Category: Tech News

Craigmore announces opening of £300K #KÄRCHER “Centre of the future” in Belfast #Jobs #Belfast

Local family established company Craigmore, the leading UK and Ireland distributor of Kärcher cleaning equipment, has announced the opening of a new state of the art 5,000 sq. ft. showroom in Belfast.

The facility which represents a £300k investment, will create 10 new jobs and provide an unrivalled customer service experience for commercial and domestic clients throughout Ireland.

A Kärcher dealer for almost 25 years, Craigmore has experienced significant growth over the last two years and identified the potential of a dedicated Belfast Center to capitalise on the growing demand for Kärcher products.  The in-store and online sales potential for the new showroom is around £1 million annually with exports to RoI representing a significant proportion.

Pictured at the opening of the new £300k Investment in the Kärcher ‘Center of the Future’ in Belfast are (L-R) Mark Venner, Chief Operations Officer at Kärcher UK, Lord Mayor of Belfast Cllr Nuala McAllister and Geoff Baird MD of Craigmore and Kärcher Center Belfast.

“The new system includes a Click and Collect app for customers which allows interaction between the store customers before, during and after the sale while tablet based software empowers staff to give the best customer service possible in-store and post transaction. In addition, the order management software for click and collect and repair requests allows front of house staff and those in the warehouse to communicate in real time, minimising any delays whilst integration codes enable all software within the new system to communicate and exchange data on everything from stock levels, availability and pricing,” said Mark.

 

Geoff Baird, Founder and Managing Director with Craigmore explains,

“This showroom is the first of its kind in the Kärcher network and represents the Gold Standard for our fellow distributors, with bespoke innovative software and hardware solutions to assist in the sales process as well as back end information gathering and sharing.  Our location on the Boucher Road gives us access to the greatest concentration of potential customers with a dedicated site to service our all-Ireland customer base.”

Pictured at the opening of the new £300k Investment in the Kärcher ‘Center of the Future’ in Belfast are (L-R) Mark Venner, Chief Operations Officer at Kärcher UK, Lord Mayor of Belfast Cllr Nuala McAllister and Geoff Baird MD of Craigmore and Kärcher Center Belfast. 

Offering the full range of products for home and garden, professional, industrial, spares and accessories, this Kärcher “center of the future” has been designed to revolutionise customers’ expectations by offering an experience more akin to a high end car showroom, with a 900-shrub living wall featuring the Kärcher irrigation system, refreshments from Nespresso and Hotel Chocolat and an 9 screen LCD wall demonstrating the Kärcher portfolio of cleaning solutions.

“We currently supply Kärcher cleaning equipment to all sectors of businesses including haulage, car dealerships, car valeting shops, engineering, food, retail and hospitality, offering everything from £100 vacuums up to £75,000 bespoke cleaning systems or multiple machine installations,” says Geoff, “but this new showroom has been tailored to maximise appeal among domestic customers who will feel more comfortable shopping in the engaging environment we have created.” 

Lord Mayor of Belfast Councillor Nuala McAllister said: “I’m delighted to see further investment in the city because with that brings jobs creation and a boost to the local economy.

“This new business is the first success story to come from the council’s City for Investment Service which provides a ‘soft landing’ for businesses to tap into council networks and get marketing, employability and skills support.

“Through this new service we will proactively work with investors, providing the professional and personal connections to help them do business in our city successfully. I, and each one of the elected members for Belfast City Council, are committed to continuing this work to deliver our ambitions for the city and our Belfast Agenda.”

A significant element of the £300K investment has been the development of a bespoke suite of software and hardware that completely integrates the sales and business functions to maximise customer satisfaction and operational efficiencies. Kärcher UK Chief Operating Officer, Mark Venner explains,

The Kärcher Center Belfast will be open from 8.30am to 6pm, 6 days a week and will have specially trained Kärcher experts on site to explain and demonstrate the full product range.  For further information, go to www.karchercenterbelfast.com

Drive your print and document digital transformation with Xeretec. #GDPR #Xeretec

The role that digital print hardware, software and solution offerings can play in helping businesses on their path to digital transformation – ranging from security through to sustainability – will be some of the key themes addressed on Xeretec’s stand D4 at the Dublin Tech Summit, on 18 – 19 April 2018, at the Convention Centre Dublin.

