Chain Reaction

Tony Hines discussed the proposed RISE Supply Chain Partnership discussed by the G7. The partnership – “Partnership for Resilient and Inclusive Supply-chain Enhancement” (RISE) – was announced in a meeting between G7 finance ministers and heads of the International Monetary Fund, World Bank Group, Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, and Financial Stability Board.

This is a special update on the G7 conference taking place in  Japan, and for those of you that might not know, the G7 is a group of seven nations. The world's leading economies, and they have regular meetings about policy. The G7 comprises Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, United Kingdom and the United States. The you and the European Commission are also involved as non enumerated members. 

The G7 countries of the world's largest IMF advanced economies and liberal democracies, and they meet from time to time to discuss international issues such as security, climate change and of course, trade. Russia was suspended from this group in 2014 for its invasion of Crimea. The IMF by the way, is the International Monetary Fund. The G7 finance leaders are putting together a new supply chain proposal in a statement in Niigata, Japan,  this new supply chain partnership is set to be included in the statement from the G7. You will have heard me talk on the Chain reaction podcast for some time about rare earth metals and China dependency, when it comes to supply and you can go and still listen to that episode, (China Dependency) you might find it quite useful to listen to. Either before or after listening to this episode on the G7, 

This new partnership focuses on renewable energy resources, and it's likely to focus on China's dominant position in some rare earth metals and policymakers from around the globe have talked about diversification. They want to make sure that they are not reliant on a single source of supply. So making supply chains more resilient and strengthening partnerships between other countries is rising to the top of the agenda.

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About Tony Hines and the Chain Reaction Podcast – All About Supply Chain Advantage
I have been researching and writing about supply chains for over 25 years. I wrote my first book on supply chain strategies in the early 2000s. The latest edition is published in 2024 available from Routledge, Amazon and all good book stores. Each week we have special episodes on particular topics relating to supply chains. We have a weekly news round up every Saturday at 12 noon. ...

All things impacting global supply chains this week.

Much of the news this week was about food security and what to do about it. Different interests see the problem differently. Consumers see a cost of living crisis, Farmers see increasing cost and reduced incomes. Large food processors see opportunities to extract more profit through higher process and lowering cost but smaller and medium sized producers are battling to maintain some equilibrium.

• Andrew Opie, Food and Sustainability Policy Director at the British Retail Consortium said he expects food inflation to lower to single digits.
• Minette Batters, President of the National Union of Farmers said the main problem is uncertainty and she gives specific examples.
• Windfarms being built but cannot be connected to the National Grid.
• The UK Home Secretary, Suella Braverman says 'we don't need migrant labour we can train our own people'. Grow your own or employ experienced labour that can do the job required right away?
• James Cleverly, Foreign Secretary in the UK says that packaging will contain a statement on a label "Not for Sale in the EU" whuch he says is part of the agreement with the EU under the Northern Ireland Protocol.
• Peru is now the third largest producer of blueberries  behind the US and China.
• Farm to Fork Summit in Downing Street this week examining food supply chain resilience. Minette Batters said that food supply chains are very vulnerable. Rishi Sunak PM said he would welcome mor migrant workers to solve the food industry problems.
• Sue Pritchard, CEO Food, Farming and Countryside Commission says food production has consolidated  with a small number of agribusinesses that is skewing the market. Listen to the plans that Sue Pritchard puts forward to address food security. She wants a national conversation.
• Stelantis owns four big car brands Vauxhall, Peurgot being two of them. They want the UK Government to renegotiate the Brexit agreement to keep production in the UK. Tariffs are the problem post Brexit.
• The SMMT has already noted a decline in British Car Manufacturing after Brexit.
• Without new gigafactories the electric vehicle manufacturing is unlikely to progress.
• Elon Musk has decided to advertise Tessla Cars something he has so far declined to do.
• Tyre Manufacturers under pressure to develop cleaner tyres without 6PPDD.
• Will the US Government default on its payments? What will be the consequences if the debt ceiling is not lifted? June 1st is the deadline to sort this out.
• Janet Yellen says there will be grave consequences if the US government defaults.

