Month: April 2022

Irish tech firm Replan launches revolutionary supply chain planning software following £2m investment boost

Ground-breaking solution leverages AI modelling to streamline complex supply chains

Supply chain technology company, Replan, today announced a £2m investment round, led by Hoxton Ventures, the top early-stage venture firm in London, to support the launch of a transformative new production planning software for manufacturers. The tool is the first of its kind to combine dynamic production sequences with mid-term group level planning, empowering companies to navigate and respond to increasing supply chain disruption.

The funding is the latest in over £5m raised to-date by the company and will support ongoing product development and market growth in the UK and Europe, as well as future expansion into North America.  Replan was cherry picked by investors for its potential for fast growth and innovative technology that promises to revolutionise complex supply chain planning with pre-configured AI and advanced analytics.

Supply chain leaders will now be able to transform and scale production planning with a solution that rapidly automates and evaluates multiple scenarios, helping manufacturers to reduce cost, increase efficiency, and respond to disruption faster. The software enables planners to generate complex production sequencing in minutes, automatically applying the right AI algorithm to gain full control over demand forecasting and supply chain planning.

Replan

Hussein Kanji, Partner, Hoxton Ventures comments: “Replan’s technology is key to keeping the manufacturing supply chain efficient and moving. The company is tackling critical planning challenges that went largely unaddressed before Covid, but that cause costs and delays for manufacturers.”

The launch comes as supply chains continue to experience disruption due to the pandemic, supply shortages and geopolitical unrest. With the volume and velocity of change exposing critical technology and processing problems at the heart of supply chains, manufacturers are increasingly seeking to leverage digital transformation to transform and scale production planning and meet business and sustainability goals.

Richie Barter, CEO at Replan, adds: “Replan embeds cutting-edge AI modelling and optimisation capabilities within a modern, intuitive user interface to shake up the status quo and revolutionise supply chain planning. The software can streamline even the most complex production plans, helping manufacturers to improve operational efficiency and build more agile and resilient supply chains.”

 

More information about Replan can be found here.

YouTubers Tycer, Sqaishey and Tomo announced for @MineVention 2022

YouTube stars Tycer, Sqaishey and Tomo aka Tomohawk, have been announced as specials guests at MineVention – the ultimate event for Irish Minecraft fans. The two-day convention will take place at City North Hotel, Gormanstown, County Meath, on Saturday, 22nd and Sunday, 23rd of October 2022.

Launched in 2014, MineVention brings together fans of the popular computer game, with activities such as build battles, on-stage challenges, educational talks and panel discussions with creators, tournaments and costume competitions. The event will also welcome leading Minecraft YouTube stars for free meet and greet opportunities with fans.

Postponed for two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic, MineVention 2022 will include a sensory-friendly session on the morning of Sunday, 23rd October to cater for children and families who need it.

 Speaking at the launch of this year’s event, Lisa O’Brien, founder of MineVention, said: “It’s such a thrill to be bringing MineVention back this year and to welcome Irish Minecraft fans back to an in-person convention after several years of lockdowns and restrictions.

“When we launched our first event in Galway in 2014, tickets sold out in just nine hours and year-on-year it gets more popular. We’re hoping to welcome first-time visitors or new fans of Minecraft who have perhaps only discovered the game during the last couple of years.

“In terms of what fans can expect this year, we’ve listened to families by introduced morning and afternoon sessions to accommodate those who might be travelling from further afield. Each session will be jam-packed with activities and opportunities to meet our YouTube stars, and we’ll be announcing more exciting additions to the line-up over the coming months so keep an eye on our social media channels!”

MineVention 2022 techbuzzireland

Confirmed for the October event, YouTube star Tycer said: “It’s fantastic to see MineVention return, and I can’t wait to come and meet Irish Minecraft fans! The Minecraft community has grown and grown, especially over the last few years when so many of us have had to rely on online games to connect with friends. It’s great to be getting back on the road to meet everyone face to face!”

Founded by mum-of-three Lisa O’Brien, O’Brien Event Promotions has welcomed over 65,000 people to MineVention events and workshops across Ireland, United Kingdom, Dubai and USA since the first convention in Galway in 2014 which sold out in just 9 hours.

 Tickets for MineVention are on sale now from €15 and are available at: www.minevention.com.

Tech Review – PixelCable – World’s First App Controlled Fast Charging Cable with Smart Display

Cables are boring right? Yes.. Different colours sizes shapes and sizes you plug them in and the job is done you think nothing more of it and they are replaced quite often especially if you cheap from euro shops and garages and so on and get shafted in garages especially because they no you have no other option and in most cases they are an emergency purchase….

