LETTER FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

On-shore, Off-shore, Re-shore

Re-shoring is a new term that refers to companies moving manufacturing and production back to the U.S. from foreign countries. Many companies have moved to China and are now finding that rising wages, shipping costs and land prices in China, along with the hassle factor of working offshore and a weakening U.S. dollar, making the siting of manufacturing in America a value again. Visit these websites to learn more about re-shoring. Both sites offer total cost of ownership calculators and other information.

http://www.reshorenow.org/

http://reshoringmfg.com/

Vacant, abandoned or underutilized manufacturing sites (brownfields) dot communities in the Northeast and Midwest like “perspiration stains from our industrial past.” Not all Brownfield sites have been developed and those left still create both a challenge and opportunity for local units of government. It’s difficult to assess how many properties of the 450,000 to one million Brownfield sites that were once estimated in the early 1990’s still exist. My intuition tells me that many sites can be remediated and made functional to absorb the demand created by what will hopefully be a long-term trend: re-shoring, putting both property and people back to work.

The NBA will continue to monitor this issue and will continue to report on trends that can create business opportunities and the need for our member’s Brownfield expertise. If you have any experience with companies that have relocated from off-shore to a brownfield site in the U.S. send me an email and let me know your experience.

Robert Colangelo, Executive Director