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Woodworking Tools and Woodworking Machinery Article Archives
Written by Jennifer Hicks Tuesday, 27 October 2009 18:30
Unique Machine & Tool Company recently updated its model 250 door machine. Launched in 1980, the machine was initially developed to make raised panel doors quickly and efficiently. The new ideas stem from customer feedback, in which customers indicated they wanted to use the machine for even more than what they are already doing, says the company.
Written by Jennifer Hicks Tuesday, 27 October 2009 17:53
ShopBot and Ponoko have combined on joint venture to bring together small shops with local CNC machinery operators
Written by Jennifer Hicks Tuesday, 27 October 2009 17:52
Williams & Hussey introduced its new molder, model 209, at the AWFS fair in July. The 209 is lighter and more compact than the company's other molders, and operates on single-phase power. The 209 performs the same applications as the Williams & Hussey models 154 and 206, such as producing straight, radius and elliptical molding.
Tuesday, 27 October 2009 17:50
Wynmatic has developed a smaller version of its Cope-Avator, which clamps a workpiece to produce coped rails for door construction. The new product, the Mini-Coper, has the capability of handling work pieces up to 7" wide and 1-1/4" thick.
Tuesday, 22 September 2009 18:51
Company says the product has the crown-cutting capacity of a 12" saw and provides accurate cuts for heavy use
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Source | Technology Times
Non-Fungible Tokens (Ntfs) Have Taken The Cryptocurrency Market And Art World By Storm Recently. Even Auction House Christie’s Has Sold An NFT By Artist Beeple For $69 Million. It is the first time Christie’s has sold purely digital art and accepted payment in cryptocurrency form, making Beeple the third-most valuable living artist, just behind David Hockney and Jeff Koons.interesting reading: Revolutionary Tech Could See Return Of Sporting, Entertainment Events
Meanwhile, an offline exhibition of blockchain-based art has kicked off in Beijing. This is the world’s first offline exhibition for virtual crypto-art. The works featured use blockchain technology, which means every piece of art is represented by a unique set of data, known as NFTs, and the public can track the trading of these art pieces.

domain: news


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Swift in Museum
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - An exhibit about Taylor Swift's 2011-12 world tour is on display at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville. On display through Nov. 4 are dozens of costumes, instruments, set pieces and props from the "Speak Now World Tour," on which she performed before more than 1.5 million fans during 111 shows in 19 countries spanning four continents. Included in the display is the "Juliet balcony" in which Swift soared above the crowd during each performance of "Love Story."
Free air portal
ROMULUS, Mich. - Detroit Metropolitan Airport says it will offer free wireless Internet service by September. Romulus airport says Boingo Wireless will offer 30 minutes of free access to users willing to watch a 30-second video ad. Boingo will offer extended and higher-speed connections for payment.
- Kings Island amusement park in southwest Ohio has launched a revamped smartphone app for iPhone and Android users. It lets visitors purchase general admission tickets that can then be scanned through a barcode at the front gate. Visitors also can pin the location of friends around the park and find rides, food and restrooms.
No free beer
KODIAK, Alaska - There is no such thing as a free beer, at least on Era Alaska flights. The airline had been offering a free 6-ounce beer to adult passengers but it discontinued the program Tuesday as a courtesy to the state, which prohibits free alcohol from being used as a marketing tool. However, there is no federal law against it once planes are airborne.


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This is the first time a Mini will enter the 24 Hour endurance race in a decade.
Mini might build cutesy city cars that mostly attract those of the fairer sex, but fans of the brand will talk your ear off about Mini's motorsport exploits. The brand has enjoyed massive success on and off the track with its lightweight cars, and although it hasn't made huge headlines of late, things seem like they're about to change. Mini will return to the famed 24-hour race at the Nurburgring for the first time in nearly a decade. This modified Mini John Cooper Works is entering under private team Bulldog Racing in the SP3T class, and has been specially built for this grueling track and endurance race.
Bulldog Racing launched its Mini project in September last year and decided on a Mini John Cooper Works as the base car. This little Mini has seen some extensive upgrades over the past few months, and can now be considered a full-blown race car. Bulldog Racing added a full roll cage, a 26.4-gallon fuel tank, custom suspension, BMW M Performance brakes, a sports exhaust system, uniball bearings and plexiglass windows. The exterior now features an adjustable rear wing, a covered underbody, front splitter and an aggressive rear diffuser. The standard 2.0-liter turbocharged engine has been retained, and the eight-speed steptronic transmission features an integrated limited-slip differential which manages around 300 horsepower at the front wheels.
The car features a classic red color scheme that pays tribute to classic Mini races of the 1960s. The complete car will now undergo extensive testing at the Nordschleife and the BMW Group testing center in Miramas in southern France. "The 24-hour race at the Nurburgring puts all components of the vehicle under extreme stress. That's why we're delighted to be able to use the BMW Group Test Centre to put the John Cooper Works through its paces there," says Friedhelm Thelen, Nurburgring expert and team boss of Bulldog Racing. The driver line-up is yet to be announced, but we'll be sure to keep an eye out for this little red ring racer.
Join The Discussion


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Future Links January 13th
Here are our daily links with the most important news from the printing industry. Today they feature a tourbillon watch made entirely from 3D printed parts, Kornit Digital as technology partner for Merch by Amazon, Katjes software partnership for 3D printed candy, printing businesses focusing on efficiency rather than growth, Autodesk’s quest for nature-inspired 3D printing materials, Magic Touch’s white toner technology and HP’s outlook for the new year.
Swiss engineer 3D prints a precision watch
The Swiss are known for their high-quality engineering and their precise watches so it is no surprise that Swiss engineer Christoph Laimer made a precision watch with a tourbillon. What is surprising is that he made it entirely from 3D parts. The parts were printed in his home on an Ultimaker 2 desktop 3D printer. The case itself was printed in PETG while all of the internal gears and mechanisms were printed with standard PLA.
More at 3D Print
Amazon chooses Kornit Digital for textile print-on-demand service
Kornit Digital, a digital textile printing technology company, has announced that its Avalanche 1000 was chosen for the on-demand production of promotional textiles as part of Amazon’s recently announced ‘Merch by Amazon’ program. Amazon’s Texas-based facility has been a long-term Kornit user as part of Woot, which is an Internet based retail program that offers daily deals on products including printed textiles. Kornit will build additional Avalanche 1000 systems that will handle the growing production needs of Amazon’s merchandise on demand service.
More at Printing Impressions
Katjes partners with Sur 3D for new version of its Magic Candy Factory
We featured the Katjes Magic Candy Factory in one of our recent articles. Now, the German candy maker is partnering with Uruguayan software maker Sur 3D to develop their very own, easy-to-use software for designing their 3D printed gummies. The new generation of the Magic Candy Factory is made in collaboration with American 3D printer company Printrbot, and now we can expect to see the launch of their new Magic Candy Factory software, which is being developed by Sur 3D.
More at 3ders
Some printing businesses envision success without high growth
The pursuit of growth has been a business credo for many printers. But even though print has undergone somewhat of a renaissance lately, print volumes are declining. Matthew Parker interviewed businesses that are going against the trend and don’t believe that growth is the only key to success.
More at Output Magazine
Autodesk’s quest for nature-inspired 3D printing materials
3D printing has been hailed as a more environmentally friendly way of producing goods compared to traditional manufacturing because of potential savings in transportation and material. However, in many industrial 3D printing applications today petroleum-based synthetic resins are used, which become solids after light and extreme heat are applied. Autodesk is now collaborating with the Biomimicry Institute and the Berkeley Center for Green Chemistry to find a more sustainable alternative.
More at Greenbiz
The Magic Touch shines with white toner technology
The Magic Touch takes a targeted approach in its product range with image transfer papers, heat presses, laser printers, plotters/cutters, materials, and equipment, all of which are ideal for the personalization of items. The company has attracted attention for its white toner capabilities. By adding white toner to the CMYK color process, high levels of opacity are ensured as well as a high ‘white’ factor for non-fabric products such as folders, mugs, binders, leather, and PU products.
More at Print Monthly
HP looks optimistically into the New Year
In an interview with Print Media Centr, David J. Murphy, worldwide director of marketing and business development for HP’s PageWide Web Press division, looks ahead into the new year. Murphy emphasizes that finishing is a differentiation point and that HP is adding even more finishing relationships to its portfolio. HP will be showing a lot of those options at drupa.
More at Print Media Centr


