Manufacturing relocation from and to the Nordic countries: comparison across countries and manufacturing firms

How manufacturing companies achieve a good balance in their global production networks is one of the essential questions in manufacturing strategy. Plenty of production has moved offshore from developed economies in search for improved cost competitiveness. But increasing evidence shows also movement to the other direction, i.e. backshoring of manufacturing. This survey study explores the extent and characteristics of manufacturing relocation from and to three Nordic countries. Nordic manufacturing firms are active in moving production both offshore and back. The results indicate that companies think and act differently concerning drivers for offshoring versus backshoring in respect to desired performance.