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Cannex & Fillex in June

Cannex & Fillex Asia-Pacific, the biggest-ever international canmaking and filling technology show held in Asia opens in China next month. From 1-4 June 2015, will be a showcase for transformational metal packaging. Already one of the most intensive of manufacturing processes, canmaking lines are capable of outputs of up to four million cans a day. The industry is also becoming more flexible, allowing it to respond to brand owners’ requests for wider ranges of shapes and sizes. British canmaking equipment manufacturer CMB Engineering will be using Cannex & Fillex to launch a new range of machines that are programmable at the touch of a screen to work with different configurations, thereby increasing productivity, and allowing users to more readily meet changing demands.Cannex PIC Organised by SPG Events and backed by The Canmaker magazine, Cannex & Fillex is specifically targeted at can manufacturers and fillers. Visitors will be able to see the latest technologies and services that support a global business which produces almost 500 billion cans a year for customers in the beverage, food, personal care and industrial sectors. The success of Cannex & Fillex reflects a developing market in China for metal packaging of all kinds. One of the fastest-growing domestic canmakers is ORG Packaging founded just 20 years ago. Now active in all sectors, its latest venture embraces cans with film-laminated coatings. ORG’s world-class technology, which one of its subsidiaries will be showing at Cannex & Fillex, promises manufacturing with a lower environmental impact. In an address to The Canmaker Summit last year, ORG director Chris Zhou provided a detailed analysis of how the various sectors of the Chinese canmaking market compare with others around the world. He explained how metal packaging has a smaller share of China’s food packaging markets, showing that there is considerable room for […]

Kemira Oyj Completes Acquisition of Akzonobel Paper Chemicals Business

Kemira has completed the acquisition of AkzoNobel paper chemicals business announced on July 8, 2014. The value of the transaction is EUR 153 million and it will become cash-effective in the second quarter of 2015. The acquired business is expected to increase revenue by more than EUR 200 million on an annualised basis as of the completion date. As communicated earlier, six of the AkzoNobel paper chemicals manufacturing sites and approximately 350 employees will be transferred to Kemira. Kemira will also increase the production capacity of its own paper chemical manufacturing sites in order to realise expected production synergies. The integration period of the transaction is expected to last approximately two years and result in EUR 15 million net synergies on an annualized basis. The production sites to be transferred to Kemira are located in South Korea, Thailand, Indonesia, Australia, Spain and Italy. “This acquisition strengthens our market position, especially in the growing APAC region. It also enables substantial efficiency improvements in our global paper chemicals manufacturing network. Most importantly, we gain new competencies and technological capabilities through 350 paper chemical experts and six manufacturing facilities — extending our ability to deliver best in business expertise and services to our customers. I want to warmly welcome all the new employees to Kemira, now the only pulp and paper chemistry provider with a truly global reach,” says Jari Rosendal, Kemira’s President and CEO.

The Great Rebalancing

China’s economic growth is sputtering, the Euro is under threat, and the United States is combating serious trade disadvantages. Another Great Depression? Not quite. Noted economist and China expert Michael Pettis argues instead that we are undergoing a critical rebalancing of the world economies. Debunking popular misconceptions, Pettis shows that severe trade imbalances spurred on the recent financial crisis and were the result of unfortunate policies that distorted the savings and consumption patterns of certain nations. Pettis examines the reasons behind these destabilizing policies, and he predicts severe economic dislocations–a lost decade for China, the breaking of the Euro, and a receding of the U.S. dollar–that will have long-lasting effects. Pettis explains how China has maintained massive–but unsustainable–investment growth by artificially lowering the cost of capital. He discusses how Germany is endangering the Euro by favoring its own development at the expense of its neighbors. And he looks at how the U.S. dollar’s role as the world’s reserve currency burdens America’s economy. Although various imbalances may seem unrelated, Pettis shows that all of them–including the U.S. consumption binge, surging debt in Europe, China’s investment orgy, Japan’s long stagnation, and the commodity boom in Latin America–are closely tied together, and that it will be impossible to resolve any issue without forcing a resolution for all. Demonstrating how economic policies can carry negative repercussions the world over, The Great Rebalancing sheds urgent light on our globally linked economic future. Michael Pettis is professor of finance and economics at Peking University, a senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment, and a widely read commentator on China, Europe, and the global economy. He is the author ofThe Volatility Machine: Emerging Economies and the Threat of Financial Collapse. “[Michael Pettis is] a brilliant economic thinker.”–Edward Chancellor, Wall Street Journal “Insightful. . . . [O]ffers a sweeping perspective that links trade, […]

Beijing’s Most Interesting People : Michael Pettis

Michael Pettis, Professor of Finance, Guanghua School of Business, Peking University. Co-founder, Maybe Mars. Wall Street veteran, merchant banker, equities trader, economist, finance professor, entrepreneur – iconoclast – Michael Pettis is a unique individual living and working in China, at the heart of the world’s most exciting and vibrant economy. Having learned firsthand how markets operate during his years on Wall Street, Pettis has taken his knowledge and insight and applied them to the Asian financial markets as an expert analyst, commentator, and participant. His work and research focuses on monetary policy, trade policy, and the development of the banking and financial markets in China. Pettis is the author of The Volatility Machine: Emerging Economics and the Threat of Financial Collapse. The book is a classic examination of the causes of financial crises in emerging-market countries and is critical reading for investors, businesspeople and anyone else interested in understanding where the international economy is going. An entrepreneur and music lover, Pettis is a force in the Beijing indie-music scene as a club owner, talent manager representing local bands, and record label owner. -the beijinger

