Mastering Wind Power Online Workshop is Back by Popular Demand

Singapore, Jan 31, 2023 – (ACN Newswire) – Infocus International Group, a global business intelligence provider of strategic information and professional services, has announced the new dates for Mastering Wind Power training and it will be commencing live on the 20th of February 2023.



Attendees will gain an excellent understanding of all the key factors facing wind power developers and investors, from resource assessment and energy production complexities, through technology trends, project development and planning challenges, to financial returns and risks.

The course will include the illustration of key concepts using online tools, wind resource datasets, energy yield, financial and other simple calculations, along with discussion of key planning and market environment considerations.

In keeping with the business-focused theme of the course, any illustrative materials are designed to provide time-efficient clarification of the key course takeaways, aimed at commercially-focused business developers and investors. They are therefore accessible to non-experts, not designed to replicate the complex or in-depth detailed planning undertaken – over much longer periods! – by experienced engineers and technical teams.

A past participant from Statkraft Development AS shared, "This was one of my best spent weeks on training all year! A good and efficient way of getting an overview of the renewable energy sector. I found him very knowledgeable and enthusiastic in presenting the material, also enabling knowledge exchange between participants in the group. I really enjoyed his interesting lessons and the group work he provided for additional learning outcomes. Thanks."

"Execellent course. It is very helpful to me to understand how to develop and construct the wind farm project," said another past participant from Mitr Phol Group.

Course Sessions

1. From wind flow to electricity: wind turbines and wind farms
2. Understanding and measuring wind resources
3. Successful delivery of wind power projects
4. Taking wind power offshore
5. Making money from wind power projects

Among the key points to be addressed

– Learn from global experiences in wind power project development
– Understand unique properties of wind resource, and how these feed into financial risk analysis
– Gain a business-focused, up-to-date perspective on current and emerging wind technology innovations and project delivery best practices
– Analyse and discuss practical and project delivery risks facing wind power projects, including key stakeholder engagements
– Get hands-on with a financial model to better understand financial risks and returns for wind power projects
– Compare and contrast the unique extra costs and complexities of offshore wind projects with those onshore

Want to learn more?

Simply email to esther@infocusevent.com or call +65 6325 0210 to obtain your FREE COPY of event brochure. For more information, please visit https://www.infocusinternational.com/wind-online.

About Infocus International Group

Infocus International is a global business intelligence provider of strategic information and professional services for diverse business communities. We recognises clients' needs and responds with innovative and result oriented programmes. All products are founded on high value content in diverse subject areas, and the highest level of quality is ensured through intensive and in-depth market research from local and international insights. For more information: www.infocusinternational.com

Copyright 2023 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. http://www.acnnewswire.com

Smart Digital Retail Philippines Moving to Another Date

MANILA, Jan 31, 2023 – (ACN Newswire) – Smart Digital Retail Philippines would like to extend the opportunity for sponsors, attendees and partners to join the biggest event in the Philippine retail ecosystem. Hence, we made a decision to move the event to April 13, 2023. The event will take place at the same time and venue as planned.


Smart Digital Retail Philippines will be moved to April 13, 2023 and will take place at the same time and venue as planned.


The retail sector in the Philippines has been facing challenging times in the study period, which worsened due to the sudden COVID-19 pandemic. The majority forms of physical retail, including supermarkets and convenience stores, hypermarkets, specialty stores, department stores, and other small and medium store owners around the country, are facing challenges owing to the lockdown and physical distancing measures. Due to the fear of contamination, the state of Philippine retail, and the global economy as a whole, is entering a time of both hope and uncertainty. As countries continue to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, there's been a concerted push to return to "normal."

To mitigate the disruption caused by this crisis, Philippine retailers need to have a window of opportunity to reinvent their customer experience to meet consumer expectations. Technology is a vital tool that will enable businesses to enhance engagement through both online and physical channels. The transition will require a shift toward a more fully integrated technology ecosystem that can evolve future value propositions. Retailers are already recognizing the importance of technology to their operations, but fully seizing the opportunity will require a distinct retail strategy that incorporates greater partnership collaboration and investment in emerging tech.

– Consumer behavior change
– Retail performance in the Philippines
– Digital commerce and omnichannel
– Overcoming disruption for resilient supply chains in the future
– The new retail experience through technology
– Retail stores: a shift to digital, experiential shopping
– New approach to workforce empowerment
– Contactless Payments & Autonomous Shopping
– Exploring the Philippine BNPL landscape
– The rise of chatbots and voice commerce
– AI, robotics, and VR will soon dominate retail: welcome to retail 2.0
– Metaverse for the future of retail

With Smart Digital Retail Philippines, we will be looking at the challenges that are impacting the Philippine retail industry to create improved consumer experiences and more efficient creation. That said, this where all the leading retail companies and technology innovators meet and brainstorm in creating a sophisticated product development and present practical solutions that enable retailers and brands to stay relevant in these difficult times, connect with decision makers and enable the creation of new business opportunities.

