Tag Archives: CXP

PR Newswire

CloudSense ramps up B2B selling with upgraded capabilities in latest release of CPQ application suite

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New features on the CloudSense platform will simplify and speed up B2B customer engagement in key industries

LONDON, Aug. 10, 2021 — CloudSense, provider of the world’s most powerful Configure, Price, Quote (CPQ) engine, empowers leading brands to launch, sell and manage the entire B2B customer lifecycle for sophisticated products, subscriptions and services. With the latest release (R34) of its category-defining SaaS platform, CloudSense has taken another step towards helping Communications, Media and Utility companies to increase the speed and efficiency of serving their customers. Highlights of the new release include the following capabilities:

 

  • Bulk Subscriber Management, a wholly new addition to CloudSense Order Management enables mass customer product upgrades and service changes for Telcos and Utilities.  It gives them the freedom to roll out competition-enhancing offers, such as the addition of new 5G tariffs to thousands or even millions of end users at speed knowing they can be executed in hours rather than days.
  • The full integration of Magnite (the world’s largest independent sell-side media advertising exchange) with the CloudSense media platform allows publishers to access new revenue streams directly from their main sales platform interface.
  • The new release also reduces the time and cost of managing programmatic guaranteed business for media companies.  Integrations with Google’s demand-side programmatic buying platform, DV360, are now available. These make it easy to formulate optimized Programmatic Guarantee proposals for business customers without leaving the CloudSense platform, and faster to close new business.
  • With self-service channels becoming increasingly important for B2B as well as B2C markets, CloudSense has also introduced advanced functionality around pricing into its Digital Commerce offering. The new Advanced Pricing capability allows CloudSense customers to build highly tailored, individually branded self-service experiences that match the different end-user roles of its B2B customers. Importantly, options for each end-user customer will reflect pricing that has been negotiated within the overall contract for that specific account.

"Enterprises in Communications, Media and Utilities are in a race to transform their businesses to thrive in a digital-first world.  Speed and efficiency in and across revenue operations is essential. All too often however, solutions fall short of power and flexibility to support their more complex B2B use cases at scale.  In our latest release, we’ve added meaningful functionality that is ready to use and quick to deliver business impact," said Alex Fuller, CTO, CloudSense.

About CloudSense

The CloudSense Configure, Price, Quote (CPQ) engine powers increased productivity and profits for ambitious enterprises allowing them to launch faster, sell more and fulfill orders faultlessly. Its growing global community of customers span multiple industries including Communications, Media and Energy. Leading brands including Telefonica, Telstra, Informa and British Gas are using CloudSense’s portfolio of applications to streamline the entire customer lifecycle to provide a better customer experience while improving business performance.  To find out more, visit CloudSense.com

For more information contact: 
Daniela Zuin, CMO, CloudSense
Tel: +44 7526 168170
Email: daniela.zuin@cloudsense.com

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PR Newswire

iPower Inc Doubles Warehouse Capacity with New Facility in California

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DUARTE, Calif., Aug. 3, 2021 — iPower Inc. (Nasdaq:IPW), one of the leading online hydroponic equipment suppliers and retailers in the United States, today announced that it has entered into an agreement to lease a new warehouse and logistics facility in Rancho Cucamonga, CA.  

"With the ongoing strong demand for hydroponics products and accessories, our need for world class distribution and logistics facilities has been increasing rapidly," stated Chenlong Tan, CEO of iPower. "This newly built state of the art facility will have approximately 100,000 sq ft of useable space and is strategically located near an international airport in Ontario, CA.  Our new facility will more than double our current warehouse capacity and will help support our robust growth plans."

About iPower Inc.

iPower Inc. is one of the leading online retailers and suppliers of hydroponics equipment and accessories in the United States. iPower offers thousands of stock keeping units from its in-house brands as well as hundreds of other brands through its website, www.zenhydro.com, and its online platform partners all of which are fulfilled from its two fulfillment centers in southern California. iPower has a diverse customer base that includes both commercial businesses and individuals. For more information, visit iPower’s website at https://ir.meetipower.com/.

