Tuesday, July 08, 2008

Manufacturing: Rich SE Asian market waiting to be tapped by bioplastics sector

Singapore (BUSINESS WIRE) - The bioplastics market in Southeast Asia has just kick started into motion and is in the development and introduction stage. Market participants will be encouraged by the massive market potential in the region, which primarily stems from the market's novelty and current low penetration in target applications.

New analysis from Frost & Sullivan (http://www.materials.frost.com), Bioplastics Markets in Southeast Asia, finds that the market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 129.8 per cent in the next five to seven years.

The bioplastics market is likely to find the going good with favorable local government support and initiatives, increasing competitiveness of bioplastics due to increase in oil price, and the market recognition of bioplastics as a green product.
In fact, the market is covering significant ground in the region.

"For instance, in the bags segment, bioplastics is replacing polyethylene (PE), mainly low-density polyethylene (LDPE)," says Frost & Sullivan Industry Analyst Xu Dan.

"It is also substituting polyethylene in some film applications in the packaging segment."

Although the replacement rates of traditional plastics such as PE or polystyrene (PS) with bioplastics are likely to be minimal, it will be a huge leap for the novel bioplastics market, and will count as high growth. Moreover, the efforts of governments, especially those in Thailand, to derive 5 per cent of their plastics from bio-based sources in 2012 have given a huge boost to the market.

The governments are also looking to attract domestic and international businesses by introducing an incentive program that includes research funding and favorable tax policies. The teething problems of a developing market notwithstanding, capacity expansion and greater geographical penetration will inflate the market growth rate in the next two to three years.

While strategizing for this market, bioplastic companies will have to be aware that the Southeast Asian consumers are more cost conscious than their western counterparts, and therefore, may not be willing to pay a premium for the product.
However, growing sensitivity to climate changes and a rise in oil prices have worked together to encourage the public, governments, and private companies to evince greater interest in bioplastics.

"Increasing prices of conventional resins are likely to pave the way for the greater usage of bioplastics in Asia and other parts of the world," notes Dan.

"The higher oil prices are responsible for this rise in resin costs, which, in turn, has made bioplastics an attractive raw material alternative for the plastics manufacturing sector."

Bioplastics will gain further attraction if market participants can educate consumers of its benefits. At present, in Southeast Asia, bioplastics is perceived as a niche market, beset by cost and performance issues. These concerns have to be addressed before market participants can make any headway.

"Lack of local production as well as the low levels of consumption and public awareness are major barriers to the greater usage of bioplastics," remarks Dan. "This challenge is likely to diminish as more companies set up manufacturing plants in the region."

If you are interested in a virtual brochure, which provides manufacturers, end users, and other industry participants with an overview of the bioplastics markets in Southeast Asia, then send an e-mail to Donna Jeremiah, Corporate Communications, at djeremiah@frost.com, with your full name, company name, title, telephone number, company e-mail address, company website,
city, state and country. Upon receipt of the above information, an overview will be sent to you by e-mail.

Bioplastics Markets in Southeast Asia is part of the Chemicals & Materials Growth Partnership Service program, which also includes research in the following markets: Engineering Plastics in Southeast Asia, Engineering Plastics in China, China Flame Retardants Market. All research services included in subscriptions provide detailed market opportunities and industry trends that have been evaluated following extensive interviews with market participants. Interviews with the press are available.

Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, partners with clients to accelerate their growth. The company's TEAM Research, Growth Consulting and Growth Team Membership? empower clients to create a growth-focused culture that generates, evaluates and implements effective growth strategies. Frost & Sullivan employs over 45 years of experience in partnering with Global 1000 companies, emerging businesses and the investment community from more than 30 offices on six continents. For more information about Frost & Sullivan's Growth Partnerships, visit http://www.frost.com.

