2007'02.11.Sun
Zero36's Location-Based Filtering Technology Enables Implementing Mobile Gambling in Locations Where Gambling is Legal
January 09, 2007
LONDON, Jan. 9 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Zero36 (
http://www.z36.biz ), a leading developer and distributor
of Mobile Casino games, announced today that it has filed a
patent for its location-based filtering system technology
which enables legally accessing mobile casino games in
locations where gambling is legal.
The company's technology ensures that mobile network
carriers adhere to the established legal guidelines for
gambling while enabling land-based casinos to extend their
activities to the mobile market.
Zero36 currently has distribution agreements with many
leading mobile network carriers to market their games in a
non-gambling, play-for-fun mode. The company's technology
now enables mobile carriers to upgrade their game portfolio
and offer their users Zero36's mobile games in either
play-for-fun or play-for-real-money mode.
When mobile users are in an area where gambling is
restricted, they will only be able to play Zero36's mobile
casino games in the fun mode. But once they enter an area
where gambling is legally allowed and licensed, mobile
users will be able to play either the play-for-fun mode or
the play-for-real-money mode.
Zero36's future plans include partnering with
land-based casinos that are interested in extending their
brands and service into the mobile market. Upon receiving
regulatory approval to offer mobile gambling under the
land-based casino's license, the company's location-based
filtering technology would enable mobile gambling access in
locations where gambling is legal.
"With the entire industry seeking solutions which
support gambling's legal framework, Zero36 has developed
location-based filtering systems to enable mobile network
carriers to legally offer their customers mobile casino
games in locations where gambling is permitted," says
Zero36 CEO, Sharon Tal. "In mobile gambling, success
is achieved by combining a fun player experience with
superior technology and affective distribution. At Zero36,
we are using our technological proficiency and usability
experience to develop mobile gambling solutions that also
provide mobile network carriers with increased revenue
potential while upholding the industry's legal
framework."
About Zero36 Ltd.
Zero36 ( http://www.z36.biz ) is a leading developer
and distributor of mobile gambling solutions. With six
years mobile content experience, the Zero36 team
specializes in the development and publishing of more than
30 mobile casino applications delivered as stand-alone,
play for fun/prizes, and real money games (
http://www.zero36.com ). To support its applications,
Zero36 provides a mobile casino CRM system and is able to
offer a turn-key mobile gambling solution. Through
agreements with leading international mobile network
carriers, Zero36 reaches millions of WAP and i-mode users
worldwide.
For more information, please contact:
Zero36 Press Contacts:
Oasis Public Relations
Uriah Av-Ron
E-mail: uriah@oasis-pr.com
Tel: +972-50-7-427-087
SOURCE Zero36 Ltd.
PR
2007'02.11.Sun
Symbol Technologies Unveils Rugged Outdoor Access Point for Harsh Environments
January 08, 2007
Enterprise-Class Wireless Access Point Extends Enterprise
Mobility Beyond the Office Walls
CHICAGO, Jan. 8 /Xinhua-PRNewswire / -- PROMAT 2007
(Booth #4255) -- Symbol Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: SBL), The
Enterprise Mobility Company(TM), today unveiled the AP-5181
Access Point, a rugged enterprise-class access point
designed to securely and cost-effectively extend corporate
networks beyond the office walls, and withstand harsh
outdoor environments, providing real-time access for mobile
workers.
( Logo:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20041029/SYMBOLOGO )
The AP-5181 Access Point was specifically developed for
outdoor use and can withstand wind, rain, lightning, extreme
temperatures and power surges. An optional heavy-weather
mounting kit is designed to protect the AP-5181 Access
Point from windblown debris at velocities of up to 130
miles per hour. The dual-radio AP-5181 Access Point is
mesh-capable, allowing for the creation of self-assembling,
self-healing, flexible outdoor wireless networks that can be
easily-managed remotely with Symbol's Wireless Next
Generation (Wi-NG) architecture.
"Organizations are extending their wireless
network outside the office walls to provide real-time
access to business-critical information in harsh outdoor
environments such as material and shipping yards, loading
bay distribution centers, refinery sites and
airports," said Sujai Hajela, vice president and
general manager of Symbol's Wireless Infrastructure
Division. "The AP-5181 Access Point can be implemented
outdoors without the added cost of installing network cable
or fiber, and maintains enterprise-level network
protection, security and manageability needed to support
mobile applications."
The AP-5181 Access Point will be available with Symbol
On Site System Support services and Service from the Start
programs for multi-year coverage, and will be available
beginning in the first quarter of 2007 in select regions
through Symbol and its PartnerSelect partners.
To learn more about Symbol's wireless solutions, visit
http://www.symbol.com/wireless .
About Symbol Technologies
Symbol Technologies, Inc., The Enterprise Mobility
Company(TM), is a recognized worldwide leader in enterprise
mobility, delivering products and solutions that capture,
move and manage information in real time to and from the
point of business activity. Symbol enterprise mobility
solutions integrate advanced data capture products, radio
frequency identification technology, mobile computing
platforms, wireless infrastructure, mobility software and
world-class services programs. Symbol enterprise mobility
products and solutions are proven to increase workforce
productivity, reduce operating costs, drive operational
efficiencies and realize competitive advantages for the
world's leading companies. More information is available at
http://www.symbol.com .
For more information, please contact:
For media information:
Ed Tan
Symbol Technologies, Inc.
Tel: +1-408-421-5132
Email: ed.tan@symbol.com
Greg Wood
A&R Edelman for Symbol Technologies
Tel: +1-650-762-2838
Email: gwood@ar-edelman.com
For media information (EMEA):
Tony Patrick
Symbol Technologies, Inc.
Tel: +44-118-945-7427
Email: tony.patrick@symbol.com
For media information (APAC):
Susan Toh
Symbol Technologies, Inc.
Tel: +65-6796-9629
Email: susan.toh@symbol.com
For financial information:
Lori Chaitman/Nancy Coco
Symbol Technologies, Inc.
Tel: +1 631.738.5050
Email: lori.chaitman@symbol.com
For industry analyst information:
Shirley Schroedl
Symbol Technologies, Inc.
Tel: +1-631-738-4823
Email: shirley.schroedl@symbol.com
SOURCE Symbol Technologies, Inc.
2007'02.11.Sun
ANADIGICS' PA Powers Samsung's Blackjack(TM) Windows Mobile UMTS and HSDPA Smartphone
January 08, 2007
ANADIGICS' Shipping AWT6277 Power Amplifier to Samsung for
the World's Thinnest 3G Smartphone
WARREN, N.J., Jan. 8 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- ANADIGICS,
Inc. (Nasdaq: ANAD), a leading supplier of wireless and
broadband solutions, today announced that it is shipping
its AWT6277 HELP(TM) WCDMA power amplifier (PA) module for
the innovative Samsung SGH i600 smartphone. Specifically
designed to address the Europe and Asia/Pacific region, the
SGH i600 is aimed at the high growth 3G smartphone market.
Measuring only 11.8mm and weighing a mere 99g, the
Samsung SGH i600 is the world's thinnest 3G smartphone with
a full QWERTY key board. It blends the feature-rich, desktop
functionality of the Microsoft(R) Windows Mobile(R) 5.0
platform with multimedia capabilities to help people work
and play anywhere. The Samsung SGH i600 supports the HSDPA
network for faster data transfer speeds, as well as
seamless communications through high-speed connectivity
over Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.0 EDR. It is also the first
smartphone to support web applications such as podcasting
and RSS feeds.
"We are extremely pleased that Samsung Electronics
has selected ANADIGICS' best-in-class 3G WCDMA power
amplifier for the Blackjack(TM) smartphone," said Dr.
Bami Bastani, President and CEO of ANADIGICS.
"ANADIGICS' industry-leading WCDMA and EDGE power
amplifiers deliver excellent voice clarity and data
integrity, as well as improving talk time of 3G devices.
Our strong 3G product portfolio and strategic relationships
with tier-one manufacturers like Samsung continues to drive
ANADIGICS' share in the 3G market upward."
Specifically designed to meet the needs of feature rich
mobile handsets, the AWT6277 HELP(TM) WCDMA PA includes
ANADIGICS' High-Efficiency-at-Low-Power (HELP(TM))
technology which reduces WCDMA average power consumption by
50%. Selectable bias modes optimize efficiency for different
output power levels, providing outstanding efficiencies of
41% at +28.5 dBm and 21% at +16 dBm. Combined with low
leakage current in shutdown mode, the AWT6277 PA delivers
longer battery life and additional talk-time-two key
metrics for mobile handset designers. The self-contained 4
mm x 4 mm x 1.1 mm surface-mount PA incorporates matching
networks optimized for output power, efficiency, and
linearity in a 50 ohm system, which reduces device
footprint and the need for external components, making it
extremely well suited for super-thin designs. AWT6277
HELP(TM) PA is enabled by ANADIGICS' advanced
InGaP-Plus(TM) HBT technology which combines InGaP HBT
& pHEMT devices on the same die and delivers
state-of-the-art performance, reliability, temperature
stability, and ruggedness.
The ANADIGICS AWT6277 PA is available now. For
additional information, contact ANADIGICS by phone (908)
668-5000 or FAX (908) 668-5132 or visit the Company's Web
site at http://www.anadigics.com .
About Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. is a global leader in
semiconductor, telecommunication, digital media and digital
convergence technologies with 2005 parent company sales of
US$56.7 billion and net income of US $7.5 billion.
Employing approximately 128,000 people in over 90 offices
in 51 countries, the company consists of five main business
units: Digital Appliance Business, Digital Media Business,
LCD Business, Semiconductor Business and Telecommunication
Network Business. Recognized as one of the fastest growing
global brands, Samsung Electronics is a leading producer of
digital TVs, memory chips, mobile phones, and TFT-LCDs. For
more information, please visit http://www.samsung.com .
Blackjack(TM) is a Trademark of Samsung Electronics
Co., Ltd.
About ANADIGICS, Inc.
ANADIGICS, Inc. (Nasdaq: ANAD) designs and manufactures
radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC) solutions for
growing broadband and wireless communications markets. The
Company's innovative high frequency RFICs enable
manufacturers of communications equipment to enhance
overall system performance, and reduce manufacturing cost
and time to market. By utilizing state-of-the-art
manufacturing processes for its RFICs, ANADIGICS achieves
the high-volume and cost-effective products required by
leading companies in its targeted high-growth
communications markets. ANADIGICS was the first GaAs IC
manufacturer to receive ISO 9001 certification and is
certified to the ISO 9001:2000 and ISO 14001:1996 quality
standards.
HELP(TM) is a Trademark of ANADIGICS, Inc.
Safe Harbor Statement
Except for historical information contained herein,
this press release contains projections and other
forward-looking statements (as that term is defined in the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended). These
projections and forward-looking statements reflect the
Company's current views with respect to future events and
financial performance and can generally be identified as
such because the context of the statement will include
words such as "believe", "anticipate",
"expect", or words of similar import. Similarly,
statements that describe our future plans, objectives,
estimates or goals are forward-looking statements. No
assurances can be given, however, that these events will
occur or that these projections will be achieved and actual
results and developments could differ materially from those
projected as a result of certain factors. Important factors
that could cause actual results and developments to be
materially different from those expressed or implied by
such projections and forward-looking statements include
those factors detailed from time to time in our reports
filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission,
including the Company's annual report on Form 10-K for the
year ended December 31, 2004, and those discussed elsewhere
herein.
For more information, please contact:
Press:
Chuck Manners
Godfrey
Tel: +1-717-393-3831
Fax: +1-717-393-1403
Email: chuck@godfrey.com
Corporate Contact:
Jennifer Palella
ANADIGICS, Inc.
Tel: +1-908-412-5938
Fax: +1-908-412-5978
Email: jpalella@anadigics.com
Investor Relations:
Thomas Shields
ANADIGICS, Inc.
Tel: +1-908-412-5995
Email: tshields@anadigics.com
SOURCE ANADIGICS, Inc.
2007'02.11.Sun
NovaQuest Completes 16 Investments into Emerging Biotech Companies in 2006
January 08, 2007
Participates in Funding That Raises $342 Million Total to
Advance New Medicines
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C., Jan. 8
/Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- NovaQuest, the strategic partnering
group of Quintiles Transnational Corp., continues to be a
leader in providing funding, strategic expertise and
management services to emerging biotechnology companies
worldwide, forming 16 such alliances through its
investments in 2006.
