Made in USA: those three words bring forth a swell of pride in hundreds of thousands of manufacturing workers across the nation. Over time, though, those words have appeared on fewer products as the United States has become an integral part of a truly global marketplace.

Long gone are the days when American factories produced the majority of goods consumed within its borders. As international trade grew, industries learned that other countries could sometimes offer cheaper labor and sometimes even better technology.

The very nature of the capitalism Americans love rewards industries for maximizing profits by outsourcing production around the world. Indeed, many economists see free and open international trade as the ideal. However, offshoring manufacturing can have consequences.

For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, shortages and long wait times became problematic as supply chains were strained to their breaking point. Auto manufacturers, in particular, became acutely aware of the problem of having no domestic source of the advanced semiconductors they needed to power the electronics that fill modern vehicles.

In the wake of the pandemic, renewed calls for reshoring manufacturing were heard loud and clear across the country. Have those calls been answered? Where does the reshoring movement stand currently? Will the Trump administration’s on-again, off-again trade policies centered on tariffs spark increased reshoring? Or is there another key to making it happen?

In a recent Manufacturing Dive article , author Søren Peters argues that, while the impact of tariffs is uncertain, “sustainable manufacturing success depends on the competitive advantage that automation delivers.” In fact, he notes that “the reshoring movement has been underway for years — even before the recent tariff announcements.”

He cites recent statistics that show reshoring began years ago and has been spurred on by increasing use of advanced automation technologies. Peters writes, “Look at the numbers: In 2023, more than 287,000 US manufacturing jobs were announced from reshoring and foreign direct investments — a 26-fold increase from 2010, according to the Reshoring Initiative’s annual report. This growth parallels an 88% increase in industrial robots operating in the U.S. between 2013-2023, as reported by the International Federation of Robotics.”

Regarding tariffs, Peters questions their efficacy: “While tariffs could accelerate the reshoring trend, manufacturers are generally cautious. Companies are reluctant to base major reshoring decisions on potentially fluctuating tariffs. Production relocations require years of planning and substantial investment. Companies need permanent competitive advantages, not temporary policy shifts.”

Peters concludes that “[t]his is precisely why automation must be central to any serious reshoring strategy… While trade policies shift, it is the industry’s own ability to compete that makes reshoring sustainable — and for that, automation is the foundation.”

Why is automation so critical to the reshoring effort? Peters notes that “[t]he most immediate obstacle to rapid reshoring is workforce capacity.” There simply aren’t enough manufacturing workers to fill available positions right now, let alone to staff numerous new facilities resulting from reshoring.

Fortunately, new automation technologies have taken some of the pressure off, allowing the U.S. manufacturing sector to continue increasing production capacity even with fewer workers. That might not last long, though, because those new automation technologies also contribute to an ongoing problem: the automation skills gap.

New automation technologies can take up some of the slack of having too few workers, but manufacturers now need more workers with more advanced skills who can operate, maintain, troubleshoot, and repair these new technologies. So where will they find the workers?

As companies embrace new technologies, they will often need to either upskill current workers or hire new workers with the advanced automation technology skills they require. If hiring new workers ends up being part of their automation implementation plan, manufacturers should look for candidates with industry-standard credentials that prove they already possess the advanced automation skills needed to thrive.

For example, if workers possess a certification from the Smart Automation Certification Alliance (SACA), employers can feel confident they’ve already proven they have the knowledge and hands-on skills needed for working with advanced smart automation technologies.

SACA has been hard at work collaborating with industry leaders to develop a wide variety of industry-standard certifications that will help employers find workers who possess the advanced connected-systems skills they need to take their businesses to the next level. Be sure to check out SACA and all it has to offer!