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Commenting on the publication of the 2023 IFA Milk Price Analysis, IFA Dairy chair Stephen Arthur said it’s clear that some of the largest co-ops in the country simply aren’t delivering for farmers, with the analysis showing them generating the lowest milk revenues in the country.
“When we distil down all the information and peel back the layers, we can see that there is a difference of over €14,000 in revenue between the best and worst paying milk processors. Farmers are entitled to ask how some processors, particularly the smaller co-ops, are able to pay a better milk price,” he said.
In the past year, some processors have introduced conditional sustainability bonuses as part of the milk price. However, these have been excluded from the IFA analysis.
“Sustainability comes at a tangible cost. Farmers can no longer afford to carry this burden. The marketplace has to deliver additional margin to cover this cost, all of which has to make its way to the farmer’s base milk price.”
The analysis examines the revenue that would be generated from each milk processor for a 500,000-litre spring calving milk supplier with national average solids. This is the fifth year of the analysis.
“We would like to pay special thanks to the farmers that provide us with their monthly statements for this analysis as it simply couldn’t be done without their co-operation.” concluded Stephen Arthur.
The full analysis can be accessed here.


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The Drum’s John McCarthy and Sam Bradley catch up with a host of editors and publishers to explore how magazines have adapted during the pandemic.
The role of print in magazine publishing has long been under question, with ink on paper looking set to be the preserve of niche, indie or luxury titles. But then something weird happened. Homebound readers reached out to trusted brands and subscription sales soared.
Despite this, editors at consumer, specialist and indie titles still face a host of worries. Remote working, a drought of non-coronavirus topics, strained printing operations, retail closures and tighter wallets for consumers and advertisers are all taking their toll. And while publishers hope to retain readers gained during recent months, choppier economic waters mean some titles will surely sink.
Right now, Bauer Media is probing the performance of at least 10 print titles that are “not expected to be sustainable after the crisis”. This includes monthly music magazine Q. Dennis Publishing, home of The Week and Viz, has taken a quarter of its staff into redundancy consultations. Across the aisle, newspapers are having a tough time. But perhaps the pandemic will prove the resilience of print.
Home and away
Jane Wolfson, chief commercial officer at Hearst, is frank about the future of print. The pandemic has “accelerated existing trends that were already challenging the publishing business model,” she says. “On the commercial side, changing the conversation from ad sales to marketing services will be vital. Things we’ve spoken about for a number of years will now happen in a matter of months.”
The firm has experienced a mixed bag of results over the last few months. While physical retail has been disrupted, digital revenues have risen.
Reid Holland, the chief consumer revenue officer at Hearst UK (home of Elle, Harper’s Bazaar, Cosmopolitan, Good Housekeeping and Esquire) outlines the impact upon the industry's distribution networks and sales figures.
The “vast majority of shops that sell magazines are food retailers and they remained open all through lockdown,” he notes. Not so much high street and travel retailer, WHSmith, which saw a vital sales channel lost.
Holland says: “Even with most stores remaining open, sales have been challenging. People have adjusted shopping patterns to life in lockdown.” Overall, magazine sales went from being 5% down year-on-year in January and February to being 25% down once the UK entered lockdown. That has recovered slightly since, to 20% down.

domain: news


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Feature market insights and perspectives from top C-Level executives, elite technology influencers and thought leaders from your company here. This signature initiative has garnered immense support...
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Senet | June 10, 2022
Senet, Inc., a leading provider of cloud-based software and services platforms for the Internet of Things (IoT), today announced a partnership with the Wabash Heartland Innovation Network (WHIN) to expand access to IoT networks and sensor-enabled solutions, positioning the largely rural agricultural region as an epicenter for next-generation manufacturing automation and digital agriculture enablement.
WHIN, a group of ten counties in north-central Indiana, is working with Senet to...
STMicroelectronics | January 06, 2021
STMicroelectronics (NYSE: STM), a global semiconductor leader serving customers across the spectrum of electronics applications, is offering a solution to accelerate the market introduction of new Bluetooth® LE and 802.15.4 based IoT devices with a miniature, ready-to-use STM32 wireless microcontroller (MCU) module.
The 7mm x 11.3mm STM32WB5MMG module lets product teams build connected devices without needing wireless-design skills. Made to enable low-cost PCB technology requi...
Industry IoT Consortium | August 23, 2022
The Industry IoT Consortium® (IIC™) and the International Society of Automation announced the IoT Security Maturity Model (SMM): 62443 Mappings for Asset Owners, Product Suppliers, and Service Suppliers.
“This new guidance adds the service provider role. It extends the previously published IoT Security Maturity Model (SMM): Practitioner’s Guide to provide mappings to existing 62443 standards and specific guidance for the asset owner, product supplier, and ser...
Finite State, CyberSecurity Breakthrough | October 04, 2021
Finite State, the leader in connected device security, today announced that it has been named the winner of the “IoT Device Security Solution of the Year” award in the fifth annual CyberSecurity Breakthrough Awards program conducted by CyberSecurity Breakthrough, a leading independent market intelligence organization that recognizes the top companies, technologies and products in the global information security market today.
Finite State defends critical devices, netwo...
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Sony is going to release more exclusives for the PlayStation on PC. This is evidenced by the company’s corporate report for 2020, in which the company stated that it is open to expanding its portfolio on the platform.
“We are considering releasing our own PC games to drive further profit growth,” the company said in a report.
Horizon Zero Dawn, a 2017 game developed by Guerrilla Games, gave up exclusivity for the PlayStation 4 and switched to PCs earlier this month. Death Stranding and Detroit: Become Human were released earlier. Given the trend, in the near future they may be joined by God of War, The Last of Us or Gran Turismo Sport.
In the report, Sony also states that it will “invest or buy companies with advanced technology to create Worldwide Studios (WWS).”


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Sony is a historical partner of Apple for iPhone photo sensors. It was an open secret for a long time, but Tim Cook paid tribute to his supplier during his trip to Japan.
Apple very rarely gives the names of the suppliers of its components. She holds a list of the main ones, but itself still lags behind. The latest published covers fiscal year 2020.
” We’ve partnered with Sony for over a decade to create the world’s best camera sensors for iPhone. Thanks to Ken and everyone on the team for showing me around the state of the art Kumamoto facility today. ” has tweeted the Apple boss, pictured being briefed on a likely technical aspect of his own iPhones.
Sony is not an exclusive supplier for Apple, it delivers optics to different players and each one adapts them to its own sauce and accompanies them with software intelligence boosted by in-house components. Like the Neural Engine in Apple’s Ax processors, used to decipher the content of photos and videos.
At the end of November, the Nikkei Asia explained that Sony would continue to sell its sensors to Apple for the next generation of iPhone. Tim Cook’s tweet confirms that this collaboration has every reason to continue.
The publication specified that Sony was working on a new series of differently architected sensors. The photodiodes and the phototransistors are spread over two separate layers in order to free up more space for the photodiodes. This would result in a sensor capable of absorbing a lot of light and allowing more effective treatments to combat overexposure and underexposure. Verification next year with the iPhone 15 Pro.
Sony remains the leader of this market, however Samsung is launched in pursuit, also indicates the Nikkei Asia, based on a study by the British firm Omdia. This attributed to Sony a global market share of 44% in 2021 and to Samsung of 18.5%. Sony suffered from the loss of US-sanctioned Huawei, but last June the Japanese affirmed its desire to capture 60% of the market by 2025, an objective already announced in 2019 when it held 53%.


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CLEC Birch Communications now offers a payment program for businesses with poor or no credit.
Birch Payment Plus is available to potential customers who undergo credit checks and end up not meeting Birch’s requirements. Such circumstances often arise when a company is new and has no established track record, or when a business has a sketchy payment history.
Under Payment Plus, these organizations pay a small, up-front fee, Birch said, and sign up for automatic monthly payments via credit card. After six months of good payment history, Birch switches the company over to regular account status.
We understand how challenging it is to start a new business or how easily unexpected difficulties can overwhelm even the most financially responsible businesses,” said Vincent M. Oddo, president and CEO of Birch, in a prepared statement. Our new program, Birch Payment Plus, helps new businesses that have yet to establish a credit history as well as businesses with past credit problems obtain the required communications and managed services they need and at the same time it will help them start building their credit history.”
No minimum credit score is required for Birch Payment Plus. Birch sells IP telecom and managed services to SMBs through agents.
.@bcntelecom1 expands reach in Canada with @telus partnership goo.gl/fb/vyLZ6i
January 15 2019 @ 19:53:17 UTC


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Lawyer activist slaps global platforms with $8 billion GDPR lawsuits
By the time dusk fell on GDPR day last Friday, an Austrian activist lawyer had already slapped global platforms with multibillion-euro complaints.
An Austrian privacy lawyer has filed multibillion-euro complaints against Google, Instagram, WhatsApp and Facebook for allegedly seeking "forced consent" in their terms of service, in some of the first cases to test the reach of the EU's new data regime.
Four complaints, four jurisdictions
The four complaints come to a combined total of 7.6 billion euro ($8.8 billion), filed in courts around Europe. Max Schrems, who runs a nonprofit called None Of Your Business and has been pursuing internet user privacy litigation for some years, has sued the four global platforms for allegedly bombarding users with pop-up windows. The complaints were issued within hours of the GDPR coming into effect. The lawsuits seek maximum penalties of € 3.7bn against Google (Android) in the French courts, €1.3bn against Instagram in Belgium, €1.3bn against WhatsApp in Germany, and €1.3bn against Facebook in Austria, bringing the total to €7.6 billion.
Crucial test of new laws
The activist group organisation issued a statement that the GDPR was supposed to give users a free choice, whether they agree to data usage or not. The group stated the opposite feeling spread on the screens of many users as tons of "consent boxes" popped up online or in applications, often combined with a threat that the service cannot longer be used if users do not consent. The group also states these first complaints will be a crucial test of the law, ‘with a penalty of four per cent of global revenue, Google or Facebook would have to pay more than a billion euros for violating the law. Currently we do not expect that DPAs will use the full penalty powers, but we would expect a reasonable penalty, given the obvious violation.’ Though GDPR applies irrespective of location with the EU, the Irish Data Protection Commissioner is likely to be get involved because ‘the headquarters of the relevant companies is in Ireland in three cases.’