For sponsorship and speaking engagement, please contact management@smartdigitalretail.com or visit our event website at www.smartdigitalretail.com.

Copyright 2023 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. http://www.acnnewswire.com

Austral Gold Announces Filing of Q4 2022 Quarterly Activity Report

SYDNEY, AU, Jan 31, 2023 – (ACN Newswire) – Austral Gold Limited (ASX: AGD) (TSXV: AGLD) (the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has filed its Q4 2022 Quarterly Activity Report. The complete Report is available under the Company's profile at www.asx.com, www.sedar.com and on the Company's website at www.australgold.com/.

About Austral Gold

Austral Gold Limited is a gold and silver explorer and mining producer whose strategy is to expand the life of its cash generating assets in Chile, restart its Casposo-Manantiales mine complex in Argentina and build a portfolio of quality assets in Chile, the USA and Argentina organically through exploration and via acquisitions and strategic partnerships. Austral owns a 100% interest in the Guanaco/Amancaya mines in Chile and the Casposo-Manantiales mine complex (currently on care and maintenance) in Argentina, a non-controlling interest in the Rawhide Mine in Nevada, USA and a non-controlling interest in Ensign Gold which holds the Mercur project in Utah, USA.

In addition, Austral owns and has options on an attractive portfolio of exploration projects in the Paleocene Belt in Chile (including the Jaguelito project in San Juan, Argentina, projects acquired in the 2021 acquisition of Revelo Resources Corp), a noncontrolling interest in Pampa Metals and a 51% interest in the Sierra Blanca project in Santa Cruz, Argentina. Austral Gold Limited is listed on the TSX Venture Exchange (TSXV: AGLD) and the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX: AGD). For more information, please consult Austral's website at www.australgold.com.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Release approved by the Chief Executive Officer of Austral Gold, Stabro Kasaneva.

For additional information please contact:

Jose Bordogna
Chief Financial Officer
Austral Gold Limited
jose.bordogna@australgold.com
+61 466 892 307

Ben Jarvis
Director
Austral Gold Limited
info@australgold.com
+61 413 150 448

Austral Gold Limited ABN 30 075 860 472 (ASX: AGD) (TSXV: AGLD)
Level 5 126-130 Phillip St, Sydney NSW 2000 | T +61 2 9380 7233 | F +61 2 9251 7455 | info@australgold.com | www.australgold.com

Copyright 2023 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. http://www.acnnewswire.com

Austral Gold Announces Drill Results at Casposo-Manantiales

SYDNEY, AU, Jan 30, 2023 – (ACN Newswire) – Austral Gold Limited (ASX: AGD) (TSXV: AGLD) ("Austral") is pleased to announce the results from its recent drilling campaign ("drilling program") at the Casposo-Manantiales Project located in the province of San Juan, Argentina. The Company drilled 4,265 metres of diamond drilling ("DD") in 15 DD holes.


Casposo-Manantiales Project

Manantiales Vein Long Section

Manantiales Vein Drill-hole map

Table 1: Manantiales and Cerro Amarillo Drill hole Results


The focus of the drilling program was to follow up on the results achieved in previous drilling campaigns at the Manantiales vein disclosed in the 27 July 2022 and 26 October 2021 announcements. The follow-up drilling program at the Manantiales vein intercepted high gold grades at the top and bottom of the central ore-shoot, indicating possible continuity at depth. The best two holes intercepted high-grade gold confirming the continuity of mineralisation in the central ore-shoot and opening the upside at depth. During 2022, 6,585 metres were drilled in 27 DD holes and total exploration costs were US$2.8 million.

At Cerro Amarillo, which is close to the Manantiales vein (see map below), two holes were drilled; one in Awada (152 metres), and the other in La Puerta (326 metres) to test for new structural and ore controls. Favourable alteration was intercepted with discrete gold anomalies.

The AWD-22-003 hole located in the western sector of Awada recognised strong silicification in approximately 50 metres, although with low gold anomalies. At La Puerta, the objective of drill hole LPO-22-004 was to intercept the veins in more favourable host rock, however the structures were intercepted in Oveja Negra Fm without significant gold values.

Austral Gold's Chief Executive Officer, Stabro Kasaneva said: "We are pleased to complete the 2022 drilling program of approximately 7,000 metres over two phases at the Casposo-Manantiales project. The outcome of the program was positive with some encouraging assays reported, and we look forward to the design of our next drilling campaign considering our objective to restart mining operations at the Casposo-Manantiales project."

