Mondelēz International’s decision to produce chocolate crumb locally at its Cadbury plant in Malaysia illustrates how multinational manufacturers are redesigning supply chains around speed and resilience rather than relying solely on the lowest sourcing cost. By investing about 90 million Malaysian ringgit in a new crumb facility at Shah Alam, the company can eliminate the…
The return of some manufacturing to China is exposing a weakness in the tariff-driven supply chain strategy that encouraged companies to move production elsewhere. Businesses that shifted orders to countries such as India, Vietnam and Indonesia to reduce exposure to United States tariffs are discovering that lower duties do not necessarily translate into lower overall…
Volkswagen’s agreement to pursue another major reduction in its workforce is less a sudden response to one bad year than an attempt to address several structural problems that have accumulated across its European business. The compromise allows management to move ahead with substantial job reductions while avoiding an open confrontation with unions, the German state…
The United States and China are preparing to open a new channel on artificial intelligence safety at a moment when the technology is becoming a national security issue as much as an economic one. The proposed discussions, expected around mid-September, would be the first official bilateral talks focused exclusively on AI safety since Donald Trump…
China’s manufacturing sector improved in August, but the recovery remained too weak to pull factory activity back into expansion. The official manufacturing purchasing managers index rose to 49.8 from 49.2 in July, beating market expectations but remaining below the 50 threshold that separates expansion from contraction. The result marked a second consecutive month of contraction…
Aon is reportedly nearing an agreement to acquire USI Insurance Services from private equity firm KKR for about $17 billion including debt, in a transaction that would deepen Aon’s position in the highly fragmented insurance brokerage market. If completed, the acquisition would give Aon a much larger platform in the middle market, where businesses often…
The trade conflict between the United States and Canada is moving beyond a dispute over individual tariffs and into a broader test of one of the world’s most integrated economic relationships. Washington’s latest 50 percent duties on a range of Canadian goods have prompted Ottawa to respond with matching tariffs, while companies on both sides…
France is emerging as one of the clearest examples of how high public debt, weak growth and political fragmentation can reinforce one another in a major developed economy. Government borrowing costs have risen sharply, with the 10 year French government bond yield reaching around 4.1% in late August, while investors are becoming increasingly focused on…
BYD’s first-half results show how China’s increasingly crowded electric vehicle market is changing the economics of even its largest manufacturers. The company remains one of the world’s biggest electric vehicle producers, but intense competition in its home market has weakened sales and squeezed margins, forcing BYD to rely increasingly on overseas expansion to support earnings.…
The regulatory clearance for Jio Platforms to launch an initial public offering marks a significant step in Reliance Industries’ effort to bring its telecommunications and digital businesses into the public markets. India’s market regulator has cleared a proposed fresh issue of up to 270 million shares, potentially making the offering the largest initial public offering…
