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While the literature is rich in anecdotal cases of firms going through nearshoring strategies, understood as the relocation of production inputs in a geographically closer area, a study on the macroeconomic effects of nearshoring at regional level, in terms of both growth and regional inequalities, is still missing. Instead, understanding the potential regional variations in the outcomes of nearshoring practices is crucial for policymakers and stakeholders aiming to strike a balance between the imperative of strategic autonomy and the need to address existing regional disparities. The paper picks up such a challenge and, once nearshoring has been defined at the macroeconomic level as a process according to which the EU relative to extra‐EU inputs ratio increases, compared with a reference period in the past, it analyses regional inequality effects of such a phenomenon in Europe. The results show that nearshoring turns out to be notably diverse and contingent upon the efficiency gains the target regions offer. In some cases, it produces potential adverse consequences, going against the already complex process of decreasing regional disparities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite global uncertainties, Mexico has become the largest supplier to the United States, emphasizing its growing role in cultivating resilient supply chains. Nearshoring practices from Mexico and Canada to the U.S. present new production opportunities. Increasingly, U.S. consumers place a premium on sustainable consumption, so blue hydrogen plants must be sourced responsibly. This paper firstly goes beyond economic motivations, aiming to formulate a multi-stage methodology for assessing suppliers of municipal solid waste for blue hydrogen plants, marking a pioneering effort in catering to the environmentally conscious preferences of U.S. consumers. The purpose of this work is to examine a case study of Blue Hydrogen production in Nuevo Leon, emphasizing the importance of developing responsible sourcing criteria for waste suppliers to limited blue hydrogen plants. The developed hybrid approach integrates various methodologies, including Critical Systems Heuristics (CSH), fuzzy rough sets, hierarchical fuzzy rough analysis, Fuzzy rough WASPAS, TOPSIS, and Best-Worst Method (BWM), providing a comprehensive framework for decision-making under uncertainty. Key findings include the identification of water conservation (E2) and job creation (S2) as the top environmental and social criteria, respectively. Supplier WC2 was identified as the top-performing waste collector, achieving a final score of 4.77. This structured methodology prioritizes product categories for hydrogen consumption, considering sustainability criteria and U.S. consumer preferences, thereby offering valuable insights for businesses navigating this evolving landscape. • Multi-stage method assesses waste suppliers for blue hydrogen. • Pioneer in catering to environmentally conscious U.S. consumers. • Case study on responsible sourcing in Nuevo Leon's hydrogen production. • Hybrid approach integrates various methodologies for decision-making. • Prioritizes hydrogen consumption based on sustainability and U.S. preferences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Boletín Económico de ICE is the property of S.G.E.E.I.P.C., Secretaria de Estado de Comercio, Ministerio de Industria, Comercio y Turismo and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Nearshoring is a phenomenon that has gained prominence in Mexico over the last 2 years, where companies have faced problems in meeting customer demand due to a service level and limited inventory space. Previous studies in aggregate planning did not consider the possibility of allowing rental of extra warehouse space if needed with a concurrent uncertainty in demand. Therefore, to address this gap in the research, an improved optimization model for multi-product and multi-period aggregate planning with uncertainty in demands given an area of inventory space is proposed. A set of cases based on real industry data were solved and compared to a model where no warehouse space is allowed to be rented. The results are improvements related to production costs and customer demand satisfaction. In addition, the model will help managers of manufacturing companies to determine the minimum inventory space required to effectively meet demand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The growing expansion of the manufacturing sector, particularly in Mexico, has revealed a spectrum of nearshoring opportunities yet is paralleled by a discernible void in educational tools for various stakeholders, such as engineers, students, and decision-makers. This paper introduces a state-of-the-art framework, incorporating virtual reality (VR) and artificial intelligence (AI) to metamorphose the pedagogy of advanced manufacturing systems. Through a case study focused on the design, production, and evaluation of a robotic platform, the framework endeavors to offer an exhaustive educational experience via an interactive VR environment, encapsulating (1) Robotic platform system design and modeling, enabling users to immerse themselves in the design and simulation of robotic platforms under varied conditions; (2) Virtual manufacturing company, presenting a detailed virtual manufacturing setup to enhance users’ comprehension of manufacturing processes and systems, and problem-solving in realistic settings; and (3) Product evaluation, wherein users employ VR to meticulously assess the robotic platform, ensuring optimal functionality and customer satisfaction. This innovative framework melds theoretical acumen with practical application in advanced manufacturing, preparing entities to navigate Mexico’s manufacturing sector’s vibrant and competitive nearshoring landscape. It creates an immersive environment for understanding modern manufacturing challenges, fostering Mexico’s manufacturing sector growth, and maximizing nearshoring opportunities for stakeholders.

