Archive for June 18th, 2014
Honeywell Celebrates 10th Anniversary of Inspiration at Honeywell Educators @ Space Academy
More than 2 million students reached and inspired by 2,176 math & science teachers from 55 countries since 2004; One Singaporean teacher will attend the 2014 program; 10 alumni representing each year to be guests-of-honor
SINGAPORE, June 11, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — More than 200 teachers from around the world, including one from Singapore, are gearing up to take the trip of a lifetime to Honeywell Educators @ Space Academy (HESA) – the ‘game-changing’ experience celebrating its 10th anniversary of inspiring teachers who, in turn, inspire students to pursue science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education and careers.
Created in partnership with the U.S. Space & Rocket Center (USSRC), Honeywell (NYSE:HON) developed the award-winning scholarship program to help middle school math and science teachers become more effective educators in STEM. During the past 10 years, Honeywell has awarded scholarships to 2,176 teachers from 55 countries, including three from Singapore.
This year, Sandi Suat Sie Kum, a teacher at Raffles Girls’ School Secondary in Singapore, is among the 204 teachers from 27 countries chosen to attend one of two five-day programs offered over consecutive weeks from June 11-24 at the USSRC in Huntsville, Ala. Teachers will be given rigorous training focused on science and space exploration including astronaut-style exercises like high-performance jet simulation, scenario-based space mission, land and water survival training, and interactive flight dynamics programs.
Since 2004, educators have shared their experiences and knowledge to more than 2 million students, inspiring many to pursue STEM education and careers. From winning grants from local and federal governments, to entering students in international and NASA educational projects, to creating STEM-focused after school programs, the impact of the program is continuing beyond the classroom. To help mark the program’s decade-long run, 10 HESA alumni have been selected, one representing each year, to be the guests-of-honor at the graduation ceremony on June 23.
Jim Bujold, president of Honeywell Southeast Asia (Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Philippines), encourages more teachers in the region to apply for this legacy program of Honeywell, which is “all about re-igniting passion in teachers.”
“The experience of discovering new ways of delivering lesson plans will stay with the teachers, who then will leverage it to inspire the next generation of engineers, programmers, mathematicians and astronauts in this country. It is truly not a one-time program,” he said.
According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, in the last 10 years, the demand for STEM related jobs grew three times faster than jobs in other fields. However, according to the U.S. Education Department, only 16 percent of high school seniors are considered proficient in mathematics and interested in a STEM career. Only half of those students who pursue STEM courses in college actually go on to careers in STEM fields.
“Honeywell is a world-class leader when it comes to educating teachers in STEM education and they’re proving it again,” noted Dr. Deborah Barnhart, CEO and executive director of USSRC. “These teachers, in turn, inspire tens of thousands of students around the world every year. We are pleased to partner with Honeywell in helping to build the next STEM generation.”
Hear what these HESA alumni had to say about the program:
“My experience at HESA was the pebble in the pond – the ripples are continuous and still growing. This summer a former student is interning at NASA. Due to my experience at HESA, my students have access to the world outside our town and their aspirations seem more accessible now!“ Sarah Hardy Farnham, Maine, USA
“In more than 25 years of teaching, HESA has been the most fundamental and invigorating professional development of my career. The skills, knowledge and enthusiasm that I developed through HESA have undoubtedly had a positive effect on me, my students and teachers not just from my school, but also in schools around the region. As a result, I have received recognition at state and national levels.” Ken Silburn, Australia
To attend Honeywell Educators @ Space Academy, candidates must complete a thorough application process. Qualified teachers are awarded scholarships, round-trip airfare, tuition, meals and accommodations sponsored by Honeywell and its employees.
Supporting Resources
- Video featuring program highlights
- Read more about HESA
- Follow @HON_Citizenshipon Twitter
- Like Honeywell Educators on Facebook
- Subscribe to Honeywell’s Corporate RSS feed
About Honeywell
Honeywell (www.honeywell.com) is a Fortune 100 diversified technology and manufacturing leader, serving customers worldwide with aerospace products and services; control technologies for buildings, homes and industry; turbochargers; and performance materials. Based in Morris Township, N.J., Honeywell’s shares are traded on the New York, London, and Chicago Stock Exchanges. Today, Honeywell’s businesses have strong presence in Singapore and employ over 1,110 people in the country. For more news and information on Honeywell, please visit http://www.honeywellnow.com/ .
