Bonded Warehouse - Types, Purpose & Advantages

1. A bonded warehouse is a warehouse in which duty on goods stored within need not be paid until the goods are removed from the warehouse. A bonded warehouse is referred to by Malaysian Customs as a ‘Gudang Berlesen Awam’ or Licenced General Warehouse.

2. A bonded warehouse is therefore a duty free zone, akin to a port. It is usually fenced and has high security. The warehouse operator normally gives a ‘bond’ or more usually nowadays a bank guarantee (instead of a cash deposit in the old days) to customs to guarantee that there will be no loss of revenue to customs should any of the goods stored within be inadvertently released from the bonded area. In Malaysia, a license from customs is required before a public bonded warehouse can begin operatio ns.

China and India Driving O&G Sector Growth

1. China is expected to lead the global petrochemical industry capacity growth from planned and announced projects between 2019 and 2030 with a 27% share, according to GlobalData.

2. The total petrochemical capacity of planned and announced projects in China is expected to be 172.9 million tpy by 2030. Of this capacity addition, 134.5 million tpy will come from planned projects and the remaining 38.4 million tpy will come from announced projects.

3. India and Iran are expected to have the second highest petrochemical capacity additions globally. These countries collectively contribute about 151.8 million tpy of the total global planned and announced petrochemical capacity additions by 2030.

4. Major capacity additions for India will be from an announced project, ‘Haldia Petrochemicals Balasore Purified Terephthalic Acid (PTA) Plant’, with a capacity addition of 2.4 million tpy. For Iran, the major capacity additions will be from a planned project, ‘Kaveh Methanol Company Dayyer Methanol Plant’, with a capacity of 2.3 million tpy by 2030.

5. The US stands third, with planned and announced petrochemical capacity of 71.7 million tpy by 2030. Of these, most of the petrochemical capacity additions will come from planned projects.

Coating for Aerospace and Marine Industry 2019 Analysis

AEROSPACE INDUSTRY
1. Airbus and Boeing both had record deliveries in 2018 contributing to the growth of the commererical fleet, and high-performance coatings continue to support these production increases. 

2. It is expected that number of in service A/Cs doubles in the next 10 years, Therefore, the whole airline industry is experiencing a continuous growth and hence the demand for coatings is expanding along with it.

3. Although already in use for more than 10 years, materials like composites are still relatively new when used in structural components. 

4. Production processes have evolved since the very first use but yet parts coming out of the autoclave do present a not optimum surface. Fillers are then needed to improve the surface quality before the painting process starts.

Vietnam's 2019 Investment Attractiveness Review and Forecast

1. Vietnam has become an attractive destination for investment from all over the globe.

2.The ease of doing business index for Vietnam is at 69 in 2019. Vietnam has maintained a GDP growth rate of more than 6% since 2000.

3. Many businesses are shifting production to Vietnam to avoid the effects of tariffs. Vietnam has granted investment licenses to about 1,720 projects in the first six months of 2019. The economy has grown at the rate of more than seven percent in 2018, which was a 10-year high.

Asia Pacific Coatings Market Analysis 2018 - 2019

1. Asia Pacific is the world’s largest coatings market and has been growing at above-market rates for many years now and thus it can be considered the most important coatings market in the world.  

2. Asia Pacific comprises a vast region of the world with some of the world’s largest and most dynamic economies including China, India, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, Australia and other countries. 

3. Not only is it the largest market globally but it continues to outperform the global coatings market.  

Thailand's Rubber Industry Forecast, Challenge & Opportunities

1. Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia are the top three producers representing 75% of the global rubber output.

2. With approximately 3.3 million hectares rubber plantation area across the country and about 1.6 million households rubber agriculturists. Thailand’s rubber industry has a full range of supply chain from upstream to downstream. The upstream is mainly involved with the planting and harvesting of rubber. 

3. Following by the midstream that involves the processing of rubber into semi-finished products for downstream industry such as ribbed smoked sheets (RSS), technically specified rubber (TSR), concentrated latex and compound rubber and skim rubber. 

4. Lastly, the downstream industry includes the production of rubber products such as vehicle tires, gloves, condoms, elastics and shoes.

Non-life ILS capacity hits near-record high

1. The insurance-linked securities (ILS) market has enjoyed significant growth this year, with non-life capacity issued or outstanding at a near-record high, research by Willis Re has uncovered.

2. The findings show that there was $27.3bn (£21.2bn) of non-life capacity issued or outstanding at the end of the third quarter, exceeded only by the $27.8bn recorded for all of 2018.

