Pandemic product shortages

[ASAP]

Same story here... I don't work for supply chain but I deal with supply chain.

We are feeling it... and I am one of the people hearing all of the complaints... everyone is overworked, enough people are not working and there is 0 upside in pay / benefits.

How did we get ourselves into this mess? My only genuine thought / idea... peak capitalism / greed combined with poor covid management...

what does the future hold? Nothing good in my mind right now.

[TiMSport]

Originally Posted by upstatedoc

10 bucks for six rolls of toilet paper!

Special NY price?

[NickyC]

Originally Posted by Alfisti

Entry level hiring is a complete and utter shit show. Even before covid the market was super tight, now it is a debacle. It is worse in the US than Canada but still, Canada not great either.

The amount of people in the USA who are dead set, i dunno how to put this, just slow man, really, really slow. It's like they've not been educated, it's weird.

We are starting to look offshore, this is crazy.

It’s not just you, myself and those in my company have noticed a severe decrease in competence and work product this past year. I spend nearly my entire day fixing QC issues and double/triple checking all work. I honestly do not know what the hell is going on. I have an idea but it’s too depressing to explain in detail.

[6oclockshadow]

Originally Posted by Alfisti

Entry level hiring is a complete and utter shit show. Even before covid the market was super tight, now it is a debacle. It is worse in the US than Canada but still, Canada not great either.

The amount of people in the USA who are dead set, i dunno how to put this, just slow man, really, really slow. It's like they've not been educated, it's weird.

We are starting to look offshore, this is crazy.

Yeah, but they're woke af.

[cmyx6go]

Just wait. It’s going to get worse, not better. So they are going to have LA ports work 24/7. They spoke with FedEx, UPS, Target, Walmart about also working 24/7. Although I have my doubts the longshoremen will get it done, there are chassis shortages which will hinder getting all those containers off the pier. The majority of those containers do not stay local. They get stripped at warehouses and trans loaded on to trucks to go all over the country. Some do go on trains but most are over weight for US roads so one container is more than one truckload. There aren’t enough trucks to move the freight. Warehouses are already at max. Truck capacity sucks. So they have increased hours at point A and point B but not enough capacity to transport. I fear a FEMA like situation where they pay big bucks and buy up all the trucks and the normal freight suffers.

Just another day in freight paradise. Living the dream.

[vreihen16]

How about an executive order to raise/waive driver HOS restrictions as an emergency action to keep freight moving?????

[M_Six]

I have packages coming from Fedex and UPS and yesterday they both listed them as delayed due to operational issues. I have to think it's because UPS and Fedex are diverting semi drivers to the LA ports. This whole issue is a mess and it's made worse by the fact that it will take immense cooperation between countries that aren't really getting along with each other now. Plus the aforementioned shortage of drivers and equipment. It's like pulling apart one of those huge highway pile ups that occur in bad weather. You just have to start clearing from both ends and not stop until it's done.

It will be interesting to see if this mess results in a paradigm shift in the way the world handles supply and demand. The "just in time" supply system only works when all the gears are turning smoothly. Throw a monkey wrench into the system and it all falls apart.

[cmyx6go]

Originally Posted by vreihen16

How about an executive order to raise/waive driver HOS restrictions as an emergency action to keep freight moving?????

Bad idea. Although I think the people that write the hours of service rules have their heads up their ass, nothing good can come from this. If an accident occurs, the first place they look is HOS. Everyone sues the big bad trucking co. Which is a another subject and thread.

Changes to HOS won’t make a dent. A driver can currently drive 11 hours per day. Another hour or two won’t change things.

[rebekahb]

Originally Posted by vreihen16

How about an executive order to raise/waive driver HOS restrictions as an emergency action to keep freight moving?????

I think we've had enough of those.

[2000cs]

Why is the port issue only at a few of the west coast (CA) ports, and not any others?

[stevenopoly]

Let's go brandon!!!

[M_Six]

Originally Posted by 2000cs

Why is the port issue only at a few of the west coast (CA) ports, and not any others?

When was the last time you bought something made in Europe? Cars notwithstanding. The vast majority of stuff comes from Asia.

