The Hackett Group's research showed that companies are taking advantage of this stability by looking inward for cost reduction opportunities and other improvements: companies are turning to strategic sourcing, improving their operations, and optimizing their supply chain networks.

According to the research, the focus for 2013 cost improvements will continue to move away from outsourcing and towards internal manufacturing productivity, which is expected to contribute nearly 50 percent of the overall improvement. The Hackett Group found that while companies aggressively used outsourced manufacturing to reduce costs through 2011, starting in 2012 companies shifted away from this strategy, and expect to be much less reliant on outsourcing for savings in 2013 as well.

Last year The Hackett Group issued research showing that the tide has begun to turn on the flow of manufacturing jobs from the U.S. to China and other low-cost countries. The research found that some companies are already reshoring a portion of their manufacturing capacity, and this trend is expected to reach a crucial tipping point by 2015, as the total landed cost gap between the two nations continues to shrink, driven in part by rising wage inflation in China and continued productivity improvements in the U.S. The new study's findings indicate that manufacturers are indeed shifting focus of improvement initiatives away from offshoring and outsourcing.

"Over the past few years major companies have outsourced the large majority of the activities that can be managed by third parties, to take advantage of low-cost locations," said Dave Sievers, a Principal and the Practice Leader of The Hackett Group's Strategy & Operations Practice. "But in many cases the labor cost gap is shrinking, making on-shore and near-shore manufacturing much more attractive. At the same time, new opportunities for cost reduction are emerging, including internal optimization, materials cost cuts, and reduced energy prices. For 2013, companies are clearly focusing on building the skills and infrastructure they need to take advantage of these trending opportunity areas."

A significant portion of the initiative to reduce cost of goods sold will be driven by a planned 1.7-percent reduction in internal manufacturing costs, which is on top of a 1.8-percent reduction in 2012. In addition to internal manufacturing efficiencies, purchased material cost reductions are expected to reach 0.5 percent of total materials cost in 2013, 0.3 percent lower than 2012, as companies continue to lock in savings from favorable commodity price markets.
Favorable energy prices as well as stable aggregate demand also helped spur a 1.8-percent reduction in logistics and 1.5 percent-reduction in warehousing costs during 2012. This trend is expected to continue in 2013 with companies anticipating additional savings of 2 percent in logistics costs and 1.7 percent in warehousing costs. "With demand really beginning to stabilize in 2012, companies began to optimize their existing distribution networks, reducing overhead and operating costs. We expect this to be a significant trend going into 2013," said Len Prokopets, Associate Principal, The Hackett Group's Strategy & Operations Practice.

In order to achieve these performance improvements, companies are focusing on supply chain strategy, and plan to increase investment in their supply chains by nearly 3 percent in 2013. Interestingly, the research showed that only 20 percent of the total investment will go toward upgrading or building new capacity (down by half from 2012). Instead, key 2013 investment priorities will include IT, skills and training to improve processes, and supply partners to develop joint capabilities and products.

More details on the research findings are available on a complimentary basis, with registration, click here.

Source: The Hackett Group