ACN Newswire

From L: Ian Hylton, President of Ms MIN; Cyrus Wong and Julio Ng, Fashion Designers and founders of IDISM; and Hiromichi Ochiai, Fashion Designer and founder of FACETSAM get together as speakers at the Meet the Visionaries Series seminar "In Conversation with the Asian Creative Forces Shaping the International Fashion Scene". They are joined by moderator Alan Hau, Ambassador APAC, Arts Thread (R).

Japanese designer Hiromichi Ochiai (L), founder of FACETASM, discusses how he hopes his brand will "move people's hearts" with each new collection.

Hong Kong designers Julio Ng (L) and Cyrus Wong (R), co-founders of IDISM, talk about future plans for the brand after five successful seasons.

Ian Hylton, President of the acclaimed Chinese mainland label Ms MIN, talks about its rapid rise with the help of luxury retailer Lane Crawford.

Seminar Delves into Creative Process Following Gala Fashion Show

HONG KONG, Sep 8, 2018 - (ACN Newswire) - Inspiring the public with discussions on strong construction and fabric choice, as well as the impact of fast fashion on the industry, designers and brand representatives from Japan, Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland spoke at the "In Conversation with the Asian Creative Forces Shaping the International Fashion Scene" seminar on Thursday (6 Sept). The seminar was part of the Meet the Visionaries Series held during the third edition of CENTRESTAGE, Asia's premier fashion event. The designers had presented their latest collections at the CENTRESTAGE ELITES gala fashion show on Wednesday (5 Sept).

Heart-touching Designs

Japanese designer Hiromichi Ochiai, Fashion Designer and founder of acclaimed label FACETASM, said he was "very concerned about originality" and finding the "missing part" in the fashion world to include in his latest collection.

He spoke about his love of combining different fabrics and styles to create a collection that defies age and gender boundaries, such as latest collection, which used a diverse array of materials - from leather to synthetics - and transformed them into a playful and forward-looking "neo-urban" vision.

"[What is] the most important is how clothes can move people's hearts and touch people's hearts," Mr Ochiai said. He also had words of encouragement for young designers, urging them to believe in their unique vision. "What you believe is right is not always the same in other people's eyes, but it is important as a designer to have your own faith and what you see," he said. "The work of a designer is to bring happiness to people."

Dedication, Construction and Design

Mr Ochiai was followed by budding Hong Kong design duo Cyrus Wong and Julio Ng, Fashion Designers and founders of label IDISM, launched in 2016. Having completed their fifth season, both designers were able to reflect on their inspirations and continuous challenges.

"The fashion industry is so fast, so fast that we felt garments are not well appreciated these days," said Mr Ng. "People don't have as much knowledge about fabric or the creative process, so we wanted to create a collection to tell people to feel a little bit more in terms of seeing and feeling."

The IDISM collection shown at CENTRESTAGE ELITES was inspired by "health and lifestyle", with minimalist yet elegant shapes and graphic prints that permit movement and tactile experience, which have drawn media praise for the label.

Mr Ng's feelings were echoed by his partner Mr Wong, who said he felt inspired by the construction process of garment making. The label's prints and fabrics are also designed by the pair to ensure optimal effect. "Every designer is different but for me my influence is paper patterns. It's one of my influences and really drives my design," Mr Wong said.

However, both agreed the label hopes to slow down for their next season to dive even deeper into the construction and design process. "The first five seasons we were always doing shows," said Mr Ng. "The next season we feel like we need to stop doing shows and construct an even more forward collection. We need an even stronger message."

Rich Fabrics and Historical Hues

The seminar concluded with Ian Hylton, President of the acclaimed mainland designer label Ms MIN, launched in 2011 by designer Min Liu after she gained experience at fashion houses Ports 1961 (of Canada) and Viktor & Rolf (of the Netherlands.)

Mr Hylton told the audience about the founding of Ms MIN and the brand's rapid rise from its first show at a contemporary art fair to luxury retailer Lane Crawford selecting the brand for its first mainland stores.

What started as a small purchase order by Lane Crawford for one store quickly grew in volume; it is always difficult to estimate the development of the mainland market, he said. However, it was Ms MIN's dedication to fabrics and construction that enabled the label to meet the demands of high-end consumers. "Quality is so key to what we do," said Mr Hylton, who joined the brand in 2014 to help it expand its operations.

Ms MIN ended up opening its own mainland factory to maintain total quality control of the label. The production scale-up has enabled Ms MIN to continue to cultivate a sense of luxury, particularly in its latest collection shown at CENTRESTAGE ELITES, which recalled 1920s Shanghai and featured rich colours and fabrics from traditional Chinese fashion.

Designer Ms Liu was inspired to incorporate traditional Chinese elements into her designs when she found that she could no longer find traditional clothes for herself on the mainland, according to Mr Hylton. While she took a great risk by attempting to market clothing with a traditional flavour and cultural feel to mainland consumers, many of whom generally prefer Western fashion, her dedication ultimately resulted in success and critical acclaim for Ms LIN, Mr Hylton said.

The Meet the Visionaries Series of seminars, aiming to let the industry exchange ideas with top fashion designers, is being held at CENTRESTAGE, a four-day event held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC) from 5-8 Sept and organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council.

CENTRESTAGE website: http://centrestage.com.hk
The Hong Kong Young Fashion Designers' Contest webpage: http://www.fashionally.com
CENTRESTAGE ELITES designers' promo video: https://youtu.be/4YhAEJgsrZw
Photo Download: https://bit.ly/2wTl56q

For more information or to request interviews, please contact:
Sinclair on +852 2915 1234
Nikki McLucas, nikki@sinclaircomms.com, +852 6895 0534
Shanti Sadhwani, shanti@sinclaircomms.com, +852 6386 4904
Wing Ng, wing@sinclaircomms.com, +852 6106 8605
Kelly Chan, kelly@sinclaircomms.com, +852 6825 4496

HKTDC's Communications and Public Affairs Department
Sam Ho, Tel: +852 2584 4569, Email: sam.sy.ho@hktdc.org
Selina Fan, Tel: +852 2584 4298, Email: selina.mi.fan@hktdc.org

About HKTDC

The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) is the dedicated to creating opportunities for Hong Kong's businesses. With more than 40 offices globally, including 13 on the Chinese mainland, HKTDC promotes Hong Kong as a platform for doing business with China, Asia and the world. HKTDC organises international exhibitions, conferences and business missions to provide companies, particularly SMEs, with business opportunities on the mainland and in international markets, while providing business insights and information via trade publications, research reports and digital channels including the media room. Please visit www.hktdc.com/aboutus or follow us on Google+, Twitter@hktdc, LinkedIn.

The five-day Hong Kong Watch & Clock Fair (4-8 Sept) attracts over 21,000 buyers, including many from emerging markets.

The concurrent Salon de TE showcases 140 renowned international brands and designer collections.

The fair features more than 30 events including seminars, product launch sessions, networking events and watch parades, assisting the industry to explore more business opportunities. Industry leaders share their insights at the Hong Kong International Watch Forum and the Asian Watch Conference.

Industry Optimistic about Emerging Markets, India, Chinese Mainland

HONG KONG, Sep 8, 2018 - (ACN Newswire) - The 37th edition of the HKTDC Hong Kong Watch & Clock Fair and the sixth Salon de TE concluded their five-day run (4-8 September) today at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC). Jointly organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), the Hong Kong Watch Manufacturers Association Ltd and The Federation of Hong Kong Watch Trades and Industries Ltd, the events welcomed over 21,000 buyers, up 2% over last year. Satisfactory growth was recorded in buyer attendance from the Chinese mainland and emerging markets such as India, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mexico, the Philippines and United Arab Emirates, as well as other countries and regions including Denmark and the United States.

"Amid intense industry competition, many Hong Kong companies have diversified business and risks by shifting to emerging markets as target export destinations," said HKTDC Deputy Executive Director Benjamin Chau. "To help local enterprises expand into new markets, the HKTDC organised 78 buying missions representing more than 4,400 buyers from 3,200 companies from 58 countries and regions. The fair continued to feature the OEM Smart Watches and Smart Watches zones for Hong Kong companies to showcase results of their research and development in smart watches, helping the industry move up the value chain and develop further."

Survey: 2018 Sales Seen Steady/Growing; Optimism over India, Mainland and ASEAN

The HKTDC commissioned an independent market research agency to conduct an on-site survey during the first three days of the fair (4-6 Sept), interviewing 855 buyers and exhibitors about their views on market prospects, product trends, e-commerce and sourcing patterns. About 75% of respondents anticipate steady or growing overall sales in 2018. Over half of the respondents believe the current Sino-US trade issue has no negative impact on Hong Kong's timepiece exports. Most of the respondents view India, the Chinese mainland, Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries and South America as the most promising emerging markets in the next two years, while Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan, Western Europe and North America are seen as having the best prospects among traditional markets.

Smart Watches Seen Most Popular Timepieces for 2019

In terms of product trends, smart watches(37%), quartz analogue watches(25%), automatic watches(15%) and electronic watches(11%) are viewed as the most popular categories for 2019; while smart watches(41%), casual watches(40%), fashion watches(37%) and sports watches(25%) are considered to have the biggest growth potential. Watches that can interact with smart devices (40%) are predicted by respondents to be the most prevalent product development strategies in the coming year, followed by watches that match fashion trends (31%), items with mix-and-match components (25%), limited-edition watches (24%) and those representing collaboration between brands (23%). The most popular timepiece price range in 2019 is seen to be US$51-US$100 (29%), followed by US$6-US$50 (25%) and US$100-US$200 (24%).

Tech Items Sought-after, Homegrown Brands Shine

Specialising in the design and production of smart watches, New Venture Smart Wearable Supplies (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd showcased its latest smart watches at the OEM Smart Watches zone. Maxwell Chen, Sales Director of the company, said: "We find that the demand from traditional watch buyers for smart watches is soaring, with more interest in our smart watches that come with simple functions like step counter, incoming message or call alert. Our latest models have attracted buyers from India and the United States and they will place orders soon."

Gary Ching, co-founder of Hong Kong's homegrown brand, ANPASSA, said the firm has exhibited at Salon de TE for five consecutive years because it is regarded as an important platform to promote the brand and its designs. At this year's fair, the company highlighted its "Made in Hong Kong" concept and fine craftsmanship through its products, such as a newly launched dual tourbillon watch featuring an enameled dial decorated with diamonds. This model drew considerable attention at the fair, while more than 10 new buyers from Malaysia, Romania, Singapore and Switzerland showed interest in purchasing the firm's enameled tourbillon watches and automatic watches, as well as having ANPASSA develop custom-made tourbillon watches for them.

Emerging Market Buyers Keen on Sourcing

Indonesian buyer Salim Kartono, Director of Pt. Catur Mitrajaya Lestari, said he came to the fair to look for Muslim watches and new items while meeting their partnering brand owners. He placed an order for 1,000 Muslim watches on the spot and bought some samples of couple watches and Chinese mainland-made tourbillon watches to add to his company's product portfolio. Mexican buyer Jose Palacios Pena, Director General of La Casa Del Reloj, said he revisited the fair to look for fashion watches and original equipment manufacturers of smart watches. "Up till now, I have identified three potential suppliers of fashion watches from the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Switzerland, and I will buy 500 pieces from each of these new suppliers."

