A second delivery station will open in Dublin this autumn creating over 20 permanent jobs
Amazon has announced plans to open its first fulfilment centre in the Republic of Ireland, creating 500 new permanent jobs to help meet customer demand. The state-of-the-art fulfilment centre, which will open spring 2022, will provide faster delivery for customers across Ireland seven days a week, including one-day delivery on hundreds of thousands of items.
The 630,000 square foot centre at Baldonnell Business Park, Dublin, will hold millions of items to be picked, packed and shipped to customers across Ireland as well as the rest of Europe.
Recruitment has started for a range of new roles for the fulfilment centre, including engineers, HR and IT professionals through to health & safety and finance specialists and operations managers. Recruitment for the Amazon teams who will pick, pack and ship customer orders will begin next year.
A second delivery station will also open at Northwest Logistics Park, Ballycoolin, serving customers in Dublin and the surrounding areas. The delivery station will create over 20 permanent jobs, in addition to dozens of driver opportunities for Amazon Logistics’ delivery service partners and Amazon Flex delivery partners. The 83,500 square foot building is expected to be fully operational this autumn.
Huge fleet of Amazon Prime vans Dublin. source – techbuzzireland
The first delivery station in Ireland opened last October in Rathcoole, Dublin, creating more than 20 permanent jobs and working with 10 independent delivery companies who hired more than 150 drivers. Last year Amazon also announced plans to create another 1,000 permanent jobs in Ireland over the next two years bringing Amazon’s total permanent workforce in the country to over 5,000 people by 2022.
Amazon provides competitive pay, excellent benefits and a modern, safe and engaging work environment for its employees. Amazon pays all its employees in Ireland, whether they are full-time, part-time, temporary, or seasonal, at least €12 per hour. Employees are offered a comprehensive benefits package including include private medical insurance, life assurance, income protection and an employee discount as well as a company pension plan.
Amazon’s fulfilment network supports millions of businesses of all sizes worldwide through its Fulfilment by Amazon offering, and many of those local businesses are based in Ireland. There are thousands of small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs), authors and developers in Ireland growing their companies and reaching new customers with Amazon products and services.
What about Amazon.ie?
Whilst the awareness of the two new buildings have been no huge secret to many, especially those that work in the logistics industry this has been well known so all that remains is when will we see an Amazon.ie, well we will not be waiting to long it would be safe to say..
Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Leo Varadkar TD, said: “I welcome today’s news that Amazon will open its first Irish fulfilment centre in Dublin next spring, creating 500 new jobs. This, alongside the announcement of a second Dublin delivery station creating a further 20 new roles, will mean faster delivery of goods for customers all across the country and strongly underscores Amazon’s continued commitment to Ireland.
Since Amazon’s arrival here in 2004, it has become a significant source of employment – today’s announcement will bring its total workforce to over 5,000. I wish the team the very best of luck with this exciting new chapter.”
Martin Shanahan, CEO, IDA Ireland, said: “Amazon has had a presence in Ireland for 17 years now, growing and expanding its range of activities which has contributed significantly to Ireland’s tech ecosystem and our reputation as a global tech hub. Already a substantial and valued employer, the 500 additional jobs being created in this new centre will bring its permanent workforce to over 5,000 next year in Ireland. It is great to see Ireland continuing to attract investment and playing such an important part in the future plans of this global company. Amazon’s ongoing commitment to Ireland is most welcome.”
Minister of State for Trade Promotion, Digital and Company Regulation Robert Troy TD, said: “I am delighted to see Amazon continuing to grow its presence in Ireland. The opening of this new fulfilment centre will speed up deliveries for Irish customers and create 500 new roles, bringing Amazon’s headcount here to over 5000. This announcement is a significant reaffirmation of Amazon’s commitment to Ireland, and I wish all involved every success.”
Stefano Perego, VP Amazon’s Fulfilment Centre Operations in Europe, said: “We are delighted to be opening our first fulfilment centre in Dublin enabling us to provide faster delivery times for customers across Ireland. We are excited to be creating 500 new permanent roles which offer competitive wages, excellent benefits and a modern, safe and engaging work environment for our employees.
