Shell plc publishes fourth quarter 2021 press release

London, February 3, 2022

“2021 was a momentous year for Shell. We launched our Powering Progress strategy and simplified our share structure and organisation. Progress made in 2021 will enable us to be bolder and move faster. We have a compelling strategy, with customers at its core. We have ambitious plans to generate shareholder value, to decarbonise our products and to provide energy to our customers while respecting nature.

We delivered very strong financial performance in 2021, and our financial strength and discipline underpin the transformation of our company. Today we are stepping up our distributions with the announcement of an $8.5 billion share buyback programme and we expect to increase our dividend per share by around 4% for Q1 2022.”

Shell plc Chief Executive Officer, Ben van Beurden

STRONG DELIVERY, ACCELERATED DISTRIBUTIONS

  • Strong Q4 2021 Adjusted Earnings of $6.4 billion, supported by higher commodity prices. Continued strong CFFO excluding working capital of $11.1 billion in Q4 2021. Total CFFO excluding working capital amounted to $55 billion in 2021.
  • Disciplined cash capex: $20 billion in 2021 and expected to be at the lower end of $23-27 billion range in 2022.
  • Net debt reduced to $52.6 billion by end-2021, a $23 billion reduction compared with 2020.
  • Share buybacks of $3.5 billion announced in 2021. Dividend expected to be increased by ~4% to $0.25 per share for Q1 2022.
  • Stepping up pace of distributions by announcing a share buyback programme of $8.5 billion for the first half of 2022, including the remaining $5.5 billion of Permian divestment proceeds.
$ million Adj. Earnings1 Adj. EBITDA (CCS) CFFO ex. WC CFFO Cash capex
Integrated Gas 4,052 6,082 2,399 1,189 2,601
Upstream 2,832 8,491 6,609 7,074 1,537
Oil Products 555 1,742 2,031 (721) 1,341
Refining & Trading (251) 318 484
Marketing 807 1,424 858
Chemicals (42) 168 330 383 895
Corporate (889) (133) (228) 245 127
Less: Non-controlling interest 117
Shell Q4 2021 6,391 16,349 11,140 8,170 6,500
Q3 2021 4,130 13,460 17,472 16,025 4,840
FY 2021 19,289 55,004 55,471 45,105 19,698
FY 2020 4,846 36,533 29,495 34,105 17,827

1 Income/( loss) attributable to shareholders for Q4 2021 is $11.5 billion. Reconciliation of non-GAAP measures can be found in the unaudited results, available on www.shell.com/investors.

$ billion Q4 2020 Q1 2021 Q2 2021 Q3 2021 Q4 2021
Divestment proceeds 0.2 3.4 1.3 1.3 9.1
Free cash flow 0.9 7.7 9.7 12.2 10.7
Net debt 75.4 71.3 65.7 57.5 52.6

Q4 2021 FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE DRIVERS

INTEGRATED GAS, RENEWABLES AND ENERGY SOLUTIONS

Key data Q3 2021 Q4 2021 Q1 2022 outlook
Realised liquids price ($/bbl) 68.04 77.75
Realised gas price ($/mscf) 8.36 9.80
Production (kboe/d) 938 927 760 – 820
LNG liquefaction volumes (MT) 7.39 7.94 7.7 – 8.3
LNG sales volumes (MT) 15.18 16.72

Q1 2022 outlook reflects turnaround in Pearl and Prelude unplanned maintenance

  • Adjusted Earnings benefited from higher realised prices and significantly higher trading and optimisation margins, overcoming supply issues and capturing unique optimisation opportunities generated through the large scale and scope of our LNG trading portfolio in a high LNG spot price environment.
  • CFFO excluding working capital of $2.4 billion, mainly impacted by derivative outflows of $3.8 billion.

UPSTREAM

Key data Q3 2021 Q4 2021 Q1 2022 outlook
Realised liquids price ($/bbl) 67.10 73.49
Realised gas price ($/mscf) 6.09 8.88
Liquids production (kboe/d) 1,497 1,458
Gas production (mscf/d) 3,387 4,080
Total production (kboe/d) 2,081 2,161 2,000 – 2,200
  • Adjusted Earnings higher by $1.1 billion compared to Q3 2021, mainly driven by higher prices. Permian divestment completed in Q4, lowering DD&A.
  • Continued strong cash conversion, with CFFO excluding working capital of $6.6 billion, $0.7 billion above Q3 2021.

OIL PRODUCTS

Key data Q3 2021 Q4 2021 Q1 2022 outlook
Sales volumes (kb/d) 4,665 4,451 4,100 – 5,400
Refining & Trading sales volumes (kb/d) 2,578 2,522 1,800 – 2,600
Marketing sales volumes (kb/d) 2,087 1,929 2,300 – 2,800
Refinery utilisation (%) 71 68 71 – 79
Global indicative refining margin ($/bbl) 5.70 6.55
  • Refinery utilisation and realised margins impacted by extended turnaround at Scotford, Hurricane Ida recovery efforts at Norco and a smaller portfolio due to ongoing divestments.
  • Trading and optimisation contribution to earnings was lower compared with Q3 2021.
  • Marketing Adjusted Earnings impacted due to seasonal trends and foreign exchange impacts in Turkey.
  • CFFO excluding working capital of $2.0 billion includes the timing impact of payments for emission certificates relating to German BEHG and US Biofuel programmes, which was offset by derivatives inflows of $1.0 billion.

