Retail News CRM

Tag: asia

  • AirAsia to start daily flights to Nha Trang, Vietnam on Sept 14

    AirAsia to start daily flights to Nha Trang, Vietnam on Sept 14

    Low-cost carrier AirAsia Bhd will begin offering daily, non-stop service between Nha Trang, Vietnam and Kuala Lumpur on Sept 14.

    In a statement today, AirAsia said the new service will mark the airline’s fourth route into Vietnam, after Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang and Hanoi.

    In conjunction with the new flight, it will offer promotional all-in fares from RM99 one-way for booking from July 4 to 9, for the travel period from Sept 14, 2017 to Aug 28, 2018.

    “This year is all about driving the Asean vision forward with the year-long Visit Asean@50 initiative. In line with this, we are happy to be expanding our network with our 54th unique route from Malaysia to cover yet another exciting destination within the region,” AirAsia head of commercial Spencer Lee said in the statement.

    “As the only airline flying directly into Nha Trang from Malaysia, this route introduction not only opens up air travel into the city, but it also gives access to the people from the Khánh Hòa Province to enjoy over 120 AirAsia destinations around Asia,” he added.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • Deputy PM encourages autos carrying Vietnamese brand name

    Deputy PM encourages autos carrying Vietnamese brand name

    Domestic automakers must manufacture autos under the Vietnamese brand name, Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung suggested.

    These autos must be of good quality, reasonably priced and have competitiveness in the region and the world, he added.

    Speaking with representatives of ministries and auto businesses at a conference on the automobile industry’s development in Ha Noi on Wednesday, the deputy PM said the Government was encouraging local, potential and prestigious businesses to co-operate with strategic partners in the world to study, manufacture and assemble autos with Vietnamese brand name.

    As for the support industry, Dung said it would not only meet the domestic market but also be competitive enough to take part in the global automobile manufacturing chain. For doing so, it must access and apply advanced technologies in the world.

    The industry will expand several automobile industrial complexes and centres by re-organising and re-arranging production; strengthening co-operation among automakers, assemblers and part suppliers, in addition to setting up vocational training centres, and conducting research and application to improve the investment efficiency and specialisation.

    To achieve the targets, Dung suggested that auto businesses and Vietnam Automobile Manufacturers’ Association must restructure the automobile industry to identify key products that would suit the country’s development trend, as well as the market demand.

    Each automaker should invest in advanced manufacturing technologies, raise the capacity of management and trade to cut costs, reduce production price, increase capacity, quality and the competitiveness of the products.

    The automakers, assemblers and part suppliers must take initiative, in co-operation with potential foreign partners, to expand manufacturing, as well as to develop the network of auto support industry that would meet international standards.

    The deputy PM requested the MoIT to co-ordinate with relevant sectors and ministries to supplement and complete the legal corridor, create an impartially-competitive environment for domestic automakers and importers, and meet the market principles to match with the country’s international commitments.

    It must define strategic partners in the automobile and support industries; encourage businesses to increase added value in auto manufacturing, especially of products carrying the country’s brand name; strengthen management and solve trade frauds in auto imports.

    The import tax on auto parts and components must also be adjusted.

    Dung has assigned the finance ministry to collaborate with relevant ministries to check and adjust import duties on auto parts and components, which would be in line with the Government’s orientation and international commitments.

    The ministries will study and propose preferential policies on taxes, fees and credit, ensuring the harmonisation of interests of people, the State and businesses. They need to strengthen the management of certificate of origin of complete built-up units, as per import types, which have surged in the recent time.

    The transport ministry will check and fulfil the regulations relevant to quality, safety and technologies, in addition to environment protection in manufacturing and assembling vehicles, reform administration procedures, simplify registration procedures for locally-assembled autos and create favourable conditions for businesses, ensuring high standards, while protecting the rights and interests of consumers.

    Meanwhile, the planning and investment ministry will work with other ministries to study and propose preferential policies to attract large-scale investment projects to Viet Nam, and encourage the development of products carrying Vietnamese brand names and other products suited to the customers’ preferences to increase export of autos to other countries of the ASEAN.

