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Kenya agrees to free trade but makes protectionist move
16 Jul 2018 - by
Kenya’s application to the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa) to extend safeguards to cap the volume of sugar imports into the country are unjustified and fly in the face of its ratification of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement.
This according to economist Ansetze Were who noted that as the country had done nothing to address the underlying sugar sector issues it should not be granted an extension of the safeguard which lapsed in 2012 and had already been extended to February this year.
“The government is not dealing with the real issues here but is busy seeking protection for an industry that is not competitive at all,” she said.
Were pointed out that the Kenyan government should instead be addressing the high cost of production and inefficiencies in the local industry.
According to the Trade Law Centre (Tralac), production costs in Kenya currently stand at around US$90 per tonne compared to Mauritius where the cost is about US$40 per tonne.
In a statement, Tralac also noted that the East African country had recently violated Comesa rules by importing sugar from outside the regional bloc without seeking approval from the body.
One of the reasons that the Kenyan Sugar Directorate gave for the application was to protect the country from cheap imports but Were said that this was one of the reasons that consumers in the country were paying such a high price for sugar in the first place as the safeguard restricted the movement of cheaper sugar.
The application was a contradictory move by Kenya as it was the first country to ratify the AfCFTA and trade experts have said that protectionism in African countries will hinder the effectiveness of the continental free trade agreement.
Annual sugar consumption in Kenya was recorded at 870 000 tonnes, while the country only produces around 600 000 tonnes a year, leaving the deficit to be covered by controlled imports from Comesa.


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NEW YORK, Nov 13, 2013/ — On Tuesday, November 12, 2013, Converse celebrated the launch of the CONS Holiday collection with special music performances by Converse CONS Ambassador RATKING, rapper Trinidad Jame$ and DJ Wonder at Converse Rubber Tracks in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
Notable guests in attendance included Converse CONS Ambassadors Harry Fraud, Phony Ppl, RATKING and Dee and Ricky, rapper Adrian Lau and Chef Eddie Huang.
Guests were delivered the ultimate CONS experience as Converse introduced the new CONS Holiday sneaker collection, and brought to life the restless, streetwise energy of the CONS creative spirit.
The Converse CONS Holiday collection features the Aerojam, Anarchy and Star Player Plus, and celebrates modern street culture in a sport-inspired world, combining a 90’s throwback influence that’s been remixed for a fresh take on modern new sneakers.
The Converse CONS Holiday Collection will be available on Thursday, November 14, exclusively at Foot Locker, Footaction, and Champs stores in North America and online at Footlocker.com, Footaction.com, and Champsstores.com for a suggested retail price range of $70-$110USD.
Photo by Ilya S. Savenok/Getty Images for Converse

domain: news


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The South Africa 3D printing market is forecast to grow at a CAGR of XX% during the forecast period 2019 to 2024. 3D Printing market is growing at an exponential rate in South Africa owing to increasing investment in additive manufacturing of titanium in the region, technological advancement and Moreover, rising use of 3D printing technology by small and medium scale industry boost the 3d Printing market in South Africa.
The global 3D printing market is segmented on the basis of technology, application, end user, and region. By technology, the market is segmented into PolyJet, Stereolithography, Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM), Electron Beam Melting (EBM), Selective Laser Sintering (SLS), and Other. 3D printing finds major applications in prototyping, tooling, and functional part manufacturing.The U.S. held the largest share of the North American 3D printing market, followed by Canada and Mexico


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Users of Magento’s popular e-commerce platform have been handed the luxury of creating and launching performance marketing campaigns thanks to a new module released today (March 9).
Performance marketing network affilinet has unveiled a tool which delivers all the benefits of highly trackable, intelligent digital advertising via Magento Connect – the platform’s marketplace for add-ons and extensions.
Affilinet’s new solution places plenty of emphasis on convenience, facilitating the creation and deployment of performance ads within minutes, while offering a customisable dashboard for the tracking that follows.
Other features of the module include a range of ad formats, automated data feeds and retargeting options for connecting with potential buyers.
In another move towards convenience, the tool becomes available in the lead up to Mother’s Day (Sunday, March 15) – a key sales event for card, flower and gift merchants.
Re-engaging the engaged
Affilinet has been keen to stress the simplicity of its new tool, informing would-be users that developers are in no way needed to track consumer journeys across the web.
The network has broadcasted the launch of an “intuitive, user-friendly” dashboard for recording the progress of performance campaigns, which also drills down into the types of products and categories viewed.
This non-identifiable information can be used to target a prospective customer who may be on the verge of making a purchase. Custom tweaks can also be made to the reporting software, which might come into use as early as this weekend.
“Targeted promotional campaigns run through affiliates can give sales volumes a real boost around these special events,” says Paul Brown, head of operations at affilinet.
“Without the module, a typical integration would take up to a week of costly web development time. Users can integrate powerful performance marketing capabilities to their website, without huge web development costs.”
In releasing its module, affilinet has become the latest in a long line of groups to see potential in Magento as a software distribution platform.
The Connect marketplace has become a useful hub for online retailers wanting programs that can boost their sales and engage customers, but at a much lower cost than available elsewhere.
Analytics is a key area of focus for Magento app developers, although the store also offers solutions for the deployment of various forms of online marketing and lead generation.
Affilinet will be hoping its new module provides merchants with an easy introduction to performance marketing as it prepares to release a series of extensions on the Magento store.


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49ers CTO details the cutting-edge technology fans can expect at Levi's Stadium
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Among other tech tools the team is piloting are unique ticket scanners that recognize different frequencies, including QR codes commonly used on smartphones. Malik said his team is focused on trying to cut down on wait time at the gate for the nearly 70,000 fans the new stadium will accommodate.
In-seat food and beverage services and e-commerce sales are additional areas he hopes to streamline. When the 49ers take the field next fall, Malik said the team will have “runners” delivering food and beverages to fans who order on mobile devices.
However, the 49ers tech team is also keeping a close eye on stadium consumption patterns to see if there are ways to accurately predict what customers will want to buy in advance. Malik floated the idea of ticket scanners triggering stadium workers to automatically prepare a fan’s preferred food, drinks or other merchandise.
That focus on personalization extends to the team’s plans for e-commerce. Just as companies like eBay are looking to consumer analytics to boost sales, Malik said the 49ers want to better understand what fans are likely to buy.
“When you come to 49ers.com, we shouldn’t be treating you like we have no idea who you are,” he said.
And fans who plan to attend a game might be happy to hear that Malik is toying with a customer reward program to keep prices for merchandise at the stadium in line with market prices.
Eventually, in-game action could generate discounts on 49ers products to help drive sales. As an example, Malik said the team would consider discounting a player’s jersey after a touchdown.
To make sure all the sales and fan data is useful for the team’s bottom line, he said the 49ers tech team is busy crafting its own analytics tools.
Lauren Hepler is the economic development reporter at the Silicon Valley Business Journal.
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From the Standard
Kenyan traders have urged the Ethiopian government to remove bottlenecks hindering growth in bilateral trade between the two countries.
Through their lobby, the Kenya Association of Manufactures (KAM), traders urged the Ethiopia to fast-track investment opportunities .
“The transit pact will allow the movement of transit cargo and goods across the border at Moyale,” KAM chief executive officer Betty Maina Maina said in a statement after a three-day visit to Ethiopia.
The Kenyan delegation was led by Cabinet Secretary for East African Community, Tourism and Commerce Phyllis Kandie. Maina added that members of the delegation requested Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn to fast track investments by allowing Kenyan banks and retailers to operate in the country.
This includes improving capacity building and signing the Comesa Free Trade Area protocol to which the country is not yet a signatory. But Ethiopia’s Prime Minister, Hailemariam Desalegn called for a quick ratification and development of the protocols for the implementation of the Special Status Agreement (SSA) signed last year.
“I still feel the devil is in the details and there is need to work on the specific details with our private sector and our respective governments,” he said.
Desalegn promised to look into the question of allowing Kenyan owned banks to operate in the country. The pact is yet to be ratified by the Kenya and Ethiopian parliaments. KAM also requested the country to tackle foreign currency shortage, which affects the growth of the manufacturing sector. Kenya remains one of Ethiopia’s largest trading partners in Africa. Statistics indicate that in 2010, Kenya’s exports reached $43 million against imports of $2.4 million.
Read more at the Standard.


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Why be shy or frustrated with your appearance when it can become a focal point for you? We’re all different, and there are plenty of celebs whose looks are far from traditional beauty like Winnie Harlow with Vitiligo, or Nikia Phoenix with freckles all over her body, the beauty on the inside is what matters.
In the following report, Bright Side collected photos and stories from famous models, whose appearance is unusual and unique, and who have proven their success in their field:
1. Winnie Harlow
Canadian model Chantelle Brown-Young, better known as Winnie Harlow, is a true inspiration to everyone, and since the age of three has suffered from depigmentation, a disease called Vitiligo. But that didn’t stop Chantelle from becoming a famous model, her unusual skin tone is often confused at fashion shows and makeup, and Winnie has appeared in campaigns. Desigual And DieselShe participates in New York Fashion Week, and has starred in music videos from Eminem And Si.
2. Thando Hoba
Not long ago, Thando starred in advertisements Vichy There are still many projects ahead. Meanwhile, Thando has not fully devoted herself to her modeling work for many businesses, she is a fairly successful lawyer who specializes in the protection of human rights in African countries.
3. Nikia Phoenix
American model Nikia Phoenix stands out from the crowd because of her dark skin and freckles that cover her entire body, and her unusual appearance was first noticed by someone who works with Alternative Apparel, a branded clothing company, was discovered while stopping in a small cafe for a cup of coffee, and became the main face of advertising campaigns for the company. Coca-Cola And Target.
4. Victoria Modesta
Victoria Modesta is a singer and model who was born in the city of Daugavpils (Latvia) and had her left leg amputated, due to medical negligence at birth. That tragedy and her self-confidence improved dramatically. She now lives and works in London and is proud of what she has experienced, encouraging everyone to always pursue their dreams, no matter the obstacles.
5. Madeline Stewart
The Brisbane girl first caught the media’s attention when she shared her inspiring weight loss story on social media. She struggled with weight gain since early childhood as a result of Down Syndrome. All people with Down Syndrome are more predisposed to gaining weight. Good physical fitness through swimming, cycling, dancing and physical exercise.
Her story spread on the Internet at a tremendous speed, and after several months various proposals from famous brands in the world of fashion, Madeleine became the face of brands Manifesta And everMaya Its popularity is used to change people’s attitudes towards people with Down syndrome.
6. Jimmy Bouchert
She is already over thirty years old, but this does not prevent her from being the face of Givenchy, participating in Versace shows, marrying actor Michael Pitt.


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Empire & Allies, which invites users to build a war machine, said is which most detailed Zynga games. In this game, players will be faced with an enemy squadron known as the Dark Alliance, as well as friends can fight alone. Similarly, as quoted by USA Today.
“This game is a mixture of CityVille elements, such as making buildings with elements of traditional fighting games like Risk,” said Amer Ajami, Executive Zynga.
Empire & Allies is the first game Zynga for this kind of strategy game. In addition, the game was also launched in 12 languages.
“This game is a new genre for us, but at the same time it is important to respond to the type of game desired by our users, and we think they really enjoy this game,” said Brian Reynolds, Chief Game Designer from Zynga.
“Empire & Allies showed to everyone that the battle strategy games can be fun,” he said.Game, News


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Apple's iPhone, iPad and iPod touch were popular gifts this year if App Store sales are any indication. Sales for Christmas day jumped 87 percent compared to the rest of the month, according to data from Distmo, and iPad and iPad mini app sales saw the biggest jump.
App Store sales jumped 87 percent on Christmas Day
"Distimo AppIQ data shows us that the 2012 daily download figures in the Apple App Store for iPad and iPhone increased by 87 percent on Christmas Day compared to the December 2012 average, and moreover, the revenues showed an slightly lower increase of 70 percent," the research firm said. "Given that the iPad downloads and revenues rose by 140 percent and 83 percent respectively, the iPad seems to have been a very popular gift."
The most popular app download was Google's YouTube app, followed by Google Maps. The third and fourth most popular downloads on Christmas Day were the holiday-themed ElfYourself by OfficeMax, and Disney's Where's My Holiday. Skype, Subway Surfers, Flow Free, Furby, Instagram and Emoji & Unicode Icons rounded out the top ten downloads.
Apple typically notes the number of iPads and iPhones sold during its quarterly earnings report, so we're looking forward to seeing just how well the company's mobile devices performed this holiday season. If Distimo's data is any indication, those numbers will likely look very good.


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Saturday, June 15, 2019 || By Michael Romain || @maywoodnews
A well-known community figure who founded one of the largest amateur basketball leagues in Proviso Township was arrested on Friday and charged with a felony after allegedly trying to defraud the village of Maywood.
On June 14, Maywood Police officers executed a search warrant on the Maywood home of Quinton “Danka” Beasley, 32. Officers recovered nearly $6,000 worth of Nike merchandise that was allegedly fraudulently charged to the village of Maywood, said Maywood Police Lt. Dennis Diaz.
“Beasley was subsequently charged with theft of over $10,000, less than $100,000, a class 2 felony,” Diaz said.
Beasley is the founder of Danka’s Basketball League, an organization that offers structured amateur basketball competitions for young people and adults. Danka also offers training programs for area young people. The organization was operating out of the Maywood Multipurpose Building, 200 S. 5th Ave. in Maywood.
Diaz said that the alleged fraud came to the attention of Maywood Police in early June, after Lanya Satchell, Maywood’s finance director, alerted them to a suspicious invoice. The police then launched a two-week investigation into the matter.
“Beasley was ordering things from Nike and other sporting goods stores online and trying to charge the purchase to the village,” Diaz said. “He had multiple fraudulent accounts.”
But Beasley did not have any village credit card information on hand, Diaz said.
Beasley accepting a recognition for his basketball league from Village Free Press in March. | File
“When you do business with a municipality, they bill purchase orders and send you an invoice,” Diaz said. “He was billing Maywood these purchases and getting stuff shipped to his house.”
Diaz declined to reveal more details about the nature of the alleged fraud, adding that the matter is still under investigation.
“Beasley definitely had enough sensitive information to do what he did,” Diaz said, explaining that the alleged fraud dates back at least to January.
He said that more people could probably be charged in connection to the operation in the near future. Diaz said that no local political figures are implicated in the alleged fraud and that the village manager, Willie Norfleet, had no knowledge of the alleged operation.
When reached by phone on Saturday afternoon, Maywood Mayor Edwenna Perkins said she had no knowledge of the allegations until she learned that day.
“I don’t see how he could charge anything to Maywood without Maywood allowing him to do that,” the mayor said. “I don’t see how it could have been done.”
Beasley was due in bond court on June 15. VFP
Contact: email@example.com | Facebook: @maywoodnews


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Consumer Reports Rates Lupus Research Alliance Among Top Five Health Charities
Dec. 11, 2017. Lupus Research Alliance was recommended by Consumer Reports as one of the best five health organizations to donate to in 2017. For 80 years, Consumer Reports has provided “evidence-based product testing and ratings, rigorous research, hard-hitting investigative journalism, public education, and steadfast policy action on behalf of consumers’ interests.” The recommendation is based on ratings by independent watchdog groups like BBB Wise Giving Alliance.
“Choosing charities by name alone is a mistake some donors make, and their money sometimes ends up going to less-than-worthy groups. Those organizations perhaps spend too much on administrative costs or are outright scammers,” says Bennett Weiner, chief operating officer of the charity watchdog BBB Wise Giving Alliance. “The issue is particularly important now. About 20 percent of giving occurs during December,” he says.
Source: Consumer Reports, December 9, 2017


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May 12, 2023
By Tom Steever
Dylan Karis is the lead chemist at Airable Research Lab, where they’re finding biobased solutions for consumers and industrial chemical companies, in some instances looking to replace existing petroleum products or to add a new product. Photo Credit: Barry McGraw
Dylan Karis has problems at work. They’re not the kind he grumbles about to his closest friends, though. In fact, problems are his job at Airable Research Laboratory, and ARL’s solutions result in more soybean oil-based products on the market.
“We work on a variety of different challenges, so it’s difficult to pinpoint a specific type of problem we try to solve,” said Karis, lead chemist at ARL, located in Delaware, Ohio, who went on to explain an example.
“Say a company [wants to] convert an existing product that they have on the market already, but they want to make it more bio-based. They come to us to see how they can incorporate soy into their product either through a direct replacement or an entirely new product line that incorporates soy.”
The lab’s founder and chief laboratory officer, Barry McGraw, says consumers and industrial chemical companies are looking for biobased solutions and biobased products, sometimes to replace existing petroleum products or to add a new product for which their customers are looking.
“We wear kind of the ‘biobased’ or the ‘soy-based’ hat 100% of the time,” said McGraw during a recent interview. “As far as I know, this may be the only research and development lab that focuses on one raw material, which is soybean oil or soybeans.”
ARL was founded in 2019 by the Ohio Soybean Council, the state’s Soybean Checkoff arm, with the aim of developing soy-based products for companies that prefer to generate a more environmentally friendly footprint.
The lab gets funding from the checkoff councils of four other states. In addition to Ohio, there’s financial help from Illinois, Iowa, Missouri and Michigan. “That allows us to do the up-front research and development for commercial companies that are interested in soy-based products without any cost to them,” said McGraw. “All we ask of them is the ability to evaluate our material for their specific application.”
Industrial uses for soy have become ubiquitous, notably with the proliferation of soy ink in the late 1980s. Since then, soybean oil has progressively taken the place of petrochemicals in thousands of consumer products ranging from tires to solvents to carpet backing to shoes. (Raise your hand if you’ve ever stuffed a Christmas stocking with a pleasantly scented soy candle.)
None of soy’s industrial use success stories was written quickly or inexpensively. ARL works directly with companies to expedite and accelerate the process of bringing soy-based products to commercialization, which “is very hard and challenging,” according to McGraw. “We work with commercial companies that are interested in us developing a soy-based product for them. It just increases the probability of success.”
McGraw concedes, however, that success in commercializing a soy-based product is not guaranteed.
“When we start a project, we’re focused on proof of principle, and if we can’t show proof of principle, we kill the project; we go to the next project.” Understanding the market and working directly with companies to verify that a concept has practical potential, says McGraw, “gets us to the market easier.”
McGraw is also quick to point out that none of the lab’s innovations will, by itself, result in soybean usage on the scale of livestock feeds and renewable fuels.
“If you look at just one new use or one bio-based product, it doesn't necessarily get your attention with respect to acreage or demand of how much soybeans will be utilized,” McGraw explained, “but when you look at hundreds of different industrial uses for soybean oil or soybeans, it really starts adding up with respect to volume and demand for their product.”
Innovative Chemist Connor Young works on a project in the lab. At Airable Research Laboratory, a small team of chemists and engineers work to find solutions that result in more soybean oil-based products on the market. Photo Credit: Barry McGraw
The lab’s unique business model is part of the reason it’s successful and able to attract clients in search of biobased products. “We are fully farmer funded,” said Dylan Karis, referring to support from the five state soybean checkoff organizations. “What that means is we can do proof-of-principle experiments at no cost to the commercial clients that we’re working with. That reduces the barrier to entry of getting soy introduced into whatever problem they’re trying to solve.”
While the soy industry also works closely with university and corporate partners, the ARL template is proving efficient. “We have shown that we can do four times the amount of research with the same amount of money that we were [spending] with universities or research and development organizations,” said McGraw, “so when we’re talking about checkoff funding, we’re talking about soybean farmers’ money, and it’s important to me and to our staff to utilize it most effectively.
“The lab gives us the ability to develop what commercial companies want versus what we think they want,” explained McGraw, adding the recent example of a company called LFS Chemistry. That company approached ARL early in 2022 about developing a soy biobased product to reduce the build-up of scale blockage in oil and gas pipelines. By March of 2022, ARL had hit LFS Chemistry’s targets, and by April, about four months after beginning at square one, McGraw says the technology was licensed. “And now we’re about 12 months in, and we’re already in the commercialization phase where we’re scaling it up and producing product for sale,” he said, adding that ARL’s small size allows it to avoid the licensing and ownership bureaucracy that hinders larger research firms.
Another advantage that McGraw personally brings to the lab team is experience in the patent and contractual side of getting a product to market.
“By having our own lab, and with a background in contracts and patent law and licensing, it allows our company to be very versatile so we can quickly develop something for [our clients],” he said, “and we’ll patent that technology and then we’ll license that technology to a commercial company.”
Among the lab’s success stories is its development of a soy-based emulsion for rejuvenating asphalt roofs.
“By adding this soy-based technology to your roof, it can restore your roof for up to five years,” said McGraw, “and you can repeat that process two or three times to get maybe 10 to 15 years more life out of your roof.”
ARL also develops soy-based products for companies that are more readily recognizable, such as Stanley Black & Decker, the parent company of power tool brands Craftsman, DeWalt and many others.
“We helped with the value chain of getting them to switch to a soy-based bar and chain oil for chain saws,” said McGraw. “It’s nice to have some of those companies that people recognize. It has the Ohio Soybean Council’s logo on the back of the bottle. We’re pretty proud of some of those.”
Often the point of bringing something soy-based to market is that it’s better for users and for the environment. Exposure to diallyl phthalate, a substance used in small amounts in automobile manufacturing, can cause health problems.
With financial help from the Ohio, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri and Michigan checkoff councils, Airable Research Lab is fully farmer funded. Pictured: Innovative Engineer Alex Shand in the lab. Photo Credit: Barry McGraw
“I’ve been working on developing a replacement for diallyl phthalate by making an analog using a soy-based starting compound and functionalizing it such that it has similar properties but doesn’t have the same toxicity,” said Karis. “In one aspect, that is definitely better than the current material, and so far, our data has shown that it is [functionally] on par with that material.”
Truckers need to regularly maintain lubrication at the point their truck’s fifth wheel couples with the trailer they’re hauling. A soy-based grease product is on the market encased in a petroleum-based wax coating for clean storage and handling. The problem is that summer heat in truck cabs softens the wax coating, resulting in the pads partially melting and sticking together.
“We looked and found that you can actually use a soy-based wax, and it has a [higher] melting temperature, or basically the point at which the wax begins to soften,” said Karis. “And because that point is higher, it will not melt together at temperatures that would be in a truck, even in a place like Texas.”
The process of improving the product also means it has a higher biobased concentration.
“We increased the soy content in that product from 60% to 95%, so now they have more bio-base in their product,” said McGraw, about the fifth-wheel grease pads, “it also performs better with [improved] packaging and other performance properties.”
Dylan Karis puts his problem-solving into perspective when comparing it to doing similar work at a university research lab.
“I am really proud of being able to work on bio-based materials that seem to make a difference,” said Karis of his career at ARL. “It’s really exciting for me to be able to work on something that companies care about, and in turn, people care about, and improve essentially the base of materials available for companies to use.”
Since its founding in 2019, ARL has continued to expand full-time staffing and increase the number of companies for which it’s doing research.
“We’ve only been doing this with full-time chemists and engineers for a year, and it’s going really well,” says Barry McGraw. “I think things like this are the future, where we’re not just funding a little bit here and there, we’re going at this 100%. That’s pretty exciting for me.”


