industry

Now he wants to turn off factories to save his industry

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China is the undisputed leader of world solar energy. Its factories produce almost 90% of the solar cells of the planet and have left European and American competitors out of play. But that overwhelming domain has resulted in a monumental problem: prices for soils, millionaire losses and an excess of panels that the world does not need. Now Beijing prepares a shock plan to “reset” its solar industry. The solar bubble exploded. Between 2020 and 2023, Beijing redirected resources from the real estate sector to what he baptized as “the three new growth industries”: solar panels, electric cars and batteries. The result resulted in a flood of factories and an unprecedented production. In a report for Financial Timesthe Asian giant has registered a manufacture of 588 GW of solar cells last year, more than double the 451GW world demand. The immediate consequence was a price collapse: companies sold below cost to release stock, What caused losses With more than 60,000 million dollars. The solar grade polisilicio – key premium material – sank up to about 50 yuan per kilo. In addition, the social impact was not less. The five largest photovoltaic companies They reduced their templates in 31 %, which represents 87,000 silent layoffs. Of success to venom. The diagnosis is clear: excess capacity and wild competence. What once was the recipe of success – hipercompetitiveness and mass production – has ended in a downward race. Bo Zhengyuan analyst He explained it at FT: “That same ‘animal spirit’ that succeeded in industry is now destroying it.” In addition, the state strategy played a central role. The central government encouraged factories and solar parks as a growth engine, while provincial governments, evaluated by employment and production, resisted any closure of deficit plants. The self -regulation attempt did not work either. In 2024, giants such as Longi, Tongwei and Ja Solar signed a “self -discipline” pact to limit production, imitating oil OPEC. But the agreement was not binding, and while some expected others to fulfill, many increased their production further to gain market share. The result was the opposite: historical excess of supply and sunken balances. Beijing’s plan. With the sector in red numbers, Beijing has decided to intervene. According to Bloomberglarge producers, with state support, plan a fund of at least 50,000 million yuan (7,000 million dollars) to acquire and close more than one million tons of polysilicio capacity. The movement seeks an immediate objective: stabilize prices. Ming Yang, Financial Director of Daqo New Energy, has declared Bloomberg that the sector “already touched background” and should return to profitability before the end of the year. His words were enough for solar actions to shoot: Daqo rose 14 % in Shanghai and the sector dominated the highest increases in the CSI 300 index. In parallel, Gcl Technology proposed to close a third of the industry’s capacity. Its financial director He has recognized Reuters There are no guarantees that the reform is implemented this year, but acknowledged that Spot prices have already begun to rise after the signal of regulators to curb “excessively low” sales. For its part, the Ministry of Industry has summoned executives from 14 companies to demand the closure of underutilized factories and promised stricter controls on new environmental projects and requirements, As Financial Times has pointed out. A geopolitical and technological dilemma. The Chinese solar reset not only has an economic, but also political and geostrategic dimension. According to FTon the one hand, the avalanche of cheap exports has tensed relations with the United States and Europe, while Beijing continues to promote sales to developing countries within its Strip and Route initiative. On the other hand, the sector has not stopped its technological commitment. Despite the losses, the six largest companies invested 3.4 billion yuan in R&D in the first half of 2025 and maintain almost 17,000 employees dedicated to research. In just five years, the conversion efficiency of solar cells has gone from 20 % to 30 %, According to UBS cited in the British media. But the paradox persists: analysts They estimate that it would be necessary to eliminate Between 20% and 30% of the production capacity for companies to be profitable again. An adjustment of this caliber collides with the interests of the provincial governments, which depend on local employment and investment, which complicates the execution of the plan. The light and the shadow of leadership. China built its solar hegemony with speed, scale and low prices. That same recipe today with destroying it. The country faces an uncomfortable decision: let the ultra -opening continue to sink its champions or assume a painful adjustment that closes factories and entertain prices. “In no other sector dominate more than in this one,” Economist Alicia García-Herrero has warned FT. Precisely because of that, Beijing seems willing to reset his sun, although it hurts. Only in this way can it prevent its greatest success story from becoming another victim of its own excess. Image | Unspash Xataka | China broke the solar panel market. Now their companies have had to say goodbye to a third of their employees

