TOKYO, JAPAN – Media OutReach Newswire – 21 January 2025 – Azbil Corporation (Tokyo Stock Exchange Code: 6845) announced that it has won Frost & Sullivan’s 2024 Best Practices Company of the Year Award in the Southeast Asia smart building solutions industry, marking its third consecutive year of recognition. Frost & Sullivan’s Company of the Year Award, its top honor, recognizes Azbil for exemplifying visionary innovation, market-leading performance, and exceptional customer care. This accolade is based on an independent evaluation of two key criteria types: Visionary Innovation & Performance and Customer Impact. Azbil excels in many of the criteria in the smart building solutions space.
Frost & Sullivan, a global growth strategy consulting firm, presents Azbil with this award for demonstrating excellence in growth strategy and implementation. The award recognizes a high degree of innovation with products and technologies, and the company’s resulting leadership in customer value and market penetration.
Frost & Sullivan Best Practices awards recognize companies in various regional and global markets for demonstrating outstanding achievement and superior performance in leadership, technological innovation, customer service, and strategic product development. Industry analysts compare market participants and measure performance through in-depth interviews, analyses, and extensive secondary research to identify best practices in the industry.
Previously, Azbil received these awards from Frost & Sullivan:
2022 and 2023 Southeast Asia Company of the Year Award, Smart Buildings Solutions
2020 and 2021 Southeast Asia Customer Value Leadership Award, Building Automation Systems
Azbil was commended for its commitment to exceeding customer expectations, solidifying its leadership in enhancing building safety, comfort, and energy optimization through advanced automation technology. The company’s expansion strategy is focused on three growth fields —new automation, environment and energy, and life cycle solutions—which enables it to address global challenges and create long-term value. Azbil’s innovative use of AI, IoT, and cloud systems in smart building solutions, coupled with its strong focus on R&D and strategic collaborations, continues to drive innovation.
“Azbil’s success as a pioneer in the smart building solutions industry stems from its ability to adapt to global challenges, leverage its deep expertise in automation, and focus on delivering innovative and comprehensive solutions. By continuously evolving its business model and addressing the needs of a changing world, Azbil remains at the forefront of the industry,” said Mr. Anirudh Bhaskaran, Industry Principal, Energy & Environment, Frost & Sullivan.
“We are honored to receive the esteemed award from Frost & Sullivan. This achievement is a testament to Azbil’s commitment to addressing evolving challenges and opportunities with visionary strategies, smart building automation technologies, and industry-leading best practices to deliver excellence across the value chain. We share this achievement with our employees, customers, and partners, whose collective efforts drive our success. Moving forward, we remain steadfast in advancing industry growth and strengthening our position as a global top value creator for innovative, human-centered solutions,” said Mr. Kazuyasu Hamada, Managing Corporate Executive and President of Building Systems Company, Azbil Corporation.
Click the URL below for a full report from Frost & Sullivan. https://www.azbil.com/press/pdf/250121-01.pdf
Guided by the Group philosophy of “human-centered automation,” Azbil continues to provide products and solutions that contribute “in series” to creating a sustainable society.
Hashtag: #azbil
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 21 January 2025 – Sandbox VR, the world’s premier destination for premium location-based virtual reality experiences, expects continued robust growth in its global franchise program in the coming years. To accelerate its growth in North America and Europe, the company has recently raised a US$6.8 million convertible note led by funds managed by Gobi Partners, who has supported the company in multiple rounds of financing.
With over 100k players monthly, Sandbox VR is rapidly growing its global footprint with thriving corporate-owned locations and a robust franchising program.
The company topped 1.4 million tickets sold in 2024. An average Sandbox VR location in the US achieved US$1.7 million in annual revenue.
With a predominant presence in the US and Western Europe, Sandbox VR has grown the number of lifetime franchise operators 3x in 2024 alone, from 8 to 25 total operators. With this momentum, the company plans to operate 200 locations before the end of 2027.
