InfoPower

In postwar Japan, Taiichi Ohno was tasked with rebuilding the Japanese car market from scratch. Known as the father of the Japanese Toyota Production System (TPS), Ohno inherited limited raw materials in a fledgling automotive market—the behemoth Fordesque assembly lines employed in the U.S. were too sprawling for Japan’s compact approach.

Fairly or unfairly, many movies set in Mexico, or partly in Mexico, often feature banditry or other cartel unpleasantries which, of course, could be said of any other country in the world. Yet lately, Mexico has experienced a surge of crime directly affecting a major segment of their supply chain—ground transportation, or more precisely, the over-the-road trucking industry. While the U.S. has its own cargo theft issues (240 cargo thefts in the first six months of 2023) with the most pilfered states being California, Texas, and Georgia respectively ($360,000 per heist), Mexico’s cargo thefts are off the charts.

For those working directly with supply chains, the memories of lockdowns and ongoing supply chain disruptions are likely indelible. Newton’s Third Law of Motion states, “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.” The “reaction” is still knocking around the Supply Chain enough to give purchasers, shippers, and receivers a mild case of PTSD.

East and Gulf Coast Ports Overtake West Coast in Imports The backlash at America’s largest seaport seemed inevitable. Not that many months ago, upwards of 120 ghost ships languished well off L.A.’s coastline waiting to berth and offload cargo.

Los Angeles & Long Beach Ports Handle 40% of the Country’s Inbound Containers