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Lao President Reaffirms Commitment to Deepening Ties with Russia Ahead of Official Visit

President of Laos Thongloun Sisoulith and Russian President Vladimir Putin. (Photo credit: Ekaterina Chesnokova, brics-russia2024.ru)

Ahead of his official visit to the Russian Federation from 30 July to 1 August, Lao President Thongloun Sisoulith reaffirmed his commitment to strengthening the longstanding friendship and cooperation between Laos and Russia.

In a message published by both Russia’s state news agency and Lao state media, President Thongloun, himself a former student in Russia, described the visit as a heartfelt return. He called it a meaningful opportunity to reconnect with old friends and reaffirm the enduring relationship that continues to support peace, development, and mutual progress.

The roots of Lao-Russian relations stretch back to Laos’s struggle for independence, when the Soviet Union supported the Lao revolutionary movement. Formal diplomatic relations were established on 7 October 1960.

Following the establishment of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic in 1975, the Soviet Union played a key role in rebuilding the war-torn country, supporting healthcare, education, defence, and economic recovery.

After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Laos recognised the Russian Federation as its successor state in 1991. Their partnership entered a new phase with the signing of the 1994 Treaty on the Principles of Friendly Relations. Since then, cooperation has expanded across political, economic, humanitarian, and cultural sectors. The relationship was elevated to a strategic partnership in 2011.

President Thongloun praised Russia’s humanitarian efforts, particularly its assistance in clearing unexploded ordnance (UXO) in Laos, the most heavily bombed country per capita in the world. He expressed deep gratitude, calling the effort lasting proof of Russia’s friendship.

Economic ties have also grown, particularly in the mining, energy, and investment sectors. In 2024, more than 48,000 Russian tourists visited Laos, a sign of strengthening people-to-people connections.

The President also highlighted Russia’s contributions to capacity-building, noting that many Lao professionals have benefited from Russian educational programmes.

The visit coincides with several significant occasions: the Victory Day celebrations marking the end of the Second World War, the 65th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Laos and Russia, and the 60th anniversary of the Lao-Russian Friendship Associations.

President Thongloun had initially planned to visit Russia in May to attend Victory Day celebrations, but the trip was postponed due to a COVID-19 infection. Lao Foreign Minister Thongsavanh Phomvihane represented him in his absence.

Following that visit, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov expressed appreciation for Laos’s support in providing medical and psychological care to Russian military personnel.

Later this year, the two countries are scheduled to hold the Laros-2025 joint military exercises in Laos, further solidifying defence cooperation.

MyRepublic Awarded #1 Best Fixed Network in Asia by Ookla®


SINGAPORE – Media OutReach Newswire – 30 July 2025 – MyRepublic announces that it has been officially recognised by Ookla®, a global leader in connectivity intelligence, as the #1 Best Fixed Network in Asia.

MyRepublic Awarded #1 Best Fixed Network in Asia by Ookla®
MyRepublic Awarded #1 Best Fixed Network in Asia by Ookla®

Millions of users around the world trust Speedtest® to measure the performance of their fixed and mobile networks every day. Ookla’s Best Fixed Network Award™, based on the Speedtest Connectivity Score™, provides a reliable measure of the overall fixed network experience.

The Speedtest Connectivity Score combines various real-world network performance metrics, with the methodology weighted as follows: 50% on network speed performance, 25% on streaming video experience, and 25% on web browsing experience. This ensures the results reflect the true user experience across multiple activities, with each aspect contributing to the final score.

MyRepublic earned this honour after being benchmarked against the top 10 fixed network providers across Asia, emerging as the region’s leading fixed broadband provider.

The award validates MyRepublic’s continued investment in delivering high-performance connectivity for homes and businesses alike. With an unwavering commitment to innovation, speed, and reliability, MyRepublic’s fixed network consistently outperforms its competitors across Asia in key areas, including download speed, latency, and overall user satisfaction.

“Being named the #1 Best Fixed Network in Asia by Ookla is a tremendous honour and a reflection of the hard work of the MyRepublic team,” said Lawrence Chan, Managing Director of MyRepublic Singapore. “We’ve always believed in pushing the boundaries of what broadband can do.