CHEMICALS

Key data Q3 2021 Q4 2021 Q1 2022 outlook
Sales volumes (kT) 3,549 3,475 3,300 – 3,700
Manufacturing plant utilisation (%) 78 75 78 – 86
  • Adjusted Earnings around break-even, reflect lower base chemicals spreads resulting in lower margins and JV earnings.
  • Manufacturing plant utilisation impacted by Hurricane Ida recovery efforts in US Gulf Coast and an extended turnaround at Scotford.
  • Cash conversion helped by timing of dividends from JVs.

CORPORATE

Key data Q3 2021 Q4 2021 Q1 2022 outlook
Adjusted Earnings ($ million) (732) (889) (650) – (550)
  • Corporate segment Adjusted Earnings were a net expense of $889 million, including the impact of debt redemption.
  • Net debt decreased by $4.9 billion to $52.6 billion in Q4 2021 mainly driven by strong CFFO and divestment proceeds.
  • The Adjusted Earnings outlook for 2022 is a net expense of $2,200 – 2,600 million for the full year 2022. This excludes the impact of currency exchange rate effects.

UPCOMING INVESTOR EVENTS

21 February 2022 LNG Outlook & Shell Insights: Integrated Gas Business Update
5 May 2022 First quarter 2022 results and dividends
10 May 2022 Annual ESG Update
24 May 2022 Annual General Meeting
28 July 2022 Second quarter 2022 results and dividends
27 October 2022 Third quarter 2022 results and dividends

USEFUL LINKS

Results materials Q4 2021

Quarterly Databook Q4 2021

Dividend announcement Q4 2021

Webcast registration Q4 2021

ALTERNATIVE PERFORMANCE (NON-GAAP) MEASURES

This announcement includes certain measures that are calculated and presented on the basis of methodologies other than in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) such as IFRS, including Adjusted Earnings, Adjusted EBITDA, CFFO excluding working capital movements, Cash capital expenditure, free cash flow, Divestment proceeds and Net debt. This information, along with comparable GAAP measures, is useful to investors because it provides a basis for measuring Shell plc’s operating performance and ability to retire debt and invest in new business opportunities. Shell plc’s management uses these financial measures, along with the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures, in evaluating the business performance.

This announcement contains a forward-looking Non-GAAP measure for cash capital expenditure. We are unable to provide a reconciliation of this forward-looking Non-GAAP measure to the most comparable GAAP financial measure because certain information needed to reconcile the Non-GAAP measure to the most comparable GAAP financial measure is dependent on future events some of which are outside the control of the company, such as oil and gas prices, interest rates and exchange rates. Moreover, estimating such GAAP measure with the required precision necessary to provide a meaningful reconciliation is extremely difficult and could not be accomplished without unreasonable effort. Non-GAAP measures in respect of future periods which cannot be reconciled to the most comparable GAAP financial measure are estimated in a manner which is consistent with the accounting policies applied in Shell plc’s consolidated financial statements.

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT

All amounts shown throughout this announcement are unaudited. The numbers presented throughout this announcement may not sum precisely to the totals provided and percentages may not precisely reflect the absolute figures, due to rounding.

The companies in which Shell plc directly and indirectly owns investments are separate legal entities. In this announcement “Shell”, “Shell Group” and “Group” are sometimes used for convenience where references are made to Shell plc and its subsidiaries in general. Likewise, the words “we”, “us” and “our” are also used to refer to Shell plc and its subsidiaries in general or to those who work for them. These terms are also used where no useful purpose is served by identifying the particular entity or entities. “Subsidiaries”, “Shell subsidiaries” and “Shell companies” as used in this presentation refer to entities over which Shell plc either directly or indirectly has control. Entities and unincorporated arrangements over which Shell has joint control are generally referred to as “joint ventures” and “joint operations”, respectively. Entities over which Shell has significant influence but neither control nor joint control are referred to as “associates”. The term “Shell interest” is used for convenience to indicate the direct and/or indirect ownership interest held by Shell in an entity or unincorporated joint arrangement, after exclusion of all third-party interest.

This announcement contains forward-looking statements (within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995) concerning the financial condition, results of operations and businesses of Shell. All statements other than statements of historical fact are, or may be deemed to be, forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements of future expectations that are based on management’s current expectations and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, performance or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied in these statements. Forward-looking statements include, among other things, statements concerning the potential exposure of Shell to market risks and statements expressing management’s expectations, beliefs, estimates, forecasts, projections and assumptions. These forward-looking statements are identified by their use of terms and phrases such as “aim”, “ambition”, “anticipate”, “believe”, “could”, “estimate”, “expect”, “goals”, “intend”, “may”, “milestones”, “objectives”, “outlook”, “plan”, “probably”, “project”, “risks”, “schedule”, “seek”, “should”, “target”, “will” and similar terms and phrases. There are a number of factors that could affect the future operations of Shell and could cause those results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements included in this announcement, including (without limitation): (a) price fluctuations in crude oil and natural gas; (b) changes in demand for Shell’s products; (c) currency fluctuations; (d) drilling and production results; (e) reserves estimates; (f) loss of market share and industry competition;                     (g) environmental and physical risks; (h) risks associated with the identification of suitable potential acquisition properties and targets, and successful negotiation and completion of such transactions; (i) the risk of doing business in developing countries and countries subject to international sanctions; (j) legislative, judicial, fiscal and regulatory developments including regulatory measures addressing climate change; (k) economic and financial market conditions in various countries and regions; (l) political risks, including the risks of expropriation and renegotiation of the terms of contracts with governmental entities, delays or advancements in the approval of projects and delays in the reimbursement for shared costs; (m) risks associated with the impact of pandemics, such as the COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak; and (n) changes in trading conditions. No assurance is provided that future dividend payments will match or exceed previous dividend payments. All forward-looking statements contained in this announcement are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements contained or referred to in this section. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Additional risk factors that may affect future results are contained in Shell plc’s Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2020 (available at www.shell.com/investors and www.sec.gov). These risk factors also expressly qualify all forward-looking statements contained in this announcement and should be considered by the reader. Each forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date of this announcement, February 3, 2022. Neither Shell plc nor any of its subsidiaries undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or other information. In light of these risks, results could differ materially from those stated, implied or inferred from the forward-looking statements contained in this announcement.

