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When Pfizer Inc. said last month it expected to ship half the Covid-19 vaccines it had originally planned for this year, the decision highlighted the challenges drug makers face in rapidly building supply chains to meet the high demand.

Whether it’s appliances, groceries, electronics, toys, or hardware supplies, most retailers have been affected in some way by COVID-19′s disruption to the global supply chain... Dr. Yossi Sheffi, an MIT professor who specializes in supply chain management, said reduced air travel is going to impact items imported from overseas, like iPhones and computer chips.

Supply chains have been in the spotlight like never before over the last eight months. That hasn’t always been a good thing. The perception, reinforced by shortages of products essential to our daily lives, is that supply chains were not up to the task and failed. 

The Trump administration’s aggressive stance toward China has compounded uncertainty on U.S.-China trade relations. In considering how the presidential elections may affect the flow of international trade, companies should avoid the accepted wisdom. (Previously Published in the WSJ)

The Trump administration’s aggressive stance toward China has compounded uncertainty on U.S.-China trade relations. In considering how the presidential elections may affect the flow of international trade, companies should avoid the accepted wisdom.

Driven by the chaos of the coronavirus pandemic, companies have created “corporate immune systems” to recognize and manage large-scale disruptions quickly, according to a new book from Yossi Sheffi, a supply chain professor at the Massachusetts Institute of technology (MIT).

Bloomberg Baystate Business for Wednesday August 26th, 2020. Hear from Professor Yossi Sheffi, director of the MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics, on global supply chain concerns, as well as other professionals on various current business topics. 

Governments and corporations have an opportunity to lead the transition toward sustainable consumption and production by shifting their purchasing power toward environmentally responsible supply networks. But this will require reliable information on complex global supply networks. What information and decision-support tools do governments and corporations need to galvanize this transition?

Speculations that US companies will cut China out by reshoring supply chains seem unlikely and expensive, a university professor said on Thursday. 

How should companies manage their supply chains in today’s uncertain environment? 

The impact of Covid-19 is much bigger, affecting consumer demand as well as supply chains all over the world, and likely to last quite a bit longer.