Thought Leadership

A lean supply chain, at its heart, focusses on inventory optimisation and operational excellence. It aims to eliminate waste at every stage of the production and distribution process, and so have courted additional terms such as “continuous flow” and “just-in-time”. The critical aim is optimisation of inventory management rather than minimisation, and with its focus on consistency and repeatability, lean supply chains are designed to be arguably less flexible. For this reason, some have come to view this type of network as irrelevant in a disrupted world – agility rules. However, this is not the case.

Cushman & Wakefield’s latest report, Keeping Lean Supply Chains Relevant in a Post-pandemic World, explores key trends in the supply chain industry, highlighting the importance of optimising supply chain networks, with a key focus on lean supply chain and how it will continue to be relevant. 

This report was originally published in https://www.cushmanwakefield.com/en/insights/supply-chain-network-design-optimisation

2019 was a record year for commercial real estate, the office market was at an all-time high with positive sentiments from both occupiers and developers. However, the disruption induced by the COVID-19 pandemic brought the rise to a complete standstill.

Post the second wave in 2021, demand for quality spaces began to rise swiftly and steadily, with occupiers taking utmost advantage of tenant-favorable commercial terms. This trend continues to build up in Q2 2022, despite certain challenges.

The 5 Trigger Points of Commercial Real Estate focuses on fundamental aspects that are silently working to strengthen the recovery and sustain the rise of commercial real estate.

This report was originally published in https://www.cushmanwakefield.com/en/india/insights/five-trigger-points-for-commercial-real-estate

Responses from real estate investors in Japan were compiled in this survey. The responses include their expected returns, investment outlook, and rental growth. Surveyed firms include asset managers, securitization developers, life insurance, commercial banks and other financial institutions, investment banks, pension funds, and real estate leasing.

Cushman & Wakefield recently released “Office of the Future Revisited” in which a global view of how the demand for and use of office space is changing. Within the report, three realities were presented:

1. Demand for office space is accelerating;

2. Hybrid is here to stay; and

3. The role of the office has changed.

While all three of these realities are true for the Asia Pacific region, as a geographically large and culturally diverse region, we see nuance in how these realities manifest between markets.

• Asia Pacific continues to lead the world in office demand
• The region is, however, lagging somewhat when considering the shift to hybrid working
• Greater change management needs to be delivered as pressure builds from a growing, younger workforce
• With the nuances and differences between markets, solutions and approaches will need to vary across the region
• Corporate employers should begin testing and piloting now to meet the needs of their current and future workforce

This report was originally published in https://www.cushmanwakefield.com/en/insights/apac-office-of-the-future-revisited

• Pandemic-related border controls, mainland China’s zero-covid policy, the rising cost of global shipping and higher energy prices will continue to pressure Southeast Asian supply chains in 2022 and mostly likely beyond.
• As occupiers respond by strengthening supply chain resilience and seeking to strike a balance between “just-in-time” and “just-in-case” inventory models, new demand for modern warehouses is poised for substantial growth.
• Demand will also benefit from the implementation of China Plus One strategies by manufacturers seeking to relocate production out of mainland China and into multiple bases in nearby markets, with ASEAN economies set to be clear winners.
• As the RCEP and other FTAs take effect, Southeast Asian markets’ tariffs with their major trading partners will fall significantly, benefiting export growth and increasing their role and importance in global supply chains, spurring additional real estate requirements. The continued growth of the region’s e-commerce industry will also continue to drive warehouse demand.
• As well as booming occupier demand, investment in Southeast Asian manufacturing and logistics real estate will accelerate, with opportunities in developed markets likely to focus on developing institutional grade logistics stock to ride on local consumer market growth and the increasing importance of Southeast Asia in global value chains.

This report was originally published in https://apacresearch.cbre.com/en/research-and-reports/Asia-Pacific-ViewPoint–Prolonged-Supply-Chain-Disruption-to-Accelerate-Southeast-Asian-Logistics-Re

The Rediscovering Kowloon West outlines upcoming development areas and infrastructure projects in the west of Hong Kong and identifies opportunities for occupiers and investors.

