The horrifying images of Baltimore's Key Bridge collapsing on March 26—and the subsequent blocking of commercial shipping in and out of the country's busiest automotive port—left some in the industry wondering if it would be in for a repeat of the supply chain woes it experienced during the pandemic and microchip shortage.
But one week after the collapse, there's no indication the disaster in Baltimore will have an impact anywhere near that, supply chain experts said. While the situation is far from ideal, it's proved to be manageable, they said.
"There was a lot of panic for a lot of people last week when this happened, wondering if this would be a return to the days in 2021 when dealer lots were short," said Jason Miller, a professor in supply chain management at Michigan State University. "But this is not a return to 2021."