Logistics software vendor project44 launched its Supply Chain Crisis Tracker this week, just in time to monitor recent disruptions resulting from geopolitical tensions around the world.
The tracker went live Monday, reporting that delays and disruptions on the U.S.-Canada border had eased amid nationwide political protests in Canada and that attention had turned to Europe, where mounting tensions between Russia and Ukraine are causing supply chain backups and delays, especially near the Ukrainian port city of Odessa.
“We’ve seen a 28% rise in shipment delays month-over-month in Odessa,” project44’s Adam Compain, senior vice president of supply chain insights, said earlier this week, noting that Odessa is a critical transportation hub that sits on the Black Sea, close to Crimea and the “pressure points” of the border crisis with Russia.
Project44 also tracked a 52% increase in export container dwell times at the Port of Odessa, from 8.4 days to 12.8 days, while import container dwell times rose 44%, from 4.2 days to 6.3 days.
Compain said the evolving situation may have global supply chain implications, and that access to real-time data can help shippers and carriers make better business decisions. Project44 tracks global shipment data for a wide range of companies, and currently tracks 1 billion packages per year and more than $8 trillion in logistics spending, according to company leaders.
Compain added that today’s supply chain volatility “highlights how important it is to have global real time visibility at the order level and also how important it is to have tools in people’s hands that increase their resilience and agility.”
“As a software provider, we can’t help clear a ship or move a trucking convoy off a bridge,” he said. “But with more immediate and accurate information, [shippers and carriers] can respond to [challenges] more quickly than the competition.”
The Supply Chain Tracker is also monitoring the effects of global protests spurred by Canada’s Freedom Convoy, especially in Europe.
“We are seeing and watching similar types of activities in other parts of the world, especially France and Brussels,” Compain said. “In Brussels … we’re hearing about quiet protests that are amassing, but [we’re not seeing] material changes in supply chain delays or blockages.”
Experts at risk management and supply chain visibility solutions firm Overhaul are watching the disruptions as well, advising clients to stay focused on real-time events as they manage increasingly complex supply chains. Overhaul provides tracking, security, and compliance services to shippers and transportation companies.
Overhaul’s Vice President of Business Development Ron Greene says it’s become more important for companies to monitor global events over the past two years.
“Supply chain managers [need] back-up plans for moving freight–across all modes of transportation all over the world,” he said, adding that managers at all levels have been in a constant state of crisis management since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. “And we don’t see this going away, whether it’s political unrest, economic constraints, capacity constraints … It’s a very dynamic and changing environment.”