“The new state-of-the-art fulfilment centre and delivery station are a further sign of our commitment to the communities in which we operate. The new teams will play a crucial role in providing faster delivery to customers across Ireland including one-day delivery on hundreds of thousands of items.”
Creative Technology today announced the release of Sound Blaster Audigy FX V2, the latest addition to its well-established series of Sound Blaster sound cards. A compelling facelift over its predecessor Sound Blaster Audigy Fx, which was already a bestseller in its own right, this sound card features improvements in audio quality (including an upgrade option via a daughter board) and the versatile SmartComms Kit for seamless online calls. The Sound Blaster FX V2 is quite simply the choice pick amongst cost-effective audio upgrade options for PCs.
Sound Blaster Audigy FX V2 features a separate daughter board as an upgrade option.
Hear the Sound Blaster Difference
The Sound Blaster FX V2 is powered by the heralded Sound Blaster Acoustic Engine technology that delivers high-quality, 5.1 cinematic surround sound, 24Bit 192khz high-resolution audio. Coupled with its high-fidelity DAC which is capable of up to 120dB dynamic range, this sound card offers pure ear candy for users looking to improve their motherboard audio for movies, gaming and music. Scout Mode, a Sound Blaster staple, enhances in-game audio cues so that users get a ‘ear-start’ in nailing down opponent locations while in battle.
This sound card supports 5.1 discrete channels on speakers, as well as 5.1 virtual surround on headphones (up to 600 Ω). For users who want even more, the Sound Blaster Fx V2 DBPRO daughter board is available as an upgrade option – users get to enjoy full 7.1 surround sound, DSD256 high-quality playback and an optical-out port for even more connectivity.
With a half-height and compact form factor, the Sound Blaster Fx V2 is 16% smaller than the preceding model. It also comes with interchangeable full-height and half-height brackets in the box; making it easier than ever to fit a sound card into a PC.
The Smarter Way to Communicate
The Sound Blaster FX V2 performs beyond a typical sound card; the SmartComms Kit is a suite of smart communication features to help simplify the way users communicate during conference calls and online chats. With features such as VoiceDetect, NoiseClean-in, and NoiseClean-out, users can skip the unnecessary fiddling of microphone controls and ensure constant clarity while talking to others without the disturbance of annoying background noises.
Pricing and Availability
Sound Blaster FX V2 is priced at US$54.99, £49.99, €54.99, PLN249; Sound Blaster FX V2 DB PRO is priced at US$17.99, €17.99, £16.99, PLN 79. Both are available at Creative.com.
Europe’s leading e-scooter operator TIER and Irish micromobility tech platform Luna have announced a strategic partnership to explore the piloting and deployment of computer vision and smart city technology on shared e-scooter fleets, across Europe and the Middle East. In response to today’s announcement, Luna will also create 15 new full time jobs to assist with the work on these pilot projects. These jobs will cover computer vision/AI, hardware, IoT and project management roles in Ireland.
The announcement comes as part of an Enterprise Ireland trade mission to Germany where Tánaiste, Leo Varadkar T.D. met with representatives from Luna and Tier in Berlin. The meeting was to further understand the nexus between Ireland and Germany within the e-mobility and automotive industry, and the future role of shared e-scooter schemes in Ireland once the required legislation is passed.
The strategic partnership builds on the Dublin pilot which is taking place across DCU’s five campuses, and which also involves the Insight SFI Research Centre for Data Analytics. TIER and Luna are exploring the option of partnering in Paris and examining the possibilities of how vision-enabled e-scooters can assist the Mayor’s Smart City ambitions, using high fidelity and high frequency imagery captured by a portion of TIER’s fleet of 5,000 scooters there.
In addition to Paris, both companies are also exploring partnering in the Middle East with Smart City stakeholders, to examine the potential for bespoke computer vision solutions to tackle local issues around safety, infrastructure optimisation, as well as current and future municipal governance requirements. Additional pilot projects are also being explored in Spain amongst other locations, but details on these locations are yet to be finalised.
