HANDLER

Market trends

news Market trends

ASEAN in focus: Opportunities in Thailand amid economic rebound

Thailand’s GDP is expected to grow by 3.9% in 2023, according to the World Bank’s latest forecast, supported by stronger consumption, a recovery in the tourism sector, and strong pent-up demand following China's reopening. The World Bank projects economic growth of 3.6% in 2024.Export is an influential driver of Thailand’s growth. The forecast of the Thai National Shippers’ Council shows that the country’s exports may drop by 5-6% in the first half of the year before picking up in the second, but are expected to increase slightly by 1% in 2023. The council also predicted that, benefiting from the Chinese economy and low base effect, the exports would improve in some sectors, such as electronics, automotive and agriculture.Although the global demand for Thai products has been affected by the trade tensions between major economies, the weak baht has helped boost the competitiveness of Thai exporters in some markets, the council added.Auto exports surged 43% in AprilThailand’s automotive industry has seen a remarkable recovery, thanks to the post-pandemic economic recovery, further improved semiconductor supply, and previous year’s low base. It is expected to continue growing in the coming months. The Thai automotive industry switched its primary focus to export market and since 2007, sales to overseas markets have steadily increased.According to the latest data from the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI), Thailand exported 79,940 finished cars in April, up 43.53% from the same month last year. The export value reached 50.16 billion baht, representing an increase of 49.83% year-on-year. Exports in the first four months increased 18.3% year-on-year.On the other hand, the domestic market remained slow, as auto sales dropped 6.14% YoY to 59,530 units in April, following an 8.37% decline in March. It was because of the tighter credit conditions for pickup truck buyers, as well as the ongoing pandemic impacts that has dampened consumer spending, according to the FTI.Other potential risks for the Thai automotive industry include rising cost of raw materials, fluctuation of exchange rates, and the uncertainties in the post-pandemic era.Poised to become EV production base in ASEANIn line with the global trend, the Thai government is accelerating the development of the EV industry under its ‘30@30’ policy in order to promote Thailand as an EV production base for the ASEAN region.The National EV Policy Committee published the ‘30@30’ policy in May, 2021. The policy aims to ensure that at least 30% of new vehicles will be zero emission vehicles (ZEVs) – battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) – by 2030.To support this, the government cut the annual road tax for new EVs, and it is encouraging public and private sectors to expand access to EV charging stations. Data from The Electric Vehicle Association of Thailand (EVAT) show that there were 1,239 charging stations in the Thailand in December, 2022.In addition, import duties on fully assembled BEVs have been cut to 40% for carmakers participating in the government’s BEV promotion scheme.Demand for sustainable packaging would increaseAccording to a report of Mordor Intelligence, the Thai packaging market has consistently grown over the past 10 years and is anticipated to register a CAGR of 8.65% over 2022 to 2027. The country’s economic expansion has led to a steady rise in both the production and consumption of packaging goods throughout time.The report says the consumption of non-recyclable plastic packaging is on the rise in Thailand. As a result, the demand for environmentally friendly packaging materials, such as paper and board, rPET, and bioplastic, would increase.Besides, the growth of the e-commerce and delivery industries has led to an increase in demand for packaging, not least flexible packaging. The TPBI, Thailand's leading packaging company, claimed that the company's sales of plastic bags and e-commerce packaging have increased since March 2020.The PE market in the country is expanding as a result of this tendency, and the demand for PE resin for packaging is expected to soar throughout the next years.The Thailand Plastics Industry Association (TPIA) also remarks that there is a growing market for plastic packaging in Thailand. Notably, the market growth is driven by the food and beverage industry that generates one-fourth of the country’s GDP.Due to expanding economy and evolving lifestyles, frozen food is now experiencing a rise in demand in Thailand, which in turn supports the growing demand for durable high sealing performance packaging.Potential medical sector for foreign investorsThe Ministry of Public Health’s 2016–2025 Strategic Plan reaffirms the position of the medical sector as a top priority for investment and growth in Thailand. Favorable regulations and incentives from the government and the Thailand Board of Investment (BOI) also play a key role in attracting international medical and healthcare enterprises to invest.With a well-established infrastructure already in place, Thailand has developed into a medical center for the ASEAN region. In Thailand, there are more than 1,000 governmental hospitals and 300 private hospitals. Government spending on healthcare has quickly increased, from less than 50% in 1995 to almost 80% recently.It is noteworthy that Thailand’s aging population will increase the demand for medical services in the next years. The proportion of people over 60 in the country is one of the highest in the ASEAN region. Additionally, Thailand is a medical tourism hub in Asia, with a rapidly rising number of foreign patientsChina tops Thailand’s FDIChina has become the leading source of foreign direct investment (FDI) in Thailand, especially in the high-tech industries including EVs, smart electronics, and medical devices.According to the Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand (IEAT), China accounted for 23.68% of the total FDI of 14.76 billion baht in Thai industrial estates in February, followed by Singapore (12.41%), Japan (11.65%), and India (6.39%).China’s investment in Thailand has increased sharply under China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The cooperation agreements signed between the two countries at the APEC 2022 further boosted Chinese investment in Thailand under the BRI and Thailand 4.0 policy.The IEAT expects more Chinese factories to be built in Thailand this year, as China lifted its travel restrictions and the IEAT offered incentives for target industries, reports Thailand Business News.Thailand 4.0 is an economic model that aims to unlock the country from several economic challenges. One of its main objectives is to create a value-based economy that is driven by innovation, technology and creativity. Environmental protection is also a key focus, looking to adopt an economic system capable of adjusting to climate change and low carbon society.source : https://www.adsalecprj.com/web/news/article_details?id=62415&lang=1edit : handler