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|By Marketwired .||
|June 12, 2014 03:00 PM EDT||
BALTIMORE, MD -- (Marketwired) -- 06/12/14 -- Apkudo, the mobile device quality assurance company, today announced that the Tier 1 service provider, T-Mobile US Inc., has added Apkudo Approved Application Platform testing to its latest Android smartphone requirements for device manufacturers.
Apkudo's industry-leading analysis will complement T-Mobile's existing pre-launch device approval process by adding app platform testing. By exercising and analyzing over 2000 pre-load, top-pick and core systems apps, the service provider can proactively identify and rectify any customer-impacting issues before a device is sold to customers.
"T-Mobile is really focused on user experience, and adding Apkudo Approved testing will allow them to maintain a leadership position by helping to ensure the smartphones they sell work exactly as intended right out of the gate, increasing subscriber satisfaction and reducing returns," said Josh Matthews, co-founder and CEO of Apkudo.
Today's smartphones are, in effect, application platforms, which means traditional handset "pass/fail" testing methodologies are no longer sufficient to guarantee device performance. The ability for smartphones to provide a stable experience across applications is central to the user experience -- problems with application dependability translate into real device problems, ultimately leading to user dissatisfaction and costly device returns.
Apkudo's proprietary, patent-pending technology includes software and hardware infrastructure for automated execution, interaction, and analysis over a large workload of applications on devices. It simulates actual subscriber usage scenarios in real-world conditions to uncover any issues so they may be corrected before customer launch.
Apkudo will begin analyzing all T-Mobile pre-release devices this month.
The mobile device quality assurance company, Apkudo is pioneering analysis technologies that deeply and holistically test pre-release mobile devices against millions of different possible use-cases and activities to discover bugs and refine the user interface and experience, taking devices from bad to good, and good to great. Apkudo works with many of the world's largest device manufacturers and over 50 U.S. carriers.
Apkudo is headquartered in Baltimore, MD. The Apkudo team includes deep research expertise with mobile operating systems including optimization, usability and performance testing, and is focused on helping the ecosystem deliver the best possible user experience to all device owners. Learn more at http://www.apkudo.com and email [email protected] for additional information.
Digital innovation is the next big wave of business transformation based on digital technologies of which IoT and Big Data are key components, For example: Business boundary innovation is a challenge to excavate third-party business value using IoT and BigData, like Nest Business structure innovation may propose re-building business structure from scratch, as Uber does in the taxicab industry The social model innovation is also a big challenge to the new social architecture with the design fr...
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Whether they’re located in a public, private, or hybrid cloud environment, cloud technologies are constantly evolving. While the innovation is exciting, the end mission of delivering business value and rapidly producing incremental product features is paramount. In his session at @DevOpsSummit at 19th Cloud Expo, Kiran Chitturi, CTO Architect at Sungard AS, will discuss DevOps culture, its evolution of frameworks and technologies, and how it is achieving maturity. He will also cover various st...
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Cloud computing is being adopted in one form or another by 94% of enterprises today. Tens of billions of new devices are being connected to The Internet of Things. And Big Data is driving this bus. An exponential increase is expected in the amount of information being processed, managed, analyzed, and acted upon by enterprise IT. This amazing is not part of some distant future - it is happening today. One report shows a 650% increase in enterprise data by 2020. Other estimates are even higher....
Sep. 29, 2016 02:00 PM EDT Reads: 4,178
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SYS-CON Events announced today that SoftLayer, an IBM Company, has been named “Gold Sponsor” of SYS-CON's 18th Cloud Expo, which will take place on June 7-9, 2016, at the Javits Center in New York, New York. SoftLayer, an IBM Company, provides cloud infrastructure as a service from a growing number of data centers and network points of presence around the world. SoftLayer’s customers range from Web startups to global enterprises.
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Activision has sent through word today that a Wii U version of Call of Duty: Ghosts is in the works and will hit this November.
It’ll support Wiimote and second-screen Gamepad play, and will be hitting on 5th November.
Ghosts takes a Red Dawn style approach to classic Call of Duty gameplay, tasking players with being the last refuge of fight in a dominated country.
Player Attack noted today that Activision’s Wii U launches in Australia have been somewhat wanting, but its no surprise the company isn’t about to let so massive a title slide.
Especially with it being the first time a Nintendo console has been up to scratch and able to deliver a comparable HD experience for the franchise.


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ADDISON – When Steve Pagliuzza started working for his dad in the early 1960s, Dial Tool Industries’ toolmakers wore shirt and ties to work each day.
“It was very different from the way things are today,” Steve recalled. “And one of my first jobs was to take a cart around the shop floor and deliver coffee to the guys. It was expected.”
Steve says he remembers that he always wanted to work for the family business.
“When I was 10 years old, I could read blueprints. I always wanted to be here. Even when I went to college, where I studied business and math, I still always wanted to work here,” he said.
But Steve’s four years younger brother Mario had other career ideas in mind.
“I was going to make my own mark, so I went into pre-med,” Mario said. “I took my first couple of chemistry classes and decided medicine wasn’t for me.”
Steve and Mario are now the co-owners of DTI in Addison, where they and 94 employees make up a team focused on providing their customers with quality metal stampings, injection molding, insert molding and assembly.
In 1955, Leo Pagliuzza and Fred Bianchi launched Dial Tool in a 620 square foot shop behind a woman’s clothing store on Lawrence Avenue in Chicago.
As the company’s services expanded, DTI moved and added on until they landed at their current location in Addison. Then their father turned the company over to his sons Steve and Mario.
Everything went well and then in 2007, when the Pagliuzza Brothers say they began noticing automobile makers cutting back, using old programs.
“Using old programs means no new tooling, and into mid-2007, volumes started going down,” Mario said.
Like most others in the industry, 2007 through 2009 were gut-wrenching years for DTI. As a company among leading indicators DTI felt the slow down first and come out of it ahead of others, Mario said.
But it wasn’t easy. “We have to layoff people and cut our own salaries,” Mario said.
“We had to throw personal funds back into the company. We had to reinvest during those years.”
“It was the worst recession I’ve ever seen,” Steve said. “But we made it. Some others didn’t.”
Both brothers agreed that without the government bailout, the country would have been in much worse shape.
“Those people that said don’t bail them out absolutely had no idea of the repercussions. That would have plunged us into a depression, not a recession. While GM builds the cars, all the companies that make the small parts they put into the cars, the truck drivers that transport the parts from here to here to here, all of them would have been out of business,” Mario said.
“If the bailout had not happened, we would have been looking at four to five million people out of work.”
Like others in the industry, finding skilled workers to fill the jobs they have is a big challenge.
“Back in the 1990s, manufacturing lines went to China. Prior to then, we had skilled workers and apprentices. We had a supply of those wanting to do the work we do,” Mario said. It’s started coming back, but the problem is that few people want their kids to work in manufacturing.”
Now, as the work back here starts picking up, DTI looks to training schools like the Technology | Manufacturing Allied’s courses for their company’s team members.
“That’s the model now,” Mario said. “Companies are making parts where they will be sold. CNC is replacing the need for as much labor, but we still need people to run the machines. “
And it’s those people that make DTI what it is today, Steve said. There’s no way they would leave their location in Illinois, although neighboring states may welcome businesses like theirs more.
“We’ve never wanted to leave DuPage County. We’re here directly west of O’Hare Airport, where we’re accessible to out of town clients,” Mario said. “We have a labor pool and access to highly skilled workers. We have to absorb what the state’s doing, but hopefully that will change soon.”
It’s those team members that make a company successful, Steve said. “You need the whole team to make the company successful. If they’re learning, they’ll make mistakes and we just start over.”
And the two both had advice for others considering manufacturing for their careers.
You’ve got to enjoy what you’re doing,” Steve said. “The hours may be long, and sure they’re going to be long days. If you don’t love what you’re doing, then get out. You do what you do because you love it.”
Mario agreed with Steve, and added another piece of advice – work on building good relationships with your customers.
“Build an honest relationship, even a friendship. If you have confidence in them, they’ll trust your judgment, too,” he said. With emails, voice mails and cell phones, I’ve seen personal relationships diminish in business. That’s not good.”
“We try to meet face to face as much as possible, even if it’s traveling around the world,” Steve said. “It’s worth it.”
Celebrating 50 years, DTI is located at 201 South Church Street, Addison, IL 60101 and on the web at www.dialtool.com .
Written by Fran Eaton. First published by TMA June 2015.


