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Google's advertising business expanded boosting the company's 3Q revenue, while losses deepened at its Motorola mobile phone business.
"Google had another strong quarter with $14.9 billion in revenue and great product progress," said Larry Page, CEO of Google. "We are closing in on our goal of a beautiful, simple, and intuitive experience regardless of your device."
Google said that its Internet business delivered net revenue, which excludes fees paid to partners, of $10.8 billion in the third quarter, up 23 percent from $8.76 billion in the year-ago period. Paid clicks increased 26 percent year-on-year during the three months ended September 30, while the average cost-per-click decreased 8 percent.
Google said it earned $2.97 billion in the three months ended September 30, compared to $2.18 billion, or $6.53 per share, last year.
Google's consolidated revenue of $14.89 billion, compared to the $14.79 billion average analyst estimate.
Operating loss at Motorola, Google's mobile phone business, totaled $248 million during the third quarter, compared to a loss of $192 million in the third quarter of 2012.


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Cooper Industries to be sold for $11.8 billion
Cooper Industries, a manufacturer of lighting and electrical-distribution equipment that has been run out of Houston for 47 years, will be acquired by Ohio-based Eaton Corp. in a cash-and-stock deal valued at nearly $12 billion, the companies announced Monday.
"We are extremely pleased to become part of Eaton's global electrical business," Cooper's locally based chairman and CEO Kirk Hachigian said in a statement.
The companies expect the $11.8 billion transaction to be completed in the latter half of the year. Both sides stressed the multiple ways the companies complement each other, particularly on the growing international side of their respective businesses.
"This combination creates endless opportunities to accelerate growth and serve our global customers through combining technology, distribution, penetrating important vertical industries and entering new emerging markets," Hachigian said. "The two companies are a perfect fit in every respect."
Cooper, which was founded in Ohio in 1833, moved its headquarters to Houston in 1965. It reincorporated in Bermuda in 2001 and then in Ireland in 2009, although its top management remained in Houston.
In 2009, as the company was announcing another round of layoffs, Cooper reported that just 200 of its 30,000 employees were based in Houston.
The company today employs 26,000 people and has manufacturing facilities in 23 countries. It generated $5.4 billion in revenue last year on everything from fluorescent garage lights to equipment used in electrical plants.
It owns a variety of brands, including Halo, Kyle Overhead Switchgear and McGraw-Edison, which makes outdoor LED products for commercial, utility and industrial customers.
New name coming?
If approved by shareholders, the combined company also will be formally incorporated in Ireland and will be led by Eaton's current chairman and CEO Alexander Cutler, probably under the name Eaton Global.
Eaton describes itself as a power-management company. Spokesman Gary Klasen said the electrical side of its business has grown over the last several year and now accounts for about half of its total revenues.
Cooper and Eaton, which has nearly three times as many employees and does business in more than 150 countries, reported the combined companies would have generated $21.5 billion last year.
Hachigian, who was identified by the Chronicle's annual compensation survey as Houston's highest-paid corporate leader in 2010, receiving $25 million in total compensation, will remain in charge at Cooper until the acquisition is complete, Klasen said. He has agreed to remain as part of the management team during the transition period to follow.
Local impact unknown
Other than that, Klasen said, it is too early to say what kind of impact the acquisition would have in Houston. A Cooper executive designated as the contact person for information related to the deal did not return calls for comment.
Klasen said there would be no impact on the company's work force or management in Cleveland, where Eaton has had a presence for 97 of its 101 years.
Klasen said that because of both companies' significant global footprint - accounting for 60 percent of Eaton's current business and 40 percent of Cooper's - the decision to incorporate in Ireland offers significant flexibility in "cash management." Those savings were estimated at $160 million annually, including tax savings, through 2016.
Cooper's stock closed at $69.88 per share Monday, up $14.04 for the day. Eaton's stock closed at $42.09 per share, down 31 cents. Based on Friday's closing price for Eaton, Cooper shareholders will get cash and stock worth $72 per share. That represents a 29 percent premium over Cooper's Friday close.

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It appears as though hackers are really hitting the gaming community with attacks lately… What is the deal?
Welcome back and happy Friday, everyone! This week, CPG publishes the 10th installment of the cyber attack of the week series. I can’t believe we are at the 10th article already!
Alright, now let’s get down to business. This week, CPG is taking a look at another breach in regards to the gaming community. A few articles and weeks back, CPG examined the breach of gaming manufacturer, SFU Gaming.
And now this week, we are diving into Nintendo’s recent data breach. What is going on in the gaming community?!
To begin, this week, Nintendo confirmed a recent attack and breach that led to the 160,000 accounts being put at risk.
The company released a statement about the attack and claims that attackers were able to gain entry due to abuse of a legacy login system. The NNID or Nintendo Network ID is the login system in question. (See image below)
Further, months back, users began reporting suspicious activity on their accounts. They would report purchases made without their consent or approval or activity on their card attached to the account.
So all in all, the vulnerable NNID became the vessel for attackers to gain access to Nintendo accounts and further access the account’s payment information. Then with said access to payment, make in game purchases that the account owner did not approve.
Continuing, payment information is not the only accessible data on these accounts. Users also enter personal information like DOB and countries of origin. All information that hackers use to their advantage.
Nintendo released several comments via Twitter about the breach:
In response to recent incidents related to some Nintendo Accounts, it is no longer possible to sign into a Nintendo Account using a Nintendo Network ID. We apologise for any inconvenience caused. Please visit our Support website for more information: https://t.co/GMrXr5OHW0
— Nintendo UK (@NintendoUK) April 24, 2020
The company recommends that affected users reset their passwords and check on their accounts. Overall, it probably wouldn’t hurt to review the accounts linked to the Nintendo account as well. This could include, email or banking/credit card platform linked to the account.
Once again, hackers prove that attacking the gaming community is a lucrative business for such a crowd. Not only does this attack prove that, but also brings up the point once again for companies to implement stronger cyber security policy and procedure.
By Taylor Ritchey


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Apple on Tuesday launched an online store on Tencent’s WeChat messaging app in China. With over 1.2 billion users, WeChat is China’s largest messaging platform and is often referred to as a “super app” because it offers more than just instant messaging.
According to CNBC, the tech giant has launched the online store to the app via WeChat’s so-called “Mini Programmes”, which are effectively apps within WeChat, meaning users will no longer need to download a plethora of different apps, but will instead be able to access all of the services they require from within WeChat.
Apple Inc. is an American multinational technology company headquartered in Cupertino, California. Apple is the world’s largest technology company by revenue, with US$394.3 billion in 2022 revenue. As of March 2023, Apple is the world’s biggest company by market capitalization.
Qualified purchasers can receive promotion savings when they purchase an eligible product with promotion product at a qualifying location. Only one promotion product per eligible product per qualified purchaser. Offer is subject to availability. Subject to terms and conditions
The Mini Programme in this store will allow users to purchase the entire line of Apple products, including the latest iPhone 14 lineup, according to Tencent. Orders via WeChat will be eligible for free shipping, and some users can pay for three-hour delivery.
Tencent said customers can also use other Apple services, such as the trade-in programme, the report mentioned. Meanwhile, despite a difficult market overall, Apple’s iPhone sales in China have remained quite resilient.
According to Counterpoint Research, smartphone sales fell 5 per cent (year-on-year) in the first quarter of 2023, reaching the lowest first-quarter sales figure since 2014.
In addition, iPhone sales increased by 6 per cent (year-on-year).


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We’ve been tracking some of the reaction to the durability of the Moto Z2 Force’s ShatterShield screen (no spaces, mind us) from colleagues across different publications. As the cover isn’t made from brittle glass, but softer materials, the panel does live up to its brand name. But it comes at a cost of being more susceptible to scratches.
Ryan Whitwam of Android Police best sums up the horror show of scratches he’s seen:
On the Z2 Force, a fingernail is enough to scratch the display. This is not true of last year’s Z Force. I can’t think of any reason Motorola would downgrade the materials, but that’s what it did.
As a matter of fact, the feature was a carry-over from said predecessor and originally seen on the DROID Turbo 2, a Verizon exclusive. The Turbo 2’s ShatterShield, back when it was a first-gen product, was also an easy scratcher. But in the case of the Z2 Force, it seemed as though the top plastic layer of this multi-layer system wasn’t adhering to its neighbor plastic layer properly — it created an air bubble and made room for noise to be made. That reeks of poor craft.
We had some questions ourselves on this issue, so we asked Motorola about it. This is the company’s statement in full:
Shatterproof does not mean scratchproof, and scratches can subjective. Motorola encourages the use of a third-party screen protector for added scratch resistance. Over the three generations of ShatterShield, we’ve continued to evolve the design. This year, we’ve switched to a 3D design which makes it more competitive with other flagships, and we have test results that show it is just as durable as last year’s version. That being said, we will continue to evolve the design for continuous improvement. The unit you received was one of the very first production units and we do have an improvement in the works that consumers will see shortly after launch.
Consumers can get the top liner replaced by contacting the service center at their carrier or Best Buy.
Ah, the dreaded 3D curvature that’s been trendy since forever and appreciated since never. Well, the fact that we’re surely reviewing pre-consumer goods won’t help our editorial findings apply to the real world, but it’s good to know that there are ameliorating factors at play. In fact, Motorola has consistently offered replacement top liners through its retail partners for ShatterShield products, so that expectation was already in place.
Update: Motorola has told Pocketnow that it is actually not offering replacement top-layer ShatterShield liners.
Alas, when the manufacturer of a shatter-proof is pushing its customers to get third-party screen protectors, doubt does start to creep in. We’ll stay on top of this topic, post launch. Until then, we’ll have to be mindful of which pocket we put the keys in.