About Honeywell Hometown Solutions
Honeywell Educators @ Space Academy is part of Honeywell Hometown Solutions, the company’s corporate citizenship initiative, which focuses on five areas of vital importance: Science & Math Education, Family Safety & Security, Housing & Shelter, Habitat & Conservation, and Humanitarian Relief. Together with leading public and non-profit institutions, Honeywell has developed powerful programs to address these needs in the communities it serves. For more information, please visit http://citizenship.honeywell.com/.
Related stocks: NYSE:HON
TEENs Study Shows Achieving Target Blood Sugar Levels is Associated with Better Quality of Life for Young People with Type 1 Diabetes
PARIS /PRNewswire/ — Sanofi (EURONEXT: SAN and NYSE: SNY) announced today the first results of the TEENs Registry Study, the largest contemporary real-world study of the care of nearly 6,000 young people with type 1 diabetes, ages 8 to 25. The findings not only highlighted that over 70% of youths are not attaining their blood sugar target levels (measured by HbA1C), but also that achieving target HbA1C is associated with a significantly better quality of life (QoL) for young people (p<0.05).
The TEENs Study investigated factors associated with better blood sugar control (defined as achieving target HbA1C levels recommended by international organizations) and QoL per age class, with three predefined age groups of 8-12, 13-18, and 19-25 years. The key factors identified were a younger age (8 to 12 years), balanced family support for diabetes management, and absence of family financial burden related to diabetes. The TEENs Study findings will help set a foundation for recommendations to enhance care aimed at improving disease management and patient outcomes. The findings were presented at the 74th Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association in San Francisco.
“The TEENs Study provides exceptional, contemporary data related to the care and outcomes of young people with type 1 diabetes from around the globe. In particular, the study aimed at identifying modifiable barriers to diabetes management, especially during the transition from pediatric to adult care, and is providing an assessment of the challenges facing teens with type 1 diabetes and a unique view of young adults,” saidLori Laffel MD MPH, Associate Professor/Chief of the Pediatric, Adolescent and Young Adult Section of the Joslin Diabetes Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, U.S. and Co-Chair of the TEENs Registry Study Steering Committee. “The findings from the TEENs Study can help us to design new approaches to care that can overcome many of the challenges associated with suboptimal glycemic control and psychosocial burdens of care in order to help young people with type 1 diabetes and their families.”
“Sanofi is committed to advancing knowledge in type 1 diabetes to improve disease management and outcomes,” said Pierre Chancel, Senior Vice President, Global Diabetes, Sanofi. “Overall, insights from TEENS give us a unique opportunity to better assess the unmet needs of children, teens and young adults with type 1 diabetes, thereby enhancing their glycemic control and quality of life as well as limiting their risk of long-term complications.”
Sanofi has partnered with more than 200 clinics, centers and hospitals, notably with the T1D Exchange in the US, for interviewing healthcare providers, youths with type 1 diabetes, and their families in 20 countries (within Europe, the US, Latin America, Middle East, North Africa, South Africa, India). The results showed that achieving target HbA1Cwas associated with a significantly better QoL (p<0.05) in a real life setting. The TEENs Study findings also showed that over 70% of people aged 8 to 25 years were not achieving their HbA1C target according to international guidelines, with only 32% of 8 to 12 year olds and 29% of 13 to 18 year olds (ISPAD guidelines), and 19% of 19 to 25 year olds (ADA guidelines) reaching HbA1C targets.
Furthermore, the TEENs findings suggest that young people with type 1 diabetes can increase their chances of reaching their target HbA1C levels and having a better QoL by modifying approaches to diabetes management and education, such as using advanced intensive insulin regimens, performing frequent blood sugar monitoring (more than three times a day), engaging in regular exercise, and attending to dietary management. Family support has also been identified as a key factor influencing glycemic control (family involvement, absence of diabetes-specific family conflicts), as well as maintaining parental working activities, which was also linked to better QoL for young people with type 1 diabetes. Absence of financial burden related to diabetes was also associated with better glycemic control and QoL for young people with type 1 diabetes.
