1、THE RACE TO FUTURE-PROOF THE SUPPLY CHAINGlobal supply chains are facing a perfect storm of disruptionA disrupted worldOn 23rd March 2021,the container ship Ever Given ran aground smack in the middle of the Suez Canal.The accident blocked the maritime thoroughfare for six days,as a queue of 369 ship

2、s formed behind the beached giant,resulting in a supply-chain disaster.Sixteen million tonnes of cargo freight were delayed,and about$9.6bn worth of trade was lost.That disruption came on top of a pandemic,geopolitical tensions,and extreme weathera cascade of“black swan”events that created shortages

3、,delays and disruptions for businesses and ordinary people across the planet.If the past few years have taught us anything,it is that supply chains matterand they are not as resilient as we thought.“What we have observed over the last 18 months with the Suez Canal blockage,Covid and then the implica

4、tions of Covid,with ports being congested or shut,is that there are many external events impacting the industry,”says Rotem Hershko,Senior Vice President and Head of Business Platforms at logistics giant Maersk.“We are in a perfect storm situation.”The vulnerability of supply chains may come as a su

5、rprise to manywe live in a world where digital technology seems to be transforming nearly every aspect of our lives,and logistics is a sphere rich with talk of innovation.However,this essential digital transformation has yet to penetrate much of the industrylook closely and youll see that an unexpec

6、tedly analogue,paper-based model still prevails.“There are many external events affecting the supply and logistics industry.We are in a perfect storm situation.”Rotem Hershko,Senior Vice President and Head of Business Platforms at Maersk54“Some companies are just a bit old style,”says Dr zden Tozanl