Purchasing Project Lead (The LEGO Group)
From China outsourcing to European repositioning
Geert Bruynsteen started his international career at a time when China was still largely inaccessible to European industry. In 1991, during one of his first visits, he recalls being perceived as an “exotic animal” by the local population. European industrial presence was limited, and interactions were still rare.
Over the following decades, he witnessed a structural shift.
European companies gradually expanded their footprint in China. What started as selective subcontracting evolved into large-scale outsourcing. Cost reduction became the primary driver. Entire production lines were transferred. Supply chains were reorganised around Asian manufacturing hubs.
The shift did not stop at production.
Step by step, parts of product design also moved to China. Engineering capabilities followed manufacturing. Knowledge, initially retained in Europe, became increasingly distributed.
Throughout this evolution, Geert Bruynsteen built his experience in international industrial environments, working for companies such as Picanol and Philips before moving into interim management. His focus: purchasing, supply chain, and operational transformation.
Today, the context is changing again.
Cost advantages are narrowing. Complexity is increasing. Geopolitical exposure has become a structural factor. The model of extensive subcontracting to China is being reconsidered.
From his operational perspective, this is not a theoretical discussion. It is a question of how companies reorganise sourcing, production, and control.
The current shift requires decisions similar in scale to those taken decades ago, but in the opposite direction.
In the upcoming Tuesday Breakfast in Ghent, Geert Bruynsteen will outline why European companies should reconsider their dependence on China and what alternatives can be developed within Europe, including opportunities in Eastern Europe.