3 Runners, 42 Kilometers, 1 Unforgettable Experience!

In April 2012 Mark Reid and Andy Weir (from Bankwest) and Phil Thistlethwaite (Birchman CEO) are travelling to England to complete in the Virgin London Marathon in support of the Miracle Babies Foundation (Australia).

Between them they are lucky to be the proud fathers to a total of 8 healthy, beautiful children. Sadly, others aren't quite so lucky with many children born premature, sick or even tragically losing their fight for life.

Why are they running?
They are not just running for glory. They are running to support premature and sick newborns, their families and the hospitals that care for them.

Follow them as they embark on an extraordinary journey. A journey that will be filled with ups and downs, questions of ability, fears of not reaching their milestones and pure elation as they work towards a truly life changing experience. This is a test of endurance. Each runner will face over 6 months of preparation. Not only do they have to train their bodies and minds to cross that finish line, they have to raise between them a minimum of $50,000 for Miracle Babies Foundation.

Each day there are countless families in Australia facing an even greater test. Every year around 44,000 newborn babies require the help of a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) or Special Care Nursery (SCN). 25,000 of these babies are born premature and up to 1000 babies lose their fight for life.

The birth of a premature or sick newborn can be an overwhelming and traumatic experience for families. Their lives are permanently changed, significantly influenced by their NICU experience.

Team Miracle Babies is running to change this!
Miracle Babies Foundation works tirelessly to positively change this experience through the national services provided:

NurtureProgram®: A complete parent support program. This is a free program which includes early intervention programs for families after discharge.

Online Information and Resources: Access to current, relevant, Australian information is extremely important to families. Funded by the NSW Government, the Miracle Babies Foundation website is Australia’s premiere online resource for families.

Education: Miracle Babies Foundation provides training and education on a Parents Perspective at Neonatal Nurses Conferences, Seminars, Colleges and Hospital Inservices. Integrating a Parents Perspective in the education of health professionals greatly assists and promotes the benefits of providing family centered care.

Hospital: Support is provided for Australia’s hospitals through resources for miracle families, funding for equipment and scholarships for health professionals. To date, Miracle Babies has donated over $500,000 to hospitals.

Please support the great work of the Miracle Babies Foundation by sponsoring them to complete the London Marathon. Donating couldn’t be easier!!!

For more information on Miracle Babies visit their website. www.miraclebabies.com.au

To make a donation please click here.

Air pollution is a serious concern in Santiago, particularly during the cold winter months. As the city lies in a valley surrounded by mountains (the Andes on the East and the Coastal Chain on the West, and both come together in the North and South of the city) in the winter time there is a cold air formation that lingers on the mountain tops and in effect operates like the lid of a saucepan, acting as a barrier for the warm polluted air to move upward and out, and let fresh air move in.

Birchman Chile and a series of other companies have joined up to produce and distribute a daily report that is sent around first thing every working-day morning to the e-mail addresses of all employees at a number of companies that have signed up. It is done with a view that the recipients can warn their families when the air is not apt for outdoor activities, etc, and to promote cutting down on heating with polluting energy sources and car-usage when things get bad. 

The image below is what is sent out. We have received a lot of positive feedback from people who receive the message.

For more information, please contact Paul Griffiths.
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We are delighted to report that Birchman Chile has been awarded the 2011 British Embassy/British-Chilean Chamber of Commerce prize for innovation on their plan for making Birchman Chile “Carbon Neutral” as from 2011.

Design of the plan and its implementation was led by Denisse Manosalva supported by Carolina Rojas, both Birchman consultants.

Birchman Chile won the only SME category prize; prizes in the large company categories were awarded to Anglo-American, Antofagasta Minerals, and Colbun (a large utility). 

The Award Ceremony was hosted by the British Ambassador with a breakfast meeting at his residence, a landmark building in Santiago and appropriate setting for the event.
The Environment Superintendent (Undersecretary of State) made a speech at the event, stressing the importance of this initiative. 

For more information, please contact Paul Griffiths.
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When Manufacturer Magazine, in association with SAP, set-up their Business Intelligence Resource Area they approached Birchman Customer, B&W Speakers to discuss their experience of using BusinessObjects in a manufacturing environment.

With an emphasis on quality and craftsmanship, B&W has established a solid reputation among demanding customers -- providing speakers for prestigious clients such as Abbey Road Studios, Skywalker Studios, Apple and Jaguar Cars.

A long time user of SAP ERP, B&W chose BusinessObjects in 2009 to provide the information the business needed in an understandable manner and in way that allowed users to be highly self-sufficient.  With the deployment of BusinessObjects Explorer the solution really took off.

Hear what Paul Fryer, Business Systems Manager at B&W has to say:

http://www.themanufacturer.com/uk/bi

If you want to know more about what business intelligence and BusinessObjects can do for your business please contact us.