Canon & Samsung Not Doing Enough To Tackle (Slave) Forced Labour

Hitachi and Canon not doing enough to tackle forced labour, says new report
Tech companies are vulnerable to modern slavery in their supply chains. A new benchmarking report says many must do more to address it

Some of the world’s largest ICT companies including Hitachi, Canon and Samsung must step up their efforts to address the risk of forced labour in global supply chains, according to a new report.

KnowTheChain, a US supply chain accountability initiative, benchmarked 20 global ICT companies on their efforts to ensure there is no forced labour, a form of modern slavery, from their supply chain. The average score for companies scrutinised on a number of areas including auditing processes, recruitment practices and worker rights was 39 out of a possible 100.

“What is clear is that the ICT sector is at the start of a really long journey when it comes to effectively dealing with this challenge.”

The KnowTheChain benchmarking report also scores and ranks individual ICT companies on their transparency in addressing the threat of forced labour. HP was given the highest score, with 72 out of 100, followed by Apple. Other brands fared less well, such as Hitachi, which scored 34 out of 100, and Canon, which scored 12.

A spokesperson for Canon said the company conducts annual surveys on the status of suppliers’ compliance initiatives, “Based on the surveys that we have conducted, to date, there have been no indications of such exploitations within our supply chain. However, we take this subject very seriously and we will study the results of KnowTheChain’s report carefully to evaluate if there are any actions we could take to further improve our standards.”

A spokesperson for Hitachi declined to comment and Samsung had not responded to a request for comment at the time of publication.

KnowTheChain selected the 20 ICT companies based on size and whether they created products that could be vulnerable to conditions of forced labour.

The International Labour Organisation estimates that forced labour generates $150bn in illegal profits every year.

“The $250bn ICT sector has seen almost unprecedented growth in the past decade yet our benchmarking shows there is still a lot to be done to address the very real risks of forced labour in ICT corporate supply chains,” says Kilian Moote, project director at KnowTheChain.

ICT companies are considered to be particularly vulnerable to forced labour in their supply chains due to extensive use of migrant labour in the manufacturing of technology and electronics products in countries such as Malaysia and China, and the complex and lengthy supply chains of many ICT products.

In recent years the sector has faced increasing criticism of its failure to adequately address labour abuses connected to products sold to millions of customers across the world.

In 2014, a report by supply chain company Verité concluded that nearly one third of all migrant workers in Malaysia’s electronics industry were trapped in conditions of forced labour. Earlier this year Amnesty International revealed hazardous working conditions and child and forced labour in cobalt mines linked to some of the world’s largest technology brands.

The KnowTheChain report found that many of the 20 companies evaluated demonstrated high levels of awareness of the risk of forced labour, with 18 of the 20 companies making public commitments to address this issue.

However, the benchmarking also showed a discrepancy between these public statements and the ability to translate them into policies on the ground. Companies scored an average of 16/100 in their success in ensuring workers have a voice throughout their supply chains and are able to communicate concerns, represent their own interests and advocate for their rights.

“Forced labour will persist in the ICT industry unless workers at the lowest tiers of the supply chain can voice their concerns,” says Annabel Short, deputy director at the Business and Human Rights Centre, one of the partners in the KnowTheChain initiative.

“Vulnerable migrant workers must be able to organise and to access trusted, reliable grievance mechanisms. We hope this … spurs companies on to the road to improvement.”

As well as public awareness and worker rights, KnowTheChain also evaluated companies on commitment and governance, traceability and risk assessment, purchasing practices, recruitment, monitoring and remedy.

While companies only scored an average of 19/100 for recruitment practices, they fared better in areas such as traceability. The report found that 16 out of the 20 companies had processes to trace the presence of conflict minerals in their supply chains.

KnowTheChain was launched by US anti-slavery foundation Humanity United, the Business & Human Rights Centre, Sustainalytics and Verité last year. It says it expects to launch similar benchmarking reports on the food and beverage, and apparel and footwear, sectors in the coming year.

