Thought Food

  • Supply Chain Disruptions, Trade Costs, and Labor Markets

    Global supply chain disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic have increased the costs of trade between countries. Given the interconnectedness of the U.S. economy with the rest of the world, higher trade costs can have important impacts on U.S. labor markets. A model of the U.S. economy that incorporates variation in industry concentrations across regions…

  • Six Supply Chain and Logistics Trends for 2023

    The last several years have made a mockery of many predictions. The economy didn’t tank. The mid-term election wasn’t a wipeout. There wasn’t a carrier “Armageddon.”  Those years have also made a mockery of many supply chain and logistics strategies and  services. A number of macroeconomic and geopolitical challenges, as well as significant learnings about…

  • The supply chain trends shaking up 2023

    When disruption is constant, an organization’s preparation for key supply chain trends can be a significant competitive advantage. Disruptions to supply chain operations are set to stay in 2023, whether they be existing or new geopolitical conflicts, inflationary pressures and the recessionary environment, climate change weather events, or other issues yet to emerge. They can…

  • 14 Supply Chain Trends for 2023

    Supply chains are the lifeblood of most, if not all, businesses today. Keeping all supply chain components running as smoothly as possible ensures that your business can provide on-time delivery of products and services, especially with changing consumer demands and supply chain disruptions brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. Aside from reading up on the…

  • Supply Chain ‘Normal’ Appears on Horizon, With Sights Set on March

    Several gauges show ship congestion continues to clear up even as shortages persist Few observers have had a better perch to watch the pandemic slowly clog — and now free up — one of the biggest arteries of global trade than Captain J. Kipling “Kip” Louttit. Two years ago this week, as fully loaded container ships…

  • What Really Makes Toyota’s Production System Resilient

    Summary.   Toyota has fared better than many of its competitors in riding out the supply chain disruptions of recent years. But focusing on how Toyota had stockpiled semiconductors and the problems of other manufacturers, some observers jumped to the conclusion that the era of the vaunted Toyota Production System was over. Not the case, say Toyota…