The content of websites referred to in this announcement does not form part of this announcement.

We may have used certain terms, such as resources, in this announcement that the SEC strictly prohibits us from including in our filings with the SEC. Investors are urged to consider closely the disclosure in our Form 20-F, File No 1-32575, available on the SEC website www.sec.gov.

The financial information presented in this announcement does not constitute statutory accounts within the meaning of section 434(3) of the Companies Act 2006 (“the Act”). Statutory accounts for the year ended December 31, 2020 were published in Shell’s Annual Report and Accounts, a copy of which was delivered to the Registrar of Companies for England and Wales, and in Shell’s Form 20-F. The auditor’s report on those accounts was unqualified, did not include a reference to any matters to which the auditor drew attention by way of emphasis without qualifying the report and did not contain a statement under sections 498(2) or 498(3) of the Act.

The information in this announcement does not constitute the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements which are contained in Shell’s fourth quarter 2021 and full year unaudited results available on www.shell.com/investors.

CONTACTS

  • Media: International +44 207 934 5550; USA +1 832 337 4355

Synchronoss รายงานการเติบโตอย่างรวดเร็วของสมาชิกระบบคลาวด์ในไตรมาสที่สี่ของปี 2564

การดูแลลูกค้าใหม่และลูกค้าเดิมที่เพิ่มขึ้น ช่วยผลักดันการเติบโตของสมาชิก Synchronoss Cloud ขึ้น 18% ในไตรมาสที่ 4 ประจำปี 2564 เมื่อเทียบเป็นรายปี

BRIDGEWATER, N.J., Feb. 03, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Synchronoss Technologies, Inc. (“Synchronoss” หรือ “บริษัท”) (Nasdaq: SNCR) ผู้นำระดับโลกและผู้ริเริ่มผลิตภัณฑ์และแพลตฟอร์มระบบคลาวด์ การส่งข้อความ และระบบดิจิทัล ในวันนี้ได้เปิดเผยรายงานจำนวนสมาชิกที่เพิ่มขึ้น 18% ในธุรกิจ Synchronoss Cloud ในไตรมาสที่สี่ของปี 2564 เมื่อเทียบเป็นรายปี การเพิ่มขึ้น 18% แสดงถึงการเติบโตอย่างรวดเร็วเมื่อเทียบจากไตรมาสก่อนหน้า 16% และ 15% เมื่อเทียบการเติบโตในช่วงเวลาเดียวกันในปี 2563

ซึ่งแรงขับเคลื่อนสำคัญเบื้องหลังการเติบโตของสมาชิกบนระบบคลาวด์อย่างต่อเนื่องของบริษัทนั้น ประกอบด้วยการดูแลลูกค้าที่มีอยู่เพิ่มเติม เช่น Verizon, AT&T, Tracfone และ Assurant รวมถึงการลงนามของลูกค้า Synchronoss Cloud รายใหม่ในภาคธุรกิจที่ใหญ่ที่สุดและเป็นตลาดกลยุทธ์มากที่สุด ซึ่งในปี 2564 Synchronoss ได้ทำสัญญาระบบคลาวด์กับลูกค้าใหม่สี่ (4) ราย ประกอบด้วย Allstate Protection Plans, Telkomsel, TelkomSigma และ Kitamura โดยได้เปิดตัว Allstate Protection Plan ไปเมื่อปีที่แล้ว ในขณะที่ลูกค้าใหม่อีกสามรายมีกำหนดจะเปิดตัวบริการคลาวด์ในปี 2565

“ผลงานด้านสมาชิกระบบคลาวด์ที่แข็งแกร่งของเราในไตรมาสที่ 4 ของปี 2564 แสดงให้เห็นถึงความมุ่งมั่นของเราที่มีต่อ Synchronoss Cloud ในฐานะแรงขับเคลื่อนการเติบโตในอนาคตของธุรกิจของเรา” Jeff Miller ประธานและประธานกรรมการบริหารของ Synchronoss กล่าว “เรายังคงให้ความสำคัญกับแพลตฟอร์มเชิงกลยุทธ์นี้มากยิ่งขึ้นอย่างต่อเนื่อง โดยการมอบข้อเสนอใหม่ ๆ การปรับปรุงคุณสมบัติ และประสบการณ์ของผู้ใช้ เพื่อรองรับการขยายตัวทั่วโลกของเรา เราเข้าสู่ปีใหม่ด้วยโมเมนตัมจากการดำเนินงานที่แข็งแกร่ง ทำให้เรามั่นใจกับความสามารถของเราในการเพิ่มจำนวนสมาชิกอย่างแข็งแกร่งเป็นตัวเลขสองหลักในปี 2565 ซึ่งย่อมหมายถึงผลกำไรที่เติบโตมากขึ้นเมื่อเวลาผ่านไป ซึ่งมาจากการเปิดตัวลูกค้าใหม่และการเพิ่มข้อเสนอระบบคลาวด์ของลูกค้าปัจจุบัน”