 

 

 

Original Article by Annie Kelly

How Xerox (XRX) Will Survive the Brexit Carnage

As global equity markets went in a tizzy with the U.K’s shocking decision to exit the European Union or Brexit, various U.S. companies from diverse sectors also felt the ripple effect. Although the Brexit referendum is not legally binding and offers a likely two-year window for the entire process to be completed, it has certainly created a wave of uncertainty among investors.

Exposure of U.S. Firms in the U.K.

Several U.S companies have a lot of exposure to the U.K. market, which they use as a base to reach out to the larger continent. These companies mostly prefer the U.K. cities like London and Birmingham to Paris, Frankfurt, Berlin, Amsterdam and others for establishing a European footprint. About one-third of the sales of these firms in the European continent are reportedly eked out through their British counterparts, which usually tend to be their regional headquarters.

The companies in the benchmark S&P 500 index draw average revenue of 2.9% from the U.K. Some top firms in the list include the transportation services firm Penske Automotive Group, Inc. (PAG – Analyst Report) , which generate 33.4% from the U.K., automobile major Ford Motor Co. (F – Analyst Report) with 18.8% and e-commerce retailer eBay Inc. (EBAY – Analyst Report) with 16.3%. For these companies, operating costs are likely to escalate as they restructure their resources to maintain access to both the European Union and Britain. Currency conversion will likely add to the woes as the news has led to a freefall in pound to its lowest level against the dollar since 1985 at around $1.3407.

Impact on Xerox

According to research firm Factset, the sectors that are expected to be the biggest casualties based on their revenue exposure to the U.K., are energy, information technology and materials with respective exposures of 6.4%, 4% and 3.7%.

With 5% of the total revenue coming from the U.K., information technology services provider Xerox Corporation (XRX – Analyst Report) is expected to be a high-profile victim of the Brexit fallout. Xerox has a significant number of manufacturing and engineering facilities in the U.K. The company has also high pension obligations in the U.K. Pension Plan for salaried employees.

The revamped market dynamics are expected to affect many U.S. firms like Xerox that import or export from the U.K. They are likely to be stifled by the renegotiated deals and restrictions imposed on trade with other European Union members. Brexit could further result in higher tariff and non-tariff barriers to trade between the U.K. and the European Union, lowering productivity of the company.

In 2015, the company conducted a review of structural options for its portfolio and capital allocation. On the basis of this review, the company decided to split into two independent, publicly traded entities in the first quarter of 2016. The process is expected to be completed by the end of 2016. The separation will see Xerox segregating its hardware operations and its services business. While one would comprise Document Technology and Document Outsourcing businesses, the other its Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) business. Both these entities would likely feature among the Fortune 500 companies and will be leaders in their respective markets.

With a strategic focus on various markets, Xerox expects to capitalize on the unique strengths of its Document Technology and BPO businesses and capture the value-creation opportunities post split. As part of the restructuring, Xerox has decided to execute a three-year strategic transformation program to improve its productivity and reduce costs across the businesses.

Amid such a scenario, when the company is in a fluid state and is actively restructuring its operations, the Brexit is likely to cause an additional burden on the exchequer. Only time can tell whether this Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) stock can survive this carnage or not.

Xerox Products Honored with BLI Outstanding Achievement in Innovation Awards

Buyers Laboratory LLC (BLI), the world’s leading independent evaluator of document imaging hardware and software, today announced four Outstanding Achievement in Innovation award recipients in the document imaging software category. With these awards, BLI’s experienced analysts and lab technicians recognize products that stand out for a breakthrough in technology, a unique feature or other noteworthy innovation that moves that class of product forward. Among the dozens of qualified products BLI evaluated, offerings vendors including Xerox were selected for this honor.

Xerox Adds More Potential to the MFP
With MFPs now acting as the hub for an organization’s document workflows, customers need devices that are more feature-rich and extensible than ever. In that vein, Xerox Corp. has two recent offerings worthy of BLI’s Outstanding Achievement in Innovation honors: the 2016 Xerox ConnectKey Technology platform and the related Xerox Easy Translator Service app.

