Southeast Asia has experienced a strong CAGR of 5.5% in terms of its manufacturing output over the last decade and is now responsible for almost 4% of the global manufacturing output. This growth has been funded both by domestic companies as well as foreign investors; ASEAN surpassed China in terms of the FDI inflow in 2013 and the manufacturing sector received a large chunk of the funds. In fact, more than 30% of all FDI that has flown into ASEAN between 2005 and 2010 has been towards manufacturing, and the sector is likely to continue to be one of the biggest beneficiaries of the growing interest from foreign investors. The major reasons for this drive in investments can be summarized through the ASEAN’s four C’s: Consumption (growth), Cost (low), Commodities (abundant), and Community (single ASEAN trade bloc).

FSG’s Country-Level Manufacturing Attractiveness Index
As costs rise elsewhere and the addressable market becomes larger in ASEAN, companies should explore the viability of moving production to the region using a “total factor performance” analysis. It is important to make sure that the analysis looks beyond the simple math of labor-cost and considers total factor performance (labor, transport, leadership, material, components, energy, and capital)

FSG has created an industry-agnostic, manufacturing attractiveness index of the five major ASEAN countries based on the assessment of 30 key indicators under 6 key major groupings. See bar-graph below for the results of our analysis:

• Labor conditions: average wages, minimum wages, engineer’s salaries, redundancy costs, literacy rate
• Transport infrastructure: Quality of roads, quality of ports, quality of railroads, quality of air transport, logistics competence
• Utilities (Support infrastructure): Quality of electricity supply, electricity production, energy production, broadband penetrations, mobile penetration
• Regulatory environment: Investment freedom, tax rate, openness to foreign investment, prevalence of trade barriers, intellectual property rights
• International trade conditions: Efficiency of import-export, number of days to import and to export, cost to import and export
• Risk Factors: Gini coefficient, corruption, equity risk premium, banking sector risk, natural disaster risk

For companies conducting a similar analysis, couple of points to note before embarking on the exercise:

• Make use of Weights: This benchmarking assumes equal weights for all parameters; however, companies should make adjustments according to their business needs to create the most accurate comparison
• Conducting A Time Series Analysis: The benchmarking exercise should be done annually to measure change in the market’s dynamics

Country Profiles of the Major ASEAN Players and Their Key Provincial Regions of Manufacturing

1. Malaysia

1. Established industrial base: MNCs entered Malaysia as early as the 1970s, conducting manufacturing assembly in the country as a cheaper alternative to Singapore. The early entry of Western companies, access to raw materials (oil), and its established supply chains have allowed Malaysia to become one of the most competitive manufacturing locations in the region with top quality infrastructure
2. High sophistication: Compared to its ASEAN peers, Malaysia has steadily moved up the value chain and is now mostly involved in higher value-added manufacturing and assembling, attempting to closely follow the footsteps of its neighbor, Singapore
3. Cost barrier: With continuous progress and increasing sophistication, the cost of labor has also risen; engineers and manufacturing labor are the most expensive in the region

2. Thailand

1. Detroit of Asia: Accounting for over 12% of the country’s GDP, the automotive sector in Thailand has played a large part in cementing the country’s role as a key manufacturing location in the ASEAN region. Thailand has benefited heavily from sustained Japanese investments and is now the most industrialized nation in the region
2. Rise of the Northeast: While most MNCs are unlikely to be exploring opportunities in Thailand beyond the central area, local firms are expecting the Northeastern region to perform better in the future, as it has access to a large consumer base, closer proximity to China, more attractive government incentives, a geographical area not prone to flooding, and mostly non-arable land

3. Indonesia

1. Manufacturing laggard: Despite obvious advantageous in terms of its location and relative wages, Indonesia has continued to remain a small player in regional production networks. Its labor market rigidities, a history of political uncertainty, and protectionist measures have kept MNCs at bay, but these trends are likely to change soon
2. Rising interest because of costs and customers: Rising demand from ASEAN’s largest market has led several big-name MNCs to invest in the country; P&G began operations at its diaper production facility in 2013, and Foxconn, the world’s largest contract manufacturer, has committed a US$ 1 billion investment in order to set up its manufacturing facility

4. Philippines

1. Long-time semiconductor affair: The Philippines began to witness investments from semiconductor MNCs back in 1970s, when Western companies avoided the better established locations of Hong Kong, Taiwan, and South Korea, which were feared to be affected by the ongoing Cultural Revolution in China. Till date, the industry has a stronghold on the Philippines; almost 50% of the country’s network products (parts and components, and final assembly) exported are semiconductors, with another 27% related to computer manufacturing
2. Philippine Economic Zone Authority’s (PEZA): PEZA is an ISO 9001:2008 rated government agency responsible for being the one-stop-shop for investors looking to set up in the Philippines. The agency’s lack of corruption and relative efficiency have allowed for the 286 economic zones it manages, under which there are more than 3,000 companies and over 800,000 skilled and semi-skilled workers. The advantage companies find when dealing with PEZA is that it is a single entity, making stakeholder management simpler while reducing external intervention

5. Vietnam

1. Concentration: Vietnam’s most important industrial zones are concentrated in a remarkably small number of provinces. The majority of Vietnam’s manufacturing is located in the Southeast and the Red River Delta; together, these regions account for almost 75% of the country’s industrial output
2. Cheap labor and proximity to China are Advantages: Samsung announced plans to invest US$ 4.5 billion in two plants in Bac Ninh and Thai Nguyen as part of its plans to relocate production from China. Both factories are expected to produce 250 million mobile phones per year. Vietnam serves as an excellent source of cheap labor (the cheapest among the ASEAN five) and is relatively close to two other manufacturing economies, China and Taiwan

Highlighted areas account for more than 75% of the manufacturing output in their respective countries

For more information on the topic, you can download the podcast in which we discuss (a) the rise of ASEAN as a manufacturing hub, (b) diagnose the viability of movement of industries into the region, and (c) decipher the impact of the AEC