GE Capital Upgrades Online Inventory Management Options

8 11 2011

November 8, 2011 – (Motor Sports Newswire) – GE Capital, Commercial Distribution Finance (CDF) today announced upgrades to the Customer Online Management System (COMS), its proprietary inventory management tool. In response to user feedback, the newest version provides manufacturers with their most-requested enhancements. These new capabilities make it easier and faster for them to manage the inventory financing programs with their dealer networks.

“We know that our customers see COMS as the centerpiece of their inventory management systems,” said Jeff Malehorn, president and CEO of CDF and GE company officer. “That’s why we took their input to heart. The result is a significantly upgraded version of COMS with nearly 60% more features.”

A business of GE Capital, Americas, CDF provides financing that allows dealers in the U.S. and Canada to stock inventory from a wide variety of manufacturers and distributors of consumer durables such as technology and outdoor power products, electronics and appliances, recreational vehicles, boats and motorsports.

Manufacturers can now choose to receive alerts via COMS about key account developments. For example, they can be notified when their dealers are approved for funding, which helps keep the supply chain moving. They can also personalize COMS according to their own needs by choosing the most important information for display.

In addition to this kind of transactional information, COMS offers analytical insights by making CDF’s business intelligence tools available in one place. Manufacturers can target sales opportunities and assess risk in their dealer networks using these tools. By analyzing real-time information, manufacturers can examine trends related to dealer performance, including receivable outstandings, credit line utilization and repayments. In addition to assessing the financial health of dealers, manufacturers can gauge the popularity and turn-over rates of various models.

“CDF has created a new standard for managing inventory finance online,” said Judith Statum Toland, director of business intelligence for CDF. “COMS adds value by giving our customers a multitude of tools for managing their dealer networks beyond billing.”

Other new features include:

  • Expanded billing capabilities, including online one-click payments and electronic billing statements that can be downloaded;
  • Enhanced search capabilities;
  • Modern design that enables easier and faster navigation; and
  • Self-service administration that allows customers to update access locally.

About GE Capital, Commercial Distribution Finance
GE Capital, Commercial Distribution Finance (americas.gecapital.com) provided more than $30 billion in financing to 30,000 manufacturers and their distributors across the Americas in 2010. Programs include inventory and accounts receivable financing, asset-based lending, private label financing, collateral management, e-commerce services and related financial products. Follow company news via Twitter (@GEInventoryFin).

GE Capital (gecapital.com) offers consumers and businesses around the globe an array of financial products and services. Follow company news via Twitter (@GECapital).

GE (ge.com) is an advanced technology, services and finance company taking on the world’s toughest challenges. Dedicated to innovation in energy, health, transportation and infrastructure, GE operates in more than 100 countries and employs about 300,000 people worldwide.

 

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Honda Announces Winners of First iDream Student Challenge

9 07 2010

COLUMBUS, OH – July 8, 2010 – (Motor Sports Newswire) – Honda today announced the winners of the first iDream Student Challenge at the 2010 Honda Initiation Grant (HIG) Technical Horizon Symposium in Columbus, Ohio. With a focus on technologies that advance the quality of human life, the iDream Student Challenge is a scholarship program designed to inspire new thinking to everyday challenges and foster a spirit of innovation among the leaders of tomorrow.

This year’s competition included 19 teams of Ohio State University science and engineering students, whose projects offered creative engineering solutions and innovative technologies in one of three categories: Electronics, Mobility, and Materials. A total of $60,000 was awarded to the top three teams in each category, as well as the viewer’s choice winner who was chosen by online voting. This year’s winners are:

  • Electronics, First Place: No Abandonment, Baby Wireless Sensor
  • Mobility, First Place: Solar Solutions, Solar Thermal Electric Car Charging Station
  • Materials, First Place: Smaller Memories to Remember, Oxide Nanowires for Next Generation Solid State Memory Devices
  • Viewer’s Choice: OSU Gait Trainer Team, Gait Trainer for Children with Cerebral Palsy

“As an organization dedicated to being at the forefront of innovation, Honda created this program to inspire new thinking, foster creativity, and encourage students to be the leaders of tomorrow,” said Lara Minor, Principal Engineer at Honda R&D Americas-Ohio and organizer of the HIG and iDream Student Challenge programs.

