The Wall Street JournalThe Wall Street Journal

As China risks grow, manufacturers seek Plan B—and C and D

By Jon Emont

02 Jun 2023 · 4 min read

informed Summary

  1. Companies are diversifying their production to reduce risk and decentralize their supply chains.

SINGAPORE—For much of the past decade, Western companies have sought an alternative to China to manufacture goods—a shift executives call “China plus one.” Increasingly, the strategy looks more like China plus many.

Apple, with a sprawling production base in China, is rapidly expanding in Vietnam and India, an emerging smartphone-making hub. Crocs, which shifted production of a large share of its colorful shoes from China to Vietnam, recently stepped up sourcing from Indonesia and is also setting up in India.

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