121–130 of 153 posts
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As it seems, they are already unable to manufacture in asia.
You don't seem to understand that there is a shortage of workers here, and we're not even producing anything! The labor is not available even to transport and sell the products. Imagine if this country tried to manufacture things... Unfortunately, for the foreseeable future the market has no choice other than continue to buy from Asia.
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There is plenty of manufacturing to go around. Buying from specialists is a better deal for everyone than trying to do a little of everything. The only exceptions is war machines (guns, ships...) - you need to have that in your country just in case. Though the more trade you do with others the more nobody wants war with you because they lose both the goods you make and the market for goods you buy from them.
> The only exceptions is war machines (guns, ships...) - you need to have that in your country just in case. If you can make guns and ships but not fuel for the ships and food for the people carrying the guns and manning the ships, how far does that get you? If you can make guns and ships domestically, but rely on a foreign power that might become hostile for the raw material, how far does that get you? If you take t…
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2 years' worth of Christmas ornaments? 10 years' worth? The amount of crap that we consume is astounding. And in many cases, each specific type of crap requires a bunch of smaller crap (components). There is literally no way for a consumption-driven society as broad and deep as ours to stockpile years' worth of everything.
All planning really is based on assumptions, like safety stock levels. In organizations you typically have someone who decides "hey, this is the right level of inventory to keep, based on our demand right now." That's not a bad approach, but the problem is a lot of supply chain planning is top-down and dictates "we only want to keep $x tied up in inventory" and as you can imagine that number is driven by management a…
This actually isn't true to the extent you seem to think it is, though.
> Basically my view is that it's this over reactiveness and obsession with free cash flow has swung so far so as to create a too-painful jam.
But that's not the only cause of the supply chain situation. Transportation is also a big part of the issue. Even if you had 10 years' worth of widgets in a warehouse in China, if you can't get them on a ship, or the shipping costs are too high, you get supply shortages where the customers need those widgets.
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All planning really is based on assumptions, like safety stock levels. In organizations you typically have someone who decides "hey, this is the right level of inventory to keep, based on our demand right now." That's not a bad approach, but the problem is a lot of supply chain planning is top-down and dictates "we only want to keep $x tied up in inventory" and as you can imagine that number is driven by management a…
> That's not a bad approach, but the problem is a lot of supply chain planning is top-down and dictates "we only want to keep $x tied up in inventory" and as you can imagine that number is driven by management as low as possible. This actually isn't true to the extent you seem to think it is, though. > Basically my view is that it's this over reactiveness and obsession with free cash flow has swung so far so as to cr…
That website is a catastrophe. The banner on the left prevents the intro text from being read. There's also a banner on the right which is similar in behavior. Neither can be dismissed. Text can't be copied without dragging along useless marketing material. There is no Reader view to nuke the bad design decisions. Strangely, the original story ran on Bloomberg itself, which isn't mentioned in the article. Fortunately…
These sorts of comments are against HN guidelines. It's not conducive to complain about the site's poor UX, as aggravating as it is.
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> That's not a bad approach, but the problem is a lot of supply chain planning is top-down and dictates "we only want to keep $x tied up in inventory" and as you can imagine that number is driven by management as low as possible. This actually isn't true to the extent you seem to think it is, though. > Basically my view is that it's this over reactiveness and obsession with free cash flow has swung so far so as to cr…
Is there an easy way for people with yachts to transport stuff like this for a profit?
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If 100% of the population were fully vaccinated tomorrow, would that end the pandemic?
It would probably end the restrictions (to which the "I've got their plan figured out"-contrarian will reply "No, I bet the tyrannical governments have worse plans"). The scientific literature says the vaccinated have lower viral load and are less infectious, if the load on hospitals and careworkers get reduced, what would prevent the relaxation of the restrictions? Currently careworkers have been under extra pressur…
It appears that is not necessarily the case[1]:
> In July 2021, following multiple large public events in a Barnstable County, Massachusetts, town, 469 COVID-19 cases were identified among Massachusetts residents who had traveled to the town during July 3–17; 346 (74%) occurred in fully vaccinated persons. Testing identified the Delta variant in 90% of specimens from 133 patients. Cycle threshold values were similar among specimens from patients who were fully vaccinated and those who were not.
Certainly, the experience in Israel and the debate in the UK at the moment over more lockdowns would indicate that even very high levels of immunity (from either vaccination or infection) do not necessarily correspond with an easing of restrictions.
[1] https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7031e2.htm?s_cid=mm...
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Is there an easy way for people with yachts to transport stuff like this for a profit?
No. Virtually all goods that move by sea (save for commodities like oil) move in containers, which require container ships and associated infrastructure (deep water ports, etc.).
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As it seems, they are already unable to manufacture in asia.
You don't seem to understand that there is a shortage of workers here, and we're not even producing anything! The labor is not available even to transport and sell the products. Imagine if this country tried to manufacture things... Unfortunately, for the foreseeable future the market has no choice other than continue to buy from Asia.
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No. Virtually all goods that move by sea (save for commodities like oil) move in containers, which require container ships and associated infrastructure (deep water ports, etc.).
If containers aren't working I'm sure people would be willing to use something like the black and yellow totes given enough market pressure.
Also, to the extent that small vessels are used in the "transportation" business, it's for contraband, not Beanie Babies. Look up the street value of 100 kilos (~220 pounds) of cocaine in major US and European cities and compare it to the value of a 40 foot container full of nuts and bolts.