Cargo Container Chaos Leading to Sky-High Fees

Brace yourselves for more logistical nightmares and sky-high shipping costs. We just got quoted $20K for a shipping container. We usually pay $3K — Dave Llorens (@davellorens) June 25, 2021 Due to the pandemic, shipping ports & terminals are having trouble hiring enough trained people to process all the backlog of ships at shipping terminals….

Logistics Companies Struggling Amidst Surge in E-Commerce

Despite a global pandemic, e-commerce sales has skyrocketed in the last year. The major shipping players like Fedex and UPS are struggling to keep up with demand with this surge in e-commerce sales. During March and April 2021, only 87% of FedEx Ground shipments arrived on-time. While for UPS, 95% of shipments reached their destination. The…

Increase in Raw Materials Triggering Chain Reactions Throughout Supply Chains

Chinese manufacturers are delaying orders, raising prices and even closing up – high raw-material prices and a shortage of workers have made it difficult for smaller Chinese manufacturers to stay afloat. Many of these (including many that sell their goods to the US or Western countries) have gone under in recent months. Some manufacturers have…

Increase in Costs in the Supply Chain Are Hurting Consumers

The cost of goods are rising at every step in the production process. Prices for commodities like oil and crops have increased this year, which has resulted in a rise in transport prices. This has left trucking companies with fewer drivers to take goods to factories and construction sites which has led to higher costs….

Supply Chain Woes Forces Automakers to Stockpile

Automakers are building up stockpiles in anticipation for the increased demand of parts and batteries. Tesla is trying to lock up access to raw materials. The hyper-efficient auto supply chain is going through its biggest transformation in more than half a century. The transformation is fueled by the troubles car manufacturers have had during the…

Panasonic Acquires Supply Chain Software Company

Panasonic announced they will acquire large supply chain software company, Blue Yonder. The deal is valued at $7.1 billion. The two companies have partnered together in the past and now make this synergistic partnership even more powerful by merging Blue Yonder’s software (e.g. artificial intelligence features) with Panasonic’s autonomous hardware into a total supply chain…

Guess The Latest Product Shortage…

We’ve talked about the global shortage in semiconductor chips, but guess what’s the latest product shortage? Who would have thought that ketchup (or tomato sauce depending on where you live) ould be the latest coveted product. With COVID-19 shutting down a lot of in-person dining and forcing restaurants to focus on take-out and delivery – which…

Why There Is a Global Chip Shortage

Global Pandemic? Don’t tell semiconductor chip makers and the product manufacturers that need them. Supply chains aren’t just dealing with shipping containers getting stuck in the Suez Canal, there’s a global semiconductor chip shortage but why? Reuters, explains: Sanctions against Chinese companies Manufacturers are stockpiling chips for fear of on-going shortages (thus exascerbating the problem)…