Search Results for: japan
1960 results out of 1960 results found for 'japan'.
ISSB PUSHES FOR ITS STANDARDS TO BE SUSTAINABILITY REPORTING GLOBAL BASELINE
Speaking at the event on Friday (Feb 17), Mark Carney, UN special envoy for climate action and finance, and former central bank governor for the UK and Canada, said of the baseline: “It’s critical. You need compatible information.”
Mr Carney stressed ongoing discussions between the ISSB and major jurisdictions, such as the EU (European Union), the USA and Japan, about the need for regulatory harmony.…
JAPAN COATINGS SECTOR GIVEN A BOOST BY OLYMPICS, BUT COMPANIES ARE NOW LOOKING FOR NEW DEMAND
This increase in demand is linked to the construction of venues and facilities for the Games, as well as for connected infrastructure, such as new hotels and transport facilities.
And with the final touches added to the Tokyo Aquatics Centre in early March, the preparations for sporting venues were completed – well ahead of schedule, a bright contrast to the last-minute construction that bedevilled the 2016 summer games in Rio de Janeiro.…
UK-GERMANY NEUCONNECT INTERCONNECTOR COULD PROVIDE MODEL FOR CHEAP CLEAN ENERGY DISTRIBUTION
The investment to build the interconnector will amount to EUR2.8 billion, with the EIB set to contribute up to EUR400 million for the financing construction of the section within the European Union (EU). Other financiers include the UK Infrastructure Bank, which will focus on the stretch within UK maritime and land territory, and the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC).…
THE OUTSOURCING/NEARSOURCING/RESHORING STRUGGLE WITHIN THE PROTECTIVE AND PERFORMANCE TEXTILE SEGMENTS
INTRODUCTION
The Covid-19 pandemic has sparked a reassessment of the model of relying on one or two outsourcing locations. It has demonstrated that when there is a major disruption caused by an emergency as serious as a pandemic, shipping and industrial processing can be disrupted.…
JAPAN’S NASCENT HALAL FOOD SECTOR STRUGGLES TO KEEP AFLOAT THROUGH COVID-19 PANDEMIC, BUT EYES SUSTAINABLE FUTURE
Japan may become a significant market for the halal food sector in future, predicts the Japan Halal Association, whose members are looking ahead to sustained growth once the Covid-19 pandemic ebbs. Faslin Mohammed Lafir, head of halal certification and international relations, of the Japan Halal Association, stressed that the country’s Muslim population is around 120,000 individuals at present, with an estimated 10,000 Japanese converting to the religion every year, boosting potential halal sales.…
APPAREL SECTOR: COUNTRY PROFILE BANGLADESH
The second-largest garment exporting country in the world, Bangladesh has grown its position as a key outsourcing hub since the 1980s.
With a global market share of 6.26%, according to the World Trade Statistical Review 2021 (1), “The industry has come a long way,” said Md. …
SOUTH KOREA’S PHARMA SECTOR PROBES HALAL MARKET WITH INDONESIAN PARTNERS
South Korea’s pharmaceutical industry, a global player with exports reaching South Korean Won KRW7.93 trillion (USD6.8 billion) in 2020, has been expanding its foothold in the world’s Muslim markets, offering guarantees that manufacturers avoid inputs that are offensive to Muslims.…
INDONESIA’S HALAL PHARMA SECTOR GROWS, BUT RELIANCE ON IMPORTED UNCERTIFIED INGREDIENTS IMPEDES DEVELOPMENT
Indonesia’s drive to require pharmaceutical products to be halal-certified is gathering pace, but the country’s pharma industry’s reliance on imported raw materials for medicines is impeding progress, officials and industry players say.
In October, Indonesia issued a government regulation requiring pharmaceutical products to be certified halal by 2029 for over-the-counter drugs and 2034 for prescription medicines.…
BANGLADESH PUSHING HALAL FOOD EXPORTS BY EXPANDING CERTIFICATION AND GOVERNMENT MARKET RESEARCH
The Bangladesh food industry is increasing its efforts to export halal foods to Muslim majority population countries. A senior government delegation is planning to visit Turkey and Indonesia this year to gather facts and advice on improving Bangladesh sales in these countries of halal food.…
BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP LEDGERS BEING CREATED – BUT NOT WITHOUT SERIOUS TEETHING TROUBLES
Britain’s open register of beneficial ownership was groundbreaking worldwide but its effectiveness as a bulwark against money laundering is being debated, even as both the European Union (EU) and the US move ahead at varying pace to replicate the system. The question of whether BO registers should be open or closed is one that is being discussed in countries around the world.…
RENEWABLE DIESEL GROWTH SET TO DISRUPT LIQUID FUEL INDUSTRY AND MARKET
Growth in demand for and production of renewable diesel is set to disrupt the global liquid fuels sector, with major increases in refining capacity being developed now. Renewable diesel has major potential as a transitional alternative energy source, because, unlike standard biofuels, in its highest quality form, it is chemically identical to fossil fuel diesel. …
ASIAN REGULATORY ROUND UP – TAIWAN REVISES CLIMATE LAW TO ENSURE PAINT EXPORTS TO EU AVOID ECO-DUTY
The Taiwan Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has initiated a revision of the island’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction and Management Law, partly to help paint and coatings manufacturers maintain access to the European Union (EU) market. The reform will take account of the EU’s planned Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, which may levy duties on products the EU deems have been made with excess carbon emissions.…
HAULIER SHORTAGE POSES CHALLENGES FOR CAN INDUSTRY WORLDWIDE
The lorry driver shortage in the UK has grabbed headlines, with concerns raised that Britain’s Brexit from the European Union has worsened the problem. And while that is almost certainly true, the shortage of drivers willing and able to take on commercial haulage jobs is far from being a Britain-only challenge.…
LIBERALISATION OF CANNABIS IS EASING CONTROLS ON HEMP FIBRE PRODUCTION
The increasing decriminalisation and legalisation of cannabis as a recreational and medicinal substance has encouraged the liberalisation of hemp as a fibre crop, whose use in some jurisdictions had been restricted because of laws against the plant’s chemically-active ingredients.
This is starting to change, most notably in the USA, which used to have severe anti-marijuana laws, but which now has 18 states that have legalised recreational cannabis use.…
COVID-19 DISRUPTION OFFERS AMERICAS TEXTILE COMPANIES CHANCE TO GRAB AND HOLD NEW MARKETS
The relationship between the USA textile industry and its counterparts in Latin America has never been straightforward, given the US exports fabrics and fibre to its neighbours as well as importing apparel, but the Covid-19 pandemic has increased complexity in this relationship.…
THE CORONAVIRUS HAS FUELLED RENEWED GEOSTRATEGIC COMPETITION
A key political question emerging from the Coronavirus pandemic has been how the disease might readjust relations between this world’s two largest powers – the United States and China. The two countries have had two very different experiences of Covid-19, which reflect their contrasting social and political systems.…
BANGLADESH PLANS TO TAP INTO UNTAPPED FANCY LINGERIE MARKETS OVERSEAS
The Bangladesh innerwear industry has been witnessing robust growth in the past decade and this outsourcing hub is now competing effectively with its major rival China. The production value of the country’s intimate wear jumped from US216 million in 2012 to US1.078 billion in 2021, according to a report from data service Statista (1).…
A Year since COVID-10: The Challenge and the Response
The Covid-19 pandemic, as a global crisis, will have worldwide long and short-term effects, although – of course – some counties have been, and will be, hit much harder than others.
Indeed, some countries, with fragile economies and weaker social systems, have been brought close to collapse by the coronavirus.…
SMART FACTORIES DEEP DIVE
INTRODUCTION
While debates continue over whether Aristotle actually said ‘The whole is greater than the sum of its parts’, the concept that a system can deliver more impact than each element of its technology acting alone is well established in the textile sector.…
EU’S PROPOSAL FOR NEW TOBACCO LEGISLATION - A GAME-CHANGER FOR E-CIGARETTES
The European Union (EU) is currently considering reforming its excise duty rules for tobacco products, with the tobacco industry and commentators seeing the negotiation on the integration of e-cigarettes being one of the hottest topics. Today, e-cigarettes in the EU are treated just like any other product, falling under EU VAT rules, and are not subject to EU-excise laws that apply for conventional tobacco products or spirits for instance.…
MALAWI STRUGGLES TO REMOVE DEEP ROOTED CHILD LABOUR FROM FARMS WHILE ENSURING LEAF GROW
Malawi, one the world’s largest producer of burley leaf tobacco, is making significant efforts to reduce child labour within its tobacco left sector, but the problem is still endemic.
A key sensitivity is that Malawi’s economy heavily relies on tobacco leaf, which contributes to 52% of the total export value for the country, according to the Malawi ministry of finance 2020 annual economic report.…
GOVERNMENTS TIGHTEN UP TOBACCO AGE LIMIT LAWS, ALTHOUGH IMPLEMENTATION IS OFTEN A PROBLEM
WHILE the imposition of age limits on the consumption of tobacco and other nicotine products remains very much a national, and in some cases sub-national jurisdiction decision, there is no doubt that the general trend worldwide is for tighter restrictions on younger consumers, even if they are often tough to enforce.…
FINANCIAL CRIME IS MAJOR RISK FOR TEXTILE AND CLOTHING SECTOR – GAINING INSIGHT CAN HEAD OFF MAJOR LOSSES
INTRODUCTION
Financial crime is a minefield for the international textile and clothing industry. With extended international supply chains extending into jurisdictions where the rule of law and a reliable independent judiciary may have a weak hold, if they exist at all, textile and clothing brands and manufacturers must take care.…
CLOTHING AND TEXTILE SUPPLY CHAIN DIGITISATION – DEEP DIVE
INTRODUCTION
Without doubt, the world’s clothing and textile sector is undertaking a technical upgrade that is unprecedented in decades, with new digital systems offering automation and efficient internal controls. As these are worked into the businesses of brands, manufacturers and their suppliers, a new potential emerges, and that is linking these digital systems in a way that could revolutionise efficiencies within the supply chain.…
KENYA’S PAINT SECTOR FIGHTS OF COVID-19 AND SCANS GROWING MARKET FOR OPPORTUNITIES
Demand for paints and coatings in Kenya is set to recover this year from the impact of Covid-19 epidemic, being driven by the rebound of building construction and other civil engineering works that require use of paints, the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics has predicted.…
PANDEMIC DISRUPTS INDONESIA’S TEXTILE AND CLOTHING DIGITISATION PUSH
The Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted Indonesia’s efforts to digitalise its textile and clothing sector, with only a few large companies adopting new industrial revolution 4.0 technologies amid a slump in exports, government officials and industry executives have warned.
Three years ago (2018), Indonesia’s industry ministry unveiled an ambitious ‘Making Indonesia 4.0’ plan to encourage manufacturers to adopt virtual reality, 3D design, automation and internet of things technologies.…
PAKISTAN DIGITAL TEXTILE PRINTING BUSINESS GROWS DESPITE COVID OUTBREAK
WITH an estimated annual growth of 15% regarding Pakistan’s future digital textile printing business, according to (WHO?), the sector’s outlook is positive, notably because of increasing digitally printed textile exports.
This growth has continued in the past 18 months, despite Covid-19, with more than a million cases as of July, albeit with a low confirmed death rate of 23,500 from its 225 million population.…
JAPAN PAINT COMPANIES PULL AWAY FROM COVID-19 SLUMP, BUT STRUCTURAL NEED FOR EXPORTS REMAINS
Japanese paint companies have felt the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on their bottom lines over the last 18 months, although their fortunes appear to have diverged in the first half of this calendar year. Firms that have a strong presence in China, where the economy has already bounced back strongly, are faring better than those that are primarily focused on domestic sales or export markets still struggling to shake off the lingering effects of the global health crisis.…
JAPAN NEEDS TO BOOST FIGHT AGAINST LAUNDERING BY YAKUZA – SAYS FATF
JAPAN should be more proactive in investigating complex money laundering involving local organised criminal networks – the Yakuza, or Boryokudan – the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has concluded.
In its latest mutual evaluation report, FATF concluded: “Japan regularly uses financial intelligence to investigate money laundering.…
COMPRESSION GARMENT STANDARDS GUIDE MANUFACTURERS AS THEY INCREASE FUNCTION AND QUALITY
INTRODUCTION
In a highly technical textile sector segment such as the manufacture of compressed garments, the use of detailed standards to guide production is not just useful in guaranteeing quality output, it can help manufacturers and brands’ marketing. Where products are associated with international, regional, national and private standards, this builds confidence in consumers, promoting sales.…
JAPANESE KNITTERS AND MACHINE MANUFACTURERS ASSESS POTENTIAL OF HIGH-TECH FIBRES
With a large and mature technical textiles market that includes global players such as Asahi Kasei, Mitsui Chemicals and Toyobo, Japan has long benefited from solid research and development capabilities to drive innovation in high-tech fibre use. Now, as industries ranging from civil engineering to aerospace increasingly seek fibres delivering tough performance goals, knitting manufacturers are advancing further in high-tech fibre usage to meet their needs.…
JAPAN FOOD COMPANIES FIND ALTERNATIVE MEAT PRODUCTS DESIGNED FOR TOURISTS HAVE BECOME POPULAR LOCALLY
Alternative meat items are gaining a stronger foothold in Japan on the back of product development by mainstream meat producers, growing demand for healthy products and government support for the fledgling industry.
Although soy-based meat is not new to the Japanese market, with items such as tofu hamburgers and soy meat crumbles long holding an established place on supermarket shelves, the market is rapidly expanding and diversifying in response to changing needs.…
CANADIAN DIGITAL TEXTILE SECTOR LOOKS TO POST-COVID RE-SHORING FUTURE AS IT BUILDS CAPACITY
TEXTILE and clothing products sold in Canada may have significant proportions of imports, but the country does retain an important digital textile printing capacity.
Covid-19, however, has changed the market according to researchers and companies working in the sector.
“Daily, I hear comments from clients that they want to keep their business local, and that they do not want to go offshore,” said Joe Scout, sales executive at Toronto-based Club Ink, manufacturers of film industry wardrobe costumes and digitally-printed (largely non-textile) display solutions and.…
CHINA ‘GUOCHAO’ NATIONALISTIC DESIGN IS STRENGTHENING DOMESTIC PERSONAL CARE PRODUCT MANUFACTURERS’ MARKET POSITION
For evidence that China’s nationalistic ‘guochao’ consumer trend is gathering pace in the personal care product sector, look at the country’s powerful e-commerce sector. In February 2021, the turnover of cosmetics on China’s Taobao platform was Chinese Yuan Renminbi CNY14.7 billion (USD2.3 billion), a year-on-year increase of 11%, with the top brand in sales being the guochao-oriented personal care product brand Hangzhou-based Florasis Hua Xizi.…
GLOBAL MASK MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY AND MARKET WILL REMAIN ROBUST AFTER COVID-19
INTRODUCTION
THE MANUFACTURE of protective masks has been maybe the largest growth area in the international textile and non-wovens industry during the Covid-19 pandemic. Billions of people have donned masks as they seek to avoid catching a disease that by June 11 (2021) had killed 3.7 million people and infected 175 million [1].…
THE MERGING OF FUNCTION AND DESIGN IS RESHAPING THE GLOBAL CLOTHING AND TEXTILE INDUSTRY
INTRODUCTION
The COVID-19 pandemic has had many profound social and economic impacts, but maybe one of the most important for the clothing and textile sector has been how it encouraged the meshing of design and function in products.
With consumers staying at home, they have looked for apparel to provide comfort as much as formal elegance, of more importance when working in an office or attending public evening events.…
US DOLLAR’S DOMINANCE BEING CHALLENGED BY CRYPTO – BUT WILL THIS WEAKEN AMERICAN SANCTIONS AND AML ENFORCEMENT?
AMERICA has long been the global policeman of international sanctions, including breaches of AML rules, but evidence suggests that the US dollar’s use in international transactions could be weakening and is having to compete with the rising power of crypto currencies.…
HOW DID THE TOBACCO INDUSTRY FARE DURING THE PANDEMIC IN BANGLADESH?
COVID-19 has been a challenge for many industries and the tobacco sector has been no exception, with the disease disrupting consumption and purchasing patterns that underpin profitability and turnover.
Countries where smoking is associated with socialising have been particularly vulnerable and a good example is Bangladesh, where the disease has depressed consumption, temporarily.…
VIETNAM’S PAINT SECTOR HIT BY COVID-19, BUT LOOKS FORWARD TO MEDIUM-TERM GREEN GROWTH
Covid-19 made 2020 an incredibly disruptive year for the global manufacturing sector and Vietnam’s paint and coatings sector did not escape the pandemic impact. This was despite that this south-east Asian country had an apparently low impact from the disease, with just 9,565 cases (as of June 9, 2021) and just 55 deaths from a 98 million population, albeit with a rash of new cases last month (June).…
ASIAN INTERNATIONAL REGULATORY ROUNDUP - TAIWAN UPGRADES CHEMICAL SAFETY CONTROLS
Taiwan’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced amendments to the island’s Registration Procedures for New Chemical Substances and Existing Chemical Substances. In addition to delaying a registration period for the standard registration of existing chemical substances in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, it has added a number of simplified administrative and convenient measures to optimise registration applications, review and reporting requirements.…
GRAPHENE’S WONDER MATERIAL QUALITIES SPARKS WIDESPREAD INNOVATION IN TEXTILE SECTOR
INTRODUCTION
Graphene has been hailed as a wonder material by its promoters – and for once in the tarnished history of scientific hyperbole – these claims seem to have significant merit. The reality is that graphene does not only offer textile manufacturers the ability to improve the functionality of their products, it helps them achieve this in an environmentally sustainable way.…
GLOBAL MICROCHIP SHORTAGE PROMPTS ONGOING CONCERN OVER MANUFACTURING CAPACITY IN US AUTO SECTOR
GLOBAL ratings agency Fitch has warned that the current global shortage in semiconductor supplies is expected to continue – a major worry for automotive manufacturers and traders seeking to ramp up production as Covid-19 declines, especially as vehicles become ever more reliant on micro-chips.…
VENDORS OFFER TECHNICAL SOLUTIONS TO DATA ANALYSIS DEMANDS OF KYCC
Obliged entities following the risk-based approach of calibrating AML/CFT controls lodging suspicious transaction reports must rely on solid knowledge about their customers and partners. But to be comprehensive in assessing risk, obliged entities must know something about their customers’ customers.
That is the underpinning of ‘know your customers’ customers’ (KYCC) systems that are increasingly being touted by vendors.…
ROBOTICS POSE TOUGH CHOICES FOR TEXTILE SECTOR BUT ALSO OFFER MAJOR PRODUCTIVITY DIVIDENDS
INTRODUCTION
ROBOTICS are not new to the textile and clothing sector, and have driven productivity improvements for more than a decade. But these technologies are becoming increasingly more adaptable and more autonomous, offering the many stages in the textile and clothing and distribution chain the potential to increase margin.…
JAPAN ICE CREAM MAKERS READYING FOR POST-COVID GROWTH IN SALES
The Covid-19 pandemic has depressed demand in some segments of Japan’s ice cream market, but manufacturers are weathering the storm and poised for continued improvement, according to industry experts.
The country’s second-largest confectionery segment has enjoyed continuous growth in the past 10 years.…
MICROFACTORY GROWTH OFFERS MAJOR OPPORTUNITY FOR BOOM IN DIGITAL TEXTILE PRINTING
INTRODUCTION
The textile industry is one of the world’s oldest manufacturing sector, yet it is also one of the most dynamic, constantly reinventing itself. Today, the development of micro-factories might herald root-and-branch change in how the textile and clothing industry operates, a transformation driven by advances in digital textile printing.…
BIOMETRIC TECHNOLOGY INCREASINGLY SOPHISTICATED AS COMPANIES SEEK REAL TIME ID SOLUTIONS
The test remains the same. French tech multinational Thales stressed in a paper that they “allow a person to be identified and authenticated based on recognisable and verifiable data, which are unique and specific…” compared to a person’s biometric template.…
CHINA’S AMOS BETS ON NOVEL SWEETS
Amos Sweets, a veteran global confectionery supplier based in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, aims to be the face of China’s new generation of candy maker through offering novel, nourishing, high quality sweets.
Investors have bought into the idea. In early 2021, the company received an investment of nearly Chinese Yuan Renminbi CNY100 million (USD15.6 million) through a series A funding round.…
CANADA AUTOMOTIVE CYBER SECURITY CENTER RAISES AWARENESS OF HACKING RISK FOR AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES
CANADIAN auto dealers, whose sales of high-tech vehicles maybe hampered by safety concerns linked to hacking and computer viruses, are being assisted by a new university cyber-protection unit allied to parts-makers.
The SHIELD Automotive Cybersecurity Centre of Excellence is based at the University of Windsor, just over the Detroit River, and will work with Canada’s Automotive Parts Manufacturing Association (APMA), with whom it has signed a memorandum of understanding.…
CHINESE KNITTING MACHINE SECTOR STEAMING OUT OF THE CRISIS
Demand for knitting machines in China has been recovering remarkably fast from the Covid-19 crisis, with Chinese textile factory owners growing bolder in investment decisions, and exports to south Asia growing too.
Chinese knitting machine-makers Suzhou ReHow Machinery Manufacturing and Fujian Taifan Industrial, which supply mainly T-shirt fabrics single jersey circular knitting machines, saw their sales dip in 2020 but not to a dramatically low level.…
COVID-19 TOBACCO SMUGGLING AND COUNTERFEITING IS BOON FOR ORGANISED CRIME
Covid-19 has reshaped commercial crime, and one lucrative offence taking a real turn for the worse is tobacco smuggling and counterfeiting. Keith Nuthall reports.
The Covid-19 pandemic has depressed incomes worldwide and forced lower income smokers to look for cheap smokes, which has included counterfeits or smuggled goods.…
COATINGS CEMENTING THEIR FOOTPRINTS ON TEXTILE TERRAIN, EXPERT CONFERENCE HEARS
The coatings sector is increasingly paying attention to the needs of the textile industry, with its products being used in innovative ways to adapt the surfaces of fabrics to new technical requirements and changes in consumer preferences.
It is an innovative field and information on recent research and development was highlighted last month at a World Congress on Textile Coating (WCTC), held virtually between February 11-12 and 18-19 with dozens of presenters.…
FLOATING WIND POWER RAMPS-UP AS DEVELOPER PONDER REDUCING COSTS
Oil companies decarbonising their portfolios are getting out their cheque books for floating offshore wind projects.
Bottom-fixed offshore wind farms familiar in some places worldwide are generally limited to water no more than about 60 metres deep. Beyond that, it becomes economically unfeasible to connect the increasingly large turbine assemblies to the seafloor by either monopile or jacket foundations.…
COVID-19 TOBACCO SMUGGLING AND COUNTERFEITING IS BOON FOR ORGANISED CRIME
There is no doubt that the Covid-19 pandemic has fuelled the black-market trade in illicit and smuggled licit tobacco products. The disease has depressed income and forced lower income smokers to look for cheap smokes, which has included counterfeits or smuggled goods.…
MILITARY VIOLENCE HARMING MYANMAR TEXTILE AND FABRIC BUSINESS
The increasing violence meted out by Myanmar security forces against protestors opposing military rule looks set to deepen disruption that has been suffered by the country’s clothing and textile industry since the February 1 coup.
According to local news reports, almost 60 people have been killed and 100s arrested during mass demonstrations and protests that have been continuous, with wood and corrugated iron forming barricades around neighbourhoods.…
COMPANIES MUST BEWARE OF CONFLICTING NATIONAL PROTECTIONS FOR EMPLOYEES WHEN LAUNCHING ANTI-FRAUD PROBES
EMPLOYERS who fear they are being fleeced by a corrupt employee or being hacked externally do not just need to find the attacker, they must comply with data protection and privacy protections while they conduct their investigations. Breaching such laws can undermine any criminal or civil case brought against a fraudster or hacker or can weaken inside dismissal and disciplinary negotiations with the offender.…
EU WTO ROUND UP – PEACE BREAKS OUT IN TRANSATLANTIC FOOD AND DRINK TRADE WAR
PEACE appears to be breaking out between the European Union (EU) and the UK on one side the USA over an aircraft subsidy-prompted trade war that had led to billions of dollars of duties being levied on food and drink exported between these countries.…
HOW CLOTHING FIRMS CAN PREPARE SUPPLY CHAINS FOR THE NEXT CRISIS
FASHION brands and clothing retailers have seen their supply chains struggle under lockdown measures imposed by governments trying to contain Covid-19. The shutdowns, of course, began just in time for 2020’s spring season, causing maximum disruption.
According to consulting firm McKinsey, 2020 was the fashion industry’s worst year on record, with a 90% decline in overall profits and almost three-quarters of registered firms globally making a loss.[1]…
TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION IN PREDICTIVE MAINTENANCE CAN PAY DIVIDENDS FOR TEXTILE SECTOR
INTRODUCTION
NEW technology can deliver effective maintenance strategies to clothing and textile manufacturers, helping them go beyond reactive and proactive maintenance, moving into the more sophisticated world of prediction. The goal is to deliver an optimum maintenance strategy that enables manufacturers to get the most value out of their plant and equipment by spending the least amount of time, resources and money to deliver effective performance.…
THE RECP - HOW THE WORLD’S BIGGEST FREE TRADE AGREEMENT WAS SIGNED AND HOW IT WILL CHANGE ASIA
Brief:
This article provides an analysis of why the world’s largest regional trade deal (in population terms) – the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) – was signed last November (2020). It assesses China’s role in this important political and economic event, and how it reflects its relations with other signatory countries.…
CLOTHING INDUSTRY IN MYANMAR IS GLOOMY ABOUT POST-COUP PROSPECTS
Clothing industry executives and experts within Myanmar have warned that the country’s apparel sector is already suffering because of the February 1 coup, when the military seized power and detained Aung San Suu Kyi and other elected leaders.
Despite the imposition of a one-year state of emergency, healthcare workers, civil servants and others have launched a civil disobedience movement, with demonstrations being staged nationwide.…
INDONESIA PAINT AND COATINGS SECTOR SET FOR STABLE GROWTH POST-COVID-19
The paint and coatings industry in Indonesia still has ample room for growth amid booming infrastructure development, although it has had to struggle with the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, say officials and industry experts.
With the property sector being the primary growth driver Indonesian paint and coating sales, the high demand for new housing and the repainting cycle assures the steady demand for paint and coating products, said Mahendra Chahar, senior consultant at Frost & Sullivan.…
INDONESIA PAINT AND COATINGS SECTOR SET FOR STABLE GROWTH POST-COVID-19
The paint and coatings industry in Indonesia still has ample room for growth amid booming infrastructure development, although it has had to struggle with the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, say officials and industry experts.
With the property sector being the primary growth driver Indonesian paint and coating sales, the high demand for new housing and the repainting cycle assures the steady demand for paint and coating products, said Mahendra Chahar, senior consultant at Frost & Sullivan.…
BREXIT TO SPELL COSTS AND DELAY FOR CAN MANUFACTURERS, SAY EXPERTS
THE UNITED Kingdom’s definitive exit from the European Union (EU) on December 31, 2020, after an 11-month transition period, will severely disrupt the UK and European can manufacturing industry, experts have told CanTech International. That said, industry figures acknowledge however that, by avoiding blanket tariffs and a ‘no-deal’ Brexit, the UK/EU Trade & Cooperation Agreement (TCA) (1) signed on Christmas Eve did head off economic disaster. …
SHIFTING AND VARIED LABELLING RULES ARE MAJOR COMPIANCE CHALLENGE FOR INTERNATIONAL BEAUTY BUSINESS
REGULATIONS affecting what information can, should and cannot be placed on personal care product packaging are among the most demanding of compliance issues facing beauty manufacturers.
One reason is that this is both a very international field and a dynamic one – rules change all the time and vary widely from market to market.…
BREXIT LEADS TO EXPORT RED TAPE HEADACHES FOR BRITISH CHEESEMAKERS
THE 11TH-HOUR trade deal UK and European Union (EU) negotiators struck last Christmas Eve reassured many dairy traders, but British cheesemakers now face major challenges. New expensive and complicated bureaucracy for UK-EU trades is fouling-up overseas dairy sales, and even pricing smaller companies out of the EU market.…
GOVERNMENT LARGESSE TO EASE COVID-19 IMPACT TARGETED BY FRAUDSTERS
THE ONSET of Covid-19 has caused many fraud problems, but a particular difficulty has been fraudsters exploiting the unprecedented government largesse released designed to prevent economic collapse at the hands of the pandemic. In the UK, for instance, the House of Commons public accounts committee issued a report in October (2020), saying that Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs (HMRC) had reported 8,000 allegations from employees that their employers – supposed to pay a lower level of wages to staff to receive furlough payments under the UK Job Retention Scheme – had not actually made these payments, or paid less than they should.…
EUROPEAN COUNTRIES PUSH FORWARD WITH KNOTTY PROBLEM OF PHASING OUT THEIR NUCLEAR POWER SECTORS
WHILE investment into nuclear energy continues, especially in emerging market countries such as China, in Europe, this sector continues to dwindle in size, with some key countries sticking to plans to phase out the technology.
Concerns about safety and the environmental cost of its waste have encouraged Belgium, for example, to stick to its goal, as laid down in a January 2003 law (1), of stopping any nuclear energy production within the country by 2025, experts have told Energy World.…
FINALISING OF BREXIT AGREEMENT ALLOWS FOCUS TO TURN ON HOW USA EXPORTERS MAY TAP UK AND EU THROUGH NEW TRADE DEALS
THE STRIKING of a trade agreement between the European Union (EU) and a UK to pave Britain’s final and full exit from the EU from January 1 has offered US auto exporters opportunities to boost sales to the UK, but with some significant challenges, say experts.…
TOBACCO INDUSTRY FACES MAJOR PLANNED TIGHTENING AND EXPANSION OF EU CHEMICAL REGULATION
THE TOBACCO industry will be keeping a close eye on the latest set of reforms to the European Union’s (EU) chemical control legislation, which will impose new controls on accidental chemical mixtures, products incorporated chemicals and will change the tobacco products directive (TPD).…
ARAB MEDIEVAL SCHOLAR’S WISDOM MAY OFFER A WINDOW ON THE MODERN POLITICAL WORLD
The medieval scholar Abd al-Rahman Ibn Khaldun, a famous Tunisian historian of the 14th and 15th centuries, created a model for the history of states, which he said had a natural life of birth, maturity and death.
His Muqaddimah, published in Arabic in 1377, written as a prelude to an ambitious survey of global history, said states went through three stages, always ending – as the adage about politics says – in failure.…
COVID-19 FUELS ADDITIONAL DEMAND IN ALREADY GROWING MARKET FOR RUSSIAN READY-TO-HEAT FOOD PRODUCTS
Russian food retailers are expanding their offerings of ready-to-heat food in response to growing demand from consumers. The Covid-19 pandemic has encouraged sales, as an alternative to eating out, but it is building in longer-term trends among Russian consumers, particularly in large cities, to seek out convenient food product options.…
ASIAN REGULATORY ROUND UP – INTEGRATED INDIAN PIGMENT AND RESIN PLANTS TO AVOID EIA ASSESSMENTS
NEW integrated paint manufacturing units in India with an annual production capacity of less than Indian Rupees INR500 million (USD6.6 million) will soon be exempt from securing prior environment clearance by the ministry of environment and forests (MoEF). This rule, covering plants with production facilities for resins and pigments, is expected to come into force early next year (2021) once the central government formalises and gazettes a new Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification.…
CORRUPTION REMAINS A MAJOR PROBLEM IN ASIA, SURVEY FINDS
A new Transparency International (TI) survey has reported significant concern in 17 Asian countries (1) that corruption continues to be a problem or is getting worse, undermining equitable access to public services and trust in government. TI’s ‘Global Corruption Barometer – Asia’ (2) found 74% of the 20,000 people surveyed believe that government corruption is a major problem in their country, with 19% of citizens surveyed admitting to paying a bribe and 22% using personal connections when accessing public services in the previous year.…
CHINESE STARTUP SINKS TEETH INTO SUGAR FREE CHOCOLATE
A Shanghai-based startup confectioner LANDBASE (NOTE TO EDITOR – UPPER CASE SPELLING FOR COMPANY NAME IS CORRECT) has tapped China’s competitive chocolate market though selling sugar-free chocolate, sweetened with alternative flavouring inulin, targeted at health-focused consumers.
The two-year-old company’s brand CHOCDAY and product lines ‘Dark Milk’ and ‘Dark Premium’, have been developed in China, but manufactured in Switzerland for the Chinese market, a first in China.…
SOUTH AFRICA TOBACCO INDUSTRY FIGHTS TO RECOVER FROM COVID-19 PROMPTED SALES BAN
IT is maybe not a common occurrence for the tobacco industry to find itself on the right side of judicial rulings, but in December, South Africa’s Western Cape High Court ruled that a four-and-a-half month national ban on sales of tobacco products, justified to prevent the spread of Covid-19, had been unconstitutional.…
MEAT-LOVING RUSSIANS READY TO GIVE SUBSTITUTES A CHANCE
Traditionally a society of meat lovers, Russians are now developing a taste for vegetable and cereal-based products that reflect the taste and texture of meat – food manufacturers are eager to cater to this trend.
International companies have been entering this segment in Russia, while ambitious local startups are rapidly expanding their production capacities.…
AUSTRALIA’S ENERGY ‘TRANSITION ROADMAP’ HEAVILY RELIANT ON GAS
AUSTRALIA has chosen an unorthodox path in transitioning to a low carbon economy. Its centre-right government has advised the country’s clean energy agencies to decrease investment in renewables such as solar and wind and instead increase investment in hydrogen, carbon capture and storage, microgrids and energy efficiency.…
COVID-19 PANDEMIC FUELS INNOVATION AND DEVELOPMENT FOR ANTI-VIRAL COATINGS
The Covid-19 pandemic is set to drive a near threefold surge in the antiviral coatings market as researchers and developers say they now realise how little they know about effective materials combatting such threats.
The search for more universal antiviral materials “should be continued with even higher intensity”, said Professors Ken Ostrikov and Ziqi Sun from Queensland University of Technology, in Australia, in their September (2020) report, ‘Future antiviral surfaces: Lessons from COVID-19 pandemic’, featured in the publication ‘Sustainable Materials and Technologies’.…
TAIWAN GOVERNMENT PRESSING AGGRESSIVE ANTI-TOBACCO LAW, INCLUDING DOUBLING DOWN ON VAPE BAN
Taiwan’s government seems determined to push ahead with an aggressive stance against tobacco and nicotine products, pushing a control law that would, for instance, ban e-cigarettes, which have never been formally authorised for sale on the island.
The ministry of health and welfare’s Health Promotion Administration (HPA) is pushing amendments to Taiwan’s Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act (THPA), which would also ban flavoured tobacco products, enlarge pictorial warnings to 85% of packaging area and raise the legal age to buy tobacco from 18 to 20.…
HIGH RESOLUTION DIGITAL MAPPING DEVELOPMENTS ARE UNDERPINNING FUTURE ROLL-OUT OF AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES
A RESEARCH consortium in Canada is developing an open source model to create data-rich digital maps that can improve the operations of autonomous vehicles (AVs). The inspiration behind ‘Open HD Maps’ is to enable the holders of mapping data outside existing proprietary mapping services to contribute their information to a collaborative platform on a profit-sharing basis.…
BIGGEST EXPORTERS ARE WORST AT FOREIGN BRIBERY ENFORCEMENT
Countries exporting the most goods and services are also the worst at foreign bribery enforcement, according to the latest report from anti-graft group Transparency International. ‘Exporting Corruption Progress Report 2020: Assessing Enforcement of the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention’ finds that most countries assessed (34 out of 47), conducted weak or no enforcement of their foreign bribery laws, in part hindered by a lack of public information on beneficial ownership. …
CAN MAKERS MUST TAKE CARE WHEN NAVIGATING THE COMPLEX WORLD OF LABELLING REGULATORY COMPLIANCE
IT goes without saying that can manufacturers and fillers have to comply with regulatory controls specifying how they make and fill cans, but maybe the biggest compliance challenge for the industry is following the world’s multifarious rules on food labelling.
Canners and fillers with contracts to supply labelled cans have to take special care given these labelling rules do not just vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, (or even within jurisdictions), these regulations are a very dynamic topic – they change, often. …
ASIA PACIFIC PAINT AND COATINGS REGULATORY ROUNDUP – CHINA RELEASES ANTI-VIRAL/BACTERIAL COATINGS STANDARD
THE CHINA Coatings Industry Association on September 14 published a draft standard for the manufacture and sale of antibacterial and anti-viral coatings – a key growth segment during the Covid-19 pandemic. The draft specifies the terms, definitions, requirements, test methods, inspection rules, labelling, marking, packaging and storage of coating products with antibacterial and antiviral properties.…
COVID-19 SOFTENS BUSINESSES UP FOR MAFIA ML EXPLOITATION
The Covid-19 crisis has had many negative impacts, and one has been the undermining of legitimate businesses. In countries with strong organised crime traditions, this has meant more opportunities for money launderers to subvert hard-pressed entrepreneurs or take them over, to use their businesses as fronts for cleaning criminal proceeds. …
LATIN AMERICA’S PAINT SECTOR REELS FROM COVID-19, BUT KEEPS CLOSE EYE ON POST-PANDEMIC RECOVERY
LATIN America has been hit particularly hard by the Covid-19 pandemic – with Chile, Peru, Brazil and Colombia in the top-20 of countries regarding cases per million people – and its paint and coatings market and industry has faced a similarly rough ride.…
CHEMICAL MAJORS EXPLORE DECARBONISING PETROCHEMICALS AS THEY LOOK TO REDUCE CO2 EMISSIONS
International efforts are stepping up to scope and map what it will take to wean chemical manufacturing off its high dependence on oil and gas feedstock for chemicals that are then used to make plastics, fertilisers and other important products.
Options include using building-block raw materials from biomass instead of fossil-fuel feedstock; boosting the yield of chemicals for a given quantity of feedstock; and, applying advanced recovery and recycling technologies in circular economy approaches.…
INDONESIA CHALLENGES LEGALITY OF EU PALM OIL BIOFUEL RESTRICTIONS
A WORLD Trade Organisation (WTO) disputes panel will assess whether import restrictions created by the European Union (EU) to reduce the use of carbon-intensive biofuels comply with global trading rules.
The Indonesian government is challenging portions of the EU’s renewable energy directive (RED) linked to EU guidance limiting the indirect land use change (ILUC) of biofuel feedstock cultivation.…
TOBACCO SECTOR EXPLORES POTENTIAL OF BLOCKCHAIN TECHNOLOGIES
The Internet has hardly developed a reputation for honesty, but blockchain technologies where different computers log transactions in separate units, connected to a web of entries (blocks), are tough to falsify.
Of course, blockchain’s most high-profile use has been to underpin the reliability of cryptocurrencies, but the principle of this unchangeable and autonomous web of ledgers has so many potential uses – the tobacco sector has been exploring them.…
TEXTILE INDUSTRY INNOVATORS CREATING NEW STRAINS OF SUSTAINABLE NATURALLY COLOURED COTTON
Textile industry innovators are seeking to create and improve naturally coloured cotton, that can reduce or even remove the need for manufacturers to add dyes that can be expensive and generate significant levels of pollution.
Natural coloured cotton is not new, with Liv Severino, head of Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária (Embrapa), the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation, a state-owned research corporation affiliated with Brazil’s ministry of agriculture, livestock and food supply, noting evidence that human clothes were made from such fibres in the Andes 5,000 years ago.…
ASIAN DAIRY SECTOR AND MARKET NAVIGATING TOUGHENING HEALTH CLAIM REGULATIONS
Growing Asian dairy markets are increasingly regulating the health claims that could be made on packs of food, a trend that is impacting international dairy exporters from Europe as much as local dairy producers.
A key example is Taiwan, that will in 2022 forbid the word ‘healthy’ on food items except foods that have received special health food permits.…
AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND WEATHER THE COVID STORM WITH HEALTHY SKIN CARE SALES, AND LOCAL BRANDS EYEING RECOVERY
BOTH the Australian as well as the New Zealand cosmetics and personal care market have been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic. However, trends towards increasing purchases of health conscious and natural products have continued, with local brands gaining momentum, indicating how the Australasian personal care product market will develop once the coronavirus has lost its bite.…
INTERNATIONAL TECHNICAL UPDATE – IFAC PROPOSES NEW PARALLEL SUSTAINABILITY REPORTING BOARD
THE INTERNATIONAL Federation of Accountants (IFAC) has released detailed proposals to create a new International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB), working alongside the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) but operationally independent under the IFRS Foundation. The goal would be integrating standards created by a wide range of existing sustainability initiatives, such as from the CDP (https://www.cdp.net/en…
JAPAN KNITWEAR HUB WAKAYAMA BUILDS ON TRADITION WITH INNOVATIVE PRACTICE AND NEW TECH
Innovation is a key to success in the knitwear sector, but when a manufacturing hub combines centuries-old traditions of knitted product production with new technology and ideas, that is a winning combination. This is the strength of Japan’s Wakayama knitwear manufacturing centre, located south of Osaka, on the western coast of the Kii Peninsula.…
JAPANESE SCIENTISTS CREATE SPIDER SILK IN LAB THAT COULD BE UPSCALED FOR FACTORY PRODUCTION
Scientists in Japan have succeeded in developing an artificial spider silk that could have major implications for the apparel industry. The research team at the RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science (CSRS), developed the spider silk from photosynthetic bacteria, paving the way for a new era of photosynthetic bio-factories delivering stable output.…
STRENGTH OF SINGAPORE PAINT AND COATING COMPANIES AND MARKET SHOULD AID RECOVERY FROM COVID-19 PANDEMIC
Few countries could claim to have weathered Covid-19 well but Singapore, micro-managed and highly-educated, is high on the shortlist. Even so, Covid-19 has had a detrimental effect on the southeast Asian city state’s paints and coatings sector and its impacts continue to linger.…
ASIAN REGULATORY ROUND UP - CHINESE GOVERNMENT LAUNCHES COATINGS SECTOR POLLUTION PROBE
The China National Coatings Industry Association (NCIA) on July 31 informed members that it has been told by the ministry of ecology and environment to investigate the production, treatment and disposal of hazardous waste in the coating industry and compile a management guide based on the investigation’s findings.…
CROSS-BORDER POLICE COLLABORATION IS KEY TO CRACKING DOWN ON INTERNATIONAL DAIRY CRIME
Malaysia’s 1MDB scandal is one of the largest ever embezzlement and money laundering cases, with Malaysian courts considering how at least USD4.5 billion was stolen and then spent or laundered from Malaysian sovereign wealth fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB). Former Prime Minister Najib Razak has now been convicted of charges associated with the scandal.…
JAPAN BECOMING AN INTERNATIONAL BIOMASS ENERGY HUB
Japan is set to surpass its renewable energy targets well before its 2030 deadline, aided by a booming biomass sector benefiting from favourable government programmes and private sector investment.
Of Japan’s total 1.065 trillion kWH generated electric power expected in 2030, the Japanese government pledged that 22–24% of it would be sourced from renewable energy, of which 3.7% to 4.6% would come from biomass.…
ALUMINIUM CAN DEMAND SOARS DURING COVID-19, LEAVING CAN MAKERS EXPANDING CAPACITY TO DELIVER SUPPLY
UNPRECEDENTED demand for aluminium cans caused by consumers drinking at home during lockdowns and associated restaurant and café closures due to the Covid-19 pandemic, will not cause long term disruption to this key canning market, say industry experts. Instead, manufacturers will work closely with customers to maintain supplies, European and United States (US) industry organisations have told CanTech International.…
PRICE VARIATIONS IN TOBACCO TRADES COULD MASK DIRTY MONEY FLOWS, COMMERCIAL DATABASE WARNS
THE INTERNATIONAL trade in tobacco products and inputs contains significant variations in prices that might indicate the presence of trade-based money laundering – of TBML – a specialist database indicates. Certain trade flows are exploited by money launderers seeking to move criminal proceeds from one country to another through artificial pricing – deliberate over- and under- invoicing.…
SYRIAN TOBACCO SECTOR HIT HARD BY CIVIL WAR, BUT STILL SURVIVES, WITH LEAF PRODUCTION POTENTIALLY EXPANDING
The Syrian tobacco sector has been hard hit by the civil war and associated social conflicts, now stretching into their tenth year. Tobacco leaf volumes and planted areas have dropped by around a third since the start of these troubles, factories have been destroyed, and sanctions have forced international brands from formal trading channels in Syria.…
EU RESEARCH INTO COLLOIDS COULD OPEN DOOR TO NEW COATINGS DEVELOPMENT
THE EUROPEAN Union (EU) is funding an international research project that is developing new fast ways of making colloids – mixtures of one substance comprising insoluble microscopic particles suspended in another substance – the building blocks of most coatings. It is the nature of paints and coatings are that they are colloids – liquids that contain ingredients that give paints and coatings their colours, textures and functional abilities.…
ASIA-PACIFIC REGION OFFERS GROWING PROTECTION TO WHISTLEBLOWERS, ALTHOUGH COMPREHENSIVE LAWS ARE USUALLY ABSENT
THE ASIA-Pacific region, even one-party states such as China, have developed legal protections for whistleblowers, although the comprehensive protection more commonly found in Europe is still usually absent.
South Korea is one jurisdiction leading the pack on developing robust whistleblower protections.…
COVID-19 FUELS EXPANSION IN NONWOVENS AND NONWOVENS PRODUCT MANUFACTURING ACROSS ASIA
THE ASIA nonwovens sector has been reaping the benefits of booming demand for protective medical materials during the Covid-19 crisis. But like the pandemic, this roaring demand will end, and nonwovens producers need to ready to a post-Covid-19 market.
This will mean reining in growth, but as David Price, founding partner of US-based management consultancy specialising in nonwovens Price Hanna Consultants, said, with regional nonwovens sales per person still low in global terms, the “market penetration for disposable and durable nonwovens in southeast Asia and China” is likely to grow regardless.…
GROWING RENEWABLE ENERGY SECTOR FEEDS SPECIALIST LUBRICANTS BUSINESS
Enormous forces act on renewable energy system’s mechanical parts when generating power from wind and water. Between the smooth operation and potential loss of multi-million-dollar investments stand gear lubricants. Lubricants are also needed for the hydraulics that pitch the blades a few degrees every time the wind, or the water current, changes. …
EV CONTACTLESS RECHARGING TECHNOLOGIES BEING DEVELOPED FOR MARKET WORLDWIDE
THE NEED to actively recharge electric vehicles makes them less attractive to consumers, especially when batteries can take eight hours to charge. So, the development of ambient technologies that enable EVs to charge themselves as they operate has been a key focus of automotive R&D.…
SRI LANKA’S CLOTHING SECTOR STRUGGLES BACK TO WORK AMIDST TOUGH AND UNEVEN GOVERNMENT COVID-19 HEALTH CONTROLS.
COVID-19 has taken its toll on Sri Lanka’s textile and clothing sector, with exports forecast to plummet for 2021 (the financial year ending March) from a target of USD5.6 billion, by USD1.7 billion to USD3.9 billion, falling 30% year-on-year for April 2020 to March 2021, the country’s national clothing industry told just-style.…
INTERNATIONAL FOOD BRANDS MAY BENEFIT FROM EASIER ACCESS TO CHINESE CONSUMER MARKETS THROUGH EXPANSION OF CHINA E-COMMERCE ZONES
Representatives of international food brands and analysts have told just-food that China’s State Council’s approval of 46 new pilot zones for companies conducting cross-border e-commerce, a move designed to help the country’s economy withstand the blows landed by the Covid-19 epidemic, also present opportunities to foreign food brands selling to Chinese consumers. …
EUROPEAN DAIRY SECTOR ENCOURAGED BY RUSSIA LOOSENING IMPORT BAN TO COPE WITH COVID-19
Moscow’s action on 90% demineralized whey powder followed up an announcement made in March 19 by Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin that from March 20 “for one month, all restrictions on the supply of essential goods, including customs, are cancelled”. This was followed up by a government plan allowing for the easing of sanctions-related restrictions – see http://static.government.ru/media/files/vBHd4YRxpULCaUNNTFLVpPSZbMCIA2Zq.pdf…
HUNGARY REMAINS STRONG MARKET FOR TOBACCO WITHIN EUROPE, AS GOVERNMENT TARGETS SMUGGLERS WITH ENFORCEMENT ACTIONS
HUNGARY continues to be an attractive market for tobacco majors, with its populist government seemingly determined to fight the European Union (EU) for the right to keep excise duties below EU mandated minimums, and the fact that, according to the OECD Country Health Profile 2019 official data (https://read.oecd-ilibrary.org/social-issues-migration-health/hungary-country-health-profile-2019_4b7ba48c-en#page1…
EAST ASIAN AUTO-MAKING HUBS FEEL PAIN FROM COVID-19 PANDEMIC, DESPITE VARIED GOVERNMENT ASSISTANCE
EAST Asia’s auto-making hubs may have been making a better fist of dealing with the Covid-19 crisis than manufacturing centres in Europe and north America, but the pandemic has been harming the industry in the region.
Government responses have varied, however, with no major scrappage packages being announced.…
ASIAN PAINT AND COATINGS REGULATORY ROUNDUP - AUSTRALIA LAUNCHES NEW CHEMICAL CONTROL SYSTEM
AUSTRALIA’S existing regulatory framework for importing and manufacturing industrial chemicals, the National Industrial Chemicals Notification and Assessment Scheme (NICNAS) will be replaced by a new system called the Australian Industrial Chemicals Introduction Scheme (AICIS), starting July 1. The AICIS covers a broad range of chemicals and polymers used in adhesives, paints and solvents among many others. …
AML PROFESSIONAL PROFILES BECOMING MORE DIVERSE, BUT PAY AND CONDITIONS MAYBE HIT BY COVID-19
New aspiring entrants to the AML/CFT and other compliance sectors will be hard hit regarding available jobs and related pay and conditions by the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, according to international recruitment agency Randstad. Its Hong Kong director banking and financial services Rick Chung warned: “Similar to what we have witnessed during the global financial crisis, it will be challenging for fresh graduates to secure jobs during these extraordinary times.”…
COVID-19 SUPPLY CHAIN FINANCES NEED GOVERNMENT LUBRICATION TO AID RECOVERY SAY EXPERTS
WHEN a crisis such as the Covid-19 pandemic hits a supply chain as complex as the clothing sector, financing problems can gum up commercial relationships, so in the short term, governments, along with regional and international organisations, need to step in.…
SLOW PROGRESS ON TOBACCO REGULATION IN BOTSWANA’S STABLE AND PROSPEROUS MARKET
IF there was a sub-Saharan African country expected to steer a middle course between World Health Organisation (WHO) demands on smoking and protecting a stable and prosperous tobacco industry and market, it would surely be relatively wealthy Botswana – with an average per capital income in 2018 USD7,750.…
JAPAN COATINGS SECTOR HAS BENEFITED FROM OLYMPICS WINDFALL – BUT WITH COVID-19 HITTING HARD, COMPANIES ARE LOOKING FOR NEW DEMAND
In the seven years since the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced that Tokyo would be the host city of the summer Olympic Games and the Paralympics in the summer of 2020, companies in the paint and coatings sector have enjoyed a steady uptick in demand for products linked to the construction of venues and facilities for the Games, as well as for connected infrastructure, such as new hotels and transport facilities. …
QUANTUM COMPUTERS POST CYBERSECURITY RISKS TO ACCOUNTANCY PRACTICES AND CLIENTS, BUT MAY HELP AUDITORS
QUANTUM computers are now being developed that may offer accounting practices computing power to strengthen audits, but which also pose some serious cybersecurity concerns.
After decades of theorising, quantum computing is here. Google last October (2019) announced it had developed a device which it claimed took 200 seconds to sample data showing how a quantum computer works one million times (1), a task it claimed would take a standard digital super-computer 10,000 years.…
UKRAINE TOBACCO SECTOR IN TIME OF UNCERTAINTY AS GOVERNMENT REFORMS TAX SYSTEM AND TAKES ON SMUGGLING
With low labour costs and stable local demand, Ukraine has long been one of the favoured bases for major tobacco companies. However, even without taking into account before the disruption caused by the Covid-19 crisis, the market has been in flux in recent months as the new Ukrainian government has made efforts to change tobacco taxation while ramping up its fight against tobacco smuggling.…
TOP 10 MONEY LAUNDERING CASES
- 1MDB SCANDAL IN MALAYSIA SEES USD BILLIONS STOLEN AND HIDDEN
Malaysia 1MDB scandal is one of the largest money laundering cases ever, worldwide, with Malaysian courts considering charges over how at least USD4.5 billion was stolen and then spent or laundered from Malaysian sovereign wealth fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad by former Prime Minister Najib Razak and his associates.…
GLOBAL ENERGY POLICIES TRANSFORM, ADOPTING SUSTAINABLE GOALS AS CLIMATE CHANGE CONCERNS GROW
SLOWLY, but steadily, the world’s energy policies are turning green, towards promoting a sustainable future, targeting an increasingly universal goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. With evidence mounting not only that climate change is accelerating, but potentially wreaking serious damage on the world’s economies and peoples, the Paris Agreement goal of holding the rise in global temperatures to well below 2C trying to limit it to 1.5C is being reflected in the plans of governments, regional and international organisations.…
EUROMONITOR INTERNATIONAL SAYS NICOTINE CONSUMPTION IS FALLING
Nicotine consumption is declining worldwide, with smokers are consuming less, as well as e-cigarette and heated tobacco users, according to market research provider Euromonitor International’s ‘Nicotine Survey, Exploring the Modern Nicotine Landscape’.
“Overall [the study] shows nicotine prevalence is declining not growing, and it is clear to see there isn’t much evidence that greater availability of nicotine formats is increasing smoking prevalence among adults,” said Shane MacGuill, head of tobacco research at Euromonitor International, in a webinar attended by TJI.…
ECOMMERCE TOBACCO AND VAPE DELIVERIES INCREASE – BUT IS THERE AN ENVIRONMENTAL COST
Ecommerce is becoming an increasingly popular way to order tobacco-related products, especially e-cigarettes and vapes, but are such single-item shipments contributing to more carbon emissions and packaging waste than buying in-store or kiosk? E-commerce accounts for an increasingly large slice of the global retail market, growing 28% in 2017, 22.9% in 2018 and by 20.7% in 2019, to USD3.535 trillion, and forecast to reach USD4.2 trillion in 2020, according to eMarketer’s Global Ecommerce Forecast 2019.…
COVID-91 HALTS EFFORTS BY SOUTH SUDAN HIGHER EDUCATION SECTOR TO REBUILD AFTER PEACE AGREEMENT ENDED CIVIL WAR
The Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted efforts by South Sudan tertiary education leaders and ministers within the newly formed South Sudan unity government to restore the country’s universities, many of which were devastated by the years of civil war that may now have ended.…
EXTENDED REALITY TECH OFFERS GREAT BENEFITS TO TEXTILE COMPANIES – BUT THEY MUST ADDRESS THE SECURITY VULNERABILITIES
INTRODUCTION – SERIES
A series of reports from WTiN is exploring the need for the textile and clothing sector to protect itself against attacks from cybercriminals as it invests in new transformative Industry 4.0 technologies – extended reality, artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things.…
MEXICO EYES DIGITAL TEXTILE PRINTING AS IT SEEKS TO BOOST TROUBLED FABRIC MANUFACTURING SECTOR
Mexico’s digital textile printing industry is poised for growth as the country’s textile manufacturers bet on the technology to cut costs, meet orders faster and widen exports to Canada and the United States, efforts that have gained in importance this year as the global economy reels from the spread of the coronavirus.…
JAPAN’S PAINT AND COATING SECTOR FACES TOUGH TIMES AS COVID-19 HITS WHEN INDUSTRY’S OLYMPIC DIVIDEND ENDS
As with every business sector in every country around the world, Japan’s paint and coatings industry has been thrown into uncertainty over the full impact and longer-term implications of the coronavirus Covid-19 that has swept the globe since first emerging in China in December 2019. …
SOUTH KOREAN BEAUTY SECTOR IS STRONG, BUT WILL NEED TO INNOVATE TO COPE SUCCESSFULLY WITH COVID-19 CRISIS
With the Korea Cosmetic Industry Institute (KCII) estimating there were USD11.7 billion’s worth of South Korean-made personal care products (‘K-beauty’) sales in 2019, including nearly USD6.49 billion in exports, and more than 16,000 individuals and businesses officially licensed to provide cosmetic products and services, South Korea’s cosmetic industry has the innate strength it will need to cope with the Covid-19 crisis.…
ASIAN PAINT AND COATING REGULATORY ROUNDUP - INDONESIAN INITIATIVE FOCUSES ON REMOVING LEAD FROM PAINTS
Indonesia’s industry ministry launched an initiative in February (2020) aimed at eliminating lead used in paint made and sold in the country. It involves the Indonesian paint industry, is part of the United Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP) Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM) project and is funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), an international investment body.…
FIBRE GLASS USES AND RECYCLING BECOME MORE SOPHISTICATED AS MANUFACTURERS’ APPRECIATION OF THIS MATERIAL VALUE GROWS
Global production of fibreglass is predicted to soar over the coming decade, as appreciation grows of its utility and cost effectiveness in expanding materials manufacturing sectors.
Driven by a push to increase reliance on renewable energy sources to help tackle the climate crisis, manufacturers of wind turbines are increasingly reliant on glass – and carbon – fibres to produce rotor blades, for instance.…
CORONA VIRUS SHAKING UP CHINA’S APPAREL SUPPLY CHAIN
China based analysts are raising concerns that the coronavirus (2019-nCo) outbreak will disrupt supplies of apparel to major international fashion brands. of key concern is the fact that government movement restrictions have impeded operations of clothing and textile manufacturers in provinces that are a key part of Chinese output: Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Guangdong and Shaoxing.…
GERMANY DEVELOPS NUCLEAR DECOMMISSIONING GOOD PRACTICE – A CASE STUDY
Unterweser Nuclear Plant (KKU) in Northern Germany went into service in 1978 and with 1,425MW gross electricity output, the pressurised water reactor (PWR) plant was once world champion in terms of generated electricity.
Having booked an impressive lifetime total of 305 billion KWh, KKU went out of service in 2011 after the political leadership in Berlin reacted to Japan’s Fukushima disaster that year by ordering a nuclear phase-out before plants were due to end operations.…
SOUTH EAST ASIA’S INCREASINGLY SOPHISTICATED COATINGS MARKET DEMANDS ANTIMICROBIAL PRODUCTS TO DEFEND AGAIMNST HUMID CLIMATE
IN southeast Asia’s humid and hot climate, the need for coatings to protect homes, businesses and public service buildings from mould is significant – expanding demand for anti-microbial coatings, especially as strong economic growth fuels construction.
The regional economic powerhouse that today’ Vietnam recorded slightly above 7% gross domestic product (GDP) growth for a second consecutive year, making it one of the best performers globally.…
ASIAN COATINGS REGULATORY ROUND UP – AUSTRALIS DEVELOPS CHEMICAL ENVIRONMENTAL RISK STANDARD
CONSULTATIONS are being assessed in Australia to develop a National Standard for Environmental Risk Management of Industrial Chemicals, which will include coatings and their chemical ingredients, Australia’s department of agriculture, water and the environment has said in a note. The national standard, for which consultations were to end in February, is being designed to ensure that potentially harmful high-risk chemicals are subject to appropriate and consistent environmental controls across the nation.…
CHINESE PAINT MARKET IS ROBUST, BUT APPROACHING MATURITY - INCREASING RISKS FOR COMPANIES BURDENED WITH INVESTMENT DEBT
As paint company conferences go, the Sankeshu Paint Co’s annual Chinese New Year gathering was special. A room of sales executives wearing matching blue suits and red ties were serenaded with ‘Zui Mei de Shen Hu’ – ‘The Most Beautiful Shenzhou My Home’),” sung by a soprano before chairman Hong Jie strode on stage to rally his assembled ranks to shout in unison company slogans, such as “Full product range!…
INDONESIA'S ROBUST ECONOMIC GROWTH OFFERS MAJOR OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE COUNTRY'S PAINT AND COATING INDUSTRY
Indonesia’s paint and coatings sector is expected to continue to grow, driven by an expanding middle-class population, the fast-growing construction sector and ambitious government infrastructure projects, encompassing transport networks, energy and utilities.
The south-east Asian country’s paint and coatings market has grown to almost USD2.5 billion in sales revenue in the past year and sales are expected to expand at a fair clip of between 6% and 7% annually in the next five years, according to industry analysts Frost & Sullivan. …
AIRBUS HIT WITH EUR3.6 BILLION IN COMBINED UK, US AND FRENCH FINES
Airbus is to pay out EUR3.6 billion (USD4 billion) under a trio of deferred prosecution agreements (DPAs) with British, French and United States authorities that were simultaneously agreed by national courts January 31 as part of a global resolution over bribes to clinch civil and military aircraft sales.…
ITALY BEAUTY CONSUMERS START TO SPEND MORE AS COUNTRY’S ECONOMIC GROWTH INCHES FORWARD
ITALY’S cosmetic and personal care product market remained strong through 2019, with major players in the industry focused on strengthening digital retail and production strategies to further connect with consumers, while deepening their presence in foreign markets, particularly in Asia.
The year 2019 was also dynamic in terms of acquisitions, with a handful of Italian BPC (beauty and personal care) companies buying businesses that specialise in new and different products to extend their reach in new product categories, both domestically and abroad.…
RESEARCHERS, REGULATORS AND BRANDS KEEP PUSHIGN ADVANCES IN ARTIFICIAL SKIN MODEL TESTS TO MINIMISE ‘IN VIVO’ SAFETY CHECKS
THE DEVELOPMENT of life-like 3D models of human skin, so close to real life that they can accurately test the impact of personal care products, maybe better than by using live animals, is something of a holy grail for the cosmetics industry.…
BEAUTY PACKAGING INNOVATION AND DESIGN TODAY FOCUSING SQUARLEY ON FORGING SUSTAINABILITY
BEAUTY consumers worldwide are demanding more transparency in manufacturing processes and ingredients, less environmental impact, and simple and clean ingredients. So goes the product, so goes the packaging. The beauty industry is responding with brand packaging and labelling that transmits a marketing message that the beauty product inside may be healthy and full of goodness.…
ASIAN REGULATORY ROUNDUP – SMALLER JAPANESE PAINT IMPORTERS OFFERED EXEMPTION FROM CHEMICAL DECLARATION LAW
IMPORTERS of paints into Japan have been given four time-windows in 2020 to secure ‘small volume permits’ under which coatings can be brought into Japan without any new chemical components being declared to regulators. This special exemption applies to imports of a product into Japan under one tonne per year, says the Japanese Chemical Substances Control Law.…
EXPERTS HIGHLIGHT THE NEED FOR THE GLOBAL MARITIME SECTOR TO COLLECT AND SHARE GOOD PRACTICE ON REDUCING EMISSIONS
A series of reports published in recent weeks have highlighted the need for increased collaboration across the shipping industry to develop and share best practice to significantly reduce the sector’s carbon footprint. Between 2000 and 2017, the CO2 emissions associated with the shipping sector grew at an average annual rate of 1.87% between 2000 and 2017, according to a report published in September by the Bonn-based International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), ‘Navigating the way to a renewable future: solutions to decarbonise shipping’, resulting in emissions of 677 megatonnes (Mt) of CO2 in 2017.…
NONWOVENS PRODUCTION PICKING UP VOLUME, QUALITY AND DIVERSITY IN BOOMING ASIA PACIFIC REGION
Data by the Asia Nonwoven Fabrics Association (ANFA) shows that nonwovens production in Asia increased by a robust 6.5% year-on-year in 2018, to 5.6 million tonnes. China-based manufacturers were responsible for the bulk of this output, producing 4 million tonnes. However, but India-based production increased at faster pace, at 15.9% up, year-on-year.…
EUROPEAN COMMISSION MAY ADD CADMIUM TO EU CRITICAL RAW MATERIAL LIST
THE EUROPEAN Commission will early next year (2020) consider whether to add cadmium to the European Union (EU) critical raw material list, with the aim of encouraging production and recycling of this mineral that widely used in batteries, potentially helping the EU economy away from fossil fuels.…
COMPANIES TURN SUSTAINABILITY INTO PROFITS, ESQUEL INTEGRAL CONVERSATION HEARS
In every industry, including the clothing and textile sector, sustainability often means huge amount of long-term investment – be it new sewage processing systems or recycling technology. But how to get rewards from these investments? At the Integral Conversation conference held by Hong Kong-based shirt manufacturer, Esquel, in Guilin, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, on November 8, companies in the fashion industry were exploring solutions.…
PAKISTAN DIGITAL TEXTILE MARKET EXPANDING, WITH MUCH MORE GROWTH TO COME
With Pakistan’s digital textile printing industry production growing at an average of at least 5% annually in recent years, according to the All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA), with the country’s digital textile printing industry being an important focus of investment in a sometimes-troubled textile sector.…
AUSTRALIA DAIRY SECTOR FEARS IT WILL LOSE OUT FROM EU TRADE DEAL MANDATING GI PROTECTION
A free trade deal between Europe and Australia is in the making but European Union (EU) trade negotiators have managed to generate some serious concerns among Australian dairy industry in the process. The EU wants Australia to recognise the exclusive rights of EU cheesemakers to the traditional names of almost 60 different types of cheeses through Australia recognising EU geographical indications (GI) within any agreement.…
POWER PURCHASE AGREEMENTS INCREASE GREEN ENERGY CONSUMPTION AND INVESTMENT WORLDWIDE
As national, regional and international legislation nudges the world away from its reliance on fossil fuels, corporations are increasingly sourcing renewable energy through the mechanism of green power purchase agreements (PPAs), whereby companies (and also utilities) act as an off-taker, making commitments for future renewable energy payments.…
GROUNDBREAKING JAPANESE NANO MASK OFFERS CONSUMERS BETTER SKIN PROTECTION
JAPAN’S Kao Corp has unveiled the first cosmetics product that makes use of its cutting-edge Fine Fibre Technology to moisturise and protect the skin. A Biomimesis Veil product will be added to the cosmetics giant’s Sensai prestige brand in Japan from December 4, with launches in other markets to follow.…
TECHNOLOGY COULD BE THE SOLUTION FOR PUSHING ML&TF OUT OF VIRTUAL CURRENCIES, SAY EXPERTS
Robust international enforcement of revised AML guidance will improve current weaknesses in cryptocurrency compliance, according to financial services analysts.
Current figures indicate about 3,000 separate cryptocurrencies being traded with a value of USD221 billion, according to Yahoo Finance on October 8.…
CANADIAN AUTO EXPORTS TO EUROPE ON THE RISE
WITH Canadian auto exports to the USA falling in 2018 and the new USMCA trade agreement between the USA, Mexico and Canada still unratified (only Mexico has done so), the Canadian auto sector has been eyeing Europe for overseas sales.
A report from the Canadian government’s chief economist released in June (2019) gave grounds for optimism as regards future EU sales.…
FATF INTERVIEW – PLENARY – FATF GETS KEY BACKING FOR BOOSTING IMPELMENTATUIN OF ITS STANDARDS
UNDER the current Chinese presidency, global anti-money laundering body FATF has had strong support for its desire to boost the implementation of the AML/CFT policies and laws included in its recommendations. Money Laundering Bulletin interviewed FATF’s executive secretary David Lewis to explore how his organisation and been pushing improvements to supervision of AML/CFT to ensure its expert advice delivers on stemming dirty and terror money flows.…
INDIAN APPAREL EXPORTS RISE – BUT EXPECTED TO FALL BACK IN AUGUST SAYS MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIAITON
SALES of Indian apparel exports continue to be sluggish even after registering a 11% growth in July compared to June this year, after three months of continuous decline. According to a monthly newsletter issued by the Clothing Manufacturers Association of India on October 5, India exported USD1.36 billion’s worth of apparel in July, which was also 7% more than July 2018.…
GERMAN STATE GOVERNMENT REGULATORS UNDER FIRE IN MEAT HEALTH SCANDAL
Germany’s Federal Ministry for Food and Agriculture (BMEL – Bundesministerium für Ernährung und Landwirtschaft) has summoned its state-level (länder) counterparts for crisis talks following revelations that listeria-infested meat products have killed three people and made another 37 sick. These were made by from Twistetal, Hesse-based Wilke Waldecker Fleisch- und Wurstwaren.…
EU/WTO INTERNATIONAL REGULATORY ROUND UP – NEW EU COMMISSION PLOTS LABELLING REFORMS
THE NEW European Commission, which is now expected to assume office on December 1, is expected to push the further harmonisation of European Union (EU) food labelling rules regarding nutrition. Incoming EU health commissioner, Stella Kyriakides, of Cyprus, said she wanted to see the Commission act against pack claims declaring that products were healthy when they contained “a high level of sugar, fat or salt”.…
CHINA MOVES TOWARDS EXPANDED GREENER DISTRICT HEATING
DISTRICT heating is an efficient way to provide heat, that can reduce carbon emissions compared to individual property-based heating. So, it is maybe heartening to learn that the Chinese central government and its municipalities are both growing district heating and encouraging the use of cleaner energies to power them.…
INTERNATIONAL REGULATORY ROUND UP - NEW EUROPEAN COMMISSION MAY PUSH HARMONISATION OF SUGAR FOOD LABELLING
THE INCOMING European Commission may seek to further harmonise European Union (EU) food labelling rules on sugar content. This pledge comes from the nominee for new EU health commissioner, Stella Kyriakides, a Cypriot parliamentarian, whose EU role includes being responsible for food safety and standards.…
JAPAN’S PAINT AND COATINGS SECTOR REMAINS IN THE DOLDRUMS
Japan’s sluggish paint and coatings industry is showing little indication of a dramatic up-tick in its fortunes, despite domestic giants looking to innovative new products and acquiring some major players in overseas markets to drive future growth.
And with a worsening trade war between China and the United States threatening to tip the global economy into recession, on top of a deepening bilateral dispute with South Korea, a major market for Japanese paint, analysts suggest the next few years may be challenging for the sector. …
OUTSOURCING CENTRES IN ASIA UNDERSTAND BENEFIT OF DIGITAL WEAVING TECHNOLOGY – BUT INVESTMENT CAN BE EXPENSIVE
OUTSOURCING centres in Asia for the international textile sector are increasingly adopting digital technologies to improve the efficiency of their weaving, as they compete for business from clothing manufacturers and brands.
Bangladesh weavers are becoming increasingly tech-savvy to improve efficiency while driving down costs.…
WORK ON SAFETY STANDARDS FOR EMERGING AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES IS NEEDED, INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE TOLD
THE DEVELOPMENT of uniform safety standards to help reduce the number of reputation-damaging accidents occurring as automated vehicles are rolled out commercially is of key importance, a CAV Canada conference (connected and autonomous vehicles) in Canada has been told.
Sasha Ostojic, a board member of California-based autonomous vehicle company Zoox, and a former senior vice president engineering at GM’s Cruise Automation, said of the current American system, where manufacturers are protecting their CAV IP and not sharing safety information: “I truly think this is a problem.…
PHILIPPINES AND THAILAND CONTINUE TRADE LAW BATTLE OVER ACCESS TO THAI TOBACCO MARKET
THE PHILIPPINES and Thailand cigarette industries are still fighting a long trade dispute that has seen litigation rumble through the World Trade Organisation (WTO) since 2008. That year, the Philippines government lodged a series of complaints with the WTO’s disputes settlement body (DSB) that the Thai Customs Department had imposed unjust restrictions on imports of cigarettes from the Philippines.…
CHINA-US TRADE WAR MAY WORRY MARKETS – BUT NORTH AMERICAN NONWOVENS FUNDAMENTALS ARE STRONG
While the USA-China trade war currently dominates headlines, nonwovens analysts predict it will be a “relatively short-term” issue and not harm north America’s growing nonwovens market in the longer term.
With smart applications and sustainability driving the sector worldwide, the north American nonwovens market looks set to capitalise on these growth areas, aiding recovery from a past 10 years marred by economic weakness and volatile crude oil prices.…
ALUMINIUM AND STEEL INDUSTRY WELCOME PROPOSED NEW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER TO STRENGTHEN TRADE AGREEMENTS
THE APPOINTMENT of a Chief Trade Enforcement Officer should ease trade problems in the steel and aluminium sector and help tackle Chinese excess capacity, industry experts have told a meeting of the European Parliament Committee on International Trade (INTA) on September 25 in Brussels.…
PERU’S CLOTHING MAKERS BET ON ALPACA FOR EXPORT GROWTH
Peruvian clothing manufacturers are betting on a local fibre with international renown to grow exports: alpaca. “Instead of exporting the raw materials, we want to export more value-added products,” Raúl Rivera, marketing manager of Michell & Cia, an Arequipa, Peru-based maker of alpaca fibre, yarns and garments, told just-style. …
JAPAN’S ITOCHU SIGNS MEMORANDUM TO DEVELOP ETHIOPIA’S TEXTILE AND GARMENT SECTOR
Japanese firm ITOCHU has signed a Memorandum of Understanding to develop Ethiopia’s textile and garment sectors, an Ethiopian official said on September 13.
Communications Affairs Director at the Ethiopia Textile Industry Development Institute (TIDI), Gessesse Bantiyihun, said the agreement signed in August 2019 would help dozens of textile and garment factories boost their productivity and improve textile quality.…
JAPAN’S ITOCHU CORP CONFIRMS LONG-TERM SUPPORT FOR ETHIOPIA TEXTILE SECTOR
Japan’s Itochu Corporation has signed an agreement with the Ethiopian Textile Industry Development Institute and the Ethiopian Investment Commission to further develop the Horn of Africa nation’s growing textile industry.
The Tokyo-based company declined to comment on the scale of the financial investment in the project but did confirm that it is part of the firm’s global expansion plans. …
STOLEN IDENTITIES READILY AND CHEAPLY AVAILABLE ON THE MAINSTREAM INTERNET
AN INCREASING number of so-called ‘digital doppelgangers’, faked digital identities, designed to bypass financial anti-fraud systems, are being traded online via the darknet and even the open internet, according to David Décary-Hétu, Assistant Professor at the School of Criminology at the University of Montréal, Canada.…
TURKISH PLASTICS MARKET FACES TOUGH TIMES, BUT HAS STRONG FUNDAMENTALS FOR SUSTAINABLE PROSPERITY
THE TURKISH plastics manufacturing sector has grown exponentially over the past decade, but growth has spluttered over the past year due to the country’s economic downturn and currency depreciation raising the cost of raw materials. Investment has also slowed, but manufacturers are optimistic the sector will rebound, with exports remaining strong.…
ELECTRIFICATION OF SHIPS A KEY STEP IN DELIVERING PARIS CLIMATE COMMITMENTS
Described by environmental campaigners as “the elephant in the COP21 negotiations room” when climate change proposals were agreed in Paris during 2015, today – the electrification of shipping is moving ahead apace.
From inland ferries to cargo barges and cruise ships, vessels are being built or retrofitted with renewable power propulsion sources, curbing the shipping industry’s major emissions.…
INTELLIGENT MATERIALS DELIVERING BETTER FUNCTIONALITY AND SECURITY TO BEAUTY PACKAGING
INTELLIGENT materials make for packaging with better functionality and security, and innovative producers worldwide are developing better protection for personal care products.
Market researcher Smithers Pira, in a January 2018 report The Future of Active & Intelligent Packaging to 2023, notes potential uses for cosmetics manufacturers includes greater levels of engagement with customers, more personalised products and enhanced security and tracking features.…
VIETNAM’S DIGITAL TEXTILE PRINTING INDUSTRY ADVANCING INTO NEW ERA
VIETNAM has been a major textile production hub for years and, as the country’s government pushes sectors to embrace technology associated with the Industry 4.0 movement, some companies are adapting advanced methods such as digital textile printing.
According to statistics from India-based Mordor Intelligence, Vietnam is the third-largest garment exporter in the world, with the United States, the European Union, Japan and South Korea serving as major destination markets. …
IRISH ACCOUNTANTS ARE BUSY ADVISING CLIENTS ON GROWING CHINESE INVESTMENT INTO IRELAND
IRISH accounting executives are busy advising clients on how to benefit from a new wave of Chinese investment that is moving into Ireland. At a party staged at the Convention Centre Dublin this September to mark 40 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries, Ambassador He Xiangdong said Chinese investors “are in a good mood” about Ireland, with Chinese foreign direct investment into the Republic exceeding EUR128 million from this January-June, up 75% year-on-year.…
ASIAN REGULATORY ROUND UP – CHINA IMPOSES RETALIATORY TARIFFS ON US PAINT EXPORTS
THE CHINESE government has from September 1 imposed 5% additional retaliatory duties on US exports of paint to China, in the latest round of the trade war between the two countries. The new tariffs cover products such as polyester, acrylic, ethylene and polyeurathane powdered paints; acrylic, polymer and vinyl liquid paints; and more – see http://gss.mof.gov.cn/zhengwuxinxi/zhengcefabu/201908/P020190823604938915640.pdf…
COFFEE MAKERS SELL MORE RTD BECAUSE CHINA’S INCREASINGLY SOPHISTICATED COFFEE CULTURE
THE GROWING variety of ready-to-drink (RTD), capsule, and home-brewing ground coffee products being made available in China is a testimony to how this market has matured since Nestlé started pushing instant coffee on consumers from 1990.
Market researcher Euromonitor International estimates that China’s RTD coffee market size is burgeoning, predicting it will grow 32.9% to Chinese Yuan Renminbi CNY10.9 billion (USD1.54 billion) in 2023, up from CNY8.2 billion in 2018.…
EASTERN EUROPEAN PAINT AND COATINGS MARKET SHOW SOLID STABILITY AS ECONOMIES GROW STEADILY
FAR from being the zone of volatility of the 1990s, eastern and central Europe’s economies and hence their paint and coatings markets, are enjoying stability and steady growth. In Croatia, for instance, according to market researcher Euromonitor International data, the paint and coating industry posted revenues of USD147 million, USD 2 million more than in 2017.…
QUALITY, PRICE AND DESIGN – THEY ALL DRIVE EXPANSION IN COLOMBIA’S DIGITAL TEXTILE PRINT MARKET
THE DIGITAL textile printing industry and market in Colombia is growing at steadfast pace, with local demand propelled by boutique fashion brands and publicity. However, the increased costs and upfront investment involved in creating digital printing means that traditional finishing techniques are still common in this South American manufacturing hub.…
EU MERCOSUR DEAL OFFERS EUROPEAN AND SOUTH AMERICAN METAL PACKAGING SECTOR NEW TRADE OPPORTUNITIES
THE EUROPEAN metal packaging sector will be hoping that the newly negotiated European Union (EU)-Mercosur trade deal is ratified quickly, given it scraps import duties imposed by Brazil and Argentina on such exports of between 12% and 35%. These are the key markets in the South American trade bloc, that also includes comparative minnows Uruguay and Paraguay, whose protective duties shadow their larger Mercosur neighbours.…
VIETNAM’S TEXTILE-GARMENT SECTOR MULLING STEPS TO REMAIN COMPETITIVE
TEXTILE and garment-makers in Vietnam need to continue investing in new technology to remain competitive and make their ability to meet growing demand sustainable, exports say. And there is concern that the capital required may be tough for small-and-medium-sized manufacturers to source.…
EU-MERCOSUR DEAL OFFERS EUROPEAN AUTO AND PARTS EXPORTERS MAJOR NEW MARKETS
THE EUROPEAN automobile manufacturing sector will be hoping that the newly negotiated European Union (EU)-Mercosur trade deal is ratified quickly, given it scraps import duties imposed by Brazil and Argentina on EU automobile exports of 35%.
This agreement has been welcomed by the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA), which noted that the South American trade bloc, which also includes Uruguay and Paraguay, is home to around 270 million people, where 3.3 million new cars were sold during 2018.…
INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS ENJOY EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING AS THEY SEEK TO DEVISE FRESH SOLUTIONS FOR GLOBAL ISSUES
A GROUNDBREAKING collaborative international educational programme, staged at the University of Oregon (UO), Eugene, USA, has pushed the participating 52 students to ally their intellectual research skills with empathy and practicality to deliver effective solutions to global problems.
They have now entered the second week of an Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU) Undergraduate Leaders Program designed to foster innovative thinking and problem solving.…
GROUNDBREAKING INTERNATIONAL STUDENT PROGRAMME DELIVERS INNOVATIVE AND EXPANDABLE COMMUNITY SOLUTIONS TACKLING GLOBAL PROBLEMS
THE EMPATHY, connectedness and flexibility skills taught to students during an innovative international problem solving programme at the USA’s University of Oregon (UO) have manifested themselves in three prize-winning solutions to community problems.
These focused on environmental degradation, social inequality and public health, with students having 10 days this month to develop groundbreaking ideas for action at an Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU) Undergraduate Leaders Program.…
INNOVATIVE INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY STUDENT COLLABORATION SHOULD HELP DEVISE KEY PROBLEM-SOLVING SOLUTIONS FOR PRESSING GLOBAL ISSUES
STUDENTS from top Pacific Rim research universities have embarked on an innovative programme of problem solving, designed to create fresh solutions on pressing socio-economic problems that leverage leadership skills and community contacts.
The University of Oregon (UO), in Eugene, Oregon, welcomed 50 undergraduate students from 30 universities based in the Pacific Rim region, including from the USA, Canada, Mexico, Chile, Japan, Australia, and more.…
NONWOVENS SECTOR IN MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA STRUGGLES WITH OVERCAPACITY
THE NONWOVENS industry in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is still struggling with over-capacity, while declining purchasing power has hit the mid- and higher-tier segments, prompting global players to reconsider product offerings.
MENA economies have been impacted by low oil prices and regional instability, with growth forecast at 1.5% this year, down from 1.7% in 2018, according to investment bank JP Morgan.…
JAPAN AND SOUTH KOREA CONTINUE TO TIGHTEN AML/CFT CONTROLS, BUT WILL REFORM BE ENOUGH TO SATISFY FATF AND APG?
JAPAN and South Korea have many similarities in AML/CFT terms, being the only countries in north-east Asia with democratic, open societies, who also run their economies according to standard free market principles. They are also both developed industrial economies in which the rule of law is applied consistently and transparently.…
JAPAN FINANCES NEW UN-LED GARMENT DESIGN PROJECT FOR PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES
Japan is financing a United Nations (UN)-led project to bolster employment and garment design in the West Bank of Palestine. The project was officially launched this month (July), with Japan’s ministry of economy, trade and industry (METI) providing USD446,428 for the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) to spend on promoting “employability for women and youth in the State of Palestine through supporting the garment and textile value chain”.…
BRAZIL BEEF EXPORTS TO UAE BOOM
Brazilian beef exports to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) saw an increase of 439.84% year-on-year in the first half of 2019, according to figures issued by the Dubai-based Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce. Brazilian beef sales to all Arab countries were up 47.62%.…
NESTLÉ’s EMENA RESTRUCTURE IS PAYING DIVIDENDS, SAYS SETTEMBRI
GLOBAL food and beverage company Nestlé’s restructure in the EMENA (Europe, Middle East and North Africa) region, which began in 2017, has delivered improved efficiencies and performance, according to Marco Settembri, Nestlé’s executive vice-president and EMENA zone CEO.
“It’s always a question of evolution,” Mr Settembri told just-food before the opening session of the July 4-5 2nd European Entrepreneurship Education summit in Lille, northern France,* in which he was to speak.…
INTERNATIONAL REGULATORY ROUND UP – REGULATORS BOOST GLOBAL COOPERATION TO FIGHT FRAUD
INTERNATIONAL, regional and national regulators are cooperating more widely as they create strategies and operations to fight fraud that is often conducted on a trans-national basis.
For instance, European Union (EU) police agency Europol has worked with financial intelligence units (FIUs), such as the USA’s FinCEN, and FIU umbrella organisation the Egmont Group to raise concern about business email compromise fraud (BEC).…
JAPAN NEEDS TO ACT ON BRIBERY URGENTLY, SAYS OECD
Japan must urgently address long-standing concerns over foreign bribery enforcement, according to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation & Development’s (OECD’s) working group on bribery. The working group findings follow a ‘Phase 4’ assessment under the OECD Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials, in which it examines an individual country assessing detection, enforcement, corporate liability, and international cooperation, plus unresolved issues from earlier reports. …
TOBACCO COMPANIES BID TO REDUCE THEIR CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACT
EVERY manufacturing and agricultural industry has an impact on climate change – and the tobacco sector is no different. Faced with long-standing criticism of the health impact of its products, the tobacco industry is now facing attacks that its work generates carbon emissions and hence climate change.…
WOLLASTONITE OFFERS GREAT POTENTIAL AS BASE FOR DEVELOPING CARBON EMISSIONS REDUCTION TECHNOLOGY
WOLLASTONITE has been described by a Canadian producer as “a white mineral for a greener world,” and it seems governments, businesses and industries agree – with wollastonite is set to see increased market growth in its traditional uses plus a new focus on its powerful qualities to help tackle climate change.…
WOLLASTONITE OFFERS GREAT POTENTIAL AS BASE FOR DEVELOPING CARBON EMISSIONS REDUCTION TECHNOLOGY
WOLLASTONITE has been described by a Canadian producer as “a white mineral for a greener world,” and it seems governments, businesses and industries agree – with wollastonite is set to see increased market growth in its traditional uses plus a new focus on its powerful qualities to help tackle climate change.…
JAPAN CLOTHING BRANDS’ PAST SOURCING DIVERSIFICATION HAS PROTECTED THEM FROM US-CHINA TRADE WAR
JAPAN clothing brands have protected themselves in advance against exposure from the US-China trade war by decreasing their reliance on China-based manufacturing outposts in recent years. This sourcing diversification has occurred initially because of rising costs in China.
According to the Japan Apparel Fashion Industry Council (JAFIC), this movement away from Japan means the impact on Japanese textile and apparel companies from US tariffs imposed by the Trump administration on China-made exports would be “slight”.…
NEW BJP GOVERNMENT EXPECTED TO REVIEW INDIA’S MINIMUM WAGE
India’s new Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government, that took office on May 30 following its April and May election victory, is planning to increase the country’s minimum wage rates, which could damage the current cost advantages enjoyed of Indian apparel exporters, warned an industry body.…
JAPAN DATA SHOWS HOW MEAT DEMAND CONTINUES TO OUTSTRIP DOMESTIC SUPPLY
Japan’s meat producers are struggling to meet growing demand amidst falling production, new data has underlined, prompting rising imports, concerns on food security and government action to support cattle farming.
Consumption of beef, pork, chicken and lamb has been long on the rise, reaching 89.7g per person per day in the fiscal year to March 2018.…
ANTI-FRAUD AWARENESS AND TRAINING IS A LYNCHPIN OF CORPORATE POLICIES FIGHTING GRAFT AND FINANCIAL SCAMS
ANTI-fraud experts understand that managers always need to be aware of the potential for their organisations to lose money to fraud and corruption. But the fact that the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE) https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/acfepublic/2018-report-to-the-nations.pdf
estimates an average 5% of public and private revenues are lost to fraud indicates that more awareness is needed.…
JAPAN DATA SHOWS HOW MEAT DEMAND CONTINUES TO OUTSTRIP DOMESTIC SUPPLY
Japan’s meat producers are struggling to meet growing demand amidst falling production, new data has underlined, prompting rising imports, concerns on food security and government action to support cattle farming.
Consumption of beef, pork, chicken and lamb has been long on the rise, reaching 89.7g per person per day in the fiscal year to March 2018.…
ANTI-FRAUD AWARENESS AND TRAINING IS A LYNCHPIN OF CORPORATE POLICIES FIGHTING GRAFT AND FINANCIAL SCAMS
ANTI-fraud experts understand that managers always need to be aware of the potential for their organisations to lose money to fraud and corruption. But the fact that the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE) https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/acfepublic/2018-report-to-the-nations.pdf
estimates an average 5% of public and private revenues are lost to fraud indicates that more awareness is needed.…
INTERNATIONAL REGULATORY ROUND UP – ISO LAUNCHES NEW COCOA SUSTAINABILITY STANDARDS
THE INTERNATIONAL Organization for Standardization (ISO) has launched a series of standards designed to help the cocoa industry ensure its products are both sustainably harvested and processed, but also traceable across their supply chains. Its ISO 34101 series is designed to promote good environmental and labour practices in a sector that involves sophisticated confectionery companies, global commodity traders and small farmers, often in poor countries, notably in west Africa.…
AUSTRALIA’S PAINT AND COATING SECTOR IS CONTRACTING WHILE COUNTRY’S OVERALL ECONOMY STRIDES AHEAD
THE AUSTRALIAN coating and paint market has experienced volatility over the past five years, with mergers and acquisitions consolidating the industry, whilst consumer demand and legislation have boosted the sale of more environment-friendly products. Across the Tasman Sea, meanwhile, New Zealand has seen growth due to innovation in high-performance and green coatings.…
BEAUTY SECTOR RECEIVES DETAILED GUIDANCE FROM INTERNATIONAL, REGIONAL AND NATIONAL BODIES
THE PERSONAL care product sector has an increasingly complex and global supply chain and as a result, international technical standards are growing in utility and importance. Where suppliers and retailers follow and require the use of international standards to guide their operations and products, there will be fewer nasty surprises, in orders and purchases.…
RUSSIA’S PAINT SECTOR GROWING SLOWLY – BUT UPCOMING ECO-RULES MAY HIT PRODUCTION
RUSSIA’S paint industry is slowly growing but upcoming chemical regulations could limit the output of some potentially hazardous products. There are two such laws in the pipeline. One is a technical regulation ‘On the safety of chemical products’. This was adopted and ratified by the Russian government in 2016, and will come into force in 2021 (on July 1), and bans the use of a range of hazardous chemicals, some used by Russian coatings manufacturers. …
INDUSTRIAL MINERAL SECTOR HONES SKILLS THROUGH DETAILED INTERNATIONAL, REGIONAL AND NATIONAL STANDARDS
THE INDUSTRIAL minerals mining and processing sector and its customers has an increasingly complex and global supply chain and as a result, international technical standards are growing in utility and importance. Where suppliers and retailers follow and require the use of international standards to guide their operations and products, there will be fewer nasty surprises, in orders and purchases.…
RUSSIA TELLS MEXICO AT THE WTO THAT ITS ANTIDUMPING DUTIES ON RUSSIAN STEEL ARE ILLEGAL AND OUTDATED
Russia has criticised Mexico at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) for maintaining anti-dumping duties on Russian steel exports, which it claims are outdated, being based on pricing assessments using data from a different country.
The Mexican government used this method for past dumping calculations on Russian steel because it is permitted under WTO rules where a government dominates an economy that does not operate as a free market.…
VIETNAM SEEKS TO BOOST FABRIC PRODUCTION SO GARMENT-MAKERS CAN PROSPER FROM CPTPP DEAL
The Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) took effect in December 2018, incrementally bringing down import tariffs for Vietnamese garments in a market with 495 million consumers across 11 countries.
But Vietnamese garment-makers are struggling to reduce costs to deliver pricing that is competitive enough to make the most of CPTPP.…
PAKISTAN CLOTHING INDUSTRY CALLS ON GOVERNMENT TO REDUCE COMPLEXITY OF INPUT IMPORT RULES
PAKISTAN’s apparel and garment exporters have called on the country’s new government to simplify what it regards as overly complex trading red-tape impeding the import of key inputs, vital for diversifying export-oriented production.
“To increase our exports, we will have to enhance our product lines and relax the existing import policy for import of raw materials,” Muhammad Ijaz Khokhar, coordinator of the Pakistan Readymade Garments Manufacturers & Exporters Association (PRGMEA) told just-style.…
BANGLADESH LEATHER INDUSTRY NEEDS MORE HEALTH AND SAFETY ATTENTION SAY EXPERTS
WITH decent working conditions eluding Bangladesh’s booming leather industry, an advocacy group has suggested forming a tripartite body involving the government, manufacturers and unions to help improve the sector’s health and environmental safety standards. Modelled after the efforts that have been made in the country’s textile and fabric-based garment industry, such a tri-party consultation committee would discuss the development of a leather sector whose safety and environmental records remain patchy, except for export-oriented units.…
AS THE US-CHINA TRADE WAR DRAGS ON, BRANDS AND RETAILERS CAN TURN UNCERTAINTY INTO OPPORTUNITY
Trade negotiators from the United States and China will meet for the second week in a row this Wednesday or Thursday, in what the American clothing sector hopes could be the final round of talks to resolve the trade war.
US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin told Fox Business last week they hope to get to “the point where we can either recommend to the president we have a deal, or make a recommendation that we don’t,” emphasising the United States wants to “rebalance” the trade relationship.…
SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA AIRPORT SECTOR EXPANDS AS AIR TRAFFIC PUSHES FACILITIES TOWARDS CAPACITY LIMITS
AFRICA is without doubt the continent to watch for airport and air traffic control investment in the future. It is the world’s second most populous continent (home to more than 1.2 billion people), and according to Airports Council International (World) – ACI World – Africa was the fastest growing region for air passenger traffic in 2017 and 2018, which rose 6.3% in 2017 year-on-year and 10.8% in 2018 to June year-to-date, year-on-year.…
RUSSIA LOOKS TO INCREASE PAINT AND COATING INGREDIENT PRODUCTION
THE RUSSIAN government has in the past decade has a policy priority of re-establishing it country’s industrial base, and reducing its reliance on imports, paid for by Russia’s energy exports.
These goals cover its paints and coatings sector, and by 2021 Sibur, a Russian petrochemical company, plans to launch production of key ingredient maleic anhydride, with a plant in Tobolsk, Siberia, producing up to 45,000 tonnes a year.…
VIETNAM YARN-MAKERS CONCERNED OVER RAW MATERIAL PRICE VOLATILITY AND GEOPOLITICAL UNCERTAINTY
VIETNAMESE cotton yarn-makers face a period of uncertainty due to raw material price volatility and the ongoing trade war between the US and China which threatens demand stability from Chinese textile and clothing manufacturers. China is the largest importer of Vietnamese yarn and accounts for more than 60% of Vietnam’s total yarn exports. …
MOTOR VEHICLES SECOND MOST COMMON SUBJECT OF CONSUMER SAFETY ALERTS CIRCULATED BY THE EU LAST YEAR
MOTOR vehicles and their parts were the second most common category of goods reported in safety warnings by consumer regulators in the European Union (EU) last year, according to a new annual report from the EU Safety Gate system. This involves European consumer regulators receiving safety warnings about products, including from auto manufacturers, and circulating these alerts via this central European portal.…
RUSSIA PUSHES FOR LNG INVESTMENT AS IT SEEKS TO SUPPLY JAPAN’S READY GAS MARKET
ON the face of it, Japan and Russia are perfect partners for growing trade in liquified natural gas (LNG). Japan has always had few fossil fuel resources for powering its sophisticated industrial economy, and Russia has plenty of gas to export.…
ARGENTINA STRUGGLES TO CREATE GUANACO INDUSTRY – PLANNING TO COMBINE FIBRE AND MEAT SALES
With a growing population of guanacos, a llama-like animal that runs wild in Patagonia, the Argentine government is analysing how best to produce and export the natural fibre it yields, at prices like those commanded by vicuña wool. But hurdles stand in the way of getting it right and there are concerns that the approach could backfire if sustainable practices are not
in place. …
GLOBAL PAINT AND COATINGS SECTOR PUSHED TO REMOVE TOXINS FROM PRODUCTS BY LAWS AND MARKET DEMAND
THE INTERNATIONAL paint and coatings sector is not just under increasing regulatory pressure to reduce the amount of toxins in its products, but it continues to actively remove such potentially harmful elements – it is good for consumers and hence, business.…
ARGENTINA BEEF EXPORTERS PREDICT GROWING DEMAND IN JAPAN
Argentine beef exporters have been encouraged by feedback at Japan’s largest food fair that they will receive regular and large orders for the products following the re-opening of this potentially important market last July 2018.
Exhibitors from Argentina said they received a positive reception at the Foodex show in March, where importers, restaurateurs and consumers visited the country’s first beef showcase at Asia’s largest food and drink exhibition, held near Tokyo.…
JAPAN’S SUSTAINED TASTE FOR DAIRY PRODUCTS AND DECLINING DOMESTIC MILK PRODUCTION OFFERS EXPORTER OPENINGS
Japan is presenting opportunities for international dairy exporters, amidst a rising demand for dairy, an ailing domestic industry and improved market access.
Globally a relative newcomer to widespread dairy consumption, Japanese consumers did not make milk a household staple until the 1950s, but since then, consumption has risen sharply and has now diversified to include all kinds of dairy items, including butter, cheese, yoghurt, cream and ice-cream.…
YOUNG CHINESE REDEFINE NATIONAL MARKET FOR COLOUR BEAUTY PRODUCTS
China has witnessed a wave of changes in colour cosmetics sold on this key market to woo young Chinese women aged 20 to 29, or the so-called generation Z, according to the London-based research firm Mintel.
Growing up with dynamic advances in technology advancement, one big difference between Gen Z and earlier generations before is that this smartphone-glued generation is highly receptive to mobile technology-based marketing.…
AIRLESS TECHNOLOGY OFFERS BEAUTY BRANDS WAY TO COMBINE FUNCTIONALITY WITH SUSTAINABILITY
GROWING consumer and regulatory demand for more sustainability in consumer markets is redefining the packaging sector, and beauty segment is no exception. As a result, airless packaging – while sometimes expensive – offers virtues such as the ability to preserve product freshness, minimal oxidisation, low wastage and efficient dispensing, that can dovetail with greening market trends.…
JAPAN’S TRADITIONAL QUALITY CURRENTLY WINNING ASIAN BEAUTY MARKET BATTLE OVER SOUTH KOREA’S FLASHY INNOVATION
EAST Asia’s two personal care product industry giants – Japan and South Korea – have long been competing for major slices of the regional and global beauty market. At present, however, Japan’s industry seems to be performing more solidly than its rival, which is struggling with the fall-out of diplomatic problems with Asia’s largest market – China.…
JAPAN TRADITIONAL CONFECTIONERS THRIVE IN DOMESTIC MARKET AND ARE INCREASINGLY EYEING EXPORTS
JAPAN’S traditional confectionery market and production is imbued with the visual beauty and attention to detail that runs through so much Japanese culture, and exporters have started to explore their appeal to overseas markets.
These assessments have been partly driven by Japan’s ongoing international tourist boom, with foreign shoppers snapping up tasty treats that have been honed for domestic consumers for centuries.…
ASIAN REGULATORY ROUND UP – JAPAN BLOCKS LEAD IN PAINTS FOR PUBLIC SECTOR PROJECTS
THE MANUFACTURE, distribution and use of leaded paints in projects funded by Japan’s public sector has been banned from March (2019), at the end of the 2018-19 fiscal year. For instance, Japan’s ministry of education, culture, sports, science and technology revised its building construction standards for educational facilities in April (2019), requiring manufacturers to use a non-leaded primer or sealer before applying antibacterial paint on surfaces such as gypsum board.…
INTERNATIONAL REGULATORY ROUND UP – CAOBISCO WARNS EU CONFECTIONERY EXPORTERS MAY STRUGGLE TO EXPLOIT JAPAN TRADE DEAL
THE EUROPEAN Union (EU) chocolate, biscuit and confectionery industry association CAOBISCO has raised concerns that EU exporters will be unable to exploit the reduction of Japanese tariffs under the EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), in force since February 1. CAOBISCO is concerned about how the deal includes rules of origin forcing its members to demonstrate how they source specific volumes of ingredients from the EU, rather than their value, which would be easier to demonstrate.…
VIETNAM GARMENT-TEXTILE EXPORTS STARTING YEAR WITH A BANG
THE LATEST data from the General Department of Vietnam Customs shows that the country’s garment and textile exports grew by 19% in the first two months of the year from January-February 2018, outpacing 2018’s full-year growth of 16% and serving as an early indicator that official export targets for 2019 may easily be met.…
ISRAELI COMPANIES AND DESIGNERS INNOVATE IN CREATING NEW 3D PRINTING TEXTILE SYSTEMS
ON the back of Israel’s innovation-embedded work culture, the Middle East country is making headway in the 3D-printed garment sector. The country is the joint-headquarters of 3D-printer manufacturer Stratasys, which has a key base in Rehovot, south of Tel Aviv. Stratasys offers a wide range of 3D printers – https://www.stratasys.com/3d-printers…
EUROPEAN COMMISSION APPROVES TAKE OVER OF GATWICK AIR[ORT BY FRANCE’S VINCI AIRPORTS
THE EUROPEAN Commission today (March 18) gave competition law approval for France’s VINCI Airports to take over control of London Gatwick Airport from current owner Ivy Topco Ltd, a Cayman Islands registered company.
The European Union (EU) executive, acting as the EU’s senior competition authority, approved the deal which would see VINCI acquiring 50.01% of the issued share capital of Ivy Topco.…
BRITISH MEAT EXPORTERS EYE JAPANESE MARKET AT MAJOR SHOW, NOW BSE-RELATED IMPORT BAN HAS GONE
British beef and lamb producers this week eyed the Japan market following the lifting of a 23-year import ban in January 2019, with a presence at Japan’s Foodex, Asia’s largest food and drink exhibition.
