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Supply Chain Bottlenecks

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Whatever4
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Re: Supply Chain Bottlenecks

#126

Post by Whatever4 »

The cough syrup selection at my local grocery.
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Re: Supply Chain Bottlenecks

#127

Post by raison de arizona »

53k Fords awaiting computer chips.
Here’s How Many Ford Vehicles Are Currently Parked and Waiting for Chips
Since the debut of the chip crunch in 2020, the carmakers out there have tried all kinds of approaches to reduce the disruptions caused in their manufacturing operations.

At first, most of them turned to temporary halts of the production at certain facilities. Then, they switched to building vehicles and keeping them parked until the necessary chips were delivered by suppliers.

Some ended up shipping vehicles without certain non-critical systems, while others decided to wait a little bit longer until the required chips became available.

Ford is one of the companies that turned to this strategy, with the company building a large inventory of vehicles that are now sitting and waiting to get their chips.

In the latest earnings call with analysts, John Lawler, the company’s Chief Financial Officer, actually provided a clearer picture of the existing inventory of unfinished vehicles.

Lawler says Ford currently has “about 53,000 vehicles on wheels, completed but awaiting installation of components affected by the semiconductor supply shortage.”
:snippity:
https://www.autoevolution.com/news/here ... 88243.html
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Re: Supply Chain Bottlenecks

#128

Post by pipistrelle »

The Apple MacBook Pro I ordered in February that was supposed to be delivered mid-April has been pushed back a couple times and is now supposed to be delivered late June to mid-July.

That’s bad for Joe Biden.
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Re: Supply Chain Bottlenecks

#129

Post by tek »

The semiconductor supply chain screw-ups have been incredibly durable.

I'm not sure I'm believing the industry line so much these days.
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Re: Supply Chain Bottlenecks

#130

Post by humblescribe »

Not really all that relevant, but here goes.

I purchase baker's yeast in one-pound vacuum-sealed packages. It is much cheaper than those tiny packets or even the four-ounce jars. I have always purchased my yeast at Winco. A one-pound package generally lasts me about 9-10 months. These packages have a two-year "best by" window from date of manufacture.

I was at Winco early this month, and yeast was on the list. There were three of these one-pound packages with expiry dates in June 2022. The clerk stocking the shelves with flour said that her boss told her yeast in those packages was unavailable because of "supply chain" issues. I thought to myself, "Probably bullshit. Yeast is a pretty important raw material for our daily diets."

I went home and sure enough, Amazon had a twin-pack of these packages, so I took the plunge. This yeast was manufactured in February 2022, so is good until February 2024. I freeze it so it will last even longer if need be. Supply chain problems, my dough.

Anyway, I think this is yet another convenient excuse in a long line of convenient excuses when companies make decisions that adversely affects their customers. It is no different from the "temporary" fuel surcharge implemented in 2008 when gas prices skyrocketed. When prices returned to normal, this surcharge did not go away.
"Some cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go." O. Wilde
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tek
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Re: Supply Chain Bottlenecks

#131

Post by tek »

humblescribe wrote: Sat May 14, 2022 3:12 pm Not really all that relevant, but here goes.

I purchase baker's yeast in one-pound vacuum-sealed packages. It is much cheaper than those tiny packets or even the four-ounce jars. I have always purchased my yeast at Winco. A one-pound package generally lasts me about 9-10 months. These packages have a two-year "best by" window from date of manufacture.

I was at Winco early this month, and yeast was on the list. There were three of these one-pound packages with expiry dates in June 2022. The clerk stocking the shelves with flour said that her boss told her yeast in those packages was unavailable because of "supply chain" issues. I thought to myself, "Probably bullshit. Yeast is a pretty important raw material for our daily diets."

I went home and sure enough, Amazon had a twin-pack of these packages, so I took the plunge. This yeast was manufactured in February 2022, so is good until February 2024. I freeze it so it will last even longer if need be. Supply chain problems, my dough.

