Analysis

China manufacturing picks up

In China factory activity unexpectedly expanded in February as new orders improved, pointing to some resilience in the world’s second-largest economy even as downward pressure builds and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine heightens global uncertainty. The official manufacturing Purchasing Manager’s Index (PMI) registered 50.2 in February, remaining above the 50-point mark, which separates growth from contraction, and picking up a touch from 50.1 in January, data from the National Bureau of Statistics (BS) showed on Tuesday. It was thought the PMI would to ease to 49.9.

India fiscal deficit may narrow in 2022

The ongoing Russia and Ukraine conflict may present India with an opportunity to import commodities and oil at low prices via a rupee-ruble trade mechanism from Russia. Against this backdrop, GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company, forecasts India’s fiscal deficit as percentage of GDP to decline marginally to 5.3% in 2022 compared to 5.7% in 2021. Given India’s neutral stance on Russia-Ukraine conflict, Russia is offering oil and other commodities at discounted prices to India. Amid the skyrocketing global oil prices, this will provide relief on the fiscal front as India imports around 80% of crude from other countries. Gargi Rao, Economic Research Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “India’s attempt to diversify its import sources will tend to reduce financial burden on the government thereby reducing the risk of high import bill. Moreover, cheaper crude may bring down the current cost of production and help cool off inflationary pressures.” Meanwhile, in the short-term, Indian traders may feel the pinch of higher oil and gas prices along with delays in shipment. Retail inflation is on the rise in India due to rise in prices of fuel and edible oils. GlobalData forecasts India’s inflation to rise to 5.2% in 2022 compared to 5.1% in 2021. However, oil price shocks might wane out with easing of supply bottlenecks and demand adjustment in medium-term. GlobalData forecasts the Indian economy to grow by 7.6% in 2022. Rao continues: “Both India and Russia are exploring the possibility of using China’s currency yuan as a reference currency to value the rupee-ruble trade mechanism, which would aid a two-way trade. By setting up a new trade mechanism, it will reduce the dependence on US dollars and makes India less vulnerable to sanctions.” Rao concludes: “High government expenditure has been a cause of concern for India since the start […]

Civil Engineering PCL begins SET trading

Technology-driven construction management, pursuing public and private works, to become a leading construction firm with sustainable growth. Civil Engineering PCL, Thailand’s leading integrated construction and civil engineering firm, made a debut on the Stock Exchange of Thailand on Thursday, 27 January, with the ‘CIVIL’ symbol. Its launch is marked by operations which are capable of achieving net profit margins above the industry average. Piyadit Atsavasirisuk, CEO of Civil Engineering PCL (2nd left), and Pichet Sithiamnuai, President of Bualuang Securities PCL (3rd left), financial advisor and lead underwriter, offered 200,000,000 shares of CIVIL at 4.60 baht per share to investors on 19-21 January with the 1st trading day for CIVIL on the SET today, 27 January. That capability is resulting from the company’s focus on employing technology to raise efficiency in managing diverse construction projects both in terms of types and sizes; delivering quality and safe works within the specified budget. CIVIL is also aggressively pursuing public and private projects, along with increasing revenues from its production and distribution of construction materials on its pathway to become a leading construction company with sustainable growth while driving the Thai economy and society. Piyadit Atsavasirisuk, Chief Executive Officer of CIVIL, expressed confidence that CIVIL’s shares would receive enthusiastic response on the first trading, backed by the company’s track record dating back to over 50 years with over 1,000 large-scale construction projects and major infrastructure schemes being successfully executed. CIVIL’s experience and expertise are in railway works, double-track railways and high-speed trains; airports; dams and reservoirs; Industrial estates; and other infrastructure construction which aims to use modern technology and innovations to increase business efficiency. The company has also leveraged of its competitive advantages in terms of civil engineering personnel, machinery and equipment and its own manufacturing plants of building material parts. Those elements […]

