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HOLON to Establish Autonomous Shuttle Manufacturing Facility in Jacksonville, Florida, Pioneering the Future of Mobility in the United States

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5 mois ago

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Holon To Establish Autonomous Shuttle Manufacturing Facility In Jacksonville, Florida, Pioneering The Future Of Mobility In The United States

Paderborn, Germany, and Jacksonville, Florida, September 4, 2024 – HOLON, a leading manufacturer of autonomous, electric shuttles purpose-built to revolutionize shared mobility and sustainable transportation, is poised to transform the future of transportation with the launch of its first production plant for autonomous movers in Jacksonville, Florida. This city unveiling was announced today in collaboration with prominent Florida officials and key community stakeholders. HOLON, a subsidiary of global automotive supplier BENTELER Group, will be Florida’s first automotive vehicle manufacturer.

The approximately 500,000-square-foot facility will be constructed in Jacksonville, with completion expected by Q1/2026. The developer for the project is VanTrust Real Estate. The plant will be pivotal in advancing HOLON’s mission to deliver inclusive, emission-free and sustainable passenger transportation, addressing urban traffic challenges, climate change and demographic shifts.

Henning von Watzdorf, CEO of HOLON, said, “Today marks a significant milestone in the journey of our mover project. With openness and a supportive regulatory framework for autonomous vehicles (AVs), the U.S. offers an ideal environment for HOLON’s industrial initiatives and Jacksonville has demonstrated tremendous enthusiasm for our vision from the beginning, making the city a national leader in the deployment of autonomous vehicles. We are deeply grateful to our partners and team for their tireless passion and hard work, which have made—and will continue to make—our expansion into the U.S. a reality.”

Automotive-Grade Mover’s Market Readiness
HOLON’s mover, a fully electric and autonomous vehicle, is designed to excel in public road use by setting new benchmarks in safety, ride comfort and production quality. The mover is being developed in close collaboration with authorities to ensure it meets Buy America and Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) upon deployment. With a top speed of 37 mph and a capacity for up to 15 passengers, the mover is versatile enough for various applications, from on-demand services like ridepooling and ridehailing to regularly scheduled transit operations.

Petr Marijczuk, COO of HOLON, added, “We are thrilled to establish our first U.S. manufacturing plant in Jacksonville, marking a milestone not just for HOLON, but for Florida, the United States, and the global autonomous vehicle industry. After an initial ramp-up phase, HOLON anticipates creating up to 150 jobs by 2027. Our Jacksonville plant will produce approximately 5,000 autonomous movers annually in one shift, making them more accessible and quicker to the market worldwide.”

“VanTrust is excited to work with HOLON and JAX USA on this transformative opportunity,” said Executive Vice President of VanTrust, Marc Munago.

Prototypes of the mover will be available later this year, with the first vehicles set to be deployed in pilot projects by early 2026. Targeting municipalities, private operators, and institutions such as airports, campuses, planned communities, healthcare facilities, and national parks, the early interest in reserving this limited series of prototypes highlights the growing demand for a flexible, cost-effective mobility solution that can adapt to diverse environments and operational needs.

Secretary of the Florida Department of Commerce Alex Kelly and Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan expressed strong support for the initiative, highlighting the positive economic and technological impact on Jacksonville and the broader Florida region.

“With the Governor’s leadership in making Florida a top tier manufacturing state, and Florida’s subsequent surge in high tech manufacturing jobs since 2019, FloridaCommerce was grateful to partner on this endeavor to bring manufacturing for the autonomous vehicle industry to Northeast Florida,” said Florida Secretary of Commerce J. Alex Kelly. “Our collective partnership with JAXUSA, The Florida Chamber, HOLON, BENTELER Mobility, and BEEP will signal an important transition for this industry from research and development to high demand, high wage manufacturing jobs in the automobile industry that will additional create numerous other jobs to support this industry.”

