text:
No longer are stores to be stores and the experiences found within be crafted without influence of digital channels.
Viewing entries in
They are racing what?
Last week, we hosted a Lunch & Learn on the history of the maker movement. This session gave folks an introduction into the world of Making and the wonderful group of artists, hackers, designers, engineers, tinkerers, etc., who design, build, produce, and share their projects with the world.
Yesterday I had the opportunity to attend and speak at a NYC Media Lab event, as well as attend a “field trip” tour of a couple of AR/VR labs at local universities.
Over the past few months, with growing hype about augmented and virtual reality, we hear constant questions about which is better.
At a recent Samsung event, the mobile phone maker announced a larger commitment to pushing VR with a $99 version of their Gear VR headset.
Razorfish, in collaboration with Adobe, showcased Razorshop, a leading-edge transformational storefront experience, to yet another international audience in Cologne, Germany.
At Siggraph this year I was lucky enough to try out many emerging forms of immersive media. Everything from dome projections (think planetariums) to Head Mounted Displays (HMDs) to holograms made from laser beams (for real) was on display.
Together, Razorfish and Adobe have embarked on a journey to transform the in-store customer experience through digital technology.
This past week at Microsoft’s Build 2015 conference Microsoft gave developers a first look at HoloLens through a series of invitation-only sessions.
After the successful unveiling at The Adobe Summit in Salt Lake City, Razorshop heads over to London, England to support the EAMA Summit
At Adobe Summit on March 12 in Salt Lake City, Razorfish and Adobe demonstrated a physical storefront experience that seamlessly connects the customer journey across all touch points and empowers retailers to sell more intelligently.
In the Razorfish Emerging Experiences labs, we’ve been prototyping next generation retail experiences that can identify and track consumers with the goal of offering timely and relevant information.
As passengers of San Francisco International Airport (SFO) walk into the newly renovated Terminal 3E they are greeted by a 16-foot wide glowing data visualization that hovers above six multi-touch screens, the Flight Deck.
While Flight Deck is best experienced in person, you can get a quick fly-through of the experience right now.
First London, then Beijing and now Berlin: Audi City has transformed the dealership experience in ways never before seen.
The assignment was, well, not so simple. Design and build a fully immersive, best in class, innovative future travel experience for passengers bustling through one of the busiest and fastest growing airports in the country — San Francisco International.
Built inside a uniquely portable container, RZRShop creates big moments inside a smaller, more nimble retail footprint.
Our team is prepping for next week’s National Retail Federation annual convention and expo. Stay Tuned!
I’ve had a little less than a week to play with the new Kinect for Windows v2 so far, thanks to the developer preview program and the Kinect MVP program.


text:
We were watching the horse racing on TV on Tuesday (the day of the Melbourne Cup, the richest and most challenging horse races in the world) and during a segment highlighting the Myer Fashions in the Field competition, we could help but spy what we thought was Victoria Beckham’s Carmontelle dress from her Fall 2009/10 collection.
But after watching an interview with Sarah Kelly who went on to win the coveted prize, it was revealed that it was not a Victoria Beckham dress or even a Roland Mouret piece. Intead Kelly had picked up the two-piece look consisting of a pencil skirt and sleeveless jacket from Australian chain store Cue. Formally known for their business attire, the chain went through a rebrand a few season ago resulting in more edgy runway-inspired looks.
It’s almost no surprise that the Victoria Beckham Carmontelle dress looks strikingly similar to the Cue look – the dress has certainly been doing the rounds on the likes of Mary J Blige, Elle Macpherson (on the set of The Beautiful Life) and Leighton Meester as Blair Waldorf on the set of Gossip Girl since July 2009.
It is shocking however, that judges didn’t spot the copy and Kelly won for her look that The Age newspaper’s fashion editor Janice Breen Burns called elegant. But it was her performance after her win that seemed to impress Breen Burns more, describing it as “a figment of Helmut Newton’s Paris in the mid-20th century”.
We have yet to go into Cue to see how much the two-piece ensemble will set you back, but we estimate it would cost around AUD$500 – 600 (approx USD$450 – $550). It’s not Forever21 or Bebe prices but it is a substantial mark down from the real Carmontelle dress which sold for USD$3,145 on Net-A-Porter.com.
Do you think Cue was inspired by Victoria Beckham’s Carmontelle dress
when they created the matching two piece look?
Pictured above in Victoria Beckham’s Carmontelle dress:
Elle Macphereson, Leighton Meester as Blair Waldorf (Gossip Girl) and Mary J Blige.

domain: news


text:
The new USB4 protocol was first announced by the USB Promoter Group back in March of this year, when we learned that the new standard will be based on Intel’s Thunderbolt 3 protocol to deliver up to 40Gbps speeds. Yesterday, the USB Promoter Group announced that USB4 specs have now been finalized, with more details to be shared during the upcoming USB Developer Days 2019 later this month.
You can find below the main characteristics of this new generation of USB:
- Two-lane operation using existing USB Type-C cables and up to 40Gbps operation over 40Gbps certified cables
- Multiple data and display protocols that efficiently share the maximum aggregate bandwidth
- Backward compatibility with USB 3.2, USB 2.0 and Thunderbolt 3
It’s great that USB4 will use the much more convenient USB-C ports, and the backward compatibility with other devices is also good news. However, this new standard will likely cause some confusion for consumers, especially since reaching 40Gbps speeds will require new USB-C cables. Additionally, all USB4 ports won’t support Thunderbolt 3, which remains an Intel standard that requires an extra chip, making it more expensive to implement for manufacturers.
Last but not least, USB4 devices should also be more expensive to manufacture compared to devices using the latest USB 3.2 standard, which is to be expected with any new technology. Anyway, it will take some time for manufacturers to embrace this new USB4 protocol, and the first devices supporting won't ship until next year at the earliest.


text:
Pick n Pay launches at BP
The BP garage convenience store in Ballito has just made way to an exciting new Pick n Pay Express store, this is as a result of a partnership between Pick n Pay and BP garages formed back in 2008 and has been tested and proven among many stores across South Africa already.
Chris Reed, franchise director at Pick n Pay, says: “Express stores are small-format franchise stores, which – while on BP forecourts – are instantly recognisable as Pick n Pay stores. Trading floor sizes are small and typically vary between 150 and 250 square metres.”
The agreement brings into play key strengths of both businesses, and enables Pick n Pay to expand its small-store format while continuing to create new entrepreneurs, in line with its franchise strategy. “The combination of a BP site with BP’s premium fuels offering and PnP Express creates more of an incentive for customers to call on a BP site,” says Gerard Derbesy, BP Southern Africa CEO. “This is in line with BPSA’s growth and investment plans over the next two years.”
BP’s signature Wild Bean Cafes are part of the offering. “Wild Bean coffee is one of the top selling coffee brands in South Africa and will add value to the Pick n Pay Express offering,” Reed concludes.
You may be interested
Suspects linked to double murder in KZN traced in GautengNews Guy - Nov 13, 2018
Three suspects are expected to appear in the Pietermaritzburg Magistrate's court on Monday in connection with the kidnapping and murder…
Windows 10 Updates: A Survival GuideNews Guy - Nov 11, 2018
With Windows 10 Microsoft took automatic updates to the next level. Prior to this latest operating system, the company encouraged users to…
KZN is facing a Salmonella outbreak: over 20 people hospitalisedNews Guy - Nov 11, 2018
At least 20 people have been hospitalised owing to salmonella poisoning in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, eNCA reported on Saturday. Lancet Laboratories…


text:
(Adds analyst comments, updates market activity) By Gilbert Le Gras OTTAWA, Nov 23 (Reuters) - A spike in gasoline prices fueled Canada's annual inflation rate in October, but analysts said it is unlikely to sway the Bank of Canada from raising interest rates in December. The annual inflation rate rose to 2.3 percent last month from 1.8 percent in September, mainly on a sharp rise in gasoline prices, Statistics Canada said on Tuesday. Statscan said October's gasoline price spike was ...
Premium Content (PAID Subscription Required)
"UPDATE 2-Canada's October inflation up on gasoline spike" is part of the paid WardsAuto Premium content. You must log in with Premium credentials in order to access this article. Premium paid subscribers also gain access to:
All of WardsAuto's reliable, in-depth industry reporting and analysis
Hundreds of downloadable data tables including:
• Global sales and production data by country
• U.S. model-line inventory data
• Engine and equipment installation rates
• WardsAuto's North America Plant by Platform forecast
• Product Cycle chart
• Interrelationships among major OEMs
• Medium- and heavy-duty truck volumes
• Historical data and much more!
For WardsAuto.com pricing and subscription information please contact
Lisa Williamson by email: firstname.lastname@example.org or phone: (248) 799-2642


text:
3D Systems has announced that Chuck Hull, the inventor of Stereolithography and founder of 3D Systems, was honoured with the George R Stibitz Computer and Communications Award by Montana State University on October 3, 2013, in Bozeman, MT, USA.
Hull invented the original 3D printing technology, Stereolithography (SLA), and led the development of the .stl file format, which continues to be the standard in ultra high-definition 3D printing and CAD connectivity. Hull set to develop additive layer manufacturing (AM) to help an ailing automotive industry regain competitive advantage. After years of failed attempts Hull’s perseverance and inventiveness paid off when he successfully printed a teacup on March 9, 1983, and went on to file a patent for what he called Stereolithography and found 3D Systems in 1986.
Hull continues to be at the forefront of AM technology as 3D Systems’ Chief Technology Officer, celebrating 30 years of continuous 3D printing innovation and presiding over seven different 3D print technologies, over 100 materials and 1,200 patents.
The award program was established in 1997 by George Keremedjiev, founder and director of the American Computer and Robotics Museum in Bozeman, MT. Hull is being honoured alongside the late Walt Disney and John Holland, an expert in complex adaptive systems. MSU will also be honouring primatologist Frans de Waal and 3M executive Jean B Sweeney with the Edward O Wilson Biodiversity Technology Pioneer Award.
“Seemingly a week cannot pass by without the mention of 3D printing for advanced manufacturing in both the general and technical media,” Keremedjiev said. “It is, bar none, the ‘hottest’ technology for modern and future manufacturing in the world. In fact, much of President Obama’s and the Congress’ manufacturing initiatives center themselves around the proliferation of Mr Hull’s invention (3D printing).”
“I am deeply honoured to receive the distinguished Stibitz Award alongside innovators who have changed the world and improved the human condition in unimagined and powerful ways,” stated Hull. “From the get go, I imagined that 3D printing would significantly change design and manufacturing as we know it, but I could not have anticipated the profound impact the technology would have on everything in our lives. It is both humbling and exhilarating to be a part of this incredible transformation.”


text:
Petrol and APVs gain ground
The European Association of Motor Manufacturers (ACEA) has released figures showing how the shift between petrol and diesel is changing in terms of new car registrations. It finds that in the first quarter of 2019, nearly 60% of all new passenger cars registered across the EU ran on petrol, while less than one third was fuelled by diesel.
With the exception of Germany, demand for petrol cars increased in the five largest EU car markets. Germany saw petrol demand drop by almost 6%, while diesel rose by 2.6% As a result, the market share of petrol increased from 55.5% to 59.3% in the first quarter of 2019 across all markets.
On the other hand, diesel car registrations contracted in most EU member states except Germany, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The share of diesel cars in the market fell by almost 6 points compared to the same quarter one year ago, now accounting for just about a third (32.2%) of the market.
ACEA has also produced its own figures for alternatively-powered vehicles.
In the first quarter of 2019, it says, demand for alternatively-powered cars in the European Union increased by 25.9%. Growth was driven by the electrically-chargeable vehicle segment, up 40.0% with 99,174 units registered. Within this segment, battery electric vehicle (BEV) sales grew substantially (+84.4%), while registrations of plug-in hybrids remained practically flat. Hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) also performed well (+33.3%), totalling 184,808 units sold during the first three months of the year. By contrast, registrations of LPG and NGV cars declined by 7.2% in the first quarter, mainly due to a sharp drop in demand for natural gas vehicles (NGV).
Alternatively-powered vehicle registrations significantly increased in all major EU markets. Demand for APVs saw the highest percentage gains in Germany (+62.9%) – mainly due to a doubling of sales in the hybrid segment – as well as in Spain (+48.9%).


text:
Probably the biggest issue to confront the solar industry since we’ve been around is the petition filed with the United States International Trade Commission (ITC) by two foreign-owned companies – Suniva and SolarWorld – that manufactured solar cells and modules in the United States.
In April of this year. Suniva filed for bankruptcy, and in May SolarWorld AG filed for insolvency proceedings. Both companies filed trade complaints against international competitors with the ITC, claiming significant and unfair injury by imported foreign solar cells and solar modules and asking for very significant tariffs on imported solar cells, in the form of a baseline price of $.78 per watt for imported modules and $.40 per watt for cells. (Some countries, like Canada and Singapore, will likely be exempted from the tariffs because the US has a trade surplus with them.)
The four-member commission released its initial ruling about two weeks ago. To the surprise of many, it was a unanimous finding that injury was evident. The ITC will next hold hearings on the exact sanctions to be imposed and then forward its recommendations to the White House November 13. President Trump’s final decision is not expected until after the first of the year.
Just about everyone not employed by Suniva or SolarWorld agrees that the impact on the overall solar industry would be extremely bad; terms like “devastating” have been used.
It’s also been noted that while Suniva and SolarWorld employed around 2,000 employees in the US, the effects of this tariff action would cost the domestic solar installing industry tens of thousands of jobs –as many as 100,000 jobs or more, according to some published estimates.
Does this affect the average homeowner and small installer? Yes, in multiple ways.
The first thing we’ve seen is that the supply of solar modules is already shrinking as the bigger installers, operating with deeper pockets and seeing that the cost of cells and panels may increase significantly next year, have been buying up module stock as fast as possible. It’s going to get interesting by December for the small guys.
So if you’ve been considering solar for your home or business for a while, this may be a good time to pull the trigger on the system of your dreams. It won’t cost any less next year, and it may cost a whole lot more.
Reaction to this proposed action has been loud and clear and negative. Probably the best comment I’ve seen was from Abigail Ross Hopper, president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association:
The ITC’s decision is disappointing for nearly 9,000 U.S. solar companies and the 260,000 Americans they employ. Foreign-owned companies (Suniva and SolarWorld) that brought business failures on themselves are attempting to exploit American trade laws to gain a bailout for their bad investments.
Analysts say Suniva’s remedy proposal will double the price of solar installations, destroy two-thirds of demand, erode billions of dollars in investment and unnecessarily force 88,000 Americans to lose their jobs in 2018.


text:
Jones Apparel Group Inc. has tapped Ted Kim to be vice president of design for its Anne Klein New York division, a new position.
Kim was most recently a senior designer for the Michael Kors Collection, and before that worked at Donna Karan Signature and MaxMara Sportmax.
He joins a long line of designers who have passed through the storied but challenged fashion label that was once one of America's most iconic sportswear brands. They include Donna Karan, Louis Dell'Olio, Richard Tyler, Patrick Robinson, Ken Kaufman and Isaac Franco, Charles Nolan and Michael Smaldone.
Jones, which acquired Anne Klein as part of its purchase of Kasper A.S.L. in 2003, recently brought in Isabel Toledo to create a top tier Anne Klein designer collection. Toledo's efforts were to trickle down to bridge Anne Klein New York and better-priced AK Anne Klein collections, but after just two seasons, Jones shut the division.
At Anne Klein, Kim will oversee the design of the bridge-tier sportswear and his first collection will be spring 2009. He will report to Susie Rieland, Jones' chief merchandising officer for bridge and better sportswear. Rieland said Anne Klein New York is "an important growth vehicle," adding that the company has been "encouraged by the positive feedback our spring 2008 products are already receiving."
Peter Kim's Los Angeles-based premium denim line has always had its finger on the pulse of youth. This season, novelty is back in a way reminiscent of early Aughts, with studs, lace-ups, racing waxed denim and more. For more highlights if some of the key brands at the Vegas trade shows, go to WWD.com. #wwdfashion (📷: Patrick Gray; Styles by @thealexbadia; Story by @karihamanaka and @marcy_wwd)
"I was driving back on Saturday afternoon from the beach, and I just saw this sign saying 'Skydiving for $95.' And I was like, I can't not sky dive for $95," says Tom Bateman about a moment in Hawaii while shooting "Snatched." #wwdeye (📷: @vsteves; Interview by @ktauer; Styled by @thealexbadia)


text:
Today, Mitsubishi announced that it will be unveiling a new vehicle, called Concept G4, at the Bangkok International Motor Show at the end of the month.
Read This Article
If you look at a 2013 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X, otherwise simply known as the Evo, longingly, chances are you're part of the Gran Turismo generation.
Mitsubishi had a rough year in the American automotive market, but it wasn't for lack of trying.
Japanese automakers are very likely counting down the days of 2011.


text:
Grand Day Out and West End Food Fayre this weekend
The end of major refurbishment work at Plymouth Market will be celebrated with a Grand Day Out this Saturday.
The event features family fun, including live music and entertainment to mark the market’s £3.5m revamp.
A highlight will be the West End Food Fayre, which is making a return to Frankfort Gate for the second consecutive year.
Michelin-starred chef Peter Gorton will once again be cooking up a storm in the kitchen.
We own a number of shop units in and around Frankfort Gate.
Using seasonal produce provided by market traders, Peter will be showcasing a number of tasty treats that can later be tried at home. The cooking demonstrations will take place at 11.30am, 1.30pm and 3pm.
Peter will also be judging a children’s cup cake decorating competition. Sponsored by Lawson’s, Sweet Harmony will be showing how to decorate a cup cake with the Cookie Monster (10.45am), unicorns (12.15pm) and roses (2.15pm). Head along to the Food Fayre to pick up tips on how to decorate a winning creation before making your own. Prizes will be awarded to the best creations.
The marquee will include a selection of food and drink traders selling a range of delights, such as fudge, flapjacks, oils, Scotch eggs, cheese and Riverford boxes. There will even be an oversized signature cake on display, made by Sweet Harmony.
As well as food there will be a pop-up Prosecco Bar and The Jagger Gin Bar, workshops and demonstrations, classic cars, street entertainers and the final of Plymouth’s Top Talent.
Angie Scott, Head of Strategy, Communications and External Relations, said: “There are some really interesting and well-established shops in Frankfort Gate so with all the celebrations going on, there’s sure to be a great atmosphere and something for everyone on Saturday.”
The event runs from 10am to 4pm in and around Frankfort Gate and Cornwall Street.


text:
CROTON — Ohio Fresh Eggs LLC, one of the largest egg producers in the country with a large farm in Croton, maintains their strict safety standards and vigilant salmonella enteritidis intervention and risk-reduction program keep their eggs among the safest in the industry.
According to OFE spokeswoman Hana Bieliauskas, OFE’s locations in Croton, and Hardin County, now produce about 1.7 million eggs per day, or 620 million eggs per year.
Bieliauskas said the process for packing and storing eggs in Croton ensures their safety and freshness.
“Eggs are laid, cleaned, processed and packed for distribution within 24 hours,” she said. “Our eggs are required to be held at 45 degrees, and cooler inventory turns on average every two days.”
She said eggs are washed by machine and sanitized, and are never touched by human hands during the cleaning and packing process.
Bieliauskas said only one brand of eggs packed at the Croton facility is pasteurized in the shell, but that is not the standard practice.
OFE instituted its salmonella enteritidis intervention and risk reduction program in 2009.
“It includes vaccination of all pullets (hens less than 1 year old) before they begin laying eggs,” Bieliauskas said. “To date, we’ve invested nearly $1.5 million in our vaccination program for labor and vaccines.”