Japan & Thailand Quarter 3 2019 Manufacturing Report & Production Index

 Profits slow and Purchasing Index Shrinks

Cambodia and Myanmar's Textile Industry

1. With the government of Myanmar passing its new Investment Law, which came into effect in April 2017, the country is showing its continued commitment to attracting foreign investment.

2. Cambodia is strategically located in the heart of Southeast Asia. The country is bordered by Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam, and has the Gulf of Thailand to its south-west. The country is popular for providing a low-cost manufacturing base for several industries.

Global High Speed Rail Development Analysis

1. While there is no single international standard for high speed rail, new train lines having speeds in excess of 250 kilometers per hour (km/h), or 160 miles per hour (mph), and existing lines in excess of 200 km/h (120 mph) are generally considered to be high speed.

2. Many countries in Europe and Asia have developed high-speed rail for passenger travel, although some systems also offer freight service.

Industrial Coatings 2018 Review, 2019 Top Manufacturers

1. Industrial coatings are used in a wide variety of applications and encompass many end-use industries such as industrial wood, protective, general industrial, rail, coil coatings OEM and consumer goods & appliances.

2. According to a recent report from Markets and Markets, the global industrial coatings market is expected to grow from $98.30 billion in 2017 to $130.97 billion by 2022, at a CAGR of 5.91 percent from 2017 to 2022. 

3. According to research from Markets and Markets, the industrial coatings market in APAC  (Asia Pacific) is expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period. APAC is rapidly expanding the market, owing to the growing economy and increasing middle-class population.

4. The increasing number of industrial activities due to growing urbanization, mainly in China and India, are expected to drive the market during the forecast period.

5. There is an increased demand from the automotive industry in APAC, which is mainly backed by the expansion of the region’s industrial activities. This increased demand, in turn, drives the industrial coatings market in APAC.

Product Spotlight - New Products for Industrial Coatings

Intermediate Coatings, Primers, and new types of coatings

Financing for Transit-Oriented Development

1. China’s rapid urbanization has dramatically increased the need for public transit infrastructure. To accommodate these changes, it’s estimated that China needs to expand urban rail by at least 3,000 kilometers by 2020—approximately a $4 trillion investment.

2. In Chinese cities, funding for large-scale urban transit infrastructure traditionally comes from two sources: sales of land development rights and bank loans.  However, these approaches can not only financially burden city governments, but also lead to costly urban sprawl. 

3. The city of Shenzhen has been successfully experimenting with alternative approaches to overcome these significant challenges. Shenzhen’s experience demonstrates that financing transport infrastructure by harnessing the value of land can also be an opportunity for sustainable transit-oriented development (TOD) in Chinese cities.

Product Spotlight - Lubricant for Natural Gas Engine & Regulation for Food Grade Lubricant

1. In circumstances where natural gas is available as a fuel for piston engines, it can be burned under workloads ranging from very low to very high while engine rotational speed is often kept constant. Typical uses of such engines are in the oil and gas industry and in electric power generation where such tasks as compressing natural gas are common.

2. As more processes are automated in food production and reliance on machinery increases, there are more pressures on food processors operating with reduced work staff. These companies have higher goals for yields and waste reduction in production facilities while plants and operators are under time pressures with less emphasis on personnel training and education.

India's Manufacturing growth dips to 0.6% over slackening demand, global headwinds

1. Manufacturing growth slumped to a dismal rate of only 0.6 per cent in the first quarter (Q1) of the current fiscal year (2019-20 or FY20) from 3.1 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2018-19 (FY19).

The State of Transport and Logistics In Russia: 2019

1. As Russia’s transport and logistics industry maintains its foothold in the international market, we take a look at how things are panning out in 2019.

Automation for Printing Industry

1. As a production leader, your main responsibilities are meeting shipping dates, realising short delivery and lead times, consistent print quality and the lowest cost price. 

2. A manually controlled printing process leads to a significantly higher risk of human error and could keep you from achieving your goals. 

3. Printing automation doesn’t just optimise your printing process by eliminating errors; 

Product Spotlight - Introduction to Silicate Paints & Waterborne Silicate Coatings Formulation

1. Pure active silicate mineral paints are bound only with mineral binding agents. They are formed by mixing potash water glass, K2SiO3xH2O with lime, quartz based fillers and mineral pigments.

2. Once painted onto a wall they absorb carbon dioxide, and the lime-based binders carbonate and water silicate-based binders solidify. They form SiO2 x H2O and K2CO3. Mineral silicate paint coats are considered durable and weather resistant.

