We use cookies to provide you with a better experience. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies in accordance with our Cookie Policy.
  • INDUSTRY PRESS ROOM
  • SUBMISSIONS
  • MEDIA FILE
  • Create Account
  • Sign In
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Free Newsletters
  • MAGAZINE
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Digital Edition
    • Subscribe
    • Newsletters
  • STRATEGY
  • GLOBAL
  • LOGISTICS
  • MANUFACTURING
  • PROCUREMENT
  • VIDEO
    • News & Exclusives
    • Viewer Contributed
    • CSCMP EDGE 2022 Startup Alley
    • Upload your video
  • PODCAST ETC
    • Podcast
    • White Papers
    • Webcasts
    • Events
    • Blogs
      • Reflections
      • SCQ Forum
    • Mobile Apps
  • MAGAZINE
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Digital Edition
    • Subscribe
    • Newsletters
  • STRATEGY
  • GLOBAL
  • LOGISTICS
  • MANUFACTURING
  • PROCUREMENT
  • VIDEO
    • News & Exclusives
    • Viewer Contributed
    • CSCMP EDGE 2022 Startup Alley
    • Upload your video
  • PODCAST ETC
    • Podcast
    • White Papers
    • Webcasts
    • Events
    • Blogs
      • Reflections
      • SCQ Forum
    • Mobile Apps
Home » Manufacturing jobs may indeed be coming "home," but who will do them?
Forward Thinking

Manufacturing jobs may indeed be coming "home," but who will do them?

March 8, 2017
Supply Chain Quarterly Staff
No Comments

A host of societal and economic trends—growing trade barriers, volatile exchange rates, and the erosion of labor-cost benefits in places like China—are pushing more companies to move their overseas manufacturing plants and production closer to large end-user markets. But obstacles to this general movement, known as "nearshoring," remain. Among the most significant: a lack of skilled labor.

A recent report by the analyst firm AlixPartners, "Homeward Bound: nearshoring continues, labor becomes limiting factor, and automation takes root," addresses this challenge and investigates some potential solutions.

AlixPartners conducts an annual survey about nearshoring that polls manufacturing and distribution companies that serve North America and Western Europe. In the 2016 survey, 69 percent of respondents said they are considering nearshoring their production facilities. One thing that may be holding them back, writes the report's author, AlixPartners Managing Director Foster Finley, may be the lack of skilled labor, particularly for key manufacturing roles such as process and product engineers, experienced line operators, and frontline supervisors.

For many respondents, robots may offer a way around that roadblock. Two-thirds of respondents indicated that they plan to invest in robotics and automation technologies. More than half (52 percent) said they believe the cost of robots has fallen to the point where investment in the technology is now favorable, and 47 percent said that robots are more capable of performing certain tasks, such as handling apparel, than they were in the past.

Yet the need for skilled labor will not completely evaporate. Manufacturers will still need employees who can oversee, service, and maintain this type of automation. To acquire this increasingly important talent base, the report recommends, manufacturers should consider building relationships with educational institutions, investing in developing their own employees' skills, and locating closer to population centers that possess people with the required skills.

  • Related Articles

    Interest in nearshoring remains strong, but trend may be slowing

    Freight rates dipped again in December, but rebound may be near for trucking cycle

    Will U.S. manufacturing be back on top?

Recent Articles by Supply Chain Quarterly Staff

IoT vendors say industry needs better collaboration

Survey: only 55% of shippers filled their LTL trucks to full capacity in 2022

Survey: consumers set price cap on paying sustainability premium

You must login or register in order to post a comment.

Report Abusive Comment

Most Popular Articles

  • Survey: parcel delivery drivers are frustrated by using their own smartphones for work

  • Survey: most Americans unaware that truckers face shortage of parking spaces

  • Best practices in logistics sustainability

  • Supply chain executives not yet seeing expected results from technology investments

  • Postal Service plans to seize items mailed with fake stamps

Featured Video

20221107korber large vs

Enhancing Customer Experience with Your Supply Chain Strategy

Viewer Contributed
With the rise of e-commerce, many businesses have had to transform their warehouses to handle online orders in addition to regularly scheduled inventory shipments. This means warehouses need more information than ever before to ensure they can meet customers' needs. As a result, companies need to select warehouse...

FEATURED WHITE PAPERS

  • Five tips for parcel success in 2023

  • Guide to Pallet Rack Safety

  • 3PLs: Complete Orders Faster with Flexible Automation

  • A shipper's guide to navigating post-pandemic holiday freight

View More

Subscribe to Supply Chain Quarterly

Get Your Subscription
  • SUBSCRIBE
  • E-NEWSLETTERS
  • ADVERTISING
  • CUSTOMER CARE
  • CONTACT
  • ABOUT
  • STAFF
  • PRIVACY POLICY

Copyright ©2023. All Rights ReservedDesign, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing