China Manufacturing Decoded

2026 Manufacturing Trends: Tariffs, China+1, Repairability, AI & ‘Smart’ Factories

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In this pre-Christmas episode 307, Adrian and Renaud look ahead to five manufacturing trends that could shape 2026 for importers working with China and Asia. 

Thanks for listening during 2025. We appreciate all of our listeners and followers, and, if you like what we do, please consider giving us a 5-star rating on your podcast player! See you in 2026!

Topics covered are:

  • Tariff volatility in the Trump era
  • What comes after “China+1”
  • The growing focus on repairability, modularity and sustainable design
  • The AI/data center boom
  • Where is all the ‘smart manufacturing’ we keep seeing in the press?

    •  

    Episode Sections:

    • 00:00 – Introduction

    • 03:16 – Trend #1: Tariff volatility in the Trump era

    • 12:14 – Trend #2: Where is ‘China+1’ really going?

    • 19:36 – Trend #3: Sustainability, repairability & modular design

    • 24:10 – Trend #4: AI/data centers and component price shocks

    • 27:49 – Trend #5: Smart manufacturing: hype vs. factory floor reality

    • 31:40 – Wrap-up, Merry Christmas & call for questions

      •  

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