Jim O Brien/CEO - techbuzzireland.com

Panasonic Avionics Grows European MRO Footprint with Expansion in Ireland

Panasonic Avionics Corporation (Panasonic Avionics) has today unveiled the significant expansion of its European MRO (maintenance, repair & overhaul) facility in Dundalk, Co. Louth, Ireland.

The MRO center, which first opened in October 2019, has been expanded in size by 500 percent, taking it from 6,000 sq. ft to 23,000 sq. ft. At the same time, Panasonic Avionics has tripled the workforce at the site.

The Dundalk facility is operated by Panasonic Technical Services (PTS), a division of Panasonic Avionics. It provides repairs, line maintenance, spares parts supply, and technical services and training to customers in the EMEA region and is Part 145, TCAA, FAA and UK CAA approved.

PTS expects to induct 1,500 – 2,000 units per month at its Dundalk facility. It will repair the X series and Next IFE systems, and Boeing CSS equipment, as well as being its European distribution center.

Tom Eskola, Vice President and General Manager of Panasonic Technical Services, says: “The expansion of our Dundalk facility will enable our customers in Europe, the Middle East and Africa to benefit from the tailored maintenance solutions which we provide at the high level they have come to expect from Panasonic Technical Services.”

“Our primary objective is to offer customised maintenance solutions, delivering greater peace of mind to our customers by ensuring guaranteed performance and cost.”

Eskola confirms the demand for maintenance services within the industry adding, “As the aviation industry returns towards pre-pandemic levels, MRO slots are, once again, at a premium.”

Panasonic Avionics’ investment in the Dundalk facility has been supported by the Irish Government through IDA Ireland.

Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise Trade & Employment Leo Varadkar TD said: “In a significant move for Dundalk and Louth, Panasonic Avionics has tripled its workforce following a major expansion. A pioneer in aircraft communication systems, Panasonic Avionics IFE and satellite Wi-Fi systems are used on thousands of aircraft across the world. The Dundalk facility will provide repair, maintenance and spare parts to Panasonic’s customers in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Ireland’s status at the heart of Europe, along with our strong talent base, continues to attract global manufacturing and engineering companies to our shores. I wish all the team the best with this expansion.”

Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs Thomas Byrne said “I strongly welcome the decision by Panasonic to double its workforce in Dundalk. This decision represents a significant vote of confidence in the North-East region as a hub for commercial activity and will provide a welcome boost to the local economy. Today, there are over 400,000 more jobs in our economy than there were on the day the Government took up office and that significant increase is thanks to the presence of companies like Panasonic within our economy.”

CEO of IDA Ireland Martin Shanahan said: “The decision by Panasonic Avionics to expand its facility and triple its workforce in Dundalk is terrific news for the North East region. This MRO facility will strengthen and compliment Panasonic’s existing global and European presence. IDA Ireland remains committed to winning jobs and investment in regional locations. I wish Panasonic every success with this expansion.”

The expanded Dundalk facility is one of ten PTS locations within Europe. In addition to the Ireland-based repair shop, there are also airport line maintenance stations at Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Lisbon, London Gatwick, London Heathrow, Madrid, Paris Charles de Gaulle, Paris Orly, and Rome Fiumicino.

Panasonic Avionics will be showcasing its European offering at MRO Europe in London from 19^th – 20^th of October.

Actavo launches new EV Charge Division

Actavo, a leading international infrastructure operations partner, headquartered in Dublin, has launched its first-ever direct-to-consumer offering, Actavo HomeCharge, specialising in the installation of electric vehicle (EV) chargers in homes. The new service is available to customers nationwide and leverages Actavo’s over 40 years of experience in managing In-Home installations for leading brands, as well as its expertise in installing EV charge points in Ireland and the UK.

All of the chargers offered by the company are smart EV chargers, which allow consumers to manage their car charging from a mobile app and avail of the best tariffs. In addition, all of the EV chargers in the Actavo HomeCharge product range qualify for the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) grant of up to €600 for home charging units, which is available to homeowners regardless of whether they currently own an electric car.

