Tariffs are remaking global supply chains in real time

The imposition of tariffs on an ever changing array of products is disrupting global supply chains. Businesses are scrambling to reroute shipments to avoid the hefty fees they could incur as tariffs exceeding 100% are imposed, delayed, or removed entirely—all seemingly at whim. “In the short term, this will be almost like COVID 2.0,” said Saibal Ray, Professor of Operations Management at McGill Desautels. “There’s a huge amount of inventory stockpiled, and they will want to get it moving as quickly as possible because you don’t know if in 90 days something else will come up again.”