Forward-Looking Statements

All statements other than statements of historical fact in this announcement are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties and are based on current expectations and projections about future events and financial trends that iPower believes may affect its financial condition, results of operations, business strategy and financial needs. Investors can identify these forward-looking statements by words or phrases such as "may," "will," "expect," "anticipate," "aim," "estimate," "intend," "plan," "believe," "potential," "continue," "is/are likely to" or other similar expressions. iPower undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent occurring events or circumstances, or changes in its expectations, except as may be required by law. Although iPower believes that the expectations expressed in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, it cannot assure you that such expectations will turn out to be correct, and iPower cautions investors that actual results may differ materially from the anticipated results and encourages investors to review other factors that may affect its future results in iPower’s filings with the SEC.

For more information, please contact:
Sherry Zheng
Weitian Group LLC
Phone: 718-213-7386
Email: shunyu.zheng@weitian-ir.com

PR Newswire

Suning’s rural retailer Retail Cloud will open 900 new stores in Q3

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Suning.com Retail Cloud will complete its layout of 10,000 stores nationwide

NANJING, China, July 5, 2021 — Suning.com (002024.SZ), China’s leading smart retail service provider and a Fortune Global 500 company owned by Suning Group, today announced its Retail Cloud (Ling Shou Yun) subsidiary will open 900 stores in the next three months, and the home furnishing store as a new store model will be the business focus in Q3.

Data from Retail Cloud Stores shows that during China’s mid-year shopping festival "618", the growth of refrigerator and washing machine products from domestic brands including Meling and Little Swan increased by more than 100% year on year, the overall growth of high-end home appliance brand Panasonic increased by 130% year on year, the year-on-year growth of domestic kichen appliances maker VATTI reached 260%.


Officially launched in July 2017, Retail Cloud is Suning’s important business sector that aims to help micro and small business merchants thrive in lower-tier cities and county-level markets in China. The 10,000th Retail Cloud store will be launched in Q3, according to the plan.

PR Newswire

True Expands Global Reach into China

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New Shanghai office strengthens firm’s commitment to APAC

HADDONFIELD, N.J., June 30, 2021 — True, the fastest growing global platform of innovative talent management products and services, today announced its enhanced capability in the APAC region with its new office in Shanghai, China. This investment underscores True’s commitment to connect companies with the best global talent in every corner of the world.  

"Expansion to China is a milestone for our global footprint," said Joe Riggione, co-CEO and True founder. "This is a natural progression for True and we are better positioned to serve our clients in the region and those doing business there."

True has already expanded to 17 offices worldwide including Sydney, Dubai, and Singapore, with the international business on track to double in size this year. True’s global presence has quickly gained momentum.

"We recognize that industry knows no borders, and the best talent can come from anywhere," said Siv Sivanesan, GM, International at True. "At True, we are experts at facilitating the movement of top people to opportunities in new countries. Our office will answer client demand we already see for a digitally-native executive search partner in China."

True Partner Gavin Ng, a search professional with 20 years’ experience in the region, will lead the Shanghai team. Before joining True, Ng was an APAC Partner and China Lead for H.I. Executive Consulting where he established their Shanghai office. He has set-up and scaled two successful businesses in the region. Ng brings experience across professional services, multinational corporations, and the private equity and venture capital spaces.

"I’m honored to join True and lead the expansion in China," said Gavin Ng, True Partner and Greater China Lead. "Our clients, both international and local, will benefit from our global reach, authentic search approach and understanding of talent needs along their growth journeys."

True’s investment in China also aligns with the firm’s core expertise of being a partner for growth to tech-enabled businesses backed by funds such as L Catterton, Sequoia and Lightspeed. China is recognized as a global technology leader.  The abundance of innovation presents an incredible opportunity for True to meet the intense demand for high-growth talent in the world’s second-fastest growing economy and second-largest market for executive search.

