Episode 133: How a Rail Strike Would Derail Supply Chains

While the government has narrowly avoided a rail strike for now, it still looms as a possibility in the future. As we saw last year with the Suez Canal sideways ship block, a supply chain disruption can have a ripple effect across different industries that can linger for quite some time. As continuity professionals, we need to be constantly planning for possible disruptions. Tune in as Vanessa talks with Ken Baker about key things to consider when planning for supply disruptions whether they stem from lumber, microchips, paper products or corn. Baker is the director of procurement at AMCOR Specialty Cartons Americas LLC with a demonstrated history of success in supply chain and procurement roles. He currently resides in Atlanta, Georgia. 

Connect with Ken: LinkedIn = https://www.linkedin.com/in/ken-baker-2a916a15/
Procurement Foundry Community on LinkedIn = https://www.linkedin.com/company/procurement-foundry/
 
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3 Key Considerations for a Rail Supply Chain Disruption include:
– Understand your criticality. In order words, how critical are your products? The more critical your product is to the public, the more planned and thought out your continuity plan should be. 
– Talk to your suppliers about their continuity plans. If their plan is that the government will not let this happen, gently push back on them to come up with another plan. 
– Consider asking these questions when talking to your suppliers. What are your supply chains? How far away are your direct material suppliers? How many people do you have in a certain region? How many facilities do you have if this facility goes down?

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Vanessa Mathews, host
Vanessa Mathews is the founder and chief resilience officer of Asfalis Advisors, where they are focused on protecting the legacy of the leaders they serve through business resilience. Before becoming an entrepreneur, Mathews developed global crisis management and business continuity programs for government and private sector organizations to include Lowe’s Companies, Gulfstream Aerospace, and the Department of Homeland Security.
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Jon Seals, producer
Jon Seals is the editor in chief at Disaster Recovery Journal, the leading magazine/event in business continuity. Seals is an award-winning journalist with a background in publication design, business media, content management, sports journalism, social media, and podcasting.
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How a Rail Strike Would Derail Supply Chains

Business Resilience Decoded is a multimedia partnership between Disaster Recovery Journal and Asfalis Advisors to educate, inform, and inspire business continuity professionals globally. Resilient organizations thrive because of the knowledge, preparation, and foresight of listeners like you.

How a Rail Strike Would Derail Supply Chains

Business Resilience DECODED