LATEST REGIONAL PROJECT UPDATE
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1 MEXICO
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BRAZIL
Forefront Medical Technology is opening a manufacturing facility in Juarez , Mexico . The Singapore-based contract manufacturer said it is preparing the 68,000 ft ² facility and has scheduled production qualification for mid-2024 . The facility will offer injection molding , extrusion , clean room assembly and packaging , and automated high-volume production . It ’ s the company ’ s fifth medical manufacturing facility . “ Our Mexico manufacturing plant will provide our global customer base with greater flexibility and choice in deciding where they want their products manufactured ,” said Walter Tarca , President , Forefront Medical Technology .
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CHILE
The first Chilean green hydrogen industrial plant was inaugurated last month in Santiago , aiming to power the batteries of the cranes at American Walmart supermarkets . This initiative was developed in partnership with the French energy company Engie . According to the companies , the project , which is the first of its kind in Latin America , involved a US $ 15 million investment and , in its initial phase , focuses on replacing the lead-acid batteries of 200 cranes with hydrogen fuel cells . “ This is the first plant of its kind in Chile , at an industrial and renewable scale . From here , we want to expand the use of hydrogen technology . Our plan is to implement it in every distribution center in our logistics network across the country ,” said Doug McMillon , President and CEO of Walmart .
The Brazilian News Agency ( Agência Brasil ) reported that registrations are open for the selection of the science and technology course at Ilum School of Science , a college affiliated with the National Center for Research in Energy and Materials ( CNPEM ) in Campinas , São Paulo . Applications can be submitted until December 20th . They are offering 40 full-time positions , with half of them reserved for high school students from public schools . The course has a duration of three years . In addition to the tuition-free program , successful applicants are entitled to housing , meals , transportation , an English course and a laptop equipped with academic software . Founded in 2021 , Ilum is affiliated with CNPEM , a social organization linked to the Brazilian Ministry of Science , Technology and Innovation . It is a nonprofit institution that offers free undergraduate courses through funding from the Ministry of Education ( MEC ). The courses are at the bachelor ’ s degree level .
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COLOMBIA
Ripple and the Central Bank of Colombia have announced a partnership to explore the use cases of blockchain technology . The local Central Bank , in collaboration with the Ministry of Information and Communications Technology ( MinTIC ), will test use cases that will enhance Colombia ’ s high-value payment system using Ripple ’ s CBDC platform based on the XRP Ledger ( XRPL ). This pilot program will be developed as part of the third phase of blockchain experimentation led by MinTIC .
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