Groceries, formula, & EVs - supply chain crises keep on coming
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Good morning. You’ve made it to Thursday and Friday night lights are around the corner. ⚡️
You’ve noticed that every headline is about a shortage of this and a shortage of that… but why? Shortages are a result of missteps - lack of slack capacity, unavailable inventories, pricing issues… Each of these challenges has a role to play in getting our supply chains back in “smooth” working order.
Check out today’s featured article from The Hill for the explanation of why we have formula shortages, high grocery prices, and a general supply chain mess… and how we could possibly dig ourselves out. ☕️
Spongebob Squarepants Ngapa GIF By The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge On The Run via GIPHY
Featured Article:
Baby formula is just the latest supply chain crisis — we should be asking why | The Hill
“The infant formula shortage is the latest high-profile supply chain crisis, and as we have seen it is causing dangerous shortages for many new parents.”
Water Cooler Topics
🇿🇦 South Africa’s platinum reserves are in jeopardy. Well-organized crime syndicates threaten the mines on a growing basis due to the supply of copper found there. With 80% of the world’s platinum reserves residing in South Africa, it’s a hotbed for theft. Copper is one of the main materials needed for electric car manufacturing, an industry growing rapidly on a global scale.
⚖️ Regulatory uncertainty creates wary renewable energy advocates. According to the American Clean Power Association’s 2021 report, the lack of regulations in place for an up-and-coming industry could prevent its potential maturation. The report cites the ongoing Commerce Department investigation into Southeast Asian solar panel part manufacturers and potential tariffs on their materials.
🚦 Traffic fatalities are still on the rise after a 16-year record. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) revealed estimates this week that show 2021 traffic fatalities were the highest since 2005. The largest increases between 2020 and 2021 came from multi-vehicle accidents, crashes, and accidents involving drivers over the age of 65 years old.
Inflation is worsened by ineffective policy decisions
Photo by Krzysztof Hepner on Unsplash
Politicians are expected to fix what the public perceives to be broken - especially when it comes to inflation problems. Poor policy decisions cripple U.S. citizens in a short-term manner, but it also opens the door to more destructive policies to be made to fix the original issue.
Do you think that our politicians are making the best long-term decisions?
Attracting a new generation of supply chain workers
Photo by Zyanya BMO on Unsplash
Baby Boomers and Gen Xers need to consider their Millennial and Generation Z counterparts when staffing the supply chain.
Millennials are on track to fill approximately 75% of the global workforce by 2025 and Gen Z is well-known for being tech-savvy and ambitious. The question is: can you attract them to your workplace?
Safety 🦺
EXPLAINER: What we know about shuttered baby formula plant | AP News
“At the center of the nationwide baby formula shortage is a single factory: Abbott Nutrition’s plant that has been closed for more than three months because of contamination problems.”
Road to improved safety in trucking isn't paved with more money | Overdrive (overdriveonline.com)
“The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has reported an increase in truck-involved crashes and fatality rates in recent years.”
Inflation 💸
Fed Chair Jerome Powell: We won't hesitate to raise rates to tame inflation | CNN Business
“Hindsight is 20:20, even for the Federal Reserve.”
A Timeline of Bezos and Biden's Inflation Feud on Twitter (businessinsider.com)
“Bezos and the Biden administration have feuded for days over US economic problems.”
Most CEOs are bracing for a recession | CNN Business
“The mood in the C-Suite is darkening.”
Fuel ⛽️
The Real Reason Gasoline And Diesel Prices Are So High | OilPrice.com
“Fuel prices have crept higher and higher this year, but the cause is quickly becoming a finger-pointing contest with no real winner.”
What gets measured gets managed | Commercial Carrier Journal (ccjdigital.com)
“What could one do with two identical commercial vehicles that are operating on the identical route, with an identical load, running the same speed at the same time?”
Industry Forecasts 📊
Has the Freight Cycle Peaked? - Fleet Management - Trucking Info
“It appears the freight cycle is heading back down, with fuel prices, inflation, and global uncertainties putting a drag on both trucking and the economy.”
Cargo volume stays strong in April | DC Velocity
“Retail imports drive activity in Houston, Savannah, officials say.”
3 strategies to navigate truckload market volatility - DAT
“The Grateful Dead was one of the most prolific touring acts of all time, tallying over 2,300 live shows before Jerry Garcia met his untimely end in 1995.”
Is the economic tide turning for trucking? - Truck News
“Truckers have been riding an epic wave of demand. But the tide is turning.”
Trade & Border Issues 🗺
Hospitals Ration CT Scans, Awaiting Dye From Shanghai GE Plant | 2022-05-18 | SupplyChainBrain
“Hospitals around the U.S. are postponing CT scans and rationing care while waiting on shipments of medical dye made in a Shanghai plant that just restarted production amid the city’s lockdown.”
EU rushes out $300 billion roadmap to ditch Russian energy | AP News
“The European Union’s executive arm moved Wednesday to jump-start plans for the 27-nation bloc to abandon Russian energy amid the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine, proposing a nearly 300 billion-euro ($315 billion) package that includes more efficient use of fuels and faster rollout of renewable power.”
