LinkedIn·Tuesday, 25 August 2026·1d ago

The industry is no longer changing along a single axis. Global production networks are being reconfigured, Vietnam and other manufacturing…

Mohamed Boulahfati

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The industry is no longer changing along a single axis. Global production networks are being reconfigured, Vietnam and other manufacturing hubs are gaining importance, tariffs are reshaping sourcing decisions, and regionalisation is advancing without replacing global manufacturing. At the same time, the product itself is changing. Modularity, repairability, mass customisation and space efficiency are converging with automation, AI-supported production, digital design and increasingly sophisticated product data. Table of Contents 1. Global Manufacturing Direction 2. Consumer Preferences and Changing Value Propositions 3. Demographic, Socioeconomic and Lifestyle Change 4. Housing, Urbanisation and Hybrid Working 5. Materials Transformation 6. Sustainability Becomes a Manufacturing Requirement 7. Deforestation and Timber Traceability 8. Circular Economy and Product-Life Extension 9. Repairability and Design for Disassembly 10. Automation and Robotics 11. Artificial Intelligence and Computer Vision 12. Digital Twins, Virtual Prototyping and Connected Production 13. Mass Customisation and Made-to-Order Production 14. Additive Manufacturing 15. Supply-Chain Diversification 16. Regionalisation and Nearshoring 17. Tariffs and Trade Policy 18. Raw Materials, Energy, Labour and Logistics Costs 19. E-Commerce Changes Manufacturing 20. Direct-to-Consumer and Omnichannel Models 21. Changing Manufacturer-Retailer Relationships 22. Contract, Hospitality and Property Markets 23. Workforce Transformation 24. Competitive Landscape 25. Regional Outlook: China 26. Regional Outlook: Southeast Asia 27. Regional Outlook: Europe 28. Regional Outlook: North America 29. Emerging Markets 30. Developments Accelerating 31. Developments Progressing More Slowly 32. Developments Changing Direction 33. Early Signals to Monitor 34. Key Risks 35. Strategic Opportunities Modular Circular Products Digitally Enabled Made-to-Order Manufacturing Regional Flexible Factories Lifecycle Services Product Data Infrastructure Circular Contract Furniture Automation for Small-Batch Manufacturing 36. Five-to-Ten-Year Outlook --- Download the full trend report via trends@hiddendatalab.com