from Collins Aerospace, re-brands company as Burrana digEcor completes acquisition of commercial IFE business

On 18 January 2019, digEcor officially acquired the commercial In-Flight Entertainment (IFE) business from Collins Aerospace. The deal originated with Rockwell Collins, which was acquired by United Technologies in 2018.

The closing of this transaction, and digEcor’s integration with this significant business, marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter for digEcor — now rebranded as Burrana.

“Burrana is an indigenous Australian word, meaning ‘to fly’, which aligns to our purpose of helping airlines create extraordinary passenger experiences,” said David Withers, Burrana CEO. “It is the history of innovation that is the common thread that binds these two organisations together as Burrana, and the main driver for the acquisition.”

Withers continued, “This thread stretches back over 50 years to the Hughes Avicom and Sony Transcom days, when IFE was in its infancy, and the passenger experience came into focus for airlines. Then came the days of Microair Avionics radios and digEcor’s portable players, through today when the market demands innovative cabin technologies for their passengers — and this is where Burrana will deliver.”

The acquisition brings together the former Rockwell Collins’ PAVES family of seat back and overhead solutions, as well as PAVES™ On-demand, Total Entertainment System (TES), Enhanced Total Entertainment System (ETES) and content services, with digEcor’s GLIDE, Engage, Power, PSS and Lighting products. The combination will enable Burrana to now offer best- of-breed solutions for airlines seeking to deliver an extraordinary passenger experience.

Withers went on to say, “Burrana’s global employee base will deliver innovative cabin technologies reliably and affordably to the market, serving an installed base of more than 1,400 planes and 300 customers, positioning us as the #3 player in the IFE market — and we are not stopping there. We will achieve our vision of taking the passenger experience to the next level by collectively bringing the right new technology to market and leveraging our engineering expertise and proven ability to rapidly develop and certify new products. We pride ourselves on listening to our customers, understanding their vision and requirements and developing new solutions to deliver on these needs.”

As published on Arab Press Releases

ODEM, creator of the On-Demand Education Marketplace, is pleased to announce a partnership with ITWORX Education, an international market leader in innovative academic and corporate learning software solutions, to explore opportunities to jointly develop leading-edge blockchain-based services.

Under the partnership, the technology companies will work to establish ODEM as a blockchain-services provider for ITWORX Education’s learning products, said ODEM CEO Richard Maaghul. The precise scope and breadth of the partnership will be determined during the next few educators. Its official rollout is scheduled for the first quarter of 2019.

“At ITWORX Education we value partners as if they were our own company and we are truly excited about our upcoming partnership with ODEM,” said ITWORX Education CEO Erik Goldenberg. “While we are still discussing the outlines of the collaboration between ITWORX Education and ODEM, we are keen to incorporate blockchain technologies into our offerings, products and services to benefit our users and enable better learning experiences for academic, business and governments in the region, generating economic and social value for individuals, organizations and all up national levels.”

ITWORX Education is on a journey to disrupt traditional learning around the world through the power of technological innovation. In line with its mission to transform the learning and education industry by making learning more accessible to those who seek it, ITWORX Education supports lifelong learning through innovative solutions at the core of the industry’s value chain, driving learning outcomes and offering a digitally transformed experience to all citizens of the world.

With more than fourteen years of expertise in education-and-learning solutions, ITWORX Education has specialized in innovating solutions that can scale from nation-wide implementations deep down to class level; with deployment success stories in over 1,400 schools. Applying its experience, the company enables education authorities, private and public schools, academies, and colleges to achieve their learning visions effectively and efficiently through technology.

As published on the Arab Press Releases

HE Mattar Al Tayer, Director-General and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), has launched the test run of the first hybrid abra; preserving the authentic design and features of the traditional abra. The step marks the addition of the first hybrid marine transit means to RTA’s marine transport fleet.

During a ride aboard the hybrid abra, Al Tayer heeded to a briefing by Ahmed Hashim Bahrozyan,

CEO of Public Transport Agency, about the features of the new abra; which has a capacity for 20 riders. It is powered by a 20KW electric motor and has a lighter weight, thanks to the use of cutting-edge technology. It has 26 Lead Crystal Batteries and solar energy panels along with a standby generator to recharge batteries when running low in power. It has an automated firefighting system that will be activated when batteries are overheated. The abra has battery ventilation and cool- ing system, and USB ports for recharging cell phones.

The Hybrid Abra is characterised by low carbon emissions which are 87% lower than petrolpowered abras. It reduces fuel consumption by 172% and therefore saves about 134% of fuel cost. Its Operational and Maintenance costs are 83% lower compared to any traditional abra and reduces the noise level to the minimum. The Hybrid Abra will be operated on a trial base on Al

Seef- Al Ghubaiba line; one of the key marine transit lines linking four stations (Al Seef, Baniyas, Dubai Old Souq, and Al Ghubaiba). The fare will be two dirhams only for transiting between two stations.

Future Plan

“The trial run of the Hybrid Abra supports the Green Economy for Sustainable Development initiative launched by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. The step is in line with the Dubai Integrated Energy Strategy 2030, Dubai Plan 2021, and the UAE Vision 2021. It is also compatible with RTA’s Master Plan for leveraging marine transport in Dubai which is used by 13 million riders per annum,” explained Al Tayer.

“The Plan envisages the construction of 11 new marine transit stations in Dubai over the period of 20182020, thus raising the number to 58 marine transport stations in Dubai by 2020. It also encompasses the manufacturing of 11 boats to bring the total number to 61 boats by 2020. New lines will be opened on Dubai Creek, Jumeirah beach, new islands, and the Dubai Water Canal as well as the Ferry service between Dubai and Sharjah,” he elaborated.

“The number of marine transport modes & stations is expected to receive a big boost with the completion of property developments along the two banks of the Dubai Water Canal. It will make marine transport the ideal choice for the movement of citizens, residents, and tourists; offering them enjoyable rides at the backdrop of an impressive skyline along the Dubai Creek and the Water Canal. The RTA has recently launched Al Garhoud Maintenance Workshop for marine transport means (abra, ferry and water taxi) spanning an area of 5000 square meters. It comprises five workshops, three warehouses, crane, marine works zone, outdoor work area, management offices and staff’s rest house,” concluded Al Tayer.