Producers from across the UK met Japanese importers, distributors, buyers and consumers at the Makuhari Messe conference centre, near Tokyo, on March 5–8.…
INDIAN TECHNICAL TEXTILE SECTOR DEVELOPS DOMESTIC STANDARDS AS MILITARY OPENS UP TO PRIVATE SUPPLIERS
INDIA’S large military forces are to start sourcing a significant volumes of technical textile products from private companies from next year (2020), opening up a new market for local and international manufacturers, delegates at a recent conference were told in New Delhi.…
EU/WTO REGULATORY ROUND UP – NEW RULES AGREED ON EFSA TRANSPARENCY
AGREEMENT has been reached between European Union (EU) institutions on reforms to the EU general food law regulation ensuring that studies behind European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) recommendations are made public. This would include data supporting a request for EFSA scientific advice.…
JAPANESE NUCLEAR SECTOR HAS GOVERNMENT BACKING – BUT FACES SERIOUS POLITICAL AND TECHNICAL HEADWINDS
THE JAPANESE nuclear sector may have the backing of its government, but a combination of technical challenges and public unpopularity is impeding plans to restore the country’s nuclear capacity towards its generation before the Fukushima disaster in 2011.
During a news conference on January 1, Hiroaki Nakanishi, chairman of the Japan Business Federation, was pessimistic about the industry’s future.…
WELLNESS CONFECTIONERY PRODUCTS GROW PRESENCE AS CONSUMERS BECOME MORE HEALTH CONSCIOUS
While the confectionery industry is traditionally associated with high sugar levels and unhealthy indulgence, market research indicates that efforts to also appeal to consumers with a growing interest in health and wellness trends are paying off. According to UK-based market researcher GlobalData, in 2016 alone USD3.7 billion worth of confectionery with functional or fortified attributes was sold globally.…
FAST FASHION MAIN ACCELERATOR FOR TEXTILE MACHINERY DEMAND IN VIETNAM, SAYS LEADING DISTRIBUTOR
THE GROWTH in fast fashion contracts struck between brands and Vietnam’s burgeoning outsourcing will boost demand for machinery and equipment in the Vietnamese textile sector as much as the new trade deals that have been struck by Hanoi, according to industry insiders.…
GLOBAL AUTO SECTOR WORRIED OVER POTENTIAL IMPACT OF USA SECTION 232 DUTIES
THE SUBMISSION to the White House by the US Department of Commerce of a report recommending whether and how the USA should impose tariffs on automotive and related parts on national security grounds has provoked significant concern worldwide.
President Donald Trump has 90 days from February 17 (to mid-May) to decide on whether to impose the tariffs under section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act.…
KENYAN PAINT COMPANIES FACE RISING COSTS – BUT BOOMING CONSTRUCTION MEANS THAT SALES WILL STILL GROW
WITH Kenya’s economy still growing fast – its GDP is projected to increase by 5.8% this year (2019) east Africa’s economic hub is expected to provide the paint and coatings sector plenty of extra sales. Such growth in the construction industry is reflected in its neighbouring countries, notably Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda, offering additional sales for companies with the scale to score regional sales.…
JAPANESE NUCLEAR SECTOR HAS GOVERNMENT BACKING – BUT FACES SERIOUS POLITICAL AND TECHNICAL HEADWINDS
During a news conference on January 1, Hiroaki Nakanishi, chairman of the Japan Business Federation, hinted at a bleak future for Japan’s nuclear energy industry – it is a gloomy view that is hard to contest, when examining the facts, despite the Japanese government’s continued backing for the sector.…
SOUTH KOREAN COATINGS MARKET EXPANDS, WITH PRODUCERS TARGETING ECO-PRODUCTS
The coatings market of South Korea looks on track to achieve modest growth this year, with gains in architectural coating sales and a mild revival of marine coatings projected to offset a deteriorating outlook for automotive coatings. The overall South Korea paint and coatings market in 2018 has been estimated by market researchers Frost & Sullivan at USD4.5 billion in sales and 1 million tonnes in 2018, making it the fourth largest coatings market in Asia, in both value and volume terms – behind China, Japan and India.…
SPECIALIST LORRY MANUFACTURER IN JAPAN PROFITS FROM COLOURFUL CUSTOM PAINT SERVICE
The production line at UD Trucks headquarters in Ageo, just north of Tokyo, is – at first sight – much like any other auto-making plant but look closer and the company’s original and vibrant coatings system sets this company apart.…
INTERNATIONAL REGULATORY ROUND UP – WTO DISPUTES PANELS WILL ASSESS EU RETALIATORY DUTIES ON USA KNITWEAR EXPORTS
THE WORLD Trade Organisation (WTO) Disputes Settlement Body (DSB) has approved establishing disputes settlement panels ruling on whether retaliatory duties imposed by the European Union (EU), on US knitwear exports, imposed in response to America’s controversial steel and aluminium tariffs, break WTO rules.…
JAPAN’S LOVE FOR CHICKEN PUSHES UP JAPANESE MEAT CONSUMPTION
JAPAN’S meat consumption rose in 2018, but only because of a rising appetite for chicken, according to data from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation & Development (OECD).
Poultry consumption was up from 16.9kg per capita in 2017 to 17.2kg in 2018, making it the only meat that experienced consumption growth in the country last year.…
NORTH AFRICA’S BEAUTY MARKETS CONTINUE TO GROW BUT CAN BE TOUGH TO ACCESS
NORTH Africa offers personal care product majors populous markets, close to European manufacturing centres, with large and growing middle classes (outside troubled Libya) – but trading in these countries is not without complication. Regulatory shifts, counterfeiting and some security concerns make these useful markets a challenge for brands to tap.…
EGYPT MOVES STEADILY TOWARDS DIGITAL TEXTILE PRINTING AS EXPORT SECTOR GROWS, ESPECIALLY IN SPORTS AND ACTIVEWEAR
Digital textile printing is a niche sector in Egypt but is expected to grow as demand for sports and active wear increases within its clothing sector, bolstered by government-supported initiatives to treble garment and textile exports by 2025.
Egypt has a long history of garment and textile manufacturing, but the sector’s strength has been in ‘cut and sew’ due to the country’s low labour costs, at between USD60 to USD100 a month.…
ADDITIVES MANUFACTURERS SEEK TO GIVE ASIAN COATINGS BRANDS EDGE IN COMPETITIVE REGIONAL MARKET
WITH the Asia-Pacific coatings market and industry being one of the most dynamic worldwide, experiencing continuous robust growth, the potential for additives to give brands an edge in seizing market share is increasingly important.
Backed by buoyant construction, automotive and marine industries across the Asia Pacific, the region’s paint and coatings additives market is showing promising growth, analysts say.…
ROADMAP TO RESTORE PHILIPPINE TEXTILE INDUSTRY’S COMPETITIVE EDGE
A ROADMAP to improve the future of the Philippines textile industry is set to be published next month (March 2018) by government officials aiming to return the archipelago’s sector to international prominence.
Focus will be given to arranging new free trade agreements and securing market access to the key areas of Europe, the US and Japan.…
ROADMAP TO RESTORE PHILIPPINE TEXTILE INDUSTRY’S COMPETITIVE EDGE
A ROADMAP to improve the future of the Philippines textile industry is set to be published next month (March 2018) by government officials aiming to return the archipelago’s sector to international prominence.
Focus will be given to arranging new free trade agreements and securing market access to the key areas of Europe, the US and Japan.…
MALAWI’S TOBACCO LEAF SECTOR STILL FOCUS OF EFFORTS TO REDUCE CHILD LABOUR
WITH Malawi’s persistent cycle of poverty where half of its 18 million population (2017 World Bank data) live under the poverty line and nearly 1.5 million children employed as labourers, according to International Labour Organisation (ILO) data, including on tobacco farms – meaningful reforms to prevent these abuses have progressed slowly, experts say.…
TAIWAN REFERENDUM HALTS NUCLEAR PHASE OUT PLANS AS PUBLIC HOSTILITY BLUNTED BY BURGEONING AIR POLLUTION
TAIWAN’S nuclear power sector is looking to the future with increased optimism, since a referendum rejected plans from the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to phase out nuclear power on the archipelago by 2025. The DPP has since the 1980s campaigned for a nuclear-free Taiwan and press ahead with this policy after its election win in 2016.…
CHINESE PERSONAL CARE PRODUCT MARKET MATURES AS ONLINE SALES BOOM
It is hard to avoid either a cosmetics store or an advertisement for one in Chinese cities today. A mind-boggling wave of new retailers set up by investment firms to cash in on the cosmetics and personal care boom are eagerly seeking franchisees around the country.…
ASIAN PAINT AND COATINGS REGULATORY ROUND UP – VIETNAM RAMPS UP ANTI-LEAD IN PAINTS EFFORTS
THE VIETNAM Chemicals Agency us ramping up efforts to remove lead from paints in Vietnam – officially requesting to be considered a partner in the Global Alliance to Eliminate Lead in Paint, a voluntary partnership formed by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Health Organisation (WHO).…
JAPAN’S DESCENTE CONTINUES TO INNOVATE TO GRAB MARKET SHARE IN COMPETITIVE GLOBAL KNITWEAR MARKET
Already a world-leader in terms of knitted products for the sports clothing and outdoors-wear sectors, Japan’s Descente Ltd this July opened a state-of-the-art research and development centre that the company anticipates will help it create “the world’s fastest high-performance wear”.
According to the Osaka-based company, the new initiative is built on the concept of being “fast”.…
ICAO BUDDY SYSTEM HELPS EMERGING MARKET COUNTRIES PREPARE FOR CORSIA
A BUDDY training system has been launched by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), enabling countries with significant regulatory capacity to help other states prepare for the upcoming CORSIA (Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation) scheme. ICAO has been training national officials to advise on ensuring CORSIA’s legal requirements are written into local laws and also on building the emissions data monitoring, reporting and verification systems they need to measure their airlines’ carbon footprint.…
AMERICAN LAMB EXPORTERS PREPARING TO SEIZE SALES IN NEWLY OPENED JAPANESE MARKET
MEAT industry professionals in the USA are gearing up to re-enter Japan’s lucrative lamb market, following the Japanese government in July (2018) lifting a ban to import American lamb into Japan. US exporters are looking to persuade Japanese consumers that American lamb is a quality, even niche, product, as they look to compete with Australian and New Zealand rivals.…
GLOBAL SHIFT TOWARDS BLOCKING ANIMAL TESTING ON COSMETICS CONTINUES TO ROLL FORWARD
MPs in Canada have returned to their House of Commons after the traditional summer break, when they are expected to vote on a draft law, the Cruelty-Free Cosmetics Act, that would ban the testing of cosmetics and their ingredients on annals in Canada and block the sale of personal care products that have been assessed using such techniques.…
AUTO INDUSTRY CONTESTS EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT PUSH FOR TOUGH TRUCK EMISSIONS GOALS
THE EUROPEAN car industry has slammed the “excessively aggressive CO2 reduction targets” for new heavy-duty vehicles – trucks and lorries – backed by the European Parliament – the European Union (EU)’s directly-elected legislative body – on November 14 in at the Strasbourg plenary session.…
EBRD LOAN BOOSTING TURKISH ACRYLIC PRODUCTION
A SYNDICATED loan from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is enabling Turkish company Aksa Akrilik, already one of the world’s largest manufacturers of acrylic and acrylic fibres, to significantly expand its operations.
The EBRD loan agreement, signed in July and covering seven years, was the fourth the bank has provided to Aksa Akrilik Kimya Sanayi A.S.,…
AFRICAN SOURCING AND FASHION WEEK EXPLORES HOW CONTINENT’S CLOTHING AND TEXTILE SECTOR CAN GROW SUSTAINABLY
As he took in the fourth Africa Sourcing and Fashion Week (ASFW) in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa last week, Kenneth K Han, managing director of Shints ETP Garment Plc, said he is optimistic over the country’s potential in the textile and apparel sector, despite many challenges.…
MEPS BACK SHOCHU BOTTLE SIZE WAIVER TO EASE JAPAN FTA
THE EUROPEAN Parliament has backed a European Commission proposal to exempt Japan from European Union (EU) bottle size rules when selling the spirit shochu. The special shochu ruling was made because the Japan-EU free trade agreement (JEFTA) – scheduled to enter into force by next November (2019) – commits Japanese exporters to selling drinks in the EU confirming to EU legislation on nominal quantities of prepacked products (directive 2007/45/EC). …
NEW YORK GOVERNOR ANNOUNCES USD13 BILLION UPGRADE FOR JFK AIRPORT
THE GOVERNOR of New York has announced a USD13 billion plan to upgrade John F. Kennedy International Airport, building two international terminal complexes on the airport’s north and south sides, and associated land transport links. The investment will draw on USD12 billion in private funding, said Gov Andrew Cuomo.…
EU/WTO REGULATORY ROUND UP - EU PROPOSES TRANS FAT LIMIT
THE EUROPEAN Commission has proposed a draft regulation that would insist that food sold to European Union (EU) consumers contain a maximum 2 grams of trans fat (other than that naturally occurring in animal fat) for every 100 grams of fat.…
CHINESE WOMEN INVESTING IN HEATHY SCALPS
UNTIL the past two years, scalp care products have been regarded as an elite product in China, with sales generally restricted to expensive lines sold at high-end hair salons. But recently, this specialist hair care products have been increasingly available on the mass market and are proving especially popular with young women commanding higher incomes, according to the London-based research firm Mintel.…
INDONESIA LOOKS TO OPEN NEW TEXTILE MARKETS WITH FREE TRADE PACTS
Indonesia is seeking to open new markets for its textile and garment products – not only are free trade agreements with Australia and fellow Asian countries are on the cards, the industry’s association and the government has announced, but the industry is also targeting African export sales.…
GROWING DEMAND FOR ECO-FRIENDLY TURKISH TEXTILES
TURKISH fabric producer Söktaş is significantly expanding its range of sustainable textiles as it looks to meet growing demand for fabrics with eco attributes.
The company – which had expanded its premium shirting fabrics range to fabrics for jackets and trousers – has now introduced organic cotton fabrics into its stock-supported ranges.…
JAPAN HEATED TOBACCO MARKET BOOMS AS TRADITIONAL CIGARETTE SALES DECLINE
Japan’s traditional tobacco market continues to contract, with fewer people smoking and more smokers expressing a desire to stop, but sales in the heated tobacco sector remain positive and are growing.
Less than 30% of Japanese adults now smoke, according to statistics released by the health, labour and welfare ministry in early September, the first time the figure has fallen beneath that threshold since statistics were first collated in 1986.…
ASIA WAKING UP TO CRYPTOCURRENCY – GOVERNMENTS SEEK TO REDUCE MONEY LAUNDERING THREATS
Cryptocurrencies have made a big splash across Asia, and governments have taken very different regulatory approaches to curb associated financial scams and money laundering.
While there is one group of countries that has banned the operation and use of cryptocurrencies entirely, including China, India and Vietnam, a second category spans countries that see cryptocurrencies as potentially boosting their own financial sectors.…
US GOVERNMENT SAYS G20 STEEL PRODUCTION REDUCTION INITIATIVE HAS FAILED TO DELIVER
THE UNITED States Trade Representative (USTR) today branded the Global Forum on Steel Excess Capacity a failure, claiming its efforts have not delivered the production cuts that markets need to stabilise prices.
In a strongly worded statement released after a forum ministerial meeting was staged today (Sept 20) at the Organisation for Economic Cooperation & Development (OECD), in Paris, the USTR argued that the group’s results to date “leaves us questioning whether the Forum is capable of delivering on these objectives”. …
PROGRESS UNEVEN ON MYANMAR AIRPORT UPGRADES
THE COLOSSAL potential of Myanmar’s tourism industry combined with a severe lack of transport infrastructure has prompted the government to undertake a countrywide overhaul of its airport network.
Plans range from connecting remote regions using single runway sites to a new international airport for the commercial capital Yangon, but progress on all fronts has been slow and the future of key projects is highly uncertain.…
TYPHOON CLOSES KANSAI AIRPORT FOR THREE DAYS – INTERNATIONAL TERMINAL AND RAIL LINK REMAIN CLOSED
Japan’s Kansai International Airport was closed for three days after being struck by Typhoon Jebi on Tuesday, September 4, with a reduced roster of 19 flights scheduled to take off on the following Friday (today).
Peach Aviation, a local low-cost carrier, operated 17 flights throughout the day, while Japan Airlines had two take-offs.…
JAPAN BEEF EXPORTS TO TAIWAN BOOK AFTER LIFTING OF BSE BAN
Taiwan has become the top importer of Japanese beef, less than one year since lifting a ban on the product. The 16-year ban was put in place following outbreaks of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) or mad cow disease in Japan in 2001 but was lifted in September 2017.…
JAPAN WAGYU EXPORTERS TARGET HIGH END OF AUSTRALIAN MARKET IN EXPLOITING END OF BSE-LINKED IMPORT BAN
Japan’s wagyu producers are penetrating the Australian market following the lifting of an import ban on Japanese beef in May, but sales may be limited to the high-end market.
The ban had been in place for 17 years due to outbreaks of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) or mad cow disease in Japan.…
TECHNICAL TEXTILE SECTOR KEEPS CLOSE EYE ON UNSTABLE GLOBAL TRADE POLICIES WHICH COULD HARM PRODUCERS
WITH the old certainties that the world would move steadily towards ever freer trade now crumbling, the technical textile sector is closely monitoring shifts in trade policy by key governments and international organisations.
This industry depends on the free flow of materials and finished goods – and unlike many textile segments – still has a significant manufacturing presence in mature markets, making the impact of trade policy changes complex and hard to predict.…
ONLY 11 MAJOR EXPORTING COUNTRIES PUNISH COMPANIES FOR GRAFT
A new report from Transparency International has found that only 11 major exporting countries in the world significantly punish companies that pay bribes abroad. The report, called ‘Exporting Corruption’, also found that more than half of world exports come from at least 33 jurisdictions, including several European Union (EU) member states, where companies that export corruption along with their goods and services face weak consequences. …
A TALE OF TWO HYDROGEN PIONEERS – THE CHASE TO REPLACE NATURAL HAS WITH A LOW CARBON ALTERNATIVE
The UK and Australia are poles apart geographically but share the aim of becoming leaders in using or selling hydrogen for energy. The scheduled unveiling in November (2018) of a conceptual design to convert an eighth (8.3 million) of the UK’s population to 100% low-carbon hydrogen gas between 2028 and 2035 matters.…
JAPAN SCRAPS BAN ON LIQUID BABY FORMULA
Japan’s milk industry has welcomed the government’s decision to revise an ordinance that prohibited the production and sale of liquid baby formula – reversing a ban that has permitted powdered product only.
The ministry of health, labour and welfare has announced new standards for ready-made liquid baby formula that can be stored outside refrigerators.…
NATURAL APPROACH IS WINNING BIG IN THE AUSTRALASIAN AND PACIFIC ISLAND COSMETICS MARKET
AUSTRALIA and New Zealand might be saturated markets for the cosmetic and toiletry retailing industry but the consumers’ willingness to buy a variety of complex formulated and premium green products is continually expanding revenue. Millennial consumers especially are contributing to rising demand for independent and green brands.…
INTERNATIONAL REGULATORY ROUND UP – CHINA PLANS TO HIT AMERICAN CONFECTIONERS WITH TARIFFS
THE CHINESE government has directly targeted the American confectionery and related ingredients sector in its latest tit-for-tat response in the trade wars launched by US President Donald Trump. Beijing has highlighted these goods as products that may become subject to retaliatory tariffs, should the USA impose a threatened third list of duties on Chinese tech, drafted over alleged thefts of American IP.…
INTERNATIONAL TECHNICAL ROUND UP – IPSAS RELEASES NEW FINANCIAL INSTRUMENT STANDARD
THE INTERNATIONAL Public Sector Accounting Standards Board (IPSASB) has released a new standard on reporting financial instruments – IPSAS 41 – to improve the relevance of financial assets and liabilities data. It replaces financial instruments reporting rules in IPSAS 29, introducing a single classification and measurement model for financial assets, considering an asset’s objective and cash flows.…
SPANISH NICHE EXPORT PRODUCERS TAP DEVELOPING TASTES AMONG JAPANESE CONSUMERS
Spanish pork producers are preparing to increase their exports to Japan as their high-quality products find niche orders amidst growing demand among Japanese consumers for unique meats.
At Foodex, Asia’s largest food and drink exhibition, in Tokyo, last month (March), Spanish sausage and cured ham producers secured orders after showing previously interested parties their updated products.…
INDIAN GOVERNMENT SENDS OUT CONFLICTING SIGNALS ON TRADE – DOES KNITWEAR SECTOR NEED TO PREPARE FOR MORE COMPETITION?
THE INDIAN government has been sending out conflicting signals about its trading policy for its important knitwear sector. While it last month (July 18) announced it was increasing import duties for some key knitted apparel and knitwear inputs, talks are moving ahead to forge a Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) with 16 Asian counties.…
COMPETITION RAMPS UP FOR RTE BREAKFAST CEREALS IN CHINA
Seeing strong growth in China’s adult-targeted, ready-to-eat (RTE) breakfast cereals sector, global cereals manufacturers are speeding up new product launches in China to stay competitive. Nestlé, for example, introduced Fitness Granola into China last May (2017), initially via its online stores.…
YOUNG CHINESE EMBRACE WESTERN-STYLE BREAKFAST CEREALS
THE CHINESE market for breakfast foods, long dominated by its varied traditional meals, is starting to open to international options – and branded food manufacturers are taking note.
China has long seen a rich variety of foods being consumed at breakfast – congee and dumplings are favored by people in the south, while people in the north enjoy buns and noodles.…
AUSTRALIAN LAMB PRODUCERS USE 2019 RUGBY WORLD CUP AS MARKETING OPPORTUNITY IN JAPAN
Australian beef and lamb producers are to receive a sales and marketing boost in Japan as non-profit organisations (NPO) use the anticipation of the country’s staging of the Rugby World Cup in 2019 to help their meat products gain a stronger foothold in the market.…
SOUTH KOREA HEATWAVE PUSHES DEMAND FOR NEW INNOVATIVE SUN-STICKS SKIN PROTECTION
With a historic heat wave plaguing the Korean peninsula since the middle of July, killing at least 29 people and hospitalizing 2,300 others with heat-related illnesses, it is little surprising that suncare product sales have been booming in South Korea.
And while traditional sun protection products such as parasols and straw hats have sold well – July sales up 83% and 37% year-on-year respectively, according to local e-commerce website Auction, (www.auction.co.kr),…
BEAUTY INDUSTRY LOOKS TO LABELLING AND DECORATION TO DELIVER ADDITIONAL SUSTAINABILITY
BEAUTY product labelling and decoration might not be the most obvious way for a brand to boost sustainability, but such is the pressure to green-up, such considerations are being woven into product appearance.
Edinburgh, Scotland-based UWI Technology Ltd is a case in point.…
ASIA PACIFIC PAINT AND COATINGS REGULATORY ROUND UP – INDIA PAINT SECTOR EXEMPTED FROM KEY BIOCIDE CONTROLS
INDIA’S paint industry has been exempted from a mandatory biocide registration requirement under the national Insecticides Act (1968) if the biocides are used as a dry film preservative. However, new guidelines issued by Central Insecticide Board and Registration Committee (CIBRC) in June have told the Indian paint industry that they must use registered biocide products at recommended dosages, or protective labelling rules will kick in.…
JAPAN PERSONAL CARE PRODUCT GROWS THROUGH EXPORT BOOM
Japan’s personal care sector experienced continued growth in 2017, with shipments surpassing Japanese Yen JPY1.6 trillion (USD14.34 billion) during the year to record a new record high. Virtually every sector recording an increase in sales on the previous year. Figures for the January-April period of 2018 suggest that this positivity is being carried over into this year, boding well for Japanese personal care product companies.…
CHINESE PAINT SECTOR LOOKING TO GREEN-UP, EVEN AS GROWTH IS STILL ROBUST
ENVIRONMENTAL enforcement and product safety improvements were top priorities for China National Coatings Industrial Association, president Sun Lian Ying, when addressing her organisation’s annual summit, held in March (2018) in Jiangsu province. The meeting launched a ‘Green Development – Six Actions of China’s Coatings Industry Plan’ for the industry, which included pledges to pledges to reduce pollution in production plants while increasing the industry’s range of environmentally-friendly, highly innovative products.…
ASIA PACIFIC’S DIVERSE NONWOVENS PRODUCTION GROWS SUSTAINABLY, AS LOCAL DEMAND DIVERSIFIES
THE ASIA-Pacific region has many of the elements needed to create a burgeoning nonwovens market and industry. It has growing middle class consumption of basis personal products and continued manufacturing and infrastructural expansion for industrial nonwovens. These items can be supplied my new mass-production in emerging market countries and niche lines from the region’s richer developed industrial economies.…
MAJOR JAPAN NOODLE MANUFACTURER PLOTS NEW FACTORY IN NORTHERN FRANCE
Looking to tap into Europe’s growing hunger for Japanese cuisine – and ramen noodles especially – noodle-maker Takara Sangyo Co Ltd, has announced plans to open its first European production facility in France.
The company, which is headquartered in Kyoto, is to invest EUR2.6 million in establishing a new plant in the town of Amblainville, Hauts-de-France region, in northern France, although no date has yet been set for production to commence, an official told just-food.com.…
WHAT COULD A ‘NO-DEAL’ BREXIT MEAN FOR THE EUROPEAN AND UK FOOD INDUSTRY?
UK and remaining European Union (EU) food producers are becoming increasingly anxious about the prospect of Britain crashing out of the EU single market without a replacement trade deal. It is a scenario that could leave British manufacturers facing crippling tariffs, border delays and reams of red tape.…
JAPAN BEEF SUPPLIES TO INDONESIA ON THE RISE
JAPANESE eateries are expanding in Indonesia as the appetite for beef rises among south-east Asia’s most populous country’s growing middle class.
In 2016, Indonesia’s beef consumption was 1.84 kg per capita (its population is 261 million), up from 1.45 kg a decade earlier, according to business researcher Statista.…
JAPAN TEXTILE MAKERS RECEPTIVE TO GOVERNMENT PUSH TO INTEGRATE DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES IN PRODUCTION AND OUTPUT
FIRST coined in Germany in 2010, Industry 4.0 – the term for automation and data exchange in manufacturing technologies – has been adopted by many countries as an industrial goal. And, with innovation in cyber physical systems, such as the Internet of Things (IoT), cloud computing and cognitive computing continuing at a rapid pace, the potential of this fourth industrial revolution is capturing the imagination of Japan’s academia, commerce and government.…
ASIA PACIFIC TECHNICAL TEXTILES CONTINUE TO GROW – BULK OUTPUT RISES IN CHINA, WHILE JAPAN AND SOUTH KOREA CHASE NICHES
THE ASIA-Pacific technical textiles sector is still robust – with China’s industry continuing to grow, with bulk products still a focus. Meanwhile, more developed economies such as South Korea and Japan keep honing their output, looking for specialist niches and edges created by innovation.…
EU BEEF, SHEEP AND GOAT MEAT EXPORTS FALLING FAST, SAYS EUROPEAN COMMISSION
THE OUTLOOK for European Union (EU) beef, sheep and goat meat imports looks bleak, with sales tumbling, according to an EU agricultural markets 2018 and 2019 forecast released by the European Commission.
Beef exports started falling by December 2017, and this has continued into this year, with exports almost 15% lower in the first four months of 2018 year-on-year.…
SOUTH EAST ASIA MAYBE COMPLEX REGIONAL MARKET, BUT GROWTH IN SALES IS BEING WITNESSED ACROSS THE REGION
SOUTH-EAST Asia maybe a diverse and hence complicated region in which to market personal care products, but the growth in sales in all its countries make it an attractive target for beauty brands.
The Philippines is a case in point. The gross domestic product (GDP) of this 103 million people archipelago recorded 6.7% GDP growth in 2017, and the World Bank projects it to grow further at an annual rate of 6.7% in both 2018 and 2019, before settling at 6.6% in 2020.…
INNOVATION IN PERSONAL CARE PRODUCT SECURITY GETS SOPHISTICATED – BUT ALSO EXPENSIVE
IN the USA alone, USD1.4 billion in counterfeit consumer products were seized in 2016 by the United States Customs and Border Protection, including 2,000 shipments of counterfeit cosmetics products. This, according to a note from USA-based Clarkston Consulting, cost the beauty industry at least USD75 million, which said: “Counterfeiting of consumer products remains on the rise” – see https://clarkstonconsulting.com/insights/counterfeit-cosmetics/counterfeit.…
VIETNAM TEXTILE SECTOR SET TO BENEFIT FROM AUSTRALIA TRADE LINKS BUT STILL FACE STIFF CHINESE COMPETITION
THE NEWLY signed 11-member Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) could help Vietnam boost garment and textile exports to the lucrative Australian market significantly. But the Asian clothing makers may still face big challenges in taking market share in this mature market away from China, experts warn. …
INVESTMENT GROWS IN EMERGING MARKET NONWOVENS AS GLOBAL GROWTH EXPECTATIONS RISE
THE NONWOVENS sector has always been at the cutting edge of materials production, and so established developed economy manufacturers have often had the edge. But with global markets integrating, and emerging economies becoming increasingly sophisticated, new nonwovens manufacturing bases are growing all the time.…
EMPOWERING WOMEN IN ASIA PACIFIC WILL BOOST REGION’S ECONOMIC PROSPECTS
THE ECONOMIES of the Asia Pacific region are impressively dynamic, but HR experts agree much more could be gained if the region were to succeed in improving women’s skills and providing them with equal opportunities at work.
Illustrating just how much potential there is, the latest report from the McKinsey Global Institute published in April, ‘The power of parity: Advancing women’s equality in Asia Pacific’, has found that advancing women’s equality in the region could add USD4.5 trillion to their collective GDP annually in 2025 – a 12% increase over the “business-as-usual trajectory”.…
MAJOR ALUMINIUM ASSOCIATIONS RELEASE PLAN TO CREATE OVERCAPACITY FORUM
THE ALUMINIUM industry associations of the United States, the European Union (EU), Canada and Japan have this afternoon called for the creation of a Global Multilateral and Governmental Forum on Aluminium Overcapacity to drive the development of an international plan to shrink world production.…
TRADE EXPERTS APPEAL FOR GLOBAL DEAL ON STATE COMPANY TRADING TO FIGHT ALUMINIUM OVERCAPACITY
A GLOBAL meeting of senior aluminium executives worldwide has heard calls for a multilateral solution for the problem of overcapacity. The goal would be integrating China and its state-owned enterprises into the world trading system in a way that is acceptable to major market economy regulators.…
AIRPORTS MEET EXTREME WEATHER CHALLENGES WITH GOOD PRACTICE AND INNOVATIVE TECH
CLIMATE change does not just warm up the planet, it appears to be crating or extreme weather events that can cause major operational and safety problems for airports and air traffic controllers, who need to be prepared for such events with good practice and technology.…
JAPAN’S HALAL WAGYU INDUSTRY GROWS AS ASIAN MOSLEM TOURISM INCREASES
Japan’s halal wagyu industry is poised for rapid growth thanks to demand from an increasing number of Muslim tourists and the opening of new export markets.
Relaxed visa requirements, a growing middle class with a large disposable income and the expansion of low-cost carriers has yielded a boom in visitors from Moslem south-east Asian citizens, from countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei.…
MALAYSIA AND INDONESIA EXPAND DIGITAL TEXTILE PRINTING – BUT GROWTH IS SLOW
MALAYSIA has long positioned itself as a higher-tech source of textile manufacturing and so it is maybe no surprise that it has been growing its digital textile printing segment.
That has been to the benefit of key Japan-based digital imaging and printing solution supplier Epson, which currently claims a Malaysian market share of 87% – based on data harvested last year (2017).…
REGULATORY CONVERGENCE OF COSMETICS LEGISLATION WILL HAPPEN – BUT SLOWLY, SAY EXPERTS, COSMETICS EUROPE MEETING HEARS
ACHIEVING regulatory convergence in the USD465 billion global cosmetics industry (Euromonitor 2017 figures) is an important long-term goal, industry experts agreed at European personal care product association Cosmetics Europe’s June 13-14 annual conference 2018 in Brussels. Europe is a key market for this industry – providing EUR77.6 billion’s worth of personal care product sales last year, and supporting more than two million jobs, said Cosmetics Europe president Loïc Armand, also president of L’Oréal France.…
BEAUTY AND PERSONAL CARE TAKES A BACK SEAT AS LATIN AMERICAN ECONOMIES STRUGGLE OUT OF RECESSION
THE LATIN American personal care product market, buffeted in recent years by economic and political instability, looks back on track, with trouble-spots such as Venezuela being very much an exception to overall progress.
Data released by market researcher Euromonitor International has said that the region’s beauty and personal care product sales in 2017 topped USD65 billion in 2017, growing by 42.5% between 2012 and last year.…
PROSPECTS ARE BRIGHT FOR VIETNAM’S GARMENT AND TEXTILE EXPORTS, BUT KEY CHALLENGES REMAIN
OFFICIAL projections for Vietnam’s garment and textile exports in 2018 are bright but input imports for garment and textile production were more than half of the value of garment and textile exports in 2017, highlighting the need for increased domestic sourcing, industry analysts say.…
EUROPEAN UNION DEVELOPS COUNTERFEITING DATABASE TO FIGHT BLACK MARKET TOBACCO COPIES
AN UPCOMING European Union (EU) ‘Counterfeit and Piracy Watch-List’, being developed by the European Commission to identify physical and digital marketplaces outside the EU where counterfeit tobacco and other consumer product are traded widely.
Intellectual property abuse is a key concern to the EU tobacco sector.…
ASIA TURNS TO FLEXIBLE DRESS CODES BUT NOT EVERYONE SHAKING OFF FORMAL ATTIRE JUST YET
NEW flexible dress code policies introduced across Asia are facing something of a backlash as employers and employees wrestle with matching cultural and corporate identities to assess the appropriate level of work attire.
While heat and humidity, as well as the needs of the growing number of working mothers, do provide some rationale for more flexibility in east and southeast Asian workforces, cultural forces and the fear of missing out on business opportunities seem to be leading some companies to hold on to traditional rules, either real or implicit, for business wear.…
BANGLADESH KNITTERS EYE NEW SPORTSWEAR NICHE
AS China’s retreat from mass market clothing production continues, Bangladesh knitters are eyeing another added value knitwear niche – sportswear. Following the industry’s success in boosting sales within the profitable lingerie segment, Bangladesh manufacturers are ramping up production in sports apparels, although some experts say that work is needed on boosting its supply chain, particularly of manmade fibres.…
JAPANESE BEEF PIONEER CREATES OLIVE-FED WAGYU INDUSTRY
Wagyu beef produced from olive-fed cattle on a remote island in Japan’s Seto Inland Sea is experiencing exponential demand at home and abroad thanks to its healthy fats and ‘umami’ (savoury) flavour.
The meat, which was first produced in 2016, gained national recognition last year (2017) at the Wagyu Olympics, Japan’s premier beef show, where it received a ‘fat quality award’.…
SUPPLY OF RENEWABLE ENERGY MINERALS POSES MAJOR HEADACHE FOR POWER SUPPLIERS
Unlike the limited range of minerals used in fossil fuel production, many minerals, metallic and nonmetallic, are used in renewable energy technologies. However, production is often low and concentrated in a limited number of countries – creating potential strategic supply problems.…
IN PRICEY ARGENTINA, DIGITAL PRINTING CATCHES ON
HIGH textile industry production costs in Argentina are encouraging manufacturers to look at investments in digital fabric printing to give them the flexibility they need to compete against imports and in export markets.
At a recent textile trade fair this month (April) in Buenos Aires, digital technology was all the buzz. …
PROPOSED NEW SE ASIAN TRADE DEAL SHOULD BOOST TEXTILE SECTOR – BUT IMPACT WILL BE UNEVEN, SAY EXPERTS
EXPERTS have expressed mixed reactions on how a proposed Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), now years in the making, could help revive the garment and textile sector in South East Asia.
The 16-member bloc that includes the 10 ASEAN member countries (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam) and six other countries – Australia New Zealand, China, India, Japan and South Korea – have been negotiating the deal since November 2012.…
INNOVATION SHOWCASES THE KEY AS COSMOPROF KEEPS EXPANDING
THE ORGANISERS of Italy’s premier beauty trade fair, Cosmoprof Worldwide Bologna, are claiming a record number of visitors and international buyers attending this year’s 51st edition of the event from March 15-19. Exceeding the 250,000 visitors from last year’s Cosmoprof, attending foreign buyers, distributors and retail representatives grew 11% in 2018, year-on-year.…
VIETNAM TEXTILE INDUSTRY SHOULD BUY NEW MACHINERY TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF EU TRADE DEAL, SAY EXPERTS
VIETNAMESE textile manufacturers should invest in new machinery so they can take advantage of the incoming free trade agreement between Vietnam and the European Union (EU) say German trade and industry representatives.
Germany’s Mechanical Engineering Industry Association (Verband Deutscher Maschinen-und Anlagenbau (VDMA) expects the forthcoming EU-Vietnam free trade agreement (EVFTA) to lift Vietnamese garment exports to the EU with the help of more imported machinery to boost textile production.…
CLOTHING SECTOR WELCOMES TRUMP U-TURN ON TPP - BUT DOUBTS AMERICAN RE-ENTRY TO DEAL CAN BE ACHIEVED
Word from US President Donald Trump that he may reverse a longstanding position and explore the possibility that the country may join the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) after all, has left the fashion industry – along with much of the American business community – somewhat sceptical, while being supportive.…
INDO INTERTEX AIMS TO BOOST GROWTH FOR INDONESIA'S TEXTILE INDUSTRY
The INDO Intertex textile machinery exhibition will be staged in the Indonesian capital Jakarta next month to boost investment in a textile and clothing sector that is growing, the show’s project manager Paul Kingsen said.
“The theme for this year INDO Intertex is investment growth acceleration.…
METHANE HYDRATES STORE VAST AMOUNTS OF NATURAL GAS – BUT THEIR EXPLOITATION REMANS UNECONOMIC FOR NOW
International activity to understand and potentially extract natural gas from methane hydrates has intensified since 2010 with the continuation and launch of new research and development (R&D) projects and field production tests offshore and onshore, as shown in a new overview by Carolyn D Ruppel, chief of the gas hydrates project at the United States Geological Survey (USGS).(1)…
TAIWAN SCRAMBLES TO GET AML HOUSE IN ORDER AHEAD OF APG REVIEW THIS YEAR
FACED with its anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) backlisting and a big USA fine of a major Taiwan bank, this island country has introduced AML/CFT reforms. Whether it has done enough will be assessed later this year when the Asia/Pacific Group on Money Laundering (APG), of which the island is a member – as Chinese Taipei, a nod to China’s insistence that Taiwan not be treated as an independent country – undertakes a third round of APG mutual evaluations.…
BATTERY MINERALS MAYBE IN SHORT SUPPLY, PDAC WARNED
INVESTORS at this year’s Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) convention have been voicing concerns that the supply of key minerals used to make batteries may not be able to keep pace with demand.
At an investors forum dealing with energy materials and technologies, a series of graphite, cobalt and manganese miners highlighted the increasing demand for the minerals, and the lack of sufficient supplies to meet future expectations.…
EU DEMANDS ACTION AGAINST US STEEL AND ALUMINIUM TARIFFS AT TRILATERAL MEETING
THE PROSPECT of a grand bargain between the European Union (EU), the USA and Japan, involving action to reduce steel and aluminium overproduction, but abiding by global trading laws, has been raised.
An unusual Brussels meeting on Saturday (March 10) between EU trade commissioner Cecilia Malmström US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Japan’s minister for economy and industry, Hiroshige Seko, debated such a plan, and agreed to continue discussions.…
JAPAN HOTEL AND FARM TEAM UP TO FEED WAGYU CATTLE SUPERFOODS
A HOTEL and farm in Tokyo, Japan, have teamed up to raise wagyu cattle on superfoods in response to rising demand for low-fat, locally-sourced wagyu amidst a shortage of wagyu producers.
The project, which is currently in a six-month testing period, has surprised Japan’s wagyu industry, with experts noting the uniqueness of not only the farmer-chef partnership but also of the feed.…
JAPAN HOTEL AND FARM TEAM UP TO FEED WAGYU CATTLE SUPERFOODS
A HOTEL and farm in Tokyo, Japan, have teamed up to raise wagyu cattle on superfoods in response to rising demand for low-fat, locally-sourced wagyu amidst a shortage of wagyu producers.
The project, which is currently in a six-month testing period, has surprised Japan’s wagyu industry, with experts noting the uniqueness of not only the farmer-chef partnership but also of the feed.…
US BEEF SALES CONTINUE TO RISE IN JAPAN, BOOSTED BY CAMPAIGN PROMOTING LARGE CUTS
Sales of US beef in Japan continue to rise, bolstered by a new campaign to promote one-pound (16oz) steaks, according to the US Meat Export Federation (USMEF).
While beef is typically served and sold in thin strips in Japan, to be eaten with chopsticks after being boiled in stock, stir-fried or cooked on a hot plate, sales of thick cut US beef have risen as Japanese consumers embrace the idea.…
JAPAN HOTEL AND FARM TEAM UP TO FEED WAGYU CATTLE SUPERFOODS
A HOTEL and farm in Tokyo, Japan, have teamed up to raise wagyu cattle on superfoods in response to rising demand for low-fat, locally-sourced wagyu amidst a shortage of wagyu producers.
The project, which is currently in a six-month testing period, has surprised Japan’s wagyu industry, with experts noting the uniqueness of not only the farmer-chef partnership but also of the feed.…
JAPAN HOTEL AND FARM TEAM UP TO FEED WAGYU CATTLE SUPERFOODS
A HOTEL and farm in Tokyo, Japan, have teamed up to raise wagyu cattle on superfoods in response to rising demand for low-fat, locally-sourced wagyu amidst a shortage of wagyu producers.
The project, which is currently in a six-month testing period, has surprised Japan’s wagyu industry, with experts noting the uniqueness of not only the farmer-chef partnership but also of the feed.…
JAPAN IS NOW USA’S LEADING EXPORT MARKET, BUT WILL POSITION SURVIVE TRUMP’S TRADE ISOLATIONISM?
Japan is now the United States’ leading export market for beef, in value and volume, and largest market for pork exports in value, according to 2017 trade data released by the US department of agriculture (USDA).
In the past calendar year, Japan imported 307,559 metric tonnes of US beef, an increase of 19% year-on-year, worth USD1.89 billion, which marks a 25% increase in value year-on-year from 2016.…
GRAPHENE TEXTILES BOOST SPORTS PERFORMANCE AS RESEARCH INTO NEW SUPER-MATERIAL PUSHES AHEAD
WITH boasts of being the strongest, thinnest, most flexible material that is also super-lightweight and an excellent thermal and electronic conductor, the ‘wonder material’ graphene is finding its properties a game changer in the sporting arena – including at last month’s Winter Olympics (February).…
EU WTO REGULATORY ROUND UP – BREXITED BRITAIN MAY HAVE FORMAL RELATIONSHIP WITH EFSA
THE UK may have a formal relationship with the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) after its planned March 29, (2019) departure from the EU, Prime Minister Theresa May has signalled in a detailed policy speech. Speaking in the City of London, she said: “We will also want to explore with the EU, the terms on which the UK could remain part of EU agencies…” And while not naming EFSA, she said – in theory – she was prepared to allow the UK to be bound by the rules of EU agencies, post-Brexit. …
SOUTH KOREA DIGITAL TEXTILE PRINT PLAYERS HOLDING THEIR GROUND IN THE COMPETITION
SOUTH Korean companies in the digital textile print supply chain are aware that Asian rivals beat them on price, but are managing to stay afloat through better quality, company managers have told Digital Textile.
“Chinese products are very competitive with their prices, but their quality is still not good enough to satisfy global standards,” said Hani Kim, a manager at the overseas sales department of Unitrade, a Seoul-based manufacturer of heat transfer film for digital textile printing.…
MALAYSIAN 2018 BUDGET OFFERS HOPE TO COUNTRY’S TEXTILE SECTOR TO BOOST EXPORTS
THE MALAYSIAN textile industry is pinning hopes on a government decision to reintroduce an export-targeted grant to revive the sector’s declining overseas business.
The decision to reintroduce the Market Development Grant, offered to SMEs, was announced during the 2018 national budget unveiled in October 2017.…
UK HOPES THAT AMERICAN EXPORT SALES MAY REPLACE EUROPEAN SALES POST-BREXIT MAYBE FALSE
BRITISH automakers who may be eying lucrative American markets as an alternative to sales that could be lost if the UK quits the European Union (EU) as planned next March (2019) could be disappointed, say experts.
This is despite data released by the UK’s Society of Motor Manufacturers & Traders (SMMT) at the end of January indicating exports of UK-made cars to the US rose by 7% year-on-year in 2017 to almost 210,000 units.…
SOUTH AFRICAN PAINT AND COATINGS SECTOR ANTICIPATES ROBUST GROWTH, DESPITE SOME REGULATORY AND INGREDIENT CHALLENGES
SOUTH Africa’s paints and coatings market will grow a cumulative 40% to South African rand ZAR9.77 billion (USD823 million) between 2016 and 2021, driven by continued construction and urbanisation, according to new figures.
Statistics supplied by market researcher Euromonitor International have forecasted that the country’s home paints market will grow from ZAR3.48 billion (USD293.3 million) to ZAR4.88 billion (USD411.5 million) during this five-year period.…
ORGANISED CRIME RAISES MONEY LAUNDERING CONCERNS IN VULNERABLE FINANCIAL CENTRE JAPAN
JAPAN’S long-standing exposure to organised crime groups such as the Yakuza means that however effective the country’s anti-money laundering and combatting the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) systems maybe, they will continue to face sophisticated challenges.
Despite enhanced criminal and civil legislation targeting Japan’s underworld groups, such as the February 2000 Act on the Punishment of Organised Crimes and the March 2007 Act on Prevention of Transfer of Criminal Proceeds (See part 4 at https://www.npa.go.jp/sosikihanzai/jafic/en/maneron_e/manetop_e.htm),…
ASIAN HIGH TECH KNITTERS PUSH INNOVATIONS IN KNITTED MEDICAL TEXTILES
KNITTED medical products are a specialist niche requiring finely calibrated production and a skilled work force, playing to the strengths of Asian technology leaders Japan and Taiwan in building a reputation in this segment. With the third-largest healthcare market in the world, Japan is poised for growth in its medtech industry, noted a November 2017 report by McKinsey & Co.…
SUITS OFFER PROMISE AS BANGLADESH APPAREL EXPORTERS CHASE BIG TARGET
With China losing its sheen as a low-cost manufacturing heartland, Bangladesh’s clothing exporters are tapping into this opportunity by diversifying into another new higher margin segment — suits.
Senior executives and analysts told just-style how potential larger profits are drawing in major manufacturers, who are now confronting the challenges of building technical knowhow, recruiting skilled labour and attracting global buyers available. …
JAPAN PLOTS GROWTH IN WAGYU EXPORT SALES TO TAIWAN
JAPANESE wagyu beef exports to Taiwan are set to soar as meat producers tap into demand following the lifting of a 16-year ban on the product, while riding on the tailwind of a Japanese government promotional campaign.
The ban on imports of Japanese wagyu, imposed after an outbreak of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) or mad cow disease in Japan in 2001, was lifted by the Taiwan government last September (2017).…
INTERNATIONAL REGULATORY ROUND UP – EU SUGAR EXPORTS BOOM AFTER PRODUCTION QUOTAS FALL AWAY
BEET and cane sugar exports from the European Union (EU) boomed in 2017, the year production quotas were scrapped (on September 30), according to figures released by the European Commission. They rose by 42.9% year-on-year, up from EUR631 million in 2016 to EUR902 million in 2017.…
VIETNAM TEXTILE AND GARMENT OFFICIALS CELEBRATE STRONG EXPORT YEAR, SETTING BAR HIGHER FOR 2018
Vietnamese textile and garment industry officials have capped a bumper 2017 with forecasts for further robust export growth this year if it can overcome challenges from neighbouring country textile sectors by investing in skills, equipment and automation.
Le Tien Truong, general director of the Vietnam National Garment and Textile Group (Vinatex), predicting a year-on-year increase of 10% in export value, to USD34 billion, from 10.23% annual growth in 2017 when exports totalled USD31 billion.…
SLUMP IN TOBACCO PRODUCTION - ZAMBIA FEELS THE PINCH.
WITH tobacco being a key driver of Zambia’s agriculture sector and a past reliable source of export earnings, a recent decline in leaf production has taken a heavy toll on this southern African country’s economy. Indeed, Zambia saw its agricultural foreign exchange earnings (of all farm-based products) fall by USD100 million in 2017, according to Zambia’s agriculture ministry.…
SPECIALIST CHEMICALS SECTOR IS GLOBAL GROWTH AREA, AS DEMAND FOR SMART MATERIALS GROWS
THE GLOBAL speciality chemical market has been showing steady gains over the past few years and is set to continue in its growth trajectory, according to latest data. According to data from Pune, India-based global research company Allied Market Research, the global industry was worth USD175.4 billion in 2014 and has since shown promising growth to USD184 billion in 2015, USD193 billion in 2016 and USD202.5 billion in 2017.…
NONWOVEN RESEARCHERS LOOK TO PROVIDE CLEANER AIR IN CARS, WHILE REDUCING EXHAUST EMISSIONS
THE AUTOMOTIVE sector is a hotbed of growth for industrial performance materials like nonwovens. And the global market for such materials have the potential to cross the EUR2 billion mark soon, according to Germany-based Freudenberg Performance Materials Holding SE & Co KG.…
THAILAND HAS POTENTIAL TO BE NEW SE ASIA REGIONAL KNITWEAR MANUFACTURING HUB
WITH full supply chains and innovative products, Thailand’s knitwear industry is thriving, making the country a nucleus for fashion manufacturing in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region. Thai Garment Manufacturers Association (TGMA) executive director Chartchai Singhadeja said: “Thailand’s strength lies in our full-value supply chains, starting from fibres to yarns and fabrics, then apparel and clothing within the fashion industry.”…
JAPAN LAMB AND MUTTON SALES ON THE RISE AS CONSUMER KNOWLEDGE INCREASES
Retail sales of lamb and mutton are on the rise in Japan, boosting domestic production as well as imports from Australia and New Zealand.
While sheep meat consumption remains minimal in the country, at only 0.1kg per capita in 2017, compared to pork (15.4kg) and beef and veal (6.6kg), according to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation & Development (OECD), 2017 marks its second consecutive year of this market’s growth.…
JAPAN’S BAN ON BRITISH BEEF SHOULD BE LIFTED IN 2018 PREDICTS UK EMBASSY IN TOKYO
JAPAN’S ban on British beef exports is likely to be lifted within 2018, with only “largely procedural” steps to be completed, according to the British Embassy Tokyo.
The announcement follows the successful visit by a Japanese delegation to production sites in the UK in 2017, more than 20 years after the ban was implemented over Britain’s bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) outbreak.…
CHINA MOVES TO WORLD’S NUMBER POSITION IN PERSONAL CARE PRODUCT SALES
China will boast the world’s number one cosmetics market in 2018 according to global financial services firm Morgan Stanley: it will account for 20% of total sales, compared to 17% for the second-placed USA and 10% for third placed Japan – overtaking America for the first time, it said.…
VIETNAM’S FREE TRADE AGREEMENTS SPUR HEALTHY TEXTILE INDUSTRY
NEW Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) signal a promising outlook for the Vietnamese textile industry with tariff concessions providing the biggest stimulus to figures, according to the country’s trade officials.
Attendees at the 17th Vietnam International Textile & Garment Industry Exhibition, held late last month (November 22-25th) in Ho Chi Minh City, heard the deals will impact significantly on the national textile sector.…
CHALLENGES OUTLINED FOR HR TEAMS TO HELP TACKLE WEAK PENSION SCHEMES ACROSS ASIA
THE HUMAN resources sector has been urged to put pressure on governments and investment fund managers in Asia to strengthen pension provisions as they deal with the consequences of rapidly aging populations.
And HR and economics experts have warned that corporate HR teams have a critical role to play in educating the workforce about the extent, however limited, of their pension provision and working with company bosses to strengthen policies within their organisations to compensate for the lack of robust schemes in existence.…
BEAUTY PRODUCT SECONDARY PACKAGERS ORIENTATE DESIGNED TO DELIVER MORE SOPHISTICATED BRANDING
PERSONAL care product packagers are taking increasing care over the design and development of secondary packaging, noting that this can impart brand value, just in the same way as the elegant primary packaging that has always been part of the personal care product experience.…
TECHNICAL REGULATORY ROUND UP - OECD RELEASES TAX EXCHANGE DATA
OECD SAYS 49 JURISDICTIONS WILL AUTOMATICALLY EXCHANGE TAX INFORMATION THIS YEAR
THE IDENTITY of 49 jurisdictions that will automatically exchange tax information in 2017 under a global standard has been revealed by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation & Development (OECD).…
THE DPRK, THE UNCONTESTED MASTER OF AML CONTROL EVASION
With its history of currency counterfeiting, drug trafficking, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and the laundering of related proceeds and payments, there is surely no state worldwide that has a worse money laundering track record than that of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK, North Korea).…
CHALLENGE ORGANISATIONAL CULTURE TO REDUCE WORKPLACE STRESS AND CURB PRODUCTIVY SLUMP, HR MANAGERS ADVISED
INNOVATIVE schemes are required to beat workplace stress and challenge organisational culture if HR bosses are to prevent Singapore’s productivity levels being damaged by increasingly worrying wellbeing issues, experts have warned.
Singapore-based Centre for Effective Living (CEL), a company promoting the psychological wellness of organisations, said they have seen a 10%-20% rise in the number of clients from the public as well as private sector seeking their help.…
CRITICISM OVER TOBACCO TRACK AND TRACE PROPOSAL
THE EUROPEAN Commission is coming under intense pressure from the tobacco sector to push back a planned May 2019 deadline for introducing a track-and-trace system monitoring legal cigarette and rolling tobacco sales.
The European Union (EU) executive has published delegated legislation – authorised by the 2014 tobacco products directive (TPD) – saying how this system – designed to enable regulators crack down on black market tobacco trades – will work – see https://ec.europa.eu/health/tobacco/2017_publicfeedback_products_en.…
WTO FINDS ‘DISCRIMINATORY’ BRAZILIAN TAXATION BREAKS GLOBAL TAX RULES
THE WORLD Trade Organisation (WTO) appellate body is considering an appeal by Brazil against a WTO disputes panel ruling that a wide range of Brazilian tax systems, designed to promote domestic production and exports, breach global trading agreements. The WTO backed Japan and European Union (EU) complaints that these discriminate unfairly against non-Brazilian competitors.…
JAPAN WAGYU MAKERS EYE OLYMPICS AS GLOBAL MARKETING OPPORTUNITY
Work is underway to promote Japan’s quality wagyu beef to athletes and tourists visiting Tokyo for the 2020 summer Olympic Games to boost exports in the long term. While details have yet to be confirmed, marketers are developing plans to operate Olympics-related promotional events and special dedicated marketing spaces, maybe near the Olympic village for athletes.…
HOW KNIT CONCERN IS CEMENTING BANGLADESH’S DIGITAL FUTURE
AFTER introducing digital printing and leading Bangladesh’s knitwear sector by example, the country’s knitting major, the Knit Concern Group, has said it will ramp up its capacity to digitally print 1 million metres of fabric monthly by 2022. Presently, the knitter, based in Narayanganj, near Dhaka, can digitally print 260,000 metres of fabric a month.…
PERSONAL CARE PRODUCT SECTOR GETS AHEAD OF PARIS AGREEMENT CLIMATE DEMANDS, DESPITE TRUMP WITHDRAWAL
Multinationals and suppliers in the personal care product sector are unilaterally implementing measures to reduce their carbon footprint in the wake of the 2015 Paris climate treaty, taking steps to reduce energy use, their impact on forests and cutting water use and pollution.…
EU/JAPAN EPA WILL BOOST EU DAIRY INDUSTRY, SAY EXPERTS, BUT JAPANESE PRODUCERS ARE WORRIED
THE EUROPEAN Union (EU) planned trade deal with Japan – its sixth most important trading partner – struck in principle at the July 6 EU-Japan Summit in Brussels and set to be operational in 2019, will benefit the EU dairy industry greatly, experts say.…
ASIAN FUTURE OF BEAUTY CONCLUSIONS
*Gender differences in east and southeast Asia for personal care products sales have always been narrower than in much of the world and they are closing fast. Selling personal care products to men, including colour cosmetics, is big business and getting bigger.…
INDONESIA’S MAJOR COLOUR COSMETICS MARKET BEING PUSHED AHEAD BY MORE ASSERTIVE WOMEN CONSUMERS
INDONESIA is an important market – it does not just have 261 million people, but its female consumers especially are becoming more assertive and shaping colour cosmetic trends that brands should follow if they want to boost revenue. Last year, market observers have said, women consumers in Indonesia decided they wanted to buy matte lipstick, and this demand has mushroomed.…
ROYAL SEAL OF APPROVAL FOR AUTHENTIC THAI SILK TRADITIONS TO BE UPHELD TO BOOST ECONOMY
THE PRODUCTION of Thai silk is rising fast as demand for this luxury fabric increases worldwide. Thailand is the fourth largest producer of silk in the world, having produced 202,073 tonnes in 2015, as reported by the International Sericultural Commission. Thai silk output has increased from 2011’s 130, 286 tonnes; rising to 2012’s 152,910 tonnes; 159,737 tonnes in 2013; and 178,058 tonnes in 2014.…
EU ON TRACK TO CLEAR TOYOBO’S POLYACRYLATE AS NEW APPROVED TEXTILE NAME
THE EUROPEAN Commission is gearing up to adopt ‘polyacrylate’ from Japan’s Toyobo as an official new textile name and label within the European Union (EU), to be listed in annexes to a 2011 regulation. The EU executive has sent the EU Council of Ministers and European Parliament a draft Commission ‘delegated regulation’ for their scrutiny, acting under the EU’s 2011 regulation on textile fibre names and related labelling and marking of the fibre composition of textile products (1007/2011).…
HONG KONG EDUCATION SYSTEM FAILING TO PREPARE SCHOOL LEAVERS FOR THE WORKPLACE
CONCERN is growing over the ability of Hong Kong’s education system to produce graduates with the skills needed by the Special Administrative Region’s (SAR) economy.
Hong Kong children start school early. While there’s a well-established government-run education system, every parent who can afford the fees wants to send their children to a private school.…
JAPAN DEVELOPMENT ORGANISATION TARGETS TRAINING OF MIDDLE MANAGEMENT FOR GROWING MYANMAR
Training middle managers is a priority for the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in the key emerging market of Myanmar, if this economic development organisation is to effectively support the country’s economic growth, according to JICA officials.
The agency’s work in Myanmar has traditionally focused on preventing major infectious diseases, creating infrastructure and growing economic capacity but, with the country being restricted by a dearth of professional and experienced talent, more aid is being channelled into nurturing human resources.…
EU-VIETNAM TRADE AGREEMENT WILL BOOST TEXTILE TRADE, CLAIM EXPERTS
THE EUROPEAN Union (EU)-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (FTA), on which negotiations concluded December 2, 2015, will open up “huge business opportunities” for Vietnamese garment companies, business experts agreed last month (September). They were speaking at an event jointly organised by EU business federation BusinessEurope, EuroCham [European Chamber of Commerce] Vietnam and the EU-Vietnam Business Network.…
VIETNAM TEXTILE EXPORTERS LOOK TO ASIA TO BOOST SALES
VIETNAM’S textile and clothing and textile sector is looking to sell more product into Asian markets such as South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore and Japan, while solidifying its traditional export bases like the US and EU, the latest trade data indicates.
Last year, Vietnam exported USD2.28 billion’s worth of clothing and textiles to South Korea – a 7.45% gain compared with 2015, according to Vietnam customs data analysed by the Vietnam Textile and Apparel Association (VITAS). …
INDUSTRIAL GROWTH BOOSTS DEMAND FOR FIRE RETARDANT PAINTS IN BANGLADESH
WHILE there is little doubt that the Asian fire resistant coating market is large – indeed New Jersey-based chemical consultancy Growney Kusumgar, Nerfli & Growny has argued that it is several times larger than that of the USA’s USD100 million-market – marketers can struggle to make sales. …
HONG KONG COSMETICS AND PERSONAL CARE SECTORS THRIVING BUT FACE CHALLENGE TO RETAIN CHINESE VISITOR INTEREST
HONG Kong continues to be a thriving cosmetics and personal care market, with its local consumer base enjoying ample spending power and with traders benefiting from its strategic location as an import gateway to mainland China.
GlobalData, a provider of business information and analytics, valued Hong Kong’s cosmetics and market at Hong Kong dollars HKD18.1 billion (USD2.3 billion) in 2016, largely dominated by imports.…
CONSUMERS’ HUNGER FOR INNOVATION DRIVES AUSTRALIAN PERSONAL CARE PRODUCT GROWTH
THE AUSTRALIAN cosmetic and toiletry retailing market has experienced modest growth amidst fierce competition over the past decade, figures reveal, with a constant stream of new products, many environmentally conscious, maintaining consumer interest in an otherwise saturated market.
According to California-based market research company IBISWorld, more than 18,000 people work in almost 4,000 businesses in the cosmetics industry in Australia, a country of more than 24 million people.…
NZ COSMETICS INDUSTRY REAPS BENEFITS OF AGEING SOCIETY
IT is a constant truth within the personal care product industry that brands prosper when they understand markets that they are targeting. In New Zealand, one key and increasingly important factor is that the country’s 4.7 million people society is ageing.…
GLOBAL NUCLEAR NEWBUILD INSPIRED BY UAE PROGRESS
THE UNITED Arab Emirates (UAE) may hold an enviable portion of the world’s oil and gas reserves, at 4% and 3.5% respectively. But this has not stopped the country diversifying its long-term energy sources through developing nuclear power. With generation imminent, nuclear energy regulators and companies are watching closely how this rare event – a country embarking on a new civilian nuclear programme – rolls out.…
COMPANIES PUTTING PROFITS AHEAD OF PREVENTION IN ANTI-BRIBERY AND CORRUPTION COMPLIANCE - STUDY
MULTINATIONAL companies are failing to prioritise anti-bribery and corruption (ABC) measures with more than half appearing to put profits ahead of prevention and a significant minority of CEOS not prepared to turn their backs on high risk contracts due to commercial pressure, according to a new survey.…
INTERNATIONAL, REGIONAL AND NATIONAL STANDARDS OFFER GOOD PRACTICE AS TEXTILE DIGITALISATION SPEEDS AHEAD
IN a cutting-edge area of the textile sector such as digital manufacturing, planning and distribution, it is always helpful to know what the gold standard is for performance. But with technologies still developing and innovation taking hardware and software in directions that are untested – with implications that are as yet unknown – companies may not want to follow the crowd.…
MYANMAR-EU GARMENT EXPORTS MOUNTING
The European Union (EU) has become the largest importer of Myanmar garments, purchasing almost as much from the country in 2016 as the next two largest destinations combined, according to United Nations trade data.
“It’s been quite a swift development, but we had to work hard to earn it,” said Khine Khine Nwe, general secretary of the Myanmar Garment Manufacturers Association, noting that the EU was the third largest buyer in 2014 and second in 2015.…
INTERNATIONAL REGULATORY ROUND UP – BANGLADESH GOVERNMENT MULLS NEW SAFETY SYSTEM
BANGLADESH’S government is considering proposals to establish a new national workplace health and safety system to replace the international Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh and the Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety, which are due to be wound up next June (2018).…
GROWING GLOBAL WATER SCARCITY MEANS DEMAND FOR NONWOVEN FILTERS IS SET TO RISE
With almost 900 million people around the globe lacking access to safe drinking water and predictions that within less than 10 years, half the world’s population will live in ‘water-stressed’ conditions, the need for cost-effective efficient nonwovens-based filtration has never been greater.…
EU-VIETNAM TRADE AGREEMENT WILL BOOST TEXTILE TRADE, CLAIM EXPERTS
THE EUROPEAN Union (EU)-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (FTA), on which negotiations concluded December 2, 2015, will open up “huge business opportunities” for Vietnamese garment companies, business experts agreed earlier this month at an event jointly organised by EU business federation BusinessEurope, EuroCham [European Chamber of Commerce] Vietnam and the EU-Vietnam Business Network.…
OPERATION RENEGADE YIELDS IMPORTANT COUNTERFEITING INTELLIGENCE IN ONGOING GLOBAL STRUGGLE AGAINST FAKES
A MAJOR international anti-counterfeiting action ‘Operation Renegade’ did not just seize more than 70,000 counterfeit auto spare parts, oil and air filters, grills, and fuel pumps, and nearly 600 cylinders of chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) refrigerants, it yielded valuable anti-smuggling and counterfeiting information.…
PUTTING ON A BRAVE FACE – JAPAN’S COATINGS SECTOR INVESTS ABROAD AS DOMESTIC SALES FACE DECLINE
JAPAN’S paint and coatings sector is putting on a positive face and playing up overseas expansion efforts, as well as its traditional strength in innovation, but analysts are concerned about the longer-term outlook for domestic companies.
Sales of paint in Japan came to Japanese Yen JPY 675 billion (USD6.10 billion) in 2016, a marginal increase of around 1% on the previous year’s figure, according to the Japan Paint Manufacturers Association.…
INTERNATIONAL REGULATORY ROUND UP – INDIAN CONFECTIONERY SECTOR GRAPPLES WITH NEW GST
CONFECTIONARY manufacturers in India are having to grapple with their products and ingredients attracting a wide range of tax rates under the country’s new goods and services tax (GST), which started to be levied from July 1.
India’s GST Council, a body representing the central and state governments, has been deciding which goods will be covered by the zero, 5%, 12%, 18% and 28% tax rates allowed under India’s GST legislation. …
SOUTH KOREAN SPA AND BEAUTY SALON SECTORS WORKING THROUGH ECONOMIC BLUES
LIKE its neighbour Japan, South Korea has a tradition of using public baths and spas, notably their 24-hour jimjilbangs, with hot and cold soaking pools, bathing and massage areas, saunas, entertainment lounges and communal sleeping.
As a result, the country’s spa and beauty salon sectors seem largely unaffected by the drastic decline in Chinese tourist arrivals amid retaliatory measures by Beijing over Seoul last year allowing US forces to deploy THAAD defence missiles on South Korean soil.…
JAPAN FACES SPA EXPANSION CHALLENGES DUE TO SHRINKING POPULATION
JAPAN’S spa and beauty salon markets are well developed and established, undoubtedly a reflection of the country’s well-known traditions of cleanliness and looking good. Being well-established has arguably made further expansion and growth in the sectors more challenging, while Japan’s shrinking birth rate and population do not bode well for longer-term expansion.…
JAPAN TARGETS ‘SILVER MARKET’ WITH AGE SPECIFIC PRODUCTS
THE COSMETICS and personal care industry bases its wealth on personal consumption, targeting its products at the needs and desires of consumers writ large. This is as true in Japan as anywhere else – but in Japan, the industry faces a special problem – plummeting population levels, and a dramatic ageing of local consumers.…
SOUTH EAST ASIA PERSONAL CARE PRODUCT MARKETS GROW – BUT DIVERSITY IN TRENDS STILL SIGNIFICANT
SOUTH east Asia’s countries are as culturally diverse as those in Europe, and far more contrasting in economic development, so it is no surprise that their personal care product markets differ in their tastes and priorities. Fortunately, with the region’s largely emerging market economies still on a robust growth trajectory, and its more developed economies solidifying their wealth, the usual personal care product sale trend is one of expansion, albeit unevenly and sometimes with set-backs.…
TAIWAN COSMETICS SECTOR STAYS ROBUST BUT CHALLENGED BY REGULATORY HEADACHES
TAIWAN, a now a high-income economy with a population of 23.6 million and a per capita income of USD22,453 in 2016, (International Monetary Fund figures), has been witnessing robust growth in its cosmetics and personal care products manufacturing. In 2016, this grew by 5.99% year-on-year to Taiwan dollars TWD21.1 billion (USD700 million), according to an estimate by the Industrial Economics & Knowledge Center (IEK), a Hsinchu-based public-initiated think tank.…
KOBE PRODUCERS WELCOME EU GI DEAL – BUT WARN OF POTENTIAL SCARCITY IF EXPORTS RISE
BEEF producers in the European Union (EU) could face restrictions on using famous beef names such as Kobe and Tajima to market their home-grown beef once an agreed-in-principle EU-Japan free trade agreement is implemented. The restrictions would come through reciprocally agreed rules within the deal to protect both jurisdictions’ registered geographical indication (GI) products.…
RUSSIAN BEEF AND VEAL IMPORTS FALL AS CONSUMERS BAULK AT RISING PRICES
THE GLOBAL increase in commodity prices for beef and veal has dampened demand in Russia for imports of these meat products. The country’s agriculture ministry has said imports fell 18.6% this January-May compared to the same period in 2016, That was mainly due to a rise in import prices, which since the beginning of the current year have grown by almost 25%, said ministry officials.…
JAPAN-BACKED NEW AIRPORT IN MONGOLIA APPROACHES COMPLETION
MONGOLIA’S New Ulaanbaatar International Airport, funded primarily with an official development assistance loan from Japan, is expected to open to passengers in the first half of 2018.
The key components of the project, including two runways, a terminal building and airport control tower, have been completed and were handed over to the government of Mongolia in a ceremony in January.…
DOUBTS EMERGE OVER PLANS TO LAUNCH NATIONAL VERSION OF BANGLADESH’S ACCORD AND ALLIANCE SYSTEMS
BANGLADESH’S apparel makers are pressing ahead with establishing a separate factory inspection and remediation body, which would operate after the 2018 expiry of existing international health and safety initiatives. However, experts have warned that there could be political motivation behind the proposal, questioning its rationale and potential effectiveness.…
SINGAPORE BEST CITY IN WORLD FOR START-UP PROFESSIONALS, SAYS GLOBAL RENTAL ACCOMMODATION SERVICE SURVEY
SINGAPORE has been rated the best city in the world to live for professionals wanting to work in start-ups, according to a survey by furnished apartment web-rental platform Nestpick. The website’s researchers assessed 85 cities, looking at their start-up ecosystems. It assessed average salaries for entry level and experienced positions regarding project management, technology and marketing roles.…
CHINA’S SAIC LOOKS ABROAD TO EXPAND SALES AS DOMESTIC MARKET GROWTH TAILS OFF
CHINESE customers bought 28 million vehicles in 2016, up 7.3% from 2015, which saw a year-on-year growth of 4.7%, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers. However, such sales were largely stimulated by tax incentives released by the Chinese government in 2015 to encourage the sales of low-emission cars.…
JAPAN PREPARES FOR WAGYU OLYMPICS – HELD ONCE EVERY FIVE YEARS
Japan’s top cattle and meat producers are gearing up to compete in the country’s next ‘Wagyu Olympics’, the country’s premier beef cattle show, to be held in Sendai, Miyagi prefecture, on September 7–11. Delegations of wagyu experts, industry insiders and farmers from each prefecture as well as overseas groups are expected to attend for competitions as well as wagyu taste challenges and opportunities to exchange information and good practice.…
MAJOR MEAT TRADERS JAPAN’S MITSUI AND RUSSIA’S RUSAGRO EXPLORE COOPERATION
A MAJOR Japanese corporation with significant meat trading interests – Mitsui & Co Ltd – is undergoing talks on potential business opportunities with the Rusagro Group, one of Russia’s largest vertically integrated livestock and agricultural holding companies.
Hiroo Yoshida, of Mitsui’s corporate communications division has confirmed that Mitsui has acquires a token amount – 0.005% – of Rusagro’s capital and the companies are “exploring the possibility of co-operation”.…
EUROPEAN MEAT PRODUCERS SADDENED BY RUSSIAN BAN EXTENSION, BUT PREDICT ALTERNATIVE EXPORT MARKETS WILL GROW
THE EUROPEAN Union (EU) meat industry has expressed disappointment over the decision by Russia to extend by 18 months its ban on EU exports of meat and meat products, but is optimistic that producers will continue finding alternative markets.
Leaders of EU farm industry association Copa-Cogeca and the European Livestock & Meat Trading Union (UECBV) stressed to GlobalMeatNews that the European Commission, food industry companies and EU member states had successfully adapted to Russia’s actions.…
CHERKIZOVO GROUP’S CONTROLLING FAMILY SEEKS ADDITIONAL SHARES – BUT WILL RE-SELL TO A STRATEGIC INVESTOR
THE CHAIRMAN of the Cherkizovo Group, one of Russia’s largest meat producers and processors, is to consolidate his stake in the company through the acquisition of 21.3% of its shares, which are currently owned by Prosperity Capital Management, one of Russia’s largest investment funds.…
SIGNIFICANT RUSSIAN BEEF EXPORTS TO JAPAN IMMINENT AS DETAILED TRADING APPROVALS SECURED
Japan and Russia are to start trading meat products in earnest during the second half of this year, following an agreement between Tokyo and Moscow.
According to Japan’s ministry of agriculture, forestry and fisheries, imports to Japan will be limited to beef that has undergone heat treatment in Japanese government-approved Russian factories.…
EU/JAPAN EPA WILL BOOST EU MEAT INDUSTRY, SAY EXPERTS
THE EUROPEAN Union (EU) economic partnership agreement with Japan – its sixth most important trading partner – struck yesterday (July 6) at an EU-Japan Summit in Brussels, will benefit the EU meat industry greatly, experts say.
EU agriculture Commissioner Phil Hogan has hailed it as “the most significant and far-reaching agreement ever concluded in agriculture.”…
BREXIT MAY AID FRAUDSTERS, AS LEGAL COMPLEXITY GROWS AND ENERGY IS WASTED ON NEGOTIATING DETAILED COOPERATION - EXPERTS
WITHOUT European Union (EU) supervision, the fight against fraud, in the UK at least, will become more difficult after ‘Brexit’, European fraud experts claim.
“London is already known to be a major money laundering centre, so that can only get worse once the EU ‘strings’ have been severed,” predicted Hugh Penri-Williams, fraud consultant and vice president of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE) France.…
INNOVATION IS THE KEY TO SUCCESSFUL SUSTAINABILITY, ESQUEL CONFERENCE TOLD
INNOVATIONS in boosting sustainability in the textile and clothing sector and beyond were highlighted at this year’s annual Integral Conversation conference, hosted again by Hong Kong shirt specialist Esquel in Guilin, between November 9 and 11.
Staged under the theme ‘Reimagining Health: Fostering the Health of the Planet and People’, its discussions focused on environmental and human health themes of critical importance to clothing manufacturers, with hundreds of globally prominent business leaders, influential scholars and policymakers present.…
OIL AND GAS COMPANIES WILL LOOK FOR BENEFITS IN EU-JAPAN TRADE DEAL
OIL and gas companies trading between the European Union (EU) and Japan are likely to benefit from a new economic partnership agreement, which will fully liberalise trade in all industrial goods, including downstream products such as chemicals and plastics. The comprehensive deal – agreed in principle – also includes a chapter on international maritime transport services.…
JAPAN BLACKLIST AIMS TO SHAME COMPANIES INTO STOPPING OVERWORK PRACTICES
STRUGGLING for years to find ways of bringing down the nation’s stubbornly high figures for ‘karoshi’ – the Japanese term for death by overwork – the government has finally taken drastic measures against some of Japan’s biggest companies.
Analysts warn, however, that it may take many years for companies here to “culturally implant” new regulations designed to force firms to honour the law.…
ASIA-PACIFIC GROWTH AND INNOVATION INSPIRES INVESTMENT INTO REGION’S NONWOVENS SECTOR
WITH the Asia-Pacific continuing to be the hub of global industrial growth and also a nexus of technological innovation, the region’s non-wovens sector has been making the most of these benefits, increasing both output and quality.
The Chinese nonwoven fabric sector, for instance, has been growing steadily, with 8-10% year-on-year growth in recent years, surpassing the average growth rate of the country’s entire textile industry.…
EU REGULATORY ROUND UP - ECHA LAUNCHES NEW NANOMATERIALS DATABASE
THE EUROPEAN Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has launched a new online database containing detailed materials on nanomaterials, an increasingly important input for the paint and coatings sector – the first phase of the creation of a European Union Observatory for Nanomaterials (EUON).…
MONGOLIAN CASHMERE SALES GROW, BUT INDUSTRY STRUGGLES TO MAINTAIN QUALITY AND SUSTAINABILITY
MONGOLIA remains one of the world’s key global production centres for cashmere, and its importance seems to be growing, with its cashmere garment exports increasing – total 2016 overseas receipts were USD9.6 million, up 196% since 2009.
Demand is driven by Mongolian goat fibres’ unique characteristics, most importantly of which its length of 38-45cm and thin microns facilitating the manufacturing of garments with higher quality than those made from Chinese and Afghan goat fibres. …
EU AND JAPAN AUTO SECTORS WELCOME EUROPEAN-JAPANESE MAJOR TRADE DEAL, ALTHOUGH EUROPEAN CARMAKERS EXPRESS CAUTION
THE TRADE deal announced by the European Union (EU) and Japanese on July 6 that would cut tariffs and harmonise technical regulations has been welcomed by Japan and EU auto-makers – although the Europeans are expressing caution.
Brussels and Tokyo said they had stuck a “political agreement in principle” for an economic partnership agreement, that would phase out vehicle tariffs over seven years and bring regulatory convergence through a special auto annex. …
TEXTILE SECTOR WELCOMES EU-JAPAN TRADE DEAL
THE EUROPEAN Union’s (EU) textile sector has welcomed the striking of an economic partnership agreement between the EU and Japan,
“It will really provide a huge opportunity to both partners to help companies to enhance their bilateral trade, investment and cooperation.…
AML AI SYSTEMS NEED ACCESS TO BIG DATA TO BE REALLY EFFECTIVE, SAY EXPERTS
Greater collaboration between private sector organisations is the key to even greater use – and success – of artificial intelligence (AI) in combating money laundering, cross-sector experts believe.
Specialists from banking and finance, compliance, the legal profession, law enforcement and AI developers all concur that the most effective way forward in the ongoing anti-money laundering (AML) battle is to increase the amount of shared data.…
EU/JAPAN TRADE DEAL WILL BOOST EUROPE METALS EXPORTS, SAY EXPERTS
THE EUROPEAN Union’s (EU) projected comprehensive trade deal with Japan, agreed in principle at a July 6 EU-Japan summit in Brussels, will benefit exporters of Europe-produced non-ferrous metals, experts have told Metal Bulletin. Japanese non-ferrous metal exporters are more cautious about the potential benefits for their industry, however.…
CHINA’S NEW TWO CHILD POLICY HAS BOOSTED SALES – BUT WILL GROWTH BE SUSTAINED?
It is rare when the non-wovens sector can identify a government policy that has a real and direct major impact on its sales – but such is certainly the case with China’s new two-child policy – expected to create a major boost in Chinese sales of wipes and disposable nappies. …
HONGKONG EXPAT PAY AT FIVE YEAR LOW
IN HONG KONG, the average expatriate pay package for a middle manager has hit a five-year low – having fallen to USD 265,487 in 2016, from USD 270,618 in 2012. And this follows a dramatic increase in the number of workers (including expats) seeking to change jobs this year blaming low pay, industry experts warned quoting two separate surveys.…
CHINA’S NEW TWO CHILD POLICY HAS BOOSTED SALES – BUT WILL GROWTH BE SUSTAINED?
It is rare when the non-wovens sector can identify a government policy that has a real and direct major impact on its sales – but such is certainly the case with China’s new two-child policy – expected to create a major boost in Chinese sales of wipes and disposable nappies. …
SPEED AND CONVENIENCE DRIVING JAPANESE AIRPORT TECHNICAL UPGRADES AS OLYMPICS LOOM
JAPAN’S airport sector has been installing technology designed to ensure it can handle the planned 40 million arrivals in 2020, the year in which Tokyo will host the Olympic Games. This is a significant increase from the 24 million visitors that arrived in Japan in 2016 – the vast majority arriving by air.…
JAPANESE GET A TASTE FOR DRY-AGED MEAT
JAPANESE consumers are embracing dry-aged meat as awareness rises of its quality and healthy eating becomes increasingly important. More restaurants are offering the high-end product and urban areas in particular are seeing a surge in dry-aged meat speciality eateries. Many are taking advantage of consumers’ interest by incorporating a display case into their restaurant design.…
BRAZIL COSMETICS SECTOR POISED FOR SLOW REBOUND
BRAZIL’S beauty and personal care market took a hit in 2016, as the world’s fourth-biggest beauty market struggled to emerge from its worst-ever recession amid political corruption scandals.
The outlook is for a slow recovery this year, as high unemployment keeps a lid on purchasing power in this market of 207 million people.…
ASIA REGULATORY ROUND UP – SINGAPORE TO REVIEW DOUBLE TAXATION AGREEMENTS FOR TAX EVASION LOOPHOLES
Singapore will review its 80 bilateral agreements on avoiding double taxation to ensure they do not help companies avoid paying tax where relevant business activity took place. This follows its signing the Organisation for Economic Cooperation & Development (OECD)-sponsored Multilateral Convention to Implement Tax Treaty Related Measures to Prevent Base Erosion and Profit Shifting.…
CHALLENGES OUTLINED FOR HR TEAMS TO HELP TACKLE WEAK PENSION SCHEMES ACROSS ASIA
THE HUMAN resources sector has been urged to put pressure on governments and investment fund managers in Asia to strengthen pension provisions as they deal with the consequences of rapidly aging populations.
And HR and economics experts have warned that corporate HR teams have a critical role to play in educating the workforce about the extent, however limited, of their pension provision and working with company bosses to strengthen policies within their organisations to compensate for the lack of robust schemes in existence.…
CALBEE CEO CONFIRMS PUSH INTO CHINA
Major Japanese snack company Calbee, which is known for potato chips and granola, will start to manufacture the ‘Frugura’ branded granola in Japan for the Chinese market, the company CEO Akira Matsumoto has told journalists in Tokyo today (May 10).
Frugura is currently manufactured for the Japanese market at a Calbee plant in Utsunomiya city, north of Tokyo.…
AMERICAN MEAT EXPORTERS LAUNCH LOCALISED MARKETING TO GRAB MORE JAPANESE MEAT SALES
The US Meat Export Federation ((USMEF) is partnering with supermarket chains and event organisers in Japan’s regions to strengthen already high US red meat sales by localising marketing, public relations and consumer interaction campaigns.
In April, USMEF representatives offered tasting samples of thick-cut pork and beef at a supermarket trade show in Chiba Prefecture, near Tokyo.…
JAPANESE INTEREST IN ORGANIC COSMETICS SHIFTS FROM TREND TO STAPLE
AN increasing number of Japanese consumers are becoming more environmentally conscious in their purchases and adhering to what is commonly referred to as a ‘LOHAS’ (lifestyles of health and sustainability) way of life. In the Japan cosmetics and personal care market, this initially manifested itself in the rising popularity of imported brands that prided themselves on their use of organic and natural ingredients.…
INDONESIA’S GROWING MIDDLE CLASS BOOSTS DEODORANT SALES IN THIS TROPICAL EMERGING MARKET
An increasing and unprecedented desire to smell good at all times is driving an increase in deodorant sales within Indonesia, an emerging market of more than 260 million people, whose tropical climate sees average daily highs generally exceed 28C.
The affordability of deodorants and their widespread availability at supermarkets have been boosting sales, especially among the country’s growing middle class, although there has not been a constant increase in sales in recent years, with a fall in the value of the Indonesian Rupiah in 2013 and 2014 depressing imports, which are of key importance for supplies of this consumer product in Indonesia.…
INCREASING SOPHISTICATION AMONG AUSTRALIAN PERSONAL CARE CONSUMERS DRIVING NATURAL AND ORGANIC SALES
AUSTRALIA is witnessing something of a sea change when it comes to natural and organic cosmetics.
Jill Chambers, founder of a natural and vegan cosmetics company The Makeup Factory, based in Perth, told Cosmetics Business Markets “Just a few years ago there was a huge misconception that if a brand was natural it wasn’t effective.”…
AGEING JAPANESE POPULATION SLOWS DOWN GROWTH IN DEODORANT SALES
Traditionally, Japanese people bathe on a daily basis and there was in the past comparatively little historical demand for the scents that were developed in Europe in previous centuries to mask lingering body odour. And while perfumes still remain a strictly niche market in Japan, deodorants have more recently become a significant part of the overall personal care sector.…
PLANNED SOUTH AFRICAN AUDIT FIRM ROTATION SPARKS DISCORD AMONG ACCOUNTS
THE PLANNED introduction of mandatory audit firm rotation (MAFR) by the South African Independent Regulatory Board for Auditors (IRBA) has sparked widespread dissention within the country’s business and accounting communities This is despite that the reform’s goal is to strengthen auditor independence and audit quality and that there are some calls for the move to be brought forward from the current introduction date of April 1, 2023.…
JAPAN ACCOUNTING REGULATORS COMMIT TO IFRS DEVELOPMENT WORK
Japanese and international accounting regulators have released a joint-statement committing themselves to working together on improving global accounting standards, especially on improving how these help companies communicate their financial position to investors.
The Accounting Standards Board of Japan (ASBJ) said that it would actively help develop international standards, working with the Financial Accounting Standards Foundation (FASF), the IFRS Foundation Trustees and the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB).…
ASIA REGULATORY ROUND UP – MALAYSIA LAUNCHES NEW CORPORATE GOVERNANCE CODE
Securities Commission Malaysia (SC) has released a new Malaysian Code on Corporate Governance (MCCG). This revised guidance encourages the development of corporate governance culture, not just within listed companies, but also state-owned enterprises, small-and-medium sized enterprises (SMEs) and licensed intermediaries. This code includes 36 practices to support strong board leadership; effective audit, risk management, and internal controls; and solid corporate reporting.…
TRADERS CALL FOR LAWS TO REGULATE TOBACCO TRADE IN SOMALIA
Slowly, a central government is re-establishing itself in Somalia. But it is far from being a safe place in which to do business. Even though other sectors (such as livestock) are establishing themselves, the tobacco sector still lacks a functional regulator and effective regulation.…
EAST AFRICAN GOVERNMENTS PASS TOBACCO CONTROL LAWS, BUT EFFORTS ARE UNEVEN AND IMPLEMENTATION PATCHY
GOVERNMENTS in east Africa may have been passing legislation and regulation to control the tobacco sector, but these laws’ effectiveness is being weakened by lax implementation.
Kenya has been leading the local pack with controls, in 2007 enacted its first Tobacco Control Act, and in 2014 ratifying the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO-FCTC).…
THE BIG BOOST IN EU PIG MEAT EXPORT MIGHT NOT LAST FOR LONG
EUROPEAN Union (EU) pig meat producers were big winners in boosting export sales over between last March (2016) and February (2017), according to the European Commission, with receipts rising by more than 33% compared to the same period last year. The EU pigmeat sector earned EUR5.4 billion in export earnings from March 2016 to February 2017, EUR1.35 billion more than the same period in the previous year, leading the United States and Canada as the second and third most important pigmeat exporters, reported EU statistical agency Eurostat.…
JAPAN’S NISSIN PLOTS POTATO CRISPS FACTORY IN CHINA
Japanese food giant Nissin Food Holdings is to start manufacturing potato crisps at its China factory, aiming to leverage the popularity of its instant noodles range to score sales in this snacks segment.
The Osaka-based company already operates an instant noodles production facility in the southern province of Guangdong and is installing a new potato crisp line.…
JAPAN’S NH FOODS PLOTS LATIN AMERICAN EXPANSION THROUGH URUGUAY ACQUISITION
Japan’s NH Foods Ltd is to buy Uruguayan major meat processing company Breeders & Packers Uruguay SA (BPU) to increase its meat supply capacity in emerging markets, notably in Asia, and to tap the major mature beef consumption markets in North America and Europe.…
HANEDA CHRONOGATE DEMONSTRATES THE VALUE OF HIGH TECH ON AIR FREIGHT LOGISTICS
The largest logistics facility in Japan employs around 2,000 people – but that is one-quarter of the manpower that would be required if Haneda Chronogate had not incorporated so much advanced technology into its design.
Located alongside the perimeter fence of Haneda International Airport, the busiest serving Tokyo, Chronogate has a total floor area of nearly 200,000 square metres and serves as the hub for mail for the metropolitan area and the surrounding Kanto region.…
JAPAN’S INNOVATIVE COSMETICS SECTOR SEEKS OVERSEAS SALES AS DOMESTIC SALES CORE STARTS TO SHRINK IN NUMBERS
Japan’s cosmetics and personal care market is holding steady, although there are concerns that stability is being supported by strong consumption by the burgeoning number of tourists visiting the country combined with a weak yen. USD1 bought Japanese Yen JPY117 in December compared JPY100 in July, although it has since recovered to JPY110 (April).…
GREENWASHING THREATENS BOOMING NATURAL AND ORGANIC COSMETICS MARKET IN ASIA
A STAGGERING 62% of Asia-Pacific consumers (including China and India) buy natural and organic cosmetics and another promising 32% are keen to buy them – making the region a hotspot for manufacturers of such lines. But this impressive growth also has made the region a perfect breeding ground for greenwashing, experts warned.…
FRAGRANCE SALES GROW SLOWLY IN CHINA – BUT INNOVATIVE LOCAL BRANDS BEGIN TO EMERGE
SALES of personal fragrance products maybe on the rise among the 1.4 billion people market of mainland China, but thus far, growth is still almost solely attributable to millennials residing in the big cities, market researchers say.
Retail sales of personal perfume products grew by 8.9% in the whole of 2016 from the previous year to just Chinese Yuan Renminbi CNY6.1 billion (USD885 million), with the competitive landscape remaining firmly in the hand of foreign players, according to market researcher Euromonitor International.…
CHINA SETS UP SECOND GLOBAL O&G TRADING CENTRE
China’s may have announced the launch of a second major national oil and gas trading centre – in the country’s south-western metropolis of Chongqing – but this new entrepot may take time to be operational. Indeed, while the Chongqing Oil and Gas Trading Centre was formally established in January, it may take until 2018 before it is operational.…
REGULATORS START TO DEVELOP COMPREHENSIVE CONTROLS FOR VIRTUAL CURRENCIES
With the value of Bitcoin skyrocketing over the past year, up from USD525 per Bitcoin last August to USD1,200 in mid-April, with one unit now being able to buy an ounce of gold, finding ways to efficiently regulate decentralised and independent virtual currencies (VCs) has become a top priority among governments and regulators worldwide.…
TI CALLS FOR COMPREHENSIVE GOVERNMENT AND INDUSTRY ACTION TO FIGHT LUXURY GOOD LAUNDERING
ANTI-CORRUPTION organisation Transparency International (TI) has called for a comprehensive tightening of regulatory and commercial action to restrict how luxury goods are abused as money laundering vehicles and to promote graft.
A new TI report ‘Tainted Treasures: Money laundering risks in luxury markets’ concludes that too little due diligence focuses on luxury goods buyers and where there are luxury goods laws, enforcement is weak.…
AMERICAN SUPPLIERS EXPAND SOLID JAPAN BEEF SALES BY TARGETING HIGH-END SEGMENTS
AMERICAN suppliers are expanding into Japan’s competitive high-end beef market to build on Japanese consumers’ growing demand for US beef.
In 2016, Japan overtook Mexico to become the leading US export market for beef, reaching almost 260,000 tonnes, worth USD1.51 billion, according to the US government.…
ISHIDA TELLS OF NEW INNOVATION TO CEMENT ITS STRONG MARKET SHARES IN WEIGHING AND LABELLING
Japanese food labelling and weighing specialist Ishida Co Ltd is eyeing new ways to develop packaging so that products can be sold in shops without their barcodes being scanned. The new technology involves printing readable content on the entire package, allowing any point of it to be scanned to give a price, but using unobtrusive images that do impair the packaging design or visibility of the product.…
NO US RUSH TO MYANMAR SIX MONTHS AFTER SANCTIONS END
AMERICA may have scrapped its major sanctions against emerging outsourcing centre Myanmar, and brought back the southeast Asian country’s GSP (Generalised System of Preferences) access to USA markets, but the impact on the clothing trade has so far been underwhelming.
Apparel factory owners in Myanmar say American buyers have simply not materialised in the numbers that some expected.…
CAMBODIA’S PROSPECTS AS A TEXTILE PURCHASER IN 2017 ARE UNCLEAR SAYS INDUSTRY BOSS
Cambodia’s garment industry is in a curious situation, with statistics indicating that export earnings from this key Asian fabric and yarn buyer are on the rise, despite evidence that overseas sales should actually be falling. According to one industry insider, this makes it difficult to project how the Cambodian clothing sector will perform in 2017 and hence how much it will spend on supplies.…
EU CONSUMER HEALTH WARNING DATABASE REPORT INDICATES RISE IN REPORTS ON AUTOS AND PARTS DURING 2016
AUTOMOTIVE parts and vehicles have become the second most dangerous category of goods in the European Union (EU) in 2016, according to the most recent annual report of the EU’s ‘Rapid Alert System for non-food dangerous products’, or RAPEX.
The system routes safety alerts about consumer products within the 28 member states of the EU.…
SMART NONWOVENS PRODUCERS WILL DIVERSIFY QUALITY PRODICT LINES, CONFERECE HEARS
THE MARKET for nonwovens for the automotive industry is forecast to continue to grow with China being the driving force, but clever producers will diversify their product lines to include filters, experts at a Nonwovens for High-performance Applications conference in Prague, have heard.…
BANGLADESHI MAYBE BREAKING TIGHT MONEY EXPORT CONTROLS TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF MALAYSIA SECOND HOME RESIDENCE SCHEME
A MALAYSIAN government scheme encouraging foreign investors to buy property in Malaysia may have led to thousands of Bangladeshis breaching their country’s strict capital control restrictions.
A total of 3,493 Bangladeshis has participated in the Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) long-term residency programme since 2003, according to statistics updated in December (2016) – 10.7% of all investors taking part worldwide.…
NONWOVENS FINISHERS COMBINING COLOURING AESTHETICS WITH SUSTAINABILITY
AN APPRECIATION of interior design along with environmental concerns appear to be driving innovation when it comes to the colouring of nonwovens.
Often used in functional or ‘behind the scenes’ capacities in industrial applications, colour is not always top of the list when consideration is given to nonwovens finishing processes.…
EUROPEAN SPECIALIST CURED AND SMOKED EXPORTERS SECURE GROWING NICHE EXPORT SALES IN JAPAN
European dried, cured and smoked meat producers are poised for a rapid expansion of export sales to Japan, with growing demand for such products that cannot be satisfied by Japanese specialist producers.
According to the Japan Retailers Association, an increasing supply of dried, cured and smoked meat from Europe is whetting consumers’ appetites and fuelling additional demand, both for food service and home market segments.…
BRAZIL FACES BEEF EXPORT INCREASE SAYS INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION
Brazilian overseas beef meat sales are set to grow in 2017, according to projections from the Associação Brasileira das Indústrias Exportadoras de Carne (ABIEC). “Our export forecasts for 2017 are USD5.5 to USD6 billion, said Antônio Jorge Camardelli, the ABIEC president.…
PAKISTAN’S KNITWEAR INDUSTRY SUFFERING FROM GOVERNMENT INACTION
PAKISTAN knitwear manufacturers and exporters say the country’s knitwear industry is passing through difficult times, with export sales becoming tougher to secure through growing input costs and a continued failure of the government to implement a much-vaunted and recently-announced bailout package.…
HELSINKI SHOWS GOOD PRACTICE ON HASTENING PASSENGER CONNECTIONS
IMPROVING airport management is often a matter of examining good practice overseas and for airports wanting to improve the time taken to move transfer passengers from one flight to another, their executives might learn from Helsinki Airport.
Finland’s key international airport has the fastest passenger flow in Europe for transfer passengers going on to other European destinations, with a minimum connecting time between flights of just 35 minutes, according to Finavia, the state company that operates Finland’s 21 commercial civilian airports.…
JAPAN TECHNICAL TEXTILES MANUFACTURERS TARGET GROWING MARKET FOR ELDERLY AND INFIRM
JAPAN’S flair in developing effective cutting edge technology is of course well-known, and with an ageing population and still restricted immigration, the potential domestic market for medical and health-focused technical textiles is significant. Amidst shortages of construction, manufacturing and other manual workers, many Japanese industries are purchasing and even developing wearable products that companies can use to monitor or maintain the health of their increasingly stretched and ageing staff, as well as those working from remote locations.…
TI SAYS ONE IN FOUR HAVE PAID BRIBES IN ASIA-PACIFIC COUNTRIES
Around one-in-four people in Asia-Pacific countries are estimated to have paid bribes to access public services, according to the latest survey of 22,000 people across the region from Transparency International. Published March 7 ‘People and Corruption: Asia Pacific Survey 2017’ reveals approximately 900 million people living in 16 countries in Asia Pacific have paid these bribes, with the poorest being hardest hit – some 38% of this group admitted to paying a bribe, rising to 73% in India.…
TECHNICAL TEXTILE DEVELOPMENT FAST-TRACKED BY PROACTIVE ASIAN GOVERNMENTS
ASIA’S technical textiles sectors continue to grow, fuelled by ready buyers in domestic and overseas markets, but governments can and do help too – keen to promote these sustainable high tech industries.
China is a case in point. Its industry and information technology ministry plus the National Development and Reform Commission in January (2017) jointly issued development guidance for technical textiles as part of China’s 13th Five-Year Plan, which runs from 2016-20.…
SOUTH KOREAN COSMETICS BRANDS WILL NEED ALL THEIR INNOVATION AS CHINA MARKET TIGHTENS OVER THAAD ISSUE
THE cosmetics sector of South Korea, evaluated at USD12 billion in sales during 2016 by market researcher Frost & Sullivan, has been enduring a tough crash course in political risk since its government agreed to host the US missile-defence system Terminal High-Altitude Area Defence (THAAD).…
COSMOPROF WOWS THE CROWDS WITH CELEBRATORY 50TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION
Italy’s premier beauty trade fair celebrated half a century this year in Bologna with a host of special events that ranged from an opening cocktail party on the fair grounds to a special dance performance held in the Bologna city centre.…
AIRLESS PACKAGING INNOVATIONS AIM TO REDUCE COST AND CATCH CONSUMERS DESIRES FOR SUSTAINABILITY
THE USE of airless technology in packaging is largely about zero product waste, preserving product integrity and less packaging material – and it obviously gels well with the growing trend towards sustainability. That explains the uptake in this technology led by cosmetics packaging, industry experts argue.…
CHINA ACCELERATING COATINGS R&D TO REDUCE RELIANCE ON FOREIGN PLAYERS
THE CHINESE coatings market has been dominated by foreign suppliers, especially in higher end and high-tech market segments, but this might well be changing gradually, as the country steps up its coatings research and development (R&D) efforts.
This new push reflects the national government’s shift in economic policy away from focusing on exports and wanting to generate an economy more based on domestic consumption.…
RUSSIA INNOVATES TO SECURE NEW TEXTILE MACHINERY SUPPLIES
Deutsche Leasing Vostok, a member of German company Deutsche Leasing Group, has encouraged Russian textile manufacturers attending Russian Textile Week events, staged February 20-24 in Moscow, to lease rather than buy manufacturing equipment.
Deutsche Leasing Vostok representative Yulia Grukhanova told WTiN.com…
TRUMP’S DUMP OF TPP MIGHT CREATE OPPORTUNITIES FOR INDONESIAN TEXTILE SECTOR
The chairman of the Indonesian Textiles Association (API) has expressed cautious optimism about President Donald Trump’s rejection of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade pact and re-confirmed the need to boost Indonesia’s competitiveness.
Trump pulled the USA out of the agreement on January 23, and while that could be bad news for the other 11 TPP partners, including regional textile sector competitors Malaysia and clothing hub Vietnam, the deal had yet to include Indonesia.…
AMID LOOMING DEMOGRAPHIC ILLS, SOUTH KOREA STARTS TALKING OF TALENT-BASED IMMIGRATION
South Korea’s Deputy Prime Minister Yoo Il-ho has confirmed that his government has begun drafting a talent-based immigration system to serve as a key driver of economic competitiveness in the future. According to Yoo, the Office for Government Policy Coordination (OPC) has created a task force to counter the country’s demographic changes and plans to produce mid and long-term immigration policies in the first half of the year.…
CHINESE TEXTILE GIANT SUNSHINE BRINGS MERINO WOOL TO PERFECTION
Wool represents luxury in China, with most Chinese seeing wool as a superior fibre, so investment into wool research and development is a sensible approach for companies such as the Sunshine Group, headquartered in Jiangyin City, Jiangsu Province.
The company, one of the world’s largest wool production enterprises, aims to bring wool to perfection from its location north of Shanghai.…
THAILAND NEEDS TECH-SAVVY WORKFORCE TO DRIVE GROWTH SAYS CENTRAL BANK
THE BANK of Thailand is pushing for Thailand to better educate its workforce to cope with digital development, with a lack of research and development (R&D) investment being blamed economic stagnation within this southeast Asian country. The call comes as Thailand’s GDP per capita was just USD5,814.77 (World Bank figures for 2015) when China’s was USD8,027.68.…
DIRECT PAYMENTS ESSENTIAL TO BEEF SECTOR, AGRI STUDY CONCLUDES
THE EUROPEAN beef sector must keep its direct payments at a time when the European Union (EU)’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is under review, according to new research highlighted by the European Parliament.
