Women in Breakbulk Confront Reshoring Realities

By Jenn Morris

Reshoring has become one of those buzzwords you hear in every boardroom and trade show. Politicians promise it, executives are obsessed with it, and LinkedIn is full of posts about “bringing manufacturing back home.”

It all seems like a great idea: shorter supply chains, reduced risk, and of course, job creation.

But for the people who actually have to make reshoring happen, the situation is not as clearcut. The realities are tariffs that shift overnight, documentation errors that stop cargo in its tracks, infrastructure that was never built to support these types of projects, and manufacturers who do not always know exactly what to ask or how to deal with their new logistics landscape.

At Breakbulk Americas 2025 in Houston, the Women in Breakbulk luncheon tackled this — and other issues — head-on. A panel of female professionals from across the project supply chain, moderated by Diana Davila, senior vice president of U.S. operations at UTC Overseas, shared candid insight into what reshoring really means for breakbulk and project logistics. 

During a series of post-panel interviews, these same themes resurfaced: reshoring is possible, but only with realistic timelines, investment in infrastructure and labor, and by listening to the different perspectives logistics professionals bring to the table.

Reshoring Is Realistic, But Not Overnight

When asked if reshoring is realistic at scale, most panelists gave a version of the same answer: “Yes, but….”

“We’ve been very busy, and the forecast is strong for the next five years,” said Jennifer Schuster, president of Edwards Moving and Rigging. “I think it’s possible. But the biggest obstacles are infrastructure, our roads, bridges, permitting systems and labor. Recruitment and retention are huge. That’s what we’re focusing on right now.”

Geanean Ordonez, project logistics manager at Technip Energies, agreed that expected timelines are often impractical: “There’s definitely reshoring that needs to be done. But the requirements are unrealistic. In our industry, projects take years of planning. If you try to flip the switch overnight, you penalize companies that aren’t onshore yet, and you don’t allow them time to adjust.”

Janet Galati, VP of energy sector growth at the Greater Baton Rouge Economic Partnership, pointed out that short-term thinking is part of the problem: “They’re making decisions on where to put that facility today, based on what is going on today in this administration, and not thinking long term. In three or ten years, policy will be different. If you’re going to make such a significant investment, it can’t be based on what’s trending right now.”

That long-term perspective is already visible in Louisiana, where Galati and her team have seen firsthand how international projects can take years of coordination before breaking ground.

“Our biggest project win was Hyundai Steel — a US$5.8 billion facility creating 4,000 jobs,” she explained. “It’s part of a 17,000-acre mega site along the river. Since that announcement, we’ve had five or six new potential projects from South Korea. Companies see that success and want to replicate it.”

It became clear that reshoring is a marathon, not a sprint. Manufacturing capacity can be built, but not without managing expectations and a long-term, sustainable approach.

Actionable takeaway: Treat reshoring like the long project it is. Success will come from phased implementation, realistic deadlines and policies that account for labor, infrastructure and supplier readiness, not overnight promises.

The Documentation and Knowledge Gaps

Unfortunately, one of the biggest challenges is caused by manufacturers regularly underestimating the complexity of the logistics needed for reshoring.

In follow-up interviews, most of the panelists mentioned that documentation errors specifically are a persistent problem. Ordonez gave a steel-specific example: “Each piece of material has a heat number stamped on it. But the number on the truck doesn’t always match the documentation. By the time it gets to the job site, there’s no way to reconcile what was shipped with what’s on paper. It seems minor, but it can stop a project cold.”

Lorena Alvarez, senior logistics operations manager for the Americas at Fluence, added during the panel: “It’s not just finished products, it’s raw materials too. Tariffs change daily. Documentation changes daily. Our import compliance team doesn’t sleep. Planning and mitigation are everything.”

Ordonez pointed out the real issue: “Transportation is treated as an afterthought. It’s what makes or breaks a project, but it’s not considered until it’s too late.” This issue came up repeatedly: too many projects launch with logistics bolted on at the end. “Now we’ve built something 80 feet tall, how do we ship it?”

Davila said: “At that point, moving it can cost four times the manufacturing cost.”

Actionable takeaway: Logistics can’t be an afterthought in such large projects, or smaller ones for that matter. Reshoring efforts should integrate logistics professionals at the design and procurement stages. Manufacturers must educate themselves and their teams on basic shipping terms, compliance, and requirements for the items they need shipped before a single component is built.

Infrastructure Bottlenecks

Even if the documentation is perfect (it never is), infrastructure is the next big barrier to reshoring efforts.

“Infrastructure is one of the biggest issues we deal with,” said Schuster. “Our sector often moves tall, heavy power equipment, but bridges built decades ago haven’t been maintained to handle it. They just aren’t ready.”

Heavy-haul corridors in the U.S. is a concern that Davila pointed out: “I think that we don’t have really adequate heavy haul corridors. So if you have items that are out of gauge — and we do a lot of out of gauge — there’s not really a true corridor.” In reality, she said, many people have failed to consider how this impacts reshoring.

According to Ordonez, the ports add an extra layer of complexity: “Houston is equipped for heavy cargo, but that’s not true across the eastern seaboard. And the West Coast is its own bottleneck entirely. When people first called for reshoring, it sounded simple. But the infrastructure wasn’t part of the conversation.”

We see this pattern with legislative changes — the “how” is not always taken into account when these changes are made. So the logistics world is left to “figure it out” without reasonable support or planning.

Schuster expanded this point, explaining that uncertainty from tariffs and project delays has made storage and bonded zones a new necessity in infrastructure readiness. “Storage is becoming a bigger component for us,” she said. “We’re exploring free trade zones and bonded warehouses to help customers bridge the gap when tariffs or project delays create uncertainty.”

Galati added that  are now proactively preparing for this shift. “In Louisiana, we’re promoting exactly that — storage space that qualifies for FTZ designation. Five port authorities have partnered on a joint marketing strategy to attract these projects.”

Infrastructure challenges also extend to permitting systems, which panelists described as antiquated and inconsistent across the US. A shipment that may be routine in one state might stall in another, purely because of permitting rules.

Actionable takeaway: Reshoring cannot succeed without infrastructure investment. Industry and government need to align on freight corridor development, bridge upgrades, and streamlined permitting. Otherwise, the U.S. will build factories faster than it can move product.

Labor and Learning

Reshoring is not just about factories and infrastructure; it also requires a large trained and skilled workforce. “We need skilled workers, and we need to retain them,” said Schuster. “Recruitment and retention are top priorities. If we don’t have the people, we can’t move the projects.”

The education gap is significant, and it’s getting far too little attention, the panelists said, sharing stories of how they “lean” on their forwarders to fill knowledge gaps.

The speakers also touched on the issue of silos, pointing to the lack of cross-mode education. Over the road (OTR) and trucking rarely interact with ocean carriers unless something goes wrong with a port pick-up. Airfreight specialists don’t always understand project cargo requirements. Schuster said it plainly: “Cross-mode education has not really taken hold yet.”

Actionable takeaway: Building a workforce pipeline for reshoring must include training across modes and mentorship between experienced professional and newcomers. Manufacturers need education programs for logistics and freight early on.

Different Perspectives: Why Diverse Voices Matter

One theme from the Women in Breakbulk Luncheon was adaptability: We adapt, we adjust, and we keep going.

Female professionals working in logistics often approach challenges proactively, spotting issues from afar and flagging them early so teams can adjust. It is that habit of staying one step ahead, communicating risks, adjusting plans and notifying partners that keeps projects moving when conditions change or challenges arise.

Schuster tied it back to communication: “If customers talk to us sooner, before a project is in jeopardy, we can bring in the right partners and solve it. But too often we’re looped in after the crisis has started.”

It’s not about saying women are inherently better planners. It’s about acknowledging that different perspectives, shaped by different lived experiences, lead to better problem-solving. In reshoring, where projects are long, messy and unpredictable, those diverse approaches can be the difference between blowing a budget and a successful, on-time and on-budget delivery.

Actionable takeaway: Reshoring requires resilience, foresight and adaptability. Companies can benefit if they bring in those diverse voices early and give logistics leaders the room to plan, anticipate and adapt.

Conclusion

Reshoring is not a talking point; rather, a logistics challenge to be strategized and planned for. It will not happen overnight, and it will not succeed without tackling documentation errors, educating suppliers, upgrading infrastructure and investing in labor.

But with managed expectations, planning and the right people at the table, it can be done.

The women I spoke with may not have all the answers. What they do have are unique perspectives of adaptability, foresight and resilience. They see the problems before they hit, and they roll with the chaos to find solutions.

As Alvarez put it: “We thrive in chaos. It’s just another day at the office.”

From the Breakbulk Studios, Kim Douvier, sales director at Matson Logistics, shares insight on her first Women in Breakbulk luncheon, and how connection and mentorship have shaped her 35-year career in transport. Watch here.

TOP PHOTO (L-R): Jennifer Schuster, Geanean Ordonez, Diana Davila, Janet Galati, Lorena Alvarez. CREDIT: Marco Wang
SECOND: Jennifer Schuster. CREDIT: Marco Wang
THIRD: Diana Davila and Geanean Ordonez. CREDIT: Marco Wang
FOURTH: Panelists take questions during the interactive session. CREDIT: Marco Wang