Day: April 2, 2024

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4me(R) Acquires StatusCast, Adding Incident Management Capabilities to Its Leading SaaS-Based ITSM Platform

The Acquisition Broadens the Reach of 4me® and Expands Its Capabilities by Integrating Real-Time Technology Service Status Updates for IT Teams, Service Providers and Customers

SANTA BARBARA, CA / ACCESSWIRE / April 2, 2024 / 4me®, the SaaS-based Service Management software platform for the modern enterprise, has completed the acquisition of StatusCast™. StatusCast is a cloud-based provider of incident management products. The acquisition strengthens 4me’s position in the ITSM market and represents another advancement in its efforts to assist companies in transforming their businesses with the most advanced and complete service management platform in the industry.

"Our mission is to make IT teams more productive while we directly help our partners and customers deliver great customer experiences. Our transformation of traditional service management is built on an advanced technology platform," said Kevin McGibben, CEO of 4me. "Integrating StatusCast’s leading capabilities for incident management and status updates with 4me’s core IT Service Management capabilities strengthens the IT operational power of our platform."

"We are incredibly excited to join the fantastic team at 4me," said Eric Warth, VP of Operations at StatusCast. "4me’s cutting-edge ITSM solution, with its emphasis on a comprehensive, service-centric, multi-tenant architecture, perfectly complements our mission to unify and automate status and incident communications. This acquisition is in line with our vision of transparently communicating with stakeholders relevant information efficiently so that teams can focus more on the incident than managing communications."

Companies like 8×8 use StatusCast’s features to ensure seamless productivity and enhanced communication with their customers. These features include public and private status pages, configurable notifications, and subscriptions for the public, partners or customers. They can provide information about service availability, current incidents or scheduled downtime.

4me will now be able to deliver the following benefits with the addition of StatusCast:

  • Real-time service status notifications. Status page updates and notifications will enable IT organizations to provide public status pages, internal and customer status pages reflecting availability and status, including degradation and downtimes of critical services, technologies, and applications.
  • Visuals of the status of the IT service catalog, which will integrate with 4me incident management, automatically allowing for faster mean time to resolution (MTTR) in outages and service degradations.
  • MSPs, Network Operations Centers, support and service desk teams can use StatusCast incident management to add a layer of automation and end-to-end capability for incident management and service level agreement (SLAs) management for their clients.

To learn more, visit https://www.4me.com/it-service-management.

About 4me

4me is transforming service management for the modern enterprise. 4me’s AI-forward, service-oriented, multi-tenant SaaS platform seamlessly connects teams to optimize IT service management. 4me’s ability to automate cross-functional workflows makes frictionless service delivery possible, significantly improving business outcomes. The 4me platform’s ease of use and deployment makes it the most advanced ITSM platform available today. Hundreds of organizations around the world look to 4me to elevate their Enterprise Service Management. To learn more, visit www.4me.com.

About StatusCast

Founded in 2013, StatusCast’s mission is to help IT departments and SaaS companies keep their employees and customers better informed when applications or IT infrastructure goes down. StatusCast is a communication platform for the enhanced and timely distribution of critical information related to outages and maintenance, enabling organizations to be as effective as possible when problems occur. StatusCast’s solutions are used by many of the world’s leading Fortune 500 companies and SaaS brands.

Contact Information

Carlyn Manly
Marketing
carlyn.manly@4me.com

SOURCE: 4me

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View the original press release on newswire.com.

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Formerra Unveils Evonik Alliance for High-Performance Solutions

Partnership expands reach with Evonik’s high-performance polyamides, including sustainable solutions.

ROMEOVILLE, IL / ACCESSWIRE / April 2, 2024 / Formerra today announced its new strategic partnership with Evonik, the global leader in PA12 and high-performance polyamides. This alliance enables Formerra to distribute Evonik’s polyamides and sustainable materials in the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico. Additionally, these materials are accessible in Mexico courtesy of Formerra’s recent acquisition of Suministro de Especialidades.

Formerra has added PA12 and polyamides from Evonik to its lineup of high-performance material options for automotive, aerospace, and industrial applications.