Synchronoss Cloud เป็นแพลตฟอร์มไวท์เลเบลที่ช่วยให้ผู้ใช้สามารถสำรองข้อมูล ซิงค์ และจัดระเบียบรูปภาพ วิดีโอ รายชื่อติดต่อ และอื่น ๆ ระหว่างอุปกรณ์ต่าง ๆ กับระบบคลาวด์ได้ ในปัจจุบัน ข้อเสนอ Synchronoss Cloud ได้ผนวกรวมเข้ากับแผนบริการระบบพกพาและระบบมีสายมากมาย เช่นเดียวกับข้อเสนอแบบจัดชุดอื่น ๆ แพลตฟอร์มดังกล่าวนำเสนอวิธีการจัดการ แชร์ และปกป้องเนื้อหาดิจิทัลทุกประเภทอย่างปลอดภัยที่ใช้งานได้ง่ายดาย ข้อเสนอระบบคลาวด์ส่วนบุคคลที่มีคุณสมบัติหลากหลาย ทำให้ผู้ให้บริการมีโอกาสในการสร้างสรรค์บริการใหม่ ๆ มอบคุณค่าให้กับสมาชิกได้มากขึ้น สร้างความภักดีต่อแบรนด์ และเพิ่มผลกำไรของตนเองได้

Synchronoss จะให้รายละเอียดเพิ่มเติมเกี่ยวกับมาตรวัดจำนวนสมาชิกระบบคลาวด์ เมื่อแจ้งรายงานผลประกอบการทางการเงินฉบับสมบูรณ์สำหรับไตรมาสที่สี่และของปี 2564 ทั้งปีในเดือนมีนาคม โดยเราจะแจ้งรายละเอียดของการประชุมทางไกลให้ทราบล่วงหน้าก่อนงานที่จะมีขึ้นในอีกไม่กี่สัปดาห์ข้างหน้า

เกี่ยวกับ Synchronoss
Synchronoss Technologies (NASDAQ: SNCR) สร้างซอฟต์แวร์ที่ช่วยให้บริษัทต่าง ๆ ทั่วโลกสามารถเชื่อมต่อกับผู้ติดตามด้วยวิธีที่เชื่อถือได้และมีประสิทธิภาพ คอลเล็กชันผลิตภัณฑ์ของบริษัทช่วยให้เครือข่ายมีความคล่องตัว ลดความซับซ้อนของการเริ่มต้นใช้งาน และดึงดูดสมาชิกเพื่อเพิ่มกระแสรายได้ใหม่ ลดต้นทุน และเพิ่มความเร็วในการออกสู่ตลาด สมาชิกหลายร้อยล้านคนไว้วางใจให้ผลิตภัณฑ์ Synchronoss เพื่อเชื่อมโยงกับบุคคล บริการ และเนื้อหาที่พวกเขาชื่นชอบ นั่นเป็นเหตุผลที่พนักงาน Synchronoss มากความสามารถมากกว่า 1,500 คนทั่วโลกพยายามอย่างหนักในทุก ๆ วันเพื่อสร้างโลกที่เชื่อมโยงกัน เรียนรู้เพิ่มเติมที่ www.synchronoss.com

ผู้ติดต่องานสื่อมวลชนสัมพันธ์:
Domenick Cilea
Springboard
dcilea@springboardpr.com

ผู้ติดต่องานนักลงทุนสัมพันธ์:
Matt Glover และ Tom Colton
Gateway Group, Inc.
SNCR@gatewayir.com

Align Technology Continues to Revolutionize Orthodontic and Restorative Dental Treatment Planning With Invisalign System Innovations For the Align Digital Platform That Enhance Practice Efficiency, Doctor-Patient Engagement, and Treatment Outcomes

  • ClinCheck Live Update for 3D controls enables real-time ClinCheck treatment plan modifications that improve practice productivity significantly, while also improving quality of treatment plans
  • Invisalign Practice App provides mobile integration with the Invisalign Doctor Site (IDS) and enables doctors to manage their practice at their fingertips.
  • Invisalign Personalized Plan (IPP) automatically applies a doctor’s specific treatment preferences for comprehensive cases, enhancing efficiency and step-changing treatment planning consistency.
  • Invisalign Smile Architect software is designed for GP dentists to create and visualize orthodontic-restorative treatment plans for their patients using iTero digital scans, and wide-smile photo on the Invisalign Go platform. (TDA, Technical Design Assessment, GA in Q422.)

TEMPE, Ariz., Feb. 02, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Align Technology, Inc. (“Align”) (Nasdaq: ALGN) a leading global medical device company that designs, manufactures, and sells the Invisalign system of clear aligners, iTero intraoral scanners, and exocad CAD/CAM software for digital orthodontics and restorative dentistry, today announced Invisalign system innovations for the Align Digital Platform, a proprietary combination of software, systems, and services designed to provide a seamless experience and workflow that integrates and connects all users – doctors, labs, patients, and consumers. These new Invisalign system innovations include ClinCheck Live Update for 3D controls, the Invisalign Practice App, Invisalign Personalized Plan (IPP), and Invisalign Smile Architect, and will revolutionize digital treatment planning for orthodontics and restorative dentistry by providing doctors with greater flexibility, consistency of treatment preferences, and real-time treatment plan access and modification capabilities. Each of these innovations is designed to enhance Invisalign treatment planning quality, efficiency, and scale, and contribute to a better doctor-patient engagement and treatment outcomes.

