Soundskrit and AAC Technologies Announce Partnership to Bring the World’s First High-Performance MEMS Directional Microphones to Market

HONG KONG, Jan 17, 2023 – (ACN Newswire) – Soundskrit, the audio company whose cutting-edge hardware and software promise to lead to a new era for microphone performance, and AAC Technologies Holdings Inc. ("AAC Technologies" or "the Company"; HKEX: 2018), a world-leading total solution provider, announce a partnership to make directional MEMS microphone technologies widely available to end user customers across consumer electronics and automotive markets.

Directional MEMS microphones, bring the capabilities of traditional microphone arrays to a single device, featuring incredibly consistent directionality across the full audible spectrum and a very high directional SNR. Directional microphones are the ideal solution for rejecting undesired background noise and isolating a user's voice. Pairing it with proprietary signal processing enables a new suite of audio-related features and experiences for a wide range of applications including laptops, webcams, smart speakers, TVs, AR/VR, health devices, wearables, vehicles, and more. This new technology rethinks how audio systems are built, unlocking new and better ways to communicate, experience and share the world around us.

Soundskrit brings a commanding expertise in spatial audio processing, MEMS, and acoustic design to AAC Technologies' dominant portfolio of audio and sensing system solutions. AAC Technologies, an established and proven market leader for championing new state-of-the-art sensing technologies, will provide a unique platform to further develop and integrate Soundskrit technologies to serve OEM customers globally. This next generation of audio-based features will create a more connected world, one where distractions are suppressed, and communication barriers are removed.

Whether it's wireless earbuds that enhance your listening, AR glasses of the future that allow real-time translation, or the next generation of vehicle in-cabin audio systems with enhanced noise cancelling, personal communication and playback zones, Soundskrit and AAC Technologies are committed to building the foundational technologies enabling OEMs to start building that future, today.

AAC and Soundskrit have started to engage with the leading ecosystem players and customers across various segments. More product details and launch dates information will be available in the near future.

About AAC Technologies Holdings Inc. (Stock code: 2018)
AAC Technologies is a leading provider of sensory experience solutions with the goal of building the future of interactive sensory technologies. Through continuous innovation and global presence, we have established long-term strategic partnerships with global smart device clients. We have strong capabilities in Acoustics, Optics, Haptics, Sensor and Semiconductor, and Precision Manufacturing based on decades of industry experience. AAC Technologies' mission is to create a better sensory experience for the world, and our mission is to become a global leader in sensory technology with a board solution portfolio. We keep innovating sensory technologies to create new interactive experiences. In the future, we will focus our efforts on the industries of smartphones, intelligent vehicles, virtual reality, artificial reality and smart homes to help create a new era of sensory experience. www.aactechnologies.com

About Soundskrit
Soundskrit is an audio technology company whose cutting-edge hardware and software is paving the way for consumer audio experiences in the future. Their mission is to bring the next generation of high-performance audio-enabled experiences to consumer devices. No more interrupted calls, distorted voice processing, or noise cancellation that lets every surrounding sound in – Soundskrit is evolving the human listening experience so consumers can hear the impossible. www.soundskrit.ca

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

Indonesia Palm Oil in Indian Market: Sustainable and Reliable

JAKARTA, Jan 17, 2023 – (ACN Newswire) – Over the past two years global vegetable oil markets have been upended by supply chain disruptions from COVID and the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

However, as commodity markets begin to settle into a 'new normal', it is apparent that the fundamentals of the market are returning. There are three key factors that will impact the market for suppliers and purchasers. They are: sustainability and certification; growth of the Indian market; and government policies that will facilitate trade between India and Indonesia.

Sustainability has been a driving force of the debate around palm oil in Western markets. However, that debate has been narrow, and focused almost entirely on deforestation. But properly understood, and for developing countries and emerging economies such as India and Indonesia, sustainability is broader in scope, encompassing social and economic concerns. These are encapsulated in the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

For producing and exporting countries, oil palm harvesting aligns with many of the SDGs, including providing stable food supply, employment, poverty reduction, and improved health outcomes.

At the same time, importing countries enjoy the benefit of a vegetable oil that is affordable, and contributes to reducing hunger and ensuring low-cost food at a time when global prices are high.

There is an additional facet to sustainability: sustainability certification. Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO) is Indonesia's mandatory certification system. It's an assurance for purchasers that palm oil has been produced according to Indonesia's laws and regulations. This includes: adherence to Indonesia's laws on forests and deforestation, which have seen a drop in deforestation rates to their lowest on record; adherence to international norms on labour, including minimum pay and conditions, and prohibitions on child and slave labour; and support for local communities.

Unlike voluntary certification systems, ISPO is mandatory for all oil palm growers, whether smallholders or large plantation owners. It gives a greater assurance to Indian purchasers that all Indonesian palm oil is sustainable and supports sustainable development.

This is particularly significant as the Indian market for vegetable oil – and palm oil – grows. India imports around 60% of all its vegetable oil. These imports are split across palm oil (60%), and soybean oil and sunflower (40%). India is already the world's largest importer of palm oil, representing 18% of the global palm oil trade.

Why are imports so high? As population has increased, agricultural production has not been able to keep up, particularly when crops like palm are incredibly productive.

Simply put: India is the largest market for palm.

Despite this, per capita consumption of vegetable oil in India is relatively low, which is the case with many developing countries. The Indian market for vegetable oil is going to increase in size alongside consumption more broadly. According to the OECD FAO Agricultural Outlook, India's vegetable oil consumption will grow 2.3 per cent per annum over the next decade, compared with flat consumption in the US and EU.

India's projected growth is significant in that it is the largest projected source of growth for global vegetable market.

This continues a growth trajectory that has taken place over the past decade. The growth in demand is positively correlated to increasing incomes, urbanisation and an associated dietary shift towards processed foods.

The Indian palm oil market itself is qualitatively different from many other markets. India generally imports crude palm oil and refines it in India, for sale as cooking oil. Unlike other large markets such as the EU, there is not a major biodiesel market in India; it is used almost entirely for cooking. A market such as the EU will use palm oil for manufactured food products. This adds to the price sensitive nature of the Indian market, where a significant percentage of household income is spent on cooking oil. A significant change in price will have an impact on household budgets. This is unlike the EU, where consumers will have little problem absorbing a small increase in the price of packaged food that uses palm oil.

The downstream processing that takes place in India is relatively small compared to the EU, but it nonetheless provides significant economic benefits in terms of value add.

One of the key issues facing India in the global political environment is reliability of supply. Indonesia's exports were subject to significant disruptions earlier in the year 2022, as price spikes caused chaos in Indonesia's domestic markets, eventually resulting in an export ban of some products from Indonesia.