Since 1997, Honda has also awarded grants to academic professors to further their research in a variety of areas including automotive, materials, computer and robotics, safety, intelligent vehicle, and environmental technologies. This year’s HIG recipients, who were each awarded a grant of $50,000, are:

  • Andrea Thomaz, Georgia Institute of Technology, Socially Guided Machine Learning for Humanoid Robots
  • Alan Black, Carnegie Mellon University, Conversational Speech Synthesis
  • Michael Harold, University of Houston, Enhancing Liquid Fuel Yield During Algae Pyrolysis in Structured Catalytic Reactors
  • Donald Bliss, Duke University, Light and Flexible Multi-Element Structures that Resist Sound and Vibration Transmission
  • Yaser Sheikh, Carnegie Mellon University, Dynamic Visual SLAM: Reconstructing Dynamic Environments from Mobile Cameras

About Honda
Honda began operations in the U.S. in 1959 with the establishment of American Honda Motor Co., Inc., Honda’s first overseas subsidiary. Honda began U.S. production of motorcycles in 1979 and automobiles in 1982. The company has invested more than $12.1 billion in its North American operations with employment of nearly 28,000 associates, and annual purchases of more than $17.5 billion in parts and materials from suppliers in North America. Honda vehicles are manufactured using domestic and globally-sourced parts.

Honda News & Views: http://www.honda.com/news
Honda on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/honda
Honda on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/alicia_at_honda
Honda on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/hondanews
Honda Web site: http://www.honda.com

SOURCE: American Honda

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Top Motocross Athletes Jeremy McGrath & Carey Hart Immortalized in Miniature Form in JAKKS Pacific MXS(R) Toy Line

1 06 2010

Longtime Leader in Motocross Toys Expands MXS(R) Lines With Top Riders

MALIBU, CA – June 01, 2010 – (Motor Sports Newswire) – The high-flying action and stunts of motocross athletes, Jeremy McGrath, seven-time AMA Supercross Champion, and one of Freestyle’s most recognized names, Carey Hart, will be immortalized forever and in miniature form in the Road Champs MXS(R) toy line from leading U.S. toymaker, JAKKS Pacific, Inc. (NasdaqGS: JAKK). Action figures, motocross bikes and accessories based on McGrath and Hart will hit retailers nationwide starting in Spring 2011.

In addition, JAKKS has also signed the Nitro Circus(R) crew, lead by motocross rider Travis Pastrana, as he and his friends travel around the world riding dirt bikes, base jumping and performing stunts. Nitro Circus MXS products will be available for retail in Fall 2011.

JAKKS’ MXS toy line from its Road Champs division is the #1 brand of motocross toys, delivering the top riders, authentic motocross bikes, and the biggest names in motocross apparel and motorcycle manufacturers.

“I am very excited to be working with JAKKS,” said seven-time AMA Supercross Champion, Jeremy McGrath, “They have a great team in place to produce the best stuff we have ever seen! I am proud to be on the team!”

“Working with JAKKS on my toy line has been a great experience,” said motocross freestyler, Carey Hart. “I loved getting involved and making sure the product line is true to the sport. Kids can take these toys and do the ‘Hart Attack’ and other stunts!”

JAKKS’ MXS line consists of performance bikes with real sound effects, fully articulated rider figures with removable helmets and accessories, stunt bikes that capture the best stunts in the sport, customizable collectible bikes and radio control bikes.

McGrath, Hart and the Nitro Circus crew will join other top motocross athletes in JAKKS’ MXS line-up, including James Stewart, Chad Reed, Ricky Carmichael, Travis Pastrana and Tim Ferry.

