Santos Brasil brings benefits from booming ports Brazil-wide

Posted on 10/30/201410/01/2014 by Charlotte Gill

This year’s improving economic prospects have brought a growing tide of international trade to the world’s markets – particularly emerging ones such as Brazil – and significantly boosted logistics and shipping after years of post-crisis drag. That’s why Santos Brasil, a key provider of port and logistics services, has set its sights on developing innovative ways to increase overall productivity throughout the country.

With the global recovery in trade flows, exports and imports have improved worldwide, and WTO forecasts have optimistically suggested a 4.7 percent increase for 2014. Increased globalisation and the surge in international trade have prompted maritime transport companies to invest heavily in technology and innovation in order to accommodate growing demand. Major shipping companies are building bigger ships, such as Maersk’s Triple E model which, with its 400-metre length and ability to handle 18,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU), is the largest in the world.

With the rapid increase in container ship size, container terminals around the world had to adapt – Antonio Carlos Sepúlveda, CEO of Santos Brasil

This has put pressure on port and logistics providers such as Santos Brasil to accommodate the new specifications in the maritime industry. As the operator of the largest container terminal in South America, Tecon Santos, the firm has invested roughly $880m in improving its operations. The container terminal, located on the left bank of the Port of Santos, covers 600,000m² and has the capacity to handle two million TEU per year.

“With the rapid increase in container ship size, terminals around the world had to adapt,” says Antonio Carlos Sepúlveda, CEO of Santos Brasil. “We have invested a lot in equipment and infrastructure, but our continuous improvement in operational efficiency is coming from the strategic decision of also investing in innovation and state of the art technology for all facilities we run.”

Investing in the future
The first major investment was in container handling equipment, which included the purchase of super-post-Panamax quay cranes with large throughput capacity, as well as a large investment in the local workforce, who needed extensive training to operate the new machinery. To optimise and streamline the operations in the courtyard, the company has upgraded its management systems, which define the best routes within the terminal. This has the added benefit of reducing CO² emissions. The firm has also provided sophisticated RTG cranes, which move and weigh each container, in accordance with Brazilian customs.

In addition, Santos Brasil recently automated Tecon Santos’ 10 gates, expediting the entry of approximately 3,000 trucks per day into the site. A key focus has been improving productivity, measured in moves per hour (MPH). Currently, Tecon Santos holds the record for the highest monthly average in Brazil at 95.02 MPH: more than a container and a half per minute. In January 2012, the terminal hit the incredible mark of 155.5 MPH on a single ship.

Logistics solutions
As part of an expansion into new sectors, the company also offers a “Port to Door” service, providing complete logistics solutions that take cargo from the client and carry it directly to its desired destination, with competitive pricing and efficiency. To achieve this, two bonded warehouses are located at the Port of Santos, as well as two distribution centres in the state of São Paulo (the most industrialised region of the country). The service makes the company responsible for all phases of a logistics operation, from receiving the cargo at the terminal to the storing and distributing of the goods, until they reach the hands of the end customer.

“Importers and exporters hire many logistics providers to transport their cargo, and pay dearly for it,” says Sepúlveda. “We decided to look after this market and shifted our marketing strategy. We went from being just an operator of containers to a company that provides port services and logistic services as well.”

Sepúlveda would not divulge further details about expansion plans, but said the development of ports, in the long run, will be a key factor to progressively boosting international trade, as well as the Brazilian and global economies

In bed with Big Brother: Apple and IBM form strategic alliance

Posted on 10/27/201403/08/2018 by Charlotte Gill

When two companies decide to come together as part of a strategic alliance, they usually trumpet the deal as the exciting start to a happy union. However, such alliances can often be the result of two desperate companies being flung together in a last ditch effort to compete with their respective rivals.

Forming a partnership that benefits both parties is often seen as a cost-effective way of expanding a business into new areas without creating too much of a financial burden by building a new division of a company. However, while sharing expertise across two companies can obviously have its benefits, it also comes with a large number of problems that can cause difficulties for both businesses.

The news that two of the world’s leading technology companies – Apple and IBM – would be entering into an exclusive strategic partnership caused shock among many within the industry. The deal, which will see the firms collaborate on developing a leading role in the enterprise software arena, raised eyebrows among those who remember the less than respectful relationship the two have had in the past.

Difficult history
Apple and IBM’s history goes back a long way, and has not exactly been peaceful. Fraught with tension, Apple’s relationship with IBM in the early days of the 1980s was often that of a brash young upstart doing battle with the established, more corporate rival. Such was the competition between the two companies that Apple founder Steve Jobs was photographed making a somewhat uncomplimentary gesture outside IBM’s offices, while his firm ran an advert during the 1984 Super Bowl that showed IBM as ‘Big Brother’ in an Orwellian future: the message was that Apple was the fresh and friendly alternative. Jobs was even more explicit in a keynote speech: “It is now 1984. It appears IBM wants it all. Apple is perceived to be the only hope to offer IBM a run for its money. Dealers initially welcoming IBM with open arms now fear an IBM-dominated and controlled future. They are increasingly turning back to Apple as the only force that can ensure their future freedom. IBM wants it all and is aiming its guns on its last obstacle to industry control: Apple. Will Big Blue dominate the entire computer industry? The entire information age? Was George Orwell right about 1984?”

The partners in an alliance are seen as a bunch of losers clinging to each other with the hope that there’s safety in numbers

The two companies took very different approaches to the computer market, with Apple’s closed-off system standing in stark contrast to the more open platform IBM offered. While Microsoft ultimately succeeded in overtaking both to become the dominant personal computer platform, Apple’s ‘walled-garden’ approach saw it fall far behind IBM.

IBM’s move towards enterprise computing and Apple’s focus on consumer products has meant the two operate in very different spheres nowadays. They have, however, tried to partner up before – most notably in the early 1990s when they formed the AIM Alliance with Motorola. All three firms were struggling against the dominance of Microsoft, and the alliance was created to develop leading processors and software for both the consumer and enterprise markets. Unfortunately, most of their attempts to crack these markets had failed by the end of the decade, and the AIM Alliance fell apart.

Hands in each other’s pockets
Apple has struggled to break into the corporate market, with most offices around the world preferring to use Microsoft’s Windows platform over Apple’s OS X. In the personal computing market, Microsoft reportedly outsells Apple at a rate of 19 to one. In the mobile market, Apple iOS platforms had to play catch up with RIM’s BlackBerry smartphone, which was favoured by corporate clients. While BlackBerry’s market share has dropped at an alarming rate in recent years, many big companies still hold strong reservations about putting Apple’s services at the centre of their IT operations. Long held as a consumer- and media-focused company, Apple’s business services have been seen as lacking in comparison to those offered by its rivals.

The exclusive nature of the Apple-IBM deal gives the former a huge opportunity to tap into the latter’s large number of corporate customers and get them to switch to its iOS platform. Apple plans to launch a “new class” of more than 100 enterprise solutions as part of the deal, many of which may come in the form of native iOS applications. Another feature will be optimised IBM cloud services tailored specifically for iOS, which will allow IT departments to manage devices, security and analytics in a more efficient manner. Apple will also offer an exclusive form of its AppleCare insurance product to IBM customers.

Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, said in a statement accompanying the deal that it represented a “radical step for enterprise”. He added: “iPhone and iPad are the best mobile devices in the world and have transformed the way people work, with over 98 percent of the Fortune 500 and over 92 percent of the Global 500 using iOS devices in their business today.” In particular, Apple wants to harness IBM’s strong analytics business for the benefit of corporate clients. Expressing an admiration for IBM Jobs would scarce have countenanced, Cook said: “For the first time ever we’re putting IBM’s renowned big data analytics at iOS users’ fingertips, which opens up a large market opportunity for Apple. This is a radical step for enterprise and something that only Apple and IBM can deliver.”