“Jacksonville is poised to be an industry leader in the technology behind AI-driven transportation. The addition of autonomous vehicle manufacturing is another big step towards that goal,” Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan said. “It complements the Jacksonville Transportation Authority’s innovative work in this space and the University of Florida’s downtown campus that will offer artificial intelligence degrees in the future. We welcome the jobs, expertise and global recognition that HOLON will bring to Jacksonville.”

Benteler Mobility and Beep Partner to Deliver Greater Value to Customers
HOLON’s mover will be made available in the U.S. through Benteler Mobility in collaboration with Beep, Inc., a leading provider of shared, autonomous mobility solutions. Benteler Mobility will offer comprehensive services for the purchase and implementation of these cutting-edge autonomous vehicles, while Beep, an Orlando, Florida-based company, will provide the managed services and software to deploy, manage and operate the autonomous vehicles to ensure smooth planning and deployment.

“The future of transportation hinges on the integration of these purpose-built autonomous, electric shuttles into our mobility networks. Beep is leading the industry with our AI-enabled AutonomOS platform, which transforms how we plan, deploy and manage autonomous mobility networks. HOLON’s next generation mover, manufactured locally in the U.S., represents an unprecedented step forward in this field. It will play a key role in reducing congestion, eliminating carbon emissions and improving safety on our roadways,” said Joe Moye, CEO of Beep.

“Leveraging HOLON’s local manufacturing and the strategic partnership with Beep, we can provide our customers with an integrated, end-to-end solution, starting with the vehicle and spanning all the way to infrastructure enablement, along with attractive financing services,” said Tobias Liebelt, General Manager Benteler Mobility.

Jacksonville to Become Epicenter of Autonomous Vehicles in the United States
This investment in Jacksonville is key for the city’s economic development as it moves to become the epicenter of autonomous vehicles in the United States. “In June of this year, the Jacksonville City Council approved economic development legislation that paved the way for today’s momentous announcement by HOLON,” said Immediate-Past Council President Ron Salem. “We look forward to the jobs and the financial investment this innovative manufacturing facility will bring to our city.”

The Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA) continues to test autonomous vehicle technology through pilot programs at Florida State College of Jacksonville, in the Brooklyn neighborhood and other areas across the region. Building on learnings from these projects, JTA is on track to launch the first phase of its Ultimate Urban Circulator (U2C), a comprehensive program to modernize and expand the Skyway in Jacksonville, and introduce AVs into JTA’s transportation system in June 2025.

“At JTA, we recognized that AVs would have a significant and positive impact across our city and our industry, not only enhancing mobility but also in driving workforce and economic development,” said JTA CEO Nat Ford. “Today, that vision moves closer to becoming a reality. Through the JTA’s internationally recognized U2C program, we are building a stronger and better-connected Northeast Florida.”

“Manufacturing has been the missing piece,” JAXUSA Partnership President Aundra Wallace said. “JTA is a national leader with autonomous vehicles and has built strategic partnerships across the industry. HOLON’s investment brings the production element to a robust innovation ecosystem in place, and we expect only growth from here on out.”

HOLON’s new plant in Jacksonville complements its regional headquarters in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The BENTELER Group, HOLON’s parent company, operates six locations across the U.S., employing around 1,700 people. HOLON is planning further expansion with additional production sites in the future.

To learn more about HOLON and the mover, visit www.driveholon.com.

About HOLON
HOLON is a subsidiary of the BENTELER Group. With well-founded know-how in automotive technology and industrialization as well as the continuous implementation of new technologies for electromobility, the company develops autonomous movers for the vehicle market of the future. To do this, HOLON works with technology companies, local public transport companies and mobility-as-a-service providers. For more information visit www.driveholon.com

About JAXUSA Partnership
JAXUSA Partnership, a division of JAX Chamber, is Jacksonville’s regional economic development organization. JAXUSA Partnership recruits new companies and expands existing business to increase high-wage job growth, private capital investment and a highly skilled talent presence in Northeast Florida. The organization works with economic development partners in Baker, Clay, Duval, Flagler, Nassau, Putnam and St. Johns Counties; the independent authorities of JAXPORT, JAA, JEA and JTA; CareerSource Northeast Florida; and private-sector investors in its mission to be a catalyst for regional economic growth.

