2021 Supply Disruptions

[Dirt Roads]

And, despite the fact that a Moon Pie and an RC Cola are a traditional Southern delicacy, I've never seen RC Cola for sale outside Northern Illinois.

Wut.

Doesn't surprise me.  Even here in the center of Moon Pie territory, I haven't seen an RC Cola for a number of years.  Coke and Pepsi have cornered all of the grocery shelves, even in the lower end stores like Food Lion.  Lowe's Food here will have two-liter versions of Diet Rite cola and a few flavors of Diet Rite sodas.  We don't have any Piggly Wiggly's, Red-and-White's, or IGA's around here anymore, but I suspect that those might still have the full complement of RC products.

[hbelkins]

RC's still quite popular in these parts. I don't think there are bottlers in Jackson and Whitesburg anymore, but in years past RC was immensely popular in southeastern Kentucky.

[Rothman]

RC's still quite popular in these parts. I don't think there are bottlers in Jackson and Whitesburg anymore, but in years past RC was immensely popular in southeastern Kentucky.

^This.

I still see RC on my travels here and there and get nostalgic about the ubiquitous RC signage in eastern KY.

[Scott5114]

My grocery store carries RC, though I've never seen anyone actually buying it. I haven't actually drank it since I was a kid.

[Duke87]

The most notable time I recall encountering RC Cola being served in lieu of Coke or Pepsi was at the Oakland Coliseum.

Frankly, it's fitting for that place.

[abefroman329]

The most notable time I recall encountering RC Cola being served in lieu of Coke or Pepsi was at the Oakland Coliseum.

Frankly, it's fitting for that place.

Haha. I just remembered that they had it on tap at Santa's Village in Dundee, Now THAT was fitting!

[JayhawkCO]

RC Cola is like Tab.

Every store carries/d it because apparently there were some very nostalgic folks who wanted to buy it, but never did.

Chris

[ZLoth]

From autoevolution:

Chipmakers Scold Automakers on Chip Shortage, Tell Them to Get With the Times

The first warning signs of a chip supply shortage came at the end of 2020, but the supply chain glitch was only supposed to interrupt car production for a minute as chipmakers focused production on automakers. While the lead time for chips was generally around six months - such circuitry on standard silicon substrates involves long production steps that require a series of weeks - that was the industry standard.

But as the health crisis slammed world markets hard, production of big-ticket consumer items took a back seat and new car production was shoved onto the back burner as home-focused devices like phones and televisions took precedence, with people searching for ways to weather lockdown conditions.

As car markets suddenly found a foothold months later and consumers began to regain their confidence, chipmakers who had already shifted their capacity to other locations were found wanting when automakers came to call once again.

FULL ARTICLE HERE

Hmmmm.... on one hard, I can see the philosophy of "if it ain't broke", as the environment in a car can be brutal from cold Minnesota winters to the cars baking under the summer southwest sun. On the other hand, technological advances means that the newer chip designs are more functional in performing more functions and/or better efficiency.

[kalvado]

From autoevolution:

Chipmakers Scold Automakers on Chip Shortage, Tell Them to Get With the Times

The first warning signs of a chip supply shortage came at the end of 2020, but the supply chain glitch was only supposed to interrupt car production for a minute as chipmakers focused production on automakers. While the lead time for chips was generally around six months - such circuitry on standard silicon substrates involves long production steps that require a series of weeks - that was the industry standard.

But as the health crisis slammed world markets hard, production of big-ticket consumer items took a back seat and new car production was shoved onto the back burner as home-focused devices like phones and televisions took precedence, with people searching for ways to weather lockdown conditions.

As car markets suddenly found a foothold months later and consumers began to regain their confidence, chipmakers who had already shifted their capacity to other locations were found wanting when automakers came to call once again.

FULL ARTICLE HERE

Hmmmm.... on one hard, I can see the philosophy of "if it ain't broke", as the environment in a car can be brutal from cold Minnesota winters to the cars baking under the summer southwest sun. On the other hand, technological advances means that the newer chip designs are more functional in performing more functions and/or better efficiency.

While this is somewhat true, it is only a small part of the story.
First, car chips require long production certification. Few years from the line running consumer chips to line running car chips.  So if someone decides to qualify a new process, as Intel recently suggested, they may actually ship something in 2024.
Second, there was a fire which affected car-specific capacity: https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/renesas-semiconductor-fab-catches-fire-impacting-chip-production/

[hbelkins]

Cars were much better when they didn't have computer chips. Prove me wrong.

[kalvado]

Cars were much better when they didn't have computer chips. Prove me wrong.

Fuel injector.

Case closed.

[Rothman]

Cars were much better when they didn't have computer chips. Prove me wrong.

Fuel injector.

Case closed.

Ha!  Well-played.

Still, I had a chip related to my car's AWD blow out at about 15,000 miles (Nissan Rogue -- what a lemon.  Repair covered by warranty).

[ZLoth]

Cars were much better when they didn't have computer chips. Prove me wrong.