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If it comes true, you may frankly imagine a Nokia N1 manufactured in Nokia’s now closed Chennai plant. Foxconn, the ODM that will be manufacturing and selling Nokia N1 has shown interest in buying the Nokia Chennai plant, if reports have to be believed.
Earlier reports had Indian manufacturer Lava reportedly in talks with Nokia to buy the plant and seems they have already visited the plant to do the assessment. With Foxconn ready to invest USD 2 Billion in India though, it may emerge as the likely buyer, given Nokia-Foxconn partnership for Nokia N1.
The tax issue, which forced the plant out of Nokia-Microsoft deal still needs to be sorted out though. But, given the new government’s tax stand, Nokia may be hopeful of getting the asset freeze lifted in near-future. As per ET’s report,
The telecom and IT ministry has proposed to the revenue department that Nokia be allowed to sell the plant, currently frozen in a tax dispute, without passing on the legal liability to the buyer, people familiar with the matter told ET.
In a related development, Chennai High Court has provided a favorable ruling to Nokia by setting aside a Rs 131 crore ( 21 million USD) tax claim by Tamil Nadu taxes department. This comes as a relief to Nokia.
The judge added that the orders were based on irrelevant considerations and in violation of the principles of natural justice.
According to a counsel for Nokia India, the total amount in dispute was to the tune of ₹131 crore.
On the assessments over imposition of tax on capital assets, the judge set aside the Department’s order and asked the assessing officer to make a “fresh consideration after giving full opportunity, including affording an opportunity for a personal hearing, to the petitioner”.


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From SeafoodSourse on April 2, the European Commission announced a new action plan aimed at accelerating the development of the organic sector, including a substantial increase in organic aquaculture. The plan will focus on 23 actions and follow the EU’s agricultural farms. Go to the table strategy, seeking to promote the production and consumption of organic products.
The European Commission stated that organic agriculture, including aquaculture, is meeting the growing social demand for high-quality food that is conducive to environmental development and animal welfare. The development of organic agriculture will help protect nature and reverse the ecosystem. The degradation of food products plays an important role in the goal of the Green Deal for sustainable food production and consumption.
The European Commission emphasized that organic fish farming only accounts for 4%of total aquaculture production, and it is still in the early stages in Europe. The publication of the European Fisheries Association”Fish Market 2020″ reports that the consumption of organic aquaculture products The volume has increased by 20%in the past 5 years, and in France, this proportion is as high as 48%.
In order to further promote the consumption of organic food, the action plan emphasizes the importance of communication between the organic farming industry and its advantages. EU promotion activities, combating fraud, and improving food traceability are also necessary elements of the action plan.
Regarding the sustainable aquaculture industry, the committee hopes to use resources more efficiently and will draft guidelines to minimize the use of plastics and promote the efficient use of water and energy.


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Breach Brief – Macy’s
Upscale retailer Macy’s has reported a breach of its payment system. Macy’s is the latest high-profile victim of the Magecart cyber attack. The attack exposed and unknown number of customer’s personal data including credit card information, addresses, phone numbers and email addresses that was leaked after being entered on a compromised web page.
Macy’s became aware of the breach on October 15th, a week after two specific pages on its site, the checkout page and the wallet page accessed through the users’ accounts, were hacked. Hackers had inserted malicious code into the pages.
Macy’s does not believe that the attack and associated customer information could be used by criminals to open new, fraudulent accounts. However the retailer has offered customers affected by the breach a 12-month subscription to Experian’s IdentityWorks fraud protection service. According to Macy’s all customers impacted by the data breach have been notified but cautioned consumers to monitor their credit card statements for fraud-related activity.


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Ireland’s Data Protection Commission (DPC) concluded its investigation into Twitter and determined that the U.S. social media giant violated the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) rules.
The DPC’s probe was initially launched in January, 2019 when the agency was first notified of a possible violation linked to Twitter, according to a DPC statement on Tuesday (Dec. 15). The investigation concluded that Twitter didn’t document the breach nor notify officials in a timely manner, both required under GDPR mandates.
The GDPR mandates that most personal data breaches issue a notification within 72 hours of becoming aware of the issue.
The draft decision in May was submitted to other Concerned Supervisory Authorities under Article 60 of the GDPR. It was the first issue processed through Article 65 (“dispute resolution”) since the GDPR was launched. It also was the first draft decision regarding a Big Tech case that called on EU supervisory authorities to be consulted as Concerned Supervisory Authorities.
Damien Kieran, chief privacy officer and global data protection officer at Twitter, told TechCrunch that the company supported Ireland’s DPC’s investigation.
“An unanticipated consequence of staffing between Christmas Day 2018 and New Years Day resulted in Twitter notifying the IDPC outside of the 72 hour statutory notice period. We have made changes so that all incidents following this have been reported to the DPC in a timely fashion,” a spokesperson told TechCrunch.
“We take responsibility for this mistake and remain fully committed to protecting the privacy and data of our customers, including through our work to quickly and transparently inform the public of issues that occur. We appreciate the clarity this decision brings for companies and consumers around the GDPR’s breach notification requirements. Our approach to these incidents will remain one of transparency and openness,” the spokesperson said.
EU privacy watchdogs were at odds in August about how much to fine Twitter for the data breach.
Twitter joined Mozilla, Automatic and Vimeo in asking EU regulators to defend the internet and expressed concern about the future handling of content deemed harmful and illegal.
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) voted 4-1 that social media and tech companies have to provide data relating to advertising and user engagement. Companies affected include Amazon, TikTok’s ByteDance, Discord, Facebook, Reddit, Snap, Twitter, WhatsApp and YouTube.


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Here’s the latest weekly DRG STYLE INDEX ranking, a round-up of the brands currently buzzing on my radar…
1. CHANEL TO STAGE MADEMOISELLE PRIVE EXHIBITION
It seems like Chanel is never out of the news and this week it’s to announce a forthcoming exhibition that celebrates the heritage of the house. Luxury brands are getting very skilled at these ‘immersive’ exhibitions, which take visitors on a storytelling journey through how the past informs the present. For this one, the Chanel Mademoiselle Privé exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery will focus on the haute couture, the 1932 high jewellery collection and Chanel No 5. Despite the name, the exhibition will focus on both Gabrielle Chanel’s and Karl Lagerfeld’s influence.
The next stage of the cool-ification of Gucci? A concession at Dover Street Market. Joining Celine and Saint Laurent, it will have its own little corner of DSM in all four stores (starting with Tokyo this weekend). The first look reveals suitably Grey Gardens-esque visual merchandising, with powder pink carpet and velvet buttoned screens.
3.GOSHA RUBCHINSKIY X TIMUR NOVIKOV
In other DSM news, a collaboration between Gosha Rubchinskiy and Russian Artist Timur Novikov has just launched exclusively at Dover Street Market, London. Rubchinsky has translated Novikov’s naive, graphic motifs into his signature casual tees and shorts.
4 FAREWELL FIORUCCI
Last week bid a sad and sudden goodbye to Elio Fiorucci, one of the true architects of modern fashion. His optimistic vision embraced fashion, music, experiential retail and I guess lifestyle as we know it now. And who can forget the incredible post-pop graphics used on store branding, carrier bags, advertising imagery and clothing? It’s said that he was working on a book and I remember that Opening Ceremony’s Carol Lim and Humberto Leon had expressed a desire to collaborate. Perhaps we’ll see his estate re-release some fabulous creations to commemorate? Until then, expect to see his influence infiltrate the next couple of seasons’ fashion collections as Tumblr and Instagram explode with his references.


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Huawei has tweeted that it will reveal its Mate 40 series on October twenty second, doubtless the final of its telephones to have Kirin chips— at the least for the foreseeable future— because of the ongoing financial stress from the US.
Richard Yu, CEO of Huawei’s shopper enterprise unit, mentioned at a convention August seventh that “this 12 months often is the final technology of Huawei Kirin high-end chips.” The US has accused Huawei of constructing backdoors into community infrastructure, ostensibly to help Chinese language authorities spying efforts. Huawei has denied the Trump administration’s accusations of spying.
However the Trump administration positioned Huawei and 114 of its associates on its Entity Listing in Might 2019, which meant US companies had been unable to promote expertise to the corporate with out specific US authorities approval.
It additionally meant Google was barred from doing enterprise with Huawei, stopping Huawei from acquiring an Android license, and holding Google apps off Huawei gadgets. In Might, the US Commerce Division issued an amended export rule to dam shipments of semiconductors to Huawei.
That export rule prevented international producers of semiconductors who use American software program and expertise of their operations from delivery their merchandise to Huawei except they first obtained a license from the US. The Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), the biggest semiconductor producer on the planet, reportedly halted orders for Huawei’s HiSilicon unit in Might following the brand new US rule.
There’s no phrase but on when the Mate 40 gadgets will ship to prospects, however rumors counsel Huawei will introduce Mate 40 and Mate 40 Professional editions. The Mate 40 Professional is predicted to have a 6.7-inch display screen, with the Mate 40 coming in at 6.5 inches. Android Authority says the gadgets may very well be priced between €1,200 and €1,300 (or $1400 to $1500).