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HADOPI, the French agency charged with disconnecting French Internet users who use the same Internet connections as accused copyright infringers, conducted a study on media purchasing habits by copyright infringers. They concluded that the biggest unauthorized downloaders are also the biggest customers for legitimate media. Just like every other study that's looked at the question, of course, but this time the study was funded and released by one of the most extreme copyright enforcement bodies on the planet.
Joe Karaganis, from SSRC, points us to the news that there's been yet another such study... and this one is from HADOPI, itself. Yes, the French agency put together to kick people off the internet for file sharing did a study on the nature of unauthorized file sharing, too. Not surprisingly (and consistent with every other study we've seen on this topic), it found that those who spend a lot of money on content... were much, much, much more likely to also get content through unauthorized means. HADOPI released the results in a somewhat convoluted way (perhaps trying to downplay this result), but Karaganis reformatted the results to make this clear.
Robert Croucher owns Hatton & Berkeley, a firm that sent “speculative invoices” to people it accused of illegally downloading the Robert Redford movie “The Company You Keep” — letters so egregious that Lord Lucas described the company as “scammers” and the letters as “extortion,” urging Britons to “put them in the bin.”
The World Wide Web Consortium has embarked upon an ill-advised project to standardize Digital Rights Management (DRM) for video at the behest of companies like Netflix; in so doing, they are, for the first time, making a standard whose implementations will be covered under anti-circumvention laws like Section 1201 of the DMCA, which makes it […]
If you own a dog, you’ve most likely heard of BarkBox – the monthly subscription box for dogs. What started as a simple idea to try out the subscription model on pet owners has since developed a cult following of dog lovers. If you haven’t given it a try yet, this one month free deal is the […]
With the iPhone headphone jack having gone by the wayside, we’re excited about the addition of the FRANKLIN Bluetooth Headphones in our store. These headphones are foldable so they’re easy to carry around, but most importantly, they pack impressive sound. Our biggest struggle with Bluetooth headphones is the worry of them dying at the worst moment. This pair lasts an impressive 8-10 […]
Evan Kimbrell, founder of the digital agency Sprintkick, recently released a series of online courses that feature some of the best advice we’ve come across. These courses are well worth your time, and will save you from making many typical mistakes down the line if you ever want to start your own business.With this Business […]


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Fandemic Tour is joining the movement to virtual panel events with their upcoming virtual event, Fandemic Dead with stars from the hit show The Walking Dead. Fandemic Dead already has an all-star line up of The Walking Dead stars that just keeps growing! Added most recently to the line up is Chandler Riggs who played Carl Grimes.
— FandemicTour (@FandemicTour) September 14, 2020
Riggs joins fellow stars Norman Reedus, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Joshua Mikel, Jon Bernthal, Cooper Andrews, and Pollyanna McIntosh. It’s an event that The Walking Dead fans don’t want to miss and it’s perfectly timed just before Halloween!
Fandemic Dead is happening virtually October 10 and 11 with two group panels. Both panels are scheduled to take place at 1:30 p.m. EST on Saturday and Sunday. Each guest will participate in one of the two panels with a stand alone admission ticket option that includes access to both panels. Fandemic Tour also offers the option to purchase a one-on-one two minute meet and great with any of the guests which will include a video for fans to keep! Meet and greets will take place beginning at 11:30 a.m. EST. Fandemic Dead will not require a particular app for streaming, so fans only need an up to date browser and good internet connection. Fandemic recommends Google Chrome and a laptop for the best experience. Option two gives fans the chance to purchase an autograph from select panelists which will be mailed to fans following the event.
Tickets are available for purchase here, so make sure to grab yours now!


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On Tuesday, Shatto Milk pulled its coffee, banana and orange dream milk because of the lack of supply.
His 380 dairy cows are healthy, but the heat is getting to them. Combine production declines with rising feed costs and higher water and electricity bills, and it’s shaping up to be a long summer for Kansas City-area dairy farmers.
Shatto Milk uses sprinklers and fans 24 feet in diameter to help cool the cows, but days-long strings of weather topping 100 degrees have taken a toll. The heat makes cows eat less, which has translated into a 20 percent hit to production — a drop of about 400 gallons a day. That’s despite the 25 extra cows the farm brought in for the summer.
“We can’t afford air conditioning for these girls yet, so we can only do so much,” Shatto said.
Still, as temperatures abate somewhat, he’s hopeful that the pulled products will be back by Friday.
But what would really help would be a cooling into the eighties.
“There’s not much I can do other than try and keep our cows as cool and comfortable as I can,” Shatto said. “This heat just seems to last longer and longer every year, which gets us in trouble.”


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The Visible Data of the Invisible User
As the march to connect each and every noun on this planet continues with a blistering pace, the various ways, contraptions and sensors used to collect data is greatly expanding. What once was a (relatively) small collection of fitness trackers, smartwatches, thermostats, automobiles and surveillance cameras has grown into a an industry where shirts, shoes, sleeping bags and even liquor bottles want to gather your info. And most of these devices monitor silently without you even knowing. According to Ryan Matthew Pierson over at Readwrite.com, ‘The strength of IoT is in its ability to be invisible to the user.’
In addition, the mad dash to simply insert a chip, beacon and software into everyday objects is slowly graduating to era where user experience, privacy and security are becoming critically important for mass adoption. In 2014 Gartner released a report saying the typical family home could have as many as 500 smart devices by 2022. The Consumer Technology Association (CTA) notes that 20% of US households now own an activity tracking wearable device, two-times the households that owned one last year. And Nielsen reported that smartphone penetration has reached 82% in the U.S.
Interacting and engaging with the customer in real time is a desire of many organizations.
From media and entertainment, to appliances, to transport technologies, to security and environmental controls, along with healthcare and fitness equipment almost every ‘thing’ around us will track something. Or as Dr. Nick Riviera sings, ‘The knee bone's connected to the something. The something's connected to the red thing. The red thing's connected to my wrist watch... Uh oh.’
And it is not only consumer items.
The Industrial IoT is helping farmers with connected tractors, soil sensors, crop health apps and the like. There are HVAC systems that are managed by sensors; Streetlights, utilities, parking and traffic in a connected city; and even sports teams are using wearable tech to gain a competitive advantage. And according to Research and Markets, wearable tech in schools is set to surge over the next 5 years.
With the IoT growth comes threats, along with resources to reduce the risks. In Gartner’s latest forecast, IoT security spending is set to nearly double between 2014 and 2018, growing from about $232 million to almost $550 million. Nearly $350 million will go into securing IoT this year alone. They also predict that there will be 6.4 billion connected devices in use worldwide this year, up 30% from 2015.
The security investment is good news since according to Spiceworks and Cox Business, the flood of IT devices entering the market does create security and privacy issues in the workplace. 84% of their survey-takers named the growing number of entry points into the network as a major concern. Number two on the list, at 70% of respondents, was insufficient security measures on the part of IoT manufacturers.
But soon we might be able to solve some of the challenges with our Brain.
There are some very smart research brains out there that have come up with a way to identify you by your brain waves with 100% accuracy. This is your Brainprint. A team of researchers at Binghamton University, recorded the brain activity of 50 people wearing an electroencephalogram headset while they looked at a series of 500 images. The pictures were designed specifically to elicit unique responses from person to person. Images included things like pizza, a boat, certain words, celebrities and so forth. They found that participants' brains reacted differently to each image, enough that a computer system was able to identify each volunteer's ‘brainprint’ with 100% accuracy.
According to researchers, brain biometrics are appealing because they are cancellable and cannot be stolen by malicious means like a fingerprint or retina scan. The results indicate that brainwaves could be used by security systems to verify a person's identity. This could be key since our personal data and pattern of life seems to be more valuable now than a silly, worthless credit card number.
Brain & Invisibility: Activate!
<< signed 'ps' in Invisible Ink
- Wearable sleeping bag liner brings the heat at camp
- Researchers can identify you by your brain waves with 100 percent accuracy
- IoT Security Spending to Skyrocket
- Widespread IoT adoption requires good user experience
- The wearable tech giving sports teams winning ways
- Over 10 billion shirts and shoes will soon talk back to you via your phone
- School wearables to surge over next five years


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Lazada Group, Southeast Asia’s leading eCommerce firm, has announced, as part of succession planning in the group, that its Executive President Pierre Poignant will succeed Lucy Peng as Chief Executive Officer of Lazada Group with immediate effect. Peng will remain Lazada Group Executive Chairwoman.
Poignant, who was appointed Group Executive President in August 2018, will lead the company’s strategic development into new growth pillars, while continuing to manage Lazada’s operations in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam, working closely with country CEOs and regional functional team leaders.
Since Lazada was launched in 2012, Poignant engineered the development and expansion of Lazada’s logistics footprint and built the company’s e-logistics capabilities. Over the years, he assumed other roles with Lazada such as the Chief Operating Officer, overseeing customer service, supply chain, and content production.
“Pierre is a well-respected Lazada co-founder, who has contributed tirelessly to the company for the past six years. He and the team of other co-founders had the vision to build our logistics network from the ground up back in the days when no one in Southeast Asia believed in eCommerce – this valuable asset has now set us apart from the competition. Over the years, Pierre has consistently delivered beyond his call of duty and excelled in every role he has taken up.” Peng said.
Poignant thanked her for the confidence and trust that they placed on him. He also paid tribute to Lazada employees “for walking the long journey” with him since 2012.
Poignant said that Lazada has benefitted from the Alibaba ecosystem, from the technological prowess to the logistics network. “2018 is a turning point for Lazada. We have improved and evolved and now come out stronger, more efficient, and more agile than the start of the year. Our transformation has just begun and I am confident next year will be another watershed year,” added Poignant.