The summit presents an opportunity for visitors to the Xeretec stand to see and experience its range of data-driven measurement tools and software offerings designed to support print assessments, device and user analytics. These include Xeretec Pulse, which provides detailed device analytics, and Xeretec Vision which helps to easily identify inefficiencies in an organisation’s print environment. In turn, this can help to identify solutions or managed print requirements that will help to maximise efficiency and productivity.

Xeretec will also demonstrate its innovative, in-house developed apps, the Xeretec Support Application Suite. The suite of apps has been developed to provide immediate, on-device, next generation support for users of Xerox A3 iSeries firmware devices.

With GDPR front-of-mind for many companies, Xeretec will also outline how the intelligent print management solutions it offers, combined with the knowledge and guidance of its experienced consultants, can help organisations honour their GDPR and other security-related obligations from a print and document workflow perspective. These range from secure print solutions – which help prevent sensitive documents from being left unclaimed on print devices – to print audit, tracking and redaction capabilities. To further help companies on their path to compliance, Xeretec has created a series of Meet the Experts blogs that provide an organisation-wide perspective on the subject, providing advice and knowledge.

As more companies move core applications to cloud-based models to take advantage of lower costs, increased flexibility and enhanced security, Xeretec will also show versatile cloud computing applications designed to simplify the sharing of electronic documents. Xeretec’s Scan to One Drive App for instance, can accelerate the pace at which documents are captured, shared and stored, driving both security and visibility, thanks to a detailed audit trail.

Commenting on its presence at the 2018 Dublin Tech Summit, Tom Cleare, General Manager, Xeretec Ireland, said: “The Dublin Tech Summit is an excellent platform for business of all sizes to learn more about the technology solutions that can help them drive collaboration, productivity and efficiency. That’s particularly true of document workflows as they increasingly underpin and connect many different departments and applications within a business. Therefore, organisations should ensure that how they capture, store and share physical and electronic documents is done as efficiently and securely as possible.”

Xeretec has 16 facilities across the UK and Ireland (including sales offices and operational facilities) and approximately 100 sales staff. Further to this, the Scotland and Southern organisation joined forces when they came together to operate as one entity in September 2017. Follow Xeretec on Twitter or follow its regularly updated series of print industry related blogs.

Ricoh Ireland to double sales team in ambitious commercial expansion programme. #jobs #Ricoh

Ricoh Ireland has today announced it plans to double its commercial sales team to meet rising demand for its services, products and solutions among its growing customer base across Ireland.

The company is looking to recruit additional sales professionals in account management and business development roles. This follows Ricoh’s announcement last year of 110 new jobs as part of a €6.5 million investment in its new Irish headquarters based in Swords, Dublin.

The success of Ricoh’s new service lines offered in Ireland has been a key driver behind this growth plan. The firm has added a wide range of new communications, workplace and IT services to its solutions portfolio in recent times, including innovative unified communications, video conferencing and meeting room technologies. This is in addition to its production print, managed print and managed document services solution range.

The introduction of these additional service lines, aimed at enabling digital and business transformation, has led to increased demand for Ricoh products and services, particularly in the SME market.

Gary Hopwood, general manager, Ricoh Ireland

Gary Hopwood, managing director, Ricoh Ireland, commented: “Ricoh has a well-established corporate base in Ireland and continues to build strong and productive relationships with the next generation of enterprises. The way we work is consistently changing and at Ricoh, we are committed to providing businesses of all sizes with the tools and services needed to stay ahead when it comes to empowering their workforce.

“To fulfil this commitment, it is imperative that we continue to grow the Ricoh team with the best talent, as this is what separates us as a market leader. Our people demonstrate innovation, creativity and all possess a strong desire to see Ricoh customers thrive in a competitive marketplace. This is a hugely exciting time for the company and it’s a fantastic opportunity for talented people to join our growing team.”

Current job opportunities at Ricoh Ireland are listed here.

