Legendary saxophonist Maceo Parker brings his unique sound to South Africa

With roots that go as deep as the history of funk itself and a long list of collaborations with the biggest names in the genre, funk wouldn’t be funk without alto-saxophonist Maceo Parker. For two nights only, Parker will be getting the “groove on” in Pretoria on 8 May and Johannesburg on 9 May.   In what he describes as an experience akin to university, Parker perfected his sound as sideman to James Brown. During the 1960s Parker and his drummer brother Melvin joined the James Brown band; it was the start of a partnership that would last for the next decade. 

Parker’s signature sound led, in part, to the band being recognised as early pioneers of modern day funk and hip-hop.   Constantly redefining his style, Parker continued to live the sprit of funk. He joined George Clinton's P-Funk Mothership, followed by stints with a number of other groups, becoming a golden thread that linked the style. In 1970 Parker, with some fellow James Brown band members, formed Maceo and All the Kings Men and released two albums that continue to remain popular. To date he has collaborated with Ray Charles, Ani Difranco, James Taylor, Prince, De La Soul, Dave Matthews Band and the Red Hot Chilli Peppers.   In 1990 Parker embarked on a solo career and while funk still defined his style, his music became richly nuanced with the sounds of jazz and soul. He released two successful albums Roots Revisited (which spent 10 weeks at the top of Billboard's Jazz Charts in 1990) and Mo' Roots (1991). His third solo album Life on Planet Groove, recorded live in 1992, established him as a contemporary artist and boosted his exposure to a college-going audience. Albums like Funk Overload, Dial M-A-C-E-O and Made by Maceo cemented his catch phrase "2% Jazz, 98% Funky Stuff” with his audiences. 

Parker has toured extensively with his own band and since 1999 he has participated in some of Prince's tours when time allowed. In July of 2012 Parker was presented with Les Victoires du Jazz in Paris: a Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to music and during the same weekend he was presented with an Icon Award at the North Sea Jazz Festival in Rotterdam. The youth band Nu-Notes will be opening for Parker at both performances. The Nu-Notes, a group of young talented jazz musicians who are being mentored by trombonist, arranger and conductor Dan Selsick. They form part of the Cape Town Jazz Orchestra programme that aims to develop young South African musicians, through music education, skills development, and creating performance platforms for young musicians.   Parker will be performing on the 08 May at the Brooklyn Theatre, Pretoria and 09 May at the Wits Theatre, Johannesburg. The concert starts at 20h00 and tickets cost R180. 

Tickets can be booked from www.webtickets.co.za

For Interview requests and access to high resolution pictures contact JT Communication Solutions on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 011 788 7632
Issued by JT Communication Solutions on Behalf of Cape Town Jazz Orchestra

KWV, an award-winning, proudly South African brand, is reawakening the spirit of the brand with the launch of it’s first ever consumer trademark brand campaign, ‘Finish Great’ that communicates the company’s proud heritage and product innovation across spirits and wines that KWV has embodied since 1918.

The emotive integrated campaign kicks off today with the flighting of KWV’s first ever TV ad. KWV has a long tradition of crafting some of the finest wines and brandies in the world. This is the company’s first consumer brand campaign that stretches across the product worlds of wine and spirits to deliver a consistent brand theme that works across all touch points; providing the foundation for a bold distinctive brand message.

Tyrone Beck, Creative Director at Saatchi & Saatchi Brandsrock, the ad agency tasked with developing the pioneering campaign for the brand explains: “This is a tribute to the great legacy of KWV, but also demonstrates that by standing on the shoulders of giants, we are inspired to aim higher, to reach even greater heights and inevitably ‘Finish Great’.”He adds: “The campaign idea was based on a core insight that through persistence, character is revealed and in everything we do, we strive to finish great,” says Beck.

“The heart of KWV is Proud Pioneers brought to life through the spirit of: respecting tradition while challenging convention and through persistence character is revealed. We are telling this story through the campaign theme of ‘On the shoulders of giants’. ”Beck continues: “Giants have stature, they are larger than life and undeniably impressive. We revere them and in South Africa, KWV is a giant, it’s a brand that has a 97 year-old history and credible credentials to support such a bold statement.

“The story line follows an affirmation to the giants who enable us to Finish Great,” he adds. “We are bringing to life this story with a 360 degree approach, which we will aim to further build on the ‘Giants’ theme through a product-centric print and fully integrated user generated social and digital campaign.”

