World trade is no longer what it once was. The era of rapid globalization—in which trade grew faster than GDP year after year—lies behind us. What is replacing it forces every technical buyer and every business manager to make the same trade-off: how close do you need to be to critical production? Reshoring is the answer that more and more European manufacturing companies are providing.
A new reality in world trade
International trade is increasingly being slowed down today by geopolitical tensions, protectionist reflexes, and strategic uncertainty. Import tariffs have once again become an explicit policy instrument—not only between the United States and China, but as part of a more assertive industrial and economic security policy. Conflicts in the Middle East and the ongoing war in Ukraine disrupt logistics chains and fuel volatility in energy and commodity markets.
The result is not sudden deglobalization, but a prolonged phase of slower, more fragmented global trade, in which uncertainty has become structural. And open economies — such as Belgium — are disproportionately exposed to this.
The figures from the VBO-FEB leave little to the imagination. In a world where the value of exports fell by 3%, Belgian exports dropped by 4% — the third consecutive year that our imports and exports have declined. International trade in goods amounted to only 77% of GDP, a historically low figure compared to the 80 to 85% of the past decade. The VBO rightly calls it a wake-up call.
From market opening to risk mitigation
For those involved in purchasing, the logic shifts accordingly. Whereas the past decades revolved around market opening and the lowest unit price, the focus is now shifting towards risk mitigation, diversification, and strategic autonomy. That is precisely what reshoring and nearshoring mean: bringing production back to one's own country or to a nearby region to reduce the distance between design and production and to be less dependent on links beyond one's control.
It is not a marginal movement. According to a study by Capgemini, the share of companies investing in nearshoring rose from 42% in 2024 to 56% in 2025. In the EU, 28% of companies plan to nearshore; nearly half of European buyers increased their nearshoring over the past year.
The movement is also concrete in Flanders. Radiator manufacturer Jaga is moving production from the Czech Republic back to Flanders. Nobi brought the production of its smart fall detection lights back from China to Aartselaar. Companies such as Sylvania, IVC, and Corbeo made similar choices. Not idealism — a sober risk assessment.
The cost of uncertainty in the workplace
The macro figures only become truly tangible on the shop floor. Long chains are fragile chains, and that fragility comes at a price. Worldwide, supply chain disruptions cost companies an average of 8% of their annual revenue. Six out of ten manufacturers report weekly delays in material deliveries. And the cause is often mundane: the part simply does not arrive on time.
Two-thirds of industrial companies struggle with unplanned downtime at least once a month, at an average cost of around $125,000 per hour. A production line that works technically perfectly grinds to a halt because one component is missing. Calculate that for your own situation and weigh it against the difference in unit price between a supplier 9,000 kilometers away and one 90 kilometers away. In that calculation, proximity almost always wins.
Local = certainty
Let's be honest: Belgium is not the cheapest country. Our labor cost handicap rose to around 10% after the energy crisis. Anyone looking only at the unit price will find it cheaper elsewhere. But that is a flawed calculation.
It is about total cost of ownership — the actual cost over the entire lifespan of a component. Add transport, inventory capital, quality deviations, rework, communication across six time zones, and above all downtime, and the price advantage of distant sources is gone. At Nobi, producing locally turned out to be even 18% cheaper than in China in the most pessimistic scenario.
What a local partner *does* offer is what has become scarcest in a fragmented world: certainty. Predictable delivery times. Predictable regulations and legal certainty. Short lines of communication, where you get someone on the line who understands your drawing. Predictability is worth money — often more than the unit price.
Why Belgium — and why Roeselare
Here, geography works to your advantage. Approximately 70% of Belgian exports are destined for other EU member states; Germany, France, and the Netherlands remain our most important trading partners. Anyone producing in Roeselare is right in the middle of that core market. The internal European market offers scale, stability, and legal certainty. Competitiveness begins, as the VBO puts it, within Europe.
That is exactly where BO-Solutions stands. Strategically located in West Flanders, with fast delivery to Belgium, the Netherlands, France, and Germany. Our 92% delivery reliability is the certainty reshoring is all about. ISO 9001-certified quality, tight tolerances of down to ±0.005 mm, and a team that thinks proactively about machine building and mechatronics, automation , and maintenance-sensitive applications.
And if the critical part is taken out of production or the original supplier drops out — precisely the kind of shock an open economy is sensitive to — we reproduce it via reverse engineering , even without drawings. For urgent downtime , maintenance and remanufacturing with express service keep your line running. These are the certainties every company needs to grow, even in difficult times.
Reshoring is not a step backward
It is tempting to view reshoring as a return to the past. It is not. The factories bringing production back are not those of twenty years ago. They are more digital, smarter, and more flexible — built around data and craftsmanship that focuses on complexity rather than volume. That is also the logic behind the Factory of the Future initiative in Flanders, supported by Agoria and Sirris: keeping local manufacturing companies competitive not by being cheaper than a low-wage country, but by being smarter, faster, and more reliable.
For those viewing the sector from a distance—investors, policymakers, partners—the message is clear. In a world where trade is increasingly politicized and openness has become a conscious choice, local precision means strategic autonomy. It is resilience. And resilience is value.
Frequently asked questions about reshoring
What is the difference between reshoring and nearshoring?
Reshoring is bringing production back to your own country. Nearshoring is moving production to a nearby region instead of a distant continent. Both shorten the distance and reduce the risk in your supply chain.
Why would I choose a Belgian machinist if Belgium does not have the lowest labor costs?
Because the lowest unit price is rarely the lowest total cost. On total cost of ownership — including transport, inventory, quality risk, and downtime — proximity usually wins. And you get predictability, legal certainty, and short lines of communication, which are becoming increasingly valuable in fragmented global trade.
Which parts is best to retrieve first?
Your critical parts: those where late delivery or quality failure causes the most damage. Typically complex pieces with high tolerances in small or medium-sized series.
What if I no longer have a technical drawing of a part?
Through reverse engineering a precision machinist starts with an existing or worn part and reproduces it—often improved. This way, you are no longer dependent on a single original supplier.
Are you considering recovering critical components? Send us your drawing, specifications, or an existing sample. We will tell you honestly what is feasible. Discuss your project →
Sources: VBO-FEB, “Belgian exports under pressure: a wake-up call” (Focus International Trade, Spring 2026); National Bank of Belgium; FPS Economy – Belgian Competitiveness Overview 2025; Capgemini Research Institute.