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About Tony Hines and the Chain Reaction Podcast – All About Supply Chain Advantage
I have been researching and writing about supply chains for over 25 years. I wrote my first book on supply chain strategies in the early 2000s. The latest edition is published in 2024 available from Routledge, Amazon and all good book stores. Each week we have special episodes on particular topics relating to supply chains. We have a weekly news round up every Saturday at 12 noon. ...

Tony Hines talks about making your supply chain efficient.

Ask yourself a question. How do I improve efficiency in the supply chain and the sub question? Why is that important to do? Well, that's what I want to talk about today..
Improving cycle times and throughput in any supply chain is important. It's not only important to the supply chain itself, it's important to the business. It can lead to smoother deliveries. Better efficiency, faster learning, customer satisfaction. And in the long run, a better product. If you improve throughput and reduce time, you'll lower inventory and this reduces cost. You can also be sure that you're putting as many of your products on the market as possible at the lowest cost to your business, it helps companies to see how they spend their time manufacturing products and getting those products to customers to increase turnover.

There are all kinds of ways you can be more efficient. You can try to automize, you can encourage people to communicate more effectively inside the organisation to reduce cost, spot blockages and remove those blockages in the chain, reduce any interruptions that you have to your business activities. And when you have meetings, make them short and make them frequent. Keep on top of things. And keep the dialogue between all parties inside the organisation continuing. That way you won't have any big surprises and stay focused on the task and don't introduce any self-inflicted disruptions. Stay focused and when you need to change process. Do that at the best time for the organisation and do it in orderly fashion. Those are the simple things that you might wish to do. 

It always pays to keep things simple in business, and when we say keep things simple and keep them straightforward, don't over complicate things. Don't overthink things, just do what you have to. Focus on the task at hand. Keep on top of things, set reminders and review the goals on a regular basis. You might want to do it daily or weekly. Depending on the time frames involved, make sure you're not diverted away from the task and minimise any time that's wasted.

Try and do things in a timely fashion. Use any Productivity Tools that are available to you and most importantly, motivate the team. If you can motivate the team, you'd be surprised.

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About Tony Hines and the Chain Reaction Podcast – All About Supply Chain Advantage
I have been researching and writing about supply chains for over 25 years. I wrote my first book on supply chain strategies in the early 2000s. The latest edition is published in 2024 available from Routledge, Amazon and all good book stores. Each week we have special episodes on particular topics relating to supply chains. We have a weekly news round up every Saturday at 12 noon. ...

New Episodes Heading Your Way.

• AI and Supply Chains
• Supply Chain Skills
• How to Become A Better Supply Chain Manager
• Benchmarking Performance in Yours Supply Chain
• How to Make Your Supply Chain Efficient
• Last Mile Delivery

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 THANKS FOR LISTENING PLEASE SUPPORT THE SHOW
You can support the podcast by following the link here. It makes a big difference and helps us make great content for you to listen to. Follow like and share the Chain Reaction Podcast with colleagues and friends on social media: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn.
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About Tony Hines and the Chain Reaction Podcast – All About Supply Chain Advantage
I have been researching and writing about supply chains for over 25 years. I wrote my first book on supply chain strategies in the early 2000s. The latest edition is published in 2024 available from Routledge, Amazon and all good book stores. Each week we have special episodes on particular topics relating to supply chains. We have a weekly news round up every Saturday at 12 noon. ...

Tony Hines discusses what you can do to become a better supply chain manager. If you want to become that better supply chain manager here are some simple steps that you can follow to get there.

• Set Goals for yourself and your team
• Learn new skills to add to your skill base
• Gain experience to become more valuable
• Get certificates that validate your skills and knowledge

Plan, prepare and be proactive. Develop yourself and your team to produce effective performances. In this episode each step is discussed in detail. You can easily identify the benefits of following the recipe to become a better supply chain manager.

