Companies are starting to source closer to home, according to the results of the 2009 3PL Provider CEO Perspective released this week. The survey, conducted by Northeastern University’s College of Business Administration, includes responses from 35 third-party logistics company CEOs from North American, Europe and Asia-Pacific.
The results noted:
“While the scale of the shift is small at this point, many CEOs surveyed expect that the trend toward reverse globalization and the shortening of supply chains will continue during the next several years. CEOs surveyed in North America and Europe reported that, on average, nearly one-quarter of their customers had taken steps during the past year to shorten supply chains; the reported average was 9% in Asia-Pacific.”
In addition, “20 CEOs reported that some of their major customers had shifted manufacturing activities from Asia to North or Central America or Eastern Europe.”
If these predictions are accurate, the supply chain may look very different in a few years, and how business is done could change as well.