Crocs’s is one of the most epic stories in industry

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Crocs has managed to strain rubber closures In catwalkshave collaborated with luxury brands and some are sold for authentic barbarities. No one seems to care about the obvious: they are very ugly. Comfortable? Definitely. Nice? Not even. This is the story of how a brand of shoes designed for navigators has become a global fashion phenomenon. The beginnings: a fishermen shoe Founded in 2002, the company began selling the Crocs Beach. They are the classic crocs that we all know; of rubber, soft and non -slip, perfect for navigators. Their comfort made other workers begin to use themmainly who spent many hours standing (I bought some when I was cashier in a store). The thing could have stayed there and the Crocs would continue to be comfortable footwear to work. We know that it was not so. In 2006, Crocs went over and managed to raise 208 million dollars, The largest initial public offer of a footwear company to date. The same year, They bought Jibbitz for 10 million dollarsthe company that created the first ornaments that are placed in the holes of the clogs. The crocs They began to be known worldwide And they left the workplace to sneak into everyday life. Joy lasted little and The financial crisis of 2008 hit the company strongly, getting to be On the verge of bankruptcy. In the following years, the company had to close many stores and reduce its catalog to survive. The culprits that the crocs become cool The cheapest of these costs 795 euros. Image: Balenciaga The change did not happen overnight, but perhaps the turning point It was marked by designer Christopher Kane in 2016when He put on his models with Crocs at London Fashion Week. They were not normal crocs, they had marbled colors and were decorated with crystals. But they were still Crocs, and on a catwalk. What seemed like a punctual provocation was only the beginning. A year later, the controversial firm Balenciaga said “hold me the cubata” and left in Paris fashion week with some 10 centimeter platform crocs. Suddenly crocs was daring, it was cool. It was putting comfort above all. We have seen it with Other fashions like Labubu: the Celebrities They played a key role in the massive acceptance of the crocs. The celebrities They started going out with their crocs And many launched collaborations. The first was Drew Barrymore in 2018shortly after Post Malone followedthat exhausted all pairs in a single day. There have been many more since then: Justin Bieber, Bad Bunny, SZA … Suddenly Crocs was daring, it was cool. It was putting comfort above all. Much more than comfort: a form of expression Collaboration with Animal Crossing. Image: Crocs Carrying crocs became An act of rebellion. Yes, they are ugly clogs, and what? In This great article They speak of the human need to differentiate ourselves from the mass and the crocs offered just that: to be the rare, the one who does not fit the rest. Collaborations with brands or celebrities were a great impulse, but Crocs’s success goes much further. Jibbitz’s purchase was a master play when introducing The customization component: Not only do you buy your product, you also do it with those little pins. Not only is they very comfortable, they are a form of expression. Not only is they very comfortable, they are a form of expression. To collaborations with artists or designers, others such as the newly announced with Nintendo and his game are added Crossing animalthat of Barbie or that of Pokémon To name just some examples. This is how CROCS establishes an emotional connection and loyalty to its customers. The shoe that resurfaced from its ashes That Crocs were on the verge of bankruptcy makes its history more epic if possible. In 2020, already recovered from the coup, 1,390 million dollars entered, which is not bad, but it was nothing compared to what was coming. Pandemia pIt was rotated that a more informal lifestyle was adopted and In 2021 Crocs had explosive growthreaching 2,310 million dollars of income, or what is the same: a growth of 67%. They did not stop there and in 2022 they rose to 3,550 million, 53% more. In 2023 the trend stabilized with 3,960 million and in 2024 they have installed above the 4,000 million dollars. Another key growth factor is the diversification of its catalog. When we think of crocs, we all have the classic model in the mind, but in recent years the brand’s catalog has grown a lot and, although they maintain the essence of the original, they have managed to expand their audience and reach more public, thus increasing their sales. And let’s not forget another key factor: the profit margin. According to the latest results, The margin amounts to 61.7%. That is, for every 100 dollars they earn, they stay 61.7. Not bad. The most expensive crocs for sale in stockx. Crocs not only managed to survive, he managed to prosper until he became a footwear brand accepted by all; From the general public to the one who seeks the most exclusive. Today, resale stores such as stockx have extra rare pairs that They are sold for more than 1,000 eurossome even for more than 2,000. But without a doubt the greatest achievement of Crocs is that it has become a fashion icon without changing its design. In any case, it has been the fashion industry that has been adapted to them. That is the magic of these ugly clogs: being the discordant note, a GLitch in a world they do not belong. Cover image | Melike B, Pexels In Xataka | Labubu Humanity Bags are being small. So its creator already knows how to sell even more