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About Tony Hines and the Chain Reaction Podcast – All About Supply Chain Advantage
I have been researching and writing about supply chains for over 25 years. I wrote my first book on supply chain strategies in the early 2000s. The latest edition is published in 2024 available from Routledge, Amazon and all good book stores. Each week we have special episodes on particular topics relating to supply chains. We have a weekly news round up every Saturday at 12 noon. ...

All things impacting global supply chains this week with Tony Hines.

• Iran seized an Oil Tanker bound for Huston with Chevron Oil on board. This is retaliation for the US seizing Iranian Oil from a tanker around the coast of South Africa as part of US sanctions.
• Tighter US rules UFLPA have hit Vietnam's apparel industry hard.
• Rail Freight data reveals a fall of activity on the west coast of the US while east coast data shows increased freight volumes.
• Sudan humanitarian logistics to evacuate US, EU and UK nationals.
• Coronation of King Charles 3rd happens within a week. This generates much income for the economy by stimulating demand for goods and services.
• What happens when something goes wrong in global supply chains well it can be deadly. Toxic cough syrup manufactured in India found its way to Gambia and killed a number of children under 5 years old.
• San Francisco, First Republic is the third regional US Bank to fall into receivership.
• Exon Mobil and Chevron have mountains of cash that they do not know what to do with as a result of global gas and oil prices this year.
• The Book Depository closed its doors for the final time this week. It competed with Amazon since it was started by an ex-Amazon employee in 2004. It was taken over by Amazon in 2011.
• Generative AI featured in all the profit reports for Big Tech Companies.
• Implications of AI for supply chains.

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About Tony Hines and the Chain Reaction Podcast – All About Supply Chain Advantage
I have been researching and writing about supply chains for over 25 years. I wrote my first book on supply chain strategies in the early 2000s. The latest edition is published in 2024 available from Routledge, Amazon and all good book stores. Each week we have special episodes on particular topics relating to supply chains. We have a weekly news round up every Saturday at 12 noon. ...

 
This is the news Roundup, all things impacting global supply chains this week with Tony Hines.

• Well, the news this week is that the United Kingdom's inflation rate has fallen from 10.4% to 10.1 and its food prices that are keeping it high. Apparently, food prices have increased during the past year by 19.2% and anybody going to the supermarket will tell you. 
• Elsewhere in Europe, interest rates have also fallen, but again, not significantly. Inflation in the United Kingdom is the highest in Europe. 
• Strikes in the United Kingdom are an added problem. All kinds of public service employees are striking. That goes from the health service to the railways to the Royal Mail to all kinds of people, teachers, university lecturers and so on. So lots and lots of problems with the UK labour market presently. 
•  US annual inflation reduced to 5% last month. This is the slowest rate of price increases since 2021, when  the CPI began to climb. 
• Protests are becoming more frequent and disruptions to everyday lives and supply chains is but one consequence.
• Tesla has cut the price of its electric vehicles for the Model 3 and the Model Y for the sixth time in a year. 
• Rice as a staple commodity across multiple markets in Asia and prices are the major factor when it comes to food price inflation and food security, particularly for the poorest. 
• Federal officials have seized 961 million U.S. dollars worth of goods over suspected ties to forced labour, according to Customs and Border Protection (CBP). U.S. companies are receiving detention notices and they stand to lose millions of dollars while goods remain in the ports. 

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About Tony Hines and the Chain Reaction Podcast – All About Supply Chain Advantage
I have been researching and writing about supply chains for over 25 years. I wrote my first book on supply chain strategies in the early 2000s. The latest edition is published in 2024 available from Routledge, Amazon and all good book stores. Each week we have special episodes on particular topics relating to supply chains. We have a weekly news round up every Saturday at 12 noon. ...

Four episodes for May:

1. How to become a better supply chain manager
2. How to make your supply chain efficient
3. Last mile delivery
4. Benchmarking and Performance

Pick the episode up on your favourite platform.
Make sure you subscribe and you will be first to know when new episodes are available.