Actavo’s In-Home team of over 500 service engineers, customer service staff, and technicians, currently carries out over 40,000 home visits per month under household brands such as Sky, SIRO, Virgin Media, and Prepay Power. In a new departure, under the Actavo HomeCharge brand, a nationwide team of highly experienced electricians is being deployed to roll out this new service directly to consumers across the country.

Brian Kelly, CEO of Actavo said: “Actavo is delighted to launch its new EV Charge division, HomeCharge. This is an exciting opportunity for the company in the rapidly growing market for Electric Vehicle chargers. We will be leveraging the talent and expertise of one of the country’s largest and most experienced in-home installation teams, in our first-ever direct-to-consumer offering.

As electric vehicles become more and more ubiquitous, the demand for the installation of smart EV chargers in the home will increase at a fast pace in the coming years. We believe this offering will benefit consumers as it provides a fast, reliable, nationwide service from an expert team and it also speaks to Actavo’s commitment to operate sustainably, as we increase our focus on sustainable practices and services.”

According to the Central Statistics Office, In the first seven months of 2022, 21% of all new cars licensed for the first time were electric or plug-in hybrid electric vehicles compared with 14% in the same period in 2021.

Actavo HomeCharge will facilitate the installation of a wide range of EV chargers, compatible with all major electric car brands.

Amazon processing centre officially opens in Dublin

The Amazon fulfilment centre in Dublin received a visit today from Leo Varadkar TD, Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, for a behind-the-scenes tour of the new facility.

The Tánaiste also unveiled a plaque to mark the opening of the new 630,000 square foot fulfilment centre.

During his visit, the Tánaiste who was accompanied by Emer Higgins TD, toured the fulfilment centre in Baldonnell Business Park, met with some of the team working at the site and followed the journey of a parcel to see first-hand what happens when a customer clicks ‘buy’ on the Amazon website.

The Dublin centre, which opened in August, is Amazon’s first fulfilment centre in Ireland. It provides faster delivery for customers across the country, including one-day delivery on hundreds of thousands of items.

The centre has created 500 new jobs across a wide range of roles, including engineers, HR and IT professionals through to health & safety and finance specialists and operations managers as well as employees who perform the crucial role of picking, packing and shipping customer orders.

The fulfilment centre tour, led by General Manager Darragh Kelly, also provided the Tánaiste with an insight into the many career development programmes and opportunities for employees at Amazon, including the Amazon Career Choice programme.

Amazon Career Choice is an innovative programme which pre-pays 95% of tuition for courses in high-demand fields, up to €12,000 over four years, regardless of whether the skills are relevant to a career at Amazon.

Tánaiste Leo Varadkar said: “The opening of Amazon’s first fulfilment centre in Ireland has created 500 new jobs, and is a really important investment in our country. There are jobs available at all level including many high-skilled jobs in engineering and IT among others. This investment indicates a strong commitment to Ireland by Amazon. It was great to meet the enthusiastic team in person and to see at first-hand how orders are fulfilled for customers across the country.”

Amazon Dublin fulfilment centre General Manager Darragh Kelly said: “It was great to welcome Tánaiste Leo Varadkar for a tour of our new fulfilment centre in Dublin. It was a pleasure to introduce him to our fantastic team who process orders for customers in Ireland. I hope the Tánaiste enjoyed his visit and I look forward to welcoming him back to our fulfilment centre in the future.”

Amazon also provides opportunities to improve existing skills or learn new ones through internal career progression opportunities such as cross-training, transferring to a different department and promotion into a managerial role.

Amazon provides competitive pay, excellent benefits and a modern, safe and engaging work environment for its employees. Amazon pays all full-time, part-time, temporary, and seasonal employees in Ireland a minimum of €13.50 per hour. Employees are also offered a comprehensive benefits package including private medical insurance, life assurance, income protection and an employee discount as well as a company pension plan.

The team at Amazon’s new Dublin fulfilment centre marked the site’s opening by donating €20,000 to four Irish family support charities.

Donations of €5,000 were made to Cliona’s Foundation, Jack and Jill Children’s Foundation, LauraLynn Children’s Hospice and Barretstown by the charity committee at the new Amazon fulfilment centre as part of the company’s community support programme.

Anyone can find out more about what it’s like to work at an Amazon fulfilment centre by signing up for a tour at amazonfctours.com.

