Lubrizol to Exhibit at PaintIndia 2018

February 11, 2018, 10:00 pm

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CLEVELAND, Ohio, Feb 12, 2018 - (ACN Newswire) - The Lubrizol Corporation announces it will exhibit at PaintIndia 2018, which will be held March 8-10 in Mumbai, India. Lubrizol will exhibit in booth C3B, showcasing its latest component technology innovations for paints and coatings as well as digital inks. Some of these new innovations include:

- Aptalon(TM) polyamide polyurethane technology that provides outstanding protection and durability for wood and metal surfaces.
- Solsperse(TM) water-borne hyperdispersant technology that combines high color development with corrosion protection benefits.
- Carboset(R) acrylic resin technology that provides outstanding corrosion protection in coatings for transporting and storing metal components.
- PowderAdd(TM) micronized wax technology that enables unique matting and texturing effects for powder coated metal surfaces.
- Lanco(TM) micronized wax technology that delivers matting efficiency while providing high scratch and mar resistance for wood and metal applications.

An Expert Center in the booth will allow visitors to meet one-on-one with dispersant, resin and surface modifier experts to discuss opportunities, challenges, formulation suggestions or other topics. Visitors are invited to visit the Expert Center to brainstorm ideas for their next coatings project.

"The PaintIndia event is an excellent venue for both sharing and gathering information about our industry in India," notes Mayur Mane, key account manager, Lubrizol Advanced Materials India Private Ltd. "We're able to build awareness about exciting new Lubrizol technologies and their value in modern coating formulations. We look forward to discussing with booth visitors how our latest products and expertise can bring value to our customers' brands through differentiated coating performance."

About Lubrizol Performance Coatings
Lubrizol is a market-driven innovator of specialty chemicals that solve today's challenges in the paints and coatings, printing and packaging, paper and textiles, plastics and composites, and digital print markets. More than just a supplier, we are a collaborator with extensive experience in surface protection, dispersion, adhesion, and barrier properties that enables us to enhance the performance, simplicity, and sustainability benefits of our customers' products. With a commitment to collaboration, applied science, and demonstrated value, our team of experts is dedicated to exceeding customer expectations for both the simplest and toughest requirements. Count on Lubrizol to make the difference.

About The Lubrizol Corporation
The Lubrizol Corporation, a Berkshire Hathaway company, is a market-driven global company that combines complex, specialty chemicals to optimize the quality, performance and value of customers' products while reducing their environmental impact. It is a leader at combining market insights with chemistry and application capabilities to deliver valuable solutions to customers in the global transportation, industrial and consumer markets. Lubrizol improves lives by acting as an essential partner in our customers' success, delivering efficiency, reliability or wellness to their end users. Technologies include lubricant additives for engine oils, driveline and other transportation-related fluids, industrial lubricants, as well as additives for gasoline and diesel fuel. In addition, Lubrizol makes ingredients and additives for home care, personal care and skin care products and specialty materials encompassing polymer and coatings technologies, along with polymer-based pharmaceutical and medical device solutions.

With headquarters in Wickliffe, Ohio, Lubrizol owns and operates manufacturing facilities in 17 countries, as well as sales and technical offices around the world. Founded in 1928, Lubrizol has approximately 8,300 employees worldwide. Revenues for 2016 were $6.5 billion. For more information, visit Lubrizol.com.

Media Contact
Mike Heil
+1 216-447-5176
Website: www.lubrizol.com

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This announcement is distributed by Nasdaq Corporate Solutions on behalf of Nasdaq Corporate Solutions clients.
The issuer of this announcement warrants that they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and originality of the information contained therein.
Source: Lubrizol via Globenewswire

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Pacific Star Development Delivers Strong 12M2017 Financials Results

February 11, 2018, 10:20 pm

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≪ Previous: Lubrizol to Exhibit at PaintIndia 2018

- Revenues and profit increase by 78% and 23% for 12M2017
- Stronger balance sheet, double-digit growth in total assets & equity
- Continued focus on integrated mixed-use developments in ASEAN gateway cities

SINGAPORE, Feb 12, 2018 - (ACN Newswire) - Pacific Star Development Ltd (SGX:PSTAR; PSD), an award-winning ASEAN real estate developer listed on the Singapore Exchange, is pleased to announce a strong set of financial results for the fourth quarter (4Q2017) and for the twelve months ended 31 December 2017 (12M2017).

Financial Highlights 
----------------------------------------------------------------------
SG$mil          4Q2017  4Q2016   (%)         12M2017  12M2016     (%)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Revenue         30.7    17.2   +78.3         83.9      59.1     +42.0
Gross Profit    14.7     8.3   +76.2         40.4      29.0     +39.4
Net Profit       8.4     6.8   +23.0         20.0      17.3     +15.3 
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Continued Strong Performance and Contribution from Property Business

In 4Q2017, the Group's revenue increased 78.3% to approximately S$30.7 million, which was mainly attributed to sales from the Property Division's Puteri Cove Residences & Quayside project in Iskandar Puteri, Malaysia ("Puteri Cove Project"). The strong performance in 4Q2017 boosted the Group's 12M2017 revenue by 42.0% to approximately S$83.9 million.

With higher revenue recognised in 4Q2017, the Group's gross profit jumped 76.2% to approximately S$14.7 million in 4Q2017. For the period 12M2017, the Group's gross profit improved 39.4% to approximately S$40.4 million.

The Group's operating expenses[1] in 4Q2017 increased 33.0% to approximately S$3.2 million while the Group's operating expenses in 12M2017 increased 38.8% to approximately S$11.3 million.

Overall, the Group's net profit after tax increased 23.0% to approximately S$8.4 million in 4Q2017, while for 12M2017, the Group's net profit after tax increased 15.3% to approximately S$20.0 million.

As at 31 December 2017, the Group's total assets grew 40.3% to approximately S$183.5 million as compared to S$130.8 million as at 31 December 2016, which was mainly attributed to an increase in development property, trade receivables and unbilled receivables. Total equity for the Group also improved 92.5% to approximately S$58.5 million as compared to S$30.4 million as at 31 December 2016 over the same period.

Commenting on the Group's 12M2017 results performance, Mr. Glen Chan, CEO and Managing Director of PSD, said: "The past one year has been pivotal for Pacific Star Development as we marked the first year anniversary from our listing on the Singapore Stock Exchange with the achievement of several strategic milestones. I am very pleased to report that our strong financial performance in 12M2017 underscores the effective execution of our business strategy as an ASEAN real estate developer of premium integrated mixed-use developments as defined by our Puteri Cove Residences and Quayside, which Phase 1 is expected to be issued its Certificate of Completion and Compliance before the end of February 2018."

Mr. Glen Chan added, "We have also achieved significant business milestones by building strategic alliances with leading property players and capital partners such as Dubai-listed DAMAC International, and in replicating the exceptional luxury of our flagship project Puteri Cove with privately owned PT Kukuh Mandiri Lestari (KML) for a joint venture development on approximately 10 hectares of prime sea front land parcels in Pantai Indah Kapuk, one of North Jakarta's most affluent and prestigious districts.

"The growth potential in ASEAN real estate is very significant and we are confident in our ability to drive long-term shareholder value as we continually explore the acquisition of new land parcels and joint venture development opportunities with strategic partners in Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore throughout 2018."

*Operating expenses include Marketing and Distribution and Operating and Administrative expenses .
This press release is to be read in conjunction with PSD's exchange filings on 12 February 2018 released on the SGXNet.

About Pacific Star Development Limited (PSD)
Pacific Star Development Limited is an ASEAN developer listed on the Singapore Exchange. With over a decade in real estate investment management and development experience, the property division of the Company has acquired both an extensive regional network as well as a solid background in development management, counting among its past investments the highly successful mixed-use project Pavilion in Kuala Lumpur.

The Group has previously invested in and completed two residential projects in key prime locations in Bangkok and two in Kuala Lumpur. Currently, the Group has two projects on hand, the award-winning Puteri Cove Residences and Quayside in Malaysia, and a joint venture development in Thailand, The Posh Twelve. For more information, please visit www.pacificstar-dev.com

For additional queries, please contact:
Merlissa Elvin-Poulose (Ms.)
Senior Vice President, Head of Corporate Communications
Pacific Star Development Limited
DID: +65 6508 3195
HP: +65 9668 7408
Email: merlissa.elvin@pacificstar-dev.com

Issued for PSD by:
Waterbrooks Consultants Pte Ltd
Mr. Alex Tan
(M): +65 9451 5252, kai@waterbrooks.com.sg
Ms. Lynette Tan
(M): +65 9687 2023, lynette@waterbrooks.com.sg

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Eastman Named One of the World's Most Ethical Companies(R) by the Ethisphere Institute for the Fifth Time

February 13, 2018, 12:30 am

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Recognition honors Eastman's commitment to operate with purpose and lead with integrity

KINGSPORT, Tenn., Feb 13, 2018 - (ACN Newswire) - Eastman (NYSE:EMN) announced today it has been recognized by the Ethisphere Institute, a global leader in defining and advancing the standards of ethical business practices, as one of the World's Most Ethical Companies(R) for the fifth consecutive year. The prestigious honor underscores Eastman's commitment to leading with the highest ethical business standards and practices.

"We are honored to be recognized among the World's Most Ethical Companies again this year," said Chairman and CEO Mark Costa. "At Eastman, we understand that, to be successful and fulfill our purpose of enhancing the quality of life in a material way, we must build trust and confidence with all of our stakeholders - employees, customers, communities, investors, and suppliers. As we continuously look for innovative ways to create value for these stakeholders, our global team is committed to conducting business with honesty and integrity every day. This award is a testament to that commitment."

Eastman has a number of policies and initiatives in place that allow its team members to cultivate a culture of integrity and ethical standards. The company has an Office of Global Business Conduct, led by Eastman's chief legal and sustainability officer, which establishes the Code of Business Conduct. The Code outlines the laws, principles and guidelines all employees follow regarding honesty, integrity and responsible corporate behavior. Regular training on the Code of Business Conduct is required for all employees. Additionally, the Business Conduct Helpline is a confidential, 24-hour-a-day phone service staffed by communications specialists employed by an independent, globally recognized service provider.

