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ESG Risk Rating 2024: Techem achieves top ranking again

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Morningstar Sustainalytics, a global ESG data, research and ratings provider, rates Techem’s ESG risk at 9.6 and thus as “negligible”Internationally, this puts Techem in the top 3 percent of over 16,000 companiesWithin the sub-industry “Business Support Services,” Techem ranks 6th out of 186 worldwide

ESCHBORN, Germany, Oct. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Techem, one of the leading energy service providers in the real estate industry, has been awarded an ESG risk score of 9.6 by Morningstar Sustainalytics, a global ESG data, research and ratings provider, and thus a “Negligible Risk” for the second time in a row. This means the Eschborn-based energy service provider once again ranks in the best possible of five categories and remains among the top 3 percent of over 16,000 companies from various sectors internationally. Within the sub-industry “Business Support Services,” Techem came in 6th place out of 186 and within the “Commercial Services” industry in 50th place out of 475 companies worldwide.

ESG risk rating as a reliable indicator for the economy
The ESG risk rating is comprised of the assessment of the ESG risk exposure and the corresponding management. With a score of 27.5 in the area of ESG risk exposure (“Low”) and 68.2 in the area of ESG risk management (“Strong”), Techem is at the top in both cases. ESG risk management was assessed on the basis of eight different criteria, with Techem achieving the best results in the areas of “emissions, wastewater and waste”, “data protection” and “cyber security”.

“As a partner at eye level, we support our customers in facing the challenges of the energy transition and contribute to the decarbonization of the building stock both along our value chain and with regard to our sustainability-related activities. We have aligned our sustainability program with clear targets and key figures, thus ensuring the effective implementation of our sustainability strategy,” explains Techem CFO Dr.-Ing. Carsten Sürig.

Strong partners in achieving sustainability goals with TPG and GIC
At the beginning of October, TPG Rise Climate, a fund specializing in climate investments as part of TPG’s global impact investing platform, and GIC, a leading global investor in infrastructure, signed an agreement to acquire the Techem Group. TPG Rise Climate, one of the world’s largest private equity funds for global climate solutions, invests in companies like Techem, which has an increasingly comprehensive decarbonization offering driven by new digital services and is consistently driving this forward. Together with its new partners TPG and GIC, Techem will now build on this foundation and further expand and advance its position as a leading platform for the digitalization and decarbonization of the building sector in Europe. Techem will also benefit from TPG’s and GIC’s expertise in effective decarbonization in achieving its own ambitious sustainability goals and thus build on the successful efforts of the previous year.

“Regulatory authorities, banks and investors are increasingly pushing for clear sustainability strategies and are therefore making companies more accountable. For Techem, the ESG Risk Rating is therefore an important indicator of our sustainability performance and a key source of information for capital markets and investors. With TPG and GIC, we now also have strong new partners who will help us make important progress in implementing our sustainability strategies,” Sürig emphasizes.

ESG at Techem: a holistic approach
In fiscal year 2022 / 2023, Techem focused even more strongly on the impact of its own devices on the environment and climate in the “E” dimension with an updated “Devices Action Plan” and reduced emissions in its own value chain (Scope 3) by 18 %. The company is also pursuing specific goals in the “S” dimension and has set out clear diversity principles in a Group-wide diversity and anti-discrimination policy. In addition, Techem carried out the first gender pay equality audit in Germany last year, which shows the percentage pay gap between men and women, and established a procedure for determining and reporting this. In the “G” dimension, the Eschborn-based energy service provider focuses on continuous risk minimization. There were no violations of competition law regulations or significant violations of laws and regulations in the economic or social area within the Techem Group in fiscal year 2023. There were also no significant cases of corruption.