This recognition affirms our mission to deliver exceptional connectivity that empowers people and businesses to deliver their best. We accept this accolade not just on behalf of MyRepublic, but for Singapore as well. This is a testament to the country’s growing strength and innovation in digital infrastructure on the global stage.”

As one of Asia-Pacific’s most agile telecommunications companies, MyRepublic has built a reputation for disrupting traditional broadband markets, championing gamer-grade connectivity, and offering tailored solutions for SMEs and enterprises. This accolade from Ookla marks a major milestone in MyRepublic’s journey to transform digital experiences.
Hashtag: #MyRepublic #Ookla #SpeedTestAwards #BestFixedNetwork #BestBroadband #SpeedWinner





The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

About Ookla®

Ookla, a global leader in connectivity intelligence, brings together the trusted expertise of Speedtest®, Downdetector®, Ekahau®, and RootMetrics® to deliver unmatched network and connectivity insights. By combining multi-source data with industry-leading expertise, Ookla transforms network performance metrics into strategic, actionable insights.

Speedtest Awards, presented by Ookla, are an elite designation reserved for fixed and mobile providers in a market. Based on consumer-initiated tests and background scans from Speedtest applications, Speedtest Awards represent real world network performance provided to customers.

About MyRepublic

MyRepublic is an award-winning telecom operator whose values lie in the future of connectivity, the next opportunity to disrupt, and innovations that will make a real difference. The provider’s priority is to redefine broadband and mobile connectivity in the markets it operates and empower customers to understand what a true modern connectivity experience can be.

Soul App Redefines Human-AI Interaction with Full-Duplex Technology at WAIC 2025

SHANGHAI, July 30, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — At the 2025 World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) on July 26th, Soul App unveiled its AI-powered social solutions. In a live demonstration of its “Audio Partyroom”, the platform showcased its upgraded end-to-end full-duplex voice large language model (LLM), where an AI host seamlessly moderated group voice chats. The session highlighted how AI reshapes content and social dynamics — delivering smarter, more authentic, and deeply immersive emotional experiences.

“In this era where technology redefines human connection, AI-powered social networks aren’t just the future—they’re the present”, declared Tao Ming, Chief Technology Officer of Soul App. “We’re architecting a revolutionary paradigm where AI beings and humans don’t merely interact but thrive together. Through intelligent connection mapping, contextual understanding, and experience augmentation, Soul is cultivating a new dimension of digital belonging—one that delivers genuine joy and transforms how we perceive community”.


Toward More Natural AI Interaction: Full-Duplex Voice & Video for Genuine Emotional Connection

As technological advancements mature in 2025, the “AI application explosion” has become an industry consensus. Amid AI’s sweeping transformation across sectors, a question remains: What concrete value does “AI+” bring to individuals?

Representing the forefront of AI social exploration, Soul App presented its vision at WAIC 2025, demonstrating social solutions that redefine AI’s role in human connections.

At the exhibition themed “Soul’s AI Social Practice”, the platform highlighted how its full-duplex audio/video capabilities enable hyper-realistic and deeply immersive social experiences. Soul’s AI serves dual roles: as a caring companion that analyzes users’ social challenges to provide emotional support, and as an efficient connector that identifies mutual interests between users to foster genuine friendships.

The event marked the debut of Soul’s self-developed, end-to-end full-duplex voice model. Recently upgraded, this innovative model redefines the interaction paradigm by eliminating traditional reliance on Voice Activity Detection (VAD) mechanism and latency control logic. It breaks away from the industry’s prevalent turn-taking dialogue mode, empowering AI to autonomously determine conversation rhythms.

Social interaction involves the exchange of both emotional and informational value. By endowing AI with autonomy and warmth, Soul enables truly reciprocal social engagement and emotional symbiosis between humans and AI, moving beyond the transactional turn-based dialogues of the past.

The full-duplex voice model will soon enter beta testing before being implemented across various scenarios, including virtual human real-time calls and AI-assisted matching in both one-on-one and group settings. At WAIC, attendees experienced this technology firsthand through an AI host managing group voice chats on Soul’s platform.

