Director’s Blog
Vaccines are the Utility Needed for the Global Economy
In an article in Politico, the (somewhat) obvious point is made that the Biden administration is finally recognizing that there is not enough manufacturing capacity in the US to produce booster shots that will be needed to combat the new […]
Documenting the Response of State Procurement Officers to the COVID Crisis
The COVID-19 emergency will be remembered as one of the most devastating disasters in modern history with impacts that rippled across all sectors of the global economy and societies. One grave failure is the challenge governments faced in securing personal […]
The Close Ties Between Real Estate and Supply Chains Uncovered: The Colliers-SCRC Webinar Reveals It All!
I hosted an incredibly informative webinar today with real estate experts Bill Condon and Matt McGregor of Colliers International for a “fireside chat”. We spoke about a number of seemingly diverse topics: the impact of autonomous vehicles, smart edge technologies, e-commerce and […]
A ‘Beached Whale’ in the Suez Canal: Stuck Working Capital
By now, many of you have heard about the “Ever Given,” which has been stuck in the Suez Canal since Tuesday, and is blocking all container ships trying to get through with their cargo. This monster ship, which is as […]
The Big Texas Chemical Freeze Raises Issues on Resiliency of the Petrochemical Supply Chain
Today’s Wall Street Journal article on the impact of the Texas winter storm on the petrochemical industry highlights many of the challenges that exist with this supply chain, that have been overlooked for too long. Christoper Matthews points out that […]
Supply Chain Preparedness Lessons Learned: The Gulf Coast Refineries and the Texas Storm
I interviewed some individuals who work in the Houston area and learned more about what happened. One supply chain executive shared with me some of the challenges they experienced during the Texas Winter Storm that hit last week. “It was […]
The COVID vaccine is a utility, and what we need is a global vaccine visibility system
Let’s face it – the COVID vaccine is not a medical product in the traditional open market sense, produced by a company that competes with others based on the strength of their intellectual property. The vaccine should be considered in […]
Challenges and Opportunities to Expand the COVID19 Vaccine Supply Chain: A Global Summit
Over the last two days, I had the honor of attending a virtual C19 Global Supply Chain and Manufacturing Summit, hosted by COVAX, CEPI, DCVMN, IFPMA, and BIO. The speakers included a critical number of major vaccine manufacturers, suppliers, government […]
Biden’s Executive Order on Supply Chain Vulnerabilities: A Reality Check
President Joe Biden signed an executive order Wednesday that will result in a 100-day review of supply chains by the executive branch for pharmaceuticals, critical minerals, semiconductors and large capacity batteries. The 100-day review will be followed by a longer year-long […]
How Confident is the U.S. in the Vaccine Roll-out Plan?
Professor Dan Finkenstadt and I have completed a recent analysis of relative attitudes towards the COVID vaccine’s effectiveness and distribution plan. This survey was conducted over the last four weeks, with a diverse population. The sample included a raw diverse […]