text:
- Peloton surged as much as 6% on Friday as massive sales growth offset concerns over supply constraints.
- The company beat estimates for its fiscal first-quarter earnings and revenue, with the latter more than tripling from the year-ago reading.
- Peloton also lifted its forecast for full-year sales above analyst expectations.
- The previous quarter's strong demand has given way to "unacceptably long" wait times for bikes, CEO John Foley said in a call with analysts, noting the company will invest in faster shipping and more manufacturing capacity.
- The product shortage is "a good problem to have," JPMorgan said in a note. The bank joined others in praising Peloton's earnings results and lifted its price target to $145 from $125.
- Watch Peloton trade live here.
Peloton erased early morning losses and soared as much as 6% on Friday as titanic sales growth overshadowed supply-chain issues.
The exercise equipment company thrived through the coronavirus pandemic as stay-at-home activity drove people to its premium bike and treadmill products. The surge in demand materialized on Thursday afternoon when Peloton reported fiscal first-quarter sales growth of 232%, surpassing both internal and Wall Street expectations.
Peloton also lifted its annual revenue guidance to $3.9 million from a previous peak of $3.65 million. Fourth-quarter sales will land at $1 billion, according to Peloton, above the $932.2 million expected by analysts.
Here are the key numbers compared to estimates compiled by Bloomberg:
- Revenue: $757.9 million, versus the $734.5 million estimate and up 232% year-over-year
- Earnings per share: 20 cents, versus the 13 cents estimate and up from a $1.29 per share loss in the year-ago period
- Fitness subscriptions: 1.33 million, up 138% year-to-date.
Read more: Raymond James' investment chief details why Joe Biden and Mitch McConnell are the perfect pair to drive markets upwards — and lists 4 sectors he thinks are primed for gains no matter who's in power
Still, Thursday's report and subsequent analyst call had its fair share of warnings. The surging demand for Peloton's hardware is now fueling product shortages and shipping constraints, according to the firm.
"Wait times for our products have been unacceptably long," CEO John Foley said in the earnings call, adding "it will take a bit more time" to solve the supply issues. Peloton plans to scale up its customer support team, boost manufacturing capabilities, and invest in faster shipping to improve wait times, Foley said.
Wall Street largely looked past the shipping problems and praised the company's massive first-quarter expansion. JPMorgan lifted its target price for Peloton shares to $145 from $125, deeming the long wait times "a good problem to have." Investors should buy any dip, analyst Doug Anmuth added. The new price target implies a 15% climb from Thursday's closing level.
KeyBanc reiterated its "overweight" rating for Peloton stock, calling the stock one of its favorite growth picks. Though demand will continue to outpace manufacturing and customer service capacity, the company's planned improvements should alleviate the short-term pressures, the firm added.
Peloton traded at $128.27 per share as of 11:25 a.m. ET Friday, up 362% year-to-date. The company has 43 "buy" ratings, three "hold" ratings, and one "sell" rating from analysts.
Now read more markets coverage from Markets Insider and Business Insider:


text:
As hunters and anglers, our customers spend much of their time away from a desktop and we saw our mobile traffic increasing fast. We wanted a mobile experience to accommodate this rapid acceleration of use
Austin,TX (PRWEB) May 29, 2013
Wide Open Spaces, the first social commerce company to target the $90 billion sportsmen community by bringing exclusive curated offers from iconic and emerging brands in the hunting and fishing industry, today announced the launch of its mobile-optimized site. The new Wide Open Spaces mobile site is part of the company’s omnichannel strategy to best serve its customers.
“Wide Open Spaces customers are avid outdoor sports enthusiasts who are often literally ‘out in the field,’ which makes mobile an ideal fit,” said Denis O’Dwyer, co-founder and CEO of Wide Open Spaces. “When a time-limited deal on hunting and fishing gear is on, our new mobile-optimized site makes it easier for customers to be able to take advantage of the latest deals and discounts on hunting and fishing equipment, apparel and accessories, at any time and location.”
Because the new mobile site is integrated into the same Magento ecommerce platform that currently powers their desktop site, the new mobile site is fast and stable, while also allowing mobile to be treated as a different and unique channel.
“As hunters and anglers, our customers spend much of their time away from a desktop and we saw our mobile traffic increasing fast and we wanted a mobile experience to accommodate this rapid acceleration of use”, said Chris Mitchell of Wide Open Spaces. “Our deals are time-sensitive and change often, so a solution that was integrated with our ecommerce platform was key”, he added.
With curated daily deals posting at a rate of over a dozen each day, Austin-based Wide Open Spaces launched an integrated solution from Unbound Commerce built from the “whole cloth” to leverage and extend its current e-commerce infrastructure, while maintaining the ability to treat mobile as a separate channel.
“Wide Open Spaces serves up deals on hunting and fishing gear in a way perfectly suited for mobile and they understood the potential”, said Wilson Kerr, Unbound's VP of Business Development & Sales. “This was a complex build and we are very pleased to have been involved”, he added.
About Wide Open Spaces
Wide Open Spaces launched in 2012 with a seed funding of $1.75 million from Mercury Fund, RPM Ventures, and Dundee Venture Capital. The company was founded by a team of passionate sportsmen who previously held key roles at Yelp, Yahoo!, Spredfast, HotJobs – and more, with a mission to improve the way people hunt, fish, and experience the outdoors. With free membership, the company serves as a platform to shop favorite brands while discovering new ones, find exclusive offers with exciting outfitters, and connect with a growing community of partners and sportsmen enthusiasts. The company hosts well-known brands that include: Reaction Strike, Remington, Pure Fishing, TenPoint CrossBows, and SOG. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, Wide Open Spaces is helping sportsmen and outdoor enthusiasts to Get Out More, For Less. For more information, visit http://www.wideopenspaces.com
About Unbound Commerce
Unbound Commerce is the industry’s #1 provider of mobile commerce solutions, for Retailers seeking to reach their customers anytime and anywhere. Unbound Commerce’s unique approach means the integration work done for a mobile commerce site can be leveraged to deliver a tablet commerce site, a social commerce store, and a commerce-enabled downloadable app. Unbound also delivers free marketing tools to help retailers and brands bridge online and offline consumer touch points, at point of sale. Unbound has built and deployed mobile sites for Rockport, Finish Line, Miller Coors, and almost 400 other retailers. For additional information, please visit http://www.UnboundCommerce.com.


text:
Amazon has opened a high-tech grocery store in Seattle, Washington. Tech expert Andy Walker speaks about the new store and explains in details how it will use sensors and cameras to track purchases
Subscribe to CTV News to watch more videos: https://www.youtube.com/ctvnews
Connect with CTV News:
For the latest news visit: http://www.ctvnews.ca/
For a full video offering visit the CTV News Network: http://www.ctvnews.ca/video
CTV News on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CTVNews
CTV News on Twitter: https://twitter.com/CTVNews
Watch CTV News on Twitter: https://twitter.com/WatchCTVNews
CTV News on Google+: https://plus.google.com/+CTVNews/posts
CTV News on Instagram: https://instagram.com/ctvnews/
CTV News on Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/ctvnews
CTV News is Canada’s most-watched news organization both locally and nationally, and has a network of national, international, and local news operations.
More info on Amazon opens high-tech grocery store in Seattle
Amazon opens high-tech grocery store in Seattle - BingNews Search results
Amazon quietly picked up a cashierless store startup to stock its Amazon Go play in India
Amazon picked up the founders of Nayasale Retail, the parent of Watasale, a Kerala-based startup that introduced an Amazon Go-like store in the South Indian state.
Amazon Web Services inks licensing deal with Seattle startup Intentionet, developers of Batfish
Amazon has signed a licensing deal with a small Seattle startup called Intentionet, the company behind the Batfish open source project that helps engineers design and test networks.
BREAKING: New Amazon Fresh store near Apopka is 2nd confirmed in Orlando
Orlando Business Journal reported earlier this week that the under-construction anchor tenant at Trelago Market in Maitland will be an Amazon Fresh and that Seattle-based Amazon.com Inc. (Nasdaq: AMZN ...
What the ‘Amazon of South Korea’ is doing in Seattle
Coupang, an e-commerce company known for its same-day delivery service, has hundreds of engineers in Seattle. It opened an office here to get closer to tech talent and retail knowledge.
Amazon Fresh opens in Pasadena, and it draws a crowd
(Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG) Ligia Rodriguez brought plenty of bags and an eye for deals at the opening of the new Amazon Fresh grocery store ... s high-tech buying ...
Beyond Amazon.com: Tech giant’s new Worldwide Stores CEO on its next big bets in e-commerce
In-depth Amazon coverage from the tech giant’s hometown, including e-commerce, AWS, Amazon Prime, Alexa, logistics, devices, and more. Doug Herrington, Amazon CEO of Worldwide Stores ...
Amazon opens the email marketing floodgates to try to boost sales
The company announced the initiative Wednesday at the Amazon Accelerate conference in Seattle, where it demonstrates ... and focus on such necessities as food and fuel. Amazon captures 37.8% ...
Amazon Opens the Email Marketing Floodgates to Try to Boost Sales
Putin Is Running Out of Options Grand Theft Auto VI Leak Is a Shock to Video Game Studio Rockstar The company announced the initiative Wednesday at the Amazon Accelerate conference in Seattle ...
In Russell Wilson’s return to Seattle, Amazon’s ‘Just Walk Out’ tech gets the cheers at new stadium store
Lumen Field became the third professional sports venue in Seattle to feature Amazon’s cashierless “Just Walk Out” technology in a food and beverage store ... the new high-tech food and ...
Amazon to open Go convenience store in downtown Bellevue
Amazon plans to open a Go store in one of its downtown Bellevue office towers, the Seattle-based ... down or rebranded Go Grocery stores. The company also launched a tech-infused clothing store ...
Amazon helps Seahawks take on concession blitz with cashierless tech at new Seattle stadium store
The Seahawks said the area will offer “a more modern, open food ... Amazon licenses the tech for use in such places as stadium and airport stores. Lumen Field will now join Seattle’s other ...
At Amazon's New Grocery Store, AI Takes Over Cashier Jobs
The 167 square meter (1,800 square foot) retail space is located in Seattle, and the company expects the grocery store to open to the public early in 2017. Amazon Go has no checkout lines ...