Another element of today’s announcement is that there will be a further collaboration with various digital mapping platforms, which will look at how TIER riders and computer vision on scooters can be utilised to capture more accurate and up to date mapping data, that will assist the deployment of micromobility schemes in cities on a global scale. Existing mapping platforms scan cities maybe once or twice a year, whereas scooters can capture and infill additional street level data on a daily basis.
Finally, as part of the strategic partnership, TIER and Luna are also embarking on a technical integration project to examine how the Luna computer vision hardware can be embedded into TIER vehicles at the point of manufacture. This will allow Tier to develop a next generation e-scooter that allows the current Luna standalone computer vision tech to integrate more deeply with the vehicle, similar to how Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) tech has evolved in the automotive industry.
Speaking at the announcement of this strategic partnership, Tánaiste (Irish Deputy Prime Minister) and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Leo Varadkar T.D. said: “I’m really happy to see this strategic partnership between Irish company Luna and Europe’s leading e-scooter operator TIER. Ireland is introducing a new law to allow for the legal usage of scooters on our roads in our towns and cities, as they become an increasingly popular option for commuters. Luna will hire 15 people as a result of the partnership, which will help build on the current pilot project that is taking place in DCU. These kinds of innovative partnerships can provide Ireland with a ‘second mover advantage’, helping us avoid some of the safety and other teething issues of earlier e-scooter schemes elsewhere. With this in mind it’s reassuring to see TIER, not only bringing advanced technology to solve some of the challenges we will no doubt also face in Ireland, but also to see them working with Irish stakeholders such as the NCBI and the Irish Wheelchair Association, through their recently established Safety Board.”
Matthias Laug, CTO and Co-Founder of TIER, said: “We are already working closely with Luna in Dublin, and this broader strategic agreement allows us to expand the scope and ambition of our partnership. We see computer vision as a valuable tool in our mission to change mobility for good and to lead the way towards seamless, sustainable and safe micro-mobility. Alongside our world-leading parking capabilities with Fantasmo, this powerful collaboration with Europe’s leading computer vision and edge AI startup in the scooter space, allows us to explore the full potential of this exciting technology on our fleet. Luna thinks about cities in the same way as we do, and we look forward to jointly developing new solutions that address some of the key smart city challenges our city partners are identifying, from pavement riding to infrastructure monitoring and from litter alerts to road condition reports.”
Andrew Fleury, Co-Founder & CEO, Luna said: “Luna is thrilled to be partnering so closely with TIER across multiple geographies in the EU and Middle East. Cities and stakeholders everywhere are looking towards smart technology to help find solutions to some of the operational challenges that are holding the shared scooter industry back from fulfilling its potential. TIER is embracing Luna technology, even at this early stage of its evolution, in order to pioneer the future of micromobility, and deliver safe and sustainable services that not only do the basics of looking after rider and pedestrian safety, but also look to the future where scooter fleets act as mobile sensor networks in the smart cities of tomorrow. The rate of industry advancement is astonishing in the shared scooter sector, and TIER is very much to the fore in this regard, having already developed an innovative Energy Network infrastructure for its user swappable batteries, as well as pioneering the deployment of Augmented Reality parking technology. Luna sees TIER as a natural partner in our mission to keep people safe and make cities smarter, and we’re excited to see how the partnership develops over time.
We were also excited to announce the expansion of our team with the creation of 15 brand new jobs over the coming months especially in the presence of the Tánaiste, who responded positively to the work we are currently undertaking in the micromobility sector.”
Esri Ireland, the market leader in Geographic Information Systems (GIS), has created a digital map of all of Ireland’s libraries to celebrate International Literacy Day today.
Built using Esri’s ArcGIS digital mapping system, the map details the location of all of the libraries around Ireland as well as their coordinates. The map intends to highlight the facilities available for the public while promoting lifelong learning.