‘The EU cattle sector: challenges and opportunities – milk and meat’ report, published February 27 by the parliament’s agriculture and rural development committee, says these payments play an important part in farm-household income.…
JAPAN ‘MEAT DAY’ BOOSTS SALES
Butchers, supermarkets and barbeque restaurants in Japan are gearing up for the national meat trade’s busiest day of the year, dubbed ‘Meat Day’ – on February 9. The auspicious date has been identified thanks to Japanese people’s love of play on words: both the ninth day of the second month and meat can be pronounced ‘niku’ (‘ni-kyuu’ for the numbers and ‘niku’ for meat).…
TECHNICAL TEXTILE SECTOR FACES UNCERTAIN TRADING TIMES AS TRUMP AND BREXIT REFORMS PLAY OUT
One month after staunch free-trade opponent Donald Trump became US President there are many policy decisions still to be confirmed and clarified to get a full idea of the impact his presidency will have on the trade in technical textiles. His accession comes during an unstable time for international trade – it is arguably even less clear how the UK’s planned exit from the EU will work out for the sector.…
EUROPE’S TECHNICAL TEXTILE SECTOR GROW THROUGH INNOVATION
THE CONTINUED success of Europe’ major technical textile fair, Techtextil, Frankfurt, (the next event runs from May 9 to 12) illustrates how the continent’s technical textile sector is thriving on its innovation.
“We don’t know what the future brings. We only know where it will be exhibited.…
AGEING NUCLEAR WORKFORCE CAN BE REJUVENATED SUSTAINABLY WITH HELP OF GETI DATE
KEY MESSAGES
*The nuclear industry has an ageing staff and needs to recruit new professionals as they retire
*Its strong health and retirement benefits packages could help it attract the new staff it needs
*The nuclear industry outside north America has a strong expat component, making it easier for recruit staff from abroad
INTRODUCTION
The nuclear industry sector is facing some significant human resources challenges, but new research carried out by Airswift and Energy Jobline indicates that the nuclear sector can still compete for talent.…
BANGLADESHI TEXTILE MAKERS PAVE DIGITAL PATH WITH INDIAN HELP
AS Bangladesh aims to double its apparel exports in the next five years, industry executives and experts agree on one thing: value addition is the key and the development of digital printing services is a key strand of this strategy.
As a result, the launch of operations by Indian textile printing manufacturer and distributor DCC (Dhaval Colour Chem) in Dhaka last December was an important step towards creating such an integrated supply chain in Bangladesh.…
LIQUEFIED AND COMPRESSED NATURAL GAS A LONG-TERM WINNER IN THE ENERGY MIX
Natural gas, including its liquefied form LNG, can be the long-term growth story among fossil fuels but needs to withstand stiff challenges
The naming ceremony in February 2017 for offshore facilities for the Ichthys liquefied natural gas project in Australia was another milestone in the huge wave of investment in LNG production capacity globally in recent years.…
EU/WTO INTERNATIONAL REGULATORY ROUND UP – EU BOOSTS FOOD MARKETING BUDGET
EUROPEAN Union (EU) food exporters will in 2017 be offered an increased amount of money by the European Commission to better promote their products, especially in non-EU markets. The Commission has said that EUR133 million will be available this year to co-finance at 70%-85% such marketing campaigns, compared to EUR111 million in 2016.…
ASIA’S TEXTILE AND APPAREL EXPORTING COUNTRIES MAYBE COOL ON TRUMP PUSH FOR BILATERAL FTAS
As US President Donald Trump on January 23 pulled America out from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) with an executive order, he signalled he will instead ask Asian TPP members for bilateral free trade agreements (FTAs). This includes countries such as Vietnam that rely on apparel and textile exports.…
JAPAN MANUFACTURERS MONITORING US TRADE POLICY CLOSELY, AS TRUMP DUMPS TPP
Japanese car companies are watching US trade policy closely, following President Donald Trump’s decision to scrap the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
“It is a bit early to gain a full understanding of the impact of this decision, although we are obviously monitoring the situation closely,” a spokesman for Toyota Motor Corp told wardsauto.…
CHINA’S STEADY DEMONSTRATES THE VALUE OF INVESTING IN R&D TO PRODUCE QUALITY WOOL FABRIC
AS many leading fashion brands are stepping up use of Australian Merino wool, Chinese fabric makers with a long track record of in-house research and development (R&D) into wool are finding themselves better positioned than latecomers to reap the fruits of this trend.…
ATTENTION SWITCHES TO BILATERAL TRADE DEALS AS TRUMP LEAVES TPP IN THE DUST
Even as the official withdrawal of the United States from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) has been greeted by enthusiasm by American automakers, the focus is shifting to the bilateral trade deals that President Donald Trump has promised will take its place.…
GLOBAL OLIVE OIL SECTOR BECOMES MORE DIVERSE AS EMERGING COUNTRY PRODUCERS DEVELOP OUTPUT
THE OLIVE oil industry has traditionally been dominated by some key major European players, notably Spain, Italy and Greece, but with global consumption rising, production is emerging in countries which have previously relied on imports.
International Oil Council statistics show how new production centres are being created.…
NORTH AMERICAN MEAT INSTITUTE WANTS NEW BILATERAL TRADE DEALS NOW TRUMP HAS AXED TPP
THE NORTH American Meat Institute has called on the new US administration of President Donald Trump to work hard to negotiate new bilateral trade deal with Asian markets now he has formally pulled American out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal.…
JAPAN LOCAL TAX DIVERSION SCHEME BOOSTS WAGYU BEEF SALES
A new scheme by Miyazaki Prefecture in southern Japan that offers local wagyu and other products in return for local tax payments to its municipalities from residents in other parts of the country is helping to support livestock farmers and meat producers in the area.…
CHRISTMAS IN JAPAN SEES BOOM IN TRADITIONAL FESTIVE FRIED CHICKEN SALES
AFTER culling more than 500,000 chickens in late November and early December 2016 due to a bird flu outbreak, poultry farmers in Japan have been encouraged by Japanese consumers’ loyalty to a long-held Christmas tradition: eating fried chicken. Data released by Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC), which has strong market share in Japan, has shown that sales continued to rise this past festive season, with the firm achieving 7.9% sales growth over December 23–25 year-on-year, with sales of Japanese Yen JPY5.92 billion (USD51.4 million).…
INTERNATIONAL REGULATORY ROUND UP – KNITWEAR RETAILERS CALL FOR REPLACEMENT TRADE DEALS AS TRUMP DUMPS TPP
THE US Fashion Industry Association (USFIA) has called on the new American administration of President Donald Trump to work hard to negotiate new bilateral trade deals with Asian markets now he has formally pulled his country from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal.…
TRUMPIAN TRADE REVOLUTION SPELLING TROUBLE FOR APPAREL SOURCING IN ASIA
As US President Donald Trump has been wasting no time carrying out his campaign pledges to undo long-standing American trade ties, the Asian apparel industry and the US retailers it supplies have ample reasons to be on edge.
Signs are particularly worrisome for apparel players sourcing from Vietnam, a member of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), the unratified 12-nation deal that will now not include the USA after Trump extracted America from its commitments via a January 23 presidential memorandum.…
SMART TEXTILES MUST NOT ONLY BE CLEVER, BUT WEARABLE AND WASHABLE, EXPERTS TELL CONFERENCE
ELECTRONICS and gadgets such as smart watches may have reached their technological and popularity limits, but smart textiles – materials, for example anti-bacterial, that react to environmental or physical stimuli – are here to stay, industry experts argue.
Speakers at this year’s FUTEX – the 7th Innovative Textile European Convention on ‘interactive textiles for health, sport and the home’ emphasised the bright future for ‘wearable’ technology.…
TRUMP’S DECISION TO CUT TPP AN OPPORTUNITY, SAYS EUROPEAN DAIRY INDUSTRY
UNITED States (US) President Donald Trump’s decision on January 26 to sign an executive order to withdraw from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) should provide opportunities for European Union (EU) dairy exporters, according to European dairy experts.
“From an EU dairy perspective, we would hope that the European Commission will continue to make an effort in our European trade negotiations, especially with Japan,” Alexander Anton, secretary general of the European Dairy Association, told Food & Drink Technology News.…
EU/WTO INTERNATIONAL REGULATORY ROUND UP – EU BOOSTS FOOD MARKETING BUDGET
EUROPEAN Union (EU) food exporters will in 2017 be offered an increased amount of money by the European Commission to better promote their products, especially in non-EU markets. The Commission has said that EUR133 million will be available this year to co-finance at 70%-85% such marketing campaigns, compared to EUR111 million in 2016.…
US PERSONAL CARE PRODUCT SECTOR LAMENTS END OF TPP – AND WANTS MORE TRADE TALKS TO FOLLOW
The January 23 presidential memorandum from President Donald Trump, puling the USA from participation in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal has disappointed the American cosmetics and personal care products sector. This is not only because of the tariff barriers it would have eliminated but also because the TPP would have pushed regulatory controls in all TPP countries in the same direction.…
SHIFT TO WATERBORNE PAINTS POSING CHALLENGES TO CHINA’S CONTAINER MANUFACTURERS
SHIPPING container manufacturers in China have been struggling to deal with the country’s new string of environmental regulations aiming to reduce volatile organic compounds (VOC) emissions – effectively forcing them to switch from solvent-based to water-based paints.
The changeover, proposed by the China Container Industry Association and endorsed by the government is occurring in two stages, with container factories located in southern China required to only use water-based products for all containers, other than certain specialised containers, since July 1, 2016; this to be followed by factories in the rest of China from April 1 this year.…
ASIA REGULATORY ROUND UP - CHINA TIGHTENS MONEY LAUNDERING REPORTING REQUIREMENTS
CHINA’S central bank, the People’s Bank of China (PBC), has issued a new anti-money laundering and terror finance reporting requirements for all financial institutions inside the country. The rules come into force July 1. They cover banks, brokers, foreign exchange, online and mobile payment systems and insurance companies, who will have to file reports to the central bank, via their headquarters or via representative institutions, if a client requires daily cash transactions exceeding Chinese Yuan Renminbi CNY50,000 (USD7,261) or a larger amount of USD10,000’s worth in foreign currency.…
ASIA REGULATORY ROUND UP – HONG KONG SIGNS NEW DOUBLE TAXATION PREVENTION DEAL WITH PAKISTAN
THE HONG Kong and Pakistan government have signed a comprehensive agreement on avoiding double taxation. Pakistani tax paid by Hong Kong companies will be credited against Hong Kong taxes on the same profits, with the reverse applying for Pakistan companies. Pakistan’s withholding tax rates for Hong Kong residents on royalties and fees for technical services (both currently 15%) will be capped at 10% and 12.5% respectively.…
ASIA’S HR DEPARTMENTS URGED TO BEGIN THEIR HOMEWORK ON CYBER CRIME PREVENTION
Hacking and data breaches keep Asian IT departments awake at night, but many of the most serious cyber security incidents can be prevented with greater vigilance from HR professionals. Of course, there are a wide variety of risks being posed to companies from online environments, from denial-of-service attacks, to Trojan programmes that monitor computer use, and theft of identities and intellectual property.…
HANEDA CHRONOGATE AIR LOGISTICS COMPLEX HAS MOST MODERN TECH, SAYS OPERATOR
Haneda Chronogate, the largest logistics complex in Japan, with just under 200,000 square metres floor space, is one of the most technologically advanced facilities of its kind, claims its operator Yamato Holdings Co Ltd.
Speaking to Jane’s Airport Review, Hiromitsu Aikawa, executive officer for Yamato’s global marketing and development division said: “The facility uses the latest logistics technologies and incorporates systems that have been introduced, tested and improved at other centres.”…
MALAYSIA AEROTROPOLIS MOVES FORWARD UNDERPINNED BY STRATEGIC AND DETAILED BLUEPRINT
A long-held ambition by Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB) to create an aerotropolis, or airport city, anchored around Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) is taking key steps forward with a newly finalised master plan and a number of strategic partnerships.
The project, called KLIA Aeropolis, was announced in May (2016).…
EUROPE CONTINUES TO EXPAND ENERGY PRICE PLAN CHOICES
WHILE Japan has freed up its electricity market, in 2015, end-user price regulation was still applied to household electricity markets in 12 European Union (EU) member states (46% of electricity and 54% of gas price offers from different service providers), Europe’s electricity industry association Eurelectric spokesperson Anamaria Olaru told Energy World.…
CHINA PERSONAL CARE PRODUCT ECOMMERCE SALES BOOM, AS MARKET MATURES
PHOTOS posted on the Chinese microblog platform Weixin (commonly known in English as WeChat) from the Indonesian holiday island of Bali recently are emblematic of key trends in China’s cosmetics and personal care markets, notably booming ecommerce sales. Over 100 Chinese sales managers – technically self-employed and operating on commission – flew to Bali as guests of USANA Health Sciences Inc, which in 2010 acquired BabyCare Ltd, a China-based direct selling company that develops, manufactures and sells nutritional products.…
JAPAN UNLEASHES POWER LIBERALISATION – BUT CONSUMERS YET TO ABANDON MAJOR PLAYERS
OPPORTUNITIES may abound for suppliers in Japan’s newly liberalised household electricity market, but for the time being, a handful of regional utility giants still retain the lion’s share of sales.
Analysts had predicted the Japanese government’s granting of consumer choice over the source of their energy purchases would stimulate growth in innovative and renewable energy, and undermine sales in power generated from fossil fuels and nuclear.…
JAPAN DRONE SYSTEM LAUNCHED – OFFERING REMOTE HELP FOR LIVESTOCK FARMERS
A drone designed to make life easier for livestock farmers has been launched in Japan, with developers eyeing global sales in the future. Created in partnership with Tokyo-based IT company OPTiM and agriculture faculty at Saga University, AgriDrone is an initiative also supported by the prefecture and city of Saga, on Kyushu, Japan’s southernmost main island.…
MEAT SALES TO JAPAN READY-MADE MEALS SEGMENT ON THE RISE
Large meat producers in Japan are eyeing the ready-made meal sector as a key income stream following increased demand for such products. A November report by market researcher Euromonitor International has predicted that ready-made meal sales in Japan will grow 4% year-on-year during 2016, “driven by continuous lifestyle changes among Japanese consumers who are increasingly busy and seeking convenience.”…
MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA SKINCARE MARKETS
ONE of the wealthiest countries in the world, Qatar’s gross domestic product (GDP) per capita was estimated at USD73,653 in 2015, according to the World Bank. Close to 85% of the country’s 2.5 million population are expatriates and this has influenced the skincare products on offer, while high levels of disposable income continue to drive consumption.…
INTERNATIONAL REGULATORY ROUND UP – SUGAR PRODUCERS WANT EU PROTECTION MAINTAINED, DESPITE TRADE DEAL TALKS
THE INTERNATIONAL Confederation of European Beet Growers (CIBE) and the European Association of Sugar Producers (CEFS-Comité Européen des Fabricants de Sucre) have jointly called on the European Union (EU) to continue protecting producers with import tariffs, even as the EU negotiates 12 trade deals affecting the food industry.…
JAPAN TEXTILE INVESTMENT INTO VIETNAM MAYBE SLOWED BY TRUMP AXING TPP, BUT IT WILL CONTINUE
While the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) had made the future of textile manufacturing in Vietnam look rosy in much of 2016, Japanese businesses eyeing investments in this south-east Asian emerging market do not seem to fear the trade deal’s likely demise under United States President-elect Donald Trump.…
TRUMPS PROMISE TO AXE TPP ON DAY ONE OF HIS PRESIDENCY PROMPTS WIDESPREAD NERVOUSNESS
THE PROMISE from US President-elect Donald Trump to withdraw the USA from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement on his first day of office has prompted widespread nervousness in auto-sectors around the world.
His rejection of the deal could scupper an agreement negotiated over five years by the United States; Australia; Brunei; Canada; Chile; Japan; Malaysia; Mexico; New Zealand; Peru; Singapore and Vietnam.…
DEATH OF TPP COULD EASE PRESSURE ON ASIA-PACIFIC LABOUR MOBILITY
HUMAN resources experts in the Asia-Pacific region are mulling the potential impact of US President-elect Donald Trump abandoning the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal. He has promised to withdraw the US from the agreement on his first day in office.
And without American participation, the pact seems dead in the water: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe recently said it would be “meaningless,” while Vietnam, whose export-driven economy was expected to be one of the major beneficiaries of the TPP, has withdrawn the proposal for ratification in its National Assembly.…
RENAULT APPLIES FOR RIGHT TO BUILD CARS IN PAKISTAN SAYS GOVERNMENT
LEADING French automaker Renault could soon start producing vehicles in Pakistan, the chairman of the south Asian country’s Board of Investment (BOI) has predicted to wardsauto. Miftah Ismail said that the manufacturer had submitted an application to the government of Pakistan seeking permission to produce cars locally, initially in a joint venture with Ghandhara Nissan, which is Renault’s global partner.…
JAPANESE COMPANIES ENTER PORTUGAL GAS DISTRIBUTION
THE EUROPEAN Commission has approved the creation of a significant holding by Japan’s Marubeni Corporation and Toho Gas Co Ltd in the Portugal gas distribution sector, green-lighting their acquisition of shares in Portugal’s Galp Gás Natural Distribuição. Henceforth, the Japanese companies will share control with Portugal’s Galp Energia SGPS, a key oil, gas and power generation company.…
CANADA METAL ASSOCIATION WANTS TPP PRESERVED, DESPITE TRUMP PROMISE TO QUIT DEAL
A senior Canada metal industry association has called on its government to continue ratifying the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), despite US President-elect Donald Trump’s commitment to withdraw the US from the trade deal on his first day of office.
“We definitely still support Canada moving forward with the TPP, even without the US.…
JAPAN SCRAMBLES TO LIMIT IMPACT OF BIRD FLU OUTBREAK
JAPAN has confirmed a third outbreak of avian flu in as many days, prompting the cull of thousands of farmed birds in the north of the country. The highly pathogenic H5 strain was detected in ducks found dead at a farm in Aomori Prefecture, northern Honshu, on November 28 while, some 450km away in Niigata Prefecture, western Honshu, dead chickens at a poultry farm tested positive at two separate sites on November 28 and 30.…
MEAT INDUSTRY WELCOMES COMMISSION’S BID TO PROMOTE MEAT PRODUCTS
THE EUROPEAN Commission’s pledge to put meat and livestock produce second in its 2017 European Union (EU) agri-food promotion campaign (making up 15% of the programmes) has been welcomed by the industry. The announcement came during the release of a EUR133 million marketing budget for EU agri-food producers for 2017, up from EUR111 million in 2016.…
POULTRY IMPORT BAN AMID AVIAN INFLUENZA OUTBREAK IN DENMARK
SINGAPORE, Japan and South Korea have stopped poultry imports from Denmark after an Avian Influenza virus (H5N8) outbreak affected the country’s entire poultry sector. This is the first outbreak of the virus in Denmark since 2006, the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration, (Fødevarestyrelsen – FVST) told GlobalMeatNews.…
TPP IS DEAD BUT LIFE GOES ON FOR VIETNAM’S GARMENT SECTOR
Vietnam’ clothing and textile industry has been assessing the impact of losing an anticipated huge garment export boost under the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) now that US president-elect Donald Trump has promised to sign an executive order pulling out of the 12-nation trade deal.…
IVORY COAST, A KEY MARKET IN AFRICA’S GROWING BEAUTY SECTOR
IVORY Coast has imported more than double the value of cosmetic products in 2015 when compared with 2009, from the European Union (EU) alone, signaling the creation of a booming domestic beauty market as the country emerges from a civil war that ended in 2011.…
ASIA REGULATORY ROUND UP – MALAYSIA GOVERNMENT RELEASES 2017 BUDGET – CORP TAX TO FALL
THE MALAYSIAN government has released its 2017 budget with a pledge to reduce corporation tax by between 1% and 4% for companies with significant increases in taxable income during 2017 and 2018. The budget will also mandate a cut in income tax from 19% to 18% for small-and-medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).…
COSMETICS INDUSTRY DEPRESSED AT TRUMP’S DECISION TO PULL OUT OF TPP
UNITED States President-elect Donald Trump’s commitment to withdraw the US from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal, condemning the deal as a “potential disaster for our country”, has received the thumbs-down from the cosmetics industry.
“TPP represents an important step forward for the cosmetics industry in the signatory countries, containing as it does a specific annex for cosmetics and personal care,” Cosmetics Europe director general John Chave told Soap Perfumery & Cosmetics.…
SINGAPORE’S EVOLVING ROLE AS TEXTILE INNOVATOR
SINCE the bulk of textile and apparel and production moved offshore from the wealthy city state of Singapore – seeking lower costs labour elsewhere – the country has become an industry innovator, and experts say this trend will continue.
The United States department of commerce (DoC) said in a report issued in May (2016): “Manufacturing has moved offshore to mainly other countries in the region, forcing the textile and apparel sector to reinvent itself and focus on research and development.”…
PAKISTAN’S DENIM SEGMENT PLANS TO BOOST COUNTRY’S WEAKENED TEXTILE INDUSTRY
PAKISTAN’S denim export industry hopes that help for the textile announced by the government in February (exemption from paying sales tax and payment of long overdue tax refunds) and in a meeting with industry leaders in September (a promised reduction in energy costs) will boost this promising segment.…
LACK OF SKILLED LABOUR IS A PRESSING ISSUE FOR THAI BUSINESSES
THE SHORTAGE of skilled labour is the “second most pressing issue next to political instability” that is hindering growth in Thailand manufacturing firms, a Bangkok-based World Bank expert has told People Management.
Indeed, the south-east Asian country’s skilled labour shortage has been getting worse: for example, the number of weeks it takes to fill a vacancy for a skilled worker in Thailand has increased from about five weeks on average in 2007 to about eight weeks in 2015, said the World Bank’s east Asia and Pacific programme leader for poverty and human development Lars Sondergaard.…
CHINA SEES GREAT OPPORTUNITIES FOR NON-WOVENS, CONFERENCE HEARS
Non-wovens textile manufacturers are likely to benefit from a soaring Chinese market for their products, thanks to a fast ageing population, the government’s recently launched two-child policy, and demand created by air pollution that continues to plague the country, and international conference in Shanghai has head.…
SHORTAGE OF WAGYU CALVES PUT PRESSURE ON JAPAN BEEF INDUSTRY
A severe shortage of ‘wagyu’ calves in Japan is putting pressure on producers of this special native beef livestock, as calf prices soar and breeders risk a fall in turnover. At wagyu auctions nationwide, a beef cattle calf is being sold for Japanese Yen JPY800,000 yen (USD7,705) on average in 2016, up from about JPY550,000 (USD5,300) in 2014, according to the Nikkei Asian Review financial newspaper.…
NEW MINIMUM WAGE HINDERS COMPETITIVE\NESS OF VIETNAM APPAREL INDUSTRY
Vietnam’s National Salary Council may have increased the country-wide minimum wage by the smallest proportion in a decade of such rises (7.3% for 2017), but the country’s clothing manufacturers are still warning this is a hike too far.
The Vietnam Textile & Apparel Association (VITAS) has opposed the increase.…
SPEED AND INNOVATION NEED TO MESH TO GET PARALLEL TIME-TO-MARKET AND COST SAVINGS
Fast fashion is all about getting product to market quickly without over-spending. And while new technologies such as digital printing machinery can speed up the process, they can also add cost.
Guido Schlossmann, president and chief executive officer of Thailand-based consultants Synergies Worldwide, stressed to just-style that the key issue is getting the balance right.…
JAPAN’S KEWPIE CONFIRMS POLISH TAKEOVER BID
Japan’s Kewpie Corp is acquiring Polish food maker Mosso Kwasniewscy Sp.J as part of its overseas expansion efforts, the company confirmed to just-food.com.
Mosso will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Tokyo company, renowned for its mayonnaise products, and will be known as Mosso Kewpie Poland Sp.…
JAPAN GOVERNMENT DRAFTS NEW FOOD ORIGIN LABELLING RULES
Japan’s agriculture, forestry and fisheries ministry and government’s Consumer Affairs Agency have proposed new rules on country of origin labelling for all food processed in Japan.
A spokesman for the agency said the new rules have been partly inspired by concerns over food safety once the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) free trade agreement goes into effect.…
SUN PROTECTIVE CLOTHING GOING MAINSTREAM
Sun protective clothing is continuing to move from its health-focused niche origins to become a general and versatile product, protecting consumers of all ages from the harm of prolonged sun exposure. What first began as products for children or for people with varying skin ailments, such as melanoma or xeroderma pigmentosum (XP), a rare disease where the body is unable to repair damage caused by ultraviolet (UV) light, the market has been expanding robustly.…
ASIA PACIFIC TECHNICAL TEXTILES PRODUCTION BOOMS – WITH HIGHER COST COUNTRIES INVESTING IN INNOVATION
THE ASIA-PACIFIC region has been regarded as the workshop of the world for most of the 21st century, and this is especially true for the technical textile sector, where output has continued to grow, partly fuelled by growing regional demand.…
PERSONAL CARE PRODUCT COMPANIES SEE TO SHORE UP MARKET POSITIONING WITH GREEN PACKAGING
PERSONAL care product and cosmetics manufacturers are continuing to invest in sustainable materials – such as responsibly-sourced cardboard and bio-plastics. Indeed, such green alternatives can boost sales in markets where consumers are increasingly concerned with the environmental impact of products. But packagers still face challenges in ensuring these meet the standards of their clients, particularly in premium sectors.…
MYANMAR PAINT MARKET GROWS DESPITE CONSTRUCTION SLOWDOWN
A slowdown in liberalising Myanmar’s construction industry so far this year has not soured the positive outlook of paints and coatings companies on this emerging market’s potential, according to industry experts.
Few new construction projects have come online in 2016, as the market works to digest the surplus of units begun during a boom following the 2011 transition to civilian rule, which was finally completed in March (2016).…
JAPANESE AUTO PAINT MANUFACTURERS SETTING UP FACILITIES IN THEIR TARGET MARKETS
Japan’s automobile manufacturers are increasingly looking to set up plants in – or, at least, very close to – their target markets, and paint companies with expertise in the auto coatings sector are following their lead.
“In 2015, the overall Japanese paints and varnishes market recorded 0.3 per cent growth, with producers struggling to remain competitive because production in Japan is pricier due to environmental requirements and higher labour costs,” said Andrius Balsys, a research analyst who monitors the paints sector for London-based market researcher, Euromonitor International.…
TAIWAN’S COMPANIES STRUGGLING WITH SUCCESSION PLANNING
The most current pressing issue for Taiwanese human resources executives is arguably the failure of the island’s enterprises to timely craft leadership succession plans. There are the headline-grapping stories such as that of Morris Chang, 85, founder of the world’s largest semiconductor maker, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Ltd (TSMC), who has held on as chairman and returned as chief executive officer (CEO) in 2009 after having temporarily passed on the position.…
COMPANIES SEEK TECHNOLOGICAL EDGE IN PAINT MIXING SEGMENT
THE PAINT mixing segment is a competitive world with companies constantly seeking a technological edge to generate additional sales. Of course, the segment is diverse – spanning the development of mixers helping paint and coating companies make their products, and aiding users to apply these lines.…
JAPAN TO IMPLEMENT NEW AML RULES IN OCTOBER
JAPAN’S more stringent anti-money laundering rules will come into effect on October 1, following international criticism that Tokyo has dragged its feet on fighting money laundering and the financing of terrorism. With the amendment of the ‘Act on Prevention of Transfer of Criminal Proceeds’ enacted by the ‘Diet’ — Japan’s parliament — last year, the onus is now on financial institutions to be ready for implementation of the anti-money laundering rules next month.…
INTERNATIONAL OILS AND FATS SECTOR RECEIVED INCREASINGLY INTEGRATED GUIDANCE FROM STANDARDS BODIES
THE OILS and fats business has always been international, with its commodities and the products made from them, being traded worldwide. And as a result, the companies involved have always had to pay attention not just to the regulations of the country were they manufacture or source, but those of importing and transit countries.…
JAPAN MEAT SALES CONTINUE TO RISE – BUT LOCAL PRODUCTION IS STRUGGLING TO KEEP UP
JAPANESE consumers’ preference for meat is growing so strongly, it has pushed domestic per capita fish consumption to its lowest level since the 1960s, according to 2015 figures from Japan’s ministry of agriculture, forestry and fisheries. The gap between levels of meat and fish consumption is increasing; meat consumption overtook that of fish about six years ago but the gap is widening; fish consumption is now 30% less than it was at its peak, in 2001. …
SRI LANKA’S COSMETIC INDUSTRY ANGERED OVER WEAK IMPORT REGULATION
Sri Lanka’s cosmetic and beauty product manufacturers are becoming increasingly anxious over the lack of sales regulations, promoting significant volumes of lower grade cosmetic imports, putting local manufacturers at risk.
Until July 2015, there was a specific authority to oversee cosmetic products being imported as well as distributed in the country.…
INDIA’S DIGITAL PRINTING SECTOR IS GROWING, BUT TRADITIONAL SECTOR STILL HAS EDGE FOR LARGE ORDERS
India’s digital printing industry is successfully challenging the country’s traditional finishing sector, expanding rapidly thanks to reduced costs, support from country’s large textile export sector and an ability to respond to changing fashion trends. “The share of digital textile printing will increase from five to 15 percent in next six to seven years,” said Siddharrthha A Jain, partner at Printtech, a digital textile printing company based in Gurgaon, near New Delhi, noting that currently there are 250 to 300 such companies in India.…
TECHNICAL ROUND UP – BRUSSELS LAUNCHES TAX BLACKLIST ASSESSMENT
EUROPEAN COMMISSION LAUNCHES GLOBAL TAX AVOIDANCE BLACKLIST ASSESSMENT
THE EUROPEAN Commission has completed the first phase of an assessment designed to help the European Union (EU) frame its own blacklist of jurisdictions deemed un-cooperative over tax avoidance and evasion. Brussels has released a ‘scoreboard’ of non-EU jurisdictions judging whether they exchange information with foreign tax authorities, have preferential or low tax regimes, have close and important economic and financial links with the EU and are politically stable (and hence more attractive as a tax haven).…
SOUTH AMERICAN COSMETICS FIGHTING FALLING LOCAL CURRENCIES
South America’s cosmetics and personal care sector is looking to bounce back from a slowdown caused by the region’s macroeconomic troubles, but political pressures and regional trade alliances are driving individual country markets down divergent paths.
Over the last year, countries across the region have been buffeted by economic turmoil that has had a knock-on impact on the cosmetics sector.…
PAINT AND COATINGS ASIA-PACIFIC ADDITIVES MARKET BECOMES MORE DIVERSE AND ECO-FRIENDLY AS IT GROWS
THE ASIA-Pacific coatings additives market is big business, and is getting bigger. According to Pune, India-based market research organisation Markets and Markets, the coatings additives market in the Asia-Pacific region will be worth USD2.81 billion in 2016 and is expected to grow at a CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of 7.2% until 2021.…
ASSET INTEGRITY RISES ON GULF STATES’ AGENDA
Oil and gas owners and operators working offshore in the Middle East face looming corrosion and erosion detection and prevention challenges to continue operating their ageing assets efficiently, safely and within regulatory requirements in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states.…
ASIA - FUTURE OF HR
WORKFORCE DEMOGRAPHICS
East Asia is a very varied region in terms of economic development. Take the 10 members of trade bloc ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations): with 632 million people, demographics greatly vary, from aging Singapore and Thailand, to the younger and emerging economies of Indonesia, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia and the Philippines.…
INDONESIA TEXTILE SECTOR WELCOMES LAUNCH OF EU TRADE TALKS
The Indonesian Textiles Association (API – Asosiasi Pertekstilan Indonesia) has told WTiN.com that it enthusiastically endorses the opening of negotiations between the European Union (EU) and Indonesia to forge a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) free trade deal.
The goal of the talks announced in July will be to create an agreement that goes beyond traditional agreements that focus on duty and quota abolition, to include removing non-tariff barriers through regulatory mutual recognition and harmonisation.…
NEW TEXTILE MANUFACTURING ASSOCIATION CHARGED WITH GROWING MYANMAR BACKWARD LINKAGES
Myanmar has launched an association for textile manufacturers aiming to build a vibrant industry from its current small base of factories and traditional manufacturing.
The Myanmar Textile Manufacturers Association (MTMA) was launched in July, with support from the country’s ministry of industry.…
JAPAN COMBINING OLD TRADITIONS WITH MODERN TECHNOLOGY TO HONE CUTTING EDGE IN MAKING NATURAL FABRICS
A wealth of experience in creating natural fibres – from cotton, hemp and silk to bamboo, banana and paper – combined with cutting-edge technology is giving Japanese companies an international edge in making eco-friendly fabrics. Scientists are bringing together old and new as they re-examine ancient practices and consider innovative techniques to bring new products to market.…
ASIAN PACIFIC NONWOVENS SECTOR SEEING A BOOST DESPITE TROUBLED TIMES
THE ASIA Pacific region remains the workshop of the world in terms of nonwovens production, and it is not only China’s producers who are growing, local suppliers are feeding growing domestic markets for nonwovens products elsewhere in east and southeast Asia.…
CHINA PROBES JIANGXI-REARED PIGS AFTER HONG KONG REGULATORS DISCOVER DRUG CONTAMINATION
INVESTIGATIONS into the health of pigs being exported from Jiangxi, eastern China to Hong Kong, is under investigation after Chinese authorities blocked the trade following a warning from Hong Kong’s Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD).
Pigs from Jiangxi make up around 20% of hogs imported into the special administrative region from the Chinese mainland, which supplies the vast majority of pigs slaughtered in Hong Kong.…
BRAZILIAN CHICKEN PRODUCTION AND EXPORTS PROJECTED TO INCREASE SHARPLY
Brazil will continue to challenge the USA for the position of being the world’s biggest meat producer and exporter over the next 10 years, with chicken leading the way, Brazilian government forecasts indicate. It says that Brazilian meat production in 2025/26 will be 29.8% higher than in 2015/6 – amounting to 7.8 million tonnes in additional production – resulting in 23.6 million tonnes of output.…
MYANMAR GARMENT MANUFACTURERS LOOK FOR BOOST FROM TEXTILE ASSOCIATION
A Myanmar Textiles Manufacturers Association has finally been launched, following years of discussion about creating an upstream textile-specific body in this fast developing south-east Asian country.
Finished garment exports from Myanmar have more than doubled from 2011-12 to 2014-15, from USD497 million to USD1.02 billion according to statistics from the country’s Central Statistical Organisation (CSO).…
PROPOSED INDUSTRIAL ZONES WOULD GREATLY BENEFIT VIETNAM GARMENT INDUSTRY
The Vietnam Textile and Apparel Association (VITAS) has welcomed proposals from Vietnam’s ministry of industry and trade to develop large textile and garment industrial zones to attract investment for dyeing and fabric and yarn production. The aim of the proposed zones, which would be 500 to 1,000 hectares in size, is to bring in investment from both local and foreign garment companies.…
ASIAN COUNTRIES DEREGULATING ENERGY MARKETS
THE ENERGY market in Asia is one of the most dynamic sectors in the region, and so government policy and regulation is having to be nimble and flexible, trying to coax production in a sustainable direction.
Take the deregulation of Japan’s household electricity market, which went into effect on April 1.…
PERSONAL CARE PRODUCT SECTOR WELCOMES EU-JAPAN TRADE DEAL
THE PERSONAL care product sectors of the European Union (EU) and Japan have welcomed the agreement in principle of an Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between the two jurisdictions, saying it will promote and ease trade.
Dubbed by the European Commission as “the most important bilateral trade agreement ever concluded by the EU”, the deal will fully eliminate mutual duties on all cosmetic products, an industrial sector the Commission notes as “very competitive”.…
IN VIETNAM, COATINGS DEMAND EASILY OUTPACING STRONG ECONOMIC GROWTH
Vigorous expansion of export-oriented manufacturing and construction in 2015 spurred the fastest GDP growth in Vietnam in seven years, at 6.7% year-on-year, according to the Asian Development Bank. And although coatings consumption correlates generally well with economic growth, in Vietnam the 2015 year-on-year coatings production increase outpaced general economic expansion – it rose 11.1% year-on -year in 2015, to Vietnamese dong VND13 trillion (USD587 million), according to market researcher Euromonitor International.…
JAPAN PAINT AND COATINGS SECTOR HAS WEAK YEAR, BUT HOME-BASED PAINT SALES OUTLOOK IS POSITIVE
Paint and varnish manufacturers in Japan experienced a disappointing 2015, with sluggish purchasing from the construction and automotive sectors translating into meagre 0.3% growth over the fiscal year. Analysts predict that growth will pick up in the short term, in part as a result of a spike in demand from the construction sector ahead of Tokyo hosting the 2020 Olympic Games – although industry players are concerned about the longer-term outlook for the sector.…
NIKOLAY GARNEV BUILDS ACCOUNTING CAREER IN CHALLENGING BULGARIA, AS COUNTRY FORGES MODERN ECONOMY
BUILDING a career in auditing in what is often regarded as the most corrupt country in the European Union (EU) is not for the faint-hearted, but that is what Nikolay Garnev, EY manging partner for Bulgaria, Macedonia, Albania and Kosovo, has done.…
THAI AUTO SECTOR AWAITING SHOT IN THE ARM AMID PROSPECT OF TARIFF-FREE EXPORTS TO VIETNAM
Thailand-based automotive original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are set to benefit from the expansion of an existing auto tariff-free zone to Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) members Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam in 2018. These would then join this ASEAN-linked trading zone’s member countries Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand to forge an ASEAN-wide automotive market bloc.…
AUTOMAKERS SAY EU LOW EMISSION PLAN TOO FOCUSED ON TECHNOLOGY
Europe’s automakers have lashed out at new European Union (EU) proposals designed to decarbonize the economy and encourage a shift to low- or no-emission options as being too focused on technology. They have also claimed it is and discriminatory because it only deals with road transport. …
CHINA WTO MARKET ECONOMY STATUS MUST BE BLOCKED: AEGIS EUROPE
The European Union (EU) needs as free hand as possible to prevent the Chinese steel industry seizing more market share with the support of the Beijing government, according to leaders of AEGIS Europe, an alliance of 30 manufacturing associations. In its strongest warning yet about Chinese dumping, overcapacity and illegal subsidies, AEGIS spokesman Milan Nitzschke told a Brussels press conference yesterday (July 11): “China is not a market economy and therefore cannot be granted Market Economy Status (MES) by the European Union” (EU) in its anti-dumping calculations.…
BREXIT POSES MAJOR UNCERTAINTY TO POWER SECTOR
THE UK’s vote on June 23 to quit the European Union (EU) creates deep uncertainty over the shape of future electricity industry regulations in Britain, and the UK’s regulatory relationship regarding power supplies with countries remaining in the EU.
Victory by the ‘Leave’ side in Britain’s in-out referendum enables the UK government to kick off an exit process by invoking Article 50 in the Treaty on European Union, which gives notice that member state wishes to leave.…
COSMETICS MARKET IN MYANMAR STARTING TO TAKE OFF
Liberalising Myanmar’s cosmetics market is expected to grow significantly in coming years as it has one of south-east Asia’s largest populations (53 million people) and a growing middle class. However, however consumer sophistication and spending power remains low compared with many countries in the region – its 2014 gross national income per head was USD1,280, according to the World Bank.…
COSMETICS AND SKINCARE BRANDS LOOK TO APPLICATORS TO BOOST USER EXPERIENCE AS WELL AS PRODUCT DELIVERY
COSMETICS and skincare brands are expecting more functionalities and innovations from applicators to help boost market share. Packaging companies are responding by developing applicators that do not just deliver product, they add to user experience, such as with rolling and massaging functions reminiscent of spa-type applications; applicators with different benefits based on its temperature; and those that ensure the hygiene of the product.…
FINLAND COSMETICS MARKET ALSO UNEVEN AS LOCAL PLAYERS FIGHT FOR AIR
Finland is always different from its neighbours across the Baltic. Not Scandinavian, but still Nordic, Finland’s personal care product market has been experiencing hard times, as the country of 5.5 million people sees its economy seesaw between contraction and mild grow (-0.7% – +0.5%) in the last three years.…
ASIAN REGULATORY ROUND UP – SINGAPORE TO ADOPT BEPS STANDARDS
SINGAPORE has promised that it will implement the base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS) project developed by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation & Development (OECD). The Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) has said it accepts profits should be taxed where real economic activities generating them are performed and where value is created.…
JAPAN CORPORATE GOVERNANCE CHANGES SEE PAST ERRORS COMING TO LIGHT
JAPAN’S non-executive board members are facing tough times – globalisation and reforms to Japanese company law are pushing major corporations to admit mistakes that have been swept under the carpet in the past.
Scandals keep on coming. The news for Mitsubishi Motors, for instance, over the last two months has been uniformly bad.…
US DEODORANT MARKET IN GOOD SHAPE
The US deodorant and antiperspirant market is in good shape, experiencing and projecting steady growth year after year in a largely saturated market where innovation is key to driving sales. Euromonitor International, the London-based market research firm, released a report in April 2016, which says the US deodorants market tends to grow “solidly” but “rarely dramatically”. …
PERSONAL CARE PRODUCT COMPANIES EMPLOY CLARITY AND ORIGINAL ART WORK TO MAXIMISE DESIGN DIFFERENTIATION
COSMETICS and personal care product labelling and decoration continues to play a key role in differentiating brands on the shelf and creating an experience for the consumer. While many companies are moving towards more simple, clean looks, other higher-end brands still prefer eye-catching, metallic designs.…
MEPS DEMAND URGENT MEASURES TO TACKLE DAIRY CRISIS
EUROPEAN Union (EU) dairy producers are suffering a prolonged crisis because of the April 2015 elimination of milk quotas; Russia’s food import ban – now extended until December 31, 2017 – and worldwide overproduction, the European Parliament has heard. Moreover, MEPs at a ‘New exceptional market measures limiting milk production’ hearing hosted by the European Parliament’s agriculture and rural development committee in Brussels on May 25 were not convinced the EU’s EUR500 million aid package agreed in September 2015 would give producers the help they need.…
MEDITECH TEXTILES MARKET CONTINUES HIGH GROWTH, WITH LARGE ASIA MARKETS A KEY FACTOR
The global meditech textiles market is expected to witness the highest growth – 4.6% from 2015 to 2022 – within the general technical textiles industry, according to an October 2015 report from US-based market research firm Grand View Research (GVR).
With the overall global technical textiles market valued at USD148.5 billion in 2014, and growing at a rate of more than 4% annually, this meditech segment is expected to be worth USD16.4 billion in 2016 and USD19.2 billion in revenues by 2020, according to India-based Future Market Insights (FMI), another market research company.…
FRANCO-JAPANESE TAKEOVER OF KANSAI AIRPORTS OFFERS NEW OWNERS MAJOR REVENUE OPPORTUNITIES
A consortium headed by France’s Vinci Airports and Orix Corp, a financial services company based in Tokyo, took over the operation of Kansai International Airport and Osaka International Airport on April 1. The Japanese government is hoping that the deal will be the first of a series of privatisations of the nation’s often under-utilised airports.…
USTR AND EUROPEAN COMMISSION CONSIDER BREXIT IMPACT ON TTIP TALKS
THE EUROPEAN Commission’s trade directorate general and the United States Trade Representative (USTR) office have said that they will be assessing the impact of Britain’s anticipated exit from the European Union (EU) on the planned EU-US Transatlantic Trade & Investment Partnership (TTIP).…
MYANMAR’S NEW CAR MARKET HELD BACK FOR NOW, BUT FUTURE GROWTH APPEARS PROMISING
Liberalising Myanmar’s potential market for new cars is significant, but growth is currently hampered by regulatory uncertainty. Although it has a population of 51 million, only 5,000 new passenger cars were sold in the country during the last financial year.
“The future is very good, potentially.…
USTR AND EUROPEAN COMMISSION CONSIDER BREXIT IMPACT ON TTIP TALKS
THE EUROPEAN Commission’s trade directorate general and the United States Trade Representative (USTR) office have said that they will be assessing the impact of Britain’s anticipated exit from the European Union (EU) on the planned EU-US Transatlantic Trade & Investment Partnership (TTIP).…
COUNTERFEITS POSE SIGNIFICANT RISK TO BRITISH WHOLSALERS
COUNTERFEIT products remain a major potential headache for wholesalers in the UK, indeed around the world, with clever fake product operations continuing to supply sophisticated copies that can fool even wary distributors.
And the risks of a fake slipping through the net and ending up on a retailer’s shelf can be very serious.…
JAPANESE INVESTMENTS AND MACHINERY SALES FITTING VIETNAM UP FOR TEXTILE RULE OF ORIGINS COMPLIANCE
Japanese engagement in Vietnam’s textile and garment sectors continues to strengthen discernibly, as the southeast Asian manufacturing centre is set to become a global clothing exporting powerhouse under the newly concluded free trade agreements. These include the Vietnam-European Union free trade deal (EVFTA) and the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), which will give Vietnamese exporters better access to American markets.…
BRAZIL TEXTILE SECTOR MUST INVEST AND INNOVATE TO EXPORT AND SURVIVE – ABIT CONFERENCE TOLD
BRAZIL’S textile sector needs to look to boost exports by producing quality products to survive the current recession, a major industry conference has been told. Brazilian textile and yarns makers must invest, innovate and globalise if they want to ride out the recession, said the majority of speakers addressing the International ABIT Congress, organised by the Brazilian Textile and Apparel Industry Association (ABIT – Associação Brasileira da Indústria Têxtil e de Confecção), staged in São Paulo on June 1 and 2.…
CHINA UPSET OVER USA WTO DISPUTE ACTION OVER CHINESE BROILER PRODUCT IMPORT DUTIES
THE CHINESE government is upset that the USA has demanded that a World Trade Organisation (WTO) disputes panel probes whether it has complied with an earlier 2013 order to reform China’s anti-dumping and countervailing duties on American broiler chicken product exports.…
UK BREXIT VOTE SPARKS REGULATORY AND MARKET ACCESS UNCERTAINTY FOR NUCLEAR INDUSTRY
THE UK’s vote last Thursday (June 23) to quit the European Union (EU) creates deep uncertainty over the shape of future nuclear industry regulations in Britain. The same applies to EU market access for British nuclear fuel and component companies or exporters from the rest of the EU wanting to target British nuclear operators.…
YAKULT PLOTS EXPANSION IN MYANMAR AND UAE
JAPAN’S probiotic product specialist Yakult Honsha Co Ltd has told just-food that it plans to launch a production facility by 2017 on the outskirts of Myanmar’s commercial capital Yangon.
The company has already set up a subsidiary to operate Myanmar work (in 2015), where it wants to tap into growing local demand for dairy products.…
JAPAN HELPS ANGOLA RESTORE TEXTILE SECTOR AS AFRICANS SEEK TO DIVERSIFY ECONOMY
Japanese international trading house Marubeni Corp has teamed up with clothing and textile management consultants Werner International, of the USA, in rehabilitating a textiles factory in Angola to produce denim and knitwear products. The move is part of a long term plan by the Angolan government to restore its clothing and textile sector, which was severely damaged by the country’s civil war, which lasted from 1975 to 2002.…
TAX OFFICIALS LAY TECHNICAL GROUNDWORK FOR REALISING GRAND BEPS AND COUNTRY REPORTING SCHEMES
THE PRINCIPLES of preventing multinationals shifting profits to low tax jurisdictions and hiding revenues through opaque and complex company structures have been welcomed, and have grabbed big headlines.
But the ability of tax administrations to achieve these goals, in cooperation with accountants and auditors, will depend on detailed and transparent reporting systems, that enable tax offices to swap reports on multiple revenue flows that cross national borders.…
EU TIGHTENS ANTI-TERROR FINANCE CONTROLS ON A BROAD FRONT
THE EUROPEAN Parliament is calling on the European Union (EU) to set up a watchdog to oversee transactions with virtual currencies such as Bitcoin to prevent their use to fund terrorism. The call, in a May 26 resolution, comes as the bloc goes all out to close off funding sources for terrorists, notably Islamic State (IS), following the Paris and Brussels terror attacks:
*A draft EU directive on combating terrorism – currently on the negotiating table – would make it a crime across the EU to fund terrorism directly or indirectly, including paying for fighters to travel;
*A November 2015 decision at the EU Council of Ministers for justice and home affairs ordered the establishment of a European Counter Terrorism Centre (ECTC) at Europol on January 1, to be “an enhanced central information hub” where member states car share information for operational coordination.…
NORTH AMERICAN NONWOVENS SECTOR LEAPS AHEAD IN SALES AND PRODUCTION
In 2015, North America’s manufacturing capacity for nonwovens (regarding the United States, Canada and Mexico) grew from 2014 by 2.4% to reach about 2.77 million tonnes, according to a spokesperson for the US-based Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry (INDA). The United States dominates supplies in the region, making up 91% of capacity.…
INDONESIA’S BODY CARE SECTOR GROWS ON THE BACK GROWING POPULATION AND SURGING INCOME
INDONESIAN consumers are becoming increasingly brand-savvy as their incomes surge, driving up the country’s body care product market. As of 2015, this retail segment generated USD169.41 million in sales, and is expected to reach USD245.09 million by 2020, according to Ghina Romani, a researcher with the London-based market intelligence company Canadean.…
SMUGGLING OF COUNTERFEIT COSMETICS IN AND OUT OF CHINA CONTINUES TO BOOM
Seizures of contraband cosmetics have become an increasingly common sight on local TV in China. A recent case in point (this March – 2016) saw 1,488 boxes of South Korean cosmetics seized from a forty-foot container in the east coast port city of Qinhuangdao, about 300km east of Beijing.…
MIDDLE CLASS LIFESTYLES BOOSTS INDONESIA’S MOSQUITO NET DEMAND
Indonesia’s mosquito net industry is facing high demand due to the growing number of middle class consumers in the country and their increasing desire to live a more natural lifestyle, according to Citra Maya, an Indonesian mosquito net supplier.
Arif Novianto, a marketing manager at Citra Maya, told WTiN.com…
TURKMENISTAN COULD INCREASE TEXTILE AND COTTON SUPPLIES TO RUSSIAN TEXTILE AND CLOTHING SECTOR
Russia and Turkmenistan have discussed selling an increased level of textile and cotton products from this central Asian country on the Russian market, according to a report from the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation.
At a high-level meeting in March between the chamber’s vice-president Alexander Rybakov, and the Turkmen ambassador to Russia, Berdymurad Redzhepov, the two countries raised the prospect of greater cotton exports.…
EU STEPS UP SUPPORT FOR EUROPEAN DAIRY SECTOR AS OPTIMISM GROWS ABOUT END TO RUSSIAN BAN
As the European Union (EU) dairy industry continues to face challenges, it is calling for EU institutions and member governments to have a greater focus on resolving Russia’s ban on EU agricultural goods, while continuing to open up new markets. In the meantime, the Russian ban has not helped an oversupply problem that is depressing prices.…
INDONESIA’S BODY CARE SECTOR GROWS ON THE BACK GROWING POPULATION AND SURGING INCOME
INDONESIAN consumers are becoming increasingly brand-savvy as their incomes surge, driving up the country’s body care product market. As of 2015, this retail segment generated USD169.41 million in sales, and is expected to reach USD245.09 million by 2020, according to Ghina Romani, a researcher with the London-based market intelligence company Canadean.…
PRECISION, PERSONALISATION, PORTABILITY AND HIGH-TECH INSPIRE COSMOPROF AND COSMOPACK LAUNCHES
ITALY’s parallel Cosmoprof and Cosmopack shows always push quality in key aspects of the personal care product industry and its 2016 edition was all about precision, personalisation, portable beauty and high-tech beauty solutions
An innovative new beauty product presented at this year’s 49th edition of the international beauty trade show, Cosmoprof Worldwide Bologna [March 18-21, 2016] proves that, like smart-fashion, the cosmetics and personal care sector is ready for portable technology.…
JAPAN COSMETICS SALES BOOSTED BY TOURIST BOOM
Japan’s struggles with an ageing and declining population have been a frequent sources of angst for many sectors of the national economy in recent years, not least the cosmetics and personal care products industry. And while its domestic sales maintained moderate growth in the three years from 2012, there has been concern about the plateau that Japanese consumers would inevitably reach and the decline that would follow.…
JAPAN COSMETICS SALES BOOSTED BY TOURIST BOOM
Japan’s struggles with an ageing and declining population have been a frequent sources of angst for many sectors of the national economy in recent years, not least the cosmetics and personal care products industry. And while its domestic sales maintained moderate growth in the three years from 2012, there has been concern about the plateau that Japanese consumers would inevitably reach and the decline that would follow.…
INNOVATION LEAPS AHEAD IN RAILWAY ENERGY SYSTEMS
INNOVATIVE ways of powering trains are poised for mainstream use in the global transport industry. Today, the most common trains are still those powered by diesel engines, but there is a continuing shift towards electricity and alternative power sources.
“With rail expected to play an increasingly important role in future transport systems…there is a lot of focus on how it should be more energy efficient,” said Andrew Foulkes, a communications manager at Ricardo Rail, a UK-based railway engineering and consultancy firm.…
KEEPING COMPETITIVE KEY TO GROWTH IN MEAT MARKET, SAYS COPA-COGECA HEAD
How to remain competitive in the face of falling meat consumption is the main challenge facing the meat and livestock industry today, Pekka Pesonen, secretary general of European Union (EU) farmers’ organisation Copa-Cogeca, has told GlobalMeatNews.
In an exclusive interview held as the EU body launched its #livestockcounts #enjoyagrifood campaign, promoting quality European meat consumption, Pesonen said: “We must ensure the added value of eating high quality meat as part of a balanced diet is communicated effectively to the consumer.”…
NEW ZEALAND BUTTER SALES GROW, BUT DRIVEN BY QUALITY, NOT TRADE DEALS
New Zealand’s butter producers may be a global force in this key dairy segment, but they have regarded the groundbreaking Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement with scepticism. Negotiations for the TPP produced a deal last October (2015), and although New Zealand dairy giant Fonterra and the DairyNZ producers association declared they had secured increased access to some key markets – Japan, Canada and the United States all increased butter quotas to varying degrees – there was general agreement that the gains had been modest.…
BANGLADESH CONTINUES INTEGRATED STEEL PRODUCTION GROWTH WITH GPH PLANNING NEW BILLET AND LONG PRODUCT PLANT
Bangladesh’s GPH Ispat Ltd has announced it is building a major integrated steel plant in south-eastern Chittagong city, as the country’s steel sector continues to develop its billet production capacity. The company says is expecting robust demand for long products and billets enabling their production as the Bangladesh government responds to continuing economic growth by financing public infrastructure projects. …
VIETNAM PREPARES GROUND TO ATTRACT CRUCIAL FOREIGN TEXTILE INVESTMENT
THE VIETNAMESE textile industry and government is planning to overcome poor productivity and a serious shortage of textile and dyeing materials to better leverage Vietnam’s inclusion in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal.
According to an estimation by the Vietnam National Textile and Garment Group (Vinatex), Vietnam will need up to USD15 billion’s investment to bring its mills and dyeing houses to a point where local textile sourcing can facilitate compliance with the TPP’s rules of origins, as regards domestic sourcing.…
EU TO NEGOTIATE BILATERAL SAFETY AGREEMENTS WITH JAPAN AND CHINA
THE EUROPEAN Commission has announced that it will negotiate new bilateral aviation safety agreements for European Union (EU), with China and Japan. The EU already has struck such deals with the USA, Canada and Brazil. They involve cooperation over airport and air traffic management safety, plus testing and maintenance of aeronautical components, ensuring safe air operations and flight crew licensing.…
AIRLESS PACKAGING GIVES BRANDS CUTTING EDGE IN GLOBAL MARKET COMPETITIVENESS
Airless packaging producers around the world are increasingly giving brands a cutting edge in market competitiveness – the technology is spreading in North America, Asia and Europe, although it is struggling to find footholds in Latin America.
In the most mature airless packaging markets within north America and Europe, companies have introduced innovations combining airless technology’s protection of product with extra features that allow, for example, more precise application and help brands with customisation.…
ASIA-INSPIRED COMPACTS PACKAGING GROWS IN POPULARITY WORLDWIDE
With the desire for packaging beauty being an integral part of north-east Asian consumer culture, it is perhaps no surprise that Japanese and South Korean cosmetics companies have led the way with compacts – whose popularity is spreading worldwide.
The ultimate combination of utility and design, when Japanese cosmetics companies start developing a new compact product, its packaging needs to meet two basic requirements: it has to delight the user with the way it looks, and it must be easy and convenient to use.…
INDONESIA COATINGS SECTOR GROWS STRONGLY AS COUNTRY’S HOUSING, AUTOMOTIVE AND INFRASTRUCTURE SECTORS EXPAND
Rising affluence, together with growth across feeder industries are translating into solid results for the Indonesian coatings sector. The paints and varnishes market in the country generated sales of Indonesian Rupiah IDR24,733 billion (USD1.9 billion) in 2014 according to the latest data available from market researcher Euromonitor International.…
JAPANESE COMPANIES KEEP THEIR COUNSEL OVER BREXIT – BUT SOME COULD QUIT BRITAIN IF UK LEAVES THE EU
Almost certainly the vast majority of UK-based Japanese-owned businesses want Britain to stay in the European Union (EU) after the in-out EU membership referendum planned for June 23.
However, few companies have stated this publicly and no Japanese company has yet said it would move elsewhere if there was a vote to leave.…
POSITIVE OUTLOOK FOR US PAINTS AND COATINGS MARKET IN 2016
The 2016 outlook for the US paints and coatings industry remains positive, with experts predicting growth thanks to a resilient US economy, a strong performance by the manufacturing industry, and notable new trade agreements.
According to IBISWorld, a global market research company, the US paints and coatings industry bounced back quickly from the financial economic crisis beginning in 2008.…
UAE FRAGRANCE MARKET DIVERTS TO THE NICHE AND EXCLUSIVE
THE UNITED Arab Emirates’ (UAE) fragrance retail market (unisex and those targeted at female and male consumers) experienced healthy growth in 2015 compared to 2014, increasing 8% in value terms to reach Emirati Dirham AED2.23 billion (USD607.2 million), according to market researchers Euromonitor International.…
CHINA GARMENT MAKERS MOVE OUT, OR MOVE ONLINE
ONCE clothing sourcing was all about China. No longer. Recent years have seen a continuous decline in China’s export industry, especially in labour-intensive sectors such as clothing and shoe manufacturing, because of rising labour costs and an appreciating Chinese Yuan Renminbi (CNY or RMB).…
OUTSOURCING COUNTRIES KEEN TO USE OR IMPROVE ON EU GSP+ TRADE ACCESS STATUS
SPECIAL trade access to developed countries is always a boon to emerging market suppliers, and the European Union’s (EU) GSP+ system is especially sought after, and – noted a recent European Commission report – widely utilised.
GSP+ suspends EU duties on 66% of EU tariff lines, while for standard GSP, these same duties are merely reduced.…
INDIAN GOVERNMENT SUPPORT WELCOMED AS WAY TO GROW TECHNICAL TEXTILE SECTOR
THE INDIAN government’s decision to increase its available subsidies to help companies purchase new textile machinery from 10% to 15% will boost the investment in the country’s technical textile sector, which has been struggling to build big capacities.
Under the ‘Amended Technology Upgradation Fund Scheme (TUFS)’, from January 14 (2016), a producer of technical textiles can avail itself of up to USD4.5 million as capital investment subsidy.…
SECONDARY PACKAGERS COMBINE OFFER ALLURING GLIMPSES OF PRODUCTS TO ATTRACT ONLINE SALES
Boxes are not known for their excitement, but personal care product companies are making secondary packaging more alluring by designing them to give consumers an enticing glimpse of the goods inside. They are also using their collective imaginations to create aesthetically desirable mixes of different materials and textures, maybe combining these with visually arresting spatial design.…
CHINESE TOURISM SHIFTS GEARS TO ESPECIALLY BENEFIT JAPAN, KOREAN BRANDS
Chinese tourism is changing the locations where cosmetics are sold internationally – and also changing how corporations are marketing to a savvier and better travelled breed of Chinese consumers, according to a detailed research report by a Hong Kong investment bank.…
AUSTRALASIAN CONFECTIONERY MANUFACTURERS THINK TRADE DEALS WILL HELP EXPORTS
Australian and New Zealand confectionery and ice cream manufacturers have been broadly supportive of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement that was finalised towards the end of 2015, recognising the potential for securing export sales in lucrative Asian markets. That said, there is some caution, given the TPP delivers more potential for America’s juggernaut of a confectionery sector to roll into local stores.…
ASIAN POWDER COATING MANUFACTURERS SEEK MULTI-FUNCTIONALITY TO SUCCEED IN COMPETITIVE MARKET
MANUFACTURERS of powder coatings in Asia are creating multiple applications products, such as combined fire retardants and anti-bacterial materials, whilst looking to maximise the use of sustainable ingredients. Producers in Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea especially continue to produce innovative solutions.…
GULF CORPORATE GENDER DIVERSITY REQUIRES A FUNDAMENTAL CHANGE IN MANAGEMENT STYLE
Changing management styles is key the success of corporate gender diversity initiatives in the Gulf region and elsewhere, participants of a recent networking breakfast hosted by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) have concurred.
Entitled ‘Lead the Change: increasing gender diversity to boost performance’, the event was held on February 7 at the Shangri-La Dubai hotel and was attended by more than 60 CFOs and senior finance professionals.…
OECD SAYS AUTO MANUFACTURERS CAN PROFIT FROM FOLLOWING TOUGHER GREEN REGULATIONS
Automotive industry experts seem to agree – past concerns that tough environmental laws could force auto-manufacturing from a green jurisdiction to a country or region with laxer controls, no longer see to apply.
In doing so, industry specialists are backing the conclusions of a new report from the world’s largest think-tank, the Paris-based Organisation for Economic Co-operation & Development (OECD), which said following tighter environmental rules can be good business.…
PAKISTAN OFFERS IMPORT DUTY BREAKS TO LURE NEW FOREIGN AUTO MAKERS INTO ESTABLISHING NEW PLANTS
THE PAKISTAN government has unveiled a new five-year industrial plan aimed at growing the country’s automotive manufacturing sector. The government says it will waive import duties on materials and technology needed to establish new auto plants in Pakistan and also reduce import duties charged on auto parts once these factories are operational.…
INDONESIA FACES TOUGH REGIONAL COMPETITION, BUT INDUSTRY IS OPTIMISTIC ABOUT FUTURE SUCCESS
Free trade agreements with the United States and Europe are essential if the Indonesian textile market is to flourish and compete with strong regional rivals, according to analysts and sector leaders.
The Indonesian government has said it wants to sign the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement agreed by 12 Pacific Rim countries last October (2015).…
MYANMAR PLOTS ITS OWN BORDER TEXTILE HUB TO RIVAL THAILAND INDUSTRIAL ZONE MAE SOT
THE MYANMAR government is pushing ahead with developing a textile and clothing industry hub at Myawaddy, just over the border from key Thailand manufacturing zone Mae Sot, which has prospered from access to cheap Burmese labour and Thai tax breaks.
This has long annoyed Myanmar government officials, who decided they wanted to build an industrial zone on their side of the border.…
OECD SAYS GREEN REGULATIONS CAN OFFER ADVANTAGES TO TEXTILE MANUFACTURERS
A report released yesterday (Mar 10) by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation & Development (OECD) has advised textile manufacturers to support government efforts to tighten environmental rules, saying they are unlikely to cause a loss of business.
The report is an attempt to dispel the widely-held view that tighter environmental rules increase costs and damages business – especially in emerging market manufacturing hubs.…
EUROPEAN COMMISSION GETS TOUGH OVER FOREIGN PROCUREMENT DISCRIMINATION – BUT TEXTILE INDUSTRY WANTS FAIR DEALING TO SPRING FROM TRADE DEALS
A new bid by the European Union (EU) to open up public procurement contracts in world markets to all competitors has run into immediate trouble in the textiles sector where the US industry has launched a swift and forceful (though hardly unexpected) rejection of the idea.…
EUROPEAN AUTO INDUSTRY PRESSES EUROPEAN COMMISSION TO PUSH AHEAD WITH ROLL-OUT OF INTEGRATED INTELLIGENT TRANSPORT SYSTEMS
THE EUROPEAN Commission is incorporating the latest guidance from the European auto industry into its plan for rolling-out connected cars across the European Union (EU), drawing on advice from manufacturers favouring swift, coordinated deployment. A key, stressed a report published in January by the Commission, the EU’s executive, is for the installation of ‘cooperative intelligent transport systems’ (C-ITS) allowing vehicles to communicate with other vehicles, other road users, traffic signals and roadside infrastructure.…
BANGLADESH APPETITE FOR SCRAP RISES AS NEW FURNACES COME ONLINE
Bangladesh’s imports of scrap metal has risen sharply as local steel millers turn to billet production, bolstering supplies encouraged by growing demand for finished products, Steel First has learnt.
Industry insiders said the south Asian nation imported around 1.5 million tonnes of steel and iron scrap in 2015 and estimates suggest that annual imports could surge to around 2.5 million tonnes by the end of this year.…
JAPAN DEVELOPMENT ORGANISATIONS AIM TO BOOST PAKISTAN TEXTILE EXPORTS
JAPANESE development agencies are working to increase the level of textile imports sourced from Pakistan. The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), based in Yokohama, is presently in discussions with the government of Pakistan about ways in which Japanese overseas development aid might be best put to use to assist this sector – of critical importance to the overall Pakistani economy.…
ASIA REGULATORY ROUND UP - CHINA TIGHTENS MONEY LAUNDERING REPORTING REQUIREMENTS
CHINA’S central bank, the People’s Bank of China (PBC), has issued a new anti-money laundering and terror finance reporting requirements for all financial institutions inside the country. The rules come into force July 1. They cover banks, brokers, foreign exchange, online and mobile payment systems and insurance companies, who will have to file reports to the central bank, via their headquarters or via representative institutions, if a client requires daily cash transactions exceeding Chinese Yuan Renminbi CNY50,000 (USD7,261) or a larger amount of USD10,000’s worth in foreign currency.…
INDIA FOOD FORUM – THE CHANGING INDIAN FOOD CONSUMER - BRIEFING
MILLENNIAL CONSUMERS ARE SHAKING UP INDIAN MARKET
The emergence of the millennial generation – those born between 1980 and the early 2000’s – is going to drive how consumption, including that of food, takes place in India, according to retail and manufacturing heads at the India Food Forum, which was held in Mumbai between January 19 and 21.…
BRUSSELS AIRPORT TO EXPAND CONNECTOR TO NON-SCHENGEN FLIGHTS
THE NUMBER of mainland Chinese tourists visiting Hong Kong and Macao is set to fall sharply, and while Chinese travellers are becoming more enamoured with longer-haul destinations such as Australia and the US, worries over safety is weakening demand for visiting France.…
DOG DODGES CUSTOMS CONTROLS IN SUITCASE STOWAWAY CAPER
A MINIATURE schnauzer embarrassed baggage screeners at Hong Kong International Airport and New Chitose Airport, Sapporo, Japan, passing undetected on and off an international flight, hidden in a suitcase. The dog’s Hong Kong owner claimed that his pet had hopped covertly into unattended baggage at home, covering itself with clothes.…
BANGLADESH HOME TEXTILE GIANT PONDERS DIGITAL PUSH
Bangladesh’s top textiles makers are racing against time to alter the way they print fabric. The reason is simple: go digital or risk losing a competitive edge.
Vertically integrated textile manufacturing major Noman Group told Digital Textile that it is carefully considering digital textile investments.…
PERSONAL CARE PRODUCT SECTOR STRUGGLES TO MAINTAIN SALES IN UNSTABLE MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA
Five years since the start of the Arab uprisings in 2011, instability is still impacting cosmetics sales in the Levant and north Africa. Last year saw a slight improvement on overall sales in 2014, the year the Islamic State spread through northern Iraq and Syria, but figures are down on 2013, and the growth projected in 2010, according to figures from market researcher Euromonitor International and estimates from cosmetics companies.…
PRIVATE LABEL RETAILERS AND SUPPLIERS FOCUS ON QUALITY TO GET A HEAD-START OVER BIG BRANDS
PRIVATE label brands for cosmetics and personal care products are attracting consumers with an increasingly wide range of offerings that stress their value-added nature, as well as affordable prices. Reflecting private labels’ innate reliance on quality and function rather than image, manufacturers supplying these products have been especially focusing on using scents to add value, from traditional florals to more adventurous notes.…
JAPAN COSMETIC IMPORT ASSOCIATIONS WELCOME NEW LIBERALISATION OF PRODUCT CONTROLS
European cosmetics companies have applauded the decision by the Japanese government to abolish from January 1 import notifications on cosmetics and quasi-drugs as “great progress.”
The changes announced by Japan’s ministry of health labour and welfare have come after many years of pressure for change, notably by the European Business Council in Japan (EBC),, whose member companies say the new rules will “significantly simplify import procedures”.…
RUSSIA/EGYPT NUCLEAR POWER PLANT DEAL FACES TECHNICAL AND SECURITY CHALLENGES BUT HAS POLITICAL FAIR WIND
WHILE Russia has signed an agreement deal to build a nuclear power plant (NPP) in Egypt, a move that would give the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region its only NPP with third generation plus technology, significant obstacles remain before operations could be launched.…
MEAT SUPPLIER AWAITS VERDICT ON CRUNCH FOOD SAFETY TRIAL
Many eyes are trained on the Jiading district people’s court in Shanghai this week, which is due to deliver a verdict in the trial of staff from two subsidiaries of the OSI Group LLC, the Illinois-based US meat firm that is a major meat supplier in China.…
JAPAN COMMISSION CALLS FOR CHILD SAFE MEDICINE PACKS
Japan’s Consumer Safety Investigation Commission has called on the government to require medicine manufacturers to introduce child-resistant packaging. In a report to the country’s ministry of health, labour and welfare, the commission stressed the risks posed by young children’s tendency to put things into their mouths.…
MULTI-FUNCTIONALITY HELPS PROTECTIVE COATINGS COMPANIES MARKET THEIR WARES
Innovative protective coatings have always been marked on their ability to deliver a function with excellence. However, there is real marketing gold where companies can demonstrate that coatings deliver a range of protective functions at the same time, such as waterproofing, insulating, and protecting aesthetics.…
FACING WAGE HIKES IN 2016, ASEAN GARMENT MANUFACTURERS TRY LIFTING PRODUCTIVITY VIA AMBITIOUS TRAINING PROGRAMMES
MANY garment manufacturers in the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) block will have to cope with raises to the minimum wages in 2016. The move comes as ASEAN launches its Economic Community (ASEAN EC) on December 31, easing labour movement across the region.…
COSMETICS BRANDS AND RETAILERS JOCKEY FOR POSITION IN WEAKENING CHINESE ECONOMY
If the 2013 and 2014 were all about the rise of South Korean personal care product brands in China, then 2015 was the year that regional currency wars and weaker economic sentiment at home dictated how Chinese consumers spent on cosmetics and toiletries.…
CHINA FACIAL CARE MARKET SEES WESTERN PLAYERS INCREASINGLY CHALLENGED BY LOCAL COMPETITORS
IT has been a tough year for China’s growing economy, which has experienced some unexpected faltering in 2015, but facial care product sales have continued to surge ahead.
Retailers of these products have posted strong and sustained growth rates, increasing by 8% in the whole of 2014 to Chinese Yuan Renminbi – CNY142 billion (USD22.1 billion) and are estimated to have grown by another 10.2% in 2015, to CNY (also known as RMB) 156.4 billion, according to market researcher Euromonitor International.…
GLOBAL DEMAND SURGES FOR HIPSTER BEARD CARE
The rise of hipsters and the appeal of the bearded lumberjack look, dubbed ‘lumbersexual’, in recent years has led to a rapid growth in beard and moustache care products sector worldwide. Specialty products such as beard oil and conditioners, as well as tools such as beard brushes, have become necessities for many men with facial hair.…
REGULATORS MOVE SLOWLY TOWARDS SPECIAL CONTROLS FOR NANOMATERIALS
NANOTECHNOLOGY can deliver impressive new functionality to personal care products, but with health risks still unclear, regulators and researchers are developing new testing methods to underpin monitoring and controls.
The European Union (EU) especially is seeking alternatives methods to animal testing to determine the safety of nanomaterials in cosmetics products.…
CHINA TELLS WTO RARE EARTH EXPORT RESTRICTIONS ARE GONE
THE CHINESE government has told a meeting of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Dispute Settlement Body that it has complied with WTO rulings last August (2014) telling it to remove export duties and export quotas of rare earths. However, US diplomats told the meeting Washington was sceptical that China had properly liberalised trade in these critically important industrial minerals.…
KOBE EYES STEEL WELDING SALES IN BANGLADESH’S SHIPBUILDING SECTOR
Japan’s Kobe Steel’s (Kobelco) has entered the Bangladesh market as it aims to gain a toehold in the south Asian nation’s growing shipbuilding sector, focusing on high titanium oxide-based welding rods designed to connect mild steel sheets. The third-largest steel maker in Japan, annual revenues of USD16 billion has already delivered 100 tonnes of welding electrodes, which will be marketed among shipbuilders by its local partner TSI Marine Ltd.…
URUGUAYAN BEEF EXPORTS ON THE RISE, DESPITE RUSSIAN RECESSION
Uruguay’s meat exports are rising, with growing production, aggressive promotions and wide access to global markets boosting sales despite a slump in Russian sales. Exports of offal, meat and byproducts increased 8.2% to USD659 million in the year through May 9, compared with USD609 million year-on-year and rose 16% in volume terms to 171,401 tonnes from 147,868 tonnes over the same period, according to the country’s National Institute of Meat (INAC – Instituto Nacional de Carnes).…
VIETNAM GARMENT SECTOR SET TO INCREASE RELIANCE ON US YARN AFTER GAINING TPP FREE-TARIFF TREATMENT
Although the final details of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement have yet to be agreed, it is all but certain that the TPP’s free-tariff treatment for Vietnamese garments will see substantial amounts of yarn being shipped from US textile mills to garment factories in Vietnam, with the resulting clothing returning to the USA as finished ‘Made in Vietnam’ products.…
EU BEEF FARMERS CALL FOR EUROPEAN COMMISSION HELP, ESPECIALLY ON LOOSENING SPS RESTRICTIONS
European Union (EU) beef farmers have called for help finding new markets to make up for the loss of exports to Russia in the wake of the crisis over Ukraine.
Jean Pierre Fleury, chairman of EU farm and livestock producer association Copa-Cogeca’s beef working party, has issued a plea to the European Commission, calling on it “to take urgent action to improve the EU beef market situation.”…
MYANMAR SETS SIGHTS ON USD2 BILLION GARMENTS EXPORTS
Myanmar has set a target for garment export earnings at USD2 billion for the 2015-16 fiscal year. “Myanmar’s export volume last year was USD1.46 billion – however we are yet to receive data from Germany and Latin America. Our expectation is that when we do, it will stand at USD1.5 billion,” said U Myint Soe, chairman of the Myanmar Garment Manufacturers Association (MGMA).…
LOWER COST ASIAN OUTSOURCERS ALSO BOOST SUSTAINABILITY PERFORMANCE
Sustainability improvements in the Asian outsourced clothing and textile sector are far from being the sole preserve of China. In Cambodia, Tonlé, a sustainable garment-making firm based in Phnom Penh, obtains 90% of its fabric from factory cut-out and 10% through sustainable suppliers to make a zero-waste clothing line.…
INDIA’S HAIR CARE PRODUCT MARKET IS GROWING FAST
THE INDIAN hair care market – estimated at being worth Indian Rupees INR152 billion (USD 2.3 billion) in 2013-14 (Source: Madras Consultancy Group) is growing, through the young and thriving Indian middle class, a general retail boom and cosmetics and personal care product marketers targeting smaller towns and rural areas.…
US BODY CARE PRODUCTS SECTOR GROWTH SOARS AFTER END OF RECESSION
Following a period of recession-induced stagnation, business in the US body care product industry is back with a vengeance. Driven by a combination of seasonal and demographic factors, Americans spent just over USD2.9 billion, USD9.23 per person, on body care products in 2014.…
CONFECTIONERY AND SWEET BAKERY FLAVOURING INNOVATIONS DRAW FROM MANY TASTE CULTURES
A WIDE range of flavouring innovations continue to emerge in the global confectionery and sweet bakery industry as brands look to differentiate themselves with new formulations, unusual concepts, and novel natural products. Speaking to Confectionery Production, Lindsey Bagley, a UK-based technical consultant to the global food industry, observed that extensive research is taking place in the flavouring industry.…
REGULATORY ROUND UP – SINGAPORE RELEASES SYSTEMIC BANK LIST
THE MONETARY Authority of Singapore (MAS) has published a system for identifying and supervising domestic systemically important banks (D-SIBs) in Singapore. The authority has also released an inaugural list, including the DBS Bank; the Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation; the United Overseas Bank; Citibank; the Malayan Banking Berhad; the Standard Chartered Bank; and the HSBC.…
VIETNAM TEXTILE EXPO GROWTH IS BAROMETER FOR TPP DEAL ANTICIPATIONS
Vietnam held its annual Vietnam Saigon Textile & Industry Expo in combination with the Vietnam Saigon Garment & Accessories Machinery Expo from April 9-12, the double event serving as a barometer for the sectors’ high expectations about the country joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal.…
SPECIALIST GROUP AIMS TO KEEP IKAT SILK DYEING TRADITION ALIVE IN CAMBODIA
A SPECIALIST silk organisation is working to keep alive the traditional process of Cambodia Ikat silk dyeing. It involves yarns being tied into segments and dyed separately – using all natural dyes before hand-weaving these into patterned fabric. The process, said Seila Polham, the founder of Khmer Artisanry, is “complicated and time consuming” – but it is what sets this traditional segment of textiles in Cambodia apart from machine-produced chemical dyed silk widely available in the market.…
MYANMAR OPENS ITS DOORS TO HIGH QUALITY MEAT IMPORTS FROM BRAZIL, JAPAN AND US
MYANMAR will soon be importing more high quality pork and beef products following discussions in March between Myanmar’s Meat Industry Board and representatives of meat producers from the United States, Japan and Brazil, the Meat Industry Board (MIB) told globalmeatnews.com.
High quality meats have been imported to Myanmar in low quantities in the past, said U Win Sein, vice-chairperson of the Myanmar Livestock Federation.…
BRUSSELS EXTRA SPENDS TO PROMOTE EU MEAT SALES IN FACE OF RUSSIAN BAN
THE POLISH, Scottish, Austrian and Belgian meat sectors are significant winners in the latest announcement of European Union (EU) marketing financing designed to help food companies seize more sales within and outside the EU.
They will benefit from multi-million Euro sales and marketing programmes, 50% funded by the EU, announced yesterday (Tues April 21).…
AUSTRALIAN ‘TRUE AUSSIE’ QUALITY CAMPAIGN PROMOTING MEAT EXPORTS
AUSTRALIA’s push to re-define its agricultural produce under a unified name -‘True Aussie’ that signifies products are clean, green and safe – is helping the countries meat exporters, claim industry leaders.
In Japan alone 50% of Australian beef packs sold at retail now carry this logo, Meat and Livestock Australia International Business Manager in Japan, Andrew Cox told GlobalMeatNews.…
CHINA GARMENT MANUFACTURING LOSSES MAYBE EXAGGERATED, BUT INDIA AND BANGLADESH ARE GROWING SALES
After years of strong economic growth, salaries of Chinese clothing makers have increased, resulting in more expensive Chinese textiles and clothing manufacturing. But while cheaper outsourcing locations such as Cambodia, Vietnam, Bangladesh and India have picked up the slack, experts both in China and abroad have yet to buy into the notion that garment production is dramatically shifting out of China.…
EXPERIENCE AND EXPERTISE IS CRITICAL TO HELP BUYERS AVOID PITFALLS WHEN SWITCHING SUPPLIERS
Changing textile and other input suppliers may be fraught with difficulties, but it is key to the role of any clothing buyer.
“It can be extremely difficult,” said Emma Wilson, buyer for UK-based specialist sourcing agency Smartway. “There are issues such as quality, lead-times and monitoring the supplier.”…
PANASONIC’S MODEL COMMUNITY BREAKS GROUND IN ENERGY NETWORK SOPHISTICATION
TOWNS of the future – efficient, energy-neutral, safe and truly communal – may look a lot like the Fujisawa Sustainable Smart Town (SST), in Japan. Energy World had the opportunity to tour this pioneering project, located 30 miles (48 kilometres) south of central Tokyo.…
DAIRY EXPORTERS TO EU FACE TOUGH TIMES AS EUROPEAN PRODUCERS LOSE QUOTA FETTERS
EXPORTERS of liquid milk and associated products to the European Union (EU) will have to work harder to secure sales in future from April 1, with the EU finally scrapping its production quotas from that date. They may also have to fend off new tough competition from EU exporters in their domestic markets.…
BIOCIDES ROUNDUP – UPDATES FROM CHINA, USA, JAPAN, AUSTRALIA, INDIA, USA
THE PERSONAL care product sector in the European Union (EU) has had to work hard to comply with the 2012 biocidal products regulation, which will have significant implications for the use of preservatives in cosmetics. Manufacturers of biocidal products need to be have their active ingredients registered for assessment by September 1 (2015) for them to be used in the EU.…
OLLIPOP MANUFACTURERS INNOVATE TO HOLD GLOBAL MARKET SHARE
In the highly competitive global lollipops market, manufacturers are creating innovative additions to this traditional confectionery to attract consumers with innovative designs attempting to generate an emotional response to these products. Around the world, lollipop manufacturers are tailoring shapes and designs to match seasonal holiday images; incorporating glow-in-the-dark features; and combining confectionery items such as lollipops and gum.…
CHINESE AND MEXICAN MEAT SECTORS WELCOME NEW TRADE PERMITS RELEASED BY BEIJING
China’s approval of meat imports from eight Mexican production plants has been welcomed by the Mexican and Chinese meat sectors. According to reports from China’s ministry of commerce, six exporters given the green light produce pork meat: Sonora Agropecuaria, Frigorifico Agropecuaria Sonorense (slaughter facility), Frigorifico Agropecuaria Sonorense (packhouse), Frigorifico Kowi, Alimentos Grole, and Grupo Porcicola Mexicano.…
JAPAN POULTRY GIANT MULLS TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER TO BOOST INDIAN EXPORTS
Tokyo-based Mayekawa Manufacturing Co is in talks with officials of India’s Andhra Pradesh state government to bring Japanese technology to the state’s large poultry industry. N. Chandrababu Naidu, the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh, visited Japan in November and met with representatives of Japan’s largest poultry processing machinery manufacturer.…
INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION AGAINST SMUGGLERS WORKS – SAY OFFICIALS AND INDUSTRY
EUROPEAN cigarette smuggling has evolved and diversified over the past ten years, and international cooperation is often the best way to counter them, argue European Union (EU) anti-fraud officials. Meanwhile, the tobacco industry has accepted that liaising with these initiatives does bring benefits.…
JAPAN PANASONIC MODEL COMMUNITY OFFERS GREEN TRANSPORT INNOVATIONS
User-friendly, energy-neutral, efficient and truly communal with innovative transport systems, towns of the future may look a lot like the Fujisawa Sustainable Smart Town (SST).
The pioneering project, located 30 miles south of central Tokyo, next to the established town of Fujisawa is the brainchild of the Panasonic Corporation and 17 companies keen to test their cutting-edge technologies in transportation, energy, construction, security and utilities.…
GERMAN-MADE CARS TOP THE EU CONSUMER DANGER LIST IN 2014
GERMAN-made automobiles were the largest source of reports regarding potentially dangerous motor vehicles made to the European Union’s (EU) RAPEX consumer alert network in 2014, analysis of its data shows.
There were 194 notifications to the system relating to automobiles and parts last year, the fourth largest category following toys (650), clothing and textiles (530) and electrical appliances (217).…
WESTERN ANATOLIA DOMESTIC TEXTILES HUB FIGHTS FOR RECOVERY THROUGH EXPORT MARKETS
A leading industry figure in a Turkish province that specialises in home textiles claims that its manufacturers are shaking off the challenge posed by foreign competitors and are ready to seize export sales.
Speaking to WTiN.com, İsa Dal, chairman of the Denizli Textile and Clothing Manufacturers Association (DETGIS), said that his sector in Denizli, western Anatolia, has been expanding.…
CONSTRUCTION BOOM BOOSTS CAMBODIAN PAINT SECTOR
CAMBODIA’S paint and coating sector is experiencing robust growth according to leading companies, making strong sales to a booming construction industry, which flourished in 2014. Rising urban incomes, a flourishing tourism industry, foreign investment in condominiums, and Chinese and Japanese inward investment in light manufacturing have all contributed to this growth.…
FACE MASKS GROW IN POPULARITY IN ASIA AND START TO EXPAND INTO WESTERN MARKETS
SOUTH Korea’s personal care product industry is credited with developing the sheet mask, a facial covering made from microfiber, paper or hydrogel, impregnated with skincare products – and this delivery method is still popular with Korean consumers.
Indeed, in South Korea, spending on sheet masks grew 11.6% in 2014 to South Korean Won KRW80 billion (USD72.34 million), following a 9.3% decrease in spending in 2013.…
LABELLING AND DECORATION INNOVATION INCREASINGLY IMPORTANT FOR PERSONAL CARE PRODUCT MARKETING SUCCESS
COSMETICS and personal care product packagers are creating innovative designs to attract consumers, using labelling and decoration that appeals to multiple senses. Packagers have also faced challenges related to selling products online, developing new strategies to convey the same appeal and information to consumers from a web page as on the shelf.…
TAIPEI RETHINKS NEED FOR A DOWNTOWN AIRPORT
Right in the middle of Taiwan’s sprawling capital Taipei lies Taipei Songshan Airport, a 400-hectare facility launched by Taiwan’s erstwhile colonial master Japan in the 1930s. The airport is comprised of a civilian sector and an air force base, the civilian sector serving domestic flights, including to Taiwan’s outlying islands, as well as airports on several mainland Chinese cities, including Shanghai’s Pudong, in addition to Tokyo’s Haneda, Seoul’s Gimpo and Vietnam’s Tân Sơn Nhất airport, in Ho Chi Minh City.…
SMART COATING INNOVATION INTENSIFIES WORLDWIDE
For more than a decade, smart coatings have been on the cusp of revolutionising much of the way in which paint industry goes about its business. The number of products that have made it from the lab to the open market remains relatively few, but growing.…
EMA LAUNCHES GLOBAL GENERIC MEDICINE INFORMATION SHARING PILOT
AN INTERNATIONAL regulatory cooperation pilot involving medicine regulators sharing real time assessments about generic medicines is now in full flow. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) is leading the initiative, building on the European Union’s (EU) experience of cooperation between national regulators.…
SECONDARY PACKAGING ADVANCES GIVING PERSONAL CARE PRODUCT COMPANIES A MARKETING EDGE
IN the highly competitive cosmetics and personal care market, producers of secondary packaging are creating ever more advanced, innovative shapes and decorations to attract consumers. Whether it conveys a message of sustainability, luxury, or simplicity – secondary packaging continues to play a crucial role, often communicating multiple ideas and emotions to consumers in an instant.…
COSMETICS INDUSTRY IN THE GULF REGION BOOMING DESPITE POLITICAL STRIFE
TOILETRIES sales in the Arab Gulf countries remain robust, an oasis of economic and political stability in a turbulent Middle East. Elsewhere in the region, the ongoing conflicts in Syria and Iraq, and the rise of the Islamic State, has seen toiletries sales plummet.…
JAPAN CHEWING GUM SALES FALL AS CONSUMERS GET PICKY
Japan’s confectionery manufacturers have a reputation for being creative when it comes to new product lines, and when it comes to bubble gum and chewing gums, companies will need all the innovation they can manage. Domestic sales in the segment have been falling sharply.…
VIETNAM PAINT SECTOR GROWS, BUT NEED BACKWARD LINKAGES
With 685 million wet pounds of coatings sold for USD730 million in 2013, the Vietnam market consumed only a tiny fraction of Asia-Pacific region’s total of 36 billion wet pounds sold for USD50 billion that year, according to Kusumgar, Nerlfi & Growney, Inc, a New Jersey, USA-based consulting firm for the polymer and chemical industries.…
CHINA FEARS WEAKENING OF ITS MONEY MOVEMENT CONTROLS WHILE IT PONDERS FINANCIAL LIBERALISATION
The Chinese government is tightening its controls on the movement of money abroad as the liberalisation of the Chinese Yuan Renminbi is expected to trigger a rush of money from the country, especially from China’s wealthy.
Some of China’s big spenders are reverting to big ticket purchases to get money out of the country.…
JAPAN PORK PRODUCERS FIGHT FOR STATUS QUO IN US-JAPAN PIG MEAT TRADE
Japan’s pork industry remains resolutely opposed to its national government watering down tariffs in discussions with the United States on the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) free trade deal, warning that revising the existing system will “destroy” the domestic industry.
A spokesman for the Japan Pork Producers’ Association confirmed that the industry will continue to lobby the government to retain the protective tariffs that domestically raised pork enjoys at present.…
STAGNATION IN AIR FREIGHT INDICATES WEAKNESS IN WORLD ECONOMY, SAYS OECD
STAGNATION in international air freight traffic is not good news for the world economy, according to a new report from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation & Development’s (OECD) International Transport Forum.
This ‘ITF Transport Outlook 2015’ noted that air freight tonnes transported to and from the EU and the United States declined strongly after the shock of 2008, then rebounded quickly reaching pre-crisis peak by early 2010.…
JAPAN TECHNICAL TEXTILE MAKERS HONE COMPETITIVE EDGE IN ASIA BY FOCUS ON QUALITY
JAPAN’S textile sector, including technical textiles, has long enjoyed a reputation for producing innovative and high-quality products that meet – and surpass – consumers’ needs. Over the years, companies from across the industry, ranging from low-tech spinning operations to the manufacturers of cutting-edge technical textiles, have invested heavily in their research and development divisions and their personnel to stay ahead of the competition.…
BIOMETRICS BECOME INCREASINGLY SOPHISTICATED AND COMMONPLACE ANTIFRAUD DEVICES
AS concerns continue to emerge about the extent to which common security measures such as passwords can be breached, biometrics are gaining attention across a range of services and law enforcement teams preventing fraud.
Isabelle Moeller, CEO of the London and Sydney-based Biometrics Institute, stressed to Fraud Intelligence that “biometric authentication has the potential to ease the burden of security given its simplicity and usability, particularly when compared to username and password.…
CHINA-SOUTH KOREA TRADE PACT TO GIVE ADDITIONAL BOOST TO K-COSMETICS IN CHINA MARKET
THE SOUTH Korean cosmetics sector is hoping that a new bilateral free trade agreement (FTA) struck between its country and China in November will ease sales of their products into the world’s largest market.
This is despite the fact that the deal did not make much headway in reducing Chinese duties, given the FTA leaves cosmetics in a ‘hyper-sensitive goods’ category for Beijing.…
CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR FAILS TO REGENERATE STRUGGLING JAPAN BOOK MARKET
IF there is one market where extra Christmas and New Year book sales are really needed, yet are never made in large numbers, it is Japan. An estimated 700 million books were sold in Japan in 2014, a decline of around 4% on the previous year, continuing a gradual decline in sales.…
WATERBORNE PAINT SALES GROW ACROSS ASIA, ALTHOUGH PROGRESS IS UNEVEN
ASIAN domestic coatings markets are sharply diverse, in terms of economic development, climate and cultural preferences, but if there is one trend that unites them at present, it is the growing demand for waterborne paints.
In Japan, sales of waterborne paints have risen, while total shipments of paints from Japanese manufacturers has fallen: down from nearly 2.4 million tonnes in the early 1990s, Japanese paint producers shipped 1.53 million tonnes in 2013 – the most recent full year for which figures are available, according to the Japan Paint Manufacturers Association (JPMA).…
ASIA REGULATORY ROUND UP – MALAYSIA LAUNCHES ACCOUNTING DEVELOPMENT BLUEPRINT
Malaysia’s finance ministry has released a comprehensive plan to boost the strength of the accountancy profession in the country. Drafted by a special committee to strengthen the accountancy profession (CSAP), the policy is designed to ensure Malaysia has sufficient numbers of professional accountants and reform the profession’s governance.…
URUGUAY BEEF EXPORTERS SET TO BENEFIT FROM NEW TRACKING SYSTEM
BEEF producers in Uruguay are emerging as the most progressive and successful in Latin America with a universal system for electronically tracking cattle and a continued surge in exports.
The country’s accumulated exports of beef products for 2014 (up to December 6) reached 229,907 tonnes – an increase of 5,750 tonnes compared to the same period in 2013, according to the National Meat Institute (Instituto Nacional de Carnes – INAC), which monitors and promotes the meat industry.…
US MEAT EXPORTERS PLACING THEIR BETS ON VALUE PRIZED CUTS IN TAIWAN MARKET
US meat exporters are to launch inexpensive cuts of American corn-fed beef in the Taiwanese market, with demand for premium products being depressed by soaring prices for American beef, accompanied by lacklustre consumer spending power on the island. The US Meat Export Federation (USMEF) recently partnered with a Taipei five-star hotel to promote plate fingers, petite tenders, and clod hearts, which with prices between Taiwan New Dollars TWD250 (USD7.91) to TWD550 (USD17.41) per kilogramme would roughly cost half the price of the currently popular rib eye, fillet, and boneless ribs.…
MULTINATIONALS STILL DOMINANT IN CHINA’S MAJOR PERSONAL CARE MARKET
CHINA’S huge cosmetics market remains a battleground for the world’s multinational personal care product players and they are still more than holding their own against local manufacturers and brands, especially in higher end segments.
The country’s overall cosmetics and personal care product market was worth Chinese Yuan Renminbi CNY274 billion (USD44 billion) in 2013, according to data provided by market analysts Euromonitor International.…
JAPAN ORDERS INCREASED HOUSEHOLD BUTTER PRODUCTION FOR HOLIDAY SEASON
The Japan Dairy Association has welcomed a combined Japan government and dairy industry move to tackle a national butter shortage ahead of the Christmas and New Year holiday period. Megmilk Snow Brand Co, Meiji C, Morinaga Milk Industry Co, and Yotsuba Milk Products Co – Japan’s four major domestic dairy companies – are cutting back on drinking milk and cream production to make more butter.…
ADAPTIVE LICENSING USEFUL FOR ORPHAN DRUGS, CONFERENCE HEARS
ADAPTIVE licensing methods such as that proposed by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) are indeed useful in the development of medicines for rare diseases, Martin Andrews, the senior vice-president at GSK Rare Diseases, has told the World Orphan Drugs Congress 2014.…
DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD OF GROWTH AND INSTABILITY IN MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA NONWOVENS SECTOR
The Middle East and North African nonwovens sector is in flux. At the same time as extra capacity has come online, regional demand has been affected by political instability, forcing manufacturers to focus on exports and diversify their offerings.
“It is showing clearly now that the Arab Spring and political consequences have definitely delayed investment decisions by potential customers.…
MAINLAND CHINA BATHROOM PRODUCTS SEGMENT IS BOOMING AND DEVELOPING
The mainland Chinese bathroom product market has in 2013 grown in value and volume at healthy year-on-year rates of 12.8% and 8.6% to USD2.7 billion and 3.06 billion units respectively. Canadean, the market research company producing these figures, attributes growing per capita consumption to rising incomes as well as the increased availability of products.…
JAPAN MANUFACTURERS INNOVATE TO SEIZE MARKET SHARE IN SHRINKING DOMESTIC MARKET
Consumers in Japan are notoriously fickle and constantly in search of the next greatest product – and in a nation that takes its food very seriously, that applies doubly to the confectionery sector.
Sales of ice cream have been strong in recent years and continue to grow, although chocolate confectionery sales came to Japanese Yen JPY342 billion (USD2.95 billion) in the calendar year 2013, a minor contraction on the previous year – blamed on poor weather during the traditionally busy summer months.…
INTERNATIONAL REGULATORY ROUND UP – RUSSIA TRADE RESTRICTIONS BLOCK CONFECTIONERY AND INGREDIENT TRADES
DOCUMENTS obtained by Confectionery Production from the European Union (EU) indicate that Ukraine has lost up to USD126 million’s worth of confectionery export sales to Russia this year, because of Russian trade restrictions.
EU briefing papers note that Ukraine has been complaining to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) since October 2013 about alleged “unjustified barriers to trade caused by the measures of the Russian Federation, in particular, on Ukrainian confectionery products.”…
HIGHER EDUCATION FRAUD TRAINING QUICKLY BECOMING INDUSTRY NORM
AS companies and government organisations implement more stringent fraud detection programmes, they are recruiting the best and brightest anti-fraud experts. Universities in North America, Australia, Europe and Asia are responding to demand for anti-fraud expertise by offering fraud prevention classes in accounting, criminology, and business degrees.…
NISSAN OPTIMISTIC ABOUT JAPAN SALES OF ITS E-VAN, ALTHOUGH PRODUCTION WILL REMAIN IN SPAIN
The all-electric version of Nissan Motor Co’s NV200 mid-size van has been launched in the Japanese market, with executives expressing optimism about sales, even though manufacturing will be based at Nissan’s Barcelona, Spain, plant.
This is to bring supplies close to the large European market, but Takao Katagiri, the company’s executive vice president, has said he is confident that the e-NV200 will quickly command niche sales in Japan.…
EU PHARMACOS ADVISED ON MANAGING MUTAGENIC IMPURITIES
GUIDANCE has been released to European Union (EU) pharma companies to help them assess and control the emergence of mutagenic impurities in medicines that could help cause cancer.
This advice was original developed by the International Conference on Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Registration of Pharmaceuticals for Human Use (ICH), which also advises regulators in Japan and the USA, and has been assessed and released in the EU by the European Medicines Agency (EMA). …
ADB TO HELP SOUTH ASIA SLOW SPREAD OF LIVESTOCK DISEASES
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is to work with the Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction to help south Asian nations slow the spread of livestock diseases.
In India, livestock sector losses from foot-and-mouth disease alone are estimated at around USD4.5 billion a year, according to the ADB.…
US PORK PRODUCTION RISE WILL CONTINUE IN 2015, ALTHOUGH GROWTH RATES MAY SLACKEN – EXPERTS
AMERICAN pigmeat analysts have conformed to globalmeatnews.com that the recovery in US pork production will be sustained, with the pigmeat industry recovering strongly from the Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea virus (PEDv) outbreak.
The comments come after the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) forecasted earlier this month that American commercial pork production was set to reach 23.9 billion pounds for the year ending September 2015, exceeding the country’s beef output for the first time after 62 years.…
EU/WTO ROUND UP – AMERICAN CONCERN OVER CLAIMED EU BIOTECH FOOT-DRAGGING
THE AMERICAN government has complained of delays by the outgoing European Commission that leaves office on November 1 regarding the authorisation of new bio-tech food products and ingredients for use in the European Union (EU). In a strongly worded message to the World Trade Organisation’s (WTO) disputes settlement body, the US said that the EU had failed to leave decisions to regulatory committees acting on European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) advice.…
EUROPE INVESTS IN LIGNITE DESPITE CLIMATE CHANGE CONCERNS
LIGNITE power station units are still being built and modernised in the European Union (EU), raising warnings from environmentalists that this could negate EU emissions controls. There are lignite projects in various stages of approval, planning or construction in Germany, Poland, Bulgaria, Greece, and Slovenia, for instance.…
NEW SWEETENERS SUBJECT TO TIGHT REGULATORY CONTROL IN EUROPE AND THE US
THE CONFECTIONERY and sweet bakery sector worldwide has benefited from technological development regarding sweeteners, but these new food technologies have had to undergo rigorous safety tests by food regulators.
Both the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) for the European Union (EU) and the USA’s Food & Drug Administration (FDA) have undertaken detailed assessments, amidst some public concern about their safety.…
TOUGH TIMES FOR THAI PAINT SECTOR AS COUNTRY STRUGGLES WITH POLITICAL TURMOIL
Thailand’s paint and coating industry is facing a challenging time as its country grapples with economic and political difficulties. Thailand’s economic growth has slowed significantly over the last two years. GDP expanded by 6.6% in 2012, as the country recovered from the devastating floods of 2011, which hit northern, north-eastern and central Thailand, as well as parts of Bangkok.…
SRI LANKA PAINT AND COATINGS SECTOR SLOWING DOWN AFTER DECADES OF GROWTH
GROWTH in Sri Lanka’s paints and coatings sector is slowing down after years of rapid growth following the end of the civil war in May 2009. Producers are now facing greater competition and introducing innovations to attract new consumers.
Ruwan Weerasinghe, the secretary of the Paint Manufacturers Association of Sri Lanka, and director of Lankem Ceylon, which sells the popular paint brand Robbialac, said his company registered a 20% year-on-year growth after the war.…
MOST NATIONS FALL SHORT IN WAR ON BRIBERY – TRANSPARENCY INTERNATIONAL
The US, Germany, Britain and Switzerland are the only countries among 41 signatories to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation & Development’s (OECD) 1997 Anti-Bribery Convention to vigorously investigate and prosecute firms that bribe foreign officials.
