Typically, “supply chain” is a phrase that only business executives get excited about. Yet in the aftermath of the Japanese earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear crisis, the world is starting to discover just how important those chains of supplies are. Sever or stress a single link, and the chain comes apart — affecting not only what’s available in stores, but the livelihoods of those who make their careers building, marketing, and selling consumer electronics.
Herewith, a brief rundown of just what Japan’s multiple — and still continuing — disasters have wrought.