Bioplastics Markets in Southeast Asia P19B
Frost & Sullivan
Corporate Communications - Southeast Asia
Donna Jeremiah, +603 6304 5832 fax: +603 6201 7402
djeremiah@frost.com or
Corporate Communications - North America & Europe
Johanna Haynes, 210-247-3870 fax: 210-348-1003
johanna.haynes@frost.com or
Corporate Communications - South Asia
Remi Chatterjee, +91-44-4001 3419 fax: +91-22-2832 4713
remi.chaterjee@frost.com or
Corporate Communications - China
Amelia Wong, +86 21 5407 5783, ext. 8669 cell: +86
13621724823 amelia.wong@frost.com or
Corporate Communications - Middle East
Nimisha Iyer, +91 22 4001 3404 fax: +91 22 2832 4713
niyer@frost.com or
Corporate Communications - Latin America
Jose Maria Jantus, + 54-11-4777-9951 fax: + 54-11-4777-0071
jose.jantus@frost.com or
Corporate Communications - Africa
Patrick Cairns, +27 18 468 2315 patrick.cairns@frost.com

http://www.frost.com

Business in Asia Today - July 8, 2008

VIETNAM LAUNCHES US$8 BLN PORT, STEEL PLANT PROJECTS
Hanoi (ANTARA News/Asia Pulse) - Vietnam's Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung on July 6 issued an order to kick off construction on the iron/steel complex and Son Duong Port in the central province of Ha Tinh, the largest foreign direct investment project ever licensed in Vietnam so far, with total investment of almost US$8 billion.
Formosa Plastics Corp. (TAIEX:1301), Taiwan's largest petrochemical manufacturing conglomerate, is building the steel plant, with a capacity of 7.5 million tonnes a year.
Son Duong Port, which serves the steel plant, will be constructed in an area of over 3,000ha.

CHINA OILFIELD SERVICES TO ACQUIRE NORWEGIAN OIL SERVICE CO FOR $2.5 BLN
Beijing (ANTARA News/Asia Pulse) - China Oilfield Services Ltd. (COSL) (SEHK: 2883; SSE: 601808) announced on Monday it was offering to buy Norway's Awilco Offshore ASA (AWO) for 12.7 billion kroner (US$2.49 billion) to create the world's eighth largest rig fleet.
COSL, the listed arm of the China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC Group), the country's biggest offshore oil producer, would pay 85 kroner in cash per share for the operator of oil and gas rigs.
"AWO's board of directors has unanimously decided to recommend the offer," the two companies said in a joint statement.
The deal would help raise the number of COSL's operating rigs to 22 from 15 at present.

NIHON UNISYS TO POST 1ST POSITIVE CASH FLOW IN 5 YEARS IN FY08
Tokyo (ANTARA News/Asia Pulse) - Nihon Unisys Ltd. (TSE:8056) will likely record positive cash flow of 13 billion yen (US$122 million) in the current fiscal year through March 2009, its first positive cash flow in five years.
The information technology solution provider's operating cash flow is expected to more than double from a year earlier to roughly 38 billion yen.
This is due to an earnings recovery at Netmarks Inc. (TSE:3713), which became a Nihon Unisys subsidiary last fiscal year, as well as better collection of accounts receivables.

SUPPLY CONCERNS DELAY INDONESIAN STEEL VENTURES WORTH US$600 MLN
Jakarta (ANTARA News/Asia Pulse) - Three Indonesian investors have been forced to put off plans to invest US$600 million in the steel industry in South Kalimantan over uncertainty in basic material supply.
PT Krakatau Steel, which plans to build an iron ore processing plant at a cost of US$60 million, has yet to go through protracted negotiations with iron ore mining concession holders and regional administrations.
Two other investors - PT Mandan Steel (China Nickel Holding Resources) planning to invest US$500 million and PT Semeru Surya Steel of PT Gunung Garuda group planning a US$100 million investment - are also facing uncertainty in iron ore supply, an official said.

SRI LANKA LICENSES CAIRN INDIA TO EXPLORE FOR OFFSHORE OIL
Colombo (ANTARA News/Asia Pulse) - Cairn India Ltd (BSE:532792) Monday signed an agreement with the Sri Lankan government to invest US$100 million exploring for oil in the waters of the northwestern Mannar Basin over the next three years.
Under the deal, Cairn has paid a million dollar signature bonus and will pay 10 per cent royalty for oil produced.
A profit sharing plan will give the government a progressively increasing share starting from 12.5 per cent and peaking at 60/40 in favour of the state in five years or sooner if oil prices rise further, petroleum minister A H M Fowzie told a news conference.
Indrajit Banerjee, executive director of Cairn India, said the investment will be for the initial exploration phase and drilling of wells, including hiring of rigs, and manpower.