In multi-user voice interactions, the AI host demonstrates human-like moderation capabilities, naturally engaging participants, energizing conversations, and encouraging discussion—significantly enhancing engagement and experience quality. “Applying full-duplex voice technology to group scenarios represents a crucial step in integrating AI into social networks, enhancing real connections, and enabling diverse experiences”, said Tao Ming, Soul’s CTO.

Recognizing users’ inherent preference for face-to-face interaction, Soul is also advancing multimodal capabilities. The exhibition featured the company’s latest progress in full-duplex real-time video call, combining audio technology with real-time video generation to let users see “the AI’s visual presence and digital environment,” creating more dimensional digital personas that deepen relational bonds. This builds on Soul’s recent achievement of having its real-time portrait video generation research accepted by CVPR 2025, a top-tier international academic conference.

Soul Reimagines Social Networking: Building an AI-Powered Playground for Chinese Gen Z

Since its launch in 2016, Soul has been at the forefront of reinventing social discovery, connection, and relationship-building through AI. The platform empowers users to express themselves in a pressure-free environment while forming diverse social networks based on shared interests—exemplified by its Lingxi Engine, the foundation of its current relationship model.

Soul’s AI journey accelerated in 2020 with systematic AIGC R&D, yielding cutting-edge capabilities in intelligent dialogue, voice technology, and 3D digital humans. The 2023 introduction of its proprietary Soul X model marked a turning point, followed by breakthroughs including voice generation, voice call, and music generation models. By 2024, Soul had consolidated these into a comprehensive multimodal end-to-end AI system supporting text/voice conversations, multilingual understanding, and hyper-realistic digital humans.

The platform’s competitive edge stems from three pillars: in-house R&D, unique public social data assets, and rapid application iteration. As a social networking platform, Soul continuously refines its “Emotional Intelligence Model” to precisely identify user needs and deliver lasting emotional value through AI.

Soul’s deep market insights—drawn from its user community—directly inform product development. Notably, 18% of new posts on Soul Square address real social challenges (making friends, starting conversations, workplace relationships). These authentic user stories and the emotional connections they spark form a valuable “social behavior database”.

Building on these insights, Soul is deepening AI-community integration by developing content recommendations and AI-assisted creation tools that lower expression barriers, while also cultivating an ecosystem of “Virtual Influencers” capable of delivering warm, nuanced emotional support—all working in concert to create authentic senses of emotional closeness within digital spaces.

At its core, the platform operates on a dual approach: facilitating human connections through AI assistance while simultaneously fostering meaningful “AI-as-companion” relationships”. True AI integration isn’t just about technology—it’s about weaving genuine emotional connections into the very fabric of users’ social networks”, explained Tao Ming, Soul’s CTO. “As AI becomes deeply embedded in every aspect of modern interaction—from socializing to digital lifestyles and consumer behavior—it’s giving rise to what we call emotional-value commerce. This evolution isn’t merely creating new market opportunities; it’s fundamentally reimagining the paradigms of social products”.

 

State Grid Jinchang Power Supply’s “Project Manager” Helps Enterprises with Production

JINCHANG, China, July 30, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — During the surge in major project construction in Jinchang City, Gansu Jinchang Power Supply has adopted the “project manager” service model to meet customer needs, provide timely services to users, and help enterprises solve difficulties. While providing technical transformation schemes, it also carries out “one-stop” electricity services for enterprises, popularizes knowledge on the charging method of basic electricity fees for enterprises, guides enterprises to save electricity costs through time-of-use electricity prices, capacity-to-demand conversion and other methods, continuously improves the efficiency of installation and connection, promotes the early power transmission of power supply projects, and enables customers to reach production ahead of schedule, thus contributing to the steady growth of the province’s economy.

At the beginning of the year, Gansu Jinhongxiang New Energy Co., Ltd. officially resumed work and production. Jinchang Power Supply took prompt action, setting up a special service team composed of technical experts from marketing, operations and maintenance and other professions, and took the initiative to connect with the project manager to get involved in the pre-production planning of the project in advance. Members of the service team visited the project site many times, communicated with the project party, learned in detail about the project’s electricity demand, construction progress and production plan, and customized a scientific and reasonable power supply scheme for the project.

