May 19, 2020 – As disruptions from the coronavirus pandemic continue to unfold, 64% of companies across the manufacturing and industrial sectors "are likely to bring manufacturing production and sourcing back to North America," to avoid similar difficulties in the future, according to a Thomas survey in April of 878 North American manufacturing and industrial sector professionals. The pandemic has highlighted how disruptions at suppliers and supply chain partners can cause production holdups and shortages for the purchasing business. Many Canadian and U.S. companies were unable to obtain parts from suppliers when factories in China shut down earlier in 2020. It remains to be seen how effective near shoring will be in the short term due to the tightly integrated global manufacturing ecosystem already in place.