text:
US: Tyson on acquisition hunt - CEO
US meat giant Tyson Foods is set to seal "several" acquisitions overseas in the coming months, its president and CEO has said.
Dick Bond said he expects Tyson to snap up two poultry companies in Brazil before the end of Tyson's fiscal year, which runs to the end of September.
"We have a healthy pipeline of additional targets that will allow us to achieve our goal of being in the top four poultry producers in Brazil by 2010," Bond told analysts at the BMO Capital Markets Agriculture and Protein Conference yesterday (15 May).
Bond said Tyson would also look to further expand its poultry business in China. In February, Tyson set up a poultry joint venture in the country and Bond said the company had taken initial steps to secure an agreement with another local firm.
"We have also reached another preliminary agreement with another poultry company in China," Bond said. "We will complete due diligence on that over the next three or four months before signing a definitive agreement."
Tyson is looking to boost its international sales to US$5bn by 2010.
International markets are becoming more attractive to US meat processors, due in part to a weak US dollar and strong per capita consumption trends.
US-based meat groups have had a tough time of late amid soaring feed costs and weak domestic demand. However, Tyson Foods, the country's largest processor, has seemed better equipped to weather the st...
The slump in the share price of Premier Foods last week serves to underline the threat that unstable credit markets represent to major food companies, particularly those with high debts. Ben Cooper re...
The effects of the economic downturn on consumer spending are becoming more apparent by the day. And, as the crisis on Wall Street and stock markets round the world gathers pace, our industry is faced...
With this week's headlines came further evidence that food manufacturers are feeling the impact of the global economic crisis, with Dairy Crest, Northern Foods and Tyson all warning of declining profi...
US meat giant Tyson Foods today (10 November) posted a rise in fourth-quarter earnings but saw annual profits tumble due to costs linked to plant closings....
Tyson Foods will invest US$2-4m in its joint venture with India's Godrej Agrovet over the next year....
US meat group Tyson Foods has elected Brad Sauer as an independent member of its board of directors....
One story has dominated this week's headlines - the latest food safety scandal to hit China. As the scare around baby milk powder has spread to liquid milk and other dairy products, so has the gloom o...
- Nestle India grows with global, digital innovation
- Analysis: Tyson's shrewd investment in Beyond Meat
- How Nestle tackles Indian challenges - interview
- Lamb Weston goes it alone: six things to learn
- Thailand: convenience to continue to thrive
- Mars launches Maltesers in the US
- Bel takes majority stake in MOM Group
- Campbell backs US nutrition start-up Habit
- Mondelez focuses on margins as sales slip
- Nestle's Buitoni to remove GMOs
- The Big 15: Strategies and Priorities of Top Packaged Food Players in Comparison
- Packaged Food: Quarterly Statement Q3 2016
- Omega-3 in Food and Beverage:Time for a Reboot?
- Global Food Packaging: Innovating for Greater Convenience and Quality Image
- Meat Processing in China - Industry Market Research Report


text:
- Subscribe NowLimited Time Offer
Sign Up for the Dayton Business Journal Afternoon Edition Newsletter
Send this story to a friend
Survey: Marketers poised to boost media buys as recession ends
- Ed Sealover
- DBJ Contributor
Marketers who have shifted to short-term plans and reduced costs are gearing up to begin increasing media buys and testing budgets as soon as the recession ends, according to the results of a survey released Thursday.
The Association of National Advertisers, in conjunction with New York-based marketing firm 'mktg,' found two-thirds of marketers have shifted their emphasis to short-term strategies in the past six months due to the recession. This led 56 percent of 129 surveyed marketing executives to reduce media buys, 50 percent to cut production budgets and 41 percent to curtail sponsorship and events activities.
But 73 percent of respondents said that they plan to ramp up activities again three to six months before the end of the recession, with an additional 16 percent saying they will raise spending as soon as the economic downturn ends.
Media budgets (68 percent), social networking (41 percent) and innovation and testing (40 percent) are the activities most likely to benefit from that increase, the survey found.
"The landscape for building brands was jolted by the severity of the economic downturn," ANA President Bob Liodice said in a news release. "However, it is encouraging to see that marketers are preparing for the rebound with plans for increased media spending, strategically sound brand building investments and logical, expansive use of social media."
The survey also found that research and development and public relations were the activities most likely to be maintained by marketers during this downturn.
Meanwhile, pricing deals and social networking are the activities most likely to be increased in the current economic environment, it found.
E-mail email@example.com. Call (937) 528-4400.
If you are commenting using a Facebook account, your profile information may be displayed with your comment depending on your privacy settings. By leaving the 'Post to Facebook' box selected, your comment will be published to your Facebook profile in addition to the space below.
- Most popular
- What businesses can learn from UD’s new logo
- UD's new logo sparks outrageous comments on Twitter
- Top 20 Best Selling Whiskey brands of 2014
- Two Dayton-area coffee shops to close
- Fuyao looking for first new managers
- 19K open jobs in Dayton, See who’s hiring
- Design Forum founder stepping down
- Warped Wing finds success through branding (Slideshow)
- American Quality Fabrications triples space with new building
- Two Dayton companies featured in Google Economic Impact report
Lecturer in Management University of Dayton | Dayton, OH
Account Representative Wesco International | Dayton, OH
Internal IT Auditor, Jr/Sr Level Robert Half Finance & Accounting U.S | Dayton, OH
Front End Developer Robert Half Technology | Dayton, OH
Senior Front End Developer Contact Solutions LLC | Dayton, OH


text:
Please see the following news release from Grove Collaborative regarding their announcement to open a new Fulfillment Center in St. Peters:
ST. PETERS, MO. — Grove Collaborative, a high-growth natural home-focused platform delivering products directly to consumers, today announced plans to open a new Fulfillment Center in St. Peters, Mo. The company will open a 137,000-square foot facility and create 210 new jobs in the region over the coming years.
“We’re thrilled to open our newest and largest fulfillment center in St. Peters,” said Stuart Landesberg, founder and CEO of Grove. “Our Missouri hub will allow us not only to provide our community with faster service, but also serve as a catalyst for innovation across our supply chain. Grove is a people-focused business, and I could not be more excited to partner with the St. Peters community as we continue to grow.”
“This has been a great statewide partnership that worked closely with Grove Collaborative, enabling the company to invest more than $3 million and create more than 200 new jobs in St. Peters,” said Steve Johnson, CEO of Missouri Partnership. “Our team was honored to support Grove in choosing Missouri, and we look forward to many years of growth for the company and the jobs they will create.”
Grove Collaborative is a digitally native brand based in San Francisco with its own direct-to-consumer e-commerce platform for natural home and personal care products. The new St. Peters logistics facility, its third after Pennsylvania and Nevada, will significantly reduce shipping times.
“We can’t wait to get involved with the community and bring our employee-focused culture to town,” said Roni Rae-Staples, Grove’s Head of Fulfillment Operations. “St. Peters is a natural and well aligned partner for us to do great things."
Grove makes it simple and affordable for consumers to shop their values. Grove sources better-for-you and more sustainable products from a curated selection of third-party brands like Seventh Generation, Mrs. Meyer’s, Method, and Acure. Grove’s own flagship brand, only available at Grove.co
, offers beautiful, ethical products created specifically for an e-commerce-first world. Grove stands out for its personalized customer service, approachable prices, and its flagship brand, which is the company’s best selling line.
Since launch, Grove has grown quickly to become a leader in sustainable home and personal care. To see the full range of Grove Collaborative products and to create a healthy, beautiful home, go to Grove’s website www.grove.co
About Grove Collaborative
Launched in 2016, Grove Collaborative is a digitally native brand with an owned direct-to-consumer ecommerce platform for natural home and personal-care products. With a mission to help every family create a healthy, beautiful home, Grove offers a flexible recurring shipment model and gives each customer a personal shopper, a “Grove Guide.” Grove’s ecommerce platform makes natural products approachable to many families; half of Grove’s customers are trying natural for the first time. Every product Grove offers, both from its flagship Grove Collaborative brand and from exceptional third-party brands, has been thoroughly vetted for health, sustainability and efficacy. Grove is a Certified B Corporation, a company that prioritizes social, environmental and community wellbeing as well as profit.
For more information, please visit www.grove.co.


text:
Looking to expand its reach to millennial audiences, The E.W. Scripps Company said it has put up $39 million to acquire Cracked, the multiplatform satire specialist that operates a Web site, mobile apps, creates original digital video and a podcast.
Scripps, which is buying Cracked from Demand Media, noted that Cracked, an ad-supported offering, pulled in revenues of about $11 million in 2015, and that the business was profitable.
Cracked, launched in 1958 as a humor magazine, was acquired by Demand Media in 2007. The Santa Monica, Calif.-based Cracked team will remain there and will be led by Mandy Ng Rusin, general manager and vice president, and Jack O’Brien, vice president and editor-in-chief.
The acquisition follows other OTT-facing and millennials-focused deals for Scripps, which last year bought podcast company Midroll Media and, in 2013, acquired Newsy, an online video news service that reaches several streaming platforms, such as Apple TV, Roku players, Amazon Fire TV devices, smart TVs from Samsung and LG, and is also distributed by Sling TV, Pluto TV, and Watchable (Comcast’s new curated OTT service for mobile devices and its X1 set-top box platform)
“Cracked is the expert in using clever humor to engage a younger audience that is very loyal to its brand,” said Rich Boehne, chairman, president and CEO of Scripps, in a statement. “Its editorial vision brings a fresh perspective to the way the next generation creates and consumes news, information and entertainment.”
“Cracked is a natural extension of the Scripps strategy to take a leadership position in high-growth content marketplaces,” added Adam Symson, Scripps’s chief digital officer. “Scripps will help Cracked reach new and larger audiences as it continues to build its brand on the web, in over-the-top video and audio and on other emerging platforms.”
The smarter way to stay on top of the multichannel video marketplace. Sign up below.


text:
Hondas Country Demos
Honda’s FREE Demo Motorcycle Road Show kicked off last month, and over a period of five weeks, the crew have already visited 18 Dealers in rural Queensland and New South Wales
Honda’s FREE Demo Motorcycle Road Show kicked off last month, and over a period of five weeks, the crew have already visited 18 Dealers in rural Queensland and New South Wales. The Honda Riders Club of Australia (HRCA) is conducting the road show in conjunction with local Honda Dealers in order to offer customers outside major towns and regional centres the opportunity to test ride the manufacturer’s top selling bikes and scooters.
According to organizers, a total of 546 test rides have already been undertaken on the Honda fleet which includes ten of their latest models. "The reception in each town so far has been great and we are looking forward to continuing the tour into Victoria in November and down the NSW coast in December," said HRCA’s Rob Watson. In total, the tour is scheduled to stop in nearly 40 country towns Australia-wide.
Participants in the demo rides are led by an HRCA staff member for approximately 25 minutes around the local area, giving them an excellent opportunity to test out the performance and handling of Honda’s various line-up. The Cavalcade Road Show is a free Honda sponsored activity, however, anyone interested in taking part should contact a participating Dealer to book in ahead of time.
Plans are also now underway to continue the Tour on into 2008, so interested riders should keep an eye out in their local area for more information. Participating Dealers for the remainder of the tour include:
Laurie Fox, Mt Gambier,
Roe Motorcycles, Warnnambool,
Barry Francis, Hamilton,
Doyle & Shields, Bairnsdale,
Geoff’s Auto, Wangarratta,
CJ Cycles, Deniliquin,
Quick Fix, Mildura
Swan Hill P/P, Swan Hill,
Halsall Honda, Shepparton,
Coff’s Motorcycles, Coffs Harbour,
Seaside Motorcycles, Ballina,
Rock Motorcycles, Port Macquarie,
Trevor Jordan, Nowra.