Sustainability as an integral component
In order to make the maximum contribution to all relevant reference groups, sustainability is also seen as a cross-cutting issue at Techem and is anchored across all areas of the company. Katharina Bathe-Metzler has been responsible for Sustainability, Communications & Public Affairs since March 2023 and coordinates the company’s sustainability strategy in this role. The Sustainability department manages sustainability-related activities and continuously develops them further together with the Techem Research Institute on Sustainability and the Finance department. Bathe-Metzler reports to CEO Matthias Hartmann, who heads the Sustainability Council and is responsible for sustainability performance.

About the ESG risk rating:
The ESG Risk Rating from Morningstar Sustainalytics provides clear insights into the ESG risk of companies by assessing the extent of an organization’s unmanaged ESG risk. On a scale from negligible risk (Techem’s rating) to high risk, the rating assesses the ESG performance of over 16,000 companies worldwide. The Sustainalytics rating scale ranges from 0 to 40+,* with Techem receiving a rating of 9.6 for fiscal year 2023 / 2024, putting it in the best category. Further information can be found at: www.sustainalytics.com.

* Negligible (0-10), Low (10-20), Medium (20-30), High (30-40) and Severe (40+).

Copyright ©2024 Morningstar Sustainalytics. All rights reserved. This press release contains information developed by Sustainalytics (www.sustainalytics.com). Such information and data are proprietary of Sustainalytics and/or its third-party suppliers (Third Party Data) and are provided for informational purposes only. They do not constitute an endorsement of any product or project, nor an in-vestment advice and are not warranted to be complete, timely, accurate or suitable for a particular purpose. Their use is subject to conditions available at https://www.sustainalytics.com/legal-disclaimers.

About Techem 
Techem is a leading service provider for smart and sustainable buildings. The company’s services cover the topics of energy management and resource conservation, healthy living and process efficiency in properties. Founded in 1952, Techem is now active in 18 countries with over 4,000 employees and services more than 13 million dwellings. Techem offers efficiency improvements along the entire value chain of heat and water in real estate and regenerative supply concepts and solutions. As the market leader in remote radio detection of energy consumption in homes, Techem continues to drive networking and digital processes in real estate. Modern multi sensor devices, radio smoke detectors with remote inspection, metering point operation, charging infrastructure for electromobility and services related to improving drinking water quality in properties complement the solution portfolio for the housing as well as the commercial real estate industry. Further information can be found at https://www.techem.com/corp/en/about-us or follow us on LinkedIn.

Press contacts 

Janina Schmidt
Head of Corporate Communications
Techem Energy Services GmbH
Phone: +49 (0) 174 / 744-4137
E-Mail: janina.schmidt@techem.de

Katharina Bathe-Metzler
Head of Sustainability, Communications & Public Affairs
Techem Energy Services GmbH
Phone: +49 (0) 1522 / 413-6702
E-Mail: katharina.bathe-metzler@techem.de

Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2532036/Techem_CFO_Carsten_Suerig.jpg
Logo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2532037/Techem_Logo.jpg

 

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SOURCE Techem Energy Services GmbH

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uSMART Securities Singapore Marks Third Branch Opening in Bugis with Lion Dance and K-pop

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SINGAPORE, Nov. 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — uSMART Securities Singapore officially opened its third branch at 516 North Bridge Road, #01-00, Singapore 188740 expanding its physical presence in Singapore with a new uSMART Investor Hub. The opening was marked by a private ceremony featuring a speech, a traditional lion dance and a K-pop dance performance, bringing together the uSMART team, esteemed guests and partners.

The Bugis opening marks another milestone in uSMART’s expansion in Singapore, following the launch of its first local branch at Robinson Road in July 2025 and its Somerset branch in October that year. The new branch reflects the company’s approach of combining digital trading with face-to-face support, offering clients an additional location to make enquiries, receive assistance with account opening and engage directly with the team.

Speaking at the ceremony, Mr Eng Thiam Choon (TC Eng), Chief Operating Officer of uSMART, highlighted the importance of maintaining physical branches alongside digital brokerage services. Clients may appreciate the opportunity to discuss opening their first investment account, gain a better understanding of products available on the app or receive assistance with any issues.