Infographic: Real Time Data Changing the Construction Industry. #data #construction #tech

With Data now a key factor in business realtime data is now something that changes everything at a glance and most importantly one of these is costs, Project costs are normally set out prior build but do most stick to it or go over budget be it by a small amount or large, In Ireland we all know the answer to that but there is alot more than you might think where data is relevant to construction and how going mobile and using tech can assist, check out this beautiful infographic sent over to us from Jasmine Kemp at APE mobile

AMI returns €2 million to clients. #AMI #PC #LAPTOPS #GDPR #DATA

Many Irish companies are unaware of the potential new revenue stream that old IT equipment represents. AMI is working with clients to help them to uncover the value of their old PCs and process them securely to avoid the risk of data leaks. The company resold 23,324 PCs and laptops in 2017, and securely processed 371,639 data-bearing items in total.

AMI, Ireland’s leading secure IT retirement company, today announces that it returned €2 million to its clients in 2017. The funds were generated through the recycling, refurbishment and resale of data-bearing items, including 23,324 PCs and laptops, collected from AMI’s clients as part of their IT retirement process.

Pictured at the announcement that AMI has returned €2 million to its clients in 2017 are Philip McMichael; managing director and Faye Thomas; business manager.

Prior to reselling equipment to its global network of 350 bulk buyers, AMI uses advanced equipment and processes to ensure that data-bearing equipment is erased to the most stringent global standards. Last year the company data sanitised 371,639 data-bearing items, destroying data from equipment using its Blancco data erasure software.

AMI’s client-base includes one quarter of Ireland’s 200 largest IT user organisations, including data centres, banks, blue-chip corporations and government departments. The company specialises in providing secure IT retirement services that can help its customers to generate revenue back from the safe disposal of their old IT assets. However, it has noted that many organisations are unaware of the potential revenue stream that used IT equipment represents.

Pictured at the announcement that AMI has returned €2 million to its clients in 2017 is Philip McMichael; managing director, AMI.

Philip McMichael, managing director, AMI, said: “We’re delighted to have been able to return €2 million to our clients in 2017, and we hope to improve on this figure again in 2018. Irish companies are gradually awakening to the importance of ensuring that their old IT equipment is correctly retired at the end-of-life stage, to minimise the risk of a potentially serious and harmful data breach.

“As well as minimising the risk of a data breach, working with a secure IT retirement provider like AMI has another benefit: it enables us to provide companies with the highest return on their retired assets. Organisations are beginning to realise that correct handling of old IT equipment at the point of retirement can not only help to safeguard their reputation, but it can also generate a lucrative revenue stream for the business.”

General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is also set to have a significant impact on how Irish companies approach the IT retirement process.

Philip McMichael said: “Awareness of the scale of potential fines under GDPR is starting to grow among organisations, and board members are asking questions of their IT teams about how they manage the IT retirement process. Once they learn that there is a monetary value in properly managed IT retirement they will make this investment in their future, and uncover the hidden value in their old PCs and laptops.”

Photo credits – Donal McCann

Thousands of employees to ‘go remote’ as Ireland prepares for #BeastfromtheEast #Remote

It would be nice if we could all do it but its not relevant to a percentage of the population but with the situation at hand it is the sensible thing to do for those that can..Many more companies could introduce a work from home set up and perhaps now is a time to look into it. 

Thousands of employees across the country will work from home in the coming days, as Ireland faces its worst blizzard since 1982.

Abodoo calls for employers to consider remote working as a longer-term option 

As the country gears up for the ‘Beast from the East’, start-up Abodoo, which champions remote and flexible career opportunities, is highlighting how remote working can help employers avoid work disruptions year-round.

Commenting today (27.02.18), Vanessa Tierney, co-founder of Abodoo, said: “When bad weather hits, many employers are thrown into disarray.  They may not have the systems and procedures in place to facilitate remote working, so a weather event like the ‘Best from the East’ can cause severe disruption to their business.

“On the other hand, those employers that facilitate remote working year-round have nothing to fear from bad weather.  They have provided flexible working options for their employees, which means their business will continue to run smoothly no matter what the weather conditions. 

“If employees can work from home, they don’t have to venture out and try to drive to work in perilous conditions.  During storms, remote working is the safest and most sensible option.

“At Abodoo, we believe remote working shouldn’t be the exception and employers should offer this option to employees throughout the year, and not just at times of adverse weather conditions.”

Business Case for Remote Working

According to Ms. Tierney, there is a strong business case for remote working, year-round.