a diamond industry in full existential crisis

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They do not run Good times for the former exclusive, powerful and milmillonaria diamond industry. The boom of the “cultivated gems” He has set up the market, stirring something even more important than prices: his identity. When changing the mines of Africa for China’s laboratories, the sector has seen how its image of exclusivity weakened, one of the pillars on which it settled its business decades ago. The request Taylor Swift has served to vivify him. Of the Queen of Pop Queen, all the details are not known, but a huge diamond is gathered that some analysts value already between $ 250,000 and $ 500,000. Beyond its value, the commitment has served to revitalize the message of sophistication and luxury that so well cultivated in its day Of Beers. A ‘yes I want’ that is worth millions. Taylor Swift is much more than the pop queen. It is a real walking industry capable of Alter the GDP of the US with his tour and a influencer to which, only on Instagram, they continue More than 280 million of people (add it 32.5 on Tiktok) In search of inspiration. That is why the photograph he shared yesterday with his hand request is much more than a news for the pink press. His commitment to Travis Kelce has put the trend hunters of everyonewhich already examine the pedida ring with magnifying glass. Beyond the jewelers and designers, the Swift fans legion or the pink press, there is a group that has probably followed the news of the request with almost the same beautification as the singer: the world diamond industry. And the reason is very simple. Plunged into one deep existential crisis (Perhaps the greatest of all its history) that affects both its prices and its public image, the swing that Kelce has just put on the left ring finger of Swift reinforces the value that has made diamonds into a Milmillonario business: exclusivity. Why’s that? Because they don’t run simple times for the diamond industry. De Beers, the Titan of the Sector, the company that convinced generations of love that a romance is only authentic if it is sealed with a Pedrusco, is not at your best; And diamond prices have experienced A deep fall In recent years until they are minimal that were not seen so far in centuries. Behind that deep crisis there are several factors. There are those who explain it for The ‘prick’ of the Chinese market. Others simply point to a Cultural change: We marry less and that amounts to less commitment and alliances rings, to which it adds that the sector already enjoyed A boom Between 2021 and 2022, when the US market grew thanks to all postponed weddings during the pandemic. However, there is another factor that greatly explains the drift of the sector in recent years, one that affects both prices and the identity of diamonds: Synthetic stones. A Serious dangerous competitor. Those also known as “laboratory diamonds” are not new. Its origins can go back to mid -last century. However in recent decades its elaboration It has been refined So much and above all they have reached such penetration in the market that have become a serious competitor for natural diamonds. Serious and dangerous. The last ones (the natural stones) leave mines after having formed for millions of years in extreme conditions. The first (synthetic) are created in laboratories in days. And the reality is that experts do not differentiate them with the naked eye. The result was the expected. Laboratory diamonds have gained space in jewelry stores, affecting market prices, guarding traditional companies and especially staggering the foundations on which the business was built. They compete with the minted gems but can be manufactured in series in record time and a speed made in the industry there are voices that already warn of the risk of Overproduction. Not just that. There are manufacturers that They have decided to bet For the “cultivated” diamonds when considering them more ethical. A percentage: 20%. The result is that synthetic diamonds have made a considerable hole in the market. In An article recent The Wall Street Journal He pointed, citing the analyst Paul Zimnisky, who already represents more than the fifth of the world sales of jewelry with landing. It is not bad if one takes into account that only a few years ago, in 2016, they were less than 1%. If we talk about commitment rings your market penetration is even greater. The website specialized in weddings The Knot show that more than half of the commitment rings sold last year in the US included at least one laboratory diamond. Again there are many, many more than before pandemic. Growth since 2019 is estimated at about 40%. Market quota … and prices. That panorama has been marked by a prices collapse. Both of the synthetic and the natural stones. Zimnisky Calculate that since 2016 the sale price of a diamond of a laboratory quilate has dropped about 86%. During the same period the mined stones have also lost value, although in much less value: a gem of the same size would now cost around 40% less than nine years ago. Not all studies and valuations coincide in the data, but what they do share in all cases is the drawing: clearly falling. And what does Swift have to see? Swift’s ring affects the pillar on which the traditional diamond market, one of its capital values: exclusivity. From the Queen of Pop’s ring it is known that it is the exclusive design of a New York jewelry, which looks Antique Cushion Cut of eight carats and a diamond Old Mine Brillant of historical cut rounded in the corners. It is said that only the diamond can cost between $ 250,000 and $ 500,000 and that the ring is around one million or 1.3 million dollars. The analysts of The New York Times even They believe that the jewel will mark the return of “vintage … Read more

The US is dismantling the chips law. His blow will fit the semiconductor industry throughout the planet