Pioneer DJ is providing workshops for people of colour across the UK, giving participants a unique chance to learn new skills and progress their music career

Pioneer DJ, a world-class manufacturer of DJ equipment, is inviting people of colour to its upcoming series of workshops. Throughout the month of October, people of colour that haven’t DJ’d before will have the chance to learn new skills and gain insight into effective ways to pursue a career in music at the in-person workshops in the UK.

Workshop topics include: An Introduction to DJing, An Introduction to Scratching, and an Introduction to Production. Participants will learn to use Pioneer DJ equipment under the guidance of DJ schools, Pioneer DJ staff and product experts, and international artists including Genius Elijah, Cutmaster Swift, A.G. and more. Promising participants could have the chance to be sponsored by Pioneer DJ through a local DJ school course and beyond.

The first workshop will take place on 17th October 2022 at On The Rise DJ Academy in London, with more scheduled throughout the month in both London and Manchester. Check out all the dates, times, and locations for the workshops and sign up here.

Special thanks go to the incredible partners for supporting this celebratory moment and facilitating workshops and training: Make Me A DJ, On The Rise, BOXPARK Wembley, Macarena Club Barcelona and Het Leienpaleis. For more information, head to www.pioneerdj.com.

PR GURU Plots New Path To Success With Business Reinvention

Experienced public relations professional, Chris Widocks, is looking to write a new chapter of success by reinventing his media and publicity agency.

WWoW PR (Widocks’ Words of Wisdom) offers high levels of expertise – from press release generation and crafted copywriting to photography, video, social media and crisis management.

Chris, a former UK PR Manager of the Year, emphasised: “It’s been over 30 years in the making and I’m proud of what’s been achieved so far. WWoW PR is not designed to take over the world but to simply make a positive difference to the people I work with.

“For the last 18 months I’ve been running global PR and content for one of my main clients but this is reaching a natural and amicable conclusion. This now gives me the freedom and flexibility to reinvent the business and take it in a slightly new direction and back to its original roots.”

The agency is built on a strong IT and comms technology pedigree as well as many other diverse industry sectors.

“My skills were first honed in the national and regional press as well as TV and radio before I moved into PR and commercial writing 20 years ago. A lot has changed since I began my career on a typewriter in Warrington, often filing breaking news via the old red telephone boxes – long before the internet, social media and mobile phones. Technology and the way people consume news continues to evolve.”

He concluded: “In these tough economic times PR offers a cost effective way of targeting and communicating to existing and potential new customers across multiple channels.

“I pride myself on the highest standards of professionalism – combining journalistic integrity and pedigree with astute commercial acumen. Bespoke relationships, based on true words of wisdom.”

To find out more visit www.wwowpr.com

Lero researchers team up with Abbey Machinery to develop autonomous farm machinery to improve on-farm efficiency

The technological advancement of Irish-made autonomous farm machinery is being enhanced by researchers at Lero, the Science Foundation Ireland Research Centre for Software and Abbey Machinery, under a new research partnership agreement.

Lero researcher, professor Joseph Walsh, based at the Munster Technological University’s Kerry campus, is leading the partnership with Toomevara, County Tipperary headquartered Abbey Machinery.

Prof. Walsh points out that with global food production required to increase by close to 70% to feed a growing population, the agricultural industry has to become more innovative by using technology to add value to our food supply chains.

“The farmers leading the way in adopting the new technologies will ultimately accelerate the movement that transforms the global agri-food system into one which will efficiently feed nine billion people by 2050,” he added.

Prof. Walsh said the partnership with Abbey would leverage MUT’s industry-leading innovative AgriTech research in IoT, AI and Manufacturing to develop the next generation of intelligent, connected tankers and feeders.

“These machines will be designed to allow remote operation and monitoring by employing state-of-the-art technologies and techniques in sensor networks, communications, and data analytics,” he added.

Abbey Machinery MD Clodagh Kavanagh said that as an export-orientated company with 60% of sales coming from overseas, the goal of Abbey Machinery is to research and develop the next generation of smart, connected, and automated generation of tankers and feeders.