Casposo-Manantiales Project
https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/690/152868_26e07484945ba909_002full.jpg

Manantiales Vein Long Section
https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/690/152868_26e07484945ba909_003full.jpg

Manantiales Vein Drill-hole map
https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/690/152868_26e07484945ba909_004full.jpg

Competent Person

Technical information in this media release that relates to Exploration Results is based on work supervised, or compiled on behalf of Robert Trzebski, a Director of the Company. Dr. Trzebski, who is a member of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (AusIMM) and qualifies as a Competent Person as defined in the 2012 Edition of the 'Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves' consents to the inclusion of the technical information that he has reviewed and approved or has been compiled on his behalf.

About Austral Gold Limited

Austral Gold Limited is a gold and silver explorer and mining producer whose strategy is to expand the life of its cash generating assets in Chile, restart its Casposo-Manantiales mine complex in Argentina and build a portfolio of quality assets in Chile, the USA and Argentina organically through exploration and via acquisitions and strategic partnerships. Austral owns a 100% interest in the Guanaco/Amancaya mines in Chile and the Casposo-Manantiales mine complex (currently on care and maintenance) in Argentina, a non-controlling interest in the Rawhide Mine in Nevada, USA and a non-controlling interest in Ensign Gold which holds the Mercur project in Utah, USA.

In addition, Austral owns and has options on an attractive portfolio of exploration projects in the Paleocene Belt in Chile (including the Jaguelito project in San Juan, Argentina, projects acquired in the 2021 acquisition of Revelo Resources Corp), a noncontrolling interest in Pampa Metals and a 51% interest in the Sierra Blanca project in Santa Cruz, Argentina. Austral Gold Limited is listed on the TSX Venture Exchange (TSXV: AGLD) and the Australian Securities Exchange. (ASX: AGD). For more information, please consult Austral's website at www.australgold.com.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Release approved by the Chief Executive Officer of Austral Gold, Stabro Kasaneva.

For additional information please contact:

Jose Bordogna
Chief Financial Officer
Austral Gold Limited
Jose.bordogna@australgold.com
+61 466 892 307

Ben Jarvis
Director
Austral Gold Limited
info@australgold.com
+61 413 150 448

Forward-Looking Statements

Statements in this news release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical, and consist primarily of projections – statements regarding future plans, expectations and developments. Words such as "expects", "intends", "plans", "may", "could", "potential", "should", "anticipates", "likely", "believes" and words of similar import tend to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this news release include next steps are to review and analyse historical exploration data and mineral structures prior to the design of the next drilling campaign.

All of these forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ from those expressed or implied, including, without limitation, business integration risks; uncertainty of production, uncertainty of exploration programs, development plans and cost estimates, commodity price fluctuations; political or economic instability and regulatory changes; currency fluctuations, the state of the capital markets especially in light of the effects of the novel coronavirus,, uncertainty in the measurement of mineral reserves and resource estimates, Austral's ability 1ttarct and retain qualified personnel and management, potential labour unrest, reclamation and closure requirements for mineral properties; unpredictable risks and hazards related to the development and operation of a mine or mineral property that are beyond the Company's control, the availability of capital to fund all of the Company's projects and other risks and uncertainties identified under the heading "Risk Factors" in the Company's continuous disclosure documents filed on the ASX and on SEDAR. You are cautioned that the foregoing list is not exhaustive of all factors and assumptions which may have been used. Austral cannot assure you that actual events, performance or results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements, and management's assumptions may prove to be incorrect. Austral's forward-looking statements reflect current expectations regarding future events and operating performance and speak only as of the date hereof and Austral does not assume any obligation to update forward-looking statements if circumstances or management's beliefs, expectations or opinions should change other than as required by applicable law. For the reasons set forth above, you should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

Confirmation: For the purposes of ASX Listing Rule 5.23.2, Austral confirms that is not aware of any information or data that materially affects the information included in its press releases dated 27 July 2022 and 26 October 2021.

Table 1: Manantiales and Cerro Amarillo Drill hole Results
https://www.acnnewswire.com/topimg/Low_AustralGold20230130-4.jpg

Copyright 2023 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. http://www.acnnewswire.com

SF Intra-City reduced losses by over 50% year-over-year in 2022, Increasing benefits from scale effect

HONG KONG, Jan 30, 2023 – (ACN Newswire) – Hangzhou SF Intra-City Industrial Co., Ltd. ("SF Intra-City" or the "Company", together with its subsidiaries the "Group"; stock code: 9699), the largest third-party on-demand delivery service platform in China(1), announced today that the Group expects the consolidated net loss attributable to the owners of the Company for the year ended 31 December 2022 (the "Year") to decrease by more than 50% compared to the corresponding period of the previous year. These results reflect the increasingly apparent benefits of the Group's diversified service landscape and technology-driven efficiency improvements.

