A new report highlights the need for U.S. manufacturers to focus on building a skilled workforce, using tools for calculating total cost of ownership, and preparing for geopolitical risks.
SARASOTA, Fla.—A collaboration between the Reshoring Initiative® and Regions Recruiting® has delivered a new industry report revealing the organizations’ recommendations on what government, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), and contract manufacturers (CMs) must do to further accelerate and benefit from reshoring.
The survey attracted more than 500 respondents and offers insight into OEMs’ and contract manufacturers’ perceptions of barriers to manufacturing reshoring, according to a release from the Reshoring Initiative.
Conducted from February through April 2025, the survey comes at a pivotal time. As the Trump administration implements tariffs and contemplates new economic policy for U.S. manufacturing, manufacturers are navigating complex decisions about costs and planning for potential supply chain disruptions and workforce shortages.
Although reshoring surveys have been numerous over the last few years, this one is reported to be especially newsworthy for various reasons. For example, it offers alternative paths to reindustrialization if President Trump’s tariffs are permanently blocked by the courts. It also quantifies the impact that each of President Trump’s reindustrialization policies would have on future reshoring. An available and skilled workforce ranks first, ahead of tariffs, taxes, regulations, and currency, the release stated.
In addition, the survey ranks the reasons why OEMs reshored, and pinpoints the factors that OEMs should prioritize more highly—namely, geopolitical risk and use of total cost of ownership (TCO) tools. It is also notable because it “surveys U.S. contract manufacturers, a vital part of the domestic supply chain, and identifies opportunities for them to gain orders versus imports by achieving faster delivery and providing stronger commercial and technical partnerships with the OEMs,” the release stated.
The Reshoring Initiative, founded in 2010, is on a mission to “eliminate our $1.2 trillion goods trade deficit and increase U.S. manufacturing by 40 percent,” according to the release. The organization works to accelerate reshoring by documenting the trend and assisting companies in accurately assessing their total cost of offshoring.
A big part of the Initiative’s efforts involves shifting popular thinking from “offshoring is cheaper” to “local [production] reduces the total cost of ownership.” It does so through advocacy and by providing tools and support. Primarily as a result of more reshoring and less offshoring, manufacturing employment has risen over the last 14 years, the best record in the last 45 years, the release stated.
Regions Recruiting offers both permanent placement and contract staffing services, specializing in the manufacturing, B2B distribution, and supply chain/logistics industries. The organization partners with Fortune 1000 companies, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and emerging growth companies to “place extraordinary people to advance their U.S. businesses,” the release stated.