The growing expansion of the manufacturing sector, particularly in Mexico, has revealed a spectrum of nearshoring opportunities yet is paralleled by a discernible void in educational tools for various stakeholders, such as engineers, students, and decision-makers. This paper introduces a state-of-the-art framework, incorporating virtual reality (VR) and artificial intelligence (AI) to metamorphose the pedagogy of advanced manufacturing systems. Through a case study focused on the design, production, and evaluation of a robotic platform, the framework endeavors to offer an exhaustive educational experience via an interactive VR environment, encapsulating (1) Robotic platform system design and modeling, enabling users to immerse themselves in the design and simulation of robotic platforms under varied conditions; (2) Virtual manufacturing company, presenting a detailed virtual manufacturing setup to enhance users' comprehension of manufacturing processes and systems, and problem-solving in realistic settings; and (3) Product evaluation, wherein users employ VR to meticulously assess the robotic platform, ensuring optimal functionality and customer satisfaction. This innovative framework melds theoretical acumen with practical application in advanced manufacturing, preparing entities to navigate Mexico's manufacturing sector's vibrant and competitive nearshoring landscape. It creates an immersive environment for understanding modern manufacturing challenges, fostering Mexico's manufacturing sector growth, and maximizing nearshoring opportunities for stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article analyzes the prerequisites and essence of the main radical transformations that have taken place in the global logistics, including due to the war in Ukraine. The list of leading countries in the world logistics is given and the key directions and priorities of their development are investigated. The experience of countries that have experienced destruction and recovery is studied. The geopolitical interests of countries within the framework of international infrastructure projects are analyzed, including possible interests of Ukraine. The key trends in world logistics are described within the framework of a global approach to determining the most effective ways to implement relevant projects. The author proposes to compile a list of such aspects of effective logistics management that can provide Ukraine with advantages in the medium term post-war recovery, instead of simply minimizing the negative consequences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this article is to determine if the nearshoring investment in Mexico is explained by China's loss of participation in the US market, a result of a trade war, or is determined by other factors that have been developing for years, such as the increase in the manufacturing wage differential between Mexico and China or the global crisis due to the pandemic. The estimation of a VEC model, with quarterly data from 2006 to 2022, indicates that the loss of China's participation in the US Granger causes increases in nearshoring in Mexico and that the increase in wage differential in manufacturing between Mexico and China has favored nearshoring investment, since the Chinese labor cost has exceeded the Mexican one since 2012. The global recession caused by the pandemic and the application of tariff sanctions to China since 2018 do not cause nearshoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Mercados y Negocios is the property of Universidad de Guadalajara, Centro Universitario de Ciencias Economico Administrativas and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Boletín Económico de ICE is the property of S.G.E.E.I.P.C., Secretaria de Estado de Comercio, Ministerio de Industria, Comercio y Turismo and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

After decades of offshoring their manufacturing activities, an increasing number of companies are revising their location strategies and implementing reshoring decisions, including backshoring (relocation in the home country) and nearshoring (relocation in the home region) alternatives. It has been recognized that reshoring strategies are consistent with the sustainable production approach, since they allow companies to produce goods in a manner that is socially beneficial, economically viable, and environmentally less harmful over the whole life cycle of those goods. Additionally, there are early indications that reshoring can also promote and support sustainable consumption approaches. Consequently, reshoring has a wide range of impacts in both the home and the host countries, also in terms of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, this topic has received little attention in the extant reshoring literature. This paper seeks to contribute to the discussion by adopting a two‐step approach. Initially, we analyze the very few contributions available on this topic; then, we identify and discuss which of the 17 SDGs are impacted by reshoring decisions at both the home and the host country level. It emerges that reshoring decisions have several and differentiated impacts in terms of SDGs. In general, these impacts are positive for home countries and negative for host ones. For this reason, a trade‐off emerges when a single relocation decision is taken and implemented. Based on this evidence, implications for scholars, managers and policy makers are presented and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relocation of production chains in the world after the trade war between the United States and China has been presented in Mexico under the name of nearshoring, companies from the Asian giants China, South Korea and Japan have been motivated by this phenomenon to increase their investments in Mexico and thus take advantage of all the geographical and strategic advantages that Mexico offers. In Mexico, investment from Asian companies is mostly concentrated in the manufacturing sector, especially in the manufacture of automobiles and electronic components. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista de Economía (Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán) is the property of Universidad Autonoma de Yucatan, Facultad de Economia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Boletín Económico de ICE is the property of S.G.E.E.I.P.C., Secretaria de Estado de Comercio, Ministerio de Industria, Comercio y Turismo and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, the disruption of supply chains has become a major concern for global firms. This article uses a representative sample of Spanish manufacturers that participate in global value chains to analyze whether firms are implementing strategies to respond to this concern. Using data for the period 2017–2022, we find that, on average, manufacturers have not increased the number of countries from which they source their input since the Covid-19 pandemic. Firms have not either shifted their imports to countries that are geographically and geopolitically close to Spain, and have not reshored imports. However, firms have significantly increased the stock of intermediates. Firms only diversify when they have one supplier, export to many destinations, and the imported input has a high risk of experiencing a supply chain disruption. Firms nearshore and friendshore when their main supplier is geographically distant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Beykent Üniversitesi Fen ve Mühendislik Bilimleri Dergisi is the property of Beykent Universitesi Fen Bilimleri Enstitusu and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Some global phenomena such as globalization, the US-China trade war and Covid-19, have led companies around the world to consider reshoring strategies - backshoring and/or nearshoring - with the purpose of configuring more efficient supply chains and less susceptible to these events that generate disruptions in the world economy. Based on the foregoing, research has been developed in order to determine the factors that motivate companies to make reshoring decisions, finding the innovation factor as reiterative in many of these research works, in fact, it has been found that It is a factor that influences other factors. In this sense, this article aims to recognize the importance of innovation in companies' reshoring processes, through a narrative literature review where some background on location decisions is explored, the main relocation trends are described, and the importance of innovation within these relocation processes is established based on the work of different theoretical references. Among the main results of this review, it was found that i) innovation in transportation systems led many companies to have broader geographic scales to locate their operation and configure global supply chains; ii) access to innovation is a factor that is usually taken into account for the creation of reshoring government policies; iii) Innovation is a factor with a degree of transversality, since it affects other variables that are taken into account for reshoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the 1990s and early 2000s were seen as a golden age for Global Value Chains, the 2010s have witnessed a series of crisis that shacked the political and institutional foundations of global trade. After years of neo-liberal trade policies, trend is now towards neo-realist mercantilism and trade politics. The COVID-19 pandemics and the rise of geopolitical tensions are redefining and perhaps reversing what have been the drivers of world trade since the end of the Cold War in 1989. Geopolitical and institutional uncertainties increase the chance of unpredictable or unforeseen event disrupting entire international segments of the value chain, with potentially extreme consequences. When fat-tailed black-swans run around like headless chickens, disruptions are unpredictable. Yet, understanding the main changes affecting the geo-politics of trade and the possibilities of safeguarding a functional global trade governance is expected to reduce the risks and help future managers preparing for new business paradigms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Disruption in many supply chains has shown the vulnerability of global supply networks, especially resource-intensive ones, due to the simultaneous effects of pandemics and geopolitical crises. Reshoring and nearshoring strategies are the possible responses of manufacturing companies to disruptions in order to adapt to unforeseen events. The supply chain for the Italian ceramic sector, which is characterized by a high intensity of natural and energy resource consumption and a sourcing system with a high geopolitical risk, is examined in this study. The functional decomposition technique was used to analyze the supply chain; then, three scenarios were developed as potential remedies for the unexpected termination of Ukrainian plastic clay supply. The study also showed that complex issues require multifaceted analysis approaches, which is why a transdisciplinary approach was chosen. In addition, the analysis of the ceramic industry showed that nearshoring and reshoring strategies can reduce supply risk and have a positive impact on the environment. The study also showed how bringing extraction sources closer to factories significantly reduces CO2 emissions to the atmosphere from transportation. The main contribution of this paper is the analysis of the complexity of supply chains in times of disruption, configuring reshoring and nearshoring options through transdisciplinarity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Energy Policy Journal / Polityka Energetyczna is the property of Mineral & Energy Economy Research Institute of the Polish Academy of Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of INCAE Business Review is the property of INCAE Summa Media Group and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Amid concern about the impact of automation on employment, there is consensus that jobs comprising repetitive codifiable tasks are at greatest risk. The apparel industry has been strategic in economic development as an entry point into global markets and as a creator of jobs. Although routine work characterizes the bulk of employment in apparel manufacturing, the penetration of automation technologies remains limited. Drawing on interviews with key personnel at leading apparel brands, this article offers new insights into the current and projected use of technology, identifying practical bottlenecks and discussing potential implications for the global distribution of production and employment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

La COVID-19 es una pandemia devastadora. El vehículo para su propagación ha sido la misma red de transportes necesaria para la globalización. El objeto de este trabajo es determinar hasta qué punto la presente situación puede provocar una alteración de las cadenas logísticas de valor entre China y la UE, que a su vez implique un aumento de las asimetrías entre ambas partes. Analizaremos si triunfará el offshoring, el reshoring o el nearshoring. Para ello, realizaremos un análisis de ambos actores internacionales y de sus respectivas reacciones a la pandemia, tanto desde el punto de vista idiosincrático, como económico y administrativo.