Books: Flash Boys – A Wall Street Revolt

Flash Boys: A Wall Street Revolt is a non-fiction book by the American writer Michael Lewis published by W. W. Norton & Company on March 31, 2014. The book focuses on the rise of high-frequency trading (HFT) in the US equity market. Lewis states that “The market is rigged” by HFT traders who front run orders placed by investors. The book remained on the first place of The New York Times Best Seller list for four consecutive weeks. The book centers on several people, including Sergey Aleynikov, a one-time programmer for Goldman Sachs, and Bradley Katsuyama, the founder of IEX, the Investors’ Exchange. Flash Boys starts out describing the new construction of Spread Networks’ secretive 827-mile cable running through mountains and under rivers from Chicago to New Jersey that would reduce the journey of data from 17 to 13 milliseconds. The speed of data becomes a major theme in the book; the faster the data travels, the better the price of the trade. Lewis claims access to this fiber optic cable, as well as other technologies, presents an opportunity for the market to be controlled even more by the big Wall Street banks. To counter this disadvantage to investors, Katsuyama bands together a team that sets out to develop a new exchange, called IEX, to make the playing field for trading fairer. The book takes a look at how electronic trading replaced the trading floor of screaming brokers, slamming telephones and hysteria-inducing ticker tape, and how that change impacted the market. The book concludes by observing that there is now a conventional (microwave) link between Chicago and New Jersey, which follows an even straighter route than the Spread Networks’ 827-mile cable (as microwaves always follow a direct path, whereas cables, by their very nature, must, at least occasionally, detour around […]

LASER World of PHOTONICS CHINA 2015

10th Anniversary, A Decade of the Highest Quality On March 17-19, 2015, LASER World of PHOTONICS CHINA celebrated its 10th anniversary at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre. This year, the trade show again attracted leading exhibitors from around the globe to show their latest technologies and innovations. LASER World of PHOTONICS CHINA continued its successful growth in all aspects: A total of 715 companies from 20 countries exhibited on an exhibition area of 36,960 square meters. In the three days, 40,291 industry professionals visited the trade fair. Dr. Reinhard Pfeiffer, Deputy CEO of Messe München International, responsible for the LASER World of PHOTONICS international network, praised the achievements of the Chinese platform: “LASER World of PHOTONICS CHINA has successfully developed into one of the most important trade fairs in Asia for both international and Chinese companies.” This year, many domestic enterprises were present: in addition to traditional giants such as Han’s and HG, they included Focuslight, Huaray, Raycus, Max, Delphi, Golden Laser and Huineng. According to Pfeiffer, another key factor is the strong presence of foreign companies: “The 22 percent increase in international exhibitors in the anniversary year 2015 demonstrates the high interest of international laser and photonics manufacturers in the Chinese market.” PHOTONICS CONGRESS and supporting program well received by attendees and speakers The PHOTONICS CONGRESS CHINA held concurrently with the trade show was highly accredited by the participants for its quality and international environment. It covered a wide range of hot topics, for example laser processing, advanced lasers, optics, IR imaging, laser safety and light beam analysis, as well as the latest findings in these areas. Under the umbrella of the PHOTONICS CONGRESS CHINA, the 10th International Laser Processing and Systems Conference (LPC 2015) highlighted the topic of Industry 4.0. LASER World of PHOTONICS CHINA 2015 played […]

FARO Announces its Asia Pacific 3D User Conference 2015

Sessions Scheduled in China, India, & Japan FARO Technologies well known for 3D measurement, imaging, and realisation technology, has unveilled the third edition of the annual FARO 3D User Conference for the Asia Pacific region. Catering to 3D documentation communities within various industries, and held between June and September, the 2015 conference comprises three full-day sessions in China, India, and Japan. “Our last two conferences received strong support from 3D user communities across the region,” said Joseph Arezone, Managing Director Europe, Middle East & Africa and Managing Director Asia Pacific. “We are heartened by the response, and are committed to continue offering users this exclusive platform. It would be a golden opportunity for them to keep up-to-date with the latest technologies, as well as to interact and connect with one another, irrespective of the industries they are from.” According to Research and Markets[i], the global 3D terrestrial laser scanning market is forecasted to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 12.53% over the period of 2013-2018, arising mainly from a need to improve productivity. The conference seeks to inspire attendees and pave the way for more 3D laser scanning applications in time to come. As with past years, the event serves practitioners from a variety of functions and industries, including Architecture Engineering and Construction (AEC), Energy and Natural Resources, Heritage, Law Enforcement, Process Power and Piping (PPP), and Shipbuilding. Architects and structural engineers, for instance, will see how laser scanning can offer a rapid and simple way to comprehensively record the current condition of buildings and building sites. Forensic scientists, on the other hand, can appreciate how the technology can enable them to accurately capture and recreate incident scenes with 3D data. Attendees will hear from renowned professionals and top industry experts about the capabilities and potential of the […]