The TEENs abstracts are titled:
- Global Assessment of Factors Associated with Target Glycemic Control in Youth with Type 1 Diabetes (T1D): the TEENs Study (Laffel et al. Oral presentation,June 13, 6:00 pm PST, abstract # 32-OR)
- Opportunities to Enhance Diabetes-specific Quality of Life (QoL) in Youth with Type 1 Diabetes (T1D): the Global TEENs Study (Anderson et al. Oral presentation, June 16, 9:00 am PST, abstract # 259-OR)
- Diabetes-specific Health-related Quality of Life (QoL) in a Sample of US Youth with Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) in the TEENs Study (Anderson et al. Poster presentation, June 14, 11:30 am to 1:30 pm PST, abstract # 1247-P)
About Sanofi
Sanofi, a global healthcare leader, discovers, develops and distributes therapeutic solutions focused on patients’ needs. Sanofi has core strengths in the field of healthcare with seven growth platforms: diabetes solutions, human vaccines, innovative drugs, consumer healthcare, emerging markets, animal health and the new Genzyme. Sanofi is listed in Paris (EURONEXT: SAN) and in New York (NYSE: SNY).
Forward Looking Statements
Sanofi Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts. These statements include projections and estimates and their underlying assumptions, statements regarding plans, objectives, intentions and expectations with respect to future financial results, events, operations, services, product development and potential, and statements regarding future performance. Forward-looking statements are generally identified by the words “expects”, “anticipates”, “believes”, “intends”, “estimates”, “plans” and similar expressions. Although Sanofi’s management believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, investors are cautioned that forward-looking information and statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties, many of which are difficult to predict and generally beyond the control of Sanofi, that could cause actual results and developments to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied or projected by, the forward-looking information and statements. These risks and uncertainties include among other things, the uncertainties inherent in research and development, future clinical data and analysis, including post marketing, decisions by regulatory authorities, such as the FDA or the EMA, regarding whether and when to approve any drug, device or biological application that may be filed for any such product candidates as well as their decisions regarding labelling and other matters that could affect the availability or commercial potential of such product candidates, the absence of guarantee that the product candidates if approved will be commercially successful, the future approval and commercial success of therapeutic alternatives, the Group’s ability to benefit from external growth opportunities, trends in exchange rates and prevailing interest rates, the impact of cost containment policies and subsequent changes thereto, the average number of shares outstanding as well as those discussed or identified in the public filings with the SEC and the AMF made by Sanofi, including those listed under “Risk Factors” and “Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” in Sanofi’s annual report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2013. Other than as required by applicable law, Sanofi does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information or statements.
Frost & Sullivan Lauds ABICOR BINZEL for its Technology Excellence in Designing Industry-first and Scientifically Attested Products that Best Address Market Trends
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. /PRNewswire/ — Based on its recent analysis of the welding torches market, Frost & Sullivan recognizes ABICOR BINZEL (BINZEL) with the 2013 Europe Frost & Sullivan Award for Product Leadership. BINZEL’s advanced line of lighter-weight and feature-rich torches for manual welding delivers high performance and value to users. The company’s commitment to product development has led to high acceptance of its products – the ABIMIG® A T LW Torch line and the RAB GRIP Line of Fume Extraction Torches.
Click here for the full multi-media experience of this release – http://bit.ly/1oGJE96
The air-cooled ABIMIG® A T LW Torch uses aluminium in the ‘BIKOX® LW’ cable lines, which reduces the weight of the torch and eventually, eliminates the laboriousness associated with traditional torches. The torch features a flexible neck facilitated by the torch’s ‘T interface’. This design enables the welder to easily change the torch neck for different welding requirements in less than a minute, without requiring any equipment. With this welders always have best accessibility to the components to be welded by adopting the welding torch and not forcing their body to be in an unhealthy posture.
ABIMIG® A T LW Torch’s modular attribute has given it a competitive edge over the traditional welding torches in terms of enhanced efficiency, improved ergonomics, and reduced operational costs. Further, to enable welders to better grip the torch, BINZEL has designed the handle of the torch using 2K components that give a soft feel.
Meanwhile, the company’s RAB GRIP Line of torches with value-added features reduces the cost of welding by nearly 20 percent by doing away with the need for external protection systems. This solution is fully compatible with the company’s FES-200 units and delivers a best-in-class fume extraction efficiency of 95 percent. The fumes released during the welding processes are trapped and extracted right at the arc, which is the release point of the fumes. The unique FES-200 W3 – licensed for all CrNi steel, also features an audible meter that alerts the user when the filter needs to be cleaned. It also reduces noise pollution and helps customers achieve high energy efficiency. It was developed specifically to meet the demands of chrome and nickel material jointing and is certified by the Institute of Work Safety with the W3 license for all welding applications.
