This Week in Charts 6-3-22
This edition of This Week in Charts was presented during a LIVE episode by Griffin Review technology analyst Grant Coultrup. More episodes of the Griffin Review can be found here.
You know, it was only a few months ago that began acting upon the realization that the world we live in is not entirely stable. The world is constantly changing, our reality is endlessly unfolding, and history is written daily. In such a world, then, nothing is set in stone. Opportunities are available for, well, almost anyone to change the world. In some corner of the multiverse, there’s a version of you who is not living in reaction to the world but is acting upon it. I’d like to think that I am that version of me, but to do so requires information. Thankfully we’re in an age when that is available literally at our fingertips, all you have to do is investigate. And that’s what we’re doing today: investigating the world as it unfolds around us. I’m bringing you today’s edition of This Week in Charts again with research from consulting giant McKinsey & Company, trends from 3Dprint.com, and insights from the Fintech Collective. Here’s what’s in the news today:
In corporate news from:
- leaders of lithium production;
- trends in online grocery shopping;
- reasons why parents are leaving the workforce;
- and the automotive realities of net-zero carbon emissions by the year 2050.
In 3D printing news:
- receipients of the US Space Force’s award to 3D print rocket engines;
- automaker BMW’s latest foray into the world of additive;
- why 3D printing engines for motorsports is superior;
- and a breakdown of some applications for 3D printing, and why we may not be doing them!
In financial technology news:
- why developing markets in Africa look so profitable;
- some curious domestic financial moves;
- a look at JP Morgan’s summer reading list;
- and a unique application of blockchain technology.
For nearly all these stories, you can find more info at hyperlinks spread throughout. For specific recommendations to your business, get in touch with the Griffin advisors to schedule a meeting!
Corporate News
The largest lithium reserves are found in Latin America and Australia. Of the top ten countries with the largest concentration of lithium reserves, Chile tops the list with 9.2 million metric tons, primarily obtained from brine. Australia’s mineral deposits bring them into second place, followed by Argentina. Keep an eye on these regions as humanity continues through the electric vehicle revolution
The COVID19 pandemic opened avenues of convenience for many grocery shoppers. While some consumers are again comfortable with in-person activities, the popularity of grocery delivery hasn’t abated. According to our research, the preference for home delivery rose from 48% to 63% between December 2020 and December 2021. The primary reasoning for this statistic seems to be a matter of flexibility, but I want to observe another: the obstinance of driving to the store. With rising fuel prices, I think that this reason is more prominent than this study may show us.
Many working moms in the United States pointed t the same cause for deciding to leave their jobs during the COVID19 pandemic: childcare that is unaffordable or unavailable. In a recent survey, 34% of mothers cited childcare concerns as to why they stopped working, compared with 20% of fathers. Both men and women cited family time as a reason for resignation. More women than men were dissatisfied with work-life balance, and more men than women were dissatisfied with an employer or role-specific items.
The keep postindustrial warming below 1.5ºC by the end of the century, new-car sales of low-emission vehicles will need to increase from today’s sales figures of 5% to almost 100% by 2050. This would cut transportation CO2 emissions almost in half. With the number of passenger cars sold per year predicted to continue growing, the bulk of that should be comprised of electric vehicles.
3D Print News
US Space Force Awardee: Launcher
It’s a whirlwind ride for up-and-coming startups in the booming private space industry. Since 2021, nearly 1,700 different companies have received $252.9 billion US Dollars in global equity investments. One startup leveraging 3D printing technology for its rockets is Launcher, a California-based small launch vehicle manufacturer with a specialized high-performance engine: the E-2. Partnering with AM giants Velo3D and AMCM, Launcher received a $1.7 million contract from the US Space Force’s Tactical Funding Increase award. Launcher is the first small launch company to use 3D printed copper alloy in small launch technology, having developed a custom large-format 3D printer with AMCM. The high-performance engine design materially increases payload capacity by consuming less propellant while generating equivalent thrust, reducing the overall price to deliver small satellites to orbit.
BMW Venture Implementation Success
Three years ago, 12 companies and research institutions working at the intersection of the German automotive and additive manufacturing industries formed a consortium for the purpose of completing a project called IDAM: the Industrialization and Digitalization of Additive Manufacturing. Led by the BMW Group and funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, the goal was nothing less than “to revolutionize metal 3D printing in standard production of cars”. On May 24th, BMW announced that the project was successfully implemented, with two fully automated 3D printed automotive production lines in operation: one in Munich, Germany, and the other in Bonn, Switzerland. The consortium utilizes a system of laser powder bed fusion combined with AI and robotics and is capable of printing 50,000 series parts a year, as well as 10,000 new individual parts. Great progress, and all signs point towards growth.
