Expanding your business footprint outside of your company historical market, is usually linked to the need to follow new market opportunities, to increase the company capacity or to move activities in more economically favourable environments, meanwhile expanding your company global footprint.
Such Business strategy should help you to reach the goal of better serving new clients in new markets, should reduce the overall production cost, should reduce the logistic expenses and will certainly help to achieve upcoming environmental, social and gouvernance objectives.
Multiple options are available to reach these targets such as Off-shoring, Near-shoring, and Smart-shoring, which are three strategies that companies use to outsource work to other locations. Each approach has its own advantages and disadvantages, which we will discuss below:
- Off-shoring:
Off-shoring involves outsourcing work to a company located in a different country, often with a significant time zone difference. The main advantage of off-shoring is cost savings, as labor costs in developing countries are usually much lower than in developed countries. Other benefits include access to a larger pool of talent and the ability to work around the clock.
Pros:
- Lower labor costs
- Access to a larger pool of talent
- The ability to work around the clock due to time zone differences
- Competitive advantage
Cons:
- Communication and language barriers
- Cultural differences
- Time zone differences
- Quality control issues
- Legal and regulatory differences
- Security and intellectual property concerns
- Logistic management
- local political risks
- Near-shoring:
Near-shoring involves outsourcing work to a company located in a nearby country or region. The main advantage of near-shoring is that it offers many of the benefits of off-shoring, such as cost savings and access to a larger pool of talent, while reducing some of the disadvantages, such as language and cultural barriers.
Pros:
- Lower labor costs
- Access to a larger pool of talent
- Similar time zones and cultural norms
- Easier communication and collaboration
- Lower travel costs
Cons:
- Limited pool of talent in nearby regions
- Higher labor costs than off-shoring
- Still some language and cultural barriers
- local political risks
- Smart-shoring:
Smart-shoring involves outsourcing work to a company located in a country with similar time zones and cultural norms, but with lower labor costs. This approach combines the benefits of off-shoring and near-shoring while minimizing the disadvantages.
Pros:
- Lower labor costs
- Access to a larger pool of qualified talent
- Similar time zones and cultural norms
- Easier communication and collaboration
- Lower travel costs
- Higher quality control than off-shoring
- lower logistic risks
Cons:
- Limited pool of talent in similar regions
- Higher labor costs than off-shoring
- Still some language and cultural barriers
- reduced saving opportunities
- local political risks
In summary, each outsourcing strategy has its own pros and cons, and companies must consider these factors when deciding which approach to take. Off-shoring may be the best option for companies looking to reduce costs.
