2021 global supply chain crisis
In 2021, as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic global supply chains and shipments slowed, causing worldwide shortages and affecting consumer patterns.
Causes[edit]
In early 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic initially slowed the global supply chain as manufacturers suspended work until safety precautions were enacted. Despite rosy forecasts from businesses for the next year, global trade continued at a reduced capacity and did not fully recover. New challenges in 2021, including the Delta variant and reduced access to the COVID-19 vaccine in developing countries, further exacerbated the recovery of global production even as wealthier, vaccinated economies, such as that of the United States and Europe, resumed their patterns of consumption.[1]
Vietnam, for example, is a major provider of American apparel. The country worked through the pandemic in 2020, with a strict lockdown procedure, but outbreaks in 2021 forced many manufacturers to close, especially as workers remained largely unvaccinated. To sustain production in 2021, the Vietnamese government required workers in higher risk regions to live at their workplace.[1]
Shipping[edit]
By mid-2021, major American ports became inundated with historic amounts of inbound cargo. Terminal staff lacked the bandwidth to process the cargo, leading to extended wait times. Container ships began to stall outside ports for days or weeks. This surge spread inland as rail and trucking services struggled under the increased load alongside a labor shortage. The United States trucking industry was already short on drivers before the pandemic, with high turnover and subpar compensation. Though enough shipping containers exist to handle global needs, given the amount held in transit or misplaced in wrong parts of the supply chain, containers entered short supply. Additionally, half of the sailor population comes from developing, under-vaccinated countries.[1]
Effects[edit]
Large American retailers chartered container ships in early preparation for the holiday season.[1] Container shipping companies were encouraged to develop and innovate technology-driven processes in shipping to achieve external influence free shipping.[2]
On October 17, 2021, United States Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg predicted that the crisis would "certainly" extend into 2022.[3] In November, the Chinese Minister of Commerce advised citizens to stock food supplies for the winter.[4][5]
According to a November 2021 report from Adobe Digital Insights, online shoppers were met with more than 2 billion out-of-stock messages in October of 2021, which was double the rate reported in October of 2020. In the United States the list of products that are in short supply included electronics, jewelry, clothing, pet supplies and home and garden items.[6]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d Nguyen, Terry (September 2, 2021). "You can buy stuff online, but getting it is another story". Vox. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
- ^ Notteboom, Theo; Pallis, Thanos; Rodrigue, Jean-Paul (June 2021). "Disruptions and resilience in global container shipping and ports: the COVID-19 pandemic versus the 2008–2009 financial crisis". Maritime Economics & Logistics. 23 (2): 179–210. doi:10.1057/s41278-020-00180-5. ISSN 1479-2931. PMC 7781181.
- ^ CNN, Devan Cole and Jason Hoffman. "Buttigieg says US supply chain issues will 'certainly' continue into 2022". CNN. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
- ^ "China is urging families to stock up on food as supply challenges multiply". CNN. November 2, 2021. Archived from the original on November 5, 2021.
- ^ Stevenson, Alexandra (November 2, 2021). "China urges families to stock up on food for winter months". New York Times. Archived from the original on November 5, 2021.
- ^ Layne, Rachel (November 10, 2021). "Electronics and jewelry top list of products in short supply, new data shows". CBS News. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
Further reading[edit]
- Cohen, Patricia; Rappeport, Alan (October 12, 2021). "World's Growth Cools and the Rich-Poor Divide Widens". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331.
- Farrer, Martin (October 2, 2021). "'A perfect storm': supply chain crisis could blow world economy off course". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077.
- George-Parkin, Hilary (October 20, 2020). "Why everything from furniture to diet soda is so hard to buy right now". Vox. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
- Goodman, Peter S. (October 22, 2021). "How the Supply Chain Broke, and Why It Won't Be Fixed Anytime Soon". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331.
- Heilweil, Rebecca (October 16, 2021). "No, the supply chain mess is not a war on Christmas". Vox. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
- Riordan, Primrose; White, Edward; Dempsey, Harry (October 17, 2021). "China's energy crisis threatens lengthy disruption to global supply chain". Financial Times.
- Lange, Jeva (October 12, 2021). "The supply chain is an unlikely Ghost of Christmas Present". The Week. Retrieved October 17, 2021.