Global Enterprises Urgently Need to Reshape Operating Models: Strategic Evolution Under Asian Supply Chain Restructuring

一、旧模式的失效：效率至上时代的终结

For the past three decades, global enterprises have generally followed an operational logic of "global sourcing, centralized production, and scale distribution." This model was centered on cost minimization, relying on a stable geopolitical environment and unobstructed trade channels. However, this premise is now collapsing.

Geopolitical friction, pandemic shocks, and extreme weather events have laid bare the fragility of global supply chains. Companies have begun to realize that linear supply chains focused solely on efficiency are no match for uncertainty. In a report released in 2025, BCG explicitly called on multinational corporations to adopt a new operating model to address an era where "resilience comes first." This assessment applies not only to manufacturing giants in Europe and the United States, but also serves as a warning for Asian enterprises deeply embedded in global value chains.

二、亚洲的变局：从“世界工厂”到“复合型市场”

Asia is no longer a single production base; it now simultaneously plays multiple roles as a consumer market, a source of innovation, and a supply chain hub. The upgrading of China's manufacturing sector, ASEAN's absorption of industrial transfers, and the surge of India's digital economy together form a dynamically evolving regional landscape.

The "China+1" strategy has shifted from a contingency option for multinational companies to a mainstream narrative. But foreign capital is not simply moving production capacity out of China; rather, it is reconfiguring across the broader Asian map: export processing zones in Vietnam, Thailand, and Indonesia are attracting investment in electronics, apparel, and auto parts, while China is moving up to higher value-added segments. India's strengths in IT services and digital infrastructure have become a key variable in the transformation of operating models.

This structural change means that companies can no longer use a one-size-fits-all global operating template. The heterogeneity of regional markets demands that operating models possess a high degree of local adaptability—from the configuration of supply chain nodes, to the building of talent teams, to compliance and risk management.

三、新运营模式的三大支柱

Based on practices currently unfolding in Asian markets, we believe that a new operating model must possess at least three core characteristics.

First, networked supply chains replace linear chains. Enterprises need to build supply chain networks with multiple sources and multiple nodes, with Southeast Asia, South Asia, and Northeast Asia serving as complementary nodes. This requires shifting from the sequential mindset of "procurement–production–distribution" to a network mindset of "dynamic resource allocation." For example, an electronics brand could establish its regional headquarters in Singapore, complete precision component manufacturing in China, assemble in Vietnam, and use Malaysia's logistics hub for global distribution.

Second, a decision-making system driven by digitalization and AI. In the past, multinational companies relied on standardized processes and annual planning for management. Today, real-time data, AI forecasting, and digital twin technologies enable enterprises to respond immediately to fluctuations in market demand, logistics disruptions, and exchange rate changes. Asia is gradually becoming a testing ground for this digital operation—from the large-scale application of China's industrial internet, to smart port governance in Singapore, to India's AI talent pool—all of which provide infrastructure support for enterprises.Third, sustainability is embedded in every aspect of operations. Europe's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism and the global wave of ESG investment have imposed higher environmental compliance requirements on Asian suppliers. Future operating models must treat carbon emissions, circular utilization, and social responsibility as core metrics, rather than peripheral issues. This means companies need to establish transparent, traceable systems for the carbon footprint of their supply chains in Asia, and form linkages with local governments and industrial parks.

4. Where Should Asian Companies Go?

Faced with external pressure, Asian local companies often find themselves in a passive adaptive state—but this is also an opportunity for proactive reshaping.

First, Chinese multinational companies should leverage their accumulation in emerging technology fields to export "digital infrastructure" capabilities to the ASEAN market, thereby upgrading their operating models from "product export" to "system export." Second, ASEAN companies should accelerate regional supply chain integration, utilizing RCEP tariff preferences to enhance cross-border collaboration efficiency. Furthermore, Indian companies can take on more high-value-added business process outsourcing and software services during the process of global companies restructuring their operating models.

At the same time, Asian family businesses and small and medium-sized suppliers also need to realize that it is difficult for them to survive long-term by relying solely on relational orders. Building a transparent, compliant, and digitalized management architecture is the ticket to joining the global network of new operating models.

5. Conclusion: From "Global Standards" to "Glocalization"

The title of the BCG report echoes a long-standing transformation proposition: what global companies need is not fine-tuning, but operating-system-level iteration. And Asia is becoming the laboratory and arena for this iteration.

In the next decade, the companies that will prevail are not the largest or the oldest, but those organizations that can flexibly experiment, learn quickly, and continuously restructure their own operating models within Asia's diverse ecosystem. Just like two sides of the same coin, the new operating models of global companies will inevitably be shaped in Asia, and will inevitably serve Asia.