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With a bold invitation to its website readers to “join the fourth industrial revolution”, most might think it unlikely for the relatively young start-up BeAM to be able to live up to its ego.
However, after being awarded the Aeronautics Award in 2015 in the “Innovation” category, and sustaining its frontrunner position in Europe for its 3D metal printing niche, it seems BeAM doesn’t just talk the talk.
Founded in 2012, the French manufacturing company produces industrial metal 3D printers by adopting Laser Metal Deposition (LMD) technology. This layer-by-layer metal deposition method can be used to either create completely new products from a CAD design, or to manufacture and repair machinery parts in a fast and efficient manner.
Alongside the relatively niche nature of this technology, what sets BeAm a cut above the rest is that they can provide solutions for usually non-fixable repairs at a rate this is typically 50% faster than most, and with competitive price points that are, on average, 30% cheaper.
The potential ramifications of metal 3D printing aren’t just limited to cost and speed though, and are set to exceed the “traditional” benefits that are usually attached to 3D printing. If BeAM’s products and methods become widely accessible, they could save valuable manufacturing floor space, increase design flexibility and award a freedom of innovation to manufacturers, alongside streamlining machinery repair and maintenance processes.
Operating at the world’s highest level of additive manufacturing, BeAM has proverbial fingers in many industrial pies; working across the aerospace, defense, nuclear and aeronautic sectors among others.
“BeAM’s technology will, among other things, overthrow the business model with regard to repair and recycling of parts in the field of aeronautics and others. Our goal is to maintain our technological lead and to export our technology internationally to make BeAM one of the leaders of additive manufacturing” said Emeric d’Arcimoles, who was appointed BeAM’s President and CEO in February this year.
Since winning their first contracts with Safran and the US -based Chromally, BeAM has gone from strength to strength, now boasting a €1.5million turnover and 23 employees.
BeAM kick started the New Year by exhibiting at a 3D printing show in Tokyo during January, enabling the company to establish contacts in the Asian market in general, but particularly with Japanese, Korean and Taiwanese manufacturers. It seemed that attendees were not only impressed by BeAM’s high standard of machinery and applications, but by the fact that they were the only manufacturer of machines using metal to attend the show.
Alongside this event, BeAM’s CEO spoke at the Paris Conference of Additive Manufacturing a few months ago, and the company has secured another spot to speak about emerging technologies at the Business Forums at the Singapore Airshow 2016.
Looking forward, the company announced in March that it had successfully raised €3million in their second round of funding, which will contribute to its national and international development and no doubt mean the future for BeAM will be as bright as its present.


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San Francisco-based tech agency lays off a 3rd of staff
On Deck, a tech company that helps people launch and build their businesses, has laid off a third of its staff, TechCrunch reported. These layoffs come three months after the company let go of a quarter of its staff in early May.
In an August 4 blog post, On Deck announced a restructuring of the company that resulted in a number of roles being eliminated.
“An unfortunate effect of this decision is that we are parting ways with top talent,” a spokesperson told SFGATE.
On Deck told TechCrunch that 73 full-time employees were laid off. Those 73 people will be provided with 8 weeks of pay, 3 months of healthcare coverage and 3 months of “accelerated option vesting.” Recruiters looking to hire any of On Deck’s laid off employees can request access to a list of those looking for new positions.
“We are going back to our roots, re-focusing On Deck exclusively around our core founder communities, products, and marketplaces,” the company’s blog post reads.
On Deck launched in 2019. Since then, the companies it has worked with have amassed a worth of over $8 billion and raised over $800 million, the spokesperson said. This rapid growth was part of the company’s decision to downsize its staff.
“Our team worked tirelessly to expand and cover a large surface area. However, this broad focus also caused substantial tensions. What we’ve always projected as a strength — serving multiple user groups and building flywheels between them — also fractured our focus and brand,” the blog post reads.
On Deck also plans to split into two companies, stating that it will be “spinning out our top career communities into a new company, led by a small group of On Deck employees and alumni.” Other communities within the company will be disbanded.
The company’s layoffs are the most recent in a string of mass tech layoffs that have jolted the industry over the past few months.

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Timely intervention by officials of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Chennai, led to the seizure of 22 tonnes of red sanders logs that were about to be smuggled to Malaysia from the Chennai Port on Tuesday.
Two persons were arrested. The seized woods were valued at Rs.2.30 crore.
C. Rajan, Additional Director General, DRI, Chennai, said that on receiving a tip-off that a gang was attempting to smuggle red sanders, they had tightened vigil. The container was traced to a freight station at Sathangadu near Manali on the city's outskirts.
In the export documents, the description of the goods stuffed was mentioned as 435 bags of ragi, weighing 21,750 kg. In follow-up action, the DRI secured B. Ravi of Shastri Nagar, Adyar, and P. Mohanarangam of Uthiramerur in Kancheepuram district. Both admitted to their involvement in the smuggling.
Explaining how the ragi was removed and replaced with red sanders logs, Mr. Rajan said that the container with ragi was brought to a freight station at Numbal and shown to Customs officials. After the documents were endorsed, the Customs officials sealed it.
Instead of taking the container to the harbour, the gang took the vehicle to the godown where they removed the rivets of the door without damaging the Customs seal. The ragi bags were removed and replaced with red sanders logs. Mr. Rajan said that in another case, DRI officials recalled from Malaysia a container sent from Ludhiana.
The consignment was declared as ceramic insulators and when it was checked, six tonnes of red sanders logs felled from Andhra Pradesh forests were found. They were taken by road to Ludhiana from where it was exported. Mr. Rajan said that the logs were valued at Rs.60 lakh.


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a 1966 Canadian and US rock band comprised of several prominent musicians, sent a message that renews itself in every generation when they sang “There's something happening here, But what it is ain't exactly clear”.
Nestle Purina has announced that they are following competitors in the pet food space which offer “organic pet food”. They introduced a new startup called RootLab that sells pet food with proteins like crickets, Asian Carp and Cod Chickenpea in their pet food. You can also expect to see common pet-food proteins like chicken organs, a fresh sounding name with a sustainable spin.
While all of this sounds terrific, all the good in this can be undone and put pets in a perilous position if they are not eating from a very clean bowl. But nobody is talking about the importance of serving this new pet food in a clean bowl, a bowl run through the dishwasher at very high temperatures to kill off any bacteria from food left in the bowl.
Why? Because bacteria don’t sell pet food! “But that ain’t exactly clear”.
We created a bowl for people who want to safely feed their pets these new, nutritious meals.


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ZooZ is one several companies building new technology that attempts to improve the integration between marketing and mobile payments.
"The players in the ecosystem haven't figured out how to monetize the banner ads that are inside mobile apps," says Noam Inbar, vice president of product development for ZooZ. "The problem is consumers are adopting mobile tech faster than financial institutions and merchants."
Koupah and Banno are among the others companies pairing payments with advertising. ZooZ is targeting consumers who buy relatively small items while shopping.
"If you want a cup of coffee or a movie ticket you want to be able to pay for that with a tap, you don't want to have to redirect to another website or have someone call you back," Inbar says. "That's so 'five years ago.'"
In ZooZ's case it's building in-ad payments, which allow consumers to pay for merchandise directly from an advertisement rather than navigating to another site.
Users tap on a banner ad within an app, which launches ZooZ's payments engine. If users have previously registered with ZooZ, they don't have to enter a card number or other payment details.
"The interface is quick and seamless," says Inbar, who says ZooZ is leveraging its core platform that allows payments within mobile applications. That technology is being used by more than 5,000 developers.
ZooZ is currently selling the new in-ad system to advertising agencies and is testing the technology with a couple of firms that it would not identity. It also would not disclose its fee structure for in-ad payments.
"They are inventing a new class of prepaid, you purchase the item before you receive it," says Richard Crone a payments consultant. "It's an actionable offer, and quantifiable, you know who specifically who is responding to the ad."
Other companies are also looking for ways to tie payments to advertising or other content. Ingenico, for example, envisions payments technology that can be accessed via television. And Koupah is using fees from advertising to offset payments processing costs.
Targeted advertising is one of the benefits that can be derived from the vast trove of data produced by payments, said Nick Holland, a senior payments analyst at Javelin Research, in an earlier interview with PaymentsSource.
Other companies, such as Banno, are developing advertising tech that financial institutions can tie to payments, as well as other financial products. A new Banno product called Kernel uses an application programming interface that integrates across different bank channels, such as mobile, online and phone. It analyzes a user's engagement to produce marketing that's specific to how the consumer uses each channel.
Banks can use this technology to match marketing and ad content to a consumer's desired channel, says Charles Potts, president of Banno.
"Banks should take steps to ensure they are the trusted advisor for certain types of payment transactions, so this convergence of marketing and payments around financial services should be something that banks are targeting," Potts says.
The technology can also drive partnerships between banks and retailers, Potts says.
"The model already exits, as banks work with businesses in local markets on payments offers and marketing," Potts says. "If you are a community bank or credit union, you have existing relationships with local businesses. The natural evolution of these relationships is to move into digital channels."


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Genetically modified foods will not require labels in California, voters decided Tuesday. Chemical and processed food companies, led by biotech giant Monsanto, injected $46 million into a campaign to defeat Proposition 37, while labeling advocates raised just $9.2 million.
Among the biggest spenders in the anti-labeling fight were junk food companies Coca-Cola and Nestle, which rely on genetically modified corn and soy to sweeten their products. Pesticide company DuPont also shelled out millions. These companies claimed that GMOs are harmless and would unfairly bias people against their products. However, the FDA does not require safety studies before approving new strains, and mounting evidence shows that GMO crops have led to a rise of evolved weeds and pests that can withstand increasingly higher doses of potent pesticides.
California is the 21st state that has tried and failed to pass labeling legislation in the past year. The GMO industry has less of a grip abroad; more than 60 countries including China, Europe, Australia and Japan require labels on GMO products.


