The 112th Canton Fair

“Stimulating vital trade with help from foreign participants”
GUANGZHOU /PRNewswire/ — Attended by dignitaries from 25 Guangzhou-based foreign consulates, an evening of fine dining and entertainment was successfully held on Sept. 19 in the Guangdong capital to celebrate this year’s mid-Autumn Festival. Also known as the Moon Festival, this popular festival has been part of the Chinese calendar for more than 2,000 years.
Co-organized by the China Foreign Trade Centre and the Foreign Affairs Office of Guangdong Province, the event was intended to thank participants for their long-term support of the Canton Fair. Taking place aboard a yacht of the Chateau Star River Hotel, the highly enjoyable evening was also attended by Wang Zhiping, Director of China’s Foreign Trade Center, Liu Jianjun, Deputy Director of the Center, and Li Jian, Deputy Director of the Foreign Affairs Office of Guangdong Province.
Addressing the event, Li Jian thanked each of the consulates, and businesses from their respective countries, for helping the Canton Fair thrive over the years. In his speech, Wang Zhiping noted that 120,000 buyers (60% of the total) at the 111thinstallment of the Canton Fair came from countries with consulates in Guangzhou. He extended a warm invitation to all guests to attend the 112th Canton Fair, and sincerely hoped that even more overseas buyers and exhibitors would be attending.
Despite the general downturn in the global economy, the Canton Fair, with its 55-year history, remains a highly profitable and prestigious event. Generating an unrivalled volume of business transactions and boasting a vast exhibition area of more than 1 million square meters, it is widely regarded as the best gateway into the Chinese market. Ending in May, the 111th session of the Fair attracted over 210,000 buyers from all over the world, playing an important role in sustaining international trade.
The Canton Fair has strengthened China’s economic ties with the rest of the world, and Guangzhou’s consulates have played their part in this process. Consulate staff regularly attend important ceremonies and accompany commercial groups as they visit the Fair. By working closely with the China Foreign Trade Center, consulates also help promote the Fair and significantly boost the participation of overseas companies.
The 112th installment of the Canton Fair will run from Oct. 15 – Nov. 4, 2012.
For further information please visit: http://www.cantonfair.org.cn/en/index.asp
Source: China Foreign Trade Centre (CFTC)

TeamWox Enterprise Management System Becomes Free for Government Entities

LIMASSOL, Cyprus/PRNewswire/ —
Today, MetaQuotes Software Corp., the developer of TeamWox enterprise management system, has announced an offer for free TeamWox for government entities.
TeamWox is an enterprise management system designed to optimize the efficiency of business management. Companies that use TeamWox in their daily routines show better employee performance and reduction in general expenses. This is achieved in a company through automation of work processes and seamless teamwork coordination.
The software was originally conceived and developed to meet the needs of business entities alone. But after the product sparked great interest of government entities, MetaQuotes Software came with a special offer for them.
Under the offer, any government entity could get the unlimited TeamWox version for one third of the regular price. A lot of government entities from different countries of the world were delighted with the offer given and purchased the system. Some companies however did not manage to get the product, in spite of being highly interested in it.
“Government entities have a large number of employees which brings about problems associated with the software license,” comments Gaies Chreis, COO of MetaQuotes Software Corp. “Eventually some organizations have to turn down the opportunity of employing the automation systems. We have taken a decision to eliminate this problem altogether and now offer TeamWox to government entities completely free of charge, regardless of the number of employees they have on staff”.
The company already has a totally free version made available to educational institutions. Any educational institution is eligible to get free TeamWox, subject to provision of a copy of the license of official state registration. As a result, the system has spread to a great number of educational institutions of different types, down to Olympic reserve schools.
A similar requirement is now imposed on government entities as they can only be eligible for free TeamWox after they provide a document confirming their government entity status.
About MetaQuotes Software Corp.
MetaQuotes Software Corp. is a world-renowned professional developer of software. The Company is very well known in the financial markets and is a global leader in the Forex trading software solutions market. It has been active in the development of enterprise management systems since 2007.
Website: http://www.metaquotes.net
About TeamWox
Developed in 2009, TeamWox was warmly welcomed by the market. Since then the system functionality has always been expanding and evolving. Today TeamWox includes CRM, Technical Support via Service Desk and Live Chat, Electronic Document Management, Payments and IP Telephony. The System is available in two versions: as a standard version and SaaS.
Website: http://www.teamwox.com
Source: MetaQuotes Software Corp.

