--- title: Markets description: Active operating presence across China, India, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, and Thailand. Multiple markets managed under one SOP from one embedded team. --- [![The ABC Group — Asian Business Consultants](https://theabcgroupem.com/hubfs/abc-logo-light-bg.svg)](https://theabcgroupem.com/?hsLang=en) - [The Third Path](https://theabcgroupem.com/the-third-path?hsLang=en) - Solutions · - [For Private Equity](https://theabcgroupem.com/for-private-equity?hsLang=en) - [For Large Enterprises](https://theabcgroupem.com/for-large-enterprises?hsLang=en) - [Diversification](https://theabcgroupem.com/diversification?hsLang=en) - [Foreign Office Transition](https://theabcgroupem.com/foreign-office-transition?hsLang=en) - [Capabilities](https://theabcgroupem.com/capabilities?hsLang=en) - Markets · - [Markets Overview](https://theabcgroupem.com/markets?hsLang=en) - [China](https://theabcgroupem.com/markets/china?hsLang=en) - [India](https://theabcgroupem.com/markets/india?hsLang=en) - [Vietnam](https://theabcgroupem.com/markets/emerging?hsLang=en) - [Thailand](https://theabcgroupem.com/markets/emerging?hsLang=en) - [Cambodia](https://theabcgroupem.com/markets/emerging?hsLang=en) - [Malaysia](https://theabcgroupem.com/markets/emerging?hsLang=en) - [Insights](https://theabcgroupem.com/insights?hsLang=en) [Let's Talk](https://theabcgroupem.com/contact?hsLang=en) - [The Third Path](https://theabcgroupem.com/the-third-path?hsLang=en) - Solutions ▾ - [For Private Equity](https://theabcgroupem.com/for-private-equity?hsLang=en) - [For Large Enterprises](https://theabcgroupem.com/for-large-enterprises?hsLang=en) - [Diversification](https://theabcgroupem.com/diversification?hsLang=en) - [Foreign Office Transition](https://theabcgroupem.com/foreign-office-transition?hsLang=en) - [Capabilities](https://theabcgroupem.com/capabilities?hsLang=en) - Markets ▾ - [Markets Overview](https://theabcgroupem.com/markets?hsLang=en) - [China](https://theabcgroupem.com/markets/china?hsLang=en) - [India](https://theabcgroupem.com/markets/india?hsLang=en) - [Vietnam](https://theabcgroupem.com/markets/emerging?hsLang=en) - [Thailand](https://theabcgroupem.com/markets/emerging?hsLang=en) - [Cambodia](https://theabcgroupem.com/markets/emerging?hsLang=en) - [Malaysia](https://theabcgroupem.com/markets/emerging?hsLang=en) - [Insights](https://theabcgroupem.com/insights?hsLang=en) - [Let's Talk](https://theabcgroupem.com/contact?hsLang=en) MARKETS China · India · Vietnam · Cambodia · Malaysia · Thailand # Six markets and growing. *One* operating model. Most companies built their supply chain around a single country. The ones executing well today are building it across a region — different markets playing different roles, managed under a single SOP from one embedded team. *6* active Operating markets, continually evaluated *1* SOP Standardized across every market we run 25*+* yrs In-region operating presence THE STRATEGIC FRAME Why a regional approach ## A balanced supply chain often isn't built in a single country. For two decades, supply chain strategy meant a country strategy — almost always China. That model is now structurally exposed: tariff cycles, regulatory friction, geopolitical concentration risk, and a cost base that no longer reflects the assumptions it was built on. The companies executing well in 2026 aren't leaving China; they're rebalancing — distributing categories, capacity, and risk across a deliberate set of regional markets, each chosen for the specific role it plays. 01 / Each market plays a role Markets are not interchangeable India isn't an emerging China; Cambodia isn't a cheaper Vietnam. Each market has structural strengths in specific categories — and structural limitations in others. A regional supply chain works because markets are matched to categories, not selected as defaults. 02 / One SOP across all of them Operational consistency, not regional fragmentation Different markets, same standards. Quality protocols, audit cadences, supplier scorecards, and reporting formats are standardized — so production in Hanoi reads the same to your team as production in Shenzhen, and both look the same in your ERP. 03 / Continually evaluated Six active markets — not the only six Our footprint is reviewed against client demand, supplier ecosystem maturity, and macro signals. New markets are added when they serve a real role for clients, not as headlines. Today: six active. Tomorrow's mix is a question we revisit with discipline. MARKET PROFILES Where we operate, and why ## Six markets. Different roles. One operating standard. Most clients' largest exposure ### China Mature · Recalibrating Not about leaving — about understanding and right-sizing the exposure. For most clients, China will continue to play a key role in the supply chain over the next 5–10 years. That isn't the question. The question is whether the *current level* of exposure still makes sense given how much has structurally changed since the assumptions underlying that exposure were formed. **China is no longer cheap — but it can still be cost-effective.