Since its debut in 2013, Xerox ConnectKey Technology has served as the basis for the company’s interconnected MFPs, combining embedded controller hardware, the Xerox EIP embedded software platform, an open Application Programming Interface (API) for the development of custom MFP apps, and related software and services offerings and services. The latest iteration brings the promise of the platform to full fruition. For example, MFPs equipped with 2016 Xerox ConnectKey Technology include ready-to-use apps to support printing from mobile devices via QR code or email. This functionality is included out of the box—an industry first—and does not require dedicated server software. Another impressive development is the associated Xerox App Gallery, an online portal where customers can select and download MFP-resident “apps” that add functionality, enhance convenience and increase productivity.

“MFPs are growing more intelligent, flexible and customizable with each successive generation. With its 2016 Xerox ConnectKey Technology, Xerox has proven that to be true yet again,” said BLI’s Bsales. “The platform’s combination of onboard intelligence and online extensibility put it a step ahead.”

In an increasingly globalized world, there is considerable need for translation services. But getting printed documents translated can be a hassle. The Xerox Easy Translator Service removes any barriers by allowing users to scan documents at the MFP and receive a printout of the translated document—in any one of 38 languages—within minutes. Users can also opt for a professional-quality translation performed by translation specialists, typically returned within a few business days.

“Imagine walking up to an MFP with a document written in a foreign language, scanning it, and getting a printout of the document that has been translated into your native tongue. Or imagine needing a quick translation of a document for a colleague that speaks a foreign language. That’s the magic the Xerox Easy Translator Service app enables,” explained Bsales.

Drive More Website Visits With Bing Local Listings

With ownership of 64% of all search traffic, Google remains the hands down favorite search engine but Bing is on the rise. Once a second thought to those who prefer Google, it might come as a surprise to know that in March 2016, Bing crossed the 20% threshold for the first time. This means with Microsoft at the helm, preloading PCs with Bing and serving Bing results on Yahoo, there are now about 1 in 5 users favoring it as their search engine of choice.

We wrote about updating and taking ownership of Google local listings in a previous article. Google is the most popular search engine, so it makes sense to start there. Next step, capture traffic and boost your search-ability by guaranteeing your business is easy to find on Bing too.

Complete Document Solutions; a Xerox Authorized Agent with multiple locations across the east coast, recently completed the task of claiming and updating their Bing local listings. We spoke with Jon-Thomas Vitale, CDS Solutions Specialist to find out what sparked their interest in Bing and how they went about ensuring their local listings were complete, accurate and under their control.

Why Bing?

CDS recently went through a website redesign and began seriously analyzing their site traffic in Google Webmaster Tools and Analytics. Jon-Thomas and his team noticed a fair amount of traffic coming from Windows devices. Knowing that the Windows-driven PCs and mobile devices default to Bing, he realized not having control of their Bing local listings and at the very least not validating that they were configured correctly could cost them business.

Why not Bing?

As Jon-Thomas relayed, “it’s a 30-second task, so why not do it?” Here are tips from CDS on how they tackled Bing and drove more website traffic through local search:

Step 1

Search for your business in Bing Maps.

Underneath the “Nearby” section of the posting, there will be an “Is this your business?” link.

Step 2

Selecting this will take you to Bingplaces.com to login.

If you do not have a login, create one.

A good tip is to use one of your generic email addresses like info@abc.com or socialmedia@abc.com. Doing so will help you maintain access to your account if an employee leaves the company.

Step 3

Fill the information required in the Information tabs (Address, Category, Contact Details, Add Photos of your Business, Enter Working Hours).

After you’ve entered this information, verify your business.

Step 4

The verification process can be done with a personal identification number (PIN) via email, phone call, text, or by mail.

If the original posting had the wrong website for your business, the PIN via email option will not work.

If the original posting had the wrong phone number for your business, the phone call or text option will not work.

Step 5

When verifying by mail, you will receive a postcard with a PIN.
Return you to your Bing Places account and select “Enter Pin,” then add your updated business information and publish to the Bing / Yahoo network.

Complete this for each of your business locations

Jon-Thomas of CDS went through this process for all eight of their locations across New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Maryland/Washington DC.

Has it made a difference?

Yes, their website traffic coming into to CDS from Bing has increased by 200%.Increased traffic to your website will help your search rankings on all search engines.
Claiming a listing for the first time is quick and easy but when you’re reclaiming a listing that someone else configured, or you can only confirm ownership via mail, the process takes about a month.

Either way, it’s well worth the time in order to capture the 20% of Bing users searching locally for your business.

MPS: The future of the print market?

As businesses try to embrace a more ‘paperless’ way of working, and home users continue favouring mobile devices and cloud storage over the traditional desktop and printer setup, is it really all doom and gloom in the print sector?

All major Western European (WE) countries registered negative unit sales performance across distribution in Q1 2016, except for Italy, according to the latest research from CONTEXT.

“Sales of business-targeted inkjet printers continue to increase by three per cent year-on-year in WE distribution, while the revenue was flat in Q1 2016,” CONTEXT’s Imaging Market analyst, Zivile Brazdziunaite, tells PCR.

“This is mainly due to a strong performance of Epson, while sales of HP business- targeted inkjets declined for the quarter.

“In contrast, the performance of consumer- targeted inkjet printers continue to decline across WE distribution, due to continuous weakening of the demand and increased usage of mobile devices.”

As it seems printer hardware is getting harder to shift, IDC’s research and consulting manager of European Managed Print Services & Document Solutions, Jacqueline Hendriks, points out that although businesses and individual users may not be physically printing as much, they’re still creating, saving and storing documents. This paves the way for printer and document-related services.

“We talk continually about the eventual paperless office and although IDC’s 2016 Western European SMB end- user survey results indicate the gradual move towards digital content this has two effects – on the one hand, it is a key factor for a decrease in print volumes. On the other hand, as more information is received in digital format or scanned, it also drives an increase in some companies – the amount of digital information received is growing exponentially and, although they are printing a significantly smaller percentage of what they receive, in some companies this still constitutes an overall print volume increase,” says Hendriks.

“The Western European print services market continues to grow in Europe, fuelled by the business need to reduce overall operational costs as well as increase productivity and efficiency, through the implementation of better print and document management solutions.”
And this is where MPS comes in.

WHAT EXACTLY IS MPS?

Managed print services (MPS) include services aimed at optimising or managing a company’s document output. According to Gartner’s IT glossary, the main components provided are needs assessment, selective or general replacement of hardware, and the services, parts and supplies needed to operate the new and/or existing hardware. MPS providers can also offer services to track how printer, fax, copier and multi-function printer (MFP) fleet is being used, the problems that can occur, and the user’s satisfaction.

While these services have been introduced by printer vendors and other providers for a while now, what opportunities are there for other firms looking to get in on the action?

“There is still plenty of MPS opportunity out there, particularly in the SMB space. At the high-end enterprise level, customers are well served and mostly already under contract so the battleground remains in the SMB sector,” Brother UK MD Phil Jones tells PCR.

Midwich’s divisional director Stuart Mizon believes MPS hasn’t reached its peak yet: “While larger end users may already be using MPS in some way, shape or form, there is a huge number of SMEs who have little or no idea of their print costs within their businesses.

“Print services can be offered in many different shapes and sizes and a tailored approach can be taken to ensure it meets the needs of all users.”

Network Group’s MPS programme manager David Tulip adds: “For some it may have reached a peak but for others we see a beautiful view ahead that is positive for resellers looking to grow their business.”

To give you a better idea of the kinds of MPS offerings you could potentially offer, here’s what’s already working for some vendors and retailers.

“In terms of managed print services on the consumer side of things, we do have Instant Ink. It is a very important part of the business and we are seeing sales increase month on month,” John Lewis’ assistant buyer Louise Witchell tells PCR.

Dealer-only network UTAX provides a full turnkey package to its partners, many of whom have followed a traditional route to market and are now looking to diversify their print portfolio and broaden their offers.

“The wide portfolio of hardware and customisable software solutions available from UTAX means that the managed print solutions we offer are fully dependent on the needs of end-users – and as complex or straightforward as their needs demand,” says Shaun Wilkinson, UK managing director of UTAX.