During the Year, the Group strived to provide high quality, efficient and stable instant fulfilment services, achieving good revenue growth and enhanced economies of scale and network effects thanks to its efforts to build a healthy and robust business structure and its in-depth cultivation of diversified service scenarios such as delivery in a broad range of sectors, including the food and beverage and retail sectors, its expansion in lower-tier cities and personalised services. Furthermore, the significant improvements in the Group's gross profit and gross profit margin for the Year are attributable to differentiated services driving high-value orders, comprehensive planning and scheduling driven by technology to achieve better delivery network efficiency and various measures to continuously refine management and enhance operation quality, which led to improvement in the efficiency of resource allocation and utilisation.

SF Intra-City's gross profit has turned positive since FY2021's annual results, and gross profit and net profit improved further in the first half of FY2022, achieving a gross profit of RMB180.2 million and a gross profit margin of 4.0% in the first half of FY2022. In addition, the Group previously entered into a delivery partnership with Douyin Life Service, which is now available on a trial basis in a number of cities. With the accelerated development of Douyin's live e-commerce ecosystem, this segment will contribute considerable incremental order volume to SF Intra-City in the future. As the largest third-party on-demand delivery service platform in China, the Group continues to achieve benefits from the scale effect, and both the fundamentals and the overall trend continue to improve, driving stronger earnings performance.

Mr. Sun Haijin, CEO of SF Intra-City said, "Merchants' and users' demand for on-demand delivery has clearly increased over the last year, and the value of third-party on-demand delivery services is being realized. In order to enhance the service experience for our merchants and users, we have further developed and strengthened our technology capabilities, operational infrastructure and business layout over the years, driving high levels of revenue growth and continuous improvements in profitability. Looking ahead, we will continue to broaden our range of service scenarios and industry solutions, optimize our business structure, and enhance our value by creating differentiated service capabilities, so as to ensure a high-quality and stable consumer experience and empower merchants' business operations. We firmly believe in the long-term value of local lifestyle services and on-demand services, and we will strive to achieve profitability and create long-term value for our shareholders."

About Hangzhou SF Intra-City Industrial Co., Ltd. (stock code: 9699.HK)
SF Intra-City focuses on the emerging opportunities of intra-city on-demand delivery services. Since 2019, SF Intra-City has operated as an independent legal entity to capture the growth opportunities arising from the new consumption trends. SF Intra-City adopts a multi-scenario business model, providing full coverage of delivery scenarios for all types of products and services. The Company's extensive service coverage, ranging from mature scenarios such as food delivery to growth scenarios such as local retail, local e-commerce and local services, has enabled it to respond to the evolving customer needs resulting from the development and upgrade of the local consumer market. For more details, please visit company's website: https://ir.sf-cityrush.com/en/investor-relations/.

(1) Ranking is based on independent third-party order volume in China in 2021, according to iResearch. The calculation of order volume takes into account the number of orders sourced independently by the market players, excluding orders from related parties.


Copyright 2023 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. http://www.acnnewswire.com

STGZ Partners with Klaytn to Scale Next Generation Metaverse Platform for Artists

NEW YORK, Jan 30, 2023 – (ACN Newswire) – The next generation real-time live virtual events and concerts metaverse platform company STGZ, announced a partnership with Klaytn, a global metaverse public blockchain platform today. The partnership strengthens the STGZ platform through Klaytn's fast, secure, and scalable public blockchain technology, enabling STGZ to offer metaverse experiences globally. Klaytn is a public blockchain focused on the metaverse, gamefi, and the creator economy. The project's MainNet went live in June 2019 and has developed rapidly to become one of the most trustworthy brands in the industry.



"Klaytn is a blockchain platform led by South Korean internet giant Kakao. They are known for their fast, secure and scalable blockchain technology," said CJ, CEO of STGZ. "We are thrilled to partner with Klaytn and bring their blockchain expertise to our platform, assisting us in achieving our goal of making the metaverse accessible to everyone."

Officially launched in June 2019, Klaytn is the dominant blockchain platform in South Korea and is now undergoing global business expansion from its international base in Singapore. Klaytn is the public blockchain subsidiary of Kakao, South Korea's second-largest company after Samsung, which pioneered the super app Kakao Talk. Kakao's deep influence in Korea's technology and entertainment industry and their global expansion plans, provided the backdrop for an investment and partnership with STGZ.

Klaytn's business expansion activities are supported by the Klaytn Growth Fund, which aims to grow the ecosystem of companies built on Klaytn. The Klaytn Growth Fund is managed and disbursed by Klaytn Foundation, a Singapore-based and non-profit organization established in August 2021.

Klaytn has invested in a multimillion dollar grant to STGZ to help market and bring their blockchain into the U.S. market with festivals, NFTs, and the most advanced entertainment metaverse experiences to artists and fans.