    Lees ook:

  • New Mobile Solution Boosts Millennial Performance at Work

    New Mobile Solution Boosts Millennial Performance at Work

    Manhattan Associates today announced the release of Performance at Work, a new solution for enhancing employee engagement, which results in productivity gains, lower attrition rates, and therefore greater customer satisfaction. The solution drives improved employee satisfaction by aligning individual employee activities with established organisational goals and metrics, providing employees and managers frequent feedback on their performance via their mobile devices.

    According to several Gallop Research polls, the majority of workers across the globe are simply not engaged at work. Gallop’s 2017 survey of American workers reveals that 70 percent of US employees are not engaged, whilst its global report from a few years prior indicates that 87 percent of workers in Southeast Asia are not engaged. And the challenge is even more acute with the rapidly growing millennial workforce. The research firm reports that millennials change jobs at three times the rate of other generations.

    Gallup’s most recent report reveals potential solutions to the millennial engagement challenge. Millennial workers require more frequent and consistent performance feedback. They also prefer to connect and interact with the world through their own mobile devices.

    The new Performance at Work solution enhances communications with a modern and connected workforce. It leverages the latest mobile technologies to provide millennial workers with the frequent performance feedback they require. The solution combines a challenge-based approach to learning with continual performance data on mobile devices. Performance at Work is designed to boost employee engagement and encourage the development of highly positive relationships between warehouse employees and their supervisors.

    “Productivity improvements often focus on high-performing execution applications, like warehouse and labour management, yet support for the human element of the equation has largely been overlooked,” said Peter Schnorbach, senior director, Product Strategy, Manhattan Associates. “Companies will have to shift this focus as more millennials, and their need for frequent feedback, enter the workforce. Performance at Work is designed to engage this modern, more connected worker through their preferred medium – the smartphone.”

    Manhattan today introduced the following Performance at Work solutions:

    • The new Employee Engagement mobile application delivers a weekly performance scorecard directly to employees’ smartphones. The software leverages gamification concepts to engage, motivate and incentivise success. It provides regular feedback on how each employee impacts company success and how their work ranks against that of their colleagues.
    • Manhattan recently embedded Labour Management (LM) functionality within the traditional Warehouse Management System (WMS) to deliver immediate labour reporting and improved visibility into employee productivity. By integrating the typically separate components of LM and WMS, Manhattan’s Performance at Work also reduces deployment time and drives immediate ROI.
  • Hong Kong female consumers spend over HK$4000 on skincare products

    Hong Kong female consumers spend over HK$4000 on skincare products

    “Beauty is bought by judgment of the eye” said Shakespeare, but every woman can use her beloved Cosmetic and Skin Care products to further enhance her look. With a plethora of trendy and fashionable female inhabitants, Hong Kong is a perfect base for international skincare and cosmetic brands. 96% of Hong Kong female consumers purchase skincare or cosmetic products, with the age group 35-44 spending over HK$5,000 in the past year. While Brand flagship stores still take up most of the sales, overseas purchase is also on the rise, according to Nielsen’s Cosmetic Consumer Panel.

    Frequent buyers are not necessarily the highest spenders
    As the survey reveals, 96% of Hong Kong female consumers have purchased skincare or cosmetic products with an average spending of HK$4,021 per year. Among which, penetration on skincare products (93%) is higher than that of cosmetic products (81%). Across all age groups, ladies aged 25-34 make the most trips to buy skincare or cosmetic products, averaging 11.0 trips per year, followed by those who aged 18-24 who make 10.7 trips per year. However, in terms of the amount spent on skincare and cosmetic products, female consumers aged 35-44 are the biggest spenders, approximating HK$5,000 in the past year, followed by those aged 25-34, who spent about HK$4,700in the past year. Results indicate that ladies aged 25-34 and 35-44 have the deepest wallets for skincare and cosmetic products.

    Overseas purchase on the Rise
    While brands always wonder if it is worthwhile to increase investment in operating their own shops given the high rent and operation cost in Hong Kong, the compelling results shows that, four in 10 dollars spent on skincare and cosmetic products are through brand shops. However, it is worth-noting that many female consumers are purchasing these products during travel overseas. This overseas purchasing accounts for more than 10% of their spending, so brands should watch out on price and assortment gap between Hong Kong and other countries. Brands struggling to grow their online business can look at shopping behaviors of specific age segments and target other groups in different methods. For example, while younger females (aged 18-24) are likely to use online more, more mature women (aged 45-55) prefer chain drug stores. Despite their preference on purchase channels, the top 18% of consumers account for approximately 40% of spending, indicating their high spending as compared to the rest of the buyers. Brands should target these highest spending groups.