For more comments from exhibitors and buyers, please visit: https://bit.ly/2MUUWhK (Hong Kong Watch & Clock Fair) and https://bit.ly/2Cxhald (Salon de TE)

Fair Websites
HKTDC Hong Kong Watch & Clock Fair: www.hktdc.com/fair/hkwatchfair-en
Salon de TE: http://event.hktdc.com/fair/te-en/TE/
Photo download: https://bit.ly/2CupEJP

About HKTDC

The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) is the dedicated to creating opportunities for Hong Kong's businesses. With more than 40 offices globally, including 13 on the Chinese mainland, HKTDC promotes Hong Kong as a platform for doing business with China, Asia and the world. HKTDC organises international exhibitions, conferences and business missions to provide companies, particularly SMEs, with business opportunities on the mainland and in international markets, while providing business insights and information via trade publications, research reports and digital channels including the media room. Please visit www.hktdc.com/aboutus or follow us on Google+, Twitter@hktdc, LinkedIn.

Contact:
HKTDC's Communication and Public Affairs Department:
Sunny Ng, Tel: +852 2584 4357, Email: sunny.sl.ng@hktdc.org
Joshua Cheng, Tel: +852 2584 4395, Email: joshua.cp.cheng@hktdc.org

The third edition of CENTRESTAGE (5-8 Sept) features 230 fashion brands from 22 countries and regions, showcasing the latest fashion brands and designer collections. The event attracted 8,700 buyers from 80 countries and regions. Organised under the theme "TOMORROW LAB," CENTRESTAGE spotlighted three thematic zones ALLURE, ICONIC and METRO.

FACETASM's 2019 Spring/Summer collection: https://bit.ly/2MTuhSi

IDISM's 2019 Spring/Summer collection: https://bit.ly/2Nk6Ukw

Ms MIN's 2019 Spring/Summer collection: https://bit.ly/2Q64i8l

Nearly 60% of Fashion Traders Expect Steady Sales in 2019: Survey

HONG KONG, Sep 9, 2018 - (ACN Newswire) - The 2018 edition of Asia's premier fashion event, CENTRESTAGE, drew to a successful close yesterday. The four-day event (5-8 Sept), organised by the HKTDC, brought to Hong Kong 230 fashion brands from 22 countries and regions, attracting 8,700 buyers from 80 countries and regions, up 2.4% over last year. Those from Canada, France, Germany, India, Korea, Russia, Taiwan and the United Arab Emirates increased significantly. Buyers from Asia accounted for 35% of the total.

"We're pleased to note that CENTRESTAGE has become a premier event for the Asian fashion industry, offering regional fashion brands and designers a platform to promote and launch their collections. In its third edition, this year's CENTRESTAGE attracted many global brands and buyers to participate. An increased number of overseas buyers came looking for business opportunities and talents, which solidified Hong Kong's position as Asia's fashion capital," said HKTDC Deputy Executive Director Benjamin Chau.

Fashion Industry Optimistic on Sales

The HKTDC commissioned an independent research agency to conduct on-site survey during this year's event to gauge the outlook for the fashion industry and product trends. Interviewing more than 300 exhibitors and buyers, the survey found that the industry is cautiously optimistic about sales in the coming year. Nearly 60% of the respondents expect overall sales to remain steady, and about 30% expect growth. While about half of respondents expect increases in sourcing prices or production costs, almost 60% of the respondents said they will not raise unit or retail prices, reflecting a general tendency of the industry's hesitance in transferring increased costs to customers.

The survey results also showed that over 70% of the respondents are optimistic about the potential of the mainland fashion market, which is seen having good growth prospects. On upcoming fashion trends, about 60% of respondents expect casual wear and urban fashion to be the most popular product categories, followed by fashion accessories and high fashion/occasional wear. For e-commerce, women's wear is anticipated to be the most popular product category going forward, followed by fashion jewellery and bags. Nearly 50% of the respondents believe that brand crossover combined with joint promotion is the most common product development strategy. Approximately 30% of respondents agreed that celebrities' or key opinion leaders' endorsement is also an effective strategy.

Exploring Future Fashion Trends

CENTRESTAGE 2018 centred on the theme of "TOMORROW LAB", with three thematic zones showcasing 230 brands. The event also presented about 40 activities over its four-day run, including more than 20 fashion shows. Brands and designers had the opportunity to connect with buyers, media and fashion professionals during these activities.

Japanese avant-garde streetwear label FACETASM, Hong Kong ready-to-wear womenswear label IDISM, and Chinese luxury womenswear label Ms MIN presented their latest 2019 Spring/Summer collections at the opening gala show CENTRESTAGE ELITES, attracting over 1,000 guests. At the FASHIONALLY Collection #12 and FASHIONALLY Presentation shows, 13 budding local designer brands paraded their 2019 Spring/Summer collections. CENTRESTAGE 2018 also introduced the latest collections by renowned Hong Kong brands including DORIAN HO, ARTISTIC PALACE, HARRISON WONG, HOUSE OF V, and LOOM LOOP.

Furthermore, CENTRESTAGE provided market insights through the Trend Talk Series and Meet the Visionaries Series of seminars featuring distinguished industry experts. These included Anupreet Bhui, Senior Editor of Global Street Style at trend forecasting agency WGSN, who explored upcoming fashion trends and the influence of streetwear among Generation Z. Euromonitor International's Head of Fashion Research Jorge Martin examined Asia-Pacific as the key growth engine for global fashion expenditure.

CENTRESTAGE: Ideal Launch and Promotion Platform

Designers and key fashion industry players found their CENTRESTAGE 2018 participation fruitful. Mitsuo Nakahashi, Fashion Merchandising Director at Barneys Japan, discovered several new designer brands that could be potential partners, including a brand showcased by first-time Hong Kong exhibitor nano-secc showroom. Barneys Japan has decided to carry some of these brands in Japan, and looks forward to exploring collaboration in carrying these brands at its six Barneys New York flagship stores across Japan and developing new collections.

Hong Kong brand LOOM LOOP, which has participated in CENTRESTAGE since its inaugural edition, received an order from US retailer 3NY on the first day of the event this year, after securing a deal with a mainland multi-brand store at CENTRESTAGE 2017. Polly Ho, designer of LOOM LOOP, noted that CENTRESTAGE is now a key annual event in the regional fashion calendar, especially as it is strategically timed with the start of the buying season, providing buyers and VIP customers with an exclusive preview of designers' upcoming collections.

To read more testimonials from exhibitors and buyers, please visit: https://bit.ly/2NvKbSv https://bit.ly/2McrVZC

CENTRESTAGE website: http://centrestage.com.hk
CENTRESTAGE activity schedule: http://centrestage.com.hk/en/event/schedule.php
Hong Kong in Fashion activity schedule: http://centrestage.com.hk/en/event/hkinfashion/index.php
The Hong Kong Young Fashion Designers' Contest webpage: http://www.fashionally.com
CENTRESTAGE 2018 video: https://youtu.be/gs44K3xSKlM
Photo Download: https://bit.ly/2Qhhpnm

For more information or to request interviews, please contact:
Sinclair on +852 2915 1234
Nikki McLucas, nikki@sinclaircomms.com, +852 6895 0534
Shanti Sadhwani, shanti@sinclaircomms.com, +852 6386 4904
Kelly Chan, kelly@sinclaircomms.com, +852 6825 4496

HKTDC's Communications and Public Affairs Department
Sam Ho, Tel: +852 2584 4569, Email: sam.sy.ho@hktdc.org
Selina Fan, Tel: +852 2584 4298, Email: selina.mi.fan@hktdc.org

Champion: Leo Chan. Design: "Wandervogel"

First Runner-up: Yip Yeung-yeung, Bicy. Design: "Modificism"

Second Runner-up and Best Footwear Design Award: Ng Cho-kiu, Charlotte. Design: "Everything in its Right Place"

New Talent Award: Yeung Shun-leong. Design: "Ubermensch"

Prestigious Mentorships with Leading Industry Players Awarded

HONG KONG, Sep 9, 2018 - (ACN Newswire) - The 2018 Hong Kong Young Fashion Designers' Contest (YDC) took place last night at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, serving as the finale for the third edition of CENTRESTAGE. Winners of YDC 2018 are:

- Champion: Leo Chan. Design: "Wandervogel"
- First Runner-up: Yip Yeung-yeung, Bicy. Design: "Modificism"
- Second Runner-up and Best Footwear Design Award: Ng Cho-kiu, Charlotte. Design: "Everything in its Right Place"
- New Talent Award: Yeung Shun-leong. Design: "Ubermensch"

Champion Leo Chan was awarded a cash prize of HK$35,000 and a month-long internship at leading brand Martine Rose, sponsored by Sun Hing Knitting Factory Ltd, where he will be able to refine his skills and learn. "I am fond of futuristic fashion," said Mr Chan. He explained that his collection aims to revive the spirit of the German movement "Wandervogel", which embraces nature and freedom, as an antidote to hectic city life. Mr Chan thanked his family and friends for supporting him to start his fashion career, which he is devoted to developing.

Ng Cho-kiu, Charlotte, Second Runner-up and winner of the Best Footwear Design Award, has been a fashion designer for 10 years. "I found that perseverance and breakthroughs are what Hong Kong designers need. YDC provides an ideal platform for local designers to move a step forward," she said. Ms Ng looks forward to launching her capsule collection at i.t and entering the commercial market. She plans to run her own brand in future.

Esteemed Judging Panel Shares Thoughts

The 16 finalists were assessed by an esteemed panel of judges comprising industry veterans, including Chief Judge Lawrence Leung, Chairman of the HKTDC Garment Advisory Committee, and VIP Judge Martine Rose, the famous international fashion designer who owns the Martine Rose brand. Among other judges are Michael Mok, General Merchandising Manager/Head of Merchandising at JOYCE and Kei Chan, Head of Marketing APAC at NET-A-PORTER & MR PORTER, The YOOX NET-A-PORTER Group.

The judges deliberated the winners based on criteria of creativity and originality, market potential, workmanship, use of fabric, and overall visual appeal. At the event last night, the VIP Judge, Ms Rose, said she felt the Champion, Mr Chan, "had the most complete look with a real proposition that is ready to take it to the next level."

"The standard of talent seen this evening was extremely high. I was impressed by the skill and craftsmanship presented by the young Hong Kong fashion designers," remarked Ms Rose. "The advice I would give to young designers is to keep your identity and to listen to yourselves, to be brave and continue on your path."

Organised by the HKTDC, YDC has been identifying and nurturing local design talent for over four decades. To further promote Hong Kong fashion designers to the rest of the world, the HKTDC launched the FASHIONALLY.com online platform in early 2012 to provide a one-of-a-kind networking and exchange platform for global fashion experts to connect, inspire and share information. YDC was one of the highlights of CENTRESTAGE, Asia's premier fashion event, which closed yesterday (8 Sept).