“Apart from avoiding disruption during bad weather, remote working leads to cost-savings, better retention levels, higher rates of employee satisfaction, and greater opportunities for working parents, people with disabilities, and those living outside major urban areas,” she said.  “It’s better for the environment because people need to commute less, and it allows people more choice in where they live and the type of homes they buy.  

Abodoo highlighted the “figures that prove remote working makes sense”, including:

  • Remote workers save, on average, between €2,000 and €7,000 and hundreds of hours of travel time per year – just by removing their daily commute.
  • 82% of those who work from home report lower stress levels as a result.
  • 58% of companies in Ireland (in a 2016 survey of 540 companies) confirmed they are investing in cloud technology, of which 46% confirmed this would benefit remote working.
  • 15% of large multinational companies in Ireland now support home-working, and this figure is increasing year on year.
  • Companies that promote remote working report an increase in staff retention of over 50 per cent; and a reduction in absenteeism of 63%.
  • 91% of companies that facilitate remote working experience increased productivity.
  • Companies will save on average of €11,000 per employee that is remote and many start by implementing a hybrid or flexible model.
  • Figures from Census 2016 show the scale of the daily exodus from two out of every three local authority areas due to a lack of local job and educational opportunities. Rates of unemployment in rural areas include: 16% of Cavan; 19% of Longford; over 14% of Mayo and 15% of Wexford.

Hundreds attend London event aimed at enticing tech talent to Ireland. #tech #404London

Hundreds attended an event in London this weekend, aimed at enticing skilled tech workers to Ireland.

404 London saw leading tech employers showcasing the career opportunities they have on offer in their Irish sites.  Participating companies included Cartrawler, HubSpot, Indeed Prime, Workday and Zendesk.

In addition to showcasing career opportunities, the event featured panel discussions, tech installations and talks by industry leaders.  John Romero, creator of the popular Doom computer game, was a star attraction, remaining unbeaten in a ‘Doom Deathmatch’ at the event, for which he played Doom against 20 fans.

Pictured at the event in Shoreditch, London, was Jackie Slattery, co-founder of 404, challenging John Romero of Romero Games at ‘Doom’, the legendary computer game he created. Photo: Doruk Yemenici.

404 London was run in partnership with Tech/Life Ireland, a joint initiative of Enterprise Ireland, IDA Ireland and the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation.

Commenting from the event, Jackie Slattery, co-founder of 404, said:

“We’ve had hundreds of skilled tech professionals in attendance at 404 London.  These are people interested in moving to Ireland because they know the best tech companies in the world are located there.  They’re also attracted by the work/life balance, well-established tech community and the scope for career progression.  The feedback from participating companies has been fantastic – they were all hugely impressed with attendees’ experience and skills levels. 

Pictured at the event in Shoreditch, London, was Jackie Slattery, co-founder of 404. Photo: Doruk Yemenici.

“There’s a well-documented shortage of skilled tech professionals in Ireland, so we’re delighted there was such a strong turnout.  This is the first Irish tech recruitment event of its kind – directly connecting Ireland’s tech employers with the large pool of talent available in the UK.”

Mobile subscriber penetration in Mali is forecast to reach 138% in 2022, says @globaldataplc

A large land-locked country in West Africa, Mali’s population of 17 million has seen a strong growth in mobile uptake over the years, due to a lack of fixed connectivity services. Alpha Telecom’s long-awaited launch as the third mobile operator in Mali, under the brand Telecel, means that mobile subscriber penetration in Mali is expected to reach 138% in 2022, up from 127% in 2017, according to GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.

Previously there have been two mobile operators in Mali: Orange Mali, part of the French Orange Group, and Malitel, part-owned by Marco Telecom and Malian government. At the end of December 2017, Alpha Telecom finally launched Telecel. Despite receiving a mobile license as far back as February 2013, Telecel had not managed to launch services until now. Over the years, it faced financing, infrastructure, and legal delays.

 

With network equipment built by Huawei, Telecel plans to offer 3G services, first in Bamako, then gradually rolling out across Mali. Telecel will be inserting fresh competition into the current duopoly between Orange Mali and Malitel.

June Sun, Technology Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “A new mobile operator entering a market can potentially lower the prices for consumers, as the new operator competes for subscribers with the incumbents. However, Telecel will have to compete with established products in the market, such as Malitel’s and Orange Mali’s popular mobile money services.”