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Mexican regulator issues rules to stimulate competition among electric car charging stations
Despite the growing demand for electrified vehicles, during this year sales of full-electric cars have decreased in Mexico, largely due to the still poor infrastructure for recharging these units. However, according to El Economista, that is about to change.
The Energy Regulatory Commission (CRE), regulatory body of the electricity sector in Mexico has just eliminated the locks that obstructed the expansion of recharging stations, known in the country as “electrolineras”, thanks to the publication of the rules for interested investors to compete to provide such service.
According to Marco A. Mares, author of the report, it is a matter of time for both automotive companies and developers of renewable energy projects to begin to break into this market.
Among the carmakers that will surely be interested in this niche is not only Tesla, but also General Motors and Nissan, whose Bolt and Leaf models respectively have a significant market share in the full-electric car segment in Mexico.
– Smart exits Mexican market for a while to return as a full-electric brand
– Sales of electrified cars increase 84% in Mexico, but full-electric models are ‘missing the party’
– Calgary-based ATCO gets approval to enter Mexico’s wholesale electricity market
– Volkswagen to build a new plant in North America dedicated entirely to electric cars


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After stumbling in little in October, footwear imports rose 5.1% in November compared to the same month last year, to $1.7 billion.
On a 12-month smoothed basis, however, import growth in the category slowed to 2.8%, the lowest rate of increase in over three and a half years.
Footwear exports dropped 1.5% compared to last year, to $72 million. The biggest U.S. export markets for footwear are Canada, South Korea and Japan.
Cumulative footwear imports rose 3.9% for the first eleven months of 2013 compared to the same period last year, and have increased 2.3% in units. The average cost for a pair of imported footwear grew 1.6% in the period, to $10.32.
Though it lost almost three percentage points of share of the US, China remains by far the dominant footwear supplier to the US, with an over 69% share of total shoe, boot, slipper and sandal imports. Vietnam, despite gaining almost two points of share, remains a distant second, at 11.6% of the total.
The average cost per pair for footwear imported from China so far this year is $8.76, 15% below the overall average, and slightly below the average cost during the same period last year. Approximately 40% of the footwear from China is made of leather, with the balance made mostly of synthetic materials.
Vietnam has enjoyed a 21% increase in the dollar amount of footwear shipped to the US this year compared to last, and an almost equal growth in units.
Imports from Indonesia, the third largest source of U.S. footwear, have grown the fastest of the top trading partners, at 25%, to $1 billion. Imports from Spain represented the only decline in the first eleven months of 2013, down 6% to $179 million year-to-date.
Not surprisingly, Italy supplies the priciest footwear, at $79.46 per pair, up 2.3% over the same period last year. In the first nine months of this year, the U.S. imported $1.2 billion worth, a 8.5% increase over last year. Almost 85% of the footwear from Italy is made of leather.


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Access Bank Plc and Stanbic IBTC Plc has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Coscharis Motors at the weekend to provide affordable, easy and convenient vehicles purchase finance for Nigerians.
- The scheme allows a customer to walk into any Coscharis showroom nationwide, select any car or vehicle of choice, make a minimum down payment of 10 per cent to any of the partnering banks and spread the balance for up to 48 months.
- Speaking at the signing ceremony, the executive director, Personal and Business Banking, Stanbic IBTC, Obinnia Abajue, said, “It gives us great pleasure to partner with Coscharis and with our colleagues to support this project.
- On his own part, the executive director, Personal Banking, Access Bank, Victor Etuokwu, said the bank strives to be associated with brands that are known for quality and credibility “and therefore being a part of this scheme is something that it is very proud of. According to him the bank’s interest is to empower Nigerians economically, to help them to live their dreams.
- Coscharis has thrown in additional discount that will ensure that all rates to customers will be 16.5 per cent. This deal, apart from being being new, offers a lot value to customers. We decided to make it possible for customers to pay a monthly installment over a tenure of up to four years with equity contribution as low as 10 per cent.”
- Press Source
News continues after this ad


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Honeywell has launched a new hardware and software platform for the next generation of its mobile computers.
The devices are generally used globally by distribution centers, transportation and logistics providers, hospitals, and retailers to capture critical data.
The Mobility Edge Platform comprises common hardware architecture and a suite of tools on which Honeywell and its partners will build future mobility solutions, which include rugged handheld computers, wearable devices, voice-directed technology, tablets and vehicle-mounted computers. Continue reading Honeywell launches new hardware and software platform for its mobile computers
The race towards Terabit Ethernet, or TbE, has apparently taken a great leap with the completion of what is claimed to be the world’s first test of a 400-gigabit ethernet network.
The 400 GbE trial was conducted by Huawei with its partner, China Telecom, the state telecommunications infrastructure provider.
The companies say the results indicate their superfast 400 GbE network technology is ready for commercial utilisation. Continue reading Terabit Ethernet: Huawei and China Telecom complete ‘world’s first’ 400 gigabit ethernet test
How many robots does it take to screw in a light bulb?
The answer: just one, assuming you’re talking about a new robotic gripper developed by engineers at the University of California San Diego.
The engineering team has designed and built a gripper that can pick up and manipulate objects without needing to see them and needing to be trained. Continue reading Robotic gripper soft enough to change light bulbs without breaking them
Continental, a developer of advanced driver assistance systems, has developed a new human-machine interface which places the control of a vehicle at the user’s fingertips, says the company.
The HMI – which is designed to be integrated into a vehicle dashboard (as pictured above) – provides a central input device for maneuver control in the center console as an element of the holistic human-machine dialogue, says the company.
Continental says the input element increases the mode awareness when moving from manual to automated driving mode. Continue reading Continental unveils new human machine interface for automated driving
There’s not many things more fascinating in today’s high-tech world than subsea cables.
In and of themselves, in principle, they’re just cables. But also in and of themselves they are highly sophisticated and powerful pieces of equipment.
And the sheer magnitude of the engineering involved in laying them undersea across oceans and connecting continents is arguably a wonder of the modern world. Continue reading Microsoft and partners lay superfast subsea cable across Atlantic
Renesas Electronics, a provider of advanced semiconductor solutions, has launched the RZ/G microprocessor series, which the company says enables rapid development of high-performance Linux and Android applications.
Designed for industrial, home appliances, and office equipment employing a human machine interface, the RZ/G Series extends the capabilities of the RZ/A Series MPUs – which supports 2D graphics at up to WXGA resolution – to deliver high-end performance in applications such as image processing, video sensing, and 3-D graphics and multimedia at up to 1080p resolution.
One of the key features of the new RZ/G Series, says Renesas, is the high performance for enhanced UI expressiveness and video sensing. Continue reading Renesas launches Linux platform for developing human machine interfaces
New machine vision cameras represent a breakthrough in performance and flexibility, says company
The next-generation IVS-NCGi range of digital cameras from Industrial Vision Systems provides a breakthrough in flexibility, performance and ease of use for machine vision, according to the company.
With heightened resolution options for more precision and faster frame rates, the cameras are designed for integration into modern production processes.
Its compact form factor also easily fits into space constrained manufacturing lines and cells. Continue reading Industrial Vision Systems launches IVS-NCGi camera range
Back in the old days, everybody would buy newspapers and magazines. Some would buy dailies, others would buy weeklies, while millions more would buy monthlies. And no one would quibble about having to pay for them, probably because most people sense that a physical, tangible object has a greater intrinsic value than a digital one.
That old print media reading culture has all but gone now, thanks largely to the internet and the worldwide web making all manner of information available largely free of charge. No one expects, or wants, to pay for news and content any more, probably because most people think digital media should be free because they know how easy it is to make copies of digital files.
There are still many printed publications doing very well and selling in large quantities, and a list of some of the top 10 is offered below, but even the Japanese daily Yomiuri Shimbun – which holds the world record at 13 million copies sold in one day – has lost huge numbers of readers. Continue reading Paperful office: An overview of the global forestry, pulp and paper industry
Exclusive interview with Dong Li, research engineer at Hitachi R&D Europe, about the company’s new humanoid robot, Emiew
At street level, the Barbican area of London, England has the strange quality of looking like a small underground city. But it’s actually not.
True, it has an Underground railway station, but the rest of the commercial and cultural district – with its museums and office blocks – is mostly above ground.
It may be because the buildings are so imposing that they overshadow the often narrow streets and block out the sun in some places. The bridges overhead connecting one set of buildings to another, or one side of the road to the other, and the tunnels that go underneath the building complexes themselves, exacerbate the feeling of being underground. Continue reading From the biggest to the smallest: Hitachi takes first nimble steps in robotics market
Teradyne, the industrial giant which owns Universal Robots, has standardized its simulation tasks using technology from Cadence Design Systems.
Teradyne’s standardization uses Cadence’s Xcelium Parallel Logic Simulator, which is claimed will accelerate the development of application-specific integrated circuits.
Teradyne uses ASICs for delivery of its automation equipment for test and industrial applications. Continue reading Systems design: Teradyne standardizes simulation tasks using Cadence technology
Rethink Robotics’ collaborative robot Sawyer is being utilised by Spanish electronics manufacturer to achieve higher levels of consistency
P4Q, a Spanish manufacturer of electronic products and systems, says it has increased production throughput by 25 percent by deploying smart, adaptable automation on the factory floor.
Rethink Robotics’ Sawyer is testing printed circuit boards and driving improvements in process consistency that are resulting in better part quality and overall production output, says the company.
P4Q has been looking to automate more of its factory for many years to improve efficiency and consistency, but traditional caged robots were unappealing due to high costs and employee safety concerns. Continue reading P4Q ‘increases productivity, improves part quality’ with Rethink’s Sawyer industrial robot
It’s not just manufacturing – it applies to all industries. But manufacturing is the sector that outside observers might expect to be the least affected by the digital world.
Nothing could be further from the truth of course, especially now.
Some people might think that everything in a factory is entirely mechanical, and maybe just has some electrical components – with a chip or two for the industrial robots.
But increasingly, factories are becoming a hive of hi-tech activity, and the new buzz is almost entirely about the software. Continue reading The growing importance of software in the manufacturing sector
Lufthansa Technik has demonstrated a robot which can scan the outer later of aeroplanes and work at odd angles to help with any necessary maintenance and repair jobs.
Lufthansa Technik generally fixes planes for its parent company Lufthansa, one of the world’s largest airlines, and undertakes work for a variety of aerospace companies.
The new robot is part of the Caire project – short for Composite Adaptable Inspection and Repair – which includes airline industry companies such as Airbus and Lufthansa Technik. Continue reading Lufthansa Technik unveils robot that can scan and fix a plane’s outer layer tiles
Nvidia has revealed a new computing platform which it says is being used by more than 25 companies to develop “fully autonomous robotaxis”.
The new Nvidia Drive PX Pegasus is said to be the world’s first artificial intelligence computer designed to drive fully autonomous robotic taxis.
Experts say autonomous robotic taxis are the next step for globally popular ride-sharing apps such as Uber and many others. Continue reading Nvidia reveals new computing platform for ‘fully autonomous robotaxis’
Rockwell Automation has launched a new line of open architecture industrial computers and thin clients.
Thin clients are lightweight computers used to connect to a server from a remote location.
Rockwell says its new VersaView 5000 portfolio provides a “modern visualization solution for smart manufacturing”. Continue reading Rockwell Automation launches new range of industrial computers and thin clients


