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Innovations safeguarding pharma cold chain
As transportation of the Covid-19 vaccine becomes critical in light of the ongoing pandemic, companies are optimising their digital capabilities to meet the container demand on a real-time basis. With the world requiring the life-saving Covid-19 vaccine jabs, container solution providers for temperature-controlled phar
The pandemic has fast-tracked the need for innovation and the increased need for transformations in the healthcare sector, especially in the transportation, logistics and last mile delivery of the Covid-19 vaccine. As transportation of medicines and pharmaceuticals is increasing due to the delivery of the Covid-19 vaccine, container solution providers around the world who deliver and process temperature-controlled pharma products have been rising to the challenge posed by the pharma industry in several ways.
In line with this, va-Q-tec – a German tech firm that sells products for temperature controlling and insulation-vacuum, insulation panels and phase change materials has signed a deal with Turkish Cargo to deploy its thermal container va-Q-tainer on the airline’s fleet.
The container has a special low-temperature service free of dry ice down to -50°C, which is best suited for carrying and transporting the Covid-19 vaccines. va-Q-tainers can maintain various temperature ranges between -70 °C upto +25 °C for several days inside the container. In addition, the underlying production processes have been certified as climate-neutral, according to the UN Greenhouse Gas Protocol since 2020.
Christopher J. Storch, the global head of sales, va-Q-tec Group spoke about further digitising the process and said, “Currently, we are developing a smart va-Q-tainer which will be launched soon. It will be equipped with various digital features, such as real-time devices that display various parameters such as the current position of the container, outside and inside temperature, humidity and information about shocks and tilt. This will enable va-Q-tec and all partners to further enhance the visibility and integrity of the temperature-controlled supply chain. Additionally, we are optimising the container utilisation rate by working with various tools like artificial intelligence and forecast tools which allow us to expand our TempChain network to be closer to the actual shippers and improve our logistics planning.”
Meanwhile, the company’s digital service solution va-Q-nection offers customers 100 percent transparency of the TempChain at its box rental programme. It consists of the intelligent networking of a smart box, an app and the advanced TempChain Service Software. All data along the audit trail is protected against falsification with the help of va-Q-tec's blockchain technology.
Incidentally, December 2020, CSafe Global had launched the first shipment visibility system for active containers. CSafe’s CEO Patrick Schafer, explains, “We continue to retrofit our existing fleet with the integrated tracking device and every new container we manufacture has the tracking device built-in. While the device will not transmit data during the flight, it does immediately download all data monitored during flight once the plane is on the ground. During land transit, the device continuously delivers location and condition data to the cloud-based visibility platform which provides real-time alerts and monitoring to ensure end-to-end visibility. Customers can see route deviations, ambient and internal temperature data, when container doors are opened, shock and tilt events and more. This year we are expanding this offering into both our parcel and cell and gene product lines.”
Active containers are already equipped with a variety of sensors and allow the user to gain insight into the temperature levels during transport. DoKaSch Opticooler RAP has a volume of 6.57 cubic metres with a maximum payload capacity of 4,893 kilogrammes. While Opticooler RKN is a smart solution developed for compact freight with a loading volume of 1.88 cubic metres and a payload of 918 kilogrammes. Both the containers maintain a temperature range of +2° to +8°C / +15° to +25°C.
Andreas Seitz, the managing director of DoKaSch, says, “Furthermore, our containers are under constant surveillance by the airlines. In turn, it is possible to scan the temperature development right after a flight, which already provides the users with high safety and reliability levels. Temperature-regulated packaging solutions are often not used for end-to-end transport; they are only a part of the cold chain and the actual tracking is more important for the transported cargo. Nonetheless, we are working on projects to provide seamless end-to-end capabilities for our Opticoolers to provide our customers with additional transparency and safety.”
In May, global air transportation solutions leader Envirotainer, which had already facilitated the transportation of more than 450 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines, launched Releye RLP30000PC container for transporting pharmaceutical products, and was built on 5 pillars of control, monitoring, value, autonomy, and sustainability. The unit uses rechargeable batteries, with a single battery chargeable to power the system for over 170 hours and it can contain up to three Euro pallets stacked 132 cm high. The product was developed taking into account the opinions of several domain experts in the temperature-controlled air freight industry based on the challenges they need to solve.
“We provide our customers with the latest digital services via our Envirotainer customer portal. From any device and at any time, customers can monitor their shipments with live data and access all their data relating to their shipments in real-time so nothing will escape their attention. If their cargo is removed or the door is opened it will be visible in their data flow to track any temperature deviations. In addition to monitoring live shipments, customers can for example place or change an order, access their financial information and invoices, or access post-shipment reports, create and view support cases, manage their QEP Accredited stations. We also provide an application programming interface (API) so that the customer can integrate their data systems with ours for easier handling. All our customers have a single point of access to shipment data and a multitude of services at their disposal,” stated Donald Harrison, head of global key accounts, airlines at Envirotainer.
In January, PLUSS Advanced Technology (PLUSS), an India-based material solutions company, received the European Patent for its Celsure box which is designed and manufactured using the proprietary phase change material (PCM) technology, to transport vaccines and perishable commodities at a specific temperature range. The company has also applied for the patent in the US, Singapore, Brazil and India and expects these patents to be granted soon as well.
Commenting on the company’s digital capabilities, Samit Jain, MD and director, PLUSS, suggests, “The whole industry is changing and moving towards digitisation for ensuring track and trace. We believe digitisation is going to stay here and as a step in that direction we have created a ‘Smart Celsure’ to unlock the potential of AI in supply chain and temperature control space. We have partnered with companies like Tagbox for the same. This has also been implemented for Sputnik V at Dr. Reddy’s. The monitoring is being done both at the asset level and packet level. The materials being used in our boxes are supposed to be frozen at specific temperatures.”
Incidentally, DoKaSch posted a volume growth of 25 percent in H1 2021 compared to last year. The pandemic contributed to this development, but did not play a major role. Nonetheless, especially the limited air cargo capacities caused an increasing demand for active containers. They affected the reliability of logistical processes due to their impact on available routes and transport durations. In turn, some pharma producers started using temperature-controlled containers instead of passive solutions to avoid temperature excursions. Overall, uncertainties within the global supply chains are causing a global trend of a shift towards the stronger usage of active containers.
Speaking on the developments in 2021, Seitz cites, “We are continuously expanding our partner network and will soon sign two additional master rental agreements with major airlines. Furthermore, we are also about to open several depots for our Opticoolers at key export locations for vaccines and pharmaceutical products.”
PLUSS recorded year-to-date (YTD) growth of over 200 percent in the pharma temperature control logistics space in this financial year. A large part of it can be attributed to Covid-19 vaccines and other Covid related products. There is still an overall growth of about 30 percent from the non-Covid movement in pharma.
“We are continuously expanding our partner network and will soon sign two additional master rental agreements with major airlines.”
Andreas Seitz, DoKaSch
Jain added, “Recently, PLUSS developed a Celsure Freeze Free Vaccine carrier for freeze sensitive vaccines for a safe last-mile distribution of vaccines. The carrier is under trial and will be launched in about a month. Celsure Covid SURAKSHA is a brand extension done for solutions that have been specifically designed to aid Covid related temperature controlled movement. Not only at Dr. Reddy’s, but the brand will also be continued with other manufacturers of Sputnik V in India. Russian Direct Investment (RDIF) has tied up with six companies for manufacturing 800 million doses of Sputnik V over the next year. We are in talks with the companies for existing Covid vaccine candidates and upcoming candidates from several other vaccine players.”
As the ocean freight remains unstable, many companies are turning to air freight to get their logistic flow working which is adding pressure to the sector. In 2021, Envirotainer continued to see extremely high order volumes due to Covid-19 vaccine shipments as well as an increase in shipments of other temperature-sensitive medicines. Envirotainer is projecting its booking volumes to continue to exceed record levels during the next couple of months.
The shipments of the Covid-19 vaccine and any other temperature-sensitive pharma products have the same requirements when it comes to air transportation. va-Q-tec products can handle both types of shipment which can be loaded in any of the four standard va-Q-tainer sizes. They can be loaded on any flight which is operated with a widebody aircraft like the A350 or B777. The company’s containers are usually loaded as belly freight in the lower deck area but can also be placed on the main deck of a freighter flight.
Storch observes, “We have a global comprehensive network of rental stations for containers and boxes. However, we intend to expand this even further in the future - in some cases also with additional TempChain Service Centers and new va-Q-tec branches. We are positioned excellently with already more than 70 airline and freight forwarding partners but will announce further partnerships with multi-national players. We also have a comprehensive range of products and services that will be further developed according to market requirements and a clear focus on product safety, cost efficiency and environmental sustainability.”
CSafe uses active, deep-frozen transport container models for vaccine transportation. Schafer notes, “Transporting vaccines and the containers used is dependent entirely on the temperature profile for the individual vaccines being shipped. For the shipments of the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine manufactured in BioNTech’s facilities, we designed a double-wall VIP passive shipper that will maintain the required -70°C for 10+ days. That timeframe can be extended if the boxes are loaded onto active containers. However, seasonal influenza vaccines are shipped at a much higher temperature (approximately 5°C) and can easily be shipped in our active containers with no additional coolants required.”
The global distribution of vaccines is already happening but has not reached the levels which were predicted initially. As of now, many vaccines are still only produced and used on a regional level. In India’s case there are restrictions on exports. In turn, the transported amounts are still rather low compared to other pharmaceutical products, especially due to the limited availability of vaccines. Now that the demand is decreasing in regions like the Europe and USA, more vaccines will be transported to other parts of the world.
Envirotainer’s newly launched Releye RLP30000PC container
Seitz says, “Since most of the production capacities are located in few countries around the world, we are expecting an increase in the demand for temperature-controlled solutions. However, we are prepared for this development due to our capacity strategy. In general, we always plan to have more Opticoolers than currently needed, to accommodate additional demands in the coming months. Furthermore, since planning and production are completely done in-house, we are also able to react to short-term increases. This strategy enables us to cover every single inquiry and helps us to ensure sufficient capacities for the global vaccine campaign.”
Opticoolers are designed for intercontinental flights in wide-bodied aircraft, such as A330/A340/A350/A380 and B747/777/787 flights. Commenting on making the containers available in real-time for the growing pharma transportation, Storch notes, “We have been involved in the fight against the pandemic from the very beginning. In the spring of 2020, more than 50 percent of all test kits worldwide were shipped in va-Q-tainers. As we were aware that the increased demand would continue, we significantly expanded the production capacity of our high-performance temperature-controlled containers but also that of our pallet shippers to keep up the proven availability for our customers. Since then, our production has been running at full speed in multi-shift operation.”
PLUSS solutions can essentially be carried in all aircraft types namely the wide body and narrow body. These are currently quite small compared to container sizes that are mostly developed. However, the company is geared to change the container size space with its range of pallet shippers, which is next in line and ready to be launched soon.
Jain concludes, “We have made significant investments to ramp up our production facilities. The production capacity has been increased by 300-400 percent in a lesser time. What was significantly challenging was not only to increase our capacity but also to work closely with our partners and suppliers to help build their capacities. Earlier, we were completely operating out of Haryana. To meet the growing demand, we have also made investments in creating warehouses and service points out of cities most prominently involved in Covid vaccine production and distribution. Hyderabad is one such city. We are also eyeing the western belt of Maharashtra and Gujarat and have partnered with 3PL companies to be able to scale up in other geographies.”
Incidentally, Releye RLP fits into most wide-body airplanes such as the A300, A310, A330, A340, A350, A380, B747, B767, B777, B787, DC10, IL86, MD11, and L1011. Expanding on this, Harrison cites, “The pandemic and the subsequent grounding of most airplanes meant a brutal reduction in available air freight cargo capacity. During 2020, we managed to meet every single customer order without delay. We have over the past years reinvested some 20 percent of our revenues annually into improving our service and station network, the maintenance of our container fleet and building more containers every month to meet the increasing demand. Thus, we were successful in meeting the demands of our customers over time.”
In 2019, CSafe implemented an artificial intelligence-based lease forecasting system that allowed it to effectively manage demand throughout the pandemic using historical lease data, forecasts from customers, maintenance schedules and shipping schedules. It continues to build active containers every day and is currently increasing production based on predictions for the next two years.
Amid the pandemic-induced challenges, while it has been a good first half for the pharma container solution providers, it has also forced companies and countries to transform and overhaul their pharma supply chain to address the ongoing vaccine demand. With the pandemic fuelling the need for more innovation and digitisation to augment this sector and deliver critical medical cargo like Covid-19 vaccines and other temperature-sensitive pharma products, more partnerships and technological advancements are likely to follow in coming months.


