Sunday, August 3, 2014

General Cable Reports Second Quarter Results

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - Saturday, August 2nd 2014 [ME NewsWire]

(BUSINESS WIRE)-- General Cable Corporation (NYSE: BGC) reported today results for the second quarter ended June 27, 2014. For the second quarter of 2014, excluding certain items, the Company recorded adjusted income per share of $0.29 and adjusted operating income of $57 million. For the second quarter of 2014, reported loss per share was ($0.51) and reported operating income was $14 million. A reconciliation of adjusted earnings per share to reported loss per share and adjusted operating income to reported operating income is included on page 3 of this press release.

Highlights

    Immediate action taken under the Company’s restructuring program with the announced closure of three manufacturing facilities
    Adjusted operating income of $57 million and adjusted EPS of $0.29 per share were both within management’s guidance range for the second quarter
    Submarine turnkey project business delivered better than expected results as key project milestones were achieved in the second quarter

Gregory B. Kenny, President and Chief Executive Officer, said, “Our restructuring program is off to a fast start as planned. While difficult, we have taken prompt action announcing the closure of the India and Peru greenfield locations in Rest of World (“ROW”) as well as the closure of one manufacturing facility in North America. The closure of these three facilities is expected to generate around $12 million in annual savings and result in one-time pre-tax charges in the range of $50 million including approximately $12 million of cash. Overall, the wire and cable industry has been wading through an uneven and lengthy global economic recovery over the past several years and these actions are important initial steps to improve our profitability and return on invested capital. Our top priority is the execution of our restructuring program while at the same time delivering perfect customer service and capturing market opportunities. We intend to support our important market position in Peru utilizing regional manufacturing facilities. In India, we will maintain a sales team focused on higher value added products such as extra high voltage power cables that we manufacture in France and Thailand.”

Q2 2014 versus Q2 2013 Net sales for the second quarter of 2014 of $1,531 million were down 7% as compared to the second quarter of 2013 on a metal adjusted basis. Global unit volume for the second quarter of 2014 was also down 5% year over year. This decline principally reflects lower shipments of aerial transmission cables and construction products in North America and Latin America as well as the impact of ongoing challenges in Spain and Thailand. As a result of these trends, adjusted operating income for the second quarter of 2014 of $57 million decreased $8 million or 12% from $65 million in the second quarter of 2013 (excluding Venezuela from both periods). Partially offsetting these trends were adjusted operating results in Europe & Med which were up year over year primarily due to the performance of the Company’s submarine turnkey project business.

Q2 2014 versus Q1 2014 Net sales for the second quarter of 2014 increased 8% as compared to the first quarter of 2014 as global unit volume increased 3% principally due to seasonal demand patterns. Excluding Venezuela, adjusted operating income for the second quarter of 2014 increased $34 million or 148% from the first quarter of 2014 principally due to seasonal demand trends as well as the strong performance of the Company’s submarine turnkey project business which helped to offset the impact of selling higher average cost inventory into a lower cost metal environment and ongoing challenges in Spain and Thailand.

Other income Other income was $4 million in the second quarter of 2014, which principally reflects gains of $4 million due to the remeasurement of the local balance sheet in Venezuela as the SICAD I rate appreciated slightly during the second quarter. Excluding the impact of Venezuela, mark to market gains of $4 million on derivative instruments accounted for as economic hedges which are used to manage currency and commodity risk principally on the Company’s project business globally were offset by foreign currency transaction losses of $4 million.

Liquidity Net debt was $1,256 million at the end of the second quarter of 2014, an increase of $104 million from the end of the first quarter of 2014. The increase in net debt is principally the result of normal seasonal trends as the Company funded higher working capital requirements in the second quarter of 2014. The Company continues to maintain adequate liquidity to fund operations, internal growth, and continuing product expansion opportunities.

The Company’s share repurchase authorization remains at $75 million under its current program as the Company did not repurchase any shares during the second quarter. The Company may utilize this authorization in the context of economic conditions as well as the then prevailing market price of the common stock of the Company, regulatory requirements, financial covenants and alternative deployments of capital.

Full Year 2014 and Third Quarter Outlook excluding Venezuela Management reconfirms its outlook for adjusted operating income for 2014 in the range of $200 to $230 million, which excludes the impact of Venezuela. Global unit volume is expected to be flat to down low single digits year over year due to the lack of consistent momentum in utility and construction spending in North America and Latin America as well as ongoing challenges in Spain and Thailand. The Company expects to generate $135 to $165 million of operating cash flow in 2014 with capital spending below depreciation. The revised operating cash flow outlook principally reflects funding higher working capital for 2014. The Company’s full year and third quarter outlook assumes copper (COMEX) and aluminum (LME) prices of $3.21 and $0.90, respectively. Management expects the business in Venezuela to generate $0 to $10 million in pre-tax income for the full year.

Revenues in the third quarter are expected to be in the range of $1.5 to $1.55 billion as volume is anticipated to increase in the low single digit range sequentially. The Company anticipates adjusted operating income to be in the range of $60 to $75 million as the burden of selling higher average cost inventory subsides due to the relatively higher metal price environment. This expected result, at the midpoint, represents an improvement in adjusted operating income for the third quarter of 2014 of 52% as compared to the third quarter of 2013. Adjusted earnings per share are expected to be in the range of $0.35 to $0.55 per share. The third quarter outlook does not include the impact of Venezuela.

To view the full release including the table, please click here

Contacts

General Cable Corporation

Len Texter, Vice President, Investor Relations, 859-572-8684









Permalink: http://www.me-newswire.net/news/11782/en

Xignite, Wealthfront and Independent Research Firm Analyst Address the Automated Investment Service Revolution

FinTech Webinar Examines Wealth Management Technology Trends

SAN MATEO, Calif. - Thursday, July 31st 2014 [ME NewsWire]
(BUSINESS WIRE) Leaders from major financial technology start-up companies Xignite and Wealthfront, join guest speaker Bill Doyle, Vice President and Principal Analyst at Forrester Research, Inc., to provide their insights into a new digital era, which is revolutionizing the wealth management sector and challenging traditional wealth management advisory models.
In a webcast, now available, Stephane Dubois, CEO and Founder of Silicon Valley-based financial cloud-based market data provider Xignite; guest speaker Bill Doyle, Vice President and Principal Analyst at Forrester Research, Inc.; and Andy Rachleff, Executive Chairman of Wealthfront, an automated investment service provider, examine and discuss the key technological drivers that are making this revolution possible and provide their views on the future for the wealth management industry.
The financial services industry has undergone significant changes in the last twenty years with the proliferation of digital technologies that have made traditional bank branches and models of service almost obsolete. These developments have set the stage for the arrival of new FinTech companies entering the wealth management space, who are challenging the status quo by better serving the needs of wealth management customers through delivering advice and information using technology.
Millennials as a generation are digitally savvy and have more than $2 trillion in investable assets, a number that is expected to rise to $7 trillion over the next five years. This is creating market opportunities for FinTech standouts such as Wealthfront, who are providing their own online wealth management advice platforms which deliver information and advice through the digital channels.
According to Rachleff, the growing investor appetite of Millennials, coupled with their comfort with digital channels and the rapid technological improvements such as more usable software and more efficient information delivery have created the perfect set of factors for revolutionizing the wealth management and advice space.
“One of the biggest drivers of the changes we are seeing in wealth management has been availability of data. In order to rapidly innovate in today’s competitive market, you need access to data,” said Rachleff.
“Companies like Xignite are fueling the wealth management technology disruption by providing start-ups with easy-to-integrate and affordable data that is delivered using financial data APIs. This has enabled companies like Wealthfront to access information electronically, which has significantly reduced costs. Ultimately, up and coming start-ups now have access to information traditionally they could not afford.”
“Market data is the lifeblood of FinTech and firms rely on the flow of data coming in from the market in order to build a business,” said Dubois. “At Xignite, we demystify the world of market data and make it affordable to the broader marketplace. Driven by client demand, the wealth management digital revolution is an extremely popular business vertical and we are pleased to be driving the innovation through our scalable offering.”
Key insights into the Wealth Management Digital Revolution are available on a webcast. The panelists discuss a variety of trends rapidly evolving in this space, including:
Why Venture Capitalists are pumping money into FinTech
What Millennials expect from an investment service
The technologies that enabled Wealthfront - ETFs & data APIs
What FinTech startups need to know about market data


Contacts
Xignite
Kerry Langstaff, 650-242-4466
klangstaff@xignite.com




Permalink: http://me-newswire.net/news/11764/en

Evie Roos to Head Human Resources at SES

LUXEMBOURG. - Friday, August 1st 2014 [ME NewsWire]

(BUSINESS WIRE) SES (NYSE Paris:SESG) (LuxX:SESG) announced today that it has appointed Evie Roos as the company’s Executive Vice President, Human Resources. Evie succeeds Grace de Latour who leaves SES to take on new challenges in the US.

Evie joined SES in January 2013, providing strategic and operational services worldwide for employee-related areas such as recruitment, performance management, organisational structuring, HR policies and processes, and people management consultancy.

She joined SES from the steel and mining company ArcelorMittal, where she held several positions of responsibility over a twenty-year period, first within the Legal and later within the Human Resources department.

Follow us on:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SES_Satellites

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SES.YourSatelliteCompany

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/SESVideoChannel

Blog: http://en.ses.com/4243715/blog

SES Pictures are available under https://extranet.ses.com/18706236/pictures

About SES

SES is a world-leading satellite operator with a fleet of more than 50 geostationary satellites. The company provides satellite communications services to broadcasters, content and internet service providers, mobile and fixed network operators and business and governmental organisations worldwide.

SES stands for long-lasting business relationships, high-quality service and excellence in the broadcasting industry. The culturally diverse regional teams of SES are located around the globe and work closely with customers to meet their specific satellite bandwidth and service requirements.

SES (NYSE Paris:SESG) (LuxX:SESG) holds participations in Ciel in Canada and QuetzSat in Mexico, as well as a strategic participation in satellite infrastructure start-up O3b Networks. Further information under: www.ses.com.

Contacts
SES Communications
Markus Payer
Tel : +352 710 725 500
Markus.Payer@ses.com









Permalink: http://me-newswire.net/news/11772/en

GSMA Welcomes Outcome of ITU Meeting to Support New Spectrum Bands for Mobile Broadband

LONDON. - Friday, August 1st 2014 [ME NewsWire]

(BUSINESS WIRE) Tom Phillips, Chief Regulatory Officer, GSMA, offered the following statement regarding the outcome of the International Telecommunication Union’s (ITU) Joint Task Group meeting in Geneva:

“At a critical ITU meeting in Geneva yesterday, governments across the globe agreed to put forward for detailed discussion a number of new spectrum bands for use by mobile broadband services. While a final decision will not be taken until the World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC) in November 2015, the GSMA welcomes the news that the full range of new spectrum bands supported by the mobile industry remain potential solutions to meet the growing demand of consumers globally for mobile data.

“Extensive technical analysis has been carried out by governments, industry and international organisations to support the allocation of new spectrum for mobile broadband services. New, harmonised spectrum is vital to ensure that mobile networks can cope with the exponential growth in data traffic that we are witnessing today and for the future delivery of affordable and ubiquitous mobile broadband coverage.

“Importantly, the rapid expansion of mobile technology is transforming economic opportunity around the world. Today, the mobile industry generates, directly and indirectly, 3.6 per cent of global GDP (equivalent to US $2.4 trillion) and 10.5 million jobs and this contribution is expected to rise to 5.1 per cent of GDP and 15.4 million jobs by 20201.

“The decisions made at the WRC in 2015 will have a direct impact on the ability of all the world’s citizens to benefit from access to the Internet. As mobile will be the way that the Internet is accessed for the majority of those currently unconnected, the allocation of new spectrum for the mobile Internet is therefore critical.”

Notes to Editors

Find out more about the GSMA’s Spectrum4All campaign at http://www.gsma.com/spectrum/spectrum4all/.

1 Source: GSMA The Mobile Economy 2014: http://www.gsmamobileeconomy.com/

About the GSMA

The GSMA represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide. Spanning more than 220 countries, the GSMA unites nearly 800 of the world’s mobile operators with 250 companies in the broader mobile ecosystem, including handset and device makers, software companies, equipment providers and Internet companies, as well as organisations in industry sectors such as financial services, healthcare, media, transport and utilities. The GSMA also produces industry-leading events such as Mobile World Congress and Mobile Asia Expo.

For more information, please visit the GSMA corporate website at www.gsma.com. Follow the GSMA on Twitter: @GSMA.

Contacts

For the GSMA

Elli Karagiorgas (London)

+44 (0)7867 652 754

elli.karagiorgas@webershandwick.com



GSMA Press Office

pressoffice@gsma.com

Panasonic Expands Relationship with Hendrick Motorsports

OSAKA, Japan. - Friday, August 1st 2014 [ME NewsWire]

(BUSINESS WIRE) Panasonic has expanded its relationship with Hendrick Motorsports with a new multi-year agreement that includes primary sponsorship of the No. 24 team of four-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion and current points leader Jeff Gordon. Panasonic will be featured as a primary sponsor of the No. 24 team in two Sprint Cup races annually and as an associate-level partner in all other events. It will mark the first on-car branding for Panasonic since joining Hendrick Motorsports as a technology partner in 2007. The agreement covers the 2014, 2015 and 2016 NASCAR seasons.

[Video] Panasonic Solar and Toughbook Driving the Revolution at Sonoma Raceway http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phctlr1mPCA

Gordon's No. 24 Panasonic Chevrolet SS debuted on June 22nd at California's Sonoma Raceway and will again appear Aug. 31 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Panasonic's Toughbook brand will be featured on the car's quarter panels at Sonoma.

"To maximize the value of a NASCAR sponsorship, you need to partner with proven teams and drivers that exemplify your brand," said Rance Poehler, president, Panasonic System Communications Company of North America. "Hendrick Motorsports and Jeff Gordon have a record of excellence that is a perfect fit for Panasonic and its Toughbook brand. We've been a technology partner of Hendrick Motorsports for many years, and as our business evolves to solutions and deeper partnerships with our customers, it is an excellent time to extend our relationship from behind the scenes to the car on the track."

[Video] Toughbook at NASCAR http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcDndAM8qy4

Panasonic Toughbook computers play a key role in racing operations. “Once we brought the Panasonic Toughbooks into our business, the crew chief and the engineers right away said, we love this product,” said Chris Newsome, Infrastructure Manager IT & Facilities, Hendrick Motorsports. “We depend on Panasonic,” added Newsome. Hendrick Motorsports also currently utilizes Panasonic technology throughout its Concord facility, including professional camcorders, professional flat panel displays, televisions, digital signage and projection units. The team also uses Panasonic's professional video products to support its in-house video production capabilities. Panasonic will leverage the partnership to promote technology solutions and products for business.

[Video] Panasonic Solar at Sonoma http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORJuXRRqbS0

Panasonic has already helped Sonoma Raceway, where the Panasonic Chevrolet SS made its debut, to reduce its environmental impact by installing a Solar Power Generating System that supplies approximately 40% of the circuit's power needs.

"Panasonic has a combination of world-class people and products," said Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports. "We use their technology across the organization, and it provides the best possible tools in every area, from competition to marketing to IT. To have them see more opportunities for their business and want to grow the relationship sends a very positive message."

Gordon, 42, who grew up in nearby Vallejo, California, is one of the most accomplished drivers in NASCAR history, posting a record five Sprint Cup wins at Sonoma Raceway. He is a four-time Sprint Cup champion, and his 89 victories rank third on the all-time wins list. In 15 races this season, he has posted one victory, five top-five finishes and a series-best 11 top-10 finishes. "We're looking forward to working with Panasonic in a new way, and I can't think of a better place for their debut with the No. 24 team," said Gordon before the race in Sonoma. "This is the next step in what's already been a successful partnership, and it's going to be fun to take it to another level. We hope to kick it off with a win this weekend for Panasonic and Toughbook."

Related Links: See More Photos - Panasonic at Sonoma Raceway https://plus.google.com/photos/+Panasonic/albums/6039638001175118321 Panasonic AV Solutions - Panasonic USA http://www.panasonic.com/business/pesna/av-solutions/industries/sports.aspx Toughbook http://www.panasonic.com/business/toughpad/us/case-study/hendrick-motorsports.asp Hendrick Motorsports http://www.hendrickmotorsports.com/ Follow the action on Twitter @JeffGordonWeb https://twitter.com/JeffGordonWeb

Panasonic News Portal: http://news.panasonic.net

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=50916524&lang=en

Contacts

Contacts

Panasonic Corporation

Global Communication Group

Public Relations Office

+81-3-3574-5729

presscontact@ml.jp.panasonic.com









Permalink: http://me-newswire.net/news/11774/en

eASIC Passes Milestone of Shipping It’s Ten Millionth ASIC

Ten Millionth ASIC Shipped Demonstrates A Growing Need For A Fast Time to Market and Low Cost Silicon Customization Product

SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Thursday, July 31st 2014 [ME NewsWire]
(BUSINESS WIRE)-- eASIC Corporation, a leading provider of Single Mask Adaptable ASIC™ devices today announced that it has shipped over ten million chips to date. The majority of the shipments are utilized in some of the fastest growing and dynamic markets. eASIC chips can be found in a variety of applications such as NAND Flash controllers, LTE and 3G radio heads, mobile wireless backhaul systems plus many others.
“eASIC has become the go-to provider for fast time to market, cost effective, mass customization ASIC devices,” said Ronnie Vasishta, President and CEO of eASIC. “This milestone demonstrates that the need for our product has been building quickly and continues to expand deeply and broadly. The alternatives that have been around for over two decades, ASIC and FPGA are no longer able to meet the needs for many high growth applications.”
"Power and performance are key constraints for many of today's fastest-growing electronics markets. Cloud storage, wireless infrastructure and solid-state/hybrid hard drives and other applications need to balance these attributes against total cost-of-ownership and time to market, often a very challenging high-wire act,” said Jordan Selburn, Senior Principal Analyst at IHS. "In these type of systems, structured ASICs are increasingly able to provide an optimal combination of qualities outside the reach of silicon architectures such as FPGAs."
About eASIC
eASIC is a fabless semiconductor company offering breakthrough single mask ASIC devices aimed at dramatically reducing the overall cost and time-to-production of customized semiconductor devices. Low-cost, high-performance and fast-turn ASIC and System-on-Chip designs are enabled through patented technology utilizing Via-layer customizable routing. This innovative fabric allows eASIC to offer a new generation of ASICs with significantly lower up-front costs than traditional ASICs.
Privately held eASIC Corporation is headquartered in Santa Clara, California. Investors include Khosla Ventures, Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers (KPCB), Crescendo Ventures, Seagate Technology and Evergreen Partners. For more information on eASIC please visit www.easic.com.
eASIC is a trademark of eASIC Corporation and registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, statements related to eASIC’s future sales and distribution of its single mask ASIC devices. Works such as “expects” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based upon eASIC’s current expectations. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties. The company’s actual results and the timing of events could differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements as a result of these risks and uncertainties, which include, without limitation, economic conditions, customer business environment and inventory levels, government and technological factors outside of our control, adoption and roll-out of products, risks related to ability to capitalize on growth opportunities and markets, risks related to our ability to manage our growth and other risks that may cause our business, industry, strategy or actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements. eASIC expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements contained herein.

Contacts
eASIC Corporation
Jasbinder Bhoot, 408-855-9200
jazz@easic.com




Permalink: http://me-newswire.net/news/11768/en

Panasonic's Healthcare Solutions Streamline Medical Treatment

International Modern Hospital Show 2014

OSAKA, Japan - Friday, August 1st 2014 [ME NewsWire]

(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Under the theme of "Providing optimal healthcare for each individual," Panasonic Healthcare Co., Ltd. showcased its latest solutions at the International Modern Hospital Show 2014, which was held at the Tokyo Big Sight from July 16 to 18. An extensive range of solutions was on display in five zones: Hospital, Clinic, Home Care, Pharmacy, and Healthcare.

[Video] Panasonic's medical IT solutions help push the frontiers of healthcare http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phidbZhePTw

Overview of the Exhibited Solutions:

Newly-evolved Automatic Tablet Counting and Packaging Machines, and Medicine Audit Support System

Panasonic also showcased its Automatic Tablet Counting and Packaging Machines, sold overseas, for use by pharmaceutical departments. After receiving information about prescriptions from the electronic medical chart, the system sorts and packages the prescribed medicine, and the Medicine Audit Support System automatically double-checks the dispensed medication. The Automatic Tablet Counting and Dispensing System recognizes IC chips in the tablet cases and minimizes the chance of human error.

Automatic Tablet Counting and Packaging Machines http://panasonic.net/healthcare/biomedical/dispensary/

Healthcare Notebook service for pharmacies

The recently introduced "Healthcare Notebook" service enables patients to photograph and send prescriptions they received at the hospital to registered pharmacies using a free app, so they won't have to wait as long at the pharmacy. Patients will also be able to keep a log of all the medication they are taking or have taken, and an alarm will remind them that it's time to take their medicine. With this service, pharmacies can raise their level of service, acquire new customers, and improve efficiency. It will roll out in approximately 500 pharmacies of the Sogo Medical Co., Ltd. nationwide. The number of pharmacies offering the service will then continue to increase.

*Initially, the service will only be available in Japan.

Healthcare Notebook service for pharmacies (only in Japanese) http://panasonic.co.jp/news/topics/2014/124623.html

Electronic medical chart system, Medicom-HR III, for clinics

Panasonic also offers the Medicom-HR III as a solution for clinics. Its hard copy-like usability and excellent customer support have received excellent feedback. From electronic medical charts to administrative medical computers, a medical image archiving system, and tablet device connectivity, Panasonic offers a wide range of solutions for managing medical information.

*Initially, the service will only be available in Japan.

Medicom-HR III (only in Japanese) http://panasonic.biz/healthcare/medicom/mchr/

Panasonic Healthcare will continue to propose unique solutions that take advantage of its medical IT systems to better "link diagnosis and treatment," "utilize medical information," and "support drug research and development." By "Providing optimal healthcare for each individual," these activities are drawing widespread attention.

Related Links: Panasonic Healthcare Holdings Co., Ltd. http://panasonic.net/corporate/segments/phc/index.html Panasonic Healthcare Product http://panasonic.net/healthcare/

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=50915182&lang=en

Contacts

Panasonic Corporation

Global Communication Group

Public Relations Office

+81-3-3574-5729

presscontact@ml.jp.panasonic.com









Permalink: http://www.me-newswire.net/news/11771/en