Other notable investors in this round include Abacus Ventures Growth Fund, which has invested over US $1 million, and Hyphen Capital.
Robust Expansion Through Franchise Program
With over 100k players monthly, Sandbox VR is rapidly growing its global footprint with thriving corporate-owned locations and a robust franchising program.
Sandbox VR’s franchise program launched in 2019 for international markets and opened up for the US territories since April 2024. Franchising has been instrumental in making Sandbox VR the fastest-growing location-based VR startup globally, and this momentum signals continued rapid growth, the company said. Its first franchise opened in Singapore in 2019.
“We are passionate about creating the future of entertainment and giving people the opportunity to step into a whole new reality. After opening corporate-owned locations and seeing millions of players gear up to enter our immersive virtual reality experiences, work together toward a common goal, and create connections while being active and having fun, we were excited to expand our presence further,” said Steve Zhao, Founder and CEO of Sandbox VR.
“We knew franchising was a key component of scaling and that it was critical that we work with the right partners, operators who share our passion and believe in our vision. Today, we are thrilled to be working with esteemed franchise partners across the globe and look forward to collaborating with additional partners as our franchise program continues to flourish.”
Chibo Tang, Managing Partner at Gobi Partners, expressed confidence in Sandbox VR’s trajectory, “As a serial backer of Sandbox VR, we have witnessed the company’s remarkable evolution from pioneering immersive entertainment to becoming a global leader in location-based virtual reality. Their focus on global expansion, franchise scalability, proprietary VR technology, and innovative IP development sets them apart in the industry. We are proud to lead this latest round of funding and continue supporting Sandbox VR in its mission to redefine entertainment and create unparalleled experiences for players worldwide.”
Franchise Partners Remain Key to Success with Growth Opportunity in Asia
Asia remains a key market for Sandbox VR, with its strong corporate presence in Hong Kong and Singapore, and corporate-owned locations in Hong Kong, Macau and Shanghai.
Apparel Group, a global fashion and lifestyle conglomerate in the Middle East, partnered with Sandbox VR to bring virtual reality innovation to the region. Apparel Group has over 85 brands and over 2,200 stores across 14 countries. This collaboration will begin with 25 locations in the Middle East.
Sandbox VR’s UK and Ireland franchise partners, VR Entertainment Group, is proof of the strength of the Sandbox VR franchise program. They have launched three UK locations, two in London and one in Birmingham, and plan to open additional locations across the UK and Ireland. In London alone, VR Entertainment Group has seen a 16.8% increase in guests year-to-date and projects their 2024 revenue to top $5 million.
Sandbox VR is working with two franchise partners in Germany, NextLevel Erlebnisse GmbH and Royal Casino DGS GmbH. The former signed an agreement to open three locations in 2022. The success of their first locations led NextLevel Erlebnisse GmbH to expand their agreement in 2023 to 12 locations across West Germany by mid-2026. Franchise partner Royal Casino DGS GmbH executed an ambitious 12-unit deal to open locations across Northern and Eastern Germany by the end of 2026 after reading an article about Sandbox VR. Their first two locations, in Hamburg and Berlin, opened in 2024. With six locations currently open and many more to come, Germany is Sandbox VR’s largest international market.
What Sandbox VR is offering
Sandbox VR is creating the world’s most immersive full-body VR platform and experiences using proprietary, patented technology that combines full-body motion capture and high-quality haptics to provide unprecedented realism and complete immersion that’s not possible with home VR or other location-based VR platforms.
As of January 2025, Sandbox VR offers nine exclusive games, including original and branded experiences, such as Squid Game Virtuals, created in collaboration with Netflix. They are all developed by in-house AAA gaming studios in Hong Kong and Vancouver, led by game industry veterans and are specifically designed for groups to play as social experiences. Teams of up to six freely roam and explore virtual worlds together while relying on each other to succeed and to experience being the stars of their own action movie.
