Which 5 Companies Do Most Overseas Manufacturing? (2024)

ITI BLOG

There are literally thousands of companies that opt to outsource part or all of their manufacturing to overseas companies, with China being the primary source of overseas manufacturing. Even so, there are some companies that engage in this practice more than others. Following are the five companies that, at present, engage in the most overseas manufacturing.

Overseas Manufacturing and Electronics

Apple

Apple’s relationship with the Chinese manufacturing firm Foxconn is well known. While it is almost certain that Apple would not be able to sell its iPhones, iPads and other popular products at a reasonable price were it not for overseas manufacturing, the company has been criticized for having most of its production done overseas rather than at home. Even so, Apple notes that a shortage of skilled workers in the United States means that it could take up to nine months for the company to find experienced employees who could create Apple’s products. In China, it took only fifteen days.

IBM

The fact that IBM currently employs more workers in India than it does in the United States underscores how interested the company is in creating a global workforce. China is also a popular destination for this large company, as IBM outsources literally thousands of high paying programming jobs to China in an attempt to lower costs for the company and consumers alike.

Many companies keep their outsourcing statistics confidential to a certain degree, so it is not easy to state which companies do more overseas manufacturing than others. Even so, it is clear that the above mentioned five companies are leading the way in terms of manufacturing a great deal of their products in China and other countries. It is clear that manufacturing in China keeps costs low for companies, enabling them to earn higher profits and sell goods at a cheaper price than would have otherwise been possible.

Cisco Systems

In 2010, just over a quarter of Cisco’s workforce consisted of overseas workers. However, in the last four years, this number has dramatically risen to 46% of the company’s workforce. China and India are currently the greatest beneficiaries of the company’s decision to move a large percentage of its operations abroad. As of 2021, Cisco products are manufactured in over 30 countries, including, China, Asia, Eastern and Western Europe, and Latin and North America

Overseas Manufacturing and Sports Apparel

Nike

Sportswear giant Nike outsources the production of all its footwear to various overseas manufacturing plants. According to a report out of Ohio State University, China does 36% of all Nike’s shoe manufacturing, while Vietnam has another 36%, Indonesia accounts for 22%, and then Thailand comes in at 6%. While their apparel is manufactured in 41 countries including Chia, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and Malaysia as their top countries.

Overseas Manufacturing and Shopping

Wal-Mart

Wal-Mart benefits greatly from having the vast majority of its goods manufactured in China. While the company has recently vowed to invest up to $10 million in moving some of its manufacturing work back to the United States, this is a pittance when compared to the fact that the company still works with about ten thousand different manufacturing plants in various parts of China.

If you seek the same success for your product that Apple, Nike, Cisco, Wal-Mart and IBM all have, you will find great potential in allowing ITI to handle your overseas manufacturing needs.

To start your overseas manufacturing, Contact us today!