So says anti-corruption organisation Transparency International in the latest update of Exporting Corruption, its tenth such annual report, covering the years 2010 through 2013.…
WORKWEAR MANUFACTURERS LINK QUALITY TO INTERNATIONAL AND NATIONAL STANDARDS
WORKWEAR producers know that their products must be reliable. And one excellent way to demonstrate that is ensuring and declaring that their production and materials are in line with those recommended by national and international standards organisations.
In the competitive American market, development organisations such as the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) and the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colourists (AATCC) constantly update workwear-related safety and testing standards. …
VIETNAM TEXTILE SECTOR MAY INCREASE – AS TRADE DEAL WITH SOUTH KOREA APPROACHES CONCLUSION
THE CLOSE relationship between the textile sectors of Vietnam and South Korea could be intensified by the end of the year, with the two countries’ governments saying they want to conclude a bilateral trade deal this year.
Talks have been ongoing since September 2012.…
RUSSIA PREPARES POTENTIAL BAN ON CARS FROM EU AND UNITED STATES, IF ADDITIONAL SANCTIONS IMPOSED
Russia may ban imports of cars from the European Union (EU), the United States and maybe Japan if Brussels and Washington impose additional sanctions because of Moscow’s role in the Ukraine crisis.
An aide to Russia’s President Vladimir Putin told wardsauto that the Russian government would be especially monitoring a meeting of the EU Council of Ministers for foreign affairs on October 20.…
KIKKOMAN CORPORATION REMAINS A TOP JAPANESE FOOD PRODUCER AMIDST CHANGING GLOBAL MARKETS
CHANGING demographic patterns in the domestic market are driving innovation at Japan’s largest producer of soy sauce and seasonings, while growing overseas demand means that the Kikkoman Corporation is actively looking to raise its international profile, according to Noriaki Horikiri, president and chief executive officer of the company.…
COOKING OIL SCANDALS PROMPT CALL FOR TAIWAN FOOD SAFETY CHECKS REFORM
A second major food safety scandal in Taiwan within the past two months has prompted a call for the reform of existing certification systems. These involve food products and manufacturing being assessed for good manufacturing practice (GMP) and certified Taiwanese agricultural standards (CAS).…
BANGLADESH KNITWEAR SECTOR DEEPENS ITS SUSTAINABILITY WITH BACKWARD LINKAGES
THE STRENGTH and diversity of Bangladesh knitwear producers’ supply chains is one reason why this key outsourcing location is so popular with international brands. And indeed, attention to the supply chain is the mantra of Bangladesh knitwear boss Mohammed Abdul Jabbar.…
BULK OF US BEEF INDUSTRY LEVY INVESTMENT IN 2015 TO PROMOTE DOMESTIC BEEF SALES
THE CATTLEMEN’S Beef Promotion and Research Board in the USA will spend USD10.5 million of its USD39 million investments planned for the fiscal year of October 1, 2014-2015 to promote beef sales in its domestic market.
The goal of this consumer information campaign is to “improve domestic preference for beef by educating consumers about things like beef safety, nutrition and health, convenience, taste and value,” the board’s communications manager Diane Henderson told globalmeatnews.com.…
SYRIAN REFUGEES IMPACT LEVANTINE TOBACCO SECTOR
THE TOBACCO sector and trade in the countries neighbouring Syria have been impacted by the flight of more than 3 million (some reports say 5 million) from its civil war. Due to the Syrian conflict, smuggling has increased to supply the Syrian market (still at least 17 million people), while the lack of governmental controls has promoted illicit sales in Turkey, Jordan, Iraq and Lebanon, while the influx of refugees has led to growth in lower priced legitimate cigarettes.…
UNIQLO SAYS REPORTS OF IMMINENT ENTRY INTO INDIA ARE PREMATURE
Fast Retailing Co. has described media reports that it has committed to opening 100 Uniqlo stores across India as “premature and optimistic”.
In a statement released to just-style, the company said: “Uniqlo has no concrete plans for India, although we can confirm that our CEO met with the prime minister of India, both in India and during his visit to Japan.”…
FINGER VEIN SCANS TO BEAT ONLINE BANK ACCOUNT FRAUD
JAPANESE electronics giant Hitachi is partnering Barclays Bank to trial finger vein pattern scanning for Barclays’ UK business customers to access online accounts starting 2015.
The Barclays Biometric Reader, incorporating Hitachi VeinID technology, lets customers scan a finger to access accounts and authorise payments without needing a personal identification number (PINs), password or authentication code.…
EUROPEAN MEAT MARKET STABLE DESPITE RUSSIAN EMBARGO, BRUSSELS EXPERT SAYS
THE EUROPEAN meat market is not in crisis following the embargo imposed by Russia on meat from the European Union (EU), a European Commission expert has told globalmeatnews.com.
Looking at price levels and producers’ margins, Dr Kai-Uwe Sprenger, market officer for animal products at the European Commission’s directorate general (DG) for agriculture, said that there are no significant variations in these two areas so far.…
SUMITOMO CONFIRMS TEST PRODUCTION OF KAZAKH RARE EARTHS
Japan’s Sumitomo Corporation has commenced test production of rare earth elements in its joint venture with Kazatomprom, the national atomic energy company of Kazakhstan.
In a statement sent to Industrial Minerals, a spokesperson for Sumitomo Corp, in Tokyo confirmed: “Currently, we are producing a small amount of rare earth materials on a trial basis since this June, and we are now making preparations to go into commercial production.”…
US TO FORMULATE SEPARATE INTERNATIONAL MARKETING STRATEGY FOR PORK
THE UNITED States is trying to come up with a tailor-made international marketing strategy to tap a bigger share of pork sales, now growing at an estimated 12% between 2013- 2018 globally, the country’s National Pork Board (NPB) vice president for strategic communication Kevin Waetke said.…
SOUTH KOREAN COSMETICS INDUSTRY GROWING DESPITE SLUGGISH ECONOMY
South Korea is a society that values image and status. It is said that looking good is a sign of your respect towards others. Men and women of all ages in the country typically place great emphasis upon looks; personal grooming and beauty routines are of utmost importance. …
EU SCIENTISTS RAISE CONCERN ABOUT USING HYDROLYSED WHEAT PROTEINS IN SOAP
THE EUROPEAN Union’s (EU) scientific committee on consumer safety has concluded that the use of hydrolysed wheat proteins to make soaps and liquid soaps can be unsafe for consumers – causing sensitisation. However, following an extensive review of the problem, the committee has said it is safe to use hydrolysed wheat proteins as an ingredient for other personal care products.…
EU WELCOMES WTO RULING ON RARE EARTHS
THE EUROPEAN Union (EU) trade commissioner, Karel de Gucht, has welcomed the ruling by the World Trade Organisation’s (WTO) appeal body against China’s restrictions of rare earths, tungsten and molybdenum exports.
This is “another milestone in the EU’s efforts to ensure fair access to much-needed raw materials for its industries,” he said in an Aug 7 statement of the European Commission.…
UNIQLO’S NEW OFFICE HIGHLIGHTS TEXTILE OPPORTUNITIES IN TURKEY
THE PRESIDENT of the Turkish Clothing Manufacturers’ Association (TCMA) has said plans by the Japanese fashion giant Uniqlo to open a production office in Turkey later this year are another indication of Turkey’s popularity as a textiles and clothing sourcing hub.…
MAJOR TURKEY TEXTILE MACHINERY EXHIBITIONS TO TAP GROWING DEMAND FOR ORDERS
Two new textile machinery exhibitions due to be held in Turkey in October are expected to provide a significant boost to the country’s textile industry as it seeks to expand its range of machinery across its long textile and clothing supply chain.…
EXPO HEARS INCREASING CALLS FOR CAMBODIA TO GROW TEXTILE, KNITWEAR AND NONWOVENS BASE
EXHIBITORS at this week’s trade show in Phnom Penh, the Cambodia International Textile & Garment Industry Exhibition, called on the country to diversify into textile manufacturing, knitwear, finishing and other supporting industries.
Cambodia’s USD5.5 billion garment industry is a mainstay of the country’s economy, accounting for some 80% of exports.…
TAIWAN TAOYUAN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT AWAITING AMBITIOUS UPGRADE
Taiwan’s main airport, Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, is to undergo a major expansion, increasing its annual passenger capacity from 32 million to 60 million by 2030. Located halfway between the capital Taipei and the island’s industrial heartland along its western coast, the airport is planned to become the centerpiece of the government’s highly ambitious Taoyuan Aerotropolis project, which with an estimated investment of Taiwan New Dollar TWD600 billion (USD20 billion).…
CAN THE NEW BRICS BANK PROMOTE INTERNATIONAL CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS IN CHINA, GLOBALLY?
A potential bonanza of new projects may be offered to Chinese construction companies following the set-up of a new development bank with lots of cash for infrastructure projects. This July marked the launch of the so-called ‘BRICS Bank’, a new multilateral development bank, operated by Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.…
ASEAN WHITENING AND ANTI AGING SEGMENT FACES 2015 ECONOMIC COMMUNITY LAUNCH
SKIN whitening and anti-ageing products represent key growth segments for cosmetic manufacturers targeting expanding and increasingly integrated markets in the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) region. Indeed, producers of these products are set to benefit from a single ASEAN port of entry when the fully integrated ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) is launched next year (2015).…
FATCA INCREASES PRESSURE ON CARIBBEAN TO BOOST FINANCIAL TRANSPARENCY
Caribbean jurisdictions may be increasingly signing up to the requirements of America’s Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) but there is no great enthusiasm about it. Indeed, some bankers fear it could lead to a sharp fall in the region’s charms for investors.…
ADULT INCONTINENCE PRODUCT MARKET MAJOR GLOBAL GROWTH AREA FOR NONWOVENS
One consequence of the ageing population in many parts of the world is a significant increase in demand for nonwoven adult incontinence products, notably adult nappies. Indeed, in Japan, which has one of the most rapidly ageing populations, there have been reports of adult diaper sales exceeding those of babies for some manufacturers.…
VIETNAM’S COATINGS SECTOR RIDING THE JAPANESE FACTORY INVESTMENT WAVE
VIETNAM’S production of powder coatings and liquid protective coatings has in the past been a small part of the country’s paint and coatings output – but foreign investment maybe about to change that. The country has around 80 coatings manufacturers, who have together manufactured a relatively meagre 30,870 tonnes of these specialist products, generating USD91 million’s worth of revenue in 2012, according to the most recent data made available by market researcher Frost & Sullivan.…
EU MEAT PRODUCTION STARTS TO GROW – BUT EXPORTS MAY TUMBLE, SAYS BRUSSELS REPORT
European Union (EU) meat production is projected to start growing in 2014, according to the European Commission, as Europe’s economic recovery solidifies. This could be up 0.7% year-on-year for beef, veal, pigmeat, poultry, sheep and goat meat. However, exports might fall for pigmeat and poultry, with Russian import bans especially causing problems for pigmeat.…
AUSTRALIAN BEEF EXPORTS TO USA SURGE; GROWING HOPE FOR LAMB EXPORTS
THE USA is a key market for Australian beef and lamb exports and its importance is growing: Australia’s beef exports by volume to America shooting up by 53% in the first half of 2014, [calendar year] compared with the same period in 2013” making America its largest beef export destination so far, Meat & Livestock Australia chief economist Tim McRae told globalmeatnews.com.…
CANADIAN STEEL MARKET SHIFTS WESTWARD TO GROWING ENERGY HUB
Market dynamics are shifting east to west for the Canadian steel industry as demand from the country’s flourishing oil and gas industry outstrips traditional manufacturing.
Requiring CAD4 billion’s (USD3.76 billion) worth of steel annually, the country’s energy industry, overwhelmingly based in western Canada, currently represents more than a quarter of country’s demand for steel, which totals CAD14 billion (USD13.17 billion) annually, according to the Canadian Steel Producers Association (CPSA).…
CAMBODIA’S NONWOVENS FUTURE MAY NEED TO FOCUS ON NONWOVENS CONVERTING
The manufacture of nonwovens surgical gowns are offering Cambodia’s nascent non-wovens sector hope for growth, in one of the world’s toughest garment and fabric export businesses. The problem for smaller emerging market countries such as Cambodia, experts from international non-wovens industry associations told WTiN.com…
SHOW EXHIBITORS EXPLAIN VALUE OF INVESTING IN DISPLAY STANDS AT VIETNAM TRADE EVENTS
EXHIBITORS at two key international textile and shoe exhibitions in Vietnam have spoken personally to WTiN.com on the value of investing time and money appearing at such shows.
The Vietnam International Exhibition on Garment Manufacturing Equipment and Fabric 2014 was organised concurrently with the International Shoes and Leather Exhibition 2014 in Ho Chi Minh City from July 16 to 18.…
INDIAN KNITWEAR MANUFACTURERS HAVE HIGH HOPES FOR NEW GOVERNMENT
INDIAN knitwear manufacturers are hoping for a major growth impetus because of industry-friendly policies being rolled out by the new Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government. “We are very optimistic about the new government,” Naval Saraf, proprietor of Super Knit Industries, a sock manufacturing company in Mumbai told Knitting International.…
COSMETICS FIRMS INCREASINGLY INNOVATIVE WITH SUSTAINABLE PACKAGING SOLUTIONS
COSMETICS and personal care product companies are increasingly looking to eco-friendly packaging to deliver green marketing as well as practical cost-saving advantages. Producers are seeking to raise consumers’ awareness of environmentally-sensitive products by using packaging materials such as wood and decoration such as reusable ribbons and scarves; encouraging thrift by offering refillable fragrance bottles; and saving costs by using lighter packaging materials, that can also be flagged as sustainable on labelling.…
MIDDLE EAST PERSONAL CARE PRODUCT SECTOR PUSHES AHEAD, DESPITE INSTABILITY
THE MIDDLE East cosmetics market is weathering the region’s current political and economic instability in the region. While the markets in the Levant are experiencing tough times, Gulf sales continue to grow. Retailers and manufacturers are also offsetting the losses incurred in depressed and unstable countries by exporting to burgeoning African markets.…
INDUSTRY SHOULD BEWARE OF ‘FREE-OF’ CLAIMS, CONFERENCE HEARS
THE EUROPEAN cosmetics industry should steer away from claiming its products are ‘free-of’ preservatives and other similar ingredients, which could give consumers the wrong impression, the annual conference organised by Cosmetics Europe in Brussels on 10-11 June heard.
“All that preservatives-free claims do in the long term is to reinforce the stigmatisation of preservatives, since consumers believe they are wrong,” said Martin Seychell, deputy director-general for health and consumers at the European Commission.…
CANADIAN COSMETICS ASSOCIATION WELCOMES PROGRESS AT INTERNATIONAL REGULATORS MEETING
Regulators participating in the International Cooperation on Cosmetics Regulation (ICCR) met in Ottawa, Canada for their annual meeting (July 8 – 10) to discuss how member countries could better harmonise regulatory requirements and standards, promoting trade, among their cosmetics and personal care industries.…
ASIAN FRAGRANCE MARKET BECOMES LARGER AND MORE SOPHISTICATED
THE MARKET for perfume and other scents in Asia is developing fast in most of the continent, especially in emerging markets, where consumers are using their new purchasing power to explore new tastes and brands.
To some extent, perfume has been lagging behind colour cosmetics and skincare, which have been targeted by the bigger brands as products likely to be regarded as affordable luxuries in the masstige market segments.…
INTERNATIONAL RETAIL CHAINS ENTERING CHINESE SWEET BAKERY MARKET
AN INFLUX of big-brand café and convenience retail chains is whetting China’s appetite for sweet bakery, including in smaller cities. Brands are diversifying and moving upmarket, offering coffee and seating.
Take Beijing’s Beixinqiao, in the city’s older quarter, a busy intersection of residential blocks and a hub for restaurants and youth-focused fashion stores.…
JAPANESE PAINT AND COATINGS SECTOR GROWS, ALTHOUGH SALES TAX RISE MIGHT CAUSE TEMPORARY SALES DIP
JAPAN’S paint and coatings industry is continuing its steady recovery after a trying five years in the aftermath of the global economic crisis, although companies and analysts believe that the sector will see some gradual shifts in focus in the years ahead.…
INDONESIA ENERGY PUSH TO PROMOTE ONSITE POWER, COGENERATION AND SMALL PLANTS
Energy production and distribution is often the bedrock of sustainable economic development, and for an archipelago such as Indonesia, onsite power and small grids will always be the most sensible option. The government of south-east Asia’s most populous country has released a Masterplan for Acceleration and Expansion of Indonesia’s Economic Development (MP3EI) whose goal is developed economy status by 2025.…
INDIAN BEAUTY GROUPS WIDEN PRODUCTION BASE IN BANGLADESH
INDIAN cosmetics companies are widening their manufacturing base in Bangladesh to meet surging demand in this key emerging market of 154 million people, while skirting higher import tariffs for products made in India. But the move of India-owned beauty and personal care products makers into Bangladesh has sparked concern amongst their Bangladeshi counterparts, who fear their domestic market share being grabbed by Indian companies commanding stronger financial firepower. …
LATIN AMERICA COSMETICS MARKET CONTINUES TO BOOM
Latin America’s cosmetics and personal care products sector has boomed as consumers take advantage of their rising disposable incomes. The region (including Mexico) accounted for 17% of global sales in the beauty and personal care industry, according to market analysts Euromonitor International in 2013. …
EU SPIRITS AND LIQUEURS EXPORT VALUES DROPPED IN 2013
The value of European Union (EU) exports of spirits and liqueurs dropped 1.6% in value last year after being the fastest-growing product group in 2012, according to the European Commission’s ‘Agricultural trade in 2013: EU Gains in Commodity Exports’ report. Whisky exports in particular dropped steeply – by EUR131 million.…
WHAT MODI GOVERNMENT MEANS TO TEXTILE SECTOR IN INDIA
When India’s new Prime Minister Narendra Modi swept the just-concluded general elections riding on the slogan in Hindi ‘achche din aane wale hain’ – which means good days are coming soon – Indian garment exporters agreed.
With Modi’s BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) government assuming power on May 26, the new textile minister Santosh Kumar Gangwar’s statement that he wants to project ‘Brand India’ abroad and boost garment exports has given exporters confidence that government help will be offered.…
NONWOVENS COMPANIES OFFER LIGHTWEIGHT DURABLE MATERIALS TO AUTOMOBILE MAKERS
Nonwovens are taking on an increasingly important role in creating more sustainable vehicles, particularly in interiors, offering lightweight materials reducing fuel usage, recyclability, and the use of green feedstocks such as plant and waste food material.
The US-based global Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry (INDA) estimates there was about 560,000 tonnes of nonwovens in global automotive usage in 2013, said Dave Rousse, INDA’s president.…
NONWOVENS SECTOR BACKING CONCLUSION OF EU-JAPAN FREE TRADE TALKS
THE EUROPEAN Union (EU) and Japanese nonwovens industries are backing a successful conclusion of negotiations between the EU and Japan on a free trade agreement (FTA). The talks, which began in March 2013, have entered a scheduled review phase after what seems to have been a testing first year though “work and consultation with the EU member states is ongoing and the talks have not broken down, that’s clear,” said John Clancy, the Commission’s trade spokesman.…
INDIA STEEL INDUSTRY OPTIMISTIC OVER NEW GOVERNMENT POLICIES
The Indian steel industry has welcomed the initial steps taken by the new government to boost domestic manufacturing by expediting statutory clearances for new projects; removing hindrances to raw material supplies; and promising more clarity in future decision making.
“The government is giving us hope that lot of projects which have been held up due to environmental regulations are [already] being cleared,” said Sushim Banerjee, director general Institute for Steel Development & Growth, in Kolkata. …
OECD STEEL COMMITTEE INTENSIFIES CONCERN OVER STEEL OVER-CAPACITY
Concern about global excess steel-making capacity has intensified at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) steel committee, whose Paris meeting today and yesterday (June 5-6) has wrapped up this afternoon. Members were concerned especially that steel demand worldwide fell in the first quarter of 2014.…
CAMBODIA’S COTTON INDUSTRY HAS POTENTIAL – BUT IS STILL NASCENT
A LACK of technological know-how, the difficulty of obtaining good species of cotton seeds, plus poor morale amongst farmers, has brought cotton cultivation in Cambodia to a trickle, a former cotton company executive has told WTiN.com.
Samnang Seima, the director of Seladamex Co Ltd, recalled that his company started cultivating cotton in 2007, but by 2012 switched to other crops such as rubber.…
GALDERMA TO BE ROLLED INTO NEW NESTLÉ SKINCARE BUSINESS AS BRUSSELS CLEARS L’ORÉAL SHARE SALE
Switzerland-based Nestlé is to further develop its personal care products following its planned acquisition of sole ownership over Galderma, its joint venture with L’Oréal. The European Commission cleared Nestlé to acquire sole control of Galderma on May 5. Galderma manufactures, markets and sells products including shampoos, soaps, bath, shower and skin care lines, noted a Commission statement. …
BRUSSELS LAUNCHES QUEST TO QUANTIFY ENERGY SUBSIDIES IN THE EU
WHEN it comes to subsidies in the European Union (EU), the representatives of the fossil fuels industries and those of the renewable energy sources have long pointed the finger at each other about who receives more support from the public purse.…
JAPAN FOOD MANUFACTURERS TARGET INCREASINGLY WEALTHY SOUTHEAST ASIA
JAPANESE food manufacturers are targeting south-east Asia as key export markets, leveraging their products’ sophisticated, fashionable and healthy image. Indeed, with a significant proportion of south-east Asian consumers becoming richer, the perception that Japanese brands can be relatively expensive can help marketing and certainly not harm sales, they say.…
INDONESIAN TEXTILE PRODUCERS FEAR INCREASE IN ELECTRICITY BILLS
Increasing power tariffs in Indonesia could force textile and garment manufacturers to double their raw material imports, according to Ade Sudrajat Usman, chairman of the Indonesian Textiles Association (API).
The API chair told just-style that electricity consumption already constitutes 15% to 20% of production costs for textile manufacturers in the country.…
INDIA NEEDS TO TAKE STEPS TO EXTEND LAST YEAR’S CLOTHING EXPORT GROWTH SAY EXPERTS
A 15% year-on-year growth in the exports of Indian apparel in the financial year ending March 2014 has been caused by the diversification of export markets and stricter compliance standards by Indian factories, just-style has been told. “We are diversifying into the markets like Japan, Australia and Latin American countries,” Chandrima Chatterjee, director (economic and consultancy) of the Apparel Export Promotion Council of India told just-style.…
DENMARK TO EXPORT SAUSAGES TO CHINA
DANISH companies are gearing up to export sausages, salami and other heat-treated pork products to China after the two countries struck a bilateral agreement on access to Chinese markets. Denmark, Germany, Canada and the US are China’s biggest pork trade partners but currently can export only live pigs, frozen and fresh pork to one of the world’s fastest growing consumer markets for meat and meat products.…
A NEW DENT IN JAPAN'S TRADE BARRIERS HELPS AUSTRALIAN EXPORTERS, BUT JAPAN FOOD FIRMS TOO
THE NEW Japan-Australia Partnership Agreement (JAEPA) agreed on April 8 allows unprecedented access to Japanese markets, but it’s not necessarily only the Australian meat producers who will profit.
This deal lowers the tariffs for frozen beef to 19.5 per cent (a cut of 19 percentage points) over an 18 year period, and for chilled beef to 23.5 per cent over 15 years (down 15 percentage points).…
DASH TO OFFSHORE ENERGY IS A MARGIN CALL FOR SOUTH KOREAN PLATEMAKERS
The reorientation of South Korea’s steel plate makers towards clients making marine installations for offshore oil and gas companies might guarantee future business, but there is a risk of falling margins, a report has warned.
UK-based energy industry market researchers and consultants Douglas-Westwood has warned especially that such energy work can need eight to ten times less plate per USD of order value compared to conventional ships.…
EU SEES PROGRESS IN FREE TRADE NEGOTIATIONS WITH JAPAN
Japan has been delivering sufficient concessions in negotiations for a free trade agreement (FTA) with the European Union (EU) to ensure the talks continue, EU trade Commissioner Karel de Gucht has signalled to wardsauto.
Since the launch of talks last March (2013), he said Japan had agreed to adopt “the large majority of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) regulations as such.”…
ITC TRIES TO REVIVE CAMBODIA’S SILK INDUSTRY
THE INTERNATIONAL Trade Centre (ITC) and the Cambodian ministry of commerce are trying to revive Cambodia’s silk production sector, as the country is importing almost all its total 400 tonnes annual raw silk requirement.
Currently, only five tonnes of Cambodian silk, which is noteworthy because of its natural yellow colour, is produced in the country each year.…
TAIWAN EXPERTS SAY VIETNAM INVESTMENT PULL-OUT NOT EXPECTED AFTER RIOTS
Taiwan textile industry insiders have told WTiN.com that the recent riots in Vietnam will not deter future investment in this key emerging market outsourcing country.
Serious attacked on Taiwanese textile businesses in Vietnam were suffered when on May 13 and 14 local mobs – protesting against China’s recent installation of an oil rig in disputed waters in the South China Sea – ransacked and torched hundreds of foreign-owned factories.…
CAMBODIA COULD DOUBLE GARMENT EXPORTS IF BACKED BY LOCAL TEXTILE PRODUCTION: GMAC
CAMBODIA’S thriving garment industry could double its exports if the country’s local textile production is ramped up, Garment Manufacturers Association of Cambodia (GMAC) chairman Van Sou Ieng has told WTiN.
“The industry could expect an increase in export figures by 100%” if local textile and yarn production was expanded, Mr Ieng said.…
DEE POON PRESIDES OVER REBIRTH OF HONG KONG LUXURY SHIRT-RETAILER PYE
Asking a 31-year old with little prior branding experience to turn around the fortunes of a retail brand almost as old as her may seem foolhardy, yet the quirkiness and fresh perspective commanded by Dee Poon may deliver the rebranding success the ageing high-end shirt specialist PYE needs.…
JAPAN ADMITS PUSHING EUROPE FOR FLEXIBILITY ON SHIPBREAKING STANDARDS
The shipbuilding director for the Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO) has confirmed to Steel First that his government is seeking to influence the European Union (EU) as it clarifies the rules of its shipbreaking regulation, which came into force last December (2013).…
BANGLADESH APPOLLO ISPAT SECURES JAPAN COIL SUPPLIES FOR 2014-5
Bangladesh flat-steel product major Appollo Ispat has renewed a hot rolled coil supply memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Japan’s Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corporation and the Marubeni-Itochu Corporation.
“The demand for steel products is rising, even in rural areas,” Abdur Rahman, deputy managing director with Appollo Ispat Complex Ltd, told Steel First.…
BANGLADESH STEEL SECTOR AWAITS BOOM AS NEXT-GEN INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS IN SIGHT
Bangladesh steel makers are anticipating a rush of orders with the country beefing up efforts to implement new generation infrastructure projects involving billions of dollars. Government data indicates that more than USD13 billion will be invested in projects whose construction is planned over the next 10 years, ranging from a metro railway in the capital Dhaka, to elevated expressways, a deep-sea port and an underwater road tunnel in the southeastern port city of Chittagong.…
TURKEY AIMS TO GROW OILS AND FATS SECTOR, WITH SPECIAL FOCUS ON OLIVE OIL
TURKEY is the Middle East’s largest oilseed producer, but domestic demand outstrips supply despite efforts to boost production. In olive oil, Turkey is increasing production and exports, being the fifth largest producer globally, with the sector valued at USD500 million, according to Tariş Zeytin ve Zeytinyağı – the union of olive and olive oil co-operatives.…
CONSUMER WIPES MAJOR NONWOVENS GROWTH AREA
GROWTH in the global nonwoven consumer wipes market is set to slow over the coming years, although a number of trends are encouraging brands and manufacturers in particular product segments such as baby wipes and anti-bacterial surface care products. Meanwhile, a growing range of innovations are emerging focused on producing flushable wipes.…
NORWAY MAY PURSUE ENERGY COOPERATION WITH RUSSIA, DESPITE UKRAINE STAND OFF
NORWAY may have suspended military cooperation with its neighbour Russia over the Ukraine crisis, but it seems less keen to mothball its coordination on energy policy, notably in the high Arctic.
Norwegian and Russian energy companies have long been eyeing the potential hydrocarbon resources in the Barents Sea to the north of the Russo-Norwegian border, and both sides want to exploit them without causing major environmental problems.…
CHINA READMITS POULTRY AND PORK IMPORTS FROM CHILE
CHINA has announced that it will re-admit pork and poultry imports from Chile, having suspended them last July (2013) over concerns about dioxin contamination.
China’s General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) has however posted a statement insisting that importers submit animal health documents and no–doxin-contamination test reports from Chile’s Agricultural and Livestock Service (SAG).…
CHINA TACKLES PHARMA LOGISTICS AS REGULATORY PUSH FORCES CONSOLIDATION
Beijing’s traffic-clogged streets have in the past year become used to the sight of white vans emblazoned with the words ‘China Cold Chain Pharma’ and the website www.pharma56.com. The fleet of vans is one visible product of the China Pharmaceutical Cold Chain Alliance (CPCCA), an industry alliance founded in 2011 with the official goal of “achieving effective integration” of the cold chain logistics across the country’s fast-growing but very fragmented pharmaceuticals sector.…
MUSK OX KNITWEAR DEVELOPS WARM AND LIGHT FIBRE FROM EXOTIC ARCTIC WILDLIFE
ONE of the warmest fibres used in knitwear across the world is also – unsurprisingly – one of the rarest and most expensive, making the manufacturing of ‘qiviuk’ garments from musk ox wool a true art. Harvested from the soft underfur of this High Arctic musk ox, qiviuk fibre is long, does not shrink when washed and lacks the scales that makes sheep wool itchy.…
NEW PLAYERS PUSH FOR BUSINESS AS ESTABLISHED COMPETITORS LOST COST AND SAFETY ADVANTAGE
The increasingly fluid global market for outsourcing enables brands to switch countries for their manufacturing needs, and it is in the interest of exporting countries to make it easy for them.
Cambodia’s garment industry has been the beneficiary of sourcing shifts from more expensive countries such as China in recent years, attracting manufacturers with some of the lowest labour costs in the world, a past reputation for reasonable working conditions and favoured access to US and European Union (EU) markets.…
BANGLADESH CLOTHING EXPORTS TO JAPAN TO HIT USD1 BILLION IN A YEAR
The value of Bangladesh’s clothing exports to Japan are increasing and could hit USD1 billion in the next 12 months, because of capacity and product quality increases, a senior government official has told just-style. “Japanese buyers are increasingly showing interest to source our apparel items.…
BRANDED FOOD RETAILERS TO FACE ADDITIONAL RED-TAPE IN PROPOSED NEW EU ORGANIC CONTROLS
BRANDED food retailers across the European Union (EU) are facing additional administration to sell organic food products, because of reforms proposed last week by the European Commission. At present, EU member states may exempt wholesalers and retailers selling pre-packaged organic products from annual controls required for manufacturers and farmers creating organic food products.…
ITALY’S COSMETICS INDUSTRY EXPORTS KEEPS SALES BUOYANT DURING TOUGH ECONOMIC TIMES
WHEN the Percassi family, owners of the successful make-up brand KIKO Make Up Milan, purchased in October 2013 a UNESCO-listed historic industrial site called Crespi d’Adda in northern Italy, it was not only a sign of their success, but proof of the old adage that tough economic times can be good for the beauty industry. …
COSMOPROF AND COSMOPACK HIGHLIGHT SUSTAINABLE PACKAGING SOLUTIONS, LOOKS AHEAD TO 2015 TRENDS
Innovations in sustainability for cosmetics and packaging were highlighted at the 47th Cosmoprof Worldwide Bologna (April 4-7), in Italy. From natural, innovative materials to using traditional materials specifically designed to protect sustainable and organic products, Cosmoprof and its related Cosmopack exhibition emphasised the latest in cosmetics and personal care innovations, and offered a look at trends to come in 2015.…
INCREASING SOPHISTICATION OF SECONDARY PACKAGING BUILDS BRAND VALUE
THE ROLE of secondary packaging in cosmetics and personal care products is growing. In addition to protecting and presenting the product, companies are expecting these packages to interact with consumers and engage the senses. Innovators in the industry are therefore developing packaging with multiple uses – from displaying textures and scents to playing music and even rotating automatically. …
CONSTRUCTION BOOM IN MYANMAR’S PAINT AND COATINGS INDUSTRY
MYANMAR’S booming construction industry is spurring rapid growth in the country’s paints and coatings sector, as a steadily increasing number of foreign firms attempt to stake out a share in a market that was, until relatively recently, decidedly lacklustre.
The Burmese construction industry is currently valued at USD3 billion and is forecast to grow to USD4.2 billion by 2016, according to a February 2014 report by the financial advisory firm New Crossroads Asia.…
CONSTRUCTION BOOM IN MYANMAR’S PAINT AND COATINGS INDUSTRY
MYANMAR’S booming construction industry is spurring rapid growth in the country’s paints and coatings sector, as a steadily increasing number of foreign firms attempt to stake out a share in a market that was, until relatively recently, decidedly lacklustre.
The Burmese construction industry is currently valued at USD3 billion and is forecast to grow to USD4.2 billion by 2016, according to a February 2014 report by the financial advisory firm New Crossroads Asia.…
GOA ORE PRODUCTION MAY TAKE MONTHS TO RESTART, FOLLOWING COURT ORDER
While India’s Supreme Court last week (April 21) lifted an 18-month-old ban on iron ore mining in the state of Goa, it maybe six months before extraction begins, Steel First has been told.
“Some things can be put in place by September but the full-fledged mining would start only by January [next year],” said Parag Nagarcenka, assistant director at Goa’s directorate of mines & geology.…
EMERGING MARKET COUNTRIES MOVING TOWARD MORE LOCAL VACCINE MANUFACTURE
ALTHOUGH two-thirds of vaccine research and development (R&D) globally is carried out by European firms, manufacturers in China, India and Brazil are becoming increasingly muscular and “moving from dependency to self-sufficiency” experts at a two-day conference in Brussels on vaccine research heard last week.…
INDIA STEEL SECTOR CONCERN ABOUT STEEL MINISTRY AS GENERAL ELECTION APPROACHES
As India’s general election approaches, private sector steel manufacturers have told Steel First of their deepening concerns about the country’s national steel ministry, even though forecasts predict growth in the sector this year.
Speaking to Steel First, some manufacturers have accused the steel ministry of failing to adequately protect their interests.…
BANGLADESH RMG EXPORTS RISE IS MORALE-BOOSTING: BKMEA
BANGLADESH’S readymade industry expects a 10-15% growth in exports for the current fiscal year ending June, Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) acting president Mohammad Hatem has told just-style.
The first eight months of the fiscal year fetched a “morale- boosting” 16.68% rise to USD16.13 billion compared to last year’s USD13.83 billion.…
MENA REGION STILL STRUGGLES WITH IP PROTECTION BUT REFORMS ARE BEING DEVELOPED
The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region ranks poorly in intellectual property rights protection and enforcement. While some countries, notably in the Gulf, are gradually improving, political and economic uncertainty in the wake of the Arab Spring uprisings is hampering progress in much of the rest of the region.…
MAKER OF SWISS ARMY KNIFE SHOWS PARALLEL QUALITY IN CLOTHING LINE
The corporate logo of a white cross on a red shield is instantly and unmistakably the mark of every adventurous schoolboy’s favourite gadget. But while Victorinox is renowned for its Swiss Army Knives, it is now bringing the same commitment of quality to ranges of functional and fashionable clothing that make the most of innovative materials.…
EU SAFETY REPORT HIGHLIGHTS PROBLEMS CAUSED BY RECALLS, BUT AUTO-MAKERS CAN MITIGATE EFFECTIVELY
WHEN a company issues a motor vehicle recall, there are a number of short term and long term implications. The company must consider the costs of repairing the vehicles, any legal costs that might arise, and, of course, its reputation.
But Paul Nieuwenhuis, co-director of the Centre for Automotive Industry Research at Cardiff Business School in the UK, said companies often decide to cut costs when manufacturing a vehicle, calculating that the costs associated with issuing a recall as a result would be worth it.…
CHINA, KOREA AND JAPAN FACE SIMILAR CHALLENGES IN MARINE COATINGS SECTOR
THREE of the world’s biggest marine coatings markets – China, South Korea and Japan – have a lot in common even though they face diverse market conditions across Asia, according to market analysts. China’s shipyards will power growth in the Asia-Pacific marine coatings market, but it is the major international coatings companies and their China-based joint ventures that remain in prime position to benefit, according to new research from consultancy Frost & Sullivan. …
BRIGHT OUTLOOK FOR ASEAN PAINTS SECTOR AS ECONOMIC COMMUNITY DEADLINE APPROACHES
AS the 2015 deadline for the full integration of the ASEAN economic community (AEC) approaches, it is becoming clear that while trade and standards harmonisation is right on target (and in some sectors well advanced) among member nations, the infinite details of this process for the coatings sector will be a work in process for many years to come.…
WOUNDCARE NONWOVENS DEMAND GROWS WORLDWIDE
THE USE of nonwovens manufacturing technology to make woundcare products has always been a key part of the nonwovens sector, but increasingly one of its fastest-growing global niches is medical single-use disposables. This is partly due to legislative changes in the US; partly to hopes for fast track, permanent elimination of the European Union’s (EU) 4.3% import tariff on America nonwovens; and partly to catch-up usage in Asia, and to a lesser extent Europe, where the supplanting of long-established re-use practices appears to have barely begun.…
INTERNATIONAL REGULATORY ROUND UP – ALARM SOUNDED OVER NANOSILVER
A EUROPEAN Union (EU) scientific committee has sounded an alarm about potential health concerns regarding the use of nano-silver in clothing – the substance often used as an antibacterial in knitted socks.
The EU’s Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks has noted studies indicating that “nanosilver exposure leads possibly to genotoxicity, changes in activity of the immune system and an accumulation of silver in spleen, liver and testes.”…
JAPAN’S UNIQLO IN MULTI-PRONGED ATTACK ON US MARKET
Premium Supima cotton, musician Pharrell Williams and New York’s Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) are spearheading the drive by Japan’s Fast Retailing Co to expand its Uniqlo chain in the US market.
The Tokyo-based clothing giant has big plans for its overseas operations, particularly in the potentially lucrative North American market, a company official explained to just-style.…
MYANMAR EARNS OVER USD1.1 BILLION FROM GARMENT EXPORTS
MYANMAR has earned more than USD1.1 billion in 2013 from garment exports since the European Union (EU) restored GSP (Generalised System of Preferences) trading privileges to the country, the vice-chairman of the Myanmar Garment Manufacturers Association, Dr U Aung Win, told just-style.…
NORDIC NONWOVENS REPORT FEATURE
NORDIC nonwoven companies Suominen, Ahlstrom and Fibertex are fast emerging from the post-2008 economic downturn fitter and leaner. This follows five years of cost-cutting and market re-alignment projects that included unit divestments, strategic acquisitions, and increased use of automation to reduce costs and strengthen profitability.…
BANGLADESH STEEL INDUSTRY AWAITS BOOST FROM PLANNED SPECIAL ECONOMIC ZONES
Bangladesh is pushing ahead with its plan to pick contractors to build two economic zones in Chittagong district, which could further boost its fast-growing steel industry.
Muhammad Abdus Samad, secretary of the Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority, told Steel First it will invite expressions of interest from contractors following a study released in February that found the sub-districts of Mirershrai and Anowara, near Chittagong “suitable” for clustering heavy industries, such as steel and shipbuilding.…
LYNAS STICKS TO ITS GUNS OVER RARE EARTH MINIMUM PRICE SHIFT
AUSTRALIA’S Lynas Corporation Ltd raised industry eyebrows late January by expressing confidence that lanthanum demand will grow robustly through to 2020, and at the same time declaring that it will not accept new orders for the light rare earth below USD15/kilogramme (kg). …
TURKEY KNITWEAR SECTOR OPTIMISTIC ABOUT 2014 – BUT CONCERNS ABOUT PRICING PRESSURES REMAIN
Turkey’s knitting industry performed strongly in 2013 and its senior figures are optimistic about further growth in the coming year. According to data from the Turkish Clothing Manufacturers’ Association (TCMA), exports of knitted apparel from Turkey grew by around 10% in 2013, reaching USD8.49 billion in the first 11 months of the year.…
WTO TRADE FACILITATION AGREEMENT WILL HELP MOVE LEAF AND MANUFACTURED PRODUCT WORLDWIDE
THE WORLD’S tobacco trade is not always a straightforward affair, being held up by export and import licence applications, port dues, quality checks, corruption and unusual red tape. A new World Trade Organisation (WTO) Agreement on Trade Facilitation, struck last December, is designed to ease some of these difficulties.…
CAR MANUFACTURING WILL NOT DISAPPEAR FROM EUROPE DESPITE DIFFICULTIES, SAYS ACEA NEW BOSS
WHATEVER happens in Europe, an automobile manufacturing base will always be needed on the continent, Erik Jonnaert, the new secretary general of the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) told wardsauto in his first interview since taking office in October 2013. (THAT’S WHAT WE WERE TOLD – BUT WE’RE DOUBLE CHECKING THIS AND WILL ADVICE MONDAY)
“I don’t think there should be any fear that we will evolve towards a situation where all manufacturing would move out of Europe,” he said, convinced that vehicle manufacturing still had a role to play on the continent despite historically low sales and increased competition from Asia.…
NEW CONNECTED CARS STANDARDS DEVELOPED IN EUROPE
A FIRST set of technical standards saying how European manufacturers should build technologies that enable vehicles to communicate with each other and with roadside communications infrastructure has been released. The European Committee for Standardization (CEN) and the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) have issued an initial set of standards for cooperative intelligence transport systems (C-ITS) – called Release 1 – following a request from the European Commission in 2009.…
TURKEY CLOTHING AND TEXTILE SECTOR SEEKS TO BOOST PROFESSIONAL TRAINING
The Turkish textile and clothing industry is looking to boost the number and quality of trained professionals entering the sector as it seeks to establish Turkey as a key centre for the production of high-quality, design-led textile and apparel.
Mustafa Balkuv, chairman of the Turkish Knitwear Industrialists Association (TRISAD), told WTiN.com…
SRI LANKA’S APPAREL EXPORTS SURPASS USD4 BILLION TARGET
Sri Lanka’s apparel and textile sector exported a record USD4.3 billion in 2013 and its Joint Apparel Association Forum (JAAF) has predicted overseas sales will continue rising this year.
Its president Noel Piyatilake told just-style said the industry is targeting an ambitious mark of USD6 billion exports by 2020, making Sri Lanka one of the world’s top 10 apparel exporting countries.…
FACTORY AUDITING SOFTWARE HELPS BOOST SUPPLY CHAIN SAFETY
With the need for checking the safety of supply chains being a growing concern, software providers are updating their products to help apparel and textile companies monitor their manufacturing and distribution partners. The technology helps brands organise their supplies, as they become increasingly involved in ensuring outsourcer factories are safe and compliant with national and international standards.…
CAMBODIA GARMENT BOSS SAYS CLOTHING INDUSTRY SHOULD KEEP GROWING IN 2014
THE SECRETARY general of the Garment Manufacturers Association in Cambodia (GMAC) has predicted that his country’s beleaguered clothing industry will continue to grow exports to key target markets, despite the industrial unrest currently threatening production.
Speaking to just-style.com, Ken Loo stressed that the capacity of Cambodia’s garment sector had continued to grow last year, which was why the southeast Asian country’s apparel products hit USD5.53 billion last year (2013), up 20% from the USD4.61 billion exported in 2012, according to figures from Cambodia’s ministry of commerce.…
CHINA’S SMALLER CITIES OFFER COSMETICS SALES GROWTH
Personal care product multinationals have long been known for their eagerness to invest in China, even during the recent global recession. That is why the decision by two renowned PCP companies to retreat from China in the past month is so remarkable.…
LABELLING AND FINISHING SEAMLESSLY INTEGRATE WITH PACKAGING TO LURE CONSUMERS
THE BEST packaging always seems to be an integral part of a product – indeed for personal care product consumers, the appearance of a container can be why they make a purchase. So for brands, making packaging decorations and finishing seem to melt into a product can be or critical importance.…
HONG KONG – MAINLAND CHINA’S PRIVILEGED TRADING PARTNER
One key supplier to the Chinese market that has all the advantages – in terms of market access, business connections and cultural awareness is Hong Kong’s cosmetics and personal care product sector. Its reputation for quality and the special administrative region’s proximity to mainland economic powerhouse Guangdong helps.…
BANGLADESH LOOKS TO ITS LAURELS AS ASIAN KNITWEAR RIVALS POWER UP
SOURCING in Asia has been a merry-go-round for many buyers in recent years. As the era of low-cost Chinese manufacturing draws more or less to a close, several countries have leveraged their low cost labour to capture a significant volume of the world’s lower end knitwear manufacturing, while others have sought to extend their reach into higher value-added manufacturing by investing in infrastructure and training.…
BANGLADESH LOOKS TO ITS LAURELS AS ASIAN KNITWEAR RIVALS POWER UP
SOURCING in Asia has been a merry-go-round for many buyers in recent years. As the era of low-cost Chinese manufacturing draws more or less to a close, several countries have leveraged their low cost labour to capture a significant volume of the world’s lower end knitwear manufacturing, while others have sought to extend their reach into higher value-added manufacturing by investing in infrastructure and training.…
DROUGHT AND DEMAND POWER RECORD AUSTRALIAN BEEF AND VEAL EXPORTS
AUSTRALIAN beef and veal exporters have been buoyed by data from the Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) showing record export numbers for the industry in 2013. The country exported nearly 1.1 million tonnes of chilled and frozen beef and veal in 2013, up 14% from the 963,779t achieved in 2012.…
TAIWAN BETS ON FUNCTIONAL KNIT FABRICS
Functional knit fabrics bucked the trend in 2013 as Taiwan’s exports of textile and apparel products declined 1% by value to end at USD11.7 billion.
“Overseas sales of Taiwan-made functional knit fabrics increased 8.8% in 2013. We think it will continue to rise in 2014 along with the popularity of outdoor wear and sportswear,” said Chen Hong Yi, a manager at the Taiwan Textile Federation (TTF).…
NEW JAPAN FUND WILL PROMOTE TROPICAL MEDICINE DEVELOPMENT
THE JAPANESE pharma sector may have previously lagged behind its counterparts in Europe and north America helping the very poorest people in the developing world, but the enthusiasm with which five of Japan’s biggest pharmaceutical companies have embraced the Global Health Innovative Technology (GHIT) Fund indicates a sea change in policy.…
COSTA RICA PIGMEAT SECTOR WELCOMES JAPANESE SWINE FEVER DECLARATION
COSTA Rica’s pork sector has welcomed Japan’s declaration that the central American country is free of Classical Swine Fever (CSF), opening the doors to its pigmeat exporters to tap the lucrative Japanese market. “The pork industry is very important for the country and our goal is for national production to increase and strengthen,” said Doctor Silvia Niño Villamizar, a member of the regulation department of the Animal Products Safety Directorate (DIPOA) for Costa Rica’s National Animal Health Service (SENASA). …
TURKEY LEAF SALES TO CRASH AFTER RECENT BOOM
TURKEY’S tobacco leaf industry enjoyed a boom year in 2013, with total tobacco production for the 2012 crop (purchased in 2013) up 52.6% to 69,348 kilogrammes (kg), according to data from Turkey’s Tobacco and Alcohol Market Regulatory Authority (Tütün ve Alkol Piyasası Düzenleme Kurumu – TAPDK).…
CANADIAN GOVERNMENT LAUNCHES OVERSEAS STUDENT RECRUITMENT PLAN
Canada’s higher education sector has welcomed a comprehensive strategy released by the Canadian government for recruiting more foreign students into its institutions.
Announcing a new International Education Strategy on Wednesday (Jan 15), the country’s international trade minister Ed Fast accepted that Canada could profit more from the lucrative global international student market.…
BRITISH REDUCTION IN SUSPICIOUS TRANSACTION REPORT RETENTION TIMES NOT FOLLOWED BY OTHER MAJOR JURISDICTIONS
WITH the UK’s Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) agreeing that all Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) it holds on its ELMER database will be deleted once they are older than six years, a long British debate balancing the needs of law enforcement and privacy has come to an end (at least temporarily).…
2013 PRICES CHEER SPANISH BEEF AND PORK PRODUCERS
SPANISH meat producers secured increasingly healthy prices in 2013 as the country crept out of recession in the second half, figures from its ministry of agriculture, food and the environment (MAGRAMA) show.
Category E pork (55% – 59% leanness) rose by 11.4% on 2012 to average EUR1.936 per kilo, 10.3% greater than the European Union (EU) average, peaking at EUR2.171/Kg.…
INDONESIA NONWOVENS INDUSTRY EXPANDS AS MIDDLE CLASS GROWS IN SIZE
INDONESIA’S nonwovens market is expanding rapidly, in particular because of rising demand for consumer products. At around 246 million people, Indonesia has easily the largest population among the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) bloc. The country’s economy has grown at an annual average of 6% over recent years, although there are signs that growth could be slowing, with the World Bank forecasting growth of 5.6% in 2013 and 5.3% in 2014, compared with 6.2% in 2012.…
SOUTH KOREA TO BOOST MINIMUM FUEL EFFICIENCY STANDARDS FOR PASSENGER CARS
THE GOVERNMENT of South Korea is expected to announce a new corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standard this coming year, which could increase target performance to 20km/liter, wardsauto has learnt. A senior official at the transportation energy team of the Korea Energy Management Corporation (KEMCO) expects the change to have a positive impact on the industry by encouraging manufacturers to develop more fuel efficient vehicles, including hybrids, electrics, and clean diesels.…
BRICS COUNTRIES SEEK TO BOOST BIOFUEL USE, DESPITE FEEDSTOCK AND REGULATORY CHALLENGES
BRAZIL, Russia, India, and China are eager to boost biofuels production, with their governments laying out energy targets and detailed plans to achieve them. And while each country has made progress, manufacturers in all the BRICs countries can still struggle with irregular feedstock supplies and spotty regulation.…
BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP RULES INCREASINGLY TIGHT WORLDWIDE
IT has not happened yet but the outlook for effective world-wide action to expose the beneficial ownership of shell companies and other kinds of suspect corporate vehicles is probably better today than it has been for many years, perhaps ever. That’s the word from Robert Palmer of Global Witness, the campaign group which has played a leading part in pressing for action on the matter.…
COLD CHAIN MANDATES DRIVE RFID UPTAKE IN ASIAN PHARMA SUPPLY CHAINS
INCREASINGLY stringent regulations governing the cold chain transport of medicines for human use are tipped to become a major driver for the uptake of radio frequency identification (RFID) technology by pharmaceutical suppliers in the Asia-Pacific region.
According to a recent report published by industry analysts Frost & Sullivan, America and Europe currently divide the biggest slice of market share in the global market for cold chain RFID.…
REVIEW OF 2013 CLOTHING AND TEXTILE SECTOR
WINNERS AND LOSERS
RETAIL
WINNERS
ASOS
Fashion retailer ASOS showed online convenience and price are still a winning combination with shoppers. The UK-based online retailer continued its impressive trajectory this year, announcing pre-tax profit had reached GBP54.7m (US$88.3m) for the year ending 31 August, compared to GBP40m in the same period of last year, with retail sales jumping 40% to GBP753.8m, up from GBP537.9m last year. …
AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND - A WORLD APART IN THE ASIA-PACIFIC?
WHILE Australia’s healthy economy is the envy of most countries in the world, and obviously this boosts the personal care product industry in the country – there are concerns that retailers and brands are over-charging consumers. Indeed, Australian consumers are paying as much as 50% more for the same cosmetics as United States and European consumers, according to a recent investigation by Australia’s consumer organisation Choice.…
HONG KONG STILL RETAINS ROLE AS WINDOW TO CHINA FOR PAINTS AND COATINGS SECTOR
Although Hong Kong’s paint and coatings demand is modest, and with virtually all its production facilities having moved to mainland China since the 1990s, the city remains a sales centre for hundreds of paint manufacturers, exporters and buying offices, positioned as the gateway to the Chinese market.…
WATCHDOGS GIRD THEIR LOINS OVER VIRTUAL MONEY
THE EXPLOITATION of virtual currencies such as Bitcoin, Litecoin, Peercoin and Namecoin, to name but a few, by money launderers is an emerging concern amongst anti-money laundering (AML) regulators. They may not be legal tender, but they are convertible if owners can find institutions or people willing to turn them into fiat currency.…
EUROPEAN ANIMAL TEST BAN HAS IMPACT IN EAST ASIA
WHILE the European Union’s (EU) ban on sales of cosmetics with ingredients tested on animals was imposed as recently as March 2013, its impact has been felt as far away as east Asia.
Japan’s cosmetics firms, for instance, prepared well in advance for the change in legislation.…
SOUTH KOREA TO BOOST MINIMUM FUEL EFFICIENCY STANDARDS FOR PASSENGER CARS
THE GOVERNMENT of South Korea is expected to announce a new corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standard this coming year, which could increase target performance to 20km/liter, wardsauto has learnt. A senior official at the transportation energy team of the Korea Energy Management Corporation (KEMCO) expects the change to have a positive impact on the industry by encouraging manufacturers to develop more fuel efficient vehicles, including hybrids, electrics, and clean diesels.…
EUROPE: MISSED TARGETS AND WEAK BUDGETS HIT HE SAYS NEW REPORT
Is European higher education generally delivering the right kind of qualifications for EU citizens gearing up to tackle the challenges and opportunities of today’s world or is it missing the target somewhere along the line ? The question isn’t a new one but it has been given a fresh twist by the 2013 Education and Training Monitor released last week by the European Commission.…
MYANMAR’S TEXTILE INDUSTRY IS SLEEPING GIANT PREPARING TO WAKE
THE LIBERALISATION taking place in Myanmar has been making the global textile and clothing sector excited about the country’s thus far untapped potential to export indigenous and mainstream textiles. Aung Min, research director of the business insight and social insight department at the Myanmar Marketing Research and Development Co.…
EU-FUNDED PROJECT WANTS TO IMPLEMENT LESSONS LEARNED FROM FUKUSHIMA IN EUROPE
AT a time when European nuclear research projects following the Chernobyl disaster were wrapping up, Japan’s Fukushima accident exposed new gaps in Europe’s preparedness for a nuclear emergency. And a project backed by 43 organisations now wants to prepare Europe to react and communicate properly in case of a nuclear emergency, drawing on the lessons learnt after Fukushima.…
FORD PUSHES US AND EU TO INCLUDE CURRENCY MANIPULATION IN THEIR TRADE TALKS
FORD is pressing United States and European Union (EU) negotiators involved in the world’s largest ever bilateral trade talks to write promises not to manipulate currency exchange rates into the resulting agreement, its executives have told wardsauto.
In a private briefing, executives from the US car giant said they wanted to create a global precedent by writing these commitments into the planned EU-US Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP).…
BRUSSELS MIGHT DROP WTO DISPUTE OVER RUSSIA CAR SCRAPPING FEE
The European Commission is assessing a law passed by Russia’s parliament, the Duma, which might head off a global trade dispute over scrapping second hand vehicles. Brussels wants to see if the Duma has truly abolished a contested recycling fee on imports of second-hand vehicles that is supposed to push promote good environmental practice when they are scrapped.…
EU SOW STALL RESTRICTIONS BOOST BELGIAN PIG EXPORTS
A rise of 7.7% in the value of pig meat exported by Belgium in the first half of 2013 (3.4 % increase by volume) was sparked by new European Union (EU) legislation covering the housing of pregnant sows, according to Joris Coenen, marketing manager at the Belgian Meat Office (VLAM).…
BANK CUSTOMERS START TO BE ENLISTED IN FIGHT AGAINST FRAUD
CORPORATE and personal banking customers may well feel more than a tad uneasy if their bank suddenly asks them to scan accounts for evidence of fraud but it is happening more and more in America and appears to be paying off.…
SRI LANKA SEEKS GLOBAL NICHE AS QUALITY KNITWEAR PRODUCER
THE SRI Lanka knitwear industry Joint Apparel Association Forum (JAAF) has been pushing the island’s government for reforms to help the sector continue its current growth. Tuli Cooray, secretary general of the Sri Lanka Joint Apparel Association Forum (JAAF) told Knitting International: “Last year from our total exports, the knitwear amounted to almost 47 per cent, a sharp increase from a share of 34 per cent in 2002.…
THAILAND’S TAX BREAKS MAP CHANGES IN INVESTMENT POLICY
THAILAND’S new tax incentive scheme, due to take effect in just over a year, is provoking mixed reactions from tax experts and foreign investors.
As the country looks to move away from low-cost, low-value, environmentally damaging manufacturing industries towards those that might foster a sustainable, knowledge-based economy, Thailand’s Board of Investment (BOI) has drawn up a new investment promotion policy that will go into effect in January 2015.…
MIXING TECHNOLOGY MAKES INCREMENTAL INNOVATIONS – KEEPING CORE PRINCIPLES INTACT
PRODUCERS of confectionery mixing machinery around the world continue to improve their machines, but generally opt for incremental improvements in sanitation and multi-purpose functions rather than creating entire new products.
Dutch confectionery equipment producer Tanis Confectionery, plans to unveil new mixing technology at Germany’s Interpack processes and packaging trade fair in May, Leo Tanis, CEO of Tanis Confectionery told Confectionery Production.…
EUROPE: OECD REPORT EXPOSES SERIOUS EDUCATION GAPS IN EU
A major international survey of education standards has found serious weaknesses in the EU countries when compared to levels in other parts of the world. In spite of the heavy investment in higher education in recent years in the EU, the study suggests that a fifth of the working age population has worrying low literacy and numeracy skills and a quarter of adults lack the digital skills needed to effectively use ICT.…
INDONESIA TEXTILE SECTOR BOSS PREDICTS STEADY EXPORT GROWTH, ESPECIALLY IN ASIA
THE CHAIRMAN of the Indonesian Textile Association (API – or Asosiasi Pertekstilan Indonesia) has told WTiN.com that it is anticipating steady growth in exports of Indonesian textiles and garments over the next few years. Expansion in Japan, the Middle East and other Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) markets would prove increasingly important, he predicted.…
EUROPEAN PARTNERSHIP AIMING TO TAKE FUEL CELLS AND HYDROGEN TO MARKET
A PUBLIC-private partnership that is preparing to start its second phase in 2014 wants to make fuel cells and hydrogen a market reality in Europe in the years to come, according to Bert De Colvenaer, its executive director.
“The fuel cells and hydrogen technology is ready for demonstration, but it will take another couple of years before it is ready for market,” De Colvenaer said, speaking during an European Parliament event held in Brussels.…
INDIA’S NASCENT NON-WOVENS SECTOR IS POISED TO GROW FAST
INDIA’S nonwoven technical textile industry is facing mixed fortunes as various different segments face diverging growth patterns. While the companies involved in the manufacturing of hygiene and baby care-related products are expanding their operations, those involved in low-end packing materials are barely recovering their costs.…
ANTIMONY PROJECT EXECUTIVE HAILS LIKELY SUCCESS OF NEW OMAN PLANT
One of the world’s largest antimony metal and tri-oxide manufacturing facilities, with a 20,000 tonnes per annum capacity, is to open in Oman. At an estimated investment cost of USD60 million, London-listed integrated antimony development company Tri-Star Resources has entered into a joint venture with the Oman Investment Fund (OIF), the Arabian Gulf country’s sovereign wealth fund, and Dubai Transport Company affiliate Castell Investments Ltd to build and operate the antimony roasting facility.…
SRI LANKA INCHES CLOSER TO ‘REGIONAL HUB’ DREAM
AN INTERNATIONAL clothing and textile conference has heard how the growing retail market in the Asia-Pacific region may enable emerging economies such as Sri Lanka to realise ambitious dreams to become regional production hubs.
Kurt Cavano – founder/vice chairman & chief strategy officer of cloud computing company GT Nexus addressing the South Asian Apparel Leadership Forum, held in Colombo on October 12, noted: “The top six retailers that are growing are not in North America, it is in the Asia Pacific.…
INNOVATION WIDENS SOURCES OF MATERIALS FOR FIBRE MANUFACTURING
Any market and industry benefits from supply diversification, so major textile and clothing companies can take heart from continued innovation amongst fibre and fabric producers over sourcing. This extends, for instance, to sourcing material from unusual places such as milk and fishing nets, while creating more opportunities for traditional sources such as flax.…
COTTON STILL KING, ALTHOUGH FRACKING MAY BOOST ARTIFICIAL FIBRES
World fibre production, especially for cotton, is strong, with cotton prices stabilising after experiencing a few years of high prices. Yet, the apparel and textile trade landscape is shifting as production moves away from China and domestic demand in Asia is set to boom, which will put more pressure on existing fibres and fabrics production worldwide.…
INTERNATIONAL COTTON GROUP CONSIDERS PROMOTING THEIR FIBRE FOR FIRST TIME
SENIOR figures within the global cotton industry are considering promoting sales of their fibre proactively for the first time, as price shifts are allowing synthetics to seize more market share. Kevin Latner, president of Cotton Council International, argued at the International Cotton Advisory Committee’s (ICAC) 72nd plenary session, in Colombia, for the industry to persuade consumers that cotton is a sustainable and quality fibre.…
SPORTSWEAR INNOVATORS SEEK HIGH PERFORMANCE ERGONOMIC DESIGNS THAT STAY WITHIN THE RULES
HIGH tech innovators in sportswear and outdoor equipment are developing fabrics and garments that do more and perform better, from health monitoring to slowing the effects of aging. Many inventions spring from unlikely source materials, for instance waste milk. And for sports, manufacturers have to be especially clever – ensuring their innovations avoid creating uncompetitive advantages that break sporting rules.…
JAPANESE TECHNICAL TEXTILES INDUSTRY CATCHING UP, FOCUSING ON NICHE MARKETS
In the 1950s, Japanese companies’ technical and industrial expertise put them at the forefront of the textile innovation, leading the move from the ‘rayon era’ to the polyester, nylon and acrylic of the ‘synthetic fibre era’. While the industry is a lot smaller than it was, it is now focused on specialist products and quality over quantity.…
COAL HOLDS ITS OWN – SHOULD OUTLAST OIL AND GAS
COAL might be regarded as the oldest energy source going, but it is still currently the world’s largest long-term source of electricity. It fuels around 40% of global electricity production, according to the UK-based World Energy Council, a United Nations (UN) accredited body representing some 3,000 private and public-sector member organisations across 90 nations.…
NHA BE GARMENT CORPORATION FOCUS: A VIETNAM OUTSOURCER WITH COMPLEX SUPPLY LINES
IF further evidence was needed that Asian outsourcing is becoming increasingly mature, with a reliance on international supply chains, then the FOB division of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam’s Nha Be Garment Corporation Joint Stock Company (NBC) is a case in point.…
MALAYSIA TARGEST SUSTAINED GROWTH IN OIL AND GAS RESERVES
PETRONAS, Malaysia’s state-owned oil and gas (O&G) company, plans to increase the country’s O&G production and resource addition at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.5% over the five years 2013 through 2017.
This target follows Petronas’ announcement in January 2013 of plans to spend MYR186 billion (USD56.7 billion) on the country’s O&G sector over the next five years, and to increase significantly its production activities for both hydrocarbons.…
GLOBAL CLOTHING AND TEXTILE EXPERTS URGE CHANGES SO CHINA MANUFACTURING SECTOR CAN FACE NEW CHALLENGES
INTERNATIONAL clothing and textile experts gathered near Shanghai last week (September 23-7) to discuss solutions to China’s twin challenges – dealing with less foreign demand, while managing rising production costs.
Speaking at the 29th World Fashion Convention, Shanghai, staged in nearby Kunshan, Texhong CEO Hong Tianzhu told delegates it was time for Chinese manufacturers to upgrade their plant and processes, while moving some production outside China.…
FLUORESCENT SILK MAY LEAD THE ROAD BACK TO JAPAN IN THE FUTURE
Japan’s silk industry has been shrinking since the recent inundation of cheaper Chinese silk into the world market, especially regarding its mass market. This lower priced competition from its giant neighbour has caused a large decline in silk farming numbers across Japan.…
JAPANESE RESEARCHERS FIND NEW USE FOR RARE EARTH – TEMPERATURE RESPONSIVE COATINGS
A team of Japanese scientists has developed a coating that makes use of rare earth elements to change its colour at different temperatures.
Yasuchika Hasegawa, a professor of materials chemistry at Hokkaido University, has been working on a project that he terms his “chameleon light emitter” for more than two years and is presently in discussions with a number of Japanese companies about collaborative projects to determine the best applications for the new technology.…
FRANCE WINS OUT IN COSMETICS BATTLE WITH JAPAN
FRANCE and Japan have two of the world’s most powerful personal care product sectors, but their companies fare quite differently when trying to sell into each other’s markets. The glamour of the French industry is a strong calling card in Japan, while Japanese manufacturers must work harder to persuade French consumers to buy their wares because of their technical excellence.…
JAPAN PAINT SECTOR HAS ROSY SHORT-TERM FUTURE – BUT LONGER TERM CONCERNS
JAPAN’S paint and coatings industry has enjoyed steady growth over the last couple of years, with demand growing both at home and abroad, although some of the biggest names in the industry here remain concerned about the longer-term outlook for the sector.…
GLAXO ADMITS ITS EXECUTIVES BROKE CHINESE LAW IN CORRUPTION SCANDAL
MEDICINES giant GSK yesterday (July 22) admitted that its executives had broken Chinese law in a corruption scandal that could see the UK-based company face heavy fines. Following a meeting with Chinese public security ministry officials into their investigation into allegations that GSK executives bribed officials to boost sanctioned prices for its drugs, GSK international president for Europe, Japan, emerging markets and the Asia-Pacific region Abbas Hussain said: “Certain senior executives of GSK China who know our systems well, appear to have acted outside of our processes and controls which breaches Chinese law.…
MIDDLE EAST COSMETICS MARKETS DIVIDED: GULF BOOMS WHILE LEVANT STRUGGLES
PERSONAL care product market in the Middle East can be divided into two current trends: sales in the affluent Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries are booming, while on the other side of the region, in the Levant, markets are feeling the effects of the Syrian conflict, with the loss of tourists and low consumer confidence impacting bottom lines.…
LATIN AMERICA – MAJOR GROWTH ZONE FOR PERSONAL CARE PRODUCT SECTOR
WHILE it is hard to generalise about a region as diverse as Latin America, the truth is that many of its consumers are more concerned about personal appearance than is typical elsewhere in the world, and that is good news for the personal care product industry.…
EU-US FTA COULD PUSH WORLD TOWARDS FIRST NEW GLOBAL STANDARD FOR CAR SAFETY
THE NEGOTIATIONS for a free trade agreement (FTA) between the European Union (EU) and the United States, which started this month in Washington DC (July 8), could push the world towards a truly global vehicle regulatory system for the first time, according to EU sources close to the negotiations.…
TOKYO SPORTS ADVANCED TRAFFIC MONITORING SYSTEMS
It may be one of the busiest cities on the planet, with tens of millions of people criss-crossing its roads, pavements and subway lines every day of the week, but Tokyo benefits from one of the most advanced road traffic monitoring and management systems in the world.…
CHINA’S TOBACCO BUREAUCRACY PAYS OUT GENEROUS SUBSIDIES TO ENCOURAGE BETTER VARIETIES, DRYING TECHNIQUES
CHINA’S tobacco growers are set for a bumper crop of subsidies this year (2013), which will see state payments to leaf growers pass Chinese Yuan Renminbi CNY15 billion (USD2.44 billion) for the first time, up from CNY14.7 billion (USD2.39 billion) paid out in 2012.…
INDONESIA'S PAINTS SECTOR TO GROW OVER NEXT FEW YEARS
INDONESIA’S paints and coatings industry is introducing a growing range of new products and innovations as the market becomes increasingly competitive, as recent robust growth continues into the foreseeable future.
A 2012 report by UK-based market researchers Euromonitor International, said the total turnover of the Indonesian paints and varnishes sector was forecast to grow by 10% in 2012 to Indonesian Rupiah IDR15.3 trillion (USD1.53 billion), up from IDR6.4 trillion (USD640 million) in 2005, with a combined annual growth rate of 8.4% between 2005 and 2012.…
MOBIXELL OFFERS MOBILE COMPANIES A PORTAL TO SELL GOODS AND SERVICES TO THEIR CUSTOMERS
Making money in the mobile communications sector is always about the art of the possible, but ambitious companies will always seek to tap the most revenue streams. The question, as ever, is how to achieve such goals, without being weighed down with additional layers of management that eat into those vital profit margins.…
INDONESIAN GOVERNMENT CONSIDERS TEXTILE PROGRAMME REVAMP
THE INDONESIAN Textile Association (API – or Asosiasi Pertekstilan Indonesia) has told WTiN that the Indonesian government is considering revamping its policy programme designed to boost investment in the sector. He added that the industry is also looking to improve its own competitiveness by focusing increasingly on higher value products.…
EU LAUNCHES WTO CASE AGAINST CHINESE ANTI-DUMPING DUTIES ON EUROPEAN STEEL TUBE EXPORTS
The European Union (EU) has announced it will start disputes proceedings with China at the World Trade Organisation (WTO), where it will seek to challenge Chinese anti-dumping duties imposed on EU-made imports of high-performance stainless steel seamless tubes.
Brussels will join the Japan government, which has already launched a WTO dispute with China over anti-dumping duties levied on the same steel products made in Japan.…
NEW FATF RECOMMENDATIONS SPARKS AML REFORM WORLDWIDE, BUT SOME CHANGES ARE SLOW
THE CHANGES made in 2012 by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) to global anti-money laundering and terror finance guidance might have been agreed by consensus, but governments are responding in a wide variety of ways. Some jurisdictions considered to be leaders in anti-money laundering (AML) and combating the financing of terrorism (CFT) practice are taking time to respond, while others have taken advantage of the new recommendations to revamp their AML laws and regulations.…
G8 PUSH FOR TRANSPARENCY IN EXTRACTIVE INDUSTRIES COULD PUT MORE MINERALS COMPANIES ON EQUAL FOOTING
A PUSH by the G8 group of the world’s seven most industrialised nations plus Russia to improve extractive industry transparency and openness can help industrial minerals companies manage the payments they make in developing counties, as they will only have to follow one set of rules, according to Rio Tinto chief executive Sam Walsh.…
BRUSSELS REPORT OUTLINES DETAILED WORK ON SUPPLIES OF RARE EARTHS AND OTHER IN DEMAND INDUSTRIAL MINERALS
THE EUROPEAN Commission has released a detailed progress report on its promotion of raw material supplies in Europe. It said Brussels will release an implementation plan for its 2012 raw materials initiative by December, boosting the availability of key industrial minerals, including rare earths, in the European Union (EU). …
CLOSED LOOP SUPPLY CHAINS HARD TO ACHIEVE FOR CLOTHING AND TEXTILE SECTOR
The concept of closed loop supply chains sounds a laudable, if possibly Utopian ideal: a virtuous circle of production from cradle to grave and back to cradle again. However, as Ulf Eriksson, product manager for textiles and shoes at the Sweden-government-owned Ecolabelling Sweden (or Svanen – Swedish for swan), pointed out: “A closed loop is a challenge for the garment industry because this is a fashion business.…
APPAREL MANUFACTURERS SEEK SUSTAINABLE OPTIONS SUCH AS ECOLABELS, CLOSED LOOP SUPPLY CHAINS
The challenges of working out whether textiles are sourced, produced or manufactured ethically are magnified by the plethora of eco-labelling schemes that apply to the industry. According to the Vancouver, Canada-based Ecolabel Index (www.ecolabelindex.com) there are 436 ecolabels worldwide, of which at least 24 cover textiles, clothes, other apparel and garments (while several others potentially overlap into the industry).…
MILLION’S WORTH OF NEW GARMENT FACTORIES TO START OPERATION IN BANGLADESH
INVESTORS have shown faith in the long term prospects of the Bangladesh clothing and textile sector, with four garment factories costing nearly USD50 million to build starting operations in Bangladesh’s Comilla Export Processing Zone this year (EPZ), its general manager MD Abdus Sobhan told just-style.…
ANGOLA’S TEXTILE INDUSTRY GETS USD 1 BILLION REVIVAL
clothing and textile industry, largely destroyed by the country’s 27 year civil war, is now being revived, with USD 1 billion’s worth of investment provided by the Japanese Bank for International Cooperation. (JBIC)
The money will fund the development of three major plants, with Japan’s Marubeni Corporation being the “EPC contractor who supplies not only engineering, equipment and construction but also training for operation staffs for all the factories and arranges the appropriate finance package…,” a spokesperson from Marubeni’s head office in Tokyo, Japan told just-style.…
INDIA’S AMUL PLOTS NEW PRODUCTION IN THE USA
INDIA’S largest dairy brand Amul is expanding beyond India for the first time by planning to launch its first offshore production facility in the United States. In a joint venture with a local dairy in upstate New York, in Waterloo, between Rochester and Syracuse, Amul will produce specialised products for the sizable Indian community living on the east coast of United States.…
G8 PLEDGE TRANSPARENCY ON BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP
THE LEADERS of eight of the world’s leading economies have pledged to crack down on misuse of companies and legal arrangements to evade tax and launder money.
It raises the prospect of national registries of beneficial ownership for companies and trusts in Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, USA, and in the UK, which had already announced plans to force registration of beneficial ownership at Britain’s Companies House registry.…
DESPITE THE SLUMP, US AIRPORTS PLAN FOR GROWTH
While the American civil aviation sector has its problems, the long term future is bright, according to the USA’s Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA). In a groundbreaking forecast released last March (2012), it predicted the US industry would grow steadily over the next 20 years, reaching 1.2 billion passengers flying commercially by 2024, compared to 731 million in 2011.…
EU SUGAR QUOTAS AGREEMENT LOOMS
EUROPEAN Union (EU) negotiators are approaching the final decision over the future of EU sugar quotas, with a deal expected between the European Parliament and EU Council of Ministers by the end of June. What is almost certain is the current phase-out date of 2015 is dead.…
COSMETICS MARKET IN BURMA IS GROWING FAST – BUT OBSTACLES REMAIN
Personal care product investors and traders are eyeing Burma with a “gold rush mentality,” Marita Schimpl, head of qualitative research and new business development at Yangon-based Myanmar Survey Research (MSR), has told Soap Perfumery and Cosmetics.
Now that Burma has opened up to trade and investment and international sanctions are falling away because of democratisation, Ms Schimpl said: “Everyone thinks they can’t miss out.…
AMERICAN, EUROPEAN AND JAPANESE CAR PARTS ALLIANCE IS GOOD FOR BUSINESS SAYS US COMPONENT
CAR parts suppliers in the US, the European Union (EU) and Japan will be better equipped to comply with environmental regulations as a result of an international alliance forged by the industry, its American representative has claimed. David Lalain, vice president of the Automotive Industry Action Group (AIAG) welcomed AIAG joining forces with the European Association of Automotive Suppliers (CLEPA) and the Japan Auto Parts Industries Association (JAPIA) in a global cooperation deal.…
MOHANDAS PAI – TELLS IT HOW IT IS
It is always nice to hear refreshing candour from a senior accounting executive – and that’s what you get from TV Mohandas Pai, Indian chartered accountant (CA) and former CFO of information technology giant Infosys. Take that, giants of the world’s accounting sector: “The big four are more interested in the commercial success of their own businesses rather than putting back money into the profession,” Mr Pai told Accounting & Business in a no-holds-barred interview at his Bangalore office.…
EU PROTECTIVE DUTIES PROVOKE IRE IN ARGENTINE BIOFUEL SECTOR
is traditionally a major supplier of biodiesel to the European Union (EU) market, but trade flows have reduced sharply in the past year and could fall further with an anti-dumping duty soon expected. An additional anti-subsidy countervailing duty may also be imposed on the Southern Cone nation.…
INDONESIA'S COAL PRODUCTION BOOMS WHILE MINING LAGS
INDONESIA’S mining industry is richly endowed with natural resources. United States Geological Survey (USGS) reports stress how the country ranks among the world’s leading producers of tin, copper and nickel, with sizeable reserves of other key ores such as bauxite, gold and silver.…
– DRINKS PACKAGERS LOOK TO COMMUNICATE BETTER WITH CONSUMERS
Drinks packaging design has always been about communicating with consumers – whether it is broadcasting a brand image or delivering information. And with new technologies aiding communication in many ways, interaction is a key theme with international beverage packaging designers today.…
TEXTILES AND CLOTHING HELP ROBOTS PERFORM FUNCTIONS, INTERACT WITH PEOPLE
WHILE textiles, clothing and textile-based soft materials have not traditionally been a focus in robotics, researchers in the United States (US) especially are increasingly combining the two to perform certain functions, such as helping robots to ‘touch’ and ‘feel’ their environment.…
CHINA STARTS COMPREHENSIVE EXPANSION OF ITS COGEN SECTOR
the once-in-a-decade handover of power within China’s Communist Party government now complete, the country’s new administration is beginning to find its feet. It is a process that has profound implications for the cogeneration sector in the world’s most populous nation.
At the heart of the opportunities related to cogeneration is a government plan entitled Guiding Opinions of the Deployment of Gas-Fired Distributed Energy. …
WTO PANEL TO RULE ON LEGALITY OF CHINESE ANTIDUMPING DUTIES ON JAPANESE STEEL TUBES
A World Trade Organisation (WTO) disputes panel has been authorised to settle a row between China and Japan over Chinese anti-dumping duties on high-performance stainless steel seamless tubes imported from Japan.
Tokyo argues that these duties break global commerce rules, notably the WTO’s anti-dumping agreement and its general agreement on tariffs and trade (GATT).…
CHINA UNDER PRESSURE TO SEEK LESS DRAMATIC ANTI-FRAUD PENALTIES, WHILE JAPAN PUSHED TO TOUGHEN PUNISHMENTS
CHINA and Japan offer two contrasting case studies in the punishment of fraud: while China is under pressure to dial down penalties from their past severity; in Japan, there have been moves to make punishments tougher.
Certainly China cannot get much tougher, given the death penalty is available to judges for fraud.…
OVERSEAS NONWOVENS PLAYERS EYE CHINA PREMIUM MARKET
ALTHOUGH China is known for skilled workers making clothing for big brand names, the country still relies heavily on imports when it comes to high performance nonwovens used in the medical, automotive, environmental protection and other fields, according to Beijing-based China Nonwovens & Industrial Textiles Association (CNITA).…
WESTERN COUNTRIES TURNING TO UZBEKISTAN FOR MINERAL RESOURCES
THE FORMER Soviet, Central Asian republic of Uzbekistan is being wooed by the West for its oil and gas reserves, but attention is increasingly turning to its solid mineral wealth. According to the country’s State Committee on Statistics, explored mineral reserves are put at USD3.27 trillion and from a key plank of the country’s economy: in 2012, according to the committee, metals processing accounted for 17% of all the country’s industrial output and was valued at Uzbekistani Som UZS8.6 trillion (USD4.2 billion), a rise of 12.4% on 2011.…
INDIA PLANS DISASTER RESCUE UNIT FOR LIVESTOCK
THE INDIAN government is to create a national Veterinary Emergency Response Unit, charged with protecting the country’s huge livestock population during natural disasters, such as floods, fires, droughts and earthquakes, a New Delhi conference has heard. “We are going to train the students of Indian veterinary colleges in disaster management techniques so that they can rush to save livestock whenever a disaster strikes,” S Abdul Rahman, President of the Commonwealth Veterinary Association, told globalmeatnews.com. …
SHISEIDO BANS ANIMAL TESTING, OR DOES IT?
WHEN the New York-based Ethisphere Institute announced 145 corporations that had won its designation as the World’s Most Ethical Companies for 2013, there were a mere five Japanese firms on the list. However, one was Japanese cosmetics giant Shiseido, listed for the second consecutive year and recognised for going “beyond statements about doing business ‘ethically’ … to translate those words into action.”…
LIVING UP TO THE CHALLENGE OF CHANGING SOURCING EQUATION
THE EVER-CHANGING sourcing equation is a challenge to the global garment and textile industry supply chain. There is talk of moving production back home to western countries – bringing it closer to market- but its viability is being questioned. Meanwhile in Asia, where the majority of clothes are currently produced worldwide, the sourcing landscape is changing, experts say.…
BRANDS LOOK FOR ALTERNATIVES TO CHINA
WITH Chinese clothing and textile manufacturers struggling with rising costs – through inflation, wage increases and currency adjustments – international brands have been shopping around for new sourcing countries. There are plenty of options, especially in China’s east Asia neighbourhood, where Vietnam and Cambodia have developed lower cost centres.…
EU REGULATORY BULLETIN – BRUSSELS PUSHES NEW BROADBAND ROLL-OUT LAW
A REGULATION aimed at ensuring the rollout of broadband networks across the European Union (EU) is achieved more cheaply and swiftly has been proposed by the European Commission. It tries to force member states to ensure new buildings are broadband ready, while telling incumbent telcos to give access to their physical networks to broadband service providers.…
CHINA AIMS TO DEVELOP DOMESTIC HIGH-END TECHNICAL TEXTILES, BUT A LONG WAY TO GO
CHINA’S demonstrable skills in clothing and textile manufacture has yet to yield dividends in the technical textiles field, with the country still relying heavily on imports, especially for high-end products such as carbon fibre, high temperature fibre and medical textiles.
In 2011, China spent USD3.4 billion importing technical textiles, including woven and unwoven lines, mainly from the US and Japan – up 22.7% from USD2.77 billion during 2010, according to Beijing-based China Nonwovens and Industrial Textiles Associations (CNITA).…
USA PUSHES FOR TPP YARN FORWARD RULE TO COVER FIBRES IN SHORT SUPPLY WITHIN ASIA-PACIFIC REGION
THE AMERICAN textile and apparel industry is planning to present a detailed “short supply” list of hard-to-source fibres and fabrics at the next round of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) east Asia-Americas trade agreement discussions, to be held in Lima from May 15-24.…
IRAN OFFERS MASTER-CLASS IN EVADING THE TOUGHEST SANCTIONS IN HISTORY
IRAN is under sanctions from the United States, the European Union (EU) and the United Nations, and last year the US tightened the screws even more. As President Barack Obama said following his re-election in November, 2012: “We’ve imposed the toughest sanctions in history.”…
FRANCE’S AREVA POSITIONS ITSELF AS ONE-STOP SHOP FOR CHINESE NUCLEAR SUPPLIES
WITH AREVA celebrating 30 years of operations in China in 2013 its head of operations in the country is hoping for an expansion of joint ventures as well as overseas collaboration with Chinese partners in uranium sourcing.
Speaking in Beijing, Rémy Autebert, senior executive vice-president for Asia, explained how he hopes to see a doubling in the number of joint ventures with Chinese partners, from the company’s current four.…
EUROPEAN NON-FERROUS METAL INDUSTRY WELCOMES EU-THAILAND FREE TRADE AGREEMENT NEGOTIATIONS
Eurometaux, the organisation representing the interests of the European non-ferrous metals industry, has welcomed the launch of negotiations for a free trade agreement between the European Union (EU) and Thailand. “We believe this is something that will boost the trade potential between the EU and Thailand and will open the market,” Elena Vyboldina, Eurometaux’s trade and economy manager told Metal Bulletin.…
EU-THAILAND FREE TRADE AGREEMENT MAY LEAD TO LIFTING OF EU MARBLE, GRANITE STONES IMPORTS BAN ON THE THAI MARKET
NEGOTIATIONS for a free trade agreement (FTA) between the European Union (EU) and Thailand, removing tariffs and non-tariff barriers, may erase restrictions on exports of cut and polished marble and granite stones from the EU to Thailand.
At the moment European exporters of these minerals, as well as other monumental or building stone, need prior authorisation from the Thailand ministry of commerce.…
INTERPOL LAUNCHES NEW PHARMA CRIME UNIT WITH HELP FROM INDUSTRY
INTERNATIONAL police agency Interpol is to create a pharmaceutical crime programme after striking a three year funding deal with 29 medicine manufacturers. The programme will build on the work of Interpol’s existing medical product counterfeiting and pharmaceutical crime (MPCPC) unit. An Interpol note said this new initiative would “focus on the prevention of all types of pharmaceutical crime including branded and generic drug counterfeiting as well as the identification and dismantling of organised crime networks linked to this illegal activity, which generates millions in illicit profits every year.”…
GLOBAL TRADE IN COUNTERFEIT MEDICINES KILLS ON A GRAND SCALE
IF there is one crime condemned worldwide it is the sale and smuggling of counterfeit medicines. Sometimes close copies and sometimes dangerous substances – this crime kills on a grand scale.
Counting the number of its victims accurately is difficult, because of the subversive nature of the trade, but some think-tanks have tried.…
VIETNAM KNITWEAR INDUSTRY AIMS TO EXPLOIT FREE TRADE OPPORTUNITIES
INCREASED competition and a weakened global economy have not dimmed expectations for Vietnam-based knitwear exporters, with two major trade deals looming, able to guarantee duty free exports to the US and the European Union (EU). They will also remove non-tariff barriers impeding trade, boosting optimism amongst established exporters of quality Vietnam-made knitwear.…
PHILIPPINES GARMENT EXPORTERS SUPPORT PASSING OF THE SAVE ACT
AMERICA’S Save Our Industries Act, also known as the SAVE Act, which would give a range of Philippines-made apparel duty-free access to the US, looks increasingly likely to be implemented. And the Filipino clothing and textile sector is happy. The bill, first introduced to the US Congress in 2009, is to be re-introduced to Congress this month for the third time.…
OMNI CHANNEL RETAILING – MANAGEMENT BRIEFING
PART 1 – THE RAPID EVOLUTION OF MULTI-CHANNEL
The apparel retail world has been altered profoundly by technology over the last few years, and the fashion industry knows that to succeed marketing and sales must be undertaken though the many new channels that are now available. …
EUROPEAN TEXTILE INDUSTRY UNSURE WHETHER EU-THAILAND FREE TRADE AGREEMENT WILL HELP ITS EXPORTS
THE EUROPEAN Union (EU) textile and clothing industry is unsure whether it stands to benefit or to lose from a proposed free trade agreement (FTA) between EU and Thailand, for which negotiations were announced earlier this month (March 6). “The Commission still needs to launch the public consultation to hear the industry views,” Luisa Santos, head of international trade at the European Apparel and Textile Confederation (Euratex) told just-style.…
INDUSTRIAL MINERALS
Industrial minerals production in Malaysia is growing strongly, meeting increasing demand within the country driven largely by its rapidly developing economy. According to figures from Malaysia’s department of minerals and geoscience and the department of statistics, total industrial minerals production in Malaysia grew 10.7% to 207.6 million tonnes in 2011 – the latest year for which comprehensive figures are available – with the total value growing 16.5% to Malaysian Ringgit MYR3.3 billion (USD1 billion).…
AFTER THE GOLD RUSH: NEW MINING PROJECTS TAKING A HIT IN ALASKA
WHILE Alaska’s mining industry has seen impressive growth in output through 2012, with high commodity prices for gold and silver in particular boosting exploration and production, experts predict a relatively flat performance in 2013.
At the lowermost rung of the value ladder is coal, a sector adversely impacted by both slack global demand and increasing competition from alternative fuel sources.…
MIDDLE EASTERN NON-WOVENS SECTOR STARTS TO GROW FROM ITS TURKISH AND SAUDI BASE
NONWOVENS manufacturing has grown fast in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, with most of the major players less than two decades old. With a burgeoning population and strong export potential, MENA production has in general doubled over the past five years, especially in the region’s manufacturing hubs of Saudi Arabia and Turkey, which currently have the strongest nonwovens sectors.…
US, EU AND JAPAN PRESS AHEAD WITH WTO CASE AGAINST ARGENTINE AUTO IMPORT RESTRICTIONS
THE UNITED States, the European Union (EU) and Japan will press ahead with a World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute complaint against Argentina’s use of import licenses and other measures to restrict auto and auto part imports, despite Argentina’s claims that the restrictions have now been removed.…
JAPAN AND EU JOIN FORCES TO PROMOTE BLOCK-COPOLYMER-MICELLE MEDICINES
THE JAPANESE government and the European Union (EU) have joined forces to help promote the development of nanotechnology-based block-copolymer-micelle medicines. These deliver active ingredients via coated spherical nano-structures that can deliver more punch from medical chemicals that can otherwise be unstable or have poor solubility.…
NEPAL: GARMENT SECTOR EYES MARKET DIVERSIFICATION AFTER RECORD EXPORT DROP
NEPAL’S ready-to-wear garment sector wants to diversify its target markets away from a past reliance on America, prompted a slump in exports, which have fallen by more than half over the past five years. The Garment Association Nepal (GAN) general secretary Ashok Kumar Agrawal blamed decreasing demand from American consumers and told just-style the industry is hoping to “diversify export markets to Australia, Canada and Japan, making use of duty free privileges while increasing exports to the EU,” where they enter duty free under the Everything But Arms deal.…
INDIAN EXPORTERS SEEK LESS DEPENDENCE ON FLAGGING EUROPEAN DEMAND
INDIAN garment exporters are looking to buyers in new countries to compensate for drops in orders from struggling, traditional western markets, Dr A Sakthivel, chairman of the Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC) has told just-style.
“Since the last two years when our conventional markets in Europe, the United States and Canada are facing economic problems, we have started to look for new markets in South America, South Africa, Japan and Israel,” he explained.…
SEVEN-ELEVEN TO EXPAND IN SOUTHWEST CHINA: FIRST STOP CHONGQING
Japan-owned convenience store chain 7-Eleven is to expand in southwest China, starting in regional centres Chongqing and Chengdu, according to 7-Eleven China. Parent Seven & I Holdings has struck a deal with the Japanese trading company Mitsui and the Chengdu, China-based New Hope Group, an agribusiness company, to help roll-out the expansion.…
EU-THAILAND FREE TRADE AGREEMENT EXPECTED TO ELIMINATE IMPORT TARIFFS FOR EU STEEL
A free trade agreement (FTA) resulting from negotiations announced last week between the European Union (EU) and Thailand is expected to eliminate import tariffs still imposed on some European steel products, such as flat-rolled products of non-alloy steel and bars and rods.…
INTERNATIONAL REGULATORY ROUND UP – MAJOR TRADE DEALS SOUGHT BY EU WITH USA AND JAPAN
EUROPEAN Union (EU) confectionery manufacturers and their suppliers stand to boost their export sales and reduce import costs with the launch of talks to forge the two largest bilateral trade deals ever sought by the EU – with the USA and Japan.…
CHEWING GUM MANUFACTURERS INNOVATE TO STRENGTHEN SOFTENING DEMAND FOR THEIR PRODUCTS
THE WORLD it seems, it becoming a little less keen to chew gum (and blow bubbles with it): this confectionery sub-sector that grew by a healthy 7.7% in 2011 saw growth slowing to 1.7% in 2012. It is the quietest sales period since the chewing gum segment (that includes bubble gums) posted a fall of 2.5% from USD23.2 billion to USD22.44 billion during the recession from 2008 to 2009, according to figures from market researcher Euromonitor International.…
JAPAN’S ULTRA-LIGHT SILK TRADITIONS COMBINE WITH MODERN DESIGNS TO SECURE A SOLID FUTURE
FASHION executives were impressed this past October by a model on the catwalk sporting a stunning white wedding dress that flowed in light, wispy waves as she approached the audience. It was a ground-breaking design created by pioneering Japanese bridal ware designer Yumi Katsura, who is known not only for her eye-catching designs, but also her innovative use of materials, such as satin taffeta.…
NORD STREAM TO UK: PIPELINE OR PIPEDREAM?
IT is a long way to the UK from the German terminus of the Russian-dominated Nord Stream gas pipeline – but major energy companies are seriously considering building a fixed link to Britain. BP has been in talks with Gazprom, the UK and the Russian government.…
MULTINATIONALS CONTINUES EXPANSION IN CHINA, BUT FACING NEW CHALLENGES; HONG KONG SEES A CHANGING ROLE
DESPITE China’s slowing economy in 2012, Chinese consumers still spent handsomely on beauty products. In December alone, for example, spending on cosmetics and personal care products (such as personal soaps, shampoo and toothpastes) increased 16% and 16.6% respectively from the same time a year ago, compared with 8.7% for clothing and 3.6% for jewelry, according to the China Nation Commercial Information Center, a Beijing-based government organisation tracking national retail statistics.…
GLOBAL MERCURY CONVENTION AGREED BY UN
INTERNATIONAL negotiators have concluded a global treaty aimed at reducing mercury mining, industrial use and pollution, which will be signed in Japan in October.
Following four years of talks coordinated by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the detailed convention tries to limit the exposure of humans and nature to mercury, from mining to waste disposal.…
EU-JAPAN FTA EXPECTED TO TRIGGER INCREASE IN DEMAND FOR ACCOUNTING SERVICES
REPRESENTATIVES of European and international accountants’ organisations expect a planned free trade agreement between the European Union (EU) and Japan, which is currently being negotiated, to indirectly trigger an increase in the demand for accounting services. This would come largely as an indirect effect of European Union (EU)-Japan trade of all kinds being boosted, Olivier Boutellis-Taft, chief executive of the Federation of European Accountants (FEE), told Accounting & Business.…
CHINA CITES COMPLIANCE WITH WTO RAW MATERIALS RULING
China told members of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) today that it has fully complied with a WTO dispute ruling striking down Chinese export restrictions on various non-ferrous metal and inputs while officials from the United States (US), the European Union (EU) and Mexico said they were not completely satisfied with Beijing’s efforts.…
EUROPEAN MEAT PRODUCERS EYE HIGHER SHARE FOR PORK IN JAPAN
THE EUROPEAN Union (EU) should be the second supplier of pork to the Japanese market, up from the fourth place now, once a planned EU-Japan free trade agreement (FTA) is in place, Jean-Luc Mériaux, secretary general of the European Livestock and Meat Trading Union (UECBV) told globalmeatnews.com…
US ONLINE COSMETICS FLOURISH IN TOUGH TIMES
THE ONLINE market for perfume and cosmetics in the USA has bucked five years of recession then patchy economic recovery to grow steadily as more people connect to the Internet and get the e-commerce habit. Distributors such as America’s Estée Lauder Companies and Canada’s Lise Watier have prospered online and through mobile platforms offering customer interaction, convenience, and access to international markets.…
GLOBAL MERCURY CONVENTION AGREED BY UN
THE USE of mercury in cosmetics and soaps will be phased out by 2020 under a global treaty aimed at reducing mercury mining, industrial use and pollution. To be signed in Japan, this October, following four years’ talks coordinated by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the convention agreed on January 19 limits the exposure of humans and nature to mercury, from mining to waste disposal.…
THAI COSMETICS SECTOR FUELLED BY MAJOR GROWTH IN MALE GROOMING
MAJOR new opportunities are emerging for both international and domestic cosmetics brands in Thailand, due to strong economic growth, increasingly sophisticated consumers, and a vibrant market in which new products and innovations are leading to growing competition.
The economy in Thailand, with 70 million consumers, is a key mid-sized and medium-income market, and has recovered strongly from the severe floods in 2011 that affected much of the country, with GDP growth forecast at 5.7% for 2012.…
TAIWAN'S PERSONAL CARE BRANDS EXPAND ELBOW ROOM BOTH AT HOME AND IN CHINA
INTERNATIONAL brands have been growing in emerging markets worldwide, but it would appear that where a newly wealthy country develops a local industry with quality products, they can lose market share. Taiwan is a case in point. Its beauty and personal care market – last year worth USD3.4 billion and traditionally heavily dominated by international brands – has seen domestic players steadily clawing back more market share: extending from a mere 15% in 2007 to a relatively handsome 25% in 2012.…
MALAYSIA’S TOBACCO SECTOR FIGHTING BACK AGAINST BOOM IN SMUGGLING
Malaysia, already one of southeast Asia’s leading economies, is aiming to become a developed country by 2020, and with expected economic growth at 4.6% in 2012, has the potential to become an increasingly significant market for tobacco products. However, due largely to sharp tax increases on tobacco products over recent years, the industry has suffered badly from a dramatic increase in smuggling.…
LEBANON REMAINS KEYSTONE OF TOBACCO MOLASSES HOOKAH MARKET
LEBANON was an important shop window for Middle East and North Africa manufacturers of tobacco molasses used in hookahs until a public smoking ban was implemented in 2012. And while the ban has dented Lebanon’s strategic positioning, as a popular regional tourist destination and with the Lebanese travelling widely, the country is still an important market.…
SAUDIS NERVOUS ABOUT BECOMINGA PRICE MAKER IN GLOBAL ENERGY MARKETS
SHOULD Middle Eastern oil producers, Saudi Arabia in particular, be price makers rather than takers, confined to influencing prices through OPEC quotas? With OPEC’s contribution to overall oil production dwindling compared to non-OPEC producers’ output, and rising domestic demand in the Arab world, there are strong arguments for price signalling, but the turmoil in the region means any change in strategy will be difficult to implement.…
KYOTO PROTOCOL EXTENDED AND ALL EYES ON 2015 FOR NEW GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE DEAL
THE ENERGY sector has been left guessing whether there will be a robust future international climate change agreement after the latest global diplomatic meeting on the subject in Doha, Qatar. Delegates attending the 18th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change were tasked from November 26 to December 7 with solving two key issues: devising a post-Kyoto Protocol agreement that will kick in from 2020; and also devising a holding agreement for countries wanting to reduce emissions from the expiry of the Kyoto Protocol this December until the new agreement comes into force.…
CZECH REPUBLIC’S TEMELÍN EXPANSION TENDER APPROACHES END GAME
THE BIDDING for a contract to expand Temelín nuclear power plant in the Czech Republic is approaching decision time, with the winner of the four-year long tender process to be chosen in 2013. Worth USD10 billion, the contract represents the largest public tender in the country’s history and has generated considerable debate, from safety issues and the distinctions between the various reactor designs and their technologies, to political and economic issues regarding everything from energy security to the deal’s transparency.…
EU-JAPAN FTA EXPECTED TO BENEFIT EU NONWOVENS ROLL GOODS OVER CHINESE ONES
A POTENTIAL free trade agreement (FTA) between the European Union (EU) and Japan, for which negotiations will start in earnest this year, could give an advantage to EU exporters of nonwovens roll goods compared to rivals in China and others Asian countries.…
EUROPEAN AND JAPANESE KNITWEAR INDUSTRY GEARING UP FOR THE EU-JAPAN FREE TRADE AGREEMENT
EUROPEAN Union (EU) Japanese knitwear manufacturers are assessing the opportunities offered by the planned EU-Japan free trade agreement (FTA), with negotiations about to begin, having been authorised by the European Union (EU) member states before Christmas.
“We will try to develop good contacts with the Japanese industry to try to come up with solutions during the negotiations that could be beneficial for both whenever possible”, said Luisa Santos, head of international trade at the European apparel and textile confederation (Euratex).…
BANGLADESH’S SEEKS TO DIVERSIFY KNITWEAR EXPORT MARKETS
DECLINING demand from the USA and European Union (EU) for Bangladesh knitwear has not dampened the world’s second largest clothing exporter from aiming high. Rather, Bangladesh is planning to more than double its current knitwear exports, to USD20 billion by 2020, seeking out new markets.…
MALAYSIA TEXTILE AND CLOTHING SECTOR FOCUSES ON QUALITY TO ACHIEVE GROWTH
Malaysia’s textile and clothing industry is planning to focus on three key areas – higher value fashion, dyeing and finishing, and technical textiles – to sustain strong growth and continue to compete with significantly lower-cost competition elsewhere in Asia.
The country’s textile and apparel exports grew 28.4% to USD3.8 billion in 2011, according to the Malaysian Textile Manufacturers Association (MTMA), with a further significant increase expected in 2012.…
ASEAN: VERTICAL INTEGRATION AND STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP NEED TO GROW
THE CREATION of a harmonised customs system within the 10 countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) by 2015 should be better exploited by its regional clothing and textile industry through better vertical integration, a conference was told this week.…
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT WANTS ORIGIN OF CLOTHES, SHOES MANDATORY ON LABELS
THE EUROPEAN Parliament called yesterday (Thurs) for the European Commission to stick to its guns in proposing that origin labelling for clothing and shoes made outside the European Union (EU) be made mandatory, after the EU executive threatened to withdraw a legislative proposal on the issue.…
MULTINATIONALS CONTINUES EXPANSION IN CHINA, BUT FACING NEW CHALLENGES; HONG KONG SEES A CHANGING ROLE
DESPITE China’s slowing economy in 2012, Chinese consumers still spent handsomely on beauty products. In December alone, for example, spending on cosmetics and personal care products (such as personal soaps, shampoo and toothpastes) increased 16% and 16.6% respectively from the same time a year ago, compared with 8.7% for clothing and 3.6% for jewelry, according to the China Nation Commercial Information Center, a Beijing-based government organisation tracking national retail statistics.…
CRITICS OF AUSTRALIA’S TOBACCO PLAIN PAPER PACKAGING WARN REFORM
WHILE Australia’s government has pushed forward aggressively in terms of tobacco control, with the world’s first law prohibiting all brand imagery and promotional text on tobacco products’ packaging, despite criticism at home and abroad.
