Epson to Acquire Italian Textile Printer Manufacturing Company Robustelli

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- Relationship to strengthen product lineup and manufacturing expertise-

Monna Lisa digital inkjet textile printer

TOKYO, Japan, and COMO, Italy, June 23, 2016  -

Epson Group ("Epson", TSE:6724) company Epson Italia S.p.A. has agreed with the Robustelli family to acquire 100% of the capital of Fratelli Robustelli S.r.l. ("Robustelli"), a leader in the textile printing industry. The agreement aims to drive synergies and further increase customer value by expanding the scope of the two companies’ longstanding collaboration in digital inkjet textile printing.

Epson global president Minoru Usui (second from right) with (from left) Sandro, Valerio and Riccardo Robustelli

The entry of Robustelli into the Epson Group will allow it to leverage Epson’s manufacturing capability to bring the advantages of its digital inkjet textile printers to more customers around the world. The move will assist Epson in using Robustelli’s expertise to accelerate the development of digital inkjet textile printers that further enhance the companies’ abilities to meet customer needs with a wider lineup of products. As part of the enhanced acceleration, the two companies plan to focus on joint R&D efforts to achieve this goal.

The digital textile printing market worldwide is expected to grow at an annual rate of approximately 25% 1. In addition to using its manufacturing network to meet this growing demand, Epson will deploy its worldwide sales and service network to provide Monna Lisa2 to more countries and regions around the world.

Sunao Murata, COO of Epson’s Professional Printing Operations Division, is scheduled to be appointed as president of Robustelli. Murata commented, “This is a very exciting development for the Epson Group. As the market for high-quality digital textile printing expands, I believe that formalizing our partnership with Robustelli in this way puts us in a great place to meet the needs of the growing numbers of customers who are seeking to leverage the advantages of advanced digital solutions that will help drive their businesses forward. We will work closely with our colleagues at Robustelli to take Monna Lisa to the next level and remain leaders in the field.”

“We are happy and proud to become members of the Epson Group,” said Valerio Robustelli, one of the proprietors of F.lli Robustelli. “Our cooperation with Epson led to the development of Monna Lisa, an industrial digital textile printer that is today a market benchmark for high-quality textile printing. The combination of our respective skills is the natural conclusion of a process of innovation to satisfy customers in Italy and the rest of the world.”

Located in Como, the heart of the Italian and European high-quality printing textile industry, Robustelli specializes in the development, manufacture, and sale of digital inkjet textile printers, notably the Monna Lisa series, which it began developing with Epson in 2003. This product has established a strong brand image by providing beautiful gradations and color reproduction, winning plaudits from customers .

Annual growth rate till 2019 (source WTiN Intelligence) 

Monna Lisa is a registered trademark of Robustelli.

Robustelli outline

See here for more information about Robustelli. 

See the attachment for information on digital inkjet textile printing. 

About Epson 

Epson is a global technology leader dedicated to connecting people, things and information with its original efficient, compact and precision technologies. With a lineup that ranges from inkjet printers and digital printing systems to 3LCD projectors, smart glasses, sensing systems and industrial robots, the company is focused on driving innovations and exceeding customer expectations in inkjet, visual communications, wearables and robotics. 

Led by the Japan-based Seiko Epson Corporation, the Epson Group comprises more than 67,000 employees in 90 companies around the world, and is proud of its contributions to the communities in which it operates and its ongoing efforts to reduce environmental impacts. http://global.epson.com/

About Epson Italy 

Epson Italy, national sales company, for fiscal year 2015 registered over 215 million Euros of sales with a workforce of about 175 employees. Epson Italy owned 100% of For.Tex, leading company in the production of dyes, thickeners, and products for fabric pre and post treatment company located in Fino Mornasco (Como, Italy), partner of Monna Lisa project with F.lli Robustelli. http://www.epson.it

About Epson Philippines 

Epson’s corporate presence in the Philippines commenced in 1998. It grew rapidly into a billion peso company in a span of a few years from its establishment due to its client-oriented approach in its business management style by its dedicated and innovative staff members and officers. Epson Philippines has an extensive network of 77 Authorized Service Centers nationwide with more than 200 dealers and more than 800 shops across the Country. For more details, please visit our website (www.epson.com.ph) or our Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/EpsonPhilippines). 