Designer: Leo Chan. Design: "Wandervogel"
Champion
The Design:
The collection aims to revive the spirt of the German movement "Wandervogel", which embraces nature and freedom, as an antidote to hectic city life. The colour scheme reflects the great outdoors, with black and green representing nature and the unknown. The designer playfully explains that khaki is meant to be marks and stains accumulated from outdoor excursions. The designer's focus on functional techwear led him to include in his collection a jacket that doubles as a one-man tent.
Champion Prizes: (1) A cash prize of HK$35,000 (2) A month-long internship at Martine Rose, sponsored by Sun Hing Knitting Factory Ltd
Photo Download: https://bit.ly/2QgB1b6

Designer: Yip Yeung-yeung, Bicy. Design: "Modificism"
First Runner-up
The Design:
Is science taking genetic modification too far? This is the controversy the designer explores in her collection. She mixes colours and shapes that challenge the norm to illustrate her point, which results in pieces that have a bizarre, Frankenstein-like quality, such as a cape that is essentially a single sleeve attached to a sweater designed to be worn upside down, and a knitted top made with straps. The knit fabrics used, such as tubular jacquard with inlay stitches or embroidery, are unmistakably inspired by human cells. The conspicuous colouration of sharp neon - lime, marigold and poppy red - seems to send out warning signals.
First Runner-up Prizes: (1) A cash prize of HK$25,000; (2) An overseas study trip sponsored by MINI HK
Photo Download:https://bit.ly/2NzJckt

Designer: Ng Cho-kiu, Charlotte. Design: "Everything in its Right Place"
Second Runner-up and winner of Best Footwear Design Award
The Design:
Ms Ng presents a visual simulation of United Kingdom rock band Radiohead's song "Everything in its Right Place". Converting the track into sound waves, she uses the lines and curves to form her collection. The silky-smooth fabric "grooves" freely, and is punctuated by sturdy, double-faced wool that symbolises bold electronic beats. Each piece has a meticulously clean finish, with perfect precision achieved by using various techniques from laser cut to hand stitching. Ms Ng delivers the collection with the same sentiment as that in Radiohead's decade-old song: "It is Perfect, It is Everything!"
Second Runner-up Prizes: (1) A cash prize of HK$20,000 (2) A month-long internship at CLOT Company Ltd offered by the company
Best Footwear Design Award Prizes: (1) A cash prize of HK$10,000; (2) A mentorship offered by i.t apparels Ltd to develop a capsule collection to be sold at selected shops under the i.t group
Photo Download: https://bit.ly/2MdKPiO

Designer: Yeung Shun-leong. Design: "Ubermensch"
New Talent Award
The Design:
Representing a spin-off of Nietzsche's concept of "will to power", Mr Yeung's collection expresses "combat" with designs that simultaneously empower and protect. Elements from different forms of martial arts merge to form the ultimate combat gear referencing judo, fencing and boxing wear -- with jackets in oversized silhouettes, some featuring high neck-pads and tie belts. The underarm panels allow greater flexibility and movement. The outfits are made more robust and durable with stone washing and waxing.
Prizes: (1) A cash prize of HK$10,000; (2) A mentorship offered by JOYCE to develop a capsule collection to be sold at a JOYCE store
Photo Download: https://bit.ly/2wXFuqm

Winners of YDC 2018 celebrate on stage
Photo Download: https://bit.ly/2Mdh2XI

CENTRESTAGE website: http://centrestage.com.hk
The Hong Kong Young Fashion Designers' Contest (YDC) website: http://www.fashionally.com

For more information or to request interviews, please contact:
Sinclair on +852 2915 1234
Nikki McLucas, nikki@sinclaircomms.com, +852 6895 0534
Shanti Sadhwani, shanti@sinclaircomms.com, +852 6386 4904
Wing Ng, wing@sinclaircomms.com, +852 6106 8605
Kelly Chan, kelly@sinclaircomms.com, +852 6825 4496

HKTDC's Communications and Public Affairs Department
Sam Ho, Tel: +852 2584 4569, Email: sam.sy.ho@hktdc.org
Selina Fan, Tel: +852 2584 4298, Email: selina.mi.fan@hktdc.org

About HKTDC

The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) is the dedicated to creating opportunities for Hong Kong's businesses. With more than 40 offices globally, including 13 on the Chinese mainland, HKTDC promotes Hong Kong as a platform for doing business with China, Asia and the world. HKTDC organises international exhibitions, conferences and business missions to provide companies, particularly SMEs, with business opportunities on the mainland and in international markets, while providing business insights and information via trade publications, research reports and digital channels including the media room. Please visit www.hktdc.com/aboutus or follow us on Google+, Twitter@hktdc, LinkedIn.

Installation of Solar Panel on Rooftops

TOKYO, Sep 10, 2018 - (JCN Newswire) - Mitsubishi Corporation (MC) is pleased to announce its decision to invest in NEoT Offgrid Africa (NOA), an investment platform focused on developing distributed renewable energy projects in Africa. MC's aim in joining this initiative, together with Electricite de France (EDF), is to promote new businesses that use batteries to bring power to areas without access to electricity ("off-grid areas") in Africa.

NOA is a joint venture that promotes distributed renewable energy projects in Africa. As a first step, NOA is developing its business around the provision of solutions such as power sources (solar power generation systems and storage batteries) and household appliances (lighting fixtures, radios, TVs, etc.) to households in off-grid areas in Africa.

In Africa, more than 600 million people live in areas without transmission and distribution networks, where kerosene lamps are used for lighting. Generating and storing electricity with solar panels and storage batteries enables households in these off-grid areas to use electric appliances they would not otherwise be able to use such as lighting fixtures, mobile phone chargers, radios and TVs. Through the supply of affordable and clean power sources, we contribute to improving quality of life while at the same time helping to reduce environmental impact.

Through NOA, MC is aiming to expand its distributed power business in Sub-Saharan Africa, starting with Cote d'Ivoire, and to further develop projects related to power supply services for business customers such as mobile towers in off-grid areas.

EDF and MC are also working together to develop business around electric mobility solutions utilizing batteries, mainly through NEoT Green Mobility (NGM), a joint venture established in 2017(1). NGM's business focuses on providing turnkey electric mobility solutions including assets such as electric buses and charging infrastructure to transportation bureaus and transportation operators in urban areas in Europe.

MC supports the spread of renewable energy and electric mobility by contributing to the development of businesses that use batteries in power generation based on trends which suggest that this will become increasingly popular in the future.

(1) NGM provides transportation bureaus and transportation operators with financing, maintenance, operations, charge optimization and other services with a view to helping address challenges such as the financial burden associated with introducing electric buses and maintaining efficient operations.

About Mitsubishi Corporation

Mitsubishi Corporation, headquartered in Tokyo, is a global integrated business enterprise that develops and operates business across virtually every industry including industrial finance, energy, metals, machinery, chemicals, foods, and environmental business. Mitsubishi Corporation's current activities are expanding far beyond its traditional trading operations as its diverse business ranges from natural resources development to investment in retail business, infrastructure, financial products and manufacturing of industrial goods. For more information on Mitsubishi Corporation, please visit the company's website at https://www.mitsubishicorp.com/jp/en/.

Contact:
Mitsubishi Corporation
Telephone: +81 3 3210 2171
Facsimile: +81 3 5252 7705

Hitachi Automotive Systems Booth

- Chongqing International Auto Parts and Service Exhibition 2018 -

TOKYO, Sep 10, 2018 - (JCN Newswire) - Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd. today announced that its regional headquarters in the People's Republic of China, Hitachi Automotive Systems (China) Ltd., will organize a booth at the Chongqing International Auto Parts and Service Exhibition 2018, to be held at the Chongqing International Expo Center (Chongqing, China) from September 19 (Wednesday) to September 21 (Friday). At this expo, Hitachi Automotive Systems (China) will introduce various technologies, including autonomous driving and electrification technologies necessary for achieving next-generation mobility, and system technologies, including those for further enhancing the efficiency of internal combustion engines to improve fuel efficiency.

China is the world's largest automotive market. Chongqing, a city located in the inland region of China, is one of the country's leading vehicle production cities with annual production having reached around 3 million vehicles. Hitachi Automotive Systems established Hitachi Automotive Systems (Chongqing) Ltd. in Liangjiang New Area, Chongqing City, in April 2016 to address requests for local support from automakers. The company is aiming to expand its business, manly for chassis products, which earn high praise from local customers.

At the Chongqing International Auto Parts and Service Exhibition 2018, the company's exhibition booth will mainly focus on eco-cars and autonomous driving technologies, for which demand is expected to grow in China moving forward. The Hitachi Automotive Systems showcase will be located at Booth B093 in Hall N2. A wide range of products and services offered by the Hitachi Automotive Systems Group will be introduced. This includes compact stereo cameras and autonomous driving ECUs(1) that support autonomous driving systems, as well as motors, inverters and other electronic powertrain system technologies, which are the core components of electric vehicles, and also engine powertrain system technologies, including variable valves, which are used to achieve highly efficient internal combustion engines.

(1) ECU: Electronic Control Unit

About Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd.

Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hitachi, Ltd., headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. The company is engaged in the development, manufacture, sales and services of automotive components, transportation related components, industrial machines and systems, and offers a wide range of automotive systems including engine powertrain systems, electric powertrain systems and integrated vehicle control systems. For more information, please visit the company's website at http://www.hitachi-automotive.co.jp/en/.

About Hitachi, Ltd.

Hitachi, Ltd. (TSE: 6501), headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, delivers innovations that answer society's challenges, combining its operational technology, information technology, and products/systems. The company's consolidated revenues for fiscal 2017 (ended March 31, 2018) totaled 9,368.6 billion yen ($88.4 billion). The Hitachi Group is an innovation partner for the IoT era, and it has approximately 307,000 employees worldwide. Through collaborative creation with customers, Hitachi is deploying Social Innovation Business using digital technologies in a broad range of sectors, including Power/Energy, Industry/Distribution/Water, Urban Development, and Finance/Social Infrastructure/Healthcare. For more information on Hitachi, please visit the company's website at http://www.hitachi.com.

Contact:
Hitachi Ltd
Corporate Communications
Tel: +81-3-3258-1111

BOSTON, Sep 10, 2018 - (ACN Newswire) - Catastrophe risk modeling firm AIR Worldwide today announced that it has released a new state-of-the-art severe thunderstorm model for Europe. The AIR Severe Thunderstorm Model for Europe captures the effects of straight-line winds and hail, enabling companies to assess their risk from the local scale to the macro level on insured properties, including residential, commercial, automobiles, and specialty lines of business - in 22 countries. Together with AIR's Extratropical Cyclone Model for Europe and European flood models, this new model now allows for a comprehensive assessment of atmospheric risk in this region. AIR Worldwide is a Verisk (Nasdaq:VRSK) business.

"Though typically associated with the summer months, severe thunderstorms can strike Europe at any time of the year, and their loss potential is increasing," said Dr. Eric Robinson, manager and principal scientist, AIR Worldwide. "A severe thunderstorm event can, over the course of several days, produce multiple outbreaks. Depending upon the region, high-frequency severe thunderstorms can contribute up to 50 percent to overall wind-related insured losses in Europe."

The scientifically advanced severe thunderstorm model realistically simulates the highly localized effects of individual hail and straight-line winds (microevents) - from a meteorological perspective the key drivers of loss from severe thunderstorms - and the spatial extent of macroevents (combinations of microevents). This is achieved by replicating daily activity based on a comprehensive analysis of historical storm outbreaks. The model reflects emerging scientific and engineering research and leverages data from many sources, including storm report databases, numerical weather prediction, and an unprecedented amount of radar data from recent events. To validate the model, AIR used a large set of claims data, including detailed claims from some of the largest insurers in Europe.

"Because of the localized nature of individual hailstorms and straight-line winds as well as potential for major outbreaks affecting the ever-changing built environment, using historical losses for risk assessment and management is not sufficient," said Dr. Cagdas Kafali, senior vice president, research and modeling, AIR Worldwide. "The model was built to meet the wide spectrum of severe thunderstorm risk management needs of all stakeholders, including the insurance and reinsurance industry, and accounts for insurance policy conditions specific to each modeled country."

In addition, AIR announced that it updated its Extratropical Cyclone Model for Europe, including the expansion of the model domain covering a total of 22 countries. The updated model includes support for several new risk types, including large industrial facilities, wind turbines, marine cargo, and builder's risk. The AIR Extratropical Cyclone Model for Europe also features a new stochastic event set, updated hazard and vulnerability modules, and industry exposure databases.

Dr. Kafali concluded, "Used in concert, the AIR Extratropical Cyclone Model for Europe, the AIR Inland Flood Model for Europe, and the new severe thunderstorm model provide a comprehensive view of atmospheric peril risk for effective risk management. Together, they can help insurers identify opportunities for growth and make more informed underwriting decisions. Reinsurers also benefit from this toolkit, which enables them to better understand and effectively price the risk that they may be assuming on their books."

