Dec 31, 2021 | Business
The decision will bring production down to around 60% of capacity and comes in response to very high electricity prices showing no sign of improvement in the short term.
Slovalco is currently in the process of executing a previous decision to curtail production down to 80% by December 31. Further curtailment will start at the end of January 2022. A further reduction of capacity down to 60% corresponds to an additional annual reduction of 35,000 tonnes of production.
The curtailment decision will affect primary foundry alloy volumes at Slovalco. Customer commitments will be fulfilled from Hydros Norwegian production system. Slovalcos remelting operation is not affected by the curtailment. Slovalco will continue to monitor the situation closely in the coming weeks and months.
Slovalco is a fully consolidated aluminium smelter in Hydro, owned 55.3% by Hydro Aluminium AS and 44.7% by Penta Investments Group. Slovalco has an annual production capacity of 175,000 tonnes of primary aluminium and a casthouse capacity of approximately 250,000 tonnes.
Dec 12, 2021 | Business
Europe’s largest satellite constellation has grown even bigger, following the launch of two more Galileo navigation satellites by Soyuz launcher from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana on 5 December. Galileo satellites 27-28 add to an existing 26-satellite constellation in orbit, providing the world’s most precise satnav positioning to more than 2.3 billion users around the globe…
Dec 2, 2021 | Books, Business
Hamburg, Munich. The full-service IT provider X1F is strengthening its portfolio in the area of business processes, which, together with the areas of data infrastructure and data analysis, form three core elements for digitalization strategies.
ADWEKO Consulting GmbH and COMPIRICUS AG are new acquisitions joining the X1F Group. Their business process expertise combines with IKOR GmbH (technology consulting and platform integrator), Informationsfabrik GmbH (data analysis and artificial intelligence expertise) and matrix technology GmbH (IT consulting and service provider).
ADWEKO Consulting GmbH, founded in 2008 and located in Walldorf, Germany, is a market-leading IT consultancy and software provider specializing in risk management and analysis of regulatory / supervisory requirements for the banking and insurance industries.
COMPIRICUS AG, founded in 2009 in Düsseldorf as an owner-managed stock corporation, is one of the leading international implementation and development consultancies of software for asset, treasury and risk management with SAP.
Michael Mansen, Management Board of COMPIRICUS AG: “Becoming part of this association of successful and experienced specialists was the perfect step for us to provide our customers with an innovative and comprehensive range of services for a constantly evolving market.”
Cord Bötger, Managing Director of ADWEKO Consulting GmbH, added: “With X1F, we are now part of a group that not only strengthens our core competencies, but also enables us to support our customers as a holistic partner in their complex transformation projects in the future.”
Lars Ackermann, X1F Managing Director and Management Board Spokesman, explains the strategy as follows: “These complementary and independently managed companies realize scaling effects that can be implemented quickly while maintaining flexibility. This allows us to effectively support our customers in their growth as a trusted advisor and with future-proof technologies. To this end, we are successively expanding with partners who share the same cultural values. ADWEKO and COMPIRICUS are exactly these partners and optimal additions – especially for the international expansion of the group.”
With the new acquisitions, X1F as a holding company grows to five subsidiaries at 26 locations in Europe, the USA, Canada and Australia, achieving an annual turnover of more than 100 million euros with more than 720 employees.
X1F Group strengthens its portfolio of IT solutions for the finance and insurance industries
X1F Group grows to five companies
Provides more added value for clients: full-service digitalization from a single source
About X1F
X1F GmbH is an IT company that supports the finance and insurance industries, particularly in digital transformation, with a full-service offering. Under its umbrella, X1F bundles specialized, innovative and complementary services for system and platform integration, data analysis, artificial intelligence, cloud architecture and IT infrastructure. X1F as a holding company, in which funds of the Swiss private investor group Ufenau Capital Partners hold the majority stake, generates annual revenues of more than 100 million euros with its five corporate subsidiaries and more than 720 employees. X1F provides IT solutions at 26 locations in Europe, the USA, Canada and Australia.
Press contact X1F GmbH
Hendrik Dold
Director Corporate Communications
Phone: +49 176 10391733
Email: hendrik.dold@x1f.one
Aug 21, 2021 | Business
Wiley, a global leader in research and education, announced the 2021 release of its KnowItAll and ChemWindow software and spectral databases. This release includes patent pending technology that accelerates mass spectral (MS) analysis, equipping users with insights that may lead to more accurate identification of compounds.
In this release, Wiley expanded KnowItAlls industry leading IR and Raman capabilities with feature updates that accelerate MS analysis of unknown compounds, including new algorithms, additional file import/export filters, and new options to analyze mass spectra, including MS mixture analysis.
A major highlight in the release is the new MS Adaptive Search technology (patent pending). When matching an unknown spectrum against a reference, this technology finds matches that are similar to the unknown but have additional or missing selective fragment(s). It then suggests what might be causing the differences, where possible.
