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Valona celebrates a Leader recognition in Market and Competitive Intelligence

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Achieves highest possible scores in 17 out of 31 criteria in global platform evaluation

HELSINKI, Finland, Dec. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ –Valona, a global forerunner in AI-driven market and competitive intelligence solutions, today announced its designation as a Leader in The Forrester Wave™: Market and Competitive Intelligence Platforms, Q4 2024 report.

The company received the highest possible scores across 17 of 31 evaluation criteria, including:

Advanced generative AI capabilitiesGlobal reach and deliveryPublicly available data sourcesProprietary, paywalled sourcesSearch results and filteringCustomer success and support

The independent Forrester Wave™ -assessment1 evaluates 11 market and competitive intelligence (M&CI) platform providers, focused on current offerings, strategies, and customer feedback. The report recognizes Valona’s exceptional strategic vision, and the use of its own generative AI technology to summarize information long before other vendors, and its comprehensive offering rounded out by analyst and consulting support.

According to the Forrester report, the Valona platform has “always been exceptional for its sourcing of public information… and has an “ultra-reliable” platform. The report also states that Valona is an “excellent fit for large enterprises that want a proven and sophisticated platform with global insights and analyst/consulting support to build intelligence capabilities across multiple functions.”

“We are proud to be recognized as a leader by Forrester in their evaluation,” said Kimmo Havu, Valona CEO. “For us, this acknowledgment validates our strategic approach to market intelligence and reinforces our position as an innovative partner for global enterprises.”

“We’re not just providing data. Our platform delivers reliable insights to decision-makers in an increasingly dynamic market landscape empowering them to navigate complex business environments with confidence. By transforming raw insights into strategic intelligence, we enable our clients to anticipate market shifts, understand competitive dynamics, and eliminate blind spots before they become critical challenges.”

Valona remains committed to continuous platform development, leveraging customer feedback and emerging market needs to maintain its leadership position in the industry. The company’s strategic approach has been recognized for its forward-thinking vision, with a comprehensive roadmap that emphasizes ongoing AI investment and a focus on vertical, functional and use-case specific models and analyses.”

Resources

Download the full The Forrester Wave™ report here to learn more about Valona market and competitive intelligence capabilities and how they stack up against other top vendors.

For more information, read our blog post on the topic here

1.The Forrester Wave™Market and Competitive Intelligence Platforms, Q4 2024

About Valona Intelligence

Valona Intelligence, the premier market and competitive intelligence AI solution provider that blends generative AI with expert analysis to deliver crucial, relevant insights for large enterprises and manufacturers.

Delivering hyper-relevant, real-time global insights, Valona empowers business leaders to understand their market environment, risks, and opportunities, equipping them with foresight and a global outlook. Supported by an industry-expert analytical team, the Valona AI-powered platform helps businesses meet growth targets, venture into new markets, enhance product development, anticipate supply chain disruptions, manage market threats, and outpace competition.
Valona maintains a proprietary source base of over 200,000 unique global business data sources including industry-specific data sets. The information is harvested to generate valuable insights for over 350,000 daily users, translating data from over 115 languages into English.
By monitoring the global business environment 24/7, Valona has served Fortune 500 companies like Goodyear, HSBC, Bosch, Philips, and Cintas since 1999, providing strategic foresight to shape their future.

Learn more about Valona: valonaintelligence.com

Media Contact

Kati Tammisto
CMO, Valona
Kati.tammisto@valonaintelligence.com
+358 40 775 7162

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Hexagon releases new targets at its Capital Markets Day 2026

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Hexagon is the global leader in precision measurement, positioning and autonomous solutions with a serviceable addressable market of ~€38bn by 2030.Hexagon’s €3.7bn in revenue and ~17,000 employees are across three Business Areas – Manufacturing Intelligence, Infrastructure & Especial and Autonomous Solutions plus a Robotics Division currently in an investment phase.Recent portfolio actions, including the upcoming separation of Octave, the sale of the Design & Engineering business and the announced acquisition of Agate Technologies, have focused Hexagon on its strong core business in precision measurement & positioning technologies.Hexagon’s organic growth will be driven by strong end market potential and structural tailwinds, new product introductions and an operating model focused on accountability and closeness to customers.Hexagon launches new financial targets for the 2026 – 2030 period of average organic revenue growth of 4-6%, an EBITDA margin of 24-26%[1] and an EBITDA cash conversion of 90-100%. It also targets reducing Scope 1 & 2 emissions by 70% by 2030, from a 2022 baseline.

[1] EBITAC is defined as adjusted EBIT1 excluding capitalised and amortised R&D. See pages the appendix for further information

STOCKHOLM, April 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Hexagon AB is hosting its Capital Markets Day today in London. At the event, President and CEO Anders Svensson, CFO Enrique Patrickson and the Presidents of Hexagon’s Business Areas will set out Hexagon’s ambitious growth strategy and its new 2026–2030 financial targets.

“Hexagon enters this new phase as a focused global leader in precision measurement and positioning, with a solutions portfolio essential to enabling industrial autonomy,” said Anders Svensson, President and CEO of Hexagon. “Our new targets reflect both the quality of our portfolio and the discipline of The Hexagon Way. With a strong leadership team and the financial flexibility to invest behind our growth priorities both organically and through synergistic acquisitions, we are well placed to deliver value creation for shareholders.”

“Today we are taking transparency to the next level — enhancing our disclosures, introducing EBITAC as our key profitability metric and providing clarity around our capital allocation priorities,” said Enrique Patrickson, CFO of Hexagon. “EBITAC is the right metric for Hexagon, a technology company with a significant R&D spend, funding market-leading product launches that drive our growth. With additional transparency comes additional accountability. We commit to drive capital allocation around R&D, M&A and Dividends with discipline and rigor.”

New sustainability targets

70% reduction in Scope 1 & 2 emissions by 2030 (from 2022 baseline)Net-zero by 2050

New 2026–2030 financial targets

Average annual organic revenue growth of 4-6%EBITAC margin in the range of 24-26%Annual cash conversion (of EBITAC) of 90-100%

A focused group focused on enabling industrial autonomy

Hexagon has undertaken significant portfolio changes, namely the upcoming spin-off of Octave and the sale of the Design & Engineering business. The resulting business is a focused global leader in precision measurement and positioning with proforma 2025 revenue of €3.7bn, EBITAC of €826m (22% EBITAC margin) and ~17,000 employees.

Hexagon is organised into three business areas – Manufacturing Intelligence, Infrastructure & Geospatial (formerly Geosystems) and Autonomous Solutions – alongside the Robotics Division, currently in an investment phase.

The overarching growth opportunity that underpins Hexagon’s long-term strategy is enabling customers to move towards true autonomy in their industrial operations.

President and CEO Anders Svensson will outline how Hexagon’s precision measurement and positioning technologies, digital twins and spatial intelligence capabilities are essential to enabling this true industrial autonomy. Hexagon holds market leadership positions across its serviceable addressable market, which is estimated to grow to ~€38bn by 2030.

Anders will also outline the key changes to Hexagon’s operating model. The Hexagon Way is an accountability-driven, decentralised model built around three strategic enablers: innovation and AI; portfolio management and M&A; and people & culture.

Central to this model is a clear accountability structure: the group’s three Business Areas are divided into 17 Divisions, each with full ownership of its financial performance and a defined strategic mandate covering three value creation priorities – Stability, Profitability and Growth.

The group-wide enablers allow Divisions to identify and execute on strategies targeted specifically to their markets and customers while drawing on the scale and resources of the broader Hexagon organisation. This balance of focused execution at the Division level and shared capability at the group level is designed to unlock each Division’s full potential and drive overall performance and shareholder value.

Hexagon’s new mid-term financial targets for 2026 to 2030 will be outlined by CFO Enrique Patrickson alongside a new financial framework including revised metric definitions designed to improve transparency, capital allocation and shareholder value creation.

The new 2026-30 through the cycle targets are:

Average annual organic revenue growth of 4–6% (CAGR 2026–2030)EBITAC margin in the range of 24–26%Annual cash conversion (of EBITAC) of 90–100%

In 2025, Hexagon achieved organic growth of 2.6%, an EBITAC margin of 22% and cash conversion (of EBITAC) of 109%.

