Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to clarify the rather blurry concept of reshoring and its main drivers and barriers. At the same time the paper seeks to provide a much-needed overview of the scientific theories employed in previous research on reshoring. Design/methodology/approach: The paper gathers information from previous published research. Data was collected through a systematic literature review on 'reshoring' using primarily qualitative research techniques. Through a structured keyword search and subsequent elimination of papers, 22 peer-reviewed journal papers made it into the final review. Findings: There is currently no consensus on the definition or 'theory of reshoring'. Drivers and barriers could be grouped into five different sets of dynamics: global competitive dynamics, home country, host country, supply chain, and firm-specific.
Research limitations/implications:Researcher need to consider the future development of the field and work towards an accepted terminology. Models about reshoring decision need to include several decision criteria, which goes beyond financial metrics. Practical implications: Practitioners need to carefully consider the decision to reshore as to not make rushed decisions. The final decision needs to consider factors such as quality, risk, and brand reputation. Originality/Value: The paper is, to our knowledge, the first overview of earlier research in a research journal. It provides a much needed overview of an emerging field that can hold great importance for both future research and production. The constructed framework structures the dynamics (drivers and barriers) associated with reshoring.
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to explore reshoring drivers and barriers from a Swedish manufacturing perspective.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper is a case study, including four Swedish manufacturing companies, with focus on drivers and barriers from the context of the Swedish manufacturing industry. A literature review of previously established drivers and barriers is used to map out the empirical findings and thereby identify potential gaps between the current body of literature and drivers and barriers from a Swedish manufacturing context.
Findings
The findings of the study suggest that quality issues continue to be one of the strongest reshoring drivers. Except for product quality, quality is also connected to host country’s infrastructure, communication and service. The supply chain perspective is a source of several drivers and is identified as a perspective often overlooked in offshoring decisions. Barriers related to firm specifics were more elaborately discussed by the companies, especially concerning calculation of location decision and the need to invest in resources, which allows for a higher level of capacity at the home country facility.
Research limitations/implications
The study develops a structured table of reshoring drivers and barriers which can serve as a base for future research. Future research on the calculation of location decisions is deemed as a crucial step to further understand reshoring and aid companies in the decision-making process.
Practical implications
The drivers and barriers identified in the study can give practitioners insight into reshoring from the perspective of the Swedish manufacturing industry and thus aid in future manufacturing location decisions. The table of drivers and barriers can also be important to understand how Sweden can strengthen its competitive advantage and motivate more companies to reshore manufacturing.
Originality/value
This is one of only few papers from the Nordic countries and also one of few case studies examining reshoring in manufacturing companies.
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