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Donald Trump is fulfilling what he anticipated both during the electoral campaign and after returning to the White House. The Chips Law Approved in July 2022 By the government of Joe Biden He has never liked him. Has made it very clear in statements such as this last January: “In the very close future we will impose tariffs on foreign production of computer chips, semiconductors and pharmaceutical products to return the manufacture of these essential goods to the US (…) went to Taiwan; now we want them to return. We do not want to give them billions of dollars in the ridiculous driver program. They already have billions of dollars.” Three months before, in October 2024, I had already charged ferocity against this program of the previous administration In Joe Rogan’s podcast: “We put millions of dollars on the table so that rich companies came, they borrow the money and build chip companies here. And they will not give us the best companies.” The Department of Commerce has seized 7,400 million destined for chips During the electoral campaign the possibility that Donald Trump dismantled the Chips program if he arrived at the government was on the table. A priori the money that has already been delivered will not be returned to the administration, but a part of the funds remains in the hands of the Department of Commerce, which is currently led by Howard Lutnick. And the dismantling has already begun. As we explained last Friday, the US government plans Reassign at least 2,000 million dollars coming from the heading for research and manufacturing integrated circuits within the Chips Law. If this measure thrives these funds will be used to finance projects dedicated to obtaining and the processing of critical minerals. At the moment China controls extractionthe processing and distribution chain of a good part of this crucial strategic resource for many industries, such as integrated circuits, telecommunications, batteries or electric car, among others. The government plans to reallow at least 2,000 million from the game for the investigation and manufacture of chips However, this is not all. And it is that the US Department of Commerce has seized a fund of 7.4 billion dollars that was managed by the National Center for the advance of semiconductor technology (Natcast), which is a private non -profit organization. This money comes from the Chips program and was intended for the research and development of new technologies for semiconductors. The Department of Commerce has justified this seizure arguing that the creation of Natcast by the Biden Administration was an attempt to “avoid clear legal restrictions that They prohibit government agencies to create corporations“In addition, Secretary Lutnick has declared that this organization was “a bribe fund that did nothing but fill the pockets of loyal to Biden with dollars from US taxpayers.” A priori we might think that this measure only affects the US, but nothing is further from reality. Its impact will be received by the global semiconductor industry. American research has made fundamental contributions to the global integrated circuit industry, so the cut of funds for this item in the Chips Law will be a perceptible effect in this sector. As a button shows: the extreme ultraviolet radiation source (UVE) that they use ASML photolithography equipment It was developed by Cymer in the US. If we stick to Natcast’s role in the current semiconductor research, it is important that we do not overlook that this organization is involved in the construction of the extreme ultraviolet light accelerator (UVE) of Albany (New York). And also in the tuning of an Chips Research and Development Center in Tempe (Arizona). The Commerce Department has not yet confirmed What will you do with the 7.4 billion dollars That he has seized, so the future of New York and Arizona research facilities is uncertain. More information | Reuters | Tom’s hardware In Xataka | The US will not be able to contain the technological development of China. Experts from the chips industry forecast it

After the hair industry, Türkiye is becoming a power of something much more extreme: paying to grow