Specifically, Formerra will distribute the following materials:

  • VESTAMID® L POLYAMIDE 12
  • VESTAMID® E POLYAMIDE 12 ELASTOMER
  • VESTAMID® D POLYAMIDE 612
  • TROGAMID® CX (transparent and microcrystalline polyamides)
  • Sustainable grades:
    • VESTAMID® eCO (PA12)
    • VESTAMID® RFP (PA12)
    • VESTAMID® Terra (PA610 and PA1010)

Doug Zupan, Vice President of Operations at Formerra, expressed enthusiasm about the addition of this new supplier. "Joining forces with Evonik empowers us to supply top-tier materials for critical applications in automotive, aerospace, and industrial sectors. Evonik’s reputation in high-performance polyamide production and their commitment to sustainable solutions resonate with our vision of offering customers the best cutting-edge material options."

Craig Schmidter, Americas Director of Granules and Compounds at Evonik, added, "With Formerra’s vast network and deep technical support for performance-driven applications, they are the ideal choice for our polyamide products distribution. In short, Formerra is a great match because they offer the technical material selection and engineering support that customers and applications need to incorporate our high-performance materials."

Evonik products enable Formerra to enter new markets such as aerospace and oil & gas; Evonik will play a key role in helping Formerra to accomplish this growth. In addition, Formerra will be able to support current and future customers with logistics, warehousing, technical service, and speed to market.

The Formerra-Evonik collaboration will focus on providing substantial benefits to fuel customer innovation in multiple markets.

Formerra will exhibit next month at NPE2024: The Plastics Show in booth S39025 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida.

About Formerra

Formerra is a preeminent distributor of engineered materials, connecting the world’s leading polymer producers with thousands of OEMs and brand owners across healthcare, consumer, industrial, and mobility markets. Powered by technical and commercial expertise, it brings a distinctive combination of portfolio depth, supply chain strength, industry knowledge, service, leading e-commerce capabilities, and ingenuity. The experienced Formerra team helps customers across multiple industries to design, select, process, and develop products in new and better ways – driving improved performance, productivity, reliability, and sustainability. To learn more, visit www.formerra.com.

About Evonik

Evonik is one of the world leaders in specialty chemicals. The company is active in more than 100 countries around the world and generated sales of €15.3 billion in 2023. Evonik goes far beyond chemistry to create innovative, profitable, and sustainable solutions for customers. More than 33,000 employees work together for a common purpose: We want to improve life today and tomorrow.

Contact Information:

Jackie Morris
Marketing Communications Manager, Formerra
jackie.morris@formerra.com
+1 630-972-3144

SOURCE: Formerra

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View the original press release on newswire.com.

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Global Sports Brand U.S. Polo Assn. Delivers Record $2.4 Billion in Retail Sales for 2023, Targets $3 Billion and 1,500 U.S. Polo Assn. Stores

WEST PALM BEACH, FL / ACCESSWIRE / April 2, 2024 / USPA Global has announced that U.S. Polo Assn., the official brand of the United States Polo Association (USPA), has delivered a record $2.4 billion in global retail sales in 2023.

The global sports brand’s record growth is the result of expanding its existing sizeable footprint across all regions around the world. U.S. Polo Assn. has seen a balanced growth strategy with significantly increased market share in more mature markets, such as North America and Western Europe, while delivering exponential growth in emerging markets such as Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, and India. In fact, the brand is targeting to become a billion-dollar business in India alone, as U.S. Polo Assn. is an international power brand and the top-selling casual menswear brand in the country.

The brand’s footprint is a fast-growing presence across 190 countries, with over 1,100 U.S. Polo Assn. retail stores and thousands of wholesale locations spanning department stores, sporting goods channels, and independent retailers, as well as e-commerce. U.S. Polo Assn. continues to climb the retail ranks as one of the largest global licensed sports brands in the world, ranking in the top five alongside the NFL, MLB, and NBA, according to License Global.

U.S. Polo Assn.’s strong execution has relied on a global focus regarding the brand’s worldwide store expansion. The brand has grown its global fleet to more than 1,100 U.S. Polo Assn. stores, targeting over 1,500 in the next several years. For 2023, new stores and existing strategic stores around the world have been enhanced with a more elevated brand and sports concept, providing consumers with an authentic experience when engaging with the brand.