International Literacy Day, created by the United Nations, is celebrated to highlight the importance of literacy as a matter of dignity and human rights. 773 million young people and adults are affected by non-literacy worldwide. The theme for 2021 is “Literacy for a human-centered recovery: Narrowing the digital divide”. This aims to highlight the importance of literacy and digital skills and how technology can enable inclusive learning.
Continental is unveiling its innovative Conti GreenConcept tyre concept at this year’s IAA MOBILITY. This conceptual study by the premium tyre manufacturer leverages both current and emerging technological approaches to the engineering of sustainable tyres for passenger cars, as yet another example of Continental’s wide-ranging activities in pursuit of sustainability. The goal of Continental’s integrative and sustainable concept: minimising resource consumption throughout every stage of the tyre’s value chain. As such, the study addressed everything, from the sourcing and procurement of raw materials, on to the various stages of production and even on to ways of extending the tyre’s service life.
Continental’s development engineers and materials experts rose to the occasion and found innovative solutions for each of these three challenges. The result: a tyre that consists of a particularly high percentage of traceable, renewable, and recycled materials, has an innovative, lightweight design that conserves valuable resources, and an extended service life thanks to a renewable tread.
“Conti GreenConcept underscores our commitment to becoming the most progressive tyre company in terms of environmental and social responsibility by the year 2030, and this ambition applies to every single stage in the value chain,” commented David O’Donnell, responsible for Continental’s global tyre original equipment business, adding: “The way we see it today, sustainably sourced raw materials, lightweight design and tread renewal are the key ingredients in making future generations of tyres more sustainable. Our concept study exemplifies Continental’s ongoing efforts to fully transition its global tyre production to sustainable materials.”
Over 50 percent sustainable raw materials used
Of all raw materials used in the making of Conti GreenConcept, more than half are either from renewable sources or recycled. For all of its tyre production plants, Continental is aiming to fully transition to sustainable raw materials by no later than 2050. The premium tyre manufacturer defines “sustainable” as all materials that originate from closed-loop cycles, that have no harmful effects on people or the environment, and are responsibly sourced as well as climate-neutral across their entire supply chains.
Conti GreenConcept also consists of 35 percent renewables. Among the bio-materials used are natural rubber from dandelions, silicate from the ash of rice husks, vegetable oils and resins, all leading to a significant reduction in materials from crude oil. In addition to natural rubber, Continental’s global tyre-production plants are already making widespread use of various other materials such as recycled rubber or vegetable oils. For Continental, it has long been a top priority not only to use sustainable materials in making its tyres, but also to further the cultivation and processing of such materials. For example, together with partners at its site in Anklam, Germany, Continental is conducting intensive research into the use of Russian Dandelions. The goal is to be able to grow natural rubber in the immediate vicinity of the company’s tyre plants so as to both lower carbon emissions from long-distance transport and to conserve valuable resources.
Rollout of “ContiRe. Tex” technology: polyester from recycled PET bottles
Conti GreenConcept also consists of 17 percent recycled materials, namely reclaimed steel and recovered carbon black, plus – in an industry first – polyester from recycled plastic bottles for the tyre’s casing. Continental is planning the gradual rollout of its ContiRe. Tex technology by 2022, thus paving the way for the manufacture of tyres using polyester yarn from recycled PET bottles. The recycling process does this without the usual intermediate chemical processing steps, and the resulting polyester yarn is then made functionally capable of handling the high mechanical forces to which tyres are subjected. As a part of the upcycling process, used PET bottles get a new life as polyester high-performance material. Conventional passenger car tyres each consist of roughly 400 grams of polyester yarn. In manufacturing a set of four tyres, a total of over 60 recycled PET (polyethylene terephthalate) bottles can be reused. The use of recycled polyester marks another major step by Continental on the road to circular manufacturing for all of its tyre products.
Another part of the Conti GreenConcept sustainability equation is the special mix of materials made possible by COKOON – a technology for the eco-friendly bonding of textile reinforcements with rubber compounds, as developed by Continental in partnership with Kordsa. In the spirit of open-source collaboration, the two partners have been making this technology available to all tyre industry players on a free-of-charge basis since 2019.