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Costco is reinstating its free food samples. Target is once more accepting returns. Some Kroger locations are returning to normal store hours. As states and cities ease restrictions, retailers are taking steps to resume normal operations. But some labor groups and worker safety experts are raising concerns. They say it may be too early to do away with safety measures designed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
"The threat of this virus is real across every grocery store in America," said Marc Perrone, president of the United Food and Commercial Workers union. The union says at least 68 of its grocery workers have died from the coronavirus.


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HOUSTON (Oct. 4)—The International Institute of Synthetic Rubber Producers has published its 22nd edition of "Worldwide Rubber Statistics," a comprehensive source of data about synthetic and natural rubber. The 110-page book contains newly revised data from Russia and all Chinese SR plants, according to Britt Theismann, IISRP director of statistical information. Among the other information included in the 2001 edition are: world production and consumption of elastomers; a five-year forecast of future consumption and analysis of capacity by elastomer type, geographical distribution and corporate ownership; capacities of SR production facilities; planned and announced expansions of SR plants; and information about motor vehicles and tires in major countries and regions of the world. To obtain a copy of the publication, which costs $1,050, or for more information, contact the IISRP at 713-783-7511; fax 713-783-7253; or visit the institute's Web site, www.iisrp.com.
IISRP publishes 2001 version of ´World Rubber Statistics´
Rubber & Plastics News wants to hear from its readers. If you want to express your opinion on a story or issue, email your letter to Editor Bruce Meyer at [email protected].


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By Loeber Motors | Posted in Chicago News, Dealer Information, Porsche Cayenne on Thursday, December 11th, 2014 at 3:06 PM
The all-new 2015 Porsche Cayenne made its Chicago debut at the historic Chicago Theatre during the WTMX 101.9 FM Miracle on State Street sold out concert on December 6, 2014.
Displayed under the theatre’s marquee, more than 5,000 concert attendees got an up close first look at Porsche’s newest and most anticipated car of the year, the all-new re-designed Cayenne.
Loeber Motors was the official automotive sponsor of the annual children’s hospital charity concert. We treated our guests to a music enthusiast’s dream evening featuring live musical performances from Mary Lambert, Fitz & The Tantrums, and six-time Grammy Award nominee Sam Smith.
“We were thrilled to have the Porsche Cayenne front and center at such an iconic Chicago landmark venue,” said Michael Loeber, president of Loeber Motors. “This new luxury SUV has such incredible mass appeal. Placing it under the bright lights of the marquee in front of Chicago Theatre created a flurry of interest in this new vehicle.”
For more information on the Porsche Cayenne, view our inventory here.
WTMX Mix 101.9 FM morning show hosts strike a pose with Loeber: Pictured L to R: Kathy Hart, Josh Loeber, Michael Loeber, Eric Ferguson


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More than 7,000 people have signed a petition to encourage the on-line retailer, Amazon, to pay more UK tax.
It has been set up by a couple who run independent bookshops in Warwickshire. They claim they are at a disadvantage because the tax issue helps the internet giant to undercut them. Wesley Smith reports.
More top news
Des Coleman has the latest forecast for the West Midlands.
Des Coleman has the latest forecast for the East Midlands.
An ex-bookkeeper accused of raping and murdering a barmaid has told a jury his "over-eagerness" to satisfy her in bed caused her death.


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With the price of gas going through the roof, the cost of jumping into a motorhome or RV seems to be rising out of many people’s price range.
But there is a new option for cost-conscious travelers looking to still have the comfort of a motorhome, without the huge gas bill.
A new breed of motorhomes are being offered for sale in Kelowna, British Columbia, a style that has been popular in Europe for many years where the cost of fuel is well above what we Canadians pay, bclocalnews.com reported.
The 2011 Itasca/Reyo is a smaller motorhome built on a Mercedes Benz turbo-diesel chassis. The Winnebago Via/Itasca Reyo was first introduced at the 2009 Louisville Show and went into production a year ago. The Reyos are available for the first time in Canada this year.
“This is all based on something that has worked in Europe for years,” said Jason Friesen, the vice president and sales manager at Voyager RV.
“When things started to change for our fuel mileage they went to Europe and tried to find out what had been working there because they had been dealing with high costs of fuel before us.”
What they found was smaller units and what is now available is the 2011 Reyo.
It’s a 25-foot motorhome that maximizes storage and living space with a unique design.
“It’s a new mindset, a new design,” said Friesen. “The standard motorhome box has been the same for so many years. Some of the manufacturers have stepped out of what is normal. They believe it will change the industry.”
Using the Mercedes-Benze engine improves the fuel economy. According to Friesen a standard motorhome gets between eight and 10 miles per gallon, while the Reyo can get 18 to 20 mpg.
“That’s completely unheard of for a motorhome,” said Friesen.
“You’re not sacrificing anything as far as amenities. It seems like a lot of customers are looking to get a little smaller. The industry is trending towards smaller units.”
A short hallway separates the living area from a master bedroom. The driver and passenger seats swivel to face the living area to increase seating space.
There is a built in generator, automatic jacks, leather throughout, a separate bathroom.
Other amenities include microwave and convection oven, a stainless steel range and drawers and cabinets built to maximize storage.
Another difference from the big diesel units is the price with the Reyo costing around $150,000 compared to bigger diesels coming in as much as $235,000.
Friesen said the Reyo comes at a nice time and the recession forced the industry to make some changes.
“This is a great thing,” he said. “The recession hit the RV industry but it was a bit of a bonus. It hurt but things like this where all of the sudden the industry said we need to start getting into things that are a bit innovative. That’s what the customer wants.”


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This article is more than 1 year old
Server sales continue decline – time to bargain hard with your supplier
Blame weak economies, CPU transitions, virtualization, and the dog who ate your nodes
These are not easy days to be a server maker – and it very likely it'll never be easy again, so we had better get used to it. In the short run, there has probably not been a better time to wrestle with your server vendors on price since the dot-com bust.
That said, the confluence of many factors is putting tremendous pressure on both the revenues and profits for those who weld together boxes to run the world's applications and databases. In the long run, the results of those forces may not be all that good for customers.
In the second quarter of this year, the box counters at IDC reckon that server unit shipments were down 1.2 per cent compared to the year-ago period to 2 million units, and this is the third quarter in a row that server volumes coming out of vendor factories have declined.
This is not a huge decline, particularly with Intel getting ready to revamp its Xeon E5 chips for two-socket servers in the third quarter, most likely during its Intel Developer Forum two weeks from now. If Intel didn't so utterly dominate the market in terms of the number of machines shipped based on its processors, its product cycles might not cause such ups and downs.
The real shocker – and perhaps the one that matters most – is the revenue drop in the quarter. IDC reckons that worldwide revenues across all server makers for the quarter ended in June dropped by a full 6.2 per cent to $11.86bn.
The question now is whether that $784m that was sucked out of the market will ever come back in a future quarter, and the probable answer is "No, it won't."
The combination of virtualization and server consolidation, the continual shift from large expensive systems to clusters of cheaper ones as applications are rewritten to work on clusters instead of shared memory machines, the intense competition among tier one server makers and with the upstart whitebox and vanity-free server assemblers, and the dicey economies in several parts of the world are all combining to drag down server revenues.
And we presume, profits.
"Mainstream SMB and enterprise server customers around the world continue to focus on consolidation, virtualization, and migration initiatives aimed at increasing efficiency and lowering datacenter infrastructure costs," said Matt Eastwood, general manager of enterprise platforms at IDC in a statement accompanying the statistics.
"At the same time," he continued, "challenging economic conditions are dampening demand for new IT projects necessary to grow the server market globally. It is clear that the competitive dynamics in the server market remain fierce as the leading server vendors work to offset weak demand for generally higher margin Unix and blade servers with lower margin rack and density-optimized servers."
You can't blame the ups and downs of the IBM System z mainframe for the decline this time around – IDC thinks that IBM's sales of mainframes actually rose in the quarter by 9.8 per cent to $1.2bn. Of course, that was against a very easy compare with the second quarter of 2012, when System z shops knew Big Blue was working on a new line of machines, which were announced in the third quarter and started shipping in the fall.
You can, however, blame x86 servers in general, which accounted for 1.9 million of the units sold during the second quarter, and you can also blame blade servers and tower servers as well, if you want to think in terms of form factors.
As far as IDC can tell, x86-based machines drove $8.7bn in sales in the second quarter, down 1.3 per cent. That is a quarter of the decline of the market at large, so that is a victory of sorts. But shipments were essentially flat (down one-tenth of a point), and that means average selling prices are dropping.
Converged/integrated systems showed growth and density-optimized machines also grew – IDC thinks these machines had 26.6 per cent revenue growth to $735m in the quarter against just under 200,000 unit shipments – but blade servers shrank in concert with the overall market, with sales down by 6.2 per cent to $2bn. Dell is the market share leader in the density-optimized portion of the market, with 60.5 per cent revenue share in Q2 2013, while HP has dominant share in blades with 44.8 per cent share. HP's blade server biz is still roughly twice as large as Dell's bespoke server biz, but not for long, if these rates of growth and decline continue. (Dell also sells blades, and HP does density stuff, too, obviously.)
The most telling stat in the numbers put out by IDC is this: HP lost 5 points of market share in the x86 market in the quarter, with sales falling by 14.8 per cent to $2.72bn. Dell grew is x86 server revenues by 10.3 per cent to $2.24bn. Whatever else Dell might be doing wrong, competing against HP in the x86 server market is not one of its problems – that is, if all you care about is revenue and not lots of profits. IBM's x86 server business, by the way, fell by 10.8 per cent to $1.1bn.
IDC tries to figure out what the final, dominant operating system will be on the servers as they come out of the factory and are sold either directly to customers or pushed into the channel. And as always, El Reg is well aware of the witchcraft used in such estimates and is also well aware that many machines ship without an operating system or have the one on the box nuked.
With all of those caveats, IDC believes that Linux-based servers accounted for $2.8bn of revenues in the second quarter of the year, an increase of 1.5 per cent compared to the year-ago quarter and representing 23.2 per cent of the worldwide server revenue pie.
Unix-based machines have been declining heavily and steadily since the Great Recession started at the end of 2007, but the rate of decline is starting to slow. Sales of Unix machines were off 21 per cent in Q2 2013 to $1.8bn. This is the lowest revenue figure for Unix machines ever reported by IDC, which started its server tracker in the mid-1990s after Unix had become established.
Windows-based servers, which at this point can only be based on x86 processors, fell by 5.1 per cent to $5.8bn. Windows fell more slowly than the market at large, and therefore gained a half point of revenue market share, up to 49.3 per cent of the pie. This is about the same revenue share that Unix systems had during the peak of the dot-com boom in the late 1990s.
If you look at Q2 server revenues by vendor, IBM was still on top with $3.31bn in sales despite a 10 per cent decline. HP was further behind than usual with a 17.5 per cent decline to $3.07bn, and Dell came in third with $2.23bn in sales and a 10.3 per cent jump. (Dell doesn't have a RISC/Unix server business. Can you tell?)
Oracle, which sells raw x86 and Sparc/Solaris boxes as well as "engineered systems" that marry servers, storage, networking, and systems software together, had a 5.7 per cent revenue decline, not nearly as bad as during the past three years. Oracle may be close to hitting bottom, as CEO and co-founder Larry Ellison has been saying would happen.
Server upstart Cisco Systems has now driven Fujitsu out of the top five, and raked in $537m in server sales (all x86 and all modular/blade form factor) after a very nice 42.6 per cent increase. Other server makers added up accounted for $2bn in sales, down 4.2 per cent from the year ago period.
Just think of how much fun this is going to be when ARM server chips start ramping in volume. ®


