Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Forget onshoring (reshoring) - what about MIMOC?

Do you ever a read a post and say to yourself "Man, this person is smart!". I've only read a few posts by AJ Sweatt and all fill me with excitement and envy. In a post dated October 2011 (nothing like keeping my finger on the pulse), he discusses reshoring and how the concept is important in redressing the balance of unneccesarily lost jobs overseas, but ultimately not sustainable.

Instead he suggests MIMOC - Manufacturing in Markets of Consumption, which apparently has been around for years. Known by Coca-Cola and many well-known auto manufacturers, the process specifically locates production locally for exposure to local markets. Makes sense.

The benefits of MIMOC are:
  • it encourages exports
  • it’s sustainable
  • it simplifies politics & public opinion
  • it creates jobs
  • it creates, nurtures & moderates the global manufacturing network
I also like his point that MIMOC gives corporations an "out". Corporations can relocate operations based on where the local market is situated. No need to admit failure over an unsuccessful offshoring initiative.

Click here to read the full article. 

2 comments:

  1. Wow! Thanks so much for your kindness and for the shout-out. And thanks for the measured and accurate portrayal of what I was trying to get across. I AM a BIG fan of reshoring the 'right' production, and understand that some overseas manufacturing are crucial to economies. But there has to be something more to a strategy than reshoring - otherwise, we're doomed to chase the next shiny toy (or cheap labor source).

    Cheers to you guys. If you're ever in the states, ping me and we'll down a pint.

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  2. MIMOC and reshoring are entirely consistent. The Reshoring Initiative encourages companies to analyze their Total Cost of Ownership. Doing so generally causes them to produce close to the market.
    If you want to implement MIMOC, use the free tools of the Reshoring Initiative: www.reshorenow.org.

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