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Chain Reaction is the podcast 'All About Supply Chain Advantage' containing regular audio snippets relevant to C suite executives, supply chain professionals, researchers, policy makers in government, students, media commentators and the wider public. New episodes each week discuss hot topics in the news and supply chain ideas relevant to everyone involved in supply chain management. There are special editions too.
Our goal is to keep our listeners updated and informed about the various factors that can influence the dynamics of supply chains. As the world continues to evolve, so too do the complexities of global supply chains. By keeping an eye on these global events, we can anticipate potential challenges and opportunities, and navigate the ever-changing landscape of supply chains with agility and insight.
331 Episodes
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In this episode Tony Hines talks to Dr Regina Frei and Professor Diego Vasquez Brust about their research into plastic waste in four European Cities. The research project is PlastiCity. Researchers involved are investigating commercial waste in the four cities:Ghent (Belgium) The Hague (The Netherlands), Southend-On-Sea (UK), and Douai (France). Waste owners, designers, recyclers, policy makers, NGOs, waste management companies, logistic companies, plastic manufacturers and universities work...
Supply Chain Management is critical to improving cash flows. When we think of supply chains we think of material flows and not about cash flows but it is the latter that is equally important and impacted by the actions we take in our supply chains. The big consulting firms bang on about profitability and return on investment both are important but there is one variable even more so. It is cash flow because without cash the business may not continue into the future to earn profit and return on...
In this episode Tony Hines discusses recent changes in the macro environment as well as in society at large and the risk and uncertainty that plays out in the supply chain. Complexity and Disruption provide a focus for the discussion. Supply chains are discussed as complex systems. Disruptions emerge as the complexity of the system increases. Visibility is key to understanding the changes and the risks involved. Recent changes in the global economy give rise to further complexities and key tr...
Tony Hines developed his 7V model to identify value drivers in supply chains. These Vs were validated in his research studies of international supply chains. Value is created within the supply chain by lowering cost and increasing value for customers. This often results in saving time and speeding up throughput. If Supply Chain cycle times can be reduced you lower cost and people get paid faster. Each of the V’s has a unique role to perform. The 7V’s comprise: Volume, volatility, ...
Tony Hines explores recent economic developments, technology partnerships, and significant supply chain disruptions affecting global business operations. • Bank of England keeps interest rates at 4% while US Federal Reserve makes surprising quarter-percent cut • President Trump's UK visit secures £150 billion in investment commitments from companies including Blackstone, Microsoft, and Google • NVIDIA invests $5 billion in Intel, creating historic partnership to integrate technologies and st...
The global balance of power isn't just about military might or economic sanctions—it's increasingly about who controls the critical materials that power our modern world. China has masterfully positioned itself as the dominant force in rare earth elements, controlling 70% of mining and 90% of refining for these 17 elements essential to everything from smartphones to missile guidance systems. When faced with Trump's tariffs, China responded not with matching broad strokes but with surgical pre...
Global markets are reeling from what can only be described as an economic tsunami, triggered by President Trump's chaotic approach to trade tariffs. The ripple effects are now washing ashore everywhere from the United Kingdom to Japan, leaving financial destruction in their wake. The UK economy faces a staggering £41.2 billion deficit—significantly worse than the £30 billion previously projected—according to the National Institute for Economic and Social Research. With GDP growth slowing and...
Donald Trump's self-proclaimed "Liberation Day" has unleashed a seismic shift in global trade, with new tariffs affecting 92 countries and reshaping economic relationships worldwide. What initially threatened as a uniform policy has evolved into a complex web of personalized trade barriers, with rates ranging from 10% for the UK to a punishing 50% for Brazil. The diplomatic chess game has been fascinating to witness. Ursula von der Leyen's eleventh-hour visit to Turnberry secured the EU a 15...
Trump's tariffs have unleashed chaos across global supply chains, forcing companies to make radical shifts in their production strategies almost overnight. Initially, tariffs were set at a staggering 145% on Chinese imports, these tariffs threatened to push iPhone prices to $3,000, add $5,000 to electric vehicle costs, and disrupt countless industries dependent on global manufacturing networks. The podcast explores how major players are responding with remarkable agility. Tesla is accelerati...