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FRAMINGHAM, MA - Starting in November, Staples will advance its commercial delivery fleet by introducing 41 new all-electric, class six trucks in California, Missouri, and Ohio. Thirty will operate in California, 10 in Ohio, and one in Missouri.
Staples' new all-electric delivery trucks are part of an ongoing fuel efficiency initiative, started in 2006, to achieve a 40-percent improvement in fleet fuel economy by 2015. Having achieved a 30-percent improvement in fuel efficiency to-date, Staples is now working toward the goal of improving fuel economy by 10 percent with additional reductions in its carbon footprint.
The Newton all-electric trucks, manufactured by Smith Electric Vehicles, will join Staples' existing delivery fleet of nearly 2,000 vehicles in North America. The trucks deliver a top speed of 55 mph and offers end users battery ranges from 50 to 120 miles on a single charge.
Over the next five years, Staples plans to accomplish the 10-percent goal through a combination of measures including the use of all-electric trucks in high-density urban delivery areas, diesel/electric hybrids for urban delivery areas, lighter composite materials in body construction, dynamic routing software and fuel cell technology as it becomes available. Staples will also work closely with all its vehicle OEMs to continue to improve the fuel economy of its remaining conventionally-powered trucks, according to the company.
"The addition of these all-electric delivery trucks is the latest example of our commitment to continually improve our delivery fleet and its impact on the environment," said Mike Payette, manager of fleet equipment at Staples. "Over time, we'll look to increase the number of these trucks in the Staples fleet as an effective way to service our delivery customers while reducing our carbon emissions."
The initial phase of Staples' fuel efficiency initiative was conducted from 2006 through early 2010, resulting in fuel economy improvements of 30 percent from an industry standard 8.1 mpg to 10.1 mpg and a reduction of about 9,000 metric tons of CO2. This was accomplished through a collaborative effort among Staples executives, fleet drivers, and various OEMs to incorporate street wise and industry best practices. These measures included mechanical and electronic speed reduction, altering transmission shift points, electronic idle reduction, and driver training programs, according to the company.


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What You Need to Know:
- Netmarble Games announced that it is introducing the hit mobile MMORPG Lineage 2: Revolution at the upcoming TwitchCon 2017. Netmarble will take part as a Platinum Sponsor at this year's TwitchCon 2017, which takes place Oct. 20-22 at the Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center. Lineage 2: Revolution will be showcased for the first time to gamers in the U.S., as the game prepares for launch in Q4 2017.
- On Oct. 20, Netmarble will appear on the TwitchCon Esports stage and hold a 30 vs 30 fortress siege at 5PM, featuring 6 top game streamers and 54 fans who were chosen to take part through pre-registration.
- Apart from showcasing the fortress siege at the Esports Stage, Netmarble will have the game playable on 100 mobile devices at the booth with the chance to try out the extraction dungeon. The fortress siege will also continue at the booth each day, along with cosplay and giveaways for players that try the game out. Netmarble is planning to launch Lineage 2: Revolution in the West, including North America and Europe, this year.
- Netmarble is currently running Pre-registration even, and for more information on Lineage 2: Revolution, visit the Preregistration website.
Source: Official Press Release
Japan is killing this game right now, in a good way of course. So many people are playing it.
Let's hope everyone in the west will feel the same way!


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How tariffs continue to hurt the region's farmers
JACKSON TOWNSHIP - Farmers suffer first and recover last from a trade war.
Roger Wise believes it, repeating the phrase several times when he's asked about tariffs, retaliation, battered commodity prices and a lingering feud between the United States and China.
Wise, 70, is a longtime Jackson Township farmer.
Like other Sandusky and Ottawa County farmers this year, Wise has struggled to plant crops in extreme weather conditions he's likened to 1978's historic blizzard and 1998's summer drought.
Derailed by an unusually wet spring, he planted his first 200 acres of corn May 17, about a month later than he planned, and just finished planting the last of his 450 soybean acres July 1.
Wise received United States Department of Agriculture assistance last year in the form of Market Facilitation Program payments, a federal aid package hastily put together to ease impacts of Chinese retaliatory tariffs on soybeans, corn and other American crops.
Now Wise and thousands of other Ohio farmers are waiting for details on the next round of MFP payments this summer (expected to total between $16 billion and $18 billion in additional federal aid) and wondering if and when the U.S./China trade war will cease.
"We need to create a farm policy that doesn't create a need for these ad hoc payments," Wise said, as he sat on the porch of his home Wednesday morning.
Farmers take federal aid to mitigate losses
The Trump administration announced in mid-September 2018 it would impose 10 percent tariffs on an additional $200 billion in Chinese imports, with China responding with $60 billion in tariffs on hundreds of U.S. products.
Soybeans, wheat, corn, rice, sorghum, corn flour and cereal flour were included in the list of grains and grain derivatives targeted by China earlier this year in response to $34 billion in new U.S. tariffs imposed on Chinese goods.
To help farmers, the administration offered $12 billion in federal aid.
A September 2018 Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences report estimated total expected MFP payments to Ohio farmers would reach $255.4 million last year.
There's no doubt there's mounting frustration among farmers statewide with the draining trade war and significant damage done to a lucrative trade market that took decades to build, said Ty Higgins, an Ohio Farm Bureau spokesman.
Until last year, one out of every three rows of soybeans planted and harvested in Ohio was sold to China, Higgins said.
Those soybeans stayed in Ohio last fall as the U.S./China trade war continued without resolution and carried over into 2019.
"We had piles and plies of soybeans after harvest with nowhere to go," Higgins said Thursday.
At $1.65 per bushel, the 2018 MFP soybean subsidies helped Wise at a time when that crop's price had substantially declined.
The 1 cent per bushel for corn didn't provide a similar level of help, Wise acknowledged.
How tariffs impact markets
A past president of the Ohio Farmers Union, Wise said his union has been pushing for years for the need to address American farm policy and imbalances in supply and demand that led to this current trade war.
He gives President Trump credit for taking China to task regarding what Wise considers to be unfair trade practices.
But he isn't sure Trump's use of tariffs is the best way to solve those lingering trade issues.
"He's taken a sledgehammer to a tack, if you will," Wise said.
Chad Gargas, an Ottawa County farmer based in Genoa, said any time there's talk of a tariff that could impact U.S. farmers and their overseas markets, the grain market might swing 30 to 40 cents up or down on a given day.
This can translate into a $400 to $500 gain or loss on a load of grain.
Gargas thinks there could be a light at the end of the tunnel for farmers this year.
If farmers in Northwest Ohio and other parts of the United States don't see a substantial harvest, that could eat into American surpluses for corn, soybeans and other crops and lower the country's overall supply.
"Hopefully demand stays strong and if Trump can get a deal worked out with China to keep importing our grain, we should get back to a more normal supply and demand, which is not the case right now," Gargas said.
Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, visited with several farmers from the region July 1 at an Oak Harbor farm.
While regional concerns about flooding, delayed planting and federal disaster aid dominated Brown's visit, the senator also asked farmers about the tariff's impacts on commodity prices and their livelihoods.
The American Soybean Association estimated in May that soybean prices are at least 20% to 25% below pre-tariff levels.
Scott Chalfin, who farms in Sandusky County, admitted he didn't like trade wars and what this one had done to hurt farmers' finances.
Chalfin told Brown he hoped the administration's tariffs will pay off in the long run, in terms of leveling the trade playing field between the U.S. and China.
After the visit, Brown said he felt tariffs work if they're seen as a temporary tool in a trade dispute.
The senator said he thought Trump saw the use of tariffs as a permanent policy.
What you should know about the next round of MFP payments
Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue announced May 23 that USDA is initiating a second MFP to assist farmers.
Higgins said farmers should hear something about the second series of MFP trade payments soon.
There will be three rounds of payments tied to the 2019 MFP program.
Only the first round is guaranteed, Higgins said, which hinders farmers trying to plan out their finances, seed and fertilizer purchases over the next six months to a year.
The number of crops covered under the program has been widened this year, but the program will pay out aid based on 2019-planted acres to MFP-covered crops.
There will be a single payment rate for a county. That per acre payment rate will be based on total plantings of the MFP-covered crops on the individual farm.
Higgins said the county payment rates will be based on "Olympic," five-year production averages.
"This year it's a little bit more complicated. And we still don't have those calculations," Higgins said.
Farmers wait for news on the MFP program as they continue to see annual drops in overall revenues.
Higgins said farmers' incomes nationwide have declined 50 percent since 2012.
Wise said he will expect to learn more details about MFP on July 15, when he submits his spring crop acreage report to the county's Farm Service Agency office.
It's frustrating to Wise that more farmers aren't speaking out about farm policy, which he feels should be crafted with good support prices at or near the cost of production to avoid a lot of the financial pain attached to the tariffs.
Wise said the 2018 Farm Bill was written when prices were high and is based on farmers enjoying higher revenues.
With the trade war, the U.S. is becoming a secondary, not primary, trade source to China for soybeans and other commodities, Wise said, with Brazil swooping in to fill demand.
"It'll take a long time to reshape those alliances," Wise said.


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Google announced the launch of Google Arts & Culture, a new digital platform featuring numerous museums and artifacts from around the world. Google Photos will soon be limiting storage capacity and will transition users over into using Google One for their storage needs. Customer service continues to be particularly hard hit during the public health crisis and a few stories are shared to illustrate the issues. A former Microsoft software engineer stole millions via their online retail system which landed the individual in federal prison and may result in deportation back to his home of Ukraine.
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By CHRIS POYNTER
The Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY.)
March 11, 2000
- Don't poo-poo the Louisville Zoo's latest fund-raiser: It's selling
composted elephant and rhinoceros dung.
This weekend - for a mere $ 5 - folks can tote home a 10pound bag
of ''ZooPoopyDoo: The Ultimate Compost.'' For $ 25, gardeners can
get a scoop from a small bulldozer. Bring your own truck.
''Part of our mission is to be environmentally sensitive, and this
is wonderful way of keeping refuse out of the landfill,'' said zoo
President Bill Foster.
He acknowledges that peddling packaged poop sounds a bit strange.
But, he said, the mixture is perfect for gardens. He uses it himself.
''For the person who has everything, this is a special gift,''
Foster said, laughing.
The zoo has been composting dung for about four years and selling
it to select clients, and it has been selling small packages of
dung as a novelty in its gift shop for a few years.
But this weekend is the first time it will be sold in bulk to the
''We now are producing enough'' for such sales, Foster said, adding
that there will be two or three more sales. ''We feel there is going
to be enough demand.''
Before it did composting, the zoo was spending $ 20,000 annually
to remove the dung and dump it in a landfill, Foster said. But following
the lead of zoos across the country, it began collecting animal
waste and composting it by mixing in leaves and other materials.
And now, it's turning a profit - to the tune of $ 27,000 last year.
Foster said waste from elephants and rhinos is rich in nutrients
because the animals consume large amounts of food but have very
poor digestive systems. As a result, just 20 to 25 percent of the
food is completely broken down.
''So a lot of nutrients pass through,'' Foster said. ''In the wild,
in nature, it is used by dung beetles and small birds.''
Bruce Peppers, an assistant manager at Frank Otte Nursery and Garden
Centers, laughed at the name ''ZooPoopyDoo.'' But, he said, it's
no different from other forms of compost, which use cow manure and
occasionally chicken waste.
''The best thing for people to do is incorporate it with their
soil beds,'' he said. ''I wouldn't put it directly on the lawn.''
OK, HERE'S THE POOP ''ZooPoopyDoo'' will be sold from 10 a.m. to
1 p.m. today and from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. tomorrow in the parking
lot of the zoo, 1100 Trevilian Way.
The Louisville Zoo is selling composted dung from elephants and
rhinoceroses by the bag or in bulk.
GRAPHIC: BY PAM SPAULDING, THE C-J LANGUAGE: English LOAD-DATE:
March 14, 2000


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Deliveroo, the fast-food delivery platform, was crowned the UK’s fastest-growing technology firm by Deloitte last year, boasting an incredible growth rate of 107,117% over four years. This year, the London-based firm is back in the ranking again, proving that it is capable of sustaining its steep growth trajectory.
Founded by former investment banker Will Shu and software developer Greg Orlowski in 2013, Deliveroo has achieved a valuation of more than £1.5bn in five short years. It has raised more than $900m since inception to fuel its international growth.
When Deliveroo's founder and CEO Will Shu moved to London in 2013 he discovered a city full of great restaurants, but saw a gap in the market that so few of them delivered food. His personal mission saw him become the company's first rider, now the company works with 50,000. The company has grown at an extraordinary rate partnering with thousands of the nation’s best-loved restaurants to bring great food straight to people’s front doors offering fast, transparent and reliable delivery. Deliveroo has expanded across the UK and around the globe and works with over 50,000 restaurants and takeaways across 13 markets in over 500 towns and cities.
Fast food is a high-growth industry. In the UK alone, consumers spend £9.9bn on takeaways each year, according to the Takeaway Economy Report compiled by The Centre for Economics and Business Research. This figure is forecast to hit £11.2bn by 2021.
Shu had big ambitions for the brand from the outset. “If it’s raining and you’re hungry, I want you to think of Deliveroo immediately,” he said back in 2013. “We want it to be so affordable and high quality that it’s not even a choice in your mind.” The business has successfully achieved this ambition, despite competition from rivals in the fast food arena. It has introduced innovative measures, such as delivery-only kitchens, which allow its partners to boost revenues without taking on restaurant overheads. It also uses data to predict trends, such as which cuisines prove most popular at what times. It uses these insights to help its partners gear their offering towards consumer needs.


text: Although use of biocides in the US accounted for 40 per cent of the total for the personal care industry, a new report from Research and Markets, significant growth is being driven by demand in developing markets. "Growth in the North American biocides market has slowed down, but competition for market share among the leaders has only accelerated," states the author of the report, entitled Biocides in Personal Care Global Report - 2007. "Consolidation in the industry has really raised the stakes for companies like Arch, Basf, Bode, Ciba, Clariant, Dow, ISP, Lonza, Rohm & Haas, Schulke & May, Thor and Troy, and they're looking to countries in developing countries," the author added. The main competition is currently coming from China and India, where the manufacturers of generic biocides are competing heavily on price basis. Compounding this problem, western manufacturers are finding themselves increasingly bogged down by regulations for the sector, particularly from US and European authorities. However, despite the challenges, the report says that most biocide active ingredient manufacturers are positive about the market outlook, stating that demand continues to grow while new formulations to meet end-user requirement are being developed at a significant rate. On a consumer basis, developing regions also offer a lot of opportunities for manufactures, as markets such as China, Eastern Europe, India, and South America continue to grow demand for personal care biocides on the back of increasing consumption rates and the fact that human health issues are accorded more importance. However, the report also points out that, in an effort to tap into these growth opportunities, companies must examine the specific needs of each regional market in an effort to adjust their strategies to the growth opportunities. Biocides are most commonly used in liquid personal care products to deter biological infestation and growth, ultimately helping to extend product shelf life and increase safety.


