The manufacturing association EEF and accounting firm BDO said one in seven companies in a recent survey had given up on foreign production of at least some goods in the past two years, with poor workmanship and freight costs overwhelming the advantages of cheaper production costs abroad, The Times of London reported Wednesday.
The recession accelerated the move to bring production back to Britain, the Times said.
EEF reported cost savings expected from sending work overseas did not pan out for a number of companies.
Seventy percent of British companies in the latest survey indicated Britain was a good location for manufacturing, up from 43 percent in 2007.
Production "will not be a flood back (to Britain) but quite a few companies are saying that it is possibly better now for us to source locally," said Tom Lawton, head of manufacturing at BDO.
"The recession has made companies look at their whole supply chain and their costs," he said.
Copyright 2009 by United Press International.
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