However, Indonesia has undertaken policy changes to ensure exports are predictable and easily facilitated.

The effect of the policies that were present earlier in the year 2022 had eased off; this was exacerbated by changing domestic policies as the Indonesian government sought to balance the need for exports with maintaining low domestic prices for everyday consumers. The export ban, in place at mid of year 2022, assisted in stabilising domestic prices, but created a negative perception in export markets.

Now, the export levy that previously existed on palm oil has been reduced to zero and will remain that way into the short term at least. The country's domestic market obligation (DMO), which requires traders to put 30 per cent of their production into the domestic market, will be in place for the time being. It is, however, predictable. Any changes that will be made in the near future will likely benefit Indian importers. (BPDPKS)

— Copyright (c) Antara 2023. All rights reserved.

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

Society Pass, Inc. (SOPA) / NusaTrip Expands Services to Philippines

SINGAPORE, Jan 17, 2023 – (ACN Newswire) – NusaTrip, Indonesia's first IATA-certified online travel agency (OTA) and the travel vertical of Society Pass Incorporated (Nasdaq:SOPA), today formally announces the opening of its second Southeast Asia (SEA) regional office in Philippines.

The market for Filipino tourists and foreign workers is sizable. According to the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration's (POEA) data, approximately 2.3 million overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) were deployed in 2019. In 2021, OFW was estimated to be 1.83 million, up from 1.77 million in 2020. Based on the Department of Tourism's November 2022 report, 73% of the 2.025 million visitors to the Philippines are foreign tourists, whereas 27% are OFWs. In 2023, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) aims to increase the number of overseas Filipino workers. The majority of OFWs work in the service sector, such as domestic help, healthcare, engineering, and construction. By 2020, Asia employed 83.6% of OFWs, followed by Europe, America, and Australia.

NusaTrip CEO Johanes (Joe) Chang elaborates, "Considering the market's size and potential, the Philippines is an essential market for our ecosystem. NusaTrip aims to be the promotion partners for the Philippines tourism boards and become the travel hub that helps to connect overseas Filipinos with their home country. We are excited to collaborate with the local businesses. It will accelerate and improve the quality of our synergies and customer growth rate in Southeast Asia. In addition, given Philippines' countless scenic spots and picturesque beaches, NusaTrip will focus on promoting thousands of hotels into our platform and provide leisure alternatives for international travelers".

Leveraging the momentum of the travel and tourism industry recovery post-COVID-19 pandemic, NusaTrip is expanding its offering beyond air travel. NusaTrip aims to extend its flight content with more travel inspirations and relevant options, so everyone will always find something to explore and somewhere to fly to. On the business side, NusaTrip connects worldwide flight content through streamlined integration with low-cost and full-service airlines from multiple points of sale and enables global distribution at ease via its proprietary technology, the NusaXchange platform.

Nusatrip regional offices will focus on creating more variety of marketing initiatives and managing existing business relationships with airlines, hotels, and tourism promotion board partners.

"We are very excited to welcome NusaTrip and look forward to the collaboration with our local businesses. I believe it will benefit our business partners and customers," said Arbie Christie Pagdangan, Country Manager for Society Pass in the Philippines.

About NusaTrip

Founded in 2013, NusaTrip is an IATA-licensed online travel agency that serves both local and global customers and partners by optimizing cutting-edge technology and providing 24/7 customer-centric support team-as-a-service. NusaTrip is now a member of Society Pass (Nasdaq: SoPa) ecosystem. For more information, please visit: https://www.nusatrip.com.

About Society Pass Inc.

Founded in 2018 as a data-driven loyalty, fintech and e-commerce ecosystem in the fast-growing markets of Vietnam, Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand, which account for more than 80% of the SEA population, and with offices located in Angeles, Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City, Jakarta, Manila, and Singapore, Society Pass Incorporated (Nasdaq: SOPA) is an acquisition-focused holding company operating 6 interconnected verticals (loyalty, digital media, travel, telecoms, lifestyle, and F&B), which seamlessly connects millions of registered consumers and hundreds of thousands of registered merchants/brands across multiple product and service categories throughout SEA.

Society Pass completed an initial public offering and began trading on the Nasdaq under the ticker SOPA in November 2021. SOPA shares were added to the Russell 2000 index in December 2021.

SoPa acquires fast growing e-commerce companies and expands its user base across a robust product and service ecosystem. SoPa integrates these complementary businesses through its signature Society Pass fintech platform and circulation of its universal loyalty points or Society Points, which has entered beta testing and is expected to launch broadly at the beginning of 2023. Society Pass loyalty program members earn and redeem Society Points and receive personalised promotions based on SoPa's data capabilities and understanding of consumer shopping behaviour. SoPa has amassed more than 3.3 million registered consumers and over 205,000 registered merchants and brands. It has invested 2+ years building proprietary IT architecture to effectively scale and support its consumers, merchants, and acquisitions.

Society Pass leverages technology to tailor a more personalised experience for customers in the purchase journey and to transform the entire retail value chain in SEA. SoPa operates Thoughtful Media Group, a Thailand-based, a social commerce-focused, premium digital video multi-platform network; NusaTrip, a leading Indonesia-based Online Travel Agency; Gorilla Networks, a Singapore-based, web3-enabled mobile blockchain network operator; Leflair.com, Vietnam's leading lifestyle e-commerce platform; Pushkart.ph, a popular grocery delivery company in Philippines; Handycart.vn, a leading online restaurant delivery service based in Vietnam; and Mangan.ph, a leading local restaurant delivery service in Philippines.

For more information on Society Pass, please visit:
Website at https://www.thesocietypass.com or
LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/societypass or
Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/thesocietypass or
Twitter at https://twitter.com/society_pass or
Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/societypass/.

Cautionary Note Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

This press release may include "forward-looking statements," within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this press release are forward-looking statements. When used in this press release, words such as "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect", "intend" and similar expressions, as they relate to us or our management team, identify forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs of management, as well as assumptions made by, and information currently available to, the Company's management. Actual results could differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements as a result of certain factors detailed in the Company's filings with the SEC. All subsequent written or oral forward-looking statements attributable to us or persons acting on our behalf are qualified in their entirety by this paragraph. Forward-looking statements are subject to numerous conditions, many of which are beyond the control of the Company, including those set forth in the Risk Factors section of the Company's registration statement and prospectus relating to the Company's initial public offering filed with the SEC. The Company undertakes no obligation to update these statements for revisions or changes after the date of this release, except as required by law.

