Nearshoring – A Sourcing Strategy of Tomorrow

Why Nearshoring?

Naturally, nearshoring – the practice of transferring a business operation to a nearby country, momentarily eliminates the first three caveats of the offshoring model:

1. 1. Language barrier
2. 2. Cultural differences
3. 3. The time zone difference

And add to that different holidays, different climates, inability to properly track the production, and the potential geopolitical distress.

Now, having a negative ethical and ecological impact is still a possibility in the nearshoring scenario. Even for the clothing brands based in Europe.

Why FUSH?

With FUSH, having a negative ethical and ecological impact is just not an option. We are strong advocates for fair working conditions and full transparency. All of employees have legal contracts and fully paid overtime. To see it for themselves all of our clients, both existing and potential, are very welcome to pay us a visit unannounced. We’re in the process of furnishing apartments at our factory grounds in South-Eastern Serbia so staying a few days where the action’s at will be a possibility. Just as soon as travelling becomes less of a stress.

Keep Your Customers Close but Your Manufacturers Closer

Benefits of having a custom clothing manufacturers on the same continent as yours are numerous. First, you won’t have to rely on cargo ships or airplanes to get to your goods (carbon footprint bonus).

Also, it is much easier to pay an unexpected visit. That is something we believe is paramount in controlling the circumstances under which your products are being made.

If you announce your visit, a supplier can prepare themselves. Then, even the worst “slave driver” can get its act together and make a reassuring environment. But come unannounced, and you’ll see the operation for what it really is. As we already mentioned, we strongly encourage such visits. That way, we’re able to “walk the talk” when it comes to workers’ salaries, working conditions, and working hours. Also, it’s the only way for us to make up for the fact that we’re still to obtain the SA8000 certificate.

The fact that we have our own knitting machines, it’s much easier to track whether or not we’re actually making sustainable fabrics for your final product.

Why Is Nearshoring Ideal for Up-And-Coming European Brands?

When you’re at the beginning of your brand’s journey, you will need to build a following. And you’re going to build it based on the first impression. As barely any clothing line has production facilities in their respective countries, chances are you are outsourcing the workforce. That outsourced workforce is your first impression.

Offshoring – Cheap Yet Costly

Even though offshoring is definitely more attractive financially, it can’t guarantee immaculate quality for so many reasons. As mentioned before, time difference, cultural differences, language barrier, less room for proper quality control all stand in your way of getting your product 100% right. This outsourcing option has an even greater negative effect if you’re advocating fair working conditions and sustainable products. The general public tends to believe that this outsourcing option is often a sign of an unethically-made product that’s far from sustainable. Even though it’s not always true, an up-and-coming brand shouldn’t take such risks. First impressions last a lifetime.

Nearshoring – Priceless Benefits at a Fair Price

Opting for nearshoring ensures the first impression is a great one. Even though it would come at a higher cost, it has no caveats that are usually connected to offshoring. Here are the more specific benefits garment manufacturers from Europe bring to a new European brand:

1. Should you sell more than you’ve hoped for, a European manufacturer can send you a new batch at a reasonably short time. For example, we at FUSH have our own delivery vans, and we can be at your doorstep within hours after the clothes are made. Unless you’re in Dublin, Moscow, or Oslo, they’re the cities farthest from Belgrade, then it would take a bit longer.

2. You can arrange quality control much easier when you can drive or fly just a few hours to a factory based a few countries away from your own.

3. Having a European manufacturer increases your chances of being considered a sustainable brand, something that helps with the all-important first impression.

Virtual Tour Coming Soon

Travelling has become extremely difficult and often unsafe, in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore we’ve devised a workaround. Once the above-mentioned apartments are furnished, we’ll make a virtual tour of both our facilities (one in Belgrade and one in Oraovica in South-Eastern Serbia). We post our updates on LinkedIn so make sure to follow us there as well as to take an occasional gander at the website. That’s where the virtual tour will eventually find its home. Until then, here are some photos of team FUSH and our different facilities.

FUSH factory in Miljakovac Belgrade The second FUSH factory in Oraovica, near Leskovac in South-Eastern Serbia (knitting department building in the foreground). Sewing technicians at work in the FUSH Oraovica factory. Canmartex circular knitting machine in action. Automatic cutting machine Orox Flexo C-800 Orox P4 fabric sprading machine in action. Quality control, packing, and ironing department.

Find out in more detail how we at FUSH conduct our business:

• OEM Clothing Manufacturer
• Private Label Textile Manufacturer
• CMT Garment Manufacturers
• FUSH Textile Machinery

To send us your enquiry, fill out the contact form below and we’ll get back to you ASAP.