ABOUT TRUE
The True platform is a global suite of products and services driving the intelligence behind talent management. True consists of five business units: True Search, Thrive, Synthesis, AboveBoard and True Equity.

True Search
Global recruitment for board members, c-suite executives, VPs, directors and other strategic talent. We focus on investment firms, their portfolio companies, and public companies seeking transformative growth.

Thrive
Collaborative, real-time talent relationship management software and information services for search firms, in-house recruiters, and VC/PE firms looking to make better hiring decisions.

Synthesis
A multi-layered approach to leadership assessment and development which combines the evaluation methods of elite military units, executive coaching techniques and agile methodology principles.

AboveBoard
A diversity-focused startup bringing unparalleled solutions to the critical need to bring more women and executives of color to leadership roles. With AboveBoard’s two-way platform, members get unique visibility to hundreds of opportunities while companies get access to qualified candidates.

True Equity
True Equity makes direct investments in high growth companies backed by elite venture capital firms.

Contact:
Sarah Mikhailova
Vice President of Communications
(609) 710-1939
sarah@trueplatform.com 

Related Links :

https://trueplatform.com

PR Newswire

SAP Expanding World’s Largest Business Network

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New Industry Solutions Will Drive More Sustainable Business Performance

HONG KONG, June 4, 2021 — At its global SAPPHIRE NOW® conference, SAP SE (NYSE: SAP) announced a bold vision to create new business communities able to improve business outcomes, better navigate changing economic and geopolitical conditions and enhance sustainability contributions. SAP unveiled the first step toward creating the world’s largest business network with SAP® Business Network, which will bring together Ariba® Network, SAP Logistics Business Network and SAP Asset Intelligence Network. Over 5.5 million organizations will benefit from being members of this connected community.

To support this central announcement, SAP is also announcing new innovations designed to help companies modernize and digitalize their business processes to become intelligent enterprises. In addition, customers can benefit from a new portfolio of sustainability-specific business applications that deliver exceptional transparency and measurement capability across the supply chain.

"During this unprecedented year, the importance of the communities we’re part of has never been clearer," said Christian Klein, CEO and Member of the Executive Board of SAP SE. "Our new vision will build the world’s largest business community, enabling customers to easily connect with companies across supply chains and creating networked economies across industries."

While we have all seen the power of networks in our personal lives, this networked ecosystem for businesses doing business together is unique. Members of the new SAP Business Network will be able to access a single, unified portal to gain a holistic view into their supply chain ecosystem, logistics and traceability, and equipment management and maintenance. To learn more, read "SAP Introduces SAP Business Network."

During the pandemic, the most resilient companies were those who embraced technology to transform their business processes. Those who simply leveraged cloud infrastructure and didn’t actually digitalize core business processes did not fare as well. To enable every enterprise to become an intelligent enterprise, SAP announced the RISE with SAP transformation packages for specific industries. Building on the successful introduction of the RISE with SAP offering in January, the RISE with SAP packages for specific industries provides business transformation as a service with five initial industry-tailored cloud solutions for retail, consumer products, automotive, utilities and industrial machinery and components. To learn more, read "Start Your Digital Transformation Journey: RISE with SAP for Industries."

Despite a brief drop in carbon emissions over the past year, this year is on track for the second-biggest increase in emissions in history. Sustainability is as important to business success as revenue and profits. This is the decade in which companies must act. SAP’s stated goal is to make climate protection measurable, diversity and inclusion visible and ethical responsibilities transparent.

To enable this goal and operationalize sustainability as a core business process, SAP announced a portfolio of new sustainability-specific products. This includes the SAP Responsible Design and Production solution to ensure product designers can make sustainable choices from initial product concepts to production; the SAP Product Footprint Management solution to track sustainability through a product lifecycle; and the SAP Sustainability Control Tower solution to provide end-to-end visibility. To learn more, read "Sustainability Management by SAP: Enabling Tomorrow Starts Today."

Visit the SAP News Center. Follow SAP on Twitter at @SAPNews. 

