Forecasts indicate slower growth for global trade this year, but there are opportunities for shippers and providers of logistics and transportation services — especially in emerging countries such as Vietnam, India and the Philippines.
Analyst Insight: Never have tariffs held such a prominent place in the day-to-day global operations of businesses. The current U.S. administration has levied millions of dollars of tariffs on U.S. businesses, regardless of size. As a result, any company that imports or exports is experiencing increased costs to make, move or sell their products. And companies are making significant investments in their global supply chains to mitigate the collateral damage that the trade wars are wreaking.
Unlike other big developing Asian nations such as Indonesia or India, which depend more on domestic demand to fuel their growth, Vietnam is particularly vulnerable to geopolitical risks because of its reliance on trade.
In a complex modern-day global supply chain, how can companies assess which suppliers present the highest level of risk to business continuity? And how can they begin to implement effective risk-management programs based on end-to-end visibility?
KBR Wyle provides program management, kitting, warehouse management and supply chain services for Hill Air Force Base in Utah. After dealing with the limitations of a paper-based maintenance and inspection system to complete its induction processes, the provider made the productivity leap to Honeywell Voice. By doing so, they streamlined their entire induction process by guiding technicians step-by-step from beginning to end. Watch how they were able to increase their number of inspections and analyze real-time data.
As the first company in the European aviation sector, Lufthansa Technik AG has optimized the maintenance process of auxiliary power units (APUs) using the Honeywell Voice maintenance and inspection solution. Their process requires technicians to assess the external conditions of transport containers and components, and then record their findings in the primary diagnostics. The same process applies to the entire disassembly of each part of the APU, including part numbers. Before installing Honeywell Voice, the process required two mechanics to share the duty of manually checking diagnosis and inputting data into a computer. See how mechanics can now experience the hands-free, eyes-free efficiencies of Honeywell Voice, allowing them to concentrate fully on the task at hand and document activities in real time.
What constitutes ethical practices in global supply chains can vary by country. Yet companies still need to uphold broad ethical standards for the treatment of workers and environmental sustainability.
