Philippines launches FIST Act for Banks and Financial Institutions

1. On February 16, 2021, the Philippines government issued the Financial Institutions Strategic Transfer (FIST) Act to facilitate banks and financial institutions (FIs) to dispose of their non-performing assets (NPAs) and non-performing loans (NPLs) through transfers to FIST Corporations (FISTC).

2. The FIST Act is among the government’s priority legislation to strengthen the financial sector and enable banks and financial institutions to extend credit to more sectors and thus stimulating much-needed economic growth. 

3. FISTC are asset management firms similar to special purpose vehicles and have been given the power to collect, dispose of, manage, and operate NPAs acquired from FIs under the FIST Act.

4. Through this measure, the government expects that the recovery of these financial institutions would spill over to other affected sectors of the community and help keep the economy afloat.

Consumer Insights & Trends Affecting Your Business

1. Euromonitor International has identified five key consumer insights from the results of its Voice of the Consumer: Lifestyles Survey. The survey was fielded to over 40,000 respondents in 40 countries worldwide in early 2021.

2.Consumers are demanding that companies care beyond revenue; they no longer perceive businesses as profit-driven entities. Protecting the health and interest of society and the planet is the new expectation, in order to Build Back Better. Companies should help reshape the world in a more sustainable way, leading a shift from a volume- to a value-driven economy and turning the tide on social inequity and environmental damage.

3. Global consumers are more focused on value, emotional wellbeing and hybrid lifestyles across the physical and digital worlds. Companies that can respond and align to these needs will be better placed to succeed and grow. With lessons learnt from the pandemic and the global recession, it is vital to prevent future shocks and disruption to your business.

Impact from Indonesia's ban on Nickel Ore Export

1. Nickel prices skyrocketed on the expectations of a shortage on the global market provoked by the increase in demand that outpaces the supply growth. The rebound in the steel industry and rising electric vehicle manufacturing drive nickel consumption. 

2. Indonesia, the largest nickel ore producer worldwide, banned exports of the ore and thus achieved a record output of refined nickel. 

3. Indonesia, the leading global producer of nickel ore, reduced its volume of mine production from 853К to 760К tonnes, banned the export of unprocessed nickel ore and increased the refined nickel production to 636K tonnes. 

4. According to World Bank, the average nickel price in the first half of 2021 reached $17,489 per tonne, which was 27% higher than the 2020’s average price of $13,787 per tonne.

5. Rising demand from the recovering steel industry and from emerging electric car manufacturing provokes the price rally, while the supply is expected to be insufficient in the immediate term due to a decrease in the mined output.

Equitable Transit-Oriented Development (ETOD) Pilot Program & Public-Private Partnership Housing Development

1. A new Equitable Transit-Oriented Development (ETOD) Pilot Program to support community-driven projects that promote healthy, affordable, and accessible development near transit. The pilot program supports the implementation of the City of Chicago’s recently adopted ETOD Policy Plan.  

2. Three-part ETOD plan was developed over the last two years to foster more equitable transit-oriented development citywide. The plan’s goals include driving investment in transit-oriented projects on the South, West, and Southwest sides while also preventing displacement and promoting affordability in the North and Northwest sides of the city.  

REITs in China & Philippines

1. Singapore is currently leading the trading of REITs in Southeast Asia,as the country has established itself as a hub for these companies for two decades with over 42 listed REITs.

2. Although the Singaporean REITs market suffered an initial blow because of the effects of the Covid-19 outbreak, it has recently reopened to resume global expansion. 

3. Another Southeast Asian country with an established REIT market is Indonesia, which currently has three listed REITs. Its REIT industry is obviously still very young compared to Singapore’s, as Indonesian legislators have yet to attract more entities by offering attractive investments.

4. Although the Singaporean REITs market suffered an initial blow because of the effects of the Covid-19 outbreak, it has recently reopened to resume global expansion. Another Southeast Asian country with an established REIT market is Indonesia, which currently has three listed REITs. Its REIT industry is obviously still very young compared to Singapore’s, as Indonesian legislators have yet to attract more entities by offering attractive investments.

Hard costs v soft costs, Front-loaded costs in Project Management

1. The term ‘front-loaded’ refers to costs that are applied disproportionately to elements of the work that take place early on during a project or part of a project.

2. There are a wide variety of different construction costs that must be built into a project’s budget. Many of these can be divided into two categories; hard costs and soft costs.

Asian Nations & China Plus One’ Strategy

1. In Q2 2021, the China-U.S. trade war and the COVID-19 pandemic laid bare the need for companies to diversify supply chains outside of China.