The list of Sandbox VR immersive entertainment experiences
Rebel Moon: The Descent
– Images available HERE
The newest Sandbox VR experience and second partnership with Netflix, Rebel Moon: The Descent allows you to enter the thrilling sci-fi franchise that’s taken the world by storm.
Deadwood PHOBIA
– Images available HERE
The latest installment of VR’s most iconic zombie series, Deadwood PHOBIA takes players into a derelict medical facility crawling with unprecedented, mind-bending horrors.
Squid Game Virtuals – Images available HERE
Compete against your crew in several pulse-pounding (yet more approachable, but just as thrilling) mini-games inspired by the #1 Netflix series. Play again and again to experience and master all-new games and challenges.
Seekers of the Shard: Dragonfire – Images available HERE
Journey through a world of fantasy and explore a ruined fortress, an underground river, a haunted tomb and the dragon’s tower as you become Seekers of the Shard.
Deadwood Valley – Images available HERE
Engage in an adrenaline-pumping thrill-ride through a town overrun by zombies. Your squad could stop the zombie menace forever – or die trying!
Deadwood Mansion – Images available HERE
Do you have what it takes to survive a zombie apocalypse? Work with your team to protect Deadwood Mansion from a terrifying horde of undead.
Curse of Davy Jones – Images available HERE
Battle on the high seas against a variety of supernatural creatures and hunt for the long-lost treasure of Davy Jones.
Amber Sky 2088 – Images available HERE
Become heroic Androids equipped with futuristic weapons and soar through the clouds on a space elevator while defending Earth from an alien invasion.
UFL: Unbound Fighting League – Images available HERE
Transform into a futuristic gladiator and compete against your friends in thrilling duels in a breathtaking arena beyond the limits of reality.
To learn more about Sandbox VR franchise opportunities, please visit https://franchise.sandboxvr.com
Birthdays top the occasion for both gift-giving and gift-receiving while natural diamond jewellery remains the most wanted gifts.
HONG KONG – Media OutReach Newswire – 21 January 2025 – For most of us, a new year brings fresh opportunities, yearly goals, and professional and personal aspirations. Stepping into 2025, a recent survey by NielsenIQ (NIQ) reveals consumers in the city are eager to pamper themselves and their loved ones with meaningful gifts in the year ahead. Over 90% of respondents intend to purchase a gift while 80% indicate they will purchase natural diamond jewellery. The findings show that birthdays are the top occasions to receive gifts and give gifts. In terms of the choice of gifts, 77% of respondents (out of 87% who expect to receive any gifts) wish to receive natural diamond jewellery as a gift.
Stepping into 2025, a recent gifting survey by NielsenIQ (NIQ) reveals over 90% of respondents intend to purchase a gift while 80% indicate they will purchase natural diamond jewellery.
Conducted with over 1,300 respondents through an online questionnaire, the survey delves into local gifting preferences. The findings confirm that gifting is a cherished tradition, creating memorable experiences during significant occasions, such as birthdays (58%), anniversaries (40%), Valentine’s Day (31%), and Christmas (31%). Notably, most respondents (89%) emphasize that natural diamonds are essential for jewellery, whether as gifts or for personal enjoyment. 93% of consumers plan to purchase gifts for upcoming occasions in the coming 12 months, with 87% looking forward to receiving gifts as well. Interestingly, while partners and spouses remain the primary recipients of gifts (50%), a growing number of respondents (55%) are embracing self-gifting.
When it comes to preferred gifts, sparkling jewellery stands out. 67% of respondents cited jewellery as one of their top three gifting preferences, with 34% selecting it as their top choice. This is followed by travel (22%), fashion, accessories, and bags (20%), and electronics (14%). The allure of jewellery is even stronger among those wish to receive gifts, with 44% choosing it, surpassing travel (19%) and fashion, accessories, and bags (16%).