Beck says that the integrated campaign includes the brands first ever television commercial, amplification via a full PR rollout, experiential activations, iconic out of home billboards, point-of-sale and in-store promotions.He admits that the task was not easy. “The alcohol marketplace is extremely cluttered, with premium liquor brands playing heavily in the world of inspiration,” he says. “Therefore we strived to achieve a well considered and creatively consistent visual theme to work across all touch points and to be the foundation for a bold and distinctive message.”

“This campaign literally dramatizes how, as individuals, we take inspiration from the past – our legacy, our forefathers,” he says. “We look up to them. They inspire us to have the courage to break new ground. Essentially we are all on a journey to master our own crafts, as young South Africans, as young people we work hard at mastering and we follow in the footsteps of masters and pioneers that come before us.

”KWV’s Head of Strategy, Peadar Hegarty, says that KWV is a company and brand that respects tradition, with a proud legacy of craftsmanship and excellence that stretches back to the early 1900’s. “KWV is a brand that innovates and constantly pushes itself to achieve greater things and this is encapsulated in its entirety in the Finish Great campaign elements,” he adds.He says that any great campaign has to have a number of iconic elements but firstly should be rooted in human truth, KWV’s being that persistence reveals character.“The finish great message is universal and supports our global growth strategy with a truly international campaign,”

Hegarty adds. “KWV is a place where innovation comes alive, where fresh ideas are made possible by building on the great work of yesterday’s pioneers, where convention is constantly challenged, and where new ideas and fresh perspectives are always given the space they deserve.”He continues: “We believe this, our first brand trademark campaign, is a campaign worthy of KWV’s pioneering spirit and we are truly excited to deliver this to the world,” he says. “It’s about reawakening the brand spirit through connectivity, innovation, and sustainability and by continuing to produce award-winning wines and spirits,” says Hegarty.However, Hegarty adds that this trademark campaign is not only consumer facing.

“From a business perspective, the company is switching distribution strategies in a number of global markets and we are working hard to adapt our product offerings to suit the needs of specific markets as well as channel management strategies, ultimately enabling us as a company to continue to Finish Great.”In recent years KWV has transformed itself into a global commercial player, exporting award-winning wines and brandies from its main cellar complex in Paarl all over the world.

“We distribute our brands in over 100 markets globally, with some of our brands having been available in these markets as far back as the 1920’s,” he adds.With one of the largest production capacities of wine and spirits in the Southern Hemisphere as well as being chosen as a distribution partner for some of the world’s most iconic spirits - most recently, Stolichnaya Vodka, Hegarty says, this demonstrates how the company is transforming itself to compete against other brands.

Through an extensive business strategy and market positioning, KWV has been recognised for producing some of the world’s best wines and brandies. “Our attainment of globally recognised awards is testament to this. In the last 4 years we have won over 858 awards of which 307 were achieved in the past year alone,” he says.

“We are constantly improving our products to push the boundaries, being at the forefront of winemaking and brandy making innovation and demonstrating great attention to detail and balance.” In recent months KWV has been creating industry waves with a number of Finish Great moments, like the launch of the world’s first ‘natural’ Pinotage – Earth’s Essence, made possible by utilising a world first technology; the launch of KWV Heritage XO, SA’s first Cognac brand; and the launch of Nexus, the world’s first 30-year old commercially available potstill brandy.

KWV’s First Ever TVC
“The TVC brings across the notion of getting to a destination and achieving greatness, whatever the journey may be, that in essence is the meaning of a Finish Great moment,” says Beck.

“These moments are demonstrated through vignettes of past and present: a mountaineer summiting the highest peak, a runner sprinting across a finish line and a musician strumming the greatest chord right to the end scene where the current branding and winemaker at KWV toast the pioneers of the past.

”The final scene in the TVC showcases KWV’s journey to finish great, representing the pinnacle of its brand journey and showcases its products from vine to glass, a proud fulfilment of an incredible odyssey that represents KWV’s master craftsmen.The iconic TVC is directed by Sam Coleman of Giant Films.

“What makes this commercial so different is that it’s about human endeavour, in past and present, in one frame,” says Coleman. “The production didn’t come without its challenges. We shot for over 18 hours and while shooting one scene other teams had already gone ahead and moved location to create the next ‘world,’ so we could just step into that world and start shooting.

