Material Names Raman Kalra President, Asia Pacific

– New appointment brings AI-first expertise and deep Asia Pacific fluency to help global clients accelerate performance across the region –


NEW YORK, April 23 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- Material, an intelligent growth company providing consumer data and insights, brand strategy and product innovation, is pleased to welcome Raman Kalra as President, Asia Pacific (APAC).

Kalra’s appointment comes as Material continues to expand its global footprint with capabilities across insights, strategy, design and marketing technology. Kalra will lead the company’s APAC operations, bringing AI-driven data- and technology-enabled solutions closer to both global and local clients for whom the region is strategically vital.

Laila Worrell, Material’s CEO, stated, “This is a transformative time for the industry and our clients. Raman’s expertise in AI-driven transformation and success in APAC makes him the ideal leader as we deepen our commitment to clients who compete in and across this vibrant, growing market.”

Specializing in business transformation and demand engineering through data-backed insights, Kalra will partner with global teams to deliver Material’s full strategy-to-execution capabilities of insights, design and marketing technology to clients across the region.

Kalra commented, “I am excited to lead Material in APAC as we intensify our commitment to global clients and especially the region. This is a pivotal moment for the industry as we reimagine how human insights and AI-first technology redefine how brands grow and businesses perform. I look forward to leveraging the company’s deep legacy of behavioral insights to build tech-based solutions that help our clients not only understand their markets but also shape them.”

About Raman Kalra, President, Asia Pacific

Raman Kalra brings over 30 years of experience at the intersection of strategy, technology and enterprise growth. He previously served as a senior partner with IBM and PwC Consulting, where he led AI-first growth strategies for global brands across media, telecom and energy.

Most recently, he led Business Transformation Services for IBM in India and South Asia, managing an end-to-end portfolio across digital strategy, AI transformation and customer experience (CX). He also engineered the cross-border acquisition of a Belgian digital energy venture for ReNew, successfully diversifying their portfolio.

About Material

Material is an intelligent growth company. Fueled by a powerful core in market research, behavioral science and data analytics, Material has a 50-year history of building customer intelligence into brands and experiences that compete and win. Material works with world-class companies to anticipate and capitalize on cultural and market shifts, understand and influence consumer behavior and shape demand. Integrated capabilities across insights-driven strategy, design innovation and customer engagement bring clients clear growth choices and solutions that drive outsized business impact. In addition to serving the corporate market, Material has helped some of the world’s most celebrated cultural icons extend their personal brands into new product lines. Learn more at materialplus.io.

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Contact

Media Contact
Tiffany Francis, Material
tiffany.francis@materialplus.io

Source : Material

REGASK AI PLATFORM STREAMLINES REGULATORY OPERATIONS AT CELLCARTA

KUALA LUMPUR, April 22 (Bernama) -- RegASK, the agentic artificial intelligence (AI) platform redefining regulatory intelligence, has announced the results of a year-long collaboration to modernise CellCarta’s regulatory intelligence operations.

In a move to address the growing complexity of global regulations, the partnership has reduced research cycles—from up to nine hours per week—to near real-time delivery by automating regulatory monitoring and intelligence generation.

RegASK Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Caroline Shleifer said CellCarta’s teams now save time, gain clarity faster on relevant regulatory information, and act with greater coordination and confidence.

Meanwhile, CellCarta Senior Vice President and Global Business Head of Immunology and Proteomics, Todd Chermak said that with RegASK, the company now has access to curated, AI-driven insights and automated workflows that have streamlined how it captures, interprets, acts on, and shares regulatory intelligence to keep teams aligned and respond to regulatory change.

Over the past year, CellCarta, a globally recognised provider of contract research organisation laboratory services for pharmaceutical research and development, has worked closely with RegASK to accelerate the digital transformation of its regulatory affairs function.

As regulatory complexity continues to increase, CellCarta, like many life sciences organisations, has faced challenges, including fragmented information sources, manual tracking of regulatory changes, and limited capacity to scale monitoring across multiple geographies.

CellCarta’s processes are anchored by a centralised regulatory intelligence hub that consolidates regulatory signals across markets. The platform automatically captures and validates unstructured content from regulatory agencies, standards bodies, and legislative databases, transforming it into contextual updates and actionable follow-ups.

Looking ahead, CellCarta plans to deepen its use of AI across the regulatory lifecycle by deploying agentic AI, enabling multiple specialised AI agents to work in parallel on day-to-day regulatory tasks such as content curation and triage, impact assessment, translation, and stakeholder collaboration.