    What are the highest spending categories?
    The most frequently purchased item is not necessarily the one where consumers dedicate most of their spending in. Among cosmetic product categories, lipstick is the most purchased item, yet perfume is the category where consumers spent the most. For skincare products, moisturizer is the most frequently purchased item while face mask is the highest spending category. Take functional serum for example: while it is not in the top five in terms of penetration, but due to high price and higher than average purchase frequency, it comes in as the second largest category in skin care products in terms of spending.

    Who should brands target?
    When comparing the total spending on cosmetic and skincare products, more than half the spending is on skincare products (57%). Among all age groups, ladies in the mid to mature age groups (35-44 & 45-55) spend more money on skincare products whereas younger groups (aged 18-34) generally spend more on cosmetics than skincare products. It is therefore critical for brands to identify and reach the right target customers to maximize brand growth.

    “While female consumers from all age groups use both cosmetic and skincare products, purchase frequency and total spending increases with age. We are seeing that consumers aged 35 to 44 are generally the biggest spenders. At the same time, different age groups vary in their preferences of purchase channel. So, it’s really important for brands to tailor their marketing strategies and sales channels to focus on the most relevant age groups,” said Michael Lee, Vice President, FMCG and Retail verticals, Nielsen Hong Kong.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • Alibaba denies links to luxury e-tailer Yoox Net-A-Porter

    Alibaba denies links to luxury e-tailer Yoox Net-A-Porter

    the Chinese conglomerate, led by founder and chairman Jack Ma, had contacted Yoox Net-a-Porter over possible capital cooperation or even a takeover, adding it had not ruled out buying shares. This news was quickly denied by sources in the company, who stated this was “not true”.

    The suggested tie-up between Alibaba and YNAP comes just days after a mega deal that saw JD.com spend a whopping US$397 million on luxury fashion e-commerce site Farfetch.

    Dubbed by some the Amazon of fashion, YNAP saw its shares jumped 9.24 per cent on Monday and Tuesday on the back of the Alibaba rumour – its biggest two-day rise since last September.

    The rally was just in time to mitigate investor concerns over mounting short interest in the stock, as the luxury e-commerce market became increasingly crowded.

    “Alibaba should still be looking into cultivating its luxury e-commerce businesses at home,”said Tang Xiaotang, founder of luxury retail consultancy Nofashion. “The market is overwhelmed by noise right now.”

    YNAP is the result of a merger between Yoox and Net-A-Porter, two of the biggest Western online luxury fashion retailers, boasting of a client base of more than 2.9 million high-splenders.

    It booked a 16 per cent increase in adjusted net profit of €69 million (US$77.6 million) last year, with a market capitalisation of 3.48 billion euros.

    Online luxury sales are predicted by Bain & Co to be the fastest-growing channel for retailing of premium goods, and top luxury fashion houses such as Prada and Burberry have been scrambling to ramp up their own online offerings.

    The most notable of all is 24 Sevres, a multi-brand online retailer launched in June by LVMH, the world’s largest luxury conglomerate that owns Louis Vuitton and Dior.

    Competition has also heated up with an influx of new market share grabbers including Shopbob and Zalando, both of which are gaining popularity for their designer fashion clothing offerings.

    However, analysts believed Alibaba could still be eyeing overseas deals in an attempt to build up a global logistics network, following the move to set up an e-hub in Kuala Lumpur as well as the buyout of Southeast Asian e-commerce operator Lazada, last year.

    “After all, Alibaba still has a ‘go global’ agenda, which can be pursued through M&As”said Ray Zhao, an analyst with Guotai Junan Securities.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • Watson group planning new shops

    Watson group planning new shops

    The A.S. Watson Group plans to open 1,400 new outlets globally this year – 60 shops will be in Hong Kong – but it will not expand the electricity group Fortress, says chief operating officer Malina Ngai Man-lin.

    The group doesn’t have a plan for an initial public offering for the moment, Lai added.

    Watson plans to invest HK$500 million in the next three years to improve its technology platform as well as enhance big data analysis.

    Managing director Dominic Lai Kai-ming said MoneyBack, a member reward program under the Watson Group, has been rebranded with a new mobile app, which allows member to manage their accounts more conveniently.