Media Contacts:
Rosa Milyarna – NusaTrip Indonesia
Rosa@nusatrip.com

NusaTrip / Society Pass ID PR Representatives
Elisabeth ( elisabeth.winiartati@gmail.com | +62813375150220)
Angga ( anggahadi@gmail.com | +6281213858388)

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

Palladium One Reports 10.3% Nickel, 2.9% Copper over 1.8 meters at the Tyko Project, Canada

TORONTO, ONTARIO , Jan 12, 2023 – (ACN Newswire) – Palladium One Mining Inc. (TSXV: PDM) (OTCQB: NKORF) (FSE: 7N11) (the "Company" or "Palladium One") is pleased to report additional high-grade drillhole intercepts for the Tyko Property, from the West Pickle massive sulphide discovery in Ontario, Canada.

Figure 1. Massive pentlandite-pyrrhotite-chalcopyrite sulphide intersection in hole TK-22-073 from 137.5 to 139.3 meters down hole (core is dry). Wall rock is tonalite breccia.

Figure 2. Tyko Property map showing various mineralized zones and multi-line VTEM anomalies, background is Calculated Vertical Gradient Magnetics ("CVG").

Figure 3. Plan and long section looking north perpendicular to the interpreted chonolith structure linking the West Pickle and RJ zones, showing potential for massive sulphide mineralization beyond the depth detectable by the 2021 VTEM airborne survey.

Figure 4. Long section looking south of the West Pickle Zone.

Highlights
– Additional West Pickle Zone assay results include:
— 7.2% Ni, 2.0% Cu, 0.10% Co, 0.56 g/t Total Precious Metals ("TPM") (Pt+Pd+Au) over 2.6 meters of massive sulphides in hole TK-22-073
—- Including 10.3% Ni, 2.9% Cu, 0.15% Co, 0.80 g/t TPM over 1.8 meters
— 2.0% Ni, 0.9% Cu, 0.04% Co, 0.36 g/t Total Precious Metals ("TPM") (Pt+Pd+Au) over 4.1 meters of massive and semi-massive sulphides in hole TK-22-072
—- Including 5.3 Ni%, 1.5% Cu, 0.12% Co, 0.67 g/t TPM over 1.5 meters
– RJ Zone, 2.7 kilometres east of West Pickle, previously retuned 85.4 meters of mineralization:
— 0.5% Ni and 0.2% Cu over 85.4 meters in hole TK-16-002 (see press release June 8, 2016)
—- Including 1.0% Ni and 0.2% Cu over 16.2 meters
– A key objective of the 2023 exploration program is to connect the West Pickle and RJ Zones (Figure 3)
– The Tyko Project currently hosts five known nickel sulphide zones along a 20-kilometer trend and several yet to be tested Versatile Time Domain Electromagnetic ("VTEM") anomalies

President and CEO Derrick Weyrauch commented, "This latest batch of drill results, with individual assays up to 11.9% nickel, continue to reinforce the high-grade nature of the West Pickle Zone within the larger regional opportunity provided by the project. Similar to the Smoke Lake Zone, West Pickle is revealing massive sulphides that have been likely remobilized from a much larger source, which we hope to discover in 2023. Our 2023 exploration plan at Tyko also includes step-out drilling from known mineralization, and regional exploration to refine drill targets along 10's of kilometers of interpreted feeder dykes / chonoliths (Figure 2 & 3) that could have fed the large Bulldozer mafic-ultramafic complex.

Cash and cash equivalents of approximately C$11.3 million (unaudited) were on hand as at December 31, 2022.

The 2022 Drill program on Tyko consisted of 70 holes totaling 13,038 meters, of which 49 holes are pending assay results. The 2023 field season is currently being planned and a high-resolution magnetic survey is scheduled in Q1. This survey has been designed to refine the geometry of the interpreted feeder dykes / chonoliths across Tyko's 30-kilometer strike length prior to additional drill testing."

To date a total of 32 holes, totalling 6,766 meters have been drilled in the vicinity of the West Pickle Discovery. At present, West Pickle mineralization has been defined over more than 500 meters of strike length (Figure 3 and 4).

Figure 1. Massive pentlandite-pyrrhotite-chalcopyrite sulphide intersection in hole TK-22-073 from 137.5 to 139.3 meters down hole (core is dry). Wall rock is tonalite breccia.
https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/6502/151121_093b45d304cecb48_001full.jpg

Figure 2. Tyko Property map showing various mineralized zones and multi-line VTEM anomalies, background is Calculated Vertical Gradient Magnetics ("CVG").
https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/6502/151121_093b45d304cecb48_002full.jpg

Figure 3. Plan and long section looking north perpendicular to the interpreted chonolith structure linking the West Pickle and RJ zones, showing potential for massive sulphide mineralization beyond the depth detectable by the 2021 VTEM airborne survey.
https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/6502/151121_093b45d304cecb48_003full.jpg

Figure 4. Long section looking south of the West Pickle Zone.
https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/6502/151121_093b45d304cecb48_004full.jpg

Table 1: Assay Results: Tyko 2022 Drill Results from the new West Pickle Zone
https://www.acnnewswire.com/topimg/Low_Palladium2022112_1.jpg

(1) Reported widths are "drilled widths" not true widths.
(2) Italicised grey shaded values are previously reported (see news release October 4, 2022, November 21, 2022 and November 29, 2022)

Table 2: Drill Hole Locations
https://www.acnnewswire.com/topimg/Low_Palladium2022112_2.jpg

QA/QC

The drilling program was carried out under the supervision of Neil Pettigrew, M.Sc., P. Geo., Vice President of Exploration, and a Director of the Company

Drill core samples were split using a rock saw by Company staff, with half retained in the core box and stored onsite at the Tyko exploration camp core yard facility.

Samples were transported in secure bags directly from the logging facility at the onsite exploration camp, to the Activation Laboratories Ltd. ("Actlabs") in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Actlabs, which is ISO 17025 accredited with CAN-P-1579 (Mineral Lab). In addition to ISO 17025 accreditation, Actlabs is accredited/certified to ISO 9001:2015. All samples are crushed to 2 millimeters with a 250-gram split pulverized to 105 microns. Analysis for PGEs is performed using a 30 grams fire assay with an ICP-OES finish and for Ni, Cu, and Co using 0.25 grams by 4 acid digestion with ICP-OES finish. Ni, Cu and Co samples over 1.0 wt% were re-analysed by ore grade methods using 4 acid digestion with ICP-OES finish.

Certified standards, blanks and crushed duplicates are placed in the sample stream at a rate of one QA/QC sample per 10 core samples. Results are analyzed for acceptance within the defined limits of the standard used before being released to the public.