Smart vehicle concept based on a resource-saving, lightweight design
Besides its high percentage of renewable and recycled materials, Conti GreenConcept also raises the bar in terms of innovative lightweight technology. The tyre weighs just 7.5 kilogrammes, making it up to 40 percent lighter than conventional tyres. This weight reduction was made possible by an optimised tread pattern, a special sidewall and a new casing design with a weight-optimised core. All in all, the design choices made, lead to significantly lower resource consumption and more sustainable driving.
Thanks to its lightweight design, Conti GreenConcept is particularly destined for use in next-gen smart vehicles, equipped with sensors and resource-saving drives. By predictively monitoring their surroundings, the sensors in such vehicles give drivers the input they need for anticipatory driving, which in turn makes it feasible to use increasingly lightweight and resource-friendly tyres.
Even lower rolling resistance thanks to materials optimisation
Conti GreenConcept’s specially designed tread offers a greater margin of safety than conventional tyres with the same tread depth. The materials used in the tread were also optimised, thus further reducing the tyre’s weight and, in turn, lowering rolling resistance. In-house measurements reveal that Conti GreenConcept’s rolling resistance is to about 25 percent lower than class “A” – i.e. the best possible rating – under the EU Tyre Label system. Low rolling resistance means lower energy consumption, thus leading to a measurable improvement in terms of environmental impact. In the case of internal combustion vehicles, this means greater mileage and lower carbon emissions; for electrical vehicles, it results in extended range. Continental’s calculations – which have been validated by leading vehicle manufacturers – show that a 25 percent reduction in rolling resistance can lead to up to a six percent greater range for electric vehicles.
Special tread strip capable of multiple renewals
The natural rubber used for the Conti GreenConcept tread compound is 100 percent Taraxagum natural rubber. As a special capability, the tyre concept can be retreaded multiple times, with a minimal investment in terms of both time and materials. The green-coloured tread baseline marks the transition from tread to casing. Undamaged casings can be reused several times. This means the valuable raw materials that are built into it can be reused. If a tread is renewed three times, for example, this halves the amount of material used for a casing, as seen in terms of its total mileage. “Conti GreenConcept delivers maximum performance in terms of both flexibility and sustainability, enabling modern mobility to truly hit the streets,” commented O’Donnell.
Moreover, a latest-generation Continental sensor inside the tyre, makes predictive driving possible by means of continuous monitoring of temperature, pressure and tread depth. This gives drivers added input so they can make well-informed choices, thus promoting resource-friendly driving.
Conti Green Concept
Continental are also supplying sustainable tyres for Volkswagen’s ID. LIFE concept car In addition to the GreenConcept tyre, Continental is exhibiting at its booth at IAA MOBILITY 2021, the ID. LIFE by Volkswagen, which will feature yet another Continental concept. The eco-friendly tyre engineering technologies used in making the tyre for Volkswagen are ready to make their way into series production in the near future. Engineered on the basis of Continental’s standard EcoContact 6 tyre, the concept tyre scores with very low rolling resistance (EU label “A”), leading to extend range for the ID. LIFE. Thanks to the targeted use of renewable and recycled materials comprising of 37 percent of its overall materials, the concept tyre makes a significant contribution to resource conservation across the entire value chain. The responsible sourcing of raw materials helps to minimise environmental impact and potential human rights infringements.
The sidewalls of EcoContact 6 tyres bear the slogan “Responsibly Sourced Rubber” as a way of emphasising Continental’s wide-ranging efforts to ensure the transparent and traceable sourcing of natural rubber. Among other renewable raw materials used are silica from rice grain husks, vegetable oil and vegetable resins. Recycled rubber and the eco-friendly COKOON bonding system for textile reinforcement, recently launched for Continental’s series production, are also part of the picture.
