What Are the Benefits of Offshore Manufacturing? (2024)

March 25, 2020


3 minutes to read

At some point the leadership team of a company that manufactures a product, sits around their conference room and asks themselves the million-dollar question, “Should we consider moving production offshore?”

What Are the Benefits of Offshore Manufacturing? (1)

You may be thinking about moving your production offshore, but you aren’t entirely convinced that the benefits outweigh the risks. According to global strategy and management consultant A.T. Kerney's latest Reshoring Index, offshore manufacturing by U.S. corporations surpassed “reshoring” for a third year in row – tariffs or no tariffs.

Here are the main benefits of taking your manufacturing offshore that could explain Kearney’s finding:

Cost Savings

The main motivating factor for companies to move their production offshore is to save money. No surprise here. By outsourcing assemblies and other expensive manufacturing processes, you can dramatically cut the costs of your products and pass those savings on to your customers, increase your margins, or both. Start with the end in mind – the ultimate goal is to help your customers remain extremely competitive. Your competitors may not have facilities overseas and thus may have higher costs. While they are likely able to offer shorter lead times than domestic customers, they may lack the skilled labor and supplier and sourcing options that you have at your fingertips by manufacturing offshore.

Skilled Labor

The latest shows that American manufacturers will encounter a substantial skill gap over the next 10 years. Per the study, “Between 2018-2028 nearly 2.4 million manufacturing jobs are expected to go unfilled due to the skill gap.” Contributing factors include baby boomer retirement and a shortage of millennials who are notshowing interest in turning manufacturing into a long-term career. Moving production offshore affords you a vast, skilled labor pool with lower wages than the US.

Specialized Suppliers

Due to the sheer volume of manufacturing facilities and population across Asia, you can find highly specialized suppliers that that may no longer exist domestically. More suppliers should give you better rate. In 2011,China beat out the US to become the world’s largest producer of manufactured goods. Vietnam has also established itself as a key player in manufacturing withlower-cost options than China. Your ideal supplier will have the right equipment, experience, work force, and quality systems to produce high-quality products at lower costs.

Transfer of Risk

Working with a supplier overseas allows you to transfer capital risk during the most critical phase of business – scaling up. Risks you can avoid include the purchase of sophisticated and expensive equipment, labor costs (including workers compensation) and overhead costs. However, it is extremely important to create a set of guidelines forauditing and qualifying each supplierand to grade the supplier against these criteria in person before launching production. You don’t want to trade one risk for another and end up with quality issues.

What Are the Benefits of Offshore Manufacturing? (2)

Sourcing Close to Raw Materials

Procuring raw materials closer to the source provides tremendous savings. Pass the freight savings of moving raw materials from one place to another on to your customer. In the case of a raw material like rubber, it makes sense to source and manufacture rubber components where rubber trees grow (SE Asia). Check out howChina has made increasing raw material availability its checkmate strategyin the global manufacturing game.

Enter New, International Markets

Moving your manufacturing offshore opens your business up to new opportunities, including insight into the latest and most efficient manufacturing techniques and potential exposure for your product on an international level. Commerce is increasingly global – especially in this digital age – and being able to hold your own on an international platform is a must.Creating and effectively managing a global supply chain increases your company’s resources, competitive edge and reach.

Hopefully you have gained better insight into the substantial benefits of taking your production offshore. East West has found success offshore, and we hope you do too! Reach out to us with any questions you may have. And while you’re at it, check out this white paper to learn more tips for success:

What Are the Benefits of Offshore Manufacturing? (3)

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Offshore Manufacturing and Its Benefits

Moving production offshore is a significant decision for companies, and it involves weighing the benefits against the risks. According to A.T. Kearney's Reshoring Index, offshore manufacturing by U.S. corporations has surpassed "reshoring" for a third year in a row. The main benefits of taking manufacturing offshore include:

Cost Savings: Companies can save money by outsourcing assemblies and other expensive manufacturing processes, leading to reduced product costs and increased margins.

Skilled Labor: Offshore production provides access to a vast, skilled labor pool with lower wages than in the US, addressing the substantial skill gap expected in American manufacturing over the next 10 years.

Specialized Suppliers: Offshore manufacturing allows access to highly specialized suppliers that may no longer exist domestically, offering better rates and lower-cost options.

Transfer of Risk: Working with overseas suppliers allows the transfer of capital risk during the critical phase of business scaling up, avoiding costs related to equipment, labor, and overhead.

Sourcing Close to Raw Materials: Procuring raw materials closer to the source provides significant savings and allows for passing freight savings on to customers.

Enter New, International Markets: Offshore manufacturing opens businesses up to new opportunities, including insight into the latest manufacturing techniques and exposure on an international level, enhancing resources, competitive edge, and reach.

These benefits demonstrate the potential advantages of moving production offshore, but it's essential to carefully consider the associated risks and challenges.

I hope this information provides valuable insights into the substantial benefits of offshore manufacturing. If you have further questions or need more details, feel free to ask!

