Iowa expert: Pandemic consumer delays likely to continue

(Ames, IA) -- If you buy a new car, you may have to wait a while before it arrives on the lot and you actually get to take it home. Iowa State University Supply Chain Management Professor Michael Crum says pandemic-related delays at U-S ports continue. He notes port congestion is impacting both inbound and outbound shipments. He says many shipments of foreign-made electronic components used in cars and computers are stalled in the system.

Crum says he expects the delays in consumer goods to continue for the time being.

Crum, a professor and Ruan Chair of Supply Chain Management, in ISU's Ivy College of Business has also worked with Consumer Brands Association and the Council of Chain Management Professionals on a report suggesting recommendations for government policy makers to address port congestion and delays. The report recommends a better public-private partnership, and a federal Office of Supply Chain Management.

He says the pandemic has dramatically changed the supply chain, forcing businesses to find different ways to get what they need. He says if there's one thing businesses have learned during the pandemic, is the value of risk management.

(Photo: Getty Images)


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