About Tyko Copper-Nickel-Cobalt Project

The Tyko Copper-Nickel-Cobalt Project, is located approximately 65 kilometers northeast of Marathon Ontario, Canada. Tyko is an early stage, high sulphide tenor, nickel-copper (2:1 ratio) project. The West Pickle Zone occurs on the Pezim II claim block of the larger Tyko Project.

Qualified Person

The technical information in this release has been reviewed and verified by Neil Pettigrew, M.Sc., P. Geo., Vice President of Exploration and a director of the Company and the Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101.

About Palladium One

Palladium One Mining Inc. (TSXV: PDM) is focused on discovering environmentally and socially conscious Metals for Green Transportation. A Canadian mineral exploration and development company, Palladium One is targeting district scale, platinum-group-element (PGE)-copper-nickel deposits in Canada and Finland. The Lantinen Koillismaa (LK) Project in north-central Finland, is a PGE-copper-nickel project that has existing NI43-101 Mineral Resources, while both the Tyko and Canalask high-grade nickel-copper projects are located in Ontario and the Yukon, Canada, respectively. Follow Palladium One on LinkedIn, Twitter, and at www.palladiumoneinc.com.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD
"Derrick Weyrauch"
President & CEO, Director

For further information contact:
Derrick Weyrauch, President & CEO
Email: info@palladiumoneinc.com

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

This press release is not an offer or a solicitation of an offer of securities for sale in the United States of America. The common shares of Palladium One Mining Inc. have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from registration.

Information set forth in this press release may contain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that relate to future, not past events. In this context, forward-looking statements often address a company's expected future business and financial performance, and often contain words such as "anticipate", "believe", "plan", "estimate", "expect", and "intend", statements that an action or event "may", "might", "could", "should", or "will" be taken or occur, or other similar expressions. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements, or other future events, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among others, risks associated with project development; the need for additional financing; operational risks associated with mining and mineral processing; fluctuations in palladium and other commodity prices; title matters; environmental liability claims and insurance; reliance on key personnel; the absence of dividends; competition; dilution; the volatility of our common share price and volume; and tax consequences to Canadian and U.S. Shareholders. Forward-looking statements are made based on management's beliefs, estimates and opinions on the date that statements are made and the Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements if these beliefs, estimates and opinions or other circumstances should change. Investors are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward-looking statements.

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

First three trade fairs in 2023 conclude successfully

HONG KONG, Jan 12, 2023 – (ACN Newswire) – The latest trade fairs organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) recorded encouraging traffic and exhibitor participation, with many buyers placing orders at the fairground. The recent reopening of the Hong Kong-Mainland China border and resumption of international travel has helped drive the industry's enthusiastic response, allowing buyers and exhibitors to seize opportunities.

The HKTDC Hong Kong Toys & Games Fair, the HKTDC Hong Kong Baby Products Fair, and the Hong Kong International Stationery & School Supplies Fair, jointly organised by the HKTDC and Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd concluded successfully.

More than 120 renowned brands were featured at the Brand Name Gallery at the Toys & Games Fair and Baby Products Fair, including 4D Master, Eastcolight, Hape, KEEPPLEY, Ming the Minibus, Welly, Winfun, Marcus & Marcus and more.

Smart-Tech Toys and Kidult World were highlighted product zones at the Toys & Games Fair, attracting the attention of many buyers.

Across four days, the 49th HKTDC Hong Kong Toys & Games Fair, 14th HKTDC Hong Kong Baby Products Fair and the 21st Hong Kong International Stationery & School Supplies Fair welcomed over 21,000 buyers from some 100 countries and regions who participated physically and online. More than 12,200 buyers attended the three fairs in-person.

Non-local buyers travelled from near and far to join the physical fairs, including Mainland China, ASEAN, India, Japan, Korea and Taiwan. European buyers came from, amongst others, the Czech Republic, France, Hungary, Italy, Poland and the United Kingdom, while buyers from the Middle East and Brazil, Chile and the United States took part as well.

While the physical part of the three fairs came to a close today, exhibitors and buyers can continue to connect online until 19 January. The first three trade fairs of the year adopted the HKTDC's new EXHIBITION+ model, which includes not only the physical shows, but also virtual access facilitated by its smart business matching platform Click2Match, connecting exhibitors and buyers online. As of today, the HKTDC has arranged over 1,000 business meeting sessions.

HKTDC Deputy Executive Director Ms Sophia Chong said: "The HKTDC has promoted the fairs in the past few months, and actively invited quality exhibitors and buyers from around the world to participate in-person. Following the resumption of quarantine-free travel between the mainland and Hong Kong, we are happy to see buyers from Mainland China, ASEAN and the wider Asia region, Europe and the Americas travel to Hong Kong for the fairs. Business travel in Hong Kong is gradually returning to normal, with industry being more optimistic about the future. This is welcome news for our upcoming fairs."

Creating more global business opportunities with the border re-opening

This year's fairs featured an assortment of new products from more than 1,000 exhibitors. A long-term supporter of the Hong Kong Toys & Games Fair, Eastcolight (Hong Kong) Limited, introduced their AR educational toys at the event. Co-founder Ms Salley Sze said: "It is exciting to see that global buyers are back in Hong Kong this year. We have met with overseas buyers from Brazil, France, Israel, Italy, Russia and Turkey who are very interested in our products. We are confident in the fair's business results."

Xiamen Baby Pretty Products Co., Ltd has been participating in the Hong Kong Baby Products Fair since 2009, which has helped expand their export business over the years. CEO Mr Sam Yang appreciated the quality of buyers this year and revealed that his company has met with 80 to 90 new buyers from Southeast Asia and Turkey. While their existing customers have confirmed US$2 million worth of orders, they have also received on-site orders worth US$200,000-300,000 from four new buyers.

Ms Malwina Jaworska, Acting Director of Product Development Department of 4Kraft Sp. z o.o., a baby products company in Poland, said: "Through the HKTDC's Click2Match smart business matching platform, we have found a new supplier from Hong Kong who can provide quality strollers with nice designs. We plan to buy US$850,000 worth of strollers from them. We have also reserved a budget of US$7 million for buying baby beds and high chairs at the fair."

Sales manager Mr Scott Wen of Mirage International Industries, a US exhibitor at the Stationery & School Supplies Fair is satisfied with the fair results. "It's clear that industry players are eager to get back to in-person business. We have had inquiries from Korea, Japan, the Netherlands, the USA, the Philippines, France, Germany, Hong Kong, and even the Middle East and India".