Capital allocation

Hexagon’s capital allocation priorities are, in order: reinvestment in organic growth, value-accretive bolt-on M&A, a progressive dividend, and selective larger strategic moves where they enhance long-term shareholder value. The Group’s strong cash conversion and balance sheet provide the flexibility to pursue these priorities through the cycle.

Business Area presentations

Senior leadership from Hexagon’s Business Areas will provide additional context on strategy, markets and Business Area targets. The presenters will be:

Andreas Renulf, President, Manufacturing Intelligence Business AreaHenning Sandfort, President, Infrastructure & Geospatial Business AreaGordon Dale, President, Autonomous Solutions Business AreaArnaud Robert, President, Robotics Division

EBITAC – EBIT1 excluding capitalisation & amortisation of R&D

Hexagon is introducing EBITAC as its primary profitability measure. By immediately reflecting the full cost of R&D investments on the P&L, it will provide a tool to focus management firmly on the return on investment of R&D, go-to-market and capital investments and support performance management and capital allocation. The top end of the target EBITAC margin range (26%) was last achieved in 2021 and corresponds to the highest EBIT1 margin achieved by Hexagon in the last 5-years.

It is defined as adjusted EBIT1 excluding capitalised and amortised R&D.

Hexagon will continue to report EBIT1 (adjusted operating profit) for full transparency. A bridge between reported EBIT, EBIT1 and EBITAC and the EBITAC performance between 2024 and 2025 can be found in the appendix to this announcement.

Profitability metric bridge, 2025

Item

€M

Reported EBIT

575

Add: in year adjustments (impairments, restructuring, LTIP, PPA)

+372

EBIT1

947

Subtract: R&D capitalisation

-340

Add: R&D amortisation

+195

EBITAC

802

Subtract: in year robotics costs

+24

EBITAC (target definition)

826

Robotics – AEON, a potential global market leader in humanoid Robotics

Investment in Robotics to double from €24m in 2025 to €50m in 2026.Pilots with BMW, Schaeffler, Pilatus & Fill underway.Robotics is an exciting opportunity for significant value creation.

Due to its rapidly evolving structure Hexagon has decided to exclude Robotics from the 2026-30 financial targets and the calculation of EBITAC. This gives better visibility on the core group performance.

The financial performance of Robotics will be disclosed on a quarterly basis.

New sustainability targets

Hexagon is committed to operating responsibly for the good of the environment. It has set challenging new targets for emission reductions. Hexagon targets a 70% reduction in Scope 1 & 2 emissions by 2030 (from a 2022 baseline) and net-zero in Scope 1, 2 & 3 by 2050.

In 2025 Hexagon saw a 33% reduction in Scope 1 & 2 emissions from its 2022 baseline.

Joining instructions

The webcast will be streamed here: https://edge.media-server.com/mmc/p/d2han2qw/

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:  
Tom Hull, Head of Investor Relations, Hexagon AB, +44 7442 678 437, ir@hexagon.com
Anton Heikenström, Investor Relations Manager, Hexagon AB, +46 8 601 26 26, ir@hexagon.com

This is information that Hexagon AB is obliged to make public pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation. The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact person set out above, at 08:00 CET on 30 April 2026.

Appendix – Reconciling EBIT1 & EBITAC performance, 2025 quarterly

Metric

Q1 2025

Q2 2025

Q3 2025

Q4 2025

FY 2025

Revenue €m

961.5

1,010.5

976.0

1,053.1

4,001.2

EBIT1 €m

248.7

260.0

264.7

299.1

1,072.4

Subtract: capitalisation of R&D €m

-94.6

-94.7

-91.1

-84.1

-364.5

Add: amortisation of R&D €m

54.6

54.3

59.2

50.4

218.5

EBITAC €m

208.7

219.6

232.8

265.3

926.4

In year robotics cost €mEBIT

-4.7

-5.9

-5.6

-7.6

-23.7

EBITAC (excluding robotics costs)

213.4

225.5

238.3

272.9

950.1

EBIT1 margin %

25.9 %

25.7 %

27.1 %

28.4 %

26.8 %

EBITAC margin %

21.7 %

21.7 %

23.8 %

25.2 %

23.2 %

EBITAC margin % (excluding robotics costs)

22.2 %

22.3 %

24.4 %

25.9 %

23.7 %

Appendix – Reconciling EBIT1 & EBITAC performance, 2025 quarterly, excluding Design & Engineering

