Mandala International, a hosting company and master distributor specialising in the Brazilian market, works with interested parties in the fields of health (including the medical sector), cosmetics and wellness, along with the food and food-supplement industries. The company holds all the licences and accreditations required for authorisation as a bona fide importer, exporter and distributor in Brazil, therefore facilitating international businesses’ access to the Brazilian market by becoming their trusted third-party partner.

The Mandala team is known and acknowledged by local parties for its competence, which provides credibility to any working relationship involving the main players in the market, such as distributors, investors, hospital managers, pharmacists and embassy officials.

Brazilian legislation stipulates that only companies governed by Brazilian law and duly authorised by Anvisa, the national health regulatory agency, may import and commercialise medical products. Businesses seeking to penetrate this market are therefore given three options: to establish a subsidiary; to find a local distributor (who will generally represent several brands), which is an option that usually results in failure within a 24-month period; and, finally, to contact Mandala International.

Mandala International’s service constitutes a smart alternative to creating a Brazilian subsidiary — a lengthy and costly procedure that can turn into a joint venture or an acquisition, which will be followed by the registration of both the company and its products with Anvisa.

Mandala International’s solution is also an alternative to working with a local Anvisa-vetted distributor who is qualified to market goods in Brazil. These distributors are required to be the sole registering entity, which, in Brazil, is tantamount to transferring confidential information — relating to know-how, product intelligence, design and manufacturing — free of charge. In the event that the contract is signed, the distributor then becomes the de facto owner of the company’s products for a five-year period.

To ensure a smooth settlement in Brazil, Mandala International provides a full range of short-, medium- and long-term administrative, financial and legal solutions to handle issues such as address registration (for the business), sales administration, logistics, and human-resources management.

Mandala International is a hosting company and master distributor that helps businesses to retain autonomy, to decide at what pace and in what volumes they wish to market their products, and to choose freely their local distributors. Mandala International makes it possible to separate the legal and the commercial aspects of the business, managing all regulatory and administrative matters, so that companies may focus on their core business activity.

About Mandala International

Mandala International is a hosting company and master distributor that helps businesses export to Brazil. Mandala International works with players in a range of sectors, from health and the medical field to cosmetics and wellness, along with the food and food-supplement industries. The company holds all the licences and accreditations required for authorisation as a bona fide importer, exporter and distributor in Brazil.

Mandala International will take part in the following trade shows:

HOPITAL EXPO, from 22 to 25 May 2012, in Paris (France)

http://www.hopitalexpo.com/  

Hospitalar, from 22 to 25 May 2012, in Sao Paulo (Brazil)

http://www.hospitalar.com/ingles/  

FCE Pharma, from 29 to 31 May 2012, in Sao Paulo (Brazil)

http://www.fcepharma.com.br/en/  

FCE Cosmetique, from 29 to 31 May 2012, in Sao Paulo (Brazil)

http://www.fcecosmetique.com.br /

Cosmoprof North America, from 22 to 24 July 2012, in Las Vegas (USA)

http://www.cosmoprofnorthamerica.com/  

Fime, from 8 to 10 August 2012, in Miami (USA)

http://www.fimeshow.com/  

Medica, from 14 to 17 November 2012, in Düsseldorf (Germany)

http://www.medica-tradefair.com/  

For further information about Mandala International, please go to: www.mandalabrasil.com

Founded in 1860, Chevillotte is a leading manufacturer of quality, high-end tables, which are suited to a wide range of cue games, such as carom billiards, pool, snooker and Russian pyramid. Over the years, the company has established its reputation in the design and fabrication of contemporary tables for both private individuals and tournaments. Additionally, the company restores antique cue-sport tables.

Each item of Chevillotte’s large collection is unique, from the classic tables to those with a very contemporary style. Chevillotte uses more than 50 species and shades of solid timber and wood veneers, among which there are 13 species of precious woods. A choice of finishes is provided, including 150 colours of satin-finished hues and paint (the latter being available in matt, gloss or metallic in the RAL CLASSIC European colour system).

The company offers full-grain leather sheathing, finishes in an antique or decorative patina, along with the reproduction of hues or sheens based on a sample. Chevillotte also uses a range of other materials, such as steel, anodised aluminium and carbon fibre.

The Configurator, on Chevillotte’s website, enables the company’s clients to design bespoke snooker tables that suit their tastes.  In order to give each table a unique touch, many options are proposed, including coloured felts, escutcheons and customised rosettes or marquetry.

Furthermore, Chevillotte can design or reproduce bespoke projects on the basis of a simple sketch. The company has recently established the Entertainment Room concept, thanks to which customers can design the comprehensive layout of games rooms. Chevillotte will design and produce the games room using its client’s specific requests concerning everything from the carpets and the woodwork to the cue-sport tables, bar or jukebox.

Initially, Chevillotte made its reputation in providing cue-sport tables for the competition market. Today, the company’s models are frequently chosen for major international competitions, but the individual-consumer market represents the mainstay of Chevillotte’s business.

CHEVILLOTTE values innovation and boldness, while maintaining a high level of craftsmanship and aesthetic quality. All manufacturing of Chevillotte’s products takes place in France and includes a rigorous selection of the luxury materials used.

About Chevillotte

A specialist in the fabrication and restoration of snooker tables, Chevillotte was founded in 1860. Since then, the company’s know-how has been passed down the generations, from father to son, within the Chevillotte family.

The company produces tables in contemporary and traditional style for cue sports, as well as restoring old tables, replicating those that already exist, or creating complete Entertainment Rooms.