text:
MUMBAI — Volkswagen, the largest European carmaker, will spend $530 million to set up a factory in India, the German embassy said Tuesday.
An expansion into India may reduce Volkswagen's dependence on China, where increased competition has eroded its market share. India's car market, in which General Motors and Suzuki are already well established, is set to triple to 3 million annually by 2015, according to the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers.
"Automakers are rushing to India to take advantage of rising disposable incomes," said Dipen Sanghavi, an analyst at Pranav Securities. "India is emerging as a big story in the passenger car market."
India's economy has grown an average 8.2 percent in the past three years, lifting salaries and creating more jobs. The nation's economy may grow at 8.5 percent this year, putting more money into the hands of its 1.1 billion people to buy cars and sport-utility vehicles.
The German automaker's announcement follows similar plans by other carmakers. General Motors, the world's biggest automaker, said it would spend more than $300 million to set up a second car factory in the country and win 10 percent of the market by the end of the decade. The company now has 2.9 percent of the market.Continue reading the main story
Suzuki, the maker of half the cars in the South Asian country, will spend about $2 billion by 2010 to expand capacity and set up a new diesel engine factory. Renault of France said this month that it would build a second factory in India.
"A lot of new models are coming out from the existing automakers in India, so the new ones have to be extremely aggressive to get a share of this growing pie," said K.K. Mital of Escorts Asset Management in New Delhi.
India has about one car for every 142 people, compared with one for every 100 in China and one for every two in Western Europe, according to estimates made last year by London-based analyst Neil King of Global Insight.
Volkswagen's plant will begin production of a small car model in the second half of 2009, the company said in a Nov. 17 statement without naming the model. The carmaker's supervisory board approved the plan on that day.
Jürgen Kornmann, a spokesman for Volkswagen, declined to comment.
VW offers plan in Belgium
Volkswagen on Tuesday offered workers threatened with layoffs at its Brussels plant the possibility of building a new small Audi car beginning in 2009, Reuters reported.
"This project from Audi is completely new," said Norbert Steingräber, technical director of VW's Brussels plant. "I am confident it will be achieved."
Volkswagen announced last week that it planned to stop making its best- selling Golf at the Brussels plant.Continue reading the main story


text:
(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Deepak John |
Qatar's residential sector witnessed a strong bounce back in the first two quarters (Q1 and Q2) of this year as there has been significant rise in tenant movement during this period. The positive momentum in the second half of 2022 is expected to continue driven by the upcoming FIFA World Cup Qatar,” according to KPMG Real Estate Index report.
Despite the on-going COVID-19 pandemic situation, the residential sector has outperformed when compared to the corresponding period of fourth quarter (Q4) of 2021.“Q1 and Q2, 2022 exhibited strong leasing activity resulting in a significant growth of 27.2 percent on the rental index as compared to 1.5 percent growth as witnessed during the third and fourth quarter (Q3 and Q4) of 2021. The same period (Q1 and Q2) during 2021 had experienced a decline by approximately 0.4 percent.
The Q1 and Q2 edition of the report noted that there has been a significant rise in tenant movement over the last two quarters of 2022. Interestingly, subsequent past two quarter experienced signs of recovery on the rental index.“This spike is primarily driven by World Cup demand, increasing demand for larger living spaces due to rise of WFH (Work from home) culture, convenient access to recreational amenities, and private outdoor spaces. As per our research, centrally-located districts continue to be popular with tenant's keen on upscale properties.”
The organised retail mall rental index experienced no further drop over Q1 and Q2 2022, compared to last two quarters of 2021. Changing the momentum experienced over the last year, Q1 and Q2 2022 registered improved leasing activity with several new and existing brands occupying organised retail spaces in the leading malls across Qatar.
- Qatar Tourism celebrates Saudi National Day with a weekend of festivities
- Qatar gives additional $1m to support rescue operations of FSO Safer oil tanker
- MoPH recommends World Cup visitors to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, flu
The rentals remain in favour of the retailers, as major developers/mall operators continue to offer incentives to attract and retain tenants such as rent-free periods and extended fit-out periods, the report stated.
“As per our interactions with the leading retailers and mall operators, the retail segment in Qatar is experiencing the advent of new operational models such as Revenue share deals, which offer a combination of base rent and turnover percentage to ease the rental burden on retailers. This is also beneficial in attracting new tenants, as we foresee more retailers opting for this route over the short to mid-term,” said the report.
It added that the decline in the rental index is primarily due to the correction in rentals for the Central Business District units, which witnessed drop in rentals by 1.0 percent over the first two quarters of 2022. While the Secondary Business District properties continue to maintain momentum witnessed over Q4 2021.
“As more office developments reach completion especially in areas such as Lusail and West Bay, we expect this index trend to continue over the short to middle term. However, government initiatives to expand the private sector and introduction of the 100 percent foreign ownership law could help mitigate this slowdown over the long run,” the report stated.
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.


text:
Solbian Energie Alternative srl, world manufacturing leader of crystalline silicon flexible solar panels, has official inaugurated a new production line for the production of high efficiency “Day4” solar cells in Avigliana, Torino (Italy).
The installation process for the Day4 cell production lines has been commenced last September 2016 in Solbian manufacturing site in Avigliana, and has now been successfully completed.
In addition to produce Day4 cells, Solbian further intends to engage Day4 to participate in joint research projects to increase the efficiency of the known “stay-powerful technology”, which interconnects the cells and collects their generated power.
The stay-powerful technology, based on Day4 Electrode, replaces the traditional solar cell soldering process and starting from blue-wafers allows Solbian to produce Solar Cells made in Italy.
Solbian started manufacturing of Day4 DNA solar cells December 2016.
“By implementing Day4’s state-of-the-art cell manufacturing processes and stay-powerful Technology, we can provide differentiated products and significant competitive edge for flexible panels and special applications with truly differentiated innovative technology” commented Luca Bonci, CEO of Solbian. “Our next generation solar modules will maximize customer value, offering high quality technology over traditional solar PV cells for our customers to stand out in an increasingly competitive market with more and more new applications and innovations.”
Day4 Europe and Solbian are also discussing about a cooperation agreement under which Day4 Europe will promote Solbian Day4 branded products through its channels in all European and non-European markets.


text:
Battlefield Hardline remains in first place despite stiff competition from PS4 exclusive Bloodborne
One of EA’s best selling titles so far this year, Battlefield Hardline, has managed to fend of the challenge from From Software’s PlayStation 4 exclusive, Bloodborne, in the UK charts this week, with the game outselling the new release by 22,500 units.
According to Chart-Track, EA’s shooter had a pretty impressive second week in terns of sales, managing to keep a hold of the top spot. According to the chart tracker, Battlefield 4 had a much better launch week, but Hardline had a much better second week, likely due to last Friday being payday in the UK.
It’s not all bad news for Bloodborne because despite missing out on number one in the all formats chart, it is number one in the single format chart, so that’s something, right?
Borderlands: The Handsome Jack collection also launched last which which packs Borderlands 2, Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, and all of its DLC into one package for the latest-gen consoles, landed in third place.
The only other new entry to land in the top forty this week is RIDE, which landed in 25th place, launching on PC, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 3 – fairly confusing considering Milestone announced RIDE was also delayed in Europe for the PlayStation edition..
Here’s the full rundown:
- Battlefield Hardline
- Borderlands: The Handsome Collection
- Grand Theft Auto 5
- FIFA 15
- Dying Light
- Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare
- Far Cry 4
- Minecraft: Xbox Edition
- The Order: 1886


text:
Leading Technology Firm Digitalising Print Across North East Businesses
North East-based technology solutions provider, Diamond Group, is leading in the digitalisation of print across the region with a line of new production and garment digital printers.
Produced by Ricoh, the digital systems are the latest development for Diamond, renowned across the region for growing into a trusted provider of bespoke business solutions.
John Burns, Managing Director of Diamond, discussed the business’ beginnings. He said: ‘I started my career as a copier engineer before setting up Diamond in 1992 from my garage selling and repairing new and refurbished printers, earning sales through telesales and door to door leafleting. By 1996, the operation had grown enough to purchase our first premises in Boldon and we recruited our first two members of staff. Diamond was born!’
Diamond owes its growth to quickly responding to changes in the marketplace. John explained: “As the years ticked by, I was visiting companies to repair their photocopier only to discover the machine was absolutely fine but quickly realised lots of the issues were with the IT setup” said John. Diamond made the decision to acquire an IT company and have now grown to include IT support, Telecoms, furniture, people services and even a facility to help companies of all shapes and sizes to finance purchases or service plans.
This organic growth into new sectors continued as Diamond acquired different services and retained the team of loyal specialists who now hold director positions in the business. John said: ‘Our team are strong advocates for the North East business community and our extensive experience ensures local businesses benefit from our vast expertise in specific areas and as we continue innovate”.
‘Another area of growth for Diamond is offering data centres in place of traditional servers, giving businesses a far more reliable and secure way of hosting their systems and data.’
With digital growth at the heart of the North East’s plans for business development, Diamond is leading in the digitalisation of printing for business of all sizes. As the regions exclusive provider of Ricoh systems, organisations can now modernise their printed materials at the same rate as their digital platforms. In partnership with Ricoh, Diamond recently held a local event to showcase the latest products and services to the business community.
© Generator 2024 - All rights reserved.
Delivered with Cargo Creative