2. This has given rise to the “China plus one” strategy, in which multinational firms are moving to other countries, in addition to China. Some Asian countries have put forward plans to attract overseas investment as companies look for another center of production or distribution. 

3. These include Thailand, Malaysia, and Vietnam, which have introduced preferential policies for overseas firms investing in the country.

Electric Vehicle & Charging Station Market Analysis and Forecast

1. The Global Electric Vehicle Market size is projected to grow from 4,093 thousand units in 2021 to 34,756 thousand units by 2030, at a CAGR of 26.8%.

2. Factors such as growing demand for low emission commuting and governments supporting long range, zero emission vehicles through subsidies & tax rebates have compelled the manufacturers to provide electric vehicles around the world.

3. This has led to a growing demand for electric vehicles in the market. Countries around the world have set up targets for emission reductions according to their own capacity.

4. This has led to a growing demand for electric vehicles in the market. Countries around the world have set up targets for emission reductions according to their own capacity.

5. The market in Asia Pacific is projected to experience steady growth owing to the high demand for lower cost-efficient and low-emission vehicles, while the North American and European market is fast-growing markets due to the government initiatives and growing high-performance Passenger vehicle segment. 

6. However, the low presence of EV charging stations and hydrogen fuel stations, higher costs involved in initial investments, and performance constraints could hamper the growth of the global electric vehicle market.

IOT Security Issues & Software Implementation

1. IoT (Internet of Things) is a relatively new concept for companies of all industries. IoT software integrates with critical business systems (e.g., ordering systems, robotics, scheduling, and more) to enhance the execution of related tasks.

2. The main idea is to reduce operational costs while collecting and analyzing data so that processes can be optimized and goals can be achieved. All too often, what starts out as a simple task evolves into a number of challenges that must be overcome to reach the desired result.

3. About 60% of enterprises are already implementing IoT, but only 30% are ready to say they’ve done so successfully. Most business executives are not yet able to appreciate the value of implementing IoT software because its benefits don’t begin to bear fruit for some time after implementation. 

4. By focusing on reducing operating costs, companies often miss out on IoT’s ability to solve consumer problems. And while IoT software impacts efficiency, customer satisfaction and productivity in the long run, the gap between understanding why to use IoT and the real value of putting its innovation into practice is a common reason for enterprises being slow-adopters.

WEF's Global Lighthouse Network & Insights from Companies

1. The global manufacturing community is lagging behind in its adoption of Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies. 

2. More than 70% of companies are still stuck in “pilot purgatory”, while only a select group of leading manufacturers are able to deploy advanced manufacturing at scale, generating new value and customer experiences within the factory or across value chains. 

3. To close this gap and accelerate a more comprehensive and inclusive adoption of advanced technologies in manufacturing, the World Economic Forum’s Shaping the Future of Advanced Manufacturing and Production platform has set up the Global Lighthouse Network. 

4. This community of manufacturers shows leadership in using Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies to transform factories, value chains and business models, for compelling financial and operational returns. 

5. To date, 90 manufacturing Lighthouses have been identified from different industry sectors, including 3 Sustainability Lighthouses. 

6. They have embarked on a joint learning journey, partnering on collaborative projects, developing insights and incubating new potential partnerships.

7. The Weichai Power Company, a powertrain, vehicle and construction machinery producer in China, is an E2E Lighthouse that has achieved technology-enabled connectivity across multiple functions. 

Knowledge Management for Manufacturers

1. Many operations already have systems in place to manage their tangible knowledge; that’s reports, presentations, papers etc. However, they often overlook the knowledge and experience of their people. 

2. A highly skilled and knowledgeable workforce is often a company’s most valuable and unique asset, so shouldn’t something be done something to safeguard this knowledge as well?

3. But effective knowledge management is often easier said than done – and this fact has been detrimental to the progress of many organizations. This is especially true for those in manufacturing industries, including general manufacturing, information technology, telecoms, chemicals and consumer goods. 

4. In such companies, an aging workforce and largely manual processes have inhibited the effective transfer of knowledge and caused a massive skills gap to emerge. And this has hobbled one of the greatest economic drivers in the U.S.

5. Here’s how to implement knowledge management in industries across the board to close the skills gap, save money and bring your organization into the future.

Funds to Support Planning Efforts and a more Equitable, Just, & Inclusive Transportation System

 1. In the United States, The Federal Transit Administration (FTA)  announced the availability of approximately $10 million in competitive grant funds through FTA's Pilot Program for Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Planning.

2. FTA says the funds will support comprehensive planning efforts that help connect communities, improve access to public transportation and affordable housing, combat climate change, advance environmental justice, and promote equitable delivery of benefits to underserved communities. 

