Tag - manufacturing

 
 

MANUFACTURING

Isuzu Chairman Masanori Katayama (third from left) and South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster (center) attend a groundbreaking ceremony for the firm's vehicle plant in South Carolina on Wednesday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 2, 2025
Isuzu to build first independent U.S. plant
The Japanese commercial vehicle maker aims to ease the impact of high U.S. tariffs by expanding local production.
People work at an automotive parts factory in Takasaki, Gunma Prefecture, on April 11. Export powerhouse Japan saw manufacturing activity shrink in September.
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 1, 2025
Asian factories struggle as soft China and U.S. demand takes toll
Export powerhouse Japan and global tech hub Taiwan saw manufacturing activity shrink in September, leaving businesses in Asia on fragile footing.
The Bank of Japan is likely to raise rates by the end of this year or early next year.
BUSINESS / Markets
Oct 1, 2025
Japan's tankan survey suggests rate increase sooner rather than later
Corporate sentiment improved as tariff uncertainty lessened following an agreement with the U.S.
U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has publicly demanded Taiwan to move more investment and chip production to the U.S. so half of American demand is manufactured locally.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Sep 30, 2025
Taiwan holds investment talks as U.S. demands more chip factories
U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick earlier this week publicly demanded Taiwan to move more investment and chip production to the U.S.
Industrial production in Japan dropped 1.2% from the previous month, following the same pace of decline from July, according to the economy ministry.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 30, 2025
Japan’s output falls as U.S. tariffs drag on global outlook
The data reflect ongoing caution among manufacturers as the U.S. continues to threaten additional tariffs to narrow its trade deficit.
Nippon Steel has announced a $300 million investment in two U.S. Steel facilities, which forms part of its $11 billion commitment to the American steelmaker.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 26, 2025
Nippon Steel to invest $300 million in U.S. Steel
The investment in two U.S. Steel plants forms part of the Japanese company's $11 billion commitment to the American steelmaker.
A robotic vehicle assembly line in Hefei, China. China is making and installing factory robots at a far greater pace than any other country.
BUSINESS / Tech
Sep 26, 2025
China has more robots working for it than the rest of the world combined
Chinese manufacturers have also gotten better at making factory robots, thanks to a government push.
South Korean Prime Minister Kim Min-seok. In a recent interview, Kim said that until visa issues related to South Korea's investment projects in the U.S. are resolved, progress on the projects will be "virtually impossible."
BUSINESS
Sep 25, 2025
South Korea says U.S. projects unlikely to progress until visa issue resolution
Images of shackled workers have circulated widely and fueled public anger, casting a cloud over hefty investment plans by South Korean conglomerates.
The Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo. The <i>tankan</i> survey is one of key economic indicators the central bank assesses when determining monetary policy.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 23, 2025
BOJ tankan expected to show slight rise in manufacturers' sentiment
The lowering of United States' tariffs on Japanese cars and auto parts earlier this month is likely to have eased makers' perception of current business conditions.
Gantry cranes and container ships at the Yangshan Deepwater Port in Shanghai on May 14. China is hurtling toward a record $1.2 trillion trade surplus.
BUSINESS / Markets
Sep 23, 2025
China floods the world with cheap exports after Trump's tariffs
The export surge is causing governments to weigh the potential damage to their domestic industries against the risk of antagonizing Beijing.
Japan has many positive qualities for German companies, but the market does face some challenges, such as talent acquisition and retention, particularly as demand for skilled workers grows, a survey by the German Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Japan showed.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 22, 2025
German companies choosing Japan as Asia manufacturing hub: survey
The country is valued for its stability, affordability and proximity to other major markets, according to the survey by the German Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Japan.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks about trade at the Granite City Works steel coil warehouse in Granite City, Illinois, in July 2018.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 20, 2025
Trump officials used 'golden share' to block U.S. Steel from stopping work at plant
The move highlighed the federal government’s continued influence over an iconic American firm after approving its takeover by Nippon Steel.
South Korea's LG Energy Solution was using workarounds to U.S. visa restrictions well before Donald Trump returned as U.S. president.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 19, 2025
LG Energy was using U.S. visa workarounds before Trump, documents show
South Korean companies say they face long-running problems in getting short-term visas for specialists they need for their high-tech plants in the U.S.
New Nissan vehicles at a dealership in Concord, California
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 17, 2025
Nissan to shut design studios in U.S. and Brazil and downsize London and Japan operations
The Japanese automaker said the restructuring, which will be completed by the end of fiscal 2025, is aimed at streamlining its design operations.
Menstrual cups are seen as the next growth engine for auto-parts maker GomunoInaki.
BUSINESS
Sep 16, 2025
Toyota supplier shifts gears with menstrual cups in Asian markets
GomunoInaki plans to debut the cups in Singapore and Vietnam by year-end.
Jose Munoz, president and CEO of Hyundai Motor
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 12, 2025
Hyundai battery plant faces startup delay after U.S. raid, CEO says
The plant, part of a $7.6 billion factory complex to make battery-powered models, was slated to come online later this year.
Detainees at a joint facility of Hyundai Motor and LG Energy Solution stand against a bus during a raid by federal agents in Ellabell, Georgia, last week.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 11, 2025
LG's other U.S. sites see exodus of South Korean workers after raid: sources
Visa concerns following last week's immigration raid on LG Energy Solution's joint facility with Hyundai Motor have led South Korean workers to head home.
U.S. President Donald Trump at Granite City Works in Illinois in 2018. U.S. Steel, the owner of the plant, was acquired by Nippon Steel earlier this year.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 10, 2025
U.S. Steel’s Granite City Works to cease steel slab processing: report
The production decision comes just three months after the acquisition by Nippon Steel.
Heliostat mirrors at the site of Dunhuang Shouhang 100MW Tower Solar Thermal Power Generation Project in Gansu province, China, on Oct. 16, 2024
BUSINESS / Tech
Sep 10, 2025
China’s green tech firms pour billions into overseas factories
Chinese companies are expanding their supply chains abroad to capture new markets, avoid tariffs and get closer to sources of raw materials, according to new research.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents execute an enforcement operation at a Hyundai-LG electric vehicle battery plant in Ellabell, Georgia on Sept. 4.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 10, 2025
The ICE raid on the Georgia Hyundai plant makes no sense
The raid antagonized U.S. ally South Korea, a country that had signed a $350 billion trade pact with U.S. President Donald Trump just weeks earlier.

Longform

Growing families are being priced out of Tokyo’s condo market, forced to choose between downtown convenience and suburban space.
Is living in central Tokyo still affordable?