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Forgetting Friendshoring
Remember friendshoring? Back in the days of COVID-19, when manufacturers and retailers suddenly paid attention to supply-chain risks they had previously ignored, the notion that they could reduce risk by…
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What’s at Stake in the Longshore Negotiations
The International Longshoremen’s Association, whose members operate the container terminals along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, threatens to strike on January 15 unless employers back away from introducing more automation…
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About That Manufacturing Renaissance
The Biden Administration asserts there’s a “manufacturing renaissance” underway in the United States. Before it, the Trump administration claimed much the same. The federal government has certainly handed out a…
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Of Value Chains and Inflation
What do central banks have to do with value chains? Traditionally, not much. I think that’s one reason for the resurgence of inflation in many countries during the COVID-19 pandemic.…
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Automation on the Docks
From time to time, I’m lucky enough to be able to visit container terminals: some of the people who run them are familiar with my books, and they are kind…
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Nearshoring in Mexico Is Mainly an Aspiration
There’s been much talk about “nearshoring,” the idea that manufacturers are reducing risk in their supply chains by bringing production closer to their end markets. Mexico is supposedly one of…