Vietnam Conference on Earth and Environmental Sciences held in Binh Dinh

 The second “Vietnam Conference on Earth and Environmental Sciences” (VCEES-2022) officially opened on August 8 at the International Centre for Interdisciplinary Science and Education (ICISE) in Quy Nhon city in the south-central coastal province of Binh Dinh.

The Ministry of Science and Technology, ‘Rencontres du Vietnam’ Scientific Association, Vingroup Innovation Foundation (VinIF) and Hanoi University of Science & Technology have supported the organisation of the four-day event.

This year’s conference sees the participation of 20 delegates from foreign countries such as France, Japan, Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia.

The participating scientists and students will look into nearly 100 reports on environment pollution, water treatment, hydro-meteorology and oceanography, aquatic science, remote sensing, plastic pollution, waste management, applied environment, along with regional climate modelling and CORDEX-SEA related studies.

The annual function will help to enhance networking and collaboration among diverse participants, thereby promoting research and development activities on earth and environmental sciences.

Prof. Tran Thanh Van, President of ‘Rencontres du Vietnam’ Scientific Association, who founded ICISE, noted that the centre aims to welcome the world’s leading scientists to Vietnam to share their scientific knowledge and promote scientific studies among Vietnamese youths.

Van expressed his hope that through the conference, domestic and foreign scientists can find many environmental protection measures for Vietnam and the world at large./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Tech to transform e-logistics landscape

 Tech is rapidly changing the e-logistics landscape, raising the need for Vietnam to increase the application of advanced technologies to develop an efficient logistics industry to grab opportunities arising from e-commerce.

According to Tran Thanh Hai, deputy director of the Import-Export Department, Vietnam has a young population with fast access to technology together with a digital economy market forecast at more than 50 billion USD, providing great potential for e-commerce and e-commerce logistics.

While logistics costs in Vietnam remain high, Hai said it was necessary to use technology to improve efficiency.

A report by global supply chain service provider Aligity last year showed the logistics cost in Vietnam was more than 20% of GDP, compared to the world average of 11%.

Hai pointed out several problems in the logistics industry, including weak linkage of the transport infrastructure system and heavy dependence on roads.

He said technology had been applied in logistics activities such as apps or platforms to share transport vehicles and optimise warehouse usage. AI was also used to automate warehouse management processes.

Applying technology in logistics would help lower costs and increase efficiency, he said.

Especially in e-commerce with many delivery orders but in different locations, automation would help increase efficiency, reduce time and increase accuracy, Hai stressed.

In e-commerce, the difference between urban and rural areas created a cost problem for many logistics service providers.

Rural areas in Vietnam were characterised by a wide geographical range and low population density. Shopping rates were also not as high as in the city, so deliveries covered a long distance.

The cost factor might not lie in the success rate of the first delivery, but in the distance travelled, Hai said, adding that enterprises could cooperate to build warehouses in nearby districts.

Automated delivery solutions such as drones should also be considered to help shorten travel distance. Such technologies could operate regardless of terrain.

Phan Xuan Dung from logistics provider Ninja Van Vietnam said the number of e-commerce delivery orders tripled in the past five years. When orders increased rapidly, if enterprises did not have solutions, the system would overload and costs increase.

Dung said technology would be the decisive factor in reducing logistics costs and improving efficiency./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Vietnamese culture promoted in Germany

 “Vietnamese cultural space” in Germany has contributed to preserving and promoting good values as well as a unified community, Vietnamese Ambassador to Germany Vu Quang Minh said at the 10th anniversary of the programme on August 7.

Activities within the programme have attracted people of different social strata, helping to enhance solidarity within the Vietnamese community, and boosting relations between Vietnam and Germany, the diplomat continued.

According to Le Xuan Dinh, head of the organising committee, hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese are living and working in Germany, and they have preserved and promoted traditional cultural values.

Under the programme, various cultural activities are held during holidays like the death anniversary of Hung Kings – the legendary founders of the nation, Lunar New Year (Tet) and full-moon festival, he added./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Malaysian finance minister warns of risks to recovery

 Malaysia is on the road to recovery in terms of headline economic numbers, but Finance Minister Zafrul Abdul Aziz has warned of risks to the recovery amid an uncertain global economic outlook.

He said the numbers speak for themselves as Malaysia had a strong first quarter this year, with gross domestic product (GDP) growth of 5%, and is on track to achieve a GDP growth rate of 5.3 to 6.3% in 2022.

