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US manufacturing resurgence : How site selectors can unlock the potential of US locations
Corporate Real Estate Journal,
14
(2),
169-179
(2024)
Abstract
Over the past three years, disruptions to supply chains worldwide have been the norm, bringing the impacts of globalisation and the importance of well-functioning supply chains into sharper focus. As a result, businesses are proactively exploring new ways to diversify their supply chains, and in the US, a major component of diversification is manufacturing. In this paper, we explore the current trends of manufacturing real estate, including how companies are pursuing a data-driven selection process to identify the optimal site to locate, illustrated by a compelling case study. The US manufacturing market is resurgent, and many occupiers are evaluating the opportunity to establish or relocate their production facilities. They are navigating an ongoing challenge of labour shortages, high power demands of manufacturing and low vacancies in the sector overall. This paper presents a case study, Project Apex, to demonstrate how site selectors navigate this landscape with their clients. This step-by-step analysis reveals how 126 locations on the longlist were narrowed down to 16 locations for site visits and, ultimately, three finalists for the manufacturing client to review. The paper outlines best practices for site selectors during every phase of the project while considering the challenges and current landscape.
Keywords: manufacturing; logistics; reshoring; onshoring; site selection; supply chain
The full article is available to subscribers to the journal.
Author's Biography
Nicole Bennett serves as Logistics and Industrial Co-Lead for the Americas at Cushman & Wakefield. Together with her colleague, Jason Tolliver, she is responsible for driving the overall direction, strategy and growth of Cushman & Wakefield’s Americas Industrial Platform. Nicole brings deep expertise and focus on occupier business gleaned from her 18 years in supply chain, business development and industrial real estate. She specialises in supporting clients through complex, fully integrated site selection projects for large manufacturing and distribution facilities. Before moving into her current role, Nicole built and led Cushman & Wakefield’s Client Experience Program, where she developed key performance indicators and client interviewing practices that allow the company to measure its performance and ensure it meets and exceeds client expectations. Prior to joining Cushman & Wakefield, Nicole led the occupier side of the industrial business at CBRE, where she was responsible for supporting and growing industrial occupier business across the US. She grew the industrial multi-market account business from US$14m/year to US$60m/year during her tenure. Based in Atlanta, Nicole is an accomplished leader with a successful track record of winning and growing business relationships with strategic clients. She has acute expertise in industrial, having held positions within supply chain, transportation and third-party logistics (3PLs). She is a Member of Council of Supply Chain Membership Professionals (CSCMP) and a previous Board Member, CSCMP Atlanta Roundtable. She has a BSc from the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, and four-year scholarship letterman, University of Alabama Women’s Soccer Team.
Ben Harris is the Senior Managing Director of Client Solutioning and Strategy for Logistics and Industrial Services at Cushman & Wakefield. He focuses on collaborating across regions and service lines within the company to connect occupier clients with optimal real estate solutions. Utilising his supply chain expertise, Ben leverages the full Cushman & Wakefield services platform to deploy the best talent and resources that solve their clients’ most complex Industrial real estate needs. Ben leads the Supply Chain and Logistics Advisory (SCLA) Americas team as a consulting leader focused on developing and implementing solutions for operation expense reduction and service improvement. Additionally, he leads the Industrial Labor Analytics consulting team, helping clients find locations that fit their workforce needs. Over the course of his career, Ben has helped clients to identify and/or achieve US$50m in logistics-related cost savings. His functional specialisations include site selection, supply chain network optimisation, transportation strategy and third-part logistic (3PL) evaluation. In his 15 years’ experience as a supply chain practitioner, Ben has advised 45+ organisations on three different continents in both the private and public sectors. Prior to joining Cushman & Wakefield, he served as the Director of Supply Chain for Advanced Manufacturing and Bioscience industries at the Metro Atlanta Chamber, where he led metro Atlanta’s efforts to recruit, retain and expand companies and investment within these ecosystems. Additionally, he led industrial market strategy for corporate end-users, service providers and consultants by recruiting company logistics and manufacturing projects, headquarters and corporate office functions. Ben also worked as the Senior Manager of Market Development for Manhattan Associates, a supply chain software developer. Prior to joining Manhattan, he spent four years with the Georgia Department of Economic Development’s Center of Innovation for Logistics, where he played a key role in establishing the Center as a go-to industry resource for information, support, partnership building and investment development. Ben is an APICS Certified Supply Chain Professional (CSCP), holds an Executive Master’s degree in business administration (EMBA) and Bachelor’s degree in international business (BBA) from the Terry College at the University of Georgia.
