IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/ecdequ/v32y2018i4p300-312.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Understanding Manufacturing Location Decision Making: Rationales for Retaining, Offshoring, Reshoring, and Hybrid Approaches

Author

Listed:
  • Gregory Theyel
  • Kay Hofmann
  • Mike Gregory

Abstract

How do companies decide where to locate their manufacturing? This study uses insights from manufacturing company executives collected by means of in-depth interviews with 50 manufacturers in the United Kingdom to develop an understanding of manufacturing location decision making. The findings indicate that companies derive competitive advantage from organizing manufacturing in different ways. Retaining or reshoring manufacturing to a company’s home country can enhance new product development, control of quality, product customization, delivery performance, and cost leadership. On the other hand, companies can enhance new product development, customization, and delivery performance for new markets, if production facilities are offshored to or in proximity to these locations. In addition, some companies use a hybrid approach of offshoring the production of some components or products for cost arbitrage while retaining or reshoring other components or products for advantages from value chain integration. Based on the findings of this study, a set of key manufacturing location questions are developed that should be considered by firms pondering onshore, offshore, reshore, or hybrid manufacturing location decisions.

Suggested Citation

  • Gregory Theyel & Kay Hofmann & Mike Gregory, 2018. "Understanding Manufacturing Location Decision Making: Rationales for Retaining, Offshoring, Reshoring, and Hybrid Approaches," Economic Development Quarterly, , vol. 32(4), pages 300-312, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:ecdequ:v:32:y:2018:i:4:p:300-312
    DOI: 10.1177/0891242418800222
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0891242418800222
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1177/0891242418800222?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Roza, Marja & Van den Bosch, Frans A.J. & Volberda, Henk W., 2011. "Offshoring strategy: Motives, functions, locations, and governance modes of small, medium-sized and large firms," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 20(3), pages 314-323, June.
    2. Schmeisser, Bjoern, 2013. "A Systematic Review of Literature on Offshoring of Value Chain Activities," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 19(4), pages 390-406.
    3. Gad Allon & Jan A. Van Mieghem, 2010. "Global Dual Sourcing: Tailored Base-Surge Allocation to Near- and Offshore Production," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 56(1), pages 110-124, January.
    4. Gregory Tassey, 2010. "Rationales and mechanisms for revitalizing US manufacturing R&D strategies," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 35(3), pages 283-333, June.
    5. Raymond Vernon, 1966. "International Investment and International Trade in the Product Cycle," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 80(2), pages 190-207.
    6. Peter J. Buckley & Mark Casson, 1991. "The Future of the Multinational Enterprise," Palgrave Macmillan Books, Palgrave Macmillan, edition 0, number 978-1-349-21204-0.
    7. Klaus E. Meyer & Ram Mudambi & Rajneesh Narula, 2011. "Multinational Enterprises and Local Contexts: The Opportunities and Challenges of Multiple Embeddedness," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 48(2), pages 235-252, March.
    8. David Bailey & Lisa De Propris, 2014. "Editor's choice Manufacturing reshoring and its limits: the UK automotive case," Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 7(3), pages 379-395.
    9. Erica Fuchs & Randolph Kirchain, 2010. "Design for Location? The Impact of Manufacturing Offshore on Technology Competitiveness in the Optoelectronics Industry," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 56(12), pages 2323-2349, December.
    10. Stentoft, Jan & Mikkelsen, Ole Stegmann & Jensen, Jesper Kronborg & Rajkumar, Christopher, 2018. "Performance outcomes of offshoring, backshoring and staying at home manufacturing," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 199(C), pages 199-208.
    11. John H Dunning, 1980. "Towards an Eclectic Theory of International Production: Some Empirical Tests," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 11(1), pages 9-31, March.
    12. John H Dunning, 1998. "Location and the Multinational Enterprise: A Neglected Factor?," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 29(1), pages 45-66, March.
    13. Liena Kano, 2018. "Global value chain governance: A relational perspective," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 49(6), pages 684-705, August.
    14. Schmenner, Roger W. & Huber, Joel C. & Cook, Randall L., 1987. "Geographic differences and the location of new manufacturing facilities," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 21(1), pages 83-104, January.
    15. Jan Johanson & Jan-Erik Vahlne, 1977. "The Internationalization Process of the Firm—A Model of Knowledge Development and Increasing Foreign Market Commitments," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 8(1), pages 23-32, March.
    16. Gylling, Michael & Heikkilä, Jussi & Jussila, Kari & Saarinen, Markku, 2015. "Making decisions on offshore outsourcing and backshoring: A case study in the bicycle industry," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 162(C), pages 92-100.
