Category Archives: PR Newswire

PR Newswire

RÉDUIT’s Haircare System Tops Trending Lists Less Than a Month After Launch

Leave a comment

The RÉDUIT One and Hairpods™, which utilize proprietary micro-misting technology, have outpaced some of the hottest beauty gadgets out there.

NEUCHÂTEL, Switzerland, June 11, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — RÉDUIT’s products, the RÉDUIT One applicator and their line of Hairpods™ haircare treatments, have stormed to the no. 2 position on TrendHunter.com‘s “Top 100 Gadget Trends in June 2020” list on June 10th, leaving behind a bunch of world-renowned brands like Microsoft, Intel, Samsung, Nintendo.

RÉDUIT Shine Diffusion Hairpods(TM) - infuse hair with a lustrous shine in just seconds
RÉDUIT Shine Diffusion Hairpods(TM) – infuse hair with a lustrous shine in just seconds

TrendHunter is the world’s largest trend community, with more than 20,000,000 monthly views. Known for leveraging big data, researchers, and AI to identify consumer insights, they actively seek out the world’s most innovative companies and ideas. The trend experts gave RÉDUIT’s products a rating of 9.8 out of 10, and wrote, “RÉDUIT offers products […] which have the potential to transform the way people apply their hair products.”

RÉDUIT is on a mission to deliver smarter, superior, and more sustainable beauty concepts, without the usual compromise on quality or innovation. The RÉDUIT One device and Hairpods™ form a comprehensive haircare delivery system that enhances the application of proven haircare ingredients with never-seen-before efficiency in the haircare industry. The system relies on proprietary magnetic-misting technology to improve both application and absorption in haircare treatments. Hairpods™ are pre-packed formulations free of unnecessary ingredients usually used as fillers, thickeners or stabilizers, which allow for 38 times better performances while creating less waste.

“This is an important milestone, as it shows that a beauty product can be as exciting as the world’s best gadgets from the top brands. Trend data validates our view that beauty devices are no longer regarded as accessories.  They are now seen as necessities that make our lives easier, our beauty routines more efficient, and deliver performance that far exceeds manual application” says Paul Peros, the CEO of RÉDUIT.

This news comes in the wake of a number of recent initiatives and accomplishments on the part of the company, including the announcement of an ambitious 20:20 launch campaign, where a new product will be released every week for 20 weeks.

RÉDUIT has recently won the Best Special Innovation award at the Pure Beauty Global Awards 2020 for their Hairpods™ line.  To learn more about RÉDUIT, visit their website at www.reduit.com.

About RÉDUIT:

In French ‘Réduit’ means ‘reduced’. We reduce packaging. Amplify results. Reduce time. Amplify efficacy. Reduce steps. Amplify beauty.

RÉDUIT was created with one vision: to revolutionize the everyday beauty routine.  We started in Neuchâtel, Switzerland, with the dream of creating truly superior beauty products. From performance to sustainability and user-friendliness, we design products that truly elevate the everyday.

Set on raising the bar for professional and at-home beauty solutions that deliver on one simple promise: enhancing the results and experience while reducing the unnecessary.

For more information on RÉDUIT, visit our Media Center (https://reduit.com/media/), or contact us directly at media@reduit.com

Photo – https://techent.tv/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/reduits-haircare-system-tops-trending-lists-less-than-a-month-after-launch-1.jpg  
Logo – https://techent.tv/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/reduits-haircare-system-tops-trending-lists-less-than-a-month-after-launch.jpg

PR Newswire

Infosys Launches ‘Return to Workplace’ Solutions to Help Enterprises Build Safe, Nurturing and Resilient Workplaces

Leave a comment

BENGALURU, India, June 11, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Infosys (NYSE: INFY), the global leader in next-generation digital services and consulting, today announced the launch of its enterprise-grade ‘Return to Workplace’ solutions to help clients ensure safety and wellness of their employees as they adapt to new ways of working amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The cloud and edge-based solutions offer a comprehensive framework that enables enterprises to implement:

  • Elevated Body Temperature (EBT) screening – Leverages automation and AI on Edge to help enterprises screen their workforce or visitors in real-time for possible infection to isolate them and prevent them from entering the establishment.
  • Contact Tracing – Redefining the contact tracing category using proven technologies like GPS and BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) to provide completely voluntary and Opt-In basis for building traceability.
  • Mask Compliance / Social Distancing Compliance – Video analytics algorithms to provide alerts when masks are not detected, or the distance between people walking together or gathering at a place is not sufficient. Smart wearables can also be incorporated based on the specific situations.
  • COVID-19 Chatbot – An AI-powered Digital Assistant solution to help answer employee queries related to return to work scenarios
  • Contactless biometrics – Ensures employees and visitors enter workplaces in a safe manner
  • Occupancy and workspace analytics – To help real estate teams track metrics on floor occupancy, density and automate sanitation routines in common areas. Contactless elevator workflows, HVAC refresh cycles and many more solutions towards ongoing workplace wellbeing.

These solutions do not collect any Personally Identifiable Information (PII) and use the power of AI, IOTVision Analytics, Edge Computing, 5G, RFID, Biometrics and Gesture controls to reduce the need for human intervention and enable data-driven decision making. The underlying platform ensures ease of maintenance and compliance reporting as required in various geographies.