About JTA
The Jacksonville Transportation Authority, an independent state agency serving Duval County, has multi-modal responsibilities. JTA designs and constructs bridges and highways and provides varied mass transit services. These include express and regular bus service, alternative mobility options such as ReadiRide, the Skyway, the St. Johns River Ferry, the Gameday Xpress for various sporting events at TIAA Bank Field, Paratransit for the disabled and elderly, and regional services. The JTA’s mission is to “enhance Northeast Florida’s economy, environment, and quality of life for all by providing safe, reliable, innovative, sustainable, and dignified mobility solutions and facilities.”

About VanTrust Real Estate
VanTrust Real Estate is a Kansas City-based, full-service real estate development company, that was recently recognized as NAIOP’s 2023 Developer of The Year. Since its founding in 2010, VanTrust has grown into one of the largest privately held commercial real estate companies in the nation. Specializing in office, industrial, multifamily, science + technology and mixed-use development, the company has developed more than $7 billion of product nationwide and has regional offices in Columbus, Dallas, Phoenix, Jacksonville, and Salt Lake City. For more information, visit www.vantrustre.com

About Beep
Beep, Inc. provides the managed services and software to deliver the next generation of autonomous, electric, shared mobility networks through its AI-enabled AutonomOS software platform and mobility-as-a-service offerings. Specializing in planning, deploying and managing autonomous transportation services for private and public communities, Beep safely connects people, places, goods and services with solutions that reduce congestion, eliminate carbon emissions, improve roadway safety and enable mobility for all. Beep utilizes artificial intelligence insights and vast data learnings from its deployments to enhance and advance the safety, rider experience, and operating capabilities of autonomous transportation platforms. For more information visit www.ridebeep.com.

About Benteler Mobility
Benteler Mobility focuses on enabling electric and autonomous transportation. With the development of an orchestration platform, Benteler Mobility is positioning itself at the interface between vehicle, service and autonomous operation, thus providing its customers with an all-in-one solution. In addition to working closely with service and infrastructure providers, the company offers innovative asset light financing solutions for fleet customers from the private and public sectors.

The post HOLON to Establish Autonomous Shuttle Manufacturing Facility in Jacksonville, Florida, Pioneering the Future of Mobility in the United States appeared first on Logistics Viewpoints.

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India–U.S. Trade Announcement Creates Strategic Options, Not Executable Change

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14 heures ago

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3 février 2026

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India–u.s. Trade Announcement Creates Strategic Options, Not Executable Change

The announcement by Donald Trump and Narendra Modi of an India–U.S. “trade deal” has drawn immediate attention from global markets. From a supply chain and logistics perspective, however, the more important observation is not the scale of the claims, but the lack of formal detail required for execution.

At this stage, what exists is a political statement rather than a completed trade agreement. For companies managing sourcing, manufacturing, transportation, and compliance across India–U.S. trade lanes, uncertainty remains the defining condition.

What Has Been Announced So Far

Based on public statements from the U.S. administration and reporting by CNBC and Al Jazeera, several points have been asserted:

U.S. tariffs on Indian goods would be reduced from an effective 50 percent to 18 percent

India would reduce tariffs and non tariff barriers on U.S. goods, potentially to zero

India would stop purchasing Russian oil and increase energy purchases from the United States

India would significantly increase purchases of U.S. goods across energy, agriculture, technology, and industrial sectors

Statements from the Indian government have been more limited. New Delhi confirmed that U.S. tariffs on Indian exports would be reduced to 18 percent, but it did not publicly confirm commitments related to Russian oil, agricultural market access, or large scale procurement from U.S. suppliers.

This divergence matters. In supply chain planning, commitments only become relevant when they are documented, scoped, and enforceable.

