Latest news with #PLM
Daily Maverick
2 days ago
- Business
- Daily Maverick
IDT CEO bribery scandal – How I ended up with R60,000 in a Dior bag
Daily Maverick journalist Pieter-Louis Myburgh says he had a hunch that 'something nefarious' was afoot before his meeting with the suspended Independent Development Trust CEO and her spokesperson – who went on to offer him a wad of cash to suppress a continuing journalistic investigation. Victoria O'Regan: How did you get into investigative journalism? Pieter-Louis Myburgh: I studied journalism, and I think around that time already I was quite interested in investigative journalism, specifically. I read All the President's Men [Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward's non-fiction book detailing how they investigated and uncovered the Watergate scandal in the US, ultimately leading to President Richard Nixon's resignation]. It has always been a favourite read of mine, and at that point it was the most well-known example of really consequential, hard-hitting investigative journalism. I've always been inspired by the impact one can achieve through investigative journalism. VO: How did this specific investigation into the Independent Development Trust (IDT) begin? PLM: It started with the oxygen plants scandal. [A forensic investigation revealed that a shadowy company secured more than half of an IDT R836-million hospital oxygen plant tender during Covid-19, and governance failures at the IDT led to the CEO's suspension.] A source contacted me in mid-2024, telling me to have a look at this massive contract. It just grew from there. I got some documents relating to the contract, and also found out that the main contractor wasn't equipped to deliver that equipment and didn't have the necessary Sahpra [South African Health Products Regulatory Authority] accreditation. VO: How did you get the first tip-off? PLM: I can't go into that much detail, but it goes back to my work on Digital Vibes. [The Digital Vibes scandal involved a politically connected communications firm siphoning off millions meant for public health during Covid-19.] So, seeing as Digital Vibes was a Health Department exposé, I do have some sources in that environment. It was somebody from that environment who told me to look at those oxygen plants, because the oxygen plants thing was a collaboration between the Health Department and the IDT. VO: How did you come up with the idea of doing a sting? PLM: It was just the situation that led me to it. I was pursuing an investigation and, as I was contacting people, word of my probing must've got back to [suspended IDT CEO Tebogo Malaka] – or, at least to Phasha Makgolane, the IDT spokesperson – because Makgolane contacted me, out of the blue, in early June this year. I had just come back from doing some work in Gauteng on this issue that I'm investigating, and then he phoned me and said that we should have a meeting, and it was too sensitive to discuss on the phone. You know, all that suspicious language that gave away what the intentions would be. I contacted Daily Maverick editor-in-chief Jillian Green and deputy editor Anso Thom and I said that everything points to bribery being the intention – I don't think this is just a normal interaction between me and the spokesperson. I proposed the idea that we should pursue the meeting first, with Makgolane, and then later with the IDT CEO. Because when Makgolane contacted me, right from the start he said that there were going to be two meetings – one with him and one where Malaka would also be present. VO: So you suspected it? PLM: Oh, definitely. His language gave it away. Just the fact that he was saying that we have mutual matters to discuss. It's kind of code for something nefarious. VO: Were you nervous? PLM: Absolutely – throughout. We invested so much editorially and journalistically in this project – time and logistics, and there were some expenses, obviously. So just on that front, I really wanted it to work out. But then obviously there are also safety concerns on top of that. VO: Tell me about the tech that you used. Did you plan where to sit based on where you could set up a hidden camera? PLM: I suppose the operation is wrapped up, so we can go into some detail. The first prize was always going to be for us to sit at that table, which is why I arrived much earlier. I was already sitting there so that I could beckon for them to come over to me. But we did plan for some eventualities. If they maybe insisted on going to another table, if they didn't like that one, there would've been mobile cameras with some of the operators to follow us and hopefully get it on camera. But that table was going to be our very best chance of getting the best footage and sound. VO: How did Malaka and Makgolane react when you photographed the money? PLM: I think they were a little stunned. Makgolane thought I was using an app on my phone that was counting the money. Well, he jokingly suggested that. I think that when I did that, it probably dawned on them that I was doing something funny. And then, very shortly after that, I told them I was, in fact, not taking the money and gave it back to them. VO: Who paid the bill? PLM: That's a very good question! Obviously, I walked away to get out of there and so did the two of them. So the people on the ground who assisted with the logistics paid the bill. VO: Are you scared for your safety? PLM: Yes, I am – but, I guess, in this line of work it's almost a constant consideration. Whether it's me working on this or other journalists working on the provincial health department in Gauteng or whistle-blower Babita Deokaran's assassination – it's just, I suppose, a constant consideration. For now, I'm kind of lying low. VO: What now, and what consequences would you like to see happen? PLM: We're still focused on getting our actual investigation out [on Monday], which is the issue that prompted the whole bribe attempt. So, ironically, I think this bribe is going to become the main story for now, but actually the investigation involves another IDT contract and the CEO's property in Gauteng. VO: Some people have quipped that R60,000 isn't that much money. Is there a price that you would've accepted? PLM: No. I think we should definitely correct the optics around the amount, because I see that's one angle that's gone very viral. The reality is that R60,000 was meant to have been a little sweetener. At the very first meeting with Makgolane, the main boon for me would have been tenders from the IDT. He said that I could bring contractors to the IDT, they would clinch the contracts, and then I could sort of get my cut. And, very shortly after that first meeting, he sent me a Western Cape IDT tender, inviting me to spread it among my contractor friends. Unfortunately I don't have many of those [laughs].
LeMonde
3 days ago
- Politics
- LeMonde
Direct mayoral elections in Paris, Lyon, Marseille get green light from France's top court
As opponents of the "PLM" law – short for "Paris-Lyon-Marseille" – had anticipated, on Thursday, August 7, the Constitutional Council approved all provisions of the bill to reform the election process for members of the Council of Paris, as well as for municipal councilors in Lyon and Marseille. This marks a revolution in the way the three largest French cities hold elections, bringing them in line with the rules that apply to the approximately 34,000 other municipalities across France, less than a year before municipal elections. Until now, voters in Paris, Lyon, and Marseille chose their arrondissement (district) councilors, with the top-ranking councilors then forming a municipal council that selects the mayor. This meant that the mayor was elected through an indirect form of universal suffrage. But under a new law introduced by Paris MP Sylvain Maillard of the centrist Renaissance party, starting in March 2026, residents of these cities will vote twice on the same day. One vote will directly elect the mayor, who will be at the top of a list of municipal councilors. The other vote will elect arrondissement councilors. In Lyon, voters will also cast a third ballot to choose councilors for the métropole (Greater Lyon Area).
Time of India
12-07-2025
- Automotive
- Time of India
How PLM is powering the auto industry's circularity push
Imagine this: A brand-new vehicle design is nearing completion. The team is holding its breath, brimming with anticipation to unveil the creation to leadership. Suddenly, a prompt from the Product Lifecycle Management ( PLM ) system pops up - a circularity compliance check has flagged gaps. The celebration halts, and the design is pushed back into revision. This might not have been a typical scenario in the past, but not anymore. PLM has evolved. It's no longer a siloed, engineering-centric tool, nor are teams confined to working in isolated digital environments. Today, PLM systems are collaborative, intelligent, and deeply integrated across functions - from design and sourcing to sustainability and compliance. And in the automotive sector, which is among the largest consumers of raw materials and also a significant contributor to waste, the role of PLM has never been more critical. The industry is now expected to not just respond to sustainability goals but to lead them. Circularity has become a foundational principle, shaping decisions right from the concept stage, embedded within every process, and ensured at every lifecycle checkpoint. 'Our aim should be zero waste to landfill,' asserts Rajendra Petkar , President and CTO, Tata Motors , speaking at the ETAutoTech Summit 2025 held recently in Bengaluru. He emphasized that 'circular economy is no longer a distinct goal but an urgent necessity,' underlining automotive industry's growing responsibility in leading the shift towards sustainable practices. India's circular opportunity India is emerging as a global automotive giant with over 30 crore vehicles running on India roads, estimated 28 million vehicles coming every year. 'The industry has attracted foreign direct investment (FDI) of over $36 billion between 2000 and 2024 with major global players either expanding their footprint in India or have a significant plan,' shares Petkar , adding that it is the time to take a strong call of execution of the circularity ambition into action. Petkar sees this as an inflection point, 'It is time to execute the circularity ambition. India is already the largest producer of two- and three-wheelers and a major player in tractors and commercial vehicles. Engineering and innovation must now translate national mandates on scrappage and waste management into action.' Indicating that the regime for scrappage of vehicles is still evolving and at a nascent stage in India, Petkar emphasises that engineering circularity must begin with design and material selection. At the end of a vehicle's life (ELV), the recyclability of its components depends on whether original material properties and part relationships have been preserved. 'Leveraging modular product design, reuse-friendly components, easy dismantling, and sorting at ELV stations, choosing renewable over the natural materials, and avoiding use of toxic materials, and harmful materials like lead and asbestos are key enablers,' he explains. 'We need to build a holistic approach that is broad-based across areas of technologies for waste management, upstream material selection and product development processes. These should be engagement equations of stakeholders for profitable business growth. Organisations need to have a design manual or a PLM kind of IT system that will actually prompt the designers to check whether principles of circularity have been deployed as part of a new design.' Building intelligent circular systems Prof. Deepu Philip , Professor at Department of Management Sciences (DoMS), IIT Kanpur , reinforces the importance of intelligent PLM systems. 'By embedding circularity into PLM systems, the automotive sector can significantly reduce material waste, improve supply chain resilience, build intelligent products, minimize concept-to-market time, and meet increasingly stringent environmental regulations. This leadership will also encourage other industries like semiconductors, pharmaceuticals, industrial goods, etc., to follow, making PLM a key enabler of global sustainability goals.' Traditionally, PLM managed a product from concept through design, manufacturing, and end-of-life. However, in a circular economy, PLM must also support material traceability, responsible sourcing, and the reuse, recycling, and recovery of materials across multiple product lifecycles. 