It was the business trip to Singapore for the first time in one and half years. I left Haneda for Singapore at 0:05 on Feb. 21. I thought that I could make the best of the day as I arrive before 7 o’clock in the morning. However, a light headache didn’t stop due to routine fatigue in Japan or lack of sleep on board after I arrived. I got to the hotel. I could not actively moving around after keeping my luggage to the hotel. I decided to take a slight nap as I asked the hotel to get into the room earlier. The travel agent recommended me the early check-in but I turned it down. Thus, I had to wait till 10 o’clock as the room was not ready yet.
I finally got the room key at 10 o’clock. Though I told them I wanted “Early Check-in” it was not charged to me. Thanking to their consideration. I took the nap for 2 hours as soon as I got into the room. I think that it was caused by layout of seats in B787. A usual seat layout is 2-4-2 but B787 is 3-3-3 for economy. It looks like effective but actually not, especially for a passenger to the window side, who have to move 2 seats to an aisle. The ordinary seat could move only one seat to an aisle. In fact B787 has one extra seat.
My ticket to Singapore showed 29C. Thus, I thought it was at the middle of the airplane but it was 5th from the end and it was felt narrower a bit. A midnight flight was more popular than I thought and there were full of passengers in the airplane. I usually ask the travel agent for the seat at an aisle side. A passenger sitting next to me was restless and I was annoyed by his sleep of leaning on my shoulder like a train. All 2 seat passengers have to move out to the aisle when the window seat passenger goes to the toilet. And then they have to wait for a person or they have to go to the toilet at the same time.
A cabin attendant seemed to take time to deliver the drink and meal to them after getting their attention. It seemed inconvenient to them in the 3-3-3 seat layout. A 3-3-3 seat layout would be economical to the airline as there is one extra seat. However, it decrease quality of the service to the passenger. I think it take more time to board and get off the airplane with their hand-carry bags. It is certain for the 3-3-3 seat layout to take more time in evacuating from the airplane than the 2-4-2 seat layout. It would be quite problematic about passenger safety. I would not complain to the airline because I could not sleep well on board but I could not recommend B787 of the 3-3-3 seat layout.
Chinese government declared in the National People’s Congress that they will achieve over 6.5% of an economical growth in average for 5 years till 2020 so-called Middle high speed growth rate. It is to be maintained the steady growth by use of the flexible finance and monetary policy. Excess capacity cancellation (steel industry, coal business). Reform of the state-owned enterprise. Rearranging of the zombie company (the company which cannot give profit), industrial advancement attained, restraint of the environmental pollution, Job growth in the city where is higher than a population of 10 million people, the abolition of the one-child policy (in acknowledgment of the delivery to two) and so on, which we would like to expect for the better economic effect.
According to Asian Development Bank the GDP of the fourth-quarter in 2015 of Southeastern Asian main five countries rises 4.4% of ratios in the weighted average last year in five countries (5% of Indonesia, Thailand 2.8%, Malaysia 4.5%, Singaporean 1.8%, Philippines 6.3%). The next times are the times of AEC (ASEAN Economy Community).
It is two and a half months since AEC started. However, it has been a full-scale start of the economic zones of GDP 2,500 billion dollars (approximately 290 trillion yen) with a population of 620 million people. Needs of the traffic infrastructure (railroad, airport, road, harbor and so on). Dynamism of economic activity by liberalization of the movement of people and things would make up for low growth of China. The tariff abolition rate in the region on the number of items base has achieved 98% among the foundation members. The late departure member of 4 countries such as Vietnam, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia will abolish the tariff on all items in the region by 2018. The passionate gaze of the world have been focused upon AEC now.
The alliances have been facing reorganization of the alliance by the purchase and merger of shipping companies. There are alliances like 2M (Maersk, MSC), O3 (CMA-CGM, China Shipping, UASC), G6 (APL, Hapag, NYK, MOL, Hyundai, OOCL), CKYHE (COSCO, K Line, Yang Ming, Hanjin, Evergreen). The new company named as “ China COSCO” after a merger of COSCO and China Shipping announced to join to O3. The APL purchase of CMA-CGM means that APL comes out of G6. A merger of Hyundai and Hanjin becomes the topic now. In addition it is said that China COSCO, CMA-CGM would form the new alliance with Evergreen and OOCL. We must keep an eye on movement of the shipping companies from now on.
The number of new containers in China factories is 1.2 million TEU. It reduced 400,000 TEU. Shipping lines have been continuing to replace old containers with new containers in their fleet. As a result the leasing company increases more in the depot stock. If this state continues, the income and expenditure of the lease company turns worse still more and falls into a vicious circle. The decrease in lease charges income and the deposit stock increase mean depot cost increase. They could face severe financing environment. The present condition would seriously affect to the mega leasing company.
On the contrary it would give the small company a chance of growing big. Thus, they should select the shipping companies who meet with their size and their real ability to deal with.
The afternoon of the day before I left one of my friends in Singapore sympathized deeply with me for my work-addict so he invited me to golf. It was only 9 holes, but arranged it for a change. Unfortunately the weather that was fine until the day before was unsettled from morning on that day. The plan of the start from 3:00 became the start of half past 5. However, it is impossible in Japan for us to make a reservation in the golf course 30 minutes before whether we can play or not. It was a half past 6 when it was over. Then I took a shower. Looking at the lake where I hit a number of balls into we had a dinner at the outdoor restaurant of an adjacent golf course. Dusk approached, and the lake was covered with darkness and the comfortable breeze that went through the trees which grew thickly gradually healed me of my fatigue. The conversation with my friend became lively at time of supreme bliss when I unexpectedly felt an enormous sense of release from the hustle and bustle of every day.
Singapore where we could play golf with 20 minutes by car from the hotel. Singapore is like the exhibit space of the buildings as the whole town and the city itself or even the whole country have still been changing in themselves at present. It will be an ideal that a country changes to match social needs. Therefore the company has flexibility in accord with social needs and I think that it must be energetic and a reform oriented company. Therefore, I would like to make EFI keep changing to meet the needs of the customers and as a result I want EFI continue to grow. In addition, I got spirit abroad again and started for home.