For product inquiries and technical support, please contact Epson Customer Care at: Metro Manila: (02) 441-9030; Toll Free: 1-800-1069-37766 (PLDT), 1-800-3-0037766 (DIGITEL) or visit the Epson Customer Care website: http://customercare.epson.com.ph

About F.lli Robustelli

Operating in Villa Guardia (Como, Italy) since the 1950s, F.LLI ROBUSTELLI s.r.l. has always designed and produced photogravure and textile printing machinery and systems. Thanks to an ongoing relationship with its clients and the ability to blend textile and mechanical knowhow with new digital technologies, F.lli. Robustelli has developed partnerships across the world. Over 15 years ago, F.lli Robustelli developed an important partnership with SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION that resulted in the MONNA LISA® project. For this project, the company product engineered the first digital textile printing machine on Epson print technology resulting in a product that is known in the textile industry as the best digital textile printer in the world and making of F.lli Robustelli one of the major players in the digital textile printing revolution.www.monnalisatdp.com

URC Flour launches nationwide search for the next Filipino bake masters : Flourish Pilipinas: Bake It Happen! Nationwide Baking Competition 2016

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Calling all culinary arts students who want to become one of the country’s future bake masters! You can Bake It Happen now! 

Universal Robina Corporation (URC) Flour, one of the country’s top flour millers, is challenging culinary arts students to showcase their bread- and cake-making skills in the Flourish Pilipinas: Bake It Happen! Nationwide Baking Competition 2016.

Sponsored by Yummy Magazine, Masflex Kitchenpro, Masflex Cookware and Kitchenware, Coco Natura, RM Boxes, KitchenAid, Actron Industries, Inc., and Sonlie International, Inc., Flourish Pilipinas: Bake It Happen! is a bake-off that celebrates unique and proudly Pinoy flour-based breads and pastries.

Make it happen at the Flourish Pilipinas: Bake it Happen! Nationwide baking competition, where students become future baking masters.

To join the competition, Culinary Arts or Hotel and Management course students are encouraged to submit original recipes in the Breads or Cakes categories.

Baked creations should incorporate a non-functional ingredient and make use of any of the URC Flour brands such as Blend 100 Flour, Continental All-Purpose Flour, Daisy Cake Flour, FibrA+ Whole Wheat Flour, Globe First-Class Flour, My Rose Soft Flour, and Sampaguita Soft Flour.

Shortlisted teams will vie in the Flourish Pilipinas: Bake It Happen! Visayas/Mindanao and GMA/Luzon regional competitions. These will be held at the University of Mindanao in Davao City and Center for Culinary Arts in Manila, respectively. All finalists will be given a challenge and a surprise ingredient to use during the bake-off.

“We are very excited to once again seek out the most talented student bakers through the Flourish Pilipinas baking competition. With URC Flour brands that cater to every baking need, these future master bakers would surely be able to whip up some of the most fascinating creations to showcase their baking prowess,” said Ellison Lee, URC Flour VP and general manager.

Trophies, certificates, and more than P300,000 worth of prizes await the winners while regional grand champions will also receive internships with one of the country’s prestigious hotels, the Crowne Plaza Hotel and a feature in Yummy Magazine.

So hurry, join the country’s most prestigious baking competition. The complete contest details and mechanics as well as downloadable entry forms can be found on the Flourish Pilipinas 3 Facebook page. 

Deadline for submission of entries is on September 30, 2016.

Flourish Pilipinas: Bake It Happen! Nationwide Baking Competition 2016 Media Edition

Last June 29, the media announcement of the Flourish Pilipinas: Bake It Happen! Nationwide Baking Competition 2016,  a fun and unique 'Media Edition' competition was held at the Galastars Culinary School at the Pasig City. 

