New York Fed index looks at pandemic's effect on the global supply chain

Jan 4, 2022
The global supply chain pressure index shows that recent disruptions are extreme. But the labor situation is not represented.
The new global supply chain pressure index shows extreme disruption, according to one of its creators. Above, shipping containers at a British port.
Christopher Furlong via Getty Images

Prices will remain high, California warehouse owner predicts

Dec 16, 2021
David Erlanger is dealing with shipping delays and price increases the likes of which he hasn’t seen in his decades in the business.
David Erlanger at his main warehouse in Riverside, California. Business is good, but the conditions are challenging, he said.
Andie Corban/Marketplace

How some companies manage to profit from supply chain kinks

Dec 14, 2021
While businesses are not immune to the global logistics nightmare, those that primarily source domestically have an advantage.
The factory floor at the Thompson Creek Window Co. CEO Rick Wuest said being domestically sourced means reliability. “We seized the window of opportunity," he said.
Nancy Marshall-Genzer

Unlike last year, holiday shipping's running pretty smoothly — at least, so far

Dec 13, 2021
Gift-givers seem to be paying attention to messages urging them to ship early.
USPS and private shipping companies appear to be handling holiday shipping better than last year. Above, a FedEx worker makes deliveries in New York City.
Spencer Platt via Getty Images

Does trucking have to become a better job to end the driver shortage?

Oct 27, 2021
Parking and pay are among the biggest frustrations of truck drivers.
Despite the incentives offered by trucking companies, not nearly enough people want to become drivers.
Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images

Pay or delay: Importers caught in shipping backup face limited options

Oct 8, 2021
“There’s nothing I can do,” said India Hynes, CEO of appliance importer Vinotemp.
Stacks of shipping containers at the Port of Oakland in California. "Containers aren't unloaded at the port level, and the factories are hesitant to produce," laments India Hynes, CEO of Vinotemp.
Justin Sullivan via Getty Images

Supply chain, shipping and pricing woes: “This is how we learn to sail”

Sep 22, 2021
Personal care products company Bite faced a lot of obstacles to launch its aluminum-packaged deodorant during the holiday shipping season.
Lindsay McCormick, the founder and CEO of Bite, a personal care products company, said she’s learned to “expect the unexpected” when launching a new product.
Courtesy Bite

For public good, not for profit.

First, the Port of L.A. was clogged. Now, it's Chicago's railroad yards.

Jul 26, 2021
Given the history of U.S. railroads, a chokepoint in the Windy City was "inevitable" once cargo started backing up elsewhere.
Following the shipping bottleneck in the Port of Los Angeles, Chicago railyards are now experiencing their own backlog.
Andreas Rentz via Getty Images

Between pipeline shutdown and bridge closure, it's "one thing after another" in the barge business

May 20, 2021
"Marketplace" host Kai Ryssdal checks in with Austin Golding, president of Golding Barge Line.
An empty gas station in Arlington, Virginia last week.
Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/Getty Images