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According to a new report from the Wall Street Journal, Disney has eliminated its entire metaverse division of roughly 50 people.
Disney has reportedly dropped plans to explore the metaverse as the company begins layoffs of roughly 7,000 people across the company.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Disney’s metaverse team was led by Mike White, who will remain at the company. Disney did not immediately respond to a request for comment late Monday.
If anyone was going to support the metaverse idea it was going to be Disney. Disney’s metaverse division, which former CEO Bob Chapek dubbed “next generation storytelling.”
The problem was that when the idea was announced there was no tech ready. All Zuckerberg had was an “innovation” where you say coworkers as avatars.
Even Zuckerberg started to see that the idea literally did not have legs and made a pivot in February, announcing that his company was going to focus on another buzzword instead -- artificial intelligence.
The idea of a metaverse has been around since the 1990s but it never arrived virtual reality headsets are still huge and expensive.


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THE MEDIA BUSINESS: ADVERTISING; Survey says consumers are looking past commercials to study the news about prescription drugs.
By Nat Ives
Published: March 25, 2005
CONSUMERS appear to have taken careful note of the recent major troubles among prescription drug makers, according to an annual survey on direct-to-consumer advertising released yesterday.
''This has been quite a challenging time for direct-to-consumer advertising,'' said Larry Hugick, chairman at Princeton Survey Research Associates International, which conducts the survey for Rodale's Prevention and Men's Health magazines.
The sharpest challenge came in October, when Merck announced that it would stop selling Vioxx, its widely advertised arthritis and pain medication that was being taken by nearly two million people worldwide, because a new study found that it doubled patients' risk of heart attack and stroke.
Consumer and government alarm rose in December, when Pfizer said it would stop advertising Celebrex, its best-selling arthritis pain reliever, after a study showed that high doses were associated with an increased risk of heart attacks.
Direct-to-consumer advertising has become the public face of the pharmaceutical industry since 1997, when the Food and Drug Administration loosened its rules to permit the ads. Drug companies spent almost $4.2 billion to advertise to consumers last year, up 121 percent from $1.9 billion five years earlier, according to estimates by TNS Media Intelligence.
The findings of the eighth annual Rodale survey, which was conducted nationally among 1,504 adults from Dec. 28 to Jan. 12, suggest consumers are paying less attention to the likely benefits of advertised drugs -- and increasingly scrutinizing the potential risks.
Results of the study, which has a margin of error of 3 percentage points, were presented at a luncheon in Midtown Manhattan for ad agencies, drug companies and others.
About 79 percent of respondents said they recalled risk information from drug commercials on television, up 3 percentage points from the year before. At the same time, 71 percent of respondents said they recalled benefit information from drug commercials, a 4 point decline.
Among those who asked their doctors about an advertised drug, the share who asked directly for the drug fell 5 percentage points, to 21 percent. That finding suggested increased reservations among consumers, Mr. Hugick said at the presentation.
The survey also indicated that the more consumers found the risk information to be useful, the more likely they were to ask for the advertised drug. ''Good risk information is good business for pharmaceutical companies,'' Mr. Hugick said.
A health industry consultant said the news might not be all bad. Peter J. Pitts, senior vice president for health affairs at Manning, Selvage & Lee and senior fellow for health care studies at the Pacific Research Institute, said the results hinted at some benefits from the fiascos of last year.
''If people understand that drugs have risks, that is a step in the right direction,'' he said. ''If companies can understand that and use that information to create better advertising, that's a good thing.''
The survey presenters yesterday said some results demonstrated the benefits of the ads. About 15 percent of those surveyed, for example, said they talked with a doctor about an illness for the first time after seeing a drug advertisement, the same percentage reported in last year's survey.
And the percentage of consumers who have asked their doctors about advertised drugs has remained relatively steady, rising to 34 percent from 31 percent in 1997. The steady results, even as drug advertising to consumers has boomed, undermines some critics' contention that the ads create artificial demand, Mr. Hugick told the audience.
But the presentation did not linger long on the positive. Kathryn J. Aikin, the senior researcher at the Food and Drug Administration's division of drug marketing, advertising and communication, followed Mr. Hugick to tell the crowd, ''We are very concerned about the direction that D.T.C. seems to be taking.'' (The division provided technical assistance to the survey.)
Not enough consumers are aware of the risk statements that are required in drug advertising, Dr. Aikin said.
She complained about recurring problems in direct-to-consumer advertising, like unsubstantiated comparative claims between drugs, misleading or distracting visual elements and graphics, nearly illegible text describing risks, and minimal mentions of the role of health care providers or a drug's prescription status.
''The risk information is just as important as your benefit information,'' Dr. Aikin said. ''It is a characteristic of your product.''
The final presenter, James H. Davidson, a lobbyist who has represented clients like the American Association of Advertising Agencies and the National Association of Broadcasters, told those attending, ''You are all headed into a perfect storm.''
The public image of the drug industry has deteriorated greatly since direct-to-consumer advertising took off in 1997, Mr. Davidson said, adding that government policy on prescription drug advertising could be affected by Congressional disputes over Medicare or even drug re-importation from countries like Canada as a response to rising drug costs.
Critics said the common practices of consumer drug advertising were being widely questioned. ''I hope we're in a new era of transparency, but the public is not going to get fooled again,'' said Rob Schneider, director of PrescriptionforChange.org, a Consumers Union project focused on issues like drug safety. ''Consumers want to know that regulators are doing their jobs and drug companies are not hiding bad results.''
For all its implications, the survey provided few concrete clues for the coming year. ''What does it mean for the future?'' Mr. Hugick asked. ''It is hard to say, because chances are next year the environment will be different. How different, we don't know.''
Photo: Merck decided last fall to quit selling Vioxx after safety concerns arose.

domain: news


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India and Brazil, two of the world’s largest sugar producers, are close to settling a long-standing dispute over sugar subsidies, with Brazil offering to share ethanol technology with India, reported Financial Express.
The deal came after a few rounds of talks between the different sides. It very well may be a significant, as India looks to quickly build its utilization of biofuels for mixing with oil fills.
India aims to blend petrol with 20% ethanol by 2025, up from 10% currently. It is also experimenting with blending diesel with ethanol.
Recently, India has assumed a pivotal role as the proposer and leader of the Global Biofuels Alliance, initiated during the G-20 Summit, and endorsed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alongside leaders from the US, Brazil, Argentina, Italy, Singapore, UAE, Mauritius, and Bangladesh.
The India-Brazil sugar dispute carries global significance, involving two of the world’s largest sugar producers. The resolution of this dispute could reverberate across the international sugar market.
This dispute traces its roots back to 2005 when India challenged Brazil’s sugar subsidies at the World Trade Organization (WTO), contending that they distorted the global sugar market and impacted Indian sugar producers. The WTO ultimately ruled in favour of India, obliging Brazil to scale down its sugar subsidies.
However, in 2019, Brazil contested India’s support measures for sugarcane producers and export subsidies for sugar, asserting that these measures contradicted the WTO’s Agreement on Agriculture (AoA).
According to the Indian Express, on Brazil’s complaint the WTO’s Dispute Settlement Panel in its report circulated to members in December 2021 said that between 2014-15 and 2018-19 India’s support to sugarcane producers was in excess of the permitted level of 10% of total value of production which violated articles of AoA. There were other countries that joined the dispute as third parties.
India has appealed against the panel’s ruling. However, due to the non-operational status of the WTO’s Appellate Body, efforts have shifted towards bilateral negotiations to resolve the issue.
Image Source: zee business


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A bikini company celebrated its 38th anniversary, but its ad campaign has provoked the ire of Christians.
According to Christian Today, the family-owned Ta-Bou bikini brand launched its anniversary ad featuring a model posing by and holding a crudely made crucifix. Its caption in German reads, "Nicht wie Jesus oder Alexander! Wir machen weiter ... " which is translated as "Not like Jesus or Alexander! We continue ..."
Alexander the Great died at the age of 32, while Jesus is believed to have been crucified at 33.
The ad was released across Switzerland, and Christians there did not take it lightly.
"Quite aside from the fact that this advert is meant to offend religious feeling, it is a load of nonsense," said Thomas Hanimann, spokesperson for the Swiss Evangelical Alliance. "It is a shame that the company and the marketing experts responsible for it did not want to go more deeply into the question of belief which it seems for them was a taboo."
Nicolas Mori of the Swiss Reformed Church deems the ad as completely wrong since the name "Jesus" did not disappear after 33 years; rather, it has lived on for 2,000 years and will do so for a long time in the future. The bikini label, on the other hand, "will almost certainly vanish faster than the cross in the church."
Simon Spengler of the Catholic Church in Zürich, meanwhile, said that Jesus died for everyone, "including this attractive young lady," referring to model Valeria De Nicola, the daughter of Ta-bou's head.
"1.2 billion people worldwide believe in his name," Spengler said. "Ta-bou therefore have a bit of catching up to do. I don't really believe that they are going to achieve that."
The head of the company Gianni De Nicola, on the other hand, reportedly said the company wants "to fight for ethics in textile production and that is what counts." The latest campaign has reportedly received positive feedback.
"I admit not everybody understands it, but they all realised that it is very significant," he said, as quoted by Mail Online. "I guess there will be people that complain but you can't keep all of the people happy all of the time."
He shared that he doesn't have problems sleeping at night.


