Global Supply Chain Chaos
Industries Continue to Battle Against Pandemic Effects
Nearly a month after transport groups warned of a systemic collapse in global trade, things are slowly beginning to move again. But the quagmire that has become the global supply chain will not be fixed overnight.
COVID-19 wreaked havoc worldwide, shutting down every industry from raw materials, to manufacturing, transportation, and retail. The backlog of demand steadily grew as the world waited. Now, as vaccines roll out and people return to their daily lives, that demand has exploded to unprecedented levels. But a slew of other problems are exacerbating the recovery for supply chains.
Transportation workers are understandably exhausted after being overworked and even stranded for months at a time. Many have called it quits, and others are cautious to accept new jobs.
Raw materials and components are in short supply as well, resulting in higher prices, shipping costs, and retail prices. And ports worldwide are backlogged with container ships full of goods waiting to be unloaded.
These shortages and delays are straining an already chaotic situation. Experts predict a slow recovery, but it may get worse before it gets better.
Container ships waiting to offload near the ports of LA. Sep 20, 2021
“Supply will likely play catch up for some time, particularly as there are bottlenecks in every link of the supply chain—labor certainly, as mentioned above, but also containers, shipping, ports, trucks, railroads, air, and warehouses.”
– Tim Uy of Moody’s Analytics.
In the United States efforts are being made to jump start the recovery. Government, retail giants, and industry unions are working together to get goods moving again. A welcome step in the right direction, but one that will not solve the crisis. As a result consumers are being urged to shop now to get their items in time for the holidays.
“Given we are already seeing some gaps on shelves, we do expect to see some visible evidence of product shortages this holiday season.”
– John Mercer, Head of Global Research, Coresight
Like thousands of others, HERO Defense Systems has been impacted by these supply chain disruptions. Our small but passionate team is leveraging every available resource to continue to provide the level of quality and service we believe in. Since we anticipate continued shortages and delays from our suppliers, we’re also encouraging our customers to make their gift purchases early. We currently estimate at least 3 weeks to ship any new orders, so if you’re hoping to give the gift of safety this season, don’t wait until it’s too late! We’re doing everything we can to ensure your orders arrive in time for the holidays.
