ZEISS SMILE is the gold standard in laser eye surgery as a non-invasive and painless procedure
DUBAI, UAE – EQS Newswire – 10 November 2022 –The North American Lasik & Eye Surgery Centre (https://NorthAmericanLasik.com) in Dubai, UAE is the first clinic in the middle east and the only one in the United Arab Emirates to offer the new ZEISS SMILE® Pro (Small incision lenticule extraction) eye surgery using ZEISS Visumax 800 technology. Over five million SMILE® procedures have been performed globally with great success. The laser eye surgery clinic is redefining refractive surgery with ZEISS SMILE®, a laser procedure that goes beyond PRK and LASIK. ZEISS SMILE is the gold standard in laser eye surgery as a non-invasive and painless procedure.
Benefits of Smile®
SMILE® does not cut the cornea. Research shows that corneas treated with SMILE® procedure are 47% stronger. This procedure was approved for myopia correction and astigmatism.
The Visumax 800 is used in the SMILE® eye procedure and is the fastest laser available worldwide. This means you can get your eyes corrected in just 10 seconds
Is it comparable to LASIK?
There is a major difference between these 2 procedures. LASIK makes a 300-degree circular flap incision, while SMILE® makes a 60-degree pocket incision. The non-invasive incision in SMILE® is far superior compared to LASIK, since LASIK flap complications have occurred such as dislocation and flap wrinkling.
With LASIK, eye problems can occur such as Keratoconus. This condition is an outward bulging of the eye due to the weakening of part of the cornea.
With SMILE®, the patient has less chance of dry eyes and a faster healing time that can be under 2 hours. When it comes to near-sightedness (myopia) or astigmatism, SMILE® is highly effective. With SMILE®, myopia and astigmatism can be corrected by up to -10.00 D.
The North American Lasik & Eye Surgery Centre is honoured to have the first clinic in Dubai that offers LASIK SMILE eye surgery ( https://bit.ly/3zBRuiv) with the ZEISS Visumax 800. By having the ZEISS Visumax 800 in Dubai, the clinic is now able to provide this surgery along with other procedures such as Femto LASIK and ICL (Implantable Collamar Lens)). Many patients who were not eligible for LASIK now have the option of SMILE® technology to fix their poor eyesight.
Dr. Abdulla Naqi is a Canadian Board certified eye surgeon since 2007 and obtained his medical graduate certificate from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland in 1997. Between 2007 and 2009, he joined the faculty of Ophthalmology at the University of Toronto to complete his fellowship in Glaucoma and advanced anterior segment surgery. In 2013 Dr. Naqi founded the North American Lasik and Eye Surgery Centre. North American Lasik and Eye Surgery Centre is the leading laser eye surgery center in the United Arab Emirates.
With over 16,000 successful eye surgeries performed on local and international clients, the clinic has a solid reputation worldwide. Website: https://NorthAmericanLasik.com
69% say their organization’s sustainability efforts are strongly or generally aligned with Hong Kong’s Climate Action Plan 2050
Only 21% of organizations believe they are fully utilizing technology to operate more sustainably
Changes in the energy market and energy supply over the past 12 months have motivated only 16% of respondents to increase investment in digitalization
HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 10 November 2022 –A new study conducted by Business Environment Council (BEC), in collaboration with Schneider Electric, the leader in the digital transformation of energy management and automation, has found that given the maturing guidelines around sustainability and climate-related reporting, 84% of respondents believe sustainability is a core part of their organization’s strategy and that their leadership teams care about sustainability and climate change.
Jonathan Chiu, President, Schneider Electric Hong Kong (left) and Simon Ng, Chief Executive Officer, Business Environment Council (right), shared a new survey conducted by Business Environment Council(BEC), in collaboration with Schneider Electric, to provide a deeper understanding of the current perceptions of sustainability or ESG and the level of preparedness in moving towards Hong Kong’s carbon neutrality before 2050.
“Organizations have started to acknowledge the importance of a sustainable business strategy and have committed to decarbonization targets that align with government initiatives. However, it is shown that resources and planning towards the implementation of reduction measures are still insufficient. This leads to concerns from within the organization that they will fall short of committed targets. BEC will take lead in working with its members and the wider business community, to foster the sustainability ecosystem, working with different partners to build capacity and encourage the adoption of innovative practices, resources, and planning to build a bright future together in a bid to strive towards the goal of carbon neutrality.” said Simon Ng, Chief Executive Officer of BEC.
“Climate change has become a major part of global risks, affecting every industry and market, and disrupting economies. An urgency to accelerate sustainability is here for corporates to take action, enhance energy efficiency, electrify, and digitalize energy ecosystems. With energy demand globally anticipated to grow three-fold in the next 30 years, technology can be the enabler to tackle sustainability and energy challenges globally, and we hope that businesses will also find the value of digitization and new technologies that are already available now to accelerate electrification, digitization, and sustainability,” said Jonathan Chiu, President of Schneider Electric Hong Kong.
The survey also revealed the following:
Hong Kong businesses are on the right track for the sustainable journey
The Hong Kong’s Climate Action Plan 2050 has been well received by Hong Kong businesses since it was launched in October 2021, with 69% of respondents saying their organization’s sustainability efforts are strongly or generally aligned with it, which is the same for net zero commitments. On the other hand, 50% of respondents believe their company is strongly or generally aligned with Science Based Targets (SBT).
Another topic covered in the survey relates to decarbonization. Driving decarbonization is no longer just about brand image. It is one of the most certain paths to creating innovation for companies seeking a competitive edge, and to bring business opportunities. The motivators for decarbonization, however, differ among Hong Kong businesses. With 50% citing Brand Perception as a motivator, 49% expressing Business Opportunity, and 46% saying Government Regulations play an important part in driving decarbonization.
Major sustainability changes in businesses are best achieved with the right mindset. 62% of respondents agree that changing longstanding business practices and organizational mindsets, is one of the top energy and sustainability challenges faced in the past 12 months, followed by 55% believing striking a balance between realistic and aspirational targets and 41% stating access to accurate data and information to guide efforts as the other top challenges. A sustainable mindset at all levels is an ambitious goal, as it comprises so many elements, including principles, values, and beliefs. It is important to have a joint effort of governments, organizations, and individuals to promote sustainable development.
Enhancing decarbonization ambition to SBT
The study shows that 6 out of 10 respondents are from companies that have committed publicly to reducing carbon emissions. In December 2021, HKEX launched the Practical Net-Zero Guide for Business to help companies in developing a pathway to net-zero, by introducing the strategies of climate mitigation and outcomes same as the SBT initiative. Less than a quarter (24%) have established SBT, which means more efforts are needed to accelerate the net-zero journey.
Businesses across relevant sectors will be mandated to share information in line with recommendations of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) by 2025. This implies a sense of urgency for companies to identify and report their climate-related risks. This survey finds that the top energy and resources supply risks that respondents are concerned about are, carbon or energy regulations (69%), cost and risk management in a volatile market (53%), and power supply reliability (36%).
Digitization plays a crucial role in driving sustainable development
Just over one-fifth (21%) of respondents are fully utilizing new technologies and technology solutions to operate more sustainably. Among them, 69% are listed companies or their subsidiaries, and 28% are from the energy and utilities sector. This implies other sectors need to leverage and take advantage of technology to drive sustainability. In addition, only 16% of respondents cited their organizations increased investment in digitization in the past 12 months.
60% of participants considered digital analytics as adding the most value to organizations in monitoring their sustainability performance and 73% believe that improving operation efficiency, productivity, or reliability added the most value. In the process to lower their carbon footprint, 52% of respondents have pursued digital solutions in the past 12 months.
The study was conducted from August to September 2022 based on a survey of 205 business leaders and professionals, and three focus group discussions centering on specific environmental topics. The findings are published in a report titled “Building a Greener and Smarter Hong Kong” to provide a deeper understanding of the current perceptions of sustainability or Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) and the level of preparedness in moving towards Hong Kong’s carbon neutrality before 2050.
An executive summary of the study report is available here.
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
About Business Environment Council
Business Environment Council (BEC) is an independent, charitable membership organisation, established by the business sector in Hong Kong.
BEC’s vision is to lead, enable and drive the business community to transform for a green, liveable and sustainable Hong Kong.
Since its establishment in 1992, BEC has been at the forefront of promoting environmental excellence by advocating the uptake of clean technologies and practices which reduce waste, conserve resources, prevent pollution and improve corporate environmental and social responsibility.
BEC offers sustainable solutions and professional services covering advisory, research, assessment, training and award programmes for government, business and the community, thus enabling environmental protection and contributing to the transition to a net-zero economy.
About Schneider Electric Schneider’s purpose is to empower all to make the most of our energy and resources, bridging progress and sustainability for all. We call this Life Is On.
Our mission is to be your digital partner for Sustainability and Efficiency.
We drive digital transformation by integrating world-leading process and energy technologies, end-point to cloud connecting products, controls, software and services, across the entire lifecycle, enabling integrated company management, for homes, buildings, data centers, infrastructure and industries.
We are the most local of global companies. We are advocates of open standards and partnership ecosystems that are passionate about our shared Meaningful Purpose, Inclusive and Empowered values.
Lao Workers going to work in South Korea earlier this year | Photo credit: Vientiane Times
Local police apprehended the fraudsters last week in Vientiane Capital for posing as job recruiters and arranging fake visas for people to avail work opportunities in South Korea.
HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 10 November 2022 – Tia Lee, Asian fashion icon, pop singer, film and television actress, has posted a sensational countdown graphic series for three consecutive days since deleting all her IG photos on 6 Nov. The images revealed an ocean-blue visual featuring a girl who is sinking to the bottom of the sea.
While Tia’s new project has remained a secret, another hint was dropped today: A 17-second animation teaser with “Coming Soon” has been posted on her IG, together with a cinematic poster showcasing Tia’s inaugural animation series. As a prelude to Tia’s new song “GOODBYE PRINCESS“, the animation series comprised of six unique episodes, telling Tia’s journey in full until she turns a new chapter in life with her new song release later this year.
First animation episode titled “Falling in the Deep” will be released on Tia’s social channels on 11 Nov 2022 (tomorrow). Stay tuned for more.
Tia Lee (李毓芬), born in Taipei, is an Asian pop singer, film and television actress, model, and former member of the girl band Dream Girls. In addition to her acting roles and musical career, Tia appears frequently at major fashion shows. As a fashion icon and trend-setter, Tia has graced the covers of fashion, beauty and lifestyle magazines such as Vogue, Elle, Marie Claire, and shares her beauty and fashion tips through a number of Vogue’s social media channels.
CHIMEI Corporation’s factory in Tainan, Taiwan, has obtained International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) PLUS for ABS, SAN, MS (SMMA), HBR, and SSBR products.
TAINAN, TAIWAN – Media OutReach – 10 November 2022 – A Taiwan-based performance materials company that designs and manufactures advanced polymer materials, synthetic rubbers, and specialty chemicals, CHIMEI Corporation is adding a range of International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) PLUS approved bioplastics to its newly released Ecologue™ sustainable materials portfolio.
CHIMEI is developing bioplastics that are either made from bio-based resources or will decompose after use. As a result, these materials will reduce its waste and fossil fuel consumption.
ISCC PLUS adopts a mass balance approach to ensure that renewable materials are correctly calculated and used in production processes. It ensures traceability throughout the entire supply chain, from raw materials to the final product, providing a global standard for product sustainability.
CHIMEI is preparing to replace some of the fossil feedstock used in its polymer production with bio-based feedstock. They are tracking this renewable feedstock throughout their production line to comply with the ISCC PLUS mass balance approach, and building partnerships to ensure a greener value chain.
Approval from ISCC PLUS reinforces the renewable plastics value chain, which CHIMEI has been building together with Neste, Idemitsu Kosan, and Mitsubishi Corporation, allowing CHIMEI to introduce new, renewable biomass materials that can effectively replace fossil feedstock in plastic production.
The ISCC PLUS approvals apply to ABS, SAN, MS (SMMA), HBR, and SSBR products, which are produced at CHIMEI’s factory in Tainan, Taiwan. CHIMEI will officially launch ISCC PLUS bio-ABS products, under the Ecologue trademark, in the first half of 2023.
“Reaching carbon neutrality is a top priority for CHIMEI, and it should be paramount for everyone in our supply chain,” says Andrew Hsieh, CHIMEI Sustainable Material Solutions Manager. “By opting for materials that are made from renewable, biomass feedstock, a brand can significantly reduce the carbon footprint of its products, and distance itself from the oil industry. As more brands opt for sustainable material solutions, like bioplastics, their decision will reverberate upstream into manufacturing industries where it can really make a massive impact.”
CHIMEI Corporation first received the ISCC PLUS approvals during K 2022, the world-leading trade fair for plastics and rubber. News of receiving the ISCC PLUS was initially shared with guests at the Ecologue™ Talks event in K fair, which were attended by many of CHIMEI’s global supply chain partners.
Bioplastics are one of three innovation areas in CHIMEI’s Ecologue™ sustainable materials portfolio. CHIMEI’s ongoing bioplastic innovations include biodegradable materials, which have the potential to replace single-use plastics in the near future. CHIMEI aims to expand its bioplastic offerings over the coming years.
Production is an ongoing innovation area in CHIMEI’s Ecologue™ sustainable materials portfolio. This includes carbon capture and utilization at CHIMEI facilities. Of the three innovation areas at CHIMEI, recycling has proffered the most development; featuring optical-grade, chemically recycled MMA, and mechanically recycled PCR materials.
Hashtag: #CHIMEI
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
About CHIMEI
CHIMEI is a Taiwan-based performance materials company that designs and manufactures advanced polymer materials, synthetic rubbers, and specialty chemicals. Companies from around the globe seek out CHIMEI to boost their products’ performance and durability, find a breakthrough in aesthetics, raise their production efficiency, and reduce their environmental impact.
Discover how CHIMEI helps businesses aim higher, and steps up to its global responsibilities, at [www.chimeicorp.com].
SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 10 November 2022 – Chubb today announced the promotion of Ben Howell to Regional Head of Consumer, APAC for its general insurance business in the Asia Pacific region. Currently, he serves as Regional Head of Accident & Health (A&H) for Asia Pacific at Chubb.
In his new role, Mr. Howell will have overall responsibility for the financial performance of Chubb’s consumer business which comprises accident and health and personal lines insurance. He will report to Paul McNamee, Regional President of Asia Pacific for Chubb.
“Ben is a key member of the Asia Pacific regional leadership team. Under his leadership as Regional Head of A&H, he has proven to be very innovative and entrepreneurial in expanding the product range of the business, building new relationships and strengthening major affinity partnerships,” said Mr. McNamee. “He has excellent management experience in engaging people across the business through clarity of vision. As a people-focused leader, he is also known for building high performance teams while taking a strong interest in their career development with Chubb.”
Mr. Howell has more than 20 years of experience in the insurance industry including more than a decade in Asia. He commenced his career at Chubb’s predecessor company in Sydney, Australia in 2002 before embarking on his international career three years later with another insurer. Having gained valuable experience in the commercial business and working with diverse cultures, he returned to Chubb in 2016 to grow his career even further.
Hashtag: #Chubb
About Chubb
Chubb is the world’s largest publicly traded property and casualty insurance company. With operations in 54 countries and territories, Chubb provides commercial and personal property and casualty insurance, personal accident and supplemental health insurance, reinsurance and life insurance to a diverse group of clients. As an underwriting company, we assess, assume and manage risk with insight and discipline. We service and pay our claims fairly and promptly. The company is also defined by its extensive product and service offerings, broad distribution capabilities, exceptional financial strength and local operations globally. Parent company Chubb Limited is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: CB) and is a component of the S&P 500 index. Chubb maintains executive offices in Zurich, New York, London, Paris and other locations, and employs approximately 34,000 people worldwide.
The partnership will engage SMEs in Singapore, Indonesia, and Malaysia to automate business processes and improve information flow throughout the enterprise leading to increased operational and resource efficiency.
SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 10 November 2022 – Altec, a leading provider of enterprise content platform and process automation solutions and Accel Works, a professional services and IT solutions firm, have entered a strategic partnership to help small to medium enterprises (SMEs) in Southeast Asia to transform their operations by automating tasks in every department, including accounting, legal and HR. The new partnership would allow for the exclusive distribution of DocLink, a document management and business process automation solution, that aims to transform and accelerate the digitalisation journey of SMEs; helping them capture and manage their data and streamline business processes.
Beginning with Singapore, Indonesia, and Malaysia in the Southeast Asia region, DocLink will serve as a digital platform that is accessible both on-premise and in the Cloud to support today’s hybrid workforces. The solution’s tight ERP integration also allows organisations to track and access documents wherever they are; control information throughout the entire document cycle; schedule and automatically distribute documents with supporting documentation; and simplify capturing documents with AI-driven optical character recognition capabilities. DocLink helps companies connect their people and processes to their data and increase competitive advantage, deliver tangible business impacts including faster approval cycles, as well as reduce human errors.
“In Southeast Asia, 71 million MSMEs account for 97% of all businesses, each with accelerated digitalisation strategies supporting today’s hybrid workforce in the post-pandemic era. As a result, there is a ‘mobile-first workforce’ strategy in the region and business leaders are turning to contemporary digitalisation strategies to support this new business model. By partnering with Accel Works, we want to assist SMEs in Southeast Asia as they embark on or extend their digitalisation strategy by taking full advantage of our document and process automation capabilities,” said Don Howren, President and Chief Operating Officer for Altec.
Digital solutions that allow day-to-day work to be completed seamlessly and remotely have become ever more crucial. A recent study found that 85% of people said they spent time searching for documents throughout the workday, and 60% said they waste more time searching for information than answering email. With this in mind, three in five SMEs in the region plan to continue digitalising and leveraging solutions to achieve greater access, visibility and control over their data and documents while improving process for their employees, customer, and suppliers.
Regulators have also taken notice of the rapid adoption of digital solutions. In fact, the Singapore government has a range of initiatives and policies in place to help SMEs automate existing processes, such as the Productivity Solutions Grant (PSG). This makes it attractive for business leaders to pursue their digitalisation initiatives at a subsidised cost. Under Budget 2022, an additional S$600 million will be set aside over the next 4 years under the PSG for SMEs, as part of a suite of measures rolled out to support Singapore’s enterprise ecosystem.
“Increased digitalisation within the region has brought about demand for leading digital solutions that offer customers a way to respond and remain competitive in today’s digital economy. We are proud to be the regional distributor for DocLink, sharing the same vision of delivering innovative solutions to organisations in the region, especially SMEs, as Singapore moves towards digitalisation. The partnership will elevate solution offerings from Accel Works, as we continue to strive towards solutions and professional services that enhance business process operation of our customers and aid them in their digital journeys,” said Desmond Aw, CEO at Accel Works.
Earlier this year, Altec was acquired by Beyond Limits, an industrial and enterprise-grade AI software company built for the most demanding sectors. The acquisition further bolsters Beyond Limit’s strategic partnerships and integrations focused on digital transformation and AI-readiness in key sectors around the world. Tapping into Beyond Limits’ cutting-edge AI technology, strategic partnerships and integrations, Altec will continue pushing forward digital transformation and AI-readiness with DocLink in key sectors of Southeast Asia.
“Altec’s strong industry position, unique product offerings, and loyal customer base provide new product and market opportunities, as well as transformational capital for furthering Beyond Limits’ growth in the region. Its technology and approach to streamlining digital operations naturally fits into our philosophy, and Altec is allowing our Cognitive AI solutions to deepen our aim of allowing faster and more efficient decisions, and manage risk while driving profitability.” said Leonard Lee, APAC President at Beyond Limits.
Further to this partnership, Altec will work in collaboration with Oak Consulting, Singapore-based cloud solutions and consulting partner wholly owned by Beyond Limits. Altec will partner with Oak to utilise DocLink to streamline business processes across all departments for their customers.
Hashtag: #Altec
About Altec
Acquired by AI leader Beyond Limits in February, 2022, Altec delivers its powerful content and process automation platform DocLink, which helps companies save important time and money through better data management. Using DocLink, companies can digitize their documents and data in ANY department – AP, AR, HR, legal/contracts, IT and more, as well as automate workflows and streamlining vital business document processes. Taking everything digital results in a paperless and touchless environment that allows for faster approvals, less data entry, and reduced human errors. Thousands of companies globally use DocLink on-premise, in the cloud or in hybrid environments. Altec enjoys strong, collaborative partnerships with many ERP providers including Acumatica, Amtech, Epicor, Key2Act, Microsoft, Sage, and SAP B1. Learn more at www.altec-inc.com.
About Accel Works
Accel Works Worldwide Pte Ltd was set up in 2022 to focus on providing value added Professional Services and IT solution that will assist our customers to enhance their business strategy and operation through our professional services and digital solution. Accel Works was originally Application Solution Department from Wiz Technologies (S) Pte Ltd, which provides IT solution and services since 2007 across Asia.