To access Chevillotte’s Configurator, please go to:

http://www.chevillotte.com/en/xml/configurateur/configurateur_fr.php  

For further information about the company, please go to: www.chevillotte.com  

As a price-comparison and reverse-auction online platform, FretBay simplifies and speeds up the often tiresome process of shipping parcels and large, heavy or bulky items. FretBay.com connects individuals and transport companies so that consumers can get the best delivery service in total confidence, safety and at the best price — and simultaneously help protect the environment. FretBay.com can be used by the general public as well as companies, on the client side.

FretBay combines reverse-auction features with grouping tools for transporters, providing benefits to both individual users as well as transport companies. FretBay helps transporters to be more efficient by using partially filled loads and loads that are empty on the return journey, while providing competitive quotes and cheap shipment rates to end users. Today, FretBay is used by thousands of professional and legitimate European transporters in order to increase their profits.

FretBay is the only company that has chosen, on the service-provider side, to open its online platform exclusively to professional operators: this ensures the required quality of service, while assisting in the fight against rogue and unlicensed trucking and removal companies. Professional transporters can sign up without any fee (subscription or otherwise) and without any obligation.

FretBay provides an economical, environmentally friendly and reliable solution to transportation problems. People have used FretBay to have furniture delivered and all manner of bulky goods (including pianos, for instance), but also works of art and a wide range of other items such as motorcycles, cars, boats, livestock, industrial machinery, and fragile articles. FretBay is employed in house removals as well as for moving offices.

Road haulage, which is the most popular way of transporting goods, is also a major source of nitrogen-oxide and carbon-monoxide emissions. An aggravating factor lies in the fact that vehicles often return to their logistical base with an empty load, after they have carried out a delivery. FretBay helps transporters and removal firms to consolidate their deliveries, thus curtailing the number of empty return journeys that their lorries have to make. By reducing the number of kilometres wasted by lorries that are empty, FretBay contributes to reducing CO2 emissions.

FretBay’s system of online reverse auction means that there is direct competition among contractors, which results in lower prices being charged to consumers. This is how it works in practice: after the sender (who wants some goods shipped out) has posted his (or her) proposal on FretBay, an offer is received from various transporters (who, in effect, bid for the contract). The sender is then able to choose the offer of service that constitutes the best value without any obligations.

An important feature of FretBay is that, after the goods have been sent and delivered, the sender rates the service provided by the transporter. Users can then consult the ratings of the different carriers featured on the web portal in order to get an idea of how professional they are, which, in turn, helps them make the right choice from among the bids they receive. 

The ratings and testimonials left on a transporter’s profile enable the haulage company to increase its presence and enhance its reputation on the web. Transporters receive serious and specific requests that help them to extend and develop their core business. All the transporters registered on the website are professional businesses that observe a quality charter, which encourages them to comply with a qualitative approach. A transporter falling short of the requirements that are expected, in terms of service, is removed from the site — a feature that enables users to hand over their bulky items with total peace of mind.

Signing up to FretBay and accessing the offers posted on the platform is totally free and without commitment. Originally developed in France, FretBay now offers its services across many countries, including the UK and Spain. Following the launch of the FretBay internet site in Britain and Spain, it is now possible to use the services of transporters and removal firms that are members of FretBay outside France.

The levels of user satisfaction achieved prove that FretBay has become a reliable solution to transportation problems, points out the company.

About FretBay

Founded in January 2008, FretBay is headquartered in Créteil, in the Paris region (France). The company has been operating in France for several years, and is now expanding into other markets, including Belgium, Spain, the Netherlands and the UK.

FretBay provides online services for the transportation of goods by road. The company’s internet portal offers a price-comparison and reverse-auction service that enables users to benefit from a quality service at a low cost, while benefiting the environment.

FretBay has developed advanced grouping tools that help transport companies to optimise their vehicles and decrease the number of empty returns.

In March 2012, FretBay was nominated as the most innovative transport and logistics company at SITL Europe — one of Europe’s largest transport and logistics events.

Hundreds of thousands of users have benefited from FretBay’s services, and thousands of transport companies are members of FretBay’s website.

For further information, please go to:  www.fretbay.com

Yves Romoli, Manager of Etablissements Romoli, explains, “We specialise in high-fashion flooring, but, just as any great designer, we also offer a line of ready-made items. People sometimes forget this. Our work is not exclusively for elite consumers, either, and our parquet flooring is not necessarily more expensive than more minimalistic options that architects turn into trendy pieces, while maintaining comfortable margins.”

Etablissements Romoli will be at the French Design Forum — an exhibition displaying the work of French-based craftsmen, which is open to all professionals with an interest in interior design. The all-day event, which is organised by the French Trade Commission UBIFRANCE in London, will take place at Chandos House, in the heart of London, on 10 May of this year.

The Etablissements Romoli range features more than 100 original ready-to-install models — parquets, decorative borders or friezes and rosette patterns — made of naturally coloured hardwood. The company’s bespoke products are fabricated so as to ensure the best possible quality.

The production of parquet flooring begins with the choice of wood. “We would rather use wood from Africa than South America. On the one hand, it is easier to get supplies [of the former] and, on the other, the colour of these woods is stable over time,” explains Yves Romoli.

Etablissements Romoli chooses hardwoods because they are fine-grained, have attractive veining, and are hygrometrically stable (i.e. they are generally unaffected by changes in levels of humidity). Hardwoods come in a range of vibrant colours, such as the deep honey tones of oak, the lively orange of bilinga, the stunning violet of purple-heart wood, the passionate red of bubinga, and the yellowish brown of amazakoue.

The company chooses from 15 different species of hardwood, provided by a handful of sawmills that use old-fashioned wood-chopping techniques in order to yield a straight, stable grain that only varies as much as the thickness of the inlay.

Neither laser cutting nor water-jet cutting is used by Etablissements Romoli in its workshop in South-Eastern France. Several workstations, in the production facility, have been custom-made and are equipped with carefully sharpened carbide blades. Each flooring saw has been meticulously calibrated with various stops to facilitate cutting at any angle.