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Packaging Corp. of America First Quarter Profit Jumps on Strong Volumes, Pricing
April 23, 2013 (Press Release) - Packaging Corporation of America (PKG) [yesterday] reported record first quarter net income of $61 million, or $0.62 per share, compared to first quarter 2012 net income, excluding special items, of $41 million, or $0.42 per share. Net sales were a record $755 million, up 12% compared to first quarter 2012 net sales of $671 million.
The $0.20 per share increase in earnings, excluding 2012 special items, was driven by higher containerboard and corrugated products prices and mix ($0.23), higher sales volume ($0.05) and lower recycled fiber costs ($0.01). These items were partially offset by higher costs including labor and benefits ($0.06), workers’ compensation ($0.01), energy ($0.01) and transportation ($0.01).
Corrugated products shipments per workday were up 7.1% compared to last year’s first quarter, and total shipments were up 3.8% with two less workdays in this year’s first quarter. Outside sales of containerboard were equal to last year’s first quarter. Containerboard production was 646,000 tons, up 6,000 tons over the first quarter of 2012. PCA ended the quarter with its containerboard inventories about 3,000 tons above year-end levels.
"We had an outstanding quarter in all aspects of our operations with higher pricing and strong volume driving all-time records for sales, corrugated products shipments and earnings per share."
— Mark W. Kowlzan, Chief Executive Officer of PCA.
Commenting on reported results, Mark W. Kowlzan, Chief Executive Officer of PCA, said, “We had an outstanding quarter in all aspects of our operations with higher pricing and strong volume driving all-time records for sales, corrugated products shipments and earnings per share. Corrugated products demand was stronger than we expected throughout the quarter, and our mills ran extremely well, allowing us to meet the strong demand while building needed containerboard inventory to help support our mill maintenance outages in the second quarter.”
“Looking ahead,” Mr. Kowlzan added, “we expect seasonally stronger volume and higher prices in the second quarter. However, the majority of the earnings benefit from price increases will not be realized until the third quarter when our April containerboard price increase pass-through to corrugated products is completed. Also, most of our annual mill maintenance this year will occur in the second quarter with outages at three of our four mills. We expect these outages to reduce our containerboard production by 30,000 tons in the second quarter compared to 7,000 tons of lost production from maintenance downtime in the first quarter. The lower production, along with higher repair and operating costs during these outages, will reduce earnings by $0.08 per share compared to the first quarter. We also expect higher transportation, recycled fiber and purchased electricity costs. Considering these items, we currently expect second quarter earnings of about $0.62 per share.”
PCA is the fourth largest producer of containerboard and corrugated packaging products in the United States with sales of $2.8 billion in 2012. PCA operates four paper mills and 71 corrugated products plants in 26 states across the country. For further information, visit: www.packagingcorp.com
SOURCE: Packaging Corporation of America


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03 Oct SIRIUS will be at the European Big Data Forum 2017 (21-23 November, Versailles)
We would like to inform you that the registration for The European Big Data Value Forum 2017 (EBDFV) is now open!
EBDVF 2017, jointly organised by the European Commission, the Big Data Value Association (BDVA) and EDF (European Data Forum), will take place on the 21-23 November in Versailles and it will be a key European event for industry professionals, business developers, researchers, and policy makers to discuss the challenges and opportunities of the European data economy and data-driven innovation in Europe.
Since it is a great opportunity for engaging and boosting your business around big data and data driven domains, we would like to invite to register for your participation here.
Registration to the European Big Data Value Forum is FREE.
You can find further information on the event website: http://www.european-big-data-value-forum.eu/


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An official website of the European Union. See all European Institutions
The ASEAN Regional Integration Support from the EU (ARISE) Programme, one of the most important EU-ASEAN programmes for regional economic integration, celebrated its successful closure on 8 June 2017 in Jakarta.
The event gathered the full spectrum of ARISE stakeholders: Ambassadors from ASEAN (CPRs) and EU Members States, ASEAN Secretariat top management and technical staff, ASEAN Sectoral Committees, ASEAN Development Partners, and representatives from the private sector.
2017 is a special year for the EU (60 years), ASEAN (50 years), and EU-ASEAN relations (40 Years). The ARISE closure event was yet another occasion to celebrate EU-ASEAN partnership and achievements together.
ARISE was an EU-funded support programme which started in 2012 with EUR 15 million provided by the European Union Development Cooperation Instrument. Its objective was to support the ASEAN Economic Integration process through the realisation of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC). ARISE aimed at improving trade, customs and transport facilitation in ASEAN, enhancing quality infrastructure (standards) and food safety, as well as building the capacity building of the ASEAN Secretariat.
Four and a half years down the road, ARISE mobilised 6,500 expert man-days, organised 115 workshops attended by 4,300 participants, among them 1,370 participants from Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar and Vietnam (CLMV).
In its opening remarks the EU Ambassador to ASEAN Francisco Fontan Pardo said: "I am happy to be here today to celebrate ARISE Closure and its numerous achievements. ARISE is a brand, and a good EU-ASEAN brand, led by a truly professional team of experts. A lot of technical work has been delivered through the past years, contributing to the deepening of the ASEAN regional integration in support of AEC".
The deep appreciation of ARISE was echoed by the Deputy Secretary-General for ASEAN Economic Community, Lim Hong Hin. "ARISE was timely launched to provide the much needed expertise and resources to facilitate our efforts to realise the objectives of the AEC Blue print 2008-2015 for a single market and production base". With regard to ARISE adaptability, he said: "ARISE was instrumental to help us develop specific sectoral plans to operationalised our new AEC Blueprint 2025".
During the event a retrospective of ARISE main flagship support-actions were jointly presented by the ASEAN Secretariat, the ASEAN Sectoral Bodies, a representative from the EU-ASEAN Business Council (private sector) as well as the ARISE experts:
On this special occasion, the ACTS software was symbolically handed over to the Deputy Secretary-General by the EU Ambassador. Thanks to ARISE, the ACTS Pilot has been fully developed, installed and tested in Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. However the pilot does not yet have a legal operational environment and could not be run live by June 2017. This matter will have to be tackled ahead of the ACTS pilot implementation and future roll-out to CLMV countries, as foreseen under the next programme.
Looking ahead, in its closure remarks, the Head of Cooperation of the EU Delegation, Franck Viault, said: "I truly hope that the successor programme of ARISE, ARISE Plus, will be kick-started soon to keep the amazing momentum started under ARISE to several key facets of the ASEAN economic integration. I can assure you that my team is working hard on this".
ARISE Team Leader, Paul Mandl, concluded by stating: "It has been an incredible journey and I expressed my sincere appreciation and thanks to the ASEAN Secretariat, the ASEAN institutions, the EU Delegations, ASEAN Member States, the private sector and other dialogue partners whose support was integral to the success of the project". He emphasised as well that a major positive factor for the programme was being based in the ASEAN Secretariat where close working relationships, swift communications and trust have been at the forefront.
For more information:
Celine Prud'homme Madsen – email@example.com
Director Tran Dong Phuong - firstname.lastname@example.org


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Newly leaked NSA documents claim that the spy agency and its UK sister agency GCHQ have entered into online gaming communities, including Xbox Live, to look for terrorist activities.
Here's our full review of the Logitech G910 Orion Spark mechanical gaming keyboard
The Tesoro Excalibur: An affordable mechanical keyboard
2014: Top five unusual news stories of the year
Microsoft's low end smartphone strategy needs a reboot
Latest deals in the Steam Holiday Sale 2014
Steam Holiday Sale 2014
View our coverage on Windows 10
You'd better quit Second Life before the FBI deems you a member of an online criminal organization, or so their annual assessment of gangs seems to be suggesting.
Linden Labs, creator of Second Life has announced that users in its virtual world have logged over one billion hours in the game along with spending over one billion in-world money on game transactions. As...


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Exciting news in the AI world! ChatGPT is coming to mobile apps, starting with Apple’s iOS platform.
The official ChatGPT app has been launched by OpenAI on the Apple App Store, satisfying a significant user demand for this popular chatbot application.
“The ChatGPT app is free to use and syncs your history across devices. It also integrates Whisper, our open-source speech-recognition system, enabling voice input,” the San Francisco-based lab wrote in a blog post.
ChatGPT Plus subscribers, who pay $20 per month, have access to OpenAI’s newest language model, GPT-4. The iOS software will first be available in the United States before moving to other regions.
“We’re eager to see how you use the app. As we gather user feedback, we’re committed to continuous feature and safety improvements for ChatGPT,” the company added.
The app’s goal is to bring more people to ChatGPT, which has taken the world by storm. According to SimilarWeb, ChatGPT eclipsed bing.com, nytimes.com, and cnn.com in worldwide traffic in April, however its growth pace has halted.
OpenAI intends to release a ChatGPT app for Android soon, although no exact timetable has been set. Meanwhile, Android users may access ChatGPT via OpenAI’s website or Microsoft’s mobile applications, which also include a Bing AI program powered by ChatGPT.


