ABB survey: 70% of US businesses looking to bring production closer to home

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, geopolitical disputes, raw materials shortages and trade issues that have rocked global economies and supply chains, a majority of U.S.-based companies are planning to relocate production closer to home, according to a new survey from automation and robotics provider ABB.

Surveying 1,610 executives in the U.S. and Europe, ABB found that 70% of U.S. businesses are planning changes in their operations, with 37% planning to bring production back home and 33% looking to nearshore and shift their operations to a closer location.

“Business leaders are responding to unprecedented supply chain disruptions by putting into place measures to make operations more resilient and adaptable,” said Sami Atiya President of ABB’s Robotics & Discrete Automation Business, speaking at SelectUSA. “While investment in automation plays a key role in flexibility in operations, equally important is investment in education, vocational training, and apprenticeship programs needed to create safer, higher-paying jobs for American workers.”

Atiya explained how the increasing need for flexibility and resilience in production is driving the interest in reshoring/nearshoring and, as a result, the demand for more automation. He underscored the role of robotics in facilitating reshoring or nearshoring efforts, addressing supply chain concerns and maintaining global competitiveness for U.S. businesses.

Once confined to the automotive industry, automation and robotics have significantly expanded across multiple industries and sectors across the United States, including logistics, food and beverage, retail, and healthcare, according to ABB. American companies are increasingly turning to automation and robotics driven by the need for greater flexibility in operations, widespread labor shortages and an aging workforce.

According to the International Federation of Robotics, the increase in robot density per 10,000 workers in North America, jumped 28% in Q1 2022 compared to first quarter of 2021, the highest rate of growth since records have been kept. While in one sector alone, the American Welding Society says the US will face a shortage of 400,00 welders by 2024.

ABB’s study also found that American companies are relying more on automation to solve their supply chain woes. Forty-three percent of businesses surveyed indicated that they are expanding robotics and automation to address supply chain concerns and address customer demands, with 73% of US based businesses noting that robotics and automation will play a significant role in addressing supply chain issues. The survey found that among U.S. companies, 43% plan to apply automation technologies to their logistics operations; 41% plan to increase the use of automation on manufacturing lines; and 62% plan to invest in robotics to overcome a lack of skilled labor.

Although there is a greater demand for robotics in the United States, ABB’s survey found that the rate of investment in automation remains higher in Europe, with 74% of European businesses indicating they will invest in robotics and automation in the next three years — compared to 62% in the US.

The role of automation and robotics in reshoring or nearshoring operations in the U.S. also depends on bridging the skills gap in robotics education and better educating and upskilling workers, according to Atiya.

“Robotics and automation are job creators, requiring new ways of working with new skillsets,” noted Atiya “We are working with the U.S. government to share ABB’s experience in the US and other countries where we operate on how we can accelerate robotics and automation education, vocational training, and apprenticeship programs needed to create safer, and higher-paying jobs for American workers.”

Atiya presented at Select USA Tech: The Future of High-Tech Industries alongside other companies including Softbank Group International, GymPass and A-to-Be. In addition to taking about automation and robotics and the growing move to bring production closer to home, Atiya also noted that the business-friendly environment and level of entrepreneurship in the United States fuels ABB’s own innovation and growth there.