Nitesh Bansal, SVP and Head- Engineering Services, Infosys, said, “The future of work will demand innovative solutions that enterprises can deploy rapidly, and at scale to ensure safety of their workforce while at the same time nurture collaboration and productivity. We are pleased to launch our ‘Return to Workplace’ offering that is aimed at positively impacting the re-opening of workspaces in a seamless, automated, and systematic manner. We are implementing some of these solutions, starting with EBT checks, across five million sq. ft. of our own office spaces as we prepare for 20,000 Infosys employees to return to their workplaces in a phased manner. We are confident that these solutions will reassure enterprises and employees that their workplaces are safe, collaborative, yet non-intrusive.”

These solutions adhere to data privacy standards and practices with FDA, FCC, ISO, and IEC compliance.

Mukesh Dialani, Program Director of Product Engineering and Operations Technology/Services, IDC, said, “Infosys’ scalable and flexible ‘Return to Workplace’ solution is timely and well thought out. Adhering to data privacy standards and built on a foundation of digital engineering elements including computer vision, edge and AI, it will provide customers with processes and solutions to restart their operations in a safe and resilient manner.”

To know more on how ‘Return to Workplace’ solutions came about, and watch Nitesh Bansal tell the story, click here: https://www.infosys.com/newsroom/infytv/making-our-way-back-to-workplace.html

About Infosys Ltd.

Infosys is a global leader in next-generation digital services and consulting. We enable clients in 46 countries to navigate their digital transformation. With nearly four decades of experience in managing the systems and workings of global enterprises, we expertly steer our clients through their digital journey. We do it by enabling the enterprise with an AI-powered core that helps prioritize the execution of change. We also empower the business with agile digital at scale to deliver unprecedented levels of performance and customer delight. Our always-on learning agenda drives their continuous improvement through building and transferring digital skills, expertise, and ideas from our innovation ecosystem.

Visit www.infosys.com to see how Infosys (NYSE: INFY) can help your enterprise navigate your next.

Safe Harbor

Certain statements in this release concerning our future growth prospects, financial expectations and plans for navigating the COVID-19 impact on our employees, clients and stakeholders are forward-looking statements intended to qualify for the ‘safe harbor’ under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. The risks and uncertainties relating to these statements include, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties regarding COVID-19 and the effects of government and other measures seeking to contain its spread, risks related to an economic downturn or recession in India, the United States and other countries around the world, changes in political, business, and economic conditions, fluctuations in earnings, fluctuations in foreign exchange rates, our ability to manage growth, intense competition in IT services including those factors which may affect our cost advantage, wage increases in India, our ability to attract and retain highly skilled professionals, time and cost overruns on fixed-price, fixed-time frame contracts, client concentration, restrictions on immigration, industry segment concentration, our ability to manage our international operations, reduced demand for technology in our key focus areas, disruptions in telecommunication networks or system failures, our ability to successfully complete and integrate potential acquisitions, liability for damages on our service contracts, the success of the companies in which Infosys has made strategic investments, withdrawal or expiration of governmental fiscal incentives, political instability and regional conflicts, legal restrictions on raising capital or acquiring companies outside India, unauthorized use of our intellectual property and general economic conditions affecting our industry and the outcome of pending litigation and government investigation. Additional risks that could affect our future operating results are more fully described in our United States Securities and Exchange Commission filings including our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2019. These filings are available at www.sec.gov . Infosys may, from time to time, make additional written and oral forward-looking statements, including statements contained in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and our reports to shareholders. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements that may be made from time to time by or on behalf of the Company unless it is required by law.

Logo – https://techent.tv/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/infosys-launches-return-to-workplace-solutions-to-help-enterprises-build-safe-nurturing-and-resilient-workplaces.jpg

PR Newswire

CQG Licenses Software Assets from Blue Trading Systems (BTS) to Deploy Exclusive, Robust Suite of Custom Algorithms, Low-Latency Spreader Environment

Leave a comment

Kevin Darby, BTS Co-Founder and Managing Partner, to Lead Integration, Implementation as CQG Product Manager

CHICAGO and DENVER, June 11, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — CQG, a leading global provider of high-performance technology solutions for traders, brokers, commercial hedgers, and exchanges, today announced that it has just completed a transaction to license certain software assets from Blue Trading Systems (BTS). The move will give CQG an exclusive, comprehensive suite of custom algorithmic strategies to offer clients, along with new low-latency spread routing for spread traders.

The new, cutting-edge technology is designed to give traders access to strategies offering the best execution across a range of markets.  CQG is integrating the new algos and execution logic into its full suite of trading products, allowing for a range of choices for traders and brokers who seek anything from low-cost, easy-to-use products to more advanced, sophisticated trading platforms.

The firm also announced that Kevin Darby, formerly Co-Founder and Managing Partner of BTS, has joined CQG as a Product Manager, overseeing the product strategy for its spreader and algo offerings. In that role he will also oversee the integration and implementation of the new customized CQG offering based on the BTS software.  