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Loop Capital initiated coverage on shares of Echo Global Logistics (NASDAQ:ECHO) in a research note released on Wednesday, Marketbeat.com reports. The firm issued a hold rating and a $30.00 price objective on the transportation company’s stock.
A number of other equities analysts also recently issued reports on ECHO. Stifel Nicolaus started coverage on shares of Echo Global Logistics in a report on Tuesday, June 19th. They set a buy rating and a $34.00 price objective on the stock. BidaskClub downgraded shares of Echo Global Logistics from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Wednesday, June 27th. Barrington Research reaffirmed a buy rating on shares of Echo Global Logistics in a report on Friday, June 29th. ValuEngine downgraded shares of Echo Global Logistics from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Monday, July 2nd. Finally, Cowen lifted their price objective on shares of Echo Global Logistics from $35.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Monday, July 16th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. The stock has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $34.40.
ECHO stock traded down $0.62 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $25.99. 6,163 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 401,072. The firm has a market capitalization of $883.56 million, a PE ratio of 39.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.61. The company has a current ratio of 1.46, a quick ratio of 1.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. Echo Global Logistics has a 52 week low of $18.70 and a 52 week high of $36.75.
Echo Global Logistics (NASDAQ:ECHO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 25th. The transportation company reported $0.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the Zacks’ consensus estimate of $0.39 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $635.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $611.26 million. Echo Global Logistics had a net margin of 1.24% and a return on equity of 9.43%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 35.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.18 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Echo Global Logistics will post 1.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
In related news, CEO Douglas R. Waggoner sold 40,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $31.46, for a total value of $1,258,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 346,332 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,895,604.72. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, COO David B. Menzel sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $34.13, for a total transaction of $682,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 147,334 shares in the company, valued at $5,028,509.42. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 71,000 shares of company stock worth $2,307,090 over the last three months. 3.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.
A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ECHO. Summit Trail Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Echo Global Logistics by 2,251.9% during the first quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC now owns 720,147 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $720,000 after purchasing an additional 689,527 shares during the last quarter. Redwood Investments LLC purchased a new stake in Echo Global Logistics during the second quarter valued at about $16,089,000. BlackRock Inc. lifted its holdings in Echo Global Logistics by 13.0% during the second quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 4,048,029 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $118,405,000 after purchasing an additional 464,917 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC lifted its holdings in Echo Global Logistics by 876.8% during the first quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 345,097 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $9,525,000 after purchasing an additional 309,769 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Systematic Financial Management LP purchased a new stake in Echo Global Logistics during the second quarter valued at about $6,812,000. 97.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
About Echo Global Logistics
Echo Global Logistics, Inc provides technology-enabled transportation and supply chain management solutions in the United States. It uses a proprietary technology platform to compile and analyze data from its multi-modal network of transportation providers for the transportation and logistics needs. The company offers services in various transportation modes, such as truckload, less-than truckload, small parcel, inter-modal, domestic air, and expedited and international.
See Also: What are trading strategies for the 52-week high/low?
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While the U.S. dairy industry has raised its voice in calling on the Trump administration to pressure Canada into allowing more dairy imports, Dairy Farmers of Canada has kept a relatively quiet profile over the last few months. The national dairy producer group appears to have chosen to stay out of the spotlight with Canada’s supply management system for dairy and poultry products likely to be targeted if agriculture files are opened up as part of U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan to renegotiate NAFTA. “We are watching the situation in the U.S. very closely to see how President Trump follows…
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PSA for all Apple iOS users: You should update your iPhone and iPad devices now.
In a support update issued this week by Apple, the company announced there are new iOS 14.4 and iPadOS 14.4 updates that may protect users against “malicious” exploitation from outside influencers. “A malicious application may be able to elevate privileges,” the update stated. “Apple is aware of a report that this issue may have been actively exploited.” In addition, the update mentions that remote hackers may be able to “cause arbitrary code execution.” The updates, which improve locking and restrictions, come after anonymous researchers uncovered vulnerabilities in the software.
When asked about the update and potential risks of the breach, Johnson & Wales University professor and online instructor Tom Calabrese, Ph.D., said the update addresses very serious security issues.
“These are categorized as zero-day events,” he explained. “The flaw that allows an attacker to elevate privilege is the most serious because it would potentially allow an attacker to gain control of your device.” Calabrese said the privilege issue and another that was identified—which allows remote attackers to “cause arbitrary code execution”—could be potentially devastating to users.
Apple is urging iPhone and iPad users to update their devices to fix security flaws that might have been “actively exploited” by hackers. Apple made the software upgrades available Tuesday, adding a rare note suggesting it was a serious threat. https://t.co/4TFP9LuenS— The Associated Press (@AP) January 27, 2021
Therefore, consumers should complete this update as soon as possible and make a habit of regularly updating their devices. “It is always a good idea to protect yourself by doing updates,” he explained. “In older models of the iPhone, some updates take up significant memory and can cause performance problems but newer devices should have no problem installing the updates smoothly.”
iOS users can easily download the update by accessing “Software Update” under their general iPhone settings.