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In an study that Twitter commissioned, they found that the majority of Twitter users (82%) watch video content on Twitter. Further analysis of their own internal data found that native video on Twitter drives more overall engagement than third-party videos shared on Twitter. What kind of increased engagement? How about 2.5X more replies, 2.8X more Retweets and 1.9X more Favorites.
The mHealth app market is growing rapidly. Market Intel Reports estimates that the mHealth market will account for nearly $18 Billion in 2016 alone and according to an article in the Economist, global revenues for m-health will reach $21.5 billion in 2018. Yet despite the proliferation of mHealth apps and the opportunity to create truly useful apps for health consumers, it appears that hospitals are failing to create the apps that their consumers really want.
Short, illustrated animations of a medical device’s instructions for use can be an effective way to increase engagement of the viewer as well as their understanding of how to use the product. Canadian medical device company Trudell Medical understands this and hired me to create several short animations of their instructions for use for several of their products.
I’ve been working with Canadian medical device company, Trudell Medical for the last couple of months to create several animated explainer videos to explain the benefits of their AeroChamber Plus* Flow-Vu* chamber for asthma use and animated instructional videos to show proper use of their products.
Startup Weekend Sacramento: Health Edition is just a few weeks away so it’s time to ramp up the marketing efforts to promote awareness of the event, traffic to the event page, and signups. This includes a short teaser video to promote the event.
The interactive visualization of how the City of Sacramento’s budget flows and its accompanying animated video teaser below are both projects I created for the Code for Sacramento project Open Budget Sacramento. Explore how the City of Sacramento’s money flows from revenue sources to expenses in the interactive visualization below or open it in its own window.
Earlier this year, Twitter made it possible to embed short videos in tweets. Since finding out about this I’ve been intrigued with the idea of producing short videos and posting them to Twitter, primarily to promote local events like Startup Weekend and Global Startup Battle.
Here’s my latest little project, a short, 15 seconds, Holiday greeting video shared on Twitter to show appreciation to the Sacramento region for supporting ideas and entrepreneurship.
As part of the organizing committee for Startup Weekend Sacramento: Elk Grove Edition, November 13 – 15, I created a couple of short animated video teasers to help promote the event.


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Beverage major Coca-Cola plans to launch 750-ml polyethylene terephthalate bottles, targeting ‘at-home’ consumption of small families, across its portfolio.
Last week, to study the market, Coca-Cola introduced promotional 750-ml PET bottles for Rs 30, the price point of 600-ml PET bottles, across its portfolio of Coke, Sprite, Thums Up, Fanta and Limca, primarily in metro cities.
Pricing for the 750-ml PET bottles is yet to be firmed up.
“We have upgraded our 600-ml pack with a consumer promotion that offers 150 ml free to our consumers across the portfolio of Coke, Sprite, Thums Up, Fanta and Limca,” said a Coca-Cola spokesperson.
Currently, Coca-Cola and PepsiCo don’t sell any of their beverages in 750-ml stock-keeping units.
There are 600-ml PET bottles targeting ‘on-the-go’ consumption and 1.2-litre PET bottles for family consumption.
Coca-Cola’s 750-ml promotional PET bottles were launched within a month after rival PepsiCo launched its second mainstream cola — Pepsi Atom, aiming to take on Thums Up.
The Pepsi Atom was priced at Rs 10 for a 200-ml returnable glass bottle in select markets, Rs 15 for a 250-ml can and Rs 25 for a 500-ml PET bottle.
In April, Coca-Cola had said it was planning to launch ready-to-drink 100-ml packs of Maaza for Rs 6 in tetra-fino
It has already rolled out the product in Uttar Pradesh, as a pilot. Once formally launched, it would have the lowest price for a Coca-Cola product in the non-returnable, ready-to-drink category.
Rival PepsiCo isn’t known to have any immediate plan for new SKUs.
For the quarter ended March, Coca-Cola reported just eight per cent growth in volume sales in India, compared with 20 per cent growth during the corresponding quarter of the previous year.
Earlier, the company had cut the prices of 400-ml bottles from Rs 18 to Rs 15.
According to Ministry of Food Processing Industries data, Thums Up leads the market, with a share of 29 per cent, followed by Coca-Cola (25 per cent) and Pepsi (18 per cent).
MORE FOR LESS
- Coca-Cola launched 750 ml promotional packs a month after rival PepsiCo launched Atom aiming to counter Thums Up
- Once formally launched, it would be the lowest price for a Coca-Cola product in the non-returnable ready-to-drink category, where the pricing ranges from Rs 8 to Rs 12 and goes on to as high as Rs 60 for a two-litre plastic non-returnable pack
- Rival PepsiCo is learnt not to have any immediate plan for such new stock-keeping units


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Here's what you need to know in small business today:
- More Americans are becoming entrepreneurs than ever, and they're increasingly optimistic, according to a study by Babson and Baruch colleges.
- The Small Business Administration (SBA) has started a program designed to boost lending to veterans.
- How Meetup CEO Scott Heiferman made it through one of the most difficult periods for his business.
- 27 of the most essential books for aspiring entrepreneurs and small business owners.
- The SBA is particularly fond of backing microbreweries.
- Y Combinator investor Gerry Tan argues that there's one statement that lets you know if a business idea is truly groundbreaking.
- Consumer confidence, an important datapoint for looking at the US economy, blew past expectations to reach a 5 year high.
- Always worth remembering, starting a business is extremely tough, and the odds of success are very low.
- Intuit isn't a small business, but many of its customers are. The company attributed a good earnings report to more small businesses using its services and products.


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COMPUTER giant Dell is to create 50 high tech positions at its plant in Raheen.
In a positive day for the city, Limerick native Aongus Hegarty, Dell's vice president for SME businesses has announced the Texas-based computer giant – which laid off 1,900 manufacturing staff last year – is once again recruiting, with 100 new positions to be created – half in Limerick and half in Dublin.
And this number could grow even more over the next few months as Dell's revenue grew in the fourth quarter last year.
"There are currently a number of vacancies on site. The available roles are diverse and cross a range of specialist functions that are currently based on the Limerick site.
"A range of different qualifications and skill types are required to fill the high end technical and engineering roles.
"Dell in Limerick is a global strategic hub for operations, services and a range of support services in areas such as legal affairs, finance, admin support and marketing," a spokesperson for Dell said this Tuesday.
The news has been welcomed by the IDA's chief executive Barry O'Leary, who said: "Dell is much maligned in this area, and indeed what happened here was devastating to the Mid-West economy. But this just shows there are still a number of companies still investing."
Despite the fact Dell shed 1,900 jobs in Limerick last year as it sought to move its European manufacturing base to the Polish city of Lodz, it remains one of the largest employers in the region, with more than 1,000 people employed in service and support.
The computer giant set up shop here at the start of the 1990s, and at its peak during the Celtic Tiger, it employed more than 5,000 people. That number is now 1,050 people in high value positions.
Some of the 1,900 Dell staff let go have been able to benefit from the European Globalisation Fund, a continent-wide scheme designed to enable a return to education, job search or entrepreneurial assistance.
The Dell Redundant Workers Association, set up in the wake of the computer giant's devastating announcement in January 2009, has been supervising the outflow of this fund.


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SINGAPORE - Lower gross margin and higher operating expenses dragged down third-quarter earnings for traditional Chinese medicine retailer Eu Yan Sang International.
The group posted a net profit of $5.45 million for the three months to March 31, 38 per cent down from the $8.79 million in the same period last year.
Revenue dropped by a marginal 1 per cent to $110.4 million, "cushioned by better retail sales in Singapore, Malaysia and Australia", said Eu Yan Sang in a statement on Tuesday.
The retail environment in Hong Kong "remains challenging", it noted.
Gross margin for the quarter under review dipped 2.6 per cent, due mainly to the impact of sales mix and longer lead time to Chinese New Year.
Net profit for the nine months to March 31 fell 39 per cent to $8.16 million, while revenue dipped by a marginal 1 per cent to $278.2 million.
Earnings per share for the third quarter dropped to 1.22 cents, down from the 1.98 cents previously. Net asset value per share came in at 36.8 cents as at March 31, higher than the 35.4 cents as at June 30 last year.
"Despite the challenging retail environment in Hong Kong contributed by a slowdown of spending and visitation restrictions imposed on mainland Chinese to Hong Kong, most of our key markets have shown resilience," said group chief executive Richard Eu, pointing to the Singapore, Malaysia and Australia markets, which have reported revenue growth.
"We see long-term opportunities especially in rising health awareness as consumers are becoming more discerning and better educated about wellness issues and are actively seeking for healthy food and natural health remedies.
"This is a space where we differentiate ourselves from others, where consumers understand product quality over pricing. ... In addition, our wellness offerings are easily accessible through ongoing introduction of new, exciting products and the extension of our wholesale channels," he said.
Eu Yan Sang shares closed half a cent up at 67 cents on Tuesday.


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Twinkies won't die that easily after all.
Hostess Brands Inc. and its second largest union will go into mediation to try and resolve their differences, meaning the Irving, Texas-based company won't go out of business just yet. The news came Monday after Hostess moved to liquidate and sell off its assets in bankruptcy court citing a crippling strike last week.
The bankruptcy judge hearing the case says that the parties haven't gone through the critical step of mediation and asked the lawyer for the bakery's union to ask his client, who wasn't present, if he would agree to participate.
The case is being heard by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the Southern District of New York in White Plains, N.Y.
Hostess, founded in 1930, said Nov. 16 it is going out of business and laying off all of its 18,500 workers after a national strike crippled its operations. The privately held Texas company filed for protection in January, its second trip through bankruptcy court in less than a decade.
The company's planned liquidation would result in the closure of 33 bakeries, 565 distribution centers and 570 bakery outlet stores, according to Hostess.
Thousands of members of the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union went on strike last week after rejecting in September a contract offer that cut wages and benefits. Hostess had already reached a contract agreement with its largest union, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.
"Many people have worked incredibly long and hard to keep this from happening, but now Hostess Brands has no other alternative than to begin the process of winding down and preparing for the sale of our iconic brands," CEO Gregory F. Rayburn said in a letter to employees last week.