When the integration is complete, CQG’s existing infrastructure, coupled with new low-latency spread routing, will give new power to traders and hedgers, letting them decide when to turn on faster routing in some markets and standard order routing in others.  CQG’s industry-leading simulation and back-testing tools will allow users to test strategies in as near real-market conditions as possible. They can then leverage transaction cost analysis (TCA) features to review performance, giving users full visibility into the benefits of deploying their proposed strategies.

CQG President Ryan Moroney said: “One of the things that stands out from the market activity over the last few months has been the incredible velocity with which markets can react to world events.  During this time of high volatility, we had numerous internal discussions on product enhancements we could make to provide our customers with new solutions designed for these market conditions.  We’ve known the BTS team for a few years and have always admired the care that has gone into its products.  When the opportunity came up to license the BTS code as well as to bring Kevin on to lead the new offering, we seized on it. This approach provides us with the basis for building a high-performance algo and spreading platform that will allow our customers to thrive in markets like these.”

Darby said: “I’m thrilled to join the highly skilled and well-respected group of professionals at CQG in an effort to build out both a comprehensive institutional algo suite and a new, faster spreader platform.  Licensing the BTS code affords us a familiar low-latency foundation on which to pursue this exciting endeavor.”

About CQG:

CQG provides the industry’s highest performing solutions for traders, brokers, commercial hedgers, and exchanges for their market-related activities globally, including trading, market data, advanced technical analysis, risk management, and account administration. The firm partners with the vast majority of futures brokerage and clearing firms and provides Direct Market Access (DMA) to more than 45 exchanges through its global network of co-located Hosted Exchange Gateways. CQG technology serves as the front end for a variety of exchanges, and the firm’s technology is increasingly employed as the over-the-counter matching engine for important new markets. CQG’s server-side order management tools for spreading, market aggregation, and smart orders are unsurpassed for speed and ease of use. Its market data feed consolidates 85 sources, including exchanges worldwide for futures, options, fixed income, foreign exchange, and equities, as well as data on debt securities, industry reports, and financial indices. One of the longest-serving technology solutions providers in the industry, CQG is celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2020. CQG has received the Prop Traders’ ISV of the Year award from FOW (now Global Investor Group), the Best Technical Analysis Platform award from The Technical Analyst, and the Best Product for Traders award from Finance Magnates for its multi-asset trading platform. CQG is headquartered in Denver, Colorado, with 16 sales and support offices and data centers in key markets globally.

Logo – https://techent.tv/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/cqg-licenses-software-assets-from-blue-trading-systems-bts-to-deploy-exclusive-robust-suite-of-custom-algorithms-low-latency-spreader-environment.jpg

PR Newswire

European Deep-tech Champion IQM Receives More Than €20M of New Funding

Leave a comment

Simultaneously IQM unveils its first quantum computer design to set the phase in the technology roadmap

ESPOO, Finland, June 11, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — IQM Finland Oy (IQM), a leading European company for quantum computer hardware, was just awarded a €2.5M grant and up to €15M of equity investment from the EIC Accelerator program for the development of quantum computers, benefiting the industry and the society at large. Together with Business Finland grants of €3.3M that IQM received so far, the company is on a fast run with more than €20M more raised in less than a year from its €11.4M seed round, summing in total to €32M.

IQM quantum computer design
IQM quantum computer design

IQM has experienced amazing growth, set up a fully functional research lab in record time, and also hired the largest industrial quantum hardware team in Europe. With the help of this new €20M, IQM will hire one quantum engineer per week and take an important next step to commercialize the technology through co-design of quantum-computing hardware and applications.

“Quantum computers will be funded by European governments, supporting IQM´s expansion strategy to build quantum computers in Germany,” says Dr. Jan Goetz, CEO and co-founder of IQM.

Last week, the Finnish government announced they will support the acquisition of a quantum computer with €20.7M for the Finnish State Research center VTT.

“It has been a mind-blowing forty-million past week for quantum computers in Finland. IQM staff is excited to work together with VTT, Aalto University, and CSC in this ecosystem,” rejoices Prof. Mikko Möttönen, Chief Scientist and co-founder of IQM.

This announcement was followed by the German government with €2b and to immediately commission the construction of at least two quantum computers. IQM sees this as an ideal point to expand its operations in Germany.

“With our growing team in Munich, IQM will build co-design quantum computers for commercial applications and install testing facilities for quantum processors,” states Prof. Enrique Solano, CEO of IQM Germany.

Quantum computing will radically transform the lives of billions of people. Applications range from game-changing invention of medicine and novel materials to the discovery of economic models and sustainable processes.

“We are witnessing a boost in deep-tech funding in Europe, very important now. For a healthy growth of startups like IQM, we need all three funding channels: (1) research grants to stimulate new key innovations, (2) equity investments to grow the company, (3) early adoption through acquisitions supported by the government. This allows to pool the risk while creating a new industry and business cases,” says Dr. Goetz. 

IQM is focusing on superconducting quantum processors, which are streamlined for commercial applications in a novel Co-Design approach.

“With the new funding and immense support from the Finnish and the European governments, we are ready to scale technologically. This brings us closer to quantum advantage thus providing tangible commercial value in near-term quantum computers,” adds Dr. Kuan Yen Tan, CTO and co-founder of IQM.