Meanwhile, the unemployment rate dipped to 3.9% in both May and June 2022, showing a declining trend for 14 consecutive months now, he said in his opening keynote address at the Malaysian Student Leaders Summit XVI 2022 on August 8.

The minister said Malaysia’s trade performance has also remained resilient, maintaining its growth momentum as trade data showed double digit growth for 16 consecutive months since February 2021.

However, he said Malaysia is also facing risks and challenges to recovery such as the rising global inflation as commodity prices continue to increase and supply chains disrupted due to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Malaysia’s inflation rate climbed to a one-year high of 3.4% in June 2022, with food inflation in June at 6.1%, he said, adding that the government has managed to cushion the impact through subsidies and price caps on certain key goods.

The finance minister noted that the US Federal Reserve’s cumulative rate hike of 225 basis points in total thus far has weakened numerous currencies, including the ringgit.

He also stressed that the risk of new COVID-19 variants and sub-variants remains present and Malaysia, together with the rest of the world, must be ready for the next global pandemic and may need to focus more on preventive rather than curative measures./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

UPS to Acquire Multinational Healthcare Logistics Provider Bomi Group

Acquisition Will Enhance End-to-End Global Healthcare Logistics Capabilities and Expand Scale and Expertise in Europe and Latin America

ATLANTA, Aug. 08, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — UPS (NYSE: UPS) today announced plans to acquire Bomi Group, an industry-leading multinational healthcare logistics provider. The transaction will add temperature-controlled facilities in 14 countries and nearly 3,000 highly-skilled Bomi Group team members to the UPS Healthcare network in Europe and Latin America.

“As a leading global healthcare logistics company, Bomi enhances our portfolio of services and accelerates our journey to become the number one provider of complex healthcare logistics,” said EVP and President of UPS International, Healthcare and Supply Chain Solutions Kate Gutmann. “UPS Healthcare and Bomi Group employees share similar values and our cultures are firmly rooted in a relentless focus on quality. The combination of our two teams will significantly improve our healthcare customers’ ability to continue to develop and deliver life-saving innovations.”

Since 1985, Bomi Group has provided high value-added services for the Medtech and Pharma sectors with a customized and tailored approach. It is a quality-focused company devoted to healthcare that has built solid and long-lasting business relationships with more than 150 multinational customers worldwide.

Key Bomi Group leaders, including CEO Marco Ruini, will continue in their roles to provide seamless service to Bomi Group customers after the transaction closes. Bomi Group’s employees will also continue to play vital roles in the combined organization.

“With over 35 years in the healthcare logistics industry, our team has developed best-in-class services designed to meet and exceed the needs of our medical technology and pharmaceutical customers,” said Ruini. “Joining the UPS team will expand those capabilities and create an even more integrated and powerful global network for our customers.”

The acquisition will add more than 350 temperature-controlled vehicles and four million square feet (391k m2) to the UPS Healthcare global footprint, offering customers access to faster shipping times, greater production flexibility, and offerings to help them attract new business. The acquisition will play a key role in the delivery of next-generation pharmaceutical and biologic treatments that increasingly require time-critical and temperature-sensitive logistics.

“We are focused on building healthcare logistics capabilities and services that allow our customers to deliver the newest healthcare innovations,” said UPS Healthcare President Wes Wheeler. “We are excited to combine Bomi’s talent, expertise and capabilities with UPS Healthcare – together, we will provide unmatched solutions to our customers, powered by UPS’s integrated, global smart logistics network.”

The acquisition of Bomi is part of UPS Healthcare’s continued expansion of its network and services to meet growing demand – including Bomi, UPS Healthcare has doubled its global footprint since 2020. Recent expansions include newly constructed and soon-to-be-opened dedicated state-of-the-art healthcare logistics facilities in Germany and Australia, and expanded campuses in Hungary and the Netherlands.

UPS Healthcare also recently enhanced UPS Premier, a technology-led service that can prioritize and track critical shipments within 10 feet (about 3 meters) of their location anywhere in UPS’s global network. UPS Premier brings worldwide visibility, control, reliability and product recovery capabilities to UPS Healthcare customers.

These expansions and new services meet the complex and varied needs of UPS Healthcare’s customers, helping them turn logistics into a competitive advantage.

The transaction is expected to close by the end of the year, subject to customary regulatory review and approval. The value and terms of the transaction are not being disclosed at this time. J.P. Morgan Securities LLC served as the financial advisor to UPS.

For more information about UPS Healthcare’s innovations and customer-driven solutions, visit Healthcare.ups.com and about.ups.com.

