As the Iran war simmers, trade experts ask whether it could reshape supply chains more deeply than COVID, forcing companies to rethink strategies to counter further geopolitical shocks. The back-to-back crises of the pandemic and the Iran war have altered how many companies now assess risk.
Tariffs continue to cause great stress in the financial markets and with certain industries. In fact, it divides manufacturers from distributors, logistics, and goods movement industries largely dependent on imports and trade.
The economy has a distinct impact on manufacturing. Although U.S. manufacturing has gone sharply down with offshoring for lower wages, less regulations, and fewer hurdles, there remains a base crux of manufacturing might that is turning into a renaissance with favorable tax, tariff and interest rate policies.
Lisa Anderson, a supply chain expert and president of LMA Consulting, told BI she expects the overall effect of the tariffs to be "mildly inflationary," with some of the worst economic effects tempered by the recent trade deal, but ultimately "each industry or company could have a wildly different outcome."
Before Trump took office, let alone announced or implemented his tariffs plan, many major companies brought in extra inventory of products to the US in an attempt to mitigate the impact of potential tariffs, but the buffer will run out soon.
Over the last two weeks, we participated in three supply chain summits, conferences and/or annual meetings (with a west coast bent), and so we thought we'd pass on the key highlights and action items most relevant to our clients and colleagues.
If you have domestic production and you’re going to move products into Southern California because you want to supply customers here, you do have a choice.
Concerns over the trade war that erupted when Trump announced higher tariffs against most U.S. trade partners this month rippled across the country - including the Inland Empire, the region sometimes called the warehouse of the western United States. But the Inland region might not take as large an [...]
As companies navigate the current risk-laden global environment, regional supply chains have increased in popularity. The wars in Russia-Ukraine and the Middle East have spurred concerns about the risks associated with global supply chains.
In the second half of 2024, manufacturers in the U.S. and Mexico were in contraction according to PMI readings while Canada showed continual expansion. The Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) is based on a survey of private sector executives and measures the health of the economy. Canada has scored in [...]
