The first major exhibition of the year - CES

 

On January 9th, local time in the United States, the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), the world's largest technology event and a bellwether for the global consumer electronics industry throughout the year, opened grandly in Las Vegas.

 

 

 

The theme of CES 2024 is "AIl TOGETHER，AIl ON", aims to emphasize the integration and synergy of global consumer electronics products. According to the official information currently released,Among the participating companies, more than 300 of the world's top 500 companies and 84 of the top 100 international brands participated, coming from more than 150 countries.In this CES, theThe number of Chinese exhibitors has reached 1,100+, accounting for more than 1/4 of the total number of exhibitors.

 

 

This year is the year when Chinese companies return to CES in a big way

 

According to the latest official data,More than 1,300 Chinese companies participated in the exhibition, more than double the number of last year, accounting for a quarter of the total number of exhibitors and comparable to the number of American companies.During the actual exhibition, we found that the proportion of start-up companies among these Chinese companies has increased.

 

China's consumer electronics production and sales scale is undoubtedly the world's largest.CES will determine the fate of hundreds of related companies in China in the next three to five years.

 

Compared with previous years' CES, this year, the number of Chinese companies participating in CES 2024 has decreased for large household appliances and mobile phone companies, while the number of companies related to color TVs and panels has increased. Wearable devices, such as headphones and XR devices, as well as cleaning robots and pet-related household equipment, are still the main exhibits of domestic exhibitors.

 

 

 

AI becomes the absolute focus

 

Unlike the electric vehicles that attracted a lot of attention at the 2023 CES, AI is the absolute protagonist of this year's CES.

 

According to the organizers, the keynote speeches of this year's CES focused on AI and technology for good. Whether it is semiconductor chips, cars, smartphones, home appliances, etc., AI technology has been integrated into them.

 

In the automotive field, the popularity of AI large language models represented by ChatGPT and their use in cars has led to a deeper application of AI technology. The focus of many companies' muscle-flexing has also shifted from new cars to their latest achievements in electrification, smart cockpits, smart driving and other fields.

 

AI mobile phones, PCs, smart car cockpits, etc., software and hardware exhibits related to "big models" have a high appearance rateWhile technology giants are competing fiercely in the fields of artificial intelligence and hardware innovation, we in the industry have also deeply felt the changes that technology has brought to our daily lives.

 

 

 

At last year's CES, autonomous driving was considered a major attraction of the show, but this year it clearly gave way to "big models."To put it simply, compared with traditional in-car voice assistants, personal assistants based on "big models" will be smarter and able to complete more complex tasks.

 

Amid the craze for "big models", companies that provide computing power, represented by NVIDIA, will certainly not sit still and wait. Many chip manufacturers launched their latest AI-related chips at the exhibition.Nvidia, in particular, directly announced the launch of three new graphics cards for consumers in its speech, and its stock price soared by about 4.5%, once again setting a new historical high.

 

Being at CES, you can clearly feel——

 

An era where AI is everywhere is coming.

 

 

 

The trend of electric vehicles has cooled down, but there are still some bright spots. Due to the absence of some European and American automakers in this field, the presence of Japanese and Korean automakers has become more prominent.

 

As a technology exhibition, CES will naturally have no shortage of sci-fi cutting-edge product displays:

AI assistants, smart AR experience in cars, smart glasses, electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft, lidar and other black technologies are overwhelming.

 

Traditional auto parts manufacturers are also actively moving towards electrification and intelligence.

 

In general, the CES exhibition is an important platform for showcasing technological innovation, finding partners, exchanging experiences and exploring business opportunities, influencing the development direction and trends of the global consumer electronics industry.

 

 

 

Germany enters nationwide strike

 

Recently, a nationwide strike broke out in Germany, paralyzed transportation.

 

 

 

Deutsche Bahn (DB) is facing a strike threat from the German train drivers' union (GDL).The strike, which begins on Monday, January 8, could cause serious transport disruption and economic impact.。

 

It is understood that back in December the union voted to allow an unlimited strike: a form of industrial action with no clear end date that could drag on longer than the usual 24-hour warning strike.

 

GDL has been locked in a bitter row with DB over pay and conditions, with the union demanding monthly pay rises, reduced working hours and inflation bonuses.

 

Meanwhile, DB has offered an 11 percent pay rise but has so far refused to negotiate on working hours. According to GDL leader Claus Weselsky, negotiations on the length of the working week are a prerequisite for avoiding further strikes.

 

 

 

At the same time, the German Farmers' Association, together with the state farmers' associations and the German LSV, has called for a week-long demonstration across Germany to protest against the abolition of the agricultural diesel and vehicle tax exemption policy from January 8, 2024.During the week from January 8 to January 15 (inclusive).

 

There will be hundreds or even thousands of tractors on the roads and highways.

