Pressure grows as time and circumstance put the squeeze on JIT supply chains

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To a retailer, inventory is waste; but with the current bout of weather-delayed consignments, exacerbated by ocean carriers blanking voyages to boost rates, the increased practice of reliance on just-in-time deliveries could bring businesses to their knees if their stock dries up.

A casualty at sea, labour shortages, strikes and lack of consultation on slow-steaming can all put a spoke in the ocean part of the supply chain, exposing retailers and consumers to crippling supply shocks.

For example, some European retailers faced ...