Critical know-how is often the decisive factor in successful EMS production relocation.
Learn how to systematically preserve expertise, prevent knowledge loss and ensure
a smooth transition to a new manufacturing partner.
The Blind Spot of Relocation: Why valuable knowledge is often lost during EMS manufacturing order and production relocations – and how effective knowledge transfer can be achieved.
When manufacturing orders or entire production operations are transferred to a new EMS partner, bills of materials, drawings, machines, and sometimes personnel move along with them. What doesn’t move in most projects is the knowledge of why things are done the way they are.
This Strategic Brief explains the four levels – engineering, manufacturing, materials/SCM, and supplier management – where knowledge loss typically occurs, the structural causes behind it, and the measures companies can take to ensure targeted and sustainable knowledge transfer.
Publisher: EMS Strategy Group | July 2026