Primary school students go head-to-head at Dell VEX Robotics challenge in Cork #robotics #Dell

The first Dell VEX Primary School Regional Competition of 2018 is taking place today in Cork Institute of Technology (CIT). The competition is run by Dell, in collaboration with CIT who have been involved with the programme since Dell brought it to Ireland six years ago.

67 Primary School Teams Compete in Final Stages of Competition

The first Dell VEX Robotics competition for secondary schools took place in 2012 featuring 10 teams before expanding in 2014 with the creation of the VEX IQ Primary School competition with 19 primary school teams competing that year. Over recent years, the competition has grown from strength to strength. 98 teams are involved in this year’s contest; 67 from primary schools and 31 from secondary schools.  In total, 1,800 students from seven counties will participate over five days of events in the final stages of the competition.

The Dell VEX Robotics Challenge calls on students at primary and secondary school level to work in teams to design, build and program a robot. In September schools are provided with an easy to follow curriculum to help the schools run the preparation stages independently with the support of Dell employees who have volunteered their time to visit participating schools and provide guidance to students and teachers. Preparation with students has been taking place since September with scrimmages taking place in schools during November to prepare students for the competition phases.


Liam Daly and Aoibheann Roche of Burnfort NS Mallow with classmates preparing for the competition.
The first Dell VEX Primary School Regional Competition of 2018 took place today in Cork Institute of Technology (CIT). The competition is run by Dell, in collaboration with CIT who have been involved with the programme since Dell brought it to Ireland six years ago. The semi-finals will take place on January 17th and 18th at CIT and at the Dell Limerick Campus on February 1st. The finals will take place in CIT on March 1st. The overall winners will get a spot in the VEX World Competition in Kentucky.

At the semi-final events, primary schools will compete against each other, present their projects to the judges and compete in a teamwork challenge with the finalists announced at the end of the day. The finals of the Primary School competition is taking place on March 1st in Cork Institute of Technology with the overall winners getting a spot in the VEX World Competition in Kentucky,

 Bob Savage, Managing Director and Vice President EMEA, Dell Centre of Excellence said: “As a company we’re passionate about showcasing the exciting side of STEM subjects and inspiring students to become interested in science, technology, engineering and maths. Ultimately, we hope programmes like Dell VEX Robotics will have an impact on the choices students make when preparing for their Leaving Cert and when selecting courses for third level education. With Ireland’s tech sector continuing to thrive and technologies such as AI, VR and AR expected to be a core part of the future of work – regardless of the job or profession a student pursues, gaining these computational and engineering skills while still at school will be invaluable to them for the future.”

Dónal Ó Murchú, Principal, GaelScoil Thomais Daibhis, Mallow said: “The Dell VEX Robotics Programme is changing mindsets and addressing real issues with a problem-solving attitude; it focuses and inspires our young pupils to become the new innovators of their future. The fact that the pupils were more knowledgeable about some aspects of the robotics than their teachers meant that in our school the learning was pupil–led rather than what one might ordinarily expect.”

There are several aspects that differentiate the VEX Robotics Competition which is run by Dell from other school based projects. The competition focuses on engaging children from a young age with students as young as 9 and 10 years old designing robots. Typically, it involves full classes at primary level, meaning it engages all students and not just those who might already be tech-oriented. This is key to building that pipeline of talent that the technology industry needs to thrive. It also provides a wealth of opportunities to get involved within the community, from volunteers who provide mentoring sessions at their local school, to those who volunteer at an event as a referee, judge, inspector or more.


Eoghan neison, Manahil sabir, Dolly Sheehan and Jess young of Cork Educate Together N.S.,
Grattan Street. Cork City

The Dell VEX Robotics Challenge is delivered by Dell with the support of CIT. Throughout the last year, strategic partnerships have been built with various educational institutions. Mary Immaculate College in Limerick delivered a module on VEX Robotics for student teachers, held a summer course for school teachers and sponsored a number of teams. The Education Support Centres in Cork and Limerick both hosted VEX Robotics support sessions for teachers.

For further information on VEX Robotics log onto https://www.roboticseducationireland.com/ or contact EMC.VEX.Robotics.School.Team@emc.com