'Today, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are increasingly approaching product development with recyclability and reusability in mind from the early concept phase no longer as an afterthought. This shift is driven by sustainability goals, regulatory requirements, and growing consumer awareness,' says Vivek Salvi , Senior Sales Director, Customer Process Experience, Dassault Systèmes India. Adds, Kunal Kulkarni , Vertical Practice Director – Digital, Tata Technologies, 'PLM has developed from serving as a 'single source of truth' to supporting the creation of circular and environmentally conscious products. As customer preferences shift towards products with reduced environmental impact, automotive OEMs are investing in technologies that facilitate recycling and reuse of components, which can lessen the demand for entirely new parts within the supply chain.' Salvi highlights the value of virtual twins - real-time digital representations of products that enhances cross-functional collaboration, allows teams to simulate and analyse the product's performance, material flow, and environmental impact before physical production begins. 'This not only reduces waste and cost but also supports smarter decisions related to design for durability, repairability, and end-of-life recovery.' The regulatory pulse Around the world, regulatory and policy frameworks are evolving to drive circularity practices. From the EU's ELV Directive to state-level mandates and the strengthening of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) rules, governments are sending strong signals. India has responded with the National Vehicle Scrappage Policy, EPR mandates across six material categories, and Automotive Industry Standard (AIS) 129, which provides guidance for the safe dismantling and recycling of ELVs with a focus on environmental protection. However, execution remains uneven. The ecosystem for ELV recycling is still nascent in India. There is limited awareness, a lack of well-distributed scrapping infrastructure, and inconsistent enforcement. The result is unregulated scrapping, low recycling efficiency, and massive untapped potential in recovering valuable materials. 'Increasing vehicle recycling rate, investment in organised scrapping facilities and execution of various policy initiatives is paramount,' says Petkar. A Circular Renaissance 'Over the next decade, linear models will give way to circular innovations,' says Gilroy Mathew , Senior Vice President & Global Head – Engineering Services, UST. 'Vehicles will re-enter the value chain—tracked, optimised, and reborn. This isn't just evolution. It's a renaissance in how we design, produce, and recirculate mobility.' Today, modern vehicles are a combination of composites, polymers, metals and fluids that are chosen as per their performance and functionality based on strength, weight, cost and safety. 'While many materials are recyclable, others pose challenges that requires industry-academia and innovation labs collaboration to improve recoverability and recyclability across various material types,' says Petkar. Petkar outlines four levels of circularity – L1, L2, L3, and L4. While L1 is about extending the useful life of products through reuse, repair, and maintenance, and it encourages designing products for durability, modularity and easy repair; L2 is about repurposing and remanufacturing wherein repurposing means using a product or material for a different function, or application, than originally intended, and remanufacturing is a process of restoring used products or components to give them a new life kind of a condition. L3 is of recycle and recover that highlights closing of material loops recycling waste into the raw materials. It aims to transform waste streams into valuable inputs for new production cycle, reducing landfill, and resource depletion. L4 is highest in the framework aimed at minimising resource consumption and waste generation from its outset. 'This is about doing more with less, but it should not change the leaner nature of production and consumption,' he exclaims. The Future of PLM Automotive OEMs are developing technical solutions by integrating multiple systems and refining new product introduction (NPI) quality processes to assess environmental impacts and work towards sustainability objectives. These efforts aim to help automotive companies retain competitiveness and deliver products aligned with future sustainability expectations. 'Key parameters in PLM applications that support sustainability include integration of material standards within product design software, enabling designers to select alternative materials that align with carbon reduction targets while meeting cost requirements, connecting digital manufacturing processes to enable 'what-if' analyses and carry out cradle-to-grave lifecycle assessments, and ongoing improvement in design by integrating data from mechanical, electronics, software, and simulation sources with circularity objectives,' says Kulkarni. 'The future of PLM lies in becoming an enterprise-wide, intelligent data platform that not only accelerates innovation but embeds sustainability into every product decision. The automotive industry, with its scale and global influence, is poised to lead the circularity movement by leveraging PLM to manage materials, processes, and partners with sustainability and reuse at the core' exclaims Salvi.