    The scheme has rewarded points with a value equivalent to HK$800 million to their members since the establishment in 2007.

    Meanwhile, Hong Kong retail sales growth turned positive in May, up 1.8 percent year-on-year, said a Mastercard report.

    The increase in grocery sales and the health and beauty sector were the strongest. Groceries were up 2.3 percent and health 5 percent, driven mainly by domestic consumption.

    Jewelry sales fell 44 percent in May, which was below the 2013 level. “Discretionary sectors historically driven by tourist spending continue to be a drag, despite stabilization and some recovery in visitor arrivals in recent months,” the group said.

    Lees ook:

  • Huawei Marine secures SAIL subsea cable contract

    Huawei Marine secures SAIL subsea cable contract

    For a segment of the market that doesn’t yet actually exist, the South Atlantic subsea cable business seems to be quite popular. Yesterday Huawei Marine inked a deal with China Unicom and Camtel to build the South Atlantic Inter Link, or SAIL, which will be a cable between Africa and South America.

    SAIL will connect the popular landing city of Fortaleza, Brazil with Cameroon, spanning some 6,000km. The plans call for four fiber pairs with an initial design capacity of 32Tbps.

    Camtel and Cameroon are aiming to make the country an infrastructure hub for Africa, and have Chinese backing to help make it happen.

    Readers may recall that a few months back, construction of SACS got underway in a rival project that will connect Fortaleza to Angola. That project has the Japanese giant NEC doing the heavy lifting for Angola Cables, and is expected to bring 40Tbps to bear.

    Both projects are aimed at being complete next year sometime. If both come to fruition on schedule, that route will go from zero to 72Tbps in a matter of months, although I rather doubt the traffic itself will spike so quickly.

    Lees ook:

  • Audi to use Valeo’s stop-start technology in sports coupe

    Audi to use Valeo’s stop-start technology in sports coupe

    Luxury carmaker Audi will introduce Valeo’s micro-hybrid “stop-and-start” systems in its RS5 sports coupe, sources told Reuters, in a sign that the Paris-based supplier may be tapping new premium demand for the fuel-saving technology.

    The contract with Volkswagen’s (VOWG_p.DE) upscale Audi division underlines increased spending by automakers on technology designed to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, in response to tightening standards and testing regimes.

    Volkswagen and Valeo both declined to comment.

    Unlike a typical alternator, which converts engine torque to electricity to power a vehicle’s circuitry and charge its battery, the starter-alternator can also re-start the engine in a fraction of a second.

    The Valeo system delivers fuel savings of up to 15 percent by automatically shutting down the engine whenever a car is halted by a red light or traffic, with an in-step reduction of CO2 and pollution emissions in congested cities.

    First introduced in 2004, the so-called “i-StARS” technology is a flagship product of Valeo’s 4 billion euro ($4.6 billion)propulsion systems division, with 3 million units sold.

    But launch customer PSA Group (PEUP.PA) and other volume manufacturers have since dropped it from new models in favor of beefed-up starter motors, a cheaper though less efficient stop-and-start solution.

    The i-StARS system is beginning to find new markets, however, Valeo boss Jacques Aschenbroich told Reuters. “Demand for it is continuing to grow significantly,” the CEO said, predicting double-digit percentage sales rise.

    With the mild-hybrid RS5, which went on sale this month in Germany and in France next week, Audi becomes the first German premium brand to use the technology on its current vehicle lineup.

    Lees ook:

  • Nokia to expand its presence in China

    Nokia to expand its presence in China

    Nokia has announced plans to establish a dedicated unit to help major Chinese internet companies expand overseas.

    The new unit will focus on areas including data centers, cloud computing, IP routing, transport and services, as well as emerging technologies such as AI, machine learning and edge cloud.

    Nokia is taking the initiative as part of its efforts to expand its business beyond its core telecoms operator market, and to further augment its Chinese presence following the launch of the Nokia Shanghai Bell joint venture in China (formerly Alcatel-Lucent Shanghai Bell).

    Nokia separately announced it has completed the acquisition of telecoms software company Comptel. The acquisition was first announced in February and had a price tag of around €347 million ($396.8 million).

    The acquisition bolsters Nokia’s software portfolio by adding capabilities designed to help digital service providers bring new services to master faster and improve operational efficiency.