The first 35kV mobile substation of Jinchang Power Grid is “in place”

JINCHANG, China, July 30, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Recently, the large-scale equipment warehouse of Jinchang Power Grid (State Grid Jinchang Power Supply Company) welcomed a heavyweight “new member” – the first mobile substation was successfully delivered to the 35kV Qinghe Substation. This marks that Jinchang Power Grid’s emergency response and important load guarantee capabilities have stepped onto a new stage, empowering the “zero-perception” electricity consumption for coping with sudden power outages and ensuring people’s livelihood and industrial use.

The “mobile fortress” solves urgent needs, realizing “zero waiting” for core load transfer. This mobile substation, which integrates cutting-edge technology and practical application, can be called the “rapid response force” of the power grid system. The mobile substation has a capacity of 20 MVA and consists of 2 vehicles. One of the vehicles is loaded with a transformer and a 35kV equipment prefabricated warehouse, and the other is loaded with a 10kV equipment prefabricated warehouse and a secondary equipment prefabricated warehouse. It adopts an advanced quick-plug interface and an intelligent monitoring system, and has two important functions: transferring all loads of 35kV substations under the company’s jurisdiction and transferring loads of 10kV switchgear of 110kV substations. When a substation is out of service due to planned maintenance, sudden failure or natural disaster, it can seamlessly replace the original station and undertake the key task of transferring important loads. The smooth use of the mobile substation will realize the precise and rapid “point-to-point” power supply guarantee for important loads, significantly reduce the user’s power outage time, and greatly enhance the company’s hard strength in fulfilling social responsibilities.

The mobile substation not only serves emergency rescue under extreme disasters, but also will be widely used during the peak summer (winter) period, flexibly put into operation in load-stressed areas to relieve the pressure on the main transformer. In the upgrading and transformation of the power grid, it supports the continuous and reliable power supply during the transformation of old substations. During the transformation of all primary and secondary old equipment in the 35kV Qinghe Substation, the loads of 4 10kV outgoing lines will all be smoothly transferred by the mobile substation, effectively improving the reliability of the company’s power grid supply.

State Grid Jinchang Power Supply Company will carry out intensive training and practical drills for professionals simultaneously around this core equipment, improve emergency supporting  plans, ensure that it can “be pulled out, hold up, and supply stably” at critical moments, and inject surging momentum into continuously improving the reliability of the company’s power grid supply.

ASEAN Youth Perspectives on the China-ASEAN Education Cooperation Week: Embracing Our Golden Opportunity

GUIYANG, China, July 30, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — This is a report from Discover Guizhou: 

 

ASEAN Youth Perspectives on the China-ASEAN Education Cooperation Week: Embracing Our Golden Opportunity

“This has been a fruitful and meaningful journey.” After attending the 2024 China-ASEAN Education Cooperation Week, Zhai Zihan, Chairman of the Singapore China Association Youth Chapter, found himself deeply drawn to the event.

As a platform committed to promoting mutual learning and joint development among young people, as well as fostering regional cooperation and shared economic growth between China and ASEAN countries, the China-ASEAN Education Cooperation Week is rich with opportunity and continues to generate expectations.

With 2025 marking the 35th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Singapore, Zhai returned as he had hoped.

From July 24 to 27, the 2025 China-ASEAN Education Cooperation Week was held in Guiyang, Guizhou. Officials, scholars, university faculty and students, and entrepreneurs from China and ASEAN countries gathered to contribute their insights toward building a closer China-ASEAN community with a shared future.

“There are participants from countries, including experts and policymakers. It’s a perfect mix of expertise and wisdom under one roof,” said Shakeel Ahmad, UNDP Deputy Resident Representative in Cambodia, after attending the International Symposium on the Cultivation of High-Level Internationalized Talents.

Ahmad remarked that today’s world is filled with both risks and opportunities. It calls for a diverse and dynamic youth force. In his view, the China-ASEAN Education Cooperation Week provides a platform for dialogue and connection. He believes its impact will continue long after the event concludes.

Centered on the theme of “Smart Education Empowering People-to-People Exchanges, Educational Cooperation Enhancing Common Development,” a series of forums sparked insightful ideas and further expanded the network supporting educational and cultural exchanges between China and ASEAN countries.

