SGS, the world's leading testing, inspection and certification company, has joined forces with Eurotunnel to create a unique ‘UK Landbridge Package’ for companies seeking to use the Channel Tunnel to export and import between Ireland and continental Europe.

The new ‘UK Landbridge Package’ is available through SGS TransitNet, the company’s transit monitoring service. The package ‘green-routes’ journeys for companies by securing all the necessary customs declarations and entries, whilst giving peace of mind that the procedures for their shipments will be handled correctly and their journeys will be as smooth as possible. It applies to companies looking to undertake one-off trips or more frequent freight delivery through Eurotunnel. On-site customer support at Eurotunnel is also available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

This new service removes complexity for transporters by providing a simple and comprehensive booking procedure, easy to access terminals, up to six departures per hour and an average crossing time of only 35 minutes.

In addition, the Eurotunnel Border Pass shares information needed for border crossings between the transporter and Eurotunnel and between Eurotunnel and the border authorities, thus ensuring that the authorities are ready for the arrival of a particular shipment and all the necessary documentation is in place. It is secure and digitized without the need for the driver to leave the vehicle or present any documents on arrival at the border.

Sebastien Chalumeau, Global Head of SGS E-Customs Services, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with Eurotunnel to launch this unique service to our customers. Exporters, transporters and importers can relax in the knowledge that SGS and Eurotunnel will deliver a full range of services to cover their journeys and, through frictionless trade, ensure that goods reach their destination without delay.”

The UK Landbridge remains the most efficient way of transporting goods between the island of Ireland and continental Europe. It is especially important for companies involved in the movement of fish, meat and any goods that are subject to sanitary or phytosanitary control and vital for these companies that their goods reach their destination as quickly as possible. Any delay to the delivery for these types of goods can have a damaging effect on the quality of the product.

Michael Donnelly, Brexit and Customs Manager, O’Toole Transport, added: “We have been working with SGS since the start of the year and they have helped us greatly in the Brexit transition. More recently we have tried their Landbridge package which they operate in cooperation with Eurotunnel. The service was first class and it made the whole process much smoother than it had been before. The package really has every angle covered. We will definitely be using the Landbridge package with SGS and Eurotunnel going forward to ensure our trucks make it to their destination without delay.”

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About SGS 

We are SGS – the world’s leading testing, inspection and certification company. We are recognized as the global benchmark for quality and integrity. Our 93,000 employees operate a network of 2,600 offices and laboratories, working together to enable a better, safer and more interconnected world.

SGS, the world’s leading testing, inspection and certification company, has published an article that looks at the need for efficient air filtration in urban environments and details their solutions for manufacturers.

Urban pollution and COVID-19 have focused attention on the need for efficient air filtration. SGS’s Consumer Compact article looks at the trends surrounding greater demand for air filters and considers what consumers should be looking for and what manufacturers need to do to build brand loyalty.

Read the original Consumer Compact article, ‘Fresh Air: The Benefits of Effective Filtration’ 

SGS Filtration Services

SGS offers a comprehensive range of testing solutions to help manufacturers and suppliers deliver high quality filtration products that meet regulatory requirements and consumer expectations. After all, it’s only trusted because it’s tested. For more information, download the SGS Household Filters and Filtration Appliances Flyer. 

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About SGS

We are SGS – the world’s leading testing, inspection and certification company. We are recognized as the global benchmark for quality and integrity. Our 93,000 employees operate a network of 2,600 offices and laboratories, working together to enable a better, safer and more interconnected world.

Fashinza, a global B2B manufacturing marketplace, announced today that they have raised $20 million in a mix of equity and debt as part of Series-A Funding. The round was co-led by marquee existing investors Accel Partners and Elevation Capital along with Abu Dhabi’s DisruptAD, Stride Ventures, Alteria Capital, and Tradecred. The round also saw the participation of Anand S Ahuja (MD, Shahi Exports & Founder, Bhaane) and actress Sonam Kapoor Ahuja, both of whom are vocal supporters of sustainable fashion. The funds will be utilized to invest in supply-chain technology and expand the company’s presence and manufacturers' base globally, especially in the US and the Middle East. Previously, in 2020, Fashinza had raised $2.6 mn from Accel and Elevation as a part of its seed round. 

Team Fashinza is on a mission to create sustainable and futuristic supply chains for fashion brands while improving the lives of workers. They connect family-run small/mid-sized audited factories to the cloud with their mobile-based production management and visibility software. In May 2021, the company expanded its operations to New York with the aim of reinventing the $800 bn global fashion manufacturing for the e-commerce era, which is more agile, fast, transparent, and sustainable. Their platform provides end-to-end online ordering for brands, complete production tracking from the factory floor, low MOQs, and fast but ethical production. For an industry addicted to low cost and overproduction, this could be a way to reduce wastage and its impact on the environment. In addition, they are solving critical problems of working capital and payment trust with embedded financing solutions like Net 60 payment terms. 

They are currently present in 10 countries and have partnered with brands from the US, Canada, UK, Middle East, and India. At present, they're associated with 150+ leading brands including Forever 21, Hummel, Centrix Brands, and Amaro. Post pandemic, brands have been scrambling to diversify their supply chains, find new suppliers, and reduce their dependence on a single source. Multiple brands have used Fashinza to diversify their supply chains across countries like China, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Vietnam,and India. 

Commenting on the fresh funding, Pawan Gupta, CEO & Co-Founder, Fashinza, said, “Fashinza has grown over 20x in the last 12 months. Covid has ceased travel and complicated the global apparel supply chain. Our AI-led technology platform automates everything from finding the right supplier to managing production across stakeholders. We started Fashinza because we wanted to help small and medium ethical factories employing millions of workers, connect with global demand and eliminate environmentally unsustainable practices of this industry like overproduction. By 2030, we want to build an environmentally net positive supply chain at a scale that doesn’t even cost extra.” 

