International News Highlights:

Raw Material News - US Masterbatch Prices Continue to Rise, How Will the Chinese Market Respond to the Chain Reaction?

Automotive News - Audi Establishes New Business Division, Accelerates Transformation Pace

Electronics and Appliances News - Bosch Group Plans Further Layoffs, May Lose Over 12,000 Jobs

Medical News - The Struggle of 'The Elephant Turning Around', Medical Giant's Stock Price Falls by More Than 25%!

Packaging News - Easy-Open Lids, Twist-Off Caps... Reshaping Packaging Charm from 'Bottle Caps' to Make Users Love Them

Market Information News - The US White House Confirms Tariffs on Canada and Mexico Starting at Midnight on the 4th

Market Price News - Ethylene Asia: CFR Northeast Asia $900/ton; CFR Southeast Asia $920/ton.

For more details on international news:

1. US Masterbatch Prices Continue to Rise, How Will the Chinese Market Respond to the Chain Reaction?

According to the masterbatch industry network, recently, the US masterbatch market has seen a wave of price increases, a trend driven by multiple factors including the recovery of consumer demand, rising production costs, and uncertainties in the trade environment. Industry experts, through in-depth analysis, predict that this upward trend is expected to continue over the next few months, with market volatility possibly further exacerbated by unstable crude oil prices, geopolitical tensions, and supply chain challenges.

2、Audi Establishes New Business Unit, Accelerating Transformation Pace

Audi is implementing a series of major changes to address the increasingly severe economic situation and intensified market competition, as well as to further consolidate its position in the global market. Audi's goal is clear: to enhance and ensure its competitiveness through structural adjustments, cost reduction, increased productivity, and innovation. Gernot Döllner, CEO of Audi, stated: "We are advancing the company's restructuring through the 'Audi Agenda' to prepare for the future. The next steps involve integrating core functions into a new department—'Transformation, Consulting, and Organization'—which will help us accelerate the implementation of our established reform roadmap."

3、Bosch Group Plans Further Layoffs, Potentially Losing Over 12,000 Jobs

The Bosch Group recently announced that, due to a challenging market environment, it will lay off workers at several plants. Stefan Hartung, the CEO, said in an interview, "Bosch cannot avoid further layoffs," citing reasons such as a sluggish global automotive market, increased competition from China, and low consumer confidence. Additionally, the automotive industry is undergoing a transition from internal combustion engines to electric vehicles, a change that will also lead to the loss of many traditional jobs.

4, The Dilemma of a Giant's Turn: Healthcare Giant's Stock Price Falls by Over 25%!4, The Dilemma of a Giant's Turn: Healthcare Giant's Stock Price Falls by Over 25%!4, The Dilemma of a Giant's Turn: Healthcare Giant's Stock Price Falls by Over 25%!

On February 27, global medical technology giant Teleflex (NYSE: TFX) announced a major strategic adjustment: it plans to spin off its urology, acute care, and OEM businesses into an independent listed company, NewCo, expected to be completed by mid-2026; meanwhile, it will acquire Biotronik's vascular intervention business for 760 million euros. The company announced that it intends to restructure its business landscape through a "dual-core drive" strategy to meet the rapidly changing market demands in the healthcare industry. This was supposed to be a strategic adjustment aimed at "optimizing the portfolio and unlocking value," but it has been overshadowed by disappointing financial results and a 25% drop in stock price.

5, Escalation of Sino-US Tariff War! Plastic Industry Costs Surge by 20%, Toy Prices May Skyrocket by 56%5, Escalation of Sino-US Tariff War! Plastic Industry Costs Surge by 20%, Toy Prices May Skyrocket by 56%5, Escalation of Sino-US Tariff War! Plastic Industry Costs Surge by 20%, Toy Prices May Skyrocket by 56%

The Tariff Commission of the State Council announced on the 4th that on March 3, 2025, the U.S. government declared an additional 10% tariff on all goods exported from China to the United States, citing fentanyl as the reason. The unilateral imposition of tariffs by the U.S. side undermines the multilateral trading system, increases the burden on American businesses and consumers, and damages the foundation of economic and trade cooperation between China and the United States. Approved by the State Council, starting from March 10, 2025, additional tariffs will be imposed on some imported goods originating from the United States.