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 THANKS FOR LISTENING PLEASE SUPPORT THE SHOW
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News about forthcoming programmes click here
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About Tony Hines and the Chain Reaction Podcast – All About Supply Chain Advantage
I have been researching and writing about supply chains for over 25 years. I wrote my first book on supply chain strategies in the early 2000s. The latest edition is published in 2024 available from Routledge, Amazon and all good book stores. Each week we have special episodes on particular topics relating to supply chains. We have a weekly news round up every Saturday at 12 noon. ...

Tony Hines revisits the the Rana Plaza disaster 10 years on to ask has anything changed. Have supply chains developed a moral compass or could this happen again.

Have you ever wondered what it means to have an ethical supply chain? Ethics is about doing the right things, and when we think about doing the right things, it's incumbent on each of us to make judgement calls on the basis of moral judgments. Now, you might recall. That the founding father of economics, Adam Smith, was professor of moral philosophy at Glasgow University, and in 1759 he wrote his first book, a theory of Moral Sentiments. So, for Smith morality came before economics.

Back in 2013, something strange happened at the Rana Plaza Garment factory in Bangladesh, which claimed 11,130 lives and injured thousands more people. It sent shock waves across the manufacturing industry, particularly in clothing and beyond. It was a historic failure of textile and garment manufacture, and people began to ask questions about the ethics of supply chain practises, not just in the textile and clothing industries, but in other industries too, where there are persistent human rights issues, corruption and environmental risks shifting the nature of the arrangements in those supply chains. 

As supply chains have become more complex and global, it has been more difficult to get a handle on not just the legal aspects of supply chains but on the moral and ethical judgments that organisations make when they enter into supply chain arrangements. Consumers also began to ask questions and began to think about their purchasing decisions. So, it wasn't just organisational procurement that was at the heart of this, but it was also about choices that consumers make at the final steps in supply chains. Many people also believe that moral judgments are important but missing from management ethos, and they see management as simply rational decisions about the economics of business and not what is right or wrong in the process of doing business. And is that the missing ingredient when it comes to those firms that build better reputations, better brands and have better connexions with supply chain partners and indeed, with customers? Are the moral firms better at building relationships? 

Find out more about why ethical supply chains are necessary. You will hear about other examples and what the OECD and UN are doing to improve things.

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About Tony Hines and the Chain Reaction Podcast – All About Supply Chain Advantage
I have been researching and writing about supply chains for over 25 years. I wrote my first book on supply chain strategies in the early 2000s. The latest edition is published in 2024 available from Routledge, Amazon and all good book stores. Each week we have special episodes on particular topics relating to supply chains. We have a weekly news round up every Saturday at 12 noon. ...

All things impacting global supply chains this week with Tony Hines

• President Joe Biden pays a visit to Ireland
• Serious security breaches in the US
• Brazil's President Lula visits China
• Farm fire in Texas kills 18,000 cows
• China imports copper from Russia
• China Central Bank Governor Yi Gang criticises friend shoring
• Feature on the global market for Electric Vehicles
• Amazon joins AI competition with proprietary technologies - Bedrock
• Boeing pauses delivery on Max 737 because of supply issues
• Tupperware is a 77 year old US company and iconic brand under pressure
• Brazil is negotiating trade deals in China both want to trade in their own currency and not the US Dollar

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 THANKS FOR LISTENING PLEASE SUPPORT THE SHOW
You can support the podcast by following the link here. It makes a big difference and helps us make great content for you to listen to. Follow like and share the Chain Reaction Podcast with colleagues and friends on social media: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn.
News about forthcoming programmes click here
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About Tony Hines and the Chain Reaction Podcast – All About Supply Chain Advantage
I have been researching and writing about supply chains for over 25 years. I wrote my first book on supply chain strategies in the early 2000s. The latest edition is published in 2024 available from Routledge, Amazon and all good book stores. Each week we have special episodes on particular topics relating to supply chains. We have a weekly news round up every Saturday at 12 noon. ...