Conti GreenConcept and the concept tyre supplied to Volkswagen for its ID. LIFE concept car, serve to underscore Continental’s ambitious goal of becoming the most progressive tyre company with regards to ecological and social responsibility, by the year 2030. As an initial step in this direction, the company’s zero-emission mobility business is on track to becoming completely carbon-neutral by 2022. This is an important milestone on the road to becoming fully carbon neutral, and will also help Continental’s customers to meet their own decarbonisation targets. By 2050 at the latest, Continental intends to be manufacturing its tyre products using 100 percent sustainably produced materials, and thus achieving full climate neutrality throughout all of its supply chains.
Continental develops pioneering technologies and services for sustainable and connected mobility of people and their goods. Founded in 1871, the technology company offers safe, efficient, intelligent and affordable solutions for vehicles, machines, traffic and transportation. In 2020, Continental generated sales of €37.7 billion and currently employs around 233,000 people in 58 countries and markets. In 2021, the company celebrates its 150th anniversary.
The Tires business area has 24 production and development locations worldwide. Continental is one of the leading tyre manufacturers with more than 56,000 employees and posted sales of €10.2 billion in 2020 in this business area. Continental is a technological leader in the area of tyre production and offers a broad product range of cars, commercial and purpose-built vehicles, and two-wheelers. Through continuous investment in research and development, Continental makes a significant contribution towards mobility that is safer, more cost-effective and more ecologically efficient. The portfolio of the Tires business unit includes services for the tyre trade and fleet applications as well as digital tyre management systems.
On the occasion of the Velocity international trade show, Eco-Counter, the world leader in bicycle/pedestrian counting solutions and GéoVélo, the French leader in the development of location and navigation applications for bicycles, have joined forces to create the first solution that allows local authorities to gather data on the counting and location of cyclists.
To increase safety and encourage cycling, communities need good traffic data. And while the data provided by automatic counters give an overview of the evolution of bicycle traffic at strategic points in the city, cities now want a more detailed picture of what is happening throughout their territory: origin/destination, average speed & average distance, etc.
To do this, cities need to combine existing data (bike counts) with GPS traces, and more specifically, extrapolate traces with bike counts. That is how Eco-Counter and GeoVelo have decided to join their forces.
Several projects have already been carried out with this ambition through various applications, but the user sample is often biased or not large enough. This new solution allows communities to benefit from a complete view on bicycle traffic, with meaningful data.
Ronan BOUQUET, Managing Director of Géovélo, explains how the application addresses this need: “The Geovelo application brings together a wide variety of users. It is sufficiently engaging to have a representative and qualitative sample. The data extrapolation made through bicycle counts can then be done with a good level of confidence and provides unique information to urban planners.”
Enrico Durbano, CEO of Eco-Counter adds: “This partnership will allow us to offer our customers geolocated and anonymized user data, scaled with count data from our counters. The power of this solution will allow our customers new possibilities to exploit data and improve user experience.”
About Eco-Counter
Eco-Counter is an international company with a passion for data to understand pedestrian and cyclist traffic. Eco-Counter’s data are essential tools for planners to make good decisions.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, the company has been analyzing bicycle traffic in 13 countries around the world. The trends show a real “cycling boom” in all the countries studied, with +8% of ridership observed in Europe between 2019 and 2020, and +16% in North America, despite the successive lockdowns.
Location: Lannion, Brittany, France.
Experts in pedestrian and bicycle counting since 2000
90 employees in Lannion, 15 in Montreal
9 different nationalities
Over 20,000 counters installed in 55 countries
2020 revenues: €14.8M, 13% growth
Deloitte Fast 50 Award (from 2010 to 2014)
Bpifrance National and Regional Award in 2013
Average annual organic growth > 30% over the last 5 years
Member of the OSEO Excellence community and the BPI France incubator
15% of annual sales invested in R&D
Strategic Partnership on Vision with CEA lab
Ranked in 2017 and 2019 among the 50 best companies to work for (Great Place to Work Ranking)
Geotab, the world’s largest fleet telematics provider, has today launched a suite of cutting-edge telematics offerings now available for organisations of all sizes across Ireland. The global leader in software solutions for businesses managing multiple vehicles is entering the Irish market at a pivotal moment, with demand for telematics in Ireland to grow more than 50% by 2025, driven by factors including the transition to electric vehicles and the lasting impact of Brexit on the logistics and transport sector.
