Supply Chain

Supply chains this year have been plagued by long delays and shortages. What can be done to assure a more reliable and resilient supply? We asked Dr. Christopher Tang of UCLA to weigh in.

It is no longer sufficient to design supply chains that are timely and cost-effective. As we learned over the past two years, resilience is paramount and making supply chains resilient demands a new management paradigm.  Lessons learned from organizations that provide security may offer such a model. One of the most effective models to compare in this context is air travel and how the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) conducts airport security because how it centers on providing security to the human supply chain.

These days, whether you're ordering a book, a smartwatch, a tablet PC or a pair of slide sandals, chances are you're anticipating finding that item in a box on your doorstep tomorrow. You're not alone.

In late July, South Korean electronics giant Samsung revealed plans to construct 11 new semiconductor manufacturing plants in Texas. This development is good news for America on a number of levels and represents a nearly $200 billion investment in U.S.-based chip manufacturing. 

The bill, which would provide $52billion (£43billion) in subsidies to US chip makers, passed a House and Senates vote last week. While it may take some time before the semiconductor shortage gets eased, the Chips and Science Act looks set to boost US competitiveness in the global chip market and could help the US fly ahead of China in this domain. Mr Biden is now expected to sign off the bill into law, to slash reliance on Chinese manufacturers which have been holding a tight grip on the market.

The claim: There were no shortages when Donald Trump was president

A look at the challenges and prospects for distributing millions of doses of the COVID-19 vaccine in the coming months, with Julie Swann, Allison Distinguished Professor & Department Head of Industrial & Systems Engineering at North Carolina State University, and a member of INFORMS, the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences.

The new COVID-19 vaccine from Novavax is safe and effective. Better yet, it’s easy to ship and store, making it ideal for poorer countries that are still under-vaxxed.

WASHINGTON – Mitch Spencer’s business costs soared after the U.S. imposed tariffs on billions of dollars in Chinese imports four years ago.

Spencer’s company, Polaris Rare Earth Materials, based in Carmel, Indiana, makes engine parts with its business partner at a factory in China and sells them primarily to the automotive industry in the United States.

The tumultuous disruption of global supply chains, first crippled by the pandemic shutdowns and then further disrupted by war in Europe, has accelerated the collapse of the ever-weakening, decades-long consensus for global trade and economic globalization. From pandemic-related lockdowns around the world to US port bottlenecks and rising gasoline and food prices, supply chain challenges have filled headlines and worried businesses, consumers, and public policy officials. “Just-in-time” production over the last 30 years has relied on global supply chains that needed to be reliable, secure, and efficient. The pandemic and the subsequent lockdowns reduced economic activity around the world, idling parts of supply chains that other parts needed to maintain production, undermining the resiliency of supply chains in an interconnected world.