AUSTRALIA'S AFG SELLS SINGAPOREAN REAL ESTATE ARM FOR US$133 MLN
Sydney (ANTARA News/Asia Pulse) - Australia's Allco Finance Group Ltd (ASX:AFG) has sold part of its Singaporean real estate arm for A$138 million (US$133 million).
The sale to Frasers Centrepoint Ltd (FCL) (SGX:J69U) involves Allco's 17.7 per cent interest in the Allco Commercial REIT (SGX:A48U) and its 100 per cent stake in the manager of the Allco REIT, Allco Singapore Ltd.
It will generate proceeds of more than A$90 million, Allco said.
The proceeds will be used to further reduce Allco's senior debt as well as providing Allco with further operating liquidity.

DAIMLER HERO JV TO SET UP COMMERCIAL VEHICLE PLANT IN CHENNAI
New Delhi (ANTARA News/Asia Pulse) - Daimler Hero Commercial Vehicles, a joint venture between Germany's Daimler and the Munjals-promoted Hero Group, said Monday it would set up its manufacturing unit in Chennai as part of its Euro 700 million (US$1.09 billion) investment plan over the next five years.
"The Indo-German joint venture will soon begin the construction of a new factory in Chennai, where it will produce commercial vehicles under a new brand name for the Indian volume market and exports," DHCV said in a statement.
The plant, which would be operational in 2010, would produce up to 70,000 trucks in its initial phase of operation.

INDIA'S LARSEN & TOUBRO BAGS US$103.4 MLN ORDER FROM JSW POWER
Mumbai (ANTARA News/Asia Pulse) - Indian engineering major Larsen & Toubro (L&T) (BSE:500510) on Monday said it has bagged Rs 4.46 billion (US$103.4 million) order from JSW Power Transco Limited for construction of 169 km long transmission line in Maharashtra.
The Jaigad-Karad and Jaigad-New Koyna 400 kv transmission lines would be executed by the business unit of L&T's construction
division, the company said in a filing to the Bombay Stock Exchange.
The order was awarded by JSW Power Transco Limited, a subsidiary of Sajjan Jindal led JSW Energy, which has filed draft prospectus for an IPO in January.
The scope of the order includes survey, supply of components and construction of the line across the two sections and the project is scheduled to be completed in 18 months.

S KOREA'S KUMHO TIRE TO SUPPLY TIRES TO FORD MOTOR
Seoul (ANTARA News/Asia Pulse) - Kumho Tire Co. (KSE:073240), South Korea's second-largest tiremaker, said today it has signed a deal to supply tires to U.S. automaker Ford Motor Co. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Under the contract, Kumho will supply 200,000 tires a year for Ford's Focus sedan, the company said in a statement.
"Kumho Tire aims to become one of the world's top five tiremakers by 2015 by actively making inroads into the North American market," Kumho Tire chief executive officer Oh Se-chul said in the statement.

TAIWAN DIRECT SALES SECTOR'S REVENUES DOWN 4 PCT IN 2007
Taipei (ANTARA News/Asia Pulse) - The 258 companies engaged in direct selling in Taiwan last year had combined sales revenue totalling NT$53.11 billion (US$1.74 billion), down 4 per cent year-on-year, according to a report released Monday by the Cabinet-level Fair Trade Commission (FTC).
Only 10 of the direct selling companies had sales revenues exceeding NT$1 billion, accounting for only 4.7 per cent of the total, but their combined sales revenues reached NT$32.35 billion, representing 60.9 per cent of the sector's total revenues. According to the report, 5.68 million people were employed in the direct selling sector as of the end of 2007, posting a year-on-year growth of 7.2 per cent.