"While the discourse around the world changed profoundly in 2017, a stronger voice emerged. Global corporations operating with a common rule of law are now society's strongest force to improve the human condition. This year we saw companies increasingly finding their voice. The World's Most Ethical Companies in particular continued to show exemplary leadership," explained Ethisphere's CEO, Timothy Erblich. "I congratulate everyone at Eastman for being recognized as one of the World's Most Ethical Companies."

Honorees

In 2018, 135 honorees are being recognized, spanning 23 countries and 57 industries. The twelfth class of honorees has record levels of involvement with their stakeholders and their communities around the world. Measuring and improving culture, leading authentically and committing to transparency, diversity and inclusion are all priorities for honorees. The full list of the 2018 World's Most Ethical Companies can be found at http://worldsmostethicalcompanies.ethisphere.com/honorees/.

Ethics & Performance

Once again, the 2018 World's Most Ethical Companies have proven that operating with integrity leads to greater financial performance. Research has found that, when indexed, listed World's Most Ethical Companies outperformed the U.S. Large Cap Index over five years by 10.72 percent and over three years by 4.88 percent. Ethisphere refers to this as the Ethics Premium.

Methodology & Scoring

The World's Most Ethical Companies assessment is based upon the Ethisphere Institute's Ethics Quotient(R) (EQ) framework, which offers a quantitative way to assess a company's performance in an objective, consistent and standardized manner. The information collected provides a comprehensive sampling of definitive criteria of core competencies rather than all aspects of corporate governance, risk, sustainability, compliance and ethics.

Scores are generated in five key categories: ethics and compliance program (35 percent), corporate citizenship and responsibility (20 percent), culture of ethics (20 percent), governance (15 percent) and leadership, innovation and reputation (10 percent). All companies that participate in the assessment process receive their scores, providing them with valuable insights into how they stack up against leading organizations.

About Eastman
Eastman is a global advanced materials and specialty additives company that produces a broad range of products found in items people use every day. With a portfolio of specialty businesses, Eastman works with customers to deliver innovative products and solutions while maintaining a commitment to safety and sustainability. Its market-driven approaches take advantage of world-class technology platforms and leading positions in attractive end-markets such as transportation, building and construction and consumables. Eastman focuses on creating consistent, superior value for all stakeholders. As a globally diverse company, Eastman serves customers in more than 100 countries and had 2017 revenues of approximately $9.5 billion. The company is headquartered in Kingsport, Tennessee, USA and employs approximately 14,500 people around the world. For more information, visit www.eastman.com.

About the Ethisphere Institute
The Ethisphere(R) Institute is the global leader in defining and advancing the standards of ethical business practices that fuel corporate character, marketplace trust and business success. Ethisphere has deep expertise in measuring and defining core ethics standards using data-driven insights that help companies enhance corporate character. Ethisphere honors superior achievement through its World's Most Ethical Companies(R) recognition program, provides a community of industry experts with the Business Ethics Leadership Alliance (BELA) and showcases trends and best practices in ethics with the publication Ethisphere magazine. More information about Ethisphere can be found at: http://ethisphere.com.

Media Contacts:
Eastman
Amanda Allman
423.229.1025 | aallman@eastman.com

Ethisphere
Clea Nabozny
480.397.2658 | Clea.Nabozny@ethisphere.com

WME_2018_color: http://hugin.info/150386/R/2168238/834819.jpg

###

This announcement is distributed by Nasdaq Corporate Solutions on behalf of Nasdaq Corporate Solutions clients.
The issuer of this announcement warrants that they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and originality of the information contained therein.
Source: Eastman Chemical Company via Globenewswire

↧

SpherePay Cryptocurrency Project 'SAY' Secures Strategic Partnership with TrueChain to Cater to 400 Million Population in South East Asia and Beyond

February 13, 2018, 2:00 am

≫ Next: Fujitsu in Trials with Tokyo's Kita City to Streamline Use of AI in Nursing Care Insurance Processing

≪ Previous: Eastman Named One of the World's Most Ethical Companies(R) by the Ethisphere Institute for the Fifth Time

- Singapore Mobile Payment company SpherePay launched its own cryptocurrency 'SAY' and to be first in the world to allow users to spend their Virtual currencies in real-life via its mobile app.
- SpherePay secures strategic investment from TrueChain, one of the world's fastest blockchain company to better service 400 million South East Asian population via speed concurrency processing.
- Via Partnership with TrueChain, SpherePay aims to go beyond South East Asia and has already potential inquiries from India, Sri Lanka, Middle East & Europe.

SINGAPORE, Feb 13, 2018 - (ACN Newswire) - Singapore's homegrown mobile payment app company SpherePay has announced its strategic partnership with TrueChain (TRUE), one of the world's fastest next generation blockchain company. The partnership comes with strategic investment from TrueChain, a company founded in China. This strategic partnership and investment further supports, speed up and enhance SpherePay's mission to turn cryptocurrency into a real-life transactional experience for users who owns digital currency assets. The investment amount was not disclosed.

Earlier this month SpherePay has also secured its partnership with ODYSSEY (OCN) to spearhead the company's 'SAY' token sale project which releases 4 Billion SpherePay cryptocurrency 'SAY' tokens for sale currently. With this, SpherePay will be the first in the world to allow users to spend their cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, ETH, DASH, OCN, TRUE, SAY etc in real-life at any merchants via 'scan & pay' method.

SpherePay currently serves over 5 million users in South East Asia and over 10,000 merchants in the region. With its strategic partnership with TrueChain (TRUE), it propels SpherePay to quickly expand its user-base without disrupting the speed, security & stability of the transaction processes. Its reliability will secure trust and confidence from users and merchants world-wide.

TrueChain (TRUE) has developed its own public blockchain for real commercial decentralized applications. Its blockchain were based on an improved PBFT consensus protocol that provides fast peer-to-peer communication, value transfer, and efficient smart contract infrastructure. In technology perspective; TrueChain not only provides protocol for faster digital asset transfer, it breaks some limitations of PBFT blockchains. By Partnering with TrueChain, SpherePay will leverage on TrueChain's public chain to support SpherePay's massive global expansion plans. This partnership will also allow users to exchange each others TRUE and SAY cryptocurrency directly without the need of purchasing ETH first.

"SpherePay will benefit greatly from TrueChain's owned blockchain technology. Compared with Ethereum, TrueChain has ultra-high performance TPS and able to support large scale transactions concurrency perfectly," says Mr Joseph Chen, Co-Founder & CEO of SpherePay.

"This will be our biggest partnership so far and by working together, TrueChain will provide a solid foundation for Spherepay's large-scale virtual currency payment transactions. We are looking to serve over 400 Million population in South East Asia, however, in recent weeks, we have received many investment and partnership opportunities for expansion in out of Asia countries like India, Sri Lanka, Middle East and Europe and we are taking this on to serve billions of populations," continued Mr Joseph Chen.

With SpherePay's ongoing development, the company is poised to be the largest mobile payment platform for South East Asia with the additional function of allowing users to transact with cryptocurrency in real-life.

SpherePay's 'SAY' Public Token Sale is currently on-going, and buyers are able to purchase their cryptocurrency 'SAY' through their official website at Say.spherepay.com

Official Website for SpherePay Public Token Sale: Say.spherepay.com

About the Company

SpherePay is developed by OPG Asia Pte Ltd, a company founded in Singapore in 2017. OPG is the world's leading provider of financial innovation and payment services. The company is committed to the development of electronic business and operations to improve the operational efficiency of the society as a whole.

With the support of cloud computing, OPG have developed SpherePay which is a mobile application with secured online payment, fund management and consumer finance. OPG ensures that all data are being protected and secured. This allows consumers to have a fast, hassle free and convenient experience, and ensure our merchant partners have a safe, reliable and efficient payment gateway platform.

Launched in Singapore in November 2017, SpherePay has quickly grown its footprint to become the one of the biggest mobile payment platform provider in South East Asia servicing over 5 million users and over 10,000 merchants. SpherePay is setting its target to acquire over 10 million users in the region by the end of 2018.

More information can be found on the website at:
Say.spherepay.com
Twitter.com/spherepay
Facebook.com/spherepay
Telegram Community Group at @SAYOfficial

For Press & Media Information, please contact the following:
Mr Ken Nizam, COO & Marketing Head
SpherePay, South East Asia
OPG ASIA PTE LTD
9 Craig Road, Level 3
Singapore 089669
E-mail: Ken.K.N@Opg.Global
Tel: +65 9459 7504

↧

Fujitsu in Trials with Tokyo's Kita City to Streamline Use of AI in Nursing Care Insurance Processing

February 13, 2018, 2:27 am

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Evaluating application of AI to the municipality's mission critical systems

TOKYO, Feb 13, 2018 - (JCN Newswire) - Fujitsu Limited and Fujitsu Hokuriku Systems Limited today announced that, in partnership with Tokyo's Kita City, they are conducting a field trial to evaluate how AI can be used to streamline tasks associated with guidance and supervision of nursing-care benefit claims from service providers, which Kita City employees customarily process by hand. The field trial will utilize Fujitsu Human Centric AI Zinrai, Fujitsu's approach to artificial intelligence, and will be conducted from January through March 2018 as part of efforts to enhance social security benefits.

Japanese society continues to age rapidly, and Kita City is working to create an environment where the elderly can live in health and safety. With the increase in both the number of people certified as requiring care and in the number of care facilities, however, also growing is the volume of work related to guidance and the analysis of nursing-care benefit payment details, and this has become a serious issue. In this field trial, machine learning technology developed by Fujitsu Hokuriku Systems, which combines customer business expertise and software development technology, is put to use by systems engineers to create a model to analyze the appropriateness of claim details. The trial will apply machine learning to data, such as past nursing-care benefit claims from service providers that have accumulated in Kita City's nursing-care insurance system, and it will then evaluate the effectiveness of this model. Kita City aims to use the insights gained from this field trial not only to increase the efficiency of processing nursing-care benefit payments that employees previously had to spend time handling, but also to further rationalize nursing-care benefit claims.