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Diego Martin/Agencia Uno/dpa
Port activities have returned to normal in Chile as truckers have called off an eight-day strike, following concessions from the government. The walkout was called in protest at rising fuel […]
Mon 05/12/2022 by Richard Wilkinson
Chilean fruit producers and exporters are calling for an immediate end to a truckers’ strike which is jeopardising the country’s exports as the new season gets underway. According to fruit […]
Wed 30/11/2022 by Richard Wilkinson
The intelligent monitoring technology sends real-time data from reefer containers to customers’ screens.
Tue 29/11/2022 by Pierre Escodo
Abu Dhabi offers a unique appeal for agrifood investors in the region.
Wed 23/11/2022 by Pierre Escodo
A new railway line is planned to connect Vietnam’s Hanoi and other main cities with China allowing cargo trains running at over 200 km an hour to transport goods between […]
Tue 22/11/2022 by Richard Wilkinson
The French leader in integrated F&V logistics currently operates in 52 locations and is expanding globally.
Thu 17/11/2022 by Pierre Escodo
Port de Barcelona
At 8,000 km, Spain has the EU’s longest coastline. And thanks to their geographical locations, the country’s 46 ports act as Southern Europe’s logistics platform.
Sun 13/11/2022 by Natalia BAMMATOVA
Intermodal, which takes place in the Amsterdam RAI Exhibition and Convention Centre, Amsterdam, from 8 to 10 November, welcomes visitors from a myriad of sectors including, shippers, ports and terminals, […]
Tue 01/11/2022 by Richard Wilkinson
Don Victorio/Adobe Stock
New technology holds promise of making perishables shipping more transparent and efficient but in the meantime, freight rates are continuing to climb
Sun 30/10/2022 by Julie Butler
In Maersk’s latest market update for Europe, it reports the arrival of “much-needed stability and resilience” across its global network, following several challenging months across Europe. According to the report: […]
Wed 26/10/2022 by Richard Wilkinson
Xiamen Free Trade Zone
The first ever China-Europe freight train with reefer containers departed from Xiamen last Wednesday (Oct. 19). The train, which will travel from East China’s Fujian Province to Moscow, will transport […]
Tue 25/10/2022 by Richard Wilkinson


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Bulgaria's Shopping Mall Space with Largest Growth in Europe 2010
The space of offering in shopping malls in Bulgaria grew by 475% in 2010 year-on-year, according to a Cushman & Wakefield report announced by its local partner Forton International.
At the same time, the Cushman & Wakefield analysis points out that in 2010 the development of new commercial space centers in Europe saw its steepest decline since 1983.
Thus, Bulgaria is ranked in the top 5 in Europe on the amount of new commercial space in 2010 after Russia, Turkey, Poland, and Italy.
A total of ten new shopping malls with a combined commercial space of 346 000 square meters entered the Bulgarian market last year.
In 2011, however, Bulgaria will be out of the top 10 on that criteria since the only new shopping center will be the Markovo Tepe mall in Plovdiv, Forton points out.
"The Bulgarian market of commercial space is developing in its own micro-environment, while the common European trends affect it later and only partly," commented Dimitar Kiferov, commercial space manager at Forton.
A total of 165 new shopping malls with a combined space of 5.2 million square meters were completed in Europe in 2010, which is a 30% decrease of new commercial space compared with 2009.
There are more optimistic estimates for 2011 when a total of 6.9 million square meters of commercial space are expected to enter the market, or a 33% increase.
63% of the new shopping malls opened in Europe in 2010 are in Central and Eastern Europe. The largest one is City-park Grad in Voronezh, Russia, with an area of 144 300 square meters, which makes it the largest shopping mall in Russia outside of Moscow. The Russian market has 25% of the new commercial space launched in Europe in 2010.
The combined share of Russia and Turkey is over 40% of the new malls in Europe.
In Western Europe, Spain and Italy registered the highest increases of new shopping mall space, while Germany, France, and Portugal saw the smallest.
The largest shopping mall under construction in Europe is Stratford City in London with an all-out built-up area of 176 500 square meters.
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Giles County wilderness resort stays busy amid the pandemic
GILES COUNTY, Va. (WDBJ) - Many businesses have been hit hard by the pandemic, but the adventure destination Kairo’s Resort reports seeing more business than usual.
Kairos Resort manager Mike Laster says they did not know how the pandemic was going to affect them.
“But what ended up happening is where people wanted to go outside, and the government encouraged people to go do outdoor activities, this was sort of a good option for them,” said Laster.
The resort made a few changes, like extra cleaning measures in bath houses, and more to help visitors feel safe.
"In order to keep people safe and in order for our staff to feel safe and comfortable, we started checking them in through the window, "said Laster.
The resort also hosts dirt bike races but had to go from having two races earlier this year to only having one.
"We actually took the first race back whenever the season opened back up in July, which was really good for us because everyone was itching to go outside and be normal again, "said co-owner Jared Spencer.
On their 1,500 acres, the owners say it’s easy for visitors to be socially distant at events, even while hiking, driving an ATV or camping.
“And that’s one of the things we feel like that we have been able to offer people. Especially the really exciting thing for me is to see families and be able to have positive memorable moments,” said co-owner Rick Sizemore.
Kairos says they just want to provide hope and joy for visitors especially during these hard times. In the future, the resort wants to expand its trails and camping options. To learn more, visit their website here.
Copyright 2020 WDBJ. All rights reserved.


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Cupertino-based tech giant Apple is gearing up for its second fall event of the year. The company has sent out invites to bloggers and the media, for a virtual event on October 13.
In a virtual invite 'Hi Speed' sent on Tuesday, the Cupertino-based tech giant said the next big event is on October 13 that starts at 10 a.m. PDT (10.30 p.m. India time).
The Cupertino-based tech giant is likely to launch a new lineup of iPhones, a smaller HomePod smart speaker, over-ear headphones, and the rumoured Tile-like location tracking device. Apple last month unveiled iPad Air, Apple Watch Series 6 and a cheaper Watch SE.
Apple is expected to release four models of the iPhone 12 -- the 5.4-inch iPhone 12 Mini, the 6.1-inch iPhone 12, the 6.1-inch iPhone 12 Pro and the 6.7-inch iPhone 12 Pro Max. Recently, it was revealed that the upcoming iPhone 12 could cost somewhere between USD 699 to USD 749 while the iPhone 12 Max could be priced around $799-849.
The Pro and Pro Max models are expected to be priced between USD 1,100 to USD 1,200. The iPhone 12 Pro may feature a high refresh-rate 120Hz ProMotion display, as seen on iPad Pro.
According to reports, all four iPhone models are expected to feature OLED displays and 5G support. The entry-level iPhone 12 may come with 64GB storage in a total of six colours including black, white, blue, red, yellow as well as coral.


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Market research firm Gartner has released estimates for 2007 worldwide computer sales, forecasting an overall 11.1 percent increase compared to 2006. But the surprise is that Gartner finds this increase is being driven by strong demand for PCs in emerging markets, while last year’s release of Windows Vista is not a strong factor in encouraging sales of new PCs.
“The release of Microsoft Windows Vista operating system at the end of January has, so far, failed to stimulate the market in the way many hoped,” said George Shiffler, research director for Gartner’s Client Platforms Markets Group. “Our market data suggest Vista has had very limited impact on PC demand or replacement activity. We don’t see Vista having a significant effect on these going forward unless Microsoft becomes much more aggressive in its marketing efforts.”
Gartner estimates that worldwide PC sales will reach 257.1 million units in 2007, of which 103.2 million will be mobile PCs, a 27.1 percent increase over 2006, while 153.9 million will be desktop PCs, a 2.4 percent increase from 2006. Gartner believes about 55 percent of sales to emerging markets reflecting new PC penetration, rather than replacement of older systems, and, furthermore, over 77 million new desktop PCs and 51 million new mobile PCs will be sold to developing markets.
- First flash sale for crowdsourced Eve V Windows 10 tablet sells out in 3 hours
- Apple leads tablet market as detachable devices continue their rise
- PlayStation 4 continues its console dominance with 70 million units sold
- Black Friday digital sales reached record highs this year
- Amid strong local competition, LG bows out of Chinese smartphone market


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The Gates optical filter manufacturer started in 2000 with a crew of optics experts looking to use their know-how in telecommunications industry applications, said co-founder and Chief Technology Officer Turan Erdogan. When that industry collapsed, the company shifted its focus to biotechnology instrumentation.
Now those filters — glass coated with ultra-fine layers and typically costing hundreds of dollars each — are carving out a niche in biomedical research and diagnostics.
The company expects to ship its 500,000th filter any day now.
In 2008, Semrock’s revenues reached $20 million and it was acquired by Illinois-based industrial products maker IDEX Corp.


