'Reshoring' manufacturing has been a recurring theme in this blog over the last year or so.
My own take on things, based on survey work we have done with SGH Martineau, is that really is happening but on a smaller scale than many have claimed, with around one in six firms actually doing it, driven by concerns over costs, quality and turnaround (or lead) times (see for a recent blog on this).
And now a new , by the Manufacturing Advisory Service (MAS), has just come to very similar findings.
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It too finds that around one in six 海角视频 manufacturers have brought production back from overseas during the past year or is in the process of doing so.
MAS surveyed over 500 small and medium-sized (SME) manufacturing firms and found that - like our own survey - around one in six firms were actually bringing production back, compared with only 4 per cent that offshored in the past year.
Around a quarter of respondents to the MAS survey (26%) said that concern over the cost of offshore production was the main motive for reshoring, followed by quality (cited by 20%) and lead times (18%).
The latter issue of rapid lead times or turnaround has already been noted in sectors such as clothing, textiles and high design content items, where fashions can change quickly and retailers wish to avoid having stock in transit for long periods hence a desire to produce near market.
Indeed, the increased variety and fashionability associated with 'fast fashion' have tilted the balance of competitive advantage towards firms nearer 'home'.
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Similarly, , the online retailer of bathroom furniture, is bringing back around half of the contracts currently awarded to Chinese manufacturers to Midlands' firms, in turn reducing the time from design to production from six months to six weeks.
Lorraine Holmes, area director of MAS, stated that: "There is certainly a growing desire from our companies to bring production home, with 23% of firms surveyed either actively planning or considering re-shoring, compared to just 3% that have offshored in the last year".
She added that "this marks a major change in approach from five years ago when the Far East and Eastern Europe seemed to be the destination of choice.
Buyers have realised that there is more to the 'landing' price than meets the eye, with delays in logistics and issues around quality adding a whole layer of hidden costs."
Another local example of reshoring sees , the Coventry-based engineering and automotive specialist, beginning production at a new Coventry factory, thereby enabling it to bring back production of aluminium rechargeable torches for Jaguar Land Rover from China which it had previously outsourced. More products may follow.
And just like with the fashion industry, rising costs in the Far East are not the only driver.
Turnaround is becoming critical, especially for premium automotive products where the consumer helps to design the final product but doesn't want to wait months for the car to be delivered.
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That means more opportunity for local suppliers to provide good and services locally and flexibly.
So, the good news is that manufacturing is reshoring but maybe on less of a scale than had previously been thought, and policymakers need to think about how we can push this along, through access to finance, skills, capital allowances and an industrial policy committed to 'bringing it home', as we see in the United States under President Obama.
Professor David Bailey works at the