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In a hotel on the outskirts of Istanbul, a man listens to the alarm of his phone and smiles. It is time to turn the key that separates the metal rods embedded in their femards. The procedure seems taken from a medieval dungeon, but for Frank – 38 -year -old patient – it means approaching, millimeter to millimeter, to his dream: stop feeling low. According to The Guardianeach turn causes intense pain and, nevertheless, insists on doing it more times than recommended to win a few extra centimeters. Türkiye, the new Mecca of the centimeters. The country was already famous for Medical tourism of capillary grafts. Now adds something much more extreme: leg elongation surgery for aesthetic purposes. What was born as a technique to correct bone deformities today attracts patients from Saudi Arabia, Japan, Australia and all of Europe. According to the Wanna Be workshop clinicThey come willing to pay tens of thousands of dollars for the promise of growing. In an extensive report for The Guardian They quoted an Indian consultant who projects that the global market will reach 8,600 million dollars within five years. Türkiye’s appeal lies in its price, since with $ 32,000, it includes hospitalization and months of physiotherapy, compared to $ 50,000 to $ 150,000 that can cost in the United Kingdom or the United States. Dr. Kevin Debiparshad, founder of the Limbplastx Clinic in Las Vegas, I told GQ that the business has shot from the pandemic, with up to 50 new patients a month. Its customers include Google, Amazon and Microsoft engineers, in addition to executives, doctors and even celebrities. The last acceptable prejudice: be low. Why risk everything for a few centimeters? The testimonies collected by different media always point to the same direction: height remains a social stigma. In an article for vice, A 17 -year -old summed up without surroundings: “The only reason why someone would lengthen their legs is for women.” Another patient assured in The Guardian that “being low is the last acceptable prejudice in modern society.” Evidence supports these sensations. An Australian study of 2009 collected by GQ He showed that low men earn less than their high classmates and have less job promotion options. In the Netherlands, another investigation revealed that only 7.5% of couples the woman exceeds the man. Even Tinder came to try filters of height, According to The Guardian. And it is that obsession can become pathology. Elaine Foo, Interviewed by the BBChe confessed that since adolescence he suffered a fixation: “Being higher means more beautiful, more opportunities.” Psychiatrists call it body dysmorphia: a fixation with defects imagined in appearance. A brutal procedure itself. Although today it is sold as an aesthetic procedure, the technique originated in the 50s in the Soviet Union. The surgeon Gavriil Ilizarov devised a method to repair fractures and correct deformities. The beginning, As Mayic explainsis the osteogenesis by distraction: cut a bone and gradually separate it so that the organism generates new tissue that fills the void. The process begins with an osteotomy, the surgical cut of the bone, generally femur or warm. Then, the surgeon places an elongation device: an external fixative (a visible frame subject with bone nails) or an internal magnetic nail (inserted into the bone and controlled by a control). From there, the daily routine is to extend the device around one millimeter per day. The body responds by filling that space with new bone. The hard lengthening phase of two to three months. Then comes the consolidation phase, when the bone hardens, which can take another three. In total, complete recovery easily exceeds a year. During all that time, patients should use crutches or wheelchairs, undergo intensive physiotherapy and support constant pain. When growing almost costs life. Not everyone achieves their goal. How do you collect in The GuardianFrank’s case that traveled in the hope of moving from 1.70 to 1.75 meters. In the process he suffered a pulmonary embolism caused by a blood clot and was about to die. In the end he had to stop the elongation in 7.3 centimeters, without reaching his goal. The same medium reported the death of a Saudi patient at 16 days of the operation, also for a clot. However, Elaine Foo’s story is even more extreme. According to BBC, After paying 50,000 pounds to a private clinic in London, he suffered successive complications: a metallic nail crossed his femur, the bones did not consolidate and ended up undergoing eight surgeries in different countries. Eight years later, drag mobility problems, permanent scars and a post -traumatic stress disorder. Complications are not rare. Risks include infections in nails or incisions, nerve injuries, joint stiffness, chronic pain and insufficient bone consolidation, According to Cleveland Clinic. Self -esteem, the most fragile bone. Beyond the operating rooms, the question is what pushes so many men – and some women – to undergo such brutal surgery. Dr. Dorr Paley, pioneer in this field, He summarized it for vice: “It took us a long time to discover what plastic surgeons always knew: they were dealing with body image problems.” The background is really a crisis of self -esteem. The Guardian He recounts How Frank felt “almost damn” for his low stature, convinced that society favors the highs. In GQ, John Lovedale explains that he did it because “the highest people seem to have the world at their feet.” Most patients are men, crossed by an idea of masculinity associated with size. However, As the British media remembersthere are also women who resort to the procedure: some to lengthen and others, in very rare cases, to shorten their legs. Between secret and status. Interestingly, despite sacrifice and spending, many patients prefer to hide it. According to GQ90% does not reveal anyone who operated. Invent stories: a ski accident, a fall in the bathtub, a hip fracture. But others begin to exhibit it as a sign of status: an Asian youtuber paid for the operation with Bitcoins and documented the process … Read more

The food industry is living its highest price drop since 2014. There is a clear suspect: white brands

