COVID-19 taught us a lot and 2025’s tariffs may teach us a lot more about the benefits of resilient domestic supply chains in the U.S.
During COVID, we learned about the economic vulnerability of having far-flung, fragile supply chains that fall into pandemonium when disrupted. Keystone industries—like chip makers—caused ripple effects that paralyzed the production of consumer goods like cars.
Is it really a good idea to have all your core materials dependent on what turns out to be a delicate global series of logistical bank shots?
That’s what onshoring is all about:
- Refocusing on North American suppliers
- Rebuilding U.S. manufacturing muscle
- Insulating ourselves from international chaos that complicates our projects, drives up our costs, and jeopardizes our ability to grow and serve our clients
Onshoring and U.S. Construction
In Construction Dive, reporter Kate Magill Obondo notes: “…even as manufacturing construction spending booms for new factories, it will take time for those projects to come online. In the meantime, companies need to focus on diversifying sourcing and boosting productivity and efficiency, said Steve Shepley, vice chair and U.S. industrial products and construction sector leader at Deloitte.
Initiatives such as semiconductor manufacturing ramp-ups will require more warehouses, more distribution centers, and surrounding infrastructure. And that’s just for chips. It looks like EV battery and clean-energy manufacturing will be major driving forces, too.
Positive Impact: Helping Ferguson Fire & Fabrication Expand its Warehouse Footprint
Scott-Long saw some encouraging ripples outside of big tech and manufacturing verticals in our home market of Northern Virginia/Washington D.C., particularly in the area around our HQ in Chantilly, Va.
Last spring we partnered with architect John F. Heitzel in a relocation project for Ferguson Fire & Fabrication in Springfield, VA, the nation’s largest supplier of fire protection supplies. The relocation was also an expansion into the industrial and warehouse sector, designed to increase service and storage capacity.
We’re excited about this project, the prospect of more local growth in this sector, and for the promise of a U.S. economy that is more vibrant and self-sufficient in an age of unpredictability and upheaval.
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