IQM ranks in the top 2% of all European deep tech startups applying for the highly competitive EIC Accelerator program

Thanks to its strong technology and business plan, IQM was one of the 72 to succeed in the very competitive selection process of the EIC. Altogether 3969 companies applied for this funding.

“The €15M equity component of the EIC can be an ideal contribution to IQM’s Series A funding round.” says a beaming Dr. Juha Vartiainen, COO and co-founder of IQM.

The new funding also supports IQM´s recent establishment of its new underground quantum computing infrastructure capable of housing the first European farm of quantum computers. IQM provides the full hardware stack for a quantum computer, integrating different technologies, and invites collaborations with quantum software companies. Brilliant quantum software engineers are also welcomed to join IQM.

About IQM:
https://www.meetiqm.com/company/#aboutus

IQM videos:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvjqSqZiJ715XVH3O3IF93Q

About EIC Accelerator (SME instrument) program:
https://ec.europa.eu/easme/en/news/eic-accelerator-offers-new-blend-grants-and-equity

About Business Finland:
https://www.businessfinland.fi/en/for-finnish-customers/about-us/in-brief/

IQM PR CONTACTS 

IQM Contacts for questions and comments: 

Dr Jan Goetz 
CEO, IQM 
email: jan@meetiqm.com   
tel. +358 505 666 483  
(English & German) 

Prof Mikko Möttönen 
Chief Scientist, IQM 
email: mikko@meetiqm.com 
tel. +358 505 940 950  
(English & Finnish) 

Dr Kuan Yen Tan 
Chief technology officer, IQM 
email: kuan@meetiqm.com 
tel. +358 504 778 091  
(English & Chinese) 

IQM's CEO and Co-founder Dr Jan Goetz at IQM's new lab, in Espoo, Finland
IQM’s CEO and Co-founder Dr Jan Goetz at IQM’s new lab, in Espoo, Finland

 

IQM founders: Dr Kuan Yen Tan (CTO), Prof Mikko Möttönen (Chief Scientist), Dr Jan Goetz (CEO), Dr Juha Vartiainen (COO).
IQM founders: Dr Kuan Yen Tan (CTO), Prof Mikko Möttönen (Chief Scientist), Dr Jan Goetz (CEO), Dr Juha Vartiainen (COO).

 

PR Newswire

Bright Pattern Contact Center Deployed by the Leading Real Estate Marketplace in the US

Leave a comment

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, California, June 11, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Bright Pattern, a leading provider of AI-powered cloud contact center software for innovative companies, announced today that it was deployed by the leading real estate marketplace in the US to support customers over voice and chat. The company is dedicated to empowering consumers with data and inspiration around the place they call home. The company plans to empower customers in 2020 with a tight integration between its mobile app and the Bright Pattern platform to provide seamless connectivity to live support agents from within the app.

The online real estate company selected Bright Pattern as its cloud contact center provider because of Bright Pattern’s ability to handle innovative channels like in-app communication (talk, chat, or share documents within the mobile app), enterprise scalability, simple deployment, ease of use, and out-of-box integration with Zendesk CRM.

“Like most companies shifting to work-from-home due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, this enterprise customer needed a cloud solution that would empower their agents to effortlessly work from home with full connection to their mobile application and existing solutions,” said Michael McCloskey, CEO at Bright Pattern. “Deploying a virtual contact center can be a hard task, but Bright Pattern helps by providing a platform that connects agents and teams while utilizing AI and automation to reduce contact center expenses and assist remote agents. Bright Pattern is helping enterprises across the globe migrate to the cloud and adopt omnichannel to provide a more effortless experience between multiple channels like in-app and voice. Bright Pattern’s omnichannel platform has built-in capabilities for a customer to initiate a live phone conversation or video conversation directly from the self-service mobile app.”

Bright Pattern Mobile App Customer Support
 Bright Pattern offers in-app customer service, empowering your customers to request live assistance directly from their mobile apps. Customers no longer have to start a call, listen to menu prompts, wait on hold, identify themselves, or explain why they are calling.

Bright Pattern Mobile App Features:

  • One-click dialing and messaging directly from the mobile app for voice and video escalation
  • Customer context carried from app to other channel (ie. customer data is sent to the live agent so that the customer never has to repeat themselves)
  • Customer notification when an agent is ready, eliminating hold time
  • Mobile messenger integration with Facebook Messenger, LINE, Telegram, Twitter, Viber, and WeChat
  • Photo and media sharing within the app (ie. a car insurance customer can send an image of a car accident directly through the mobile app when filing a claim)
  • Two way mobile messaging offers a convenient way to inform customers about deliveries, purchases, or suspicious activities
  • Surveys can be offered at the end of all mobile interactions
  • In-context reporting over all channels for a comprehensive view
  • CRM integration for data consolidation and ease of use for agents

Bright Pattern Zendesk Integration
 The Bright Pattern Zendesk integration leverages the information contained in your Zendesk CRM with Bright Pattern’s omnichannel cloud call center solution to provide an exceptional agent and customer experience.

