There has been a lot of talk about a potential U.S. manufacturing resurgence. We wanted to get down to the bottom of how much—if any—action there is to support all the hype, so we surveyed more than 150 sourcing professionals to get their take. “Manufacturing in the U.S.—Movement or Myth?”, is a report that details the findings from that survey, including key drivers, deterrents and other factors that impact companies’ decisions to source goods from U.S. manufacturers.

The report found that the majority (75 percent) of buyers currently source goods from the United States and that the ability of U.S. manufacturers to turnaround and deliver goods faster than overseas manufacturers was the quality that most made the United States a desirable sourcing destination. However, most buyers (81 percent) cited a single factor that limits how much their company sources from the United States: high costs.

Other notable findings include:

• Working conditions not driving buyers to consider U.S. suppliers: only 4 percent of buyers cited concern about working conditions at factories outside the United States as a driver of efforts to increase the amount of goods sourced from the United States, despite many companies’ outrage following high-profile factory fires and a building collapse in Bangladesh.
• Visibility into U.S. manufacturers’ capabilities may limit their ability to buy: Despite nearly a third (29 percent) of buyers citing better visibility into capabilities of American manufacturers and suppliers as a factor that would increase their likelihood to source from the United States in the future, more than 60 percent of buyers admit to having limited, minimal or no visibility into such information.
• There is lack of consensus on whether consumers will pay more for American-made goods: more than half of respondents (52 percent) believe consumers will pay considerately or slightly more for American made goods, while the other half  (48 percent) remain adamant they will not pay more. This suggests that strong evidence of consumers’ willingness to spend more on Made in America products may lead to a greater interest among buyers in sourcing from the United States.

Download the complete report here.