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This may not have been expected a few years ago, but Facebook adverts are now more popular than Google’s, with Facebook having a 14.9% market share. This jumped from a previous yearly result of 9%, and has pushed Google down to around 6.9%, even though you see Google Advertisements on a huge amount of websites, including ours. That goes to show just how many people are accessing the Facebook.com domain and viewing advertisements, even if a lot of them are still not being clicked, or even noticed. Have you noticed more Facebok adverts popping up lately, such as sponsored stories?
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- January 24, 2020
Office Users Go Away ?
Business owners say the Sarasota City Commission should alter the retail portion of the downtown master plan.
By Sean Roth
Real Estate Editor
Sarasota's downtown 2020 master plan and quantum physics share commonalities. Both provide a context for their own respective field of study. Both use pointed words that make perfect sense to their drafters based on years of research and study. And both are voluminous, complex and require constant explanation.
Since the master plan was adopted by the Sarasota City Commission in June, portions of it have emerged as points of renewed conflict and discussion. Chalk it up to the size of the document and the immediacy of a rezone application codifying the city code, but people are now concerned about several topics that weren't hotly debated during the original discussions, which occurred over a four-year period.
The newest debate: Required retail frontage in the downtown area that would restrict office development on several streets.
Essentially, the city is requiring that all properties along certain roads in the downtown southwestern core and Central Avenue (see map) must have ground floor retail.
Office use would not be allowed, and retail use would not extend to banks or real estate brokerages. Existing buildings that have office users on their bottom floors are exempt unless the use ceases for 24 consecutive months. However, the city's planning director may grant an additional 12-month extension, if the property owner applies for it. Buildings that don't have ground floor retail at the time of the rezone would lose the option to put an office user there.
"Simply put - this one slipped past us," says John Harshman, president of real estate company Harshman & Co. Inc. and a downtown property owner. "We think this is something they need to revisit. There are properties that have been vacant for longer than two years. On Main Street there are spaces that have been vacant for three years or more. That's not unreasonable given a downturn in the market and history proves this."
Harshman, contractor Pat Ball and Samuel Holladay, an architect with SeibertArchitects PA, are meeting with property owners and city commissioners to get the provision reexamined.
"The big question is when is that transition period expected to take place?" says Holladay. " Is it going to just take the three years or will the market need five? Will the downtown be able to support itself with all this retail? We just don't want to see a bunch of empty space down here."
Harshman contends that general office users tend to be more reliable and that storefront office users, which are a rarity, add to the vitality of the downtown market on a year-round basis. But what really concerns the commercial property and business owners is the loss of the option of considering office users.
In addition, the retail requirement could depress rates.
"Retail is just a much more volatile market," Harshman says. "Sarasota is a banking area. With banks you know people are going to be there five days a week from eight to five. That adds consistency to the vitality of Sarasota's season."
There is also the issue of Central Avenue, where Ball, Holladay and GCBR now have offices. Central is a mixture of retail and office buildings surrounded by residences, where a steady stream of retail customers comes from the surrounding offices.
"We are really the only traffic to support them," Ball says.
Reducing the number of office users, they argue, could negatively impact new retail.
"This shouldn't surprise them," says Mike Taylor, the city's deputy director of planning and redevelopment. "These are old issues. These plans have been discussed for four years and have gone through several public hearings. This is a transition that is intended to occur over time. This is not unlike what has been out on St. Armand's Circle for several years."
Taylor says the city commission has reduced the scope of the required frontage to areas where 90% of the users were already retail.
"This has been determined by the marketplace already," Taylor says. "If you look at the total number of streets included in this; it's not a large area. If this were unsuccessful I would be very surprised. (And) if economic conditions were to change I'm sure the city and the city commission could change the requirement at that time. This is a work in progress; this is not going to happen overnight."
However, most commissioners appeared sympathetic.
"Right now, the whole downtown code is in a tweaking period," says Commissioner Danny Bilyeu, who met with the concerned businessmen on Sept. 27. "We want to make at least certain that they can rent their space - so they can pay their taxes. This is going to be discussed. We will all come to the table with an open mind. We may be asking for too much retail."
Mayor Richards Martin acknowledges the zoning change would cause problems if it overrules what the market dictates.
"I'm meeting with some folks on this," Martin says. "This has been through the vetting process before. Really what we want is for people walking on the sidewalks to not be met with a blank wall. Instead we want a building with a window, ideally with a retail user inside there. That pedestrian experience is key. We are open to consideration. There may ultimately be demand for retail ... or if it's a burden maybe they need a few more options."
Martin says the commission is considering the requirement that ground floor buildings in the targeted areas have a retail look, similar to what has been suggested for the optional retail frontage.
"I am really not convinced that there is not the demand for retail there," Martin says. "But maybe someone has a market study that shows that. Clearly with all the retail development down here such as Plaza Verdi ... there should be accompanying demand for retail. But the commission is a realist. We don't want to put an undue burden on the development that is not based on reality."


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Caesars announced that their online sportsbook is now live and accepting bets in Puerto Rico. The launch comes less than two years after Caesars opened a retail sportsbook in Casino Metro. The sportsbook has thrived inside the Island’s largest casino, giving the sports app an inside track at adding new users for their mobile app.
"The launch of this app brings our customers MetroBets with Caesars Sportsbook in the palm of their hands," said Casino Metro GM Ismael Vega. "The user-friendly app allows customers to bet responsibly from any corner of the island, elevating the experience we offer with MetroBets. Since the grand opening of MetroBets with Caesars Sportsbook at Casino Metro, we've experienced an exciting uptick in customers."
The Ceasars Sportsbook app will be the second mobile betting option in Puerto Rico, with BetMGM launching their app last month. Caesars will have the advantage of a large retail location at Casino Metro, where players can deposit or withdraw funds from their online accounts.
Caesars is celebrating the launch of its new app by giving new users in Puerto Rico a free $50 bonus bet when they place an opening bet of $50 or more. The bonus bet works as a token to let you place $50 worth of bets, though they cannot be withdrawn for cash. If you win a wager using the bonus bet, you’ll keep the winnings, but the bonus will disappear.
While mobile sports betting took a few years to launch on the island, BetMGM and Caesars went live over the summer. Now that the industry is up and running, you can count on more operators targeting Puerto Rico going forward. DraftKings will likely be the next, as they have reached a deal with the Mashantucket Tribal Nation. The industry giant is also planning to open a retail location at Foxwoods El San Juan Casino, giving them a significant presence in the country before their launch.
Michael is an avid sports fan and a veteran bettor from Milwaukee. He learned the trade from his grandfather in Las Vegas as a kid and has turned that into a successful career. He cheers for all Wisconsin pro teams along with his Alma Mater Arizona State. He specializes in baseball betting, but has experience in football, basketball, and hockey as well. When he isn’t pouring over stats, he’s spending time with his two young children.More info on Michael Savio
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The Federal Communications Commission has launched both a blog and a Twitter feed. Amazingly, the latter has already attracted 952 followers, despite having only two tweets so far. But there are already three blog entries, the first of which explains that the blog won't be commenting on everything the FCC does: like most …
Really? I think the real name should be Cable to Nowhere. Here's a headline you can use when it comes true.
"Billions of dollars nets a dozen - National broadband scheme has only 13 adopters."
They may just be neurotic, or possibly psychotic, they're the fellas at the freakin' FCC!
- Updated HIDDEN packet sniffer spy tech in MILLIONS of iPhones, iPads – expert
- Peak Apple: Mountain of 80 MILLION 'Air' iPhone 6s ordered
- Students hack Tesla Model S, make all its doors pop open IN MOTION
- BBC goes offline in MASSIVE COCKUP: Stephen Fry partly muzzled
- PROOF the Apple iPhone 6 rumor mill hype-gasm has reached its logical conclusion