U.S. Polo Assn. also built on its successful digital strategies to generate record growth in e-commerce with some 50 brand sites in 20 languages in 2023. U.S. Polo Assn. continues to grow its digital presence and global momentum on social media, with some 8 million followers worldwide.

“Our global team and strategic partners around the world delivered another record financial performance in 2023 while also achieving many major milestones across our product lines and global expansion efforts,” noted J. Michael Prince, President & CEO of USPA Global. “We continue to execute our aggressive product, store, digital, and international growth strategies to further expand our global footprint in key cities and markets worldwide, while also increasing the overall interest in the sport of polo.”

Prince added, “Despite the many challenges over the past several years facing global retail, U.S. Polo Assn. was able to exceed our goal of $2 billion three years early and has set a target to hit $3 billion and 1,500 U.S. Polo Assn. stores in the near future.”

True to the heritage of the brand, U.S. Polo Assn. maintains a strong connection to the sport of polo. By signing a recent landmark multi-year global deal with ESPN, the thrilling sport now has exposure to a massive global audience, extending to many parts of the world with reach to millions of households and multiple digital channels. The sport’s iconic U.S. Open Polo Championship®, which is broadcast by ESPN, now sits alongside the elite company of The Masters and Kentucky Derby as one of the country’s most prestigious spring sporting events.

In addition, the USPA now owns the USPA National Polo Center (NPC), the sport’s premier destination in North America. The 2024 American High-Goal Polo Season has brought record crowds and sellout Sundays, with the best polo in the world from January-April. Nestled in beautiful Palm Beach County, Florida, this outstanding venue spans 160 acres, encompassing multiple grass polo fields, fine dining, tennis courts, stadium seating, a swimming pool, and the NPC Retail Shop. Exciting updates to the world-class facility are slated for 2025.

“We continue to seek avenues and partnerships to expand into new global markets, as well as new and innovative areas of business. The combination of these factors, alongside our authentic connection to the sport of polo and outstanding global brand marketing, is the key to our global success,” Prince adds. “I am optimistic about the U.S. Polo Assn. global business maintaining its leadership position among its industry peers while gaining market share and our ability to reach over $3 billion in worldwide sales and 1,500 U.S. Polo Assn. retail stores in the coming years.”

“Today, I am proud to say that our U.S. Polo Assn. global ecosystem is comprehensive of both the brand and the sport, with our $2.4 billion global sport-inspired brand, a global sports content platform with ESPN, and ownership of NPC, one of the sport’s most beautiful and prestigious venues,” concludes Prince.

About U.S. Polo Assn. and USPA Global

U.S. Polo Assn. is the official brand of the United States Polo Association (USPA), the governing body for the sport of polo in the United States and one of the country’s oldest sports governing bodies, founded in 1890. With a multi-billion-dollar global footprint and worldwide distribution through more than 1,100 U.S. Polo Assn. retail stores as well as thousands of additional points of distribution, U.S. Polo Assn. offers apparel, accessories, and footwear for men, women, and children in more than 190 countries worldwide. A recent, multi-year deal with ESPN to broadcast several of the premier polo championships in the world, sponsored by U.S. Polo Assn., has made the thrilling sport accessible to millions of sports fans globally for the very first time.

U.S. Polo Assn. has consistently been named one of the top global sports licensors alongside the NFL, NBA, and MLB, according to License Global. In addition, the sport-inspired brand is being recognized around the world with awards for global growth, expansion, licensing, and digital growth. Due to its tremendous success as a global brand, particularly in the last five years, U.S. Polo Assn. has been featured in Forbes, Fortune, Modern Retail, and GQ as well as on Yahoo Finance and Bloomberg, among many other noteworthy media sources around the world.

For more information, visit uspoloassnglobal.com and follow @uspoloassn.

USPA Global is a subsidiary of the USPA and manages the global, multi-billion-dollar U.S. Polo Assn. brand, providing the sport with a long-term source of revenue. Through its subsidiary, Global Polo Entertainment (GPE), USPA Global also manages Global Polo TV, which provides sport and lifestyle content. For more sports content, visit globalpolo.com.