The STGZ platform solves the problem of a lack of dedicated virtual interfaces for events, content sharing, and community building in the metaverse. Artists and fans alike now have a new platform to share and monetize their creative works and interactions in the metaverse with STGZ.

STGZ bridges the gap between real life and the metaverse using cutting-edge XR technology to create immersive and interactive entertainment experiences that anyone can share with the world, from anywhere in the world, and for free. The platform is disrupting traditional social media by replacing static pages with fully customizable 3D stages, allowing users to create their own perpetual spaces and experiences including the ability to live stream during events and shows.

STGZ tears down prohibitive costs that allow fans to virtually attend real-world events from anywhere in the world and provides artists with the ability to take advantage of web3 technology. It's easy to use, a free stage for everybody, and makes for the ultimate metaverse platform for artists and fans to share experiences and grow communities together.

For fans, STGZ provides them the abilities to visit their favorite artists, explore new performers, and hang out with friends at concerts and festivals. Unlike real-world events and once the event is over, the experience still lives on, allowing fans to replay performances or attend performances they missed.

For artists, STGZ provides a unique way for them to share their art and themselves, while at the same time earning from multiple traditional and web3-based revenue streams: such as ticketed events, advertisements, sponsorships, wearables, VIP NFTs, and more.

In 2022 STGZ continued to build out their platform, complete strategic partnerships, and launched the MetaMansion Hamptons Edition with the globally renowned DJ's Diplo, Disclosure, and Kygo. STGZ will outline their 2023 plans in press releases throughout this year.

About STGZ

STGZ is a leading provider of virtual reality and blockchain-based services, committed to making the metaverse accessible to everyone. Learn more at https://stgz.io

About Klaytn

Klaytn is a global public blockchain platform that aims to bring blockchain mass adoption by providing an easy-to-use platform for users, developers, and businesses. Learn more at https://www.klaytn.foundation

Media Contact:

Sebastian STGZ
Sebastian@MtrxVerse.com
+49 175 345 1806

Klaytn media@klaytn.foundation

Source: Plato Data Intelligence (https://PlatoAistream.com)

Copyright 2023 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. http://www.acnnewswire.com

President Joko Widodo Launches Indonesia’s 2023 ASEAN Chairmanship

JAKARTA, Jan 30, 2023 – (ACN Newswire) – The Kick Off of Indonesia's Chairmanship of ASEAN in 2023 was held at the Hotel Indonesia Roundabout on Sunday (29/01) morning. The event was marked by a rebana biang musical instrument struck by President Joko Widodo at the Hotel Indonesia Roundabout, witnessed by thousands of people. President Joko Widodo expressed optimism that ASEAN will remain relevant, create a peaceful and stable Indo Pacific, and become a centre of economic growth.


President Joko Widodo (middle) is hitting tambourine as a sign to kick off Indonesia's 2023 ASEAN Chairmanship at Hotel Indonesia Roundabout in Jakarta, Sunday (January 29, 2023). Under his leadership, the President is optimistic that ASEAN will keep growing and being regionally and globally contributive.


The Kick Off event was a collaboration between the Jakarta Provincial Government and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Coinciding with the Motor Vehicle Free Day (HBKB), the atmosphere appeared different and livelier than usual with the Nusantara Parade. The parade line-up was colourful and lively, consisting of marching bands, carnival outfits, percussion music groups, and Jakarta art groups, such as Betawi dancers and ondel-ondel. After a leisurely bike ride accompanied by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Acting Governor of DKI Jakarta, and a number of Ministers, President Joko Widodo joined the parade line in front of Sarinah, walking together towards the HI Roundabout.

The parade involved more than 500 people from various representative groups, namely Mawar Budaya group, Jakarta Music House, DKI Jakarta Paskibra, students from a number of Jakarta high schools, Altajuru music group, Firefighters and SSY. Also participating in the parade were Ambassadors of friendly countries and representatives of international organisations. The joy of HBKB was further enhanced by the presence of an entertainment stage enlivened by a number of artists, including Rara Lida, Putra Lida and Maria Callista.

The handover of ASEAN Chairmanship from Cambodia to Indonesia took place at the 42nd ASEAN Summit in Phnom Penh last November 2022. Indonesia's ASEAN Chairmanship period began on 1 January 2023 and will last for a year until 31 December 2023. As one of the founding countries of ASEAN and the largest country in ASEAN, many parties rely on Indonesia to be able to make various breakthroughs and innovations in dealing with various world problems that are also faced by the region.

Through the theme of the ASEAN Chairmanship, namely: "ASEAN Matters: Epicentrum of Growth", Indonesia is determined to direct ASEAN cooperation in 2023 to continue and strengthen ASEAN's relevance in responding to regional and global challenges, and strengthen ASEAN's position as the epicentre of regional economic growth, for the prosperity of the people of ASEAN.

