It is not easy to expand your thinking, open yourself up to new ideas, and think creatively while completely focused on day-to-day execution. Yet it will be the most important ingredient to success in the next several years.
There are mountains of geopolitical threats going on with significant impact on the supply chain. Most, if not all of these also relate to natural resources.
In manufacturing and supply chain, AR (augmented reality), VR (virtual reality) and digital twins (digital representation of an intended or real-world physical product, system or process) are a few exciting opportunities with a multitude of uses.
It is a whirlwind and confusing. Here is a quote that sums it up perfectly: From a salesperson at a client recapping the conversations at a recent industry conference - Everyone is skeptical, but we are all seeing orders and backlog remain pretty robust.
According to this week's GDP report, the real growth rate was minimal (around 1.1%) during the first quarter. On the other hand, inflation remains high, around 5.3%. This seems to reflect stagflation. Unfortunately, business equipment spending was around -7.3%, and inventories are down. PMI (Purchasing Managers' Index), an [...]
According to PMSA (Pacific Merchant Shipping Association), the five big West Coast ports have lost volume - 702,083 fewer loads and empties were handled in January and February 2023 than in the same period pre-pandemic in 2019. This equates to close to a 16% reduction. Specifically, the Port of Long Beach was off by 18.7% from January 2019 [...]
What is clear is that VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity, ambiguity) is continuing in the forefront and will continue to be our "new normal". As I recently debated with the Wall Street Journal, we are in an era of non-stop disruptions. Look no further than the escalating war of Russia [...]
As has been all over the news, the Chinese sent a spy balloon which floated across the U.S. for about a week. According to US senior military officials, it is confirmed that the balloon is tied to a major surveillance program run by China's military. It has politicians and citizens up-in-arms about the potential impacts, and it bolsters concerns about China.
Since I was preparing for a meeting related to healthcare supply chains, I dug deep into the topic and thought it would be valuable to share the findings. In reviewing baby Tylenol /Motrin to adult diapers to medtech and pharmaceticals, supply chain disruptions have eased in some areas but [...]
According to the The Journal of Commerce, the West Coast ports are losing volume. The West Coast share of imports coming from Asia is down from 61.1% in 2021 to 58.8% in 2022 while the East Coast and Gulf Coast ports rose. According to the JOC, the ILWU contract negotiations are causing this change although there are concerns about drayage and rail as well.