text:
Aqua America (NYSE:WTR) updated its FY19 earnings guidance on Tuesday. The company provided earnings per share (EPS) guidance of $1.45-1.50 for the period, compared to the Thomson Reuters consensus estimate of $1.49.
Several research firms have recently weighed in on WTR. Macquarie set
Walmart (NYSE:WMT) impressed investors on Tuesday with solid financial results for its fourth quarter of fiscal 2019. Revenue rose 3.1% year over year when excluding currency changes. In addition, the company's comparable-store sales increased 4.2% year over year in the U.S. -- an acceleration
The global diamond trade is slowing, and the world’s top supplier is blaming India’s crackdown on illicit cash.
De Beers’ sales of rough diamonds dropped to $418 million from $476 million over the past month, according to data from parent company Anglo American (AAUKF). That decline, the company said, is mainly because India decided to ban 500 and 1,000 rupee notes its....More>>>
Timing the market is easily one of the most difficult parts of trading. In particular, calling the market bottom and knowing when to get in is usually something investors only know way after the fact. 24/7 Wall St. is looking back to when the S&P 500 bottomed back in March 2009 to see how some of the major blue chips have fared since then.
Back on March 6, 2009, the S&P 500 bottomed....More>>>
Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO) reported fiscal third-quarter financial results after markets closed Wednesday. The networking giant said that it had $0.60 in earnings per share (EPS) and $11.9 billion in revenue, which compares with consensus estimates from Thomson Reuters that called for $0.58 in EPS and $11.9 billion in revenue. The same period from last year had $0.57 in EPS and $12.0 billion....More>>>
ContraVir Pharmaceuticals (CTRV) is a clinical-stage biotech company focused on the development of small-molecule antivirals for Chronic Hepatitis B. ContraVir has developed a strong Hepatitis B pipeline consisting of two small-molecule antiviral agents. With a novel cyclophilin inhibitor and a next-generation reverse transcriptase inhibitor, ContraVir hopes to become the first....More>>>
On Monday, our Under the Radar Moversnewsletter suggested shorting small cap secure technologies stock Document Security Systems (NYSEMKT: DSS):
This one’s been on our watchlist for a while, but finally gave us the clues we’ve been waiting on. One of them is the upside-down hammer-shaped bar from Wednesday, and the follow-through — to the downside — since then. Today’s....More>>>
Fellow contributor Giovanni DiMauro published a bearish take on Valeant Pharmaceuticals (NYSE:VRX) with which I strongly disagree. I’ll start by going over DiMauro’s points (between quotes) where I hold a variant view and summarize my bullish take at the end.
CEO Joseph Papa mislead investors in August when he reaffirmed guidance for the year. The company missed miserably on earnings....More>>>
Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett (Trades, Portfolio) extolled many of his portfolio holdings for repurchasing their shares, “some quite aggressively,” in his 2016 annual letter. Buffett, who is price-conscious and won’t repurchase his own companies’ shares at more than 1.2 times book value, a statement he last made good on in 2012, approved of his investees’....More>>>
Another day, another rumor about Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL). While it's all part of being an Apple investor, sometimes there's more to the stories than just idle gossip. It can be particularly intriguing when several reports coalesce to something that's more than the sum of their parts, suggesting that
Warren Buffett just tipped his hand. Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE:BRK-A)(NYSE:BRK-B) reveals what stocks it's recently sold in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission every quarter, and that filing was released on Thursday. The list includes an airline stock, an energy stock, and a su
One of the bigger success stories for Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) in recent years has been the launch of its wireless AirPods in late 2016. AirPods opened up what appears to be an incremental multibillion-dollar revenue stream. And, given how seamlessly AirPods work across the company's product portfo
Shares of Netflix (NFLX ) have soared over 55% since Christmas, to crush Facebook (FB ) , Amazon (AMZN ) , and its other FAANG peers. Despite this impressive resurgence, NFLX stock rests roughly 15% below its 52-week high. This means now might be time for some investors to think about buying Ne
On February 11, Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) announced that it's reached a deal with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to make its Health Records feature available to veterans using the iPhone. This is a huge deal for Apple, as the first record-sharing platform of its kind available to VA pati


text:
The payment processor has upgraded the features on its Apple and Android apps to include rewards information, fraud alert verification and biometric technology.
On Apple products American Express users can now access the banking up using Apple’s Touch ID biometric technology, from where they can view their payment statuses and access real time transaction activity.
The redesign also means that users can now view American Express benefits and rewards balances and actually spend the membership reward points for eligible charges in the app.
“Mobile allows us to deepen our relationship with Card Members by helping them better access the benefits, rewards and security they get with American Express. With the redesigned platform, we’re just getting started to make all the amazing services we offer our Card Members come alive in mobile,” said David Yoo, Senior vice president, Mobile Products and Services.
Evidence suggests that American Express are starting to increase their presence on the loyalty and reward schemes front after other new FinTech players such as Google and Microsoft shifted their gaze to that arena. Google has recently worked with the restaurant retailer Jamba Juice and restaurant analytics platform Fishbowl to create a mobile wallet that will contain promotions that can be redeemed on Google’s Android Pay.
Last month Microsoft started running a beta customer rewards programme called Earn, which will allow enrolled customers to receive Microsoft credits when they shop at select US retailers.
More recently, bitcoin has also decided to enter the rewards niche of the payments market, with a partnership between Snapcard, a bitcoin wallet, and online rewards platform Tango Card.
All of these forays into the rewards arena marks a change in attitude from FinTech players, old and new alike. Before, rewards were seen as small, perhaps even nominal, tokens of appreciation that could stir some feelings of loyalty in people.
However, now rewards appear to be taking on a much bigger role whereby they are no longer mere bonuses of using one company or another, but rather active deciding factors for users to choose one company over another.
Mastercard is working with Stripe to expedite the payment process for American sellers on the latter's marketplaces using the instant payouts feature from Stripe.
Lloyds has launched biometric finger print authentication for mobile banking.
Barclaycard has partnered with Case Station, a company that makes personalised phone cases, to embed contactless technology in the latter's smartphone cases.
Digital challenger bank, N26, which has been live for one and a half years and has more than 200,000 customers, rolled out a new feature that allows its customers to transfer money using Siri. All they have to do is talk to it.


text:
The government is being urged to introduce a pre-departure testing system to prevent a so-called 'commercialisation of covid'.
Some destinations require evidence of a negative test before arrival and Consumer Council Chairman Carl Walker says he's been contacted by some people who've been quoted as much as £175 to get this evidence privately.
We've been asked to look at PCR test costs (£100-175) required for outbound travel currently only available privately. A Government spokesperson said, “The provision of pre-departure testing remains in consideration and any further information will be made public when available.”— Jersey Consumer Council (@JerseyConsumer) May 17, 2021
Free tests are offered to people coming into Jersey from the UK and Crown Dependencies, but only private facilities offer tests for islanders and travellers planning to leave the island.
Jersey's traffic light system for international travel resumes on 28 May.
Mr. Walker wants this issue addressed 'very quickly', given that so many people keen to get away.
"It's quite easy for companies potentially to take advantage of that rush and therefore we think it's really important that the government looks at this carefully and looks at whether it can introduce a nominal charge for islanders at the current testing centre for those who wish to travel and provide them with some sort of evidence.
"It might stop this commercial activity and extortionate charging for passengers.
"We're really worried that we could see a 'commercialisation of Covid' and islanders being asked in some instances to pay more than even their flights have cost them to enter the UK or further afield."
Spain, Germany, and Portugal are among many countries that require evidence of a negative PCR test taken no more than 72 hours before arrival.
"We really do feel sorry for them (travellers spending lots of money on pre-departure PCR tests) and that is all the more reason why we're urging the government to look at this quickly for the sake of travellers.
"We all want life to resume to normal as quickly as possible and travelling for people living on such a small island is a key part of that and it's not just for holidays.
"I think we need to take a different approach to what some other nations are."


text:
Yahoo was the most popular online venue visited from US desktop computers in December as modern lives increasingly revolve around using mobile devices to connect with the Internet.
Twitter revamped its desktop webpages Monday to better mirror the experience of visiting the popular one-to-many text messaging service on smartphones.
(AP)—Will 2014 be remembered as the year wearable computing took off?
This may be remembered as the year smartphones became boring. Although high-definition displays on smartphones have gotten bigger and their cameras have gotten better, the pace of gee-whiz innovation has dawdled.
Are you both bald AND lost? Then the new "SmartWig" from Japan might be just what you need.
We've all typed in a password to access a computer network. But how secure is that? Passwords can be hacked or hijacked to get at sensitive personal, corporate or even national security data.
Jawbone introduced new UP24 wristbands Wednesday as the wearable computers evolve into smart accessories tailored to augment Internet lifestyles.
Lenovo Group, the biggest personal computer maker, said Thursday its latest quarterly profit rose 36 percent as sales of smartphones and tablet computers more than doubled.
Apple says its latest operating system for Mac computers is available free of charge, a knock to rival Microsoft, which is selling its Windows 8 Pro operating system for $199.
US aviation officials are considering easing restrictions on the use of personal electronics like smartphones, laptop computers and e-readers aboard airplanes, a spokesman said Monday.


text:
July 26, 2013 9:46:03 AM
HIGH POINT, N.C. -- The North Carolina-based home furnishings company that markets Paula Deen's furniture line is sticking with the embattled celebrity chef.
The High Point Enterprise reports that Universal Furniture International will continue to market the Paula Deen Home Collection.
Deen has been under fire since the revelation earlier this year of a legal deposition in which Deen admitted under oath to having used the N-word. Many companies have dropped Deen since the deposition became public.
Jeff Scheffer with Universal Furniture says he feels bad for Deen. He says the Deen he knows isn't the one who has been portrayed in the media recently.
Scheffer wrote retailers saying his company accepts Deen's apologies for her previous comments. He says part of the decision is based on retail customer feedback.
1. Business booms for Starkville startup Glo STARKVILLE & OKTIBBEHA COUNTY
2. New Hope kids take robot to world competition COLUMBUS & LOWNDES COUNTY
3. Neal withdraws from Starkville's Ward 5 race STARKVILLE & OKTIBBEHA COUNTY
4. Mayoral forum to be held at MUW COLUMBUS & LOWNDES COUNTY
5. Lost and found: Woman learns value of social media in finding lost pets COLUMBUS & LOWNDES COUNTY


text:
Producer confidence in the manufacturing industry reached 8.8 in November 2006, almost equalling October’s record mark. Producer confidence has increased sharply since the summer of 2005. The confidence indicator has been consistently high over the last five months.
Producer confidence consists of three indicators: expected production in the next three months, opinions about the stock of finished products and opinions about the order position.
Dutch producers were more positive about their order position than they were in October. Their opinions about the stock of finished products did not change. Despite the marginal decline, manufacturers were still very optimistic about their projected production level.
The satisfaction of manufacturers is due to the gradual increase in the number of orders. The index on the order position (orders received expressed in months of work) reached 103,8 in November, slightly under October.
For the third month in a row the number of entrepreneurs expecting their workforce to increase exceeds the number of entrepreneurs expecting their workforce to decrease over the next three months. In the previous five years most entrepreneurs expected their workforce to decrease.
Producer confidence in manufacturing industry


text:
Remember to check your cupboards. Caution is advised if you have recently gone shopping at Lidl. The German brand has just recalled several batches sold in self-service of “Rustic Cereal Baguettes” (250g) cooked on site. The reason ? These products are likely to contain metallic foreign bodies. A reminder sheet has also been published on the dedicated government site, rappel.conso.gouv.fr.
All lots with GTIN code 4056489495017 are affected by this recall. These items, sold throughout France, were marketed from 05/03/2022 to 05/13/2022. Find the list of all the points of sale concerned just here.