6. Breaking News! Indonesian Textile Giant Sritex Goes Bankrupt! 20,000 Jobs Lost, $1.6 Billion in Debt!

On March 1, 2025, Indonesia's largest textile company, Sritex, officially declared bankruptcy! PT Sri Rejeki Isman Tbk (Sritex), founded in 1966, was once the largest integrated textile producer in Southeast Asia, with a peak market value of billions of dollars. Its clients included international brands such as Uniqlo and H&M, and it also provided uniforms for the Indonesian military. However, it has now collapsed due to debt crises and operational difficulties. According to Metro TV News, the Semarang District Court in Central Java Province officially declared its bankruptcy on October 28, 2024, leading to about 20,000 employees facing the risk of unemployment and affecting the upstream and downstream industrial chains, including the survival of raw material suppliers like yarn and fiber. Although the Indonesian government has intervened urgently, there are still doubts about whether the company can be revived.

7, Recycling Rate Reaches 98%: Researchers Accidentally Discover a Simple Method for Recycling PMMA

A significant number of scientific discoveries are made by accident – some famous examples include Velcro, vulcanized rubber, and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), marketed under the brand name Teflon. Thanks to researchers at ETH Zürich in Zurich, we can now add to that list a method for nearly complete recycling of PMMA. A team of scientists led by Athina Anastasaki from the Laboratory for Polymers & Soft Matter at the Swiss research university discovered a way to break down acrylic glass almost entirely into its monomer building blocks. With the use of additives, these building blocks can be easily purified through distillation, serving as starting materials for synthesizing new acrylic glass polymers. According to Anastasaki, the recycling process is surprisingly simple and represents a major breakthrough compared to existing technologies.

8, Saudi Jubail Welcomes Two World-Class Petrochemical Cracking Projects with a Total Capacity of 6.6 Million Tons

In February, Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Energy approved the raw material supply plan for two world-class steam cracking and derivative projects located in Jubail, Saudi Arabia, with a combined potential annual capacity of 6.6 million tons. Subsequently, the project plans were officially announced. One of the proposed petrochemical complexes is to be overseen by Tasnee National Industrialization Co., which aims to produce 3.3 million tons of petrochemical products per year. On February 26, Tasnee stated that it aims to start operations at the new complex in the fourth quarter of 2030.

9, New Industry Trend: African Pipe Market Welcomes a "Golden Decade"

Africa is experiencing an unprecedented urbanization process. The infrastructure gap and the blue ocean market created by urbanization, according to UN projections, will see Africa's urban population grow to 1.3 billion by 2050, with an urbanization rate exceeding 50%. This process has spurred enormous demand for infrastructure construction. In 2023 alone, the size of the African construction market exceeded $500 billion, with coverage rates for water supply, drainage, and gas pipeline systems less than 40%, indicating a significant market gap. For example, in Nigeria, water wastage due to aging pipes in its capital, Lagos, reaches up to 30% annually, and in municipal renovation projects, the procurement ratio of PVC and PPRC pipes exceeds 70%.

10, Easy-Open Lids, Twist-Off Caps... Redefining Packaging Charm from "Bottle Caps" to Make Users Fall in Love

In the fiercely competitive fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) industry, product homogenization has reached a fever pitch. Data shows that 70% of new products on supermarket shelves have a stock cycle of less than 18 months, and the average consumer decision-making time is just 7 seconds. When functionality and price are hard to distinguish, packaging is becoming the core battleground for brands to stand out—it's not only the outerwear of the product but also the first touchpoint linking to the user's mind.

The following is overseas macro market information: