In my column in Food Logistics’ Nov/Dec 2020 issue, I dubbed the year 2020 as the Year of Upended Supply Chains. Then, a year later, I dubbed 2021 as the Year of Mended Supply Chains.
But, while supply chains started to heal, the damage was done, marking 2022 as the State of Grim Supply Chains.
While it may be too early to name 2023, for now, let’s call it the Year of Bottlenecks.
That’s because, as of press time, there are several disruptions and bottlenecks impacting the supply chain space, and it’s only July.
- Truckers in Florida set to boycott.
- UPS set to strike.
- Labor slowdown at West Coast ports.
- Droughts, fires and flooding damaging crops and creating shipping delays.
- El Niño. Enough said.
- Cargo fraud still not under control.
- Russia/Ukraine war still ongoing.
- Poor infrastructure challenging shippers.
Not to mention inflation, rising fuel costs, labor shortage, product shortage and a slew of others that should be included.
And this is just for the first seven months of the year. This doesn’t begin to scrape the surface of what’s still to come.
Lately, the disruptions have become more… disruptive and less predictive. They’re becoming annoying and cumbersome. They’re impacting companies and consumers alike. They’re creating ripple effects from farm to fork, and the repercussions are endless.
And, while software and technology only improves the visibility of these situations; it doesn’t solve the human aspect of what the supply chain industry is facing.
The human aspect involves taking care of employees, improving driver safety and protecting food and the ways food is transported.
Not sure the resolution, not sure how supply chains recover or even when, but what is certain is that all of logistics should continue to brace for impact because the year isn’t over yet, and disruptions continue to disrupt.