Paul Mazoudier, a former corporate lawyer in Sydney, chairman of several large Australian corporations and an avid smoker, was not impressed by his first box of plain-packaged cigarettes.…
CHINA AUTO INDUSTRY BOSS PREDICTS SOLD GROWTH AS MARKET BALANCES
AS the New Year turned, economists have focused on how China’s economic growth is steadier pace than in the last decade and the auto sector following suit. Speaking exclusively to wardsauto, Dong Yang, secretary general and executive vice chairman of the China Association of Automotive Manufacturers (CAAM), said China sales and output of autos in 2012 should maintain the previous year’s year-on-year (YoY) increase of 5%.…
PHARMA SECTOR COULD BENEFIT AS EU AND JAPAN LAUNCH TRADE TALKS
BY KEITH NUTHALL
EUROPEAN Union (EU) and Japanese pharmaceutical exporters could benefit from a future free trade deal, with the European Commission announcing formal trade talks between these two developed world giants will go ahead. Brussels’ directorate general for trade is stressing that Japan must make offers to remove its notoriously tough non-tariff barriers – such as trade licensing, declarations, inspections, labelling, certification, port clearance and other red tape.…
THAILAND GARMENT SECTOR LOOKS TO DIVERSIFY EXPORT MARKETS
BY JONATHAN DYSON, IN BANGKOK
THAILAND’S textile and garment industry is aiming to diversify its export markets as it faces a significant drop in demand from its key American and European Union (EU) markets.
Thai garment exports for 2012 are forecast to fall by 10% to USD2.8 billion, while the country’s textile exports for 2012 are expected to dip by 15% to USD3.5 billion, according to figures from the Thai Garment Manufacturers Association (TGMA).…
JUST-STYLE MANAGEMENT BRIEFING: SOURCING WINNERS AND LOSERS IN 2012
BY MJ DESCHAMPS
WINNERS
Bangladesh
Despite its well-trailed labour and environmental problems, analysts still backed Bangladesh as having the potential to become a long term apparel sourcing hotspot. Indeed, ready-made garment exports could triple within a decade, as buyers move sourcing away from China, according to research by McKinsey & Company.…
AMERICAN UNIVERSITY OPENS NEW CLEANROOM FOR NUCLEAR CONTAMINATION TESTS
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE USA’s Kansas State University has opened a new USD3 million cleanroom designed to help research and develop innovative radiation detectors. It will also help design mass production processes able to make such detectors at affordable prices. Located in the university’s Semiconductor Materials and Radiological Technologies Laboratory (SMART), the cleanroom was built with the help of USD2.5 million in grants from the US defence department’s defence threat reduction agency.…
AUTO MANUFACTURERS WORLDWIDE GRAPPLE WITH THE CONCEPT OF 'PEAK CAR'
BY MARK ROWE
For decades the car industry in the developed world has expanded remorselessly. But a recent flurry of academic papers has come to the conclusion that the West (and other rich countries such as Japan and Australia) may have hit a plateau known as ‘peak car’.…
EASTERN EUROPE STAGNATES - BUT RUSSIA AND POLAND OFFER OPPORTUNITIES TO COSMETICS SECTOR
BY MARK ROWE
TO describe recent times as difficult for the eastern European cosmetics industry would be something of an understatement. Since 2010, some countries have experienced dizzying declines in production and sales that indicated the industry was more or less in tune with the wider economic mood across the region.…
GHANA COCOA INDUSTRY GROWS, BUT WORRIES ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE
BY PACIFICA GODDARD
GHANA is particularly vulnerable to climate change according to recent studies, putting its vital cocoa and oil palm industries under threat. The International Centre for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), based in Bogotá, Colombia, released a study in September 2011, which claims that much of Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire will be too hot for cocoa production by 2050.…
EURATEX DECIDES TO BACK EU-JAPAN FREE TRADE NEGOTIATIONS
BY POORNA RODRIGO
EUROPEAN Union (EU) clothing and textile federation Euratex has decided to back the launch of free trade negotiations between the European Union (EU) and Japan, concluding an agreement would favour Europe’s textile and clothing sector.
Luisa Santos, head of international trade at Euratex told just-style that the EU exported EUR1.7 billion in clothing and textiles to Japan in 2011, with clothing accounting for EUR1 billion.…
EU ENERGY REGULATORS CLAIM EUROPEAN GAS PRICES ARE STARTING TO CONVERGE
BY KEITH NUTHALL
A REPORT released by the European Union’s (EU) umbrella groups for gas and electricity regulators has claimed wholesale energy prices within the EU are beginning to converge, as cross-border sales develop. Consumer prices still varied significantly between the EU’s 27 member states, however.…
EU-SINGAPORE FREE TRADE AGREEMENT EXPECTED TO REMOVE SINGAPORE TESTING REQUIREMENTS FOR EU CARS
BY CARMEN PAUN, IN BRUSSELS; AND HEATHER TAN, IN SINGAPORE
THE WEALTHY southeast Asian market of Singapore should welcome imports of European manufactured cars based on European Union (EU) technical and safety standards and approvals under a new trade deal finalised this week.…
CHINESE PHARMA COMPANIES TURN TO AFRICA FOR RISING EXPORT AND INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES
BY WANG FANGQING, IN SHANGHAI
THE CHINESE pharmaceutical sector is pushing hard to secure sales in sub-Saharan Africa – seeing it as a softer and growing export market, compared to stagnating mature markets in Europe and north America. It is for want of trying.…
EU ROUND UP - PAINT SECTOR COULD BENEFIT AS EU AND JAPAN LAUNCH TRADE TALKS
BY KEITH NUTHALL
EUROPEAN Union (EU) and Japanese paint and coatings exporters could benefit from a future free trade deal, with the European Commission announcing that formal trade talks between these two developed world giants will go ahead. Brussels’ directorate general for trade is stressing that Japan must make offers to remove its notoriously tough non-tariff barriers – such as trade licensing and other red tape – for the talks to succeed.…
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE TOLD NANOTECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT IS BEING BLUNTED BY HEALTH CONCERNS
BY KEITH NUTHALL AND JOHN PAGNI, IN HELSINKI
THE DEVELOPMENT of nanotechnology, especially in commercial consumer products such as textiles and clothing, is being stunted by continuing concerns over health risks, an international conference has been told.
The International Congress on the Safety of Engineered Nanoparticles and Nanotechnologies (SENN2012), in Helsinki, staged by the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health (FIOH) received a series of papers on the latest research into nano-silver, a key anti-bacterial input of known worth within the textile and clothing sector.…
EU ROUND UP - PAINT SECTOR COULD BENEFIT AS EU AND JAPAN LAUNCH TRADE TALKS
BY KEITH NUTHALL
EUROPEAN Union (EU) and Japanese plastics exporters could benefit from a future free trade deal, with the European Commission announcing that formal trade talks between these two developed world giants will go ahead. Brussels’ directorate general for trade is stressing that Japan must make offers to remove its notoriously tough non-tariff barriers – such as trade licensing, declarations, inspections, labelling, certification, port clearance and other red tape and other red tape – for the talks to succeed.…
EUROPEAN AUTO-MAKERS SOUNDS ALARM BELLS OVER EU-JAPAN TRADE TALKS
BY ALAN OSBORN, IN LONDON, AND JULIAN RYALL, IN TOKYO
EUROPE’S automakers have reacted with ill-disguised dismay to the European Union’s (EU) decision (announced last Thursday) to begin negotiations with Japan for a free trade agreement (FTA). The motor industry’s trade association ACEA said "independent studies have shown that this deal is a one-way street as far as the automobile industry is concerned."…
JAPAN STEEL FEDERATION WELCOMES EU TRADE TALKS
BY JULIAN RYALL, IN TOKYO
Japan’s Iron and Steel Federation has told Steel First it expects "an indirect benefit" from the planned free trade deal between the European Union (EU) and Japan. In fresh comments made exclusively to Steel First, the federation predicted: "Domestic steel consumption would increase if consuming industries such as E&E [electrical and electronic], and automobiles could benefit…from the elimination of import tariffs in the EU."…
MEGA-TRIAL COULD MAKE OR BREAK EURO FUEL CELL mCHP
BY ROBERT STOKES
ELCORE GmbH, a German maker of fuel cell micro-CHP (FC mCHP) units currently has only a few being put through their paces in homes in its domestic market. It has high hopes, though, of selling plenty on a fully commercial basis from late next year before spreading its wings into other European markets.…
ARGENTINE BEEF PRODUCERS ATTACK THEIR GOVERNMENT'S WTO CASE AS A SHAM
BY JONATHAN GILBERT, IN BUENOS AIRES
ARGENTINA’S beef producers have claimed their government’s new trade complaint against the United States over allegedly illegal American beef import controls is a spurious political smokescreen.
Ángel Girardi, president of the Argentine Association of Beef Producers, told globalmeatnews.com…
LUXURY PACKAGING INCREASINGLY FOCUSES ON SUBTLETY AND SUSTAINABILITY – BUT SOME BRANDS STILL PREFER GOING “OVER THE TOP”
THE LUXURY packaging seent of the personal care product industry has always been important, but with the industry’s high end becoming increasingly profitable worldwide, packagers are assuming a really critical role.
Simply, while revolutionary formulations are being developed to tap wealthy markets, the resulting cosmetics and personal care products need to set themselves apart for marketing with classy exteriors.…
EU ROUND UP - EU RELEASES BROADBAND SUBSIDY RULES
THE EUROPEAN Commission has released new guidelines on Internet public subsidies, allowing European Union (EU) governments to subsidise the development of new broadband services, while preserving competition in the sector.
This advice says how the Commission will interpret EU state aid laws for encouraging the roll-out of these comms technologies: if Brussels concludes EU rules have been breached, it can order the repayment of such illegal public subsidies.…
TAIWAN'S KNITWEAR INDUSTRY BEATS THE BLUES WITH R&D AND AN EXTRA-GENEROUS DASH OF GREEN
THE KNITWEAR manufacturers of Taiwan are being challenged by headwinds from the global economic downturn, which has undermined their smart high-end export strategy. Last year was not a good one – as indicated by drops in exports of circular-knit fabric and knitted clothing apparel of 2.74% to USD1.265 billion and 10.97% to USD178 million respectively in the first eight months compared to the corresponding period of 2011.…
EU STEEL INDUSTRY HOPES EU-JAPAN TRADE TALKS WILL ERASE NON-TARIFF BARRIERS RESTRICTING EXPORTS
BY ALAN OSBORN AND KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Union (EU) steel industry hopes that the proposed free trade agreement between the EU and Japan could open up Japan’s notoriously tough non-tariff barriers to steel imports. In announcing the start of negotiations this week (Thursday) the European Commission said it had set "a very ambitious agenda covering all EU market access priorities."…
THAILAND PAINT SECTOR ROBUST AS COUNTRY RECOVERS FROM 2011 FLOODS
BY JONATHAN DYSON, IN BANGKOK
THAILAND’S first-car purchase subsidy scheme, in which tax rebates are paid to first-car owners, has provided a major boost to Thailand’s paint and coatings sector as the country’s economy continues to recover from the devastating floods of 2011.…
GROWTH OF NATURAL COSMETICS MOST PROMINENT OF RECENT FRANCE PERSONAL CARE PRODUCT MARKET TRENDS
BY DAVID HAYHURST, IN PARIS
BUILDING on its long-held global reputation for quality natural ingredients, France has now emerged as the second biggest natural and organic cosmetics market in Europe, after Germany. A January 2012 report by international consultants Deloitte – the most comprehensive yet conducted exclusively on the French natural cosmetics industry – calculated an average 2005-2009 growth rate of 25%.…
AMERICAN TAX INFORMATION EXCHANGE LAW TO BECOME GLOBAL STANDARD WITH TEETH
BY ALAN OSBORN
It is a testimony to the continuing power of the American marketplace, even in today’s multi-polar world, that the USA’s controversial Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) has so much influence. Indeed, by key US trade partners adopting many of its provisions themselves, the act is going global and threatening to turn the world of international tax management upside down.…
CV
BY JULIAN RYALL, IN TOKYO
Masumi Natsusaka, President of Kanebo Cosmetics Inc.
Date of Birth – March 19, 1956
Place of Birth – Saitama Prefecture, Japan
Academic Background – B.A. in Sociology, Osaka University
MBA, University of Washington
Career Summary:
April 1979 – Joined Kao Corp.,…
TAIWAN'S TEXTILE MAKERS REAP THE REWARDS OF HIGH-TECH MULTI-FUNCTIONALITY
BY JENS KASTNER, IN TAIPEI
Facing a fragile global economy, rival South Korea’s aggressive free trade agreement (FTA) strategy, as well as an appreciating local currency, Taiwan’s textile and apparel manufacturers have placed their bets on innovation. And indeed, their strong focus on upgraded and functional textiles appears to be paying off.…
JAPAN'S MEIJI TO OPEN NEW PLANT IN AICHI, MAKING MORE PROBIOTIC YOGHURT
BY WANG FANGQING, IN SHANGHAI
Major Japanese foods manufacturer Meiji is to boost its probiotics manufacturing by opening a new Japanese Yen JPY11.5 billion (USD145.5 million) dairy factory in Aichi prefecture, near Nagoya. It will replace an existing nearby plant and is set to start operations in September 2014, with a production capacity 1.5 times the current factory.…
PRODUCT LAUNCH - JAPAN: SUNTORY'S PEPSI SPECIAL
BY WANG FANGQING, IN SHANGHAI
Suntory’s Pepsi Special
Category – soft drink, Japan
Available – From November 13
Location: Japanese retailers
Price: JPY150 (USD1.90) per bottle (490ml)
Distribution-Suntory Holdings Limited
Suntory has introduced a Pepsi Special (PS) product in Japan to meet the growing demand for healthy foods in this market.…
MICRO-CHP OFFERS POTENTIAL TO POWER EUROPE IN AN EFFICIENT, MORE ENVIRONMENTALLY-FRIENDLY WAY
BY MJ DESCHAMPS, ALAN OSBORN, IN LONDON, LEE ADENDORFF, IN LUCCA, ITALY; MICHAEL KOSMIDES, IN ATHENS; DAVID HAYHURST, IN PARIS; ANDREW KURETH, IN WARSAW; AND JOHN PAGNI, IN HELSINKI
THE POTENTIAL of micro-CHP (combined heat-and-power) for industrial businesses, residential complexes and individual homes is becoming increasingly clear across Europe.…
EU NON-FERROUS METAL SECTOR WELCOMES LAUNCH OF JAPAN TRADE TALKS
BY ALAN OSBORN, KEITH NUTHALL AND JULIAN RYALL, IN TOKYO
The non-ferrous metals sector in Europe has welcomed the announcement (on Thursday) of negotiations for a free trade agreement between the European Union (EU) and Japan. "We support these negotiations but we want to see how they will develop because the elimination of both tariff and non-tariff barriers is very important to us," said Elena Vyboldina, trade and economy manager of the EU’s non-ferrous trade association Eurometaux.…
EU MEAT FEDERATION WELCOMES LAUNCH OF EU-JAPAN FREE TRADE TALKS
BY ALAN OSBORN AND KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Union’s (EU) meat industry federation believes that a proposed free trade agreement (FTA) with Japan, whose talks were authorised last week (Thursday), could safeguard and could even increase Europe’s share of the Japanese pork market.…
MEASURES PROPOSED BY BRUSSELS NECESSARY, BUT NOT SUFFICIENT, ACEA BOSS SAYS
BY CARMEN PAUN, IN BRUSSELS
THE EUROPEAN automotive industry has welcomed a ground-breaking initiative announced today by the European Union’s (EU) executive that future planned EU free trade agreements would be assessed for their potential damage to Europe’s auto sector, before negotiations begin in earnest.…
JAPAN PUSHES FOR INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION THAT ITS BEEF IS BSE-FREE
BY JULIAN RYALL, IN TOKYO
THE JAPANESE government is staging a diplomatic campaign aimed at boosting its beef exports worldwide, through securing international recognition for its beef as having "negligible risk" of BSE. It has already filed an application with the Office International des Épizooties (OIE), the world animal health organisation to confirm the safety of Japanese beef when it next general session meets in May.…
NEW KANEBO PRESIDENT WANTS TO DEVELOP GLOBAL BRANDS
BY JULIAN RYALL, IN TOKYO
Masumi Natsusaka has global ambitions for Kanebo Cosmetics Inc., where he assumed the company’s presidency in June. And he has told Soap Perfumery & Cosmetics that he is impatient for brands that have previously only been for selected foreign and domestic markets to evolve into truly global brands developed to directly meet the needs of a new generation of consumers around the world.…
JAPAN EXPECTED TO LOOSEN BEEF IMPORT RULES IN 2013
BY JULIAN RYALL, IN TOKYO
THE JAPANESE government has signalled that it will relax its rules on beef imports in the early part of 2013.
After hearing the opinions of a 13-strong expert panel, ministers said they would raise the age limit on livestock used to source beef imports to 30 months from the present 20 months.…
NEW FUJI AIRPORT RUNS INTO SIGNIFICANT PROBLEMS
BY ROB GILHOOLY, IN TOKYO
MOUNT Fuji Shizuoka Airport has struggled since opening as Japan’s 98th airport in 2009. In its first full year of operation it recorded Japanese Yen JPY1.6 billion (USD20 million) losses, while passenger numbers in its first three years barely surpassed the initial annual estimate of 1.38 million, despite being popular with foreign visitors.…
MOBILE BROADBAND TRAFFIC JAM PROMPTS NEED FOR SELF-ORGANIZING NETWORKS
BY MJ DESCHAMPS
THE INCREASING use of broadband-connected devices has led to exponential growth in mobile subscriptions and data traffic, and has also challenged operators, especially in providing improved customer experience regarding speed, coverage and availability.
So, with operators now moving beyond 2G and 3G networks, and towards 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems -to keep up with the scale of capacity and coverage – the trend towards implementing self-organising networks (SON) is also growing, with promises to speed up network deployment dramatically, while reducing operational efforts.…
EMA BOSS RASI SAYS AGENCY WILL ACT EASE CURRENT PHARMACEUTICAL SUPPLY SHORTAGES
BY ALAN OSBORN, IN LONDON
Professor Guido Rasi, executive director of the European Medicines Agency (EMA), has told Manufacturing Chemist of his concerns about the availability of medicines in the European Union (EU).
Speaking in his office at EMA headquarters in London’s Canary Wharf, Professor Rasi said EMA wanted "to see what role we can play and what counsel we can give in respect of the problem of the (drug) shortages."…
EU AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY DESTINED TO FAIL SAME AS US CARMAKERS IF EU DOESN'T INTERVENE, FIAT CEO SAYS
BY CARMEN PAUN, IN BRUSSELS
THE EUROPEAN Union’s (EU) auto sector risks experiencing the meltdown that hit the American industry in 2008-9 if EU political institutions keep imposing detailed new regulations and free trade deals, Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne told a Brussels conference yesterday.…
JAPAN'S AJINOMOTO UNVEILS INDONESIAN JOINT VENTURE
BY KEITH NUTHALL
JAPANESE cosmetics ingredients company Ajinomoto has unveiled a joint venture with Indonesia chemical company PT Lautan Luas Tbk (LTL). Western Java-based PT Lautan Ajinomoto Fine Ingredients will use amino acids to manufacture cosmetics ingredients, especially for Asia customers.…
ASIA PACIFIC MEN'S GROOMING MARKET GROWS ON BACK OF CULTURAL ACCEPTANCE
BY MARK ROWE
The cosmetics market for Asian men is thriving where other sectors struggle. "Men’s skin care products appear to exist in a different economic world to much of rest of the industry," said Diyva Sangameshwar, a spokeswoman for market researchers Euromonitor based in Singapore.…
WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO FOSSIL FUEL SUBSIDIES?
BY DAVID HAYHURST, IN PARIS
THREE years ago, the Group of Twenty (G20) finance ministers and central bank governors stated the organisation’s intention was to "rationalise and phase out over the medium term inefficient fossil fuel subsidies that encourage wasteful consumption".…
HALF OF WORLD EXPORTS SOLD BY COUNTRIES BACKING OECD ANTI-BRIBERY CONVENTION
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE WORLD’S developed countries are enthusiastically or moderately implementing the Organisation for Economic Cooperation & Development’s (OECD) anti-bribery convention, so that 52.3% of world exports are sold by countries opposing graft. So says the latest Transparency International report that says the leading established economic players are now leading by example: with the USA, Germany, Britain, Italy, Switzerland, Norway and Denmark all praised for actively implementing the convention.…
JAPAN
BY MINI PANT ZACHARIAH, IN MUMBAI, JULIAN RYALL, IN TOKYO, AND WANG FANGQING, IN SHANGHAI
Japan’s more mature beverages logistics industry, is however widely recognised as being one of the most advanced and efficient in the world, with Japanese retailers and consumers (who are known for being demanding) benefitting from a network that ensures swift delivery with an emphasis on safety and freshness.…
LUXURY CLOTHING MARKET PROVES RECESSION PROOF
BY LEE ADENDOORF, IN LUCCA; MINI PANT ZACHARIAH, IN MUMBAI; WANG FANGQING, IN SHANGHAI; AND LEAH GERMAIN
DESPITE the financial storm clouds that have disrupted Europe’s economy over the past few years, the continent’s luxury apparel sector has proved remarkably resilient, with global demand for their products rising.…
VIETNAM: MEAT ON FAST FOOD TRACK TO GROWTH
BY HELEN CLARK, IN HANOI
21 SEPTEMBER, 2012
A FASHION for eating in branded fast food outlets such as America’s KFC is helping to drive increased meat consumption in Vietnam, where pork remains king but chicken dominates menus in quick-meals chains.…
EUROPEAN COGENERATION TECHNOLOGY
COGENERATION, or rather trigeneration, units that cooled, heated and powered the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games won plaudits if no gold medals for the manufacturer – America’s GE – but neatly symbolised the spread of CHP into mainstream and niche applications.…
KANSAI STRUGGLES TO CREATE PROFITABLE LOW COST MODEL FOR JAPAN'S REGIONAL AIRLINES
BY ROB GILHOOLY, IN TOKYO
When New Kansai International Airport Co. took over the operation of Japan’s partly state-run Kansai International Airport facility this April through a plan by the government to jump-start Japan’s air travel market, it also took on an estimated Japanese Yen JPY1.3 trillion (USD16.5 billion) in interest-bearing debt.…
TOKYO'S MAJOR AIRPORTS ARE SET TO BECOME LINKED - BUT COOPERATION IS STILL LACKING
BY JULIAN RYALL, IN TOKYO
AT present it takes one hour and 32 minutes to complete the transfer between Tokyo’s two main airports Narita and Haneda, hampering the city’s efforts to be seen as the most important aviation hub in western Asia.…
EU ROUND UP - BRUSSELS TO DELAY CARBON PERMIT AUCTIONS
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Commission will postpone auctioning pollution permits sold under its emissions trading scheme (ETS) to potential further price falls, but has not decided how many allowances will be sold later. ETS permit prices are already depressed as Europe’s economic woes left oil and gas users with unused rights to emit carbon.…
EU NEEDS BETTER POLICY COORDINATION IF IT STILL WANTS CAR MANUFACTURING IN EUROPE
BY CARMEN PAUN, IN BRUSSELS
THE EUROPEAN Commission, the European Union’s (EU) executive body, is handicapping Europe’s automotive sector with unrealistic carbon reduction demands, while risking more mid-market import competition with free trade deals, the chief of Europe’s auto industry has warned.…
MICRO COGENERATION
BY ROBERT STOKES
Micro cogeneration or CHP – defined by the European Commission as up to 50 kWe – is a market niche seeing lift-off as technology and financial drivers, such as financial incentives in Germany, align.
The global market grew 38% to EUR466 million (USD576 million) in 2011 and further growth to EUR1 billion (USD1.24 billion) is expected in 2012, according to Scotland based analysts Delta-ee.…
JAPAN'S LUXURY KIMONO SECTOR HAS SHRINK IN SIZE, BUT CORE MARKET IS DEVOTED
BY ROB GILHOOLY, IN TOKYO
Junsaku Koshihara kneels on the tatami mat floor and shows off some of the colourful textiles handcrafted at his family’s atelier in Ome City, north-western Tokyo. Hand-dyed using special hake brushes on hand-woven silk, one shows mandarin ducks sitting on a wind-swept pond sprinkled with cherry blossoms; in another, a red wooden bridge zig-zags across a lake of purple and white lilies.…
EU-JAPAN FREE TRADE AGREEMENT EXPECTED TO BENEFIT EU KNITWEAR BRANDS - BUT WHAT ABOUT JAPAN?
BY CARMEN PAUN, IN BRUSSELS; AND WANG FANGQING, IN SHANGHAI
A BOOST in export sales for European knitwear brands might be on the horizon, as a result of a projected free trade agreement between the European Union (EU) and Japan, with formal negotiations expected to begin by the end of the year.…
CHINA BREEDING CLONED CALVES, WITH MEAT INDUSTRY LOOKING FOR COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
BY WANG FANGQING, IN SHANGHAI
THE BEIJING University of Agriculture (BUA) has welcomed the success of a groundbreaking project to develop a more robust domestic meat and livestock industry by using cloned animals China’s first two genetically modified Qingchuan calves carrying adipocyte fatty acid-binding protein were recently born at an experimental base at the university.…
INTERNATIONAL BRANDS SEEK SALES IN EMERGING MARKETS
BY SHEENA ROSSITER, IN SÃO PAULO; RAGHAVENDRA VERMA, IN NEW DELHI; HELEN CLARK, IN HANOI; AND WANG FANGQING, IN SHANGHAI
WHILE the focus on emerging markets for the big international clothing brands has often been to view them as outsourcing opportunities, the truth is that there are a lot of people with a lot of money in these countries.…
NEW OUTSOURCING PLAYERS CHALLENGE EXPORT GIANTS
BY POORNA RODRIGO AND MUNZA MUSTAQ, IN COLOMBO
Of course the BRICs countries are far from being the only emerging market suppliers for the global apparel sector – and a knot of competitors such as Bangladesh and Vietnam have long been vying for business.…
CHINESE CLOTHING AND TEXTILE MANUFACTURERS SEE MORE ORDER LOSSES THROUGH 2012
BY WANG FANGQING, IN SHANGHAI
Chinese textile and clothing manufacturers are expecting to struggle for business in the rest of 2012, with the worsening Euro crisis dampening demand in key export markets and improving sourcing rivals from neighbouring countries becoming increasingly competitive.…
ELECTRONICS GIANT PANASONIC SEEKS RARE EARTHS IN RECYCLED TELEVISIONS IN JAPAN
BY JULIAN RYALL, IN KATO CITY, HYOGO PREFECTURE, JAPAN
JAPAN this week engaged with China at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) over its restrictions on Chinese rare earth exports, but a Japanese electronics giant is taking matters into its own hands, with a major urban mining project.…
SOUTH AFRICAN RARE EARTHS DEPOSITS BEING EYED FOR EXPLOITATION
BY BILL CORCORAN, IN CAPE TOWN
SOUTH Africa has deposits of rare earth elements (REEs) to rival that of Australia, and the country is poised to take advantage of this increasingly strategic resource, according to Mintek, the government’s mineral technology organisation.…
BEING IN THE RIGHT LOCATIONS, WITH THE RIGHT PRODUCTS, TALENT KEY TO CHINA SUCCESS
BY MARK GAO
A MIX of R&D, new capacity and government relations are helping international coatings companies stay on top in China’s booming coatings market, especially in the key niche market of specialist high-tech product. Promoting innovation in the Chinese market clearly helps and majors such as Dow Coating Materials (DCM) have the marketing clout to achieve this.…
CHINA DELAYS ESTABLISHMENT OF WTO RARE EARTH DISPUTE PANEL
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE CHINESE government used diplomatic manoeuvres today to postpone the establishment of a World Trade Organisation (WTO) disputes panel on claims its restrictions on rare earth, tungsten and molybdenum exports break global trade laws. It opposed its creation at a special meeting of the WTO’s disputes settlement body.…
CHINA DELAYS ESTABLISHMENT OF WTO RARE EARTH DISPUTE PANEL
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE CHINESE government used diplomatic manoeuvres today to postpone the establishment of a World Trade Organisation (WTO) disputes panel on claims its restrictions on rare earth exports break global trade laws. It opposed its creation at a special meeting of the WTO’s disputes settlement body.…
EU-JAPAN FREE TRADE AGREEMENT COULD END JAPAN BSE BAN
BY CARMEN PAUN AND WANG FANGQING
A PLANNED free trade agreement (FTA) between the European Union (EU) and Japan could end the Japanese BSE-linked ban on EU beef and veal imports, say industry representatives.
The European Commission has asked the EU’s 27 member states for a mandate to start negotiations with Japan by the end of the year, and these will cover non-tariff issues such as sanitary and phytosanitary rules as well as duties.…
WTO ESTABLISHES PANEL ON CHINA EXPORT TUNGSTEN AND MOLYBDENUM RESTRICTIONS
BY KEITH NUTHALL
The World Trade Organisation’s (WTO) disputes settlement body today voted to establish a panel to assess whether China’s export restrictions on tungsten, molybdenum (and rare earths) are illegal under global trade law. The panel has been created in record time after the USA, European Union (EU) and Japan called for a special meeting of the disputes settlement body earlier this month to speed up its establishment – it would have been created in September otherwise.…
COFCO AND VANGUARD LEAD CHINESE FOOD SECTOR ADOPTION OF GFSI
BY MARK GODFREY, IN BEIJING
Participating in the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) will help state-owned food distribution conglomerate the China National Cereals, Oils and Foodstuffs Corporation (COFCO) grow sustainably and internationally said quality assurance manager Chen Zhigang.
He told a GFSI conference, in Beijing, the firm wants to grow its food exports, and this will be assisted by GFSI certification.…
ACTA WOULD HAVE IMPROVED THE FIGHT AGAINST FAKE SCOTCH WHISKY
BY KITTY SO
THE ANTI-COUNTERFEITING Trade Agreement (ACTA), a multilateral treaty designed to strengthen anti-copying laws worldwide, has been rejected by the European Parliament, which means it will not apply in the European Union (EU).
MEPs accepted concerns that the treaty was too vague, and hence open to misinterpretation, opening the door for court rulings that might overly restrict freedom of speech and commercial innovation.…
SLUGGISH ECONOMY DRIVES SPANISH CONSUMERS FROM PREMIUM TO PRIVATE LABEL SKINCARE
BY ROBERT STOKES IN MÁLAGA
THIS year I have abandoned my premium brand sun screen in favour of a Deliplus private label product sold by the Spanish supermarket group Mercadona for around EUR 5.00, saving around EUR 12.00 into the bargain.…
EU AUTOMAKERS CAUTIOUS ABOUT IMMEDIATE BENEFITS FROM TRADE DEALS WITH PERU AND COLOMBIA
BY ALAN OSBORN, IN LONDON; AND JONATHAN DYSON, IN LIMA
THE EUROPEAN Union (EU) executive the European Commission is hoping that the negotiation of new free trade agreements (FTAs) between the EU and Colombia and Peru will be the springboard for penetration by European auto-manufacturers into markets that have been pretty well off limits to them in the past.…
EUROPEAN CARMAKERS DEMAND GUARAMNTEES AHEAD OF EU-JAPAN TRADE DEAL TALKS
BY ALAN OSBORN, IN LONDON, AND JULIAN RYALL, IN TOKYO
EUROPE’S carmakers are setting out tough pre-conditions to anticipated negotiations between the European Union (EU) and Japan over a free trade agreement (FTA). The two sides have just finalised a "scoping exercise" setting out goals for an FTA and the EU auto sector is laying down some red lines, worried about unfair competition if European tariffs on Japanese autos are lowered or scrapped in a free trade deal.…
PNR SYSTEMS: FINDING THE BALANCE BETWEEN PROTECTION AND BREACH OF PRIVACY
BY MJ DESCHAMPS
INTERNATIONAL travel in the last decade has become exponentially more secure, with countries all around the globe having reformed their systems to cope with transnational crime in a post-9/11 world – largely, through the increased collection, processing and legislation of passenger information.…
BOOK TRADE ASSESSES POTENTIAL BENEFIT OF PROJECTED EU-JAPAN FREE TRADE AGREEMENT
BY CARMEN PAUN AND WANG FANGQING
EUROPEAN publishers are looking into the opportunities a free trade agreement between the European Union (EU) and Japan might bring them, as the European Commission asked last week for a mandate from the member states to open negotiations with the Japanese government.…
PAKISTAN COLD ROLLING COIL BOSS PLOTS EXPANSION AFTER SUCCESSFUL IPO
BY RAHIMULLAH YUSUFZAI, IN PESHAWAR
Karachi joint venture Aisha Steel Mills, Karachi, is planning to increase annual production of cold rolling coil (CRC) to 450,000 tonnes per annum in the next three years from an existing 220,000 tonnes, following a successful share sale.…
EU-JAPAN FREE TRADE AGREEMENT LIKELY TO GIVE A BOOST TO EUROPEAN COSMETICS PRODUCERS
BY MJ DESCHAMPS AND WANG FANGQING
JAPANESE cosmetics companies could increase their current small share of the European market, if an anticipated free trade agreement between the European Union (EU) and Japan is finalised. Having completed preparatory talks with Japan, the European Commission last week (July 18) requested formal permission from EU member states to begin negotiations in earnest, which could take two years or more.…
BETWEEN PROTOTYPE AND PRODUCT - HOW GLOBAL MANUFACTURING AND SUPPLY CHAINS ARE SHIFTING AND CHANGING
BY MJ DESCHAMPS
Manufacturers and suppliers in the fashion production chain used to have a fairly cut and dry job: procure a certain amount of fabrics and materials at the beginning of the season to be manufactured into a predetermined number of apparel items in specific styles, colours and sizes.…
EUROPEAN UNION BACKS GEF AS FINANCIAL MECHANISM FOR FUTURE GLOBAL MERCURY CONVENTION
BY CARMEN PAUN, IN BRUSSELS
European Union (EU) environment ministers meeting yesterday (June 11) in Luxembourg agreed they wanted the UN’s Global Environment Facility (GEF) to finance a future binding global mercury control treaty to be established by the end of 2013.…
FASHION TRENDS BECOME HARMONIZED ACROSS BORDERS THROUGH GLOBAL FAST FASHION EXPANSION
BY MJ DESCHAMPS
WHILE cities such as Milan, Paris, New York City, and London have historically been seen as the global ‘fashion hubs’ – acting as meeting spots for high-end designers, fashion shows, luxury retail outlets and fashionistas – the rise of fast fashion has been diffusing that concentration a bit; making cutting-edge trends more accessible to the rest of the world.…
EU ROUND UP - EU STRIKES DEAL OVER SULPHUR IN SHIPPING FUELS
BY KEITH NUTHALL
A POLITICAL agreement has been struck between the three main European Union (EU) institutions over a new directive on the sulphur content of marine fuels burnt in EU waters. Complying with the International Maritime Organisation’s (IMO) MARPOL Convention, sulphur content for ships in the North Sea, the English Channel and the Baltic Sea will be capped at 1% until December 2014 and 0.1% from January 1, 2015.…
AUTOMOTIVE BIOPLASTICS FUNCTIONAL AS WELL AS ECOFRIENDLY
BY KITTY SO
FORD, Fiat, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Toyota, Mazda, and Hyundai: the list of car manufacturers switching to bioplastics for internal components is full of heavyweights and growing.
Attracted initially by environmental benefits, car makers and their suppliers now ask what added functionality they can get from non-compostable, bio-based materials.…
EU, US, JAPAN PUSH FOR SWIFT WTO ACTION ON CHINA RARE EARTH CONTROLS
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE USA, European Union (EU) and Japan are using emergency procedural tactics to bring forward a World Trade Organisation (WTO) disputes procedure aimed at stopping restrictions on the export of China’s rare earths.
These three key WTO members claim China is breaking WTO global trade laws by preventing rare earths from reaching global market; Beijing argues it is acting legally and legitimately to protect a scarce and valuable resource.…
PERU'S CLOTHING AND TEXTILE PRODUCERS MOVE UPMARKET - A BOON FOR FINISHING CHEMICAL SUPPLYERS
BY JONATHAN DYSON, IN LIMA
PERU’S clothing and textile industry has been moving up market to carve out sales in a sector whose low end continues to be dominated by Asian suppliers, and the country’s dyeing and finishing sector is benefiting.…
ITC SETS UP NEW NOODLE PLANT IN KOLKATA
BY MINI PANT ZACHARIAH, IN MUMBAI
AN EXECUTIVE with Indian food company the Keventer Group has welcomed the launch of a noodle manufacturing plant it will run with food and tobacco conglomerate ITC in Kolkata (Calcutta). Saurav Jajodia, Keventor’s assistant vice president (operations) told just-food the alliance was a good fit: "This plant will synergise a lot of back-end operations.…
SAUDI ARABIA'S PRINT INDUSTRY BENEFITS FROM THE KINGDOM'S PROSPERING ECONOMY
BY MJ DESCHAMPS AND PAUL COCHRANE
THE ARAB Spring has brought many unlikely changes and not all have been welcome, but one development that is certainly positive for the printing industry is its encouragement of publishing and advertising. Saudi Arabia is a case in point, with the government last year ordering a print run of 1.5 million religious edicts banning protests, which helped drive sales at printing presses.…
STEADY GROWTH IN SOUTH KOREA COATINGS MARKET
BY KARRYN MILLER
SOUTH Korea’s paint and coatings market may be mature but that has not stopped it from showing steady growth. According to business research firm Timetric, which has a South Korea office, the country’s architectural paint market was worth USD582.9 million in 2010 and USD600.8 million in 2011.…
PERU'S CLOTHING AND TEXTILE PRODUCERS MOVE UPMARKET - A BOON FOR FINISHING CHEMICAL SUPPLYERS
BY JONATHAN DYSON, IN LIMA
PERU’S clothing and textile industry has been moving up market to carve out sales in a sector whose low end continues to be dominated by Asian suppliers, and the country’s dyeing and finishing sector is benefiting.…
EASTERN EUROPE'S PAINTS AND COATINGS MARKET CONTINUES TO GROW AS THE WEST STAYS STAGNANT
BY E BLAKE BERRY, IN POLAND; MIKE STEIN, IN PRAGUE; MONIKA HANLEY, IN RIGA; AND MJ DESCHAMPS,
WHILE southern and western Europe’s economies falter, being mired in debt, eastern Europe’s coatings market is now growing solidly amidst economic performances that are recovering from a recession that hit the region hard.…
NUCLEAR SUPPLIERS JOSTLE FOR POSITION AS POLISH NUCLEAR POWER PLANT TENDER IS AWAITED
BY ANDREW KURETH, IN WARSAW
MAJOR international nuclear-energy technology providers are signing a wave of agreements with Polish energy companies and research institutes to curry political favour as they compete in the race for the tender to supply Poland’s first nuclear power plant, set to come on line in 2023.…
SOUTHEAST ASIA COSMETICS MARKET HAS MANU COMMON CHARACTERISTICS, DESPITE WIDE VARIATIONS IN CONSUMER WEALTH
BY KARRYN MILLER, IN HANOI
WITH similar tropical and sub-tropical climates giving personal care product consumers some similar requirements as regards skin care, the 10 countries that make up the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region could be regarded as one by lazy marketers.…
SUNTORY SETS UP JV IN INDIA, AIMING EXPANSION
BY WANG FANGQING, IN SHANGHAI
Japanese beverage giant Suntory’s subsidiary, Singapore-based Suntory Beverage & Food Asia, is planning to manufacture beverages in India, a spokesman told just-drinks. It will in June buy 51% stocks in Narang Connect, a Mumbai-based subsidiary of India’s leading food and beverage distribution company Narang Group.…
MOROCCO'S DECORATIVE PAINTS AND COATINGS MARKET FORECAST TO GROW
BY KACI RACELMA
WHILE the majority of north African paint and coatings markets have been disrupted by the wave of political and economic unrest brought on by the ongoing Arab Spring revolution, relatively stable Morocco has generated modest growth.
The country’s paint companies predict an increase in domestic paints and coatings production and sales in 2012, following sluggish sales since the international financial crisis hit in 2008.…
SYRIA CRISIS HITS TOBACCO TRADE - LOCAL COMPANY BENEFITS, BUT FOR HOW LONG?
BY PAUL COCHRANE, IN BEIRUT
Syria’s long uprising and associated sanctions has removed some competition for national tobacco company GOT. But a collapse in the Syrian pound has made inputs more expensive. And now GOT is facing an asset freeze in Europe as sanctions tighten.…
ITALIAN CRIME FIGHTERS TACKLE NEW WAVE OF CONTRABAND TOBACCO WITH EU AND PRODUCERS
BY JOSEPHINE MCKENNA, IN ROME
Italy may not have the strongest tobacco black market, but it is a key portal into Europe for smuggling. This is fuelled by Italy’s long-coastline and strong organised crime organisations. Italian law enforcement has been fighting the problem, making seizures.…
JAPAN MINISTRY APPEALS AGAINST LIFTING OF INTERNET MEDICINES SALES BAN
BY JULIAN RYALL, IN TOKYO
JAPAN’S health ministry is appealing to the country’s Supreme Court to overturn a ruling allowing sales of over-the-counter medications via the internet.
The appeal was filed May 9 after the Tokyo High Court decided a ban imposed by the ministry of health, labour and welfare on internet sales was unconstitutional.…
COURSE CREDITS FOR VOLUNTEERS MOVE UP THE AGENDA
BY HANA KAMARUDDIN, IN SELANGOR, MALAYSIA
Students in some Asian countries, such as Japan, Indonesia and South Korea now earn credit hours for voluntary work, an incentive that builds volunteering into the university assessment system and promotes community work as an integral part of higher education, a conference has been told.…
EU FRAUD UNIT HAILS BUST OF STEEL TUBE AND PIPE DUTY EVASION RING
BY KEITH NUTHALL
The European Union’s (EU) anti-fraud unit has hailed the breaking of an international conspiracy to export China-made iron and steel tube and pipe fittings via other Asian countries to evade 58.6% EU anti-dumping duties usually levied on these products.…
PERU'S INKABOR DIVERSIFIES AND GROWS AS BORATES MARKET EXPANDS
BY JONATHAN DYSON, IN AREQUIPA, SOUTHERN PERU
PERU’S Inkabor, one of the world’s leading borates producers, is significantly increasing its product range as it capitalises on growing demand in several key sectors, senior managers told Industrial Minerals. Speaking at its Rio Seco boric acid and borax plant in Arequipa, southern Peru, Flavio Magheri, Inkabor managing director, said that Inkabor’s sales grew by 15% in 2011, with 10% growth forecast for 2012.…
PRODUCT LAUNCH - JAPAN: SUNTORY'S PEPSI BLACK
BY WANG FANGQING, IN SHANGHAI
Suntory’s Pepsi Black
Category – Soft drinks
Available – From Tuesday, June 19
Location – Japan
Price – JPY140 (USD1.76) per 490ml bottle
Distribution – Suntory Holdings Limited
Beverage giant Suntory – Japan’s only distributor for Pepsi beverages is adding soft drink ‘Pepsi Black’ to its existing lineup next month.…
BURMA FACES TOUGH ROAD TO BECOME NEW ASIA KNITWEAR OUTSOURCER
BY KARRYN MILLER, MJ DESCHAMPS, LEAH GERMAIN AND KEITH NUTHALL
THE BYELECTION victories in Myanmar/Burma by opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and her political allies have loosened the tough trade sanctions that have thus far hampered efforts to develop the country as a new sourcing hub for knitwear and other clothing products.…
PRODUCT LAUNCH - JAPAN: SUNTORY'S SINGLE MALT WHISKY
BY WANG FANGQING
Distribution – Suntory Holdings Limited
LEADING Japanese beverage company Suntory has introduced two new whiskies under their renowned single malt brands – Yamazaki and Hakushu – which are blends of previous years’ whiskies from these distilleries. These have been selected and combined to create a smoother taste for consumers and are sold without reference to any production year, unlike previous releases.…
EUROPEAN UNION AUTO TECHNICAL RULE MORATORIUM ANTICIPATED - BUT WILL IT HELP MANUFACTURERS
BY CARMEN PAUN, IN BRUSSELS
THE EUROPEAN Union (EU) auto industry is awaiting the announcement by the EU executive, the European Commission, of a moratorium on new technical regulations, which could come in June. If it happens, it will be announced by EU industry Commissioner Antonio Tajani, who is responsible for technical rules on vehicles across the EU, and is worried that a European auto sector, already having a tough time, is being hamstrung by a conveyor belt of new rules.…
PRODUCT LAUNCH - JAPAN: SUNTORY'S MEDITERRANEAN GRAPEFRUIT COCKTAIL-LIKE BEVERAGE
BY WANG FANGQING, IN SHANGHAI
Suntory’s Mediterranean grapefruit cocktail-like beverage
Category – juice, non-alcoholic
JAPANESE beverage giant Suntory is set to add a brand new flavour – ‘Mediterranean grapefruits’ – to its popular line of non-alcoholic cocktail-like beverages "Chuhai Taste", which was introduced last October.…
JAPAN'S LAWSON TO BUY INTO CHINESE MARKET
BY MARTIN FOSTER, IN TOKYO
Japan c-store chain Lawson Inc. is in talks with several Chinese retailers regarding possible buy outs, a company spokesman has told just-food. "China is positioned extremely highly in Lawson’s global strategy, and Chief Executive Officer, Takashi Niinami wants to expand there," said spokesman Yuuki Takemoto, who said Lawson aims to open 10,000 outlets in China by 2020.…
JAPAN'S LAWSON TO LEVERAGE HAWAII LAUNCH FOR MAINLAND US CAMPAIGN
BY MARTIN FOSTER, IN TOKYO
Japan’s number two convenience store chain Lawson is planning to use a Hawaii store launch as a springboard for an expansion into the US mainland, spokesman Yuuki Takemoto told just-food. "Chief Executive Officer, Takashi Niinami views the US market as second only to the Asian market in Lawson’s strategy," Takemoto said.…
MYANMAR'S CLOTHING INDUSTRY HAS TOUGH ROAD TO FOLLOW TO BECOME NEW ASIAN OUTSOURCER
BY KARRYN MILLER AND JEN SWANSON, IN YANGON
MYANMAR’S clothing industry looks set to grow as the country once shunned by the west starts to reform. Following pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s release from house arrest in November 2010, the government has taken steps to boost foreign relations and attract investors from abroad?although…
SUNTORY TO PUSH SALES THROUGH BEER PRODUCTION INVESTMENT
BY WANG FANGQING
JAPAN’S leading brewer Suntory will invest Japanese Yen JPY6 billion (USD75.5 million) in its Japanese plants. The aim is to increase overall Japan-based beer annual production capacity by 16% to 80 million cases (of 20 bottles). Its key focus is to manufacture more of its light beer Kin-Mugi and a new version of its Premium Malt’s pilsner (NOTE – SPELLING IS CORRECT).…
OBAMA-NODA DEAL ON RARE EARTHS WELCOMED BY MINERAL EXPERTS IN JAPAN AND THE USA
BY LEAH GERMAIN AND MARTIN FOSTER, IN TOKYO
MOLYCORP Inc, the key United States rare earths producer, has welcomed a new partnership between the US and the Japanese government that seeks to diversify the global supply for rare earth metals. On April 30, President Obama met with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda to discuss the development of a joint critical minerals and development project – an alliance between the two countries, where they will share new technology used in the production and recycling of rare earths.…
JAPANESE C-STORES EYING DOMESTIC DIVERSIFICATION, OVERSEAS EXPANSION
BY MARTIN FOSTER, IN TOKYO
JAPANESE convenience stores are diversifying products and services to survive in a market with an ageing and shrinking population, also aggressively expanding overseas to lock-in new revenue.
The Japanese population shrank by 259,000 people – including non-Japanese – to slightly less than 128 million people in the year to October 1, 2011, the greatest annual decline since 1950, according to figures from the ministry of internal affairs and communications.…
TURKISH NUCLEAR POWER EXPANSION PLANS INCREASINGLY DOUBTFUL WARN EXPERTS
BY PAUL COCHRANE, IN BEIRUT
LAST year the Turkish government announced it had set a target of building a "minimum" of 20 nuclear reactors by 2030. Detailed plans have been developed to commission two nuclear power plants, and the Turkish government has announced plans for three more plants to meet rising power demand and ensure energy security.…
JAPAN'S COSMETICS SECTOR EMERGES WITH STRENGTH FROM LAST YEAR'S EARTHQUAKE DISASTER
BY JULIAN RYALL, IN TOKYO
At 2:46 p.m. on March 11, Japan came to a standstill for a minute of silence to remember the Great East Japan Earthquake and its tsunami.
And while the cosmetics and personal care sector might not have been in a position to provide much assistance in the physical reconstruction of communities that were impacted, it has been innovative in its efforts to assist those in need.…
ANDES OFFER RICH SOURCE OF LUXURY FIBRES
BY PACIFICA GODDARD AND JONATHAN DYSON, IN LIMA
SOME of world’s most coveted fibres, Vicuña, Guanaco, Alpaca and Llama, all hail from rugged Andean region in South America. Vicuña fibre, known locally and in the trade as the "gold of the Andes" and "the fabric of the gods" is a key part of the global high-end luxury market for rare and superfine fibres.…
EUROPE'S EMISSION TRADING SCHEME HITS CHOPPY WATERS - BUT OTHER NATIONAL SCHEMES SHOW MORE PROMISE
BY MARK ROWE
WHEN the European Union (EU) set up the world’s first carbon trading market in 2001, the Emissions Trading System (ETS), advocates heralded a new dawn: carbon pollution could be brought under control in a way that benefited the environment while not damaging industrial interests.…
EUROPE'S EMISSION TRADING SCHEME HITS CHOPPY WATERS - BUT OTHER NATIONAL SCHEMES SHOW MORE PROMISE
BY MARK ROWE
WHEN the European Union (EU) set up the world’s first carbon trading market in 2001, the Emissions Trading System (ETS), advocates heralded a new dawn: carbon pollution could be brought under control in a way that benefited the environment while not damaging industrial interests.…
EUROPEAN UNION AUTO TECHNICAL RULE MORATORIUM ANTICIPATED - BUT WILL IT HELP MANUFACTURERS
BY CARMEN PAUN, IN BRUSSELS
THE EUROPEAN Union (EU) auto industry is awaiting the announcement by the EU executive, the European Commission, of a moratorium on new technical regulations, which could come in June. If it happens, it will be announced by EU industry Commissioner Antonio Tajani, who is responsible for technical rules on vehicles across the EU, and is worried that a European auto sector, already having a tough time, is being hamstrung by a conveyor belt of new rules.…
INDONESIA COMES UNDER FIRE OVER MEAT IMPORT LICENSING
BY LEAH GERMAIN
THE UNITED States Trade Representative (USTR) has joined forces with the European Union (EU) to press Indonesia to simplify its licensing for meat and livestock imports. The US and Canada, with the support of the EU, Brazil, New Zealand, Japan and Switzerland, have complained to the World Trade Organisation’s (WTO) import licensing committee, claiming that Indonesia’s tough licensing for meat and livestock imports could seriously damage trade.…
MEXICO CLAWING BACK ITS ROLE AS AMERICA'S KEY CLOTHING SUPPLIER
BY JONATHAN DYSON, IN CANCÚN
SIGNS are emerging that Mexico’s textile and apparel industry is reclaiming a growing proportion of the US market as it benefits from an increasing focus on higher-value products and greater diversification. Mexico’s share of the US market, which accounts for around 55% of its textile exports and 95% of its apparel exports, dropped sharply following China’s entry into the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in 2001 and its subsequent domination of the global textile and apparel market.…
EU ROUND UP - PLASTICS COMPANIES HANDLING DANGEROUS CHEMICALS FACE NEW EU CONTROLS
BY KEITH NUTHALL
PLASTICS companies in the European Union (EU) storing potentially dangerous chemicals on their premises will have to by 2015 abide by tougher management standards preventing industrial accidents. This is because the European Parliament, the European Commission and the EU Council of Ministers have struck an agreement on the contents of a new law – the Seveso III directive – that will include new safety rules for chemical-using businesses.…
HAIR CARE BRANDS RIDE WAVE OF SALON CHAINS TO SALES GROWTH IN CHINA
BY MARK GODFREY, IN BEIJING
BIG hair product brands are hitching wagons to hair-care salons sprouting up around the Chinese capital Beijing. With local incomes rising, local salon chains such as Shenmei and YesFashion are quickly expanding. Opened in 2011 as a redecoration of a former independent salon, the Shenmei is 400 metres from (in what was formerly a supermarket) a YesFashion outlet on shopping street Tuajiehu Lu.…
SOUTH KOREA'S BOOMING SKINCARE BUSINESS CONTINUES TO THRIVE
BY KARRYN MILLER
A STROLL through Myeong-dong, one of Seoul’s busiest shopping districts, gives a good idea of the magnitude of the popularity of South Korea’s cosmetics and skincare industry: according to the Korea Tourism Organisation there are approximately 1,000 cosmetic shops and hundreds of skincare stores within this small quadrant, alone.…
EU MOULDERS GET A BOUNCE FROM BILATERAL TRADE AGREEMENTS
BY MJ DESCHAMPS
BILATERAL trade agreements between European Union (EU) and emerging economies have helped cushion EU plastics moulders and machinery suppliers as more important domestic markets have weakened in recession and the Eurozone crisis.
It is a two-way street: lower priced machinery from China and India has made inroads into EU markets for applications requiring less technologically sophisticated kit.…
ACTA DECISION WORTH BILLIONS TO THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY
BY JAMES FULLER
THE EUROPEAN Union’s (EU) executive, the European Commission is trying to defeat criticism of a multilateral treaty opposing counterfeiting through a high stakes legal manoeuvre, with officials saying the outcome is of critical importance to Europe’s powerful auto sector.…
ENERGY EXPERT PRAISES BRACERY OF MEXICO NUCLEAR EXPANSION STRATEGY
BY JONATHAN DYSON, IN CANCUN
THE MEXICAN government faces an increasingly pressing need to convince the country’s parliament (Congress) and the Mexican public of the safety of nuclear power following the recent unveiling of its new national energy strategy, according to one of the country’s leading energy experts.…
EU LAUNCHES INDUSTRY-GOVERNMENT GROUP PROMOTING INNOVATION IN RAW MATERIAL PRODUCTION
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Commission has launched a high level industry-public sector advisory group tasked with increasing innovation and research boosting Europe’s raw material production. This ‘European Innovation Partnership’ (EIP) on raw materials will be established this year and will organise raw material research and development projects, drawing on existing research funding budgets.…
AEON CARRIES OUT NEW PLAN IN ASIA, STARTING FROM VIETNAM AND CHINA
BY WANG FANGQING, IN SHANGHAI
JAPANESE c-store chain Aeon is expanding business in Vietnam, Malaysia and smaller cities in China, last week (March 2) opening a new national headquarters in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam’s commercial capital. Speaking to just-food, a spokesman at the company’s Chiba, Japan, corporate-base said a new Aeon Vietnam subsidiary would control "all of our businesses in the country, including convenience stores, shopping centres and supermarkets."…
EGYPTIAN AIRPORT EXPANSIONS CONTINUE DESPITE POLITICAL TURMOIL
BY PAUL COCHRANE, IN BEIRUT
DESPITE much political turmoil over the course of the past year in Egypt, the country’s ongoing airport expansion projects have not been suffering. For the past decade, major expansion and renovation works have been underway, to handle the surge in foreign tourists to the North African country; which jumped from 5.5 million in 2002 to 14.7 million in 2010.…
JAPAN, US AND EU SET TO DISCUSS RARE EARTH STRATEGY
BY MJ DESCHAMPS
WEEKS after Japan, the United States and the European Union raised concerns to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) that China was monopolising the global supply of rare earths, Japan has announced it will host a conference March 28 in Tokyo to discuss developing alternatives for sourcing 17 elements critical for the manufacture of high-tech products.…
JAPAN TIGHTENS RADIATION LIMITS ON MEAT PRODUCTS
BY MJ DESCHAMPS
JAPAN is set to place stricter limits on the maximum levels of radiation in meat products sold for human consumption to Japanese consumers from April 1.
Under the revisions, the limit on permissible traces of radioactive caesium will be set at 100 becquerels (bq) per kilogram for meat products.…
JAPAN AND SOUTH KOREA DIVERSIFY THEIR RARE EARTH SUPPLIES
BY KARRYN MILLER
IF any two countries could be deemed vulnerable to Chinese dominance of rare earth supplies, it surely has to be east Asia’s high tech exporters par excellence Japan and South Korea. From smart phones to electric cars, these two Asian nations continue to drive technology forward, but with rare earths an essential component of many electronic goods, these Tokyo and Seoul are scanning the region for new sources of these key minerals.…
CHINA FACES WTO ACTION OVER TUNGSTEN AND MOLYBDENUM EXPORT RESTRICTIONS
BY KEITH NUTHALL
CHINA is again facing another disputes proceeding at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) over its export restrictions on non-ferrous metals – this time on molybdenum and tungsten. The United States, Japan and the European Union (EU) today announced they had formally requested consultations with Beijing over its trade controls on these important metals.…
TOKYO RARE EARTH MEETING STRESSES DIALOGUE WITH CHINA, COOPERATION, ALTERNATIVE SUPPLY
BY MARTIN FOSTER, IN TOKYO
AN AMERICAN government minister told a Tokyo-based seminar on the strategic implications of shortages in rare earth that consumer nations faced the need to reduce and over the near to medium term.
US energy secretary Steven Chu said that in the short term it is important to develop technologies to reduce rare earth use, and that rare earth elements should be "used as sparingly as you can."…
EU EXTENDS CONTROLS ON JAPANESE MEAT IMPORTS
BY KEITH NUTHALL AND MJ DESCHAMPS
THE EUROPEAN Union (EU) has extended until October 31 its tough controls on imports of meat from Japan imposed because of health concerns over last spring’s nuclear disaster at Fukushima. Only casings and pet-food can currently be imported from Japan as a whole.…
7-ELEVEN DENIES RUSSIA EXPANSION
BY MJ DESCHAMPS
DESPITE recent rumours in Russian media that 7-Eleven, the US-based international chain of convenience stores, would be expanding into Russia, the company has denied the claims.
"There is no basis of foundation about 7-Eleven developing in Russia," a spokesperson for the company told just-food from its Texas, USA, headquarters.…
LABELLING LEGISLATION IS COMPLEX AND VARIED - A CHALLENGE FOR GLOBAL SUPPLY CHAINS
BY KEITH NUTHALL, MJ DESCHAMPS, AND JULIAN RYALL
The management challenge of introducing increasingly sophisticated labels is compounded by the continuing diversity of labelling laws worldwide. These can be a major headache for textile and clothing companies, especially those with global supply chains.…
RFID TECHNOLOGY BECOMES MORE SOPHISTICATED
BY LEE ADENDORFF
DESPITE the increasing number of roll-outs of RFID item-level tagging by retail giants such as Walmart, JCPenney, Marks & Spencer and supply chain giant Li & Fung, the price of RFID inlays (the electronic component that comprises of an antenna made of copper, silver or aluminium along with a silicon chip attached to a synthetic backing) has not been budging, with UHF Gen 2 RFID smart tags (the industry standard) hovering anywhere between USD0.096 and USD0.26 cents, according to supplier network RFID.net.…
CHINA SCRAP NON-FERROUS BUSINESS ENJOYS SOARAWAY PROFITS
BY MARK GODFREY, IN BEIJING
RESTRICTIONS on imports appear to be driving profits for Chinese scrap processors focused on domestic waste metal collection. There has been a huge increase in profits for private firms in 2011 processing non-ferrous metals – up 53% according to data published in February by China’s National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).…
RECYCLING ADVICE WIDELY AVAILABLE FOR CLOTHING AND TEXTILE SECTOR
BY ALAN OSBORN, IN LONDON; JULIAN RYALL, IN TOKYO; AND LEAH GERMAIN, IN EDMONTON
TEXTILE recycling has come a long way since the days of the rag-and-bone man a generation or so ago, with particularly dramatic changes happening in some European countries over the past ten years.…
CHINA'S NEW FIVE-YEAR PLAN TO GUIDE EXPANSION OF THE COUNTRY'S TEXTILE INDUSTRY
BY WANG FANGQING, IN SHANGHAI
DOMESTIC market expansion, new materials development and the transfer of production bases are all priorities under mainland China’s ministry of industry and information technology’s 12th five-year plan (2011 to 2015) for the domestic textile industry, released January 19.…
A GREENER ENERGY MIX IN THE GULF TAKES SHAPE
BY PAUL COCHRANE, IN ABU DHABI
IT sounds completely bizarre, given their dominant role as global energy players, but the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) are facing a chronic energy shortage, with domestic demand growing by an estimated 8.5% and investment in power systems failing to keep pace.…
OECD SAYS ITALY ANTI-BRIBERY EFFORTS TOO WEAK AND TOO SLOW, WHILE JAPAN, SWISS WEAK ON FOREIGN BRIBES
STORIES BY KEITH NUTHALL
A REPORT from the anti-bribery working group of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation & Development (OECD) has attacked Italy over the tardiness and weakness of its anti-bribery efforts. While, the paper did recommend that the organised-crime ridden country had made "significant enforcement efforts" through its "comprehensive framework for prosecuting the foreign bribery offence", these efforts were insufficient.…
JAPAN'S CHRISTMAS BOOK SALES LAG
BY JULIAN RYALL, IN TOKYO
A NOVEL that was turned into a television drama, along with a diet and recipe book topped the best-sellers list in Japan this past Christmas and New Year, although the industry overall saw no great surge in purchases.…
TEXTILE WASTE RECYCLING REGULATIONS
BY ALAN OSBORN, IN LONDON; JULIAN RYALL, IN TOKYO; AND LEAH GERMAIN, IN EDMONTON
AS textile recycling continues to gain importance worldwide, and the number of companies dedicated to processing used apparel or scraps increases as well, governments and industry are working to establish textile waste legislation.…
CHINA'S LOCAL NUCLEAR SUPPLIERS FACE TOUGH OUTLOOK AS CHINA LOOKS TO 3G PLANTS
BY MARK GODFREY, IN BEIJING
WEAKNESSES in China’s nuclear certification system are an obstacle for domestic equipment suppliers wanting to seize market share when the policy-setting National Development & Reform Commission (NDRC) approves a new reactor building programme. This has been held up by the Fukushima disaster, but China’s local certification regime remains more geared to screening imported equipment rather than encouraging high standards among local equipment providers.…
TOBACCO STOCKS SAFE HAVEN FOR SMALL INVESTORS - BUT INSUFFICIENTLY TASTY FOR HIGH ROLLERS
BY ALAN OSBORN
Tobacco stocks have long been regarded as a safe haven for small investors. But they are currently so stable, speculators shy away. In the long term, however, American investment advisors are warning that tobacco companies may not be such a great bet.…
EU ROUND UP - NATURAL GAS HERE TO STAY - AT LEAST TO 2050 SAYS BRUSSELS
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE FUTURE of the natural gas sector is guaranteed in any viable European Union (EU) energy mix, the European Commission has said in a major policy paper. In its ‘Energy Road Map 2050’, Brussels argues that gas is the relatively clean fuel that will buy the EU time to adopt new energy technologies.…
ENVIRONMENTALLY-FRIENDLY SKIN CARE PRODUCTS ON THE RISE IN JAPAN
BY JULIAN RYALL, IN TOKYO
MICROBIOLOGISTS discovered microbially-produced surface-active agents as far back as the 1960s but the cosmetics industry largely overlooked the true value of biosurfactants – as they are more handily known – until recently. Japan has been at the forefront of this move, reflecting a desire amongst Japanese consumers in recent years for products that are kind to the environment.…
JAPANESE SOY GIANT BOOSTS PRESENCE IN INDIAN MARKET
BY JULIAN RYALL, IN TOKYO
Japanese soy sauce giant Kikkoman Corporation has announced plans to set up its first representative office in India, the start of a campaign to encourage local people to incorporate its products in local cuisine.
The office will open in Mumbai before the end of January and will be tasked with supporting the company’s sales agents and determining local consumers’ needs.…
Saudi Arabia looks worldwide for nuclear collaborators
By Paul Cochrane, in Beirut
Saudi Arabia’s failure to secure a wide-ranging atomic energy treaty with the USA, continues to push the oil-rich country into the arms of other nuclear suiters, experts on the kingdom have argued. The Saudi's plan is to invest USD112 billion over the next 20 years to build 16 nuclear power plants (NPPs) to offset rising domestic energy demand and retain its position as a leading hydrocarbons exporter.
A memorandum of understanding on nuclear energy was signed with the US in 2008, but the two countries have yet to sign Section 123 of the US Atomic Energy Act, essentially a prerequisite for nuclear cooperation between the US and other nations.…
SMART COATINGS PRODUCTION AND RESEARCH STARTING TO HAPPEN IN ASIA PACIFIC REGION
BY MARK ROWE
FOR the past decade, innovative paints and coatings manufacturers have been creating a buzz around sustainable, ‘smart’ coatings that self-clean, do not chip, and are more aerodynamic. Many of the claims for such materials were made while the inventions were still in the laboratory.…
EUROPEAN COMMISSION PLOTS MORE ITER FUNDING
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Commission has drafted a plan ensuring cash-strapped international nuclear fusion project ITER would have funding of Euro EUR2.573 billion from 2014 to 2018. European Union (EU) ministers in December approved emergency spending for ITER to see the France-based research project through 2012 and 2013, and now the Commission is looking ahead for four more years’ money.…
KIKKOMAN GROWS STEADILY, EVEN WHILE JAPAN'S ECONOMY STAGNATES
BY JULIAN RYALL
THERE is no single secret to creating the best soy sauce in the world, according to the head of the Japanese company that first produced the seasoning as far back as the 17th century. Rather, the secret is a combination of three things, Yuzaburo Mogi, honorary CEO and chairman of the board of directors of Kikkoman Corp.,…
MANUFACTURING - WINNERS AND LOSERS
BY KEITH NUTHALL
WINNERS
VF
In one of 2011’s biggest deals, US-based VF announced its plans to buy major footwear brand Timberland in a US$2bn takeover. As well as boosting earnings by US$700m a year, the purchase would leverage VF platforms in Europe, Asia and Latin America, and boost e-commerce operations.…
2011 REVIEW OF THE YEAR - CLOTHING AND TEXTILE SECTOR
BY KEITH NUTHALL
RETAIL – WINNERS AND LOSERS
WINNERS
MARKS & SPENCER
Times may still be tough in its home British market, but M&S showed forward-thinking foresight in 2011- on sourcing transparency and the environment: potential key issues for future consumers.…
WILL CROATIA'S ASCENSION TO THE EU HAMPER THE COUNTRY'S TOBACCO INDUSTRY?
BY ZLATKO CONKAS
Will Croatia’s ascension to the EU hamper the country’s tobacco industry?
Croatia’s strong tobacco sector stands to benefit from selling into the European Union once the country joins the EU. However it could lose trade in neighbouring states because of duty changes.…
CHINA'S LOCAL NUCLEAR SUPPLIERS STILL STRUGGLE TO DEVELOP SUSTAINABLE WORK ORDERS IN AND OUTSIDE CHINA
BY MARK GODFREY
THERE is no end to the number of ambitious companies eyeing a slice of the estimated USD10 billion-a-year demand for nuclear power construction and maintenance in China. And in a country known for its favouritism towards local firms in public procurement contracts, one would assume that mainland Chinese companies would get the maximum share of the spoils.…
WHAT GOOD IS RENEWABLE ENERGY IF IT GOES TO WASTE? GROWTH IN ENERGY GENERATION MEANS GREATER NEED FOR STORAGE
BY MJ DESCHAMPS
WITH renewable energy continuing to grow worldwide, concerns about its limited production predictability are growing. That is why energy companies, researchers and engineers are concentrating on developing innovative electricity storage solutions – primarily geared at harnessing energy from renewables – so during periods of low solar irradiance or wind, backup systems can distribute power to the grid.…
GLOBAL REGULATIONS AND STANDARDS ON ELECTRIC CARS TO BE DRAFTED BY INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEES
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE LEADING powers of the automotive industry worldwide have agreed to attempt forging common technical standards for the still evolving electric car sector. An agreement struck today (Thursday) in Geneva, Switzerland, will see the United States working with the European Union (EU) and Japan within two working parties: their goal is to write a formal global technical regulation (or regulations) on electric cars by 2014 and debate informal standardization.…
SFO CONFIRMS PROBE INTO JAPAN'S OLYMPUS
BY ALAN OSBORN
THE SERIOUS Fraud Office in the UK has confirmed to Fraud Intelligence it is opening an inquiry into Japanese photographic and electronics group Olympus, which is already being probed by the US Federal Bureau of Intelligence (FBI). A number of Olympus executives have been questioned by US authorities over alleged accounting malpractices at the company following the sacking of the British chief executive Michael Woodford in October.…
EUROPE: Massive changes in scale and direction of EU research funding proposed
BY PETER DA COSTA
The European Commission has proposed a historic adjustment to its research and innovation policies by plunging whole-heartedly into pro-business mode for the European Union’s (EU) 2014-2020 research and development activities. Under the so-called Horizon 2020 programme announced this week, Brussels has set out budgets totalling Euro 80 billion to push forward the EU’s scientific and research strategies against the background of a difficult and dramatically changing economic environment.…
AVIATION INDUSTRY RESPONDS TO ENVIRONMENTAL PUSH THROUGH SUSTAINABLE COATINGS
BY MARK ROWE
THE AVIATION sector is significantly boosting Asia-Pacific technical coatings demand. With fuel overheads typically accounting for around 40% of all costs in the aviation industry, there has been increased demand in recent years for a new generation of aerodynamic coatings, which can reduce drag and cut costs, especially in emerging markets where operators need to minimise costs.…
BRAZIL'S LEAD IN ALUMINIUM CAN RECYCLING TO BE EXTENDED
BY SHEENA ROSSITER
BRAZIL is set to extend its global leadership in can recycling with millions being pumped into the recycling process. Novelis, one of the world’s largest producers of rolled aluminium products and a global leader in aluminium beverage can recycling, has the leading hand in investment with back-to-back investment of USD360 million having been injected into the aluminium recycling industry over the past two years and in the year to come.…
MOZAMBIQUE LOOKS TO EXPORT LNG
BY GEORGE STONE
MOZAMBIQUE expects to start exporting liquefied natural gas (LNG) in 2018 after major gas finds by Milan-based Eni and American firm Anadarko Petroleum in the waters of the Rovuma basin in the north of the country. The finds mean Mozambique is on course to be a leading LNG supplier to Asia, particularly Japan and rival the region’s leading gas exporters Nigeria and Angola.…
CHINA'S COOKING OIL CONSUMERS DEMAND DIVERSITY
BY WANG FANGQING
WHILE soybean oil still remains the main cooking oil of choice used in China, the country’s manufacturers have recently been experiencing a shift – with a growing demand for diversity in terms of cooking products in large and small cities.…
MARKET FOR HEAT STABILISERS PREDICTED TO SHOW MAJOR GROWTH AND GREENING
BY MJ DESCHAMPS
COMMONLY used in industrial and outdoor environments – and exposed to direct heat and ultraviolet light, PVC coatings can very easily be weathered; losing tensile properties, colour and durability. Coatings manufacturers and their clients are increasingly using heat stabiliser additives as a result.…
2011 RUGBY WORLD CUP MAY BRING MILLIONS INTO NEW ZEALAND - BUT WHAT HAPPENS TO THE ECONOMY AFTERWARDS?
BY MJ DESCHAMPS
THE GREEN picturesque land of New Zealand has recently gained some new human scenery: new stadiums and roadways, and an estimated 95,000 additional flag waving visitors: the 2011 Rugby World Cup (RWC) is now underway. By the first kick-off between New Zealand’s All Blacks and Tonga on September 9, at a revamped Eden Park stadium in Auckland, the country’s central and local governments had already spent approximately New Zealand dollars NZD500 million (USD411 million) on the event.…
CHINA STILL WANTS METAL SCRAP - BUT WANTS TO KEEP PRICES BELOW CURRENT INTERNATIONAL RATES
BY MARK GODFREY
THOUGH it remains the world’s key manufacturing powerhouse, gobbling up raw materials, China’s demand for imported metals scrap is currently slack. There are several reasons for the conundrum say local and international scrap players, among them exchange rate volatility and weak Chinese prices for scrap.…
FINANCIAL FRAUD IN JAPAN IS ON THE RISE; BUT COMPANIES ARE SLOW TO TAKE ACTION
BY JULIAN RYALL
IN Japan, fraud can be simply so embarrassing, it is swept under the carpet – and that can leave companies prey to fraudsters, especially insiders.
Bill Stewart, a partner and member of the fraud investigation and dispute services department at Ernst & Young ShinNihon LLC in Tokyo tells a cautionary tale.…
CHINA MAKES LESS PROFITS ON CLOTHING TRADE DESPITE SOARING EXPORTS
BY WANG FANGQING
IN July, the monthly export value of textile and garments from China hit a record new US dollar USD25.9 billion, up 25% year-on-year, according to China Customs. It was not a surprise given that China earned USD122.7 billion in the first half (H1) of 2011, almost equivalent to the whole amount it made in 2005.…
SCOTLAND SEEKS TO BECOME A KEY EUROPEAN PLAYER IN GREEN ENERGY
BY ROBERT STOKES
NATIONALISM and the energy industry have made uneasy bedfellows throughout history, yet Scotland is attracting substantial international investment in renewables despite having, since May and for the first time, a majority government committed to winning independence from the UK.…
TURKEY HAS HIGH AMBITIONS TO GROW LARGE OILS AND FATS SECTOR
BY PAUL COCHRANE
TURKEY is the fifth largest importer of oils and oilseeds in the world, with demand being driven by its burgeoning economy, sizable food export industry, and a population of 74.8 million people. But while its demand for vegetable oils is outstripping local production, in olive oil production the country has set its sights on rising up the global rankings from its current fifth place to become the second largest producer.…
DIRTY MONEY FLOWS EAST AS WEST TIGHTENS ITS AML SYSTEMS
BY PAUL COCHRANE
THE WESTERN financial system is undergoing profound change, of weakened trust in the sector, heightened tax regulations, pressure to curb banking secrecy and tougher regulatory compliance. As a result, the owners of legal and extra-legal capital who are looking for a safe haven for their money are starting to consider destinations outside the established offshore jurisdictions – the less regulated financial centres of the Middle East and Asia.…
CHINESE COMPANIES TURN TO TRADITIONAL MEDICINE INGREDIENTS TO COMPETE WITH MULTINATIONALS
BY WANG FANGQING
AS MULTINATIONAL cosmetics companies continue to dominate the vast, multi-tiered personal care market in China, more Chinese companies are turning to Chinese traditional medicine (TCM)-based products, to gain niche market share.
This past July, Hong Kong-based pharmaceutical company Qilike Medicine Group upgraded its business-to-consumer (B2C) website – which sells acne treatment product Deefur, making it look more sophisticated to attract mainland Chinese consumers.…
SAUDI ARABIA LOOKS WORLDWIDE FOR NUCLEAR COLLABORATORS
BY PAUL COCHRANE
SAUDI Arabia’s failure to secure a wide-ranging atomic energy treaty with the USA, continues to push the oil-rich country into the arms of other nuclear suiters, experts on the kingdom have told World Nuclear News. The Saudis plan is to invest USD112 billion over the next 20 years to build 16 nuclear power plants (NPPs) to offset rising domestic energy demand and retain its position as a leading hydrocarbons exporter.…
DOMESTIC YARN AND FIBRES SOURCING GROWS IN THE WEST; BUT DEVELOPING COUNTRIES STILL CONQUER SUPPLY CHAIN
BY MJ DESCHAMPS and WANG FANGQING
THE PURCHASE of yarns, fibres and other materials from developing countries for rich country-controlled garment manufacturing has long been a cost-effective business practice; however, many factors – including high shipping costs, and delays in supplies – have caused companies in recent years to look for a supply chain that is closer to home.…
JAPAN TRIGGERS WTO DISPUTE OVER CANADIAN RENEWABLE ENERGY SUBSIDIES
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE WORLD Trade Organisation’s (WTO) disputes settlement panel will assess whether a feed-in-tariff favouring renewable energy production in Ontario, Canada, breaks global commerce rules banning governments giving certain special treatment to domestic businesses. Japan brought the case complaining long-term pricing guarantees offered by the Ontario’s system depend on a proportion of green energy being produced in Canada.…
JAPANESE COMPANIES BEGIN METAL DEBRIS CLEANUP POST-DISASTER
BY WANG FANGQING
NOW Four months after the earthquake and tsunami that hit Northeast Japan this past March, Japanese companies have now finally begun the enormous task of debris clean-up, recycling salvageable metals, beginning with one of the worst-hit areas: Kamaishi City, in Iwate prefecture.…
JAPAN'S RECYCLING INDUSTRY STRUGGLES TO KEEP UP WITH VOLUME OF WASTE, POST-TSUNAMI
BY JULIAN RYALL
MOUNTAINS of waste are growing atop the paddy fields on the outskirts of the city of Sendai, Japan, which was devastated by this year’s earthquake and tsunami. From the elevated highway that runs north from the capital of Miyagi Prefecture, a steady stream of trucks can be seen depositing loads of twisted metal; flat-beds piled with home appliances that are so mangled they are almost unrecognisable, to be dumped along with the wrecked cars already stacked four-high on the former farmland.…
POLITICIAL INSTABILITY HAS NOT PREVENTED THAI COATINGS MARKET EXPANDING AND GREENING
BY KARRYN MILLER
DESPITE the political unrest that has plagued Thailand this year and in 2009, and 2010; the country’s economy has stayed reasonably strong. Key players in the paint and coatings market have responded, expanding their product range.
According to Chroong Kanjchanapoomi, managing director of Netherlands-based paint and coatings giant AkzoNobel Thailand, the growth of the Thai paint industry has closely tracked that of the country’s GDP, increasing as the economy grows – indicating the importance of the domestic market in this middle-income south east Asian country.…
CANADA'S 75-YEAR OLD WHEAT MONOPOLY FACES ITS END
BY MJ DESCHAMPS
THE CANADIAN federal government is planning to scrap the legal monopoly operated by Canadian Wheat Board (CWB) for grains grown in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and parts of British Columbia. The legal requirement that farmers in this area sell wheat and barley to the CWB would disappear on August 1, 2012.…
INDIA TEXTILE MINISTRY CHIEF OFFICIAL PREDICTS INDIAN CLOTHING EXPORT BOOM
BY RAGHAVENDRA VERMA
INDIA’S textiles ministry’s top official Rita Menon has predicted at a conference of Indian clothing exporters the country’s garment exports would rise to US dollars USD14 billion for the year to March 2012, 26% higher than the previous year.…
YAKULT CONTINUES GLOBAL EXPANSION, TARGETING EMERGING MARKETS
BY WANG FANGQING
Japanese probiotic drinks manufacturer Yakult Honsha Co. has revealed a plan to further expansion in emerging markets including India, Indonesia and Brazil. "As the population in Japan continues to shrink, we have to seek sales growth in emerging markets, where the economy and young populations are booming," said a Yakult spokesman in Tokyo.…
FORMER OWNERS OF COMPANIES CAN BLOCK THE TRADEMARKING OF PERSONAL NAMES, EVEN AFTER SELLING EPONYMOUS BUSINESSES
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE FORMER owners of cosmetics companies bearing their own names can block the trademarking of these titles by subsequent owners, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) has ruled. This judgment came in a case involving Italian fashion designer Elio Fiorucci who had sold Fiorucci SpA and its intellectual property to Edwin Co Ltd, of Japan.…
EFSA CLEARS PLASTICS INGREDIENTS FOR USE IN FOOD CONTACT MATERIALS
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has approved two more plastics ingredients as safe for use in certain food contact materials. The European Union (EU) agency’s panel on food contact materials, enzymes, flavourings and processing aids (CEF) was looking at phosphorous acid, mixed 2,4-bis(1,1-dimethylpropyl)phenyl and 4-(1,1-dimethylpropyl)phenyl triesters and at an additional use of 3,4-diacetoxy-1-butene.…
SOUTH EAST ASIA LOOKS TO NUCLEAR ENERGY DESPITE EARTHQUAKE FEARS
BY MARIANNE BROWN and KEITH NUTHALL
A CHINK of light in the gloom spread over the nuclear industry by Japan’s Fukushima nuclear disaster can be seen to the south, where south-east Asian governments seem keen to push ahead with their nuclear expansion plans regardless.…
INDIAN REPORT CLAIMS NUCLEAR SECTOR IS SAFE AGAINST TSUNAMIS - BUT PROPOSES DETAILED REFORMS ANYWAY
BY RAGHAVENDRA VERMA
INDIAN nuclear power plants have adequate plans and resources to handle a disaster such as that engulfing Japan’s Fukushima nuclear power plant, a report released by the Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCIL) has argued. However, the study – ‘Safety Evaluation of Indian Nuclear Power Plants Post Fukushima Accident’ – has made several recommendations to boost safety levels and has outlined a detailed roadmap for their implementation, with deadlines ranging from two to 14 months.…
EUROPEAN CO-GENERATION TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENTS
BY MARK ROWE
CO-GENERATION (or combined-heat and power – CHP) plants operate using a variety of technologies: gas turbines, fuel cells, Stirling engines, gas or diesel engines and combined cycle gas turbines. According to the Joint Research Centre (JRC) – the European Union’s (EU) scientific and technical research body – natural gas is currently the preferred fuel across Europe for co-gen, with combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) and gas turbine plants expected to become the predominant future technology for large-scale units.…
GREEN LAWS TAKE EFFORT TO ENFORCE - BUT THEY DO TRANSFORM AUTO PRODUCTION IN THE END
BY DEIRDRE MASON
RECYCLING products as large as motor vehicles; or encouraging public authorities to buy environment-friendly autos seem such good ideas, laws insisting this happens is surely just commonsense? Not so in Europe, it would appear, where a string of countries are in trouble for not implementing the European Union’s recent (EU) green procurement directive; and one – Italy – is facing potential legal action for flouting the EU’s end-of-life vehicles (ELV) directive, even though these was approved in the year 2000.…
EUROPEAN COGEN POLICY - WAITING FOR THE BIG PUSH
BY KEITH NUTHALL, MARK ROWE, GERARD O’DWYER, ALAN OSBORN and MJ DESCHAMPS
COGENERATION has been something of a test-bed for European Union (EU) energy development policy, and like any experiment, some things have worked and others have not. Also, because other energy priorities have become the subject of more effective legislation recently, cogeneration has been left behind to some extent in the EU’s push for a cleaner, greener, sustainable and more liberal energy sector.…
PACIFIC OCEAN RARE EARTHS COULD BE PROHIBITIVELY EXPENSIVE TO RECOVER WARN EXPERTS
BY KEITH NUTHALL, DAVE YIN and WANG FANGQING
A GOOD deal of excitement has been created by the announcement this week in the UK academic journal Nature Geoscience that significant deposits of rare earths have been found in the Pacific Ocean floor.…
FUKUSHIMA RADIATION LEAK HIGHLIGHTS THE NEED FOR MORE NUCLEAR INDUSTRY ROBOTICS
BY MJ DESCHAMPS
WHILE Japanese engineers have built robots over the years that resemble pets, play football, and mimic human facial expressions, when the Fukushima nuclear plant starting emitting radioactivity after the recent tsunami, Japan had to look overseas for robots to help heal the damaged plant.…
AS THE POPULATION'S WAISTLINES CHANGE OVER TIME, SO DOES SIZING
BY KARRYN MILLER
IT is a no-brainer that factors such as age, diet, culture, and exercise all contribute to a person’s size; however, sizing research over the years shows that there is a link between how tall or wide a person is and the decade of their formative years.…
3D FASHION MARKETING HAS GARNERED GOOD PRESS, BUT STILL NEEDS TO BE PERFECTED, SAY EXPERTS
BY MJ DESCHAMPS
WITH 3D technology selling movies and electronics, it only makes sense that fashion marketing is focusing on this cutting edge trend. Certain brands are currently exploring ways in which 3D technology can enhance everything from their couture shows to advertisements to e-business; but while the drive for innovation is there, some industry experts are saying that technology still has a way to go before 3D fashion marketing and online fitting rooms are mainstream.…
VIETNAM FACES UNPRECEDENTED AIRPORT CONSTRUCTION BOOM
BY KARRYN MILLER
"VIETNAM is making a big push to improve all aspects of infrastructure nationwide," said Adam Bury, senior manager of the research and consulting department of CB Richard Ellis in Ho Chi Minh City: "…and this includes airports." The property sales firm put it simply, "The better connected the country is, both domestically and internationally, the better it is for the people and the economy in general."…
JAPAN'S AEON TO EXPAND IN ASIA
BY WANG FANGQING
LARGE Japanese retailer Aeon Group is to invest about Japanese Yen JPY200 billion (USD2.5 billion) from 2011 to 2013 for its expansion in Asia, including China, Malaysia and Vietnam. "As the Japanese economy slows down, we are actively looking for opportunities in other countries," said a Chiba-based Aeon spokesperson, adding fast developing Asian countries not only offer great opportunities, but also "are close to Japan geographically and share a similar culture, which is certainly an advantage for communication," she said.…
INTERNATIONAL SIZING STANDARDS EXPAND: BUT THERE IS STILL ROOM TO GROW
BY KARRYN MILLER
WHILE the goal for many clothing manufacturers and brands is to gain an international presence, there is a key risk associated with selling the same designs in different global markets – the more far and wide that clothing designs go, the more shapes and sizes they must come in.…
JAPAN AND TEPCO STRIKE DEAL OVER COMPENSATION
BY JULIAN RYALL
THE TASK force discussing the Japanese government’s plans for supporting embattled Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) overcame objections from a number of politicians in the ruling Democratic Party of Japan last night (Thursday) to draw up a blueprint for the government’s assistance to the utility.…
FINLAND KEEPS FAITH WITH NUCLEAR POWER, DESPITE JAPAN EARTHQUAKE DISASTER
By John Pagni in Helsinki
The Areva/Siemens project to supply Finland’s TVO with the world’s first third generation EPR (European Pressurised water Reactor) at Olkiluoto on the Finnish west coast has suffered a number of problems but these have not shaken the faith of those concerned in the essential viability of the design.…
JAPAN PM'S U-TURN ON NUCLEAR MAY HAVE TEETH WARN ANALYSTS
BY JULIAN RYALL
Japan’s prime minister Naoto Kan is the sort of politician who, once he has his heart set on a goal, is dogged in pushing toward that end. Companies in Japan’s nuclear industry are not saying it aloud, but they will have been disappointed by the prime minister’s appearance at a press conference on May 10 in which he announced that he will drop plans to have half of Japan’s future energy needs met by nuclear power and instead step up the nation’s use of energy from renewable sources.…
TURKEY TAXATION HIKE HITS LEGAL SALES AND ENCOURAGES SMUGGLING
BY PAUL COCHRANE
Turkey taxation hike encourages smuggling
Increases in tobacco taxation in Turkey have helped prompt a surge in smuggling. Turkey is geographically poorly placed to resist illicits given its proximity to Iran and Bulgaria – known sources of contraband.…
INDIA'S PAINTS AND COATING INDUSTRY MANUFACTURERS RISE CONTINUED SURGE IN DEMAND
BY RAGHAVENDRA VERMA
THE INDIAN paints and coating industry has had a very fruitful year, with high growth and expanding markets – the US dollars USD5.3 billion industry grew by 22% in the financial year ending March 2011, according to Mumbai paint company Kansai Nerolac Paints.…
THE SECRET WORLD OF CARTELS CAN COST CAR DEALERS AND CONSUMERS DEAR
BY KEITH NUTHALL, DEIRDRE MASON and MJ DESCHAMPS
Car dealers like a good deal – that’s a given. And they hate a bad deal. But when they are getting a bad deal, and the wool is being pulled over their eyes – well, that takes the biscuit.…
FORGING 10 COUNTRIES INTO ONE ASEAN MARKET IS TOUGH TASK FOR SOUTHEAST ASIA COSMETICS INDUSTRY
BY KARRYN MILLER
THE ASSOCIATION of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) covers 10 distinct countries, each with a unique culture, mirroring the personal care product markets of the European Union (EU). However, these nations do share some similarities – and maybe more than northern, southern and eastern Europe, especially when it comes to what ASEAN consumers have inside their cosmetics cabinets.…
CHINA'S WEB PORTALS AND SEARCH ENGINES DRIVE SALES FOR INTERNATIONAL COSMETICS BRANDS
BY MARK GODFREY
WITH some researchers (most recently Credit Suisse’s China analysts) predicting Chinese e-commerce revenues will grow 100%-a-year to 2015 it’s not surprising international brands are scrambling to understand and tap the dynamics of the country’s web portals. Top of the local business-to-consumer pile Taobao has evolved from an eBay knock off to a massively popular resource for wholesalers and B2C operators.…
LATIN AMERICAN COSMETICS MARKET SURGES IN GLOBAL IMPORTANCE
BY PACIFICA GODDARD
LATIN America is proving to be one of the most intriguing and exciting markets globally for beauty and personal care products. "The Latin American cosmetic market grew 20% in 2010, so now it is a market of US dollars USD64 million – almost as big as the north American market," said Mr Jaime Concha Prada, who recently served as president of CASIC, the Chamber of the Latin American Cosmetics Industry.…
JAPAN KNITWEAR SECTOR COUNTS COST OF EARTHQUAKE AND TSUNAMI
BY JULIAN RYALL
MORE than two months after northern Japan was shaken by a magnitude-9 earthquake and then inundated by a tsunami that in places reached a height of 38 metres and devastated a nuclear power plant, the final toll – both in terms of human life and the economic impact is still unclear.…
JAPAN CLOTHING AND TEXTILE INDUSTRY FACES FOREIGN LABOUR SHORTAGE
BY JULIAN RYALL
AS if Japanese clothing manufacturers did not have enough to worry about already from the physical and logistical damage caused by the March 11 Great East Japan Earthquake and the tsunami that it triggered, there are now fears it could cause a labour shortage.…
NEW CENTRAL ASIA FATF PUSHES ANTI-MONEYLAUNDERING PROGRESS IN REGION
BY MARK ROWE and KEITH NUTHALL
CENTRAL Asia is often in the news regarding political instability, and the complexity of the region’s borders and ethnicities make for an opacity that can encourage the growth of organised crime. Also, being far from the centres of anti-money laundering activities and standard setting – in Europe, north America and east Asia, the region’s often authoritarian governments have a poor reputation regarding the enforcement of law and judicial probity.…
FLAME RETARDANTS GO GREEN IN ASIA-PACIFIC REGION AS ENVIRONMENTAL LEGISLATION TIGHTENS
BY MARK ROWE
WITH awareness growing in regards to their impact on the environment, the chemical make-up of fire retardants is becoming increasingly targeted by legislation around the world, and the Asia-Pacific region is no exception.
According to global paints and coatings company AkzoNobel (SPELLING CHECKED) – which recently opened a EUR7 million fire protection laboratory in the UK to serve as its global headquarters for fire retardant research – increasingly stringent worldwide regulations mean that the demand for more environmentally-conscious fire retardants will double by 2018.…
JAPAN EARTHQUAKE DAMAGE CONTINUES TO HIT AUTO INDUSTRY
BY GAVIN BLAIR
IN the Tohoku, or northeast, region of Japan hit by the triple disasters of earthquake, tsunami and nuclear accident, auto manufacturers and their suppliers are working to get production back towards full capacity just-auto has been told. Today, (April 18) Nissan reopened its engine plant in the quake-hit city of Iwaki in Fukushima prefecture, while Toyota has resumed production at all of its Japanese factories, including its two Tohoku-based subsidiaries in Miyagi and Iwate prefectures.…
FUKUSHIMA AND JAITAPUR PROTESTS PROMPT INDIA GOVERNMENT DEBATES ON NUCLEAR INDUSTRY POLICY
BY RAGHAVENDRA VERMA
THE INDIAN government appears to be reassessing its nuclear energy policy following the Fukushima disaster and violent protests in India against a proposed nuclear plant with six 1,650 MW reactors at Jaitapur, Maharashtra.
Today (April 26) the government announced it would propose a new nuclear safety law to create an autonomous nuclear regulatory body in the country and it would invite the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) operational safety review team (OSART) to help with India nuclear industry safety reviews and audits.…
JAPAN: COSMETICS SECTOR FOCUSES ON THE IMPACT OF AGEING POPULATION
BY KELLY WETHERILLE
JAPAN is home to the world’s oldest?and most rapidly ageing?population, which is creating new challenges in both product development and marketing for companies across the beauty and personal care sector. How brands address this new demographic landscape will likely determine their future success in what is already one of the world’s most competitive and saturated markets.…
INDIA JATROPHA PRODUCTION MIGHT NOT HAVE EXPLODED, BUT COMMERCIAL PRODUCTION HAS SOLID FOUNDATIONS
BY RAGHAVENDRA VERMA
JATROPHA, regarded as a great hope for the biofuel sector in the last decade, has lately been facing negative publicity due to low economic returns and failed commercial ventures in India. In July 2009 British Petroleum (BP) quit a two year old joint venture with British biodiesel producer D1Oils plc to develop bio-diesel through jatropha cultivation, thus casting more doubts about its potential.…
JAPANESE BREWERS WORK TO RESTORE PRODUCTION AFTER EARTHQUAKE DISASTER
BY GAVIN BLAIR
JAPANESE brewers are working to get disaster-affected production back online in time for the summer months, halting sales of some brands to focus on core offerings. "The Kirin Sendai plant, which was hit by the earthquake and tsunami, suffered damage to storage tanks, but we have confirmed now that the main brewing equipment is functioning," said Kan Yamamoto a spokesman at Kirin’s Tokyo headquarters.…
BRUSSELS BACKS CASTEL TAKEOVERS OF COVEA GROUP'S DRINKS SUBSIDARIES
BY KEITH NUTHALL
FRENCH wine producer Castel has continued its steady expansion through mergers and acquisition with the European Commission clearing its latest gambits: a 50%-50% joint takeover (with Japan’s Suntory) of France-based wine company Grands Millésimes de France, and sole purchase of French wine and spirit company Savour Club and wine company MAAF Subsidiaries.…
JAPAN'S FOOD SECTOR RECOVERING FROM EARTHQUAKE DISASTER
BY GAVIN BLAIR
THE JAPANESE food industry is making significant progress in recovering from the fourth largest earthquake ever recorded, and the ensuing tsunami which has been measured as reaching heights of 38 metres. "The situation is changing day by day, but food processing plants are almost back to full operation and major transportation networks are already mostly normalised, although there are still problems along the coastal areas," said Taneo Moriyama, managing director of food and retail market intelligence specialist Insight Inc.…
ITOEN BUYS CHICHIYASU AIMING AT JAPANESE DAIRY MARKET
BY WANG FANGQING
Major Japanese softdrinks maker Itoen is pushing into the food sector, paying Japanese Yen JPY10 billion (USD12.2 million) to fully acquire Chichiyasu, a Hiroshima-based dairy product maker. ”We hope the deal will enrich our product line to meet the increasingly diversified market,” said a Tokyo-based Itoen spokesman.…
JAPAN AIRLINES MOVE STEADILY TOWARDS USING BIOFUELS
BY JULIAN RYALL
IN the aftermath of the worst natural disaster in living memory, with the impact of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami on Japan’s economy being assessed closely, its government is conducting a rapid rethink of its energy priorities – and that could be good news for the biofuels sector.…
JAPAN PROPERTY MARKET WITHSTANDS EARTHQUAKE DEVASTATION, ALTHOUGH NUCLEAR FEARS COULD HIT INVESTMENT
BY JULIAN RYALL
NEARLY two months after northern Japan was shaken by a magnitude-9 earthquake and then inundated by a tsunami that in places reached a height of 38 metres and devastated the Fukushima nuclear power plant, the final toll has not been calculated.…
JAPANESE NURSES CONTROL THEIR EMOTIONS TO HEALTH HURTS WROUGHT BY EARTHQUAKE AND TSUNAMI
BY JULIAN RYALL
NEARLY two months after northern Japan was shaken by a magnitude-9 earthquake and then inundated by a tsunami that in places reached a height of 38 metres and devastated a nuclear power plant, the final casualty toll has not been calculated.…
SIDE BAR - PROPERTY SECTOR STEPS IN TO HELP AFTER JAPANESE EARTHQUAKE
BY JULIAN RYALL
When the earthquake struck northern Japan and unleashed the largest tsunami in living memory here, property companies were quick to respond in ways that went beyond narrow corporate interest.
"We have donated supplies to relief agencies in Tohoku, but we also have to help the people in the area of our Chiba shopping centre, where 13 people died from the tsunami," said Seth Culkin, president of Pacifica Malls KK.…
NEW GRANT TO BOOST DOMESTIC SILK INDUSTRY IN LAOS
BY KEITH NUTHALL
A WORLD Bank-administered Japan-fund is financing the development of a domestically-operated silk yarn industry in Laos, to help boost the country’s valued silk manufacturing sector. Despite making distinctive quality silks, the south-east Asian country’s silk sector imports 80-90% of its silk yarn, a problem to be tackled by a US dollar USD1.8 million Sustainable Silk Production Partnership in Rural Lao PDR [people’s democratic republic] grant.…
CHINA STICKS WITH NUCLEAR AFTER JAOAN DISASTER, BUT EXPECT SHORT TERM REACTOR APPROVAL DELAYS
BY MARK GODFREY
THE HEADLINES said it all. Chinese newspapers have recently been heavy with editorials and op-ed pieces largely favourable to nuclear power: among them ‘This Is Not the End of Nuke Power’ a half-page op-ed in the China Daily, the preferred conduit of China’s official thinking to foreign diplomats and executives.…
FRANCE DETECTS JAPAN RADIOACTIVE IODINE IN MILK
BY KEITH NUTHALL
FRENCH government nuclear scientists have warned that radioactive material, usually totally absent from food, has been discovered in milk in France. They are blaming radioactive clouds belching from the stricken Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan. The French Institute for Radiological Protection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN) says radioactive iodine-131 has been found in densities of Becquerels(bq)/litres(l) of 0.09bq/l near Paris and 0.15bq/l in the Loire valley, western France.…
JAPAN'S PERSONAL CARE SECTOR TAKES A HTIT IN EARTHQUAKE TRAGEDY, BUT REMAINS BULLISH
BY JULIAN RYALL
IN comparison with some other industries, Japan’s cosmetics and beauty care companies have emerged relatively unscathed from the twin natural disasters of an earthquake and tsunami that devastated large parts of the north-east on March 11. That, however, is a relative assessment of the situation as while personal care product firms here will have lost tens of millions of dollars in revenues, Japan’s automobile industry has lost billions.…
CHINESE TEXTILE MANUFACTURERS WORRY ABOUT JAPAN ORDERS FOLLOWING EARTHQUAKE
BY WANG FANGQING
CHINESE textile and clothing companies supplying the Japanese market are concerned about a sharp drop in profits in 2011, with Japan’s economy suffering following the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.
