Are we on target for making zero-emission vehicles account for half of all cars sold in the U.S. by 2030? Not without enough rare earth minerals to build them.

Toyota and other automakers were hit hard by parts shortages because they failed to obtain visibility of their supply chains beyond tier-one suppliers, says Alkis Vazacopoulos, teaching associate professor in the Online Masters of Science in Business Intelligence and Analytics program at the Stevens Institute of Technology.

The supply chain needs people. Desperately.