    17. Peter J Buckley & Mark C Casson, 2009. "The internalisation theory of the multinational enterprise: A review of the progress of a research agenda after 30 years," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 40(9), pages 1563-1580, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Elisa Arrigo, 2020. "Global Sourcing in Fast Fashion Retailers: Sourcing Locations and Sustainability Considerations," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(2), pages 1-22, January.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Ancarani, Alessandro & Di Mauro, Carmela & Fratocchi, Luciano & Orzes, Guido & Sartor, Marco, 2015. "Prior to reshoring: A duration analysis of foreign manufacturing ventures," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 169(C), pages 141-155.
    2. Robert-Nicoud, Frédéric & Olarreaga, Marcelo & Carrère, Céline & Fugazza, Marco, 2016. "On the heterogeneous effect of trade on unemployment," CEPR Discussion Papers 11540, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    3. Reddy, Kotapati Srinivasa, 2016. "Institutional Voids and Tax litigation in Emerging Economies: The verdict of Vodafone cross-border acquisition of Hutchison," MPRA Paper 74264, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 2016.
    4. Moghaddam, Kaveh & Sethi, Deepak & Weber, Thomas & Wu, Jun, 2014. "The Smirk of Emerging Market Firms: A Modification of the Dunning's Typology of Internationalization Motivations," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 20(3), pages 359-374.
    5. McWilliam, Sarah E. & Kim, Jung Kwan & Mudambi, Ram & Nielsen, Bo Bernhard, 2020. "Global value chain governance: Intersections with international business," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 55(4).
    6. Björn Röber, 2020. "Escalating internationalization decisions: intendedly rational, but only limitedly so?," Business Research, Springer;German Academic Association for Business Research, vol. 13(2), pages 455-484, July.
    7. Wieland, Andreas & Bals, Lydia & Mol, Michael J. & Handfield, Robert B., 2020. "Overcoming blind spots in global sourcing research: Exploiting the cross-sections between supply chain management and international business," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 26(1).
    8. Zhang, Yijing & Toppinen, Anne & Uusivuori, Jussi, 2014. "Internationalization of the forest products industry: A synthesis of literature and implications for future research," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 38(C), pages 8-16.
    9. Nidthida Lin, 2020. "Designing Global Sourcing Strategy for Cost Savings and Innovation: A Configurational Approach," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 60(5), pages 723-753, October.
    10. Christos N. Pitelis & David J. Teece, 2018. "The New MNE: ‘Orchestration’ Theory as Envelope of ‘Internalisation’ Theory," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 58(4), pages 523-539, August.
    11. Parente, Ronaldo C. & Geleilate, José-Mauricio G. & Rong, Ke, 2018. "The Sharing Economy Globalization Phenomenon: A Research Agenda," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 24(1), pages 52-64.
    12. Surdu, Irina & Mellahi, Kamel, 2016. "Theoretical foundations of equity based foreign market entry decisions: A review of the literature and recommendations for future research," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 25(5), pages 1169-1184.
    13. Gugler Philippe, 2019. "Assessing the competitiveness of locations: A journey through the major theoretical insights," Economics and Business Review, Sciendo, vol. 5(3), pages 16-34, September.
    14. Ramírez-Alesón, Marisa & Fleta-Asín, Jorge, 2016. "Is the Importance of Location Factors Different Depending on the Degree of Development of the Country?," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 22(1), pages 29-43.
    15. K. Skylar Powell & Eunah Lim & Naoki Ando, 2021. "Seeing the tree and the forest: Japanese auto firm multinational dispersion, cultural distance, and foreign manufacturing subsidiary ownership levels," Asian Business & Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 20(2), pages 163-187, April.
    16. Elizabeth L. Rose & Kiyohiko Ito, 2009. "Past Interactions and New Foreign Direct Investment Location Decisions," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 49(5), pages 641-669, October.
    17. Iavor Marangozov, 2005. "From Practice to Theory of the International Joint Ventures," Economic Studies journal, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences - Economic Research Institute, issue 2, pages 44-77.
    18. Chris Wagner, 2020. "Deducing a state-of-the-art presentation of the Eclectic Paradigm from four decades of development: a systematic literature review," Management Review Quarterly, Springer, vol. 70(1), pages 51-96, February.
    19. Morris A. Cohen & Shiliang Cui & Ricardo Ernst & Arnd Huchzermeier & Panos Kouvelis & Hau L. Lee & Hirofumi Matsuo & Marc Steuber & Andy A. Tsay, 2018. "OM Forum—Benchmarking Global Production Sourcing Decisions: Where and Why Firms Offshore and Reshore," Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, INFORMS, vol. 20(3), pages 389-402, July.
    20. Reddy, Kotapati Srinivasa, 2015. "Extant Reviews on Entry-mode/Internationalization, Mergers & Acquisitions, and Diversification: Understanding Theories and Establishing Interdisciplinary Research," MPRA Paper 63744, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 2015.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:sae:ecdequ:v:32:y:2018:i:4:p:300-312. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: SAGE Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.