(Gartner: Stamford, CT) -- From semiconductor shortages that shut down car factories to timber prices that skyrocketed due to unprecedented post-lockdown demand, supply-chain leaders have had their hands full trying to keep business going.

As the second pandemic year comes to an end, interviewer Sarah Hippold asks Gartner Senior Director Analyst Joel Knox to take a look back and answer some of the biggest questions around supply-chain constraints — and share a way forward.

Sarah Hippold: Severe supply constraints have impacted industries ranging from consumer electronics to snack foods to industrial equipment. Yet some organizations fare better than others. What are those leaders doing differently?

Joel Knox: I wouldn’t be surprised to see the phrase “whack-a-mole” become 2021’s supply-chain phrase of the year. There’s really no better comparison for today’s supply chain than a game with a seemingly random series of challenges that are coming at an increasing velocity. That’s why only very few—if any—companies have managed to navigate the current environment unscathed.

(See 14 Tactics to Counteract Supply Constraints and Instability.)

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