Challenge: Global automakers have highly optimized supply chains, yet a lack of end-to-end visibility limits their ability to make further gains. For one carmaker, this made it difficult to provide accurate ETAs. In turn, this led to significant buffering and higher opportunity costs.
Beijing’s threat to use its dominance of rare earths in the trade war risks serious disruption to U.S. industry, by starving manufacturers of components commonplace in everything from cars to dishwashers and military equipment.
While Chinese and American officials enter heated trade negotiations this week, companies that have built the technology industry’s global supply chain aren’t waiting to see how the talks turn out.
The tariff cross-fire has been seized as an opportunity by President Tsai Ing-wen, whose government last year started an “Invest Taiwan” campaign to lure companies away from China.
U.S. companies including Coca-Cola Co., Whirlpool Corp. and Caterpillar Inc. confront the need to reverse bloated stockpiles of products after inventories surged across corporate America.