Midwich offers a full managed print service in partnership with vendors such as Kyocera and Oki. The firm also offers PDI and installation on a ‘menu of services’ basis to help partners with elements they may need, or want, to outsource.

Brother UK’s Phil Jones tells PCR: “We offer a cloud-based Basic Print Service, as well as more sophisticated managed print service option including pre-print audit, device optimisation/design, deployment and management/optimisation.”

SOUND ADVICE

While these firms are well underway with their offerings, what advice do they have for retailers and resellers looking to get into the MPS game?

UTAX’s Wilkinson advises resellers to make sure they deliver a solution that provides answers to the problems end users have. “This means knowing what you can offer – or at least tapping into the expertise of a partner vendor,” says Wilkinson. “Clients will be prepared to pay more where they can see the wider benefits to their business and the discussion becomes more about the overall business case rather than the straight cost of investment.

“The last thing resellers need to get themselves involved in is the race to rock bottom prices.”

Brother UK’s Phil Jones adds: “MPS can be high touch in the preliminary stages, however when the contract is fully deployed and working well, it is an excellent tool to give cost transparency, genuine consultancy and financial management to customers.

“It’s the main reason why so many customers renew their contracts with the same supplier at contract end, so the upside is in customer retention and projectable recurring revenues over many years.”

Aside from those planning to get into the world of MPS, Network Group’s David Tulip outlines the best way for resellers already providing MPS to make more money.

“Review vendor relationships and service tools, technical review and competence of engineers. Reviewing each account, and the service delivery and customer satisfaction, is crucial. For me the best tip I can give for resellers to make money is to look after your customers and keep them happy so they stay and refer others.”

THE FUTURE OF PRINT

It is clear the nature of the print market is changing, but, MPS aside, what does the future for the print industry – and the vendors in the space – look like?

“There will be fewer players for sure,” says Brother UK’s Jones. “With a number of vendors up for sale or recently sold, consolidation remains a key theme. The race to get pages under contract will hot up too so it’s vital the channel builds capability with managed services at all levels.”

Midwich’s Stuart Mizon tells PCR: “In terms of solutions, we are well placed to help with our Papercut offering and the support we can offer on this. With regards to connectivity, especially in the form of mobile and tablet, there is more demanded to be at the forefront of people’s minds when selecting devices.”

UTAX’s Shaun Wilkinson believes it will be more difficult to categorise an IT company in the future.

“Print vendors won’t exist as print vendors – print will be part of the larger solutions that companies are selling and customers are looking for,” he says.

“It’s no longer about shifting boxes – the concept of a standalone print vendor will become outdated. The IT resellers that survive will be those that offer a holistic approach and greater integration between office systems such as the cloud and BYOD, and manage the issues that follow, such as security and digital workflows.”

Network Group’s David Tulip adds: “The future of the market in my opinion lies around software to help with policies, rules and routing, and software that can help manage the flow of both paper and electronic documents.”

Louise Witchell from John Lewis concludes: “The printer market growth will continue to slow and the levels of growth will diminish. At key times of the year like ‘back to school’ and ‘off to university’ there will still be a demand for printers and for families, but I think other customer groups will decline.

“The market in the future will see printers becoming a potential feature within the connected home story. They will become smaller and more compact with improved functionality.

“As people print less, the convenience and ease of use will play a factor in whether a customer decides to purchase a printer.”

 

 

 

Original Article by Laura Barnes

Microsoft to acquire LinkedIn

Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT) and LinkedIn Corporation (NYSE: LNKD) on Monday announced they have entered into a definitive agreement under which Microsoft will acquire LinkedIn for $196 per share in an all-cash transaction valued at $26.2 billion, inclusive of LinkedIn’s net cash. LinkedIn will retain its distinct brand, culture and independence. Jeff Weiner will remain CEO of LinkedIn, reporting to Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft. Reid Hoffman, chairman of the board, co-founder and controlling shareholder of LinkedIn, and Weiner both fully support this transaction. The transaction is expected to close this calendar year.

