One of the panel discussions presented by NOW Partners at ISPO Munich addressed the ubiquitous issue of supply chain resilience and the potential solution to be found in nearshoring.
Recent years have shown that the “just in time” concept that used to be the holy grail of streamlined business efficiency is beyond vulnerable. The different shock waves that have rippled supply chains and created bottlenecks recently now show massive consequences – from bad deliveries to overstocking – that will stay with the industry for a long time and affect the product offerings of the future.
Panelists at the masterclass hosted by NOW Partners agreed that both nearshoring and safety stock will be important elements in protecting retailers and the industry from these supply chain shockwaves. The last few years had shown that money supposedly saved on the offshore production of a component is, at worst, completely wasted if the used part is not delivered and final production comes to a standstill. As an alternative, nearshoring is the (not entirely new) buzzword that promises to be a solution to the sporting goods industry. As a classical nearshoring production region for both the apparel, footwear and hardgoods industries, two representatives of the Portuguese apparel industry promoted the country’s various manufacturing opportunities.