A simple task was to bake Chocolate Cupcakes with Whipping Cream, recipe by Chef Ernest Reynoso Gala.

Ten teams with two members, provided with complete ingredients and essential kitchen and baking equipment, and a secret ingredient to make it. All teams bake it happen! 

The Board of Judges reviewed the cupcakes based on taste, appearance, creativity.

Team 8 was declared as the winner of Universal Robina Corporation "Flourish Pilipinas Bake It Happen" Baking Competition 2016 Media Edition with Pehpot Pineda of Mommy Pephot and Myrns Roman of Enjoying Wonderful World and Arts & Travel Magazine.

To all culinary arts students, Make it happen at the Flourish Pilipinas: Bake it Happen! Nationwide baking competition, where students become future baking masters.

Submit your entries, deadline is on September 30, 2016. Bake it happen and Goodluck! 

SM Global Pinoy and Marina celebrate Filipino Seafarer , Seafaring Industry needs more women – IMO Chief

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Calling it the “untapped sector”, the Secretary General of the United Nations International Maritime Office (IMO) pushed for the increased involvement of women in the seafaring industry saying they are the key to the growth of the industry.

Speaking during the International Seafarers Day at the SM Convention Center in Pasay City, IMO Secretary General Ki Tack Lim said the seafaring industry should work towards attracting more women since they have proven to be as equally competent as their male counterparts.

“The importance of women as a huge source of safer sea voyage human resources cannot be overstressed. The shipping world cannot afford to ignore such rich and still largely untapped source of quality recruit,” Lim told some 5,000 marine officers, students and their families who attended the event, sponsored by the SM Global Pinoy Program, held last Saturday, June 25 at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City.

Similar celebrations with Filipino seafarers and MARINA were also held at SM Seaside Cebu and SM City Iloilo with an estimated attendance of close to 1,000.

The Philippines is the world’s capital source of seafarers with some 367,000 Filipino seafarers deployed all over the world but women make up only 2 percent of the world’s maritime workforce of 1.3 million.

Lim said the greater participation of women in the seafaring industry is of vital importance given the fact that the demand for seafarers is expected to further increase in the coming years.

“Looking ahead, the demand for global fleet for seafarers is increasing and predicted to rise even further attracting seafarers particularly officers,” he said.

Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) Deputy Administrator Gloria Banas agreed saying that based on their feedback and evaluation of female cadets and officers in the maritime industry, women have shown a lot of capabilities that make them at par with men.

“The thrust is really gender equality in all professions and that includes the crewing industry and women have been starting to make their presence felt because of their commitment and dedication to their jobs,” she said.

The primary consideration, she added, is their accommodation in the ships since seafaring has been a male-dominated profession since the beginning. “With the issue of accommodation being addressed, we don’t see any reason why more should not join the industry because they have proven to be an asset in any ship,” Banas stated.

Lim also lauded the investments and programs carried out by the Philippine government, through the MARINA to make sure it remains to be the crewing capital of the world. 

“This country has made huge collective investments in maritime education and in training over the recent years and the highly specialized training facilities you have put in place showed the commitment you have to retain the so-called crewing capital of the world,” Lim pointed out.

The event, attended by around 5,000 seafarers and their families, marked the first time the IMO head was present in the country and his first visit to Asia since he assumed the post.

As a specialized agency of the United Nations, IMO is the global standard-setting authority for the safety, security and environmental performance of international shipping. Its main role is to create a regulatory framework for the shipping industry that is fair and effective, universally adopted and universally implemented.

Organized in 1948, the IMO currently has 171 Member States and 3 Associate Members.

This year’s theme is “At Sea For All” which highlights the indispensability of the seafarers and the shipping industry to people all over the world.

The International Seafarers’ Day of the seafarer is an official United Nations international observance day which takes place every year on 25 June. It is organized by the IMO and aims to increase awareness among the general public of the world’s 1.3 million seafarers for their unique, and all-too-often overlooked, contribution to the world economy.

The Philippines played a key role in annual observance as the date June 25 was chosen by the IMO during the Manila Convention held in 2010 at the Philippine International Convention Center.

