Share:


Reimagining Finland as a manufacturing base: the nearshoring potential of Finland in an industry 4.0 perspective

Abstract

After decades of globalization and outsourcing the idea of “bringing manufacturing back home” and the twin concepts of backshoring and nearshoring have received much attention in recent years. Recent positive stories from the Finnish manufacturing industry suggests Finland as an attractive target for nearshoring, yet little to none has hitherto been made of this connection. This article (i.) examines recent relocation literature with a focus on nearshoring and manufacturing in high-cost environments, (ii.) explores the location advantage of Finland, (iii.) analyses cases of recent manufacturing developments in Finland within this context as single incidents or signals of change, and (iv.) discusses this development within the perspective of Industry 4.0.

Keyword : Nearshoring;, Location advantage;, Manufacturing relocation;, Manufacturing 4.0;, Industry 4.0;, Industrial strategies;, Corporate foresight

How to Cite
Kaivo-Oja, J., Knudsen, M. S., & Lauraéus, T. (2018). Reimagining Finland as a manufacturing base: the nearshoring potential of Finland in an industry 4.0 perspective. Business, Management and Economics Engineering, 16, 65-80. https://doi.org/10.3846/bme.2018.2480
Published in Issue
Jul 13, 2018
Abstract Views
2231
PDF Downloads
1281
Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

References

Ali-Yrkkö, J., Lehmus, M., Rouvinen, P., & Vihriälä, V. (2017). Riding the wave: Finland in the changing tides of globalisation. Research Institute of the Finnish Economy – ETLA. Helsinki: Taloustieto Oy.

Arlbjørn, J. S., Lüthje, T., Mikkelsen, O. S., Schlichter, J., & Thoms, L. (2013). Danske producenters udflytning og hjemtagning af production. Kraks Fond Byforskning.

Backer, K. D., Menon, C., Desnoyers-James, I., & Moussiegt, L. (2016). Reshoring: myth or reality?. OECD Science, Technology and Industry Policy Papers. Retrieved from http://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/science-and-technology/reshoring-myth-or-reality_5jm56frbm38s-en?crawler=true&mimetype=application/pdf

Backer, K. D., DeStefano, T., Menon, C., & Suh, J. R. (2018). Industrial robotics and the global organisation of production. OECD Science, Technology and Industry Policy Papers. Retrieved from https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/docserver/dd98ff58-en.pdf?expires=1528292484&id=id&accname=guest&checksum=2323A12050A5E80B2A465DB4069E0CC9

Bals, L., Kirchoff, J. K., & Foerstl, L. (2016). Exploring the reshoring and insourcing decision making process: toward an agenda for future research. Operation Management Research, 9(3-4), 102-116. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12063-016-0113-0

Barbieri, P., Ciabuschi, F., Fratocchi, L., & Vignoli, M. (2018). What do we know about manufacturing reshoring?. Journal of Global Operations and Strategic Sourcing, 11(1), 79-122. https://doi.org/10.1108/JGOSS-02-2017-0004

Brettel, M., Friederichsen, N., Keller, M., & Rosenberg, M. (2014). How virtualization, decentralization and network building change the manufacturing landscape: an industry 4.0 perspective. International Journal of Information and Communication Engineering, 8(1), 37-44.

Brettel, M., Klein, M., & Friederichsen, N. (2016). The relevance of manufacturing flexibility in the context of Industrie 4.0. Procedia CIRP, 41, 105-110. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procir.2015.12.047

Business Insider Nordic. (2017). Finnish shipyard Meyer Turku will triple productivity by 2025 to meet quickly growing demand. May 12th 2017. Retrieved from http://nordic.businessinsider.com/finnish-shipyard-meyer-turku-will-triple-productivity-by-2025-to-meet-the-quickly-growing-demand-2017-5/

Carmel, E., & Abbott, P. (2007). Why ‘nearshore’ means that distance matters. Communications of the ACM, 50(10), 40-46. https://doi.org/10.1145/1290958.1290959

Cohen, M. A, Cui, S., Ernst, R., Huchzermeier, A., Kouvelis, P., Lee, H. L., Matsuo, H., Steuber, M., & Tsay, A. A. (2017). OM Forum – Benchmarking Global Production Sourcing Decisions: Where and Why Firms Offshore and Reshore. Georgetown McDonough School of Business Research Paper No. 27 913 73. Stanford University Graduate School of Business Research Paper No. 16-28.

