Even before the Covid-19 pandemic sparked a global shortage of shipping containers and a surge in ocean shipping costs in 2020, automotive-parts supplier Premium Guard Inc. was concerned about souring U.S.-China relations and had been working on bringing some production closer to home. So when the New York-based company completed the purchase of its first factory in Mexico in late 2020, it proved to be a fortuitous solution to the Covid-19-related disruptions that allowed Premium Guard to keep some of its crucial parts moving even as lengthy backups in international shipping brought many supply chains to their knees.

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