”According to Coleman, the most challenging aspect was the idea of one of the giants mountaineering, modelled on Sir Edmund Hillary, summiting a snowy peak; and that obviously being in the Southern Hemisphere this presented challenges in successfully replicating the conditions and the ascend of the peak.

Watch the TVC here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8jcGpijHfg “From business growth, to our awards, to the talents of our brandy and winemaking teams through to this new campaign, Finish Great is our story of a journey of ups and downs true to the journey our wonderful products embark on as they mature to perfection,” concludes KWV’s Hegarty.

For more information visit:
Website: www.finishgreat.co.za
Twitter: @KWVBrandy #FINISHGREAT
Get a behind the scenes look at the making of here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4kG1eH7qQo

A first for South Africa as Design4T makes it's crowdfunding platform available to charities for fundraising

Cape Town, South Africa, 19 March 2015

Design4T.com provides charities with their first opportunity to raise funds via its ground breaking crowdfunding platform. The online platform provides charities with a new route to raise money via T-Shirt campaigns as well as a great platform for raising awareness or just lifting spirits.

The innovative online fundraising website (Design4T.com) further provides the charity no risk in their fund raising efforts as access is free of charge and all profits go to the good cause. Because of Design4T's risk-free platform, charities from across South Africa are now able to safely raise funds while rewarding their contributors with something useful: a T-Shirt they actually enjoy wearing.

Design4T's co-founder & director, Claus Lauter states:- "Design4T loves to help charities. Most traditional types of fundraising require charities to buy inventory in advance. If a certain amount of inventory isn’t sold, then the fundraising campaign can actually lose money. That’s why we believe in risk-free fundraising."

Design4T lets you easily start an online fund-raising T-Shirt campaign for whatever cause is important to you. Some examples for what funding organisations use Design4T are: Non-profits, Churches, Women’s Shelters, Animal Rescues and Shelters, Fund-raising Walks and 5ks, Local Public Schools, Housing Organizations, Dog Parks and many others.

Claus goes on to say “Our platform is 100% user friendly, in just a few minutes users can be sharing their customized page with their supporters to raise money and awareness -- all totally free and with zero risk or commitment.”

Importantly all profits are sent directly to the charity and NOT to the individual. Supporters can be therefore be reassured that their contribution is going to the cause they wish to support. With no hidden fees, transparency and no risk it's a win win for both the charity and their supporters.

Design4T provides more information on their website at https://www.design4t.com/non-profit-users

About the Design4T Team
Design4T was created in 2014 by a team of highly dedicated entrepreneurs and online marketing experts with the mission to make a successful business concept available for South Africans. Design4T has a top class customer service team to help ensure customer satisfaction, and offers in-house design and marketing services to enhance and amplify sales to Design4T campaigns.

For interested journalists, Design4T is offering free access to the website at http://www.design4t.com/ and an information-packed training course called Design4T Academy.

For more information, you can watch a video showing an overview of Design4T at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YS1oyyVRIk0

Find out more at: http://www.design4t.com/

For additional information, contact:
Design4T (Pty) Ltd.
Claus Lauter, Director
199 Loop Street, Graphic Centre
Cape Town, 8001, South Africa
Phone: +27 (0)21 200 6643
Phone: +27 (0)78 233 1562
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Web: www.design4t.com

Company registration number: 2014/271026/07

Editors: High resolution images are available upon request. All Design4T founders are available for interviews. # # #

THE FISHERS ENGINE OF SOUTH AFRICA [FESA]

 MAMRE-ATLANTIS FISHERS NEGLECTED BY FISHERIES DEPARTMENT [DAFF]

Date: 12 March 2015 

The Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries [DAFF]  – has once again neglected and disappointed the Fishing Communities of Mamre, Atlantis and Darling by not authorising them Fishing Access via the Bokbaai-, Lêbaai or Ganzekraal Area after The Fishers Engine of South Africa [FESA] has applied for access from the DAFF Minister, Senzeni Zokwana more than 5 months ago.

It has been precisely 5 months and two weeks since FESA has asked the Minister to authorise the use of the Bokbaai Area as a Launching Site for the Mamre-Atlantis Fishers. During the last few months – the only reply FESA has received from the minister was an acknowledgement letter indicating that this matter has been forwarded to the Office of the Director General, Edith Vries. Until date, no answer or progress on this issue has been sent from the Office of the Director-General. 

