What is Meant by Offshore Manufacturing?

Offshore manufacturing is a business aspect wherethis again creates an extra incentive for those
an entrepreneur relocates or sets his/herworkers who have lost jobs to work hard so as to
manufacturing plant in another country wherescale the high value jobs which their country has a
conditions of manufacturing like labor and rawcomparative advantage to produce.
materials are more cheaper or where theSimilarly, offshore manufacturers incur expenses like
manufacturing environment is more favorable forshipping, inventory, communication, travel, training,
export and/or eventual import to the manufacturer'spermits, duties, tariffs, compliance with import/export
home country.restrictions and others which they may not incur in their
The main reason for offshore manufacturing is tocountry. This in the long run pushes the production cost.
reduce production costs for a manufacturer who isEven more critical, other costs like training costs
trying to make more profits by exploiting theespecially in countries where there is inadequate skilled
comparative advantages that exist in other countriesmanpower will force the manufacture to invest in staff
and which are not in his/her country.training and this will make offshore manufacturing
This aspect of manufacturing occurs in an environmentunviable. Also because of competition and the
where there is free trade which is informed by thesupposedly cheaper labor may make it harder for the
generally accepted fact that entrepreneurs shouldforeign investor to retain the workers he has invested
freely exercise the freedom to trade in products thatheavily to train. This may result in a higher turnover of
cost them the least to produce.employees hence straining the operating finances.
Offshore manufacturing is beneficial to both theIn most countries, especially in the developing nations,
manufacturer's country of origin and the host countrythere are some hidden costs that a foreign investor
for it provides employments opportunities, taxes andcomes to find about once he has already established
other benefits for the host country. As for thehis company. For instance, in Asia and Africa it is
company's origin country, it lowers the cost of goodscommonplace for investors to bribe, give kickbacks or
and services because goods produced cheaply areeven pay protection fee to facilitate services and
also sold at a competitively cheaper price.shield their investments. This normally pushes operating
In most cases companies are attracted to offshorecosts up thus making offshore manufacturing unviable.
manufacturing because of the tax breaks offered byOffshore manufacturing can make better sense if the
the host. Also, some home countries do not levy taxesoverseas company is located close to where they
on profits made from overseas manufacturing as longhave a bigger percentage of the target market. For
as the profit does not come into the country. This isinstance, Japanese automotive companies like the
the other intoxicating factor that makes manymakers of the Toyota car are setting their
companies to invest overseas so as to avoid thismanufacturing plant in America where they have a
taxation.huge market while they export other units home and
The flipside is that offshore manufacturing leads to jobto the rest of the world.
losses in the manufacturer's country of origin, but then