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Atlanta-based S1 Corporation and Ramat Gan-based Fundtech Ltd. have entered into a definitive agreement, valued at approximately $700 million, to combine businesses through a stock-for-stock merger, creating an industry leader in transaction banking solutions. The combined company will be headquartered at S1’s headquarters in Atlanta and will be called Fundtech. Reuven Ben-Menachem will serve as Executive Chairman of the combined company, and Johann Dreyer will serve as Chief Executive Officer.
S1 is a leading global provider of payments and financial services software solutions to more than 3,000 financial institutions in more than 75 countries. Fundtech is a leading global provider of software solutions and services that facilitate payments, settlement and cash management for more than 1,000 financial institutions in more than 70 countries. FundTech has maintained a regional operation in Atlanta for several years. The combined company will be an industry leader in transaction banking solutions with best-of-breed technology that addresses a broad range of payment types, from card payments made by consumers to wire transfers made by large corporations.
“The S1 and Fundtech organizations and cultures are very similar in their commitment to deliver innovative products and generate the highest levels of customer satisfaction. The companies have complementary product offerings and extensive cross-selling opportunities which will position the combined company to secure larger contracts and cultivate more strategic relationships with customers,” said Reuven Ben-Menachem, Fundtech’s CEO.
The transaction, which is structured as a tax-free exchange of shares for Fundtech’s US shareholders, is subject to approval by S1 and Fundtech shareholders, receipt of regulatory approvals, Israeli court approval, and the satisfaction of customary closing conditions. Fundtech’s largest shareholder, Clal Industries and Investments Ltd., which currently owns approximately 58% of the outstanding ordinary shares of Fundtech, has entered into a voting agreement with S1 pursuant to which it has agreed, subject to the terms and conditions thereof, to vote in favor of the transaction. S1 and Fundtech expect to complete the transaction in the fourth quarter of 2011.


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Digital brokerage firm Upstox, which is backed by veteran industrialist Ratan Tata and marquee US venture capital firm Tiger Global, is exploring options for a public listing in the US market via the increasingly popular SPAC (special purpose acquisition company) route, industry sources with knowledge of the matter told Moneycontrol.
A SPAC is a blank cheque firm set up by investors with no commercial operations which is aimed solely at raising money via an initial public offering to eventually acquire an existing private company. SPAC IPOs have become a craze on Wall Street and raised more than $80 billion in the US markets in 2020 as they are considered a faster, cheaper and less riskier mechanism to get listed on the bourses when compared to the traditional IPO route.
“Upstox believes it will get richer valuations in the US market. It considers itself as a full-fledged tech company,” said one of the persons familiar with the firm’s plans for a proposed SPAC listing.
The fast-growing online player, which recently joined the Indian Premier League (IPL) as an official partner, competes with the likes of Zerodha, Groww and Paytm Money and is riding a record wave of new age, millennial investors who opened trading accounts for the first time during the pandemic.
“Upstox has global ambitions and does not consider itself as merely a brokerage firm. As per ongoing negotiations, its underlying business is being valued at around $1billion,” a second person told Moneycontrol.
A third person confirmed the SPAC plans adding discussions on structuring of the proposed deal are underway.
All the three individuals spoke to Moneycontrol on condition of anonymity.
Moneycontrol is awaiting the response to an email query from Upstox and has sent multiple reminders. This article will be updated when we hear from the firm.
On February 25, 2021, clean energy firm Renew Power announced an $8 billion transaction - the first major overseas listing of an Indian company via the SPAC route. Videocon d2h and online travel agency Yatra have earlier sealed SPAC deals worth $375 million and $218 million, respectively. On February 11, 2021, Bloomberg reported that Softbank-backed online grocer Grofers was weighing a listing via a US SPAC deal.
Read More: ReNew Power takes SPAC route, first such major deal by an Indian company, to list on Nasdaq
According to reports, in FY20, the total standalone income of Upstox doubled to around Rs 155 crore from Rs 77.5 crore, a year earlier. On the other hand, the firm reported a loss of around Rs 38 crore as compared to post-tax profits of Rs 13.06 crore in FY19.
On the trend of SPAC listings, Vivek Gupta, Partner & National Head (M&A & PE Tax), KPMG says, “Clearly, the market interest in SPACs is at a peak. That said, SPACs are not for every Indian business, given our regulatory and tax environment. We at KPMG have developed a six-point predictive model to evaluate which company is a genuine SPAC candidate. The higher-rated companies on our model would be the ones which should be spending time trying to commercially negotiate a SPAC transaction.”
“We use a number of parameters for this analysis including founder ownership and ease of swap for the same, investor structure analysis, impact of any investment from China, potential tax costs on a deSPAC transaction, readiness and governance analysis, etc," Gupta added.
MEET THE FOLKS BEHIND UPSTOX
Formerly called RKSV Securities, Upstox was founded in 2008 as a proprietary trading firm and entered the retail brokerage space in 2012. The firm’s website lists Ravi Kumar, Kavitha Subramanian and Shrini Viswanath as the co-founders who had “the vision of making financial investing easy, equitable, and affordable to all Indian investors.”
Kumar holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from the University of California, Irvine and works on product and investor relations at Upstox. Prior to Upstox, he worked on trading his own capital alongside his brother Raghu, where they devised various automated trading strategies to trade on foreign exchange markets worldwide.
Subramanian leads growth, strategy, finance, and customer experience at Upstox. She holds B.Tech and M.Tech degrees in Electrical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay as well as an MBA from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. Prior to Upstox, Subramanian was a private equity investor at Leapfrog Investments and Actis Investments, where she specialised in healthcare deals. She was a management consultant with McKinsey and Co. and also worked in microfinance at SKS Microfinance.
Viswanath leads technology at Upstox. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign. An expert in high-frequency trading, he has spent considerable time building low latency highly scalable systems in the field of automated trading. Prior to Upstox/RKSV, he worked at Citibank in various management roles.


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Paytm has announced that it has acquired Orbgen Technologies, the firm that operates online ticketing platform TicketNew. The latest acquisition by the Noida-based company is aimed to expand its presence in South India and ultimately make its ticket booking platform a stronger competitor against BookMyShow that is widely popular in the online ticketing space. Financial terms of the deal weren't disclosed. However, it is confirmed that Paytm is set to bring TicketNew partner cinemas on board through the latest development.
"TicketNew founders have built a fantastic business in South India and share the same partnership mindset as Paytm. Under their leadership, Paytm is seeking to connect TicketNew partner cinemas to Paytm's more than 300 million customers and further invest in helping grow their occupancy and revenues," said Madhur Deora, Chief Financial Officer and SVP, Paytm, in a statement while announcing the acquisition.
As per the details available on Crunchbase, TicketNew was founded by Ramkumar Nammalvar back in 2007 as an online ticket-platform. The platform currently offers tickets for movies, theatres, and events. These are the avenues that are highly fruitful for Paytm to expand its footprint in the entertainment ticketing space.
Notably, prior to the acquisition, Paytm already had exclusive partnerships with various single screen theatres and regional multiplex chains in South India, including Suresh Productions, V Celluloid, SVC, and Anusri Cinemas among others, the company claimed. It also recently partnered with SPI Cinemas that owns landmark properties such as Sathyam Cinemas, Le Rêve, The Cinema, located in Chennai, Hyderabad, and Mumbai. Moreover, Paytm touts it has become India's fastest growing entertainment ticketing platform.
"We are on a mission to be the one-stop destination for all movie and entertainment ticketing needs. It is our goal to be the leader in every city in India and offer the opportunity to all cinema partners to reach Paytm's customers," said Deora in the statement.
In July last year, Paytm acquired a majority stake in events ticketing platform Insider.in for an undisclosed sum. At that time, the company accounted for 10 percent of the overall events ticketing volume.
Disclosure: Paytm's parent company One 97 is an investor in Gadgets 360.