About SAP

SAP’s strategy is to help every business run as an intelligent enterprise. As a market leader in enterprise application software, we help companies of all sizes and in all industries run at their best: 77% of the world’s transaction revenue touches an SAP® system. Our machine learning, Internet of Things (IoT), and advanced analytics technologies help turn customers’ businesses into intelligent enterprises. SAP helps give people and organizations deep business insight and fosters collaboration that helps them stay ahead of their competition. We simplify technology for companies so they can consume our software the way they want – without disruption. Our end-to-end suite of applications and services enables business and public customers across 25 industries globally to operate profitably, adapt continuously, and make a difference. With a global network of customers, partners, employees, and thought leaders, SAP helps the world run better and improve people’s lives. For more information, visit www.sap.com/hk.

Any statements contained in this document that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "forecast," "intend," "may," "plan," "project," "predict," "should" and "will" and similar expressions as they relate to SAP are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. SAP undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations. The factors that could affect SAP’s future financial results are discussed more fully in SAP’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), including SAP’s most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F filed with the SEC. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of their dates.
© 2021 SAP SE. All rights reserved.

SAP and other SAP products and services mentioned herein as well as their respective logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of SAP SE in Germany and other countries. Please see https://www.sap.com/copyright for additional trademark information and notices.

Please see our privacy policy here.

Related Links :

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PR Newswire

Unveiling JK5 Data Center Building, DCI Indonesia Sets a Higher Bar for Data Center Industry in Indonesia

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Through its newly launched JK5 building, DCI has imported the global standard of operational excellence for the data center ecosystem into Indonesia.

CIBITUNG, Indonesia, May 31, 2021 — PT DCI Indonesia Tbk (DCI) (IDX:DCII) has officially launched its fourth data center building, JK5, in Cibitung, West Java, with a total power capacity of 15MW. With the new building,  DCI’s power capacity now sits at an astounding 37 MW, making it the leader in Indonesia’s data center colocation market, according to a 2020 report by Structure Research.

Aligning with "Making Indonesia 4.0" , JK5 has been built to support the long-term growth of Indonesia’s digital economy with its market value expected to reach USD 130 billion by 2025. Thus, local data center providers with the best quality and operational excellence must be able to cater to this surging demand as data centers play a crucial role as the backbone in providing infrastructure for Indonesia’s growing digital economy.

As a result, DCI plans to build up to 15 data center buildings with a total capacity of 300MW, equipped with internationally certified infrastructure to set a new standard for Indonesia’s data center industry.

Advanced Facilities for a Data-Based Future

Since DCI’s establishment, the brand’s uptime performance has been a testament of its commitment in supplying the best services to customers. DCI has achieved 100% uptime performance for Service Level Agreement (SLA) Operations.

"We managed to achieve this through the implementation of operational and service excellence which is always one step ahead through the utilization of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IoT) which avoids incidents that may potentially disrupt IT operations," said Toto Sugiri, CEO of DCI.

Committed to support Indonesia’s digital economy

DCI is trusted by international and local companies including three global cloud service providers, 7 e-commerce platforms, including the largest e-commerce platform in Indonesia and Southeast Asia, more than 30 telecommunications service providers, 124 customers from the financial industry (comprising leading banks from the United States, Southeast Asia and Indonesia), and more than 100 customers from other various industries.

Moving forward, DCI is committed to support Indonesia’s digital economy infrastructure and will continue to focus on operational excellence, while maintaining international standards to become the best and most reliable data center in South East Asia.

For more information, visit https://dci-indonesia.com/
For photo documentation, visit http://bit.ly/DCIJK5 

About DCI Indonesia:

Established in 2011, DCI Indonesia (DCI) is the leading data center provider in Indonesia and the first Tier-IV data center in Southeast Asia. We provide reliable, interconnected, and well-managed cloud and carrier-neutral data center infrastructure services for various local and international customers. Our state-of-the-art campus is located in Cibitung, Bekasi. It is home to four purposely-built data centers with a current capacity of 37MW and a planned total capacity of 300MW.