“These machines will be designed to allow remote operation and monitoring by employing state-of-the-art technologies and techniques in the fields of telematics, sensor networks and communications, and data analytics to meet the needs of our customers in Ireland, Britain, France, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Australia, New Zealand and Iceland,” she added.

Ms Kavanagh said the research has two strands: Next-generation smart electronic architecture for agriculture machinery and software systems for telematics monitoring and remote operation.

Prof. Walsh said the necessary deliverables for Abbey Machinery will be a prototype of the full-stack software platform that monitors the telematics, automates service reminders, and remote operations that have the potential to lead to the development of new products and services for Abbey Machinery.

MTU President Professor Maggie Cusack said: “MTU and Abbey Machinery have an established educational and research partnership spanning a number of years. This project marks the extension of this partnership, and we look forward to the positive impact this R&D project will have both nationally and internationally.”

CitySwift closes €5M Series A round and launches world’s first Mobility-Intelligence-as-a-Service platform

CitySwift, the Galway-based leader in data and artificial intelligence for the public transport sector, today announces the closure of its Series A funding round of €5M, bringing total funding to date to €8.5M.

Led by Act Venture Capital with all existing investors following including Declan Ryan’s Irelandia Investments, Mike McGearty, former CEO of CarTrawler, Enterprise Ireland and the Western Development Commission, the round will fast-track expansion plans to help the public transport industry build resilience against ongoing issues like fuel hikes, driver shortages, funding uncertainty, and Covid-19 recovery

Brian O’Rourke, CitySwift Co-Founder and CEO commented, “This new era of CitySwift is one where we are focused on preparing our partners for a greener, cleaner future of mobility, by matching supply and demand across their networks now. CitySwift strongly believes the future is bright for public transport, and Mobility Intelligence is the key that will unlock attractive, efficient, and green public transport across cities globally.

“Over the past decade, we have seen a significant shift in the way the world moves due to compounding crises such as climate change and the Covid19 pandemic. Cities worldwide have become more congested, travel patterns have changed, the cost of living has increased and sustainability is now a key issue of the political agenda. These shifts have presented us with an exciting opportunity. The public transport industry must rethink its traditional ways of operating and shift its focus from supply to demand in order to optimise networks for the future – and data is what will unlock these efficient and optimised networks. Private operators and public authorities require data-enriched insights to inform them on how to best adapt and operate their networks to provide more efficient, reliable and sustainable services,” added O’Rourke.

To coincide with the announcement, CitySwift has revealed new product announcements alongside a new visual identity and website. The new identity will take the company into its next phase as the world’s first “Mobility Intelligence as a Service” platform, blending the power of data and public transport together to prepare transport networks everywhere for the future of mobility.

The new suite of products includes CitySwift’s Evolve module that delivers scenario planning for AI-powered bus timetabling, and movement pattern simulation for accurately matching frequency with demand resulting in over 5x ROI, a 45% reduction in late buses and over 2% reduction in operating hours with existing clients – also equating to significant emission reductions, cost savings and increases in passenger demand in cities.

The company has also released the Discover offering, a range of dashboards catered to different pain points across transport organisations. These dashboards, which are already driving a massive spike in usage across CitySwift’s existing client base, include driver performance for punctuality insights and driver retention, and demand forecasting for understanding how service changes will impact passenger demand and revenue.

These new and upgraded products will help CitySwift to realise its vision of reducing global emissions from transport, supporting public transport networks to attract more people to choose public transportation over private car use.

Founded in 2016, CitySwift is a homegrown Galway headquartered company with a rapidly expanding team of 65 employees building an international roadmap. A market leader working with all the leading UK operators and Public Sector Authorities, the business has consistently doubled recurring revenue over the last 3 years and is expanding globally into Europe, the United States, the Middle East, and South East Asia. Listed as one of Linkedin’s Top Startups in Ireland, the company is currently hiring across Engineering, Commercial, and Product teams.

Urbanista launches the Urbanista Austin

Stylish and compact Urbanista Austin produces a powerful sound combined with eye-catching new colours that complete any look. The small true wireless earbuds are available in two new colours, Lavender Purple and Lake Green, and in the classic Pure White and Midnight Black colourways. Designed for life in motion, Austin lets you enjoy wireless audio wherever you go – the earbuds are protected against splashing water and designed for comfortable everyday use. Urbanista Austin is your new go-to audio companion for any occasion, whether it’s for listening to podcasts on the go or needing a boost from your favourite music for your morning walk.