Raj Pudipeddi, Align Technology chief product and marketing officer, senior vice president and managing director, Asia Pacific said, “Align is proud to be at the forefront of digital orthodontics and dentistry, building an integrated platform of digital products and services that provides a seamless solution to doctors to efficiently and effectively treat their patients and build their practices. Today’s announcement of new Invisalign system innovations for the Align Digital Platform reflects our commitment to continuous innovation. By reimagining the end-to-end Invisalign treatment planning experience, simplifying every step, and enabling doctors to more easily connect with their patients, we are delivering on our vision of a truly seamless Align Digital Platform that helps our doctors transform smiles and change lives.”

Sreelakshmi Kolli, Align Technology senior vice president and chief digital officer said, “It is through the convergence of advancements in digital technology, Align’s unique capabilities and know-how, and data from millions of Invisalign patients, that we are able to bring these new Invisalign innovations to our customers this year. The journey to deliver ClinCheck Live Update and Invisalign Personalized Plan has taken thousands of combined person years of development, testing, and learning and is only possible through the experience, data, and insights we have gained from over 12 million Invisalign cases. Across our innovations, we are using a combination of AI and automation, to reimagine what the treatment planning experience looks like for our doctor customers and augmenting their expertise and experience to help them create, personalize, and modify Invisalign treatment plans more efficiently and more consistently than ever before. What used to take several days can now be accomplished in just in a few minutes, and is a huge productivity win for doctors and their patients.”

Dr. Mitra Derakhshan, Align Technology vice president Global Clinical said, “We know that every Invisalign trained doctor has distinct preferences, every patient is unique, and treatment plans can vary depending on a variety of factors, such as type of malocclusion, patient age and desired outcome. Because of that, doctors spend time planning, reviewing, and modifying their ClinCheck plans, and it multiplies with practice growth. IPP and ClinCheck Live Update for 3D controls are game changing innovations that represent a step-change in digital treatment planning to help doctors achieve more personalized ClinCheck treatment plans. By using 3D controls, doctors can see greater efficiency with changes reflected in real time. Invisalign Smile Architect combines facially driven and ortho-restorative treatment planning within the power the ClinCheck software providing flexibility across treatment planning to address a variety of patient needs, whether it may be orthodontic, restorative, or ortho-restorative combined. It allows doctors to share their vision with patients, and use digital technology and tools to achieve the best quality clinical outcomes for their patients.”

A description and link to more information regarding the new Invisalign innovations for the Align Digital Platform is provided below:

ClinCheck Live Update for 3D controls – modifying digital treatment plans 24/7 in real-time

ClinCheck Live Update is a ground-breaking new feature in ClinCheck Pro that enables doctors to generate modified Invisalign patient treatment plans in real time, transforming a doctor’s treatment planning experience. With this feature, doctors can use 3D controls to make changes to a ClinCheck plan and see these changes in a revised treatment plan in about two minutes. This eliminates weeks of back and forth interactions between doctors and Align CAD designers, and also communicates the doctor’s clinical intent more accurately. Once the doctors like the modifications they made to a treatment plan in real time, they can immediately approve the modified Invisalign treatment plan allowing manufacturing into Invisalign clear aligners to begin.

ClinCheck Live Update for 3D controls is enabled for select products, including Invisalign Comprehensive, Invisalign Moderate, Invisalign Lite, Invisalign Express 7, and Additional Aligner Orders (case refinements). There are no limits to the number of modifications that can be made with ClinCheck Live Update.

Additional information will be available after general release in late Q2 2022.

The Invisalign Practice App – putting practices at the doctors; fingertips

The Invisalign Practice App is a new mobile companion to the Invisalign Doctor Site (IDS) that streamlines practice workflow by putting many of the Invisalign treatment features that doctors use daily such as photo capture, Invisalign Virtual Care, Invisalign Virtual Appointment and Invisalign SmileView simulation into one convenient app. The intuitive user interface also allows them to manage and prioritize tasks such as ClinCheck treatment plans awaiting approval and prescriptions ready for submission.

For more details on The Invisalign Practice App please visit: https://www.invisalign.com/provider/virtual-solutions/practice-app.

Invisalign Personalized Plan (IPP) – automatically applying doctor’s clinical treatment preferences

Invisalign Personalized Plan (IPP) is a new proprietary technology feature in ClinCheck Pro software designed to streamline the treatment planning process and help doctors achieve their desired treatment plans more consistently and efficiently. It combines automated and near real-time ClinCheck treatment planning software with the creation and management of doctor-specific treatment preferences, such as doctor’s prescription choices, clinical preferences, and special instructions that should be applied across certain indications or case types, such as teen cases, or malocclusions such as open bite versus deep bite, and more.

IPP gives doctors an unprecendented level of personalized preferences and instructions built into their treatment planning from the very first ClinCheck plan they receive, which improves treatment planning quality as well as patient outcomes.

Due to the individual nature of each doctors’ approach to different cases, IPP is being scaled gradually in phases across our customer population.