Business Wire
09-07-2025
- Automotive
- Business Wire
PLM Fleet Opens New Branches in Rochester and Philadelphia
NEWARK, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--PLM Fleet, LLC, the nation's largest company dedicated exclusively to the leasing, rental, maintenance, and fleet management of refrigerated trailers, has expanded its footprint in the Northeast with new branches in Rochester, NY and Philadelphia, PA. 'PLM is proud to open these new branches in Philadelphia and Western New York, which marks a significant milestone in our commitment to be the leader in refrigerated fleet management,' said Jerry Keane, VP and General Manager, Rental. PLM Fleet has the nation's largest and most diverse selection of refrigerated equipment, ranging in lengths from 28 to 53 feet, with single-temperature, multiple-temperature, or electric-only, including versatile liftgate options. Every rental includes PLM's On-Site Mobile maintenance and 24/7 emergency break-down service. PLM offers pick up and drop off service, and a dedicated team of in-house fleet managers. With the innovative PLMServiceCode™, customers can request and monitor all service requests, track repairs to completion, and view their trailer licensing and registration. 'PLM is proud to open these new branches in Philadelphia and Western New York, which marks a significant milestone in our commitment to be the leader in refrigerated fleet management,' said Jerry Keane, VP and General Manager, Rental. 'This expansion strengthens our ability to provide customers with more cost-effective and timely access to trailers, while offering a broad range of specifications tailored to meet the distinct operational needs of their businesses.' The new PLM branches are located at: 8330 State Road, Philadelphia, PA 19136 1280 Jefferson Road, Rochester, NY 14623 PLM Fleet has a network of 35 branches in all the key markets nationwide. At all of PLM's branches, customers can rent equipment for a year, month or even one day. With over 15,000 units, PLM has the nation's largest and most versatile selection of refrigerated equipment. Known for innovating refrigerated fleet management, PLM can be found at About PLM Fleet, LLC PLM Fleet ® is the largest nationwide, technology-driven company dedicated to refrigerated trailer leasing and cold supply chain solutions. Located in the state-of-the-art fleet solutions center in Newark, NJ, PLM has the largest assortment of refrigerated trailers in the U.S. Visit to review all the financing, technology and services that help our customers improve fleet and product lifecycle efficiencies and cost savings in the cold supply chain.
Business Wire
01-07-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
PLM Fleet Relocates Missouri Branch
NEWARK, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--PLM Fleet, LLC, the nation's largest company dedicated exclusively to the leasing, rental, maintenance, and fleet management of refrigerated trailers, has moved its St. Louis branch to St. Charles, Missouri. Now located in the fastest growing county in Missouri, PLM's new branch serves the rapidly expanding healthcare, cold storage and logistics industries based in the region. 'PLM Fleet is pleased to open this new location to better serve businesses in St. Charles and St. Louis, Missouri,' said Jerry Keane, VP and General Manager, Rental. Share PLM Fleet has the nation's largest and most diverse selection of refrigerated equipment, ranging in lengths from 28 to 53 feet, with single-temperature, multiple-temperature, or electric-only, including versatile liftgate options. Every rental includes PLM's On-Site Mobile maintenance and 24/7 emergency break-down service. PLM offers pick up and drop off service, and a dedicated team of in-house fleet managers. With the innovative PLMServiceCode™, customers can request and monitor all service requests, track repairs to completion, and view their trailer licensing and registration. 'We are pleased to open this new location to better serve the expanding business district of St. Charles and St. Louis, Missouri,' said Jerry Keane, VP and General Manager, Rental. 'With this new branch, PLM is conveniently situated to support the cold storage and refrigerated transportation in this thriving region.' The new PLM branch is located at 40 Karydan Court, St. Charles, MO, 63301. PLM Fleet has a network of 35 branches in all the key markets nationwide. At all of PLM's branches, customers can rent equipment for a year, month or even one day. With over 15,000 units, PLM has the nation's largest and most versatile selection of refrigerated equipment. Known for innovating refrigerated fleet management, PLM can be found at About PLM Fleet, LLC PLM Fleet ® is the largest nationwide, technology-driven company dedicated to refrigerated trailer leasing and cold supply chain solutions. Located in the state-of-the-art fleet solutions center in Newark, NJ, PLM has the largest assortment of refrigerated trailers in the U.S. Visit to review all the financing, technology and services that help our customers improve fleet and product lifecycle efficiencies and cost savings in the cold supply chain.
