an opportunity." That's exactly how some entrepreneurs are looking at California's worsening drought; the drier it gets, the more their business thrives.
It's a worldwide chain that lets "the blind become our eyes." But there's a difference in the new Nairobi branch. The servers themselves had never eaten in a restaurant before.
NPR's "Day 1" series looks at major issues the next president will face in office. One issue is that Americans still aren't seeing big raises, even though the job market is slowly recovering.
Cuba needs the Internet to rebuild its ragged economy. That's why fledgling private businesspeople are traveling to Miami to learn how to do business online.
The airline has been losing money for several years, and its brand was irreparably damaged by the loss of two planes last year.
The 12 countries involved in the Trans-Pacific Partnership President Obama wants to get done account for almost 36 percent of world's economy, which would be by far the largest U.S. trade pact.
The deal comes after federal regulators killed the proposed merger between Time Warner and Comcast. NPR's Renee Montagne speaks with correspondent Jim Zarroli for more details on the proposed deal.
Canada says it's the first country with a law that eliminates one regulation for every new measure that's adopted. The One-for-One Rule is designed to ease the burden on businesses.


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The incessant buzz over the launch of beta version of Windows 7, Microsoft’s successor of Windows Vista, is finally settling down, with the software giant indicating that the first beta is expected to appear in January next year.
In one of the blog posts on Microsoft’s Technet site, Keith Combs asserted that those who are looking to grab the first beta version must register themselves to attend one of the series of upcoming MSDN meetings and conferences.
The blog coupled with another blog post from Microsoft, has asserted that the attendees of these conferences, which is scheduled to kick-start from December, will get “Windows 7 Beta 1 DVD”; however, Combs notified that the DVDs must be ready by the middle of January.
As per the schedule, Microsoft will host 11 conferences between 9 December and 19 February, in 19 cities throughout the US, and attendance charges would be $99 per person.
The company asserted that the DVD won’t be available for December sessions in Houston, Atlanta, and Orlando, and these are said to be available in January and February sessions, which are scheduled in Washington, New York, Minneapolis, Chicago, Boston, San Francisco, Detroit and Dallas.
In addition to first beta of Windows 7, the conferences will also include other products, such as Microsoft SQL data services, Windows Azure, Oslo modelling platform, Visual Studio 2010, and Silverlight 2.


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There was a time when Google Glass was deemed the future — one in which people might walk the streets wearing a glass tab over one eye to display information beamed from their smartphones. But after criticism and safety concerns, the idea was killed as a consumer project.
Instead Alphabet, Google's parent company, secretly began marketing the product to be used by factory workers. Here & Now's Lisa Mullins speaks with Steven Levy (@StevenLevy), editor of Backchannel, about the resurrection of Glass.
This article was originally published on July 20, 2017.
This segment aired on July 20, 2017.


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“We continue our endeavour of moving closer to customers”
The logistics giant Skyways Group has been growing vertically and horizontally in air cargo. Being the number one air freight forwarder, Skyways Group is now present in 30 Indian cities and will expand into another 12 cities over the next 15 months. “Our First and Last mile operation from the current reach of 13000 zip codes will reach approx. 15500 zip codes over next 15 months too. Our air freight business continues to serve a diversified customer base across products and geography,” shares Yashpal Sharma, Managing Director, Skyways Group, in an exclusive interview with Apace Digital Cargo. Here are the excerpts.
How has been the changing scenario of the air cargo industry in terms of digitalisation, new cargo airlines coming in and even the ocean carriers are making a mark in the air cargo? How do you see the contribution of Skyways Group towards the industry?
The industry has been gradually evolving to keep pace with other industries in the areas of digitisation and technological innovation. The advent of Covid gave a stimulus to this and we have seen a huge penetration of digital processes within the industry. In addition, I see immense scope of automation of existing legacy systems used in the sector which can be replaced by paperless transactions, robotics and AI based tech solutions. The Logistics industry has attracted a lot of attention and there are few new players entering air cargo. The ocean carriers have had a commercially solid last two years and are utilising their new reserves to forward and backward integrate business. They have also gone sideways and invested in aircrafts and will surely compete with the traditional airlines in years ahead. I see some very competitive space in the airline space over the next decade.
Skyways has been growing vertically and horizontally in air cargo. We have also expanded well across other spheres of logistics like Ocean freight, trucking, courier, e-commerce logistics, cold chain, etc over the last four decades. We have expanded our product portfolio in the last five years in healthcare and perishables (food & vegetables). Over the last two decades, we have invested heavily in technology. We have built our ERP and mobile app which can API integrate with the carriers and customers enabling faster communication and transactions. Creating visibility for customers has been one of the key objectives for us and our technology does this effectively for our customers across the transportation modes.
Air Freight is synonymous with Skyways; such is the benchmark of Skyways in the air freight domain. So what are focussed areas and expansion plans? Any new endeavours plan?
We continue our endeavour of moving closer to customers. We are now in 30 Indian cities and will expand into another 12 cities over the next 15 months. From our presence in six countries, we will also take that to 10 over the next 15 months too. Our product portfolio will see the addition of one more product for us in the next six months. Our First and Last mile operation from the current reach of 13000 zip codes will reach approx. 15500 zip codes over next 15 months too. Our air freight business continues to serve a diversified customer base across products and geography. Our work on TAT for each port pair has been seeing a constant improvement and now with more capacities available it will surely improve much faster.
Being associated and working closely with the government, how do you see initiatives taken by the government for the freight forwarders community? One side National Logistics Policy is unveiled and then comes the government decision to discontinue GST exemption on air freight 18 pc. So do you see these two actions by the government and impact on the growth of the sector and exports?
ACFI (Air Cargo Forum India) has been working closely with government and regulators for improvements in the Indian air cargo infra and processes. While few actions of the government have been extremely positive over the last 2 years, but the GST introduction on freight has surely not been taken well by the industry. This was very avoidable. When the government talks of ‘Ease of doing business’, then any activity that does not ultimately bring revenue to them, should be totally avoided as it is a waste of time for taking input credit or refunds. Even other associations like ACAAI have been actively advocating against this.
The NLP will surely help in carving out long term benefits for the air cargo industry. Timely implementation of this though will be the key.
E-commerce and digitalisation are the trends of the industry. Even “Digital freight forwarder” is the latest term to be used. What do you have to say on this? How will it impact the traditional freight forwarding? How to cope with the changing trends in the industry?
E-commerce has been growing at a fast pace over the last decade. The Covid 19 period gave further boost to this as people could shop for daily essentials and other things without stepping out of their homes. E-commerce has also been the main driver for growth in air cargo. The new trends of smaller freighters have got a shot in the arm due to e-commerce which needs more frequency and not necessarily moving larger loads. Digital forwarders have been around for a decade now but gaining market share over the last 5 years by offering easier access to transact to customers. The traditional forwarders have been trying to do a catchup on this but their entire processes are based on a different DNA. While they have developed the technology that digital forwarders have, but the mindset, processes and skills of the workforce, will be a huge challenge which would need massive transformation.
ACAAI 46th Convention is all set to take place in Bangkok from 24th to 27th Nov, after a gap of two years due to pandemic situation; what is your anticipation for the convention as post pandemic scenario and resilience of the industry will be key topics of the discussions at the convention?
ACAAI has been a premier IATA Air Cargo freight forwarder body and has been driving the interest of the forwarding community for several decades. Their engagement with several regulatory and functional decision makers has resolved many matters during the past years.
The ACAAI Convention has been an important event in the Indian Air Freight landscape where a lot of industry issues are discussed and deliberated upon by the participating subject matter experts. Since this is the first one since 2019, there are huge expectations from the delegates for some key issue deliberations and networking between the industry over the four days of the event. I am hopeful that this year some crucial topics will be discussed at the convention to take the Air Freight industry into the next higher growth orbit.