Singapore's precision engineering sector PIC

Singapore’s precision engineering sector expanded by 4% in 2014

AMIC, MTA2015 exhibitor, says national education programmes and collaboration with industry has paid off and helped boost manufacturing industry One of the key drivers of the Singapore economy, the manufacturing industry, contributes about 20 to 25 per cent of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Precision Engineering (PE) – the backbone of the industry – is applied in sectors from aerospace to medical, equipment building to oil & gas. From simple contract manufacturing in the early days, the Singapore precision engineering sector now provides integrated solutions from design to prototyping to production and even supply chain management. The sector recorded a growth of about four per cent in 2014. To further boost the PE industry, the Singapore government has collaborated with industry and academic partners to develop fresh talent, as well as enhance the knowledge and deep skillsets of the current work force. The Additive Manufacturing Innovation Centre (AMIC) and Centre for Digital & Precision Engineering (CDPE) at Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP) are two such academic partnerships with the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB). Through government support and funding in the Continuing Education and Training (CET) and Pre-Employment Training (PET) national programmes – cumulatively S$128 million – NYP offers the Precision Engineering Mastercraftsman (PeMC) and National Precision Engineering Scholarship (NPES) programmes for both students and working professionals. These programmes involve hands-on work at the AMIC and CDPE across every stage of the precision engineering process, from design to production. With the advent of new technologies, students now have the opportunity to enhance their skills and knowledge of the latest precision engineering and manufacturing technology such as additive manufacturing or 3D printing, robotics and Industrie 4.0 applications. The AMIC and CDPE unveiled these advanced manufacturing technologies at an exclusive media tour today. “Advanced manufacturing technologies such as 3D printing or even the Industrial […]

MTA2015: Robotics Market Set to Grow at 12% Annually Over Next Two Years

SINGAPORE, Mar 04, 2015 The International Federation of Robotics states that demand for industrial robots will continue at an average annual growth rate of 12 per cent between 2015 and 2017. In Asia/Australia, robot sales are expected to increase by around an average of 16 per cent per year. The automotive and electronics industries will continue to see increasing investment in robots. Mr. Lim Say Leong, Assistant Vice President, Marketing of ABB, thinks that in a new era of robotics, collaboration between humans and robots will become a reality. MTA2015 caught up with Mr. Lim to learn more about future trends in automation technologies and robotics for the Asian manufacturing sector. ABB, a global leader in power and automation technologies, will be showcasing its robotics solutions at MTA2015. Robotics made simple Small parts assembly is leading the charge in human-robot collaboration, where humans and machines are starting to work right next to each other, with no need for cages and other protective equipment or barriers. Automation will become simpler and more user-friendly, such as modular plug-and-produce components that will enable people without extensive experience in robotics to programme and integrate a robot in the process. At ABB we believe very strongly in a “what you see is what you get” (WYSIWYG) programming interface, so it is possible – perhaps even expected – that visual apps as well as programming by teaching (rather than coding) will greatly enhance the ease of programming for the next generation. The tools that allow robots to interact with the world around them are also in development, such as advanced sensing and advanced gripping. In order to allow robots to do all the jobs that they are well suited for, they will need to develop more “human-like” abilities to find, identify and manipulate objects. When combined […]

NGOs allowed to sue polluters in China

Hundreds of campaign groups in China have been granted the unprecedented right to bring legal action over environmental damage. The number of NGOs in China concerned with environmental protection has grown significantly in the past decade. According to Liao Hong, vice-director of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, there are now 569,000 licensed NGOs in China, with about 7,000 registered as groups campaigning on environmental issues. This is a conservative estimate and does not include the plethora of unlicensed NGOs and ad hoc activist groups focusing on environmental issues at both the national and local level. However, it’s long been debated what exactly environmental NGOs can actually do in China. Campaigns are possible, but often restricted; mass gatherings, protests and rallies are virtually always deemed illegal; and perhaps most importantly, the ability of an NGO – whether registered or not, international or domestic – to actually seek prosecution against a Chinese enterprise for breaching environmental regulations has been almost non-existent in China’s arcane and highly politicised legal system. That has changed somewhat in 2015. In December 2014, the Ministry of Civil Affairs approved 700 NGOs as eligible to launch public interest litigation over violations of environmental law. This is the first time any NGOs have been granted the legal status necessary to take violators to court, rather than simply report violations to the authorities. Seven hundred may only be one-tenth of registered NGOs but, looking on the bright side, it is a start. The Beijing-based Friends of Nature and Fujian province-based NGO Green Home tested the new legislation with a lawsuit, lodged on 1 January this year in Fujian’s Nanping Intermediate People’s Court, against four mine operators accused of carrying out illegal mining activities since 2008 in a mountainous area of natural beauty and environmental conservation. The case lasted a couple […]

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