Features

IPX4 – 20HRs playtime – Touch Controls – Bluetooth 5.0

BUY

Almost one-third of people share where they live on dating apps

Dating apps have seen a surge in users in recent years as people use online platforms to meet potential partners. But often cybercriminals pose as possible matches for nefarious reasons, putting many online daters’ identities, and safety, at risk.

To find out the potential consequences of using dating apps, TechRobot has analysed 180 profiles across Bumble, Tinder, and Hinge to reveal how much information people share on their dating profiles.

Online daters share the most information on Bumble (37%) with 55% of profiles sharing where they live.
100% of women share enough information on their dating profiles for their social media accounts to be found, increasing their chances of catfishing attempts.
28% of homosexual profiles share where they live compared to just 19% of heterosexual profiles, increasing the risk of blackmail and stalking crimes.

Bumble users share enough information for strangers to have a deep insight into their online and offline lives

TechRobot’s study found that people share the most personal information on their Bumble profiles. 98% share photos of themselves and all profiles share their first name and live location and there’s no option to hide this information. 90% of all Bumble profiles also share their personal interests and hobbies, 55% share where they live, 28% share job titles, and 20% of Bumble profiles also share their Instagram handle. This is more than enough information for someone to have an insight into what online daters are doing throughout their day, and where they are, increasing the risk of stalking.

Women share 33% of all possible data points on their dating profiles – more information than their male counterparts

The research also found that women share an average of 33% of possible data points across Tinder, Bumble, and Hinge compared to men who share 31%. Men are more likely to share information on their status, education level and work-life- 39% of men share their job title, 36% the languages they speak, 19% their employer, and 33% their education level. Women, on the other hand, tend to share information that makes them seem more physically attractive – 98% share their age, 96% share photos of what they look like and 26% share their Instagram handle. With women sharing more information on their physical appearance the risk of them being impersonated by a catfish is exacerbated and the information that men share about their job title and employer means they are more likely to be victims to blackmail attempts. Cybercriminals often offer inducements for monetary gain and use sensitive information such as an individual’s workplace to leverage this.

Data point	Percentage of male dating app profiles across Tinder, Bumble, and Hinge that share information on this data point (%)	Percentage of female dating app profiles across Tinder, Bumble, and Hinge that share information on this data point (%)
Age	91	98
Job title	39	37
Languages spoken	36	38
Education level	33	30
Employment/ Company	19	11
Instagram handle	11	26

Lesbian women share 33% of all possible data points on their dating profiles, the most of all researched sexualities

When comparing dating profiles based on sexuality TechRobot found homosexual online daters are more likely to share sensitive information with potential matches than straight users do. 28% of homosexual profiles share where they live compared to just 19% of heterosexual profiles and 98% of lesbian and gay dating profiles share what they look like, compared to 93% of straight profiles. Lesbian women were also found to share the most information on their profiles of all the groups researched and they share the most on Bumble- 42% of all possible data points. 44% of lesbian profiles share where they live, and 36% their job title. Collectively, this means lesbian women are providing strangers on dating apps with a huge insight into their personal lives which could heighten their risk of being stalked, or even harassed.

Using different photos across social media profiles can reduce online daters’ vulnerability

Users can take steps to protect their privacy and safety when online dating. Lasse Walstad recommends using unique images on dating profiles – “Using reverse image searching on Google, people will be able to find out your social accounts and any other places that your photos are posted giving them potential access to a large amount of personal information. Using images that you have not used on your other social accounts will ensure that you can reduce the chances of your other accounts, such as Instagram and Facebook, being less likely to be found.” This will reduce online daters’ chances of being catfished and victims of stalking crimes.

Whilst the amount of personal information we share on our dating profiles is dependent on the app, gender, and sexual orientation, all profiles expose enough information to offer strangers a huge insight into their lives. This puts online daters’ identity, and safety, at risk and exacerbates their chances of being victims of crimes like blackmail, stalking, catfishing or harassment.

You can view the full study here.

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