NovaQuest participated as a minority investor in
funding rounds that raised a total of $342 million for
those companies; most of its emerging biotech investments
ranged from $1 million to $5 million.
All NovaQuest partnerships involve financial support
and strategic development or marketing expertise; many also
include product development or commercialization services
from Quintiles. During 2005, NovaQuest's eBio unit, which
is dedicated to serving the emerging biotech and
small-pharma market sector, invested in eight companies.
It doubled that number in 2006.
"Three things are driving the active global
biotech market that we're participating in," said C.G.
"Chip" Gillooly, Global Vice President of
NovaQuest's eBio unit. "First, biotech's continued
progress in developing promising new medicines. Second,
private capital markets continue to value these companies
more favorably than the global public equities markets,
thereby altering investor exit strategies. Third, the
value NovaQuest brings -- the experience and intellectual
capital necessary to advance experimental programs,
non-dilutive financing, alternatives to premature
out-licensing and access to Quintiles' global development
and commercialization resources.
"We believe NovaQuest is among the leaders in
biotech financing activity, and the only company combining
that with the development and commercialization expertise
available from Quintiles."
Quintiles Transnational Corp. is powering the next
generation of healthcare by providing a broad range of
professional services in drug development, financial
partnering and commercialization for the biotechnology and
healthcare industries. With 16,000 employees and offices in
more than 50 countries, it is focused on providing
customer-centric solutions that are the gold standard of
the industry. For more information, please visit the
company's Web site at http://www.qtrn.com .
NovaQuest, the strategic partnering group of Quintiles
Transnational, is an industry pioneer in offering tailored
financial and operational solutions that help
pharmaceutical and biotech companies overcome development
and commercialization challenges. Its unique managed
partnership approach ensures sponsorship by senior-level
executives; access to global development and commercial
resources and expertise; and efficient operational delivery
of services. Since 2000, NovaQuest has committed more than
$1.6 billion in "smart money" to alliances with
companies of all sizes. For more information, please visit
http://www.novaquest.com .
For more information, please contact:
Jay Johnson
Media Relations
Quintiles Transnational Corp.
Tel: +1-919-998-2000
Email: media.info@quintiles.com
Greg Connors
Investor Relations
Quintiles Transnational Corp.
Tel: +1-919-998-2000
Email: invest@quintiles.com
SOURCE Quintiles Transnational Corp.
2007'02.11.Sun
FTSE Xinhua Index Appoints New Managing Director
January 08, 2007
LONDON, HONG KONG & SHANGHAI, Jan. 8
/Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- FTSE Group and Xinhua Finance have
appointed Norman Yen as Managing Director of their joint
venture, FTSE Xinhua Index (FXI), effective December 15,
2006. Norman is to oversee the operations, sales and
marketing functions of FXI to further strengthen the index
provider's position of market leadership, as indicated by
its 46.8% market share among China equity index providers
for new fund issues in 2006 (Source: Wind Information; in
terms of number of funds benchmarking FXI).
Norman joins FXI from his most recent position as
Managing Director of SunGard China, based in Beijing, where
he was instrumental in firmly establishing the company's
operations in China. Previously, he was Principal at
PricewaterhouseCoopers, responsible for driving the
successful development of its financial consulting practice
in Asia, while undertaking a variety of consultancy projects
for Fortune 500 clients operating in the areas of finance,
banking, insurance and investment.
Based in Shanghai, Norman succeeds Zhu Shan, who was
the first Managing Director of FXI and who has been
promoted to another important position of COO within a
division of Xinhua Finance. As the first Managing Director
of FXI, Zhu Shan was pivotal in successfully growing the
business from a start-up company to its present status as
market leader among China equity index providers.
Commenting on the appointment, Chief Executive of FTSE
Group and Co-chairperson of FXI, Mr. Mark Makepeace said,
"Norman's management capability and seasoned
leadership in international business will be a great asset
to further develop FXI, both in China and overseas. He has
a strong track record of building important and long
lasting business relationships which will help fortify
FXI's leading position in the China marketplace."
Ms. Fredy Bush, CEO of Xinhua Finance and
Co-Chairperson of FXI, added, "We believe that, with
the solid foundation laid by Zhu Shan, Norman will be able
to drive our index business to another new height by taking
advantage of his strategic thinking and special expertise in
the financial sector. This new appointment accords well with
our continued commitment to providing domestic and
international investment communities with the best
investment tools and assisting with the ongoing growth of
China's capital market".
More information about FTSE Xinhua Index Ltd and its
product suite is available at http://www.ftsexinhua.com or
from the press offices below.
Notes to Editors
About FTSE Xinhua Index
Established in late 2000, FTSE Xinhua Index (FXI), a
joint venture between Xinhua Finance Limited and FTSE, came
into being to facilitate the creation of real-time indices
for the Chinese market. The indices can be used as a basis
for the trading of derivatives, index-tracking funds,
Exchange Traded Funds and as performance benchmarks. The
combination of FTSE's expertise in international indexing
with Xinhua Finance's strong presence and capabilities in
China creates a level of expertise in the Chinese market
that is unprecedented. Providing the combined coverage for
the Shanghai and Shenzhen exchanges, all of the FTSE Xinhua
indices are designed according to internationally proven
index methodology to ensure products are transparent, clear
and consistent. For daily data and further information,
please visit http://www.ftsexinhua.com .
About FTSE Group
FTSE Group is a world-leader in the creation and
management of indexes. With offices in Beijing, London,
Frankfurt, Hong Kong, Madrid, Paris, New York, San
Francisco, Boston, Shanghai and Tokyo, FTSE Group services
clients in 77 countries worldwide. It calculates and
manages the FTSE Global Equity Index Series, which includes
world-recognized indexes ranging from the FTSE All-World
Index, the FTSE4Good series and the FTSEurofirst Index
series, as well as domestic indexes such as the prestigious
FTSE 100. The company has collaborative arrangements with
the Athens, AMEX, Cyprus, Euronext, Johannesburg London,
Madrid, NASDAQ, Taiwan and Thailand exchanges, as well as
Nomura Securities, Hang Seng and Xinhua Finance of China.
FTSE also has a collaborative agreement with Dow Jones
Indexes to develop a single sector classification system
for global investors.
FTSE indexes are used extensively by investors
world-wide for investment analysis, performance
measurement, asset allocation, portfolio hedging and for
creating a wide range of index tracking funds. Independent
committees of senior fund managers, derivatives experts,
actuaries and other experienced practitioners review all
changes to the indexes to ensure that they are made
objectively and without bias. Real-time FTSE indexes are
calculated on systems managed by Reuters. Prices and FX
rates used are supplied by Reuters.
About Xinhua Finance Limited
Xinhua Finance Limited is China's unchallenged leader
in financial information and media, and is listed on the
Mothers board of the Tokyo Stock Exchange (symbol: 9399)
(OTC ADRs: XHFNY). Bridging China's financial markets and
the world, Xinhua Finance serves financial institutions,
corporations and re-distributors through four focused and
complementary service lines: Indices, Ratings, Financial
News and Investor Relations. Founded in November 1999, the
Company is headquartered in Shanghai with 20 news bureaus
and offices in 19 locations across Asia, Australia, North
America and Europe. For more information, please visit
http://www.xinhuafinance.com .
For more information, please contact:
Shanghai / Hong Kong
Joy Tsang
Xinhua Finance
Tel: +852-3196-3983
+86-21-6113-5999
+852-9486-4364
Email: joy.tsang@xinhuafinance.com
Beijing
Catherine Song
FTSE Xinhua Beijing office
Tel: +86-10-5864-5275
Email: catherine.song@xinhuafinance.com
Hong Kong
Meredith Blakemore
FTSE Group
Tel: +852-2230-5801
Email: meredith.blakemore@ftse.com
London
Sandra Steel
FTSE Group
Tel: +44-207-866-1821
Email: sandra.steel@ftse.com
SOURCE Xinhua FTSE Index
2007'02.11.Sun
Mercedes-Benz at the North American Auto Show 2007
January 08, 2007
BLUETEC, New AWD Technology and a Fascinating Luxury
Convertible That Dreams Are Made of
DETROIT, Jan. 8 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- At the North
American International Auto Show in Detroit, Mercedes-Benz
presented its broad range of all-wheel drive cars and SUVs
on a 7,250 sq. ft. (570 sq. meter ice rink). This year's
show celebrates two important centennials: the 100th
anniversary of the Detroit Auto Show, as well as the 100th
anniversary of the first all-wheel drive Mercedes
automobile. Other highlights of the Mercedes-Benz press
conference included the S-Class with the latest 4MATIC
all-wheel drive technology and the V8-powered "Vision
GL 420 BLUETEC" SUV concept vehicle, with which the
luxury brand continues its initiative for clean diesels in
the USA. As a high-point, the red carpet was rolled out for
the striking Concept Ocean Drive - a convertible that
revives the tradition of four dour luxury cars with an open
top.
( Photo:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070107/240302 )
"A hundred years after introducing our first
automobile with four-wheel drive, we offer one of the
largest ranges of four-wheel drive passenger cars and SUVs
on the market: 48 models in seven model series,"
explained Dr. Dieter Zetsche, CEO of DaimlerChrysler AG and
head of the Mercedes Car Group, at the kick-off of the
Mercedes-Benz press conference. The new star of the
four-wheel drive line-up from Stuttgart is the S-Class
4MATIC, the first model to be equipped with the high-tech
fourth generation of the Mercedes-Benz four-wheel drive
system. The new 4MATIC combines agility, comfort and
enhanced traction with considerably reduced fuel
consumption which is roughly (0.1 gallons / 0.4 litres)
more than that of a comparable model with rear-wheel drive.
This is partly due to a significant reduction of the
model's additional weight, which ranges between merely 145
to 154 lbs. (66-70 kg.), depending on the type of engine.
That's approximately 77 lbs. (35 kg.) less than its
predecessor or competing systems.
Mercedes-Benz' four-wheel drive models also include the
GL-Class, which was introduced last year and has established
itself in the USA as one of the three best-sellers in the
luxury full-size SUV segment. The leading U.S. automobile
magazine, "Motor Trend," named it the "SUV
of the Year 2007."
Vision GL 420 BLUETEC - another milestone of the
BLUETEC initiative
The Vision GL 420 BLUETEC concept car demonstrates that
BLUETEC(R) makes it possible for large and powerful vehicles
in particular to offer good fuel economy and the lowest
possible emission levels. The vehicle with the powerful V8
diesel engine delivers 216 kW (290 hp) and generates 700 Nm
(515 lb-ft) of torque, with an expected fuel consumption of
9.8 litres per 100 km (24 mpg). This impressive combination
of top performance, high torque, fuel efficiency and
impressive range makes all Mercedes-Benz BLUETEC(R) ideal
for the U.S. market.
"Thanks to our second-stage BLUETEC technology,
featuring AdBlue injection to eliminate more than 80 per
cent of the NOx emissions, this powerful, clean and
efficient engine complies with strict BIN 5
regulations," said Dr. Thomas Weber, head of
Development at DaimlerChrysler. "The same goes for the
three new V6 BLUETEC models - the R 320 BLUETEC, ML 320
BLUETEC and the GL 320 BLUETEC - we will launch in the U.S.
market in 2008."
Concept Ocean Drive concept car -- a look at the design
of tomorrow
With its luxury convertible Concept Ocean Drive,
Mercedes-Benz revives the tradition of large four door
convertibles. This striking concept car stands out thanks
to its elegant body design and head-turning appearance. Its
clearly defined lines and vibrant two-tone paint finish make
it exceptionally charismatic. Exotic materials and
uncompromising perfection make it a showpiece for today's
automobile connoisseurs.
The Concept Ocean Drive inspires automotive dreams -
but its purpose is also to reach out to customers and find
out how the public is reacting to new automotive ideas.
That supports the designers at Mercedes-Benz as they look
into the future, develop new design vocabularies and
implement them in coming vehicles. Apart from the four
doors, the distinguishing exterior features of the concept
car include a very large and upright radiator grille,
headlights and taillights featuring LED technology, its
two-tone paint finish and a striking interplay between taut
lines and large, restful surfaces. The Concept's dramatic
profile is enhanced by the deletion of traditional
B-pillars or window frames, ensuring a seamless continuity
of the exterior - even when the top is raised.
