Doug Green

New machines will double Starken AAC’s current production capacity. KUALA LUMPUR, Apr 6, 2016 – Chin Hin Group Berhad, a well-known Malaysian integrated building materials specialist, signed a purchasing contract today with a German-based counterpart, Wehrhahn GmbH (“Wehrhahn”), for the purchase of supply machineries to facilitate the Company’s Autoclave Aerated Concrete (“AAC”) production line at its upcoming new factory which is estimated to require an investment of RM85 million. The contract which is valued at EUR4 million (approximately RM18 million) for one (1) machine line was signed at an official ceremony held at Chin Hin’s headquarters in Kuala Lumpur and witnessed by representatives from both companies. The machine line which is a green technology used for the production of AAC blocks and wall panels, will be installed at Chin Hin’s upcoming factory, which is targeted to be completed in the next 1-2 years. The acquisition of these new assets is in line with the Company’s post-listing business expansion plan, and will allow additional production capacity by 420,000 meter cubes, as well as enabling Chin Hin to expand into overseas markets, especially in the Asia Pacific region. The demand for wall panels is increasing as the Malaysian government in particular is encouraging the use of this material in the Industrialized Building Systems (“IBS”), and will be distributed locally as well as in Singapore. Concurrently, Chin Hin is working on further developing their current manufacturing facility, Starken AAC Sdn. Bhd. (“Starken AAC”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Chin Hin, and increasing its production capacity to cater to the anticipated growing demand for their own manufactured products. To date, Starken AAC has successfully secured repeated purchase orders for its AAC products from customers in Hong Kong, Australia, Singapore, Taiwan, the Philippines and Indonesia. Group Managing Director of Chin Hin, Chiau Haw Choon expressed, “Going […]

The American Chamber of Commerce in China (AmCham China) will host the 2016 Asia Pacific Council of American Chambers of Commerce (APCAC) Business Conference in Beijing mid-April, with over 300 business, policy, diplomatic, government and media leaders participating in incisive discussion on a wide range of issues affecting American business in Asia.  The 2016 APCAC Business Conference will feature distinguished guests and keynote speaker Gary Gensler, former Chairperson of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and former Assistant Secretary for Treasury. Date: April 14-15, 2016 Place: Renaissance Beijing Capital Hotel Visit the event website for more details and to register. APCAC brings together 29 AmChams from around Asia, with a collective membership of over 15,000 companies. It was established in 1968 and holds regular visits to Washington, DC, as well as annual business conferences. The theme of this year’s conference addresses China’s shift toward a new stage of economic development. Discussion topics will cover the wide range of challenges and opportunities that are affecting US business in Asia, the future of Asia as a financial hub, China’s regional engagement, the “One Belt, One Road” initiative and the regional trading environment.  As in previous years, this conference will offer the region’s businesspeople a valuable opportunity to gather with peers and government officials. The conference will be a deep-dive into more China-specific issues including leveraging corporate and government relations, China’s economic outlook and the 13th Five-Year Plan. “Asia continues to develop rapidly but unevenly, so bringing together the region’s American Chambers offers an excellent opportunity to share perspectives and experiences,” AmCham China Chairman James Zimmerman said. “At the same time, the US’s relationship with the region is evolving, creating a unique set of opportunities and challenges for US companies operating here that we will address at this conference.” Keynote speaker: Gary Gensler, former Chairperson […]

Agreement with Largest Marketer and Distributor of Specialty Chemicals in Asia-Pacific to cover Sonneborn complete Product Line JAKARTA, Indonesia, Apr 4, 2016 –  Connell Bros. Co. LLC (CBC) and Sonneborn LLC have expanded their partnership to include the distribution of white oils, petrolatum, microcrystalline waxes and natural sodium sulfonate throughout Indonesia, effective March 1, 2016. The new agreement expands the sales and distribution of Sonneborn’s full brand and product line into Indonesia, in addition to an existing partnership in South Korea, Philippines and Vietnam, and a selected portfolio in North China. The aforementioned brands include Blandol, Carnation, Hydrobrite, Kaydol, Rudol, Multiwax, SonneNatural(R), Snowwhite, Protopet, Sonnecone and Petronate. This covers markets in metal working fluids, cosmetics, personal & home care, pharmaceutical and additional industrial segments. “We are excited to expand our partnership with Sonneborn into the Indonesia market,” said Kevin Hack, CBC Regional Director. “Sonneborn’s market-leading product range compliments our portfolio in the Personal & Home Care, Pharmaceuticals and Industrial Markets, allowing us to further expand our offerings to our customers and markets in this dynamic region.” “Our partnership with CBC has been successful in several other Asian countries, based on long term relations and trust. The skills and capabilities of CBC complements our product offering well and our teams are excited to start serving our customers in Indonesia,” says Peter Michielsen, Sonneborn Managing Director of Europe, Africa and Asia. About Sonneborn For more than 100 years, Sonneborn has been setting industry standards the world over for the finest possible high purity specialty hydrocarbons in Personal Care, Pharmaceutical, Baking & Food, Agriculture, HI&I, Polymers and many other applications. With manufacturing facilities in North America and Europe, Sonneborn is the world’s only high purity specialty hydrocarbon producer that offers this global reach of expertise and depth of experience. Sonneborn LLC is managed […]

China has just announced that last year, for the first time since it began opening up its economy to the world at the end of the 1970s, exports declined on an annual basis. And that is not all; in value terms, global trade declined in 2015. The obvious question is why. While global trade also fell in 2009, the explanation was obvious: The world was experiencing a sharp contraction in GDP at the time. Last year, however, the world economy grew by a respectable 3%. Moreover, trade barriers have not risen significantly anywhere, and transport costs are falling, owing to the sharp decline in oil prices. Tellingly, the so-called Baltic Dry Index, which measures the cost of chartering the large ships that carry most long-distance trade, has fallen to an all-time low. This indicates that markets do not expect a recovery, meaning that the data from 2015 could herald a new age of slowing trade. The obvious conclusion is that the once-irresistible forces of globalisation are losing steam. The situation in China is telling. In recent decades, as it became the world’s leading trading economy, China transformed the global trading system. Now the value of both imports and exports have fallen, though the former have declined more, owing to the collapse of global commodity prices. In fact, commodity prices are the key to understanding trade trends over the last few decades. When they were high, they drove increased trade – to the point that the share of trade to GDP rose – fuelling hype about the inevitable progress of globalization. But in 2012, commodity prices began to fall, soon bringing trade down with them. Assume that one ton of steel and ten barrels of oil are needed to produce one car. In 2002-2003, that bundle of raw materials was worth around […]