** Knowledge worker wages have grown roughly 8% annually for over a decade, white-collar compensation in supply chain functions has risen 70–75% since the mid-2010s, and total landed costs have increased 30–40% on regulatory burden alone. The economics that justified the legacy operating model — labor-heavy, headcount-driven, accountability-light — no longer hold. Beyond cost, the risk profile has compounded across four dimensions: **regulatory** (compliance friction from both Chinese and US lawmakers), **geopolitical** (Taiwan, Japan, India flashpoints with company-specific exposure), **economic** (supplier solvency risk amid declining export demand), and **demographic** (wage inflation, generational ownership transition driving unanticipated plant closures). China dropped its own "developing nation" status — it should no longer be managed as a developing market, but as a *developed* one requiring a different operational discipline. For most clients, the right work in China today is two-fold: **modernize how the existing footprint is managed** (lean processes, supplier accountability, reduced staffing bloat) and **structurally recalibrate exposure** — often including divesting or restructuring WFOEs, JVs, and sourcing offices in favor of asset-light alternatives that preserve capability without preserving fixed cost. Deeper reading [China — The Recalibration Question →](https://theabcgroupem.com/markets/china?hsLang=en) [China Is No Longer Cheap — But It Can Be Cost-Effective →](https://theabcgroupem.com/insights/china-no-longer-cheap?hsLang=en) [The Concentration Risk Trap →](https://theabcgroupem.com/insights/concentration-risk-trap?hsLang=en) ### India Rapidly Emerging · Long-Term Counterweight A 5–10 year foundation, not a 90-day workaround. India is the most credible long-term counterweight to China-centric supply chains. It is the world's most populous country, with a young, increasingly well-educated workforce and wage costs materially below China's. India already has well-established sectors in **automotive, pharmaceuticals, and technology** that go well beyond commodity production. The geopolitical risk profile is structurally different — and structurally better. As a democracy with an increasingly aligned strategic position relative to the US, India does not carry the same friction as China across regulation, trade policy, or sovereign-conflict scenarios. India is also not without real challenges. Infrastructure gaps remain (port logistics, last-mile distribution). Business culture expectations between Indian suppliers and US buyers can produce friction around communication cadence, negotiation patterns, and quality documentation. These are solvable problems — but they require operating discipline, not optimism. The right way to think about India is as *a foundation being built for the next decade*. India is investing aggressively in domestic infrastructure and industrial capability, and the trajectory points toward a real pathway to decouple critical inputs from China entirely. Companies that establish supplier relationships and operational presence in India today are positioning for a 5–10 year strategic advantage — not a one-year tariff workaround. **The mosaic markets.** Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, and Thailand each have specific category strengths that don't replicate China but can absorb meaningful volume when matched correctly. The play here isn't to replace China with one of them — it's to distribute select categories across a regional mosaic, trading high single-country concentration for a more resilient, more cost-effective footprint. Each is ready to be tapped today; each has structural ceilings that mean the mosaic only works when categories are matched to markets. #### Vietnam Established Alternative Strongest fit for soft goods and apparel, with mature supplier ecosystems and a stable operating environment. The deepest of the four mosaic markets in supplier maturity, and the most directly substitutable for China in the categories where it's strong. #### Cambodia Emerging Capacity · Assembly Cost-competitive capacity with growing assembly capability and a maturing supplier base. Most appropriate for assembly-heavy categories where labor cost remains a meaningful share of total landed cost. #### Malaysia Quality-Tier Alternative Strong infrastructure, skilled workforce, and developed supplier base for technically demanding work. The right answer when the category requires execution quality that the lower-cost mosaic markets can't yet support consistently. #### Thailand Industrial Parts · Specialty Manufacturing Established industrial base with particular strength in industrial parts and specialty manufacturing. Mature logistics infrastructure and stable operating environment make it well-suited for categories that require predictability over the lowest unit cost. ### Six markets. *One* team. *One* contract. *One* SOP. Active operating presence China 25+ years Longest-tenured market and largest team. Deepest supplier network across the broadest set of categories. India Primary diversification channel The strongest long-term counterweight to China. Strong engineering depth and a maturing manufacturing base. Vietnam Established alternative Mature supplier ecosystems and a stable operating environment for diversification at scale. Cambodia Emerging capacity Cost-competitive assembly capability with a growing supplier base. Malaysia Quality-tier alternative Strong infrastructure and skilled workforce for technically demanding work. Thailand Industrial parts Established industrial base with strength in industrial parts and specialty manufacturing. ## Tell us where you operate. We'll tell you where you're exposed. A 30-minute working session with one of our principals. Bring your current footprint and category mix and we'll map your exposure across markets — and where the rebalancing levers actually are. No RFP process required. [Schedule a Working Session](https://theabcgroupem.com/contact?hsLang=en) [Run Assessment First](https://theabcgroupem.com/maturity-assessment?hsLang=en) [![The ABC Group — Asian Business Consultants](https://theabcgroupem.com/hubfs/abc-logo-dark-bg.svg)](https://theabcgroupem.com/?hsLang=en) Supply Chain Management as a Service. The Third Path to global supply chain performance — same control as in-house, none of the overhead. 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