What exactly were you doing thirty-five years ago? Transfixed, perhaps, by the evolving soap opera that was Charles and Diana’s marriage, both of them stumbling in lockstep towards an all too public divorce; or maybe you were watching the Olympics in Atlanta (without social distancing), or possibly tracking the inexorable progress of that other, earlier pandemic, Mad Cow Disease…or, for the market conscious, tracking global trade figures in the aftermath of Bob Dole’s nomination for President of the United States. Maybe all four (or more, or none)…but for the market conscious, the global trade figure in 1996 was 600% lower than it is today, which puts everything else in the shade.
Just think about it for a moment: what else has gone up by 600% in thirty-five years? The volume and viciousness of Kim Kardashian, possibly: global stock markets…certainly (by about 3,450% in fact): but very little else …unless you’re calibrating Donald Trump’s airtime (in which case literally anything is possible).
Virtually every major market has seen an explosion in cross border trade since the mid 1990s: logistics hubs have grown like topsy across the planet, and India is leading the way. So welcome to the new normal, a central spine of interconnected networks that stretches all the way from Mumbai to New Mexico, and back again. That’s how your Amazon orders get there on time, that’s why “just in time delivery” works so well, and it's why products on your supermarket shelves are becoming less expensive every day: none of which is going away any time soon, despite the challenges posed by the COVID Pandemic.
But when all is said and done, that's really the point: this is a fragile ecosystem and it’s critically dependent on distribution hubs that are capable of being created and re-calibrated rapidly, in response to ever changing network demands…which is where Modular Construction comes in…
Modular Construction (www.archdaily.com) closes the loop on supply chain disconnects, with components manufactured more quickly in climate controlled conditions, three times faster than conventional units, meaning they’re also three times more available for assembly in those central distribution hubs where they’re most needed. So next time you’re speeding along the highway and see a sprawling distribution facility, sparkling in the sunshine, just remember that it was probably put there quickly (exactly where it’s needed) because of Modular technology.
And when the ever variable tide of global supply changes direction (which it will do, bet your bottom dollar on it), those modular components can also be re-adapted from project to project: not simply sent off to landfill like the girders and bricks of a conventional project. Modular technology also meets the stringent demands of the circular economy.
All of which means it won’t be difficult to remember what we were doing when 2056 comes around, in thirty five years time…we were making the world a better place to live in...
Global Supply Chains have become the beating heart of our daily World, and they’re becoming more important every day…which makes the flexibility and adaptability of modular distribution hubs increasingly important.
It's time to wake up to connectivity…