Pay cheap pay twice is the saying but cables have improved greatly over the years and you can get some pretty good ones know that can even tow cars, not that you would it is the case.. But you might ask what is different about this one and in short everything really but this might not be for everyone and then again it could be, your cable can actually display something and send a message and not only that it can alert you if there is an issue, even more there is an app for and iOS that allows you to customize the display.. Yes it is possible, it might be trivial to some or seen as a gimmick.

We have had the cable here in for some time before the launch and have checked it out and it is a pretty cool idea and makes the poor old cable a non boring asset at your disposal, check out or video review below and more about the product..

See more on Kickstarter here and check our video out for a free protective case.

Buy here

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Nokia to exit the Russian market

Nokia is the latest telco to exit the Russian market.

Espoo, Finland – It has been clear for Nokia since the early days of the invasion of Ukraine that continuing our presence in Russia would not be possible. Over the last weeks we have suspended deliveries, stopped new business and are moving our limited R&D activities out of Russia. We can now announce we will exit the Russian market. During this process our priority continues to be the safety and wellbeing of our employees.

For humanitarian reasons, Western governments have expressed concerns about the risk of critical telecommunication network infrastructure in Russia failing. They have also emphasized the importance of ensuring the continued flow of information and access to the internet which provides outside perspectives to the Russian people. Therefore, as we exit we will aim to provide the necessary support to maintain the networks and are applying for the relevant licenses to enable this support in compliance with current sanctions.

This is the most responsible course of action for Nokia to take as we exit the Russian market.

Regarding the financial impact of the decision, Russia accounted for less than 2% of our net sales in 2021. Considering the strong demand we see in other regions – we do not expect this decision to impact our ability to achieve our 2022 outlook provided in the Nokia financial report for Q4 and full year 2021 issued on 3 February 2022. We expect this decision to lead to a provision in Q1 of approximately €100m which will impact our reported but not comparable financials.

 

 

GrowCube：A smart watering kit grows your plants like a pro, now on Kickstarter and First Look

GrowCube is the world’s first smart watering product based on four independent soil moisture sensors and water outlets, combined with exclusive APP, aiming to provide professional and easy watering methods for gardeners. It would water plants automatically once it sensors its lacking water in soil. It would be best choice for those who have no time for watering plants because of business, travel or busy work, it is also a smart plant guider for those who are new to grow plants.

Every now and then, a design comes along that revolutionizes the convenience of people’s daily life. Elecrow, a well-known technology company located in Shenzhen, China, is launching GrowCube on Kickstarter, the largest crowdfunding platform in the world. GrowCube is the world’s super smart automatic watering device based on four independent soil moisture sensors and water outlets. Combined with an exclusive APP, it aims to provide professional and simple watering methods for friends who enjoy growing plants.

“More and more people are talking about the importance of protecting nature on a global scale, while ignoring the indoor plants in front of them. Since about ten years ago I have grown a lot of plants in the balcony and living room. I think these plants make my home look more like a home. Now Millennials and Gen Z also love caring for indoor plants, why do we have so damn many? I think that is the meaning of plants as the sign of love and life. While every home gardener wants to grow healthy and beautiful plants, watering is not as easy as it seems. When we realized there was a huge demand for meticulous watering of plants, my team and I wanted to make a consumer product to lower the bar for smart gardening watering, now GrowCube is meeting you on Kickstarter! Whether you’re a plant killer or a busy professional, GrowCube is the best helper for watering your plants!” Elecrow Co-Founder – Richard.

How It Works

GrowCube Obtains soil moisture data for plant growth in real-time by reliable soil moisture sensors, combined with the APP which contains over 3000 kinds of plants growth humidity guidance data, keeping a comfortable growth moisture environment for variety of plants.

The Charm Behind GrowCube

Most of the watering products on the market are based on manual or timed quantitative mode, but GrowCube has added a smart mode creatively on this basis, which can simultaneously meet the refined watering needs of multiple pots of different plants. GrowCube knows exactly when your plants are thirsty, how much water they need to drink, and waters them accordingly.

1.5L large water tank and external water supply design enable GrowCube to meet the large-volume watering need over long time. Whether you travel a lot, work overtime or go on vacation, GrowCube can take good care of your plants no matter where you are.

With the aid of sensor magnetic plug-and-play interface design, GrowCube is easy to use. Simple and stylish appearance matches the watering scenarios in office, home and many other places. In addition to personal use, GrowCube is also a good gift for parents, wife, or friends. We’re proud to announce that the world’s super smart plant watering product is ready, GrowCube will be your best plant care assistant!

We have this here in house now and we are now working on our full hands on review so stay tuned for that soon and if you have any questions feel free to ask. Check out our first look and unboxing below and be sure to support Elecrow in the link below

 

About Elecrow

Elecrow, which started from open source hardware and gradually focused on the incubation of innovative and entrepreneurial products, has achieved great success in the previous three crowdfunding activities held on Kickstarter before. Now GrowCube—A revolutionary smart watering product, is now on Kickstarter and gains more popularity than expected! Go ahead to get the first ever super early bird price!

 

For more information about GrowCube, please visit the official website of Elecrow https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/elecrow/growcube-a-smart-watering-kit-grows-your-plants-like-a-pro

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What Are the Main Features of a Gaming PC?

Today gaming PCs come in various shapes and sizes. You can find small PCs such as the MSI Trident X, Midsize PCs such as the AVADirect Avant, and colossal gaming PCs such as the Origin Millenium. Small PCs are inconspicuous and can be placed where large PCs can’t.

They are perfect for gamers who don’t have large tabletops that can fit larger systems. However, having a small PC can limit any future customizations you’d want to make to the unit. For instance, small PCs don’t have excellent cooling systems, and it can be hard to change this.

Midsize gaming PCs are the most preferred because they strike a balance on size and processing power. They are small enough to be placed on a tabletop but still big enough to be fitted with extra bits such as better cooling and more processing power.

A gaming PC is a substantial investment; therefore, you need to treat it with the utmost importance. From the processing speed to the storage space, there are a lot of considerations. This review will give you a breakdown of the most important features of a gaming PC.

The Main Features of a Gaming PC Include:

A Good Processor

When buying a gaming PC, the CPU is one of the first specs to consider. You need a CPU that can handle games and software superbly. Gaming PCs work online primarily, and they need heavy antimalware software. But worry not, it’s easy to download best antivirus for Mac gaming PC. An antivirus helps prevent hackers from taking over your gaming rig. It will also prevent your PC from lagging due to overclocking its speed.

The processor core is vital in gaming PCs, and the options vary from a mere two to sixteen. For a gaming PC, the lowest you should go is a four-core chip. However, six-core chips have become affordable, and you can try one such as the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X.

If you intend to use the gaming PC for some other high-power functions, such as editing, you need to consider getting a gaming PC with an 8-core processor. This comes in handy when you are running heavy software such as Final Cut Pro.

Enough RAM

For your gaming PC to run smoothly, it’s vital to have adequate RAM, but you don’t need to go overboard. A proper gaming PC should have at least 8GB of RAM, which is sufficient to handle most games and other software. 

While you can have more RAM, it won’t certainly increase the PC’s performance. It will enable you to run more apps concurrently, but your machine will be relatively slower if you don’t have a dedicated video RAM (VRAM). Gamers will opt for more memory when they are overclocking.

A Dedicated GPU (Graphics Processing Unit)

The single most crucial element that sets gaming PCs apart is having a dedicated GPU. A sound graphics card gives you a lot of gaming performance boost, and you should stay away from cheap graphics cards.

If you’re building yourself a gaming rig, about a third of the budget should be towards getting a good graphics card such as the NVidia GTX 960. This graphics card strikes a good balance between performance and price. 

While you can still buy a cheap graphics card, you will notice that performance isn’t excellent. On the other hand, if you want to run VR (virtual reality) games on your rig, you should have a graphics card such as the NVidia GTX 1070.

Cooling

Cooling isn’t directly connected to good performance, but having a good cooling system can improve your gaming experience. But if you don’t mind overclocking or the massive noise levels, you don’t need to invest in a better cooling system.

If you want pin-drop silence from your rig, getting a better cooling system is vital. Air cooling is affordable and efficient enough to cool your rig, but if you want a cooling unit that looks good and, at the same time, works great, you need a water-cooling system.

Motherboard

The motherboard is responsible for integrating all components of your gaming PC. You shouldn’t buy a cheap motherboard, and at the same time, you shouldn’t break the bank. The motherboard consists of chipsets and sockets. 

You need to ensure your processor fits into the sockets, if you’re building your own rig but if you’re buying a pre-built one no need to concern yourself with this. With regard to the chipsets, there is a lot to consider—the most vital being whether you want to overclock your CPU or not.