-- BERNAMA

MATRADE UNVEILS STRATEGIC MITIGATION PLAN TO DEFEND MALAYSIA’S TRADE MOMENTUM AMID GLOBAL VOLATILITY

KUALA LUMPUR, April 21 (Bernama) -- The Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE) today announced a comprehensive Strategic Mitigation Plan titled "Resilience through Intelligence" to shield Malaysian exporters from the impacts of escalating global trade friction and geopolitical uncertainty.

The announcement comes as Malaysia records a steady growth of first-quarter trade performance, with exports climbing 12.7% to RM426.53 billion and a trade surplus of RM63.22 billion, marking a 54% surge compared to the same period of last year. Despite this growth, MATRADE’s internal monitoring and industry data indicate that 90.5% of manufacturers are currently affected by global disruptions, specifically through rising logistics costs and raw material shortages and MATRADE anticipates the adverse effects can only be felt from second quarter onwards.

Chairman of MATRADE, YB Dato’ Seri Reezal Merican Naina Merican stated, "Our goal is to move the national conversation from simply acknowledging 'crisis impact' to a stance of 'proactive facilitation'. Through intelligence, digital innovation and targeted government support, we will ensure Malaysian exporters remain shielded from global shocks and continue to defend our nation's trade momentum to minimise the impact of the disruptions."

"We are intensifying our monitoring by leveraging our 47 overseas offices as 'Frontline Intelligence Hubs' to provide exporters with real-time data on port connectivity and tactical routing. By evolving the role of our Trade Commissioners (TCs) to identify the supply gaps arising from geopolitical tension and sourcing of alternative materials, we are keeping Malaysian industries running even when traditional supply lines are under strain", he added.

A core pillar of the Mitigation Plan is the transformation of MATRADE’s global network to monitor and facilitate trade flows daily. MATRADE overseas offices are actively facilitating tactical rerouting solutions and market access complexities for exporters, such as diverting cargo to stable regional hubs and ports like Sohar and Salalah, as well as exploring alternative land or railway routes to bypass maritime chokepoints.

To provide 24/7 support for exporters, MATRADE officially launched the MATRADE Interactive Virtual Assistant (MIVA) on the Madani Digital Trade Platform (MDTP). This AI-driven tool provides instant, real-time assistance for crisis-related queries, ensuring that SMEs have a digital shield to navigate trade challenges at any hour.

MATRADE’s Internal Taskforce continues to meet weekly to refine these strategies, ensuring all global offices are aligned with ministerial directives to provide a unified national response. In addition, MATRADE has also formed the Trade Resilience Taskforce – Middle East Conflict, comprising members from the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers (FMM), National Chamber of Commerce and Industry Malaysia (NCCIM), Malaysian Consortium of Mid-Tier Companies (MCMTC) and logistic service providers to discuss industry responses and strategic recommendations in addressing the impacts on exports arising from the conflict.

About MATRADE
The Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE) was established on 1 March 1993 as the national trade promotional arm under Malaysia's Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry (MITI). MATRADE's primary role is to assist Malaysian exporters in developing and expanding their export markets. Aligned with Malaysia's commercial diplomacy efforts, MATRADE is the nation's trade facilitator and champion of Malaysian-made products and services on the global stage.

SOURCE: Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE)

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
Name: Mdm. Aninawati Saleh
Head of Corporate Communication
Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE)
Tel (Direct) : 03 – 6207 7077 (7826)
Email : communication@matrade.gov.my

--BERNAMA

GECS Q1 2026: Malaysia’s finance professionals highlight rising geopolitical risks alongside economic concerns

ACCA-IMA survey records near-pandemic-low confidence as Middle East conflict drives energy costs and supply chain stress

KUALA LUMPUR, April 21 (Bernama) -- The ACCA and IMA Q1 2026 Global Economic Conditions Survey (GECS), conducted between 3 and 19 March, coincided with the outbreak of war in the Middle East, weighing heavily on global business sentiment.

For Malaysia, the implications are significant. As a key semiconductor hub, the country may experience some upward pressure on input costs due to disruptions in petrochemicals and other critical materials. As a net energy importer, it could also be affected by higher oil and gas prices. In addition, a stronger US dollar may place some pressure on the ringgit, potentially increasing import costs and foreign currency exposures.

Regionally, 33% of Asia Pacific respondents ranked geopolitical instability as their top risk priority in Q1 2026, above the global average of 25%. Cybersecurity risk ranked second globally at 17%, a concern that is relevant in Malaysia’s fast-digitalising economy.