Editor 2023-07-12

Continental prepared for future of ADAS

Continental prepared for future of ADASAUBURN HILLS, Mich.—For Continental A.G., advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) are nothing new.The company, whose autonomous mobility segment is based largely at its research and development center in Auburn Hills, has been working on ADAS systems since 1996.In more recent years, the focus has been on a full-stack system supplier solution, according to Vinh Tran, Conti's head of business area autonomous mobility for North America.Full stack includes three pillars—the system and the software; the ecosystem; and the component business, he said."What we try to do with a full-stack solution is to really make a scalable architecture."Continental aims to have those full stack solutions in each level of ADAS, one through five, from entry-level awareness systems to fully autonomous driving, Tran said.The focus now is on supporting functions such as lane-departure warnings, traffic-sign recognition, blind-spot detection—features that drivers know are there and working. When drivers are aware of ADAS systems, "they can slowly learn to accept the system," Tran said.As those systems evolve into more autonomous driving, drivers already will be accustomed to trusting ADAS, which will help them trust their vehicle to navigate during difficult situations, he said."It's a combination of trust as well as acceptance," Tran said.Drivers need to learn to trust systems like radar and Lidar, he said, as well as they trust their own eyes.Market leaderContinental has numerous systems and software functions on the market and is a market leader to many original equipment manufacturers, Tran said.The company's portfolio includes technology that uses radar and cameras including lane-departure systems, blind-spot detection, traffic-sign assists, rear cross traffic—a feature that uses short-range radar to determine if something or someone is near the vehicle and could create a collision—as well as traffic-jam assist, which uses cameras and radar to help ensure safety in a traffic-jam situation, he said.It's been a growing area for the company. Conti has been able to adapt its technology to changes."The architecture is getting more and more complex. And with that, also the components and the system and the software as well," Tran said.The company's autonomous mobility segment is headquartered in Auburn Hills, but the business also has teams in Mexico and Santa Barbara, Calif., the latter focused on developing Lidar systems through a partnership with technology company AEye Inc.Last year, Continental budgeted approximately $110 million for plant in New Braunfels, Texas, focused on ADAS components. The plant, which is expected to begin production later this year, will first focus on short-range radar products and eventually on camera products, Tran said.The focus on ADAS also ties into Conti's Vision Zero strategy—a future with zero fatalities, zero crashes and zero injuries on the road."In the end, our strategy in North America has been to be able to provide this solution to help create the autonomous mobility space," which will in turn reduce crashes, Tran said."It's a great vision and I think we're headed toward that. I think the market, and the entire market, is working towards that. As the technology evolves and evolves, I think that opportunity is increasing every day."source : https://www.plasticsnews.com/automotive/continental-prepared-future-adasedit : handler