Textile Industry in China & India

1. The Indian textiles industry, currently estimated at around $ 108 billion, is expected to reach $ 223 billion by 2021. 

2. The industry is the second largest employer after agriculture, providing employment to over 45 million people directly and 60 million people indirectly. 

3. The Indian textile industry contributes approximately 5 per cent to India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), and 14 per cent to overall Index of Industrial Production (IIP).

4. The industry is facing challenges such as the current bull run of cotton prices, the possible devaluation of the US Dollar called for by President Trump, strength of the export demand and global economic conditions.

China August Investment Report

CHINA APPROVES FIXED ASSET INVESTMENT PROJECTS
1. The National Development and Reform Commission, China's top economic planner, approved 12 fixed-asset investment projects with the combined investment totaling 70.5 billion yuan (about 10 billion U.S. dollars) in July, data showed.

2. China's fixed-asset investment growth remained basically stable in the first seven months of the year, expanding 5.7 percent year on year thanks to robust high-tech investment, earlier data showed.

3. The projects were mainly in energy and transportation industries, according to Meng Wei, spokeswoman for the National Development and Reform Commission.

Understanding Purchasing Managers' Index

1. One of the most reliable leading indicators for assessing the state of the  economy is the PMI, formerly known as the Purchasing Managers' Index.

2. Members receive a monthly questionnaire that asks them to identify month-over-month changes for the following ten business activities that also constitute individual indexes in the Report on Business survey。

3. The most common answers include:

-Improvement
-No change
-Deterioration

Consolidation in the Solar Energy Industry

1. One of the biggest electricity infrastructure suppliers in the world is throwing up its hands and giving up on solar energy. ABB is unloading the solar inverter business, formerly known as Power-One, that it acquired in 2013 for $1.03 billion, which included $266 million in acquired cash. 

2. The company isn't just taking a loss on the deal, it's reportedly paying Fimer $470 million to take the business off its hands.

Pengerang refinery to start commercial operations in 4th quarter

1. The Refinery and Petrochemical Integrated Development (RAPID) project in Pengerang, Johor, will be fully operational in the fourth quarter of this year (Q419).

2. The US$16 billion (RM66.76 billion) project between Petronas and Saudi Aramco will see 300,000 barrels produced per day, turning Malaysia into a net exporter of refined fuels for the first time since 2008

3. The facility will produce refined products including gasoline and diesel that meet Euro 5 fuel specifications and provide feedstock for the integrated petrochemicals complex with a capacity of 3.3 million metric tonnes per year.

4. in 2009, 42.3% of government revenue came from petroleum sources.But in 2019, only an estimated 19.5% of total revenue came from petroluem sources, not counting the special divided from Petronas used to finance GST and income tax refunds.

Japan's Model for Economic Revival

1. Starting in the early 1990s, Japan was in an extended economic slump. It first endured a prolonged period of bad debt and deflation. Then it began to face a range of serious structural problems including poor productivity, low birth rates, and an aging population—all of which led to demographic challenges such as labor shortages and a loss of confidence in the future. Over the past several years, however, Japan has embarked on its longest period of sustained economic expansion in the post-World War II era. 

Reinsurance Basics - Part 4 - Additional Info for Treaty and Facultative reinsurance

Continuation from below:

https://levelnineatwork.blogspot.com/2017/07/reinsurance-basics-part-1-factreaty-and.html

https://levelnineatwork.blogspot.com/2017/07/reinsurance-basics-part-2-pro-rata.html

https://levelnineatwork.blogspot.com/2017/07/reinsurance-basics-part-3-quota-share.html

China Increases Review For Foreign Investments

1. The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) is now charged with reviewing foreign investments to ensure they are in line with “economic security”, which has been made a top governmental priority. The state planner has had its authority beefed up in the process.

2. The new security review procedure was introduced through a brief notice published online in April by the NDRC. The note stated that its public service department would start accepting applications for national security reviews of foreign investment deals because of an “adjustment of departmental responsibility”.

Japan's Foreign Investment Policies - Part 1 - 'Quality Infrastructure'

1. Japan has acknowledged that it cannot prevent China from using its economic might to help the region’s middle-income countries meet their infrastructure needs. Yet by articulating new principles for investment, enlisting new partners, and bolstering its financial commitments, Japan has developed an alternative to the Belt and Road Initiative that could limit developing countries’ dependence on Chinese lending. 