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Nokia: “In short products that are more competitive”
Today the long awaited shift in Nokia outlook on life has finally taken place. A few days ago, Stephen Elop the new CEO in charge over at Nokia sent a very intense memo to his minions. This letter went on to explain very bluntly that Nokia is on a downward spiral citing Androids operating system being two years old and already toppling Nokia’s lead in “smart phone volume” labeling this as simply “Unbelievable.” This internal memo went on to state that Nokia is “standing on a burning platform” and must “change our behavior”. As most of the industry could see this it seems that the Nokia team could not. In an attempt to save Nokia Elop goes on to state that the adoption of an operating system such as Android or Windows Phone 7 was needed. Today Nokia and Microsoft teamed up to save…well each other in the mobile sector.
Today Nokia’s CEO Stephen Elop shared a stage with Microsoft’s CEO Steve Ballmer to announce a partnership. In short Nokia will be using Microsoft’s new Windows Phone platform for their hardware. “Symbian is proving to be an increasingly difficult environment in which to develop to meet the continuously expanding consumer requirements” as described by Elop in his memo is presumably going to be officially killed off. There are still a few devices that will be shipping with the operating system however; Symbian is surely seeing its last days. Meego which was to be the heavenly savior for Nokia will be put on the shelf for now and turned into a “learning” tool for the company. However, I personally feel that we could potentially see Meego appear on lower level devices in the future.
The new partnership between Nokia and Microsoft surely opens a huge door for both companies. It is pretty clear that Nokia and WP7 are struggling in the mobile arena and this may just be the change they both need to compete. But WP7 can potentially help propel them back into the lead in smart phones sold. Microsoft is surely elated by this new venture as Nokias foot print on hardware sold is huge. Nokia helping WP7 expand is exactly what the doctor ordered.
I for one am truly excited to see the results of this partnership. A brand new OS on legendary hardware sounds like a bunch of good to me. Only time will tell. One thing is for certain, this new partnership will surely make both Nokia and Microsoft’s WP7 more competitive. Let us know what you make of the new agreement between these two giants. Are you interested in a Nokia WP7 device? I sure am.
Oh check out this video of the announcment…by the way does it bother anyone elese the way Ballmer says Nokia?Microsoft, WP7, Nokia


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Microsoft is making today announcement day. WE now have an official launch date for Windows Phone 8 for Oct 29th in San Francisco. WE should get official launch dates, full carrier list and an assortment of devices. So stay tuned.
Windows Phone 8 Launch event set for Oct 29th In San Francisco
October 4, 2012 By Leave a Comment


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Gelled extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) could soon replace solid saturated fat and trans fat in many different food preparations, providing an unsaturated fat alternative with the organoleptic and antioxidant properties of EVOO.
Researchers have devised a method to trap extra virgin olive oil in networks of self-assembled molecules, finding it does not lose its unique qualities in this form. They also found that those networks, known as oleogelators, offer enhanced quality protection for EVOO during storage
“We have tested different extra virgin olive oil oleogelators to understand better how the final product would perform,” Marilisa Alongi, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Udine’s department of agricultural, food, environmental and animal sciences, told Olive Oil Times.
“Bakery products, biscuits, puff pastry and crackers are some of the applications we have tested,” she added.
Sonia Calligaris, a professor in the same department at the University of Udine, said that researchers have increasingly experimented with oleogelation solutions over the years.
Currently, researchers are studying the possibility of “gelling” Coratina extra virgin olive oil to see if the resulting structured “creamy” product could be used as an alternative to certain supplements and a cooking ingredient.
The oleogel production process involves heating extra virgin olive oil up to 60C or 90C, depending on the fusion temperature of the gelling agent used in the preparation. According to the researchers, extra virgin olive oil’s polyphenol profile did not show significant alterations during the process in a controlled heating environment.
Capable of keeping their structure at room temperature, oleogels self-standing texture varied depending on the different additives used to build the structured network.
The resulting product was then tested to understand what happened to extra virgin olive oil quality during storage. The researchers then evaluated the presence of hydroxytyrosol, tyrosol and alpha-tocopherol and how these levels changed over time in different storage conditions. More
Read the Research Report, Oleogelation of extra virgin olive oil by different oleogelators affects the physical properties and the stability of bioactive compounds here.


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Porsche has revealed the name of the production Mission E all-electric sedan, which will launch as the 2020 Porsche Taycan. The name was confirmed today, at the official opening of the “70 Years Porsche Sportscar” special exhibition at the Porsche Museum in the Zuffenhausen district of Stuttgart, Germany.
The name “Taycan” means, roughly, the equivalent of “spirited young horse,” Porsche says, a nod to the animal on the company’s crest. “The name has its linguistic roots in the East,” according to the firm. It’s pronounced “tie-can,” though, just to keep things sufficiently confusing.
It’s likely to cause a few arguments about the wisdom of Porsche’s decision. Though the Mission E name was always said to be simply what the all-electric sedan concept was called, and not what the automaker had intended for the production car to necessarily bear, it had been generally well received. As we’ve seen in the past, something that resonates positively with potential buyers can be enough to persuade a car company not to go ahead with a rebranding at all.
Whatever the badge, though, Porsche’s goal is the same: give Tesla some serious competition. The Taycan will go on sale in 2019, offering a four-door alternative to the Tesla Model S. While final performance figures haven’t been shared for the car, Porsche is talking about a 0-62 mph time of around 3.5 seconds.
In contrast, Tesla’s most potent Model S can do 0-60 mph in 2.4 seconds. Porsche is likely to follow its current strategy for gas and hybrid cars with is all-electric models, though, and offer varying degrees of performance under badges like “S” and “GTS” in the future. That leaves the way clear for even faster versions.
Of course, for an electric car there’s more than just speed to consider. Range is equally important, and there Porsche has suggested that the Taycan will go over 300 miles on a full charge of its 90 kilowatt-hour battery pack. The sedan will support 800 volt, 320 kW DC fast charging for some of the most rapid recharges possible today: sufficient, it’s suggested, for around 250 miles of range to be added in under 20 minutes.
That sort of charging station network simply doesn’t exist at present, however, and so Porsche is taking it upon itself to build it. At least 500 fast chargers will be built across the US by the end of 2019, the automaker has promised, at both its dealership locations and in strategic points along highways. All the same, Porsche still maintains that most drivers will get all the power they need for the car at home or work locations.
The Taycan will only be the first of a range of all-electric cars from Porsche, which the company maintains will carry forward its legacy of sporting performance despite the change in powertrain. Also on the roadmap is a luxury crossover, previewed in concept form as the Mission E Cross Turismo, and a 2-door version of the Taycan. When they’ll launch – and what they’ll be called, now we know the Mission E name isn’t destined for the showroom floor – remains to be seen.


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Updated December 12, 2023By Chris Boline
While it is certainly not a topic that needs more attention, grand theft auto does occur in the United States more than people would like. Of course, SBS is not talking about the recently released trailer for the long-awaited next installment of the critically acclaimed series (GTA VI), but rather real-life thefts of automobiles in the U.S. With that in mind, BetUS recently rolled out a handful of prop betting markets related to the most stolen cars in America and which brands and how many will top the list next year. Per the site, customers can wager on numerous betting markets like which car will be most stolen in America next year (Chevrolet full-size pickups have even odds), along with a handful of other prop betting markets.
For this article, SBS will be going over what to look for from the latest gaming news coming from BetUS along with more notes and info about the online outlet.
Pickups are the most popular cars to get boosted in ‘23
Per one outlet and also BetUS, pickups as a whole are very much favored by thieves to be stolen around the country. For example, a recently released “Hot Wheels” report about car theft across the country noted the top ten vehicles that have been stolen. The top spot belonged to Chevrolet pickups, followed by Ford pickups at spot two. Rounding out the top three were Honda Civics followed by Honda Accords at four. There was one other pickup in the top ten, as GMC pickups locked down the number nine spot.
The BetUS betting market here very much mirrors this list as Chevrolet full-size pickups have even odds to be the most stolen car in 2024, followed by Ford trucks (+150), and GMC pick-ups (+1800). Two Honda cars round out the top five with the Civic at +2200 and the Accord at +2500. Indeed this list goes off of popular trends for car thieves across the country and what has been seen in the past couple of years.
BetUS offering multiple car wagering prop markets
As noted on its site, BetUS has two other car-boosting betting markets for its customers to sink their teeth into. The first one is how many full-size pickups will make the 2024 top 10 list of most stolen cars in the United States. Over 2.5 full-size pickups is -200 while the under comes in at +150. Of course, this is predicated on three different brands of pickup trucks making the 2023 list.
The last betting market available at the site has to do with how many Hondas will make the top ten list. Mirroring the truck betting odds, over 2.5 Honda cars come in at -200, while the under alternative is marked at +150. In addition to the Civic and Accord, the Honda CR-V took home the final spot in the top ten which of course gives them over three vehicles in the top ten.
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Even more notes and information about BetUS
Once you are all squared away regarding the latest news and notes coming from BetUS, make sure to tap into the wide variety of information available to you at SBS. Of course, for additional insights on the topic at hand, our BetUS sportsbook review guide has you covered with all the latest news and information coming from the outlet and how you can take advantage of it. Also, for those on the go, a must-bookmark page is the best betting apps rundown which goes over the nuances of mobile betting and how you can make the most out of it. Finally, if you are perhaps uncertain about which payment options are the best for you, then make sure to check out the payment methods breakdown. Here you can peruse a wide variety of options for deposits and withdrawals from cryptocurrencies to more traditional banking routes.
About the Author
As a devout aficionado of sports, Chris Boline has carved a career within the athletic realm. A skilled scribe, he boasts a decade-long portfolio that encompasses coverage of the NBA G League, the Los Angeles Chargers, football in the Mountain West Conference, and basketball.
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- ELB Partners expands fleet with £1.5 million investment
ELB Partners is taking on the giants of the industry for a second year in a row after landing a coveted Motor Transport Awards nomination.
We have once again been shortlisted in the Urban Operator of the Year category alongside two of the UK’s biggest delivery firms, DPD and Evri.
The awards are seen as the benchmark for excellence among UK road transport fleet operators, vehicle manufacturers and innovators and will be held at the Grosvenor House Hotel, in Park Lane, London on September 6.
The Urban Operator of the Year category recognises the innovative solutions the transport industry has developed to keep UK towns and cities safe, clean and quiet while maintaining strong and resilient supply chains.
ELB, which was nominated in the same category in 2022, recently achieved the Gold standard Fleet Operator Recognition Scheme (FORS) award for the ninth year in a row.
As a family-run logistics specialist, which is a member of the Pallet-Track network, we are the only London-based business to hold the award for nine years consecutively.
Peter Eason, managing director of ELB Partners, said: “We’re proud to be the only independent logistics operation to be shortlisted in this category and want to thank our entire team for helping us to get here.
“This nomination recognises our ongoing commitment to improving safety and reducing our impact on the environment, all while maintaining excellent service for our customers.
“We’re already looking forward to the awards night, which will be a great opportunity to celebrate the hard work of everyone at ELB.”
Among the areas ELB has focused on which have helped secure its nomination are its investment in EURO6 engines which are all Low Emission Zone (LEZ) and Direct Vision Standard (DVS) compliant.
As c company, we have also invested heavily in camera technology to improve driver vision and protect vulnerable road users.
ELB was established in 1970 as a three-person partnership and Peter bought the business from his father George in 1985. It now employs around 60 staff and moved to a brand-new 60,000 sq. ft headquarters in Beddington Farm Road in 2021.
Find out more about our logistics services.Share 15th June 2023


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ANIMATED SHORT-FORM SERIES 'DESCENDANTS: WICKED WORLD'
Growing consumer interest in "Descendants" stories brings a second season of "Descendants: Wicked World," the animated short-form series that has reached over 30 million Total Viewers in the U.S. and has also delivered over 100 million consumer engagements on the Disney Channel app, VOD and YouTube. Featuring three original songs and introducing new characters, "Descendants: Wicked World" season two is slated to begin airing this fall across multiple platforms including Disney Channel, the Disney Channel app, video-on-demand and on YouTube.
"Descendants Wicked World" season two is executive-produced by Carin Davis ("My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic") and Eric Fogel ("Celebrity Deathmatch"). Fogel also serves as director on the series. It is written by Scott Peterson ("Phineas and Ferb").


