Well before the supply chain disruptions fueled by the the pandemic, the trucking industry was in the throes of a severe driver shortfall that hasn't yet abated. But since COVID-19, motor carriers have also been battling a parts shortage, further pushing them behind the proverbial eight-ball. From drive shafts and semiconductors to a number of other essential parts, the component crunch  that's played out over the past several years has exacerbated motor carriers' inability to keep up with the pace of consumer demand. However, due to waning demand and improvements in the a ..read more

Since 2020, the year COVID struck, product shortages have been routine. From toilet paper to hand sanitizer to N-95 masks and semiconductors, items that are typically easy to obtain were suddenly hard to come by, a product of elevated demand, panic buying and supply chain disruptions.  Those goods are largely back in stock and the health of the supply chain may be better, but shortages still persist. What kinds of merchandise may be hard to find in 2023?  1. Lettuce The staple ingredient of salads, lettuce wasn't as plentiful in grocers' produce sections in 2022 due to poor weather ..read more

With more Americans buying rechargeable cars — and several automakers expanding their hybrid and all-electric offerings — the automotive industry is turning to the rare earth metals market. These materials, namely lithium, cobalt, nickel and several others, are critical for manufacturing the lithium-ion batteries electric and hybrid cars need. But with such minerals already being limited in the U.S., there are growing fears that demand may vastly outstrip supply, compromising other industries that rely on such materials. This is particularly true of graphite ..read more

As any supply chain professional will tell you, managing various day-to-day operations and keeping track of everything going on in the supply chain are among the most difficult parts of the job. These tasks, combined with the increasing levels of complexity and risk that modern supply chains have had to go through, has made tracing exactly what's going on even more difficult than it had been in the past. For these reasons, many high-end supply chain organizations are investing their money into visibility solutions to get a better handle on their supply chains. Why is visibility so important ..read more

There have been rumors of an incoming recession for a while now. With this in mind, there's no time like the present to evaluate whether your supply chain will be able to weather the storm of another set of unfavorable economic conditions. There are plenty of challenges that a recession can bring, and having a set response for each of them could help your organization stay ahead of the competition. Why this recession may be different Luckily, this possibly upcoming recession is accompanied by some underlying conditions that change a lot about traditional thinking. According to a Gartner repor ..read more

If you haven't updated your organization's cybersecurity posture yet — it's time to consider it. Supply chains are a valuable asset that malicious actors view as high priority targets as they are a central backbone to any company. Furthermore, large supply chain organizations are viewed by nation state-level cyberwarfare organizations as force multipliers for their attacks, helping them cause chaos on a widespread level. The risk of cyberattack on your organization's supply chain is only going to increase from this point forward as cybercriminals become more advanced and bold in their attacks ..read more

Selling for significantly more than they did as little as a year ago, egg prices have cracked all sort of records. While some have attributed the cost growth solely to the effects of inflation, there are a variety of factors at work, much of it having to do with diminished supply. 1. Avian influenza Perhaps the biggest contributor to the problem is avian influenza. Otherwise described as bird flu, avian influenza is a highly contagious viral disease that has hit many poultry farms throughout the U.S.  Because avian influenza can be spread from chickens to animals, farmers have ..read more

As suppliers increasingly look for ways to overcome operational challenges in their warehouses, some are beginning to leverage smart warehouse technology like automation and artificial intelligence to improve the productivity of their warehouse associates and enhance their processing efficiencies. Reflecting this trend, the global smart warehouse technology market is expected to surge over the next few years, reaching a valuation of $29 billion by 2028, according to data from KBV Research. Popular smart warehouse technology in use today There is an extensive range of smart warehouse solutions ..read more

High inflation has been one of the lingering consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the Consumer Price Index in November 2022 had increased 7.1% over the previous 12 months. Resurgent consumer demand, business closures, transportation disruptions and port congestion have all conspired to put pressure on suppliers and raise the cost of doing business. Many suppliers and manufacturers have struggled to adjust their management and logistical structures to keep pace, forcing them to push increased costs down to consumers. While this can help them maintai ..read more

As demand for solar panels continues to increase, manufacturers' overreliance on China-produced polysilicon and other raw materials used in the production of solar panels could put the solar supply chain at serious risk. Geopolitical tensions between the United States and China and the lingering consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic have both caused serious disruptions in the market that have already had downstream consequences for stakeholders throughout the supply chain. China sits atop the world's supply of polysilicon China is the world's leading producer of polysilicon, a raw material of ..read more