Archive
International News Services archives articles supplied to clients one year or more after initial publication. These articles are protected by a password and not made available to readers without permission from clients. They are used as a background resource by agency journalists. Upon client requests, International News Services will remove such articles from the archive or not upload them in the first place. They are included to demonstrate the breadth of topics undertaken by the agency and also to help promote clients’ coverage.
HUMANS V AUTOMATION? THE DEBATE MAYBE FALSE IF TRAINED STAFF CAN WORK WITH ROBOTS, SAY EXPERTS
While some commentators say the textile and clothing industry’s automation level remains low with investment being too sluggish and unambitious, others predict a bright future where robots and humans collaborate in sustainable customised design and manufacturing.
The clothing segment of the sector has, of course, been historically labour-intensive – with associated high costs – with manufacturers hesitant to adopt greater automation, given the availability of low-cost labour in cheap outsourcing centres. …
BIG DATA ANALYSIS BECOMING MORE HOLISTIC AND EFFECTIVE FOR TEXTILE COMPANIES
Factory digitisation, including the emergence of Internet of Things (IoT) technology, has increased big data availability by “at least two orders of magnitude from what was available a couple of decades ago,” said UK-based AI-driven predictive maintenance software provider Senseye chief technology officer and co-founder Robert Russell.…
SAUDI ARABIA’S MEGA DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS BECKON HUGE PAINT SALES – BUT SUPPLIERS AWAIT COATINGS TENDERSSAUDI ARABIA’S MEGA DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS BECKON HUGE PAINT SALES – BUT SUPPLIERS AWAIT COATINGS TENDERS
The paint markets of the Gulf region’s two largest economies, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), have rebounded since the Covid-19 pandemic and are slated for growth, driven by major investments in real estate and infrastructure projects.
“Over the past 18 months, we have seen a flat and slightly declining paint markets in the region.…
NORDIC PAINT INDUSTRY MAINTAINS SUSTAINABILITY PUSH, DESPITE INFLATION AND SUPPLY CHAIN CHALLENGES
As the Nordic paint and coatings sector moves towards increasing sustainability, reducing its carbon and other emissions, including volatile organic compounds (VOCs), the region’s market is facing significant challenges. Inflation of prices for finished products is dampening demand – annual inflation in Sweden in December was 12.3%; Norway 5.9%; Denmark 7.7%; and Finland 9.1%.…
PUBLIC DIGITAL CURRENCIES OFFER OPPORTUNITY TO SNOOP ON MONEY LAUNDERERS – BUT PRIVACY CONCERNS MOUNT
The European Union (EU) is edging towards a digital Euro, one of several jurisdictions worldwide developing a central bank digital currency (CBDC), but what anti-money laundering controls would need to be built into the system and how can this be balanced with data protection and privacy considerations?…
SANCTIONED RUSSIANS PULL ALL AVAILABLE LEVERS TO CONTINUE INTERNATIONAL TRANSACTIONS
Given the constant expansion and tightening of sanctions against Russian individuals and organisations since Russia invaded Ukraine last February 24, it is no surprise that Russians have developed innovative ways to evade these sanctions. Sanction Scanner, a UK-based screening and transaction monitoring service provider highlighted how Russians have been utilising peer-to-peer exchanges of digital currencies to help conceal the beneficial owner of crypto.…
GERMAN COATINGS SECTOR FACED WITH WEAKENING DEMAND AND REGULATORY HEADACHES
The newest data released by the German Paint and Printing Ink Association (VdL) shows the fortunes of the German coatings sector were, in 2021, closely tied to the Covid-19 pandemic and increasing price of raw materials globally – causing weak short-term growth and an anticipated contraction in 2023.…
DEMAND GROWS FOR COATINGS THAT HELP IN MAKING ROAD PAVEMENTS SAFER AND GREENER
Worldwide, coatings companies specialising in manufacturing road pavement surface coatings are experiencing tailwinds, as the public and private sectors increasingly grow aware that these coatings present affordable solutions to major environmental problems.
A South Korean pavement surface coating developed by Incheon-based start-up Jchi Global (1), that reduces the scattering of fine dust in the atmosphere – which the World Health Organisation (WHO) says causes 7 million deaths-a-year worldwide from cardiovascular diseases, respiratory diseases (asthma, COPD), and more.…
INNOVATION AND PATIENCE NEEDED FOR SUSTIANABLE GROWTH IN US PLANT-BASED MEAT MARKET
Alternative non-meat product sales may be growing in the USA, but more product innovation, including in ingredients, may be needed say experts, to persuade American consumers to continue embracing this segment rather than sticking to natural meat.
After robust sales growth was noted during the Covid-19 pandemic as US consumers experimented with new food products at home, concerns that this market expansion may be slowing appeared last year.…
WHAT’S IN STORE FOR PACKAGED FOOD IN CHINA IN 2023?
Until social unrest in November forced China’s communist party dictatorship to abandon its tough Covid-19 controls, its packaged food retail sales looked healthy and seemed in decent shape to produce solid revenue in 2023. Data from China’s National Bureau of Statistics showed that the cumulative retail value of grain, oil and food products produced in China were worth Chinese Yuan Renminbi CNY903.2 billion (USD130 billion) in the first half of 2022, up 9.9% year-on-year (1).…