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Last week during CPH fashion week, PEEPERS DENMARK presented FASHION IT’S NOT ABOUT SIZE, a fashion party and POPUP show for the consumer. The show was a success by using the diversity of shapes and curves among models. PEEPERS DENMARK wants a diversity of beauty ideals, (36 – 44 EU) where women can identify with fashion and beauty, and where young girls no longer getting eating disorders because of the fashion industry’s influence.
PEEPERS bloggers are brutally honest about their body and perception of the same. Bloggers vary from size 36 to 48. What I have been saying for years: style, fashion or beauty has NOTHING to do with size!


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THE beef industry is transforming rapidly from a commodity towards a plethora of brands, much like the wine industry, according to South Australian Cattle Co. Pty Ltd managing director Tim Burvill.
And the SA commercial Poll Hereford breeder, who has built a successful paddock-to-plate business, wants to ensure the whiteface breed is at the forefront of it.
This is the driving force behind Mr Burvill’s nomination for the upcoming Herefords Australia’s board elections.
He says the society’s branded beef, Hereford True, launched last year, is a great step forward.
But from many years experience in wine, beef and restaurant marketing, he knows maintaining brand momentum is much harder.
“When you launch a brand there is an initial media interest spike, but it is the next one to two years that are the most challenging in maintaining the media and public’s attention,” he said.
“There is some work to do in regards to this with the Hereford True brand, and I believe I have the relevant skills and expertise to offer.”
Mr Burvill, wife Sarah, and their Danish business partners, the Damgaard family, formed the South Australian Cattle Co in in 2007.
They run 300 Poll Hereford breeders at Lucindale with a portion of the progeny grown out on agistment.
They also opportunistically agist cattle in other areas depending on season, and have 170 poll hereford heifers on agistment in Armidale, NSW.
They have been putting their home-grown Hereford beef on the menu in their Adelaide restaurant, A Hereford Beefstouw, for the past five years after it is dry-aged at their Mount Barker facility.
Later this year they will open a second restaurant in Melbourne in the famed Flinders Lane precinct.
They have also extended the brand to offer A Hereford Beef in selected butchers and Foodland supermarkets across Adelaide.
“It seems the red meat industry is 20 years behind other industries where branding is paramount, but it is rapidly catching up with a huge number of new brands in the past five years coming onto the domestic market. We are in an incredibly exciting time and there is still huge changes to come,” he said.
He has high praise for the eating quality of Herefords but says the breed have been “ a bit slow off the mark” in being able to turn this into a successful branded product that benefits all Hereford producers.
“The Hereford breed has been quite good at promoting its traits at the production level, but there is some room to improve in creating more demand at the consumer end ,” he said.
“If we can succeed in this, it will flow down to increased demand from the abattoirs which will then flow down to sale yards.
“The end result would be higher prices for Hereford cattle and this is what I am focused on wanting to achieve for all Hereford producers.”
Mr Burvill believes a range of expertise from across the supply chain on the Board is critical to the breed’s future prosperity.
“Like any company or a sports team you need to constantly regenerate talent and bring the next generation through,” he said.
“I really believe we (the Hereford breed) need some fresh injection of blood at board level to facilitate the creation of new ideas and the development of new opportunities.”
He sees his social media marketing skills as another asset with A Hereford Beefstouw’s Facebook page having an incredible 31,000 followers.
“Everything is done on the internet these days, and social networking plays a significant role in deciding consumer trends,” he said.
“It just made sense for our business to concentrate our marketing efforts in this realm and we’ve been very pleased with the results.”
Nominations closed last Friday for four vacancies on the 12-member Board.
Voting forms will be sent out to members with voting closing on May 27.


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New Delhi, May 1 (IANS) Automobile manufacturer Mahindra and Mahindra Wednesday reported a two percent rise in total sales for April at 41,432 units from 40,715 off-take in the corresponding month of 2012.
“We remain cautiously optimistic of the current situation and do hope that with the much awaited and needed reduction in interest rates announcement by the RBI (Reserve Bank of India) next week, the auto industry will look up,” said Pravin Shah, chief executive, automotive division, Mahindra and Mahindra.
According to Shah, the budgetary proposal to hike by three percent the excise duty on sports utility vehicles (SUVs), which got parliament’s sanction Tuesday, will be detrimental to sales.
“We are extremely disappointed that the additional three percent excise duty on SUVs has not been reversed in the Finance Bill, which would have brought about some cheer and momentum for SUV makers and provided them with a level playing field.”
However, the company reported a two percent increase in its domestic sales during the month under review at 39,902 units from an off-take of 39,295 units during April 2012.
Exports of M&M, however, only rose by eight percent and stood at 1,530 units from 1,420 units in the corresponding month of 2012.


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YouTube ranked the top performing 6-second ads from July 2018 through July 2019 using an algorithm that factored in total views and engagement.
6 seconds. That’s all you get to make an impression. It might seem short, yet these brands have made a marketing success out of it.
YouTube has released its list of the top 10 best 6-second ads on its platform. The list was compiled using a creative rating test conducted by Ipsos, with an algorithm that factored in total views and engagement.
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Rumors about Nvidia Ampere GPU are becoming more and more tangible. According to Chris Caso, an American analyst from investment company Raymond James, Nvidia intends to officially introduce Ampere GPUs at the end of March 2020 at the GTC conference, and the announcement of GeForce RTX 3070 and RTX 3080 (Ti) would take place in June at the Computex trade fair. This is not the first news suggesting that the release of Nvidia Ampere 7nm GPU (using Samsung's EUV) is planned for the first half of next year. It can be assumed, therefore, that if nothing unexpected happens, then the term will be met. It makes a lot of sense, especially with the upcoming AMD ray-tracing graphics cards that would outperform the Turing architecture of the GeForce RTX 2000 series of GeForce RTX models. Nvidia does not have to hurry with anything for the time being, but does not intend to wait idly, regardless of the future actions of the competition. The company's plans for the first half of 2020 are as follows:
First planned Nvidia Ampere family GPU
- Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 with 12GB of memory
- Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 with 12GB of memory
- Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Ti with 16GB of memory
All the listed graphics cards would be released in the first half of 2020. This information was also provided by Chris Caso, an analyst from Raymond James. According to Nvidia's current publishing policy, cheaper models would surely be available for sale a few weeks or months later.
Manufacturing process transition will translate into a significant increase in productivity - greater than between Pascal and Turing. A significant improvement should be noted in the operation of games that use ray-tracing, the developing graphichs technology, which, there is no denying, butchers the currently available hardware. According to unofficial reports, the new GPU would not only have more VRAM and a lower TDP, but would also work with higher clock rates. However, it is too early for more detailed specifications. What's more, a new lithography wouldn't be as expensive as Turing's, and as a result, GeForce RTX 3000's prices may be slightly lower than the current generation of cards. It would be a nice surprise after the last raises.
Finally, we would like to remind that all information must be treated with a pinch of salt, as we will have to wait until at least the end of March 2020 for its official confirmation. It is then that the new Ampere designs are to be announced, whose presentation should start with the Tesla graphics accelerator for the business market.


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Tata Hexa's automatic variants in high demand
Tata's new flagship vehicle Hexa was launched in India more than a week ago and buyers are flocking to the showrooms to get their hands on an automatic variant.
By India Today Web Desk: According to reports, Tata's new flagship car Hexa is pulling in a lot of crowd to the showrooms, and what is even more interesting is the fact that a majority of the buyers are picking the automatic option.
Tata is offering the car with a lot of options, seating, engine and gearbox. The same 2.2-litre VARICOR engine is available in two states of tune and in the more powerful state of tune in which it produces 400Nm of torque, Tata is offering a six-speed automatic gearbox, and a six-speed manual.
Out of the two, the buyers are going for the automatic gearbox. In recent times, more and more car buyers in India have started to opt for automatic variant due to the convenience offered by them on our traffic-laden roads.
The Hexa was launched amidst a lot of attention as Tata went all out to promote the Hexa. Journalists had driven the car more than a month before launch, Hexa Experience Zones had crept up in different metropolitan cities where people could go and experience the Hexa. Along with the features offered on the Hexa, it is also the killer pricing of the car that makes it a strong contender in its segment.