The man at the top of IBM was also keen to trumpet the significance of the deal. Ginni Rometty, Big Blue’s Chairman, President and CEO, added in the same statement that the deal will transform the way people work: “Mobility – combined with the phenomena of data and cloud – is transforming business and our industry in historic ways, allowing people to re-imagine work, industries and professions.

“This alliance with Apple will build on our momentum in bringing these innovations to our clients globally, and leverages IBM’s leadership in analytics, cloud, software and services. We are delighted to be teaming with Apple, whose innovations have transformed our lives in ways we take for granted, but can’t imagine living without. Our alliance will bring the same kind of transformation to the way people work, industries operate and companies perform.”

Mutual benefits
Some in the industry sounded a note of caution over the deal. Jean-Louis Gassée was an executive at Apple during its early years in the 1980s, and knows a considerable amount about the two firms’ previously factitious relationship. He wrote: “Alliances generally don’t work because there’s no one really in charge, no one has the power to mete out reward and punishment, to say no, to change course. Often, the partners in an alliance are seen as a bunch of losers clinging to each other with the hope that there’s safety in numbers. It’s a crude but, unfortunately, not inaccurate caricature.”

Starbucks placed its coffee outlets inside bookstores, offering shoppers the chance to sit back and read while enjoying an overly milky coffee

However, Gassée believes the Apple and IBM deal will be different: “Another, more immediate, effect, across a wide range of enterprises, will be the corporate permission to use Apple devices. Recall the age-old mantra You Don’t Get Fired For Buying IBM, which later became DEC, then Microsoft, then Sun… and now Apple. Valley gossip has it that IBM issued an edict stating that Macs were to be supported internally within 30 days. Apparently, at some exec meetings, it’s MacBooks all around the conference room table – except for the lonely Excel jockey who needs to pivot tables.”

For all the failed strategic alliances, there have been a number that have worked and helped bolster the businesses of both partners. There are also a few firms that have successfully employed strategic alliances throughout their history to enhance their brands and widen their reach.

Starbucks, the seemingly ubiquitous global purveyor of weak coffee, saw a dramatic transformation in the early 1990s after two decades as a struggling chain restricted to the West Coast of the US. In 1993, it formed a partnership with book retailer Barnes & Noble, placing its coffee outlets inside the bookstores, and offering shoppers the chance to sit back and read while enjoying an overly milky coffee. The success of the partnership led to people spending an increased time in Barnes & Noble, browsing for longer, and buying books they’d had a chance to sit down and try while drinking their coffee. It also gave Starbucks an image boost, by associating the brand with a more sophisticated clientele. Starbucks has since copied the model with many other big chain stores, including PC World in the UK. In 1996, it joined forces with PepsiCo to bottle and sell a Starbucks-branded coffee drink (the Frappuccino) in shops and supermarkets. It has also struck deals with airlines, retail stores and restaurant chains, including United Airlines, Kraft Foods and McDonald’s.

One of the longest standing partnerships between companies operating in different industries is the one between Disney and Hewlett-Packard. The firms have worked together since 1938, when Disney acquired equipment to help create the sound design for its film Fantasia. The two have worked together ever since, with HP currently supplying much of Disney’s IT network.

Even Apple has had a number of strategic alliances – with varying degrees of success. It has offered exclusive deals to telecoms giant AT&T for its iPhone (something that probably favoured that company more than Apple in the end) and entered a partnership with leading e-discovery firm Clearwell Systems in 2010 to bring better analytical services to businesses and law firms through the iPad.

Failed friendships
However, there are plenty of examples of alliances that have failed. In late 2009, German auto giant Volkswagen (VW) announced it was acquiring a substantial stake in Japanese manufacturer Suzuki Motor Corporation. The deal saw VW take 19.9 percent of Suzuki for €1.7bn and sign an agreement to share technologies and global distribution networks. It seemed as though it would help both firms break into each other’s markets, with VW dominant in Europe but struggling to crack Asia. Part of the deal saw VW allow Suzuki to have use of much of its electric and hybrid vehicle technologies, while the Japanese firm offered its German partner its own technologies, as well as access to its lucrative hold of the Indian market.

Sadly, the partnership quickly unravelled in a storm of disagreements and cultural differences. By October 2011, Suzuki claimed VW had breached its contract, particularly in failing to hand over the hybrid technology. A month later, the two companies terminated their agreement to work together, and Suzuki demanded VW return its near 20 percent stake: something the German firm refused to do. The dispute eventually went to an international arbitration court and continues to rumble on. This summer, the London-based court announced it had finished taking witness hearings and will likely make a decision on the case by the end of the year.

US tech giant Cisco Systems has consistently failed in efforts to forge partnerships with other firms. It has attempted in the past to work with both Motorola and Ericsson in an effort to enhance its operations. However, after Google acquired Motorola, the company ceased being a partner of Cisco and became a competitor. Similarly, Cisco’s 2004 alliance with Ericsson to modernise the wireline communications market collapsed after Ericsson made a number of acquisitions that made it a direct competitor with its strategic partner.

As Gassée wrote: “There was a time when strategic alliances were all the rage. In 1993, my friend Denise Caruso published the aptly titled ‘Alliance Fever’, a 14-page litany of more than 500 embraces. The list started at 3DO and ending with Zenith Electronics, neither of which still stands: 3DO went bankrupt in 2003, Zenith was absorbed by LG Electronics. These aren’t isolated bad endings.”

Whether Apple and IBM’s deal will go the same way is unknown. Certainly Apple needs to do something to challenge the dominance of Microsoft in the corporate market, as well as persuading IT departments it has the strength of service and security that has so far deterred them from fully signing up to the Mac ecosystem. Likewise, IBM will hope that partnering with Apple will allow some of its former rival’s success to rub off, while also giving it access to Apple’s lucrative consumer market.

In order for it to be a success, there need to be clearly defined boundaries as to what the two firms are offering, as well as trust and full disclosure about the enterprise markets they are pursuing. Cook has maintained this will not be a problem, telling CNBC: “It’s landmark. It takes the best of Apple and the best of IBM and puts those together. There’s no overlap, there’s no competition. They’re totally complementary.”

Clamour loudens for US crude oil export ban to be lifted

Posted on 10/24/201405/15/2017 by Charlotte Gill

Oil pump in Taft, California — A pump extracts crude oil in Taft, California. Calls to end a 40 year ban on crude oil exports are getting louder but there are still environmental concerns to be considered

When, in June, the US Commerce Department gave the go-ahead for Pioneer Resources and Enterprise Products Partners to flog an ultra-light form of crude oil to international buyers, the market celebrated the end of a 40-year-long ban on unrefined exports. Within hours of the announcement, reports circulated about the beginning of the end for the 1975 Energy Policy and Conservation Act and industry names took to speculating about what benefits the revised stance might bring for the economy.

Analysts, however, calmly informed over-excited parties that the policy signalled nothing of the sort, and equated instead to a minor change in commodity classification. “There’s really a lot of confusion about what this means,” said Thomas Pugh, a Commodities Economist at Capital Economics. “What they’re doing is clarifying what they mean by ‘refined’.” And while the development cleared the way for an additional 20,000 barrels a day, the ramifications were noticeable only to those in the industry.

That being said, the development does bring to mind the underlying reasons for the ban’s instatement and whether the founding principles still hold true in the much-changed energy market.

“The time has come to end the long debate over national energy policy in the United States and to put ourselves solidly on the road to energy independence,” said Gerald Ford at the time of signing the policy on December 22, 1975. However, 40 years on, although recent changes to the US hydrocarbons business have boosted the country’s standing in the global energy market, this is in no way attributable to the export ban.