Huge market potentials for prefabricated buildings

Recently, frequent implementation of affordable housing support policies has created huge market potentials for prefabricated and green buildings. Market analysis pointed out that PC component manufacturers in the prefabricated construction supply chain will be key beneficiaries from these new policies. As the most preferred brand in the prefabricated construction industry for three consecutive years, Broad Homes (02163.HK) will likely benefit from the recent policy catalysts. To highlight, the Company operates in both to-B and to-C business under its dual mode business model, which gives the Company potential to grasp onto a larger market share in this industry uptrend. First and second tier cities are actively responding to affordable housing policies. According to market data, since the beginning of December 2021, the Prefabricated Building Index (931020) rose nearly 10%, driven by discussions during the Politburo meeting in December to further promote construction of affordable housing. Similar discussions also took place during the Central Economic Work Conference, indicating growing interest from high-level officials. In the past year, affordable housing support policies have been frequently issued. The Politburo meeting mentioned the promotion of affordable housing construction for the first time in April and again in December. In addition, in July, the Politburo discussed the need to accelerate rental housing development and implemented supporting policies surrounding land usage and taxation. During the Central Economic Work Conference in December, discussions surrounding the need to “accelerate the development of the long-term rental housing market, promote the construction of indemnificatory housing, support the commercial housing market and better meet reasonable housing needs of buyers” were highlighted. Huachuang Securities pointed out that both the Politburo meeting and the Central Economic Work Conference have prioritised affordable housing before commercial housing, reiterating high-level officials’ focus on affordable housing. In terms of specific development goals, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural […]

Recycling plant in Jakarta steps into the future of dairy and meat processing

The GWE wastewater recycling plant engineered to achieve compact high efficiency with proven processes. One of the world’s largest dairy companies is installing a high efficiency wastewater treatment and water reuse facility at its new dairy plant in Jakarta to achieve 99 per cent organic content removal to meet outstanding recycling and sustainability standards. The new facility of PT Frisian Flag – a subsidiary of the Royal FrieslandCampina multinational – is scheduled for startup in 2022 and is using proven state-of-the-art technologies to produce potable recycled water from the plant wastewater. The Global Water & Energy (GW&E) technologies employed include a COHRAL™ (Covered High Rate Anaerobic Lagoon) system of a type already proven in one of Australia’s largest meat processing facilities, at Oakey in Queensland, where it significantly improves water quality, reduces odour, while producing biogas to reduce fossil fuel demands and saving the company more than AUD $800,000 (approx. US $585,000) per year in natural gas. The Jakarta facility will not only achieve outstanding quality potable water outputs for recycling, but also the biogas generated there during treatment can later be used in the factory to decrease fossil fuel dependency. The plant is engineered to produce up to 6,000 Nm3 of biogas a day. The facility will also benefit from minimal waste disposal costs, thanks to application of the anaerobic process and sludge dewatering units. “The GWE technology employed here is a huge step into the future of sustainability and recycling for livestock industries and agribusiness producing waste with high organic content, says Michael Bambridge, Managing Director of CST Wastewater Solutions. Mr Bambridge – whose company installed the GWE COHRAL plant at Oakey – says the technology being used in Indonesia is widely applicable to dairy and meat applications, including beef, lamb, pork and poultry, throughout major livestock […]

