Physical operations will present the biggest challenge to companies at the beginning of 2024 with the ongoing conflict in the Middle East coupled with climate issues disrupting shipping networks.

While recent actions won’t end the issue of forced labor entirely, this may well be a meaningful milestone in the long-running effort.

The workers’ main demand is “for the companies to comply with occupational health and safety” laws, said Katsaing, the Serikat Pekerja Indonesia Sejahtera (SPIS) workers’ union chairman.

Boeing has recommended that the checks, which take around two hours, should be made within the next two weeks.

Three labor organizations estimated that between 1,000 and 5,000 workers had either been fired in the last two months or forced to go into hiding.

The U.S.'s trade body had barred imports and sales of Apple watches with technology for reading blood-oxygen levels, because of a patent row.

While retailers and shippers may balk at the prospect of altering the functional status quo, making concrete changes to protect workers will pay dividends in the long run.

It’s important to stay vigilant during the busy season to ensure operations continue running smoothly and employees stay safe on and around material handling equipment. 

The shutdown comes about a week after Daihatsu said it was suspending all vehicle shipments after it was found that the organization used improper testing for 64 vehicle models.

The nation intends to add almost 88 gigawatts of new capacity by early 2032, a 63% increase from a previous plan published in May 2023.