The AIR Severe Thunderstorm Model for Europe and the AIR Extratropical Cyclone Model for Europe are currently available in the Touchstone(R) and CATRADER(R) catastrophe risk management systems.

About AIR Worldwide
AIR Worldwide (AIR) provides risk modeling solutions that make individuals, businesses, and society more resilient to extreme events. In 1987, AIR Worldwide founded the catastrophe modeling industry and today models the risk from natural catastrophes, terrorism, pandemics, casualty catastrophes, and cyber incidents. Insurance, reinsurance, financial, corporate, and government clients rely on AIR's advanced science, software, and consulting services for catastrophe risk management, insurance-linked securities, longevity modeling, site-specific engineering analyses, and agricultural risk management. AIR Worldwide, a Verisk (Nasdaq:VRSK) business, is headquartered in Boston, with additional offices in North America, Europe, and Asia. For more information, please visit www.air-worldwide.com.

For more information, contact:
Kevin Long
AIR Worldwide
+1-617-267-6645
klong@air-worldwide.com

###

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: AIR Worldwide via Globenewswire

HONG KONG, Sep 10, 2018 - (ACN Newswire) - Back in 2010, serial entrepreneur Wang Xing founded Meituan in Beijing as a startup focused on restaurant reviews and local deals. In less than eight years, Wang and his team have built one of the largest e-commerce platforms in China.

The name for Meituan has two characters in Chinese: "Mei", meaning beautiful, and "Tuan", meaning together. A huge step in the company's growth came in 2015, with a strategic transaction that brought Meituan together with Dianping, the leading destination for discovering lifestyle services in China.

The combined company, Meituan Dianping, has pursued a clear mission: to help people eat better, live better. This is the story of the journey of Wang and the Meituan Dianping team. That team has grown to more than 45,000 people, among whom over 10,000 are engineers, and nearly 30,000 are local sales and business development representatives.

The overall strategy of Meituan Dianping is what Wang calls "Food + Platform". The company has built one platform to support multiple categories, so that it can cross-sell. Food is the most important and largest category, but Meituan Dianping goes well beyond it. Meituan Dianping is an e-commerce platform, yet it is not e-commerce for physical goods, but an e-commerce platform for services.

The company's platform uses technology to connect consumers and merchants. It boasts 340 million annual transacting users in the twelve months ended April 30, 2018, meaning one in four Chinese people has made a purchase on its platform. The company works with 4.7 million merchants, including restaurants, hotels, movie theaters, hair salons, and others across more than 2,800 cities and counties in China. The platform generated over 20 million transactions per day in the four months ended April 30, 2018.

Food consumption is more than a US$1 trillion market in China. To address that, Meituan Dianping has built a super platform based on high-frequency food services, including food delivery, restaurant review and promotion.

The restaurant business in China was a RMB4 trillion market in 2017, while overall food consumption was about double that, at RMB8.7 trillion. Meituan Dianping believes food delivery is not just an alternative for the traditional restaurant business. Food delivery addresses the market for total food consumption, as many young people don't cook, yet don't want to go out to eat every day.

Meituan Dianping has been at the forefront of this shift, making it the largest food ordering and delivery platform in China, and the world's No. 1 player in food delivery.

Meituan Dianping launched its food delivery business in 2013. Originally a marketplace, since 2015, the company has built its own delivery network, allowing it to work with almost all restaurants, greatly extending its food selection. The food delivery business now has more than 530,000 daily active riders, each carrying a smartphone that transmits real-time location and data. The company's technology platform collects this data and uses machine learning to optimize routing and dispatch of delivery riders.

Meituan Dianping also has an active in-store business. The company has been doing restaurant reviews for 15 years. As of April 2018, its user-generated content database contained approximately 4.6 billion user comments, including 1.5 billion in-depth reviews, 648 million photos and 5.3 million videos regarding more than 13.7 million points of interest in over 2,800 cities and counties in China and over 900 cities abroad. The company also offers a wide range of solutions to merchants to help with online marketing, delivery, ERP and payment systems.

By expanding beyond food, Meituan Dianping has built a business for which there is no direct comparison globally.

In the US, for example, users need many apps to enjoy this full range of services. To find a good restaurant, they use Yelp. To book a table, they use OpenTable. To order food delivery, they use GrubHub, Doordash or Uber Eats. To watch a movie, they use Fandango. To find a place to stay, they use Booking.com, Expedia or Airbnb. Each app addresses a specific need. In China, consumers only need the super app, Meituan.

Based on its rich content, the company is developing a "local search + marketplace" model, under which Meituan is the destination for local search, connecting consumers to merchants, including some non-food categories.

The company has recently become the largest hotel-booking platform in China, in terms of room nights, as well as the leading bike-sharing service provider in China. Meituan Dianping is also a leading player for other lifestyle services, such as karaoke and movie ticketing.

Hotel booking is a great example of the power of cross-selling on the company's platform. Meituan Dianping entered hotel booking in 2013, when there were several public companies in the space. Meituan Dianping's platform and the high-frequency food business allowed the company to accumulate a large user base. By the first quarter of 2018, it had become the largest hotel-booking platform in China, in terms of hotel room nights. The company has a lower user acquisition cost because over 80% of its new hotel booking users are converted from food services.

Meituan Dianping's mission is to help people eat better, live better. Its overall strategy is "Food + Platform", and its top priority is to grow the number of food delivery transactions to a massive scale. Meituan Dianping hopes to become the most important technology company in the daily lives of Chinese people.

O&M Support Digital Solution

- Supporting efficiency improvements in the operation and maintenance work and handing
down know-how to contribute to solving management issues -

TOKYO, Sep 10, 2018 - (JCN Newswire) - Hitachi, Ltd. (TSE: 6501) announced the launch of "O&M (1) Support Digital Solution" on October 1. This Service will contribute to the stable operations of plants and sound management by collecting and analyzing a range of data concerning the operations of water supply and sewerage business, utilizing digital technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IoT), and by supporting visualization of the state of facilities and operation and maintenance work. This Service utilizes Hitachi's IoT platform Lumada. Hitachi will expand the functions of this Service gradually in the future, and provide it for water supply and sewerage business entity as a comprehensive digital solution to help solve management issues in overall water supply and sewerage business.

In recent years, there have been greater needs for further efficiency improvements in the business operations of domestic water supply and sewerage due to the required investment in the maintenance and updates of deteriorated plants, and decreases in business income caused by the population shrinking. In addition, handing down know-how has become a challenge due to the decrease in skilled operators and engineers.

Against this backdrop, Hitachi is launching "O&M Support Digital Solution", a cloud service to support visualization, labor saving and efficiency improvements in the operation and maintenance work, and handing down know-how. This Service utilizes advanced digital technologies such as AI, analytics and Augmented Reality (AR) to collect a variety of data on the cloud by using IoT, including facility information, operational information, work records, and malfunction and repair information concerning water supply and sewerage business operation.

As the first step of this Service, Hitachi will start to provide three functions in October 2018. The equipment maintenance support function makes it possible to refer to manuals and the malfunction and repair history, and provide work navigation and remote instructions by skilled workers with glasses-type wearable devices or inspection terminals (tablets) by utilizing AR. It supports securing the safety of workers who are inexperienced in maintenance and inspection work, the improvement of work quality, and the handing down of know-how. The plant monitoring function utilizes IoT to collect data from sensors and visualize the state of facility operations. The equipment ledger function digitizes information such as the number of years of operation of facilities, their malfunction and repair history, inspection results inputted by inspection terminals and carries out centralized management. These three functions are coordinated to support efficient asset management, improvement in the operation and maintenance work and efficiency enhancement.

Hitachi also plans to provide a function to improve efficiency in the operation and maintenance work by utilizing AI and analytics. Currently, Hitachi conducts verification tests at several plants where it provides contracted operations. The functions to be provided in the future include: the equipment condition diagnosis function that enables CBM(2) by diagnosing the state of facilities based on the past operation performance data and inspection data of the main equipment and facilities; the plant operation support function to support efficient operations based on know-how extracted from the operation performance data of skilled workers by utilizing AI; the water quality prediction function to predict raw water quality by the use of AI with the combined use of the past operation performance data with open data, such as environmental conditions (weather and water sources), and support the optimization of the chemical dosage.

Hitachi will contribute to solving numerous issues faced by clients who are involved in water supply and sewerage business by combining its track record and know-how of Operational Technology (OT) and products that have been cultivated over the course of many years as a comprehensive water service provider, with Information Technology (IT) for which Hitachi possesses abundant experience and knowledge in diverse fields.

(1) O&M: Operation & Maintenance
(2) CBM: Condition based Maintenance. It represents the concepts of taking into consideration the status of deterioration and malfunction risks to the facilities to determine the need for maintenance, and implementing maintenance before a malfunction occurs or the facilities reach their usage limits.

About Hitachi, Ltd.

Hitachi, Ltd. (TSE: 6501), headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, delivers innovations that answer society's challenges, combining its operational technology, information technology, and products/systems. The company's consolidated revenues for fiscal 2017 (ended March 31, 2018) totaled 9,368.6 billion yen ($88.4 billion). The Hitachi Group is an innovation partner for the IoT era, and it has approximately 307,000 employees worldwide. Through collaborative creation with customers, Hitachi is deploying Social Innovation Business using digital technologies in a broad range of sectors, including Power/Energy, Industry/Distribution/Water, Urban Development, and Finance/Social Infrastructure/Healthcare. For more information on Hitachi, please visit the company's website at http://www.hitachi.com.

Contact:
Hitachi Ltd
Corporate Communications
Tel: +81-3-3258-1111

The acquisition was announced on Fri 7 Sept at the Dusit Thani, Bangkok.

Elite Havens: Villa Tievoli, Phuket - Absolute beachfront.

Elite Havens: Grand Cliff Ungasan, Bali - Breathtaking view.

BANGKOK, Sep 10, 2018 - (ACN Newswire) - Dusit Thani PCL (TSX:DTC), one of Thailand's foremost hotel and property development companies, has expanded into the high-end vacation rental market through the full acquisition of Elite Havens, the leading provider of high-end vacation rentals in Asia.

DTC made the acquisition through its wholly owned Hong Kong-incorporated subsidiary, Dusit Overseas Company Limited, which has bought all shares in LVM Holdings Pte Ltd (LVMH), a Singapore-incorporated company and the ultimate holding company of Elite Havens.

Established in 1998, LVMH directly and indirectly holds shares in nine companies in Southeast Asian countries. The largest company of its kind in Asia, it performs integrated marketing, reservations, concierge and management services for luxury villas and currently maintains a network of more than 200 fully staffed properties across Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives.

DTC's acquisition of Elite Havens follows the company's three-pronged strategy for sustainable and profitable growth, which includes balance, diversification, and expansion, particularly into new market segments, which will enhance DTC's capacity to provide integrated services and drive revenue growth.

"Our investment in Elite Havens marks another important milestone in our strategic journey, particularly our two-pronged plan for expansion, which includes doubling our number of hotels in operation, and providing broadened experiences for our customers," said Ms Suphajee Suthumpun, Group CEO, DTC. "Our current brand line up covers the midscale through to luxury hotel segments. Now, with the addition of Elite Havens, we are delighted to cover the luxury villa rental segment too.

"While the integrated luxury villa management business is new to us, Elite Havens has an impressive track record in this segment, successfully expanding from a small enterprise to the leading company of its kind in Asia. And we are confident that our 70 years of experience in operating upper-upscale and luxury hotels will only enhance these operations further, allowing the dynamic Elite Havens team to leverage our own capabilities to continue providing exceptional services for luxury consumers, while simultaneously expanding the brand's reach in more dream destinations throughout Asia and other key regions."