Benefits of Out-of-the-box Zendesk Integration:

  • Agent empowerment through unified agent desktop
  • True omnichannel routing engine
  • Customizable customer journey
  • Robust omnichannel analytics

Read more on our Bright Pattern + Zendesk Use Cases:

About Bright Pattern 
 Bright Pattern provides the simplest and most powerful AI-powered contact center for innovative midsize and enterprise companies. With the purpose of making customer service brighter, easier, and faster than ever before, Bright Pattern offers the only true omnichannel cloud platform with embedded AI that can be deployed quickly and nimbly by business users—without costly professional services. Bright Pattern allows companies to offer an effortless, personal, and seamless customer experience across channels like voice, text, chat, email, video, messengers, and bots. Bright Pattern also allows companies to measure and act on every interaction on every channel via embedded AI omnichannel quality management capability. The company was founded by a team of industry veterans who pioneered the leading contact center solutions and today are delivering architecture for the future with an advanced cloud-first approach. Bright Pattern’s cloud contact center solution is used globally in over 26 countries and 12 languages.

Logo – https://techent.tv/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/bright-pattern-contact-center-deployed-by-the-leading-real-estate-marketplace-in-the-us.jpg

PR Newswire

LIZHI Ranks Among Top 50 Cultural Enterprises in Guangzhou, China

Leave a comment

GUANGZHOU, China, June 11, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — LIZHI INC. (“LIZHI” or the “LIZHI App” or “the Company”) (NASDAQ: LIZI), a leading online UGC audio community and interactive audio entertainment platform in China, has been ranked one of the “Top 50 Cultural Enterprise” in Guangzhou, China. The ranking is part of a study conducted by Guangzhou institute for society studies, South China Daily and Guangzhou Association for Cultural and Creative Industries to analyze and evaluate the economic significance of the cultural industry of the city.

The live-streaming industry in China has seen a dramatic boom in recent years. As of March 2020, the number of live-streaming users surged to 560 million with the number of viewers tuning in live-streaming e-commerce events reaching 265 million, according to report from the China Internet Network Information Center. The market has also seen major industry players such as Tiktok, Alibaba and Kuaishou achieved enormous commercial success.

With the launch of 5G network and the rapid development of Artificial Intelligence (AI), which has accelerated the adoption of Internet of Things (IoT), Guangzhou, a city in southern China, which is home to numerous tech and internet giants, is on track to create an economic model developing a diverse ecosystem of live-streaming, spanning music, gaming, audio, entertainment, traveling, commerce and intangible cultural heritage. The huge potential of the audio market in China will also propel audio-sharing platforms to usher in a new era of on-demand and streaming content.

Against this backdrop, LIZHI has become the most extensive online UGC audio community and one of the Top 100 Internet Companies in China with total revenue of RMB 1.2 billion  (USD 170 million) in 2019. 2020 marks a new milestone for LIZHI, which has seen the Company’s Q1 revenue surge by 42% year-over-year to RMB 370 million  (USD 52.3 million). The growth has brought a new record high of average monthly active users and creators, which stands at 54.5 million and 6.2 million, respectively. The average number of monthly paying users also soared by 60% this year, to over 450,000.

Backed by its unique business model, LIZHI is riding this technological momentum to create an audio community where everyone not only can enjoy informative and engaging user-generated audio content but also design, share and connect through voices across cultures and countries. Powered by AI, LIZHI’s proprietary tools for audio creation enable creatorsto fine-tune recordings and produce innovative sound effects while streamlining the process of creation, production and distribution.

“As we build a vibrant platform and community for our users and creators, we want to offer the resources they need to thrive. LIZHI now boasts user-generated content across 27 categories including relationship advice, family, education, music and talk shows,” said Mr. Marco Lai, Founder and Chief Executive Officerof LIZHI. “We are particularly proud to see that our community is helping low-skilled workers and people with disabilities connect with the world via their vocal talent.”

LIZHI has been developing powerful tools with partners to help creators connect to and grow their audience. In 2019, LIZHI worked in partnership with Baidu, a technology company specializing in Internet-based services and artificial intelligence, to create Xiaodu smart speakers that come equipped with built-in features allowing users to better engage with listeners during audio-streaming sessions. Looking forward, the Company will continue to develop new ways of distributing content for IoT devices, optimize interactive features and user interface to create a better experience for all users.

For more information, please visit: http://ir.lizhi.fm/

About LIZHI INC.

LIZHI INC. is a leading online UGC audio community and interactive audio entertainment platform in China, with a mission to enable everyone to showcase vocal talent. The Company is aiming to bring people closer together through voices. 

Since the launch of its Lizhi app in 2013, LIZHI has cultivated a vibrant and growing community encouraging audio content creation and sharing. Now LIZHI is an audio wonderland offering a wide range of podcasts and audio entertainment products and features, including audio live streaming and various interactive audio social products, empowering users to enjoy an immersive and diversified entertainment experience through audio.

LIZHI envisions a global audio community – a place where everyone can create, share and connect with each other through voices and across cultures.

