Industry insights

Short summaries of recent research on industrial land, manufacturing and supply chains, with a focus on Taiwan, China and Asia-Pacific, each with a link to the full report and WZWX’s view on what it means for factory owners.

JLL · 13 October 2026

Navigating the future of industrial demand in Asia-Pacific (2026–2027 Asia-Pacific Industrial Tenant Demand Study)

WZWX view

Manufacturers are still expanding, but more carefully, and new plants increasingly go to land that is available and flexible to build on. Time spent on a clear brief and site checks before committing is time well spent, and it lets a project move quickly once the decision is made.

JLL’s 2026–2027 Asia-Pacific Industrial Tenant Demand Study looks at what occupiers across 13 markets are actually asking for. Expansion requirements make up more than half of total demand. Warehousing accounts for around 80% of requirements, with third-party logistics firms behind more than 30% and e-commerce about 11%. India and Southeast Asia hold roughly three-quarters of build-to-suit and purchase demand, a sign of where new purpose-built facilities are heading. In Greater China and other mature markets, over half of requirements exceed 10,000 square metres, and China’s EV value chain is generating demand for battery and component facilities.

Read the full report ↗

CBREAsia Pacific Industrial & Logistics Trends Q3 2026

CBRE · 13 October 2026

Asia Pacific Industrial & Logistics Trends Q3 2026

WZWX view

Across the region, occupiers are trading up to modern, automation-ready space rather than simply adding more of it. For owners in mainland China this may be a good moment to upgrade or rebuild ageing plants, designing them around automation, logistics flow and the people who still work in them.

CBRE’s quarterly brief reads the Asia-Pacific industrial and logistics market country by country rather than as one region. In Korea, vacancy for dry warehouses has fallen to single digits, a sign of how tight modern space has become, while leasing activity in India is picking up again. In mainland China, the brief sees tier I markets gradually stabilising after a period of heavy new supply and falling rents. There, occupiers are using lower occupancy costs as an opportunity to move into better, more modern facilities rather than simply to save money, which favours newer, higher-quality buildings over older stock.

“occupiers capitalise on lower occupancy costs to upgrade facilities”

Read the full report ↗

JLL · 14 August 2026

Industrial Market Insights – Q2 2026 (Asia Pacific)

WZWX view

With less speculative stock being built, more manufacturers will need purpose-built or owner-occupied facilities rather than off-the-shelf space. Planning a building around your own process, with room to expand, protects you from a market where the right space may simply not exist.

JLL’s Q2 2026 review describes an Asia-Pacific industrial market that is slowly rebalancing. Regional net absorption rose by 1.6 million square metres compared with the previous quarter, a clear improvement in take-up. At the same time, new supply has thinned sharply: Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Singapore saw minimal or no new completions. In Greater China, rents are still falling, but the decline is moderating and Shanghai is expected to stabilise. Leasing there is driven mainly by cost-conscious tenants relocating to better buildings, taking advantage of softer rents to upgrade where they operate.

Read the full report ↗

CBRE2026 Asia Pacific Real Estate Market Outlook Mid-Year Review

CBRE · 6 August 2026

2026 Asia Pacific Real Estate Market Outlook Mid-Year Review

WZWX view

The market is rewarding quality: modern, well-located industrial buildings hold their value while older ones fall behind. For owners, investing in a good site, sound specification and a building people want to work in is also a way of protecting the asset’s long-term value.

CBRE’s mid-year review raises its full-year Asia-Pacific GDP growth forecast from 3.9% to 4.3%, citing strong demand for AI-related products and semiconductors. Commercial real estate investment across the region rose 27% year on year in the first half of 2026. In logistics, CBRE sees a continuing gap between prime and secondary assets, with the development pipeline expected to shrink from 2027, which should help rents. It has downgraded its rental outlook for mainland China logistics. In contrast, export-oriented manufacturing demand in northern Vietnam has strengthened, particularly around Haiphong, as production continues to diversify across the region.

Read the full report ↗

Savills Research · 1 August 2026

Taiwan Investment Brief – Aug 2026: Technology Sector Acquisitions Reach New Highs

WZWX view

Competition for ready factories and industrial land in Taiwan is intense, and much of it comes from well-funded tech buyers. For a manufacturer, that makes careful site checks before purchase more valuable, not less: paying a premium for a site that cannot fit your production is the costliest mistake.

Savills reports that Taiwan’s property market in the first half of 2026 was driven overwhelmingly by technology companies buying space to run themselves. Tech-sector investment reached NT$125 billion in 1H/2026, with 94% going into owner-occupied factory assets, and industrial transactions totalled NT$160.2 billion, of which factories made up 81% and industrial land 15%. Land transactions in Q2 totalled NT$23.7 billion. The backdrop is strong: the government statistics agency, DGBAS, forecasts 9.64% GDP growth for 2026, supported by the technology sector.

