SUPPLY CHAIN RESILIENCE


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travel, and low wages and poor working conditions for key workers such as drivers and port employees.


There’s a big push for action. President Biden announced the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach – which handle 40% of containers carrying imports into the US – will open 24/7 to process more goods and take advantage of quieter night-time highways for freight transportation. It’s a good start but only one small step. As one industry executive put it: “When Kennedy said we’re going to the moon, he galvanised a generation. The problem is supply chains are not as sexy as the moon.”


A big price to pay


Maybe true but supply chain disruptions are now hitting two of the biggest powerhouses of modern day society; shareholders and consumers. So, doing nothing is not an option, but there will be a big price to pay and it’s


likely to be consumers which suffer most. As one report stated: ‘It now costs as much as $25,000 to import a 40-foot container from Asia, up from less that $2,000 two years ago.’ Where do you think that bill is going to end up!


The situation in terms of freight capacity, however, is not so much about soaring demand but more to do with lower available capacity. And, the panic in the marketplace is only exacerbating the pressure. Speaking to CNBC, one CEO explained how retailers and manufacturers are overordering or placing orders too early because of fears over the supply chain crisis, making a bad situation even worse.


And, it’s a situation bearing down on European business leaders. According to the European Central Bank, in Germany – where one in four jobs depend on exports – the pressure on supply chains is weighing heavily of the economy. In August alone, more than 40% of


German companies said they had lost sales because of supply problems – and the same will almost certainly be true for businesses across the continent.


What’s in store for 2022?


So, what is the ‘state of the union’ for supply chain resilience, how are different modes of transport coping, what are the risks to supply chain security, and what’s the outlook for 2022 and beyond?


From 8-12 November 2021, these, and a whole raft of other issues, will be discussed by leading Subject Matter Experts addressing delegates at TAPA EMEA’s Virtual Conference, Exhibition & Networking Event. Can you afford to miss it?


Time is running out to register for an event which is free of charge to all supply chain resilience stakeholders.


CLICK TO REGISTER


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