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Pandora Chief Executive Brian McAndrews might want to put Queen’s “Under Pressure” on his playlist.
Shares in the Oakland, Calif., Internet radio station fell 7.1 percent on Tuesday after McAndrews’ push a day earlier to turn Pandora into an on-demand subscription streamer.
Wall Street believes the move carries too much risk.
McAndrews said Pandora has reached a deal to buy some assets of Cumulus-backed Rdio for $75 million.
Shares fell to $12.47 as analysts questioned the CEO’s ability to pull off the switch.
“While the Rdio purchase is small ($75M cash), the move represents a massive shift from primarily domestic, ad-supported streaming to a potentially global, multi-product music offering,” Morgan Stanley analyst Benjamin Swinburne said in a research note.
“Along with the recent Ticketfly acquisition, these pivots bring an increased [market] and increased execution risk,” he continued.
BTIG analyst Rich Greenfield accused McAndrews of launching an “acquisition spree that reeks of desperation” — noting that the on-demand-music licenses won’t come cheap.
Music labels do not like free ad-supported models — preferring to ink deals with subscription models that share the more lucrative revenue stream.
In October, the money-losing Pandora spent $450 million acquiring Ticketfly, a ticketing service specializing in small venues, which will add a different revenue stream.
Pandora has also acquired the rights to stream Season 2 of the popular “Serial” podcast drama in the hopes of drawing more customers.
In the three months ended Sept. 30, Pandora saw its active listeners slip to 78.1 million, down from 79.4 million in the previous quarter.
The drop was attributed to the free introductory launch of Apple Music.
Meanwhile, Pandora is awaiting a December decision from the Copyright Royalty Board that could put more pressure on McAndrews by raising music licensing fees.


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UBS Group AG partner Clearmatics continues raising its funds while UBS is working with blockchain.
The world’s first truly international Bitcoin bank NextBank is preparing to launch during 2016 after successfully raising 950 000 USD seed investment capital. NextBank is now taking early registrations.
NextBank is planning to launch a new bitcoin banking platform that will make it easier for bitcoin community to use financial services worldwide.
NextBank’s mission is to provide advanced banking services for Bitcoin and cryptocurrency users worldwide. NextBank will offer international Debit Cards, accounts denominated in both fiat such as USD and various cryptocurrencies, SWIFT transfers, an escrow service, currency exchange, and much more.
Thirteen top banks, including Citi, Bank of America and Deutsche Bank, have joined a consortium led by financial tech firm R3 that is developing blockchain technology for the financial industry.
Banks offer using credit cards with EMV chips to better protect customer’s funds.


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Side note: It's at least the fourth key M&A deal involving MSSPs and MDR specialists in recent weeks.
Under terms of the ADT deal, which was finalized in October, DATASHIELD has been rebranded as ADT Cybersecurity. Also, DATASHIELD CEO Michael Malone is now senior VP, ADT Cybersecurity, reporting to ADT CEO Timothy J. Whall.
The newly minted ADT Cybersecurity promotes MDR services to midmarket and enterprise organizations. Generally speaking MDR cyber services differ in several ways from traditional managed security services -- though overlap between the two sectors is growing.
Managing Data for Improved Security
ADT Commercial and National Account customers that embrace ADT Cybersecurity services will also have access to SHIELDVision, a platform for organizing, managing, and collecting cyber intelligence. SHIELDVision also automates security analyst workflows to close the gap between cyberattack and breach detection time and remediation for customers, ADT asserts.
In a prepared statement, ADT's Whall described how physical and network security are converging. He said:
“Our goal is to provide ADT customers with the most comprehensive security solution to protect their business, and in today’s world, this not only means their physical premise, but also their network. For more than 143 years, ADT has been monitoring physical properties, and DATASHIELD will now allow us to extend that same level of security monitoring to the digital world. Michael and his team will infuse cybersecurity DNA into our core business, allowing us to provide an offering that will distinguish our brand as the premiere resource for end-to-end security.”
ADT's history dates back to about 1863. Like many classic technology companies, ADT has spent recent years pivoting beyond its heritage to pursue digital opportunities. Apollo Global Management acquired ADT for nearly $7 billion back in 2016. Additional M&A deals have surfaced since that time.
For instance, ADT in October 2017 acquired Gaston Security -- a video surveillance integration company that also offers intrusion, access control, and perimeter protection.Gaston Security primarily serves the financial, commercial, industrial, educational and government sectors across the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast region of the United States, ADT indicated at the time of the deal.
MSSP, MDR Acquisitions Heat Up
Moreover, MDR companies have been in hot demand. For instance, Booz Allen Hamilton, a Top 100 MSSP for 2017, in October acquired Morphick, a 40-person cybersecurity firm that offers MDR services. Financial terms were not disclosed.


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Mutantis Is Now Serving Gluten-Free Stouts in Northeast Portland
At the end of last year, West Coast beer vet Jason Yerger — formerly of Ghostfish in Seattle— opened a small bottle shop specializing in gluten-free beers. It offered a variety of options from Oregon’s gluten-free breweries, like Bierly Brewing, Evasion Brewing, Ground Breaker Brewing, and Moonshrimp. By the beginning of this year, however, Yerger was brewing his own gluten-free beer, and now, customers can drink Mutantis’s own sours, stouts, and IPAs on its new patio. To avoid gluten, Yerger brews his beers with things like malted rice, buckwheat, and millet, as well as quinoa and a gluten-free dry yeast.
→ Continue reading at Eater


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Want to join the conversation?
$MAT said Brexit had a minimal impact on 2Q16 results. Assuming the continued uncertainty does not further impact financial markets or the consumer economic outlook, Brexit will have a modest impact on full year results. $MAT believes the negative impact from FX will be roughly $0.02-0.05 of EPS for the year related to Brexit.
Any idea why some investors are happy about the disastrous $UA results??
Wow! GM killed it with earnings today! Did not expect this after $F gave the feeling it will eclipse the Chevy maker completely!
Oil rebound starting to show up in energy stocks. $XOM $CVX
I have a feeling "CLOUDy" days are ahead, with $AMZN leading the pack.
$AAL is giving pay hikes to its employees but investors are sulking.


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In recent weeks Creality has shown its Sermoon V1 during the CIIE 2022, a closed 3D printer that has become a symbol of the partnership between China and Brazil. But the news is by no means finished, as the company has announced a new adventure in the world of eSports.
The scenario is that of Max Creality Leagueone of the most important tournaments in the South American country, which will be hosted in the Max Arena, where 3,200 teams will compete on Free Fire to compete for the final prize pool equivalent to approximately $22,000.
The group stages are already underway at the moment battle royale for Android and iOSwhich will be followed by the preliminary rounds and the final, whose appointment is set for December 10, 2022.
Creality will naturally be a sponsor of the event but also a protagonist and on the stage of the Max Arena it will show some of its most awaited products of the year, including the Sermoon D3, the multifaceted Creality Sonic Pad, the CR-Laser Falcon laser engraver and the CR-M4, a large format printer. Furthermore, there will also be another product that enthusiasts will be interested in for some time: only a few weeks ago, in fact, Creality presented the Ender 5 S1, the latest evolution of the icon of the 3D printing with a revamped Sprite block.The products will be demonstrated on stage to a worldwide audience by Victor Pruner, Creality’s Sales Manager for the region.


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While the detailed reasons for Zhang's departure from the CEO role have not been disclosed, according to TechCrunch, his decision stems from a strategic shift within Alibaba. Zhang's focus will now shift towards managing the company's cloud business following Alibaba's business restructuring.
This move is intended to enable Alibaba to catch up with other companies that have already made significant strides in the field of artificial intelligence (AI).
“Zhang will be dedicated to managing the cloud business as part of Alibaba's business reorganization. It is worth noting that since last December, Zhang has held three pivotal roles within Alibaba,” explained an Alibaba spokesperson.
To fill the void left by Zhang, the CEO position will be handed over to Eddie Yongming Wu, the head of Taobao and Tmall Group at Alibaba. Meanwhile, Joseph Tsai, the Executive Vice Chairman, will assume Zhang's role as Chairman. The appointments of both Wu and Tsai took place on September 10.
Profile of Daniel Zhang
Zhang pursued his education at Shanghai University, majoring in Finance and Economics. He previously served as the CFO of Shanda Interactive Entertainment, a gaming company based in China.
Furthermore, Zhang held senior managerial positions in the audit and business advisory divisions at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) in Shanghai.
In 2007, Zhang joined Alibaba as the Chief Financial Officer of Taobao Marketplace. A year later, he was entrusted with the roles of Chief Operating Officer of Taobao Marketplace and General Manager of Taobao Mall.
Under his leadership, Taobao Mall experienced rapid growth and became one of the key subsidiaries of Alibaba Group.
Moreover, Zhang is renowned for his brilliance in generating unique ideas, including pioneering the launch of the world's largest online shopping festival, known as “11.11” or “Single Day.”