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Join The Times' Michelle Maltais and me at 3 p.m. as we chat about all the news Google announced during its 3-1/2-hour keynote address.
Google's announcements ranged from new tools for developers to brand-new services, such as the new
The company also previewed the next version of its Google Maps service, which has been redesigned and beefed up with new tools. The new-look Google Maps, which will roll out later, makes it easier for users to compare different routes when they search for directions. The service also gives them recommendations any time they click on any spot on the map. The recommendations are based on the kinds of things each individual searches for.
The Silicon Valley giant also revamped its search engine with a new feature that will enable users to do searches by simply talking out loud and asking Google in a conversational manner. This feature will work with the Chrome browser on computers that have microphones and will be available "soon," Google said.
On the hardware side, Google said it will begin selling an unlocked version of the Samsung Galaxy S 4 next month for $650 on
Additionally, Google announced a redesign for


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Using seven recycled shipping containers, architect Bernard Morin and wife Joyce Labelle built this contemporary residence in St. Adele, Quebec. The home is the first of many to come for their new company, Maison Idekit, which will help homeowners turn containers into architecturally unique, and inexpensive, homes. The company has two more residential projects set to break ground in the next couple months using a total of twelve container modules.
After nine bids on eBay, some lucky duck ended up with a reclaimed prefab for $75,100. The prefab was built by Reclaimed Space for Dwell on Design and the proceeds went to both Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles and Hollywood for Habitat for Humanity. Ecofabulous created the interior using a number of stylish, green products. According to the eBay listing, this 400 square foot home included the following:
- Prefab houses don't work.
- New lives for old buildings.
- Does green building have to break the bank?
- San Francisco enacts mandatory composting law.
- Six bright ideas for the future of energy.
- Who killed Gordon Brown's eco-towns?
- Innovations in sustainable site technology.
- Mature trees (and wildlife habitat) demolished for 'green' building parking lot.
Follow @jetsongreen on Twitter for more news, links, and commentary.
San Antonio-based LionForce built this efficient home as a prototype for their ecoLiving System — a web-based configurator that will help homeowners design homes and build them through a national network of certified building partners. LionForce says their homes are efficient, healthy, low-maintenance, quickly constructed, and cost effective. This first prototype home, the T-2 home, has already received a 2009 Green Building Award from the City of San Antonio (in the custom home under 2,200 square feet category).
As the magazine does every year, Sustainable Industries has just published its list of the Top 10 Green Building Products of 2009. Selections are chosen based upon environmental performance, scalability / market impact, innovation, design aesthetic, value, and compatibility with LEED. Download the guide at Sustainability Industries. Here are the top ten:
If you haven't noticed, the big news today is Microsoft Hohm, a free online beta application that's rumored to launch sometime next week. Microsoft Hohm will be a web-based service that takes information about your energy use — not just electricity — and examines it to provide recommendations to save money and energy. Here's what you can do:


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A trade body representing garment manufacturers in Cambodia has appealed to buyers asking them to commit to orders already fulfilled.
The Garment Manufacturers Association in Cambodia (GMAC) issued an open letter to its buyers in which it said all parties in the global apparel supply chain are feeling the “extreme burden” caused by Covid-19, but warned that manufacturers operate on “razor-thin” margins and were less able to absorb financial shock compared to customers.
The Cambodian economy depends heavily on the garment industry, which accounts for more than 78% of the country’s total merchandise exports and 20% of its annual economic growth and is the main non-agrarian employer in the country with nearly 700,000 garment workers employed in 1,500 factories.
“The consequential burden faced by our workers who will still need to put food on the table is enormous and extreme,” reads the letter.
“We urge you to honour the terms of your purchasing contracts and fulfil your obligations by taking delivery and pay us for goods already produced and goods currently in production.
“This will allow us to continue to provide work to our 750,000 workers and provide us the ability to pay our workers and ensure the livelihoods of millions of Cambodians.
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“We appeal to all buyers to uphold your corporate and social responsibilities to your suppliers as well as to the workers employed in our sector.”
A number of high street retailers have cancelled orders with suppliers and are said to be delaying payments as stores around the world are forced to close as part of country-wide lockdown measures to try to stem the coronavirus outbreak.
New Look recently said it was halting supplier payments and new orders. A retail supplier engagement specialist, Solutions for Retail Brands (S4RB), warned the move could cause “irreparable damage to New Look’s supply chain,” and that its supplier relationships will take years to repair – if at all.
Prior to this, Primark was widely criticised for cancelling all orders with its suppliers after closing its stores on 22 March, but has now set up a fund to cover the wages component of orders that it cancelled in Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Myanmar, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam.
Meanwhile, Swedish retailer H&M has said it will pay and take delivery of goods already manufactured by its suppliers, as well as those in production, while Spanish fashion giant Inditex, which owns the Zara fashion chain, is to pay its Spanish workers their full salaries until 15 April – including those in its domestic factories.


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Ningde Times said that sodium ion batteries will form a basic industrial chain in 2023
On July 29, Ningde times released the first generation of sodium ion battery, and the single cell energy density reached 160wh / kg, which is the highest level in the world. Charge at room temperature for 15 minutes, and the power can reach 80%. In the low temperature environment of minus 20 ° C, there is still more than 90% discharge retention rate. Now Ningde Times said that the company has started the industrialization layout of sodium ion batteries and will form a basic industrial chain in 2023.
Felix comments:With the gradual development and growth of the electric vehicle industry, some industrial weaknesses have begun to be exposed, one of which is mileage anxiety. Of course, for electric vehicles, mileage anxiety is caused by many reasons, such as the poor convenience of charging infrastructure, the obvious shrinkage of battery pack mileage in winter, and of course, the slow charging speed of vehicles. These problems are actually carried out around one point, that is, the battery of electric vehicles.
At present, electric vehicles basically use lithium-ion batteries, whether ternary lithium batteries or lithium iron phosphate batteries. Even if the fast charging method is adopted, it takes almost 1-2 hours to fill, and the slow charging takes 8-10 hours. This efficiency is incomparable with that of traditional fuel vehicles. Therefore, in terms of solving mileage anxiety, in addition to more fast charging facilities, we also need to make breakthroughs in the battery.
If the sodium ion battery can form a perfect industrial chain, not only will there be less reserves at one end of the raw materials, but also will greatly improve the user’s satisfaction in the use of the car. At that time, the fuel vehicle will have almost no advantage.
Glory smart manufacturing industrial park officially unveiled and will produce glory medium and high-end smart phones
On November 4, glory smart manufacturing industrial park was launched and will be used to produce glory medium and high-end smart phones.
It is understood that glory Intelligent Manufacturing Industrial Park has high-precision automatic manufacturing equipment, and the automatic precision assembly equipment of 89 ° hypersurface screen can realize the assembly with an accuracy of 75 microns (one hair diameter). 75% of the processes of the production line are completed by automatic equipment, of which more than 40% of the equipment comes from independent research and development, and a mobile phone can be produced every 28.5 seconds.
Monika comments:Since the independence of glory, many R & D centers have been added. In July this year, Xi’an glory Terminal Co., Ltd. officially settled in Xi’an. It has built four global R & D centers in Beijing, Shenzhen, Xi’an and Nanjing. The appearance of glory Intelligent Manufacturing Industrial Park will continue to lay a competitive foundation for the glory of entering the high-end market. According to public information, glory Intelligent Manufacturing Industrial Park was put into operation in Pingshan District, Shenzhen in September this year, with an annual output value of nearly 10 billion yuan.
Most people in the industry believe that, like Huasan, Huichuang and other independent enterprises from Huawei, glory also inherited the “Huawei gene” and began to expand its ambitions in its own field. From the market data, glory has high development potential in both low-end and medium and high-end markets. In the third quarter of 2021, glory returned to the top three of the domestic smartphone market with 18% market share, and the shipment volume reached 14.2 million units, with a year-on-year increase of 25%. Among them, glory magic series successfully broke through the high-end market. With the popularity and user base, the R & D team and production line have also attracted much attention. However, it is certain that glory Intelligent Manufacturing Industrial Park will become an important “strategic energy storage position” for glory to enter the high-end market.
In the third quarter, global wafer shipments increased by 3.3% month on month, but prices continued to rise
On November 5, according to the statistics of the International Semiconductor Industry Association (semi), the global semiconductor silicon wafer shipment reached 3.649 billion square inches in the third quarter, an increase of 3.3% month on month, continuing to reach a record high. Semi said that the demand for semiconductor silicon wafers is expected to maintain a high level due to the addition of many wafer factories in the next few years.
Previously, semi also publicly said that with the growth of semiconductor demand, especially in the fields of logic, OEM and storage, it is expected that the global silicon wafer shipment will increase significantly in the next few years, and the silicon wafer shipment is expected to increase by 13.9% year-on-year in 2021. At the same time, semi predicts that the growth momentum will continue in the next few years, but may be weakened by the slowdown of the pace of macroeconomic recovery and the opportunity to increase the wafer production capacity required to meet the growing demand.
Simon comments:From the data, the output of silicon wafers continues to grow and hit a record high. Obviously, this deviates from the general understanding of shortage and price rise in the semiconductor market. Since the upstream wafer is continuously supplied and the shipment volume has reached a record high, why is there still a continuous shortage and shutdown in the downstream?
On the other hand, the strong demand in the terminal market in the first half of this year has made many relevant enterprises profitable. However, in the second half of this year, as the demand gradually returns to rationality, it can also be seen from the financial reports of many enterprises that the profitability has fallen compared with the first half of this year.
However, the upstream wafer foundry continues to be hot. It is reported that the supply of wafer foundry capacity will exceed the demand until 2022. Many large wafer foundry also began to raise prices. For example, the price of TSMC has increased by 10% – 20%, and the prices of liandian, lismc and world advanced have increased by 10%. At the same time, it indicates that the capacity has been sold out in the first half of the year.
Wafer production continued to reach a record high, but the wafer foundry said that the supply was in short supply and the demand in the terminal market was weak. So where did the goods go? The semiconductor industry chain is long, and the goods will not disappear out of thin air, but will accumulate in it. For many downstream semiconductor manufacturers, avoiding over ordering and volume planning will be the next focus.
Apple’s chip the size of a mint bean caught the entire maintenance market by surprise
Recently, maintenance experts found that Apple embedded a microchip at the bottom of the screen of its latest iPhone 13 series, which is only the size of a mint bean. It is said that the chip can pair the display with the iPhone. If the user installs a third-party display without authorization, the face ID function will be disabled. Apple authorized service providers can use Apple’s proprietary software to record the repair behavior and synchronize the new display serial number information to the microchip.
Kevin comments:With the popularity of Apple mobile phones, the maintenance market has also become extremely prosperous. In the third-party maintenance market, many maintenance stores rely on the maintenance of Apple mobile phones. The screen, battery, camera module, or the previous touch ID module is the most common maintenance of Apple mobile phone. Because the original parts of apple are more expensive, it also promotes the development of the domestic third-party after-sales chip and module market. There are also many domestic chips in the supply chain of the third-party maintenance market.
Now Apple has taken the whole maintenance market by surprise with a small chip. Not only the maintenance stores are affected, but also many chip and module manufacturers may be affected. Of course, there are always ways. Either join Apple’s authorized maintenance ranks or break the restrictions of this chip.
Automobile chip shortage alleviated? Ford’s sales and inventory improved significantly in October
Recently, Ford Motor announced that its new car sales in the United States in October were 175918, a year-on-year decrease of 4%, which was significantly narrower than that in previous months. This is Ford’s best sales since April and the first time since May that the year-on-year decline narrowed to single digits.
The continuous improvement of inventory and new products has made Ford the best-selling carmaker in the United States for the second consecutive month. The last time this achievement was achieved 23 years ago.
Hobby comments:In the past year, Ford has been plagued by the shutdown and production reduction caused by lack of core. In Ford’s Q3 financial report this year, the net income decreased by as much as 24%, and the quarterly revenue was $35.7 billion, a decrease of 4.8%. At the beginning of the third quarter, Ford also revealed that 60000 to 70000 cars could not complete production because of waiting for the supply of chips and related parts.
However, Ford said last month that the chip supply situation had improved. In fact, it did so from the just announced October sales and inventory situation. Ford’s inventory in the United States in October has reached 243000, an increase of 7000 compared with September. However, considering that Ford’s inventory has been at a record low due to chip shortage, it is obvious that it has improved significantly in recent months.
Although it has improved compared with the lack of core in the first half of this year, it is still a mystery whether this situation can continue to improve. Ford CFO said last week that they expected the chip shortage to continue until next year. However, it is believed that under the condition that major factories actively expand production capacity, the severity of core shortage will be greatly reduced next year.


