The international supply chain crisis has come to the forefront as manufacturers and shipping companies struggle to deliver goods on time. The current predicament has been brewing for years, but recent global political, environmental, and health catastrophes have sharpened perceptions of supply chain fragility.

Getting things back on track seems nearly impossible as one disruption leads to another, and the downward cycle keeps feeding on itself. The entire balance of the world economy hangs in the balance awaiting proactive action from governments and international corporations to correct the current problem and build more resiliency into the current system.

Balancing Routes With Financial Incentives

The supply chain develops and grows organically. Traders establish routes that pay for themselves by meeting the precise needs of consumers and suppliers. When the markets change or the conditions shift from favorable to untenable, the supply chain bolts and buckles, which can cause delay and disruption.

Today, computer modeling powered by AI and the IoT (Internet of Things) can help plan trade routes logistically with the precision necessary to allow for hiccups. In addition, virtualizing the supply chain through cloud-based transportation consulting can help future generations realize a world where shortages are a thing of the past.

By shaping supply chain routes based on millions of data points, analyzed and plotted by computers, companies will know that the algorithm will plan for and make contingency plans for unscheduled disruptions. As a result, responses to calamities can become measured and targeted instead of reactionary, which can compound problems instead of mitigating them.

Meeting Basic Needs To Promote Stability

Making contingency plans for route disruptions is one thing; predicting the public's needs, wants, and reactions is entirely another. Faced with shortages of food or goods, people can sometimes panic if they haven't personally prepared. When countries' populations begin running out of supplies that they cannot easily replace, the odds of citizens causing unrest increase rapidly.

People who fear scarcity can engage in destructive behavior that further compounds their lousy situation. Hoarding goods, gouging neighbors by charging outrageously high prices and engaging in street protests that turn violent only make things worse. Conversely, promoting individual preparedness for inevitable shortages helps maintain calm when things go wrong. No computer model can accurately predict what people will do when confronted with the unknown. Authorities can only prepare for the worst-case scenario and hope for the best.

From the average supplier's viewpoint, maintaining stability in society may be a shadowy afterthought to turning a healthy profit for the company. However, for the economy to survive and support growing populations, stakeholders should seek an equilibrium point where resiliency in the supply chain is more prioritized.

Unclogging the Pipeline: Supply Chains in Crisis

The world is in a bad situation because the supply chain crashing occurred due to unforeseeable incidents coinciding. A global pandemic, escalating global political tensions and consumerism blossoming across the planet have placed the world economy in real trouble. This "perfect storm" has caught supply chain planners off-guard, and they act like they are not sure what to do.

Most seem to be adopting a wait-and-see attitude, hopeful that the supply chain issues will straighten themselves out once the crises start to diminish. However, others think a more proactive approach is in order. By taking the opportunity to map out what caused the current supply chain to break down, future planners can construct a new system that performs better during disasters.

However, there is not a perfect solution to supply chain issues. The needs of society keep changing, energy prices keep increasing, and global disasters seem to roam in packs these days. So keeping the supply chain intact and functioning is one of the most challenging challenges currently faced by humanity.