The hottest Supply Chains Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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Gridlocked: Transformer Shortage Choking U.S. Supply Chains

ChinaTalk • 948 implied HN points • 11 Feb 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Industrial Policy Supply Chains Manufacturing National Security
  1. There's a big shortage of transformers in the US, which are crucial for powering everything from homes to new technology like AI and electric vehicles. This shortage is causing long delays in construction and other projects.
  2. US production of transformers is struggling due to a lack of trained workers and supply chain issues. Only about 20% of the domestic demand is currently being met, leading to rising costs.
  3. This transformer shortage presents a security risk as foreign attacks could cripple the grid. Improving regulations and providing support for domestic manufacturing could help address these problems.

Why targeted tariffs are more effective than broad tariffs

Noahpinion • 16882 implied HN points • 18 Nov 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Trade policy Economic Policy Tariffs Supply Chains International relations
  1. Targeted tariffs focus on specific industries or products, helping to reduce dependence on foreign sources like China for critical goods, such as batteries.
  2. Broad tariffs can create problems by raising costs for American manufacturers, making them less competitive against foreign companies, which may worsen trade deficits.
  3. To effectively improve trade balances, policies should avoid broad tariffs and instead concentrate on targeted measures that do not negatively affect American industries.

🌐✨ Trade and AI uncertainty are not the same

Faster, Please! • 913 implied HN points • 03 Feb 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Trade policy Tariffs Supply Chains Market Impact
  1. Trade policy changes can create a lot of uncertainty in the economy. Recently announced tariffs are causing confusion among markets and businesses.
  2. The impact of these tariffs could disrupt established supply chains and lead to higher costs, which might hurt businesses more than expected.
  3. While AI is also a source of uncertainty, current trade issues are having a more immediate and significant effect on the economy right now.

Critical Mineral Export Restrictions

ChinaTalk • 459 implied HN points • 06 Dec 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Trade policy Export Controls Geopolitics Supply Chains
  1. China recently restricted exports of critical minerals like germanium and gallium in response to U.S. semiconductor controls. This shows how trade tensions can impact global supply chains.
  2. Lessons from a past incident in 2010 highlight that China can use its control over rare earth exports as a political tool. This could lead to further supply vulnerabilities for countries reliant on these materials.
  3. To avoid dependency on a single country for critical minerals, nations should work on diversifying their supply sources. Expanding production options is key to maintaining access to important technology.

Deglobalisation: Diversification rather than decoupling

Klement on Investing • 2 implied HN points • 11 Feb 25
💼 Business Global Trade Supply Chains Investing Economics Market Trends
  1. Businesses are diversifying their supply chains instead of completely decoupling from certain countries. This means they are sourcing from multiple countries to reduce reliance on any single one.
  2. The evidence shows that while some decoupling is evident (like with Russia and the UK), many ties with countries like China are actually increasing.
  3. Overall, it's more about managing risks in supply chains rather than a full reversal of globalization. Companies are investing in new areas like Southeast Asia instead of just relying on past hubs like China or Russia.
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Why does the Ancient Technology Matter?

kamilkazani • 412 implied HN points • 14 Nov 23
🕹 Technology Military Supply Chains Market Dynamics Monopolies
  1. Strategic thinking often overlooks the significance of ancient technology in military production chains.
  2. Ancient technology can create major bottlenecks in military production due to path dependency and market fluctuations.
  3. Major military powers like the US, Russia, and China may be stuck with small, monopolistic suppliers that are key bottlenecks in their military production chains.

Just for Fun-Related Posts

The Rotten Apple • 10 implied HN points • 12 Jan 25
🍲 Food & Drink Food Safety Food Fraud Supply Chains Food Defence Packaging
  1. The Rotten Apple shares fun articles across various topics, including food safety and supply chains. You can explore these topics to learn more about food-related issues.
  2. There is a section called 'Just for Fun' where you can find light-hearted articles. This part offers a break from the serious content and adds some enjoyment.
  3. To find specific information quickly on their page, you can use the 'Ctrl + F' command. This makes it easy to search for any word you're interested in.

Packaging Corner-Related Posts

The Rotten Apple • 10 implied HN points • 12 Jan 25
🍲 Food & Drink Food Safety Food Fraud Supply Chains Food Regulations Food Tech
  1. The site covers important topics like food safety and ethical supply chains, helping readers stay informed. It's a great resource for understanding how food is produced and handled.
  2. There are lots of articles in the 'Packaging Corner' that you can link to for more information about packaging in the food industry. This can help you learn about different packaging technologies and their implications.
  3. You can try a 7-day free trial to access more posts and archives, making it easy to explore various topics related to food production.

Food Defence-Related Posts

The Rotten Apple • 10 implied HN points • 12 Jan 25
🍲 Food & Drink Food Safety Food Fraud Supply Chains Food Defence Food Tech
  1. The Rotten Apple shares articles on various food-related topics, including food safety and fraud. This helps readers learn more about important issues in the food industry.
  2. It features content on sustainable and ethical supply chains, highlighting their importance to consumers today. This shows a commitment to responsible food practices.
  3. The site encourages engagement by allowing users to search articles easily. This makes it user-friendly for anyone interested in specific topics.

