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The war-driven supply shock already roiling manufacturing in Asia
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Japanese food giant Calbee said shortages of naphtha were forcing it to switch to black-and-white packaging for its potato chips.
PHOTO: CALBEE
River Akira Davis and Hisako Ueno
TOKYO – Countries in Asia are reeling from a shortage of naphtha, a petroleum derivative used in a dizzying array of products, from household plastic wrap to industrial inks and medical devices.
Early global alarm over the war in the Middle East centred on skyrocketing crude prices and petrol spikes at the pump. But in East Asia, naphtha has emerged as the first major industrial disruption.