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Discount retailer Kmart Corp. began publishing its weekly advertising circular in Spanish late last month.
The full-color circular was available Aug. 29 in 160 Kmart stores in areas with large Hispanic populations and in 10 Spanish-language newspapers nationwide. It was developed by Meridian Inc., Troy, MI, an advertising and marketing services firm.
The circular will reach 700,000 Hispanic-Americans, Kmart estimated. The Troy-based retailer, which filed for bankruptcy in January, said the circular's debut coincides with September's Hispanic Heritage Month.
“According to our research, the buying power of Hispanics in America has increased more than 110 percent over the past 10 years,” said Barbara J. Firment, Kmart senior vice president advertising, sales and in-store presentation. “With our exceptional reach into urban markets, we feel we have a distinct advantage over other discount retailers when it comes to connecting with Hispanic customers.”
More than 55 percent of Hispanics living in the United States are within 15 minutes of a Kmart store, the company said, compared with 17 percent of the Hispanic population within 15 minutes of a Wal-Mart and 13 percent within 15 minutes of a Target.
“Kmart has been reaching out to this important market for many years,” said Dan Surdell, chief executive officer of Meridian. “Publishing its weekly advertising circular in Spanish is a natural progression for Kmart's Hispanic marketing efforts. Our market readership studies document that Hispanic customers are particularly attentive to Kmart circulars and rely on them during their weekly shopping. The reaction from Hispanic publishers and community leaders has been outstanding.”
The first Kmart Spanish-language ad circular highlights the five-year anniversary of Kmart's exclusive Sesame Street clothing label.
As the $500 billion Hispanic marketplace continues to grow in the United States, Kmart is expanding efforts to reach this influential consumer group. The company's current “Stuff of Life” television ad campaign has been reconceived into Spanish as “Las Cosas para La Vida.”
The spots feature family imagery meant to resonate with Hispanic audiences and include background vocals by Grammy Award-winning artist Jose Feliciano. Kmart also markets to Hispanic consumers through “community merchandising,” stocking products that are best suited for the area residents it serves.


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SML Group Adding New RFID Test Centers, Tag Manufacturing Capacity
The company will expand its RFID tag development capabilities and tag manufacturing capacity in Europe, the United States and Asia, as it predicts strong growth in item-level tagging for food, jewelry, cosmetics and garments.
Jan 21, 2014—
Within the coming months, SML Group expects to open two new RFID testing and innovation centers, as well as expand its tag manufacturing capacity, in Europe, the United States and Asia. This follows the creation of SML's first RFID Technology and Innovation Center, which opened in the United Kingdom in December 2013.
The U.K. center is designed for the development of new solutions, explains Philip Calderbank, SML's VP of global RFID, as well as the production of passive EPC Gen 2 ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) RFID inlays and conversion to labels, and will feed the growing European market for RFID technology. The company plans to open another RFID Technology and Innovation Center in Clayton, N.C., in May of this year, followed by a third in Hong Kong during the first quarter of 2015. Both the U.K. and North Carolina centers will include label manufacturing and conversion, while the company is also in the process of opening three additional manufacturing facilities—one in Shanghai, China, and the others in Vietnam and Indonesia.Round Rock Research. The lack of such agreements in the past had put a damper on RFID deployments within the United States (see Round Rock Completes Licensing Deals With Majority of RFID Vendors).
In addition, Calderbank says, technology gains this year in the sensitivity of EPC Gen 2 passive UHF RFID tag chips and reader antennas are expected to make electronic article surveillance (EAS) functionality a desirable option for retailers. In 2014, he predicts, retailers can begin installing RFID readers at doorways to extend the use of an RFID tag—previously used primarily for in-store product visibility—to also identify if an item is removed from the store without being sold, and issue an alert to the appropriate personnel.
In Europe, SML has three large retail-sector customers that will benefit from its new U.K. RFID Technology and Innovation Center, located in Leicestershire. One has been an SML customer for about a year, while another has just begun employing RFID. Both companies have asked not to be named. The third large customer is British grocer and general merchandise retailer Tesco, which will expand its use of the technology throughout the next 12 months to two years. Tesco's deployment consists of applying tags to garments at the point of manufacture. The retailer will also tag food items, according to media reports. A Tesco spokesperson declined to elaborate on the company's plans.
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HC semitek future acquisition of MEMSIC semiconductor LED and sensor double main industry
OFweekdianzigongcheng· 2016-09-11 11:46:57
is still suspended in the HC semitek, displayed in the asset restructuring plan released in July 21st this year, the initial restructuring of the underlying asset for harmonious core optical (Yiwu) photoelectric technology limited company, and the company purchased MEMSIC Semiconductor Co. Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as the MEMSIC semiconductor 100% stake).
according to the reporter, as a leading company of sensor industry, new semiconductor major competitors in the United States and Japan and other countries, currently in the country there is no rival. With HC semitek funds into the future will be the industry MEMSIC semiconductor acquisitions and mergers, and HC semitek will also form a LED sensor and double main industry development.
as the second major domestic LED chip production enterprises, HC semitek in July 21st issued a preliminary restructuring plan that will issue shares to buy assets, the underlying assets for the harmonious core optical (Yiwu) Photoelectric Technology Co. Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as the from SPV to SPV), the transaction of the Target Corp's shareholders to buy 100% stake in the Target Corp. This transaction Target Corp MEMSIC semiconductor company, is a global micro electromechanical (MEMS) sensor industry leading technology enterprise.
public information, MEMSIC semiconductor is a company engaged in manufacturing, R & D and sales of integrated micro electro mechanical (MEMS, IC) - electronic mechanical integration technology chip (MEMS, IC) semiconductor chip enterprise science and technology enterprise conductor. Special focus on sensor products R & D and production, the production of the sensor can measure the acceleration, vibration, shock, motion and gravity acceleration, and for the first time in the world of sensors, analog signal and digital signal processing three integrated on a chip, the change of acceleration measurement of X, Y in two independent directions.
and for HC semitek cooperation, MEMSIC semiconductor chairman Zhao Yang told reporters, "cooperation and Huacan, because the two sides are semiconductor industry. The future will be Huacan as the center of acquisitions and mergers. With Huacan funds come in, we have started to talk about some of the European and American market subject. We are a technology oriented company, the goal is to acquire the world's top technology companies, the domestic sensor technology is relatively small."
LED, the main industry Huacan photoelectric sensor to, why the acquisition of MEMSIC semiconductor industry? In this regard, HC semitek President Liu Rong said to reporters, the company through the heavy investment of LED industry, in order to promote the development of the company, hope to introduce some new business, but new business can not be too far apart, so the acquisition of the new, "because are semiconductors, just a LED. A sensor is two, many industries are interlinked, and we can have many complementary things. MEMSIC has more advantages in the international market, but this is precisely the lack of Huacan, the future can use beauty channels to enter the international market."
at the same time, Liu Rong also said, "we in the LED industry, after so many years of R & D and manufacturing, low cost and accumulated rich manufacturing experience, the experience of the new development in the future will play a big role. The future Huacan is LED and the sensor of double main industry development, we hope that with the power of capital markets, to help the new rapid bigger and stronger."
- see the advantages of the new technology
the current main products are the MEMSIC semiconductor acceleration sensor, magnetic sensor and vehicle sensor. In the field of production of these three types of sensors, in addition to a number of well-known enterprises in the world, the domestic enterprises are still unable to participate in competition. Among them, the geomagnetic sensor MEMSIC semiconductor domestic market accounted for about 30%, which accounts for about 25% of the acceleration sensor.
Zhao Yang told reporters, "as one of several international main production enterprises, the new competitor is still large foreign companies, such as Japan's AKM, and BOSCH, STMicroelectronics group and other large companies. We do not have any subsidies in this way, if there is no technical advantage, it is impossible to compete with them, because they have the money to lose money, we can only rely on their own."
as Zhao Yang said, technology advantage is HC semitek fancy. "We think that at present, new semiconductor technology is the absolute first. The company's biggest potential is the technical advantage, we see is this piece of. We hope to rely on the new, the world's major competitors to catch up." Liu Rong told reporters.
in sensor industry view, the current domestic enterprises are mostly sensor fast follow-up, more is copied and improved, but there is no advantage in technology research and development, new semiconductor technology become the sensor industry leader. Style= margin-bottom: "15px
"at present in the field of geomagnetic sensor, can compete with us only four Japanese companies, domestic enterprises can not participate in competition. In the field of acceleration sensor, beauty is the only global monolithic integrated system, we are the leaders of this technology. Today, we are still making money, but some competitors have been stripped of this asset, and some in the loss of money, we can say that the most fundamental reason for profitability is the technical advantage." Zhao Yang said.
- on the Internet of things "ride"
MEMSIC semiconductor is located in Wuxi is Chinese things, in the development of networked sensors also play an increasingly important role in the matter, with the increase of sensor products demand, and gradually shift the focus to the MEMS sensor the field of high technology.
"2016~2021 MEMS China according to the sensor industry market demand and investment planning analysis report", China sensor market value has exceeded 120 billion yuan, with the continuous development of Internet technology, the next five years, the sensor output will grow at an annual rate of 30%. Under the opportunity of the Internet of things, the sensor has a great development prospects. Style= margin-bottom: "15px
as vice president of MEMSIC semiconductor product development, Liu Haidong on the sensor in the field of networking development is very promising. He told reporters that the Internet is not net, but rather, it needs sensors, networking development in Wuxi, can create many did not think, these fields will need sensors, which will also promote capital enter, accelerate the development of sensor. Style= margin-bottom: "15px
"with the development of the Internet of things, the market will become more and more big, more and more opportunities for enterprises. As long as the technology to keep up, then the opportunity will be a lot of. Things to our business has brought a lot of opportunities, customers need what products, we have developed what products, the formation of technology and product positioning. Things will allow us to make more products, these products customers will pay for the development of technology, investment and things will be output, which is the biggest opportunity to bring the Internet of things." Liu said East step.
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WASHINGTON (Aug. 18, 2014) — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to ban the use of HFC-134a as a motor-vehicle air-conditioning system refrigerant starting with model-year 2021 new vehicles.
According to the Specialty Equipment Market Association, the agency also has proposed a ban on the use of SP34E, R-416A and several other refrigerants as of model-year 2017. Although the refrigerants were approved for use years ago, SEMA said the EPA has identified other chemicals as being more environmentally friendly substitutes to chlorofluorocarbons that deplete the ozone layer.
In early 2011 the EPA approved HFO-1234yf as a new air-conditioning refrigerant for use in new cars and light trucks to help meet federal standards for greenhouse gas emissions. According to the agency, and independent studies, HFO-1234yf has a global-warming potential (GWP) that is 99.7-percent less than the current chemical, HFC-134a, used in most car A/C units.
The EPA said it was following the lead set by the European Union, which is requiring all new vehicle models sold in Europe by 2017 to use a refrigerant with low-global warming potential.
Titan International and the United Steelworkers union have petitioned the U.S. International Trade Commission and U.S. Department of Commerce seeking relief from OTR tire imports from China, India and Sri Lanka. What’s your opinion?
|I wholeheartedly support their action – something needs to be done.||
|I think it’s a bad idea that could inevitably tie the hands of domestic tire makers.||
|I oppose any duties against tire importers—they only raise costs for distributors and make it harder to obtain inventory.||
|I’m kind of on the fence and not sure what’s right, but need more information before deciding.||
|I don’t really care whether or not relief is granted.||
|Total votes: 78|