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Mercedes-Benz has introduced a voice AI travel companion called Tourguide as part of the MBUX voice assistant, offering insight on..
Tag Archives: Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz is extending its partnership with automotive voice tech developer Cerence as it introduces the second generation of the Mercedes-Benz..
Ford, BMW, Toyota, and SEAT have all announced Amazon Alexa integration for in-car voice interactive features. Google announced at CES..


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Welcome to The Fintech Briefing, a morning email providing the latest news, data, and insight into disruptive fintech in Europe and around the world, produced by BI Intelligence.
Sign up and receive Fintech Briefing to your inbox.
MONDO RAISES £1 MILLION IN LESS THAN TWO MINUTES. Mondo, a mobile-only challenger bank, recently raised £1 million ($1.4 million) from individual investors via crowdfunding platform Crowdcube in what is being called the fastest equity raise ever.
- 1,861 people invested an average of £542 ($763) each. Investors were limited to £1,000 ($1,408) per person.
- 6,000+ people registered to take part in the raise
- The £1 million ($1.4 million) adds to the £5 million ($7 million) Mondo raised from Passion Capital earlier this year.
Mondo currently has 1,500 cards in circulation as part of its beta trial and 30,000 people remain on a waiting list to use the service. It lags behind the three other major challenger in the UK — Atom, Starling, and Tandem — in terms of total funding, but it's the only challenger bank with a live product in the hands of consumers. All challenger banks seek to offer consumer-focused products, but Mondo is taking it a step further by giving customers an opportunity to become shareholders. That could lead to increased loyalty and engagement. Mondo's success in gaining funding shows that the need for innovation in financial services is so great that it's actively being driven by consumers.
ISRAEL'S GROWING FINTECH SCENE. The opening of fintech accelerator The Floor is just one of many indicators that Israel's fintech industry is starting to grow up. Here is a list of the latest fintech news coming out of the country:
- Fintech accelerator launches. The Floor is backed by VC fund Pando Group and will provide members with access to a network of 25 expert mentors including four major banks. Fintech accelerators provide much needed support and office space to startups looking to get off the ground, and are key to developing a thriving fintech ecosystem.
- VC fintech funding comes to Israel. Saban Ventures announced in February that it would launch a $100 million fund to invest in early stage Israeli firms. They are "actively" looking at fintech according to Barak Pridor, the manager of the new fund. Israeli fintech firms attracted £26 million ($36 million) in VC funding last year. As a point of context, UK fintech firms received £635 million ($901 million) in VC funding in 2015, according to Innovate Finance.
- Crowdfunding platform gets £7 million ($10 million) from Singapore bank. Israeli firm OurCrowd received funding this week from Singapore's United Overseas Bank to help develop the crowdfunding market in Asia. OurCrowd will offer its Israeli customers the opportunity to invest in Asian companies, while building its profile in the region. Despite there being a developed fintech scene in Asia, investors in the region worried by the economy in China are starting to look further afield.
EU EXPLORES CROSS BORDER FINANCIAL PRODUCTS. Last December the EU issued a Green Paper calling for input on how to improve cross-border retail financial services across Europe. The aim was to explore how to improve choice, competition, and transparency for consumers, and how firms could scale across the region. This week the EU held a public hearing in order to discuss the issues presented in the paper and potential solutions, with interested parties.
- Consumers want to buy financial products from other countries. 90% of responses received by the EU were from individuals, providing a clear consensus that consumers want to be able to buy products across borders. It may be due to the fact that consumers are already accustomed to being able to shop online for the best deal on products and services, even if that means cross-border consumption.
- Regulation needs to keep up with technology. To meet consumer expectations, financial services providers will need the support of regulators. Particularly in developing an environment where companies can scale across borders and operate efficiently, while simultaneously protecting consumers.
- The consultation is open until March 18. Contributions from individuals and firms are welcome.
POWA TECHNOLOGIES FINDS BUYERS. The London-based payment technology company, which collapsed two weeks ago, has found buyers for two of its businesses.
- London-based marketing agency Greenlight Digital is taking PowaWeb, Powa's e-commerce engine.
- Leading a consortium of investors, Ben White, a director at the company, is acquiring PowaTag. The PowaTag app allows users to take pictures of products in advertisements using their smartphone at which point they are redirected to purchase those products through the app.
Powa was once valued at £1.8 billion ($2.7 billion) and raised at least £160 million ($225 million) in debt and equity since 2013. But last month the company struggled to pay employees and contracts on time, and subsequently it was revealed that it had only £177,000 ($250,000) in the bank and debts of £11.6 million ($16.4 million). The company's biggest investor, US-based Wellington Management, called in its loans in February and has contracted Deloitte to navigate the best way forward.
Collapse adds to uncertainty in the fintech market? Investors have been cautious about fintech this year, and Powa's demise isn't helping things. However, there were signs that Powa was not operating as a typical startup long before its collapse. For example, it was based in luxury skyscraper Heron Tower at a cost of as much as £2.5 million ($3.5 million) a year. That suggests that company's performance alone isn't the best indicator of the state of fintech.
Around the world....
Google goes hands free. Google is testing an app which enables users to pay using only their voice. Participants with the test app tell the cashier at select stores, "I'll pay with Google" and are verified via in-store cameras. The aim is to make paying as easy and quick as possible. However, if the product makes it to full launch, consumer adoption is likely to be slow. Consumers are already accustomed to paying with plastic cards and doing so isn't a significant hassle for most consumers.
Dwolla gets fined for data-security practices. Digital payment company Dwolla settled with the US Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) for £71, 000 ($100, 000) and an agreement to improve its practices this week. Dwolla has not had any data breaches, but the CFPB alleged that Dwolla "failed to employ reasonable and appropriate measures to protect data obtained from customers from unauthorized access". Following several high profile data breaches in the country, enforcement agencies in the US are scrutinizing the practices of companies that collect and manage consumer data.


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Since Solyndra began its Chapter 11 bankruptcy case more than six months ago, the ill-fated thin-film PV module manufacturer has yet to escape a persistently harsh political and public spotlight.
Countless congressional hearings, speeches, investigations and accusations have centered on whether the Obama administration's awarding and oversight of the company's $535 million loan guarantee from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) involved any corruption.
However, for the solar sector, the more important side to the Solyndra story may be the financial side: With or without a loan guarantee, how did the company go from highly promising to bankrupt over the course of a few years? Are there wider lessons to be learned on how to optimally run a risky solar start-up, especially in a challenging market environment?
A recently released 204-page report from R. Todd Neilson, who was appointed the chief restructuring officer of Solyndra's bankruptcy case, gives an inside look at the rise and fall of the now-infamous solar company.
Neilson's independent report (originally posted online via Scribd by CNNMoney) concludes that the DOE had ‘sufficient information to understand the risks and challenges’ associated with granting a loan guarantee to Solyndra.
In addition, all evidence showed that Solyndra provided ample, accurate information on fab construction costs and other accounting data during the guarantee-monitoring period.
What went wrong, then?
1. What was seemingly a technological advantage was ill-timed for market conditions.
Originally founded as Gronet Technologies in 2005, Solyndra developed a proprietary copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS)-based PV module technology featuring a 15 mm-diameter CIGS-coated glass inner tube encapsulated inside of a 22-mm-diameter outer tube, hermetically sealed on each end with metal caps.
‘Due to the unique slatted design of the modules, along with their ability to be installed with zero degrees of tilt, Solyndra's panels allowed wind to pass through with minimal resistance,’ the report explains. ‘Unlike traditional crystalline-based panels, which require significant support systems to handle moderate to high wind gusts, Solyndra's panels could be installed relatively easily and at a fraction of the cost of traditional systems.’
In addition to shielding the CIGS material from long-term degradation and receiving diffuse and reflected sunlight, the design also offered key balance-of-system (BOS) and installation cost savings – at least at the time of Solyndra's market entry.
Commercial shipments of the product began in July 2008 and earned the company approximately $6 million in sales for the year. But by the time 2008 ended, Solyndra had already incurred a cumulative net loss of $385.1 million – and its problems were just beginning.Â
Despite receiving its DOE loan guarantee and beginning construction on a second manufacturing facility (Fab 2) in 2009, Solyndra ended the year with a cumulative net loss of $557.7 million. Sales were less than half of what the company had forecasted in its DOE loan guarantee pre-application, according to the report.
As most solar professionals remember, polysilicon prices began plummeting around this time – from $250-$500/kg in 2008 to $60/kg at the end of 2010. ‘The precipitous drop in polysilicon prices of approximately 80 percent portended serious problems for the future of Solyndra's CIGS cylindrical technology,’ the report says.
2. Optimal sales and distribution tactics may not have been deployed until it was too late.
Solyndra entered into customer agreements with nine prospective customers between 2007 and 2009, according to the report.
Before the arrival of Brian Harrison as president and CEO in July 2010, the company was selling and distributing its product to PV integrators and installers – a model that failed to bring in sufficient business to meet projected sales volumes.
This business model relied on the ‘assumed superiority of the Solyndra product and its capability to sell itself when placed into the hands of knowledgeable middlemen,’ the report explains. ‘However, these middlemen were most often driven by price, [an area in which] Solyndra did not excel.’
Integrators and installers also often lacked capital to buy Solyndra's modules without securing an end buyer for the sale.
‘Harrison concluded a new distribution model focusing more on end-user projects provided much more promise,’ the report says. ‘The new distribution model being developed would pursue strategic accounts (including larger retailers such as Walmart and Target), real estate owners (such as REITs), utilities, agricultural applications and government agencies.’
However, because a key assumption of all forecasts and business plans was that all product would be sold promptly, the company's financial numbers had already dangerously strayed from projections.
3. Manufacturing costs remained stubbornly high.
Solyndra claimed in its pre-application to the DOE that its module architecture facilitates manufacturing costs below $1/W. But in reality, the company was swiftly left behind in the cost-reduction race, especially when masses of Chinese PV manufacturers armed with low-cost government capital came on the scene.
‘As this inexorable drive to compete intensified, other solar panel factories were moving toward production costs of $1.00 per watt,’ the report notes. ‘Solyndra, however, could only operate its existing Fab 2, Phase I facility at $2.00 per watt if it reached full production capacity and met certain technical milestones.’
By June 2010, Solyndra was selling its modules at $3.24/W – with production costs above $4.00/W. In fact, the company sold every one of its modules at a loss in fiscal-year 2010, according to the report.
The average selling price (ASP) for solar modules has since reached approximately $1.00/W. Although such a price decline helps support the broader adoption of solar power, for Solyndra (as well for the several other solar manufacturers that have failed in recent years), it spelled nothing but trouble.
‘This rapid drop in ASP was probably the single greatest contributor to Solyndra's failure,’ the report concludes.


