Cognite Data Fusion™ to power data infrastructure of NTT Comware's Smart Data Fusion

KUALA LUMPUR, July 28 -- Cognite, a global provider of Industrial DataOps software, has announced that NTT Comware, a global system integrator for telecommunications and other industries in the NTT Group, has adopted Cognite Data Fusion™ as part of the data infrastructure of the smart maintenance solution Smart Data Fusion.

Cognite Data Fusion™ is the leading Industrial DataOps platform, according to a statement.

“We are very pleased to be selected as the digital twin platform for NTT Comware's new service, and to be able to expand its application to new fields such as smart energy, smart infrastructure, and smart cities,” said president of Cognite Japan, Nori Tokusue.

Cognite Data Fusion™ integrates and contextualises various forms of industrial data, including images and sensor data collected by drones and robots, enabling industrial companies to easily create digital twin environments.

NTT Comware develops and operates operational and business systems for telecommunications infrastructure for the NTT Group.

NTT Comware also promotes and supports information and communications technology (ICT) utilisation and digital transformation for other customers by using the know-how accumulated over decades of operation.

Smart Data Fusion, provided by NTT Comware, is a service that realises digital transformation (DX) of facility management operations by integrating system information (IT), operational information (OT), 3D data, open data, and more into a digital twin space to analyse and use the data.

Cognite Data Fusion™ was adopted as a part of this infrastructure because of its scalability and track record, including its ability to integrate diverse data and withstand increases in data volume.

NTT Comware is the first system integrator in Japan to build and provide services using Cognite Data Fusion™.

More details at www.cognite.com.

-- BERNAMA

Japan non-life insurance market stable outlook maintained - AM Best report

KUALA LUMPUR, July 23 -- Global credit rating agency, AM Best holds its stable market segment outlook on Japan’s non-life insurance industry, predominantly driven by carriers’ profitable underwriting performance amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the new Best’s Market Segment Report, titled, ‘Market Segment Outlook: Japan Non-Life Insurance’, premium rate adjustments, which are likely to improve the profitability of the fire insurance line; and solid risk-adjusted capitalisation to weather potential financial market volatility are also key supporting factors behind the stable outlook.

For fiscal-year 2020, the economic fallout from the pandemic led to a slowdown in economic activity domestically and regionally, with most major domestic non-life insurers seeing negative impact on certain lines of business due to the pandemic, such as the premium revenue of marine and travel insurance.

Nonetheless, the overall underwriting performance of non-life insurers in Japan generally has been positive despite the impact of COVID-19, based on a statement.

According to the report, this is because the increase in claims related to COVID-19 have been relatively low, as domestic non-life insurers typically have limited net retained exposure to event cancellation and business interruption risks in Japan.

Net incurred losses of most major domestic non-life insurers declined in fiscal-year 2020, primarily due to a decrease in large-scale natural catastrophe occurrences, as well as the positive effect of stay-at-home policies on the claim frequencies of voluntary automobile and travel insurances.

Furthermore, with increases in the premium rates for voluntary automobile insurance and fire insurance, most major domestic non-life insurers reported a material improvement in their combined ratios for private insurance. Voluntary automobile insurance accounts for over half of Japan’s non-life insurance net premium written, excluding compulsory automobile liability insurance.

Most domestic non-life companies have very strong capital positions, with excess solvency margin held by most domestic insurance companies also sizable relative to the value of equities and foreign securities, suggesting significant amount of excess capital available to cushion against market volatility.

For more information, visit www.ambest.com.

-- BERNAMA

INNIO JENBACHER GAS ENGINES READY FOR HYDROGEN

 

'

· From today, Jenbacher Type 4 gas engines are available as “Ready for H₂” engines, able to operate on up to 100% hydrogen
· As of 2022, all other engine types are offered as “Ready for H₂”, with the option to operate with up to 25%(v) of hydrogen in pipeline gas
· All “Ready for H₂” units and most of the currently installed Jenbacher natural gas fueled engines can be converted to operate on 100% hydrogen, as hydrogen gas becomes more widely available
 