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By Rebecca Thomson2014-10-01T11:55:00
It seems a little incongruous to call JustFab an emerging retailer. The US ecommerce site expects to turnover $500 million in 2015, is eyeing an IPO, is valued at $1bn and already operates in seven countries.
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Safety and aerodynamics are two key areas which the FTA say could be better served if regulatory barriers to their development were removed.
Christopher Snelling, FTA head of urban logistics and regional policy, told a European Commission working group: "The best way to truly eliminate blind spots in [heavy goods vehicles] is to design them out.
"FTA is fully supportive and engaged in the discussions taking place with the European Commission. Manufacturers want to produce vehicles they can sell into the entire European market, not just the UK, so it's right that this issue is being examined in Brussels.
"If the Brussels-based institutions do not prioritize this initiative, or tie it in with other measures so that its introduction is delayed, a huge opportunity to radically improve safety on our roads in the most efficient fashion will be missed."
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Telecommunication firm, Airtel Uganda today announced a partnership with MasterCard and launched a virtual debit card allows Airtel Money customers to make online transactions safe, convenient and secure without the need of having a bank account. The virtual card is attached to the subscriber’s Airtel money wallet.
Head of Mobile Financial Services at Airtel Uganda, Mr. Andrew Rugamba confirmed that the virtual card allows its Airtel Money customers, even those without a bank account, to make payments to local and global online merchants that accept Mastercard with each transaction made charged UGX1,000.
The virtual card can be acquired either by dialing a USSD code *185*7# or by using the My Airtel application. Using the USSD code, select Airtel Money MasterCard, select ‘Get a Card’ and follow the prompts and once done you receive an SMS with card details to transact online. With the My Airtel application, select Airtel Money, enter the you Airtel money pin, select ‘Mastercard’ Get Card Option, re-enter the pin and a virtual card will be created in your name.
Customers can delete the card at any time as well as create a new one at their convenience or when required to make purchases online on any merchant platform that accepts Mastercard – locally and globally. Rugamba therefore greatly encourage all their customers to register for the virtual Airtel Money Mastercard.
This same concept has been seen with MTN Uganda who partnered with Mastercard and UBA in September of 2018 —and launched the virtual debt card they called MTN MoMo Card to diversify mobile money services in the country.


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Raw milk advocate won't have appeal heard by SCOC
Farmer Michael Schmidt talks to reporters on Thursday July 31, 2008 outside court in Newmarket, Ont. (Colin Perkel / THE CANADIAN PRESS)
OTTAWA -- The Supreme Court of Canada will not hear an appeal from an Ontario farmer who has long championed the right to sell and drink unpasteurized milk, but he says "it's not the end of the road."
The top court's refusal to hear Michael Schmidt's case -- as is usual it did not provide reasons -- means his 2011 convictions of 13 charges under the Health Protection and Promotion Act and the Milk Act that saw him fined $9,150 stand.
He will, however, continue his crusade to provide people who wish to buy raw milk with the unpasteurized product. The Ontario government maintains the unprocessed milk poses a significant risk to public health, but Schmidt insists there's no evidence anyone has ever fallen ill from his milk, and he and his supporters argue raw milk offers health benefits.
"I don't think it's the end of the road at all," he said from his farm in Durham, Ont., south of Owen Sound. "I think it was a ruling on a very specific case, a very specific situation. I think it will become much more a political issue now than a legal issue."
Ontario does not ban the consumption of raw milk and farmers are allowed to drink the milk produced by their own cows. Earlier court decisions have found that Schmidt's method of allowing consumers to buy an ownership interest in a dairy cow was little more than a way to circumvent the rules.
Schmidt has since changed the structure of his business, getting his approximately 150 customers to buy part ownership in the farm, rather than just the cows. The government has -- so far -- not prosecuted him in regards to his new operation, he said.
"I'm always open for surprises," Schmidt said, laughing. "But at the same time they know I'm committed and this issue will not die."
Schmidt has been locked in a decades-long battle with the province -- including a hunger strike -- over raw milk, arguing that willing consumers must have the right to choose what they consume. When Ontario's Appeal Court upheld his conviction it disagreed, saying unpasteurized milk poses a risk to public health, and the sales ban is constitutional absent definitive evidence of any health benefits.
"The impugned legislation prohibits the appellant from selling or distributing a product that certain individuals think beneficial to their health," the court ruled earlier this year. "Lifestyle choices as to food or substances to be consumed do not attract Charter protection."


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ARLINGTON, Va. — In a recent webinar sponsored by the National Association of Chain Drug Stores, Wendy Liebmann, chief executive officer and chief shopper at WSL Strategic Retail, discussed how shoppers have been, and are being, transformed by the pandemic and offered insights on how retailers are responding and need to respond to meet the
ARLINGTON, Va. — The National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) has joined the COVID-19 Vaccine Education and Equity Project — an initiative which will provide information about the clinical trials process, regulatory review, and access to safe and effective COVID-19 vaccinations in a way that prioritizes equity and trust. To date, the Project has nearly
WASHINGTON — FMI – The Food Industry Association, the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS), National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA), National Grocers Association (NGA), and the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association (PCMA) issued on Monday the following joint statement outlining the best practices for pharmacies and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) to follow for documenting signature-free
BOSTON – The National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) announced the winners of the 2019 NACDS Total Store Expo Product Showcase. Diverse products were on display in the “Product Showcase” in the Exhibit Hall. The Product Showcase provided increased visibility for suppliers to market their products to retailers. Evaluated by the retail attendees, winners
ARLINGTON, Va. – The National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) was invited to a White House event today titled “A Year of Historic Action to Combat the Opioid Crisis,” at which the President signed the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act (H.R. 6) – legislation that reflects aspects of all four of NACDS’ policy recommendations regarding opioid-abuse prevention.