Among the types of jewellery desired, preferences range from rings and necklaces to earrings and bracelets. When selecting their ideal natural diamonds, respondents prioritize several key criteria. The classic 4Cs (carat, colour, clarity and cut) are the top considerations for 72% of consumers, followed by price 53% and certification 49%. Design and origin also play significant roles, with 46% and 31% of respondents considering these factors, respectively.
The reasons for choosing natural diamonds reflect their intrinsic values. 85% consider natural diamonds to be “precious, rare, and naturally formed through time and nature,” while 84% view them as “one-of-a-kind.” Additionally, 80% appreciate that their value is sustained due to their rarity.
40% respondents indicate their main source of information about natural diamonds is social media. Regarding the purchase mode for diamond jewellery, 89% of respondents will do research before making a purchase decision. Yet 81% will make the purchase in a physical store. This indicates a combination of online and offline research, and offline buying behaviour among consumers. 65% agree that the research information obtained so far is sufficient. As far as gifting is concerned, it is clear that natural diamonds remain a top choice for consumers looking to celebrate and create lasting memories.
The consumer survey, conducted by NIQ from October 29 to November 1, 2024, involved a total of 1,316 participants aged 18-54 through various online channels. Among the respondents, 20% were male and 80% were female, with the majority (76%) being married, engaged, or in a relationship. Commissioned by De Beers Group, NIQ managed the design and data analysis of the survey.
Police are continuing to investigate how a five-month-old baby came to sustain serious head injuries in Northland.
Enquiries have been underway since the baby was taken to Dargaville Hospital on 28 December 2024.
Detective Sergeant Shane Pilmer, of Whangārei CIB, says the baby was being treated at Starship Hospital in Auckland.
“It’s pleasing the baby boy has since made a recovery and has been able to be discharged from hospital,” he says.
“We have been speaking with the baby’s family as part of ongoing enquiries.”
Police are focusing on the events of 28 December, and what led to a young baby sustaining serious head injuries.
“It’s concerning for investigators when anyone sustains serious injuries such as these, and these concerns are only heightened when it involves some of our most vulnerable members of the community,” Detective Sergeant Pilmer says.
“We would like to hear from anyone with information that can provide clarity on what has taken place.
“As part of this appeal, I encourage people to come forward and they can do so in confidence.”
People can update Police online now or call 105, using the reference number 241229/1679.
Information can also be provided anonymously via Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.
JAKARTA, INDONESIA – Media OutReach Newswire – 21 January 2025 – Alibaba Cloud, the digital technology and intelligence backbone of Alibaba Group, has unveiled an expanded suite of large language models and AI development tools, upgraded infrastructure offerings, and new support programs for global developers at its annual developer summit today. These advancements aim to empower developers worldwide to build innovative AI applications more cost-effectively and drive a thriving global generative AI community.
“Alibaba Cloud is committed to delivering real value to global developers through cutting-edge AI models, enhanced cloud infrastructure, and accessible support programs,” said Dongliang Guo, Vice President of International Business, Head of International Products and Solutions, Alibaba Cloud Intelligence. “Together, we aim to spark more AI-driven innovations, benefiting startups, enterprises, and industries altogether across the globe.”
More Foundation Models and Development Tools for Developers The latest Qwen models, Alibaba Cloud’s proprietary large language model family, including Qwen2.5 series with sizes ranging from 7billion to 72billion parameters, are now accessible via APIs on its generative AI development platform, Model Studio, for global developers to use. Additionally, multimodal AI models including vision understanding models such as Qwen-VL series, visual generation model Wanx2.1 (also known as Tongyi Wanxiang), and audio language model Qwen-Audio are also available for developers to access.
Developers can also leverage Tongyi Lingma, Alibaba Cloud’s proprietary AI coding assistant powered by the Qwen 2.5-coder model. The AI Programmer offers features such as code completion and optimization, debugging assistance, code snippet search and batch unit test generation. It provides developers with an efficient and seamless coding experience, significantly enhancing productivity and creativity.