Daimler. (2017). Top performance in focus: Daimler AG distinguishes ten suppliers with the Supplier Award 2016. Retrieved from http://media.daimler.com/marsMediaSite/en/instance/ko/Top-performance-in-focus-Daimler-AG-distinguishes-ten-suppliers-with-the-Supplier-Award-2016.xhtml?oid=15706390

de Treville, S., Ketokivi, M., & Singhal, V. R. (2017). Competitive manufacturing in a high-cost environment: introduction to the special issue. Journal of Operations Management, 49-51, 1-5. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jom.2017.02.001

Dunning, J. H. (1998). Location and the multinational enterprise: a neglected factor?. Journal of International Business Studies, 29(1), 45-66. https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.jibs.8490024

The Economist. (2005). The rise of nearshoring. Dec 1st 2005. Retrieved from https://www.economist.com/node/5246203

Eurostat. (2018). Globalisation in business statistics. Retrieved from http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/economic-globalisation/globalisation-in-business-statistics

Foerstl, K., Kirchoff, J. K., & Bals, L. (2016). Reshoring and insourcing: drivers and future research directions. International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics, 46(5), 492-515. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPDLM-02-2015-0045

Fratocchi, L., Di Mauro, C., Barbieri, P., & Nassimbeni, G. (2014). When manufacturing moves back: concepts and questions. Journal of Purchasing & Supply Management, 20, 54-59. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pursup.2014.01.004

Ghemawat, P. (2001). Distance still matters: the hard reality of global expansion. Harvard Business Review, 79(8), 137-40, 142-7, 162.

Gylling, M., Heikkilä, J., Jussila, K., & Saarinen, M. (2015). Making decisions on offshore outsourcing and backshoring: a case study in the bicycle industry. International Journal of Production Economics, 162, 92-100. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpe.2015.01.006

Hartman, P. L., Ogden, J. A., Wirthlin, J. R., & Hazen, B. T. (2017). Nearshoring, reshoring and in-sourcing: moving beyond the total cost of ownership conversation. Business Horizons, 60, 363-373. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2017.01.008

Heikkilä, J., Martinsuo, M., & Nenonen, S. (2018). Backshoring of production in the context of a small and open Nordic economy. Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management, 29(4), 658-675. https://doi.org/10.1108/JMTM-12-2016-0178

Helsinki Sanomat. (2018). Suomen talous voisi saada yllätävän vauhdittajan paljon parjatuista kaivok-sista – mineraalivarantojen arvo on peräti 500 miljardia euroa. Retrieved from https://www.hs.fi/talous/art-2000005555723.html

Jensen, P. D. Ø., & Pedersen, T. (2011). The economic geography of offshoring: the fit between activities and local context. Journal of Management Studies, 48(2), 352-372.

Kaivo-oja, J. (2012).Weak signals analysis, knowledge management theory and systemic socio-cultural transitions. Futures. The Journal of Policy, Planning and Futures Studies, 44(3), 206–217. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.futures.2011.10.003

Ketokivi, M., Turkulainen, V., Seppälä, T., Rouvinen, P., & Ali-Yrkkä, J. (2017). Why locate manufacturing in a high-cost country? A case study of 35 production location decisions. Journal of Operations Management, 49-51, 20-30. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jom.2016.12.005

Larsen, M. M., Manning, S., & Pedersen, T. (2013). Uncovering the hidden costs of offshoring: the interplay of complexity, organizational design, and experience. Strategic Management Journal, 34(5), 533-552. https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.2023

Lu, Y. (2017). Industry 4.0: A survey on technologies, applications and open research. Journal of Industrial Information Integration, 6, 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jii.2017.04.005

Lorincz, N. (2018). Being an investment target in CEE. Country attractiveness and near-shoring. Budapest Management Review, 49(5), 47-54. https://doi.org/10.14267/VEZTUD.2018.05.05

Martinsuo, M., & Chaoji, P. (2017). Manufacturing innoveations and their implications for manufacturing Relocation. In J. Heikkilä, (Ed.), Relocation of Nordic manufacturing. Tampere University of Technology, Industrial and Information Management.

McIvor, R. (2013). Understanding the manufacturing location decision: the case for the transaction cost and capability perspectives. Journal of Supply Chain Management, 49(2), 23-26. https://doi.org/10.1111/jscm.12010

Mendonca, S., Pina e Cunha, M., Kaivo-oja, J., & Ruff, F. (2004). Wild cards, weak signals and organisational improvisation. Futures. The Journal of Policy, Planning and Futures Studies, 36, 201-218. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0016-3287(03)00148-4

Mendonca, S., Cardoso, G., & Caraca, J. (2012). The strategic strength of weak signal analysis. Futures, 44, 212-228. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.futures.2011.10.004

Meyer, T. (2006). Offshoring to new shores: nearshoring to Central and Eastern Europe. Deutsche Bank Research, MPRA Paper No. 5785. Retrieved from https://mpra.ub.unimuenchen.de/5785/1/MPRA_paper_5785.pdf

Meyer Turku. (2017). Meyer Turku to more than double investments to 185 million euros. Retrieved from http://www.meyerturku.fi/en/meyerturku_com/media/presseticker/pressemitteilung_detailansicht_13120.jsp

Miebach Consulting. (2017). Miebach’s nearshoring study shows: the production is being relocated closer to the industrialized countries. Retrieved from https://www.miebach.com/en/news-events/news/?news=199

Moradlou, H., Sawhney, R., Backhouse, C., & Mountney, S. (2017). Investigation on Additive Manufacturing as an enabler for reshoring manufacturing activities. EurOMA Conference 2017. Edinburgh, Scotland, UK.

