October 2, 2008
Folks, a couple of months ago, I hosted a conference call with Chuck Taylor of Awake Consulting and Bill O'Connor, NITL Security Committee Chairman. The title for the Conference Call was: "Things That Can Derail Your Supply Chain." The topics discussed were the price of oil and its impact on your supply chain and security issues, or more specifically, the impact that regulations will have on supply chain security initiatives.
As luck would have it, things kind of calmed down after the interview. The price of oil came down and the economic news overshadowed concerns over supply chain security. Thus, we made a decision to delay sending out this On the Record session until events brought these issues to the surface again.
With oil having jumped twenty-five dollars in one day and the report of spot shortages in areas such as Nashville, oil is once again garnering headlines. Chuck made some very sobering predictions and it will be worth your time to listen to his comments.
On the security front, it is imperative that you take the time to listen to Bill O'Connor's comments about the 10+2 program, C-TPAT and other issues. For those of you who are too busy to be bothered, let me cut to the chase. In February, 2009, the 10+2 program will be enacted. The government won't care if you're ready or not, and if you're not ready, your flow of imported products could be significantly delayed. In spite of this, it appears that many shippers are willing to tempt fate in hopes that the government will roll back the deadline. Quick question: If imports are an important part of your supply chain, does it make sense to put it at risk by hoping the government does anything?
Mike Regan
TranzAct Technologies
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