The kick-off was held ahead of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' meeting on 3-4 February 2023, which will take place at the ASEAN Secretariat Building, Jakarta.

–Antara

Copyright 2023 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. http://www.acnnewswire.com

SCIB Enforces Rights to Withdraw from Project

KUCHING, MALAYSIA, Jan 27, 2023 – (ACN Newswire) – Civil engineering specialist Sarawak Consolidated Industries Berhad (SCIB) today announced that the Company has issued a letter of withdrawal to Kencana Healthcare Sdn. Bhd. (KHSB) for the proposed engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning (EPCC) contracts involving a specialist hospital project located in Johor Bahru.


Group MD and CEO of SCIB, Encik Rosland bin Othman


SCIB had accepted a letter of award from KHSB dated 13 August 2021 for EPCC contracts involving the capital equipment procurement as well as the leasing concession for the procurement, supply, installation, testing and commissioning of medical equipment. SCIB and KHSB have mutually agreed to the Company withdrawing from the project.

As part of the withdrawal from the project, KHSB will reimburse under a settlement agreement, the commitment fee amounting to RM1.65 million that SCIB had paid out in two tranches. The withdrawal from the contracts will not have any material effect on the gearing, earnings per share and net assets of the Company for the financial year ending 30 June 2023.

Group Managing Director of SCIB, Encik Rosland bin Othman said, "The Company is enforcing its rights under the contracts and taking the necessary measures to protect SCIB's interests in mitigating the risks arising from the long delay or non-movement of project progress due to the uncertainties and inability to secure the necessary operator for the project. Additionally, this decision was made due to reviewing and updating our order book records to reflect the current situation."

Sarawak Consolidated Industries Bhd: 9237 [BURSA: SCIB], http://scib.com.my

Copyright 2023 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. http://www.acnnewswire.com

Eccentric Engine Launches First Ever Virtual Retail Cloud at NADA 2023

DALLAS, TX, Jan 26, 2023 – (ACN Newswire) – Eccentric Engine (Eccentric Inc.), a digital auto retail experience platform company and home to top automotive brands in India in their digital transformation journey, has now set eyes on a truly global footprint. They are now gearing to deliver their flagship offering, 'Virtual Retail Cloud' in January to U.S. dealerships.


Escalade-Sport at Cadillac Dublin Virtual Showroom

Varun Shah, CEO & CO Founder Eccentric Inc

Jessie Dosanjh, Dublin Cadillac

Joe Castelino, Stevens Creek Volkswagen


Eccentric Engine is now registered as Eccentric Inc. in the U.S. (Eccentric Engine in India) and plans deep investment in industry agnostic virtual tools, which are being deployed for the U.S. automotive retail market this month. The first showcase of their new metaverse tech will be at the North American Dealer Association (NADA) conference for top dealers and auto OEMs from January 26-29 in Dallas.

Varun Shah, Co-Founder and CEO Eccentric Engine said, "We are excited about the growth path of Eccentric Engine and transforming the company to become a global player. We look forward to extending the best of virtual retailing to our OEM & Dealer partners across the world. By virtue of Virtual Retail Cloud, we welcome new car dealers across North America to adopt a scalable and cutting-edge retail experience."

The U.S. market is experiencing a sea of concepts in automotive retail metaverse, of which, several concepts were featured at the 2023 CES in Las Vegas, NV, USA earlier in the month. At the 2023 NADA Show, Eccentric Inc. will demonstrate ready-to-use solutions on how virtual retailing, which encompasses 3D & AR-VR, can actually be deployed at scale for North American dealerships.

Shah added, "Over the past year, I met a diverse group of global dealers, spent time onsite to understand global dealership models, customer expectations and the gaps that existed. The dealers had a broken experiences, and wished to provide their buyers one-stop solution to their prospects to enable a faster and intelligent purchase decision. Unlike other technology companies, we have honed the expertise to deploy and measure at scale."

Eccentric Inc. has signed up two new customers in the Bay Area, Stevens Creek VW (American Motors Group) and Dublin Cadillac (California Automotive Retailing Group). The 3D platform will allow dealerships to design unique virtual retail interfaces to help buyers explore cars in an immersive experience and make an informed decision.

Joe Castelino, Fixed Operations Director, American Motors Group, owner Stevens Creek Volkswagen, remarked "Being in the heart of Silicon Valley, technology is a way of life for our customers. We are excited to partner with Eccentric Engine to offer an engaging and decisive retail journey for our customers. Their rich expertise in automotive digitalization spans a decade and we are looking forward to build together a transformative customer journey. The shift from multi-click, multi-page experience to a single seamless virtual interface, from 2D to 3D, is what excites us."