Contact Information

Stacey Kovalsky
VP Global PR and Communications
skovalsky@uspagl.com
+001.561.790.8036

Kaela Drake
PR & Communications Specialist
kdrake@uspagl.com
+001.561.461.8596

SOURCE: USPA Global Licensing Inc.

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OP-ED: Human rights “truth” in Vietnam or distortion plots?


Hanoi: From the first time Vietnam was elected to the United Nations Human Rights Council in 2013 until February 26, 2024 when the country announced that it will run for a seat at the council again for the 2026 – 2028 tenure and called for international support, hostile organisations tried every trick to get in Vietnam’s way.

Recently, on October 3, 2023, the Human Rights Watch (HRW) called on Vietnam to urgently reform human rights before the universal periodic review (UPR) cycle without any accurate foundation and arguments but information collected from sources of discontent and opposing elements, individuals, and organisations in the country.

On January 11, HRW released its annual report on human rights practices in more than 100 countries in 2023, in which it used the one-sided word “gloomy” when making comments on the human rights situation in Vietnam.

Denying this report, the Foreign Ministry’s spokeswoman Pham Thu Hang emphasised that Vietnam rejects and condemns the so-called HRW for its report wi
th fabricated and false content.

It is not the first time this organisation had presented biased allegations with malicious intent against Vietnam, aiming to undermine the country’s socioeconomic development and sow discord between Vietnam and the international community, she noted.

It can be foreseen that from now until September 2024 when the UN Human Rights Council approves the UPR during its 57th regular session, there will be many reactionary organisations taking actions to hinder Vietnam in its journey to assert itself in the world arena.

But, in fact, the obvious efforts and achievements that Vietnam has shown in ensuring human rights have been recognised by the international community, as evidenced by UN member states’ electing of Vietnam as a member of the UN Human Rights Council twice in the 2014-2016 and 2023-2025 tenures.

Meanwhile, hostile and reactionary forces have set up so-called “prisoners of conscience”, “injustice citizens”, and “democracy activists” to turn law violators into “patriot
ic soldiers”, hoping on the one hand to deceive public opinion and on the other hand facilitate the conduct of fundraising campaigns, with the money mainly falling into the pockets of illegal campaigners and reactionary groups and organisations such as Women’s Human Rights Association, Free Citizens Group, Patriotic Youth Group and Vietnam Reform Revolutionary Party (Viet Tan).

For example, over the years, Viet Tan has raised money at home and abroad to support the awarding of the “Tran Van Ba Spirit Award” to “prisoners of conscience” and “democracy activists”. Viet Tan has collected hundreds of millions of dong and thousands of US dollars, but the number of people who receive money from Viet Tan can be counted on the fingers of one hand, with the highest prize being only a few hundred dollars. So where did the money donated at home and abroad go?

Hostile and reactionary forces have used the guise of democracy and human rights, while rummaging shortcomings in management and administration activities, espec
ially in ethnic minority-inhabited areas, to entice and incite people to participate in protest activities, disrupting security and order, and causing riots to destabilise politics, society, security and order in Vietnam, and harming confidence in the Party and State.

In the attack to the communal People’s Committee headquarters in Dak Lak on June 11, 2023, one of the attackers, Y Chanh Nie, a resident of Krong Buk district, confessed that he ‘acted following the seducers and leaders who promised me a prosperous and wealthy life”. Gullibility, greed and ignorance caused Y Chanh Nie to receive a life sentence for engaging in “terrorism against the people’s administration”.

Another plot that hostile and reactionary forces often use when slandering Vietnam of violating basic human rights and oppressing so-called “dissidents” is to use democracy and human rights as bargaining conditions. For years, every May (most recently May 11, 2023), US Congressman Chris Smith has introduced the so-called “Vietnam Human Rig
hts Act” to force his country’s Department of State to place human rights issues in relations with negotiations with Vietnam. This is clearly a blatant intervention in Vietnam’s internal affairs, not only going against the development trend in relations between Vietnam and the US, but also going against the principle of respecting the right to national self-determination in contemporary international relations recognised by the UN Charter. That’s why the so-called “Vietnam Human Rights Act” has never been passed by both houses of the US Congress for the US President to sign into law.

