It's going to happen, this is actually why I've re-focused on Supply Chain/Logistics as there is so much room for potential growth and re-capturing losses within them as I saw working in the Automotive side of Logistics and Supply Chain a few years back.
We're going through a very unique, but much needed, transition right now that will likely bring about the automated warehouses, distribution hubs, and transport depots we always read about in books and and sci-fi lore--and that so many feared. It also re-enforces the need for UBI now more than ever, something that not long ago was though to be impossible, yet is being pilot tested by Andrew Yang and Jack Dorsey as well as other places in the US, and even by YC itself!
I'm actually optimistic, and believe if we play it right it could in fact be the seeds that allow for a Post-scarcity economy one day on Earth, as so much is lost in critical supply chains, and having these over-extended international based ones may have done more harm than good, as they accelerated a race to the bottom system in terms of price and quality (even on critical things like Medical Supplies/Drugs) as so much went to China but also made most countries entirely dependent on the CCP and has way more Geo-political consequences than we can predict.
Right now I'm taking a course in Supply Chain Operations and my final will be analyzing the consequences from the displacement of critical manufactured goods (PPE) to China and the affects it has had during the onset of COVID, and now also recently due to the massive flooding in Wuhan and the surrounding areas of China [1].
The most optimistic delays in lead-time are 2-3 weeks, but if COVID showed anything, as we saw with Medical staff in the US and even Australia having to go months without PPE and wearing trash bags in lieu of actual medical grade PPE, is that its best to actually double that to get an accurate time.
But it wasn't all bad as it also saw many 3D printing hobbyists use the technology for ACTUALLY MEANINGFUL potential instated of printing trinkets you use to clutter a work desk. And some other companies, mostly in the automotive Industry, pivoted to making breathing apparatuses.
I could talk about this for hours, but I'll keep it as short as I'm still in midterms week. The basics of Lean and Sigma Six are damn near antithetical to the the Chinese model business model of flooding the Market with sub-par quality, albeit incredibly cheap products. There are many reasons why this has worked for them so far, but in the case with PPE it is literately a life and death situation so it should be one of the few Industries that remain in the nation.
So, rather than fumble with delays in leadtime, bad QC/QA and constant shipping delays it is my contention that trying to bypass these incredible losses [1] is a much better solution for all involved (including the Environment), which inevitably leads to this [2] and we finally accept this [3] and we can strategize with key talent that is now fleeing Hong Kong due to the CCP's constant belligerence as they flow into Taiwan, UK, Australia and the US and help them create far more viable and sustainable business models with proper equipment and eventually displace the need for China in this sector.
I think it can be done for food as well, as that is what I was primarily focused on during my Ag apprenticeship (local, sustainable food/Ag supply chains) and my return to culinary as I worked on farm to table models in Europe and the US, and then tried to gather more info from Big Food Multinationals when I was at IBM's Blockchain Lab program, which failed to live up to it's potential and I got fed up with the status quo that made it's 'food safety' program a total farce and instead returned to the Culinary Industry after I shuttered my startup. It was a shame as they had so many Food multi-national's excited about the tech and would it could do to for their bottom line: consider 40% of all food in transport is lost due to perishability and fluctuations in temp/humidity.
Had my plan worked I would have been at SpaceX right now trying to learn their internal logistical network of their food and beverage program to eventually join Squareroots in the future, I was working at Kimbal's place, and try to help be a part of the Team to create a sustainable model for the container gardens for Mars colonization. Suffice it to say I can really nerd out on that sector more than PPE but I'd probably end up doing a Grad Level dissertation instead of actually doing the work.
We're going through a very unique, but much needed, transition right now that will likely bring about the automated warehouses, distribution hubs, and transport depots we always read about in books and and sci-fi lore--and that so many feared. It also re-enforces the need for UBI now more than ever, something that not long ago was though to be impossible, yet is being pilot tested by Andrew Yang and Jack Dorsey as well as other places in the US, and even by YC itself!
I'm actually optimistic, and believe if we play it right it could in fact be the seeds that allow for a Post-scarcity economy one day on Earth, as so much is lost in critical supply chains, and having these over-extended international based ones may have done more harm than good, as they accelerated a race to the bottom system in terms of price and quality (even on critical things like Medical Supplies/Drugs) as so much went to China but also made most countries entirely dependent on the CCP and has way more Geo-political consequences than we can predict.
Right now I'm taking a course in Supply Chain Operations and my final will be analyzing the consequences from the displacement of critical manufactured goods (PPE) to China and the affects it has had during the onset of COVID, and now also recently due to the massive flooding in Wuhan and the surrounding areas of China [1].
The most optimistic delays in lead-time are 2-3 weeks, but if COVID showed anything, as we saw with Medical staff in the US and even Australia having to go months without PPE and wearing trash bags in lieu of actual medical grade PPE, is that its best to actually double that to get an accurate time.
But it wasn't all bad as it also saw many 3D printing hobbyists use the technology for ACTUALLY MEANINGFUL potential instated of printing trinkets you use to clutter a work desk. And some other companies, mostly in the automotive Industry, pivoted to making breathing apparatuses.
1: https://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/record-china-fl...