Did you know that Chinese New Year 2023 is coming particularly early this year in January 2023? If you have suppliers in China, you need to be aware that this holiday period is likely to lead to a disruption in supply while their factories are closed down for weeks during the holiday. But the challenges don't end with just a shutdown, the time periods surrounding CNY also have certain risks as manufacturers start to slow down or fight to ramp production back up. Luckily there are actions … [Read more...]
Zero-China Supply Chain: Should Importers pursue it?
Following October 2022's 20th Communist Party Congress in which Xi Jinping made various statements about the state of China and its future plans, some of which spooked Western observers, let's investigate what China's current politics might mean for manufacturers with a supply chain there and if trying to build a 'Zero-China' supply chain is warranted for anyone who's worried about the stability of the region. You'll also learn about how to minimize supply chain disruption by following a China … [Read more...]
Have You Revised your Supply Chain Risk Analysis?
Last year, I wrote about the Business Continuity Plan (BCP). More and more companies request their suppliers to prepare a BCP, as a structured approach to performing a supply chain risk analysis to get prepared for the risks they are exposed to. If you haven’t revised your BCP in 2020 and 2021, you have probably been caught off guard by recent events. But the question everyone is wondering is, ‘can we even forecast what is going to happen?’ … [Read more...]
Richard Barnett | Electronics Supply Chain Risk Management in 2021 [Podcast]
Let's hear from an electronics supply chain expert about how to improve supply chain resilience and reduce risks... Richard Barnett of Supplyframe, an expert in electronics supply chains with decades of experience in Asia, joins Adrian to discuss risk management & reduction in the global electronics supply chain. After the year many importers of electronics had in 2020, reducing risks, improving supply chain agility and resilience, and planning ahead as standard has now become more … [Read more...]