Source:
Business in Asia Today - July 8, 2008
published by Asia Pulse

COPYRIGHT © 2008

Business: Investment agreement between Arrow Funds and W.P. Stewart amended

Tender Offer for Common Shares of W.P. Stewart & Co., Ltd. Extended

Hamilton, Bermuda (PRIME NEWSWIRE) - W.P. Stewart & Co., Ltd. (NYSE:WPL) ("W.P. Stewart") and Arrow Masters LP, Arrow Partners LP and Arrow Offshore, Ltd. (collectively, the "Arrow Funds") jointly announced today that they have amended their Investment Agreement, dated May 20, 2008, to add two additional funds as purchasers. The Arrow Funds, jointly with the two additional funds, remain parties to, and therefore bound by, the Investment Agreement, as amended. The Arrow Funds also announced that, as a result of this amendment, they are extending the expiration date of their tender offer (the "Offer") for up to 19,902,000 shares of common stock in W.P. Stewart at a price of $1.60 per share. The Offer has been extended so that it will now expire at 5:00 p.m. New York time on July 28, 2008 unless the Offer is further extended to provide for a subsequent offering period pursuant to Rule 14d-11 under the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934.
The Investment Agreement has been amended accordingly. Shares received under the Offer by 5:00 p.m. New York time on July 28,
2008 will be accepted for payment, up to the maximum of 19,902,000 shares, and payment will be made as soon as practicable after that date, subject to the terms and conditions of the Offer.
As a result of the amendment and the extension, Arrow Opportunities I, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, and Arrow Opportunities I, Ltd., a Cayman Islands exempted company, two newly formed investment funds managed by Arrow Capital Management LLC ("Arrow Capital"), will participate in the offer and become additional purchasers under the Investment Agreement. At the close of business on July 3, 2008, the Arrow Funds had received tenders for 123,629 shares.

As previously disclosed in a recent amendment to the Arrow Funds' Offer to Purchase, W.P. Stewart and Arrow Capital have begun discussions regarding areas of possible cooperation between the two companies, and are currently sharing insights with respect to research and potential investments for their respective clients. Although no agreements have yet been entered into, an on-going collaborative arrangement in this regard is currently contemplated. Other areas of collaboration are also being considered.

Alex von Furstenberg, Arrow Capital's Co-Managing Member and Chief Investment Officer said: "We remain committed to, and enthusiastic about, our future relationship with W.P. Stewart."
The Arrow Funds' offer is being made subject to the terms and conditions set forth in, and solely through, its Offer to Purchase, dated May 28, 2008, as amended by Amendment No. 1 to Schedule TO, dated June 27, 2008, and Amendment No. 2 to Schedule TO, dated July 7, 2008, and the related Letter of Transmittal and any amendments or supplements thereto, and is being made to all holders of W.P. Stewart shares.

Copies of the Arrow Funds' Offer to Purchase, the related Letter of Transmittal and other tender offer materials may be obtained from Arrow's information agent for the Offer, MacKenzie Partners, Inc., (212) 929-5500 (call collect), or Toll-Free: (800) 322-2885.

W.P. Stewart & Co., Ltd.

W.P. Stewart & Co., Ltd. is an asset management company that has provided research-intensive equity management services to clients throughout the world since 1975. The Company is headquartered in Hamilton, Bermuda and has additional operations or affiliates in the United States, Europe and Asia.
The Company's shares are listed for trading on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE:WPL) and on the Bermuda Stock Exchange (BSX:WPS).

For more information, please visit the Company's website at www.wpstewart.com, or call W.P. Stewart Investor Relations (Fred M. Ryan) at 1-888-695-4092 (toll-free within the United States) or + 441-295-8585 (outside the United States) or e-mail to IRINFO@wpstewart.com

This press release is neither an offer to purchase nor a solicitation of an offer to sell W.P. Stewart shares. The offer is made solely by the Offer to Purchase, dated May 28, 2008, as amended, and the related Letter of Transmittal and any amendments or supplements thereto, and is being made to all holders of W.P. Stewart shares. The offer is not being made to (nor will tenders be accepted from or on behalf of) holders of W.P. Stewart shares in any jurisdiction in which the making of the offer or the acceptance thereof would not be in compliance with the laws of such jurisdiction.
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CONTACT: For Arrow:
MacKenzie Partners Inc.
Mark Harnett
+1-212-929-5500 or
1-800-322-2885
W.P. Stewart
Fred Ryan
1-888-695-4092 or
+1-441-295-8585