PT DCI Indonesia Tbk (DCI) was established as a business enabler by providing reliable and sustainable data center infrastructure services in Indonesia with 100% uptime performance for Service Level Agreement (SLA) Operations. Our cutting edge facility is supported by a robust ecosystem of different industries and platforms, enabling customers to interconnect with each other seamlessly. Located in the prime industry area of MM2100, DCI data center is only 40 kilometers away from Jakarta’s central business district. With global operating standards and procedures, on top of state-of-the-art data center equipment, DCI is able to provide maximum availability to customers to access their most mission-critical assets, ranging from financial institutions, more than 30 network service providers, e-commerce, cloud service providers and enterprises. DCI Indonesia has zero history of downtime since the beginning of serving the market. This exceptional performance comes from mentorship from leaders who have more than 25 years of experience in the IT and data center industry. As a growing and ever-improving company, we are also adding more buildings inside our total land of 8.5ha, with a total power capacity up to 300 MW.

Related Links :

https://dci-indonesia.com/

PR Newswire

Cogent Deploys PoP in HostDime’s Guadalajara Mexico Data Center

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GUADALAJARA, Mexico, May 28, 2021 — HostDime, a pioneer in global edge data center infrastructure, has announced that Cogent Communications, one of the top five backbone networks in the world, has deployed a Point of Presence (PoP) in HostDime’s Tier III data center in Guadalajara, Mexico. Cogent’s large global network footprint brings enhanced global connectivity options to HostDime’s Mexico clients and expands Cogent’s on-net network presence in Mexico.

Cogent is a multinational, Tier-1 facilities-based ISP that has built one of the largest and highest capacity IP networks in existence, with 210+ markets in 48 countries around the world.

The addition of Cogent bolsters HostDime’s lineup of multiple diverse connections from leading bandwidth providers, carriers, and exchanges that run into their Mexico data center facility. The carriers in the demarc meet-me/PoP room can link straight to the equipment racks from the source, avoiding all other network switches; this provides added redundancy, lower latency in Mexico, and the flexibility to switch carriers within the facility. Cogent has an extensive peering and inter-connectivity with all local major Mexico telecom providers to achieve this high-performance routing within Mexico to reach 90% of all end-users and enterprises at lightning speeds.

Guadalajara, the second-largest metropolitan area in Mexico, is leading the charge of interconnectivity throughout the country. HostDime’s edge data center in Guadalajara was constructed with the purpose of delivering reliable and scalable data center infrastructure services to Mexico at the lowest possible latency.

"We’re proud and honored to welcome Cogent on-net into our Guadalajara, Mexico data center. Cogent’s superior global network architecture and high interconnectivity in Mexico allows us to offer our clients exceptional connectivity at an unbeatable price. We look forward to continuing to expand this strategic partnership with Cogent across our entire fleet of global data centers," says Manny Vivar, HostDime’s Chief Executive Officer & President of Global Operations.

"We are pleased to be able to provide Internet services to HostDime’s customers in Guadalajara," said Vincent Teissier, Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) at Cogent Communications. "Reliable and scalable Internet connectivity will help ensure these companies can reach their customers across Mexico and the world."

This isn’t the first time Cogent and HostDime have linked up. HostDime also provisioned a Cogent PoP in their current Orlando data center, and will deploy a similar set-up in their upcoming 100,000 square foot Orlando, Florida flagship data center coming in summer 2022.

HostDime has carrier-neutral data centers strategically placed around the world to be able to service the demands of localized data around the world. Enterprises looking for colocation in global locations can buy just space and power they need from the data center, while purchasing the bandwidth directly from their provider of choice. As the digital transformation around the world continues to evolve and adopt globally, the need for networks and enterprises to interconnect will be more in demand. HostDime is positioned to service those needs through its suite of products and services.

