As the COVID-19 crisis continues to unfold, countries and companies worldwide are realising the need to balance and diversify their supply chains. While Chinese supply chains will continue to play a major role, relying on these alone has proven to be untenable. Many multinational corporations are looking to move at least some of their production […]

With the coronavirus dramatically straining global supply chains, companies worldwide are taking a financial hit. Even industry titans are feeling the pinch: Tesla has suspended its business in China, and Apple is falling short of market demand for iPhones and other products. While the course of the pandemic remains to be seen, many companies are already […]

One of the great achievements of the 20th century was the establishment of truly massive economies of scale. Improvements in transportation technology and political coordination allowed for a massive revolution in global efficiency, affecting everything from material sourcing to production, logistics, advertising and much more. Rather than sustaining this trend of efficiency through mass production […]

Supply chain management has changed dramatically since the economic downturn of the last decade. Successful supply chain managers have always known how to cut costs while increasing efficiency and profit. They now also know how to analyse every step in the supply chain, find opportunities to add value for the customer, and gain a competitive […]

​What’s the difference between the supply chain and the value chain? It’s best not to think of the two concepts as mutually exclusive. The supply chain is concrete. The value chain is more conceptual. One of them is necessary for running a business, while the other allows that business to outperform its competitors. The supply […]

An aging workforce, evolving markets, and various cultural shifts have led to a surprising labour shortfall in the pulp and paper industry – at exactly the time when new talent is most needed. Although many casual observers have predicted the decline of the paper industry for quite some time, insiders say that the future is […]