By virtue of its long wheelbase, the 12-cylinder
Mercedes-Benz S 600 was chosen as the technical basis of
the design study. The vehicle's special technical
highlights include an innovative soft-top mechanism with
smooth operation and fast closing times and the unrivalled
AIRSCARF neck-level heating system at all four seats, which
allows occupants to enjoy top-down motoring even in the
colder months of the year.
Internet site
More news from DaimlerChrysler at:
http://www.media.daimlerchrysler.com
For more information, please contact:
Norbert Giesen
Tel: +49-711-17-76422
Email: norbert.giesen@daimlerchrysler.com
Wolfgang Zanker
Tel: +49-711-17-75847
Email: wolfgang.zanker@daimlerchrysler.com
SOURCE DaimlerChrysler AG
2007'02.11.Sun
Global Executive Search Firm Heidrick & Struggles Extends Reach Into New Zealand
January 08, 2007
CHICAGO, Jan. 8 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Heidrick &
Struggles International, Inc. (Nasdaq: HSII), the world's
premier executive search and leadership consulting firm,
today announced its acquisition of RENTONJAMES, a privately
held boutique executive search and leadership consultancy
firm based in New Zealand. This is the second recent
acquisition for Heidrick & Struggles in the Asia
Pacific region; the firm acquired the Sydney team of
Highland Partners in October 2006.
The Australian and New Zealand economies are highly
integrated and the demand for executive search and related
services continues to grow in these markets. Following a
thorough market review, RENTONJAMES was identified as the
leading executive search firm in New Zealand. The strong
industry knowledge and experienced search partners, Simon
Monks and Garry Dick, will strengthen Heidrick &
Struggles' position in both the Australasia and Asia
Pacific region.
"With the demand for highly qualified senior
talent in fast developing sectors across Asia Pacific,
Heidrick & Struggles has consistently moved with our
client organizations into new markets. Our strategy is to
invest ahead of other executive search firms in opening new
offices and offering innovative leadership consulting
services," said Gerry Davis, regional managing
partner, Asia Pacific, at Heidrick & Struggles. "
RENTONJAMES has a close cultural fit and strategic
alignment with Heidrick & Struggles, and has exemplary
on-boarding and assessment capabilities. The acquisition of
RENTONJAMES will help extend our integrated capabilities and
service offerings in Asia Pacific."
Added Monks, partner, RENTONJAMES: "This
acquisition will provide RENTONJAMES with access to the
strong global network and brand power of Heidrick &
Struggles, and will further enhance our ability to better
service clients' needs both in executive search and
leadership advisory service. What will not change, however,
is our personal and ongoing commitment to a high touch,
consultative approach and service ethic. Our philosophy
will remain boutique and partner-driven, enhanced by our
local knowledge and the global reach of the Heidrick &
Struggles partnership."
About Heidrick & Struggles International, Inc.
Heidrick & Struggles International, Inc. is the
world's premier provider of senior-level executive search
and leadership consulting services, including talent
management, board building, executive on-boarding and
M&A effectiveness. For more than 50 years, we have
focused on quality service and built strong leadership
teams through our relationships with clients and
individuals worldwide. Today, Heidrick & Struggles
leadership experts operate from principal business centers
in North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia Pacific.
For more information about Heidrick & Struggles, please
visit http://www.heidrick.com .
For more information, please contact:
Eric Sodorff
Heidrick & Struggles
Tel: +1-312-496-1613
Email: esodorff@heidrick.com
Thomas Liddle
Heidrick & Struggles
Tel: +1-612-9876-4466 / 0407-987-172
Email: tliddle@heidrick.com
Jennifer Tow
Manifesto Ltd
Tel: +852-2526-1972
Email: Jennifer@manifest.com.hk
SOURCE Heidrick & Struggles International, Inc.
2007'02.11.Sun
AUO December 2006 Consolidated Revenues Totaled NT$28.2 Billion
January 08, 2007
HSINCHU, Taiwan, Jan. 8 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- AU
Optronics Corp. ("AUO" or the
"Company") (TAIEX: 2409; NYSE: AUO) today
announced preliminary consolidated December 2006 monthly
revenues of NT$28,182 million and unconsolidated revenues
totaled NT$28,150 million, decreasing 15.1% and 15.2%
respectively from last month. On a year-over-year
comparison, December 2006 consolidated and unconsolidated
revenues increased by 14.6% and 14.5% correspondingly.
Due to an early sign of controlling year-end inventory
from some of customers and the seasonality, shipments of
large-sized panels used in desktop monitor, notebook PC,
LCD TV and other applications, reached 5.04 million units,
a 12.8% decrease from November 2006. Shipments of small-
and
medium-sized panels totaled 7.20 million, a 12.4 %
sequential decrease due to seasonal demand.
Preliminary shipments of large-sized panels for the
fourth quarter reached 16.62 million, a 31.7% sequential
increase, while shipments for small- and medium-sized
panels also increased to total 24.48 million, a 17.7 %
sequential growth.
For the year ended December 31, 2006, unaudited
consolidated and unconsolidated revenue totaled NT$293,098
million and NT$293,028 million respectively, representing
34.8% and 34.9% Y-o-Y growth. Unit shipments increased by
59.1% for large-sized panels and 46.6% for small- and
medium-sized panels.
(a) Large-size refers to panels that are 10 inches and
above in diagonal
measurement while small- and medium-size refers to
those below 10
inches
Sales Report: (Unit: NT$ million)
Net Sales(1) (2) Consolidated(3)
Unconsolidated
December 2006 28,182
28,150
November 2006 33,185
33,178
M-o-M Growth (15.1%)
(15.2%)
December 2005 24,592
24,589
Y-o-Y Growth 14.6%
14.5%
Jan to Dec 2006 293,098
293,028
Jan to Dec 2005 217,388
217,295
Y-o-Y Growth 34.8%
34.9%
(1) All figures are prepared in accordance with
generally accepted
accounting principles in Taiwan.
(2) Monthly figures are unaudited, prepared by AU
Optronics Corp.
(3) Consolidated numbers include AU Optronics Corp., AU
Optronics (L)
Corporation, AU Optronics (Suzhou) Corporation, and
AU Optronics
(Shanghai) Corporation.
About AU Optronics
AU Optronics Corp. ("AUO") is one of the top
three largest manufacturers* of large-size thin film
transistor liquid crystal display panels
("TFT-LCD"), with approximately 20.7%* of global
market share with revenues of NT$217.4billion (US$6.75 bn)*
in 2005. TFT-LCD technology is currently the most widely
used flat panel display technology. Targeted for 40"+
sized LCD TV panels, AUO's new generation (7.5-generation)
fabrication facility production started mass production in
the fourth quarter of 2006. The Company currently operates
one 7.5-generation, two 6th-generation, four 5th-generation,
one 4th-generation, and four 3.5-generation TFT- LCD fabs,
in addition to eight module assembly facilities and the AUO
Technology Center specializes in new technology platform and
new product development. AUO is one of few top-tier TFT-LCD
manufacturers capable of offering a wide range of small- to
large- size (1.5"-46") TFT-LCD panels, which
enables it to offer a broad and diversified product
portfolio.
* As shown on DisplaySearch Quarterly Large-Area
TFT-LCD Shipment Report
dated November 2, 2006. (AUO market share =
pre-merger AUO market share
+ QDI market share). This data is used as reference
only and AUO does
not make any endorsement or representation in
connection therewith.
2005 year end revenue converted by an exchange rate
of NTD32.2039:USD1.
For more information, please contact:
Yawen Hsiao,
Corporate Communications Dept.
AU Optronics Corp.,
Tel: +886-3-500-8899 x3211
Fax: +886-3-577-2730
Email: yawen.hsiao@auo.com
SOURCE AU Optronics Corp.
2007'02.11.Sun
DBM and AS3 Companies Announce Global Partnership Agreement
January 08, 2007
PHILADELPHIA, Jan. 8 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- DBM, a
leading global outplacement, coaching, and career
management firm, and AS3 Companies today announce that AS3
has become a Global Partner of DBM to market and provide
services in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. The
agreement was effective January 1, 2007.
This agreement brings together two of the leaders in
outplacement, job transition, and career management
services. With similar business philosophies, quality
standards, and consulting approaches, the two companies
provide consistent and high quality value to customers and
candidates. The combination represents unmatched
capabilities for job transition and career services support
to organizations and individuals throughout Europe.
Robert Gasparini, Chairman and CEO of DBM, remarked
that, "This agreement is an important step for DBM in
its goal of expanding its global capabilities and providing
world-class services to its multinational customers. AS3
has a very strong presence in the Nordic region. I am
delighted that we have agreed to work so closely
together."
Paul Basile, President of DBM Europe, added that,
"AS3 is an outstanding company, one of the very best
in our industry, with a history of innovation and client
service not dissimilar to DBM's. We will share best
practices and provide leading-edge solutions throughout
Europe."
Allan Gross-Nielsen, CEO of AS3 Companies, commented:
"Professionalism is the key to success for our
clients, for our candidates, and for ourselves. We believe
the global partnership between DBM and AS3 Companies will
add tremendous value and professionalism to both our
organizations and to our clients and candidates. AS3 has
chosen to engage into the partnership due to the impressive
track record of DBM. For our clients and candidates a
global delivery system is crucial. Being a Global Partner
to DBM brings AS3 a step closer to completing our vision to
be the leading and most respected company within the Job
Transition Management industry in the Nordic
countries."
About DBM
DBM ( http://www.dbm.com ) is a leading global
outplacement, coaching, and career management firm
providing services to private and public companies,
not-for-profits and governments. When companies make
decisions that impact careers, DBM provides services to
support the organization, the employees who stay and the
employees who need to leave. DBM also help organizations
and leaders improve their performance through coaching. DBM
has a 40-year legacy of creating innovative best practice
solutions, most of which have become industry standards.
DBM has 200 locations around the globe serving 85 countries
and has partnered with 70 percent of the Fortune 500 and 80
percent of the Global 500 companies.
About AS3 Companies
AS3 Companies ( http://www.as3companies.dk ) was
founded in 1989. Today, with more than 40 offices
throughout Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland, and with
more than 200 employees and 250 certified consultants, AS3
is the market leader in the Nordic region for Job
Transition Management. The client list includes many of
the major national and international companies in the four
countries.
To AS3, support to organizations and people who are
experiencing changes in the workplace is a profession.
Therefore, a unique training unit was established in 1999.
At AS3 Academy all employees are certified in the concept
and the methodology as well as in values, beliefs and
topics related to job transitions. This ensures consistent
quality wherever service is delivered within the Nordic
Region.
For more information, please contact:
Paul Basile
DBM Europe
Tel: +33-6-72-73-83-91
Email: paul_basile@dbm.com
Jens Hankert, AS3
Tel: +45-82-10-00-00
Email: jdh@as3.dk
SOURCE DBM
2007'02.11.Sun
Euro RSCG Worldwide Proclaimed 2006 Global Agency of the Year by Industry Press in the US and UK
January 08, 2007
Euro RSCG's Key Talent Acquisitions Lead to Surge In
International New Business Wins and Creative Recognition
NEW YORK, Jan. 8 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Advertising Age
and Campaign, the top advertising trade publications in the
United States and United Kingdom, respectively, have both
pronounced Euro RSCG Worldwide to be the best global agency
in the industry.
Advertising Age announced today that Euro RSCG
Worldwide is the 2006 Global Agency of the Year. The
agency was selected based on a number of criteria,
including international business growth, thought leadership
and innovation by agency management, and creative and
effective marketing campaigns for their clients. Last
month, Campaign selected Euro RSCG Worldwide as its choice
for Advertising Network of the Year, also highlighting the
agency's strong leadership by its senior management, and
impressive streak of new business wins around the world.
"2006 was a terrific year for the agency and it is
extremely gratifying to be recognized by the media on both
sides of the Atlantic," said David Jones, Global CEO,
Euro RSCG Worldwide. "We believe that it's possible
for an agency to be both truly global and highly creative
and I think these accolades are support for that point of
view."
