- The pressures on supply chains are increasing and global disruptions are likely to only get worse as summer approaches and the economy booms.
- Disruptions have converged at the same time in three important pillars of the global economy – shipping, computer chips, and plastics.
- Port backups are described as the worst ever and delivery times are the longest in 20 years of data collection.
- The system will ultimately adjust, but that will take time and requires new investment in ports and capacity.
If you’re wondering why your new couch is going to take three or four months to arrive, not just a few weeks, the reason is simple: You are at the very end of a global supply chain that has buckled.
For similar reasons, GM and Ford and other automakers around the world are slowing down manufacturing, temporarily shutting auto plants, and furloughing workers.
A recovering world economy that depends upon the synchronized, smooth running of global supply chains is now being slammed by what has turned out to be synchronized disruptions.
Although the massive Ever Given container ship has been unstuck from the Suez Canal, its continuing impact is only adding to the woes.
As government stimulus seeks to fuel a hyper recovery and the world economy accelerates over the rest of this year, the pressures on supply chains are increasing and disruptions are likely to grow as we head into summer.
Stretching supply chains