Two mega projects in Lantau Tomorrow Vision and Northern Metropolis are expected to pave the way for different office clusters around Kowloon Station, Cheung Sha Wan and the New Development Areas (NDAs) in the New Territories. As a result, 29% of Grade A office space in the next five-years will be in Kowloon West with total supply expected to increase from 6 million sq. ft. in March 2022 to 9 million sq. ft. 2026.

This report was originally published in https://www.colliers.com/en-hk/research/colliers-radar-rediscovering-kowloon-west

The Greater Bay Area (GBA) has undergone rapid development in recent years, particularly in infrastructure and transportation network enhancement. Outline Development Plan for GBA issued by the Central government shows the Chinese government’s commitment to improving capital flows throughout the region, which will benefit Hong Kong, specifically the office market.

According to Knight Frank’s in-house data, interviews from landlords, as well as information from tenants and agency practitioners, Biomedical, Family office, TMT and Emerging and high-growth Chinese companies are the four new potential Chinese mainland businesses to come to the Hong Kong market.

In this report, Knight Frank has identified three emerging office hubs in Kowloon that have greater potential to reap the benefits brought by the development of the GBA.

• Kai Tak Development Node – it is well connected to cities in GBA via the Intercity Through Train;
• Cheung Sha Wan – Lai Chi Kok – the upcoming notable new office supply in Cheung Sha Wan and Lai Chi Kok area will transform it into one of the largest office hubs in western Kowloon;
• CBD1.5-XRL Station – given the large scale of development, prestigious location and unique positioning, the West Kowloon Cultural District together with the XRL topside project will become an important up and coming office hub in Hong Kong.

Looking ahead, GBA will continue to gather momentums to develop into a world-class city cluster, and Knight Frank expects leasing demand from Chinese Enterprises to rebound and keep rising upon the reopening of the border.

This report was originally published in https://www.knightfrank.com/research/report-library/greater-bay-area-development-report-june-2022-9110.aspx

With the pandemic having led many companies to incorporate increased levels of remote working into their current preferred workplace models to create a hybrid working approach, occupiers must now enhance their workplaces to deliver the type of seamless and engaging experiences that remote working cannot. This is no longer a “nice to have”; it’s a must have!

CBRE believes the creation of places where people work must be founded on understanding the changing nature of work in a hybrid world, what motivates people to come together, and a deep understanding of how to create experiences that really matter.

This report explores these challenges in detail by exploring how companies are planning for a hybrid future, as well as uncovering some of the nuances in approaches that exist between Asian and Western firms.

It also identifies and expands upon the five different types of workplace models identified by CBRE, which consider the fact that office role and design will likely vary according to what proportion of the week employees spend in the office.

This report was originally published in https://apacresearch.cbre.com/en/research-and-reports/Asia-Pacific-ViewPoint—Future-of-Office—Its-About-People-But-Place-Matters-Too

• Flex operators returned to growth in H2 2021 as an uptick in leasing volume brought an end to a phase of consolidation.
• Cautious growth is expected to continue in 2022 amid an increase in enterprise demand from tech firms and business services companies. Interest is also growing among financial companies, life sciences and consumer product firms.
• In response to evolving occupier demand, flex operators are increasingly providing a more diverse space offering, with changes being made to pricing models, centre networks and technology.
• Landlords are becoming more involved in providing flex options in their properties as traditional landlord-tenant approaches give way to partnerships, management agreements and owner-operator models.

This report was originally published in https://apacresearch.cbre.com/en/research-and-reports/Asia-Pacific-Report—Asia-Pacific-Flex-Space-Market-Bounces-Back

With the pandemic now well into its third year, most markets in Asia Pacific have adopted a policy of living with COVID-19 as high vaccination rates, effective medical care and the emergence of weaker variants reduce the severity of the virus and remove the need for lockdowns and other related measures. The findings from CBRE’s 2022 Asia Pacific Occupier Survey, which was conducted from March-April of this year, reflect this new paradigm.The report identifies and explores the five key real estate priorities for Asia Pacific occupiers in the post-pandemic era:

• Adopting Flexible Working as the New Normal
• Refining Workplace Strategies and Policies
• Augmenting Office Wellness and Sustainability
• Facilitating a Return to the Office
• Pursuing Long-Term Portfolio Expansion

The report also highlights the challenges that companies will need to address during this period of transformation.