ALTEO has been through a busy period, as the company achieved two milestones in sustainability over the past few months: the second Sustainability Report has been published and a battery energy storage facility has started its test run, which is unique in the region.

At the end of summer, a battery energy storage facility that is unique not only in Hungary but also in Central and Eastern Europe has been completed.  ALTEO received HUF 500 million at a tender of the National Research and Development and Innovation Office which was allocated for implementation, testing and integration of the facility. The project that supports the Hungarian electricity system, and focuses on the planning of utilization of weather-dependent energy sources has a total cost of HUF 1.1 billion.

The recently completed battery energy storage facility has been the first phase of the whole project, after placing it in service, the testing period will start. In the further stages of the R & D project, the development of the existing contolling center, the establishment of an electricity-based heat production facility, and the higher market integration of weather-dependent production units will also take place.

Furthermore, ALTEO published the second Sustainability Report as well, which displays ALTEO’s accomplishments in the name of sustainable corporate governance. In fact, ALTEO decided to publish its first Sustainability Report last year. The 2016’s report was so successful in the industry that it won Deloitte’s Green Frog Award.

The company’s current report shows that:

• The number of our employees grew by nearly 15% in 2017
• 23% of ALTEO’s installed electrical capacity is supplied from renewable power sources
• ALTEO provided a total of 5,706 hours of training, more than 25 hours per employee on average
• In 2017 95% of ALTEO’s suppliers were Hungarian enterprises

The practical aspects of responsible corporate governance and the dedication of ALTEO to sustainability got a lot of attention at the 56th Itinerant Conference of Economists as well, where Attila Chikán jr. shared his broad experiences with the audience.

Through HR trends and Salary survey, Randstad seeks to generate content about the main trends in Human Resources and to know the salary evolution of different professional profiles in the main economic sectors of the country.

Based on its inputs, as well as that of companies in other industries, our goal is to have key information on issues that will be crucial for the labor market in the near future.

Now, that we have the results of this research, we would like to share them with you, as we are sure that they will be relevant to your recruitment strategy and human resources in general.

You can find more information and the downloadable version here https://www.randstad.hu/workforce360/archivum/a-hr-aktualis-kihivasai-es-trendjei_225/

Complements own crop protection, biotech and digital activities; marks entry into seeds, non-selective herbicides, nematicide seed treatments

Creates new opportunities for innovation and growth

About 4,500 experienced employees join Agricultural Solutions team

BASF has closed the acquisition of a range of businesses and assets from Bayer. The transaction is a strategic complement to BASF’s crop protection, biotech and digital farming activities and marks its entry into seeds, non-selective herbicides and nematicide seed treatments.

“This strategic move adds excellent assets to our strong agricultural solutions portfolio and enhances our innovation potential. Overall, it ensures an even more comprehensive and attractive offering to our customers,” said Dr. Martin Brudermüller, Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors and Chief Technology Officer of BASF SE.

“This acquisition transforms BASF in agriculture. It strengthens our market position in agricultural solutions and creates new opportunities for growth,” added Saori Dubourg, member of the Board of Executive Directors of BASF SE and responsible for the Agricultural Solutions segment. “We are looking forward to our joint journey and warmly welcome the new colleagues to BASF.”

BASF signed agreements in October 2017 and April 2018 to acquire the businesses and assets Bayer offered to divest in the context of its acquisition of Monsanto, for an all-cash purchase price of €7.6 billion. About 4,500 employees join BASF through the acquisition. The agreements include Bayer’s global glufosinate-ammonium business; seeds businesses including traits, research and breeding capabilities, and trademarks for key row crops in select markets; the vegetable seeds business; the R&D platform for hybrid wheat; a range of seed treatment products; certain glyphosate-based herbicides in Europe, used predominantly for industrial applications; the complete digital farming platform xarvio^TM; as well as certain non-selective herbicide and nematicide research projects. These transactions are now completed, except for the vegetable seeds business for which closing is expected later in the third quarter of 2018.

Customers benefit from the acquisition as they will have access to even more tools to increase their yields, crop quality and profitability. “With strong solutions from seeds to harvest, enabled by even better R&D capabilities and scale, we will increase the competition in the market. This means customers have a real choice, today and in the future,” explained Markus Heldt, President of BASF’s Agricultural Solutions division. “After months of preparing the seamless transfer of businesses and smooth onboarding of employees, everybody is keen to finally get started – as a new team and with our expanded business and capabilities.”

To reflect the expanded scope of its agriculture business, BASF has renamed the division from Crop Protection to Agricultural Solutions.

About BASF’s Agricultural Solutions division

With a rapidly growing population, the world is increasingly dependent on our ability to develop and maintain sustainable agriculture and healthy environments. Working with farmers, agricultural professionals, pest management experts and others, it is our role to help make this possible. That’s why we invest in a strong R&D pipeline and broad portfolio, including seeds and traits, chemical and biological crop protection, soil management, plant health, pest control and digital farming. With expert teams in the lab, field, office and in production, we connect innovative thinking and down-to-earth action to create real world ideas that work – for farmers, society and the planet. In 2017, our division generated sales of €5.7 billion. For more information, please visit www.agriculture.basf.com or any of our social media channels.

About BASF

At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. The more than 115,000 employees in the BASF Group work on contributing to the success of our customers in nearly all sectors and almost every country in the world. Our portfolio is organized into five segments: Chemicals, Performance Products, Functional Materials & Solutions, Agricultural Solutions and Oil & Gas. BASF generated sales of €64.5 billion in 2017. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchanges in Frankfurt (BAS), London (BFA) and Zurich (BAS). Further information at www.basf.com.

MOL has bought majority stake in ITK Holding Zrt., which currently operates and maintains buses used for public transport in Budapest and Debrecen. MOL’s investment provides the necessary funding, multinational background and financial stability to expand the company’s services in keeping with its mobility strategy running up to 2030.

“Our 2030 strategy clearly states that in the future we will focus on mobility and community services. We aim to deliver fast and convenient solutions to people on the move through our high-quality and complex services to keep contributing to the development of our country and region, to the modernization of our cities. One of the first steps was MOL Limo. Now it is time to enter the community bus services market as public transport will play a central role in mobility services and this segment will be one of the key focus areas of our mobility strategy.” – Péter Ratatics, MOL Hungary CEO said.

Tork PeakServe® Continuous® Hand Towel System is the first real hand drying innovation in the past three decades.

What makes the Tork PeakServe® Continuous® Hand Towel System a true innovation?

• Hand towel bundles latch together as bundles are loaded, therefore they dispense without interruption one towel at a time
• Faster dispensing serves guests in 3 seconds, quicker than jet air drying time
• Highest capacity dispenser available on the market, with up to 2100 towels per dispenser

The Tork PeakServe® Continuous® Hand Towel System has been specially designed for the needs of high-traffic venues, such as event halls, busy offices, factories or airports, meeting environmentally-conscious modern standards. What makes it sustainable?

Compressed technology

Hand towel bundles are compressed by 50%, halving the space needed for storing and transportation, therefore reducing CO² emissions and carbon footprint.

Stop the wasting

Single sheet dispensing prevents overuse, and generates less waste, as washroom visitors only take the amount of paper towel needed to dry their hands. Paper towels are more absorbent, offering a quick and superior guest experience.

Sourced sustainably

Tork PeakServe® Continuous® Hand Towels are sourced sustainably meeting FSC standards.

User friendly

The dispenser can be topped up anytime even between refills, making work easier for the cleaning staff. Recommended by the Swedish Rheumatism Association, the dispenser is easy to use for anyone with limited hand strength.

Watch our video to learn more about our innovation.