Considerations for a Rail-Served Industrial Property

1. Developers who are looking to build rail-served industrial parks must consider a few questions.

2. Does it make sense to provide freight rail service to this development and is there a market for it? What must be accounted for when it comes to logistics, internal and external operations, cost and design?

3. After determining the facility type, identify the transportation access the site will require. Is the site near a major highway, port or inland port? Is there existing access to rail onsite?

4. The Transportation Research Board(TRB)’s National Cooperative Freight Research Program study recommends the goals of delivering goods with speed and accuracy that meets or exceeds the competitive standards in the market and establishing a set of logistics costs that are as low as possible within the delivery standards. In other words, the site’s location should help lessen operating time and monetary commitments.

Malaysia listed among top ten in global logistics ranking

1. In February 2021, Malaysia has been named among the top ten attractive nations to logistics providers, freight forwarders, shipping lines, air cargo carriers and distributors.

2. Freight forwarding and contract logistics provider Agility said Asia-Pacific nations led all emerging market regions with China, India and Indonesia being the world’s top emerging markets in the 12th annual Agility Emerging Markets Logistics Index, a broad gauge of competitiveness based on logistics strength and business fundamentals.

3. The Index ranks 50 countries by factors that make them attractive to logistics providers, freight forwarders, shipping lines, air cargo carriers and distributors.

Artificial Intelligence Growth, Adoption & Development in Asia

1. There has been a rapid increase in the adoption and development of artificial intelligence across the globe. Business platforms are depending on AI for better growth, efficiency, and digital transformation. 

2. Cutting-edge technologies like 5G will escalate the use cases of AI across industries. According to McKinsey Global Survey 2020, 50% of respondents reported that their companies have adopted AI in at least one business function.

3. The global leaders in AI adoption, research, and development include Asian countries like China, Singapore, and Japan. 

Major Leading & Lagging Economic Indicators

1. Paying attention to economic indicators can give you an idea of where the economy is headed so you can plan your finances and even your career accordingly.

2. There are two types of indicators you need to be aware of:

3. Leading indicators often change prior to large economic adjustments and, as such, can be used to predict future trends.

4. Lagging indicators, however, reflect the economy’s historical performance and changes to these are only identifiable after an economic trend or pattern has already been established.

Product Spotlight - Fully Foldable Solar Cells & Existing Issues with Flexible Solar Cells

1. Flexible solar panels are another category of foldable devices receiving lots of scientific attention. And while many advances are being made, researchers have been having a challenging time making the panels fully foldable (repeatedly bend without breaking) until now.

2. Engineers at Korea’s Pusan National University created fully foldable prototype solar cells. Such panels would simplify storage and transportation and integration into everyday devices like cars, windows, phones, and clothing.

3. While flexible solar cells do exist, their bend is limited, like a card; If they bend any further, they break. A genuinely efficient foldable conductor can withstand the pressure of turning within a tiny radius while maintaining its integrity and function. That’s what the Korean engineers found.

4. Unlike merely flexible electronics, foldable devices are subject to much harsher deformations, with folding radii as small as 0.5 mm. This is not possible with conventional ultra-thin glass substrates and metal oxide transparent conductors, which can be made flexible but never fully foldable.

Product Spotlight - Float Switches In The Food and Beverage Industry

1. Float switches are used for point-level detection and are commonly used to control other devices such as alarms and pumps when a liquid level rises or falls to a specific point. 

2. Float Switches are used in a variety of industries and applications including applications in food and beverage, water and wastewater, and chemical industries.

3. Below are examples of food and beverage industry applications Float Switches are used in.

2021 Manufacturing Trends

1. It’s time to turn our attention away from Industry 4.0 and toward Industry 5.0. Where the fourth industrial revolution focused on using technology to optimize the means of production, the fifth is all about connecting man and machine — that is, collaboration between humans and smart systems.

2. Depending on who you ask, Industry 5.0 is either on the immediate horizon, or it’s already here, its arrival accelerated by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

3. Regardless which viewpoint you subscribe to, there can be no doubt that manufacturers must continue to embrace change in order stay ahead of competitors and win market share in an ever-evolving industry. Those who wish to not just survive, but thrive, must leverage the latest technologies and trends.

Ifo Business Climate Survey & Index

 1. The Ifo Business Climate Survey is a leading indicator of German economic activity, compiled by the Munich-based Ifo Institute for Economic Research. 

2. The ifo Business Climate Index is a highly-regarded early indicator of economic developments in Germany published on a monthly basis. Detailed results of the ifo Business Survey are published in the ifo Konjunkturperspektiven (in German).