The Signal: An August 2020 survey of global analysts found that ~75% of companies intend to accelerate plans to bring factories closer to customers. 

Agriculture is moving closer too, with urban vertical farms that shorten the farm-to-table journey and massively lower the risk of your strawberries getting held up in a canal.

The Global Supply Chain Pressure Index indicates shocks to global trade where zero represents the average value. Source: Liberty Street Economics

Microfactories: Most car factories take up millions of square feet and produce hundreds of thousands of units annually. London-based electric vehicle startup Arrival is pioneering a new approach: microfactories.

Source: Instagram (Arrival)