Supply Chain

A worker makes clothes at an apparel factory in Enshi, China, in November 2020: Chinese manufacturers are still gaining export share across low-technology and labor-intensive industries.
Opinion

China's dominance of manufacturing is growing, not shrinking

Country gaining market share in both low- and high-tech sectors

9 September 2022
Apple faces an ongoing supply chain crisis as key suppliers shut factories in China due to the country's zero-covid policy and extreme weather. (Photo courtesy of Apple)
Technology

Apple unveils new iPhone 14 as supply chain headwinds persist

Next generation Apple Watch and AirPods to hit shelves this month

8 September 2022
Chengdu, a key production hub for Apple's iPads and MacBooks, has come under strict COVID measures.
Supply Chain

Apple suppliers caught up in Chengdu COVID lockdown extension

Mass testing in iPad and MacBook production hub to begin on Friday

8 September 2022
Members of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework will consider sharing semiconductors and other crucial products during global emergencies to avoid reliance on China. 
Indo-Pacific

U.S.-led Indo-Pacific nations to consider emergency chip stockpile

Plan for mutual transfers of vital goods would be triggered by wars, pandemics

8 September 2022
Maintaining healthy garment exports will be crucial for Bangladesh as the country struggles with dwindling foreign exchange reserves.
Trade

Bangladesh clothing exporters target Asia as Western demand fades

Manufacturers increasingly look to markets such as Japan, South Korea

7 September 2022
China’s current steel production capacity is 1.2 billion tons a year, with annual consumption hovering around 1 billion tons.
Caixin

China's steel industry at a crossroads as long winter looms

Market caught in perfect storm of COVID-related slowdowns, weak foreign demand

7 September 2022
Nidec founder Shigenobu Nagamori, speaking Sept. 2, said the company's new President Hiroshi Kobe is "probably the only one who'll tell me when I've screwed up." (Photo by Ryotaro Sato)
Electronics

EV motor maker Nidec's CEO search begins again after Nissan hires fail

Hard-driving founder Nagamori looks within company ranks for successor

3 September 2022
An audio parts factory outside Hanoi. Foreign manufacturers are moving beyond big cities, distributing the fruits of trade more evenly around Vietnam. (Photo by Lien Hoang)
Supply Chain

Export demand a boon for Vietnam provinces, pre-built factories

Supply chains for Samsung, Lazada push trade to second-tier industrial zones

2 September 2022
A flood gate along the edge of the Chao Phraya River in the historic city of Ayutthaya, Thailand, on Aug. 29. (Photo by Yohei Muramatsu)
Supply Chain

Thailand monsoon floods threaten to disrupt supply chains

Manufacturers consider exodus to Vietnam and elsewhere in Southeast Asia

1 September 2022
Taiwan is enduring frequent electricity outages this summer, exposing the vulnerability of the power supply in Asia's most important chipmaking hub. (File photo by Reuters)
Technology

Taiwan's frequent blackouts expose vulnerability of tech economy

Dozens of power outages in two months reveal creaking infrastructure

30 August 2022
U.S. personnel secure a hypersonic missile prototype at Edwards Air Force Base in California. Japan will devote more funding to researching hypersonic technology.
Politics

Japan to boost spending on hypersonic tech and drone development

Government panel draws up list of research fields critical to economic security

30 August 2022
Toyota Motor will begin selling a "recommended model" for the Sienta compact minivan, which went on sale this month.
Automobiles

Cup holders optional: Toyota cuts wait times by limiting features

'Recommended models' include pared down equipment to boost production efficiency

28 August 2022
With Foxconn assembling iPads for Apple, the factory blackouts in Sichuan province had raised concerns about the effect on supply chains. (Photo by Kotaro Igarashi)
Supply Chain

Apple supplier Foxconn, Toyota restart Sichuan plants as heat wave eases

Chengdu Motor Show opens on schedule with power restrictions gradually relaxed

27 August 2022
The law aims to alleviate a persistent shortage that has affected everything from cars and weapons to washing machines and video games by subsidizing U.S. chip manufacturing and expanding research funding.
Semiconductors

Biden signs order on $52bn U.S. chips law implementation

Order sets six primary priorities and establishes interagency council

26 August 2022
Water levels in the Yangtze River have diminished due to the drought, which has impacted logistics in Chongqing. (Photo by Shunsuke Tabeta)
Supply Chain

China auto hub Chongqing extends factory power cuts indefinitely

Extreme heat dashes plans to lift blackout, posing risk to supply chains

25 August 2022
Hino Motors is responsible for around 40% of new light-duty trucks sold in Japan. (Photo courtesy of Hino Motors)
Automobiles

Hino truck scandal compounds Japan's logistics woes

With 40% of market for light-duty vehicles, its absence will be keenly felt

24 August 2022
Past summits between the European Union and ASEAN were limited to members of the EU's executive body.
International relations

EU, ASEAN to hold summit in December to develop supply chain

Two blocs seek to tighten ties and cut reliance on Russia, China

24 August 2022
Shanghai's lit-up skyline is a tourist attraction with crowds often packing the historic Bund district and nearby financial center Lujiazui 
Economy

Lights out for Shanghai's Bund in China power-saving push

Record heat wave pressuring power grid as air conditioning use soars

22 August 2022
Some Tesla charging stations in Sichuan and the nearby city of Chongqing are not operating, and users are complaining. (Photo by Shunsuke Tabeta)
Supply Chain

China heat wave adds pressure on supply chains of Tesla, others

Sichuan province extends industrial shutdown order with power in short supply

22 August 2022
Viiyong has raised fresh funds as it expands its drive into the automotive sector. (Photo from Viiyong website)
DealStreetAsia

Chinese ceramic chip capacitor maker bags $295m

Viiyong's shareholders include smartphone brands Xiaomi and Oppo

19 August 2022
Tesla's Gigafactory Shanghai relies on suppliers based in Sichuan province, the epicenter of China's summer power shortages this year.
Supply Chain

Tesla seeks relief as Shanghai output threatened by China power cuts

Drought-stricken Sichuan urged to ease electricity restrictions on auto parts suppliers

19 August 2022
Chongqing Changan Automobile is one of the factories suspending production until Aug. 24 to comply with government orders.
Supply Chain

Chongqing orders factories to shut to save power during heat wave

Surge in electricity demand forces Chinese city to rein in usage

17 August 2022
Producing the highly sophisticated Apple Watch would be a win for Vietnam as it attempts to further upgrade its tech manufacturing sector. (Source photos by AP and Reuters) 
Technology

Vietnam to make Apple Watch and MacBook for first time ever

Country benefits as tech giant looks to build more products outside of China

17 August 2022
China has made increasing its self-sufficiency in chips a national priority, but it still has a way to go, experts say.
Semiconductors

China can't afford to counter the CHIPS Act -- yet, experts say

With chipmakers also stuck, TSMC and Samsung 'have to pick the U.S. side'

17 August 2022
Toyota has a plant in Chengdu that it operates through a joint venture with a Chinese company. It has been instructed to suspend operations until Aug. 20.
Supply Chain

Toyota, Apple suppliers hit by China blackouts amid heat wave

Sichuan authorities order factories to halt operations through Saturday

16 August 2022