The RAB GRIP Line also features a softer ‘black’ grip design and ‘BIKOX® LW’ cable lines, which reduces the weight of these torches by almost 15 percent. The key differentiating start-stop characteristic of the FES-200 unit, which is automated, enables the unit to function only when welding is in progress. This extends the life of the motor nearly five times.
Leveraging its customer-centric focus on improving the safety and health of welders, BINZEL has successfully increased the annual production volume of its advanced fume extraction torches by around 30 percent over 2011. The company sells more than 500,000 welding torches a year, despite not being a one-stop supplier of welding equipment.
“These breakthrough offerings are completely compatible with all the welding power sources dominant across the globe. BINZEL always makes sure all its technologies are patent-protected in terms of design, utility or full range of features,” said Frost & Sullivan Research Analyst Guru Mahesh. “Moreover, it ensures the durability of its offerings through the offer of top-quality accessories such as suction funnels. This allows its customers to enjoy a consistent increase in their welding efficiency standards.”
To further ensure that its customers continue to enjoy this significant rise in their operational efficiencies, BINZEL has established an international sales network to speed up the delivery of its offerings (including wearing and spare parts), not just in Europe but across the world.
“Through its offer of the ABIMIG® A T LW Torch line as well as the RAB GRIP Line of Torches, BINZEL has played a vital role in improving the safety and the health conditions of welders involved in manual welding,” noted Mahesh. “Overall, the use of these products results in a significant leap in the productivity levels of the customers’ operational processes through the optimization of both time and operational expenditures.”
Each year, Frost & Sullivan presents this award to the company that has demonstrated innovation in product features and functionality that provides enhanced quality and higher value to customers. The award recognizes the rapid acceptance such innovation finds in the marketplace.
Frost & Sullivan Best Practices awards recognize companies in a variety of regional and global markets for demonstrating outstanding achievement and superior performance in areas such as leadership, technological innovation, customer service and strategic product development. Industry analysts compare market participants and measure performance through in-depth interviews, analysis and extensive secondary research to identify best practices in the industry.
About ABICOR BINZEL (BINZEL)
To recognize technological trends and innovative design is one of the power of our company. Founded 1945 Alexander Binzel Schweisstechnik GmbH & Co. KG early specialized in the development and production of inert-gas shielded welding and cutting torches for MIG/MAG, TIG and plasma.
Since that time many patented developments characterize the world of welding and cutting and put an international standard.
With more than 34 subsidiaries, more than 20 exclusive sales partners and over 1.000 employees worldwide the ABICOR BINZEL Group is represented in more than 50 countries.
Our production plants are located in the headquaters in Buseck, near Gießen and in our plant in Dresden – both in Germany, as well as in the United States, Brazil, India, Chinaand Russia.
In 1997 the Company brand ABICOR BINZEL was established as the expression of a company strategy depending on innovation and globalization following a clear brand policy.
About Frost & Sullivan
Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, works in collaboration with clients to leverage visionary innovation that addresses the global challenges and related growth opportunities that will make or break today’s market participants.
Our “Growth Partnership” supports clients by addressing these opportunities and incorporating two key elements driving visionary innovation: The Integrated Value Proposition and The Partnership Infrastructure.
- The Integrated Value Proposition provides support to our clients throughout all phases of their journey to visionary innovation including: research, analysis, strategy, vision, innovation and implementation.
- The Partnership Infrastructure is entirely unique as it constructs the foundation upon which visionary innovation becomes possible. This includes our 360 degree research, comprehensive industry coverage, career best practices as well as our global footprint of more than 40 offices.
For more than 50 years, we have been developing growth strategies for the global 1000, emerging businesses, the public sector and the investment community. Is your organization prepared for the next profound wave of industry convergence, disruptive technologies, increasing competitive intensity, Mega Trends, breakthrough best practices, changing customer dynamics and emerging economies?
