Ever Given it a thought to bring production closer to your customers?

On the morning of March 30, 2021, a week after the container ship Ever Given ran aground, no fewer than 421 ships were waiting to transit the Suez Canal. Knowing that under normal circumstances there are usually about 50 ships navigating this waterway - accounting for a hefty 12% of the world's trade, which equals 8 billion dollars a day - it is only now that the real impact of the unfortunate accident becomes clear. After all, shipment delays of months resulted from this unfortunate steering error. 

The incident painfully showed where the Achilles' heel of our consumer society has come to lie: the all-too-expansive outsourcing of production to countries where wages are lower. While outsourcing may seem a short-term solution, in the longer term it impoverishes local economies. To make sense of this, it is probably best to illustrate the grotesque forms that outsourcing can become.

Let's take a dive into the world of outsourcing

For the most striking example of excessive outsourcing, we have to take a dive... in the North Sea. The 'fresh' North Sea shrimp you see in stores, for example, have usually already completed a staggering journey to Morocco by the time they land on your plate, a mind-boggling 4,600 km. There they are peeled, which can be attributed to our high wage burden. Comprehensible, maybe, but still a bit ridiculous, isn't it?

Possible advantages of producing locally

Wouldn't it be better if there was a way to strengthen your own economy? Well, good news, there is! By better digitalizing and smart aligning all levels within a company, the need to outsource will systematically decrease, allowing you to continue producing close to your customers.

The benefits are in terms of environment (less fuel means fewer emissions), traffic (fewer movements on the already congested roads) and most of all local job security for this and future generations!

By partnering with Yitch, you are choosing to improve the sustainability of your production, which will not only benefit you in the short term, but also in the long term.

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