Globalism is, in fact, Regionalism?

Christopher’s Newsletter • 255 implied HN points • 16 May 23
💼 Business Globalism Trade Supply Chains Economy
  1. Globalism is more regional than we may think, with the majority of revenue from international companies actually coming from within their own region.
  2. Software has accelerated the trend of regionalism, allowing companies to go global quickly and efficiently.
  3. Regionalism is a significant economic force, impacting everything from trade to supply chains, and is likely to continue growing in importance even amidst global challenges like Covid.

The world has enough minerals for low-carbon electricity

Sustainability by numbers • 178 implied HN points • 13 Nov 23
🌞 Climate & Environment Minerals Electricity Greenhouse Gases Supply Chains Renewable Energy
  1. There are enough minerals for low-carbon electricity systems, but issues may arise with mine construction and geopolitical risks.
  2. Most materials needed for decarbonization are available, with demand being a small fraction of global reserves for the majority of minerals.
  3. Building low-carbon electricity infrastructure will require some increase in global production, but the embedded carbon emissions are relatively low compared to using fossil fuels.

A Great Unravelling

Diane Francis • 339 implied HN points • 04 Oct 21
💼 Business Economy Supply Chains Manufacturing Energy Trade
  1. China is facing big problems with power shortages that are affecting its economy. Many businesses are shutting down because they can't get enough energy to operate.
  2. Britain is struggling due to a lack of gasoline, which is causing major disruptions. People are having trouble finding fuel and grocery items.
  3. The shortage of semiconductors is causing car manufacturers in the U.S. and Europe to stop production. This means fewer cars being made and possibly higher prices for consumers.

How did COVID (Really) Shape Supply Chains?

Gad’s Newsletter • 50 implied HN points • 18 Sep 23
💼 Business Supply Chains Globalization Risk management Logistics Trade
  1. During COVID, global supply chains faced disruptions from lockdowns, shortages, and transportation issues.
  2. Companies reduced the number of countries they sourced from but maintained the same number of suppliers.
  3. Businesses adapted ordering patterns by increasing shipment size and volume while decreasing frequency, influenced by the pandemic.

Everyday examples of mundane low-stakes data modeling fails

Data: Made Not Found (by danah) • 51 implied HN points • 13 Jun 23
🕹 Technology Data Modeling Supply Chains Customer Service Delivery Services
  1. Focusing on low-stakes data modeling failures is important to understand how algorithms are shaping minor aspects of our lives.
  2. Supply chains and service-based businesses are facing challenges from flawed data modeling, affecting customers, workers, and businesses.
  3. Everyday interactions like car rentals and food delivery are revealing flaws in data modeling, leading to frustration and distrust in brands.

Scope 3 Emissions: Why they are so Elusive?

Divergent Futures • 0 implied HN points • 20 Aug 24
🌞 Climate & Environment Emissions Sustainability Carbon accounting Supply Chains Environmental Impact
  1. Calculating Scope 3 emissions is tough because companies often stop at their immediate suppliers. It gets complex as you need to trace emissions back through multiple tiers of suppliers.
  2. Scope 3 emissions include not just what a company directly causes but also the emissions from the entire supply chain. This can lead to overlapping calculations and make it hard to get accurate data.
  3. Understanding these emissions helps companies see their true environmental impact. However, setting boundaries for analysis is crucial to avoid getting lost in endless calculations.

(oops forgot to add this piece!) - Supply chains and sentience!

Robots & Startups • 0 implied HN points • 12 Aug 22
🕹 Technology AI Supply Chains Sentience
  1. The post discusses the PaLM (Scaling Language Modeling with Pathways) paper from Google Research and its implications for artificial intelligence and machine learning.
  2. It mentions that rather than focusing on the topic of sentience in AI, it's more important to address the potential harm caused by pseudo intelligence at scale.
  3. Readers are invited to subscribe to Robots & Startups for a 7-day free trial to access more posts and archives.

Index of Topics and Posts 2025

The Rotten Apple • 0 implied HN points • 04 Jan 25
🍲 Food & Drink Food Safety Food Fraud Supply Chains Food Defence Packaging
  1. The index includes articles organized into six main topics related to food safety and supply chains. This makes it easier for readers to find information on specific subjects.
  2. Users can search for specific topics or keywords quickly using the Ctrl + F function. This saves time when looking for certain articles.
  3. Each topic covers various aspects of food, such as fraud, sustainability, and regulations, offering a broad range of insights on the food industry.

Competitions-Related Posts

The Rotten Apple • 0 implied HN points • 12 Jan 25
🍲 Food & Drink Food Safety Food Fraud Supply Chains Packaging Competitions
  1. The Rotten Apple covers a wide range of topics related to food and safety. This includes things like food fraud and supply chain ethics.
  2. There is a section dedicated to competitions where readers can find linked articles. This allows them to easily explore past issues on the topic.
  3. Subscribers can get a 7-day free trial to access all posts and articles. This is a good way to explore the content before committing.