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The influence of technologies enterprise is apparent. It has radically overhauled the way businesses function and interact with customers. Few businesses, sitting in their silos, sense a palpable threat out of the latest technology trends, whereas nimble businesses count on the emerging technologies to spearhead disruption in their respective industries. Whatever the case may be, the change thrusted by technologies is imminent.
In 2018, innumerable technologies hit the global market. Some sat astride on to the wave, whereas some others decided to wait for the dust to settle down. But 2019 is the time to take it up a notch. This is the year when companies, across industries, will exhibit an eagerness to unfold the potentials of technologies that break the mold of conventional business practices. The year 2019 is expected to witness huge investments in market disruptors that will form the pillars of Industry 4.0.
According to a report published by IDC, the investment in technologies and services that support digital transformation (DX) of business products, processes, and practices is expected to be worth $1.97 trillion by 2022. At such a juncture, it would be useful for businesses to know the tech trends of 2019 that can help them make the right investments and grab the opportunities before they are gone.
Technologies That Will Attract Maximum Attention in 2019
We shall all agree to the fact that the digital revolution has led to innumerable innovations in technology. Let’s discuss the key tech trends in 2019 that are expected to create a buzz throughout.
Blockchain, we all know, is a distributed digital ledger, in which the stakeholders of a particular network record transactions in real-time, without involving any central or regulatory authority. Having earned recognition with the surge in the use of cryptocurrencies, especially Bitcoin, Blockchain is a critically acclaimed disruptive technology, which is thriving among businesses across the world. According to Deloitte, 2019 will be the year in which enterprises will further explore the potentials of Blockchain.
Another technology trend in 2019 that is expected to make headlines is the Internet of Things. Known by multiple names such as “embedded Internet” and “pervasive computing,” or “web of things,” IoT as a concept has been there since the 1970s. It was only in 1999 that Kevin Ashton coined the term Internet of Things. Although IoT did not gain traction until 2013-2014, the technology is underpinning for Industry 4.0.
3. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML)
It won’t be wrong to say that the AI and ML technologies are about building cognitive abilities. According to an article published by Forbes, “Machine Learning is a centerpiece of digital transformation strategies,” when people say AI, they are basically talking about ML. These technologies came into existence during the 1940s-50s when a neural network was created. Based on that a computer program was developed which had the ability to learn and evolve from the tasks it was made to perform. And then, years of research, development, and innovation led AI and ML to become prominent technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
4. Conversational Interfaces and Designs
When Joseph Weizenbaum first created ELIZA, the world’s first Chatbot, people were easily able to make out that they were talking to a bot and not a human. As a result, ELIZA failed the Turing Test. In the years that followed; Chatbots has become a prominent technology in the making. Later, when bots such as Alexa, Cortana, Siri, and Google Now rose to prominence during 2010-2015, the stage was set for Chatbots to evolve further.
The journey which started with Chatbots has reached to conversational interfaces and designs, which is about delivering integrated experiences. Today, conversational interfaces are being designed to play different roles. For instance, a personal assistant, who crack jokes, take notes, play music on demand, or a customer-service executive, who provide all sorts of information on products or services.
Robotic Process Automation is fast gaining momentum. It is amongst the latest technology trends witnessing maximum traction across industries. Be it medical, food and beverage, manufacturing, or personal and home appliances, companies across all sectors are mulling over harnessing the potentials of RPA. In a McKinsey report, it is predicted, that by 2025, technologies such as RPA will have a “potential economic impact” of $1.7 to $4.5 (trillion) across sized applications.
RPA is helping companies in the manufacturing, telecommunication, and oil and gas sector, which cannot rip and replace their existing legacy suites as a whole. It help companies modernize infrastructure and other legacy business suites, but gradually.
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6. Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR)
The history of AR and VR dates back to 1838 when Charles Wheatstone devised a stereoscope for creating 3D images of objects for the viewers. However, this does not mean that the AR and VR technologies are new crops of Industry 4.0. It is just that the ripe flowers have started to emanate fragrance now, and businesses plan to harvest the benefits out of it.
While VR gives the users a feeling of spatial presence, the AR technology helps simulate things, which are not present in the real world. AR and VR are among the latest technology trends for 2019, as enterprises all over the world are making huge investments to explore their potential.
7. Cloud Technology
Cloud technology is undoubtedly one of the major digital transformation enablers. It has obliterated the conventional practices that were being followed to save, process, and manage business data. It has proved to be quite beneficial for companies in multiple ways. For instance, it offers real-time and remote data access, improves decision-making ability, boosts operational efficiency, and most importantly, reduces operational costs.
If we talk about the history of Cloud Computing, it goes back to 1960s, when JCR Licklider presented the idea of an Intergalactic Computer Network. But the technology gained worldwide attention only when Cloud experience solutions such as AEM (now Adobe Cloud Experience), AWS, Azure, Software AG Cloud, Google Cloud, IBM Cloud, and quite recently, Alibaba Cloud started transforming businesses unprecedentedly.
8. Over-the-Top (OTT)
The conventional television is integrated with technology capabilities and a smart set-top box to produce Over-the-Top content, which is video content delivered in the form of web series and movies. The services are provided through the Internet and traditional facilitators such as satellites and other operators are nowhere involved.
When the Internet usage flourished, it gave birth to OTT. Initially, YouTube had the monopoly, but with the arrival of various live video streaming service providers such as Amazon Prime, Netflix, Hotstar, Sky Go, Hulu, and more, the market for OTT has now largely been decentralized.