“industrial assets leading transaction activity”

Read the full report ↗

Cushman & Wakefield · Q2 2026 edition (release date not stated on the report)

Northern Key Economic Zone (Vietnam) Industrial MarketBeat – Q2 2026

WZWX view

Vietnam is the main alternative many of our clients weigh against building in Taiwan or China, and its supply of land and ready-built space is growing fast. Comparing locations on total cost, approvals and time to opening, not just land price, gives the clearest answer.

Cushman & Wakefield’s Q2 2026 report on northern Vietnam tracks both industrial park land and ready-built factories. Industrial land stock passed 25,200 ha, with more than 1,200 ha added in the first half from six parks in Hai Phong, Bac Ninh and Ninh Binh. Land occupancy averaged 64%, down 2.7 points year on year, which the report attributes to new supply rather than weaker demand. The ready-built factory stock reached about 5.8 million sqm, with occupancy stable at around 86%. Hanoi stayed close to full, while satellite provinces gained ground on land availability and cost.

“Demand remained resilient across core industrial markets.”

Read the full report ↗

Savills China · 16 June 2026

2026 China Logistics Real Estate Report: Core Assets, Lasting Value

WZWX view

In China the shortage is no longer space but the right space: specialised, well-specified buildings that fit how a company actually works. Manufacturers who design around their own process, rather than adapting to generic stock, are likely to get better long-term value.

Savills describes China’s logistics property market as being in a tenant-led adjustment, shifting from rapid expansion towards making better use of existing assets. Supply of new logistics land has declined sharply. The market is concentrated, with the ten largest developers holding about 60% of it. There is now an oversupply of conventional Grade A space alongside a shortage of specialised, higher-specification facilities. Government policy discourages new low-specification buildings and encourages renovation of existing ones. Regionally, manufacturing-led markets in East China are recovering earlier, while Central China is supported by industrial relocation.

Read the full report ↗

Savills Research · June 2026

Taiwan Investment – Market in Minutes, June 2026: Industrial transactions hit quarterly high

WZWX view

Land near Taiwan’s main science parks is scarce, so manufacturers increasingly look one county further out. These sites can work very well, but each new location brings its own zoning, utilities and approval route, so check them carefully before committing.

This Savills report covers Taiwan’s first quarter of 2026, when industrial property transactions hit a record quarterly NT$111.0 billion, driven mainly by factories (76%) and industrial land, including surface-rights (地上權) leases (21%). The technology sector deployed NT$79.5 billion, with more than 96% going into owner-occupied factories. Factory deals concentrated in Miaoli, Taoyuan and Hsinchu County. With semiconductor supply chains expanding and land around Hsinchu Science Park tight, demand has spilled over into nearby parks and industrial zones, and Miaoli County reached NT$60.7 billion, 70% of all factory deals.

“demand has spilled over into nearby science parks and industrial zones in Miaoli County”

Read the full report ↗

Cushman & Wakefield · 28 May 2026

Waypoint: Global Industrial Dynamics 2026

WZWX view

Mainland China is one of the few places where industrial occupiers still have real choice, but the report expects that window to narrow. Owners planning a move or new plant should use this period to secure the right site, and make sure the building can handle future power needs and automation.

Cushman & Wakefield’s Waypoint 2026 report covers 135 logistics and industrial markets worldwide. Its main finding is that today’s buyer’s market, where tenants have the upper hand, is ending. The share of markets favouring tenants is forecast to fall from 52% in 2026 to 33% by 2029 as fewer new buildings arrive. Rents are already 36% above 2020 levels, and labour and electricity costs keep rising. In Asia-Pacific, Australia, Japan and Singapore are short of space, while mainland China and parts of India still offer occupiers plenty of choice and room to negotiate.

“The next phase of the logistics cycle will be defined by preparedness.”

Read the full report ↗

CBREAsia Pacific Industrial & Logistics Trends Q1 2026

CBRE · 17 April 2026

Asia Pacific Industrial & Logistics Trends Q1 2026

WZWX view

Energy and transport costs are now a real factor in where to put a plant, not just land price and labour. For manufacturers comparing Vietnam with Taiwan or China, an available building is only part of the answer; logistics links and running costs over the life of the plant matter just as much.

CBRE’s first-quarter brief names oil price swings as the main new risk for Asia-Pacific industrial property, because higher transport costs and supply chain disruption can hold back demand. Leasing was still underpinned by third-party logistics firms, companies that store and move goods for other businesses. In Australia, most activity came from tenants renewing leases, as modern space is scarce and fitting out a new building is expensive. Japan stayed resilient. In Vietnam, demand from online retailers, manufacturers and consumer goods companies is healthy, but earlier building has left plenty of space available, keeping rents broadly flat.

Read the full report ↗

Savills Research · 1 March 2026

Taiwan Investment Brief – Mar 2026: Surging AI Demand Fuels Factory Transactions

WZWX view

For manufacturers of every kind, not only chip and electronics firms, a site with enough power supply and room to grow has become as important as its price. Checking power capacity, and whether it can be expanded, should come early in any site study, before a purchase is agreed.