In addition to a broader range of models, a slew of new AI development tools is also accessible by global developers on Model Studio. These tools include Workflow, which breaks down complex tasks into subtasks to enhance workflow control, and Agent, which supports multi-agent collaboration for planning and execution tasks. Other tools such as RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation), which helps enhance the accuracy and reliability of generative AI models with external sources; Batch Reasoning, which generates responses simultaneously with multiple prompt inputs; AutoEval (Automated Model Evaluation), as well as model deployment and application observability services will be available by end of this month.
Upgraded Infrastructure for AI Development In order to provide robust computing to facilitate AI and other critical workloads, Alibaba Cloud revealed that its 9th Generation Enterprise Elastic Compute Service (ECS) instance will be available in global markets starting April this year. The latest generation of ECS instances has notable performance enhancements compared to its previous iteration, including a 20% increase in computing efficiency. Additionally, by accelerating networks through eRDMA (elastic Remote Direct Memory Access), its performance in supporting high-performance computing, search recommendations, and Redis databases can be further improved by up to 50%.
The cloud pioneer has also announced its innovative Alibaba Cloud Container Compute Service (ACS) is now available for international customers starting from January 2025. Designed for simplified and optimized workload deployment using container technology, the ACS integrates container services with underlying cloud computing resources, significantly reducing costs and technical complexity and enabling developers to focus on innovation rather than infrastructure management.
New GenAI Program to Spark Creativity To foster innovation, Alibaba Cloud introduced the Alibaba Cloud GenAI Empowerment Program, a dedicated support program for global developers and startups leveraging its Qwen models to build generative AI applications. Participants in the program can gain support including free cloud credits, training workshops, invitation to tech shows and demo days, as well as product co-marketing opportunities. This program is designed to help developers and startups accelerate their generative AI projects while connecting with a broader ecosystem of innovators.
Global Developers and Customers Leveraging Qwen for Cutting-Edge Applications Axcxept, a Japanese company specializing in AI products such as voice assistants, has developed an open-source, lightweight AI model called EZO based on Qwen 2.5 LLM. The EZO model outperforms state-of-the-art (SOTA) models in areas such as coding, information extraction, math, reasoning, roleplay, and writing in Japanese. With low latency and robust performance, EZO is tailored to serve industries such as healthcare and public institutions in Japan, ensuring secure and efficient AI applications.
“Qwen 2.5 has significantly enhanced its ability to process Japanese, giving it a competitive edge over other models. With Axcxept’s proprietary training process, we have developed a Japanese LLM that delivers unmatched accuracy,” said Kazuya Hodatsu, CEO of Axcxept Inc.
OxValue.AI, a deep-tech venture from the University of Oxford, uses Alibaba Cloud’s Qwen-based multimodal AI models for AI-driven company valuation services. By processing and analyzing text and audio data related to financing, R&D, and operations, OxValue achieves precise and cost-efficient valuation assessments tailored to corporate clients.
“Processing diverse data sources is essential for our valuation services. With the support of Alibaba Cloud’s AI models, we’ve significantly improved the quality and efficiency of this process. By collaborating with Alibaba Cloud, we’re able to deliver greater value to our corporate clients,” said Professor Xiaolan Fu, Founder of OxValue.AI.
Hashtag: #AlibabaCloud
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
Tonight’s scheduled work on State Highway 2 between Ohinepaaka Stream / Waihua River has been postponed, due to forecast heavy rain.
The work was due to take place tonight and tomorrow night.
Crews have now rescheduled the overnight closures for tomorrow night (Wednesday 22 January),Thursday 23 January and Friday 24 January, 8pm to 5am each night.
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi apologises for the short notice change and we want to thank road users and local community for their understanding.
As a result of the postponement, the road will be OPEN as normal tonight – please drive to the conditions.
