MSD Animal Health Selects FLOW PR as SM Lead Agency in CE

Starting in March 2023, FLOW PR will be responsible for developing and implementing the strategy for one of the largest companies of the animal health market. The project covers the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania, Poland, and Hungary.

MSD Animal Health is an affiliate of the US-based global pharmaceutical company Merck Sharpe & Dohme and has been one of the most dominant players in the veterinary pharmaceutical market for many years. The company offers vaccines, anti-parasitic products, and other innovative animal health products and services.

The collaboration between MSD Animal Health and FLOW PR began in early 2016 when the agency was commissioned to support the company's online communications in Hungary.

MSD Animal Health launched its global POFT campaign in 2020 with the aim of raising awareness about the risks to companion animal health posed by seasonal change, which are due to the warmer autumn and winter months and generally higher temperatures. As part of this initiative, owners and veterinarians can access further useful information at www.protectourfuturetoo.com to ensure adequate protection for their dogs and cats throughout the year. FLOW PR implemented the POFT campaign in Hungary and Romania, and also launched the Kisállatorvos podcast, where listeners can learn about protection against parasites, the importance of vaccination, healthy feeding and grooming of pets from guest veterinarians - everything a responsible pet owner needs to know. The first season is available on all popular platforms.

In 2023, MSD Animal Health has entrusted FLOW PR with regional communication tasks for its companion animal business unit. This makes FLOW PR the lead agency in five countries, including the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Romania, and Hungary. The assignment includes designing strategies for local social media pages, managing content, producing content for the company's websites, as well as coordinating the work of partner agencies.

"Education on pet ownership and spreading scientifically and professionally credible information are of paramount importance to us as one of the major animal health companies in the region. We would like to further strengthen this activity in a coordinated way, taking into account the specificities of the region and local regulations," said Anita Mohos, MSD Animal Health's Regional Marketing Campaign Manager for Central Europe.

„As a Hungarian agency, we are proud to have the opportunity to organize another regional campaign. Since 2015, it has been a part of our growth strategy to win more cross-border assignments as a leading agency. It is especially gratifying to have earned the trust of MSD Animal Health, as this is the second time we have been awarded this task, now with an expanded geographical area," said Krisztián Szabados, Managing Director of the agency.

Hungarian architects presented plans for a space base on the Moon

A special mesh structure can be used to create a permanent base on the Moon from raw materials available on the celestial body, according to a study by Paulinyi & Partners architecture firm. The company's experts have examined the conditions prevailing on the Moon and are proposing architectural solutions that could be used to create space colonies known only from science fiction movies in the future. They are resistant to extreme temperature fluctuations and radiation, and with their floor area of up to 14,000 square meters, they can provide enough living space for a larger mission, at an average distance of 384,400 kilometers from Earth.

Paulinyi & Partners was able to present its study at the world's most prestigious space event, the International Astronautical Congress in Paris. Based on their research, the architectural team designed a modular, expandable structure, built up from a grid of uniform elements, which can be used to house life support systems, living quarters and even a self-sufficient potato plantation, as seen in the sci-fi film The Martian.

During the design, the experts of Paulinyi & Partners had to take into account the specific thermal and environmental conditions of the Moon, as well as logistical and construction challenges. The lunar base must be able to withstand temperature fluctuations between -170°C at night and +110°C during the day, and the structure must also retain a radiation shield of more than 2 metres in thickness. The Moon has no atmosphere, so the management of the pressure difference between the exterior and interior of the building required further calculations from the specialists.

"Fortunately, the Moon is helping our project, as the lower gravity means that the individual elements and therefore the overall structure can carry more weight. Even so, the design was a real challenge, as no one had ever built on another celestial body before, so there is no concrete experience available in this regard. That is why we have made sure that we only think in terms of using science-based enabling technologies – said Roland Németh, architect of Paulinyi & Partners, co-author of the study. – For example, it would be extremely expensive and complicated to bring construction materials from Earth to the site, which is why we decided to develop a solution for using the raw materials found there."

According to the plans, the supporting rods and central elements that make up the structure would be manufactured on the Moon, using the regolith, or lunar rock, that covers the surface. By melting and moulding the rock, a wide variety of elements can be easily fabricated to form the dome covering the entire base, which would protect the facility from meteorites as well as radiation. Thanks to its unique design, the structure can be easily expanded to create an area of up to 14 000 square metres, which, according to the models, could house a community of up to 150 people on the Moon.