The company’s workshop is made up of a small team of highly qualified workers, whose training requires a minimum of 10 years. Yves Romoli explains, “Training is completed as it was during the era of the guilds, that is, with patience, perseverance and humility, and when know-how and skills were passed down from father to son.”

As the tradition of hardwood marquetry is kept alive, the art of flooring, as practised by the expert workers at Etablissements Romoli, has become internationally famous. The company has been trusted by no fewer than 12 presidents in office. Kings, sultans, ambassadors and billionaires have also called upon the talents of Etablissements Romoli: among them was King Hassan II (the father of Morocco’s current king), for one of his residences, and the owners of the Queen Mary II liner, for the ship’s dining room.

Thanks to its virtual showroom, Etablissements Romoli now offers bespoke flooring options online: visitors can come up with original designs that can be integrated into mosaic parquet flooring, or can choose from 100 basic models, at a cost of approximately €500 per square metre.

“With a growing number of wealthy buyers and, so, increased demand [for top-end parquet-flooring products], we have had to adjust our approach by coming up with standards that blend process industrialisation and our know-how as craftsmen,” Yves Romoli explains.

About Etablissements Romoli

Etablissements Romoli has been present in South-Eastern France for approximately 50 years. The company is headquartered in Marseilles and has a production unit located in Pierrevert.

Etablissements Romoli has been awarded the Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant (or Living Heritage Company) label by the French government. The company has also won the Gold Medal in hardwood marquetry in the Meilleur Ouvrier de France, the contest for France’s Best Craftsman.

Etablissements Romoli will take part in the French Design Forum from 10.00am to 8.00pm on 10 May 2012 at Chandos House, in London (UK). This event is organised by the French Trade Commission UBIFRANCE in London.

For further information about the French Design Forum, please go to: http://www.ubifrance.com/uk/Posts-5058-french-design-forum-spotlights-bespoke-interiors-on-10-may

For further information about Etablissements Romoli, please go to: http://www.parquets-romoli.com/

Based in South-Eastern France, STERIPURE, an expert in the pasteurisation and sterilisation of herbs, spices, nuts, dried fruit and edible grain, will be open for business from mid-May of this year. The company’s service centre, in Aix-en-Provence, will allow STERIPURE to process a wide range of products for which microbiological load reduction is advantageous.

Set up in accordance with Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) rules, STERIPURE is equipped with cutting-edge pasteurisation technology through the NAPASOL process. This process uses saturated steam under controlled pressure conditions, leading to optimal microbial reduction and a gentle processing of the produce.

The microorganisms found in dry products are removed using saturated steam in an autoclave, which is placed under vacuum. The combination of the vacuum and the saturated steam enables rapid sterilisation or pasteurisation of these delicate products at relatively low temperatures.

The NAPASOL method offers the benefit of efficient microbial reduction whilst not altering the produce, as the treatment occurs at low temperatures and no drying step is required. Olivier Bourgois, founder of STERIPURE, has already used such a process when at Eurovanille, a natural-vanilla producer, where he was a co-shareholder until 2010.

Since this is a batch-processing method where the produce is never in contact with the equipment’s surface, any risk of cross-contamination is ruled out. The NAPASOL process is thus particularly adapted to the needs of STERIPURE, which processes both large and small batches of produce.

In order to provide an efficient service, STERIPURE is based near the port city of Marseille and its region (on the Mediterranean coast of France), where it is close to the logistics streams of imported and exported products.

In order to improve the life cycle of the produce and to ensure food safety, industrialists and distributors are becoming increasingly demanding with respect to the microbial load tolerated in the ingredients they use. The levels are difficult to guarantee, since farming production is naturally exposed to environmental contaminants.

The services provided by STERIPURE will help businesses comply with technical specifications, or process contaminated batches of low-moisture products such as herbs and spices, dried plants, nuts, and all kinds of dried fruit.

Dried produce has long been seen as safe and free of any background products that encourage the development of pathogenic microorganisms, or of microorganisms that shorten the food’s lifecycle. Nevertheless, such dried produce has been involved in cases of food poisoning and product recalls.

In order to protect their brands, which may be damaged if they are subjected to a product recall or are blamed in a case of food poisoning, businesses have a great interest in getting a microbiological-reduction process in place for food with low moisture content. While some industries are currently investing in their own equipment, others will need to make use of the kind of service that STERIPURE provides.

About STERIPURE

STERIPURE uses a simple and innovative process to sterilise dry products — more particularly herbs, spices, nuts, dried fruit and edible grain.

STERIPURE will start trading on 15 May 2012; the company is based in Eguilles, near Aix-en-Provence (South-Eastern France).

The company will be at the IPA exhibition for the food-processing and packaging sector from 21 to 25 October 2012, in Paris (France).

For further information, please go to: www.steripure.fr

FDI is a subsidiary of URMET Group, whose stand the company will be on at IFSEC, the commercial- and government-security trade show, in the middle of May of this year. The trade fair will take place at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) in Birmingham (England), giving FDI (Stand C70, Hall 4) the opportunity to present its access-control solutions, which are adapted to clients’ needs, as well as more secure and simpler to use than competitor systems currently on the market.

Through a strong collaboration with the various players in the sector, FDI has succeeded in developing new systems that respond to the technological challenges of our time. The company’s success is highlighted by the fact that its access-control system has been installed, in conjunction with an URMET Ipervoice door-entry system, at the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games Athletes’ Village.

Focusing on efficiency, FDI has developed a range of products based on the principle of reading and writing. Thanks to this technology, it is no longer necessary to connect the controllers physically in order to manage access controls centrally.