Cision View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/lizhi-ranks-among-top-50-cultural-enterprises-in-guangzhou-china-301074274.html

PR Newswire

Swedish FMV Selects iXblue’s Quadrans Navigation System to Equip Its Fleet of High Speed Crafts

Leave a comment

SAINT-GERMAIN-EN-LAYE, France, June 11, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — The Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) has recently signed a contract with navigation company iXblue for up to 172 FOG based Quadrans gyrocompasses. Delivered over the span of 4 years, the Quadrans navigation systems will equip the Swedish Navy’s fleet of high speed crafts, mainly combat boats CB90.

Combat boats CB90 – Swedish Navy
Combat boats CB90 – Swedish Navy

“The FMV was seeking new maintenance-free and high-performance gyrocompasses for the retrofit of their fleet of high speed crafts. Our Fiber-Optic Gyroscope (FOG) technology having no moving parts and offering exceptional reliability, was identified as an ideal solution to keep maintenance costs down,” states David Cunningham, Commercial Director at iXblue. “Another key aspect was the performance delivered by these gyros. The CB90 vessels are indeed very fast boats and need the most reliable and accurate heading and attitude data to navigate safely. Our Marins Series Inertial Navigation Systems being already in service on the Gotland-class submarines and Koster Class MCMV’s, and our Quadrans gyrocompasses equipping other surface boats in the Swedish Navy fleet, the FMV was familiar with the high-performance delivered by our systems and knew the Quadrans met the specific requirements needed for the CB90.”

Built around the Fiber-Optic Gyroscope technology pioneered by iXblue, the Quadrans gyrocompasses are indeed solid-state and strap-down systems, that provide highly accurate heading and attitude data and that are perfectly suited for high performance at high speeds and in challenging environments such as GNSS denied settings. Compact, lightweight and with low power consumption, the Quadrans Gyrocompasses are easy to install on small-sized crafts, while their open architecture guarantees seamless interfacing with all major GNSS systems and third-party navigation software.

“We’re very proud of this new mark of confidence in our Quadrans gyrocompasses and FOG technology,” continues David Cunningham. “We want to thank the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration for their continued trust and long-standing partnership and look forward to our future collaboration with them.”

About iXblue

iXblue is a global high-tech company specializing in the design and manufacturing of advanced marine, photonics and autonomy technologies. The group in-house expertise includes innovative systems and solutions devoted to inertial navigation, subsea positioning, underwater imaging, as well as shipbuilding and test & simulation. iXblue support Civil and Defense customers in carrying out their sea, land and space operations with maximum safety, efficiency and reliability and conducts its business in over 60 countries. www.ixblue.com

Photo – https://techent.tv/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/swedish-fmv-selects-ixblues-quadrans-navigation-system-to-equip-its-fleet-of-high-speed-crafts-1.jpg
Logo – https://techent.tv/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/swedish-fmv-selects-ixblues-quadrans-navigation-system-to-equip-its-fleet-of-high-speed-crafts.jpg

PR Newswire

Cohesio Group, part of Körber unveils new sorting AMR solution

Leave a comment

MELBOURNE, Australia, June 11, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Cohesio Group, now Körber Supply Chain, has launched a new sorting robot solution in Australia and New Zealand.

Expedite the sortation for parcels, eCommerce, wholesale and store replenishments on table-top as well as mezzanine levels with Körber AutoSort Mobile by Cohesio Group.
Expedite the sortation for parcels, eCommerce, wholesale and store replenishments on table-top as well as mezzanine levels with Körber AutoSort Mobile by Cohesio Group.

Set to be a game-changer for the ANZ supply chain and logistics industry, the Körber AutoSort Mobile solution will give logistics operators the opportunity to maximise operational capabilities through flexible, affordable and scalable automation.

This product is manufactured by Zhejiang Libiao Robotics Co., Ltd. (AIC Systems), a modern high-tech enterprise specialising in R&D, manufacturing and the sale of robotic products. The company leads the way in research and innovation in the field of artificial intelligence and automation projects in logistics.

This new solution will compliment Cohesio Group’s current portfolio of enterprise-grade solutions including voice-powered technology and goods-to-person automated mobile robots (AMR).

The Körber AutoSort Mobile offering differs from a traditional sortation system in that it does not require a fixed track. The solution uses free-moving, independent robots that help businesses reduce their heavy reliance and investment in fixed automation. Instead, the Körber AutoSort Mobile AMRs offer greater scalability at a comparatively economical investment and thus a much quick return on investment.

It utilises AMRs that allow dynamic sortation, taking the shortest and most direct path. This kind of flexibility offers significant efficiency and productivity gains over a traditional cross belt or shoe sorter. As this solution can also be operated on a table-top, this form of picking or sortation offers increased flexibility during peak periods, such as what has been seen during COVID-19.

Furthermore, the capital required for deploying the Körber AutoSort Mobile solution is up to 60 per cent less than a traditional sortation system. 

“We are excited to release this new AMR solution in Australia and New Zealand. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a significant surge in e-commerce and online shopping consumers. In order to fulfil this challenging demand, many of our clients are exploring further opportunities in automation. We have listened to their requests for more scalable and affordable automation solutions–whether that be automation installed in limited spaces or mezzanine levels or those that can be quickly deployed in pop–up DCs or dark fulfilment store. I am very proud to add the new Körber AutoSort Mobile table-top sorting AMR solution to our existing AMR portfolio,” Nishan Wijemanne, CEO of Cohesio Group said.

