A counterintuitive article in Assembly Magazine makes the argument that automation can accelerate reshoring. 

Those who are dedicated to bringing jobs back home sometimes shy away from automation. But that doesn’t have to be the case. In fact, embracing automation can accelerate reshoring jobs, at least to some extent. 

One of the main reasons companies moved overseas was because of the lower cost of labor for relatively mundane tasks. Now that automation is starting to replace the need for labor, companies are finding it more profitable to bring manufacturing back home while hiring more skilled workers. This mitigates risk, increases responsiveness to customer demand, and increases time to market. It also helps that these machines can’t get sick from Covid-19.

We at Unionwear have embraced automation and lean manufacturing for years and will continue to do so. We encourage other companies looking to reshore, or keep manufacturing close to home to do the same.