MaxTrends® Books and Reference Materials
Contains practical advice and strategies for CEOs, boards of directors, senior managers, and anyone else directly involved in supply chain activities. The MaxTrends® are happening, and the risks of doing nothing about them are high. The world economy as we once knew it will never return. The challenge now is for U.S. companies to figure out how to adapt to the quickly changing landscape.
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Buy the book directly from the American Bar Association or on Amazon:
MaxTrend®:
Rising Labor Costs
• Chinese labor is no longer cheap
• 'Just-in-time' sourcing depends on cheap labor
• Politics is now part of China's just-in-time model, both internally and externally
• Labor rates throughout Asia are also on the rise
MaxTrend®:
Governmental Restrictions on Direct Foreign Investments
• China is pursuing a policy of aggressively tightening its internal policies on companies by discouraging FDI into China
• The Chinese government is closely monitoring the activities of foreign companies operating in China
• Foreign companies in China now find themselves subject to increased government regulation
• The “China First” policy is irreversible and impacts the global supply chain
MaxTrend®:
Cyber Warfare
• Watch out for increased cyber activity, both domestic and international
• Low barrier to entry for new ypes of cyber criminals (non-government)
• Insurance coverage for cyber attacks increasingly expensive and sometimes unavailable
• Smaller companies with limited access to capital are particularly vulnerable to cyber attacks
MaxTrend®:
3D Manufacturing
• No longer a technology for only producing prototypes
• 3D manufacturing plants with server farms now permit large scale of manufacturing output
• Local 3D manufacturing eliminates transportation costs and delays which are built into the current supply chain structure
• Quickly able to re-engineer existing products to be less expensive and more efficient to produce
MaxTrend®:
Robotics and the Supply Chain
• Costs to automate are rapidly decreasing, thus offsetting low labor costs
• Safety in the workplace is much higher with robotics, making manufacturing more efficient
• Robotic palletizers are an example of increased efficiencies and safety protocols
• Robotics lessens the high costs of current supply chain logistics
MaxTrend®:
Politics and Domestic Sourcing
• Globally, governments are now demanding more domestic sourcing for a wide variety of goods because of national security concerns
• Example: The Biden Administration has raised domestic content percentage for goods to be purchased with U.S. government funds
The deterioration in relations between the US and China, which led to trade tariffs and loss of trust, was also having a bigger impact than hitherto recognised.
From The Guardian, an international news outlet publishing since 1821:
The Global Supply Chain crisis and other MaxTrend® impacts could last another two years, warn experts. As some bottlenecks ease, others are just starting, meaning the post-pandemic economy 'won't return to normal anytime soon.'
MaxTrends® Videos and Webinars
The Impact of Cybercriminals on the Supply Chain
Dennis Unkovic joins CNBC's nationally broadcast 'Power Lunch' to discuss how the global supply chain is vulnerable to cyber threats and how it could continue to get worse. Unkovic looks at supply chain MaxTrends®, which highlight different sectors' priorities in supply chain issues.
Our Region's Business: Transforming the Global Supply Chain
Bill Flanagan interviews Dennis Unkovic, author of "Transforming the Global Supply Chain", about the global supply chain MaxTrends® and opportunities they may create for the Pittsburgh region.
Sunday Business Page: Examining Supply Chain
KDKA's Jon Delano spoke with Dennis Unkovic about his new book, 'Transforming the Global Supply Chain: Cyber Warfare, Technology, and Politics', and the six MaxTrends® affecting the supply chain.
Significant Reshoring in Supply Chains for the First Time in 30 Years
Dennis Unkovic, Meyer, Unkovic, and Scott partner, joins CNBC's nationally broadcast ‘Power Lunch’ to discuss how supply chains are being disrupted and his predictions on what the six MaxTrends® will mean for the future.
How COVID-19 Will Trigger Global Supply Chain Realignment...And What To Do About It
Meyer, Unkovic & Scott International Law Partner Dennis Unkovic, discusses with David Iwinski, Jr. of Blue Water Growth LLC, the ramifications of the COVID-19 virus on the global supply chain. Presented by The Institute for Entrepreneurial Excellence.
Over the past two years, Dennis has been a part of an ongoing webinar series for thousands of companies located in the US and overseas. He has presented his thoughts on the global supply chain and MaxTrends® impacting it to over ten thousand attendees and viewers, including the Institute for Supply Chain Management.
From The Business Times, published by American City Journals Inc.:
Technology's role in rebuilding the supply chain: While the pandemic has exacerbated and accelerated supply chain woes, many of the factors that contributed to the problem have been ongoing for years.
Pittsburgh attorney Dennis Unkovic, who wrote the book “Transforming the Global Supply Chain: Cyber Warfare, Technology, and Politics,” identified what he refers to as MaxTrends® that have contributed to supply chain woes or will contribute to the supply chain’s transformation in the future. Among the trends on the transformation side will be the role technology and automation will play in the future.