Certificates of Origin, Certificate of Free Marketing, Certificate of Free Sales

1. There are two types of chamber of commerce certificates of origin that can be issued:

2. Non-Preferential Certificates of Origin
The main type of certificate chambers issue, this is also known as an ordinary or generic certificate of origin. These certificates declare that the goods’ country of origin does not qualify for any preferential treatment under a free trade agreement (FTA), because many FTAs have their own types of documents.

3. Preferential Certificates of Origin
This type of certificate declares that goods are subject to reduced tariffs or exemptions when they are exported to countries extending these privileges through a specific document located within the Free Trade Agreement. Preferential certificates are especially important when free trade agreements are in effect with a specified certificate of origin.

Product Spotlight - Carbon Steel

1. Carbon steel is steel in which the main interstitial alloying constituent is carbon in the range of 0.12–2.0%.The term “carbon steel” may also be used in reference to steel which is not stainless steel; in this use carbon steel may include alloy steels.

Japan still leads in Southeast Asia infrastructure race, even as China ramps up belt and road investments

1. Japanese-backed projects in the region’s six largest economies – Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam – are valued at US$367 billion, compared with China’s US$255 billion.

Why China’s belt and road loans may not be the debt trap other countries fear

1. China is inclined to renegotiate or write off debts incurred by other countries for its belt and road infrastructure projects and only rarely seizes assets, a study by a New York consultancy has found.

2. The Rhodium Group’s research looked at 40 cases of external debt renegotiation between 2007 and this year and found there was only one confirmed case in Sri Lanka.

Benefits Of Distributed Manufacturing

1. The traditional electronics manufacturing process works well for large organizations that want to produce hundreds of thousands of products for the lowest price possible. 

2. But it is not as friendly to small businesses or newly developed products. 

3. The distributed approach to hardware manufacturing improves the process and makes it possible for more innovators to get products to market.

4. Distributed manufacturing, sometimes called distributed production, cloud based producing or localized manufacturing, is a form of decentralized manufacturing practiced by companies using a network of geographically dispersed facilities that are coordinated using information technology. It is

5. the manufacturing landscape of conversion from closed ended and restrictive to transparent and agile. It permits companies to access their supply chain locally with more flexibility, higher quality, faster service and lower costs.

6. Instead of relying on just a single headquarter location or third party overseas manufacturer; organizations that have evolved their business to a distributed manufacturing model are able to be more nimble in how they operate.

7. Distributed manufacturing is quickly reinventing the manufacturing industry from something monolithic and closed to something transparent and nimble. It allows builders to choose from a variety of machines, materials, and quantities, all located nearby, with unparalleled flexibility, quality, and speed.

8. By relying on a network of producers in a specific geographic area, rather than a single overseas manufacturer, distributed manufacturing can deliver superior results in three key ways: speed, quality, and cost-effectiveness.

The Industrial Lubricants Market is Evolving with Sustainable Driving Forces

1. The industrial lubricants industry, particularly in Asia, is reshaping its supply channels and marketing strategies. 

2. Over the past five years, greater internet penetration among the region’s populations has brought about a tremendous growth in online retail usage, wherein lubricant marketers are finding a viable retail platform.

Product Spotlight - Powder Coatings

1. No matter whether you’re using a single gun and small oven or a large fully automated line, the process is basically the same. 

2. A powder spray gun is used, which when triggered gives an electrostatic charge to the powder particles passing through it. 

3. As the parts to be coated are grounded, the powder is attracted towards the part via the electrostatic process.

4. Once the powder is applied the parts are cured in an oven, which melts and cross-links the powder over the surface of the part and creates a tough, scratch resistant and beautiful finish.

Product Spotlight - Metal Additive Manufacturing

1. There are 2 main families of additive manufacturing technologies

2. Powder bed technologies

- Selective Laser Melting (SLM) where the metal powder is melted by a laser beam

- Electron Beam Melting (EBM) where the metal powder is melted by an electron beam after a preheating step

- Precision inkjet printing where the metal powder is mixed with a binder: after the printing operation, the part is consolidated by sintering.

3.  Blown powder technologies, also known as Laser Metal Deposition or Laser cladding
In this process, the metal powder is blown coaxially to the laser beam which melts the particles on a base metal to form a metallurgical bond when cooled.

Product Spotlight - Silicon Wafers Cleaning - RCA Cleaning & Piranha Solution

1. The RCA clean is a standard set of wafer cleaning steps which need to be performed before high-temperature processing steps (oxidation, diffusion, CVD) of silicon wafers in semiconductor manufacturing.