Moreover, hostile and reactionary forces also take advantage of the fact that the European Union (EU) and some Western countries passed bills, resolutions, and annual reports with content that distorts the democratic and human rights situation in Vietnam to falsely accuse Vietnam of democracy and human rights violation and religious persecution, aiming to make the international community misunderstand the situation in the countr
y. However, the fact that Vietnam was twice elected as a member of the UN Human Rights Council with a very high number of votes, according to Gérard Daviot, former President of the France-Vietnam Friendship Association (AAFV), is the result of “a whole journey that has been outlined and successfully implemented by Vietnam”, which is “a worldwide recognition” and the fact that “Vietnam has become one of the countries honoured by the world for human rights.’

Vietnam’s human rights achievements have been recognised by the international community and Vietnam has always been open and straightforward in mentioning difficulties related to human rights and its efforts to seek solutions for improvement. With the approach of taking “people as the centre, the subject, the main resource and the goal of development”, Vietnam will continue to reap new achievements. Conspiracies and plots of hostile and reactionary forces will certainly fail.

Every country has its own rule, and all citizens are equal before the law and ob
liged to live and work in respect of the law. Compatible with the provisions of international law, the 2013 Constitution of Vietnam clarifies that human rights and citizens’ rights may not be limited unless prescribed by a law solely in case of necessity for reasons of national defence, national security, social order and safety, social morality and community well-being.

As Vietnamese people are becoming more and more knowledgeable today, they can equip themselves with the ability to be “immune” to harmful information, especially reactionary information that distorts the country’s situation on social networks. Plots against Vietnam, whether they are from within or outside, will sooner or later fail in the face of the unshakable spirit of national solidarity and the desire to build a prosperous and happy country which ensures that “people know, people discuss, people do, people check, people supervise, and people benefit”.

In his recent article, Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong humbly and proudly rei
terated that “Our country has never had the fortune, potential, position and international reputation it has today.” That is an undeniable fact.

Images of US President Barak Obama enjoying ‘bun cha’ in Hanoi, Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull eating ‘banh mi’ on the sidewalk of Da Nang, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau drinking coffee on the sidewalk of Ho Chi Minh City, and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte enjoying tea in Hanoi are stronger proof than a thousand words to describe a peaceful and hospitable Vietnam.

Therefore, although the risks of sabotage are always lurking, Vietnam is confident and determined to develop the country following the chosen path, taking the people as the root, the centre and the subject of the cause of reform, construction and defence of the Fatherland./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

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PBBM names PAO’s new deputy chief public attorney

MANILA: President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has appointed lawyer Erwin Erfe as the new deputy chief public attorney of the Public Attorney’s Office (PAO), Malacañang announced Tuesday.

Communications Secretary Cheloy Garafil confirmed Erfe’s new appointment in a text message sent to Palace reporters on Tuesday night.

PAO chief Persida Ruesta-Acosta first announced Erfe’s promotion in an X post and shared his appointment papers.

Based on his appointment paper signed by Marcos on March 27, Erfe replaced former PAO deputy chief public attorney Silvestre Mosing.

Erfe served as director of PAO’s Forensic Laboratory Division before this appointment.

Source: Philippines News Agency

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6-month stay in S.Korea to qualify for state health insurance

SEOUL: Foreigners and overseas Koreans can only become eligible for the state health insurance coverage as dependents if they reside in South Korea for at least six months, the health ministry said Tuesday.

The tightened rule, which goes into effect Wednesday, comes as some foreigners have reportedly exploited the nation’s health insurance system.

Media reports have said some foreign nationals working in South Korea register siblings and other relatives as dependents and arrange temporary visits to South Korea for medical treatments.

Previously, all foreigners could enroll their family members as dependents in the public health insurance program for employees upon meeting specific criteria, such as income and assets.

There was also criticism regarding the fairness of the public health insurance program for foreign independent subscribers, as they already need to reside in South Korea for at least six months to qualify.

The updated policy excludes spouses and children under the age of 19. Individuals with
visas in the categories of D-2, D-4-3, E-9 and F-6, as well as those with permanent residency status, can also immediately qualify as dependents.

As of 2022, the number of foreigners enrolled in public health insurance came to 1.32 million, with Chinese nationals accounting for 52 percent.

Source: Philippines News Agency