JENBACH, Austria, July 22 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- As a key enabler and an integral part of the energy transition, today INNIO announced the launch of its “Ready for H₂” portfolio that includes 100% hydrogen-fueled Jenbacher H₂-engines. INNIO’s “Ready for H₂” gas engine portfolio is built on a long history of innovation with more than 30 years of experience and expertise in the use of renewable fuels and hydrogen-rich fuels, such as syngas and process gases for power generation.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: 
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210721005146/en/  

http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=40590

ZOOM TO ACQUIRE FIVE9

 

The combination of Zoom’s robust communications platform with Five9’s intelligent cloud contact center will enable organizations to reimagine the way they engage with their customers SAN JOSE, Calif. and SAN RAMON, Calif., July 19 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Zoom Video Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: ZM) today announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Five9, Inc. (NASDAQ: FIVN), a leading provider of the intelligent cloud contact center, in an all-stock transaction valued at approximately $14.7 billion. Combining Five9’s Contact Center as a Service (“CCaaS”) solution with Zoom’s broad communications platform will transform how businesses connect with their customers, building the customer engagement platform of the future. The acquisition is expected to help enhance Zoom’s presence with enterprise customers and allow it to accelerate its long-term growth opportunity by adding the $24 billion contact center market. Five9 is a pioneer of cloud-based contact center software. Its highly-scalable and secure cloud contact center delivers a comprehensive suite of easy-to-use applications that allows management and optimization of customer interactions across many different channels. “We are continuously looking for ways to enhance our platform, and the addition of Five9 is a natural fit that will deliver even more happiness and value to our customers,” said Eric S. Yuan, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Zoom. “Zoom is built on a core belief that robust and reliable communications technology enables interactions that build greater empathy and trust, and we believe that holds particularly true for customer engagement. Enterprises communicate with their customers primarily through the contact center, and we believe this acquisition creates a leading customer engagement platform that will help redefine how companies of all sizes connect with their customers. We are thrilled to join forces with the Five9 team, and I look forward to welcoming them to the Zoom family.” “Businesses spend significant resources annually on their contact centers, but still struggle to deliver a seamless experience for their customers,” said Rowan Trollope, Chief Executive Officer of Five9. “It has always been Five9’s mission to make it easy for businesses to fix that problem and engage with their customers in a more meaningful and efficient way. Joining forces with Zoom will provide Five9’s business customers access to best-of-breed solutions, particularly Zoom Phone, that will enable them to realize more value and deliver real results for their business. This, combined with Zoom’s ‘ease-of use’ philosophy and broad communication portfolio, will truly enable customers to engage via their preferred channel of choice.” Zoom’s acquisition of Five9 is complementary to the growing popularity of its Zoom Phone offering. Zoom Phone is a modern, cloud phone system that offers a digital alternative to legacy phone offerings, enabling organizations to connect and interact in new and convenient ways to keep businesses moving. The combination also offers both companies significant cross-selling opportunities to each other’s respective customer bases. As a result of the acquisition, Zoom will play an even greater role in driving the digital future and bringing companies and their customers closer together. Following the close of the transaction, Five9 will be an operating unit of Zoom and Rowan Trollope will become a President of Zoom and continue as CEO of Five9, reporting to Eric Yuan.  http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=40563

Nippon Express Italia obtains GDP certification for warehouse near Milan Malpensa Airport

KUALA LUMPUR, July 14 -- Nippon Express Italia S.P.A. (NE Italy), a local subsidiary of Nippon Express Co Ltd, has obtained Good Distribution Practice (GDP) certification from the certification body CERTIQUALITY S.r.l., effective May 25.

This is for its company-owned warehouse near Milan Malpensa Airport, evidencing its compliance with GDP standards for the proper distribution of pharmaceuticals established by the European Commission.

According to a statement, Italy is a key global manufacturer of pharmaceuticals, accounting for 12 per cent of the world's pharmaceutical production and 22 per cent of Europe's.

NE Italy has constructed new temperature-controlled facilities equipped with cooling units to maintain 2 - 8 C (20 m2) and 15 - 25 C (470 m2) temperature ranges within its company-owned warehouse in Lainate, located about 30km southeast of Milan Malpensa Airport.

This will allow NE Italy to meet the logistics needs of customers in the pharmaceutical industry by combining temporary storage services using these facilities with Nippon Express' temperature-controlled international transport services.

Nippon Express will be further enhancing its services to meet increasingly sophisticated and diverse pharmaceutical logistics needs and bolstering its efforts on behalf of the pharmaceutical industry, positioned as a priority industry in its current business plan.