In the past 18 months, Euro RSCG Worldwide has
experienced $3 billion in new business growth in the form
of competitive new business pitches and existing business
expansions. The fall 2005 win of the global Jaguar account
started off a winning streak for Euro RSCG, which included
the global accounts for Veolia, Reckitt Benckiser, and
Sanofi-Aventis, as well as EDF Energy in France,
Alcatel-Lucent, Danone, Disney Theme Parks, LG, Harley
Davidson, and Dell. The Benefiber (Novartis) and Vivendi
accounts both expanded considerably, as well.
Jones continued: "I'd especially like to thank all
of our clients, as the awards are a reflection of the work
we've done in partnership, and our staff of 11,000 around
the world for their dedication and commitment."
To view or download Euro RSCG Worldwide 2007 press
materials, go to http://europress.eurorscg.com .
Euro RSCG Worldwide, a leading integrated marketing
communications agency and Advertising Age's 2006 Global
Agency of the Year, is made up of 233 offices located in 75
countries throughout Europe, North America, Latin America,
and Asia-Pacific. Euro RSCG provides advertising, marketing
services, corporate communications, and interactive
solutions to global, regional, and local clients. The
agency's client roster includes Airbus, Air France, BNP
Paribas, Capgemini, Charles Schwab, Danone Group, Diageo,
IBM, Jaguar, L'Oreal, LVMH Louis Vuitton, PSA Peugeot
Citroen, Reckitt Benckiser, sanofi-aventis,
Schering-Plough, Verizon, and Volvo. Headquartered in New
York, Euro RSCG Worldwide is the largest unit of Havas, a
world leader in communications (Euronext Paris SA:
HAV.PA).
For more information, please contact:
Jonathan Sanchez
Euro RSCG Worldwide
Tel: +1-646-206-4653
Email: jonathan.sanchez@eurorscg.com
SOURCE Euro RSCG Worldwide
2007'02.11.Sun
Alvarion and Accton Form Company to Develop Mass Market Consumer Devices for Wimax
January 08, 2007
Accton Wireless Broadband To Supply Carriers, Service
Providers And Other WiMAX Equipment Manufacturers
Worldwide
TEL AVIV, ISRAEL and TAIPEI, Taiwan, Jan. 8
/Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Alvarion Ltd. (Nasdaq: ALVR), the
world's leading provider of wireless broadband and WiMAX
solutions, and Accton Technology Corporation (TAIEX: 2345),
the Asian provider of networking and communications
equipment, today announced that together they have formed
Accton Wireless Broadband (AWB)-a new company based in
Taiwan-to develop mass market WiMAX consumer electronic
devices in order to complement Alvarion's WiMAX offerings
while facilitating the transition of WiMAX and Personal
Broadband services to worldwide availability.
AWB ( http://www.awbnetwork.com ) will be an
innovative, fast-moving organization designing and
developing high volume customer premises equipments (CPEs)
and other end user devices based on the 802.16e-2005 WiMAX
specifications, or what is commonly referred to as mobile
WiMAX. AWB will sell its devices to Alvarion to be part of
its Open WiMAX solution 4Motion which uses Best of Breed
systems, as well as other broadband wireless systems and
solutions to be delivered as part of their offerings to
carriers, service providers, and end-users worldwide.
Mass market consumer devices connecting to Open
WiMAX(TM) networks will be the standard technology for
business and personal users to access media centric
Personal Broadband telecommunications services including
voice, video, and data offerings. This cooperation
augments Alvarion's 4Motion(TM) Open WiMAX solution to
include a wide variety of industry-standard, WiMAX enabled
devices and customer-premise equipment while significantly
enhancing the number and types of self-installable and
outdoor WiMAX CPEs.
"This is a great opportunity to partner with one
of the biggest broadband wireless companies in the
world," said A.J. Huang, CEO of Accton Group.
"The combination of Alvarion's market leading core
technology and long deployment history with Accton's
research and development capabilities in wireless OEM
products will greatly accelerate the introduction of next
generation wireless broadband consumer products with
advanced features. We are extremely pleased to have the
opportunity to work with Alvarion in creating AWB, and in
driving it to being a leading company in WiMAX end user
devices."
With the formation of AWB, Accton is leveraging its IP
networking and communications equipment experience,
high-volume, cost-effective manufacturing, and vast working
knowledge of using strategic partnerships to design, develop
and manufacture innovative, leading-edge products. Alvarion
is contributing its experience from helping to lead the
development of the WiMAX specification and the development
of its own WiMAX products from the beginnings of the
industry, in addition to its current position as the
world's leading vendor of WiMAX equipment. Initially, AWB
will concentrate on the production of PCMCIA cards, indoor
self-installable, and outdoor Residential Gateways with an
expected release date in Q2 of 2007.
"Alvarion's core WiMAX expertise, experience and
strong sales channels combined with Accton's experience in
consumer electronics, innovation, and creativity will
propel AWB to becoming a world-class supplier of WiMAX
devices and CPEs," said Tzvika Friedman, chief
executive officer of Alvarion. "In addition, AWB
allows Alvarion to economically expand its leadership in
WiMAX CPEs as it transitions to a mass market, offering a
wider variety of innovative end user devices to our
customers. It is a strategic element of our 4Motion Open
WiMAX solution, as we continue to focus on building all the
element of the 4Motion solution."
According to a recent Maravedis market research, the
WiMAX and proprietary CPE equipment market will reach an
annual US$3.7 billion in 2012, rising from US$490 million
in 2006.
A catalyst for this venture is M-Taiwan, a government
initiative to create a mobile 'Ubiquitous Network' and
provide e-services throughout Taiwan. "The
establishment of this promising AWB joint venture is an
important industry endorsement of the M-Taiwan
initiative," said Ho Mei-Yueh, Minister without
portfolio, Taiwan Executive Yuan. "The winning
combination of Alvarion, the worldwide WiMAX leader, and
Accton, a leading IP device vendor in Asia, is strategic
for the WiMAX industry in creating strong synergies to
advance the creation of a worldwide WiMAX ecosystem while
being something that benefits Taiwan overall."
About Accton Technology Corporation
Accton Technology Corporation (TAIEX: 2345) is a global
premier provider of networking and communications solutions
for top tier networking, computer, and telecommunications
vendors. Leveraging its advanced software applications and
state-of-the-art ASIC, Accton collaborates with its
strategic partners to design, develop and manufacture
innovative, leading-edge technologies. The company's
constantly-evolving core technology, highly-qualified
employees and aggressive cost engineering make it possible
for Accton to deliver superior products that are as
affordable as they are robust. For more information about
Accton and its subsidiaries, visit http://www.accton.com .
About Alvarion
With more than 2 million units deployed in 150
countries, Alvarion is the world's leading provider of
innovative wireless network solutions enabling personal
broadband services to improve lifestyles and productivity
with portable and mobile data, VoIP, video and other
applications. Providing systems to carriers, ISPs and
private network operators, the company supplies solutions
in both developed and developing countries.
Leading the WiMAX revolution, Alvarion has the most
extensive deployments and proven product portfolio in the
industry covering the full range of frequency bands with
both fixed and mobile solutions. Alvarion's products enable
the delivery of business and residential broadband access,
corporate VPNs, toll quality telephony, mobile base station
feeding, hotspot coverage extension, community
interconnection, public safety communications, and mobile
voice and data. Alvarion works with several global OEM
providers and more than 200 local partners to support its
diverse global customer base in solving their last-mile
challenges.
As a wireless broadband pioneer, Alvarion has been
driving and delivering innovations for more than 10 years
from core technology developments to creating and promoting
industry standards. Leveraging its key roles in the IEEE
and HiperMAN standards committees and experience in
deploying OFDM-based systems, the Company's prominent work
in the WiMAX Forum(TM) is focused on increasing the
widespread adoption of standards-based products in the
wireless broadband market and leading the entire industry
to mobile WiMAX solutions. For more information, visit
Alvarion's World Wide Web site at http://www.alvarion.com
This press release contains forward-looking statements
within the meaning of the "safe harbor"
provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act
of 1995. These statements are based on the current
expectations or beliefs of Alvarion's management and are
subject to a number of factors and uncertainties that could
cause actual results to differ materially from those
described in the forward-looking statements. The following
factors, among others, could cause actual results to differ
materially from those described in the forward-looking
statements: inability to further identify, develop and
achieve success for new products, services and
technologies; increased competition and its effect on
pricing, spending, third-party relationships and revenues;
as well as the in ability to establish and maintain
relationships with commerce, advertising, marketing, and
technology providers and other risks detailed from time to
time in filings with the Securities and Exchange
Commission.
Information set forth in this press release pertaining
to third parties has not been independently verified by
Alvarion and is based solely on publicly available
information or on information provided to Alvarion by such
third parties for inclusion in this press release. The web
sites appearing in this press release are not and will not
be included or incorporated by reference in any filing made
by Alvarion with the Securities and Exchange Commission,
which this press release will be a part of.
You may request Alvarion's future press releases or a
complete Investor Kit by contacting Carmen Deville,
Investor Relations: carmen.deville@alvarion.com or
+1-650.314.2653.
For more information, please contact:
Investor Contacts:
Dafna Gruber, CFO
Tel: +1-972-3-645-6252
+1-650-314-2652
Email: dafna.gruber@alvarion.com
Carmen Deville
Tel: +650-314-2653
Email: carmen.deville@alvarion.com
Press Contacts:
In the U.S.: Heather Mills
Tel: +1-972-341-2512
Email: hmills@golinharris.com
In the U.K.: Bridget Fishleigh
Tel: +44-1273-305-936
Email: bridget@nomadcomms.com
SOURCE Accton Technology Corporation; Alvarion
2007'02.11.Sun
General Motors Has Record Year in Asia Pacific in 2006
January 08, 2007
-- Sales Top 1 Million Units for Second Consecutive Year
-- Market Share Surpasses 6% for First Time
SHANGHAI, China, Jan. 8 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- General
Motors Corp. announced today that its sales and market
share in Asia Pacific both reached new highs in 2006.
GM sold 1,254,615 vehicles in Asia Pacific, which was
an increase of 17.9 percent over 2005. It marked the
second consecutive year that regional sales topped 1
million units. This took GM's market share in Asia Pacific
to an estimated 6.4 percent, from 5.8 percent at the end of
the previous year.
"Our operations in China and Korea continued to
drive GM's vehicle sales in the world's fastest-growing
region," said Nick Reilly, GM Group Vice President and
President of GM Asia Pacific. "We benefited from a
positive reception for many of our new offerings, including
the VE Commodore in Australia, the Buick LaCrosse and
Chevrolet Lova in China, the GM Daewoo Winstorm and Tosca
in Korea, and the Chevrolet Aveo in India and
Thailand."
Rising Sales
In China, GM and its Shanghai GM and SAIC-GM-Wuling
joint ventures sold 876,747 vehicles, which represented an
increase of 31.8 percent over 2005. Shanghai GM sales rose
27.0 percent on a year-on-year basis to 413,367 units.
SAIC-GM-Wuling, GM's mini-vehicle joint venture, registered
sales growth of 36.5 percent to 460,155 vehicles. China
remained GM's second-largest global market in 2006,
following the United States.
GM Daewoo sales likewise remained strong in 2006. Its
sales in Korea rose 19.2 percent on an annual basis to
128,332 units. The Tosca sedan and Winstorm SUV accounted
for more than 36 percent of domestic sales. Exports of
complete vehicles and knockdown (KD) kits from Korea jumped
33.1 percent to 1,397,487 units. This was a GM record.
Despite a drop in sales to 146,502 units in 2006, GM
Holden remained Australia's number two seller of vehicles.
GM Holden received a boost from the launch of the
award-winning VE Commodore, Australia's single largest
vehicle program.
Thailand continued to lead the way for GM's growth in
ASEAN. Sales of GM's lineup of Chevrolet products totaled
29,727 units. For ASEAN as a whole, GM sales topped 38,000
vehicles in a market that was down overall.
In India, GM rolled out an unprecedented three new
Chevrolet vehicles (the Aveo, SRV and Aveo U-VA) in 2006.
Consumers responded, with GM's sales in India rising 15.4
percent year on year to 34,552 units.
New Investment in 2006
GM continued the expansion of its operations in Asia
Pacific in 2006. In May, GM Daewoo began regular
production at its diesel engine plant in Gunsan, Korea.
The diesel engine that it produces is powering both the
Winstorm and Tosca for sale in Korea and around the globe.
GM Daewoo also began operation of a new KD packing business
at Korea's Incheon Port that can pack and export 570,000
knockdown kits annually for assembly at GM facilities
worldwide.