BayWa AG Announces the Acquisition of Two Grain Traders, Turning the Company Into a Global Agricultural Trader

Turnover increases to at least Euro 15 billion
MUNICH /PRNewswire/ — The international trading and services company BayWa AG acquires 100% of the internationally operating grain trader Cefetra B.V. (the Netherlands), as well as a majority stake in the North German agricultural trading group Bohnhorst Argrarhandel GmbH. Both transactions – subject to approval of the responsible antitrust authorities – will be completed by January 1st, 2013. The purchase price for 100% of the shares of Cefetra and for 60% of the shares of Bohnhorst amounts to Euro 125 million and Euro 36 million, respectively. 40% of Bohnhorst’s shares will remain with the seller, Helmut Bohnhorst jr., who will also continue as the company’s managing director.
(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120928/564606 )
Following these acquisitions, BayWa’s total traded grain volume increases to 28 million tonnes and its turnover increases at least to Euro 15 billion.
“BayWa not only strengthens its position as an important European grain trader, but also enforces its global footprint in the agricultural commodities space,” explains BayWa CEO Klaus Josef Lutz. BayWa is continuing its strategy to become more prominent in the international market for agricultural trading. “With these acquisitions we have reached a new milestone in further developing one of our core divisions internationally.”
The acquisitions also address recent market developments, as BayWa perceives a consolidation within the grain trading sector. Increased competition, mainly triggered by a higher demand from Asia and Africa and the search for access to supply in South America and Eastern Europe, has weighted the importance of scale in the trading space.
Cefetra B.V., headquartered in Rotterdam, will be acquired from ForFarmers Group B.V and the agricultural cooperatives Agrifirm Group B.V. and AgruniekRijnvallei B.V. The company trades grain on a global scale and is a leader in the European supply market for the compound feed sector in terms of soy, grain and sunflower & rapeseed meals. The company has storage and port sites throughout Europe, as well as a sourcing network in Poland.
The Bohnhorst group’s core business is agricultural trading with extensive sourcing capacities, mainly in Eastern Germany. Furthermore, it owns sites at deep-sea ports along the Baltic Sea coast. “Besides our own locations, we will now have direct access to the most important German waterways as well as the Baltic Sea and consequently, to the developing markets in Eastern Europe. This is a significant advantage for the sourcing and marketing of grains,” says Lutz. “Due to excellent management and employee performance, Bohnhorst has an excellent market position and is extremely successful,” Lutz adds. The financial strength of the company is a good foundation for growing together, especially in Eastern Europe.
“The two acquisitions provide the BayWa Group access to today’s and tomorrow’s grain markets all over the world. We have secured direct access to raw materials, which is essential given the recent shift in market dynamics. Additionally, they have strengthened our logistics’ network”, emphasises Lutz. BayWa underlines that it will continue offering its partners and customers new market solutions through the international expansion of its sourcing and distribution channels.
According to the CEO, both acquisitions will be financed with the sales proceeds following the earlier announced real estate disposals.
BayWa AG:
BayWa AG is an international trading and service company, with a focus on the sectors agriculture, energy and construction. In 2011 the company reported sales of Euro 9.6 billion and an EBIT of Euro 151.4 million. Sales for the agricultural division (including trading of grains, other agricultural products, operating supplies and agricultural technology) amounted to approximately Euro 5 billion, with an EBIT of Euro 56 million. BayWa operates and owns 300 agricultural trading sites in Germany and has an extended network of 600 sites through cooperations in Austria and the Czech Republic. In 2011, the total traded volume for grains was around 5.5 million tonnes. BayWa’s grain storage capacity amounted to just under 2 million tonnes. Furthermore, it operates 18 river ports and has approximately 17,000 employees worldwide.
Cefetra B.V.
Cefetra is an international trading company that solely trades in agricultural commodities. Products are mainly sold to the animal feed, food and bio-fuel industry, with 95% of the customers being active in the animal feed industry. Sales in 2011 amounted to Euro 4.6 billion with an average EBIT over the last 5 years of Euro 26 million. Cefetra´s total traded volume in 2011 amounted to nearly 20 million tonnes. It’s business model is characterised by flexibility, mainly driven by its international sourcing capacity and distribution network. Cefetra has offices in the UK, Ireland, the Netherlands, Hungary, Poland and Canada, as well as storage sites in the UK, Ireland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France, Latvia, Poland, Hungary and Romania. Cefetra has 210 employees. While Cefetra’s current shareholders are focused on growth and want to prioritise their resources for their own animal food activities they have decided to sell Cefetra to a strategic partner. With BayWa AG Cefetra B.V. has found a company which is prepared to continue investing in its activities.
Bohnhorst Agrarhandel GmbH
The Bohnhorst GmbH is an international agricultural trading company, which concentrates on the North and East German markets. It also has facilities for coverage, storage and distribution in Poland. Two sites are located at the coast of the Baltic Sea, others are situated along the rivers Elbe and the Weser and the Mittellandkanal. The company generated revenues of Euro 468 million in 2011. During the last 5 years the EBIT was Euro 13 million on average. The company’s main focus is grain trading, which generated Euro 310 million of the revenues in 2011. The other business segment focuses on the distribution animal feed. Bohnhorst has 213 employees.
Editor:
Marion Danneboom, BayWa AG,
Head of PR/Corporate Communication,
Phone: +49-89/92-22-36-80; Fax: +49-89/92-22-36-98,
E-mail: marion.danneboom@baywa.de
Source: BayWa