More details at http://www.nipponexpress.com/

-- BERNAMA 

BEYOND LIMITS ANNOUNCES PARTNERSHIP WITH MITSUI TO EXPAND GLOBAL ACCESS TO COGNITIVE AI SOLUTIONS

LOS ANGELES, July 13 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Beyond Limits, an industrial and enterprise-grade AI technology company built for the most demanding sectors, today announced a new partnership with Mitsui & Co., Ltd. (Mitsui) to expand access to Cognitive AI solutions in the Asia-Pacific region.

The collaboration will establish digital transformation and AI-readiness consulting services for Mitsui’s clients in Japan and other countries in the Asia-Pacific region, in addition to expanding globally. The services will first be deployed with one of the Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Plants where Mitsui is involved as an investor, utilizing Beyond Limits’ Cognitive AI solution to accumulate operational knowledge, analyze datasets, and boost production efficiency. 

“Beyond Limits is committed to developing AI solutions that go beyond solving today’s challenges to address the needs of new industries and regions that are recognizing the impact of artificial intelligence,” said Leonard Lee, President, Beyond Limits Asia-Pacific. “We’re proud to partner with Mitsui, an established leader in business development and trade in so many global industries. This collaboration is a testament to our joint commitment to building knowledge and value with AI for many sectors which are just now exploring its potential.”

The AI market in the Asia-Pacific region, including software and other services, is expected to reach a value of $136 billion by 2025 according to a report by research firm Tractica. The high market potential, coupled with growing technology adoption across traditional industries including infrastructure, energy and manufacturing, is expected to create a need for expert resources as more companies look to capitalize on digital services. 

“Mitsui announced the DX Comprehensive Strategy in November 2020,” said Yuji Mano, Managing Officer, General Manager of Integrated Digital Strategy Division at Mitsui. “We are working to improve productivity, strengthen competitiveness, and create new business models by integrating the various sites of Mitsui’s global portfolio with the power of digital. Through this partnership, we will accelerate our short to medium-term goals through efficiency improvement and execution of high added value of the existing business.” 

“Mitsui is delighted to partner with Beyond Limits,” said Hiroki Tanabe, Deputy General Manager, Forth Dept, Division III, Infrastructure Projects Business Unit at Mitsui. “We have been working on this deal for several years, and believe that the integration of Mitsui’s Operation Technology (OT) knowledge & Digital Transformation (DX) expertise under global portfolio and Beyond Limits’ AI technology will be able to deliver impact for companies across the energy industry and beyond.” 

For more information on Beyond Limits’ Cognitive AI energy solutions, click here. 

http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=40520

Mark Kornblau named SoftBank Group Global Head of Communications

KUALA LUMPUR, July 8 -- SoftBank Group Corp (SBG) has announced Mark Kornblau will join SBG as Global Head of Communications, effective Aug 16.

He joins SBG from the NBCUniversal News Group, where he is currently Executive Vice President of Communications.

Kornblau will be based in SoftBank's New York office, reporting to Representative Director, Corporate Officer, Chairman & CEO of SBG, Masayoshi Son, and Corporate Officer, Executive Vice President & COO of SBG and Chief Executive Officer of SoftBank Group International, Marcelo Claure.

In this role, Kornblau will be responsible for leading SBG's corporate communications strategy, directing the Company's external and internal global communications functions. He will also work with SBG's nearly 300 portfolio companies to foster alignment and value creation across the SoftBank Group ecosystem.

According to Claure in a statement, Kornblau will be a valuable partner to the leadership team and entrepreneurs and companies invested in.

Kornblau said: “SoftBank is at the centre of a transformative global moment. It is shaping the future by identifying truly innovative technologies and accelerating the growth of companies that are revolutionising the way we live and work – for the better. I’m looking forward to supporting that mission.”

Previously, Kornblau, who holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, served in the Obama Administration as Communications Director and Spokesman for Ambassador Susan Rice at the United States Mission to the United Nations.

The SoftBank Group invests in breakthrough technology to improve the quality of life for people around the world. The SoftBank Group comprises SoftBank Group Corp, an investment holding company that includes stakes in telecommunications, internet services,  and AI, among others.

For more information, visit https://global.softbank.

-- BERNAMA