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McLaren’s sports car lineup will receive yet another member in 2015, the British manufacturer confirmed today, adding that the next vehicle to be unveiled will slot below the 650S. Codenamed P13 and previously believed to carry the 500S moniker, McLaren’s upcoming entry-level sports car will carry the Sports Series nameplate, the Brits said in a press release. The vehicle is slated to make its world debut in the second quarter of 2015 and will cater more to the sports car segment than the supercar realm.
While confirming the Sports Series, McLaren also launched the Black Swan campaign, which includes a series of 13 teasers that include game-changing "moments from around the world and within McLaren’s." Also, the British manufacturer will use the hashtag #BlackSwanMoments "to tell stories that have truly changed and challenged people’s beliefs."
The Sports Series is still somewhat of a mystery as of this writing, but McLaren did say it will follow into the footsteps of the P1 and 650S by including Formula One technologies and state-of-the-art construction techniques. Like the rest of the current McLaren lineup, it will feature a carbon-fiber chassis and a mid-mounted V-8 engine.
Click past the jump to read more about the McLaren Sports Series.
There has been a lot of talk about McLaren’s known plan to launch a new model each year by 2019, but very few details have oozed from Woking, England until now. We do know there’s a track-speed P1 GTR and a more affordable P13 in the pipeline, and that a new supercar is scheduled to hit the streets in 2016. The rest of the McLaren lineup was still a mystery until today, as Automobile managed to dig up even more details surrounding the company’s upcoming expansion.
According to the magazine, McLaren’s drawing board is already full. Besides the P13 and P1 GTR set to arrive within the next couple of years, the Brits are developing a near-supercar, likely to slot between the 650S and the P1, as well as a replacement for the 650S. The two are reportedly scheduled to break cover between 2017 and 2019, with a brand-new sports car with a 2+2 seating configuration to follow in 2020.
Sounds like the Brits are elbows deep into their new strategy to conquer the sports car and supercar markets.
Click past the jump to read more about McLaren’s future plans.
Ever find yourself wishing for a McLaren with more trunk space? Well, that might be in the works, according to a report from Car & Driver. Supposedly, McLaren is working on several variants of the upcoming 2015 P13, including a “GT” that features a trunk area on the rear of the car.
A rear trunk is a pretty normal thing, but not for mid-engine supercars with V-8 powerplants. Sure, the Porsche Cayman has a boot, but its flat six-cylinder options are far more compact than the P13’s 3.8-liter, twin-turbo V-8. What’s more, the current McLarens’ rear ends have little free real estate due to cooling ducts, exhaust pipes, and the mechanics for the active rear wing.
C&D says their source is a well-informed McLaren insider who confirms the GT’s development. Additionally, McLaren believes it will be the best-selling iteration of the new P13.
The source also alluded to the automaker using some nifty engineering in order to keep the luggage compartment from becoming hot from its twin-turbocharged neighbor. Also included in the GT’s design will be a concave rear window similar to the one found on the Ferrari 206 GT Dino of the 1960s.
Though the GT version of the P13 is making headlines, the standard coupe and a drop-top Spider version will also be available. All P13 variants will include the same carbon-fiber monocell construction and come powered by the same 3.8-liter V-8 as found in the 12C, 650S, and P1 — though the engine will be detuned to somewhere between 450 and 470 horsepower.
Click past the jump to read more about the future McLaren P13.
The McLaren P13 is arriving sooner than we thought. While we already know that McLaren plans to put the P13 up for sale in September 2015, recent details have emerged surrounding the sports car’s official unveiling and price tag. The P13 will debut at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show with a $210,000 price tag.
A report from Edmunds confirmed these new details surrounding the British automaker’s new entry-level sports car. Speaking with McLaren Managing Director Mike Flewitt, the auto site managed to confirm the company’s plans for the P13.
For one, the P13 ’code’ won’t be used as the official production name of the sports car. Also, it will carry a similar size to the McLaren 650S and will have the same mid-engine, two-seat setup within a carbon-fiber body.
But according to Flewitt, the two McLarens will still be completely unique from each other, despite the shared components. "It’s difficult to style mid-engine cars to look different, not least for cooling reasons; side-mounted radiators dictate a lot of style," he explained.
As far as the engine is concerned, the P13 will use the same 3.8-liter, twin-turbo, V-8 engine as the 650S. The only difference is that McLaren will detune the former’s V-8 powertrain to somewhere between 400 to 500 horsepower, creating a 0-to-60-mph sprint time of about four seconds — a second slower than the 650S. Likewise, top speed is about 185 mph for the P13, compared to the 207-mph top speed of the 650S.
The McLaren P13 is expected to compete with the likes of the Ferrari California T, the Audi R8 V10, and the Porsche 911 Turbo S.
In addition to the news about the P13, Flewitt also talked about another future McLaren: the P15.
Contrary to previous rumors, the P15 will not be the replacement for the P1. Instead, the supercar, which will cost $500,000 to $600,000, will sit just above the 650S and launch in 2017.
That should still create a wide space between all of McLaren’s models and its flagship supercar — the P1 — which features the very best of McLaren technology to go with an output of 903 horsepower and 1,100 pound-feet of torque and a price of $1.15 million.
Click past the jump to read more about the future McLaren P13.
McLaren’s announcement that it was planning to launch one new model a year paved the way for the impending arrival of the company’s entry-level model, the P13. It’s a segment that McLaren admittedly lacks presence in but recently, McLaren Automotive CEO Mike Flewitt bared significant details about the P13, shedding more light to what’s already shaping up to be an interesting "entry-level" sports car.
Speaking with Top Gear, Flewitt announced that the P13 will, in fact, be slotted below the 12C, and will cost only two-thirds of the 650S. Do a little calculating and you’re going to hit somewhere close to £135,000, which is about $226,000 based on current exchange rates. That ought to be good news for those looking for a McLaren but that don’t have the finances to afford the 12C or 650S. That also makes it about £7,000 ($11,727) less than the 911 Turbo S.
Another interesting revelation from Flewitt is that the P13 will carry a V-8 powertrain similar to the 650S, albeit one that will come with significantly less output than the 650S. Flewitt didn’t specify the number, but whispers in and around Woking lead us to believe that the final number will be between 400 and 500 horsepower. That should be enough to justify an entry level McLaren without impeding on the 650S and the 12C.
The P13 will also carry the same two-seat, mid-engine configuration that McLaren has been known for. In a lot of ways, the P13 will not be as small as people think. For one, McLaren has said that all its models except for the P1 will use the same carbon-fiber tub, dubbed the ‘monocell." Flewitt also admitted that once the engine is added into the equation, the P13 will have its own character and identity that will certainly lend itself as a model that can make a mark in its segment. At least that’s what the big boss of McLaren Automotive believes, proudly exclaiming that the P13 will be "the most engaging car in its segment" when it goes on sale in September next year.
Just don’t expect it to retain the ’P13’ nonmenclature. The company hasn’t come up with a name, but you can expect it to be at least consistent with how it’s named its other models.
Click past the jump to read more about the McLaren P13.
For a long time it was believed that the McLaren P13 would be the next sports car to come out of Woking. Details on the "baby" McLaren have been rather confusing, but now that the 650S is already in production, things are finally starting to take shape.
Aimed at the Porsche 911, the P13 will go into production next year with a de-tuned, 3.8-liter, V-8 engine under the hood. The unit will deliver around 450 horsepower, which is nearly 200 horses less than the 650S. Pricing will be reduced as well, with the 911 fighter to retail for about $200,000, making it cheaper than the outgoing MP4-12C.
A smaller price tag also signals that the P13 will feature less carbon-fiber body parts compared to the 650S. According to Top Gear, the body will be mostly aluminum, although McLaren has yet to decide what processes will be used to make the vehicle’s panels.
Click past the jump to read more about the McLaren P13.
Now that McLaren started producing the new P1, its focus now moves to the long-rumored P13 — the company’s response to the Porsche 911 Turbo and others like it. AutoExpress managed to get its hands on few more interesting bits about the P13, including its output and pricing.
The next P13 will be entry-level McLaren model, and it will borrow design cues from the P1. It is expected to feature P1-style wraparound headlights with LED strips underneath and, of course, the two hood vents that give it that signature Mc:Laren look.
The P13 will sit on the same carbon-fiber monocoque as the 12C and P1, but its wheelbase will be shorter, making it more compact than its big brothers. These smaller dimensions will equate to lower weight and awesome agility.
Under its hood, Auto Express reports that the P13 will carry the same 3.8-liter, turbocharged V-8 engine as the 12C, but McLaren will detuned it to 450 horsepower — a reduction of 166 horsepower.
Despite the horsepower reduction, McLaren expects fantastic performance, thanks to its curb weight that will be below 12C’s 1,434 kg (3161-pound) curb weight. Giving up more than 350 pounds to the 2014 Porsche 911 Turbo means that it will likely be a mean competitor for the German pedigree.
Expect the new McLaren P13 to be unveiled in late 2014 and to go on sale in 2015. Auto Express is reporting that the P13 will check in at £120,000 (about $193,500 at the current exchange rates).
Click past the jump to read more about the McLaren P1 — the model that inspired the P13.
Two days ago, we brought you a series of spy shots that we believe it were images for an upcoming facelift for the MP4-12C. However, there is now rumbling that those were actually of a mule for the upcoming McLarenP13, which is rumored to arrive in 2014 as a competitor for the Porsche 911, the new Mercedes GT sports car and the Audi R8.
According to a McLaren spokesman, via a report from Auto Express , the mule is testing some mechanical parts from the new entry-level model, the P13. Our spy photographers were lucky enough to catch what looks to be the same car near Nurburgring, but unfortunately the weather did not permit much testing. Now the real question is whether this is the P13 mule or a revision to the 12C Spyder, what do you think?
Rumors suggest that the P13 sports car will be powered by a de-tuned version of the twin-turbo V-8 engine used in the 12C with an output kept close to 500 horsepower.
The model will be priced at about $200k and McLaren hopes to sell around 2,000 to 2,500 units per year globally.