Producers are left with little option but to either bury what they’ve produced or offer fuels at artificially depressed prices

The ban was introduced after the Arab oil embargo of 1973 triggered a spike in global oil prices, and led policymakers to create a means of insulating the US from an often-volatile crude market. The end goal of the ban was to ensure the country harboured sufficient reserves to limit its exposure to sudden and unseen market changes. The reasons for the policy’s instatement make sense, but critics have labelled the ban contrary to the logic of a free market economy and an unnecessary obstacle for domestic producers.

The ban has actually resulted in progressively steeper declines in crude exports since its 1975 introduction. Whereas, in 1980, limited crude oil exports peaked at 104 million barrels, the number, as of last year, has plummeted to 43.8 million, leaving the country with vast stockpiles of crude stored in selected reserve sites.

Distorted market
The benefits of the ban make less sense when considered alongside an industry starved of vital export opportunities. With a shortage of domestic buyers and lack of adequate infrastructure to facilitate supply, producers are left with little option but to either bury what they’ve produced or offer fuels at artificially depressed prices. Whereas exports of refined petroleum have soared, the ban on crude exports could leave the country with a glut of unrefined crude, should the extent of oversupply grow at quite the same rate it has done previously. And while the prospect of lower prices at the pump is beneficial for consumers, US fuel prices are dictated by the global market, leaving domestic producers out of pocket and the market distorted.

“Just as some have suggested that we should not export natural gas, but should exploit this domestic resource at home, there are those who would apply the same argument to the increasing domestic production of crude oil,” says Mark Barteau, Director of the University of Michigan Energy Institute. “The petroleum market is global, and introducing local wrinkles merely invites local distortions to circumvent them.”

Discussions about the effectiveness of mounting crude stockpiles have gathered momentum. The facts make for a convincing case against the ban: domestic oil production has risen even as consumption has fallen, and the mismatch between supply and demand has served to exacerbate the disconnect that exists between export policy and reality. “In respect to export restrictions, it does not make a lot of sense to distinguish crude from refined products, from liquefied natural gas, or from natural gas liquids,” says Barteau. “With increasing domestic production and decreasing imports, the incentive to do so for political appearance should also diminish.”

Read: ‘Oil rig construction booms as companies explore new frontiers’

A recent IHS report claims lifting the restrictions would not only increase domestic oil production, but lower fuel prices and support an additional 964,000 jobs. “The 1970s-era policy restricting crude oil exports – a vestige from a price controls system that ended in 1981 – is a remnant from another time,” says Daniel Yergin, Vice Chairman of IHS. “The United States has cut its dependence on foreign oil in half since 2005 and its production gains have exceeded that of the rest of the world in recent years. The economic contributions of this turnaround have been substantial. Allowing the free trade of oil would expand those gains for consumers and the wider economy.”

Why change?
The supposed benefits of lifting the ban, however, are still only a matter of guesswork – but what’s increasingly clear is that the policy is inhibiting profitability among the market’s major names. Central to the debate is the fact the American crude business has not only become economically viable but highly profitable. As long as the ban remains in place, domestic players will seek to have the bill – and so their profits – lifted.

The argument is a compelling one, but one consideration that barely factored into the ban 40 years ago is the environmental implications of deregulating the crude oil business and granting producers free reign when exploiting international exports. Studies show that those in the business often overstate shortages in domestic custom, and that releasing the shackles on crude exports would serve only to boost profits for producers and increase the already sky-high rate at which known reserves are being exploited. Policymakers mustn’t forget the importance of mitigating climate change over appeasing major oil players, whose consideration for the environment is secondary to profit-making by way of fossil fuel consumption.

Understandably, leading industry names will continue to pile the pressure on policymakers, though the decision to uphold the ban and focus on meeting agreed-upon climate change targets should be applauded, not derided.

‘City within a city’ Sarit Centre changes African retail forever

Posted on 10/23/201410/03/2014 by Charlotte Gill

Resilience is the quality that distinguishes the developers of the Sarit Centre and the concept they created: Kenya’s first – and still busiest – shopping mall, located in the nation’s capital, Nairobi. Resilience brought the centre through 30 years of turbulence in politics and the economy to make it the most sustainable shopping mall development on the Africa continent. Its slogan, “City within a City”, encompasses the one-stop shopping experience that changed retail forever in Eastern Africa.

Its slogan, “City within a City”, encompasses the one-stop shopping experience that changed retail forever in Eastern Africa

The frustrations and need for improvisation started while the centre was under construction. A coup attempt in 1982 nearly wrecked the developers’ plans altogether and blunted the economic growth the country had experienced since independence in 1963. The centre was an imaginative architectural concept, comprising one level of underground parking, four floors of retail, and four tower blocks of offices and apartments. But it was never to be achieved. One October morning two months after the coup attempt, the developers, SV Shah and Maneklal Rughani, met on site with their consultants and decided to immediately truncate the project and open with just 20 percent of what was originally conceived as the Brent Cross of Nairobi.

Finding retail success

Post-crisis, bank interest rates soared beyond comprehension, and thousands of Indian businessmen and their families fled Kenya. Where up to this point there had been more than 200 applications on file for premises in the new mall, now no one wanted to know. Forced back purely onto family funding, Phase One of the Sarit Centre opened in April 1983 with just two tenants in place: the Uchumi national supermarket chain and the developers’ own Text Book Centre bookshop.

Public Affairs Coordinator Peter Moll recalls the excitement he and Centre Manager Nitin Shah shared when one morning they counted 20 cars in the otherwise deserted car park. It took two years to lease out the entire premises, but, on Christmas Eve 1985, the centre recorded what is still its record footfall of over 50,000 shoppers in a single day. From that point, the Centre management has never looked back. Careful monitoring of the tenant mix brought together retail and services in a combination never before seen in Nairobi. In the centre’s subsequent phase of development, a 1,500 sq m, international standard, exhibition facility was added to support what became a major component of its marketing strategy: consumer and trade shows.

The centre’s first holidays fair to promote domestic tourism took place in 1984 and subsequent fairs have been held annually with ever increasing success. Today, education, food and beverages, ICT, homes and gardens, property, international trade fairs and solo country promotions bring tens of thousands of visitors to the centre.

50,000

Record daily footfall at the Sarit Centre

The centre has achieved many firsts. A loyalty card introduced in 1997 was the first in Kenya and is accepted by the centre’s 75 retails and service units. Paid parking became necessary and the centre’s pre-paid parking card greatly facilitates shopper access. The Sarit Centre was the first shopping mall in Kenya to brighten its Christmas season with external lighting, in-mall decorations and prize shopping promotions. Capitalising on its location in the up-market suburb of Westlands, it currently averages 25,000 shopper visits daily – a footfall more-recently opened malls have yet to achieve.

Virtually the same management team has directed day-to-day operations throughout the past three decades, although, in anticipation of starting on the next phase of its long-term plan, several more professionals have been recruited to the Sarit Centre team.

Future-proofing for sustainability

The Sarit Centre’s long-term plan incorporates the original ambitions of its developers to provide on its 12 acre site a true city-within-a-city complex of retail and services, apartments, offices and entertainment, to anticipate and sustain changing customer dynamics for decades ahead.

The centre includes a 220-room business-class hotel, and a 40,000sq ft clear-span exhibition hall with meeting rooms for international exhibitions and events. Two tower blocks of 700 apartments, 250,000sq ft of office space, and extended retail services and entertainment, totalling one million square feet are planned. The Sarit Centre’s new exhibition centre will combine first-class facilities with an extremely convenient location at the heart of what is now being termed Nairobi’s second central business district: Westlands, on the highway to up-country Kenya, Uganda, Southern Sudan and the DRC.

The objective is to provide an ambience to satisfy the demands of today’s generation of young middle-class professionals who look forward to living, working and playing in an exciting environment. Implementation of this development programme is planned so the interests of existing long-time tenants will not be neglected or negatively affected – a challenge in itself – while at the same time providing facilities for new global tenants offering the international brands customers now expect.

