Education / Case Study
Plastics + rubbers reshoring case study.
A Spring 2026 course at the WVU Supply Chain Management Program showing how students can turn trade data, manufacturer capability, importer demand, and policy analysis into a practical reshoring proposal.
What the course produced
A repeatable method for evaluating a plastics and rubbers reshoring opportunity.
The student team studied HTS Chapter 39 plastics and rubber-adjacent materials, narrowed the opportunity to a specific polyurethane category, evaluated West Virginia manufacturing capability, reviewed importer demand signals, and built a cost and implementation model.
Student workplan
The project moved from product selection to implementation analysis.
The case study shows the kind of disciplined, usable output NRC wants education partners to generate: not just a class paper, but a structured opportunity analysis that states and partners can build on.
1. Product Opportunity Scan
Students reviewed tariff exposure, trade balance, import values, and opportunity scores across plastics-related HTS codes, then prioritized product categories with higher reshoring potential.
2. Manufacturer Capability Review
The team evaluated West Virginia production capability using factors such as location, raw material access, product alignment, organizational scale, production flexibility, and compatibility with the selected material category.
3. Importer Demand Review
Students reviewed importer activity, landed-cost pressure, product fit, shipping exposure, and proximity to potential domestic production capacity.
4. Standardized Platform Inputs
The project identified the type of information manufacturers and importers should provide in a reshoring tool, including location, products, operational scale, objectives, and matching criteria.
5. Policy + Incentive Analysis
The team evaluated how performance-based state incentives could reduce costs, encourage domestic sourcing, and support increased demand for West Virginia manufacturers.
6. Cost + Implementation Model
The final work compared offshore and in-state production assumptions, including raw materials, transportation, tariffs, tax credits, labor, quality, and demand-management considerations.
Course findings
The course turned research into a usable reshoring story.
The purpose of this case study is to show the educational model and the type of practical output the course can produce.
Priority Product Categories
The student team identified several promising Chapter 39 product categories, including 3907.99, 3903.90, 3909.50, 3907.69, and 3906.90, then selected 3909.50.50.00 for deeper analysis.
State Manufacturing Fit
The analysis highlighted how labor force, energy resources, transportation access, polymer-sector assets, and existing production capabilities can support reshoring feasibility.
Operational Constraints
Students identified issues manufacturers must consider before scaling production, including labor availability, equipment, facility space, overhead, quality requirements, raw materials, and demand forecasting.
Importer Economics
The work compared landed costs, tariff exposure, transportation, and domestic production assumptions to understand whether reshoring could improve cost position or margin.
Policy Relevance
The project showed how a state reshoring incentive can be modeled as part of the business case, especially when companies are evaluating whether domestic sourcing can compete with offshore supply.
End-of-Semester Presentation
Students presented their findings to manufacturers, the Polymer Alliance Zone, state economic development authorities, and other partners who could evaluate the opportunity and carry the work forward.
Reusable Framework
The final report created a model that can be repeated for other product categories, manufacturers, importers, and state chapter opportunities.
Why it matters
This is the kind of work the course is designed to produce.
The plastics and rubbers case study demonstrates how students can help states convert abstract reshoring interest into product-level research, manufacturer engagement, importer analysis, cost modeling, and implementation priorities.
For Students
Students practice trade analysis, supplier discovery, cost comparison, policy evaluation, and implementation planning using a real manufacturing sector.
For States
States receive a structured opportunity analysis that can support chapter strategy, economic development, workforce planning, and policy conversations.
For Manufacturers
Manufacturers and importers see what information is needed to evaluate product fit, production readiness, landed costs, and domestic substitution potential.
Course output
Use student work to build real reshoring intelligence.
NRC can help colleges and universities structure course projects that protect sensitive company information while producing useful public-facing lessons and state-specific implementation ideas.
Explore the course model
See how in-person courses and experiential learning can create repeatable reshoring case studies for other sectors and states.
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