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The Digiday Video Summit took place the same week the standards of data privacy totally changed, and as a result it was a meeting of video publishing executives wondering what their next strategies would be and sponsors from the world of “monetization,” “advertising,” and “mobile targeting” who knew even less about the future trying to help them. It was truly a conference of the blind leading the blind, because there were precious few of the people who pay the bills — brands and agencies–in attendance. Those people are focused on the larger question of how they can use their customer data.
As a result, we heard several publishers say they are not going to launch in Europe until after GDPR shakes itself out. Others without a big business on the continent have decided to withdraw completely. In Europe, the Digiday Video Summit will be even more fraught, because it takes place there on June 5.
Whenever there’s change, there’s opportunity. We think the future lies in several different directions, some of which are being discussed at the Summit, others not so much:
There’s still a market for original video content, if it is good. Netflix and Hulu are testimony to that. And although they subsist on subscriptions rather than on advertising, Hulu at least is going to try allowing subscribers who don’t pay the ad-free premium to download their programs along with ads.
It’s interesting that no one has yet tried what Leo laPorte and Twit.tv have been doing for a decade now, which is live TV content downloadable as podcasts, supported by advertising. Leo long ago decided that he was going to trade quality programming for scale, and like many podcasts he mostly does his own ad reads. Most podcasts are content to be audio only, and they go for a different audience than the video podcasts. We predict more niche video programming, which will find its own audience without much targeting, because the audience is already interested in the content. It seems so simple to run brand ads against specific video content, but we think the agencies and brands haven’t washed their hands of data dependence yet. It will happen. It will have to.
Branded content is a tricky one. If it’s really good, like Red Bull, it can foster deep engagement. But it’s important to have the right brand and a totally immersive experience. Many agencies have focused too much on data and metrics the past decade, at the expense of great creative.
Content Based on Videogames
Some of the speakers at the summit did talk about how video content could be generated from videogames and attract viewers who have been playing those games.
This is a new one, and so big that it already has its own acronym. It stands for Limited Commercial Interruptions, and it means fewer ads but higher ad prices. TruTV has been doing this since its rebrand in 2016, with great success. Its viewers spend more “tune time” and their revenues have gone up. Their audience is Millennials with incomes averaging $70,000 — a very desirable demographic.
Like every digital media conference we’ve ever attended, this one made ample use of the words “wild ride,” “rollercoaster,” and a one I had never heard before, “calamitous.” Nevertheless, the conference was pricey and the room was full. Things can’t be that bad.


text: In what appears to be a growing penchant among open source developers for naming things after Soviet spacecraft, Canonical recently announced a new project called Mir. And while it doesn’t actually have much (or anything) to do with outer space, it could have major implications for open source user interfaces throughout the channel???not to mention for Canonical itself as it strives to ???converge??? its Ubuntu offerings across a range of hardware devices.