Over the decades, the Sarit Centre has sustained virtually 100 percent occupancy rates and many of its first tenants have achieved remarkable success in that time. Its Uchumi supermarket and Bata branches are corporate sales leaders in their sectors and tenants such as the LG stockists Hotpoint Appliances, Text Book Centre and many of the Deacons Group’s clothing stores also maintain high national rankings in their sectors.

Nor has environmental sustainability been neglected. The architects of the next phases of development have incorporated best-practice provisions for rainwater harvesting, recycling of used water, use of energy efficient lighting, and solar panels on the roofs. The $250m master plan is futuristic, yet based on sound financial statistics and projections, and is relevant when viewed within the sound political and economic status Kenya and the wider East African region has achieved over the past 50 years.

Boom in enterprise applications provides new ways to find investors

Posted on 10/22/201405/15/2017 by Charlotte Gill

Smartphone applications have revolutionised the world of business, with many enterprises seeking investment through their technology

Smartphone applications for enterprises are making their way fast into the corporate sector, offering new ways of gaining business and a competitive advantage through new services and developments. These apps are reinventing working processes and procedures across many different sectors, especially when investment apps targeting executives are introduced into the world market. According to Accenture, in just a few short years, tablets and smartphones went from being consumer-focused products to altering the enterprise landscape in a fundamental way. But with these types of enterprise apps, security risks also become an issue.

Enterprises are embracing technology in the way they do business and also as a catalyst to create something new — new markets, new products, and new areas of growth and revenues. Barclays Head of Research Operations Valerie Monchi says the quality of mobile apps in the consumer space has raised the bar for enterprise apps. In April 2014, Barclays bank launched an app for investment companies to give them access to content to support their investment decisions, giving large institutional investors access to data, analytics and research from the bank.

With the increase of mobile apps for investing and business relations on iOS and Android, the importance of smartphone applications in differing sectors is growing rapidly. Various applications are working to change how executives select investors, making it easier for investors and companies alike to connect. An example is Australian company Fortbridge’s Fund Finder – a new application allowing mining and energy executives to easily find potential investors by simply searching available companies in and around the user’s location. The new technology has come off the back of an original design for investor relations consultants but later was expanded and made available to mining and energy company executives. Although the app might not match up to services offered by investor relations consultants face-to-face, the convenience of the app is transparent.

Various applications are working to change how executives select investors, making it easier for investors and companies alike to connect

The app assumes a high level of usage will come from executives relying on smart phones or tablets for their information requirements in long-term investment planning, lowering the importance of face-to-face meetings with investor relations consultants. With side funds as well as brokers and investment advisors in the world’s major mining investment centres made so readily available, executives are able to jump on to the app and locate sector-specific investors in key investment areas. This is proving important for mining and energy management departments looking to build the profile of their company and to help executives locate qualified investors in locations they may not be totally familiar with.

In this instance, most companies would enjoy the convenience, efficiency and profitability of enterprise applications like this one. However, the biggest concern companies might have surrounds security. Although Fund Finder’s app subscription is handled through a third party with all credit card details kept and security managed on a separate site, many other apps for investment, banking or company information sharing might not be so secure. When everything is becoming public, private institutions are becoming bigger targets in a hyperconnected world through enterprise apps. Despite data encryption offering a method of controlling access to sensitive data, many companies and investors alike still perceive this as a risk as more hackers target mobile apps and devices.

Agenci Information Security General Manager Garry Hibberd says cyberspace has become a complex environment where the interaction of people, software and services on the internet is growing at an exponential rate. This is all supported by distributed technology and inter-connected networks, which is also growing in complexity on a daily basis. Despite this, Hibberd says smartphone application users do not normally consider where information is going to be transferred and where it is going to be held, from a security point of view. Users have a tendency to treat smartphones as low risk without understanding the security implications of using devices to access corporate data and networks. People forget technology is merely just a tool and the data is of key importance. And understanding the process of how information flows from an organisation through data storage systems at the backend is also important.

“Smartphones are getting smarter but people aren’t keeping track. There are smarter phones but stupider people. With great connectivity and user ability, [people] have a responsibility to understand what that means and what they actually do with that information so rather than just clicking on accept when it asks you a question, you should be looking hard at the terms and conditions listed. Understanding what it is that is being asked of you and what you are agreeing to is important.”

Hibberd says although most applications are developed with security in mind, hackers are still able to gain access to information a user has access to, no matter how secure the backend is. It is then about educating users relying on certain applications and keeping things secure, but most importantly, make sure they are responsible for keeping it secure themselves.

It goes without saying smartphone applications are important in gaining business through new services and developments. The easier the app is to use and connect with other businesses, the easier the processes and procedures become. It is important, though, that users are aware of the implications of information sharing, particularly when it comes to investment and business relations.

Could Europe be to blame for Netflix’s low subscription rate?

Posted on 10/22/201405/15/2017 by Charlotte Gill

Netflix has suffered from lower-than-expected subscriber numbers. However, it can be argued that short-term losses are worth the long-term market share

Despite expanding in six European countries, Netflix was met with a lower-than-expected subscriber growth in its third quarter. The Wall Street Journal reported the US TV services provider added 980,000 US customers, much lower than its forecast of 1.33 million.

Mintel analysts believe Netflix’s price increase last year was only partly to blame for disappointing users in the third quarter, as shares in the Californian company fell 26.4 percent. Mintel Senior Technology and Media Analyst Samuel Gee says the number of domestic and international subscribers for Netflix increased, albeit at a lower rate than anticipated. Gee adds the reason could be down to competition: at the same time as Netflix recorded its disappointing numbers, HBO had also announced its new subscription service which served to hurt the pay-TV giant. A day later, CBS announced an internet subscription which provides access to nearly all of the company’s content with little to no delay.

But although Gee says competition between wider providers like Amazon and HBO might be to blame for the decline in shares and the lower-than-expected subscriber number, there seems to be additional reasons. The streaming service’s less-than-successful expansion into Europe could be food for thought. Europe was the company’s newest market outside of North and South America when it opened its doors to the UK and Ireland in January of 2012. Back then, the company was met with a mixture of positivity and indifference. After expanding in countries such as Germany and France this year, it can be said Netflix’s European expansion is not as successful as its establishment in its home market.

According to the LA Times, Netflix has 14 million subscribers overseas, compared with 36.3 million paid members in the US. Research conducted by Mintel suggests 36 percent of Americans have used Netflix, which equates to 78 percent of those who have a paid TV subscription, and a third of US consumers use Netflix, making up eight in 10 of the total pay-TV user base. This is in contrast to 14 percent of people in the UK who used Netflix in the last three months. But it seems the company is determined to stick it out and make the expansion in Europe work – especially in France where the company met its greatest resistance. French law requires at least 40 percent of programming on TV and radio to be made in France, making it extremely hard for Netflix to successfully break into the market.

Netflix has 14 million subscribers overseas, compared with 36.3 million paid members in the US

Despite this, it can be argued Netflix’s lower-than-forecasted subscribers are a naturally-occurring development in a successful company with goals to expand across the globe. Gee says the cost of international expansion saw Netflix increase its prices, which also would have lent itself to the lower rate of subscribers. The company had forecasted its international expansion in six additional European countries might lead to heavy losses, with predictions it would drop nearly 44 percent next quarter compared to last year. Slower domestic growth was forecasted to continue in the fourth quarter, projecting 1.85 million new customers, compared with the 2.33 million it added last year.

“It makes sense that as a firm evolves and reaches a greater proportion of the available market, its rate of growth will slow,” Gee says. “This might be happening slightly faster than initially anticipated with Netflix due to external pressures but, broadly speaking, the company is still showing strong growth.”