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READING, Pa., April 25, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- EnerSys (NYSE: ENS), the global leader in stored energy solutions for industrial applications, announced today that members of its management team are scheduled to participate in upcoming investor conferences.
Details for each event are as follows:
Oppenheimer 18th Annual Industrial Growth Conference – Virtual
Monday, May 8, 2023 at 1:30 p.m. ET
A live audio webcast and archived replay will be available at https://wsw.com/webcast/oppenheimer28/ens/2558500
William Blair 43rd Annual Growth Stock Conference – Chicago, IL
Wednesday, June 7, 2023 at 10:00 a.m. CT
A live audio webcast and archived replay will be available at https://wsw.com/webcast/blair79/ens/1782620
The webcast and archived replays for these events will also be available on the Events and Presentations page of the Investor Relations section of the EnerSys website at https://investor.enersys.com/events-presentations.
EnerSys is the global leader in stored energy solutions for industrial applications, manufactures and distributes energy systems solutions and motive power batteries, specialty batteries, battery chargers, power equipment, battery accessories and outdoor equipment enclosure solutions to customers worldwide. Energy Systems, which combine enclosures, power conversion, power distribution and energy storage, are used in the telecommunication, broadband and utility industries, uninterruptible power supplies, and numerous applications requiring stored energy solutions. Motive power batteries and chargers are utilized in electric forklift trucks and other industrial electric powered vehicles. Specialty batteries are used in aerospace and defense applications, large over-the-road trucks, premium automotive, medical and security systems applications. EnerSys also provides aftermarket and customer support services to its customers in over 100 countries through its sales and manufacturing locations around the world. With the NorthStar acquisition, EnerSys has solidified its position as the market leader for premium Thin Plate Pure Lead batteries which are sold across all three lines of business. More information regarding EnerSys can be found at www.enersys.com.
Sustainability at EnerSys is about more than just the benefits and impacts of our products. Our commitment to sustainability encompasses many important environmental, social and governance issues. Sustainability is a fundamental part of how we manage our own operations. Minimizing our environmental footprint is a priority. Sustainability is our commitment to our employees, our customers and the communities we serve. Our products facilitate positive environmental, social and economic impacts around the world. To learn more visit: https://www.enersys.com/en/about-us/sustainability/.
Investor Relations and Financial Media


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Bitcoin [BTC] breached its $10ok and $11ok resistances at present, which the neighborhood celebrated with a touch of nostalgia. Nevertheless, the Tether Treasury additionally minted 100 million USDT, because it has for the previous few weeks, and it doesn’t seem a standard precautionary act.
Whale Alert, a tracker of huge crypto-transactions, alerted the neighborhood on June 22 about this exercise. The handle of the Tether treasury was reported to be 5754284f345afc66a98fbb0a0afe71e0f007b949, and the hash charge of the minting was 4e7ef565be3e0a011d22a690709f0640b86a2178047410cf9dc2f57f2199669b. The next had been the transaction particulars,
The remark part went wild as folks had been sure there could be a dump underway. Beforehand, when customers questioned Tether Treasury’s printing of USDT, Paolo Ardoino, Chief Know-how Officer of Bitfinex, stepped in to tell the neighborhood that the minted Tether was “approved, however not issued.” He additional clarified,
“Simply it implies that these tethers had been created within the treasury pockets that might be used to full fill future issuance requests.”
After Ardoino’s clarification, Tether has minted an increasing number of Tether with no rationalization by any means. Nevertheless, ViewBase, an account that gives blockchain analytics for merchants, famous that after Bitcoin reached $10ok, a FOMO set in and there have been massive inflows of stablecoins into exchanges.
“$BTC’s surge above $10,000 appears to be triggering FOMO.Our Telegram bot is selecting up massive inflows of stablecoins into exchanges. $USDT $TUSD $USDC $USDS”
One other remark was made by Twitter consumer, @Silver_Watchdog,
“Somebody is d*cking round on Coinbase..”
The consumer claimed that these bids had been coming from Bitfinex and Binance. Bitfinex and Tether Treasury’s current encounter with the New York Lawyer Basic has impacted the trade and such actions have constantly raised alarms. Many merchants see a sample that may take the worth of Bitcoin down once more. Customers should be cautious because the market turns extra vigilant.
Subscribe to AMBCrypto’s E-newsletter


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Xiaomi launches an affordable 40-inch full HD Android TV Mi TV 2 at RMB 1999.
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The China’s electronic giant has once again launched an affordable 40 inch Full HD Smart TV. The product was announced by Xiaomi China by a post on its Facebook page, yesterday.
The TV comes with MStar 6A908 Cortex A9 quad-core 1.1GHz CPU and Mali 450 GPU. It’s powered by MIUI TV Android-based OS and is capable of running many different video formats including some of the famous formats like FLV, MOV, AVI, MP4 etc. Xiaomi claims that the TV has a contrast ratio of 5000:1 and offers Ultra-slim frame of 14.5mm at its thinnest.
Since the TV is powered by Android therefore it would allow you to play games on its 40 inch screen, utilizing the 1.5GB RAM and the 8GB of flash storage. As of now the device will launch in China itself and there are no official statements about the launch in India. The device is priced at RMB 1999 (approx. 20K INR) in China and as per the previous experiences, we can expect the Indian pricing to be a bit more than the conversion rates. Xiaomi also launched the budget Mi Pad tablet and Redmi 2 smartphone in India via e-commerce site Flipkart earlier this month.
Xiaomi seems to be taking over the budget segment of many different products and as per the leaks Xiaomi is also planning to step into water purifying business. Anyways, whatsoever be their strategy, its overall going to benefit the consumers.
What do you think about this HDTV launch? Let us know in the comments section below.
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We are about leadership-the 9.9 kind! Building a leading media company out of India.And,grooming new leaders for this promising industry.


