Items filtered by date: Tuesday, 02 December 2014

Tetra Pak has strengthened its product offering for ice cream manufacturers with the acquisition of Big Drum Engineering GmbH, a leading supplier of filling machines for the industry.

The deal further extends the company’s ability to provide end-to-end solutions for food and beverage companies around the world, and reinforces its global leadership in the sector.

Tetra Pak already provides a full range of ice cream equipment, including raw material storage, mix preparation, continuous freezing and inclusion systems, as well as production solutions for moulded and extruded ice cream products. The acquisition of Big Drum will strengthen the company’s presence in the “filled” ice cream segment (e.g. tubs and cones) which represent approximately half of the global packaged ice cream market.

Monica Gimre, Executive Vice President, Processing Systems at Tetra Pak said: “This acquisition means we can now provide an even more extensive range of production solutions for ice cream manufacturers and expand our collaboration with them. This, in turn, will allow us to deliver even greater value, by securing efficiencies in technical service across a number of different lines, and offering portfolio-wide support to their product development and marketing activities.”

Big Drum, which is based in Edertal, Germany, is a leading provider of medium-to-high capacity filling machines for the global ice cream market. It is a highly-respected supplier to major brands, and is recognized for its innovation, quality, and performance.

Hans-Peter Trosse and Matthias Ruppert, Managing Directors of Big Drum, jointly stated: “We see significant growth opportunities through Tetra Pak. We are convinced that we will be able to provide stronger support to our customers, thanks to Tetra Pak’s worldwide presence, extensive sales and service channels, technical support and expertise in food manufacturing.”

Following the acquisition, all Big Drum managers and employees will remain with the company at their current location.​

| A TetraPak BigDrum Release  ||  October 4,  2017   |||

Cloture regime must be imposed to stop endless coalition “negotiations”

Several weeks after its general election New Zealand remains rudderless under what is now officially described as a “caretaker” government.

A minority party, New Zealand First, will dictate the makeup of the government that will eventually take power.

The impression internationally is of an unstable nation, more of a Latin one than a Westminster one.

There is in existence no statute defining for example the limit of the post-election coalition deliberation duration.

There is for example no statute which promulgates an incentive to an early conclusion of negotiations such as that another general election must be held if agreement cannot be reached after perhaps 10 days.

Politico-jurists such as Sir Geoffrey Palmer (pictured) dedicate themselves to the propounding of a New Zealand constitution similar to the one that underpins the United States.

It is now obvious though that this crusade needs to be approached from a tactical point of view, rather than the all-encompassing one of the omnibus constitution.

Proportional representation was imposed by the Allies after World War 2 on the Axis nations of Germany and Italy.

The purpose was to prevent any one party from having overwhelming power of the type that might see ushered in another fascist regime.

In New Zealand the reason given was for minority interests, specifically Maori ones, to be guaranteed of having their own nominal representation.

In the event, this last MMP election saw Maori parties washed out of Parliament.

New Zealand’s proportional representation electoral system was the result of a referendum in 1993

| From This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ||  Thursday 12 October 2017,   |||

A new joint institute by the University of Waikato and the Zhejiang University City College in Hangzhou offers degrees in finance, computer graphic design and design media.ZUCC

The joint institute’s opening ceremony last month saw China and New Zealand representatives join Waikato and ZUCC staff to welcome 230 students to the campus.

The institute opened last month after being formally approved by China’s Ministry of Education in late 2016.

Its first intake has 230 students, with the University of Waikato expecting to have 1,000 students enrolled by 2021.

Students will be offered degrees in finance, computer graphic design and design media, taught by academics from both the University of Waikato and the Zhejiang University City College (ZUCC).

The institute will also welcome exchange students from the university’s Hamilton and Tauranga campuses.

The nearly 9,000m2 purpose-built facility is designed with New Zealand design principles, teaching approaches and standards in mind.

University of Waikato, Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Professor Alister Jones said the development of the joint institute was the result of the university’s work and investment in China for more than 15 years.