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IACMI Partners with Local Motors and ORNL to Develop 3D Printed Composite Materials for Automotive Manufacturing
The Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation (IACMI) was the fifth institute named as part of the Manufacturing USA network, which also includes America Makes and about a dozen other specialized manufacturing institutes. Led by the US Department of Energy and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, IACMI brings together universities, industry, national laboratories, and government agencies to accelerate the development and commercialization of advanced composites for energy and economic security. Now IACMI is embarking on a new project in collaboration with Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and Local Motors to use large-scale additive manufacturing in the development of new materials with advanced composite reinforcements.
Local Motors, famous for the 3D printed Strati, is a leader in the development of automotive 3D printing, and this new collaboration will focus on the development of composite materials for low-cost automotive parts. The three organizations will work together on design and materials selection for a new process that involves the use of additive manufacturing to reinforce advanced composite parts for vehicles. The project is expected to challenge current vehicle designs and create new components to meet longevity and crash performance requirements.
“The integration of design within the materials selection and manufacture process optimizes vehicle production by reducing cycle time,” said Gregory Haye, Local Motors General Manager. “The partnership with IACMI-The Composites Institute and its vast group of partners provides access to unique research and development capabilities, ultimately resulting in a more efficient manufacture process for our organization.”
The project will take place at the Department of Energy’s Manufacturing Demonstration Facility and is expected to ultimately create several new facilities capable of producing cars made from a significant percentage of advanced composite materials. In addition, multiple new high-skilled jobs are expected to be created this year, with impacts over a range of manufacturing sectors leading to a 50% reduction in design to manufacturing time.
“The Composites Institute’s impact is larger than the project research and development work taking place at our facilities,” said Bryan Dods, IACMI CEO. “Collaboration amongst IACMI members spans the entire industry supply chain from material suppliers, BASF and TechmerPM, to design and manufacturing with Local Motors. Commercialization of new innovations is resulting in the creation of new jobs, expansion of manufacturing facilities and an overall economic development impact benefitting the entire ecosystem of composites manufacturers.”
IACMI, like the other Manufacturing USA institutes, is committed to increasing manufacturing jobs and production within the US. In the current economic and political climate, suffused with worry about disappearing manufacturing jobs, endeavors like this one are reason for excitement. The collaboration is yet another example of how 3D printing can create jobs while at the same time making manufacturing faster and more cost-effective, energy-efficient, and capable of creating stronger and better products.
It’s also an example of how additive manufacturing stretches across industries – the Manufacturing USA institutes may be broken into specialized segments, but 3D printing isn’t just limited to America Makes. The technology is spread across multiple institutes – it plays a vital role in the recently established Advanced Tissue Biofabrication Institute, for example. The IACMI/ORNL/Local Motors project will do more than create better, safer cars – it will demonstrate again the many positive ways in which additive manufacturing can impact the economy and the future of manufacturing. Discuss in the 3D Printed Composites forum at 3DPB.com.
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What you need to know
- Reports claim the next Pixelbook will be called 'Pixelbook Go'.
- This Pixelbook appears to have a 13.3-inch "Molecular" display.
- It is expected this laptop will be a part of the October Google event.
If there was one fairly universal cry from Chromebook fans over the last year, it was to please give us another Pixelbook instead of another Pixel Slate this year. As much fun as the idea of the Chromebook tablet was, it just never lived up to expectations and certainly didn't compete in the way Google had intended. We're not saying Google has walked away from the tablet form factor entirely, but a report from 9to5Google suggests what we're getting this year is a sleeker, slimmer version of the thing most people loved but not everyone could afford. And it's apparently called the Pixelbook Go, no doubt a stab directly at the inexpensive and extremely popular Surface Go from Microsoft.
There's not a lot of details yet, but it seems like Google's next Pixelbook is going to focus on having that same 360-degree hinge on a 13.3-inch 4K display. Google plans to keep the "Molecular Display" branding we saw with the Pixel Slate in an attempt to show off some unique qualities regarding color balancing and image quality. The report also suggests impressive front-firing speakers and a similar Magnesium Allow body, which is also found on Surface computers.
Keep an eye out for multiple color options, including possibly the return of "Not Pink" in the lineup, as well as Intel Core M3, i5, and i7 configurations with storage up to 256GB onboard. Pricing will, of course, be one of the big things we wait and see at the actual October event alongside the Google Pixel 4.
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One of the Northeast’s most exciting and inventive craft breweries, has opened their long-anticipated beer garden!
It’s been a year since Boston’s Greenway Conservancy tapped Trillium Brewing to operate a new open-air beer garden in the heart of downtown Boston’s Rose Kennedy Greenway Park and with summer’s arrival the wait is happily over.
Adjoining Boston’s waterfront, with a view of its harbor glimpsed through the historic Rowes Wharf Arch, Trillium Brewing’s new open-air setting is a striking centerpiece to the 1.5-mile greenway and offers a welcome respite from the urban grind at the heart of the city’s busy commercial center.
Considered to be one of the Northeast’s most exciting and inventive breweries, Trillium’s Beer Garden is the latest addition to the uber-hot brewery’s growing family of locations, which also includes their original home and pilot brewery (which they built with their own hands in Boston’s iconic Fort Point neighborhood) and the 16,000 ft. facility that they opened last year in Canton, Massachusetts.
The new seasonal open-air beer garden, which is scheduled to run weekly now through October, is sure to become another craft beer “must” destination for Boston locals and a draw for beer pilgrims travelling the Northeast this summer.
Banner Image credit: Trillium Brewing


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Salient to Investors:
Bloomberg reports 64 percent of 108 S&P 500 companies had analyst ratings lowered in the past week.
Investment Company Institute say American equity mutual funds had $7.2 billion of outflows during the week ended May 23 versus $178 billion of outflows in the previous 12 months.
Blackstone Group’s Byron Wien says it’s safe to buy, more investor disappointments are unlikely, everyone is bearish, and investors have cash.
Laszlo Birinyi reiterated buy recommendation, says market was due for a correction. Historically the last stage of a bull market sees a very strong rally but we still have too much skepticism. Expects the last phase of this bull market to start around September. Owns Whirlpool. Nike and Chipotle Mexican Grill.
UBS’s Jonathan Golub said the market was due for a correction, sees S&P 500 at 1,475 by year-end because U.S. economic conditions are strong and Europe will stem its crisis. Likes technology and consumer discretionary companies.
Canaccord Genuity Securities’ Tony Dwyer says market correction normal and healthy, sees S&P 500 at 1,575 as the fundamental backdrop remains constructive. Producer price below 3 percent annual means expenses won’t curb profits. Likes technology and consumer discretionary companies.


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Announcing Launch of New San Marcos Dental Center Website! December 9, 2013
Here are San Marcos Dental Center we are pleased to announce the launch of our new and improved website at SanMarcosDentalCenter.com! Developed by Datagonia Web Solutions, the new website will accompany a marked increase in our social media activity as well as regular announcements about the procedures and services available at San Marcos Dental Center that we provide. Our patients are acquiring more and more information about their health from the world wide web and we are looking to help assist them as they pursue a healthier and brighter smile.
We plan on using the improved website to make regular announcements and specials, so please stay tuned and consider hitting the “Like” button on our Facebook page as we finish up 2013 and step in to a brand new year!


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Urban Décor, a home remodeling company in Ontario, has announced its new barn wood alternative, called MagicWood, along with an accompanying Kickstarter campaign to support its development.
MagicWood is an incredible barn wood substitute made from a high-density material that is impervious to bugs such as termites, and it’s mold and water resistant. It comes in two variants; a hard one with a wood-like feel, and a soft, almost leather-like version that can be used on curved surfaces. Each is available now in grey, and with the success of their crowdfunding campaign, will soon feature multiple distressed antique colors that reflect the look of real barn wood.
“This is a gorgeous-looking wood that comes in 5” x 3’ pieces and can be easily installed anywhere around the home or office for an instant vintage look,” said Jeff Lee, one of the lead developers behind MagicWood.
Consumers say it is incredibly easy to install. “There are no DIY nightmares here. If you can peel and stick or operate a staple gun, then you’re fully qualified to install MagicWood anywhere you like for that reclaimed wood look without the hassle traditionally associated with it,” says one happy beta user.
MagicWood emerged as one of the owners of Urban Décor – also a real estate broker – took note of the popularity of reclaimed wood and barn wood often used in his hometown in retail and domestic real estate remodels. After some thought, he quickly realized that real wood – particularly antique barn wood – was host to hidden issues such as termites, high cost, and worse. MagicWood was born as a solution to this problem, giving people who want to jump on the reclaimed wood décor trend an easy-to-install, safe and sanitary solution that looks just like the real thing.
More information, including how to order MagicWood and donate to the crowdfunding project, is available at the MagicWood Kickstarter page. For media inquiries, please contact Jeff Lee via email at firstname.lastname@example.org.
About Urban Décor
Urban Décor is the home remodeler behind MagicWood, a realistic-looking barn word alternative which doesn’t rust, attract bugs, or splinter over time. The attractive antique look of MagicWood lets homeowners quickly create talking-piece feature walls without the headaches associated with real barn wood. For more information, please visit Urban Décor’s website or Kickstarter.
Company Name: Urban Décor-MagicWood
Contact Person: Jeff Lee
Email: Email: email@example.com
Address:760 S. Rochester Ave. Unit C


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Vogue Eyewear names Taapsee Pannu as new face of the brand in India
Vogue Eyewear named Bollywood actor Taapsee Pannu as the face of its brand in India on Wednesday. Pannu stars in the brand’s new ‘Let's Vogue’ campaign for the Indian market.
In her new role for Vogue Eyewear, Pannu showcases the brand’s latest collection of glasses and sunglasses in an eclectic campaign. As the new face of Vogue Eyewear in India, Pannu joins the brand’s “global portfolio of inspiring women,” it announced in a press release on July 14.
“Taapsee Pannu truly exemplifies the free-spirited Vogue Eyewear woman with her impeccable blend of beauty and essence,” said Vogue Eyewear’s brand business head Gunjan Saigal in a press release.
“She is a real woman who embodies every ethos that the brand represents, making her the best suited Indian influencer face to represent our narrative. We are very excited to have her onboard and looking forward to a promising collaboration.”
“I am delighted to be partnering with Vogue Eyewear and become their India face of the #LetsVogue campaign,” said Pannu. “My personal style preferences completely resonate with the playful, chic and fashionable essence of the brand, and I believe that is a very seamless connect that we have. Vogue Eyewear speaks to the young and vivacious women, who like to keep it real and believe in their inner selves. For all those who know me well, are aware that when it comes to fashion, I always prefer a style that is original and relatable. And that very naturally makes me a Vogue Eyewear woman.”
Vogue Eyewear launched in Florence, Italy in 1973. The brand retails in India through a wide array of retail outlets online and offline including Tata Cliq, Lenskart, Nykaa Fashion, and Flipkart, among others.
Copyright © 2023 FashionNetwork.com All rights reserved.