2. It involves the following chemical processes performed in sequence:

- Removal of the organic contaminants (organic clean + particle clean)
- Removal of thin oxide layer (oxide strip, optional)
- Removal of ionic contamination (ionic clean)

Paint and Coatings Industry in Vietnam (Q1 2019 report)

1. With one of the fastest growing paint and coatings industries in the South East Asian region, Vietnam has attracted a number of regional and multinational paint and coatings producers to set up their manufacturing base in the country. 

2. With a current low per capita consumption of paint and coatings, Vietnam is expected to register a very steady growth of paint and coatings in coming years.

Product Spotlight - Steel Coil

1. Steel coil- a finished steel product such as sheet or strip which has been wound or coiled after rolling. Steel coils can be classified into  hot and cold- rolled types, or  stainless steel coil, carbon coil and Galvanized Steel according to current products and international standards.

Slight growth in Malaysia general insurance premiums (As at March 2019)

1. Motor continued to drive the local general insurance sector, which recorded a 1.5% growth, underpinned by the jump in car sales during the tax-free period from June to August.

BRI update 2019– Recalibration

Having already transformed large swathes of the developing world over the past five years, China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) now looks set to make its mark on the more prosperous regions of Europe.

Underinsured Opportunities and Overpaid Premiums

US LIFE INSURERS MISSING OUT ON $70BN IN PREMIUMS
1. The average life insurance policyholder in the US is massively underinsured, new research has found, with firms potentially missing out on almost $70bn (£53bn) in annual premiums.

U.K. Pensions Survey and Report For 2018

DB PENSIONS TO PAY OUT 1/3 OF A TRILLION POUNDS BY 2021
1. Defined benefit (DB) pension schemes in the UK are set to pay out almost one-third of a trillion pounds over a three-year period for the first time ever, Mercer has predicted. 

2. The consultancy firm said the record figures between 2019 and 2021 will be due to a large number of active and deferred members transferring the value of their entitlement to another arrangement.

Product Spotlight - NBR - Part 2 - Natural Rubber Vs Nitrile Rubber for Gloves

1. The global rubber gloves industry owes its present boom to the spurt in demand for disposable gloves for hand protection generated by the worldwide spread of infectious diseases. While the disease outbreak was not good for human health, it was good for the glove business.

The demand for medical, industrial and household gloves grew as governments imposed new regulations to increase hygiene and healthcare standards and industries promoted clean room technology.

Traditionally, Natural Rubber (NR) latex glove has been the glove of choice for the medical industry due to its low chemical and puncture resistance. Moreover, it is highly biodegradable and can be easily disposed of by incineration.

Product Spotlight - NBR - Part 1 - Overview

GENERAL OVERVIEW
1. Traditionally, Natural Rubber (NR) latex glove has been the glove of choice for the medical industry due to its low chemical and puncture resistance. Moreover, it is highly biodegradable and can be easily disposed of by incineration.

Product Spotlight - Bio-Lubricants

1. Bio based chemicals have been used for niche applications such as personal care and food additives. However, various new applications of bio based chemicals such as bio-lubricants, biopolymers, and bio-surfactants are emerging as replacements of petroleum based products creating exciting growth opportunities.

2. Chemical companies focusing on lubricants, polymers, and surfactants can explore diversifying their product portfolio based on bio based products. 

Indonesia Jumps Rank in Logistic Performance Index (LPI) 2018 ; Disruption in the Logistic Industry

in 2018, Indonesia managed to rise sharply in the ranks of the World Bank's latest Logistics Performance Index (LPI). Indonesia ranked 46th, up from 63rd in the preceding edition (released in 2016).

Product Spotlight - Conductive Thermoplastic Compounds

1. Polymers are typical insulation materials due to their extremely low electrical conductivity. They charge very easily and even when grounded the plastic material stays charged with static electricity. Conductive plastic compounds, unlike normal plastics, have the ability to conduct electricity.

Scaling your Manufacturing Activities When Opportunities Arise

1. In today’s demanding market environment, those companies that are best prepared to react to sudden market openings will have the best chance for success. 

2. Imagine that a major competitor suddenly goes out of business. Are you really ready to grab its share of the market before someone else jumps in ahead of you? Or do you just hope that you are ready to pounce?

3. Whether your company’s expansion is opportunistic or has been under consideration for a while, to achieve your goal, you’ll need to have a plan that allows you to respond to sudden market changes. Your plan should map out how all the resources in your organization will work in a coordinated effort to win and expand your market share at the least expense to you.