text:
News : Minacs Closing Bathurst Call Centre
Bathurst, New Brunswick, Canada, Aug 20, 2015 -- A call centre in Bathurst will be closing this fall, putting up to 70 people out of work.
Minacs is scheduled to close its customer contact centre on Nov. 28, company spokeswoman Deborah Katz confirmed in an email to Radio-Canada.
"One of our client contracts will be coming to an end this November. As a result, we have decided we will need to close our Bathurst site," Katz said.
"We regret that we may have to lose some of these extremely valued team members, and are working to support them to the best we can."
Minacs is making employees aware of opportunities at its other locations, added Katz, noting the company is actively recruiting for positions in Moncton and is encouraging them to apply.
"We look forward to becoming more involved in the local community in Bathurst and to exploring further expansions in New Brunswick," Scott Shafer, had said in a statement.
Posted by Veronica Silva Cusi, news correspondent
Today's Tip of the Day - Utilize Time & Money Saving Tools
More Editorial From minacs
Minacs is a business solutions company that partners with global corporations in the manufacturing, retail, telecom, technology, media and entertainment, banking, insurance, healthcare and public sectors. We leverage years of process, domain and technology expertise to deliver superior business value to clients with our seamless Customer Lifecycle, Marketing, Finance and Accounting, Procurement and IT solutions and services. 21,000 Minacs experts across 10 countries and 35 centers spanning Canada, Germany, Hungary, India, Jamaica, Philippines, the UK and USA power our solutions through a global delivery model that helps our clients enhance revenues, profitability and customer service
Published: Friday, August 21, 2015
|Marketing Call Center|
Marketing Call Center is certified in ISO 9001: 2008 and operates offshore in the field of telemarketing and customer relationship management.
|Blue Ocean Contact Centers|
We thrive on delivering critical customer service solutions that go beyond transactional interactions. As such, our goal is to enhance lifetime customer value, providing support that is a reflection o...
For over 30 years, CGS has enabled global enterprises, regional companies and government agencies to drive breakthrough performance through business applications, enterprise learning and outsourcing s...
|Horizon Contact Centers|
Horizon is an on demand international Contact Center and (BPO) Company.


text:
game news PS Plus: While there are no exceptions for PS5 Day One, Sony’s service has a major advantage in ‘crowd engagement’
Little by little, the new PlayStation Plus subscription formats have managed to attract consumers thanks to their different offerings. Despite everything, some gamers may regret that Sony’s service is unable to offer exclusive games, such as Microsoft’s Game Pass, as of the day it was released. For PlayStation executives, there is no need to worry about that because, according to Shuhei Yoshida, there is another use for this software which can be a source of strength for developers and a great opportunity for gamers.
- Boycott on PS5 games on day one, but there’s a reason
- PlayStation Plus, an asset for the lifecycle of PS5 games
Boycott on PS5 games on day one, but there’s a reason
It’s already been three months since the launch of the new PlayStation Plus formats and every month, Sony continues to improve its various catalogs to capture the attention of gamers who are increasingly reluctant to give in to the sirens of Extra and Premium editions.. Again this month, the second mode, the Extra, offers a very attractive gallery of titles (also available via the Premium mode) because it includes, among other things, ring of deathAnd the Assassin’s Creed Origins or Watch dogs 2. On the premium subscription side, we’re not relaxing our efforts either. Since the license is dear to the hearts of PlayStation players, it is honored While A much needed option Make his appearance! In short, on the Japanese company’s side, we seem satisfied and continue to praise the merits of these new formulas and defend some biases as Shuhei Yoshida, President of PlayStation Indies did recently.
during the interview, The former head of Sony Interactive Entertainment Worldwide Studios has confirmed the choice not to introduce new PS5 games once they are released into catalogs.. In support of this decision, he specifically cited an argument The premium version of the title at launch ‘, a necessary choice to continue feeding the virtuous circle the company has created around the marketing of games from PlayStation Studios. However, the idea is that this service can greatly benefit developers and gamers: Shuhei Yoshida himself explained on this point.
PlayStation Plus, an asset for the lifecycle of PS5 games
One of the strengths of the PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium plans, according to Shuhei Yoshida, is It allows developers and publishers” Managing their game lifecycle “About the same performance as films in cinemas. The former head of Sony Interactive Entertainment Worldwide Studios, in fact, compares the life process of the games to that of the movies, in the sense that availability within the subscription service arrives after a certain time. This makes it possible, in a way, to generate new income in the long run and to expand the audience.
In the same way, we believe in releasing a premium title at launch and six months, three months, or three years later, when game sales drop, inclusion in PS Plus Extra/Premium services can help introduce these games to a new, broader audience. Some people may have missed these games when they were released and this is a great opportunity to play them and generate word of mouth or if there is additional content or a sequel we can help spark interest in the franchise by a wider audience. – PlayStation Indies Branch Manager Shuhei Yoshida
On the other hand, if the lack of great titles once released on PlayStation Plus is disappointing, The choice of Sony can also make people happy when discovering the inclusion of titles that may have gone under the radar of some players. Usually, those who are lucky to get PS5 We can rejoice, thanks to these two formulas, to discover, admittedly later, classics such as demon soulsAnd the Final Fantasy VII Intergrade RemakeAnd the Spider-Man Miles Morales or Ghost of Tsushima.


text:
With more workers expected to return to offices in North Sydney in 2022, yields for office space in one of NSW’s most prominent commercial precincts have dropped from 5.0 - 6.0% in the last six months to a range of 4.5-5.5%.
“Office markets are weighted heavily towards owner-occupier, with businesses owning about 65% of available office space in North Sydney,” said Nick Moloney, Sales Director at Raine & Horne Commercial North Sydney. “So, it stands to reason that return-to-work demand will impact prices.” In comparison, retail property in the city’s northern CBD generates 5.5-6.5% yields except where blue-chip tenants are in place and 4-5% for industrial assets.
Nick said, “Overall, it’s been a great start to 2022, with more business owners taking longer breaks than usual over summer to recharge their batteries.
“Owners have come back with renewed goals, and for many, this involved buying or leasing commercial spaces.” At the same time, Nick reports that investors are more prominent in the North Sydney market. He explained, “Commercial property is always a favoured asset class with investors. However, like owner-occupiers, the uncertainty created by COVID over the last two years caused some investors to hold off from buying commercial space.”
Nick also said that thankfully the predictions that many Australian businesses would fold under the weight of COVID lockdowns hadn’t necessarily played out in North Sydney.
“Some businesses did better than others,” he noted. “However, a combination of our property managers taking the time to understand our lessees and working out achievable payment solutions coupled with targeted government support such as JobKeeper, enabled more businesses to survive to enjoy better times in 2022.”
However, as we enter Q2, Nick says ongoing geopolitical issues need to be monitored closely. “There’s no doubt the cost of doing business has risen since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February,” Nick said. “With fuel prices regularly above $2 a litre, some businesses are re-evaluating growth plans for now.”
He continued, “There are companies in logistics who are reporting that the massive spike in fuel prices is adding tens of thousands of dollars a month just because of higher petrol prices.
“While the crisis in Ukraine is causing challenges for some organisations, the positive business confidence generated by other factors such as the reopening of international borders and reduced fears about COVID are offsetting the geopolitical concerns.
According to Nick, the May Federal Election is another factor commercial markets will need to negotiate over the autumn. “Usually, Federal Elections impact business decision-making until the result is finalised.
“Yet this time around, we don’t see many issues that will impact the commercial markets. However, we will monitor any announcements that might affect small businesses between now and polling day.”


text:
India has 1.2 billion people are most and of these are poor, this means that technology is out of reach and products like Apple’s iPad is beyond the grasp of many.
Telecoms and Education Minister Kapil Sibal said “The rich have access to the digital world, the poor and ordinary have been excluded. Aakash will end that digital divide…”
The government is going to buy the first batch of units of the lightweight device, called Aakash or “SKY” in English. Each unit cost $50 from a British company which assembled the web-enabled tablet computer in India.
A dry run of . . . → Read More: India Introduces Cheapest Tablet Computer


