The Reading Room – What’s The SCOOP?

In a regular Friday spot, this is the Reading Room, a weekly roundup of what we’ve been reading, watching and listening to. You can see these updates even more regularly if you follow me on LinkedIn or Twitter.

• A quick shout out to EMSNOW’s esteemed editor Jennifer Read, for putting such a great week of content together around International Women’s Day, including a great piece from Joanne Moretti, “Recognizing the Female Superstars Leading the Transformation of Digital Manufacturing on International Women’s Day 2020”, and a wonderful article from Teresa Huber, President and CEO, Intervala, where she explains why “Closing the Gender Gap in STEM Begins with Education”
• Disruption to supply is now being rapidly followed by disruption to demand as the world stands still and braces for the consumer impact of Covid-19. The US has banned travel from Europe, excluding the UK, and suddenly the world feels like a very different place and a very different market. Imagine the impact that will have on airlines, who have already seen demand collapse. And that shift will filter through the supply chain.
• According to IndustryWeek, “Aerospace Suppliers Should Brace for Headwinds”, suggesting that as OEMs try to cut costs, it is time to check long-term agreements for areas where you might be vulnerable.
• Supply Chain Dive added, “EU travel restrictions to decrease transatlantic air cargo capacity”. Though the travel restrictions will have less of an impact on transatlantic trade than it originally appeared after Trump’s address, removing belly cargo space by dramatically reducing commercial flights will take a significant bite of out of the air cargo market on the affected routes.
• Worldwide, people are panic buying. Forbes editor, Amy Fledman shares “How Koch’s Georgia-Pacific, One Of Country’s Biggest Toilet-Paper Makers, Is Responding To Coronavirus Panic Buying”
• Thomas Insights, offers, “6 Reasons to Diversify Your Supply Chain That Have Nothing to Do with the Coronavirus”. After all, there have been disruptions in the past and there will doubtless be more in the future.
• Also on Thomas Insights is an article about “Bridging the Digital Gap in the Supply Chain”. In the age of digital disruption, it is important to effectively deliver your value proposition and maintain brand loyalty with a keen and adept awareness of changing market conditions. Companies should be agile enough to shift priorities as they begin to recognize and deal with new patterns, address ambiguities within the market, and adjust their strategies accordingly.
• Some publications have started to explore the medium and longer-term impact, including emissions. In WIRED, “The Coronavirus Pandemic Is Bringing Down Emissions, but Not for Long”. As industries slow and people fly less, emissions are falling. But unless we get serious about restructuring our society, they’ll bounce right back.
• Andre Wegner in Forbes explains, “COVID-19 May Be Delivering A Local Manufacturing Renaissance”. People are definitely reassessing their manufacturing footprints and supply chains right now.
• Costco says, “It could take weeks to reach routine supply chain operations”. According to Supply Chain Dive, “the procurement team at Costco is working, in some cases, around the clock to procure supplies for both existing suppliers and from other sources where possible” to keep up with the demand created by the COVID-19 outbreak, Costco CFO Richard Galanti said on the company’s earnings call Thursday.
• With more people working remotely, Fortune offers “7 ways to make working from home easier during the coronavirus pandemic”. The COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic is forcing many employers to send workers home. Apple, Facebook, Alphabet and even Fortune are closing offices out of an abundance of caution to prevent the spread of the virus and protect their employees.

Webinar of the week: Before wrapping this piece up and posting it I was moderating a webinar, entitled “The Hidden Costs of Supply Chain Unpredictability” with guests Ron Keith of Supply Chain Resource Group, and Jean Olivieri of Fictiv. Yes, it was 4am here in Melbourne, Australia, but it was interesting enough to keep me stimulated, albeit with the assistance of coffee! Register now and get the on-demand version and all the great assets coming out of this event.

Video of the week: The full list of APEX video is live on the SCOOP APEX 2020 YouTube channel, as are numerous APEX videos from other outlets. Check out the Koh Young special of That SCOOPshow as well as The Eric Miscoll Show – Women in Manufacturing.

That’s it until next week! For more regular musing connect or follow me on LinkedIn or Twitter.

Read more, watch more, hear more, know more – that’s the SCOOP!