Background

As part of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government's Improvement Plan for Long-Term Care Benefits, 3rd Phase(1), Kita City employees analyze the appropriateness of certification applications from nursing-care service providers and nursing-care benefit claims. They are also responsible for the supervision and guidance of those same providers using the results of that analysis. In recent years, however, the number of people recognized as requiring nursing care and the number of nursing-care facilities have both been increasing, which has consequently increased the volume of analysis and guidance tasks associated with payments for nursing-care benefit claims, leading to problems with increased burdens on such employees. In order to resolve this issue, Kita City is now conducting a joint field trial with Fujitsu and Fujitsu Hokuriku Systems aiming to improve the efficiency of guidance tasks related to nursing-care benefit payments using Zinrai.

Details of the Field Trial

1. Goal

Because the analysis of the appropriateness of nursing-care benefit claims must be conducted in great detail, with reference to laws such as the Long-Term Care Insurance Act, it requires a high level of skill and a great deal of time. This field trial will evaluate factors such as the ability to reduce the burden on employees by using Zinrai to improve the efficiency of analyses.

2. Time Period and Location

Time period: January through March 2018 Trial location: Kita City office, Tokyo (Address: 1-15-22 Ojihoncho, Kita, Tokyo)

3. Trial Overview

Fujitsu will train machine learning algorithms on data--both appropriate nursing-care benefit claim data and claim data that required guidance and supervision--from past claims by nursing-care service providers stored in Kita City's nursing-care insurance system, and then build a model that can automatically analyze the appropriateness of claim data. Moreover, they will use the newly built model to analyze the appropriateness of nursing-care benefit claim data, and evaluate the results of those analyses against past guidance and supervision records.

Future Developments

Using the insights gained from this field trial, Kita City aims to improve the efficiency of nursing-care benefit payment operations, and to also further enhance the services nursing-care service providers offer to residents. Going forward, Fujitsu aims to offer the trained model built through this field trial as a service, contributing to the accuracy of social security benefits for local governments across Japan. Based on the concept of Fujitsu Knowledge Integration, the Fujitsu Group is working to create new value through ICT that utilizes knowledge and experience from a wide range of industries and businesses. Fujitsu will continue to work with various customers, especially local governments, to resolve local issues and societal problems through ICT, contributing to the promotion of prosperity for people and society.

(1) Improvement Plan for Long-Term Care Benefits, 3rd Phase Announced by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government in March 2015. Covering the period from April 2015 to March 2018, this is a plan that seeks to make nursing-care benefits fairer, after appropriately identifying the people who need nursing-care services (the beneficiaries), ascertaining the services beneficiaries truly need through appropriate care management, and promoting the delivery of appropriate services by providers in accordance with the rules.

About Fujitsu Ltd

Fujitsu is the leading Japanese information and communication technology (ICT) company, offering a full range of technology products, solutions, and services. Approximately 155,000 Fujitsu people support customers in more than 100 countries. We use our experience and the power of ICT to shape the future of society with our customers. Fujitsu Limited (TSE: 6702) reported consolidated revenues of 4.5 trillion yen (US$40 billion) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017. For more information, please see http://www.fujitsu.com.

* Please see this press release, with images, at:
http://www.fujitsu.com/global/about/resources/news/press-releases/

Contact:
Fujitsu Limited
Public and Investor Relations
Tel: +81-3-3215-5259
URL: www.fujitsu.com/global/news/contacts/

↧

SpherePay Cryptocurrency Project 'SAY' Secures Strategic Partnership with TrueChain to Cater to 400 Million Population in South East Asia and Beyond

February 13, 2018, 3:00 am

≫ Next: DENSO Takes a Stake in CREATIONLINE to Strengthen Connectivity Business

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↧

DENSO Takes a Stake in CREATIONLINE to Strengthen Connectivity Business

February 14, 2018, 4:06 am

≫ Next: NEC's Facial Recognition System Elevates Customer Experience at OCBC Bank

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- Investment upgrades DENSO's system to develop cloud solutions and open source software, promotes agile product development -

KARIYA, JAPAN, Feb 14, 2018 - (JCN Newswire) - DENSO Corporation today announced that it has taken an equity stake in CREATIONLINE, Inc., which excels at deploying and integrating cloud and other technologies that enable next-generation software development, including open source software.

The auto industry is undergoing a once-in-a-century paradigm shift. Competition continues to intensify as new players from other industries enter the market and as speed to market also increases. DENSO invests in companies both within and outside the automotive industry in order to pioneer future mobility solutions and products more nimbly, blending its existing technologies and automotive component expertise with new perspectives and agile R&D processes.

CREATIONLINE is one of few companies in Japan with a strong track record developing technologies using an open source and agile software development approach(1), both crucial for future connected vehicles. This equity participation will enable DENSO to harness the skills of CREATIONLINE's IT engineers, who are developing advanced technologies key to growing connectivity-related business. DENSO will also participate in various open source communities(2) organized or co-organized by CREATIONLINE to strengthen its own world-class software-oriented development system.

(1) A development technique in which each process is performed quickly to complete software with minimal functionality instead of going through the entire sequence of processes including requirements specification, design, implementation, and testing.
(2) Organizations that are run by volunteers mainly to develop and improve open source software (OSS) and share information.

About Denso

DENSO Corporation, headquartered in Kariya, Aichi prefecture, Japan, is a leading global automotive supplier of advanced technology, systems and components in the areas of thermal, powertrain control, electronics and information and safety. Its customers include all the world's major carmakers. Worldwide, the company has more than 200 subsidiaries and affiliates in 38 countries and regions and employs nearly 140,000 people. Consolidated global sales for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2014, totaled US$39.8 billion. Last fiscal year, DENSO spent 9 percent of its global consolidated sales on research and development. DENSO common stock is traded on the Tokyo and Nagoya stock exchanges. For more information, go to www.globaldenso.com, or visit our media website at www.densomediacenter.com.

Contact:
Sadayoshi Yokoyama, Toshiko Watanabe 
DENSO CORPORATION 
Phone: 81-566-25-5594 
Fax: 81-566-25-4509 
sadayoshi_yokoyama@denso.co.jp 
toshiko_watanabe@denso.co.jp

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NEC's Facial Recognition System Elevates Customer Experience at OCBC Bank

February 14, 2018, 4:38 am

≫ Next: Neo Telemedia Appoints Big Data and IoT Expert Dr. Gong Zhengjun as Chief Scientist

≪ Previous: DENSO Takes a Stake in CREATIONLINE to Strengthen Connectivity Business

Delivering a personalized welcome with NeoFace facial recognition solution

TOKYO, Feb 14, 2018 - (JCN Newswire) - NEC Asia Pacific and NEC Corporation today announced the successful testing and roll-out of a facial recognition system at OCBC Bank's Holland Village branch to identify Premier Banking customers. OCBC Bank is one of the first in Singapore's banking sector to adopt such a system as part of its digital efforts to improve service excellence.

Facial recognition is a growing form of biometrics used to identify and authenticate persons in a wide range of industries. With the widespread usage and acceptance in immigration systems, and secured identity card systems, biometrics is now expanding into commercial applications (e.g. banking, retail etc.).

Implemented since 4 December 2017, the system instantly identifies OCBC Premier Banking customers in real-time as they approach the lounge in the branch without needing to stop to look at the camera. This is a very unintrusive approach for the bank to identify them.

Based on the VIP identification, the system allows the Premier Service Manager (PSM) to promptly identify and greet customers by their preferred name, offer them their preferred drinks and magazines, and, understanding their visit records, to promptly deliver services, giving the client a more personalized and pleasant customer journey.

The Bank can record the purpose of a customer's visit, gather feedback to help improve services, and understand customer behavior patterns, such as the frequency of their visits.

The system utilizes NeoFace, NEC's AI engine for face recognition.

NeoFace is recognized as the fastest and most accurate facial recognition algorithm in the world by the National Institute of Standards and Technology in the United States(1), greatly exceeding all other vendors in both accuracy and speed.

The NeoFace engine can be used for a variety of applications and scenarios such as:

- Access control and attendance tracking for staff and visitors in different areas
- Workstation/console login for more secured access
- Customer authentication for transactions as a 2nd factor on different channels of financial institutions
- Seamless online transaction experience using facial recognition for payment authentication
- For safety reasons; monitoring for individuals on watch lists or tracking people who loiter on the premises
- Fraud prevention with NEC's "liveness"(2) detection
- Tailored advertising signage and marketing material using facial recognition to understand the age and gender of patrons

"OCBC is committed to our service quality and implementing facial recognition to elevate the customer experience is one of the first steps that we are doing in the digital economy. Since introducing it, we received positive feedback from customers who were impressed by the personalized hospitality enabled by fast and accurate identification. Going forward, we will evaluate and consider the extension of the capability beyond customer service," said Mr. Pranav Seth, SVP, Head of E-business, Business Transformation and Fintech & Innovation group, OCBC Bank.

"We are pleased to work with OCBC Bank to provide this cutting-edge facial recognition solution to help improve the overall delivery of services to their valued clientele. We hope that through this co-creation we have helped OCBC Bank stay competitive in this fast-paced industry where customer experience is key. Moving ahead, we look forward to exploring more innovative and meaningful ideas to help customers digitally transform their businesses through artificial intelligence that includes biometrics and facial recognition," said Lim Kok Quee, Managing Director and Deputy CEO (ASEAN Sub-Region) of NEC Asia Pacific.

NEC has been engaged in the development of facial recognition technology for over 30 years. NeoFace is currently implemented in more than 40 countries by a wide range of public and private organizations.

(1) NEC's Video Face Recognition Technology Ranks First in NIST Testing -
http://www.nec.com/en/press/201703/global_20170316_01.html
(2) NEC's real time facial recognition technology with an anti-spoofing measure built in to determine if a face is real or fake (e.g. a mask).