Why This Is Not Yet a Trade Agreement

From an operational standpoint, the announcement lacks several elements required to support planning and execution:

No published tariff schedules by HS code

No clarification on rules of origin

No definition of non tariff barrier reductions

No implementation timelines

No enforcement or dispute resolution mechanisms

Without these components, companies cannot reliably model landed cost, supplier risk, or network design changes.

By comparison, India’s recently announced trade agreement with the European Union includes detailed provisions covering market access, regulatory alignment, and investment protections. Those provisions are what allow supply chain leaders to translate trade policy into operational decisions. The U.S. announcement does not yet meet that threshold.

Implications for Supply Chains

Tariff Reduction Could Be Material if Formalized

An 18 percent tariff rate would improve India’s competitive position relative to regional peers such as Vietnam, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. If implemented and sustained, this could support incremental sourcing from India in sectors such as textiles, pharmaceuticals, and light manufacturing.

For now, however, this remains a scenario rather than a planning assumption.

Energy Commitments Are the Largest Unknown

The claim that India would halt purchases of Russian oil has significant implications across energy, chemical, and manufacturing supply chains. Russian crude has been a key input for Indian refineries and downstream industrial production.

A shift away from that supply would affect energy input costs, tanker routing, port utilization, and U.S.–India crude and LNG trade volumes. None of these impacts can be assessed with confidence without confirmation from Indian regulators and implementing agencies.

Agriculture Remains Politically and Operationally Sensitive

U.S. officials have suggested expanded access for American agricultural exports. Historically, agriculture has been one of the most protected and politically sensitive sectors in India.

Any meaningful liberalization would raise questions around cold chain capacity, port infrastructure, domestic political resistance, and regulatory compliance. These factors introduce execution risk that supply chain leaders should consider carefully.

Compliance and Digital Trade Issues Are Unresolved

Several areas remain undefined:

Whether India will adjust pharmaceutical patent protections

Whether U.S. technology firms will receive exemptions from digital services taxes

Whether labor and environmental standards will be linked to market access

Each of these issues influences sourcing strategies, contract terms, and long term cost structures.

Practical Guidance for Supply Chain Leaders

Until formal documentation is released, a measured approach is warranted:

Avoid making structural network changes based on political announcements

Model tariff exposure using multiple scenarios rather than a single assumed outcome

Monitor customs and regulatory guidance rather than headline statements

Assess exposure to potential energy cost changes in Indian operations

Track implementation of the India–EU agreement as a near term reference point

Bottom Line

This announcement suggests a potential shift in the direction of India–U.S. trade relations, but it does not yet provide the clarity required for operational decision making.

For now, it creates strategic optionality rather than executable change.

Until tariff schedules, regulatory commitments, and enforcement mechanisms are formally published, supply chain and logistics leaders should treat this development as informational rather than actionable. In trade, execution begins only when the documentation exists.

The post India–U.S. Trade Announcement Creates Strategic Options, Not Executable Change appeared first on Logistics Viewpoints.

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Winter weather challenges, trade deals and more tariff threats – February 3, 2026 Update

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19 heures ago

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3 février 2026

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Winter weather challenges, trade deals and more tariff threats – February 3, 2026 Update

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Published: February 3, 2026

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Weekly highlights

Ocean rates – Freightos Baltic Index

Asia-US West Coast prices (FBX01 Weekly) decreased 10% to $2,418/FEU.

Asia-US East Coast prices (FBX03 Weekly) decreased 2% to $3,859/FEU.

Asia-N. Europe prices (FBX11 Weekly) decreased 5% to $2,779/FEU.

Asia-Mediterranean prices(FBX13 Weekly) decreased 5% to $4,179/FEU.

Air rates – Freightos Air Index

China – N. America weekly prices increased 8% to $6.74/kg.

China – N. Europe weekly prices decreased 4% to $3.44/kg.

