Press Release Esprit called to join Levi in support of Malagasy 43

Please find attached a press release from the International Transport Workers' Federation: Esprit called to join Levi in support of Malagasy 43

This email is confidential and may be privileged. If you have received it in error, please notify the sender and then delete it immediately. You should not copy it or use it for any purpose nor disclose its contents to any other person. Any views or opinions expressed within the email are solely those of the sender and do not necessarily represent those of the ITF or the Seafarers' Trust.

Press release: ITF seafarers back Spanish dockers

Please find this release attached and below.

Yours,

Sam Dawson

ITF

 

 

24 May 2016

ITF seafarers back Spanish dockers

The seafarers section of the ITF (International Transport Workers' Federation) has made the following statement:

 

'On behalf of all ITF seafarers' affiliated unions and their members, the ITF seafarers' section wants to express its support to the Spanish dockers' unions and their fight against the liberalisation of the Spanish port system following the royal decree adopted by the Spanish Parliament.

 

'The decree, which was only passed by a handful of votes – 174 in favour, 165 against and eight abstentions, demonstrates that the Parliament disagrees if and how the 'reform' will benefit Spain, Spanish ports or its citizens. In addition to the royal decree potentially having a devastating impact on the port workers, there are no guarantees of any improvement in the services or economic return to Spain's coastal communities where the ports are located.'

 

ITF seafarers' section chair, Dave Heindel, added: "We [the ITF] stand shoulder to shoulder with the Spanish dockers and their unions in their fight to protect their jobs, and we strongly urge the Spanish Government to reconsider their decision, which has no other purpose than to attack the workers".

 

ENDS

 

 

This email is confidential and may be privileged. If you have received it in error, please notify the sender and then delete it immediately. You should not copy it or use it for any purpose nor disclose its contents to any other person. Any views or opinions expressed within the email are solely those of the sender and do not necessarily represent those of the ITF or the Seafarers' Trust.

Invitation to press conference/Invitacion a la prensa

Please find attached an invitation to a press conference – including on the Spanish port situation –  for the European Transport Workers' Federation conference in Barcelona on Wednesday 24 May.

For more details please contact Koen Reynaerts at the ETF, whose address is on the release.

Yours,

Sam Dawson

ITF

 

 

This email is confidential and may be privileged. If you have received it in error, please notify the sender and then delete it immediately. You should not copy it or use it for any purpose nor disclose its contents to any other person. Any views or opinions expressed within the email are solely those of the sender and do not necessarily represent those of the ITF or the Seafarers' Trust.

FW: Press statement: Spanish ports decision “a betrayal of Spain’s dockworkers”

With graphic attached, in case of use.

 

From: Sam Dawson <Dawson_Sam@itf.org.uk>
Date: Thursday, 18 May 2017 at 15:12
Subject: Press statement: Spanish ports decision "a betrayal of Spain's dockworkers"

 

Please find this release attached and below. A version in Spanish will follow later. Please email me at dawson_sam@itf.org.uk if you would like to receive it.

Yours,

Sam Dawson

ITF

 

 

 

                                                       

18 May 2017

Spanish ports decision "a betrayal of Spain's dockworkers"

Commenting on the adoption of the royal decree to 'reform' of port labour that has just been adopted by the Spanish parliament (with 174 votes in favour, 165 against and eight abstentions), International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) president and dockers' section chair, Paddy Crumlin, stated: "this is a betrayal of Spain's dockworkers, and even of its national interests. What we're looking at here is a piece of cynical horse-trading by political parties who don't care what the effect will be on the human beings who work in these ports."

 

He continued: "We warned back in February* that the government was tearing up the rule book with a callous disregard for jobs, Spanish prestige and international conventions, and what the consequences would be. The will now face a unified front of the world's dockworkers supporting their Spanish colleagues."

 

Terje Samuelsen, chair of the dockers' section of the ETF (European Transport Workers' Federation), commented: "This decision risks bringing into place a plan to aggressively and destructively liberalise port labour. It doesn't even have the excuse of being in line with European Union rules – it goes recklessly beyond them. Unions are being forced into strike action. They will be supported by their trade union colleagues everywhere – the repercussions of this vote will spread far and wide, beginning with the ETF congress in Barcelona next week."

 

*See www.itfglobal.org/en/news-events/press-releases/2017/february/itf-spanish-port-plans-beyond-belief

 

ENDS

 

For more details please contact

ITF: Sam Dawson. Tel: + 44 (0)20 7940 9260. Email: dawson_sam@itf.org.uk

ETF: Koen Reynaerts. Tel: +32 2 285 46 69. Email: k.reynaerts@etf-europe.org

 

This email is confidential and may be privileged. If you have received it in error, please notify the sender and then delete it immediately. You should not copy it or use it for any purpose nor disclose its contents to any other person. Any views or opinions expressed within the email are solely those of the sender and do not necessarily represent those of the ITF or the Seafarers' Trust.

Press statement: Spanish ports decision “a betrayal of Spain’s dockworkers”

Please find this release attached and below. A version in Spanish will follow later. Please email me at dawson_sam@itf.org.uk if you would like to receive it.

Yours,

Sam Dawson

ITF

 

 

 

                                                       

18 May 2017

Spanish ports decision "a betrayal of Spain's dockworkers"

Commenting on the adoption of the royal decree to 'reform' of port labour that has just been adopted by the Spanish parliament (with 174 votes in favour, 165 against and eight abstentions), International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) president and dockers' section chair, Paddy Crumlin, stated: "this is a betrayal of Spain's dockworkers, and even of its national interests. What we're looking at here is a piece of cynical horse-trading by political parties who don't care what the effect will be on the human beings who work in these ports."

 

He continued: "We warned back in February* that the government was tearing up the rule book with a callous disregard for jobs, Spanish prestige and international conventions, and what the consequences would be. The will now face a unified front of the world's dockworkers supporting their Spanish colleagues."

 

Terje Samuelsen, chair of the dockers' section of the ETF (European Transport Workers' Federation), commented: "This decision risks bringing into place a plan to aggressively and destructively liberalise port labour. It doesn't even have the excuse of being in line with European Union rules – it goes recklessly beyond them. Unions are being forced into strike action. They will be supported by their trade union colleagues everywhere – the repercussions of this vote will spread far and wide, beginning with the ETF congress in Barcelona next week."

 

*See www.itfglobal.org/en/news-events/press-releases/2017/february/itf-spanish-port-plans-beyond-belief

 

ENDS

 

For more details please contact

ITF: Sam Dawson. Tel: + 44 (0)20 7940 9260. Email: dawson_sam@itf.org.uk

ETF: Koen Reynaerts. Tel: +32 2 285 46 69. Email: k.reynaerts@etf-europe.org

 

This email is confidential and may be privileged. If you have received it in error, please notify the sender and then delete it immediately. You should not copy it or use it for any purpose nor disclose its contents to any other person. Any views or opinions expressed within the email are solely those of the sender and do not necessarily represent those of the ITF or the Seafarers' Trust.

Press release: Campaign reveals TiSA threat to jobs and rights

Please find this release, with illustrations, attached and below.

Yours,

Sam Dawson

ITF

 

 

 

 

11 May 2017

Campaign reveals TiSA threat to jobs and rights

A new campaign to be launched tomorrow by the ITF (International Transport Workers' Federation) reveals the threat to jobs and workers' rights posed by the Trade in Services Agreement (TiSA).

 

The new project enlists the power of trade unions to fight back against the deal, which has been negotiated in virtual secrecy by the European Union and 22 other countries. One of its core aims is to definitively prove the danger to rights, conditions and democracy posed by TiSA, in order to provide the information needed to oppose it. All the information will now be findable in one place: www.tisameanstrouble.org.

 

Unveiled at the site is the latest research into the effects of TiSA on transport workers, commissioned by the ITF and the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (see the full report at https://goo.gl/39AmQK or the executive summary below), along with leaflets, a poster (attached) and more information.

 

ITF president Paddy Crumlin commented: "TiSA would supercharge the most powerful companies in the transport industry, giving them preferential treatment. What's missing from this equation is any value at all for workers and citizens. It creates serious barriers for any state wanting to invest in, manage and operate its national infrastructure or – crucially – to defend decent work and decent terms and conditions across transport. It is our duty as trade unionists to build the knowledge and alliances needed to challenge the secrecy and lack of democracy involved, and develop realistic, worker-centred alternatives."

 

ITF general secretary Steve Cotton stated: "Despite the wall of secrecy constructed around the TiSA talks, it's well known that the deal represents a threat to hard-won workers' rights and conditions. But what isn't so well known is the way it directly threatens transport workers' jobs. We aim to put that right. At the moment negotiations are suspended pending the scheduling of a new round of talks. That gives us a one off window of opportunity for a hard-hitting informational campaign to help challenge this unrepresentative and undemocratic deal."

 

ENDS

 

Media information

 The ITF's case against TiSA can be found at www.tisameanstrouble.org, along with campaign materials, leaflets and the new research report The trouble with TiSA: the Trade in Services Agreement and how it threatens transport workers' jobs. This is the report's executive summary:

 

Executive summary

 

1. The International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) is a global trade union federation. The rules that govern the global services market shape the daily lives of its affiliated unions and their members. The Trade in Services Agreement (TiSA) has the potential to dramatically change that world. The negotiations are currently paralysed. This is the time for the ITF and transport workers everywhere to make their voices heard.

TiSA: corporate rules for the 21^st century

2. Since 2013, TiSA has been negotiated in secret by a club of 23 parties who call themselves The Really Good Friends of Services: Australia; Canada; Chile; Colombia; Costa Rica; the European Union; Hong Kong; Iceland; Israel; Japan; Lichtenstein; Mauritius; Mexico; New Zealand; Norway; Pakistan; Panama; Peru; South Korea; Switzerland; Taiwan, China; Turkey and the USA.

 

3. They are on a mission to create a '21^st century' agreement that serves the interests of the world's most powerful corporations for decades to come. Governments are agreeing to put handcuffs on their right to regulate services and technologies, including those that don't yet exist. Uruguay and Paraguay quit this club after strong union-led campaigns demanded the right to decide their own futures.

 

4. The corporate cheerleaders, called Team TiSA, are dominated by tech giants like Microsoft, IBM and Google, global logistics and transport operators like DHL, Fedex, and UPS, and finance moguls like Citigroup and AIG. They have privileged access to negotiators. Legislators, unions and social movements from TiSA countries are shut out.

 

5. Team TiSA want global rules that allow them to run e-commerce and global supply chains seamlessly across the world using digital platforms and new technologies. TiSA would require governments to remove national and local government laws and practices that the corporations see as barriers, including protections for workers – or at least freeze them at their current level, and promise never to adopt new regulations that might restrict existing and new services or technologies (think of drones, robots and driverless vehicles). TiSA's transparency annex would give other TiSA governments and corporations rights to lobby against proposed regulations that affect their interests.

 

TiSA and the fourth industrial revolution

6. The radical impact of new technologies has been called the 'fourth industrial revolution'. 'Free trade in services' through TiSA would remove restrictions on its expansion. That means continuous reorganisation and disruption, as corporations respond to new technologies, shifts in market, the cost of labour and automation. Corporate wealth is bound to strengthen the power of those who control global supply chains and digital technologies. Their actual operations will run through layers of competitive contractors who employ a fragmented, vulnerable, de-unionised and exploited international workforce.

 

7. Continuous restructuring and chronic instability will create large scale unemployment and social disruption. Already digital technologies are transforming what workers do, where they are located, how they are employed, by whom and on what terms, and their ability to organise and bargain collectively (or bargain at all). Workers are pitted against workers in a battle for survival that is not of their making.

 

8. Transport workers already face these challenges every day. The pace of change is unpredictable. Air and maritime cargo transport and ground haulage will remain essential to move products around, but they will play different roles as production and supply chains, and their ownership, are reorganised. 'Bricks and mortar' type production and warehousing operations may become unrecognisable. The future of bricks and mortar retailing is least certain. Traditional firms like DHL and Fedex could struggle to survive as operators such as Amazon or AliBaba change how the global economy operates.

 

9. TiSA will not cause this new revolution. It will intensify the current pace of change, competition and unpredictability, and governments won't be able to address many of the problems that it creates. The actual agreement involves a core text, based on an existing World Trade Organization agreement known as the GATS (General Agreement on Trade in Services) and around 18 annexes that cover specific sectors such as maritime, air and road transport, delivery services, labour mobility, financial services, and e-commerce. A country's obligations can be enforced by other TiSA countries (not by their corporations) through offshore tribunals where the judges are trade experts. If the rules are breached, a country can face serious penalties against its trade in goods, agriculture or services.

 

What TiSA aims to do

·         enable the global reorganisation of capital through new technologies and digital platforms;

·         support globally integrated logistics and supply chains;

·         promote competition and contractualisation in providing services;

·         remove barriers to cross-border services and offshoring;

·         prohibit policies and strategies that support the domestic economy and jobs;

·         remove employment-related obligations on foreign investors;

·         ensure corporate élites have a right to enter and work in other TiSA countries;

·         allow foreign firms to use foreign contract workers to deliver services in a TiSA country;

·         enable employers to bypass collective agreements and de-unionise the workforce;

·         require pro-business approaches to licensing, qualifications and technical standards, including those that directly affect labour; and

·         weaken the standard-setting role of specialist international bodies, especially in transportation.

The ITF's transport and delivery sectors

10. As well as TiSA's general impacts on national and global economies, some annexes specifically target the post and courier, maritime, air and road transport sectors. Their goals reflect the demands of the big industry lobbies:

 

·         The air transport annex aims to extend the rights of foreign firms to operate ground handling, airport operations and speciality air services on the same terms as local firms.

·         The maritime services annex predictably targets maritime cabotage (the system of reserving a nation's domestic maritime commerce for its own citizens to ensure the retention of skilled workers and decent jobs for the future of the industry) and other services that are closed to foreign firms, and guarantee access for multimodal operators to the entire transport infrastructure on 'reasonable' and non-discriminatory terms.

·         The delivery services annex aims to break down postal monopolies, minimise the public service obligation, and lock in existing and future postal liberalisation and deregulation, while the e-commerce annex allows the 'Big Four' global express delivery companies (DHL, Fedex, TNT, UPS) to build economies of scale that reinforce their dominance of global supply chains.

·         The annexes on labour mobility and road and freight transport encourage governments to guarantee temporary entry for foreign contract workers to deliver services under their home country terms of employment, which would deepen problems of social dumping.

 

11. TiSA's corporate-driven rules on delivery and air and maritime transport services also threaten the role of specialist international organisations like the IMO (International Maritime Organization), ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization), UPU (Universal Postal Union) and ILO (International Labour Organization). These are places where the ITF and other unions work to protect workers' rights and interests and balance economic and social, consumer and security concerns.

 

 

This email is confidential and may be privileged. If you have received it in error, please notify the sender and then delete it immediately. You should not copy it or use it for any purpose nor disclose its contents to any other person. Any views or opinions expressed within the email are solely those of the sender and do not necessarily represent those of the ITF or the Seafarers' Trust.

High Net Worth Marketing, a tailored approach

Press Release - London, 07-05-17 

 

The word exponential is often used to describe the pace of technological change which has come to define the world we live in. And with new technologies such as artificial intelligence, 3D printing and virtual reality only just warming up, the pace is unlikely to let up. In this environment is it easy to become convinced that, when competing in a global marketplace, speed is the greatest of virtues. Indeed, in The Great Acceleration, author Robert Colvile argues that speed has become the defining feature of the modern economy, the driving force behind wealth creation in the 21^st century.

The High Net Worth (HNW) marketing space is no exception and here also, the trend is towards speed, automation and algorithms. Some companies now use machine learning and natural language processing to target their HNW marketing. Even HNW financial advice is now being automated by companies looking to stay ahead of the technological curve and increase market share.

Rise of the robots?

The question for those working in the HNW space however is, when will clients hit saturation point and want more of a personal touch?

A recent survey from the CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) Institute found that, contrary to prevailing trends, while 70% of respondents agreed that automation would bring benefits, a majority still preferred some degree of human interaction¹.

Automated marketing can also sometimes find itself on the wrong side of the fine line between mass electronic communications and spam. While approaches based on machine learning and other emergent technologies can be useful in building initial relationships, the simple act of clearing cookies has the potential to reset the system - in effect undoing any relationship and sending a marketing campaign back to square one.

There are also policy dimensions to consider. Recently a whole host of organisations have pulled advertising from YouTube following the discovery that the marketing campaigns into which they have poured a great deal of time, energy and finance, are running alongside extremist videos which have been uploaded to the site². To a large extent governments and policy makers are engaged in a constant game of catch up when it comes to new technologies. For a HNW marketing campaign that finds itself promoted alongside a video glorifying extremist causes however the damage is already done, irrespective of whatever the government policy might be towards managing these issues.

A diverse audience

Another problem posed by the one-size-fits-all approach to HNW marketing is that those who fall into the HNW and Ultra-HNW categories are an increasingly diverse and transnational demographic. There is now a broad spread of HNW individuals, spread both geographically, generationally and socially. Whether it's industrial magnates from China, energy bosses from Russia or 20-something tech entrepreneurs from Silicon Valley, the days when HWN individuals could be easily categorised or understood as a homogeneous mass are long-gone.

The tastes and habits of this group are just as diverse and as a result patterns of luxury consumption are changing. The trend is away from mass produced items and towards individually created and bespoke products. Indeed, as Margaret Wolhunter of luxury brand strategists The Partners has argued: "Luxury can begin for the individual with a special interest which can become a passion - investing which can focus more on craftsmanship, limited editions and one-off items."³

A personal approach

Is there a balance to be struck then between making the most of what new technologies allow when it comes to HNW marketing, while also remembering that those you are targeting are diverse and discerning individuals?

For example, SKS Media has built a business around a granular, one-by-one approach which treats each campaign and each client individually. The focus of each campaign always remains very simple: return on investment. While the trend in HNW marketing is often towards expensive events and brand awareness campaigns, the returns on these significant expenses can often be ephemeral. This is why an established agency remains focused on tangible returns which actually grow a client's business. And while, in a sped-up and interconnected world, this might feel like swimming against the tide, there are growing numbers of people willing to question the narrative that tech is always best. Snapchats recent $29 billion IPO (despite the company having never made a profit) have led many to speculate that we are in the midst of a tech bubble akin to the dot-com bubble of the late 90's.

John Winters, Director at SKS Media's Singapore office, says: "Technology gives anybody working in the HNW marketing space a whole range of exciting tools with which to better develop and reach out to new audiences. The HNW market is increasingly diverse and increasingly global however and this makes it increasingly difficult to develop systems or approaches which can be applied to this audience as a whole.

"The key to HNW marketing is relationships and while working with new technologies needs to be part of the mix for anybody looking to make an impact, there is still a preference in this audience demographic for a more traditional approach focused on ROI, detailed bespoke campaigns and personal attention to relationships.

"Highly targeted campaigns, adapted for a range of mediums from broadcast, direct response, networking, events and digital, usually prove to be the most effective. So, when looking at tech trends and the possibilities they promise, the lesson for HNW marketers has to be, don't not believe all the hype, but take it with a pinch of salt. Or is that silicon?!"

Press release - Cryo Pur, global leader in the production of liquid biomethane, Raises €6m to Finance its Industrial Development

Cryo Pur Raises €6m to Finance its Industrial Development

 

Palaiseau (91), France – May 5^th, 2017 – Two years after its creation and a first fundraising of €3m, Cryo Pur raises an additional €6m, again through the Xerys funds, in order to finance its development. The innovative technology company strengthens its equity and its industrial organization to ready itself for a growing order intake.

 

"This new fundraising will enable us to achieve our main objectives, namely taking orders on the one hand and industrial growth on the other hand," said Denis Clodic, CEO and Founder of Cryo Pur.

"This new fundraising will enable us to achieve our main objectives, namely taking orders on the one hand and industrial growth on the other hand," said Denis Clodic, CEO and Founder of Cryo Pur.

"Cryo Pur aims to be the global leader in the production of liquid biomethane," confirms Denis Clodic, a member of the French Academy of Technology and co-winner of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize for his contributions to the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change). He adds: "Liquid biomethane (bio-LNG) is a completely carbon-free fuel since it is produced from organic waste, and it is easily stored and transportable."

 

Thanks to its technological lead in cryogenics applied to biogas, Cryo Pur is today the only company offering a range of solutions for the following applications:

 

1.       Cryo Fuel: production of bio-LNG fuel from biogas to supply LNG or LCNG stations and LNG or CNG trucks, which are rapidly developing in Europe.

2.       Cryo Dist: production of biomethane from landfill gas, which constitutes a valuable resource, little exploited to date.

3.       Cryo Haul: production of bio-LNG for remote injection into natural gas grids and supply to unconnected industrial sites, enabling numerous agricultural sites far from the grid to embark on biomethane production.

4.       Cryo CO₂: Simultaneous production of biomethane and liquid CO₂ from biogas, which improves the environmental profile of the project while increasing revenue with sales of liquid CO₂ to Cryo Pur partner companies.

 

Cryo Pur masters a unique know-how in the design and operation of cryogenic units, and has 7 patents registered and extended internationally.

 

 Cryo Pur garners commercial success

 

The industrial demonstrator in operation at the SIAAP Waste Water Treatment Plant in Valenton (Paris area), installed in a partnership with SUEZ, has acted as a showcase for the technology, enabling Cryo Pur to convince its first customers to invest in its industrial units, which cost from €2m to €6m per contract. Cryo Pur was quickly spotted by industrial players in the waste and biogas sectors, and has focused its commercial development in Western Europe: France, the United Kingdom, Italy, the Netherlands and Scandinavia.

 

In 2016, Cryo Pur signed its first commercial contract in the United Kingdom. Cryo Pur has also been selected as a turnkey supplier for two agricultural biogas projects in France based on the remote injection model: liquid biomethane produced on an agricultural site is transported by truck to a site connected to the natural gas grid, with a sufficient capacity for year-round biomethane intake.

 

Finally, Cryo Pur is in advanced discussion to launch a project in Italy using biogas from municipal organic waste, as well as several projects with landfill management companies, where the gas requires a specific treatment, including the liquefaction of biomethane.

 

Cryo Pur strengthens its industrial organization

 

Cryo Pur's growth prospects have led the management team to commit dedicated resources for the design and manufacture of industrial units as well as the supervision of subcontractors.

 

Cryo Pur is currently developing a range of units able to treat 100 to 2,000 Nm³/ h of biogas, which represents production rates between approximately 1 and 20 tons of biomethane per day, and allows to cover practically all the opportunities under consideration today.

 

The model of Cryo Pur is based on mastering the detailed design of its units, in particular through its Process and Design teams, and on managing the manufacturing in partnership with sub-contractors specialized in the Oil & Gas industry. This model ensures the control of margins for Cryo Pur, and the reliability of the units for customers.

 

Cryo Pur currently has 25 employees, including 18 dedicated to design.

 

 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

 

 

Legal advisor for Cryo Pur : Cabinet Ventury Avocats.

 

Legal advisor for Xerys funds : Cabinet Bredin Prat.

 

About Cryo Pur 

Cryo Pur specializes in the design, manufacture, installation and maintenance of cryogenic biogas upgrading and biomethane liquefaction systems. With its international team of engineers, researchers and technicians, Cryo Pur is recognized for its scientific excellence and for designing technical solutions with high added value for its customers. Cryo Pur puts technological innovation at the heart of its development. Protected by 7 worldwide patents, the Cryo Pur technology brings concrete answers to the challenges of the biogas sector and pushes the limits of energy efficiency through a state-of-the-art process.

 

Since its creation in May 2015, Cryo Pur has been recognized in particular as winner of the Innovation Trophy at ExpoBiogaz in 2015, Ambassador of French Tech at the COP 21, winner of the "Biogaz d'Argent" at Biogaz Europe in 2016 and winner, with its partners (SUEZ, ENGIE and IVECO), of the "Grand Prix Strategies Logistique" for Sustainable Innovation in 2016.

 

Find out more on www.cryopur.com

 

About Xerys
Xerys is a portfolio management company specialising in private equity with an approach that makes the entrepreneur's vision central to its investment philosophy. Xerys supports a limited number of companies, selected according to a rigorous process for the soundness of their fundamentals, their high growth potential and the qualities of their managers.

Virtual Reality Is the Future of Home Design, Says Interior Design App Planner 5D. Planner 5D, a customizable interior design app, offers virtual reality option; data says virtual reality is on a path to fast growth

 

May 5, 2017. When choosing to design one's home, it's often difficult to imagine what each piece of furniture would look like in reality. A chandelier or an armchair might look impressive separately, but creating an overall harmonious space requires some skill and experience. It often happens that a homeowner suddenly regrets the selected wall paint and has to redo it, or wastes a lot of time and energy to move the new furniture back and forth until the right spot is found.

Fortunately, some new home design apps come with virtual reality option. It's now possible "to step inside" into one's dream house and explore every corner while playing with colors, textures and furniture pieces to find the solution that feels like a true dream interior.

 

According to a new report by Allied Market Research, the global augmented and virtual reality market was valued at $760 million in 2015 and is projected to reach $59,511 million by 2022. While popularized by gaming apps, virtual reality has ventured into real estate field as well. For example, builders claim that virtual reality is the future of home buying – similarly, it looks like it's the future of home design as well.

 

There are home design services – such as Decorilla – that offer virtual design depictions of interior design. Users send pictures of their rooms, which get redesigned by professional designers and can then be viewed through virtual reality goggles. However, people who use these services need to pay a fee for room redesign that ranges from $400 to $1,300, and have to rely on designer's decisions, who will determine how their house will look like.

 

Those who want to design their own homes by themselves and to save money, turn to self-design apps, such as Planner 5D. Virtual reality option makes self-design even easier, since a "walk around" the room gives the feel of the real house with all of its elements.

 

Planner 5D, which has already helped more than 18 million homeowners, architects and renovators to design their new home, office, coffee shop or a restaurant, is simple to use even for complete novices. Users of Planner 5D app simply enter their room dimensions to create their exact floor plan, then choose the furniture from constantly updated catalogues - such as IKEA - and finally, virtually move the furniture around. They can also visualize and adjust various colors, materials and décor details, see designs in 2D and 3D, create renders, and share them with friends or on social media.

Virtual reality option, however, gives an opportunity to see how the designed house will actually look like.  After downloading the app and creating a project, users put in on VR goggles, turn virtual reality mode on and can "step into" their new house.

 

"Planner 5D was one of the first interior design apps that offered an opportunity to create one's own virtual reality," says Alexey Sheremetyev, one of the founders.  "Video games are created by professional designers that take players into their own version of virtual reality. With Planner 5D, people can be create their own home and walk through it with the help of VR. As virtual reality market is growing at a fast pace, we know we have made the right decision to be one the pioneers in this field. In current marketplace, people want to see and feel things, it's not enough to show them designs on computer screens."

To find out more about Planner 5D, please visit the company's website. Virtual reality feature is currently available with its Android app.

 

 

ABOUT PLANNER 5D

 

Originally a startup company founded by Alexey Sheremetyev and Sergey Nosyrev, Planner 5D has a community of over 18 million users with more than 100,000 users daily. It's a free cross-platform application which supports in-app purchases. It can be used on a browser, Android and iOS. The app offers customization of furniture with the ability to change textures, colors and size, a VR tool and creative suggestions for home design. 

PRESS RELEASE - Coolado Introduces Revolutionary Self-Inflating Lounge Bag for Sun, Sea & Beach

The self-inlating LoungeBag that everyone has been waiting for   European design and innovation breathes new life into the inflatables market with a new generation of patented lounge bag with high tech pump and durable new fabric…   Antwerp, Belgium—Coolado's new lightweight, waterproof, airtight and extremely comfortable lounge bag aims to re-invent the inflatables market with a revolutionary pump design—and new lightweight material.   Lounge bags inflated by catching wind were an eye-catcher and a must-have last summer. Yet this inflation method proved rather difficult with embarrassing fails in front of other beachgoers. Sun, sea, beach, ice- cream… and people running hopelessly in circles trying to fill their lounge bag with air. A few bloopers later they generally gave up, covered in sweat, and returned to their beach towels.   The self-inflating lounge bag Coolado puts an end to these embarrassing scenes. It features a new system: a lounge bag with a built-in and dismountable pump which automatically inflates the lounge bag. Inflate / Deflate   Using the pump, you can inflate and deflate the lounge bag in no time at all Spring/Summer Collection '17   The Coolado LoungeBag comes in attractive materials with varied, fashionable prints. The patented pump is specifically designed to be lightweight and super-fast. The pump is the size of a can of soda and, together with the lounge bag, weighs barely two kilograms. This makes the lounge bag easily portable to any location. As an extra benefit, the pump can be removed from the lounge bag to inflate or deflate other mattresses or inflatables. The pump is re-chargeable via USB.   "The built-in pump inflates the lounge bag automatically within 90 seconds', says Christos Koptsidis, co-founder of Coolado. "The pump not only inflates, but it takes away the hassle of deflating as well. With the two extra nozzles we provide, you can also use the pump on inflatables which have not been produced by Coolado."   The Coolado airtight and waterproof lounge bag easily fits two people. Compact and portable, you can take your lounge bag everywhere. Use it on a camping trip, float around on the lake or pool, take it to a festival or create an extra sofa when your family comes for a visit.   Created after pain-staking research, Coolado selected durable material instead of plastic for their inflatables. This material also allowed Coolado to create attractive print designs and colours, turning inflatables into fashionable gadgets.    The Coolado LoungeBag can be found in various fashionable prints on the  crowdfundingplatform Indiegogo: https://igg.me/at/coolado       Find our full press kit on: http://www/coolado.com/contact carlo.n@coolado.com www.coolado.com