9/12 and Supply Chain Friction

On September 12, 2001, business leaders awoke to a new set of realities that were as formidable as many of them had ever faced. Some of the realities were subtle: governmental agencies increasingly scrutinized the content of telecommunications and financial transactions. Others were stark and in your face: mind-numbing security lines at airports and new import / export regulations.

As the post-9/11 era has evolved, it is clear that newly acquired friction would be around for as long as we could foresee. Organizations that had once been accustomed to a steady devolution of the non-revenue generating aspects of their enterprise like security were now thrust into the need to somehow deal with these realities.

To their immense credit, supply chain professionals have responded very well. They are clearly a tough bunch. They have worked very hard to manage the new friction and keep things moving along.

Unfortunately, however, given the terrorists' continued desire to attract attention from the 24/7/365 news cycle along with the expansion of global supply chains, it seems the friction will remain. And, if another major attack is successfully launched, we should expect even more into the future.