Despite multiple COVID-19 resurgences, offline channel disruptions due to restrictions and sustained component shortages affecting OEMs, key SEA countries (Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines and Vietnam) saw a 5% YoY growth in smartphone shipments in 2021, according to Counterpoint Research. At 96 million units, the 2021 shipments were the highest ever for a calendar year and more than the pre-pandemic levels.

Close to a quarter of Thais are aware of QR code as a payment method - the highest in Southeast Asia - and almost half would like to use it on a regular basis, according to a study commissioned by Visa.

Thailand's automotive market is booming: in 2016, nearly two million cars were manufactured there, significantly more than in the UK or Italy. Bosch is responding to this rising demand.

Toshiba has announced that it will rebuild its semiconductor manufacturing operations in Thailand by relocating Toshiba Semiconductor Thailand to a new manufacturing facility.

A large earthquake shook the Indonesian island of Sumatra on Wednesday, causing widespread panic and fear of a repeat of the 2004 earthquake and series of tsunamis that killed 230,000 people.

Panasonic Corp. forecast a record net loss of JPY780 billion for the current year, making it the latest consumer electronics giant to predict declining earnings because of the stronger yen, a slower global economy and the floods in Thailand.

Hard disk drive supplier Seagate Technology has provided a financial update, reiterating that demand for HDD units will exceed supply in 2012 in the wake of flooding last year in Thailand.

Rohm is scheduled to resume full-scale production of all products affected by the flooding in Thailand on January 1, 2012.

Sanyo Semiconductor (Thailand) will close down its factory at Rojana Industrial Park in Ayutthaya after flooding caused extensive damage to its operations.

Honda Motor said its production facility in Taiwan will be suspended starting Dec. 15, as the flooding in Thailand has stopped supply of some key components.

Thai Solar Energy Co., Southeast Asia's only solar-thermal energy producer, plans to spend more than 14 billion baht ($447 million) over the next five years to develop projects with a total capacity of 135 megawatts.

Seagate raised its forecast for the fourth quarter, providing a somewhat more optimistic view of the disk-drive component constraints that have affected the industry due to catastrophic Thai floods.

Toyota Motor said it had restored vehicle output in Japan to "near-normal levels" on Monday, after severe flooding in Thailand disrupted supply chains.

"This is going to take a lot longer than people are assuming, until the end of 2012 at least..."

Toyota has extended production cuts at its factories in Thailand and Japan due to shortage of parts in the wake of floods in Thailand.

Samsung Electronics' president expects Thailand floods to further hit the computer memory chip market by hurting PC production until the first quarter of 2012.

Thailand announced a five-day holiday on Tuesday to give people the chance to escape floods closing in on Bangkok as the prime minister warned that the capital could face an inundation of 1.5 meters (nearly five feet) of water if barriers collapsed.

The Bank of Japan (BOJ) is collaborating with Thailand's central bank to implement a loan programme to help Japanese firms affected by flooding in the country.

US chipmakers ON Semiconductor and Microsemi said Tuesday they suspended production at factories in Thailand after floods damaged facilities, in a sign that supply chain disruptions could hurt production during a typically busy third quarter.

Thailand's worst floods in more than 50 years have reached levels that threaten to overwhelm barriers protecting Bangkok, said Deputy Prime Minister Kittiratt Na- Ranong, who urged residents in the capital to be prepared.

Toyota Motor may start exporting subcompact cars from Thailand for sale in other markets, a senior executive said.

Schott Solar has received a PV module order to supply a pair of projects in Thailand with a cumulative capacity of 16.9MWp. The 9.7MW and 6.2MW sites, located north of Bangkok, are being built by Phoenix Solar Singapore and are scheduled to be completed and activated by the end of the year.

Thin-film solar cells are optimal for use in a high-temperature climate, compared to crystalline solar cells. Sharp's experience in the mass production of thin-film solar cells has enabled Sharp to take part in this project. The thin-film solar cell modules to be used in the power generation plant will be supplied partially from Sharp's solar cell plant at Osaka Prefecture.

Thailand's economy grew for a second straight quarter as government stimulus spending and an improvement in manufacturing propelled its recovery from recession.

Singapore and Thailand have reported steady improvement in August export figures as signs of a gradual global recovery began to emerge.

China has unveiled plans to establish a US$10 billion investment fund for south-east Asian countries. It also offered credit of US$15 billion to the Association of South-East Asian Nations (Asean) which comprises of Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, Brunei, Burma, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam.

Many Asian countries are handing out cash and vouchers to get people spending again. But real economic recovery may take a lot more. One-off payments aren't about to alter lifelong saving habits. To encourage higher spending, governments really need to improve public health, education, and retirement benefits—initiatives that would take years to kick in.

The closure of Suvarnabhumi Airport may be the last straw for business sector and foreign investors, who say they will no longer be reluctant to shift investments to other countries. It is said to be damaging the country's image and investment in in tourism and logistics.