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Manufacturers in the food sector are living an interesting phenomenon. They go up Industry prices in general, Upload the CPIgo up What they pay consumers in stores when they buy food and yet The rates That applies the food industry have been in free fall for almost a year. Moreover, the sector is facing its highest price decrease since early 2014. Behind that apparent nonsense there is a clear suspect: the effect of white brands and The fight that is getting rid of supermarkets. We explain ourselves. A percentage: 3.3%. Among the many indicators that periodically publishes the INE there is one that helps us better understand a key link of trade, which connects industry with the chain of distributors that take their merchandise to stores. The so -called Industrial Price Index (IPRI) records the oscillations in the right prices in That “first stage” of “internal market”, when the articles leave the factories and do not yet incorporate other added expenses, such as transport, marketing or VAT. Your approach is different from that of IPCwhich takes into account the prices paid by consumers. The INE calculates the IPRI for large sectors every month and sometimes the indicator leaves us some surprise, as happened in June, when it showed an annual fall of the 3.3% In the food industry. What does that mean? That month food manufacturers decided to reduce their rates. Why is it important? For what that percentage means. What reveals to us is a Price drop In the food industry, an adjustment of the rates with which the products leave the factory. The most curious thing is that this fall is not the dominant tonic in the industrial sector. On the contrary. Even beverage manufacturers saw in June how their industrial prices experienced A 2.7% rise. He IPRI General registered one 0.8% rise and if We go down to detail We observed that the indicator rose in most industrial branches. It only retreated in oil refinement, the chemical, metallurgical sector … and food. The annual IPC rate, which reflects the prices paid by consumers, also It was positive: In June it rose 2.2%. If we talk about the specific IPC of non -alcoholic foods and beverages of the purchase basket, it also grew 2.8%. It matters what … And imports when. If we look back, to the context, we observe two interesting data. The first is that the price index of the food industry has already a few months adjusting down. In June he scored a variation of -3.3%, but in May he had already done -2.7%and in April 2.2%. Actually the indicator has been going back. The second fact that we must take into account is that the food industry I had a decade without registering such a pronounced price drop. To find a major year -on -year drop, you have to go back to February 2014. What is the reason? The million dollar question. In a context of industrial inflationwith energy, a 3.5% And the increasing industrial prices, why do those in the food sector descend? In An article in which he delves into that phenomenon, Javier Romera, from The economisthe remembered yesterday that the reduction of the industry arrives in a context marked by a crucial factor: the rise of white brands and their growing competition In supermarkets. THE GREAT PULSE OF THE SECTOR. The industry price adjustment therefore coincides with a key moment for manufacturers, marked by the pulse with supermarket chains and The growing weight that white marks have (those of the distributor itself, such as Auchan, Hacondado or Seleqtia). All this also after years marked by a deep inflationary crisis that has made the big chains that manage supermarkets try to contain prices. The phenomenon is not new and Manuel Morales, manager of the IFA group, in An interview with The economist: “If they don’t react, brands are dead.” His notice, he remembered, comes in a context in which white brands have a greater weight in the linear of supermarkets. “Already almost 50% add up and will continue to grow because they have increased quality and differentiating prices is increasing,” Morales foreshadowed. With that backdrop, the food industry has begun to Cut your profitability. In the first quarter it stood at 6.81% after falling for the first time since 2022. Does the white mark grow so much? Yeah. Last year Promarca presented A report which shows that in just a five years, between 2018 and 2023, the presence of white -branded goods in supermarkets increased by 13%. The opposite path followed the articles sold with the brand of its manufacturer, which during that same period they retreated 23%. Promarca represents manufacturers and is therefore interested in, but their report provides a valuable track. Promarca estimates that in a five years they have disappeared from the super more than 3,600 Products marketed by manufacturers outside the distribution chains while theirs, those of the white brand, added 1,800 only in the feeding and hygiene sections. The calculation was made after analyzing six large chains. The Statista platform estimates that the market share of the white brands grew between 2005 and 2015, fell for a few years and would rebound again in 2019 until they were in 2024 in about 46%. Other studies consider that their mark on the linear of supermarkets is greater and already exceeds 50%. Images | Arno Senoner (UNSPLASH) and Alcampo In Xataka | The favorite ice cream in Spain are from Mercadona and have no “brand”. And there is a Valencian company making gold with them

The Chinese industry has been pulling the prices of solar panels for years. Now 30% of its workers are on the street

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Chinese solar panel manufacturers achieved a crushing domain of the industry with a relentless recipe: mass production, constant improvements and increasingly low prices. Now that they have left out European and American competitors, The whole world depends on its technology. However, this apparent success story hides an internal crisis with serious consequences: a INSUSTANIBLE PRICE WARmillionaire losses and the silent dismissal of tens of thousands of workers. An unprecedented overproduction. Between 2020 and 2023, the Chinese government redirected huge resources of the real estate sector, then in decline, towards what it called the “three new growth industries”: solar panels, electric cars and batteries. This bet unleashed a fever of new factories and Colossal dimensions solar parks. The result was an unprecedented overproduction. According to Reutersthe world now produces twice as much solar panels it needs, most manufactured in China. This market saturation caused a collapse of prices to the point that many companies They started selling below their costs To give out to the stock, a situation that has been aggravated by the war of tariffs with the United States. The Chinese solar industry lost the amazing figure of 60,000 million dollars last year. The human invoice. The least known consequence of this crisis, despite the fact that companies They asked the government for a rescueIt has been a drastic reduction of personnel. The financial reports of the five largest photovoltaic companies in China (Longi Green Energy, Trina Solar, Jinko Solar, Ja Solar and Tongwei) reveal a 31% reduction of their templates, which means that they left 87,000 employees on the street. This figure is a mixture of direct layoffs and non -renovations due to salary or hours cuts. Diseases are a politically very sensitive issue in China, where employment is seen as the key to social stability. Therefore, none of the big companies have officially announced these massive template reductions. With the exception of Longi, who recognized a 5% cut of the template. Beijing tries to stop the bleeding. The main producers created an entity similar to OPEC to control prices and offer, But it didn’t go well. Before the disaster, the Chinese government took action on the matter. In early July, President Xi Jinping asked for the end of the price war. In addition, a fund of 7,000 million dollars was created to buy and close about a third of the lower quality solar panels in the industry. Is it enough? According to a Jefferies analysis, it would be necessary to eliminate at least one 20-30% capacity manufacturing for companies to be profitable again. However, many Chinese provincial governments, evaluated for their ability to create employment and economic growth, are reluctant to apply drastic cuts that affect their local companies. Image | Jinko Solar In Xataka | Neither in Taiwan, nor in China: the plan to manufacture the purest semiconductors in the world is to go to space

Taiwan urgently needs talent for its chips industry. Surprisingly he is looking for it in summer camps