N. Europe – N. America weekly prices increased 10% to $2.53/kg.

Analysis

Winter weather is complicating logistics on both sides of the Atlantic. Affected areas in the US, especially the southeast and southern midwest are still recovering from last week’s major storm and cold.

Storms in the North Atlantic slowed vessel traffic and disrupted or shutdown operations at several container ports across Western Europe and into the Mediterranean late last week. Transits resumed and West Med ports restarted operations earlier this week, but the disruptions have already caused significant delays, and weather is expected to worsen again mid-week.

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The resulting delays and disruptions could increase congestion levels at N. Europe ports, but ocean rates from Asia to both N. Europe and the Mediterranean nonetheless dipped 5% last week as the pre-Lunar New Year rush comes to an end. Daily rates this week are sliding further with prices to N. Europe now down to about $2,600/FEU and $3,800/FEU to the Mediterranean – from respective highs of $3,000/FEU and $4,900/FEU in January.

Transpacific rates likewise slipped last week as LNY nears, with West Coast prices easing 10% to about $2,400/FEU and East Coast rates down 5% to $3,850/FEU. West Coast daily prices have continued to slide so far this week, with rates dropping to almost $1,900/FEU as of Monday, a level last seen in mid-December.

Prices across these lanes are significantly lower than this time last year due partly to fleet growth. ONE identified overcapacity as one driver of Q3 losses last year, with lower volumes due to trade war frontloading the other culprit.

And trade war uncertainty has persisted into 2026.

India – US container volumes have slumped since August when the US introduced 50% tariffs on many Indian exports. Just this week though, the US and India announced a breakthrough in negotiations that will lower tariffs to 18% in exchange for a reduction in India’s Russian oil purchases among other commitments. President Trump has yet to sign an executive order lowering tariffs, and the sides have not released details of the agreement, but once implemented, container demand is expected to rebound on this lane.

Recent steps in the other direction include Trump issuing an executive order that enables the US to impose tariffs on countries that sell oil to Cuba, and threatening tariffs and other punitive steps targeting Canada’s aviation manufacturing.

The recent volatility of and increasing barriers to trade with the US since Trump took office last year are major drivers of the warmer relations and increased and diversified trade developing between other major economies. The EU signed a major free trade agreement with India last week just after finalizing a deal with a group of South American countries, and other countries like the UK are exploring improved ties with China as well.

In a final recent geopolitical development, Panama’s Supreme Court nullified Hutchinson Port rights to operate its terminals at either end of the Panama Canal. The Hong Kong company was in stalled negotiations to sell those ports following Trump’s objection to a China-related presence in the canal. Maersk’s APMTP was appointed to take over operations in the interim.

In air cargo, pre-LNY demand may be one factor in China-US rates continuing to rebound to $6.74/kg last week from about $5.50/kg in early January. Post the new year slump, South East Asia – US prices are climbing as well, up to almost $5.00/kg last week from $4.00/kg just a few weeks ago.

China – Europe rates dipped 4% to $3.44/kg last week, with SEA – Europe prices up 7% to more than $3.20/kg, and transatlantic rates up 10% to more than $2.50/kg, a level 25% higher than early this year.

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Judah Levine

Head of Research, Freightos Group

Judah is an experienced market research manager, using data-driven analytics to deliver market-based insights. Judah produces the Freightos Group’s FBX Weekly Freight Update and other research on what’s happening in the industry from shipper behaviors to the latest in logistics technology and digitization.

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Microsoft and the Operationalization of AI: Why Platform Strategy Is Colliding with Execution Reality

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2 jours ago

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2 février 2026

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Microsoft And The Operationalization Of Ai: Why Platform Strategy Is Colliding With Execution Reality

Microsoft has positioned itself as one of the central platforms for enterprise AI. Through Azure, Copilot, Fabric, and a rapidly expanding ecosystem of AI services, the company is not merely offering tools, it is proposing an operating model for how intelligence should be embedded across enterprise workflows.

For supply chain and logistics leaders, the significance of Microsoft’s strategy is less about individual features and more about how platform decisions increasingly shape where AI lives, how it is governed, and which decisions it ultimately influences.