"I think orders will drop about 10% to 15% this year from 2010," said Kitty Huan, general manager of Shanghai Hebo Industry & Trade, whose major clients include high-end Japanese fashion houses Onward Kashiyama and World.…
JAPAN EARTHQUAKE CREATES MAJOR DISRUPTION IN NATIONAL AND GLOBAL ENERGY SECTORS
BY KELLY WETHERILLE and ALAN OSBORN
OIL refining in Japan suffered a major hit from the recent earthquake and resulting tsunami, with Tokyo-based Cosmo Oil taking 10 days after the March 11 quake Cosmo Oil to extinguish a fire at its Chiba refinery, and is still saying it is unsure when the plant would be able to resume operations.…
USA'S FDA RESTRICTS IMPORTS OF DAIRY, FRUIT AND VEGETABLES FROM JAPAN
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE UNITED States’ Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has restricted the import of dairy, vegetable and fruit products from four northern prefectures of Japan affected by radiation leaks from the stricken Fukushima nuclear plant. These imports from Fukushima, Ibaraki, Tochigi and Gunma prefectures "will be detained upon entry into the United States," said the FDA, and then tested for contamination – they will then only be released if free from radiation.…
EU ADMITS FAILINGS IN ORGANISED CRIME FIGHT
BY DAVID HAWORTH
HUNGARY, which currently holds the European Union’s (EU’s) rotating presidency, made a little noticed promise in January to put organised crime well and truly on the EU agenda. Commercial Crime International attended a Brussels conference where senior figures admitted the EU’s response has been far too weak.…
VIETNAM TEXTILE EXPORTS
BY DUNG VU
THE VIETNAMESE fashion industry is girding itself for fewer orders from Japan, as it struggles to recover from the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. Japan is the third largest export market for Vietnam’s clothing and textile sector, after the USA and European Union and manufacturers are expecting production to be hit, although the general consensus is that orders are still being made.…
JAPANESE NOODLE-MAKER NISSIN FOODS ENTERS VIETNAM
BY WANG FANGQING
Nissin Foods Holdings, the Japan-based instant noodle manufacturing multinational, will invest about Japanese Yen JPY 3.4 billion (US dollar USD41.5 million) to build an instant noodle plant in Vietnam to meet growing demand in this key emerging market.…
FRANCE BOOSTS RENEWABLE SPENDING - BUT ITS LONG-TERM COMMITMENT TO NUCLEAR POWER REMAINS
BY PACIFICA GODDARD
FRANCE is far ahead of the curve in terms of weaning itself off fossil fuels and sports the closest thing to energy independence of any country in Europe. Ever since 1974 when the government decided to rapidly expand the country’s nuclear power capacity, France has not felt the intense stress of energy insecurity nor been particularly impacted by the rising and falling prices of fuel.…
EARTHQUAKE PROMPTS MAJOR DISRUPTION IN JAPANESE AIRPORTS
BY GAVIN BLAIR
THE HUGE 9.0 magnitude which struck off the northeast coast of Japan at 2.46pm, March 11 affected airports across the region, closing down operations at Narita International, while the ensuing tsunami destroyed Sendai Airport, near the quake’s epicentre.…
GLOBAL CLOTHING RETAIL TRENDS SHOW GREAT DIVERSITY AS ECONOMIC RECOVERY ACCELERATES
BY LEE ADENDORFF
For some it was a total disaster, for others a bump in the road, but the recession left no part of the clothing and textile retail sector unscathed. World Trade Organisation (WTO) statistics from 2009 show that while globally important manufacturing jurisdictions such as China and the European Union (EU) suffered 11% and 15% drops respectively in clothing exports, countries such as India, Vietnam and Bangladesh lost just a couple of percentage points and in India’s case, exports remained stable.…
MINISTERS AUTHORISE STRESS TESTS ON EU NUCLEAR REACTORS, FOLLOWING JAPANESE EARTHQUAKE DISASTER
BY KEITH NUTHALL
European Union (EU) ministers today agreed to launch a safety assessment of Europe’s 143 nuclear reactors, re-checking their safety in the light of the Fukushima nuclear accidents. Speaking this afternoon following an emergency meeting of the EU Council of Ministers (energy), the meeting’s chair – Hungary’s national development minister Tamas Fellegi – said the assessment should be underway before the end of the year, and would, it was hoped, cover countries neighbouring the EU.…
ITALY'S NUCLEAR PROGRAMME ON HOLD IN WAKE OF FUKUSHIMA DISASTER
BY LEE ADENDORFF
THE ITALIAN Cabinet has approved a moratorium on Italy’s planned nuclear energy expansion programme for at least a year following an outpouring of public concern over the recent nuclear accident in Japan. In a statement released Wednesday the government confirmed that the expansion, which had been expected involve the construction of four new plants, would be put on hold "to be able to take considered and serene decisions not conditioned by the emotions of the moment".…
MAJOR MARKET MATURES FOR MARITIME COATINGS IN CHINA
BY MARK GODFREY
CHINA’S shipbuilders are clearly on a roll, the nation having surpassed South Korea and Japan to become the world’s top builder of vessels – and specialist maritime coating manufacturers are taking notice. Data from maritime consultancy UK-based Clarkson Research Services Ltd shows spending on new vessels in 2010 saw a year-on-year increase of 106%.…
ORIGIN LABELLING PROPOSAL COULD CAUSE MARKETING PROBLEMS FOR EU KNITWEAR SECTOR
BY LEE ADENDOORF, KEITH NUTHALL and MJ DESCHAMPS
EUROPEAN Union (EU) governments are facing a political crossroads on a key question whose answer will have an important impact on the EU knitwear sector – both manufacturers and retail. That is the issue of rules of origin and whether there should be an EU-wide law that says clothing and accessories (plus a wide range of other manufactured goods) should be sold with labels saying which country they are made in, if they are imported from outside the EU.…
INDONESIA'S PAINT AND COATINGS SECTOR FACING MINI-BOOM
BY AHMAD PATHONI
INDONESIA’S paint and coating market has grown by about 3-4% annually by average over the past decade. Indeed, consumption rose to 688,863 tonnes in 2010, from 646,700 the previous year, according to the Indonesian Paint Manufacturers’ Association.
And a mini-boom could be approaching.…
TENEX LOOKS FOR WESTINGHOUSE COOPERATION IN POTENTIAL JOINT VENTURE
BY JULIAN RYALL, and EUGENE VOROTNIKOV
A PROPOSED joint venture under discussion between Japan’s Toshiba Corporation and Russia’s Techsnabexport (TENEX) is expected to focus supplying low enriched uranium, not only to Japan but to third-party markets, Fuel Cycle Week has been told.…
GLOBAL OLIVE OIL PRODUCTION IS BOOMING
BY LEE ADENDOORF, ALYSSA MCMURTRY, MAKKI MARSEILLES, and KEITH NUTHALL
GLOBAL olive oil manufacturing is on a roll, with the International Olive Council (IOC) saying 2009-10 world production was 3.02 million tonnes, a season-on-season increase of 354,500 tonnes (+13%). This would be the second best olive oil production year ever, next only to the record of 3.17 million tonnes produced in 2003/04.…
BHUTAN'S HYDRO-POWER SECTOR SURGES, BUT MOST VILLAGERS ARE LEFT IN THE DARK
BY KENCHO WANGDI
HYDRO-ELECTRIC power is of critical importance to the tiny landlocked nation Bhutan, hidden deep in the folds of the Himalayas, with economic and military giants China to the north and India to the south. Indeed, its government regards hydropower energy as being instrumental in shifting the country from being recognised by the United Nations as a least developed into an emerging developing country in the south-east Asia.…
KIRIN BEER TO TEST MARKET NEW BEER IN THE USA
BY WANG FANGQING
Major Japanese brewer Kirin Brewery Company is to test the American market its non-alcoholic beer ‘Free’ in March. Priced between US dollars USD3 to USD5 per bottle (334ml), ‘Free’ will be initially sold in over 1,000 restaurants in west coast cities, notably Los Angeles, with motorists a key target.…
CZECH GOVERNMENT PUSHES AGGRESSIVELY AGAINST HIGH SMOKING RATES
BY MARK ROWE
Czech government pushes aggressively against high smoking rates
The Czech government is using tax increases and smoking restrictions to reduce smoking. It has particular concern about high youth smoking rates. However, the Czech Republic remains a stable and high value market for tobacco majors.…
JAPAN'S ENTHUSIASM FOR AVIATION BIOFUELS BLUNTED BY FEEDSTOCK SUPPLY DIFFICULTIES
BY JULIAN RYALL
THE GOVERNMENT and private sector in Japan are amongst the strongest supporters of environment-friendly technologies and initiatives, and this include the civil aviation industry. In January 2009, a Japan Airlines (JAL) Boeing 747-400 was one of the first in the world to carry out a successful test flight using a biofuel made primarily out of non-food energy crop camelina – yet the country lags behind in the development of biofuels and, consequently, discussions on the large-scale introduction of green fuels and what that will mean for Japan’s airports.…
MOZAMBIQUE LOOKS TO EXPORT LNG
BY GEORGE STONE
MOZAMBIQUE expects to start exporting liquefied natural gas (LNG) in 2018 after major gas finds by Milan-based Eni and American firm Anadarko Petroleum in the waters of the Rovuma basin in the north of the country. The finds mean Mozambique is on course to be a leading LNG supplier to Asia, particularly Japan and rival the region’s leading gas exporters Nigeria and Angola.…
NORTH AFRICA TOBACCO MARKET MOVES TOWARDS LIBERALISATION
BY PAUL COCHRANE, BY VÉRONIQUE NARAME AND BY SEYDOU TRAORÉ
North Africa’s tobacco market opens to the world
North Africa’s tobacco markets have long been dominated by state-run companies and monopolies. But change has slowly come to the region through increased economic liberalisation, enabling international brands to gain market share.…
KURDISH IRAQ TOBACCO MARKET IS MIDDLE EAST BLACK MARKET HUB
BY PAUL COCHRANE
Kurdish Iraq tobacco market is Middle East black market hub
International tobacco companies entered Kurdish Iraq after the US-led invasion. But political instability has made this a tough market to operate in. Black market trades thrive. And there are a wide variety of brands from around the world available.…
ASBESTOS EXPERT ACCUSES JAPAN OF PUSHING FAULTY ASBESTOS TEST
BY JULIAN RYALL
JAPAN is being accused of trying to write its own official asbestos testing system into an international standard, because it knows it does not work and so will get its government off the hook for asbestos exposure cases.…
TOYOTA WORKS HARD TO DESIGN MID-MARKET CAR FOR INDIA'S SPECIAL CONDITIONS
BY RAGHAVENDRA VERMA
ATTEMPTING to symbolize the Indian essence of Toyota’s latest sedan made for India’s burgeoning auto market, a Japanese dancer performed classical Indian dance at a special launch concert in the IT hub of Bangalore. The Japanese auto giant will be hoping that the ‘Etios’ will marry high tech and Indian consumer preferences, as a culmination of a four-year-long development process that cost US dollars USD700 million and involved more than 2,000 engineers.…
CHINESE WOMEN FAVOUR BUYING COSMETICS ONLINE
BY WANG FANGQING
AS e-commerce continues to boom in China, increasingly Chinese women are buying their favourite beauty products online. Internet sales of beauty and personal care products in China reached (China Yuan Renminbi) CNY1.3 billion (US dollars USD195.3 million) in 2010, and are expected to double in 2015, according to London-based research firm Euromonitor International.…
JAPAN OECD ECO-REVIEW SAYS MUST-DO-BETTER
BY KEITH NUTHALL
AN ENVIRONMENTAL review of Japanese public policy by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation & Development (OECD) has said "more must be done to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and to achieve Japan’s climate targets…" The OECD noted Japan was far from its Kyoto Protocol goals, recommending a "mandatory cap-and-trade scheme in combination with a carbon tax."…
Mixed marriages remain novel in Asia
By Karryn Miller
Inter-racial marriages may be on the rise throughout Asia but they still hold a minority position. Homogenous countries like Japan and Korea are slowly adapting to the idea of mixed families but legally and socially there is room for improvement.…
CHINA ADOPTS GLOBAL ACCOUNTING STANDARDS, BUT SECTOR NEEDS ROOT AND BRANCH REFORM
BY MARK GODFREY
Albert Ng, Ernst & Young
Managing partner and chairman of E&Y’s China business, Hong Kong native Albert Ng has over 25 years of professional experience in the accounting industry in China and Australia. That background will be valuable as he moves the firm on from an embarrassing settlement over its auditing of Akai Holdings, a bankrupted Chinese electronic manufacturer and retailer.…
EUROPE: University experts seek commercial research success
BY David Haworth
Too few universities teach about turning science into specific products to be sold on the markets and lack entrepreneurship departments which instruct ways in which ideas can be turned into money. Dr Bernd Huber, president of the Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, tells an audience of some 300 researchers attending a Brussels conference on the future of Europe’s science and technology.…
MEGMILK TO EXPAND AUSTRALIA PRODUCTION AND CHINA CHEESE EXPORTS
BY WANG FANGQING
Japan’s leading dairy company Megmilk Snow Brand is to strengthen its business overseas. Preliminary plans include investing in new equipment for its plant in Tatura, Victoria, Australia and exporting cheese from Japan to China. "We are facing a low birth rate and aging population in Japan, so it is necessary for us to actively seek opportunities overseas for our future growth," said a Tokyo-based spokesman.…
LOTTE TO EXPAND IN EASTERN EUROPE
BY WANG FANGQING
Japan’s Lotte Group’s new Polish subsidiary the Warsaw-based chocolate maker E.Wedel has confirmed the company is planning to expand in eastern Europe, following reports that it is to build five new plants in Poland. "With the acquisition of Wedel, the Lotte Group gained a toehold to secure production base in the European market for the future development and intends to expand this business throughout European market," Wedel’s spokesperson Marta Pokutycka-M?drala…
ACTA ANTI-COUNTERFEITING TREATY OFFERS KNITWEAR SECTOR NEW WEAPON AGAINST FAKES
BY MJ DESCHAMPS, KEITH NUTHALL
THE KNITWEAR sector, especially at the higher end of the market spectrum, is a prey for organised counterfeiters. Sophisticated illicit manufacturers, especially in emerging markets, create copies of established brands, that can be high enough quality to fool, but poor enough to disappoint the consumer after a few wears.…
ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING NETWORKS MAY START GROWTH IN PRIVATE HOMES
BY DEIRDRE MASON
AS the market for electric vehicles (EVs) picks up, the infrastructure for recharging them will inevitably have to keep pace – so, according to US-based consultants in global clean technology markets Pike Research (NOTE: CORRECT), there will be around 4.7 million EV charging units operating worldwide by 2015.…
BRUSSELS CLEARS UNILEVER PURCHASE OF SARA LEE HOUSEHOLD AND BODY CARE BUSINESSES
BY KEITH NUTHALL
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THE EUROPEAN Commission has approved the takeover by Unilever of Sara Lee’s body and laundry care businesses, on condition it sells off the US company’s Sanex brand and related business in Europe. Following an inquiry as the European Union’s (EU) lead competition authority, Brussels concluded there were particular concerns regarding Unilever’s future dominance of some EU deodorant markets.…
ITER FINANCIAL RESCUE ATTEMPT SNATCHED AWAY BY BUDGET CRISIS
BY KEITH NUTHALL
A FINANCIAL rescue package for ITER, the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor project was in major jeopardy last night as European Union (EU) politicians failed to agree an EU budget for 2011. The package had included a commitment to find an additional Euro EUR1.4 billion in additional EU funds for the global nuclear fusion project in 2012 and 2013, which is 45% funded by the European Union.…
SMALL COUNTRIES SHOW THE WAY WITH ELECTRIC VEHICLE (EV) INFRASTRUCTURE: ISRAEL AND DENMARK
BY HELENA FLUSFELDER, GERARD O’DWYER
A PLAN to install an electric car network has been approved by Israel’s government, making this small Middle East country a global leader in electric vehicle (EV) technology.
The project is a joint venture between Renault-Nissan, which will provide the electric vehicles, and a Silicon Valley, USA-based start-up project Better Place, which will operate the re-charging grid.…
MORINAGA TO BUILD NEW CONFECTIONARY PLANT
BY WANG FANGQING
Japan’s Morinaga &Co is to invest about Japanese Yen JPY10 billion (US dollars USD12.3 million) to build a new plant in Takasaki city, Gunma Prefecture, near Tokyo. It will replace its existing Tsukaguchi plant of Hyogo Prefecture, in southern Honshu, a major manufacturing base of Morinaga.…
COMPANIES COMPETE TO CREATE FASTER CHARGERS FOR ELECTIC CARS
BY DEIRDRE MASON
As governments wake up to the need of establishing an infrastructure of charging points for electric vehicles (EVs), commercial players are offering anything from the expertise to set up the network down to the individual chargers. Some innovations will clearly make life a lot easier for those with the job of making the EV marketable.…
ACTA ANTI-COUNTERFEITING DEAL COMPLETED
BY KEITH NUTHALL
COUNTRIES negotiating a plurilateral Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) fighting fake products have announced that all remaining problems have been resolved and a final text is being drafted. This will allow the European Union (EU) and its member states, Australia, Canada, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Morocco, New Zealand, Singapore, Switzerland and the USA to ratify the treaty.…
MAJOR EXPANSION TO EGYPT'S OIL REFINING SECTOR
BY OSAMA DIAB
THE EGYPTIAN Refining Company (ERC) signed a deal in August to build a US dollar USD3.7 billion second-stage greenfield refinery adjacent to the existing Mostorod refinery 40 kilometres northeast of Cairo. The purpose of the new hydro-cracking and coking refinery is to take its needs of fuel oil from the nearby Mostorod refinery owned by the Cairo Oil Refinery Company, the biggest oil refining company in Egypt contributing 20% to Egypt’s oil refining capacity, and transform it into lighter fuel such as ultra-low sulphur diesel.…
EXPORT SALES OFFER SOLACE FOR HARD-PRESSED SPANISH BOOK SECTOR
BY ROBERT STOKES
EXPORT development and digital trends dominated discussion at the 30th annual staging of Liber, Spain’s leading book fair, in Barcelona last week.
With Spain still gripped by recession, short-term hopes rest on exports and e-books. Government figures released at Liber showed book exports of all kinds rose 5.4% to EUR482 million (GBP402 million) in 2011.…
EZAKI GLICO BUILDS NEW TOKYO-AREA FACTORY
BY WANG FANGQING
JAPANESE snacks manufacturer Ezaki Glico has started to build a new factory on October 5 in Kitamoto city, Japan’s Saitama Prefecture, to serve Greater Tokyo and seven nearby prefectures – easily the country’s largest market. The new factory will manufacture snacks such biscuits, cookies and chocolate, and is scheduled to start operations in spring 2012.…
MEGMILK TO MERGE WITH TWO SHAREHOLDERS
BY WANG FANGQING
Japan’s leading dairy product manufacturer Megmilk Snow Brand is to merge with its two shareholders – Snow Brand Products (SBP) and Nippon Milk Company (NMC) – in April 2011. After the integration, the new company will still hold the name Megmilk Snow Brand, and continue to manufacture diary products such as milk, yoghurt, cheese and butter, said a Tokyo-based Megmilk spokesman.…
DIPLOMATIC WRANGLES OVER PACIFIC ISLETS COVER RIGHTS TO POTENTIALLY HUGE OIL AND GAS RESERVES
BY JULIAN RYALL
BEFORE September 8, few people anywhere had heard of Zhan Qixiong or his battered fishing boat. However, since the Chinese fisherman and his 14-strong crew were taken into custody by the Japan Coast Guard on September 8, Zhan has found himself at the centre of an escalating geopolitical row that has already put planned discussions over gas and oil deposits between Beijing and Tokyo on hold and is ratcheting up broader tensions in the region.…
KROES GRAND PLAN MAY BE SUPERFLOUOS TO REQUIREMENTS
BY KEITH NUTHALL
REGULATING an industry as dynamic and fast-changing as the electronic communications sector is always tough, especially when attempting to create rules through an international organisation as slow as the European Union (EU). But that is the tough task that the EU’s digital agenda Commissioner NeelieKroes has set herself, with detailed plans being released throughout 2010, notably in her ‘Digital Agenda for Europe’ communication (policy paper).…
UN PUSH ON SOAP USAGE IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
BY KEITH NUTHALL
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A UNITED Nations campaign could – if successful – significantly increase worldwide demand for soap. Its Global Handwashing Day has highlighted how diarrhoeal and acute respiratory diseases kill 3.5 million children aged under five annually, and that washing their hands after using toilets and before handling food can reduce such deaths by 40% and 23% respectively.…
'MADE IN' LABELLING LEGISLATION DIVIDES MEMBER STATES
BY MJ DESCHAMPS
DESPITE split opinions within the European Union (EU), long-debated legislative proposals to introduce compulsory origin labelling in all EU member states are at last starting to look like becoming law.
All clothing, shoes and textile products imported into the European Union (EU) would have to carry origin labels under a harmonised EU-system under the proposal.…
GOA GOVERNMENT LAUNCHES TECHNOLOGY CRACKDOWN ON IRON ORE TRANNSPORTS
BY RAGHAVENDRA VERMA
THE GOVERNMENT of Goa has made it compulsory for all mining companies to install Radio Frequency Identification Devices on the around 20,000 lorries ferrying iron ore around the Indian state to tally its production and exports. The proposal also includes connecting mining site and weighing bridges to the new mechanism for checking overloading of vehicles.…
DIGITAL BUZZ SURROUNDING SPANISH PUBLISHING FOCUS OF THIS YEAR'S MADRID INTERNAITONAL BOOKFAIR
BY ROBERT STOKES
A SURGE in e-book reading in Spain coincides with exhibition space being devoted to digital publishing for the first time ever at LIBER, the International Book Fair for the Spanish speaking world, from Wednesday to Friday this week in Madrid.…
EU ROUND UP - NEW PLAYERS EMERGE TO DELIVER CAUCASUS GAS TO EUROPE
BY KEITH NUTHALL
NEW competitors for shipping gas to the European Union (EU) from the Caucasus are emerging, while Turkmenistan has announced a major new gas find. The Turkmen government is claiming guaranteed gas supplies to Europe, by quadrupling exports over the next 20 years, after unveiling a major new gas field.…
ECONOMIC FACTORS PUSH CHINESE COMPANIES TO FOCUS ON MARKETS CLOSER TO HOME
BY WANG FANGQING
CHINA’S perpetually rising costs and currency have, of late, been undermining China’s export industry. However, this has encouraged Chinese clothing retail entrepreneurs to appeal to their domestic market, notably its demographic of Internet-savvy, younger generation consumers. And of course, a key benefit of serving domestic consumers is the ability to create brands and control the whole industrial process, from sourcing materials, to design, manufacture and marketing.…
JSW STEEL INKS JV DEAL WITH MARUBENI ITOCHU
BY RAGHAVENDRA VERMA
A NEW USD25 million steel processing centre, under the name of JSW MI Steel Service Center Pvt Ltd, is to be developed in north India as a result of a 50:50 joint venture (JV) between India’s JSW Steel and Japan’s Marubeni Itochu Steel (MISI).…
OICA PRESIDENT HAS TOUGH WORDS FOR US AUTO INDUSTRY
BY DAVID HAYHURST
THE NEW president of OICA (the International Association of Vehicle Manufacturers) has warned American auto-manufacturers that they risk being left behind in the global race for new technologies. Speaking at his Paris office with wardsauto, Patrick Blain, now six months into his new job, and after this month’s OICA general assembly in Bucharest (October 20 and 21), said it was European and Asian automakers who are setting the pace and working together with their governments to effectively tackle issues of emissions and rising fuel costs.…
THAI FLOODS THREATEN CLOTHING MANUFACTURING
BY KARRYN MILLER
THE THAI Garment Manufacturer Association’s secretary general has told just-style that the flooding in and around Thailand’s capital Bangkok has hit at least four large clothing factories, while the country waits to see if protective walls surrounding the city hold.…
MAJOR PIPELINE PROJECT UNDERWAY IN THE BALTIC SEA
BY JOHN PAGNI
THE NORD Stream natural gas pipeline, linking Russia with Germany, is not just making political waves, but inspiring technological innovations. Its developers appear to be taking environmental issues seriously. This could appease the project’s doubters.
When completed by the end of 2012, two parallel pipelines will stretch 1,224 kilometres from Vyborg in Russia to Greifswald on Germany’s Baltic coast, linking with EU networks, notably those run by DONG Energy (Denmark), Germany’s E.ON…
CANADIAN MINER SAYS MONGOLIAN URANIUM EXPLOITATION IS 'GOING NOWHERE'
BY MARK GODFREY
THE CEO of a Canadian mining company in litigation with the Mongolian authorities over the alleged expropriation of uranium rights has told World Nuclear News: "Uranium exploration and development in Mongolia is going nowhere at the moment." CEO of Toronto-based Khan Resources Grant Edey argued Mongolia’s Nuclear Energy Law, passed in 2009, is a "disincentive to invest and our experience has raised the question of tenure of assets with all other players."…
RFID'S SLOW HISTORIC GROWTH COULD BE POISED TO ACCELERATE DRAMATICALLY
BY LEE ADENDOORF
NETWORKED clothing that can show you where it is at all times, talking to mirrors and shelves on the shop floor, is no longer the stuff of science fiction, but a reality developing rapidly in stores around the globe.…
PRIVACY CONCERNS GROW AS RFIDs BECOME POPULAR
BY ALAN OSBORN, KARRYN MILLER, FLORENCE LABEDAYS, GAVIN BLAIR
PRIVACY is the big bugbear for RFID tags. Sure they give retailers and manufacturers lots of excellent information, but there is a hint of Big Brother about how this automatic data collection.…
2010 REVIEW OF THE YEAR - CLOTHING AND TEXTILE SECTOR
BY KEITH NUTHALL
RETAIL – WINNERS AND LOSERS
WINNERS
H&M
The Sweden-based brand expanded across the world this year, planning to open 220 new stores, mostly in western Europe and the US. Hennes & Mauritz’ (H&M) third quarter sales of SEK26.89bn (US$4bn) showed a sharp 14% increase on the previous quarter.…
PERSONAL CARE PRODUCT SECTOR TO BENEFIT FROM NEW ANTI-COUNTERFEITING TREATY
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE PERSONAL care product sector should benefit from a new Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA), now largely negotiated. A draft text has been released by the United States, Australia, Canada, the European Union, Japan, Mexico, Morocco, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, and Switzerland.…
BIG COMPANIES ORGANISE CAREFULLY TO HANDLE VARIED ASIAN COSMETICS PACKAGING
BY KARRYN MILLER
WHEN it comes to cosmetics, people from east, southeast, and south Asia may have overlapping beauty needs. But given the diversity of the region, it is no surprise to say personal care companies can not use a ‘one size fits all’ strategy.…
TAILOR-MADE OECD-LINKED ANTI-BRIBERY ADVICE ADOPTED BY ASIA-PACIFIC GROUP
BY KEITH NUTHALL
A GROUP of 28 governments from the Asia-Pacific region has adopted advice on the criminalisation of bribery drafted by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation & Development (OECD) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
Couched as a ‘Thematic Review on Criminalisation of Bribery’ this detailed set of guidelines was adopted in September by the ADB/OECD Anti-Corruption Initiative for Asia and the Pacific, meeting in Kuala Lumpur.…
TRADE BENEFITS LOOM FOR TOBACCO SECTOR IF WORLD TRADE ORGANISATION GRASPS DOHA NETTLE
BY KEITH NUTHALL
SIGNIFICANT benefits to tobacco and tobacco product companies will present themselves if a deal on the long-running Doha Development Round is clinched next year at the World Trade Organisation (WTO). And some diplomats at the WTO’s base in Geneva are asking if agreement is not reached next year, whether the current negotiations will be scrapped.…
SMOKING PREVALENCE/ILLICIT TRADE BOOST NORTHERN CYPRUS' TOBACCO MARKET
BY MAKKI MARSEILLES, PAUL COCHRANE
CYPRIOTS are Europe’s heaviest smokers, according to figures from European Union (EU) pollsters Eurobarometer. For those living in the internationally recognised predominantly Greek Republic of Cyprus (RoC) portion of the island, consumption of consumers aged 15 and above during 2009 averaged 21.7 cigarettes daily, and those in Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus 21.6.…
NANOTECHNOLOGY A QUIET REVOLUTION IN CAR IMPROVEMENTS
BY MARK ROWE
SELLING a second-hand car to a customer has always required reassurance that the vehicle remains in fine shape. Selling a new car is always easier if a dealer can ensure long-life and durability. In future, such assurances will be eased by the introduction of longer-lasting, robust components based on nanomaterials.…
FUTURE FASHION PREDICTIONS USE HIGH TECH TO PICK UPCOMING TRENDS
BY LEE ADENDORFF
TREND forecasters and cool-hunters have spawned a global sub-sector of the fashion industry, with university courses, computer software and academic research making a science out of predicting fashion’s ‘next big thing.’
This is no easy feat considering the multitude of factors – politics, energy resources, economies and environment, not to mention ideology and people – that will play a part in shaping the world’s fashion tastes of the future.…
NEW INNOVATIONS KEEPING CODING SECTOR AFLOAT AFTER RECESSION
BY EMMA JACKSON
CONSUMERS barely notice the tiny band of code printed on their soft drink can or prescription bottle, but behind the scenes the coding and marking industry thrives on making those seemingly insignificant lines of print more readable, efficient and better integrated with high technology.…
MITSUI AND BRIGHT FOOD JOINTLY SEEKING FURTHER EXPANSION IN CHINA
BY WANG FANGQING
JAPANESE industrial conglomerate Mitsui & Co. Ltd and China’s leading food company Bright Food Co. Ltd have struck a cooperation deal to explore business opportunities in China’s food market.
Under the partnership, the two companies will cooperate in several food sectors, notably dairy processing and sugar.…
NICHIREI AIMS GROWTH IN CHINA, BUILDING NEW PLANT
BY WANG FANGQING
JAPAN’S largest frozen foods manufacturer Nichirei Foods Inc, is to invest about Japanese Yen JPY5 billion (US dollar USD59.7 million) in Shanghai to build a new Chinese factory in 2011. The plant will produce frozen foods such as pasta and rice pilaf, with an expected production capacity of 2,000 tonnes per month, almost the same as Nichirei’s largest factory in Chiba prefecture, Japan.…
SOUTHEAST ASIAN PAINT COMPANIES CAPTURE ASEAN MARKET WITH HUB-AND-SPOKE MODEL
BY MARK ROWE
IN the truly global market of the paint industry, nowhere has the maxim of work local, sell local, been adhered to more rigorously than in southeast Asia. The region’s paint market is fiercely competitive, driven by developed nations such as Singapore and populous rapidly developing countries such as Indonesia and the Philippines.…
ECO-FRIENDLY ANTI-FOULING PAINTS MAKE PROGRESS IN JAPAN AND AUSTRALIA
BY MARK ROWE
ION-EXCHANGE reactions and water-soluble polymers are among the new generation of "green" paints that are being introduced to protect the marine environment in Asia. The International Maritime Organisation’s (IMO) international convention on the control of harmful anti-fouling systems on ships came into force in September 2008 and IMO is continuing to urge all its members to ratify this convention.…
CHINA POWER; REPATRIATED HIGH-END PRODUCTION; ECOTEXTILES AND GM COTTON - A TASTE OF THE FUTURE FOR CLOTHING AND TEXTILES
BY EMMA JACKSON
THE TEXTILE and clothing industry maybe almost unrecognisable from its organisation today in 10 years’ time: Chinese-owned offshore production; unstoppable e-commerce, demand for eco-textiles, shifting luxury markets to Asia’s new middle class, and higher prices for everyone, are just some predictions.…
YAKULT BUILDS NEW PLANT TO SUPPLY WEST JAPAN
BY WANG FANGQING
TOKYO-BASED dairy products manufacturer Yakult Honsha Co.,Ltd has invested Japanese yen JPY15.1 billion (US dollar USD180 million) to build a new plant in Miki city, Hyogo Prefecture to supply the local market in west Japan, including the regions of Kinki, Kyushu, Chu-Shikoku and Okinawa.…
CHINA POWER; REPATRIATED HIGH-END PRODUCTION; ECOTEXTILES AND GM COTTON - A TASTE OF THE FUTURE FOR CLOTHING AND TEXTILES
BY EMMA JACKSON
THE TEXTILE and clothing industry maybe almost unrecognisable from its organisation today in 10 years’ time: Chinese-owned offshore production; unstoppable e-commerce, demand for eco-textiles, shifting luxury markets to Asia’s new middle class, and higher prices for everyone, are just some predictions.…
GLOBAL - DEMAND FOR 'NATURAL' DRINKS INGREDIENTS RISING IN MATURE DRINKS MARKETS
BY ALAN OSBORN, KARRYN MILLER, GAVIN BLAIR, KEITH NUTHALL
MOST drinks manufacturers would bridle at the accusation that they used anything unnatural to make their products: after all poisoning consumers is bad for business. But in the world of marketing, everything is relative, and some ingredients are so fresh and untainted with processing chemicals that they can, simply, be sold as being more ‘natural’ than standard inputs.…
NEWLY MERGED JAPAN ENERGY GIANT PLOTS EXPANSION
BY JULIAN RYALL
THE IMMEDIATE priority for the company that has evolved from the merger of Japan’s Nippon Oil Corporation and Nippon Mining Holdings is achieving stability. But even while efforts to achieve that aim are ongoing, JX Holdings Inc. is drawing up plans to acquire new energy assets.…
TOBACCO CONSUMPTION IN INDIA PROJECTED TO RISE OVER THE LONG-TERM
BY MINI PANT ZACHARIAH
BOB DYLAN was spot on: "One man’s loss always is another man’s gain." The stringent anti-smoking laws passed in India as a result of the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) framework convention on tobacco control’s have stubbed out cigarettes from public places.…
INDIA PUSHES HARD TO PROMOTE ALTERNATIVE USES OF TOBACCO
BY MINI PANT ZACHARIAH, KEITH NUTHALL
TOBACCO is not just for smoking, or chewing. And with anti-smoking programmes becoming stronger worldwide, there is increasing pressure for government scientists to develop alternative uses of tobacco, helping justify continuing leaf production subsidies.
India is a case in point.…
GARMENT SOURCING IN INDIA SOLUTION TO HIGH TARIFFS
BY RAGHAVENDRA VERMA
INDIA’S booming fashion market has encouraged international brands to change their strategy and start sourcing garments from local manufacturers to meet domestic demand. Donna Karan New York (DKNY), Gant, Arrow, Marks & Spencer and others are also avoiding high import duties in this way, making their products more competitive and in some cases even creating additional sourcing bases for their international operations.…
GLOBAL - DEMAND FOR 'NATURAL' DRINKS INGREDIENTS RISING IN MATURE DRINKS MARKETS
BY ALAN OSBORN, KARRYN MILLER, GAVIN BLAIR, KEITH NUTHALL
MOST drinks manufacturers would bridle at the accusation that they used anything unnatural to make their products: after all poisoning consumers is bad for business. But in the world of marketing, everything is relative, and some ingredients are so fresh and untainted with processing chemicals that they can, simply, be sold as being more ‘natural’ than standard inputs.…
MATURE MARKETS PROTECT CLOTHING AND TEXTILE CONSUMERS AGAINST HARM FROM INDUSTRY PRODUCTS
BY ALAN OSBORN, KARRYN MILLER, GAVIN BLAIR, KEITH NUTHALL
WEARING clothes is not the most dangerous of pastimes: it is not really up there with hang-gliding, off-piste skiing and single-handed ocean yachting. But there are risks associated with wearing clothes, from the contact consumers and workers’ skin has with the chemicals used in production; to potential for strangulation by drawstrings, choking on toggles, and the flammability of some artificial fibres.…
CHINA IMPORTS MORE EXPENSIVE FABRICS, TARGETING UPPER CLASS CONSUMERS
BY WANG FANGQING
AS a country famous for mass production of textiles and garments, China has been, maybe surprisingly, importing more and more expensive fabrics from overseas. For example, China purchased 155,000 tonnes of wool from January to May 2010, up 15.2% year-on-year, with Australia, New Zealand and South Africa being the top three suppliers.…
SOUTHEAST ASIA COSMETICS SECTOR STILL DEVELOPING, DESPITE THE RECESSION
BY KARRYN MILLER, AHMAD PATHONI, MARK ROWE
SOUTHEAST Asia is a growing and diverse market for international personal care product brands, despite the challenges (and some losses) cased by the recession. The region contains relatively rich emerging markets (and the very rich city state of Singapore), and its major poorer countries, notably Vietnam and Indonesia are growing fast and emerging robustly from the recession.…
TURKEY SEES ASIA-PACIFIC AS COATINGS EXPORT GROWTH MARKET
BY PAUL COCHRANE
THE US DOLLAR USD$2 billion Turkish paint sector is the sixth largest in Europe, yet when it comes to its coatings trade with the Asia-Pacific region, Turkey imports a lot more than it exports. Turkey has had fluctuating business with the Asia Pacific region – defined as China, South Korea, Japan, the Indian subcontinent, South-East Asia, Mongolia, Australasia, the Marshall Islands, Vanuatu, and the Cook Islands.…
EMERGING MARKETS WITNESSING CREATIVITY IN DRINKS PACKAGING DEVELOPMENT
BY WANG FANGQING, RAGHAVENDRA VERMA, BILL CORCORAN, PACIFICA GODDARD, KEITH NUTHALL
DRINKS packaging can be quite different in emerging and developing markets than in the rich world. One issue simply is scale. Poorer consumers are often, simply, more interested in smaller sized portions than richer.…
MATURE MARKETS PROTECT CLOTHING AND TEXTILE CONSUMERS AGAINST HARM FROM INDUSTRY PRODUCTS
BY ALAN OSBORN, KARRYN MILLER, GAVIN BLAIR, KEITH NUTHALL
WEARING clothes is not the most dangerous of pastimes: it is not really up there with hang-gliding, off-piste skiing and single-handed ocean yachting. But there are risks associated with wearing clothes, from the contact consumers and workers’ skin has with the chemicals used in production; to potential for strangulation by drawstrings, choking on toggles, and the flammability of some artificial fibres.…
STEADFAST SRI LANKA VOWS TO CONQUER GSP+ SETBACK
BY MUNZA MUSHTAQ
IF proof were needed that politics and business do not always mix well, look no further than Sri Lanka’s knitwear industry. The European Commission has announced as of August 15, Sri Lanka has been suspended from its Generalised System of Preferences (GSP+) preferential trading regime, providing access to European Union (EU) markets for countries that abide by certain principles of good governance and human rights.…
ORGANICS STANDARDS STREAMLINING, OPEN DOORS FOR DRINKS PRODUCERS
BY EMMA JACKSON
THE POPULARITY of drinks made from organically grown ingredients is on the rise, fostered in part by increasingly comprehensive regulations designed to ensure organically labelled products are indeed organic. Yet obstacles and limitations to the growth of this niche drinks sector remain, and combined with the economic downturn the organic industry still needs a push to reach its full potential.…
KIRIN TO START MANUFACTURING IN GERMANY
BY WANG FANGQING
JAPAN brewer Kirin Holdings will begin manufacturing and selling beer in Germany in October. Working with Bayerische Staatsbrauerei Weihenstephan, of Freising, Kirin hopes to lower logistics costs and improve quality for supplies to 23 countries in mainland Europe, including Germany, France and Italy.…
INNOVATIVE PACKAGING TRANSFORMING GLOBAL DRINKS PACKAGING INDUSTRY
BY MARK ROWE
INNOVATIVE packaging is transforming the drinks industry. Heavy tins and bottles are being replaced by lighter composite and biodegradeable materials; hi-tech cartons are being manufactured that tell consumers if the milk’s gone off; and RFID (radio frequency identification) tags are being embedded with temperature sensors.…
ZEROSTYLE MINT PROVES POPULAR AS SMOKELESS TOBACCO ALTERNATIVE IN JAPAN
BY GAVIN BLAIR
IN May, Japan Tobacco (JT), which dominates the Japanese domestic market, launched a revolutionary new smokeless product, the Zerostyle Mint, in Tokyo. Sales have far exceeded expectations and production is now being ramped up to meet demand.
The Zerostyle Mint looks somewhat like a cigarette holder, with a black body and a tapered mouthpiece with a removable cap.…
KAMEDA TO INJECT MEGA INVESTMENT IN CHINA AND U.S.
BY WANG FANGQING
JAPAN’S major rice snack manufacturer Kameda Seika Co.,Ltd will invest Japanese yen JPY1 billion (US dollar USD11.3 million) in China and the USA to boost production for these markets. Niigata City-based Kameda’s spokesman Takumi Yoshida said the investment will help the company become a "global food company".…
NANOTECHNOLOGY STANDARDS DEVELOPING AS AUTO SECTOR USES MORE NANO-COMPONENTS
BY KEITH NUTHALL and MARK ROWE
AS auto manufacturers start to realise the utility of incorporating parts and components using nanotechnology to improve their performance, the European Union (EU) is looking hard at special regulations to protect the public and the environment from nanoparticles.…
FUJIYA EXPANDS IN CHINA, BUILDING NEW PLANT
BY WANG FANGQING
JAPAN’S leading confectionary manufacturer, Tokyo-based Fujiya Co., Ltd is to build its second plant in China to secure local supply and boost sales. The new plant, located in Hangzhou, near Shanghai, is scheduled to start operating in 2012, manufacturing lollipops for local convenience stores and supermarkets, said Fujiya’s spokesperson Osamu Mizoguchi.…
JAPAN SEES DECLINE IN DEMAND FOR GLOBAL LUXURY BRANDS
BY KELLY WETHERILLE
FOR years Japan has been the world’s largest market for luxury goods, but change seems to be imminently on the horizon. Although brands like Hermes, Chanel and Louis Vuitton all still maintain several outlets throughout the country, many luxury brands are suffering due to a sluggish economy, which has helped trigger a newfound fascination with fast fashion.…
ENERGY REFLECTING PAINTS AND COATINGS - A GROWING GREEN BUSINESS
BY KARRYN MILLER, ANCA GURZU, MARK ROWE and PAUL COCHRANE
THE NEED to think out of the box to reduce carbon emissions and pollution is becoming increasingly appreciated in the Asia-Pacific region. And the coatings sector offers a range of solutions to reduce energy use.…
AJINOMOTO TO STRENGTHEN BUSINESSES IN ASIA AND THE MIDDLE EAST
BY WANG FANGQING
JAPAN’S leading food seasoning manufacturer Ajinomoto Co.,Inc is expanding across Asia and the Middle East. In Jakarta, Indonesia, Ajinomoto is building a new plant at about Japanese yen JPY6 billion (US dollar USD67.7 million), scheduled to start manufacturing food seasonings in 2012.…
RECESSION IS OVER FOR JET FUEL MARKET
BY MARK ROWE
IS the recession’s worst over for the jet fuel aviation industry? Passenger traffic during this late spring and summer has risen sharply compared with flights year-on-year, giving hope to an industry that Giovanni Bisignani, director general of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), described last year as "structurally sick".…
CANADA'S FLAVOURED TOBACCO BAN DRAWS GLOBAL CRITICISM
BY KEITH NUTHALL and ALYSHAH HASHAM
CANADA – long a difficult jurisdiction for the tobacco sector – became tougher still on July 5, when a national ban on manufacturing and selling most flavoured cigarettes, cigarillos and blunt wraps came into force.…
PHILIPPINE PAINTS AND COATINGS INDUSTRY FIGHTS THROUGH GLOBAL RECESSION
BY MARK ROWE
THE PHILIPPINES paint market may be small, but it has punched above its weight during the global recession, retaining its distinctive feature of a manufacturing base dominated by local players. According to the Philippine Association of Paint Manufacturers (PAPM), the country has just five major paint manufacturers, with a 70% market share being enjoyed by Pacific Paints (Boysen), followed by other local players Charter Chemical & Coating Corporation and Asian Coatings Philippines, Inc.…
INNOVATION IN DRINKS MANUFACTURING COULD BECOME MORE PUBLIC SAYS EXPERT
BY ALAN OSBORN
THE PRESENT difficult economic conditions in Europe, north America and Japan are not hugely encouraging for promoting innovation or for the spending of large sums of money on research by drinks manufacturers. It may be a little different for leading brands such as GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), Coca-Cola, Pepsi and other big names though even these are changing their approach.…
KANEBO 'NOSE' EXPLAINS HOW HIS COMPANY INTEGRATES HEALTHY SCENTS IN ITS PRODUCTS
BY JULIAN RYALL
WITHOUT looking, Ryoichi Komaki, 57, reaches out and unerringly selects one out of hundreds of small, glass bottles that are arrayed on shelves around his desk. He unscrews the cap and dips an absorbent strip in the liquid.…
EMERGING MARKETS SEE BOOM IN C-STORE OUTLETS
BY WANG FANGQING,RAGHAVENDRA VERMA and PACIFICA GODDARD
Convenience stores are no longer the preserve of cash rich but tine poor consumers in developed markets. They are increasingly popular in emerging markets too. Foreign convenience store operators in China, for instance, are now moving beyond major metropolitan centres – where they have long been established – to smaller lower-tier cities.…
KIRIN TO LAUNCH SOFT DRINKS COMPANY
BY JULIAN RYALL
JAPANESE drinks giant Kirin has set up a new company that will focus its efforts on the soft drinks sector. Shinshu Beverage has been established as a 100% subsidiary of Kirin Holdings.
Under the deal, an existing subsidiary named Nagano Tomato Co.…
EU TAKES MAJOR STEP FORWARD TOWARDS HARMONIZING ELECTRIC VEHICLE TECHNICAL RULES
BY KEITH NUTHALL
FOR growing markets such as electric cars, keeping regulatory standards simple can make or break a new technology. It can also give manufacturers a head start in the race to dominate a new market, if they are located in countries where rules are relatively straightforward and similar to those in other jurisdictions.…
EU TAKES MAJOR STEP FORWARD TOWARDS HARMONIZING ELECTRIC VEHICLE TECHNICAL RULES
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Commission has formally proposed that the European Union (EU) adopts the global technical standard for electric vehicles – as agreed in 1997 by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE). Assuming the EU Council of Ministers and European Parliament agree, then EU countries will have the same rules for manufacturing electric cars – preventing national rules impeding the sale of cars from different member states.…
PICKLES CORP PLOTS JAPAN MARKET SHARE EXPANSION
BY WANG FANGQING
JAPAN’S leading pickles maker, Saitama Profecture-based Pickles Corp is to invest around Japanese yen JPY200 million (US dollar USD2.2 million) this year to develop its private brand products for retailers. "Our products [including pickled cabbage and pickled cucumber] will be sold in convenient stores and supermarkets," a spokesman told just-food.com.…
FUJITSU DEVELOPS TEDDY BEAR ROBOT NURSE
BY KEITH NUTHALL
SOME say, as we grow old, we regress into our childhood – and certainly Japanese robot designers think so: Fujitsu is developing a teddy bear android as a nursing aid for old people’s homes. Japan, notoriously, is an ageing society, with 23% of the country’s 127 million population now aged 65 or more.…
GLOBAL SECTION - SIZING REMAINS A HEADACHE FOR GLOBALISING CLOTHING INDUSTRY
BY KARRYN MILLER
AS trade barriers continue to diminish, clothing brands are becoming more global. However it is not as easy for the sizes of their goods to be quite as worldly. International players need to adapt their fits for different target markets but that level of adaptation varies by country.…
NEW TERMINAL AT NEW DELHI AIRPORT
BY RAGHAVENDRA VERMA
WITH a vivid metallic facade of mirror-like copper plates and Hindi ‘Mudr?’ hand sculptures at the arrival lounge of the brand new terminal building, the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI) in New Delhi is acclaimed by its developers as "the gateway to modern India."…
SEVEN & I TO EXPAND PRIVATE LABEL DIVISION TO CHINA
BY WANG FANGQING
JAPAN’S leading retailer Seven & i Holdings is planning to expand its private label businesses overseas, and China is the first target in 2010. The business will focus on bakeries. The major reason for choosing China is that the company has seen growing concern over food safety in the country, said Asami Chiyoda, spokesman of Seven & i.…
C-STORES PROSPER THROUGH INNOVATIVE PARTNERSHIPS
BY GAVIN BLAIR,KARRYN MILLER,ALAN OSBORN and KEITH NUTHALL
EVERY country had its own take on convenience stores. These retail traditions tend to be rooted in local cultures, making a certain combination of goods acceptable in one country, but not another. Rural Ireland, for instance, with its sparse population, has traditionally supported a bewildering array of convenience store offerings, mixing for retail with hardware, post offices, tobacco, newspapers, car repairs and more – and sometimes all at once.…
INDIA'S MTR FOOD PLOTS EXPANSION
BY MINI ZACHARIAH
MTR Foods, one of the top five processed foods manufacturers in India, owned by Norwegian conglomerate Orkla, aims to double turnover to Indian Rupees INR5 billion (US dollars USD106 million) by 2012 by focusing on its core business of spices and masalas, instant mixes and vermicelli.…
ROBOTS INCREASINGLY IN DEMAND IN ASIA-PACIFIC PAINT AND COATINGS SECTOR
BY EMMA JACKSON
PAINT companies looking for an edge may very well find themselves turning to robots, as the industry in the Asia-Pacific region increasingly embraces automation. Cost effective, efficient and consistent, robots are indeed replacing employees in paint manufacturing processes and applications of coatings to products such as cars and machinery.…
BURMA'S RECENTLY EXPANDED RANGOON ABOUT TO BE ECLIPSED BY NEW NAYPYIDAW CAPITAL
BY MARK GODFREY
EVEN as the Burmese government embarks on construction of an airport in its middle-of-nowhere capital Naypyidaw, traffic remains underwhelming at the county’s main international hub in Rangoon, officially known as Yangon.
Officially opened in May 2007, Yangon International Airport has so far struggled to justify its ambitious capacity of 2.7 million passengers per year set by Burma’s (official name Myanmar) Department of Transportation, which oversees the country’s airports.…
Mixed marriages remain novel in Asia
By Karryn Miller, International News Services
Inter-racial marriages may be on the rise throughout Asia but they still hold a minority position. Homogenous countries like Japan and Korea are slowly adapting to the idea of mixed families but legally and socially there is room for improvement. In these countries acceptance of multicultural couplings goes from one extreme to other being both a source of glamour and a point of discrimination.
In Japan a popular reality TV series “Okusama wa Gaikokujin” (literally my wife is a foreigner) held a prime-time spot in 2006 and 2007. Each episode focused on a mixed family and how the foreign wife coped with Japanese life. The series may have sated Japanese people’s curiosity about intercultural couples but in the process it separated inter-racial marriages from other marriages making them appear novel, different, and sometimes even strange.…
JAPAN'S ADOPTION OF IFRS COULD MAKE OR BREAK GLOBAL STANDARD
BY KARRYN MILLER
AS one of the world’s leading economic powers, Japan will be in a unique position if it adopts, as planned, international financial reporting standards (IFRS). If successful, on one hand, it could give the US the final push it needs to dovetail its financial reporting with global accounting standards; on the other, if things don’t work out, America may retreat back towards US GAAP.…
COUNTRIES EDGE TOWARDS DEAL ON GLOBAL TREATY ON TRADE IN ILLICIT TOBACCO PRODUCTS
BY DANIEL PRUZIN
REPRESENTATIVES from around 160 countries are moving toward clinching a deal on new World Health Organisation (WHO) Protocol on Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products, which could be wrapped up within the next 12 months. Unlike its predecessor, the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (under whose authority this latest agreement is being negotiated), the protocol is something of a mixed blessing for the tobacco industry.…
RETAILERS BENEFIT FROM QUALITY PRIVATE LABEL DRINKS REPUTATION
BY ALAN OSBORN, KARRYN MILLER, WANG FANGQING and GAVIN BLAIR
What’s the attraction of drinks own brands or private labels for the retailers? After all, if consumers are happy with commercial ‘national’ brands – then retailers can make money. "They exist because supermarkets are trying to build their supermarket values and their own relationship with their customers," says Richard Hall, chairman and founder of the international food and drink consultants Zenith International.…
BRUSSELS PROPOSES RESUMPTION OF CHINA AND SOUTH KOREA SILICON ANTI-DUMPING DUTIES
BY KEITH NUTHALL
EUROPEAN Union (EU) ministers have been asked to restore for five years – albeit at a lower level of 19% – anti-dumping duties on silicon exported to the EU from China and South Korea because of concerns removing the tariffs would allow unfair undercutting of EU producers.…
JAPAN LOSING 'SMOKERS' HEAVEN' STATUS - BUT TOBACCO SALES STILL ROBUST
BY GAVIN BLAIR
AWARE that Japan’s attitudes towards smoking have been more relaxed than in most of the rest of the industrialised world, the Japanese have long referred to their own country as ‘tabako tengoku’ – which literally translates as smokers’ heaven.…
MONJU REACTOR RESTARTED - AFTER 14 YEAR BREAK
BY JULIAN RYALL
FOURTEEN years and five months after it was shut down in the wake of an accident, Japan’s Monju fast-breeder reactor resumed operations today (Thursday May 6).
After receiving final confirmation from the local and national governments that the controversial plant could be restarted, control rods were removed from the reactor, a process that was completed at 10.36 am Japan time, according to the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA).…
INDIA'S FRUIT DRINKS SHOW STRONG POTENTIAL
BY RAGHAVENDRA VERMA
India’s drinks industry was not harmed badly by the recession, with domestic sales soft drinks and juice production all growing steadily throughout 2009, according to a recent Euromonitor report. In the soft drinks sector, Coca-Cola was the clear leader with Pepsi close behind, but several Indian companies such as Parle Agro, Parle Bisleri Ltd and Dabur India Ltd proffered some healthy competition.…
WOMEN EXECUTIVES START TO CRACK GLASS CEILING IN TOBACCO INDUSTRY
BY ANDREW CAVE
ALISON Cooper’s accession to chief executive of Britain’s Imperial Tobacco last month (May) put the UK tobacco industry in an unfamiliar position as the 43-year-old mother-of-two became just the fifth female chief executive in the flagship FTSE100 index.…
EMISSIONS TRADING AND THE TRANSPORT SECTOR
BY DEIRDRE MASON
After the disappointment of the Copenhagen climate summit in December 2009, global warming campaigners have hoped UN climate change talks at Cancun, Mexico in December will thrash out a viable successor to the Kyoto agreement, which ends in 2012.…
TATTOO INKS CARVE OUT A PERMANENT MARKET
BY EMMA JACKSON and JULIAN RYALL
DESPITE the still-smarting pains of a slowly fading recession, which wreaked havoc on industries across the board, there is one ink sector that has been steadily growing, with global appeal in almost every country and nearly every demographic.…
RELIGION AND SMOKING DON'T ALWAYS MIX WELL
BY PAUL COCHRANE, AHMAD PATHONI, GAVIN BLAIR, RAGHAVENDRA VERMA, WANG FANGQING, HELEN FLUSFELDER, KARRYN MILLER, KEITH NUTHALL and ALAN OSBORN
THE BRITISH writer Oscar Wilde wrote: "A cigarette is the perfect type of a perfect pleasure. It is exquisite, and it leaves one unsatisfied.…
BRAZIL FRUIT JUICE PRODUCTION FUELS DRINKS EXPORTS
BY PACIFICA GODDARD
While most of the alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages produced in Brazil are consumed domestically, the exception is the juice sector. Brazil is one of the world’s top three producers of tropical fruit, according to Brazilian Fruits Institute (IBRAF), and an important global provider of fruit juice.…
SOUTH KOREA'S PAINT AND COATINGS INDUSTRY FIGHTS OUT OF THE RECESSION
BY KARRYN MILLER
ACCORDING to the Korean Paint & Printing Industry Cooperative (KPIC), South Korean paint and coatings sales hit US$3 billion in 2008, up 4% from the previous year. KPIC accredited the boost to an increase in sale prices due to higher raw material costs, rather then profits however.…
AN EU-MERCOSUR TRADE DEAL COULD OFFER OPPORTUNITIES FOR EUROPEAN CAR-MAKERS
BY PACIFICA GODDARD, ALAN OSBORN and KEITH NUTHALL
EUROPEAN automakers will be looking to boost exports to the Mercosur countries of South America, if they strike a trade deal with the European Union (EU). A resumption of negotiations on slashing tariffs for goods traded between the EU’s 27 member countries and the four-country Mercosur block, (Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay), has been announced by the European Commission, the EU’s executive.…
MEXICO DRINKS INDUSTRY GROWS GLOBAL REPUTATION FOR EXPORT SALES
BY PACIFICA GODDARD
According to the US department of agriculture (USDA), about 70% of the 2.5 billion litres of fruit and vegetable juices sold in Mexico in 2009 were produced domestically. Mexico exported USdollar USD266.99 million worth of juices in 2009, compared to USD308.23 million in 2008 and USD247.29 million in 2007, according the UN Comtrade database.…
SPECIAL - REPUTATION
BY KARRYN MILLER, ALAN OSBORN, WANG FANGQING and GAVIN BLAIR
THE BENEFIT of own label or private label food products to retailers is that they can use these lines to boost their own reputations for quality and good value, and then that improved reputation in turn generates more sales of own brand products.…
GLOBAL - INTERNATIONAL AUTO MANUFACTURERS WORK TO REDUCE CO2 EMISSIONS
BY JULIAN RYALL, FLORENCE LABEDAYS, KARRYN MILLER and KEITH NUTHALL
DESPITE the slow progress to replace the Kyoto Protocol, auto manufacturers are well aware that they will come under increasing pressure to reduce the CO2 emissions of their models and their manufacturing process.…
AJINOMOTO RAMPING UP US PRODUCTION
BY GAVIN BLAIR
AJINOMOTO Frozen Foods USA, a fully-owned subsidiary of Japan food manufacturer Ajinomoto, is ramping up its US operations, including investing Japanese Yen JPY1.2 billion (US dollar USD12.88 million) to add a production line at its Oregon plant. Due to become operational in November, the line will boost capacity for frozen-meals by 125% to 18,000 tons a year to meet growing demand for rice-based dishes, to be sold at Wal-Mart-affiliated outlets.…
SECRET ANTI-COUNTERFEITING INTERNATIONAL DEAL RELEASED
BY KEITH NUTHALL
MANUFACTURERS protecting high-value brands will be scouring the details of a draft Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) released this month (April) after two years of secret negotiations. What provisions will help international business? Keith Nuthall reports.
THE FACT that negotiations to forge a new international anti-counterfeiting deal have been confidential has not stopped critics claiming that the resulting agreement would be ineffective or even unworkable.…
SECRET ANTI-COUNTERFEITING INTERNATIONAL DEAL RELEASED
BY KEITH NUTHALL
AUTO manufacturers have long worried about the growth of counterfeiting in their industry, especially of vehicle part copies that might not perform. They have also complained about their designs being copied by rival car makers, especially in emerging markets.…
LAWSON GROUP STRENGTHENS RISK MANAGEMENT PROCEDURES
BY ALYSHAH HASHAM
LAWSON – the major Japan convenience store chain – has announced changes to its business practices, after an admitted "misappropriation" of Yen JPY 14.4 billion ($ USD 4.7 million) by two company directors in its Lawson Entermedia unit
This follows recommendations made in a final report of an external investigative committee probing the scandal.…
AGOA PROGRAMME KEEPS AFRICAN TEXTILES AFLOAT 10 YEARS LATER
BY ALISON MOODIE
SUB-SAHARAN Africa is still struggling to make its way in the global textile and clothing industry – but companies are convinced that without the USA’s African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) the outlook would be bleaker. One decade ago this May, this tariff preference programme was launched by the US: it gives qualifying African countries zero tariff exports for the huge US market – and statistics show that the sub-Saharan textile and clothing industry has benefited.…
SECRET ANTI-COUNTERFEITING INTERNATIONAL DEAL RELEASED
BY KEITH NUTHALL
PERSONAL care product care manufacturers protecting high-value brands will be scouring a draft Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) released last month, (21 April) after two years of secret negotiations. Framed mostly by rich developed countries including the USA, the European Union (EU) and Japan, the deal has been under discussion because of the failure to agree a comprehensive global agreement in talks with emerging markets such as China and India at the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO).…
BRUSSELS REPORTS EU UNSAFE AUTO CONSUMER ALERTS REMAIN HIGH
BY KEITH NUTHALL and EMMA JACKSON
THE EUROPEAN Commission has reported the number of notifications of potentially unsafe automobiles though the European Union (EU) consumer warning system remains high – being the third most common product category receiving withdrawals and sales bans in 2009.…
JAPAN'S MOVE TO INTERNATIONAL REPORTING STANDARDS WILL CHALLENGE ACCOUNTING PROFESSION
BY GAVIN BLAIR and KARRYN MILLER
AS Japan continues its shift over to international financial reporting standards (IFRS), it is creating a host of challenges and opportunities for accounting firms and their clients at the start of the new fiscal year.…
UK NISSAN PLANT'S CONSTRUCTION KICK STARTS PROCESS OF EV BATTERY HARMONIZATION
BY DEIRDRE MASON
STANDARDIZATION for electric vehicles and, crucially, the batteries that power them has taken a key step forward with the official topping out ceremony [NOTE: US STYLE MIGHT USE ‘GROUNDBREAKING CEREMONY’ – IT’S THE CEREMONY WHERE SOMEONE TURNS THE FIRST SPADEFUL AT THE VERY START OF CONSTRUCTION.]…
SECRET ANTI-COUNTERFEITING INTERNATIONAL DEAL RELEASED
BY KEITH NUTHALL
DRINKS manufacturers protecting high-value brands will be scouring a draft Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) released today, (21 April) after two years of secret negotiations. Framed mostly by rich developed countries including the USA, the European Union (EU) and Japan, the deal is being struck because of the failure to agree a comprehensive global agreement.…
JAPAN COSMETICS SECTOR INNOVATES TO SURVIVE TOUGH ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT
BY JULIAN RYALL
JAPANESE industries in general have had a tough past couple of years and the cosmetics sector is no exception. That said, manufacturers here have largely stressed the positive and developed a range of innovative new products that meet the needs of ever-more demanding consumers and opened up new product areas.…
VOLCANO TESTS AIRPORT EMERGENCY RESPONSE PROCEDURES
BY JULIAN RYALL, KARRYN MILLER and ALAN OSBORN
WITH the ongoing eruption of Iceland’s Eyjafjallajökull volcano has grounded airlines and stranded passengers across the world for nearly a week, airports have been scrambling to accommodate the millions of people blocked by an enormous plume of ash filling prime airspace.…
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT WANTS ANTI-COUNTERFEITING AGREEMENT TALKS PUBLICISED
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Parliament is pressing for the opening of secret negotiations to frame a new global anti-counterfeiting agreement restricting the abuse of cosmetics and other company marks. Talks to frame an Anti-Counterfeiting and Trade Agreement (ACTA) have been ongoing for two years, but the countries involved (mostly rich developed countries including the USA, the European Union and Japan) have kept the details under wraps; the parliament has so far been excluded.…
FAMILYMART BOOSTS GLOBAL OUTLETS
BY GAVIN BLAIR
JAPAN-BASED convenience store operator FamilyMart plans to increase its number of outlets worldwide to 25,000 by the 2015 fiscal year, from its current 16,000 stores, according to its president Junji Ueda. The biggest increase will be in China, where it will boost its stores from 360 to 4,500 – centred on Shanghai, where the port-city has the infrastructure and distribution facilities to support the expansion.…
VIETNAM KNITWEAR SECTOR BOOMING - DESPITE GLOBAL RECESSION
BY KARRYN MILLER
VIETNAM has worked hard to convince foreign companies they should look past neighbouring China for their knitwear needs. Through an increasing commitment to quality, along with strong government support, Vietnamese knitwear firms are starting to see the fruits of their labour and tags ‘made in Vietnam’ are becoming more common both domestically and abroad.…
ASIA COSMETICS COMPANIES USE NATURAL TRADITIONAL INGREDIENTS TO GAIN EDGE
BY JULIAN RYALL, FRANCES WANG, AHMAD PATHONI, WILLIAM BARNES, KARRYN MILLER and KEITH NUTHALL
THE PEOPLE of Okinawa are famous – even in ageing Japan – for their longevity. The women of this sub-tropical chain of islands have the longest life expectancy in the world, at nearly 89 years, they have the lowest mortality rate from chronic diseases linked to ageing and the highest ration of centenarians in the world – nearly six times the rate in other industrialised nations.…
LUXURY FASHION HANGS ON BY A THREAD IN RUSSIA
BY MIRIAM ELDER
THE LUXURIOUS boutiques that line Stoleshnikov Pereulok (NOTE – SPELLING IS CORRECT), one of Moscow’s premiere shopping streets, stand eerily quiet these days. Stern-faced guards appear to spend more time chatting on their mobiles than swinging open doors for the Russian capital’s once teeming clientele.…
AMERICAN LUXURY CLOTHING SECTOR RECOVERING AFTER RECESSION
BY CRAIG HOWIE
THE POPULAR television programme Sex in the City famously glamourised New York’s luxury clothing culture, and Los Angeles’ high-end boutiques were given the star treatment in the 1990 film Pretty Woman. And America has long been the world’s largest market for high-end clothing.…
GLOBAL SAFETY STANDARDS AGREED FOR HYBRID AND ELECTRIC CARS
BY KEITH NUTHALL
AN IMPORTANT step has been made towards guaranteeing the safety of electric and hybrid cars, with the adoption by the UN’s World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations of a new technical standard on this subject – a global first.…
LATIN AMERICA TOBACCO SECTOR RIDES OUT THE RECESSION
BY PACIFICA GODDARD
LAST year in Latin America, British American Tobacco (BAT) and Philip Morris International (PMI), the region’s two dominant companies, battled to maintain profits through declining volumes. Overall, Latin America was profitable for both companies. For BAT, profits were mainly attributable to a strong performance in Brazil, and improved premium brand sales, however volumes sales declined throughout the region.…
EGYPT TOBACCO SECTOR FACES FREE TRADE OPPORTUNITY
BY BART PEETERS and KEITH NUTHALL
EGYPTIAN smokers were shocked this January to discover a picture of a drooping cigarette on their packets, accompanied by the warning in Arabic: "Long term smoking will affect marital relations." The mere hinting at potential impotence caused quite a controversy in Egypt’s conservative society, in which the average smoker remains overwhelmingly male.…
UAE EMBRACES ENERGY EXPANSION
BY PAUL COCHRANE
WITH maturing fields, a need for more expansive upstream capabilities, and domestic energy demand spiking year on year, the United Arab Emirates is investing more than US$50 billion (Euro 36.6 billion) on oil and gas projects over the next three years to nearly double output capacity by 2020.…
MIGA CONSIDERS MAJOR GUARANTEE FOR GHANA OIL AND GAS PROJECT
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE MULTILATERAL Investment Guarantee Agency of the World Bank is considering guaranteeing US$260 million investment into a Ghana offshore oil and gas project. It would back Jubilee Ghana MV21 BV, a special-purpose Dutch company owning a floating production storage and offloading facility at the Jubilee Field, 60 kilometres offshore, operated by a subsidiary of Japan’s MODEC Inc.…
NATIVE HEALTH FOOD-BASED FLAVOURS WINNING OVER CHINESE
BY WANG FANGQING
ONE of the challenges for multinational food companies doing businesses in China is the cultural uniqueness of the world’s most populous country. But well aware of the riches that could be tapped, the international food industry is developing flavours and health traditions that accommodate Chinese tastes.…
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT WANTS ANTI-COUNTERFEITING AGREEMENT TALKS PUBLICISED
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Parliament is pressing for secret negotiations to frame a new global anti-counterfeiting agreement be opened. Talks to frame an Anti-Counterfeiting and Trade Agreement (ACTA) have been ongoing for two years, but the countries involved (mostly rich developed countries including the USA, the European Union and Japan) have kept the details under wraps; the parliament has been excluded from consultations.…
GLOBAL SAFETY STANDARD FOR ELECTRIC AND HYBRID CARS RELEASED
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE UN World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations has adopted a technical standard guaranteeing electric and hybrid car safety. This will enter European Union law, and probably regulations in Japan, South Korea and other European countries. The standard details protection from high voltage parts; mandates indication displays showing electric engines are on; and brakes preventing movement during recharging.…
HYDROGEN VEHICLES ON THE WAY TO MANUFACTURE UNDER AN EU AND INTERNATIONAL STANDARD
BY DEIRDRE MASON
THE ACCEPTANCE by European Union (EU) politicians of a common standard for hydrogen vehicles should make it considerably easier for manufacturers to sell vehicles to a continental rather than a national market.
It has now been more than two years since the EU executive – the European Commission – proposed a technical standard for manufacturers.…
GLOBAL SAFETY STANDARDS AGREED FOR HYBRID AND ELECTRIC CARS
BY KEITH NUTHALL
AFTER-SALES services maintaining electric and hybrid cars should in future receive better protection from shocks from the 500 volts coursing through their circuits. The UN’s World Forum for Harmonisation of Vehicle Regulations has adopted the first technical standard on electric/hybrid car safety.…
EU REPORT BLAMES HIGH TAXES AND LANGUAGE BARRIERS FOR STIFLING AUTO EXPORTS TO JAPAN
BY KEITH NUTHALL
IT will come as no surprise to auto companies that generating sales in Japan is a tough task. Facing intense domestic competition, complex and unique regulations, high taxes and a culture that is very different from western models, foreign auto companies often struggle in Japan.…
PAINT AND COATINGS INNOVATION IN JAPAN AND SOUTH KOREA HELP COMPANIES PULL OUT OF SLUMP
BY JULIAN RYALL and KARRYN MILLER
RETAINING a competitive advantage in a saturated market is never an easy task but the job becomes even more challenging during a financial slump. East Asia’s most developed countries Japan and South Korea have a strong record in technical innovation and their paint and coatings companies always bear close examination for inventions and good practice.…
JUST THE ANSWER - KIT KAT JAPAN BRAND MANAGER INTERVIEW
BY GAVIN BLAIR
Nestlé has been particularly innovative in the promotion of Kit Kat in Japan, with new and novel flavours being introduced alongside novel marketing campaigns. Just-food’s Gavin Blair spoke to Mr Yuji Takeuchi, Kit Kat brand manager at Nestlé Japan, to discover some of his marketing sophistry.…
FORMAL DRINKS INDUSTRY EDUCATION SYSTEMS GROWING WORLDWIDE
BY ALAN OSBORN, EMMA JACKSON, PAUL COCHRANE and JULIAN RYALL
INTRODUCTION
Professionalisation is a key trend in today’s drinks sector, particularly as export markets are growing fast in emerging markets. With brand loyalty up for grabs, it is critical for alcoholic drinks producers especially to maintain and raise quality.…
JAPANESE FOOD FIRMS FACING PRICE PRESSURE
BY GAVIN BLAIR
JAPANESE food companies are planning to further reduce prices, under pressure from retailers, according to a survey by leading business daily, the Nikkei. It has forecast that 40% of food and daily goods firms plan to cut prices in the coming financial year – beginning March.…
VIETNAM PAINT SECTOR STILL THRIVING DESPITE THE GLOBAL RECESSION
BY MARK ROWE
FOR a developing country dependent on exports to a world still groggy from recession, Vietnam and its paint industry have proved impressively resilient over the past 18 months.
According to the country’s ministry of planning and investment, industrial production value in January was 28.4% higher than the same period last year, and the government called for industry to cut back on imports in February to boost domestic production.…
ROBOTS FRESHEN UP THE PAINT AND COATINGS INDUSTRY
BY EMMA JACKSON
PAINT companies looking for an edge as they recover from the global financial crisis may find a solution in the form of robotics. Cost effective, efficient and consistent, robots are increasingly pushing out the humans who have traditionally helped manufacture paint and coatings or applied it to products such as cars and machinery.…
NORD STREAM CONSORTIUM ANNOUNCES NEW SUPPLIERS
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE CONSORTIUM operating the Nord Stream project gas pipelines between Russia and Germany has chosen the three companies supplying a second line. Europipe (Germany), OMK (Russia) and Sumitomo (Japan) will share a Euro 1 billion contract: Europipe will supply 65% of the steel pipes; OMK 25 %; and Sumitomo 10%.…
BRUSSELS REPORT BACKS INTERNATIONAL FOOD STANDARDS IN JAPAN
BY KEITH NUTHALL
A EUROPEAN Commission report has called on Japan to consider introducing international standards for food safety, saying the country’s tough national rules impeded EU food exporters from penetrating Japanese markets. Indeed the report assessed that EU food companies’ costs when selling into Japan rise at least 25% over domestic production costs.…
ASIA BEER MARKET IS WORLD'S NUMBER ONE AND SET TO CONTINUE GROWING
BY GAVIN BLAIR, FRANCES WANG, RAGHAVENDRA VERMA and KARRYN MILLER
The Asian beer market, having overtaken Europe, is now the largest in the world, according to Japanese brewery Kirin. The region accounts for 31.7% of global consumption, compared to 30.8% for Europe, claims the annual report from the Kirin Institute of Food and Lifestyle.…
NESTLÉ JAPAN VARIES KIT KAT WITH LOCAL FLAVOURS
BY GAVIN BLAIR
NESTLÉ Japan has added more distinct local flavours to its Kit Kat range, including regional speciality varieties that are exclusive to certain regions of Japan. The ‘matcha’ green tea flavour – ostensibly from the ancient capital of Kyoto – has been popular for years, and Nestlé has recently added new varieties such as ‘yuzu’ – a citrus fruit, soy sauce – from Tokyo, and melons – from the northern island of Hokkaido.…
JAPAN TOUGH MARKET THROUGH COMPETITION, TARIFFS AND RED TAPE SAYS BRUSSELS
BY KEITH NUTHALL
A EUROPEAN Commission report explaining the difficulty European Union (EU) clothing exporters have selling goods in Japan has noted: "Japan has a strong revealed comparative advantage in…textiles, clothing and footwear." It stressed steep average tariffs for EU clothing exports to Japan of 11.5%, with the highest duties being 12% (textiles average 6.5%, the highest being 12%).…
JAPAN TOUGH MARKET THROUGH COMPETITION, TARIFFS AND RED TAPE SAYS BRUSSELS
BY KEITH NUTHALL
A EUROPEAN Commission report explaining the difficulty European Union (EU) clothing exporters have selling goods in Japan has noted: "Japan has a strong revealed comparative advantage in…textiles, clothing and footwear." It stressed steep average tariffs for EU clothing exports to Japan of 11.5%, with the highest duties being 12% (textiles average 6.5%, the highest being 12%).…
FEED IN TARIFFS PROVING POPULAR WAY TO PROMOTE GREEN ENERGY
BY MARK ROWE and KEITH NUTHALL
THIS April, the UK will launch a feed-in tariff for electricity, which the government said will accelerate take-up of green energy among the general public. According to the European Commission’s energy directorate-general, the European Union (EU) already uses at least 20% more energy than is justified, which has led to twin concerns – the need to reduce consumption of fossil fuels and to encourage consumers to switch to green energy tariffs and sources.…
BRIGHT FUTURE AHEAD FOR INDIAN FOOD PROCESSING INDUSTRY
BY RAGHAVENDRA
INTRODUCTION
"INDIA can emerge as a leader in the global food processing industry," said Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in December 2009 while addressing a conference of food processing ministers of different Indian states in New Delhi, noting the country’s US$100 billion food processing sector grew by 14.7% in 2009.…
DIVERSIFYING ASIAN HAIR CARE TRENDS WIDEN MARKET FOR PERSONAL CARE PRODUCT MANUFACTURERS
BY WANG FANGQING
ASIA is opening up to the wider world culturally and its hair styles are becoming more varied as a result, allowing personal care product companies to sell a wider range of hair care lines.
With growing attention paid to appearances, Chinese consumers, for instance are spending more on their hair care.…
AEON TO END LICENSING DEAL WITH CARREFOUR
BY GAVIN BLAIR
JAPAN’S Aeon Co. will sever all its ties with Carrefour when its licensing deal expires on March 9, renaming six outlets and phasing out Carrefour-branded merchandise.
The French retailer struggled after opening its first Japan store in 2000.…
NORD STREAM PLACES ONE BILLION EURO CONTRACT FOR STEEL PIPES
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE CONSORTIUM operating the Nord Stream project gas pipelines between Russia and Germany has decided on the three companies who will supply the million tonnes of steel required to build a second line. Europipe (Germany), OMK (Russia) and Sumitomo (Japan) will share a Euro 1 billion contract: Europipe will supply 65% of the steel; OMK 25 %; and Sumitomo 10%.…
LITHIUM RECYCLING COULD BE IMPORTANT REVENUE SOURCE FOR RECYCLERS
BY DEIRDRE MASON, PACIFICA GODDARD, GAVIN BLAIR and KEITH NUTHALL
NEW technologies devour new resources and the move towards hybrid and electric vehicles could make some currently impoverished countries rich. As the world moves away from fossil fuels, the soft metal lithium will become increasingly in demand as a critical component of auto batteries for green cars.…
PAINTING ROOFS AND ROADS WHITE - GROWING BUSINESS FOR THE US PAINTING AND COATING INDUSTRY
BY ANCA GURZU, MARK ROWE, PAUL COCHRANE AND KARRYN MILLER
THE COPENHAGEN conference on global warming may failed to have delivered a comprehensive global warming deal, but it did at least highlight an international consensus on the need to fight climate change and conserve energy: as a result, the global sales of paints and coatings that reflect heat and hence reduce the need for air conditioning are likely to rise.…
ITO YOKADO TO FURTHER REDUCE HQ HEADCOUNT, REDEPLOY STAFF TO STORES
BY GAVIN BLAIR
JAPAN’S Ito-Yokado, the supermarket arm of Seven & I Holdings, is to further reduce the employee headcount at its Tokyo group headquarters, redeploying about 12% of its staff to retail outlets.
The head office workforce had already been reduced from around 1,000 to the current 820 in the year to February 2008, but the continuing downturn in consumer spending has forced further reductions.…
JR EAST RAILWAY TO BUY SUPERMARKET CHAIN
BY GAVIN BLAIR
JR EAST Railway Co, formerly a division of Japan National Railways, is buying Kiknokuniya’s 17-store chain of high-end Tokyo-area food supermarkets. The deal will see JR East open new stores to further boost retail operations in its lucrative station malls, which already clock up a trillion yen (US$11.2 billion) in annual sales.…
MEXICO-BASED TOBACCO COMPANIES STAY POSITIVE DESPITE SETBACKS
BY KARRYN MILLER
WHEN Mexico’s economy faced a sharp decline last year, few industries were spared – tobacco included. A downturn in the world economy teamed with a slew of factors made a dent in the country’s tobacco sales. But in spite of this tobacco companies have remained positive.…
CHINA DOMINATES EXPLORATION AND PURCHASES OF MONGOLIA'S PROMISING OIL RESOURCES
BY MARK GODFREY
IT has not traditionally featured on prospectors’ radar but Mongolia is quickly emerging as an Asian oil exporter. Thanks to rising oil demand from China, the Petroleum Authority of Mongolia has inked production-sharing agreements on 12 oil fields with explorers from north America, Australia and China.…
MOLDOVA REMAINS FERTILE GROUND FOR TOBACCO SMUGGLING RINGS
BY MARK ROWE
MOLDOVA would appear to fit the description of a far away country about which the world knows nothing. But its location, adjacent to Romania, (one of the two most recent European Union (EU) member states, Ukraine, the Black Sea and the disputed, politically uncertain region of Transnistria (which remains formally part of Moldovan territory, while its government has little authority there), is extremely familiar, and favoured, by counterfeit cigarette producers and traffickers.…
LITHIUM RECYCLING COULD BE IMPORTANT REVENUE SOURCE FOR RECYCLERS
BY DEIRDRE MASON, PACIFICA GODDARD, GAVIN BLAIR and KEITH NUTHALL
NEW technologies devour new resources and the move towards hybrid and electric vehicles could make some currently impoverished countries rich. As the world moves away from fossil fuels, the soft metal lithium will become increasingly in demand as a critical component of auto batteries for green cars.…
EXPANSION INTO PERIPHERAL REGIONS A NEW PRIORITY FOR MARKET MAKERS
BY MARK GODFREY
A SLUMP in exports dented China’s economic growth in 2008, but a strong recovery which lifted GDP growth to 10% in the second half of 2009 appears to have ensured strong retail sales across all fronts. That is why growth of cosmetics sales in China remained strong at 10% in 2009, according to the China Association of Fragrance Flavour and Cosmetic Industries (CAFFCI).…
CLOTHING AND TEXTILE MANUFACTURERS WORLDWIDE LOOK FOR COMPETITIVE EDGE IN FIBRE INNOVATION
BY PHILIPPA JONES
WITH so much competition in design and price within the apparel and textile sector, manufacturers are always looking for an edge. One way in which they can steal a march on competitors is with fibre innovation. And with new technology allowing the incorporation of increasingly complex arrays of chemicals and particles, even on the nano-scale, the opportunities to develop a revolutionary new fibre or mix of fibres are maybe greater today than ever before.…
LITHIUM TO BECOME THE NEW OIL IN HYBRID/ELECTRIC AUTO WORLD
BY PACIFICA GODDARD, ANCA GURZU, GAVIN BLAIR and KEITH NUTHALL
NEW technologies devour new resources and the move towards hybrid and electric vehicles could make some currently impoverished countries rich. As the world moves away from fossil fuels, the soft metal lithium will become increasingly in demand as a critical component of auto batteries for green cars.…
GLOBAL ROUND UP OF 2009 CLOTHING AND TEXTILE NEWS
BY KEITH NUTHALL
A YEAR of struggle would be the best way to sum up 2009 as far as the global clothing and textile industry is concerned. The depth and severity of the worldwide recession left many clothing and textile companies reeling, even impacting upon China, which had previously been dominating global markets.…
ASAHI SAYS WAR CHEST CAN BE BASED ON REVENUE AND BORROWING
BY GAVIN BLAIR
JAPAN’S Asahi Breweries has said it plans to build a Japanese Yen JPY400 billion (US$4.5 billion) war chest for overseas acquisitions by 2012 without raising cash from shareholders, instead using loans and revenue. Company officials have predicted it will earn Yen 360 billion (US$4 billion) by 2012 from overseas holdings including Schweppes Australia and Tsingtao Brewery in China.…
CHINA FACES WTO DISPUTES PANEL OVER NON-FERROUS METAL EXPORT RESTRICTIONS
BY KEITH NUTHALL
CHINA has come under increased pressure to scrap export restrictions on certain key non-ferrous metals, with the World Trade Organisation (WTO) establishing a disputes panel to adjudicate complaints about these rules. With the European Union (EU) being joined by the United States and Mexico as formal parties to this dispute, the outlook could be serious for China if it loses.…
SEVEN & I HOLDINGS ONLINE LAUNCH JAPAN INTERNET MALL
BY GAVIN BLAIR
JAPAN-based food retailer Seven & I Holdings has opened a new online mall, ‘Seven Net Shopping’, stocked with five million items.
The service consolidates the online presence of the group’s department stores, supermarkets and convenience stores, while adding 32 outside specialist retailers, including record labels and an animation studio.…
CHINA'S NUCLEAR POWER SPAWNING DIVERSE LOCAL EQUIPMENT MAKERS
BY MARK GODFREY
CHINA’S ambitious expansion of nuclear power capacity is driving a booming supply industry, with companies quickly diversifying into the sector. For instance, based in southerly Guangxi province, engineering firm OVM Co has segued into nuclear equipment after making cables and pipes for civil engineering.…
TOBACCO TRAVELLER - COLLECTION 2009 - RUSSIA
BY MARK ROW
THERE are 44 million smokers in Russia, and 31% of Russians smoke. Male smoking rates (61%) are among the highest in the world, while female smoking rates have more than doubled from 1991 to 2008 from 7% to 15%, according to Tabakprom, the Russian cigarette manufacturer’s association (NOTE – SPELLING IS CORRECT).…
ETHIOPIA'S 'SESAME STREET' WINS EDUCATION MEDIA AWARD
BY KEITH NUTHALL
AN ETHIOPIAN version of the popular USA television show ‘Sesame Street’ has won an UNESCO award for showing how televised puppetry can promote children’s learning in developing countries. ‘Tsehai Loves Learning’, which screens on Ethiopian national television ETV features a knowledge hungry giraffe called Tsehai and his friend Mr Turtle.…
TOBACCO TRAVELLER - COLLECTION 2009 - SERBIA
BY MARK ROWE
ACCORDING to World Health Organisation (WHO) data, 33% of women and 51% of men smoke in Serbia, and per capita consumption of cigarettes remained constant at around 80 packs per year between 2005 and 2009.
Sales of boxes of cigarettes have declined since 2004, but this trend accelerated in 2008 when 520,825,787 boxes were sold, a significant drop from 2007 when 573,297,364 were sold, according to the Serbian government statistics department.…
ENVIRONMENTAL SCENTS - A GROWING SIDELINE FOR PERFUME HOUSES
BY EMMA JACKSON
FRAGRANCE houses know how to bottle scents – that’s their job and expertise. But scent is not only for graceful necks and pampered wrists; it can also market products, create ambiance, or add realism to a museum exhibit.…
TOBACCO TRAVELLER - COLLECTION 2009 - TURKEY
BY PAUL COCHRANE
THE VALUE of the Turkish tobacco market is projected to increase by 8% in 2009, up from Turkish Lira (TL)18.596 billion (Euro 8.4 billion) in 2008 to TL 20.160 billion (Euro 9.1 billion) on the back of industry price increases and a rise in excise tax in June, according to British American Tobacco (BAT).…
GROWTH OF ECOTAXES GIVE GLOBAL AUTO SECTOR CAUSE FOR CONCERN
BY DEIRDRE MASON GAVIN BLAIR ANCA GURZU and KEITH NUTHALL
AS the Copenhagen conference charged with forging a new international climate change treaty gets under way this month, the auto industry worldwide will be looking closely at how the deliberations will affect its business.…
EUROPEAN TOBACCO INDUSTRY PLAGUED BY DECLINE AND TOUGH REGULATION
BY ALAN OSBORN
MEASURED by what’s been happening in the European cigarette market over the past 10 to 15 years, 2008 – and what we’ve seen of 2009 so far – hasn’t been that bad. It may not have been good, exactly, but considering the global recession few people will have been looking for uplift.…
NUCLEAR SAFETY REPORT ISSUED BY JAPAN ON TOKAIMURA ACCIDENT
BY JULIAN RYALL
TO mark one decade since the worst accident in the history of the nation’s nuclear power industry, the Nuclear Safety Commission of Japan (NSC) has released a report in which it analyses the lessons learned in the 1999 Tokaimura incident and the efforts regulators need to take to ensure future safety in the industry.…
KNITWEAR SIZING DIFFERENCES AROUND THE WORLD
BY LEE ADENDORFF, WANG FANGQING, and ANCA GURZU
FOR consumers, sizing is easy – you know your size and you can tell if it has changed. But for knitwear manufacturers exporting internationally, sizing correctly for various regions can be a frustrating task.…
TOBACCO TRAVELLER - COLLECTION 2009 - SOUTH AFRICA
BY BILL CORCORAN
SOUTH Africa’s legal cigarette market has witnessed small annual increases in sales over the past few years, following a decade-long downturn.
Cigarette consumption for 2008 has been estimated at nearly 25 billion sticks compared to 23.6 billion in 2006.…
SYRIAN TOBACCO MARKET THRIVING
BY PAUL COCHRANE
THE SYRIAN tobacco market, dominated by the state-run General Organisation of Tobacco (GOT), is witnessing substantial growth on the back of rising domestic demand and export of Syrian tobacco leaf, with average annual growth of 10% to 13%, according to the GOT.…
BRUSSELS TO SPEND EURO 3 MILLION PROMOTING FRANCE, PORTUGAL ITALY WINES AND SPIRITS
BY KEITH NUTHALL
The European Commission will spend around Euro 3 million on promoting sales outside the European Union (EU) of French spirits, Italian and Portuguese wines over the next three years. It is spending Euro 1.2 million on marketing and information campaigns in Japan and north America coordinated by Italian wine federation Federdoc; Euro 1 million promoting Portuguese ‘vinho verde’ wines within China, Norway, Latin and north America, campaigns organised by the Comissão de Viticultura da Região dos Vinhos Verdes; and Euro 912 million on promoting Cognac, with campaigns in China, Russia and north America coordinated by France’s Bureau National Interprofessionnel du Cognac (BNIC).…
TOBACCO TRAVELER - UNITED STATES
BY ANCA GURZU
The USA tobacco manufacturing (and leaf) industry has been facing tough times, with its habitual trade surplus dwindling to almost nothing. The USA’s Tobacco Merchants Association (TMA) reported a US$603.7 million trading surplus at the end of 2008, which was 32.5% less than the 2007 surplus of US$894.3 million.…
TOBACCO TRAVELLER - COLLECTION 2009 - EGYPT, TUNISIA, SYRIA AND IRAN
BY PAUL COCHRANE
EGYPT
Eastern Tobacco Company
450 Al Ahram Street, Giza
Tel : +20-18-5724711- 5724332 – 5724945
+20-23-5793326
www.easternegypt.com
British American Tobacco Egypt
City Stars Complex
Star Capital – Tower 4A
Omar Ebn El Khattab Street
Postal Code 11771
Heliopolis, Cairo
T: (+20) 2 480 1080
Japan Tobacco International (Regional)
2nd Floor, Lophitis Business Centre
249, 28th October Street & Emiliou Hourmouziou Corner
CY-3035, Lemesos
P.O.…
INDIA PUSH FOR ORGANIC FOOD EXPORTS
BY RAGHAVENDRA VERMA
INDIA will strongly promote the export of organic food items to European Union (EU), United States, Switzerland, Japan and South Korea, the country’s Agriculture and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) has announced. It wants to double exports from their current level of US$100 million in 2008.…
LUXURY FASHION DEMAND INCREASES IN SOUTH KOREA, DESPITE RECESSION
BY KARRYN MILLER
TAKE a stroll through any of South Korea’s Lotte department stores on the weekend and you could be mistaken that the recession has ended. It is here you’ll see droves of affluent consumers inspecting the latest in luxury fashion before snapping it off the shelves.…
JAPAN, CHINA AGREE ON FOOD SAFETY INITIATIVE
BY JULIAN RYALL
TOKYO and Beijing have agreed to work together to ensure that there is no repeat of food poisoning cases from imported frozen food from China.
Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama proposed the "food safety promotion initiative" in talks with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao in Beijing at the weekend.…
PUBLIC PROCUREMENT OUTSIDE THE EU - A TOUGH CALL
BY KEITH NUTHALL
ONE of the lynchpins of the European Union’s (EU) single market is its public procurement rules, which try to ensure pubic authorities, and some utilities and transmission operators, openly tender for their major purchases. The aim is that all EU suppliers have a fair crack of the whip in offering them goods and services.…
TOBACCO TRADE BETWEEN EU AND SOUTH KOREA COULD BE BOOSTED BY NEW TRADE DEAL
BY KARRYN MILLER, KEITH NUTHALL and ALAN OSBORN
DESPITE following the global trend of increasing anti-smoking campaigns and placing stronger warning labels on cigarette packets, tobacco sales in South Korea are not declining. In fact, the industry has seen a slow but steady rise in total sales over the last few years.…
EUROPEAN COMMISSION WARNS OF ANTI-RECESSION POLICY TRADE BARRIERS FOR AUTO SECTOR
BY KEITH NUTHALL
A DETAILED European Commission report has listed trade barriers impeding European Union (EU) automobile, parts and components sales imposed to protect export market industries from the recession. Brussels fears that while these restrictions were designed to help vulnerable businesses survive the recession, they could cause long-term damage to Europe’s auto manufacturers.…
THE DANGERS OF DOING BUSINESS WITH BURMA
BY DINAH GARDNER
BURMA is both a dream and a nightmare for energy companies. First, it is undoubtedly resource rich. According to the BP Statistical Review, the country had 0.49 million cubic metres (17.5 trillion cubic feet) of proven natural gas reserves at the end of 2008, roughly the same as Vietnam.…
OIL AND GAS PROJECTS IN THE TIMOR SEA FINALLY GAIN MOMENTUM
BY KARRYN MILLER
IN 2004, Australia and its newly independent neighbour Timor-Leste’s (East Timor) failure to agree how to exploit the abundant hydrocarbons of the Timor Sea’s Greater Sunrise Fields has delayed this project for five years. However, according to a spokesperson from Australia’s department of foreign affairs and trade, "a decision about the preferred development method will be reached in the coming months."…
SOUTH KOREA COSMETICS - A BOOMING MARKET, BUT A LOCALLY-SPECIFIC ONE
BY ANDREW SALMON
AFTER passing the fortress-like medieval gate of Namdaemun, visitors enter central Seoul’s traditional shopping quarter: a jumbled maze of stalls and alleyways. A 15-minute walk through the raucous bustle of this 600-year old market, leads to its modern equivalent: The neon-lit, pedestrianised square mile of Myeong Dong.…
COSMETICS INGREDIENT DIVERSION TO ILLICIT DRUG MANUFACTURERS MAY NEVER BE STOPPED
BY EMMA JACKSON
REAPPLYING perfume ten times a day may not count as an addiction, but the ingredients found in your favourite scent could certainly lead to one: cosmetic ingredients have been historically targeted by clandestine drug manufacturers as sources of chemicals used to produce illicit street drugs such as cocaine, heroin and methamphetamines.…
SOUTHEAST ASIA IS DIVERSE POTENTIAL GOLDMINE FOR MAJOR CONFECTIONERY MANUFACTURERS
BY WILLIAM BARNES
IN Southeast Asia confectionery is important, perhaps deceptively so.
"No Asiatic regime practices the art of confectionery," opined Richard Sterling in his robust book, "The Fearless Diner."
Sterling may have been to too many Chinese-style banquets, where an abrupt finish is common.…
ITALIAN TOBACCO PRODUCERS DECIDE TO MAKE MOST OF EU LIBERALISATION REFORMS
BY ERIC J LYMAN
AS the final phase of the European Union’s (EU) tobacco sector reform gets set to go into effect, indications are that Europe’s largest tobacco producing country, Italy, is better prepared than it was for the earlier phases.…
TOYOTA PLOT UK MANUFACTURE AND SALE OF NEW SUPER-EFFICIENT HYBRID CAR
BY JULIAN RYALL
TOYOTA Motor Corp is to release an ultra-efficient and reasonably priced hybrid car worldwide in 2011, with the British market a top target for sales.
The compact hybrid will have a fuel-efficiency of 40 kilometres per litre – making it the best-performing mass-produced hybrid in the world – with a price tag of Yen 1.5 million (GBPounds 9,622) in Japan.…
LOCAL PRODUCTION AND RECESSION MAKES UAE RECOVERED STEEL MARKET A TOUGH NUT TO CRACK
BY PAUL COCHRANE
OVER the past five years steel production has struggled to keep pace with demand in the Gulf, particularly the United Arab Emirates (UAE), as hundreds of billions of dollars worth of construction projects sprung up in the desert.…
ECO PAINTS PROVIDE HOPE FOR AUSTRALIA COATINGS SECTOR IN A SLUGGISH MARKET
BY KARRYN MILLER
AUSTRALIA’S paint and coatings manufacturers have not felt the burden of the economic downturn equally. "Generally speaking, sales are down, but some product lines have experienced growth because they are replacing products that are being phased out," explained Daniel Wurm, managing director of Greenpainters Ltd, a non-profit network promoting sustainable paint and coatings technology in Australia.…
CITIBANK JAPAN CENSURED OVER WEAK ANTI-MONEY LAUNDERING CONTROLS
BY JULIAN RYALL
CITIBANK Japan Ltd. restarted sales activities at its retail banking division on August 14, after the Japanese Financial Services Agency ordered sales be halted for one month because the bank had failed to maintain required standards to control money laundering.…
FURTHER GLOOM HITS KANSAI AS PASSENGER NUMBERS FALL AGAIN
BY GAVIN BLAIR
WOES continue at Osaka’s Kansai International Airport where passenger numbers fell 34% for the first half of 2009, to an average of 28,600-a-day, hit by the recession and influenza worries, the airport announced July 29.
Already mired in debt and saddled with the highest landing fees in the world, Kansai is struggling to hold on to existing airlines, never mind attract new flights it needs to start breaking even.…
NORDIC FOOD MARKETS MOVE TOWARDS FUNCTIONAL HEALTH AND ORGANIC FOODS, BUT OBESITY IS STILL ON THE RISE
BY GERARD O’DWYER
FOR those seduced by the idea that Nordic countries are full of healthy statuesque blond super-beings eating perfect diets and exercising regularly, it may come as something of a surprise to learn that obesity is on the rise in the region.…
CHINA TOBACCO SALES GROW, BUT TAXES RISE AND ANTI-SMOKERS GATHER STRENGTH
BY WANG FANGQING
GONE are the days when it was only rich developed country markets which punished cigarette sales with high duties. In the past six months, the biggest (and gloomiest) news for China’s cigarette manufacturers has been the change in consumption tax (an excise tax) – it was raised as high as 56% depending on the tobacco product, along with an additional 5% ad valorem wholesale price-based tax.…
BRUSSELS AND WASHINGTON HIT STALEMATE OVER FURTHER OPEN SKIES DEAL
BY ALAN OSBORN
THESE are uncertain times for international aviation deals generally thanks to the global recession, but nowhere is the situation more fraught than in Washington where negotiations for the second stage of the 2007 ‘open skies’ agreement between the European Union (EU) and the USA appear to have run into the buffers.…
COPENHAGEN SUMMIT OFFERS TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER OPPORTUNITIES FOR POWER PRODUCERS
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THERE is a sense, in the rivers of documents pouring from international talks to replace the Kyoto Protocol with a new global warming treaty in Copenhagen this December that the chickens are really coming home to roost.
For the first time – at July’s G8 summit in Italy – there was a common near-universal declaration that humankind has been messing up the climate and has to stop filling the atmosphere with carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.…
JAPAN: Aromatherapy really works say Japanese scientists
By Monica Dobie
Cosmetics and natural oils producers will be able to commercially exploit new Japanese research that has suggested that aromatherapy, the use of fragrant oils to promote health and well being, does have scientific credibility in that certain scents really do decrease stress levels.…
EBRD BACKS MONGOLIAN CASHMERE PRODUCER
BY KEITH NUTHALL
A NICHE producer of cashmere in Mongolia is being backed by a European Bank for Reconstruction & Development (EBRD) loan of US$800,000. The bank wants to boost the competitiveness of Ezio Foradori, a Mongolian-owned cashmere production company in the capital Ulan Bator.…
GLOBAL FOOD COMMODITY PRICE VOLATILITY HERE TO STAY
BY ANDREW CAVE
Food commodity prices are seldom out of the news nowadays, due to a mushrooming global population, the food-for-fuel controversy, an increasing focus on sustainability and the continued growth of the organic sector. However, beyond the generality of crop prices spiralling to new highs in 2007 and 2008 and then plummeting – in some cases – back to where they were before the boom, the picture is far from uniform.…
EBRD BACKS MONGOLIAN CASHMERE PRODUCER
BY KEITH NUTHALL
A NICHE producer of cashmere in Mongolia is being backed by a European Bank for Reconstruction & Development (EBRD) loan of US$800,000. The bank wants to boost the competitiveness of Ezio Foradori, a Mongolian-owned cashmere production company in the capital Ulan Bator.…
CLOTHING CULTURE: HAW FAR MUST INTERNATIONAL DESIGNERS CUT THEIR CLOTH TO SUIT LOCAL TASTES
BY PHILIPPA JONES, in Paris; LEE ADENDORFF, in Lucca, Italy; KARRYN MILLER, in Tokyo; and LUCY JONES, in Dallas
IT almost seems commonsense to say that an industry providing such a human product as clothing has to take account of cultural sensibilities in target markets.…
GREEN REGULATION OF AUTO SECTOR SPREADS AND DEEPENS WORLDWIDE
BY ALAN OSBORN, in London; RUSSELL BERMAN, in Washington DC; JULIAN RYALL, in Tokyo; RAGHAVENDRA VERMA, in New Delhi; BY WANG FANGQING, in Shanghai; EMMA JACKSON, in Ottawa; KARRYN MILLER; and KEITH NUTHALL
THE AUTOMOBILE sector maybe one of the most globally integrated manufacturing industries on the planet, but national governments (or continental bodies in Europe) still hold sway regarding regulation.…
JAPANESE GIANTS PUSH FOR MERGER APPROVAL TO STRENGTHEN THEIR POSITION AT HOME AND ABROAD
BY JULIAN RYALL
THE CONFIRMATION on Monday that Japan’s two largest drinks companies – Kirin and Suntory – are in discussions on merging their operations may have caught the industry by surprise, but the reasons for the move have quickly become apparent.…
INNOVATION ABOUNDS IN DEVELOPING SECOND GENERATION BIOFUELS
BY MARK ROWE and GAVIN BLAIR
THE ANSWER to the world’s future fuel needs may be literally all around us, and freely available in abundance, thanks to the throw-away society of the 21st century. Bioenergy, produced from all matter of waste products, from wood chips, to agricultural husks and slurry, has been steadily elevated up the list of potential sources of energy that will be required in a low-carbon world.…
AVIATION INDUSTRY INNOVATES TO MOVE AWAY FROM KEROSENE FUEL DEPENDENCE
BY MARK ROWE
ACCORDING to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), today’s world aircraft fleet is about 65% more fuel-efficient than in 1970. Between 1990 and 2000, fuel efficiency improved by 17%. Furthermore, the clean technology of modern aircraft engines has almost eliminated emissions of carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons.…
INDIA STARTS TO DEVELOP INTEGRATED FASHION SECTOR WITH GLOBAL PUNCH
BY RAGHAVENDRA VERMA
STANDFIRST
The Indian clothing sector is emerging from its traditional image as an outsourcing-hub image and establishing its own brands that sell modern design and high quality garments in the international market. A resurgent economy still growing during the current global economic downturn and the official encouragement of entrepreneurial freedom have brought forward talented designers to challenge established names in the business.…
MAX PLANCK SOCIETY WARNS EUROPE LAGS BEHIND IN PHARMA RESEARCH
BY KEITH NUTHALL
A SENIOR official from Germany’s renowned Max Planck Institute has warned that Europe is "lagging behind" Japan and the United States regarding innovation, especially in the pharmaceutical sector. Ivan Baines, the institute’s head of technology transfer warned a Brussels conference that tough European Union "gold standard" health regulations were deterring research into new medicines.…
EMEA PUSHES FORWARD ON INTERNATIONAL PHARMACEUTICAL HARMONISATION
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Medicines Agency (EMEA) has released documents pushing global approximation of pharmaceutical industry regulation for some key topics. EMEA is a key member of the International Conference on Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Registration of Pharmaceuticals for Human Use (ICH) project.…
INTERNET SALES COULD BE ROUTE FOR POORLY REGULATE NANO-COSMETICS TO ENTER EU MARKET
BY PHILIPPA JONES
THE RISK of unsafe nanoparticles making their way over the Atlantic to the European Union in cosmetic products is unlikely through standard channels, but there is a risk regarding Internet sales warned Gerald Renner, director of science and research at Colipa, the European Cosmetics Association.…
ASICS THRIVE IN RECESSION BY STICKING TO CORE SPORTS BUSINESS
BY JULIAN RYALL
CORE values have served Japan’s Asics Corporation well down the years, and are continuing to do so at a time when the world is trying to come to grips with the worst global economic crisis in living memory.…
WORLDWIDE FINANCIAL INTELLIGENCE UNITS MOVE TOWARDS OPERATIONAL ROLE AND AWAY FROM POLICY
BY ALAN OSBORN, LUCY JONES, RAGHAVENDRA VERMA, JULIAN RYALL, and KARRYN MILLER
THERE are 108 recognised Financial Intelligence Units (FIUs) throughout the world and more are being created every year as the fight against international money laundering becomes ever more global.…
GERMAN CONFECTIONERY MACHINE MANUFACTURER KNOWS THE VALUE OF DEMONSTRATING PRODUCTION
BY ESTRID STROLL, in Leingarten, Germany, and KEITH NUTHALL
JAPAN and Germany are maybe the world’s top ranking electrical engineering companies, so it is no surprise that the Baden-Württemburg-based and Japanese-owned Hosokawa Bepex GmbH has a solid reputation for producing confectionary manufacturing machines.…
DRINKS INDUSTRY LOBBYISTS - A GLOBAL REVIEW
BY KEITH NUTHALL, ALAN OSBORN, DAVID HAWORTH, RUSSELL BERMAN, MARK GODFREY and GAVIN BLAIR
INTRODUCTION
WHILE the drinks industry is undoubtedly an important sector in the global economy, the honest truth is that there are bigger players in town: the IT sector, steel making, and food, to name a handful.…
BANGLADESH AUTO SALES LEVEL OFF BUT EXPECTED TO REBOUND
BY MARK GODFREY
AUTOMOBILE sales are down slightly this year in Bangladesh, after a decade of dramatic growth in vehicle ownership. Fluctuating orders for the country’s export-dependent garments industry is depressing sales of vehicles, commented Shah Khaled Pavel, assistant manager for sales at Navana Ltd, Bangladesh’s largest dealership for new Toyota cars.…
EU ROUND UP - TURKS AND AZERIS SIGN UP TO NABUCCO DEAL
BY KEITH NUTHALL
A SHOT in the arm has been provided for the European Union’s (EU) Nabucco pipeline project, with Turkey, Georgia and Azerbaijan signing an agreement with the EU backing the project. In return for promising to work towards bringing Caspian gas to western European markets by 2014, the EU has made pledges on ensuring there is demand for gas and oil reaching Europe through ‘southern corridor’ routes bypassing Russia and Ukraine.…
INNOVATION IN DRINKS PACKAGING MORE INTENSE THAN EVER IN GLOBALLY COMPETITIVE MARKETPLACE
BY MARK ROWE, in London; KARRYN CARTELLE, in TOKYO; RUSSELL BERMAN, in Washington DC; and MONICA DOBIE, in Ottawa
INNOVATION in drinks packaging is more intense today than it has been for decades, with cutting edge innovation in intelligent materials, microchip integration and nanomaterials allowing designers to create boxes, bottles, cans and sacks that they could not dream of before.…
ASIAN ACCOUNTING EXPERTS RESPOND TO G20 GLOBAL FINANCIAL REGULATION REFORMS - JAPAN
BY JULIAN RYALL
JAPAN’S accounting industry has broadly welcomed the proposals that have emerged from the G20 meeting in London last week as "important" and "positive," but warned that there needs to be more action to back up the words if there are to be meaningful improvements in financial controls that transcend international borders.…
USE OF BIOFUELS GROWING IN GLOBAL AVIATION
BY KARRYN MILLER
"THE STONE Age did not end for lack of stone, and the oil age will end long before the world runs out of oil," said Sheik Ahmed Zaki Yamani in 2003, former oil minister of Saudi Arabia. Six years on Mr Yamani’s words appear to ring true more than ever before – with alternative fuels becoming a viable petroleum substitute.…
RAPEX ALERTS CONSUMER PROTECTORS ABOUT DANGEROUS GLUE
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Union (EU) consumer alert service RAPEX has warned consumer protection authorities about an the import into the EU of an Japan-made fast super glue, deemed breaking the EU chemical restrictions directive by containing 30% chloroform. The problem Osaka-manufactured glue was spotted by German consumer authorities.…
INDIA'S PAINT AND COATINGS SECTOR EMERGING QUICKLY FROM GLOBAL RECESSION
BY RAGHAVENDRA VERMA
THE INDIAN paint and coating industry is currently passing through a significant transitional phase – being forced to shift its production from solvent-based to water-based products. The high crude oil prices in 2008 so increased the cost of raw materials that despite the fall in prices from last summer, many paint manufacturers have had little option but to move away from oil-based coatings.…
RECESSION PROVOKES INCREASED RELIANCE ON CHINESE MARKETS FOR HONG KONG KNITWEAR PRODUCERS
BY MARK GODFREY
THE EMPTINESS of the Giordano store in the departures terminal at massive Baiyun International Airport outside the southern Chinese megapolis of Guangzhou suggests hard times for Hong Kong’s most vaunted and ambitious apparel retailer. This is the capital of wealthy Guangzhou province after all, the manufacturing base for most of Hong Kong’s garment firms.…
INDIA'S TOBACCO SECTOR IS STILL A GIANT, DESPITE ATTACKS ON SMOKING BY ITS GOVERNMENT
BY RAGHAVENDRA VERMA
INDIA’S US$12.4 billion annual turnover tobacco industry is passing through a difficult period, with little hope for a better future, despite its continued large size – this estimate coming from the Tobacco Institute of India for sales of all tobacco products, chewing tobacco and beedis.…
BANGLADESH KNITWEAR SECTOR REMAINS STRONG DESPITE GLOBAL RECESSION'S CONTINUED PRESSURE
BY MARK GODFREY
WITH the global recession raging across most of the world, Bangladesh’s knitwear sector is maintaining a strong commercial position and looks better geared to survive the economic downturn than some of its regional competitors. Orders have only dipped marginally say local knitwear producers.…
PERSONAL CARE PRODUCT INDUSTRY FIGHTS TO PRESERVE ITS REPUTATION AGAINST COUNTERFEITERS AND PIRATES
BY KEITH NUTHALL, JULIAN RYALL, in Tokyo, EMMA JACKSON and LEAH GERMAIN
TIME was when counterfeit personal care products were commonly crude fake perfumes pedalled in markets and workplaces during the Christmas and other festive periods to bargain hunters who knew they were buying rubbish.…
EU FRAUD INVESTIGATORS TO GET HELP WITH JAPAN PROBES
BY KEITH NUTHALL
INTERNATIONAL fraud investigators facing the tough challenge of securing evidence of crimes within Japan may get assistance from a new projected mutual legal assistance agreement. The European Commission has received authorisation from the European Union (EU) Council of Ministers to negotiate such a deal with Japan.…
ITER STARTS WORK IN EARNEST: MILLIONS OF EUROS AVAILABLE FOR ITS NUCLEAR FUSION RESEARCH
BY KEITH NUTHALL, EMMA JACKSON and ALAN OSBORN
DESPITE widespread initial scepticism about its viability, the ITER project to build the world’s first commercial nuclear fusion reactor is now under way. It is employing specialists (nearly 300 staff and rising at the end of 2008); releasing Euro millions in research and procurement funding; and in November of last year moved into its headquarters, in Cadarache, southern France, which is where the first nuclear fusion reactor will be built on a 180 hectare site.…
JAPANESE CONFECTIONERY INDUSTRY ROBUST IN RECESSION
BY JULIAN RYALL
THEY may be putting off the new car purchase and the long-haul holiday this year, but Japanese consumers are finding that they cannot do without all their little luxuries.
For the 25th consecutive month, confectionery sales increased in Japan in January.…
NUCLEAR POWER GENERATION HAS EXPERIENCED A ROLLER COASTER RIDE OF DEVELOPMENT AND DOUBT
BY KEITH NUTHALL, EMMA JACKSON and ALAN OSBORN
Although today’s nuclear technology is used primarily to produce electricity, meeting about 14.2% of the world’s demand, the birth of nuclear power, like many technologies, was not intended for civilian use. Rather, it was used to harness a militaristic advantage at the onset of the Second World War.…
INTRODUCTION - NUCLEAR ENERGY ANSWERS ITS CRITICS
BY KEITH NUTHALL, EMMA JACKSON and ALAN OSBORN
IN the early 1990s the nuclear power industry faced a bleak outlook. High profile accidents such as in Chernobyl and Three Mile Island in, Pennsylvania, the USA, had raised public concern about the safety of the industry to all time high.…
NUCLEAR ENGINEERING HIGHER EDUCATION STRUGGLING TO KEEP UP WITH RENEWED DEMAND FOR ITS COURSES AND EXPERTISE
BY KEITH NUTHALL, EMMA JACKSON and ALAN OSBORN
FEW things say more about the growing enthusiasm for nuclear power than the rush of young students eager to make a career in the industry. It is happening mainly in America but other countries are now beginning to see the same development.…
AUSTRALIAN BUTTER INDUSTRY IN GOOD POSITION TO WEATHER GLOBAL RECESSION
BY KARRYN MILLER
AUSTRALIA, as with the bulk of westernised nations, has classified butter as a staple food rather than a luxury item. Sales of the dairy spread have long reflected this and Aussie butter has enjoyed steady demand both locally and abroad.…
CHINA SPEEDS UP NUCLEAR POWER PROJECTS
BY WANG FANGQING
THE GLOBAL recession has forced China, whose economy relies largely on exports, to turn to boosting its domestic economy with a budget as huge as four trillion Chinese Yuan – RMB (US$ 585 billion) being unveiled last November by the central government.…
CHINA WINE SECTOR PUSHING AHEAD AS GROWING MIDDLE CLASS DEVELOPS TASTE SOPHISTICATION
BY MARK GODFREY
BARRY Lee is probably typical of Chinese wine drinkers. The auto-sales accountant started off drinking a local Great Wall red at an office lunch, then got curious and went to a Beijing branch of the French Carrefour supermarket chain where he spent RMB78 (US$11.40) on a bottle of Chilean red.…
SOUTH AMERICA OFFERS TOBACCO MAJORS LUCRATIVE MARKETS, DESPITE TIGHTENING REGULATION
BY PACIFICA GODDARD
WHILE net revenues for tobacco product sales in some key countries in South America have experienced growth in the last few years, in general the regional tobacco product market is stagnant. Producers blame increased excise rates, public health awareness, and new and more rigidly enforced regulations for the gloom.…
INTERNATIONAL REPORT ON FOOD AND DRINK REGULATORS WORLDWIDE
BY ALAN OSBORN
STANDFIRST
Every country has its own food and drink regulatory body or bodies: in the first place to ensure that its citizens eat safely and in the second to help safeguard its position in the rapidly-growing world food trade.…
COMPANY REFORM HAS HELPED SHISEIDO GET IN SHAPE FOR THE RECESSION
BY JULIAN RYALL
WHILE other companies are suddenly looking to cut overheads, trim the fat from their operations or find other ways to batten down the hatches to survive the global economic turmoil, Japanese cosmetics giant Shiseido Co. claims it sees the downturn as an opportunity.…
MAKE-UP SPARKS BENEFICIAL BRAIN PATTERNS, SAY JAPANESE SCIENTISTS
BY JULIAN RYALL
RESEARCH by one of Japan’s leading cosmetics companies is shedding valuable new light on the way make-up changes how women perceive themselves and affects the ways in which they interact with other people – with many of the results coming as a surprise to the scientists involved.…
EUROPE: EU must ensure "more and better use of R&D"
By Alan Osborn
The failure of business to invest significantly in innovation projects remains the major weakness in the European Union’s (EU) research picture, says the European Commission. While there is "substantial progress" in some aspects of the EU’s innovation performance, investments by business in R&D and IT projects "are still relatively weak, especially if compared to the US and Japan," claims Brussels.…
KANSAI INTERNATIONAL STILL STRUGGLES TO ACHIEVE ITS TRAFFIC GOALS
BY GAVIN BLAIR
ONE of 10 recipients of the ‘Monument of the Millennium’ awards by the American Society of Civil Engineers, Kansai International Airport (KIX) has also been referred to as, ‘one of the world’s most attractive white elephants’. An undeniable triumph of human ingenuity, the sheer scale and ambitiousness of its construction, combined with ineffective central planning, continue to provide its greatest challenges.…
SENIOR INDIAN TEXTILE EXECUTIVE CALLS FOR TARGETED SUPPORT FOR INDIAN TEXTILE AND CLOTHING SECTOR
BY RAGHAVENDRA VERMA
THE INDIAN textile and clothing industry is striving to make its own at least 10% of China’s annual garment export hail of US$115 billion: "This is not difficult to achieve because of cost factor and various other reasons", said Darshan Lal Sharma, managing director of Vardhman Yarns & Threads and a member of the Confederation of Indian Industry’s (CII) national committee on textiles.…
INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATION ROUND-UP - GROUNDBREAKING TROPICAL TUNA PLAN ADOPTED
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE FIRST major effort to limit the overexploitation of western and central Pacific yellowfin and bigeye tuna stocks has been made. The Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) has approved a 30% reduction over three years of bigeye tuna catches and also a two month ban on floating platforms used to attract both species, which will be extended to three months in 2010.…
TRI-BORDER ZONE FUELS ILLICIT TOBACCO TRADE
BY PACIFICA GODDARD and KEITH NUTHALL
THE TRI-BORDER area between Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay in South America is a notorious breeding ground for illicit activity, and the tobacco industry suffers more than most. Contraband goods of every description pass through Paraguay’s trading hub, Ciudad del Este – CD’s and DVD’s, fake designer clothing, sunglasses and watches, sports shoes, games and electronics, and of course one of the world’s most smuggled and lucrative legal substances: cigarettes.…
SOUTH AFRICA AUTO SECTOR NEEDS CREATIVITY TO SURVIVE DOWNTURN
BY BILL CORCORAN
SALES of new vehicles made in South Africa, one of the better performing automobile markets worldwide in recent times, fell by more than 20% last year due to the global economic downturn, and the country’s automakers are trying to crafting a positive response.…
INDONESIA PAINT INDUSTRY SET FOR GROWTH ONCE WORLD ECONOMY RECOVERS
BY MARK ROWE
INDONESIA’S paint industry appears likely to weather the worst of the global economic downturn. Indeed, Indonesia may be one of the few major countries where sales of paint for industrial and domestic use will rise. In January 2009, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono forecast economic growth of 6.2% for the year in a budget that revealed capital spending plans that were 14.3% up on 2008.…
ANTI-AGEING PRODUCTS GROWING STRONGLY IN CHINA'S IMAGE CONSCIOUS MARKET
BY DOMINIQUE PATTON
THE ANTI-AGEING products business is among the most dynamic in China’s skincare market sub-sectors, with growth fuelled by increasingly well-off consumers anxious about their image.
This segment, when combined with specialist skin nourishing products was worth around US$868.8 million in 2007 according to research firm Euromonitor.…
NEW INTERNATIONAL MOUNT FUJI SHIZUOKA AIRPORT OPENS THIS JUNE
BY KARRYN MILLER
JAPAN’S 98th airport, Mt Fuji Shizuoka Airport, is set to open on June 4, 2009: despite the launch being delayed twice. The initial March opening was moved back because the owner of 150 nearby trees refused to chop them down or even shorten them.…
JAPAN COSMETICS PRODUCERS MOVE SLOWLY TOWARDS BIO-BASED OILS AND FATS, ESPECIALLY IN HIGH END PRODUCTS
BY KARRYN MILLER
AS Japanese consumers seek out innovative cosmetics, homegrown beauty brands must continuously come up with novel products to keep their place within the industry and the use of bio-based oils and fats in formulations is an important part of that process.…
NEW AUTOMOBILE PLANTS BLAZE TRAIL IN NEW TECHNOLOGY AND GOOD PRACTICE
BY DEIRDRE MASON, JAMES BURNS, and JULIAN RYALL
With technological change being forced upon the auto manufacturing industry by high oil prices, plants are being retooled faster than in living memory. At such a time, companies are always looking for new ideas and technology.…
GLOBAL: NUCLEAR ENGINEERING EDUCATION - BACK IN FASION AGAIN
By Alan Osborn
FEW things say more about the growing enthusiasm for nuclear power than the rush of young students eager to make a career in the industry. It is happening mainly in America but other countries are now beginning to see the same development.…
BANGLADESHI CLOTHING MANUFACTURERS EXPANDING FAST, DESPITE GLOBAL RECESSION
BY PAUL COCHRANE
BANGLADESH’S clothing and ready made garment sector is undergoing unprecedented expansion, registering an average growth of 20% year on year, and with plans to be one of the top three exporters globally by 2013.
In the first four months of Bangladesh’s fiscal year, from July to September 2008, the sector reported 45% growth in exports of woven and knitwear to US$3.35 billion, according to the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exports Association (BGMEA).…
WHERE IS THE BEST CUTTING EDGE RESEARCH FOR THE TEXTILE AND CLOTHING SECTOR?
BY LEE ADENDORFF, in Lucca, Italy; PHILIPPA JONES, in Paris; DOMINIQUE PATTON, in Beijing; KARRYN CARTELLE, in Tokyo; and LUCY JONES, in Dallas
Where is the best cutting edge research for the textile and clothing industry? Which are the best design schools, the best fabric developers and the best industrial innovators in the sector?…
THE BEST STYLE MODEL? INTEGRATED TEXTILE AND CLOTHING COMPANIES, OR NETWORKS OF INDEPENDENT SUPPLIERS?
BY PHILIPPA JONES, DOMINIQUE PATTON and LUCY JONES
The growth in outsourcing within the clothing and textile sector worldwide has highlighted a key issue, and that is the relative merits of running an integrated company that handles basic production and design, or relying on a string of specialist suppliers to deliver the goods, from fibre supplies, to textile manufacture, design, clothing assembly and retail.…
IASB ACTING ON G20 PROPOSALS - BUT FORCING NEW REFORMS INTO LAW WORLDWIDE WILL TAKE TIME
BY KEITH NUTHALL, GAVIN BLAIR, and MARK GODFREY
BACK in November 2008, long before the accession of Barack Obama to the US presidency, world leaders gathered together under the G20 banner to forge a common response to the ongoing financial crisis.…
TURKEY TOBACCO SECTOR IS MONEY PIT, DESPITE GROWING HEALTH AND MARKETING CONTROLS
BY PAUL COCHRANE
TURKEY’S tobacco market, the eighth largest in the world and valued this month at GBPounds 6 billion in consumer price turnover by British American Tobacco (BAT) has contracted by 5% over the past year following the imposition of a nationwide smoking ban.…
MINERAL OIL PRICE RISES LESS IMPORTANT FOR COSMETICS PRODUCERS THAN FORMULA FIT WHEN SWITCHING TO BIO-BASED OILS AND FATS
BY JAMES BURNS, PHILIPPA JONES, KARRYN MILLER and FRANCES WANG
IF anything would drive the cosmetics sector away from mineral oils into the arms of bio-based oils and fats suppliers, it is surely the high crude oil prices that punished buyers before they began to fall steeply in the summer.…
KEY NON-EU COUNTRIES' ACCOUNTING SYSTEMS MEET INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS - SAY EU EXPERTS
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE ACCOUNTING systems of six major economies are equivalent to International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) as adopted by the European Union (EU), the European Securities Committee has ruled. One aim of ensuring the USA, Japan, China, Canada, South Korea and India adopt common worldwide Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAPs) is to help detect fraud in multi-jurisdiction listed company balance sheets.…
INTERNATIONAL POWER EQUIPMENT SUPPLIERS RACE TO SUPPLY BOOMING INDIAN GENERATION MARKET
BY RAGHAVENDRA VERMA
AN ADDITIONAL power generation capacity of 78,000 MW with an emphasis on hydro and low-carbon power generators such as solar and wind energy, with an investment of US$250 billion: this is what India aims to achieve by 2012 to narrow down the huge demand and supply gap that has lead to chronic power shortages in a rapidly growing economy.…
DRINKS PRODUCTION AND MARKETING RULES SEEK TO BALANCE PROTECTING EXCELLENCE WITH LIBERATING COMMERCE
BY ALAN OSBORN
INTRODUCTION
About 10 years ago the American distiller JB Wagoner decided to market a fiery liquor made from the cactus-like agave plants growing in the hills on his estate at Temecula in California. He called it "temequila." It soon became known as "the American tequila," proving indistinguishable in taste, texture and effect from the well-known Mexican drink.…
IAEA REPORT SHOWS THAT WORLD IS THREATENED BY SLOW BUT STEADY TRICKLE OF NUCLEAR MATERIAL THEFTS
BY KEITH NUTHALL
UPDATED reports on illicit trafficking of nuclear materials show that the recovery of these potentially dangerous items is becoming rarer. This rate fell to 25% of all reported incidents between 2004-2007 says the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).…
INDIAN CONFECTIONERY MARKET FACING DOWNTURN, AFTER PERIOD OF ROBUST GROWTH
BY RAGHAVENDRA VERMA
IN India confectionery is considered a product that provides "an inexpensive taste experience" according to a report released earlier this year Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). This populist branding of a sector was used to argue in favour of tax-cuts for an industry that is currently facing many hardships.…
CHINA PAINT AND COATINGS BOOM SET FOR THE LONG TERM
BY MARK GODFREY
GIVEN the armies of migrant workers slapping millions of litres of paint onto the walls of spanking new hotels and creaking 1950s apartment blocks in and around Beijing during the preparations for the Olympic Games it is not surprising that paint demand in China currently outstrips that of India by five times, in tonnage used.…
GEORGIAN WINEMAKERS RAISE THEIR GAME TO COPE WITH RUSSIAN EMBARGO
BY MARK GODFREY
RUSSIA may have invaded Georgia this August, but its wine industry seems almost gung-ho about the import embargo on Georgian wines that the Russian government has imposed since 2006. It has proven a "huge stimulus" to local winemakers to improve quality, according to the head of a project tasked with opening new markets for the country’s wines.…
CHINA TOBACCO INDUSTRY CONSOLIDATION CONTINUES; SECTOR NOW EYEING FOREIGN MARKETS
BY WANG FANGQING
THE HONGHE Group and the Hongyun Group, the two major Chinese tobacco companies located in the key tobacco-growing Yunnan province have recently (WHEN EXACTLY?) submitted a merger agreement to the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration (STMA), the Beijing-based industry watchdog.…
EXPLOSIVES DETECTION TECHNOLOGY IN JAPAN STRIDES AHEAD INTO INCREASING SOPHISTICATION
BY GAVIN BLAIR
EXPLOSIVES screening procedures, like most security measures at international airports in Japan, follow the lead of the United States’ Transportation Security Administration (TSA). However, airport operators are somewhat less than satisfied with the performance of the current generation of certified explosive detection systems (EDS) or explosive trace detection systems (ETD).…
PAINT COMPANIES DEVELOP THOUSANDS OF COLOUR VARIANTS TO MATCH DIVERSE WORLDWIDE TASTES
BY MARK ROWE
THE PSYCHOLOGY of colour has fascinated philosophers and scientists down the ages, so it is perhaps unsurprising that the world’s paint companies devote much of their time to working out why consumers prefer certain colours for certain everyday items – and why these tastes vary so much across the world.…
EUROPE: A better life for EU researchers should be on the way
By Alan Osborn
The 27 EU governments have moved to improve the working conditions and career prospects of their researchers by approving measures designed to provide them with "real social recognition and a satisfactory standard of living." The text of a communication agreed by EU competitiveness ministers on September 26th pledges governments to "making the labour market for European researchers more open and competitive (and) providing better career structures, transparency and family-friendliness."…
THE GLOBAL BATTLE TO SUPPLY HYBRID AND ELECTRIC CAR BATTERIES GATHERS STEAM
BY ANDREW CAVE and KARRYN MILLER
FACING a looming energy crisis, the battle to produce lithium ion batteries to power hybrid and battery cars is heating up. Germany’s Robert Bosch and Samsung of South Korea recently formed a joint venture SB LiMotive Co to compete with the likes of BorgWarner, Johnson Controls, TRW and Continental.…
ITER STARTS WORK IN EARNEST: MILLIONS OF EUROS AVAILABLE FOR ITS NUCLEAR FUSION RESEARCH
BY KEITH NUTHALL
DESPITE widespread scepticism about its viability, the ITER project to build the world’s first commercial nuclear fusion reactor is now under way. It is employing specialists (nearly 300 staff and rising at the end of 2008); releasing Euro millions in research and procurement funding; and in November moved into its headquarters, in Cadarache, southern France, which is where the first nuclear fusion reactor will be built on a 180 hectare site.…
SENIOR OFFICIALS FLY FROM GENEVA WITHOUT SECURING DEAL
BY KEITH NUTHALL
OFFICIALS at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) have told just-food.com an attempt to quickly restart and resolve the Doha Development Round’s food talks seems to have failed. Senior government civil servants from the Group of Seven (the USA, the European Union, China, India, Japan, Australia and Brazil), who broadly represent all WTO member countries, had flown to Geneva last week.…
JAPAN: Asia commercial crime university experts command valuable expertise
By Gavin Blair
Though the number of academic specialists in commercial crime in the Asia-Pacific region may be fewer than in the US or Europe, many of the leading figures are both willing to work with corporate clients and have a great deal of experience outside the ivory towers.…
NUCLEAR ENGINEERING HIGHER EDUCATION STRUGGLING TO KEEP UP WITH RENEWED DEMAND FOR ITS COURSES AND EXPERTISE
BY ALAN OSBORN
FEW things say more about the growing enthusiasm for nuclear power than the rush of young students eager to make a career in the industry. It is happening mainly in America but other countries are now beginning to see the same development.…
OLAF OPENS OFFICE IN CHINA TO FIGHT CONTRABAND AND COUNTERFEITING
BY KEITH NUTHALL
EUROPEAN Union (EU) anti-fraud office OLAF has opened an office in China, boosting Sino-European cooperation in the fight against tobacco smuggling and counterfeiting. Indeed, an OLAF communiqué said the key focus of this initiative will be cigarette smuggling, because of the continued boom in contraband cigarettes being sent from China to the EU.…
CULTURALLY DIVERSE SOUTH EAST ASIA OFFERS MARKETING CHALLENGES FOR COSMETICS COMPANIES
BY WILLIAM BARNES
A WOMAN brushes past palm fronds into the pastel lights of a busy Bangkok salon. At the counter she turns what looks to be a flawless, ivory face towards a woman in a vaguely medical uniform: "Aiyee! I am getting so old.…
COSMETICS CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY IS ALTRUISM OR JUST GOOD BUSINESS?
BY JULIAN RYALL, JAMES BURNS, RAGHAVENDRA VERMA and PHILIPPA JONES
"IT is better to be beautiful than to be good," wrote Oscar Wilde in ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’. Many cosmetics and personal care companies worldwide may still believe this statement to be true, but being, or at least claiming to be, "good" has become an essential part of the sector’s public image.…
MULTI PARTY GROUP IN JAPAN WANTS TOBACCO PRICE HIKE
BY JULIAN RYALL
JAPAN Tobacco, the third-largest tobacco company in the world, is opposed to a proposal from a cross-party group of politicians in the company’s home country to more than double the price of a pack of cigarettes.
Yoko Komiyama, a member of the opposition Democratic Party of Japan, which effectively controls the upper house of the country’s parliament said the group will call for the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) government to raise the price of a pack of 20 cigarettes from around Yen 300 (US$2.74) at present to between Yen 600 and Yen 1,000.…
CAMEL NUTTY LIGHTS RELEASED IN JAPAN
BY KARRYN MILLER
JAPAN Tobacco Inc has launched a new cigarette line: testing Camel Nutty Lights in the country’s southern Fukuoka prefecture this July. The launch follows on from the success of Camel Menthol – released in Miyagi prefecture north of Tokyo in October 2006 and across Japan in March 2007.…
G8 MEMBERS PLEDGE MORE CHERNOBYL CLEAN UP FUNDS
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE G8 group of major economic powers has collectively promised to increase their contributions to help clean up the Chernobyl nuclear complex by Euro 62 million. The money from Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the USA and the European Union will help complete a storage facility for more than 20,000 spent fuel assemblies generated during the operation of Chernobyl units 1-3
ENDS…
MINES IN SEISMICALLY ACTIVE REGIONS TAKE SPECIAL CARE TO BE PROTECTED FROM EARTHQUAKES
BY PAUL COCHRANE, ALAN OSBORN and GAVIN BLAIR
EARTHQUAKES spell potential disasters for mining companies. Not only do they pose obvious safety risks, but the danger that a serious earth tremor could destroy or weaken environmental protection measures put in place at mine sites are significant.…
JTI EXECUTIVE SEES GLOBAL ROLE EXPAND
BY KARRYN MILLER
FRITS Vranken, senior vice president for business development at Japan Tobacco International (JTI), has recently seen his role expanded since his 2006 appointment at JTI’s headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. Mr Vranken’s role changed at the start of 2008 to include corporate strategy, tobacco taxation and internal communications.…
Confronting problems multilaterally can be less than effective
By Eric Lyman in Rome
There are problems in the world that cannot be confronted with any success by a single state, no matter how powerful. Big environmental issues and world hunger and poverty immediately come to mind, along with many regional peacekeeping needs and most economic and trade-related problems.
Enter multilateralism, the consensus-driven process that democratically pulls countries together for collective problem solving, usually under the auspices of an umbrella organisation such as the United Nations or the World Trade Organisation.
Multilateralism has been hailed as the natural evolution from the bipolar world order that marked the period after World War II – with influence split between the camps of US and the Soviet Union – and the unipolar order based on the power and influence of the US since the end of the Cold War.…
MOBILE PHONE BOOKS GENERATE PUBLISHING BOOM IN JAPAN
BY GAVIN BLAIR
LATER this year Japan’s Shochiku film studio and Fuji TV will collaborate on a new format that will see the story of "Akai Ito" (‘red thread’ in English) start with a TV drama, be continued in a movie, before the action returns to the small screen for the finale.…
JAPAN EARTHQUAKE PROMPTS GLOBAL RETHINK ABOUT NUCLEAR REACTOR SEISMIC SAFETY
BY MARK ROWE, KEITH NUTHALL, ALAN OSBORN, GAVIN BLAIR and PAUL COCHRANE
EARTHQUAKES are not good news for nuclear power plants. In safety terms they are a serious risk, and they are usually a public relations disaster, even if no serious damage is done to a plant misfortunate enough to be in a quake.…
JAPANESE HEALTH DRINKS
BY GAVIN BLAIR
WHAT does the overworked, overstressed, sleep-deprived Japanese salaryman reach for the morning after a late-night drinking session with his boss, to get him through another long day at the office? When a can of hot or cold coffee from one of nation’s million-odd vending machines just won’t do the trick, it has to be one of a multitude of ‘genki’ (energetic, lively) drinks on the market.…
GLOBAL TRANSPORT SECTOR PUSHES FORWARD ON HYDROGEN, AMIDST SOME SCEPTICISM
BY ALAN OSBORN
ANGLO-Dutch oil giant Shell is not in much doubt that hydrogen is one of the fuels of the future, if not the fuel of the future. Barely a month ago, in June, Duncan Macleod, (NOTE: SPELLING IS CORRECT) global vice president of Shell Hydrogen, told an clean technology conference in the US that Shell had restructured its organisation "to prepare for hydrogen’s transition into the mainstream, bringing it into our downstream fuels portfolio, alongside gasoline, diesel, LPG, CNG – as well as biofuels and GTL."…
EUROPEAN COMMISSION LAYS GROUNDWORK FOR EUROPEAN AUTO ECOLABELLING SYSTEM
BY MARK ROWE
EUROPEAN car manufacturers could face new requirements in future to subscribe to a continent-wide eco-labeling scheme. Across the European Union (EU), several products are already subject to ratings on their environmental sustainability and are required to meet benchmarks for good environmental performance, the sustainable production and consumption of products, and the sustainable provision and use of services.…
NEW TECHNOLOGY AIMS TO MAKE CLOTHES REPEL DIRT AND EVEN CLEANSE THEMSELVES
BY MARK ROWE and GAVIN BLAIR
WHILE the idea of using nano-titanium particles to enable textiles to "self-clean" is not new, the applications to which this technology is being applied and enhanced are increasing almost daily. A number of products are currently being designed or put on the open market in Europe and the United States.…
GLOBAL: WTO promises on higher education liberalisation shelved by talks collapse
By Keith Nuthall
Plans to sweep away some restrictions preventing private universities and higher education service providers from teaching, researching and examining in foreign countries have been put on ice at the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
This follows the collapse of negotiations at the July ministerial meeting of the WTO IN Geneva, Switzerland, which had lasted 10 days.…
G8 ENERGY MINISTERS PROMISE TO WORK TOGETHER TO ENSURE SAFE NUCLEAR POWER EXPANSION
BY KEITH NUTHALL
ENERGY ministers of the G8 group of countries have promised to work together to ensure that any expansion of the nuclear industry worldwide is carried out with improved safety standards and non-proliferation precautions. Meeting in Hokkaido, Japan, ministers agreed nuclear power would be an important part of global efforts to promote low carbon technologies
ENDS…
EUROPE: European education good but more needed
By Alan Osborn
The 27 EU member states will have to speed up their educational progress if they are to meet a range of self-imposed targets deemed necessary if the Lisbon strategy for growth and jobs is to be successful by 2010.…
INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENT ON COUNTERFEITING PART OF GLOBAL PUSH AGAINST FAKE PARTS AND VEHICLES
BY DEIRDRE MASON
THE AUTOPARTS and automotive industries are calling for far tighter world-wide enforcement against counterfeiting, as influential countries meet in Geneva to thrash out more details of a global Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA).
First mooted by the Office of the US Trade Representative in October 2007- and pursued aggressively by the US Chamber of Commerce – Australia, Canada, the European Union, Japan, Jordan, Korea, Mexico, Morocco, New Zealand, Singapore, Switzerland and the United Arab Emirates have since come on board to try to develop ACTA.…
ANTI-COUNTERFEITING PACT DEBATED
BY KEITH NUTHALL
A GROUP of influential countries are debating forging an international anti-counterfeiting of goods agreement, fighting fake food and drink products. Australia, Canada, the European Union, Japan, Jordan, Korea, Mexico, Morocco, New Zealand, Singapore, Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States have been discussing the idea.…
ANTI-COUNTERFEITING OF GOODS PACT DEBATED IN GENEVA BY TOP WORLD POWERS
BY KEITH NUTHALL
A POWERFUL international bloc is debating forging an international anti-counterfeiting of goods agreement insisting upon cooperation over fighting fake drinks products. Australia, Canada, the European Union, Japan, Jordan, Korea, Mexico, Morocco, New Zealand, Singapore, Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States have been discussing the idea in Geneva.…
NEW ZEALAND AND AUSTRALIA COSMETICS DEMAND BLENDING INTO A REGIONAL AUSTRALASIAN MARKET
BY KARRYN CARTELLE
SEPARATED by a short plane ride across the Tasman Sea, Australia and New Zealand are clearly two distinct countries – in the physical sense – but when it comes to the cosmetics industry in these neighbouring lands it is clear that things are merging into one.…
CARMAKERS PUT SAFETY TECHNOLOGY TO THE TEST IN EUROPE-WIDE FIELD TRIALS
BY DEIRDRE MASON
MAJOR European car manufacturers are joining forces to road test new automobile intelligent and safety technology under real conditions. Ford, BMW, Fiat, Daimler, Volkswagen and MAN, along with intelligent safety equipment public-private partnership Ertico, started a three-year field operational test programme this May on 1,500 vehicles.…
JAPAN AND SOUTH KOREA STRUGGLE DIPLOMATICALLY FOR POTENTIALLY GAS-RICH ISLANDS
BY KEITH NUTHALL
SOUTH Korea has recalled its Tokyo ambassador over the ownership of some Sea of Japan islands geologists think could lie amidst natural gas fields. Seoul claims a new Japanese schoolbook alleges Japanese sovereignty over the Dokdo (in Korean) or Takeshima (in Japanese) islands.…
HAIR CARE COMPANIES HAVE TO INNOVATE TO SECURE MARKET SHARE IN EAST ASIA
BY DOMINIQUE PATTON and KARRYN CARTELLE
EAST Asian markets are increasingly important to global haircare manufacturers, with growing prosperity enabling many more women to buy the products they really want for their hair. As a result, major companies really need to pay attention to what east Asian women want.…
EUROPE: Poor links between EU researchers and business holding back commecial innovation
By Alan Osborn
The European Union (EU) will have to achieve much greater progress in bridging the gap between research and industry if it is to make a success of its Lisbon Strategy for making the EU the world’s most competitive economy by 2010, a conference on Innovating for Competitiveness in ICT (information and communication technologies) was told in Brussels last week (May 28).…
GLOBAL: Project unlocking the sun's energy secrets will be major research funding source
By Keith Nuthall
Research funding for a global project that seeks to harness the thermodynamics of the stars to create a sustainable and safe nuclear fusion reactor is starting to be released. A consortium of 14 research teams from across Europe has been formed to create a computer simulation of the international ITER fusion reactor, to model the technology required to operate it safely.…
NEW EURO VI STANDARDS TO BE INTRODUCED BY 2014 AT THE LATEST
BY ALAN OSBORN
THE NEXT tightening of emissions standards for lorries within the European Union (EU) will be introduced by 2014 at the latest, with EU ministers approving a blueprint for the next Euro VI standards that would probably mean an 80% reduction in NOx emissions for lorries of 2.6 tonnes or more.…
GROWTH IN NUCLEAR ENERGY IS UNSPOKEN KEY TO SQUARING POWER SECURITY-GLOBAL WARMING CIRCLE
BY ALAN OSBORN
HOW quickly events are moving in the energy sector at present, and how difficult this makes long-term planning by the power generation industry. One of the key documents for forecasters in Europe is the paper prepared by the National Technical University of Athens for the European Commission’s directorate-general for energy and transport on "Trends to 2030."…
AUSTRALIA PUSHES AHEAD WITH COMPREHENSIVE ANTI-MONEY LAUNDERING REFORMS
BY KARRYN CARTELLE
AUSTRALIA is currently ranked as the eighth largest market in the world – third largest within the Asia-Pacific region after Japan and Hong Kong – in terms of its total stock market capitalisation of AUD$1.63 trillion (USD$1.53 trillion) in 2007 (World Federation of Exchanges figures).…
ANTI-COUNTERFEITING OF GOODS PACT DEBATED IN GENEVA BY TOP WORLD POWERS
BY KEITH NUTHALL
A POWERFUL international bloc is debating forging an international anti-counterfeiting of goods agreement insisting upon cooperation over fighting fake food products. Australia, Canada, the European Union, Japan, Jordan, Korea, Mexico, Morocco, New Zealand, Singapore, Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States have been discussing the idea in Geneva.…
DEMAND FOR WHITENING COSMETICS EXPANDING BEYOND ITS EAST ASIAN BASE, SAYS KANEBO
BY JULIAN RYALL, in Tokyo
THE OBSESSION among many European women for tanned skin is fading, particularly among women in their late 30s, according to a new study by Japan’s Kanebo Cosmetics, meaning there is a small but growing market for whitening products.…
CHINA COSMETICS ANIMAL TESTS STILL COMPULSORY - BUT CHANGE COULD BE COMING
BY MARK GODFREY, in Beijing
IT could be an animal rights campaigner’s worst nightmare: not only is the testing of cosmetics China allowed, it is in fact compulsory for all products. And this is going to cause problems to the international cosmetics sector.…
BOOMING ALGERIA OFFERS PAINT INDUSTRY LONG-TERM PROSPECTS, FUELLED BY CONTINUING LIBERALISATION REFORMS
BY PAUL COCHRANE, in Beirut
ALGERIA’S paint sector has been experiencing healthy growth in recent years on the back of a petro-dollar fuelled construction boom, yet should the country’s initiatives at modernising and expanding its economy continue at the same pace as over the last decade, there is potential for significantly greater expansion in the paint and coatings market.…
BOOMING INDIAN PAINT AND COATING SECTOR STRUGGLES TO DEAL WITH SUDDEN INGREDIENT PRICE RISES
BY RAGHAVENDRA VERMA, in New Delhi
THE SUDDEN and phenomenal rise in the cost of raw materials over the past year for the US$2.6 billion Indian paint and coating industry has made business conditions tough for this formerly thriving sector. It is unlikely sustain the 18% growth rate achieved last year.…
WORLDWIDE EFFORTS TO MAKE TANKERS LESS POLLUTING ARE MAKING PROGRESS
BY DEIRDRE MASON, in London; LUCY JONES, in Dallas; JULIAN RYALL, in Tokyo; and KEITH NUTHALL
GIVEN the spate of oil tanker accidents in recent years involving substantial pollution of seas and coastlines around the world, it is no surprise that international organisations have weighed in with regulatory controls and guidelines on shipping standards.…
ANTI-COUNTERFEITING OF GOODS PACT DEBATED IN GENEVA BY TOP WORLD POWERS
BY KEITH NUTHALL
A GROUP of influential countries are debating forging an international anti-counterfeiting of goods agreement, which would see them cooperate against the production and trade in fake tobacco products. Australia, Canada, the European Union, Japan, Jordan, Korea, Mexico, Morocco, New Zealand, Singapore, Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States have been discussing the idea in Geneva.…
INTERNATIONAL GROUP SEEKS TO IMPROVE ENVIRONMENTAL STANDARDS ON SMALL MINES WORLDWIDE
BY KEITH NUTHALL
LARGE mining companies take the environment seriously today, maybe rather more than in times past. They are devoting significant resources to reducing or mitigating the environmental problems caused by mining. But what about the small and artisanal mines that pepper much of the developing world?…
SOUTH ASIAN KNITWEAR INDUSTRY HAVING MIXED FORTUNES AS GLOBALISATION INTENSIFIES
BY RAGHAVENDRA VERMA, in New Delhi; SAEED AKHTAR BALOCH, in Lahore; and KEITH NOYAHR, in Colombo
THE SOUTH Asian knitwear industry is experienced mixed fortunes at present, with the impact of China’s production boom and the global liberalisation of the textile sector still changing sub-continental fortunes.…
POTENTIALLY HARMFUL BACTERIA FOUND IN HAIRSPRAY
BY MONICA DOBIE
JAPANESE scientists have discovered a new species of bacteria called microbacterium hatanonis, which is so robust, it can contaminate hairspray, claimed a study in the International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology.
Scientists examined the appearance and diet of the bacterium, then analysed its genome to show that it is an entirely new species.…
SOUTH KOREA FISHING INDUSTRY STRUGGLES TO SUPPLY GROWING DOMESTIC MARKET
BY KARRYN CARTELLE
AS the world’s wild finfish and seafood stocks continue to dwindle and environmental pressure for sustainable fishing practices rises, South Korea’s fishing fleet is adjusting with the times.
South and North Korea’s combined expansive coastline spans 8,693 kilometres (South Korea’s mainland alone commands 2,413km).…
GLOBAL - UN-sponsored responsible business education initiative takes off
By Keith Nuthall
A UNITED Nations-sponsored global initiative to encourage business schools to teach and promote social and environmentally responsible commercial practices has gathered a critical mass of support. More than 100 business schools worldwide have now signed up to the Principles for Responsible Management Initiative.…
WTO'S DOHA DEVELOPMENT ROUND APPROACHES END GAME - FOOD AND PACKAGING IMPORT DUTIES POISED TO TUMBLE
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE FOOD and drink manufacturing industries could get a big shot in the arm this year, if the World Trade Organisation’s (WTO) seven-year-old Doha Development Round reaches a successful conclusion, as planned. If it does, all import duties on their products traded worldwide would be significantly reduced and there is a chance many of them could be eliminated altogether.…
POTENTIALLY HARMFUL BACTERIA FOUND IN HAIRSPRAY
BY MONICA DOBIE
JAPANESE scientists have discovered a new species of bacteria called microbacterium hatanonis, so robust that it can contaminate hairspray, claimed a study in the International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology. Researchers from the Japan Collection of Microorganisms say it is a previously undiscovered bacteria strain, but are uncertain if it poses a danger to humans.…
MIDDLE EAST DENIM MARKET DOMINATED BY LABELS IN RICH GULF AND ISRAEL, AND STYLE IN POORER LEVANT
BY PAUL COCHRANE, in Damascus and Beirut, and HELENA FLUSFELDER, in Jerusalem
INTRODUCTION AND THE GULF
THE DENIM sector in the Middle East is as diverse as it is fragmented, with strong demand in the Gulf and Israel for major brand names and the latest trends, while in the less economically developed parts of the Levant international brands are of less importance than style.…
JAPAN'S NUCLEAR INDUSTRY PUSHES AHEAD WITH EXPANSION AND MODERNISATION, DESPITE RECENT TOUGH TIMES
BY JULIAN RYALL, in Tokyo
BY any standards, it has been a tough couple of years for the Japanese nuclear energy industry. Still stinging from public, political and media criticism of atomic energy operators’ practices – including the way in which companies consistently failed to report data that might have been damaging to their operations – the industry was then dealt a blow by Mother Nature.…
SRI LANKA FISHING INDUSTRY SUFFERS FROM RETURN TO WAR
BY KEITH NOYAHR, in Colombo
WHEN hostilities resumed in Sri Lanka’s long-smouldering civil war in July 2006, fish production in the country’s eastern province that year dropped two-thirds to 26,680 metric tonnes from 72,580mt in 2003, according to the Central Bank of Sri Lanka.…
JAPANESE COSMETICS INDUSTRY INNOVATES TO KEEP PACE WITH CULTURAL CHANGES IN HOME COUNTRY
BY JULIAN RYALL, in Tokyo
JAPANESE society is going through some dramatic changes that will have far-reaching effects on the nation’s domestic consumption patterns in the immediate future, as well as over the longer term. Arguably one of the most susceptible to these changes will be the cosmetics industry, which will have to wrestle with rapidly changing demographics among its core customers.…
CHINA SURGING AHEAD WITH NUCLEAR POWER EXPANSION
By Mark Godfrey in Beijing
No country has added nuclear power like energy-hungry China. Neighbouring North Korea had more nuclear power capacity than China in 2000 (as did Taiwan). But by 2010, according to the US government-affiliated Energy Information Administration, China will have bypassed both countries.…
TAIWAN MONEY LAUNDERING DEVELOPMENTS
BY DOMINIQUE PATTON, in Beijing
ALTHOUGH Taiwan’s tense relations with China does not help the necessary cooperation with the Chinese mainland that would help bring some of the island’s biggest economic criminals to book, it is nonetheless eager to co-operate with international authorities to fight money laundering.…
EU PUSHES FOR GAS SUPPLY ALTERNATIVE IN TURKMENISTAN, FOLLOWING SMALL HUMAN RIGHTS IMPROVEMENTS
BY MARK ROWE
WHEN the European Union’s (EU) energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs, visited Turkmenistan last autumn it served notice that this central Asian ex-Soviet republic had come in from the cold. Once a pariah on the international stage, because of the activity of its crazed former president Sapamurat Niyazov (NOTE – SPELLING IS CORRECT), Turkmenistan has become something more than a bit player in the international energy sector.…
MOZZARELLA RECALL FOLLOWS CONTAMINATION CONCERNS
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Commission is monitoring concerns that Italian mozzarella cheese has been contaminated with dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs, amidst claims that the refuse crisis in Naples’ Campania region generated the responsible pollutants. Brussels was poised to ban the sale of the white melting cheese, but was mollified by a safety recall by Italian health authorities.…
STAKES ARE HIGH FOR TELECOMS AS WTO ROUND APPROACHES END GAME
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THIS year could well see the end of the World Trade Organisation’s (WTO) Doha Development Round, the global free trade negotiations staged since 2001 – and the stakes for the telecommunications business are high.
Unlike most economic sectors, telecoms are affected by not just one WTO agreement on removing trade barriers such as red tape and punishing tariffs, but three: the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS); the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) as regards industrial goods; and the WTO Information Technology Agreement.…
ALGERIA SEEKS TO CEMENT ITS POSITION AS A KEY EUROPE ENERGY SUPPLIER
BY FIDELMA COOK, PAUL COCHRANE and KEITH NUTHALL
SONATRACH, Algeria’s national oil and gas company, has made no secret to its determination to strengthen its position in Europe, which already accounts for around 60% of Algeria’s export earnings….the bulk of which is in gas.…
REGIONAL TRADE DEALS PROMOTE GLOBAL TRADE IN CLOTHING AND TEXTILE SECTOR
BY LUCY JONES, in Dallas; ALAN OSBORN, in London; KARRYN CARTELLE, in Tokyo; BILL CORCORAN, in Johannesburg; PAUL COCHRANE, in Beirut; RACHEL JONES, in Caracas; MARK ROWE; and KEITH NUTHALL
WITH the World Trade Organisation’s (WTO) Doha Development Round being slow to proceed since its 2001 launch – and only this year approaching something resembling and end game – free traders wanting to encourage global commerce have looked to bilateral and regional trade deals.…
PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY COULD BE WIN REAL GLOBAL FREE TRADE AS WTO'S DOHA ROUND DRAWS TO A CLOSE
BY KEITH NUTHALL
WITH the World Trade Organisation’s (WTO) seven-year-old Doha Development Round maybe drawing towards a close, the pharmaceutical industry might start to consider that a final deal could lead to the elimination of most import duties on drugs and medicines, traded worldwide.…
CHINA PROVING A MAGNET FOR METHANE RECOVERY FINANCING FROM ROUND THE WORLD
BY MARK GODFREY, in Beijing
METHANE recovery is a boom industry in China. A frenetic dig for coal to drive its economy means atmospheric concentrations of methane are growing. And this is a problem – methane is not only a greenhouse gas that retains 25 times more heat than carbon dioxide, it hangs around in the atmosphere a lot longer.…
ASIA COMMERCIAL CRIME UNIVERSITY EXPERTS ARE SMALL IN NUMBER BUT COMMAND VALUABLE EXPERTISE
BY GAVIN BLAIR, in Tokyo
THOUGH the number of academic specialists in commercial crime in the Asia-Pacific region may be fewer than in the US or Europe, many of the leading figures are both willing to work with corporate clients and have a great deal of experience outside the ivory towers.…
VOX POP - JAPANESE ENVIRONMENT EXPERTS SAY RENEWABLE ENERGY IS KEY TO FIGHT GLOBAL WARMING
BY JULIAN RYALL, in Hokkaido, northern Japan
THE LEADERS of the Group of Eight (G8) nations are meeting in the Hokkaido, Japan, town of Toyako (NOTE: Spelling is correct – NOT Tokyo) July 7-9, with the environment and energy top of the agenda.…
HIGH SOCIAL STATUS OF SMOKING IN RUSSIA HELPS TOBACCO SECTOR ENTRENCH ITS PROFITS
BY MARK ROWE
INTERNATIONAL cigarette companies are having a profitable time investing in Russia, which remains a relatively soft touch for tobacco marketers. Smoking is still a badge of class and aspiration in the country: smoking Soviet-era unfiltered ‘papirosi’ is now seen as the preserve of those on low incomes and spurned by anyone with aspirations to a Western-style lifestyle.…
OPENING OF LIBYA'S OIL SECTOR A BOON FOR ENERGY COMPANIES SEEKING NEW CRUDE SOURCES
BY PAUL COCHRANE, in Tripoli and Beirut
THE OPENING up of Libya’s economy could not have come at a better time for international oil companies, which have been beset in recent years by dwindling easily accessible oil reserves, tighter controls over exploration rights and extraction, and heightened security concerns.…
MULTINATIONALS' GRIP ON CHINA'S COSMETICS INDUSTRY LIKELY TO BE STRENGTHENED BY OLYMPIC MARKETING CAMPAIGNS
BY MARK GODFREY, in Beijing
A WALK down the supermarket aisles in a Beijing residential area reveals much about the state of China’s cosmetics scene. Pick up a bottle of shampoo at the Jingkelong (NOTE – SPELLING IS CORRECT) store on Gongti Bei Lu street (NOTE – SPELLING IS CORRECT) and chances are the blue-aproned assistants will shuffle over to recommend another.…
CHINA PRESSES ON WITH POLICY OF NATIONAL CHAMPIONS. TOBACCO CONTROL HOWEVER IS STARTING TO CATCH ON
BY MARK GODFREY, in Beijing
LONGYAN Cigarette Factory reflects the kind of good fortune and ambition which characterised China’s tobacco industry in 2007. Located in the city of the same name in southeastern Fujian province, the factory’s almost US$1 billion revenues for 2007 are a 24.5% increase on figures for the previous year.…
CHINA STRUGGLES TO ERECT EFFECTIVE ANTI-MONEY LAUNDERING CONTROLS IN BOOMING ECONOMY AWASH WITH DIRTY MONEY
BY MARK GODFREY, in Beijing
A YEAR after China began enforcing its Law of the People’s Republic of China on Anti-Money Laundering – effective from January 2007 – observers are wary about the ability of the country’s understaffed enforcement agencies to keep pace with huge inflows of questionable funds into China’s booming economy.…
AL ZOUR: THE WORLD'S LARGEST 'GRASS ROOTS' REFINERY IS BEING BUILT IN KUWAIT
BY PAUL COCHRANE, in Kuwait City
THE KUWAIT National Petroleum Company is pushing ahead with multi-billion dollar energy projects, recently green lighting a US$14 billion budget for the 615,000 bpd Al Zour refinery, the world’s largest purpose built facility of its kind.…
WTO CONCERNS RAISED OVER REACH COMPLEXITY, AS CHEMICAL CONTROL SYSTEM GETS INTO GEAR
BY KEITH NUTHALL
DIPLOMATIC grumbles are emerging about the European Union’s (EU) REACH chemical control system, claiming its complexity could break EU commitments under the being made at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) technical barriers to trade agreement. A meeting of the WTO technical barriers to trade committee heard Argentina, Brazil, the USA, South Korea, Australia, Japan, Canada, Taiwan, Chile, China, Mexico and Thailand raise concerns that REACH could impose illegally difficult tasks on exporters.…
RUSSIA MAKES STRIDES AHEAD IN TOUGHENING MONEY LAUNDERING CONTROLS
BY NICK HOLDSWORTH, in Moscow
RUSSIA’S outgoing president Vladimir Putin put the fight against corruption and money laundering top of the agenda September 2007 when in a surprise move he appointed Viktor Zubkov as prime minister, following the resignation of a government lead by technocrat Mikhail Fradkov.…
WHO AND BIG TOBACCO COULD UNITE OVER CIGARETTE SMUGGLING
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Commission will press next year (2008) for major tobacco companies to actively participate in an anti-smuggling protocol to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. The unlikely alliance was floated by EU anti-fraud Commissioner Siim Kallas at a Uruguay conference on oncoming talks about the protocol.…
WTO CONCERNS RAISED OVER REACH COMPLEXITY AS EU SYSTEM GETS INTO GEAR
BY KEITH NUTHALL
DIPLOMATIC grumbles have started to emerge about the European Union’s (EU) REACH chemical control system, with claims being made at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) its complexity could break EU commitments under the WTO’s technical barriers to trade agreement.…
JAPAN AUTO MANUFACTURERS PUSHING INTO RUSSIA
BY JULIAN RYALL, in Tokyo
WITH the start of production at its new automotive plant in the Shushary district of St. Petersburg on December 21, Toyota will become the latest Japanese car manufacturer to set up shop in a market it says has "tremendous potential" and is looking forward to the roll-out of the first Russian-built Camry.…
MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS KEEP FOREIGN BRANDS IN CONTROL OF CHINA MARKET
BY MARK GODFREY, in Beijing
CHINESE coatings made the headlines for all the wrong reasons this summer. Faulty paint jobs on Chinese exports has however put into sharp relief the quality gap between local and foreign players in China’s paint and coating sector, which has been enjoying unprecedented growth.…
WTO CONCERNS RAISED OVER REACH COMPLEXITY
BY KEITH NUTHALL
CLAIMS are being made at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) that the complexity of the European Union’s (EU) REACH chemical control system could break EU commitments under the WTO’s technical barriers to trade agreement. Argentina, Brazil, the USA, South Korea, Australia, Japan, Canada, Taiwan, Chile, China, Mexico and Thailand claim REACH could impose illegally difficult tasks on exporters.…
CONFECTIONARY CONSUMER CONCERNS POSED BY NEW FOOD TECHNOLOGIES ASSESSED AT EFSA CONFERENCE
BY DAVID HAWORTH, in Brussels
CONFECTIONARY consumers will need to note a clear perceived benefit from nanotechnology when applied to their products if there is not to be a re-run of debate similar to that surrounding the introduction of GMOs: that was the message from scientists and other food experts speaking at an EU seminar last week entitled "From Safe Food to Healthy Diets."…
ROAD HAULIERS FIND MAINTAINING ECODRIVING POLICIES TOUGH GOING - PARIS CONFERENCE TOLD
BY CHRISTOPHER JONES, in Paris
ROAD haulage companies and fleet operators can be convinced of the benefits of eco-driving, but often find it hard to maintain momentum after the initial flurry of interest. This was one of the key findings from a two-day conference on eco-driving organised by the International Energy Agency (IEA) in Paris, attended by delegates from across the globe.…
COMMISSIONER CALLS FOR COMMON EU-ORIGIN MARK FOR IMPORTED FOOD AND DRINK
BY KEITH NUTHALL
BULGARIA’S first European Union (EU) Commissioner, Meglena Kuneva, who handles Brussels’ consumer affairs brief, has called for the introduction of an EU-wide system mandating declarations of origin for all imported non-EU food and drink products. There is no such standard system in the EU, in contrast to the USA and Japan.…
WTO CONCERNS RAISED OVER REACH COMPLEXITY
BY KEITH NUTHALL
DIPLOMATIC grumbles have started to emerge about the European Union’s (EU) REACH chemical control system, with claims being made at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) its complexity could break EU commitments under the WTO’s technical barriers to trade agreement.…
EUROPEAN COMMISSION SEEKS MANDATE TO NEGOTIATE NEW ANTI-COUNTERFEITING TREATIES
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Commission is seeking a mandate from European Union (EU) ministers to formally negotiate a new international Anti Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) with major trading partners, including the US, Japan, South Korea, Mexico and New Zealand. Brussels claims such an agreement would boost cooperation and legal protection over counterfeiting in and between these jurisdictions.…
SMOKING STATISTICS SHOW BRITONS MORE SUSCEPTIBLE TO ANTI-SMOKING MESSAGES THAN MANY CONTINENTALS
BY KEITH NUTHALL
ENVIRONMENTAL health officers may think there are a lot of smokers in the UK – in 2005, 24% of adults aged 16 or over in Britain smoked cigarettes, but spare a thought for officials in Greece – home of Europe’s keenest smokers.…
AMERICAN DIPLOMATS PRESS FOR ANSWERS OVER FOOD SUBSIDIES DURING WTO INQUISITION
BY KEITH NUTHALL
AS the World Trade Organisation’s (WTO) Doha Development Round pushes towards its completion, American diplomats have come under intense scrutiny regarding the payment of subsidies to US food producers. US trade partners want detailed information on these payments, so they can categorise them in any final Doha deal – which will cap subsidies, according to how they are defined.…
CAR MAKERS WANT CLEARER VISION ON ECO-DRIVING, THAT GOES BEYOND TECHNICAL IMPROVEMENTS
BY CHRIS JONES, in Paris
AUTO manufacturers in Europe are calling for greater support from national governments and European Union (EU) institutions in promoting eco-driving – where good motoring styles are adopted which reduce the greenhouse gas and other polluting emissions from vehicles.…
IRAN PAINT INDUSTRY THRIVES, DESPITE THE THREAT OF NUCLEAR CONFRONTATION
BY MARK ROWE and PAUL COCHRANE
IT is something of an understatement to describe Iran as a peripheral player on the international paint scene. The country’s share of the world market in paints and varnishes in 2007 is, according to research analysts Gobi International, just 0.5%.…
EUROPEAN COMMISSION SEEKS MANDATE TO NEGOTIATE NEW ANTI-COUNTERFEITING TREATIES
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Commission is seeking a mandate from European Union (EU) ministers to negotiate a new international Anti Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) with major trading partners, including the US, Japan, Korea, Mexico and New Zealand. Brussels claims such an agreement would boost cooperation and legal protection over counterfeiting in and between these jurisdictions.…
EUROPEAN COMMISSION SEEKS MANDATE TO NEGOTIATE NEW ANTI-COUNTERFEITING TREATIES
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Commission is seeking a mandate from European Union (EU) ministers to negotiate a new international Anti Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) with major trading partners, including the US, Japan, Korea, Mexico and New Zealand. Brussels claims such an agreement would boost cooperation and legal protection over counterfeiting.…
DEMAND FOR OILS AND FATS WITHIN PERSONAL CARE SECTOR DIVERGES WIDELY BETWEEN COUNTRIES, CONTINENTS
BY MARK ROWE, in London, JULIAN RYALL, in Tokyo, and RACHEL JONES, in Caracas
PERSONAL care products – soaps, cosmetics, lotions and hair products – have always been important consumers of vegetable and animal-based oils and fats. Yet, this is a complex sub-sector of the global oils and fats industry.…
EUROPEAN COMMISSION SEEKS MANDATE TO NEGOTIATE NEW ANTI-COUNTERFEITING TREATIES
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Commission is seeking a mandate from European Union (EU) ministers to negotiate a new international Anti Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) with major trading partners, including the US, Japan, South Korea, Mexico and New Zealand. Brussels claims such an agreement would boost cooperation and legal protection over counterfeiting in and between these jurisdictions.…
SOUTH KOREAN SEAFOOD INDUSTRY FIGHTS TO BOOST EXPORTS AS SUPPLY PROBLEMS LOOM
BY KARRYN CARTELLE
THE SIGNING of a bilateral Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between South Korea and the United States is expected to fuel an already booming seafood trade. And with the Koreans having a host of other FTAs in the works, it appears this seafood-producing nation will use free trade agreements to push its seafood products to every continent.…
ECJ RULING UNDERMINES PROPOSED ANTI-COUNTERFEITING LAW
BY KEITH NUTHALL
A PROPOSED European Union (EU) directive aimed at protecting clothing and textile businesses from counterfeit brands has been undermined by a European Court of Justice (ECJ). Earlier this year, the European Parliament approved in principle a directive on ‘criminal measures aimed at ensuring the enforcement of intellectual property rights’.…
MOBILE PHONE CHECK IN INTRODUCED BY JAPANESE AIRLINE
BY JULIAN RYALL, in Tokyo
ALL Nippon Airways (ANA) says it has made checking in and boarding faster with the introduction of its innovative ‘SKiP’ (NOTE – CORRECT SPELLING) service. At 50 airports across Japan, ANA customers can bypass physical check-in procedures by touching an ANA credit card, mileage card or adapted IC-enabled mobile phone to readers at the security check and the boarding gate.…
ECJ RULING UNDERMINES PROPOSED ANTI-COUNTERFEITING LAW
BY KEITH NUTHALL
A PROPOSED European Union (EU) directive aimed at protecting food businesses from counterfeit brands has been undermined by a European Court of Justice (ECJ). Earlier this year, the European Parliament approved in principle a directive on ‘criminal measures aimed at ensuring the enforcement of intellectual property rights’.…
KANEBO LAUNCHES NEW 20-SOMETHING COSMETICS LINE IN JAPAN
BY JULIAN RYALL, in Tokyo
KANEBO Cosmetics is aiming to make new inroads into Japan’s 20-something market with the release on December 16 of its new champagne gold and shiny pink cosmetics range, Coffret D’Or (golden casket in English).
Consisting of 44 products, the new range uses two new ingredients designed to enhance depth and radiance, the company claimed.…
EU BAR ASSOCIATIONS STILL FIGHTING TO PROTECT CLIENT CONFIDENTIALITY IN MONEY LAUNDERING CASES
BY ALAN OSBORN
THE EUROPEAN Union (EU) legal profession suffered a significant reversal in June this year when the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled that reporting obligations imposed on lawyers participating in financial transactions with no link to judicial proceedings did not breach the right to a fair trial.…
GLOBAL: Injecting cancer patients with alcohol can kill their tumours say Japanese scientists
Monica Dobie
Ottawa
ENJOYING one unit of alcohol each day is generally considered healthy by most health practitioners in helping keep cholesterol levels down, but now researchers have found that injecting alcohol directly through the skin may also help combat cancer.…
IN KOREAN NUCLEAR POWER, IT'S NOT ONLY KIM JONG-IL WHO'S PUNCHING ABOVE HIS WEIGHT
BY ANDREW SALMON, in Seoul
THE WORDS ‘nuclear’ and ‘Korea’ automatically conjure up images of Kim Jong-il’s underground atomic weapons programs, but south of the heavily militarised border, it is South Korea that has quietly built up one of the world’s most competitive nuclear industries.…
COMMISSIONER CALLS FOR COMMON EU-ORIGIN MARK FOR IMPORTED PRODUCTS
BY KEITH NUTHALL
BULGARIA’S first European Union (EU) Commissioner, Meglena Kuneva, responsible for consumer affairs, has called for an EU-wide system mandating declarations of origin for all imported non-EU products. There is no such standard system in the EU, in contrast to the USA and Japan, and although the European Commission proposed creating such labelling rules in 2005, EU ministers have since refused to back the idea.…
INJECTING CANCER PATIENTS WITH ALCOHOL CAN KILL THEIR TUMOURS SAY JAPANESE SCIENTISTS
BY MONICA DOBIE
ENJOYING one unit of alcohol each day is generally considered healthy by most health practitioners in helping keep cholesterol levels down, but now researchers have found that injecting alcohol directly through the skin may also help combat cancer.…
ISO STANDARDS OF INCREASING RELEVANCE TO ASIA PACIFIC COATINGS SECTOR
BY KEITH NUTHALL
WITH the Asia Pacific paint industry being increasingly innovative in its development of paints and seeking specialist overseas markets for its products, the relevance of international standards for its manufacturing processes is becoming increasingly apparent.
Indeed, the International Organisation for Standardization (ISO) (NOTE: ISO USES AMERICAN SPELLING FOR ITS NAME) last year picked the paint and coatings sector to launch its new collection of CD compilations of its standards.…
CANADIAN SEAFOOD INDUSTRY PUSHES TO EXPLOIT NATURAL RESOURCES ADVANTAGES
BY MONICA DOBIE, in Ottawa, and KEITH NUTHALL
IT would almost be hard for Canada not to be one of the seafood industry’s largest global players. After all, surrounded by the Arctic, Atlantic and Pacific oceans and the Great Lakes as well, Canada has the world’s longest coastline (244,000 km).…
GLOBAL KIWIFRUIT LEADER TO PRESS FORWARD WITH INNOVATION
INTERVIEW – TONY NOWELL, ZESPRI.
BY KARRYN CARTELLE
THE WORLD leader in kiwifruit – New Zealand’s Zespri International – appeared on the scene in 1997, a whole 45 years after the first kiwifruit were exported from its home country’s shores. But despite such a late start the company has experienced rapid growth, securing the dominant position in the kiwifruit marketplace.…
EUROPEAN COMMISSION FINES FASTENERS CARTEL EURO 328 MILLION
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Commission has imposed fines totalling Euro 328 million on six European Union (EU) companies making clothing fasteners and attaching machines, for operating cartels over the past 30 years. Britain’s Coats group was fined Euro 122.4 million; Japan’s YKK Group Euro 150.2 million; and Germany’s Prym Euro 40.5 million, while smaller fines of Euro 6 million were imposed on the USA’s Scovill Fasteners Inc; Euro 8.3 million on France’s A.…
WTO ESTABLISHES CHINA COUNTERFEITING DISPUTES PANEL
BY KEITH NUTHALL
ALLEGED glaring loopholes in China’s fight against the counterfeiting of goods will now be examined in detail by a World Trade Organisation (WTO) disputes settlement panel, which was established yesterday (Tues) at the urging of the United States.…
EU AND INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATION ROUND UP - TUNA QUOTAS SLASHED
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Commission will close the bluefin tuna fishery in the eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean for rest of 2007 because the annual quota of 16,779.5 tonnes has been exhausted. Fisheries controlled by (Greek) Cyprus, Greece, Malta, Portugal and Spain will affected.…
MEPS CALL FOR COUNTRY-OF-ORIGIN LABELLING ON ALL EU CLOTHING AND FOOTWEAR IMPORTS
BY ALAN OSBORN
Over 160 MEPs have signed a declaration demanding "country-of-origin" labelling on all clothing, footwear and other goods imported into the European Union. The formal text notes that such marking is particularly important for certain categories of goods such as textiles and clothing, jewellery, ceramics, glassware and furnishings "whose association with a place of production in the global market may communicate to the consumer much more than geographical information."…
JAPAN NUCLEAR OPERATORS STRUGGLE TO CONTAIN PR AFTERSHOCKS OF LATEST MAJOR EARTHQUAKE
BY JULIAN RYALL, in Tokyo
IN the last 18 months, the reputation of the Japanese nuclear industry has been dragged through the mud in the wake of a series of scandals. So the very last thing it needed was a safety scare at one of its main plants.…
SOLAR POWER IS GROWING IN EUROPE - BUT WILL IT BREAK INTO THE MAINSTREAM
BY MATTHEW BRACE
THE BIG question with solar energy is whether it will become sufficiently profitable for major utilities to provide comprehensive services. After all, solar energy is more abundant than all other renewable resources; it’s free and it can be harnessed almost anywhere in the world.…
WTO NEGOTIATORS PREPARE FOR POSSIBLE FINAL ROUND OF TALKS
BY KEITH NUTHALL
WORLD Trade Organisation (WTO) negotiators return to Geneva this month (Geneva) with the aim of ending the long-running WTO Doha Development Round food liberalisation food talks by December. Diplomats and expert officials will discuss line-by-line proposals released in late July by food and drink talks chairman Crawford Falconer.…
GM CROPS FIGHT TO MARKET IN EUROPE THROUGH TOUGH RED TAPE
BY DEIRDRE MASON
FEW issues have proved as globally divisive as the ability to modify crops genetically. For years, a line has been drawn between the cautious European Union (EU) and the go-for-it United States, which has seen them at loggerheads over trading genetically modified crops.…
EUROPE OVER TAKES USA IN SCIENTIFIC PUBLISHING
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE USA’S National Science Foundation has tried to put a positive gloss on the latest global comparative scientific publishing figures, saying that although the American industry is less prolific than that in Europe, it is still more important.…
INNOVATION SURGING AHEAD IN JAPAN CAR PAINTS – SELF-HEALING COATINGS ON THEIR WAY
BY JULIAN RYALL, in Tokyo
WITH a quick scrubbing motion, Tatsuya Ishihara commits an act that is tantamount to a crime in the vehicle industry. The to-and-fro of the wire brush has etched scars in the black paint on the bonnet of the brand new Nissan X-Trail SUV that would normally require a return to the workshop.…
INNOVATION SURGING AHEAD IN JAPAN CAR PAINTS - SELF-HEALING COATINGS ON THEIR WAY
BY JULIAN RYALL, in Tokyo
WITH a quick scrubbing motion, Tatsuya Ishihara commits an act that is tantamount to a crime in the vehicle industry. The to-and-fro of the wire brush has etched scars in the black paint on the bonnet of the brand new Nissan X-Trail SUV that would normally require a return to the workshop.…
JAPAN WOMEN'S GROWING ASSERTIVENESS IMPACTS ON COSMETICS DEMAND
BY GAVIN BLAIR, in Tokyo
ON May 28 this year Japanese beauty queen Riyo Mori was crowned Miss Universe 2007 in Mexico City. The 20-year-old former ballet dancer who had studied in Canada and New York was the first Japanese woman to win the contest in nearly half a century.…
BIOFUELS PROMOTED BY DEVELOPING INTERNATIONAL REGULATIONS
BY ALAN OSBORN
DIFFERENT parts of the world have devised a wide range of regulations to promote biofuels as an answer to traditional fuels posed by supply and environmental concerns. Japan began promoting alternative fuels in the mid-70s following the oil crisis, replacing oil-powered electric generators with units driven by alternative fuels, as well as natural gas, coal and nuclear power.…
REACH CHEMICAL CONTROL SYSTEM WILL IMPOSE SPECIAL ENVIRONMENTAL DEMANDS ON THE EU TOBACCO INDUSTRY
BY ALAN OSBORN and KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Union’s (EU) REACH legislation for the registration and authorisation of chemicals came into effect on June 1 and will have a major effect on the tobacco industry. The industry’s detractors have long been keen to use REACH to control the chemicals added to cigarettes in particular, and the European Parliament had pressed for the law to single out tobacco as a sector requiring scrutiny under the law.…
REGULATORS WORLDWIDE STRUGGLE TO PROMOTE POPULAR BIOFUELS THROUGH REGULATION
BY ALAN OSBORN
DIFFERENT parts of the world have devised a wide range of regulations to promote biofuels as an answer to traditional fuels posed by supply and environmental concerns. Japan began promoting alternative fuels in the mid-70s following the oil crisis, replacing oil-powered electric generators with units driven by alternative fuels, as well as natural gas, coal and nuclear power.…
PROPOSED DOHA DEAL INDICATES ON COMING MAJOR LIBERALISATION OF WORLD FOOD MARKETS
BY KEITH NUTHALL
DETAILED proposals aimed at ending the long-running World Trade Organisation (WTO) Doha Development Round food liberalisation food talks were released this afternoon (Tue 17-7). Negotiation chairman Crawford Falconer released formulas for cutting tariffs and trade-distorting production subsidies, whose range are much narrower than in last year’s ill-fated proposals which sparked the talks’ suspension.…
PAKISTAN FOOD INDUSTRY NEWS
BY SAEED AKHTAR BALOCH, in Lahore
WITH a long established food manufacturing sector and strong commodity production, the Pakistan food industry, one of the largest industries in the country, has grown with an average pace of 10% over the last three years.…
PROPOSED DOHA DEAL INDICATES ON COMING MAJOR LIBERALISATION OF WORLD FOOD MARKETS
BY KEITH NUTHALL
DETAILED proposals for the World Trade Organisation Doha Development Round food liberalisation food talks have been released. For food production subsidies, they suggest the EU cuts by 75% or 85%; the US and Japan 66% or 73%. Regarding tariffs, for rich countries these would fall 48-52% for lowest duties, and 66-73% for the highest tariffs.…
SECOND RUNWAY IN KANSAI AIRPORT OPEN BY EARLY AUGUST
BY JULIAN RYALL, in Tokyo KANSAI International Airport opens its second runway on August 2nd, making it the first hub facility in Japan to have multiple runways of 4,000 metres and allowing it to become operational 24 hours a day. Constructed on a man-made island in Osaka Bay, KIX intends to increase both passenger and cargo flights, particularly in peak-time hours.…
SECOND RUNWAY IN KANSAI AIRPORT OPEN BY EARLY AUGUST
BY JULIAN RYALL, in Tokyo
KANSAI International Airport opens its second runway on August 2nd, making it the first hub facility in Japan to have multiple runways of 4,000 metres and allowing it to become operational 24 hours a day.
Constructed on a man-made island in Osaka Bay, KIX intends to increase both passenger and cargo flights, particularly in peak-time hours.…
INNOVATION SURGING AHEAD IN JAPAN CAR PAINTS - SELF-HEALING COATINGS ON THEIR WAY
BY JULIAN RYALL, in Tokyo
WITH a quick scrubbing motion, Tatsuya Ishihara commits an act that is tantamount to a crime in the vehicle industry. The to-and-fro of the wire brush has etched scars in the black paint on the bonnet of the brand new Nissan X-Trail SUV that would normally require a return to the workshop.…
SECOND RUNWAY IN KANSAI AIRPORT OPEN BY EARLY AUGUST
BY JULIAN RYALL, in Tokyo
KANSAI International Airport opens its second runway on August 2nd, making it the first hub facility in Japan to have multiple runways of 4,000 metres and allowing it to become operational 24 hours a day.
Constructed on a man-made island in Osaka Bay, KIX intends to increase both passenger and cargo flights, particularly in peak-time hours.…
SHISEIDO CLAIMS SUCCESS IN DISCOVERING 'GOLDEN' MAGNESIUM, CALCIUM SKIN FORMULA
BY JULIAN RYALL, in Tokyo
IT comes in a stunning multi-layered Perspex box that combines traditional elements of Japanese design with contemporary materials, the trays sliding out and each lotion held in a delicate, individual jar. But it is the contents of those jars, as well as the spray canister, that really has the scientists at Shiseido Co.’s…
SIMPLE MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES CAN SAVE ROAD HAULIERS SIGNIFICANT FUEL COSTS - IEA CONFERENCE
BY PHILIPPA JONES, in Paris
SIMPLE cost-effective actions can help road hauliers run more efficient businesses, reduce their fuel bills and improve their environmental credentials, expert speakers have told an international conference on fuel efficiency in Paris.
Fuel accounts for at least 30% of operating costs in most road transport operations, but few, if any, haulage companies are really maximising the potential to be more fuel efficient, according to Jonathan James, a consultant with Faber Maunsell.…
WTO LAUNCHES INDIA WINE, SPIRITS DUTY PANEL
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE WORLD Trade Organisation (WTO) has created a disputes panel to rule on the vexed question of whether India’s import duties on wines and spirits are so punishing, they break WTO rules. The panel will hear complaints from the United States, whose drinks industries have long chafed at the aggregated duties that range between 150% and 550%.…
EU REACH CHEMICAL CONTROL SYSTEM IMPOSES DEMANDS ON US AND JAPANESE COMPANIES
BY KEITH NUTHALL, in London, and JULIAN RYALL, in Tokyo
THE INTRODUCTION on June 1 of the European Union’s (EU) Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals system – better known as REACH – will have a far-reaching impact on chemical manufacturers and distributors around the world, with companies operating in Japan expecting it to lead to higher costs – although they accept that its aims are positive.…
SHISEIDO CLAIMS SUCCESS IN DISCOVERING 'GOLDEN' MAGNESIUM, CALCIUM SKIN FORMULA
BY JULIAN RYALL, in Tokyo
IT comes in a stunning multi-layered Perspex box that combines traditional elements of Japanese design with contemporary materials, the trays sliding out and each lotion held in a delicate, individual jar. But it is the contents of those jars, as well as the spray canister, that really has the scientists at Shiseido Co.’s…
SIMPLE MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES CAN SAVE ROAD HAULIERS SIGNIFICANT FUEL COSTS - IEA CONFERENCE
BY PHILIPPA JONES, in Paris
SIMPLE cost-effective actions can help road hauliers run more efficient businesses, reduce their fuel bills and improve their environmental credentials, expert speakers have told an international conference on fuel efficiency in Paris.
Fuel accounts for at least 30% of operating costs in most road transport operations, but few, if any, haulage companies are really maximising the potential to be more fuel efficient, according to Jonathan James, a consultant with Faber Maunsell.…
WTO LAUNCHES INDIA WINE, SPIRITS DUTY PANEL
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE WORLD Trade Organisation (WTO) has created a disputes panel to rule on the vexed question of whether India’s import duties on wines and spirits are so punishing, they break WTO rules. The panel will hear complaints from the United States, whose drinks industries have long chafed at the aggregated duties that range between 150% and 550%.…
SOUTH KOREA PAINT INDUSTRY STRUGGLES TO PROSPER IN A MATURE ASIAN MARKET
BY KARRYN CARTELLE
ASIA’S paint and coatings industry may be growing but South Korea’s share of the market is on the decline. Indeed, the South Korea sector’s annual sales of US$3 billion make a small contribution to the global industry, where demand is predicted to reach US$83 billion this year.…
CHINA CIGARETTE COUNTERFEITERS PROSPER, DESPITE GOVERNMENT CLAMPDOWNS
BY MARK GODFREY, in Beijing
CIGARETTE counterfeiters have borne the brunt of recent Chinese government efforts to curb the country’s rampant trade in fake goods. However, Beijing’s recent efforts to rationalise and modernise the country’s cigarette industry – by some measures, the world’s largest – have unwittingly aided the counterfeiters.…
CHINA CIGARETTE COUNTERFEITERS PROSPER, DESPITE GOVERNMENT CLAMPDOWNS
BY MARK GODFREY, in Beijing
CIGARETTE counterfeiters have borne the brunt of recent Chinese government efforts to curb the country’s rampant trade in fake goods. However, Beijing’s recent efforts to rationalise and modernise the country’s cigarette industry – by some measures, the world’s largest – have unwittingly aided the counterfeiters.…
LEBANON
BY PAUL COCHRANE, in Beirut
Lebanon’s cosmetics, toiletries and perfumery sector, excluding shaving creams and soaps, is estimated to be worth US$180 million a year, according to L’Oréal.
The sector was seriously affected by the month long war between Israel and Hizbullah last year.…
LVMH TELLS JAPAN COSMETICS SYMPOSIUM OF GROUNDBREAKING RESEARCH INTO ADOLESCENT SKIN PRODUCTS
BY JULIAN RYALL, in Tokyo
RELATIVELY little is known about ethnic specificities in adolescent skin, although the research division of French luxury products group Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton (LVMH) is focusing a high percentage of its efforts on understanding modifications in the skin as young people change from being children to adolescence and adulthood.…
JAPANESE GOVERNMENT DRIVES R&D OF POLYMER FUEL CELLS
BY GAVIN BLAIR, in Tokyo
THE JAPANESE government is staging a comprehensive initiative to promote the development of polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs), to help secure its future energy supplies, amidst increasing concern about the availability and cost of fossil fuels.…
EU RUSSIA PREPARE TO SQUARE OFF OVER ENERGY DEAL
BY KEITH NUTHALL, ALAN OSBORN and PAUL COCHRANE
WITH the European Union (EU) securing around 25% of its gas from Russia and natural gas being an ever more important fuel for thermal power plants, the failure thus far of the European Union and Russia to agree a new long-term energy agreement has to be of concern to the electricity industry.…
JAPAN PUSHES CUTTING-EDGE POWER GENERATING TECHNOLOGY
BY GAVIN BLAIR, in Tokyo
As the world’s third biggest energy consumer after the United States and China, Japan has long been concerned with its lack of self-sufficiency in power generation. The low level of food self-sufficiency (40%), which has always been something of a national obsession, looks positively healthy when compared to the 16% level for energy.…
GLOBAL DUAL-USE TECHNOLOGY NUCLEAR NON-PROLIFERATION CONTROLS BECOME EVER MORE COMPREHENSIVE
BY DEIRDRE MASON
FIFTY years ago, the signing of the Euratom Treaty ushered in a system of European non-proliferation controls designed to prevent nuclear-associated technology being exploited for the illicit production of nuclear weaponry. And today, after the anniversary of the three agreements signed on March 25, 1957 that gave the European Communities – later the European Union (EU) – their legal basis, that ‘dual-use technology’ system continues to be refined.…
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES BOOMING ECONOMY OFFERS PROFITS FOR TOBACCO MAJORS
BY PAUL COCHRANE, in Dubai
THE UNITED Arab Emirates’ (UAE) US$310 million tobacco market is set to grow by 8% this year on the back of population growth, tourism and a strong economy, but the sector faces sizeable problems with illicit trade that accounts for as much as 33% of the market.…
EU ESTABLISHES ITS ITER WORK AGENCY
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Union (EU) Council of Ministers has formally established the EU agency that will handle the EU’s participation in the ITER international fusion project. Called the European Domestic Agency, it will be based in Barcelona, Spain, has a current budget of Euro 9.6 billion, and has been authorised to work for 35 years.…
INTERPOL INVESTIGATES GLOBAL CAR THEFT RINGS
BY KEITH NUTHALL
FLEET managers suffering from car thefts might think their vehicles are sold in a nearby city, or neighbouring region. No so, says global police agency Interpol – they could well end up on another continent. It recently coordinated controls of more than 8,000 vehicles in Africa’s Cameroon, Central African Republic, and Chad, and found 14 had been stolen “mostly from Europe and Japan.”…
JAPAN'S COSMETICS MARKET IS THE MOST VOLATILE IN THE WORLD
BY JULIAN RYALL, in Tokyo
TASTES and trends come and go in cosmetics sectors, but the Japanese cosmetics market is arguably the most volatile of them all. With as many as 1,000 companies vying for a slice of the action – ranging from domestic names that have projected themselves around the world to foreign corporations bringing the chic of Paris or New York and small-scale specialists – the personal care products industry here needs to be constantly evolving.…
RUSSIA TOBACCO SECTOR SHAKEN UP BY JAPAN TOBACCO TAKEOVER OF GALLAHER
BY MARK ROWE
ONE of the prime motivations for Japan Tobacco’s takeover of Gallaher Group was to help the company establish a presence in Western Europe, where it figures only slightly. But the most seismic effects of the takeover may well be felt in neighbouring Russia, the world’s third largest cigarette market, where two thirds of men and a third of women are smokers, prices are low despite hikes in excise duties, and the habit has little of the social stigma attached to it in the US and Britain.…
REACH TO HAVE GREAT IMPACT ON ASIA PAINT AND COATINGS INDUSTRY
BY ALAN OSBORN
PAINT and coatings manufacturers in the Asia Pacific region could be storing up trouble for themselves if they fail to grasp and act on the full implications of the European Union’s (EU) newly minted REACH system for classifying and labelling chemicals.…
EUROPEAN DAIRY ASSOCATION PREPARES FOR FUTURE LIBERALISATION
BY DAVID HAWORTH, in Brussels
THE EUROPEAN Commission’s proposal to simplify the organisation for milk and dairy products, announced last month, is already having profound effects on the industry says Dr Joop Kleibeuker, Secretary General of the Brussels-based European Dairy Association in an exclusive interview with just-food.com.…
SOUTH KOREA STRENGTHENS MONEY LAUNDERING CONTROLS TO RESIST FINANCIAL CRIME FROM THE NORTH
BY ANDREW SALMON, in Seoul
LAST October, South Korea was admitted as an observer to the world’s premier group of money laundering fighters – the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and given the nation’s recent moves to strengthen its anti-money laundering regime its path to full membership in approximately two years appears smooth.…
SOUTH-EAST ASIA COSMETICS INDUSTRY STARTS HARMONISATION PROCESS
BY MARK ROWE
INTERNATIONAL cosmetics companies are increasingly casting an eye over south-east Asia. In the middle of the first decade of the 21st Century it would appear to offer all things to all companies.
With Asia (including nearby China) representing half of the world’s population and an economic growth rate ranging between 5 and 10%, many companies are interested in entering or developing these markets.…
MEDICINE FREE TRADE DEAL EXPANDED BY MAJOR PHARMA COUNTRIES
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Union (EU) has approved a third revision of the World Trade Organisation’s (WTO) Pharma-GATT Agreement, removing import duties on 1,290 more pharmaceuticals and medicine ingredients traded between major manufacturing countries.
This agreement was originally framed in 1994, and has been updated twice to account for technical progress and expand its scope.…
UN CALL TO EXAMINE SPACE NUCLEAR POWER RISK OF WASTE COLLISION
BY KEITH NUTHALL
EXPERT space agencies worldwide have been encouraged by the United Nations to consider the risk of a collision between orbiting satellites with nuclear power sources and debris increasingly orbiting the Earth, littering space. The UN committee on the peaceful uses of outer space has published the first of a series of reports following a December resolution from the UN general assembly to consider the problem.…
EUROPE CATCHING UP WITH USA ON INNOVATION SAYS REPORT
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Union (EU) is catching up with the United States in innovation, a European Commission-financed statistical report has claimed, although the US still has many significant advantages. This year’s European Innovation Scoreboard (2006) concludes: “The innovation gap between the EU [minus new members Bulgaria and Romania] and Japan, and in particular with the US is decreasing.”…
ECJ REJECTS STEEL TUBES CARTEL FINE APPEALS
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Court of Justice (ECJ) has rejected five appeals by seamless steel tubes producers, such as oil country tubular goods, against fines imposed by the European Commission for participating in a cartel called the Europe-Japan Club. The ECJ rejected appeals by Salzgitter Mannesmann, of Germany, Dalmine, of Italy; plus Japan’s Sumitomo Metal Industries Ltd and the Nippon Steel Corp.…
EU-JAPAN NUCLEAR FUSION AGREEMENT SIGNED IN TOKYO
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Union (EU) and Japan have signed in Tokyo a wide-ranging 10-year nuclear fusion research agreement. It will enable EU scientists to participate in ITER-related studies in Japan, such as tests on reactor materials and computer simulation.…
COSMETICS MARKET CONTINUES TO MATURE IN INCREASINGLY PROSPEROUS CHINA
BY MARK ROWE
AN EXHIBITION centre in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou will next month (March) be the venue for Asia’s largest personal care trade conference. Manufacturers, formulators, scientists and suppliers will converge to promote new ranges to what is now recognised as being the world’s most burgeoning market: China.…
AUTO GLAZING INDUSTRY SEEKS GLOBAL STANDARD
BY DEIRDRE MASON, in London
A WORLDWIDE standard for automotive safety glazing may only be a few months away, now that suppliers have agreed on the content and wording.
The new draft standard was finalized at a January conference in Brussels under the umbrella of CLEPA (the European Association of Automotive Suppliers), with representatives from the US, Japan, Canada, Belgium, France and Germany taking part.…
EUROSTAT HAILS EASTERN EUROPE RESEARCH BOOM
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE BALTIC States are the European Union’s (EU) boom-region for research spending increases, according to the latest R&D figures from EU statistical agency Eurostat, which show Britain’s performance as relatively static. Annual average growth rates in real terms research spending from 2001 to 2005 ranged from +18% in Latvia, +17% in Estonia, and +11% in Lithuania, (+15% in Cyprus).…
EUROSTAT HAILS EASTERN EUROPE RESEARCH BOOM
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE BALTIC States are the European Union’s (EU) boom-region for research spending increases, according to the latest R&D figures from EU statistical agency Eurostat, which show Britain’s performance as relatively static. Annual average growth rates in real terms research spending from 2001 to 2005 ranged from +18% in Latvia, +17% in Estonia, and +11% in Lithuania, (+15% in Cyprus).…
ASIAN NATIONS SIGN SUSTAINABLE ENERGY PACT
BY KEITH NUTHALL
CHINA, India and Japan have joined the 10 Association of South East Asia Nations (ASEAN) countries, Australia, New Zealand and South Korea in signing the Cebu Declaration on East Asian Energy Security, on promoting energy sustainability. Although the pact includes no binding targets on emissions reduction, it strongly urges biofuel and other alternative energy sources development.…
EU LAUNCHES NEW RESEARCH POLICY WEBSITE
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Commission has launched a website called ERAWATCH (named after the European Research Area – ERA), posted with information on research systems and policies within all European Union (EU) member states and other major countries, such as the US, Japan and China.…
JAPAN COMMERCIAL CRIME FEATURE
BY JULIAN RYALL, in Tokyo
JUST as they are inventive in the world of business, the Japanese can be similarly clever when it comes to getting around inconvenient regulations on commerce, reports Julian Ryall, in Tokyo.
THEY may be better behaved than many of their counterparts in the rest of Asia, but many Japanese corporations have a very different attitude to breaking the rules than they did before the country’s recent “lost decade” of economic stagnation.…
EU ANNOUNCES AID FOR FOOD EXPORTS TO USA, JAPAN AND OTHER NON-EU MARKETS
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Commission has announced it will spend around Euro 4.7 million in helping German, Greek, Italian and Polish food producers and processors export to the USA, Canada, Japan, China, India and other big non-European Union (EU) markets.…
INCREASED FLEXIBILITY OVER FIREWORKS LAW WILL REMOVE THREAT TO AIRBAG MANUFACTURERS
BY ALAN OSBORN, in London
EUROPEAN manufacturers have been given the go-ahead to use explosive chemicals as igniters for airbags after a new European Union (EU) law had threatened to put them out of business. The new legislation drawn up by the European Commission in Brussels last year (2005) was principally aimed at the fireworks industry and laid down new regulations to ensure safety in handling, storage and transportation binding across the 25 member countries.…
EU ANNOUNCES AID FOR POLISH MEAT EXPORTS TO USA, JAPAN AND OTHER NON-EU MARKETS
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Commission has announced it will spend Euro 870,000 over two years in helping Polish meat producers and processors export to the USA, Canada, Japan, China, India and other big non-European Union (EU) markets. As usual in these cases, Brussels is funding 50% of planned marketing programmes, matching financing coming from nation governments or private sources.…
EU ANNOUNCES AID FOR WINE EXPORTS
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Commission has announced it will spend around Euro 4 million helping Cypriot, Greek and Portuguese wine producers export to the USA, Canada, Japan, China, India and other big non-European Union (EU) markets. As usual in these cases, Brussels is funding 50% of planned marketing programmes, matching financing from national governments or private sources.…
NEW TOKYO FISH MARKET OFFERS BENEFITS TO THE JAPAN SEAFOOD SECTOR
BY JULIAN RYALL, in Tokyo
WORK is scheduled to get under way in February on building a gleaming new seafood and fish wholesale market on a man-made island in Tokyo Bay. The Japan capital’s municipal authorities claim it will get products to market faster, attract more buyers and increase profit margins for traders.…
IAEA INSPECTORS HUNT DOWN ROGUE NUCLEAR SOURCES
BY DEIRDRE MASON
IF there are those who doubt whether the time, effort and resources invested in tracking down lost or orphaned sources of nuclear radiation is well spent, the tragic case of Alexander Litvinenko demonstrates only too clearly why this work is crucial.…
PAKISTAN PAINT INDUSTRY FEATURE
SAEED AKHTAR BALOCH, in Lahore
PAKISTAN’S paint sector – one of its largest industries – has shown an impressive growth over the last few years, mainly because of boost in housing and construction activities.
Unfortunately, being one of the more unorganised sectors in the country, with many small manufacturers, it is difficult to pinpoint the exact number of paint producing units, production and sales data, but figures available from government agencies reveal the industry achieved 25-30 % growth in last five years, with an impressive spurt of 15-20% growth in the financial year ended June 2006, which could be sustained in the medium-term if the housing sector continues growing at its current pace.…
HYDROGEN FUEL CELL ADVANCES EUROPE JAPAN
BY JULIAN RYALL, in Tokyo
IT may be in its infancy, but European scientists have high hopes for new research into more effective ways to store hydrogen, and particularly in how it can be applied to next-generation fuel cell systems for vehicles, research that could have global implications.…
WTO EXTENDS FREE-TRADE WAIVER FOR BLOOD DIAMOND CONTROLS
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE WORLD Trade Organisation (WTO) has exempted from its standard free trade rules for a further six years countries involved in the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme combating ‘blood diamond’ sales.
Its current waiver was to expire December 31 and protects trade restrictions undertaken by participating countries preventing rough diamonds being exported to non-signatory states.…
JAPAN FISH FARMERS TO GET IMPROVED SALES EFFICIENCY WITH NEW MARKET
BY JULIAN RYALL, in Tokyo
JAPAN’S key fish farming sector is being promised improved efficiency in sales and distribution, with work beginning in February on a state-of-the-art wholesale fishmarket, scheduled for operation on reclaimed land alongside Tokyo Bay by 2012.
The new Koto Ward market, yet to be named, will take over the functions of Tsukiji, the world’s largest market for fish, including farmed species.…
NESTLÉ TECHNOLOGISTS SEEK TO BALANCE FOOD ENJOYMENT AND NUTRITION - INTERVIEW
BY MARK ROWE
CONFECTIONARY production is a never-ending battle to balance the ‘feel-good’ factor of products such as a chocolate and cakes with increasing consumer demands for healthy living and enhanced nutrition, according to a leading food scientist.
Dr Johan Ubbink, a senior research scientist and department group leader at the Nestlé Research Centre for Food and Life Sciences in Lausanne, Switzerland, acknowledged that, while chocolate cake would never be the healthiest thing you could eat, research was embracing new technologies that could mitigate the negative effects of confectionary.…
JAPAN REFINES NUCLEAR SAFETY CONTROLS
BY JULIAN RYALL, in Tokyo
ON October 9, North Korea carried out its notorious nuclear test in a mine shaft some 240 miles to the north of Pyongyang. The North Korean government proclaimed the test to be successful and an "historic event."…
EU CO2 EMISSIONS REPORT AUTO INDUSTRY CRITICISED
BY ALAN OSBORN
It looks as though you’re going to have to pay even more to run a big car in Europe soon if the motor industry there doesn’t smarten up its act to cut CO2 emissions. This follows a new report from the European Commission in Brussels on the progress made since 1998/9 when auto manufacturers from Europe, Japan and Korea pledged to voluntarily reduce carbon dioxide emissions in new cars sold in the 25-nation European bloc to 140g/km by 2008/09.…
EU LAUNCHES ITER FUSION PROJECT MANAGEMENT UNIT
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Commission has proposed creating a ‘European Joint Undertaking for ITER & the Development of Fusion Energy’, tasked with ensuring Europe fulfils its contribution to the international nuclear research project. It would directly control European Union (EU) ITER spending and also cooperate with European industry and research organisations to supply more money, materials and expertise.…
EU FOOD INDUSTRY IN TRADE SURPLUS.
by Alan Osborn
A string of trade deficits by European food and drink producers was reversed in 2005 thanks to a rise of 5.2% in exports – the best performance since 2000, says the EU Confederation of Food and Drink Industries (CIAA).…
ECJ SAYS EUROPEAN COMMISSION'S USA CASE WAS LEGAL
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Court of Justice (ECJ) has rejected RJ Reynolds and Japan Tobacco’s request it declare the European Commission acted beyond its powers when launching a 2000 racketeering case at a US New York district court. This legal action was subsequently lost, but the tobacco companies have failed in challenging the Commission’s right to launch the case.…
IRAN TOBACCO MARKET REPORT
BY PAUL COCHRANE
The Iranian tobacco market has been partly opened up to international players in the past five years and growth is expected to rise strongly, but development of the sector is beset by extraordinarily high rates of smuggling and governmental regulations.…
EU BANS USA RICE
BY ALAN OSBORN
The EU has demanded that all long grain rice from America must be tested and found to be free of GM before being allowed entry, the European Commission announced Wednesday. The notice was served following disclosure that small amounts of an unauthorised type of genetically engineered long grain rice had found its way into the feed and food chain in the US.…
PRIVATE BODIES TO HELP EFSA CATCH EMERGING FOOD RISKS
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Food Safety Authority (EFSA) may work with private food health alert services, after reviewing how it discovers and combats emerging risks. In an assessment paper, EFSA admitted it "will need to devote new internal resources for the work with emerging risks", which have recently ranged from fresh foot-and-mouth disease outbreaks, to dioxin contamination and new diseases such as SARS.…
JAPAN WHALE EATING VOX POP
BY JULIAN RYALL, in Tokyo
INTRODUCTION
JAPAN’S whaling fleet returned to port in August with around 2,000 tons of whale meat. Japan describes it as "scientific whaling" that helps monitor numbers and breeding patterns; environmentalists and other governments say it is commercial whaling.…
SLEEMAN TO BOOST EXPORTS AFTER SAPPORO DEAL
BY KEITH NUTHALL, in Ottawa
CANADIAN brewer Sleeman is planning an export drive after its takeover by Japan’s Sapporo, the company’s chairman John Sleeman told just-drinks.com. Mr Sleeman, who will stay on as CEO after the deal is approved by shareholders, said: "I am delighted with this agreement.…
FATF TYPOLOGIES REPORT CLOTHING INDUSTRY MONEY LAUNDERING EXPOSURE
BY ALAN OSBORN
THE WORLD’S top anti-money laundering body has warned that organised criminals have used French fashion purchases to help hide their ill-gotten gains. The Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) latest report on money laundering techniques has written about how illicit drug dealers have smuggled into France the cash proceeds of Japan drug sales.…
EUROPEAN COURT OF JUSTICE CRACKS DOWN ON GRAPHITE ELECTRODE CARTEL
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Court of Justice (ECJ) has upheld or strengthened two fines originally imposed by the European Commission on seven graphite electrode producers from Germany, Japan and the USA for operating a global cartel. These penalties had been appealed, and eased somewhat by the ECJ’s junior Court of First Instance.…
FATF SAYS CRIMINALS USE FRENCH FASHION TO LAUNDER HOT MONEY
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE WORLD’S top anti-money laundering body has warned that organised criminals have used French fashion purchases to help hide their ill-gotten gains. The Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) latest report on money laundering techniques has written how illicit drug dealers have smuggled into France the cash proceeds of Japan drug sales.…
WTO TALKS COLLAPSE EU BLAMES USA
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE WORLD Trade Organisation’s (WTO) Doha round food trade talks collapsed today, with diplomats floundering about how to recover from damaging political deadlock. European Union (EU) trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson has bluntly blamed the Americans for refusing to yield on reducing farm production subsidies.…
EU COMMISSION CONSULTS ON HYDROGEN FUEL CELL STANDARDS
BY ALAN OSBORN, in London
EUROPEAN Union (EU) lawmakers are stepping up the development of a legally binding technical standard to ensure the safe operation of hydrogen fuel cells in road vehicles. The European Commission has begun a public consultation (which runs until September 15) on the matter, seeking to ensure that the rapid technical development of hydrogen power by automakers is not held back by safety fears and conflicting national safety rules.…
SYRIA AUTO MARKET BOOMS AFTER DUTY CUTS
BY PAUL COCHRANE, in Damascus
FOLLOWING a sizeable reduction in import duties last year, Syria’s fledgling car market has grown by up to 60% in under a year.
A mere decade ago Syria’s roads were full of ageing cars, such as 1950s and 1960s Chevrolets, Dodges and Plymouths that were either lovingly maintained or had had one paint job too many.…
ILO VIOLENCE AT WORK REPORT PSYCHOLOGICAL VIOLENCE
STORIES BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE INTERNATIONAL Labour Organisation (ILO) has warned of both an increase in violence at work worldwide and of an increasing variety of threats, which are increasingly psychological rather than purely physical. In its latest global study of workplace violence, ILO says: "Bullying, harassment, mobbing and allied behaviours can be just as damaging as outright physical violence.…
DESIGN RIGHTS EU WIPO SYSTEM COORDINATION
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Parliament has approved linking the European Union’s (EU) design protection system to that run globally by the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO). This will formally tie the EU’s design protection regulation to WIPO’s Geneva Act of the Hague Agreement concerning the international registration of industrial designs.…
NEW ZEALAND PACIFIC MONEY LAUNDERING ORGANISED CRIME RISK
BY SYMON ROSS, in Auckland
INTERNATIONAL law enforcement agencies acknowledge that the laundering of criminal proceeds generated by transnational crime remains a problem in the Pacific region despite increased legislation designed to curb the cleaning of dirty money.