Anyway, I think this is yet another convenient excuse in a long line of convenient excuses when companies make decisions that adversely affects their customers. It is no different from the "temporary" fuel surcharge implemented in 2008 when gas prices skyrocketed. When prices returned to normal, this surcharge did not go away.
:yeahthat:

1:
Back when the pandemic was really getting rolling, yeast was in short supply. I (in florida) love to bake bread. daughter.tek (up in Mass) and a bunch of her equestrian frinds love to bake bread. I couldn't find yeast, packets or bulk, in the grocery stored down here, and same for my daughter up in mass.
However, we had discovered Gordon Food Service. They are a commercial food supplier, but the have some retail stores.
ms and I stopped in one Sunday morning, and they had all the 1- and 2-pound packages of yeast one could hope for. The 1-lb were Saf-instant, which is my usual yeast. Bought myself on 1-lb sack, and bought our daughter 3 1-lb sacks to ship up for her to share.

2:
Very good friend, long since retired, took a job in the produce department of the local store of a large supermarket chain, because he was bored and the supermarket couldn't find anyone to hire. He has a very long history in procurement, supply chain, inventory, etc etc.. I talked to him yesterday, and he said "This chain has a procurement system, but I'm not sure what it is. It sure doesn't work very well.."
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Re: Supply Chain Bottlenecks

#132

Post by AndyinPA »

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business ... a-sturgis/
Abbott, maker of Similac and other popular baby formulas, said it has come to an agreement with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to fix safety issues at a Sturgis, Mich., factory that has been shuttered for more than three months, contributing to a nationwide shortage of baby formula.

“This is a major step toward re-opening our Sturgis facility so we can ease the nationwide formula shortage,” said Robert B. Ford, chairman and chief executive of Abbott, who noted that the shortage was also exacerbated by a voluntary recall by the company of formula that had been possibly tainted by a bacteria that sickened and killed infants. “We know millions of parents and caregivers depend on us and we’re deeply sorry that our voluntary recall worsened the nationwide formula shortage. We will work hard to re-earn the trust that moms, dads and caregivers have placed in our formulas for more than 50 years.”

Once the FDA confirms the initial requirements for start-up have been met, Abbott could restart the site within two weeks, the company said.
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Re: Supply Chain Bottlenecks

#133

Post by RTH10260 »

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Re: Supply Chain Bottlenecks

#134

Post by AndyinPA »

https://www.upworthy.com/historian-of-i ... belltitem1
Due to a perfect storm of supply chain issues, product recalls, labor shortages and inflation, manufacturers are struggling to keep up with formula demand and retailers are rationing supplies. As a result, families that rely on formula are scrambling to ensure that their babies get the food they need.

Naturally, people are weighing in on the crisis, with some throwing out simplistic advice like, "Why don't you just do what people did before baby formula was invented and just breastfeed?"

That might seem logical, unless you understand how breastfeeding works and know a bit about infant mortality throughout human history.

Rutgers University historian Carla Cevasco, Ph.D. shared some of the history of infant feeding in a viral Twitter thread to set the record straight. (Note: Cevasco provided sources for her facts, which can be viewed at the end of her thread on Twitter.)

"You may be hearing the argument that before the rise of modern commercial infant formula, babies all ate breastmilk and everything was great," she wrote. "As a historian of infant feeding, let me tell you why that’s not true."
"Choose your leaders with wisdom and forethought. To be led by a coward is to be controlled by all that the coward fears… To be led by a liar is to ask to be told lies." -Octavia E. Butler
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Re: Supply Chain Bottlenecks

#135

Post by Volkonski »

“If everyone fought for their own convictions there would be no war.” ― Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace
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Re: Supply Chain Bottlenecks

#136

Post by RTH10260 »

U.S. begins inquiry into industry’s role in infant formula supply shortages.
The Federal Trade Commission said it would examine patterns of mergers and acquisitions to better understand how the industry became so concentrated.

By Madeleine Ngo
May 24, 2022

A severe shortage of baby formula has prompted the Federal Trade Commission to begin an inquiry into the industry’s consolidation and whether online resellers have taken advantage of desperate families struggling to find formula.

“The F.T.C. is launching a public inquiry to identify the factors that contributed to the shortage or hampered our ability to respond to it,” Lina M. Khan, the agency’s chair, said in a statement on Tuesday. “Learning from this experience can help determine how we can minimize the risk of similar shortages in the markets for other life-sustaining products.”