In India, GM announced it would build a new vehicle
manufacturing plant in the state of Maharashtra that will
more than double GM's local production capacity when it
opens in 2008. The foundation stone was laid for the
facility and construction officially began on November 21.
To keep up with short-term demand, GM's manufacturing
facility in Gujarat, India, opened a new paint shop and
increased its annual manufacturing capacity to 85,000
units.
The GM Thailand Manufacturing Center in Rayong also
opened a new paint shop, while GM Holden completed an
upgrade of the Holden Vehicle Operations (HVO) plant in
Elizabeth, South Australia. In addition, GM signed an
agreement to form a new joint venture with DRB-HICOM for
the distribution of Chevrolet products in Malaysia.
New Products and Facilities in 2007
GM plans to continue to expand its vehicle lineup and
facilities in Asia Pacific in 2007. Among the new and
upgraded vehicles that are scheduled to reach consumers
this year are a Chevrolet mini-car in India, the Cadillac
SLS in China, and a diesel version of the GM Daewoo Lacetti
and a new state-of-the-art six-speed automatic transmission
in Korea.
GM Daewoo will complete its new automotive test track
in Incheon, Korea, by mid-year. Related R&D facilities
will follow over the next two to three years. In China,
SAIC-GM-Wuling is on schedule to open a new engine plant in
Liuzhou, Guangxi, in 2007.
"We are pleased with our growth over the past few
years in Asia Pacific," said Reilly. "By
expanding our manufacturing, engineering and design
capability, we are better able to meet the vastly different
needs of our customers across Asia Pacific. This is
enabling us to increase our presence in this highly
important region for General Motors."
General Motors began doing business in Asia Pacific in
1915 when it introduced Buick and Cadillac products to
Japanese consumers. Today, GM has automotive facilities
and sales operations in more than 15 countries. Its
regional headquarters is in Shanghai, China.
GM's broad product portfolio in Asia Pacific
encompasses the Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GM Daewoo,
Holden, HUMMER, Opel, Saab and Wuling brands. GM's
business interests in Asia Pacific go beyond cars and
trucks. They include GMAC, ACDelco and Allison
Transmission.
General Motors Corp. (NYSE: GM), the world's largest
automaker, has been the global industry sales leader for 75
years. Founded in 1908, GM today employs about 318,000
people around the world. With global headquarters in
Detroit, GM manufactures its cars and trucks in 33
countries. In 2005, 9.17 mill
2007'02.11.Sun
Alibaba Group Launches Business Software Company
January 08, 2007
Alisoft to Leverage Alibaba.com's Relationships with More
than 18 Million Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprises;
Web-Based Business Model a Breakthrough for China's
Software Industry
SHANGHAI, China, Jan. 8 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Alibaba
Group, a global e-commerce leader and the largest
e-commerce company in China, today announced the launch of
Alisoft, an online business software provider to be
established as a new company serving small and medium sized
enterprises (SMEs) in China. Alisoft, developed out of
Alibaba.com's e-commerce software centre, a project founded
in 2004 to create products tailored to SMEs engaged in
e-commerce, will initially target the 18 million SME users
of Alibaba.com's services.
"E-commerce has become much more than just an
additional sales channel for Chinese SMEs, it is the
driving force behind their entire business," said Jack
Ma, CEO of the Alibaba Group. "E-commerce is changing
the way companies do business, from communications, to
customer relationship management, to after sales services.
Alisoft will provide easy solutions for customers to
integrate e-commerce with their back-end systems."
SMEs represent a fast-growing segment of China's
software market as more companies realize the advantage of
using software applications to strengthen internal
management and business competitiveness.
However, among China's more than 40 million SMEs, it is
estimated that less than 10 per cent have adopted advanced
software applications, far lower than the average of 60 per
cent in the more mature western markets. Currently,
international software giants dominate the software market
in China but piracy issues have often made it difficult for
traditional software models to succeed. Alisoft's web based
software model overcomes the challenges of software piracy,
providing a sustainable business model while fostering
innovation in the business software industry.
"No other company understands SMEs and e-commerce
like Alibaba," said Oliver Wang, General Manager of
Alisoft. "We have used this knowledge to develop a
cost effective, simple web based product that Chinese SMEs
will embrace. Our relationships with more than 18 million
SMEs give us a great advantage to succeed."
Alisoft's online, on-demand business services can be
accessed through its website (Alisoft.com). It is
currently offering five different on-demand applications:
-- Customer relationship management (CRM)
-- Inventory management
-- Sales force management
-- Financial tools
-- Marketing information management
Alisoft's business software services come in three
editions: global trade, domestic China trade and individual
(C2C) trade.
Alisoft will also assume responsibility for the Alibaba
Group's real-time business communications tools. To grow
its leadership in this area, the Group's popular B2B and
C2C instant messaging services will be merged into one
service, under the name "Ali Wang Wang."
In less than one year of free testing, Alisoft's web
based software services have attracted more than 500,000
active users and more than three million registered users.
As a comparison, Salesforce.com, the current market leader
in on-demand business services, has around 500,000 paying
subscribers. Alisoft will begin to charge a fee for some
of its business software services in the first half of
2007.
Alisoft will become the fifth company in the Alibaba
Group. Other companies include: Alibaba.com, the world's
largest online B2B marketplace for global and domestic
China trade; Taobao, Asia's most popular e-commerce
website; Alipay, China's leading online payment service;
and Yahoo! China, a leading search engine and portal,
acquired from Yahoo! Inc. in October 2005. The combined
group now covers all five pillars of e-commerce: trust,
e-marketplace, search, payment and software.
About Alisoft
Alisoft is the only provider of easy to use, on-demand
business software services for small and medium enterprises
(SMEs) in China. It allows customers to access and manage
their CRM, inventory, sales, finance and marketing
information and communications tools anytime they need via
a simple website. Alisoft, a division of the Alibaba
Group, serves SMEs by seamlessly connecting e-commerce to
their back end business services.
About Alibaba Group
Alibaba Group is a global e-commerce leader and the
largest e-commerce company in China. It operates several
e-commerce platforms that connect individuals and
businesses from China and around the world. Alibaba makes
doing business easy, enabling an interactive community of
millions to meet, chat, search for products and trade
online.
For more information, please visit
http://www.alibaba.com
Media Contact
Christina Splinder
Alibaba Group
Tel: +86-10-6598-5281
Email: csplinder@alibaba-inc.com
SOURCE Alibaba Group
2007'02.11.Sun
GEECF / XETRA:GLI : Chinese Financiers Increase Funding for An Ji Project, to $40,000,000
January 08, 2007
NASSAU, Bahamas, Jan. 8 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Global
Environmental Energy Corp (Bahamas) (Trading Symbols:
Deutsche Bourse GLI (DE:GLI)- USA OTC Bulletin Board:
GEECF) subsidiary Biosphere Asia Pacific has partnered with
the Shing Tak Shun Tak Investment Co. Ltd., to finance
expanded projects in China.
The An Ji joint venture now financed by Shing Tak Shun
Tak will have a capital investment of approximately
$40,000,000, having been increased from $12,000,000 in the
short term thus allowing for the processing of 100,000
tonnes of MSW per year, as compared to the initial 40,000
tonnes target.
Biosphere Asia Pacific owns 51% of the joint venture
and revenue will be derived from initial system sales,
maintenance contracts and Biosphere's participation in the
operating profits of the joint venture. Additional ongoing
projected revenues received from tipping fees and the sale
of electricity generated is estimated to be $15.1 million
per year.
Global is a Bahamian Company publicly traded on stock
markets in Germany and the United States. Global maintains
a web site at http://www.gli-geecf.com . This press release
contains forward-looking information within the meaning of
Section 27A of the Securities Act of the 1933 and Section
21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and is subject
to the safe harbor created by those sections.
For more information, please contact:
Global
Tel: +1-242-323-0086
Email: global@coralwave.com
SOURCE Global Environmental Energy Corp
2007'02.11.Sun
General Motors Sells Record 876,747 Vehicles in China in 2006
January 08, 2007
-- Major Brands, Joint Ventures Reach New Highs
-- Market Share Climbs to Estimated 11.8%
SHANGHAI, China, Jan. 8 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- General
Motors Corp. announced today that it set new marks for
sales and market share in mainland China in 2006.
Buoyed by record demand for all six brands offered by
GM and its joint ventures, the automaker and its domestic
operations sold 876,747 vehicles in mainland China, which
was about 208,000 units more than in 2005. This
represented growth of 31.8 percent from 2005 and was ahead
of estimated industry growth of around 24 percent. It took
GM's market share in mainland China to an estimated 11.8
percent.
SAIC-GM-Wuling led the way, with sales of its family of
mini-vehicles rising 36.5 percent on an annual basis to
460,155 vehicles. Sales of products from Shanghai GM rose
26.8 percent on a year-on-year basis to 412,791 units.
"Vehicle sales continued to outpace most
projections as a result of unprecedented consumer demand
for passenger cars," said GM China Group President and
Managing Director Kevin Wale. "While demand was
particularly strong in the small car segment, nearly all
passenger car segments experienced growth.
"GM took advantage by introducing a series of new
products under all six of our brands sold locally, in the
process expanding what was already the broadest vehicle
lineup in the marketplace," Wale added.
Since 2002, when SAIC-GM-Wuling was formed, sales of GM
and its joint ventures have grown an average of 34.9 percent
annually and GM's market share has risen by 4.3 percentage
points. GM's local product lineup has grown as well, to
about 30 different models.
In 2006, sales of GM's flagship brand in China, Buick,
increased 24.9 percent on an annual basis to 304,230 units.
Buick benefited from new vehicles such as the LaCrosse
premium sedan which registered sales of 52,021 units in its
first year on the market. In addition, established products
such as the Excelle, Buick's best-selling model, and the
GL8, China's first family of executive wagons, enjoyed
continued strong sales.
GM's most popular global brand and its most affordable
passenger car brand in China also performed well.
Chevrolet sales topped 100,000 units for a second
consecutive year, rising 36.8 percent on an annual basis to
145,392 vehicles. The brand's best-selling model in China
in 2006 was the Spark mini-car built and marketed by
SAIC-GM-Wuling, which sold 40,015 units. It was followed
by the Lova small car from Shanghai GM, which sold 36,893
units in just its first year on the market.
Cadillac, GM's luxury nameplate, experienced growing
demand for its four products, the CTS premium sedan, SRX
medium luxury utility vehicle, XLR luxury roadster and new
Escalade luxury SUV. Cadillac began taking orders for the
new SLS luxury sedan, which was designed especially for
China and will go into production at Shanghai GM in the
first quarter of 2007.
The Wuling brand of mini-commercial vehicles and
minivans enjoyed sales growth of 35.4 percent in 2006 to
420,140 vehicles. The brand benefited from the ongoing
popularity of the Sunshine minivan, which accounted for
69.6 percent of total sales, and the unveiling of two new
products: the PSN crew cab pickup and Hong Tu minivan.
"In response to what we expect to be continued
double-digit market growth, GM and our joint ventures will
invest an average of US$1 billion per year in our domestic
operations through 2010," according to Wale.
"In 2007, we plan to roll out about 10 new and
upgraded products," he added. "Like the Buick
LaCrosse, Cadillac SLS and Chevrolet Lova, many of our new
offerings are being engineered for the local market by the
Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center (PATAC). Our aim is
to stay ahead in this critical market for General Motors by
offering local consumers the products and services that they
want when they want them."
General Motors Corp. (NYSE: GM), the world's largest
automaker, has been the global industry sales leader for 75
years. Founded in 1908, GM today employs about 318,000
people around the world. With global headquarters in
Detroit, GM manufactures its cars and trucks in 33
countries. In 2005, 9.17 million GM cars and trucks were
sold globally under the following brands: Buick, Cadillac,
Chevrolet, GMC, GM Daewoo, Holden, HUMMER, Opel, Pontiac,
Saab, Saturn and Vauxhall. GM operates one of the world's
leading finance companies, GMAC Financial Services, which
offers automotive, residential and commercial financing and
insurance. More information on GM can be found at
http://www.gm.com .