In this case, short-term losses are worth the long-term market share. If Netflix keeps pushing into the European market and continues to expand globally, the lower rate of subscriber growth and decrease in share price might just be worth the colossal success the company will encounter when it finally taps into the rest of Europe. It merely must make itself comfortable in those European countries less willing to accept the provider at first glance. With Netflix admitting to ‘deep interest’ in Australia and New Zealand, perhaps expanding to Australia and the Asia Pacific may be a good idea. The Australian Financial Review speculates the company may do just that next year. If Netflix can make such a positive name for itself in the US and South America, there is no doubt it will do the same globally – with time and patience.

Streaming’s main players

LoveFilm

Amazon’s LoveFilm service is getting rebranded as Prime Instant Video in the UK and Germany – working as a direct competitor to the US dominant streaming service Netflix. Since suffering a decline in 2012 when Netflix launched its European presence in the UK and Ireland, the company has been struggling to stay afloat and competing where it can.

Along with its rebranding, the company will include complementary access to the streaming video service for European customers that subscribe to Amazon’s annual Prime membership — just as it does in the US.

Blinkbox

According to Digital TV Europe, Tesco is reportedly selling its movie and TV streaming service Blinkbox and is considering closing the business if a buyer can’t be found. The Times reported Tesco invested hundreds of millions since buying the company in 2011.

Thought of as a rival to Netflix and Lovefilm, Blinkbox operates along the same lines as Sky, meaning its titles are released sooner than the other two major companies. However, the company has been trying to make ends meet since announcing the closure of its Clubcard TV service.

ITV Player

The Guardian reported last year Rupert Murdoch’s ITV Studios’ revenues grew 20 percent, proving the company is becoming prevalent on the TV and DVD streaming scene in Europe.

ITV Player, previously known as ITV Online, provides an avenue to sift through the broadcaster’s channels. Despite this, the company is searching for a workable business model as it is only presently exclusive to Samsung’s smart TV’s and Android devices.

The service was originally called ITV Catch Up but was then rebranded in 2008 to create a recognisable trademark.

TVMuse

European startup TVLinks started to imagine itself as a global Internet TV guide and video search engine in 2010 – gearing up to battle the big US TV sites.

Back then, TVLinks claimed four million monthly visits and 20 million page views. In 2013 the company changed its name to TVMuse and the platform matured greatly through the development of features and signed agreements with various content creators.

TVMuse is unusual in that it doesn’t directly stream TV shows or movies, but instead links customers to a wide variety of hosting sites.

Dear Finland, it’s not Apple’s fault your economy’s flagging

Posted on 10/21/201405/15/2017 by Charlotte Gill

Stubb complaining: Finland's prime minister Alexander Stubb has blamed Apple for the country's flagging paper manufacturing and mobile industries. But laying the blame at the tech giant is wrong, and damaging, says Lizzie Meager — Stubb complaining: Finland’s prime minister Alexander Stubb has blamed Apple for the country’s flagging paper manufacturing and mobile industries. But laying the blame at the tech giant is wrong, and damaging, says Lizzie Meager

Due to an ageing population, reduced exports and a rapidly shrinking workforce, Standard & Poor’s have downgraded Finland’s sovereign debt rating from AAA status to AA+. Prime minister Alexander Stubb provoked quite the reaction when he pointed a finger at a somewhat unexpected target, claiming US-based tech corporation Apple is largely responsible for the nation’s economic downturn.

“We have two industrial problems – two champions that went down,” Stubb told CNBC. “I guess one could say that the iPhone killed Nokia and the iPad killed the Finnish paper industry, but we’ll make a comeback.” Finland is the main production site for Europe’s largest paper manufacturers, UPM-Kymmene and Stora Enso, and the industry is central to the country’s economy. Forestry accounts for around 20 percent of Finland’s total exports, but is expected to shrink again in 2014 for the fourth year in a row.

Nokia’s tale is a sad one. The manufacturer of the beloved 3310, many look to the brand with rose-tinted glasses, to an easier time when Snake was the only ‘app’ you’d ever need. That’s not to say many people would want a Nokia phone now. Among the cacophony generated by market leaders, most notably Samsung and – of course – Apple, Nokia has been lost. Since 2007 – when the first iPhone came out – Nokia’s share price has fallen by 75 percent, and in 2012, S&P downgraded its products to “junk” rating. The former king of mobile was acquired by Microsoft in April this year for $7.2bn.

The truth is that Apple is an easy target. If you really wanted to, you could probably find some obscure way to blame a lot of the world’s problems on it. US stocks are down? Blame Apple – its sheer size means just a one percent decline in its stocks can impact the Nasdaq 100 Index. Celebrities’ iCloud accounts have been hacked? Blame Apple – iCloud’s security issues allegedly made it too easy for the hackers, according to Business Insider. Finland is just another addition to the long list of businesses, industries, and now countries the corporation has reportedly obliterated in its cold-blooded clamour to world domination. Except for the fact that it’s not – in the second quarter of 2014, Apple’s iOS held just 11.7 percent of global smartphone market share, according to data by the IDC. Android continues to dominate the global market, possessing a whopping 84.7 percent, with the remainder shared among Windows Phone (2.5 percent), Blackberry OS (0.5 percent) and ‘Other’ (0.7 percent).

If you really wanted to, you could probably find some obscure way to blame a lot of the world’s problems on [Apple]

More accurately, Apple redefined the smartphone, giving the industry the kick it needed, and Nokia was too slow on the uptake. Up until 2012 – five years after the launch of the iPhone – Nokia was still the world’s largest handset manufacturer, when it was overtaken by Samsung. On that principle, surely the Korean mobile giant would be a more logical scapegoat for Stubb to point a finger at. Nokia’s penetration of the smartphone market was well-established through close and long-standing distribution relationships with mobile operators around the world and its decline happened gradually, giving the corporation ample time to regain its footing.

Stubb’s comment on the impact of the iPad on the paper industry is the most puzzling of all. The tablet market has been shrinking almost since the devices first came into existence; iPad sales have fallen by eight percent year on year since 2010. Tablet’s are great for many things, but to hold them – and not even just tablets, but one particular model of tablet – responsible for the decline of an entire industry seems slightly far-fetched. Plus, paper demand has been declining for decades, long before the iPad was even a dot on Apple’s periphery.

A more realistic suggestion for the cause of Finland’s economic downturn would be current affairs in the Eurozone. “EU sanctions against Russia and the severe slowdown in the German economy heavily impacted Finland’s economic health, with both Russia and Germany being Finland’s largest trading partners,” said Camilla Goodwin, Communications Officer at the Institute of Economic Affairs. “While the fortunes of a large firm like Nokia can have a major impact on countries with a smaller population, rising political risks with both Russia and the Eurozone crisis have a far greater effect, undermining confidence and deterring new investment.”

It’s not all bad – Finland was rated the fourth most innovative nation in the world this year, and Stubb acknowledges this fact, remaining optimistic: “Usually what happens is that when you have dire times you get a lot of innovation and I think from the public sector, our job is to create the platform for it.”

Stubb must busy himself proving to investors that Finland is able to keep up, and that it has more resilience in the face of healthy competitive innovation than its former darling of commerce, Nokia. His comments, however facetiously they may have been intended, could in fact prove quite damaging. Taking a swipe at an unsuspecting and somewhat guiltless party is suggestive of poor leadership and a reluctance to accept responsibility – not very attractive to investors at all.