Daimler and Renault-Nissan Expand Scope of Collaboration

Daimler and Renault-Nissan Alliance partner on fuel-efficient engines and transmissions
Original projects remain on track as partnership expands globally
PARIS /PRNewswire/ —
Daimler and the Renault-Nissan Alliance are collaborating on two new projects to accelerate development of fuel-efficient powertrains.
(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120928/564838 )
Renault-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn and Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche confirmed the new projects Friday in an annual media update about the Franco-Japanese-German partnership.
The new engine project is a jointly developed 4-cylinder gasoline engine family co-led by Renault and Daimler. The direct-injection turbocharged engine will feature state-of-the-art technology in a compact package. It targets a significant improvement in fuel economy as well as low emissions.
The companies expect to jointly manufacture the new engines. They will debut in Daimler and Renault and Nissan vehicles in 2016.
In the new transmission project Daimler grants Nissan a license to manufacture automatic transmissions using Daimler´s latest transmission technology for Nissan and Infiniti vehicles starting in 2016.
Nissan subsidiary Jatco is planning to manufacture these newly licensed gearboxes in Mexico. The new transmission will feature “start and stop” and “park and shift by wire” technologies.
“These new components demonstrate how broadly and rapidly our collaboration is proliferating – while all the time remaining rooted in specific projects that give tangible benefits to our customers,” Ghosn said. “The relationship is expanding organically and logically.”
“The collaboration achieved a milestone this year, with the first vehicles and engines from the partnership now on the roads,” Zetsche said. “Furthermore, all our engineers are keeping an open mind, looking with fresh eyes at all potential new areas of collaboration.”
Ghosn and Zetsche confirmed that all of the original “pillar projects” announced in 2010 have been accomplished or are on track. The companies are also moving forward with discussions on fuel-cell vehicle powertrains, and they are working on a cross-supply program for battery and powertrain components of zero-emission versions of their small cars.
For the full press release, go to:
http://blog.alliance-renault-nissan.com/node/856
Source: Daimler and Renault-Nissan Alliance

World’s Largest Mobility Trade Fair Closes Recording Huge Rise in Visitors – 354 World Premieres is a New Record

