Ep 11: Rethinking global supply chains for a post-pandemic world | Jack Buffington and Evan Baehr
Globalization is great for the consumer– it keeps prices low and quality and variety high. But what weaknesses does our global supply chain have?
About the Episode
I used to think global supply chains were this beautiful dance of efficiency - containers moving across oceans, just-in-time delivery, the world at our fingertips. Then COVID hit, and we all learned what happens when the music stops. Today we're diving into the massive weakness hiding in plain sight: our obsession with global manufacturing has created a house of cards. My guest will reveal shocking stats about how many steps it takes to get a simple product from factory to your door (spoiler: it's way more than you think), why "efficient" supply chains actually made us more fragile, and what happened behind the scenes during the Great Toilet Paper Crisis of 2020. But here's the real kicker - these disruptions aren't just "pandemic problems." They're warning signs of a system that needs a complete overhaul. Watch to learn why the future of manufacturing might look more like 1922 than 2022 - and why that might actually be a good thing.