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PR Newswire

E-commerce Aggregator, Una Brands, raises USD40 million in Seed Round from heavy hitters to acquire and scale brands in APAC

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SINGAPORE, May 6, 2021 — Singapore-based e-commerce startup, Una Brands, today announced that it has raised a USD40 million Seed Round of equity and debt financing, in one of the biggest seed funding rounds seen regionally. Una Brands will use the capital to buy and scale e-commerce brands based in APAC.

 

Una Brands Singapore-based Co-Founders (from left to right): Tobias Heusch, Kiren Tanna and Kushal Patel
Una Brands Singapore-based Co-Founders (from left to right): Tobias Heusch, Kiren Tanna and Kushal Patel

Kiren Tanna, former CEO of Rocket Internet Asia and Founder of foodpanda and ZEN Rooms, founded Una Brands in 2020. Kiren is backed by four other Co-Founders spread across APAC, namely Adrian Johnston, Kushal Patel, Tobias Heusch and Srinivasan Shridharan.

Kiren Tanna, CEO of Una Brands sees enormous regional growth potential: "We estimate that there are more than 10 million third-party sellers on regional platforms across APAC. The COVID lockdown created a huge surge in e-commerce demand, with a peak demand increase of over 100 per cent in many cases. The lockdown encouraged many people to try shopping online for the first time and has created a behavioural shift in consumer habits."

The funding round, backed by leading global investors, includes 500 Startups, Kingsway Capital, 468 Capital, Presight Capital, Global Founders Capital amongst others. Una Brands has also secured investment from Maximilian Bittner, currently CEO of Vestiaire Collective and former CEO of Lazada.

Khailee Ng, Managing Partner at 500 Startups, believes that Kiren and the team have the technical and personal experience to make Una Brand a global leader in e-commerce. "They are experienced, mature Co-Founders with a track record in creating speed, scale and success," explained Khailee. He added, "Why we invested in Una Brands goes beyond that. Kiren and his team have the right approach, there is a huge and growing e-commerce market in APAC and there is a huge opportunity for consolidation and optimisation."

About Una Brands

Una Brands was founded by e-commerce experts, to provide a fast and fair way for e-commerce business owners to sell their companies. Una Brands buys businesses with a long-term competitive advantage and strong brands and grows them in new markets and on new platforms. Una Brands is platform agnostic, acquiring businesses across leading e-commerce platforms including Amazon, Lazada, Shopee, Shopify and more. For more information on Una Brands, visit https://www.una-brands.com.

For press inquiries, please contact:

Asia PR Werkz
Kimberley Pereira
+65 9226 0061
kimberley@asiaprwerkz.com 

Related Links :

https://www.una-brands.com

PR Newswire

Ascensia Rolls Out The On@Pro Online Educational Platform for Healthcare Professionals in Collaboration With the Tumaini Institute

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BASEL, Switzerland, April 28, 2021 — Ascensia Diabetes Care, a leading global diabetes care company, has announced today that it has rolled out an online educational platform for continuous personal learning aimed at healthcare professionals working with people with diabetes. The On@Pro tool, which was originally piloted in September 2020, has been developed in partnership with the TUMAINI Institute in Germany, through a collaboration with Professor Peter Schwarz, a globally renowned diabetes expert.

Ascensia Diabetes Care has rolled out an online educational platform for continuous personal learning aimed at healthcare professionals working with people with diabetes
Ascensia Diabetes Care has rolled out an online educational platform for continuous personal learning aimed at healthcare professionals working with people with diabetes

On@Pro is currently available in 13 countries, including the Middle East (Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Lebanon and the UAE), South Africa, Egypt, India, Malaysia, Singapore, China Hong Kong, the Philippines and Nepal, and there are plans to add additional markets over the course of 2021. It can be accessed via Android, Microsoft and iOS enabled devices such as smartphones, tablets and PCs, through a personal access code which can be obtained from Ascensia in countries where the tool is currently being offered. Access is free of charge to ensure access for as many healthcare professionals as possible.