Müller, J., Dotzauer, V., & Voigt, K. (2017). Industry 4.0 and its impact on reshoring decisions of German manufacturing enterprises. In C. Bode, R. Bogaschewsky, M. Essig, R. Lasch, W. Stölzle (Eds.), Supply Management Research. Advanced Studies in Supply Management. Springer Gabler, Wiesbaden. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-18632-6_8

Nujen, B. B., Halse, L. L., Damm, R., & Gammelsæter, H. (2018). Managing reversed (global) outsourcing – the role of knowledge, technology and time. Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management, 29(4), 676-698. https://doi.org/10.1108/JMTM-02-2017-0023

OECD. (2017). OECD Data average wages. Retrieved from https://data.oecd.org/earnwage/averagewages.htm

OECD. (2018). OECD economics surveys: Finland. Retrieved from http://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/economics/oecd-economic-surveys-finland-2018_eco_surveys-fin-2018-en

Panova, Y., & Hilletofth, P. (2017). Feasibility of nearshoring European manufacturing located in China to Russia. Operations and Supply Chain Management, 10(3), 141-148.

Roblek, V., Mesko, M., & Krapez, A. (2016). A complex view of industry 4.0. SAGE Open. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244016653987

Saritas, O., & Smith, J. E. (2011). The big picture – trends, drivers, wild cards, discontinuities and weak signals. Futures, 43, 292-312. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.futures.2010.11.007

Schonberger, R. J., & Brown, K. A. (2017). Missing link in competitive manufacturing research and practice: customer-responsive concurrent production. Journal of Operations Management, 49-51, 83-87. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jom.2016.12.006

Slepniov, D., Brazinskas, S., & Wæhrens, B. J. (2013). Nearshoring practices: an exploratory study of Scandinavian manufacturers and Lithuanian vendor firms. Baltic Journal of Management, 8(1), 5-26. https://doi.org/10.1108/17465261311291632

Stanczyk, A., Cataldo, Z. Blome, C., & Busse, C. (2017). The dark side of global sourcing: a systematic literature review and research agenda. International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management, 47(1), 41-670. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPDLM-10-2015-0252

Statistics Finland. (2018). Regional statistics on entrepeneurial activity, 005 – Gross and added value of establishments by industry and region 2016. Retrieved from http://pxnet2.stat.fi/PXWeb/pxweb/en/StatFin/StatFin__yri__alyr/statfin_alyr_pxt_005.px/?rxid=68ae4e57-2fe1-40c8-aec2-d95cf58448d8

Stentoft, J., Mikkelsen, O. S., & Johnsen, T. E. (2015). Going local: a trend towards insourcing of production?, Supply Chain Forum, 16(1), 2-13.

Stentoft, J., Olhager, J., Heikkilä, J., & Thoms, L. (2016). Manufacturing backshoring: a systematic literature review. Operations Management Research, 9(3-4), 53-61. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12063-016-0111-2

Suni, P., & Vihriälä, V. (2016). Finland and its Northern Peers in the Great Recession. ETLA – The Research Institute of the Finnish Economy. Retrieved from https://www.etla.fi/wp-content/uploads/ETLA-Raportit-Reports-49.pdf

Tuhkuri, J., Lööf, H., Mohammadi, A., & Rouvinen, P. (2016). Offshoring R&D. ETLA – The Research Institute of the Finnish Economy. Retrieved from https://www.etla.fi/wp-content/uploads/ETLA-Raportit-Reports-52.pdf

Turun Sanomat. (2018). Sata suurinta lyö ennätyksiä. 16.4.2018.

Vanchan, V., Mulhall, R., & Bryson, J. (2018). Repatriation of reshoring of manufacturing to the U.S. and UK: dynamics and global production networks or from here to there and back again. Growth and Change, 49(1), 97-121. https://doi.org/10.1111/grow.12224

Valmet Automotive. (2017). Valmet Automotive expands GLC recruitments. Retrieved from http://www.valmet-automotive.com/automotive/bulletin.nsf/PEBD/281FEE0FC3BC0C64C22580EB003AAF50?opendocument

Valmet Automotive. (2018). Valmet Automotive will recruit 1000 in Finland this year. Retrieved from http://www.valmet-automotive.com/automotive/bulletin.nsf/PEBD/C157C337CEDBB99BC2258233004EB42A?opendocument

Vihriälä, V. (2017). The Finnish Economy. In K. Liuhto (Ed.), BSR Policy Briefing series, 03/17.

YLE. (2018). Lounais-Suomeen syntymässä 30 000 tyäpaikkaa – alueen työttömät enää riitä. 14.2.2018. Retrieved from https://yle.fi/uutiset/3-10074809