Invisalign Smile Architect – creating ortho-restorative treatment plans with Invisalign Go

Invisalign Smile Architect delivers ortho-restorative treatment planning with a facially-driven treatment planning approach. It combines iTero intraoral scans, facial photos, and ClinCheck software to help doctors create treatment plans that integrate orthodontics and restorative treatments for their patients. With the powerful ClinCheck In-Face Visualization tool, doctors receive a facial rendering that they can use for treatment planning and help patients visualize their smile after both Invisalign treatment and restorative dental treatment.

Ortho-restorative treatment represents a growing opportunity for general dentists, as it provides doctors with a single ecosystem for combined visual orthodontic treatment planning plus restorative dental care. Currently, approximately 45 percent of restorative cases in North America can benefit from orthodontic treatment*.

Designed for GP dentists exclusively on the Invisalign Go platform, Invisalign Smile Architect assists doctors in planning an end-to-end solution for their patients, with minimally invasive treatment plans that preserve the healthy, natural tooth structure and also deliver better treatment outcomes.

Invisalign Smile Architect is being piloted on the full line of Invisalign Go offerings only. Additional information will be available at general release anticipated in Q4 22.

*Data on File at Align Technology as of Sept 20, 2017. Based on survey data of current Dental Practitioners in the USA, doctors (n=251) were asked “What percent of the patient cases for prosthodontic procedures (ie veneers, implants, bridges, partials) would have benefited from a better initial position of the teeth?” (n=251). An average of 45% was developed from the doctor’s responses.

About Align Technology, Inc.

Align Technology designs, manufactures and offers the Invisalign system, the most advanced clear aligner system in the world, iTero intraoral scanners and services, and exocad CAD/CAM software. These technology building blocks enable enhanced digital orthodontic and restorative workflows to improve patient outcomes and practice efficiencies for over 212 thousand doctor customers and is key to accessing Align’s 500 million consumer market opportunity worldwide. Align has helped doctors treat over 12.2 million patients with the Invisalign system and is driving the evolution in digital dentistry through the Align Digital Platform, our integrated suite of unique, proprietary technologies and services delivered as a seamless, end-to-end solution for patients and consumers, orthodontists and GP dentists, and lab/partners. Visit www.aligntech.com for more information.

For additional information about the Invisalign system or to find an Invisalign doctor in your area, please visit www.invisalign.com. For additional information about iTero digital scanning system, please visit www.itero.com. For additional information about exocad dental CAD/CAM offerings and a list of exocad reseller partners, please visit www.exocad.com.

Forward-Looking Statements
This news release contains forward-looking statements including statements regarding new product updates and releases and our beliefs and expectations regarding their availability, features, functionalities, and anticipated benefits. Forward-looking statements contained in this news release relating to expectations about future events or results are based upon information available to Align as of the date hereof. Readers are cautioned that these forward-looking statements are only predictions and are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. As a result, actual results may differ materially and adversely from those expressed in any forward-looking statement.

Factors that might cause such a difference include, but are not limited to:

  • the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the health and safety of our employees, customers, patients, and our suppliers, as well as the physical and economic impacts of the various recommendations, orders, and protocols issued by local and national governmental agencies in light of continual evolution of the pandemic, including any periodic reimplementation of preventative measures in various global locations;
  • difficulties predicting customer and consumer purchasing behavior and changes in consumer spending habits as a result of, among other things, prevailing economic conditions, levels of employment, salaries and wages, inflation and consumer confidence, particularly in light of the pandemic and as pandemic-related restrictions are eased regionally and globally;
  • the possibility that the development and release of new products or enhancements to existing products do not proceed in accordance with the anticipated timeline or may themselves contain bugs or errors requiring remediation and that the market for the sale of these new or enhanced products may not develop as expected; unexpected or rapid changes in the growth or decline of our domestic and/or international markets;
  • increasing competition from existing and new competitors;
  • rapidly evolving and groundbreaking advances that fundamentally alter the dental industry or the way new and existing customers market and provide products and services to consumers;
  • the ability to protect our intellectual property rights;
  • continued compliance with regulatory requirements;
  • declines in, or the slowing of the growth of, sales of our intraoral scanners domestically and/or internationally and the impact either would have on the adoption of Invisalign products;
  • the willingness and ability of our customers to maintain and/or increase product utilization in sufficient numbers;
  • the impact of excess or constrained capacity at our manufacturing and treat operations facilities and pressure on our internal systems and personnel;
  • the compromise of customer and/or patient data for any reason;
  • foreign operational, political, military and other risks relating to our operations; and
  • the loss of key personnel, labor shortages or work stoppages for us or our suppliers.

The foregoing and other risks are detailed from time to time in our periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including, but not limited to, our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020, which was filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on February 26, 2021 and our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2021, which was filed with the SEC on November 2, 2021. Align undertakes no obligation to revise or update publicly any forward-looking statements for any reason.

Align Technology Zeno Group
Madelyn Valente Sarah Johnson
(408) 470-1180 (828) 551-4201
mvalente@aligntech.com sarah.johnson@zenogroup.com

HEVĒ, Part of [INVNT GROUP], to Launch “ORIGINS” A Division Dedicated to Accelerating Growth for Start-Ups

The Global BrandStory Creators appoint SVP of Growth Strategies, Bill Stump, to lead “ORIGINS by HEVĒ” to launch, accelerate or reboot emerging BrandStories in the innovative health, wellness, and fitness industry

New York, NY, Feb. 02, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — HEVĒ, pronounced “heavy”, is a global and specialized creative agency and production studio built to create BrandStories. Since its launch 3 years ago, HEVĒ has experienced rapid growth across industry sectors taking BrandStories to new heights. Today, they announce the launch of a new agency focus “ORIGINS by HEVĒ” dedicated to innovative start-ups in the health, wellness, and fitness space. Why ORIGINS? Because every great story starts at the beginning.