Editor 2022-07-22

'Switch has been flipped' on global EV growth, forecast says

'Switch has been flipped' on global EV growth, forecast saysBCG anticipates 59% of all new vehicles sold worldwide will be BEVs by 2035.Battery-electric vehicles will account for a majority of new light-vehicle sales worldwide by 2035 as government mandates begin and automakers roll out new models, according to a forecast by Boston Consulting Group.BCG anticipates 59 percent of all new vehicles sold worldwide will be BEVs by 2035, a double-digit upward revision from its estimate in 2021, which called for a 45 percent market share. Likewise, the consulting firm anticipates BEVs will make up 20 percent of worldwide sales in 2025, up from last year's forecast of 11 percent."We really think the switch has been flipped," said Aakash Arora, managing director and partner at BCG. "It used to be a few years ago that for many companies, both OEMs and suppliers, EVs were a very important piece of their strategy but still just a project. Now, we're seeing that EVs are the company and that ICE is the project."BCG's report released June 9 said BEVs are likely to benefit in the coming years because of a significant shift away from internal combustion engine vehicles as well as a "lower uptake" of mild-hybrid vehicles across the globe.By 2035, gasoline-powered internal combustion vehicles and those that run on diesel are expected to account for just 10 percent of global vehicle sales, compared with 85 percent in 2021, according to the report. The share of mild hybrids in the global marketplace is expected to grow from 3 percent last year to about 19 percent in 2025 before flattening out.BEVs, meanwhile, are projected to grow from a 6 percent share in 2021 to 20 percent in 2025, 39 percent in 2030 and 59 percent in 2035.The European Union is expected to lead the world in BEV uptake, driven by strict environmental regulations that come into effect over the next several years. BCG expects 93 percent of all new-vehicle sales in the region to be BEVs by 2035, compared with 9 percent in 2021.While the U.S. is expected to lag behind the EU, the country's BEV share should grow quickly, the report said, and be roughly in line with China's growth. About 68 percent of new-vehicle sales in the U.S. are expected to be BEVs by 2035, up from 3 percent in 2021.Arora said the U.S. is benefiting from a "fundamental shift" in the regulatory environment under the Biden administration, which has raised climate targets and set a goal of having half of all new-vehicle sales in the country be zero-emission by 2030."The U.S. is now very committed to electrification in terms of the emissions targets and what we see in funding coming in," Arora said.But significant challenges face the industry and government as both push to electrify, what BCG calls "the sting in the tail of this rosy outlook."Supply chain constraints, geopolitical uncertainty and increased demand have pushed prices for lithium, nickel and other raw materials needed for battery production up significantly over the last two years, leading to higher battery costs.BCG said the solution is for producers to build new facilities to meet demand, though that will "not be easy" given long lead times on such projects."As long as supply gaps persist, they could hamper the buildout of additional battery production capacity, hinder efforts to improve the battery range and lifespan of technologies, and delay — or even reverse — the declines in EV ownership costs," BCG wrote.Likewise, nations must quickly ramp up the development of charging networks if they hope to meet targets. For example, BCG said the U.S. will need 1.1 million public charging sites by 2025 and 2.3 million by 2030, compared with 100,000 that were available in 2020.While the Biden administration plans to spend $5 billion over the next five years on EV charging, the White House has said it is targeting 500,000 public charging stations nationwide by 2025, well short of BCG's estimated need. And the federal funding put toward EV charging by last year's infrastructure bill is likely to pay for less than one-tenth of those charging points, BCG said.Still, Arora said he was optimistic the auto industry and other key players would find a way to address such issues."Now that everybody is pointing in the same direction, we'll be working through these challenges," he said. "I'm not dismissing the importance or significance of them, but we think this will lead to a new kind of innovation on charging and battery types and in mining. And it's going to drive change in regulation."source : https://www.plasticsnews.com/news/switch-has-been-flipped-global-ev-growth-forecast-saysedit : handler