Better fuel efficiency?

In terms of car radios, having the Bluetooth integration is better mechanically than five pounds of delicate mechanics to pull in the cassette tape or CD.

[kalvado]

Cars were much better when they didn't have computer chips. Prove me wrong.

Fuel injector.

Case closed.

Ha!  Well-played.

Still, I had a chip related to my car's AWD blow out at about 15,000 miles (Nissan Rogue -- what a lemon.  Repair covered by warranty).

I cannot wrap my head around diagrams of modern car databuses, though. I understand that those replaced even more messy wire bundles, but yet...

[abefroman329]

Last night, we ordered in from Red Lobster, and my wife's meal was packaged as follows:

A large aluminum foil catering tray containing the following:
(1) A steak wrapped in aluminum foil
(2) A scoop of mashed potatoes, wrapped in aluminum foil
(3) A portion of green beans, wrapped in aluminum foil
(4) A portion of grilled shrimp, in a paper to-go soup cup

My meal was packaged as normal - I wonder if they just happened to use the last of the normal packaging for my meal.

[Scott5114]

I wonder why they didn't put the potatoes and green beans in soup cups–seems like that would be tidier than the aluminum foil.

[abefroman329]

I wonder why they didn't put the potatoes and green beans in soup cups–seems like that would be tidier than the aluminum foil.

Maybe they used the last of the soup cups for the shrimp.

The mashed potatoes in particular were much, much tidier than you might think.  I wish I'd taken a photo or something.

[hbelkins]

I'm still trying to process the fact that Red Lobster (a place I admittedly have not patronized for 25 years) has steak.

[Scott5114]

I'm still trying to process the fact that Red Lobster (a place I admittedly have not patronized for 25 years) has steak.

They have chicken too. I used to go there with a girl who would go just for the chicken.

Lots of places have one or two items that are out of their usual category to make them more acceptable to groups that have one member that doesn't like whatever it is they serve. That's how McDonald's ended up with salads. I also imagine that's why Del Taco sells cheeseburgers.

[abefroman329]

I'm still trying to process the fact that Red Lobster (a place I admittedly have not patronized for 25 years) has steak.

*shrug* The surf-and-turf has been a common menu item for decades.

Oh, I also noticed that they offered fried whitefish, but not fried cod unless you were ordering fish and chips or a cod sandwich - I don't know if there's a shortage of cod right now.

[vdeane]

I feel like people are starting to stock up on groceries.  It feels like the shelves are thinner and there are more products unavailable, and there were definitely a fair number more people than normal.

[ZLoth]

From CBS Los Angeles:

Backlog of Ships at Port of LA Reaches Boiling Point

As an estimated 500,000 containers are sitting on cargo ships off the Southern California coast, many are wondering how to handle the backlog.

Few are more frustrated about the backlog at the Port of Los Angeles and Long Beach, than truck drivers in the chaos. They say that a trucker shortage is not the problem, instead, the port needs to speed up wait times and have more dock help ready to offload.

FULL ARTICLE HERE (autoplaying video)

[ZLoth]

From Bloomberg:

Christmas at Risk as Supply Chain "˜Disaster' Only Gets Worse
Stock prices of retailers are near all-time highs. Global trade is a mess, and peak shipping has just begun.

It's the beginning of October, just the start of what the retail world simply calls "peak."  But the industry is already in various forms of panic that usually don't take hold until the weeks before Christmas.

Early in the year, the hope was that the bottlenecks that gummed up the global supply chain in 2020 would be mostly cleared by now. They've actually only gotten worse – much worse – and evidence is mounting that the holiday season is at risk.

FULL ARTICLE HERE (Autoplaying Video)

[ZLoth]

From Jalopnok:

I Asked Experts Why Carmakers Can't Just Transition To Newer Chips In Stock. Here's What They Told Me
It's a classic case of two industries that have conflicting needs but still have to work together.

Today, it's not that difficult to secure one of those new iPhones that came out last week. Car buying, comparatively speaking, is still a chore, especially given how supply chain constraints have thrusted prices upwards considerably for new and used vehicles alike.

But if you ask an executive at a chip manufacturer who's to blame for what automakers are going through – like, say, Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger – the answer might not be an especially sympathetic one.

FULL ARTICLE HERE

[snowc]

From Bloomberg:

Christmas at Risk as Supply Chain "˜Disaster' Only Gets Worse
Stock prices of retailers are near all-time highs. Global trade is a mess, and peak shipping has just begun.

It's the beginning of October, just the start of what the retail world simply calls "peak."  But the industry is already in various forms of panic that usually don't take hold until the weeks before Christmas.

Early in the year, the hope was that the bottlenecks that gummed up the global supply chain in 2020 would be mostly cleared by now. They've actually only gotten worse – much worse – and evidence is mounting that the holiday season is at risk.

FULL ARTICLE HERE (Autoplaying Video)

Here we go again, Christmas is not only getting too commercial, its also getting TOO dangerous!