OFFBEAT MAIL

Coca-Cola (Japan) Co., Ltd., together with Fuji Electric Retail Systems Co., Ltd. announced on June 27 they have succeeded in developing the "A011" peak-shift vending machine. This vending machine, developed as part of the "Apollo" ultra-energy-saving vending machine development project, can operate without using power for cooling for up to 16 hours per day. The A011 vending machine will be field-tested beginning on July 2. The successfully developed A011 peak-shift vending machine "shifts" use of power for cooling from the usual "peak" midday times to the nighttime, when there is relative surplus power capacity. In conventional vending machines , the temperature in the machine would rise slowly if cooling was stopped for long periods of time since only a portion of the products stored inside of it were cooled in response to sales in order to limit electricity consumed. However, in the peak-shift vending machine, "A011...

Many years back, I went to Bali as part of the Philippine media team that covered the ASEAN Economic Summit there. One of the agenda in that summit was an agreement that would allow ASEAN citizens, particularly professionals and other skilled workers to work in any of the ASEAN-member countries within the region. In the same summit, Japan had even agreed in principle to allow foreign workers from ASEAN to fill up its impending labor shortage. The willingness of Japan to soften its hardline stance to allow foreign workers to come in was a welcome move on the part of the ASEAN member countries. Perhaps, it was Japan's role to share in the ASEAN's program of strenthening its trades in goods and services within the region itself. The Philippines, for one, is expected to benefit from this latest development. In fact, President Arroyo already went to work it out with the Japanese government on the possibility of fulfilling its previous commitment that would pave the way for Filipino ...