What guides your toughest decisions? Are you relying on gut instinct, careful analysis, or something in between? Decision making shapes everything from our breakfast choices to business strategies that impact millions. In this thought-provoking exploration, we examine the frameworks governing how we make choices that determine our paths. Beyond simple pros and cons lists, we dive into advanced techniques used by strategic thinkers: decision trees that map possibilities, Bayesian thinki...
The global economic landscape is transforming before our eyes as protectionist policies gain momentum worldwide. This episode of Chain Reaction examines how these shifts are creating both challenges and opportunities for supply chain leaders navigating increasingly complex waters. We dive deep into the impending August 1st tariffs from the Trump administration, which include a striking 50% tariff on copper aimed at boosting domestic production. The immediate market response reveals a fascina...
The global trade landscape is entering a period of unprecedented turbulence as President Trump announces massive new tariffs set to take effect August 1st. With tariff rates ranging from 25% to 50% hitting major US trading partners including the EU, Mexico, Japan, South Korea, and Brazil, we're witnessing what could be the largest series of US tariff hikes since 1930. The timing couldn't be more critical. Despite the United States collecting more tariff revenue this year than in its entire h...
Global supply chains are under siege from all directions, and the consequences are far-reaching. The steel tariffs imposed by the Trump administration demonstrate a fundamental misunderstanding of how modern industrial ecosystems function. When a Sheffield manufacturer can't supply raw materials to their own American plant because of these tariffs, putting 70 US jobs at risk, we're witnessing policy backfire in real-time. The power of input-output analysis becomes clear when examining these ...
Digital twins represent a revolutionary approach to supply chain management, offering businesses a virtual mirror of their physical operations that transforms how they monitor, analyze, and optimize complex networks. This fascinating exploration reveals how these digital replicas harness real-time data from IoT sensors, AI algorithms, and cloud computing to simulate supply chain dynamics without disrupting actual operations. The power of digital twins lies in their versatility and practical ...
The UK economy stands at a crossroads, and the government's newly unveiled Modern Industrial Strategy represents one of the most ambitious economic blueprints in decades. This episode of Chain Reaction takes you deep into the mechanics of this sweeping 10-year plan designed to transform Britain into "the best country in the world to invest in." At the heart of this strategy are eight high-growth sectors collectively representing 32% of the UK economy - from advanced manufacturing and clean e...
Unlock the future of supply chain management with insights that could transform your career! Join us as we explore "Supply Chain Strategies: Demand Driven and Customer Focused" by Tony Hines, a must-read that dares to challenge conventional supply chain thinking. We promise you'll walk away with a deeper understanding of how to build resilient and customer-focused supply chains. Discover how cutting-edge technologies like AI and blockchain are revolutionizing the industry, making them indispe...
Global economic growth forecasts have been downgraded to 2.3% for 2025, making it the weakest pace outside of a recession since 2008, while trade tensions and widespread tariff hikes are creating major disruptions across supply chains worldwide. Companies are responding with remarkable agility to these changing conditions, as demonstrated by Apple shifting 97% of iPhone exports to India and Jaguar Land Rover building resilience into its EV supply chain. • World Bank forecasts global growth a...
Global supply chains have become the invisible architecture supporting our modern world, seamlessly connecting resources, manufacturers, and consumers across continents. Yet as trade tensions rise and tariffs become political weapons, this delicate ecosystem faces unprecedented challenges. We take you behind the scenes of three everyday products to reveal their surprisingly global journeys. The iPhone, despite its "Designed in California" branding, relies on a supply chain spanning 43 countr...
Ever relied on a mental shortcut only to stumble because it wasn't quite right for the situation? That's precisely what we dive into in this episode about heuristics—those mental rules of thumb that help us navigate complex decisions in supply chain management. The 80-20 rule, ABC inventory classification, recent supplier performance—these are just a few of the heuristics that make our decision-making more efficient. But there's a shadow side to these mental shortcuts. The availability heuri...
The fallout between Donald Trump and Elon Musk has sent Tesla shares tumbling, while global trade tensions escalate with doubled tariffs on steel and aluminum imports. • Trump-Musk relationship deteriorates after disagreement over budget bill • Tesla shares down 14% this week, 37% since December • Trump doubles steel and aluminum tariffs to 50% • Eurozone inflation falls below 2% target for first time in three years • China possibly ordering hundreds of Airbus planes as snub to Boeing • Futu...
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