Scientific educational, kidult and green toys lead the future of play

At the flagship Hong Kong Toy Industry Conference 2023 on 10 January, key toy industry trends were unveiled by speaker Mr Clifton Chiu, Research Analyst of Toys and Games of Euromonitor International.

He noted that the rise of scientific educational and kidult toys and the impact of sustainability will be in the spotlight. Mr Chiu added that scientific educational toys were a perfect product for families looking to mix education and entertainment for their children during the pandemic with limited outdoor activities and schooling. Also, kidults, mainly young professionals, are willing to spend their disposable income on collectible toys and blind boxes that let them relive their childhood.

Another key trend is sustainability, many big players have adapted manufacturing and packaging methods in accordance with the sustainability concerns of consumers. The Toys & Games Fair has various themed zones, such as Smart-Tech Toys and Kidult World, together with a special Green Toys label introduced this year, to help buyers identify and source the popular product categories in the industry. For more comments from exhibitors and buyers, please visit the following websites:

HKTDC Hong Kong Toys & Games Fair: https://www.hktdc.com/event/hktoyfair/en/success-stories
HKTDC Hong Kong Baby Products Fair: https://www.hktdc.com/event/hkbabyfair/en/success-stories
Hong Kong International Stationery & School Supplies Fair: https://www.hktdc.com/event/hkstationeryfair/en/success-stories

Fair Websites
– HKTDC Hong Kong Toys & Games Fair: http://hktoyfair.hktdc.com/
– HKTDC Hong Kong Baby Products Fair: http://hkbabyfair.hktdc.com/
– Hong Kong International Stationery & School Supplies Fair: http://hkstationeryfair.com/
– Photo download: https://bit.ly/3GUCRtx

About HKTDC

The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) is a statutory body established in 1966 to promote, assist and develop Hong Kong's trade. With 50 offices globally, including 13 in Mainland China, the HKTDC promotes Hong Kong as a two-way global investment and business hub. The HKTDC organises international exhibitions, conferences and business missions to create business opportunities for companies, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), in the mainland and international markets. The HKTDC also provides up-to-date market insights and product information via research reports and digital news channels. For more information, please visit: www.hktdc.com/aboutus. Follow us on Twitter @hktdc and LinkedIn.

Media enquiries
HKTDC Communications & Public Affairs Department:
Clayton Lauw, Tel: +852 2584 4472, Email: clayton.y.lauw@hktdc.org
Kate Chan, Tel: +852 2584 4239, Email: kate.hy.chan@hktdc.org
Agnes Wat, Tel: +852 2584 4554, Email: agnes.ky.wat@hktdc.org

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

Preservica Announces Partnership with Australia’s DatacomIT to Preserve and Future-Proof Access to Critical Long-Term Digital Information

BOSTON, MA, OXFORD, UK and MELBOURNE, AU, Jan 12, 2023 – (ACN Newswire) – Preservica, a global leader in Active Digital Preservation archiving, announced today their partnership with Australia's DatacomIT, a leading provider of specialised digitisation and hosted solutions for digital collections.

This partnership enables a seamless approach between digitisation and long-term Digital Preservation, with DatacomIT specialising in the conversion of analog materials to digital formats. Those who are already investing in digitisation will now be able to protect that investment by ensuring it is accessible, meets compliance and legal requirements, and is readable now and in the future with Preservica's Digital Preservation solution.

"DatacomIT is excited about our new partnership with Preservica," shared Eamonn Donohoe, General Manager, DatacomIT. "We can now offer our clients a one stop shop, from digitisation to Digital Preservation, and assist organisations to develop curation and preservation strategies. This partnership underpins our role as Australia's industry leader in digitisation and Digital Preservation, fulfilling our mission of securing the past for the future."

DatacomIT will offer consultation and implementation of Preservica's cloud-hosted editions, which are changing the way organisations around the world future-proof and access critical long-term digital information. Preservica's seamless application will bring together all the core elements of successful long-term Digital Preservation – durable storage, file format updates, and secure immediate access.

With over 40 years of experience offering digitisation solutions to cultural institutions, DatacomIT is a recognised leader in the GLAM sector, providing digitisation and Digital Preservation services for galleries, libraries, archives, and museums. Utilising proven leading-edge technologies, DatacomIT has established long-standing credibility within the archives and digitisation industry, preserving rare and fragile cultural heritage material including books, microfilm, microfiche, photographs, negatives, slides, maps, and large format material.

"We are delighted to offer Australian institutions an affordable and scalable way to preserve, curate and share their digital collections that document the vibrant history of the region," said Mike Quinn, CEO, Preservica. "DatacomIT customers can now confidently go from scanning to safeguarding digital content. We welcome them to our growing global user community that is choosing this holistic approach we call Active Digital Preservation."

Preservica's partnership with DatacomIT is the latest in their international momentum, having recently announced new government customers in Ireland, the Netherlands, and the UK.

Follow Preservica on Twitter ( https://twitter.com/preservica ), LinkedIn ( https://www.linkedin.com/company/preservica ) and Facebook ( https://www.facebook.com/Preservica ) to stay up to date and learn how to register your interest.

About Preservica

Preservica is transforming the way organisations around the world protect and future-proof critical long-term digital information. Available in the cloud (SaaS) or on-premise, our award-winning Active Digital Preservation software has been designed from the ground up to tackle the unique challenges of ensuring digital information remains accessible and trustworthy over decades.

It's a proven solution that's trusted by thousands of businesses, archives, libraries, museums and government organisations around the world, including the UK National Archives, Texas State Library and Archives, MoMA, Yale and HSBC.

www.preservica.com
Twitter: @Preservica
LinkedIn: @Preservica

Media Contact
Aleeza Goodman
York IE
aleeza@york.ie

SOURCE: Preservica

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

Asian Financial Forum kick-starts 2023 on a positive note

HONG KONG, Jan 11, 2023 – (ACN Newswire) – The 16th Asian Financial Forum (AFF) kicked off today on a positive note, attracting over 1,000 participants on day one, including more than 100 global leaders and officials invited as speakers and 19 delegations from Mainland China and overseas. This was also reflected in the results of a poll conducted at the event, in which close to 70% of respondents indicated a neutral to positive sentiment towards the global economic outlook.

The 16th Asian Financial Forum opened today in physical format with digital extension and will run for two days at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Mr Ban Ki-Moon, Former (Eighth) Secretary-General of the United Nations, delivered a speech during the keynote luncheon.

AFF Deal Flow Matchmaking Session was once again held in physical format, facilitating business collaborations through face-to-face communication.

This year's Forum, themed Accelerating Transformation: Impact – Inclusion – Innovation, comes hot on the heels of the resumption of quarantine-free travel between Hong Kong and Mainland China, along with Hong Kong's international business travel returning to normal.

