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Asia's Manufacturing Decline Deepens Amid Trade War, SAP Faces Growing Uncertainty

SAP

Business Honor
01 April, 2025

Weakening factory activity across Asia puts pressure on SAP’s regional growth prospects.

Asia's manufacturing sector indicated weakness in March, which reflects the rising pressure of a global slowdown and the deepening U.S.-led trade war. This pattern of reducing factory activity, underscored in recent private surveys, will challenge firms throughout the region, including SAP, as the companies could deal with changing market dynamics and an uncertain economic environment.

The decline in manufacturing activity was most visible in Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan, where companies indicated worsening business sentiment as U.S. trade policy and tariffs took their toll. SAP, the global market leader in enterprise resource planning (ERP) and supply chain solutions, could feel the knock-on effect of this regional slowdown because its customer base includes manufacturers whose fortunes are directly tied to economic conditions.

While the larger regional slump occurred, China stood out as an exception with a slight increase in its manufacturing sector. This was due mainly to Chinese factories scrambling to meet orders before possible U.S. tariffs. China's Caixin/S&P Global manufacturing PMI climbed to 51.2 in March, a small gain, though analysts warn the surge might be temporary as a result of still-escalating trade tensions.

As the global trade war escalates, SAP's Asian business activities could be threatened. Businesses implementing SAP's manufacturing and supply chain management software could increasingly struggle to predict demand, plan production, and remain profitable. This unpredictability could prompt businesses to re-evaluate their long-term IT investments, and this in turn could affect SAP's prospects for growth in Asia.

The outlook for Asia's manufacturing industry is uncertain, with the threat of more tariffs and slow global recovery hanging over businesses, even sector winners in the business software sector like SAP.