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(WSVN) - Have you always wanted to ride a roller coaster on a cruise ship? Well Carnival is making it happen.
Carnival Cruise Line announced their new ship Mardi Gras will have Bolt, its own roller coaster on deck.
The company will make history as the first cruise ship to set out to sea with a roller coaster, which will reach speeds of nearly 40 miles per hour.
Several celebrity restaurants and bars will also be on board, including Shaquille O’Neal’s “Big Chicken” and Emeril’s Bistro restaurant.
Mardi Gras will pay homage to the cruise line’s first ship launched in 1972.
The company said the ship will be the largest they have ever built and will set sail in 2020.
To explore more of the ship’s features, click here.
Copyright 2019 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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Scientists have designed a first-of-its-kind 3D-printed device that can produce electricity from falling snow. The device designed by researchersNew Nike Vapor Untouchable Sz 14 White 698833-811 Football Cleat VPR 48.5 orange,.
"The deviceNEW Nike Hyperdunk 2017 Court TB Purple Basketball shoes 897808 500 Size 10,Richard Kaner, senior author of the research published in the journal Nano Energy. "It's a very clever device -- a weather stationAir Jordans 11 Gamma bluee mens sz 8,.
Nike Air Jordan XI 11 Retro Win Like '82 White Univ. bluee 378037-123 - Sz 11,
SiliconeNike Air More Uptempo 96, Scottie Pippen, 414962-105, Men's Size 11.5,. When falling snow contacts the surface of silicone, it produces a charge that the device captures, creating electricity.
2002 Air Jordan XV11 (17), 302720161 OG White Varsity Red, Sz. 9.5, NIB, H2,UCLA postdoctoral researcher. "While snow likes to give up electrons, the performance of the device depends on the efficiency of the other material at extracting these electrons," he added.
After testing a large number of materials including aluminium foils and Teflon, the researchers found that silicone produces more charge than any other material.NIB Mens Nike Air Huarache Drift VOLT Black-White AH7334700 Size 9.5,.
Nike Air Jordan 11 XI Retro Cap and Gown 378037-005 US MENS Size 12,. The new device could be integrated into solar panels to provide a continuous power supply when it snows, he said.
The deviceNike Pegasus 92 Oremium Black Silver Grey White Sz 9 844654-003,. It could usher in a new generation of self-powered wearable devices for tracking athletes and their performances, researchers said.
The device can also send signals, indicating whether a person is moving. It can tell when a person is walking, running, jumping or marching, they said. The team used 3D printing to design the device, which has a layer of silicone and an electrode to capture the charge. The researchers believe the deviceNike Mens Size 11 Jordan 1 Retro High OG Defiant Couture Black Red BQ6682-006,.
(With inputs from agencies.)


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K-Swiss and E.Land World Ltd. has announced that they have signed a merger agreement. The terms of agreement stated that all common stock of California’s K-Swiss will go to E.Land World Ltd. for $4.75 per share, a total value of about $170 million, in cash.
E. Land World Limited is the largest conglomerate headquartered in South Korea. They not only specializing in fashion and retail but also restaurants, theme parks, hotels and construction businesses. The company offers about 200 brands and operates more than 10,000 stores worldwide.
“We are thrilled to be adding the K-Swiss and Palladium brands to E.Land Group’s portfolio,” said SungKyung Park, president of E.Land World. “K-Swiss is a well-established international sports brand and we are very excited about the tremendous potential both the K-Swiss and Palladium brands bring to our proven global platform. We look forward to investing in the company and building upon its heritage.”
Many shoppers are familiar with K-Swiss’ first “Classic” all-leather shoe and a variety of their other sports products. They design and market footwear under the palladium brand. Their goal was to be the most inspiring sports brand, bringing something new to the market. The company now expanded their performance and lifestyle footwear and apparel from tennis footwear, to lifestyle, running, training, nautical and free-running footwear that meets that standards to world-class athletes and trendsetters.
The merger is expected to close during the second quarter of 2013, with a required approval of 80% of K-Swiss’ voting, regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions. E.Land World will pay $4.75 for each outstanding class A and class B share of K-Swiss common stock owned portraying a 49% premium over the closing price for each class A common stock and a 62% premium over the three-month, volume-weighed average trading price on the NASDAQ Stock Market on January 16, 2013.
Steven Nicols, Chairman of the Board and President of K-Swiss, said, “We are excited to enter into this transaction with E.Land as we believe it is in the best interest of K-Swiss and our stockholders. E.Land has a 30-year record of successfully building a global fashion and retail conglomerate and also shares our culture of valuing associates. I believe that such a platform will provide K-Swiss with the resources and scale to return to its former performance levels and to further maximize Palladium’s potential.”
By Pia Talwar


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Motors India, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Kia Corporation, has announced the
appointment of Hardeep Singh Brar as National Head of Sales and Marketing, with
Brar will be responsible for enhancing Kia’s leadership
position in the Indian market and for enabling the next wave of growth. Brar
brings over two decades of experience in the automotive industry to Kia, having
most recently served at Great Wall Motors as Director Marketing & Sales.
to this, Brar has held senior leadership positions across sales, network, and
marketing functions at Maruti Suzuki, Volkswagen, General Motors and Nissan. He
holds a Mechanical Engineering degree from Thapar Institute of Engineering and
Technology, Punjab and is also an alumnus of Harvard Business School.
Leading tyre manufacturer, Apollo Tyres has introduced specific tyres for electric vehicles (EVs) for both, passenger vehicles and two-wheelers. Apollo Amperion range of tyres for the PV segment, wher...
From today until October 6, 2022, a unique Lamborghini Sián made from more than 400,000 Lego Technic pieces will be on display at Museo Automobili Lamborghini in Sant’Agata Bolognese. An established p...
Birla Carbon, one of the leading manufacturers and suppliers of high-quality carbon black solutions, has announced the launch of a first-of-its-kind carbon black virtual showroom that provides a virtu...


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Apple's annual WWDC conference kicked off this week, and Monday's keynote brought a slew of new products and changes. Here's everything they announced, and what it all means.
- Apple: iOS 11 preview.
- VentureBeat: Apple's new iPad Pro line: 10.5", better displays, faster CPUs.
- The Verge: iPad gets overhauled multitasking and other major software updates in iOS 11.
- 9to5 Mac: Apple Pencil: Improved 20ms latency, mark up support in iOS 11, new case w/ storage slot
- Slash Gear: Apple Maps update stops notifications while driving.
- 9to5 Mac: AppleCare+ for Mac now includes accidental damage coverage.
- TechCrunch: Apple introduces a completely redesigned App Store.
- TechCrunch: Siri gets language translation and a more human voice.
- The Verge: Amazon Prime Video is coming to Apple TV.
- Wired: Apple's HomePod puts Siri in a speaker.
- VentureBeat: Apple unveils $5,000 iMac Pro, most powerful Mac ever, plus Kaby Lake iMacs.
- MacRumors: Apple updates entire MacBook and MacBook Pro lineup.
- 9to5 Mac: Apple unveils macOS ‘High Sierra’ w/ Safari improvements, APFS, more.
- 9to5 Mac: Apple announces watchOS 4 Apple Watch update.
- The Verge: The iPad takes a big step toward being the computer for everyone.
- Ben Thompson: Apple's strengths and weaknesses.
- Jason Snell: Ears On with the HomePod.
- VentureBeat: Apple Pay is suddenly a threat to PayPal and Square.


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It’s a good news-bad news situation for car buyers this summer. While bargains can be found, the money saved could be canceled out by lower trade-in prices, industry analysts say.
“It’s a great summer to buy a car,” says Michelle Krebs, analyst for online car marketplace Autotrader. But she advises shoppers to carefully consider which ownership and buying scenario works best for them. Shoppers might ask, “do I go for a new car with incentives or do I look at a [used] off-lease vehicle? You’ll just have to do the math on that,” she says.
Car lots are jammed, discounts are deep and incentives — such as cash back and low-interest financing — are high, particularly on sedans and subcompacts, says Anil Goyal, a senior vice president and analyst for Black Book, which tracks used-car pricing. Shoppers looking for an SUV, crossover or pickup truck, however, shouldn’t expect bargain basement prices.
Paying Less, Getting Less on Trade-ins
The situation is really “a double-edged sword,” Goyal says, because, although you’ll pay less for a new car, you’ll also get a lower price for your old car. Black Book data show that from 2011 to 2015, a used car 2 to 6 years old depreciated 10 to 13 percent each year, on average. In 2016, that depreciation rate jumped to 17 percent.
But not all cars depreciate at the same rate. For a shopper trading in a pickup or SUV, which have strong resale values, and buying a discounted sedan the combined savings will be substantial. Anyone just entering the market, or not trading in, will also be happy with their savings.
A ‘Tidal Wave’ of Used Cars
With seven years of strong sales, car makers have churned out a flood of new vehicles. But it’s taking a week longer to sell a new car than last year, Krebs says. New-car sales dipped 0.5 percent in May and 4.7 percent in April, according to Automotive News.
Dealers are getting nervous and car makers are throttling back on production, propping up sales with incentives. To keep cars moving off the lot, these incentives are up sharply. They now amount to an 11 percent reduction off the suggested retail price, Goyal says, citing Black Book data.
Now, Goyal says, as sales of new cars plateau, the market has to absorb used cars coming off leases.
“We are going to see a tidal wave of [off-lease used cars] coming through until at least 2020,” Krebs says.
Buying a Car During the Summer
To find bargains, a savvy shopper should look for “cracks in the market” — areas others haven’t thought of, says Scot Hall, executive vice president of operations for Swapalease, which matches people who want to get out of their vehicle lease with those who want to take over a short-term lease. An example would be shopping for a discounted sedan or compact rather than a more expensive SUV or pickup.
Another key to saving money is to take full advantage of incentives, which are listed on the manufacturer’s website, Hall says. One recent trend, according …read more
Read more here:: SmallBusinessTrends


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Is Facebook spying on you?
Have you ever been scrolling through your newsfeed and thought it strange that you were just talking about Coca-Cola and now there’s an advertisement for them right on your screen? Is Facebook spying on you, or are you crazy?
These days, Facebook seems to know more about you than you do about yourself. There’s a growing conspiracy that Facebook is spying on people’s conversations and using that data to sell to companies who in turn issue personalized advertisements to consumers. Which, if true, is a massive invasion of privacy.
Data regarding consumer purchasing behavior is vital for companies looking to satisfy consumer needs. What company wouldn’t be rushing to take advantage? Think of the potential profit companies could generate if they had access to our conversations.
Facebook has denied this repeatedly, but there are enough spooky coincidences out there that people still believe it.
What does Facebook have to say for themselves?
Facebook’s Vice President of ads, Rob Goldman, outright denied the claims. “…We don’t – and have never used your microphone for ads. Just not true,” tweeted Goldman. Despite the denials from Facebook, scores of users online still believe that Facebook is eavesdropping on them. Putting aside the ideas that Facebook is out-and-out lying, it is technically possible for the company to listen to conversations in addition to recording Facebook Messenger chats.
Steps to Change Facebook Microphone Permissions
If you aren’t willing to take Facebook at their word, here are some steps to take their corporate ears out of your business. If you have the app on an iPhone, go to Settings > Privacy > Microphone and revoke Facebook’s permission to access your mic. On Android, go to Setting > Apps > Facebook > Permissions > and toggle off the mic setting.
Is the Skepticism Legitimate?
What is going on here? Is the skepticism legitimate or are people right to put on their tinfoil hats? In reality, Facebook doesn’t need microphone data to know information about their users. They already have a treasure trove of information that you freely give up with pages you interact with, post history and search history. Moreover, Facebook is even getting data on you from third-party companies like Oracle (retail data), Experian (credit reports) and Epsilon (direct mailing lists). It’s very likely you were served a specific brand’s ad before but didn’t notice it until you mentioned the name in a conversation. So if you still have your tinfoil hat on, just deactivate your account and delete the app.