Savills’ review of 2025 shows how AI demand reshaped Taiwan’s industrial property market. GDP grew 8.63% in 2025, compared with 4.59% in 2024. Factory sales reached NT$67.2 billion, the second-highest in a decade and 76% above the ten-year average, led by the semiconductor industry. For the third year running, tech companies were the biggest buyers, spending more than NT$61.3 billion, mostly on factories. Facing rising construction costs, chip firms preferred existing buildings they could expand into quickly, and AI’s heavy power needs pushed them towards sites with reliable electricity that can be increased over time.

“favour existing facilities that enable immediate capacity expansion”

Read the full report ↗

Cushman & Wakefield · 29 January 2026

Southern Vietnam Industrial MarketBeat – Q4 2025: Clear recovery following tariff headwinds

WZWX view

Ready-built factories help manufacturers start quickly, but they rarely fit a specialised process for long. For many companies, a practical route is to start in leased space while a purpose-built plant is planned on the right land, so production can move without interruption.

Cushman & Wakefield sees southern Vietnam’s industrial market recovering after a pause caused by US tariffs. Industrial park land reached 36,400 ha, up almost 28% in a year, after 2,000 ha opened in Dong Nai. Because supply grew faster than demand, land occupancy eased to 74%, yet asking rents still rose to US$185 per sqm for the lease term. Ready-built factories, standard units ready to rent and use, held about 6.6 million sqm, with occupancy around 90% or more in each province and rents of US$4.9 per sqm per month. New roads and an airport should lift outer provinces.

Read the full report ↗

Also worth reading

McKinsey Global InstituteGeopolitics and the geometry of global trade: September 2026 update

McKinsey Global Institute · September 2026

Geopolitics and the geometry of global trade: September 2026 update

WZWX view

Where to build is increasingly a choice between Taiwan, China and Southeast Asia, and the briefings show how closely those places are linked: Taiwan supplying AI chips and servers, China supplying components, and ASEAN trading heavily with both. For owners, that makes distance to suppliers and logistics links as relevant as land price. These are the same site questions many of our clients weigh between Taiwan, China and Vietnam.

Six regional briefings track goods trade in early 2026. US imports from Taiwan rose 78% in January–May, centred on semiconductors and servers, and Taiwan accounted for $47 billion of the $127 billion increase in US imports of AI-related goods. China’s exports of intermediate goods rose 27% in January–June, up from 9% in 2025, and made up almost three-quarters of its export growth. ASEAN’s imports from China rose 24% to $161 billion in January–March, while its exports to the United States climbed 18% to $108 billion. The briefings also cover the EU, India and Brazil; periods differ by economy, and the definition of “China” varies between briefings.

Read the regional briefings ↗

Cover of Industrial Development Report 2026: The Future of Industrialization (UNIDO) — Image: UNIDO

UNIDO · November 2025

Industrial Development Report 2026: The Future of Industrialization. Building future-ready industries for sustainable development

WZWX view

Masterplanning is part of our practice, and the report’s emphasis on shared infrastructure, shared services and waste-heat recovery is a useful checklist for any new park or campus. With manufacturing in Asia-Pacific growing faster than the developing-country average, more owners are weighing sites as well as buildings. Settling utilities and shared services early leaves the later design more room to work.

UNIDO’s flagship report looks ahead to 2050 and argues that manufacturing must be placed at the heart of sustainable development. It identifies five megatrends (the energy transition, AI and digitalisation, the reconfiguration of global value chains, demographic shifts and food systems) and seven priority areas, including infrastructure and greener industrial ecosystems. Eco-industrial parks are presented as a practical way to act on these, through co-location, shared infrastructure and services, and waste-heat recovery. In Asia-Pacific, manufacturing value added grew by nearly 5% a year over 25 years, against 2% for all developing countries; per capita, it rose more than eleven-fold in Eastern Asia’s upper-middle and high-income industrialising economies, largely through Chinese manufacturing. UNIDO also estimates that products open to “friendshoring” make up over 6% of US manufactured imports (USD 181 billion).

Read the full report (PDF, 21 MB) ↗

Deloitte and The Manufacturing Institute · April 2024

Taking charge: Manufacturers support growth with active workforce strategies

WZWX view

The study covers US manufacturers only, but one point carries over: a comfortable workplace can decide whether people stay. Our Thesis argues that natural light and good conditions help factories attract staff, and daylight and air quality are part of how we think about factories, laboratories and offices. They are easiest to get right when they are in the brief from the start.

Based on a December 2023 study of more than 200 US manufacturers, more than 10 executive interviews and labour-market data, this report finds that US manufacturing could need as many as 3.8 million net new employees between 2024 and 2033, with around 1.9 million of those jobs possibly left unfilled. Construction spending on manufacturing facilities reached a record US$225 billion in January 2024, up 37% year on year. On the working environment, executives said that a comfortable workplace can decide whether staff stay or move to a competitor. One company surveyed employees before renovating a 50-year-old plant and found that improved lighting, including natural light, and air quality topped their lists; the smart-factory design followed that feedback. The findings cover the US only.

Read the report ↗

Planning a factory or considering a site?

Tell us about your project →