That said, Chicago is another place where empty containers are piling up. And Savannah, GA as well.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/port-lo...st-11632935229

The problem is everywhere, but it's much worse around the Pacific rim.

[kscarrol]

Today

[2000cs]

Originally Posted by M_Six

When was the last time you bought something made in Europe? Cars notwithstanding.

Definitely true that a lot of stuff comes from China, Taiwan (soon to be China), Vietnam, Malaysia, et al.

There are ports in Vancouver, Seattle (and area), Portland, and others in CA besides the ones seemingly most impacted. Also can go through the Panama Canal to Texas ports or Florida, South Carolina, etc. which might make sense given the number of ships at anchor awaiting an opening at Los Angeles area ports. The WSJ article is a few weeks old now; today DeSantis said bring your freight to FL and we’ll get it on the road. https://www.wtvy.com/2021/10/08/flor...orts-are-open/

Something feels wrong about this - the story makes sense if all ports are impacted but not if just a few are - trucks and trains are needed at all ports for inbound freight. So if they are available at most ports but not a couple, it seems something else must be underlying this.

[Tommy-G]

Originally Posted by TiMSport

Special NY price?

Back of a truck Brooklyn special, anyone know a guy?

[kscarrol]

May have been BS but read something about CA truck regulations being part of the issue. No owner/operator rigs allowed in ports, trucks must have been built by a certain year to meet emission regs, etc. Anybody shed light on this? Some truth to it or BS?

[Monster335]

Guns and ammo.
still waiting on ps5.

However I had no issues with electric vehicles rides. I invested with Segway, I owned 12 different vehicles with them so far.

[NickyC]

Originally Posted by King Rudi

Your first paragraph seems to hold true in damn near every industry at the moment. I can honestly say that I feel you. Over-worked, over-extended, under-appreciated and about to snap. No time for anything other than doing things for other people that don't appreciate it. My only vice is the gym and even that is getting to where I don't enjoy it as I have to rush through my workouts now. As frustrating as everything is, the small pleasures like being able to reward yourself for a milestone is getting almost impossible. Seems like the vast majority of workers, true workers....are simply weathering the storm.

Yep, I agree. Hang in there though!

[XutvJet]

The just-in-time supply chain model industry has implemented over the past few decades is the primary cause of all these problems. The system is a well oiled machine so as long as all parts in the system are working correctly. However, throw in a flood, a major fire, a boat blocking a channel, a refinery shutdown, a pandemic, etc. and this is what we all get. It's all too integrated now and inventory designed to be low. One hiccup and it's a domino effect.

[Suds]

As we always called in the design engineering department, just late!

Originally Posted by XutvJet

The just-in-time supply chain model industry has implemented over the past few decades is the primary cause of all these problems. The system is a well oiled machine so as long as all parts in the system are working correctly. However, throw in a flood, a major fire, a boat blocking a channel, a refinery shutdown, a pandemic, etc. and this is what we all get. It's all too integrated now and inventory designed to be low. One hiccup and it's a domino effect.

[cmyx6go]

Originally Posted by kscarrol

May have been BS but read something about CA truck regulations being part of the issue. No owner/operator rigs allowed in ports, trucks must have been built by a certain year to meet emission regs, etc. Anybody shed light on this? Some truth to it or BS?

All trucks that travel in CA must be CARB compliant having to do with emissions. It's been like that for a while. So yes, older vehicles are a no no. I believe there is some kind of retro fit for older vehicles.

I don't run the ports but I believe the issue with the owner operators has more to do with the classification BS of employees vs independent contractor. CA is really strict on that.

https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtoo...-in-calif.aspx

[2000cs]

Originally Posted by XutvJet

The just-in-time supply chain model industry has implemented over the past few decades is the primary cause of all these problems. The system is a well oiled machine so as long as all parts in the system are working correctly. However, throw in a flood, a major fire, a boat blocking a channel, a refinery shutdown, a pandemic, etc. and this is what we all get. It's all too integrated now and inventory designed to be low. One hiccup and it's a domino effect.

Agree this is a real vulnerability. Like many of our other systems (medical/hospital demonstrated this over the last 20 months), it is efficient but not resilient.