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US Dollar, Dow Jones, & US-China Phase One Trade Deal Talking Points:
- Stock market indices hit fresh record highs this morning in the runup to the phase one trade deal signing ceremony between US President Trump and Chinese Vice Premier Liu He
- Elements of the trade deal include forced technology transfers, currency manipulation and commitments from China to make large purchases of US agricultural goods
- Tariffs on $250 billion of goods exported into the United States from China will remain in place during a 10-month compliance review period and until a phase-two trade deal is reached
DJIA – DOW JONES PRICE CHART: DAILY TIME FRAME (JULY 2019 TO JANUARY 2020)
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) ramped higher to top the 29,100 price level in the minutes leading up to the US-China phase one trade deal signing ceremony. The Dow is up well over 10% since President Trump and Chinese Vice Premier Liu He first announced the positive breakthrough on Sino-American trade relations.
Recommended by Rich Dvorak
Download Our Comprehensive 1Q-2020 Equities Forecast
Likewise, the S&P 500 Index is up 15% from its October 2019 swing low and continues to print fresh record-highs almost daily. Optimism exhibited by equity investors surrounding the partial trade deal has helped steer small-cap and EM stock market benchmarks higher also as appetite for risk permeates.
USD/CNH – CHINESE YUAN PRICE CHART: DAILY TIME FRAME (JULY 2019 TO JANUARY 2020)
Another major asset reflecting the market’s reaction to trade war developments between Washington and Beijing is the US Dollar to Chinese Yuan exchange rate. The offshore Yuan has surged roughly 4.5% against the US Dollar since spot USD/CNH topped out near the 7.2000 price level last September amid peak tariff threats from President Trump and PBoC intervention.
Owing to the recent improvement in US-China trade relations with the phase one trade agreement, the US Treasury has officially removed China from its list of currency manipulators. Spot USD/CNH seems to be finding technical support around the 6.8750 mark so far with further strength in the Chinese Yuan potentially limited due to roughly $350 billion of tariffs still imposed on Chinese goods.
DXY – US DOLLAR INDEX PRICE CHART: DAILY TIME FRAME (JULY 2019 TO JANUARY 2020)
Weakness in USD price action is also reflected more broadly in the US Dollar Index (DXY). The popularly-refenced basket of major currency pairs details the US Dollar drifting 2.5% lower on balance since the recent high printed by the DXY Index last October, which could be explained primarily by fading demand for safe-haven currencies like the US Dollar.
Details from the text of the trade agreement, released shortly after the signing of the pact include agreements for China to step up their purchases of agricultural and energy products from the United States, along with stiffer intellectual property rules. Currency manipulation, tech transfers, and financial services were also key components listed in the text of the agreement. China has also vowed to further open their country to investment to the outside world, something they have struggled with in recent history.
For agricultural purchases, China has agreed to ensure that agricultural goods will be bought in specific limits over the next two years through the end of 2021. Specifically, China agrees to buy an additional $19.5 billion in US agricultural products in 2021 and $12.5 billion this year. Purchases of energy products will also be increased an additional $33.9 billion in 2021 to include oil, coal and liquid natural gas.
Enforcement mechanisms to ensure compliance between the two countries allows for tariffs and other retaliatory measures to be put in place if either side break provisions of the agreement. And, in a move to seemingly prevent further tit-for-tat escalation, the agreement allows a side to be immune from retaliation if they believe they were acting in good faith.


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NEW YORK (MainStreet) — Russian President Vladimir Putin has horrified onlookers in the West with his sketchy tactics in Ukraine. Yet foreign affairs can be a frustrating topic. Most of the time the issues seem too far away for any of us to turn our ideological protests into action.
Times like now, when a foreign power has staged the first European land grab in nearly 80 years, we want a voice. Plenty of Americans object to Russia's invasion of Crimea but don't know what to do about it.
Fortunately, like the U.S. government, we can always fall back on sanctions. For people who want to reach the world through their wallets, they can try boycotting Russian products, a simple way to send a message overseas. Although caricatured strongmen wouldn't care much about local boycotts, in reality cutting money to state owned companies and shifting the needle on the 44% of Russians who think Russia deserves an empire might make a difference. Here are a few brands for consumers who want to try it.
Energy has overwhelmingly become Russia's number one export since the fall of the Soviet Union. Last year America alone bought nearly $20 billion dollars of Putin's oil, ten times as much as our next biggest Russian import (iron and steel). In many real senses Russia has become a petro-state, and Lukoil is the country's second biggest producer.
While crude oil is a global market (meaning that buying less from a company in Chicago doesn't matter, because they'll just sell that barrel in Mumbai), Lukoil doesn't just sell crude and gasoline. They also have bottles on the motor oil and lubricant shelves, products that will stagnate if no one buys them. The next time your motor starts knocking, feel free to reach for something else.
Aeroflot is the largest carrier in Russia and flies across most of the world. While it's hard (if possible at all) to find flights within the United States on the wings of Moscow, readers flying international can start planning their trips around the Russian fleet.
This won't be a huge loss for international travelers since Aeroflot provides mediocre services and gets generally middling reviews anyway. The website airlinequality.com rates this fleet at three stars out of five, not terrible but nothing to write home about either. The world has much better airlines. Russia's annexation of Crimea just gives us one more reason to avoid this one.
#3. Baltika Beers
Two years ago the Carlsberg Group, a Danish brewing company and one of the largest beer makers in the world, bought out the Moscow-based Baltika Brewery. So technically Baltika now belongs to the Danes. However it remains a distinctly Russian brand, brewed in and imported from Russia.
Baltika makes a generally decent, if unremarkable, lager that's available in the United States. In fact, showing how thoroughly the brand has assimilated to our beer culture, the company's store locator page features a come-hither blonde in a wet, loosely buttoned shirt. For the time being, however, Ms. Moscow might have to be disappointed. It's probably time to look further down the tap.
#4. Cut the Rope
Anyone with a smartphone has probably seen ZeptoLab's tracing game and its colorful little mascot, Om Nom. It became a huge hit on both the iPhone and Android and spawned several sequels which have all done relatively well.
ZeptoLabs is an entertainment company that was started and remains headquartered in Russia, although they now have offices in the United Kingdom. Gamers who want to send their dollars elsewhere might want to leave those ropes alone, at least for the time being.
We all knew this one was coming. Stoli is perhaps the single most iconic Russian brand out there. Every time I order one, I feel like I should have ridden to the bar on the back of a grizzly while wearing an oversized hat and playing with little nesting dolls. (None of which would be a bad thing. The Facebook photos from that night would be epic.)
For the modern company, pointing to a specific place of origin is a little bit of a mess. As Stolichnaya explained during last year's backlash against Russia's anti-gay laws, the company has spread its corporate structure all over the place. This most Russian of brands gets its water from Latvia, its bottles from Poland and its caps from Italy.
The key ingredient though, the alcohol itself? That still comes from Tambov, Russia.
#6. Morgan Stanley
This one hits a little close to home. In recent days Morgan Stanley has announced that sanctions against Russia won't stop a deal it made for Rosneft, Russia's state run oil company, to buy its oil group. According to Bloomberg the American firm will sell off its global oil merchant unit to Rosneft and approximately 100 executives will move along with it.
While ordinarily transactions like this happen behind the scenes, something feels inherently dirty about an American firm doing major business with the Russian state's petroleum arm while that country hoists its flag over Crimea. It's one thing to conduct business as usual with the citizens of a country who couldn't turn the ship of state if they wanted to, but Rosneft is for all intents and purposes a branch of the Russian government.
For good taste, if nothing else, Morgan Stanley should have waited. Moving money and assets elsewhere would be a sign of disapproval.
Russian entertainment has proliferated over the last decade as companies can increasingly reach out to global customers through the Internet. Several popular computer games and movies have their roots back in Moscow. The games Battle Mages and Farm Frenzy (a shameless knockoff of a shameless knockoff) come from Russian studios Targem Games and Alawar Entertainment respectively. Moscow based 1C publishes a wide variety of games, including the Men of War and King's Bounty series.
Moviegoers may have even heard of the "Day Watch" and "Night Watch" films, both produced by Channel One Russia and based on a popular series of books from a local author. You can skip all of these, if you want to, although once this crisis is over I do recommend taking a look at what 1C has to offer.
#8. Alforma Capital Markets, Inc.
According to its website, "Alforma Capital Markets is... an affiliate of Alfa-Bank's international equities business." Alfa, in turn, is one of the largest commercial banks in Russia, with an investment branch in America and a significant presence in Europe. (It should also not be confused with the Greek Alpha Bank, an entirely separate institution.)
Although the day-to-day consumer probably won't come across Alforma, anyone making decisions with their company's money might want to remember where this firm comes from and where they send the money.
#9. Russia Today
Owned and operated by the Russian government, this news network has been generally outed as a propaganda operation. Questionable even under the best of circumstances, these days it's probably best to just switch back over to CNN.
--Written for MainStreet by Eric Reed, a freelance journalist who writes frequently on the subjects of career and travel. You can read more of his work at his website www.wanderinglawyer.com.


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LG has developed the worldâ€™s most energy-friendly LCD-TV. The 47-inch LCD-TV is utilizing a new one-sided Edge LED backlighting method, enabling it to run on 28 W when turned on.
LGâ€™s 47â€ť energy-friendly TV
Manufacturers are constantly striving to reduce power consumption on TVs and display panels. This naturally helps the environment but it also allow manufacturers to create new products and increase battery life on mobile devices as the LCD panel is one of the most power-hungry components.
LG develops most power-efficient 47-inch LCD-TV
LG says that they have set a new record as their 47-inch TV consumes just 28 W – even less than most 20-inch monitors today. LG also claims that they still achieve a fairly high brightness level from the 47-inch panel, which has a slim 8.5 mm bezel.
The low power consumption level is made possible by using one-sided Edge LED backlighting. Instead of incorporating LEDs on all sides or on top and bottom, LG has integrated LEDs on only one side of the LCD panel, thus lowering power consumption because fewer LED are lit. The light is distributed across the panel with a light diffuser.
LG has not announced plans to commercialize the LCD panel but we think it is safe to assume that we will see new LG TVs next year, with even lower power consumption than todayâ€™s models.


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Wayzata, Minnesota – Officials from Medovex Corp., a developer of medical technology products, announced that they have signed a manufacturing agreement with Nortech Systems for the DenerveX device.
The DenerveX device will be manufactured and assembled in Nortech Systems' Milaca, Minnesota plant. Nortech Systems serves the medical device, aerospace and industrial markets from facilities in the U.S. and Mexico where it provides a full range of manufacturing services for some of the largest medical device companies in the world as well as many early-stage companies in the medical technology space.
Jarrett Gorlin, CEO of Medoxex Corp. stated, "Nortech Systems strong reputation and capabilities in the medical device field makes them an excellent partner for the manufacturing of the DenerveX device. We firmly believe this relationship will ensure that the DenerveX device provides a reliable and effective tool for the treatment of Facet Joint Pain."
"We have been impressed with the Medovex management team and DenerveX device technology," said Rich Wasielewski, president and CEO of Nortech Systems. "We are very excited about partnering in a successful product launch targeting the significant market opportunity for facet joint pain."


