Over the last two-and-a-half years, the pandemic has rocketed the supply chain profession from near obscurity to fame – and infamy. Early in the pandemic, shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE),ventilators, and other medical products put patients and healthcare providers at risk.
Soon it became clear that there were secondary elements of supply with fragile supply chains like swabs, needle hubs, and saline products. Then, broader supply chain disruptions began roiling the U.S. economy, driving inflation higher, damaging automotive and other industries that rely on semiconductor chips, and raising the profile of supply chains as a national security concern.
In response, growing numbers of government and corporate leaders say that we must restructure our supply chains for greater security and resilience. In addition, this restructuring must include sourcing more critical supplies from allies and fewer from geopolitical rivals, especially China.
Click to read the full Contract Management magazine article>>