Motorsports Application
Most associated with Formula 1, auto racing is one of the most technologically advanced sports in the world. Production technology is at the forefront of innovation for manufacturing techniques. Kiwi company Hartley Engines and Motorsport, an established design, development, and manufacturing expert for motorsports, recently organized a joint venture with INTAMSYS, an industrial 3D printer manufacturer. Utilizing the INTAMSYS FUNMAT HT printer, Hartley has solved their problem of getting unique parts to market on time. Compared to traditional manufacturing, where setup and tooling are both expensive and time-consuming, the new machine is a vast improvement. “We used to spend hours setting our machines… just to… fabricate one part. Now, all I have to do is heat up the INTAMSYS… and press start. No tooling or setup required!” The 3D printed part also impressed with the way it holds up during performance. INTAMSYS optimizes applications in industries as diverse as automotive, aerospace, oil & gas, and medical.
Additive Manufacturing Applications
Our final bit of 3D printing news begins with the headline “Uses for 3D printing exist. Companies just suck at finding them”, and we couldn’t agree more. We’ve seen what happens when the right product is redesigned for additive: the entire in-ear hearing aid industry was entirely restructured around 3D printing within just a few years. Finding and exploring this kind of value creation is not an isolated instance. However, finding new applications is difficult, and unlocking them is tough. Discovery requires patience, experience, and a versatile mind. It requires cross-disciplinary teams and partnerships with multiple players.
Possibly the greatest thing holding back 3D printing is institutional resistance. Quite often we’re going to be sweeping in with new ideas, tools, and concepts that will ride over established procedures, egos, and power structures. Worse, we’re messing with their tried and true KPIs.
Further, innovators need to broaden their scope. Too often we get a sense from the media that orthopedics, aviation, space, and automotive are the only real applications for additive manufacturing. Instead, we should see these as the first real applications. Few people are looking at new ideas and new industries. We need to talk to new people with new ideas who have new components. In essence, we’ve all been riding around the same corral trying to catch the same cow with the same tricks.
Here’s the honest truth: if you’re trying to innovate with 3D printing, you’re doing it wrong. Not only are you doing it wrong, but everyone else is too. No one has it figured out yet and nobody knows the right methodologies or implementations. That’s part of being on the leading edge of new technology. So think clearly, persist, and be methodical and creative. We only go up from here!
Financial Technology News
We’ll round out the day with some notes from financial technology, better known as fintech, with news from investment firm Fintech Collective’s portfolio. The last time we talked about fintech it was with regards to “stablecoin”, of the cryptocurrency families. Today we’ll look at foreign markets, and domestic activities, then loop around to a blockchain application.
First is the concept of developing markets as hotbeds for new financial technology. Microfinancing, the segment of the financial services industry which lends small amounts (around $100USD) to entrepreneurs, is an especially powerful tool in developing markets. One hundred US dollars go a long way towards establishing a small business in somewhere like Nigeria, where, despite two recessions in the past six years, small business financing and productivity have moved forward at breakneck speed. Similar nations represent battle-hardened environments filled with rising, newly internet-connected entrepreneurs. No wonder it's a magnet for investors!
In other news, figures disclosed by the US Federal Reserve Bank of New York show, that for the first time, more than $2 trillion USD was stored in the bank’s overnight reverse repo facility. The surge of interest in this facility, which acts as an investment of last resort, has been exacerbated by a decline in the issuance of short-dated government debt, known as Treasury bills, spurred by a drop-off in government spending.
Our next story revolves around JP Morgan’s much-anticipated annual reading list, released this year on JPM’s proprietary “Onyx” platform in the metaverse’s “Decentraland”. Created in partnership with metaverse real estate company “Everyrealm”, visitors can create an avatar, browse the book selections, and view interviews with selected authors. A virtual owl stands by to offer advice and direction.
JP Morgan’s summer reading list is an annual collection of non-fiction titles from client advisors. The list is reviewed and compressed based on timeliness, quality, and global appeal to the firm’s international base of partners, clients, and associates.
Hotels Embrace NFT’s
Some resort owners think they have found a way to avoid getting stuck with excess inventory when guests cancel at the last minute - which involves converting room nights for sale into NFTs that can be bought or sold by hotel guests, similar to the StubHub market for concert and sporting event tickets. Owners say this ensures they get paid for the rooms because guests would sell their reservation in the market if they decide not to go. Further, this strategy appeals to the crypto-enthusiastic traveler, creating an environment in which they can utilize their smart wallet tools.
Conclusions
And that’s the news this week! I find that writing this show is powerful knowledge, and I hope that you get as much out of this show as we do. We believe that this intelligence is critical to navigating these swiftly-changing times. If there are any topics you want to be revisited, let us know in the comments or join the conversation in my Discord group. As always, thanks for watching and please like, subscribe, and share the show. See you next time.
~ fín ~
