The thermoelectric materials market is associated with the major companies providing thermoelectric materials to various end users such as automotive, healthcare, industrial, and electrical and electronics, among others. The varied range of market participants provides opportunities to other players willing to bear the high risks involved in the industry. This chapter details the latest strategies and technological developments adopted by the key market players in the thermoelectric materials market. In order to lead the market as well as engage in the process of market growth, a company needs to work in collaboration with the top market leaders, acquire the relatively weaker companies, bring new products and services to the market, and improve the existing products. Some of the key strategies adopted by the key market players are listed in the following figure

Vietnam's insurance industry remains underdeveloped, with total premiums comprising only around 2% of overall GDP at present. Widespread poverty and low household incomes have limited the affordability of even basic property and motor products. As it is one of Asia's fastest-growing economies, we believe that there is potential for rapid growth across most lines over the next few years. In the personal insurance segment, increasing car ownership will support higher demand for motor insurance products, while fast growth in private healthcare usage will drive wealthier households to purchase health and personal accident insurance products. The fragmented nature of the market at present will also provide scope for mergers and acquisitions.

The Global Automotive Semiconductor Market is evolving along with the changing demographics of the automotive industry. In terms of revenue, the Global Automotive Semiconductor Market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 6.9% during 2017−2023. Semiconductors form the backbone of next-generation automotive technology. The rise of new technologies, rapid developments in the emerging markets, the adoption of sustainable policies, and changing consumer preferences is expected to exponentially increase the usage of semiconductors in vehicles. Moreover, digitization and change in business models have spurred a revolution in many industries including automotive. Disruptive technologies such as electrification, diverse mobility, autonomous driving, and rapidly evolving connectivity services are propelling the growth of the Global Automotive Semiconductor Market in recent years.

The automotive glass market has been segmented on the basis of product, application, enduse, and vehicle type. On the basis of product, the market has been segmented into laminated glass, tempered glass, and others. Other glasses include insulated glass and complex glass compositions used for special automotive. On the basis of application, the market has been segmented as windscreen, backlite, and sidelite. On the basis of end-use, the market has been segmented as OEM and ARG. On the basis of vehicle type, the market has been segmented as passenger cars, light commercial vehicles, and heavy commercial vehicles.

There are two types of batteries including primary and secondary. Primary batteries are the one that can be used only once whereas secondary batteries can be charged and reused. Various batteries include lead acid, nickel cadmium, lithium ion, nickel metal hydride, and alkaline.

Polyvinyl butyral (PVB) market has been segmented on the basis of application and region. Key raw materials utilized for manufacturing polyvinyl butyral include vinyl acetate monomers (VAM), polyvinyl alcohol, and butyraldehyde. PVB resins are utilized in applications requiring flexibility, strong binding, optical clarity, toughness and adhesion to differentiated surfaces. Key applications of PVB includes films & sheets, paints & coatings, adhesives and others. Key end-uses of PVB films & sheets include automotive, photovoltaic, and construction. Other major applications of PVB are printing inks, packaging, lacquers, varnishes and binders.

Thailand is the largest producer of four-wheel vehicles in the ASEAN region and the 12th largest vehicle producer in the world. The strength of the industry lies in the combination of a long-standing presence of Japanese car manufacturers and solid domestic infrastructure. Moreover, the Thai industry has positioned itself as a regional export hub. Motor vehicle exports, including motorcycles, accounted for 8.3% of the total value of Thai exports in 2017. Export destinations showed a healthy level of diversification, reducing the vulnerability of the Thai industry to the economic cycle of clients. The next step for the Thai industry to maintain its regional leadership is to enhance the production of electric vehicles (EVs).

Latin America is well integrated in the global automotive supply chain, being an important manufacturing and export hub for motor vehicles – the legacy of active government policies for the development of domestic production and comprehensive free trade agreements. In 2017, the region accounted for 7.5% of global motor vehicle output and exported vehicles for a record-high USD 81.5bn, mainly destined to countries in the Americas and Europe, but also to Africa and Asia. Moreover, the relatively young and growing population, which reached 653mn people at end-2017, the rising purchasing power of households, and the government focus on development of the transport infrastructure have turned Latin America into one of the fastest growing new vehicle markets in the world, absorbing 6.3% of the global vehicle sales in 2017.

The Czech automotive sector’s GVA represents slightly over 5% of the country’s GDP. According to the Czech Automotive Industry Association (SAP), car manufacturers make up a quarter of the country's industrial output and 22% of its exports. Motor vehicle manufacturing directly contributes 9% to total economic output. The country is the fifth largest passenger car and the second largest bus producer in Europe. The Czech brand Skoda was the tenth bestselling passenger car (in terms of new registrations) in Europe in 2017. The sector also employed around 168,000 people in 2016, while indirectly it could provide employment to as many as 400,000 people.

The Colombian automotive sector is highly skewed towards the production of motorcycles. As motorcycles are the preferred mode of transport of the population, the country has emerged as the second-largest producer of two-wheel motor vehicles in South America, after Brazil. As to four-wheel vehicles, although Colombia is the third most populous country in the region with 49.3mn inhabitants at end-2017, both the scale of the production base and the size of the domestic market remain small. This is explained by the relatively low disposable income of the population compared to the regional average, which limits purchases of large durable goods, such as motor vehicles. The domestic automotive industry also features low levels of internationalisation, which makes it vulnerable to the ups and downs of the national economy. However, the industry is not able to meet local demand and Colombia’s dependence on imported motor vehicles and auto parts is extremely high.