Business: MJM announces strategic partnership in New Zealand

Sydney, Australia (PRIME NEWSWIRE) - MJM, Inc., the global leader in insurance fraud mitigation and claims investigative services, is pleased to announce a new strategic partnership with Scope Investigations, a New Zealand investigations company.

In the partnership between MJM and Scope, Scope has been provided with state-of-the-art technology, including MJM CaseTrak, a web-based case management tool that offers clients 24/7 status reports of their assignments.

The partnership emphasises the commitment of both companies to help reduce the rising cost of insurance caused by insurance fraud and to provide high level field resources to the insurance marketplace.

MJM CaseTrak enhances and streamlines the process by which surveillance and investigative assignments are received, conducted and delivered to clients. All Scope clients can now monitor their investigations from their desktops with real-time access to their cases via a secure website through MJM CaseTrak.

"As MJM continues to expand our international presence and technological capabilities, we are excited about this partnership (Powered by MJM Technology)," said Kieran Milne, Managing Director of MJM Investigations (Australia) Ltd.

"I am very much looking forward to working closely with the owners of Scope, Hamish and Richard Kerr. They both share a commitment to the same core values that drive our organisation and are leaders in the New Zealand investigative industry," continued Milne.

Hamish Kerr said the alliance between MJM and Scope marks a milestone in New Zealand's insurance investigation marketplace.

"Our clients will not only be using the investigative industry's leading technology, CaseTrak, but will receive better value for money through improved quality control," said Kerr.

About MJM, Inc.

MJM Inc. is the international leader in providing a wide variety of investigative products and services to insurance carriers, self-insured corporations and third-party administrators. MJM provides quality field investigations, comprehensive SIU programs, strategic anti-fraud planning, innovative educational courses, integrated Internet-based technologies and professional consulting services. For more information, visit www.mjminc.com.

The MJM, Inc. logo is available at http://www.primezone.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=1500

About Scope

For over 20 years, Scope Investigations have provided investigative services, to meet the needs of its corporate, commercial and government clients both in New Zealand and Internationally. Scope Investigations was formed in 1987 with the vision of providing first class corporate, government and insurance investigation services to its clientele. Scope applies a solving approach to all their investigations and pro-actively support and protect the interests of their clients. For more information, visit www.scope.co.nz.

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CONTACT: MJM, Inc.
Kieran Milne
(02) 9669 5633
Fax: (02) 9669 5922
kmilne@mjminc.com.au

Technology: Artificial Life, Paramount Digital launch the mobile game -- BRAVEHEART

Join William Wallace in his fight for freedom in a game based On the Academy Award(r)-Winning Movie

Los Angeles and Hong Kong (PRIME NEWSWIRE) - Hong Kong-based Artificial Life, Inc. (OTCBB:ALIF) (http://www.artificial-life.com), a leading full service provider of award-winning mobile technology and applications, and Paramount Digital Entertainment today announced the launch of the mobile game BRAVEHEART, a real-time strategy (RTS) adventure based on the Paramount Pictures' motion picture. This release follows the recent launch of another movie-based mobile game developed and distributed by Paramount Digital Entertainment and Artificial Life, SHOOTER, which was released in April of this year.

A photo accompanying this release is available at http://www.primenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=5235

In BRAVEHEART players take on the role of William Wallace, the legendary Scottish hero, who fights for Scotland's freedom by plotting attacks against their English suppressors. Players must attack and guard six locations from the English, including Sterling, Paisley, Falkirk, Edinburgh, Lanark and York in 10 heroic real-time strategic missions. Alongside his fellow freedom fighters, Robert the Bruce, Mornay and Lachlan, William Wallace battles the enemies' infantry, cavalry, foot soldiers and leaders. After conquering a town, players must then guard it against counterattacks. Characters, missions and locations featured in the game follow the events from the BRAVEHEART movie. For each mission there are three different levels of difficulty in which the number of enemies and adversaries varies. All missions must be completed strategically without losing William Wallace or any of his companions.

