Business Briefs: Supply Chain Challenges Grow, Take it Easy with the Trucker Jokes
A quick take on news from many industries from IndustryWeek parent company Endeavor Business Media’s many publications.
Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine Worsens Supply Chain Crisis
SourceToday details how current events continue to hammer the supply chain from microchip shortages to welding suppliers to energy. Some experts are even calling the changes to sourcing permanent, especially considering the very low likelihood of Russia rejoining global markets any time soon. Also included, tips on what companies can do now to prepare for continued problems.
Tractor Maker Kubota Opens Georgia R&D Center
The $280 million campus cost more than $85 million and will initially employ 70 engineers and technical staff. The company’s goal is to boost that number to 200 within the next five years. The center is powered in part by solar sunflowers, and the parking lot features a solar-powered roof to support electric vehicle charging stations, according to the Rental Equipment Register.
Renewable Energy Prices Rise, Availability to Fall
Companies hoping to use wind and solar power to meet ESG targets may be in for a shock as several high-profile renewable energy projects have been delayed by supply chain snags. Increasing demand and limited supplies are pushing green energy prices higher, making it more expensive to stay compliant with targets, T&D World reports.
Jokes about Truckers Urinating in Bottles? Not So Funny to Drivers
Factory workers have dealt with stereotypes about careless employees who don’t care about quality for decades, and plant owners complain that young people view manufacturing as dirty and old-fashioned. Well, truck drivers arguably have it worse as the butts of national jokes, and FleetOwner Editor-in-Chief Cristina Commedatore is getting sick of it. She notes that treatment of truckers has gotten so bad that a Pennsylvania state representative authored a bill forcing some establishments to let trucks use bathrooms.