Mr Jon Stonham, CEO, Elite Havens, said, "With our strong focus on people and exceeding expectations with our services, Elite Havens shares the same values as Dusit, so there is already a strong synergy for us to build on. We look forward to a very bright future of sustainable and profitable growth as we expand our operations as part of the Dusit family."

Following its strategy for balance, diversification and expansion, DTC has been actively enhancing its operations with investments in new market segments. The company made moves into the shared economy last year with an investment in Favstay, a Thai hospitality startup offering condos and villas for rent in Thailand's top destinations, and in April this year DTC announced it would also enter the affordable lifestyle segment with the launch of ASAI Hotels.

A distinctive new brand designed to link curious, millennial-minded travellers with authentic local experiences in vibrant cities and resort destinations worldwide, ASAI Hotels now has five properties in the pipeline across Thailand, Myanmar and the Philippines.

Photo: The acquisition was officially announced at a special signing ceremony held at Dusit Thani Bangkok on Friday 7 Sept. Pictured: Ms La-ead Kovavisaruch, Chief Investment Officer, Investment and New Business, Dusit International; Ms Suphajee Suthumpun, Group CEO, Dusit International; Mr Jon Stonham, CEO, Elite Havens; and Mr Riyaz Moorani, Group CIO, Elite Havens. (L-R)

About Dusit International

Dusit International was founded in 1948 by Honorary Chairperson Thanpuying Chanut Piyaoui, whose first hotel was the Princess on Bangkok's Charoenkrung Road. Today the company is a leader in hotel management and hospitality education and comprises a unique international portfolio of distinctive hotels and resorts operating under four brands: Dusit Thani, dusitD2, Dusit Princess and Dusit Devarana. ASAI Hotels, an affordable lifestyle brand aimed at millennial-minded travellers, is set to open its first property early next year.

Dusit International currently operates 27 properties worldwide and has over 50 confirmed projects in the pipeline in key destinations such as Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Indonesia, Kenya, Myanmar, Oman, Philippines, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Thailand, UAE, and Vietnam.

The company also operates the signature Devarana Spa and has a fast-growing Education Division. The latter, established in 1993, comprises Dusit Thani College, which offers vocational and postgraduate hospitality degrees at campuses in Bangkok and Pattaya; and Le Cordon Bleu Dusit Culinary School. For more information, please visit www.dusit.com.

About Elite Havens Group

Elite Havens was established in 1998 and features a hand-selected and personally inspected portfolio of more than 200 fully staffed luxury villas in Bali, Lombok, Phuket, Koh Samui, Sri Lanka and the Maldives. The Group manages and exclusively markets the largest curated portfolio of luxury villas in Asia. Elite Havens villa management assumes the responsibility for every aspect of a villa's logistical and commercial operations, ensuring that exacting standards are maintained and equal to that of a five star hotel. Villa owners and guests are both equally assured of an unsurpassed professional service at any of the villas under Elite Havens' management. For more information, please visit www.elitehavens.com.

Media Contacts:

Jetana Kriengsakophas | Director - Corporate Communications | Dusit International
Tel: +66 2200 9999 ext. 3325 | Fax: +66 2636 3549 | Email: Jetana.ks@dusit.com

Sureerat Sudpairak | Assistant Director - Corporate Communications | Dusit International
Tel: +66 2200 9999 ext. 3321 | Fax: +66 2636 3549 | Email: sureerat.sp@dusit.com

HONG KONG, Sep 10, 2018 - (ACN Newswire) - AAC Technologies Holdings Inc. ("AAC Technologies" or "the Company;" HKEX: 02018) has been named as one of "Asia's Fab 50 Companies" by Forbes again in 2018, the third consecutive year that the company has earned the title.

In compiling the roster of "Asia's Fab 50 Companies," Forbes aims to highlight well-managed entrepreneurial enterprises: naming an honor roll of high-performing blue chips, Asia's "best of the best."

With its commitment in innovation and investment in R&D, AAC Technologies has built a portfolio of advanced technology platforms. As a world-leading total solutions provider, the Company utilizes the latest miniaturized technology components across acoustic, haptic and precision components, MEMS components and optics. As one of the top few companies who have consistently reinvested significant resources on R&D to build sustained technology roadmaps, its average R&D investment accounted for 7-8% of annual revenue. It has set up 15 R&D centers in the United States, Denmark, Finland, Singapore, Japan and South Korea and collaborates with many prominent universities and research institutions such as Stanford University, National University of Singapore Research Institute (Semiconductor), Chinese Academy of Sciences and Nanjing University. Leveraging the established research and technology platforms, it owns over 2,800 patents and over 2,100 patents are pending approval, covering core technologies in electronic products, successfully demonstrating its proprietary capabilities.

AAC Technologies has successful track record in continuously upgrading technological platforms and creating new designs. The Company has achieved outstanding financial performances throughout the years: Recapping historical financial reports, annual revenue achieved a CAGR of 30% for 15 years, reaching RMB21.1 billion in 2017, more than 50 times that of 2003. Also, its gross profit margin stood at over 40% for many years, and its net profit at RMB5.3 billion made it one of the top-performing companies among its Chinese peers. AAC Technologies was selected as a constituent stock of the Hang Seng Index since 2016, and its market capitalization is about RMB100 billion, a growth of about 30 times over its IPO in 2003.

About AAC Technologies Holdings Inc.
AAC Technologies is a constituent stock of the Hang Seng Index, Hang Seng Corporate Sustainability Index, Hang Seng (Mainland and Hong Kong) Corporate Sustainability Index, Hang Seng China (Hong Kong Listed) 25 Index, Hang Seng Composite LargeCap Index, Hang Seng Composite Industry Index (Information Technology), Hang Seng IT Hardware Index, MSCI China Index, MSCI China ESG Index and FTSE Hong Kong Index.

AAC Technologies is a total solution provider utilizing the latest miniaturized technology components across acoustic, haptic and precision components, MEMS components and optics. The Company is already an established leading global supplier of miniaturized acoustic components including a broad range of speakers, receivers and MEMS microphones. The Company delivers integrated solutions across multiple segments incorporating advanced proprietary technologies haptics vibrators, RF antennas and optical components. The Company's products are found in mobile devices such as smartphones, tablets, wearables, and PC notebooks. The Company is global in scope with research and development centers and has established sales offices in key markets serving a large number of geographically diverse customers in the mobile electronics market.

www.aactechnologies.com

For any other enquiries, please contact:

AAC Technologies Holdings Inc.
Eddie Kung
Head of Investor Relations
Tel: 852 3470 0079
Email: EddieKung@aactechnologies.com

Ricky Man
Investor Relations Manager
Tel: 52 3470 0076
Email: RickyMan@aactechnologies.com

For press enquiries:
Strategic Financial Relations Limited
Vicky Lee Tel: 852 2864 4834 Email: vicky.lee@sprg.com.hk
Cecilia Shum Tel: 852 2864 4890 Email: cecilia.shum@sprg.com.hk
Antonio Yu Tel: 852 2114 4319 Email: antonio.yu@sprg.com.hk
Fax: 852 2527 1196

Ms. Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, Chief Executive of Hong Kong SAR delivered a welcome speech

Mr. Paul Chan Mo-po, Financial Secretary of the Government of Hong Kong SAR shared the theme on "Under China's deepening reform and the recent new era of all-round opening, how Hong Kong can make use of its advantages to serve the country."

Mr. Liu An-lin, Chairman of HCFA and Deputy Chairman and President of the China Life Insurance (Overseas) Company Limited gave a speech at the event

Mr. Liu An-lin, Chairman of HCFA and Deputy Chairman and President of the China Life Insurance (Overseas) Company Limited (left six), Ms. Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, Chief Executive of Hong Kong SAR (center), Ms. Qiu Hong, Deputy Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong SAR (right six) and Mr. Paul Chan Mo-po, Financial Secretary of the Government of Hong Kong SAR (right five)

HONG KONG, Sep 10, 2018 - (ACN Newswire) - This year marks the 40th anniversary of China's Reform and Opening and it is also the tenth year of the establishment of Chinese Financial Association of Hong Kong ("HCFA"). On this occasion, "China's Reform and Opening 40th Anniversary Forum & HCFA 10th Anniversary Celebration", hosted by HCFA, was held today at Four Seasons Hotel in Central, Hong Kong.

The leaders of Hong Kong Government and Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in Hong Kong SAR; the presidium, directors, consultants and members of HCFA; as well as other professionals in financial industry were invited to the event.

Ms. Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, Chief Executive of Hong Kong SAR, also the Chief Honorary Patron of HCFA said she is grateful to the Association for its efforts in promoting the communication between the financial communities in Hong Kong and in Mainland China over the past decade, and for its contribution to the interconnection of the two markets. After 40 years of reform and opening up, China's economic development has entered a new era. She is confident that Hong Kong will continue to make full use of the unique advantages of "One Country, Two Systems", maintaining a free and open market, an efficient and transparent regulatory system and an international business environment. Through a series of initiatives, Hong Kong will be able to enhance its competitiveness and promote the economy. Furthermore, Hong Kong will make contributions to the economic modernization of China's financial system as well as the city's integration with the international market, and make good use of the needs of the country and the strengths of Hong Kong.

Mr. Paul Chan Mo-po, Financial Secretary of the Government of Hong Kong SAR shared the theme on "Under China's deepening reform and the recent new era of all-round opening, how Hong Kong can make use of its advantages to serve the country." He said that many Hong Kong professionals have actively participated in the reform and opening up of the Mainland since the beginning, and have contributed their professional knowledge and experience. He said that Hong Kong is still the largest direct investor in the Mainland and is acting as the bridgehead to introduce international funds to Mainland.

Mr. Leung Chun-ying, Chief Consultant of HCFA and Vice Chairman of The National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference acted as a guest of honour and delivered a speech at the private luncheon; Ms. Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, Chief Executive of Hong Kong SAR attended the event and made a speech as a guest of honour; Mr. Chan Mo-po, Financial Secretary of the Government of Hong Kong SAR delivered a keynote speech as a guest of honour; Mr. Liu An-lin, Chairman of HCFA and Deputy Chairman and President of the China Life Insurance (Overseas) Company Limited gave a speech at the event.

The establishment and development of HCFA closely linked with the prosperity of Mainland and Hong Kong. "Looking back on the past ten years, based on the prosperity of Hong Kong and the development in China, HCFA has strived to prosperity and stability of Hong Kong's financial industry, building a better platform for interaction and development between the two places. Along with China's rapid growth and becoming the second largest economy in the world, interaction between Mainland and Hong Kong will be continuously reinforced. It is believed that the implement of China's strategic plan such as "The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area", "Belt and Road Initiative" will bring new benefits to Hong Kong's economy. Meanwhile, with the unique advantage of "one country, two systems", which enables Hong Kong's financial industry to continue to play the role of meeting the country's demand and maximizing Hong Kong's strengths, and create opportunities for the development of HCFA." said Mr. Liu An-lin, Chairman of HCFA and Deputy Chairman and President of the China Life Insurance (Overseas) Company Limited.

There were other guests of honour at the event, including Ms. Qiu Hong, Deputy Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong SAR; Mr. James Henry Lau, Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury; Mr. Christopher Cheung Wah-fung, member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong representing the Financial Services constituency in the Hong Kong SAR; Dr. Moses Cheung Mo-chi, Chairman of the Insurance Authority of Hong Kong SAR; Mr. Carlson Tong, Chairman of the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) ; Prof. Lawrence J. LAU, Ralph and Claire Landau Professor of Economics, The Chinese University of Hong Kong; Sun Xiangyi, Director of Economic Affairs Department, Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in Hong Kong SAR; and Mr. Lam Kwong-siu, Vice Chairman of BOC International Holdings Limited.

