The Knowledge to Decide

Did you know that solar power can be generated using a variety of materials including Perovskites? Perovskite – a growing class of photovoltaic material – is emerging as a good source of solar power, registering more than 20% conversion rate of sunlight into power. Global energy demand is expected to grow by 37% by 2040. Low cost renewable sources of energy are poised to grow their share of the total energy market, as fossil fuels cannot meet the increase in demand by themselves. Solar power is the fastest growing renewable source of energy but accounted for a dismal 0.5% of global energy demand in 2011. This clearly points to the massive room for growth. Will Perovskites revolutionize the future of solar energy? https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/spirethoughts/solar-energy-gets-a-boost/

Oils prices are at a record low due to increased oil production in Saudi Arabia – the world’s largest oil producer. Nevertheless, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) refuses to budge on production cuts amidst falling oil prices. This could have a ripple effect on the U.S. shale oil industry, which is now facing a risk of a market share battle with OPEC. Oil production in U.S. shale fields is more expensive. Stabilization in oil prices through production cutbacks would generate some relief for them. U.S. shale output will remain the major source of new oil supply by the end of the decade. U.S. oil production was set to rise to 11.6 million barrels a day in 2020 – from 9.2 million in 2012 – making the U.S. the top oil producer by 2015. However that projection was made before the current low oil prices wrought havoc on the shale oil industry. It remains to be seen if U.S. shale oil drillers can recover from the ongoing price war with OPEC countries.

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

Spire was honored to be appointed as the Official Research Partner of the BMW Malaysian Open for the fourth consecutive year. The 2015 BMW Malaysian Open – the sixth edition of the Malaysian Open – was held from 28 February to 8 March 2015 at the Royal Selangor Golf Club in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The event gathered 13,815 spectators from across the region. Together with the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) Tour and the Lawn Tennis Association of Malaysia (LTAM), Spire was thrilled to be a part of this prestigious event, which played host to talented sportspersons such as Caroline Wozniacki and Alexandra Dulgheru. As the Official Research Partner, Spire’s Malaysia team conducted a total of 500 survey interviews with the spectators and generated fact-based research insights aimed at improving the event arrangements in the coming years. Spire’s long-standing association with this world-class event attests to the quality of the research it has provided. https://www.sp

The San Francisco Bay area has set the global benchmark as a successful tech innovation and start-up epicenter. Drawing inspiration from this, the Asia-Pacific region wants to foster its own tech hubs. Will it succeed? Spire Research and Consulting shared its insights, published on the US Consumer Electronics Association’s blog. The formula for success for San Francisco’s Bay area, more commonly known as ‘Silicon Valley’, includes strong backing from a pro-business government, a pool of highly talented and educated workers as well as ample access to venture capitalists – all in the context of a risk-taking culture. Other Asian countries are working towards developing a similar culture and business eco-system in order to clone this technology hub. Some of the up and coming innovation centers across the Asia Pacific region are Cyberport in Hong Kong, Daedeok Innopolis in Daejeon, Korea, Fusionopolis in Singapore, Macquarie Park in Sydney, Australia and Yokosuka Research Park in

Satellite technology is gaining ground in Asia. Asia-Pacific satellite telecommunications revenues hit USD 2.9 billion in 2014 – a quarter of global revenue. Japnit Singh, Senior Director for Singapore and India of Spire Research and Consulting, shared his insights on this growing industry with China Daily – Asia Weekly. Whether it is commuters in Hong Kong’s subway reading their daily news on smartphones or farmers across rural regions in Asia using mobile phones for banking, ordering fertilizer or selling crops, satellite-based data transmission has penetrated everyday life. With the rise of the middle-class in Southeast Asia (SEA), demand for more digital content on phones, home TV screens and at offices is skyrocketing. The demand for satellites is coming both from emerging markets such as Myanmar and Cambodia as well as more mature markets such as Malaysia and Indonesia. Singh highlighted that Direct-to-Home (DTH) satellite broadcasting is set to drive growth for Asi

Renowned for its beauty, texture and strength, the Indian hair export market is worth about USD393.5 million. With rising demand in the African subcontinent for extensions and wigs, Indian companies are now keen to invest into the hair business more than ever. The recent announcement of South Africa-based hair extension company Friska Hair being acquired by Godrej Consumer Products India shows that hair export is serious business. One driving factor is Africa’s young and growing population, which helps ensure that consumer spending grows in lockstep with GDP. This is good news for Indian hair exporters. https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/spirethoughts/indias-hairy-exports-to-africa/

The demand for digital technology is on the rise. How are industry players catering to changing technology needs? Jeffrey Bahar, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Spire Research and Consulting, shared his insights in Kompas – Mega Bazaar – a leading newspaper in Indonesia. Digital technology enhances the way we work. In the digital realm, productivity takes precedence – especially in the corporate segment. Technology and features that accompany a device are always changing, encouraging innovations along the way. Bahar opined that IT spending worldwide is about 2-3% of the total revenue of all of the companies in the world. The banking and financial industry in Indonesia has a higher level of IT spending when compared to the average in other industries. This is where Lenovo – the number one PC manufacturer globally – seems to understand the changing demands from society. It constantly innovates – with its latest edition in the multimode devices under the business segment.

With the implementation of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) due this year, competition in the IT industry is set to intensify. Will Indonesia’s IT sector thrive under these conditions? Jeffrey Bahar, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Spire Research and Consulting, shared his insights in Kompas News – a leading newspaper in Indonesia. Personal computer (PC) shipments, tablet computers, ultra-mobile and mobile phones are expected to reach global sales of 2.5 billion units in 2015 – a rise of 3.9% in comparison to 2014. While PCs are still growing in developed markets such as the US, weak growth of PC’s in developing markets is attributed to strong demand for smartphones and table computers. Nonetheless, the IT industry in Indonesia will continue to charge ahead. Bahar highlighted that the highest sales in Indonesia are seen in tablet computers and smart phones. Within ASEAN, Indonesia offers the greatest market opportunities for consumer IT. The nation is expected to reac

Telkom Indonesia – one of the largest telecommunications services company in Indonesia – hosted its annual Telkom Supplier Award on 20th November 2014 at Bandung, Indonesia. The award ceremony gathered Telkom’s subsidiary, partner companies and suppliers. Spire Research and Consulting was awarded second place in the Best consultant category at Telkom Supplier Award for the fourth time. The token of appreciation was received by Erwin Widjaja, Country Director, Indonesia of Spire Research and Consulting in the presence of Honesti Basyir, Financial Director of Telkom. Spire is delighted to be the continual recipient of this prestigious award and commits to uphold the highest quality of research and consulting outputs for its clients. https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/events/spire-celebrates-fourth-year-of-success-at-telkom-supplier-award-2014/