The agency said it would examine patterns of mergers and acquisitions to better understand how the industry — which is now dominated by four manufacturers — became so concentrated and how that consolidation should inform future merger reviews. The F.T.C. will also examine federal regulations and trade barriers that prevent foreign companies from entering the infant formula market.




https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/24/busi ... ustry.html
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Re: Supply Chain Bottlenecks

#137

Post by pipistrelle »

Despite the best efforts of Biden/Harris, my computer has arrived from Shanghai.
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Re: Supply Chain Bottlenecks

#138

Post by AndyinPA »

:thumbsup:
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Re: Supply Chain Bottlenecks

#139

Post by Volkonski »

“If everyone fought for their own convictions there would be no war.” ― Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace
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Re: Supply Chain Bottlenecks

#140

Post by Volkonski »

“If everyone fought for their own convictions there would be no war.” ― Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace
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Re: Supply Chain Bottlenecks

#141

Post by RTH10260 »

Some importers must be happy to receive direct delivery without offloading in Rotterdam and then needing to find the way thru red tape and truck delivery cause sovereignity :lol:
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Re: Supply Chain Bottlenecks

#142

Post by AndyinPA »

With the lightning strike to the washer last week, I was really worried about how long I would have to go without a washer if either I couldn't get a replacement part because of supply chain bottlenecks, or a new washer for the same reason, if necessary. Repairman came out today. The computer board is fried, which we pretty much expected, but he will be back next Tuesday with the new part. I'm a happy camper, even if I'm $700 poorer. :roll:
"Choose your leaders with wisdom and forethought. To be led by a coward is to be controlled by all that the coward fears… To be led by a liar is to ask to be told lies." -Octavia E. Butler
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Re: Supply Chain Bottlenecks

#143

Post by pipistrelle »

This is why I prefer stupid appliances. I don't need them to be smart.
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Re: Supply Chain Bottlenecks

#144

Post by sugar magnolia »

pipistrelle wrote: Mon Jun 20, 2022 10:28 pm This is why I prefer stupid appliances. I don't need them to be smart.
Exactly. I'm not sure I've ever paid $700 for a completely new washer. And I don't need to watch tv on my fridge or voice command the faucet to fill up the coffee pot either.
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Re: Supply Chain Bottlenecks

#145

Post by Whatever4 »

sugar magnolia wrote: Tue Jun 21, 2022 10:39 am
pipistrelle wrote: Mon Jun 20, 2022 10:28 pm This is why I prefer stupid appliances. I don't need them to be smart.
Exactly. I'm not sure I've ever paid $700 for a completely new washer. And I don't need to watch tv on my fridge or voice command the faucet to fill up the coffee pot either.
For the last 20 years, we’ve lived in a series of brand-new condos. Our appliances come with the condos and we usually move before they break. They are all smarter than we are.

We have had to buy a dishwasher and a dryer, though. The dryer was spendy because it had to be a ventless model that didn’t require special wiring - basically a BOSCH. The dishwasher was spendy because of the supply chain issue: we asked for what was available to install that week.

First world issues. :violin:
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Re: Supply Chain Bottlenecks

#146

Post by Lani »

I'm noticing some random items that are hard to find. Nothing too necessary.

Like Purina One dry dog food - one is good for Ted's joints. He definitely jumps more easily into the car. He's a bit chubby due to his immune-suppressive meds, but he likes the low cal Purina One. I alternate the two. I needed to order more this week, but it was hard to find. Target only had 1 8lb bag, so I grabbed it. Then I checked Amazon, and there were only 3 16lb bags of the healthy joint one. Grabbed one. Hopes it gets shipped!

Silk soy milk is also hard to find, especially the unsweetened one - my favorite. So I stock up when I find it.
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Re: Supply Chain Bottlenecks

#147

Post by northland10 »

Yoplait light yogurt has been very limited the last couple months at Jewel. The regular stuff is there. I was first thinking it was selling fasters so just a slow restock buy when I was last there, it is only a small section of the shelf with no empty space around it. The flavors they do have are the more, creative ones.

ETA.. it is a shortage. Apparently, there is a starch shortage (link is a pdf).
https://www.dotfoods.com/globalassets/s ... UL5jhjkvgL
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Re: Supply Chain Bottlenecks

#148

Post by Volkonski »

“If everyone fought for their own convictions there would be no war.” ― Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace
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Re: Supply Chain Bottlenecks

#149

Post by Azastan »

Why are there no supply chain bottlenecks for fireworks?
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Re: Supply Chain Bottlenecks

#150

Post by Slim Cognito »

:yeahthat:
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