| Outsourcing has been utilized as a corporate strategy by U.S. manufacturers for over three decades to minimize manufacturing and production costs, focus on core competencies and achieve sustained competitive advantages in the global market. In recent years, manufacturers have begun evaluating nearshoring, reshoring and insourcing strategies as near-term responses to trigger events such as increased labor costs and decreased product quality. The United States Air Force also established outsourcing as its primary strategy for achieving cost-saving objectives associated with the design, engineering, manufacturing, production and sustainment of its fourth, fifth and sixth generation weapon systems. In order to decrease weapon system costs and consistently achieve congressionally mandated core and 50/50 requirements, the United States Air Force is evaluating opportunities to bring outsourced workload into the depot infrastructure. This research applies grounded theory and case study methodologies to examine the antecedents and barriers of the U.S. manufacturing outsourcing-to-insourcing relocation shift. A structured framework is presented to assist the United States Air Force as a guide for evaluating insourcing opportunities. The framework addresses contract duration, access to critical information, and the factors influencing the insourcing decision. |