About NEC Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd.

Singapore-based NEC Asia Pacific (NEC APAC) is the regional headquarters for NEC Corporation (HQ: Japan) in the Asia Pacific region (South and Southeast Asia and Oceania). As a leading information and communications technology provider, NEC APAC provides innovative solutions and infrastructure to promote safety, security and enhance the quality of life for individuals and the community. NEC APAC's expertise includes solutions for carrier networks, biometric identification, enterprise applications and infrastructure, unified communications, transportation solutions, multimedia displays and smart energy, as well as the provision of managed services and contact centre services.

Together with our research laboratories, NEC APAC provides cutting-edge public safety, cybersecurity technologies and enterprise solutions to enable safer cities, with a vision to create a brighter future. For more information, please visit http://sg.nec.com.

About NEC Corporation

NEC Corporation is a leader in the integration of IT and network technologies that benefit businesses and people around the world. By providing a combination of products and solutions that cross utilize the company's experience and global resources, NEC's advanced technologies meet the complex and ever-changing needs of its customers. NEC brings more than 100 years of expertise in technological innovation to empower people, businesses and society. For more information, visit NEC at http://www.nec.com.

Based on its Mid-term Management Plan 2015, the NEC Group globally provides "Solutions for Society" that promote the safety, security, efficiency and equality of society. Under the company's corporate message of "Orchestrating a brighter world," NEC aims to help solve a wide range of challenging issues and to create new social value for the changing world of tomorrow. For more information, please visit http://www.nec.com/en/global/about/solutionsforsociety/message.html.

Contact:
NEC 
Seiichiro Toda         
s-toda@cj.jp.nec.com 
+81-3-3798-6511

↧

Neo Telemedia Appoints Big Data and IoT Expert Dr. Gong Zhengjun as Chief Scientist

February 14, 2018, 4:50 am

≫ Next: NEC Develops Low-power Consumption Circuit Technologies for Compact Millimeter-Wave Radio Units

≪ Previous: NEC's Facial Recognition System Elevates Customer Experience at OCBC Bank

To Enhance the Capability of "Big Data Innovation Alliance" and Fortify the Group's Presence in Big Data Industry

HONG KONG, Feb 14, 2018 - (ACN Newswire) - Neo Telemedia Limited ("Neo Telemedia" or the "Group"; stock code: 8167), which focuses on internet and big data operations, has strived to become a provider of next generation integrated internet services and solutions. The Group has not only forged partnership with different parties, but also established the "Neo Telemedia Big Data Innovation Expert Alliance*" ("Big Data Innovation Alliance*") last September to aid development of its big data operation. On 2 February 2018, the Group appointed Dr. Gong Zhengjun, who has rich experience in the big data and Internet of Things ("IoT") areas, to be its Chief Scientist. The Group hopes to keep fortifying its capabilities by bringing in more talent.

Dr. Gong Zhengjun graduated from the Xidian University, where he majored in computer magnetic field and microwave technology. He has nearly 30 years of experience in IoT and had held senior positions in many smartphone and electronics companies, leading teams in introducing products and technologies, and building R&D platform, thereby encouraged the domestic mobile phone industry to adopt new development models. Currently, he puts his focus on new energy and IoT construction, applying his relevant expertise with R&D team support. He is also the IoT technology consultant of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and chairman of the IoT Branch of Smart City Association of Shenzhen*. The direction of his research agrees with that of the strategy of the Group in developing in the big data area. Upon Dr. Gong joining the Group, the management believes that the development of Neo Telemedia and the Big Data Innovation Alliance will be enhanced.

Dr. Gong Zhengjun said, "Neo Telemedia has an outstanding management team and abundant industrial resources. Capitalizing on its extensive platform, I hope to be able to explore big data in much greater depth and, with a focus on developing innovative business models, help the Group continuously expand its business."

With big data and cloud computing gaining prominence in society, the Group has seized the opportunity to enter the US$100 billion IoT market. It set up the Big Data Innovation Alliance last year with the aim of meeting the demands of governments and corporate clients, as well as pooling wisdom via financing platforms to help the Group quickly respond to the needs of the industry and drive the development of its big data business. The Group hopes to take advantage of the strategic positioning of the alliance to offer planning consultation services to the government and industrial IoT sectors, explore innovative business models and find more cooperative partners, all for consolidating its industry position and broadening its customer base.

Looking ahead, the Group will tap the advantages of the Big Data Innovation Alliance and its talented team, putting their strengths in scientific research and technologies to full use, continue to explore potential investment and cooperation opportunities in the Internet data centre, cloud computing and big data sectors, so as to ultimately create social and economic value, and take its business to new heights while also fostering development of the big data industry.

About Neo Telemedia Limited(stock code: 8167)
Neo Telemedia Limited and its subsidiaries (collectively, the "Group") is a telecommunications group focusing on the Internet and big data sectors, subsequent to its recent corporate restructuring. The Group has been included as a constituent stock in the MSCI China Small Cap Index since November 2015. Its wholly-owned subsidiary, Guangdong Bluesea Technology Company Limited, has partnered with Shangdong Inspur Group to form a joint venture, Guangdong Bluesea Inspur Cloud Computing Company Limited to establish a large cloud computing centre in Southern China. In early 2015, the Group signed several agreements to explore various opportunities in WiFi access services, application of cloud computing in the PRC. Additionally, to capture the opportunities arising in the Internet financing market in the PRC, the Group has officially launched its internet finance business platform under its subsidiary, Avatar Wealth in May 2015. The Group has also launched another internet finance business platform with Bees Financial. Shenzhou Aerospace Manufacturing Technology (Guangdong) Institute, which was jointly established by the Group, Shenzhou Aerospace Software Limited and Chancheng District People's Government of Foshan, was registered as a non-profit organization at the Department of Civil Affairs of Guangdong Province on 23 October 2015. At the end of 2015, the Group invested in the data center of Guangdong Bluesea Mobile Development Co., Ltd., including the Bluesea Intelligence Valley in Jiangmen.

For press enquiries
Strategic Financial Relations Limited
Joanne Lam Tel: 852-2864 4816 Email: joanne.lam@sprg.com.hk
Cecilia Shum Tel: 852-2864 4890 Email: cecilia.shum@sprg.com.hk
Jeffrey Tam Tel: 852-2864 4858 Email: jeffrey.tam@sprg.com.hk
Fax: 852-2527 1196

↧

NEC Develops Low-power Consumption Circuit Technologies for Compact Millimeter-Wave Radio Units

February 14, 2018, 4:54 am

≫ Next: Showa Denko (SDK) Announces 2017 Consolidated Financial Results

≪ Previous: Neo Telemedia Appoints Big Data and IoT Expert Dr. Gong Zhengjun as Chief Scientist

- Enabling greater installation flexibility -

TOKYO, Feb 14, 2018 - (JCN Newswire) - NEC Corporation (TSE: 6701) today announced it has reduced the size of the millimeter-wave radio units for fifth-generation (5G) mobile communications, and has developed low power consumption circuit technologies that improve installation flexibility.

5G is expected to enable large capacity communications that measure up to several tens of gigabits per second (Gbps) by taking advantage of wideband millimeter-wave technology. However, an increase in the power consumption of wireless circuits results in larger equipment due to the expanded size of the heat dissipation mechanisms. This poses a challenge as there is limited space for the installation of radio units.

Newly developed low-power circuit technologies reduce the overall power consumption of the millimeter-wave radio unit, leading to a smaller heat dissipation mechanism in the wireless circuit. This allows the body of the millimeter-wave radio unit to be as small as that of LTE radio units. As a result, it enables the millimeter-wave radio unit to be installed in places that are usually considered difficult, such as streetlights and telegraph poles, in addition to conventional building rooftops.

Major features of the technologies are shown below:

1. Reduces power consumption of millimeter-wave wideband amplifier to one fifth
NEC developed wide-band digital pre-distortion technology where a power amplifier's distortion outside an observation band is estimated and suppressed by using only in-band signals. This enables power amplifiers to operate with both high efficiency and low distortion, which conventional amplifiers cannot achieve. Consequently, this permits signal quality to be secured with low power consumption, while reducing power consumption of the amplifier to approximately one fifth when compared to conventional devices.
2. Reduces power consumption of analog wireless circuits to half
NEC applied a 1-bit digital transmitter(1), which eliminates the need for digital-to-analog converters, to a millimeter-wave wideband communication system, and successfully reduced the overall power consumption of analog wireless circuits to approximately half, compared to that of commercial products with digital-to-analog converters.

"NEC aims to see these technologies deployed with wireless base stations that contribute to the construction of 5G mobile networks throughout the world," said Yuichi Nakamura, General Manager, NEC System Platform Research Laboratories.

NEC will present these technologies at Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2018 in Barcelona, Spain, from Monday, February 26, 2018 to Thursday, March 1, 2018.

(1) 1-bit digital transmitter
http://www.nec.com/en/press/201406/global_20140602_02.html

About NEC Corporation

NEC Corporation is a leader in the integration of IT and network technologies that benefit businesses and people around the world. By providing a combination of products and solutions that cross utilize the company's experience and global resources, NEC's advanced technologies meet the complex and ever-changing needs of its customers. NEC brings more than 100 years of expertise in technological innovation to empower people, businesses and society. For more information, visit NEC at http://www.nec.com.

Based on its Mid-term Management Plan 2015, the NEC Group globally provides "Solutions for Society" that promote the safety, security, efficiency and equality of society. Under the company's corporate message of "Orchestrating a brighter world," NEC aims to help solve a wide range of challenging issues and to create new social value for the changing world of tomorrow. For more information, please visit http://www.nec.com/en/global/about/solutionsforsociety/message.html.

Contact:
NEC 
Seiichiro Toda         
s-toda@cj.jp.nec.com 
+81-3-3798-6511

↧

Showa Denko (SDK) Announces 2017 Consolidated Financial Results

February 13, 2018, 8:00 pm

≫ Next: Showa Denko (SDK) Announces Difference between Performance Forecast and Results, Posting of Extraordinary Loss, and Revision of Dividend Forecast

≪ Previous: NEC Develops Low-power Consumption Circuit Technologies for Compact Millimeter-Wave Radio Units

TOKYO, Feb 14, 2018 - (JCN Newswire) - Showa Denko K.K. ("SDK"; TSE:4004) today announced its 2017 consolidated financial results.

- 2017 Consolidated Financial Statements and summary:
http://www.sdk.co.jp/assets/files/english/ir/library/fss2017.pdf

The Company today also issued the following supporting release.

SDK Announces Difference between Performance Forecast and Results, Posting of Extraordinary Loss, and Revision of Dividend Forecast
www.sdk.co.jp/assets/files/english/news/2018/180214_sdknewsrelease_e.pdf

About Showa Denko K.K.

Showa Denko K.K. ("SDK"; TSE:4004, US:SHWDF) is a major manufacturer and marketer of chemical products serving a wide range of fields ranging from heavy industry to the electronic and computer industries. The Petrochemicals Sector provides cracker products such as ethylene and propylene, the Chemicals Sector provides industrial and high-performance gases and chemicals and high-purity gases and chemicals for the semiconductor industry, and the Inorganics Sector provides ceramics products such as alumina, abrasive, refractory and graphite electrodes and fine carbon products. Today, the Aluminum Sector provides aluminum materials and high-value-added fabricated aluminum, the Electronics Sector provides HD media, compound semiconductors such as ultra high-bright LEDs and rare earth magnetic alloys, and the Advanced Battery Materials Department (ABM) provides lithium-ion battery components. For more information, please visit www.sdk.co.jp/english/.

↧

Showa Denko (SDK) Announces Difference between Performance Forecast and Results, Posting of Extraordinary Loss, and Revision of Dividend Forecast

February 13, 2018, 8:30 pm

≫ Next: Holista Group Company signs US$6M MOU to supply Low-GI Noodle Mix to Wing's of Canada

≪ Previous: Showa Denko (SDK) Announces 2017 Consolidated Financial Results

TOKYO, Feb 14, 2018 - (JCN Newswire) - Showa Denko ("SDK"; TSE:4004) hereby announces occurrence of difference between its forecast of consolidated financial results for full-year 2017 announced on December 12, 2017 and actual financial results announced today. SDK also announces posting of an extraordinary loss concerning refurbishment of Yokohama Plant. In addition, SDK resolved at its Board of Directors' meeting held on February 14, 2018 to revise its forecast of the term-end dividends to be paid for the term of January 1 - December 31, 2017.

1. Difference between the forecast of consolidated financial results for January 1 - December 31, 2017 and actual financial results

[Difference between the forecast and actual results]
(Millions of yen, excepting net income attributable to owners of the parent per share)

----------------------------------------------------------------------
           Net sales  Operating  Ordinary    Net income    Net income
                         income    income  attributable  attributable
                                           to owners of  to owners of
                                             the parent    the parent
                                                        per share (y)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Previous forecast (A)
(Announced on Dec. 12, 2017) 
              773,000    70,000    55,000        21,000        147.34
Actual results (B)
(Announced on Feb. 14, 2018)
              780,387    77,818    63,962        33,470        234.84
(B)-(A)         7,387     7,818     8,962        12,470
Percentage of changes 
                 1.0%     11.2%     16.3%         59.4%
Reference: Results for January 1 - December 31, 2016
              671,159    42,053    38,690        12,305         86.27
----------------------------------------------------------------------

[Reasons for the difference between the forecast and actual results]

Net sales exceeded the previous forecast due mainly to the conditions of the market for products of the Petrochemicals segment stronger than those expected in the previous forecast.

Operating income exceeded the previous forecast. Operating income of the Petrochemicals segment exceeded the previous forecast because the spreads between product prices and raw material costs were wider than those expected in the previous forecast. In the Inorganics segment, operating income was also higher than the previous forecast because the operating income earned by our graphite electrode subsidiary in China was higher than the previous forecast due to the bullish conditions of the graphite electrode market in China.

Ordinary income exceeded the previous forecast due to the rise in operating income.

Net income attributable to owners of the parent exceeded the previous forecast due to the rise in ordinary income, despite our posting of an extraordinary loss concerning refurbishment of Yokohama Plant aiming to make effective use of the Plant.

2. Posting of an extraordinary loss concerning refurbishment of Yokohama Plant

SDK is now promoting rebuilding of its business in Yokohama Plant, located in Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture. Under these circumstances, SDK has decided to remove unused equipment and relocate some existing facilities. Thus SDK posted an extraordinary loss of 7.6 billion yen including the costs of these removals and relocation.

As for the grounds of Yokohama Plant, SDK will strive to continuously make effective use of them since the Plant is located in a metropolitan area and has port facilities including piers at which ships from other countries can land.

3. Revision of dividend forecast

[Revision of dividend forecast]

----------------------------------------------------------------------
                              Dividends per share (y)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Record date    May 11, 2017  End of 2Q  End of the term  Yearly total
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Previous forecast     30.00       0.00            30.00         60.00
Revised forecast      30.00       0.00            50.00         80.00
Dividends paid for the term ended on December 31, 2016  
                                  0.00             0.00          0.00
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Note1: SDK consolidated every ten shares into one share on July 1, 2016. The dividends per share paid for the term ended on December 31, 2016 is calculated on the basis of the number of shares before this consolidation. The forecast of the dividends per share for the term ended on December 31, 2017 is calculated on the basis of the number of shares after this consolidation.
Note 2: SDK resolved payment of dividends of 30 yen per share based on the record date of May 11, 2017 at the extraordinary general meeting of shareholders held on June 27, 2017, and paid them.

[Reasons for the revision of dividend forecast]

SDK resolved at its Board of Directors' meeting held today to revise its forecast of the term-end dividends to be paid per share for the term ended on December 31, 2017 from 30 yen per share, which was in the previous forecast, to 50 yen per share, up 20 yen per share, taking into consideration the fact that there was an upturn in our consolidated business performance from the previous forecast, and our business expansion and financial conditions in the future.

About Showa Denko K.K.

Showa Denko K.K. ("SDK"; TSE:4004, US:SHWDF) is a major manufacturer and marketer of chemical products serving a wide range of fields ranging from heavy industry to the electronic and computer industries. The Petrochemicals Sector provides cracker products such as ethylene and propylene, the Chemicals Sector provides industrial and high-performance gases and chemicals and high-purity gases and chemicals for the semiconductor industry, and the Inorganics Sector provides ceramics products such as alumina, abrasive, refractory and graphite electrodes and fine carbon products. Today, the Aluminum Sector provides aluminum materials and high-value-added fabricated aluminum, the Electronics Sector provides HD media, compound semiconductors such as ultra high-bright LEDs and rare earth magnetic alloys, and the Advanced Battery Materials Department (ABM) provides lithium-ion battery components. For more information, please visit www.sdk.co.jp/english/.

Contact:
IR Office, Finance & Accounting Department
Phone: 81-3-5470-3323

↧

Holista Group Company signs US$6M MOU to supply Low-GI Noodle Mix to Wing's of Canada

February 13, 2018, 9:00 pm

≫ Next: 3i Infotech Signals a Transformation with its New Logo

≪ Previous: Showa Denko (SDK) Announces Difference between Performance Forecast and Results, Posting of Extraordinary Loss, and Revision of Dividend Forecast

- Sales of Year 1 expected at US$6 million
- Projected to increase to US$12 million in Year 2 and US$25 million in Year 3
- Supported by Diabetes Canada and the Glycemic Index Foundation
- Patented "Clean Label" Ingredients
- Company plans to attack Instant Noodle market

Perth, Kuala Lumpur and Ontario, Feb 14, 2018 - (ACN Newswire) - Holista CollTech Ltd ("Holista")(ASX: HCT) is pleased to announce group company Holista Foods Inc. ("HolistaFoods") has signed a 3-year MoU to supply its patented low glycemic index ("GI") mix to Wing's Group, North America's leading noodle supplier.

Pursuant to the MoU, sales are expected to be US$6 million for the 2018 financial year. This is projected to increase to US$12 million in 2019 and to US$25 million in 2020.

The MoU with Ontario-based Wing's is the first order for Holista which seeks to address obesity and diabetes-related health issues worldwide with this technology offering. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, over 100 million adult Americans suffer from diabetes or pre-diabetes.

The sales order marks HolistaFoods' entry into the billion-dollar global noodle market. According to Grand View Research, the global pasta and noodles market size was valued at USD 59.6 billion in 2016 and is expected to grow at a compounded annual rate of 3.6%. The U.S. noodle market alone is worth US$270 million, the world's sixth largest market for instant noodles. In 2016, the World Instant Noodles Association reported 97.5 billion servings consumed around the world.

Noodles account for half the world's supply of wheat compared to 25% for bread.

Developed by HolistaFoods Buffalo, the New York-based arm of Holista Foods Inc., and supported by Diabetes Canada, the patented formula recorded a GI reading of 38 in independent tests by Glycemic Index Laboratories, Inc., well below the global average of 60. The reading indicates the rate in which foods containing carbohydrates raise human blood sugar levels, with a lower score indicating healthier food.

The noodles are endorsed by the Glycemic Index Foundation and follow the guidelines and recommendations of Diabetes Canada.

An 85-gram serving of noodles contains 11 grams of protein, three grams of fibre, zero sugar while being low sodium and cholesterol and provides sustained energy. The noodles cook in just three minutes.

HolistaFoods formula comprises extracts of okra (ladies' fingers), lentils, barley and fenugreek - clean label ingredients - all natural, with no artificial ingredients or preservatives.

This has successfully tested low-GI formulas for bread and muffins, and is now working on mixes for pasta and pancakes. A key feature is that the mix can be prepared easily, with no discernible change in taste or texture of the finished product.

The order from Wing's is expected to have a significant impact on Holista's revenue from the financial year ending 31 December 2018.

