Indonesia Plans To Become Major Player in Car Industry

SOUTHEAST ASIA: INDONESIA REPORT

Amid the global shift to EVs, Indonesia is vying to become the new leader in this segment.

Indonesia has already surpassed Thailand in passenger car production and has begun full-scale EV production ahead of Thailand. Thailand has begun to defend its position as the auto manufacturing hub of Southeast Asia by offering preferential policies for EVs, including subsidies for both domestic production and sales.

Indonesia’s greatest strength is its abundance of nickel, which is used in car batteries. It is said to have the largest nickel reserves in the world, and investment in this resource is growing rapidly. In April, the Indonesian government announced that it was considering investing in a nickel production venture involving Ford of the United States and that VW of Germany was also considering participation.

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Thailand Auto Industry Brakes Sharply

This article initially appeared in the February 2020 issue of PowerTALK News.

THAILAND–Vehicles produced in Thailand are exported to the world, including Asia, Oceania, the Middle East and Europe. However, the automobile industry is in trouble because of the double punch of the global economy slowing down due to the US-China trade friction and the spread of the new coronavirus.

Akihiro Komuro
Akihito Komuro

Exports, which account for half of Thailand’s automobile production, where Japanese and other automakers such as Toyota and Honda have production bases, have fallen, and vehicle production turned negative for the first time in five years in 2019. In addition, the spread of the new coronavirus is catching up. It is expected that the impact on Thailand’s automobile industry will be even greater if the shutdown of factories in China and production cutoffs are prolonged and parts procurement is delayed.

Source: NHK

PSR Analysis: From about September 2019, it has been reported that many Southeast Asian automobile industries, including Thailand, have begun to slow down, but this has been attributed to a slowdown in trade due to US-China trade friction.

Today, of course, there is the same problem, but the rapid spread of COVID-19 is a new problem. Many automotive industries around the world are supported by the supply of parts from China, and a slowdown in supply could severely impact car production. Especially in Southeast Asia such as Thailand and Indonesia.  PSR

Akihiro Komuro is a Research Analyst covering the Far East and Southeast Asia for Power Systems Research.

Russia To Suspend Support of Domestic Auto Industry

The Russian auto market’s increased demand for new passenger cars has caused inventory shortages, and these shortages have caused Russian authorities to suspend State programs of industry support.

In May, for example, the number of the cars sold increased by 2.3 times, compared to same period in 2020. This growth is partly the result of pandemic restrictions last year. A total of 663,000 new cars have been delivered to the customers this year, up 39% from a year ago.

Another reason for the shortage of cars in Russia is a shortage of semiconductor chips.

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2021 Trailer Industry Grows 33% at 163,000 Units

The Brazil trailer industry registered 163,000 new license plates in 2021 vs. 122,000 in 2020, growing 33.5%. The result could have been even better since the segment was affected by a lack of components, such as steel, tires, etc. Export sales climbed to 4,600 units vs. 2,100 units in 2021.

Source: M&T / Anfir     Read The Article

PSR Analysis: The growth is in line with truck sales that confirm the health of the transportation industry. The growth of exports confirms the recovery of key markets of Trailers and MHV.

Fabio Ferraresi is Director Business Development-South America for Power Systems Research

Robotic Lawn Mower Industry Expected To Reach $1.3 Billion in 2020

There’s nothing like the look and smell of freshly cut grass, but for an increasing number, mowing the lawn as become an unpleasant experience and a waste of time. Some home owners spend hours every week doing the work while others are investing in a robot lawn mower to do the work.

robotic lawn mower is an autonomous robot used to cut lawn grass. A typical robotic lawn mower (in particular earlier generation models) requires the user to set up a border wire around the lawn that defines the area to be mowed. The robot uses this wire to locate the boundary of the area to be trimmed and in some cases to locate a recharging dock. Robotic mowers are capable of maintaining up to 30,000 m2 (320,000 sq ft) of grass.

Think of robot lawn mowers as Roombas, but for lawns.

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2021 Global Economic Outlook

Yosyf Sheremeta, PhD, Director of Product Management and Customer Experience, analyzes the Global economic outlook by region and industry segment.

Transcript

Welcome to the PSR PowerTALK podcast, produced by Power Systems Research.

00:06 Joe Delmont

From Power Systems Research I’m Joe Delmont, an editor of PSR PowerTALK.

Today we’ll talk with Yosyf Sheremeta about his global economic outlook. Yosyf is Director of Product Management and Customer Experience for Power Systems Research.

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Global: Recovery Is Strong, but Uneven

GLOBAL REPORT
Yosyf Sheremeta
Yosyf Sheremeta

SUMMARY.  The global economy performed very well in 2021 and continues to recover, along with trade, employment and incomes. But the revival is unbalanced, with regions/countries, businesses and people facing very different economic realities. Recent improvements also conceal structural changes, which means that some sectors, jobs, and technologies will not return to their pre-pandemic trends. Based on the most recent economic developments and trends, Power Systems Research remains somewhat optimistic about the global recovery.

Many of us hoped to be in the post-Covid phase by now, but it is evident that there is no quick way out.  The pandemic has had a profound impact on the world economy, and it will continue to challenge established norms of life and business into the foreseeable future.  As we start the new year, many challenges remain, new and old alike: re-surgency of COVID variants, restrictions on travel, supply chain challenges, shortages of materials/goods, inflation, and employment, as well as renewed geopolitical tensions across many parts of the globe.

Power Systems Research witnessed a strong economic recovery globally in 2021, despite regional differences.  Output in most OECD countries has now either surpassed or is about to reach pre-pandemic levels, but lower-income economies, particularly those where vaccination rates are low, are at risk of being left behind.  Furthermore, the rebound will continue to vary widely among different market segments.  

Global inflation re-surfaced in 2021 and presents a real risk to economic recovery in all regions. The renewed inflationary pressure risks lasting longer than was expected a few months ago.  The surge in retail and wholesale energy costs in late 2021 will undermine economic growth prospects for large parts of Europe and Northeast Asia well into 2022.  Rising food and energy prices already have impact on low-income households in particular. 

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