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Calumet Photographic selects iCongo e-commerce platform
Montreal iCongo, a leading provider of e-commerce, multichannel and marketing systems, announced Wednesday that Calumet Photographic has selected the iCongo E-Commerce Platform as the backbone of its online global presence. Calumet will leverage the iCongo E-Commerce Platform and marketing suite to launch four country sites from a single platform with different business rules to support each country.
With more than 40,000 online products, a dedicated rebate center, in-depth education and product resource centers, availability of rental and other equipment through store integration, Calumet set out to find a robust solution that would best manage its highly interactive and customer-centric online channel.
“Some of the key drivers in the selection of iCongo’s E-Commerce Platform are the solution’s ease in creating complex layered promotions, advanced site search and integrated e-mail campaign management,” stated Tim Brennan, chief technology officer, Calumet Photographic, Chicago, which serves customers through retail stores, call centers and Web sites in the United Kingdom; United States; the Netherlands; Belgium; and Germany. “Communications with our customers is critical and we believe the iCongo E-Commerce Platform provides us with the infrastructure and tool set needed to continue growing locally and internationally.”
Calumet’s decision to re-platform will company to better service its customers with iCongo’s integrated marketing tools including call center and CRM, e-mail campaign management, polling, surveys and advanced personalization capabilities. The integrated e-mail and CRM ensures that customers and prospects can be more effectively identified and targeted with advanced segmentation and CRM data to realize which promotions will yield the greatest results for each audience, according to iCongo.
Walmart opens Latin America division HQ in South Florida
MIAMI Walmart announced that it has opened new headquarters in South Florida for its Latin America regional operations and also introduced the new regional president and chief executive officer, Eduardo Solorzano.
“We’re very enthused about having our new Latin America regional headquarters here in Miami, which some describe as a gateway to Latin America,” Solorzano said, speaking to reporters at his first press conference in his new role. “The opening of this new regional office reflects a renewed level of service and support Walmart Latinoamerica is ready to provide, to our markets, to our associates, to our stores, and to the people in countries throughout Latin America, whether we have stores in those countries yet or not.”
Solorzano assumed his new role Jan. 18, having led Wal-Mart de Mexico since early 2005, where he oversaw dramatic expansion of the business in terms of units, associates, sales and share value. With that company’s recent acquisition of Walmart’s operations in Central America, he was been instrumental in expanding the company beyond Mexico. In addition, Solorzano was responsible for the conception and creation of Banco Walmart, the world’s first Walmart bank, and the development of successful new formats such as Bodega Aurrera Express.
Sperber to head partnerships, licensing at Universal Studios
UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. Stephanie Sperber has been named president Universal Partnerships and Licensing (UP&L) for Universal Studios.
Sperber has led UP&L as EVP since its creation in 2009 joining the studio’s retail focused consumer products group with the division known as Universal Studios Partnerships (USP). Prior to that, she led Universal Studios Partnerships as EVP since 2005.
Before joining Universal, Sperber was executive director of marketing at Turner Broadcasting, overseeing the brand marketing for Hanna-Barbera Productions.


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While more than $15 billion has been invested by Meta since the beginning of last year in its metaverse initiative, the precise whereabouts of this capital are unknown.
Since the beginning of this year, Meta has invested more than $15 billion in its Meta Reality Labs endeavor. However, the company has not disclosed exactly how the money is being spent.
There is growing concern among some industry professionals that the corporation is throwing good money after bad.
Dan Ives, a tech analyst at Wedbush Securities, stated that the problem is, that they spend the money, but the openness with investors has been a nightmare.
“For now, they’re betting money on the future while they continue to have massive headwinds in their core business. “This continues to be a risky bet by Zuckerberg and the team because, for the time being, they’re betting money on the future while they continue to have massive headwinds in their core business,” he added.
The previous year, when Meta started disclosing financial statistics for Reality Labs, the business stated that it had already invested more than $10 billion into the initiative, and there was no sign of an end to the company’s losses appearing in the near future. The corporation has recorded a loss of more than $5 billion for the first six months of 2022, and some analysts anticipate that the total losses for this year will exceed those of the previous year.
While a Meta representative has declined to comment, they did say that the company does not release separate financial information for its Reality Labs division.
Ives is concerned about how much money Meta has poured into its metaverse project so far, especially in light of the “underwhelming” improvements the company has offered this week, such as a new $1,500 headgear and a version of avatars with legs.
Mark Zgutowicz, an analyst at Benchmark, speculates that the enormous costs associated with creating a brand new universe account for at least 60% of Reality Labs’ losses, though he cannot be certain of this.
“There is no actual metaverse, at least from a scaling aspect,” he stated. Here is the metaverse explained.
But did Zgutowicz point out, that Meta has good reasons to try to construct everything on its own.
According to Tigress Financial Partners’ tech analyst, Ivan Feinseth, the future is bright thanks to Mark Zuckerberg’s vision and the potential of the metaverse.


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The Brooklyn Nets sold the seventh-most merchandise of any NBA team despite not having any NBA player in the top 20 of jersey sales, according to the league.
The Nets were outsold (in order) by the Miami Heat, Los Angeles Lakers, Chicago Bulls, Oklahoma City Thunder, New York Knicks, and Boston Celtics. Heat forward LeBron James had the league’s top-selling jersey for the sixth time in his career.
An NBA spokesperson confirmed to The Brooklyn Game that Deron Williams had the highest-selling jersey of all NBA players, ranking 22nd overall in the league.
Earlier this season, Jason Collins’s #98 jersey led the NBA Online Store for multiple days following the Nets signing him to a ten-day contract. Collins is the first openly gay male athlete in one of the four major professional U.S. sports.


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CAMILLUS, N.Y. (NCC NEWS) – Turkey prices have fallen more than 15 percent just in time for Thanksgiving. Craig Kennedy is the owner-operator of Twin Brook Farms in Camillus. The turkey farm is regenerative, which means it doesn’t use any form of chemicals in raising its turkeys. It’s important for more than just the turkey’s health, said Kennedy.
“What we’re trying to do is provide quality food for particularly for the younger couples and get their children eating properly,” said Kennedy.
The inspiration for going organic came from his faith, Kennedy said.
“I think it’s our job to figure out what the creator had in mind and then mimic that,” said Kennedy.
Kennedy wasn’t always the turkey farmer he is today. In 1977, Kennedy set off with his wife to the Philippines where they would spend the next 35 years building hospitals and working for humanitarian causes as missionaries. Although much different, Kennedy says taking good care of his animals and treating them with respect is all a part of his mission.
“They’re able to roam, and they’re not in barns all day long. We don’t need to give them chemicals and pharmaceuticals, they just survive well on their own,” said Kennedy.
Although their Thanksgiving turkeys are already sold out, you’ll be able to find their organic beef and organic chicken right around the new year.


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So when high streets attempt to recover from the pandemic, is there a necessity to discover a renewed community purpose?
Now is an ideal time, an opportunity exists, for shoppers to re-purpose their high streets and have a say on the businesses that occupy them.
It is a given that high streets and shopping centres will suffer, they were struggling before the pandemic took hold, but does this now pave the way for a new way of shopping to emerge?
Urban decay is all too familiar, shops with shutters drawn to the floor, unkempt store fronts, rows of premises for sale or rent signs signify the present economical status of the area but, in closing, also sever the link to the local community.
As we look to regain and rebuild confidence in our shopping areas, what if we were offered a major incentive to repair the social landscape, re-purposing empty buildings for the good of the local community, run by social enterprises.
Community run pubs, restaurants, cafe’s, shops, cinemas, theatres, playgroups, leisure centres, gyms, in fact, the possibilities are limitless and raise some hope for the future.
From the burning embers of a once thriving shopping centre or high street will emerge signs of recovery in every town. Third sector businesses will and can work side by side with commercial enterprises reflecting a new value system as people are appreciating a different world with a possible and much needed stronger sense of community.