“The University of Waikato is the first New Zealand university to receive this kind of approval.

“Over the years, the relationship between ZUCC and the University of Waikato has evolved from student programmes, staff training and a dual degree, to the establishment of this joint institute.”

The institute has set the foundation for an exciting future for the university’s programmes in China, Professor Jones said.

“It reflects the hard work that staff in Hamilton and Hangzhou have carried out to get us to this important stage.

“The joint institute uses digital learning technologies and classroom and building design that encourages social interaction.

“We also offer our students in China a uniquely New Zealand education experience, which comes from our commitment to Māori language and culture, and the distinct cultural and historical perspective that it brings,” he said.

Several new students were also awarded scholarships to programmes at the joint institute.

ENZ’s Regional Director for North Asia, Adele Bryant said it was wonderful to see high-quality students join the programmes at the institute.

“ENZ has worked with the university since 2014 to support the development of the joint institute, so it’s fantastic to see that this investment has been worthwhile.”

“The programmes on offer respond to the students’ desire for a global degree that embraces both Kiwi and Chinese cultures, and gives them a truly international qualification.”

The University of Waikato is now looking to extend its partnership with ZUCC, and work with businesses in Hangzhou and other regions to develop internship opportunities for students.Share

| An ENZ release  ||  October 12,  2017   |||

Quotas allowing imports of cheap New Zealand lamb and other goods will be shared out between Britain and the European Union after Brexit under a deal signed by both sides.

Restrictions on how many products can be imported into the EU on favourable rates are set across the bloc and concerns have been raised internationally that exporters could take a financial hit when the UK quits.

However, the British government has agreed with Brussels to divvy up the numbers of goods that can be brought in on low or zero tariffs based roughly on current rates.

It would mean products like lamb, which are imported into the UK in higher numbers than other parts of the bloc, would continue to be traded in similar numbers.

International Trade Secretary Liam Fox said the deal showed "real progress" and was part of the government's plans to minimise disruption to global trade.

The agreement has been set out in a letter from the UK and the EU to the World Trade Organisation, which regulates international trading arrangements.

No decision has been made on how long the tariff rate quotas, which have to be renewed regularly with the WTO, would be maintained in the long-term.

| TheGuardian  ||  October 12,  2017   |||

German's largest airlines, Lufthansa, is investing into an ICO pre-sale and teaming up with a Swiss startup on bookings on Ethereum.

One of Europe's leading airlines, Lufthansa, will be buying into an ICOs and teaming up with a startup on bookings on the blockchain. Winding Tree, a Swiss-based startup, is building a marketplace on the ethereum blockchain to connect businesses and suppliers. The deal between was announced today. Together with Lufthansa Group, the pair is exploring a decentralized booking platform.

The two companies met through Lufthansa's Innovation Hub. Both firms view this collaboration as an overall win-win. Lufthansa hopes to bring on board its expertise in customer experience from the airline industry while benefiting from Winding Trees blockchain development.

CEO of Winding Tree, Maksim Izmaylov shared their intentions to help the German airline build and deploy blockchain- powered travel apps on that align with the industry's standards. Lufthansa will provide Maksim's development team with access to APIs.

Markus Binkert, Senior Vice President Distribution & Revenue Management Lufthansa Group Airlines explained the goal of API integrations via press release:

"By integrating these APIs with Winding Tree's public blockchain, Lufthansa Group enables all innovative partners who develop cutting-edge travel applications to access these offers via a decentralized and intermediate-free travel marketplace."

The largest German airline is exploring customer service applications on the blockchain including bookings, and itinerary travel information. Lufthansa is on the forefront of exploring use cases for the technology underpinning cryptocurrencies for its aviation business. The scalability and efficiency of blockchains are features it can explore both customer service and aircraft maintenance. Last year, the firm launched a Blockchain for Aviation (BC4A) initiative aimed at evaluating innovative technology for flight maintenance.Lufthansa Buys into Pre-Sale ICO

Winding Tree is in the process of launching an initial coin offering (ICO) to fund development. As part of their commitment to this partnership, Lufthansa will finance part of the token sale at the ICO pre-sale stage. Investors will receive native ‘Lif' cryptocurrency in exchange for their contributions.

