All Posts

Thailand has one of Southeast Asia’s largest road networks, spanning more than 390,000 km, of which 98.5% is paved with concrete or asphalt. More than 66,000 km form the national highway network. That scale supports a sizable domestic ecosystem around asphalt and road construction. Tipco Asphalt, one of Thailand’s major asphalt producers and distributors, has a construction business focused largely on road projects. In 2025, its road-construction backlog reached THB 6.6 billi

French luxury house Chloé recently opened its first boutique in Vietnam, marking the brand's latest expansion in Southeast Asia. While the opening adds another market to Chloé's regional network, it raises a more interesting question: What makes Vietnam commercially viable for global luxury brands today? Vietnam is still a relatively small luxury market compared with China, Japan or South Korea. Rather, it is the steady emergence of an affluent consumer base, supported by thr

India's Global Capability Centre ecosystem has evolved into a global engine for innovation, enabling multinational companies to drive engineering, digital transformation and product development at scale. ABB is one of several Swiss companies leveraging India's deep technology and engineering talent to support critical global operations. For a company whose operations span more than 100 countries, its network is no longer just IT infrastructure. It is the digital nervous syste

Asia's food manufacturing sector is competing on a lot of scales. Across Southeast Asia, India and Japan, processors are increasingly investing in technologies that reduce energy consumption, improve food safety and accelerate production—creating new opportunities for global equipment manufacturers. Japan is world's most sophisticated food processing markets. Labour shortages and an ageing workforce continue to drive investment in technologies that improve operational efficie

The geography of global wealth is becoming increasingly balanced. According to the 2026 Julius Baer Global Wealth and Lifestyle Report, five of the world's ten most expensive cities for a premium lifestyle are in Europe and five are in Asia-Pacific. This is a reflection of where affluent consumers are living, spending, investing, and shaping the future of premium markets. Read the full Julius Baer Global Wealth and Lifestyle Report here to explore the trends shaping the next

Asia accounted for 74% of all new industrial robot installations worldwide in 2024. Switzerland, with almost no mass manufacturing base, fights hard for a place there anyway. That fight already pays off. ABB's robotics arm pulled 1.1 billion dollars in revenue from Asia, the Middle East, and Africa combined in 2023, 31% of its total. Bühler Group draws 26% of its turnover from Asia alone. Revenue like that does not appear overnight. It sits on infrastructure built over decade

Swiss climate-tech leader Belimo has opened a new automated logistics centre in Shanghai, a move that offers a timely case study for Swiss industrial firms weighing their options in Asia. Developed with Austrian intralogistics specialist TGW Logistics, the facility features an automated mini-load warehouse with more than 11,000 storage locations, enabling faster deliveries and more efficient inventory management across the region. The investment comes at a moment when Asia ha

When Swiss luxury appliance maker V-ZUG formally entered Indonesia, it marked more than the arrival of a new name in the country’s premium kitchen market. It offered a glimpse into how Southeast Asia’s luxury economy is evolving and what that means for Swiss brands looking east. Indonesia is often discussed as a mass market, but its premium segment tells a different story. A growing number of affluent entrepreneurs, business families and globally minded professionals are inve

Roche's decision to establish a new Digital Technology Hub in Hyderabad is another reminder of India's growing importance to the global healthcare industry. Over the past decade, companies such as Novartis, AstraZeneca and Sanofi have steadily expanded their presence in India through digital technology hubs, global capability centres and R&D operations. These investments are driven by India's deep talent pool, engineering capabilities and ability to support global operations

Stadler's start of passenger railcar production in Kazakhstan is more than a manufacturing milestone. It is another example of how Swiss industrial companies are reshaping global growth. Rather than simply exporting trains, Stadler has established local production, committed to a 20-year maintenance partnership, invested in workforce development, and embedded itself within Kazakhstan's long-term transport ambitions. The result is a relationship that extends far beyond a suppl

How Swiss Industrial Firms Are Positioned in Asia's Beverage Machinery Boom Asia's beverage boom is being driven by a structural shift in consumer preferences. Rising incomes, urbanisation, and growing health awareness are accelerating demand for ready-to-drink (RTD), functional, low-sugar, and premium beverages across the region. As a result, Asia's beverage processing equipment market is projected to grow from USD 4.72 billion in 2024 to USD 7.81 billion by 2033 (5.76% CAGR

Switzerland is the only European country with free-trade agreements covering all five Asian G20 economies: China, India, Indonesia, Japan and South Korea. Yet Swiss technology-industry exports to Asia fell 4.5% year on year in the first quarter of 2026. At first glance, those two facts seem to sit awkwardly together. Switzerland has spent years improving access to some of Asia’s largest economies, but its industrial exporters are still finding growth difficult. The weakness w

When people think of Swiss innovation, automobiles rarely come to mind. Switzerland is better known for precision engineering, advanced manufacturing and luxury craftsmanship. Microlino is building a distinctive proposition around compact electric mobility, demonstrating that Swiss companies can compete internationally not by chasing scale, but by addressing a specific global challenge exceptionally well. A measured approach to internationalisation Designed in Switzerland an

It may simply be a reflection of where wealth is being created today. Swiss institutions remain composed, pointing to strong fundamentals and continued presence in Asia. But the broader trend is harder to ignore: Asia is no longer just a growth market — it is becoming a centre of capital formation in its own right. That shifts the nature of competition. The numbers help explain why. Mainland China is now home to roughly 6.3 million US-dollar millionaires, compared with around

Recent discussions between Vietnam and Switzerland highlight an important shift in the relationship between the two countries. Bilateral trade has exceeded USD 1 billion, while Swiss investment in Vietnam has reached approximately USD 2.4 billion. Strong numbers—but perhaps only a fraction of the opportunity ahead. Vietnam has become one of Asia's most dynamic growth markets. With a rapidly expanding manufacturing base, ambitious digitalisation goals and deep integration into

Swiss industrial companies in Southeast Asia have a problem they rarely talk about openly. It's not a market entry. That part? Most of them have figured it out. It's what comes after. They have a distributor. The reference client. The "SEA presence" box checked on the regional report. And yet — growth flatlines. We see this across Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia. A Swiss industrial with strong brand equity, existing revenue in-market, a distribution network in place. B

Holcim is selling its Philippines business to China’s Huaxin Building Materials for at least $807 million. On the surface, it is a straightforward divestment. Look closer, and it says something important about where the global building materials industry is heading. The Philippines is not a weak market. Infrastructure spending is rising, construction demand remains strong and the country has a long-term urbanisation story. But cement is also a tough business. The country has

Swiss watch exports are showing resilience in 2026, with June exports rising 11.2% year-on-year and reinforcing the industry’s ability to navigate geopolitical uncertainty, shifting consumer behaviour and changing global trade dynamics. According to the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry (FH), overall export performance in the first half of 2026 remained broadly stable, declining only 0.7% in value compared with the same period in 2025, while export volumes increased by 2