Prospettive e criticità nella rilocalizzazione delle produzioni manifatturiere. Il back-shoring delle imprese tessili pugliesi

Objectives. The aim of the paper is to analyze the phenomenon of back-shoring and highlight the advantages and difficulties arising from re-location of production in the country of origin. Methodology. An exploratory and qualitative study has been conducted through interviews to a group of companies in the textile sector in Apulia, corresponding to the parameter of orientation to the quality production, designed to detect the main drivers and constraints of the backshoring process. Findings. The analysis of the results of the interviews, carried out anonymously, highlight the most common inputs and the most common critical aspects relative to the involved companies in the back-shoring process. Research limits. There are two main limits: the exiguous number of companies involved in this study, justified by the difficulty to obtain a feedback by the respondents, and the focus on a single manufacturing sector. Practical implications. Findings allow to create a general framework, even though non exhaustive, about the examined phenomenon, underlining also the possible difficulties that a company could face, giving support in a risk prevention perspective. Originality of the study. The phenomenon of back-shoring is recent so it has been partially examined by academic scholars: this study is original from this point of view.