Mamre and Atlantis Fishers have to use the “Apartheid-set road to Yzerfontein” for Linefish- and West Coast Rock Lobster Catches, and some other launching sites are also used. Yzerfontein is the nearest legal Launching Site and FESA has made these bad economic conditions under which these fishers have to operate clear to the Fisheries Minister. Yzerfontein is between 42-44km away from Mamre (depending on the road taken) and with the distance to reach the fishing grounds, fishers can travel as far as 57km to fish. Depending on the engines used these fishers can spent between R1300-R1500 per fishing trip on petrol a day to lauch from Yzerfontein harbour (excluding their bait and other expenses). For the Minister to expect the poorest of fishers to spend between R1300-R1500 per day per fishing trip with Economically Unviable Exemptions (Interim Relief Programme Exemptions and Traditional Linefish Rights) is unthinkable, irresponsible and economically oppressing to these fishers and their communities. 

Then this same Fisheries Department, DAFF has closed the Dasseneiland Area (Bokpunt) for Recreational Fishing for the current season – which mean that these fishers are totally neclegted and excluded from fishing from their nearest suitable Fishing Area, which is the Bokbaai-, Lêbaai-, Ganzekraal Area. 

The FESA are of opinion that the part of Bokbaai Area that are so-called ‘private property’ – belongs to the citizens of this country as per its coastal status and the Constitution, the Integrated Coastal Management Act and the Bill of Rights. The FESA are in the process of rectifying this issue with other parties for the benefit of the Fisher People of Mamre, Atlantis, Darling and the rest of the citizens of this country. 

Earlier this week FESA has asked the Minister of Fisheries, the Deputy Director General of DAFF, Mortimer Mannya and the Director-General, Edith Vries to meet with them as soon as is possible to resolve this Launching Site Authorisation matter. 

A formal Complaint will also be lodged amongst others at The South African Human Rights Commission in due course to make fire under the minister and the Fisheries Department, DAFF. 

• Abigail Smith On behalf of The Fishers Engine of South Africa [FESA]
• Contact: 071 792 7032 or 078 748 0399

IP (internet) cameras are the future, they work by turning images into data, then transmitting this data over a network or internet connection.

The ultimate benefit of this over analogue cctv systems is great flexibility, better performance and easier installation.

Video surveillance is an important tool, being used in a wide variety of areas, from private residences to large businesses. The fantastic thing about IP cameras is that they can be set up anywhere without any extra hardware. IP cameras enable remote viewing indoors and outdoors, during the day or night. Their remote access gives users peace of mind, they can watch footage in and around their home or business even while away from the property, on holiday at home or abroad from their laptop, tablet or smartphone.

IP cameras have become so easy to install and use that everyone from business owners to world travelers to soccer moms are using them. Every time motion is sensed, you will receive an email with a snap shot, letting you decide whether to log in and take a look, thus providing you with the ability to protect your home from intruders.

Unfortunately as seen on Carte Blanche on 08/03/2015, we see a robbery taking place with the help of a security company that is paid to protect the house from intruders while the family is on holiday. Had the family had IP cameras they would have been able to view the intruders breaking in and call someone to assist them and report the robbery immediately. Sadly we live in times that it seems nobody can be trusted, the future is IP cameras to monitor your home whether you want to watch the kids, elderly parents, staff members or for security purposes, internet cameras are the way to go.

If you need to purchase your internet cameras, take a look at www.foscam.co.za

Buy online, from a wide range of indoor and outdoor cameras.

"We must make sure that at least there is some cushion for the poor so that they don't fall even lower than they are now. "That we must do. But we must also see it is important we do certain things that would reduce the dependence of the people on grants," he said. This included encouraging small business and co-operatives." All of these things, so that people don't think it is sufficient merely to hold out their hands and receive a handout, but to understand that all of us, as South Africans, have a shared responsibility to attend to the development of the country"

This is an excerpt of then President Thabo Mbeki’s speech to community development workers at an indaba in 2008. Mbeki certainly wasn’t revered for his theories, including the whole “HIV doesn’t cause AIDS” fiasco, but he may have had a point here…

What make South Africa so different?

The question is, why is it that South Africans have adopted a culture of expecting handouts? Contrary to common belief, handouts are not an inherent African ethos.

As one Nigerian put it in Polity.org.za "... They say once you put two Nigerians together, then you have a market. They're selling something to each other.”

That makes a lot of common sense. It means there’s always someone needing some services or products and willing to pay for them. So, isn’t it a matter of figuring out what people need and then making or buying and reselling these services or products?