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Contact:
Andrea Short
P: +1-210-477-8425
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E: andrea.short@frost.com
Convert Website Visitors Into Customers with Shorter Content
NEW YORK /PRNewswire/ — For small business owners, your website is the central hub of your online marketing presence and a crucial component to building brand awareness. Often times, the desire to convey everything about your company results in text-heavy web content that can be a detriment to your site visitors and eventually, your business. Some of the benefits of shorter web content are:
- Succinct messages are clearer and easier for consumers to understand
- Leads will be more inspired to contact you quickly if there is less information to sift through
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For more on the benefits of shorter web content, view the latest blog post titled “Website Content: The Long, and The Short” on PR Newswire’s Small Business Toolkit:http://bit.ly/1lcXj4V
PR Newswire’s Small Business PR Toolkit is a comprehensive resource that provides small businesses and entrepreneurs the tools to develop an affordable public relations and marketing plan that helps generate interest from potential customers, engage with key audiences and grow their businesses. The toolkit features relevant content such as informative white papers, interactive webinars and how-to articles and premium access to educational resources, as well as the opportunity to take advantage of special offers designed specifically for small businesses. To request information on how PR Newswire can help your small business, click here. You can receive updates on new Small Business PR Toolkit content by following @prnsmallbiz on Twitter.
About PR Newswire
PR Newswire (www.prnewswire.com) is the premier global provider of multimedia platforms that enable marketers, corporate communicators, sustainability officers, public affairs and investor relations officers to leverage content to engage with all their key audiences. Having pioneered the commercial news distribution industry 60 years ago, PR Newswire today provides end-to-end solutions to produce, optimize and target content — from rich media to online video to multimedia — and then distribute content and measure results across traditional, digital, mobile and social channels. Combining the world’s largest multi-channel, multi-cultural content distribution and optimization network with comprehensive workflow tools and platforms, PR Newswire enables the world’s enterprises to engage opportunity everywhere it exists. PR Newswire serves tens of thousands of clients from offices in the Americas, Europe, Middle East, Africa and the Asia-Pacific region, and is a UBM plc company.
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Media Contact:
Sarah Skerik
VP, Communications
sarah.skerik@prnewswire.com
+1.201.360.6710
How Has the Global Digital Wave Spurred the Demand for Broadcast and DTT Video Encoders?
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. /PRNewswire/ — Network upgrades, digitization in emerging economies and coverage of important live events, as well as focus on video quality and bandwidth efficiency have lent impetus to the global broadcast and digital terrestrial television (DTT) video encoders market. The market will continue to grow steadily as the advent of high efficiency video coding (HEVC) disrupts network upgrade strategies and new vendors compete strongly with traditional vendors to provide a differentiated solution.
A new analysis from Frost & Sullivan, Global Analysis of the Broadcast and DTT Video Encoder Market, finds that the market earned revenues of $321.9 million in 2013 and estimates this to reach $505.4 million by 2018.
For complimentary access to more information on this research, please visit:http://bit.ly/1q4OHoN
“Broadcasters are introducing premium channels and services in a bid to compete with pay TV and over-the-top content, thereby fuelling demand for advanced video encoders,” said Frost & Sullivan Digital Media Industry Analyst Prayerna Raina. “Emerging countries will witness the highest growth in this market, although emphasis on increasing the number of HD channels and ultra-HD in the mid to long term, will open up new revenue streams in fully digitized economies.”
Since countries are at different stages of network migration, the test for global vendors is to meet the varying customer needs by offering multi-format, high performance, low-cost and future-proof solutions.
Further, in an intensely competitive market where new vendors are successfully addressing network transition challenges, it is imperative for established vendors to proactively build products with customization capabilities that can also be expanded to new formats. Additionally, encoder vendors must respond to trends that could impact their product evolution strategy, such as migration to IP backhaul, leaner distribution/backhaul networks, and deployment of end-to-end solutions.
“As broadcasters prepare to provide live transmission of key sporting and political events over the next five years, growth opportunities in the contribution, distribution, backhaul and DTT segments cannot be overlooked,” observed Raina. “With broadcasters looking to transition their network costs consciously, support for multiple formats, as well as software and field upgrades will be critical to gain market share in the coming years.”
Global Analysis of the Broadcast and DTT Video Encoder Market is part of theDigital Media (http://www.digitalmedia.frost.com) Growth Partnership Service program. Frost & Sullivan’s related studies include: Global Video and Ad Insertion Server Market, Global Software Monetization Market, Global Licensed/Managed Content Delivery Networks (CDN) Market, and Global Enterprise Video Webcasting Solutions Market. All studies included in subscriptions provide detailed market opportunities and industry trends evaluated following extensive interviews with market participants.
About Frost & Sullivan
Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, works in collaboration with clients to leverage visionary innovation that addresses the global challenges and related growth opportunities that will make or break today’s market participants.
Our “Growth Partnership” supports clients by addressing these opportunities and incorporating two key elements driving visionary innovation: The Integrated Value Proposition and The Partnership Infrastructure.
