French firms in renewable energy to try to penetrate RP

AS government and private firms are expected to fully engage in environment-friendly sources of energy following the passage of Renewable Energy Act, heads of French energy companies advocating sustainable sources of energy will visit the country to try to penetrate the Philippine market.

The French Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines (Le Club-FCC) said at least 14 French energy companies would participate in the Powertrends International Fair later this week to promote the alternative sources of energy for the Philippines.

The companies are engaged in the energy sector, such as power generation, engineering, technology and solutions.

The French trade fair from September 9 to 11 at the World Trade Center coincides with the United Nations International Conference on Green Industry in Asia to be hosted by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

The French companies participating in the trade fair include Novergy, which provides renewable-energy technology solutions that include biomass power plants, waste-heat recovery, as well as solar and wind power.

Vergnet SA provides expertise in providing wind power that will last for 30 years.

The Bureau d’Etude Molinet, meanwhile, said its services include raising a better awareness with each user of energy in favor of sustainable development through citizen behavior.

Enertime, an engineering firm, provides consultancy on renewable- energy development, particularly on bioenergy and solar power.

Another French energy expert, Transformer Protector Corp. (TPC), meanwhile, provides advise in the transformer explosion prevention.

FCC said other French engineering and technology companies that aim to market their products and services in the Philippines include Alstom-Philippines, Areva Renewable, Basler Electric, ETDE International and MS Resistances.

Paris-Manila Technology Corp. (Pamatec), meanwhile, intends to showcase its high/medium and low-voltage equipment and services and power distribution to sub stations, telecommunication power systems and rural electrification.

Other French companies in the trade fair also include SDV Philippines Inc., which provides freight forwarding and international logistics. TMC France SAS sells cast-resin distribution transformers up to 52KV.

Philips enters local LCD monitor market

A monitor fit to be my window to the world.”

This is how Philips wants consumers to regard its line of high-definition multimedia displays as it officially enters the Philippine LCD market.

A household name all over the world, Philips is confident it can quickly make a dent in the existing local market given the strength of its brand and the proven quality of its products.

To start off Philips is making available its E-line of LCD monitors targeted for home and multimedia savvy users. The E-line series is available in 16-inch, 19-inch, and 22-inch wide-screen formats with glossy finish and is Windows Vista-ready.

All three models are equipped with Philips SmartContrast, a video processing technology combined with unique extreme dimming and backlight boosting capability resulting in vibrant images.

Company executives also did a media preview of the Philips LightFrame LCD monitor that features a front screen bezel illuminated by a blue light designed to reduce eye fatigue.

Scientists looking to lessen the effects of jet lag found that light plays a major role in the body’s sense of well-being. Philips LightFrame monitor was conceived on this widely accepted scientific tenet that blue light passed through the eye’s receptor energizes viewers and enhances their performance.

Putting to work Philips’ leadership in ambient lighting, Philips Innovation Lab transformed the research to a practical product — a new generation of LCD monitors with screens that are surrounded by blue light-emitting modules. The light is said to help relax the user by lessening eye fatigue even after an extended period in front of the computer.

Among the Philips Brilliance range of monitors, the LightFrame monitor will also be made available in the Philippines sometime soon along with Philips’ professional line of LCD monitors, said Benjamin Wong, director and general manager of MMD Singapore, the exclusive marketer and seller of Philips branded LCD displays worldwide.

Meanwhile, MMD appointed Glee Electronics as the official local distributor of Philips LCD monitors.

Glee also distributes AOC monitors, which is a sister brand of Philips as they share the same manufacturer, TPV, which wholly owns MMD.

Jason Cheng, president and CEO of Glee Electronics, said they will be providing separate product teams for Philips and AOC but all their 28 service centers nationwide will be at the beck and call of customers of both brands should they need technical support.

Cheng likens Philips and AOC to Audi and Volkswagen cars that appeal to two different types of consumers due to their respective costs. In this regard, he sees no problem carrying two different brands of monitors as they have their own markets, he said.