Under the background of the continuous Reform and Opening in Mainland and the development of inter-connected markets between Hong Kong and Mainland, the event reviewed the history of the development of HCFA in the past ten years. At the same time, a round-table discussion forum was arranged during the event, covering issues of "40th Anniversary of China's Reform and Opening" and hot topics such as "The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area", "Belt and Road Initiative", "New Economy", and etc. Industry experts and scholars were invited to share their views on these topics.

Dr Zhihuan E, Director of HCFA and Chief Economist of Bank of China (Hong Kong) Limited was invited to be the host of the round-table discussion forum. Chen Shuang JP, Honorary Chairman of HCFA, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of China Everbright Limited; Dr. Hu Zhanghong, Honorary Chairman of HCFA, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of CCB International (Holdings) Limited; Ms Zhang Li, Vice Chairman of HCFA, President of Shanghai Pudong Development Bank Hong Kong Branch; and Prof. Ba Shusong, Chief Economist of HCFA, Chief China Economist of Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited were the guests at the forum.

China Life Insurance (Overseas) was the honorable strategic partner of HCFA, and China Everbright Bank Co., Ltd., Hong Kong Branch, China Minsheng Banking Corp., Ltd. Hong Kong Branch, Industrial Bank Co., Ltd, Hong Kong Branch and China Cinda (HK) Holdings Company Limited were the platinum strategic partners of HCFA and gave great support towards the event. Friedmann Pacific Asset Management Limited and BWT Group from Germany were the sponsors of the event.

About Chinese Financial Association of Hong Kong

Chinese Financial Association of Hong Kong ("HCFA") was established on 17 September 2008. After the collapse of Lehman Brothers, which symbolizes the financial crisis, HCFA was established. Since then, it has achieved fruitful results, and its scale and influence have grown steadily, playing an increasingly important role in Hong Kong's financial industry. In the past ten years, HCFA has always adhered to its principle, uniting people in the financial field who got educated or worked in Mainland, providing advice and strategies for the development of Hong Kong's financial industry, and contributing to the prosperity of Mainland and Hong Kong.

HCFA organized about 30 events each year, with an average of 2.5 events per month. The number of participants has exceeded 10,000. The guests are prominent figures in the political and business field of Hong Kong. Within 2009, HCFA has published nearly 300 articles in Hong Kong Economic Journal, becoming a media with great influence in financial sector and contributing to the development of Hong Kong's financial industry. It also successively organized and published five treatises, including "Global New Patter and Hong Kong New Power", "Big Wave of Internet Finance", "Bring Together: Financial Cooperation between Hong Kong and Mainland", "RMB Appreciation: Opportunity for Hong Kong to Build RMB Offshore Center" and "RMB Globalization and Hong Kong New Opportunity". Those books respectively discussed about the issues that have a great influence on the countries' economic development pattern. These treaties are other ways of HCFA to promote Hong Kong's financial industry development and improve Hong Kong financial industry competitiveness.

For media enquiries, please contact Frement Financial Relations Limited:

Ms. Ashley Kung
Tel: (852) 2890 8262
Mobile: (852) 6608 9927
Email: ashley@frement.com

Ms. Vanessa Wong
Tel: (852) 2890 8262
Mobile: (852) 6127 1953
Email: vanessa@frement.com

Ms. Katy Wong
Tel: (852) 2890 8262
Mobile: (852) 6730 0303
Email: katy@frement.com

To download original photos:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1hPviJijJQRHrJZ0p1EJ_PrNieyIopfby

TAIPEI, Sep 10, 2018 - (ACN Newswire) - The award-winning Omar Single Malt Whisky, in both Sherry and Bourbon Casket, has been launched in the US market.

Govt-owned Taiwan Tobacco & Liquor Corp (TTL) has had an unequivocal response since August from consumers of the spirit, produced by its Nantou Distillery in central Taiwan.

The water and sub-tropical weather in the region have given the spirit a unique nose and the rich flavor of tropical fruit.

Due to higher temperatures than most other whisky-producing areas, the spirit matures faster during the production process, with higher angel share.

While Omar ages for 3 to 4 years, it can develop many excellent flavors, similar to 12-year Scotch Whiskies. https://bit.ly/2O4eiNP.

Since 2015, Omar Whiskies have been awarded by international spirits competitions such as the MMA, ISC, SFWSC and WWA. At this year's San Francisco World Spirits Competition, Omar was twice awarded with Double Gold, twice with Gold, and twice with Silver for another two varieties of the Single Malt Spirit from Nantou.

Press:
Stephy Hsiao
110072@mail.ttl.com.tw
www.ttl.com.tw/en/index.aspx
Taiwan Tobacco & Liquor Corp (TTL)
https://english.cw.com.tw/article/article.action?id=2063

- Customer experience focused solutions for the next generation of transport services -

TOKYO, Sep 11, 2018 - (JCN Newswire) - NEC Corporation (TSE: 6701) announced its participation in InnoTrans 2018 -- Berlin, an international trade fair for transport technology which takes place every two years in Berlin. The twelfth InnoTrans 2018 will take place from September 18th to the 21st in Berlin, Germany.

NEC and its partners will present a number of innovative solutions for enhancing public transport, including solutions that feature NEC's cloud based Fleet Management Solution (FMS), an Automatic Fare Collection System (AFC) and ePaper displays for real-time passenger information.

InnoTrans is the prominent worldwide trade fair for transport technology. The event is sub-divided into five trade fair segments; Railway Technology, Railway Infrastructure, Public Transport, Interiors and Tunnel Construction.

The public transportation solutions that NEC showcases at this event will reach visitors and exhibitors from more than 100 countries and represent all segments of the industry.

For more information on NEC's transportation solutions, please visit our Transport Solutions website.

About NEC Corporation

NEC Corporation is a leader in the integration of IT and network technologies that benefit businesses and people around the world. The NEC Group globally provides "Solutions for Society" that promote the safety, security efficiency and fairness 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, visit NEC at https://www.nec.com.

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

TOKYO, Sep 11, 2018 - (JCN Newswire) - Kaga Electronics Co., Ltd. (TSE:8154) and Fujitsu Semiconductor Limited (FSL) have entered into a definitive agreement whereby Kaga Electronics acquires 70% shares in Fujitsu Electronics Inc. (FEI) from FSL.

Kaga Electronics plans to also acquire the remaining 30% shares held by FSL by the end of 2021. The transfer of 70% shares, which takes place in Phase 1 is expected to close in January 2019, subject to approval of relevant regulatory authorities and other customary closing conditions.

The business environment surrounding the electronics trading industry, where many players are competing each other, has been changing more dramatically in recent years on the back of accelerated consolidation and integration of suppliers including semiconductor/device manufacturers. We believe that the competition between electronics trading companies will intensify further in the future as their policy changes concerning distribution agents, a growing trend that customers shift their assembly of finished products overseas, changes in demand and supply and also in prices in both domestic and overseas markets, and shortening product lifecycles as a result of ongoing technological innovations.

Under these circumstances, we have reached the conclusion that the optimal solution to maximize the value for all stakeholders, including customers and partners, is to integrate the businesses of Kaga Electronics and FEI. In its "Medium-term Management Plan 2018" (released on November 4, 2015), Kaga Electronics has attached utmost importance to "establishment of profit-oriented management," and thus has focused on increasing sales of electronic devices to existing major customers and expanding the EMS business (contracted manufacturing of electrical substrates) primarily in overseas markets. The acquisition of FEI's shares this time is part of the efforts to fulfill its growth strategies embodied in its Medium-term Management Plan. FEI has aimed to expand its global reach with the reinforcement on broadening of the product line-up as well as further development of existing business. FEI can further intensify the growth strategy following this transaction. We expect to create the synergies as follows:

1. Market share expansion for the Electronic Parts and Semiconductor business
Seek to enhance the capability to address clients' needs and expand shares in the electronic parts and semiconductor markets by complementing distribution channels domestically and internationally.

2. Expansion in scale of the EMS business
Achieve discontinuous growth of the high-value added EMS business, which Kaga Electronic is specialized in, by adding FEI's broad customer base, one of its competitive advantages, to the existing global network of EMS business bases.

3. Further improvement in management efficiency through collaboration of businesses of the two companies
Seek to improve the profitability of both Kaga Electronics and FEI by optimizing and sharing, to the greatest extent possible, their sales related organizations and other functions.

For the present, FEI will retain its trade name "Fujitsu Electronics Inc." and continue to deliver its existing offerings.

Message from President and Representative Director of Kaga Electronics Ryoichi Kado

Kaga Electronics has been expanding the scope of its operations by responding to a variety of customer needs under its corporate philosophy of "Everything we do is for our customers." As an independent general trading company with a specialization in electronics, Kaga Electronics is engaged in a wide variety of business activities and offers a variety of services to customer both in Japan and abroad, ranging from the Electronic Parts and Semiconductor business where it distributes electronic parts and semiconductors by leveraging its expertise in the segment, the EMS business where it has a competitive advantage in high-mix low-volume production, to the Information Equipment business and New business where it supports to customers in planning, development and design of their products, creation of software/video images, provision of network solutions and other system support services. By welcoming FEI into our group, Kaga Electronics evolves into a corporate group with total net sales of about 500 billion yen and can solidify its management foundation towards the goal of becoming the "industry leader in Japan," as set out in its Medium-term Management Plan. Also, by leveraging this solid management foundation and through continued efforts to expand the group's scale and improve its management quality, we seek to achieve sustainable growth as a world-class company which can stand up to overseas competitors with their sales crossing the trillion yen mark.
Message from President and Representative Director of FSL Kagemasa Magaribuchi

FEI has continued to deliver a wide variety of offerings, including total solutions, tailored to a variety of customer needs by leveraging its long nurtured ability to make proposals concerning electronic devices and based on trusted relationships with customers and partners. In fact, FEI has the teams of engineers that can develop, design and mass-produce products in-house and has collaborated with a number of business partners around the world to deliver a variety of solutions (including cutting-edge solutions unique to Fujitsu). We believe we can provide higher values, such as enhanced quality, to our existing and new customers and partners by combining FEI's strengths and the synergies expected from the integration with Kaga Electronics. Furthermore, considering the fact that FEI has been distributing a variety of Fujitsu's products and services, Fujitsu will continue to collaborate with FEI. We expected that the combination will generate new business opportunities for IoT, automotive and AI, in addition to the existing business with Fujitsu with a more comprehensive customer base and a robust product portfolio. As a member of Kaga Electronics Group, we strongly believe that FEI will be able to deliver accelerated growth.

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 140,000 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 4.1 trillion yen (US $39 billion) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2018. For more information, please see http://www.fujitsu.com.

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

Contact:
Kaga Electronics Co. Ltd. 
Investor Relations & Public Relations Office 
E-mail: webmaster@taxan.co.jp

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

The Largest Scale Hitachi Group Event in the World

TOKYO, Sep 11, 2018 - (JCN Newswire) - Hitachi, Ltd. (TSE:6501) announced that it will host "Hitachi Social Innovation Forum 2018 TOKYO" on October 18 and 19 at the Tokyo International Forum, a convention center in Tokyo metropolitan area. The goal of this Forum, the largest scale Hitachi Group event in the world, is to share with customers and partners its ideas for realizing an affluent society, and to promote open discussions.

Hitachi positions this Forum, a consecutive 20th event, as a flagship among independent events held in every region around the world. This year, it expects to welcome more than 10,000 visitors over two days. Through a diverse program that includes speeches, business sessions, seminars, and exhibitions based on the theme of "Co-Creating Next Society with Social Innovation," Hitachi will introduce a broad range of results from its Social Innovation Business, which has evolved by combining Hitachi's unique strengths and experiences in OT, IT, and Products, as well as the future outlook.

In a Keynote Speech, entitled "Co-create the Promising Future - Hitachi's Social Innovation," Hitachi, Ltd. President and CEO Toshiaki Higashihara will talk about the evolution of Hitachi's Social Innovation Business, which utilizes digital technologies, and about Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the realization of Society 5.0, while providing real-world examples of Social Innovation Business and Collaborative Creation with customers and partners.

In a Special Speech, entitled "Making the world a better place one nudge at a time," Richard H. Thaler, a professor at the University of Chicago and a recipient of the 2017 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, and co-creator of the concept of "Nudge," will provide a detailed explanation of Behavioral Economics with examples of its practical applications in society.

In a Special Talk entitled "Creating Sustainable Cities-Lifestyle Innovation: Its Past and Future-," the architect Hiroshi Naito and the historian Kazuto Hongo will look back at the unique historical characteristics of the development of cities in Japan, which have continued from the middle ages until now, and will think about hints for the development of sustainable cities for the future, and about the expected role of a company in this regard. Former rugby player of Japan's National Team Daisuke Ohata and Seoul Olympic Synchronized Swimming Duet Bronze medalist Miyako Tanaka-Oulevey will conduct a discussion on the theme of "Team Building for Continuous Success -Motivation Science for Individuals and Teams-," in which they will talk about mental control and approaches to build strong teams that can also be applied to the business environment, drawing from their own past experiences as top athletes.

Speech and Business Sessions will feature discussions on themes, including the areas where Hitachi is focusing its efforts, such as Power and Energy fields, as well as Industry, Distribution, and Water fields, Urban field, and Finance, Social and Healthcare fields. Hitachi executives, along with leaders, experts, and managers active in a wide range of fields throughout the world, will engage in discussions and offer a glimpse into the rich future made possible by Social Innovations. Discussion topics will include "Social Innovation, Expanding Globally"; "Renewable Energy that Opens a New Era -Approach towards Dissemination and Future Vision-"; "Digital Innovation -Creating with AI & Big Data Analytics-"; "Industrial Innovation driven by "connected"-Creating a new "made-in-Japan" quality-"; "Human-centric Society Driven by Society 5.0 -Social / Public Services Lead by Digital Transformation and Collaboration-"; "Leading the Next Medical Innovation Driven by Data"; "Future Social Infrastructure Achieving Safety and Comfort -Innovative Services by Robotics and Drones-"; and "Sustainability Strategy and Role of Private Sectors in the Era of SDGs".

At the exhibition venue, Hitachi will introduce a broad range of the latest achievements and activities in its evolving Social Innovation Business. This venue will feature some 200 exhibits, including hands-on and 3D exhibits, divided into eight zones - "ENERGY," "INDUSTRY," "URBAN," "FINANCE," "HEALTHCARE - LIFE SCIENCE," "Digital Transformation, Lumada," "SECURITY," and "WORKSTYLE INNOVATION". These exhibits, which will illustrate the business innovations and new possibilities driven by Collaborative Creation with customers and partners, will draw visitors' interest and promote live and open discussions. Hitachi will also provide opportunities to foster customers' deeper understanding of its Social Innovation Business through more than 60 industry-specific seminars, which will present solutions to the management issues at customers' sites, along with actual customer cases.

About Hitachi, Ltd.

Hitachi, Ltd. (TSE: 6501), headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, delivers innovations that answer society's challenges, combining its operational technology, information technology, and products/systems. The company's consolidated revenues for fiscal 2017 (ended March 31, 2018) totaled 9,368.6 billion yen ($88.4 billion). The Hitachi Group is an innovation partner for the IoT era, and it has approximately 307,000 employees worldwide. Through collaborative creation with customers, Hitachi is deploying Social Innovation Business using digital technologies in a broad range of sectors, including Power/Energy, Industry/Distribution/Water, Urban Development, and Finance/Social Infrastructure/Healthcare. For more information on Hitachi, please visit the company's website at http://www.hitachi.com.

Contact:
Hitachi Ltd
Corporate Communications
Tel: +81-3-3258-1111

SEOUL, KOREA, Sep 11, 2018 - (ACN Newswire) - Suprema is set to showcase its biometric-driven enterprise access control solution in the Slovenian market at the Adria Security Summit 2018, held in Ljubljana on September 12-14.

To highlight the event, Suprema's CoreStation is an intelligent door controller which offers the advantages of biometric-enabled security with centralized access control systems. Designed for mid to enterprise-level systems, CoreStation handles up to 500,000 users with fingerprint matching speeds of up to 400,000 matches per second. By providing high-performance, biometric readiness and Ethernet communications, CoreStation is capable of offering comprehensive access control functionalities for up to 132 access points along with the company's BioStar 2 security platform. The device also provides centralized biometric template management and also interfaces with a complete set of reader technologies including RS-485 (OSDP) and Wiegand.

"Suprema CoreStation is designed to fulfill the demand for biometric technology within the more-secure, larger scale access control applications with centralized topology. While providing intelligent controller functionalities, the device also manages fingerprint matching and biometric data storage under secure location. With the addition of this intelligent biometric controller to Suprema's existing access control portfolio, our customers will have more choices and flexibility in designing their security systems," said Hanchul Kim, Global Sales Director at Suprema.

Suprema will also showcase the new BioLite N2 fingerprint terminal. Launched this April, BioLite N2 is designed for both the enterprise access control systems and time attendance applications blending Suprema's industry-leading technologies and innovative features. Equipped with a powerful 1.2GHz CPU and 4GB memory, BioLite N2 achieves matching speeds of up to 20,000 matches per second while accommodating up to 10,000 users and providing instant matching results.

For reliable operation under extreme conditions such as outdoor installation and harsh climate, BioLite N2 features a rugged IP67 structure with a class-leading operating temperature range between -20°C~50°C, or -4°F~122°F. The device also features illuminated keypad and high-contrast GUI for better visibility under various lighting conditions.

"The new BioLite N2 provides the best reliable fingerprint matching performance over dynamic environments such as outdoor installation and extreme weather conditions. We are expecting greater demand for rugged fingerprint terminals in European markets where outdoor installations are common," Kim added.

Last year, Suprema established Suprema France SARL and Suprema Systems Germany GmbH to better serve the company's pan-European customers with localized sales and technical support.

About Suprema

Suprema is a leading global provider of biometrics and security. By combining world renowned biometric algorithms with superior engineering, Suprema continually designs and develops industry leading products and solutions. Suprema's extensive range of portfolio includes biometric access control systems, time & attendance solutions, fingerprint live scanners, mobile authentication solutions and embedded fingerprint modules. Suprema has worldwide sales network in over 130 countries and is one of the world's Top 50 security manufacturer in its turnover (ranked in A&S's Security 50, 2010-2017). For more information, please visit www.supremainc.com.

Contact:
Andy Ahn
Head of Marketing, Suprema Inc.
Email: andyahn@suprema.co.kr

FACETASM's 2019 Spring/Summer collection: https://bit.ly/2MTuhSi

IDISM's 2019 Spring/Summer collection: https://bit.ly/2Nk6Ukw

Ms MIN's 2019 Spring/Summer collection: https://bit.ly/2Q64i8l

Nearly 60% of Fashion Traders Expect Steady Sales in 2019: Survey

HONG KONG, Sep 11, 2018 - (ACN Newswire) - The 2018 edition of Asia's premier fashion event, CENTRESTAGE, drew to a successful close. The four-day event (5-8 Sept), organised by the HKTDC, brought to Hong Kong 230 fashion brands from 22 countries and regions, attracting 8,700 buyers from 80 countries and regions, up 2.4% over last year. Those from Canada, France, Germany, India, Korea, Russia, Taiwan and the United Arab Emirates increased significantly. Buyers from Asia accounted for 35% of the total.

"We're pleased to note that CENTRESTAGE has become a premier event for the Asian fashion industry, offering regional fashion brands and designers a platform to promote and launch their collections. In its third edition, this year's CENTRESTAGE attracted many global brands and buyers to participate. An increased number of overseas buyers came looking for business opportunities and talents, which solidified Hong Kong's position as Asia's fashion capital," said HKTDC Deputy Executive Director Benjamin Chau.

Fashion Industry Optimistic on Sales

The HKTDC commissioned an independent research agency to conduct on-site survey during this year's event to gauge the outlook for the fashion industry and product trends. Interviewing more than 300 exhibitors and buyers, the survey found that the industry is cautiously optimistic about sales in the coming year. Nearly 60% of the respondents expect overall sales to remain steady, and about 30% expect growth. While about half of respondents expect increases in sourcing prices or production costs, almost 60% of the respondents said they will not raise unit or retail prices, reflecting a general tendency of the industry's hesitance in transferring increased costs to customers.

The survey results also showed that over 70% of the respondents are optimistic about the potential of the mainland fashion market, which is seen having good growth prospects. On upcoming fashion trends, about 60% of respondents expect casual wear and urban fashion to be the most popular product categories, followed by fashion accessories and high fashion/occasional wear. For e-commerce, women's wear is anticipated to be the most popular product category going forward, followed by fashion jewellery and bags. Nearly 50% of the respondents believe that brand crossover combined with joint promotion is the most common product development strategy. Approximately 30% of respondents agreed that celebrities' or key opinion leaders' endorsement is also an effective strategy.

Exploring Future Fashion Trends

CENTRESTAGE 2018 centred on the theme of "TOMORROW LAB", with three thematic zones showcasing 230 brands. The event also presented about 40 activities over its four-day run, including more than 20 fashion shows. Brands and designers had the opportunity to connect with buyers, media and fashion professionals during these activities.

Japanese avant-garde streetwear label FACETASM, Hong Kong ready-to-wear womenswear label IDISM, and Chinese luxury womenswear label Ms MIN presented their latest 2019 Spring/Summer collections at the opening gala show CENTRESTAGE ELITES, attracting over 1,000 guests. At the FASHIONALLY Collection #12 and FASHIONALLY Presentation shows, 13 budding local designer brands paraded their 2019 Spring/Summer collections. CENTRESTAGE 2018 also introduced the latest collections by renowned Hong Kong brands including DORIAN HO, ARTISTIC PALACE, HARRISON WONG, HOUSE OF V, and LOOM LOOP.

Furthermore, CENTRESTAGE provided market insights through the Trend Talk Series and Meet the Visionaries Series of seminars featuring distinguished industry experts. These included Anupreet Bhui, Senior Editor of Global Street Style at trend forecasting agency WGSN, who explored upcoming fashion trends and the influence of streetwear among Generation Z. Euromonitor International's Head of Fashion Research Jorge Martin examined Asia-Pacific as the key growth engine for global fashion expenditure.

CENTRESTAGE: Ideal Launch and Promotion Platform

Designers and key fashion industry players found their CENTRESTAGE 2018 participation fruitful. Mitsuo Nakahashi, Fashion Merchandising Director at Barneys Japan, discovered several new designer brands that could be potential partners, including a brand showcased by first-time Hong Kong exhibitor nano-secc showroom. Barneys Japan has decided to carry some of these brands in Japan, and looks forward to exploring collaboration in carrying these brands at its six Barneys New York flagship stores across Japan and developing new collections.

Hong Kong brand LOOM LOOP, which has participated in CENTRESTAGE since its inaugural edition, received an order from US retailer 3NY on the first day of the event this year, after securing a deal with a mainland multi-brand store at CENTRESTAGE 2017. Polly Ho, designer of LOOM LOOP, noted that CENTRESTAGE is now a key annual event in the regional fashion calendar, especially as it is strategically timed with the start of the buying season, providing buyers and VIP customers with an exclusive preview of designers' upcoming collections.

