What happens in China doesn’t stay in China. And for American supply chains, that is usually a good thing. American businesses have become dependent on low-cost goods coming from Chinese suppliers. But in a post-COVID world that may be entering the Second Cold War, reliance on China means that American businesses are held hostage by an autocratic regime that seems oblivious to the damage it is doing to its own economy, much less the global one.
Since the earliest days of COVID-19, China has...
Optimism is building in the United States and beyond as the pandemic’s might appears to be waning. But the rebound of global markets does come with volatility that’s likely to last through the coming months.
“Even though the disruptions caused by the pandemic appear to be easing in our part of the world, we are still in a very uncertain period for 2022, as shown by the recent series of COVID-related lockdowns in China or the impact of the Ukraine conflict on aircraft availability and fuel...
https://www.freightwaves.com/news/geodis-optimistic-outlook-and-plans-to-stay-above-the-competition
By Tinglong Dai, Johns Hopkins University
Francis Fukuyama, the American political scientist who once described the collapse of the Soviet Union as the “end of history,” suggested that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine might be called “the end of the end of history.” He meant that Vladimir Putin’s aggression signals a rollback of the ideals of a free Europe that emerged after 1991. Some observers...
Procurement collaboration enabler SourceDay has closed a $31.5 million series C led by Norwest Venture Partners with continued participation from existing investors including ATX Ventures, Baird Capital, Draper Associates, Ring Ventures and Silverton Partners to continue its efforts in linking global manufacturers, distributors and suppliers.
According to the Austin, Texas-based company, the average purchase order (PO) has a 52% chance of changing before it is delivered by the vendor. In order...
https://www.freightwaves.com/news/sourceday-secures-315m-to-meet-todays-procurement-challenges
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To register for the 2022 Global Supply Chain Week, click here
https://www.freightwaves.com/news/daily-infographic-global-supply-chain-week-2022
International freight forwarder Shifl announced Thursday it is releasing a fintech solution, shifl.capital, to enable the sending and receiving of instant and free digital payments.
Founder and CEO Shabsie Levy told FreightWaves that providing this service will help eliminate another obstacle that challenges global shipping, as many payment processes can take up to five days to be processed for freight to be released.
“Our industry revolves around payments,” said Levy. “Sometimes they get an ETA...
https://www.freightwaves.com/news/shifl-releases-fintech-product-for-instant-payments
As we commence the new year, the stark realisation is that supply chain professionals are going to have to become very creative to meet their budget targets.
While hedging a raft of risks.
(Recent) history repeating
I genuinely hope that all you dear readers have had some respite during the holiday season.
As we return to work, we are faced with depressingly familiar headlines such as China’s Ningbo province implementing Covid restrictions, which is …
The post Against the odds: Risky business
The global medical and pharmaceutical industries are rapidly evolving, and the types of treatments available to patients are expanding on a near-daily basis. These exciting innovations tend to be fragile and often carry unique supply chain challenges, as evidenced by the rollout of the coronavirus vaccine earlier this year.
Cell and gene therapies are some of the most promising areas of emerging medicine, offering patients relief — and sometimes even a cure — from diseases that have otherwise...
The current supply chain crisis is caused by an unprecedented demand for physical goods flowing through major chokepoints, combined with a lack of labor and a limited supply of transportation capacity. While global economic turbulence due to COVID is an immediate catalyst, the crisis has been decades in the making and the lack of investment in supply chain infrastructure is a fundamental cause. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, promoted by President Biden and recently passed by...
An early-stage Freight Tech founder recently asked me if the sudden interest around supply chain technology would slow anytime soon. My answer was a simple “no.”
2021 is the “Lehman moment” for supply chains. FinTech reached escape velocity after the 2008-09 financial crisis and supply chain tech is experiencing that right now.
The collapse of Lehman Brothers caught many people off-guard, but the foundations of the financial crisis existed long before. Once it all collapsed, there was no turning...
https://www.freightwaves.com/news/2021-is-supply-chain-technologys-lehman-brothers-moment