Principles, Ideas and Discussion on Transit-Oriented Development

TOD is the key to more efficient, sustainable, and equitable communities because it prioritizes the “3Cs”: compact, coordinated and connected. By following a TOD approach, decision makers and urban planners can strengthen their communities.

Survey on Defined Benefit Pension Plan & Insurer's Outlook On Investment Returns

1. A defined benefit pension plan is a type of pension plan in which an employer/sponsor promises a specified pension payment, lump-sum (or combination thereof) on retirement that is predetermined by a formula based on the employee's earnings history, tenure of service and age, rather than depending directly on individual investment returns. 

2. Traditionally, many governmental and public entities, as well as a large number of corporations, provided defined benefit plans, sometimes as a means of compensating workers in lieu of increased pay.

3. Over time, these plans may face deficits or surpluses between the money currently in their plans and the total amount of their pension obligations. Contributions may be made by the employee, the employer, or both. In many defined benefit plans the employer bears the investment risk and can benefit from surpluses.

[U.S. China Trade War] Opportunity for Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia is seeing a boom in foreign direct investment as the intensifying trade war between the U.S. and China prompts companies to shift production to the region.

Product Spotlight - Bio Plastics - Part 3 - Plastic Spectrum and Biodegradability

Generally, “bioplastic” are made from renewable resources such as corn, sugars, potatoes, etc. There are four types of degradable plastics

Product Spotlight - Bio Plastics - Part 2 - Summary of Advantages and Disadvantages

Products made from bioplastic look, behave and feel like conventional clear plastic products. The use of bioplastics has become increasingly popular. Let’s have a look at the advantages and disadvantages.

Product Spotlight - Bio Plastics - Part 1 - Harmonised Standards For Bioplastics

1. Standardisation is an effort of industrial stakeholders to define criteria for the description of products and services. The idea is to ease the competition and the commercial growth by overcoming barriers that result from unclear or incompatible specifications.

2. The use of standards is voluntary, which means that it is within the sovereignty of a company to seek the compliance with a standard or not. In the latter case, however, it is not allowed to make the reference to the standard.

3. Certain European standards are called harmonised standards. This means that the European Commission mandated the European Standardisation Organisation CEN to elaborate the content of the standard.

Product Spotlight - Thin-wall injection molding

1. Thin wall injection molding is a specialized form of conventional injection molding that focuses on mass-producing plastic parts that are thin and light so that material cost savings can be made and cycle times can be as short as possible. Shorter cycle times means higher productivity and lower costs per part.

2. The definition of thin wall is really about the size of the part compared to its wall thickness. For any particular plastic part, as the wall thickness reduces the harder it is to manufacture using the injection molding process. The size of a part puts a limit on how thin the wall thickness can be. For packaging containers thin wall means wall thicknesses that are less than 0.025 inch (0.62mm) with a flow length to wall thickness greater than 200.

Overall Equipment Effectiveness

1. OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness) is the gold standard for measuring manufacturing productivity. Simply put – it identifies the percentage of manufacturing time that is truly productive. An OEE score of 100% means you are manufacturing only Good Parts, as fast as possible, with no Stop Time. In the language of OEE that means 100% Quality (only Good Parts), 100% Performance (as fast as possible), and 100% Availability (no Stop Time).

2. Measuring OEE is a manufacturing best practice. By measuring OEE and the underlying losses, you will gain important insights on how to systematically improve your manufacturing process. OEE is the single best metric for identifying losses, benchmarking progress, and improving the productivity of manufacturing equipment (i.e., eliminating waste).

OEE, OOE, AND TEEP

1. OEE is measured by combining a machine’s performance, availability, and quality.  In this way, OEE helps you to identify potential losses and understand where your process is falling short.  But OEE alone is just the first step to fully understanding your performance.

2. Today we will explore two other important and related metrics to help round out your continuous improvement strategy: Overall Operations Effectiveness (OOE) and Total Effective Equipment Performance (TEEP).   

Income Tax (Exemption) (No. 11) Order 2006 [P.U.(A) 112/2006] Income Tax Act, 1967 AND Income Tax Act, 1967 (PART IX) EXEMPTIONS, REMISSION AND OTHER RELIEF

Understanding Manufacturing Productivity, Difficulties in Measuring, & Productivity vs Efficiency

1. Productivity is defined as outputs ÷ inputs. Productivity increases when the same quantity of inputs results in more outputs, or when you get the same output quantity using fewer inputs.

2. When calculating productivity at a whole economy scale, economists often measure the ratio of gross domestic product (GDP) to labour hours.

3. Similarly, productivity in manufacturing measures the number of units produced or net sales, relative to employee labour hours.