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A global poll 6,000 10 to 12 year old children conducted in 47 countries found that environmental pollution is the top concern of this age group in developed countries, with natural disasters being the biggest worry for children in Africa and Asia.
The poll was conducted from June through August 2012 by the international children’s organization ChildFund Alliance, an alliance which includes Christian Children’s Fund of Canada and the US group Childfund International..
One in three (33%) children in developed countries cited pollution as their top concern, with half as many (16%) singling out global warming. Among children in the Americas, pollution was far and away the biggest concern, selected by 43 percent of respondents. Within developing countries, pollution was named as the top choice by 26 percent of children surveyed, while 23 percent cited natural disasters.
A summary as well as the full data report are available at http://www.childfund.org/media/press_releases/Global_Survey_of_Worlds_Children_Finds_Concern_Over_Pollution.aspx
A study from the University of Navarra, Spain, has identified excessive levels of mercury and arsenic in some infant cereal products. The researchers are calling for regulation of maximum levels of these contaminants in infant foods.
The study analysed 91 different products from 10 different manufacturers. The ingredients cocoa and rice were found to be the main sources of mercury and arsenic, respectively. Organic infant cereals based on cocoa showed the highest risk intakes of mercury, very close to exceeding European intake guidelines. Of the studied cereals, 32 out of 91 provide a risk of arsenic intake exceeding government guidelines.
It should be noted that this study relates to products found on the European (Spanish) market, not the North American market. In addition, mercury and arsenic are just two of many contaminants now being found in the human food chain. That does not mean that levels of these contaminants are acceptable, just that if one focusses on just one or two contaminants one may not be seeing the whole picture of environmental contaminants in food.
The mercury and arsenic study is published in the peer-reviewed journal Food Control and may be found at http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0956713512004641 abstract is free; a fee or subscription is required for the full text.
Yesterday, in association with the Los Angeles International Auto Show, General Motors announced that the Spark Electric Vehicle would be released next year in California, South Korea, Oregon, Canada, and other global markets. GallonDaily commends GM for including Canada in its initial product release.
The Spark is a five-door pure electric mini-car that GM claims will have a better range than its rivals, though no actual range figures have been released by the Company. So far GallonDaily is impressed, particularly by the recharging options which include 120v, 240v, and DC Fast Charge, which apparently will be able to recharge the battery pack to 80% of a full charge in 20 minutes.
It is important to remember that the current generation of EVs are essentially urban vehicles. It is unlikely that even the Spark EV will be able to travel from Toronto to Barrie and back, or Vancouver to Abbotsford and back, without recharging. Calgary to Edmonton return, or Montreal to Quebec City return, are not within current possibilities without on route recharging.
While GallonDaily is convinced that EVs have a role in replacement of gasoline vehicles, we also see it as important not to see electric mini-cars as a solution. If the electric mini-car becomes even more popular than conventional gasoline cars our cities risk becoming even more congested and energy use for transportation could in fact increase. Reducing the environmental footprint of transportation in cities means improving public transportation services and using public transit whenever possible. Despite their smaller environmental footprint, mini-cars are just as capable, perhaps more capable, of causing congestion and chaos in cities as existing vehicle designs. More responsible mobility in the context of Canada’s geography may mean personal transportation for low density inter-urban routes and public transportation for movement within the city. Current technology limitations mean that we are actually getting the reverse of this.
For GM’s press release about the Spark EV visit http://media.gm.com/media/us/en/gm/news.detail.html/content/Pages/news/us/en/2012/Nov/laas/1127-spark-ev.html
A study by scientists at Seoul National University and the University of Minnesota suggests that delivery of online purchases may have a lower environmental impact in suburban and low-density residential situations than customer pickup or conventional shopping. The research results indicate that pickup location systems, for example where buyers pickup goods from a subway location or a grocery store, may increase travel miles and emissions compared to a delivery system using a route designed for efficiency. The not necessarily intuitive reason for these results seems to be that delivery systems are most often organized for the most efficient routing while individual trips to stores and pickup locations are haphazard and highly duplicative.
GallonDaily points out that this research is by no means the last word on this subject and it may be difficult to reach conclusions that are uniform for all geographical settings. However, whatever the system used it is clear that much more needs to be done to increase the efficiency of delivery systems. For example, in a typical low density residential area, current delivery routes include at least school buses twice a day, one or more newspapers, mail, and a range of parcel and envelope delivery companies. Cooperation between delivery services could surely reduce these half dozen or more delivery services by at least 50%, with a corresponding reduction in fuel use and emissions.
The study results are published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology at http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/es301302k – the abstract is free; a subscription or article purchase is required for the full text.
In developed countries one of the few places where one can still see black smoke belching from chimneys and smokestacks is around the port. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency:
- Ships are responsible for approximately 15% of all global anthropogenic nitrogen oxide emissions and approximately 4–9% of sulphur dioxide emissions.
- Ships also emit 1.8 million metric tons of PM10 (particulate matter which is 10 microns or less in diameter).
- Ocean-going ships were responsible for just under 3% of global CO2 emissions in 2007.
A newly published study from researchers at the University of California Riverside indicates that reducing the speed of ships by about 50% (from cruise at 25 – 29 miles per hour to 14 miles per hour) reduces emissions of carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, sulphur dioxide, and particulates per mile by substantially more than 50%.
The study focuses on ships in port areas, where air pollutants from ships are still a significant contributor to area air pollution, but the pollution reduction opportunities might provide some worthwhile opportunities for importers seeking to reduce the environmental footprint of their products.
The sample size for this study was small. As researchers routinely say, more study of this apparently worthwhile pollution reduction opportunity is needed.
The US EPA data on emissions from ships are at http://www.epa.gov/international/water/marine/ports.html
The study Greenhouse Gas and Criteria Emission Benefits through Reduction of Vessel Speed at Sea is at http://pubs.acs.org/stoken/presspac/presspac/abs/10.1021/es302371f – abstract is free; full article requires subscription or payment.
The issue of toxic substances in children’s products may not be so new but it is getting more and more attention with each holiday season. It is difficult to substantiate a claim that the problem is getting worse but transfer of more plastics fabrication to developing countries, especially in Asia, and the ready availability of recycled plastic containing toxic substances in such countries may be contributing to the problem. Low cost personal care products labeled as appropriate for children may also be formulated with low cost ingredients that may not be considered appropriate use on for children.
In any case the problem is now attracting the attention of governments which means that, unless the children’s product industries takes rapid steps to self-regulate, there will be more testing and regulation of chemicals in toys and other children’s products in the months and years ahead.
One of the posters attracting attention at the recent SETAC conference (see articles below) was from the Washington State Department of Ecology and entitled Analysis of Children’s Products for Chemicals of High Concern to Children. Under the State’s Children’s Safe Products Act, manufacturers must report to the State on any of a list of 66 chemicals that are contained in their products intended for children. The list of chemicals, along with a summary of toxicity and exposure information, can be found at http://apps.leg.wa.gov/WAC/default.aspx?cite=173-334-130
The State publishes the data in an easy to use database with appropriate caveats:
- Reports are based on data provided to [the State Department of] Ecology by manufacturers.
- The presence of a chemical in a children’s product does not necessarily mean that the product is harmful to human health or that there is any violation of existing safety standards or laws.
- The reporting triggers are not health-based values.
- The data should not be used determine the safety of an individual product.
Despite the caveats, parents and activists are almost certainly going to wonder why some of these substances are necessary at any concentration in children’s products.
The database is accessible to the public at https://fortress.wa.gov/ecy/cspareporting/
We’ll be discussing toxic substances in children’s products in a future issue of Gallon Environment Letter. A free subscription, with somewhat reduced content, is available by sending your email address to email@example.com. Details on full subscriptions are available at http://www.cialgroup.ca/subscription.htm
Of a sample of 141 items of clothing, made primarily in the “Global South” (developing countries), Greenpeace International reports finding high levels of phthalates in four, amines from the use of certain azo dyes in two, and nonylphenol ethoxylates in 89. Greenpeace considers the presence of any NPEs, phthalates, or azo dyes that can release cancer-causing amines, all inherently hazardous substances, as unacceptable.
The survey did not constitute a representative sample of clothing brands. From these results it is not possible to know the distribution of toxic substances across clothing items or the extent to which toxic substances in clothing have an environmental or health impact. Clothing with NPEs at the highest concentrations – above 1,000 ppm – included items branded as C&A, Mango, Levi’s, Calvin Klein, Zara, Metersbonwe, Jack & Jones, and Marks & Spencer.
Greenpeace International is based in The Netherlands. Analytical chemistry for the study was carried out at Greenpeace Research Laboratories at the University of Exeter in the UK.
A summary and links to detailed reports can be found at http://www.greenpeace.org/international/big-fashion-stitch-up/
Both houses of Congress in the United States have now passed the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act – legislation that protects all federal scientists who expose the censorship of federal information, either crucial to public health and safety or required by law or regulation. Scientists who call out censorship and then are demoted or fired by agency managers will have the right to fight that retaliation. And the WPEA will give all federal workers, including scientists, better tools and stronger rights as whistleblowers.
The legislation, which is expected to be signed into law by President Obama, will help Americans who depend on federal agencies to protect them from unsafe drugs, defective consumer products, hazardous workplaces, and polluted air and water. But it also strongly supports the role of independent science as the foundation for federal policymaking. It sends a strong signal that federal scientists deserve respect.
Hiding or obfuscation of federal science by senior government officials has from time to time been a problem in Canada. The fact that the US is now protecting the uncensored release of science information is likely to increase pressure on the Canadian government to do the same. Even if our laws are not amended, scientific analyses showing risks to human health and the environment is now more likely to reach the Canadian public through US government channels. Public Right to Know is something that it is increasingly difficult for democratic governments to suppress.
The Union of Concerned Scientists was a major player in lobbying for passage of the WPEA. View the UCS’ take on the legislation, and a link to the legislation, at http://blog.ucsusa.org/congress-does-something-right-for-federal-scientists/
The Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment has issued a draft discussion document proposing tougher standards for lead in soil. Lead occurs mostly in areas where industrial activities involving lead have historically taken place. With such activities involving a number of processes such as building of vehicle batteries, contamination from broken vehicle batteries, recycling of vehicle batteries, paint manufacture, and burning of coal, lead contaminated sites are not uncommon.
The proposed new soil quality guidelines are:
- for agricultural soils: 70 parts per million, a new guideline
- for residential and parkland soils: 76 parts per million, down from the current guideline of 140 ppm
- for soil on commercial sites: 110 ppm, down from the current guideline of 260 ppm
- for soil on industrial sites: 150 ppm, down from the current guideline of 600 ppm.
These figures are still draft. The guidelines have no direct legal effect but may in future influence regulations concerning contaminated sites and should therefore be of interest to industry associations and others potentially affected by lead contamination.
The discussion document and a scientific criteria document may be found at http://www.ccme.ca/ourwork/soil.html?category_id=44 and is open for public comment until March 4, 2013.
Last week the World Bank issued a powerful report with the title Turn Down the Heat: Why a 4°C warmer world must be avoided.
The well-referenced 70 page report is intended, according to Dr. Jim Yong Kim, President of the World Bank Group, to shock the world into action. It spells out what the world would be like if it warmed by 4 degrees Celsius, which is what scientists are nearly unanimously predicting by the end of the century, without serious policy changes.
The report states that the 4°C scenarios are devastating:
- the inundation of coastal cities;
- increasing risks for food production potentially leading to higher malnutrition rates;
- many dry regions becoming dryer, wet regions wetter;
- unprecedented heat waves in many regions, especially in the tropics;
- substantially exacerbated water scarcity in many regions;
- increased frequency of high-intensity tropical cyclones; and
- irreversible loss of biodiversity, including coral reef systems.
The report states that a 4°C world will pose unprecedented challenges to humanity. It is clear that large regional as well as global scale damages and risks are very likely to occur well before this level of warming is reached. Although no quantification of the full scale of human damage is yet possible, the picture that emerges challenges an often-implicit assumption that climate change will not significantly undermine economic growth.
The report is available at http://climatechange.worldbank.org/


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L.A. to give every student an iPad in $30M order
Los Angeles’ school system is ordering iPads for all its students, handing Apple a major success in its quest to replace textbooks with tablet computers. The Los Angeles Board of Education on Tuesday approved $30 million for more than 31,000 iPads. The textbooks will be delivered through an application from Pearson, a major publisher, rather than through Apple’s own iBooks.
Car quality dinged by glitches
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With the Android Pie update, Google aims to bump up the experience for eligible users worldwide. The update to Android 9 Pie has been just a month but it seems that the time has come when we start talking about the next version of Android.
A recently updated Google document suggests that Android Q will be the next major Android version, not Android 9.1 Pie. According to a report, the next major version of Android will directly be next year’s Android Q, rather than a ‘maintenance release’ in the form of Android 9.1.
Google document has confirmed twice that Android Q will be API Level 29. To explain API; it basically identifies the version of the Android Framework like; Android 8.0 Oreo is API Level 26, Android 8.1 Oreo is API Level 27, and Android 9 Pie is API Level 28. This doesn’t mean that there won’t be any updates between now and Android Q, rather Android 9.0 will only see minor changes instead of the larger maintenance release.
It’s very early to talk of Android Q, as the latest Android version released last month, Android 9 Pie, is still a while away on most devices. Android 9 Pie is currently running on a total of less than 0.01 percent of smartphones across the globe. Only the Google Pixel series and Essential’s PH-1 are running on Pie, whereas billions of other Android devices are still running on older versions of Android.
The next Android Q version will likely be available as a developer preview version sometime in early 2019. Until then let’s make use of the latest released Android 9 Pie.