“Customers should have a choice in how they deal with us. If they’re comfortable doing everything on the app, that’s fine. If they’d prefer to come in and talk, we want to make that possible too,” said Mr Eng.

Drawing on its experience operating branches in Hong Kong, uSMART has tailored this approach to the Singapore market through ongoing engagement and conversations with local clients.

Mr Eng also highlighted the importance of understanding different trading rules, currency exposure and diversification as investors explore more markets. Seminars and conversations with the branch team will support these learning opportunities, equipping clients with the knowledge and information they need to make informed investment decisions.

“You don’t need to come with a decision already made. You can come with a question,” said Mr Eng.

Beyond the opening celebrations, Mr Eng highlighted the importance of consistent client service through attentive listening, clear communication and following through on commitments.

About uSMART Securities (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.

Established in March 2021, uSMART Securities (Singapore) Pte. Ltd. is the Singapore entity of uSMART Group, which holds a Capital Markets Services licence issued by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) (Licence No. CMS101161).

Through the uSMART platform, the company provides access to stocks across global markets, as well as ETFs, options, futures, funds, Contracts for Difference (CFDs) and forex products. Its services include digital trading tools and client account support.

In addition to its digital trading platform, uSMART offers structured investment solutions, including Fixed Coupon Notes (FCNs), catering to investors with different investment objectives and risk preferences. Through its growing network of physical branches, the company also provides face-to-face assistance, investor education and account support, complementing its digital services.

Branch Address

uSMART Securities – Bugis Branch
516 North Bridge Road, #01-00
Singapore 188740

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SOURCE uSMART Securities (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.

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Chinese Team Drops a “Game-Changer”: Motphys Launches MotrixSim 1.0, Sparking Industry Buzz

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BEIJING, Nov. 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — If the global expansion of Chinese-made robots defined the hardware boom in the first half of the embodied AI race, the second half will be won by those that can bring down the high cost of real-world trial and error and make robot training more universal and accessible. In this underlying physics engine race long dominated by Western players, a Chinese team is now bringing a potential game-changer to the field.

Recently, Chinese company Motphys was invited to attend CoRL 2026, where it showcased its fully in-house embodied intelligence simulation engine—MotrixSim 1.0. In extreme benchmark tests against leading international physics engines, MotrixSim 1.0 demonstrates extraordinary capabilities: overwhelming established open-source engines in the contact and grasping test and vastly surpassing mainstream GPU-accelerated simulation platforms in training efficiency.

In the past, simulation was primarily used for error-proof verification at the end of the design phase. But in the era of embodied AI, AI requires massive amounts of interaction experience.

“Simulation once served to validate how machines perform. Now, it is where they learn how to perform,” said Zhang Heng, co-founder and CTO of Motphys. Simulation has evolved from a “post-design validation tool” into a “physical experience production system”. To power this system, Motphys builds its physics engine entirely in-house, developing the core from the ground up in Rust rather than building on existing open-source engines. This equips MotrixSim 1.0 with strong memory safety and computation power, enabling it to compete with established international players at the underlying architecture level.

True technical strength is proven in extreme tests.

In a “devil-level” disturbance-rejection grasping test where a Franka arm grasps objects of different shapes, MotrixSim 1.0 is the only engine to achieve a 100% pass rate at both 2 ms and 10 ms simulation step sizes. In the microscopic critical friction point test, MotrixSim exhibits hold-and-slip behavior near the critical friction consistent with Coulomb’s law, achieving 0mm slip distance.

In terms of compute and training efficiency. Through its unique pipeline supporting CPU/GPU parallel computation, MotrixSim can achieve a physics simulation throughput of millions of physics steps per second across 4,096 parallel environments. In a controlled comparison conducted on the G1 whole-body tracking task, under the same task environment configuration and the same RL algorithm, MotrixSim reaches the current tracking score in about 10.2 minutes of end-to-end time, while the Isaac Sim-based solution takes 130.8 minutes—a gap of about 12.8×.