As poor as Zimbabwe has become (only from an economic point of view!), “you don’t see beggars on street corners there the way you do in South Africa” says Jane Lyne-Kritzinger from Youth Dynamix. So, what does that mean?

Has the new government created a NEW problem?

Zuma was quoted in a City Press article in October 2014 entitled “South Africans must wakeup!” when he said “due to the extensive roll-out of services after 1994, South Africans had become dependent on the state.” He was making the point that nowhere else in Africa had so much been done to address the plight of the poor, yet you don’t see protests and strikes anywhere else. He went on to say, “Our people are waiting for government. Our people are not used to standing up and doing things.”  

What do South African youth think? 

Interestingly, even though the South African government has ploughed billions into infrastructure development and education, the youth continue to have a strong lack of belief in government. 85% of South African teens, according to YDx research, agree government is not living up to its promises. YDx research also shows that 73% of teens are worried about getting a job. 

This continues to be one of the biggest stress factors for youth in SA. And they often get lured into crime and expect handouts and social grants just to make ends meet. Linked to the high youth unemployment rate, YDx research also shows that 87% of SA teens are worried about South Africa’s economic performance; with 51% of teens saying they would like to leave SA (for a better job / opportunity / or education overseas).

The consequences of being a nation that expects handouts…

Children brought up in a handout environment may naturally grow up thinking this is the norm so they develop an attitude of expectancy. What will the country do for me, what will my employer do for me, what will the richer do for me? And the list goes on.

This level of expectation is also evident in terms of their aspirations and dreams. Research conducted by YDx shows that youth are exceptionally materialistic: Desperate to catapult themselves out of their current situation and directly into a world filled with expensive brands, possessions and fame.

Our research also shows that although it is good to dream, goals without practical steps are just empty dreams that never get realised.  So many young people have no idea HOW to practically realise their dreams and potential.

They have no steps in place to make it work or become successful. Not only do the youth expect handouts, other elements, such as the instantaneous nature of technology; and easy access to media ooze with aspiration value.

You see successful people and celebrities who never talk about the hard work, the effort and time that goes into accomplishing things.  Because the youth only see the seeds of success, they expect wealth and success to come by easily. 

Youth Dynamix is a specialist youth and family marketing and research agency.

Website: www.ydx.co.za

Great news for the South African National Culinary Team is that the City Lodge Hotel Group will be taking care of their accommodation needs as they prepare for next year’s IKA Culinary Olympics taking place in Erfurt, Germany!

This means that the eight member team – three from Johannesburg and five from Cape Town – will be able to get together for practices as they build up to the big event which takes place from October 22-26 in 2016.

If the Joburgers go down to Cape Town, they will be able to stay at any City Lodge Group Hotel – if the Capetonians come up to Joburg, they will be able to stay at any City Lodge Group Hotel.

As Heinz Brunner, manager of the SA National Culinary Team, says: “Travel is necessary to ensure that the team can practise together and then go back to their restaurants and perfect their dishes through including them on their own menus.” The team will practise at different venues every two months.

“We are training hard, developing an exceptional menu and working as a team to produce world-class food that represents South Africa’s culinary scene with excellence. We couldn’t do this without our fantastic sponsors and partners. A huge thank you goes to the City Lodge Hotel Group for their support as our accommodation partner and to Imperial LSC as our headline sponsor.”

Commenting on behalf of the City Lodge Hotel Group, Peter Schoeman, Divisional Director, Sales and Marketing, said: “It is a privilege for us to assist our Springboks of the food world as they prepare to represent our country in the world’s ultimate culinary challenge.”

The competition will see national teams from across the globe compete in categories such as Hot Kitchen, Cold Table and Pastry.

Known as the “Mining Artist”, Jeannette Unite travels around the globe and researches what she refers to as the industrial sublime. Mining the earth for inspiration, she brings its minerals to life by incorporating them into large-scale textured artworks on canvas and paper. Working with earth materials, mines and maps, Jeannette’s geological paintings and drawings incorporate the metals and matter that defined and continue to shape the mineral and industrial revolution.

In March 2015, Jeannette will be participating in the “Blowing in the Wind” group art exhibition at the KwaZulu-Natal Society of Arts (KZNSA) gallery in Durban. The exhibition is curated by respected curator Carol Brown and aims to remind us how intolerance, fanaticism and violence have little changed since the 1960s.  Rooted in two famous song titles from that era – “Blowing in the Wind” by Bob Dylan and “Imagine” by John Lennon - the curatorial intention of this exhibition is to revisit these lyrics in the light of the last half century, where little progress has been made.

