Reshoring Readiness Quiz: Is Your Supply Chain Ready to Move?

Reshoring sounds straightforward in theory — pull production out of China, set it up closer to home, and enjoy shorter lead times with fewer tariff surprises. In practice, the companies that succeed are the ones who honestly assess their readiness before they sign a new tooling contract or visit a single factory.

We at Reshore built this diagnostic quiz from patterns we see every week working with US brands relocating plastic injection molding, blow molding, and assembly operations to Mexico and the United States. Answer honestly, tally your score, and you'll get a clear picture of whether your supply chain is ready to move — or whether you need to shore up a few areas first.

A US manufacturer weighing a reshoring decision with a map of North America on the wall

How the Reshoring Readiness Quiz Works

The quiz has 15 questions across five categories that mirror the dimensions we evaluate in every formal reshoring assessment:

Strategic Drivers — Why are you considering a move?
Tooling & IP Control — Do you own your molds and documentation?
Supplier & Commercial Exposure — How locked-in are you to your current vendor?
Product & Process Maturity — Is your part design stable enough to relocate?
Internal Resources & Timeline — Do you have the team and runway to execute?

Each question is worth 1 to 3 points. At the end, tally your total and match it to the scoring key to see where you stand.

Tip: Print this article or copy the questions into a spreadsheet. Reshoring is a team sport — loop in sourcing, engineering, and finance before you finalize your answers.

Part 1: Strategic Drivers (Max 9 Points)

Q1. What's the primary reason you're considering reshoring?

(3 pts) Tariff exposure, geopolitical risk, or IP theft concerns are actively hurting our P&L or roadmap.
(2 pts) We're facing rising landed costs and want to explore alternatives.
(1 pt) Leadership asked us to "look into it" but there's no urgency yet.

Q2. Have you quantified your current China-related costs?

(3 pts) Yes — we've modeled tariffs, freight, inventory carrying, quality rework, and travel. (If not, our Tariff Impact Calculator and China Exit Cost Calculator can help.)
(2 pts) We know the big-ticket items but haven't built a full landed-cost model.
(1 pt) We mostly look at unit price FOB.

Q3. Do you have executive sponsorship for the project?

(3 pts) A VP- or C-level sponsor owns the initiative with budget authority.
(2 pts) A director is championing it but still needs to secure funding.
(1 pt) It's being driven bottom-up by an individual contributor.

Part 2: Tooling & IP Control (Max 9 Points)

Q4. Who legally owns the tooling currently in your Chinese supplier's factory?

(3 pts) We own it, we have signed tooling ownership agreements, and we have recent photos/serial numbers.
(2 pts) We believe we own it but the paperwork is informal.
(1 pt) The supplier owns or co-owns the tooling.

Q5. How complete is your technical data package (TDP)?

(3 pts) We have current 3D CAD, 2D drawings with GD&T, material specs, and approved process parameters.
(2 pts) We have drawings but some are outdated or missing tolerances.
(1 pt) The supplier holds most of the process knowledge.

Q6. Are your molds in condition to transfer?

(3 pts) Preventive maintenance records are current and molds are under their expected shot-life.
(2 pts) They're functional but we're unsure of remaining life.
(1 pt) Molds are near end-of-life or have known issues.

Tooling ownership is the single biggest blocker we see. If you scored low here, don't panic — it's solvable, but it changes the playbook. Our Reshoring Project Timeline walks through tooling recovery scenarios month-by-month.

Part 3: Supplier & Commercial Exposure (Max 9 Points)

Q7. What's your contractual relationship with your current supplier?

(3 pts) We have clear exit terms, no long-term purchase commitments, and no exclusivity clauses.
(2 pts) We have a standard PO relationship with 30–90 day notice.
(1 pt) We're locked into multi-year agreements or have significant prepayments outstanding.

Q8. How dependent is the supplier on your business?

(3 pts) We're a small share of their revenue — low friction to exit.
(2 pts) We're a meaningful customer but not critical.
(1 pt) We're a top-3 account; an exit will be contentious.

Q9. Do you have secondary sources or qualified alternates?

(3 pts) Yes — at least one backup supplier is already qualified.
(2 pts) We've identified alternates but haven't qualified them.
(1 pt) Single-source with no backup.

Part 4: Product & Process Maturity (Max 9 Points)

Q10. How stable is the product design?

(3 pts) Mature product — no engineering changes planned in the next 12 months.
(2 pts) Minor revisions expected but nothing structural.
(1 pt) Active redesign underway.

Q11. What are your annual volumes?