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Amazon is facing pressure from a bipartisan set of US federal lawmakers to stop sales of a food preservative containing a chemical compound that is being used as a poison in suicides.
The internet company has come under further pressure after a New York Times investigation identified 10 people who had killed themselves after buying a chemical compound through the site in the past two years, and over 300 members of a suicide website who had publicly said they intended to kill themselves using it.
While the compound is sold legally in the US and many other countries, Etsy, eBay and some other internet commerce companies have banned its sale on their platforms. Some firms have also stopped making the products containing the compound.
Families of suicide victims have been warning Amazon of the danger of selling the compound since it became clear it was being used in suicides in 2017. Nonetheless, it has resisted limiting or stopping its sale.
The NYT also reports that Amazon's algorithm recommends other items people planning suicide typically purchase. Furthermore, Lori Trahan, a prominent Democrat lawmaker, suggested that reviews warning others about the product have been removed on Amazon.


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The American Society of Perfumers is presenting “An Evening of Pairings,” featuring an evening of networking, tasting and smelling, on Oct. 16, 2014 at the New York Marriott Marquis in New York City. The culinary event will pair scents, food and wine and will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Register online here: http://www.perfumers.org/registration/
The ticket price starting at $250 includes a welcome cocktail and a three-course dinner (with the duet appetizer sponsored by Bedoukian Research and dessert sponsored by International Flavor & Fragrances Inc.), designed to inspire creativity in producing fragranced products. Blotters are sponsored by Orlandi. The event is produced by Allured Global Events, the producers of World Perfumery Congress (WPC). For more information, visit: www.perfumers.org.


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CHARLESTON, SC (WCSC / AP) - Truck drivers were backed up for miles in North Charleston and the Wando Terminal trying to get into the port terminals.
A new operating system, Charleston Gate, was implemented Tuesday and slowed things down for truckers.
Byron Miller with the South Carolina Ports Authority says with any new system, people can expect delays.
"Previously we had three different operating systems. Now were replacing that with one. You've got one computer system and one single operator which will make things stream-lined," Miller said.
Truckers say they are upset about losing time and money while waiting in lines. Some truck drivers waited in line for more than two hours.
All gates at the port's three container terminals will be operated by the same company - Charleston Gate LLC.
In addition, the ports authority will now oversee all operations in the yards used to store containers loaded on ships. In the past, some areas of the container yards were licensed to specific shipping lines.
Ports officials say the new system makes it simpler to use the port facilities, will mean longer gate hours and should boost port capacity by about 10 percent.


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By MarEx 2016-02-08 19:53:28
Hapag-Lloyd has stated that it registered considerably more incorrectly declared dangerous goods last year, compared to 2014.
The Watchdog program, developed jointly by Hapag-Lloyd’s IT and dangerous goods experts, is software that continuously checks cargo data to identify anything conspicuous. It identified 4,314 incorrectly declared dangerous goods cases last year. This is an increase of 65 percent on the previous year’s figure of 2,620 cases.
For Ken Rohlmann, head of the dangerous goods department at Hapag-Lloyd, there are two reasons behind the sharp increase: “Firstly, the volume of cargo shipped by Hapag-Lloyd increased considerably last year due to the company’s merger with CSAV’s container business. Secondly, there was a sharp rise in Watchdog findings following the devastating dangerous goods explosion in the port of Tianjin in mid-August,” says Rohlmann.
The Tianjin explosions were a series of explosions that occurred at a container storage station at the Port of Tianjin starting on Wednesday, August 12. The first two explosions occurred within 30 seconds of each other, and they were followed by another eight on August 15.
The initial blast involved hazardous materials in shipping containers at a plant warehouse owned by Ruihai Logistics. The blasts killed 165 people and caused damage worth over $1 billion.
Many ports drastically tightened their dangerous goods guidelines in the wake of the incident or even prohibited dangerous goods from being processed at all.
Hapag-Lloyd’s dangerous goods experts looked into more than 236,000 suspicious cases picked up by the safety software in 2015 (2014: more than 162,000).
Hapag-Lloyd’s Watchdog is considered to be a leading piece of software in the shipping industry and has been subject to a lot of interest from customs and port authorities, police, as well as from other shipping companies.
In September last year, Hapag-Lloyd and Maersk Line have agreed to cooperate in increasing the safety of dangerous goods. In a meeting held in Hamburg, Maersk Line showed its desire to implement a tracing system similar to Hapag-Lloyd’s Watchdog program.
The software has a database of more than 6,000 keywords that is constantly being added to and refined.
Rohlmann says: “With the software, our industry can considerably reduce the risk posed to crews, ships, cargo and the environment.” After all, it’s in the interests of everyone involved that the entire shipping system should be made safer, emphasizes Rohlmann. Dangerous goods that are declared imprecisely, incorrectly or not at all have the potential to pose a major risk to crews, ships, other cargo and the environment.


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Seth Godin’s post on Jan. 11 illustrates a business principle that I believe businesses/organizations often neglect.
It is not just product/price….it’s the intangibles that complete the sale and create a long-term valuable customer.
In Seth’s story….both stands sell lemonade….one does it differently in being customer centered rather than product centered.
My post a few days ago on our new shower system illustrates that principle clearly….the entire selling process involves more than the product.
I wonder if stuff like this gets enough attention at the Michigan School of Business!


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Most people missed the fact that last Tuesday was the last possible date to delay the UK’s exit from the EU at the end of the year. Yet as Germany’s leader, Angela Merkel warned on Wednesday:
“To put it mildly, progress in the negotiations has been very limited. I will continue to press for a good solution. But we in the EU and also in Germany must and should prepare for the event that an agreement is not reached after all.”
The UK government has also announced that their top negotiator, David Frost, is to become the country’s National Security Adviser. This is clearly a signal that the Brexit negotiations are not expected to yield great results – if they were, then there would be no question of Frost also taking on such a critical role as Security Adviser.
The decision to leave before any deal has been finalised is very serious for businesses and individuals. The UK government has already begun to confirm some of the new rules that will apply from January. For example, if you have a business, travel to Europe or buy/sell products and services:
- Preparing your business. Companies will need to make customs declarations to move goods into and out of the EU27 countries from 1 January 2021
- Travel to the EU27. There will be new rules to travel to the EU, or to Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein. Driving licences and insurance will also be affected
- Living and working in the EU27. You may need to register or apply for residency. You should check that you’re covered for healthcare
- Staying in the UK if you are an EU27 citizen. You need to check if you need to apply to the settlement scheme if you or your family are from the EU, or from Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein
Similarly, there will be major new paperwork requirements for trade with N Ireland. This is because it will remain part of the Single Market, even though the UK has left.
Of course, all this, and the need to employ 50,000 new Customs agents to police the system, is completely opposite to the promises made at the time of the referendum. Michael Gove, now a senior minister in the UK government, assured voters then that:
“The day after we vote to leave, we hold all the cards and we can choose the path we want.”
And Liam Fox, who as Trade Secretary was responsible for opening negotiations with the EU promised:
“The free trade agreement that we will have to do with the European Union should be one of the easiest in history.”
Those of us who have actually been involved in trade negotiations knew that this was all wishful thinking. We also knew that most people involved in business today have no experience of the difficulties companies faced before the Single Market and Customs Union began in 1993.
This is why, with some colleagues, I helped to set up www.ReadyforBrexit.co.uk to help provide the detailed information that businesses will need from January. As the chart shows, it focuses on all the key areas where detailed preparation is essential.
There is now very little time left to prepare. And finding the necessary time will be even more difficult, due to the disruption caused by the pandemic. But sadly, it seems that there is very little choice. It is now critically important, as Merkel warned, to begin preparing for a No Deal Brexit.


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WASHINGTON – Since moving its North American headquarters to Herndon, VA, a suburb of the nation’s capital, Audi sales have soared 122% in the Washington/ Baltimore area, says Scott Keogh, president of Audi of America.
“We thought Washington was the place to be,” he says at the annual auto show here.
Overall, Audi has boosted its portfolio from 35 to 63 model variants since 2006. The brand has jumped from No.7 to No.2 in luxury cars cross-shopped in the U.S., and its average transaction price has climbed $10,000 per unit, Keogh says. “We no longer have to sell cheap.”
Audi sold a record 139,310 units in 2012, compared with 117,561 prior-year. January deliveries also set a record this year, up 7.5% from year-ago to 10,056, the auto maker says.
“We're going to break another (total sales) record this year,” Keogh tells WardsAuto in an interview. “It took us 40 years to reach 100,000 units.” Audi predicted some time ago that it would reach 200,000 units by 2020. “We'll do it in significantly less time than that,” he says.
Audi's plan for growth includes building pricing power. The current inventory is down to a mere 37 days, Keogh reveals. He says he has no intention of importing a mass of cars and pushing them on dealers, a move that would cause prices to plummet.
Keogh says Audi's biggest opportunities lay at the lower end of its portfolio, even though sales of the A8 and other higher-priced models have been soaring. The auto maker plans to bring an A3 sedan next year, and he believes that will boost brand sales significantly.
Audi currently only sells an A3 sportback model, which likely has the highest diesel penetration of any car sold in the U.S., he says. About 55% of A3 buyers choose diesel. Diesels account for half of the Q7 cross/utility vehicle sales as well. The A6, A7, A8 and Q5 will get diesel engines this year.
Keogh claims that since 2009 buyers of Audi diesels have saved about 4.6 million gallons (174 million L) of fuel and emitted 22,000 fewer tons (19,958 t) of CO2, while saving $26 million in fuel costs. He urges government bodies to open high-occupancy lanes in cities that have them to diesel-fueled vehicles and also would like to see a reduction in diesel-fuel taxes.
The Audi chief says the brand continues to seek improving the power and prestige of the brand, and that the strategy is paying off because the auto maker is selling more high-end cars.
“Our brand power is increasing, and we see dramatic opportunities (to boost sales),” Keogh says, pointing to the number of conquest sales Audi is capturing. For every sale Audi loses to BMW, it wins over two BMW buyers.
It's even more dramatic against the Japanese luxury brands, Lexus, Acura and Infiniti. “We take three of those owners to every one we lose to them combined.”
The future also looks promising for Audi because it has the youngest demographics in the luxury segment, which is why Keogh believes the A3 sedan will become the third pillar of the brand’s volume. “It will be a home run.”
He insists Audi makes money on small cars, unlike its competitors. The A3 sedan, for example, will be built in Hungary, and the factory Audi is building in Mexico for Q5 production should help boost sales of that popular model. There are no current plans for Audi to source cars from Volkswagen's U.S. plant.
Responding to a question of how big Audi can become without losing its cachet, Keogh says “when you lose your pricing power, you lose exclusivity. That's a place where you've gone too far.”


