A large typhoon called Haitang has placed itself over Taiwan, one of the biggest seen in years. According to a BBC story winds have reached in excess of 114mph. At least 16 people have been injured and property has been damaged by high winds and flooding.

HEXUS has also learned that communication links are affected, making it difficult or impossible for companies to communicate with their Taiwan offices. At the time of writing, Taipei based Digi Times online news site has a simple notification at the top of the page announcing that the majority of work in Taiwan has been cancelled due to the typhoon.

Typhoon Haitang could have a knock on effect for the rest of the world, given that manufacturing will have been slowed or halted at many factories. Manufacturers may struggle to meet demands amidst the downtime resulting from Haitang, then there's the cost of the clean-up operation once the typhoon subsides.

We'll bring you more information on the damage caused by the typhoon and the impact on manufacturing as we discover it.