To read more testimonials from exhibitors and buyers, please visit: https://bit.ly/2NvKbSv https://bit.ly/2McrVZC

CENTRESTAGE website: http://centrestage.com.hk
CENTRESTAGE activity schedule: http://centrestage.com.hk/en/event/schedule.php
Hong Kong in Fashion activity schedule: http://centrestage.com.hk/en/event/hkinfashion/index.php
The Hong Kong Young Fashion Designers' Contest webpage: http://www.fashionally.com
CENTRESTAGE 2018 video: https://youtu.be/gs44K3xSKlM
Photo Download: https://bit.ly/2Qhhpnm

For more information or to request interviews, please contact:
Sinclair on +852 2915 1234
Nikki McLucas, nikki@sinclaircomms.com, +852 6895 0534
Shanti Sadhwani, shanti@sinclaircomms.com, +852 6386 4904
Kelly Chan, kelly@sinclaircomms.com, +852 6825 4496

HKTDC's Communications and Public Affairs Department
Sam Ho, Tel: +852 2584 4569, Email: sam.sy.ho@hktdc.org
Selina Fan, Tel: +852 2584 4298, Email: selina.mi.fan@hktdc.org

The five-day Hong Kong Watch & Clock Fair (4-8 Sept) attracts over 21,000 buyers, including many from emerging markets.

The concurrent Salon de TE showcases 140 renowned international brands and designer collections.

Industry Optimistic about Emerging Markets, India, Chinese Mainland

HONG KONG, Sep 11, 2018 - (ACN Newswire) - The 37th edition of the HKTDC Hong Kong Watch & Clock Fair and the sixth Salon de TE concluded their five-day run (4-8 September) at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC). Jointly organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), the Hong Kong Watch Manufacturers Association Ltd and The Federation of Hong Kong Watch Trades and Industries Ltd, the events welcomed over 21,000 buyers, up 2% over last year. Satisfactory growth was recorded in buyer attendance from the Chinese mainland and emerging markets such as India, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mexico, the Philippines and United Arab Emirates, as well as other countries and regions including Denmark and the United States.

"Amid intense industry competition, many Hong Kong companies have diversified business and risks by shifting to emerging markets as target export destinations," said HKTDC Deputy Executive Director Benjamin Chau. "To help local enterprises expand into new markets, the HKTDC organised 78 buying missions representing more than 4,400 buyers from 3,200 companies from 58 countries and regions. The fair continued to feature the OEM Smart Watches and Smart Watches zones for Hong Kong companies to showcase results of their research and development in smart watches, helping the industry move up the value chain and develop further."

Survey: 2018 Sales Seen Steady/Growing; Optimism over India, Mainland and ASEAN

The HKTDC commissioned an independent market research agency to conduct an on-site survey during the first three days of the fair (4-6 Sept), interviewing 855 buyers and exhibitors about their views on market prospects, product trends, e-commerce and sourcing patterns. About 75% of respondents anticipate steady or growing overall sales in 2018. Over half of the respondents believe the current Sino-US trade issue has no negative impact on Hong Kong's timepiece exports. Most of the respondents view India, the Chinese mainland, Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries and South America as the most promising emerging markets in the next two years, while Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan, Western Europe and North America are seen as having the best prospects among traditional markets.

Smart Watches Seen Most Popular Timepieces for 2019

In terms of product trends, smart watches(37%), quartz analogue watches(25%), automatic watches(15%) and electronic watches(11%) are viewed as the most popular categories for 2019; while smart watches(41%), casual watches(40%), fashion watches(37%) and sports watches(25%) are considered to have the biggest growth potential. Watches that can interact with smart devices (40%) are predicted by respondents to be the most prevalent product development strategies in the coming year, followed by watches that match fashion trends (31%), items with mix-and-match components (25%), limited-edition watches (24%) and those representing collaboration between brands (23%). The most popular timepiece price range in 2019 is seen to be US$51-US$100 (29%), followed by US$6-US$50 (25%) and US$100-US$200 (24%).

Tech Items Sought-after, Homegrown Brands Shine

Specialising in the design and production of smart watches, New Venture Smart Wearable Supplies (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd showcased its latest smart watches at the OEM Smart Watches zone. Maxwell Chen, Sales Director of the company, said: "We find that the demand from traditional watch buyers for smart watches is soaring, with more interest in our smart watches that come with simple functions like step counter, incoming message or call alert. Our latest models have attracted buyers from India and the United States and they will place orders soon."

Gary Ching, co-founder of Hong Kong's homegrown brand, ANPASSA, said the firm has exhibited at Salon de TE for five consecutive years because it is regarded as an important platform to promote the brand and its designs. At this year's fair, the company highlighted its "Made in Hong Kong" concept and fine craftsmanship through its products, such as a newly launched dual tourbillon watch featuring an enameled dial decorated with diamonds. This model drew considerable attention at the fair, while more than 10 new buyers from Malaysia, Romania, Singapore and Switzerland showed interest in purchasing the firm's enameled tourbillon watches and automatic watches, as well as having ANPASSA develop custom-made tourbillon watches for them.

Emerging Market Buyers Keen on Sourcing

Indonesian buyer Salim Kartono, Director of Pt. Catur Mitrajaya Lestari, said he came to the fair to look for Muslim watches and new items while meeting their partnering brand owners. He placed an order for 1,000 Muslim watches on the spot and bought some samples of couple watches and Chinese mainland-made tourbillon watches to add to his company's product portfolio. Mexican buyer Jose Palacios Pena, Director General of La Casa Del Reloj, said he revisited the fair to look for fashion watches and original equipment manufacturers of smart watches. "Up till now, I have identified three potential suppliers of fashion watches from the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Switzerland, and I will buy 500 pieces from each of these new suppliers."

For more comments from exhibitors and buyers, please visit: https://bit.ly/2MUUWhK (Hong Kong Watch & Clock Fair) and https://bit.ly/2Cxhald (Salon de TE)

Fair Websites
HKTDC Hong Kong Watch & Clock Fair: www.hktdc.com/fair/hkwatchfair-en
Salon de TE: http://event.hktdc.com/fair/te-en/TE/
Photo download: https://bit.ly/2CupEJP

About HKTDC

The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) is the dedicated to creating opportunities for Hong Kong's businesses. With more than 40 offices globally, including 13 on the Chinese mainland, HKTDC promotes Hong Kong as a platform for doing business with China, Asia and the world. HKTDC organises international exhibitions, conferences and business missions to provide companies, particularly SMEs, with business opportunities on the mainland and in international markets, while providing business insights and information via trade publications, research reports and digital channels including the media room. Please visit www.hktdc.com/aboutus or follow us on Google+, Twitter@hktdc, LinkedIn.

Contact:
HKTDC's Communication and Public Affairs Department:
Sunny Ng, Tel: +852 2584 4357, Email: sunny.sl.ng@hktdc.org
Joshua Cheng, Tel: +852 2584 4395, Email: joshua.cp.cheng@hktdc.org

Historical Cyber Industry Loss Estimates and Risk-Transfer Index for Events Worldwide

JERSEY CITY, N.J., Sep 11, 2018 - (ACN Newswire) - Property Claim Services(R) (PCS(R)), a Verisk (Nasdaq:VRSK) business, is excited to announce the enhancement of PCS Global Cyber(TM) with coverage for cyber catastrophe events. The inclusion of events with multiple insureds spanning both affirmative and silent cyber addresses industrywide insured losses of at least $250 million and is now available for existing PCS Global Cyber users.

From the inception of PCS Global Cyber in September 2017, the plan was always to add a cyber catastrophe component that addresses both affirmative and silent cyber. The service goes live with an industry loss for the 2017 Petya/NotPetya event and will add future events as they arise. This addition to PCS Global Cyber enables insurers, reinsurers, and other stakeholders in the global risk and capital supply chain to gain access to an unbiased view of broad cyber catastrophe events around the world. Additionally, they can use the index to facilitate reinsurance and alternative risk-transfer transactions, an area where the need for a loss aggregation service has been palpable.

According to Tom Johansmeyer, cohead of PCS, "There's no one correct approach to managing risk and capital in the face of a growing cyber threat. The latest iteration of PCS Global Cyber helps risk bearers address any silent exposure they may have lurking in their portfolios while also taking an active approach to the cyber business they purposely write. We believe that the prevalence of affirmative or silent cyber risk will fluctuate in the years to come as the market evolves and losses occur. So, rather than take a view that one approach will emerge, the PCS team has worked closely with the market to develop a loss index suite that will serve the market as cyber continues to evolve."

Johansmeyer continued, "The launch of cyber catastrophe loss estimates provides another mechanism for fueling industry growth through ILW [industry loss warranty] trading, especially when it comes to accessing capital markets capacity."

Aritra Chatterjee, chief underwriting officer for Envelop Risk, said, "The industry has so far struggled with converging to a standard cyber event definition, which is often difficult to achieve without an independent third party opining on what constitutes an event and the quantum of it. With PCS filling the gap, several possible structures can be offered in the reinsurance market. We're excited about this opportunity."

Rob Ashton, CEO of Radius Specialty Limited, noted, "Few, if any, other perils are being approached in the same way as nonaffirmative cyber-affording coverage for a known multidisciplinary peril that's growing in potential severity almost daily, yet with limited information available to underwriters that would allow them to price the risk, manage accumulations, and hedge their downside. As such, it's one of the most salient emerging threats to the global insurance market. As a capacity seller, we see buyers express interest in potential risk transfer solutions, but deal completion is slow and sporadic. However, as management, regulators, and rating agencies start to scrutinise these risks more closely and have a better understanding and more granular view of projected ultimate loss, including the nonaffirmative side from PCS, we expect this will change quite dramatically over the next 18 months."

David Flandro, global head of analytics, JLT Re, stated, "PCS have taken a pioneering step forward in their construction of a cyber catastrophe loss index. JLT Re are very excited to align with PCS in its journey to bring greater clarity regarding both affirmative and silent cyber claims. We are confident that this will represent an important milestone for the industry."

Expanding the specialty lines approach developed initially for PCS Global Marine and Energy(TM), PCS will be able to drive more specialty lines risk loss aggregation solutions to market faster, providing insurers and reinsurers with greater flexibility, a deeper understanding of loss events, and improved response when an incident occurs.

The global insurance and reinsurance industry's response to the launch of PCS Global Cyber has been quite strong. Developed with ongoing support from a wide range of sector stakeholders, the solution has already received considerable support.

PCS Global Cyber has estimates for 13 affirmative events, with 7 coming since the launch of the service a year ago. Additionally, it now includes an industry cyber catastrophe loss for Petya/NotPetya. The full historical database is complete and ready for use, as is the process for developing future estimates.

Beginning in 2017, PCS entered the global specialty lines space, launching PCS Global Marine and Energy, PCS Global Cyber, and PCS Global Terror(TM) (in the first quarter of 2018).

About Verisk
Verisk (Nasdaq:VRSK) is a leading data analytics provider serving customers in insurance, energy and specialized markets, and financial services. Using advanced technologies to collect and analyze billions of records, Verisk draws on unique data assets and deep domain expertise to provide first-to-market innovations that are integrated into customer workflows. Verisk offers predictive analytics and decision support solutions to customers in rating, underwriting, claims, catastrophe and weather risk, global risk analytics, natural resources intelligence, economic forecasting, and many other fields. Around the world, Verisk helps customers protect people, property, and financial assets.

Headquartered in Jersey City, N.J., Verisk operates in 30 countries and is a member of Standard & Poor's S&P 500(R) Index. In 2017, Forbes magazine named Verisk to its America's Best Mid-Size Employers list and to its World's Most Innovative Companies list. Verisk is one of only seven companies to appear on both lists. For more information, please visit www.verisk.com.

Contact:
Erin Bzymek
MWWPR (for Verisk)
201-507-9500
ebzymek@mww.com

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The issuer of this announcement warrants that they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and originality of the information contained therein.
Source: Verisk Analytics Inc. via Globenewswire

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