Kuala Lampur, Oct. 16 -- Anyone who has spent time in manufacturing knows that even the best-laid plans can change overnight.

A supplier revises its prices, a shipment arrives late, or a customer changes an order at short notice, leaving the production team to work out how best to keep things moving.

For Malaysian manufacturers, these everyday realities now sit alongside shifting trade policies, geopolitical tensions and changing customer expectations.

It is understandable that business leaders are keeping a close eye on what might happen next.

But there is another question worth asking: how well do we understand what is happening within our own businesses today?

Malaysia's manufacturing sector generated RM1.97 trillion in sales in 2...