Over the last few months, I’ve tried to order various things but haven’t been able to because they’re back-ordered. Talking to retailers and manufacturers, I learned that supply-chain issues are at the root of the problem. I spoke with a friend whose employer manufactures and imports enormous quantities of products from overseas. It’s experiencing supply-chain issues that are affecting its forecast for the rest of the year. It isn’t sure when they’ll be resolved and has begun educating its sales force on its supply chain so they can reset customer expectations.

All this got me thinking. I remember being affected by supply issues at CCAW. As I learned how parts of the supply chain worked in our industry, I always thought there were many opportunities to make it more efficient. There wasn’t enough incentive to change back then, so it stayed the same, which frustrated me.

Today’s pain might be a big enough catalyst to bring about supply-chain change. I’m not sure yet if that’s the case, but I’ll be watching this closely. If the pain continues, we likely will see supply-chain innovation that could have broad implications.