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Japan may be the country with the highest life expectancy but when it comes to the longevity of cars, India tops the list, if you exclude sanction-stifled Iran.
Proof? The venerable Ambassador manufactured in Uttarpara between 1948 and 2014 holds the record for the longest production run of any car ever; and even the good old Maruti 800 bowed out after a good 30 years, by which time it had put an entire nation on wheels. What’s amazing is that Maruti continues to produce both the Omni and the Gypsy 33 years on, and Tata Motors too has its stalwarts – the 25-year-old Sumo and 20-year-old Safari are still chugging along; and let’s not forget past heroes like the Hyundai Santro and Tata Indica, each of which had a good run of around 20 years.
The point is that cars don’t die easily in the Indian market, even when the demand for them evaporates; which is why life cycles can stretch to, well, a lifetime.
But of late, intense competition, and tougher emission and safety regulations are forcing manufacturers to clean up their portfolios and bring them more up to date. The move to stricter emission standards has certainly shortened product life cycles, but hasn’t managed to upgrade fleets completely, because it’s still possible to plonk the latest engines in a relic. Remember the Ambassador with the fuel-injected 1.8-litre Isuzu motor?
But this year, that’s all set to change. From October 1, 2019, all cars will have to meet a series of stringent crash test norms that will help weed out cars well past their expiry date, and end the Indian industry’s legacy of producing older-generation products. The latest crash regulations actually came into effect on October 1, 2017, but were only applicable to cars launched after that date, while older models were given a two-year grace period.
Therefore by October this year, many of the older cars will perish as their design and architecture does not allow them to be upgraded to meet the new crash test norms, which involves multiple tests for full-frontal impact, a 40 percent offset and side impact, too. For some models the end could come earlier if they don’t offer ABS brakes, which will be mandatory on all cars from April 1, 2019.
The best thing about the latest regulations is that with one fell swoop it eradicates some of the death traps still being manufactured and elevates the safety standards of the cars sold in India to a global level. Sadly, it also marks the end for several icons that a generation of motorists has grown up with. Here are the cars (listed in alphabetical order) that will be given their last rites. Amen!
- 1 FIAT LINEA (2008–2019)
- 2 FIAT PUNTO (2009–2019)
- 3 HONDA BRIO (2011-2018)
- 4 HYUNDAI EON (2011-2018)
- 5 MAHINDRA E2O (2013–2019)
- 6 MAHINDRA NUVOSPORT (2009–2018)
- 7 MAHINDRA VERITO (2011–2019)
- 8 MAHINDRA XYLO (2009-2018)
- 9 MARUTI SUZUKI OMNI (1984–2019)
- 10 MARUTI SUZUKIGYPSY (1985–2019)
- 11 TATA NANO (2008-2019)
- 12 TATA SAFARI (1998-2019)
- 13 TATA SUMO (1994-2019)
FIAT LINEA (2008–2019)
FIAT PUNTO (2009–2019)
At the 2017 Geneva motor show, the late Sergio Marchionne, in his forthright fashion, told Autocar India that ‘Fiat has had many chances in India and now it is Jeep’s turn.’ That the FCA boss had given up on Fiat in India is pretty obvious when you look at the brand’s product portfolio, which consists of nothing more than the Linea, launched in 2008, and the Grande Punto, which came in 2009. A decade on, there has been minimal investment in these ageing products – both of which don’t register more than double-digit sales figures every month. So when faced with the same ‘invest or perish’ dilemma as the other manufacturers on the eve of this stricter regulatory era, the choice is pretty straightforward.
Yes, the company will, once and for all, shut down the Fiat brand, which has been a household name in India for generations. It’s the end of an era.
HONDA BRIO (2011-2018)
Honda quietly discontinued the Brio last year with no plans for a successor. To beef up the Brio to meet the new regulations made no sense, as there were hardly any takers for it. The demise of the hatchback also marks Honda’s exit from the budget-end of the market, where the company burnt its fingers and won’t return in a hurry.
HYUNDAI EON (2011-2018)
Built to a cost on Hyundai’s HA platform and developed specifically for the Indian market, the Eon was never conceived to meet global crash standards – and it didn’t have to, as the Eon was only sold in India and there were no plans to export it. The Eon was phased out last year after the launch of the new Santro (built on the i10 platform), which is now the entry-level model in the range.
MAHINDRA E2O (2013–2019)
MAHINDRA NUVOSPORT (2009–2018)
MAHINDRA VERITO (2011–2019)
MAHINDRA XYLO (2009-2018)
Like Tata Motors, Mahindra will also take advantage of the new regulatory environment to clean out its portfolio. Cars like the Xylo and Nuvosport, built on a modified version of the original Bolero’s platform, were discontinued last year, itself. What will come as a blow to the green brigade is that the only two fully electric vehicles that were accessible by the general public will have to say goodbye as they won’t meet the latest crash norms. The golf cart-like e2o doesn’t have any hope of meeting any serious crash test. And while the Verito can be made crash-compliant, it loses out because the business case of investment versus volumes is stacked against it.
On the other hand, Mahindra sees more of a business case in the Thar, which although based on an antiquated ladder chassis rooted in the MM540, has a loyal following. The only way the Thar can get past the safety inspectors is by switching to Mahindra’s crash-compliant Gen3 ladder-frame that underpins the latest Scorpio and TUV range – and that’s exactly what Mahindra is doing. Hence, expect the next-gen Thar come with an all-new chassis and all-new body. But, there could be a gap of several months between the old Thar which doesn’t have ABS and hence could be discontinued as early as 2001 and the new model which isn’t due till early next year.
MARUTI SUZUKI OMNI (1984–2019)
MARUTI SUZUKIGYPSY (1985–2019)
India’s top manufacturer will pull the plug on two of its most enduring models this year. The seemingly immortal Omni minivan, which incredulously still finds over 7,000 buyers on average every month, will finally be put to rest. The Omni was known for its unbeatable space efficiency – an advantage that unfortunately came at the expense of frontal protection, of which it had none. This ruled out even the most remote chance of it passing any future crash test.
The legendary Gypsy – still considered the off-road king by many die-hard 4×4 fans and the most successful rally car of all time – will be phased out too. The Gypsy’s archaic design from the ’80s doesn’t leave much scope for an upgrade; it would have to be re-engineered from scratch to become crash-worthy. Besides, the volumes are too small to justify that sort of investment and it would make more sense to launch a replacement. And that’s why the company is mulling over a four-door version of the Jimny.
Other cars that won’t pass the new crash tests but will be replaced with newer models are the Eeco and Alto. In fact, Maruti is developing upgraded Eeco, due by the end of 2019, with a low-end version aimed at filling the huge void left by the Omni. The bestselling Alto will be replaced this year and is likely to use a modified version of the Heartect platform the newly launched WagonR is built on.
TATA NANO (2008-2019)
TATA SAFARI (1998-2019)
TATA SUMO (1994-2019)
Tata Motors’ future models will be built on just two platforms – the Alfa and Omega architectures – which implies all existing products on older platforms will eventually be phased out. That process will begin in earnest with the near-defunct Nano being consigned to history, thus closing a significant chapter for the company.
Tata Motors did have a plan to keep the Nano alive and had, in fact, invested Rs 400 crore in developing the next-gen model (codename: Pelican) designed to meet all future regulations. However, after the demand for the Nano completely evaporated, the company decided to abort plans to launch the next-gen model. As a result, the current barebones Nano won’t even make it past the April 1, 2019 deadline, when ABS brakes become mandatory.
Tata’s old warhorses – the utilitarian Sumo and the iconic Safari will also be discontinued later this year as the tiny sales numbers do not justify the gigantic investment required to make them comply with the latest crash regulations. Besides, the body-on-frame platforms that both the Sumo and Safari are based on don’t fit in with Tata’s two-platform strategy.
This brings us to a key question: What is the Hexa’s future? It’s likely that Tata will end the Hexa by the middle of next year to duck the huge investment needed to comply with pedestrian protection and BS-VI norms that come into effect from April 1, 2020.


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At this time of year money is tight for everyone after the expense of the festive season, so we were happy to see the announcements from three major supermarkets of price cuts, which should mean good news for us customers.
Today Tesco has announced it's turnaround plans in a bid to recoup some of the losses both in profits and reputation after it's terrible 2014. What it means for workers is not looking good, with 50 new stores put on hold, 43 closing, and sections like Tesco Broadband and Blinkbox being sold to Talk Talk.
The main thing that's going to affect almost all of us is the major supermarket price war that is starting.
Tesco have launched a big price drop today on everyday grocery items. Some of them are great like a Hovis Best Of Both Loaf for 78p, others are not so impressive - 2p off Twiglets and Toffifee is not going to convince anyone to come back from Aldi.
Sainsbury's have said that they are working to lower prices with a massive investment programmes that has seen them lowering 1000 prices since they launched this strategy in November. That sounds very impressive, but they are still more expensive than the other main three. Examples please Sainsbury's!
Asda also announced it's Biggest Ever Rollback and dropped prices too. They look to me like they're still winning the price war at the moment. That's because their reductions might be an awful lot of own brands but they cover basic items that we all use every day - Sugar for 49p, Bread for 50p, and a pint of milk for 45p. The frozen food reductions are great too with dozens of their own brands reduced from an already cheap £1 down to 85p. Saving money with every day items helps more than making an occasional treat cheaper!
So will these changes be enough to win anyone back from the discount supermarkets like Aldi and Lidl? We'll wait and see.


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After years of anticipation, the coins and notes will be launched in 12 countries on Tuesday. But millions of people who eagerly grab their new coins could see their hands turn into a scaly, diseased mass after minutes.
The British Journal of Dermatology warns the coins could cause eczema among 45 million people. Austrian doctors brand them a 'very dirty currency'.
City traders have called the euro, which has fallen sharply in value, a 'toilet currency' because it was going down the pan. Bank tellers and shop assistants have been advised to wear gloves for work, or to get a new job.
The €1and €2 coins - worth 60p and £1.20 - contain high levels of nickel. European bureaucrats agreed to include the metal despite warnings that allergy to nickel affects up to one in seven people, particularly women.
Medical researchers have conducted tests showing the coins can make far more people sick than the currencies they replace. But a spokesman for the European Commission said: 'Nickel is used extensively in a number of national currencies already - there is no scientific evidence there will be any medical effects.'
But Dominic Cummings, chief executive of the 'No' campaign, gloated: 'This is one of many balls-ups in the brief history of the euro.'


