Global trade has become an essential part of creating consumer goods in the 21st century. Much of the world’s global trade occurs in seaports with gigantic cargo ships that can haul up to 24,000 steal containers. Sea ports are a nexus within the supply chain system. They foster much of the interaction between production and consumption markets.
Efficient supply chains are crucial so consumers will have goods to fulfill their needs, whatever those needs may be. All consumer products are the outcome of supply chains. The term ‘Supply Chain’ refers to the process of making and selling commercial goods. This process includes each stage beginning with the supply of raw materials to the manufacturing of goods to their distribution and eventual sale. Each part of the “chain” is crucial to each other, so when there is a disruption within a portion of the chain, it affects it as a whole. There are many supply chains that exist within the consumer market and these chains stretch all across the globe, creating what we know as The Global Supply Chain.
A number of factors have affected the global supply chain during the Covid-19 pandemic: drastic shifts in supply and demand, clogged seaports, natural disasters, factories were forced to pause production, workers became ill creating a staffing shortage, and transitioning to digital operations as opposed to hands-on methods are some of the challenges and changes faced within organizations that make up the global supply chain.
Through this strain and the hindrance of natural disasters, cargo shipping lines, freight forwarders, and other logistical service providers do their best to keep supplies and commodities flowing through the global supply chain.
Here at Jedwards, we are doing our part to alleviate as many of the hiccups in availability and rising costs as much as possible for our loyal customer base. We have been dealt a hand of difficult parameters which we are navigating to the best of our ability and continue to expand our sourcing of raw ingredients to keep stock available while also absorbing a portion of the price increases beyond on our control. As many are already aware, the rising freight costs have put a significant damper on the price we all pay for everyday regular goods. Nearly every item you might purchase in your local grocery store or market has seen some sort of price increase over the last couple of years due to the pandemic alone. We continue to adapt to these ongoing challenges that have been largely unpredictable. We are incredibly thankful we have long-term strong relationships established with our raw material producers on such a global scale, allowing us leverage and priority in many of these troubling circumstances, so we can continue to provide high-quality raw materials in bulk across a vast array of industries.
While some raw material supply is suffering more than others due to poor crop yields caused by natural disasters, our skilled purchasing team places purchase orders months in advance to stay ahead of unforeseen disruptions and secure enough stock to keep things moving in the right direction. We take to heart that our customer base depends heavily on us so they can continue running their own operation, which impacts both their internal staff and external customers. Our team continuously works on strengthening new relationships with alternate suppliers when others fall short of the demands, so we can keep your production going. Our operations’ team provides weekly internal updates from suppliers and logistical companies so that we can provide transparency to our customers.
Lastly but certainly not least, none of this would be possible without you! These challenges have been nothing less than difficult, and by working together, we have been able to quickly adapt. We thank you for your continued business and support through these uncertain times. The Jedwards team wishes you all the best in 2022!