BRAVEHEART is amongst the first mobile games by Artificial Life to be distributed using the company's new rollout tool, the MobileBooster(tm). The game is supported by most 3G and 2.5G handsets and is available in many languages for global distribution.

"This well-known movie provides us with a dynamic storyline to create a thrilling game. We put strong emphasis on the game graphics and background story to replicate the exhilarating and technically impressive battle scenes in the film. Every detail in the game, including the fictitious dialogue, stays authentic to the characters as well as the original screenplay. By bringing the heroic character, William Wallace, back to life in the mobile game format, we hope to provide an invaluable extension to this well-known brand," says Eberhard Schoneburg, Artificial Life's Chief Executive Officer.

"Paramount Pictures has an extensive library of acclaimed movies which are ideal to translate into mobile games. Our BRAVEHEART mobile game is a natural extension to this timeless and classic motion picture," states Sandi Isaacs, Senior Vice President Mobile & Interactive, Paramount Digital Entertainment. "We are pleased to continue our working relationship with Artificial Life as a partner for this game."

The BRAVEHEART mobile game is now available for purchase and download on Artificial Life's m-commerce portal, www.botme.com, and will soon be available on-deck and off-deck via telecom operators and resellers worldwide.

About Artificial Life

Artificial Life, Inc. (OTCBB:ALIF) is a public U.S. corporation headquartered in Hong Kong with offices in Berlin (EMEA headquarters) and Tokyo. The company is a leading global full service provider of award winning mobile technology, mobile TV, content, games and business applications (see also the company's homepage: www.artificial-life.com; and m-commerce portal: www.botme.com).

About Paramount Digital Entertainment

Paramount Digital Entertainment (PDE) is a division of Paramount Pictures Corporation. PDE develops and distributes filmed entertainment across worldwide digital distribution platforms including online, mobile and portable devices, videogames, virtual worlds and emerging technologies.

Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment, is a unit of Viacom (NYSE:VIA) (NYSE:VIA.B), a leading content company with prominent and respected film, television and digital entertainment brands. The company's labels include Paramount Pictures, Paramount Vantage, Paramount Classics, DreamWorks, MTV Films and Nickelodeon Movies. PPC operations also include Paramount Digital Entertainment, Paramount Home Entertainment, Paramount Pictures International, Paramount Licensing Inc., Paramount Studio Group, and Worldwide Television Distribution.

Forward-Looking Statements:
This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Such forward-looking statements include, without limitation, statements regarding our future results of operations, financial condition and business prospects. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as "may", "will", "should", "expect", "intend", "plan", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "predict", "potential", "continue", or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. Although such statements are based on our own information and information from other sources we believe to be reliable, you should not place undue reliance on them. These statements involve risks and uncertainties, and actual market trends or our actual results of operations, financial condition or business prospects may differ materially from those expressed or implied in these forward looking statements for a variety of reasons.
Potential risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, our ability to obtain additional funding to operate and grow our business; the unproven potential of our mobile gaming business model; changing consumer preferences and uncertainty of market acceptance of our products; timely adoption and availability of 3G mobile technology; market acceptance for use of mobile handheld devices to play the interactive games; unpredictable mobile game development schedules; our reliance on a relatively small number of brands; our ability to license brands from others; our dependence upon resellers and telecommunication carriers and operators to distribute our products; our ability to successfully develop, introduce, and sell new or enhanced products in a timely manner; and the timing of new product announcements or introductions by us or by our competitors. For additional discussion of these risks and uncertainties and other factors, please see the documents we file from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on March 13, 2008. We assume no obligation to update any forward-looking statements, which apply only as of the date of this press release.