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1st Gear: Lotus said it will end production in August of Elise and Exige for North America. The news was confirmed by Lotus spokesman Kevin Smith in response to an e-mail query from Edmunds' Inside Line. Lotus in the U.S. introduced the 2011 Elise and Exige in late 2010. While the Exige was carried over virtually unchanged, the 2011 Elise received an exterior freshening and new wheels. For 2011, the Elise is offered in the U.S. in two versions - the base sports car, powered by a 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine rated at 189 horsepower and 133 pound-feet of torque, and the Elise SC with a 1.8-liter supercharged four-cylinder producing 218 hp and 156 lb-ft. So, if you want a new Elise in the United States, you'll now have to wait until 2014 when
Joy Behar Dany Bahar builds the next one. First he just needs to finish building the lifestyle side of the Lotus brand.
2nd Gear: China's passenger-car sales fell for the first time in more than two years in May as Honda Motor Co. and other Japanese automakers cut production due to supply shortages caused by Japan's record earthquake. Deliveries of cars including multipurpose and sport-utility vehicles to dealerships fell 0.1% from a year earlier to 1.04 million units last month, the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers said today in a statement. The last time sales declined was in January 2009, when car purchases dropped 7.8%.
3rd Gear: The radical DeltaWing concept first looked at as a potential IndyCar chassis will race at Le Mans in 2012, built and run by an American consortium involving Le Mans legend Dan Gurney and multiple ALMS champions Highcroft Racing. With the blessing of the Automobile Club de L'Ouest, the ultra-light car will run in a class of its own, taking the 56th slot on the grid, and be powered by a 300bhp 1.6-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine.
4th Gear: Ford Motor Co., the second-largest U.S. automaker, plans to pay down more than half of one of its term loans by the end of June as part of its push to become investment grade. The Dearborn, Michigan-based company said in a statement and an investor presentation yesterday that it will retire $2.3 billion of its term loan B in the second quarter and that it has repaid the $800 million outstanding under its revolving credit line. Ford has been paring debt from its balance sheet as part of an effort to win an investment-grade credit rating. The company, rated Ba2 by Moody's and BB- by Standard & Poor's, said yesterday that it plans to reduce its automotive debt to about $10 billion by middle of this decade, compared with $16.6 billion at the end of the first quarter.
5th Gear: Spyker Cars NV's Saab Automobile division said it's unlikely to resume production for "a few days" after carmaking was halted yesterday due to a parts shortage. The manufacturer is in talks with suppliers and is considering property sales to raise cash, Gunilla Gustavs, a spokeswoman, said today in a phone interview.
6th Gear: It turns out SUVs are now actually safer than other vehicular form factors — according to a new report out from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Drivers of Nissan Motor Co.'s 350Z sports car and Titan pickup, and General Motors Co.'s Chevrolet Aveo mini and compact Cobalt are more likely to die in accidents than those of other vehicles, an insurance group said. Drivers of sport-utility vehicles, who used to be the most likely to die in crashes because of rollovers, are now among those with the highest probability of survival, the IIHS said in the report released today. "The rollover risk in SUVs used to outweigh their size/weight advantage, but that's no longer the case," Anne McCartt, the Arlington, Virginia-based group's senior vice president for research, said in the report on driver death rates for passenger vehicles from model years 2005 to 2008.
⏎ 1,500 Maruti Suzuki employees are striking in India over longer tea breaks. Seriously. [Business Standard]
⏎ Why Citigroup is bullish on Ford. [Business Insider]
⏎ Bluebird electric car guns for new EV speed record. [Car Magazine]
⏎ 2012 Buick LaCrosse with eAssist starts at $30,820. [Automotive News]
⏎ Software updates are now important for cars too. [Detroit News]
⏎ Ford wants to increase global sales 50% by 2015. [GoAuto]
⏎ Volvo recalls S60s to improve fuel pumps. [Wall Street Journal]
On this day in 2006, the animated feature film "Cars," produced by Pixar Animation Studios, roars into theaters across the United States. If you don't have it on your top ten best car movie list then you're simply crazy. [History]
Got tips for our editors? Want to anonymously dish some dirt on a competitor? Know something about a secret car? Email us at email@example.com.


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As is Eater tradition, we close out the year by surveying local food writers (including our own staff and contributors) on various restaurant-related topics, and we publish their responses throughout the final week of the year. Readers, please feel free to chime in with your own thoughts in the comment section below.
Today’s first question: What was the biggest dining surprise of 2016?
“I suppose I could say it was the spectacle of once-timid friends gobbling down the octopus that appeared on countless menus this year, but really it was the continued stamina of Greater Boston’s restaurant expansion: so many big new openings that I now fret about the ability of the economy and labor pool to support. I was more hopeful than some of my peers in this roundup last December about the prospect of a bubble, but there are ominous portents of it now. (Crap: Emma’s Pizza, Spoke Wine Bar? Really? Eff you, 2016. Eff you to hell.)”
“That the burger craze didn't completely collapse, though there are some signs that it may be slowing down a bit. Also, the fact that we've been in a restaurant bubble for five or six years now, and it seems that more restaurants continue to open than close each month.”
“While it might not fall under ‘dining,’ I was ecstatic about all the great breweries that opened this year. Lamplighter, Bone Up, Dorchester Brewing, Idle Hands v2, the list goes on. And they’re all good. I know people love to go on diatribes about the feared craft beer bubble, but I hope this innovative and stellar beer keeps up.”
“The Table at Season to Taste was an amazing and affordable ‘four-course meal’ that was actually closer to six courses. The atmosphere and pacing and flavors were nothing short of perfect.”
“This is kind of a 'no surprise there' kind of surprise...Josh and Katrina's Juliet opened and soared in the eyes of diners all around. A very quick turnaround by normal restaurant terms, and I'm very impressed by their outreach, dining events, and thinking-outside-the-box mentality. This doesn't always pay off in Boston, but it has for them!”
“The sheer number of high-quality openings in Boston this year is a surprise and deserves to be a national story. And I am surprised that Boston has become one of the top, if not the top, cities in the country to eat elevated Mediterranean food, broadly defined.”
“It seemed like a lot of chefs just wanted to have fun this year. There were a lot more ‘fun’ concepts — like Saltie Girl, Tiger Mama, Smoke Shop, and Mamaleh’s — that opened. I love it. I think all of us (diners and chefs) just want to enjoy ourselves at the dinner table and not take things so seriously.”
“I hadn't realized Joanne Chang was poised to take over Boston/Cambridge/the world, but I think it's great that Flours are popping up everywhere. I need to go visit the one in Cambridgeport that has a fireplace.”
Dana Hatic, Eater Boston associate editor:
“Rialto closing down when Jody Adams left to open Porto. The actual closure was a surprise because the original plan was to pass the reins to a different chef. But, it did open the door for Michael Pagliarini's second restaurant, Benedetto.”
Rachel Leah Blumenthal, Eater Boston editor:
“To be honest, I was shocked that Eataly actually opened this year. It was such a big undertaking — and just one part of an even bigger construction project — that I expected it to be the next Big Dig. Didn’t really think I’d be able to set foot inside it until 2020 or so.
Maybe I should save this for next year, since it’s not open yet, but I’m mildly surprised that a cat cafe (Purr) finally appears to be on track to opening in Boston. I think part of the difficulty in opening a cat cafe here has been the marketing. If prospective cat cafe owners simply pitched the project as an adoption shelter that allows the consumption of outside food from a nearby cafe partner, that might be an easier sell for the various commissions that need to approve them. The minute you say the words ‘cat cafe,’ people’s minds immediately jump to images of food being made onsite in a gross kitchen filled with litter boxes and cat hair, but that’s not the case at all.
Another surprise: the sheer amount of new breweries that opened this year (and existing ones that expanded).
And sneaking in at the last minute, the recent news of Eventide Oyster Co.’s forthcoming expansion to Boston from Portland, Maine was a big surprise — and an extremely exciting one!”


