Ecolab's new Vietnam factory meets growing U.S., European demand there

U.S. cleaning products giant follows clients to Southeast Asian country

As factory giants shift supply chains to Vietnam, vendors like Ecolab, a sanitation and water purification company, are following in a next wave of investment. (Photo by Lien Hoang)

LIEN HOANG, Nikkei staff writer

January 12, 2024 17:32 JST

HO CHI MINH CITY -- New York-listed cleaning products giant Ecolab has launched a factory in Vietnam as its U.S. and European clients shift investment to the Southeast Asian country, an increasingly popular alternative to China.

The $50 billion company had relied on imports to serve McDonald's, Shell and others in Vietnam, but executives told Nikkei Asia that the market's fast growth now justifies a full domestic plant.