The exhibition will run from 03 – 22 March 2015 and includes works by other artists such as Bongani Khanyile, Wonder Mbambo, Fran Saunders, Derrick Nxumalo, Paul Botes, Siobhan O’Reagain, Lerto Shabi, Akiko Nakaji and the portfolio of Images of Human Rights. Several of the works that form part of “Blowing in the Wind” deal with environmental and human exploitation issues including those surrounding the cornerstone of our country’s material wealth – the mining industry.

Thereafter, Jeannette will participate in an exhibition entitled “Industrial Karoo – Fear & Loss”. Curated by Katie Barnard du Toit, the exhibition presents over 80 artists who explore themes of conflict, capitalism and the environmental destruction of the Karoo. The show brings together artists from various disciplines, including renowned contemporary artists, and the works span different media including painting, photography, sculpture and multimedia. Some of the participating artists include Ingrid Bolton, Willem Boshoff, Jan van der Merwe, Diane Victor, Manfred Zyella, Gordon Froud, Guy du Toit and Minnie Gerber, to name but a few. “Industrial Karoo – Fear & Loss” will run from 04 March until 26 April 2015 in the South Gallery of the Pretoria Art Museum.

For more information visit www.jeannette unite.com

For more information regarding the KZNSA ‘Blowing in the wind’ exhibition visit http://www.kznsagallery.co.za 

CURRENT EXHIBITIONS 2015

“Blowing in the Wind” at KZNSA, curated by Carol Brown, 03 – 22 March 2015.

“Industrial Karoo - Fear & Loss” at Pretoria Art Museum, curated by Katie Barnard Du Toit;04 March – 26 April 2015.

‘Between Conceptual and Spiritual’, at FynArts Festival, curated by Ortrud Mulder, 05 – 16 June 2015.

“Geo-Seam” at Open Studio, Ellis House, Johannesburg, April 2015.

“Complicit Geographies’  a traveling exhibition to be shown at the Exeter Innovation Space as part of the Centre for Curating the Natural  World. Curated by Clive Adams and Martyn Windsor, 22 October 2015 – 22 January 2016.

IMAGES:Images supplied by Jeannette Unite Studio. Available in high resolution upon request. 

ABOUT Jeannette Unite:

Jeannette Unite has exhibited on five continents and has participated in the art  biennales of Lyon, France; Beijing, China; and Tashken, Uzbekhistan. Numerous grants have made her empirical research travels into the African industrial landscape possible. She was awarded a scholarship to do her Masters degree at Michaelis School of Fine Art at the University of Cape Town, for which she received the highest academic accolades. Jeannette’s  work has been presented at numerous institutions and art museums in Africa as well as at the AICA (Art Critics International Association) in Dublin, Ireland; Innsbruck, Austria; and  Madrid, Spain.

Jeannette is currently building up to an international exhibition that opens on 22 October 2015 in Exeter, United Kingdom.  For this project, she has begun collecting matter from Britain’s subterranean mineral wealth for a British geological seam that responds to a 200-year-old map, the first ever geological map, that she is passionate about. This map was published in 1815 by palaeontologist and hydrologist William “Strata” Smith (father of geology). He single-handedly constructed the map from observations of fossil and mineral deposits found in the soil that was cut into for the canal system that transported the coal that fuelled the Industrial Revolution.

PRESS RELEASE ISSUED BY:

Lauren Shantall (Pty) Ltd

Contact:
Roxanne Sonnenberg
Cel: 084 591 2712
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Employee Productivity and Equipment Longevity Dependent on Robust Digital Air Solutions in the Commercial Space Samsung caters for environmental impact, scalable solutions and flexibility

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, 26 February, 2015 – Digital Air Solutions that cater forwell-regulated, ventilated air flow and temperature control within the workplace, form an integral part of employee productivity as well as equipment longevity. However, with the wide range of appliances available, organisations need a clear understanding as to which type they should implement to ensure year-round comfort, functionality and efficiency.

According to Michael McKechnie, Divisional Head for Digital Appliances at Samsung SA, it is in an enterprise’s best interest to utilise a solution that is versatile and which complements existing technologies. Businesses should consider scalability and flexibility to add extra devices or solutions to meet future needs.