BERLIN and HANOVER, Germany /PRNewswire/ —
Wissmann: The 64th IAA Commercial Vehicles is a resounding success!
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is my pleasure to welcome you most cordially to our final press conference at the 64th IAA Commercial Vehicles. Please allow me to start with my conclusion: never before has an IAA been as exciting as this one! Never before have we had so many new commercial vehicles – vans, heavy trucks, buses – on show as at this exhibition. “Commercial Vehicles – Driving the Future” is the slogan of this IAA. And it has lived up to this aim in full – to showcase the drive for innovation in the entire industry – as the world’s largest trade show for mobility, transport and logistics.
The 354 world premieres – more than two thirds of them from suppliers – set a new record. The number of exhibitors – 1,904 exhibitors from 46 countries – is nine per cent higher than in 2010, and the exhibition space is up by 11 per cent to 260,000 square metres. This IAA Commercial Vehicles has the second largest number of participants and the second largest exhibition area since the IAA was divided into the IAA Cars and the IAA Commercial Vehicles, that is, for 20 years.
We are especially delighted that the number of visitors to the IAA showed a sharp increase. When the IAA closes its doors this evening, over 260,000 people will have visited this key trade fair. That is growth of around 9 per cent compared with 2010. This is a very good result, which is to be regarded as all the more positive when we consider the economic difficulties in Western and Southern Europe. This exhibition has far exceeded our expectations.
To put it in a nutshell: this IAA Commercial Vehicles, with more world premieres, more exhibitors, more space and more visitors, is a resounding success!
Of course there are many aspects that make the IAA attractive. Yet one outshines all the others: the overwhelming number of world premieres that made this IAA so exciting. In addition, only here, at the IAA, can one experience and see the whole commercial vehicle industry – the manufacturers of light and heavy trucks, of vans, of buses, of trailers and bodies, and the entire value-added chain of the suppliers. All together, this gives the exhibitors the economic certainty that this is the place where they meet all the major competitors, and can and should display their innovations in a concentrated fashion at one place: the IAA. This makes the IAA so interesting – as does the increasing number of visitors.
We had briefly presented the most important trends in the run-up to the IAA. And we got it just right. Please allow me to say a few words about the individual focuses:
Euro VI: the commercial vehicle industry is ready to satisfy the demanding Euro VI standard today. The technology exists, and all the manufacturers have heavy Euro VI commercial vehicles in their portfolio. So the classical pollutant emissions are coming down by a huge margin. The reduction in nitrogen oxide is 80 per cent compared to the current Euro V standard, and for particulates the reduction is over two thirds. The drive for innovation in the industry is underlined by the fact that by applying many and varied measures it has been simultaneously possible either to maintain fuel consumption and thus CO2 emissions at a constant level, or even to reduce them.
All possible measures were undertaken to achieve that – which could be seen here at the IAA. This applies above all to aerodynamics, but also to engines and the entire exhaust treatment, in particular the SCR technology. In addition, optimisation of the transmission and ancillary units has in sum resulted in clear reductions in CO2 and increases in efficiency.
We are pleased to see the first-forwarders are already deciding on principle to purchase only new trucks fulfilling the modern Euro VI. This trend is also supported by more and more customers in the transport business – retailers of toiletries, department stores, etc. – attaching great importance to green logistics and the carbon footprint, i.e. wanting the entire logistics chain to be CO2-friendly or even CO2-neutral.
And with buses, too, Euro VI is already “the standard” here in Hannover. The trend in buses is continuing towards efficiency, comfort and safety. Deregulation of long-distance scheduled coach services will lead to the “most socially beneficial mode of transport” being used so that many people will finally be able to realise their desire for mobility – at a very reasonable price. When it comes to the drivetrains, the focus is on fully electric power and hybrid drives.
Aerodynamics was one of the very large topics here at the IAA. Progress has obviously been made in the design of the front of a truck, the connection between the cab and the semi-trailer, the side covers and the rear of the trailer. The manufacturers of trailers and bodies are well on the way here with their clever developments. The manufacturers of commercial vehicle tyres are also making important contributions to bring down the rolling resistance. Driving and rolling resistance account for 30 to 40 per cent of fuel consumption. This is shown in particular by the huge potential for improvements in aerodynamics.
We have shown politicians from Berlin, the German states and Brussels that they should also seize this opportunity and allow more flexibility in the as yet rigid regulations on the length and weight of commercial vehicles. On the open-air site one could see what a semi-trailer combination of the future might look like – with CO2 savings of up to 15 per cent. At present a potential of this magnitude is not to be by any other means, at comparably low cost.