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Apple Plans to Switch to Randomized Serial Numbers for Future Products Starting in 2021 [Updated]
In an internal memo shared with Apple Authorized Service Providers, Apple has indicated that it plans to update its serial number format to a randomized alphanumeric string for future products starting in late 2020 (update: Apple now says 2021). Apple says all serial numbers that exist before the change is made will remain the same.
Apple already uses alphanumeric serial numbers, but it has long been possible to determine the date and location that a product was manufactured based on the current format. Readers would often use serial numbers to glean more information about their devices. The randomized format would likely not be decipherable, or at least hard to, and it could also help to reduce fraud.
The memo was published today and obtained by MacRumors from a reliable source. It is unclear if the change will apply worldwide.
Update: Apple has delayed this change until some point in 2021, according to an internal document viewed by MacRumors.


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Trashed now launched at LBS
TRASHED is an exciting new food concept which reviews the way we use ‘waste’ products and it launched at the School on Monday 21 October.
TRASHED uses sustainable breeds and cuts from animals such as retired dairy cows or billy goats; by-products; or the utilisation and re-purposing of ingredients that generally end up being thrown away, such as coffee grounds, fish bones or ‘ugly’ veg.
Rob Kirby, Chef Director at Lexington Catering, said, “We’ve all got a part to play. Caterers play a massive role in terms of the numbers we feed daily, without realising it – we serve 33,000 meals a day within central London in Lexington alone.”
So keep your eyes peeled for lots more information, exciting pop-ups in the Nash Lounge and the TRASHED logo.


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If you drive an electric vehicle, you can pull into the CMS Energy headquarters parking garage in downtown Jackson and top it off, or get a full charge at no cost.
At an event Friday, Consumers Energy officials and several elected officials will promote the availability of four new electric vehicle charging stations in the Francis Street parking garage, as well as Consumers electric vehicle program.
At this time, any charging for the energy consumption is free, said Sally Scripps, manager of grid applications development for the Jackson-based utility.
Scripps said the cost a bank would charge the utility in credit card swipe fees to complete the transaction would be more than the cost to charge the car, so Consumers is providing the service for free.
The stations were provided through a Department of Energy grant funded by the federal stimulus package.
Among the reasons Consumers Energy is offering the service is to encourage people to embrace the technology.
We would love to have customers adopt electric vehicles, Scripps said. Its better for the environment, and Volts are built (by General Motors Co.) in Michigan.
Consumers has been working for years to prepare for the move toward electric vehicles, consulting with General Motors and state regulators. The utility offers a variety of rate designs for electric vehicle owners who want to charge their vehicles at home. The different rate options allow customers to either pay a fixed rate or allow them to save money by choosing to charge their vehicle during the late-night and early morning hours when electricity is cheaper.
The utility also offers an incentive program to reimburse the installation and purchase cost of a home charging station up to $2,500 which would cover a large portion of the cost for the first 2,500 customers.
To fully charge a Volt, it can take six to eight hours on a standard household outlet. The charging stations have a higher voltage level that cuts the charge time in half.
Scripps said people can plug in their Volt and could then go shopping downtown while it charges. The Volt has an alarm that will go off if an unauthorized person tries to unplug it. There also are apps for smartphones that can alert the owner when the Volt has finished charging, she said.
Once fully charged, the Volt can travel about 40 miles before the gasoline engine kicks in.
Consumers has 10 Chevy Volts that employees and company officers are driving this year. Each is equipped with a decal that says Powered by Consumers Energy.
Several of those can be seen inside the parking garage downtown, where employees go to charge them.
The city owns the parking garage, but only Consumers employees can park in it during the weekday until 3 p.m. After that and during the weekends, the public can use the parking garage.
But those with an electric vehicle can pull into the garage at any time of day and charge it.
Bob Dietz, parking manager for the city of Jackson, said the utility approached the city with the idea of the charging stations and the city gave Consumers permission to install them.
Dietz said Consumers installed them at their own cost and will provide the electricity and all the maintenance.
There is no cost to the city at all, Dietz said.
Other cities around the state are installing such charging stations, but Dietz said Jackson does not have any room in its budget to do so, and it was glad Consumers wanted to provide the service.
Scripps said there is another charging station at the utilitys Parnall Road facility the public can also use.
The utility also has charging stations in other communities, including Lansing, Grand Rapids and Royal Oak.
Scripps said Consumers Energy plans to install charging stations at a number of the utilitys service centers going forward.


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This is the Lamborghini story like you’ve never heard it before: from the son of Ferruccio, Tonino Lamborghini, the kid sitting at the dinner table.
If you’re in the Bologna area, you must visit the Ferruccio Lamborghini Museum. It was set up by Ferruccio’s son, who started collecting his father’s tractors and cars back in the day despite the fact that his old man thought he should be working instead of collecting old stuff. But as more and more vehicles ended up in the warehouse, Ferruccio started to spend more time in there as well, smoking cigarettes and enjoying the past.
Most people know Lamborghini started making cars using his tractor company money because Enzo Ferrari was rude to him, but there’s a lot more to that story.
Ferruccio had two Ferraris, but when he couldn’t race the locals because his clutch gave out, he went to Modena with an idea for a solution instead of just to complain—Ferruccio used a clutch from one of the tractors as a replacement.
But Enzo wasn’t going to listen to a tractor maker.
Clelia Monti, Ferruccio’s first wife, was the one running the books. She didn’t think the car idea looked promising and the banks agreed with her. But Ferruccio was done spending money on advertising tractors. He wanted to build another factory instead, and make some noise there that he hoped would reach the farmers too.
To beat Enzo, he hired the best in the business like Giotto Bizzarrini and Gian Paolo Dallara, and gave very clear instructions on what he wanted from the engineering department. And when he didn’t like the results, they just had to work harder.
Arguments were settled by eating salami or drinking Lambrusco at his home, and when they hit the stage with a chassis that had the engine in the middle, transversely, a young chap called Nuncio Bertone volunteered “to dress her.”
Quartamarcia’s Daniele Boltin was at the Museo to have a chat with Tonino Lamborghini about that dinner table and why the museum is next to a busy road:
2016 marks Ferruccio Lamborghini’s 100th birthday, and the company is going to reveal an Aventador-based limited edition car to celebrate the occasion at the Geneva Motor Show.
Ferrari will try to compete with that with a facelifted family car.
Photo credit: Museo Ferruccio Lamborghini
Contact the author at firstname.lastname@example.org.


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The iPhone 7 is a device that has been released back in September 2016. However, it seems that there are still many people who still prefer it over other handsets that have been released in 2017.
According to a research that Strategy Analytics has posted, one of the best selling smartphones in Q2 2017 is the iPhone 7. In fact, the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus are in the two top spots, while the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ are behind to third and fourth.
The best selling smartphone between April and June 2017 is Xiaomi Redmi 4A. It seems that over 5.5 million units of this device have been sold worldwide. However, Apple has managed to sell over 16.9 million of its iPhone 7 units, which amounts for 4.7% market share. On the other hand, there were 15.1 million iPhone 7 Plus handsets sold in the mentioned period of time and this amounts 4.2% of the market share.
On the other hand, Samsung has released the Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8+ in March 2017 and it started shipping it in April 2017. The company has managed to sell 10.2 million units of the Galaxy S8 and only 9 million of the Galaxy S8+.
It is quite impressive that the Xiaomi Redmi 4A has managed to come right after the flagships released by Apple and Samsung. Even if the handset costs only €100, it seems that the expansion to various markets has helped Xiaomi to regain positions and sum 1.5% of the market share. Analysts mentioned that Samsung is currently the biggest vendor in India, followed by Xiaomi.
We think that Xiaomi is on the right track and if it’s already on the top then it is just a matter of time until it will start releasing even better smartphones at a decent price.


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(CapitalWatch, Nov. 10, Hong Kong) After being hit on several fronts with policy crackdowns, Tencent Holdings (OTC: TCEHY; HKEX:0700) reported its slowest revenue growth since 2004 in its third quarter earnings report.
A key reason Tencent is seeing such a slowdown is recent policies enacted in China that directly target multiple aspects of the gaming and telecommunications giant's business. The Chinese government has been cracking down with antitrust regulations and new policies aiming to mitigate minors' use of video games.
According to the company, sales of its mobile games such as Honor of Kings and PUBG Mobile rose 9%, domestic games revenue grew by 5%, and international games revenue rose 20%. Tencent reported that a small percentage of its customers are minors, just 0.7% in Sept. 2021 compared to 6.4% in the same month in 2020 when Beijing's new gaming regulations began. Although current games are seeing success, the government has also neglected to approve any new videogames since August.Beijing continues to crack down on multiple industries in China related to Tencent's business. As new regulations slashed Tencent profits and weakened the gaming, insurance, and education sectors, the company reported that its advertising revenue growth rate slowed to 5%. Tencent said it expects advertising pricing to remain weak but will likely recover next year.
Despite the dramatic slowing of revenue growth, Tencent defied analyst expectations of a decline when its net profit rose 3% to $6.18 billion, Reuters reported. Despite the setbacks new policies have presented for Tencent, chairman and CEO Huateng Ma said in a press release that the company, like the rest of the industry, is working to adapt to new regulations and macroeconomic developments.
"We are proactively embracing the new regulatory environment which we believe should contribute to a more sustainable development path for the industry," Ma said.According to Tencent, the company saw domestic games revenues grow 5% year-over-year to around $5.2 billion through the continued success of their top games like Honour of Kings, Call of Duty Mobile, and Moonlight Blade Mobile. International games revenues also grew, up 20% year-over-year to around $1.7 million from the performance of games like Valorant and Clash of Clans. Its social networks revenue grew %7 to about $4.7 billion, driven by the growth of its video and music subscription services, as well as live streaming and in-game purchases.
Earlier this week, Tencent Music Entertainment Group (NYSE: TME) released its earnings which showed both triumphs and tribulations as the company grapples with the new regulations.
According to the company, net profits for Tencent Music in the three months from July to September 2021 fell to $122 million compared to a net profit of around $176 million in the same quarter of 2020. Tencent Music reported that in the three months from July to Sept. 2021, total revenue was $1.21 billion, a 3% year-over-year increase.
Despite the lukewarm earnings, Tencent Music announced this week that it secured a deal with Apple Music to bring more Chinese content on Apple's platform. Tencent said that under the agreement, record labels and artists who are part of TME Music Cloud can now distribute music globally through Apple Music.
The company said its losses were largely the impact of new regulations and growing competition in the industry. Despite setbacks, the company still saw some successes this quarter, reporting that it increased its number of paying users by 5 million, or 37%, year-over-year.Tencent's stock was up 2% Wednesday, at $61.13 per share in New York, and up 4% in Hong Kong, at HK$483.60 per share. Tencent Music was up 2% at $8.14 a share. Though the industry giant is continuing to adapt to new regulations and growth appears to be slowing, Tencent doesn't seem to be in dire straits as it's still reporting a profit and progress.


