We used to ask whether robots will take over the jobs of humans. But that’s not quite the right question in 2022, as finding workers to fill the large number of jobs currently open in manufacturing is almost impossible. “There aren’t enough workers,” says a 3M exec. “And it’s not just large factories with low mix and high volume that are seeing this, it’s also medium-sized and small companies. Everyone is looking to automation to bridge the worker shortage.”
It is almost spring, yet many retailers are still waiting for deliveries of shorts, sandals and other warm weather gear, a sign that the supply-chain problems of the past two years haven’t abated. It is estimated that retailers will see average delays of one to two months on shipments this spring.
Retail chains, including Lululemon Athletica, Kohl’s, and Abercrombie & Fitch, said that supply-chain delays hurt holiday sales. Those problems are continuing well into the new year.
Macy’s said the chain is facing shortages of women’s shoes, handbags and toys. “There’s still a fair amount of supply-chain disruption when you think about between 60 and 70 vessels still anchored off Long Beach in L.A. trying to get in,” says the Foot Locker CEO.
A new glut of oil and gas is emerging, floating at sea, as the coronavirus epidemic cuts China’s appetite for fuel and hampers work at Chinese ports. Dozens of ships are acting as floating storage vats for oil and liquefied natural gas because the owners of the fuel are unable to find buyers or places to store their cargo on land, according to The Wall Street Journal (March 4, 2020). Some 79 vessels are now storing crude oil at sea.
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