With the help of the easydoorcontroller web software, developed by FDI, the user programmes his (or her) access keys directly via the internet, with an encoder connected to one of his (or her) computers. It is the keys themselves that will transmit information about access profiles and the programming of doors to the controllers. Therefore, there is no need for the installer to go on site in order to manage the proximity keys.

Today’s (and tomorrow’s) Internet Protocol (IP) is at the heart of FDI’s technology. The use of an IP network to manage lighting, heating, air conditioning, alarms, or surveillance cameras has been strongly expanded in recent years. Convinced of the future of this technology, FDI has developed this ‘full IP’ solution.

The IP Transit is a new generation of access systems integrating the most modern Technology Community Platforms (TCP) and IP technologies, such as Power over Ethernet (POE) or Wifi. This, in turn, saves time at the installation stage.

An integrated web server, based on a Linux kernel, authorises multi-user management while not requiring installation on the client’s computer. The system needs only a web browser to operate. Additionally, the large range of readers, — including readers with integrated keyboards, vocal messages, LEDs and buzzers — makes it possible to respond to each client’s specific needs.

FDI is a French-based company which has more than 20 years’ experience in the development and production of residential and industrial access-control systems. The company is ISO9001-certified and tests its products at each stage of the manufacturing process, focusing on quality throughout. FDI has become an influencing player in the sector, and now produces more than one million keys per year, controlling each project from R&D to the production stage. The R&D department employs 16 engineers.

About FDI

FDI has been a designer and manufacturer of access-control systems since 1989. Thanks to its technical capacities and to the expertise of its personnel, FDI is, today, a major player in the market for residential-, public- and tertiary-access control. Thanks to its range of products, FDI offers solutions adapted to each project: from single-site systems to integrated multi-site systems.

In 2000, FDI became a subsidiary of URMET Domus Group (part of URMET Group), and the company is now based in Vendée (Western France). Supported by URMET Group’s international network, FDI is constantly developing internationally. Between 2006 and 2011, the company’s turnover increased by over 70%, from €7.4 million to €12.8million.

Each year, FDI produces one million token or proximity keys, 70,000 remote controls and 20,000 access controllers. In order to sustain this development, notably in the UK, the company recently appointed a new commercial representative for the North of Europe.

In 2010, FDI acquired a majority stake in Castel, which manufactures intercom systems and access-control solutions for industrial and service-industry buildings. In 2011, FDI was awarded the ISO9001 certification for quality.

FDI will welcome visitors to its stand (Stand C70, Hall 4) at the IFSEC trade show from 14 to 17 May 2012, at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) in Birmingham (UK).

For further information about IFSEC, please go to: http://www.ifsec.co.uk/

For further information about URMET Group, please go to: http://www.urmetdomus.co.uk/

For further information about FDI MATELEC, please go to:

http://www.fdiaccess.co.uk/

http://www.fdimatelec.com/en/

For further information, please contact :

Quote ref. : FTPB3734

Ms Katherine WOODS - Press Officer

UBIFRANCE Press Office in London

Tel: +44 (0) 207 024 3640

katherine.woods@ubifrance.fr 

View other press releases at :

http://www.ubifrance.com/uk/

On 10 May, from 10.00am to 8.00pm, the French Trade Commission UBIFRANCE in the UK will showcase French craftsmanship at Chandos House, in the heart of London. The all-day exhibition will give experts and other professionals in the field of decoration and architecture the opportunity to view samples of bespoke work by 12 French-based craftsmen from the interior-design sector.

Many of the French-based participants have been labelled Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant (or Living Heritage Company): it is a mark of recognition awarded by the French Ministry of Economy, Industry and Employment, which was set up to reward French companies’ traditional and industrial skills.

Below is a list of the companies that will attend the French Design Forum; more information is available on request.

Aigre-Doux

Aigre-Doux designs and manufactures fine home linens, using traditional techniques developed by this family-owned business. Adding unique craftsmanship to a wide range of finishing styles, diverse colours, bespoke sizes and fine fabrics, the company believes in offering a unique service that allows clients to create their own bed and table linens in order to suit their individual interior-design projects.

www.aigre-doux-bjc.com

Atelier Muquet

Atelier Muquet experiments with wood, metal and polymer to recreate the effect that place and time have on materials. The techniques produce patina, fading and corrosion on decorative panels, wall frescoes, doors and furniture. The company is made up of a dozen craftsmen (including  cabinetmakers, joiners, polymer specialists and gilders), who work on prestigious bespoke projects, such as luxury hotels and yachts, as well as residential developments. Atelier Muquet is a Living Heritage Company.

www.muquet.com

Aubusson Tapisserie Prestige

Robert Four set up the Aubusson Tapisserie Prestige workshop in 1952. Over five centuries of tradition, generations of master weavers have passed on their know-how in the creation of handmade tapestries and hand-tufted, hand-knotted, Savonnerie and flat-weaved carpets. The company’s colourists can create an endless number of colours, thanks to their own dye works. Aubusson Tapisserie Prestige is a Living Heritage Company.

www.aubusson-manufacture.com

Benoît Toscan

The Benoît Toscan workshop was founded in 1999 and has, since then, reintroduced the unique know-how of the Manufactures Royales Bonvallet d’Amiens (in northern France). Benoît Toscan uses a variety of fabrics that are all dyed, finished and crafted in its workshop, including mohair, linen, silk, cotton, velvet and satin. The company’s specialty is the creation of Amiens velvet using traditional methods. Benoît Toscan, a Living Heritage Company, undertakes both historical-restoration and interior-design work.

Cinabre Hervé Obligi

Created in 1985, with the purpose of both creating and restoring objects made of precious stones, Cinabre Hervé Obligi is one of the few existing workshops to undertake such projects. The company continues to work with stones from around the world, using an artistic style akin to that of the 17th century. Cinabre is a Living Heritage Company.

www.obligi.fr

Ebénisterie Générale

Run by craftsmen with a passion for the work of 18th-century French furniture makers, Ebénisterie Générale is a modern workshop dedicated to the design of bespoke furniture, stylish wood panelling and interior fittings. Each one of the company’s creations is a rare and original piece, handmade for its clients, who include architects, decorators, private individuals, and corporate clients.

www.ebenisterie-generale.com

Jallu Ebénistes

Jallu Ebénistes’ team of master craftsmen fabricates bespoke, museum-quality furniture using the materials and techniques that were popular during the Art Deco period, such as parchment, straw marquetry, horn veneer, gypsum, shagreen, precious metals and veneers. Whether contemporary, classic or Art Deco, the furniture is a combination of the highest quality craftsmanship, superior materials and attention to detail. Jallu is a Living Heritage Company.

www.yannjallu.net

Etablissements Romoli

Etablissements Romoli has been a specialist in marquetry for over 60 years, creating luxurious indoor and outdoor areas for homes, hotels, castles and yachts. The company’s manufacturing know-how allows for the customisation of ornamental parquets, turning them into friezes, rosettes and mosaics. The basic models can be implemented alone or assembled in the boldest combinations. Etablissements Romoli is a Living Heritage Company.

www.romoli.fr

ME Dupont

ME Dupont is a manufacturer of artistic bronze products. In its workshops, near Paris, the company’s craftsmen restore and reproduce beautiful period pieces, such as light fittings and furnishings in gilded bronze. ME Dupont creates original and customised pieces for clients who are in search of unique, beautiful creations. ME Dupont is a Living Heritage Company.

www.me-dupont.com

La Forge de Style

La Forge de Style has been based in the USA for the last 10 years. In 2009, the ornamental-metal-work company opened a workshop in Western France, employing 25 people in total. La Forge de Style is known for the high technical standards it achieves in all its projects. The company specialises in the fabrication of stairs, stair railings and gates, as well as high-end furniture in such materials as bronze, copper and titanium.

www.laforgedestyle.com

Tassin

Tassin was founded in 1905 and is located in Faubourg Saint-Antoine — Paris’ traditional cabinetmaking district. The company makes embossed, hand-painted and gilded leathers, as well as embossed-leather objects in Henry II style. It also carries out leather gilding and leather-furniture finishing using kip, sheepskin, goatskin, shagreen and crocodile skin. Working on prestigious projects across the globe, Tassin continues to employ traditional production techniques and machinery, including century-old leather-embossing presses. Tassin is a Living Heritage Company.

www.tassin-cuir.com

Nicolas Bonnet

Established in 1999 in Burgundy, a region known for stone extraction and transformation, Nicolas Bonnet has received numerous awards for its work. The company has proven know-how in designing, cutting and fitting stone stairways and Saracen vault stairways. With the ornamentation done internally, the company restores historical monuments and creates kitchen work surfaces, old-style flooring, fireplaces and fountains. Nicolas Bonnet is a Living Heritage Company.

www.nicolas-bonnet.com

About The French Trade Commission UBIFRANCE

The French Trade Commission UBIFRANCE in London facilitates trade development between France and the UK. UBIFRANCE offers a wide range of services to French-based companies, so as to assist them in their business activities within the UK. As such, it organises B2B events in the form of conferences and networking opportunities, mainly in London.

The French Trade Commission UBIFRANCE in London is organising The French Design Forum as a showcase for 12 specialists in bespoke interior creation. The event will take place at Chandos House, in central London, on 10 May 2012. The venue will be open to visitors from 10.00am to 8.00pm.

Journalists wishing to attend should contact Ms Katherine Woods, Press Officer of the French Trade Commission UBIFRANCE in London.

For further information about UBIFRANCE in the UK, please go to: www.ubifrance.com/uk

Aigre-Doux, a French-based designer and manufacturer of bespoke fine linen, will be present at the French Design Forum, to be held at Chandos House, in central London. The company will display its high-quality bed and table linen to professionals with an interest in interior design on 10 May of this year.

The company offers fabrics with various designs and compositions. Its fabrics also come in different finishing styles, which include classic, simple or multiple cording lines, as well as simple or multiple hemstitches. To meet the high requirements of its customers, Aigre-Doux offers a range of sizes and 30 colours to choose from — colours that are the result of yarn-dying.

As a heritage brand, the company is the last French-based manufacturer to create true ladder hemstitches, and it is able to produce any number of ladder hemstitches on demand. Aigre-Doux also uses an original non-zigzag bourdon stitch. While mixing colours that make over 100 different shades, Aigre-Doux can place one, two or three bourdon stitches, therefore producing a unique finishing style for its table and bed linen.

The fabric used by Aigre-Doux is selected from well-established weavers and is exclusively woven in Italy using Egyptian cotton. The fabric is then transformed into the final product in the company’s workshop in Saint-Jean-de-Monts (in western France), before being shipped across the globe.

In order to respect the environment and French traditions, the fabric is 100% natural. The range of fabrics includes percale, piquet of cotton, sateen, jacquards, and linen that is certified by the Masters of Linen — the association that is supported by the European Union and guarantees the quality of the linen.

The basic fabric used by the company is a very high-quality percale that has long hackle fibres and a thread count of 210 threads per square inch. Aigre-Doux also uses a percale with a 400, 600 and 800 thread-count per square inch. For sateen, there is a 300, 600, or 1000 thread-count per square inch.

As a result of these thread-counts, the fabric is extremely fine, and has a neat finish, which is a recognised symbol of French classicism. Aigre-Doux also uses pure linen (in both jacquard and plain fabric), along with piquet of cotton.