4. It’s important to note that measuring labour hours as the sole input is only a partial measure of productivity. In practical terms, this is a useful benchmark, as labour is an input to almost all production. However it does not capture the full productivity picture, and other measures including Capital Productivity, Multifactor Productivity and Total Productivity are also used (see below).

[U.S. China Trade War] Trump & FDI

1. Trump is hurting American firms that have outsourced to China in the hope of bringing manufacturing back to the US. Beijing has to give US firms reasons to stay.

Licensed Manufacturer Warehouse (LMW/ GPB)

1. Gudang Pengilangan Berlesen (GPB) merupakan gudang yang dilesenkan di bawah seksyen 65/65A Akta Kastam 1967 untuk menjalankan aktiviti pengilangan dan penggudangan barangan keluaran yang berorientasikan eksport. 

2. Permohonan untuk menikmati kemudahan ini hendaklah dikemukakan kepada Pejabat Kastam yang berhampiran dengan premis pengilangan dan tertakluk kepada syarat-syarat dan prosedur permohonan yang ditentukan. 

3. Di bawah kemudahan ini pengilangan akan diberi pengecualian ke atas bahan mentah/komponen dan mesin serta peralatan yang digunakan secara langsung di dalam proses pengilangan untuk menghasilkan suatu keluaran siap yang baru. 

4. Bayaran lesen Gudang akan dikenakan sebanyak RM 1,200 setahun, manakala fee lesen mengilang dikecualikan. 

5. Pemegang lesen GPB hendaklah mengemukakan jaminan bank bagi yang mengilang barangan yang dikatogerikan sebagai barangan kritikal dan bon am bagi barangan bukan kritikal. 

6. Hanya pemegang lesen GPB dibenar menjalankan aktiviti-aktiviti yang diluluskan selain daripada akltiviti pengilangan di dalam premisnya dan tertakluk kepada syarat-syarat tertentu. 

7. Pemegang lesen GPB juga dibenar membuat jualan tempatan dan barangan tersebut adalah dianggap s​eolah-olah ianya diimport. 

8. Oleh itu,pengenaan   duti/cukai akan dikenakan sebelum barangan tersebut dilepaskan.

Reinvestment Allowance and Accelerated Capital Allowance (ACA)

1. With effect from the year of assessment 2009, a company or a person has to be in operation for not less than 36 months to be eligible for RA.

Raw & Manufactured Materials: 2018 Overview

1. The production of many key raw materials has declined recently, while others are finding opportunities through new production processes and applications.

2. The production of many key raw materials has declined, while others are finding opportunities through new production processes and applications. Here you’ll find production and import/export information, as well as details regarding applications and future trends.

Dubai Investment Development Agency

1. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister, in his capacity as Ruler of Dubai, issued a law establishing the Dubai Investment Development Agency which will be affiliated to the Department of Economic Development in Dubai.

2. Under the law, the Agency will be tasked with reviewing and analysing the investment climate in the emirate, identifying investment opportunities and impediments to their growth, as well as dealing with any obstacles.

3. Article 12 of the law dictates that preferential advantages, including incentives and exemptions, be granted for investment projects in areas including infrastructure, industrial, social, educational and healthcare.

Self-Employed and Pension Scheme

1. New research from Prudential shows that self-employed workers are heading towards a pension saving crisis as they cannot afford to save for their retirement.

Product Spotlight - Ethylene bis stearamide (EBS)

1. Ethylene bis stearamide (EBS) is an organic compound with the formula (CH2NHC(O)C17H35)2. It is a waxy white solid and is also found as powder or beads that is widely used as a form release agent. The compound is derived from the reaction of ethylenediamine and stearic acid. It is a white solid of low toxicity that provides a slippery coating for a variety of applications.

2. EBS is a synthetic wax used as a dispersing agent or internal/external lubricant for benefits in plastic applications to facilitate and stabilize the dispersion of solid compounding materials to enhance processability, to decrease friction and abrasion of the polymer surface, and to contribute color stability and polymer degradation.

Product Spotlight - Starlinger recycling technology

Austrian recycling equipment manufacturer - Starlinger recycling technology

[U.S. China Trade War] Ripple Effect

1. President Donald Trump's trade saber-rattling and protectionist economic policies are discouraging the flow of overseas money into job-creating US investments as foreigners grow worried about what an unpredictable government may do next.


2. The administration turned to the previously rarely deployed section 232 national security provision of the 1962 Trade Expansion Act to impose tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, and now uses it to threaten crippling duties on car imports. Trump is also turning to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the US, or CFIUS, as a way to limit foreign investment in sensitive technologies.