The platform currently offers a total of 32 modules[1], all in English language, relating to various aspects of diabetes care and management. Each module includes a 3-4 minute introductory video, a set of educational slides and an assessment tool that enables the user to receive certification[2]. In certain markets, including South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon and UAE, the tool has been accredited and completion of modules can lead to CME (Continuing Medical Education) credits.

Rob Schumm, President at Ascensia Diabetes Care commented: "Through our conversations with healthcare professionals, we became aware of a strong desire for a more comprehensive education platform in diabetes. As part of our ongoing commitment to the diabetes community, one of our priorities is to provide free educational resources to healthcare professionals that can build a greater understanding of diabetes and its management. We believe this will equip HCPs, including GPs, nurses and pharmacists, with the knowledge needed to advise and support people to more effectively self-manage their condition. The On@Pro platform is easily accessible and offers bite-size modules for effective and efficient continuous learning. Alongside On@Pro, we have developed other educational initiatives such as the EMEA Nurse Symposium and virtual courses for pharmacists and other healthcare stakeholders in North America. We believe that widespread education can empower healthcare professionals to help improve and simplify the lives of people living with diabetes."

"We wanted to provide an attractive and unique educational portal covering the different aspects of diabetes care relevant to healthcare professionals via a state-of-the-art platform. This tool enables personal continuous medical education that results in a CME certificate for the successful completion of the education program," concluded Prof. Dr. med. habil. Peter Schwarz, at the TUMAINI Institute. 

The modules are split into basic, advanced and add-on modules, and each one takes approximately 30 minutes to complete. The 18 basic modules cover topics relating to diabetes prevention, diabetes-related complications, diabetes in daily living and diabetes management, including nutrition and activity, self-monitoring of blood glucose, oral antidiabetic drugs, and insulin dosing. The nine advanced modules cover specific types of diabetes sub-groups or diabetes in specific scenarios – in pregnancy, in the elderly population, or in adolescents and children. They also look at accuracy in specific situations, such as low blood glucose ranges, gestational diabetes and among CGM and FGM users. Finally the four add-on modules cover e-health in diabetes, diabetes in Ramadan and blood glucose awareness training.

1. The content of the modules has been prepared by Prof. Peter Schwarz and the TUMAINI Institute and reflects their respective personal scientific views. Ascensia has no influence over the content of specific modules.
2. Certification granted by the University of Dresden and TUMAINI Institute, Germany.

 

Related Links :

https://www.ascensia.com

PR Newswire

Delivering on growth and profitability – strategic expansion in China

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STOCKHOLM, April 27, 2021 — In the first quarter of 2021, Elkem delivered all-time high operating income and the best quarterly result since the third quarter 2018. The strong results reflected Elkem’s growth and specialisation strategy in a market with attractive fundamentals and its strong culture for operational excellence. On 26 April, Elkem approved a strategic expansion in China, the world’s fastest-growing silicones market. The NOK 3.8 billion project will further support Elkem’s growth and specialisation strategy.

Elkem’s total operating income for the first quarter 2021 was NOK 7,193 million, which was another all-time high and up 24% from the corresponding quarter last year. Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) amounted to NOK 1,231 million in the quarter, which was more than doubled compared to first quarter 2020 and the best since the third quarter 2018. Earnings per share (EPS) was NOK 1.17 in the quarter.

"Elkem is starting 2021 from a strong position. In the first quarter, we achieved record sales and delivered our best quarterly result since the third quarter 2018. We see a positive market sentiment for all divisions and continue to position Elkem for the future in line with our strategy. Today, we also announce a strategic expansion in China which represents a step-change for Elkem’s position as a leading supplier in the world’s fastest growing silicones market," says Elkem’s CEO, Michael Koenig.

Elkem’s main business segments all showed a strong development in the first quarter 2021. Strong demand in all major regions has positively impacted sales volumes and realised prices. Silicones prices in China have increased to attractive levels during the first quarter. In March, Elkem also announced global price increases for silicones. For silicon and ferrosilicon the market prices have risen consistently during the first quarter and reached the highest levels in several years. Also, the market for carbon products was good driven by strong global steel markets.

