Brockhaus Technologies AG: Brockhaus Technologies with record half-year – Significant revenue growth to €140-150 million and adjusted EBITDA margin of 35% expected for full year 2022

DGAP-News: Brockhaus Technologies AG / Key word(s): Half Year Report Brockhaus Technologies AG: Brockhaus Technologies with record half-year – Significant revenue growth to €140-150 million and adjusted EBITDA margin of 35% expected for full year 2022 15.08.2022 / 07:03 The issuer is solely responsible

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WHO air quality standards
EU plans stricter air quality limits by 2030

Air pollution is the biggest environmental health risk in Europe. In 2021, 96% of the urban population was exposed to concentrations of particulate matter (PM2.5) above the new World Health Organization (WHO) guideline value of 5 µg/m3. The official EU limit currently still in force is significantly higher at 25 µg/m3 – this is about to change. But lower limits also require correspondingly precise measurement technology, as offered by Palas: better than the standard and even more precise than required.

New WHO measurement results of air quality in 2022

An estimated 99% of the world’s population breathes air that is of worse quality than WHO limits for particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide allow, according to the organization’s latest report, dated April 4, 2022. The WHO figures are based on measurement data from more than 6,000 cities in 117 countries. According to the WHO, more than seven million people die as a result of air pollution every year. In 2021, not one country met the WHO limits for air pollution, and in some cities, they were even exceeded tenfold. 

It was not until 2021 – after more than 15 years – that the WHO issued new air quality guidelines with lower limits for the pollutants PM2.5 (particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of less than 2.5 micrometers), PM10 (particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of less than 10 micrometers), NO2 (nitrogen dioxide), O3 (ozone), SO2 (sulfur dioxide) and CO (carbon monoxide). But the guidelines issued by the WHO are only recommendations and the EU air quality standards are much less strict than those issued by the WHO.
The European Commission has set a target for 2030 to reduce premature deaths from particulate matter (PM2.5) by at least 55% compared to 2005. Consequently, the EU’s air quality directives are to be revised and adapted to the new WHO recommendations.

The Palas solution – precision is what counts

Reliable measurement accuracy is therefore even more important than before to take appropriate measures to protect people and the environment. Conventional techniques such as gravimetric filter weighing reach their limits in this respect, causing greater measurement inaccuracies, especially in the case of low pollutant loads. 

Palas’s certified measuring devices provide the necessary precision and reliability here. Using state-of-the-art optical measurement technology that measures optical light scattering from individual particles, Palas measuring instruments count every single particle in the air. Dr. Frederik Weis, Head of R&D at Palas, compares the precision of Palas instruments as follows: “Put simply, if you want to measure 5ml of liquid with a 1l measuring cup (or larger), the result will be very vague. We therefore rely on the counting-single-particle measurement method, because it guarantees us and our customers exact and reliable data – even at lower limits. That is our claim to quality.” Precise results and trustworthy data are therefore guaranteed, even at very low particle concentrations.

Company bike-leasing for metal and electrical companies covered by collective bargaining agreements

A new breakthrough for healthy and sustainable mobility: Since May 1, 2022, metal and electrical companies in Baden-Württemberg that are covered by collective bargaining agreements have been allowed to offer company bike-leasing programs to their employees through salary conversion. This is facilitated by a collective union agreement between IG Metall and the Association of the Metal and Electrical Industry of Baden-Württemberg e. V. (Südwestmetall). Since July 16, 2022, many companies in the metal and electrical industry covered by collective union agreements in Bremen, Hamburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Schleswig-Holstein and northwestern Lower Saxony will also be able to offer their about 130.000 employees the option of leasing a company bike via salary conversion. This was agreed in a collective union agreement by IG Metall Küste and Employers’ Association Nordmetall. This decision creates enormous customer potential for Bikeleasing.