    Comptel’s suite of software will be added to Nokia’s OSS and BSS, analytics, security and cloud technology to provide a comprehensive suite of telecoms software designed to allow customers to deliver better digital experiences and operations in a cloud environment.

  • Cebu Pacific to launch Manila-Dumaguete night flights

    Cebu Pacific to launch Manila-Dumaguete night flights

    The Gokongwei-led airline said in a statement that it will add three round-trip flights weekly between Manila and Dumaguete, utilizing its 180-seater Airbus 320 aircraft. With the additional service, the budget carrier said the last flight will be leaving Manila at 5:20 p.m. and arriving in Dumaguete at 6:50 p.m. while return flight will be at 8:00 p.m. “Increasing the number of airports with night-flying capability would help promote tourism and improve connectivity within the country,” Cebu Pacific Vice-President for Corporate Affairs Paterno S. Mantaring, Jr. said. Increasing the number of airports with night operations will also allow the budget airline, along with other carriers, “leeway to spread flight times,” which in turn will improve aircraft movement and traffic at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in the capital during the peak hours, he added.

    Cebu Pacific flies 21 times weekly between Manila and Dumaguete; and 14 times a week between Cebu and Dumaguete, through its wholly owned subsidiary Cebgo. Prior to Dumaguete, the airline announced night flights to and from Caticlan, the gateway to Boracay. It also operates night flights to and from the Roxas City Airport in Capiz, the Laguindingan Airport in Misamis Oriental, and the Legazpi International Airport in Albay, on top of trunk routes in Cebu and Davao. Cebu Pacific flies to 37 domestic and 26 international destinations, with over 104 routes spanning Asia, Australia, the Middle East, and USA. The airline operates flights out of six hubs in the Philippines: Clark, Davao, Kalibo, Cebu, Iloilo and Manila. Cebu Air, Inc.’s net income plunged 68% to P1.28 billion in the first quarter.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • Winners Announced At The 10th Seatrade Maritime Awards Asia

    Winners Announced At The 10th Seatrade Maritime Awards Asia

    Honouring and recognising outstanding companies and individuals in the maritime industry, winners of the 10th Seatrade Maritime Awards Asia were announced on 23 June 2017 at the InterContinental Hong Kong.

    With close to 400 top maritime executives in attendance, Seatrade Maritime Awards Asia, celebrating its 10th anniversary this year is widely acknowledged as one of the region’s most prestigious industry awards. Held annually to commemorate inspiring industry peers on their extraordinary efforts and contributions towards the maritime industry, a total of 15 awards were presented this year.

    Winners for the 12 competitive categories were chosen by an independent panel of senior industry figures whilst recipients for the other three special awards namely the Seatrade Young Person of the Year Award, the Seatrade Personality of the Year Award and the Seatrade Lifetime Achievement Award, were decided by the Seatrade Senior Editorial Board.

    Randy Chen, vice chairman, Wan Hai Lines, was awarded the Seatrade Personality of the Year and Edward Buttery, CEO, Taylor Maritime (HK) Ltd, was presented with the Seatrade Young Person of the Year. The last award of the night, Seatrade Lifetime Achievement of the Year was presented to His Excellency Ambassador Carlos C. Salinas, chairman, Philippine Transmarine Carriers, Inc. The award recognised the highly important role Ambassador Salinas has played in the development of the Philippines as the world’s leading supplier of seafarers to international shipping.

    The Technical Innovation and Deal of the Year Awards were the two most hotly contested categories. ICBC Financial Leasing Co. Ltd emerged as the winner for the Deal of the Year Award, having won the same for two running years in 2014 and 2015. Their significant groundbreaking deal outshone the rest of the finalists. The Technical Innovation award was presented to Mampaey Offshore Industries who has impressed the judges with its innovative auto docking solution that improved safety in this most difficult of maritime operations.

    “Success of the Seatrade Maritime Awards Asia over the past 10 years would not have been possible without the unwavering support from our participants, sponsors, judges and supporting partners, of which we are deeply grateful and humbled. Seatrade Maritime Awards Asia 2018 will return to Singapore to be held in conjunction with the Singapore Maritime Week 2018 and we look forward to seeing you there,” Chris Hayman, chairman, Seatrade commented.