The announcement coincides with the launch of Geotab’s cold chain solution, which enables accurate and continuous temperature monitoring for trucks and vans transporting refrigerated products and goods. The solution appeals to Irish food and drinks companies, as well as to the country’s strong pharmaceutical industry, offering full visibility and near real-time insights into temperature conditions.
Amongst its suite of services available to businesses across Ireland from today is the Geotab Small Business Programme. The initiative caters to businesses with less than five vehicles, allowing them access to the same features as enterprise-grade customers, including enhanced vehicle productivity and easily managed vehicle maintenance. With small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) accounting for 99.8 percent of the total enterprise population in Ireland, this solution is likely to garner significant interest in the Irish market.
In addition, Geotab’s Electric Vehicle Sustainability Assessment (EVSA) tool is available for Irish customers seeking to electrify their fleets. The tool analyses a company’s fleet telematics data for a six to twelve-month period, subsequently creating an electrification recommendation based on each individual vehicle’s distinctive driving patterns. This assessment will be a powerful tool in helping businesses decarbonise their fleet lines and prepare for the ban on the sale of new petrol or diesel cars by 2030 as outlined in Ireland’s Climate Action Plan while providing deep insight for businesses into projected savings stemming from the transition to a fully or partially electric fleet.
David Savage, Vice President, UK & Ireland at Geotab, said, “We have been monitoring Ireland’s fleet sector for quite some time now, so Geotab is thrilled to finally be able to bring its full suite of technologies to the market – and given the impact of both Brexit and Covid – at a time when they are most needed. We want to help bolster transport and logistics in the Irish economy by optimising routes and vehicle performance with our data analytics tools. We see a strong desire amongst Irish companies for greater transparency and efficiency within their business fleets, and Geotab is seeking to address that demand through continued investment in the region.”
Headquartered in Canada, Geotab is the largest commercial telematics company in the world, with over 2.3 million connected vehicles worldwide and more than 1,600 employees supporting over 49,000 businesses across more than 130 countries. Geotab recently joined the ranks of the top fleet management vendors in Europe, surpassing more than 100,000 organic subscriptions. Through strategic partnerships, technology investment and growing its employee base by 131% since 2019, the company is poised for continued growth in key markets across Europe, including Ireland, Spain, Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, and France.
German software company ioki expands leading position for autonomous and on-demand mobility – first autonomous shuttles with ioki’s software start in Geneva
The Deutsche Bahn subsidiary ioki, a leading company in research and operation of autonomous transport and market leader for demand responsive transport in German-speaking countries, is the new technology partner of the EU-funded project AVENUE. The EU’s flagship project “Autonomous Vehicles to Evolve to a New Urban Experience” (AVENUE) will initially test the automation of urban transport in four European cities, with more cities to follow.
ioki will provide its specially developed technical interface for the project. The interface creates the prerequisite for combining autonomous driving and on-demand booking. In addition, the ioki software enables deep integration into the existing public transport system and MaaS apps. As the only company in the European market, ioki has experience in high-volume fleet orchestration and simultaneous navigation of autonomous shuttles in real time.
“ioki’s vision is smart, integrated transport – whether driver-based or autonomous. We are pleased that we can contribute our know-how in the field of autonomous driving to this future-oriented EU project. With the findings from the AVENUE project, we are setting the course for autonomous and connected mobility in Europe,” said Dr. Michael Barillère-Scholz, Managing Director of ioki GmbH.
“With ioki, we gain an experienced partner and come a big step closer to our goal of making Europe a global thought and technology leader in the use of connected and autonomous mobility. We are looking forward to working with ioki and to launch the first autonomous shuttles in Geneva,” said Prof. Dimitri Konstantas, AVENUE project coordinator at the University of Geneva, who is responsible for managing the €22 million EU project.