After two years of being held in virtual format, the two-day event, co-organised by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), returned in physical format, in addition to being available online.

The Forum was officiated by HKSAR Chief Executive Mr John Lee. HKTDC Chairman Dr Peter K N Lam also delivered his welcome remarks: "The Forum is the first flagship financial event held in hybrid format to kick-start the new year. Hong Kong has long been a leading global financial centre, and the global financial leaders' visit to Hong Kong solidifies our important role in the region and the world at large. Global cooperation has become more important than ever. Our collective aim is to stimulate growth, and if we join hands, we can do just that in this new normal we operate in."

The AFF opened with a plenary session hosted by Christopher Hui, Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury of the HKSAR. The panelists included Ms. Yuriko Backes, Minister of Finance, Luxembourg; Dr Benjamin Diokno, Secretary, Department of Finance, Philippines; Dr Zamir Iqbal, Vice President, Finance and CFO, Islamic Development Bank; Mr Jin Liqun, President and Chair, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank; Mr Ahmed Saeed, Vice President for East Asia, Southeast Asia and the Pacific, Asian Development Bank; Mr Jean-Paul Servais, Chairman, International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) and Chairman, Financial Services and Markets Authority (FSMA Belgium); Mr Arkhom Termpittayapaisith, Minister of Finance, Thailand and Dr Tao Zhang, Chief Representative, Representative Office for Asia and the Pacific, Bank for International Settlements.

At the policy dialogue, Mr Arthur Yuen, Deputy Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, chaired a panel featuring Mr Otavio Damaso, Deputy Governor for Regulation of the Central Bank of Brazil; Dr Dong He, Deputy Director of Monetary and Capital Markets Department of the International Monetary Fund; Ms Verena Ross, Chair of the European Securities and Markets Authority; and Hiroto Uehara, Deputy Director-General of the Bank of Japan.

Real-time polling conducted during the Forum gauged participants' views on a broad range of subjects. When asked about the major challenges facing global growth in 2023, 60% of participants believe that the intensifying geopolitical risks will pose the biggest threat. 29% of participants believe the continued tightening of monetary policy will be the biggest risk, apart from cyber breaches and security risks (3%) and high corporate debt restraining business investment (8%). When asked about the possibility of innovation and technology bringing more benefits than risks to growth, 87% of participants said it was very likely or likely.

Ban Ki-Moon on multilateralism in a fraught world

At the keynote luncheon on the first day moderated by Mr Ronnie C. Chan, Chairman of Hang Lung Properties, Mr Paul Chan Mo-po, Financial Secretary of the HKSAR and Mr Huang Zhaohui, CEO and Chairman of the Management Committee of the China International Capital Corporation, delivered remarks. The luncheon also featured Mr Ban Ki-moon, eighth UN Secretary-General, as the keynote speaker. In his speech, he stated: "COVID-19, climate change and other global crises have underlined our fundamental interconnectedness. These events have also made it clear that we need global solutions to holistically address the enormous challenges that we are now facing. The UN Sustainable Development Goals and Paris Climate Agreement provide humanity with a collaborative blueprint to ensure the future that we want, while leaving no one behind. To achieve this noble goal, all stakeholders, including financial and business leaders, should strengthen cooperation, innovation, engagement and action. We can harness this time of uncertainty to pave the way towards a more sustainable, healthy and prosperous world for all."

In addition, financial and business leaders also attended sessions that explored prospects for the global economy. In her speech, Ms Valerie Baudson shared : "Speaking about 2023, I think there will be three factors, which will determine the global outlook. The first one is the Central Bank's policy with inflation, which starts to decrease. The second one, the energy crisis and the way the European governments will go on managing them, and the third one is of course the Chinese reopening, which will be very important for global growth". Gu Shu opined that: "The world economy is facing multiple challenges, but it is in better shape compared to that of the last few years. We have experienced sluggish trade and investment, high inflation, and disrupted global supply chains. This year downward pressure remains, but we believe inflation in major economies will start to come down. Growth rate may not be fast, but still in positive territory. We see opportunities coming from green transition and digitization. We call for countries to make concerted efforts to normalize the global economy."

In the afternoon, the inaugural Global Spectrum, Dialogue for Tomorrow and Fireside Chat sessions analysed social trends that impact our future, including financial innovation, healthcare and impact investing, and highlight opportunities and challenges facing start-ups in the Guangdong-Hong-Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), and the potential of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and digital collectables to drive the digital economy.

In view of the growing importance of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) among corporates and investors, the HKTDC and PwC presented a joint research paper on "Financing the Corporate Transition to a Sustainable Future" at the AFF. Mr Raymund Chao, Asia Pacific and China Chairman of PwC, shared the findings: "It was a great opportunity for us to partner with HKTDC to release our joint research study today at the Asian Financial Forum. Our survey, which centred around ESG transformation, pointed to a number of challenges and opportunities facing local corporations in delivering meaningful results on their ESG journey and effectively financing their ESG initiatives. Businesses need to embrace a game-changer mindset, while working together with all levels of stakeholders to build trust and drive sustained outcomes in this space. As policymakers bring additional focus to ESG, along with higher C-suite awareness, we believe this will not only further Hong Kong's development in green finance, but will also propel the world forward towards a sustainable future."

Providing connections for investors

The AFF Deal Flow Matchmaking Session, co-organised by the HKTDC and the Hong Kong Venture Capital and Private Equity Association, have returned in physical format. More than 600 matchmaking meetings are expected to be held. While the sessions take place in-person on 11 and 12 January, they continue online until 17 January, allowing investors and project owners more time to connect and explore collaboration opportunities. Representatives from a variety of industries will participate in this much-anticipated session, ranging from deep technology, digital technology and media, and medical technology to education, infrastructure and real estate services.

The Forum continues to provide a platform facilitating projects and business matching among global finance and trade institutions. For instance, the Indonesian Real Estate Developers Association (REI) and Institution of Public Private Partnerships in Hong Kong signed a memorandum of understanding on the first day of AFF to strengthen collaboration in infrastructure. Yedpay, an exhibitor in the Forum's FinTech Showcase, also joined hands with global financial institutions and local universities at the event to launch a collaboration framework on jointly developing various payment technologies.

Two women leaders delivering keynote addresses tomorrow

The AFF will continue to feature stimulating and thought-provoking sessions tomorrow, including a keynote speech in the morning on the promotion of climate change delivered by Ms Christiana Figueres, former Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and Co-founder of Global Optimism. Ms Helen Clark, former Prime Minister of New Zealand, will join the keynote luncheon as a guest speaker to share her experiences as an influential global leader and her mission to promote a diverse and inclusive culture.

