onshoring
The strategic initiative to bring manufacturing and supply chains back to the United States, discussed as a potential goal of the tariff policies to increase domestic production.
entitydetail.created_at
7/22/2025, 3:50:38 AM
entitydetail.last_updated
7/26/2025, 2:25:45 AM
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7/22/2025, 5:41:13 AM
Summary
Onshoring refers to the practice of bringing business operations back to a company's home country. This concept gained prominence in discussions surrounding policies like the controversial "Liberation Day Tariff," which aimed to promote onshoring as a key component of a broader economic reordering. While intended to strengthen domestic industry, such policies carried potential risks, including instability in the corporate debt market and strained international relations, particularly with China in critical sectors like semiconductor manufacturing. Generally, onshoring is understood as the relocation of production or business processes within national borders, often to lower-cost domestic areas, and is considered the direct opposite of offshoring. The term can also refer to a legal entity incorporated for domestic operations or to land-based fossil fuels and wind.
Referenced in 2 Documents
Research Data
Extracted Attributes
Benefits
Enhanced security, control, and coordination; cultural and language alignment; real-time cooperation; job creation for the domestic workforce; utilization of domestic tools, facilities, and infrastructure; investment in the national economy.
Definition
The process of sourcing or relocating a business’ production operations within domestic national borders.
Related Terms
Often used interchangeably with 'reshoring'; distinct from 'nearshoring' (outsourcing to a nearby country).
Other Meanings
A legal entity incorporated within a country for domestic operations; land-based fossil fuels; wind blowing from land.
Historical Context
Was the status quo for most companies until the 1980s, followed by a period of offshoring, and a recent return to onshoring.
Primary Distinction
Opposite of offshoring, which involves moving production overseas.
Key Drivers for Return
Increased supply chain control, avoidance of rising foreign production costs, domestic economic growth, lower risk, support for sustainability, compliance and quality control, cost management.
Timeline
- Onshoring was the status quo, with most companies keeping their manufacturing operations at home. (Source: Thomasnet)
Pre-1980s
- During the years of globalization, many companies shifted to offshoring, moving production overseas to benefit from cheaper labor and material costs. (Source: Thomasnet)
Post-1980s
- A return to onshoring or reshoring has been observed, driven by desires to increase supply chain control, avoid rising foreign production costs, and support domestic economies. (Source: Thomasnet)
Recent years
- The 'Liberation Day Tariff' policy was discussed, with its explicit goal of promoting onshoring as part of a 'new Bretton Woods'-style global economic reordering. (Source: Document 68bb6bb7-c6bf-412f-a606-9d5f4d04d37e)
Undated (Trump Administration era)
Wikipedia
View on WikipediaOnshore
Onshore can mean: An onshore company is a legal entity that is incorporated in a country to operate a business there; the opposite of offshoring (including reshoring) Onshore wind, blowing from a body of water Onshore (hydrocarbons), land-based fossil fuels
Web Search Results
- What Is Onshoring? - Thomasnet
Thomas Logo Thomas Logo # What Is Onshoring? What Is Onshoring? Onshoring is the process of sourcing or relocating a business’ production operations within domestic national borders. Until the 1980s, onshoring was the status quo, with most companies keeping their manufacturing operations at home. During the years of globalization, many companies outsourced or moved their production overseas to benefit from cheaper labor and material costs. [...] Recent years have seen a return to onshoring or reshoring as a way to increase supply chain control, avoid rising foreign production costs, and help domestic economies grow. ## What Are the Differences Between Onshoring, Reshoring, and Nearshoring? The term onshoring is often used interchangeably with “reshoring,” but there are some subtle differences. Offshoring is the opposite of all three process types listed above and is the act of moving production operations to an overseas location. [...] Onshoring and reshoring production can apply to service providers as well as manufacturers of physical goods. In this case, the onshoring process is generally much easier, as the transition of large production plants is not necessary. The best option for a specific company depends on the type, scale, and running costs of the business. ## What Are the Advantages of Onshoring? Companies may benefit from onshoring in several ways:
- What is offshoring, outsourcing, nearshoring, onshoring?
Simply put, onshoring is the opposite of offshoring . It is the relocation of your business processes to a location inside national borders, but in a lower-cost area. Typically this occurs from a metropolitan, developed area in the country to a non-metropolitan one.
- Why onshoring supports your sustainable procurement agenda - Sievo
Nearshoring is outsourcing from a relatively close location. Nearshoring means outsourcing a business process or part of it from a nearby country, preferably a neighboring one or one on the same continent. There are often cultural and language benefits as well as faster logistics, communications and fewer misunderstandings. Onshoring is domestic outsourcing. Onshoring refers to outsourcing business process or part of it from another location inside the national borders. [...] Here's an example of sourcing models: ## Sustainable benefits of onshoring Onshoring of products and services is becoming one of the corporate responsibility objectives for organizations. Onshoring is linked to sustainability, diversity, and local sourcing goals. [...] In the procurement world, offshoring is the relocation of production, business process or operations from one location to another, usually to less-developed countries, to reduce costs. The main reasons for offshoring are improved production efficiency, improved turnaround, the advantage of lower labor costs, looser environmental and employment regulations, and better availability of raw materials.
- Nearshoring vs. offshoring vs. onshoring - which, when and why?
Onshoring is basically outsourcing to another city in your country. By using this approach, companies don’t face the risks associated with offshoring like cultural differences or foreign taxing policies, not to mention they invest in their country’s economy. Here’s a TL;DR for you: If a Belgian company outsources to Chile, that’s offshoring. If a Belgian company outsources to Ukraine, that’s nearshoring. If a company from Brussel outsources to Ghent, that’s onshoring. [...] When you’re just starting out as a business owner, you want to gain security, control and coordination over as many processes as possible. This is where onshoring can help you out. Onshoring is an excellent choice for startups and innovative projects that are broadly defined or not well-documented. ##### You can Find Cheaper Options [...] Onshoring guarantees even more efficient coordination and cooperation since all the participants of the process are from a single cultural and language background. Along with real-time cooperation, security and control the companies get, onshoring brings jobs back to the native labor force. They also use domestic tools, facilities, and infrastructure. ##### Arm Yourself with Patience
- 5 benefits of onshoring | Celonis
5 benefits of onshoring · 1. Lower risk · 2. Support sustainability · 3. Enforce compliance and quality control · 4. Cost management · 5.