Telematics, a technology that was initially designed to track airplanes flying beyond 30,000 feet, is now being increasingly used for solutions such as Vehicle Navigation, Location Based Systems, Telehealth Solutions, Safety and Security and Others. Telematics embedded vehicle and device, assist in real-time data transmission, monitoring and management. The market is expected to grow at CAGR of 28.5% in the period of 2017-2022 leading to a global revenue generation of USD 233.24 billion in 2022.

Colombia's real GDP growth will accelerate in the coming quarters, as private consumption picks up. Higher oil prices and the inauguration of president-elect Iván Duque will alleviate uncertainty and bolster investment. Private consumption will be the main driver of economic growth in the coming quarters as borrowing costs and inflation remain low. The incoming administration of president-elect Iván Duque of the centre-right Centro Democrático (CD) party will support investment and business activity. We forecast real GDP growth of 2.6% in 2018 and 3.2% in 2019, up from 1.8% in 2017.

Investment in Mexico's supply chain will enable the country's manufacturing sector to become less reliant on imported parts as trade uncertainty, such as the ongoing renegotiation of NAFTA, poses a threat to manufacturing. The large concentration of investments around Nuevo Leon and Coahuila suggests that this is where a supply chain hub is developing. In our regular round-up of production investments, we track the latest projects from the production side of the industry and analyse regional trends that we see developing. In doing so, we hope to build a picture of any potential hubs that may be developing, as well as company strategy in terms of production bases and export programmes.

As part of a broader energy sector reform to boost the competitiveness and efficiency of the domestic oil & gas sector longdominated by large state-owned enterprises (SOEs), Beijing is gradually opening up the sector to more private and foreign participation. The pace of reforms to date has been carefully managed. Despite calling for broader SOE reforms in the 13th Five-Year Plan, the government has since campaigned for a bigger, better and stronger SOEs, and in certain instances, have introduced policies derailing private sector growth. A case in point is the domestic refining sector. After being allowed to grow rampantly over much of 2015-2016, the country's independent teapot refineries are coming under increasingly government scrutiny amid allegations of tax evasion and the need to comply with stricter environmental regulations. Although they retain the option to import crude directly from international suppliers, the teapots remain banned from exporting surplus fuels, which leave many of these players largely at the mercy of the health of the overall economy and fuels demand.

Huawei rises to become the world’s second largest smartphone manufacturer with robust Q2 performance [Shenzhen, China, August 3, 2018] Huawei Consumer Business Group (CBG) today announced its business results for the first half of 2018. The company reported solid growth, with global smartphone shipments at 95+ million units*. According to IDC, Huawei rises to become the world’s second largest smartphone manufacturer in Q2 with the global market share of 15.8%. Richard Yu, CEO of Huawei Consumer Business Group, said, “The past six months have been incredible for Huawei CBG, marked by robust growth of our business across all markets and product lines. Our success is owed to our commitment to innovation and, most importantly, our customers. Moving forward, Huawei will remain focused on continually improving our offerings with an emphasis on on-device AI, cloud and the wider Huawei ecosystem.”

China has reduced import tariffs on 187 goods, including infant-formula, spirits, seafood and other products, in a bid to encourage domestic spending as the country strives to become a consumption-driven economy. Tariffs for some baby formula products will be cut to zero from 20% as a result of the new rules, benefitting global brands like Danone and Nestle that are competing for a leading share of China's lucrative infant formula market. The move will help lower the price point of major international brands in China compared with other countries globally, thereby reducing the incentive for consumers to make purchases overseas or via unofficial channels. China's Yili Group has expressed its intention to acquire a majority stake in Pakistan Dairy company Fauji Foods, known for its Nurpur brand, according to a notice sent to the Pakistan Stock Exchange in August 2018.

The mix of EV and internal combustion engine related investments in China in our latest investment round-up highlights the need for automakers to fulfil current demand while also preparing for the industry's future. In Pakistan, Al-Futtaim Group's plan to assemble Renault vehicles in the country continues to build on the growing market diversity theme identified in Q118's project round-up. In our regular round-up of production investments, we track the latest projects from the production side of the industry and analyse regional trends that we see developing. In doing so, we hope to build a picture of any potential hubs that may be developing, as well as company strategy in terms of production bases and export programmes.

Food security and environmental concerns are driving change in the Asian agribusiness sector, with agricultural giants such as China and India modernising their production complexes by rationalising support policies and addressing excessive use of inputs. Australia and China will lead in the race to integrate IoT technology in their agribusiness sectors, while frontier markets in the Mekong struggle to improve traceability and quality control systems. Meanwhile, consumer preferences will be affected by dietary shifts and the region will see considerable uncertainty owing to China’s ongoing trade dispute with the US.

Chile privatised its electricity sector in the 1980s, and all generation, transmission and distribution activity is now in private hands. The National Energy Commission (Comisión Nacional de Energía, CNE) is largely responsible for the state regulation of the power sector, along with the Ministry of Energy. The government agencies in charge of governing and regulating Chile's electricity sector include: The National Energy Commission (CNE), which is in charge of devising the long-term development strategy for the power sector and determining the tariffs for the market's regulated clients. As per a law implemented at the end of January 2015, power purchase agreements (PPAs) to supply electricity to Chilean distributors (the regulated market) are auctioned by the CNE rather than by the distributors themselves. This means that the government is now responsible for the results of the long-term energy auctions, while distributors have only an administrative role.

Investment in Mexico's supply chain will enable the country's manufacturing sector to become less reliant on imported parts as trade uncertainty, such as the ongoing renegotiation of NAFTA, poses a threat to manufacturing. The large concentration of investments around Nuevo Leon and Coahuila suggests that this is where a supply chain hub is developing. In our regular round-up of production investments, we track the latest projects from the production side of the industry and analyse regional trends that we see developing. In doing so, we hope to build a picture of any potential hubs that may be developing, as well as company strategy in terms of production bases and export programmes.