Photo is also available at NewsCom, www.newscom.com, and via AP PhotoExpress.
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CONTACT: Artificial Life, Inc.
Annie Lau
(+852) 3102 2800
ir@artificial-life.com
Paramount Digital Entertainment
Jodi Lederman
(+1) 310 887 0742
Jodi_Lederman@paramount.com

High-Tech: PerkinElmer appoints chief scientific officer to lead greater China

Waltham, Mass. (BUSINESS WIRE) - PerkinElmer, Inc. (NYSE: PKI), today announced the appointment of Daniel R. Marshak, Ph.D., to the additional position of president of its Greater China operations. In this role, Marshak will assume overall leadership of PerkinElmer in Greater China, and will be responsible for expanding its resources in the region to drive innovation and new product introductions. He will be based out of Shanghai, strengthening the Company's executive and scientific presence in the country.
Marshak will continue in his role as senior vice president and chief scientific officer for the Company.

"We recognize the importance of increasing our leadership throughout the world to drive the growth of our business globally and to support the rapidly expanding health and environmental infrastructures of emerging nations, including China," said Robert F. Friel, president and chief executive officer, PerkinElmer. "Dan is a seasoned executive with deep scientific expertise. His presence in China will enable us to leverage our scientific leadership in a region where we see significant opportunity for growth, and help us better meet the changing needs of our customers in the country and throughout the Asia-Pacific region."

China represents a key market for PerkinElmer, with significant growth opportunities in areas such as environmental monitoring, diagnostics, medical and industrial imaging.
PerkinElmer has been partnering with China for more than 20 years and currently employs approximately 1,200 people in Shanghai, Beijing,?Guangzhou, Chengdu,?Wuhan, Shenyang and Shenzhen. The October 2007 opening of PerkinElmer's 7,000 square foot EcoAnalytix? application and technical center in Shanghai represents the Company's most recent expansion in the Greater China region.

PerkinElmer, Inc. is a global technology leader driving growth and innovation in Health Sciences and Photonics markets to improve the quality of life. The Company reported revenues of $1.8 billion in 2007, has 9,100 employees serving customers in more than 150 countries, and is a component of the S&P 500 Index.

Additional information is available through www.perkinelmer.com or 1-877-PKI-NYSE.

PerkinElmer, Inc.
Investor Relations:Michael A. Lawless, 781-663-5659
mike.lawless@perkinelmer.com
or Media Contact:Stephanie R. Wasco, 781-663-5701
stephanie.wasco@perkinelmer.com

Business: Wyndham Brand to expand in China with 337-room Shanghai Hotel

Parsippany, N.J. (ANTARA News/PRNewswire-AsiaNet) - Wyndham Hotel Group International today announced plans to expand the Wyndham(R) brand in China with the construction of a 337-room, 15-story luxury hotel in Shanghai. (Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060810/NYTH118LOGO-a )

The Wyndham Baolian Hotel, scheduled to open in April 2010, is being developed by Shanghai Baolian Real Estate Company Ltd. in the city's Baoshan district.

Weijie Zhu, principal owner and president of Shanghai Baolian Real Estate Company Ltd., signed a 10-year agreement with Wyndham Hotel Group International to manage the property.

The hotel will feature four full-service restaurants; two bars; lobby lounge; nightclub; Wyndham Blue Harmony(TM) spa and fitness center; swimming pool; business center; and 1,650 square meters of meeting space including a 1,000-square-meter ballroom, boardroom and additional function rooms.

The Wyndham Hotels and Resorts brand is scheduled to make its debut in the Asia Pacific region during the fourth quarter this year with the opening of a newly constructed, 609-room luxury hotel in Xiamen, Fujian province. The Wyndham Xiamen Hotel also will be managed by Wyndham Hotel Group International.

Wyndham Hotel Group is the largest U.S.-based hotel franchising company in China today with 138 hotels open and under development under the Ramada, Days Inn, Howard Johnson and Super 8 brand names.

Steven R. Rudnitsky, Wyndham Hotel Group president and chief executive officer said the development of the Wyndham brand in China fulfills a key corporate objective to grow the brand in Asia.

"Our Shanghai project is a testament to the strength of the Wyndham brand and our management expertise," he said. "We anticipate strong growth of the Wyndham brand in key gateway cities."

