Governor signs EO promoting return of manufacturing

Gov. Jenniffer González Colón said “Puerto Rico is ready to welcome and expand multinational companies and continue consolidating its position as a key player in the national supply chain ...” (Facebook via Jenniffer González Colón)

By The Star Staff

With the goals of positioning Puerto Rico as a driving force for industry in the United States and strengthening manufacturing on the island, Gov. Jenniffer González Colón on Tuesday brought together private sector leaders and government representatives to discuss reshoring strategies.

As part of the meeting, Executive Order 2025-012 was signed, a measure that formalizes efforts to incentivize the return of manufacturing to Puerto Rico and consolidate the island as a key destination for production and exports within the United States.

“Puerto Rico is ready to welcome and expand multinational companies and continue consolidating its position as a key player in the national supply chain thanks to our established manufacturing infrastructure, highly trained workforce, strategic location, and a more competitive incentive ecosystem for investment and industrial growth,” the governor said. “With this executive order, we will redouble our commitment to reshoring so that more companies see Puerto Rico as the ideal solution for establishing and expanding their operations within the United States. We are taking concrete actions to streamline processes, eliminate barriers, strengthen our economy, and ensure that our people have access to more and better job opportunities.”

For the purposes of the executive order, reshoring is understood as the process by which a company makes investments that relocate its activities to its home jurisdiction or, in the case of capacity expansion, prioritize the home jurisdiction over alternative locations; in other words, the relocation of manufacturing and service companies from other jurisdictions.

Furthermore, it is generally known that U.S. national security depends heavily on strengthening and maintaining a robust supply chain. In the current global context, Puerto Rico plays a fundamental and strategic role in the U.S. supply chain, as well as in regional commercial expansion efforts, thanks to a highly specialized manufacturing ecosystem, González Colón noted. Therefore, reshoring efforts not only boost the local economy but also protect U.S. national interests and security, and strengthen emergency response capabilities, she said.