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Infor Nets 7-Year SaaS Deal with New Zealand Seafood Giant Sealord

Infor CloudSuite Food & Beverage to play crucial role in steering Kiwi success story toward gains in sustainability, cost efficiency and supply chain traceability

NELSON, NEW ZEALAND – Media OutReach – 21 June 2022 – Infor®, the industry cloud company, today announced that Sealord, one of the largest seafood companies in the Southern Hemisphere, has selected Infor CloudSuite Food & Beverage (F&B) and Infor Supply Chain Planning (SCP) in an initial seven-year, multi-tenant SaaS agreement to enhance productivity, improve forecasting and better measure sustainability.

Matthew Dodd, CIO, Sealord

Matthew Dodd, CIO, Sealord

Sealord chose leading cloud ERP provider Infor as a strategic partner to implement an operational cloud-based platform that provides day-one functionality gains as well as continuing to adapt and improve into the future. As an asset-intensive business, Sealord is also looking to incorporate a stronger and modernised asset management solution to cater to its end-to-end requirements. These include purchase and commissioning, maintenance and asset management, and tracking from both land- and sea-based users.

Learn more about Infor CloudSuite F&B: https://www.infor.com/products/cloudsuite-food-and-beverage

Along with reducing risk and improving efficiencies across the business, Sealord’s focus on promoting positive sustainability practices resulted in the selection of Infor CloudSuite, built specifically for its F&B industry, to establish specific carbon and other sustainability measures, such as sea temperature and plastics usage monitoring, to enable and improve reporting, management, and progress on sustainability goals.

Sealord CIO Matthew Dodd said Infor was selected as it was an ideal fit as a strategic partner.

“Infor has incorporated deep industry-specific features that are purpose-built within Infor CloudSuite F&B which align with Sealord’s business processes and operations. This results in a close fit solution out of the box. Ultimately, we were looking for a strategic long-term partner to work with, so not only do we value the decades of Infor development that have resulted in strong food-manufacturing capability, we also appreciate that Infor and Sealord share similar visions for people and culture,” Dodd said.

“We needed to address growing business and security risks associated with our legacy systems. Infor will enable us to redesign our core financial systems around current and anticipated business requirements,” Dodd added. “With Infor, we will be able to more easily automate workflows, month-end processes, and provide standardised reports to increase productivity across the business.”

With Infor, Sealord will also be able to add lead indicators, statistical data, and other nonfinancial information in business focus areas such as sustainability, market share, employee numbers, customer sentiment, market trends, and health and safety data.

The new solution will also provide comprehensive multi-currency financial consolidation in the cloud ERP suite, so that all Sealord Group companies are reported and managed in one system, allowing Sealord to retire costly, standalone consolidation software.

“Standardising on one procurement system will create process efficiencies and reduce costs. It will also improve speed and accuracy, as well as the visibility of planning and forecasting. With Infor’s ERP solution, Sealord will save valuable time through the use of modern workflow, automation and AI tools,” Dodd said.

Sealord currently has fishing, aquaculture and land-based factory processing operations in New Zealand and Australia along with sales operations globally. Infor solutions will be adopted across the whole business.

Infor ANZ vice-president and managing director Jarrod Kinchington said the win followed a highly-competitive tender.

“Infor is delighted to be Sealord’s strategic partner, helping to streamline their business and realise new efficiencies with the innovative and industry-specific functionalities afforded by Infor CloudSuite. We’ve built a very good relationship with the business despite pandemic disruptions. We look forward to helping Sealord meet its strategic goals, so they can focus on their core business while our platform provides the data and seamless tracking they require,” Kinchington said.

For more information:
Phyllis Tan
Infor Asia Pacific
phyllis.tan@infor.com
+65 9799 9133

About Sealord

With fishing operations in New Zealand, Australia and Mauritius, Sealord is one of the largest seafood companies in the Southern Hemisphere. Encompassing both sustainable deep-sea fishing and finfish aquaculture operations, Sealord employs more than 1,000 people in New Zealand and 240 people overseas. Specialising in fishing, processing, distribution and marketing, Sealord exports 90% of catch in various frozen formats to over 40 countries. Sealord’s people are passionate about fishing, innovation, delicious seafood and the wellbeing of each other and the environment through Sealord’s value-based culture. One of the largest quota holders in New Zealand harvesting sustainable seafood, Sealord also owns Petuna Aquaculture (farmed salmon and ocean trout) and Sealord King Reef (farmed barramundi) in Australia. Established in Nelson, New Zealand, more than 60 years ago, today Sealord is equally owned by Māori through Moana New Zealand, and global seafood company Nippon Suisan Kaisha Ltd. (Nissui). To learn more, please visit .