LinkedIn is the world’s largest and most valuable professional network and continues to build a strong and growing business. Over the past year, the company has launched a new version of its mobile app that has led to increased member engagement; enhanced the LinkedIn newsfeed to deliver better business insights; acquired a leading online learning platform called Lynda.com to enter a new market; and rolled out a new version of its Recruiter product to its enterprise customers. These innovations have resulted in increased membership, engagement and financial results, specifically:

• 19 percent growth year over year (YOY) to more than 433 million members worldwide
• 9 percent growth YOY to more than 105 million unique visiting members per month
• 49 percent growth YOY to 60 percent mobile usage
• 34 percent growth YOY to more than 45 billion quarterly member page views
• 101 percent growth YOY to more than 7 million active job listings

“The LinkedIn team has grown a fantastic business centered on connecting the world’s professionals,” Nadella said. “Together we can accelerate the growth of LinkedIn, as well as Microsoft Office 365 and Dynamics as we seek to empower every person and organization on the planet.”

“Just as we have changed the way the world connects to opportunity, this relationship with Microsoft, and the combination of their cloud and LinkedIn’s network, now gives us a chance to also change the way the world works,” Weiner said. “For the last 13 years, we’ve been uniquely positioned to connect professionals to make them more productive and successful, and I’m looking forward to leading our team through the next chapter of our story.”

The transaction has been unanimously approved by the Boards of Directors of both LinkedIn and Microsoft. The deal is expected to close this calendar year and is subject to approval by LinkedIn’s shareholders, the satisfaction of certain regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions.

“Today is a re-founding moment for LinkedIn. I see incredible opportunity for our members and customers and look forward to supporting this new and combined business,” said Hoffman. “I fully support this transaction and the Board’s decision to pursue it, and will vote my shares in accordance with their recommendation on it.”

Microsoft will finance the transaction primarily through the issuance of new indebtedness. Upon closing, Microsoft expects LinkedIn’s financials to be reported as part of Microsoft’s Productivity and Business Processes segment. Microsoft expects the acquisition to have minimal dilution of ~1 percent to non-GAAP earnings per share for the remainder of fiscal year 2017 post-closing and for fiscal year 2018 based on the expected close date, and become accretive to Microsoft’s non-GAAP earnings per share in Microsoft’s fiscal year 2019 or less than two years post-closing. Non-GAAP includes stock-based compensation expense consistent with Microsoft’s reporting practice, and excludes expected impact of purchase accounting adjustments as well as integration and transaction-related expenses. In addition, Microsoft also reiterated its intention to complete its existing $40 billion share repurchase authorization by Dec. 31, 2016, the same timeframe as previously committed.

Microsoft and LinkedIn will host a joint conference call with investors on June 13, 2016, at 8:45 a.m. Pacific Time/11:45 a.m. Eastern Time to discuss this transaction. The call will be available via webcast at https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/Investor and will be hosted by Nadella and Weiner, as well as Microsoft Chief Financial Officer Amy Hood and Microsoft President and Chief Legal Officer Brad Smith. The presentation for the call is available on the Microsoft News Center.

Morgan Stanley is acting as exclusive financial advisor to Microsoft, and Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP is acting as legal advisor to Microsoft. Qatalyst Partners and Allen & Company LLC are acting as financial advisors to LinkedIn, while Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, Professional Corporation, is acting as legal advisor.

About LinkedIn

LinkedIn connects the world’s professionals to make them more productive and successful and transforms the way companies hire, market, and sell. Our vision is to create economic opportunity for every member of the global workforce through the ongoing development of the world’s first Economic Graph. LinkedIn has more than 400 million members and has offices around the globe.

About Microsoft

Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT” @microsoft) is the leading platform and productivity company for the mobile-first, cloud-first world, and its mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.