The Körber AutoSort Mobile solution also offers ultimate flexibility, with the ability to scale up when needed. “Robots can be added during peaks in demand, and the system expanded at any time. The system can be very easily redeployed elsewhere in the warehouse when needed. This is particularly helpful when you see spikes in demand for specific SKUs, like we know retailers have experienced during COVID-19,” Nishan said.

“As the level of investment is notably lower than traditional sorting methods, and we can offer implementation timeframes of as little as three to five months, this system generates more than twice the ROI of traditional sorting systems. I am confident that this new offering will shake up warehousing and logistics operations in Australia and New Zealand,” Ravi Nath, Head of Automated Solutions at Cohesio Group said.

“The Körber AutoSort Mobile requires shorter lead times and significantly less space than traditional sortation systems. A further advantage is that there is no single point of failure anywhere in the system. We know that conveyor downtime can be a huge cost to any operation. With this solution, if there is any failure it will only impact one single element, enabling the solution to continue,” Rizan Mawzoon, Head of Transformation at Cohesio Group said.

The Körber AutoSort Mobile is ideal for a wide variety of goods across parcel sortation, e-commerce, wholesale and store replenishment. It can be utilised for picking, sortation, table-top and mezzanine sortation and is capable of handling goods of up to 25 kilograms. Additional robots can be added to the operation in a matter of seconds, ensuring that there is no interruption in workflow or downtime.

“The use cases for this kind of automation are vast, whether it’s a large-scale e-commerce operation, retailer, 3PL or freight provider. Simply put, it’s for anyone who has a volume or pop up requirement for sorting products,” Nishan said.

Boasting some of the biggest names in retail and logistics on its roster, Cohesio Group has deployed autonomous solutions for Wesfarmers, Bollore and CEVA Logistics, among others.

The leading technology provider was acquired by Körber in September last year, and recently announced that it would join eleven other sister companies under the umbrella Körber Supply Chain. The united brand will become a leading international technology provider with a diverse range of capabilities spanning software, automation, voice, robotics and material handling equipment.

Access the Körber AutoSort Mobile brochure via www.cohesiogroup.com/download-korber-autosort-information-brochure/

About Cohesio Group

Cohesio Group, a part of international technology group Körber, is a leading integrator and developer of tech solutions that enable rapid optimisation of workflows and processes and is also an idea generating partner for strategic concepts. With offices across the Asia Pacific, Cohesio Group creates innovative technology transformations that span across supply chain and logistics including warehousing and distribution centres, transportation, manufacturing, healthcare, pharmaceutical, FMCG and retail. Cohesio Group’s enterprise-grade solutions range from voice-powered technology that enable hands-free workflows through to new-generation mobility solutions, software applications that provide actionable business insights and retail fulfilment as well as solutions such as Autonomous Mobile Robots that enable automation in distribution centres. Learn more at www.cohesiogroup.com  

About the Körber Business Area Supply Chain

Supply chains are growing more complex by the day. Körber uniquely provides a broad range of proven, end-to-end supply chain solutions fitting any business size, strategy or appetite for growth. Capable of delivering not just software, but automation, voice, robotics, and materials handling – plus the expertise to tie it all together. We are a global partner not just for today, but also as the needs of supply chains continue to evolve. Conquer supply chain complexity – with Körber. The Business Area Supply Chain is part of the global technology group Körber. Find out more on www.koerber-supplychain.com 

Photo – https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20200611/2827297-1?lang=0

PR Newswire

Brisbane software start-up, Codafication, empowers leading insurers such as Suncorp to process claims remotely with their video-streaming tool Virtual Assist

Leave a comment

BRISBANE, Australia, June 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Codafication’s Virtual Assist is becoming the new industry standard for Australia and New Zealand’s largest insurers, as Suncorp implement the video-streaming technology to process claims remotely during COVID-19.

Virtual Assist is rapidly becoming the new industry standard for processing insurance claims quickly and safely.
Virtual Assist is rapidly becoming the new industry standard for processing insurance claims quickly and safely.

The Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) declared the pandemic an “insurance catastrophe” in March. As an essential service, insurers now face the challenge of processing claims while following social-distancing and shutdown rules.

Suncorp has fast-tracked several digital solutions to ensure it can continue to resolve insurance claims quickly. This includes engaging local insurtech offering Virtual Assist, a flagship product of Brisbane tech scale-up Codafication. Virtual Assist allows insurers to process claims remotely to guarantee the safety of staff and customers.

“Suncorp is one of the big insurers transforming the industry using our technology,” said Daniel Sandaver, Managing Director of Codafication.

“A lot of the challenger brands are following suit, indicating that Virtual Assist is rapidly becoming the insurance industry standard in Australia and New Zealand.”

With Virtual Assist, the insurer simply texts or e-mails the customer a link that transforms the customer’s phone into a high-definition video, voice, and image capture tool. The insurer can see exactly what the customer sees to help them in real-time. It incorporates thorough risk assessments to ensure the customer’s safety before use and allows for multiple parties to participate in the assessment, such as builders, engineers, or other specialists.

Mr Sandaver said that optimising the up-front triage in the claims process drives better outcomes for the insurance customer.

