Hayco: Moving Manufacturing to the Caribbean, Mexico, or Central America

In 2018, Christopher Hay, president and chief executive officer of Hayco, the top contract manufacturer to the brush industry globally, had been looking for a new location for some of its operations due to over a decade of rising labour costs in Hong Kong, China, where the company was based. The company accelerated its search in response to the US government’s announcement of tariffs against Chinese products in April 2018. Hayco was seeking a location closer to the US and European markets where labour costs were still low for an initial workforce of over one thousand employees and where there was no threat of tariffs. Hay’s focus was on Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central America. Hay considered questions such as, “What is the best market to which Hayco could move its operations? Should it establish a new subsidiary on its own or locate within a special economic zone?”

The Ivey Business School and Bond University gratefully acknowledge the generous support of Derek Murphy in the development of this case.