Supply Chain

In the early morning of March 26, Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed when a container ship struck it, killing six construction workers and severing water access to most terminals within the Port of Baltimore indefinitely. With respect to economic losses from the port closure, the temporary losses for the region look to be severe. However, there are several reasons to be optimistic about the port's recovery and a minimal long-term loss for the region and the nation.

The recent collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge following a ship collision, causing an indefinite closure of the Port of Baltimore, poses significant disruptions to the local and national supply chain. Experts warn of extended impacts, particularly on ground transportation logistics, which could reverberate through the economy.

The disruption caused by the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore will be mitigated by improvements made to supply chains in recent years, according to Tinglong Dai, a professor of operations management and business analytics at the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the supply chain topic has been on the headlines constantly. First, it was due to the limited availability of groceries on store shelves. Then, it was the semiconductor chips shortage that caused automobile production to be severely restricted. Home prices went up sharply due to the shortage of materials and more people expanding their housing footprint by building offices and additions. Then, there was the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

When T.J. Grimm and his team at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center put in their nightly orders to fill customers’ medications, they‘re never really sure that the orders will actually get filled. It’s a problem facing health care systems across the country: Pharmacy managers have been left scrambling to find supplies as the country deals with a near-record number of shortages affecting millions of people.

If you own stocks, chances are good you have heard the term ESG. It stands for environmental, social and governance, and it is a way to laud corporate leaders who take sustainability – including climate change – and social responsibility seriously and punish those who...

Skills shortages in the logistics sector, notably truck drivers and warehouse staff, became headline news during the pandemic - highlighting how labour supply can impact supply chains as a whole. what steps can governments and companies take to help shore up supply chains? We speak to Professor Anna Nagurney, author of ‘Labor and Supply Chain Networks', to find out.

We hope you had a great holiday season! As we kick off 2024, we are excited to present an update on some of the biggest stories involved in supply chain management. From the White House's Inaugural Council on Supply Chain Resilience to groundbreaking developments in combating cargo theft and enhancing food supply chains in the U.S., our latest newsletter offers a panoramic view of the strategies, challenges, and successes shaping this dynamic sector.

Organizations are rushing to create hyperlocal supply chains by using products that are sourced and made in specific areas, down to a neighborhood level.

The disruption may cause price hikes, hurting the US economy in the near future, a supply chain expert warns.