Metric

Q1 2025

Q2 2025

Q3 2025

Q4 2025

FY 2025

Revenue €m

888.2

939.4

907.1

980.3

3,715.0

EBIT1 €m

225.0

231.1

235.5

255.4

947.0

Subtract: capitalisation of R&D €m

-88.6

-88.0

-84.8

-78.3

-339.6

Add: amortisation of R&D €m

48.2

48.0

53.3

45.8

195.3

EBITAC €m

184.6

191.1

204.0

223.0

802.7

In year robotics cost €m

-4.7

-5.9

-5.6

-7.6

-23.7

EBITAC (excluding robotics costs)

189.3

196.9

209.6

230.5

826.4

EBIT1 margin %

25.3 %

24.6 %

26.0 %

26.1 %

25.5 %

EBITAC margin %

20.8 %

20.3 %

22.5 %

22.7 %

21.6 %

EBITAC margin % (excluding robotics costs)

21.3 %

21.0 %

23.1 %

23.5 %

22.2 %

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

https://news.cision.com/hexagon/r/hexagon-releases-new-targets-at-its-capital-markets-day-2026,c4342580

The following files are available for download:

https://mb.cision.com/Main/387/4342580/4069574.pdf

Hexagon releases new targets at its Capital Markets Day 2026

 

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SOURCE Hexagon

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Accountants Streamline Cash Flow with ezACH Direct Deposit Software

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Eliminate payment delays, reduce manual errors, and gain full control with a low-cost and high-quality ACH solution built for modern accounting workflows.

REDMOND, Wash., April 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Halfpricesoft.com developers understand that businesses demand faster payments and greater financial control, and now accountants are rethinking how they manage transactions. ezACH direct deposit software will simplify payment processing, accelerate cash flow, and reduce costly errors.

Clients are encouraged to download and test ezACH today to purchase to confirm compatibility.

ezACH empowers accountants to securely process electronic payments for clients, vendors, payroll, and tax obligations, all from one streamlined platform. By generating ACH files that can be uploaded directly to a bank, the software removes the need for manual payment handling and outdated processes.

“Speed and accuracy are critical in today’s financial environment,” said Dr. Ge, Founder of Halfpricesoft.com. “ezACH gives accountants the ability to process multiple payments quickly and securely, without added complexity or cost.”

Designed with flexibility in mind, ezACH allows users to manage unlimited transactions for unlimited companies at a one-time flat rate of $199.00, making it a cost-effective alternative to subscription-based payment platforms. Try it today!

Why Accountants Are Making the Switch:

Process ACH payments for vendors, clients, payroll, and tax agenciesEliminate manual entry and reduce costly errorsImport data easily from CSV files or other Halfpricesoft applicationsHandle unlimited companies and transactions with no recurring feesMaintain full control over payment timing and processingClients can upload transactions for up to $4.99 to test compatibility

Halfpricesoft.com offers a variety of applications that will seamlessly integrate with ezACH software:

ezPaycheck: A new version of ezACH has just been released to support import CSV with ezPaycheck importing. ezCheckprinting: Business check writer for vendors, miscellaneous and draft checks. https://www.halfpricesoft.com/product_ezCheck.aspezAccounting: DIY in-house bookkeeping and payroll solution for one flat rate. https://www.halfpricesoft.com/accounting/accounting-software.asp

With a one-time cost of $199 per installation, ezACH offers long-term savings compared to subscription-based services. There are no hidden fees, and users can process unlimited ACH transactions. (Note: Banks may apply their own ACH processing fees. We recommend contacting your bank for compatibility prior to purchase).

Simplify the business operations and boost efficiency with the powerful, all-in-one solutions fromHalfpricesoft.com. To save both time and money, get started today at HalfPriceSoft.com for no cost or obligation

About Halfpricesoft.com

Halfpricesoft.com has been delivering affordable, reliable business software solutions for over 20 years. Its suite of products, including payroll, accounting, check printing, tax filing, and ACH deposit software, helps small businesses, accountants, and nonprofits streamline operations and reduce costs. Trusted by thousands nationwide, Halfpricesoft.com remains committed to simplifying financial management with powerful, budget-friendly tools.