More startups are turning to ICOs for capital, the latest cryptocurrency crowdfunding craze. Typically, investors make contributions via cryptocurrency and receive issued tokens representing some form of right or utility. But in more recent times, the model has opened up avenues for Hedge funds and private investors to participate at a pre-ICO stage.

Lufthansa's buy-in to Winding Tree's pre-sale is likely to contribute regular currency. Regulatory warnings on ICO funding have picked up over the course of the last few months. It is becoming harder for startups to skirt rules on securities laws.

The LIF crypto token will have utility on the marketplace. Businesses and suppliers will settle payments and transfer of data relating to accommodation, flights, and cruises on the blockchain using Lif.

Dr. Christian Langer, Chief Digital Officer of Lufthansa Group, said: "To us, Winding Tree is a strong candidate to turn today's understanding of distribution upside down."

|  A Cryptovest release  ||   October 12,   2017   |||

A new biocontrol Tamarixia trioaze, a parasitoid wasp which destroys the Tomato Potato Psyllid (TPP) pest, has been released in Hawke’s Bay and Canterbury.

These initial releases are the start of a wider planned release and monitoring programme that is being supported with funding through the government’s Sustainable Farming Fund (SFF).

The Tomato Potato Psyllid has caused enormous problems for the potato, tomato, capsicum and tamarillo growers in New Zealand since it was discovered here in 2006.

Since then, the industry has been waging a battle to control this insect pest. Tamarixia, a tiny wasp that lays its eggs on the psyllid, which then hatch and eat the psyllid, is a biological control option. Tamarixia is found in the USA and Mexico as a naturally occurring parasitoid of Tomato Potato Psyllid.

The Tamarixia were released onto African boxthorn - a TPP overwintering host, as there are currently no host crops such as potatoes or tomatoes in the ground.

The industry groups involved are now looking at ways of ensuring a supply of Tamarixia will be available for release by commercial growers this summer.

The application to release Tamarixia by Horticulture New Zealand's Vegetable and Research Innovation Board on behalf of industry groups including Potatoes New Zealand, Tomatoes NZ, Vegetables New Zealand, the NZ Tamarillo Growers Association and Heinz-Wattie’s NZ Ltd., was approved by the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) in June 2016.

| A HorticultureNZ TomatoNZ release  ||  October 12,  2017   |||

An ownership dispute over proposed milk processing facilities in Southland has hit the courts, with a jilted group of investors claiming to have missed out on a major opportunity to tap the Chinese market worth at least $227 million.

The tussle harks back to September 2014 when Brian Wagstaff and Richard Young set up a company called Danpac (NZ) to build and run an infant formula factory and hold a minority interest in a site for a proposed milk powder processing factory that was to be owned by Mataura Valley Milk. They entered into a heads of agreement with Randolph van der Burgh and Geoffrey Pollard, Pure Elite Holdings, PEF New Zealand and Ever Health New Zealand that both parties would pour capital into the entity to build a dairy exporter targeting China.

Neither group ended up injecting their capital and Wagstaff and Young took back control of the entity, later amalgamating Danpac with another entity Bodco Ltd, which counts Chinese state-owned enterprise China Animal Husbandry Group as its biggest shareholder, bankrolling the processing plant.

A September 25 judgment in the High Court in Hamilton shows van der Burgh, Pollard and the PEH group of companies claim the agreement didn't have a fixed timeframe meaning delays to capitalise Danpac didn't breach the deal, and that the moves to push them out were themselves breach of the heads of agreement. They estimate their loss to be at least $55m from being deprived of the equity stake in Danpac, and at least $227m in lost value, the judgment said.

| Continue to red full article on TheCountry here   ||  October 12,  2017   |||