Brooke Sutherland, Columnist

Maybe Global Supply Chains Were a Bad Idea

The coronavirus outbreak exposes the peril of far-flung parts networks and the risk of paralysis.

February 21, 2020 at 8:00 PM UTC

Brooke Sutherland is Bloomberg News' Boston bureau chief and writes the Industrial Strength Newsletter. She was previously a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering deals and industrial companies and an M&A reporter for Bloomberg News.

Ships to nowhere.
Photographer: SeongJoon Cho/Bloomberg

Provide news feedback or report an error

Site feedback:

Take our Survey

This article is for subscribers only.

To get Brooke Sutherland’s newsletter delivered directly to your inbox, sign up here.

Transporting parts from country A to country B is an obstacle course that seems to only get more complicated. If the trade war showed the risks of globalized supply-chains, the coronavirus may solidify that business model as a liability.