Developments

From challenges to opportunities: favourable climate for the plastics industry

The plastics industry in ASEAN remains unperturbed by global developments that are also impacting the growth path of key industries. With K 2016, the world’s largest trade fair for plastics and rubber, coming up in Düsseldorf, Germany, from 19 to 26 October, we take a closer look at this market. The new norm of economic growths and trends such as oil prices, variable supply and demand, and weakening of most Asian currencies against the US dollar, have allowed the region’s countries to rediscover their strengths to sustain growth either individually or as a part of the collective grouping of the 10-member ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nation), which comprises Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia. ASEAN’s fertile consumer base with a combined population of over 600 million and a combined GDP of US$ 2.6 trillion, as well as presence in the global market, enables the region to tap the right opportunities, hinging on the region’s rising middle class sector. One of ASEAN’s top export sectors by value is plastics and plastic products earning US$ 39.3 billion in export revenues in 2013. The sector’s production rates have witnessed a steady average growth over the recent years, especially in the ASEAN-6: Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam, which account for more than 95 % of regional GDP, according to McKinsey & Company. Vietnam’s relatively nascent plastics industry had an average annual growth of 16-18 % between 2010 and 2015. Packaging accounts for 37.4 %, followed by consumer goods (27 %), construction (18 %) and technical products (15 %). Yet, the industry is still at the “low end and of low value”, according to Vietnam Plastics Association (VPA), with a majority of exports being plastic bags to Japan. It also relies heavily on imported raw materials, […]

Creating a new era of connected consumer products

by Diego Tamburini, Manufacturing Industry Strategist at Autodesk Every day, more and more connected devices are coming to market, from phones and home appliances, to cars and buildings. Their potential to make consumers’ everyday lives more efficient, convenient, and easier is endless — but they also present new challenges to the designers, engineers, manufacturers and entrepreneurs who are building these connected products. With its rich heritage of creating powerful design solutions, the technology industry is well positioned to share the experience and knowledge that will help today’s makers tackle those challenges, and shift the way we think about designing consumer devices for the new connected future. Let’s take a look at the current “Era of Connection” and some of the trends at work. First and foremost, the lines between hardware and software — and between the physical and digital worlds— continue to blur as the devices that make up the Internet of Things (IoT) become more common. The Nest thermostat might have been the first IoT device to capture the public imagination, but more and more devices will combine a functional purpose with the ability to gather data, analyze it, and act upon it. Think of flair, whose teams in China and the US have developed a sensor-enabled product that replaces traditional HVAC vents to ensure a comfortable temperature in all rooms of the home throughout the entire day. flair can be controlled on your phone, over the Cloud, or it can be left to optimize climate control on its own. After living in Asia for 9 years, Olivier Risse, the founder of Floatility was inspired to solve the massive transportation problem facing most cities – and he believed that cars weren’t the best solution, especially for short distances. Developed across teams in Hamburg, Stuttgart, Singapore and Jakarta, the answer […]

Screw compressor energy efficient

The new oil-injection cooled screw compressor C 16 F (D) from sets new standards in the 11 kW performance class. Its excellent specific characteristics predestine the Boge C 16 F (D) compressors for achieving high energy savings. With its broad control range, it caters for widely fluctuating compressed air demand. A silenced intake filter and sturdy grey cast iron housing afford extremely quiet operation even when working at full capacity – enabling it to operate right at the workstation. The optionally available focus control 2.0 intelligent compressor control can be used with up to four compressors and lends itself to Industry 4.0 applications. It provides the highest free air delivery in the 11 kW compressor segment – despite its extremely low speed level. This is the result of using the Boge compact compressor aired from the effilence family which trumps with outstandingly low specific power consumption due to its high-efficiency IE3 motor. With this minimal power consumption rating and the extremely low flow losses, these belt-driven BOGE C 16 F (D) compressors achieve record energy efficiency. Their sound pressure levels also get top ratings – the C 16 F (D) is one of the quietest compressors in its class. The advantages of integrated frequency control are particularly apparent when compressed air demand fluctuates: The frequency converter provides continuous free air delivery in the roughly 25 – 100% control range. The free air delivery is constantly matched to the operating conditions. If the demand for compressed air drops off, compressor energy use also falls. Idling times are virtually eliminated in this way. Customers who use C 16 F (D) screw compressors achieve energy savings of up to 30 percent as a result. The design of the C series is both intelligent and simple. All maintenance-relevant parts are arranged for easy reach to minimise waiting times. Equipping these compressors with additional options […]

Global power generation shortfall in 2030

A 2016 research paper in the Journal Nature predicts a 40% shortfall of available water across the globe by 2030 with effects not just for drinking, food production, hygiene and public health, but also for 98% of global electric power generation. Presented at the Asia-Pacific Energy Leaders’ Summit in New Zealand the early findings of a new report, ‘The road to resilience – managing the risks of the energy-water-food nexus’ from the World Energy Council is calling for immediate action in order to secure resilient energy infrastructure. Supported by a task force of over 140 experts from across the world, the report makes five recommendations: • Improve understanding of the water footprint of energy technologies in order to mitigate the risks of stranded assets • Account for the price of water, particularly in areas of water stress • Consider a wider range of financial and insurance instruments to hedge short term risks such as adverse weather incidents and associated electricity price volatility • Give investors the confidence to invest by providing them a full risk assessment that includes different climate and hydrological scenarios in financial analyses • Provide a reliable and transparent regulatory and legal framework that takes into account water issues and competing stakeholders’ interest. Christoph Frei, Secretary General World Energy Council said: “The energy-water-food nexus poses a systemic risk which could impact the robustness of the energy supply and demand over many years to come. Power plants across the world could be affected by changes in precipitation patterns, which are combining with increasing competition between water users to adversely affect the resilience of energy services. “Clear co-ordination and integrated planning needs to take place now, or we will start to see the effects of water scarcity on energy supplies in the very near future. Assuming a water price […]

Fabrics detect dangerous gases

Researchers, from the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute and Konkuk University in the Republic of Korea, coated cotton and polyester yarn with a nanoglue called bovine serum albumin (BSA). The yarns were then wrapped in graphene oxide sheets. Graphene is an incredibly strong one-atom-thick layer of carbon that is known for its excellent conductive properties of heat and electricity. The graphene sheets stuck very well to the nanoglue: so much so that further testing showed the fabrics retained their electrical conducting properties after 1,000 consecutive cycles of bending and straightening and ten washing tests with various chemical detergents. Finally, the graphene oxide yarns were exposed to a chemical reduction process, which involves the gaining of electrons. The reduced-graphene-oxide-coated materials were found to be particularly sensitive to detecting nitrogen dioxide, a pollutant gas commonly found in vehicle exhaust that also results from fossil fuel combustion. Prolonged exposure to nitrogen dioxide can be dangerous to human health, causing many respiratory-related illnesses. Exposure of these specially-treated fabrics to nitrogen dioxide led to a change in the electrical resistance of the reduced graphene oxide. The fabrics were so sensitive that 30 minutes of exposure to 0.25 parts per million of nitrogen dioxide (just under five times above the acceptable standard set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) elicited a response. The fabrics were three times as sensitive to nitrogen dioxide in air compared to another reduced graphene oxide sensor previously prepared on a flat material. The new technology, according to the researchers, can be immediately adopted in related industries because the coating process is a simple one, making it suitable for mass production. It would allow outdoor wearers to receive relevant information about air quality. The materials could also be incorporated with air-purifying filters to act as “smart filters” that can both detect and […]

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