Andrew Lim, Head of Maritime SEA, ACCA, said: “The Q1 2026 GECS findings are a sobering reminder of how deeply interconnected Malaysia’s economy is with global trade and geopolitical dynamics. Our position at the heart of Southeast Asia means that supply chain disruption, energy price volatility, and currency pressures hit us at multiple pressure points simultaneously. Finance professionals in Malaysia must now navigate an environment where the risks are not only economic but deeply geopolitical – and the two are increasingly inseparable.”

The survey showed a sharp decline in confidence, close to the series lows recorded at the beginning of the pandemic in 2020, as firms grapple with the fourth major global shock this decade. Confidence also fell sharply among chief financial officers.

While an April ceasefire brought some market relief, uncertainty remain high, and energy and other commodity prices look set to remain elevated. Rising cost pressures were evident in Q1, with reports of increased operating costs at their highest since Q3 2022. With energy prices rising and supply chains under strain, pressures are expected to intensify.

Some indicators were more encouraging though. The Global New Orders Index registered a solid increase and is now at its historical average level. Meanwhile, the Global Employment Index, which captures the hiring and firing decisions of firms, also saw slight improvement, although it remains below its historical average.

Read GECS Q1 2026 here.

Source: ACCA

FOR MORE INFORMATION,PLEASE CONTACT:
Email: newsroom@accaglobal.com

--BERNAMA

QINGYANG LEVERAGES AI, COMPUTING POWER TO TRANSFORM RURAL E-COMMERCE

A public welfare lecture about AI livestreaming and intelligent e-commerce.

KUALA LUMPUR, April 21 (Bernama) -- Qingyang is advancing its digital transformation by integrating artificial intelligence (AI) and "computing power" into rural e-commerce, enabling farmers and homemakers to become livestream sellers, or "Code Farmers".

At the Qingyang Electronic Commerce Association, training programmes on AI livestreaming and intelligent e-commerce are equipping participants with practical skills—from product selection and content planning to virtual human streaming—reshaping how local communities engage in online commerce.

The initiative is supported by the Qingyang National Computing Hub under China’s Eastern Data and Western Computing Project, which provides low-cost, low-latency computing resources, according to a statement.

This enables the use of AI tools such as virtual streamers, creating a development model that combines local computing power, AI applications and talent training to boost operational efficiency.

The results have been significant. Qingyang recorded total e-commerce sales of 6.91 billion Chinese yuan in 2025, with online retail contributing 3.27 billion Chinese yuan, up 12.7 per cent year-on-year. (100 Chinese yuan = RM 58.01)

Since 2023, more than 2,000 people have received hands-on e-commerce training, strengthening the region’s digital talent base.

As a result, local residents are shifting from traditional agriculture to digital entrepreneurship, using AI-powered platforms to market regional products nationwide. This transformation highlights how digital infrastructure and emerging technologies are driving new economic opportunities in rural China.

-- BERNAMA

Kioxia Unveils Value-Oriented QLC-based KIOXIA EG7 Series SSDs for PC OEMs

 

^{KIOXIA EG7 Series Client SSD}


New Client SSD Lineup Provides Affordable Solution for PC Applications

TOKYO, April 21 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- Kioxia Corporation today announced KIOXIA EG7 Series solid state drives (SSDs), the first client solution to adopt Kioxia’s BiCS FLASH™ generation 8 4-bit-per-cell, quadruple-level cell (QLC) technology. The QLC-based KIOXIA EG7 Series delivers equivalent performance as TLC-based solutions⁽¹⁾, enabling better total cost of ownership (TCO) for value-oriented slim laptops, as well as commercial and consumer notebooks and desktops.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260420977735/en/ 

KIOXIA EG7 Series SSDs bring the performance and power efficiency advantages of KIOXIA BiCS FLASH™ generation 8 QLC 3D flash memory to common computing workloads for PC OEMs. The new drives deliver random read and write performance of up to 1,000 KIOPS, sequential read speed of up to 7,000 MB/s, and sequential write speed of up to 6,200 MB/s.

The KIOXIA EG7 Series incorporates NVMe™ 2.0d support, giving PC OEMs greater flexibility in system design and device management. The drives are offered in M.2 Type 2230, Type 2242, and Type 2280 form factors, enabling broader compatibility across diverse system configurations and space constraints.