“One of the most important aspects of the Belt and Road Initiative is the soft component, where there’s people-to-people exchange. This week, we are talking about that as well,” said Muhammad Ali, Vice Chancellor of the University of the Punjab. During the “Belt and Road” Symposium on Integrating Culture, Tourism and Museums to Boost Guizhou’s Construction as a World-Class Tourism Destination, he joined experts and scholars from China, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, and other countries, to explore paths for cultural and tourism integration under the Belt and Road Initiative.

Taking the event as an opportunity, the distance between China, ASEAN countries, BRI countries, and people around the world has drawn closer. Muhammad Ali stated that building on the fruitful outcomes of this event, both sides will further promote exchanges and cooperation between Pakistan and China. “We’ll encourage our students to come and visit Guizhou,” he said to Zhai.

With education as a bridge, students from ASEAN countries have come to China to gain knowledge and pursue their dreams. Here, they have become the “ambassadors” for promoting people-to-people exchanges and economic cooperation.

“I can build a better future in China,” said Indonesian youth Graciello Brandon Zefanya, who came to Guizhou University five years ago to study international trade and business.

Studying in China alongside fellow ASEAN students, Brandon has broadened his horizons and gained lasting friendships, which he sees as vital for his career.

Education is only a start. Providing platforms for cross-cultural exchange and regional dialogue lays the foundation for deeper understanding.

“The current times that we live in serves as a golden opportunity to foster greater ties of cooperation between China and ASEAN, two of the world’s most dynamic regions.” Words like “building connections” and “fostering cooperation” came up frequently in Zhai’s conversations during the 2025 China-ASEAN Education Cooperation Week.

The event highlights China’s role in global education governance and its vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind. Like Zhai Zihan, more ASEAN youth will come with hope to meet like-minded peers, build mutual trust, and work together to create a future of harmony and connection.

Furniture China 2025 & Maison Shanghai: Shaping Tomorrow’s Furniture World

SHANGHAI, July 30, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — From September 9 to 13, 2025, the global furniture industry will gather in Shanghai Pudong for the landmark 30th edition of Furniture China and the newly upgraded Maison Shanghai.

Jointly organized by China National Furniture Association and Shanghai Sinoexpo Informa Markets, Furniture China 2025 & Maison Shanghai will be spanning 50 halls across two venues — SNIEC (Shanghai New International Expo Centre) and SWEECC (Shanghai World Expo Exhibition & Convention Center) — the dual events will welcome over 3,200 exhibitors and an estimated 200,000 visitors from around the world, featuring cutting-edge furniture collections, design showcases, and sustainable solutions over 350,000 sqm of exhibition space.

Highlights include a dedicated Garden Furniture Pavilion in hall E8B at SNIEC, complemented by outdoor design showcases in halls E6 and famous outdoor brands in hall N2. Visitors will find weather-resistant loungers, modular seating, dining sets, and eco-friendly accessories to transform outdoor spaces into elegant retreats.

As ESG values become integral to design and commerce, the ReMe: ESG Sustainability Themed Exhibition (Booth E5D12, SNIEC) presents a visionary green concept space, promotes recycling and low-carbon design via immersive installations and forums.

Running concurrently with Furniture China, FMC China and FMC Premium bring together global leaders in furniture components, raw materials, and manufacturing technologies, offering a comprehensive look at the upstream power driving furniture excellence. Exhibitors from 15+ countries will present cutting-edge technologies, making FMC a key link between design and industrial production.

At SWEECC, from September 9 to 12, Maison Shanghai will spotlight the evolving landscape of design under the theme “Design Infinity”. Divided into four thematic zones (H1–H4), it brings together 800+ design-driven brands and showcases concepts across lifestyle curation, original art-inspired furniture, and material innovation.

  • H1: All-in-One Integrated Solutions – from soft furnishings to whole-space design strategies
  • H2: Lifestyle Trends & Emotional Healing Spaces
  • H3: Maison Design Highland
  • H4: Factory Direct Sales

Maison Shanghai will also host 100+ forums and diverse events, including the Gold Idea Design Award, CREDAWARD, Design of Designers (DOD), and the influential Maison Design Forum, providing global insights into design’s commercial and cultural value.

The upgraded DTS FurnitureChina App enables online-offline integration, supporting pre-registration, business matching, and 24/7 trade.

Save the Dates:

FURNITURE CHINA
10-13 September 2025 | SNIEC
Full-spectrum trade show for furniture & materials

MAISON SHANGHAI
9-12 September 2025 | SWEECC
Future-forward design, lifestyle furnishing, and factory-direct sourcing

Register now here.

DTS Platform: dts.jiagle.com

Apical Advances EUDR Readiness Ahead of Full Regulatory Implementation

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach Newswire – 30 July 2025 – Apical has successfully implemented a robust management system to ensure full compliance with the European Union’s Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), which is set to take effect in December 2025. The company’s system assures a traceable, sustainable and deforestation-free supply chain, aligning with the stringent requirements of the regulation.

In preparation for the regulation’s full implementation, Apical successfully completed several EUDR-compliant trial shipments of palm oil and palm kernel oil products in the second half of 2024. This milestone underscores Apical’s commitment to meeting the evolving sustainability expectations of its customers and stakeholders.

Apical’s readiness is built on its comprehensive Deforestation-Free Due Diligence (DFDD) Implementation Framework, which has undergone rigorous third-party assessment and verification. The framework is structured around seven key focus areas:

1. Governance: A solid governance structure, led by a dedicated management team, has established the necessary frameworks, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and policies to ensure EUDR compliance.
2. Internal Capacity-Building: Apical’s employees are continuously trained on EUDR requirements, ensuring full organisational alignment and commitment from management.
3. Supplier Profiling & Prioritisation: Suppliers are identified using a risk-calibrated approach, prioritising those who meet compliance standards.
4. Supplier Due Diligence & Risk Mitigation: Apical has actively engaged suppliers to promote EUDR understanding, while also initiating data collection, risk assessments, spatial analysis, supplier field visits and reviewing and approving SOPs for EUDR-compliant suppliers.
5. Operational Compliance: Apical ensures all facilities designated for receiving, processing, storage and shipment of products comply with regulatory requirements.
6. Digital Platform for Transparency: Apical has developed a DFDD digital platform that offers suppliers and customers an easy interface to exchange EUDR-compliant information, providing essential data such as supply chain traceability, deforestation visual analysis and due diligence statements for each shipment.
7. Third-Party Verification: Apical’s EUDR readiness has been independently verified by third-party assessors, ensuring further transparency in its processes and offering assurance to customers.

      “At Apical, we see the EUDR as a transformative milestone to strengthen resilience and accountability across the palm oil sector. Our readiness for this regulation transcends compliance – it sets a new benchmark for responsible production. By embedding innovation and transparency into every link of our supply chain, we are forging stronger partnerships, aligning with global sustainability goals, and delivering enduring value to communities, ecosystems, and stakeholders alike,” said Tor Mooi See, Director of Sustainability at Apical.

      A member of the Royal Golden Eagle (RGE) group of companies founded by Sukanto Tanoto, Apical’s ongoing efforts to exceed sustainability standards underscore its role in shaping the future of the palm oil industry. By fostering a deforestation-free, traceable and sustainable supply chain, the company is not only addressing critical environmental challenges but also contributing to a more equitable and resilient global economy.
      Hashtag: #RGE #Apical #EUDR #Palm #Sustainability #DFDD #Regulation

      The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

      About Apical

      Apical is a leading vegetable oil processor with an expanding global footprint. Our vertically integrated mid-stream refining and value-added downstream processing makes us an integral supplier that supports the needs of various industries namely food, feed, oleochemicals and renewable fuel, including sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) which enables a great reduction of CO2 emissions.

      With integrated assets in strategic locations spanning Indonesia, China and Spain, Apical operates numerous refineries, oleochemical plants, renewable fuel plants and kernel crushing plants. Through joint ventures and strategic partnerships, Apical also has processing and distribution operations in Brazil, India, Pakistan, Philippines, Middle East, Africa, USA and Vietnam.

      Apical’s growth is built on the foundations of sustainability and transparency, and motivated by our strong belief that we can contribute to a circular economy for a more meaningful impact, even as we continue to grow our business and deliver innovative solutions to our customers.