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There’s no question that Americans are growing more concerned over GMOs. As various state labeling initiatives gain momentum, the threat of sinister genetically engineered foods (i.e. GE salmon) hover in FDA limbo. And with Whole Foods Market’s recent announcement to label GMOs by 2018, both natural and mainstream shoppers recognize that:
a) GMOs exist
b) They’re something that should probably be avoided
But GMOs are complicated, and they are rife in contradictions: No studies prove GMOs are harmful to humans, but U.S. patent laws prevent third-party research. Philanthropist Bill Gates invests in GMOs to feed the world, but they hinder food security through mono-agriculture. Plus, GMOs are deeply entrenched in multiple facets of American life, including our political, economic and social systems.
For a busy shopper, the intricacies of GMOs are, more often than not, too time consuming to follow. What then, are the most important key points to extract from the convoluted GMO debate to help shoppers quickly understand?
I think this infographic, courtesy of Earth Balance (maker of vegan spreads, snacks, condiments and milk) and it’s community website “Made Just Right”, is a phenomenal example of how four bite-sized facts can inform, inspire and incite people to learn more about an issue. It’s also a lesson in how manufacturers can educate customers through engaging content, as this concise infographic is primed for virality on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.
Take a look, and share how you’re educating your friends, family, or coworkers about GMOs.


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Source: Read Full Article
- I took 9 flights on all the largest US airlines in the past 3 months. Here's what it's like to fly in America right now.
- Breaking: Pres. Biden extends mask mandate across all public transportation through Sept. 13
- Spain holiday warning: Chaos as British tourists face holiday scam costing £50
- Campfire Cook Out recipe: Cameron Sims’ hemp hot chocolate
- Cashpoint fees and hidden data roaming charges – the top ways Brits are stung on holiday


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The Center for Produce Safety is hosting the 10th Annual CPS Research Symposium June 18-19 in Austin, Texas.
At the event, attendees will learn directly from CPS funded scientists about the latest in produce food safety research. Panel discussions with industry professionals from the entire produce supply chain will present new information and discuss science-based solutions to advance food safety plans.
The program begins with a review of the recent romaine outbreak and perspectives from industry leaders. The popular Lightning Rounds are returning with an even quicker format, and the Poster Session will return along with the Meet the Scientist program introduced last year.
Ag Water, Safety at the Field Level, and Packing and Processing will be among the other topics covered.


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A private industry survey released on Monday showed that India’s manufacturing sector grew at its fastest rate in three months in March. This was due to more production and new orders.
Overall, the study backs up the idea that Asia’s third-largest economy is better prepared than many others to deal with the effects of a global recession.The Indian economy is expected to increase 6.9% this fiscal year and 6.0% next year.
S&P Global’s Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index rose to 56.4 in March from 55.3 in February, maintaining above the 50-point level that distinguishes expansion from contraction for the 21st consecutive month. It was higher than the 55.0 predicted by Reuters survey.
“Underlying demand for Indian goods remained strong in March… “As a result, production continued to expand at a robust clip, and firms increased their stock-building efforts,” said Pollyanna De Lima, economics associate director at S&P Global Market Intelligence, in a statement.
The new orders sub-index, which measures overall demand, increased last month, while overseas demand climbed faster than in February. Output increased at the fastest rate since December.
However, that recovery did not translate into higher hiring as job market conditions deteriorated, and the economy fell back into contraction for the first time in 13 months, despite the slow pace of job losses.
Because of worries about competition and general inflation, optimism about future production has fallen to an eight-month low.
While input cost inflation fell to its lowest level in two and a half years, companies did pass on some of the pressures of higher labour and raw material prices to consumers. The production prices subindex increased from 51.8 to 52.0.
This is expected to keep retail inflation high in the coming months. According to a Reuters poll, inflation is anticipated to average 6.7% this fiscal year and then decrease to 5.2% the next year, staying over the Reserve Bank of India’s medium-term objective of 4.0%.
As expected by a Reuters poll, the Fed may not stop raising interest rates after the last one this month because of high inflation.
“Although manufacturers were upbeat towards future new orders, they somewhat doubted that inflation would continue to recede. Such worries restricted optimism towards output prospects,” De Lima said.


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By now most retailers have updated their point of sale systems to accept the new chipped credit cards that have been gradually introduced over the past few years. The new cards are intended to be more secure than the old magnetic stripe cards, but their introduction hasn’t been without hiccups.
Swipe Transactions Are Faster
Transactions made with chip cards take several seconds longer than swiping a card. The chip card has to be inserted, the payment terminal then communicates with a number of systems to authorize the transaction, and then the customers receive a prompt to remove the card. But because of the number of systems with which the payment terminal has to communicate, the time taken to authorize the transaction could take ten seconds or more, a seeming eternity when you’re trying to check out.
Even paying by cash is often quicker than using a chip card. Then there are still retailers who haven’t made the switch to accept chipped cards, even though their payment terminals have the chip readers, which also adds to delays if customers try to insert their chip cards only to see them not work.
Payment processors are trying to introduce new payment terminals that would allow customers to insert and quickly remove a chip card, similar to how magnetic swipe cards work. That would significantly speed up transactions, but those terminals haven’t been adopted by a large number of retailers yet.
New Payment Methods Making Inroads
The slowness of chip card transactions may provide an opening for other types of payments to make inroads. Payment with Bitcoin, which has been around for a number of years, allows customers to tap their phone against a compatible payment terminal and transfer funds from their Bitcoin account to that of the vendor. Contactless credit cards would work in much the same way, but updating point of sale systems to accept them imposes another cost on retailers who have only just updated their systems to accept chip cards.
Other methods of electronic payment such as Apple Pay and Android Pay work in much the same way as Bitcoin apps and contactless credit cards. But because phones have to be unlocked to use those payment methods, any clumsiness with unlocking a phone can slow down a transaction. As anyone who has fumbled with an electronic boarding pass on a phone can attest, sometimes using your phone isn’t quite as convenient as having something tangible in your hands that can be quickly swiped.
Still, the trend seems to continue to head towards electronic payments that will get faster and faster. The quicker customers can check out, the less frustrated they are and the more sales retailers can make. We’re living in an era of unprecedented innovation with regard to payment systems, so let’s see what the future holds.


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Don’t miss Commerceweek, February 28–29 in NYC, to explore the technology and trends fueling commerce. Get strategic insights from leaders at The New York Times Advertising, Turo, TikTok and more. Register.
Twitter as we know it changes today.
The San Francisco-based tech company has introduced an algorithm that will reorder the top of users' timelines with tweets it predicts will be interesting and relevant to them. Tweets that are selected are based on a number of criteria including account interactions, engagement, user interests and network activity. The rest of the newsfeed will then follow the traditional reverse-chronological order.
The optional feature—which will roll out gradually, and can be turned on or off by users—is essentially an extension of the "While you were away" feature Twitter introduced in January 2015, Twitter vp of revenue products Ameet Ranadive told Adweek.
"The reason we're doing this is there is just so much happening on Twitter every day, and we know it is sometimes easy for people to miss great content," Ranadive said.


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Vermont Cider Company recently announced its first ciders to be released into the ultra-premium cider segment: Addison, a year-round style, and Wassail, a barrel-aged seasonal.
Named for Addison County, where it is produced, Addison is crafted from 100 percent fresh-pressed juice sourced only from Vermont and Northeastern orchards.
“Addison is a semi-dry cider, but it is so much more,” said Bridget Blacklock, Vermont Cider Co.’s director of marketing. “It’s where we are from. Addison is Vermont. It’s where we craft what we believe is the finest cider in the world.”
“For this flagship cider, we used premium yeasts and longer, cooler fermentations to capture and promote the delicate fresh apple flavors, with no added sugar,” said Ben E. Calvi, director of cider making. “Addison is the ideal cider for consumers seeking drier options with strong, authentic roots.”
While Addison will be available year-round, Wassail is the first of several limited-edition, barrel-aged ciders that will be offered.
Wassail is inspired by the age-old tradition of celebrating with the orchards to ensure a good crop. Wassail begins with small batch hard cider infused with traditional mulling spices, including vanilla bean, ginger and cinnamon. The cider is then aged in rum barrels to produce a unique, rich cider that is ideal for the holidays. Like Addison, Wassail is made only from 100 percent fresh pressed Vermont and Northeastern apples.
- Photo: Vermont Cider Company


