The metallic stearates are defined as the metal salts of an 18-carbon chain fatty acid stearic acid. The global metallic stearates market has been segmented based on product, application, and region. In terms of product, the market has been categorized into five major segments, including zinc stearate, calcium stearate, aluminum stearate, magnesium stearate, and others. Zinc stearate is produced using Zn-salts such as ZnO, ZnCl2, and ZnSO4. Oxides, hydroxides, sulfate, and chloride salts of aluminum, magnesium, and calcium react with stearic acid to produce the respective salts. The others product scope includes nickel stearate, copper stearate, lithium stearate, and sodium stearate.

Taiwanese electronic manufacturer Foxconn has announced an e-commerce platform to delivery fresh produce business through a one-stop food solution service.I-Mei Foods became the largest consumer of renewable energy in Taiwan, underlining countrywide CSR efforts that have been taking place since several high-profile food security scandals.  A McDonald's chain in Taiwan comprising around 400 restaurants was bought by De Yu Co., a firm controlled by the CEO of Ambassador Hotels Group Hubert Lee. The value of the transaction is estimated at TWD5.1bn (USD170mn).  Taiwan's External Trade Development Council reports that more restaurants are applying for halal certifications and food producers are targeting a larger market share in South East Asia. The number of companies with halal certifications grew by around 40% in the first half of 2017.

Mining automation refers to the automation of mining techniques, which involve the transition from manual labor to automated mining techniques. Mining automation involves extracting ores, minerals, or other resources using technology and information. The process is undertaken to ensure, better efficiency, productivity, safety, and reduction in operating cost at the mining site. It involves the removal of human labor from the mining process. Advancements in information technology, and automation assist in optimizing workflow. The report provides a detailed analysis of the market with reference to the techniques in mining automation, types in mining automation, and the applications.

With a population of nearly 147mn people, Russia ranks the ninth most populous country and the largest by territory in the world. That alongside Russia’s favourable geographic position and the wealth of natural resources predetermine the central role the transportation sector plays in the country’s economic development. The sector generates some 6% of the GDP, employs 10% of the country’s workforce and attracts 13% of the fixed capital investments. Russia has the second largest railway network in the world. Nevertheless, road transportation is the preferred mode for carrying both passengers and freight.

In 2016 Poland’s healthcare expenditure grew by 4.5% y/y to PLN 119.27bn, representing 6.4% of the GDP. Public healthcare spending in Poland is one of the lowest compared to the EU average, which hovers around 6.5 % of GDP. The bulk of the expenditure comes from the public sources, which provided PLN 82.3bn, up 2.7% y/y, in 2016. Private healthcare expenditure came to PLN 37.01bn in 2016, up around 8% y/y. In 2016, licences to practise the medical profession were held by 145,000 doctors and 288,000 nurses.

Indonesia is the largest automotive market in the ASEAN region and the second largest motor vehicle manufacturer, after Thailand. In 2017, Indonesia’s automotive sector contributed about 2% to the country’s GDP and accounted for 4.2% of the total exports. The relatively poor motorisation rate, low labour costs and increasing middle class are the main drivers for expansion of the sector. Motorcycles and scooters are the most popular means of transport because of their cheaper price and lower maintenance costs. Their share in the overall vehicle output stood at 84% and made up 85% of all vehicle sales in 2017. Indonesia is self-sufficient in terms of motor vehicles – production volumes exceeded domestic sales by around half a million units in 2017. The main export markets are the neighbouring ASEAN countries.

The Czech Republic’s information and communication (ICT) sector generated a gross value added (GVA) of CZK 220.6bn in 2016, up by a real 1.9% y/y. The sector accounted for 4.6% of GDP in 2016, retaining its share in the period 2012-2016. The gross output of the ICT sector amounted to CZK 412.6bn or 8.6% of GDP in 2016. The sector employed 106,200 workers, accounting for 2.7% of the total employment in the country in 2016. The computer programming, consultancy and related activities subsector had the highest number of employees, accounting for 57.4% of the total employment in the sector. In respect to revenues and number of enterprises the subsector also has the highest share in the ICT sector. The mobile penetration was 117.7 subscribers per 100 inhabitants in 2016, lower than the European average of 118.2 subscriptions per 100 inhabitants.

The computing market has witnessed significant developments in the past few years. Technological advancements and increased digitalization have enabled the generation of a large amount of IoT data. Cloud solutions process the data in a centralized location; however, the large amount of data leads to latency and delays. The implementation of edge computing solutions has facilitated in achieving higher operational efficiency by processing the data at the edge of the network, in turn, contributing to lower costs and increased profits. Additionally, the rise in smart devices such as smart vehicles, smartphones, and smart healthcare solutions, among others, has led to the growth of the edge computing market globally.

The automotive sector in Hungary plays an important role in the country’s economy and exports. In 2016, the transport equipment GVA represented a 4.5% share in the country’s GDP. In 2016, the transport equipment sector accounted for almost a quarter of the total industrial sales as top automotive manufacturers such as Suzuki, Audi, Daimler and Opel have established local production facilities. The bulk of the country’s automotive production, about 90%, goes to export markets, with passenger car exports accounting for 27% of the overall Hungarian exports in euro terms. In 2016, the country ranked 9th in the EU in terms of PC production with a 3.2% share, but at the same time had one of the lowest ownership rates with 313 vehicles per 1,000 inhabitants. The segment of new passenger cars has been growing at faster rates in recent years as economy recovered, unemployment went down and consumer income rose. As of August 2017, the automotive sector employed close to 168,000 people.

The Indian steel industry contributes around 2% of the country GDP and employs some 500,000 people directly and about 2mn indirectly. The Indian government sees the steel sector as strategically important and as a foundation for rapid industrial development. According to the Ministry of Steel, the steel industry has an output multiplier effect of nearly 1.4 on GDP, and an employment multiplier factor of 6.8. The sector has taken advantage of the country’s abundance of iron ore reserves, its cheap but qualified labour force, and government support policies. As a result, India is close to becoming the second-largest crude steel producer after China, outpacing Japan. In FY2017, India became a net exporter of iron and steel, in both volume and value terms, as local companies ramped up production.