About Jeremy McGrath

Jeremy McGrath, seven-time AMA Supercross Champion, exists in a category unlike any other athlete. Boasting seven AMA Supercross Championships, an overall 101 career wins, and five X Games medals, Jeremy is without a doubt the most successful rider in AMA Supercross history. And, his remarkable athletic achievements have helped catapult the sport of Supercross into mainstream culture. But Jeremy’s talents and accolades extend well beyond the track. Jeremy has also become a world class entrepreneur. Among his list of accomplishments, he was the first pro to form and own his own Supercross race team. Not to mention, he is a best-selling author, owns his own toy line, started his own production company, and has his own line of signature shoes. Jeremy has also successfully crossed over into the television and film world. Truly a Renaissance athlete, Jeremy McGrath has the rare ability to succeed in all his endeavors.

For more information on Jeremy McGrath visit www.jeremymcgrath2.hookit.com

About Carey Hart

Carey Hart is perhaps the most recognized name in freestyle motocross. Noted as one of the most innovative riders in the sport, Carey was the first freestyler to ever complete a back flip on a 250cc motorcycle and even invented his own move, the Hart Attack. But his popularity spreads well beyond the limits of the freestyle world. Carey has traveled the globe, been featured in nationwide ad campaigns, as well as appeared in numerous magazines, TV shows, and on the big screen. Perhaps even more impressive are Carey’s numerous successful business ventures which stem from his two biggest passions, tattoos and racing. In honor of these passions Carey has developed both Hart & Huntington Tattoo Company, boasting three locations across the US, and Hart & Huntington Racing which features both Supercross and Off-Road teams. Continuing to push the boundaries of success, Hart has also developed a clothing line and owns a rock club in Las Vegas, NV. All in the name of progression, Carey’s dedication and passion continues to give birth to one triumph after another for both freestyle motocross and entrepreneurial business. For more information on Carey visit www.hartandhuntington.com.

About Nitro Circus

The Nitro Circus is the creative by-product of partners, Travis Pastrana, Gregg Godfrey, and Jeremy Rawle. It is a unique brand of visual entertainment with motocross and freestyle motocross at its core, yet it appeals to anyone who appreciates an adrenalin rush, humor, and stunts that range from ridiculous to unbelievable. After seven highly successful DVD releases, a two year run on MTV broke viewership ratings and brought Nitro Circus worldwide fame. With a live show in full swing in Australia, international distribution of Nitro Circus merchandise and soft goods, and feature films slated for the near future, Nitro Circus has become a fast growing, global, entertainment brand. For more information visit nitrocircus.com and godfreyentertainment.com, its parent company.

About JAKKS Pacific, Inc.

JAKKS Pacific, Inc. is a leading designer and marketer of toys and consumer products, with a wide range of products that feature some of the most popular brands and children’s toy licenses in the world. JAKKS’ diverse portfolio includes Action Figures, Electronics, Dolls, Dress-Up, Role Play, Halloween Costumes, Kids Furniture, Vehicles, Plush, Art Activity Kits, Seasonal Products, Infant/Pre-School, Construction Toys and Pet Toys sold under various proprietary brands including JAKKS Pacific(R), Creative Designs International(TM), Road Champs(R), Funnoodle(R), JAKKS Pets(TM), Plug It In & Play TV Games(TM), Girl Gourmet(TM), Kids Only!(TM), Tollytots(R) and Disguise(TM). JAKKS is an award-winning licensee of several hundred nationally and internationally known trademarks including Disney(R), Nickelodeon(R), Warner Bros.(R), Ultimate Fighting Championship(R), Hello Kitty(R), Graco(R) and Cabbage Patch Kids(R). www.jakks.com

This press release may contain forward-looking statements (within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995) that are based on current expectations, estimates and projections about JAKKS Pacific’s business based partly on assumptions made by its management. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Therefore, actual outcomes and results may differ materially from what is expressed or forecasted in such statements due to numerous factors, including, but not limited to, those described above, changes in demand for JAKKS’ products, product mix, the timing of customer orders and deliveries, the impact of competitive products and pricing, and difficulties with integrating acquired businesses. The forward-looking statements contained herein speak only as of the date on which they are made, and JAKKS undertakes no obligation to update any of them to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this release.

SOURCE: JAKKS Pacific

CONTACT:
Genna Rosenberg
JAKKS Pacific, Inc.
(310) 455-6235
gennar@jakks.net

Anne-Marie Feliciano
JAKKS Pacific, Inc.
(310) 455-6245
anne-marief@jakks.net

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