Largest U.S. companies by market cap dwarf China’s top ten by five-fold

The United States and China host various competing companies with a global reach aiming to assert dominance in multiple sectors. However, U.S. firms appear to be prospering, registering high valuations. According to data compiled by Finbold, the top ten U.S. publicly traded companies have a cumulative market capitalisation of $12.82 trillion as of December 21, 2021. The valuation is at least five times more than China’s top ten counterparts that have a market capitalisation of $2.54 trillion. Tech giant Apple ranks top with a market cap of $2.7 trillion, followed by Microsoft at $2.4 trillion, while Alphabet is third at $1.8 trillion. Amazon ranks fourth at $1.6 trillion, followed by Meta at $905.3 billion. Other companies with a high valuation in the U.S. include Tesla ($903.7 billion), Nvidia ($690.7 billion), Berkshire Hathaway ($648.6 billion), United Health ($455.6 billion), and JPMorgan Chase ($454.9 billion). In China, Tencent ranks as the largest firm with a valuation of $529.2 billion, followed by Kweichow Moutai at $401.2 billion, with eCommerce giant Alibaba ranking third at $311.7 billion. ICBC is in the fourth spot with a market cap of $242.2 billion, followed by CATL at $220.7 billion. Other Chinese companies with a high valuation include CM Bank ($200.2 bank), China Construction ($171.1 billion), Meituan ($166.8 billion), Agricultural Bank of China ($157.4 billion), and Wuliangye Yibin ($140.9 billion). The U.S. dominated by tech companies The report acknowledges that the U.S. companies are dominated by technology companies that have experienced significant growth over the recent months. According to the research report: “The valuation comes after the technology sector experienced unprecedented growth inspired by the pandemic. The industry’s stocks gained prominence as their products offered consumers the means to navigate the lockdowns initiated to control the health crisis.” The U.S. companies are also backed by a large domestic […]

JD.com to build China’s first carbon-neutral logistics industrial park in Xi’an

JD.com is making progress in its construction of the first carbon-neutral intelligent industrial park for China’s logistics industry, with the Xi’an Asia No.1 logistics park expected to be carbon-neutral on the operations level by early 2022. At nearly 300,000 square meters, JD’s Asia No.1 logistics park in Xi’an has deployed 100,000 square meters of rooftop solar PV with a capacity of 9 MW, which generated a total amount of about 8,500 MWh of electricity from January to October in 2021 — equivalent to providing electricity for about 3,900 Chinese households for a year, and reducing carbon emissions by approximately 5,670 tons when compared to purchasing electricity from local power plants. In addition, Xi’an Asia No.1 can meet heating needs through distributed air conditioning instead of a conventional boiler room in certain areas. New energy is widely used in forklifts and other special equipment, including 22 sets of charging terminals that can support charging 44 vehicles at a time. Streetlights in the park will also gradually be replaced by solar lights. With the support of advanced technologies including 5G, blockchain and AI, JD is also researching an industry solution for carbon neutral parks by further improving operating efficiency and lowering energy consumption. Green warehousing: Automation enabling warehouses to operate without lighting JD.com pioneered a rooftop-distributed solar PV system in its Shanghai Asia No.1 location in 2017, which now generates 3.11 million kWh per year, supplying the energy for warehouse lighting, automatic sorting, packaging, picking and other activities. Currently, JD has completed installation of PV systems at 12 logistics parks, while automation systems and robots also enable warehouses to operate without lighting. Such “dark operations” help save an average of 2,283 kWh per minute at JD’s logistics parks, which is equivalent to the electric consumption of a normal household for one and […]

Siemens, Hyundai Motor Co and Kia combine for DMT

Siemens’ NX Software and Teamcenter Software from the Xcelerator Portfolio replace incumbent solutions to become standard solutions for Hyundai and Kia next-generation data management and design environment. Siemens Digital Industries Software is selected as the preferred bidder for the next generation engineering environment and product data management environment Siemens’ NX Software and Teamcenter Software from the Xcelerator Portfolio replace incumbent solutions to become standard solutions for Hyundai and Kia next-generation data management and design environment Siemens and Hyundai Motor Company and Kia Corporation (Hyundai and Kia) announced today a new technology partnership to accelerate their digital transformation and a new future of mobility. Hyundai and Kia has selected Siemens as the preferred bidder and strategic partner to provide next generation engineering and product data management through NX™ software and the Teamcenter® portfolio from Siemens’ Xcelerator portfolio of integrated software, services and development platform. Hyundai and Kia has evaluated and assessed various alternatives including incumbent solutions and selected Siemens’ software, embracing the world’s most comprehensive digital twin. Hyundai and Kia will cooperate with Siemens as its key trusted partner, to drive the future of mobility. “Selecting NX software and the Teamcenter portfolio from Siemens’ Xcelerator portfolio for our core design and data management platforms will introduce a new working environment for our teams that will pave the way for a leap forward in future car development.” said Albert Bierman, Head of R&D Division, Hyundai Motor Company. “This is the beginning of a huge transformation and an important point of change for Hyundai Motor Company and with Siemens as our trusted partner we will work together to achieve our goals through mutual cooperation and teamwork.” Hyundai and Kia and Siemens will collaborate to establish design methods and develop custom solutions that consider the lifecycle of all automobiles and associated processes and activities, […]