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Czech automaker Skoda India's head Sudhir Rao has resigned after leading the operations here for more than five years.
"Rao will be leaving Skoda Auto at his own request on June 30, 2017," Skoda Auto India spokesperson said in a statement.
The company would be announcing its successor in due course, it added without sharing a timeline.
He had joined the company at a time when it was facing challenges in Indian market specially with customer complaints over sales service.
Last year, Skoda Auto India had reported sales of 13,370 units as against 15,457 units in 2015, down 13.5 per cent.


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The Five-Piece Collection Includes Playmate Coolers, Cooler Bags and a Stainless Steel Tumbler Inspired by the Beloved Peanuts Characters
KATY, Texas–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Today, Igloo introduced its all-new collection of coolers inspired by Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the Peanuts gang from one of the most popular comic strips in history. Featuring five different coolers — including Little Playmates, cooler bags and a Stainless Steel Can Tumbler — that playfully depict the beloved characters, the special-edition Peanuts Cooler Collection is now available exclusively on igloocoolers.com/peanuts.
“With Peanuts bringing happiness to the world for just about as long as Igloo’s been bringing coolness to the world, this collaboration is bound to be loved by all fans from the get-go,” said Brian Garofalow, Chief Marketing Officer at Igloo. “The fun designs — like a lunch bag in the shape of Snoopy’s doghouse and a Little Playmate showcasing Charlie Brown’s famous yellow shirt with a black zigzag — in a variety of cooler styles means there’s a Peanuts cooler for everyone to enjoy chilled refreshments surrounded by friends.”
Igloo’s new Peanuts Cooler Collection includes two 7-quart Little Playmate coolers (fitting up to nine 12-ounce cans each), a 16-ounce Stainless Steel Can Tumbler, a 24-Can Backpack and a 16-Can Lunch Pail. All five coolers feature detailed and playful artwork that perfectly captures the fun personalities and character traits of good ol’ Charlie Brown, his trusty companion Snoopy (the world’s most famous beagle) and the rest of the Peanuts gang.
The entire five-piece Peanuts Cooler Collection, ranging $19.99–$39.99, can be purchased now on igloocoolers.com/peanuts, while supplies last.
To keep up with all things Igloo, follow and like:
Born from a modest metalworking shop back in 1947, Igloo has been instrumental in redefining how we live, work and play. What began with bringing clean water to the worksite quickly moved into super-functional, best-in-class ice chests. Igloo products made the family outdoor recreation movement of the 20th century possible. Suddenly, taking your kids camping on the weekend became easy and cross-country road trips became a summer vacation staple.
As we approach our next century, Igloo is 1,200 employees strong. We are proud to call—a 1.8-million-square-foot, three-building facility in—Katy, Texas home. With more than 500 products sold at thousands of retailers around the globe, we can confidently call ourselves the number one cooler manufacturer in the world.
And through it all we haven’t lost sight of our original goal—to create products that enable the pursuit of happiness (however you define it). That’s why we’re still working hard every day to innovate, create and make it easier for you to get out, work hard and play even harder.
The characters of Peanuts and related intellectual property are owned by Peanuts Worldwide, which is 41% owned by WildBrain Ltd., 39% owned by Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc., and 20% owned by the family of Charles M. Schulz, who first introduced the world to Peanuts in 1950, when the comic strip debuted in seven newspapers. Since then, Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the rest of the Peanuts gang have made an indelible mark on popular culture. In addition to enjoying beloved Peanuts shows and specials on Apple TV+, fans of all ages celebrate the Peanuts brand worldwide through thousands of consumer products, as well as amusement park attractions, cultural events, social media, and comic strips available in all formats, from traditional to digital. In 2018, Peanuts partnered with NASA on a multi-year Space Act Agreement designed to inspire a passion for space exploration and STEM among the next generation of students.
Igloo Press Contact:
Ashton Maxfield, Master Plan Communications


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Well isn’t this an odd conglomeration of celebrities? … More »
Red Recent News
Ready or not, Valentine’s Day is coming our way!
Love struck couples are about to fill the streets — not to mention, restaurant reservations — and whether we like it or not, hearts and assorted chocolate boxes evade the grocery store aisles along with all the pink and red hues of the world. More »
It’s time to say buh-bye to orchid purple and hello to marsala!
Pantone has officially granted the 2015 color of the year to the deep reddish-brown “marsala” hue which elicits the refined yet earthy mood we get from wine–hence the name of the new color.
… More »
Happy Valentine’s Day! Love struck couples have filled the streets (and not to mention, restaurant reservations) today, and whether we like it or not, hearts and assorted chocolate boxes evade the grocery store aisles along with all the pink and red hues of the world. Taken, single or “it’s complicated,” we honestly can’t resist getting… More »
Is Taylor Swift finally telling us who the lucky guy is that inspired her chart-topping album ‘Red’?
This week, Taylor Swift landed in Los Angeles for her RED Tour. As a gift to her fans, she brought along some special guests, surprising the crowd with UK sensation Cher Lloyd. The two of them performed her hit song “Want U Back.” Lloyd tweeted, “Had the most amazing time performing with @taylorswift13, She’s the sweetest… More »
Taylor Swift has made a new friend. And a very cool one at that.
The hot-pants lover, cat lady, and “22” performer took to the stage in Foxborough, Massachusetts for her RED tour on Saturday, but she wasn’t alone. Taylor had a very special surprise waiting in the wings: Legendary singer-songwriter Carly Simon. More »
Just in time for Fourth of July, Taylor Swift is releasing the music video for her latest album’s title track, “Red.”
… More »
“I don’t really talk about my love life,” said Taylor Swift, interviewed Monday on ABC’s Good Morning America. “I kind of sing about it a lot, because I really think that it sounds more poetic and romantic with music behind it.”
Swift was looking radiant in red, aptly enough, on the day that… More »
Taylor Swift has revealed the official track listing for her highly anticipated fourth studio album, Red.
On Saturday, the 22-year-old superstar retweeted a post from her fan club, Taylor Nation, which included a link to the 16 song titles that will be featured on the album’s standard edition. The song titles were also posted… More »
After releasing the summer’s biggest breakup anthem — “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” — Taylor Swift is now ready to “Begin Again” with her new single, a slow-tempo ode to starting over, post-breakup.
Breakups are the worst — unless, of course, you’re Taylor Swift. Somehow, the 22-year-old superstar even manages to make her fizzled romance look like a fairytale in the new video for her No. 1 single, “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together.”
The clip, which appears to have been filmed in one shot,… More »


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As you know, this year the design of the new flagship iPhone 7 will not be radically different from how look models iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s. A radical change in form factor is expected in the next generation of smartphones – iPhone 8. According to Chinese sources, the main design innovation of innovations in 2017 will be a curved case 3D glasses.
According to the source, the iPhone 8 will be made entirely of glass, and its side edges will be rounded. Similar design technique is used in the smartphone Galaxy edge, only in the case of South Korean flagship we are talking about folded on the right and left ends of the display.
IPhone 8, as noted, is cut exactly the case. This design is used, in particular, top-end smartphone Xiaomi Mi5, he is made not of glass and of ceramics nanocarbonic.
Given the likely transition iPhone AMOLED panel, to write off the 3D screen at the “Apple” smartphones can’t. Last month, stated IHS analyst Kevin Wong. According to him, the iPhone 7 may be rounded and the side edges of the screen. The edges on the bevels will not be a separate side of the matrix, the screen here will be a single entity, although raised edges can carry additional load, performing the role of a single side of mini-displays, said Wong.
In March it became known that Apple has ordered a trial batch of a 5.8-inch panels with a matrix of OLED. Then it was reported that the company’s engineers chose this screen to create a brand new iPhone. Flexible display of this device will go on the side.
Hints 3D glass enclosure of the future iPhone can be found in the current models. Rounded off the edges of safety glass used in the iPhone 6, 6s, iPhone 6 Plus and 6s Plus. According to some reports, Apple used in smartphones 2,5-glass not only for aesthetics, but also for testing such solutions with the aim to implement it in future models.


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Jack's Pets Named Retailer of the Year
Jack's Pets has been named the 2014 Retailer of the Year by Pet Business magazine.
The Beavercreek, Ohio-based family owned and operated company, has 32 stores in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana. Jack's Pets, which was founded in 1950, was selected by the Pet Business Board of Editors and Industry Advisors based on its long and successful history in the Midwest, as well as a merchandising strategy that attracts consumers and keeps them coming back for years and years.
“Jack’s Pets was an easy pick this year, the members of our board told me,“ said Seth Mendelson, publisher and editorial director of Pet Business Magazine. “This is a chain that is making a difference in the Midwest by offering a unique merchandise mix and excellent customer service.
"All we keep hearing about is how devoted and talented the employee team at Jack’s is and how much of a difference they make with consumers. We are extremely excited to share this award with Scott Brenner and his entire team at Jack’s Pets. It is very deserved.”
Jack's Pets will be the subject of Pet Business' July cover story, and the magazine will host a reception to honor Brenner and his team during the upcoming SuperZoo trade show, which will be held July 22-24 in Las Vegas.


