Global and Local Operations of Finnish Metal Industry Companies during COVID-19 and Trade Disruptions: A Case Study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.53615/2232-5697.10.293-304Keywords:
Globalisation, Supply chain, Industry, COVID-19, Brexit, Trade wars, outsourcing, offshoring, reshoringAbstract
Purpose: Globally operating companies have been disrupted by many simultaneous crises in recent years, specifically the COVID-19 pandemic, Brexit, and trade wars. This study identifies the key factors in companies’ decisions to expand their global supply chains or to operate more locally in today’s world.
Study design/methodology/approach: This article contains a literature review and empirical study. Representatives from three Finnish B2B manufacturing companies in the metal industry were interviewed about their international and local operations.
Findings: The key reasons for global operations included a large supplier base, component availability, lower costs, and specialised products. Typical problems included quality issues, long lead times, and communication challenges. Specific risks and mitigations around COVID-19, Brexit, and trade wars are also presented.
Originality/value: The study provides updated information on global and local operations. Unique reasons for global operations included manufacturing Engineer-to-Order (ETO) products close to the customer and changes in products.
Downloads
Downloads
Published
License
Copyright (c) 2021 Pasi Rönkkö, Jere Lehtinen, Jukka Majava, Pekka Tervonen

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.