Alternative drive trains/electric mobility: a walking tour of this IAA clearly revealed that today the right drivetrain already exists for every purpose! The range is more extensive than ever before. There is the natural-gas drivetrain for distribution traffic. It can be found in vehicles up to the size of heavy trucks. The advantage of this type of powertrain is that it has virtually no particulate emissions any more – gaseous fuel ensures clean combustion.
Almost all the manufacturers had hybrid vehicles on offer – ranging from small trucks for local distribution all the way to long-distance trucks. So this applies not only to the 7.5-tonners. Hybrid technology can pay off even in 40-tonne trucks. In a truck covering a distance of 150,000 kilometres annually, small savings of just a few per cent add up to a large reduction in CO2.
Many manufacturers also come with fully electric delivery vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes, some of them even heavier. These vans operate with zero local emissions and are so quiet they only “whisper.” The products of the financial service providers in the commercial vehicle trade, for example attractive leasing packages, were the subject of a dedicated specialist event at the IAA.
Another example of rising efficiency is intelligent, anticipatory transmission control: an electronic GPS control unit enables the vehicle to “recognise” the topography of the motorway, and the truck keeps the throttle open before starting a climb – and on gentle downward slopes it uses freewheeling. The strategy for changing gears or for operation of hybrid drives has been optimised to do just this. This is associated with a CO2 saving of up to 4 per cent, as demonstrated by professional truck testers.
That the great majority of truck drivers enjoy their job has also been found in a recent study presented here at the IAA by ZF and Heilbronn University. For drivers to be even more relaxed and concentrated when carrying out their highly responsible transportation tasks, the cab now has further improvements in comfort and quality. Visitors to the IAA had a chance to experience this at first hand by climbing into the driver’s seats of the new models.
Safety: alongside efficiency and comfort, of course safety is one of the main focuses of this IAA. The number of “assistants” supporting the “boss,” that is the truck driver, is increasing all the time: the emergency braking assistant, ESP, lane departure warning, and autonomous intelligent cruise control are just a few of them. Commercial vehicle manufacturers are also making faster progress and have already equipped their latest models with these intelligent aids – long before the EU requirements on ESP and driver-assistance systems come into force in 2014. Naturally, it will take time before they penetrate the entire market. But here in Hannover one can feel that the demand for driver-assistance systems in commercial vehicles is continuing to rise.
Innovations by the suppliers: the large number of innovations presented by over 1,000 exhibiting supply firms here can be illustrated with a few examples. I would like to emphasise the considerable efficiency gains resulting from “intelligent auxiliary consumers” such as air compressors, cooling fluid pumps and oil pumps. In future these units will be variably and electronically controlled to meet needs as they occur, and ensure a CO2 saving of up to 3 per cent. Almost all today’s diesel trucks have common-rail systems. The pressure in the common rail – currently up to 2,500 bar – will continue to increase, and the next target is 3,000 bar! Higher pressure means better combustion, less pollution and lower consumption! This opens up prospects for smaller engine capacities with the same output – and even lower consumption!
Lightweight construction as a strategic task can be followed like a thread running through the exhibition halls, especially those of many suppliers. One example would be the chassis components made of lightweight synthetic composite materials. Another example is recovering energy from the exhaust, which can markedly improve engine efficiency. Prototypes are already in operation, and series production is expected just a few years from now.
Networking/telematics: a genuine “growth topic” at this IAA is the entire networking, telematics, which we covered comprehensively in a very well-attended carIT congress. The strategic task is to optimise the networking of dispatchers, forwarders and customers in such a way that the complete logistics chain is always accessible online via a Smartphone. The trailer manufacturers in particular are very active in the field of telematics. More transparency leads to greater profitability and increased efficiency.
The long truck is already a natural fixture at this IAA. The field trial is under way, and more and more companies are taking part. The initial interim results are very good: the vehicles demonstrate safe and accident-free operation, and consumption per tonne-kilometre is much lower. Practical experience confirms the advantages that we have always pointed out, also at this IAA.
This 64th IAA has shown more than ever before that commercial vehicles set technological trends. This industry is a pioneer in environmental technology and in efficiency, in alternative drivetrains and in optimising the diesel engine. There is enormous potential in aerodynamics which we should exploit.
Moreover, at the IAA it became clear that CO2 reduction is a very key topic in the commercial vehicle industry – even without regulation! A system of regulation based on climate-change mitigation appears to be the wrong approach, in view of this clear development.
It would be more expedient if the politicians pushed forward other approaches to optimisation. These include new, innovative approaches to vehicle dimensions – for instance the long truck – under the principle of “deregulation instead of regulation.” A comprehensive approach to efficiency should include the following points: driver behaviour, optimum fleet management, alternative fuels, improvements to the infrastructure, and intelligent traffic control.
