There has been a run of strikes or threats of strikes lately with the latest UAW strike impacting the Big 3 automobile manufacturers. If it lasts longer than a few days, there will undoubtedly be a huge impact on the end-to-end supply chain as well as the economy.
The Panama Canal has a 40% market share for containers moving goods from Northeast Asia to the U.S. East Coast, and drought conditions are creating a new round of supply chain disruptions. There have been between 130 - 160 ships waiting, leading to supply chain delays.
Supply chain risks are exploding. Just look at the news, and you'll see a potential UPS strike, a Canadian port strike, potential hurricanes (Hawaii, Florida), China stirring up potential conflict with China, the Crimean bridge attack, and much more.
A UPS strike was averted on the last day of the quarter, but it still hangs in the balance as the two sides are not on the same page! The head of the union said an imminent strike was likely when a counterproposal fell flat. Now that a new counterproposal was submitted, the imminent strike was called off with a new date set within a week.
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.
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.
Should you be rethinking your supply chain strategy? Absolutely! There is so much volatility going on in the world that you must reevaluate your supply chain.
Partners are always prioritized over transactional suppliers during times of allocation and disruption. Supply chain disruptions were up 88% in 2021, according to Resilinc, a leading supply chain risk monitoring and mapping solution. Lifesciences and healthcare were two of the industries most impacted by these record-breaking supply shortages. Companies [...]
The news is full of stories of rising prices propelled by supply chain disruptions. For example, the cost of lumber is creating extreme price increases for building and home upgrades. Supply Chain Dive noted that the cost of pallets could go up by 400% according to United Fresh Produce Association. On this same note, an NBC affiliate [...]
