2026 Reshoring Survey: Momentum Builds Despite Policy and Workforce Challenges

The reshoring engine is gaining speed—but manufacturers still have a few roadblocks to clear. Our second annual USA Reshoring Survey, drawing responses from 249 manufacturers, found that OEM reshoring activity is rising, contract manufacturers are quoting twice as many reshoring projects as last year, and an encouraging 63% of OEMs plan U.S. capital investment through 2027.

The opportunity is unmistakable, but so are the challenges. Policy uncertainty is making long-term decisions harder, import prices remain tough to beat, and shortages of machinists, welders and other skilled technicians threaten to put the brakes on growth. Dive into the Survey results linked below to see where reshoring is accelerating, what is holding it back—and what manufacturers, policymakers and workforce partners can do to turn today's momentum into lasting U.S. production and jobs.

2026 Reshoring Survey, powered by the Reshoring Initiative® and Regions Recruiting®

Action Item 

BROKEN SUPPLY CHAINS: How Financial Engineering Hollowed American Manufacturing and the Complex Journey to Resilience

This book is a timely wake-up call for anyone serious about rebuilding domestic production. Jeff Leimbach goes beyond the standard offshoring story to show how financial engineering and value extraction, including leveraged buyouts, sale-leasebacks, and talent stripping, turned long-term industrial capability into short-term returns. Using “Ghost Factory” narratives and case studies, he connects boardroom decisions to real-world consequences: lost know-how, workforce strain, and supply chains that fail under stress. 

RI Comment: My friend, Jeff, did a great job describing what went wrong. I would further emphasize the impact of an overvalued USD and the failure to source based on TCO rather than price.

Workforce 

Workforce Pell Grant Implementation (See page 4)

Beginning July 1, 2026, the Workforce Pell will allow students to use federal financial aid for short-term workforce training programs. The U.S. Department of Labor stated its goal of achieving one million new registered apprentices. To accomplish this, they released $35 million in apprenticeship incentive funding in addition to a $150 million grant program that recently closed. Other priorities include integrating AI skills into apprenticeship programs and investing in shipbuilding, maritime infrastructure, and the defense industrial base workforce. 

RI Comment: Workforce Pell is a great program, especially in combination with the new funding for apprenticeships. It would be even better to prioritize training in areas where the product or service produced is tradable/subject to import competition. It would make sense to focus on toolmakers and welders more than service and construction jobs where wages can rise as needed to increase recruiting.

The Joy of Making Things: America's Manufacturing Renaissance

“Across the country, factories are expanding. Supply chains are returning home. New technologies are creating opportunities that did not exist just a few years ago. Communities are rediscovering the economic strength and stability that manufacturing brings. We are witnessing an American manufacturing renaissance. And this renaissance will not be driven by machines alone. It will be driven by people.” 

RI Comment: Excellent article by AME's Kim Humphrey. If we can involve young students in making, many will develop a passion for manufacturing.

Tariffs and Currency 

Lagarde Says China Should Be Part of Any Talks on FX Imbalances

“Any Group of Seven talks on currency valuations need to include China, according to European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde. She was questioned on comments from German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who called for international talks about exchange rates as part of the European Union's resolve to address its deepening trade deficit with China. The International Monetary Fund has assessed that the Chinese currency has been consistently undervalued.”

RI Comment: 190 TCO cases show that Chinese FOB price averages about 60% of U.S. prices. Europe is getting on board now that China's competitiveness, driven by an undervalued currency, is impacting Europe also.

Dollar hits 13-month high as foreign investors overlook worries about Trump

“Global investors this week drove the dollar to its highest value in more than a year, as the appeal of the U.S. artificial intelligence boom and the prospect of higher interest rates eclipsed doubts about President Donald Trump's erratic policymaking.”

RI Comment: A high USD is very negative for U.S. manufacturing.

Trump's Trade Chief Takes a Globalist Victory Lap

“The jury is still out on the effectiveness of the Trump tariffs to deliver on their core promise: a reindustrialization of America and the return of factory jobs. But you can certainly make the case that Team Trump is recording wins in the intellectual battle to reshape how the world views trade and tariffs, and that one man is increasingly responsible.”

RI Comment: Reshoring is doing amazingly well despite policy uncertainty. We prefer a lower USD policy, but tariffs will work if they are “permanent.”

Tariffs, AI and Automation Reshape Global Manufacturing Strategy

“Artificial intelligence, advanced automation and rising tariff pressure are beginning to reshape where automotive and aerospace manufacturers choose to build products, potentially reducing some of the long-standing cost advantages of lower-wage production regions, according to a new report from Boston Consulting Group.”

RI Comment: We agree with most of the conclusions but believe BCG should have compared investing here vs. in China. Also, for the U.S. to win, TCO normally has to play a key role.

Q&A: Impacts of the Domestic Onshoring Shift

“A government affairs and policy expert discusses, in this interview with Powder & Bulk Solids, the aggressive shift toward pharmaceutical onshoring, obstacles, and available resources.”

Supply Chain and Logistics 

Report: 72% of CEOs Would Pay More for Supply Chain Resilience

“The Global Supply Chain Resilience Outlook, based on a survey of 515 CEOs at companies with more than $500 million in annual revenue, found that 72% would accept paying more than a 10% increase in supplier costs if it guaranteed greater supply chain resilience. On average, CEOs said they would accept a 17.3% increase.”

RI Comment: Consistent with the findings of the 2024 Reshoring Survey: 42% of companies will pay 5 to 20% more for 1-week deliveries (domestic) vs. 6-week deliveries (from Asia).

GE Appliances deepens Texas Instruments sourcing for resilience

“GE Appliances plans to source a third of the chips used in products built at its Louisville, Kentucky, dryer and washing machine plant from Texas Instruments, advancing the appliance maker's goals for U.S. sourcing and supply chain resilience.”

RI comment: GE Appliances is buying more chips from the U.S. and less from offshore. A third of the chips used in their products in the new Louisville washer plant will be U.S. chips. It's a big turning point that they can buy that many chips with great tech and at a competitive cost in the U.S. This is another example of how reshoring impacts not just the OEM, but also the suppliers.

Gap Is Widening between Supply Chain Risk and Organizational Readiness

“The increasing supply chain risk is outpacing many organizations' ability to anticipate, understand and respond before disruptions occur. This is creating a global readiness gap, according to a new study from Avetta.”

RI Comment: The best way to be prepared is to minimize the risks by reshoring.

Brave New World

A “Global Restructuring” is underway, characterized by the growing importance of security in global supply chains and manufacturing strategy. As geopolitical competition intensifies, businesses value resilient supply chains and domestic production over the low-cost production that motivated globalization. As a result, countries with strong manufacturing capacity, energy resources, and industrial capabilities are positioned to benefit, while those dependent on globalization may face greater challenges.

RI Comment: Excellent insights into how China has dominated world manufacturing and how the rest of the world can reverse the threat.

Nearly One-Third of Global Container Shipments Now Travel Empty

A Danish maritime consultancy, Sea-Intelligence, released an analysis stating nearly one-third of global container shipments now move empty, highlighting major inefficiencies in global trade. Trade imbalances have led containers to be sent where they are not needed, causing carriers to move them back to key export and manufacturing locations. These imbalances will affect the broader supply chain by increasing storage time, lengthening transportation routes, increasing handling costs and increasing freight rates.

RI Comment: Economists and gurus often claim that globalization increases efficiency. Not true for freight costs, inventory levels and customer responsiveness.

The Global Contact Center Map Has Run Out of White Space

“The golden age of contact center location arbitrage is over. Not because the industry is shrinking (it is not) but because the global map has been explored, occupied, and, in most cases, matured to the point where the easy gains are behind us…What comes next is a more sophisticated era of contact center site selection strategy—one built on portfolio diversification, total cost modeling, workforce sustainability, and operational resilience rather than the relentless pursuit of the next dollar-per-hour reduction.”

RI Comment: Very similar to the trend in manufacturing.

Don't Be Misled by the Falling Value of Chinese Imports

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative declared that the U.S. goods trade deficit with China fell 46% year-over-year, but this was due to an undervaluation of goods at customs rather than a decrease in imports. While the declared value of imports dropped by a third, the quantity rose by 6%. Tariffs imposed after “Liberation Day” encouraged importers to understate the value of Chinese goods to lower their tax burden. The USTR must distinguish between a fall in declared import values and a decline in imports and not build policy on these misleading numbers.

RI Comment: In addition, some Chinese goods enter the U.S. via other countries. We need to do a better job of restoring balance.

National Security 

A Taiwan Crisis Is Coming — and Xi May Not Wait

“Earlier this month, the Chinese Coast Guard contacted three ships in international waters near eastern Taiwan, demanding they identify their points of origin and destination. China didn't stop these vessels. But it was asserting a right to police maritime traffic near Taiwan — and, perhaps, previewing a major crisis that could be just a year or two away.”

RI Comment: See our Geopolitical Risk (GPR) map and explanation. Use GPR to calculate the expected value of lost margin on revenue lost due to stocking out of a component or product due to decoupling. If conflict occurs, it could take months or years to find alternate sources. The impact on a company could be existential.

Deterrence and the Industrial Base: the U.S. and China

“The pages that follow offer a detailed consideration of the importance of a strong industrial base for the maintenance of a strong military, and the significance of U.S. dependency on foreign allies (or even adversaries) for key resources needed by its industrial base. China's policies on this subject are also reviewed, with a key focus on how Beijing's state-centric model has enabled it to develop both industrial and military capabilities at rapid speed.”

Select Media (RI authorship, quotes) 

SME Media: The State of Reshoring

IMTS Insider: Help Shape U.S. Manufacturing Policy in 10 Minutes

Industry Today: Technology & Talent: A Growth Engine for Reshoring

IMTS Insider: The National Question Should Not Be Whether to Reshore, But Rather How!

Fab Shop: Successful Reshoring Takes a Strategic Approach

Videos & Podcasts 

CNC Underground: Do the Math: Harry Moser on Offshoring, Risk, and Why There's Still Hope

Wealth Formula: The Next Great Investment Theme?

Coalition for a Prosperous America: The Big 3: How Apple Built China's Manufacturing Empire

Innovation Garage: Reshoring in the Age of AI — Why This Conversation Matters Now

Sourcing Journal: Reshoring Reality: Turning Turmoil into Domestic Opportunity

Upcoming Events 

September 14-19 — IMTS — Chicago, IL

Thursday, Sept. 17 — National Metalworking Reshoring Award, 10:30 am, Main Stage between North and South Halls

October 13 — SEMICON WEST — San Francisco, CA

October 14-16 — AMT MT Forecast — Schaumburg, IL

October 20 — FIA Fall Meeting — Pittsburgh, PA

Visit ReshoreNow.org for the latest news and upcoming events.

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As always, thanks to all our readers, our sponsors, and the companies that use our Total Cost of Ownership Estimator® (TCOE) to reshore.