How do you estimate demand for industrial equipment in a new region?

Start with trade data from UN Comtrade or ASEAN trade portals to see current CNC import volumes by country — Vietnam and Thailand are usually the strongest signals for mid-range industrial equipment. Cross-reference with manufacturing PMI trends and FDI inflows into those countries' industrial sectors. If you want a quicker proxy, check local distributor earnings reports or talk to 5-10 regional distributors directly — they'll give you rough unit volume estimates faster than any dataset will.