Annie Garcia, President of SM Supermalls said their hosting of the event is part of their commitment to honor the many contributions and sacrifices the Filipino seafarers do for their country and family.

“Thus, we salute our seafarers who stand tall in their tasks; in their duty; in their stewardship of their family. Thus, we have set aside one day every year to give due honor and recognition to seafarers worldwide,” Garcia said.

She also stated that the Global Pinoy Center present in every SM mall is a testament to their commitment to recognize the Filipino seafarer and the other OFWs and their families.

“SM Supermalls has strived over the years to requite the sterling example of the seafarer, including our OFWs whom we deem as our new heroes and pillars of the nation’s economy. Thus, we have established the Global Pinoy Center in every SM Supermall throughout the archipelago (to) cater to (their) needs,” she said.

To know more about SM Global Pinoy, please visit www.smglobalpinoy.com orwww.facebook.com/smgpc. 

You may also email info@smglobalpinoy.com.

Smart Padala strengthens leadership in remittance, launches new campaign with Angel Locsin as brand ambassador

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Angel Locsin

Smart Padala, the remittance brand of PayMaya Philippines (formerly Smart eMoney, Inc.), launches today its new campaign with Angel Locsin as its brand ambassador as part of efforts to further strengthen its leadership in the remittance service industry.

The new campaign aims to reinforce the brand message of Smart Padala which is PadaLapit. 

Based on data from the first National Baseline Survey on Financial Inclusion released by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas mid-2015, it is estimated that on average, Filipinos take around 22 minutes to reach the nearest financial services touch point. It also costs an average of P43 for a roundtrip fare.

With 15,000 Smart Padala centers nationwide, there is a Smart Padala center in almost every municipality so users do not need to travel, spend for the fare, and consume time just to send or receive money remittances. Smart Padala makes home feel closer by sending the remittances of family breadwinners to their loved ones in the most accessible, convenient, and secure manner. These centers include the recently launched Smart Padala International flagship stores that enable Filipinos to receive the remittances of their loved ones abroad.

“Since the brand was launched over ten years ago, Smart Padala has been enabling our countrymen to send and receive money anywhere in the country in a fast, easy, secure, and affordable manner. With this campaign, we reaffirm and strengthen this ‘PadaLapit’ brand that has made us a fixture of Filipino life,” said Benjie Fernandez, co-COO of PayMaya Philippines and COO of Voyager Innovations.

Known to be a family-oriented celebrity and an advocate of various causes, Angel Locsin was chosen by Smart Padala as the ideal ambassador for the brand as it intensifies its push for financial inclusion. 

“Angel Locsin represents the family and service-oriented values of Smart Padala. Aside from being a devoted daughter, she also supports advocacies such as the Philippine Red Cross and women’s rights. We’re happy to welcome her to the Smart Padala family,” said Lawrence Ferrer, Vice President and Head of Domestic Business at PayMaya Philippines.

“I’m proud to be the new ambassador of Smart Padala. Naniniwala ako sa brand dahil malaki ang naitutulong ng Smart Padala sa mga manggagawa at pamilyang Pilipino. By representing the brand, I hope to help in Smart Padala’s mission to uplift more lives and communities,” said Angel Locsin. 

On top of enabling mobile money remittance, Smart Padala also fosters entrepreneurship in the community. 

“The backbone of our business is our army of Smart Padala community partners. Part of our mission is to help families and communities by providing micro-entrepreneurship opportunities. Anyone can be our partner and open a Padala center — all they need is a cellular phone, our basic business documentary requirements, and the driving passion to be of service,” said Paolo Azzola, Managing Director and co-COO of PayMaya Philippines. 

“PadaLapit Lang With Smart Padala” from L-R: Benjie Fernandez, co-COO of PayMaya Philippines and COO of Voyager Innovations; Smart Padala ambassador Angel Locsin, Paolo Azzola, Managing Director and co-COO of PayMaya Philippines; and Lawrence Ferrer, Vice President and Head of Domestic Business at PayMaya Philippines

PadaLapit Lang with Smart Padala!

With 15,000 Padala centers nationwide, sending money to loved ones anywhere in the country can be as simple as buying mobile load from a nearby sari-sari store. 

To make mobile money more inclusive, Smart Padala launched last year its Pick-Up Anywhere service, which allows users to send money to anyone, regardless of mobile network, to be redeemed at any Smart Padala center nationwide. 

It also launched promos such as Padalang Padalow for lower customer service fees and incentives to Padala partners. 

“Smart Padala is truly a Filipino brand. It has made its mark not only as the global pioneer in mobile money but as an inclusive financial services enabler, making lives easier for the unconnected, unbanked and uncarded. We are committed in bringing this vision of bridging the digital divide through relevant services such as Smart Padala,” said Orlando B. Vea, President and CEO at PayMaya Phiippines. 

PayMaya Philippines is the digital financial services unit of PLDT and Smart Communications (Smart), under the Voyager Group. Aside from Smart Padala, among its innovative services include: PayMaya, the leading over-the-top digital payments app in the Philippine market; PayMaya Business, suite of solutions for businesses of any size; and Smart Money, the pioneering mobile money service linked to the Smart SIM and mobile phone. 

To know more about Smart Padala, visit www.smartpadala.ph and like its official Facebook page, www.facebook.com/SmartPadalaPH.

Lazada Celebrates Brands with Free Metro Manila Shipping

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MANILA, PHILIPPINES - The country’s one stop shopping and selling destination (www.lazada.com.ph) is proud to unveil the latest version of its new Mobile App and free shipping services for Metro Manila deliveries in time for the Big Brands Sale this July 5-11. 

Free Shipping for all Items

Lazada now offers free shipping for deliveries within Metro Manila, giving more reasons to click that checkout button faster without having to rationalize the total purchase amount versus shipping costs. 

This empowers customers around Metro Manila to experience the joy of online shopping even more through the convenience of shopping for low ticket, everyday essentials such as grocery items, toiletries and even small gadget accessories that they can avail at Lazada without having to add random items to reach a certain minimum requirement. 

Brand Power 

As an additional treat to all customers, Lazada will be holding its Super Brands Sale this July 5 to 11, with discounts up to 80% off! Top deals on the radar are: Samsung Home Theater System at Php 4,699, Nescafe Dolce Gusto at Php 2,999 with a free box of Cappuccino capsules, and BCBGeneration shoes starting at Php 1,980. 

Also featured are The SM Store’s home must-haves starting at Php 498, Casio watches from Php 845, Pampers Baby-dry Diapers from Php 540 and Tresemme Keratin Smooth Hair Conditioner at Php 252. Metro Manila deliveries are absolutely free of shipping charges, for all items, regardless of total purchase amount. 

Shop Smarter with the enhanced Mobile App 

With the new Lazada Mobile App, one can shop better than ever. At a glance, customers get access to app-only deals, top brands, flash sales, new arrivals and product recommendations. 

With expanded menu and tabs, users can now shop by brand or by category for a more intuitive navigation. The product detail page has also been reorganized to cater to every discerning shopper’s needs when viewing an item: product highlights, features, reviews and ratings in one go. 

Download or update the Lazada mobile app for free to enjoy more effortless shopping, anytime & anywhere!

About Lazada

Lazada (www.lazada.com.ph) is Philippines’ largest online shopping mall and is pioneering e-commerce by providing a fast, convenient and secure online shopping experience combined with an extensive product offering in categories ranging from mobiles & tablets and consumer electronics to household goods, toys, fashion and sports equipment. Lazada is continuously striving to offer its customers the best possible shopping experience with multiple payment methods including cash on delivery, extensive warranty commitments and free returns. Lazada mobile applications for Android, iPhone and iPad provide additional convenience to its consumers’ allowing them to shop anywhere, anytime.

For more information, please visit http://www.lazada.com.ph. 

For updates on Lazada’s latest innovations, as well as activities, contests and promotions, connect with us via Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/LazadaPhilippines).