TAE Technologies partners with Japan’s Institute of Fusion Science

TAE Technologies, the world’s largest private fusion energy company, has announced a landmark partnership with Japan’s National Institute of Fusion Science (NIFS) that enables the two organisations to test the effects of hydrogen-boron (p-B11) fusion reactions in the NIFS Large Helical Device (LHD). The results of this research have the potential to unlock a new milestone in TAE’s mission to develop commercial fusion power with p-B11, the cleanest and most affordable fuel for fusion cycles. Fusion is the process of combining elements to release large amounts of energy. It is a carbon-free, baseload energy solution to address both climate change and the growing global energy demand. Most fusion efforts around the world are focused on combining hydrogen isotopes deuterium-tritium (D-T) to use as fuel; the donut-shaped tokamak machines commonly used in fusion concepts are limited to D-T fuel. In contrast, TAE’s compact linear design uses an advanced beam-driven field-reversed configuration (FRC) that can accommodate all available fusion fuel cycles, including D-T and deuterium-helium-3 (D-He-3), a benefit that uniquely enables the company to license its technology on the way to its ultimate goal of connecting the first p-B11 fusion power plant to the grid by the end of this decade. TAE is developing commercial fusion power plants using p-B11 because it is the most economical and environmentally friendly fuel cycle for fusion. P-B11 eliminates the need for breeding tritium, thus offering cleaner, safer operations while maximising the durability and lifetime of the fusion plant. The boron in p-B11 is ubiquitous in nature, found in vast deposits in the earth’s crust and sea water, and is used in detergents and other industrial commodities. The partnership between NIFS and TAE represents the first public-private fusion research using this advanced fuel. NIFS is an inter-university research institute located in Toki City and works with […]

Yili and Ausnutria M & A deal largest in China’s dairy industry

Yili joins hands with Ausnutria, marking the largest M&A deal of China’s dairy industry in recent years. The new parterhsip will enable the two sides to complement each other in terms of supply chains, channels, product portfolio and R&D. Inner Mongolia Yili Industrial Group Co., Ltd. ( “Yili Group” or “Yili”), the largest and most valuable dairy producer in Asia, has taken a stake in goat milk formula giant Ausnutria Dairy Co. Ltd. ( “Ausnutria Dairy” or “Ausnutria”) and became its largest shareholder. This marked the largest M&A deal of China’s dairy industry in recent years. According to the announcement made by Yili Group, the company will team up with Ausnutria Dairy through its wholly-owned subsidiary Hong Kong Jingang Trade Holding Co., Ltd. (“Jingang”), as a step to move into the infant formula and nutrition product business. Jingang will acquire a total of 531 million shares from other shareholders at a price of HK$10.06 per share, which represents approximately 30.89% of the total issued shares of Ausnutria. In addition, Ausnutria will issue 90 million new shares to Jingang at the price of HK$10.06 per share. If the above two transactions can be successfully completed, Jingang will hold a total of 621 million shares of Ausnutria, or 34.33% of the total, making Yili the largest single shareholder of the company. Dairy giant joins hands with leader of goat milk formula, forging a strong new alliance Pan Gang, Chairman of Yili Group, said at the signing ceremony that as the two enterprises have much in common, Yili recognises the values, strategic layout, and the core team of Ausnutria. In the years to come, Yili will bring into full play its strengths in terms of company size, brand building, channels and industrial chain to enable Ausnutria’s sound development over the long term. The cooperation […]

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