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Volkswagen’s largest EV production site in Europe is at risk of losing jobs amid low demand. The automaker is holding a staff meeting on Thursday, where it’s expected to relay the news to workers.
The Volkswagen plant in Zwickau, Germany, is where MEB-based electric cars are built, including the ID.3, ID.4, and ID.5. Other VW brand EVs, such as the Audi Q4 e-tron and Cupra Born, are also manufactured here.
Volkswagen announced it was investing $1.29 billion (1.2 billion euros) in 2018 to transform the plant for EV production.
The plant was successfully converted from producing combustion-engine vehicles to EVs in 26 months to keep the workforce stable. Meanwhile, the competition, like Tesla and Chinese EV makers, are rapidly expanding on VW’s home turf (and abroad).
On top of this, higher inflation and less subsidies are weakening demand. According to the German newspaper Automobilwoche, Volkswagen is expected to cut jobs in response.
Volkswagen cutting jobs at Zwickau EV plant
Although Volkswagen has yet to comment on the possible job cuts, the company’s plans were leaked by Saxony Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer’s comments at an event (first reported by Bild).
Kretschmer said, “In the next few days, maybe even hours, we will hear unfortunate news. We were proud of what is happening in Saxony at Volkswagen with electromobility, what is going on.” Adding, “It’s not going to be that successful in the end. A whole bunch of colleagues will no longer be able to work there, at least temporarily.”
The report notes it could affect a few hundred (of the 11,000) employees at the end of October. However, this number is not confirmed.
Saxony’s Economic Minister Martin Sulig also expressed concerns: “It is a serious situation. We want to show the employees a positive perspective, but we cannot always discuss possible solutions publicly right away.”
The situation has worsened, with demand slipping and a gloomy outlook. Dealers have reported declining interest in Volkswagen Passenger Car’s three MEB electric models.
Earlier today, the European Union launched a probe against Chinese EVs as imports have surged in 2023.
The investigation comes as EV makers in China, including BYD, NIO, and XPeng, are rapidly expanding their presence in the region. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the competition is unfair due to Chinese EV makers benefitting from state subsidies.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.


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European Union expected to accept Apple's e-book settlement
Regulators with the European Union are reportedly set to accept an offer made by Apple and four book publishers to settle an antitrust investigation.
The deal aims to avoid fines for the companies and will allow retailers that compete with Apple's iBooks âÂ namely Amazon âÂ to sell e-books for lower prices, according to Reuters.
Apple will be joined by Simon & Schuster, HarperCollins, Hachette, and Macmillan in the settlement with the European Commission. The settlement was first proposed in September.
The European Commission already announced months ago that it was willing to drop its probe into an alleged price fixing scheme by Apple and the four publishers after they agreed to let Amazon sell the same e-books at discounted prices for a period of two years.
EU flags flying in front of the European Commission's headquarters in Brussels, Belgium. | Source: European Commission
First launched in December 2011, the Commission's inquiry was related to Apple's so-called "agency model," which allows book publishers to set the prices for e-books sold in the iBookstore under a most favored nations clause. That meant the houses couldn't sell their product elsewhere for a lower price.
If the investigation were to have found the companies in violation of European antitrust laws, they each faced penalties equaling up to 10 percent of revenue from global sales.
The anticipated settlement is similar to the counterpart price-fixing case in the U.S. leveled by the Department of Justice in which HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster and Hachette recently settled for $69 million. Apple, Penguin Group and Macmillan continue to fight the allegations, with both companies asking for a court trial to decide the matter.
AppleInsider has affiliate partnerships and may earn commission on products purchased through affiliate links. These partnerships do not influence our editorial content.


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TORONTO/NEW YORK (Reuters) - The possibility of a second offer for BlackBerry Ltd reversed a slide in its stock price on Wednesday after the struggling smartphone maker said it expected to record $400 million in pre-tax charges related to cuts announced last month.
A person familiar with the matter told Reuters that private equity group Cerberus Capital Management LP was considering an offer for BlackBerry, which put itself on the block in August after bleeding market share to other smartphone makers.
The Wall Street Journal earlier named Cerberus as one of two firms that specialize in distressed investing that might be looking at BlackBerry. It did not name the second firm.
The Journal quoted one of its sources as saying that Cerberus aims to sign a confidentiality agreement with BlackBerry that would give it access to private financial information, but that it might in the end not bid.
Cerberus declined to comment.
BlackBerry shares were up about 1 percent, reversing a 5 percent fall earlier in the session.
The stock, at about $8 by mid afternoon, remained well below a tentative $9 a share offer from a consortium led by Toronto insurer Fairfax Financial Holdings Inc, which wants to take the smartphone maker private.
BlackBerry, which increasingly competes unsuccessfully with Apple Inc’s iPhones and devices running Google Inc’s Android operating system, accepted the tentative $4.7 billion Fairfax offer last month.
Fairfax and BlackBerry declined to comment.
“We do not intend to disclose further developments with the respect to the process until we approve a specific transaction or otherwise conclude the review of strategic alternatives,” a BlackBerry spokesman said.
Waterloo, Ontario-based BlackBerry, previously known as Research In Motion, was founded by Mike Lazaridis, whose little wireless devices offered the first easy way for lawyers, executives and politicians to access email away from the office.
Lazaridis left the company last year but remains a major shareholder. The Journal said he is also assessing whether to bid. Lazaridis could not be immediately reached for comment.
In the latest in a string of underwhelming results, BlackBerry last week reported a wide loss and slumping sales. It will cut 40 percent of its workforce to halve operating expenses.
When BlackBerry reported these results, it said it would update its 2013 outlook in a regulatory filing, and the likely $400 million in expected charges formed part of the latest filing, released late on Tuesday.
It expects to take those charges - for severance, “network simplification costs” and other expenses - over the remainder of this fiscal year, which ends March 1, 2014, and in the first quarter of fiscal 2015. It had previously said it would take a $100 million charge for the current fiscal year.
In a blow to BlackBerry’s hopes that it could succeed as a niche supplier of secure email services, the filing also said corporate and government customers have been slow to adopt BlackBerry’s new servers, which manage new BlackBerry devices as well as iPhones and Android devices.
BlackBerry said it reduced the price of its touchscreen Z10 device during the quarter and plans further incentives to boost sales. It kept some BlackBerry 10 sales to distributors off the books in the quarter due to uncertainty over their eventual sale price and the rate at which they may be returned.
BlackBerry also said it intends to sell $122 million of redundant property, plant and equipment assets as part of its cost-cutting drive.
It said its property, plant and equipment had a net book value of $2.2 billion at the end of August, while it valued its intellectual property at $3.35 billion.
The proceeds of any real estate sale may make BlackBerry a more attractive target. But buyers may simply be looking for detailed estimates of the value of the assets.
Reporting by Alastair Sharp and Allison Martell in Toronto and Greg Roumeliotis in New York; editing by Andrew Hay and Janet Guttsman