With no Pacific countries now on the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) blacklist of uncooperative territories, international monitors could be forgiven for focusing their attentions elsewhere.…
ECJ EU JURISDICTION - REYNOLDS, JAPAN TOBACCO CASE
STORIES BY KEITH NUTHALL
TOBACCO giants RJ Reynolds and Japan Tobacco may lose a comprehensive legal challenge to the unsuccessful efforts of the European Commission to sue for racketeering at a New York federal US court. The case, which rival Philip Morris later settled out of court, sparked claims that the Commission had acted beyond its powers.…
JAPAN MONEY LAUNDERING FEATURE
BY JULIAN RYALL, in Tokyo
THE HEADLINES in the Japanese press in recent months are likely to have
piqued the interest of anyone looking for a destination where ill-gotten
gains can be made to appear legitimate, let alone the concern of global
money-laundering authorities.…
JAPAN MONEY LAUNDERING FEATURE
BY JULIAN RYALL, in Tokyo
THE HEADLINES in the Japanese press in recent months are likely to have
piqued the interest of anyone looking for a destination where ill-gotten
gains can be made to appear legitimate, let alone the concern of global
money-laundering authorities.…
JAPAN SUMITOMO VOLKSWAGEN DEAL GERMANY EUROPEAN COMMISSION
BY JULIAN RYALL, in Tokyo
OSAKA, Japan-based Sumitomo Electrical Industries Ltd has got a foot in the door of the German automobile wiring harness market with its purchase of Volkswagen Bordnetze GmbH.
Approved by the European Commission, using its authority over international mergers affecting Europe, the cost of the deal is not being announced, but the Japanese company believes the acquisition will allow it to broaden its business throughout Europe.…
ECJ BASF VITAMIN CARTEL FINE REDUCED
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Court of Justice has reduced European Commission fines on Germany’s BASF for participating in several vitamin cartels, from Euro 296.16 to 236.84 million, and on Japan’s Daiichi from Euro 23.4 to 18 million.
ENDS…
WTO REPORT DOHA DEVELOPMENT ROUND - MODALITIES FOLLOW UP - ROUND CONCLUSION
BY KEITH NUTHALL
INTRODUCTION
THE WORLD’S multilateral food trading system today stands at a crossroads: faced with the suspension of the World Trade Organisation’s Doha Development Round, it can either retreat to protectionism, leavened by a series of competitive bilateral trade deals, or it can grasp the nettle of liberal free trade, slash subsidies and tariffs, and then watch the economic rewards roll in.…
INDIA PAINT INDUSTRY FEATURE
BY RAGHAVENDRA VERMA, in New Delhi
THE INDIAN economy is booming and so, as a result, is the country’s US$1.8 billion paint and coating industry, which registered a 10 to 12% annual growth for third consecutive year, taking 2002-03, 2003-04, and 2004-05 into account.…
WTO REPORT DOHA DEVELOPMENT ROUND - MODALITIES FOLLOW UP - ROUND CONCLUSION
BY KEITH NUTHALL
INTRODUCTION
THE WORLD’S multilateral food trading system today stands at a crossroads: faced with the suspension of the World Trade Organisation’s Doha Development Round, it can either retreat to protectionism, leavened by a series of competitive bilateral trade deals, or it can grasp the nettle of liberal free trade, slash subsidies and tariffs, and then watch the economic rewards roll in.…
EUROPEAN COMMISSION COKE PLANT DEAL COMPETITION APPROVAL, CYPRUS, RUSSIA, JAPAN, LUXEMBOURG
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Commission has cleared joint control of a Cypriot company Coke Oven Overseas Contribution Ltd by Mitsui & Co, of Japan, and the Evraz Group, of Luxembourg. The joint venture will exploit the Denisovskaya coal field in Yakutia, east Siberia, selling to Asian customers.…
JAPAN EU NUCLEAR ENERGY AGREEMENT
BY KEITH NUTHALL
JAPAN and the European Commission have signed an ‘Agreement for Cooperation in the Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy’, designed to underpin future commercial and investment cooperation in the nuclear sector. The deal will run for at least 30 years, providing for cooperation regarding the development of nuclear technology, nuclear reactors, nuclear safety, radiation protection, the nuclear fuel cycle and nuclear safeguards.…
MIGA INVESTMENT GUARANTEES OIL AND GAS SECTOR WORLD BANK
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE MULTILATERAL Investment Guarantee Agency, or MIGA, is the international organisation companies turn to when they want to invest in a jurisdiction where their assets might not be that safe. Oil and gas companies have long used MIGA to cover risks that are too tasty for the private insurance industry, and at December 2005, MIGA had supported 13 oil and gas projects, with guarantees totalling US$707 million, with a standard leverage of five-to-one, so investments covered are actually five times larger.…
MIGA INVESTMENT GUARANTEES NON-FERROUS METAL SECTOR - WORLD BANK
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE MULTILATERAL Investment Guarantee Agency, or MIGA, is the international organisation companies turn to when they want to invest in a jurisdiction where their assets might not be that safe. Non-ferrous metal miners and processors use MIGA to cover risks that are too tough for the private insurance industry.…
ECJ BASF VITAMIN CARTEL FINE REDUCED
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Court of Justice (ECJ) has cut fines imposed by the European Commission on Germany’s BASF for participating in vitamin cartels, from Euro 296.16 million to Euro 236.84 million, with judges saying Brussels made some errors in calculating the penalty.…
EUROPEAN COMMISSION MADEIRA WINE INTERNATIONAL SALES PROMOTION PORTUGAL
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Commission has announced plans to spend Euro 702,993 over three years on promoting Portuguese Madeira wine in the USA, Canada, Brazil and Japan. The money will be funelled to the
Instituto do Vinho da Madeira (IVM), and will be matched by funding from the Portugal government and private sources.…
GLOBAL AUTOMOBILE AIR CONDITIONING REGULATIONS EU USA NEGOTIATIONS
BY ALAN OSBORN, in London
EUROPEAN and US regulatory bodies have agreed to co-operate to develop common testing and engineering standards for mobile air conditioning systems such as those used in automobiles. Because some of the gases used in these systems, such as HFC 134a, are far more lethal to the environment than carbon dioxide, the European Union (EU) has agreed to start phasing them out in 2011 and stop using them in new autos from 2017.…
MIGA RUSSIA GOLD MINE GUARANTEE CANADA BEMA
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE MULTILATERAL Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), of the World Bank, has issued US$313 million in guarantees to an international consortium wanting to develop a gold mine in remote, desolate Chukotka, Siberia. The money has been pledged to developer Canada’s Bema Gold Corporation and backers Société Générale, of France: Bayerische Hypo-Und Vereinsbank, of Germany; and Mitsubishi, of Japan.…
JAPAN SOUTH KOREA LAVER SEAWEED
BY KEITH NUTHALL
JAPAN and South Korea have struck a deal solving a long-running World Trade Organisation (WTO) dispute over Japanese restrictions on imports of South Korean laver seaweed. Seoul has argued that Japan’s import quotas of this product break Tokyo’s WTO commitments under the 1994 General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT).…
AUTOMOBILE INDUSTRY DESIGN RIGHTS WIPO EU
BY DEIRDRE MASON, in London
THE POLITICAL institutions of the European Union (EU) are debating how to join an international system that would protect EU manufacturers’ design rights across a wide range of non-European countries in one simple operation. In an initiative that could help auto manufacturers secure the creative aspects of their vehicle design from plagiarism, the European Commission wants to link the EU’s existing Community Design system, (which protects manufacturers’ designs within the 25 EU member states), to a global design registration system run by the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), a UN agency.…
DEVELOPMENT AID INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATION ROUND UP, LEAD FREE PETROL, CULTURAL TRADE UNESCO, IFC ENVIRONMENTAL STANDARDS
BY KEITH NUTHALL
BY KEITH NUTHALL
UNEP – RISK MANAGEMENT
A BOOK detailing practical ways in which governments can reduce the costs of dealing with major challenges such bird flu, terrorism and climate change has been released by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).…
MAGNA CAR PARTS DEAL PORSCHE ROOF TECHNOLOGY TAKEOVER EUROPEAN COMMISSION APPROVAL
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE PRESIDENT of Canadian auto manufacturer supplies giant Magna International has welcomed the European Commission’s approval of its purchase of German roof system manufacturer CTS Fahrzeug-Dachsysteme GmbH (CTS) from sports car maker Porsche. Brussels has imposed no conditions on the deal, which it concluded would not harm competition in the European Union (EU).…
GLOBAL TIMBER AGREEMENT
BY KEITH NUTHALL
A SUCCESSOR treaty to the 1994 International Tropical Timber Agreement (ITTA) has been approved that includes commitments to promote the sustainable management of tropical forests, disappearing at 15 million hectares annually. The Japan-based International Tropical Timber Organisation (ITTO) will monitor compliance with reforesting and other promises.…
CHINA WHITENERS FEATURE WHITE SKIN CREAMS DEODORANTS LIPBALM
BY DAVID EIMER, in Beijing
TO be beautiful in China is to be fair-skinned and for cosmetics companies, that’s an opportunity to tap the world’s largest emerging market for whitening creams. According to Chinese government figures, China’s beauty and cosmetics market was worth between 42 and 46 billion Yuan (US$5-5.5 billion) last year and a third of that total was spent on whitening products.…
LITHUANIAN BEER EXPORT BOOM
BY MARK ROWE
EXPORTS of Lithuanian beer rose by 51.4% in 2005, according to the Lithuanian Breweries Association, to 1.518 million dekalitres – exceeding the combined volumes of the neighbouring Estonian and Latvian beer markets. Domestic consumption was more modest but still saw a healthy growth of 4.5% – though according to a spokesman for brewer Gubernija, the domestic market is loyal, with up to 97% of the domestic market divided between Lithuanian breweries.…
WTO HONG KONG SUMMIT THINK PIECE - DOHA DEVELOPMENT ROUND - AGRICULTURE
BY KEITH NUTHALL
AS trade ministers flew home from four days of gruelling talks at last week’s World Trade Organisation (WTO) summit in Hong Kong, they could be forgiven for feeling some satisfaction: the end of the Doha Development Round is nigh, probably.…
REACH EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT VOTE - CHEMICAL CONTROL SYSTEM AUTOMOBILE MAKERS
BY ALAN OSBORN
IMPORTANT changes in the European auto manufacturing industry are expected next year following the introduction of a new crackdown on dangerous chemicals by the European Union (EU). The proposed legislation, known as REACH (registration, evaluation and authorisation of chemicals), has been recently adopted by the European Parliament and now requires the assent of the 25 EU member countries and this is likely to be given – at least in principle – before the year-end.…
WTO SUMMIT HONG KONG - INDUSTRIAL GOODS SERVICES LIBERALISATION DOHA DEVELOPMENT ROUND
BY KEITH NUTHALL
AUTO manufacturing firms will be closely monitoring next week’s World Trade Organisation (WTO) summit in Hong Kong for signs that the WTO’s long-running Doha Development Round talks are about to crack open national automobile markets. Key auto industry countries – the US, the European Union, Canada, Japan, South Korea, India and Brazil – have been making steady progress this year in identifying non-tariff barriers to trade they would like to remove, such as burdensome customs procedures, technical engineering rules and licences.…
ICAO NEW AIR ROUTES - INDIA, USA, RUSSIA - SIBERIA, SOUTH KOREA
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE INTERNATIONAL Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) is considering an application for the creation of three new civil aviation routes linking the Russian far east and South Korea, crossing North Korean air space over the Sea of Japan. An ICAO meeting concluded that the “extreme high cost of fuel has elevated this to an urgent request”.…
JAPAN PAINT INDUSTRY FEATURE
BY MARK ROWE
OVERSHADOWING the Japanese paint industry in recent years has been the overall shape of the country’s economy. The stagnation of the economy lasted for much of the 1990s but it showed signs of recovery in the first half of fiscal 2004-2005, driven by solid exports and strong corporate capital investment.…
ECJ VITAMINS CARTEL
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Court of Justice (ECJ) has annulled fines imposed by the European Commission on Japan’s Sumitomo Chemical Co. Ltd and Sumika Fine Chemicals Co. Ltd for fixing prices of vitamins A, E, B2, B5, C, D3, beta?carotene…
MONEYVAL FEATURE MONEY LAUNDERING
BY KEITH NUTHALL
CRITICS of European political institutions have sometimes been unkind about the Council of Europe, which has been accused of being a powerless talking shop. And although the Council lacks the power to fine and cajole member governments enjoyed by the European Union (EU) – from which it is completely independent – it has some important roles.…
EU INTELLIGENT HEADLAMPS APPROVAL SAFETY
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Commission has acted to simplify the approval of ‘intelligent’ adaptive front-lighting systems (AFS) that boost illumination for drivers, while cutting the risk of glare for fellow motorists. It is proposing that manufacturers should bypass existing European Union (EU) complicated approval procedures for new technologies, by writing a draft United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) technical regulation for this kit into EU type-approval rules.…
NEW CAR SMELL - VOC RESTRICTIONS - PAINT
BY KEITH NUTHALL
JAPANESE car manufacturers have agreed to limit the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in vehicles – emitted by paint, vinyl and other materials that cause the distinctive ‘new car smell’ – to levels allowed in homes. The Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association will apply the new standards from vehicles manufactured in 2007, albeit initially only to new model cars made and sold in Japan.…
BIRD FLU MEDICINE FAILURE - VIETNAM
BY KEITH NUTHALL
EXPORTS in Hong Kong have warned that the human H5N1 strain of avian flu detected in northern Vietnam this year has proved resistant to Tamiflu, the commercial brand of oseltamivir, the powerful antiviral drug considered the best chance of fighting the disease, especially if human-to-human transmission arose.…
REINSURANCE - EU CONCERN
BY KEITH NUTHALL
A REPORT written for the European Commission before Hurricane Katrina could be something of a harbinger of doom for reinsurance, warning that a major disaster could put unbearable pressure on operators.
Written by consultants IMCC for the Commission’s competition directorate general, it said the reinsurance sector withstood the September 11 attacks “partly due to a lack of other disasters in the years previously”.…
TSUNAMI ANALYSIS
BY MARK ROWE
ON Boxing Day 2004, as the shockwaves from the tsunami rolled out across the Indian Ocean, one very important procedure quietly went according to plan. Detectors at the Indira Gandhi Kalpakkam power station on India’s east coast sensed the rising water levels and automatically shut the plant down.…
DEEPSEA MINING
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE UNITED Nations’ International Seabed Authority has postponed agreement of new regulations governing how mining companies would explore and exploit deep seawaters for hauls such as polymetallic sulphide nodules and cobalt-rich crusts. These mineral resources are rich in copper, iron, zinc, silver, gold and cobalt, with the sulphides being found around volcanic areas and the crusts on oceanic ridges.…
NEW CAR SMELL - VOC RESTRICTIONS
BY MONICA DOBIE
JAPANESE car manufacturers have agreed to limit the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in vehicles – that cause the distinctive ‘new car smell’ – to levels allowed in homes. The Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association will apply the new standards from vehicles manufactured in 2007, albeit initially only to new model cars both made and sold in Japan.…
DEEPSEA MINING
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE UNITED Nations’ International Seabed Authority has delayed agreement of new regulations governing how metal ore mining companies would explore and exploit deep seawaters for hauls such as polymetallic sulphide nodules and cobalt-rich crusts. These mineral resources are rich in copper, iron, zinc, silver, gold and cobalt; sulphides are found around volcanic areas and crusts on oceanic ridges.…
EU COAL/SOLID FUEL REPORT
BY KEITH NUTHALL
DESPITE the increase in global prices for coal since 2003, European Union (EU) coal producing countries still need to restructure their industries, a detailed European Commission survey has noted. Highlighting the increase in spot price for South African steam coal from US$36 in early 2003 to US$74 at the end of 2004, the report cited higher freight rates for Australian coal caused by rising demand in China and solid demand in Japan and South Korea, enabling “traditional suppliers” to the Atlantic market to raise their prices.…
EU LEATHER GLOBAL MARKET REPORT
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE STEEP decline in sales of European Union (EU) finished leather to its number one market, the United States, has been highlighted by a comprehensive report on the global leather (and textile) market written for the European Commission.…
TSUNAMI WARNING
BY ALAN OSBORN
INSURERS should have a much clearer idea of the risks involved in extending cover to the areas hit by the tsunami at the end of last year following agreement by 23 Indian Ocean nations to share data and set up seven regional warning centres.…
ASIA/PACIFIC GROUP ON MONEY LAUNDERING
BY MATTHEW BRACE
FIGHTING money laundering is about getting your hands dirty. The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) may pronounce global standards that it would like jurisdictions to follow, but all governments need help, and often regional bodies are better placed to do the detailed work than more remote global organisations.…
EARTHQUAKE ANALYSIS
BY ALAN OSBORN
EARTHQUAKE insurance is an odd business in that the human scale of a disaster is sometimes wildly in excess of the economic losses and the latter in turn often far exceed the level of cover and therefore claims.…
EU COMPETITIVENESS STUDY
BY KEITH NUTHALL
A COMPREHENSIVE study on the competitiveness of the European Union (EU) cosmetics industry is being ordered by the European Commission, comparing the EU against the USA, Japan and China. Researchers will gather and analyse data on both the economic and industrial strengths of the EU cosmetics “to get a comprehensible comparative description of the structure of this sector”, said a Commission note.…
JAPAN-USA DÉTENTE
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE LONG-RUNNING World Trade Organisation (WTO) row between Japan and the United States over American anti-dumping duties on certain hot-rolled steel products appears to have been solved, with Japan suspending plans to secure approval for retaliatory duties on American imports.…
BIODEGRADEABLE PLASTIC WALL
BY KEITH NUTHALL
ALTHOUGH it sounds like a chocolate teapot, organisers of this year’s world Expo in Aichi, Japan, are claiming a world first: the creation and construction of a biodegradable plastic exterior wall. Made from biodegradable materials including corn-starch and food waste, the plastic has been manufactured and treated to not degrade, unless it is buried.…
EXPO - JAPAN
BY KEITH NUTHALL
IN an increasingly crowded and polluted world, pursuing sustainability and using renewable resources in construction will inevitably become more important. The question is how? And as a result good examples of innovative transport systems, industrial practices and materials are on show at this year’s World Expo at Aichi, Japan.…
TOYOTA CAR-TRAIN
BY KENCHO WANGDI, in Japan
VISITORS to this year’s World Expo at Aichi, Japan, are being introduced to a new low pollution tram that needs neither a driver, nor rails. Developed by Toyota researchers, this Intelligent Multimode Transportation System (IMTS) is guided along standard roads by embedded magnetic markers, enabling it to be steered and controlled automatically.…
FRANCE FEATURE
BY ALAN OSBORN
IT’S coming up to 18 months since the French tobacco industry was hit by the last of a triple whammy of excise tax increases over a single year and it seems a reasonable moment to take stock. The three tax increases – 10% in January 2003, 20% in November 2003 and 10% in January 2004 – were part of a health drive by Jacques Chirac’s government, worried by the continued popularity of smoking among young people among other things.…
EXPO - LOW FUEL TECHNOLOGY
BY KENCHO WANGDI, AND KEITH NUTHALL
GIVEN the environmental pressures of global warming laws and clean air legislation, the energy industry is always looking-out for new technologies that can help it deliver services, without the being criticised for harming the planet.…
ECJ GRAPHITE
BY KEITH NUTHALL
A HEAVY fine levied by the European Commission on Germany’s SGL Carbon for participating in a cartel on the speciality graphite market has been reduced from Euro 27.75 million to Euro 18.45 million. Following an appeal against the fine, the European Court of Justice’s (ECJ) Court of First Instance has confirmed that SGL and three other companies should be fined for market fixing; however, it said Brussels’ “was manifestly incorrect” when calculating the German company’s fines.…
EU GREEN PAPER
Keith Nuthall
THE EUROPEAN Commission has made the case for governments and inter-governmental organisations increasing their influence over cross-border accountancy bodies, such as the International Accounts Standards Board (IASB). In a green paper on financial services, Brussels said that “the debate about the future governance, funding and political accountability of global standard-setting bodies….are…
JAPAN EQUIPMENT RULES
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE JAPANESE government has announced it is updating its technical rules on nuclear power generating equipment used within Japan, reforming its 1965 Regulations on Nuclear Power Generation Equipments (the MITI Ordinance No. 62). Notably, specific requirements for materials and structures are being converted into performance-linked standards.…
CEA WTO ROUND CALL
BY KEITH NUTHALL
AS the May 31 deadline looms for World Trade Organisation (WTO) member countries to make formal offers to liberalise their service industries, the Comité Européen des Assurances (CEA) has called on Brazil, India and China to be as generous as they can.…
HYDROGEN TRAIN
BY KEITH NUTHALL
ENVIRONMENTAL health officers will be well acquainted with international efforts to develop hydrogen cars, but local authorities in Denmark wants to go further: they are planning to launch Europe’s first hydrogen-powered train. Three towns in western Jutland – Vemb, Lemvig and Thyborøn – have pledged funding to run a hydrogen train along the 59-kilometre railway that connects them.…
RUSSIA CIGARETTES
BY MARK ROWE
IT is tempting to think that all is well in the Russian cigarette market. And, in fairness, in many ways this is the case. Filter and light cigarettes production is growing, while the manufacture of plain cigarettes and filterless papirossi is decreasing.…
EU WINE PUBLICITY
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Commission will spend the majority of a new Euro 5 million budget over the next three years promoting French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, German and Austrian wines in key foreign markets. Brussels noted that the main targets would be north America, China, Russia, India, Japan and non-European Union countries in central and eastern Europe.…
SINGAPORE/MALAYSIA/INDONESIA
BY MATTHEW BRACE
SINGAPORE’S economy is rejuvenating after the horrors of early 2004 when the threat of terrorism (both internationally and closer to home in South East Asia), and then the SARS virus hit the city state hard, shrinking demand for construction and hence the amount of money to be made by the coatings sector.…
ITALY BEEF PROMOTION
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Commission is to spend Euro 468,500 over one year on promoting the sale of Italian beef and veal in Japan, north America, Russia and non-European Union (EU) European countries. There will be matching national government funding for public relations, promotion and publicity campaign coordinated by cooperative organisation Naturalcarni.…
COLLECTIVE BARGAINING REPORT
BY KEITH NUTHALL
COLLECTIVE bargaining remains dominant for settling pay and working time conditions in European workplaces, covering around two-thirds of workers in the European Union (EU). This contrasts with one-fifth of the Japanese workers and only one-eighth of American workers, said a report from the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions.…
EU WINE PUBLICITY
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Commission will spend Euro millions over the next three years promoting French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, German and Austrian wines in key foreign markets. Announcing the latest of a series of such grants, (matched by national funding), Brussels noted that the main targets would be north America, China, Russia, India, Japan and non-European Union countries in central and eastern Europe.…
EU ROUND UP
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Commission will stage a wide-ranging competition inquiry into the energy sector, with officials to “identify obstacles to competition – be it regulation, state aid, private barriers” then “propose solutions, working closely with national administrations, regulatory bodies and competition authorities”.…
UNCTAD WARNING
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE LEATHER industry could shed significant numbers of jobs in poor and rich countries following a successful World Trade Organisation (WTO) Doha Development Round agreement on industrial and textile goods. Its aim is to slash tariffs across the board, and in that instance, said a UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) report, there will be winners and losers.…
DISASTER REDUCTION
BY KEITH NUTHALL
A UNITED Nations World Conference on Disaster Reduction, in Japan, has agreed a “Hyogo Framework for Action: 2005 – 2015,” which calls on governments to put disaster risk management at the centre of their national policies and for rich states to help improve disaster preparedness in poor countries.…
INTELLIGENT ENERGY CONCERNS
KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Forum for Renewable Energy Sources (EUFORES) is opposing European Commission plans to roll its Intelligent Energy for Europe (IEE) programme into a new umbrella scheme promoting competitiveness and innovation. Brussels is considering its medium-term spending plans from 2007-2013 and wants more flexibility in its ability to boost economic productivity in the European Union (EU), following its so-called ‘Lisbon strategy’ to outpace the US and Japan.…
CANADA - JAPAN
BY MONICA DOBIE
FOLLOWING a recent official visit to Japan, Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin claimed he had convinced the Japanese government to hasten its scientific investigations on his country’s BSE outbreaks, so it swiftly reopens its borders to Canadian beef.…
REACH EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT VOTE - CHEMICAL CONTROL SYSTEM AUTOMOBILE MAKERS
BY ALAN OSBORN
IMPORTANT changes in the European auto manufacturing industry are expected next year following the introduction of a new crackdown on dangerous chemicals by the European Union (EU). The proposed legislation, known as REACH (registration, evaluation and authorisation of chemicals), has been recently adopted by the European Parliament and now requires the assent of the 25 EU member countries and this is likely to be given – at least in principle – before the year-end.…
WTO HONG KONG SUMMIT THINK PIECE - DOHA DEVELOPMENT ROUND - AGRICULTURE
BY KEITH NUTHALL
AS trade ministers flew home from four days of gruelling talks at last week’s World Trade Organisation (WTO) summit in Hong Kong, they could be forgiven for feeling some satisfaction: the end of the Doha Development Round is nigh, probably.…
CHINA WATER ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROLS - POLLUTION REDUCTION - DRINKS MANUFACTURERS
BY TAMARA VANTROYEN, in Hong Kong
IT is not just a rumour anymore: China is officially upgrading its water quality, a move welcome to drinks manufacturers that rely on and control costs through guaranteed clean water supplies. China launched new drinking water standards in June, raising the number of forbidden water pollutants from 35 to 101.…
UN FLOOD AGENCY
BY KEITH NUTHALL
A NEW United Nations inter-agency programme has been launched to minimise the loss of life and property damage caused by floods. The International Flood Initiative will be headquartered at the Public Works Research Institute, Tsukuba, Japan. The initiative would “integrate the scientific, operational, educational and public awareness raising aspects of flood management, including the social response and communication dimensions of flooding and related disaster preparedness,” said UN cultural and scientific organisation UNESCO director-general Koïchiro Matsuura.…
WTO SUMMIT HONG KONG - INDUSTRIAL GOODS SERVICES LIBERALISATION DOHA DEVELOPMENT ROUND
BY KEITH NUTHALL
AUTO manufacturing firms will be closely monitoring next week’s World Trade Organisation (WTO) summit in Hong Kong for signs that the WTO’s long-running Doha Development Round talks are about to crack open national automobile markets. Key auto industry countries – the US, the European Union, Canada, Japan, South Korea, India and Brazil – have been making steady progress this year in identifying non-tariff barriers to trade they would like to remove, such as burdensome customs procedures, technical engineering rules and licences.…
MEXICO - USA WTO CASE
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Union (EU) and Japan have joined Mexico in demanding formal talks at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) over American anti-dumping duty procedures protecting its steel industry. Mexico is challenging US tariffs on its exports of stainless steel sheet and strip in coils, alleging American trade officials erred when calculating dumping margins used to set duty levels.…
BURMA AIRPORT
BY SWINEETHA DIAS WICKRAMANAYKE
A RENOVATION and expansion of Yangon International Airport, Myanmar, is to be completed by the end of 2005 at a cost of US$36 million. The country’s construction ministry, private Myanmar company Asia World, Japan’s Taisei Corp., and Singapore architectural consultants CPG are involved in the scheme, the 7-Days journal reported.…
JAPAN FEES
BY SWINEETHA DIAS WICKRAMANAYKE
THE CENTRAL Japan International Airport Co. is to offer around Yen 700,000 per large commercial airliner at this third hub, Japanese newspapers claim. This compares with Yen 950,000 at Narita and Yen 830,000 at Kansai.…
HEALTH CLOTHES FEATURE
BY MARK ROWE
AT the start of the 21st century, technology appears set to revolutionise health care in the same way as the discovery of anaesthesia, antiseptics and penicillin. And this is about far more than computer systems that make waiting lists more efficient or advances in keyhole surgery.…
IMO OIL COMPENSATION
BY KEITH NUTHALL
INCREASED compensation of up to US$1.152 billion for damage caused by serious oil spills will be made available from March 3 next year, when an International Oil Pollution Compensation Supplementary Fund comes into being. This follows the ratification of its founding protocol by Spain, fulfilling the minimum number of major oil importing states required for the formal creation of this International Maritime Organisation (IMO)-coordinated fund.…
BYRD AMENDMENT
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Union has been authorised by the World Trade Organisation (WTO) to impose retaliatory duties on US knitted products for failing to scrap its Byrd Amendment law allowing payments of anti-dumping and countervailing duties to American companies making complaints sparking such tariffs.…
CHARLES RIVER REPORT
BY KEITH NUTHALL
CONSULTANTS Charles River has called on European Union (EU) member states to coordinate tax breaks they offer pharmaceutical companies for research, to maximise resulting benefits. A report ordered by the European Commission warns these could be frittered away if used to attract pharmaceutical companies from one EU country to another.…
CHINA/JAPAN
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE JAPANESE government has warned that anticipated increased airspace capacity on the route between its Fukuoka air traffic control zone and that of Shanghai, in China, may not be available next year. Reduced vertical separation minimum (RVSM) services are being introduced on flight path A593 between Japan and China, but not on the SADLI section adjoining Chinese and North Korean airspace.…
JAPAN AIRPORT FEES
Keith Nuthall
THE JAPANESE government has come under pressure from the United States Trade Representative (USTR) office to cut landing and user fees at its major international airports. The call came in advice from USTR deputy Josette Sheeran Shiner, handed over to Japan foreign minister Ichiro Fujisaki, in Washington.…
BYRD AMENDMENT
KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Union has been authorised by the World Trade Organisation (WTO) to impose retaliatory duties on US textile products for failing to scrap its Byrd Amendment law allowing payments of anti-dumping and countervailing duties to American companies making complaints sparking such tariffs.…
UN ORGANISATIONS FEATURE MONEY LAUNDERING
BY KEITH NUTHALL
AS a truly global criminal problem, it is only right that fighting money laundering is a key priority of the United Nations (UN). Its general assembly and key committees have made declarations and approved conventions on the subject, and its specialist agencies have also devoted time, money, specialist staff and energy to fighting the problem.…
EU PROMOTIONS
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Commission has announced Euro 5 million of spending to help France, Denmark, Greece and Italy promote local food products in the USA, Canada, Japan, Russia, China, Australia, Norway, Switzerland, Bulgaria and Romania.…
WORKING TIME REPORT
BY KEITH NUTHALL
AS European Union (EU) debates reforms to its working time rules designed to make it harder for Britain to opt-out of this EU legislation, an International Labour Organisation (ILO) report has claimed more Britons work excessive hours than other Europeans.…
WORKING TIME REPORT
BY KEITH NUTHALL
AN INTERNATIONAL Labour Organisation (ILO) report has claimed more Britons work excessive hours than other Europeans, with 15.5% of UK citizens working more than 50 hours a week, while in other EU countries the proportion ranges from 1.4% in the Netherlands to 6.2% in Greece and Ireland.…
JAPAN FILM
BY KEITH NUTHALL
A EUROPEAN Food Safety Authority panel has ruled additive pullulan PI-20 can be used safely in Europe to make encapsulated and coated-tablet form foodstuffs, or as flavoured edible films, such as breath-fresheners. It has been used in Japan for 20 years.…
JAPAN FILM
BY KEITH NUTHALL
A EUROPEAN Food Safety Authority panel has ruled additive pullulan PI-20 can be used safely in Europe to make encapsulated and coated-tablet form foodstuffs, or as flavoured edible films, such as breath-fresheners. It has been used in Japan for 20 years.…
PORTUGAL WINE PROMOTION
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Commission will spend Euro 855,000 promoting Portuguese wine in USA, Canada, Switzerland, Norway, China and Japan. The Portuguese government and private sources will also contribute to a total promotional budget of Euro 1.7 million over three years.…
ROBOT WARS
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE OPPORTINITY for companies to buy efficient robots to tackle unpopular or dangerous jobs is increasing fast, with orders for industrial robots rising by 18% worldwide January-June this year, a United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) report has said.…
BIRD FLU LATEST
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE SUSPENSION of chicken product imports into the European Union (EU) of chicken products and birds from Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Pakistan, China, South Korea and Vietnam will remain until March 31, 2005. The extension, (from December), of the bird flu ban was confirmed by the EU’s Standing Committee for the Food Chain and Animal Health.…
POTOCNIK - IAEA
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE INCOMING European Union (EU) Commissioner for research Janez Potocnik has declared he would be prepared to build an ITER-scale fusion reactor at Cadarache, France, if there is no international agreement on where to build the prototype. In answers to a European Parliament questionnaire, he said the EU “could consider launching the construction of the ITER at Cadarache…with those of its partners willing to be involved”, although only at the “very last resort”.…
HEART DISEASE MAP
BY KEITH NUTHALL
BRITAIN’S performance in reducing heart disease deaths could be much improved compared with many of its European Union (EU) partners, a new World Health Organisation heart disease atlas, has shown.
Dividing a country’s annual deaths from heart disease with its population, saturated fats and beer loving Britain had a comparative factor of 2, based on 120,530 deaths in 2002 amongst a population of 59 million.…
BIRD FLU LATEST
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE SUSPENSION of chicken product imports into the European Union (EU) of chicken products and birds from Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Pakistan, China, South Korea and Vietnam will remain until March 31, 2005. The extension, (from December), of the bird flu ban was confirmed by the EU’s Standing Committee for the Food Chain and Animal Health.…
PORTUGAL WINE PROMOTION
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Commission has announced that it will spend Euro 855,000 on promoting the sale of Portuguese wine in USA, Canada, Switzerland, Norway, China and Japan. The money will be combined with money from the Portuguese government and private sources, to create a total promotional budget of Euro 1.7 million, to be spent over the next three years.…
JAPAN DEAL
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Commission has approved a merger between Japan-based pharmaceutical companies Yamanouchi Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd and Fujisawa Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. Brussels investigated the deal as they have significant Europe sales, concluding that their businesses were “largely complementary” and that the merged company (called Yamanouchi) will “face competition from larger players in Europe”.…
AVIAN FLU BAN
BY KEITH NUTHALL
EU import bans of poultry products from Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Pakistan, China, South Korea and Vietnam have been extended to December 15 by the European Commission over continuing bird flu concerns.…
AFGHANISTAN TRAINING
BY KEITH NUTHALL
A NASCENT tourism hotspot is being nurtured by the United Nations in Afghanistan, where the former Taliban government exploded the famous Bamiyan Buddha statues. The site also sports other archaeological remains and the scenic Band-i-Amir Lake, so is being visited by Kabul ex-pats Kabul and wealthier Afghans.…
JAPAN APPLES
BY KEITH NUTHALL
JAPAN will comply with a WTO order that it remove burdensome health rules on USA apple exporters trying to sell into the Japanese market, even though it still disputes the findings.…
RUSSIA/ROMANIA
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Union (EU) Council of Ministers has suspended anti-dumping duties imposed since 1997 on certain seamless pipes and tubes of iron or non-alloy steel from Russia and Romania because of concerns they were based on corrupted data.…
AVIAN FLU BAN
BY KEITH NUTHALL
IMPORT bans into the European Union (EU) of poultry products (and poultry) from Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Pakistan, China, South Korea and Vietnam have been extended to December 15 by the European Commission. The existing restrictions were to expire on August 15, but Brussels is still concerned about bird flu in these countries.…
SUNSET REVIEW REVIEW
BY KEITH NUTHALL
ANTI-DUMPING duties imposed since 1997 on certain seamless pipes and tubes of iron or non-alloy steel from Russia and Romania will probably be suspended because of concerns they were based on corrupted data. The European Commission has said their founding calculations could have been influenced by two cartels, (an European Union (EU)-Japan and a purely European network), that were formally unmasked last year.…
CHILD ROAD ACCIDENTS
BY KEITH NUTHALL
BRITAIN is one of the safest countries in the world as regards fatal road accidents involving children along with Sweden, Japan and Italy, a report from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has claimed. It says that more children are killed on the road than in any other type of accident, with South Korea, New Zealand, Portugal and the United States having the highest child road-fatality rates.…
JAPAN - EU DEAL
BY KEITH NUTHALL
A MUTUAL recognition agreement on good pharmaceutical manufacturing practice struck between Japan and the European Union (EU) will come into force on May 29, allowing certain medicines to be traded then sold without additional testing or certification. These include standard, homeopathic and vitamin treatments as listed in the agreement’s annexe, and the scope will be reviewed in the future.…
NANOTECHNOLOGY PAPER
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Union (EU) should pump public money into nanotechnology research to enable Europe to regain its former leading position in this growing and increasingly lucrative sector, the European Commission has said. A policy paper (communication) ‘Towards a European Strategy for Nanotechnology’, says the it should use its cross-border coordinating role to create EU ‘poles of excellence’ in the sector, combining researchers with industry.…
ADS-B ICAO MEETING
BY KEITH NUTHALL
CHINA will this year begin a trial of automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) technology at three airports in the west of the country, it has told an Asia-Pacific region ADS-B meeting staged by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).…
ECO-COMPETITION REPORT
BY KEITH NUTHALL
A COMPETITIVENESS report by the European Commission has claimed that environmental improvements made European Union (EU) industries in 2002 has not blunted their efficiency. The paper says that despite large reductions in greenhouse, acidifying, ozone-depleting, and ozone-precursor gases, EU manufacturing industry made strides in boosting productivity, compared with rivals in Japan and the USA.…
ASBESTOS CLOSURE
BY MONICA DOBIE
CANADA’S largest producer of chrysotile asbestos fibres, LAB Chrysotile, has announced it will indefinitely shut one of its two mines near Thetford Mines, Quebec, this November. The company has blamed the closure of its Black Lake mine, which will result in 450 job losses, on a high Canadian dollar in comparison to the US dollar and tough international competition.…
USA MONEY LAUNDERING REPORT
BY KEITH NUTHALL
NOBODY likes to be on a blacklist, especially one written by the American government. But every year, the US state department issues a comprehensive rogues gallery of countries involved in the narcotics trade and related criminal problems. One surprising entrant: the United States.…
IEA REPORT
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE WORLD’S increasing reliance on cars is threatening efforts to combat climate change, according to a report published by the Paris-based International Energy Agency (IEA). Although its report ‘Oil Crises and Climate Challenges’ found that oil consumption has been declining since 1973 in every other industrial and service sector, soaring transport demands meant overall levels have not declined.…
WINE PROMOTION - EU
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Commission will spend over Euro 2.2 million in three years promoting EU wine. Euro 1.22 million is shared by the Union interprofessionelle des Vins du Beaujolais and Deutsches Weininstitut pushing wine in Japan and Euro 440,000 goes to Portugal’s Commissao de Viticultura a Regiao dos Vinhos Verdes for USA, Canada and Switzerland campaigns, for instance.…
WINE PROMOTION - EU
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Commission will spend more than Euro 2.2 million over three years promoting European Union wine. Euro 1.22 million will be shared by the Union interprofessionelle des Vins du Beaujolais and the Deutsches Weininstitut pushing their wines in Japan, Euro 440,000 goes to Portugal’s Commissao de Viticultura a Regiao dos Vinhos Verdes for campaigns in the USA, Canada and Switzerland, and Euro 150,000 to Italy’s Produttori Moscato d’Asti Associati for US sales, for instance.…
HUMAN WAHSING MACHINES
BY MONICA DOBIE
TO cater for Japan’s increasingly old and frail population, electronics giant Sanyo is marketing an automated human washing machine. The user sits in a chair that is rolled backward into place then the machine’s sides fold up like a clamshell, enclosing the bather, whose head sticks out of the top.…
IAEA ADVICE
BY KEITH NUTHALL
BRITAIN, France, Finland, Spain and Germany are joining 15 countries in supplying experts to a new International Nuclear Safety Group, run by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The group will provide authoritative advice and guidance on safety approaches, policies and principles at nuclear power plants and other nuclear facilities.…
CUSTOMS FEATURE
BY ALAN OSBORN
MANY professions are engaged in the war against money laundering but it seems increasingly plain that customs officers are at the very forefront of the campaign. Most crime (with some forms of terrorism a conspicuous exception) is committed mainly for financial profit and that profit has to be re-cycled if the criminals are to gain anything at all from it.…
RUSSIA LEASING
BY KEITH NUTHALL
A FOURTH mining equipment leasing package for Russia has been signed by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. This latest agreement will help Japan’s Sumitomo group expand its supplies in Siberia and the Russian far east, through a US$45 million leasing framework, with the bank bearing one third of the risk.…
UN WATER BOARD
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE UNITED Nations has created an international advisory board on water supplies and sanitation, which will try to boost these services in developing countries. It will try and mobilise funds for such projects, also offering technical, political and business advice.…
CHINA PACKAGING FEATURE
BY EDWARD PETERS
THE PAST decade has seen China grasp an increasing share of the world’s cosmetic packaging industry. Low production prices and international manufacturing standards — to say nothing of an increasing appreciation of the beauty business — have all contributed to the People’s Republic upping its packaging profile.…
EUROPLASTICS - PLASTIC-COAL PROJECT
BY MATTHEW BRACE
AUSTRALIAN researchers are experimenting with co-firing plastic waste with coal in the blast furnace iron-making process. If the trials are successful this technique will – said the Australian government – provide a way to dispose of large volumes of plastic waste, whilst benefiting the environment.…
SINGAPORE PAINT INDUSTRY
BY MARK ROWE
IN tough economic times, an industry has to sell itself harder. It is no surprise, then, that if you glance at the websites of Singapore’s leading paint companies, you will see plenty of buzzwords such as “technology”, “improvement” and “development”.…
US BIRD FLU
BY PHILIP FINE
HONG Kong, China, Poland, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore and South Korea are among 18 countries restricting US poultry imports, after four American states – Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Texas – discovered cases of a new variant of bird flu.…
NEW BSE STRAINS
BY KEITH NUTHALL
SPECIALISTS at the Office International des Épizooties (OIE), the world animal health organisation, are continuing investigations into apparently unlinked outbreaks of “atypical” BSE strains in Italy and Japan to establish whether or not they are new strains of the disease.…
NEW BSE STRAINS
BY KEITH NUTHALL
SPECIALISTS at the Office International des Épizooties (OIE), the world animal health organisation, are continuing investigations into apparently unlinked outbreaks of “atypical” BSE strains in Italy and Japan to establish whether or not they are new strains of the disease.…
BIRD FLUE ROUND UP
BY KEITH NUTHALL and MARK ROWE
THE STANDING Committee for the Food Chain and Animal Health of the European Union (EU) has extended until August 15 the suspension of EU imports of fresh chicken meat and chicken products from Thailand because of the bird flu outbreak.…
INDONESIA - BUMI
BY MARK ROWE
BUMI Resources, Indonesia’s largest coal producer, has set a target of increasing coal output by 40 per cent this year. In a move that the company says is aimed to capitalise on an increase in global coal prices that may rise by as much as 20 per cent, Bumi says it plans to produce around 43 million tons, up from 30.6 million last year.…
USA V JAPAN - WTO
BY KEITH NUTHALL
JAPAN has lost its appeal against a WTO ruling that ruled its quarantine measures on imported apples from the USA could not be legally justified on health grounds.…
NEW BSE STRAINS
BY KEITH NUTHALL
SPECIALISTS from the Office International des Épizooties (OIE), the world animal health organisation are investigating outbreaks of “atypical” BSE strains in Italy and Japan, to confirm whether they are new strains of the disease. An ad hoc group of experts from the UK, Switzerland, Italy and Japan has been convened at the OIE’s Paris headquarters to review new test data.…
JAPAN WTO FAILURE
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE JAPANESE government has lost its appeal against a World Trade Organisation (WTO) disputes panel ruling that had concluded the United States followed WTO rules when staging a sunset review of anti-dumping duties on Japan exports of corrosion-resistant carbon steel flat products.…
EU ROUND UP
BY KEITH NUTHALL
BINDING energy conservation targets have been proposed for European Union (EU) Member States by the European Commission, a move that could further tighten fuel economy rules for Europe’s transport sector. Brussels has proposed a general energy saving target of one per cent a year from 2006-12, measured against average energy distribution from the previous five years.…
AIR POLLUTION DEAL
BY KEITH NUTHALL
AN INTERNATIONAL accord providing for joint-research projects on transport air pollution has been struck by the European Union (EU), the United States, Japan and China. Aimed at creating a global system to measure such emissions, the deal will provide for joint vehicle testing and should lead to the next generation of European emission standards for passenger cars and light vans.…
USA V JAPAN - WTO
BY KEITH NUTHALL
JAPAN has lost its appeal against a WTO ruling that ruled its quarantine measures on imported apples from the USA could not be legally justified on health grounds.…
EU ROUND UP
BY KEITH NUTHALL
BINDING energy conservation targets have been proposed for European Union (EU) Member States by the European Commission, a move that could further tighten fuel economy rules for Europe’s transport sector. Brussels has proposed a general energy saving target of one per cent a year from 2006-12, measured against average energy distribution from the previous five years.…
ITER DECISION
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Union (EU) Council of Ministers is poised this Thursday (27 Nov) to choose a preferred candidate as a site for the ITER international fusion reactor prototype. Assessments of the two competing EU sites Cadarache in France and Vandellós in Spain have failed to choose clearly between the two, making it unlikely that a consensus will emerge.…
ORPHAN DRUGS FEATURETTE
BY ALAN OSBORN
THREE years after it was launched by the London-based European Agency for the Evaluation of Medicinal Products (EMEA), the new procedure for the designation of orphan drugs and for assisting in their development is widely judged a success though there remain serious questions over actually getting the authorised drugs to patients.…
ROAD SAFETY - EU
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE ARENA of occupational health concerns is constantly expanding beyond the immediate workplace and one area of particular interest that is currently under wide discussion at the European Union is road safety. Proposals are being debated that will not only affect the technical design of vehicles, but also on road safety checks by public authorities and compensation available from insurance payouts.…
WORLD BANK - COFFEE
BY KEITH NUTHALL
A WORLD Bank report has lauded the growth of the so-called ‘sustainable coffee’ market as a means to raise the low prices commanded by the commodity. “The State of Sustainable Coffee: A Study of Twelve Major Markets” calls for the acceptance of price premiums for ‘fair trade’ and organic smallholder produced coffee.…
HIGH END INDIAN SALES
SWINEETHA DIAS WICKRAMANAYAKE
A SHOE making cooperative in India has shown how a niche brand can seize up-market export sales by exploiting elaborate and imaginative designs. The Toe Hold Artisans Collaborative, Karnataka, exported US$60,000 of its lines to Italy, Australia, Japan and Sweden in 2002-3, and is targeting US$100,000 sales this financial year.…
CASPIAN PIPELINE
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has bit the bullet and drawn up plans to lend US$250 million to help build the planned key Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil and gas pipeline from the Caspian Sea to Turkey’s Mediterranean coast.…
JAPAN APPLES
BY KEITH NUTHALL
JAPAN has appealed against a WTO ruling that ruled its quarantine measures on imported apples from the USA could not be justified on health grounds under the WTO Agreement on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures.…
JAPAN BEER CARE
BY MARK ROWE
A GLASS of beer a day keeps old age at bay, apparently. A Japanese scientist has developed a beer that he claims makes you look younger by improving the texture and smoothness of your skin. While there was a passing craze in the 1970s for women to wash their hair in beer to give it more “body”, this brew, translated as “facial treatment beer”, is drunk, rather than applied.…
JAPAN WTO APPEAL
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE JAPANESE government has appealed against a World Trade Organisation (WTO) disputes panel ruling that supported claims from the United States that it had followed WTO rules when staging a sunset review of its anti-dumping duties on corrosion-resistant carbon steel flat products from Japan.…
ITER SITE
BY KEITH NUTHALL
WITH European Union ministers poised this autumn to choose their preferred site to host the international thermonuclear experimental reactor (ITER), an independent EU assessment of the two key EU contenders has officially concluded that both the French site Cadarache, and the Spain’s Vandellós “would be likely to win the international site selection”.…
DRINKS INDUSTRY ASSOCIATIONS
BY KEITH NUTHALL in Paris, ALAN OSBORN in London, MARK ROWE in Singapore, ED PETERS and DON GASPER in Hong Kong, RICHARD HURST in Johannesburg, MONICA DOBIE and PHILIP FINE in Montreal, MATTHEW BRACE in Brisbane and ALEX SMAILES in Port of Spain.…
JAPAN DIARY PIECE
BY MARK ROWE
JAPANESE scientists have developed a beer that they claim acts as a facial treatment to keep you looking young at heart. The beer – which should be drunk rather than applied to the skin – has been produced by the Akita Research Institute of Food and Brewing.…
CANADA TAX CASE
BY MONICA DOBIE
THE CANADIAN federal government is suing the country’s major tobacco firms for CDN$1.5 billion, alleging they illegally evaded tax by profiting from the sale of contraband cigarettes in the early nineties, while failing to disclose these earnings. A dozen companies have been accused, all of them part the R.J.…
MINOLTA-KONICA DEAL
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Commission has cleared the proposed acquisition of Minolta by Konica, two Japanese manufacturers of cameras, photocopiers and other imaging products, following a promise by Konica to sell its 40 per cent stake in Sekonic, also of Japan, a photometers manufacturer.…
CANCUN SUMMIT PRE-FEATURE
BY KEITH NUTHALL
ANTI-GLOBALISATION activists will not like it, but there are signs that September’s World Trade Organisation summit in Cancun might be able to deliver what has eluded political leaders since the WTO’s agricultural liberalisation talks began in 2000: the beginnings of a deal.…
JAPAN PERSONNEL
BY MARK ROWE
A JAPANESE city authority is positively discriminating in favour of non-smokers when it hires new employees. If a smoking applicant and a non-smoker are rated equally during interviews for city council posts in Yamato, the non-smoker will be favoured.…
JAPAN APPLES
BY KEITH NUTHALL
JAPAN has appealed against a WTO ruling that ruled its quarantine measures on imported apples from the USA could not be justified on health grounds under the WTO Agreement on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures.…
THAILAND EXPORTS
BY MARK ROWE
THAILAND’S leather goods exports have slipped for the third consecutive year, as manufacturers of international brands of leather goods move away from the country to tap cheaper labour costs in China. Exports are expected to fall below last year’s total value of Baht 70 billion (US$1.6 billion), according to the Thai Leather Goods Association, which said that the SARS virus and the Iraq war had further added pressure to the market.…
APPLE DISPUTE
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE USA has won a disputes hearing at the WTO, with a panel ruling that Japan’s quarantine measures on imported American apples cannot be justified on health grounds under the rules of the WTO Agreement on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures.…
AFGHANISTAN CULTURE
BY MARK ROWE
UNESCO has pledged to make greater attempts to bolster Afghanistan’s archaeological sites and historic treasures against decay and the threat of organised international smuggling. A task force of specialists is to set out a budget for developing the Kabul National Museum, preparing proper architectural plans and a timetable for all work to the museum, while progressing wider reconstruction and security work across the country.…
APPLE DISPUTE
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE USA has won a disputes hearing at the WTO, with a panel ruling that Japan’s quarantine measures on imported American apples cannot be justified on health grounds under the rules of the WTO Agreement on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures.…
KYOTO REPORT
KEITH NUTHALL
A KYOTO Protocol secretariat report has warned the industrialised world’s greenhouse gas emissions will probably grow this decade, having stabilised during the 1990’s. Based on government projections, the paper claims combined emissions of Europe, Japan, the US and other highly industrialised countries could grow by eight per cent from 2000 to 2010, (17 per cent over 1990 levels), despite measures already in place to limit them.…
FOSSIL FUEL SEQUESTRATION
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Commission has signed an international charter on the capture and storage deep underground of carbon dioxide, also involving Australia, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Italy, India, Japan, Mexico, Norway, China, Russia, Britain and the US. This Sequestration Leadership Forum is developing schemes to capturing CO2 at source and storing it for thousands of years deep underground, probably in depleted oil and gas wells, with the aim of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.…
KYOTO REPORT
BY KEITH NUTHALL
A KYOTO Protocol secretariat report says the developed world greenhouse gas emissions will probably grow this decade. Based on government projections, it claims combined emissions of Europe, Japan, the US and other highly industrialised countries could grow by 8 per cent from 2000 to 2010 (17 per cent over 1990 levels).…
FOSSIL FUEL SEQUESTRATION
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE STORAGE of CO2 deep underground in uneconomic coal seams is one key option being considered by the (carbon) Sequestration Leadership Forum, which has just been joined by the European Commission. Other members are Australia, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Italy, India, Japan, Mexico, Norway, China, Russia, Britain and the US.…
THAI POULTRY
BY SWINEETHA DIAS WICKRAMANAYAKA
THAILAND’S agriculture officials are predicting that their country’s chicken exporters will eat into key Asian and European markets, because of bans imposed on Chinese exports following its recent outbreaks of bird flu. Japan imposed a temporary ban after detecting the virus in Chinese duck products and the Netherlands’ chicken flu outbreak will also boost Thai exports, Bangkok officials say.…
CHINA-EU NUCLEAR COOPERATION
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Commission has been authorised to negotiate a cooperation agreement with China on developing peaceful uses of nuclear energy. With the decision following Beijing’s move to become involved in the international fusion energy project ITER, one of the areas of joint-effort between the European Union (EU) and China will be “controlled thermonuclear fusion.”…
THAILAND STEEL DEMAND
BY MARK ROWE
LEADING Thai car and electrical appliance manufacturers have said they are prepared to switch to direct imports of cold-rolled steel amidst a looming shortage and expected subsequent price rise for domestic hot-rolled coils, a raw material for cold-rolled sheets.…
KYOTO REPORT
BY KEITH NUTHALL
A KYOTO Protocol secretariat report has warned that the industrialised world’s greenhouse gas emissions will probably grow this decade, having stabilised during the 1990’s. Based on national government projections, the paper claims combined global warming emissions of Europe, Japan, the US and other highly industrialised countries could grow by eight per cent from 2000 to 2010, (17 per cent over 1990 levels), despite measures already in place to limit them.…
KYOTO REPORT
BY KEITH NUTHALL
A KYOTO Protocol secretariat report says the developed world greenhouse gas emissions will probably grow this decade. Based on government projections, it claims combined emissions of Europe, Japan, the US and other highly industrialised countries could grow by 8 per cent from 2000 to 2010 (17 per cent over 1990 levels).…
KYOTO REPORT
BY KEITH NUTHALL
A KYOTO Protocol secretariat report has warned that the industrialised world’s greenhouse gas emissions will probably grow this decade, having stabilised during the 1990’s. Based on national government projections, the paper claims combined global warming emissions of Europe, Japan, the US and other highly industrialised countries could grow by eight per cent from 2000 to 2010, (17 per cent over 1990 levels), despite measures already in place to limit them.…
OECD REPORT
BY KEITH NUTHALL
AGRICULTURAL economists may disagree, but predicting trends in world food markets is not necessarily rocket science. A dose of healthy common sense can be as good a guide for the future demand for commodities as any amount of slide rules and complex economic equations.…
RUSSIA - NORTH POLE
BY KEITH NUTHALL
RUSSIA has unambiguously staked its claim to territorial rights to wide swathes of the Arctic Ocean between its northern coast and the North Pole, waters that are currently frozen for most of the year, but which may become more accessible to submarine mining thanks to global warming.…
AFGHAN UPDATE
BY MARK ROWE
THE ‘LOOTING of civilisation’ in Baghdad, with its vivid images of wanton destruction and looting inflicted upon the Iraqi national museum, was all too familiar for those who have followed events in Afghanistan. But everyone must hope the parallels stop there, for the experience of those quietly seeking to recover Afghanistan’s glorious archaeological past does not bode well for the long-term restoration of Iraq’s treasures.…
KYOTO REPORT
BY KEITH NUTHALL
A KYOTO Protocol secretariat report says the developed world greenhouse gas emissions will probably grow this decade. Based on government projections, it claims combined emissions of Europe, Japan, the US and other highly industrialised countries could grow by 8 per cent from 2000 to 2010 (17 per cent over 1990 levels).…
JAPAN SLOTS
Keith Nuthall
JAPAN’S Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport has announced the first increase in daily landing slots at Tokyo International Airport, Haneda, since 2000, up by 14 to 391, from July. A Nihon Keizai Shimbun report says air traffic control improvements have broadened capacity, with slots being preferentially distributed amongst new market entrants, such as Hokkaido International Airlines (Air Do) and Sky-Net Asia Airways, the remainder being provisionally earmarked for Japan Airlines System Corp and All Nippon Airways.…
THAILAND CONTRACTS
Keith Nuthall
A CONSORTIUM led by Italian-Thai Development plc (ITD) and two Japanese contractors has been awarded the contract to build runways at Bangkok’s new Suvarnabhumi International Airport. Construction is due to be completed by April 2005. In a statement to the stock exchange of Thailand, ITD said that the consortium, IOT Joint Venture, would be signing the contract with the New Bangkok International Airport Co (NBIA).…
TOKAI STATISTICS
BY KEITH NUTHALL
REPORTS sent to the International Atomic Energy Agency by the Japan Safeguards Office are expected to show that discrepancies in figures on the amount of nuclear waste at the Tokai Reprocessing Plant are due to statistical differences between initial calculations of how much nuclear material had been received by the reactor operator compared with the amounts that were actually measured later on.…
BOTSWANA DIAMONDS
BY RICHARD HURST
BOTSWANA’S diamond sales rose by 4.7 per cent to US$2.17 billion in 2002, due mainly to a buoyant US market, according to Debswana, the company responsible for all the country’s output, which is a partnership between the Botswana government and the South African mining company De Beers.…
WTO TALKS FAILURE
BY KEITH NUTHALL
WITH negotiators failing this Monday to agree liberalisation targets for the World Trade Organisation’s three years old agricultural talks – missing a March 31 deadline – member governments are facing a stiff challenge.
They have until the WTO’s next ministerial summit at Cancun, Mexico, in September, to strike a deal or face potential chaos at this meeting.…
NUCLEAR ENERGY SECURITY
BY DEIRDRE MASON, ALAN OSBORN, PHILIP FINE and KEITH NUTHALL
IF there had been feelings bubbling under the surface of the British civil nuclear industry that the regulations governing its security were due for an overhaul, the events of September 11, 2001 – becoming universally known by its American shorthand 9/11 – certainly brought everybody to the table.…
IAEA - TOKAI
BY KEITH NUTHALL
JAPANESE government officials have admitted that there have been shortcomings in the measurement of plutonium in high active liquid waste-storage tanks at Japan’s Tokai Reprocessing Plant, saying that the Japan Nuclear Cycle Development Institute is now correcting the amount of plutonium declared to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).…
CHINA FEATURE
BY EDWARD PETERS
FOR a snapshot of the current state of the Chinese tobacco industry, casual observers need go no further than the massive adverts blanketing some of the main highways in Shanghai, which is generally considered to be the most go-ahead city in the People’s Republic (PRC).…
NUCLEAR SECURITY
BY MARK ROWE and ALAN OSBORN, in London, PHILIP FINE and MONICA DOBIE, in Montreal, and RICHARD HURST, in Johannesburg
RATCHETING up security has been a prime concern of the nuclear industry since the September 11 attacks, with all countries possessing commercial reactors addressing the issue to some extent.…
BAYER ACQUISITION
BY PHILIP FINE
THE PROPOSED acquisition of Bayer’s high-performance pigment business by Sun Chemical, the US subsidiary of Japan’s Dainippon Ink and Chemicals, has a hit a snag. The US Federal Trade Commission says that before any sale goes through, Dainippon must sell off its US-based perylene business.…
CARBON FACILITY DEAL
BY KEITH NUTHALL
BRAZILIAN steel producer V&M do Brazil has struck the largest deal to date under the Kyoto Protocol Clean Development Mechanism. It will see the steel maker selling five million tonnes of greenhouse gas reductions for Euro 15 million to an International Finance Corporation/Dutch government fund, the IFC-Netherlands Carbon Facility.…
PIPE DUTY REVIEW
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Commission has abandoned a review of European Union (EU) anti-dumping duties imposed on imports of threaded malleable cast-iron tube or pipe fittings from Brazil, the Czech Republic, Japan, China, South Korea and Thailand, after affected exporters failed to assist Brussels its investigators.…
ECJ - NEW YORK CASES
BY ALAN OSBORN
THREE tobacco companies – Philip Morris, RJ Reynolds and Japan Tobacco – have failed in an action in the European Court of First Instance to have the European Commission’s decision to open civil actions against them in New York annulled as illegal under EU law.…
NATIONAL FRAUDS FEATURE
BY MATTHEW BRACE, in Brisbane, EDWARD PETERS, in Hong Kong, RICHARD HURST, in Johannesburg, MARK ROWE, in London, SWINEETHA DIAS WICKRAMANAYAKA, in Columbo and MONICA DOBIE, in Montreal.
FRAUD is fraud, jurists might say. And although jurisprudence generally has a universal flavour and there are frauds that are committed the world over, it would be a travesty of the truth to say that crimes involving deception uniform by nature.…
BACON CAMPAIGN
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Commission is to spend Euro 4.4 million on a Danish-French programme to promote sales of European Union bacon in Japan. Coordinated by Danske Slagterier, the Danish Bacon and Meat Council, the three-year campaign should stress the quality, hygiene, food safety, nutrition, labelling, animal welfare or environment-friendliness of EU bacon.…
JAPAN FINE
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Commission has fined Ajinomoto Co. Inc. of Japan and South Korean companies Cheil Jedang Corp. and Daesang Corp respectively Euro 15.54 million, Euro 2.74 million and Euro 2.28 million each for participating in a price-fixing cartel in the flavour enhancer nucleotides.…
JAPAN AIRPORT FEES
BY SWINEETHA DIAS WICKRAMANAYAKA
JAPAN has rejected an American government demand that it lower landing fees at its two major international airports as part of wider business deregulation, according to the Japanese Shipping & Trade News. It says that the demand was made at a meeting of government officials from the two countries on regulations and business competition.…
FISH FEATURE
BY ALAN OSBORN and MARK ROWE, in London, MONICA DOBIE and PHILIP FINE in Montreal, MATTHEW BRACE in Brisbane, and RICHARD HURST in Johannesburg
Introduction
Europe
Cuts to EU catch quotas
New sources of fish
Affect on fish producers
Wild alternatives to cod
Farmed cod
North America
USA – Healthier local stocks
USA – Demand up
USA – Fish imports
Canada – Farmed fish exports
Canada – GM issues
Australasia
Australia – New wild sources
Australia – Aquaculture
Australia – Wild fish innovation
Australia and New Zealand – sustainability
South Africa – Export increase and conservation
Japan – Local and regional supply
Japan – Maintaining quality
Japan – Non-Asian sources
Introduction
ONCE it was said, cod was so abundant that fishermen in some parts of the world boasted they could walk on the backs of the fish to find their catch.…
AUSTRALIA - US TRADE DEAL
BY PHILIP FINE
AMERICA’S National Milk Producers Federation has come out against a
recently-announced free trade agreement between Australia and the United
States. Next February, the two governments will be entering trade negotiations, with the goal of completing a bilateral free trade pact by 2004.…
JAPAN HOT-ROLLED STEEL
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE DISPUTES Settlement Body (DSB) of the World Trade Organisation has extended the time for the United States to implement its rulings on the case involving antidumping measures on certain hot-rolled steel products from Japan, a move that has upset Tokyo.…
WTO ROUND UP
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE PROBLEM for farmers when considering how to influence international negotiations that are as long, complicated and important as the scheduled five years of discussions over updating the World Trade Organisation’s agriculture agreement, is knowing when to spend money on lobbyists to intervene.…
OECD ROAD ACCIDENTS
BY KEITH NUTHALL
MALE-MENOPAUSE ridden men buying powerful motorcycles that they cannot ride properly is one of two reasons for a levelling off in a 10-year decline in road accidents in rich countries, an OECD report claims. The other problem is an increase in illicit drug use by drivers.…
CAR CO2 EMISSIONS
BY KEITH NUTHALL
CARBON dioxide emissions from new cars sold in the European Union have declined by 10 per cent since 1995, according to a new Brussels survey. It added that last year members of the European Automobile Manufacturers Association reduced emissions by 2.5 per cent, the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association 2.2 per cent and the Korea Automobile Manufacturers Association 2.6 per cent.…
MONEY LAUNDERING CASE
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Commission has sued RJ Reynolds in New York, seeking damages against allegations that it illegally laundered the proceeds of cigarette smuggling. The case – which also involves Italy, Germany, France, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Belgium, the Netherlands, Finland and Luxembourg – also seeks an injunction stopping future alleged laundering.…
SRI LANKA CLAY
BY SWINEETHA DIAS WICKRAMANAYAKA and KEITH NUTHALL
THE GOVERNMENT of Sri Lanka is embarking on a comprehensive survey of the country’s clay resources as demand grows thanks to an official policy of promoting a home-grown ceramics industry, which is already the largest mineral-based sector in this south Asian country.…
OLIVE OIL
BY KEITH NUTHALL
PORTUGAL has called for the resumption of EU funding of the International Olive Oil Council’s promotion of olive oil in non-EU countries with low demand, (including the USA, Australia and Japan). Payments were suspended over council tendering concerns.…
DOHA ROUND FEATURE
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE MAIN complaint of demonstrators with metal bars through their noses who harangue international organisations such as the World Trade Organisation (WTO) is that they allow important decisions to be taken in secret that are binding on democratically elected parliaments.…
OECD TAX REPORT
Keith Nuthall
BRITAIN remained an averagely taxed economy compared with its competitor rich nations in the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), according to a new report from this international think-tank. It says that the share of Britain’s GDP represented by tax take remained at 37.4 per cent in 2001, the same as in 2000.…
INDONESIA RAGS
BY MARK ROWE
INDONESIAN textile producers have warned that their industry faces thousands of job losses as smuggled used garments flood the Indonesian market. The past few months have seen a rise in smuggled goods from China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, the United States and some European countries.…
OECD TAX REPORT
BY KEITH NUTHALL
BRITAIN remained an averagely taxed economy compared with its competitor rich nations in the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), according to a new report from this international think-tank. It says that the share of Britain’s GDP represented by tax take remained at 37.4 per cent in 2001, the same as in 2000.…
GEOGRAPHICAL INDICATIONS
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE UNITED States has joined forces with Australia, Argentina, Canada, New Zealand and other large drinks exporters, in proposing that a register of geography-linked names of wines and spirits – now being discussed at the World Trade Organisation – should be voluntary, carrying little legal weight.…
ILLEGAL PLANT TRADE
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE RICHES that can be made from the illegal ivory trade are well known, but what of illicit imports and exports of rare flowers. Shipping protected orchids to Europe, Japan and north America can make criminals a lot of money.…
VIRGIN - SINGAPORE
BY MARK ROWE
VIRGIN Management (Asia) Ltd, the Asian arm of Richard Branson’s empire, is to expand its Virgin Vie cosmetics in Singapore, going head to head in south-east Asia with Estee Lauder, L’Oreal, and Shiseido, Japan’s largest cosmetics company. Branson also plans to spend a further US$2billion expanding his cosmetic and beverage businesses across the Asia-Pacific region.…
INDONESIA
BY MARK ROWE
THE INDONESIA The Indonesian textile market is being hit hard by a black market in used garments made overseas, according to the Indonesian Textile Association. At least 480 million pieces of used garments are shipped into the country every year, from China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, the United States and European countries, it said.…
MALAYSIA AD BAN
BY MARK ROWE
Malaysia is to ban all forms of tobacco advertising and sponsorship next year, with temporary exemptions for the lucrative Formula One grand prix and soccer events. Health Minister Chua Jui Meng said British American Tobacco, Japan Tobacco Industry and Philip Morris have expressed willingness to drop all forms of promotion by the end of the year.…
RULES OF ORIGIN
BY KEITH NUTHALL
CREATING finished leather from tanned leather, (in its wet state), is not sufficiently important a manufacturing process to warrant the final product being legally considered a new good, made in the country where it was processed rather than where it was sourced, the chairman of a special World Trade Organisation committee has advised.…
RULES OF ORIGIN
BY KEITH NUTHALL
CREATING finished leather from tanned leather, (in its wet state), is not sufficiently important a manufacturing process to warrant the final product being legally considered a new good, made in the country where it was processed rather than where it was sourced, the chairman of a special World Trade Organisation committee has advised.…
SEABED AGAIN
BY KEITH NUTHALL
UNDETERRED by the scientific world’s comprehensive ignorance of the deep-sea environment, the United Nations’ International Seabed Authority is pressing ahead with research projects that will help it estimate the effect of submarine mining on species that have yet to be discovered.…
SAND DREDGING
BY ALAN OSBORN
WE know that irresponsible sea-sand dredging can led to coastal erosion, threatening beaches and ecological balance and even the livelihoods of whole sea-side or fishing communities. Yet there is today an unprecedented demand for sand as a building material.…
OECD - SECURITY
BY KEITH NUTHALL
INFORMATION technology and telecommunications companies should build security from hackers, virus spreaders and cyber-terrorists into the design of their networks from the outset, rather than tacking it on later as a result of painful experience, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has advised.…
ILLICIT TOBACCO TRADING
BY KEITH NUTHALL
GOVERNMENTS and international organisations have highlighted tobacco smuggling as one of the largest illegal drains on their tax revenues. An international conference has brought law enforcement professionals together with health officials to fight this problem. Keith Nuthall reports.…
JAPANESE PAPER
BY SWINEETHA DIAS WICKRAMANAYAKE
NIPPON Paper Industries Co., Ltd. of Japan has developed a new type of printing paper called Pegasus Harmony, that is lightweight, white and prevents strike through, the penetration of printing through the paper). The company says that its luster has been improved, with three-dimensional images of photographed products being displayed more clearly, with sharply reduced glaring.…
RUSSIA SHELF
Keith Nuthall
RUSSIA has been advised, in secret, by the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf about whether it can claim maritime territory in the Pacific and the Arctic, enabling it to control the North Pole.
The UN agency has been studying geological claims lodged by Moscow that wide swathes of the Arctic Ocean are part of Russia’s ‘continental shelf,’ areas of sea that are shallow enough or contain enough sedimentary rocks to be legally defined as national territory under international law.…
FISH FARMING INTERNATIONAL
KEITH NUTHALL
This is based on a feature I wrote for Geographical Magazine a couple of years ago but which I am now focusing solely on Tasmania rather than nationwide.
Tasmanian aquaculture
Matthew Brace, Sydney
Australia is sold to the world as a vast baking continent with quartzite ridges stretching to the horizon like the fossilised carcasses of fallen dinosaurs.…
EU APPEAL
BY ALAN OSBORN
THE EUROPEAN Commission has filed an appeal against the dismissal of its cigarette smuggling action in the US against three tobacco companies: Philip Morris, R. J. Reynolds and Japan Tobacco. Notably, it has received formal support in the proceedings from the US Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association for its action, along with the World Health Organisation, the US Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.…
ITER REACTOR
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Union’s research Commissioner Philippe Busquin has backed bids by both France and Spain to host the large ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor) in, respectively, the cities of Cadarache and Vandellós. His support follows the announcement that Japan has formally proposed the city of Rokkasho as a site, joining Canada in making a formal application.…
STEM CELLS
BY MATTHEW BRACE
A PIONEERING Australian stem cell company is teaming up with an international Japanese biopharmaceutical firm to build Japan’s first dedicated embryonic stem cell company. The expansion into Japan is part of Melbourne-based Stem Cell Sciences’ strategy to create a global cell therapy company.…
JRC PROJECT
BY KEITH NUTHALL
A FEASIBILITY study has been carried out by the EU’s Joint Research Centre for the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to investigate possibilities for incorporating a neutron coincidence counter into the Hybrid K-Edge Densitometer (HKED) to be delivered by ITU under an ITU-NMCC (Nuclear Material Control Centre) contract for the Rokkasho Reprocessing Plant, Japan.…
THAILAND STAR
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE WORLD Bank’s International Finance Corporation has agreed to reschedule US$204 million of its loans to Star Petroleum Refining Company Limited, Thailand, which is 64 per cent owned by Chevron-Texaco. The Thai company’s overall debt is US$549 million.…
AGRICULTURAL TALKS
BY KEITH NUTHALL
FEED the world. Bob Geldof. Don’t they know it’s Christmas time? Food aid: it is supposed to be simple. Poor countries have hungry people. Rich countries have fat people. The developed world sends food to the developing world.…
LUCKY STRIKE
BY MARK ROWE
THE BEST selling international brand, Lucky Strike, launched in 1871, is older than BAT and its eye-catching bull’s eye remains one of the oldest trademarks in the world. It is sold in some 90 countries and is BAT’s premier global brand for the key ASU30 segment of the market, particularly with urban smokers.…
KENT
BY MARK ROWE
LAUNCHED in America in 1954, Kent is now sold in more than 70 countries and remains the pioneer of the micronite filter. BAT’s premier free-standing lights brand has been earmarked to add competency to BAT’s portfolio in the premium, lights and Adult Smokers Under the Age of 30 (ASU30) segment of the market.…
JAPAN SILK
Keith Nuthall
THE JAPANESE government has promised to annually increase import quotas for silk from China until 2005, when, under the terms of the World Trade Organisation’s Agreement on Textiles and clothing, they will be scrapped altogether. Until then, Japan has promised to widen quotas following consultations with the Chinese government.…
BAT HISTORY
BY ALAN OSBORN
1902-1912
British American Tobacco was created on September 29th 1902 as a joint venture between Imperial Tobacco Company of the UK and the American Tobacco Company of the US following a fierce trade war. The parent companies agreed not to trade in each other’s domestic territory and to assign trademarks, export businesses and overseas subsidiaries to the joint venture.…
JAPAN NEAR MISSES
BY MARK ROWE
JAPAN’S transport ministry is considering giving priority to orders made by computers rather than air traffic controllers. The move follows a near-miss between two Japan Airlines passenger planes last year which was caused in part by a pilot’s decision to follow an air traffic controller’s order instead of the computerised Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System.…
JAPAN TOBACCO
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Union Council of Ministers has intervened in the European Commission’s case against Japan Tobacco – owners of RJ Reynolds – in New York by supporting Brussels’ stance that it is entitled to bring a legal action against the company, on behalf of the whole EU.…
EU SAFETY
BY JONATHAN THOMSON
A CARMAKERS’ voluntary agreement on introducing technical changes in designs boosting cyclist and pedestrian safety has been approved by the European Parliament and will now be legally underpinned by a so-called Framework Directive enforcing a range of legal commitments.…
WRINKLE-FREE PAPER
BY SWINEETHA DIAS WICKRAMANAYAKE
NIPPON Paper Industries Co. of Japan has developed a paper product that it says is five-to-10 times more elastic than ordinary paper.
The high elasticity comes from tiny wrinkles the company adds to the paper during the production process, as well as the use of extra-elastic pulp fibre.…
FOOTIE CAMPAIGN
BY KEITH NUTHALL
EUROPEAN football association UEFA launched a joint-anti smoking campaign with the European Commission on the eve of the World Cup in Japan and South Korea. The two organisations booked television advertising space to broadcast their anti-tobacco message, using international footballers including French star Zinedine Zidane and Portugal’s Luis Figo.…
GM CHINA
BY MARK ROWE
THE CHAIRMAN of General Motors China has warned that neighbouring south-east Asia’s home grown car industry will in future find itself squeezed by stiff competition from the emerging giant next door. China’s expanding middle class, robust economic growth and low rates of vehicle ownership means that car makers in south-east Asian countries such as Thailand will be hard pressed to compete in the growing Chinese market, according to Phil Murtaugh, chairman of General Motors China.…
NISSAN - THAILAND
BY SWINEETHA DIAS WICKRAMANAYAKA
Japan’s Nissan Motor Ltd has begun exporting vehicles from plants in Thailand to Indonesia as part of a plan to make the south-east Asian kingdom its main supplier of vehicles in the region. Nissan plans to take advantage of the fact that the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) is lowering duties on locally made vehicles to increase shipments in the region of passenger cars and pickup trucks from Thailand, and commercial vehicles from Indonesia.…
TMB MEETING
KEITH NUTHALL
JAPAN has been criticised by the Textile Monitoring Body of the World Trade Organisation for failing to establish new liberalised quotas for imports of Chinese silk yarn and fabric by the start of this financial year. In a paper issued at a recent meeting, the TMB said that it was “particularly concerned” at the omission, and said that in future it expected to be “informed by Japan as soon as possible on the timing of the annual consultations between Japan and China, as well as on the trade levels to be determined for both silk yarn and silk fabric for the Japanese fiscal year 2002.”…
NIPPON MITSUBISHI
BY SWINEETHA DIAS WICKRAMANAYAKA
JAPAN’S Nippon Mitsubishi Oil Corp. has said that it intends to follow up its planned merger of three group refineries by expanding exports of gas oil, fuel oil and other petroleum products by 50 percent in fiscal year of 2003, the Shipping & Trade news has reported.…
APPLES AND CLEMENTINES
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE UNITED States has launched initial WTO disputes proceedings with Japan, which it claims is unfairly restricting the import of American apples. Meanwhile the US has banned the import of Spanish clementines.…
IAEA SECURITY
BY KEITH NUTHALL
A FINANCED global action plan to improve safety in the nuclear energy sector has been approved in principle by the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency. A number of countries have pledged around US$4.6 million to fund its programmes, although this falls far short of the US$12 million price tag claimed by the IAEA, which also wants a fund of US$20 million established to handle security emergencies.…
JAPAN SHARP
BY MARK ROWE
THE JAPANESE electronics giant Sharp says it has created an air conditioner that not only cools your office but also rids a room of nitrogen oxide, a substance found in cigarette smoke. A test conducted by Japanese Government scientists found that the air conditioner was able to regulate the balance of positive and negative ions floating in the air and remove virtually all traces of nitrogen oxide the within 12 minutes.…
MALAYSIA - HONDA
BY MARK ROWE
A ROW over dealership rights could lead to a permanent parting of the ways for Malaysia’s Oriental Holdings and Honda. Oriental was sole distributor for Honda cars until last July, when Japan’s second biggest carmaker took back those rights to form a local unit, giving it direct involvement in Malaysia’s market.…
CONTRACT FARMING
BY ALAN OSBORN
SOME sensible words were spoken recently by the EU’s agriculture commissioner Franz Fischler on the way forward for farmers. His starting point was the quality of farm produce. Noone is going to say that quality has ever been far from farmers’ minds, but until recently it wasn’t really the first consideration.…
IMO - OIL SPILLS
BY KEITH NUTHALL
DRAFT recommendations on improving the treatment of oil spills have been agreed by the International Maritime Organisation, during the UN agency’s third research and development Forum on High Density Oil Spill Response.
Experts present discussed the particular problems posed by this kind of pollution, including its high viscosity and tendency to sink.…
US TARIFFS
BY KEITH NUTHALL
PRINTING equipment and supplies imported from the United States are to be a focus of retaliatory tariffs imposed by the European Union following the erection of controversial ‘safeguard’ duties by Washington to protect its steel industry.
The European Commission has announced that it is asking EU ministers to approve a selected range of products, where the levying of duty will cause the most pain to US exporters, in a bid to try and force the Bush administration to lift its tariffs.…
TOYOTA - CHINA
BY MARK ROWE
TOYOTA Motor Corp plans to buy Chinese parts to make cars in its operations in China as a way to cut costs, instead of shipping them in from Japan. Toyota would procure discount door parts and materials including steel sheet from China’s leading steel-maker, Shanghai Baoshan Iron & Steel.…
FUTABA - CANADA
BY MONICA DOBIE, in Montreal
JAPAN’S Futaba Industrial Co. Ltd. has signed a deal to purchase land in Canada’s Stratford, Ontario, which will be home to a new plant making parts for Toyota automobiles. Kiyoshi Hina, its future plant manager, told the local Beacon Herald that the company will invest a total of US$20 million, employing about 70 employees.…
INDIA WTO
Keith Nuthall
THE INDIAN government has abandoned its appeal against last December’s World Trade Organisation ruling that it had broken global commerce rules by insisting that auto-manufacturers within its territory not only promise to buy some components locally, but that they export products of an equal value of imported inputs.…
NEW YORK APPEAL
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Commission has refused to abandon its American lawsuit against Phillip Morris, Japan Tobacco and R.J. Reynolds Nabisco, despite its case being thrown out by the New York District Court. Brussels has announced that it will not only appeal, but will prepare a new case focusing on money laundering allegations.…
OIJ PAPER CO.
BY MARK ROWE
OIJ Paper Co, Japan’s largest paper producer and the world’s second largest producer, is to launch a US$1billion expansion in production capacity in south-east Asia and China over the next five years. The company aims to raise production from its current rate of 60,000 tonnes a year of pulp and paper to a total of one million tonnes during that period.…
CHINA - TAIWAN
BY MARK ROWE
THE CHINESE Petroleum Corporation (CPC), one of Taiwan’s largest state-owned enterprises, is setting up a joint company with the China mainland counterpart company China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC) to extract and refine oil. CNPC does not have the means to refine crude oil and currently contracts out this work to Japan but is keen to use Taiwan, because it can offer lower coats and is closer to markets in southern China.…
TORAY INTERNATIONAL
BY MARK ROWE
JAPANESE synthetic fibre giant Toray International, one of the world’s largest textile and chemical companies has teamed up with and Mitsui Soko, Japan’s second largest warehousing company, and online logistics firm Bolero International.The companies are jointly running a phased testing of bolero.net…
THAI DUMPING
BY MARK ROWE
THE THAI government has imposed provisional anti-dumping duties between five and 25 per cent on hot and cold rolled steel products from Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Spain and Germany, launching a definitive duty inquiry. Preliminary investigations by a government committee concluded that hot-rolled steel in sheets and coils, cold-rolled steel in coils, coated steel and stainless steel from these countries were being dumped in Thailand.…
THAI DUMPING
BY MARK ROWE
THE THAI government has imposed provisional anti-dumping duties between five and 25 per cent on hot and cold rolled steel products from Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Spain and Germany, launching a definitive duty inquiry. Preliminary investigations by a government committee concluded that hot-rolled steel in sheets and coils, cold-rolled steel in coils, coated steel and stainless steel from these countries were being dumped in Thailand.…
BYRNE BLARNEY
BY KEITH NUTHALL
EU health and consumer affairs Commissioner David Byrne has thrown a lyrical punch at Japan Tobacco International, which has taken the European Commission to the European Court of Justice over its restrictions on “light” and “low tar” descriptors.…
SOUTH AFRICA - EAST ASIA
Keith Nuthall
WINES of SA, a non-profit organisation responsible for the promotion of South African wines, has reported that South African wine exporters are to begin targeting east Asian markets as a key to future growth.
The recent move will build on the industry’s existing successful penetration of the European markets coupled with the signing of the wine and spirits agreement between South African and the EU.…
OLIVE OIL
BY KEITH NUTHALL
PORTUGAL has called for the resumption of EU funding of the International Olive Oil Council’s promotion of olive oil in non-EU countries with low demand, (including the USA, Australia and Japan). Payments were suspended over council tendering concerns.…
GLOBAL FORUM
BY KEITH NUTHALL
A GLOBAL Forum on Food Safety Regulators has been staged by the UN Food and Agricultural Organisation, (FAO), and the World Health Organisation, reflecting concern about recent food safety incidents, such as BSE, that the FAO claims have “caused serious turmoil in the world food markets and raised concern among consumers.”…
FINE CULLET
BY SWINEETHA DIAS WICKRAMANAYAKA
A SYSTEM for turning crushed and pulverized waste glass into powder with a particle size finer than 5mm has been developed by Japan’s Garasu Resourcing Co, for use as an alternative construction material solidifying flimsy terrain in place of natural sand.…
INDONESIA RAGS
BY MARK ROWE
INDONESIAN textile producers have warned that their industry faces thousands of job losses as smuggled used garments flood the Indonesian market. The past few months have seen a rise in smuggled goods from China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, the United States and some European countries.…
VITAMIN CARTEL
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Commission has fined eight companies Euro 855.22 million for participating in cartels inflating prices of vitamins they produced between 1989 and 1999. Companies involved included Switzerland’s Hoffman-La Roche, BASF, of (Germany), AG Aventis SA, (France), Solvay Pharmaceuticals BV, (Netherlands), Merck KgaA, (Germany), Daiichi Pharmaceutical Co Ltd, (Japan), Eisai Co Ltd, (Japan), and Takeda Chemical Industries Ltd, (Japan).…
VITAMIN CARTEL
BY SWINEETHA DIAS WICKRAMANAYAKA
THE EUROPEAN Commission has fined eight companies a total of Euro 855.22 million for participating in secret market-sharing and price-fixing cartels affecting the production of vitamins including those sold to the confectionary industry to make nutrient enriched products.…
ILO
BY KEITH NUTHALL
A new report by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) on conditions in the world shipping and shipbuilding industries makes grim reading. Clearly things were bad well before the attack on the World Trade Centre and the fundamentals have worsened since.…
HANEDA EXPANSION
BY SWINEETHA DIAS WICKRAMANAYAKA
THE JAPAN Association of Corporate Executives has called on the Japanese government to being forward the planned expansion of Tokyo International Airport at Haneda, asking it to agree a plan to enlarge its capacity by March 2002.…
SYNTHETIC LEATHER
BY SWINEETHA DIAS WICKRAMANAYAKE
A THIN and lightweight artificial leather has been developed by Japanese company Toray Industries. Called ECSAINE Prima, it is produced via a non-woven fabric processing technology, and combines a highly resistant polyurethane fabric with an ultra-thin surface fibre.…
WRISTWATCH ALARM
BY SWINEETHA DIAS WICKRAMANAYAKE AND KEITH NUTHALL
THE SCENE is familiar; armed robbers hold up a bank and a teller moves to dive beneath a desk to hit the panic button, but is told to freeze or be shot. Companies with exposed personnel such as these might consider buying a new wristband alarm developed by Japanese company Takenaka Engineering Co.,…
TERROR MONEY LAUNDERING
BY KEITH NUTHALL
IT was telling that the first step taken by President Bush against Islamic terror groups following the World Trade Centre disaster was to freeze bank accounts. The international community has now responded by agreeing common controls to stop terror groups laundering funds.…
OECD REPORT
BY KEITH NUTHALL
HEALTH experts have been discussing a report from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, (OECD), which has shown Britain performs poorly against its competitors in western Europe and north America, regarding the number of nurses employed per head of population in the late 1990’s.…
SPORTS SMOKING
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE WORLD Health Organisation has announced that it has struck an agreement with international sports governing bodies to launch an anti-tobacco campaign; it would aim at persuading sports participants and spectators to abandon smoking, (including in stadiums, and block tobacco advertising, promotion and marketing.…
MUTUAL RECOGNITION
KEITH NUTHALL
FROM the beginning of next year exporters of medicinal products will find it easier to sell in Japan following completion of a Mutual Recognition Agreement between that country and the EU.
The deal includes a Good Manufacturing Practice agreement under which both sides will agree to honour each other’s testing, certification and approval of products.…
WRISTWATCH ALARM
BY SWINEETHA DIAS WICKRAMANAYAKE AND KEITH NUTHALL
THE SCENE is familiar; armed robbers hold up a bank and a teller moves to dive beneath a desk to hit the panic button, but is told to freeze or be shot. Companies with exposed personnel such as these might consider buying a new wristband alarm developed by Japanese company Takenaka Engineering Co.,…
WTO LATEST THINK PIECE
BY KEITH NUTHALL
FRANZ Fischler has been making a lot of speeches recently. It is not because he has time on his hands, he is in charge of the European Commission’s largest two budgets, agriculture and fisheries after all. Rather it is because he is cross with the Americans, whom he accuses of playing Janus at the WTO.…
KYOTO LATEST
BY ALAN OSBORN
DESPITE its rejection by America, the Kyoto Protocol to reduce greenhouse gas emissions has now been agreed and is set to move towards ratification and implementation within two years. Ministers from 180 countries reached a compromise deal over the treaty after lengthy negotiations in Marrakesh, Morocco at the week-end (finished on Saturday 10th).…
WHO ADVERTISING
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE WORLD Health Organisation has tried to undermine support for Philip Morris, Japan Tobacco and British American Tobacco’s “International Tobacco Product Marketing Standards” campaign, ahead of the scheduled talks at its Geneva headquarters to negotiate global rules for tobacco control.…
MUTUAL RECOGNITION
BY ALAN OSBORN
FROM the beginning of next year exporters of medicinal products will find it easier to sell in Japan following completion of a Mutual Recognition Agreement between that country and the EU.
The deal includes a Good Manufacturing Practice agreement under which both sides will agree to honour each other’s testing, certification and approval of products.…
BUBBLE TANK
BY SWINEETHA DIAS WICKRAMANAYAKE, in Columbo
A LOW cost pump system, which can generate ultra-fine air bubbles for fish tanks, has been launched in Japan. Its Bubble Tank Co’s EOXMICRO system creates bubbles that are so uniformly small, that they are more easily dissolved in water than more conventional pumps.…
CARTEL FINES
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Commission has fined eight companies a total of Euro 855.22 million for participating in secret market-sharing and price-fixing cartels affecting the production of vitamins including those sold to the cosmetics industry. There were eight cartels, said the Commission, operating between 1989 and 1999.…
WTO SUMMIT
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE WORLD Trade Organisation has launched a review of its anti-dumping and countervailing rules, as part of the agreement to embark on a new general round of negotiations.
Ministers agreed at their summit in Qatar, for talks “aimed at clarifying and improving disciplines,” on these protective duty regimes.…
AIRBAGS
BY SWINEETHA DIAS WICKRAMANAYAKE
A JAPANESE company has developed an integrated manufacturing system for recovering odd-end fabrics created by shearing during the production of automobile air bags, turning these wastes into a high-performance nylon plastic. Toyobo Co., says that the reprocessed waste can be used in the manufacture of automobile engines and air bag cavity coverings, as well as in bicycle wheels and shopping carts.…
MUTUAL RECOGNITION
BY KEITH NUTHALL
FROM the beginning of next year exporters of medicinal products will find it easier to sell in Japan following completion of a Mutual Recognition Agreement between that country and the EU.
The deal includes a Good Manufacturing Practice agreement under which both sides will agree to honour each other’s testing, certification and approval of products.…
KYOTO LATEST
BY ALAN OSBORN
DESPITE its rejection by America, the Kyoto Protocol to reduce greenhouse gas emissions has now been agreed and is set to move towards ratification and implementation within two years. Ministers from 180 countries reached a compromise deal over the treaty after lengthy negotiations in Marrakesh, Morocco at the week-end (finished on Saturday 10th).…
ECO-CONCRETE
BY SWINTEETHA DIAS WICKRAMANAYAKE
A JAPANESE company has developed porous paving slabs that not only soak up excess water, but absorb pollutants from the air. The Taiyu Concrete Industry Co., has developed its so-called Ecowalking Brick, by coating molten and crushed refuse incineration slag with titanium dioxide.…
JAPAN DUTIES
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Commission has moved to impose 11.3 per cent definitive anti-dumping duties on imports from Japan of internal gear hubs for bicycles, notably those from Shimano Inc. The formal proposal for approval by EU ministers follows an earlier decision to erect provisional anti-dumping duties.…
QATAR WTO SUMMIT
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE WORLD Trade Organisation is moving towards the launch of a general round at its November summit in Qatar, but these negotiations will only be approved if a wrangle affecting the trade in meat and other food products can be resolved.…
CHEMICAL COMPANIES FINED OVER MARKET SHARING ALLEGATIONS
BY KEITH NUTHALL
Six chemical companies have been fined a total of 57.53 million euros (about pounds 34.5 million) by the European Commission for price-fixing and market-sharing in respect of sodium gluconate, a chemical mainly used to clean metal and glass.…
AUSTRALIA WTO
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE AUSTRALIAN government has issued the most comprehensive formal proposal favouring the liberalisation of the shipping industry yet made in the ongoing World Trade Organisation round on services.
Its paper said: “Significant barriers to trade and investment in maritime transport services still exist in many member economies.…
ROTHMANS
BY MONICA DOBIE
ROTHMANS Inc.,(Canada), has bought 100 per cent of Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Company’s shares for US$275 million.
The purchase price comprises of US$105 million in cash, 4,241,312 common shares of Rothmans, having an ascribed value of US$65 million, and US$105 million in bonds to be issued at closing by Santa Fe and to be repaid over four years from Santa Fe’s operating cash flows.…
INNOVATION LEAGUE
BY ALAN OSBORN
BRITAIN comes fourth in an international league of 17 developed countries which ranks them according to their achievements, resources and capacity for future development in the field of innovation, the European Commission said today Monday. Sweden comes top followed by the US and Finland.…
BANGKOK
BY SWINEETHA DIAS WICKRAMANAYAKE
A CONSORTIUM led by Thailand’s Italian-Thai Development Plc has won a tender to construct the passenger terminal at the country’s second international airport, Nong Ngu Hao. The group had submitted the lowest bid at 36.67 billion Baht, the Thai government said.…
PLATE ICE
BY SWINEETHA DIAS WICKRAMANAYAKE
A JAPANESE company has developed a system for manufacturing clean seawater ice, which is softer than freshwater ice and so can be used to transport fish products to market in cool temperatures without the scarring or bruising that often occurs.…
WIND POWER
BY SWINEETHA DIAS WICKRAMANAYAKE
EUROPEAN Union hauliers have been encouraged to install a ground breaking wind power system for lorries, where two and three units of compact propellers and generators are fitted on the cab roof. The resulting electricity powers the air conditioning, saving fuel.…
FINLAND
BY KEITH NUTHALL
FINLAND is the world’s most technologically advanced country, according to a United Nations Development Programme, (UNDP), report, which puts the UK at number seven in its league table, also behind the USA, Sweden, Japan, South Korea and the Netherlands.…
JAPAN AUTO WORKERS
BY SWINEETHA DIAS WICKRAMANAYAKE
RESEARCH studies released by the Confederation of Japan Automobile Workers Unions have predicted that there will be 143,000 fewer workers in the domestic automobile industry in 2005 compared with 2000, if Japanese auto sales continue to slump and if automobile and autoparts makers shift more production overseas.…
TRIPS LATEST
BY KEITH NUTHALL
DEVELOPING countries have banded together at the World Trade Organisation to call for its Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights Agreement (TRIPs) to be interpreted as allowing their governments to take any steps “to protect public health,” including the authorisation of generic production of medicines under patent.…
TECHNOLOGY INDEX
BY KEITH NUTHALL
FINLAND is the world’s most technologically advanced country, according to a United Nations Development Programme, (UNDP), report, which puts the UK at number seven in its league table, also behind the USA, Sweden, Japan, South Korea and the Netherlands.…
WTO ROUND
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE TIMING of concessions that can be achieved at the World Trade Organisation’s agricultural round, sweeping away the high tariffs, import quotas, production subsidies and export credits that make the working lives of every agricultural exporter more of a struggle, are likely to be set in the next three months.…
WIND POWER
BY SWINEETHA DIAS WICKRAMANAYAKE
TRD Industries Co. Ltd., of Japan, has developed a wind power system for lorries, where several units of compact propellers and generators are fitted on the cab roof. The resulting electricity powers the air conditioning, saving fuel.…
FED-EX - JAPAN
BY SWINEETHA DIAS WICKRAMANAYAKE
FED-EX has announced that it has integrated its import/export facilities at Kansai International Airport, Japan, opening a new centre with 3,580 square meters floor space and employing 144 employees; it is 1.3 times the combined size of previous
import and export facilities, a FedEx statement said.…
JOINT VENTURE
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Commission has authorised the creation of a joint venture called SuperH, involving Hitachi Ltd., of Japan, and Dutch firm ST Microelectronics N.V.; it will consolidate, in a stand-alone company, the two companies’ existing co-operation in the development of microprocessor cores.…
VIETNAM GRANT
BY SWINEETHA DIAS WICKRAMANAYAKE
JAPAN is to grant Vietnam loans totalling US$220 million, to help it expand Ho Chi Minh City’s international airport, which should enable the government to postpone its relocation
for at least 10 years, state media reports have said.…
JAPAN - EU
BY ALAN OSBORN
THE JAPANESE Automobile Manufacturers Association, (JAMA), has reached agreement with the European Commission that all new vehicles sold in the EU from 2003 will carry daytime running lights and anti-lock brake systems, as part of a voluntary package to improve pedestrian safety.…
KYOTO
BY ALAN OSBORN
THE KYOTO protocol on climate change was adopted by 186 nations in Bonn, but without the participation of the US, which is responsible for 25 per cent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions.
President Bush is now likely to come under intense international pressure to produce an American plan to tackle climate change.…
KYOTO
BY KEITH NUTHALL
BROAD political agreement on the operation of the Kyoto Protocol on climate change has been achieved in Bonn, Germany by 186 participating nations, but without the participation of the US.
Original targets were scaled down to ensure the participation of Japan, Canada and Australia in the deal, who secured concessions on so-called carbon sinks; they can now gain credits to emit more gases through re-vegetation and effective management of forests and farmland.…
INTERNATIONAL SEABED AUTHORITY
BY KEITH NUTHALL
MULTILATERAL sea and river organisations are usually created to deal with existing problems that cross national borders, but a new body has been making progress on a shipping issue that has yet even to happen: the exploitation and transport of subterranean solid mineral deposits.…
TREE CRUSHER
KEITH NUTHALL
AN AUTOMATIC tree crusher, called Green Breaker GF, has been developed by Sanyo Kiki Co. Ltd., of Japan. The hydraulic drive device is mounted on a specialist farm tractor unit. Its feed system incorporates fine speed adjustment and allows the selection of optimum chip sizes.…
KYOTO PRE-WRITE
BY KEITH NUTHALL
A TOP level EU delegation will fly to Tokyo next week, (July 9), in a desperate bid to salvage the Kyoto Protocol from being wrecked by the intransigence of the Bush administration in Washington. Environment Commissioner Margot Wallstrom, and ministers from Belgium and Sweden, (representing the current and next EU presidencies), planned their mission after reports emerged from a summit meeting between Bush and Japan’s PM Junichiro Koizumi, that Tokyo would abandon the global warming treaty, if the US refused to sign.…
PATENTS
BY KEITH NUTHALL
PLANS to develop a new kind of European Union patent, which would allow R&D units to gain protection for their inventions across the EU by making one comparatively simple application, are being discussed. A so-called Community Patent would be easier to operate than the existing European Patents, which have to be translated into the official language of each Member State in which it is to apply.…
CHINA - WTO
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE SHIPPING industry is looking forward to the anticipated accession of China to the World Trade Organisation, which after 15 years of often tortuous negotiations, is likely to be rubber stamped this autumn and become reality next Spring.…
CANADA ITER
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE GOVERNMENT of Canada has formally made an application to host the ITER international fusion test reactor, at a site near Clarington, Ontario. Ottawa’s move was made in Moscow by its ambassador to Russia, Rod Irwin, in the presence of representatives of other countries involved in the project; it is the first such bid.…
TOSHIBA HEP
BY SWINEETHA DIAS WICKRAMANAYAKE
A MICRO-hydraulic power generation system has been developed by Toshiba Engineering Corp., of Japan; called Hydro-eKIDS, it can generate electricity as long as a head of about 2m is available.
The company is promoting the equipment by stressing its flexibility regarding available water flows.…
NEW WTO ROUND
BY KEITH NUTHALL
DIPLOMATS are working hard to lay the groundwork for the launch of a new general round of trade talks at the World Trade Organisation, when the international commerce body holds its biennial ruling ministerial meeting this November.
By the time trade ministers congregate in Doha, Qatar, it is hoped that the bulk of a deal will have been stitched up behind the scenes, allowing governments to rubber stamp a move into negotiations mirroring the depth and breadth of the Uruguay Round that set up the WTO in 1994.…
WORLD CUP ABSTINENCE
BY KEITH NUTHALL
SOUTH Korea has announced that its half of the 2002 World Cup finals will be free from “tobacco sales, consumption, promotion and sponsorship.” The tough line on smoking in and around matches has been welcomed by both the World Health Organisation and EU health Commissioner David Byrne, who said: “This decision clearly puts tobacco products offside the World Cup.”…
JAPAN ETC
Keith Nuthall
THE GOVERNMENTS of Japan and Cyprus have informed the World Trade Organisation of how they intend to implement its third stage of commitments made under the WTO’s Agreement on Textiles and Clothing.…
SINGAPORE BEACH
BY SIMON WILCOX, in Singapore
IN a dim and distant era before electronics and semiconductors, Singapore was a tiny backwater in the Malay kingdom of Johor-Riau, its inhabitants depending on jungle produce, fishing, small-scale trading and a little piracy for their livelihood.…
AUTO PACT LATEST
BY MONICA DOBIE AND KEITH NUTHALL
DAIMLER Chrysler Canada and Ford Canada have been trying to persuade the Canadian federal government to replace the now defunct 1965 Canada/United States auto pact with a system of assistance that would not be so open to a challenge at the World Trade Organisation.…
GENERAL WTO ROUND
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE GLOBAL trade in industrial goods could receive the same boost as is planned by the ongoing World Trade Organisation rounds in services and agriculture, if developed countries succeed in launching a new general round at the planned WTO ministerial conference, in Qatar, in November 9-13.…