What Are the Benefits of Offshore Manufacturing? (2024)

FAQs

What Are the Benefits of Offshore Manufacturing? ›

One of the best advantages of offshoring is it allows you liberty and control over your team. You can opt to train your staff or provide instructions to your offshoring partner. Ultimately, you have complete control over the tasks while the offshore partner delivers your requirements.

What are the advantages of offshore? ›

One of the best advantages of offshoring is it allows you liberty and control over your team. You can opt to train your staff or provide instructions to your offshoring partner. Ultimately, you have complete control over the tasks while the offshore partner delivers your requirements.

What are the two 2 main benefits of offshoring? ›

Top 5 Benefits of Offshoring
  • Lower Costs. It's no secret that cost management is essential for business. ...
  • Effective Scaling. One of the biggest problems facing small businesses is the effective scaling of the business. ...
  • Access to Diverse Talent. ...
  • Employee Retention and Satisfaction. ...
  • Staff Augmentation.
Aug 18, 2023

Why do companies use offshore production? ›

Advantages of Offshore Manufacturing

The primary benefit of offshore manufacturing is the reduction of operating expenses. Many offshore countries have lower labor costs than the U.S, but that doesn't mean overall costs are less than somewhere closer to the U.S., such as Mexico.

What are the pros and cons of offshoring? ›

The main advantages are as follows:
  • Low Labor Costs. ...
  • Significant Cost Savings. ...
  • Round the Clock Operations. ...
  • Access to Skilled Labor. ...
  • Cultural Issues. ...
  • Language Barriers. ...
  • Lack of Quality C0ntrol. ...
  • Time Zones.

What are the pros and cons of offshore outsourcing? ›

The Pros and Cons of Outsourcing Overseas
  • Pro: Cost Savings. ...
  • Pro: 24-Hour Support Model. ...
  • Pro: Ability to Quickly Scale Resources. ...
  • Con: Complexity of Training. ...
  • Con: Complexity of Technology Setup. ...
  • Con: Onshore Stakeholder Concerns.

Which of the following is a major advantage of offshoring? ›

The first advantage of offshoring is that the costs are generally much lower than completing the process at a facility in your domestic location. The cost of labor is often significantly cheaper at an overseas location, as well as the overhead cost of renting a facility.

Why do people do offshoring? ›

The main reasons companies offshore are to reduce labor costs, tap into new markets, and take advantage of tax incentives. There are many benefits of offshoring, including: Reduced labor costs: One of the biggest benefits of offshoring is that it can help dramatically reduce labor costs.

What is offshoring risk? ›

Offshoring Risk #1: Poor data/IP security

A company or business' data or IP might not be well secured, which may result in data loss or leaks. There are even some incidents of data theft, which may result in the business' collapse.

What is a primary benefit of offshore outsourcing? ›

Offshore outsourcing is highly cost-effective due to lower living and labor costs, tax reductions, and lower administrative expenses. This is particularly the case with emerging and developing countries.

What is offshoring manufacturing? ›

Offshoring is the relocation of a business process from one country to another—typically an operational process, such as manufacturing, or supporting processes, such as accounting. Usually this refers to a company business, although state governments may also employ offshoring.

Why is it cheaper to manufacture overseas? ›

Offshoring often offers advantages in terms of lower material costs. Factors such as access to local raw materials, less bureaucracy, and specific industry dynamics may lead to cost advantages for sourcing or producing items in a specific overseas country.

Why is manufacturing overseas better? ›

One of the most significant advantages of manufacturing overseas is production capacity. Overseas manufacturers can scale up quickly and produce large quantities of products in a relatively short period.

Why is offshoring risky? ›

The discrepancies in cultural and social practices can also lead to misunderstanding of complex business problems. This in turn leads to business and personal misunderstandings, and challenges that wouldn't be the case when everyone on a team has a similar overall business dynamic.

Why is offshore manufacturing bad? ›

Offshore sourcing usually involves larger inventories, for example, and higher administrative costs. Parts made overseas are less likely to meet specifications, so quality costs may be higher. Factor in higher transportation expenses and tariffs, and don't forget the cost of training foreign workers.

Why does offshoring fail? ›

Offshoring projects very commonly fail because companies dramatically overestimate the savings and underestimate the cost of communications, company culture, and experience. If you have a workforce which is delivering good results, there's often a solid benefit to continuing that rather than chasing a mirage.

Why offshore is better than onshore? ›

Offshore wind farms generate electricity from wind blowing across the sea. They are considered more efficient than onshore wind farms, thanks to the higher speed of winds, greater consistency and lack of physical interference that the land or human-made objects can present.

What are the benefits of onshore vs offshore? ›

Offshore outsourcing involves relocating business operations to a foreign country, often for cost savings and access to a global talent pool. Onshore outsourcing, on the other hand, refers to outsourcing within the same country, benefiting from cultural alignment and easier regulatory compliance.

Why are advantages of offshore sourcing? ›

Competitive Pricing

Cost savings are the top reason for outsourcing to the Philippines, India, and other destinations. Outsource Accelerator justified this by citing the fact that offshoring can cut up to 70% of labor costs. It can also help you save on operating expenses due to these countries' lower cost of living.

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