Supply Chain

Sue Laridis recently tried to buy cough medicine for her grandson. “I just couldn’t find it,” she said. “Nobody has anything. It’s like even at the grocery stores. It’s getting ridiculous.”

Whether you're shopping for gifts or groceries, this is one of the most expensive holiday seasons ever. But there are still ways to save. NBC’s Vicky Nguyen reports for TODAY on how to save ahead of the shopping rush.

An abundance of holiday shopping choices might lead consumers to believe the supply chain is in OK shape again. Wrong!

Troy, COO of an overhead crane providers firm, hung up the cellphone and shot a apprehensive have a look at the backlog of orders on his desk. An essential buyer had simply confirmed necessities for 2 massive industrial overhead cranes. In regular instances he can be delighted, however with a 12-month backlog totaling practically $1srcsrc million, the corporate was dealing with a dilemma. Given the disruptions and delays in his personal provide chain, the sturdy temptation was to extend orders to make certain no less than a few of the elements he was ready for could be delivered on time. However he recalled the Beer Sport, a enterprise simulation train developed at MIT: college students in a beer keg provide chain simulation ordered increasingly from their distributors (at greater and better costs) till the well-known bullwhip impact set in, bankrupting the scholar groups. Troy was decided to withstand the urge to over-order from his suppliers, however he knew one thing should change. Was there a technique to create higher partnerships and streamline his provide chain, creating win-win outcomes? 

Two electrifying moves in recent weeks have the potential to ignite electric vehicle demand in the United States. First, Congress passed the Inflation Reduction Act, expanding federal tax rebates for EV purchases. Then California approved rules to ban the sale of new gasoline-powered cars by 2035.

As we head rapidly into the Holiday season, I will note that every few years about this time I offer my supply chain Christmas list for Santa’s consideration, and am doing so here again in 2022.

In 1994, the founder of Interface, a manufacturer of carpet, rubber and vinyl tiles, launched ‘Mission Zero’ and set himself the goal of eliminating the company’s negative impact on the planet by 2020. He succeeded, which meant it’s time for a new initiative: Climate Take Back, aimed at helping to reverse global warming. One of its pillars is to use CO2 as a resource and raw material rather than viewing it as an enemy. This has huge implications for products, and thus for the total supply chain. How is Eline Oudenbroek, VP of Operations, leading the organization through all these changes?

Imagine it’s September 2023 and another Category 4 hurricane is gathering steam off the Gulf Coast. We don’t know where landfall will happen, so we can’t gauge the impact the storm will have on states, cities, communities and ultimately the supply chain that will be critical to any recovery effort.

Semiconductors are not a homogenous commodity; they are unique to specific products and technologies.

President Biden and China’s President Xi shook hands on Nov. 14 for the first time since Biden became U.S. president. This in-person meeting on the sidelines of the G20 Summit meeting dialed down the tension and may prevent a new cold war between both countries. At least for now.