Eccentric Engine reveals that their new virtual retailing cloud is an ecosystem and will need every ounce of intelligence, hard work and creativity. Eccentric Engine plans to leverage millions of interactions it registers on its platform to obtain unique customer insights and build several use cases. Here is a sneak peek into their international roadmap with the Virtual Retail Cloud services:

– Put together the right standards that will help dealers/OEMs develop and maintain experiences such as Loading Time, Device Performance and Latency know-how.
– Develop and build an exclusive 3D warehouse for quick deployment, reducing OEM dependency
– Equip OEMs & Dealerships with capabilities to create virtual experiences. An example of this is a no-code platform for any website partner to develop journeys in virtual retailing.
– Robust back-end analytics through Eccentric Inc.'s comprehensive engine that will offer deep insights on buyer preferences.
– Actively syndicate learnings from deployments across dealerships & OEMs around the world

Jessie Dosanjh, President, California Automotive Retailing Group, owner of Dublin Cadillac stated, "We pride ourselves in being a progressive & trusted group. Cadillac is a luxury brand and we are excited to bring to our customers, premium digital shopping experiences through our new partner Eccentric Inc. Thanks to their capabilities, our buyers will be more confident about their purchase. We look forward to having virtual retailing capabilities on our website & within our store premises."

A McKinsey Automotive report estimates that more than 25% of the current US$ 3 trillion new cars market is set to go virtual by 2025 globally. By 2025 more than 100 million interactions will be powered by Eccentric Engine.

"The Virtual Retailing cloud ecosystem will be a game changer to empower buyers across the world. We are proud of our partnerships in USA, Japan, South Africa and Indonesia that is already enabling this" concluded Shah.

About Eccentric Engine

Founded in 2012, Eccentric Engine is a pioneer in Automotive Visualization, Retail and Ecommerce with suite of proprietary technology solutions such as One 3D platform, Experience Manager and Conceirge to delivers seamless omnichannel experiences. Their technology enables creators globally to 'show better and sell faster' on web browsers and empowers customers by allowing them to access products across all devices. https://eccentricengine.com

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San Ramon, CA, varun@eccentricengine.com

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As Mentor by eDriving Passes 3.5 Billion Miles Driven, Analysis Confirms Program’s Ability to Reduce Risky Driving Behaviors

CAPE MAY, NJ, Jan 26, 2023 – (ACN Newswire) – eDriving's digital driver safety program, Mentor(SM), featuring the FICO(R) Safe Driving Score, helps risky drivers become safer behind the wheel in just six months – and further improves behaviors over longer periods of time – according to findings from an analysis of the program. The analysis was performed after the program reached the milestone marking 3.5 billion miles driven in Spring 2022.

The eDriving study identified the initial risk level of active[1] business drivers using the Mentor app (i.e., Very High Risk, High Risk, Medium Risk, Low Risk or Very Low Risk[2]), based on their first month's FICO Safe Driving Score – a score derived from smartphone-based driving behavior telematics. It then measured progress[3] over periods of six months, 12 months, and 18 months of using the app.

Over a six-month period, those initially categorized as Very High Risk or High Risk experienced up to a 51% increase in their FICO Safe Driving Score, moving them up into the Medium Risk category. Over a longer period of 18 months, those initially categorized as Very High Risk or High Risk experienced an even greater average increase in their FICO Safe Driving Score of up to 70%, moving them up into the Low Risk category.

While FICO Safe Driving Score improvement was the most significant for drivers who were initially identified as Very High Risk or High Risk, those identified as Medium Risk also improved, and Low-Risk drivers maintained their good performance levels.

The study also showed there was a significant decrease in the negative driving behaviors measured by Acceleration, Braking, Cornering, Phone Distraction, and Speeding events for business drivers using Mentor's patented approach involving driver scoring, eLearning, gamification, and coaching.

Speeding Reduction
– Over a six-month period, those initially categorized as Very High Risk or High Risk experienced up to a 57% decrease in Speeding events.
– Over a period of 18 months, those initially categorized as Very High Risk or High Risk experienced up to an 85% decrease in Speeding events, confirming a sustained improvement in driver behavior when using the Mentor app over a longer period.

Distraction Reduction
– Over a six-month period, those initially categorized as Very High Risk or High Risk experienced up to a 60% decrease in Distraction events.
– Over an 18-month period, those initially categorized as Very High Risk or High Risk experienced up to an 88% decrease in Distraction events, again demonstrating a significant and sustained improvement in driver behavior when using the multi-faceted Mentor program over a longer period.

Other significant findings:
– Mentor use showed a reduction of in-vehicle calls among Very High-Risk or High-Risk drivers by up to 53% over a six-month period and 85% over 18 months. Phone manipulations (i.e., texting or handling the phone while driving) were reduced among these risky drivers by up to 62% over 6 months and 89% over 18 months.
– Over a six-month period, those initially categorized as Very High Risk or High Risk experienced up to a 62% decrease in Hard Acceleration, Hard Braking and Hard Cornering events, with up to an 89% decrease over 18 months.