Cleantech innovator Ener-Core turns air pollution into energy

Posted on 10/21/201411/20/2014 by Charlotte Gill

Air pollution and global climate change have become important environmental issues in international politics and daily life. Some technologies have been introduced that could reduce the amount of air pollution going into the atmosphere, while other technologies address climate change by tapping into intermittent renewable energy sources such as solar or wind. Unfortunately, these technologies do not address existing industry issues that continue to contribute to both air pollution and climate change. Current industry infrastructure – from landfills to coalmines, and from oil and gas to agriculture – pollute the air with gases such as carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx) and hydrocarbons such as methane (CH4). While there has been much focus on carbon dioxide, policy in the US and Europe is beginning to shift its attention to ways of mitigating the harmful emissions of hydrocarbon gases such as methane.

480bn

Cubic metres of methane humans put into the atmosphere each year

20%

Of greenhouse gases are anthropogenic methane emissions

Methane is one of the most dynamic and important chemical compounds on Earth. It can heat our homes and fuel our power plants when it is harvested correctly and efficiently. However, methane traps 20-25 times more heat (within our atmosphere) than carbon dioxide. Hence, when mishandled or ignored, methane becomes an important catalyst for global warming. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates anthropogenic activities release over 480 billion cubic meters (bcm) of methane emissions into the atmosphere each year. This is equivalent to over 20 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions.

Many industries currently rely on flaring to burn waste gases in order to prevent greenhouse gases such as methane being released into the atmosphere. The World Bank Global Gas Flaring Reduction partnership estimates 150bcm of gas is being flared annually. If one were to compare that to the gas production of each country in 2011, flaring would be the sixth largest producer, between Canada and Qatar. Unfortunately, flaring is an incomplete solution for mitigating methane emissions, as it only partially destroys the gas and creates additional pollutants such as smog-forming NOx. Flaring inefficiently wastes this potential energy resource, while continuing to pollute our air.

Ener-Core, a clean energy business based in California, has developed its patented gradual oxidation technology as an innovative alternative to flaring and venting, turning these potential sources of pollution into energy resources. Ener-Core’s gradual oxidiser is paired with a gas turbine, and enables the turbine to directly convert these wasted gases into electricity. With the Ener-Core technology, the 150bcm gas being flared each year could instead be turned into over 20,000 MW of power (enough energy to supply power to 20-30 million homes) with the added benefit of avoiding smog-forming NOx.

Converting pollution to clean energy
When many waste gases are produced, they typically have such a low energy density and/or such a high level of contaminants that standard power generation systems (such as reciprocating engines and gas turbines) cannot adequately utilise them. Industry’s next alternative is to feed these waste gases to flares, burning the gases at high temperatures in order to reduce the amount that gets released into the atmosphere. If the energy density of gas is too low for simple burning, then the industrial site must purchase supplemental natural gas (or propane) just to raise the energy density to the level where the gas can be burnt, thus creating a cost burden. This scenario is quite common within refineries and chemical plants as they attempt to destroy the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that are produced by their normal operations.

Ener-Core’s gradual oxidation method allows for the productive use of some of the most difficult and unusable industrial waste gases

Ener-Core’s innovative gradual oxidation method allows for the productive use of some of the most difficult and unusable industrial waste gases. In nature, virtually all gases that are emitted into the atmosphere will go through a chemical oxidation reaction, but the natural reaction takes years. Ener-Core has managed to take this naturally occurring oxidation reaction, and compress the reaction time to one to two seconds. The reaction is contained within a vessel, so a precise amount of heat energy at pressure is released. The gas turbine prime mover can then harness that pressurised heat energy to turn the generator, which generates electricity and feeds it back to the industrial facility or out to the utility grid. Through Ener-Core’s technology, these gases that were previously useless have become a potentially abundant source of energy, turning zero value waste gases – even VOCs worldwide – into a revenue stream for the companies that produce them. This enables traditional industrial processes to generate power from waste gases while simultaneously meeting strict environmental policies; Ener-Core’s system is able to achieve rates as high as 99.8 percent destruction of contaminants in the gas stream and reduce NOx emission to as low as one part per million.

Looking towards a cleaner future
Going as far back as the Industrial Revolution, most of the world’s energy has been generated by combustion-based processes. Combustion is useful for high quality clean fuels, but unfortunately ineffective on many of the poor quality gases created by industry. Ener-Core aims to repurpose what has, for 200 years, been considered waste. Instead of using cost-burden technologies such as flaring and venting, Ener-Core systems supply an air pollution control that pays for itself through the generation of clean energy. In the US alone, unused sources of methane from landfills could generate as much as 2,400 MW of continuous base load renewable energy. That would be the equivalent output of 10 average capacity coal plants, while mitigating the impacts of methane and CO2, and eliminating almost all of the associated, hazardous, smog-forming NOx.

Ener-Core has recently begun commercialising this technology, after successfully completing a one-year field demonstration project at a US Department of Defense base in Fort Benning, Georgia. Ener-Core’s 250 kW technology has now been commercially deployed in the Netherlands at Attero’s Schinnen landfill, generating renewable electricity and reducing emissions. Ener-Core is now scaling up its technology to pair with the Dresser-Rand KG2/3G turbine. The larger scale product (1.8 MW) that results from this pairing offers even greater value, generating energy worth up to $2m each year. Over time, Ener-Core will continue to pair its technology up with larger turbines that are available in the market.

Ener-Core is transforming the way people think of and use waste gases. The gradual oxidation technology can be applied to virtually any industry worldwide that produces and then flares or vents waste gases into the atmosphere. Ener-Core estimates there is at least 65 GW of power capacity that could be generated from waste gases; turning a zero value costly pollution source into a site revenue stream. Alain Castro, CEO of Ener-Core, says: “The size of this market is about $70-100bn of equipment that could be sold to utilise these low quality gases.”

The looming issue of global warming requires tomorrow’s technology today. Stephen L Johnson, the 11th Administrator of the EPA once said: “If we as a society really wish to embrace sustainability, then we should embrace technologies that can make sustainable practices profitable.” Ener-Core was founded on the idea of merging both business realities and considerations with environmental consideration and consciousness – helping to solve a real global problem in a profitable manner.

For further information email: paul.fukumoto@ener-core.com, or visit ener-core.com

Loan providers to punish late payers through car disablement

Posted on 10/20/201410/20/2014 by Charlotte Gill

You’re late for work, it’s raining and, to top it off, your car won’t start. A situation familiar to many, granted, but this time there’s a twist. There’s actually nothing wrong with your car, you just forgot to make the payment due last week and thousands of miles away in a remote location, someone has decided that you won’t be driving today. It may sound slightly extreme – and that’s because it is – but it’s a situation roughly two million people in the US risk facing every day.

Of all auto loans issued in the US in 2014, 31 percent were to subprime borrowers and the industry is currently worth a staggering $70.7bn, according to figures from Equifax. A subprime borrower is one whose credit score is below 640, and is therefore considered ‘high-risk’. With many still finding their feet post-recession, the subprime auto loan market is booming and it’s got a new toy to ensure those naughty boys and girls keep their promises. A growing number of subprime loans are being issued on the condition that the vehicle is fitted with a ‘starter interrupt device’, which allows the lender to remotely control the car should the borrower fail to keep up their end of the deal. Excessive lending to desperate high-risk borrowers is something we’ve seen before and it didn’t end well, though at least cars are slightly cheaper than houses.

The loans are offered by small financial companies across the country, sold to Wall Street, where they are divvied up, then sold on again. Subprime loans are desirable to investors because they offer high returns when interest rates are generally low, as they have been in the US in the years since 2008. As is often the case with such arrangements, several degrees of separation make the process significantly easier to execute without mercy.

Despite conflicting reports of the devices causing accidents, suppliers insist that no vehicle can be disabled whilst in motion

Interest rates on these loans average 17 percent a year but that figure can climb as high as 30 percent if the borrower is considered particularly untrustworthy. Starter interrupt devices are programmed to emit a beeping sound when a payment is first missed as a ‘reminder’ and, in case all of this wasn’t sounding like enough of an infringement on your privacy, they also use GPS to notify the dealer of the vehicle’s location if repossession is necessary. This aside, the star feature is undoubtedly the kill switch, and its activation reminds the customer who’s really boss in this arrangement.

