The Upload

You know about black swan events: those unpredictable forces that can lead to potentially devastating consequences. They’ve been swooping in with disturbing regularity. Past trade wars with and tariffs on China. The lingering pandemic. The stuck container ship blocking the Suez Canal. Clogged ports. Container shortages. Trucker shortages. Geopolitical uncertainty including Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Surging inflation. Ongoing natural disasters and climate-change factors.

A game-changing innovation race with high market-share stakes is taking place in the automotive sector these days as the industry makes a quantum shift from internal combustion engines (ICEs) to electric vehicles.

A quick look at the current state of global supply chains with Protolabs' Director of Strategic Sourcing, Bernie Henderson.

The innovation race is on to create next-generation battery technology as the industry seeks to develop batteries that are cheaper, faster to charge, and less vulnerable to raw material shortages.

It is not a question of if but rather when will the next black swan event hit the globalized supply chain. And it is critical that companies learn from the last couple of years and develop an agile supply chain network that delivers value, reduces risk, and is not just driven by cost.

Supply chains are critical to success, but are often incredibly complicated. Let’s take a look at external supply chains within the National Laboratory system and how digital manufacturing fits in.

Our work with Breathe99 during the pandemic was recognized as a “Top Supply Chain Project” in 2021.

The recent Suez Canal ship blockage shows the need to mitigate supply chain risks.

11 reasons why Protolabs should be on your Approved Vendor List (AVL).

The emergence of Industry 4.0 and digital manufacturing is making supply chains more agile.