Air cargo gave congestion-challenged shippers a lifeline in 2021

Companies paid soaring rates to avoid port delays and mitigate production snags by taking to the skies.

By Max Garland • Dec. 20, 2021

10 disruptions that rocked supply chains in 2021

Companies scrambled to adjust operations as they contended with a protracted pandemic, severe weather and the trapped Ever Given in another difficult year for supply chains.

By Sarah Zimmerman • Dec. 15, 2021

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Top 5 stories from Supply Chain Dive

Here’s how companies are navigating rising costs, network changes and logistics disruptions across global supply chain networks.

By Supply Chain Dive staff

Should I stay or should I go? Supply chain managers face the 'Great Resignation'

Supply chain managers are not immune to workplace trends. Quite the contrary: mass resignations are now both an internal and external risk for companies.

By Rich Weissman • Dec. 15, 2021

80% of companies passing on rising costs: Fed survey

Higher prices for everything from supplies to freight leave companies without "a release valve for building cost pressures," Federal Reserve economists said. 

By Jim Tyson • Dec. 14, 2021

Workarounds became integral to supply chain management during the pandemic

A series of logistics and supply disruptions in 2021 pushed companies to act creatively under pressure.

By Edwin Lopez , Shefali Kapadia • Dec. 14, 2021

How M&A reshaped the supply chain landscape in 2021

Companies used deals to acquire tech, suppliers and rivals that would make them more competitive.

By Edwin Lopez • Dec. 13, 2021

Walmart adds science-based targets to supply chain financing option

The program aims to help the retailer's private brand suppliers, particularly smaller and mid-size ones, make their operations more sustainable.

By Catherine Douglas Moran • Dec. 9, 2021

Clorox upgrades 20-year-old ERP for improved data visibility, demand planning

The company is investing $500 million to "significantly increase digital capabilities," CFO Kevin Jacobsen said.

By Colin Campbell • Dec. 9, 2021

Ashley Furniture's trucking arm to get western boost with Wilson Logistics deal

Adding capacity is a strategic move for the retailer as port congestion persists in Southern California.

By S.L. Fuller • Dec. 3, 2021

The problem with chartering a ship: Break bulk is a lost art

Break bulk is doable for large, well-capitalized companies, but there's no guarantee they'll achieve lower freight costs than using carriers, a Xeneta executive writes. 

By Katherine Barrios • Dec. 1, 2021

Pandemic opens the door to investments in wearables for supply chain workers

Wearable technology offers a treasure trove of data for supply chain managers. But the question remains how to translate the data into decisions.

By Jen A. Miller • Nov. 30, 2021

FMC to use shipping data to identify constraints and help global cargo flows

"We don't have the same transparency in ocean shipping as we do with airlines," said Commissioner Carl W. Bentzel.

By Alejandra Carranza • Nov. 24, 2021

Want to minimize supply chain risk? Become a disruption shaper.

Businesses have figured out how to reduce the rate of disruption to their supply chains — something most leaders dismiss as even a possibility, Gartner's director of supply chain research writes. 

By Suzie Petrusic • Nov. 23, 2021

Damaged packaging, labor constraints hamper Beyond Meat's ability to fill orders

The plant-based food producer is planning more redundancy across its supply chain, its CEO said. 

By Colin Campbell • Nov. 23, 2021

Resin buyers struggle with high prices and short supply

Businesses have stockpiled product, used fewer materials and bolstered internal manufacturing to cope in a tight market.

By Meena Thiruvengadam • Nov. 18, 2021

Electronics manufacturers expect to hike prices again in 2022 as material, labor costs rise

Two-thirds of respondents to IPC's survey had raised prices by an average of 14.5% in 2021. Sustained pressures on profit margins have some manufacturers considering additional increases.

By Max Garland • Nov. 16, 2021

Now is the time to shockproof supply chains, with a 3-pronged approach

Congested ports and empty car lots are a loud wake-up call to the shortcomings of just-in-time, the authors write.

By Kim Doyle and Tim Weed • Nov. 15, 2021

New guidelines limit the number of ships crowding San Pedro Bay ports

"No, this is not going to speed things up on shore," said Kip Louttit, executive director of the Marine Exchange of Southern California.

By Edwin Lopez • Nov. 12, 2021

Kellogg strike compounds supply chain issues

The cereal maker also is confronting higher ingredients and packaging costs, CFO Amit Banati said.

By Chris Casey • Nov. 12, 2021

Clorox turns to contract suppliers, manufacturers to bolster inventory

CFO Kevin Jacobsen said the move is temporary, and the company plans to eventually "step out of these relationships."

By Sarah Zimmerman • Nov. 11, 2021

5 steps to mitigate the risks of sole-source suppliers

If the pain around pricing, delivery or quality is high enough, a company may need to invest in an alternate sourcing scenario to reduce the risk.

By Rich Weissman • Nov. 11, 2021

Supply chain constraints, inflation weigh on medtech

J&J, ResMed and Stryker are among the companies citing one of these factors as constraining growth in the current reporting season.

By Nick Paul Taylor • Nov. 11, 2021

Just-in-time and safety stock require a careful balance

Over the course of the pandemic, inventory has gone up, but so have sales. Are companies rethinking lean or just trying to keep up with demand?

By Matt Leonard • Nov. 10, 2021

Resin shortages are drying up paint supply

The CEOs of Sherwin-Williams and PPG Industries lamented the lasting effects of severe weather during recent earnings calls. "There's just not enough paint out there," said one executive.

By Sarah Zimmerman • Nov. 9, 2021

Port delays across the US double in-transit inventory times for Columbia Sportswear

The brand is encountering the bulk of its logistics issues in the U.S., as deliveries in Canada and Europe "have been much more timely," CEO Tim Boyle said.

By Max Garland • Nov. 8, 2021