This past weekend I had the opportunity to listen to a presentation on “To Reshore or Offshore.” I had never heard the term “Reshore” before. Being in the manufacturing industry in the United States it seems all you hear about is how companies are moving their manufacturing to places like Mexico or China. It was refreshing to hear of a growing movement of companies moving their manufacturing back toAmerica or “Reshoring.” Following are some points that were made during the presentation by Harry Moser who is the founder of the Reshoring Initiative. The Reshoring Initiative, is an industry-led effort to bring manufacturing jobs back to the United States. The initiative works with U.S. manufacturers to help them recognize their profit potential as well as the critical role they play in strengthening the economy by utilizing local sourcing and production.
Why Reshore
The massive U.S.trade deficit is a major cause of the decline of U.S.manufacturing over the past several decades, the high unemployment rate and debilitating budget deficit. Domestic suppliers have watched as large manufacturers have offshored work and well-paying jobs. Offshoring ultimately contributes to waste and instability.
Reshoring is an efficient way to reduce imports, increase exports and regain manufacturing jobs in the United States. It’s also the fastest and most efficient way to strengthen the U.S. economy.
For the nation, reshoring brings back desirable jobs that have been lost to decades of offshoring. Reshoring also helps manufacturers recover from offshoring’s poor quality, trade secret thefts, supply chain disruptions and lengthy delivery times — all while staying cost competitive.
Top reasons for companies to reshore:
◦Reduces Total Cost of Ownership
◦Improves quality and consistency of inputs
◦Reduces pipeline and surge inventory impact on just-in-time operations
◦Clusters manufacturing near R&D facilities, enhancing innovation
◦Reduces intellectual property and regulatory compliance risk
◦Eliminates the waste and instability caused by offshoring
◦Strengthens companies’ ability to respond quickly to customers’ demands
Top reasons for the nation to reshore:
◦Brings jobs back to the U.S.
◦Helps balance U.S., state, and local budgets
◦Motivates recruits to enter the skilled manufacturing workforce
◦Strengthens the defense industrial base
These reasons have been true for years. Now the company benefits of reshoring are growing daily as offshore sourcing faces increased wages and currencies, higher transportation and fuel costs, and inability to provide required responsiveness. Nationally, reshoring breaks out of the waiting-for-policy-decisions problem (currency, trade negotiations) and the economic zero-sum-game (taxes and spending).
Many companies are shifting their operations back to the U.S. because offshoring has hindered their ability to rapidly deliver goods, maintain low inventories, uphold competitive costs and meet demand for rapid adjustments to unique products.
Credit: Harry Moser and the Reshoring Initiative http://www.reshorenow.org/.