The Knowledge to Decide

Spire was honored to participate in the second webinar series organized by Global Supply Chain Council (GSCC) as a guest speaker. The webinar was held on 20 December, 2017 in Hong Kong. Jeffrey Bahar, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Spire Research and Consulting group shared his insights on cross-border e-commerce challenges and trends for payment and logistics transactions across Southeast Asia. In his presentation, Bahar shared his insights on potential of cross-border e-commerce transactions in South-East Asia, with a focus on challenges involving payment and logistics issues. Bahar mentioned that the e-commerce market represents potential for growth due to the rise in internet users across ASEAN-6 countries (Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand and the Philippines) as of 2016. Product purchases (in millions) were highest for Vietnam (33.26), the Philippines (30.34) and Indonesia (24.74) with clothing, accessories as well as footwear amongst the top 5 p

With automotive lubricant demand rising from 2.6 million liters (in 2015) to 4.1 million liters (in 2021), global and regional manufacturers are taking notice of the Vietnam market. How can brands win in this market? Leon Perera, Chief Executive Officer of Spire Research and Consulting, shared his insights on key trends in the Lube Report Asia magazine. With many players competing in the Southeast Asia market for motorcycle lubricants, leaders will be determined by their success in the large and fast-rising markets of Indonesia and Vietnam. These two countries account for over 80% of the region’s total motorcycle population. A few brands that stand out are Petronas, Shell, BP Castrol and Pertamina. Leon commented that while Vietnam’s short-term growth is driven by motorcycle lubricants, long-term growth is expected to come from car lubricants as middle-class Vietnamese trade up to cars. Vietnam’s attractive lucrative market is dominated by mineral engine oil due to pr

As Southeast-Asia’s leading car-manufacturing exporter, Thailand is all set to increase its production of cars and light commercial vehicles from 1.9 million in 2014 to 3 million by 2024. Despite that, domestic sales remain low due to tighter credit and weak purchasing power. Will Thailand’s auto sector still maintain its competitive edge? Japnit Singh, Senior Director at Spire Research and Consulting, shared his insights in China Daily – Asia Weekly. Despite frequent political unrest, Thailand is home to 18 of the biggest names in global car manufacturing. This has enabled Thailand to establish a solid car ecosystem and sustained momentum for the sector’s growth. Singh pointed out that this network of global brands is strengthened by a network of local Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SME’s) coupled with abundant supply of skilled labor force and favorable excise policies. Singh noted that exports will help counter low domestic sales which occurred primarily due to

South East Asia’s automotive sector has recorded impressive growth over the last decade. With 1.2 million vehicles sold in 2013, Indonesia is spearheading this phenomenal growth story. Recognizing the growth potential, the South East Asia Automotive Summit 2015 gathered industry leaders and government officials to discuss key industry trends, opportunities and threats. Jeffrey Bahar, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Spire Research and Consulting group, was honoured to be invited as a guest speaker at the South East Asia Automotive Summit 2015. In his presentation, Bahar spoke about Indonesia’s rapidly advancing automobile industry giving centre-stage to the Low Cost Green Car/ Low Emission Car (LCGC/LEC) segment. Bahar noted that the Indonesian automobile market story was very different in 2014. It was plagued by slow annual growth (around 5%), the falling Indonesian Rupiah, political uncertainty and post-election disputes. Inflation, luxury taxes, pull-backs in subsidiz

44 million people are being added to Southeast Asia’s urban population each year. As motor vehicle populations keep doubling every 5 to 7 years, what measures are being taken to tackle traffic congestion? Japnit Singh, Senior Director, Singapore and India of Spire Research and Consulting shared his insights in China Daily – Asia Weekly. Southeast Asia’s middle-class continues to boom, fuelling car population increases despite the relative lack of infrastructure. According to the Asian Development Bank, the region’s major cities suffer from some of the highest air pollution levels globally – as much as 80 per cent being attributable to road transport. Singh cautioned that building roads is not a solution, as this region faces severe practical limitations and escalating costs due to shortage of land in urban areas. In Bangkok for example, roads have the capacity for two million motor vehicles whereas five million ply the city’s roads each day. This has led to the military g

Spire was honored to participate in the second webinar series organized by Global Supply Chain Council (GSCC) as a guest speaker. The webinar was held on 20 December, 2017 in Hong Kong. Jeffrey Bahar, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Spire Research and Consulting group shared his insights on cross-border e-commerce challenges and trends for payment and logistics transactions across Southeast Asia. In his presentation, Bahar shared his insights on potential of cross-border e-commerce transactions in South-East Asia, with a focus on challenges involving payment and logistics issues. Bahar mentioned that the e-commerce market represents potential for growth due to the rise in internet users across ASEAN-6 countries (Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand and the Philippines) as of 2016. Product purchases (in millions) were highest for Vietnam (33.26), the Philippines (30.34) and Indonesia (24.74) with clothing, accessories as well as footwear amongst the top 5 pr