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Samsung Multiview MV800 Camera up for grabs in December's Monthly Competition.
Pentax are giving away a K-30 DSLR in the ePHOTOzine Christmas Prize Draw!
Albelli are giving away 5 £100 vouchers in today's prize draw.
Christmas has arrived early at ePHOTOzine with lots of photographic goodies up for grabs in our latest photography competitions.
Today, ePHOTOzine are giving you the chance to win an ePz camera strap in the Christmas Prize Draw.
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Put more in your Christmas stocking this year with great Christmas gifts for photography enthusiasts.
ePHOTOzine is giving the gift of e2 for a month to all our members!
HTC has announced a new smartphone with a camera designed for optimum image quality with an UltraPixel sensor.
Nikon today introduces Nikon 1, a revolutionary digital camera system built from scratch to offer still image and movie recording without compromise.
Following Jessops' plans to axe 81 of its shops as announced last Thursday, the photographic retail giant have unveiled exactly which stores it plans to close down.
A clever photo of a family inside small boxes has helped a Nottingham photographer pick up his first national award.
Sony introduce a series of small cameras which they say will give a 'big performance'.
Lee Filters holder for Nikon's 14-24mm f/2.8 wide-angle lens
Corel add 75 new features to the latest version of their PaintShop Pro software.
Red Digital Cinema turn their attentions to the photography market.
The ideal holiday pocket cam features the best in imaging technology and specialised underwater features for great video anywhere.
LaserSoft Imaging and Reflecta is giving away a fabulous selection of gear in the 2013 prize draw.
Rochester Institute of Technology’s National Technical Institute for the Deaf in Rochester, N.Y., recently received Master Colours’ HVC (Hue Value and Chroma) Colour Composer software to support its Arts and Imaging Studies program.
You can now get a Vistaprint wall calendar for just £7.99!
Brightest compact system camera lens announced by Kipon, the IBELUX 40mm f/0.85 will be available from February.
The Ricoh Imaging UK winter DSLR cashback offer is still available on selected Pentax models.
This month, there are Wacom Intuos Pro tablets up for grabs!
EIZO and Magnum Photos announce a global collaboration with the establishment of an Ambassador Program.
DCkina have launched a shutter grip, tripod clip and external battery in one for iPhone 5 and 4s.
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Get the correct answers to our Big Question quiz in the eMarketer Retail Daily newsletter from Insider Intelligence. From supply chain to shopping apps and retail advertising, we deliver daily insights on ecommerce, marketing, and customer experience. Not a subscriber? Sign up here and get our quizzes sent directly to your inbox to see if you can pick a winner.
Take a guess: Was the average value of each transaction at Costco Wholesale Club up or down in its latest quarter?
The average transaction value was down 4.5% YoY in Costco’s Q4 2023, ending September 3, as reported by Insider.
Cut your losses: How much did retail shrink cost retailers in 2022?
A) $98.9 billion
B) $105.6 billion
C) $112.1 billion
D) $120.0 billion
Retail shrink, which includes losses from theft, fraud, and damage, increased nearly 19.4% YoY in 2022 as retailers dealt with unprecedented levels of theft and organized retail crime, per the National Retail Federation.
Crossing over: What percentage of adults who shop or browse on Amazon daily have already used TikTok Shop?
A quarter of daily Amazon browsers have already used TikTok Shop and another 14% are interested in trying it, according to CivicScience.
Making memories: What do over half of consumers in the US and the UK say is the most memorable thing a brand can do?
A) Prioritize original content over following trending topics
B) Take risks with their content
C) Respond to customers
D) Collaborate with content creators and influencers
Fifty-one percent of US and UK consumers said that responding to customers was the most memorable thing a brand could do, according to Sprout Social.
Trick or treat: What will be the most popular children’s costume this Halloween?
Around 2.6 million children plan to dress as Spider-Man this Halloween, 2 million plan to be their favorite princess, 1.6 million will go as a ghost, 1.5 million will dress up as a superhero, and 1.4 million will be a witch, according to the National Retail Federation.
In line or online: True or false? Fewer US consumers plan to do the majority of their holiday shopping online this year than in 2022.
False. Twenty-one percent of US shoppers will do 75% to 100% of their holiday shopping online this year, an increase from 19% in 2022, per CivicScience.
True colors: Crayola has recently announced it would begin to sell …
The company, a subsidiary of Hallmark Cards, has launched Crayola Flowers, an online flower shop that will double as a fundraising platform, per CNN.
Quick buck: Over the last 12 months, how much money have US adults spent on impulse buys based on what they saw on social media?
A) $56 billion
B) $69 billion
C) $71 billion
D) $83 billion
US adults have spent $71 billion on impulse buys based on what they saw on social media, according to Bankrate.
Santa’s little helper: True or false? More consumers find mobile ads most helpful in informing holiday purchases.
False. Thirty-nine percent of consumers said they find streaming service ads most helpful, compared with 28% that said mobile ads are most helpful, per LG Ads as reported by Media Post.
Season of giving: Which of the following will be the top gifting category among millennials and Gen Zers this holiday season?
A) Beauty/personal care
B) Entertainment (movies, music, books, card and board games)
C) Food/candy/gift baskets
D) Fashion (clothes, shoes, accessories)
Entertainment is also the top gifting category for the general population, according to LTK’s Holiday Shopper Story.
Click and pick: True or false? Eight in 10 click-and-collect grocery customers enter the store to either buy items they forgot or select specific items personally when picking up their orders.
True, per data from Acosta Group as reported by Winsight Grocery Business.
Think local: What percentage of US consumers plan to shop at small businesses or locally owned stores this holiday season?
A quarter of consumers intend to shop at small businesses this holiday season, up from 19% last year, per CivicScience.
Lost and found: How much could US ecommerce brands lose out on this holiday season due to poor-performing site search?
A) $4.5 billion
B) $8.2 billion
C) $10.9 billion
D) $13.8 billion
Issues like irrelevant search results, out-of-stocks, and slow-to-return results could cost ecommerce retailers nearly $14 billion this coming Cyber Five, per Nosto.
Cup of Joe: Nissin is adding caffeine to its Cup Noodles to appeal to which audience?
Nissin is targeting gamers, specifically those in Asia-Pacific, who often have late-night gaming sessions. The two caffeinated noodle versions will be “soup-free” so gamers won’t have to worry about getting their peripherals dirty.
Beer me: Which brand commands the largest share of Amazon’s nonalcoholic beer sales?
A) Go Brewing
B) Athletic Brewing Company
E) Barritt’s Ginger Beer
Athletic Brewing Company captured 46% of Amazon’s nonalcoholic beer sales from June 1 to August 26, 2023, a 21% increase YoY, per Jungle Scout. Go Brewing captured 10% of sales, followed by Grüvi (6%), Partake (5%), and Barritt’s Ginger Beer (4%).
Game, set, match: True or false? In June of this year, sales of pickleball paddles and balls outpaced sales of tennis rackets and balls.
True. Pickleball paddle and ball sales reached $303.7 million in June, slightly more than June sales of tennis rackets and balls ($284.8 million), per Circana as reported by The Washington Post.
Measure twice, cut once: Which retailer captured the largest market share of US home improvement sales in the first half of 2023?
B) The Home Depot
The Home Depot captured 27.6% of home improvement sales (both online and offline) in H1 2023, followed by Amazon (25.0%), Lowe’s (18.4%), and Walmart (8.8%), per YipitData.
Double-dipping: What percentage of Forever 21 customers also shop at Shein?
One in 4 Forever 21 shoppers have also bought something from Shein in the past year, per Earnest Analytics. This is a good sign for the two companies, which just teamed up to offer each other’s merchandise online and in-store.
Growth spurt: Which was the fastest-growing consumer packaged goods (CPG) private label brand in the three months ending June 2023?
A) Amazon Basics
B) Kroger’s Smart Way
C) Aldi’s brand
D) Sure Fresh
Smart Way was the fastest-growing CPG private label brand, increasing household penetration by 4.5 percentage points, followed by Amazon Basics (up 1.5 percentage points), Aldi’s private label brand (up 1.4 percentage points), and Sure Fresh (up 1.4 percentage points), per Numerator.
Early bird special: Over half of which generation has already begun their holiday shopping?
A) Gen Z
C) Gen X
D) Baby boomers
Fifty-three percent of Gen Z consumers have started their holiday shopping, compared with 34% of millennials, 22% of Gen Xers, and 19% of baby boomers, per CivicScience.
Winner winner: How many rotisserie chickens does Walmart sell every minute?
Walmart sells over 100 rotisserie chickens a minute, with shoppers in the southern US making most of the purchases, per Winsight Grocery Business.
Size it up: Once upon a time, Starbucks offered a size smaller than the “tall.” What was it called?
Tall was originally a medium-sized drink until CEO Howard Schultz decided the Starbucks menu was too crowded, per CNN. Thus, the short was done away with and now tall is the smallest size you can order at Starbucks.
Ice, ice, baby: True or false? Iced coffee drinkers are more than three times as likely to remain loyal to a brand due to the quality of service they receive.
True, according to CivicScience. In addition, more than 7 in 10 iced coffee lovers shop at convenience stores for food and beverages, compared with 4 in 10 hot coffee fans.
Around the world: Ecommerce sales will make up what percent of total retail sales worldwide this year?
Ecommerce will make up 19.5% of total retail sales worldwide this year, breaking over 20% in 2024, per our forecast.
Pay the price: A Chicago suburb’s City Council member is planning to propose a new tax that would charge grocers and other big-box retailers that have …
A) Curbside pickup
B) Cashierless checkout
C) Less than 200 employees
D) The highest energy bills
Eighth Ward City Council Member Devon Reid is proposing a tax that could result in retailers in Evanston, Illinois, paying $5,000 a year for each one of their self-checkout stations, per Winsight Grocery Business.
One of us: What percentage of US adults ages 18 to 34 prefer to buy a product or service because it gives them access and a feeling of belonging to a specific community?
This is higher than the 41% of the total population of adults 18 and older, per Horizon Media’s Top Trends 2023: Volume 2 report.
Lights, camera, action: True or false? Less than a third of TV viewers have interacted with shoppable ad QR codes.
False. Thirty-six percent of viewers have interacted with shoppable ad QR codes and 67% have clicked ads to receive info sent to their email or device, according to a survey by the Video Advertising Bureau.
Road trip: Which convenience store chain has the highest share of visits across the US West Coast?
A) Circle K
C) Kwik Trip
7-Eleven has the highest share of visits across Washington, Oregon, California, and Nevada, as well as Hawaii, New York, Colorado, and Washington, DC, per Placer.ai's C-Store Trends & The Brands Leading the Way report.
All in favor: Nearly half (49%) of Gen Z adults have a favorable view of Shein compared with what percentage of the total population?
Less than a third of the general US adult population feels favorable toward Shein, though slightly more (32%) feel favorable about Temu (compared with 43% of Gen Z), per Morning Consult.
In private: What percentage of consumers worldwide consider store-brand products a good alternative to name brands?
Two in 5 global consumers think store brands are a suitable alternative to name brands, according to Nielsen IQ. Additionally, 35% think some store brand products are of higher or equal quality to name brands.
Super food: True or false? Seventy percent of US Gen Z consumers are more willing to trust a food trend that has gone viral.
I scream, you scream: Which age demographic is split 50/50 on preferring chocolate or vanilla ice cream?
Half of consumers ages 55 and older say they prefer chocolate while the other half say they like vanilla, per CivicScience. Age groups 18 to 24 and 25 to 34 prefer vanilla over chocolate, while those ages 35 to 54 have a slight preference for chocolate.
At what cost: Due to inflation, how much more did the typical US household spend in July on the same goods and services versus two years ago?
Most of that increase is driven by housing costs, according to Moody’s Analytics as reported by CNN. But families are also spending more on groceries; buying, maintaining, and insuring vehicles; and recreational services like cable.
See spot run: Which of the following is the most effective method to reach pet owners?
A) Traditional advertising (print, radio, TV)
B) Review sites
C) Digital advertising
D) Social media
Forty percent of US pet owners said that they consult traditional ad mediums while looking for new pet products, ahead of review sites, digital advertising, and social media, per a survey conducted by The Harris Poll and commissioned by FWV Fetching.
Secret sauce: Campbell Soup Co. is paying $2.7 billion to acquire Sovos Brands, maker of which brand of pasta sauces?
Sovos Brands also makes Michael Angelo’s frozen entrees and noosa yogurt, per CNN.
Hopelessly devoted to you: What percent of US consumers say loyalty programs are somewhat or very important when deciding where to shop and what to buy?
That’s according to CivicScience. In addition, adults ages 18 to 24 are most likely to value loyalty programs while adults ages 55 and older are the least likely.
Hey, big spender: True or false? Over a quarter of beauty consumers say they are spending over $200 a month on beauty products in 2023.
True. Twenty-nine percent of consumers say they’re spending upward of $200 on beauty, up from 15% in 2022, per a survey by PowerReviews as reported by Beauty Packaging.
Signed, sealed, and delivered: How many packages has Amazon delivered to US Prime members on either the same or next day so far this year?
A) 859 million
B) 942 milion
C) 1.2 billion
D) 1.8 billion
Amazon has delivered over 1.8 billion packages to US Prime members the same or next day, according to CEO Andy Jassy in a recent earnings call, nearly four times what the company delivered at those speeds by this point in 2019.
Tech-savvy: True or false? Amazon Prime members are three times more likely than Walmart+ members to say they’re “very comfortable” with palm payments.
False. In fact, it’s the opposite, despite Amazon’s push to implement its “pay by palm” technology in Whole Foods Markets across the US, per CivicScience.
Put a pin in it: Which generation was the largest contributor to overall engagement growth on Pinterest in Q2 2023?
A) Gen Z
C) Gen X
D) Baby boomers
Gen Zers are also the fastest-growing cohort on the platform, growing by double digits and accounting for a larger portion of the overall user mix, according to Pinterest CEO Bill Ready on a Q2 earnings call.
No deal: True or false? Less than 20% of US adults across all age demographics will purchase a product as planned if they are met with dynamic pricing of products in-store or online.
True, per CivicScience. In addition, 37% of US adults strongly agree that dynamic pricing of retail products is price-gouging.
Keep your options open: What percentage of US consumers say having a variety of shopping channels is a top consideration when shopping a brand?
Nearly three-quarters of consumers say that having their choice of shopping channels is important, according to SurveyMonkey. However, there seems to be less consensus on which channel is most important—almost 4 in 10 consumers say they have no preference whether they buy direct from a brand or from a retailer like Target or Walmart.
I want candy: Nike’s “Sweet Tooth” sneaker (which debuts in October), is designed to look like which confectionery treat?
A) Candy corn
B) Candy canes
C) Gummy bears
D) Sour Patch Kids
The orange, yellow, and white sneaker even has a bite taken out of it, according to one Instagram post as reported by High Snobiety.
Too soon: True or false? Over half of US adults think July is too early to start thinking about Christmas/winter holiday shopping.
True. Fifty-two percent of US adults think July is too early for Christmas shopping, but 30% think the timing is just right, per CivicScience.
Self-help: Which grocer has recently converted one of its locations to an all-self-checkout experience?
A) Whole Foods Market
B) The Kroger Co.
C) Stop & Shop
Kroger’s Franklin, Tennessee location has gotten rid of cashiers and baggers and now only consists of self-checkout stations, per Supermarket News. However, staff will still be available in the store to help customers who need it.
People’s choice: Which one of the following was not voted as one of the most popular Aldi products in the country?
A) Friendly Farms Cottage Cheese
B) Mama Cozzi’s Pizza Kitchen Take and Bake Deli Pizza
C) Reggio’s Sausage Pizza
D) Clancy’s Kettle Chips
E) Simply Nature Avocado Oil
Other Aldi fan favorites include Friendly Farms Low Sugar Greek Yogurt, Happy Farms String Cheese, Kirkwood Fresh Chicken, and Belletti Sparkling Moscato Rose.
A bit rich: The latest “quiet luxury” status symbol is a $220 …
A) Eyeglass case
B) Ballpoint pen
C) Light switch
D) Cigarette case
The “Invisible Light switch," made by English design company Forbes & Lomax, is making its rounds among the ultrawealthy, according to a recent New York Times article as reported by Business Insider.
Get physical: Nearly three-quarters of purchases in which category take place in-store?
A) Home appliances
D) Food and beverage
Seventy-one percent of home appliance purchases happen in-store, according to the JD Power 2023 US Appliance Satisfaction Study as reported by Chain Store Age. In addition, 75% of those purchases occur on the first visit.
Under the influence: True or false? Only a quarter of Gen Z women acknowledge their beauty or wellness routines are influenced by online creators.
False. In fact, the vast majority (92%) of Gen Z women say that creators influence their beauty and wellness routines, according to LTK.
Going live: Which of the following countries has the highest percentage of livestream commerce buyers?
D) United Arab Emirates
Eighty-one percent of digital buyers in China reported shopping via livestream commerce, per Wunderman Thompson. India is second, with 75% of digital buyers shopping via livestream, followed by Thailand (73%) and the United Arab Emirates (72%). Only 40% of digital buyers in the US shop via livestream.
Menu planning: Which of the following was identified as a “future-forward” food trend based on Google searches?
A) Optimizing brain function
B) Plant-based protein
C) Alternative sugars (stevia, agave nectar)
D) Sea plants
E) All of the above
Other future food trends include gut health, purposeful consumption, ancestral ingredients, revamped home cooking, sustainable agriculture, and sweet, spicy, and savory foods, per Kantar as reported by Progressive Grocer.
Fair and square: True or false? Over one-third of makeup users said they purchase makeup equally from prestige and mass makeup brands.
True, according to Circana.
By popular demand: Which was the top-selling item during Prime Day?
A) Amazon Fire TV Stick
B) Temptations Cat Treats
C) Echo Dot 5
D) Liquid I.V. Packets
E) Blink Outdoor Camera
Cat lovers splurged on treats during this Prime Day, making them the top-selling product on Prime Day based on the number of units purchased, according to Numerator. Amazon Fire TV Stick took second place, followed by Liquid I.V. Packets, Echo Dot 5, and Blink Outdoor Camera.
And the award goes to: Which of the following brands was not named as one of the Emmy nominees for outstanding commercial this year?
C) The Farmer’s Dog
Pop quiz: How much of their own money do teachers say they plan to spend to set up their classrooms for the 2023–2024 school year?
Teachers plan to spend $320 of their own money on classroom supplies this year, higher than the $225 parents say they set aside for back-to-school shopping, per a survey by Office Depot.
Representation matters: True or false? Half of US adults ages 55 and older say they are very likely to decide against purchasing a product or service from a company whose advertising either ignores them or they find objectionable.
True. Fifty percent of this demographic is very likely to decide against a purchase for this reason, higher than the 46% of the general population, per CivicScience.
Once in a lifetime: Truly Hard Seltzer is launching a first-of-its-kind pop-up experience where consumers can sip while they …
B) Float in zero gravity
C) Fly in a hot air balloon
D) Swim with dolphins
Truly’s Zero Gravity Bar will be built inside of a Boeing-727 “G-Force One,” operated by weightless flight operator Zero-G, and serve a variety of Truly seltzers while passengers experience floating in zero gravity.
What matters most: Which of the following values do Gen Z consumers want brands to support more than any other cause?
A) The environment/climate change and sustainability
B) Mental health
C) LGBTQ+ rights
D) Racial and gender equity
E) Ethical labor practices
Over half (53%) of Gen Zers want brands to support mental health over every other cause, followed by the environment/sustainability (47%), racial and gender equity (47%), ethical labor practices (42%), and LGBTQ+ rights (42%), per ICSC and Big Village.
Windy city eats: Which real-life restaurants served as inspiration for the food in the second season of the FX show “The Bear”?
D) Lao Peng You
E) All of the above
All of the places seen in “The Bear” served as big inspirations for the show’s culinary producer, chef Courtney Storer, sister of show creator Christopher Storer, as reported by Eater.
Starting line: Nearly half of online shoppers start their search on which platform?
Up from 46% in 2022, 49% of online shoppers say they start their product searches and research on Amazon, per CivicScience as reported by MediaPost. Google comes in second (34%, down from 35% last year), followed by TikTok (3%, down from 5% in 2022), Instagram (2% this year and last), and Reddit (1% this year and last).
Going green: What percentage of consumers between ages 18 to 34 are likely to buy from retailers committed to sustainability?
Two-thirds, according to a Viant Technology study, which also found that 69% of respondents believe retailers have a responsibility to reduce their environmental impact.
Bottoms up: Of the following industries, which did consumers say provides the most negative digital customer service?
A) Technology providers
C) Health insurance
About 36% of respondents to a 2023 survey by Coveo said the retail industry provided the most negative digital customer service among US and UK adults. Utilities came in second at 33%.
In the bag: Fanny, wrist, and chest pack sales were up 56% between April 2022 and April 2023 among Gen Z and millennial consumers, according to Circana. By how much did handbag sales change among this cohort over the same period?
Handbag sales were higher among consumers over 35, increasing by 7%, according to Circana.
Hot dog: Which company branched out with its first condiment, just in time for the Fourth of July?
A) The Coca-Cola Co.
C) Keurig Dr Pepper
Pepsi Colachup is a sauce with “rich caramel notes and citrusy pop of Pepsi-Cola,” according to Jenny Danzi, a senior director at Pepsi.
Fame and fortune: Which of the following celebrity brands is opening its first permanent brick-and-mortar stores next year?
B) Rare Beauty
C) Honest Beauty
Kim Kardashian’s Skims will open a flagship store in Los Angeles, followed by a New York location.
Feel old yet? Hasbro is bringing back which iconic ’90s toy?
A) Troll Dolls
D) Bop It
Everyone’s favorite creepy little guy is coming out of retirement. The other toys all still exist, though they’re not all made by Hasbro.
Summer’s over: Over a third of US consumers start back-to-school shopping when?
A) Early June
B) Early July
C) Late July
D) Early August
By early July, 35% of consumers will have begun their back-to-school shopping, up from 31% in 2022, per LTK. Sixty-two percent say they will have started before the end of July. Gen Zers heading to college will do their shopping in late July through early August.
An unlikely pairing: GNC is adding a new product line that targets which group of consumers?
GNC now carries CTRL’s line of food supplement products aimed at helping gamers embrace healthier dietary habits.
Time after time: True or false? Over half of North American consumers visit an app or website more than three times before making an online purchase.
True: 53.6% of consumers need to interact with a brand via an app or website over three times to make a purchase, according to a study by Moengage as reported by MediaPost. Only 7.2% buy the first time.
Buckling down: Which nonessential category are the most US consumers cutting back on due to inflation?
B) Bars and restaurants
C) Entertainment outside of the home
D) Household-related spending (renovations or appliances
Sixty-three percent of US consumers are cutting back on clothing spending, followed by bars and restaurants (62%), entertainment (58%), and household spending (over half), per a CNBC-Morning Consult survey.
Discount your blessings: How many digital coupons did The Kroger Co. shoppers redeem via the grocer’s mobile app in the first quarter?
A) 100 million
B) 130 million
C) 180 million
D) 200 million
Kroger chairman and CEO Rodney McMullen said digital coupon redemptions increased in Q1, while its digital sales grew 15%, as reported by Digital Commerce 360.
Baby, come back: What percentage of US consumers say that a prompt or reminder from a company would persuade them to return to an abandoned cart?
Consumers also said the primary reasons behind revisiting carts were offers to reduce the price or free shipping, according to an Adtaxi survey.