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15,000 Xiaomi Mi 3 phones will be offered on Flipkart on Tuesday
Xiaomi has given a touchdown on what to expect tomorrow. The Chinese phone maker says it will put 15,000 units of the Mi 3 on a flash sale on Flipkart tomorrow being Tuesday 4th of August.
The first two sales held in India were not we detailed, thus inconclusive for the public so BestMobs decided against reporting them. The first was sold out in 39 minutes while the second sales was reportedly sold out in 5 seconds, a claim we cannot confirm due to Xiaomi’s nature of business — privately-owned companies are often hard to decipher.
Tomorrow is the D-day. We’ll watch and see how long it will take Xiaomi to put out a number of Mi 3 smartphone which will be offered via it’s Indian partner, Flipkart.
Xiaomi says that the exact number of units that will be available on sale is 15,000; so this will help us understand how fast these sales actually go, at least in India.
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Apple's developers conference kicks off with a keynote at 1 pm ET today
Apple will reveal features of iOS 6, its operating system for iPhones and iPads
Company could also unveil its replacement for Google Maps on iPhone, iPad
We may also see upgrades to the Apple TV device that streams iTunes content
Editor’s Note: We’ll be live-blogging all the news from Apple’s keynote beginning at 1 pm ET. Visit CNN Tech or click here to follow along.
Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference, the annual gathering where the secretive company hosts folks who make a living writing software for its products, kicks off today.
And while the event is designed around presentations to help developers, its keynote address has also become an opportunity for Apple to roll out new products not just to developers, but to the world.
Two iPhones and several Macs have had their coming-out parties at WWDC, along with a host of operating-system overhauls.
Which raises the obvious question: What will Apple announce at its keynote, set for 1 pm ET?
Speculation has run rampant, as it does every time the Cupertino, California-based computing giant moves a muscle. But some of the guesses make more sense than others.
Here’s a look at some of the most credible reports, with our take on the odds of them being even vaguely true.
This one isn’t as sexy as a big product unveiling, but software is the bread-and-butter of WWDC. And there might be some drama here, yet.
It’s about time for a first look at iOS 6, an update of the mobile operating system that runs iPhones, iPads and Apple’s other Web-enabled mobile devices.
The developers in attendance will no doubt hang on every detail. But the most high-profile change is expected to be Apple’s announcement that it’s replacing Google Maps with its own mapping app as the system’s default.
Apple and Google have obviously squared off in the mobile space, with more smartphones now running Google’s Android system, even though the iPhone remains the single most popular phone.
Supplanting Google’s popular maps on its millions of mobile devices would be a big blow in the rivals’ ongoing slugfest.
Looking to get the jump on Apple, Google announced new features to Google Maps on Wednesday, including more 3-D images and the ability to use the product even when you’re offline.
Interestingly, Google only announced the update for people using its own Android mobile operating system.
Developers also may get a closer look at OS X Mountain Lion, the Mac operating system scheduled for release this summer.
Odds: Bet the farm.
Of the nonsoftware speculation, this one feels like the most likely – and could be pretty significant.
For one, It’s been a year or more since Apple’s major desktop and laptop models have been updated. The iMac got refreshed in May 2011, the MacBook Pro’s last overhaul was February 2011 and MacBook Air’s latest model rolled out in July of last year.
Second, apps have started showing up in the Mac app store with updates saying they’ve added “retina graphics.”
That’s the term Apple uses for its high-resolution displays on newer iPhones and iPads and suggests that Macs might be getting similar treatment.
Plus, the online Apple Store was down Monday morning, suggesting that new hardware is on the way.
Apple followers have already been passing around reports that the company could unveil a 15-inch Macbook Pro in a big rollout that might include most of its other Mac products.
Announcing now would mean that Apple would have fresh products to push before back-to-school and off-to-college time, not to mention the holidays.
Odds: Get your chips on the table.
A television set from Apple has been the most elusive and speculated-about piece of vaporware in the tech world for the past year.
Whether it’s been snippets of info from Apple’s supply chain, suggestive notes from retailers or the always talkative “unnamed sources,” most observers seem to agree it’s just a matter of time before the company goes from offering a set-top box like Roku, Boxee or TiVo to selling its own TVs.
Could Monday be the day we finally see it?
Maybe … but it doesn’t feel likely. Instead, look for another update to the Apple TV system, the little box that lets users stream movies and other content from iTunes to their TVs. Such a move could be a step towards Apple launching the TV set itself.
One report says the company will introduce a kit for third-party developers who want to build apps for the Apple TV device.
By Apple standards, Apple TV hasn’t been a big seller yet. And things are getting more interesting in that space. Last week, Microsoft announced Xbox SmartGlass, a system that will synch that gaming and entertainment console with mobile devices like iPads and iPhones.
Odds: Even money at best.
A new iPhone
As of this writing, longshot Guyana Star Dweej is getting 60-to-1 odds to win Saturday’s Belmont Stakes.
If those odds seem way too good for you, bet on a new iPhone be unveiled Monday.
Yes, new iPhones were unveiled at WWDC in 2009 and 2010. But last year’s iPhone 4S didn’t hit the market until October.
It would be out of character for the company to roll out another one eight months later. Sorry, folks. Check back this fall.
Same goes for the iPad and iPods. New iPods usually get their own fall events, and the “new iPad” is barely three months old. Even Apple doesn’t crank out updates that fast.
Odds: Slim, meet none.


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Sainsbury's makes online link for farmers
Anglo Beef Processors (ABP), which supplies Sainsbury's with its premium beef ranges, has
announced it will offer its far-mers computers and software from Farmplan as part of Sainsbury's Farm Connections project.
Farmplan will provide the laptop computers, the software and training to 700 Farm Connections producers who supply cattle through ABP for Sainsbury's.
Sainsbury's £1m funding means that the whole package, which includes Farmplan's Cattle Manager recording and management programme, will be free to the participating farmers for around a year. After that, the farmers will be able to buy their laptops for around £100.
Recent figures suggest that only one in five British beef far-mers use IT to help manage their businesses. It is hoped the scheme will help Sainsbury's farmers
operate and compete professio-nally in the market and access beef supply chain information.
The scheme will also connect the producers to the internet
and email network, improving
the businesses' access to a huge range of information, services
Piers Costley, Farmplan's manager for the project, said: "Sainsbury's is being far-sighted with this scheme. Sooner or later, farmers need to be fully linked, through IT, into the food supply chain right through to the customer. For those joining this Sainsbury's scheme it will be sooner."
27 October, 2016, 8:30
Next steps for tackling obesity: prevention, sugar consumption a
01 - 03 November, 2016
China Foodtech 2017
07 November, 2016
Butcher’s Shop of the Year
01 December, 2016, 8:30 - 13:30
Policy priorities for the UK food, drink and farming industry


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Mothercare buys up rival Blooming Marvellous
Celeb: Myleene Klass fronted some Mothercare ranges, helping boost sales
Mothercare shored up pole position in its market as it snapped up the Blooming Marvellous maternity brand.
Blooming Marvellous - which caters for mums-to-be who want fashionable maternity wear as well as offering a range of clothes and toys - was founded in 1983 as a mail order company.
Mothercare chief executive Ben Gordon plans to develop the brand within the business before eventually rolling out the Blooming Marvellous ranges across its stores.
Although its Spin pushchair and the Baby K range fronted by celebrity Myleene Klass are still proving popular, Mothercare's latest update continued the pattern of strong international growth and tougher conditions in an 'uncertain' UK consumer climate.
International sales from its fast-growing franchise business were up 20%, but like-for-like sales at home were down 4.1% in the 15 weeks to July 10.
This was deeper than the 1.6% decline seen in the previous quarter as the group battled against comparisons with strong sales growth last year.
Mothercare is planning 'cautiously' for the rest of the year but looking to bolster its UK performance by shifting towards more profitable out-of-town stores, which it believes will offset lower margins.
It is also launching a new clothing range in Boots outlets across the UK and Ireland on September 1, and hoping to follow up last year's Retro Robot success with a new £35 space station toy which will hit stores before Christmas.
Mothercare is among the more defensive retailers, with hard-pushed parents tending to put spending on their children ahead of themselves. Mr Gordon added: 'We are by no means immune but we are a little bit more resilient than others.'
Shares fell 5% as markets reacted to the bigger than expected fall in UK sales.
Singer analyst Matthew McEachran said: 'The trading update highlights that UK conditions were tougher than we had anticipated in Q1, and management have indicated the need to invest further margin as a result.
'Although there are cost savings to mitigate some of this, and upward pressures from International, the combination of weaker UK sales and lower margin guidance will mean a cut to UK divisional forecasts.'
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retailer Teabox has recently raised about $6 million in Series A funding from a
clutch of venture capital firms, including JAFCO Asia, Keystone Group and
Teabox Founder & CEO Kushal Dugar told the Economic Times that existing investor Accel Partners,
which had earlier invested $1 million as seed funding in the e-tailer, also participated
in the funding round.
looking to invest in the cold storage facilities in close proximity to the
plantations in Darjeeling, Guwahati and Nilgiri – the three prime tea plantation
regions in the country,” Dugar was quoted in the report as saying.
executive Kushal Dugar, who started the business in 2012, reportedly plans to
hire 40 to 60 people in the next two months.
sources its tea from over 200 plantations in the country for its customers in
75 countries. It eliminates intermediaries by selling online. The company has a
technology and marketing team in Bengaluru.
able to supply our tea at its freshest quality within a week to the consumer.
Whereas traditionally, it takes close to six months before tea from the
plantation reaches the endconsumer,” Dugar told the Economic Times.
the investment, Supriya Singh, an associate director at JAFCO, was quoted in
the report as saying, “Teabox’s disruptive business model is highly
scalable and allows complete control of the customer experience. JAFCO’s
expertise across different markets will add significant value to Teabox in the
One of the key
investments in this funding came from American billionaire Robert M Bass, who
is also chairman of Aerion Corporation, an aerospace firm. “I am a
longtime tea drinker and first discovered Teabox as a customer. The superior
quality of the company’s product and its innovative approach to sourcing,
market ing, and distribution has made us a partner with them,” Bass, President
of Keystone, told the Economic Times.
claims to have sold over 20 million cups’ worth of tea and counts the US and
Europe as prime markets. The company sees China, Japan, Korea, and East Asia as
its growth markets.


