Written By Francis Bassolino, Managing Partner of Alaris – 5 min read Pity the sourcing director caught between a board demanding diversification away from China, a finance team obsessed with cost-cutting, and a volatile geopolitical landscape. Solving for this trilemma often leads to a seemingly safe, but ultimately dangerous, strategy known as “China Plus Wait.” It’s like [...]
Written By Jeffrey Cartwright, Managing Partner – 5 min read As tensions around geopolitical risks, tariffs, and supply chain disruptions rise, many U.S. businesses are looking at nearshoring to Mexico as a strategic solution. While the approach offers benefits like proximity, reduced lead times, and cost savings, the complexities of transitioning manufacturing to Mexico often [...]
Written By Jeffrey Cartwright, Managing Partner – 5 min read As companies exit China and explore nearshoring solutions, many unknowingly make critical errors that undermine their efforts. These mistakes, while appearing logical on the surface, often doom the transition process and lead to costly setbacks. Below, we outline the most common pitfalls and misconceptions—and how [...]
Written By Jeffrey Cartwright | 6 min read Decisions on sourcing, whether through relocating manufacturing operations or establishing new supply chains, are among the most critical and strategic choices a business can make. These decisions carry long-term implications and must account for financial, operational, and geopolitical factors. While MSSA is reluctant to draw conclusions or [...]
Written By Jeffrey Cartwright and Lawrence L. Allen | 12 min read As nearshoring seems to finally be approaching its long-anticipated inflection point Mexico must not only master the rules of the game but be prepared to play to win. This article offers proven strategies and tactics that would help Mexico sharpening its game and [...]
Written By Jeffery Cartwright and Lawrence Allen | 15 min read “Know the enemy and know yourself; win a hundred battles. Ignorant of the enemy, but know yourself; win half your battles. If ignorant of both of the enemy and yourself, lose all your battles.” ― Sun Tzu, The Art of War (Paraphrased) Today it is [...]
Written By Jeff Newkirk, Disruptive Products LLC | 6 min read The time to expand into the U.S. and Canadian markets is now! Recent geopolitical events, trade disputes, and supply chain disruptions have created an unprecedented opportunity for you to grow your business by expanding distribution into the United States and Canada. Retailers and manufacturers are actively seeking [...]
Written By Troy Patterson, Visigistics Reliable Logistics | 8 min read Choosing between Mexico and China for manufacturing presents a tough decision for businesses. With the rising trade volume between the United States and Mexico, companies are looking to minimize disruptions and geopolitical risks in their supply chains. Mexico’s proximity to the US offers supply chain advantages [...]
Written By John Hyatt, Mexico Business Associates and MSSA Partner | 8 min read At Mexico Strategic Sourcing Alliance (MSSA), our partnerships are built on the foundation that Mexican and Latin American suppliers must either be “Export Ready” or “Currently Exporting” to collaborate effectively. Understanding the subtle yet significant differences between these two classifications is vital for Mexican [...]
WHAT CHINA DID AND WHAT MEXICO MUST DO TO JOIN THE ‘FACTORY OF THE WORLD’ CLUB Written By Lawrence Allen, MSSA Partner and Jeffrey Cartwright, Shoreview Managing Partner | 12 min read In the 30 years since the fall of communism, marked by the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union and economic reforms in the People’s Republic of China, [...]