Additional Information and Where to Find It

In connection with the transaction, LinkedIn Corporation (the “Company”) will file relevant materials with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), including a proxy statement on Schedule 14A. Promptly after filing its definitive proxy statement with the SEC, the Company will mail the definitive proxy statement and a proxy card to each stockholder entitled to vote at the special meeting relating to the transaction. INVESTORS AND SECURITY HOLDERS OF THE COMPANY ARE URGED TO READ THESE MATERIALS (INCLUDING ANY AMENDMENTS OR SUPPLEMENTS THERETO) AND ANY OTHER RELEVANT DOCUMENTS IN CONNECTION WITH THE TRANSACTION THAT THE COMPANY WILL FILE WITH THE SEC WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE COMPANY AND THE TRANSACTION. The definitive proxy statement, the preliminary proxy statement and other relevant materials in connection with the transaction (when they become available), and any other documents filed by the Company with the SEC, may be obtained free of charge at the SEC’s website (http://www.sec.gov) or at LinkedIn’s website (http://investors.linkedin.com) or by writing to LinkedIn Corporation, Investor Relations, 2029 Stierlin Court, Mountain View, California 94043.

The Company and its directors and executive officers are participants in the solicitation of proxies from the Company’s stockholders with respect to the transaction. Information about the Company’s directors and executive officers and their ownership of the Company’s common stock is set forth in the Company’s proxy statement on Schedule 14A filed with the SEC on April 22, 2016. To the extent that holdings of the Company’s securities have changed since the amounts printed in the Company’s proxy statement, such changes have been or will be reflected on Statements of Change in Ownership on Form 4 filed with the SEC. Information regarding the identity of the participants, and their direct or indirect interests in the transaction, by security holdings or otherwise, will be set forth in the proxy statement and other materials to be filed with SEC in connection with the transaction.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 with respect to the proposed transaction and business combination between Microsoft and LinkedIn, including statements regarding the benefits of the transaction, the anticipated timing of the transaction and the products and markets of each company. These forward-looking statements generally are identified by the words “believe,” “project,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “intend,” “strategy,” “future,” “opportunity,” “plan,” “may,” “should,” “will,” “would,” “will be,” “will continue,” “will likely result,” and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are predictions, projections and other statements about future events that are based on current expectations and assumptions and, as a result, are subject to risks and uncertainties. Many factors could cause actual future events to differ materially from the forward-looking statements in this press release, including but not limited to: (i) the risk that the transaction may not be completed in a timely manner or at all, which may adversely affect LinkedIn’s business and the price of the common stock of LinkedIn, (ii) the failure to satisfy the conditions to the consummation of the transaction, including the adoption of the merger agreement by the stockholders of LinkedIn and the receipt of certain governmental and regulatory approvals, (iii) the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstance that could give rise to the termination of the merger agreement, (iv) the effect of the announcement or pendency of the transaction on LinkedIn’s business relationships, operating results, and business generally, (v) risks that the proposed transaction disrupts current plans and operations of LinkedIn or Microsoft and potential difficulties in LinkedIn employee retention as a result of the transaction, (vi) risks related to diverting management’s attention from LinkedIn’s ongoing business operations, (vii) the outcome of any legal proceedings that may be instituted against us or against LinkedIn related to the merger agreement or the transaction, (viii) the ability of Microsoft to successfully integrate LinkedIn’s operations, product lines, and technology, and (ix) the ability of Microsoft to implement its plans, forecasts, and other expectations with respect to LinkedIn’s business after the completion of the proposed merger and realize additional opportunities for growth and innovation. In addition, please refer to the documents that Microsoft and LinkedIn file with the SEC on Forms 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K. These filings identify and address other important risks and uncertainties that could cause events and results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements set forth in this press release. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements, and Microsoft and LinkedIn assume no obligation and do not intend to update or revise these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

Note to editors: For more information, news and perspectives from Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft News Center at http://news.microsoft.com. Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at time of publication, but may have changed. For additional assistance, journalists and analysts may contact Microsoft’s Rapid Response Team or other appropriate contacts listed at http://news.microsoft.com/microsoft-public-relations-contacts.

Xerox India appoints Supertron Electronics as its National Distributor Partner

Xerox India has announced its new national distributor partner for Office products and Supplies – Supertron Electronics Pvt. Ltd., a leading Information Technology and Telecom distribution company in India which has graduated from regional to national level.

Balaji Rajagopalan, Executive Director, Technology, Channels and International Distributor Operations said, “We are extremely pleased to partner with Supertron Electronics on our India journey. This association is reflective of our concerted efforts and focus in strengthening the channel partners ecosystem and our ability to share products across multiple touch points in the country. Supertron caters to over 9,000 channel partners spread across the regions. This partnership will allow us to make our Office products and Supplies accessible & available to a greater audience, thereby improving coverage and visibility.”