Marketing Approach 🤳
Confronting the ESG Imperative in Supply Chains | 2022-05-08 | SupplyChainBrain
“E.S.G.: Three letters that have enormous implications for global businesses and supply chains, now and in the coming years.”
Network Association 🤝
5 Benefits of Remote Collaboration for Logistics Leaders - Inbound Logistics
“Logistics is an industry that doesn’t get attention until there’s a problem.”
Sales 🧾
April retail sales post solid gains - Logistics Management (logisticsmgmt.com)
“Commerce reported that April retail sales—at $677.7 billion—saw a 0.9% increase over March and an 8.2% annual gain.”
Diversity 🤜🏻🤛🏿
Becoming a female mentor in male-dominated industries | Commercial Carrier Journal (ccjdigital.com)
“There are countless articles about the importance and value of mentorship, and we recently saw many of these voices during Women’s History Month in March.”
Human Resources 📝
“The retirement readiness of Americans is bleak.”
Driver Issues 🚛
FMCSA’s Robin Hutcheson Says Parking a Top Issue | Transport Topics (ttnews.com)
“The acting head of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration said her agency and trucking are in alignment on top issues confronting the industry, and pledged to work collaboratively with fleets to address them.”
Retail 🛍
Retail sales rise 0.9% in April as consumers show resilience | AP News
“U.S. retail sales rose 0.9% in April, a solid increase that underscores Americans’ ability to keep ramping up spending even as inflation persists at nearly a 40-year high.”
Electric Vehicles 🔋
Tesla restricts Cybertruck reservations, but is taking $20,000 deposits on Semi | Fox Business
“Tesla has stopped taking reservations for its upcoming Cybertruck pickup outside of North America.”
British Start-Up Wants to Build Batteries for Ships (gcaptain.com)
“UK battery company Britishvolt Ltd. received an investment from shipping firm Scorpio Group as it looks to develop technologies to help decarbonize the maritime sector.”
TMS 🖥
“Uber revolutionized passenger transportation by providing a third-party platform where consumers “compete” with each other for rides.”
Owner-Operators 🚛
Owner-operators say no to speed-limiter mandate | Overdrive (overdriveonline.com)
“Since Overdrive published the above poll here at the website and began collecting readers' thoughts about a speed-limiter mandate, currently in the early stages of pursuit by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, it's been clear that objections to a mandate proliferate among the readership, most centered on safety concerns.”
Cab Tech 🚚
Writing the Recipe for Fresh API Donuts - Maintenance - Trucking Info
“Years of work are under way to develop two new diesel-engine oil service categories to help hit emission targets and boost engine performance.”
Covid-19 😷
U.S., European Firms Rethink China Investment After Lockdowns | 2022-05-18 | SupplyChainBrain
“U.S. and European businesses are reconsidering their investments in China after the lockdown in Shanghai and restrictions in other cities caused major disruption to their operations.”
Leadership 🏆
We can be one of world's biggest companies, Amazon freight rival says (cnbc.com)
“Freight is a trillion-dollar industry, and it has not moved with the speed of the 21st century, long reliant on ledgers, email and (even) phone calls to communicate.”
Business Strategy💡
How Unified Are Your Logistics Processes? | Manhattan Associates
“Survey of supply chain professionals conducted by Adrian Gonzales, Adelante SCM, makes a strong business case for taking a unified and synchronized approach to transportation and distribution management.”
Pacific Northwest Ports, Cruise Lines to Explore 'Green Corridor' for Cruise Ships (gcaptain.com)
“Ports and cruise lines in the Pacific Northwest have announced plans to explore the possibility of creating the world’s first maritime ‘green corridor’ for cruise ships.”
Detect, Adapt, Optimize & Strategize - Day in the life of a production planner - Solvoyo
“Nowadays with the ongoing disruptions on the global supply chains, Supply Chain Planners are constantly having to do risk assessments and revisiting the production plans more often than before.”
Saia aims for 4 new terminals in Q2 | Transport Dive
“Saia plans to open four facilities in the second quarter as it aims to grow its density in existing markets, President and CEO Fritz Holzgrefe said on a recent earnings call.”
Trucker’s Lounge 🧢
Mammoet on the road in Texas | AJOT.COM
“Heavy lift specialist Mammoet was contracted to transport a total of 7 refinery reactors from Houston to an ethylene to alkylate plant located in Pasadena, TX.”
Fuel Tech ♻️
'Clean' trucking is here to stay | FleetOwner
“While the industry waits for electric vehicle charging infrastructure to catch up with OEM production, commercial fleets are investing in a variety of technologies to help them improve fuel economy and reduce emissions.”
Regulations ⚖️
Emission standards for trucks are ‘impractical’ - Land Line
“The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association has several concerns about the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s stricter emission standards for trucks it wants to impose, including trepidation over costs and safety.”
Quote of the Day:
“Always look for the fool in the deal. If you don’t find one, it’s you.”
— Mark Cuban, AXS TV Chairman and entrepreneur
The Workday Dash is an aggregation of articles regarding the transportation logistics, trucking, and supply chain industries for July 31, 2025, from iLevel Logistics Inc.