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Filed in Best Practices
Thursday, September 22, 2011
When it comes to outsourcing, most of us think of turning over warehousing or transportation to a third party to reduce operating costs. But outsourcing pallets can deliver the same benefits.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
As materials handling projects become more complex, end users are demanding more of their project managers, not just their systems.
IKEA’s new DC employs a global warehouse design and best practices to serve a growing regional market.
A new horizontal carousel system delivered a 100 percent increase in picking productivity with a 50 percent reduction in labor hours for Gardner Denver
Thursday, July 28, 2011
By updating the vertical lift modules in its aftermarket parts distribution area, Mazak increased productivity by 80%, reduced labor requirements by 44% and increased part numbers by 70%
At its new manufacturing plant and corporate headquarters, John B. Sanfilippo & Sons installed a warehouse management system to drive quality and productivity improvements.
Direct marketer Valpak’s new $220 million production and distribution facility in St. Petersburg is a hub of technology and automated materials handling.
Wednesday, June 08, 2011
The Yawkey Distribution Center of The Greater Boston Food Bank has received LEED silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, capping a years-long effort to transform the former Boston incinerator site into an example of environmental responsibility.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
A new cross-dock center can move 165,000 cases a day from the receiving dock to the shipping dock with 99.9% accuracy.
View all categories and topics
To expand its west coast capabilities, HoMedics created an automated order fulfillment system in partnership with a 3PL.