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TSMC, The biggest chips manufacturer on the planethe goes hunting again year after year to be able to meet his needs. During 2023 recruited 6,000 engineers For its Taiwan facilities, and presumably this trend also remained for 2024. And between 2025 and 2028 it will start Several semiconductor manufacturing plants In the US, Germany, Taiwan and Japan. TSMC is one of the most successful companies in this sector, but with all probability other chips designers and manufacturers will also need to strengthen their templates. Anyway, for Taiwan, its semiconductor industry is strategic for three fundamental reasons: it represents between 13% and 15% of the gross domestic product from the country; It is the engine of its exports with a close value to 40% of the total; And finally, the production of avant -garde chips gives the country a huge relevance from a geostrategic point of view. For this reason for this Asian country it is crucial that TSMC, UMC, Foxconn, MediaTek and its other large technology companies have the workforce they need. One of the strategies that are using some Taiwanese companies or with important businesses in Taiwan to recruit young talent is summer camps and university courses. Its purpose is to capture young people who have the right skills, although, curiously, some of these camps are held abroad for a reason for weight: The birth rate in Taiwan It goes down while, as we have seen, Taiwanese companies that are dedicated to semiconductors need to constantly increase their templates. In Europe, 100,000 more engineers are needed The Taiwanese government supports this strategy. It is fully aware that its main semiconductor companies, especially TSMC and UMC, need a constant supply of well -trained engineers to support their growth. Its current demand cannot be filled only with Taiwanese students, which has led to the NTU (Taiwan National University) to implement A global degree program in semiconductors that precisely seeks to attract foreign students. In Germany a third of the technicians who have developed their work career in the chips industry will retire throughout the next decade In any case, the Taiwan integrated circuit industry is not at all the only one that needs to recruit new talent. During the next five years the global semiconductor industry will need to incorporate nothing less than One million qualified workers. This prognosis is no elucubration; It comes from SEMIan international organization that watches over the interests of the electronics industries and integrated circuits. According to their forecasts Europe will face a deficit of 100,000 engineers, and Asia will need 200,000 qualified technicians. These a priori figures may seem exaggerated, but they are not at all if we consider that for 2024 the chips industry grew by 19.1% compared to 2023 thanks to the demand for GPUs for artificial intelligence (AI) and consumer electronic products, as well as to the expansion of 5G communications throughout the planet and the development of the car market. In 2024 the global semiconductor industry invoiced 627.6 billion dollars. The problem facing semiconductor companies, According to semiis that as many people with technical profile are not being formed in universities as they will need in the short and medium term. In addition, many of the most experienced engineers are retiring or will do so before 2030. As a button shows: in the US a third of employees of integrated circuit companies You have 55 years or more. And in Germany a third of the technicians who have developed their work career in the chips industry will retire throughout the next decade. However, there is another challenge that also compromises the future of these companies: the next batch of engineers will have to have advanced skills in AI and Automatic learning. Image | TSMC More information | Reuters In Xataka | We already know what the chips that will arrive until 2039 will be. The machine that will manufacture them is close

The strangest phenomenon of every summer is also an industry of 500 million euros: the “Mermaiding”

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The fever for ‘La Sernita’ that you lived in your childhood is nothing compared to the movement known as Mermaiding: a swimming style inspired by sirens and tritones and that is already trend, and it could almost be said that Lifestyle. Conventions, courses, exhibitions … There are people who live very happy without the lower extremities to replace them with a fish tail, even temporarily. And they have very convincing reasons. To move the tail. He Mermaiding It consists of swimming using a siren or triton tail, usually manufactured in silicone or synthetic fibers (and that can cost $ 5,000 in the most sophisticated cases), simulating the undulating movements characteristic of these creatures. It can be done in swimming pools or open waters, and its practice combines Swimming, apnea and some synchronized. In the last decade, the Mermaiding It has become In official sports Since 2019 in countries such as China and the United States, but we talk about it every summer for its quirky visual characteristics, which obviously include a fish tail. Mermaiding: A typology. There is Many variants and forms of practicing diminishing. Perhaps the most popular is the one oriented to the entertainment of profane in Sirenism. It provides the possibility of swimming experience with a siren or triton tail, and there are academies that are responsible for organizing Events to learn to do it. On the other side of the spectrum is the Mermaiding Deportivo: To officially practice it, specific courses are required with certifications such as SSI Mermaid either Padi Mermaidin which techniques such as the kick of dolphin, undulation and aquatic coordination are perfected. In a middle ground between them there is a variant of Mermaiding For shows, aquatic and thematic parks, hotels, as well as participations in spots, video clips and varied performances. It’s a use of Mermaiding More artistic and not oriented to competition. Mermaiding No: Sirenism. In Spain, mass conventions of sirens such as the Mermagic with that takes place every year in the United States, but for example, the Sirenas Mediterranean Academy It has been standing since 2014, giving courses and organizing private parties with sirens included. And there are organizations like Sirénida, a Professional Sirens and Triton Catalog Contractable for shows of all kinds. At the moment it is becoming, cursillo and of Cuqui Experiencein a more leisure option. Professional sirens. The Netflix documentary of 2023 ‘Sirena people’ details what the day -to -day life of these Sirenism professionals is. Because yes, it is not a handful of eccentric with silicone tail: in the United States it is a business with abundant ramifications in the entertainment world, with interventions in aquariums, musicals underwater and a long etcetera. The documentary shows parts of the job of mermaid as little glamorous as castings to work as a siren in a show, and you can see that it is completely legalized and normalized. According to the program, the Sireno world already moves 500 million dollars in the United States. Not so secret origins. From professional mermaid associations They certify that they have experienced an explosion of interest and an increase in applications in recent times, which link to the premiere of the Netflix documentary series. In it you can see those who were sirens in the park of Sirens Weeki Wachee, a theme park created by a royal sailor, Newton Perry, in 1947. In it there was a tiny scenario and a spring where the sirens made a show: the venerable precedents of the current sirens in aquariums and thematic shows. Illustrious predecessors for a business that comes out again. Header | Photo of Michael Hystead in Unspash In Xataka | 24 board games and agile and fun hobbies to play in summer anywhere

