Chris Ball and Ian Whateley, the leaders of Shropshire-based Advanced Chemical Etching (Ace), are experiencing a surge in orders due to the trend of UK firms reshoring. Reshoring involves bringing manufacturing work back to the home country from overseas locations like China. As more UK manufacturers embrace reshoring, Ace’s order book has seen a significant boost, with a substantial portion of new orders attributed to this movement.
The shift towards reshoring is fueled by various factors including economic, risk, and political considerations. With rising wages in overseas manufacturing hubs and advancements in technology reducing the cost of Western factories, the appeal of offshoring has diminished. Additionally, the rapid pace of product development and increasing consumer demand for quicker delivery times have made local manufacturing more appealing. Concerns over long and vulnerable supply chains, highlighted by events like the Covid-19 pandemic, have also prompted Western governments to incentivize the return of manufacturing to their own countries.
In the US and Europe, leaders have been actively encouraging reshoring efforts to reduce dependency on potentially adversarial nations for critical technology and supplies. Initiatives like President Biden’s 2022 Chips Act, which aims to boost domestic production of computer chips, reflect the strategic importance of reshoring. As reshoring continues to gather momentum, both American and Mexican workers are benefiting from the surge in manufacturing activity, highlighting the widespread impact of this trend across the global supply chain.