"Mentor was designed from the ground up to support our global clients who made the safety of their employees driving for work purposes a strategic imperative," said Ed Dubens, Founder and CEO of eDriving. "Over 20 years of driver risk management combined with the FICO Safe Driving Score, delivers the perfect combination of leading and lagging indicators to help Mentor proactively identify the most at-risk drivers for further support and coaching. 3.5 Billion Mentor miles later, it is incredible to see how quickly we have been able to turn smartphones from villains into catalysts for positive change that can save the lives of not just drivers, but also those they share the road with including pedestrians and cyclists."

Launched globally in 2018, Mentor by eDriving is used by organizations around the world to help improve driver behavior among employees driving for work purposes, and has been shown to reduce collisions by up to 67%. The digital program uses smartphone sensors to collect and analyze data on the driving behaviors most predictive of risk. These include Acceleration, Braking, Cornering, Speeding, and Phone Distraction, one of the biggest threats to road safety today.

Through eDriving's partnership with industry analytics leader FICO, driver on-road performance is converted into an individual FICO Safe Driving Score, which has been validated to help predict the likelihood of a driver being involved in a collision. Personalized insights are provided privately to drivers after each trip, showing both positive and negative driving events and exactly where they occurred. Additionally, engaging, interactive micro-training modules are delivered directly to the driver in-app to help promptly remediate identified risky behaviors. At the time of the 3.5B mile analysis, over 7.7 million eLearning modules had been viewed by Mentor users. Gamification and rewards are also employed by Mentor to promote driver engagement and friendly competition, while coaching support is included to help sustain behavior improvements over time.

"The FICO Safe Driving Score continues to provide a consistent and objective measure of driver risk," said Rachel Bell, Vice President of Scores and Analytics at FICO. "We are pleased to see that the FICO Safe Driving Score continues to help organizations keep their drivers safe and limit risks on the road."

About Solera

Solera is the global leader in vehicle lifecycle management software-as-a-service, data, and services. Through four lines of business – vehicle claims, vehicle repairs, vehicle solutions and fleet solutions – Solera is home to many leading brands in the vehicle lifecycle ecosystem, including Identifix, Audatex, DealerSocket, Omnitracs, LoJack, Spireon, eDriving/Mentor, Explore, cap hpi, Autodata, and others. Solera empowers its customers to succeed in the digital age by providing them with a "one-stop shop" solution that streamlines operations, offers data-driven analytics, and enhances customer engagement, which Solera believes helps customers drive sales, promote customer retention, and improve profit margins. Solera serves over 300,000 global customers and partners in 100+ countries. For more information, visit www.solera.com.

About eDriving

eDriving, a Solera company, helps organizations around the world improve safety, reduce injuries, license violations, carbon emissions, and total cost of fleet ownership through its patented digital driver risk management programs. These include the Mentor by eDriving(SM) smartphone app with FICO(R) Safe Driving Score; the patented, five-stage Crash-Free Culture(R) risk reduction program; and the Virtual Risk Manager(R) platform, all designed to work together within a privacy-first, data-secure environment that supports drivers and their managers every step of the way. eDriving is the digital driver risk management partner of choice for many of the world's largest organizations, supporting over 1,200,000 drivers in 125 countries. Over the past 25 years, eDriving's research-validated programs have been recognized with over 125+ awards around the world. For more information, visit www.edriving.com.

Press contact, eDriving:
Sheila Leverone
press@edriving.com

About FICO

FICO (NYSE:FICO) powers decisions that help people and businesses around the world prosper. Founded in 1956, the company is a pioneer in the use of predictive analytics and data science to improve operational decisions. FICO holds more than 200 US and foreign patents on technologies that increase profitability, customer satisfaction and growth for businesses in financial services, telecommunications, health care, retail, transportation and supply chain, and many other industries. Using FICO solutions, businesses in more than 120 countries do everything from protecting 2.6 billion payment cards from fraud, to helping people get credit, to ensuring that millions of rental cars are in the right place at the right time. Learn more at https://www.fico.com/.

Press contact, FICO:
Julie Huang
press@fico.com
+1 925-405-7803

[1] At least one trip per month
[2] FICO(R) Safe Driving Scores were initially categorized as Risky, Poor, Average, Good and Great. These were updated to the new corresponding categories on July 29, 2020.
[3] Analysis used data from trips classified as 'Business' only (no 'Passenger' or 'Personal' trips)

Mentor Product Sheet
https://www.edriving.com//wp-content/themes/edriving/images/pdf/ProductSheets/mentor_ENT_product_sheet.pdf

SOURCE: eDriving






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