The challenge of transformation

In the second of a two-part duet of blogs on the changing face of Asia, UPS’s senior vice president of global engineering and sustainability looks at the rapid transformation of the economies of South-east Asia. As China transitions from an export-based to a consumer-led economy, many of the manufacturing industries that created its economic growth are migrating elsewhere – to countries where the land and labour are cheaper; China is rapidly becoming an aging population, whereas 65% of south-east Asians are under 35. But it remains remarkably diverse region; levels of development are anything but uniform, which requires a highly flexible approach in designing and adapting supply chains to particular local conditions.