What American Buyers Actually Want from Foreign Suppliers in 2026
Every claim backed by named sources, specific surveys, and real numbers. This is what the data says — organized by buyer type.
Price still matters — 69% of OEMs still cite cost as their main factor for offshoring. But it is no longer the only factor. Reliability, risk mitigation, compliance readiness, and local presence signals have moved to equal or higher priority across all buyer types. Here’s the evidence.
Companies that buy components, materials, process equipment, and industrial technology to make finished products. Blue Crane’s primary target buyer.
The top three reasons OEMs gave for reshoring manufacturing to the U.S.:
Most OEMs are making sourcing decisions on bad math. Only 30% use Total Cost of Ownership analysis. 37% use Landed Cost only. 17% use Ex-Works pricing. The Reshoring Initiative estimates these simplistic methods result in a 20–30% miscalculation of actual offshoring costs.
U.S. manufacturers are now building supplier management systems that evaluate “reliability, quality consistency, and supply chain resilience as equally important vendor selection criteria” alongside cost. OEMs expect local service, integration, and support capabilities — not just a good product shipped from overseas.
Geopolitical risk is top-of-mind. 77% of OEMs are concerned about a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, yet 51% have not identified products to reshore as insurance. 59% of contract manufacturers have reshored or are actively quoting reshoring projects.
The conditions shaping every supplier decision in 2026.
80% of manufacturers have paid tariffs on inputs since January 2025. 87% of small and medium manufacturers may need to raise prices. One-third could slow hiring. Meanwhile, 82% of supply chains surveyed by McKinsey are impacted by tariffs, but the weighted average pass-through rate is only 45% — meaning companies absorb over half the cost.
71% of U.S. CEOs plan to alter supply chains in the next 3–5 years. 73% of companies are pursuing dual-sourcing. 60% are regionalizing supply chains.
Relevant for any client selling consumer-facing products or products that end up in retail supply chains.
95% of retail executives expect rising costs from trade policies. In response, 66% plan to restructure supply chains in 2026 through onshoring, nearshoring, and diversifying their supplier base.
Ranked by frequency of appearance across all sources and buyer types.
Tariff mitigation strategy already in place
Regional assembly, FTZ structures, modular architectures where value-add happens in the U.S. Confirmed by Grace Carlton, Reshoring Initiative, McKinsey, and Deloitte.
Lead time reliability over lowest unit cost
40% of OEMs will pay 10–20% more for 5 weeks faster. A supplier with a U.S. warehouse beats a cheaper supplier shipping from Busan.
Total Cost of Ownership framing, not FOB quotes
Only 30% of OEMs use TCO — but the ones who do make better decisions. Presenting in TCO format signals sophistication.
Some form of U.S. local presence
Warehouse, distribution hub, service partner, or light assembly. Signals commitment and enables faster delivery.
U.S.-compliant documentation and digital systems
Product packaging, technical docs, EDI/API connectivity that plugs into American ERP and planning systems.
Geopolitical risk diversification value
“We’re not China” has measurable value when 77% of OEMs worry about Taiwan and 39% are actively dual-sourcing.
Technical support and field service capability
OEMs expect local service and integration. Flying someone from Asia for a service call doesn’t compete with a field engineer in Ohio.
Supplier reliability, quality consistency, and resilience evidence
Now evaluated “as equally important” alongside cost. Track records, certifications, redundancy plans.
Sources: Reshoring Initiative 2025 Survey (500+ manufacturers), NAM Q1–Q4 2025 Outlook Surveys, Deloitte 2026 Manufacturing/Retail/CPG Outlooks, McKinsey Supply Chain Risk Pulse 2025, The Conference Board C-Suite Survey, Grace Carlton Consulting 2026 Forecast, OEM Magazine, IndustryWeek, AMT Online.
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Most Asian suppliers show up with a price sheet and a catalog. Their competitors show up with a TCO analysis and a logistics plan. We make sure you’re in the second group.
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