Risk/Resilience

Tropical Storm Isaias heads up East Coast threatening road, sea freight movement

The storm's winds could overturn truck trailers along the busy 1-95 corridor and increase the risk for downed trees on railroad tracks. 

By Emma Cosgrove • Aug. 04, 2020

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

Explore the Trendline➔

Trendline

Resilient and sustainable supply chains

Supply chains with resiliency strategies in place before the pandemic were able to adjust operations quickly to find alternative supply sources and recalibrate production with demand. 

By Supply Chain Dive staff

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

Residual effects of Hurricane Hanna to slow cross-border freight for days

Any closure of the major roads between Saltillo and Monterrey in Mexico can result in concentrated traffic and delays at the World Trade Bridge in Laredo, Texas.

By Emma Cosgrove • July 28, 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

Coca-Cola expands 'ruthless' SKU rationalization strategy to cut entire product lines

The beverage giant is in the process of discontinuing the Odwalla juice brand — a decision stemming from the SKU rationalization work the company has undertaken due to pandemic-related supply chain disruptions. 

By Emma Cosgrove • July 22, 2020

Stonyfield saves on cost and carbon by reducing waste, tracking KPIs

Companies are identifying waste streams with economic value and sending those materials to recycling facilities, realizing financial and reputational benefits. 

By Deborah Abrams Kaplan • July 21, 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

Pandemic-driven budget cuts increase safety risks for ocean cargo

Alllianz warns that the economic impacts of the coronavirus on shippers, carriers and workers since the downturn will encourage cost-cutting which often negatively affects safety. 

By Emma Cosgrove • 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

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

Florida requires sea level studies for construction as ports plan for climate risk

The Port of Miami said sea level rise was one of the "biggest concerns involving the future" of the port.

By Kim Slowey • July 15, 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

CH Robinson, Microsoft partner on inventory visibility platform

The inventory data pairs with outside sources of information, including weather and traffic, and the platform will use predictive analytics in an attempt to anticipate supply chain disruptions.

By Matt Leonard • 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

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

Unilever CSCO: Agility beats forecasting when the supply chain is stressed

Every dollar spent on agility has 10 times the ROI compared to forecasting spend, according to Chief Supply Chain Officer Marc Engel.

By Emma Cosgrove • 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."

XPO relies on data to prevent workplace coronavirus spread

The company's findings indicate technology is being used as fervently as soap and water, in efforts to prevent spread and avoid hot spots.

By Jim Stinson • July 10, 2020

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