Final Thought

All in all, when buying or building yourself a gaming PC, you need to strike a balance on all the features illustrated above. You need to know what you want the gaming experience to be like and then work around your objectives to get a good rig that satisfies you.

Square Introduces the Next Generation of Square Stand

Today, Square unveils the next generation of Square Stand, the company’s iconic countertop device that turns an iPad into a powerful, robust point of sale system that sellers can use to run their entire business. Launching concurrently in all of Square’s eight global markets, Square Stand features integrated contactless and Chip and PIN payments technology, a sleek, professional design, and a new checkout flow that provides businesses and their customers with a more intuitive, transparent, and streamlined commerce experience.

The reimagined Square Stand offers businesses the most affordable, comprehensive, and easy-to-use device for conducting commerce. Square Stand combines Square’s point of sale software and hardware into one complete solution, enabling sellers to take in-person payments and manage ecommerce sales, deliveries, and buy online, pick-up in-store orders from a single place. Retaining the classic swivel design of its predecessor, the new Stand now integrates Square’s lightning-fast contactless and chip card readers into the display, helping sellers simplify their countertops and keep their lines moving while eliminating the need for additional payments hardware. In 2021, contactless and Chip and PIN payments made up 98% of global cashless hardware transactions on Square’s fully integrated payments devices*, meaning these new capabilities help sellers accept now-standard payments right out of the box.

The new Square Stand also transforms the buyer experience. New software for Square Stand creates a faster, more transparent checkout process that includes an order summary screen and illuminated payment icons on the face of the device to guide customer transactions and speed up purchases. These additions provide sellers and shoppers with the benefits of a customer display without the need for a second screen.

“Our experience with the new Square Stand has been excellent” said Dee Kelly, Founder of Gralinn – one of the first businesses to test the new product. “It offers us a clear, concise layout for our business. Our staff appreciate the intuitive checkout system while the customers have responded well to the clear user face on the screen when they come to make their purchase. The connectivity and navigation is also particularly fast and responsive which helps us to avoid queues and ensures we never miss a sale.”

“The way businesses and shoppers interact around the world has evolved exponentially in the time since we first launched our original Square Stand,” said Alyssa Henry, Head of Square. “The new Stand was built with the future of commerce in mind. Marrying elegant design with powerful software, Square Stand provides sellers of any size, from boutique retailers to multi-location restaurants, with a versatile command centre for their business. Square Stand offers sellers an integrated way to meet the purchasing preferences of today’s consumers.”

As Square’s innovative ecosystem of solutions has grown, so has Square Stand’s ability to serve sellers as a singular device to manage all of their operations. In addition to supporting Square’s vertical point of sale offerings, which include Square for Restaurants and Square for Retail, sellers can use Square Stand for all their employee management needs, including time tracking, shift scheduling, and tip management. Additional solutions like marketing, loyalty, inventory, and omnichannel commerce tools are also readily available from the Square Stand.

Introduced in 2013, the original Square Stand was a transformational iPad point of sale system, giving merchants a way to take payments and access business insights and analytics, all from one place. Square Stand remains popular amongst sellers of all sizes and serves as a common entry point for new businesses joining the Square ecosystem.

Beginning today, the new Square Stand will be available online at Square shop. Starting at €119 +VAT. Square Stand is compatible with the iPad (2021, 2020, 2019), iPad Air (2019), and iPad Pro 10.5”. Sellers pay one transparent rate for every contactless or Chip and PIN transaction, with no hidden fees or long-term contracts, and free access to the Square POS app. For more information, please visit https://squareup.com/ie/en/hardware/stand.

MGS Manufacturing Ltd, one to watch as it announces €7m investment in Co. Kildare facility

MGS’s ambitious expansion plans for its Leixlip plant in Kildare were announced today by Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Leo Varadkar.

MGS Manufacturing’s plans are being driven by the company’s continued success and growth within the healthcare sector.  Focusing on the manufacture of high precision medical device components has expedited the company’s growth over the past number of years.

The €7m investment will see a 20,000ft extension to the plant located on the Kildare Innovation Campus, housing ISO class 8 cleanrooms, new offices, injection moulding machines, precision measurement laboratory and warehousing space.

Established in Wisconsin, USA in 1982 initially as a small mould making shop, MGS MFG now spans 11 facilities around the world, employs more than 1200 people globally and completed the acquisition of Formteknik in Europe in early 2021.  The Ireland plant, established in 2011, has continued to go from strength to strength over the last decade, employing 120 locally with plans to double this footprint to meet the new facility’s needs, further investing in the local community and infrastructure.

The Tánaiste said: “Congratulations to the entire team at MSG Manufacturing Ltd. on this further expansion of the company’s Irish operations, which will create 100 new jobs. This investment is a testament to the existing staff and a real vote of confidence in the local community. I wish the team all the very best with their ambitious plans.”  

Speaking at MGS’ Leixlip facility, CEO Paul Manley said: ‘’As a company hitting our 40 year milestone this year, we’ve had an exceptional journey.  MGS has adapted and grown exponentially to meet customer demand and expectations, and today has eleven strategically placed specialised manufacturing facilities around the world.  With every step, we challenge, improve and diversify.  We stay true to our values of teamwork, integrity, passion and safety – the cornerstones of our business and delivery mechanism to our clients.  The Ireland plant has been on a pathway to success growing steadily since it opened in 2011.  Our success in Ireland is due to the dedication and hard work of the best people in plastics, meaning today we’re able to announce a further jobs boost, which we’re very proud of.  We look forward to further development within the healthcare sector, supporting both existing clients and potential new projects as the business continues to grow and harness our competitive advantage.’’

IDA Ireland CEO Martin Shanahan said: “MGS Manufacturing Ltd. has grown and evolved its operations from the manufacture of printer cartridges for HP to injection moulding with 120 people currently employed. This announcement of a €7M investment in new cleanrooms, offices and equipment here on Kildare Innovation Campus, which will create a further 100 jobs, marks a significant milestone in their growth in Ireland. The benefit of this company’s presence in Kildare to the local economy and in terms of employment, is considerable. I wish them every success with their operations in this new location.”

MGS Ireland Site Lead Michael Finneran said: ‘’When we set up back in 2011, we had ambitions to grow the site into the future.  Like every business, we were eager to establish ourselves and firmly make our mark in the sector.  We started out supporting HP on site in the manufacturing of ink jet cartridges and as the business grew, we diversified into medical devices which is now the predominant sector we focus on.  We’re extremely excited for this next phase of growth, to be able to bring more jobs to the sector and in so doing, support the local economy and infrastructure as well.  Our journey doesn’t stop here, this is just one of what we hope to be the many stepping stones in our story of growth to come over the next decade and beyond.’’

The investment brings with it a number of new roles – multiple opportunities for professional growth across all busine

Nikon Precision Europe to expand operations with new office at Kildare Innovation Campus

Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Leo Varadkar today announced plans by Nikon Precision Europe (NPE) to expand its operations with the opening of its new offices on Kildare Innovation Campus.  The offices will form part of its worldwide support network.

This expansion was supported by the Irish Government through IDA Ireland.

NPE has been in Ireland since the early 1990’s with local staff supporting a number of multinational semiconductor customers.  Having started with a handful of local employees, the company has steadily grown in line with customers’ needs. It now has close to 140 employees, and this expansion will continue over the coming months with an additional 40 positions available across a range of skills.

Nikon Precision Europe (NPE) GmbH is the organisation supporting Nikon’s Lithography systems for its European customers. It provides service to customers during the lifecycle of the Lithography system. Whether it is during installation, wafer production ramp-up or in a sustaining production environment, their team provide expert analysis and solutions to enable optimal usage around-the-clock of the capital equipment in the customer factory.

Tánaiste Leo Varadkar said: “This expansion, which will create 40 new jobs in Nikon’s new offices in the newly launched Kildare Innovation Campus, is a great boost for Kildare and the surrounding area. Congratulations to the team, I’m sure it has taken a huge amount of work to make these plans a reality. The very best of luck with it.”

NPE President Harumi Sawada said: “Our continued investment in Ireland underlines the importance Nikon places on the support of our customers locally as well as creating a technical hub that can support our worldwide semiconductor operations.”

IDA Ireland CEO Martin Shanahan said: “Nikon Precision Europe has been in Ireland for close to 30 years now, supporting a number of multinational semiconductor customers. The company has grown from a handful of local employees as the business developed in line with customer needs to close to 140 employees at present in its international support hub. These new offices in Kildare Innovation Campus will add a further 40 roles; a very welcome development demonstrating the company’s ongoing commitment to its Irish operations. I wish them continued success.”

To learn more about exciting careers at this moment of unprecedented rapid and ongoing growth in the semiconductor industry, go to NPE’s application portal here https://nikon-precision-hr.secure.force.com/recruit/fRecruit__ApplyJobList