Positioned within Kioxia’s value-oriented client SSD portfolio, the DRAM-less KIOXIA EG7 Series leverages mature Host Memory Buffer (HMB) technology, utilizing a portion of system memory to help improve TCO and power consumption while maintaining responsive performance.

Additional features include:

• PCIe^® 4.0 specification compliant

• Self-Encrypting Drive (SED) support based on TCG Opal version 2.02

• Capacities of 512 GB, 1024 GB, and 2048 GB

The KIOXIA EG7 Series is currently sampling to select PC OEM customers, with PC shipments equipped with the SSD expected to begin from the second quarter of 2026 onwards.

Notes:

(1) Compared to KIOXIA BG7 Series SSDs

- Definition of SSD capacity: Kioxia Corporation defines a kilobyte (KB) as 1,000 bytes, a megabyte (MB) as 1,000,000 bytes, a gigabyte (GB) as 1,000,000,000 bytes, a terabyte (TB) as 1,000,000,000,000 bytes, and a kibibyte (KiB) is 1,024 bytes. A computer operating system, however, reports storage capacity using powers of 2 for the definition of 1GB = 2^30 bytes = 1,073,741,824 bytes and 1TB = 2^40 bytes = 1,099,511,627,776 bytes and therefore shows less storage capacity. Available storage capacity (including examples of various media files) will vary based on file size, formatting, settings, software and operating system, and/or pre-installed software applications, or media content. Actual formatted capacity may vary.

- Read and write speed may vary depending on the host device, read and write conditions, and file size.

- IOPS: Input Output Per Second (or the number of I/O operations per second)

- Availability of the SED model lineup may vary by region

- NVMe is a registered or unregistered mark of NVM Express, Inc. in the United States and other countries.

- PCIe is a registered trademark of PCI-SIG.

- Other company names, product names, and service names may be trademarks of third-party companies.

About Kioxia

Kioxia is a world leader in memory solutions, dedicated to the development, production and sale of flash memory and solid-state drives (SSDs). In April 2017, its predecessor Toshiba Memory was spun off from Toshiba Corporation, the company that invented NAND flash memory in 1987. Kioxia is committed to uplifting the world with “memory” by offering products, services and systems that create choice for customers and memory-based value for society. Kioxia's innovative 3D flash memory technology, BiCS FLASH™, is shaping the future of storage in high-density applications, including advanced smartphones, PCs, automotive systems, data centers and generative AI systems.

*Information in this document, including product prices and specifications, content of services and contact information, is correct on the date of the announcement but is subject to change without prior notice.

Customer Inquiries:
Global Sales Offices
https://www.kioxia.com/en-jp/business/buy/global-sales.html

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Contact

Media Inquiries:
Kioxia Corporation
Promotion Management Division
Satoshi Shindo
Tel: +81-3-6478-2404

Source : Kioxia Corporation

BODOR LASER RETAINS GLOBAL NO.1 IN LASER CUTTING MACHINE SALES FOR SEVENTH YEAR

KUALA LUMPUR, April 21 (Bernama) -- Bodor Laser has ranked No. 1 globally in sales of laser cutting machines (1,000 watts and above) for the seventh consecutive year, according to data released by Qianzhan Industry Research Institute in March 2026.

The company also surpassed 10,000 units in annual sales in 2025, remaining the only manufacturer to achieve this milestone. The recognition was announced at ITES 2026 in Shenzhen, where Bodor Laser highlighted advances in manufacturing, innovation and global expansion.

“A seventh consecutive No. 1 ranking is not the end but a new starting point,” said Bodor Laser Senior Vice President, Zhan Zhihao, noting the company’s continued focus on innovation and support for global manufacturing.

At the event, the company said its DreamSpace super factory delivered more than 10,000 machines over the past year, while its South China headquarters in Shenzhen has commenced operations, strengthening its production and operational capabilities.

In a statement, Bodor Laser said it attributed its sustained leadership to continued investment in research and development, with tens of millions of United States (US) dollars invested over the past five years.

The company has built in-house capabilities across core components and developed a substantial patent portfolio, with products receiving international recognition, including Red Dot and iF Design Awards.

In 2025, the company expanded its portfolio with high-speed, high-precision systems and intelligent production solutions, enhancing efficiency in applications such as automotive parts manufacturing and sheet metal processing.

Bodor Laser has also strengthened its global footprint, with manufacturing bases in China and Thailand, more than 10 overseas subsidiaries and service centres, and operations spanning over 180 countries and regions with more than 3,500 employees worldwide.

-- BERNAMA