Editor 2022-06-24

VDMA adjusts forecast after orders drop for German plastics machinery

Orders for German plastics and rubber machinery plummeted 27 percent in the first quarter of 2022 compared to the prior year while overall sales were up 3 percent. High demand from the packaging and medical sectors fueled demand in 2021 so the drop was somewhat of a base effect. However, other factors have made it difficult for machine and equipment builders to process the orders and convert them to sales, according to officials of the mechanical engineering industry association, Verband Deutscher Maschinen- und Anlagenbau (VDMA), which is based in Frankfurt, Germany. "First and foremost, there is the poor availability of materials," VDMA Plastics & Rubber Machinery Managing Director Thorsten Kühmann said in a news release. The war in Ukraine and China's strict zero-COVID policy also have contributed to logistics problems and greater uncertainty in the market, which are having a negative effect on business. As a result, the trade association is scaling back its original forecast that projected growth of 5-10 percent, saying it's no longer realistic for 2022. "Due to the ongoing developments on the procurement market, we only expect a sideways movement or, in the best case, a slight increase in turnover for 2022 — despite full order books. We expect a development of zero to 2 percent," Kühmann said of the new outlook. With more than 200 members, VDMA is the largest organization for mechanical engineering in Germany and Europe, particularly Austria, Switzerland, and France. VDMA says German member companies represent sales of about 7 billion euros in core machinery and 10 billion euros including peripheral technology. Every fourth plastics machine manufactured worldwide comes from Germany in terms of value, according to VDMA. Meanwhile, the Italian machinery sector released results last week from the latest member survey that shows a 14 percent growth in production for the year 2021, with value exceeding pre-pandemic levels. For the first quarter of 2022, Amaplast reported a 28 percent year-over-year increase in demand, particularly in overseas markets. Amaplast's outlook for the second quarter also shows optimism with incoming orders expected to grow by another 6-7 percent. However, Amaplast officials also said it was difficult to forecast for the coming months as there are many factors that may influence the performance of the industry. They pointed to the war in Ukraine limited manufacturing supplies and leading to higher energy costs as well as the COVID-related closures in China, including the port of Shanghai. "Companies thus find themselves operating in an exceedingly complicated and also paradoxical situation. In spite of the above issues, orders continue to accumulate and it may become complicated for many companies to fulfill them," Amaplast said in a news release.

관리자 2022-06-13

Kickstart: With EV sales increasing, batteries becoming a bigger question

Kickstart: With EV sales increasing, batteries becoming a bigger questionWith EV sales increasing, batteries becoming a bigger questionWith electric vehicle sales picking up — EV sales were up 60 percent for the first quarter of 2022 and made up a record 4.6 percent of all U.S. sales — the auto industry and environmental groups are taking a harder look at what to do with the batteries in those cars once they reach the end of their life.Recycling for traditional batteries can be a mess. Polypropylene from cases have been relatively easy to recycle and turn back into new battery casings, but the lead and other chemicals in those battery have proven far more challenging. (The Tampa Bay Times won a Pulitzer Prize this week for its coverage of the health hazards related to lead battery recycling.)Lithium-ion batteries pose a different kind of challenge, because the chemistry for them includes valuable materials like lithium that are important to recover and use again. The plastics used in separator film and structural frames tend to get less attention related to recycling, although Singapore-based Ace Green Recycling Inc. said earlier this week it will build a plant in Texas to reclaim 15 million pounds of plastics each year from lead and lithium-ion batteries.The Alliance for Automotive Innovation on May 11 introduced what it termed a framework to "support and sustain a domestic circular economy for EV batteries, create manufacturing jobs, boost U.S. energy security and reduce reliance on critical mineral imports."Investments in EV batteries are expected to hit $515 billion by the end of this decade, our sister paper Automotive News writes.An appropriate material for a grand openingAny company can have a ribbon-cutting ceremony. When pipe maker Uponor North America marked the opening of its $5.5 million, 25,000-square-foot expansion in Hutchinson, Minn., it had a pipe-cutting ceremony.The expansion will support the growth of Uponor's cross-linked polyethylene pipe manufacturing. Apple Valley, Minn.-based Uponor North America is part of Finland-based Uponor Corp.The PEX pipe used for the ceremony was specially marked with the date and location and given to attendees after the event.Dancing into the hallWe've written many times about the Toy Hall of Fame, but the Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, N.Y., is also home to the World Video Game Hall of Fame.While there are plenty of plastic components within any electronic toy, one of the inductees for 2022 relies even more on plastic, in this case a PVC sheet with sensors that make up the playing surface for home versions of Dance Dance Revolution.Like the Toy Hall of Fame, video games must meet certain criteria to qualify for a spot in the hall: Be considered an icon, show longevity, have wide geographical reach and influence other games.Since its debut in 1998, Dance Dance Revolution (also known as Dancing Stage in some areas) has gone on to influence other music-based video games with their own unique plastic interfaces for play, such as Guitar Hero and Rock Band. source : https://www.plasticsnews.com/kickstart/ev-sales-increasing-batteries-become-bigger-questionedit : handler

