Companies went global for the past few decades with a gusto to save labor costs. The pandemic jolted many Executives eyes open to the risks in the global supply chain. Suddenly, companies were reevaluating their global footprint with an eye to cost, risk (supply chain, geopolitical, etc.), customer performance, etc.
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.
Manufacturing appears to be turning the corner. According to the ISM, the Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) recorded a contraction but at the slowest pace of the recent cycle. In fact, this is the third straight month of improvement.
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.
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.
Globalization is not working. Geopolitics abound. For example, the war in Russia and Ukraine ravages on. There are concerns around the nuclear power plant in Ukraine, occupied by Russia. And that is aside from the impact on oil, food, commodities and much more. China continues to threaten Taiwan and has already changed Hong Kong. It is no longer the same for business. There are countless risks throughout the world.
In this episode of Interlinks, I am joined again by my colleagues from the supply chain special interest group of the Society for the Advancement of Consulting to discuss the issue of how and why so many businesses are overlooking the fundamentals of business as we emerge from a period of turbulence characterized by pandemic war and supply chain realignments into an uncertain future.
In this episode of Interlinks I am joined again by my colleagues from the supply chain special interest group of the Society for the Advancement of Consulting to discuss the issues of energy security and geopolitical change and how they are influencing the thinking of business strategists and decision makers as the look to design and configure the supply chains of the future.