Balaji further added, “Our recently launched 14 Xerox ConnectKey-enabled i-Series MFPs, both Color and Monochrome, are already available with Supertron Electronics across its 39 branches and 27 service locations. These MFPs allows businesses to go beyond printing, scanning, faxing and copying, and gives channel partners the tools they need to capture new recurring revenue streams.”

To drive distribution business to supply chain management, Supertron has taken steps to increase its footprints more and more on smaller towns and increase the channel breadth rather than relying more on major cities. The company has extended its presence beyond metro cities of B, C and D class cities with a significant and growing presence in the upcountry and remote towns as well.

Mr. V.K.Bhandari, CMD, Supertron Electronics Pvt. Ltd. said, “We are delighted to partner with Xerox India on their office and supplies business. With our pan India presence and a strong network of channel partners and service locations, we will surely be able to expand value added coverage for Xerox in India and bolster our business growth.”

Sure, we have a 3D printer … but we’re not using it much yet

Pella has been using 3D printing for 14 years to make prototypes, but only recently started using the technology to make parts for its windows and doors.

The company still doesn’t make too many pieces that way, though. While the technology and materials have improved, the costs haven’t hit their sweet spot yet, said Kevin Gaul, the Iowa-based company’s engineering manager.

“Materials can still be a little bit of a bear, either from capability or cost,” he said. “If we’re going to use hundreds of thousands of these parts a year, it doesn’t make sense to 3D print.”

Experts say many companies that invested in 3D printing are hitting road blocks with their machines, ranging from cost issues to lack of digital manufacturing expertise.

“People are interested enough to buy it or invest in the technology, but there’s this lag in how they can actually use it effectively or match their expectations,” said Mike Vasquez, founder of Chicago-based digital manufacturing consulting company 3Degrees.

With promises that 3D printing could help people eat healthier or create body parts, expectations have risen pretty high in the past couple of years.

Scientists say they’re closer to 3D printing body parts

Many companies got caught up in that hype before they figured out the right ways to incorporate the technology, Vasquez said. They may lack the know-how to use it, and with some companies, it might not make good business sense.

Three of every four companies that are using 3D printing don’t think they’re using the technology to its full potential, according to a survey 3Degrees released earlier this month.

Fifty-four companies from around the country responded to 3Degrees’ survey, 38 of which use 3D printing technology. Only half of those 38 said they had moved past prototyping to experiment with end products.

Even if a company has a perfect execution plan and expertise to back it up, it takes time to implement, to train engineers how to think differently about design.

“There’s going to be a little push back,” Vasquez said. “It’s going to take some time to mature.”

Society as a whole needs to change the way it thinks before that can happen, said Julie Friedman Steele ⇒, founder of the 3D Printer Experience in River North.

Those using 3D printers need to start thinking more like creators than consumers, she said.

“Makers and hackers tend to utilize it pretty easily, because they think pretty differently about what they want to do,” she said. “It’s just about how you think about manufacturing and the products that you use.”

She’s seen many companies that jumped into the 3D printing fray without realizing what it takes to maintain the machines, and investing in the wrong kind of technology.

Even schools, which have been populating labs with the machines and adding them to curriculum, are underutilizing 3D printers, Steele said.

Some companies outsource 3D printing needs.

Urban Architecture Studio, which works out of WeWork in River North, has 3D Printer Experience create some of its models, mainly because they don’t have space or the capacity to maintain a machine of the necessary caliber, said architectural designer Daniel Caven.

Gaul, from Pella, said his company intentionally hasn’t reached full capacity with their 3D printers. They buy machines that are more advanced than they need, hoping to grow into the printers’ capabilities. Pella also experiments with 3D printing technology before making the investment.

“We really try to learn before we buy,” Gaul said. “When we bring it in house, we know the technology and what the applications are going to be, so we can make good use of the technology once we make that investment.”

 

Original article by Ally Morotti