About Infor
Infor is a global leader in business cloud software specialised by industry. Providing mission-critical enterprise applications to 60,000 customers in more than 175 countries, Infor software is designed to deliver more value and less risk, with more sustainable operational advantages. We empower our 17,500 employees to leverage their deep industry expertise and use data-driven insights to create, learn and adapt quickly to solve emerging business and industry challenges. Infor is committed to providing our customers with modern tools to transform their business and accelerate their own path to innovation. To learn more, please visit .

Copyright ©2022 Infor. All rights reserved. The word and design marks set forth herein are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Infor and/or related affiliates and subsidiaries. All other trademarks listed herein are the property of their respective owners.

#Sealord #Infor

Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare Raises Minimum Wage

A worker in garment factory in Laos(Photo: KPL).

The Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare will raise the minimum wage for low-skilled workers amid the rising cost of living in Laos.

Laos Sells, Dissolves, and Reforms State Enterprises

Lao Logistics State Enterprise

Laos has begun selling shares in its state enterprises to local investors as part of reforms expected to unburden the state amid economic woes.

DHL Express Singapore Spearheads Sustainable Logistics with 80 Additional Electric Vehicles

This makes DHL Express Singapore the first logistics provider in Singapore to transition to a commercial EV fleet of this scale through its partnership with ComfortDelGro

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 21 June 2022 – DHL Express, the world’s leading international express service provider, today announced the addition of 80 electric vehicles (EVs) to its Singapore fleet, in partnership with ComfortDelGro, one of the world’s largest land transport companies. Together with the 10 EVs that are currently in its fleet, DHL Express Singapore will have a total of 90 EVs on Singapore roads by October 2022. This eight-fold increase in the number of operational EVs will make DHL Express Singapore the first logistics provider in the country to transition to a commercial EV fleet of this scale.

At a launch ceremony today graced by Mr. S. Iswaran, Minister for Transport, DHL Express Singapore also announced that it will be investing close to SGD 8 million into electrifying its fleet over the next five years. Part of this investment amount goes towards a five-year EV leasing and maintenance agreement with ComfortDelGro’s car leasing subsidiary, ComfortDelGro Rent-A-Car Pte Ltd for 80 electric vans. Another part of the investment will support the installation of 105 charging points across its service centers, and 25 more EVs of other vehicle types that will support other areas of operations, such as shipment distribution across its facilities. The 25 other EVs will be added in the next 12 months.

Ken Lee, CEO, DHL Express Asia Pacific, said, “We are on a journey towards achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 with a focus on clean operations. As a leader in express logistics, we have a responsibility to guide and influence the industry to reduce carbon footprint across logistics operations. Globally, we have made significant progress in sustainable aviation with our partnership with Neste and bp on sustainable aviation fuel. Today’s electric vehicle fleet expansion marks another huge step forward as we green our land transport.”

The new EVs will replace internal combustion engine (ICE) vans as part of DHL Express Singapore’s fleet renewal exercise to drive sustainable logistics and support its sustainability roadmap. The rollout also further demonstrates DHL Express’ ongoing commitment to build cleaner and greener logistics operations in Asia Pacific. Aside from staying true to DHL’s sustainability commitment, the change to EVs is also aligned with Singapore’s 2030 Green Plan, which aims to put more EVs on Singapore’s roads.

Christopher Ong, Managing Director, DHL Express Singapore, said, “We are excited to be taking a bold step towards our sustainability goals and to be charging up for a greener future. By transitioning to electric vehicles, DHL Express Singapore is set to eliminate a total of 323 tons of CO2 emissions yearly, and this is just the beginning for us. We look forward to staying true to our Mission 2050 goal and continuing to connect people and improve lives in a greener future.”

Mary Ong, CEO, ComfortDelGro Rent-A-Car, said, “ComfortDelGro Rent-A-Car and DHL Express Singapore has had more than 20 years of partnership. We are therefore excited to be a part of its sustainability journey of integrating EVs into its fleet. We hope that with the leasing of that many Citroën ë-Dispatch vehicles to DHL, our partnership will grow from strength to strength.”