Elkem’s operational performance was strong in the quarter with high and stable production. The productivity improvement programme with the target to realise annual cost improvements of more than NOK 350 million was still progressing ahead of plan and reached an annual run rate of NOK 230 million by end of first quarter.

Elkem continues to deliver on its growth strategy and ambition to be a leading integrated provider of silicones solutions. On 26 April 2021, the board approved a NOK 3.8 billion strategic expansion of the Xinghuo Silicones plant in China to strengthen Elkem’s position in the fastest growing silicones market and to further support the specialisation strategy. In addition to supporting Elkem´s specialisation and growth strategy, the project will also significantly improve Elkem’s overall cost position and environmental profile based on state-of-the-art technology.

The project will increase the plant’s production capacity by more than 50% for high quality upstream products and enable Elkem to further drive specialty volumes by increasing access to high purity products and critical by-products where Elkem has developed an attractive backlog of downstream products to offtake upstream volumes. The project will also significantly improve the environmental performance by reducing the energy consumption by 57%, reducing use of raw materials by 11% and giving a 30% reduction of solid waste. Improved environmental performance was one of the key decision parameters for Elkem, in line with the company’s high ambition level on Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) factors.

During the first quarter, Elkem also successfully raised MNOK 1,250 in the bond market for refinancing of debt maturities December 2021. The bond transaction was significantly oversubscribed and demonstrated Elkem’s strong financial position.

Elkem’s advanced battery materials activities are proceeding according to plan. The pilot plant in Kristiansand was commissioned in April 2021 and has started industrial scale production. Qualification processes are ongoing with several battery cell producers. The potential large-scale battery materials plant at Herøya represents a significant green value creation opportunity and Elkem is currently in the process to invite external investors to take part in the project. This will enable a swift development, and position Elkem as a significant and attractive supplier to the battery industry.

The group’s equity as at 31 March 2021 amounted to NOK 13,440 million, which gave a ratio of equity to total assets of 41%. Net interest-bearing debt was NOK 7,668 million, which gave a ratio of net interest-bearing debt to EBITDA of 2.3 times. The leverage ratio has been improved over the past two quarters due to higher EBITDA and lower net-interest bearing debt. Elkem had cash and cash equivalents of NOK 4,183 million as at 31 March 2021 and undrawn credit lines of close to NOK 3,900 million.

The market sentiment is positive for all divisions and Elkem will continue to develop its market positions and focus on sustainable growth. The silicones market is strong and market reference prices in China are expected to remain at attractive levels in the second quarter. The announced global price increases will gradually become effective from the second quarter. The result for the Silicones division will be impacted by maintenance stops in China and France. The combined EBITDA effect is limited to NOK 150 million. Demand and market prices for silicon- and ferrosilicon-based products are expected to level out. However, realised contract prices will increase due to time-lag effects. Steel and ferroalloys markets are still strong, giving continued attractive market conditions for carbon products.

For further information, please contact:
Odd-Geir Lyngstad, VP Finance and Investor Relations
Tel: +47 976 72 806
Email: odd-geir.lyngstad@elkem.com

Fredrik Norman, VP Corporate Communication and Public Affairs
Tel: +47 918 66 567
Email: fredrik.norman@elkem.com

About Elkem
Elkem is one of the world’s leading providers of advanced material solutions – shaping a better and more sustainable future. Elkem develops silicones, silicon products and carbon solutions by combining natural raw materials, renewable energy and human ingenuity. Elkem helps its customers create and improve essential innovations like electric mobility, digital communications, health and personal care as well as smarter and more sustainable cities. With a strong track record since 1904, Elkem’s global team of 6,800 people has a joint commitment to stakeholders: Delivering your potential. In 2020, Elkem was rated among the world’s top 5% on climate and achieved an operating income of NOK 24.7 billion. Elkem is listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange (ticker: ELK). www.elkem.com

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https://news.cision.com/elkem/r/delivering-on-growth-and-profitability—strategic-expansion-in-china,c3333708

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