Metal and electrical industry Baden-Württemberg: Collective union agreement allows company bike-leasing

With more than one million employees in around 5,000 companies, the metal and electrical industry is considered a key sector in Baden-Württemberg. However, employees and employers in this sector who are bound by collective union agreements have not been able to benefit from the advantages of company bike-leasing in Baden-Württemberg until now. That has now changed. On May 1, 2022, a collective union agreement between IG Metall Baden-Württemberg and the Verband der Metall- und Elektroindustrie Baden-Württemberg e.V. (Südwestmetall) came into force, which generally also allows companies covered by collective union agreements to offer company bike-leasing via salary conversion. The prerequisite for implementation in the respective companies is that the employer and works council agree in a voluntary agreement that employees may be offered the option of company bike-leasing with salary conversion.

Enormous new customer potential for Bikeleasing

For Bikeleasing, this innovation means massive new customer potential, because interested parties from companies with collective union agreements previously had no opportunity to take advantage of the benefits of company bike-leasing. In view of current developments, metal and electrical companies covered by collective bargaining agreements from Baden-Württemberg, which had already inquired with Bikeleasing, will now be contacted again and, if desired, supported in the introduction of the company bike model. Good news for the companies and Bikeleasing, because in this context it is expected that the number of Bikeleasing customers and company bike users will grow strongly once again. 

Bikeleasing press spokeswoman Luisa Weckesser welcomes the decision of the collective union parties: “We as a company bike provider, are pleased that the collective union agreement opens up the possibility for employees to use a sustainable and healthy alternative to the company car with the company bike. We therefore expressly support this decision and provide all interested companies an uncomplicated and reliable process.”

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Automatisch generierte Beschreibung

Cybersecurity for Smart City control centers
How IHSE KVM systems contribute to security in autonomous traffic management

Cybersecurity has become a key topic for both all kinds of organizations and for private life. KVM systems make a significant contribution to protecting important data and processes. IHSE has been tasked to implement its highly secure KVM technology to protect future Smart City control centers, which will be the centerpiece of future mobility.

These centers will enable the data fusion of all kinds of sensor and data inputs (cameras, vehicle counters, weather data, event information, parking space availability, to name just a few) to derive guidance for multi-modal traffic management and to shorten the response times of all kinds of emergency services. This in turn makes such centers high-value targets for criminal attacks.

Along with security measures against physical attacks (staff security screening, access controls etc.), cybersecurity will be key for secure 24/7 operation.

Cybersecurity refers to a set of techniques used to protect the integrity of networks, programs and data from attack, damage, or unauthorized access. Security measures must therefore ensure confidentiality, integrity and authenticity, as well as the availability of data and information. 

KVM systems, especially proprietary KVM systems like those offered by IHSE, are an essential building block in achieving this goal. Let’s see how KVM systems perform against typical cyberattacks:

Malicious hackers often find ways to intrude in networked systems. The best protection against intrusion is the creation of a real, physical separation, a so called Air-Gap. 

KVM systems enable convenient, seamless operation of physically separated systems via separate point-to-point connections, thus maintaining the integrity and confidentiality of all other systems not immediately affected by the attack and avoiding any data leakage between the systems.

Similarly, ransomware and denial-of-service attacks are confined to individual compromised systems, while keeping the remainder of the control center fully operational. IHSE KVM systems themselves can operate completely without network connection, thereby making the KVM equipment immune to such attacks.

In summary, secure IHSE KVM systems are the means of choice for advanced security for future Smart City control centers, as they already are today for many security sensitive applications and organizations.

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Automatisch generierte Beschreibung

Brockhaus Technologies AG: Preliminary revenue significantly increases to €75.1 million in H1 2022 with adjusted EBITDA of €26.9 million (35.9% margin); Forecast 2022 confirmed

Brockhaus Technologies AG / Key word(s): Half Year Results/Preliminary Results Brockhaus Technologies AG: Preliminary revenue significantly increases to €75.1 million in H1 2022 with adjusted EBITDA of €26.9 million (35.9% margin); Forecast 2022 confirmed 08-Aug-2022 / 21:18 CET/CEST Disclosure of an

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