Stephen Flynn features on News@Northeastern: SUPPLY CHAINS ARE A MESS. BUT THERE’S HOPE ON THE HORIZON

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The supply-chain problems of 2021 will continue well into the new year while potentially contributing to inflation, according to Northeastern experts. But the issues also could yield promising solutions to reinvent supply chains by accessing the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill signed by President Joe Biden in November. GRI Founding Director, Stephen Flynn, was featured in this article for his thoughts on finding alternative ways to perform cargo delivery.

“We have to really rethink our infrastructure and transportation system to be more flexible,” says Flynn, who is discussing these issues with government leaders in Washington and New England. “With the new infrastructure/jobs act, there’s an opportunity to re-engineer some of the systems so we’re not coming back and doing the same story again when the next big disruption happens.”

Shipping became the prominent method for supporting global supply chains because the costs were so low, says Dr. Flynn but ports and cargo companies are now overwhelmed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Flynn believes reviving historic transportation networks such as riverboats and railways would also ease the over-reliance on the ports