    Lees ook:

  • Vinatex invests in technology to expand market share

    Vinatex invests in technology to expand market share

    The Vietnam National Textile and Garment Group (Vinatex) must innovate its technologies as soon as possible in order to increase its market share, said Le Tien Truong, the group’s General Director, at its share-holders’ meeting held in Hanoi on June 29.

    Vinatex will focus resources on investing in technology during the 2017-2020 period

    Therefore, during the 2017-2020 period, Vinatex will focus resources on investing in technology, Truong affirmed.

    According to him, the world economy is likely to grow by 2-3 percent this year, while the world demand for garment and textiles may recover slightly, at about 0.5 percent.

    In addition, the US may adjust up import taxes on commodities from China, including garment and textiles, which can be a positive sign for Vietnam’s garment and textile export by expanding its market share in the US.

    However, the Vietnamese garment sector is facing fierce competition in attracting orders as domestic businesses are unable to provide package services and face difficulties in meeting importers’ shipping requirements.

    The country’s major competitors such as China, India, Bangladesh, and Indonesia continue attracting a lot of orders thanks to their preferential policies on tax and exchange rate, while the European Union-Vietnam free trade agreement (EVFTA) and Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), which are hoped to help with Vietnam’s exports, have yet to become effective in 2017.

    Other problems for the sector include rising input costs and falling selling prices, plus the lack of high-quality human resources who can operate modern machines, especially in weaving and dyeing phases.

    Therefore, the Vinatex will exert efforts to increase management capacity and administration in a modern and professional manner, while continuing to expand markets in East Europe, and optimise advantages offered by valid FTAs.

    In 2016, Vietnam’s apparel industry saw lower than expected results, with 28.3 billion USD in exports, up 5.7 percent year on year. Vinatex earned over 2.5 billion USD, an increase of 5 percent over 2015, with a pre-tax profit of over 41 trillion VND on a 5 percent year on year increase.

    In 2017, Vietnam’s textile-garment sector aims for a growth rate of 7-8 percent, and 30 billion USD in export earnings.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • AWS to open Hong Kong infrastructure region next year

    AWS to open Hong Kong infrastructure region next year

    Amazon Web Services (AWS) is planning to open an infrastructure region in Hong Kong in 2018, making the city the eighth AWS Region in Asia Pacific.

    AWS’ launch of the Hong Kong infrastructure region will allow Hong Kong customers to store their data locally, and to build flexible, scalable, secure, and highly available applications.

    It will also enable Hong Kong customers to enjoy fast, low-latency access to websites, mobile applications, games, SaaS applications, big data analysis, Internet of Things (IoT) applications, and more.

    At launch, the new AWS Region will comprise three Availability Zones, said Alex Yung (pictured), corporate vice president and managing director of AWS Greater China, at the first AWS Summit hosted in Hong Kong today.

    According to an AWS spokesperson, Availability Zones (aka AZs) are isolated locations and are what each Region is made up of. AWS has three locations in Hong Kong for its AZs.

    “AZs allow customers to build highly available applications. They are distinct locations that are engineered to be insulated from failures in other AZs and provide inexpensive, low latency network connectivity to other AZs in the same region,” said the AWS spokesperson.

    “AZs are made up of one, and sometimes more, datacenters. AZs are also designed in such a way that if one AZ were to fall off the face of the earth for some reason, the other AZs would continue to function normally. This means customers can build their applications across multiple AZs so they are designed to handle failure and continue to operate uninterrupted.”

    Including Hong Kong, there will be eight AWS Regions in the Asia Pacific: Singapore, Tokyo, Sydney, Beijing, Seoul, and Mumbai, and an additional Region in China (Ningxia) which is expected to launch in the coming months. Together, these Regions will provide AWS customers with a total of 19 Availability Zones, and allow them to architect highly fault tolerant applications. (Click here to view AWS’ global infrastructure.)

    In 2008, two years after AWS made its global launch, the cloud company opened a CloudFront Point of Presence (PoP) in Hong Kong to enable customers to serve content to end users with low latency. Since then, AWS has added two more PoPs in Hong Kong, the latest going live in 2016.

    In 2013, AWS opened an office in Hong Kong which is staffed by a wide range of functions including sales, support, technology evangelists, and marketing.

    “Hong Kong has a dynamic and vibrant business environment and is making progress toward becoming a digital city. An AWS Region here will enable our customers — from start-ups to large enterprises, and from financial institutions to government organizations — to enjoy cost and agility advantages across their entire IT operations, in compliance with local data regulations,” Yung said.

    Nicholas Yang, secretary for Innovation and Technology, Hong Kong government, welcomed AWS’s plan to open an infrastructure region in Hong Kong in 2018,” AWS’s global infrastructure coming to Hong Kong reaffirms Hong Kong’s status as the prime location for setting up data center facilities in the region and also a recognition of Hong Kong’s edge and strengths as an Asia hub for doing business and a regional data hub.”

    “The new AWS Region in Hong Kong will further accelerate cloud computing adoption and cloud-based system development in Hong Kong, facilitating the digital transformation of businesses in this city. Hong Kong is well-positioned to become a premier global data hub in the region. We will continue to promote our competitive advantages and encourage prospective operators to establish a presence in Hong Kong,” Yang added.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • Amazon Prime Day will include China and India on July 11th

    Amazon Prime Day will include China and India on July 11th

    Amazon’s Black Friday-like event for the summer will be back for the third time. On July 11th, the e-commerce giant will hold the third annual “Prime Day,” and this time, more people will be able to take advantage of all the deals on offer.

    To start with, the event will last for 30 hours instead of the usual 24 and will begin at 9PM Eastern on July 10th. In addition, Amazon is launching the event for the first time in China, India and Mexico, which only recently joined the list of countries where the company’s Prime service is available. Customers in the US, UK, Spain, Japan, Italy, Germany, France, Canada, Belgium and Austria will be able to participate as always.

    While the event itself won’t begin until the evening of July 10th, Amazon will reveal exclusive promos for Prime members every day until then. It is possible to access the first batch of promotions starting today, which include access to Amazon Music Unlimited for 99 cents, 40 percent off Kindle Unlimited membership and 40 percent off Audible for your first six months on the audiobooks service. Alexa-exclusive deals are also to be checked out when having an Echo or a Tap speaker, a Fire TV or a Fire table, since they typically include bigger discounts than what you’ll find on the website.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • Nornickel bets on battery materials as electric car sales rise

    Nornickel bets on battery materials as electric car sales rise

    Russian miner Norilsk Nickel wants to expand in the market for materials used to make batteries for the fast-growing electric vehicle (EV) sector, its head of marketing and sales told Reuters.

    Nornickel, the world’s second-largest nickel producer and a major cobalt producer, and German chemicals company BASF said on Tuesday they were in talks to supply nickel and cobalt, needed to make lithium-ion batteries, in Europe, as the car industry’s push into electric vehicles gathers pace.

    For Nornickel, this is just the start.

    “We are discussing…transactions with several manufacturers in the industry,” Nornickel’s Markus Meurer said in an interview with Reuters.

    Nornickel and BASF’s talks cover cooperation to set the foundation to supply battery cell producers for electric vehicles in Europe with regionally produced cathode materials, they said on Tuesday.

    Meurer said the project with BASF would be developed over the next few months and that it was too early to say how much metal and in which form it would be supplied.

    “Timing will depend a lot on market development and on technology….The important question is how to enable the ramp-up of production of battery raw materials in parallel with increasing demand,” Meurer said.

    The number of electric vehicles on roads worldwide rose to a record high of 2 million last year, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said this month, as governments clamp down on fossil fuels such as gasoline and diesel.

    UBS recently raised its forecasts for global sales of electric vehicles in 2021 to 3.1 million from 2.5 million and to 14.2 million by 2025 from 9.7 million. It expects electric vehicles to account for 3.1 percent of global car sales in 2021 and 13.7 percent in 2025, against 1 percent this year.

    Last year, nickel demand for electric vehicle batteries rose 20 percent to 15,000 tonnes, according to Nornickel.

    Meurer said he expected demand for nickel from the electric vehicle market to rise to 300,000 tonnes in 10 years from 20,000 tonnes in 2017, making it the second-largest segment for nickel demand after stainless steel.

    Global demand for cobalt, a by-product of nickel and copper, last year was about 100,000 tonnes, of which roughly half was used in batteries to power electric cars. Nornickel produces about 5,000 tonnes of cobalt a year.

    Prices for cobalt metal have nearly tripled to nine-year peaks above $27 a lb from below $10 a lb in Dec 2015.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook: