Location as advantage

[Aurora Baltika]

We all know that in most of the cases suppliers from Far East offer cheaper products.
And we all know how people eager to support local manufacturers.
The question is: if price can't be lowered, what advantages should European companies use in order to compete - shorter lead times? lower minimum order quantity? faster delivery?
What else would you add?

 

[GraemeL]

Definitely yes to the points you mention,

QC is easier to manage
Visiting factory easier and cheaper
'Local' representative to talk with
Payment terms
Easier to return faulty products

G

 

[GraemeL]

Should also have said that, while it is implicit in 'shorter lead times', it is useful to explicitly point out that no factory is perfect and when something does go wrong, it is much easier and faster to fix it.

G