If we in the commercial vehicle sector utilise the market dynamics, then the competition between manufacturers by itself will ensure progress in CO2 innovations.
Following this qualitative tour of the IAA, I would now like to give you some key data:
The number of foreign exhibitors rose by 8 per cent to 1,047, a proportion of 55 per cent. First place among the foreign exhibitors goes to China for the first time (152 exhibitors), followed by Turkey (135) and Italy (134). Our China Day, Turkey Day and India Day also had the right emphases from the viewpoint of the market.
The IAA Commercial Vehicles is a decision-makers’ trade fair. The share of professional visitors is 85 per cent, and on weekdays we recorded top values of 92 per cent. Never before has the IAA Commercial Vehicles been so international: more than one quarter (27 per cent) of the professional visitors came from abroad, and on the second exhibition day this proportion actually reached 46 per cent. The professional visitors came from all continents of the world: not only Europe (62 per cent), but one trade visitor in five came from Asia (21 per cent). The proportion of those attending the IAA from Asia is thus more than twice that in 2010 (10 per cent)! One foreign trade visitor in 11 (9 per cent) came from China alone. Second place goes to the Netherlands (7 per cent), and third place to Sweden (also 7 per cent).
Nearly one third of trade visitors are employed in the automotive industry, and among the foreign trade visitors the figure is one half. Four out of five IAA trade visitors are involved in purchasing and procurement decisions.
One particular statement by more than half the trade visitors (55 per cent) is remarkable: they are planning investments in the commercial vehicle sector in the next six to 12 months. One quarter of these visitors came to the IAA for precisely this reason. One third of IAA visitors (35 per cent) are here for the first time.
Furthermore: two thirds of visitors arrive at the IAA by car, while 15 per cent come by rail. Incidentally, the average IAA visitor has once again become younger. He is almost 40 years old, whereas the average age at the IAA in 2010 was just over 42. The proportion of female visitors rose slightly to 12 per cent, so one IAA visitor in eight is a woman. Numerous international delegations visited the IAA, including groups from the USA, China, Japan, India, Korea, Turkey, Russia and Argentina.
We had 45 VIP walking tours, which is an increase of 15 per cent compared to the IAA in 2010. Our high-ranking guests included Federal Transport Minister Dr Peter Ramsauer, Federal Minister of Economics Dr Philipp Rösler, the State Premier of Lower Saxony David McAllister, and numerous ministers from the German states, state secretaries, and members of the German Bundestag and of the individual state parliaments. The US ambassador, Philipp D. Murphy, was a guest, as was Shi Mingde, the Chinese ambassador to Germany. Senior staff members of the European Commission and numerous MEPs also obtained information at the IAA.
During my walking tours of the trade fair I have spoken with many commercial vehicle manufacturers, makers of trailers and bodies, and suppliers. They are upbeat! We are delighted that the suppliers in particular have benefited from the positive trend in visitor numbers. The IAA, with its international nature and its many visitors who are experts in the commercial vehicle business – and in many cases also potential customers – obviously creates a constructive atmosphere characterised by confident realism.
In co-operation with various partners, the VDA has held over 30 specialist events and symposia at the IAA. I would like to point out especially the Electric Mobility Congress. And the carIT congress was also a great success. A total of 4,300 experts attended the specialist events, which ranged from load securing and numerous awards to financial services, telematics, the Hazardous Goods Day, long-distance coach services, and of course reducing CO2.
Apart from the symposia, above all the special shows on the open-air site were an additional attraction. There were over 1,100 test drives of light and heavy commercial vehicles. And 1,500 visitors took test drives in electric vehicles – which is also a premiere at this IAA. The Innovation Stage with its demonstrations (hosted live) of sustainable road transport also got a keen response.
The IAA Commercial Vehicles was also an occasion for us to arouse the interest of schoolchildren in the topic of freight transport embedded in their lessons, as part of the campaign to attract young people. In our IAA schools campaign we invited teachers to explain to their classes the topics of transport and logistics in a very practical way with an excursion to the IAA. Around 4,750 teachers and schoolchildren accepted the invitation, which was nearly 200 children more than came two years ago. We also had classes from Austria and the Netherlands, who came a long way to the IAA. The programmes for future engineers – GoIng and WorkING – attracted 500 participants. And of course the historic vehicles, the American Trucks and the collectors’ fair “Automania” were again hugely popular with the public at this exhibition.
So, today we can say the results from IAA are extremely positive. And at this point we would like to thank the Deutsche Messe AG for its support, its professional work and its exceptional orientation on service.
After the IAA is before the IAA: one year from now the 65th IAA Cars will begin in Frankfurt am Main (12 to 22 September 2013), and in 2014 we will be back here in Hannover at the 65th IAA Commercial Vehicles (25 September to 2 October 2014). We are looking forward to those events!
Eckehart Rotter
VDA
Tel.: +49-30-897842-120
Mail: rotter@vda.de
http://www.vda.de
Source: German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA)

Korn/Ferry International Appoints Smita Anand To Head Its Leadership And Talent Consulting Business In India

NEW DELHI, Oct. 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — Korn/Ferry International (NYSE:KFY), a premier global provider of talent management solutions, has appointed Smita Anand as Senior Partner and Managing Director of its Leadership and Talent Consulting (LTC) business in India.

Based in Korn/Ferry’s Gurgaon office, Ms. Anand will be responsible for leading the Firm’s Board and CEO Succession offering in Asia. She will also continue to strengthen the LTC business and enhance the client franchise across the Indian market.

Navnit Singh, Chairman and Office Managing Director of Korn/Ferry India, said, “With nearly three decades of experience in management consulting and business leadership roles spanning India, the Middle East, China, and several other markets in the Asia Pacific region, Smita will be a terrific addition to the India team as clients look to us for strategic counsel to help them understand respond to the dynamic talent landscape.”

As a leadership coach and advisor, Ms. Anand has advised chairmen and board members and senior business leaders across Asia on issues ranging from succession, talent, and business alignment. She has helped Asian leaders deal with change contexts such as business turnaround, growth, consolidation, and global expansion.

Before joining Korn/Ferry, Ms. Anand was the President of iDiscoveri Leadership, a leadership and ‘life-long learning’ business in India. Prior to that, she was the Regional Director for Aon-Hewitt’s Asia-Pacific Consulting business. Based in Shanghai, Ms. Anand had overall responsibility for strategizing and realizing customer, business, quality and team goals for a diverse region, spanning 10 countries and 18 offices.

Earlier, Ms. Anand was head of Human Capital Services for PricewaterhouseCoopers in India, and has also been a senior consultant at Ernst & Young.

“CEO succession is one the most significant challenges in Asia today, as the current generation of leaders prepare for the transition to the next. Smita will be critical in extending our growing impact on CEO transitions across the region,” said Indranil Roy, Managing Director for Korn/Ferry Leadership and Talent Consulting, Asia Pacific. “In India, we already have a strong team in place. Smita will be instrumental in taking our India practice to the next level of success. I am thrilled to have her on the team,” he added.

Ms. Anand holds a Masters in Business Administration with specialization in Human Resources from Allahabad University and a Bachelor of Arts from Lucknow University. She is also trained in, and is an accredited user of assessment tools such as Human Synergistics, FACET 5, Hogan Assessments, and MBTI.

About Korn/Ferry International Asia Pacific
Korn/Ferry International, with a presence throughout the Americas, Asia Pacific, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, is a premier global provider of talent management solutions. Korn/Ferry, based in Los Angeles, was the first major global executive search firm to operate in Asia Pacific when it opened its doors in Tokyo in 1973. Today it has 18 offices in key business centers throughout the region. Korn/Ferry delivers an array of solutions that help clients to attract, engage, develop, and retain their talent.

Visit http://www.kornferry.com for more information about the firm, and http://www.kornferryinstitute.com for thought leadership, intellectual property and research.

Optimize Your Supply Chain Management and Logistics Operations in Asia

SINGAPORE /PRNewswire/ — Kalpesh Pathak, Assistant Vice President at Fiat has recently confirmed that he will be joining over 150 supply chain and logistics professionals at the Supply Chain & Logistics Summit Asia to share his insights into how to stay competitive in Asia.
As a result of the current economic climate, supply chain industry experts across the globe, and especially in Asia, are under pressure to increase efficiency as costs continue to rise. Increasingly success is determined by strategic decisions. Mr Pathak will address these issues during his presentation: integrating new supply chain and logistics business models to stay competitive in Asia.
He will present on day one of the executive level event in Singapore and will cover specifically how to learn from other sectors and cross pollinating best practices in supply chains between various industries.
The Supply Chain & Logistics Summit Asia takes place in the Ritz-Carlton, Millennia in Singapore between the 8th-9th January 2013 and consists of case studies, keynotes, streamed sessions and interactive workshops as well as pre-arranged one-to-one meetings and themed luncheons designed specifically for the manufacturing industry.
Other headline sessions on the event program include:
Ensuring Accurate Demand Forecasting Despite Intense Market Volatility
Daryll Mascarenhas, General Manager Supply Chain, GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals
Enhanced Inventory Optimisation Strategies in Asia
Rajesh Pednekar, Head of Distribution, Pfizer
Achieving S&OP Planning Success
Dr. Christian Borel, Director Sales & Operations Planning, Merck Serono
Complexity Reduction Despite New Product Introductions and Geographical Expansion
Rahul Teotia, VP -Sourcing & Supply Chain, Blue Scope Steel Asia
About the Supply Chain & Logistics Summit Asia 2013
View the Supply Chain & Logistics Summit Asia Program at http://www.sclasiasummit.com/program
The summit takes place on 8th-9th January 2013 at the Rtiz-Carlton Millenia, Singapore
See attendee list at http://sclas.wtginternational.com/delegates_login_if.asp?mc=null
Secure your place at http://sclas.wtginternational.com/delegate_reg1_if.asp?mc=null
About World Trade Group:
World Trade Group (WTG) is a leading global integrated media company. Operating across several sectors, we organize and run leading annual business events, bringing together senior executives from world class organizations for a unique blend of knowledge sharing, networking and deal making.
WTG – helping the world do business since 1997.http://www.worldtradegroup.com
For further information, please email the summit marketing manager Sema Tezel on sema.tezel@wtgevents.com or call +65-6933-9371 or +44(0)20-7202-7690.
Source: World Trade Group Conferences

