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May-June 2020
Most of the time, when I sit down to write this column I look at what I wrote for the previous year’s issue for perspective or inspiration. The truth is, nothing I’ve written before, or experienced in my 64 years, has prepared me for COVID-19. I’m sure that most, if not all, of you can say the same. Yes, it’s a global crisis, but closer to home, it’s a supply chain crisis. Quite simply, even the best supply chains, at least those that are still operating, are broken. Browse this issue archive.Need Help? Contact customer service 847-559-7581 More options
Back in the summer of 2018, Bruce C. Arntzen, then the executive director of the supply chain management program at MIT, asked me if I was interested in publishing research he was doing with Nima Kazemi, a postdoctoral associate at MIT, into whether supply chains had learned lessons from the 2008 Financial Crisis and were ready for the next collapse of the economy. Underlying the research were two simple questions: What will trigger the next collapse? And, were supply chain managers listening to the warning bells Arntzen and Kazemi were hearing and preparing their companies to survive the next recession?
At the time, it seemed a little crazy to publish the two-part series they had put together. After all, the stock market seemed to have overcome the laws of gravity and continued to push ever higher. But, we went ahead anyway.
Fast forward to late winter. As we began to put together the issue you’re reading, the answer to the first question seemed clear: A pandemic. And this time, it seemed foolish not to take a look at the second question. More than ever, supply chain managers need to look to lessons from the immediate past for insight into how to mange their supply chains in today’s crisis.
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Sorry, but your login has failed. Please recheck your login information and resubmit. If your subscription has expired, renew here.
May-June 2020
Most of the time, when I sit down to write this column I look at what I wrote for the previous year’s issue for perspective or inspiration. The truth is, nothing I’ve written before, or experienced in my 64 years,… Browse this issue archive. Access your online digital edition. Download a PDF file of the May-June 2020 issue.Back in the summer of 2018, Bruce C. Arntzen, then the executive director of the supply chain management program at MIT, asked me if I was interested in publishing research he was doing with Nima Kazemi, a postdoctoral associate at MIT, into whether supply chains had learned lessons from the 2008 Financial Crisis and were ready for the next collapse of the economy. Underlying the research were two simple questions: What will trigger the next collapse? And, were supply chain managers listening to the warning bells Arntzen and Kazemi were hearing and preparing their companies to survive the next recession?
At the time, it seemed a little crazy to publish the two-part series they had put together. After all, the stock market seemed to have overcome the laws of gravity and continued to push ever higher. But, we went ahead anyway.
Fast forward to late winter. As we began to put together the issue you're reading, the answer to the first question seemed clear: A pandemic. And this time, it seemed foolish not to take a look at the second question. More than ever, supply chain managers need to look to lessons from the immediate past for insight into how to mange their supply chains in today's crisis.
SC
MR
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About the Author
Bob Trebilcock, MMH Executive Editor and SCMR contributor
Bob Trebilcock is the editorial director for Modern Materials Handling and an editorial advisor to Supply Chain Management Review. He has covered materials handling, technology, logistics, and supply chain topics for nearly 40 years. He is a graduate of Bowling Green State University. He lives in Chicago and can be reached at 603-852-8976.
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