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Most restaurant operators in the US are looking at an uncertain future, though the curbs on people’s movements have been lifted in many areas. But it is a different story at fast-food chains like Domino’s Pizza, Inc. (NYSE: DPZ). The company has witnessed a spike in sales since the onset of the pandemic, mainly due to the shelter-in-place orders that brought a major shift in people’s eating-out habits.
After crossing the $400-mark for the first time, Domino’s stock will likely remain at the current levels in the coming weeks. As of now, the stock is a safe bet and most analysts believe it has good investment potential. The latest data shows the positive momentum is limited to the domestic market as the performance in overseas markets was affected by store closures and unfavorable exchange rates.
Comparable Sales Surge
A 16% comparable sales growth in the domestic market pushed up second-quarter revenues to $108 million, which also benefitted from a marked improvement in the supply chain as the company continued to add more stores. Meanwhile, the growth in global retail sales was partially offset by store closures. International same-store sales have grown consistently for more than a decade now. The key second-quarter numbers exceeded the market’s projection, continuing the recent trend.
In the U.S, the demand for pizza delivery surged to a record high during the shutdown as households found it more convenient to have their favorite fast-food brands, like Domino’s and Papa John’s (PZZA), home-delivered than eating out in restaurants. While it is an encouraging trend as far as the companies are concerned, the momentum might not be sustained once normalcy returns to the markets.
Tapping the Opportunity
Determined to make hay while the sun shines, Domino’s has made several digital enhancements and hired more employees in the past few months, while also innovating the menu. There will be continued efforts to leverage people’s desire to have their food served through contactless means and to convert new customers into active members by extending the loyalty program.
Recently, the company came out with customer-friendly options like car-side pickup, a delivery service that is considered to be safer and more convenient. It also launched a pizza registry for marriage events postponed due to the pandemic. The company opened 125 new stores in the second quarter, nearly three times more the number of outlets it closed during the period. In the U.S, digital channels account for nearly 75% of the sales.
Domino’s will soon be having a new finance head, with Jeffrey Lawrence deciding to retire as executive vice president and the chief financial officer later this year, ending his association with the company spanning about two decades. Lawrence will be serving as an advisor to the CEO until his successor is identified.
“During the pandemic, we continued to attract new customers for our brand while focusing on safety, convenience, and value. We also note that existing customers, many of whom are our best-in-class loyalty program, continue to order in larger order sizes… The accelerated levels of demand we saw during the middle of the quarter remained elevated through the end of the quarter with no discernible drop-off,” said Lawrence in his opening statement at the earnings conference call.
The virus-related selloff came at a time when Domino’s stock was at an all-time high, dragging it down to the pre-peak levels in early March. However, the slump was short-lived and the stock bounced back pretty quickly as the COVID-linked sales growth boosted investor sentiment. The shares hit a record high this week, crossing the $400-mark for the first time.
Visa Inc. (NYSE: V) reported first quarter 2023 earnings results today. Net revenues grew 12% year-over-year to $7.9 billion. GAAP net income rose 6% to $4.2 billion while EPS grew
Intel Corporation (NASDAQ: INTC) Thursday reported a decline in adjusted earnings and revenues for the fourth quarter. The semiconductor giant also provided guidance for the first quarter of 2023. Fourth-quarter
Shares of McCormick & Company Inc. (NYSE: MKC) were down over 5% on Thursday after the company missed expectations on its fourth quarter 2022 results and provided a lower-than-expected earnings


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Beshear Signs Car Credit Bill
Governor Steve Beshear held a signing ceremony today in Louisville for a bill aimed at making new automobiles more affordable for Kentuckians.The law reduces the total taxes paid on new cars by allowing the value of trade-ins to count against the ticket price of new vehicles. Or, as Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramson puts it…"If you buy a $25,000 car and you trade in a $10,000 car, the tax is only on the difference, which would be $15,000," he says. "It's a good savings."Beshear says he hopes the legislation will encourage Kentuckians to buy cars and spend the savings."We'll hopefully put some money in the pocket of our workers that they can then go out and spend in the economy or the grocery store, wherever they need to spend money and that'll start rippling through the economy," he says.The law takes effect on September 1st and will last for one year or until $25 million in tax savings has been realized.The bill-signing ceremony was held at Ford’s Kentucky Truck Plant.