Offshore manufacturing loses appeal in UK

UK manufacturers are looking to source components nearer to consumers as they seek to become more flexible in meeting demand, with the subsequent effect that the once-so-popular offshore manufacturing has lost some of its appeal.

In a UK survey of contract manufacturers, Gartner found that while 44 respondents were seeking to expand their sourcing into the traditional low-cost markets of Brazil, Russia, India and China, the number looking to expand within the US or western Europe was nearly equal, at 43.

The move was in part because buyers were trying to become more flexible in response to changing demand in their home markets.

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