Far from the practice of the industry’s giants, Aigre-Doux offers personalised advice and custom-made linen that suits individuals’ tastes and needs, while ensuring quality is its foremost priority. This, along with the fact that Aigre-Doux manages both the design and manufacturing of its products, ensures client satisfaction.

Aigre-Doux mixes fabrics and colours in order to create unique bed- or table-linen sets. Once designed, the products are manufactured with meticulousness. Aigre-Doux is often involved in projects where attention to detail and personalisation matter, such as the interior design of yachts, upscale homes, shops and hotels.

With a no-minimum-order policy, Aigre-Doux is recognised as a key player in French home-linen classicism. The company is extremely responsive to clients’ needs, and delivers its products on time, thanks to its structure, which is on a human scale. Delivery usually takes place within two to three weeks of an order being placed.

About Aigre-Doux

A French specialist in made-to-order, high-quality, luxurious bed and table linen, Aigre-Doux has a workshop in Saint-Jean-de-Monts (in western France). The company works with interior designers for the home, boats, shops, and luxurious hotels around the world.

Aigre-Doux uses fabric that is woven in Italy, using Egyptian cotton, and then transformed into the final product in the company’s workshop in Saint-Jean-de-Monts.

Aigre-Doux will be present at the French Design Forum, which will take place at Chandos House, in central London. The event, which is organised by the French Trade Commission UBIFRANCE in London, will take place on 10 May 2012 and will run between 10.00am and 8.00pm.

Please contact Ms Katherine Woods, Press Officer at the French Trade Commission in London, for more information.

For further information about Aigre-Doux, please go to: www.aigre-doux-bjc.com

 
For further information, please contact : 
 

Quote ref. : FTPB3731
Ms Katherine WOODS - Press Officer
UBIFRANCE Press Office in London
Tel: +44 (0) 207 024 3640
katherine.woods@ubifrance.fr 

View other press releases at :
http://www.ubifrance.com/uk/

Ports of Normandy Authority (PNA), which owns and runs the ports of Caen-Ouistreham and Cherbourg, will participate in the 2012 Multimodal trade fair at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) from 1 to 3 May of this year, in Birmingham (England). The trade show is the UK and Ireland’s leading freight-transport and logistics exhibition. PNA aims to develop strategic partnerships with British players in the logistics sector through the economic development of its ports’ assets.

PNA is a pivotal component of the West Normandy Marine Energy initiative, which groups together all the business players and political decision-makers within the Normandy region in respect of wind power and renewable energies (including marine-based energies).

The port authority is set to benefit from the French government’s recent decision to choose the consortium integrating EDF and Alstom for the implementation of a major offshore wind-farm construction project involving PNA ports. Using PNA’s facilities, energy specialists Alstom, WPD, DONG Energy and Nass & Wind, together with EDF, are set to construct three wind farms off the north-western coast of France. This will result in 240 turbines being built, with much of the assembly taking place across facilities located in Cherbourg.

As a result of this project, more specifically, Alstom will set up two industrial bases, one of which will be in Cherbourg. These bases will be involved in the manufacturing of masts and blades for the wind turbines, thanks to the construction of two factories within Cherbourg’s port area. About 500 jobs will be created in these factories.

The port of Cherbourg will serve as the assembly hub for the wind-farm consortium led by EDF. Caen-Ouistreham will be the maintenance port for the wind-power project: the site of Courseulles-sur-mer, on the Normandy coast, has been chosen for this purpose.

In order to strengthen the position of the port of Cherbourg, PNA is committed to lengthening the Quai des Flamands — a project set to cost €40 million and extend the quay to 580m. Consequently, the quay will be capable of receiving several ships of different configurations. This extension is necessary in order to respond to the expected production and logistical tempo of the marine-renewable-energy project. PNA is also considering the extension of other platforms in order to be able to receive a range of ships with different layouts.

Regarding tidal power, Cherbourg possesses a major asset: its immediate proximity to the Raz Blanchard (or Race of Alderney), which represents half of France’s tidal-energy potential. There is no doubt that PNA’s ports, notably Cherbourg, have great potential in becoming major European ports in the field of renewable-marine energies, thanks to their natural characteristics. These characteristics include the ports’ location at the heart of the market for wind power in North-Western Europe, 44 hectares of land that is free of all activity, and an absence of sea- and road-access constraints. Regarding the land that is available, PNA is looking into a possible extension of the surface area by 35 hectares in order to house further developments.

The offshore-wind-farm and tidal-energy sectors are set to grow in France, thanks also to the launch of a second call for tenders. Similar developments are taking place across Europe, and PNA ports are ideally located close to the sites where vast offshore wind farms are due to be built, on the British side of the Channel.

Both Caen-Ouistreham and Cherbourg are on the French side of the English Channel, close to the south coast of the UK. Besides, both ports have cheap available land, as well as good ferry links to Ireland and England (with high-frequency crossings and an extended ferry terminal that is near completion): all these features add to PNA’s attractiveness as a prospective partner.

Caen-Ouistreham and Cherbourg are ports with complementary advantages. Situated at the centre of the Channel and accessible 24 hours a day, Cherbourg is a deep-water port that constitutes a logistic hub for bulk carriers. Caen is situated closer to Paris and backs on to a large built-up area, thus offering an attractive hinterland.

PNA’s ports and local players using them also have expertise in a range of fields:  they undertake many activities relating to cross-Channel logistics, while the transit of solid-bulk carriers, the handling of heavy cargo and shipping-related industries also characterize the region.

About PNA

The ports of Caen-Ouistreham and Cherbourg are owned and run by Ports Normands Associés, known in English as the Ports of Normandy Authority (PNA). PNA’s head office is in Caen (Normandy).