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Starting today, companies can search tweets of any users back to January 2010. This will help them create better marketing plans, target influential users and predict monumental events.
Twitter previously allowed companies to search up to 30 days of tweets. Regular users were only able to search through posts from the past seven days. That all changes today, as the UK-based company DataSift will begin offering a deep archive of Tweets made over the past year.
No-one's ever done this before, DataSift's marketing manager Tim Barker told the BBC. It's a brand new service that we're bringing online -- it's a massive technology challenge because of the amount of data that is pumped out every single day.
DataSift logs roughly 250 million tweets every day. Each tweet is analyzed for content including keywords and whether the tweet has a positive or negative tone. Many have praised DataSift's complex analytical functions including TechCrunch, who said this:
Because DataSift can search for Twitter posts and information using metadata contained in Tweets, the possibilities of mining data at a very specific level are endless. DataSift does not limit searches based on keywords and allows companies of any size to define extremely complex filters, including location, gender, sentiment, language, and even influence based on Klout score, to provide quick and very specific insight and analysis.
Private accounts have not been indexed in the DatSift archives. The BBC reports that DataSift has almost 1,000 companies on a waiting list, and each is extremely eager to join the service.
Twitter--which was formerly chastised for failing to build a source of revenue--will take a small part of DataSift's revenue as part of a licensing fee.
The DataSift tweet archive is being marketed asa way for companies to get a good sense of what's going on in the world, where the public's interest lies, and ways to predict future events such as uprisings or the fall of stock prices.
What appears to be more practical than predicting the future is referring back to the past to determine whether marketing campaigns and products launches have been a success. Of course, the most valuable information on Twitter is the stuff that's being tweeted right now.


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CCI order would cause irreparable harm, Google tells SC; Ola stops lending through Avail Finance app
The company has asked the Supreme Court to put on hold the remedial measures ordered by the CCI, which kick in from January 19, according to court documents dated January 7.
Ola to shutter Avail Finance app, integrate it with Ola Money
Ride-hailing firm Ola acquired Avail Finance, founded by Ola founder Bhavish Aggarwal's brother Ankush Aggarwal, for about $50 million in April last year.
Top smartwatch players work out software tweaks to lure buyers
While the hardware play is getting saturated as brands try to maintain the affordable pricing of the products in a bid to lure fresh users, Noise, Fire-Boltt and Boat are investing in the software side to differentiate. Co-founder Amit Khatri of Smartwatch market leader Noise told ET there would be a shift in focus from consumer acquisition to retention, and hence innovation both in terms of hardware and insight would play a key role in future launches.
PM Modi to address last 'Mann Ki Baat' of 2022 today
Sharing MyGov's invitation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted, "2022's last #MannKiBaat will take place on the 25th of this month. I am eager to receive your input for the programme. I urge you to write on the NaMo App, MyGov or record your message on 1800-11-7800."
Ex-WhatsApp Pay India head may join Tata Digital; house panel flags Big Tech’s ad monopoly
A week ago, WhatsApp Pay's India head Vinay Choletti quit the company just after four months he was elevated to the position. His resignation is the fourth high-profile exit in about one-and-a-half months from Meta in India after its country head Ajit Mohan stepped down in November. Now, Choletti is in talks to join Tata Digital’s payments business.
Bank of Baroda cuts home loan interest rate for these borrowers; know new rate, who are eligibleBank of Baroda has cut its interest rate on home loans by 25 basis points (bps) to 8.25 per cent for select borrowers, according to a press release. The reduced interest rate is effective from November 14, 2022. Who are eligible for this reduced home loan interest rate? Know here
Updates from Elon Musk-Twitter saga; Udaan takes convertible notes route to raise $120 millionElon Musk now calls himself ‘Chief Twit’ on Twitter. On Wednesday, the Tesla and SpaceX boss sauntered into the microblogging platform’s San Francisco headquarters, armed with a sink. “Entering Twitter HQ — let that sink in!” he tweeted later, posting a video of his entry. It’s not clear if he was just being a twit or conveying a message that Twitter had a ton of troubles (kitchen sinking refers to acknowledging every bit of bad news in one go). But at the very least, it looks like he is finally buying Twitter. And he clarified that he would not be firing 75% of the staff, as had been speculated. But there could be more twists in this pretzel-shaped tale before the Friday court deadline to close the deal passes.
'Liger' director Puri Jagannadh's WhatsApp audio clip goes viral after distributors threaten to protest outside his houseThe Vijay Deverakonda-starrer, which was released in August, bombed at the box-office.
How to buy digital gold online including your favourite payment apps Paytm, PhonePe and Google PayIn the recent years, buying digital gold has become a trend. This is becuase buying off digital gold starts from Re 1 and it does not have any making charges, unlike gold jewellery. However, there are certain things that one must keep in mind while buying digital gold. Read on to know more about it.
Banks forced to hold on to Twitter deal debtMusk agreed to pay $44 billion for Twitter in April, before the Federal Reserve started raising interest rates in a bid to fight inflation. This made the acquisition financing look too cheap in the eyes of credit investors, so the banks would have to take a financial hit totaling hundreds of millions of dollars to get it off their books.
Menson partners with GrowthFalcons to onboard its 11,500 restaurants onto ONDC"This also enables onboarding of restaurants, especially small and medium businesses, onto ONDC", said T Koshy, CEO, ONDC
ONDC evaluating solutions to add more regional languagesIn June, Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal had also said ONDC should be made available in regional languages.
ONDC invites public comments on its grievance redressal draft frameworkThe paper says Seller Apps must ensure that the product description is accurate and complete. They must also ensure that the terms and conditions for returns/refunds/cancellations are clearly declared.
Many more apps to join ONDC platform in coming weeks"ONDC is a government's startup. We are now in the process of validating some of the processes and technologies. 20 more apps will come this week," Additional Secretary in the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) Anil Agarwal told reporters in New Delhi.
India withdraws data privacy bill; Uber sells Zomato stake for $392MOn Wednesday, IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw withdrew the contentious data privacy bill and said the government was working on a new one
The A to Z of ONDC's commission structureThere needs to be someone to manage the marketplace: the customer experience, the delivery orchestration, the transaction management, the dispute resolution, the marketing of the marketplace, and the education of the customer, irrespective of the number of buyer apps and seller apps.
How PhonePe is sharpening its ecommerce ambitions as it breaks away from FlipkartTo launch grocery side shopping on ONDC; sets aside $15 million for biz
PhonePe to launch ecomm app on ONDC; Web3 draws early-stage investorsIt made attempts previously with offerings such as Switch, loosely based on the ‘super app’ concept, and Stores, which was aimed at facilitating hyper-local discovery of merchants.
Yes Bank partners with SellerApp to facilitate adoption of ONDCONDC, led by Koshy, is onboarding partners on both buyer and seller side as it had announced plans to be in 75 cities this month and expand into categories like electronics, fashion and others.
India has an EV super app coming: Govt working on one-stop shop for all key infoState-run Convergence Energy Services Limited (CESL) is in the process of collating information from the private sector for the super app, which is scheduled to go live in the next 4-6 weeks. The app will detail availability, charger types and charging tariffs, allowing users to make and change reservations at nearby stations.
Apple plans to place ads in its App Store's Today tabAccording to The Verge, MacRumors, 9to5Mac, and AppleInsider suggests that the two new ad placements will expand upon the ads you can already see in the App Store's search tab and in search results.
ITC to spearhead MAARS super app to boost agriculture businessITC CMD Sanjiv Puri told a virtual news conference that the super app will empower farmers by providing them with access to modern tools, right quality of inputs at right prices, besides market and financial linkages. He said with farmers having fragmented holdings of land, the app will aggregate them, adding that presently the company has started with 200 farmers producer organisations (FPOs) involving 40,000 farmers.
HDFC launches in-principle home loan approval on WhatsAppHDFC in association with Cogno AI has developed this solution that is built on the WhatsApp Business Platform to offer a conditional home loan approval in a couple of minutes.
Retail's WhatsApp moment: Indian ecommerce on the cusp of a great disruptionThe Open Network for Digital Commerce will enable buyers and sellers to be visible to each other. The timing of the launch is significant because India is poised to digitally onboard the next half-a-billion people, almost all of whom will do so through mobile phone.
This app can help you verify the purity of gold jewelleryThe Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has developed the 'BIS Care App,' a smartphone application that tracks all ISI and hallmark-certified gold and silver jewellery. Customers can check the purity of hallmarked gold jewellery in real time using this app.
Meesho rebrands Farmiso to Superstore, to integrate with main appMeesho will integrate Farmiso, its grocery division, into its core application by the first week of May. It will also be renamed Meesho Superstore and be available in 12 states by the end of the year, the company said.
Meesho launches integrated e-commerce app for buyers, sellersSellers, in particular, can expect an improved e-commerce experience with access to multiple features on the app that was earlier present only on the web versions.Load More
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Iceland is to unleash a life-size animatronic orangutan on the streets of the UK after its Christmas advert highlighting the influence of palm oil manufacturing was banned for breaching political promoting guidelines.
The grocery store chain has turned to particular results expertise befitting Hollywood to create an ultra-realistic robotic orangutan for a stunt to lift consciousness of the plight going through the species from deforestation of its habitat for palm oil manufacturing.
The orangutan, created by a crew who’ve labored on movies and TV exhibits together with Physician Who and Sherlock, will first seem clinging to a Christmas tree in Coin Avenue, south London, earlier than transferring to different places, together with Oxford Avenue and a number of other parks within the capital.
It is going to then seem at plenty of Iceland shops across the nation, together with Manchester and Birmingham, apparently “trying to find a brand new house”. The duplicate orangutan is managed remotely and by a specialist puppeteer who has studied the ape’s actions.
Final week, Iceland’s rebadging of an animated brief movie was rejected by Clearcast, the physique that vets adverts, for breaching guidelines banning political promoting within the 2003 Communications Act.
The ban prompted a public outcry, with stars together with James Corden, Anna Friel and Paloma Religion supporting a marketing campaign to permit it to be aired on TV.
It has additionally drawn political consideration, with the MP Michael Gove tweeting to reward Iceland for elevating consciousness. Greater than 12 million individuals have watched the advert on Fb, the place UK broadcast TV rules don’t apply.
A web-based petition on Change.org calling for the advert to be allowed to air has drawn nearly 750,000 supporters.
“Our stranded, distressed orangutan is a stark and potent image of the consequences of deforestation,” stated Richard Walker, Iceland’s managing director. “We’re decided to be on the forefront of efforts to ensure palm oil shouldn’t be inflicting rainforest destruction and Iceland will proceed to be a driving power till this environmental influence is drastically diminished.”
Iceland has been accused of intentionally planning an advert that might be controversial and maybe be banned, a comparatively frequent tactic amongst advertisers in search of to get extra bang for his or her advertising and marketing buck by way of free publicity.
Iceland has denied this, saying it had booked £500,000 of media area on TV for the advert marketing campaign, though this isn’t a major TV funds for a serious retailer.
The retailer has an in depth vary of palm oil-free merchandise that it’s in search of to advertise throughout the festive season.
Iceland will nonetheless be inserting TV advertisements however solely 10-second clips that can spotlight palm oil-free merchandise.
To its credit score, Iceland has put ethics surrounding this concern on the coronary heart of the chain. Earlier this yr it turned the primary main UK grocery store to pledge to take away palm oil from all its own-brand meals.
“We at all times attempt to give individuals an actual alternative about what they purchase and this was a key driver of our choice to permit Iceland prospects to affix us in saying ‘no to palm oil,’” Walker stated. “I’m immensely happy with the work our meals growth crew has carried out to create this new Christmas vary with out palm oil – a celebration of our dedication to finish its use earlier than the yr closes.”


