For decades, there was one principle in particular in industry: relocate production to where costs are as low as possible. As a result, Asia has become the center of many global supply chains. Production, supply and transport were distributed all over the world — highly efficient, but at the same time highly interdependent. But it is precisely this model that is increasingly being questioned.

Pandemics, geopolitical conflicts, rising transportation costs and political uncertainties have shown many companies how vulnerable global supply chains can be. That is why one term is becoming more and more important: nearshoring.

What does nearshoring actually mean?

Nearshoring describes the relocation of production or supply closer to the target market. For European companies, this often means:

• Eastern Europe
• Turkey
• North Africa
• southern Europe

instead of:

• china
• Southeast Asia
• distant production sites

The goal: to make supply chains shorter, more stable and more predictable.

Why companies are rethinking

1. Supply chains should become more resilient

The past few years have shown how quickly international supply chains can come under pressure. There were plenty of examples of this:

• Pandemic-related production outages
• Disturbances in maritime transport
• Shortages in ports
• geopolitical conflicts
• rising freight rates

Many companies are therefore no longer just asking the question: “Where is production cheapest? ”

But increasingly: “Where is production safe and predictable in the long term? ”

2. Shorter transport routes mean more control

Long supply chains automatically result in:

• longer running times
• higher dependencies
• more interfaces
• less flexibility

Nearshoring reduces exactly these risks.

Shorter routes mean:

• faster response times
• lower inventories
• better predictability
• higher transparency

This is becoming increasingly important for many companies, especially in volatile markets.

3. Geopolitics are influencing supply chains more than ever

Supply chains are no longer just an economic issue.

Sanctions, trade conflicts and geopolitical tensions are increasingly influencing:

• Production decisions
• Transport routes
• investments
• Location strategies

Companies are therefore trying to reduce dependencies and broaden their supply chains regionally.

Which regions benefit in particular?

Eastern Europe

Countries such as Poland, the Czech Republic and Romania have been gaining in importance for years.

advantages:

• Proximity to European markets
• good industrial infrastructure
• comparatively moderate production costs

North Africa

North Africa is also becoming increasingly interesting.

In particular:

• egypt
• morocco
• tunisia

benefit from:

• geographical proximity to Europe
• growing industry
• good access to sea routes

New opportunities are emerging there, particularly for industry and production.

Turkey

Turkey also remains an important production location between Europe and Asia.

It combines:

• industrial experience
• large production capacities
• comparatively short transport routes

What does that mean for logistics?

Nearshoring is not only changing production sites — but entire transport structures.

Supply chains will:

• regional
• more flexible
• swifter
• organized more multimodally

At the same time, requirements are increasing:

• project planning
• customs processing
• international coordination
• flexible transport solutions

As a result, logistics is becoming an even stronger strategic factor.

Globalization is not going away

However, nearshoring does not mean the end of global supply chains. Many industries remain internationally connected. It is therefore less about an “either/or” —
but rather about a new balance between:

• global efficiency
• regional security
• strategic flexibility