The historic region of Normandy is currently made up of two separate regions: Lower Normandy (Basse-Normandie, in French) and Upper Normandy (Haute-Normandie). The ports of Caen-Ouistreham and Cherbourg are located on the north-west coast of France and face southern England, on the other side of the English Channel. They belong to the western, maritime part of Basse-Normandie.

For further information about Multimodal 2012, please go to: http://www.multimodal.org.uk/

For further information about PNA, please go to: www.pna-ports.fr

For further information, please contact : 

Quote ref. : FTPB3730
Ms Katherine WOODS - Press Officer
UBIFRANCE Press Office in London
Tel: +44 (0) 207 024 3640
katherine.woods@ubifrance.fr 

View other press releases at :
http://www.ubifrance.com/uk/

The latest regulations were set up within the context of the Basel III global regulatory standard, which calls for banks to hold sufficient capital stock in order to cover expected losses (EL) in relation to banks’ counterparties (such as SMEs, large companies and government departments): this is where the software solution developed by RISKOSOFT Corporation is able to play a crucial role.

“Our software solution is unique: nothing of the sort has ever existed before,” explains Dr Pascal Lele, head of R&D and partnerships at RISKOSOFT. “This is illustrated by the reporting table generated by RISKOSOFT in relation to the IFRS 7 [standard] for financial communications — an approach that is based on EL accounting.” [To access the RISKOSOFT reporting table, pleaseclick here]

Unlike ‘unexpected losses’ (UL), which are revealed through incidents shown in internal databases, ‘expected losses’ (EL) are known because they were revealed by analysing the gaps in data. The Basel II regulatory framework set the tolerance threshold covered by insurance at 20% for operational risks, before including the impact of risk-reduction technique.

While competing software packages may operate on the basis of a quantitative approach, using statistics and probabilities, RISKOSOFT software is the only solution to have anticipated the radical changes brought about by Basel III. Its strength is that it makes the link, in real time, between Human Resources data (i.e. social metrics) and Finance functions (i.e. economic metrics) within the entity.

Presented under Excel so as to comply with existing transparency and traceability requirements, the software is sold using an Application Service Provider (ASP) model. Customers open their online account on the www.riskosoftcorp.com website. The system is entirely secure, since no data is transferred by email. The server immediately retrieves the data for processing. Results are sent to the customer’s interface. Users are trained through online videos, and thanks to courses tailored to the needs of SMEs as well as major accounts.

Since it focuses on expected losses, RISKOSOFT management-accounting software helps to determine the decision-making interactions as structured by players in the expenditure chain (i.e. CEO/budget organisers, HR/finance management, team leaders, employees and internal audit).

The specificity of the Basel III regulatory framework is that it is intended to pre-empt the counterparty risk, i.e. the risk that the counterparty (in a financial transaction) may fail to fulfil its obligations (under the terms of the agreement signed). The regular reporting outcomes generated by the RISKOSOFT software suite are appended to the counterparties’ performance statements. This is done in order to beef up the banks’ quantitative-analysis software programs regarding EL data as well as cost-savings data — the data being essential in order to improve the reliability of the stress tests, as applied to each counterparty. The overall outcome is a better prevention of systemic risk, in line with Basel III requirements.

Communications of a financial nature between contracting parties, as defined under Basel III, have been standardized in line with the criteria and constraints set out in the IFRS 7 standard (IFRS 7 — Financial Instruments: Information to be provided). This standard has been integrated into accounting plans, as set out by the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) and by US Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (or US GAAP). For example, the IFRS 7 standard corresponds with Chapter 3862 of Canada’s GAAP.

The accounting software suite developed by RISKOSOFT, which is centred on expected losses, relates the pure business metrics (financial data) to the social metrics (HR-related data) in the counterparty’s database: thus, the ongoing reporting flow that is generated enables the bank to adjust, at least once per quarter, the forward-looking provisioning (or prospective provisioning) , as required by Basel III, on the basis of a complete picture of the counterparty’s risk profile and as per the requirements of the IFRS 7 standard.

Data that is both qualitative and quantitative in nature is analysed. Qualitative information concerns the counterparty’s three-year growth plan (or productivity plan), which makes it possible to identify the entity’s targets, policies and procedures in relation to risk management.

Quantitative information is given periodically in the form of statistical indicators, which provide evidence to the effect that the entity is taking into account (and not exceeding) the EL tolerance threshold over its three-year growth plan (or productivity plan). The periodical report makes it possible to assess the strengthening of the entity’s cash position thanks to cost savings, which, in turn, constitute the entity’s main security.

As part of the RISKOSOFT software suite, the functionalities on offer are wide-ranging. First of all, the software program developed by RISKOSOFT processes the data stored in UL-incident data warehouses and the cumulated gaps in performance status (income statements and Profit & Loss, or P&L) in order to calculate Value at Risk (or VaR).

Second, the software program calculates the historical threshold and the new loss tolerance threshold determining expected losses (accepted) over the three-year growth plan. Third, the software suite processes bonus compensation, which constitutes the basis of human-resources mobilisation.

Fourth, RISKOSOFT’s software solution controls socio-economic indicators, i.e. the levers upon which every employee can act to improve his (or her) contribution to the common result, hence his (or her) bonus compensation. Lastly, the software suite provides prudential reporting, as applied to an overall perspective, taking into account the economic benefits in order to adjust prospective funding (covering exposure). The software also assesses the impact that measures taken to combine productivity and health in the workplace may have on psycho-social risks.

About RISKOSOFT Corporation

RISKOSOFT Corporation is headquartered in Bordeaux (in south-western France) and specialises in management-accounting software, more particularly in relation to counterparty risk in financial transactions, as covered by Basel III regulations.

The RISKOSOFT software suite was originally developed by Dr Pascal Lele, who is, today, in charge of R&D and partnerships at the company.