There are over 20 workshops and panel discussions on a myriad of topics, such as sustainable development and ESG, green finance, inclusive capital markets, family office challenges, digital Reminibi and innovative technology development. Highlighted speakers include Dr Norman Chan, Chairman of RD Wallet Technologies / RD ezLink; Mr Charles Li, Founder and Chairman of Micro Connect; Dr Feng Xiao, Chairman of HashKey Group; Dr Giovanna Graziosi-Casimiro, Head of Metaverse Fashion Week of Decentraland and Mr Sebastian Fahey, Executive Vice President and Managing Director, EMEA and Executive Lead of the Metaverse at Sotheby's.

The HKTDC is providing a variety of exclusive travel, food and hotel discounts for overseas delegates, to enrich their stay in Hong Kong beyond the two-day Forum. For details, please visit: https://bit.ly/3Gv9xt6

Websites
– Asian Financial Forum: https://www.asianfinancialforum.com/aff/en/
– Programme: https://www.asianfinancialforum.com/conference/aff/en/programme
– Speakers List: https://www.asianfinancialforum.com/conference/aff/en/speaker
– HKTDC Media Room: http://mediaroom.hktdc.com
– Photo Download: https://bit.ly/3vRBnem

About HKTDC

The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) is a statutory body established in 1966 to promote, assist and develop Hong Kong's trade. With 50 offices globally, including 13 in Mainland China, the HKTDC promotes Hong Kong as a two-way global investment and business hub. The HKTDC organises international exhibitions, conferences and business missions to create business opportunities for companies, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), in the mainland and international markets. The HKTDC also provides up-to-date market insights and product information via research reports and digital news channels. For more information, please visit: www.hktdc.com/aboutus. Follow us on Twitter @hktdc and LinkedIn.

Media enquiries

Yuan Tung Financial Relations:
Tiffany Leung, Tel: +852 3428 2361, Email: tleung@yuantung.com.hk
Agnes Yiu, Tel: +852 3428 5690, Email: ayiu@yuantung.com.hk
Hing-fung Wong, Tel: +852 3428 3122, Email: hfwong@yuantung.com.hk

HKTDC Communications & Public Affairs Department:
Katy Wong, Tel: +852 2584 4524, Email: katy.ky.wong@hktdc.org
Snowy Chan, Tel: +852 2584 4525, Email: snowy.sn.chan@hktdc.org
Sunny Ng, Tel: +852 2584 4357, Email: sunny.sl.ng@hktdc.org

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

Chris Cassidy Joins Mojix as President and Chief Commercial Officer

Boca Raton, FL, Jan 11, 2023 – (ACN Newswire) – Mojix, a leading inventory management and supply chain traceability enterprise SaaS platform, is pleased to announce that Chris Cassidy has joined the company as President and Chief Commercial Officer. This announcement comes as the direct result of the tremendous success Mojix has attained over the past several years, as the company has recorded significant growth and improvements in revenue, customer expansion, and product innovation. Supporting these achievements, the company has developed strategic partnerships for serialization and RFID Barcoding used by leading food & beverage, luxury brand, manufacturing, industrial, aerospace & defense, and retail clients across the globe.

Chris Cassidy

Dan Doles, Mojix CEO, said, "Chris joins Mojix with more than 20 years of executive leadership in various supply chain management roles and brings deep domain expertise and a stellar track record working with leading global enterprises on digital transformation and supply chain optimization. Chris is a recognized expert in supply chain management, logistics, and enterprise supply chain SaaS solutions, across both customer operations, strategy, sales and marketing. We are excited to partner with Chris to further our long-term strategic vision and provide value to our customers as a best-in-class item-level traceability SaaS platform."

Before joining Mojix, Chris was EVP & Chief Revenue Officer at Trax Technologies. Previously, he held various supply chain leadership positions of increasing responsibility at Gartner, UPS, and GSK. He holds a BS in Industrial Engineering from Georgia Tech and an executive programme certification in supply chain management at MIT.

Pete Leibman, Managing Director of Peak Rock Capital, added, "the Board is thrilled to have Chris join the executive leadership team at Mojix, and exemplifies our commitment to drive accelerated growth in the years to come."

Chris stated, "I am both humbled and honored to be named President and Chief Commercial Officer of Mojix. I am excited to drive further acceleration of the company's growth as we continue to lead the industry in customer satisfaction, global program delivery and product innovation for end-to-end visibility and traceability. The aim is to continue leveraging the maturing serialization and RFID barcoding technology solutions with the purpose of driving smarter and intelligent insights. Through collaboration and innovation with our customers and strategic partners, our advances in bringing together the physical and financial data flows will empower global enterprise manufacturers, distributors, and retailers to improve visibility and traceability for optimized financial performance of their Supply Chain networks during these most uncertain of times. Our times require both an agile and resilient supply chain to manage cost-to-serve and inventory assets."

About Mojix

Mojix is a global leader in item-level supply chain intelligence software. The firm is leading the way in traceability solutions utilizing its high security, globally scalable cloud-native SaaS platform. Founded in 2004, the Company has deep domain expertise in serialization technologies such as RFID, NFC, and print-based marking systems. Mojix builds business intelligence from event-triggered actions tracking billions of unique identities, following item lifecycles from source to shelf. Companies can leverage the seamlessly integrated data to increase their sales and operational efficiency, reduce major risks and enhance their customer experience. With offices across the United States, Europe and South America, Mojix is now a recognized expert in end-to-end, item-level track and trace, product authentication and automated inventory management. Learn more at www.mojix.com

About Peak Rock Capital

Peak Rock Capital is a leading middle-market private investment firm that makes equity and debt investments in companies in North America and Europe. Peak Rock's equity investment platform focuses on opportunities where it can support senior management to drive rapid growth and performance improvement, with expertise in corporate carve-outs and partnering with families and founders seeking first-time institutional capital. Peak Rock's credit platform invests across capital structures, with a broad mandate to provide flexible, tailored capital solutions to middle-market and growth-oriented businesses. Peak Rock's real estate platform makes equity and debt investments in small to mid-sized real estate assets in attractive, growing geographies. For further information about Peak Rock Capital, please visit www.peakrockcapital.com.

Editorial/Media Contacts
Jim Donaldson, Sr. Director, Corporate Communications
Mojix, Inc
(314) 223-4779
jim.donaldson@mojix.com

Helene de Lailhacar, VP Marketing
Mojix, Inc.
(33) 6 70 61 72 22
helene.delailhacar@mojix.com

(c) Mojix, Inc. Mojix and ytem are registered trademarks of Mojix, Inc.