There are several types of commercial applications for cooling and heating, such as Chilled Water air-conditioners, which are commonly located within shopping centres, hotels, office blocks and hospitals. They are used for extensive developments and regulate water through buildings and fan coil units to ensure that the air temperature is controlled and maintained at a specific setting.

Another category, Direct Expansion air-conditioners, are divided into two classifications namely VRF Systems and Split Type. VRF Systems work on a centralised plant installation, giving a high degree of energy efficiency, scalability and flexibility. These benefits are further enhanced through the ability to add more units that can easily be installed. Split type air-conditioners work on independent units offering options such as mid wall, ducted and cassette type.

“There are several considerations to be made in choosing the correct system and these include size and scale of the premises, internal layouts of the building, future growth strategies, the equipment’s running costs and flexibility in terms of energy efficiencies and its alignment with carbon tax requirements,” says McKechnie.

McKechnie continues by offering insight into these factors, as well as highlighting the challenges of air-conditioning technology within the commercial space and some of the dominant market trends.

Size and scale of the premises Businesses need to consider the implications of the size and scale of a premises, in order to understand what their real requirements may be. For example, in a small office space the Split Type would be suitable, as opposed to a large open plan, where a VRF System provides a better solution and is more cost effective.

The cassette device is another trend in commercial design that has a certain aesthetic appeal. This is fitted into the ceiling and works within the split system. As a result it delivers accurate levels of heating or cooling with the same cost, environmental and efficiency benefits. However, it tends to provide a more balanced flow and can be selected for specific capacities and offer flexible installation as added benefit. These are suited to a larger floor area and can be used in an environment that has limited space or cannot accommodate a wall-mounted unit.

Furthermore, one needs to consider growth strategies of the organisation as this could impact the layout, such as whether growth of the business will impact on the office’s design, such as moving from total to partial open plan.

Running costs, energy efficiencies and carbon tax In light of the continuing rise in energy tariffs, it is becoming increasingly important for enterprises and their leaders to ensure every measure is taken in order to reduce power consumption. Furthermore, the issue of carbon tax has become increasingly important now that National Treasury has confirmed that from 2016, South African businesses will be taxed R120 per tonne of carbon emissions.

Samsung, a leader in environmentally-friendly products, has developed the most energy efficient system - the DVMS HR - which allows concurrent heating and cooling in the same building to ensure maximum comfort and efficiency. This type of solution is not only relevant in countries like South Africa, where the energy supply is under pressure, but in addition assists in cutting back on the carbon footprint of businesses across the globe.

“Improved environmental impact, scalable solutions, flexibility and greater corporate control – these are just some of the advantages of utilising a robust digital air solution. In addition, air purification for better working conditions is also coming to the fore, where employees’ productivity is being directly related to the condition of the air in the space they operate,” concludes McKechnie.

About Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. inspires the world and shapes the future with transformative ideas and technologies, redefining the worlds of TVs, smartphones, wearable devices, tablets, cameras, digital appliances, printers, medical equipment, network systems and semiconductors.

We are also leading in the Internet of Things space through, among others, our Digital Health and Smart Home initiatives. We employ 307,000 people across 84 countries. To discover more, please visit our official website at www.samsung.com and our official blog at global.samsungtomorrow.com

Our ongoing efforts to grow out footprint in South Africa and selected countries are bearing fruit.

At our interim results announcement on February 18, we updated the market on the progress we are making.

Here’s a rundown of what’s in the development works.

In South Africa:

• We fully opened the 149-room City lodge Hotel Waterfall City Hotel at Midrand in February
• The 148-room City Lodge Hotel Newtown (downtown Johannesburg) is well underway and will open before the end of 2015
• The 90-room Road Lodge Pietermaritzburg will commence in February and is scheduled to open in November

Elsewhere in Africa:

• Earthworks are expected to begin in the second quarter of 2015 for the 169-room City Lodge Hotel Two Rivers in Nairobi, Kenya, and for the 147-room City Lodge Hotel Dar es Salaam in Tanzania.
• A financial feasibility study is being conducted into the possible development of a 150-room City Lodge Hotel in Kampala, Uganda.
• A memorandum of understanding (subject to conditions) has been entered into for the possible development of a 140 to 150-room Town Lodge in Windhoek, Namibia
• Negotiations are at an advanced stage for the development of 150 to 160-room City Lodge Hotel in Maputo, Mozambique.

The bottom line is that we will soon have more great locations to meet your business and leisure accommodation needs – both in SA and elsewhere on the continent!