For more information, please contact:
Sophia Luan
General Motors China
Tel: +86-21-2898-7631
SOURCE GM
2007'02.11.Sun
sanofi pasteur Influenza Vaccine Production Tops 170 Million Doses in 2006
January 08, 2007
Record Production Capabilities Strengthen sanofi pasteur's
Global Leadership in the Fight Against Seasonal Influenza
and Place the Company at the Forefront of Pandemic
Readiness
LYON, France and SWIFTWATER, Pa., Jan. 8
/Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- sanofi pasteur, the vaccines
business of the sanofi-aventis Group (NYSE: SNY; EURONEXT:
SAN), announced that it completed production of more than
170 million doses of influenza vaccine in 2006.
sanofi pasteur confirmed its leadership as one of the
world's largest manufacturers of seasonal influenza
vaccine, supplying a very significant portion of the
estimated global production of about 350 million doses(1).
As the global influenza vaccine leader, sanofi pasteur
has been steadily increasing its manufacturing capacity.
Since 2003, capacity has increased by more than 40% in line
with the company's commitment to serve a central role in the
fight against a disease that causes between three and five
million cases of severe illness and between 300,000 and
500,000 estimated deaths every year around the world
according to the Word Health Organization(1).
In addition, sanofi pasteur's leadership position in
developing and producing influenza vaccines places the
company at the forefront of readiness against the threat of
pandemic influenza. The company is committed to producing as
many doses of sanofi pasteur's most advanced vaccine in the
shortest possible timeframe, should a pandemic be declared
by the world's health authorities.
"By producing a record number of doses of seasonal
influenza vaccine in 2006, sanofi pasteur demonstrates once
again its steadfast commitment to fight a serious disease
that affects the lives of millions of individuals each year
and heavily weighs upon public health systems
everywhere," said Jean-Francois Dehecq, Chairman and
CEO of sanofi-aventis. "sanofi pasteur's strong
industrial capabilities combined with a high-priority
pandemic influenza vaccine research program involving over
100 of our top scientists is enabling us to provide a
meaningful contribution to global pandemic
preparedness," added Mr. Dehecq.
Since 1995, sales volume of sanofi pasteur's influenza
virus vaccines has more than tripled. To keep pace with the
world's growing immunisation needs, sanofi pasteur has made
significant capital investments in influenza vaccine
production capabilities in the United States and France in
order to reach current levels of more than 170 million
doses.
In 2005, sanofi pasteur initiated a USD 160 million
investment in the United States for a new influenza vaccine
manufacturing facility, which is anticipated to double its
US production capacity. New production capacities are
planned to come online for the 2008/9 influenza season. A
EUR160 million investment, the largest capital investment
to date for sanofi pasteur in France, has also been
approved for a formulation and filling facility in sanofi
pasteur's Val de Reuil facility. The new
state-of-the-industry facility will boost sanofi pasteur
filling capabilities, thus significantly reducing time to
market for the vaccine.
Seasonal Influenza Overview
Influenza is a highly infectious virus that spreads
easily from person to person, primarily when an infected
individual coughs or sneezes. According to the World Health
Organization (WHO), 5-15% of the population is affected with
upper respiratory tract infections in annual influenza
epidemics. Hospitalisation and deaths mainly occur in
high-risk groups (elderly, chronically ill (people with
chronic conditions/illness). Although difficult to assess,
these annual epidemics are thought to result in between
three and five million cases of severe illness and between
300 000 and 500 000 deaths every year around the world(1).
Most deaths currently associated with influenza in
industrialised countries occur among the elderly over 65
years of age.
Pandemic Influenza Overview
Influenza is a disease caused by a highly infectious
virus that spreads easily from person to person, primarily
when an infected individual coughs or sneezes. An influenza
pandemic is a global epidemic of an especially virulent
virus, newly infectious for humans, and for which there is
no pre-existing immunity. This is why these pandemic
strains have such potential to cause severe morbidity and
mortality. According to the World Health Organization
(WHO), the next pandemic is likely to result in 1 to 2.3
million hospitalisations and 280,000 to 650,000 deaths in
industrialized nations alone. Its impact is expected to be
even more devastating in developing countries. In an
attempt to minimise the impact of a pandemic, many
countries are developing national and transnational plans
against an eventual influenza pandemic situation.
For information about sanofi pasteur pandemic
preparedness program, please visit:
http://www.sanofipasteur.com/pandemicpreparedness/
About sanofi-aventis
The sanofi-aventis Group is the world's third-largest
pharmaceutical company, ranking number one in Europe.
Backed by a world-class R&D organisation,
sanofi-aventis is developing leading positions in seven
major therapeutic areas: cardiovascular disease,
thrombosis, oncology, metabolic diseases, central nervous
system, internal medicine, and vaccines. The sanofi-aventis
Group is listed in Paris (EURONEXT: SAN) and in New York
(NYSE: SNY). For more information, please visit:
http://www.sanofi-aventis.com
sanofi pasteur, the vaccines business of the
sanofi-aventis Group, sold more than a billion doses of
vaccine in 2005, making it possible to protect more than
500 million people across the globe. The company offers the
broadest range of vaccines, providing protection against 20
bacterial and viral diseases. For more information, please
visit: http://www.sanofipasteur.com
Reference: 1.
http://www.who.int/vaccine_research/diseases/ari/en/print.html
Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements
as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act
of 1995. Forward-looking statements are statements that are
not historical facts. These statements include financial
projections and estimates and their underlying assumptions,
statements regarding plans, objectives and expectations with
respect to future events, operations, products and services,
and statements regarding future performance. Forward-looking
statements are generally identified by the words
"expect," "anticipates,"
"believes," "intends,"
"estimates," "plans" and similar
expressions. Although sanofi-aventis' management believes
that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking
statements are reasonable, investors are cautioned that
forward-looking information and statements are subject to
various risks and uncertainties, many of which are
difficult to predict and generally beyond the control of
sanofi-aventis, that could cause actual results and
developments to differ materially from those expressed in,
or implied or projected by, the forward-looking information
and statements. These risks and uncertainties include those
discussed or identified in the public filings with the SEC
and the AMF made by sanofi-aventis, including those listed
under "Risk Factors" and "Cautionary
Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements" in
sanofi-aventis' annual report on Form 20-F for the year
ended December 31, 2005. Other than as required by
applicable law, sanofi-aventis does not undertake any
obligation to update or revise any forward-looking
information or statements.
For more information, please contact:
sanofi pasteur
Pascal Barollier
International Media Relations
Tel: +33-4-37-37-51-41
Email: pascal.barollier@sanofipasteur.com
sanofi pasteur
Len Lavenda
US Media Relations
Tel: +1-570-839-4446
Email: len.lavenda@sanofipasteur.com
SOURCE sanofi pasteur
2007'02.11.Sun
Muhammad Ali's 65th Birthday on January 17, 2007; Send Your Personal Birthday Wish!
January 05, 2007
LOUISVILLE, Ky., Jan. 5 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Muhammad
Ali, who once said, "Old age is just a record of one's
whole life," will be turning 65 years young on January
17. Fans, friends, and admirers from around the world are
invited to help celebrate the life and legacy of Muhammad
Ali by sending him a personal birthday message during the
month of January. Participants are also encouraged to
contribute, in Muhammad's honor, a donation to the new
Muhammad Ali Center in his hometown of Louisville,
Kentucky.
Born Cassius Marcellus Clay in 1942, Ali's story is one
of inspiration: champion athlete, media icon, societal
symbol, United Nations Messenger of Peace, and a beacon of
hope to people around the globe for over four decades. Now
the public has a golden opportunity to express to Muhammad
some of the motivation, joy, and magic he has afforded them
over the years.
Visitors must use the form provided on the Ali Center's
website, http://www.alicenter.org , to submit their personal
message to be possibly publicly shared. All birthday wishes
will be compiled into a gift collection for Muhammad.
As a boxer, Ali brought unprecedented speed and grace
to his sport, while his charm and wit changed forever what
the public expected a champion to be. His accomplishments
in the ring were legendary. But over the years Muhammad
transcended from a boxing champion to a champion of
humanity.
He has hand-delivered food and medical supplies to the
Harapan Kita Hospital for Children in Jakarta, Indonesia,
the street children of Morocco, and an embargoed Cuba. He
has participated in goodwill missions in Afghanistan and
North Korea, helped secure the release of 15 US hostages in
Iraq, was special envoy to Africa, and sought the truth on
POWs and MIAs in Vietnam. At home, Ali has visited
countless soup kitchens and hospitals and assisted numerous
organizations and initiatives including: adoption agencies,
the Special Olympics, children infected with AIDS, and
Parkinson's research and treatment.
Since opening in November 2005, the Ali Center's
mission is to extend Muhammad's values of respect,
confidence, dedication, giving, hope, and understanding,
worldwide and to promote cross-cultural dialogue,
peacemaking, and conflict management while inspiring all
people to be as great as they can be. For more
information, visit http://www.alicenter.org .
For more information, please contact:
Jeanie Kahnke
The Muhammad Ali Center
Tel: +1-502-992-5301
Email: jkahnke@alicenter.org
SOURCE The Muhammad Ali Center
2007'02.11.Sun
CMP Technology Acquires Customer Contact Center Standard, Broadening its Global Reach by Entering Chinese Call Center Market
January 05, 2007
Leading U.S. Provider of Call Center Media, Events,
Training and Consulting Services, Strengthens Global
Footprint
MANHASSET, N.Y., Jan. 5 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- CMP
Technology, a targeted media and marketing solutions
company serving the builders, sellers and buyers of
technology worldwide, announced today that its
International Customer Management Institute (ICMI) has
acquired Beijing-based Customer Contact Center Standard
(CCCS), establishing CMP as the leading provider of call
center certification, media, events, training and
consulting services worldwide. Following on the
acquisition of ICMI in 2005, CCCS extends CMP's call center
management business into the exploding Chinese market. CCCS
provides service quality certification for Chinese call
centers, as well as call center training and consulting for
corporate clients. CCCS also publishes the monthly Customer
Service Review magazine and organizes the China Contact
Center Conference & Awards.
Call centers are growing at an estimated rate of 15
percent annually as government and commercial institutions
increase their responsiveness and efficiency in the
burgeoning Chinese economy. In addition, the World Expo
2008 in Shanghai and the 2008 Olympics in Beijing are
fueling growth of the service sector and customer contact
services. According to ICMI, approximately $485 billion is
spent annually to operate customer contact centers
worldwide; employing an estimated 18 million agents and 1.5
million managers.
"CCCS has been instrumental in the growth and
development of the call center industry in China. The
acquisition gives us tremendous reach into the Chinese call
center marketplace and extends our portfolio of services
into one of the fastest growing call center markets in the
world," said Paul Miller, President of CMP's
Technology Innovators Group. "We can now provide our
clients -- both end users and suppliers -- with a full
range of world-class services events, training,
certification programs, media services and consulting -- to
enable them to dramatically enhance this key segment of
their operations."
"The acquisition of CCCS was based on an ongoing
and already successful working relationship that dates back
even before the CMP acquisition of ICMI. We look forward to
applying our comprehensive and deep knowledge of all aspects
of call center operations -- built up over more than 20
years in the business -- to help fast track best practices
into Chinese market," added Brad Cleveland, President,
ICMI. Cleveland has an outstanding reputation in China,
having keynoted the April 2005 CCCS annual conference and
provided industry training to local executives. Linda
Harden, Director of Operations for ICMI, will oversee day
to day operations of the CCCS group from the US side to
insure a tight integration with the overall goals and
services objectives of ICMI.
About CMP Technology ( http://www.cmp.com )
CMP Technology is a marketing solutions company serving
the technology industry. Through its market-leading
portfolio of trusted information brands, CMP has earned the
confidence of more technology professionals than any other
media company. As a result, CMP is the premier provider of
access, insight and actionable programs designed to connect
sellers and buyers in ways that yield superior return on
investment. CMP Technology is a subsidiary of United
Business Media ( http://www.unitedbusinessmedia.com ), a
global provider of news distribution and specialist
information services with a market capitalization of more
than $3 billion.
About Customer Contact Center Standard (
http://www.cccs.com.cn )
Customer Contact Center Standard was founded as UBest
in 2003 as a consulting and certification firm. In 2005,
the company became CCCS and was recognized by China CRM
Committee (affiliated with Ministry of Information
Industry, PRC) as an authorized entity to provide China's
call center operation and call center professional
qualification standards. Mr. Guo Chengdong, founder and
head of CCCS, is a call center and customer service expert
in the Chinese market. Its main products include CCCS
Certification, Customer Service Review (a controlled
circulation monthly journal), training and consulting
services and an annual conference.
