As shown in the U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”) Bureau of International Labor Affairs’ International Child Labor & Forced Labor Reports, the use of child labor, forced labor, and child forced labor remains a tragically persistent concern worldwide. To help companies understand these risks and work to eliminate child labor and forced labor, the DOL … Continue Reading
A bipartisan bill, introduced in the Senate on May 2, seeks to reduce the United States’ dependence on foreign minerals and develop a national electric vehicle supply chain policy. The American Minerals Security Act (S. 1317), which embraces part of a 2017 executive order by President Trump, would “facilitate the availability, development, and environmentally responsible … Continue Reading
On December 18, 2018, the Senate unanimously passed a bill which would create a council responsible for addressing federal supply chain security. Because the bill was not presented for a vote in the House of Representatives, it will begin the legislative process again in the current Congress. The Senate bill provided for the establishment of the Federal … Continue Reading
Recently Smart Industry, an information resource on the digital transformation of manufacturing and related industries, interviewed Rosemary Coates and Sarah Rathke on technology’s impact on supply chain disputes. Rosemary and Sarah provide insight into how technology can provide support, transparency, and traceability of data but can also be used against companies in data breaches and legal disputes. … Continue Reading
On June 22, 2016, the Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (“FAA”) released new rules for small commercial drones. Part 107 governs the use of small unmanned aircraft systems, “UAS” or “drones.” Public Law 112-95, Section 331(8) defines UAS as “an aircraft that is operated without the possibility of direct human intervention from within or on the aircraft.” … Continue Reading
Previously we posted on a growing litigation trend in response to the use of trafficked labor in the Thai seafood industry and how we can expect a similar response with recent reports on Congolese mining practices for cobalt, which is used in batteries. In her article in the Bloomberg BNA Electronic Commerce & Law Report entitled, “Is Tech … Continue Reading
As we have discussed in a previous post, recalls are part of life for many manufacturers, and the trend is for more frequent, and more geographically broad, product recalls.… Continue Reading
Is your business considering reshoring its manufacturing operations or supply chain? Reshoring is the latest trend in manufacturing. There are often significant advantages to reshoring. Plus, many view the reshoring movement as patriotic. If your company is thinking about reshoring its manufacturing operations or its supply chain, however, be sure to consider the legal implications of moving back … Continue Reading
It’s springtime, which apparently means… that the California Department of Justice has begun what looks like enforcement measures with respect to California’s 2010 Transparency in Supply Chains Act. If you are a manufacturer or a retailer who has received a letter inquiring about your compliance with this (relatively) new legislation, don’t be surprised. It is apparently … Continue Reading
The Apple-GTAT disaster. Working with international suppliers. Constructing supply chain agreements for development projects when success and cost structure are not guaranteed. We discuss these subjects and more with Bob Bowman of Supply Chain Brain. Thanks Bob! Listen to our Podcast by clicking on the link here: http://www.supplychainbrain.com/content/nc/executive-education/podcasts/single-article-page/article/lessons-from-an-apple-supplier-debacle/ … Continue Reading
Almost inevitably, supply chain litigation involves technical testimony. Most complex supply chain disputes involve contested engineering testimony, design documents, reliability statistics, and financial damages models. Whether the ultimate factfinder is a jury or a judge (or a foreign court), the factfinder usually does not have a technical background. Therefore, translating this technical evidence into something … Continue Reading
Earlier this month, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (“NHTSA”) , the federal agency responsible for overseeing automotive safety, released figures showing that 2014 involved a record number of automotive safety recalls – higher than 2011, 2012, and 2013 combined. In all, the industry recalled almost 64 million vehicles in 803 separate recall campaigns, 680 … Continue Reading
Sometimes at the Global Supply Chain Law Blog, we talk to others in the industry about the legal aspects of developing successful supply chain relationships. This week, we were fortunate to be invited on Adrian Gonzales’ “Talking Logistics” show. We talked about the recent case of GT Advanced and Apple and what companies can do … Continue Reading