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Whether it's on book covers, product packaging or posters, hand lettering is enjoying a renaissance in graphic design. Despite living in the digital age, people are embracing the art and learn calligraphy in workshops.
Germans love functional living spaces, but comfort is the catchword at the IMM Cologne furniture design fair. Plants and decorative objects are a must, and so are new materials — used to revisit Bauhaus classics.
For vinyl lovers the act of placing the needle on a record and anticipating the crackle before the first bars ring out is a sensory and sensual thrill. A no-deal Brexit could nip that in the (ear)bud. Rob Mudge reports.
The Chinese government believes that it can become the top tech nation in the world sooner rather than later. Some milestones have already been met with more in sight as China looks to surpass the US, Japan and Korea.
Big stars, hot topics, tough competition: Arts.21 goes behind the scenes at the Berlin International Film Festival. Actress Ine Marie Wilmann, filmmaker Tsitsi Dangaremba, and photographer Birgit Kleber show us the Berlinale up close and personal.
Agent 007 is definitely one of the most famous British fictional figures ever created. But according to some sources, he was actually born in the Ruhr valley. An exhibition in Bochum promotes the spy's German roots.
This year's Grammys boast more nominations in the four main categories than ever before. Slammed as too white and male-dominated in the past, the music awards could be dominated by the likes of Lamar and Brandi Carlile.
Following the horrors of WWI, people lived lives torn between trauma and euphoria. The Weimar Republic was an artistically fruitful period, and a show in Hamburg hones in on its New Objectivity and New Vision movements.
What started as an online student directory aimed at ranking women by their looks quickly grew into the world's most popular social media platform. But as DW's Courtney Tenz argues, we might be happier Facebook free.
© 2019 Deutsche Welle |
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text:
No matter what Microsoft reveals at its Windows Phone 7 event, the company faces some huge hurdles in the race to create a popular smartphone platform. The major problem for Windows Phone 7 is that it's three years late to the party thrown by Apple, ...
Smartphones - News
LG has announced its first cell phone based on Windows Phone 7, Microsoft's new handset operating system.
Samsung Electronics became the second mobile phone maker after rival LG Electronics to leak a new Windows Phone 7 smartphone, the Omia 7, model GT-I8700.
NEW YORK CITY -- Some third-party developers have been unhappy with Microsoft for complicating the ways they can port apps from Windows Mobile to the new Windows Phone 7 (WP7).
After attending Microsoft's announcement of its new Windows Phone 7 OS and looking at the three new AT&T phones it had on display, I'm putting my money on the Samsung Focus as the hottest new Windows Phone 7 smartphone of the group.
Two years ago, HTC delivered the first smartphone to use Google's Android mobile phone software, the G1. On Monday, the Taiwanese company unveiled five smartphones with Microsoft's new Windows Phone 7 operating system and these phones will be availab...
Taiwanese smartphone maker HTC will soon launch the HTC HD7, a handset with a 4.3-inch touchscreen that uses Microsoft's new Windows Phone 7 operating system (OS).
When Windows Phone 7 launches on Monday it may offer a host of cool games thanks to Xbox LIVE integration, but Rovio Mobile's Angry Birds isn't one of them. That fact didn't stop Microsoft from borrowing the familiar fuming birds to promote Phone 7 ...
There are just hours to go before Microsoft launches the first round of Windows Phone 7 devices Monday and anticipation is mounting. In a run-up to the Microsoft launch the software giant may have already leaked the official availability date for Win...
Pioneer is developing a head-up display for cars that links in with the navigation function available on many modern smartphones. A prototype of the device is on show this week at Japan's Ceatec electronics show, and the company said it hopes to have...
Apple is reportedly working behind the scenes to address scratching and cracking of the iPhone’s glass back panel by certain third-party cases.
Mozilla's release of Firefox 4 Beta 1 for Android (and Maemo) phones brought with it some cheers -- and some jeers. Though Firefox 4 Beta 1 showed improvements in some areas, it stumbled in others, leaving users yearning for speedy future enhancement...
It's not here yet, but next week Microsoft is hosting a media event where it is expected to unveil launch details for the highly-anticipated Windows Phone 7 platform. With Microsoft's virtual absence from the smartphone arena in recent years, and the...
Microsoft will unveil devices running its new Windows Phone 7 operating system for the first time Monday at an event in New York that some experts predict will be a make-or-break product launch.
Chinese users wanting to buy an iPhone 4 best first place a reservation before venturing to an Apple Store. With the device selling out in retail outlets across China, Apple is now requiring all potential customers to first reserve the device online,...
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First impression on unpacking the Q702 test unit was the solid feel and clean, minimalist styling.
For work use, Microsoft Word and Excel programs pre-installed on the device are adequate for preparing short documents.
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New fashion biotech firm Tinctorium and its co-founders Michelle Zhu and Tammy Hsu, are here to disrupt the industry with a new biologically synthesized indigo that avoids many of the harmful chemicals that have long plagued the industry—and they’re being backed by denim royalty to do it.
With a business plan in hand, things have moved fast for Tinctorium over the last four months. The firm recently completed Indiebio’s accelerator program, earning valuable connections and $250,000 in seed money. Then, Tinctorium caught the eye of the godfather of premium denim, Adriano Goldschmied.
Zhu and Hsu’s relationship started when the recently graduated Hsu met Zhu’s fiance in a class at UC-Berkely, where Hsu was finishing her Ph.D. studying biotechnology related to indigo synthesis. Fast friends, the two quickly realized their talents could be complementary as Zhu’s business acumen was all that was needed to take the technology from Hsu’s Ph.D. program and bring it to fashion companies worldwide.
From the beginning, Tinctorium set out to provide a solution to two of synthetic indigo’s most poignant problems: the petroleum base that must be used to create it and the toxic chemicals that are required to introduce it into fabric.
“The way that we’re resolving these problems is that we are using a biological process to produce the indigo,” Zhu told Rivet. “So, instead of needing the petroleum base for it, we can literally program bacteria, microbes to grow and secrete the indigo without the need for toxic chemicals.”
After a sit down with the two founders, Goldschmied joined Tinctorium’s advisory board in a “hands-on” role to help with the creation and implementation of denim products made with their biologically-engineered indigo dye. Zhu called the first meeting with Goldschmied “magical” and said their interests immediately aligned as the legendary designer has been spending a great deal of time running his House of Gold creative agency. House of Gold works to advise and assist companies like Tinctorium that have tech that could be valuable to the denim industry—and just need a leg to stand on.
Zhu said whatever product ends up coming out of her business, it will certainly have the “Adriano stamp of approval.”
“For us, it was just a huge validation. It’s an area of the denim industry that needs a lot of attention,” Zhu said. “Plus, in terms of giving us access to the denim industry, that’s huge for us too.”
A certain level of respect among industry professionals is important for Tinctorium because what the company is asking would be relatively new for denim. As brands like Wrangler and Jeanologia grapple with the water consumption required to dye denim for mass consumption, Tinctorium is offering a solution to the other side of the coin—the production of the dye itself. True indigo is difficult and expensive to source, so many businesses synthesize it using dangerous chemicals, and most synthesized dyes also include petroleum products.
“Today, every kilogram of indigo produced uses over 100 kilograms of petroleum. Our technology detaches indigo from the oil industry, enabling a cleaner, greener blue,” the brand’s website reads. “Dyeing is the dirtiest part of jeans production. Our environmentally-friendly process eliminates the need for corrosive reducing agents that pollute our precious water sources.”
Hsu and Zhu also brought in David Breslauer, co-founder and CSO of Bolt Threads, another fashion tech company that works with performance fabrics, to work on their advisory board. Another valuable addition to the team, Zhu said Breslauer brought with him the experience required to merge fashion and technology in today’s markets.
“Because he’s kind of been in the intersection [of fashion and technology] for so long, he gets to be a role model for us in terms of ‘How do we turn this science-based company that came out of a lab and bring it to the fashion industry?” Zhu explained. “It’s a completely different ball game.”
The next step for Tinctorium, now that it has put together its nucleus, is to make a product that people can see and touch. The company has started work on the world’s only jeans line that doesn’t rely on toxic chemicals or petroleum.
“Our short-term plan is to have a limited line of jeans that we can put our name on,” Zhu said. “At the end of the day, our company is a mission-oriented company and we want to set a new standard for how indigo is made and applied. So, by necessity, we have to go out and share the technology with the rest of the market.”


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Once upon a time, sugar was mostly relegated to desserts. But now, excessive amounts can be found in our everyday foods and beverages, and it’s taking a toll, according to recently published studies.
• The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center exposed high-sugar diets as major risks for cancer, especially breast cancer.
• The Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience journal indicates that sugar may cause not only diabetes and obesity, but also brain defects similar to those triggered by stress or abuse.
• Sugar accounts for much of our country’s weight gain and the rise of fatty liver disease.
“We already knew it was very bad for us, but alarming new evidence just keeps pouring in,” says nutritionist and juicing pioneer Cherie Calbom, MS, who is known as “The Juice Lady.”
“Despite the case against excessive sugar intake, we know its prevalent use remains in things like ketchup, yogurt, canned soup, salad dressing, tomato sauce, bread, granola bars — not to mention soda or dessert-style coffee beverages.”
That’s why Calbom suggests taking full control of the sugar in your diet by making your own meals, snacks, and drinks. Her most recent book, The Juice Lady’s Sugar Knockout, offers recipes for overcoming sugar.
Samples of her Sugar Knockout recipes include:
Curb your carb craving with a Jerusalem artichoke-based juice cocktail. Click here for the traditional remedy.
Longing for dessert-time? Try a delicious alternative to traditional chocolate mousse.
“These recipes let you know that, once you decide to live without sugar, it’s deliciously possible,” Calbom says.
Cherie Calbom holds a Master of Science degree in whole foods nutrition from Bastyr University. Known as “The Juice Lady” (www.juiceladycherie.com) for her work with juicing and health, she is author of 31 books, with millions of copies sold worldwide. No stranger to healthy diet trends, Cherie joined George Foreman as nutritional spokesperson in the Knockout the Fat phenomena that forever changed grilling in America.


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“Disruption is a driving force at Stylerunner – being recognised for this is a great honour,” said Stevanja. “To be awarded Young Retail Entrepreneur of the Year and included in such a prestigious event as the World Retail Congress is an enormous compliment to our team.”
The Sydney-based startup was recently listed on the Deloitte Tech Fast 50 Rising Star and BRW Fast Starters List.
“We’ve created a retail experience which is fresh, innovative and constantly pushing boundaries. I’m incredibly proud of that.”
The award ‘honours the new generation of entrepreneurs who have challenged and disrupted the long-established retail industry.’ Past winners of the category include Founder and CEO of Missguided.com, Nitin Passi.
Stevanja has recently achieved a raft of personal successes, having been a finalist for the Veuve Clicquot New Generation Award 2016 and winning the B&T Women in Media Technology Award 2015.
The World Retail Awards were held last night in Dubai.
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Only a day after I wrote about the high-end Bordeaux event at Wild Ginger, I’ve just received an e-amail from the folks at Willow Park saying that it’s been cancelled. Guess there’s just too much great stuff going on in the city these days, or perhaps all the people who’d planned to go are now hopping a plane to France to drink it in its country of origin.
Either way, plans are underway to reschedule the tasting in the fall, likely October. Stay tuned….I’ll announce details when I hear more.
tap here to see other videos from our team.