(3 pts) 250K+ units/year — strong economics for Mexico or US production.
(2 pts) 50K–250K units/year — workable with the right partner.
(1 pt) Under 50K units/year — requires careful partner selection.

Volume matters because tooling amortization, setup costs, and minimum order quantities all pivot on it. If you're unsure how your volumes translate to piece-part economics in North America, the Injection Molding Cost Calculator and China vs Mexico Plastic Manufacturing Cost Calculator give you a quick side-by-side.

Q12. What's your regulatory and compliance profile?

(3 pts) Standard commercial product with no special certifications.
(2 pts) Consumer product with basic safety standards (UL, FCC, CPSIA).
(1 pt) Medical, aerospace, automotive, or defense — heavy qualification burden.

Highly regulated parts can absolutely be reshored, but expect a longer qualification runway. Our Manufacturing Compliance Quiz drills deeper into this dimension.

Part 5: Internal Resources & Timeline (Max 9 Points)

Q13. Do you have internal bandwidth to manage the transition?

(3 pts) A dedicated project manager and cross-functional team are assigned.
(2 pts) A part-time lead with support from functional owners.
(1 pt) We'd need to hire or outsource all of it.

Q14. What's your timeline flexibility?

(3 pts) We have 6–12 months of runway on current inventory or supplier cooperation.
(2 pts) We have 3–6 months.
(1 pt) We need production elsewhere in under 90 days.

Q15. Have you visited or vetted potential Mexican or US suppliers?

(3 pts) Yes — we've toured facilities and have a shortlist.
(2 pts) We've had video calls but no site visits yet.
(1 pt) We haven't started sourcing.

Scoring Key: What Your Total Means

Add up your points across all 15 questions for a total between 15 and 45.

Score Range	Readiness Level	What to Do Next
38–45	Ready to Execute	You're well-positioned. Start engaging suppliers, finalize your landed-cost model, and lock in a transition plan.
30–37	Mostly Ready — Close the Gaps	You have 2–4 specific weak spots. Address them in parallel with early sourcing conversations.
22–29	Foundation Needed	A formal reshoring assessment will save you months. Focus on tooling ownership, TDP completeness, and executive alignment first.
15–21	Not Yet — But Start Building	Reshoring may still be right for you, but moving now would be expensive. Spend 60–90 days shoring up the basics.

Interpreting Your Weakest Category

Your total score tells you whether to move. Your weakest category tells you where to start.

Low on Strategic Drivers? Build the business case first. Quantify tariffs, freight volatility, and quality costs before you spend on sourcing.
Low on Tooling & IP? Prioritize mold audits and ownership documentation. This is often the longest lead-time workstream.
Low on Supplier Exposure? Map your contractual exit path and identify the diplomatic sequence for notifying your current vendor.
Low on Product Maturity? Freeze your design before you transfer. Reshoring a moving target doubles the cost.
Low on Resources & Timeline? Bring in outside help. This is exactly the gap our AI-powered platform and reshoring coordinators fill — we handle tooling transfer, supplier matching, factory sourcing, and logistics so your internal team isn't pulled off the day job.

Common Patterns We See by Industry

From the hundreds of assessments we've run, a few patterns repeat:

Consumer electronics brands tend to score high on strategic drivers and low on tooling ownership.
Medical device companies score well on documentation but face the longest qualification timelines.
Consumer packaged goods (CPG) typically have mature designs but often rely on Chinese suppliers for secondary operations like decoration or assembly.
Industrial OEMs usually have the cleanest tooling ownership but underestimate the freight and logistics complexity.

Next Steps After the Quiz

Whatever you scored, the next move is the same: translate your answers into a concrete plan. A few resources that pair well with this quiz:

The Complete Reshoring Playbook for US Manufacturers — the full framework for planning, executing, and scaling a reshoring initiative.
Reshoring ROI Calculator — project payback period and 5-year savings from your move.
10 Common Reshoring Mistakes (and How to Avoid Them) — the pitfalls we've watched companies stumble into.
Reshoring Terms Glossary — 75 key concepts every buyer should know.

If your score lands in the 22–37 range, that's exactly the zone where a structured reshoring assessment pays for itself several times over. We help companies relocate plastic manufacturing from China to Mexico and the US without rebuilding from scratch — coordinating tooling transfer, matching you with verified Americas-based manufacturers, and compressing what's typically an 18-month project into a much tighter window.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is a reshoring readiness assessment, and how is it different from this quiz?

This quiz is a 10-minute self-diagnostic that gives you directional insight. A