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MOORESVILLE, N.C., Aug. 4, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Lowe’s today announced that it will donate $500,000 to support disaster relief efforts for associates, customers and communities in direct response to severe flooding in eastern Kentucky. The donation will assist Lowe’s disaster relief partners and nonprofit Pro customers, helping these organizations and others provide emergency shelter and critical relief supplies.
“Our donation will help non-profits respond to critical needs in communities impacted by severe flooding in Kentucky,” said Marvin Ellison, Lowe’s chairman and CEO. “Our stores are committed to providing relief for associates and customers at a time when our neighbors need us more than ever, and we are thankful for their quick response.”
Lowe’s distributed more than 400 buckets of flood cleanup supplies at each store in Paintsville, Pikeville and Hazard, Kentucky on July 31. Supplies included batteries, sponges, bottled water, trash bags, goggles and hand sanitizer to help with recovery and cleanup. Lowe’s will deploy its Tool Rental Disaster Response Trailer to the Hazard store to give impacted residents affordable rental options for one-time use equipment such as generators and chainsaws.
Lowe’s Command Center has deployed a 26-person emergency response team to the Hazard store to help with recovery efforts over the next two weeks. These specially trained associates are voluntarily leaving their home stores to give associates in eastern Kentucky a chance to focus on their families.
Lowe’s is providing additional assistance for its associates, including shower and laundry trailers to help those without power or water, as well as pallets of clothing. The company will also double its match commitment for contributions to the Lowe’s Employee Relief Fund, which provides financial assistance in times of crisis. Lowe’s will match $2 for every dollar an employee donates.
Visit Lowe’s Newsroom for updates on Lowe’s relief efforts and continued support.
Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE: LOW) is a FORTUNE® 50 home improvement company serving approximately 19 million customer transactions a week in the United States and Canada. With fiscal year 2021 sales of over $96 billion, Lowe’s and its related businesses operate or service nearly 2,200 home improvement and hardware stores and employ over 300,000 associates. Based in Mooresville, N.C., Lowe’s supports the communities it serves through programs focused on creating safe, affordable housing and helping to develop the next generation of skilled trade experts. For more information, visit Lowes.com.
Contact: Candace Gordon
Lowe’s Companies Inc.
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SOURCE Lowe’s Companies, Inc.
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Company to end use of chemical in milk cartons
STOCKHOLM, Sweden - Swedish packaging giant Tetra Pak AB will phase out a chemical used in milk and juice cartons after traces of it were found in baby milk recently recalled by Nestle SA, a Tetra Pak spokeswoman said Wednesday.
Tetra Pak eliminated the use of the ITX chemical for infant formula packages in October, and said Wednesday it would broaden that practice to include juice and milk cartons by the end of January even though its tests showed the chemical posed no health risks.
Nestle, the world's biggest food company, said Tuesday it had recalled hundreds of thousands of gallons of baby milk from European nations after ITX was found in the products. Tetra Pak had provided the packaging.
A Tetra Pak spokeswoman Patricia O'Hayer told The Associated Press on Wednesday that the company would phase out the use of ITX, or isopropylthioxanthone, from milk cartons by Dec. 31, and juice cartons by Jan. 31, as a precautionary measure.
She said Tetra Pak tests found "higher levels (of ITX) than we had anticipated in certain citrus juices and certain milk juices."
O'Hayer stressed that tests indicated that the chemical posed no known health risks.
She said ITX is is used in the printing ink in 1-2 percent of Tetra Pak's packaging products.
, but declined to name any brands.
"ITX is a photoinitiator that helps cure and set the inks," she said. "It is used widely in the food industry."
Tetra Pak has not recommended customers withdraw products for which ITX was used in packaging, saying a recall would be up to the customers themselves or health authorities.
The European Union on Wednesday said traces of the chemical found in Nestle's baby milk do not appear to present a risk to human health.
Experts at the European Food Safety Authority in Parma, Italy, are investigating the matter and are expected to publish a preliminary opinion in the next few weeks. The final opinion will not be reached this year.
Based on what little is known already, the EFSA said it does not consider that there is an immediate health risk.
Nestle said Wednesday it has withdrawn 420 cases of liquid baby milk from Greece, a day after the company issued a recall in four other European countries because traces of ink from the packaging were found in the product.
Nestle spokesman Francois-Xavier Perroud said the inclusion of Greece with France, Italy, Portugal and Spain completed a recall of all the countries where the product has been marketed. The largest amount was in Italy, where he said up to 530,000 gallons of milk had been recalled.
Perroud on Tuesday said Tetra Pak packaging allowed ink to leak through, causing a chemical reaction which contaminated the milk. But he insisted ITX was not toxic and the products were removed only as a precaution.
He said Nestle had been using the Tetra Pak cartons for nine years.


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CHICAGO — Natural dog chew company, Bully Bundles released data May 13 from its recent study on bully sticks formulated with preservatives. The study, conducted by Bully Bundles and Mérieux NutriSciences, found that bully sticks formulated with sodium metabisulfite can pose dangerous side effects to dogs.
"We aim to raise consumer awareness by highlighting how harmful chemical preservatives, especially sodium metabisulfite, are for dogs,” said Ryan Schoop, chief executive officer of Bully Bundles. “According to the findings, sulfite preservatives destroy thiamine, an essential nutrient in the nervous system."
The dangers of sodium metabisulfite are nothing new, as the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has labeled the ingredient unfit for animal and human consumption. However, Bully Bundles’ data reveals the implications of using such an ingredient.
The company’s study found that products containing sodium metabisulfite had 132-times more sulfites compared to bully sticks formulated without sodium metabisulfite. According to the research, sodium metabisulfite destroys thiamine, B1, an essential nutrient for dogs that helps support the brain and nervous systems. Bully sticks formulated with the chemical preservative can lead to dangerous side effects, as well as allergic reactions.
“Bully sticks should be made from just raw beef pizzle and water,” Schoop said. “We hope raising awareness will lead to more transparent labeling and stop manufacturers from adding unnecessary preservatives."
Bully Bundles’ bully sticks are formulated with raw beef pizzle from free-range, grass-fed South American cattle and water to eliminate the need for chemical preservatives, like sodium metabisulfite. The bully sticks are chemical- and rawhide-free, contain a low odor and are 100% digestible.Stay up to date on the latest pet food processing industry headlines on our News page.


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Charlotte’s Web Holdings, the company that just about launched the entire CBD industry, announced this week that they have just been approved for registration on Health Canada’s list of approved cultivars (LOAC) for 2021. Three of their proprietary hemp cultivars have made the cut, gaining the company access to the Canadian market.
Jared Stanley, co-founder and chief cultivation officer at Charlotte’s Web, says they plan to lead the market in Canadian hemp-derived CBD products. “The majority of approved cultivars on the LOAC to date have been for industrial hemp grown to produce food, fiber, and animal feed,” says Stanley. “Now our approved cultivars are paving the way for full-spectrum hemp CBD demand in Canada and most importantly, will provide access to Charlotte’s Web products in Canada.”
Largely due to the difference in regulatory approaches between Canada and the U.S., the CBD product market in Canada is somewhat small. Health Canada currently regulates CBD products the same as products containing more than 0.3% THC. In the U.S., a checkerboard of state laws, the 2018 Farm Bill and the subsequent state hemp programs led to massive growth for the CBD product marketplace.
Charlotte’s Web is one of the leading hemp-derived CBD companies operating in the United States. With the soon-to-be expansion into Canada, the company hopes to develop a global footprint, says Deanie Elsner, president and CEO of Charlotte’s Web. “Today, Charlotte’s Web is the leading hemp wellness company in the U.S. with the most recognized and trusted hemp CBD extract,” says Elsner. “We aspire to be the world’s leading botanicals wellness company, entering countries with an asset light model where federal laws permit hemp extracts for health and wellness. Israel and Canada are included in the first steps of our international expansion.”


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OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canadian consumers spent heavily on motor vehicles and parts in March, causing retail sales to jump 2.1 percent, the most in five years, Statistics Canada said on Friday.
The median forecast in a Reuters poll was for a 0.1 percent gain in April retail sales.
Excluding the auto sector, sales climbed 1.7 percent on increases in eight of 11 sectors. Statscan also said overall sales volumes increased 2.2 percent.
Motor vehicle and parts dealers contributed the biggest boost, led by the “other” category of vehicles such as motor homes, motorcycles and recreational boats.
Sales at the gas pump rose for the 11th straight month, helped by higher prices, and unseasonably warm weather spurred sales at gardening and building supplies outlets. Meanwhile clothing and accessories stores saw their largest sales increase in nearly four years.
Reporting by Louise Egan, Editing by Chizu Nomiyama


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Wuhan takes lead in optoelectronic information industry
Workers inspect products at a fiber optic testing workshop of Fujikura Fenghuo Optical Technology Co, located in the East Lake High-tech Development Zone (Optics Valley of China) in Wuhan, capital of Central China's Hubei province. [Photo/Changjiang Daily]
At the end of 2020, the Wuhan government formulated its 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25), which includes the "965" industrial cluster construction plan. The optical core screen end network sector, as a local pillar industry, is a major part of the development plan.
As the origin of China's optical communications industry, Wuhan plays a strategic role in China, and the Optics Valley of China (OVC) has become a key production and research base for optical fibers, optical fiber cables, optical chips, optical devices, and optical communication systems equipment.
The optical fibers and optical fiber cables produced in Wuhan have over 25 percent of the global market share, boasting the highest sales in the world for many years. These impressive results were hard won.
Two decades ago, China participated in the formulation of industrial standards for global communications and solved several technical problems existing in the industry, which enabled China to shake off its role as a "follower".
Last month, Yangtze Optical Fibre and Cable Joint Stock Ltd Co (YOFC) took over a major company in South America. Products made by YOFC have been sold to more than 70 countries and regions, and the corporation has founded four overseas bases and more than 20 sales companies, forming a powerful global network that integrates production, marketing, and services.
YOFC is currently making great strides outside China, with its overseas operations enjoying relatively rapid growth. The company's overseas communication network program registered 243 million yuan ($36.45 million) in revenue in 2020, an increase of 304.9 percent over 2019.
Voices from Wuhan-based enterprises are constantly heard throughout the global industrial chain. During the first quarter this year, Wuhan Huagong Genuine Optics Co, a key subsidiary of HG Tech, announced that its 400G optical model products had been allowed into markets in North America, Europe, and other regions and countries. The products' output has reached 30 million, making the firm one of the world’s biggest optical model manufacturers.
Wuhan now has a full-fledged optical industrial chain that includes optical fibers and optical fiber cables upstream, optical devices and optical models midstream, and optical systems equipment downstream. The key products are all developed domestically.
From product manufacturing to the formulation of professional standards, Wuhan has been playing a leading role in China's laser industry.
The HGTECH Intelligent Manufacturing Industrial Park (Phase 3) began operating this year. The laser glass cutting techniques independently developed by HGTECH Co enables the glass thinner than hair to be cut by laser with extreme precision, with the cutting speed exceeding 200 millimeters per second.
It is estimated that OVC is now home to more than 200 companies involved in the laser business, making up about half of the domestic market.