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Tesla Inc. has agreed to buy a 300-hectare property in the eastern German state of Brandenburg for its first European factory, Reuters reported Jan. 18, citing local authorities and confirmation from a Tesla spokeswoman.
The purchase agreement, which the electric-car maker entered into with the state of Brandenburg, calls for a preliminary property price of €40.91 million, the report said. However, a spokesman from the local government reportedly said the deal price can still be revised if an external review provides a different value.
The move is expected to create up to 7,000 jobs, the report said.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk confirmed in November 2019 that the company plans to establish its fourth gigafactory in Berlin to take advantage of "German engineering."
A Tesla spokeswoman confirmed the company's agreement with the government of Brandenburg, Reuters said. The report added that the state parliament's finance committee had already approved the sale on Jan. 9.
Meanwhile, the agreement was reportedly met with opposition by a group of 250 locals who took to the streets Jan. 18 to protest the potential environmental effects of Tesla's planned site. Reuters said in a separate report that the protest follows a report by the Brandenburg water association, which stressed the "extensive and serious problems with the drinking water supply and wastewater disposal" for the planned factory.


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HAMILTON — A tractor-trailer loaded with hay burst into flames on Route 130 yesterday and burned near the entrance to the Shoppes at Hamilton, shutting down the only artery to the mall for hours on Black Friday, one of the busiest shopping days of the year.
No one was hurt during the blaze, and damage was limited to the trailer and the roadside.
“It was more of a snarl for Black Friday than anything else,” Sgt. James Petrecca said.
Far worse for the businesses in the complex was the shutdown of Route 130 as the accident scene was cleared.
“We had a fantastic morning till the first explosion hit,” Learning Express owner Jon Cassino said.
The driver of the truck, township resident Andy Votts, noticed smoke coming from the hay when he turned onto Route 130 in Yardville just before noon, according to police.
He pulled onto the shoulder in front of the Shoppes, where the fire grew, police said.
The cause of the fire isn’t known. Votts has not been charged with a crime, and police did not fault him for the blaze.
But the Shoppes complex has only one entrance, from the northbound side of the highway, so when all lanes of Route 130 were closed, the flow of shoppers to the mall was cut off.
“I’m not making any money today,” said Hamilton resident Samantha Labonak, who relies on tips for the bulk of her pay at Cheeburger Cheeburger. “Even our servers can’t come in for the afternoon shift.”
“We thought we were going to do good business today,” she said.
Loud booms likely caused by the trailer’s tires exploding drove shoppers from the complex. The mall exit was north of the crash site and remained open, enabling shoppers to flee. As police and the state Department of Transportation began a cleanup, only workers were left inside the complex through the afternoon.
The southbound lanes of Route 130 were reopened at 1:50 p.m., Petrecca said, but with the northbound lanes shut down, potential customers still could not get into the mall.
“Dead,” Cassino said of his business around 3:30 p.m. “We have not seen a customer since 12:30.”
The parking lot was about 10 percent full, with mountains of charred, wet hay visible on the shoulder of the highway. Behind the hay, heavy equipment strained to move the trailer and reopen the roadway.
The owner of the now-shuttered Nathan’s said the restrictive access to the mall was partly to blame for diluting his business, and other stores were going through tough times even before yesterday’s sales blackout.
“We’re struggling,” Foot Solutions owner Laura Roberts said.
The shopping center opened in May 2009, and shop owners have long blamed access, along with the sluggish economy, for their struggles.
One northbound lane of Route 130 opened just after 4 p.m., but it was unclear if the store owners could make up for lost revenue.
“We can only hope the business comes back twofold tomorrow,” Cassino said.
Contact Alex Zdan at email@example.com or (609) 989-5705.


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We all know how much our Russell Simmons loves his models, but today the mogul took some time to step behind the camera himself!
Uncle Rush took to Twitter to give us a behind the scenes peek at his brand new looks for Argyleculture.
The boss man teases that he may be replacing Tyson Beckford as the new model for the line. Russell was in fact just taking some promo shots for the line and is not the real model, but he definitely looked comfortable in front of the camera.
From what we can see, the new stuff looks fresh to death and Russ is doing his thing!
Check out the Argyle Culture sneak peek in the gallery above.


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Thomas Edison would have turned 164 today. What better way to celebrate the great inventor than with an animated Google logo?
Android phone owners can expect Google to release an OS update for their Android phones in April. The Gingerbread (Android 2.4) release is a bridge to Android 3.0, aka Honeycomb.
Google's salute to Jules Verne has lots of nooks and crannies. Did you find the sunken crown? How about the divers?
iPad and iPhone have had resounding success in the app market, but Google could catch up and cash in on the huge mobile game economy.
A Web-based Android Market will reportedly be unveiled by Google this week.
You may think of yourself as technologically savvy, but if you're using your smartphone only to make calls, check your email, surf the Web, manage your schedule, take photos, shoot video, listen to music, watch movies, navigate via GPS, play video games, and update your Twitter and Facebook statuses, then you're really nothing more than a Luddite. Here are 10 uses for smartphones that can help bring your backward lifestyle into the 21st century.
Apple had announced at its launch that the iPhone 4 would come in black and white models, then kept delaying the release of the white iPhone 4, a rare misfire in its recent history of smooth product rollouts.
Smartphone apps – one for the iPhone, one for Android – will tell you when your IRS refund is coming.


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Google announced to acquire wearable device maker Fitbit for $2.1 billion, enabling the market to grow faster.
According to MKM Partners, Fitbit has sold 100 million devices and has more than 28 million active users. The acquisition will mark an increase in competition between Google and Apple in the fitness sector.
According to IDC, Apple is the number one wearable device with a 26% market share. But recent data shows that Fitbit’s market share has fallen by 6%.
Rohit Kulkarni, executive director of MKM Partners, said: “Given Google’s performance on Wear OS is somewhat unsatisfactory, and Apple has done a good job in the strategy of the Watch ecosystem, so we think this is Google’s wise acquisition.”
Fitbit said its latest generation of Charge 3 devices can be synchronized with more than 200 Android and iOS cellular devices. The fitness tracker can also receive text messages via Android or iPhone.
Google said the acquisition will be completed in 2020, which left a considerable window for the transaction. MKM predicts that the acquisition will end in May 2020. In view of the potential concerns about the use of data, MKM believes that the acquisition may face protracted regulatory review, especially the European Commission. The merger agreement allows for an extension to May 2021 and provides a reverse termination fee of 12% for failure to obtain antitrust approval.
Fitbit stressed in the acquisition announcement that Fitbit’s health data will not be used for Google ads.


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Recently in David Bailey Category
Premium car maker Jaguar Land Rover today announced a £240m investment in Brazil to set up a new manufacturing plant there. The new facility will be based in the city of Itatiaia in Rio de Janeiro state.
The latter has been negotiating with JLR since the start of this year, with a package of tax breaks and fiscal incentives likely to be on offer to help lure the JLR investment.
Households are pulling money out of their savings accounts at the fastest rate in recent times, according to recent Bank of England figures. It is perhaps the most telling sign yet that Brits are paying for the rising cost of living by raiding their piggy banks.
Over the last year, families have withdrawn £23bn from their long-term savings accounts to convert into cash and also put into current accounts - that's around £900 for every household in the country.
Analysis of the Bank's figures by Sky News shows that in the year to October, the amount of cash in notice deposit accounts and cash ISAs fell by 4.7%, while the amount families have in their instant access current accounts or in cash rose by 11.2%, or £71bn.
'Reshoring' manufacturing has been a recurring theme in this blog over the last year or so. My own take on things, based on survey work we have done with SGH Martineau, is that reshoring really is happening but on a smaller scale than many have claimed, with around one in six firms actually doing it, driven by concerns over costs, quality and turnaround (or lead) times (see here for a recent blog on this).
And now a new study, by the Manufacturing Advisory Service (MAS), has just come to very similar findings. It too finds that around one in six UK manufacturers have brought production back from overseas during the past year or is in the process of doing so.
This is develops the argument in my current Birmingham Post column on how we need to make the most of HS2 for wider regional regeneration. For more on this, buy this week's Birmingham Post...
So far I've been fairly agnostic about High Speed Rail (HSR), probably because I think both the benefits and downsides have been overstated. But the case for HSR now seems to have shifted onto its possible role in boosting regional regeneration in the West Midlands.
On this, as the leading planner Sir Peter Hall noted recently, the debate boils down to two key issues critical to our future prosperity. The first is whether, by bringing the Midlands and North closer to the global economic powerhouse of London, it can transform economic prospects in the regions.
Second is how those benefits will be distributed across regions such as the West Midlands: that is, whether the benefits will be concentrated in a few core cities (think Birmingham), or will be spread across the wider region (such as to Coventry, Stafford, Stoke or Worcester)? Or as Sir Peter put it, whether HS2 will 'irrigate' the wider region, or turn parts of it into a desert?
Carlos Ghosn, the head of Renault Nissan, recently said that Nissan will 'reconsider' its investment in the UK if we leave the European Union. Actually he said that "if anything has to change, we need to reconsider our strategy and our investments for the future."
Firms do this all the time. And building Nissans, or Hondas, or Toyotas, or any other car here isn't a 'given' anyway as plants of multinationals are ultimately footloose. Sadly we know that all too well from experience with Peugeot locally, which shifted assembly over to central and Eastern Europe in search of lower labour costs.
Big multinationals like the EU as it makes life easier for them. So when Ghosn says Nissan would 'reconsider' its position in the UK, he's basically saying 'stay in to make life easier for us'.
Auto giant Toyota - which has a large plant not far away in Burnaston - last week raised its annual profit forecast for 2013-14, bringing it close to pre-crash records, with the firm's figures boosted by a weaker Yen and healthy sales in a resurgent US market.
Toyota now forecasts a net profit for the year ending March 2014 of £10.5bn (1.67 trillion Yen), up from a previous forecast of £9.3bn (1.48 trillion Yen). If achieved, this would be just below the firm's highest net profit recorded, back in 2008. The results are in contrast with Nissan which cut its profit outlook just a few weeks ago.
It's been no secret that PSA Peugeot Citroen - Europe's second biggest carmaker after Volkswagen - has been on the lookout for a partner for some time. It has been one the firms in the 'squeezed middle' most badly affected by the collapse in the European car market and desperately needs to raise funds.
And with talks progressing - albeit slowly - with a Chinese firm over a possible stake, the French government is thinking of chipping in so as to take a stake in what it sees as a 'strategic' firm.
Gaydon-based Aston Martin, purveyors of sports cars to the rich and cool (as well as a certain James Bond), posted a pre-tax loss of almost £25m for the year ended December 2012, up from a £21m loss the previous year.
Sales were down by 9% to £460m. The company chose not to pay a dividend to shareholders, despite paying out £30m to investors a year earlier. Accounts filed at Companies House attribute the widening loss to the "market segment (that) has been severely affected by recession", highlighting "weakness in European markets and vehicle launches occurring in the fourth quarter".
'Reshoring' or 'Onshoring' or manufacturing repatriation has been a recurring theme in my Birmingham Post blogs over the last year or so. There have been a number of reports looking at what firms intend to do as regards reshoring or onshoring (to read an excellent report by Business Birmingham click here). Despite this, there has been little in the way of hard data on what's actually happening.
That's why a new report by SGH Martineau entitled 'Bringing Manufacturing Back' undertaken with myself and Dr Lisa De Propris at the Birmingham Business School survey is so interesting. The survey had 80 responses and so may not be large enough to be properly rigorous in a scientific sense, but the findings are nevertheless interesting in raising issues of possible importance and point to the need for further research (as academics like to say...)
The British economy is thankfully on the up. But that doesn't mean George Osborne was right in arguing that 'Plan A' is working. Rather, the performance of the British economy since Osborne became Chancellor back in May 2010 has been pretty dire. The economy has grown by just 2.2% since then. And remember that the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) reckoned that the economy would have grown by over 8% by now. Some record.
In fact, this is the slowest recovery ever. The UK's GDP is still over 3% below where it was back in 2008. It is correct to say that the labour market has performed better than many expected (myself included). That's because firms have hoarded labour and productivity has dipped - not really something for Osborne to write home about.


