Thursday 1 August 2013

LG’s smart way of staying healthy



Sometimes your yearning for that piece of chocolate is simply irresistible. Even the most health-conscious will sometime give in indulgence in junk food. Varying studies have pointed to a striking possibility that even small morsels of food, those occasional indulgences, may produce significant changes in gene expression that could negatively impact physiology and health. 

Some of today’s biggest technology companies were among the first to realize the negative impact that the modern food culture and busy professional lifestyle was having on employees. Google, for example, installed healthy meal cafeterias, coffee bars and various other food locations where employees could access fresh, healthy food. Google also incorporated in-house fitness centers and swimming pools so that workers could fit in a workout between long programming sessions.

LG has always believed that technology and innovation could – and should – be used to make life better. So while others saw the household refrigerator as merely a way to keep food cool, LG saw it as an opportunity. A refrigerator, if designed properly, could help users make improvements to their everyday lives.

LG also understand that in today’s busy and fast environment, consumers around the world are finding it more and more difficult to eat fresh, nutritious food and maintain a healthy overall lifestyle. Door-in-Door refrigerator provides a great example of technology making life better. Its cavernous capacity means that families won’t need to worry about running out of room after grocery shopping.

These features are worth pointing out to consumers buying a new fridge, says Mr Kim. “People only buy home appliances about every eight or 10 years and might have some preconceived notions. For instance, some may think that milk should not go on the door because it will be too warm. But our fridges have multiple sensors to maintain temperature and certain spots,” explains Mr Josep Kim, the Managing Director LG East and Central Africa.    

However, offering more space doesn’t solve all of today’s food storage problems. Big capacities need to be organized in an intelligent way. And this is where LG’s refrigerators excel. The Door-in-Door feature offers an immediate organizational advantage. It gives family members quick access to frequently used items such as sports drinks and healthy snacks.

Past the Door-in-Door and inside the main compartments, there are more clever design features. For example, the Slim Space PlusTM Ice System is far less bulky than conventional ice makers, meaning that more of that large capacity is reserved for food items, and extra room is created for door bins.

In addition, the 3-Tier OrganizationTM Freezer System lets users organize their frozen peas and blueberries in a much more logical manner, helping eliminate having to throw out items lost to freezer burn.

Even with intelligent space organization, consumers are often reluctant to buy large quantities of fresh fruits and vegetables because they’re afraid these items will expire before they can all be eaten. This means that consumers will have to make frequent trips to a grocery store or fruit market, always buying small amounts.

This can be challenging in today’s busy world. LG’s refrigerators take advantage of some impressive innovations to combat this problem. First, digital sensors are positioned in the fridge at key locations.

These sensors closely monitor not only the temperature inside the fridge, but also, crucially, the humidity levels. When changes are detected, the fridge’s Dual Evaporator system reacts instantly to keep conditions at their optimal levels.

In addition, LG has incorporated its Fresh Air Filter system with the highly effective Multi Air flow design. Vents are strategically placed around the interior of the fridge, so food stays fresh wherever it’s located, and odors are whisked away even when food is dumped in the back corners. All of this means that food stays fresh longer, and busy consumers can spend less time at the supermarket buying fresh food.

While other refrigerators try to moderate temperature and humidity levels, LG’s refrigerators do it far more efficiently. This is largely due to the brilliantly designed Linear Compressor. A conventional compressor has four friction points; LG’s Linear Compressor only has one. Because compressors typically consume about 90 percent of a refrigerator’s energy usage, this makes LG’s refrigerators big energy savers.

Moreover, because the Linear Compressor is subject to less friction, it is also superbly durable. LG is so confident that the Linear Compressor will help keep food fresh for year after year, it backs up the product with a 10-year warranty.

LG refrigerators help consumers re-invent their food lives. Most importantly, LG’s refrigerators allow people to focus more of their energy on achieving healthy lifestyles. Human bodies are designed to take in calories from food and then burn those calories through physical exertion. By improving opportunities to eat good food and creating more free time, these refrigerators give consumers a leg up on overcoming the pitfalls of our modern food environment.

Posta revises its revenue target to Ksh20 billion



The Postal Corporation of Kenya (Posta) plans to revised upwards its revenue targets to Ksh20 billion from Ksh5 billion in the next three years in order to meet the targets of its new 2013-2016 Corporate Strategic Plan.    

Posta is presently realigning its operations and propping up its “profit-centres in order to realise growth by developing new products, reviewing price structures and diversifying its sources of income,” said Dr. Enock Kinara, the Postmaster General and Chief Executive Officer.

Dr. Kinara said Posta would gradually ratchet up its revenues in order to hit its target. “We are committed to growing revenue from Ksh3.5 billion to Ksh4.5 billion; from Ksh4.5 billion to Ksh6.5 billion and from Ksh6.5 billion to Ksh9 billion in years one, two and three respectively to hit a cumulative target of Ksh20 billion, said Dr. Kinara.

“We require a paradigm shift in the way we conduct our business. It will no longer be business as usual if we are to achieve our set targets and move to the next level as expected by our shareholders,” said Dr. Kinara. Besides strengthening marketing programmes and creating physical infrastructure for improved service delivery, Posta is also improving its ICT infrastructure and prioritizing ICT in budgeting.  

To this end, the corporation has invested US$1 million in rolling out national payment switch that will see financial institutions share payment infrastructure and capitalise on PCK’s expansive network of over 600 offices to offer Agency services. “We will officially launch this platform on 30th July this year,” he revealed.

The e-payment system will enable Posta transact several operations electronically on behalf of various stakeholders that include electronic agency banking, mobile money transfers, card-based transactions, e-commerce, online disbursements in agency services, as well as e-payment for utility bills.

“This will create a shared infrastructure and with CBK’s planned National Payment System integration, we are better placed to offer the required platform,” he adds. Some of its partners that are set to benefit include banks, money transfer service providers, micro-finance institutions, utility payments and mobile money transactions amongst others.

Posta has already inked an agreement with 7 major banks to use it electronic payment where it serves as an agent of the financial institutions. “The technology offers an array of infinite transaction possibilities, from mobile wallets, credit and debit cards to USSD,” explained Dr. Kinara.
USSD is a Global System for Mobile (GSM) communication technology that is used to send text between a mobile phone and an application program in the network. USSD can be used for WAP browsing, prepaid callback service, mobile-money services, location-based content services and menu-based information services.
Posta is equally seeking approval from the Communication Commission of Kenya to provide wireless internet service in 93 offices country, 22 of which will be new offices.

Other key strategic areas that the corporation has focused on include change in PCK’s corporate image and culture to a more vibrant equally competing commercial entity, investment in the human resource capacity through trainings, formation of a comprehensive customer service charter, as well as the formation of a risk management division that will oversee and handle any unforeseen circumstances.

For efficient service delivery, the Corporation is installing Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) to ensure that all its front office operations are automated. Public-private partnerships Posta is also scouting around for strategic public-private partnerships to drive its revenue base.