For more information, please contact:
Alix Raine
SVP Communications
CMP Technology
Tel: +1-516-562-7827
Email: araine@cmp.com
SOURCE CMP Technology
2007'02.11.Sun
Dr Margaret Chan Takes Office as Director-General of the World Health Organization
January 04, 2007
Impact on Health of Women and People in Africa to Be
Measure of Success
GENEVA, Jan. 4 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Dr Margaret Chan
of China today took office as Director-General of the World
Health Organization (WHO) following her election in
November. She pledged that her term of office and the
effectiveness of the Organization would be judged by the
impact they have on two specific populations.
(Logo:
http://www.xprn.com.cn:9080/xprn/sa/20061102095006-51.jpg
)
"I want my leadership to be judged by the impact
of our work on the health of two populations: women and the
people of Africa," Dr Chan said. "WHO has a long
history of commitment to those in greatest need, including
the most vulnerable groups."
Dr Chan has set out six priority areas on which she
intends to focus the work of WHO: development for health,
health security, building the capacity of health systems,
developing better information and knowledge, enhancing
partnerships and improving the performance of the
Organization.
Speaking to staff, Dr Chan said that the priorities she
has emphasized during and since her election will not mean a
major restructuring of WHO. She said she would be looking
for ways in which different parts of the Organization can
work better together. She told staff, "I will stick
with my promise. Reform, yes. Upheaval, no."
She took the opportunity to praise the work of Dr
Anders Nordstrom, who has been acting Director-General
since the sudden death of the former Director-General, Dr
Lee Jong wook, in May, 2006.
Dr Chan told staff, "I believe these are
optimistic times for health. Never before has our work
enjoyed such a high profile on the political agenda."
Dr Chan said one of the key challenges now facing WHO
is to "manage all this vigorous interest in health in
ways that ensure lasting improvements and do not overburden
recipient countries. ... As the acknowledged leader in
public health, we need to ensure that the growing number of
health initiatives meets comprehensive health needs, in a
coordinated way, in line with the priorities of countries
and their populations."
She also said that the period of transition would
continue until the end of 2007, with a key statement on her
vision for the Organization coming at the World Health
Assembly in May.
Dr Chan was appointed by the World Health Assembly in
November 2006. Her term of office will run until 30 June
2012.
For more information, please contact:
Iain Simpson
WHO Communications Department
Tel: +41-22-791-3215
Mobile: +41-79-475-5534
Email: simpsoni@who.int
WHO Medialine
Tel: +41-22-791-2222
Email: mediainquiries@who.int
SOURCE World Health Organization
2007'02.11.Sun
Achievo's CMMI Level 5 Certification Benefits Clients' Software and IT Projects
January 04, 2007
SAN RAMON, Calif. Jan. 4 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- January
3, 2007, Achievo(R) Corporation, the leading global software
and information technology outsourcing provider with a local
front-end and China back-end service model, announced it
received certification for CMMI Level 5. CMMI (Capability
Maturity Model(R) Integration) is a widely recognized
standard of best practices that address product development
and maintenance from initial concept through development,
delivery and maintenance.
(Logo:
http://211.154.41.99:9080/xprn/sa/200611291032.jpg )
The Capability Maturity Model (CMM) was developed by
the Software Engineering Institute at Carnegie Mellon
University to assess an organization against a scale of
five process maturity levels. Level 5, the highest ranking,
focuses on continually improving process performance through
incremental and innovative technological improvements.
"Delivering quality and excellence on every
project is a company value," said Robert P. Lee,
Achievo's chairman and CEO. "As a service provider,
our role is not simply to get a job done, but to work as a
strategic and collaborative partner with clients to help
them achieve their goals by reducing costs and getting
projects completed on schedule. Achieving CMMI Level 5
certification reinforces our commitment to quality,
innovation and productivity."
In addition to CMMI Level 5, Achievo has also earned
ISO 9001:2006 certification. Moreover, the company has
developed its own quality process, the Achievo Development
Process, which meets and exceeds the CMM standard and
provides a framework for successful, repeatable and
dependable results. By deploying this high quality process
since the company's inception, Achievo was able to qualify
for CMM certification quickly. CMMI Level 5 certification,
combined with Achievo's proven ability to merge a U.S.
management and technical team with software development in
China, positions Achievo as a leading global provider of IT
and software services.
"Everyday we demonstrate explicit and implicit
value to our clients' IT initiatives," added Dr. Lee.
"Receiving CMMI Level 5 certification is an
acknowledgement of the emphasis our management team has
placed on producing quality results for customers through
measurable, quantitative practices."
About Achievo
Achievo is a global offshore software and information
technology outsourcing provider with a local front-end and
China back-end service model. With expertise in diverse
technologies including Java/J2EE, .NET and embedded
platforms, the CMM-certified company offers improved
efficiencies, scale, diversification, and a combined talent
pool to deliver cost-effective, quality-centric, and
scalable IT outsourcing services to customers and partners
worldwide. Customers include IBM, HP, Sun Microsystems,
Netgear, Cadence, Accela, China Academy of Sciences,
DaimlerChrysler, Ellie Mae, ESRI, Audi, Fujitsu, Mercedes
Benz, Mitsubishi, Siemens, United Way, Hitachi, NEC,
Pioneer, NTT Data, Nomura and Toshiba. Headquartered in the
Silicon Valley, Achievo has offices in the United States,
Canada, Germany, Greater China and Japan. For information
on the company and its services, visit
http://www.achievo.com .
(C) 2007 Achievo Corporation. All rights reserved.
Achievo is a registered trademark of Achievo Corporation in
the United States and in other countries. All other
trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
For more information, please contact:
Jayme Curtis
Public Relations
Achievo Corporation
Tel: +1-408-892-8661
Email: jayme.curtis@achievo.com
SOURCE Achievo(R) Corporation
2007'02.11.Sun
Rising Japanese Artist Ayako Rokkaku Will Exhibit for the First Time in Europe; 18-22 April 2007
January 04, 2007
AMSTERDAM, Netherlands, Jan. 4 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ --
Ayako Rokkaku
Walkin' Around Clouds
" ... I want to keep drawing for as long as
possible."
The artist Ayako Rokkaku (1982) made this statement in
an interview at the Geisai art market in 2006 where she
participated with here own stand. Kaikai Kiki, the company
of the renowned Japanese pop artist Takashi Murakami
launched the Geisai art market to support cutting edge
upcoming Japanese artists. Rokkaku has won the Scout Prize
at Geisai # 4 and the prestigious Akio Goto Prize at Geisai
# 9. Geisai invited high profile industry experts such as
Francois Pinault, owner of auction house Christie's, and
the architect Tadao Ando who both took part of the panel of
judges for the ninth edition of the art market. Artist
Yoshimoto Nara and David Ellis formed a jury panel in
earlier editions of Geisai.
Ayako Rokkaku lives in Chiba-ken, a town situated in
the 'greater Tokyo' area. Rokkaku never attended art
school, here technique is self taught. She started to
paint in 2002 and has exhibited at many art fairs in Japan.
Rokkaku has mastered her own painting technique. She
applies the acrylic paint on the cardboard sheets with here
bare hands. The adolescent children, the main subject in
her work, are mostly illustrated from close-up. The long
arms and big eyes are made in the style of Japanese Anime
(Japanese for animation) which is emphasized by the use of
bright colours and simple details. Rokkaku does not place
the children in front of a background, which is not very
obvious at a first glance since the figures are portrayed
in various poses; sitting, running, lying. It is this
innocent portrait of dynamic refrained from details that
form the essence of Rokkaku's work. The power of her
direct approach to the canvas is optimal manifested in her
'performance paintings' which she creates live at art
fairs, as an audience of such a happening we get the chance
to be part of her world.
Ayako Rokkaku's work is shown at the Art Cologne, in
the gallery in Amsterdam from 3-27 February 2007 and at the
European Fine Art Fair in Maastricht.
Information and Photo material
For a photo:
http://www.perssupport.nl/Home/Persberichten/Actueel?itemId=88686
For more information, please contact:
Tel: +31-20-622-1295
Fax: +31-20-620-4130
Email: gallery.delaive@wxs.nl
Web site: http://www.delaive.com/press.htm
SOURCE Gallery Delaive
2007'02.11.Sun
Lynden International -- Kerry Logistics Expand Global Network
January 04, 2007
New Locations Give Joint Venture Company Worldwide
Coverage
SEATTLE, Jan. 4 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Lynden Air
Freight dba Lynden International and Kerry Logistics have
entered into a joint venture agreement to provide logistics
and forwarding services. The Seattle-based joint venture
company, "Kerry-Lynden," will be responsible for
marketing the JV worldwide.
In addition, Lynden International and Kerry Logistics
expanded their Asia and North American sales and operations
network Jan. 1 by adding more than 30 new locations. The
new service network, which includes Europe and India,
quadruples the number of Lynden-Kerry offices and offers
customers global coverage.
In 2006, Lynden International entered into an exclusive
contractual agreement with leading logistics provider Kerry
Freight International Limited, dba Kerry Logistics, to
combine sales and operating resources in North America and
Asia.
"This expansion is part of our ongoing strategy to
respond to customers needs," says Lynden International
President Dennis Patrick. "By providing service in
more locations worldwide, our customers can also expand
their own operations and services with the assurance that
we offer the same high-quality support in new geographic
areas."
"Our customers prefer to trade with a single
global entity instead of multiple agent partners, so we
have expanded into new major world markets like India to
further streamline their experience with us," says
Kerry Joint Managing Director Vincent Wong.
The Lynden-Kerry network now includes the following
locations: Greater China (The People's Republic of China,
Taiwan, Hong Kong SAR), South Korea, Philippines,
Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand,
Cambodia, Myanmar, India, United Kingdom, Belgium, the
Netherlands, France, Luxembourg, Germany, Austria,
Switzerland, Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, the
Slovak Republic, Bulgaria, Romania, Slovenia, Croatia,
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia and
Ukraine, as well as the U.S., Canada, Mexico and U.S.
Territories such as Puerto Rico and Guam.
Kerry-Lynden is a large third-party logistics (3PL)
provider offering customers a beginning-to-end product.
Services include supply chain management, including
contracted logistics, freight forwarding, warehousing,
transportation and distribution, a wide range of
information technology systems and other value-added
services and customized solutions. Kerry's resources
include warehouses, distribution centers, a seaport,
container yards, container freight stations and air cargo
and rail terminals distributed throughout 15 countries.
Lynden International is part of the Lynden family of
companies. Together, our combined asset and non-asset
based capabilities include worldwide air and ocean
forwarding, third party logistics, trade show shipping,
truckload and less-than-truckload transportation, scheduled
and charter barges, intermodal bulk chemical hauls,
scheduled and chartered Hercules L-382 cargo aircraft, and
multi-modal logistics.
For more information, please contact:
Dorene Kolb
Director of Sales & Marketing Support
Lynden Air Freight, Inc. -- http://www.laf.lynden.com
Tel: +1-206-777-4650
Email: dorene@lynden.com
SOURCE Lynden Air Freight, Inc.
2007'02.11.Sun
Gerresheimer Group Acquires European Market Leader for Medical Plastic Systems
January 03, 2007
-- With the Wilden Group Gerresheimer is Also Market
Leader for Plastic
Systems
-- Gerresheimer CEO Dr. Axel Herberg: 'A giant step in
our growth
strategy'
DUSSELDORF, Germany, Jan. 3 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- A
key chapter is added to the growth story of the
Gerresheimer Group. In the German company Wilden AG,
Gerresheimer acquires the European market leader for
pharmaceutical drug-delivery systems based on plastic.
"This marks a giant step in our strategy to generate
sustained growth through the acquisition of technology and
market leaders in the field of pharma packaging and
systems. Through the purchase which brings around EUR240m
of additional annual sales, Gerresheimer grows into a new
order of magnitude," says Gerresheimer CEO Dr. Axel
Herberg.
In Wilden, Gerresheimer acquires the market and
technology leader for innovative plastic systems. The
business comprises the divisions of "Medical Plastic
Systems" (pharmaceutics, diagnostics, medical
technology and consumer healthcare) and "Technical
Plastic Systems". The product segment of Medical
Plastic Systems accounts for two thirds of the total sales
of EUR240m. The Technical Plastic Systems Division
manufactures sophisticated injection-moulded products
mainly for the automobile industry.