Editor 2022-05-16

Water in PET bottles continues US dominance, but soft drinks rebound

Editor 2022-02-22

Sumitomo (SHI) Demag on track for record sales in 2021

editor 2021-11-24

Kickstart: Biodegradable straws and a new kind of plastic ban

Kickstart: Biodegradable straws and a new kind of plastic banBiodegradable straws and a new kind of plastic banThere's a new wrinkle in the old debate about banning plastic straws.In early November, the city government in Fort Myers Beach, Fla., on the Gulf of Mexico, repealed its 2017 law banning plastic straws and replaced it with an ordinance requiring that straws given out in food service must be marine biodegradable.What it means is that biodegradable plastic can now be used, along with paper. So if you find that paper straws get too soggy, this is for you.The Fort Myers Beach decision sets up a debate that I wonder if we'll see at more city halls, as materials like castor oil-based polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) polymer are commercialized.Some parts of the plastics industry, like packaging maker WinCup Inc., hope other cities change their plastic straw bans to allow for what they say are home compostable, biodegradable materials like PHA.WinCup calls it an "ecologically superior" material to the petroleum plastic straw."Our hope is that coastal communities across the country will follow Fort Myers Beach's lead by ensuring their straw ban policies are as strong as possible by allowing ecologically superior alternatives to petro plastic, like PHA," WinCup CEO Brad Laporte said in a statement.Florida's local straw bans have been controversial, and Fort Myers Beach's ordinance doesn't seem very detailed on defining what is biodegradable.But another maker of compostable PHA straws, UrthPact LLC, notes that Charleston, S.C.'s plastic straw ban specifically allows plant-based materials that meet the ASTM D6400 or D6868 standards and carry certification from the Biodegradable Products Institute.Biodegrability is a complex topic and for now, it seems like Charleston and Fort Myers Beach are in a minority among cities. But will this be the new trend in plastic straw laws? Time will tell.UMass sees economic boost from biodegradable plasticsAs WinCup and UrthPact know, there's interest in biodegradables. There's also research money going in.The state government in Massachusetts Nov. 12 announced nearly $1.2 million for a new center to develop biodegradable plastics at the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth. One of the goals, they say, will be to make "ocean-safe plastics.""Institutions like UMass Dartmouth play a critical role in preparing Massachusetts' students for their future careers, teaching them how to tackle major global challenges such as plastic waste," said Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito, who spoke at the kickoff ceremony.As plastics nerds like me know, the UMass Lowell campus is famous for its plastics engineering school, but this center will be housed in UMass Dartmouth's School for Marine Science and Technology.The announcement says the grant will fund equipment to "address material biodegradability and its environmental impact, specializing in the ocean impacts, and advancing the development of new, environmentally sensitive products."One thing that caught my eye: Those involved with the lab see a quick economic return.The news release said that because of the center's work with partner companies Radical Plastics and Paramount Planet Products, they expect to directly support the creation of 75 jobs by 2023 and another 232 indirect jobs in supply chains."Project estimates call for positive economic impacts within two years of launch, noting the large potential market for biodegradable products being driven by consumer demand and new legislation aimed at limiting plastic pollution," it said.Telling restaurants 'out with plastic, in with compostable fiber'And while we're on the topic of compostables, biodegradables and plastics, the city of Mountain View, Calif., wants to ban noncompostable packaging — including single-use plastics — from restaurants, fast-food outlets and coffee shops starting in 2023.The Silicon Valley city, well known as the headquarters for Google, Intuit and other tech firms, is moving ahead on a ban on single-use plastics in food service. In a Nov. 10 statement, the city said straws and cutlery made from "biologically based polymers or compostable plastics" are included in the ban on petroleum-based plastic.Mountain View said it wants food outlets to use compostable fiber-based material that is also free of PFAS chemicals, as part of its zero waste plan.Maybe it's another city for WinCup and UrthPact to talk to about the potential of PHA.Coincidentally, we saw this item Wednesday, on packaging maker Zume and robotics firm ABB striking a deal to put 2,000 robots in factories worldwide to make fiber-based packaging.They say it's aimed at "accelerating the transition away from single-use plastics," but the release does note that any fiber product must be as "easy to mold and as cost-effective as plastic."I'm sure the plastic packaging industry will have a few things to say about that, but it does seem like it's game on for finding new packaging materials.source : https://www.plasticsnews.com/kickstart/kickstart-biodegradable-straws-and-new-kind-plastic-banedit : handler

editor 2021-11-24