RESHORING CASE

Unilever

Company details
Code: 
Unilever
Company name: 
Unilever
Company country: 
United Kingdom
Number of employees: 
171000
Sector: 
C - Manufacturing
Sector detail: 
C10 - Manufacture of food products
Reshoring details
Reshoring announcement date: 
06/10/2016
Starting implementation date: 
October, 2016
End of Implementation : 
August, 2019
Reshored to: 
United Kingdom
Location of affected unit(s): 
Liverpool, Cambridge
Location code: 
UKD72, UKH12
Reshored business function: 
R&D
Partial or Total reshoring: 
Total
Reshoring governance mode: 
In house (in own facilities)
Estimated job gains: 
250
Reasons for reshoring: 
Firm's global reorganization
Case narrative: 

Unilever is an Anglo-Dutch consumer goods and food company. According to the news,  Unilever is undergoing a large re-organisation regarding its research centers. Part of this re-organisation is internal to the Netherlands. The Vlaardingen center will close while a new one in Wageningen is going to open. 

However, the re-organisation of R&D also involves units located in other countries. In particular, research centers in Heilbron (Germany) and Poznan (Poland) will close, while 250 employees are going to increase the staff in two British centers, near Livierpool and Cambridge. 

According to the press release, Unilever aims to increase the collaboration among different R&D units.
 

Sources: 

De Volkskrant, 07/10/2016
Unilever Press Release, 06/10/2016

Offshoring details
Offshoring location: 
Germany