The company has eight production plants and four joint
ventures with a total of more than 2,300 employees. The
main focus of marketing is on Europe; in addition, Wilden
is active in the USA, Mexico, China and the United Arab
Emirates.
"Through the takeover of Wilden we have acquired
the market, quality and technology leader in all its
product segments, which are characterised by highly dynamic
growth," Herberg comments on the acquisition, adding
with regard to the Gerresheimer Group: "This is a
quantum leap for us. Our pharma business in plastic
thereby grows into a new order of magnitude which gives us
a completely new positioning towards our customers."
Hans Wilden, who has run the family business together with
his brother Bert, comments: "In Gerresheimer we have
found a globally active and highly competitive partner with
which the company will develop outstandingly well."
For pharma products such as inhalation systems, Wilden
has for many years been an important and recognised
development partner for the worldwide pharmaceutics
industry. In addition, the company has a particularly good
performance record in the field of products for diabetes
diagnosis. It has a longstanding customer base among
globally active pharma and healthcare groups. Thanks to
its advanced technical expertise Wilden enjoys an excellent
reputation among its customers for quality, innovation and
reliability and is one of the leading full-service
providers from product development through to tool
manufacture and series production.
Following the acquisition of Wilden, the Gerresheimer
Group will in future comprise the four divisions of Tubular
Glass, Moulded Glass, Life Science Research und Plastic
Systems. The Group's sales volume will grow to more than
EUR900m. "Whether in North America, Europe or Asia we
will in future have leading market positions in all the
business sectors in which we are represented," Herberg
stresses. "High technical entry barriers will in
future secure this competitive position," he adds.
For around a year now the Gerresheimer Group has been
making its presence felt through targeted acquisitions. In
the USA, Europe and China, a series of market-leader
companies have been acquired in order to expand the
Gerresheimer product portfolio and establish a wider
international base. Three quarters of sales are today
already achieved with pharma/life-science customers.
As a result of the purchase of Wilden AG the
Gerresheimer Group will in future have more than 31
production plants in America, Europe and Asia with a
worldwide total of 8,500 employees.
Note to Editors
You can request photos on this topic via our homepage.
If required, we can also send you high-resolution data.
Reprint free of charge. Please send specimen copy to
Gerresheimer.
Gerresheimer ranks among the leading international
manufacturers of packaging based on glass and plastic,
particularly for the segments of pharmaceutics and
cosmetics. The Group has 31 production plants in Europe,
America and Asia and employs 8,500 people. Further
information under http://www.gerresheimer.com .
For more information, please contact:
Burkhard Lingenberg, Director Corporate PR &
Marketing
Gerresheimer Group GmbH
Benrather Strasse 18 - 20
40213 Dusseldorf
Germany
Tel: +49-211-61-81-251
Fax: +49-211-61-81-241
Email: b.lingenberg@gerresheimer.com
Web site: http://www.gerresheimer.com
SOURCE Gerresheimer Group
2007'02.11.Sun
Euro RSCG Worldwide is Campaign's 2006 Advertising Network of the Year
January 03, 2007
Agency Management Praised for Swift, Sweeping Turnaround of
World's Largest Global Agency Network
NEW YORK, Jan. 3 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- For the first
time in the agency's history, Euro RSCG Worldwide has been
named "Advertising Network of the Year," by
Campaign, one of the top and most respected advertising
trade publications in the U.K. as well as the world. The
agency was praised for its agency management -- and its
impressive streak of new business wins around the world.
"It is an honor to be recognized by one of the
advertising industry's most prestigious publications. It's
a fantastic testament to the hard work of our 10,000-member
staff globally and to our having become one of the world's
largest and most creative agencies," said David Jones,
Global CEO, Euro RSCG Worldwide.
Over the past 18 months, Euro RSCG Worldwide has
experienced, US$3 billion in new business growth in the
form of competitive new business pitches and existing
business expansions. The 2005 wins of the global Jaguar
account and the Charles Schwab business began a winning
streak for Euro RSCG that included the global accounts for
Reckitt Benckiser, Veolia, and sanofi-aventis (which
quickly became one of the agency's top three clients), in
addition to EDF Energy in France, Alcatel-Lucent, Danone,
Disney Theme Parks, LG, Harley-Davidson, and Dell. The
Novartis, Schering-Plough, and Vivendi accounts all
expanded considerably, as well.
"It is rewarding to see our industry peers and the
media acknowledge our successes," concurred Mercedes
Erra, Executive Co-Chairman, Euro RSCG Worldwide.
"Our goal is to get our clients to the future first;
we must continue on our ever-evolving quest for the next
big idea that will propel our clients' brands, and our
agency, forward."
The Future First initiative is Euro RSCG Worldwide's
commitment to focusing on consumer needs in the future and
predicting trends, as opposed to merely following the
current conventional wisdom.
Euro RSCG was yet again represented in the list of the
world's top ten most awarded TV commercials according to
the P&G-sponsored Gunn Report. This is the fourth
consecutive year that Euro has achieved that honor, making
them one of only two agencies to have appeared on the list
every year.
"It's a great way to end the year," said
Stephane Fouks, Executive Co-Chairman, Euro RSCG Worldwide,
"and an indicator of the things that we want to deliver
next year."
Euro RSCG Worldwide, a leading integrated marketing
communications agency, is made up of 233 offices located in
75 countries throughout Europe, North America, Latin
America, and Asia Pacific. Euro RSCG provides advertising,
marketing services, corporate communications, and
interactive solutions to global, regional, and local
clients. The agency's client roster includes Airbus, Air
France, BNP Paribas, Capgemini, Charles Schwab, Danone
Group, Diageo, IBM, Jaguar, L'Oreal, LVMH Louis Vuitton,
PSA Peugeot Citroen, Reckitt Benckiser, sanofi-aventis,
Schering-Plough, Verizon, and Volvo. Headquartered in New
York, Euro RSCG Worldwide is the largest unit of Havas, a
world leader in communications (Euronext Paris SA: HAV.PA).
For more information, please contact:
Jonathan Sanchez
Euro RSCG Worldwide
Tel: +1-646-206-4653
Email: jonathan.sanchez@eurorscg.com
SOURCE Euro RSCG Worldwide
2007'02.11.Sun
EurOrient Financial Group: New Year's Message to the Peoples of the World
January 02, 2007
LOS ANGELES, Jan. 2 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- The
beginning of the 7th year to millennium's arrival is also
delivering opportunity: a reminder to reflect, as well as
look ahead. In this New Year's message to the peoples of
the world, The Chairman of the Board of Director of
EurOrient Financial Group ("EurOrient"), Mr. Ron
Nechemia encouraged by the solidarity and the shared aims
of World Organizations and the commitment to combating
terrorism and weapons of mass destruction, but called on
global leaders not to lose sight of a greater challenge of
this millennium, the war on poverty. "Without
development and hope," he noted, "there will be
no peace."
We have seen wars in the Middle East and in Central
Asia that depend divisions among nations, about grave
issues of war and peace. These events have distracted the
world's leaders from dealing with other threats -- threats
which, to most people, are more immediate, and more real:
Threats of extreme poverty and hunger, unsafe drinking
water, environmental degradation, and endemic or infectious
disease.
These dangers stalk large parts of our planet.
They kill millions and millions of people every year.
They destroy societies.
They fuel division and desperation.
After years of wars and division, it's time to refocus
more of our energy and resources back on the Millennium
Development Goals in support of people's health and
welfare.
It's time to make sure that poor countries have a real
opportunity to develop.
And it's time we take decisive action to save the
resources of our planet.
Yes, we have to fight terrorism. Yes, we must prevent
the spread of deadly weapons.
But let's also say Yes to development. Let's bring hope
into the lives of those who suffer.
We don't need any more promises. We need to start
keeping the promises we already made.
Without development and hope, there will be no peace.
Just about seven years ago, at the Millennium Summit,
leaders of all nations pledged to provide that hope. They
set themselves precise, time-bound targets -- the
Millennium Development Goals. To meet these goals would
cost only a fraction of what our world spends on weapons of
war. Yet it would bring hope to billions, and greater
security to us all. But in 2006 we did not live up to these
promises. We let ourselves be swept along by the tide of war
and division. Mr. Nechemia stressed that very few countries
are on track to reach all eight Millennium Development
Goals (MDGs), which seek to slash a host of social ills
such as extreme poverty, hunger, maternal and infant
mortality, and a lack of access to education by 2015.
New Year's resolution
During the fiscal year 2007, EurOrient Financial Group
aims to give a major boost to the efforts to support the
Millennium Development Goals, to provide a chance to
advance the broader development agenda and the larger
challenges of development that confront us, in particular,
the core issues like environmental degradations, enhancing
development impact to support of economic and social
development, and mobilizations of financial, technical and
human resources to the less fortunate countries, and
particularly to low-income countries.
The three pillars of EurOrient's New Year's resolution
are:
Improve Social Policy integration and coherence of
social dimensions to investment operation in support of the
Millennium Development Goals. EurOrient Financial Group
committed to continue its pathfinder role of identifying
and evaluating emerging policy issues and developing new
policy concepts and approaches in areas where the EurOrient
has comparative advantage. Deepened social cohesion is a
central objective for sustainable development.
Improve Environmental Policy integration and coherence
of environmental considerations to investment operation in
support of the Millennium Development Goals. EurOrient's
Environmental Policy aims to enhance Sustainable
Development Policy framework for better integrating
economic, environmental and social objectives, and
decoupling economic growth from a range of environmental
pressures. EurOrient emphasizes on the need for sound
analysis based on strong science that considers the full
range of policy instruments and associated costs and
benefits. EurOrient will adopt and comply with the
"Equator Principles", which were established
according to the policy and guidance of IFC and World Bank,
are now becoming the financial industry benchmark for
determining, assessing and managing social and
environmental risk in project financing and other
safeguards measures.
Mobilizations of financial, technical and human
resources to the less fortunate countries and particularly
to the low-income countries. EurOrient Financial Group is
committed to expend operation to the benefit of all, and
ensuring that the poorest are not left behind. EurOrient
aims to expend its global operation and to establish
additional 4 new Resident Missions and Representative
Offices in low-income countries during the fiscal year 2007
(Resident Missions and Representative Offices are
EurOrient's offices located in developing economies).
EurOrient Financial Group is well placed and firmly
committed to contribute to this historical endeavour, the
Millennium Summit. Building on the spirit of Sao Paulo --
the outcomes of the UNCTAD XI Conference held in June 2004
- EurOrient invests in projects and programs that promote
social development, builds human capacities, and addresses
host government priorities for investments in physical
infrastructure that promote and enhance social development.
These projects include roads, transportation systems, water,
sanitation and other types of investments with social
development outcomes such as improved quality of life and
increased human knowledge and skills - directly feed into
the Millennium agenda, in particular Millennium Development
Goal 8 on a global partnership for development. EurOrient
places emphasis on addressing the concerns of developing
and transition economies and in particularly EurOrient is
poised to support the least developed countries, reflecting
the moral commitment of the international community as a
whole to improving the fate of the most vulnerable and the
excluded. In these endeavours we work closely with
government policy makers and their representatives, at the
United Nations, United Nations Conference on Trade and
Development "UNCTAD", the Organization for
Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD),
parliamentarians, civil society, the academic community,
the media, and the global citizenry generally.
EurOrient Financial Group is a private sector global
development finance institution. Its mission is to mobilize
financial, technical and human resources for the benefit of
developing economies seeking sustainable economic
development and poverty reduction.
Let's all make refocus on development our New Year's
resolution - and I wish you a very Happy New Year!
On behalf of my colleagues at EurOrient Financial
Group, I extend my sincere wishes for a productive,
development-oriented 2007!
Ron Nechemia, Officer-in-Charge, EurOrient Financial
Group
EurOrient at Glance
Headquarters: Los Angeles, California
Website: http://www.eurorient.org
CEO: Mr. Ron Nechemia
EurOrient Financial Group
Contact: mediacenter@eurorient.com
For more information, please contact:
Public Relations Department
Tel: +1-818-392-8144
Email: mediacenter@eurorient.org or
meidacenter@eurorient.com
SOURCE EurOrient Financial Group
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