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Nigeria showcases 16 startups at GITEX
By Kokumo Goodie, Lagos, Nigeria
GITEX Technology Week 2016, one of the world’s most influential technology events, was staged in Dubai this week with Nigeria showcasing her startups and innovative technologies from some of its major ICT firms such as Precise financial Systems (PFS) and Systemspecs, providers of the Remita solutions.
The 2016 Gitex Technology week hosted about 4,000 exhibiting companies and 64 participating countries. Guiding organisations in their digital transformation, the GITEX Vertical Days conference programme featured in-depth discussions from industry leaders on the key industry verticals of marketing, healthcare, finance, intelligent cities, retail, education, and energy.
Nigeria was present at the Nigeria Pavilion hosted by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and the innovation hub, part of the GITEX Global Startup Movement where it promoted 16 Nigerian startups as showpieces of the country’s fast growing startup ecosystem. The GITEX Global Startup Movement debuted at GITEX this year. Although only in its first year of inception, the GITEX Global Startup Movement is already the most global in the world, with international participation from 60 countries, showcasing over 410 startups and 1200 tech founders.
Speaking during the African Investment Forum as part of Nigeria's event at GITEX 2016, the Honourable Minister of Communications, Barrister Adebayo Shittu, said Nigeria had remained Africa's major investment destination for investors in the Information Communication Technology (ICT) due to her huge market and abundant resources. Dr. Isa Pantami, the Director General of NITDA, urged the investors and innovators to take advantage of the nation's huge ICT capabilities. He said: "Our ICT innovations are not targeting local consumption alone but global consumers as seen in our startups. We are ready to collaborate with local and foreign investors for seamless relationships."
“We have the potential as a country to be major game changer in the global technology industry and we have the human capacity to drive the momentum that could impact significantly on our economy and the rest of the continent,” Dr. Pantami told Nigerian startups at the trade show.
From 3D-printed cars to VR roller coasters, drones, augmented reality and more, the 36th year of GITEX filled 1.4 million square feet of Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) with the latest in cutting-edge technology and innovation. Innovative technologies such as drones, robotics, augmented and virtual reality, and 3D printing on display.


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Kerry Foods Yollies talking key ring on-pack
Friday June 5, 2015 at 8:45pm
Kerry Foods is aiming to drive trial and awareness of its yogurt-on-a-stick brand, Yollies, with the launch of a new marketing campaign including TV advertising during primetime shows, cinema advertising and sponsorship of children’s channel CITV every day until the end of July. The campaign also includes an on-pack promotion offering a talking key ring with two proofs of purchase. Lee Willett, Dairy Marketing Controller at Kerry Foods, says: “Our TV campaign aims to educate consumers that Yollies is a solid yogurt on a stick, available from the chilled aisle, and is like no other yogurt product in the market. To help drive the collectability of the Yollies sticks, we are launching a free talking key-ring on-pack promotion in June with two proofs of purchase. The initiative aims to drive sales for retailers and frequency among consumers by encouraging repeat purchase, with three key-rings to collect.


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Land O’Lakes has new packaging for its butter that features its farmer members. The phrase ‘Farmer Owned” will be above the brand on the front of the packaging. Products, like stick butter, will also include photos of Land O’Lakes farmers and co-op members. This is the 100th anniversary for the co-op and Land O’Lakes President and CEO Beth Ford said it is important to connect the men and women who grow the food with those who consume it.
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Banking sector is undoubtedly undergoing significant digitization changes, and only those banks will sustain the dynamics of this new era, that’s entirely powered by the emergence of new era disruptive digital technology like AI (Artificial Intelligence), Advanced Robotics, IOT (Internet of things), Blockchain, cloud universe computing, etc. that rules the globe.
Either way, the banks need to quick-fire adopt and succeed to innovate, refine these technological advancements for optimally utilizing it to draw more benefits.
Dubai has already filled its space with the vision of Digitalized economy 2030 and Dubai banking major Mashreq recently on April 02nd had unveiled a kind of reimagined branch format to support its core part in its digital transformation strategy.
With transformation and a wide range of evolving customer needs and to get accustomed to the broad shift in consumer habits and current age preferences, Mashreq Bank opts to have distinct types of branches classified as – Full Format Branches, Express, Express Business, Express Gold and Smart Branches.
Thus, it would support the transition shift of the consumers migrating to online and mobile banking portals as well as blending the digital innovation with the services of a traditional branch, that shifts the focus entirely to automated services.
Mashreq Bank has also introduced an innovative and unique concept of a Universal Banker-viz an Officer who will be available to assist customers in regarding the transactions, with the support of digital devices on the go and from anywhere at any given point of time.
According to words quoted by Subroto Som, executive vice president, head of Retail Banking Group, Mashreq Bank, “Banking as well Financial sectors throughout region as well global are witnessing a digital disruption wave, and these recent developments in technology have led the Banking sector to transform their networking arena from a futuristic perspective as well to make it more of convenience to the customers.”
He also added that with the current Banking transformation scenario, they are considering to upgrade as well uplift branches to make strategic investments that revolutionize their operations and improve them into a smart, connected and agile bank from the futuristic viewpoint.
Mr. Som also added that “This one-time digitalization drive will bring add-on benefits like: –
• Simplifying the Mashreq Banking scenario and making business much more straightforward and affordable.
• Bringing on a customer-centric approach and enhancing the overall banking experience with greater efficiency, quality, and agility amongst the workforce, thus reaping a massive surge in satisfied as a well loyal customer base.
• Support Mashreq Bank to bridge the gap between traditional and modern-day technology as it would be a mixed bag of both, incorporating new era tech advancements under the fixed hood for the convenience and enhancing customer experience with the Bank.
According to the regional head of distribution, Mashreq Bank, Aladdin Al Deesi, “Mashreq Bank has observed a high transitional shift amongst the expectations and banking habits of its customers. With the amount of automated transactional rate across its branches touching almost 97 percent, they are geared up to launch an application that will monitor the total touch points for the Bank across UAE.”
It also unveiled its latest digitally enhanced branch in Al Muraqqabat, that was its first innovative and unique new generation next chapter in UAE. The bank also released a statement that they are in pursuit to invest AED500 million over the next five years towards digital innovation and transformation across the regions.


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CHICAGO, May 17 (Reuters) – Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Co. (3M) said on Tuesday it would stop making many of its well-known Scotchgard products after tests revealed the chemical compounds involved linger in the environment and in the human body for years.
Medical monitoring of employees at plants that make the chemicals have shown the compounds are present in very low levels in tissue samples, but all existing scientific knowledge shows no adverse health or environmental effects, 3M said.
3M and other manufacturers have known for some time that the chemicals are long-lived, a spokesman said. But sophisticated new testing techniques, some developed in the last few years, found they can be detected broadly in people and in wildlife, water and other areas.
The 3M product lines to be phased out involve perfluorooctanyl chemistry and include Scotchgard fabric protector commercially applied to carpets and the Scotchgard spray available in grocery and hardware stores.
The phase-out also involves coating used for oil and grease resistance on paper packaging, fire-fighting foams and specialty components for other products. The affected product lines account for about $300 million of sales annually, or about 2 percent of total 3M sales.
“Our decision anticipates increasing attention to the appropriate use and management of persistent materials,” Charles Reich, executive vice president of 3M’s specialty material markets, said in a statement. “While this chemistry has been used effectively for more than 40 years and our products are safe, our decision to phase out production is based on our principles of responsible environmental management.”
3M will take a $200 million charge against earnings sometime this year to cover the phase-out. The company said it still expects to meet the consensus earnings estimate of $4.69 per share for 2000 and expects to be slightly above forecasts of $5.21 per share for 2001.
Jack Kelly, an industry analyst at Goldman Sachs, said he viewed the decision to phase out the chemicals as a natural evolution of the company’s constant review of its product line and removal of less profitable businesses.
“Clearly, 3M is becoming more profit-conscious,” he said, and the Scotchgard business was less profitable than others.
Linda Greer, senior scientist at the nonprofit environmental group Natural Resources Defense Council in Washington, D.C., said she applauded 3M for proactively taking the product off the market. “That (Scotchgard) really is a household name,” she said. “It takes guts to do that.”
Greer said the fact that Scotchgard is a heavily fluorinated chemical puts it into a class of chemicals that are notorious for persistence, including CFCs (chlorinated fluorocarbons) and PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls). Both of those have been taken off the market because of government intervention. CFCs, for example, were found to be destroying the ozone layer.
“Other halogenated chemicals of this class cause a wide range of health problems in animals and in people,” Greer said. “What you worry about is long-term buildup in tissues or organs to the point where it could cause some problems.”
Dr. Bill Coyne, senior vice president of research and development at 3M, said in an interview that the main reason for taking the products off the market is environmental, not health-related. “It’s in a lot of different locations,” he said. “We want to focus our research efforts and our invention efforts on materials and products that are not persistent in the environment.”
3M, a diversified manufacturer, makes Post-It notes, Scotch Tape and many other consumer and industrial products.


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The original Zombies Vs. Robots title is back to reclaim its turf and introduce itself to a new world! Eisner Award nominated duo Chris Ryall and Ashley Wood take the reins with a lineup of four classic adventures—each loaded with automaton-versus-automaton action—in ZvRC: Zombies Vs. Robots Classic. These remastered issues will hit shelves in March from Image Comics and Ryall and Wood’s Syzygy Publishing imprint.
Category: Comic Book News
Today Image/Skybound announced Stillwater: The Escape #1, a new one-shot special issue of the hit horror series from the Eisner Award winning team of Chip Zdarsky and Ramón K Pérez. Stillwater: The Escape promises to deliver chilling tales of lives upended in March 2022.
Today Image/Skybound revealed a first look at Everyday Hero Machine Boy, the all-new original graphic novel from rising star voices Tri Vuong (the upcoming LEGO® NINJAGO®: GARMADON comic book series) and Irma Kniivila.
Fan favorite writer Jeremy Holt will go on a NYC area signing tour this month in celebration of the release of the popular sci-fi series co-created with artist George Schall, Made in Korea. The collected trade paperback edition will be on sale Wednesday, January 26.