Trying to grow your business in this sluggish economy is a little like trying to swim through Jell-O. Ineffective or uncertain leaders definitely need not apply.

WHEN China’s vice president, Xi Jinping, visited the White House on Tuesday, President Obama renewed calls for China to play more fairly in the world economy. Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. echoed those sentiments, telling Mr. Xi that the two countries could cooperate “only if the game is fair.”
But while China’s industrial subsidies, trade policies, undervalued currency and lack of enforcement for intellectual property rights all remain sticking points for the United States, there is at least one area in which the playing field seems to be slowly leveling: the cheap labor that has made China’s factories nearly unbeatable is not so cheap anymore.

More than 40 South African commercial and graphic art printers attended the two-day HP Capture education seminar, hosted in both Cape Town and Johannesburg, by local representative, Kemtek Print Solutions and Kim Rehbock, IPG Indigo sales specialist. Launched in 2008, the HP Capture initiative aims to foster the business success of HP Indigo and HP large format digital press customers and it’s the first time that South African customers have experienced the face-to-face exclusive training programme.  
 

Over 250 visitors came to see the good cross-section of products and services that were on display at the Africa Print RoadShow in Nelspruit. The expo was a showcase for the entire digital print process and featured from sheetfed A3 machines up to Grand format digital equipment and included both suppliers and manufacturers of commercial and digital printers, finishing equipment, software, media and consumables.The one-day event was held on 15 February at the Emnotweni Arena.  
 

Mobile banking is taking off across Africa, with FNB recording 150% growth year on year from December 2011 for its Cellphone Banking service and 1,384% growth for eWallet.

From March 2012, selected products in the PaperGeni range of thermal paper rolls will no longer contain the chemical Bisphenol A (BPA). “There is a fast-growing international market demand for greener BPA-free thermal receipt paper as it is perceived to be a safer alternative to regular BPA paper,” says Thorsten Schafer, divisional director of PaperGeni. “In line with this international trend and in consultation with some of our major clients we will be the first major supplier in the country to provide BPA-free paper. At this stage, we estimate that PaperGeni will convert around 160 tons of standard BPA to BPA free paper per month, over the next three months.”

Johannesburg, South Africa. February 2012- At this year’s drupa (3-16 May, Dusseldorf) Canon will confirm its position as a leading supplier to the digital printing market with its largest ever stand.  At 3,750 m², the Canon stand (Hall 8a, Stand C06 – 1), which will also incorporate Océ as part of the Canon Group, is the fourth largest at drupa and will dominate Hall 8a.

Electronics giant Samsung has launched the Samsung Electronics Engineering Academy to tackle the shortage of technical and engineering skills in South Africa, aiming to change five-million peoples' lives through corporate social responsibility initiatives by 2015

The Department of Higher Education and Training plans to raise the number of student enrolments at South Africa's colleges and other post-school institutions to 4-million by 2030, Minister Blade Nzimande announced in Pretoria on Thursday.

Konni Hoferichter has retired as MD of LaserCom after 12 years at the helm and 40 years in the broader group. He started at the then Rank Xerox, which went through a number of iterations: Xerox South Africa, XeraTech and today Bytes Document Solutions, which owns LaserCom and is in turn owned by JSE-listed Altron.