Despite conflicting reports of the devices causing accidents, suppliers insist that no vehicle can be disabled while in motion. “While those purchasing our technology have the ability to programme the product to shut down at specific times, we encourage that the vehicle is disabled in the early morning hours, when the vehicle is normally parked at home,” says Robert Hessman, CEO of Lender Systems, a starter interrupt device provider.

“There is no doubt the technology is an inspiration to the consumer who doesn’t make their car payment on time,” added Hessman. “Either they make their payment or they are not able to drive their vehicle – except in an emergency.” While Hessman maintains that Lender Systems provides all customers with two emergency codes per 30-day cycle for use in extreme situations, he admits that not all products on the market are as consumer-friendly. Some reports claim that either the codes don’t work, or that they’re given just one per month.

Despite the ethical questions raised, suppliers insist that the devices are a win-win situation for both parties. By providing lenders with a direct, hassle-free tool for obtaining collateral, borrowers who wouldn’t otherwise qualify for a loan are afforded the luxury of their own personal transport. In theory, borrowers are compelled to make payments on time, improving their credit rating and allowing them to obtain a better rate of finance in future, which will eventually eliminate the need for the devices. Sounds great in theory, but the reality is, two million people are driving around with a debt collector right there in the car with them.

The irony is that if you want someone to give you money, you’ve got to give them a chance to earn it. Cutting off their engine and preventing them from getting to work only delays the payment and perpetuates the problem. Though, for the Wall Street executives who see a small return every time an engine fails to start in a land far away, perhaps it’s not such a problem anyway.

Why are governments pretending global warming isn’t happening?

Posted on 10/20/201405/15/2017 by Charlotte Gill

Governments will do all they can to tackle climate change – providing it doesn’t cripple the economy, cost jobs or hurt long-term growth. This is expected: no country would risk the financial stability of the realm to ensure CO2 emissions are slightly reduced and waters are kept cleaner. Yet few in the highest echelons of power will admit to moving backwards on environmental policy, and would rather people just forget about global warming. Paradoxically, not doing anything to tackle climate change is the surest way of all to destroy jobs and impede long-term economic growth.

It’s unlikely governments will forsake the economy for the environment; the short-term fix is favoured over the complex – but crucial – long-term remedy. And the truth is people value their standard of living more than the environment. So governments can’t really be blamed for cooling efforts to boost renewable energy sources. But the economy versus the environment will continue to be a huge conflict of interest as 65 percent of annual CO2 growth is down to economic activity, according to the New Economics Foundation.

The truth is people value their standard of living more than the environment

The G20 Summit heads to Australia in November and eyes are fixed on the country. Many hope environmental issues will be prominent on the agenda, but the chances of that happening are as likely as Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbot choosing to become a monk… again. Abbot is easy to single out as an environmental tyrant, but he is only one of a host of leaders who are growingly increasingly apathetic to climate change. Here, we highlight some of the most prominent governments that have gone cold on global warming.

Australia: environmental vandal
Air pollution is killing more Australians than road accidents, according to an investigation by The Sydney Morning Herald. Despite this, Australia’s right-wing government is clear on climate change: it will never be as important as economic growth. In July, we reported Tony Abbot was on a destructive mission to reverse Australia’s commitment to the environment with a string of deeply worrying polices. Since assuming office in 2013, Abbot and his Environment Minister Greg Hunt have been at the forefront of a worrying number of policy reversals. They have pushed hard for the delisting of a rare Tasmanian forest as a World Heritage Site, exempted Western Australia from laws protecting its endangered sharks and approved offshore infrastructure that will dredge 35 million tonnes of the seabed.

The Galilee Basin is at the root of the problem. With a combined area of 96,000sq mi, it is one of the biggest thermal coal reserves in the world. Due to its close proximity to the Great Barrier Reef, environmentalists are concerned mining will lead to an extra 4,800 ships travelling across the highly sensitive area. Abbot’s unabashed move to ditch environmental responsibility in favour of big business was described by one disgruntled citizen as “environmental vandalism”.

Canada: global warming censor
Meteorologists have been banned from discussing climate change in public by the Canadian Government. The shocking move to gag weather experts highlights Canada’s wavering commitment to environmental issues. In June, the government joined forces with Australia by publicly forsaking climate change in favour of financial growth. Prime Minister Stephen Harper said environmental sustainability was “not the only or even the most important” problem the world faced, at a joint conference with Tony Abbot in Ottawa. The pair played down the possibility of coordinated global action on climate change, despite President Obama’s ambitious package for united action on curbing emissions. Harper and Abbott said they felt no extra pressure to make a concerted effort to combat climate change.

Canada’s CO2 emissions were 14.68 metric tonnes per capita in 2010 and they are predicted to soar 38 percent by 2030. The country had agreed to reduce greenhouse gases by cutting emissions to five percent of 1990s levels by 2012, but the government pulled out in 2011. It has also rejected the Kyoto Protocol – an international treaty that sets binding obligations on industrialised countries to reduce emissions – by continuing to exploit oil sands. Greenhouse gas emissions for oil sand extraction are three times higher than a barrel of conventional crude oil. Stephen Devlin, an economist at the New Economics Foundation says: “With increasingly ambitious domestic policies coming from China and the US… Steven Harper is at a real risk of marginalising himself in the international community.”

UK: crazy Pickles
Communities Secretary Eric Pickles was described as “crazy” for his apparent opposition to offshore wind farms by Tom Burke, Chairman of the sustainable energy advocacy group E3G. The former government advisor criticised Pickles for his interference in environmental issues and claimed his stance on renewable energy was “scaring away investors”. Since Pickles has been in office, he has authorised just two of 12 onshore wind farm applications. But the problem is more deep-rooted than one dogmatic politician who opposes renewable energy. Burke says environmental policy is “ideologically against the core values of the right”.

In January, the UK Government came under fire for discreetly pushing through new changes to fracking regulation so companies no longer have to inform nearby residents of their plans to drill in the area. Prime Minister David Cameron is also alleged to have told junior ministers to “cut the green crap” from energy bills, according to The Sun newspaper. The UK Government has tried to look pro-green by hugging huskies and announcing plans to build a wind turbine at the PM’s home in Oxfordshire (which mysteriously never happened): behind closed doors, however, a tacit agenda against climate change may be in the making. To be truly active, the UK has to set the pace for climate change in Europe. “If Britain led the pack in aggressive measures to reduce CO2 emissions by 40 percent, Europe could cut its gas imports from Russia by 80 percent,” says Burke, citing E3G research. Despite calls for the government to do more on environmental policy, the coalition is still on target to half emissions by 2025.

Germany: coal hearted
Coal was once a doomed source of electricity in Europe, but it’s been on the ascendancy since Germany decided to shutter its 17 nuclear power stations. The closures will be completed by 2022, and come in the wake of the Fukushima disaster and as consumers bemoan rising electricity costs in Germany (three times higher than US prices). It’s a massive step backwards for Chancellor Angela Merkel, who has helped Germany become one of the top renewable energy producers in the world.

Around 32,411 MW of renewable energy is produced in Germany annually: nearly 30 percent of the country’s electricity needs. This commitment to renewable energy is keeping electricity prices high and has forced Germany to reopen its coal plants – much to the dissatisfaction of environmentalists. Coal-generated electricity is at its highest rate in Germany since 2007. And this is not any old coal; it’s lignite, the dirtiest form of fossil fuel. Germany is seeking to rebalance green ambition with the reality of sustaining a healthy economy, but Burke believes the two can coexist: “Climate change policy will enhance economic growth – it will stimulate investment in infrastructure and generate value whilst improving energy productivity.”