Cycle & Carriage is the authorized distributor of the chosen van model, Citroën ë-Dispatch; Siemens VersiCharge AC charger will be installed across DHL Express service centers by EV charger service provider EVOne for the EV fleet.

These EVs can travel a distance of up to 339km and have cargo space of up to 5.3m³ with a payload of 1000kg. They can be charged from 0% to 80% in 48 minutes and are equipped with driver assistance features such as hill-start assist, an anti-lock braking system, and an electronic stability program. These driver features will also enhance the safety and driving experience for the couriers on the road.

Smart charging points at DHL Express service centers will provide daily charge required by the EVs. These charging points have special capabilities such as an anti-EV hogging monitoring system, and an EV model or license plate recognition system which allows operations staff to make effective use of available charging points.

DHL – The logistics company for the world

DHL is the leading global brand in the logistics industry. Our DHL divisions offer an unrivalled portfolio of logistics services ranging from national and international parcel delivery, e-commerce shipping and fulfillment solutions, international express, road, air and ocean transport to industrial supply chain management. With about 380,000 employees in more than 220 countries and territories worldwide, DHL connects people and businesses securely and reliably, enabling global sustainable trade flows. With specialized solutions for growth markets and industries including technology, life sciences and healthcare, engineering, manufacturing & energy, auto-mobility and retail, DHL is decisively positioned as “The logistics company for the world”.

DHL is part of Deutsche Post DHL Group. The Group generated revenues of more than 81 billion euros in 2021. With sustainable business practices and a commitment to society and the environment, the Group makes a positive contribution to the world. Deutsche Post DHL Group aims to achieve zero-emissions logistics by 2050.

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#DHL

Lao Government Collects Revenues from Cryptocurrency

Cryptocurrency.

The government has collected revenue from cryptocurrency companies through a trial of cryptocurrency mining, a new process for Laos.

7-Eleven x Tiger Beer unveils Singapore’s first beachfront store in Sentosa

Exciting new beachfront store on the sands of popular Palawan beach is now open – bringing beachside convenience to even more locals and tourists alike!

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 21 June 2022 – Singapore’s favourite convenience store, 7-Eleven, and the country’s favourite, Tiger Beer, have joined forces to unveil the very first beachfront convenience store right on the sands of Palawan Beach Walk, Sentosa! On 25th and 26th June, the first-of-its-kind store will kick off opening celebrations with a variety of promotions and special treats for families enjoying the last weekend of the school holidays and for young adults and tourists who have made hanging out on the beaches of Sentosa their highlight of the week.

7-Eleven Store Front View

7-Eleven Store Front View

Perched right on the sands of the popular Palawan beach, this instagrammable 7-Eleven store can be spotted from afar with its vibrant murals and unique graffiti artwork on its facade. This exciting store offers ice-cold Tiger beer on reverse tap, exclusive Nitro Tea and icy Arctic Coke to help beat the heat, of course, along with 7-Eleven’s all-time favourites – Slurpee, Mr. Softee and 7CAFÉ. Guests can enjoy their refreshing drinks, hot snacks and even ready-to-eat meals at the special 7-Eleven x Tiger Beer chillout area on the sands or at their favourite beach spot.

Ice-cold Tiger Beer Quick and Easy

To help people get their drinks fast, 7-Eleven and Tiger Beer will be bringing a special reverse tap bar, which will automatically dispense the right pour of beer in each cup consistently – without needing a bartender. The reverse tap dispenser is fast, convenient and easy, giving you more time to spend soaking up the sun.

Stay cool in the heat with outlet-exclusive Nitro Tea and brain-freezing Coke slushies

7-Eleven’s Sentosa Palawan Beach store will also be introducing the new and exclusive Nitro Tea. Choose between a refreshing black tea or a variety of caffeine-free fruit teas to give your taste buds a high-five. Either way, you will experience a rich, dairy-free creamy foam, refreshing and longer-lasting flavour, and sweetness without the added calories – thanks to the nitrogen infusion that gives beverages a sweet taste without added sweeteners.

7-Eleven will also be bringing the unique Arctic Coke machine to Palawan Beach! Simply choose your bottle of Coca-Cola, put it into the machine and press a button – in no time, you will have an icy cold Coke slushie to give you a brain freeze that will refresh your mind for the week ahead.