“We’re seeing drastic reductions in the claim process lifecycle, by up to 2 weeks in a lot of cases,” Mr Sandaver said. “Our clients also consistently achieve Customer Satisfaction Scores above 9 out of 10 across their customer base when using Virtual Assist.”

Virtual Assist is projected to process over 200,000 insurance claims annually and can integrate into a business in as little as a couple of hours. It is being utilised across all insurance claim types, including contents, motor, and property.

Codafication’s Virtual Assist is currently helping clients to fast-track digital transformation across insurance, construction, property valuations, utilities, routine rental inspections, and more.

To learn more about virtual collaboration and remote claims processing for insurance, visit: https://www.virtualassist.io/

Codafication is a globally awarded digital services and software company. They are the gutsy, big-hearted game-changers of digital transformation. Based in Brisbane, Australia, they empower their clients to save time and money through cloud-based software that makes the world simpler. Their innovative solutions, Crunchwork, Unity Cloud, and Virtual Assist, are secure, scalable, and industry agnostic.

To see how Suncorp is using Virtual Assist, visit: https://www.suncorpgroup.com.au/news/news/suncorp-ramps-up-digital-to-move-bushfire-insurance-claims-during-covid-19

Photo – https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20200610/2825989-1?lang=0

PR Newswire

BAT Named in The Gartner Supply Chain Top 25 for 2020

Leave a comment

BAT believes company transformation and focus on ESG has driven elevation to 21st position.

LONDON, June 11, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — BAT has been recognised by Gartner in The Gartner Supply Chain Top 25 for 20201  ranking for the first time. The ranking identifies supply chain leaders and BAT has moved from outside the 25th position to 21st position in 2020. BAT believes this reflects the great progress in its supply chain maturity journey, its strong financial performance and the fact that ESG is front and centre of everything BAT does, particularly in relation to the company’s supply chain. 

Alan Davy, BAT Group Operations Director, said:

“We are delighted to receive this recognition which I believe is confirmation of our efforts to deliver a world-class supply chain as part of our journey towards A Better Tomorrow. To us, it not only acknowledges the achievements of our colleagues who have succeeded in transforming our business, but also the partners, suppliers and communities we work alongside. 

“The supply chain integration and synchronisation steps taken over the last few years built greater Resilience and Agility. Furthermore, Sustainability is front and centre of everything we do – it sits at the heart of our supply chain, has driven many of the investment decisions we have made, and will be a key element of our plans for the future as we build on this success.”

In recent years, BAT has implemented a single ERP platform, has invested in building people’s capabilities, as well as increased automation of certain business processes.  Crucially, the quality of data the company now uses for decision making has been transformed. AI and Machine Learning based platforms have been used to improve how BAT’s transportation and logistics networks are managed. This has built additional resilience and much needed agility and has contributed to the way BAT continues to navigate the Covid-19 situation. Further improvements and efficiencies are planned for 2020 and beyond.

According to Gartner, “three key trends stand out this year for these leaders that are accelerating their capabilities, separating them further from the rest of the pack.”

Purpose-driven organisations

“Even before the pandemic occurred, supply chain teams at leading companies defined their work using the language of purpose. These companies recognize that solving the world’s largest problems only works through partnership with others in the broader community, as well as through their own radical transparency.”

Business model transformers

“One of the largest external forces impacting corporate supply chains is a dynamic competitive landscape that is driven by a combination of expanded customer expectations, new market entrants from existing industry ecosystems and the emergence of non-traditional competitors.” Further, “leading supply chains have positioned themselves as the disruptors to traditional business models, either through reinvention of their offerings and the ability to deliver them or by acquiring start-ups that offer the expertise and DNA necessary to compete in new and reinvented markets.”

Digital orchestrators

“Leading companies on the Supply Chain Top 25 are early, and frequent, adopters of digital technologies. More importantly, these investments enable business capabilities and outcomes that allow them to thrive in even the harshest economic conditions.”

The Gartner report states that:

“In our 16th edition of the Supply Chain Top 25, we have an impressive group of leaders with new lessons to share, including a diverse set of six new entrants.” It further mentions that, “with substantial portions of the economy closed due the COVID-19 pandemic, we are seeing unemployment and negative economic growth rates on a scale not seen since the early 20th century in some cases.” Further, “leaders need an agile, or adaptive, strategy that allows the supply chain organisation to sense and respond to changes in the business context as they happen.”

Regarding the Supply Chain Top 25 Methodology, Gartner states, “the ranking comprises two main components – business performance and opinion. Business performance, in the form of public financial and ESG data, provides a view into how companies have performed in the past. The opinion component offers an eye to future potential and reflects leadership in the supply chain community. These two components are combined into a total composite score. We derive a master list of companies from a combination of the Fortune Global 500 and the Forbes Global 2000. In an effort to maintain the list of companies evaluated at a manageable level, we apply a general annual revenue threshold of $12 billion.”

Gartner, “The Gartner Supply Chain Top 25 for 2020”, Mike Griswold et al, 19 May 2020

1.  Gartner subscription required

Logo: https://techent.tv/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/bat-named-in-the-gartner-supply-chain-top-25-for-2020.jpg