Shanghai serves as one of China's most important commercial, financial, industrial and communications centers and is widely regarded as the showpiece of one of the world's fastest-growing economies.

Located on China's east coast at the mouth of the Yangtze River, Shanghai is the country's most populous city and one of the largest urban areas in the world. The city is an emerging tourist destination known for historical landmarks including as the Bund and Xintiandi, its modern and expanding Pudong skyline including the Oriental Pearl Tower and its reputation as a cosmopolitan center of culture and design.

Wyndham Hotel Group, one of three principal components of Wyndham Worldwide (NYSE: WYN), encompasses more than 6,550 hotels and 551,000 rooms in 59 countries on six continents under the Wyndham(R), Ramada(R), Days Inn(R), Super 8(R), Wingate(R) by Wyndham, Baymont Inn(R), Howard Johnson(R), Travelodge(R), Knights Inn(R) and AmeriHost Inn(R) brands. All hotels are owned individually and operated independently or by Wyndham Hotel Management. Wyndham Hotel Group is based in Parsippany, N.J. Additional information is available at http://www.wyndhamworldwide.com . SOURCE Wyndham Hotel Group International

CONTACT: Evy Apostolatos,
Director, Media Relations of Wyndham Hotel Group,
+1-973-753-6590,
evy.apostolatos@wyndhamworldwide.com
Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070517NYTH119LOGO
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Web site: http://www.wyndhamworldwide.com

Business: iQor expands in Philippines

Clark expansion announced at meeting with President Arroyo new center of excellence will create 700 new jobs

New York (BUSINESS WIRE) - At a meeting in New York City with Philippine President Gloria Arroyo, iQor President and CEO Vikas Kapoor announced the opening of iQor's third call center in the Philippines that will create 700 new jobs. iQor plans to hire 300 new employees at its new Center of Excellence at the Clark Special Economic Zone before the end of the year and will add the remaining new hires by the end of the first quarter in 2009. This growth will bring total jobs created by iQor in the Philippines to 2,500 since opening its first call center in Manila in 2005.

iQor is one of the premier call center services companies in the world and the Philippines plays a major role in its strategic expansion. This is iQor's second call center within the Clark Special Economic Zone. The first Clark Center opened in August of 2006 with 50 employees. After only two years, iQor reached full capacity at the facility and has now opened a new state-of-the-art 32,000 square foot Center to meet growing client demands.

"When we were among the first call center companies to establish a presence in the Philippines we knew it was one of the most critical investments we could make to compete in the global market," said Vikas Kapoor, president and chief executive officer, iQor. "Everything we believed about the Philippines has proved true: it has the lowest unit costs, the highest quality and the lowest attrition rates of any of our Centers in the world. We now service many of America's blue-chip brands from the Philippines. More than any country, it is well placed not only to compete, but to dominate in the sector.""Thanks to the vision of President Arroyo and her determination to create a business-friendly environment, we have made the Philippines our number one overseas destination," continued Kapoor. "As a result, the Philippines is well on its way to supplanting India as the location of choice for call center and BPO activity."

iQor's commitment to its global corporate vision of excellence also includes a $50 million technology investment strategy that has resulted in a higher customer satisfaction rate. Clark is one of 20 iQor locations worldwide that encompasses the first and largest all-digital, Voice-over-Internet Protocol (VoIP) deployments in the call center industry.

iQor's Clark Center of Excellence handles recovery and retention services for mid-tier to Fortune 100 companies.

With this expansion, iQor has more than 8,000 employees worldwide. In August 2007, the company changed its name from IRMC to iQor, Inc. in order to establish a global brand and reinforce its leadership within the call center services industry.

About iQor

iQor (www.iqor.com) provides call center services to some of the best-known companies in the world from 20 Centers of Excellence in five countries and four continents. iQor's 8,000 employees work with state-of-the-art technology that affords maximum flexibility to iQor customers to tap the best skills of a global workforce. It serves clients in a range of industries including financial services, telecommunications and government. Its services include customer care, customer retention and revenue recovery.

iQorGlobal Public Relations:Robert Burke, 646-274-3044
robert.burke@iqor.com