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This week, MINI has been trying to piss binge-watchers off in an effort to get them out on the road in its cars. The #MINISpoilers campaign from Pereira & O’Dell hit social media this week in films and posts that cheekily reveal the outcomes of popular series like “Game of Thrones,” “This Is Us” and “West World.” While the ads don’t outright name the shows--the spoilers pretty much do:
“There are a bunch of dragons. Everyone dies.”
“It’s the past. It’s the present. It’s the past again. . . There’s a lotttt of crying.”
“Emotionless Wild West characters can be killed for sport … Oops. They have emotions.”
Copy in the Instagram post also recommends, “Spend less time on the couch and more time behind the wheel.”
We’re starting to see more work for the BMW-owned brand emerge from its new shops, POD and 360i, which came on board last fall. The latter recently debuted a charming animated campaign, shot entirely within the trunk of the MINI Countryman.


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Jaguar rarely builds cars that don’t look good and the facelifted 2021 F-Type is the latest in a long line of beautifully-styled models from the British car manufacturer.
The revamped F-Type made its North American debut at the Chicago Auto Show in late January and is immediately identifiable from pre-facelifted models by its front end that sports new headlights which more closely mimic those of other Jaguar models. Other modifications made include redesigned front and rear bumpers, as well as a host of new wheel designs.
A number of alterations have also been made to the cabin. For example, the 2021 F-Type has a digital instrument cluster and the company’s latest infotainment system with support for Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and over-the-air updates.
Watch Also: 2021 Jaguar F-Type R Facelift – What’s New Pussycat?
Sitting at the top of the range is the F-Type R, and it is this version that Matt Farah from The Smoking Tire recently had the opportunity to test. It is powered by a supercharged 5.0-liter V8 that is good for 567 hp and is paired to an eight-speed automatic transmission that sends power to all four wheels, allowing it to hit 60 mph (96 km/h) in a mere 3.5 seconds and reach a top speed of 186 mph (300 km/h).
After driving the 2021 F-Type R, Farah walked away impressed. He comments that the transmission is good, even though it doesn’t shift as fast as a dual-clutch, and the ride is much better than the pre-facelift model.


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Adding to their new AmazonFresh one-hour grocery delivery services, Amazon have now rolled out a free one-hour restaurant delivery service for Prime members in London.
The service is another bid by the ‘e-tailer’ giant to bring customers to its £79-a-year Prime service, which also include AmazonFresh, ultra-fast or free delivery of other Amazon items, and their Prime Video service, which bought out Netflix rival Lovefilm.
Amazon Restaurants allows Prime members in central London to order food from selected restaurants, including family favourites such as Strada, Gastronomica, and Planet Hollywood as well as Asian fusion Crazy Bear and even Michelin-starred Benares, via the Prime Now app, and have their food delivered free within the hour.
The app also allows users to view participating restaurants, browse their menus, and track their deliveries in real time.
Amazon has promised that there will be no menu mark-ups or hidden fees for the service, but that there will be a minimum order value of £15.
Al Wilkinson, UK head of Amazon Restaurants, said: “London offers some of the best cuisine from around the world, so we’re delighted that Amazon Prime customers can now enjoy food from their favourite restaurants via Amazon’s ultra-fast Prime Now service.
“Based on our own research into what is important to consumers in food delivery, our team have hand-picked a selection of the best quality local restaurants in London.
“We’re excited to be helping many of these small businesses start offering home delivery for the very first time.”
Amazon Restaurants was launched in Seattle a year ago, and has been rolled out to 14 more cities since. It seems to be working, as Prime membership grew by 51% in the last year, with Amazon now claiming to have millions of Prime members in the UK.


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It was January 1997 — a typical carpool day for Marc Randolph and Reed Hastings, then colleagues at software development company Pure Atria.
Hastings ran Pure Atria and Randolph served as the vice president of corporate marketing since Hastings had acquired Randolph's company, Integrity QA, earlier that year. But Pure Atria was being acquired too, which meant that both Randolph and Hastings would soon be out of a job. Hastings, then 37, was planning to go back to school to study education, while Randolph, then 39, wanted to launch the next big idea.
That January day during their hour-and-a-half-long car ride from Santa Cruz, California to Silicon Valley, Hastings suggested they brainstorm.
"I said I was ready to launch my next company, and Reed being the entrepreneur that he is said, 'Let's come up with an idea and you can run it and I'll fund it' and away we went," Randolph, the co-founder and first CEO of Netflix, tells CNBC Make It.
For the next six months, as the pair commuted, Randolph pitched Hastings a slew of wacky ideas until something stuck.
"I remember getting into the car all excited and pitching Reed on the idea of doing personalized shampoo," Randolph says. Ideas for customized bats and dog food followed.
Then they hit on movie rentals by mail.
"We were sitting down having coffee one morning in Santa Cruz and we were talking about whether or not you could mail a DVD in a first-class envelope or not," Randolph remembers. So they walked down to a music store, bought a CD and mailed it to Hastings house using a first-class stamp.
When Hastings received the CD undamaged, the pair knew they were on to something.
In August of 1997, the pair launched Netflix — which today is the world's sixth largest internet company by revenue, which exceeded $15.7 billion in 2018 (a 35% increase from 2017). Netflix has now grown from a movie rental company into a streaming and production company producing award-winning original content, with more than 151 million subscribers worldwide.
When the company launched, Randolph was the Netflix's original CEO. He handed the reigns to Hastings in 1999. Then Randolph left the company in 2003, shortly after Netflix went public in 2002.
"Unlike me," Randolph writes in his new memoir, "That Will Never Work," "Reed is not only a phenomenal early-stage CEO — he's good (or better) as a late-stage CEO." Netflix now has a market cap of more than $130 billion.
Randolph says he decided to write about the early days of Netflix to inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs.
"I wanted people to know that I wasn't doing anything special, that anyone could have done something like this," Randolph tells CNBC Make It.
In fact, barely anyone thought Netflix was a good idea. Randolph says he and Hastings were rejected more than 1,000 times when they tried to pitch Netflix to various investors. He remembers Blockbuster CEO John Antioco trying to hold back laughter when the pair pitched him movie rentals by mail.
Still, the pair forged ahead and day by day, Netflix morphed into something bigger.
Randolph says "too many" entrepreneurs get stuck in their own heads by trying to puzzle everything together before launching a project or idea. But the only real way to find out if its going to work is to start.
"If you have an idea, it doesn't make a difference if it's a good idea or a bad idea — the whole point is starting. Once you start, that is when you begin to figure out if it's a good idea or a bad one. It informs you," Randolph says.
Like this story? Like CNBC Make It on Facebook.


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New EMEA organization for Krone
May 18, 2001 Krone has created a new organization region covering all of Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA).
May 18, 2001 Krone (www.krone.com) has created a new organization region covering all of Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA). The new organization brings together the U.K., Germany, and existing EMEA regions into a single profit center.
Stepping up from the role of managing director of Krone Germany is Axel Kahsnitz, who heads the new region.
"This development is in line with the global infrastructure of our major customers and offers key account management throughout the entire region, " says Mansel Healy, marketing and products director of Krone U.K. "It will allow Krone to exploit the synergy that exists in the U.K. and German centers for our continued growth in fiber, private and public networks, and diagnostic services."