“Our study is a significant step towards the design of space bases on extraterrestrial bodies, where astronauts can live in ideal conditions in the future – said Dr. Gergely Paulinyi Founding Partner, Chairman and CEO of Paulinyi & Partners. – It is a great honour for us to present our plans in front of the most prominent representatives of the industry at such a significant event. We hope that when the technology is available, the first lunar base can be built based on our plans."

In recent years, Paulinyi & Partners has been responsible for a number of high-profile projects in Hungary and internationally. The company designs special buildings with an innovative approach and the latest technologies, their most recent projects include the Budapest One office building and Etele Plaza.

DODO is testing drone home delivery

DODO, a provider of data-driven logistics solutions, and Rossmann, a drugstore chain with a popular webshop, have launched a unique domestic pilot project for the drone delivery of home-ordered products. In the first phase of the trial, they are testing how quickly they can fulfil orders using drones - while guaranteeing safe delivery conditions. To this end, a test flight was carried out as a first step, and the time required to place the package on the drone and to take off and land was also assessed.

The first test flight in preparation for the delivery of home deliveries started from the Rossmann store in the Savoya Park shopping centre in District XI, with the destination in the suburban part of District III. The route was chosen to ensure that the drone flight would cover a relatively long distance and a varied geographical terrain, in preparation for the diversity of future deliveries by air.

The launch point and the delivery destination are 15 kilometers apart, but the drone flew over a longer distance as it flew part of the way over the Danube.

During the first test flight, the drone did not yet deliver a parcel, as the primary objective was to measure the time required for each phase of the work.

Particular attention was paid to creating safe conditions for delivery by air, with simulating the lifting of a parcel into the air. The route took a total of 14 minutes to fly, with an average altitude of between 20 and 50 metres and an average speed of 50 kilometres per hour, but the drone's flight speed is expected to be regulated by law in the future.

The simulation was performed with accurate results since the weight of the potentially delivered package does not significantly affect the flight speed of the drone. The test flight was carried out with the appropriate regulatory approvals. The use of unmanned aircraft and the transport of package by such means is subject to strict regulations at both national and EU level. Due to the nature of the activity and the take-off weight, it is a special category of operation and therefore requires a special operating licence.

“For DODO, smart logistics and innovation go hand in hand. With our own data-driven platform, we have become experts in urban last-mile delivery solutions over the last few years, but our development doesn’t stop there. We are constantly looking for new ways to shorten delivery times and reduce environmental impact. We see drone delivery as the next major step in the evolution of home delivery solutions. I am particularly pleased that we can work with an open-minded and goal-oriented partner like Rossmann in this development. I am confident that after the current test flight we are ready to deliver actual shipments by drone as soon as legislation permits” - said Dr. Károly Sáfár, DODO's representative in Hungary.

"Rossmann is Hungary's most dynamically growing drugstore-perfumery chain. For years, our customers have been able to easily order the products offered by our webshop online. It is extremely important for us to meet consumer needs at the highest possible level and to always be at the forefront of current trends and developments. I believe that drone home delivery could be one of the key solutions of the future in the field of e-commerce and in serving customer expectations, and DODO is the right partner to help us achieve this" - added Ádám Fürjes, Online Marketing Group Manager of Rossmann Hungary Ltd.

"Since 2017, we've been involved in private and industrial drone photography at a high level. Thanks to the wide range of applications for drones, we have also opened up to industrial services, a huge and fast-growing market. Our services have already proven themselves in numerous cases in construction and manufacturing companies, in the survey and scanning of factories, warehouses, plants, sites, logistics centres, solar panel installations, where we have helped to improve efficiency not only by documenting but also by detecting possible errors. It is a great pleasure for us to participate in such a unique initiative in Hungary, which could be the future of the entire commercial industry" - said Dominik Mák, CEO of Drónpilótád, the company involved in the drone test flight.

DODO, in collaboration with Rossmann, will continue the development of the drone home delivery in order to evaluate the results of the first tests, and as a next phase of the pilot project, both companies aspire to make another test flight, during which the drone will deliver a parcel between the start point and the destination. DODO has always been committed to sustainability by reducing the ecological footprint of its deliveries, and the implementation of drone delivery would be an important step forward in this area. With this way it'll be possible to avoid traffic jams and other factors that increase the environmental impact of deliveries due to road conditions. The smart logistics company is also present in the Czech Republic, Germany, Poland and Slovakia with its AI-based courier services, so the lessons learned from the pilot drone flight in Hungary could be applied in these countries in the future.