Not Your Grandfather’s Factory: Why Onshoring Is Outpacing Manufacturing Talent

1. Reshoring Is Accelerating—Even Without Full Clarity

Supply chain leaders aren’t waiting for perfect visibility to start diversifying away from China. John shared a recent conversation with a CSCO who is shifting 95% of their sourcing out of China by the end of the year. The decision isn’t driven by certainty about what comes next—it’s about risk. Concentration and elongated supply chains are becoming liabilities, pushing companies toward more regionalized models.

“We knew we were over concentrated… We needed to take some action.”
– John Church

2. From Centralized to Localized Manufacturing—Closer to Consumers

Anne pointed to a shift away from centralized global production toward distributed, consumer-centric manufacturing. Companies are moving beyond dual sourcing and into dual manufacturing—getting as close as possible to both raw materials and the end customer to increase agility and reduce exposure to disruption.

“It’s almost like dual sourcing—but for manufacturing. Get as close to the customer as you can.”
– Anne Robinson

3. The Talent Gap Could Undermine Onshoring Momentum

Reshoring may be the strategy, but talent is quickly becoming the constraint. As John noted, the U.S. doesn’t have a deep bench of surplus manufacturing labor—and the cost to recruit, train, and retain workers is rising. Competing with local service jobs, offering safe workplaces, and designing career-worthy roles are now essential to making these new factories viable.

“These jobs have to be sticky… not just compete with offshore labor, but with the fast food place down the street.”
– John Church

4. New Manufacturing Jobs Require New Skills

Modern manufacturing isn’t about monotonous tasks on an assembly line—it’s about managing advanced automation, robotics, and data systems. Anne emphasized that today’s factories require highly skilled engineers and technicians. The challenge is not just building the plants, but ensuring there’s a workforce ready to run them.

“We’re not talking about 10,000 people pumping out widgets. These are highly skilled engineers managing robotics and AI.”
– Anne Robinson

5. The Economics of Local Production Remain a Challenge

While nearshoring helps with responsiveness and resilience, cost remains a major barrier. Anne pointed out the friction between consumer values and price sensitivity, using an example of a $12 Canadian-made toothpaste that made her pause. Manufacturers must find a balance between automation investment and cost containment to remain competitive—especially when compared to global low-cost alternatives.

“I wanted to support the Canadian-made toothpaste… until I saw it was $12 a tube.”
– Anne Robinson

6. The Practitioner Role Has Become a Career Destination

Anne also emphasized how roles in supply chain and manufacturing have evolved. What were once starter jobs are now complex, multifaceted roles that require knowledge of products, suppliers, planning, and continuous improvement. For those with the right skill set, these positions offer deep career growth and real strategic impact.

“These are far more interesting and engaged roles that someone can build a career from.”
– Anne Robinson

Final Thoughts

The return of manufacturing to North America is real—but it’s not as simple as opening new plants. It requires a rethinking of everything from sourcing strategy and automation design to workforce development and consumer pricing. As John and Anne discussed, this isn’t about bringing back the old—it’s about building something new, smarter, and more sustainable. That starts with investing in people, technology, and realistic trade-offs that serve both business and society.