Why global Supply Chains may never be the same, a WSJ documentary

The pride of globalisation, global supply chains, are far less reliable than an economy can tolerate. Documentary footage shows the long and arduous journey that consumer goods go through.

E-commerce has a long and complicated history

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When it comes to shopping online, consumers around the world have become accustomed or even addicted to the convenience of having their purchases delivered to their doorsteps as quickly as possible.

Many things can go wrong during the production, assembly, inventory picking, sales, transportation, last mile delivery and service of a product. Online shopping or e-commerce may appear to be convenient, but it has a back-end that the consumer doesn't see and often doesn't want to know about.

Recent years have seen a pandemic brutally expose the many flaws in an otherwise successful globalisation.

When a product is made, the supply chain is often started at a factory on the other side of the world, where wages are lower. Shipping containers from Asia to Europe or the United States is also part of the process. Everything from transshipment to warehouse workers to ship crews to port personnel to drivers to drivers and warehouse staff to postal workers is a part of the process.

Far-reaching automation and algorithms are less visible but growing in importance....

"The global supply chain will never be the same again" and "that consumers will have to fundamentally change their expectations" are the report's primary notes.

However, those chains will continue to evolve, especially with more automation and possibly even shorter chains due to changing geopolitical considerations, such as Taiwan's vulnerability or other risks.

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