Pioneer for autonomous driving in public spaces
The software company ioki, which originates from Germany, has been pioneering autonomous driving in public spaces since its founding. The first autonomous vehicle on German roads has been on the road since 2017 using the Deutsche Bahn subsidiary’s technology. In 2019, another autonomous milestone was reached with the connection of the autonomous vehicle to rail transport. ioki’s smart platform also enables the first on-demand autonomous connection in Europe: in Karlsruhe, passenger operations for self-driving shuttles on demand started in May 2021.
ioki is entering a crucial phase in the AVENUE project. In winter, the first project shuttle will go into operation in Geneva. Within the framework of the project, further autonomous shuttles on the streets of the participating European cities will provide important insights for autonomous regular operation.
The real estate industry has always been competitive and complex. All those who are working in the industry need to be smart with their resources and what they do with them to maximize room for income and engagement. One of the recent practices that have helped many in the industry experience a steady means to grow money is affiliate marketing.
Affiliate marketing is another form of digital marketing. It is an advertising model where a company compensates third-party publishers in exchange for traffic or leads to the company’s products or services. The publishers are the ones called affiliates in this case, and the commission they receive often varies.
In real estate, you can partner with various companies in the field which includes schools, tech companies, and even listing agencies as well. It’s a good way to generate a stream of income for your website, and it can also be a means to broaden your reach with new people as well.
There are many factors that will affect the success of an affiliate program. Aside from the way the links are presented, what also matters is the affiliate program that you choose. There are various benefits to each affiliate program available, and here are some of the best ones we’ve found so far.
Showcase IDX
At its current stage, Showcase IDX is the leading WordPress IDX plugin for real estate. Agents that use Showcase IDX report getting over 80% more traffic on their website, and this alone should be enough reason to let you know how effective the platform is for affiliate programs.
The platform has created an affiliate program that makes it easy for you to grow your money. Basically, you can increase your income through two earning levels. You’ll also be able to get a commission for the first 12 months after each referral becomes an active Showcase IDX customer.
Foreclosure
When it comes to distressed property providers, you shouldn’t look elsewhere than Foreclosure. It is the go-to place for potential home buyers and investors. Of course, since we’re talking about affiliate programs, it’s worth diving into what you can get from Foreclosure.
The platform currently has one of the highest conversion rates in the industry. The commission is paid out on a monthly basis through PayPal, with the minimum payout being $100. As its system is very streamlined, you’re literally watching your money grow with Foreclosure.
Real Estate Express
When it comes to experience and reputation, you should have nothing to worry about when it comes to Real Estate Express. The company has been around since 1996, and it has served as one of the pioneers when it comes to real estate education. Partnering with them will help you extend your reach massively.
What’s good about being an affiliate partner with Real Estate Express is that it allows you to tap into the professional and casual market for real estate. It’s always good to have your business reach out to more than one outlet of the market if you are looking for definite success.
In terms of the commission, Real Estate Express will give you a check if your website is able to generate sales. You can easily track those sales and earnings through the company’s partner portal.
What To Look For In Affiliate Programs
The first thing you should consider when it comes to real estate affiliate programs is the reach of the platform you want to partner with. It should be popular, active, and most importantly, it should have consistent engagements regularly. This helps ensure that you are always going to get something out of the partnership.
Also, don’t just look into the commission they give you. It also matters that the affiliate partner offers good deals and more than one way to generate income. Always read through your contract with them first and familiarize yourself with what they promise your business.
Always remember that a good affiliate program is one where both parties benefit from one another. Don’t fall for affiliate programs that sound too good to be true because there’s a good chance that it isn’t what it seems. With so many platforms to choose from, it can be quite easy to pick one that benefits you most.
Affiliate marketing is a good way to generate extra income on the side. Don’t be afraid to explore this type of program in the field of real estate, as there could be serious money to be had from it. With the right program, you can earn enough to improve your business in no time.
