Procurement

ISM: Manufacturing growth indicates 'we're coming out of recession'

The PMI climbed to 54.2% in July, with employees returning to work and growing consumer demand contributing to a healthy reading.

By Morgan Forde • Aug. 03, 2020

US ventilator, PPE imports drop as coronavirus cases climb

S&P Global cites efforts by the Trump administration to encourage domestic production of key supplies to combat the coronavirus pandemic as a potential reason for the reduction.

By Morgan Forde • Aug. 03, 2020

Demand for partitions and face shields is booming. How a plastic fabricator is adapting its supply chain

Imaginative Materials leaned on supplier relationships and started buying larger sheets of material as customer calls for partitions rolled in. 

By Jen A. Miller • July 30, 2020

'More complex by the day': Leaders turn to automation to sustain IT efficiency

IT teams expect to offload repetitive work by automating processes and shifting focus to higher value tasks.

By Roberto Torres • July 30, 2020

Deep Dive

Electronics supply chains are stuck between a pandemic and a trade war. Where do they go from here?

Shifting operations is a mammoth undertaking for the electronics industry due to China's specialized production capacities, co-location of key suppliers and economies of scale.

By Morgan Forde • July 23, 2020

Apple's 2030 roadmap to carbon neutrality focuses on product design, supplier base

The company plans to invest in emissions reduction technologies and carbon removal projects to achieve net-zero emissions across its operations, manufacturing, supplier base and product life cycles.

By Morgan Forde • July 23, 2020

Gartner: 17% of CSCOs are women but talent pipeline, development remain stagnant

According to the survey, "not a single respondent" listed employee resource groups as the best step toward preparing and elevating women in senior supply chain roles. 

By Morgan Forde • July 22, 2020

Pork producers face $5B in losses with surplus of hogs

Pandemic-driven plant closures have slowed meat processing. The National Pork Producers Council is calling on Congress to pass financial aid for farmers.

By Lillianna Byington • July 22, 2020

Maersk, Microsoft, Nike, Unilever, others form net-zero emissions initiative citing 'climate emergency'

Member companies have committed to sharing best practices across their value chains.

By Morgan Forde • July 21, 2020

Flooding in China disrupts medical, PPE suppliers. Shippers should expect delays

Maersk said it had several inland terminals suspend operations as a result of the flooding in Anhui and Jiangxi provinces, though "the situation is improving, as the water recedes," a company spokesperson told Supply Chain Dive.

By Matt Leonard • UPDATED: July 23, 2020 at 1:47 p.m.

MIT, CSCMP: 35% of companies lack supply chain sustainability goals

Social issues — child labor or slavery, worker welfare, etc. — received "far more" focus in companies' sustainability goals than environmental issues.

By Matt Leonard • July 20, 2020

Opinion

4 ways to restore healthcare supply chains before COVID-19's second wave hits

Healthcare organizations shouldn't try to restore supply chain service to pre-pandemic levels, rather, they should focus on greater cost-effective and efficient operations, writes Jeff Berman, a principal at Grant Thorton.

By Jeff Berman • July 20, 2020

DHL: Supply chains must adapt to current conditions before post-coronavirus recovery

Transparency, investing in digital transformation, and identifying alternate supply and distribution channels are key to shoring up organizations during this "pre-new normal" phase, according to DHL's report.

By Morgan Forde • July 20, 2020

Conducting supplier audits in the era of COVID-19

Buyers are leaning on contractual obligations and technology to curtail the use of physical audits. 

By Craig Guillot • July 16, 2020

BlackRock calls out OEMs, industrial suppliers for inadequate climate disclosure

The investor wields its power to call attention to emissions in the supply chain, and BlackRock's public reporting could affect the reputation of the companies deemed insufficient.

By Emma Cosgrove • July 16, 2020

73% of companies experienced supply-side disruption due to pandemic

Three in 10 respondents said their company would source less from the Far East.

By Matt Leonard • July 16, 2020

Deep Dive

How a small-batch distillery improvised a hand sanitizer supply chain in 72 hours

When hand sanitizer was in short supply, nontraditional producers retooled operations and worked with suppliers to fill the gap.

By S.L. Fuller • July 14, 2020

Southeast US warehousing markets to grow as supply chains opt for China+1 strategies

The Southeast closed Q1 2020 with the top three fastest-growing industrial real estate markets: Savannah, Georgia; Greenville, South Carolina; and Charleston, South Carolina, according to CBRE. 

By Matt Leonard • July 13, 2020

How an expanded US footprint would add resilience to TSMC's supply chain

TSMC's intent to build a factory in Arizona would bring it geographically closer to potential and existing buyers of semiconductor products.

By Matt Leonard • July 13, 2020

Deep Dive

The 5 Ws of reshoring supply chains

The decision to reshore is a balance between price and risk and a trend that started long before the coronavirus pandemic. 

By Shefali Kapadia • July 13, 2020

Deep Dive

Why reshoring the textile supply chain is easier said than done

U.S. textile production, and the apparel manufacturing that depends on it, cannot return to its former glory without multi-million dollar infusions into the industry.

By Emma Cosgrove • July 13, 2020

6 charts show global trade and supply chain nearshoring trends

Recent factors have eroded the cost competitiveness of production in China, and the appeal of globalization for many supply chains lessened.

By Supply Chain Dive • July 13, 2020

Reshore, nearshore or offshore?

Moving supply chains is not an overnight decision or task. While risk from the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the trend for many industries, others lack the infrastructure and labor to go all in on "Made in USA."

Will sustainability take a backseat to COVID-19 challenges?

Procurement leaders from Danone, PepsiCo, L'Oreal and more see the practices and tools gained through sustainability work as assets in the battle against pandemic supply chain disruptions.

By Emma Cosgrove • July 09, 2020

Pandemic exposes need to automate finance function amid limited resources

Finance automation has been practical for most organizations for 20 years, but only about 5% are fully vested so far.

By Robert Freedman • July 08, 2020