This global event caused worldwide factory shutdowns and massive delays in PPE, electronics, and semiconductors.
What is Covid-19?
This is the correct order of movement in a typical supply chain: inputs → production → logistics → distribution → _______.
What is Consumers?
This technology helps companies anticipate spikes in consumer demand before they happen.
What is A.I. Demand Sensing?
Countries often use these stock reserves to stabilize supply during crises like pandemics or wars.
What are Strategic Stockpiles?
This type of global event can shut down factories, restrict labor, and overwhelm shipping, as seen in 2020.
What is a pandemic?
This 2022 conflict disrupted energy markets and blocked major grain exports through the Black Sea.
What is the Russo-Ukrainian War?
These suppliers, often overlooked, are where many bottlenecks originate before disruptions reach Tier-1 and OEMs.
What are Tier-2 Suppliers?
Machine-learning tools improve this key logistics metric by predicting when shipments will actually arrive.
What are Predictive ETAs?
International coordination in this area helps nations stabilize food, energy, and medical supplies during big shocks.
What is Global Cooperation or International Collaboration?
Tariffs, sanctions, and military conflicts all fall under this broad category of supply chain risk.
What are Geopolitical Risks?
This type of shock includes events like Hurricane Katrina and the 2011 Japan Tsunami.
What is a Climate Shock?
Congestion at these global hubs can halt movement of goods, causing ripple effects across entire value chains.
What are Ports?
Maersk’s TradeLens platform uses this technology to increase visibility and trust across the supply chain.
What is Blockchain?
Policies promoting this type of visibility help governments and firms spot bottlenecks earlier in the supply chain.
What is Supply Chain Transparency?
Hurricanes, floods, and tsunamis are examples of this risk category that can shut down ports and factories instantly.
What are Extreme Weather Events?
The 2011 Japan Tsunami halted critical production in this sector, causing global shortages for months.
What is the Automotive and Electronic sectors?
A disruption that begins at a raw-material supplier travels through this sequence before reaching the end customer: Tier-2 → Tier-1 → ________ → distributors.
What is the OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer)?
By reducing lead-time variance, these digital systems help stabilize production planning and decrease stockouts.
What are Predictive Analytics Systems?
Governments often encourage companies to avoid relying on a single region by using this diversification strategy.
What is Multi-sourcing?
Cyberattacks on logistics systems or supplier databases fall under this rising type of supply chain vulnerability.
What are Technological Vulnerabilities?
This specific supply chain concept explains why a small surge in consumer demand becomes a massive upstream production spike, magnifying shocks during events like COVID-19.
What is the Bullwhip Effect?
This supply chain vulnerability occurs when firms rely heavily on highly specialized materials produced in only a few global plants, such as advanced semiconductors.
What is Supplier Concentration (or single-source dependency)?
This advanced technology uses scenario modeling to simulate disruptions (like port closures or energy shocks) and recommend optimal resource allocation, something only a few top global firms have fully deployed.
What are Digital Twin Simulation Systems?
Some countries sign these legally binding agreements that coordinate emergency logistics, tariff suspensions, and regulatory waivers during global shocks, agreements rarely used except in extreme crises.
What are Mutual Assistance or Emergency Trade Contingency Agreements?
This hidden risk emerges when companies optimize too aggressively for low inventory and cost savings, leaving them fragile when demand suddenly spikes.
What is Over-Reliance on Just-In-Time (JIT) Manufacturing?