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Following an earlier plan to lay off workers at its Brownsville tire plant, Titan International Inc. has gone a step further in an attempt to reduce inventories there-deciding to curtail production at the factory for the next three to four months.
The May 30 announcement comes on the heels of a round of layoffs that cut the facility's 300-strong work force by more than half. The production shutdown will affect about 130 salaried and hourly employees.
The curtailment will take place within the next few weeks, Operation Manager David Fines said. Workers will be placed on a recall list and brought back as needed by seniority, he said.
``We have excellent employees here,'' he said. ``It's not something we want to do.''
About 12 workers will stay employed at the facility during the manufacturing shutdown to operate the warehouse there, he said.
Ongoing economic problems and a flood of Chinese imported tires into the market have adversely affected sales of tires made at the Brownsville facility, which primarily produces consumer tires for all-terrain, lawn and garden, and other specialty vehicles.
Titan President and CEO Maurice Taylor Jr. said after the first layoffs that the plant had built up enough inventories to allow for reduced production. Now the high inventories will be needed to sustain the company until production lines are reopened.
Initially, he had downplayed the layoffs, saying the company has laid people off in the summer before, mostly due to seasonal manufacturing reductions. The company also has had recent layoffs at its Des Moines, Iowa, flagship tire plant-serving the agricultural and construction markets.
Even on the wheel side, which Mr. Taylor said has been more profitable than its tire business, production adjustments to reduce inventories have been made at locations like the company's Quincy, Ill., facility.
Quincy-based Titan's consumer tire segment had revenues of $39.8 million in 2002, down 12.1 percent from the year before. Sales fell 14.7 percent in the first quarter this year to $9.84 million.
The company had hoped to expand production in Brownsville, where only about 25 percent of the 1 million-sq.-ft. plant area is in use, Mr. Taylor said. But the market has stayed depressed longer than anticipated, forcing Titan to readjust.
The company's Des Moines plant, which employs about 550, is running at about 70-percent capacity, according to Mr. Taylor. Titan's Natchez, Miss., facility has been idle since 2001.
Meanwhile, Titan's stock price has continued to slide since the company announced April 25 it could lose its listing on the New York Stock Exchange.
The day of the announcement-in which Titan said it had six months to get its share price back above $1-the stock closed at 93 cents per share. On June 3, the share price closed at 70 cents.
The NYSE requires a company's common stock to trade at a minimum average share price of $1 over a 30-day trading period. Titan shares have closed below $1 every day since Feb. 3.


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Google filed for a patent of what seems to be a wearable device that would show holograms. To be more exact it would be a version of Google Glass that instead of the flat picture it features now, would offer its users holographic images. At one point Nest CEO Tony Fadell stated that they would redesign Goggle Glass from scratch, but this would surely be a huge difference and an impressive feature for the next device.
It seems that the new Google Glass, that would feature holographic displays is developed under code name “Project Aura”. In order to develop the new Google Glass, which is meant to put the device in the top of smart wearable gadgets, it was said that Google extended its team of experts with new acquisitions. Although there is a tough competition going on between the major technology giants, if the rumors will come true, and the Google Glass will be improved with holographic displays, the tech giant might get back in business.
Whether it will have the Google Glass name or not, we don’t know yet, but the new head wearable should be amazing if Google pulls it off. It would be able to offer an augmented reality experience. This would certainly be more involving than the plain experience users get today from the flat picture the Google Glass delivers. In the high- tech world we are living in a holographic image delivered by a Google Glass device would perfectly fit in.
Of course, as of now everything is only chatter. Google didn’t comment yet on the presumptions so everyone is only guessing of what the device for which the patent was filed will be like. If the Google Glass will have holographic displays or not still remains a mystery. The fact that a patent is granted doesn’t necessarily mean that the technology will actually be used. At least there is no certainty that it will become reality in the near future.
The idea of a Google Glass with holographic displays is quite appealing. We can only imagine the experience it would offer its users. We hope to see the project finalized and get a brand new Google Glass that would make games appear more realistic. Until then, we have the Microsoft HoloLens to play with. Would you like to have a Google Glass with holographic displays?