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Kate Spade, the iconic fashion designer known for "It" handbags and fun, colorful, bright designs, tragically took her own life last month, but the retail giant she built is still growing nationwide.
A Kate Spade outlet store recently opened at the Lighthouse Place Premium Outlets in downtown Michigan City. The 2,800-square-foot store in the outdoor mall at 601 Wabash St. sells discounted handbags, clothing, accessories, jewelry, perfume, shoes, swimwear, glasses, gifts, stationary and home decor designed by the late fashion icon who who went from being a magazine editor to the creator of a global designer brand that became nearly ubiquitous in New York City.
Kate Spade items, such as the bags Vogue editor Anna Wintour said were impossible to walk a block in Manhattan without seeing, are known for being urbane, sophisticated, chic and affordable.
Spade sold her company, which operates more than 175 Kate Spade New York shops internationally, for $2.4 billion to Tapestry Inc. last year, before starting a new brand, Frances Valentine.
The Kate Spade store at 1660 Lighthouse Pl in Michigan City, is open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.
For more information, call 219.878.0879.
Dollar General relocated its Highland store on 45th Street from a strip mall to a newly constructed standalone building at 3325 45th St.
The Tennessee-based bargain retailer, where many, but not all, items are priced for $1, redesigned the Highland store so seasonal products are featured at the center of the stores, coolers are located up front, and departments are more easily recognized because of more visible signage.
“Dollar General is committed to delivering a pleasant shopping experience that includes a convenient location, a wide assortment of merchandise and great prices on quality products,” said Dan Nieser, Dollar General’s senior vice president of real estate and store development. “We hope our Highland customers will continue to enjoy shopping at Dollar General’s new location.”
The discount store sells an array of housewares, seasonal items, cleaning supplies, cloths and health and beauty products, as well as a limited selection of grocery items such as fruit juice, canned sardines, coffee and microwave dinners.
The Dollar General at 3325 45th St is open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week.
For more information, call 219.934.0748.
The demolition of the River Oaks Theaters in Calumet City, which started in mid-June, is completely done.
Nothing remains of the vintage movie theaters that date back to the 1960s, where many Region residents saw landmark movies like "Star Wars" and "Jaws." They had been closed since 2006, and were deemed no longer viable.
Owner Namdar Realty Group/Mason Asset Management, which bought the River Oaks Center last year, has no immediate plans for redeveloping the site outside the mall, which has struggled from the loss of anchors in recent years.
The Cave, a long-closed restaurant and lounge at Grant Street and Ridge Road in Gary, is no more.
The city demolished the building, which was badly damaged in a fire last year. Business suffered at the long-shuttered grill and pub in the 1990s because of road construction projects in the West Glen Park neighborhood, according to Times archives.


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At least 1,200 farmers applied for getting a permit order from the company and have been waiting for it for the last six months. (Representational Image)
Khammam: Getting a permit order from the ITC-Bhadrachalam Paper Board Limited has become a herculean task for the Subabul and Eucalyptus farmers in the district.
At least 1,200 farmers applied for getting a permit order from the company and have been waiting for it for the last six months. The delay has caused a lot of financial burden to the farmers. When the farmers approached the company officials for the order, they were usually met with the same answer —their number had not come.
It is being alleged that there is a huge gamble in selling the subabul wood to the company. Many of the farmers, vexed with the delay in getting the permit order from the company, are selling the wood to the middlemen depots located at Aswaraopet, Vinayakapuram, Dammapet, Patwarigudem, Mulakalapalli, Madhira and Burgumpahad.
A lower price is being paid by the middlemen to the farmers for their produce. The price of subabul per tonne ranges from Rs 2,400 to Rs 3,700 as per the quality. The depots being run by middlemen are paying Rs 500 less per tonne to the farmers. The same middlemen are selling the produce to the company at a huge margin. Permit orders are being issued to the middlemen, who have applied on behalf of the farmers.
Subabul and Eucalyptus are being raised in 1.22 lakh acres in Khammam and Bhadradri-Kothagudem districts. The company encouraged the farmers to grow the trees when they were facing trouble in procuring wood to make pulp. After the farmers raised more subabul, it is being alleged that the company began playing its games and trying to procure the produce at a lesser price.
Sattupalli MLA Sandra Venkata Veeraiah has written to the head office of the company at Kolkata on the woes of the farmers in selling their produce. There was no response from the company. The ITC office in Khammam is not solving the issues. P. Srinivasa Rao, a subabul farmer in Bonakal said that the middlemen were earning crores of rupees by selling the produce to the company that they bought from the farmers. "We are unable to find out why such a practice is going on?" he said.


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Chris Bosh launches neckwear collection
Chris Bosh at the Espys? Makes sense. Chris Bosh at the Emmys? Say what? But that’s exactly where the Miami Heat star was Sunday evening in Los Angeles, with wife Adrienne, rocking a white tuxedo. Bosh tweeted a picture of himself in front of a white Lamborghini with the hashtag #Emmys! The NBA stud is taking a page from the Dwyane Wade fashion playbook and designing a line of neckwear with Armstrong & Wilson called Mr. Nice Tie. He was in L.A. promoting the collection (five ties, five neckties) which should be out next month.
Bosh said he was inspired by his dad: "I used to watch my father get ready in the mirror....and the last thing he always did was tie his tie. I remember being so proud the first time I learned how to tie that first tie knot by myself."
Shopping info at http://armstrongandwilson.com/mnt
On Our Radar
- Gloria Estefan to lead Q&A
- CSI Miami star Omar Miller talks Weekend Fix
- Dwyane Wade getting ready for A Night on the Runwade
- Mr. Olympia Phil Heath gives diet and exercise tips before the holidays
- Pharrell can't sell his Miami condo
- Supermodel Elle Macpherson at opening of Stripsteak
- Eric Trump marries in Palm Beach
- Miami actor Carlos Ponce stays busy
- Jersey Belle star Jaime Sullivan in Miami
- Shireen Sandoval named 'Deco Drive' cohost


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European businesses caught using unlicensed software have had to splash out £6.5m in the first half of this year as they settle with the Business Software Alliance (BSA) and buy the required licenses to get legal.
The value of settlements has already eclipsed last year's half year mark by 20% costing more than £500,000 as firms continue to run the risks of using unlicensed products.
In the UK firms have paid out in excess of £2m and with the fight against piracy ongoing the figure is expected to carry on rising through the rest of this year.
"Despite ongoing campaigning by the BSA to educate businesses to make sure that they have adequate software licensing in place, these figures demonstrate that there is still a way to go in changing the attitude of some companies," said Julian Swan, director of compliance marketing EMEA.
The BSA only recently announced its latest case in the UK against a medical supplies firm found using unlicensed software and continues to look for firms to chase up encouraging the public to report those that are guilty of breaking the law.
"The BSA conducted more than 1,000 legal actions in the first half of this year in EMEA," said Sarah Coombes, senior director, legal affairs EMEA at the BSA.
She added that not only did those caught out leave themselves exposed to public naming and shaming and reputational damage but also significant legal and financial sanctions.


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Robots in Chinese restaurants are continuing to work below expectations.
It was the idea that made national headlines – employing artificial robots as waiters and chefs in Chinese restaurants.
Only a few years into their employment, a number of food chains have been fired their artificial employees after they were deemed unfit for the job due to lack of intelligence and multifuntionality.
A catering business in the seaport city of Xiamen in the Fujian province was the first to begin employing robots with the capacity to take orders and deliver food to tables. Diners in a similarly robot themed restaurant featuring robot chefs termed meals ‘unpalatable,’ with robots also unable to carry out unexpected tasks and duties around the restaurant as they surfaced.
A robot worker will cost an employer around HK$60,000 a month, along with extra costs for upkeep, electricity and repairs, a cost which Sun Qimin of robot manufacturing company Siert feels is unprofitable.
“Human beings can react to their environment effectively, but these robots are not able to do so,” he said.
Despite warnings from economists that robot employees could severely damage the global economy by taking human jobs, computerised counterparts were popular and profitable for attracting customers and have been employed throughout China.
Two robots in the south-eastern province of Guangdong were recently fired, after the restaurant employing them claimed they were unable to carry soup well or pour water for customers.
Two other robot themed restaurants in Guangdong have closed their doors recently, leaving only one remaining.
Artificial intelligence may solve problems like staff turnover rates and sick dates, but the clumsy robots aren’t set to go global anytime soon. While repetitive work in the realm of mass production seems suitable, robots are probably not cut out for the hospitality industry – yet.


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The Knot, Gloss.com Seal Marketing Alliance
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The Knot, an online wedding resource site, and beauty e-tailer gloss.com, this week inked a one-year marketing partnership under which gloss.com will be the exclusive beauty products merchant on TheKnot.com and The Knot areas on America Online's properties.
Financial details of the deal were not disclosed.
"As a leading wedding website, The Knot is helping a huge audience of brides-to-be prepare for the biggest day of their lives," said Sarah Kugelman, president and co-founder of gloss.com. "Gloss.com's inside access to the latest trends and beauty tips from industry insiders will be instrumental in providing The Knot users with the best in beauty products and advice for their weddings and happily ever after."
The new relationship calls for The Knot to create a special content area with information from gloss.com, including a beauty advisor, virtual makeover, and gloss.com magazine. The section will also highlight products geared toward the bride-to-be.
Online purveyors of beauty products are rushing to forge alliances, as they go head-to-head in the highly-competitive market. Gloss.com competes with the likes of Beauty.com, ibeauty.com, Reflect.com and Sephora.com.


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The dream is about to come true for a mother-and-son team of budding entrepreneurs who spent two long years hunting for cash, scouring for sites and conjuring up recipes for Harlem's first full-service, vegan soul food restaurant.
After winning a business competition, running a successful fundraising campaign online and scoring free legal advice, the pair say they're finally ready to debut Seasoned Vegan at 55 St. Nicholas Ave., on the corner of W. 113th St.
The planned Feb. 23 opening will bring a savory array of meatless, non-dairy feasts to an area where the consumption of grease, gluten and high-cholestrol animal fats has long been linked to astronomical rates of obesity and diabetes.
"It's all the food you love to eat — veganized!" says Brenda Beener, the restaurant's chef, founder and owner.
That means the mouth-watering "barbecued riblets" will be created from lotus roots, the "smothered Southern chicken" will rise from a soy-and-seitan medley and the Cajun-style "Louisiana crawfish" will emerge, as if by magic, from the zestiest yams in creation.
"We want to introduce meat-and-fish-eaters to another way of eating, not to change anyone's mindset, but to provide more options," Beener said. "And when you don't force things on people, they tend to be a bit more receptive."
Adds Aaron Beener, her 28-year-old son and manager, "We're a super-strict, 100% vegan soul food restaurant with great appeal to omnivores and carnivores."
Artists will also be made to feel at home: Seasoned Vegan is building a cordoned-off space where performers can stage live music and hold poetry readings and comedy shows.
The Daily News first chronicled the Beemers' quest for a home for their "mock meat" and "faux fish" dishes on June 8, 2012. At the time, they planned to open that summer on a swath of Frederick Douglass Blvd. near 116th Street known as Harlem's "Restaurant Row."
It didn't happen: The rent on those booming blocks was too steep, the up-front cash proved elusive and their timetable for opening the eatery turned out to be too optimistic.
But the Beemers never gave up on their dream, and three major breakthroughs helped make the Beeners' dream reality:
* The Kickstarter.com Campaign. At the time of The News story, the Beeners were in the early stages of a 30-day drive to raise $20,000 through Kickstarter, which provides online funding for creative projects.
By June 30, they had hit their funding goal, lining up 329 friends, vegans and supporters who ponied up $22,185.
After scoring the 50-seat, 1,300-square-foot St. Nicholas Ave. location, five blocks from where they first looked, they used the small windfall to make a down payment on the lease on Oct. 29.
* The Contest. Every year, the Harlem Business Alliance fields applicants in its "business plan competition" and rewards the start-up enterprise with the best formulated business plan.
Beating out 24 applicants and three other finalists, the Beeners on Aug. 6 snared the grand prize — a $5,000 cash award plus free tutorials on how best to incubate and grow a small business.
"They'll be a great destination choice for healthy eating, and we need as many healthy options here as we can possibly get!" said HBA Executive Director Regina Smith.
They're using the funds to pay suppliers and contractors and cover assorted other start-up costs.
* The Lawyers. With the help of the nonprofit Volunteers of Legal Service, the pair accessed the services of a powerhouse white-shoe law firm and saved thousands of dollars on start-up legal counseling.
"Now, we are finally ready to prepare great, healthy dishes with flavorful ingredients, loving care and our own vegan, home-cooked, soulful twist," Brenda Beener said.


