Columbus Manufacturer Gerald Ashby Reshores Production From Overseas Suppliers

Gerald Ashby, founder of Columbus-based precision components manufacturer Ashby Machine Works, announced plans to bring production of several core product lines back from overseas suppliers, a shift expected to add roughly 60 manufacturing jobs at the company's Bartholomew County facility.

Ashby founded the company 20 years ago as a small machine shop serving diesel engine and industrial equipment clients, gradually shifting a portion of production to overseas contract manufacturers over the past decade to remain price-competitive on certain component lines. Rising shipping costs and increasingly unpredictable delivery timelines from overseas suppliers pushed Ashby to reconsider that strategy.

"We chased the lowest unit cost for years and didn't fully account for what happens when a shipment gets delayed six weeks and your customer needed the part yesterday," Ashby said. "Bringing this back in-house costs more per unit, but it means we actually control our own delivery schedule again."

The company is investing approximately $10 million in new automated machining equipment at its Columbus facility to offset some of the labor cost difference from reshoring production, a strategy Ashby said allows the company to remain price-competitive while regaining control over quality and lead times. The new equipment is expected to be operational within the next year.

Ashby Machine Works currently employs around 180 people and serves primarily diesel engine, agricultural equipment, and industrial clients. Ashby said the reshoring decision was made easier by several major customers increasingly requiring domestic manufacturing for supply chain security reasons, a trend he expects to continue across the sector.