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STUARTS DRAFT -- One doesn't have to take a geography course to realize that Stuarts Draft is nowhere near Louisiana. They are separated by nearly 1,000 miles and a 13-hour drive. That’s not stopping one local business from providing a taste of the Bayou State in the Shenandoah Valley.
Off The Hook Cajun, a small to-go restaurant in Broadmoor Plaza, offers a variety of food, including jambalaya, red beans and rice, Cajun fries, hush puppies, alligator tail meat and more.
The idea came from owner Terry Caricofe from Draft. He has a long-time friend whose girlfriend is an experienced cook from Baton Rouge. She taught him and the staff how to cook, and it took off from there.
“She came up here and showed us how to do everything,” the owner said. “We wanted to do something different. Cajun is it. It is 100 percent authentic. It is not out of the box. We make everything from scratch, just like they do in Louisiana. It is no shortcuts.”
Caricofe said there are no Cajun restaurants around and it would be a good idea to bring something different to the culinary scene.
So far, the response has been solid, with people lining up outside for exotic eats. At times the restaurant sells out of food before it closes due to high demand.
“Business has been doing pretty good,” Caricofe said. “Everybody just seems to love it.”
One of the fans is local Mack Blackwell, who said he has tried authentic Cajun food all over the south.
“It is great food,” Blackwell said. “The service is good, it is easy to get to and the prices aren't too bad. I've gone about five times and have had just about everything. The alligator bites are really, really good and got good spices … I think the food is as good as any [Cajun] I have ever had.”
Content with the the community support, Caricofe still has had to overcome some issues.
“The hardest part has been getting all the licenses and making sure that stuff is right,” he said.
Off The Hook Cajun is open from 11:30 a.m. till 6 p.m. Wednesday to Friday. On Saturday, it will stay open till about 5:30 p.m.
Moving forward, they are hoping to add gumbo and po’boys, a sandwich staple in Louisiana.


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Roger Ver is trying to fuel the interest of institutional investors in Bitcoin Cash. According to news published from Bloomberg, September 12, the crypto-mogul Ver is thinking of launching futures contracts.
BCH for Institutions
Former CEO and current Executive Chairman of Bitcoin.com, Roger Ver focuses his efforts on initially promoting the first Bitcoin hard fork, Bitcoin Cash (BCH). According to Ver, Bitcoin Cash would have a much better chance of becoming a decentralized global currency than Bitcoin as it requires a fraction of the fee that Bitcoin does to execute a transaction.
So far these features have however proved insufficient to dethrone Bitcoin. To achieve this goal, Bitcoin Cash needs more liquidity which will consequently lead to a more rapid spread. The first step towards this goal was to launch its exchange unit at the beginning of September; now, according to some statements made by David Shin, the company is looking for institutional clients.
The new head of Bitcoin.com Exchange aims to bring Bitcoin Cash up to the second or third-largest cryptocurrency by market cap. For this reason, he declared his interest in discussing with the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) about the possibility of listing a BCH future.
Shin is working to have a product listed in the next year so U.S. institutional investors can trade it. But that is not all. On the retail side, Bitcoin.com is working on the development of an eSports platform which would eventually boost retail investors engagement.
Bitcoin Cash is Lacking Adoption
When Ver aligned his opinions with a minority of crypto developers to speak out in favor of bitcoin cash, he went from being called Bitcoin Jesus to Bitcoin Judas. According to Ver, the utility of bitcoin as a currency has been damaged as fees are too expensive and customers won’t use it to pay for goods and services.
That is the main argument for the increase to the blocksize limit which happened in August 2017. However, although Bitcoin Cash actually offers lower fees than Bitcoin, it does not seem that this incentive is pushing more people to use it.
The average number of daily transactions for Bitcoin cash is around 50 thousand, which pales in comparison to Bitcoin which sits at approximately 330 thousand.
[Image Source: BitInfoCharts]
In addition, Bitcoin Cash is especially vulnerable to 51% attacks and its fee market doesn’ t look as solid as the one of Bitcoin, especially for its increase in market size.
General metrics show that it’s uncertain why users and investors would pick Bitcoin Cash over Bitcoin. Until problems are addressed it seems unlikely BCH will be able to fundamentally compete with its predecessor.
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Bon's 'best, last' contract offer comes with economy warning
Updated 10:00 pm, Friday, June 27, 2003
The Bon Marche outlined highlights of its "best, last and final" contract offer to employees Friday and raised the possibility that its offer could weaken if the company loses sales.
Union members will vote Sunday and Monday both on the latest offer and on whether to give union leaders the authority to call a strike.
"The offer is based on The Bon's current financial situation and sales environment," read the letter distributed to workers. "As a result, if the local economy continues to deteriorate due to layoffs, business closures, et cetera, or we suffer a drop in sales, The Bon might be required to modify the terms of this offer."
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The letter said the base wage for some associates would remain the same under the new contract, but it did not specify how many of the 1,600 local union members at eight Puget Sound area stores would be affected. The Seattle-based department store chain previously proposed cutting wages for some employees up to $3.98 an hour.
The move angered some union leaders who said it circumvented the traditional labor-management negotiations. Union officials received a copy of the full contract offer late yesterday afternoon and had not determined whether to recommend, reject or remain neutral on the proposal.


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FinTech Scotland on hunt for new CEO
FinTech Scotland has opened applications for a new chief executive, as current CEO Stephen Ingledew moves into an executive chairman role.
Founded in 2018, the industry organisation is the product of a joint initiative between Lloyds, HSBC, Edinburgh University, and the Scottish government.
Ingledew, who has led the venture since the beginning and takes up his new role next month, will remain “very much involved” in the group’s strategy.
From November, Ingledew will also serve a part-time secondment at Scottish Enterprise, where he will spend six months as an interim director from November.
The plan is to develop FinTech Scotland’s leadership team further into “a cluster management body”. In the interim search for a new, permanent CEO – a post the group aims to complete by Christmas – Nicola Anderson will become acting CEO.
From mid-November, Anderson – who is FinTech Scotland’s current strategic development director – will take the helm.
Anderson has been on full-time secondment with the industry organisation from the Financial Conduct Authority, where she heads up retail banking supervision.
With Ingledew taking the executive chairman role, current non-executive chair David Ferguson will step down.
Ferguson is the founder and CEO of Edinburgh-based fintech Nucleus Financial, a start-up which topped the 100,000 customers mark this year.
“It’s been hugely interesting seeing FinTech Scotland come into being and to see Stephen do such a great job of generating momentum over the last couple of years,” says Ferguson in a statement.
Scotland births 20 new fintech start-ups in COVID-19
When the pandemic began in March, there were around 130 fintechs. But by the end of September, that figure had risen to 150, according to a panel of experts hosted by The Scotsman.
The creation of 20 new fintech start-ups during such a turbulent six months points to the preserving momentum of Scotland’s fintech scene.
Oli Henderson, EY Scotland’s financial services strategy and transactions team lead, points out on the panel that investors are ready to back some of these new fintechs.
“There is a lot of ‘dry powder’ in private equity and venture capital funds,” says Henderson.
“EY has had lots of calls from them about the market. There is an appetite to find the right fintech, to understand the shift and how fintechs can support that.”
OneBanks runs pilot during pandemic
FinTech Futures recently profiled OneBanks, one of Scotland’s newest fintech start-ups.
The Glaswegian team headed up by founder and CEO, Duncan Cockburn, is looking to capitalise on the trend of bank branch closures.
“Open banking underpins the solution, but it’s about making it accessible to everybody,” Cockburn said back in July.
Currently, OneBanks thinks open banking is only serving the tech-savvy portion of the UK’s population, whilst vulnerable customers are being left behind.
The start-up selected Denny, a small town in Falkirk, Scotland, to pilot its first bank-agnostic kiosk destination. Five years ago, the town had four banks. Now it has none.
These kiosks can also help challenger banks such as Revolut and Tide reach more rural-based businesses, which require branches to deposit cash.
When FinTech Futures spoke to OneBanks, Cockburn said it was looking to raise £1.5 million in capital from investors.