- The Integrated Value Proposition provides support to our clients throughout all phases of their journey to visionary innovation including: research, analysis, strategy, vision, innovation and implementation.
- The Partnership Infrastructure is entirely unique as it constructs the foundation upon which visionary innovation becomes possible. This includes our 360 degree research, comprehensive industry coverage, career best practices as well as our global footprint of more than 40 offices.
For more than 50 years, we have been developing growth strategies for the global 1000, emerging businesses, the public sector and the investment community. Is your organization prepared for the next profound wave of industry convergence, disruptive technologies, increasing competitive intensity, Mega Trends, breakthrough best practices, changing customer dynamics and emerging economies?
Contact Us: Start the discussion
Subscribe: Newsletter on “the next big thing”
Register: Gain access to visionary innovation
Global Analysis of the Broadcast and DTT Video Encoder Market
ND33-70
Contact:
Clarissa Castaneda
Corporate Communications – North America
P: 210.477.8481
F: 210.348.1003
E: clarissa.castaneda@frost.com
Global Retail CEO Survey Reveals 83 Percent of CEOs Believe Supply Chains Are “Not Optimal” to Meet Today’s Omni-Channel Shopping Demands
Over 50 percent of retail CEOs see supply chain as strategic differentiator, but many are not making required transformation to take advantage of the pace of change
SINGAPORE, June 17, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — Digitally-connected consumers have turned retail models upside down as omni-channel shopping has transformed supply chain from an important business concern to a mission critical one. So profound is this change that 50 percent of CEOs recognize that their supply chain can be a strategic differentiator. However, 83 percent of worldwide CEOs believe that their retail supply chains are currently “not optimal” for today’s changing retail environment.
In a global retail CEO survey of over 400 retail industry CEOs conducted by PwC for JDA Software titled: CEO Viewpoint: The Strategic Role of Supply Chain in an All-Channel World, CEOs indicated what they are doing to adapt to this changing environment and establish a new foundation for growth.
As mobile commerce comes of age, one of the biggest challenges facing CEOs is managing the transformation to omni-channel retail. However, only 34 percent of CEOs consider the rise of omni-channel shopping to be an external threat, while only 22 percent said it will have a direct impact on their organization.
“The rise of omni-channel is one of the most transformational shifts that has occurred in retail in recent times,” said Baljit Dail, chairman of the board and interim CEO, JDA Software. “Retailers who don’t understand the strategic alignment of their supply chain with consumer expectations are in danger of becoming non-competitive. This isn’t about making a tweak to the operating model, it requires a massive change. The good news appears to be that there is an emerging group of visionary CEOs who understand that staying competitive during this inflection point requires a dramatic shift of their current operating models to deliver operational effectiveness and top- and bottom-line growth.”
CEO Priorities Focused on “Traditional” Growth Areas
CEOs say their top priorities are centered on more traditional areas of growth — by entering into new regions and markets, by opening more stores, or through mergers and acquisitions. These priorities highlight potential missed opportunities for more than two-thirds of CEOs who failed to consider enhancing distribution capacity and supply chain as a key contributor to drive profitable growth.
Competitive Threats Tops List of CEO Concerns
CEOs think three fundamental risks will have the most impact on their organization over the next three years: increasing competitive threats (41 percent), margin erosion and cost reduction (39 percent), and attracting and retaining customers (24 percent).
These answers reveal a potentially sizable gap between recognized risk and a strategy to address that risk. While there are plenty of exceptions, maintaining a strong customer value proposition is directly tied to supply chain proficiency.
“Our Foot Locker supply chain is changing in the face of multi-channel shopping. We’re making it more responsive and faster,” said Ken Hicks, president and CEO, Foot Locker. “We are looking at new ideas and new ways to distribute goods, not just to get them to the store, but also to the customer.”
CEOs Who Focused on Supply Chain Delivered Higher Margins at Lower Costs
Fifty percent of CEOs recognize that their supply chain can be a strategic differentiator. The survey also revealed that CEOs who focus on optimizing their supply chains have 15 percent lower supply chain costs, less than half the inventory levels and more than three times shorter cash-to-cash cycles.
“Supply chain has moved from the back office to the store front as consumers seek to seamlessly shop across virtual and brick-and-mortar channels,” says Bruce H. Rogers, chief insights officer, Forbes Media. “Our research highlights both the opportunities and challenges today’s retail CEOs face in mastering this all-important discipline. To do it well, CEOs are shifting their capital investments and business priorities as well as applying innovations to drive a more strategic supply chain that’s aligned with their business growth.”