 

It is reported that the farmers' protest may continue until April. Many cities in Germany have issued warnings of major road traffic restrictions, and police expect that traffic across Germany will be seriously disrupted.

 

The protesters will also block important traffic arteries, which will cause traffic blockages and affect the normal transportation of trucks. In response, DPD has issued a delay warning notice.

 

 

 

The specific protests registered so far are as follows:

 

 

Due to large-scale demonstrations and protests, important transportation points such as entrances and exits to federal roads and highways and entrances to industrial areas will be blocked.The protests could cause delays in cargo shipments.

 

A strike has occurred across Germany, and road traffic will be severely restricted. This may cause traffic jams or even drivers being unable to drive, so the goods will not be able to arrive at the unloading location as originally planned.

 

at the same time,Express delivery will also be delayed or slow, whether it is truck delivery or express delivery, there will be a certain degree of delay. Huifeng International hereby reminds customers that the relevant goods may be delayed in delivery, so be sure to make early warnings.

 

 

 

Australian dock strike

 

DP World Australia has received additional protective industrial action notices from the CFMMEU (Central Maritime Union of Australia) against each of the ports in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Fremantle.

 

It is reported that,The strike action will last until January 15, 2024.

 

 

 

Maersk also announced the news in a customer update: operations at ports such as Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney and Fremantle will be affected.

 

Maersk said reefer and dry cargo receipts and deliveries to Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney would be suspended for a limited period.

 

The affected ports are as follows:

 

 

 

It is understood that the Australian union has been involved in strike action since October, carrying out work stoppages and 24-hour strikes to fight for an 8% annual pay increase. The strike action has led to a backlog of about 45,000 containers, causing huge losses.

 

The suspensions mean that ships carrying a variety of goods such as imported home appliances and medicines, as well as exported local products such as red meat and fresh fruits, will face delays of 10 to 12 days when shipping the products overseas.

 

Brian Hack, managing director of freight forwarder EES Shipping, said if the strike did not end soon, Australia's economic and reputational damage would only continue to worsen.

 

“This is no longer just a DP World and Maritime Australia issue, Australian businesses are being significantly impacted and are suffering due to ongoing delays and uncertainty,” Hack added.

 

Huifeng International reminds: Affected by this, for goods on the Australian route, you should pay attention to the ship's schedule and port call status before shipment to avoid affecting the efficiency of cargo transportation due to ship adjustments.

 

 

 

478 new ships to be launched by 2024

 

In 2023, the shipyard delivered a total of 350 new container ships with a total capacity of 2.2 million TEUs, breaking the record of 1.7 million TEUs delivered in 2015.

 

However, this delivery record will soon be broken in 2024!

 

According to One Shipping, Niels Rasmussen, chief shipping analyst at BIMCO, recently said that 478 container ships with a capacity of 3.1 million TEUs are planned to be delivered in 2024, 41% higher than the record in 2023.

 

In addition, ship recycling is expected to increase in 2024, but the fleet is still likely to grow by nearly 2.8 million TEUs, and by the end of 2024, the global fleet size will exceed 30 million TEUs for the first time in history.

 

 

 

 

A total of 83 ships larger than 15,000 TEU are expected to be delivered by 2024, which will increase the sector’s capacity by 1.4 million TEU and double its capacity in just four years.

 

Chinese shipyards benefited the most from the record high order book, delivering nearly 55% of the ship capacity between 2023 and 2024, cementing China’s position as the premier location for building container ships. South Korean shipyards are expected to deliver 38% of the capacity.

 

Once all the ships are delivered, the container fleet will have grown in capacity by 10%, which, extrapolated from BIMCO’s figures, translates to 1.31 new ships being delivered every day this year.

 

While BIMCO forecasts a 10% increase in container fleet capacity this year, the shipping organization warned that container trade is expected to slow significantly, with demand for ship capacity increasing by 3-4% in 2024.

Meanwhile, the average container ship speed drops from 14.3 knots in 2022 to 13.9 knots in 2023 and is likely to fall further in 2024.
“The supply-demand imbalance will widen in 2024. However, a prolonged disruption in the Red Sea, forcing ships to sail via the Cape of Good Hope, could tighten the supply-demand balance. Meanwhile, with another 3 million Teu scheduled for delivery in the 2025-2026 period, unless there is a significant increase in ship recycling, the market imbalance looks set to re-emerge once the Red Sea situation is resolved.”
Liners are rerouting, with more than 80% of vessels on the Asia-Europe trade bypassing South Africa, pushing spot prices on the Shanghai Containerized Freight Index (SCFI) to their highest level since the coronavirus pandemic, according to HSBC data.

 

 

Source: Focus, Shipping Network, Today's Shipping, Foreign Shipping, One Shipping, etc.

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