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Retailers, consumers and prices
Check out the latest retail scanner data.
The data, compiled by ACNielsen, show what consumers are buying and what they are taking a pass on.
According to J.P. Morgan’s take, the data show that shoppers are still scouring stores for ways to save money.
“The general themes remain consistent this month: sales growth is being driven by price, private label is gaining both dollar and volume share, and volumes continue to decline overall (likely due in part to a migration from measured channels to unmeasured channels such as Walmart),” J.P. Morgan analysts said in a research note.
Oh, that last part might be a bit important – that bit about unmeasured channels.
Not all stores are measured by Nielsen and competitor IRI. And some of those stores are the ones consumers are heading to in droves in what many economists say is a U.S. recession. Think Walmart and dollar stores, for example.
Some food companies say they expect to ship fewer products after raising prices in a weak economy. Hershey said yesterday that it expects volume to fall, for example.
That said, sales are still up for many food makers, helped by sharp price increases put in place to combat commodity costs that soared to unprecedented levels.
But lower-priced private-label products (or store brands) are also gaining market share. So the balancing act continues as food makers try to keep prices high but at the same time, need to ensure the price hikes don’t result in too much lost volume.
In yet another twist, many commodity prices are now falling. That could lead to lower prices from store brands as retailers try to get more customers in the stores and lure them with lower prices.
Also in the basket:
Housing starts plunge
Mexico’s Modelo not looking to buy back stake
Sonic posts lower quarterly profit
Check out those coupons from Borders.
In a new report, J.P. Morgan analyst Charles Grom begins tracking the promotional cadence at book sellers. Grom said he is keeping a close eye on discounts and promotions as the price war among book retailers extends into the first half of 2008 and Borders prepares to launch its own e-commerce site.
The view so far? “Borders is still clearly focused on driving the top line, perhaps at the expense of margins, as it remains the most promotional retailer in bookselling today,” Grom wrote.
Borders averages about two coupons per week, with spikes in broad-based discounts during the holiday, quarter-end and month-end periods, Grom said. The company put more promotional focus on specific categories in February and March.
Barnes & Noble’s rewards program, unlike Borders’, is subscription based, with members paying $25 and receiving discounts,
“As such, Barnes & Noble’s direct marketing campaign serves more as a reminder of discounts rather than a limited time offer,” Grom said. But he added that he’s seen some special offers from Barnes over the past several weeks, including a 40-percent discount on kids’ books.
Grom sees the pace of discounts at Borders continuing in the first half as it ramps up e-commerce sales and faces macroeconomic headwinds.
Also in the basket:
The latest in fashion: pink slips (NYTimes)
Wendy’s reports lower quarterly same-store sales
Constellation Brands profit tops view


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Wisconsin is running red!
It's cranberry season, and farmers across the state are working to harvest the berries from their flooded marshes.
"The marsh was started in 1903. We first started packing fresh fruit in 1905. So, I am third generation on the marsh," Nodji Van Wychen said.
For almost 120 years, Nodji Van Wychen and her family have been running Wetherby Cranberry Company in Warrens, Wisconsin.
"Which, by the way, is the number one fruit crop in the state of Wisconsin. And we have been the number one crop for 28 consecutive years." "We measure our yield in barrels, which is the old standard weight, and 100 pounds equals a barrel," Van Wychen said.
Planted as vine cuttings from previous harvests in beds of peat and sand, cranberry vines take four to five years to mature. Once ready to harvest, the beds are flooded with water so that machines can easily knock the berries off the vines.
"Out here where you're standing, we're kind of surrounded by, I would imagine, about 75,000 pounds of cranberries, probably about a semi and a half when we are when we get it all fully loaded and head out of here," Mike Gnewikow, co-owner of Wetherby Cranberry Company, said.
After being collected from the water, the cranberries are sorted, with some bound for the market just as they are. However, the majority are turned into other products, like juice, relish, and, in some cases, even wine!
"There's not a lot of cranberries growing all over the nation. And therefore, you get to this cranberry region, and people just really like the cranberry wine because it's so unique and different," Van Wychen said. "We are very fortunate that cranberries are very healthy to the consumer, and consumers are being very health conscious nowadays. So, we hope that with that in mind, they try cranberries in their diet and so forth, and so we hope that everyone. If you aren't using them year-round, at least have cranberries on your Thanksgiving table."
Trending stories at Scrippsnews.com


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UMass Lowell (press release)
Thu, 18 Dec 2014 08:41:15 -0800
“This could help Massachusetts manufacturers eliminate organic solvents and toxic monomers from their formulations.” Since its inception more than 20 years ago, the TURI Academic Grant program has awarded more than $1.5M in funding, supporting more ...
Thu, 18 Dec 2014 10:33:11 -0800
Caused by exposure to certain organic solvents, the disorder insidiously affects the nervous system over time. It can also affect motor skills, brain function and indirectly cause structural damage to the body. Clinically depressed, Mr Payne was at the ...
Fri, 19 Dec 2014 02:18:45 -0800
BASF's Coatings division says it is the sole supplier of automotive coatings for the new plant of the Chinese automaker, Chery in Jacarei, Brazil, which started operations in August, 2014. BASF will supply red, white, black, silver and grey shades ...
ITAR-TASS (press release)
Tue, 16 Dec 2014 02:09:55 -0800
The truXTRAC FFPE RNA extraction method utilizes the highly controlled, focused acoustic energy to remove paraffin from Fixed-Formalin, Paraffin-Embedded (FFPE) samples without the use of organic solvents; enabling efficient and rapid tissue ...
Thu, 11 Dec 2014 11:24:05 -0800
Organic solvents such as acetonitrile, hydrocarbons, and dichloromethane are flammable, toxic, and tend to be expensive to purchase and dispose of. As a result, researchers, particularly in industry, are looking for technologies that either reduce the ...
The New Indian Express
Mon, 15 Dec 2014 16:22:30 -0800
These nanotised curcumin particles are also independent of a “carrier” The procedure allows it to disperse in water, while natural curcumin is only soluble in organic solvents. This increased the bioavailability of nanotised curcumin, compared to that ...
Wed, 10 Dec 2014 10:56:15 -0800
Study after study has come out warning against the dangers of phthalates, a class of chemicals added to all kinds of consumer products like cosmetics, plastic shower curtains, linoleum and glues. The latest comes from Columbia University's Mailman ...
Nanotechnology News (press release)
Thu, 20 Nov 2014 08:50:29 -0800
Organic solvents are currently used in large quantity in various industries, including petrochemicals, chemicals and textile. Increasing environmental pollutions caused by the application of these solvents in various aspects is a reason for the ...
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DETROIT — Tesla Inc. on Wednesday posted record fourth-quarter and full-year earnings as deliveries of its electrical autos soared regardless of a worldwide scarcity of laptop chips that has slowed all the auto business.
The Austin, Texas, firm made $5.5 billion final yr in contrast with the earlier record yr of $3.47 billion in web revenue posted in 2020. It was the electrical car and photo voltaic panel maker’s third straight worthwhile yr.
In a letter to shareholders, Tesla mentioned 2021 was a breakthrough yr for the corporate. “There should no longer be doubt about the viability and profitability of electric vehicles,” the letter mentioned.
Tesla made $2.32 billion in the fourth quarter. Excluding particular objects such as stock-based compensation, the corporate made $2.54 per share. That beat Wall Road expectations of $2.36 per share. Income for the quarter was $17.72 billion, additionally forward of analysts’ estimates of $17.13 billion, based on FactSet.
Of the income quantity, $314 million got here from promoting regulatory credit to different automakers to fulfill authorities air pollution requirements. That quantity has been a smaller share of income for a number of quarters.
Tesla delivered a record 936,000 autos final yr, almost double the 2020 determine. Fourth-quarter car gross sales hit 308,600, additionally a record. Tesla mentioned it expects 50% annual development in car deliveries “over a multi-year horizon.”
The corporate mentioned its factories have been working under their capability for a number of quarters, restricted primarily by supply-chain constraints which might be prone to proceed via this yr.
Tesla mentioned it began constructing Mannequin Y SUVs late final yr at its new manufacturing unit close to Austin. After remaining certification, it plans to start out delivering them to prospects. The corporate mentioned it’s testing tools at its new manufacturing unit in Germany, and remains to be making an attempt to get a producing allow from native authorities. It nonetheless lists the Cybertruck electrical pickup as “in development.” It was presupposed to go on sale final yr.
“Officially cutting the red ribbon on Austin and Berlin over the coming months will be key as more supply comes online for Tesla with demand currently outstripping supply,” Wedbush analyst Daniel Ives wrote in a observe to traders.
The corporate mentioned it was capable of drive value reductions in the ultimate quarter of the yr, as effectively as develop car gross sales. However it confronted rising raw-material, commodity and logistics prices as effectively as elevated guarantee and recall bills.
It mentioned that “Full Self-Driving” software program is now being examined on public roads by homeowners in almost 60,000 autos in the U.S. It was solely about 2,000 in the third quarter, Tesla mentioned. The software program, which prices $12,000 and can’t but drive itself, is a major space of focus for the corporate and may speed up Tesla’s profitability, the corporate mentioned.
Tesla’s shares initially tumbled in prolonged buying and selling after the earnings have been introduced however recovered to a small decline. The inventory closed Wednesday up 2% to $937.41.
Ives mentioned the inventory was down because of the firm’s warning about provide chain weak point via this yr.
“This is prudent caution,” he mentioned. “The Road is hyper-sensitive to any provide chain worries.”