About UPS
UPS (NYSE: UPS) is one of the world’s largest companies, with 2021 revenue of $97.3 billion, and provides a broad range of integrated logistics solutions for customers in more than 220 countries and territories. Focused on its purpose statement, “Moving our world forward by delivering what matters,” the company’s more than 500,000 employees embrace a strategy that is simply stated and powerfully executed: Customer First. People Led. Innovation Driven. UPS is committed to reducing its impact on the environment and supporting the communities we serve around the world. UPS also takes an unwavering stance in support of diversity, equity and inclusion. More information can be found at www.ups.com, about.ups.com, and www.investors.ups.com.

About UPS Healthcare
UPS Healthcare delivers unparalleled healthcare logistics expertise to its customers around the world. UPS Healthcare has 11+ million square feet of cGMP and GDP-compliant healthcare distribution space globally. Services include inventory management, cold chain packaging and shipping, storage and fulfillment of medical devices, and lab and clinical trial logistics. UPS Healthcare’s global infrastructure, its UPS® Premier visibility service, its track and trace technology, and its global quality system are well-suited to meet today’s complex logistics demands for the pharmaceutical, medical device, and laboratory diagnostic industries. Visit Healthcare.ups.com for more information.

About Bomi Group

BOMI GROUP is a leading Italian multinational company in the field of integrated logistics serving the Healthcare sector. Bomi is the logistics partner of more than 150 customers worldwide, including major players in the medical device, in vitro diagnostics, biomedical and pharmaceutical sectors. The Group is present through its subsidiaries and affiliates in 14 countries worldwide, with a particular focus on Europe and South America, employs over 3,000 people and has its own fleet of vehicles for daily deliveries to hospitals, clinics, laboratories, pharmacies and home patients. For more information visit bomigroup.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This release and our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission contain and in the future may contain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements other than those of current or historical fact, and all statements accompanied by terms such as “will,” “believe,” “project,” “expect,” “estimate,” “assume,” “intend,” “anticipate,” “target,” “plan,” and similar terms, are intended to be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are made subject to the safe harbor provisions of the federal securities laws pursuant to Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

From time to time, we also include written or oral forward-looking statements in other publicly disclosed materials. Forward-looking statements may relate to our intent, belief, forecasts of, or current expectations about our strategic direction, prospects, future results, or future events; they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. Management believes that these forward-looking statements are reasonable as and when made. However, caution should be taken not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements because such statements speak only as of the date when made and the future, by its very nature, cannot be predicted with certainty.

Forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from our historical experience and our present expectations or anticipated results. These risks and uncertainties, include, but are not limited to the impact of: our inability to complete the pending acquisition on the expected terms, or at all, for any reason, including our inability to receive regulatory approvals; continued uncertainties related to the COVID-19 pandemic on our business and operations, financial performance and liquidity, our customers and suppliers, and on the global economy; changes in general economic conditions, in the U.S. or internationally; industry evolution and significant competition; changes in our relationships with our significant customers; our ability to attract and retain qualified employees; increased or more complex physical or data security requirements, or any data security breach; strikes, work stoppages or slowdowns by our employees; results of negotiations and ratifications of labor contracts; our ability to maintain our brand image and corporate reputation; disruptions to our information technology infrastructure; global climate change; interruptions in or impacts on our business from natural or man-made events or disasters including terrorist attacks, epidemics or pandemics; exposure to changing economic, political and social developments in international markets; our ability to realize the anticipated benefits from acquisitions, dispositions, joint ventures or strategic alliances; changing prices of energy, including gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, or interruptions in supplies of these commodities; changes in exchange rates or interest rates; our ability to accurately forecast our future capital investment needs; significant expenses and funding obligations relating to employee health, retiree health and/or pension benefits; our ability to manage insurance and claims expenses; changes in business strategy, government regulations, or economic or market conditions that may result in impairments of our assets; potential additional U.S. or international tax liabilities; increasingly stringent laws and regulations, including relating to climate change; potential claims or litigation related to labor and employment, personal injury, property damage, business practices, environmental liability and other matters; and other risks discussed in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021, our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2022, and subsequently filed reports. You should consider the limitations on, and risks associated with, forward-looking statements and not unduly rely on the accuracy of predictions contained in such forward-looking statements. We do not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect events, circumstances, changes in expectations, or the occurrence of unanticipated events after the date of those statements.

Contact: UPS Media Relations

pr@ups.com

404-828-7123