The Knowledge to Decide

In what some have dubbed the Third Industrial Revolution, 3D printing is now allowing consumers to be masters of their own manufactured durable goods. But Asian countries will need to work a lot harder to avoid becoming laggards in this transformative new field. What is 3D printing? 3D printing refers to the process of making a three-dimensional solid object of virtually any shape from a digital model using powder, molten plastic or metals. It first slices a 3D computer model into layers, then builds the object one layer at a time using the 3D printer. The quality of the end-product is dependent on various factors, such as the base material, thinness of the layers, mechanics of the printer as well as the amount of preparation taken into consideration for the 3D computer model. Also known as additive manufacturing, 3D printing seeks to distinguish itself from “subtractive manufacturing”. The latter involves the cutting down and pairing-off materials to attach them together

About 8 million tons of plastic each year is leaked into our oceans. Asia is responsible for 80% of this, due to uneven collection infrastructure and lack of stringent regulations. To deal with this issue, the new ‘plastics economy’ could transform the way we deal with plastic waste. The model is the mastermind of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, the World Economic Forum and Mckinsey & Company, released in a report in January 2016. This model restructures product design and manufacturing to ensure the recycling of materials. This further extends the shelf life of products through refurbishment and repair, improving circularity and functionality of plastic packaging. For instance, British retail giant Marks & Spencer uses its packaging crates 300 times on average before recycling them. Will recycling plastics make a dent on global pollution? https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/spirethoughts/asia-the-worlds-biggest-plastic-polluter/

What does the infamous (2008) case of fake Chinese milk powder and Malaysia’s fake Milo case in 2016 have in common? These are all noteworthy cases of food fraud that show the level of dilution, counterfeiting and mislabelling of food products that has plagued Asia’s food industry, at an estimated annual cost of USD40 billion in damages. What tools can be used to tackle this issue? Safe and Secure Approaches in Field Environments (SSAFE) – a non-profit organization – in collaboration with Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PwC), VU University Amsterdam, and Wageningen University along with global food industry leaders have launched a free assessment tool. The tool helps to identify loopholes and formulates custom-made solutions. Other ways of prevention can be through using anti-counterfeit technology like holograms and systematic notification to both private and public companies of blacklisted suppliers. Will Asia succeed in reigning in fraudulent food? https://www.spirerese

With an expected turnover of over USD12 billion by 2018, Asia is deemed the second largest e-learning market in the world. Accelerated growth is anticipated in countries such as Malaysia, Thailand and Myanmar. Taiwan’s Overseas Community Affairs Council (OCAC) provides an e-learning portal that offers users downloads, teaching resources, and teaching plans along with e-books for Chinese education. India is now home to many online schools – a more economical option for those who cannot afford to attend traditional colleges. Programs in these schools are expected to be valued at USD1 billion (in revenue) by 2020. Is Asia’s online education industry poised to take off? https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/spirethoughts/asia-goes-online-for-education/

The establishment of ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) in 2015 was a major milestone in the region’s economic integration. With a GDP of USD2.6 trillion and 600 million people, the AEC is Asia’s third largest economy and the seventh largest in the world. What is the AEC score card thus far? Leon Perera, Chief Executive Officer of Spire Research and Consulting, shared his insights in China Daily – Asia Weekly. AEC’s Blueprint 2025 envisions in achieving a highly integrated and competitive regional economy with enhanced connectivity to improve market access for ASEAN companies to sell goods and services. However, the past year has seen missed opportunities to accelerate progress for cross-border investment between ASEAN countries, speeding up the harmonization progress of non-tariff barriers as well as integrating a competition policy across ASEAN. Nevertheless, the AEC is making some progress. In time, it is well-placed to improve market access and provide the ASEAN groupin

On 28 September, Spire and Yamada Business Consulting (YBC) jointly held a breakfast seminar in Singapore to discuss emerging business opportunities in Asia facing Japanese firms. Leon Perera, Chief Executive Officer of Spire Research and Consulting, Japnit Singh, Deputy Chief Executive Officer at Spire; Yasuyuki (Luke) Kita, General Manager of YBC (Singapore) and Takuya Makimura, Manager of YBC (Singapore), addressed the session. Spire Singapore and YBC discussed emerging business opportunities in Asia for Japan Regional HQs. Seminar attendees, who were senior executives in Japanese, heard about how the Asian market can contribute substantially to the revenue of Japanese companies with regional headquarters in Singapore. The speakers talked about under-appreciated opportunities in Asia for Japanese companies. E-commerce will be an important pathway to access markets in Indonesia and India where complex channel structures have often proved forbidding to Japanese investors

5 December 2016 The Business Times – Views from the Top Donald Trump’s victory in the U.S. will impact Asia massively As the year 2016 draws to an end, there have been many upsets and surprises. Leon Perera, CEO of Spire Research and Consulting shared his insights in The Business Times – Views from the Top section on 5 December 2016 on the impact which Donald Trump’s victory will have on Asia. Donald Trump’s victory in the U.S. elections presages a change in direction for US foreign and economic policy but in ways that are not yet completely predictable. Perera opined that President Trump is expected to curb America’s economic and military engagement with Asia. However, his commitment to improve expenditure for domestic infrastructure may contribute a growth boost to the US and global economy. His ability to push through his spending plans is plausible as Republicans control both houses of Congress. Nonetheless, a volatile and cautious outlook is expected fo

With growing regional integration and rising incomes, more Asian consumers are choosing Asian brands against foreign brands. Xiaomi, an Asian brand, outsold Apple in China in 2014 for the first time. Brunei based brand – Brunei Halal – recently opened stores in Malaysia targeting its Muslim population. The Indian government’s knowledge website initiative – known as Vikaspedia and offering content in 22 different local languages – is gaining ground. Taobao, Air Asia, Alipay, Huawei, Siam Cement, San Miguel, Tiger Beer and Indofood are other Asian brands that are on the march. They all hail from countries other than Japan, Korea and Taiwan, the traditional sources of Asian brands. Will more Asian brands take the leap to become global brands as the top Japanese and Korean brands have become? https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/spirethoughts/asian-consumers-embrace-local-brands/