SOURCE: Mojix, Inc

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

SCIB Proposes Private Placement to Raise Up to RM10.98 Million

KUCHING, MALAYSIA, Jan 11, 2023 – (ACN Newswire) – Civil engineering specialist Sarawak Consolidated Industries Berhad (SCIB) is proposing a private placement to raise gross proceeds of up to approximately RM10.98 million for working capital, repayment of bank borrowings and estimated expenses for the proposed private placement.

Group MD and CEO of SCIB, Encik Rosland bin Othman

While the issue price and the actual number of shares to be issued will be determined later, under the maximum scenario in which all the Company's 245.18 million outstanding warrants are exercised, the proposed private placement will entail the issuance of up to 82.72 million placement shares at an indicative price of RM0.1327 per placement share to raise gross proceeds of up to approximately RM10.98 million. Under the minimum scenario, should none of the outstanding warrants be exercised, then gross proceeds raised will be RM7.72 million.

The proposed issuance represents not more than 10% of the issued shares as at the latest practicable date (LPD) of 30 December 2022 while the indicative price per share represents a discount of approximately 9.97% to the five-day volume weighted average market price of SCIB shares up to the LPD of RM0.1474. The proposed private placement may be implemented in several tranches within six months of approval from Bursa Securities Malaysia Berhad or any extended period approved by it until the conclusion of the next AGM.

The proposed private placement is undertaken in accordance with the approval obtained from the shareholders of the Company at the 46th AGM convened on 8 December 2022.

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

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

Minetech Awarded RM36.71 Million Mini-Hydro Project

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 11, 2023 – (ACN Newswire) – Minetech Resources Berhad, a civil engineering specialist and bituminous products manufacturer today announced that the Company's wholly-owned subsidiary, Techmile Resources Sdn Bhd (TRSB), has accepted a letter of award (LOA) from Tesdec Hydropower Sdn Bhd for the engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning (EPCC) of a 3MW mini-hydro power plant at Sungai Pelagat, Besut, Terengganu valued at RM36.71 million.

The project, which is expected to commence in January 2023, followed by construction in 2025, is expected to be completed by May 2027, comes under the Sustainable Energy Development Authority's (SEDA) feed-in-tariff (FiT) programme in which businesses or individuals that hold SEDA's feed-in approval certificate can sell RE at the FiT rate to distribution licensees such as Tenaga Nasional Berhad.

TRSB provides EPCC as well as maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services for the energy industry. Tesdec Hydropower is a sub-subsidiary of Tesdec Berhad through its subsidiary, Tesdec Services Sdn Bhd. Tesdec is wholly-owned by the Terengganu government while Tesdec Hydropower is principally involved in renewal energy (RE) activities, development and facilities in the state.

Dato' (Dr). Ts. Awang Daud bin Awang Putera, Executive Chairman of Minetech said, "This project represents for us another step forward in our venture into RE that began in 2020 as part of an organisational transformation at Minetech, which includes diversification and rationalisation. Our move into RE enables us to partake in the development of a sustainable economy that is in line with initiatives in recent years to be greener and ensure social wellbeing."

"The 3MW mini-hydro power plant project will allow us to also showcase what Minetech is capable of as we seek more opportunities in RE. As a registered solar photovoltaic investor with SEDA and the owner of a 9.99MW AC floating solar power plant located in Pantai Remis, Perak, we are also able to sell electricity to government agencies, businesses and individuals under SEDA's Net Energy Metering Programme or NEM 3.0."

YAB Dato' Seri Dr. Ahmad Samsuri bin Mokhtar, Menteri Besar of Terengganu said, "The state government is committed to driving economic growth through such projects where positive spillover effects include lowering greenhouse gas emissions, mitigating the impact of human activities to the environment and safeguarding the wellbeing of communities through socio-economic progress".

Chairman of Tesdec Hydropower, YB Ir. Saiful Azmi bin Suhaili said, "We are pleased to initiate this renewable energy project that will bring benefits to the people of Terengganu by providing a stable and clean source of electricity that can also support essential backup power should there be power outages or disruptions."

The LOA signing ceremony was held at Primula Beach Hotel, Kuala Terengganu and were witnessed by Terengganu Menteri Besar, YAB Dato' Seri Dr. Ahmad Samsuri bin Mokhtar and Executive Chairman of Minetech, Dato' (Dr). Ts. Awang Daud bin Awang Putera. Executive Directors, Ts. Azlan Shah bin Zainal Arif and Mr Matt Chin signed on behalf of TRSB while Directors, Ir. Rosdan bin Ismail and Ts. Shahidan Izham bin Yeop Ibrahim, signed for Tesdec Hydropower.

Image Caption
From L-R:
1. Ts. Shahidan Izham bin Yeop Ibrahim, Director of Tesdec Hydropower Sdn Bhd
2. Ir. Rosdan bin Ismail, Executive Director of Tesdec Hydropower Sdn Bhd
3. YB Ir Saiful Azmi, Chairman of Tesdec Hydropower Sdn Bhd
4. YAB Dato' Seri Dr Ahmad Samsuri bin Mokhtar, Menteri Besar of Terengganu
5. Dato' (Dr). Ts. Awang Daud bin Awang Putera, Executive Chairman of Minetech Resources Bhd
6. Ts. Azlan Shah bin Zainal Arif, Executive Director of Minetech Resources Bhd
7. Matt Chin Leong Choy, Executive Director of Minetech Resources Bhd
https://www.acnnewswire.com/topimg/Low_Minetech02301111.jpg

From L-R (Standing):
1. YB Ir Saiful Azmi, Chairman of Tesdec Hydropower Sdn Bhd
2. YAB Dato' Seri Dr Ahmad Samsuri bin Mokhtar, Menteri Besar of Terengganu
3. Dato' (Dr). Ts. Awang Daud bin Awang Putera, Executive Chairman of Minetech Resources Bhd
From L-R (Seated):
1. Ts. Shahidan Izham bin Yeop Ibrahim, Director of Tesdec Hydropower Sdn Bhd
2. Ir. Rosdan bin Ismail, Executive Director of Tesdec Hydropower Sdn Bhd
3. Ts. Azlan Shah bin Zainal Arif, Executive Director of Minetech Resources Bhd
4. Matt Chin Leong Choy, Executive Director of Minetech Resources Bhd
https://www.acnnewswire.com/topimg/Low_Minetech02301112.jpg

Minetech Resources Berhad: 7219 [BURSA: MINE], https://minetech.com.my/

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