Only 15 percent of CEOs believe that their supply chain today is resilient enough to address the threat of external disruptions. While CEOs who have focused on supply chain have seen results, there is an opportunity for additional investment in the space versus other categories of IT spending.
“Taking a cautious, incremental approach to this kind of market disruption can be a deadly course of action,” saidDail. “There seems to be a clear disconnect between the actions required to make the transformation to today’s retail environment with what is being currently done by many of these companies. With speed as the new currency, accelerating time to market and responsiveness through an agile, connected supply chain must be closely aligned with growth priorities to successfully compete and defend profit margins.”
To download the entire survey findings, click here. To learn more about how end-to-end supply chain planning and execution can help drive your business forward, contact JDA at info@jda.com.
Tweet this: #Retail CEOs share biggest #supplychain ops & threats in @JDASoftware, @PwC_LLP & @ForbesInsights global CEO survey: http://jda.com/twpwcs
Survey Methodology
To gain deeper insights into how visionary CEOs are preparing to manage and grow their enterprises in an increasingly complex omni-channel world, JDA Software commissioned PwC’s International Survey Unit to conduct an onlineglobal survey of 409 retail chief executives. Of the companies, 76 had revenues of US$1 billion or more, 139 companies were between US$250 million and US$1 billion, and the remaining companies had revenues between US$5 million and US$250 million. The executives represented all major subsectors of the retail industry, with the biggest groups coming from category specialists (86) and non-store retail (53). The survey targeted the following countries: Australia, Canada, China, Germany, Russia, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States.
About JDA Software Group, Inc.
JDA Software is the leading provider of supply chain, manufacturing planning, retail planning, store operations and collaborative category management solutions. JDA’s innovative solutions and unmatched industry expertise help companies streamline their supply chain, optimize inventory, labor and customer service levels, and deliver increased profits. As a result, JDA’s solutions have become the industry standard for more than 4,000 of the world’s leading retailers, manufacturers and distributors. To learn more, visit jda.com or email info@jda.com.
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Apl.de.ap From Black Eyed Peas to Headline the EF Summeranza 2014 Festival in London, England
ZURICH/PRNewswire/ —
Member of superstar group to launch solo career with DJ set at student festival
Apl.de.ap from Black Eyed Peas is set to headline EF Summeranza 2014, the ultimate student festival, hosted by EF Education First. This annual festival will bring 5,000 EF students from 50 countries to Kempton Park outside London on July 10, 2014. Festivalgoers will get an exclusive chance to see apl.de.ap’s DJ set and hear Black Eyed Peas hits, as well as solo material. UK boy band Room 94 will open the show.
(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140617/692954 )
A founding member of the Black Eyed Peas, apl.de.ap was integral to the band’s phenomenal success. With more than 76m records sold, and global hits such as “Where Is the Love” and “I Gotta Feeling”, the group is one of the most successful pop acts of all time. Following in the footsteps of fellow band members Fergie, will.i.am and Taboo, apl.de.ap is launching a solo career and looks forward to delighting fans with more hits. Apl.de.ap is also an active philanthropist through his Apl Foundation, focused on educational projects in Asia.
“I’m excited to come to Summeranza and to play my set in front of such an international audience,” says apl.de.ap.
“We’re thrilled to have apl.de.ap DJ at Summeranza 2014,” says Johan Skaar, president of EF Language Travel. “EF is the only language study organization that can throw an event like this, and working with an artist that shares our mission of opening the world through education is amazing.”
About EF Summeranza
Summeranza is EF’s annual festival exclusively for EF students, and headlined by the world’s biggest artists, including Sky Blu of LMFAO in 2013, will.i.am in 2012, Ke$ha in 2011 and DJ Bob Sinclar in 2010. More information: http://www.ef.com/summeranza.
About EF Education First
Established in 1965 with the mission to open the world through education, EF Education First (EF) is the world’s leading international education company. EF (http://www.ef.com) has helped millions of students learn a new language and travel abroad. With a network of 500 schools and offices worldwide, EF specializes in language training, educational travel, academic degrees, and cultural exchange programs. EF has published the English Proficiency Index (http://www.ef.com/epi) measuring the English ability of adults in countries across the world.
Asia Fresh News 