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2024 Acura ZDX Electric SUV Arrives Early Next Year
Acura's first all-electric model, the ZDX, will launch in early 2024. Drivers have the option of rear- or all-wheel drive, and the brand promises the ZDX will be the best-performing Acura in its history.
Future EVs Update
In the next few years, dozens of amazing new all-electric vehicles will make their way into American showrooms and driveways. Everything from space age sedans and electrifying muscle cars to sparky SUVs and pumped up pickups are coming. Here are 30 circuit-braking sensations to whet your appetite.
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Since its inception as the Uniform Penny Post by Rowland Hill in 1840, the UK postage service has let people and businesses across the country stay in touch, send and receive packages, and much more.
But as the world changes and becomes more digitised, the need to overhaul the postage system has become paramount – and one start-up thinks it has the key.
Edinburgh-based Stamp Free says it has now launched the world’s first independent digital postage stamp, aiming to take the industry firmly into the modern age.
After years of apparent decline, the postal services in the UK have enjoyed somewhat of a renaissance in the past 12 months or so, driven by the huge rise in online shopping prompted by the coronavirus lockdowns.
Now, the question of how to keep the service relevant and tech-friendly has led Stamp Free to unveil its platform. The company says its Stamp Free Digital Postage Solution allows consumers and businesses alike to send parcels, letters as well as return consumer goods without the need for a postage stamp or print a postage stamp at home.
The company operators through three distinct services – Digicode for the consumer market, Shipcode for businesses, and Easycode for consumer goods returns. Stamp Free says that all three are set to launch within the next 12 months, with Digicode the first to arrive.
Digicode allows users to an select the mail product (letter or parcel) and pay the exact postage amount via the Stamp Free app, or integrated postal carrier app. They then receive a Digicode which is written on the mail item, which is scanned/validated by the app before being mailed as normal.
When it comes to returns, Easycode does away with the need for return labels being included with shipped items, or again the need to print extra labels. Instead, customers request and receive an Easycode via the Stamp Free mobile app or the retailer’s website, write this on the item, then return it via a local locker, drop-off point or by posting directly
Shipcode looks to replace the traditional franking machines or parcel shipping services currently used by many businesses, making the process more efficient and cost-effective, especially for small businesses who post frequently F
Stamp Free adds it can also benefit the postal carriers by removing issues associated with postage stamps such as fraud, liabilities and cost of printing. By having access to data on the postings made through the app, ensures they are paid correctly for the items they handle.


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Jazwares has just sent out a new Halo press release for SDCC 2022. The iconic scene where Master Chief meets The Weapon! This is the first appearance of The Weapon in The Spartan Collection. Available in exclusive packaging for San Diego Comic-Con.
Register now at the Comic-Con 2022 Exclusives Portal to submit interest! Portal closes on Sunday, July 17 at 12:00 PM PT.


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Overfinch has unveiled its latest customized Range Rover: a limited-edition vehicle celebrating the Chinese Year of the Dragon.
The new model – a re-interpretation of the 2024 Range Rover – has been a year in the making and was unveiled just in time for Lunar New Year. Limited to just eight bespoke cars, the striking new model is on sale for $250,000.
What can you expect from the new ‘Dragon Edition’ Range Rover? It will come as little surprise to hear the Chinese Dragon is integral to the design from the decorative motif embroidered into the red-and-black leather seats (which are perforated to resemble scales) to the hand-laid graphics in the veneers.
Overfinch hasn’t stopped there: the gear selector has been adorned with dragon talons while the door sills are finished with an illuminated numbered plaque to emphasize the exclusivity of the limited-edition model. While the images released by Overfinch feature striking fortune red and ebony interiors, the color scheme can be personalized to suit future owners’ tastes.
The dragon symbolism continues outside with the Overfinch Vortex wheel – a 24” wheel adorned with a simple white dragon emblem within the self-leveling center cap.
“The Dragon Edition raises the bar for bespoke, automotive luxury,” said Kevin Sloane, chairman and CEO of Overfinch. “It’s an incredible showcase of art and craftsmanship. This was a creatively ambitious project, conceived and executed to exacting standards.”
He continued: “Our ability to discuss details of the design directly with our clients and really understand their true significance was hugely important. Whilst paying homage to 2024 being the Year of the Dragon, we wanted to retain our commitment to uninhibited creative exploration. This required us to respectfully adopt a timeless symbol of China and Chinese culture into a considered and imaginative design.”
[See also: Lunaz Reveals Electric Aston Martin DB6 Concept]


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Let's face it: the stock market never exactly stands still. But when it comes to exceptional volatility, the up and down vacillations that we've witnessed since the beginning of the year have been more than certain investors can stomach.
Following the worst two-week start to a year in recorded history, investors are looking for ways to minimize downside risk for their investment portfolios, while still remaining invested for the long-term. It's not always an easy task to say the least.
Let profitability be your guide
However, if you're looking for ways to hedge against downside risk while still getting a good night's sleep, then perhaps it's time to consider investing in companies delivering some of the juiciest profits.
Focusing on total profits (and not just earnings per share, or EPS) allows us to recognize companies that are just raking in the dough hand-over-fist. Presumably, businesses that are among the most profitable in the U.S., or world, are likely to remain profitable even if growth in the U.S. slows or we enter a recession. Strongly profitable companies also tend to be more likely to reward investors with stock buybacks and dividends, and they're willing to reinvest healthy amounts of capital back into their own businesses. Highly profitable stocks could be exactly what you need during a choppy investment environment, because the above factors would suggest that they will hold up better than most companies during a stock market downturn.
With that being said, here are five names to consider that could generate enormous profits through fiscal 2017.
Surprise... or maybe not. Most of you probably knew the most profitable company in the world would be appearing on this list. Based on Wall Street's forecasted EPS for the company in 2016 and 2017, Apple (AAPL -2.19%) could deliver nearly $106 billion in cumulative profits. I'll give you a moment to pick your jaw up from the floor.
A number of factors play into Apple's success. To begin with, Apple has as strong a brand following as any product out there. When the company debuts a new gadget, be it a smartphone or its recent Watch, consumers line up around the block to get their hands on it. Successively higher sales of iPhones with each new model are a testament to consumers' loyalty to the brand. In fiscal 2015 alone, Apple sold more than 231 million iPhones.
Apple is also expanding into a number of platforms that'll grow its revenue capabilities into new channels. Apple Pay, Apple Watch, and Apple Music are all examples of this. Moving beyond just being a product-centric company should allow Apple to keep its brand at the forefront of consumers' and investors' minds.
Investors may also want to consider looking at Alphabet (GOOG -1.80%) (GOOGL -1.82%), the parent company of Google, which briefly surpassed Apple earlier this year to become the most valuable company in the world. Based on Wall Street's full-year EPS estimates, Alphabet could generate $52.2 billion in profits over the next two years.
Alphabet's intrigue more or less rests with its competitive advantages, a la Google, and its knack for innovation.
Google's dominance as an online advertiser is unparalleled. Among search, Google's market share stood at 64.2% in the fourth-quarter of 2014 per eMarketer. Further, in terms of mobile ads, which are the holy grail of growth in the advertising business at the moment, Google is expected to control 33.2% of all share in 2016, which is more than numbers two through 10 in mobile market share combined! This dominance allows Google superior pricing power, and it makes the company the go-to when it comes to ad impressions.
Alphabet is also a leader in innovation. You may have heard about Google's driverless cars, and may have even laughed when one was pulled over for driving under the speed limit. However, these vehicles, along with the half-dozen robot developers Alphabet has purchased in recent years, could one day lead to driverless vehicles with robots that'll deliver goods to your doorstep. This is just one example of Alphabet leaping forward with innovation.
3. Wells Fargo
Economic growth may not have boomed in the fourth quarter of 2015, and interest rates are still near all-time record lows, but that hasn't stopped banking giant Wells Fargo (WFC 0.89%) from capitalizing in a big way. Based on Wall Street's EPS estimates over the next two years, Wells Fargo could generate north of $45 billion in collective profit.
What's made Wells Fargo so successful throughout the years is that it's avoided risky investments, such as derivatives, that hampered many of its peers. Instead, Wells Fargo has continued to rely on high-quality loan and deposit growth to fuel its business. Focusing on keeping its expenses in-line while appealing to affluent clientele, Wells Fargo managed to generate net income of $23 billion in 2015. Return on assets of 1.32% for the year was also notably higher than many of its megacap peers could boast.
Looking ahead, Wells Fargo should benefit in a big way once interest rates begin to rise, but it still has the tools necessary to thrive even if rate increases are still a ways off. A push toward mobile banking could further reduce costs, while continued loan generation (commercially and from consumers) on the heels of low lending rates should continue to fuel steady profits.
4. Johnson & Johnson
Look no further than the largest company by market valuation in healthcare if you want substantial profits. Wall Street is forecasting that Johnson & Johnson (JNJ 0.05%) could generate more than $37 billion in total profits over the next two fiscal years.
Johnson & Johnson's three-pronged approach to growth appears to be working well for the company. Its consumer healthcare segment delivers slow growth, but more importantly provides predictable cash flow and pricing power that's incredibly helpful during a recession. Its medical device operations offer investors a way to capitalize on the long-developing trend of an aging population. As people live longer and access to medical care improves, the demand for medical devices is expected to rise. Lastly, Johnson & Johnson's pharmaceutical segment provides juicy margins and innovative drugs. Imbruvica, a blood cancer drug developed with Pharmacyclics, could wind up generating $7 billion-plus in peak annual sales thanks to its superior response rates in second-line and higher patients with select blood cancers.
It also doesn't hurt that J&J is sporting one of just three AAA credit ratings among all publicly traded stocks, and has $18.5 billion in net cash as of the end of fiscal 2015. This gives the company incredible financial flexibility.
Finally, we have retail giant Wal-Mart (WMT -0.35%), which has struggled a bit recently on the heels of a stronger U.S. dollar and higher expenses tied with boosting wages and closing underperforming stores. Normally, buying into weak growth prospects is something you might avoid during a volatile market, but Wal-Mart's $27 billion-plus in cumulative projected profits over the next two years is nothing to sneeze at.
What makes Wal-Mart such an intriguing potential investment is its storied dominance of the retail landscape. Wal-Mart's sheer size allows it to buy products in bulk at advantageous prices to its peers, which in turn also helps it undercut or match the prices of its competitors. By carrying a broad selection of products in its superstores, Wal-Mart gives the consumer plenty of reasons to do all of their shopping at Wal-Mart.
Following its store closures and wage increases, Wal-Mart should benefit from a happier and more productive workforce, as well as a store base that's producing the best profits and margins. I don't believe Wal-Mart is going anywhere.
How does nearly $270 billion in profits sound?
Why did I choose this diverse set of companies? Because if you add up the aforementioned profit estimates from Wall Street between 2016 and 2017, these five companies are expected to generate a cumulative $268 billion in profits. In addition, companies like Johnson & Johnson have a knack for surpassing Wall Street's expectations and pushing them higher, meaning this $268 billion figure through fiscal 2017 could rise even more if this trend holds true.
If you're looking for ways to shore up your portfolio amid heightened stock market volatility, consider looking into highly profitable and stable business models such as the five discussed above.


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Mobile cell phone manufacturer Motorola Mobility will reduce its workforce in India as a part of its strategy to lay off 20% of its work force and close a third of its 94 offices worldwide, reports the Press Trust of India (via thehindu). Motorola’s CEO Dennis Woodside said in an interview with the New York Times that the company will shrink operations in Asia and India, and centre research and development in Chicago, Sunnyvale and Beijing.
On 15th August 2011, Google agreed to acquire Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion for its 17,000 patent portfolio, with the stated intent of this helping Google in defending its mobile operating system Android. The European antitrust regulators and the the U.S. Department of Justice approved the deal in February 2012, after which Google completed the acquisition in May 2012 for $12.4 billion.
Google’s Plan for Motorola
Woodside said that one-third of (approximately) 4000 job cuts would be in the US, and the company would shutter operations in unprofitable markets, discontinue low-end devices, and focus on a few cell phones instead of dozens. This makes sense since, last year, Motorola released 27 new handsets in the market with minimal market acceptance. With this, Google directly competes with Android manufacturers like Samsung, HTC, LG, among others.
On July 24, 2012, Google disclosed that out of the $12.5 billion utilized for the purchase of Motorola Mobility, the company attributed only $5.5 billion of that to patents and developed technology. While Google essentially acquired Motorola Mobility for its vast patent portfolio, it does seem to be interested in getting into the hardware business and the acquisition of Motorola seems to be the easiest way.
For its quarter ending June 30, 2012, Google reported that Motorola generated revenues of $1.25 billion or 10% of total revenues in the second quarter of 2012. While the mobile segment accounted for $843 million revenues, the home segment accounted for $407 million revenues. Motorola Mobility’s hardware division reported a loss of $233 million.
With Motorola’s change in strategy to concentrate on fewer phones, it’s needless to say that Motorola will concentrate on smartphone-only segment. It needs to be seen whether Google assigns Motorola to manufacture its fresh Android Vanilla revision that Google releases every year with Nexus series.
With its Nexus series, Google brings new version of Android on a high-end hardware which then becomes an industry standard for upcoming Android handsets for other OEMs. Previously, Google had partnered with HTC, Samsung, and Asus to manufacture Nexus smartphones and handsets. Now that the Motorola acquisition is completed, it needs to be seen whether Google comes up with home made Nexus device this year, expected to come out by December 2012.


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Maruti Suzuki is expected to score a faster recovery, compared with peers, due to its strong financials and vast network
Maruti Suzuki expects to produce more than 100,000 vehicles each month, starting July, sharply higher than the 3,714 vehicles it produced in May
NEW DELHI :
Maruti Suzuki India Ltd plans to increase monthly car production to close to pre-coronavirus levels on hopes that sales of affordable, entry-level hatchbacks will rebound, thanks to a faster revival in demand in semi-urban and rural markets, said three people aware of the company’s plans.
India’s largest carmaker expects to produce more than 100,000 vehicles each month, starting July, sharply higher than the 3,714 vehicles it produced in May when businesses were inching back to normalcy from one of the world’s severest lockdowns.
In May, Maruti first reopened its plants in Haryana and Gujarat, and this month, it is likely to produce 30,000 - 40,000 vehicles there, said one of the people cited above. The Suzuki Motor Corp. unit rolled out 140,000-150,000 vehicles each month before the coronavirus pandemic struck and the subsequent lockdown.
Customer queries and retail sales of Maruti’s entry-level hatchbacks such as Alto, S-Presso, WagonR and Celerio have risen after the easing of the lockdown in May, and the firm is expected to increase the production of these models in the coming months, said the people mentioned above.
“As a policy, we don’t give guidance on production plans," said a spokesperson for Maruti in response to an emailed query sent on Tuesday.
The rising sales of small cars is a reversal in trend in India’s automobile market. In the past five years, the share of such cars in total passenger vehicle sales has fallen since customers in metros and tier-I cities started to prefer compact and mid-sized sport-utility vehicles (SUVs).
Industry experts expect sales of hatchback cars to accelerate in the coming months as the coronavirus-induced economic slowdown will boost sales of comparatively lower-priced vehicles than sedans and SUVs, while a drop in affordability and fears of contracting infection will drive the need for personal mobility.
According to analysts, the local unit of Suzuki Motor Corp. is expected to score a faster recovery from the current crisis, compared to its peers due to strong financials, vast network in semi-urban and rural areas, and a strong portfolio of entry-level cars.
“While the pain of the covid-19 crisis would result in a very weak FY21, we expect Maruti Suzuki to come back stronger and recover faster than peers. With an uncertain outlook, Maruti would be the fastest to recover on account of its strong brand equity and strength in entry and mid-segment passenger vehicles," said Jinesh Gandhi and Vipul Agrawal, analysts at Motilal Oswal Institutional Equities in a 14 May note.
India’s passenger vehicle sales are likely to decline in the range of 22-25% this fiscal, owing to the coronavirus-induced economic slowdown, according to rating agency Crisil.
“In the past 10 years, the growth in rural areas has been more than the urban areas and sales of Maruti’s vehicles in the rural markets has gone up from 7-8% in 2007-08 to 38-39% last fiscal," said Shashank Srivastava, executive director, marketing and sales, Maruti Suzuki India, in a recent interview.
The first person cited above said that a labour shortage at Maruti’s suppliers and a further lockdown announced in four districts of Tamil Nadu can delay the company’s plans to boost production since some of the vendors are based out of the southern state.
“Maruti has asked most of its suppliers to ramp up production according to its plans, but it remains to be seen whether they can match the company’s expectations. Maruti has been receiving decent pickup in entry-level cars and it’s normal for the company to increase production expecting good retails in the coming months," the person said, requesting anonymity.
Maruti has been collaborating with non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) such as Mahindra Finance and Cholamandalam Vehicle Finance Ltd to push rural sales. NBFCs offer credit for car purchases in rural areas, where banks are either not present or too cautious to extend credit.
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It seems what’s old is new again: This week, resale clothing mecca The RealReal confirmed that millions of shoppers are eschewing fast fashion in favor of pre-owned luxury garb.
According to its annual Resale Report, which detailed the company’s results in the second quarter of 2019, more than 80 percent of shoppers say they use the online marketplace for sustainability reasons, while 32 percent of customers have stopped purchasing mass-produced clothing almost completely, as they prefer recycled luxury goods.
The San Francisco-based company, founded in 2011 by CEO Julie Wainwright, is the world’s largest online marketplace for authenticated, consigned luxury goods. After a rocky start—the retailer lost $76 million last year—its clearly whetting the fashion industry’s appetite for sustainability, all the while growing exponentially. In fact, as of the end of March, The RealReal housed more than 620,000 unique items from more than 5,500 high-end designers.
According to The RealReal, Louis Vuitton and Gucci are its most popular labels—and the fashion houses themselves are helping the industry switch gears.
“Gucci and Louis Vuitton have been at the forefront of embracing culture changes and adapting to the shifting demographics of luxury buyers,” Rati Levesque, COO and head of merchandising for The RealReal, said in a statement.
Both Gucci and Louis Vuitton have successfully fused luxury with streetwear, designing clothing and accessories that are accessible, long-lasting and super stylish. Meanwhile, The RealReal has curated a selection of “entry-level pieces” which meet these criteria—including Louis Vuitton’s low-top sneakers, Prada’s bright button-downs and Gucci’s loafers—and cater to new consumer demands. Since streetwear is surging at a rapid rate (year-over-year, searches for streetwear are up 281 percent), this is a smart move.
The RealReal says secondhand goods by other streetwear brands, like Yeezy, Off-White and Supreme, sell rapidly, as shoppers consider these purchases to be sage investments which will appreciate over time.
Overall, The RealReal’s revenue rose 51 percent to $71 million in the second quarter and although it still posted a net loss, the report proves that secondhand shopping (and streetwear) is well and truly on the up.