Every year, China witnesses one of the largest human migrations in the world, as the nation’s workforce puts down tools and return to their home towns to enjoy the Lunar New Year celebrations. Factories across the country close shop for up to 40 days while businesses across the rest of the world face a huge amount of supply chain disruption.
With extensive lead times of up to several months, importing goods from China can be challenging at the best of times. However, when you consider that you may be left in the dark for over a month during the holiday period and even then, production may still be constrained for a further few weeks until suppliers catch up with back orders, it is vital that steps are taken to minimise the disruption during this time. Failure to do so could result in costly stock outs, missed opportunities and disappointed customers.
In this article, we explore how organisations can safeguard their operations before, during and after the Lunar New Year period given the level of volatility during this time.