From Cloud Infrastructure to Operating Layer

Historically, Microsoft’s role in supply chain technology centered on infrastructure and productivity software. Azure provided scalable compute and storage, while Office and collaboration tools supported planning and coordination. That boundary has shifted.

Microsoft is now positioning AI as a horizontal operating layer that spans data management, analytics, decision support, and execution. Azure AI services, Microsoft Fabric, and Copilot are designed to work together, reducing friction between data ingestion, model development, and business consumption.

The implication for operations leaders is subtle but important: AI is no longer something added to systems; it is increasingly embedded into the platforms those systems rely on.

Copilot and the Question of Decision Proximity

Copilot has become a focal point of Microsoft’s AI narrative. Positioned as an assistive layer across applications, Copilot aims to surface insights, generate recommendations, and automate routine tasks.

For supply chain use cases, the key question is not whether Copilot can generate answers, but where those answers appear in the decision chain. Insights delivered inside productivity tools can improve awareness and coordination, but operational value depends on whether recommendations are connected to execution systems.

This highlights a broader pattern: AI that remains advisory improves efficiency; AI that is embedded into workflows influences outcomes. Microsoft’s challenge is bridging that gap consistently across heterogeneous enterprise environments.

Microsoft Fabric and the Data Foundation Problem

Microsoft Fabric represents an attempt to simplify and unify the enterprise data landscape. By combining data engineering, analytics, and governance into a single platform, Microsoft is addressing one of the most persistent barriers to AI adoption: fragmented and inconsistent data.

For supply chain organizations, Fabric’s value lies in its potential to standardize event data across planning, execution, and visibility systems. However, unification does not eliminate the need for data discipline. Event quality, latency, and ownership remain operational issues, not platform features.

Fabric reduces friction, but it does not resolve governance by itself.

Integration with Existing Enterprise Systems

Microsoft’s AI strategy assumes coexistence with existing ERP, WMS, TMS, and planning platforms. Integration, rather than replacement, is the dominant pattern.

This creates both opportunity and risk. On one hand, Microsoft can act as a connective tissue across systems that were never designed to work together. On the other, loosely coupled integration increases dependence on interface stability and data consistency.

In execution-heavy environments, even small integration failures can cascade quickly. As AI becomes more embedded, integration reliability becomes a strategic concern.

Where AI Is Delivering Value, and Where It Isn’t

AI deployments tend to deliver value fastest in areas such as demand sensing, scenario analysis, reporting automation, and exception identification. These use cases align well with Microsoft’s strengths in analytics, collaboration, and scalable infrastructure.

Where value is harder to realize is in autonomous execution. Closed-loop decision-making that directly triggers operational action requires tighter coupling with execution systems and clearer decision ownership.

This reinforces a recurring theme: platform AI accelerates insight, but execution still depends on operating model design.

Constraints That Still Apply

Despite the breadth of Microsoft’s AI portfolio, familiar constraints remain. Data quality, security, compliance, and organizational readiness continue to limit outcomes. AI platforms do not eliminate the need for process clarity or decision accountability.

In some cases, the ease of deploying AI services can outpace an organization’s ability to absorb them operationally. This creates a risk of insight saturation without action.

Why Microsoft Matters to Supply Chain Leaders

Microsoft’s relevance lies in its ability to shape the default environment in which enterprise AI operates. Platform decisions made today influence data architectures, governance models, and user expectations for years.

For supply chain leaders, the key takeaway is not to adopt Microsoft’s AI stack wholesale, but to understand how platform-level AI affects where intelligence sits, how it flows, and who ultimately acts on it.

The next phase of AI adoption will not be defined solely by model performance. It will be defined by how effectively platforms like Microsoft’s translate intelligence into operational decisions under real-world constraints.

The post Microsoft and the Operationalization of AI: Why Platform Strategy Is Colliding with Execution Reality appeared first on Logistics Viewpoints.

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