India: Greenpeace antagonist
India is haemorrhaging $80bn a year by failing to turn around environmental degradation, according to a World Bank report. Growth has brought opportunity and optimism to India – as well as air pollution and water contamination. This is a “big threat to the livelihood of millions of Indians,” said Greenpeace India’s Nandikesh Sivalingam. Relatively little has been done to tackle climate change as CO2 emissions rose 7.7 percent last year and India appears to be on course to exacerbate the issue.

In August, the Indian Government announced plans to tighten control over the funding of Greenpeace India, sparking fears of a wider crackdown on environmental groups. The Ministry of Home Affairs told India’s Central Bank that any transfer of funds from Greenpeace International or ClimateWorks Foundation to Greenpeace India will need special approval. The ruling, coincidently, came several weeks after India’s Intelligence Bureau claimed foreign funded NGOs were “stalling development projects” and hurting growth. Pro-business Prime Minister Narendra Modi believes this has set India’s economy back three percent annually. Greenpeace India described the move as an attempt to “crush and stifle opposing voices in the civil society”. Sivalingam added the NGO continues to face challenges over the “destruction of biodiversity” thanks to forest mining and the “unsafe” use of nuclear energy.

Sustainable style: the young designers revolutionising clothing

Posted on 10/17/201403/11/2016 by Charlotte Gill

In the classic sci-fi novel Dune, the inhabitants of the desert planet Arrakis wore suits that stored their bodies’ energy and recycled their water waste. When Frank Herbert wrote that book in 1965, hi-tech clothes that could double up as energy cells and water purifying systems were simply things of fantasy. Merely five decades on, however, smart fabrics are not only a reality, but are rapidly becoming a major investment avenue within the fashion industry.

In recent years, designated branches of the fashion industry have been heavily investing in developing the intersection between fashion and science. Though the term ‘wearable tech’ usually only springs to mind when discussing smartwatches or Google Glass, technology has in fact already stretched far beyond these devices and woven itself into the very fibres of the fabrics we are wearing.

2 Hours for Wearable Solar garments to recharge a phone

72 Flexible solar cells in a Wearable Solar dress

100 The eventual size of Solar Fiber’s photovoltaic fibres

These smart fabrics, which can absorb solar energy, or the kinetic energy produced by the wearer’s own body, can transfer the energy they harness into a green energy grid, or even use it to charge mobile devices. Design houses are now developing these fabrics, taking them far beyond the realms of utilitarian garments and into serious fashion territory.

Though a number of research centres have been investing in the development of flexible photovoltaic cells – or solar batteries – for some time, not all of them have been keeping the fashion industry in mind. It seems unlikely customers who are interested in wearing energy generating garments would be willing to wear something that is visually unappealing, or not easily adapted from season to season. As a result, a small but distinguished collection of researchers have managed to stand out from the sustainable fashion set by achieving the supposedly impossible: pioneering fabrics and accessories that, while still gathering and producing sustainable energy, are also designed so people will want to wear them.

Harnessing the sun
Solar Fiber, a Dutch start-up company, pioneered the idea of a flexible photovoltaic fibre that can convert sunlight into electrical energy. The product was conceived as a yarn that can be woven directly into traditional fabrics. Though the company’s founders admit the concept of a photovoltaic fabric is in itself not new, Solar Fiber is certainly leading the pack when it comes to research and development in the field. The company recently launched a stylish energy-producing dress, as well as a prototype shawl that displays the amount of energy being generated in real time. “If you look around you, textiles cover so many surfaces – so why not give them a ‘super power’ that can take advantage of this, like solar energy harvesting?” Meg Grant, one of the company’s founders, asked The Guardian.

Another European company leading in the field of solar textiles is Wearable Solar. Founded by artist and fashion designer Pauline van Dongen, the company is pushing the potential of wearable tech by creating solar textiles that can recharge mobile devices. Wearable Solar has already launched two designs in their collection: photovoltaic panels are integrated into the designs of both, easily passing off as mere embellishments, which can be covered up when the sun is not out. When worn outside in the sun for two hours, both garments (a dress and a coat) will generate enough energy to restore an average smartphone to full power.

Move your feet
The kinetic energy the human body generates can also be harvested. Piezoelectric sensors can detect and collect the vibrations created through muscle movement, and can be useful if integrated into clothes or, in particular, shoes. Nike has already developed ‘smart trainers’, which feed information through a wireless link directly to a fitness app or other wearable device.

Researchers at IMEC in Belgium have since outstripped this technology by developing a wafer-like capacitor that can collect and store kinetic energy for other uses. Though this product is currently still in development, there is phenomenal potential for these wafers to be integrated into both shoes and clothes.

Solar Fiber’s prototype shawl displays the amount of energy being produced in real time

The use of thermal sensors in fashion is also already a reality. Making use of the thermoelectric effect, scientists at the Holst Centre in the Netherlands are developing garments that will generate electricity from the difference between the body temperature of the wearer and the exterior of the clothes. This technology is particularly effective in colder regions, where the difference is likely to be great. Holst Centre scientists have integrated a thermoelectric generator into a shirt, which is able to produce an average power of 1MW in a room heated at 22 degrees centigrade, and double that when the wearer is walking outside. This means the shirt alone is capable of powering a standard health-monitoring device, which on average require around 0.4MW of energy.

Harvest time
Although still only a concept, Harvest has the potential to change the way we think of wearable tech entirely. Noting just how much energy is wasted every time we move, product design student Damon Ahola came up with the concept of a wearable pod that, once embedded into shoes or worn on clothing, would harvest the kinetic energy the body releases. He told The Guardian: “I thought we were all exerting a huge amount of energy, while at the same time consuming a vast amount of electrical energy.” The lithium-ion battery in the pod can be plugged into a smartphone so the energy harvested can be measured and recorded. The most revolutionary part of Ahola’s idea, however, is the network of ‘harvest hotspots’, which allow the pods to transfer the stored energy back into a green energy bank. Through this system, the pod-owner could even sell their self-produced energy back to the grid.

Apple divides the crowd at underwhelming iPad launch

Posted on 10/17/2014 by Charlotte Gill

Apple unveiled its not-so-eagerly anticipated iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3 on Thursday. Undeterred by the “bendgate” scandal of September – so-called on social media after criticism aimed at bendy iPhone 6’s – the iPad Air 2 is, according to Apple’s Tim Cook speaking at the event, the “world’s thinnest tablet” at just 6.1mm thick.

[T]here were approximately 50 percent fewer tweets mentioning the word “iPad” than on the launch day last year

The new devices are fitted with an A8X chip, which promises to deliver 40 percent faster performance, and now comes with a fingerprint sensor, a feature which has been available on iPhone’s since 2013. The iPad Air 2’s screen is 56 percent less reflective and minor improvements to the camera and battery life have also been made. Like its predecessors, the devices are available with 16GB, 64GB and 128GB of storage. But in terms of wow factor, especially in the shadow of the most successful iPhone launch to date just last month, the event fell short of expectations.

Rumours that the launch would include the announcement of the ‘iPad Pro’ and considerable Apple TV upgrades set the kings of tech up for failure, and this disappointment was reflected on social media. According to Crimson Hexagon research quoted by Mashable, there were approximately 50 percent fewer tweets mentioning the word “iPad” than on the launch day last year: a measly 730,653. For a little perspective, tweet responses to September’s iPhone 6 launch totalled 6.3m.

Also mentioned was a new iMac boasting a 5K Retina Display, which critics claimed was the most remarkable part of the entire event. Given that overall tablet sales are predicted to rise by just 11 percent this year compared to 55 percent in 2013, it is doubtful that the new products will be the cash cows Apple are hoping for.