A perfect storm for container shipping
Will prolonged disruptions shift the pattern of trade? A giant ship wedged across the Suez canal, record-breaking shipping rates, armadas of vessels waiting outside ports, covid-induced shutdowns: container shipping has rarely been as dramatic as it has in 2021. The average cost of shipping a standard large container (a 40-foot-equivalent unit, or feu) has surpassed $10,000, some…
The World Economy’s Supply Chain Problem Keeps Getting Worse
A supply chain crunch that was meant to be temporary now looks like it will last well into next year as the surging delta variant upends factory production in Asia and disrupts shipping, posing more shocks to the world economy. Manufacturers reeling from shortages of key components and higher raw material and energy costs are…
Inflation Should Be an Important Consideration in Your Supply Chain Strategy
As a business leader, you have had to deal with numerous challenges in recent years: the Covid-19 pandemic, criminal cyberattacks, extreme weather events, geopolitical tensions, and more. Now you can add inflation woes to your list of potential challenges. Shifting Central Bank Priorities In the 2010s, inflation in major economies was largely at historically low…
Are you running an analogue supply chain for a digital economy?
COVID-19 has exposed long-standing weaknesses in how we make and sell goods. The solution is digitization and automation, in four steps. In brief; the global supply chain, in its current form, is incapable of withstanding the disruptive forces of tomorrow. Fast-changing consumer preference, environmental disruptions and intrinsic changes to the global order are key drivers…
The Challenge of Rebuilding U.S. Domestic Supply Chains
Summery: Massachusetts-based Shawmut scrambled to expand production to meet the soaring demand for N95 masks and hospital gowns during the pandemic. Its experiences illustrates a crucial point that policymakers should take to heart: Once a country loses its industrial commons points — the capabilities needed to support the development and production of many goods —…
Questioning what we know
Recorded: April 24, 2021 About the podcast In this episode, Ron and Joseph call into question the body of knowledge that is the basis of the discipline of supply chain as it exists today. Keeping in mind that the modern supply chain has existed for roughly 30 years, with the fall of the Berlin Wall, the…