Food & Food Equipment News

Sino Agro Food, Inc. Secures Downstream Processing Facility For Its Beef Cattle Operations

Sino Agro Food, Inc. (Pink Sheets:SIAF), an emerging integrated, diversified agriculture technology and organic food company with subsidiaries operating in China, is pleased to announce the Company has secured downstream processing and slaughter house facilities for its beef cattle operations.

SanJiang Agriculture Co. Ltd., a joint venture partner, has agreed to provide slaughter house and processing operations for all of the Company’s beef operations. SanJiang currently operates the largest slaughter house in Xiling City, China. With a total of over 35,000 employees and over $4.4B in assets, SanJiang is considered one of the largest State owned Agricultural companies operating in China. This new agreement will allow the Company to move forward at a faster pace and minimize the costs associated with setting up independent processing operations.

QingHai, HuangYuan, SanJiang APower United Corporation Ltd., the Company’s joint venture project with SanJiang, has also begun construction on a new three story corporate office at the HuangYuan location that will facilitate its management operations. The HuangYuan, China Government additionally has completed construction on a service road that provides direct access to the main highway, eliminating the need to transport product and materials through the congested city center.

Mr. Lee Solomon, Sino Agro Food, Inc. CEO, stated, “Our logistical operations have greatly improved with the newly constructed service road provided by the Government. With this new access we can begin to focus on larger infrastructure improvements such as the construction of our administrative building for joint operational management. We would like to give special thanks to the HuangYuan District Government for all their support and hard work in the construction efforts.”

The Company would like to further announce that 2008-2009 audits are well underway with much of the review work progressing on schedule. The Company will also be meeting with its Pink Sheet attorney on March 10th, 2010 to complete the required efforts being taken to meet the Pink Sheets Guidelines for Providing Adequate Current Information.

About SINO AGRO FOOD, INC.

Sino Agro Food, Inc. (“SIAF”) is an integrated, diversified agricultural technology and organic food company focused on developing, producing and distributing agricultural products in the Peoples Republic of China. The Company intends to focus on meeting the increasing demand of China’s rising middle class for gourmet and high-quality food items. Current lines of business include the manufacture and distribution of Bio-Organic Fertilizer and Stock-Feed, as well as, fisheries, dairies, and Hylocereus Undatus plantations. SIAF’s products are produced to meet the high organic quality standards of the United Kingdom. SIAF is owner of a patented process; the conversion of corn stalk into high quality feed for livestock and is the “Master Licensee” for China with exclusive right to a patented Bacterial used in converting food based agriculture produce wastes into nutritional feed products that are also applicable in the manufacturing of Bio-Organic fertilizer. The Company also holds the “Master License” for China on a modern re-circulating Aquaculture Technology “A Power RAS Technology” that has the capacity to commercially grow quality table fish and seafood free from chemical and pollution in enclosed modules on land in a system designed to promote economic sustainability and viability. Currently the Company has total employment of 520 persons of which 60 are skilled and experienced management staff.

For more information, visit SINO AGRO FOOD, INC.

Freight Brokerage & Third Party Logistics Provider AFN Signs Multi-Year Transportation Management Services Contract With Lawrence Foods, Inc.

AFN ®, a leader in freight brokerage, third party logistics and transportation management services announces a new multi-year contract with Lawrence Foods, Inc.

“Our biggest success stories have come from the vendors and suppliers in the food & beverage industry who have utilized our expertise in retail distribution management to look for new and more efficient ways of delivering their products to their retail customers.”

Lawrence Foods is a broad-based manufacturer of premium bakery ingredients for in-store supermarket bakeries, foodservice operators, large commercial food manufacturers and wholesale bakeries. This 75-year-old family-owned business in Elk Grove Village, Illinois, produces an extensive product catalog that includes cream fillings, dry mixes, fondant, fruit fillings, glazes, icings, nutrition bar layers and savory spreads.

AFN began working with Lawrence Foods on a transactional basis in June of 2008. AFN typically moved ‘less than truckload’ shipments to various bakeries, foodservice and grocery retailers all over the United States. According to Marcus Weiss, the Customer Service Manager on the Lawrence account, “we demonstrated that we could provide more value by analyzing their freight spend on a cost-per-bound basis and providing other useful key performance indicators to make their business more profitable.”

When asked why Lawrence Foods chose AFN, Mike Wrobleski, Director of Supply Chain, responded by stating: “In order to remain ultracompetitive, we needed to partner with a third party logistics company that is considered the expert in their respective field. We chose AFN® to fully outsource our transportation needs from a truckload, less than truckload and intermodal perspective.”

According to Doug George, Director of Transportation Management Services for AFN®, “More and more of our customers are looking to us to manage critical parts of their supply chain while they refocus their efforts on their core competencies. Lawrence Foods is a prime example of a company that recognizes the need to outsource this strategic part of their supply chain in order to drive down costs and provide the value its customers are looking for.”

About AFN

AFN, formerly known as Advantage Freight Network, provides freight brokerage, third party logistics and transportation management services for many clients in a number of industries, including consumer products, apparel, electronics, food & beverage, and paper & packaging. Co-Founder Ryan Daube adds, “Our biggest success stories have come from the vendors and suppliers in the food & beverage industry who have utilized our expertise in retail distribution management to look for new and more efficient ways of delivering their products to their retail customers.” 

For more information, visit AFN.

Bridgewell Resources Launched With Acquisition Of Assets From North Pacific Group

 

Atlas Holdings LLC (“Atlas”) has acquired certain assets of Portland, Oregon based North Pacific Group, Inc. (“NPG”) related to NPG’s utility and construction, food and agriculture, and hardwood and industrial products divisions. The assets were acquired by an Atlas affiliated entity, Bridgewell™ Resources LLC (“Bridgewell Resources” or “Bridgewell”).

“Bridgewell fits well with our core investment strategy of investing in businesses that are critical to the markets they serve, providing significant capability and expertise. Bridgewell’s associates have unparalleled experience in their industries and are a welcome addition to the Atlas family.”

Currently headquartered in Tigard, Oregon, Bridgewell is a global wholesale distributor and trading company serving retailers, manufacturers, construction firms, and other customers with a wide range of value-added services and products in four markets:

• Agricultural products — Bridgewell distributes agricultural minerals and fertilizers including soil amendments, natural fertilizers and mineral products to commercial fertilizer dealers, fertilizer-spreading services, retail farm services, lawn-and-garden packagers, lawn-care firms, horticultural products supply houses, and suppliers to the golf course and turf trades. Bridgewell also distributes specialty agricultural products including birdseed, feed ingredients such as beet-pulp pellets and registered, certified, and uncertified grain seed.
• Food products — Bridgewell offers myriad food and baking ingredients across a broad swath of the food products industry. Offerings include bakery ingredients, oils and shortenings, manufactured food products, and certified organic and natural food ingredients such as expeller-pressed oils, vinegars, baking products, and nutraceutical ingredients, as well as aseptic and canned processed fruit, vegetables, seafood and more. Bridgewell also specializes in the international trade of lentils, peas, beans, birdseed, and an array of specialty products, including popcorn, spices, garlic, and nuts.
• Utility and construction products — Bridgewell is the nation’s largest independent distributor of utility poles and offers many species of appearance-grade and construction-use pilings and timbers, as well as multiple treatment options. Bridgewell also provides heavy, marine, highway, railroad, and bridge construction products, and it sells and rents crane, dragline, laminated, mammoth, and DURA-BASE® mats and pipeline skids and cradles. It also distributes renewable, solar-energy system solutions, and architectural products such as columns, caps and bases, balustrades, corbles, cornices, facades, and lighting poles.
• Wood products — Bridgewell provides a complete range of hardwood and softwood lumber, panels, mouldings, flooring, squares and turnings, cut parts, dimension blanks, and specialty products via an extensive domestic and international supply base. The company serves all 50 states and international locations, and provides delivery of mixed and LTL shipments, reloads, and mill direct offerings.

About Bridgewell

Bridgewell is a new company, but its employees and management are industry veterans. As Curtis Noteboom, Chief Financial Officer of Bridgewell stated, “We have a staff of more than 100 associates, who possess decades of knowledge and experience in their markets, including our skilled export traders who are adept at more than 20 languages. As a part of the growing family of Atlas companies, Bridgewell is well-capitalized, strong in all aspects of its operations, and better equipped to meet its customer needs.”

“Everyone at Atlas is excited about the formation of Bridgewell Resources and its purchase of assets from NPG,” Atlas Chairman Andrew Bursky said. “Bridgewell fits well with our core investment strategy of investing in businesses that are critical to the markets they serve, providing significant capability and expertise. Bridgewell’s associates have unparalleled experience in their industries and are a welcome addition to the Atlas family.”

Atlas’ operations in the United States, Canada, and Europe encompass more than 40 facilities and 3,300 employees. Its businesses are engaged in a broad spectrum of industries, including food and agriculture, wood products and building materials, pulp and paper manufacturing, packaging, capital equipment, and industrial and business services. Atlas specializes in the purchase of middle-market companies in distress or facing complex financial, labor, or environmental issues, including bankruptcy reorganizations, restructurings, receiverships and challenging corporate divestitures. It also works effectively with corporate owners to purchase discontinued and “carve-out” operations.

For more information, visit Bridgewell.

UTEK’s Strategos & wRatings Innovation Index Identifies The Most Innovative Food & Beverage Companies

Coca-Cola Wins Out…But Size Doesn’t Matter

 

UTEK Corporation (NYSE Amex: UTK), a leading IP licensing and innovation services company, and The wRatings Corporation, an independent stock research firm, announced the results of their quarterly Strategos/wRatings Innovation Index, with the focus of this issue on the food and beverage industry. The study was conducted in a collaborative effort between the wRatings Corporation and Strategos, the strategic innovation consulting division of UTEK.

“Customers today are so much smarter about how they pick and choose what products to buy”

Coca-Cola came out on top, but the remainder of the top 10 proved that size really doesn’t matter to the consumer. Number two on the list is Cadbury. No doubt, Cadbury’s innovativeness was a top rationale for the interest from its now soon-to-be parent, Kraft. Others in the top 10 include giants like PepsiCo and Unilever mixed with small cap players like American Italian Pasta Company, Glacier Water Services, and Lifeway Foods.

Food and Beverage Innovators Go beyond the Product to find innovation

This quarter, the SW Innovation Index ranked innovation performance of food and beverage companies. Throughout the top 10, we see many top innovators go beyond product extensions, creating value for consumers and shareholders through business model innovation. These companies made significant strides in shifting the competitive battle-ground from retail shelves to consumers’ home-spaces through things like novel packaging solutions, adding the benefit of improving health and beauty “from within” to traditional food items, and expanding the locations and ways foods can be consumed for time-starved consumers.

“More product variation does not necessarily equate to innovation,” states Peter Skarzynski, Managing Director of Strategos and author of Innovation to the Core (HBSP, 2008). “When you can shift the battleground, like many of these top 10 companies have done, it means you have done some thinking at the business model level that allows you to challenge orthodoxies and then allow, or even promote, breakthrough thinking that leads to innovation.”

“Customers today are so much smarter about how they pick and choose what products to buy,” explains Gary A. Williams, CEO and Founder of wRatings. “They love something creative, unique and cool, but won’t buy unless they trust the company behind it. As this quarter’s index proves, the race for Food & Beverage innovation can be won whether a company is big or small, if they understand how to build both a great product and a great company.” 67 companies were included in this edition of the Innovation Index. All received an Innovation Index rating, with 100 equaling the most innovative.

The report is available at www.strategos.com or www.wratings.com. Detailed ranking and score data are available to wRatings subscribers.

Based on the principle that the end-customers are the final arbiter of a company’s innovation performance, the SW Innovation Index is based on end-consumers’ feedback on tangible benefits and emotional rewards they received from a wide range of companies. The index is a composite of seven attributes from wRatings’ robust and rigorous consumer feedback data. These seven attributes and their respective weighting were selected by leveraging the collective experience Strategos accumulated while helping clients build a competence in innovation. The data collection process, SW Innovation Index computation, and write-up of this report were conducted independently of any company in this survey, and no company was offered an opportunity to preview or edit the report. While Strategos and wRatings have performed work for and may be in business development discussion with companies mentioned in this report, we maintain objectivity of the report by assuring that no staff involved in this report worked on projects for any companies rated in this report in the last 24 months.

About UTEK Corporation

UTEK® is a leading global IP licensing and innovation services company. UTEK’s services enable its clients to enhance their innovation capabilities, rapidly source externally developed technologies, create value from their intellectual property and gain foresight into marketplace and technology developments that could affect their business. Strategos is a strategic innovation consulting division of UTEK. Strategos® helps clients innovate and grow by bringing innovation to their core business and organization.

About wRatings Corporation

The wRatings Corporation is an independent stock research firm based in metro Washington, DC. The company was founded by Harvard Business Review author and research expert, Gary A. Williams. He and his team continually study consumer and executive buying behavior to project the future earnings performance of companies. Since 1999, their original set of leading indicators helps investors, corporations and consultants improve their performance by using a common framework to measure the competitive strength of companies.

For more information, visit UTEK Corporation or wRatings Corporation.

Apriso To Speak At Sustainability In Packaging Conference

 

Presentation to Highlight Green Benefits of Continuous Process Improvement When Implementing a Platform-Based Approach to Manufacturing and Supply Chain Operations

Apriso Corporation:

“Greening Manufacturing Operations and the Supply Chain with Process Efficiency”

Who:     

Jordan Berkley, Director of MES Product Management at Apriso, will present how best-in-class manufacturers have embraced a platform-based approach to manufacturing operations and their extended product supply network to address sustainability and other green objectives. Placing a higher emphasis on sustainable operations not only reduces energy costs, scrap and the total cost of quality, but can elevate customer satisfaction and corporate stewardship, resulting in a “win-win” situation for both manufacturers and their customers.

 What:

“Greening Manufacturing Operations and the Supply Chain with Process Efficiency” presentation will be part of the Supply Chain Sustainability Track at the 4th annual Sustainability in Packaging Conference & Exhibition; please see: http://www.sustainability-in-packaging.com/agenda.aspx

 Where:

Rosen Plaza Hotel, Orlando Florida. To register, please go to: http://www.regonline.co.uk/Checkin.asp?EventId=746787.

 When:

Wednesday, March 17th 2010 at 11:30 a.m. EST.

About Apriso

Apriso Corporation is a software company dedicated to providing competitive advantage for its customers. It does so by enabling manufacturing organizations to adapt quickly and easily to market changes and unexpected events. Apriso FlexNet applications provide visibility, adaptability and real-time control of manufacturing operations across the enterprise and supply chain network. Apriso leads the industry in multi-site, globally integrated Operations Execution Systems. Many of Apriso’s customers have chosen to integrate planning, execution and control to increase operational efficiency and eliminate errors in their production process. Apriso serves more than 180 customers in 41 countries across the Americas, Europe and Asia. A partial listing of customers includes General Motors, Lear, Honeywell, L'Oreal, Lockheed Martin, Becton Dickinson, Rubbermaid, Saint-Gobain, Novelis and Essilor, among others.

For more information, visit Apriso.

McCain Foods USA Implements Cass For Expense Management Services

 

McCain Foods USA has selected and implemented services of Cass Information Systems (Nasdaq: CASS), the leading provider of freight payment and information management services, to manage business processes associated with McCain’s transportation expenses. Cass will process, audit and pay McCain’s invoices for warehousing and freight shipments across multiple transportation modes – including air, rail, motor and parcel shipments.

“Throughout the design, development and testing phases, McCain process owners ensured the Cass system met their business requirements. Their skillful, structured approach to release management resulted in an exceedingly smooth implementation”

Through its service agreement with Cass, McCain expects to achieve long-term cost reduction through tighter invoice audit controls as well as through efficiencies gained by automation and utilization of Cass’ business intelligence tools.

“The roll out of McCain Foods’ processing system has truly been a best-in-class implementation,” said John Pickering, chief operating officer, Cass’ Transportation Information Services division. “Throughout the design, development and testing phases, McCain process owners ensured the Cass system met their business requirements. Their skillful, structured approach to release management resulted in an exceedingly smooth implementation,” he said.

“We selected Cass based on their track record in the industry and their ability to provide us with greater visibility through a more robust, Web-based reporting engine,” noted Vito Parise, senior director, distribution, McCain Foods USA.

“Now that McCain’s process is more automated, more data can be captured from invoices, allowing more efficient and detailed analysis of expenses. Achieving greater visibility into the process is what enables business process improvements and expense reduction,” Pickering added.

About McCain Foods

McCain Foods USA, Inc. manufactures French fried potatoes, appetizers and other products for military and industrial customers, as well as schools. McCain Foods USA, Inc., based in Lisle, Ill., is a subsidiary of Canadian-based McCain Foods Limited, a global leader in the frozen food industry operating 55 facilities worldwide and generating annual sales of over C$6B. With more than 20,000 employees worldwide, McCain is focused on delivering products that meet the growing demand for healthier alternatives. For example, all of McCain’s potato products contain zero grams trans fat.

About Cass

Cass Information Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq: CASS) is the leading provider of transportation, utility and telecom expense management and related business intelligence services, disbursing $24 billion annually on behalf of its clients. With total assets exceeding $1 billion, Cass is a thriving business process outsourcer focused on invoice processing, auditing and payment services. Cass is uniquely supported by Cass Commercial Bank, founded in 1906. Today, Cass Commercial Bank is a wholly owned subsidiary, providing sophisticated financial exchange services to the parent organization and its clients. Cass is part of the Russell 2000(R) Index and was recently ranked #65 on the 2009 Fortune Small Business FSB 100 list of the fastest-growing public companies in America.

For more information, visit McCain Foods or Cass Information Systems.

ConAgra Foods Named For The First Time To List Of 100 Best Corporate Citizens

 

ConAgra Foods announced today that for the first time, CRO Magazine (formerly Corporate Responsibility Magazine) has named the company to its 11th annual 100 Best Corporate Citizens List. This list is known as one of the world’s top corporate responsibility rankings based on publicly-available information and recognized by PR Week as one of America’s top three most-important business rankings.

“We are honored to receive this recognition”

“We are honored to receive this recognition,” said Chris Kircher, ConAgra Foods’ vice president of corporate affairs. “It reflects our deep-seated, ongoing commitment to corporate responsibility, and it validates our decision last year to provide an increased level of transparency on our efforts through the publication of our first corporate responsibility report.”

The 100 Best Corporate Citizens List is based on more than 360 data points of publicly available information in seven categories. The seven categories include: Environment, Climate Change, Human Rights, Philanthropy, Employee Relations, Financial Performance and Governance. The 100 Best Corporate Citizens are selected from among the large-cap Russell 1000 companies, based on data provided by leading ESG investor data firm IW Financial. The 100 Best Corporate Citizens List’s open and transparent methodology is governed by a Methodology Committee of the Corporate Responsibility Officers Association. The 100 Best List’s methodology is published in the 100 Best Corporate Citizens List issue of Corporate Responsibility Magazine, mailed to 20,000 subscribers March 9 and available now online at www.thecro.com.

About ConAgra Foods, Inc., 

ConAgra Foods Inc. (NYSE: CAG) is one of North America’s leading food companies, with brands in 97 percent of America’s households. Consumers find Banquet, Chef Boyardee, Egg Beaters, Healthy Choice, Hebrew National, Hunt’s, Marie Callender’s, Orville Redenbacher’s, PAM, Peter Pan, Reddi-wip and many ConAgra Foods brands in grocery, convenience, mass merchandise and club stores. ConAgra Foods also has a strong business-to-business presence, supplying potato, other vegetable, spice and grain products to a variety of well-known restaurants, foodservice operators and commercial customers. 

For more information, visit ConAgra Foods, Inc.

V8 V-Fusion Juices Now Available In Single-Serving Cans

V8 V-Fusion Makes It Easier to Get Vegetables On-the-Go

 

Campbell Soup Company (NYSE:CPB) is now making its popular V8 V-Fusion® 100% juice available in single-serving, 8-ounce slim cans. The new cans are available in six-packs at supermarkets nationwide as well as 24-packs of 11.5-ounce, multi-serve cans at select club stores.

“That’s why we are constantly striving to offer more and more ways to help people get their vegetables any time, anywhere through new products like V8 V-Fusion cans.”

Available in Pomegranate Blueberry and Strawberry Banana varieties, the cans are ideal for packing in a purse or in a child’s lunchbox. Each 8-ounce can provides a full serving of vegetables (1/2 cup) and a full serving of fruit (1/2 cup), as well as essential antioxidant vitamins A, C and E and no added sugar.

Currently, seven out of ten Americans don’t get their government-recommended vegetable servings each day, but research suggests the key to bridging this “vegetable gap” may be to focus on the factors that are often behind it: convenience and enjoyment.1,2 The makers of V8® juice continue to address these barriers through innovation.

“Most people know that they don’t get enough vegetables – but it can be challenging to find great-tasting options throughout the day,” said Dale Clemiss, Vice President, Beverage Marketing, V8 Beverages. “That’s why we are constantly striving to offer more and more ways to help people get their vegetables any time, anywhere through new products like V8 V-Fusion cans.”

 

Helping Ensure a Healthier Generation

The 8-ounce slim cans of V8 V-Fusion® juice are also a part of Campbell’s North America Foodservice division’s effort to expand its line of beverages that meet the Alliance for a Healthier Generation's nutritional requirements for products served in schools.

The Alliance for a Healthier Generation is a partnership between the American Heart Association and the William J. Clinton Foundation and supporting products are sold in participating schools nationwide. Other Campbell beverages that meet the requirements include 5.5-ounce cans of V8® 100% vegetable juice, 5.5-ounce cans of V8 Low Sodium Vegetable juice and 5.5-ounce cans of V8 Spicy Hot vegetable juice.

New Flavors on Shelves: Cranberry Blackberry and Acai Mixed Berry Light

Campbell is also adding two new delicious, on-trend varieties of V8 V-Fusion: Cranberry Blackberry and Acai Mixed Berry Light which are available in 46-ounce bottles. The addition of these new varieties brings the V8 V-Fusion juice portfolio to 12 juices and juice drinks, including Goji Raspberry, Passionfruit Tangerine, Acai Mixed Berry, Pomegranate Blueberry, Pomegranate Blueberry Light, Strawberry Banana, Strawberry Banana Light, Peach Mango, Peach Mango Light and Tropical Orange.

V8 V-Fusion juices and juice drinks are available in a variety of sizes at most grocery, mass merchandise, convenience and club stores nationwide. The suggested retail price for a 6-pack of 8-ounce slim cans is $4.99, $14.88 for a 24-pack of 11.5 ounce cans and $3.99 for a 46-ounce bottle. For more information, visit www.v8juice.com.

About Campbell Soup Company

Campbell Soup Company is a global manufacturer and marketer of high-quality foods and simple meals, including soup, baked snacks, and healthy beverages. Founded in 1869, the company has a portfolio of market-leading brands, including “Campbell’s,” “Pepperidge Farm,” “Arnott’s,” and “V8.”

For more information, visit Campbell Soup Company.

Fein Energy Crystals Create A Stir In The Energy Drink Category

 

The world's first flavor-free caffeine crystal product, Fein, adds a new twist to the $7.9-billion energy drink category: no sugars, no artificial ingredients of any kind, no carbs and no calories. It tastes the same as your favorite beverage. Fein is being introduced through a modified rollout in select markets with a television infomercial and national radio endorsements, announced Stephen Diaco, a management partner for Fein Innovations, LLC.

“Fein is the answer for everyone seeking an energy boost with all the flavor and pleasure of their favorite beverage, but without added carbs, calories, sugars and sweeteners”

Revolutionary Fein energy crystals, with the trademark slogan, “Conquer the night, take on the day™,” can be added to any favorite beverage, even water, to make it an energy drink without altering the flavor. Fein's formula is all-natural caffeine citrate and a suite of secret, 100-percent natural “taste erasers.” It is the only energy drink product to use caffeine citrate as its primary source of caffeine, making it an all-natural, soluble power plant for busy people on the go. Fein delivers 75 mg of caffeine per stick with zero sugar, calories, carbs and artificial ingredients with no taste or aftertaste.

“Fein is the answer for everyone seeking an energy boost with all the flavor and pleasure of their favorite beverage, but without added carbs, calories, sugars and sweeteners," Mr. Diaco said.

Mr. Diaco said that with imagination, hard work and scientific ingenuity, Fein Innovations, LLC researched 35 generations of product innovation to deliver the energy equivalent of existing 8.4 oz. energy drinks, at a best-available price of less than half a dollar per 0.6 gram serving, about 44 cents. Fein is a non-taxable food product, not a dietary supplement.

Spark Brand, Tampa, Fla., created the two-minute infomercial featuring millionaire-maker Kevin Harrington, infomercial pioneer and panelist on ABC-TV's “The Shark Tank,” and top-ranked, nationally syndicated radio host, Bubba the Love Sponge®.

Select retail outlets and some military bases carry Fein cubes containing 30 servings, and others are being added. Fein is on Facebook and Twitter (@Fein). Fein is not recommended for anyone under age 18, pregnant women or anyone with hypertension. Users should consume no more than 4 Fein sticks in any 24-hour period. Because Fein incites energy, users should not take within five hours of sleep.

For more information, visit Fein Energy.

Motorola Tops New ABI Research Passive UHF Handheld RFID Reader Vendor Matrix Ranking

 

Motorola Inc. has been ranked at the top of the latest Vendor Matrix released by ABI Research.

“Passive UHF RFID Handheld Reader Vendor Matrix”

Convergence Systems Limited (CSL) and Psion Teklogix Inc. claimed the second and third spots in the company’s new worldwide evaluation of passive UHF RFID handheld reader vendors.

The Vendor Matrix is an analytical tool developed by ABI Research to provide a clear understanding of vendors’ positions in specific markets. Vendors are assessed on the important parameters of “innovation” and “implementation” across several criteria unique to each vendor matrix. Although taken into consideration under certain criteria, product performance benchmarking is not a focus of this Vendor Matrix.

”Mobile computing, bar code scanning, and RFID are highly complementary technologies and major strengths for Motorola, helping drive handheld product innovation within the organization,” states Michael Liard, RFID Practice Director. “The company’s global reach, partner/customer support capabilities, installed base, and an approach to RFID that cuts across many industries while addressing the needs of verticals all helped bolster the overall implementation score relative to the competition.”

For this particular matrix, under "innovation," ABI Research examined the vendor’s product offering mix and the readers’ overall designs, GUI and/or user input configuration, and critical performance enhancements such as battery life expectancy, antenna design, and wireless connectivity options. The vendors’ industry leadership, influence, and knowledge transfer were evaluated, as well as their perceived strength and innovation in engineering.

Under "implementation," ABI Research scrutinized the vendors according to the following criteria: manufacturing capabilities and strategy; pricing strategy and perceived price-to-value quotient; overall market position, leadership, and strength; perceived strength within verticals and/or applications targeted/served; persistent market presence and experience; partner strategy, approach, and support capabilities; scope of distribution channels; and go-to-market strategy and approach.

To view a chart showing the rankings of the seven firms in this Vendor Matrix, please visit “Passive UHF RFID Handheld Reader Vendor Matrix” (http://www.abiresearch.com/research/1004741). Registration on the ABI Research website (free) is required. Access to the rankings and profiles of all companies surveyed is available to clients of ABI Research.

About ABI Research

ABI Research provides in-depth analysis and quantitative forecasting of trends in global connectivity and other emerging technologies. From offices in North America, Europe and Asia, ABI Research’s worldwide team of experts advise thousands of decision makers through 27 research and advisory services. Est. 1990.

For more information, visit ABI Research.