The supply chain is in a constant state of disruption. As we discussed on Supply Chain Chats, simple backup plans are no longer enough. In fact, you can look at recent events and determine if a backup is sufficient. Starting with the pandemic, of course, most if not all companies didn't have a sufficient enough backup plan.
Horribly, a container ship collided with the Francis Scott Key Bridge, and much of the bridge collapsed. From a supply chain point of view, it has caused significant near-term impacts and extended disruptions in the region.
The Baltimore disaster is expected to further compound the stress already placed on the global freight system. “Container shipping traffic has already been quite disrupted, because of the drought going on in the Panama Canal–ships from there [are] going through the Suez Canal to come to the east coast of the U.S. from Northeast Asia,” says Lisa Anderson.
The best consulting clients are razor focused on supply chain volatility, risk and capacity. The recent events in the Red Sea highlight these critical priorities.
The White House has launched a cabinet-level supply chain council as the criticality of the topic rises to the top.
Israel was attacked by Hamas, and the world has another war in another region of the world. Since the global supply chain is interconnected, in addition to the devastation in the region, supply chain impacts will emerge.
Global supply chains are on the move. Executives have been hit with the harsh reality that the risk (supply chain, geopolitical, cyber, IP, etc.) is far higher than they realized when they outsourced with an eye to cost.
Although the supply chain challenges have abated since the COVID-19 pandemic, disruptions continue to persist and risks have increased. VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity, ambiguity) has increased substantially in the world, negatively impacting the safety, security, and reliability of the supply chain.
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.