For further information, please go to: http://www.riskosoftcorp.com/  

VDC Research Group’s blog post described CARTES in North America as “an interesting, informative and well-attended event”.

Isabelle Alfanso, Event Director of CARTES in North America, explains, “Given the response by attendees to our conference sessions and range of technologies highlighted by our exhibitors, it is clear that the North American market remains a driving force in the global deployment for smart technologies including mobile payment, NFC [or Near Field Communication] and IT security. We look forward to expanding the event in 2013 and to bringing participants the latest insights from the leading smart-technologies authorities.”

The first CARTES in North America trade show, which took place at the beginning of March of this year in Las Vegas (in the US state of Nevada), proved a success, thanks to the large number of exhibitors and visitors: 120 companies were represented, and there were close to 2,000 visitors from over 50 countries.

During the trade fair, the Smart Payment Association, based in Munich (Germany), announced that the number of EMV-payment cards shipped worldwide passed the one billion mark in 2011. (EMV stands for Europay-MasterCard-VISA and constitutes a global standard for integrated-circuit cards, or chip cards.)

Global market-research company Ipsos released research on consumer sentiment surrounding mobile payments in the USA and Canada. Ipsos also announced plans for a major study, due to take place in the near future, on consumer readiness and interest in North America.  In total, more than 20 exhibitors issued announcements on new products or services at the trade show, and this information is now available on the CARTES News Site.

With the Americas gearing up for EMV and NFC implementations in the coming year and beyond, participants gathered to discuss the issues driving these markets within the 70 conference sessions that were held at CARTES in North America. Topics discussed also included research on payment-card shipments, consumer demand for mobile payments, and original solutions and services from technology providers.

In March 2012, COMEXPOSIUM also organised CARTES in Asia, which took place in Hong Kong (from 28 to 29 March). The CARTES 2012 Exhibition and Conference will take place in Paris (France) from 6 to 8 November 2012. Finally, CARTES in North America 2013 will be held in Las Vegas at some stage in the first half of next year.

About CARTES

The CARTES network is made up of the leading international and regional exhibitions and conferences devoted to smart technologies. It was founded in Paris (France) in 1985 and has grown to become one of the world’s leading events on security and payments, gathering 450 exhibitors and 20,000 visitors from 142 countries.

Since 2010, CARTES exhibitions and conferences have taken place in Asia and are now being introduced in North America. CARTES events are organised by COMEXPOSIUM, the leading French-based professional trade-show organiser that offers a high level of service and premium quality standards for both exhibitors and visitors.

For further information about COMEXPOSIUM, please go to: http://en.comexposium.com  

For the CARTES in North America News Site, please go to: http://www.cartes-northamerica.com/Newsroom/Video  

For further information on CARTES in North America, please go to: www.cartes-northamerica.com

An expert in the fishing, filleting and distribution of large deep-sea fish, REUNIPECHE specialises in swordfish, tunny, albacore, yellowfin tuna and bigeye tuna, among other species that it commercializes.

Albacore, yellowfin tuna and bigeye tuna yielded prolific catches in 2011. In the same year, there was also an unusually large catch of coryphene sea bream and mahi-mahi, which are — whether fresh or frozen — greatly appreciated by American consumers, in particular.

REUNIPECHE will be present at the European Seafood Exposition on Stand 5-301. The event will take place from 24 to 26 April of this year, in the Belgian capital.

REUNIPECHE is based on Réunion island, which is an overseas French département located near Mauritius, in the Indian Ocean. REUNIPECHE’s fishing is concentrated in the seas off the southern and eastern coasts of Madagascar, around Réunion, and in waters around Mauritius. To the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), this is Zone 51, which encompasses the Western Indian Ocean. The sheer wealth of species in Réunion waters allows the company to present a wide range of fish only accessible to deep-sea-fishing operators, and those fish include marlin, shark and sailfish, among others.

Most catches are pulled in live, which guarantees their freshness and quality. The fish are then killed using the Taniguchi method, developed in Japan, whereby nylon wire is threaded through the fish’s nerve centres. As a result, the fish does not become stressed, hence no toxins are released in the process. The fish is then cooled in a brine tub containing iced seawater, prior to being preserved on ice inside a refrigerated hold.

REUNIPECHE specialises in quality products and prides itself on being very meticulous in the way that it catches, stores, cuts, packs and transports the fish. The company’s products are labelled Class Extra in terms of food certification, and can be prepared raw without any problem.

Export sales account for 50% of REUNIPECHE’s turnover, especially in fresh swordfish and tuna filets. Since the start of 2012, REUNIPECHE has been supplying the Japanese market: each and every week, four tonnes of fish are shipped out to the Tokyo market, directly from Réunion island.

Already established on the European, Asian and American markets, REUNIPECHE seeks to continue developing its export business. The company, more particularly, intends to focus its efforts on the Japanese and Russian markets.

About REUNIPECHE

REUNIPECHE is based in Saint-Denis de la Réunion, on Réunion island. It is an integrated business that covers the entire fish-distribution supply chain: from the catching of the fish to its delivery to wholesalers. The company also works closely with various fishing fleets.

REUNIPECHE provides fresh, high-quality products complete with certificate of origin and a health-responsibility guarantee (CEE agreement). Fresh deep-sea fish sold by REUNIPECHE comes from a fleet of 17 boats that unload about 1,500 tonnes per year.

Concerned with the environment, REUNIPECHE is also associated with a shelter that takes care of local turtles. Accordingly, the company’s fishermen are fully equipped to collect any injured turtles and hand them over to veterinarians.

REUNIPECHE will be present at the European Seafood Exposition in Brussels (Belgium) on Stand 5-301. The event will take place from 24 to 26 April 2012 in the Belgian capital.

For further information about European Seafood Exposition, please go to: http://www.euroseafood.com/12/public/enter.aspx