The 2021 market closed with a record-breaking $44 Billion raised globally in health innovation, doubled funding year-over-year, and a 20x increase in the last ten years (Source: Startup Health Insights). Digital health has been experiencing historic growth as a category, but there is an agency gap. In response, HEVĒ developed a dedicated solution for early-stage companies to enter the market in a meaningful way.  An agency that serves as Brand Guardians to develop the identity, craft the story, and buy effective media, and an in-house studio that serves as Brand Creators to produce premium, yet efficient, original content for these companies.

ORIGINS by HEVĒ will be headed up by seasoned health and wellness expert, Bill Stump as Senior Vice President of Growth Strategies. Stump has over 20 years of deep media and agency experience, and an extensive background representing clients through his role as CEO and board member for digital physical therapy brand Egoscue Inc. In three years, Stump led the company through a complete rebranding process that doubled revenue and increased valuation +500% without outside investment. Through this experience, Stump gained invaluable knowledge of the challenges and opportunities early-stage health tech companies face and what they need in order to grow.

“Joining the HEVĒ team to pursue this growth venture with founder-led businesses is exactly what emerging health, wellness and fitness brands need today. HEVĒ is extending their historic storytelling expertise with iconic brands to smaller businesses with big aspirations, which could be a pivotal game changer for these emerging brands”, said Bill Stump.

Previously, Stump held senior positions at Men’s Health, Women’s Health, and Prevention. He developed and launched 26 international editions of Men’s Health in Europe, Asia, and Latin America. Stump also inaugurated and operated Rodale Inc.’s first-ever New Product Development team to incubate, build, test, and bring new brands and products to market – successes included YogaLife and Women’s Health.

On the new focus, CEO of HEVĒ, Chris Hercik, states “As individuals and brands, our origin story is the one thing that is unique and original to us. HEVĒ’s origin story began with the idea that great stories carry great weight, and if you have the right trifecta of talent, you can truly focus on telling BrandStories less told and create meaningful impact for your business. Now, we are extending that same method to the origin stories of new entrants in the digital health market.”

#####

About HEVĒ

HEVĒ, The Global BrandStory Creators, is part of [INVNT GROUP]™. Pronounced “heavy”, HEVĒ is a small but mighty creative agency and production studio built specifically to be the creators and guardians of your BrandStory. As Brand Guardians, HEVĒ Agency shows partners that anything imagined can be real if it led by a story, powered by strategy, and grounded in expertise. As Creators, HEVĒ Studios is on a mission to create the uncreated and ensure its well-made because Great Stories Carry Great Weight. HEVĒ is known for its innovative approach to telling BrandStories for valued partners such as SHRM, L’Oréal, FOX, Sports Illustrated, PatientPoint and many more. For more information visit www.hevestudios.com

About [INVNT GROUP]

[INVNT GROUP] was established in 2020, as an evolution of the founding global live brand storytelling agency INVNT in 2008, with a vision to provide consistent, meaningful, well-articulated BrandStory across all platforms. With offices in New York, Sydney, London, Singapore, San Francisco, Sydney, Stockholm, Detroit, and Washington D.C.; headed by President and CEO, Scott Cullather, [INVNT GROUP], THE GLOBAL BRANDSTORY PROJECT™ represents a growing portfolio of complementary disciplines designed to help forward-thinking organizations everywhere, impact the audiences that matter, anywhere. The GROUP consists of modern brand strategy firm, Folk Hero; creative-led culture consultancy, Meaning; branded content studio and content marketing agency HEVĒ, INVNT Higher Ed; events for colleges and universities, and the original live brand storytelling agency, INVNT. For more information about [INVNT GROUP], visit: www.invntgroup.com.

Attachment

Jhonathan Mendez de Leon
[INVNT GROUP]
1.347.819.2089
jmendezdeleon@invnt.com

Shendi Katro
HEVĒ
1.857.237.6565
skatro@hevestudios.com

Chinese police arrest three Tibetan pilgrims for state secrets

Chinese authorities in Sichuan province have arrested three Tibetan Buddhists they claim were in possession of “politically sensitive information” as they returned from a pilgrimage, Tibetan sources in exile say.

Asang, Dodra, and Nortso were interrogated by police on Jan. 10 while traveling home from the sprawling Larung Gar Tibetan Buddhist Academy in Sichuan’s Serta (in Chinese, Seda) county and later arrested, a source told RFA’s Tibetan Service, speaking on condition of anonymity.

“Their cellphones were examined by police in Draggo (Luhuo) county in the Kardze (Ganzi) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture and all three of them were arrested for ‘possessing politically sensitive information and pictures,’” the source said.

“They were handed over to police in Chamdo [prefecture] and are currently held at the Chamdo Police Station.”

A second Tibetan in exile, who also declined to be named, told RFA that the content on their phones was related to the destruction since late last month of a three-story statue of Maitreya Buddha at Gaden Namyal Ling monastery in Drago.

“They were interrogated by the police in Drago when they were arrested,” the source said.

“The police looked into all the group chat apps on their cellphones and charged them for keeping videos and pictures of the recent destruction of the Buddhist statue in Drago and also using those images as their screensaver wallpaper.”