When matching your spectrum against a library of reference spectra users cannot always get an exact match, said Graeme Whitley, Product Director of Wiley Science Solutions. When that happens, Adaptive Search provides practitioners tremendous insights about structural possibilities to explore. Ultimately, this may lead to more intelligent and confident identification and confirmation.
Other notable highlights in this release include:
- MS reverse search, mixture analysis
- Fast property search
- Significantly improved important accessibility features, including keyboard access to menus, audio narration for icons, and tooltips, in line with Wileys commitment to DE&I.
- Addition of property calculators that can be used for single or batch calculations (mass, elemental, isotopic, C-13 NMR prediction, baseline analysis, SPLASH ID)
- Improved Windows Object Linking & Embedding (OLE) for in-place editing and integration with Microsoft Office to improve KnowItAll and ChemWindows reporting and communication features
- Links to OPSIN Name2Structure to convert a chemical or common name to a structure
- Reintroduced reaction drawing and reaction file support for ChemWindow and KnowItAll
- Overall quality review to ensure feature stability and improve user experience
- Addition of new NMR and IR data to spectral collections
Wiley continues to advance research and discovery through its investment in technology-based solutions like KnowItAll and ChemWindow that provide vital interpretation tools for researchers and practitioners, who are enhancing productivity and making an impact in many application areas such as environmental, forensics, polymer, homeland security, and pharmaceutical laboratories.
Available in English, Japanese, Chinese, French, and German
KNOWITALL and CHEMWINDOW are trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. in certain jurisdictions. Learn more about Wileys KnowItAll Software and Spectral Libraries at https://sciencesolutions.wiley.com.
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About KnowItAll Software
KnowItAll Software offers solutions to analyze and manage multiple types of spectral and chemical data in multiple file and instrument formats. KnowItAlls integrated toolsets eliminate the need for multiple software packages and increase overall lab efficiency. Combined with the worlds largest spectral reference databaseincluding the Sadtler and Wileys renowned spectral libraries and spectra from trusted partnersKnowItAll gives chemists the most advanced technology available for spectral analysis and chemical structure drawing. Learn more at sciencesolutions.wiley.com.
About KnowItAll Spectral Databases
Researchers use spectral search software along with spectral databases to identify unknown substances and verify the composition of materials in hundreds of applications and industries. First, precision instruments measure a substance and produce a spectrum, which is expressed as a graph showing a series of peaks that is specific to the sample material. That spectrum is then compared to a reference database of the measured spectra of known substances using sophisticated search algorithms. If a matching spectrum is found, the material in question can be identified. Wileys KnowItAll solutions provide search software tools, as well as the worlds most extensive collection of reference spectra used in this type of analysis. Learn more at sciencesolutions.wiley.com.
About Wiley
Wiley is a global leader in research and education, unlocking human potential by enabling discovery, powering education, and shaping workforces. For over 200 years, Wiley has fueled the worlds knowledge ecosystem. Today, our high-impact content, platforms, and services help researchers, learners, institutions, and corporations achieve their goals in an ever-changing world. Visit us at Wiley.com
Aug 19, 2021 | International
Hong Kong and Singapore decide not to further pursue bilateral Air Travel Bubble
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The Governments of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) and Singapore announced today (August 19) that taking into account the differences in the anti-epidemic strategies currently adopted by the two places, the two governments have decided not to pursue further discussions on the bilateral Air Travel Bubble (ATB) and will continue to facilitate movements of travellers between the two places under their respective border control measures.
A spokesman for the HKSAR Government said that the discussions on the ATB, which began in the second half of 2020, had gone through a long period of evolvement of the COVID-19 epidemic situation. All along, it was premised upon similar anti-epidemic strategies adopted by the two places, aiming to reduce local caseloads to a minimum. With Singapore currently moving towards a new strategy of building a “COVID-resilient” nation, the basic premises that underpin the ATB have changed. Take for instance the seven-day moving average of unlinked local cases, which is the criterion for suspending and resuming the ATB as per the agreed framework. The figure may not be kept consistently at the required level in Singapore as a result of its new strategy.
The spokesman stressed that Hong Kong and Singapore remained committed to facilitating connectivity between the two places and would continue to maintain dialogue and share experiences in this respect.
The HKSAR Government welcomes Singapore’s announcement to unilaterally allow entry of travellers from Hong Kong into Singapore quarantine-free starting from August 20, 2021, at 11.59pm, considering that it is a step forward in resuming cross-border travel between the two regional aviation hubs and international cities. Regarding travellers from Singapore coming to Hong Kong (including both Hong Kong residents and non-Hong Kong residents), they may refer to the prevailing arrangements for inbound travellers for Group B specified places, under which Singapore is classified, as required by the HKSAR Government.
