Nanotech releases new ultra-precision CAM software package

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 30 (Bernama) -- Ultra-precision machining systems supplier Moore Nanotechnology Systems (Nanotech) has released its new NanoCAM4 (N4) software package with more accuracy and programming functionality.

“With the release of NanoCAM4, our customers are able to design and directly transfer their complex optical surfaces seamlessly to Nanotech’s machine tools,” said Nanotech’s president and chief executive officer Mark Boomgarden in a statement.

The company has partnered with lead customers, technology institutions and software providers during the development cycle, providing opportunities to make incremental changes prior to the release.

N4, available in four different base modules, is capable of generating a complete array of programmes for diamond turning, micro-milling, ruling, rastering, diffractive and Fresnel, optical grinding and form correction.

Colour-coded representations of exact acceleration and velocity values at every point on the surface and an integrated Oscillating X Dseg advanced programming capability are among the package’s list of value-added advancements.

Founded in Keene in New Hampshire in 1997, Nanotech is a stand-alone subsidiary of the Moore Tool Company. More details at http://www.nanotechsys.com.

-- BERNAMA

HOOVER FERGUSON APPOINTS KEVIN FRIAR AS PRESIDENT

Hoover Ferguson President Kevin Friar

HOUSTON, Feb 4 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- Hoover Ferguson, a global leader in tank and container solutions with more than 40 locations in 25 countries, announced today that it has appointed Kevin Friar as president.
 
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here:
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190131005010/en/
 
“We are delighted to welcome Kevin to Hoover Ferguson at such an exciting time for the company,” said Donald Young, chairman and CEO, Hoover Ferguson. “We have achieved significant growth over the past ten years, and we have ambitious goals for the future. I am confident that Kevin’s experience, skills and leadership will be instrumental in achieving our expansion and growth goals moving forward.”
 
Friar will report directly to Donald Young and will be responsible for strategy, sales and operational leadership of the global Hoover Ferguson team. He will focus on expanding services and technology solutions, increasing operational efficiencies and growing market share.
 
“I couldn’t be more pleased to join Hoover Ferguson and take up this new challenge,” said Kevin Friar, president, Hoover Ferguson. “With a robust growth strategy in place, we are well positioned for the future, and I look forward to executing our vision, delivering for our customers and reaching our goals.”
 
Friar brings a wealth of experience from a career in the energy industry spanning three decades, largely with Nalco Champion, an Ecolab company, where he served as executive vice president of oilfield chemicals. Most recently, Friar held the role of professor and senior lecturer in industrial distribution at Texas A&M University, from where he previously graduated with a Bachelor of Science in biology.
 
About Hoover Ferguson
 
Hoover Ferguson is an integrated provider of chemical tanks, cargo carrying units, catalyst bins, modular containers and other related rental products and services to the global energy, petrochemical and general industrial end markets. With a history dating back to 1911, Hoover Ferguson provides its customers with comprehensive liquid, cargo, waste and specialized container solutions as well as a range of complementary services and technology offerings including tank cleaning, refurbishment, recertification, transloading, asset tracking, liquid level monitoring, document management and logistics. For more information, visit our website at www.hooverferguson.com.

http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=33746

HOOTSUITE CLOSES OUT 2018 CELEBRATING 10 YEARS OF CUSTOMER SUCCESS

World’s leading social suite now helps 18M+ customers and 4,000+ enterprises succeed with social
 
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Feb 4 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --Hootsuite closed out its tenth year as the leader in social media management, helping organizations of every size, industry and geography achieve their business objectives with its industry-leading social suite. Now, more than 18 million customers—including individual professionals, SMBs and more than 4,000 of the largest of global enterprises—rely on Hootsuite to build their brands, businesses and customer relationships with social.

“Hootsuite has become an indispensable platform for millions of people and many companies around the world,” said Rt. Hon. Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada. “With more than 1,000 employees in twelve offices globally, it’s also yet another example of a Canadian tech start-up that has become an industry leader and a global success.”

“We’re proud of the impact our customers are having with Hootsuite within and beyond marketing to mirror the growing importance of social media across the entire customer journey, from awareness to advocacy,” said Ryan Holmes, CEO, Hootsuite. “The expansion of social’s value across the organization coupled with Hootsuite’s ongoing innovation led us to achieve 35%+ year-over-year revenue growth among new enterprise customers and today more than 90% of our revenue comes from outside Canada.”

Throughout 2018, Hootsuite focused on delivering value to customers via product innovation, new and deeper strategic partnerships and best-in-breed tech integrations, and industry-leading thought leadership. “We look forward to advancing our momentum in 2019 to ensure customers continue to succeed with social,” added Holmes.

“Prior to Hootsuite implementation, our social customer care was outsourced to agencies, who oftentimes responded only once a day and customers had to wait up to 24 hours to get a response,” said Dennis Owen, GM Branding and Social Media, Hong Kong Airlines. “With the introduction of the platform and bringing social customer care in-house, we have reduced our response time during work hours to an average of four hours—and later this year we plan to reduce that response time even further.”

http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=33743

AM BEST AFFIRMS CREDIT RATINGS OF PINNACLE LIFE LIMITED

SINGAPORE, Feb 4 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- AM Best has affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of B (Fair) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of “bb+” of Pinnacle Life Limited (Pinnacle Life) (New Zealand). The outlook of these Credit Ratings (ratings) is stable.

The ratings reflect Pinnacle Life’s balance sheet strength, which AM Best categorizes as adequate, as well as its adequate operating performance, limited business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management (ERM).

Pinnacle Life’s balance sheet strength is underpinned by its risk-adjusted capitalization, as measured by Best’s Capital Adequacy Ratio (BCAR), which is at the strongest level. Despite this, the company has a small absolute capital base, which increases its sensitivity to shock events, as well as to changes in future performance and intangible assets. AM Best also views the company as having a high reliance on third-party reinsurance and a thin regulatory solvency margin when compared with other New Zealand life insurers.

Pinnacle Life’s operating performance is viewed as adequate, with the company having generated a five-year average return on equity ratio of 7.5% (fiscal years 2014-2018). Overall earnings during this period have exhibited moderate volatility, driven mainly by discount rate movements impacting reported technical results. Prospectively, AM Best expects controlled underwriting growth and a robust pricing strategy to support the maintenance of adequate operating performance over the medium term.

AM Best views Pinnacle Life’s business profile as limited. The company is a small New Zealand life insurer, with a market share that remains below 1% based on 2018 in-force and new business premiums. All of the company’s business originates from New Zealand, with its underwriting portfolio focused on mortality life products.

AM Best views Pinnacle Life’s ERM framework as developed and its approach to managing key risks as appropriate given the size and complexity of the company.

Ratings are communicated to rated entities prior to publication. Unless stated otherwise, the ratings were not amended subsequent to that communication.

This press release relates to Credit Ratings that have been published on AM Best’s website. For all rating information relating to the release and pertinent disclosures, including details of the office responsible for issuing each of the individual ratings referenced in this release, please see AM Best’s Recent Rating Activity web page. For additional information regarding the use and limitations of Credit Rating opinions, please view Understanding Best’s Credit Ratings. For information on the proper media use of Best’s Credit Ratings and AM Best press releases, please view Guide for Media - Proper Use of Best’s Credit Ratings and AM Best Rating Action Press Releases.

AM Best is a global rating agency and information provider with a unique focus on the insurance industry. Visit www.ambest.com for more information.

Copyright © 2019 by A.M. Best Rating Services, Inc. and/or its affiliates. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

View source version on businesswire.com:
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190131005763/en/

Contact

Sin Yee Chuah
Associate Financial Analyst
+65 6303 5022
sinyee.chuah@ambest.com

Myles Gould
Associate Director, Analytics
+65 6303 5020
myles.gould@ambest.com

Christopher Sharkey
Manager, Public Relations
+1 908 439 2200, ext. 5159
christopher.sharkey@ambest.com

Jim Peavy
Director, Public Relations
+1 908 439 2200, ext. 5644
james.peavy@ambest.com

Source : AM Best

MICPA'S INAUGURAL EMPLOYER TOWN HALL

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 4 (Bernama) -- The Malaysian Institute of Certified Public Accountants (MICPA) held its inaugural Employer Town Hall event on January 30, 2019 at the Sime Darby Convention Centre, Kuala Lumpur.  Established in 1958, MICPA stands tall as the only Malaysian home-grown professional accounting body that trains and develops a pool of accounting professionals tailored for the global marketplace in partnership with employers.

Employers today realize the importance of having professionally-qualified accountants in their respective organisations and have been very supportive of the Programme that is offered jointly by MICPA and Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (CAANZ) – the MICPA-CAANZ Programme.  The MICPA-CAANZ collaboration was initiated in 2009 as a dual qualification that grants memberships into both bodies, and the subsequent use of the titles ‘Certified Public Accountant, Malaysia’ and ‘Chartered Accountant, Australia & New Zealand’.   

The Town Hall attracted close to a hundred representatives from 51 organisations ranging from the Big 4 accounting firms, small and medium-sized firms and commercial organisations.  Also present were CAANZ Regional Councillor, Asia, Dato’ Richard Abas and representatives of CAANZ’s Malaysian Committee.  The event kicked off with an address by MICPA’s CEO, Mr Novie Tajuddin, who shared his vision for the growing collaborations with employers and other stakeholders, and how important it is to maintain a healthy ecosystem to ensure a continuous pipeline of qualified professionals, not just for recruitment purposes, but for a wider national agenda – to have more qualified professionals serving the nation in various capacities.  

The employers present were lauded for the support rendered to the Institute and the MICPA-CAANZ candidates in their respective organisations and were encouraged to provide feedback to the Institute for continuous improvement and engagement.  One of the core requirements to qualify as a MICPA-CAANZ professional is to be mentored whilst obtaining 3 years of relevant practical experience with an Approved Training Organisation (ATO).  Mentors must be experienced professionals who are either MICPA, CAANZ or Global Accounting Alliance (GAA) body members.  A lively Q&A session entailed with some thought-provoking questions, insight, suggestions and feedback shared.

The event concluded with a presentation of Appreciation Awards to each organisation for their commitment and support as ATOs.  The certificates were presented in batches by MICPA Council Members, Mr Poon Yew Hoe, Datin Hajjah Fadzillah Saad and Mr Peter Lim, as well as the MICPA CEO.  The participants were feted to a delicious lunch spread to mingle and network with one another and with MICPA and CAANZ representatives over lively conversation. 

NOTE TO EDITOR:
 
About The Malaysian Institute of Certified Public Accountants (MICPA)

The Malaysian Institute of Certified Public Accountants (MICPA) was incorporated in 1958 and is the only Malaysian body which conducts a professional accountancy examination recognised under the Accountants Act 1967.   
 
MICPA has collaborated with Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (then known as Institute of Chartered Accountants Australia) since 2009 to offer the MICPA-CAANZ Programme – a joint professional programme which awards its graduates with a dual membership and the use of two titles – Certified Public Accountant, Malaysia and Chartered Accountant, Australia & New Zealand.
 
MICPA is governed by a Council of 30 elected members and has close to 3,200 members and over 800 registered candidates.  For more information, visit www.micpa.com.my

Source : The Malaysian Institute of Certified Public Accountants (MICPA)

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
Name : Eileen Grace Lee
Senior Marketing Manager
Tel : + (603) 2698 9622
Fax : + (603) 2698 9403
Email : eileen.mktg@micpa.com.my

--BERNAMA

SDB HOSTS WORKSHOP ON HOW TO COACH PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES ENTER THE WORKFORCE

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 31 (Bernama) -- Property developer Selangor Dredging Berhad (SDB), in collaboration with the Social Welfare Department (Jabatan Kebajikan Masyarakat), recently hosted a “job coaching” workshop over four-days from 22nd to 25th of January 2019 to share insights and techniques on how to coach people with disabilities enter the workforce. The workshop, held in Hotel Maya, Kuala Lumpur, was attended by some 36 participants comprising parents, educators and individuals from corporate organisations. During the workshop, representatives from McDonalds, Mydin, Intercontinental Hotel Kuala Lumpur and Job Coach Network Malaysia came forward to share their experiences, skills and knowledge after hiring person with disabilities within their respective organisations. There were also various role play sessions, group discussions and sharing of real-life situations about the process of interviewing a person with disability and what the various phases entail. More than just an SDB Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme, SDB group managing director Ms Teh Lip Kim also opened up about her own personal experience with her 14-year-old son, Ming, who is a special needs child. “Since Ming came into my life, he has shaped me into a better, nicer person and has changed me from what I am to who I am. He has shown me what the world needs – more love, generosity and sincerity that comes from the heart,” shared Ms Teh. “It is because of Ming, and the plight of the communities that need us, that has touched me. I wanted to embark on this journey of job coaching as a platform to help parents, teachers and corporate organisations to know that there is hope for people with disabilities. “It humbles me to know that the world has changed indeed from 10 years ago, when people with disabilities were looked down upon. However, they are now highly sought after and some even agree that they indeed perform better than those without disabilities,” she further said. Meanwhile, Mrs Lim Geok Cheng, a parent who had attended the workshop, was very grateful to learn more about job coaching. “My son is special needs and he is 17 years old, and I am very worried about him. However, I feel a lot more comfortable and secure after I heard about job coaching,” she said. “I am so touched that so many companies are embarking on this journey as it brings hope for me, my son and the community with disabilities.” Grace Gan, a senior trainer with Job Coach Network Malaysia, shared that that hiring a person with disabilities can be a challenging, yet an exciting journey which requires a lot of patience. http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=33734

VistaJet records increase in new members and flights

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 30 (Bernama) -- Global business aviation company VistaJet recorded an increase of new members globally and number of flights up prominently in 2018 as it enters its 15th year in the industry.

VistaJet made significant progress in 2018 where new contracts of its flagship Program membership grew by 31 per cent and the number of flights increased by 25 per cent.

Its aircraft utilisation also grew by 20 per cent across its fleet of over 70 aircraft – equating to enough hours to fly each aircraft around the world 20 times on average – due to increase in demand for longer flights and comfort, a statement said.

Europe proved a significant market for corporates and individuals flying privately, accounting for 48 per cent of total VistaJet flights in 2018, while New Program Members grew significantly by 105 per cent in the region, with the majority of growth coming from clients based in the UK.

North America remained a key growth driver for VistaJet and accounted for the largest increase in flights in 2018, with a rise of 46 per cent.

VistaJet continued to lead the market in terms of innovation and service with the introduction of new experiences for its members, partnerships with art and sports partners, as well as launches of extensive traveller’s programmes for children in private aviation.

More details at https://www.vistajet.com.

-- BERNAMA