China has been the global manufacturing hub for decades, but what happens if that goes away? If and when China experiences a significant collapse, someone will have some big shoes to fill, but who can do it?
There’s a few requirements that help narrow down our list – proximity to a consumer base, a young workforce, and existing infrastructure. Argentina shows promise, but political instability limits the country from realizing its potential. North America – specifically the US and Mexico – have the opportunity to claim a piece of this pie. However, the region that is most likely to benefit most from a shift in global manufacturing is Southeast Asia.
Countries like Vietnam and Indonesia are particularly noteworthy, thanks to their large, youthful populations, expanding infrastructure, and ability to handle manufacturing along the entirety of the value-added scale.
