Visions of a factory conjure up a large space, big machinery and many people working hard to keep products rolling on the production line.  

Modern manufacturing introduces challenges that often can’t be addressed through expansion of physical space. The vast majority of manufacturers can’t afford to tear down and rebuild factories to incorporate the latest ideas and capabilities.  

According to the Global Liner Performance Report, global schedule reliability reached 56.6% as of November 2022 for ocean freight. While this is an improvement, it’s still significantly off-pace from pre-pandemic levels. The Molex Global Supply Chain Global Center of Excellence (CoE) also reports that logistics disruptions result in significant pipeline inventory buildups, causing surges in import volumes. U.S. port congestion has also decreased the number of driver turns because of a reduced number of loads per day; more drivers are exiting the business because longer port delays are reducing their income.