Reshoring has been highlighted as a strategy which contributes with the shortening of firms’ production footprint as well as the relocation of manufacturing activities either to the home country or to the home region and to increase the value creation of manufacturing domestically. The latest World Investment Report have proposed reshoring as one of the strategies firms can to embark on in order to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and the current war in Ukraine. Noteworthy, it is important to mention that before the pandemic and the current war, the reshoring debate was predominantly concerned with the potential benefits manufacturers could reap from advanced technologies. Taken together, such circumstances accentuates that firms will be called upon to facilitate capabilities and competencies as well as technologies when embarking on reshoring.
Interestingly however, it is very hard to find any research results that can be generalized to a specific country or a region, nor within a single industry. Academics have therefore urged for imperial evidence being reported to be able to build an adequate knowledge base that can assist manufacturing firms and policymakers in strategic decisions. As a response to such emerging aspects, NTNU will collaborate with NHO and GCE Blue Maritime cluster in conducting research on reshoring among manufacturers within the county of More and Romsdal (M&R) to increase the chances to establish a solid starting point for the required state-of -the art knowledge. And, since M&R has the largest share of industrial firms in Norway and operates with the highest level of industrial employment in the country, it is the perfect candidate for a pilot project.
Outcomes and impacts
The results can support managers in production location decisions at different levels, for different product-families and for different geographical locations. Policy makers at regional and national level will benefit from this project, since the results can be applied in the development of a set of industrial policies in support of reshoring in general. The project results can assist in how this work can be integrated with existing policies in support of Industry 4.0, digitalization and the Green New Deal. But also, in the work with the aim of improving the attractiveness of our territories (e.g., high tech-jobs, Industry 5.0). In the long run, industries in the region could increase the amount of e. g., processing domestically, something that would increase or secure domestic value creation, leading to responsible production and consumption. Hence, the benefit from this project can ease potential reshoring, which contributes with the following UN sustainability goals: 8, 9, 12, 13, 17
Project Manager:
Dr. Bella B. Nujen, bella.nujen@ntnu.no
Project Partners:
 |  |  |
