California's minimum wage went up to $20/hr. for fast food restaurants with at least 60 locations nationwide that do not make bread. This law is causing widespread unintended consequences. For example, Fosters Freeze in Lemoore closed suddenly after the wage hike. Mod 5 Pizza is closing five locations.
Inflation and disruption are increasing again. Wholesale inflation as measured by the producer price index increased by .5% since last month which was more than expected. Core inflation (excluding food and energy) went up by .3% which was also more than expected.
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.
Interest rates have increased by a historic amount within the last year. Increases of almost 5 points on such an aggressive timeline is already having a significant impact on manufacturers and distributor’s ability to fund and support their business growth.
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.
Special Report: How Companies Should Reshape to Succeed in 2023 & Take Advantage of Huge Opportunities Coming Down the Pike
Originally posted in Adhesives and Sealants Industry in May of 2023 As the healthcare industry supply chain faces more challenges, supporting industries must be proactive, resilient, and innovative. Although the visible bottlenecks in the healthcare supply chains are getting calmer, volatility will remain high. From the impacts of increasing [...]
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 [...]
Silicon Valley Bank's Failure kicked off panic in the financial markets and banking system. They had too much money tied up in long term bonds paying at low interest rates, and they didn't have the liquidity to keep up with the depositors requests to take money out of the [...]
Listen to find out how some of the top supply chain consultants around the world are working with their clients to help them deal with rising inflation and interest rates.