text:
HP has foreshadowed a future where the consumer and commercial business divisions within the company could merge to become one entity, as far-reaching industry trends gradually reshape the enterprise technology landscape.
“We see mega-trends changing the industry, and these mega-trends are shifting people’s professional lives and their consumer lives, which are blending,” HP president and CEO, Dion Weisler, told ARN.
“Whilst today I have a consumer division and a commercial division, I would argue that in years to come I would have one division.
"Seeing millenials’ expectations flowing into the workplaces they enter, and they’re influencing the way we all work, and it requires a different go to market, it requires different services, and it’s going to mean that the shape and nature of how we go to market means to adapt to that big mega-trend."
For Weisler, mobility and security stand tall as clear drivers for productivity for most organisations around the world and, in the immediate future, HP sees a hard shift from transactional engagements to contractual service-led business.
"Therefore, our go to market motion needs to develop programs to encourage resellers to move with those mega-trends, and it means that the nature of our channel partnerships and our programs will morph towards those mega-trends,” he said.
HP generates much of its business through its channel ecosystem, with the vendor conducting up to 87 per cent of its revenue through its partner network at a global level.
While the ratio of partner-generated business to direct sales has become more channel heavy since HP split from the unified Hewlett-Packard brand last year, it is unlikely the company will ever be 100 per cent channel, according to Weisler.
“There will always be some customers, particularly large global customers that want to have a direct relationship with the manufacturer," he said. "We’re very clear with our channel partners, so there’s no confusion about that."
Weisler’s comments come as HP opens its Customer Welcome Centre (CWC) in Sydney, which follows on more than a year after the vendor opened the doors of its Experience Centre in Melbourne (MEC).
Despite Weisler’s prediction of the consumer and commercial worlds merging to become one, the new centre in Sydney is aimed firmly at the latter, with the site open only to business customers and channel partners – a departure from the Melbourne centre, which is also open to the public.
“Channel partners are critical to HP’s success, and we are constantly striving to make it easier for them to do business; both with HP and with their customers,” the company said in a statement.
“The feedback from the channel on the MEC has been overwhelmingly positive. We know already there is a great deal of excitement among the channel community, and indeed our enterprise customers, about the opening of the CWC in Sydney."
The new space in the Sydney CBD is modular in design, giving on-site HP technicians and visiting channel partners the ability to reconfigure equipment and put together tailored solutions based on the needs of individual end clients or target vertical markets.
While the Sydney centre, which can be booked by customers and partners for meetings, events, workshops, seminars, and training, is smaller than the 1100-square metre Melbourne facility, it still manages to incorporate a diverse range of desktop and mobile computing, printing, and display equipment.
Among the solutions on display is the tech giant’s all-in-one 3D capture and editing device.
Named Sprout Pro, the desktop unit’s inclusion in the collection of predominantly enterprise-targeted hardware highlights another of HP’s big focus areas for future growth: 3D printing.
While HP has already created a solid position as one of the world’s top vendors for commercial digital printing technology, Weisler and team want to tackle the broader manufacturing industry with the company’s 3D printing technology.
“We think there’s an incredible opportunity around what we call blended reality, which is the fusing together of our two-dimensional and three-dimensional worlds,” Weisler said.
“In the personal computing space, it's augmented reality, virtual reality, 3D scanning – taking all the things in our physical world and create digital objects around that.
“Then, from a print perspective, being able to take those digital objects and change them, morph the, and then reprint them with 3D printing, which I think will completely disrupt and democratise manufacturing.
“We didn’t get into it [3D printing] to participate in the $US10-15 billion industry – that’s where it is today – relative to the $US340 billion PC market, we got into it to disrupt a $US12 trillion manufacturing industry."
The company’s play for the manufacturing industry comes as Australia’s Assistant Minister for Industry, Innovation, and Science, Craig Laundy, calls on the local manufacturing sector to “embrace the opportunities offered by disruption”.
“In manufacturing, we can do more to seize the opportunities disruption has to offer and to gain niches in the global production value chain, including greater integration of Industry 4.0 methods in Australian manufacturing,” Laundy said at a symposium at University of Technology Sydney on 5 December.
“Advanced industrial nations like Australia are moving into an era of smart factories, using Industry 4.0 to prepare their industrial bases for the future,” he said.


text:
PORTLAND, Ore. — Riders have taken e-scooters on more than 47,000 rides during the first two weeks of Portland’s scooter pilot program.
The Portland Bureau of Transportation released its first set of scooter-travel numbers since e-scooters were permitted on July 26.
So far, riders have used e-scooters 47,836 times to travel a total distance of 75,332 miles, PBOT says.
While the average e-scooter trip is about 1.2 miles, PBOT says the longest scooter trip to date is 22 miles.
In Portland, the maximum e-scooter speed is capped at 15 mph.
PBOT issued scooter permits to companies Skip, Lime and Bird. Riders can rent a scooter through an app on their smartphone and drop it off anywhere in the city when they are finished. Scooters are supposed to be parked on sidewalks, close to curbs, so they don't impact pedestrians.
PBOT’s shared scooter pilot program will last through Nov. 20.


text:
Frictionless Checkout Tech Startup Skip Integrates With PDI
SALT LAKE CITY — Skip and PDI have joined forces for a checkout experience that combines frictionless and mobile payment technologies.
Skip, the Salt Lake City-based frictionless checkout tech startup, has fully integrated with PDI's enterprise resource planning (ERP) product. This integration connects PDI's back-office pricebook software to Skip's technology, creating a hybrid of mobile pay and the "just walk out" technology popularized by Amazon Go.
The resulting solution from Skip and PDI's partnership enables c-store customers to purchase in-store merchandise using their personal mobile devices. It reduces the time spent processing transactions, optimizes labor spend, improves employee recruitment and retention rates, increases labor productivity and allows employees to focus more on merchandising and customer service, according to the tech companies.
"Our partnership with PDI has been influential to our core business model, and this integration is the start of massive things for Skip, PDI and the c-store industry as a whole. Innovations to drive optimal customer experiences also result in profit-bearing insights for retailers," said Chase Thomason, CEO and founder of Skip. "We can't wait to bring this product and its benefits to our c-store clients starting with Ricker's this month."
PDI and Skip’s integration not only enables a frictionless checkout experience for consumers, it also allows transaction data to be passed from the mobile app to retailers' back-office systems. This provides a holistic store-level view that can result in better promotions, reporting, inventory accuracy and forecasting.
We are excited to deliver this new interface to Skip's impressive frictionless checkout solution to our customers," added Jim Wade, PDI's vice president of product management. "This most recent expansion of our partner ecosystem combines the power of our back-office solution with Skip to keep pace with the ever-increasing demands of the consumer for a faster, more convenient shopping experience. We look forward to helping our mutual customers realize the benefits of this powerful technology."
Alpharetta, Ga.-based PDI has performed hundreds of integrations over its 35-year history, connecting its customers to third-party partners. Today, the ERP software company integrates its back-office solution with more than 20 point-of-sale providers.


text:
Indigenous rapper, Phyno, Joromi crooner, Simi, Oganla crusader, Pasuma, and Woju sensation are among artistes unveiled to headline the next edition of ‘City of Friends’ billed to hold in Lagos and Calabar in the coming weeks.
The announcement of the performing artistes was made at the official media unveil of the 2018 edition of the “City of Friends” on Tuesday, 10th of July, 2018.
Phyno, who’s fresh off his new endorsement with another Nigerian breweries brand – Life beer will be looking to thrill audience with his signature Igbo verses and charisma. Also, everyone’s favourite, Simi will be bringing all of her charm and her beautiful voice to the party as she graces the stage alongside the likes of Kiss Daniel, and Fuji Maestro Wasiu Alabi Pasuma.
Addressing journalists on the plans in place for the event, the Marketing Director of Nigerian Breweries, makers of “33” Export and other premium beer brands, Mr. Franco Maria Maggi, said: “ The ‘33’ Export brand is dedicated to building friendship moments. We believe that friendship should be celebrated every day, hence, all our brand activities are geared towards celebrating friendship. To this , “33” Export brand and more broadly, Nigerian Breweries Plc is poised to continually participate in activities that will unite us along these lines. Our plan is to surpass our own best efforts in 2018. Come July 30th, 2018 we will join the world again to celebrate friendship in a grand style.”
“City of Friends” hits Calabar on the 28th and 29th of July before taking the party to Lagos from August 3rd to 4th.


text:
Regional Mexican artist Chiquis is set to release her first-ever NFT in partnership with crypto gaming company AnRKey X, Billboard has learned.
The digital NFT (non-fungible token), a one-of-a-kind cryptographic token that exists on a blockchain, will come in the form of a gaming card inspired by her “Spiritual Gangsta” persona, which will be able to be used in AnRKey X’s game Battle Wave 2323 – a blend of cyberpunk, hip-hop and Marvel universe-inspired game characters.
“‘Spiritual Gangsta’ is in my Instagram bio – part Chiquis and part Janney,” the Latin Grammy-winning artist told Billboard. “I’ve always seen [that] character as an alter ego and thought that it would even be perfect for a video game character!”
Source: News | Billboard


text:
Apple Inc. this week released iOS 13.1.3 for the iPhone.
iOS 13.1.3 contains bug fixes and improvements, including an issue that could prevent a device from ringing or vibrating for an incoming call, an issue that could prevent opening a meeting invite in Mail, an issue that could prevent Apple Watch from pairing, an issue where notifications may be received on Apple Watch, an issue where Bluetooth may disconnect on certain vehicles, improved connection of Bluetooth hearing aids and headsets, and launch performance of apps that use Game Center.
iOS 13.1.2 contained bug fixes and improvements, including an issue where the Camera may not work, an issue where the flashlight may not activate, and an issue where Bluetooth may disconnect on certain vehicles.
iOS 13.1.1 contained bug fixes and improvements, including fixing issues that could prevent the iPhone restoring from backup, addresses an issue that could cause battery drain, fixes recognition of Siri requests on iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max, and a security issue for third-party keyboard apps.
iOS 13 was released Sept. 20. New features include Dark Mode, new photo editing options, faster Face ID unlock, and an all-new Apple Maps.


text:
PHOENIX — Cavco Industries Inc., a Phoenix-based manufacturer of modular housing, is expanding its operations with a third production facility that eventually will employ 300.
The company now employs 450 people at two manufacturing plants in Phoenix.
Cavco has signed a lease agreement to occupy a 188,000-square- foot building in an unincorporated area of Maricopa County, near Litchfield Road and Western Avenue. The building is part of a 1.1 million-square-foot industrial campus, called West Valley Tech Center. That project is owned by the Loral Corp. of New York.
Loral Defense Systems Arizona occupies about 200,000 square feet; about 600,000 square feet is vacant.
Cavco signed a five-year lease valued at just more than $1 million, said Bob Ward, the company's chief financial officer and vice president. Andy Cloud, with Grubb & Ellis Co. in Phoenix, negotiated the deal.
The Arizona Department of Commerce assisted Cavco with its search, and is expected to provide job-training funds, sources said.
By May, Ward said the company will have 100 workers at one of its Phoenix sites, but that number could grow to 300 within two years. The facility is projected to generate $20 million in sales in its first year, according to Ward.
The company earned $1.7 million on sales of $46.4 million for its fiscal year that ended Sept. 30. That compares with a profit of $1.3 million on revenue of $42.4 million for fiscal 1991.
Cavco was ranked by Forbes magazine last year among the nation's top 200 small businesses.