Neal Lee, President of Wing's, said: "Diabetes is becoming a global pandemic that threatens lives and increases healthcare costs. Wing's is proud to be the first major noodle manufacturer in the world to launch a dedicated low-GI noodle. We are confident that our partnership with Holista will be well-received in North America, if not globally."

Nadja Piatka, CEO of Holista Foods, said: "The North American noodle market is sizeable and significant, and we believe this collaboration with Wing's can set the trend for global acceptance of a healthy version of instant noodles without compromising taste or texture. We are grateful to Wing's for this partnership."

Dr Rajen Manicka, Chairman and CEO of Holista, said: "Our MoU with Wing's is significant as it marks our entry into the global noodle market with a low-GI product that is both healthy and affordable. We are confident that this market validation will also enable us to gain greater acceptance in Asia, especially in the leading noodle markets of China and Indonesia. We now want to make a push in the lucrative instant noodle market."

About Holista CollTech Ltd

Holista CollTech Ltd ("Holista") is a research-driven biotech company and is the result of the merger of Holista Biotech Sdn Bhd and CollTech Australia Ltd. Headquartered in Perth with extensive operations in Malaysia, Holista is dedicated to delivering first-class natural ingredients and wellness products and leads in research on herbs and food ingredients.

Holista, listed on the Australia Securities Exchange, researches, develops, manufactures and markets "health-style" products to address the unmet and growing needs of natural medicine. Holista's suite of ingredients is capable of serving the industry to provide low-GI baked products, low sodium salt, low fat fried foods and low calories sugar without compromise in taste, odour and mouth feel. It is the only company to produce sheep (ovine) collagen using patented extraction methods.

About Holista Foods Inc

HolistaFoods is an American joint venture between Holista Colltech and Nadja Foods to commercialize all its patents in North America. For more information, visit: www.holistafoods.com

About Wing's Food Products

Wing's Food Products ("Wing's") is a family business founded in 1953 that began supplying noodles, wraps and sauces to the Asian restaurant industry and has grown to become a major Canadian manufacturer of noodles, wraps and cookies to retail, food service and B2B with operations in Toronto, Ontario and Edmonton, Alberta. For more information, please visit: www.wings.ca

For further information, please contact:

Corporate Affairs & Business Opportunities
Dr Rajen Manicka: rajen.m@holistaco.com
General Enquiries: enquiries@holistaco.com

Australia
283 Rokeby Road
Subiaco WA 6008
P: +61 8 6141 3500; F: +61 8 6141 3599

Malaysia
12th Floor, Amcorp Trade Centre, PJ Tower
No. 18, Persiaran Barat off Jalan Timur
46000, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia
P: +603 7965 2828 ; F: +603 7965 2777

Media and Investor Relations Enquiries
WeR1 Consultants Pte Ltd
3 Phillip Street #12-01
Singapore 048693
Asha Devi, ashadevi@wer1.net; P: +603 2731 9244
Roshan Singh, roshansingh@wer1.net; P: +65 67374844

↧

3i Infotech Signals a Transformation with its New Logo

February 13, 2018, 11:00 pm

≫ Next: Champion REIT Announces 2017 Final Results

≪ Previous: Holista Group Company signs US$6M MOU to supply Low-GI Noodle Mix to Wing's of Canada

3i Infotech : New Brand Identity & Logo

MUMBAI, INDIA, Feb 14, 2018 - (ACN Newswire) - 3i Infotech Ltd (BSE: 532628, NSE: 3IINFOTECH), a global Information Technology company, launched a new corporate logo that reflects both the evolution of the Company and its vision for the future.

Over the last two decades, 3i Infotech, with its long-standing domain expertise, has become a recognized leader in providing IP based software solutions and a wide range of IT services. Its offerings have empowered business transformation for numerous organizations across geographies by helping them improve their processes and streamlining their operations.

3i Infotech's new brand identity represents its successful and ongoing transition to a company with a distinctive portfolio of IT Products and Services that competes in key growth markets including Banking, Financial Services, Insurance, Government, Manufacturing, Retail, Distribution, Telecom and Healthcare.

Speaking on the rebranding efforts, Padmanabhan Iyer, MD & Global CEO, 3i Infotech, said "An ever-evolving business environment creates new possibilities for our clients. To keep pace with these changing times and technology, we at 3i Infotech remain ever sensitive to the needs of our customers, focused on providing them with solutions that comprehensively address their challenges, and unlock triggers to their growth.

"Our new brand identity represents our renewed commitment to our clients, our employees, and reflects how we want to be perceived - as a forward-thinking brand, dynamically keeping pace with the ever-changing technology landscape, which pushes boundaries and brings together the best of expertise, talent, products and services, creating outstanding results across the spectrum."

The new corporate logo brings to life the brand's refreshed promise of creating new opportunities and value for its clients, and underscores the strength and focus of its products and services portfolio. Distinctive colours represent a fresh approach, bringing vibrancy and dynamism to the brand, and stand for a new way of creating results. The distinctive typeface lends a modern, clean look and highlights the values of innovation, insight and integrity - the core of the Company's DNA.

3i Infotech's new tagline "Limitless Excellence" represents its passion and zeal to go beyond the expected and deliver extraordinary levels of performance using the combination of evolved products and services, exceptional customer engagement and deeper industry expertise.

Along with the revamp of its corporate brand, 3i Infotech has also repositioned its services portfolio with the name Altiray(TM). As an end to end IT service provider, delivering to perfection is at the core of the 3i Infotech team. The new name reflects this very strength and commitment to nimbly driving consistent, best-in-class outcomes for its services clients.

The brand mark will be rolled out seamlessly across all offline and online platforms, in the coming months.

About 3i Infotech
Headquartered in Mumbai, India since inception in 1993, 3i Infotech has over 4800 employees in 18 offices in 11 countries, and 1000+ customers in 50 countries across 4 continents. With a comprehensive set of IP based software solutions and a wide range of IT services, 3i Infotech has successfully transformed business operations of customers globally. For moreinformation, please visit www.3i-infotech.com.

Media Contact:
Aparna Venkatesh
Corporate Communications, 3i Infotech Limited.
aparna.venkatesh@3i-infotech.com / corporate@3i-infotech.com
Contact: +91-22 6792 8178

↧

Champion REIT Announces 2017 Final Results

February 13, 2018, 11:38 pm

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≪ Previous: 3i Infotech Signals a Transformation with its New Logo

- Distributable income record high at HK$1,487 mil; Distribution per unit up 5.8%
- Three Garden Road: Continued encouraging growth in rental income
- Langham Place Mall: Retail sales growth outperformed HK retail market again

HONG KONG, Feb 14, 2018 - (ACN Newswire) - Champion Real Estate Investment Trust (HKG:2778), the owner of Three Garden Road and Langham Place, announces its financial results for year ended 31 December 2017.

Summary of financial results

HK$ mil                               FY 2017     FY 2016      Change
Total Rental Income                     2,431       2,299       +5.7%
Three Garden Road                       1,232       1,157       +6.4%
Langham Place Office Tower                344         32        +5.9%
Langham Place Mall                        856         817       +4.7%
Net Property Income                     2,166       2,027       +6.9%
Distributable Income                    1,487       1,408       +5.6%
Distribution per Unit (HK$)            0.2426      0.2292       +5.8%

Value as of                       31 Dec 2017   31 Dec 2016    Change
Gross Value of Portfolio               76,704      66,842      +14.8%
Net Asset Value per Unit (HK$)          10.36        8.72      +18.8%
Gearing Ratio                           18.9%       21.7%      -2.8pp

Overview

The Trust's distributable income increased 5.6% to HK$1,487 million, achieving another record high in 2017. Distribution per unit also rose 5.8% to HK$0.2426. This sustained positive performance was largely driven by stable rental income growth across all properties.

Three Garden Road
Rental income for Three Garden Road continued to achieve significant positive rental reversions standing at HK$1,232 million, a 6.4% increase over 2016. Passing rents also surged 18.3% to HK$92.52 per lettable sq.ft. compared with HK$78.20 per lettable sq.ft. as at 31 December 2016. Market rents also moved gradually upwards as leasing momentum improved. The latest leasing transaction has reached HK$120 per lettable sq.ft.

Langham Place Office Tower
Langham Place Office Tower's prime location and top-quality construction and facilities ensured it remained a preferred address for leading lifestyle tenants. The property's total rental income for 2017 rose 5.9% to HK$344 million. The Trust announced a possible disposal of its interest in Langham Place Office Tower In July 2017. No offer has been received by the REIT Manager to date.

Langham Place Mall
Buoyed by an improved local economy and rising tourist arrivals, Hong Kong's retail market showed encouraging signs of a recovery in the second half of 2017. Rental income for Langham Place Mall rose 4.7% to HK$856 million largely due to significant increases in turnover rents which were mainly driven by beauty and skincare tenants' solid sales performance. Overall tenants' sales rose 5.3%, outperforming the local retail market growth of 2.2% in 2017.

Financing
In continuing to hedge against possible rises in interest rates, the Trust has increased the fixed rate portion of its total debt to 50.0% as of 31 December 2017.

Distribution
With stable rental income growth across all properties, the Trust's distributable income for 2017 rise 5.6% reached another record high of HK$1,487 million (2016: HK$1,408 million). Distribution per Unit (DPU) increased 5.8% to HK$0.2426 (2016: HK$0.2292). Based on the closing Unit price of HK$5.73 recorded on 29 December 2017, the distribution yield is 4.2% p.a.

Asset Value
2017 saw the appraised value of the Trust's properties rise 14.8% to HK$76.7 billion as a result of higher rental rate assumptions, while Net Asset Value per Unit increased 18.8% to HK$10.36.

Outlook

The occupancy of our office portfolio looks set to remain high. As spot rates are now below passing rents for both Three Garden Road and Langham Place Office Tower, positive rental reversion is expected to continue in the coming year.

With the recovery of Hong Kong's retail sector improving operating conditions for retailers, The Trust remains prudently optimistic regarding Langham Place Mall's prospects for the coming year. With the emergence of experimental retail in the digital era, the Trust will continue to pioneer innovative new ways to make shopping even more enriching for consumers.

The Trust's existing property portfolio is expected to continue to deliver stable rental income growth in 2018. That said, potential rises in interest rates may lead to higher finance costs and thus impact the Trust's DPU growth. At the same time, we will continue to remain prudent when reviewing our portfolio and investigating sound strategic opportunities to benefit and optimize value for unitholders.

About Champion REIT

Champion Real Estate Investment Trust (HKG:2778; USOTC:CMPNF) is a trust formed to own and invest in income- producing office and retail properties. The Trust focuses on Grade-A commercial properties in prime locations. It currently offers investors direct exposure to 2.93 million sq. ft. of prime office and retail properties by way of two landmark properties, Three Garden Road and Langham Place, one on each side of the Victoria Harbour. Visit www.championreit.com.

Media Contact:
Strategic Financial Relations Limited
Vicky Lee
T: +852 2864 4834, E: vicky.lee@sprg.com.hk
Adrianna Lau
T: +852 2114 4987, E: adrianna.lau@sprg.com.hk
Website: www.sprg.com.hk

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DOCOMO Tightens Security for Open APIs by Leveraging Know-how of Affiliate Authlete, Inc.

February 14, 2018, 6:59 pm

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TOKYO, Feb 15, 2018 - (JCN Newswire) - NTT DOCOMO, INC. announced today that it has begun deploying the Web API access-authorization engine of Authlete, Inc. to enhance the security of open APIs for device providers and DOCOMO services as well as to enhance collaboration among companies. Tokyo-headquartered Authlete became an affiliate of the DOCOMO Group when NTT DOCOMO Ventures, a wholly owned subsidiary, bought a stake in the company on November 30, 2017.

Authlete's OAuth 2.0 is a framework in which a user of a service can allow a third-party application to access his/her data hosted in the service without revealing his/her credentials (ID & password) to the application. Authlete is based on standards developed by the OpenID Foundation, a non-profit international standardization organization committed to enabling, promoting and protecting OpenID technologies. It is listed in Request for Comments (RFC) of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF).

The company also developed Authlete, a cloud-based service that supports the Web API authorization process based on OpenID Connect, a framework on top of OAuth 2.0 in which a third-party application can obtain a user's identity information managed by a service.

Going forward, DOCOMO expects to increase the uptake of Authlete's services among companies in the API and IoT business fields to achieve lifestyle innovation under the company's "Declaration beyond" medium-term strategy to 2020 and contribute to the development of their partners' business.

About NTT DOCOMO Ventures

NTT DOCOMO Ventures, the NTT Group's corporate venture capital firm, aims to accelerate innovation for creation of new services, disruptive technologies and innovative processes serving as a primary channel for startup companies and venture communities on behalf of the NTT Group, Japan's leading ICT service provider. We proactively enhance cooperation with exceptional entrepreneurs on a worldwide scale by providing capital from our corporate venture funds and vast business development opportunities with the NTT Group companies. For more information visit https://www.nttdocomo-v.com/en/.

About NTT DOCOMO

NTT DOCOMO provides innovative, convenient and secure mobile services that enable smarter living for each customer. The company serves over 65 million mobile customers in Japan via advanced wireless networks, including a nationwide 3G network and one of the world's first commercial LTE networks. Leveraging its unique capabilities as a mobile operator, DOCOMO is a leading developer of cutting-edge technologies for NFC mobile payments, mobile GPS, mobile TV, intuitive mobile assistance, environmental monitoring, smart grids and much more. Overseas, the company provides technical and operational expertise to eight mobile operators and other partner companies. NTT DOCOMO is listed on the Tokyo (9437) and New York (DCM) stock exchanges. Please visit https://www.nttdocomo.co.jp/english/ for more information.

Contact:
NTT DOCOMO
International PR
Public Relations Department
Tel: +81-3-5156-1366    
Fax: +81-3-5501-3408
URL: www.nttdocomo.com
Contact: https://nes.nttdocomo.co.jp/PINQ01/showinquiry.do

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Eisai: U.K. NICE Recommends Anticancer Agent Lenvima as Treatment for Thyroid Cancer

February 15, 2018, 11:34 pm

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Following the issue of the FAD by NICE, lenvatinib will be eligible for reimbursement for this indication via the National Health Service in England (NHS England).

TOKYO, Feb 16, 2018 - (JCN Newswire) - Eisai Co., Ltd. announced today that its in-house developed anticancer agent Lenvima (lenvatinib mesylate, lenvatinib) has been recommended by the U.K. National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) as a treatment for progressive, locally advanced or metastatic differentiated thyroid cancer (papillary, follicular or Hurthle cell) in adults whose disease does not respond to radioactive iodine, in NICE's Final Appraisal Determination (FAD).(1)

Following the issue of the FAD by NICE, lenvatinib will be eligible for reimbursement for this indication via the National Health Service in England (NHS England).

The Appraisal Committee considered that lenvatinib demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in progression free survival and offers an extension in overall survival compared to placebo, respectively.

The committee concluded that lenvatinib is one of the few treatment options for progressive, locally advanced or metastatic differentiated thyroid cancer after surgery and radioactive iodine.

Lenvatinib was approved in Europe in May 2015 as a treatment for adults with progressive, locally advanced or metastatic differentiated thyroid cancer (papillary, follicular or Hurthle cell), refractory to radioactive iodine. The agent was launched in the U.K. in June 2015. Furthermore, lenvatinib was approved in September 2016 for an expanded indication in combination with everolimus for the treatment of adult patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma following one prior vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) targeted therapy, and lenvatinib is marketed under the product name Kisplyx for this indication.

Lenvatinib plus everolimus was recommended by NICE as an option for treating advanced renal cell carcinoma in adults who have had one previous VEGF-targeted therapy in December 2017.
Eisai regards oncology as a key therapeutic area and is aiming to discover revolutionary new medicines with the potential to cure cancer. Eisai remains committed to providing further clinical evidence and expanding patient access for lenvatinib, and by maximizing the value of the drug, seeks to contribute further to addressing the diverse needs of, and increasing the benefits provided to, patients with cancer, their families, and healthcare providers.

About lenvatinib mesylate (product name: Lenvima / Kisplyx, lenvatinib)

Discovered and developed in-house, lenvatinib is an orally administered multiple receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) inhibitor with a novel binding mode that selectively inhibits the kinase activities of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) receptors (VEGFR1, VEGFR2 and VEGFR3) and fibroblast growth factor (FGF) receptors (FGFR1, FGFR2, FGFR3 and FGFR4) in addition to other proangiogenic and oncogenic pathway-related RTKs (including the platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) receptor PDGFRalpha; KIT; and RET) involved in tumor proliferation.

Currently, Eisai has obtained approval for lenvatinib as a treatment for refractory thyroid cancer in over 50 countries, including the United States, Japan, in Europe and Asia, under the brand name Lenvima. Additionally, Eisai has obtained approval for lenvatinib in combination with everolimus as a treatment for renal cell carcinoma (second-line) in over 40 countries, including the United States and in Europe. In Europe, the agent was launched under the brand name Kisplyx for renal cell carcinoma.

Furthermore, in a Phase III clinical study (REFLECT Study / Study 304) comparing safety and efficacy of the agent versus sorafenib for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma, lenvatinib achieved its primary endpoint of overall survival, meeting the statistical criteria for non-inferiority to sorafenib. Eisai has submitted applications for an indication covering hepatocellular carcinoma in Japan (June 2017), the United States and Europe (July 2017), China (October 2017), Taiwan (December 2017) and other countries.

A Phase III study of lenvatinib in separate combinations with everolimus and pembrolizumab in renal cell carcinoma (first-line) is underway. A Phase Ib/II study to investigate lenvatinib in combination with pembrolizumab in select solid tumors (endometrial cancer, renal cell carcinoma, non-small cell lung cancer, urothelial cancer, head and neck cancer, and melanoma) and a Phase Ib study in HCC are also underway. Additionally, a Phase Ib study to investigate lenvatinib in combination with nivolumab in HCC has been initiated in Japan.

About NICE's New Approach to the Appraisal and Funding of Cancer Drugs

The former Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF) was established in 2009 as a means to improve patients' access to new cancer drugs including those which were "Not Recommended" by NICE. These drugs would be evaluated and listed in the CDF with their costs reimbursed through the fund. However, due to a severe increase in financial burden, a new scheme for NICE appraisal and funding of cancer drugs, including a new CDF, came into operation on July 29, 2016.

All novel cancer drugs that had been newly approved would undergo NICE appraisal while cancer drugs that were listed in the former CDF would be eligible for reappraisal by NICE under the new scheme depending on the judgment of each company. The NICE appraisal process consists initially of an Appraisal Consultation Document, the issue of a Final Appraisal Determination, and ultimately the setting of Final Guidance. While cancer drugs that are "Recommended" are eligible for reimbursement through the NHS England, drugs that are "Not Recommended" require an Individual Funding Request (IFR) to be deliberated on a case-by-case basis, and therefore their use is greatly limited. Cancer drugs that could possibly be recommended but are judged to lack sufficient evidence can be given a "Limited Recommendation under the CDF", with provisional access secured under the CDF for a maximum of two years. After receiving this designation, NICE conducts a reappraisal based on the new evidence, and ultimately determines whether to either "Recommend" or "Not Recommend" the drug.

(1) "Alternative treatments for people with thyroid cancer to be offered routinely on the NHS, says NICE" https://www.nice.org.uk/news, accessed: February 15, 2018.

About Eisai

Eisai Co., Ltd. (TSE:4523; ADR:ESALY) is a research-based human health care (hhc) company that discovers, develops and markets products throughout the world. Eisai focuses its efforts in three therapeutic areas: integrative neuroscience, including neurology and psychiatric medicines; integrative oncology, which encompasses oncotherapy and supportive-care treatments; and vascular/immunological reaction. Through a global network of research facilities, manufacturing sites and marketing subsidiaries, Eisai actively participates in all aspects of the worldwide healthcare system. For more information about Eisai Co., Ltd., please visit www.eisai.com.