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SOURCE Halfpricesoft.com

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Neusoft Smart Go and Tencent Cloud Forge Strategic Partnership to Build a New AI-Powered Intelligent Cockpit Ecosystem

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BEIJING, April 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — At Auto China 2026, Neusoft Smart Go, a subsidiary of Neusoft Corporation (SSE:600718), officially announced its strategic upgrade. The company now aims to become a global leading provider in full-domain upper-body electronics solutions for intelligent vehicles. At the same time, Neusoft Smart Go and Tencent Cloud announced a strategic partnership. Aligning with “AI-defined vehicles” trend, the two parties will focus on key areas such as intelligent cockpits, on-device AI large model applications, ecosystem content integration, in-vehicle cybersecurity, and cloud services. By integrating their technologies and resources, they will engage in in-depth collaboration to develop AI-powered intelligent cockpit products and solutions that offer enhanced interactivity and emotional experiences, accelerating the intelligent transformation of entire vehicles.

The integration of AI large models and ecosystems into vehicles is essentially a full-chain systematic project covering hardware-software architecture adaptation, data processing, compliance assurance, and real-time response. Currently, automakers face challenges such as high in-house R&D expenses, ecosystem integration hurdles, and a lack of differentiated user experiences. They urgently require full-domain solutions that seamlessly integrate hardware and software, offer comprehensive ecosystem coverage, and enable rapid mass production to meet users’ core demands for multi-modal interaction, full-scenario services, and continuous OTA updates.

As a leading cloud service provider in China, Tencent Cloud has core strengths in on-device large models, in-vehicle ecosystems and applications, cloud services, and data compliance assurance. It also offers a full-chain app ecosystem spanning social media, music, maps, and more. In this partnership, the two parties will take Neusoft Smart Go’s next-gen intelligent cockpit system as the core platform, deeply integrating Tencent Cloud’s on-device large models to jointly develop a benchmark AI-powered intelligent cockpit featuring natural conversations, proactive interactions, and highly emotional, smooth experiences. Furthermore, they will fully integrate a wide range of ecosystem apps, enabling seamless transitions between mobile phones and in-vehicle systems across all scenarios.

At present, Neusoft Smart Go has established a product matrix covering a full range of in-vehicle electronics solutions, including central computing platforms, cockpit-driving-parking integration, intelligent cockpits, intelligent communications, intelligent audio systems, and zonal control units. Through a dual-track strategy of high-end cutting-edge solutions and mature standardized products, it can flexibly meet the mass production needs of vehicle models across different regions and price segments worldwide. Leveraging Tencent’s intelligent driving cloud, data compliance, OTA technical support, and AI platform services, the two parties will provide stable, secure, and intelligent hardware-software integrated solutions tailored to the diverse needs of global automakers, comprehensively assisting them in achieving intelligent and AI-driven upgrades for entire vehicles.

Jian Guodong, Senior Vice President of Neusoft and CEO of Neusoft Smart Go, said, “The integration of AI large models and full-scenario ecosystems represents an inevitable trend and a shared vision for both Neusoft Smart Go and Tencent Intelligent Mobility. Leveraging Neusoft Smart Go’s technical expertise in the full domain of upper-body electronics and Tencent’s leading solutions in AI large models and full-chain ecosystems, the two parties will collaborate to provide global automakers with truly mass-producible and evolvable AI-powered intelligent cockpit solutions.”

Zhong Xuedan, Vice President and Head of Tencent Intelligent Mobility, said, “We share complementary strengths and similar philosophies with Neusoft Smart Go, laying a solid foundation for cooperation. Both parties will further deepen cooperation in AI-powered intelligent cockpits, jointly exploring proactive interactions and emotional services powered by large models, transforming the cockpit into a smarter companion that better understands users.”

The deep integration of on-device AI large models and full-scenario ecosystems is reshaping the value boundaries and user experiences of intelligent cockpits. The automotive industry needs to accelerate innovation and mass production, achieving a balance between advanced technologies and cost-effectiveness. Neusoft Smart Go will focus on enhancing its systematic integration, software-hardware synergy, and global delivery capabilities. Through collaboration with more ecosystem partners, it will provide sustained momentum for the intelligent transformation of the automotive industry.

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SOURCE Neusoft Corporation

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