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By Ross Gittins
Maybe it's just me, but these days the more politics I hear on TV or radio, the less time it takes for my blood to boil. Just ask my gym buddies. "No point shouting at the radio, Ross, they can't hear you."
Last week, for instance, I heard the erstwhile Queensland leader of One Nation carrying on about what a big election issue the rising cost of living was. There was the cost of electricity ... but he ran out of examples.
High on my list of things I hate about modern pollies is the way they tell us what they think we want to hear, not what we need to know. Then they wonder why voters think they're phoneys.
As someone who's spent his career trying to help people understand what's going on in the economy, it's galling to hear politicians reinforcing the public's most uncomprehending perceptions.
The crazy thing is the widespread view that our big problem is the rapidly rising cost of living is roughly the opposite of the truth.
It's true the price of electricity has been rising rapidly, lately and for many years, for reasons of political failure. But electricity accounts for just a few per cent of the total cost of the many goods and services we buy.
And the prices of those other things have been rising surprising slowly, with many prices actually falling. You hadn't noticed? Goes to show how wonky your economic antennae have become.
Annual increases in consumer prices have been so low for the past three years that the governor of the Reserve Bank, Dr Philip Lowe, is worried about how he can get inflation up into his target zone of 2 to 3 per cent.
Why would anyone worry that the cost of living isn't rising fast enough? Because, though it's hardly a problem in itself, it's a symptom of a problem buried deeper.
Which is? Weak growth in wages over the past four years. Rising wages are the main cause of rising prices. Price rises have been small because wage rises have been small.
It's the weak growth in wages that's giving people trouble balancing their household budgets – a problem they mistakenly attribute to a fast-rising cost of living.
What they've grown used to over many years is wages rising by a per cent or so each year faster than prices, and they've unconsciously built that expectation into their spending habits. When it doesn't happen, they feel the pinch.
For the past four years, wages have barely kept pace with the weak – about 2 per cent a year – rise in consumer prices.
This absence of "real" wage growth is a problem for age pensioners as well as workers because pensions are indexed to average weekly earnings – meaning they too usually rise each year by a per cent or so faster than prices.
Why would any economist worry that wages weren't growing fast enough? Because, as well as being a cost to business, wages are the greatest source of income for Australia's 9.2 million households.
And when the growth in household income is weak, so is the growth in the greatest contributor to the economy's overall growth: consumer spending.
It might seem good for business profits in the short-term, but weak wage growth eventually is a recipe for weak consumption and weak growth in employment. What sounded like a great idea at first, ends up biting business in the bum.
Weak wage and price growth is a problem in most rich countries at present, meaning it's probably explained by worldwide factors such as globalisation and technological change.
"Many workers feel there is more competition out there, sometimes from workers and sometimes because of advances in technology" and this, together with changes in the nature of work and bargaining arrangements, "mean that many workers feel like they have less bargaining power than they once did".
"It is likely that there is also something happening on the firms' side as well . . . Businesses are not bidding up wages in the way they might once have. This is partly because business, too, feels the pressure of increased competition."
Lowe says a good example of this process is increased competition in retailing, where competition from new entrants (Aldi, for instance) is putting pressure on margins and forcing existing retailers to find ways to lower their cost structures.
Technology is helping them do this, including by automating processes and streamlining logistics (transport costs). The result is lower prices.
"For some years now, the rate of increase in food prices has been unusually low. A large part of the story here is increased competition. The same story is playing out in other parts of retailing. Over recent times, the prices of many consumer goods – including clothing, furniture and household appliances – have been falling," Lowe says.
"Increased competition and changes in technology are driving down the prices of many of the things we buy. This is making for a tough environment for many in the retail industry, but for consumers, lower prices are good news."
True. Which is why I find it so frustrating when idiot politicians keep telling people the cost of living is soaring.
Ross Gittins is the Herald's economics editor.


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You can now look at the Abu Dhabi police cars from the 70s
Dubai and Abu Dhabi over the last decade or so has been seriously beefing up its police car fleet, from Bugattis, to Aston Martins, to most recently Maseratis. Even back in the 70s though, it had some seriously droolworthy cars to behold.
If you head over to Abu Dhabi and its Marina Mall, you will see a first generation Range Rover and a Porsche 924, both from the 70s.
Even back before the massive boom in the UAE economy, the emirate was strutting its stuff with high end enforcement cars.
The cars are in pristine condition, with the iconic green and white liveries (which are red and white these days) to denote the police ownership of the cars.
The displays have the cars protected by ropes, though visitors can admire old images of the cars in use in the emirates.
The Porsche 924 was a car from 1976 to 1988, it was the latest in Porsche’s entry models and was also the first Porsche ever to be fully automatic.
The first generation Range Rover was produced between 1970 and 1996, it was powered by an impressive V8 engine but had a mere – and old school – 130 hp.
These days, the UAE capital goes for modern cars like Toyota Landcruisers, Rolls Royces and Lykan Hypersports.
The 1970s cars will be on display until July 21.


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- Mergers & Acquisitions
Arkema sells epoxides business to Cargill
Arkema S.A., a specialty chemicals and advanced materials company headquartered in Colombes, near Paris, France, announced the divestment of its epoxides business to Cargill, an American privately held global food corporation based in Minnetonka, Minnesota, U.S.A.
Arkema produces bio-based and specialty epoxides in Blooming Prairie, Minnesota, U.S.A., which is used as additives or intermediates in the manufacture of lubricants, plastic additives and a wide variety of other applications.
The offer received from Cargill values this business at USD38.8 million, which is around 10 times historical EBITDA. The deal is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2021.
With this proposed divestment, Arkema is pursuing the repositioning of its portfolio on its core businesses, the company said.
Epoxides business has limited integration with rest of Arkema’s portfolio
“Part of Arkema’s Hydrogen Peroxide activity, this business has limited integration with the rest of the Group’s portfolio, generating sales of around USD40 million and employs approximately 45 people,” the company said on its website.
Arkema was created in 2004, when French oil major Total, now TotalEnergies, restructured its chemicals business. Arkema shares started trading at the Paris stock exchange in May 2006.
By joining Cargill, a global player in bio-based-products, the epoxides business will benefit from the size and the development strategy of Cargill, offering new growth potential in the industrial markets, Arkema added.
Arkema’s ambition is to become in 2024 a pure player in Specialty Materials. The Group is structured into three complementary, resilient and highly innovative segments dedicated to Specialty Materials — Adhesive solutions, Advanced Materials, and Coating Solutions — accounting for some 82% of Group sales in 2020, and a well-positioned and competitive Intermediates segment. The Group reported sales of around EUR8 billion (USD9.35 billion) in 2020, and operates in some 55 countries with 20,600 employees worldwide.
Cargill sees growing demand for bio-based industrial products
Cargill said it is acquiring the business as demand for bio-based industrial solutions continues to grow.
“After closing, the investment will give Cargill end-to-end production capabilities in bio-based plasticizers and polyols and enable the company to better serve its industrial customers with nature-derived alternatives to traditional petroleum-based additives,” Cargill said in a statement.
“Industrial customers are increasingly searching for solutions made without petrochemicals, especially in consumer applications where potential concerns around toxicity and sustainability continue to grow,” said Kurtis Miller, managing director in Cargill’s bioindustrial business. “Adding this capability will allow us to innovate across the polyol value chain, transforming our vegetable oil into highly functional compounds that bring benefits like flexibility, durability and heat stability to a wide range of industrial products.”
The acquisition builds on other recent moves by Cargill to expand its presence in the bioindustrial space, including its recent partnerships to build a bio-butanediol facility, its acquisition of specialty beauty ingredient supplier, International Floratechnologies, and, together with its joint venture partner, PTT Global Chemical, develop a greenfield of an integrated NatureWorks facility in Thailand.