Daily Archives: April 11, 2012

Business

FRA ‘disappointed’ in US Illegal Timber Imports

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FRA has said it is ‘disappointed’ to hear that the US is still regularly importing illegally logged timber from the Amazon rain forest.

Seattle, United States, April 11, 2012 — Forestry Research Associates (FRA) has said it is ‘disappointed’ to hear that the US is still regularly importing illegally logged timber from the Amazon rain forest.

A recent long-term research study by the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) has found that millions of dollars worth of timber has been imported into the US by over 20 US-based businesses since 2008.

The report stated, “Exporters in Peru and importers in the United States and around the world are currently integral parts of a systematic flow of illegal timber from the Peruvian Amazon.”

Peter Collins, an analysis partner at research and analysis consultancy FRA, said, “We are disappointed to learn that illegal logging is still seen as OK among so many US businesses, who are willing to support the trade in timber that has been sourced from vulnerable forests.”

Although the report claims that “sheer negligence” is somewhat to blame, US firms should see sustainable sourcing of timber as an obligation, claimed FRA. Mr Collins added, “It’s not difficult these days to source sustainably produced timber and it doesn’t have to cost the earth.”

FRA supports projects like the FSC scheme, which clearly labels sustainable timber to help consumers make the right choices when buying timber products.

The EIA investigation was carried out over several years and found that US firms illegally laundered and imported 112 shipments of protected mahogany and cedar from the Peruvian Amazon between 2008 and 2010 alone.

The report does not hold back, stating, “Sometimes intentionally, sometimes through sheer negligence, each of the actors and agencies involved in this system are working as gears in a well-oiled machine that is ransacking Peru’s forests and undermining the livelihoods and rights of the people that depend on them.”

FRA supports sustainably managed forestry schemes in Latin America, such as the plantations runs by Greenwood Management in Brazil. US investors are able to invest in these projects, helping them to thrive and reaping the financial benefits of growing timber prices, explained FRA.

About Forestry Research Associates

Forestry Research Associates is a research and advisory consultancy that focuses on forestry management, sustainability issues and forestry investment around the globe.

Media Contact:
Peter Collins
Forestry Research Associates
620 Vineyard Lane
Bainbridge Island, WA 98110
(206) 316 8394
info@forestry-research.com
http://www.forestry-research.com

Travel

With Rail Europe, Spain’s RENFE network reaches far and wide

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Over the last ten years, the Spanish railway network (RENFE), which serves all the major cities in Spain, has undergone a major refurbishment programme, cutting journey times by up to 50 per cent.

 

The high-speed Tren de Alta Velocidad (AVE), which is also known as “Big Bird” by the Spaniards, operates from Madrid to Seville, Toledo, Zaragoza, Huesca and Lleida and is currently being extended countrywide.

 

When the high-speed network is complete, all of Spain’s provincial capitals will be within four hours of Madrid, and under six and a half hours from Barcelona.

 

The aim is for the AVE to become part of a Europe-wide, high-speed rail network connecting to the French and Portuguese rail networks.

 

The AVE trains offer rail passengers three classes to choose from: First class (Club), Business class (Preferente) and Tourist class (Turista), as well as sleeping accommodation for those embarking on international travel.

 

The high-speed trains are air conditioned and seats recline to a comfortable angle, while films are shown on television screens.

There is also a restaurant car serving hot and cold snacks and refreshments, and a trolley service too.

 

The Spanish railway system’s hub is Madrid, which has two main stations: Chamartin and Puerta de Atocha, which has recently been renovated.

Trains from Madrid’s Chamartin serve A Coruña, Albacete, Alicante, Barcelona, Bilbao, Cartagena, Irún, León, Lugo, Ourense, Oviedo, Salamanca, Santander, Soria, Vallodolid, Zamora and Zaragossa, as well as destinations in France and the local area.

 

Trains departing from the upgraded Puerta de Atocha will whisk passengers to Castilla-La Mancha, Andalusia and Extremadura, including Almeria, Badajoz, Cadiz, Ciudad Real, Cordoba, Cuenca, Granada, Malaga, Mérida, Salamanca, Seville, Toledo and Valencia, as well as destinations in Portugal and the local area.

 

From Madrid there are three lines which take passengers all over the country and beyond. Two lines extend to the French border and another line takes passengers to Andalusia and the Levante.

 

One of the most beautiful train journeys in southern Spain is on the RENFE line from Ronda to Jimena de la Frontera.

 

For those interested in International travel from Spain, RENFE also operates the Trenhotel, which is a long distance international service to France, Italy and Switzerland.

The Trenhotel offers sleeping compartments and couchettes and runs between Madrid and Paris, as well as between Barcelona and Milan, Barcelona and Paris and Barcelona and Zurich.

 

For any travellers to Spain, the RENFE network opens up huge possibilities to explore and discover the diverse and beautiful Spanish countryside, cities and towns.

 

From Milan to Barcelona, Barcelona to Seville, Seville to Valencia and to other European countries, Spain, and beyond, is possible with RENFE’s extensive rail network and Rail Europe.

 

Contact:

Charles Daumas

56 rue de londres

75008 Paris

Tél: 0158221515

Fax: 0158221520

accueil@raileurope.fr

http://www.raileurope-world.com/plan-your-trip/products/renfe/article/overview

Travel

Asiavillasbooking.com: A leading name in Bali villa rentals

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Suratthani, Thailand (April, 2012) – Asiavillasbooking.com has won high esteem and honor by offering the best Bali villa rentals. This website has a selection of superb villas to offer in Bali which will make your next dream holiday in Bali truly unforgettable. They deem that the villas one sees on Asiavillasbooking.com must be exactly what one can expect on arrival at one’s villa for one’s vacation in Bali. Each villa has been particularly selected by them to ensure a high level of quality plus service. This website can surely help you to enjoy a very pleasurable and memorable dream holiday in Bali.

Asiavillasbooking.com definitely has a great deal of know-how when it comes to Bali villa rentals. Searching for a villa in Bali at this website is very easy. All you have to do is type in the property kind you are looking for, your price range, location and number of bedrooms you need. Once you will press the search button the website will provide you with the best offers available and you can choose one which is perfect for you. Thanks to Asiavillasbooking.com many people across the globe have found the right villa for their vacation in Bali. This website has undoubtedly made the entire task of booking a nice villa for a vacation in Bali really easy. You can also get edifying information about Bali on this website. According to this website Bali, often called as island of the Gods, is a small Indonesian island 8 degrees south of the equator and it lies between Java and Lombok. Bali has a population of almost 4 million people. It is a popular destination, famous for its several beaches, surfs, handicraft plus culture. Tourism plays a vital role in its economy as well as agriculture plus trade. There are several international carriers which fly direct to Bali on a daily basis and it is even well serviced with domestic flights to other parts of Indonesia. Located just south of the equator, it experiences tropical weather with average temperatures ranging from 25 to 34 degrees celsius.

Apart from Bali villa rentals Asiavillasbooking.com can also help you if you are looking for Koh Samui villa rentals. This website is truly a bonus for all those people who want to enjoy a very pleasurable and memorable dream holiday in Bali or Koh Samui. Asiavillasbooking.com also deals in sale of villas.

About Asiavillasbooking.com:

This website brought in by Asia Villas Booking truly is the best when it comes to Bali villa rentals. If you want to find the right villa for your vacation in Bali then visit this website right away. I am sure they will help you. If you would like to know more about this website then please contact them at:

Address: 38/1 Moo.1, Bophut, Koh Samui, Suratthani, 83420, Thailand
Telephone: +66 (0) 77 430 466
E-mail: booking@asiavillasbooking.com

Business

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Business, Industrial, Technology, Transportation & Logistics

Mettler-Toledo eyes bigger pie in Indian automation market Targeting Transport & Logistics Industry

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Mumbai, 11th April, 2012: Mettler-Toledo India, a wholly subsidiary of Mettler-Toledo Inc (NYSE: MTD), announced that it would accelerate its expansion in India with its latest technologies and series of new product launches in India to target bigger slice of Indian automation market catering to the transport and logistics industry.  METTLER TOLEDO has over 25 years of experience in providing solutions to the Transport and Logistics Industry and acts as a consultant for optimizing terminal productivity. It has the expertise to know exactly which solution will have the greatest impact on any operation.  It is focused on delivering high quality solutions that ensure customers meet their goals of operational efficiency, revenue recovery and space optimization.

 

Mettler-Toledo India offers complete automation in Indian transport and logistics industry with the following procedural automation steps alligned with its complete in-motion data capture sulution – TLX MultiCapture™, designed to target the Indian transport and logistics industry –

1. Implement an Efficient Identification Method

The first step is deciding how to identify the items you handle. Your decision will depend on how much information you want a label to carry. Matrix labels contain more data than barcodes but require camera scanning, which is often a larger investment. RFID may be the future of identification but is only an option in an extremely organized flow. Decide at what stage labelling should be done. The leaner you want your process to be the earlier labelling should be done.

 

2. Decide on Operational Flow

To optimize operational flow, consider throughput and the items to be conveyed. The distance that an object must travel will determine what type of solution you need. If long conveyor lines are needed, automatic data capture is most appropriate, if you operate in a small warehouse environment, with goods moving over less distance, static measuring may be the best option. Independent of flow, strive to capture data within the same area, in as few operations as possible.

3. Decide on Necessary Data

The more data captured, the better control you have. However, not everything needs to be done in one step. First, identify the specific challenges in your operation and the data that is essential for efficient operation. If insufficient time for measurement is a key issue, then automatic dimensioning and identification will be a fundamental step in your process. If miss-sorts and conveyor jams affect you, you should consider a solution that offers parcel positioning.

4. Establish a Procedure for Handling Rejects

On a fully automated line, there will be a certain number of no-reads and there are different ways of dealing with them. Your system can be configured to stop for human intervention if a label is un-readable. A reject line can be set up to allow all un-readable items to be diverted. If speed is your priority, you may decide to let the no-reads pass through, but do all you can to make sure you have equipment employed that offers the highest possible read rate.

5. Final Layout and Infrastructure

Based on your chosen data capture method, supporting IT infrastructure should be selected. It is recommended that customer data be stored in a certified database. Dynamic systems are often slowed down by the slow response of a computer host system; make sure that you spend enough time and effort on building up an adequate IT resource.

 

Mettler-Toledo India also confirmed its active participation in India Warehousing Show 2012  from 26th – 28th April, 2012 to showcase its latest technologies and products designed for transport and logistics industry in India. As a key sponsor of the event, Mettler-Toledo will be at the Booth No – A39 exhibiting the TLX MulticaptureTM dimensioning, weighing and scanning solution with conveyors and labelling system from FB Automazione.

 

“The transport and logistics industry in India is growing fast. Such growth requires reliable partners in automation. We can offer complete, turn-key solutions for automating the measuring process, improving overall handling and securing the revenue of our customers.” said Olav Stadaas, Managing Director of Mettler-Toledo Cargoscan. “Automation can be done step-by-step. Our goal is to find the level that is right for each customer’s operational requirement and budget. At our booth, we will demonstrate how to take those first steps towards automation, be it by improving the labeling of packages, the transportation of items through the terminal or by automating the measuring process.”

 

Address of Mettler-Toledo India in the India Warehousing Show 2012:

 

India Expo Centre, Hall 1,

Booth No: A39,

Expo Drive, A 11, Sec – 62

Noida, 201301 N.H. 24

N.C.R. Delhi India

 

Mettler-Toledo has also come up with a very attractive offer which can give you an opportunity to win an iPAD. If you register to visit the booth of Mettler-Toledo in the India Warehousing Show 2012, you will be entered into the prize draw to win a new iPad 2. For registration, please visit :

http://in.mt.com/in/en/home/events/fairs/IndiaWarehousingShow2012.html

 

About Mettler-Toledo :

Mettler-Toledo is the leading global supplier of weighing instruments and has the broadest range of dimensioning, weighing and identification solutions for the transport and logistics industry.  Our customer portfolio boasts some of the biggest names in the Express, Air Cargo, Freight Forwarding and Warehousing businesses. Having worked with transport and logistics companies worldwide for over 25 years, we have the expertise to know exactly which solution will have the greatest impact on our customers’ operations.  We are focused on delivering high quality solutions that ensure our customers meet their goals of operational efficiency, revenue recovery and space optimization.

About the TLX MultiCapture™ :

The TLX MultiCapture™ is a complete, in-motion data capture solution, designed to be integrated into parcel handling conveyor systems. The beauty of the TLX is that it can do almost anything. Handling everything from small flats to large, irregular shaped parcels, the TLX provides a complete data profile with dimensions, weight and identification on almost any object.  Easily integrated into a sorting environment, the TLX is the heart of your operation. Verify dimensions and weight for invoicing, build a full data profile for correct sorting and tracking and optimize inventory control.  With all components fully approved according to industry standards, the TLX offers full data integrity with proven laser range finder technology.

 

For more details, contact:

Sanjiv Arora
sanjiv@deeshapr.com
+91-22-32713357
Deesha Communications
http://www.deeshapr.com

Automotive, Consumer Services, Internet & Online, Transportation & Logistics, Travel

Carrentals.co.uk ‘Book & Donate’ Day Raises in Excess of £5K for StreetSmart

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The latest ‘Book & Donate’ day – where car hire comparison website Carrentals.co.uk donates money to leading UK homeless charity StreetSmart – has helped to raise over £5000 for the leading charity. Carrentals.co.uk customers have contributed to raising a grand total of £5,662 to help Streetsmart fund education, training, health and housing projects for over 90 homeless charities in 19 UK cities.

In addition to the fundraising ‘Book & Donate’ day Carrentals.co.uk hosted a pre-Christmas fundraising drive named the ‘12 days of Christmas’. This campaign raised £700 prize money for Streetsmart, which when added to the ‘Book & Donate’ total of £2,131 – and matched by the UK government – contributed to a total Streetsmart donation of £5,662.

Gareth Robinson, Managing Director of Carrentals.co.uk, says: “We’re both pleased and proud at home this campaign has turned out, and we’re delighted to help StreetSmart out in performing its very valuable work.”

“Between the recent ‘Book & Donate’ day and our 12 Days of Christmas campaign we raised a great amount – which was then supported by the UK government – to give Streetsmart a great total. We extend our thanks to all our customers for helping raise money for such a worthwhile cause.”

StreetSmart runs charity drives every November and December and works in partnership with leading UK restaurants including Nobu, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal and Restaurant Gordon Ramsay. Each restaurant adds one pound to bill totals to generate additional funds for StreetSmart’s great work.

Glenn Pougnet, Director of StreetSmart, commented: “It is great to hear that Carrentals.co.uk has made such a fine amount through its Book & Donate day. We look forward to receiving such a great amount of money which can contribute towards the projects we run in support of the country’s homeless.”

Carrentals.co.uk is the UK’s leading car rental comparison site, comparing deals from up to 50 rental companies including Alamo, Auto Europe, Budget, Holiday Autos and Sixt, in over 15,000 locations worldwide including Spain, Portugal and Greece. Deals on show at present for summer include Majorca car hire plus great deals in the likes of Faro and Crete.

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