Contact:
Public Relations Department,
Eisai Co., Ltd.
+81-3-3817-5120

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Fujitsu Launches Biometric Authentication Software "AuthConductor Client" for PCs

February 16, 2018, 2:03 am

≫ Next: VGI Global Media (SET:VGI) Announces Strong 3Q 2017/18 Results Amid Industry Slowdown

≪ Previous: Eisai: U.K. NICE Recommends Anticancer Agent Lenvima as Treatment for Thyroid Cancer

Australia first global market to commence sales

TOKYO, Feb 16, 2018 - (JCN Newswire) - Fujitsu today announced the launch of Fujitsu Security Solution AuthConductor Client, a suite of biometric authentication software for PCs. The product is intended for markets throughout the world, starting with immediate availability in the Oceania region.

AuthConductor Client provides a secure authentication environment that can replace IDs and passwords when used with notebook PCs and tablets embedded with Fujitsu-made palm vein sensors and fingerprint sensors, or with external sensors connected via a USB.

Setting up to use AuthConductor Client is quick and easy, with support provided by appropriate instructional animation when registering biometric information. Additionally, given its compatibility with Active Directory that enables unified management of biometric information and login status, it develops an environment in which multiple users can operate the same PC, and enables management of access logs. AuthConductor Client software supports customer operations across a variety of industries, and can be deployed without changes to applications and other existing systems.

Fujitsu plans to successively roll out AuthConductor Client to markets in Asia and North America by September 2018.

About Fujitsu Ltd

Fujitsu is the leading Japanese information and communication technology (ICT) company, offering a full range of technology products, solutions, and services. Approximately 155,000 Fujitsu people support customers in more than 100 countries. We use our experience and the power of ICT to shape the future of society with our customers. Fujitsu Limited (TSE: 6702) reported consolidated revenues of 4.5 trillion yen (US$40 billion) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017. For more information, please see http://www.fujitsu.com.

* Please see this press release, with images, at:
http://www.fujitsu.com/global/about/resources/news/press-releases/

Contact:
Fujitsu Limited
Public and Investor Relations
Tel: +81-3-6252-2176
URL: www.fujitsu.com/global/news/contacts/

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VGI Global Media (SET:VGI) Announces Strong 3Q 2017/18 Results Amid Industry Slowdown

February 15, 2018, 7:00 pm

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Posts 53% Net Profit Growth to THB 240m; Board Declares Interim Dividends at THB 0.036 Per Share

BANGKOK, Feb 16, 2018 - (ACN Newswire) - VGI Global Media PCL (SET:VGI) announced its 3Q 2017/18 (October-December 2017) results, highlighting a total revenue of THB 978 million, a 27% rise amid the OOH ad industry's slowdown in 2017's last quarter, and a net profit from operation of THB 240 million, a 53% rise achieved by efficient cost control. Its management declared dividends for the half-year results of 2017/18 (April-September 2017) at THB 0.036 per share and are ready to assess the last quarter's performances. They are confident that, given the OOH ad industry's bright outlook for 2018, the company will post further growth.

Mr Nelson Leung, deputy chief executive officer (deputy CEO) of VGI, revealed the company's overall 3Q 2017/18 (October-December 2017) positive growth performance, with a total revenue of THB 978 million, up 27% YoY from THB 772 million, and a net profit from operation of THB 240 million, up 53% YoY from THB 157 million. The quarterly net profit growth was contributed significantly by the company's highly effective cost control.

For the Transit media (BTS) segment, VGI posted a revenue figure of THB 549 million, up 28%, thanks to a synergy with Rabbit Group that led to the successful introduction of an efficient offline-to-online (O2O) platform and to the company's position as Thailand's first and only advertising platform provider to offer a combination of out-of-home (OOH) and digital/online advertising platforms, with Rabbit Group's database employed to ensure maximum efficiency, reach and evaluability. Several customers chose the O2O package for "station sponsorship". As at the end of December 2017, the company already sold the package for nine stations (eg McDonald's, AIS) to seven brands.

As for VGI's overseas operations in Malaysia, the company's local subsidiary successfully secured bookings for its platforms at 5 MRT stations and on 20 trains. VGI forecast continued growth for the Malaysian operations and confirmed their ability to complete the planned installation of their platforms at all stations and in all trains and receive greater shared profits from the operations in the future.

For the Office media segment, VGI completed ahead of schedule the installation of its platforms at 10 new buildings in 3Q 2017/18, as a result of which at the end of the quarter it already earned revenue from the platforms at 172 buildings and recorded an over 40% YoY revenue growth. The digital services business generated quarterly revenue at THB 83 million.

The Outdoor media segment managed by MACO achieved a continued outstanding growth rate following a successful installation of 21 digital billboards in provincial areas, which was warmly welcomed by customers as the average OOH platform's utilisation rate rose to 70%. Highest revenue and profit levels were recorded for three consecutive quarters of 2017, which enabled MACO to record full-year figures of THB 932 million in revenue (up 27% YoY) and THB 226 million in net profit from operation, the highest since the launch of the business.

The deputy CEO noted that, due to the impressive quarterly results, VGI posted excellent nine-month results for 2017/18 (April-December 2017), with a total revenue of THB 2,808 million (up 28% YoY) and a net profit from operation of THB 659 million (up 20% YoY). Its board therefore resolved on 12 February to declare interim dividends for the said half-year results at a rate of THB 0.036 per share, or up to THB 260 million in total, with the XD date on 22 February 2018, the record date on 26 February 2018 and the payment date on 9 March 2018.

He added that the company expects to experience continued growth over the last quarter of 2017/18 (January-March 2018) driven by the growing number of customers who choose the "station sponsorship" O2O package in the Transit media segment, the stream of revenue from the early completion of the installation of platforms at 172 buildings in the Office media segment and the growth momentum sustained in the Outdoor media segment by the ongoing demand for advertising solutions to enhance sales and raise brand awareness among the consumers.

In addition, in the digital services segment, as of 31 December 2017, under VGI's offline payment channel, over 8.5mn Rabbit cards were issued with more than 145 brand partners and over 5,200 retail points of acceptance. Under VGI's online payment channel, Rabbit LinePay ("RLP") has over 2.6mn users with more than 600 brand partners. The growth in this segment will also facilitate our efforts to develop advertising solutions with enhanced evaluability in the OOH media.

"For this year, we forecast a healthy growth in the advertising platform industry propelled by a growing economy, higher purchasing power and major events (such as the FIFA World Cup) that will increase advertising spending during the year. These will be great for VGI and allow it to reach the revenue growth target for 2018", he said.

Nikkei, a prominent Japanese media corporation that covers Asian investment, ranked VGI in the top position among the most promising mid-sized listed companies in the South-East Asia version of the "NEXT 1000" series, with the highest EBITDA figures over the past five years.

Analysts at Capital Nomura Securities Plc (Nomura) gave a "buy" recommendation, with a 12-month target price of THB 7.30 per share, for VGI stock.

For more details, contact:
VGI Global Media PCL
Investor Relations Department
Tel: +66 2273 8639; 0 2273 8623
E-mail: ir@vgi.co.th
www.vgi.co.th

Released for VGI Global Media PCL
by Public Relations Department,
MT Multimedia Co Ltd
Contact: Orn-arong ("Fah") Pattaravejkul
Tel: +66 2612 2081 #129
Mobile: +66 8 6884 4458
E-mail: orn_tabo@hotmail.com

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DOCOMO to Showcase Future of 5G Entertainment, Transportation, Construction and Environment at Mobile World Congress 2018

February 15, 2018, 7:09 pm

≫ Next: NEC Contributes to Ecosystem for Enhancing Virtualized Network Orchestration

≪ Previous: VGI Global Media (SET:VGI) Announces Strong 3Q 2017/18 Results Amid Industry Slowdown

TOKYO, Feb 16, 2018 - (JCN Newswire) - NTT DOCOMO, INC. will exhibit their latest 5G technology at Mobile World Congress 2018 in Barcelona from February 26 to March 1.

DOCOMO will demonstrate use cases for its latest high-speed, large-capacity, low-latency, massive-device-connectivity 5G technology, which it is aiming to commercialize in Japan by 2020. Highlights will include a live Japanese calligraphy demonstration by "5G Robot", a humanoid robot that uses 5G to mirror the operator's movements in real-time and perform tasks remotely, as well as exhibits such as "Diorama Stadium" "New Concept Cart", "LANDLOG", and "Real-time 5G Radio Wave Visualizer."

This will be NTT DOCOMO's 18th year at Mobile World Congress, but their first time to jointly exhibit with NTT Group. Within the NTT Group booth, DOCOMO will present a range of technologies developed with partners as well as advanced examples of the B2B2X business model, such as AI and IoT-based speech recognition technology and a "fishery ICT buoy" which will show the new value they are bringing to various industrial fields

About NTT DOCOMO

NTT DOCOMO provides innovative, convenient and secure mobile services that enable smarter living for each customer. The company serves over 65 million mobile customers in Japan via advanced wireless networks, including a nationwide 3G network and one of the world's first commercial LTE networks. Leveraging its unique capabilities as a mobile operator, DOCOMO is a leading developer of cutting-edge technologies for NFC mobile payments, mobile GPS, mobile TV, intuitive mobile assistance, environmental monitoring, smart grids and much more. Overseas, the company provides technical and operational expertise to eight mobile operators and other partner companies. NTT DOCOMO is listed on the Tokyo (9437) and New York (DCM) stock exchanges. Please visit https://www.nttdocomo.co.jp/english/ for more information.

Contact:
NTT DOCOMO
International PR
Public Relations Department
Tel: +81-3-5156-1366    
Fax: +81-3-5501-3408
URL: www.nttdocomo.com
Contact: https://nes.nttdocomo.co.jp/PINQ01/showinquiry.do

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