Check out my package November 11, 2009

• Cellophane: A lot of people complain about how hard it is to remove this tightly applied shrink wrap and I usually rip it off as soon as I get home with my purchase (damaging the box in the process), but I’m still kind of glad it’s there, indicating that my movie is brand new and factory fresh. It’s like an unspoken guarantee that nobody has opened the box and licked the disc.

• Stickers: These colorful, eye-catching little decals look good, but since they’re affixed to the shrink wrap, they get ripped off and forgotten almost immediately. I’ve discarded loads of these things and I can’t recall what a single one of them said.

• Security tape: To some DVD manufacturers, shrink wrap isn’t enough. You’ve got to seal the top of the box with a strip of safety tape, just to be sure. All this does is add an extra step between you and an open box. Some companies put it on every single edge of the box, apart from the spine. Now that is one secure DVD. Next, they’ll be welding the damn thing shut.

Automotive camera market stays turbulent November 11, 2009

Cameras in vehicles are still emerging, and their suppliers are still tying to find their way. Automotive system suppliers, camera suppliers, and the makers of the image sensors are all fighting for a piece of the action in this growth segment in the automotive industry.

The supplier landscape has become more complex over the last two years. Increasingly, the major system suppliers are developing their own camera modules. At the same time, new and highly specialised suppliers are coming to market, delivering the whole application package. All in all, there are some 20-25 suppliers active in this area, with camera modules or vision systems either in development or production. Despite this only a handful of them currently have contracts and are in production.

China’s cell phone use surges to high November 9, 2009

China Cell Phone communications business accounted for more than 60 percent of the total telecommunications industry income in the first nine months, a record high since the country started to collect such figures a decade ago, the industry regulator said Monday.

The portion of fixed line income fell 4 percentage points year on year to 28.2 percent from January to September, said the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

“The mobile substitution (of fixed line) will continue in the domestic market because of the lower and lower mobile rate and the development of 3G,” said Sandy Shen, a telecom analyst of Gartner Inc, a United States-based IT consulting firm.

In the period, China’s telecom industry posted revenue of 625.69 billion yuan (US$91.11 billion), a 3.1-percent rise annually, the ministry said.

New NZ wool brands to go on sale in US November 4, 2009

New brands promoting New Zealand wool will start to appear on carpets going on sale in the United States in the next few months.

The two companies behind new strong wool initiatives have launched brands designed to lift consumer awareness about the benefits of using wool rather than synthetic fibres in carpets.

They specifically highlight the environmental and sustainability attributes of New Zealand-grown wool, all aimed at restoring prices and demand for the type of wool that makes up the bulk of this country’s production.

Wool Partners International, a joint venture between PGG Wrightson and a new farmer co-operative, has been signing carpet manufacturers in the United States to use its “Laneve” brand.

The E-Reader’s Future November 4, 2009

If the statistics on wholesale book sales from the International Digital Publishing Forum, which are typically half those of retail, are to be believed, e-book sales have approximately tripled within the last twelve months – the data coincides with Amazon’s entrance into the market, as expected.  But with the debut of Barnes & Noble, one of two monolithic North American book retailers, as both a hardware and e-book retailer, these numbers will likely grow at an even faster rate.

Trade Show targets 70 exhibitors November 2, 2009

Frank Comito, the Bahamas Hotel Association’s (BHA) executive vice-president, at a press conference to unveil the November 13-14 trade show, emphasised that it was not just designed as a platform for firms in the renewable energy/energy efficient industry, with manufacturers, marketing and public relations firms, food and beverage suppliers, IT firms, financial services providers and tourism-related companies among the 25 already signed-up.

Automotive suppliers: France creates bailout fund September 28, 2009

To help automotive suppliers, France’s industry minister Christian Estrosi plans to set up an additional fund resembling the Fonds de modernisation des equipementiers automobiles (FMEA). The exact size of the new fund is unknown. A committee chaired, among others, by Plastic Omnium, Valeo and Faurecia representatives, has been appointed to determine how the money will be distributed.

The new fund will apparently be financed equally by the government and large automotive suppliers. Three working groups will provide short-term assistance and discuss restructuring possibilities, all in keeping with market expectations.

Building a Safer Car September 28, 2009

From the wood-paneled station wagon of the 1950s to the equally ubiquitous minivan of the 1980s, car companies have long designed products with baby boomers’ life stages in mind. Now, with the oldest members of that generation eligible to collect Social Security, safety is fast emerging as a focal point for innovation.

To find out what new automotive manufacturer safety features we’re likely to see—both around the corner and down the road—we spoke with Joseph Coughlin and Bryan Reimer. They are, respectively, the director and associate director of the U.S. Department of Transportation-sponsored New England University Transportation Center and also at AgeLab, a think tank at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology dedicated to improving older adults’ quality of life.

Slowing Job Losses Put Economy on Firmer Footing Growth Hinges on Whether Businesses Begin Restocking Shelves, Hiring Workers September 2, 2009

With the smallest job declines in a year, a recovery appears in sight. But businesses are proceeding with caution, uncertain of how strong a rebound will be.

Early signs of a stabilizing labor market added to the belief that the economy could grow in the second half of the year. Much of that growth hinges on whether businesses begin restocking shelves and ramping up their work force — a tricky decision for companies still dealing with wary consumers.

An increase in the average workweek is a good start, though. In July, it rose 0.1 hours for private workers and even more, 0.3 hours, for manufacturing employees. “That’s typically a leading sign that hiring is going to start to recover several months in the future,” said Steven Wood, Insight Economics LLC’s chief economist.

Some companies’ plans reflect the optimism. JTEKT Automotive Manufacturers in Vonore, Tenn., rehired 65 employees after furloughing 135 workers earlier this year. An uptick in new orders spurred the hiring, said Craig Woodford, president of the Vonore location. But he’s concerned it might not last.

China Journal Wrap: Renewed Calls for Global Currency, Warning on Bank Loans September 2, 2009

• China once again made its case for the creation of a new international reserve currency that could reduce dependence on the dollar as the world’s de facto reserve currency. In the People’s Bank of China’s annual report on its financial stability, the central bank said, “To avoid the shortcomings of sovereign credit currencies acting as reserve currencies, we need to create an… international reserve currency that can maintain the long-term stability of its value.”

• Despite government orders for banks to increase scrutiny of loans and concerns from outside analysts, June bank lending data is likely to show a sharp increase in new loans following slower credit growth during the previous two months. A regulatory official said that the June figure is expected to be around one trillion yuan, compared to 592 billion in April and 664.5 billion in May.

• Private equity firm Bain Capital discusses its decision to invest $420 million in electronics and China Appliances retailer Gome, which has seen its founder embroiled in legal disputes.

• China’s legislature adopted a new law on the mediation of disputes over rural land use, a source of frequent tensions between villagers and developers.