vietnam farming

Southeast Asia: The Bounty & Promise of ASEAN

Food, consumers and industry in exchange for investment and automation technology

Robotics | Automation | Artificial Intelligence | Advanced Manufacturing
3D Printing | Logistics | Industrial Internet of Things | Smart Factory

The Best Deal in the East:
What East Asia needs to flourish,
the ASEAN Community can offer
in quantity.


What the ASEAN needs for a future,
East Asia already has in surplus.

Agribotics, cobots and industrial automation top the list
The first thing to realize about the 10-nation ASEAN community is how big it is: a tad smaller than the U.S. in land area, but nearly twice the population at 625 million. 

It’s GDP of $2.5 trillion is about the same as the combined GDP of two of China’s best provinces, Guangdong and Jiangsu, but larger than the GDPs of France or Korea, and 25 percent larger than that of India.

Since 2000, the ASEAN economies have collectively grown faster than any other Asian economy except China.  During those sixteen years, GDP has quadrupled, per capita income tripled, and foreign direct investment (FID) into ASEAN countries quintupled. 

According to HSBC, ASEAN economies attracted a combined $136 billion in foreign direct investment last year, topping China’s $128 billion.

And, oh by the way, poverty has been cut in half.

Yet, there’s so much more to be done, and robots are the tools of preference at helping the ASEAN economies get to a future of prosperity. East Asia, nearby and willing, is the ideal partner.

asean flags 600

ASEAN Economic Community (AEC)

aesean country map

ASEAN: What's Ahead

Myanmar Awakening: New Automation Frontier
Forecast to nearly triple GDP by 2030: $69B to $200B

Malaysia’s Robot City Gets Cranking
Seeking its own piece of Industry 4.0, Malaysia looks toward digitally-driven manufacturing for an edge in productivity…and a better future

Thailand’s $45 Billion Leap to Industry 4.0
Newly approved plan favors 10 key industries, with robotics and logistics carving out a $6 billion share

$321B in ASEAN Infrastructure Funding to Drive Automation
May well be the jewel in the crown of Asia’s future

ASEAN Profiles: Singapore
Singapore: Seeking a Bridge Between
Can robotics become a key contributor in shift from simply “adding value” to “creating value”?

ASEAN Profiles: Myanmar
Lucky Moon Over Myanmar
Why fail when everyone wants you to win? Myanmar could well become one of automation’s finer creations

ASEAN Profiles: Thailand
Japan Gets Cozy with Thailand
Can Thailand become kingmaker of robot-driven automation along the Mekong River and beyond?

ASEAN Profiles: Vietnam
Korea Adds Robotics to Smart Vietnam Strategy
Korea makes smart, decisively bold moves into the ASEAN, especially with Vietnam