This is no longer about ideas, it goes from industry

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Everything indicates that coexistence with Humanoid robots It will cease to be exceptional sooner rather than later. Before crossing with style androids’The Bicentennial Man‘, we are likely to see in our day to day more contained versions, functional and charismatic, such as the robot of’Sunny‘, The Apple TV+series. Although resorting to science fiction to imagine the future does not convince everyone, it remains a useful tool to put an image to what could be to come. ‘Her‘, with Joaquin Phoenix and the voice of Scarlett Johansson, he did more than a decade ago: He anticipated with disturbing precision the type of link that begins to come true today with Chatgpt’s most advanced voice modes. China wants to be in the center of that revolution. It has been incurred in artificial and robotic intelligence for years, two industries that advance more and more united. This week, as a statement of intentions, He has exhibited More than 150 robots in an international summit held in Shanghai. A sample of force, but also a track of what is coming. Futurist showcase to realities laboratory The WAIC 2025 It hasn’t been another fair. For four days, Shanghai became a showcase of the present – and not only of the future – of humanoid robotics. Hundreds of robots paraded through the event, in what is already considered the most ambitious alignment ever gathered in China. More than 80 specialized companies participated in the exhibition, and at least 60 models made their world debut. But it was not just a matter of numbers: the relevant thing was to see how these machines begin to acquire form, functions and meaning beyond the laboratory. The new robotic fold arm, fed by the VLA de Tencent language model, was one of the protagonists of the event. His proposal goes beyond mechanical precision: Combine vision, language and action in the same system. The robot understands what is asked, analyzes the context in which it is located and generates movement plans autonomously. You can reject absurd orders, adjust your movements if you detect errors and respond in a consistent way during a conversation. All this allows you to face dynamic tasks with unpublished flexibility in industrial robots. Unitree, meanwhile, opted for motor expressiveness: from calligraphy to boxing, through a new humanoid robot designed as a personal assistant. Deep Robotics focused on real deployment: its quadrupeds are active in more than 600 environments, from electrical installations to educational centers. Keenon, with his Bípedo Xman robot, points to the services sector. And Cyborg Robotics presented the country’s first heavy load humanoid, aimed at demanding industrial tasks. Humanoid robotics lives a turning point. According to Jiang Lei, one of the key voices in the development of corporate in China, told Global Times that The industry is going from theory to practice. The new generations of robots no longer only observe or execute scheduled routines: they perceive their environment, adjust their movements in real time and face complex tasks with a precision that already touches the millimeter. That opens the door to real applications in sectors such as health, trade or logistics, where the margin of error is increasingly narrow. Click to see the original publication in x Although the achievements are visible, the challenges persist. The United States maintains leadership in fundamental aspects of humanoid movement, such as biomechanics and locomotive autonomy. But many believe that China is beginning to stand out on other fronts: large -scale production capacity, massive access to data and iteration speed. It is not just a matter of algorithms: it is a matter of system. China not only wants to make robots: wants to export them. And he has taken advantage of the event to highlight it. In emerging markets such as Southeast Asia, its offer Technology is finding fertile terrain. There, the demand for automated solutions for electronics, semiconductors or industrial processes is growing, and Chinese manufacturers are trying to respond with solid, reliable and competitive proposals. Images | Artificial World Intelligence Conference (WAIC) In Xataka | Entering Google or Apple was always the dream of university students thanks to their salary and conditions. Now it’s a nightmare

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