Carefree snacking with grab-and-go hot bites and Ready-to-Eat meals by the beach

Beachgoers who feel peckish after sun and surf will also be able to get delicious warm pastries and finger food from the hot food counter. Savoury hot food items include fried chicken selections from super crispy chicken to savoury chicken drumsticks and wings, while those who long for buttery pastries can expect offerings such as Butter Croissant, Cocoa Hazelnut Croissant, Pain Au Raisin, Tomato Cheese Tart, Mini doughnuts, Pure Butter Madeleine and Citrus Madeleine. Ready-to-Eat meals will also be available for those who need more filling up, an affordable alternative to the pricier options in the area.

Mark your calendars and celebrate the opening with us on 25 and 26 June!

Savour the last weekend of the June school holidays with an unforgettable carnival-inspired blast on the beach with family and friends at the 7-Eleven’s Sentosa Palawan Beach store on 25 and 26 June 2022 from 10am onwards.

Customers can enjoy free popcorn, 7-Eleven balloons, face painting activities, Häagen-Dazs or Walls ice cream (first 200 customers, with any purchase), Mr. Softee (100 cups a day), chances to walk away with exciting Spin and Win rewards (with a minimum spend of $7, list of prizes in table below*), and last but not least, live music performed by local singer-busker Jeff Ng, who recently made headlines for his popular weekly busking at The Cathay!

Customers can also look forward to the following deals:

Promotion Promotional period Details
Spin and Win prizes* (with a minimum spend of $7) 25 and 26 June 2022 ● Sentosa premium merchandise such as luggage tags and tote bags

● $5 Dairy Farm vouchers

● $10 Dairy Farm vouchers

● Jinro Hite Tonic Water 250ml FOC

● Vaseline HB SPF 24 Sun + Pol E 100ml

● Asian Delight Sea Coconut

● Lays Max BBQ potato chips 73g

● Authentic Tea House Ceylon Tea 500ml

● Seaweed Wasabi Cashew Mix Macadamia 35g

Slurpee and Nitro Tea 25 June – 3 July 2022 ● Slurpee Large 16oz at promo price $1.50 (normal RSP $1.80) 25 and 26 June

● Nitro Tea BOGO – applicable for both flavours

Tiger Beer 25 June – 22 July 2022 ● Buy 5 reverse tap cups of beer at a go and get 1 free Tiger Crystal 49cl can

● While stocks last

Tiger Beer gift with purchase 23 July – 19 August 2022 ● Buy 3 reverse tap cups of beer and get 1 free Elegante glass*

● Buy 6 reverse tap cups of beer and get 1 free Elegante glass and 1 slipper-shaped floatie* [1m (W) x 1.5m (H)]

*Limited quantity of 200 each

More promotions and updates can also be found on the official 7-Eleven Singapore Facebook and 7-Eleven Singapore Instagram pages.

“7-Eleven is reimagining convenience at the beach with our first beachfront store at Sentosa, in collaboration with Singapore’s iconic brand Tiger Beer. From the Arctic Coke machine to the exclusive Nitro Tea, and Reverse Tap beer and the Tiger Beer chill out zone, our new store offers a lot of exciting things for beach loving families, young adults and tourists, and we look forward to welcoming them! We hope that customers will be able to enjoy our new concept store with its unique design and special murals,” said Mr. Steven Lye, Managing Director of 7-Eleven Singapore.

“This is a great collaboration with 7-Eleven where we pushed the boundaries and found innovative ways to uncage the ultimate refreshment for our consumers. Tiger has a special bond with beer-lovers, and we believe that the beachfront store at Sentosa Palawan Beach would energise the experience by bringing consumers the smoothest beer and greatest vibes,” said Yogender Sharma, Marketing Manager of Asia Pacific Breweries Singapore.

“We are delighted to be home to Singapore’s first-ever 7-Eleven store by the beach. This new store concept is an example of the novel and imaginative experience that we are curating for our guests on our beach. Apart from providing the convenience of getting beach essentials, the store is also a unique beachfront bistro where guests can pick up a quick and affordable meal. We welcome this partnership with 7-Eleven in enhancing our guests’ experience as they enjoy their day on Sentosa, ” said Mr Chew Tiong Heng, Divisional Director (Business and Experience Development), Sentosa Development Corporation.