The confirmation of the removal of the statue of Maitreya, believed by Tibetan Buddhists to be a Buddha appearing in a future age, follows RFA’s verification earlier this month of the destruction of a 99-foot tall statue 900 meters (2,700 feet) away.

Chinese authorities forced monks from local monasteries and Tibetans living in nearby towns to witness the demolition of the statue and 45 traditional prayer wheels, which began on Dec. 12 and continued for the next nine days, Tibetan sources in exile said, citing contacts in the area.

The three-story statue and the structure housing it were both torn down around the same time as the 99-foot Buddha, which authorities said was too tall, a Tibetan living in exile told RFA, citing contacts in Drago.

Drago county chief Wang Dongsheng had been present at the statue’s destruction and witnessed the brutal police beating of local Tibetans objecting to the demolition, sources said. Wang had earlier overseen a campaign of destruction of the Larung Gar Buddhist Academy in a move that saw thousands of monks and nuns expelled and homes destroyed.

Other Drago arrests

Authorities in China maintain a tight lockdown on the flow of information in and out of the country’s Tibetan regions, and it can often take weeks to learn of arrests and other incidents through the exile community.

A third source in exile recently told RFA that authorities had also detained a Buddhist nun named Lobsang Tsomo and “a few other Tibetans” in Drago county on Sept. 18 last year “for having communicated with Tibetans in exile.”

“They were beaten and tortured while they were in prison and released after more than three months,” the source said.

“Despite their release, Lobsang Tsomo and the others who were released from prison are barred from leaving their county and remain under scrutiny by authorities,” they added.

The destruction of the statues in Drago county and other religious sites signal a growing pattern of Chinese control over traditional Tibetan religious practice and increasing attempts by Beijing to recast Tibetan Buddhism as a Chinese faith, experts and observers say.

Formerly an independent nation, Tibet was invaded and incorporated into China by force 70 years ago.

Tibetans living in Tibet and in Tibetan areas of western Chinese provinces frequently complain of political, economic, and religious discrimination as well as human rights abuses and say they fear Beijing is pursuing ever more aggressive policies aimed at eradicating their national and cultural identity.

Translated by Tenzin Dickyi for RFA’s Tibetan Service. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.

Interview: Hong Kong with political prisoners is ‘the sad reality now’

U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley is chair of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC), a body set up in 2000 to monitor China’s compliance with international human rights standards, to promote the development of rule of law in China, and to maintain a list of victims of human rights abuses in China. He spoke to Carmen Wu of RFA’s Cantonese Service in Wednesday about the #OlympicPrisoner social media project highlighting cases of political prisoners drawn from the CECC’s Political Prisoner Database during the Feb. 4-18  Beijing Winter Olympics. The senator from Oregon also discussed human rights developments in Xinjiang, Hong Kong and other parts of China in the year since he took over the helm of the bipartisan CECC. The interview has been edited for length.

RFA: Can you explain how the CECC came up with the #OlympicPrisoner social media project

Merkley: It’s of great concern that the Winter Olympics are being held in China, and China is using the glitz and glamor of Olympic gold to distract attention from their horrific human rights abuses, abuses that include the enslavement of the Uyghur ethnic community, certainly the treatment of Tibet, the crushing of political rights in Hong Kong and the treatment of journalists, human rights lawyers and other advocates. So this is a piece of that overall effort to draw attention to these concerns. And specifically, the Olympic prisoner project includes highlighting some 60 individuals representing all aspects of that oppression. I am so disturbed that the Olympics are being used to help a country obscure, hide or overlook its horrific treatment of individuals.

RFA: I noticed that there are a lot of retweets on the post about Hong Kong political prisoners like Joshua Wong. It has been retweeted more than 400 times.

Merkley: We certainly do have a significant Hong Kong diaspora that is helping to illuminate the loss of rights and the fight for those human rights and freedom of the press in Hong Kong. The crackdowns in recent years have necessitated that for the first time, the Congressional Executive Commission on China includes Hong Kong political prisoners on the commission’s political prisoner database. I never thought I’d see the day when that would be necessary, but that is the sad reality now. And even as we advocate for those who are currently detained, we need to protect those who are fleeing persecution. It’s why I’m working with my colleagues to open up humanitarian pathways for people of Hong Kong to find safe haven in the United States, safe haven elsewhere.

RFA: How did you decide which 60 cases to be highlighted from the database?

Merkley:We have over 10,000 files, and over 2,000 of those individuals in that database are currently in prison. And so it has grown significantly as China’s abuse has grown significantly. We have a professional, nonpartisan staff, so this is Democrats and Republicans working together to provide as representative sample as possible. And so they selected cases of Hongkongers, Uyghurs, Tibetans, advocates for religious freedom, human rights lawyers who have been detained and locked up, journalists, environmental advocates, civil society, women’s rights defenders and workers’ rights defenders.

RFA: The Olympics are right around the corner. What message do you want to tell the U.S. athletes competing in Beijing about the situation in China?

Merkley: I say to the athletes, if you’re aware of the circumstances in China, you will do a great service to the world if you draw attention to them while you’re at the games. The protection of the International Olympic Committee has now promised to give you to speak up on behalf of the Uyghur community, the Tibetans, the imprisoned human rights lawyers, imprisoned journalists, the crushing of rights in Hong Kong. As you choose, if one speaks to your heart and you want to highlight it, please do so. The only way freedom thrives in this world is for us to resist oppression in every form, and you can use your special status as an incredible athlete at this moment when the world is paying attention to draw attention to these horrific circumstances that are underway in the host nation.