Powering Performance

There’s still time to register for the 2021 AIAG Supply Chain + International Trade Summit, quickly approaching next week on September 9^th. With the theme “Connecting the Links of the Supply Chain: Leveraging the Power of Process, Technology, and Change,” this virtual event explores a range of current and emerging trends with a lineup of the automotive industry’s strongest supply chain leaders and experts.

The fear voiced by Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka earlier this year was that “we will still have vessels at anchor come midsummer,” when terminals pivot to handling the peak season rush starting around Aug. 1.

It is now midsummer. There are still vessels at anchor — a lot of them.

Welcome back! Following a summer break period, sessions are resuming for the 2021 WSU/AIAG Auto Industry Certificate in Purchasing and Supply Chain Management program – and we’re eager to see this year’s phenomenal group of participants continue to make great strides.    

Designed to provide high potential candidates with an in-depth understanding of supply chain issues in the context of the global vehicle industry, this unique program is led by professionals from both industry and academia, and includes a mix of discussions and lectures, a company-related project and presentation, case studies, and much more.

On July 13, 2021, the U.S. government released an updated version of the Xinjiang Supply Chain Business Advisory (“Advisory”), originally released in July 2020. The Advisory warns U.S. companies that the People’s Republic of China (PRC) government continues to engage in “horrific abuses in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (Xinjiang) and elsewhere in China, targeting Uyghurs, ethnic Kazakhs, and ethnic Kyrgyzin,” including state-sponsored forced labor and other human rights abuses amidst ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity.

Canada is beginning to reopen its borders for nonessential travel after a 16-month shutdown in response to COVID-19. Starting Aug. 9, fully vaccinated U.S. citizens and permanent residents can enter the country.

After several months of discussion, the German Parliament ("Bundestag") adopted the "Act on Corporate Due Diligence in Supply Chains" (Supply Chain Due Diligence Act – "Act" or "LkSG") on 11 June 2021.¹ The Act imposes, for the first time, a binding obligation on companies to establish, implement and update due diligence procedures to improve compliance with specified core human rights and, to a limited extent, environmental protection in supply chains.

GM’s Dave Leich says the last 18 months in automotive have been unlike anything he’s seen in over three decades in the industry. As executive director, global supply chain, at General Motors Corporation, Leich leads the assembly, propulsion, and stamping operations, as well as the material launch execution and the demand/supply planning and scheduling organizations. His responsibilities also include GM’s global supply chain operations for North America, South America, and Asia-Pacific.

Ready for more detail about this year’s Supply Chain + International Trade Summit? Check out a few agenda highlights below, and don’t forget to head to the AIAG Store today for more information and to reserve your seat!

The AIAG Supply Chain Products + Services team welcomes Sivad Q. Davis as its new project coordinator. Davis has worked for the past two years as an AIAG customer service representative, which allowed him to build a strong foundation in the broad scope of what AIAG provides the industry — from publications, events, and webinars to training and certifications.

In the wake of rising international condemnation over the treatment of Uyghur Muslims in China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (Xinjiang), the US government is ramping up its forced labor enforcement actions, most recently by issuing a new withhold release order (WRO) on June 23 that will impact the solar industry and by adding five new companies with ties to Xinjiang on the Department of Commerce’s (DOC) Entity List.