Abhishek Sharma, COO, and Co-Founder, Fashinza, added, “Apart from the core offerings, we are also solving credit for fashion brands and suppliers in cross-border transactions through our Buy Now Pay Later program where we offer Net 30/Net 60 payment terms for buyers. We solve working capital challenges for suppliers through an embedded fintech ecosystem that operates on our core supply chain technology and data. This allows the supply chain to operate ethically and ensure workers get paid fairly and timely.” 

In his comments,Pratik Agarwal, Principal, Accel Partners, said,“At Accel, we’re delighted to deepen our commitment and relationship with the Fashinza team. We’re inspired by their electric execution against their vision to help fashion brands adapt to the e-commerce era with Fashinza’s agile manufacturing capabilities. We also admire Abhishek’s and Pawan’s priority to build a strong leadership team very early on. The early success Fashinza has achieved serving global brands validates the massive opportunity they’re going after. We’re confident Fashinzacan serve as a role model for more Indian startups building for the world from the get-go. We’re grateful for this partnership and super excited for the future!” 

According to Akarsh Shrivastava, Vice President, Elevation Capital, “COVID-19 has further underscored the need for agility and responsiveness for brands. Over the past year, Fashinza has been able to design and deliver an offering that addresses multiple issues in the supply chain, thereby alleviating this need for their brand customers and supplier base. Growth and customer satisfaction have only strengthened our belief in the opportunity. It has been a pleasure and privilege to work with Pawan, Abhishek and the rockstar Fashinza team as they disrupt this $600 bn opportunity. Super thrilled to deepen our commitment and relationship with Fashinza.“ 

NeurOptics, the worldwide leader in the science of pupillometry, today announced the U.S. launch of its NPi^®-300, a next-generation automated pupillometer that enhances pupillary assessment to assist in detecting cerebral insult, guiding treatment and informing prognosis for clinicians and their patients.

Early detection of neurological injury is critical for effective and timely diagnosis and treatment.¹ NeurOptics’ quantitative automated pupillometer provides a reliable measurement of pupil size and reactivity and tracks changes over time, allowing for earlier intervention for patients with brain injury and those at risk of secondary neurological injury. The NPi-300 Pupillometer supports neurological examination in adult and pediatric patients across a broad spectrum of diagnoses, including traumatic brain injury, stroke, seizure, or other neurological events after cardiac arrest and other medical conditions.

The new NPi-300 Pupillometer includes several enhanced features to improve functionality, including:

• Advanced wireless charging technology, offering improved reliability for the clinician
• Incorporated barcode scanner, allowing clinicians to easily scan a new patient’s ID accurately and instantaneously
• Updated graphical user interface, featuring an easy-to-read LCD touchscreen that enhances the visibility of the results screen

“We are excited to launch this advanced, next-generation pupillometer,” said William Worthen, President and CEO, NeurOptics. “It is a pivotal time for pupillometry, as more hospitals, ICUs and emergency departments are adopting the technology to assess patients for changes in pupillary light reflex—a sign of neurological injury. The NPi-300 Pupillometer, along with the Neurological Pupil index™ (NPi®) scale, provides clinicians with the information needed to make better treatment decisions.”

Automated pupillometry has emerged as an important technology that provides a quantitative measurement of pupil size and reactivity, expressed as the Neurological Pupil index (NPi). NPi values range from 0 to 4.9, with scores under 3 considered abnormal. The NeurOptics NPi-300 Pupillometer eliminates the variability and subjectivity inherent in manual pupillary evaluation (performed using a penlight), providing more accurate, reliable, and objective pupil size and reactivity measurement for this vital component of neurological examinations.^1-8

About NeurOptics

Headquartered in Irvine, Calif., NeurOptics is the leader in the science of pupillometry. Driven by a passion to help clinicians improve patient outcomes, NeurOptics develops and markets innovative technology for use in critical care medicine, neurology, neurosurgery, emergency medicine, and research. The NeurOptics’ NPi Pupillometer has been included in more than 70 clinical studies, adopted in over 490 hospitals in the United States, and is represented in more than 27 countries worldwide. For more information, visit www.NeurOptics.com. Follow NeurOptics on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.

References

1. Kerr R, Bacon A, Baker L, et al. Underestimation of pupil size by critical care and neurosurgical nurses. American J of Critical Care. 2016;25(3):213-219.

2. Olson D, Fishel M. The use of automated pupillometry in critical care. Critical Care Nursing Clinics North America. 2015;28(2016):101-107.

3. Meeker M, Du R, Bacchetti P, et al. Pupil examination: validity and clinical utility of an automated pupillometer. J Neurosci Nurs. 2005;37:34–40. 6.

4. Wilson S, Amling J, Floyd S, McNair N. Determining interrater reliability of nurses' assessments of pupillary size and reaction. J Neurosci Nurs. 1988;20:189–192.

5. Litvan I, Saposnik G, Mauriño J, et al. Pupillary diameter assessment: need for a graded scale. Neurology. 2000;54:530–531. 25.

6. Olson D, Stutzman S, Saju C, Wilson M, Zhao W, Aiyagari V. Interrater reliability of pupillary assessments. Neurocritical Care. 2015. 26.

7. Stutzman S, Olson D, Saju C, Wilson M, Aiyagari V. Interrater reliability of pupillar assessments among physicians and nurses. UT Southwestern Medical Center; 2014. 27.

8. Worthley L. The pupillary light reflex in the critically ill patient. Critical Care and Resuscitation. 2000;2(7).