Copyright of Atlantic Review of Economics / Revista Atlántica de Economía is the property of Colegio de Economistas de La Coruna and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Mass customization offers considerable potential for increasing the notoriety of a brand, acquiring new markets and generating significant profits. But, before reaching or exceeding customer expectations, important steps must be taken. We discuss in this paper a nearshoring approach to more effectively implement a mass personalization program. Agility and flexibility remain essential to this concept because the demand is more and more volatile. Nearshoring is an interesting avenue for allowing manufacturers to adapt and transform their business practices and manufacturing strategies in a context of fast prototyping. To succeed, this approach must implement automated processes that also create new tradeoffs and challenges in terms of structure, operating model, sustainability and supply. The biggest challenge now is to procure raw materials in optimal quantities and on time. In addition to this challenge, available technologies are taking more and more space and allow a more intelligent mass personalization approach in terms of productivity and digitization via automation, thus making the supply chain more efficient, agile and customer-focused.

Depuis plusieurs années, le secteur de l’Offshoring est sur une dynamique positive au niveau mondial, mettant ainsi en perspective des opportunités d’emploi très importantes au profit des pays en développement. Cherchant à tirer profit de cette dynamique, le Maroc a érigé ce secteur au rang de ses métiers d’avenir et a mis en place des mesures courageuses pour son développement. En se référant aux analyses qui arguent pour la volatilité de ce secteur, le présent article se propose de questionner un tel pari pour le Maroc. Dans cette perspective, l’article présente une analyse de l’évolution de ce secteur au niveau mondial avant de mettre la lumière sur les facteurs en faveur et les facteurs en défaveur du positionnement du Maroc sur ce secteur. L’article conclu que le marché de l’offshoring est très polarisé, volatile et sujet à de forte turbulence et que le positionnement du Maroc sur ce secteur doit être accompagné d’une stratégie de gestion des risques liée aux scenarii de retournement.

The Information Technology sector has been using proximity offshoring (near-shoring) as common practice over the past 2 decades, mainly for software development projects. Using a large business transformation project from a global consumer goods company as a single case study, the present paper analyses the benefits and key challenges of incorporating such delivery models in these types of projects, focusing its attention mainly on the financial and quality aspects. The analysis suggests that, when compared to traditional services delivery (on-site consultants), near-shoring practices can have a very positive financial impact for the vendor and the customer, translating into an increase on the Return on Investment (ROI) without a significant increase of risks or losses in quality - The project's cost can have a significant reduction on the vendor side, with a consequent reduction to the end client. Regardless these benefits, it is suggested that traditional consulting still plays an un-replaceable role in these types of projects. Furthermore, it is suggested that it is equally important the commitment from top management for such initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Araucaria is the property of Araucaria-Revista Iberoamericana de Filosofia, Politica y Humanidades and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Location selection for a new site or center is one of the key elements for companies looking to move offshore their business processes. Both literature and practitioners have proposed different criteria and frameworks to support this decision and, in this paper, we have synthetized a new framework based on key location selection factors and risks. Sources used range from articles in academic journals and books on this topic to reports from management and consulting companies. In case of the academic journals, the key ones were identified, and a snowball approach was used to select relevant articles. While initial offshoring decisions have been made based on direct costs, like labor costs, the landscape is now more sophisticated, and several factors are to be considered. The assessment factors we identified are related to availability of foreign languages skills in the talent pool, experienced individuals in the market on the desired processes, potential for cost optimization, IT & communications infrastructure, real estate availability, business climate and competition, city/region development plans, overall quality of life, and accessibility of the city. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]