Furthermore, for the Strandbeest complex closed-loop mechanism with 92 linkages, when traditional engines fail to maintain the stability of the mechanism at a large time step of 5ms, MotrixSim solves closed-loop constraints together with the multibody dynamics in generalized coordinates, so the mechanism maintains its assembly relationships during motion.

Beyond extreme physical conditions and compute, MotrixSim 1.0 has achieved breakthroughs in multimodal perception and developer experience: LiDAR simulation throughput reaches 124 million rays per second; visual synthesis maintains stable throughput even when resolution surges 16 times. In terms of developer experience and industrial deployment, MotrixSim 1.0 streamlines development with high-speed solving in a single line of code (98.42% success rate) and a “zero-conversion + AI auto-modeling” workflow. Forge is also launched as the industry’s first Blender-based extension tool, enabling AI Agents to automatically generate physics scenes.

Zhang Heng emphasized that the core proposition of Physical AI is to transform expensive and slow “real-world physical experience” into digital learning resources that can be generated at scale.

Motphys’s relevant research has been accepted to top international conferences such as RSS and CoRL, and the company has built a simulation and real-robot training center for embodied AI in China. Currently, the world’s leading physics engines primarily include Google’s MuJoCo and NVIDIA’s Isaac Sim.

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SOURCE Motphys

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HiTHIUM Partners with the University of Cambridge to Advance International Industry-Academia Collaboration in Long-Duration Energy Storage

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XIAMEN, China, Nov. 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — On November 12, the Global Energy Storage Colloquium was held in Xiamen. During the colloquium, HiTHIUM and the University of Cambridge signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU), establishing a strategic partnership. The two parties will collaborate on frontier scientific research, key technology innovation and industrial applications in battery energy storage, bringing academic research into closer alignment with industry needs and exploring new models for international industry-academia collaboration. The partnership aims to contribute to the advancement of global energy storage technology and the industry.

The UK has a strong track record in the development of modern battery technologies and fundamental research. The University of Cambridge is one of the world’s leading universities, with internationally recognized expertise in engineering, materials science and fundamental research. As a leading global energy storage technology company, HiTHIUM has long focused on energy storage technology development and commercialization. It continues to advance integrated research and innovation across the value chain, from high-capacity energy storage cells to long-duration energy storage systems and grid integration technologies.

The collaboration is intended to bring internationally leading academic research into closer engagement with innovation across China’s energy storage industry. The University of Cambridge’s strengths in fundamental science, materials research and engineering will offer new perspectives and approaches to key scientific questions and emerging technologies in energy storage. HiTHIUM will bring its experience in long-duration energy storage (LDES), product development and large-scale deployment, connecting research with real industry needs and application scenarios, and supporting the engineering validation and commercialization of research outcomes. By drawing on the strengths of both research and industry, the partnership will strengthen the links between frontier innovation and practical applications.

Under the cooperation plan, the two parties will establish joint management and research collaboration mechanisms, bringing together academic resources and corporate R&D capabilities. They will work together to plan research projects, facilitate scientific exchange and support the translation of research outcomes, strengthening connections between fundamental research, technology development and industrial applications so that innovation in energy storage can better serve industry needs.

The partnership also marks an important step in HiTHIUM’s efforts to expand its international innovation network. Building on this collaboration with the University of Cambridge, HiTHIUM will further strengthen academic exchanges and research partnerships with leading universities and research institutions around the world. By bringing together international research resources and talent, the company aims to encourage collaboration across disciplines and technology fields, explore the development of technologies such as LDES from a global perspective, and bring technical challenges and application needs from the front lines of industry into research and innovation. This will help research and industrial practice reinforce one another.

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SOURCE HiTHIUM

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