Porsche Panamera Sport Turismo Concept Car

PARIS and STUTTGART, Germany, Sept. 27, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — Porsche is presenting the Panamera Sport Turismo concept car to show how amazingly intelligent and efficient drive technology might look in the design language of tomorrow. The Sport Turismo unites the next generation hybrid drive with new ideas for an evolutionary, sporty body concept; it combines Porsche performance with comprehensive everyday practicality.

A Picture of the Panamera Sport Turismo concept car is available for download at:
(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120926/564673 )

For further information visit the Panamera Sport Turismo Microsite at:
http://www.porsche.com/microsite/sport-turismo/international.aspx

Media-Contact:

Lukas Kunze
Telefon +49-(0)711-911- 9011
E-Mail lukas.kunze@porsche.de

INFRAWARE to Offer Polaris Office (iOS version) for Just US$9.99, Beginning Oct. 1

SEOUL, South Korea/PRNewswire/ —
A 50% discount in celebration of the release of iPhone 5
Essential companion for professionals that allows document viewing and editing on iPhone and iPad
Localized in 7 languages including English, French, German and Spanish
INFRAWARE, a leading mobile solution and application developer, today announced a special price promotion for Polaris Office in celebration of the release of iPhone 5. Beginning October 1, the app will be available in the business category of App Store for just US$9.99, down from an original price of US$19.99.
Polaris Office is the most optimized document solution to utilize Microsoft® Office on mobile devices. With the app, users can not only view doc/docx, xls/xlsx, ppt/pptx, and txt files, but also conveniently edit them on the iPhone and iPad. Helpful templates, various editing tools and an intuitive interface also enable users to realize all text, charts, and pictures made with Microsoft Office on a PC the same as the original itself with no degradation.
With its latest upgrade, Polaris Office features convenient and enhanced support for the Bluetooth keyboard by offering the following: use of direction keys, implementing shortcuts, and 3 additional localized language options including French, German, and Spanish. The app was previously localized in English, Korean, Chinese and Japanese. iOS users who work on documents through their iPads will be able to use Polaris Office more effectively as a result of this upgrade.
“Topping the ranks in the App Store’s business category, Polaris Office has truly caught on worldwide as an essential companion for professionals,” said Mr. Min Cheol Kwak, CEO of INFRAWARE. “With the release of iPhone 5, INFRAWARE is offering a special opportunity for iOS users to experience Polaris Office at a discounted price.”
In addition to its document viewing and editing features, Polaris Office also integrates cloud technology so users can easily share documents through services like Google Docs, Dropbox, and Box.net. It also features the fastest loading speed among existing mobile office solutions – taking only 3 seconds to load, which is about 20 times faster than similar products.
Polaris Office is currently utilized in approximately 190 countries and embedded in over 150 million Android-based smartphones annually.
About INFRAWARE
Based in Seoul, South Korea, INFRAWARE secures technology in the modern convergent environment and develops new products to apply new technologies to bolster today’s ubiquitous internet environment. The company is committed to realizing a fully connected world where everyone can access the internet at anytime, anywhere, by continuously researching, developing, and investing in cutting edge digital progress. INFRAWARE has been listed under 041020 on the Korean Stock Exchange KOSDAQ since 2005. Additional information about INFRAWARE is available at http://www.infraware.co.kr / http://www.polarisoffice.com.
Contact:
Jee-Young Jung
Manager / Product Planning Team
INFRAWARE
Phone: +822-535-0478
E-mail: jyjung@infraware.co.kr
Jihye Seong
Senior Associate
Phone: +822-3782-6464
E-mail: Jihye.Seong@bm.com
Source: INFRAWARE