High-res images of the 7-Eleven Sentosa Palawan Beach store are available here.

About 7-Eleven

Established in Singapore in 1983, 7-Eleven has since expanded to more than 400 stores island-wide to become the leading 24-hour convenience chain store. We take pride in serving the Singapore community 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. 7-Eleven emphasises convenience and value by offering a wide array of quality products, food and services to satisfy the needs of its customers. Think 7-Eleven and what comes to mind are the refreshing Slurpee, 7CAFÉ as well as a wide range of quality ready meals and sandwiches under 7-SELECT. 7-Eleven is also a 24/7 one-stop destination for customers who need to access bill payment services in their own time. Our services cover payment of utilities, courier services, and even cash withdrawal. For more information, visit

About Tiger Beer
Tiger Beer was born in 1932 on the streets of Singapore. Today, Tiger Beer is the number one Asia premium beer and one of the fastest growing brands that is currently available in more than 50 markets across the globe. Tiger Beer believes great ideas and talent are not born in the boardroom but born on the streets of the world. Therefore, Tiger Beer is committed to championing local talents who approach their craft in unconventional ways. Tiger Beer continues to support these talents by uncaging unexpected possibilities for them. For more information, please visit www.tigerbeer.com/sg

#7Eleven #TigerBeer

Babel Finance Raises $80 Million in a Series B funding round, Valuation Hits $2 Billion

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 21 June 2022 – Babel Finance, a crypto financial service provider that provides digital asset loans, recently raised $80 million in a Series B funding round. The investment increased the company’s worth to $2 billion. Leading venture capital companies such as Circle Ventures, 10T Holdings, Jenerations Capital, BAI Capital and Bertelsmann, and Dragonfly Capital led the fundraising.

Babel Finance’s $80 million funding round is not its first. Last year, it secured $40 million from Tiger Global Management, Sequoia Capital China, Zoo Capital, and other big institutional investors.

Del Wang, the company’s CEO, commented on the move, saying that the crypto sector is “full of opportunities and hidden hazards.” The funding round also supports the long-term path for crypto, and that it has the potential to replace gold and its position in the present financial system, he believes.

For decades, gold investors have extolled the precious yellow metal as the ideal “store of value,” shielding their investments from the destructive effects of inflation. Then along comes Bitcoin. Some cryptocurrency supporters have recently claimed that crypto can keep up with growing prices better than gold. They say it will be even more independent of the dollar and other mainstream financial assets because it exists wholly outside the current financial system.

Traditionally, investors concerned about inflation and the loss of fiat currencies’ purchasing value have turned to gold. Because of its scarcity and durability, the argument is that gold is a greater store of value than paper money, which has an infinite supply and is backed by the government.

However, has gold been stable and a good store of value? In 2021, gold’s limitations as an inflation hedge were even more evident. Gold was down as consumer prices rose at their fastest rate since 2008. On the other hand, Bitcoin and many other crypto assets enjoyed growth in value, despite recent volatility.

Del Wang believes that Bitcoin and crypto assets will increasingly become mainstream for the financial assets industry and investors in general, citing that several financial institutions have already shifted from traditional commercial banking to the realm of crypto. As a result, Bitcoin, crypto assets, and gold should have a growing correlation.

Del Wang suggests that as crypto assets and Bitcoin become more widespread investments, investors would begin to regard both assets identically. In gold’s defense, some argue that volatility is crypto’s weakness. Gold and other precious metals are more conventional stores of value. In theory, they aren’t nearly as volatile as crypto and therefore are not likely to trade near zero in terms of value.

Del Wang and his Babel Finance crypto team looked into one indicator of an asset’s efficacy as a “store of value”: the Sortino ratio. It is a metric that modifies returns to account for volatility. According to a five-year chart on the casebitcoin.com website, Bitcoin has consistently outperformed gold’s Sortino ratio despite its reputation for increased volatility. So gold is very volatile, and Bitcoin’s rapid gains have made the increased risk worthwhile.

Evidence points out that there is potential that crypto assets and Bitcoin could replace gold and its position in the present financial system. Even during extremely volatile times, Bitcoin shines as a store of value over a medium to long-term horizon. Even more so than gold.

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

Body of Foreign National Found in Bokeo Province

A Chinese national was found dead floating in the river in Pak Tha district, Bokeo province.