Asia’s factories face glitch as virus slams region

Powering on: Employees working on the production line at the TYM Corp tractor factory in South Korea. Asia’s export engines are scrambling to minimise Covid-19 disruptions to production. ― Bloomberg

SINGAPORE: Asia’s manufacturing managers are seeing stumbles in the area’s economic recovery as the pandemic continues to weigh on output and vaccination lags other regions.

Malaysia’s manufacturing purchasing managers’ index (PMI) declined to 39.9 in June, its lowest in more than a year, from 51.3. Vietnam, which also has been battling a recent resurgence of the virus, slipped to 44.1, below the 50 level that separates expansion and contraction.