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Facebook reveals a whopping 735 million referrals are sent on the social network per day.
Facebook has primarily been a social networking website. However, it is also a key player in the online gaming space with games such as FarmVille, Mafia Wars and Candy Crush Saga becoming immensely popular globally Facebook has just released some interesting figures of its gaming venture -- it has about 375 million people who play at least one Facebook game in an average month. The data includes gamers on both desktop and mobile devices. Facebook also reveals users send an average of 735 million referrals to games every day.
Citing an internal study, Facebook highlights cross-platform players tend to spend more time and money on games than single-platform players. The study showed “mobile engagement for cross-platform players was 2.4 times the engagement of mobile-only players. Facebook desktop engagement for cross-platform players was 1.5 times the engagement of desktop-only players”. Revenue on desktop for cross-platform players was about 3.3 times higher than the revenues of desktop-only players.
Criminal Case was crowned as the most popular game on Facebook for the last year. Games such as Candy Crush Saga, FarmVille2, Slotomania and DoubleDown Casino were listed in Facebook's 2013 Hall of Fame.
Facebook says it is now aiming to improve quality of discovery and engagement for Facebook connected games. “Already, we've given developers more compelling ways to showcase their games with App Center videos, created more places within Facebook to recommend great games, and found more ways to give people context about games before they try them,” says the company in a post.
Facebook also announced improving game requests. Developers can now customize the language in a request to provide people more information about what their friends are asking them to do in a game.
improved Facebook notification


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In a significant boost to the Australian retail sector, China’s top online retailer, Alibaba, has confirmed its plans in opening its Australia headquarters by the end of the year.
In fact, Alibaba has already started off with an office which was opened without any media fanfare in mid-April. It will be lining up a bigger team in the coming months.
Known as the ‘Amazon of China’, the Alibaba Group boasts of many online marketplaces such as Tmall and payments platform Alipay. A report in Smart Company quoted Maggie Zhou, Alibaba’s managing director for Australia and New Zealand, as saying that Australia’s high-quality health and baby products will be one of its focal areas.
“These categories are among our top-selling international product categories, and are sought-after by many consumers in China,” Zhou said.
Listed on the New York Stock Exchange, the Jack Ma-founded Alibaba commands a market value of nearly US$200 billion. According to The Australian Financial Review, Alibaba has already recruited the top professionals for the Australian foray.
James Hudson, the chief executive of the NSW branch of the Australia-China Business Council, will be joining in May. One New Zealand-born entrepreneur named John O’Loghlen already joined the Australian team. So far, Maggie Zhou has been handling both Australia and New Zealand businesses from her office in Hangzhou.
Alibaba’s rationale on the Australian office is that it will be for helping local Aussie brands to tap into the massive Chinese market. It cites 407 million active buyers on its platforms as a phenomenal boost to local brands.
“We aim to have dedicated country operations to work closely with Australian merchants and partners, and it is our plan to establish an office in Australia in late 2016 to better help local brands and merchants to access to the Chinese consumer market,” the company said in an emailed statement to the AFR.
According to Frank Granziera, CEO of Sydney-based Olive Oil Skincare Company, it is good news for Australian retailers. Granziera sells 15 percent of his stock through the Alibaba site, Tmall.
Many Australian retailers such as Woolworths, Bellamy’s, Blackmores, and Chemist Warehouse have already signed up to sell their products on Tmall, the retailer’s Chinese language platform for selling goods to the mainland.


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Hanover Fair 2009: Siemens sets the focus on cost-effective innovations and energy efficient solutions
Siemens views the current economic environment as a good opportunity to increase its market share in industrial equipment and solutions. “It is especially in times of changing economic conditions that industrial companies expect systematic solutions that help cut costs while also securing their investment. As leading industry suppliers we are deliberately targeting energy-efficient and cost-effective innovations which permit our customers to achieve an early return on investment”, stated Klaus Helmrich, CEO of the Drive Technologies Division at a Siemens trade press conference prior to the Hanover Fair 2009. Against the backdrop of declining greenfield business, it is efficiency, flexibility and reliability of existing plants which have gained in importance. “Here, economical operations go hand in hand with environmental protection using green solutions”, stated Jens Wegmann, CEO of Siemens Industry Solutions. “In a large number of modernization projects, they help us save more than three quarters of the cost of energy.”
“Energy savings in an industrial environment can make a significant contribution towards increasing competitiveness for our customers. In this way they provide the assurance of a sustainably profitable, environmentally responsible and future-proof investment”, mentioned Klaus Helmrich in connection with increasingly stringent legislation on energy efficiency. Roughly 50 per cent of the overall power consumption in developed countries is used in industry, over two thirds of which is consumed by electric drive systems. “We estimate that the use of variable-speed drives and highly efficient motors could generate global savings of 120 terra-watt hours”, Helmrich continued. In its industry business, Siemens places the emphasis on short payback periods on customer investment, taking into account the totality of costs across the entire life cycle. Helmrich: “Payback for the majority of our new drive systems is less than 18 months.”
Besides drives, it is also control systems that contribute towards energy efficiency; they ensure that power is only used where it is actually needed. While individual energy-efficient products can make a considerable contribution to reducing energy consumption, only a smart combination of these systems from planning through to operation within the framework of Totally Integrated Automation can effectively leverage this potential”, stated Ralf-Michael Franke, CEO of Industrial Automation Systems. “We are driving forward our world leading automation portfolio with innovations designed to increase productivity and cut costs for our customers.” The new Simatic S7-1200 Micro-Controller is also part and parcel of this strategy: “In its performance class, this new controller range is setting whole new standards. It opens up new dimensions in terms of performance and efficiency for our customers”.
With its standardized platform technologies in automation and drives, industry-specific product lines and a globally installed plant base, Industry Solutions has everything in place to further extend its service and modernization business, stated Wegmann. “We are benefitting from the demand for environmentally friendly technologies. With integrated solutions in the fields of energy efficiency, water management and pollution control, Siemens is the only supplier worldwide which provides its customers with competent and specific support in all three sections of the environment portfolio.” As the driving forces for demand, he lists not only the rising costs of energy but also the shortage of natural resources and ever stricter environmental legislation. Wegmann is confident that even given the current economic climate, this background provides a good opportunity to drive Siemens Industry Solutions forward to become the world’s leading industrial solution provider.
The Siemens Industry Sector (Erlangen, Germany) is the worldwide leading supplier of production, transportation, building and lighting technologies. With integrated automation technologies as well as comprehensive industry-specific solutions, Siemens increases the productivity, efficiency and flexibility of its customers in the fields of industry and infrastructure. The Sector consists of six Divisions: Building Technologies, Drive Technologies, Industry Automation, Industry Solutions, Mobility and Osram. With around 222,000 employees worldwide Siemens Industry posted in fiscal year 2008 a profit of EUR3.86 billion with revenues totaling EUR38 billion. www.siemens.com/industry
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Africa's new digitised youth population, Generation Z, will define Africa's digital future and these are the skills they will need to do it...
Louise Burgers 8 May 2018
A new generation is emerging across Africa who have never known life without the internet or social media. How will their consumer behaviour and spending patterns shape business and society in the future...?
Louise Burgers 2 May 2018
Google SA hosted a media event earlier this week to bring media practitioners across Africa up to speed on the latest technological advancements in the digital advertising space, focusing on Google Ads in particular...
Jessica Tennant 7 Feb 2018
South Africa's first digital-native generation is coming of age, and it's changing the rules for marketers...
Ernst Wittmann 2 Nov 2017
At last years' Financial Mail Annual Ad Focus Awards, HDI Youth Marketeers were awarded the Partnership Award for their work with Pick n Pay...
Ann Nurock 10 Mar 2016
The year 2013 for most brands, especially the ones coping with saturated markets in developed countries, will be a decisive one. Incorporating Africa into their corporate brand strategy, if they haven't done so, will be the better part of valour, so to speak.
Obaika Consulting Team 31 Jan 2013
As 2013 commences, afro-pessimism seems to cede to afro-optimism. There is a global consensus: Africa is poised for a great future. What will be the impact of Africa's growth on our industry? What will be the major trends of the year? In the business world, predicting the future is a crucial exercise.
Nandkishor Buty 30 Jan 2013
Cherilyn Ireton, a highly respected journalist and manager from titles such the Sunday Times and Business Day, took over as the executive director of the World Editors Forum that falls under WAN-IFRA, in January 2012. She tells Bizcommunity.com of the challenges of the Parisian-based job, the biggest problems and opportunities facing editors across the globe and how she wants to connect editors to try find solutions.
Gill Moodie 20 Mar 2012