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From a recent post by LSA Insider, 57% Unlikely to Buy Online from Biz with Poor Mobile Experience:
Studies continue to show that poor mobile experiences result in businesses and brands being overlooked by customers.
According to a new study, 57% of consumers said they were not likely to buy online from a non-mobile friendly local business site. This applies equally to national brands as well.
While the finding is logical as it relates to ecommerce, it’s a stand-in for a broader proposition: not delivering good digital/online experiences will result in a loss of good will and purchases of local consumers.
For small business owners, this underscores the fact that you not only need to be online to be found by potential customers or clients, but that your website needs to be responsive, i.e., fully accessible and user-friendly when viewed with a tablet or smart phone.
Indeed, with the increasing emphasis on mobile-friendly websites by Google and other search engines, customers trying to find products or services may not even see your business in search listings if it’s not responsive.


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iHeartMedia, a leading global media and entertainment company with the largest reach of any radio or television outlet in America, today announced remarkable results from a study conducted in partnership with leading neuromarketing firm Neuro-Insight. Neuro-Insight uses its patented brain imaging technology, Steady-State Topography (SST), to measure how the brain responds to communications, including a broad spectrum of content and advertising. Here, Neuro-Insight’s research clearly showed radio outperforming television – and radio advertisements in particular outperformed television advertisements for the same brands—showing much higher performance in Neuro-Insight’s Memory Encoding metric, an indicator repeatedly and strongly associated with consumer choice and purchase behavior.
Neuro-Insight tested eight advertising campaigns with parallel radio and television versions across the automotive, financial services, insurance, consumer packaged goods, quick-service restaurants, entertainment, retail and telco categories. In seven of the eight test cases, radio ads returned much higher results than TV in Memory Encoding at key branding moments. For advertisers, Memory Encoding at branding is the key to a successful ad campaign – and unless Memory Encoding is high at this critical point, the ad will not function successfully. This has been peer-reviewed and published in various other research studies.
Radio was also more effective than TV in converting content engagement into Memory Encoding during advertising breaks – indicating better content-ad interaction and stronger impact on consumer choice and behavior for radio ads as compared to the tested television ads.
“These findings from Neuro-Insight represent significant scientific evidence that radio’s ability to engage consumers -- and influence them to purchase – can far outperform other media,” said Dr. Radha Subramanyam, Executive Vice President of Insights for iHeartMedia. “If advertisers want their messages to truly register with consumers – and drive their purchasing behavior -- they need to make radio a significant part of their media budgets.”
Neuro-Insight’s Memory Encoding metric is both scientifically and commercially validated to correlate with advertising effectiveness, consumer choice, and in-market behavior. In this study, the higher Memory Encoding figures seen for radio indicate that radio advertising in its current form is both well-designed and more likely to impact consumer and market outcomes than TV advertising.
"The data in this study clearly show that iHeartMedia's radio offerings excellently harness the unique power of their medium,” said Pranav Yadav, CEO of Neuro-Insight US Inc. “It also shows that radio should always remain a part of your marketing mix.”
With 245 million monthly listeners in the U.S., 97 million monthly digital uniques and 196 million monthly consumers of its Total Traffic and Weather Network, iHeartMedia has the largest reach of any radio or television outlet in America. It serves over 150 markets through 859 owned radio stations, and the company’s radio stations and content can be heard on AM/FM, HD digital radio, satellite radio, on the Internet at iHeartRadio.com and on the company’s radio station websites, on the iHeartRadio mobile app, in enhanced auto dashes, on iPads and smartphones, and on gaming consoles.
iHeartRadio, iHeartMedia’s digital radio platform, is the No. 1 all-in-one digital audio service with over 345 million downloads; it reached its first 20 million registered users faster than any digital service in Internet history and reached 50 million users faster than any digital music service and even faster than Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest. The company’s operations include radio broadcasting, online, mobile, digital and social media, live concerts and events, syndication, music research services and independent media representation.
Wendy Goldberg, 212-377-1105


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Sony said Tuesday that it will be at least a few more days before it restores the PlayStation Network, which has been offline since it was targeted by by hackers last month.
(AP)—Despite all its cutting-edge technology, Google Inc. has turned to the humble text message to break into Nigeria's booming economy.
(AP) -- We appreciate your decision to read this story. Would you take a short survey about your satisfaction with the reading experience? Could you review this article on a website? Rate it for other readers?
(AP)—Iranian officials announced that they would soon introduce local alternatives to Google and its Gmail e-mail service, even as the country's media and even some officials stepped up complaints over Tehran's decision ...
Internet giant Google's unwillingness to obey Chinese law is to blame for the shutdown of its hugely popular email service, state-run media said Tuesday after the last easy way to access Gmail was apparently blocked.
(AP) -- A growing number of critics are complaining that a San Francisco Bay area transit agency acted illegally when it cut off wireless service in an effort to stifle a protest.
The top executive of popular video-streaming service Hulu said Friday that he and the company's chief technology officer will leave the company by April.
Cisco on Monday warned that crooks have inundated LinkedIn with emails crafted to trick members of the career-oriented social networking service into downloading software that loots bank accounts.
An ex-senior official in the top secret US National Security Agency will plead guilty to exceeding authorized use of a computer in a classified information leak case, court papers showed Thursday.
(AP)—When a mysterious, unauthorized fee appears on your cellphone bill, it's called "cramming" and consumer advocates and regulators worry it's emerging as a significant problem as people increasingly ditch their landlines ...


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The sentiment behind the expression is the same today as it was in Roman days. Our Dear Departed Dad used to say that if something sounded too good to be true, it probably was. That too is a mindset that has stuck with us, which is why we've never invested money in a finance company!
But Stuff reports on a modern-day application of caveat emptor; check this out:
A Trade Me scammer who conned customers out of nearly $50,000 has been sentenced to nine months home detention.
Elmira Rafiee, 25, was charged with 57 dishonesty offences after selling cut-price iPhones and iPads that buyers never received.
She used websites Trade Me and Sella to contact her victims directly pretending to be selling products they were interested in.
Forty-five people fell for the scam and Rafiee pocketed $48,332, in part to fund a drug habit. The highest single amount paid was $1100 for an iPad.
When caught last year, Rafiee admitted the charges and was given time to raise the money to repay the complainants.
She came to Auckland District Court today able to pay $14,500, which her lawyer Mark Edgar said was "the accumulation of a lot of scrimping and scraping".
He proposed she pay $100 a week through a job at a beauty salon to take care of the balance, provided the judge allowed her a community-based sentence.
Rafiee was supported in court by family even though her lawyer said she had brought shame on them among the Iranian community.
Judge David Harvey remarked on the high level of premeditation which involved buying courier bags and providing tracking numbers to "the hapless purchasers".
And the victims were not limited to those who fell for the scam.
The credibility of the specific websites and the entire online marketplace was tarnished, he said.
Judge Harvey said the aggravating factors of computer fraud were often overlooked by the court.
"There's a level of dissociation between the offender and the victim," he said.
"With real world fraud it takes a certain level of grit because you've got to eyeball the victim."
Upon sentencing her to home detention, the judge said he hoped the six years of repayments would be a constant reminder of Rafiee's offending.
He also tacked on 200 hours of community work and banned her from the internet for the first six months of her sentence.
Whilst there's no excuse for Elmira Rafiee's offending, TradeMe does bring the whole caveat emptor thing to life in a 21st century context. Whilst the vast majority of TradeMe traders are honest, there are some scumbags out there. But surely, checking a person's feedback and profile, even if they haven't traded much is the bare minimum that any buyer would do before handing over their hard-earned cash.
Judge Harvey is right on the money about the level of disassociation between victims and offenders in online fraud; it's a very impersonal crime. But those purchasing online should take some precautions, and have an understanding that the Deal of the Century may not be that at all.
As we said above, none of this excuses Rafiee's cynical, premediated offending. But as long as they are people who will take the bait, fraudsters such as her will continue to propser. All we can say to that is caveat emptor; let the buyer beware.


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Nordstrom collaborates with Dover Street Market Paris
American department store chain Nordstrom has partnered with Comme des Garçons owned concept store Dover Street Market Paris to highlight emerging designers in the fashion industry.
The collaboration will feature seven individual up-and-coming brands curated by Dover Street that introduce their spring/summer 2021 collections in select Nordstrom stores and online.
“We use our in-store and online boutiques as a platform to showcase wonderfully creative fashion and hope to be a place of discovery and excitement,” stated Gennie Yi, Space buyer for Nordstorm, in a press release.
“Our point of view on product is anchored in a sense of curiosity and play–pushing the boundaries is something that resonates and keeps us looking forward to finding the next new brand.”
For six weeks, the brands, including Berlin-based HFD, gender-neutral brand ERL, Paris designer Weinsanto, and Singaporean collective Youths in Balaclava, will be featured in an immersive new shop installation designed by artist Marc Hundley. Customers can shop the collaboration in Nordstrom Space boutiques in New York, Los Angeles, and Vancouver stores.
The collaboration comes at a time of expansion for Dover Street Market. Earlier this year, Dover Street launched a brick-in-mortar shop in Paris’s Marais district. The multi-brand concept store has shops in London, New York City, Tokyo, Singapore, Beijing, and Los Angeles.
“Dover Street Market is undoubtedly a leader in what is on the pulse of fashion right now and partnering with them in this way is an incredible opportunity to support emerging designer talent,” added Yi.